How to Make Pure Desi Ghee at Home?

Ghee (or clarified butter) is one of the most important ingredients in the Indian kitchen culture. Ghee consists of fat-soluble vitamins, which aid weight loss. Ghee also plays a key role in balancing hormones and maintaining healthy cholesterol. It contains plenty of omega-3 fatty acids along with Vitamin A. Making ghee at home is not a difficult job as it may seem. If you have full cream milk at home, ghee can be made easily at home. Now, let's have a look at the ghee making process:

Ingredients: 

1. Cream of milk (preferably cow milk) or malai collected for 10-15 days (depending on the quantity of milk).
2. Coldwater, as required

Process:

• Continue to collect milk cream in a container for 10-15 days from boiled and cooled milk which should be kept in the refrigerator to prevent fermentation.

• Add the milk cream to a container along with a little amount of cold water. For churning, I used a hand blender mixer or you can also use a spatula or a wooden churner for whisking. Whisk the mixture for 2 to 5 minutes to separate butter from the mixture (FYI: milk-water mixture left after separating out the butter is known as buttermilk).

• Now, take another bowl, fill with cold water, and add the butter. The butter will float which will further get separated from the buttermilk mixture. 

• Transfer the separated butter in a big saucepan/kadhai/deep bottomed pan.
• Switch on the gas to high flame.

• The butter will start melting and you will see the bubbles forming on top.

• Now, simmer the flame and boil it until the ghee starts to float upwards. When the pale yellowish colored liquid color turns to dark brown color, switch off the gas.

• Let it cool down, separate the ghee and solids by straining using a filter or a muslin cloth. The ghee will have a nice aroma which is quite distinctive. 

• You can now store the ghee in an airtight glass container.

If you like the recipe, do try it in your homes, and share your experiences in the comment box below. You can share it on your social media handles using #cookwithchandrani.

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How to Make Restaurant Style Yippee Noodles at Home?

Yippee noodles are instant noodles, similar to Maggi and Top Ramen. It is easy to prepare within a few minutes. Here is a brief description of how to make restaurant-style Yippee noodles at home.

Ingredients:

1. Yippee noodles 2 packets (~70 gms each)
2. 1 cup of boiled carrots, peas, and beans
3. 1 large onion, finely chopped
4. 1 large tomato, finely chopped
5. Chopped green chilies, according to your taste
6. 2 boiled eggs, cut into small pieces
7. Coriander leaves, finely chopped, 2 tablespoons
8. 2 cups of water
9. Salt, as per your taste

Steps:

• Turn the stove on to high flame and take a medium-sized cooking pot. Add 2 cups of water and when water starts to boil, add 2 packets of Yippee noodles.
• Now add boiled vegetables (boiled carrots, peas, and beans), finely chopped onion, tomato, and green chilies, salt, and Yippee masala. Now mix well and cook on a medium to high flame for another 5 minutes.
• Switch off the gas and garnish the noodles with finely coriander leaves and boiled eggs. Serve it hot. Bon Apetit! 

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How to Make Bengali Style Nimki? Tea time Snacks

Nimki is a perfect evening snack which goes ideally with tea. "Nimki" is a Bengali word, made with refined flour and spices. This snack is quite popular in the Eastern part of India. Here is a brief description of how to make Nimki.

Ingredients to make Nimki:

• 250-gram all-purpose refined flour (Maida)

• 2 tablespoons of Kalonji (aka Kala jeera)

• 3 tablespoons of refined oil (here, I have used sunflower oil)

• Common table salt, as per your taste

• Warm water, as needed to make the dough

• Refined oil for frying

Process:

1. Take a bowl, add maida, salt, kalonji, and refined oil. Now mix all the ingredients thoroughly.

2. Add warm water and start to make the dough which should not be hard or soft. Cover the bowl and keep aside for approx. 20 minutes.

3. After 20 minutes, knead the dough again and divide the dough into smaller portions. Now, take the smaller portion and roll it in round shapes (like chapati or phulka). Take a knife and cut the flattened dough into diamond shapes or any size of your choice. 

4. Heat oil in a kadhai for frying nimki. When the oil is smoking hot, simmer the gas oven and add the diamond cut shaped flattened dough in the kadhai.  

5. Fry the nimkis on low heat until they become golden in color to ensure that they are crunchy.

6. Remove each batch of nimkis, strain the excess oil, and put them on a tissue paper to remove any extra oil, if needed. 

7. Cool the nimkis fully and store them in an airtight box to retain the crunchiness and taste. Now delicious nimki is ready to be served with tea.

If you like the recipe, do try it in your homes and share your experiences in the comment box below.

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Restaurant Style Panner Butter Masala at Home Step by Step Guide

Restaurant Style Paneer Butter Masala at Home

"Paneer Butter Masala" is one of the popular dishes of North India. I had this dish first when one of my Punjabi colleagues cooked it and got it to office. The flavor and taste were just like any famed restaurant. I asked her as to how she made this as I wanted to try making this dish at home for my family and instantaneously they just loved it. After that I made this "Paneer Butter Masala" more than a couple of times. So, today I am going to share the recipe of "Restaurant Style Paneer Butter Masala". Try making this recipe and you and your family would definitely love this. Now, let's have a look at the recipe and the cooking process -

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Homemade Red Pasta with Vegetables

Many people in India love Italian cuisine, of which “Pasta” is one of them. Pasta can be made in many different ways. So today we'll learn how to cook restaurant style “Red Sauce Pasta” at home. This simple recipe can be prepared quickly at home using some simple ingredients.

So let's see what ingredients requires to make this recipe.

Ingredients of Red Pasta: (4 Person Servings)

•          250 gm Boiled Penne Pasta
•          2 tablespoon refined oils
•          3 - 4 Large size tomatoes (chopped finely)
•          Salt as per your taste
•          4 – 5 Garlic Cloves (chopped finely)
•          1 Large size onion finely chopped
•          1 Red capsicum, 1 carrot, 6 to 7 green beans (all are finely chopped)
•          ½ to 1 tablespoon red chili flakes
•          1 teaspoon oregano
•          1/4 teaspoon Black pepper powder
•          ½ cup tomato ketchup

  

How to make the recipe?

Step 1:

Take a large pan and put water to a boil. Cook pasta with some oil and salt until it’s cooked. After that drain the water with the help of colander and rinse the pasta with cold water and keep it aside.

Step 2:

Take another pan. Heat the pan and pour oil. 

Add finely chopped garlic, chili flakes and onion and sauté until golden.

Next add finely chopped tomatoes and finely chopped vegetables (capsicum, carrot & beans). Mixed well. 

Add salt and ½ cup water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes with medium flame.

Step 3:

Add the pasta and mixed well. 

Now add tomato ketchup, oregano and black pepper powder and mix it (put the stove at low flame). 

After 4 to 5 minutes off the stove and serve it immediately.

If you want can garnish with herbs or coriander leaves.

*Notes: You can add prawns or boneless chicken into red pasta. Cooked separately and mixed with pasta.

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Kochur Loti with Chingri

Kachur loti, known as Taro Stolon, is the most popular recipe for Bengalis specially Bangal who belongs to East Bengal (now Bangladesh). I know it's difficult to find outside of west Bengal but in WB it is not also easy to find a regular basis in the Market. But you can also buy the frozen one from any supermarket or you can storage this after purchasing from a regular market. 

We can cook this "Kachur loti" in different ways like with 

1. Coconut and mustard seed

2. Prawn and/or mustard seed

I have learned this recipe from my Grandmother (Mother's Mother). 

This recipe is easy to prepare and not take much time.

Here are the details of Kochur Loti with Chingri - 

INGREDIENTS:

Kochur Loti/Taro Stolon - 1 bundle means 500 gm

Prawns - small size 200 gm (1/2 cup)

Onion - 2 medium sizes, chopped finely

Mustard Oil - 2 to 3 tablespoon

Cumin powder - 1 tablespoon

Coriander powder - One and a half tablespoons

Garlic - 5 to 6 cloves, chopped finely

Red Chili powder - 1/4 tablespoon

Green Chillies - 3 to 4 slit

Kalonji/Black Zeera - 1/4 tablespoon

Mustard Seeds - 2 tablespoon

Turmeric powder - to taste

Salt - to taste

Sugar - to taste

Cooking Procedure:

Step – 1: Take a knife or boti knife and separate the skin of Kachur loti. Then Cut the loti into 2” long pieces. Thereafter boil the loti pieces for 5 minutes in salted water. After that drain water and keep aside.

Step – 2:  De-vein and wash prawns and marinate them with salt and turmeric

Step - 3: Make a paste of mustard seeds with green chilly (1-2).

Step - 4: Heat mustard oil in a pan and fry the prawns until it looks light brown. Keep them separate.

Step - 5: In the remaining oil, add kala jeera and slit green chilli and chopped garlic cloves. Then add sliced onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes till golden brown.         

Step - 6: Add kochur loti and fry for 5-8 minutes ON MEDIUM HEAT. After that add mustard paste, sugar, turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and salt. Mix them well and cook for another 10 minutes on medium heat without adding any water.

Step - 7: When the water is dry, and the loti starts to leave oil from sides, then add fried prawns and mix well. Cover the lid with a few more green chilies slices on the top and switch off the flame.

Step - 8: Your dish is ready to serve with Rice.

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