Maggi Biryani

Hello Fellas............ I hope this post finds you in your best state. These days I'm loving to do some experimental cooking in my kitchen and as you all know the outcome of any experiment can be a hit or a miss. But, the zeal of knowing the end result always keeps me motivated to try something new each day.

I'm very fond of fusion dishes and I always find myself experimental with this type of cuisine. Fusion Cuisine doesn't fall under any particular cuisine style and has played a part in the innovations of many contemporary restaurant cuisines since the 1970's. 

It's really very innovative and at the same time challenging to fuse elements of different culinary traditions into one style of cooking. I usually try to experiment with some traditional dishes and give them a new look and feel. I have shared many Fusion Dishes in my blog, if you're someone who loves to try this type of cuisine then I would highly encourage you check them out (click here).

This time I have tried to fuse two of the most lovable dishes of every Indian citizen and i.e. Maggi and Biryani. We all love them, isn't it? then how about combining both of them and trust me the end result is lip-smackingly good. If you're a lover of both of these dishes then you have to try this out.

So, without any further ado, let's begin with the recipe:

Chilli Idli

            

India is a very diversified country and its diversity can not be seen in art, culture, language but also in food too. The diversity in food can be seen in its look, taste and even in the way it is cooked. One dish can be different in its look, taste and the process of cooking in different parts of our country. That's how diversified our country is and we Indians are definitely proud of it.

Have you ever tried Fusion Dishes? Fusion Cuisine doesn't fall under any particular cuisine style and has played a part in innovations of many contemporary restaurant cuisines since the 1970s. It's really very innovative and at the same time challenging to fuse elements of different culinary traditions into one style of cooking. I usually try to experiment with some traditional dishes and give them a new look and feel. 

Today in this post I'm going to blend together two different cuisines which are way apart from one another, one is South Indian cuisine and the other one is Chinese Cuisine/ Ind0-Chinese Cuisine to be very specific. If you love these cuisines then you'll definitely love this recipe.

If you're wondering how to cook Idlis which are soft and fluffy then I have got your back. I have already posted the recipe of Idlis which you can read here (click here). So, let's begin with the recipe:

Gulab Jamun Cake......Let's celebrate New Year with some Fusion Food

Hello All, finally I'm back after an ultra long break and managed to get some time and jot down a recipe which is very close to my heart. I'm very fond of fusion dishes and I always find myself experimental with this type of cuisine. Fusion Cuisine doesn't fall under any particular cuisine style and has played a part in innovations of many contemporary restaurant cuisines since 1970's. 

It's really very innovative and at the same time challenging to fuse elements of different culinary traditions into one style of cooking. I usually try to experiment with some traditional dishes and give it a new look and feel. 

This time I tried to experiment with a basic Vanilla cake and Gulab Jamuns. When it comes to cakes you can have zillion of creative ideas. I did it with Gulab Jamuns this time. Yes, a Gulab Jamun Cake....it sounds so Royal, isn't it?

You can make this scrumptious cake with store bought cake and gulab jamuns but I like to do everything from scratch so I made a basic Vanilla cake, mini gulab jamuns, buttercream frosting and finally assembled them.

So, let's get started:

Schezwan Rice

Few days back I took a day off from work and utilized it in the best possible way I could. I did whatever I had planned for that day but amid of all the chores, suddenly a thought ran through my mind - What to have for lunch? Well, I opened my Fridge and found some cute little veggies peeping through the vegetable basket. 

After seeing those I thought of preparing Noodles (usually that's the best option I get when I want to finish off my veggies). But with the flick of mind I thought why not Schezwan Rice! It was completely impromptu preparation but the end product was so palatable that I couldn't resist the blogger inside me to click few pics to blog. 

Schezwan Rice is one of the most loved dishes in Indo-Chinese cuisine. You can find this dish in almost every Menu Card of Indo-Chinese restaurant. If you love a little spicy food I'm sure you will love this dish too. I'm not a full-time spicy food lover but I do like it sometimes. It's hot, spicy and completely irresistible. 

The prime ingredient of this recipe is the: Schezwan Sauce. If you have it handy then making Schezwan Rice is like a child's play. I like to add lot of veggies to my Fried Rice. You can make this recipe completely Vegetarian or add meat of your choice. This time I added few shrimps. 

So, let's start with the recipe: 

Veg Manchurian

We both love Chinese food but we all know that Chinese cuisine varies according to the geographical regions. India has its own variety of Chinese cuisine known as Indo-Chinese. I have already posted a recipe from this cuisine: Chilli Chicken. You can have a look.

Few days back my Sister-In-Law came to our place with her cute kids. The kiddos asked me to make something from my blog (they consider my blog as their menu card :)) 
The younger one requested me to make Chilli Chicken but the elder one wouldn't like Chicken that much so I thought of making Veg Manchurian for her and Chilli Chicken for the younger. That way both were happy :)

Veg Manchurian is a very popular Indo-Chinese dish and a complete party pleaser. It can be served as an appetizer or as main course with fried rice. The veg balls or fritters are made up of chopped vegetables and then dipped in the sauce. It can be made in two ways: with or without gravy. We like the later one which is also known as Dry Veg Manchurian. (If you want the gravy version add vegetable broth to the sauce)

For the sauce I haven't used Ajinomoto as it has adverse effects on health so you can enjoy yummy Veg Manchurian without giving any second thought. So, here's the recipe:

Gajorer Patishapta/ Carrot Crepes

This post was lying in my drafts folder for quite a long time. I made these Crepes or Patishapta on the occasion of Poush Parbon or Makar Sankranti and thought of posting this during that time but before clicking the pics those "Patishaptas" were in our tummy. So, I thought of making them again and this time before they get their exact place I wanted to give them a space in my blog.

I thought Poila Boishak or Bengali New Year will be appropriate to post this recipe. For those who don't know what's a Poila Boishak is then let me throw some light on it: The 1st day of the Bengali New Year is marked as Poila Boishak. It is celebrated in the mid of April on 14th or 15th. On this occasion every Bengali wears new clothes and exchange gifts and sweets with their friends and family. 

The love of Bengalis for sweets is world famous. We can have sweets in breakfast, lunch and can even finish our dinner with it. So, I decided to celebrate this Poila Boishak in a sweet way and there's nothing better than trying a traditional dish. But, I wanted to give this traditional dish a twist. 

Patishaptas are usually prepared in two steps:

• Preparing the filling with coconut, khoa (solidified milk) and sugar
• Preparing the batter with all purpose flour, semolina and sugar

Thin crepes are then made by pouring this batter on non-stick frying pan and then placing the filling in it. You can enjoy this crepes as it is or serve them with Rabri. 

This time I decided to do a fusion of this traditional Bengali dish with a very popular North Indian dish i.e Gajar Ka Halwa. So, let's begin with or recipe:

Chilli Chicken

Chinese Cuisine is extremely popular all over the world but at the same time its taste varies across the geographic regions and India is no different. One reason could be that Chinese restaurants try to modify their dish according to the local place and available ingredients but keeping the basic essence same.

In India too we have our own variety of Chinese cuisine known as Indo-Chinese. The recipe which I'm sharing today is called "Chilli Chicken". You may not find this recipe in the menu card of any authentic Chinese restaurant but Indian restaurants offering Chinese food in or outside India is incomplete without this recipe. Chinese restaurants do have a similar kind of dish known as "Kung-Pao Chicken" which looks somewhat like Chilli Chicken but taste wise it's very different.

We both like Chinese and Thai cuisine a lot that's the reason we would love to have noodles, soup etc for dinner once a week. Yesterday was that day when I made Chilli Chicken and paired it with Egg Chowmein and Tomato Soup. A lazy, rainy night is perfect for Chinese food as it takes very less time for preparation and cooking; making happy "me" and so is my family :) 

We like the dry version of Chilli Chicken from it's gravy counterpart so here I'm posting the recipe of the same. So, let's begin with the recipe:

Kashmili Pulao....A Fusion of Kashmiri and Bengali Cuisine

You might be wondering there's a typo in my recipe name but no there isn't and today's recipe name is "Kashmili Pulao". In India we have lot of diversity in art, culture, literature, religion and this so the food.

Indian food is also diversified not only by taste and look but also how it is cooked. In India each new wave of civilization have brought their own culinary practices. Like Indian culture our food is also influenced by various civilizations and each one of them has their equal contribution in making Indian food at its best and renowned.

India has 29 states and each state has its own culinary practices. Today I'm going to present a very interesting fusion of Kashmiri and Bengali Cuisine. Kashmir aka "Heaven on Earth" forms the crown of India on the other hand Bengal aka "Cultural Capital of India" is located in the eastern part. Kashmiri Cuisine has a strong reflection of flavors from Central Asia. The staple diet of every Kashmiri includes rice which can be found abundantly in the beautiful valley and their main course revolves around  it. Whereas people living in the eastern part of India particularly West Bengal loves to eat fish and rice.

Today I decided to combine two very popular dishes: Kashmiri Yakhni Pulao (a very popular dish of Kashmiri cuisine prepared with rice and meat stock) and Bengali Mishti Pulao (a flavorful, sweet and aromatic rice dish).

I adopted the recipe of Bengali Mishti Pulao from my Mother-In-Law who is one of the finest cooks I know. She can do number of variations in a simple pulao and each time it tastes different. This is my take on her recipe but with a twist.