Drumsticks in Butter Chicken Gravy

Drumsticks in Butter Chicken Gravy

Butter Chicken

Ingredients:
4 Chicken Legs
5 medium Tomatoes in a paste
1 heaping tsp Red chillies powder
1 Maggie Chicken cube dissolved in hot water
Soya oil quantity as per your taste
Salt only if you think it is required as maggie cube is salted
Handful of kajus
1inch piece of Ginger cut in small pieces
1 heaping tsp of fresh garlic paste
2 tsp of Kasuri methi
1/2 tsp of garam masala powder
2 table spoon of maggie hot and sweet tomato sauce
1/2 Cup Malai
Some Amul butter

Method:
Make a paste of tomatoes and fry them in a pressure cooker with some oil till oil separates from the paste.
Add red chillies powder with a little water
And cook the masala till oil separates.
Add the hot water with the dissolved chicken cube.
Add the drumsticks.
Add enough water to cover them.
Let it cook for some time.
Make a paste of ginger , garlic and Kajus
With some water so that there are no lumps.
Add to the pressure cooker.
Let it cook.
When you see flesh leaving the bones from the leg pieces add kasuri methi, butter and malai while stiring the mixture so that it doesn’t curdel.
Cook a little so everything blends together.
Serve with hot chapatis or nan.

Chicken tomato masala

Serves: 2 Persons

Ingredients:

500gms Boneless Chicken

Fresh tomato puree* of 5 medium tomatoes

2  Paste of two Medium raw  onions

oil

2 Tsp (Heaping) Red chili powder

1 Tsp (Not Heaping) Dhania Powder

1/4 Tsp Haldi Powder

1 Tsp Salt

3 heaping Table spoons Curd

2 Table Spoons Garlic Paste

2 Table spoon Ginger paste

3 Table spoon Cashew Nuts

Method:

* To make fresh tomato puree boil water in a pan and put 5 tomatoes in it after scooping their eyes out and making a plus sign with a knife on the bottom of the tomatoes. after 5 minutes throw out the hot water and rinse  the tomatoes in cold water. Now peel off the skins and blend the tomatoes in a mixer.

Heat some oil in a cooker and add the fresh tomato puree. Cook till oil separates. Add the onion paste cook till oil separates. Add all the dry masalas with some water and cook till oil separates. Add curd and mix it well in hi-flame till oil separates.

Add the chicken pieces and cook on low flame for about 30 minutes.

(Take the specified amount of ginger, garlic and cashew nuts and make a paste in a mixer. Add a little water so that there are no lumps.)

Add this paste to the masala in the cooker and fry well till oil separates and the white color of the cashew paste is gone.

By now the chicken should be done. Serve hot with fresh chapaties.

 

A home for the butterflies in Jaipur

Butterfly Valley

In an ambitious project, JDA has developed a 3800 Sq. Mts.( buffer area is 5 acres)  valley in Simriti Ban on JLN Marg, Jaipur as a habitat for 46 species of commonly found butterflies. The area, some 100 mts below JLN Marg,  has been planted with 80 varieties of big and small host plants. The area has some 900 trees and treated waste  water is regularly sprayed on them to keep the moisture in the area high.They have developed waterfalls and ponds decorated with stones brought in from Nathdwara and Haridwar. So come February you need to visit the Butterfly Valley with your camera for a date with the fast vanishing delicate creatures.

 

Butterfly valley in Simriti Ban,JLN Marg,Jaipur

Chicken Masala In An Oven

Chicken Masala In an Oven
Serves 2 persons
Ingredients
Desi Ghee 100 gms
Oil 100 gms
Saabut Garam Masala ( 4 Doda, 1 ½ inch Dal chini, 5 Big Tej Patta, 20 Kali Mirch,
10 Cloves, 4 Small Ilaichi)
Oninons 4 large minced
Red chilie powder 2 tea spoons heaping ( or to taste)
Corriender Powder 1 tea spoons heaping( or same proportion as the red chilies)
Turmeric ½ Tea Spoon
Salt -One Tea Spoon (Not heaping) or to taste.
Sour Curd 200 gms
Garlic Paste 2 Tea Spoons
Ginger Paste 2 Tea Spoons
2 green chillies minced
2 Tea Spoons(heaping) Kachari Powder
300 grams Chicken

Heat the oil & Desi Ghee in a cooker. Add all the Saabut Gram Masala. Add the onions & fry the onions till they are brown.
Add red chilies, dhania, turmeric & salt with some water & fry till oil septrates.
Add curd.While adding the curd ensure to stir the mixture on high flame till the masala comes to a boil. Keep the flame on low heat and keep frying the curry till it takes the color of deep oily red chilies.
Add the Garlic paste and the ginger paste & green chilies to the curry and cook some more.
Pre-heat the oven at 300 Degrees
Add Chicken to the Masala and put in a baking tray and put in the oven to cook.
Once the oil starts bubbling set the temperature to 150 degrees and cook till done.

Serve with hot chapaties.

How To Use The Leftover Roties?

Most of us live in nuclear families in urban areas in this age of modernisation so what do you do with the Roties you and your family members fail to consume at meal times? Earlier we used to feed them to the stray cows roaming in the streets. Those stray cows have been rounded up and given accommodation in Goashalas on the outskirts of the Urban areas to chew their cud in peace. Milk giving cows are expensive animals and are not allowed on the streets and are housed outside the Urban areas in Dairies any way. Not everybody has a dog. And you can not just throw away food! So only thing you can do is consume them yourself.

Here are five ways you can consume them depending on your taste.

1. Chach-Roti

Tear the Roties in little pieces and put them in a bowl and soak them in enough buttermilk so that they will be able to become soft. Add salt and red chilli to taste. If you like onions mince some and put them in the bowl and mix properly. Refrigarate the preparation before serving. It is a popular cooling delicacy in the harsh heat of Rajasthani summers. It is also perfect for people with teeth issues.

2. Anda-Roti

Here is a preparation for the egg lovers. Make preparations to cook omelettes in proportion to the leftover Roties. Put required amount of oil in a non- stick pan put a roti in the pan pour the egg mixture with salt, chilli and minced onions on the roti and cook them together in the pan so that the roti and the egg mixture meld together. A delicious preparation is prepared. Serve hot.

3. Parathas

This one, though a no, no for the calorie conscious is a very easy option to prepare. Just before sitting down for a meal fry the left over Roties in a non-stick pan like you would prepare a Paratha and they will be as good as new.
If you like your Parathas crisp, fry them on a low flame for a little while longer. If you like your Parathas soft like a roti, fry them on high flame for just a little while only. Depending on your taste you can use ordinary refined oil or desi ghee as a frying medium.

4.Churma

Finally an option for the people with a sweet tooth! Break the Roties in little pieces and grind them in a mixer. Add sugar powder and hot desi ghee to taste in the roti powder. Mix well. It can be served as a sweet dish or with fresh Dal.

Last but not the least you can always heat up the leftover Roties on open gas flame before serving. If you like them soft heat them up for a little while only on high flame but if you like them crisp heat them on low flame for a little while longer.

How To Cook ‘Kaleji’

A simple Rajasthani recipe to cook spicy, red hot, Goat or Lamb Liver Curry.

Serves: Two persons
Time taken to prepare: 150 minutes
Ingredients:
Goat/Lamb Liver: 300 grams
Minced Onions: Four Medium Sized
Minced Green Chili: Four
Fresh Curd: 200 grams
Oil of your choice: 200 grams
Red Chili Powder: Two Tea Spoons heaping
Green Coriander Powder: One Tea Spoon heaping
Turmeric Powder: Half a Tea Spoon
Salt: One Tea Spoon not heaping
Ginger/ Garlic Paste: 30 grams
Vinegar: Two Tea Spoons (optional)
Method:
Heat the oil in a thick bottomed pan like a pressure cooker and add the minced onions once the oil is hot. Fry the onions on low flame till their colour turns light brown. Add the Ginger/Garlic paste with a little water so that the ingredients do not burn. Add red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt with some water. Fry the masala on low flame till it is cooked. Turn up the flame and add the curd while stirring the mixture till it comes to boil. Add the minced green chili. Cook the mixture on low flame till the masala takes on a deep red colour. Wash the raw liver and add it to the masala with some more water and cook on low flame till the liver turns hard. Unlike other meats liver will turn hard when fully cooked. Just before taking the pan off the flame add the vinegar. Serve with hot chapaties as a full meal or it can also be served as a delicious snack with cocktails before the main meal.

A Visit To KCK Simriti Ban

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur,bamboo

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur, canopy

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur, yellow water lily

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur,canopy

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur,bamboo

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur, Almanda

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur,frangipani

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur,bridge

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur,purple water lilly

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur,walkway

(Click on Image to view in gallery)

It is always a pleasure to visit the Karpur Chandra Kulish Simriti Ban on the Jawahar Lal Nehru Marg,Jaipur,Rajasthan. The fascinating aspect is the green oasis in a world dominated by sand as Jaipur is the capital city of Rajasthan a desert state in India. It has water & trees & plants to attract the local birds and other insects & butterflies etc.  It has lot of secluded corners where benches are provided by the administration for the young and not so young couples visiting the park.

My only suggestion is that they should provide an hour each in the morning & evening for nature lovers who would like to photograph the birds and the flora & fauna as the park is very busy during the visiting hours for a serious study to be done. Furthermore boys being boys some of the boys are  intentionally disruptive to the peaceful atmosphere in the park.

A Walk At The Man Sagar Lake

Sunrise At The Man Sagar Lake, Paddy Bird

Sunrise At The Man Sagar Lake, Jal Mahal Palace

Clouds at sunset from the Karans Guesthouse,Jaipur

Sunrise At The Man Sagar Lake

Sunrise At The Man Sagar Lake, Sanjay Sharma Museum

Sunrise At The Man Sagar Lake

Sunrise At The Man Sagar Lake

Sunrise At The Man Sagar Lake

Sunrise At The Man Sagar Lake, Dhatura

Sunrise At The Man Sagar Lake

( Click on the image to view in Gallery)

Whenever I get a chance, I take a morning walk along the Mansagar Lake, just like so many other Jaipur residents and tourists from outside Jaipur. It does not have any thing to do with getting exercise in the morning. It is just a fascination of  a resident of a desert state with a large body of water, greenery, sunrise & birds. I also took a few pictures which are enclosed herewith.

The dirt & general neglect were a pathetic site. This site is THE prime tourist spot of Jaipur. Any tourist visiting Jaipur visits here once at least.

Some stop gap arrangement should be made for the up keep of the site till the courts have their say.

How To Grill a Perfect Cheese Vegetable Sandwich

This recipe would seem like a no brainer , as simple as boiling an egg! But if you want to do it right this is the way…

Grilled Vegetable Cheese Sandwaich

Ingredients:

Some grated cheese, onions, tomatoes & green chillies.

 Bread slices 4 No.s

Some Salt & Black or White pepper

Method:

Apply some oil on a home sandwich griller & place 2 slices of bread side by side and put the grated cheese, onions,tomatoes & green chillies on both  the  bread slices, sprinkle some salt and pepper & cover them with the remaining 2 bread slices. Put some oil on top of the bread slices on top & close the lid of the griller & wait till the green light goes on.

Serve with Hot & Sweet tomatoe sauce.

(If you like to restrict your oil intake in your food diet get a Sandwich griller which has a non-stick coating on it.)

Do you take a camera with you on your holiday?

A Lomo Camera La Sardina

Do you take a camera with you on your holiday?

This would seem like a no brainer question to most of us. Cameras are every where.The mobiles cameras get better & better. The digital cameras get cheaper & cheaper. Film cameras are quite cheap too. And who can resist the urge to own one? And what holiday is complete without pictures from the trip gracing your mantlepiece & your Facebook page. Of course you need to take a camera with you on your holiday. Only piece of obvious advice though is to enjoy the holiday first & record it later. Take in the whole picture & not just what you see thru the viewfinder.

What gear to take with you on a trip?

If you are not a professional photographer a simple point & shoot digital camera with spare memory cards, a USB drive, ready to use rechargeable battery, battery charger & flash light with its batteries will do. You will also need a waterproof bag which can be tied around the waist or which you can hang from your shoulder or neck. This way  you can keep your hands free while you operate the camera & keep all the photography stuff is in one place. If you are going abroad do not forget to take along a power adapter too for the battery charger.

If you are planing to take pics by a mobile phone then it would be a good idea to open an account with websites like FaceBook.com, Twitter.com & Flickr.com to share the pics as & when you click them. You will also need an internet account on your mobile phone. If you are a twitter fiend you already know you can attach pics to your status updates. You should also familiarize yourself with the FAQs of the website. You do want everything to work properly once you are on the holiday.

What pictures should you take?

As taking digital pictures is relatively cheaper give flight to your imagination. Click what ever looks interesting to you, including you!

Please make sure that you have the necessary permissions from the relevant authorities to take pictures & that you have paid the relevant fees by buying a ticket for the camera. Do not assume that it is OK to take pictures wherever you are. Make sure by asking.

When you get back home, copy the pictures to your computer hard drive make a back up on a DVD or a CD & have a holiday album/ holiday photo book made professionally by somebody like  snapfish.in & gift a copy to all who went with you on the trip. If you shared your pics from a mobile on facebook.com or filckr.com, snapfish.in can print these pics too.