Shahi Bhindi Masala

Shahi Bhindi Masala - a slight variation from my usual bhindi masala to make it a bit rich, creamy and restauranty.  I remember how much I hated eating bhindi as a kid - but now with this recipe - I can have them over and over. While many spices go into the mix there's something about cashews and cardamoms that add to the texture and flavour to a curry. During these days of lock down when you can't go out and enjoy a meal from a good restaurant- why not bring the restaurant taste to your kitchen (didn't mean the take away) 😏. 

Ingredients

1. Bhindi/Okra - 1 kg
2. Red Onions - 2
3. Tomatoes - 2
4. Tomato paste - 1 table spoon
5. Ginger garlic paste - 1 table spoon
6. Cumin seeds - 1 table spoon
7. Kashmiri Chilli - 1 table spoon (or less as per your level of spiciness)
8. Green Cardamom - 6-7 pods
9. Kasoori methi - 1 table spoon
10. Cashews - 7-8
11. Bay leave - 1 or 2
12. Cinnamon sticks - 2-3
13. Garam masala - 2 table spoons
14. Heavy Cream - 2 table spoons
15. Milk - 1/2 cup

Method

1. Slit the bhindi along the slides and cut the head off. 
2. Heat a large sauce pan / kadai with vegetable oil and sautee the cumin seeds for a few seconds.
3. Saute the onions until they become translucent. You can add a pinch of salt to quicken the process.
4. Add the diced up tomatoes and saute until they go soft and mushy.
5. Add cashews and cardamom and saute for a minute and set aside to cool down.
6. In the same pan heat about half a cup of oil and shallow fry the okra for about 10 minutes until they brown up on the sides, filter the oil and set aside.
7. Blend the tomato and onion mixture into a smooth paste.
8. In the same pan (remove a bit of excess oil) and saute the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks for about 30 seconds until the oil gets fragrant. 
9. Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks.
10. Add ginger garlic paste and tomato paste and saute for a few minutes.
11. Add the blended onion-tomato paste and saute for about 5 minutes.
12. Add the garam masala and crushed kasoori methi and mix it well.
13. Add the cream, milk and bit of water to required consistency and bring it to a boil.
14. Add salt to taste.
15. Add the shallow fried bhindi and mix it well for about a few minutes.

Enjoy!!

C

Lamingtons - the quintessential Aussie snack for morning (or afternoon) tea. Blog statistics gave a rather sorry picture that the last "new"post I had in this blog was almost a year ago. While I have been trying a few different things a lot has been happening and couldn't get to post recipes. So here I am again with my next post and I hope I can be a bit more regular here. The Lamingtons - history states that this was actually an accident done by a maid at Lord Lamington's residence in Queensland in the early 1900s. Since then it has made it's way to become an Aussie icon. It's a rather simple dessert to make as well. This was prepared by kids for the most part BTW. :) So without further ado...

Ingredients

1. Eggs - 4
2. Sugar - 150 gms
3. Vanilla essence - 1 tea spoon
4. Plain flour - 140 gms
5. Baking powder - 1 tea spoon
6. Salt - a pinch
7. Butter - 150 gms
8. Chocolate chips - 220 gms 
9. Heavy Cream - 3 table spoons
10. Desicated coconut - 100 gms

The Method

1. Pre-heat the oven at 170 deg C.
2. Beat the eggs and sugar for a good 10-15 minutes until you get a nice pale foamy mix.
3. Sift through the plain flour, baking powder and salt and mix it up slowly along with the vanilla essence.
4. Pour the batter in a square pan lined with baking paper. 
5. Bake the cake at 170 degrees for about 20 minutes. Stop when you can pierce a tooth pick in the middle and it comes out clean and dry.
6. While the cake is baking boil water in a pan. 
7. Place a ceramic or glass bowl on top of the pan and add the chocolate, butter and cream.
8. Keep stirring until you get a smooth ganache.
9. Set aside and let it cool once you have a smooth ganache.
10. Once the sponge cake is baked, let is rest in a cooling rack for about 10 minutes.
11. Strip off the sides of the cake and make an even square (or rectangle) based on the shape of your pan.
12. Cut them up into size of your preference - maybe about 1.5 inches
13. Dip the cut up sponge cake in the chocolate ganache and rest them in the wire rack. (Ensure you keep a plate under the wire rack).
14. Spread the desicated coconut in a plate. 
15. Coat the ganache coated cake with desicated coconut on all sides.

Fresh Lamgintons are now ready to be relished.

Enjoy!!

C