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Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers / Shimla Mirch Recipe

I think almost each item can be stuffed or wrap to put together based on our likings of herbs, veggies, eggs or even meat. England would like traditional style stuffing of oysters or roasted meat along with sweet chestnuts while Spanish cuisine loves the addition of red sauce in their classic filling, American cuisine dish generally refer to the term dressing as the mixture is typically made from breads, rice, eggs, herbs and served with tomato sauce. Everyone has their own way of stuffing or dressing, I usually don’t prefer mince or eggs based stuffing in my veggies as I like my veggies to be the complete vegan meal. 

I have stuffed peppers or Shimla Mirch with mashed potatoes and cottage cheese for heavy stuffing with a few spices, the peppers can be either baked, deep fried, but I have just shallow fried them for a little crunch and freshness of its own flavor. It also happens to be a great meal kit to throw together; if you have it all assembled in the fridge, you can have dinner on the table as side dish in about 5 minutes! Crazy how a vegetable hubby normally wouldn’t eat can be incorporated into a likeable meal!

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers/ Shimla Mirch Love

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers, Shimla Mirch Love www.thehoggerz.com

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 2 persons

Ingredients:
2 green capsicums/shimla mirch
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium size boiled and mashed potatoes
2-3 tablespoons grated cottage cheese
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon red chili flakes
½ teaspoon cumin powder 
½ teaspoon garam masala powder 
1 teaspoon dry mango powder/amchur powder or lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely chopped cilantro
1 finely chopped green chilies
3-4 curry leaves
Salt to taste

Method:
  • Slice the tops of each green pepper and remove all the seeds from inside, wash and keep them aside.
  • In a frying pan, add olive oil and mustard seeds, when the mustard seeds begin to sputter, add curry leaves and chopped green chilies, sauté from a minute. Add 1 tablespoon red chili flakes, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon garam masala powder, 1 teaspoon dry mango powder/amchur powder and sauté quickly on a low flame.
  • Add boiled and mashed potatoes, grated cottage cheese and stir well. Add salt and adjust other seasonings, add chopped cilantro and mix the stuffing properly. Turn off the flame and let the mixture cool.
  • Fill the prepared mixture into the hollow green peppers, heat olive oil in a non stick pan and place the stuffed peppers in the pan and cook covered on a low heat.
  • Drizzle oil when needed and cook until its skin becomes soft, serve hot with pulav or meat bites and enjoy! 

Sunday, November 20, 2016

How To Make Delicious Chicken Ginger

I hope everyone is loving my recipe’s and finds them helpful, we are just a few weeks away from Christmas and the holiday countdown has begun, isn’t this crazy! We’re a family of two, wherein I prefer vegetables and my better half would fancy non-veg cuisine, I have been making chicken dishes for him, but now that Fall is here, I wanted to try a variation with some special sharp ingredients instead. I often think up of recipe that sounds good in my head but may not always turn out great for blog worthy recipes, this chicken ginger recipe was one of those I wasn’t sure about how it would turn out. The addition of ginger as the main ingredient was amazing and the outcome never disappoints.

I love to sup ginger tea as somewhere it makes me feel fresh and rejuvenating from inside, winter reminds me of crunchy salad with ginger turmeric root dressing and ginger turmeric root halwa. When I was a kid we had a spoonful of ginger halwa after our main dish whether we like it or not. I was usually not the finicky one’s and loved the sweet and little spicy taste of the halwa while my siblings were forced to have it, because of its powerful and wonderful affects combating against the bad effects in this weather!

When added to chicken, its fresh, spicy and distinct flavor blended perfectly to create a simple yet delicious dish. I think chicken ginger is the perfect meal to comfort during winter time. Serve this with hot naan, cauliflower rice to keep the carbs low, I served it with stuffed peppers and it really balances the flavors well. Soon I will be sharing stuffed peppers recipe with you’ll.

Chicken Ginger

Chicken Ginger Recipe, Ginger Chicken Recipe, How to make ginger chicken www.thehoggerz.com


Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 25-30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 2-3 persons

Ingredients:
½ kg boneless chicken pieces
2 roughly sliced tomatoes
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2-3 tablespoons greek yogurt
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 green chilies, slit
2 tablespoons ginger julienne
2-3 tablespoons ghee/clarified butter or butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
Salt to taste

Method:
  • In a wok, heat cooking oil and add ginger and garlic paste, sauté for a few minutes and fry chicken cubes until it changes the color.
  • When the chicken is no longer pink, immediately add sliced tomatoes, slit green chilies, 1 teaspoon red chili flakes, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ginger julienne and salt to taste. Allow it to cook for 8-10 minutes until the tomatoes soften and the oil oozes out.
  • Add whisk greek yogurt and mix well, cook under low flame until the chicken is cooked. Splash a little water only if needed. Add butter and adjust the seasoning, garnish with chopped cilantro and ginger julienne. Enjoy!


Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Vegan Lentils Stew With Flat Dumplings/Dal Dhokli

Fusion is all about mixing cooking ideas into a marked outstanding dish, I have always battled in cooking Gujarati dishes as it entails a lot of patience and time from you. Done that, my favorite veg fusion recipe dal dhokli is the one I wait, crave and eat time to time again. Alas, I couldn’t learn to cook my favorite dishes from mama, but I always try to reach somewhere at her level of taste and excellence.

In Mumbai, we fitfully relish a fuse of Gujarati and Marathi traditional cuisine on our dining table to please and match the taste buds of multi-cultural elements within us. My bhabhi (sis-in-law) belongs to Pune side of city, we enjoy eating every cuisine of her specialty, dada and I would favor Marathi food over Gujarati food for a change, but dal dhokli is the only break in the pattern. Dal dhokli or Varan phal is on the cusp of Gujarati and Marathi flavors; the ingredients list is the spares as the savory dhokli is the star, garnishing elements when combined with the final output of the dish emphasizes its taste and aroma.

The recipe is the hue of sunflower and gold, I associate it with happiness, warm harmony, and it reminds me of the glossy growth of sun with the freshness of the greens in the park, albeit slightly subdued in its brightness as it is lightened with the addition of silky soft dumplings or dhokli. Dhokli are basically uncooked Indian flatbread that is cooked in a slow cooker with lentil stew, thus the fusion of two Indian recipe blends together giving a yummy and flavorful taste. 

I think this is the perfect dish for the one's who disrelish veg cuisine, as the taste of dumplings and lentil stew will keep you hooked and away from those non veg appetency. If you soak lentils overnight, then this dal dhokli recipe will become an easy task for you or you can simply put the lentils to boil for a longer time, any route you take. I recommend reading the entire recipe at least once before you start making it!

Vegan Lentils Stew With Flat Dumplings/ Dal Dhokli

Vegan Lentils Stew With Flat Dumplings/Dal Dhokli


Preparation Time: 8-10 hours
Cooking Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Total Time: 11 hours, 30 minutes
Serves: 4 persons

Ingredients:
½ cup split pigeon peas/ toor dal (washed and soaked overnight)
½ cup wheat flour
1 tablespoon chickpea flour
2-3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 large finely chopped onion
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon red chili flakes
½ teaspoon coriander powder
4-5 curry leaves
3-4 slit green chilies
1 tablespoon lemon juice or raw mango powder
3-4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste
3-4 cups water

Method:

  • Add clean and soaked split pigeon peas in a slow cooker, put in 2 cups of water and salt to taste, leave it to boil for about 20-30 minutes on a medium heat. If you haven’t soaked the lentils night long, then boil the lentils for 1-2 hours until it is cooked evenly.
  • Meantime, let’s start with the dhokli preparation, all we need to do is prepare the dough and make the Indian flat bread or tortilla like thin flat bread. In a large bowl, add ½ cup wheat flour, 1 tablespoon chickpea flour, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chili flakes, ½ teaspoon coriander powder and salt to taste. Knead the dough into a smooth form with the help of water, cover the dough and keep it aside.
  • When the lentils or the dal is done, let it cool down to a room temperature. In a blender, add boiled lentils and blend it into a smooth consistency.
  • Heat cooking oil in a slow cooker and add mustard and cumin seeds, once they start to pop, add curry leaves, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chili powder and slit green chilies.
  • Transfer the blended lentil mixture into the slow cooker and add a cup of water, cook uncovered for about 10 minutes on medium flame.
  • Meantime, make round shape balls from the dough and flatten the balls with the palms of your hand. Use a rolling pin to roll a piece into a thin shape like tortillas. On an unoiled skillet, roughly warm the flat bread on both the sides to kill the raw smell of the flour. Make sure you do not warm it completely, just a flip will do. Make two Indian flat breads and refrigerate the remaining dough using a zip lock.
  • On a clean surface, place flat bread and cut it into square or diamond shape with the help of a pizza cutter. We are finally ready with our dumplings or dhokli’s!
  • Straight away, drop (one-by-one) the pieces of dhokli’s into the boiling lentil stew and let it cook for a minute. Now add another batch of dhokli’s and repeat and stir occasionally. Allow the dal dhokli to cook for 20-25 minutes until the dumplings turn soft and the consitency becomes little thick, add water if needed.
  • Later, add 2-3 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and salt to taste. Adjust the sweet, sour and spicy taste of the stew and serve hot with pickles. Don’t forget to garnish with chopped onions and finely chopped coriander leaves! Enjoy!
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Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Slow Cooker Meatballs/ Kofta curry recipe

I hope everyone had an awesome Happy Halloween, party with your little ghosts, goblins and clicking selfies! We were busy trick or treating so I had put my slow cooker to work with meat balls.

Sometimes mince curry gets boring and unexciting menu for us so I always go with a teeny-weeny modification in ordinary meal, meat balls act as a great replacement of mince curry as they are pleasantly tender and delicious in taste, it’s one of those heavy meals that we oft plate with hot Indian flat bread, the perfect meld of flavors that gets easily sucked in meat balls giving a juicy and delicate texture. This non-veg, meat balls recipe can be eaten with or without curry resulting in a marvelous tang, a great freezer friendly meal. Hubby usually removes balls from gravy and makes a fusion of burger with an extra addition of butter and cheese. He loves to hog deep fried meat balls right away so I have to make an extra lot to fulfill his hankering!

We call it as kofta as this meatloaf dish is basically packed with spices, unique aroma and of course its savory dish, in India kofta’s are basically prepared from mixed varieties of veggies, corn, cottage cheese or tofu.

These Asian inspired beefy meatballs are cooked in a simple yogurt curry with few handy spices giving a nice deep color and turning the whole look of the recipe into an inviting tempting dish. You can make them for dinner or simply serve them as an appetizer by making them half their size and setting out toothpicks for dipping into that delicious cranberry or BBQ sauce, they also wonderfully serve over steamed rice, pasta or Italian bread. Hope you enjoy!

Slow Cooker Meatballs/ Kofta curry recipe

Slow Cooker Meatballs/ Kofta curry recipe, www.thehoggerz.com

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 60-80 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Serve: 3-4 persons

Ingredients:
½ Kg Mince meat
½ cup cooking oil
½  cup, fried onion paste
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 cup Greek yogurt
1-2 teaspoon roasted chickpea flour
1-2 tablespoons coriander powder
1-2 tablespoons red chili powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon all spice powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
1 teaspoon mace powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg powder
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds
3-4 small cardamom
4-5 green chilies
2-4 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro leaves
Salt to taste
3-4 cups Water

Method:
  • In a blender, add mince, 2 tablespoons fried onion paste, half cup greek yogurt, 5 green chilies, ½ teaspoon ginger paste, ½ teaspoon garlic paste, 1 tablespoon poppy seeds, roasted gram flour, ¼ tsp mace powder, ½ tablespoon salt, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 tablespoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon all spice or garam masala powder and handful of cilantro or coriander leaves.
  • Blend everything into a smooth paste and make walnut size balls out of the blended mince mixture.
  • Apply a little bit of cooking oil on your palms while making mince balls as the oil is slippery and keeps the meat from sticking to your skin. Apply oil all over the surface of the plate before setting the balls onto the plate.
  • Lets make the gravy, in a wok, heat cooking oil and saute ½ teaspoon ginger and garlic paste for 2-3 minutes.
  • When the paste changes its color to the slightly brown side, then add the fried onion paste and mix, add ½  cup Greek yogurt on a medium flame. Keep stirring the mixture until the yogurt mixes well without curdling.
  • Immediately add 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ tablespoon red chili powder, ½ teaspoon garam masala powder, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder, 1 teaspoon black pepper powder, ¼ teaspoon mace powder, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder, 3-4 small cardamom and salt to taste.
  • Bhuno the mixture for 2-3 minutes on a high-medium flame and add 2-3 cups of water. Cover and allow the mixture to cook under a low flame for 15 minutes.
  • When the gravy comes to a boil, slowly and gently drop in meatballs, allow it to cook for 45-60 minutes on a low heat. In between do not stir the gravy otherwise you may end up breaking a few meat balls or kofta.
  • Adjust the consistency of the gravy, seasoning and salt, add roughly chopped fresh cilantro and enjoy!