PSquared

This thread is meant for your individual entries for the contest.

One entry per contestant.

Remember to take pictures step by step.

Be as clear as possible in your instructions/recipes.

Presentation is KEY!

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

redvelvet

So, I made a spinach and mushroom lasagna for the first time a few weeks ago and it turned out pretty good. It was actually the first time I ever made lasagna. I haven't cooked anything recently because I'm so exhausted by the time I come home from work, but I thought I'd share the recipe anyways. It is fairly simple and doesn't require much time. So, I'll get the ball rolling for the guppies who are much better and experienced cooks than me Here is the procedure:

Ingredients:

1 pkg of mushrooms of your choice (I used white mushrooms)

1 pkg of ricotta cheese

1 pkg of frozen chopped spinach

3-4 cloves of garlic finely chopped

Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

Lasagna noodles (I used Ronzoni....which are oven-ready and require no baking)

1 jar of your choice of tomato/marinara sauce

1 egg

1 pkg of shredded cheese (I used a mix of mozzarella, fontina, parmesan, asiago)


Procedure:

1) Run the mushrooms under water to clean them. Chop them into smaller pieces. And then sautee them in about 3-5 tablespoons of butter with the chopped garlic. Mushrooms and butter are a mouth-watering match made in heaven. You'll notice the mushrooms turn brown and reduce. Season the mushrooms with salt, pepper, and italian seasoning according to taste. Set aside.






2) Thaw the frozen spinach. Squeeze out/drain any excess water. Combine the frozen spinach with all of the ricotta cheese and about half of the shredded cheese. You'll season the mixture with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning according to taste. Then add in 1 beaten egg...and mix well. Set aside.






3) Cook lasagna noodles according to instructions. OR use the ones that don't require boiling. In a small baking dish (mine was 9 by 13 inches).....pour some tomato sauce and spread it on the bottom to prevent noodles from sticking. On top of the sauce, place as many lasagna noodles as you can fit across. It's no big deal if they overlap. On top of the noodles, spread half of the sauteed mushrooms. On top of the mushrooms....spread half of the ricotta cheese/spinach mixture. And then spread tomato sauce. Repeat the same pattern (mushrooms, ricotta cheese/spinach mixture, and tomato sauce) till you get the top of the baking dish. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. And bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes at 375 degrees F or until the cheese has melted and is golden brown.





The pictures that I've posted closely resemble the cooking process I went though and the final product. We have so many skilled chefs her, I hope others will start posting soon so I can get some ideas and practice

sheyn

Inspired by all the carrot blog entries and threads being opened I decided to put the carrots lying in the fridge for past few weeks to some use ........

This is my first ever attempt at Gajar ka Halwa . I used Skimmed milk and I was surprised to find outthat on the whole this is a pretty nutritious dish without as many calories as I expected !



So Who wants Gajar Ka Halwa





Grate 4 cups of carrot put them in the pot and start stirring them.. so the water dries out









Add about 1.5 cup milk... let the carrots boil in it ..cover the pot , lighten the fire and let it simmer.







When the milk dries after about 15 minutes ... add in about 2-3 tablespoons of ghee or oil and start frying the carrots on high medium heat ... this should be done for about 20-25 minutes ... the halwa will start taking shape now ...

add sugar to taste











I have been threatened at gunpoint to post this entry......

ShiNoO

Nargisi Koftay

For the koftay

Minced beef - 1.5 kg
Onions - 3 medium sized
Ginger - about half and inch
Salt - to taste (around 1 tsp)
Red chilli powder -
Egg- 1 whole
Besan - 3 tbsp roasted
Green chilli's - to taste (I used 3 small ones)
Eggs - 6 hard boiled, small sized (or as many as you want to use)
Cooking oil - for deepfrying

For the Curry

Onions - 3 medium sized, finely chopped
Tomatoes - about one cup (4 medium sized), crushed
Garlic paste - 2 tsp
Gingerpaste - 2tsp
Yoghurt - around 3 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp (or to taste)
Garam masala - half tsp (or to taste)
Coriander powder - 2 tsp (or to taste)
Turmeric powder - half tsp
Zeera powder - 2 tsp
Whole zeera - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Fresh coriander leaves - half a cup

Directions

First prepare the minced meat for the koftay:

Roast the besan till light brown in colour



Grind the onions, ginger and chilli's to a paste (or grind everything together with the meat, because my minced meat was already fine I made a seperate paste and mixed it with the minced meat and the rest of the ingredients)



Add rest of the ingredients (red chilli powder, besan, salt, 1 egg) to the meat, mix well and keep aside.



Now prepare the gravy/curry for the koftay:

Heat a few tbsp oil in a pan and add 3 finely chopped (or grind them) onions + 1 tsp whole zeera and fry till light brown



Add 2 tsp of garlic paste



Add 2 tsp of ginger paste



Finely crush the tomatoes (or grind them). Add it in the pan and fry for a few minutes



Now add all your spices (red chilli powder, garam masala, salt, coriander pwd, zeera powder and turmeric) and let them fry for a few minutes



Add the yoghurt and mix well



Let this mixture fry for a few minutes, then add as much water as you want gravy. Cover the pan and let it simmer on the lowest heat.



In the meantime prepare your koftay
Boil and peel your eggs



Take a plain plastic sheet and spread it on the countertop



Take some kofta mixture that's slightly bigger than the egg



Flatten the meat with your hands



Place the egg in the middle



Pick the sheet up with your hands and work your way around the egg






Slowly take the sheet off



Use your hands to spread the meat evenly and close up the ends



Make the rest of the koftay in the same manner



Make smaller koftay (without egg) with the rest of the kofta mixture



Deepfry the small koftay first, they should be golden brown in colour



Add them directly to the simmering gravy



Deepfry the bigger nargisi koftay and keep aside



Cover the pan with the smaller koftay and let thm simmer for around 30 minutes. After 30 minutes add the nargisi koftay and let it simmer for another 15 minutes.



Your nargisi koftay dish is ready now! Serve with fresh coriander leaves

Sara516

Alrighty-- gosht ka pulao. I loved how my mom would make it, and after I got married and we were seperated I missed it alot...could never find it in any restaurants. I have cooked goat before maybe twice, and both tiems they were kaccha or just didn't taste good. I asked my mom for the recipe maybe a dozen times nad each time i'd write it dwon and forget about it and ask her again and again and again. This time, since it came out perfectly, I hope it'll be saved forever and I won't lose it.

Ok here goes:


boiled 1 pound (yes 1 pound--and yes the butcher laughed at me bc i originally asked fo rhalf a pound) meat with a 1 small onion, pelled, 1 tablespoon of chopped up garlic, and 2/3s a packet of shan masala for yakhni pulao.



Boiled on high heat, then lowered the heat, and placed the lid of the pressure cooker. I'm not sure how long it took exactly, but I listened to the "whistling" and turned the heat off. I wasn't able to check until another 10-15 minutes after and it was completely cooked.

I drained the yakhni and set aside the pieces. Initially my mother told me to use only sabut garam masala and onions and garlic for the yakhni, but I only had the ready-made masala and chopped garlic on hand. It made the draining of hte yakhni a bit challenging but it still tasted good. (next time I will use sabut ones).

Usually i slice my onions all at once so that it can last me a week, so i am not sure eXactly how many onions went into this recipe. However, these are 2 sliced medium onions and I used 1/3 of whats in the container, for the dish.
I also added another teaspoon of the chopped garlic and a teaspoon of sabut zeera and one teaspoon of chopped up fresh coriander + green onion, and one teaspoon of the bottom part of the green onions.





bhooning the meat



adding 2 cups of yakhni for 1 cup of rice....



I let the water boil on medium high heat, and then decrease it to absolutely low. Cook rice as normal.

This was the end result....

Mostar95

This is Shumaisa's recipe.

"
Quote:
Originally Posted by ShiNoO http://www.paklinks.com/gs/images/buttons/viewpost.gif
Yes please post your recipe for chicken manchurian!

Ingredients:

- Chicken chopped into small pieces
- Onion diced in big cubes
- Capsicum diced in big cube shape

For making the chicken marinate:

- Chicken pieces
- Egg
- Ginger garlic paste
- Soya sauce
- Salt
- Black pepper powder
- Flour/Maida
- Chilli sauce

For making the sauce:

- Tomato puree
- Tomato Ketchup
- Salt
- Ajinomoto
- Soya sauce
- Black pepper
- Sugar
- Chicken Stock
- Cornflour

Marinate chicken cubes with salt, 1 tsp garlic ginger paste, soya sauce, chilli sauce, black pepper, egg and 2 tbsp flour. Keep aside for half hour and then deep fry these chicken chunks and drain on tissues tork.. Stir fry the capsicum and onion cubes and leave aside.

Add oil & Fry the garlic paste a little. Add Tomato puree, tomato ketchup, Salt (as required), ajinomoto, soya sauce , black pepper, half tsp sugar... Fry for 5 mins, then add chicken stock. Let the stock boil, upon boiling add fried chicken chunks. Add fried capsicum and onion. Cook for 5-10 mins more. Then add 1 tbsp cornflour mixed with a little water to the boiling stock. When the sauce thicken as required, remove from heat.."


The only thing I did not put is ajinomoto and i used creamed tomatoes rather than pureed.

Aaj kya pakaaya/khaaya

Bint E Aadam

PSquared

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