Shakshuka | Eggs poached in spicy sauce

Shakshuka  meaning 'to shake' in Hebrew is an Israeli breakfast staple. This hearty breakfast meal can easily please most people for its simplicity in ingredients. It can be made in a jiffy like egg burji. All you need is a fresh loaf of airy bread to dunk into the sauce. Perfect for a sunday brunch!

Anyways, I have great love for Middle eastern food and you are going to see more recipes of it coming soon here :)

Preparation time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Serves : 2

You will need:

2 Eggs 

1 large Onion

2 cloves of garlic

2 large tomatoes

1 green chilly 

1/4 tsp red chilli powder/Paprika

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

a pinch of sugar

a handful of fresh coriander leaves

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt as per taste

1. Chop tomatoes, onions, garlic, green chillies and coriander leaves to fine pieces.

2. Heat skillet with the olive oil. Add the onions and fry till translucent.

3. Add the garlic, green chillies and tomatoes with the spices, salt and sugar. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

4. Add 1/4 cup of water if you want it more sauce-y. Stir in finely chopped corainder leaves.

5. Crack open the eggs on the sauce. Do not stir the sauce now.  Everyone likes their eggs cooked     differently. So cook it for 4 mins or more, as per the desired consistency of egg you'd want.

Long time ago, I made the eggs well cooked in a thick sauce as I was having with Pita bread.

We also tried runny eggs with soupy sauce with nice and spongy bread. Both versions were uncompromising in taste!

Paneer dumplings in spicy gravy | Rasgulla Korma

Rasgulla Korma can be a deceiving name for this dish. You see, Rasgulla is a famous sweet item and many Rasgulla puritans could be offended by this name. The idea of curry-ing the paneer balls occurred to me while I was making Rasgulla recently. So, I'd like to call this recipe 'Rasgulla Korma'.

This recipe calls for the same paneer balls/dumplings that we need for the rasgullas. Here is the link to make paneer balls. Instead of boiling the paneer in sugar syrup it is going to be cooked in a spicy gravy.

If you are the person like me who is making paneer at home, then I would totally recommend this recipe. Because you don't have to wait for hours together to get the paneer in shape like cubes. Just curdle the milk, strain the cheese, squeeze the water out, knead for 5 mins and you are good to make this curry.

Preparation time: 40 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

Serves: 3-4 Persons

You will need:

Paneer dough from 1 liter milk (procedure here)

1 large onion

2 tomatoes

1/4 cup of thick curd/yogurt

1/4 cup grated coconut

1 inch piece of ginger 

2 cloves of garlic

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp garam masala

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp red chilly powder

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp oil

2 tsp ghee

Salt to taste

Procedure:

Chop the onions, tomatoes and ginger. 

Shape the paneer dough into a smooth balls without any cracks and keep it covered using a damp cloth.

Blend together tomatoes, coconut, ginger, garlic and curd/yogurt to a smooth mixture.

Heat oil and ghee together in a pressure cooker. Add the onions and fry till translucent. 

Add turmeric, coriander and chilly powder. Pour a dash of water to keep the spices from burning.

Pour the blended mixture with salt and sugar. Saute till you see the oil separating from the curry.

Add approximately 1 cup of water and bring it to a boil. Gently drop the paneer balls into the boiling gravy. 

In the medium-low heat, pressure cook the curry for one whistle.

Release the steam, mix in garam masala and serve.

A sumptuous side dish for any Pulao and Indian flat breads. We tried with Peas Pulao and it was a match made in heaven :)

Japamala Resort, Tioman Island | Malaysia's best kept secret

Tioman Island - Not a famous location for romantic getaways. Its well-known for underwater sports such as snorkeling and sea-diving. But we decided to visit Tioman for Japamala resort and we don't regret our choice at all. In fact, we are still raving about this place to our friends and family. I am well aware there are lot of places on earth that are incredibly beautiful.But this place has everything one would expect on a relaxing vacation: lovely weather, hilly regions, beach view, privacy and above all it was within our budget. 

   

Japamala is an eco-resort built without moving a rock or cutting a tree or even a branch. This boutique resort can accomodate only 30 guests at a time and if you go on an off- season then you hardly see people and get it for half the price ;)

Reaching this island is fairly easy from Singapore or Malaysia. There is a flight run by Berjaya airways which takes approximately 40 mins to  reach this island. Japamala staff will be waiting to take you to the resort-which involves an exciting ferry ride... And just 20 minutes later, you will feel like a rockstar at his/her own island retreat. A lengthy jetty, scenic beach, the view of lush jungle and chalets perched on cliffs are those first things that will catch your sight. Once you arrive, you will be welcomed with a super refreshing lemon grass drink. 

There are a range of sarangs (guest houses/villas) and chalets to choose  from -like tiny houses built on sea cliff, tree tops, hillside, jungle side etc. We chose to stay in a tree top chalet and a hillside sarang with a hydro-pool. 

We encountered some monitor lizards and naughty monkeys. 

We befriended a jungle lizard on our way to the sarang..

Decadent Italian food at Mandi-Mandi..

There are two restaurants catering to the resort guests - Tamarind for Malay & Thai style cuisine and Mandi mandi for Italian gourmet. Both the restaurants' re top notch in quality.

Tamarind's Fried Banana fritters were finger-licking good..

 Mandi Mandi is built on the sea overlooking the vast expanse of the ocean on one side and the resort on the other side. With the village-style seating experience and the canopy on top it exuded the rustic charm. I totally loved Mandi-mandi ambiance especially during the night ..( was like the jetty lit with lights in the Kaaka Kaaka movie :P)

Snorkeling, trekking, boat-rides and canoeing are some of the recreational activities available in this island. The resort will provide the necessary snorkeling gear and canoes if you want to use them. 

Tender coconut on a sunny day..

Fragrance Oils for aromatic turn-down..

The Samadhi spa package was gifted by the resort as part of our stay and it was excellent! The staffs were intuitive and very responsive to the guests needs. 

With a heavy heart, we left this paradise after spending five glorious days.

 It was indeed a rustic-luxe jungle living experience!

Rasgulla/Rosgulla and a celebration!

Two fantastic months passed away in a flashing speed..Blogging was not that happening as I was busy getting married :) :)
I wish...I hope....I pray...that I would never give anymore excuses from now on to be away from blogging this long :P You see, I got a reason to cook everyday now.. a wonderful husband to taste test my kitchen creations :D

A sweet recipe to share the sweet news--Rasgulla!

Rasgullas are one of the easiest sweet dishes to make. Trust me on this. Simple ingredients and its fun to make.

Preparation time: 1hour
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Makes : 20 large Rasgullas


You will need:
1/2 gallon/ 2 liters full fat milk
1/3 Cup of lemon juice
2 Cups of Sugar
4 Cups of Water
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 pods of Cardamom, crushed
2 tsp rose water (optional)

In heavy bottom vessel (I used pressure cooker), bring the milk to a boil.

Reduce the heat and add the lemon juice and stir gently as the milk curdles. Turn off the heat and let it cool for few minutes. In the mean time, prepare a strainer lined with muslin/thin cotton cloth.

Pour the curdled milk on the cloth and gently gather the ends of the cloth and tie them loosely.

Hang this cloth with cheese (chenna) to strain the whey over a vessel. You could slide this on a spoon and place it over a tall vessel. (see picture for the setup)

After 15 minutes or so, the cheese will be cooled down and you can gently squeeze out the excess whey from the cheese.

Collect the cheese on a mixing bowl and knead for 5-7 minutes with baking powder to get a smooth dough. This ensures the rasgullas from breaking apart while cooking. Keep it covered with a moist cloth.

In a pressure cooker or any wide bottomed vessel, bring the sugar and water to a roaring boil. Add the cardamom.

While the mixture is boiling, start shaping rasgullas. I used a spoon to measure up the dough to get even sized rasgullas. Make nearly 20 rasgullas. The balls should be smooth without any cracks. Keep the shaped rasgullas and dough covered with the moist cloth while working.

Add the rasgullas in batches, when the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is boiling. There should be room for the rasgullas to puff up. Cover it and cook till the rasgullas become double in size. Or cook it for one whistle.

To check if the rasgullas are perfectly cooked, drop one rasgullas in a cold water. If it floats it needs to cook more.

Transfer the rasgullas with the syrup in a serving bowl and stir in the rose syrup. It can be served warm or chilled.