Barley Risotto Recipe #SUPACORN

Hi Friends, Risotto is something I order everytime at a Italian restaurant, I love the creamy combination of rice and mushy peas in it but, when it comes to preparing same at home its impossiable the quality of ingredients that we get online and speciality food stores are very costly and not worth a dime, the ingredients I'm referring was good quality arborio italian rice and parmesan cheese. I've tried to improvise and create a delicious risotto using barley making it nutritious and healthy as possible. Barley risotto tastes excellent, this risotto was served for a group of five people.

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Ingredients: 
2 Carrots
100 Grams Button Mushrooms
1 Large Onion
3 Green Chilies
5 Cloves Garlic
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 Cup Cooked Barley
1/2 Cup Cooked Rajma (Kidney Beans)
2 Tbsp Butter 
150 Grams Cheddar Cheese
1 Cup Sweet Corn
100ML Amul Fresh Cream
2 Cups Vegetable or Chicken Stock 
Salt and Pepper powder as required.

Supa Corn is oxy packed remains fresh until 9 months without refrigeration. No preservatives added. What I like about supacorn is their option to serve the corn as it is or we can add to any dish, corn kernels cooks fast under 2 minutes. Supa corn comes with chipotle, peri peri, and achari flavor apart from the classic plain corn kernels and corn on cob priced between 34/- to 70/- per pack.

Method:
I have pre soaked the barley and kidney beans over night, pressure cooked barley and kiney beans seprately with 2 cups water and reserved.

Heat a heavy bottom base pan on medium flame I used a pressure pan, add 2 1/2 Tbsp butter. Add chopped garlic, onion, chillies and carrots fry for a minute.

Once the onion turns transparent and carrots soften a bit add chopped mushrooms and italian seasoning stir and allow to cook for another quick minute.

Add cooked kidney beans, barley and corn, add2 cups vegetable stock or water stir and place on low to medium flame cook for 10 minutes.

Once all the ingredients have cooked for 10 minutes add salt and fresh cream, reduce excess moisture on high flame keep stirring.

Add grated cheddar or parmesan cheese. Once the cheese is added stir and switch off the flame allow the cheese to melt and serve hot...Enjoy 😊

Banh Mi & Wok - Pan Asian Gourmet QSR @Indiranagar, Bengaluru

Banh Mi & Wok is a funky new Pan Asian quick service restaurant with fine dine gourmet food which recently opened at, Indiranagar - Bengaluru. I was hosted for a tasting session. 

Being an asian food fanatic, I absolutely enjoyed all the dishes on the menu. "It's refreshing to have a variety of Asian cuisine on one menu" and "it's perfect for work lunches". The menu is a well-crafted mélange of various oriental flavours like Malaysian, Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese. 

As a southindian I enjoy fish and coconut the two dishes, that kept me hooked, was the crispy salt and pepper prawns and coconut based dessert Tab Tim Krob.

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Ambience

Refreshing Drinks

 Bubble Tea

 Vietnamese Iced Coffee

Mango Bubble Smoothie

Starters

 Crispy Salt and Pepper Prawns 

No frozen fish here its all fresh prawns fried in tempura batter and wok tossed with salt and pepper..

 Wok Tossed Crispy Lamb with Cumin

Crunchy, chewy and perfectly spiced...crispy shredded lamb can be served as a starter or can compliment noodles or fried rice... 

Mains

 Chicken Bao with garlic mayo

Feather light steam cooked bao buns stuffed with spicy melt in your mouth chicken and veggies was perfect...

 Sloppy Viet

This might be the ultimate combo, the American Sloppy Joe and the Vietnamese banh mi are blended to result in this show-stopper of a sandwich.Well constructed sloppy bun with minced chicken cooked in thai curry and layered with pickled vegetables, julienne cucumber and carrots in a baguette...

 Shanghai Noon (Chicken Noodles)

A classic asian takeout comfort meal. Combination of Kung Pao chicken, noodles and sauce.  This dish has great spicy/savory flavors, once you try this Asian fusion style noodles, your sure to fall in love with this meal.

 Nasi Lemak

Short grain rice cooked in coconut milk, topped with spicy sambal, crispy anchovies, fried chicken wings, shrimp crackers and cucumber worth a try...

Desserts

 Fried Banana with Ice cream

Tab Tim Krob

Overall I loved everything...food, ambience and location. My picks from the tasting are salt and pepper prawns, sloppy viet, shanghai noon (Chicken Noodles), mango bubble smoothie, tab tim krob and fried banana with icecream.  All dishes are priced between 200/- to 300/-, Must visit if you love oriental cuisine.

Maggi Noodles Quiche Recipe

A no fuss, no base quiche, this recipe was so easy and quick to prepare. If your family loves maggi, surprise them with a nutritious and tasty quiche for lunch. Maggi is no longer maida its 100% wheat now.

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Ingredients:
2 Cups Spinach 
4 Chicken Sausages
1 Large Onion (Finely Chopped)
1 Cup Mixed Vegetables (Frozen veggies)

3 Green Chillies (Finely Chopped)
5 Eggs
1 Cup Grated Cheese
(Mix of mozzarella and Cheddar Cheese)

1 1/2 Tbsp Green Chilly Masala Paste (Please click here for recipe)
1 1/2 Tbsp Chilly Powder
2 Packs Maggi Noodles of choice (I have used Maggi Mumbaiya Chataka)
2 Tbsp Oil or Ghee
3 Cups Water
Salt as per taste
Mint, Coriander, Paprika powder and Lime wedges for garnish...

Method:
Heat a pan with 2 tbsp oil on medium flame.
Add chilly masala paste fry until raw flavor reduces.
Add chopped onion, chillies and mixed vegetables, fry for a minute. Add 1/4 cup water and salt to cook the vegetables.
cover and cook the veggies for 2 minutes.

Once the veggies have cooked add chopped sausages and cook on high flame for 2 minutes, add chilly powder and Maggi Masala powder to the sausages and cook for a minute. Add chopped spinach to the sausages and cook for 30 seconds. Once all the ingredients are well combined and cooked remove from flame and reserve.

Boil 2 cups water in a pot to cook noodles, cook the noodles till half done, drain excess water and reserve the noodles in a mixing bowl.

Combine the sausage masala and eggs in the noodles, check and add salt and pepper if needed. Grease a 9 inch baking dish with oil, transfer the noodles in the baking dish spread evenly, sprinkle cheese and bake at 250 degree for 30 minutes.

If you dont use a oven, this quiche can be steam cooked in a pressure cooker. Once baked garnish with chopped mint and coriander...serve hot...Enjoy😋

Nutmeg Infused Cold Pressed Coffee Recipe (Coffee Juice)

If you haven’t tried cold brew or cold pressed coffee yet, you’re missing out. The flavor is delightfully smooth compared to the taste of your usual cup, and it packs more than enough of a caffeinated kick to get you going in the morning. I have come across many articles and recipes for cold pressed coffee but never really got to taste it before, until my trip to The Serai Chikmangalur. 

My day at, The Serai started with a refreshing nutmeg infused cold brew coffee. So what was on my to do list for blog, I had to recreate the recipe and share it with my lovely readers...

Lets start with, what is cold brewed Coffee? It’s a way of brewing coffee in cold water rather than the traditional method of using hot water. 

Cold brew has a longer extraction process which gives it a few advantages over your typical cup of coffee. For one, it tastes a lot smoother. The familiar bite of hot brewed coffee is caused by fatty acids, which are left behind during the cold brewing process. This means it’s not only easier on your taste buds but on your stomach as well.

After brewing coffee grounds in cold water for a set amount of time (more on the ideal schedule later) you’re left with a tasty cold brew.

Espresso Martini @theserai_resorts #itsallaboutthecoffee #theserai #serai #skreemio #skreem #coffeecoktail #vidyastravel #vidyascooking #chikmagalur #espersso #Espressomartini

A post shared by Vidya Lakshmi (@vidyascooking) on Jul 9, 2017 at 9:20am PDT

Your brew can be used as a base for many different drinks: hot, cold, iced, or in a cocktail! The versatility of cold brew is a true game-changer in how you consume your daily dose of coffee. cold brew can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

We can always dilute the coffee as per taste preference and use accordingly. Since we do not use sugar at home regularly, I've used date syrup and honey, we can also use diet sugar or palm sugar as per preference.

To prepare this cold brewed coffee I've used 100% coffee by coffeeday. Mysore Royal: a premium coffee powder with flavors of bitter chocolate and caramel with whisper of rich fruit, with flecks of sweetness makes you feel like royalty .This is not an instant coffee. 

To Purchase this coffee visit: https://www.cafecoffeeday.com/shop

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Ingredients To Prepare Cold Pressed Coffee:
10 Tbsp 100% Coffee
1/4 Cup Honey or Date Syrup or 10 Tbsp Sugar or Diet Sugar.
1 Tbsp Grated Nutmeg
2 Litre Cold Water 

We also need a glass jug or glass bottle for brewing...

Method:
Measure 10 Tbsp Coffee reserve.
Grate the nutmeg using a cheese grater reserve.
In a glass jug pour the coffee and nutmeg top with cold water close with tight lid and refrigerate for 18 hours.
After 18 hours strain the coffee using a sieve.
Mix 1/4 cup honey or dates syrup in the coffee stir well...Serve chilled...Enjoy.

We can also use this cold brew coffee to prepare coffee based cocktails 😉

Do visit my blogs on culinary adventure to The Serai Day 1, 2, 3 and malnad cuisine...#Itsallaboutcoffee

Newfound love ... coldpressed coffee juice 😘😍 #itshomemade #withlove #vidyascooking #coldpressedjuice #coldpressedcoffee #gourmetcoffee #cafecoffeeday #itsallaboutcoffee #coffeetime #coffeelove #bengaluru

A post shared by Vidya Lakshmi (@vidyascooking) on Jul 22, 2017 at 4:27am PDT

Authenticook - Shahi Dastakhan at Ruksana's House

Food is the most primitive form of comfort. Ask anybody who's been away from home what they miss the most and the answer is most likely to be home-cooked food, bridging the gab and offering food cooked and served with love is Authenticook. I was recently hosted for Shahi Dastakhan at Ruksana's beautiful house.

Being a typical shy, Bengalurean dining with authenticook was a very new concept, but it is best way to make new friends and get to taste regional cuisine, I enjoyed every minute. In my opinion NOTHING can beat a home cooked meal!

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Meet Home-chef Ruksana, she invites you to her beautiful home for epic Mughlai meal. There is a lot that has been written about Mughlai cuisine but with this meal you have a chance to experience the authentic cuisine cooked and served at home. Sit with the family, learn about their culture and enjoy a meal that you won't find in any restaurants...

Shahi Dastakhan

MINT COOLER

It is a drink with mint, lime and some jaljeera and blacksalt! Perfect for an afternoon lunch..

STARTERS

CHICKEN BHUNA FRY

Chicken pieces marinated in little curd and spices for few hours.Then roasted in an nonstick on a slow flame till done..

MAIN COURSE

CHICKEN SHAHI KORMA

It is a traditional dish cooked from generations at Ruksana's home. A curd based gravy cooked with some nuts and seeds giving it a rich flavor

Fluffy Naans...

ZAFRANI MUTTON BIRYANI

It is one of the family secrets! Most traditional dish which has been brought down from her Nani's time. Mutton marinated with curd, nuts, pounded spices, etc overnight then cooked on low flame till tender.The mutton will melt in your mouth. Then it is layered with colourful rice and cooked on dum. Wallah!

DESSERT

SHAHI TUKDA

Best way to end the meal! It is made with bread which is lightly toasted and then dipped in syrup, topped with a thickly condensed milk and nuts.

TO END WITH

SULEMANI CHAI

Chai is made with lemon grass, saffron, mint and elaichi and typically had at the end of the meal as a digestive...

Over all was a very interactive and wonderful experience, I felt very much at home, enjoyed the company of friends and home cooked food. Visit https://www.authenticook.com/ for more info.

Mutton Shami Kabab Recipe

I've already posted two shami kabab recipes, cheese stuffed shami, gosht aur murgi ke shami kabab recipe both the recipes are excellent starters or can be stuffed in a burger bun.

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Ingredients:
500 Grams Mutton Mince
1/2 Cup Split Chickpeas (Channa Dhal)
1 1/2 Tbsp Ginger and Garlic Paste
3 Sprigs Coriander
5 Sprigs Mint
5 Dried Red Chilies
2 Green Chilies
1 Onion Sliced
1 Tbsp Cumin
1/2 Tbsp Pepper Corns
1 Tbsp Coriander Powder
1 Inch Cinnamon
1 Star Anise
1 Black Cardamom
1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder
1 Tbsp Chilly Powder
2 Pods Cardamom
4 Cloves
1 Tbsp Fennel Seeds
Salt as per taste
Oil and Ghee for frying...

Method:

Wash the chickpeas thrice, and soak for 1/2 hour the dhal should double in size. Once the chickpeas have doubled in size, drain the excess water using a colander and reserve in a bowl.

Heat a pressure pan or wok add the meat, soaked and drained dhal, dried and green chillies, turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilly powder, fennel seeds, pepper corns, ginger garlic paste, coriander, mint leaves, star anise, black cardamom and salt add water stir well cover, place a whistle and cook for 3  whistles or until the meat and dhal is cooked well.

Once the meat and dhal has cooked, remove the lid place on high flame, allow the moisture to evaporate completely. Remove from flame spread cooked meat on a plate allow the mixture to cool down. 

Add small portions of the meat mixture to a blender and grind till it forms a smooth dough consistency. Check for salt add if needed. Mix the meat mixture well cover and place in the fridge over night or until the meat is set to form patty.

Once the meat mixute has set remove from fridge, wet hands with water take desired portion of meat create a ball then flatten a bit to form a patty. Create as many meat patties as possible reserve.

Heat a tawa on medium flame add 2 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp ghee gently place the meat patties, fry 3 in a batch. Flip the patty once it turns golden to one side fry the patty evenly on both sides, serve with lime wedges and chutney...Enjoy 😋