Pomfret Curry

Ingredients:

Pomfret - 2 nos
Dry red chillies - 5-6 nos
Freshly grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Coriander seeds - 1 tblsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 2-3 cloves
Green paste - 1 tblsp (Ginger, garlic, green chilly and coriander)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 2-3
Amsul / Kokam / Dry Mangosteen- 2 nos
Red chilly powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Asafetida - 2 tsp
1/2 lemon juice
Salt as per taste

Recipe:

1.  Clean the pomfret and cut into pieces. Apply some salt, green paste, 1 tsp asafetida, 1/2 tsp turmeric and 1/2 lemon juice to it and keep it aside.
2. Soak the dry red chillies, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds in warm water for 1/2 hour.
3. In a mixer add soaked chillies, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, ginger, garlic, fresh grated coconut and make a fine paste from it.
4. Heat some oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, 1 tsp asafetida and curry leaves. Let it splutter.
5. Add 1/2 tsp turmeric, chilly powder and the grounded paste to it. Saute it for 4-5 minutes. 
6. Once the paste start to ooze out some oil, add 1-2 cups of water.
7. Adjust the constistancy of the curry by adding water as per your need.
8. Once the curry starts to boil, add marintaed pomfret pieces and amasul to it.
9. Mix it very gently to avoid breaking the fish. 
10. Let it cook for 5 minutes as fish gets cooked very quickly.
11. Switch off the gas and sprinke some freshly chopped coriander over it.
12. Serve hot with plain basamti rice or Bhakari.

Christmas fruit cake

Ingredients:

Refined flour - 1 cup

Brown sugar - 3/4 cup

Butter - 1 cup (At room temprature)

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Egg - 2 nos

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Rum essence - 1 tsp

Mixed dry fruits (Cashewnuts, alomnds, raisins, dry cherries, orange peel candy, dry plums)

Choco chips - 2 tblsps

Baking sheet

Cake mold

Recipe:

1. Seive the refined flour and baking powder together for 2 times.

2. Put dry fruits and choco chips in a bowl. Mix them all with 1-2 tblsps of refined flour. This helps in distributing them all over the cake or else they would settle down in the cake.

3. Add 1 cup of butter, vanilla essence, rum essence and brown sugar in a bowl. Mix them well with the help of hand mixer till the sugar gets dissolved.

4. Once the sugar is dissolved, add 1 whole egg and 1/2 cup of refined flour in it. Mix well.

5. Add remaining egg and refined flour in it and mix well.

6. Once the batter is ready, add mixed dry fruits in it and mix all together with the help of rubber spatula. 

7. The constistancy of the batter should not be very thick or very thin. If the batter is too thick, you can add some milk to adjust the constistancy.

8. Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 200 degree celcius for 10-15 minutes.

9. Apply some butter to cake mold and layer it with baking sheet.

10. Once the cake batter is ready, pour it in the tin and level it up.

11. Put the cake inside the oven at 180 degree celcius for 20-30 minutes.

12. You can check the cake, if its done or not with toothpick test.

13. If toothpick comes out clean, it means the cake is ready.

14. After the cake is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool down for 10-15 minutes.

15. Once the cake is cooled down, slice it and serve.

Merry Christmas to all my friends and followers. 

Wish you all a very happy new year.

Medovina (Honey Wine)

"Medovina" a very popular "christmas drink" in Europe, is brewed by mixing honey or Mead with water. Hence the name Medovina. Mead can have a wide range of flavors depending on the source of the honey, additives, including fruit and spices, the yeast employed during fermentation and the aging procedure. There are basically 4 varients of Medovina namely - Dessert or sweet, semi-sweet, off dry and dry. The one which i have used in this receipe is the dessert or sweet varient.

Hope you will enjoy the wine in this snowy winter....

Ingredients:

Medovina - 2 cup (Incase not available can be replced by sweet red or white wine)
Orange - 2 nos
Apple - 1
Lemon zest - 1 tsp
Cinemon - 1 inch
Star anise - 2 nos
Cloves - 2 nos
Sugar - 2 tblsps
Mixed dry fruits - 2 tblsps

Recipe:

1. Cut the oranges. Make a juice of 1 orange and other orange cut into pieces.
2. Cut the apple in pieces.
3. In a saucepan, pour 2 cup of wine. Add orange juice, orange pieces, apple and lemon zest to it.
4. Add sugar, cinemon, star anise, cloves and mixed dry fruits to it. Stir all well.
5. Let it heat on very low flame for 5-10 minutes. Do not boil this mixture else the alcohol will be evaporated.
6. After 5-10 minutes, serve this hot wine in a glass and enjoy it in chilly winter.