Kalia Kesar

This recipe is from  the book " The Maharajas "
This a kashmiri dish eaten in winter time!

Ingredients:
Mutton or lamb- 1 kg,
Ghee or oil - 2tbsp,
Onion -2 medium thinely sliced,
Coriander powder- 4 tsp ( heapful),
Garlic paste-4 tsp,
Almonds-24 to 30 ( blanched,peeled and ground with water to a paste),
Curd-200 gms (beaten),
Salt to taste,
Malai or cream- 4 tsp ( beaten),
Garam masala- 2 big pinch,
Saffron- 2 pinch- diluted in warm water.

( I have not added yellow colour or kewada water)

Method:
Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a non stick kadhai and stir fry the onions in high heat to golden brown.

Remove and grind with water to a smooth paste and keep aside.

In the same kadhai add 1 tbsp of ghee and add the meat  along with coriander powder,garlic paste and almond paste.

Mix well and keep adding few tbsp of curd to the mutton mixture from time to time till all the curd is used.

Keep stirring the mutton in high heat.

Add 1 and 1/2 cup of water and salt.

Let the gravy come to boil.
Lower the heat once the gravy comes to a boiling point.
Cover and let it cook for 40 minute or till the meat is tender.Close gas.

We have to remove the meat pieces from the  gravy.
In the small bowl fill 1/2 cup of water.
In the second bowl put a strainer with a muslin cloth over it.
Dip each piece of mutton in water to remove any coating and keep in a plate.

Once all the mutton pieces are washed ,add the water  of the small bowl to the gravy in the kadhai.

Take the kadahi and pour all the  liquid gravy through the muslin cloth squeezing well to extract maximum flavour.

Put the cooked mutton pieces and the strained liquid back to the kadhai and put to  high heat.

Add the  fried onion paste and stir.

Taste salt.
Mix malai or cream and saffron water  in a small bowl( if you are using malai,cream it well).
Add to the mutton and stir.

Sprinkle 2 big pinches of garam masala and lower the heat and cover for 5 minutes or till you see specks  of ghee  floating on the surface of the gravy.

It is a very light and tasty dish.
Kashmiri dishes are usually served with rice but it  goes very well with hot rotis too.

Chocolate Cupcakes with cream cheese

Ingredients:

Cream cheese- 8 ounce or 227 gms- ( room temperature),
Granulated sugar ( powdered)-1/3 cup,
Egg- 1,
Vanilla essence- 1/2 tsp.

Chocolate cup cakes:
All purpose flour- 1 and 1/2 cup,
Granulated sugar( powdered)- 1 cup,
Unsweetened cocoa powder ( Hershey's)- 1/3 cup,
Baking soda- 1 tsp,
Plain water-1 cup,
Salt- 1/4 tsp,
Canola oil- 1/3 cup,
Vinegar ( white)- 1 tbsp,
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp.

Method:
Pre heat oven to 350 F or 180 C.
Line  paper cups in the tray or grease the muffin tray.
With a electric  hand mixer  beat the cream until smooth ( 30 seconds).

Add the sugar ,egg and vanilla essence and beat until creamy and smooth ( 1 minute).

Set aside.

Chocolate cupcake:
You need 2 bowls and no mixer.
In a large bowl sift flour,sugar,cocoa pwd,baking soda and salt.

Mix the flour with wire whisk and keep aside.

In a separate bowl mix the water,oil,vinegar and vanilla essence.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients until nice and smooth with a wire whisk and then with a wooden spoon ( gently).

Evenly divide the batter into the paper cups filling 2/3 only.

Spoon 1 tbsp of the cream cheese in the center of each cup cake( fill 1 tbsp of cream cheese and with another spoon slide the cream cheese in the center of each cupcake).

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the cream cheese filling has set or tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.

The cupcakes will be puffed up once you take them out from the oven ,but as it cools the baked cream cheese will sink a bit in the center.
Best eaten fresh but can be covered and kept in the fridge for 3 to 4 days .

Makes 15 cup cakes.
You can make the cupcakes without the cheese cream.
Cupcakes are very delicious and the texture is soft and moist.
The chocolate cupcake does not have egg or butter.

Almonds Cookies

Ingredients:

All purpose flour- 2cups( sifted),
Salted butter- 1 cup,
White powdered sugar- 1/2 cup,
Light brown sugar( powdered)- 1/4 cup,
Almond meal or powder- 40 gms or 1/4 cup( grind almonds with 1 tbsp of flour to make it powder),
Egg- 1,
Vanilla extract- 1tsp,
Baking powder- 1 and 1/2 tsp,
Almond sliced- 4 tbsp,
Icing sugar ( sifted)- 4 tbsp for dusting the dough balls.

Method :

Line 2 trays with wax paper.
Pre- heat oven to 350 F or 180 C.
Sift flour and baking powder in a bowl.

Add powdered almond to the flour and whisk together and keep aside.

In bowl of your mixer put butter and beat till soft ( 1 minute).

Add white and brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

Beat in the egg and vanilla essence.

Beat for 2 minutes.

Gradually add the flour mixture and mix till combined.

Remove the mixer and gather the dough and make a ball.
Wrap the dough in plastic or cling film and put in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Take out the dough from the fridge and make small balls ( fill 1 measuring tbsp with dough to make uniform size cookies).

Take a small bowl and put 4 tbsp of sieved icing sugar in it.

Roll each ball in the sugar and place it on the baking tray lined with butter paper leaving 2 inch space between each cookies.

Flatten each cookie with the bottom of a glass to 1/4 inch thickness.

Press 3 almond slices into the center of each cookie.

Bake the cookies at 180C for 18 to 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Remove the tray from the oven and let it cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire rack.

Remove the cookies from the butter paper after 5 minutes and then leave it to cool on wire rack

Keep in air tight container  and can be kept for several weeks. 

Makes- 2 dozen cookies