Chefs Nectar

“Gulab Jamun”

Ingredients of making the Gulab Jamun

for gulab jamun

1 cup khoya (mawa or dried evaporated milk solids) or 200 grams khoya
¾ cup grated paneer or 100 grams of paneer (cottage cheese)
3 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 tablespoon fine sooji (rava or semolina)
4 green cardamoms – powdered in a mortar-pestle or
½ teaspoon cardamom powder
1 tablespoon milk or add as required
¼ teaspoon baking powder
oil for deep frying the gulab jamun

for sugar syrup

250 grams sugar or about
1.75 cup sugar1 cup water
1 tablespoon rose water
1 tablespoon milk (optional) – read notes

Method of making the Gulab Jamun

making gulab jamun balls

Take khoya (mawa or evaporated milk) in a bowl. Mash it very well. There should be no lumps. You can also grate and then mash the khoya.
Then add grated paneer, rava (sooji), all purpose flour (maida), baking powder and cardamom powder to the mashed khoya. There should be no lumps in both the mawa and paneer.
As if they are there, then you will find the texture of the gulab jamun not so good. The bits and pieces of mava or paneer will give a bite in the mouth, when you have the gulab jamun. They won’t be smooth.
Mix well. Add milk and gather together to form a dough with milk. Don’t knead.
Just gently mix. If you are unable to form balls or if the mixture appears dry, then add a few teaspoons of milk. Cover the dough and keep aside for 30 mins.
Make small balls from the dough. Cover the balls and keep aside.

Making sugar syrup for gulab jamun

Dissolve sugar in water. Heat the sugar solution till it become sticky. You just need to switch off the fire before the syrup reaches a one thread consistency.
Add rose water and stir. Keep the sugar solution aside. On cooling if the sugar syrup crystallizes, then just add 2 to 3 tbsp water and warm the syrup again. It will again return to a liquid state.

frying gulab jamun

Meanwhile, while the sugar syrup is cooking, heat oil till its medium hot. Lower the flame and wait for a minute. Then gently place the gulab jamun in the oil.
Once they start to have tiny golden spots, keep on rotating them in the oil, so that the gulab jamun are evenly browned.
Remove the gulab jamun and then drain them on kitchen paper towels to remove excess oil.

Then place the hot gulab jamun in the sugar syrup. Continue frying the gulab jamun this way in batches.
When all the gulab jamun are placed in the sugar syrup, then keep the whole pan with the sugar syrup and gulab jamun, on a low flame for 1 to 2 minutes till the jamun become soft.
Heating helps the gulab jamun to absorb the syrup and become soft. The jamun increase a bit in size. Don’t overcook as then the jamun can break.
Use a large pan, so that the gulab jamun are not overcrowded and you can easily stir them gently while they are simmering.
Serve gulab jamun warm or at room temperature. You can also chill the gulab jamun and serve them cold. Garnish the gulab jamun with rose petals or almond Flakes.

Please Note

1. If the sugar syrup has impurities, then add milk and simmer. A layer of scum will be formed. Remove this layer with a spoon.

Chef’s Nectar, “Double Cooked Lamb with Burnt Garlic”

Ingredients for making the stir-fried double cooked lamb

Lamb belly bacon
1 cinnamon stick, broken
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. coriander seeds
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
¼ tsp. whole Sichuan peppercorns
2 lb. lamb belly
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup plus 3 tbsp. black vinegar
2 celery ribs, sliced
2 scallions, halved
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 small carrot, sliced
1 garlic clove, sliced
1 piece ginger root (1 in. long)
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth

Stir-fry
¾ cup stir-fry sauce (recipe follows)
4 tbsp. Chinese hot mustard sauce (recipe follows)
1 lb. long beans or green beans, cut into 2-in. pieces
1 lb. sweet potato or mung bean starch cellophane noodles
4 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 medium leeks, thinly sliced
8 large Napa cabbage leaves, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
1 cup cilantro leaves
2 tbsp. sesame seeds

Stir-fry sauce
1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp. black vinegar
2 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp. cornstarch

Chinese hot mustard sauce
2 tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
4 tsp. Chinese mustard powder
2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Method of making the Double Cooked Lamb

1. For stir-fry sauce: In large saucepan, whisk soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, pepper and ¼ cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. In small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water until smooth to form a slurry. Slowly add to soy mixture; whisk constantly. Increase heat to medium-high; whisk until mixture thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Sauce should be shiny and coat the back of a spoon.
2. For hot mustard sauce: In small bowl, whisk together vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. Add mustard powder; whisk vigorously until thoroughly blended. Slowly drizzle in vegetable oil, whisking constantly, to emulsify sauce. It will be thick and shiny.
3. For lamb belly bacon: In small saucepan, toast cinnamon stick, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes and peppercorns over low heat until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Rub toasted spices over lamb belly. Sprinkle brown sugar and 3 tablespoons vinegar over lamb belly and rub in.
4. Preheat oven to 350 F. In large braising dish or Dutch oven, scatter celery, scallions, onions, carrot, garlic and ginger evenly on bottom. Lay lamb belly directly on vegetables; evenly pour chicken broth, 1/2 cup black vinegar and soy sauce over top. Cover lightly with aluminum foil (or cover with lid if using a Dutch oven). Place over high heat for 5 minutes.
5. Remove pan from stove; place in oven. Braise for 1½ hours; remove from oven. When cool enough to handle, remove lamb and place on rack on baking sheet to cool. It will have shrunk to about half the original size and will be very fragrant. Discard vegetables and excess juice.
6. Once cool, wrap lamb tightly in plastic wrap; place in freezer until completely cool and firm, about 15 minutes or up to 1 hour. Slice lamb belly lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips resembling bacon. Slice strips into thirds; set aside.
7. For stir-fry: Fill a large bowl with ice water; set aside. Fill a large pot with water; bring to a rolling boil. Add beans; cook just until the color changes, about 2 minutes for long beans and 1 minute for green beans. Quickly remove beans from water with a slotted spoon or drain in a colander; plunge beans into ice water to stop cooking. Remove cooled beans from water; pat dry with paper towels and set aside.
8. Fill pot again with water; bring to rolling boil. Drop in noodles and turn off heat. Let noodles soak for 8 minutes; drain. Toss with 1 tablespoon oil to keep from sticking; set aside.
9. Heat a wok or large, heavy, flat-bottomed skillet over high heat; add 3 tablespoons oil. Add noodles; stir-fry until warm and develop a bit of char, about 1 minute. Divide among 4 bowls.
10. In same wok or skillet over medium heat, lay half the sliced lamb belly as flat as possible; cook until crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon; place on a paper towel-lined plate.
11. To the lamb fat in the wok, add half the leeks; toss until they are soft, about 1 minute. Add half the long beans; stir-fry 1 minute. Add half the cabbage; stir-fry for another 1 minute. Return lamb belly bacon to the wok; add about half the stir-fry sauce and toss for 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons Chinese hot mustard sauce; stir. Divide stir-fry between two bowls. Repeat with remaining stir-fry ingredients to make two more bowls. Garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds.

Serve hot garnished with golden fried/burnt garlic on the top which will give a very unique flavor in the dish. enjoy with noodle or rice.

Master Stroke, “Chicken Ala Kiev”

Ingredients for making the Chicken Ala Kiev

⅓ cup butter
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 eggs
3 tbsp water
¼ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried dill weed
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup dry bread crumbs
2 cups vegetable oil for frying
½ lemon, sliced
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Method of making the Chicken Ala Kiev

Combine 1/3 cup butter, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. On a 6×6 inch piece of aluminum foil, spread mixture to about 2×3 inches. Place this mixture in the coldest section of your freezer and freeze until firm. This can be done ahead of time.
Remove all fat from the chicken breast. If using whole chicken breasts, cut them in half. Place each chicken breast half between 2 pieces of waxed paper and using a mallet, pound carefully to about 1/4 inch thickness or less.
When butter mixture is firm, remove from freezer and cut into 6 equal pieces. Place one piece of butter on each chicken breast. Fold in edges of chicken and then roll to encase the butter completely. Secure the chicken roll with small skewers or toothpicks.
In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with water until fluffy. In a separate bowl, mix together 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, dill weed and flour. Coat the chicken well with the seasoned flour. Dip the floured chicken in the egg mixture and then roll in the bread crumbs. Place coated chicken on a shallow tray and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
In a medium size deep frying pan, heat vegetable oil to medium-high. Fry chicken for about 5 minutes then turn over and fry for 5 minutes longer or until the chicken is golden brown. check weather cooked or not cut into one of the rolled chicken breasts to make sure it doesn’t have a pink interior. Serve immediately, garnished with a sliced lemon twist and a sprinkling or parsley.

Please Note

Above illustrated pic is a new version with veggies and risotto, created by me for my Love on the special occasion of Valentine’s day !!

STIR FRIED GREEN BEANS

Ingredients for making the green beans

1 lb green beans washed, trimmed, and cut to half their length
6 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 -1 tsp salt
vegetable oil for frying
ice for water bath

Method of making

Blanch the Green Beans (optional)

To preserve the color of the beans for the final dish you will want to blanch the beans. If you aren’t worried about the color you can skip this step.
In a large bowl, fill with ice and add water to the ice. Add water to your wok, enough to cover all the beans. Bring water in wok to a boil and add green beans. Cook for 30 seconds and immediately remove and put into the ice bath to stop the cooking process.

Fry the Green Beans

Remove water from wok if you blanched the green beans. Add a shallow amount of oil to the wok, about 1/4 inch deep. Once oil is hot, add green beans and fry for about 1 minute, or until the skin just starts to wrinkle. Careful to not over-fry or the beans will lose their crispness.
Remove green beans and put them on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up some of the oil. Drain all but 1 tbsp of the oil out of wok and place wok back on the stove.
When wok is hot, add in garlic and cook on high heat until the aroma of garlic comes out and it begins to brown. Add green beans back in and stir fry with garlic. Season with salt. Cook until beans are cooked to desired done ness and have incorporated the garlic flavor (about 1-2 minutes). Eat while hot.

Healthier technique

If you choose to, start by blanching the green beans as described in step 1 otherwise you can skip this step.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok. Once heated, add green beans. Stir fry them for a few minutes at high heat.
Add about 1/4 cup of water to the wok, cover it with lid, and steam the beans until they are almost cooked. Remove cover. Add about 3 tbsp of oil and continue cooking until beans start to wrinkle.
Remove beans and place on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up excess oil. Drain all but 1 tbsp of the oil out of the wok and place wok back on the stove. then repeat the above step to get the desired dish as per your liking.

Chefs Nectar, “Rava Dosa”

Ingredients for making the Rava Dosa

½ cup fine rava (sooji or fine semolina)
½ cup rice flour
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 to 2 green chillies, chopped
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
½ inch ginger, finely chopped
8 to 10 curry leaves, chopped
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves) – optional
½ teaspoon crushed black pepper
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
2 to 2.5 cups water or add salt as required
oil or ghee or butter for cooking rava dosa

Method of making the Rava Dosa Batter

Take ½ cup fine rava, ½ cup rice flour and ¼ cup maida in a bowl.
Then add ⅓ cup chopped onions, 1 or 2 green chilies (chopped), and ½ inch ginger (chopped).
Also add ½ tsp crushed black pepper, ½ tsp cumin seeds/jeera, 8 to 10 curry leaves (chopped) and salt as required.
Add 2 to 2.5 cups water. Depending on the quality of rava or sooji and rice flour, you can add less or more water – from 1.5 to 2.5 cups water. I added 2.25 cups water.
Whisk till smooth without any lumps.
If the batter looks thick or has a medium consistency, then add more water. If the batter looks very thin and runny, then add some rice flour.
Cover and let the dosa batter rest for 20 to 30 minutes. Once the batter rests, you will see that the rava and the flours have settled down and the water will be floating on top.

Making of Rava dosa

Before preparing dosas, mix the batter very well. Spread some oil on the tawa. Do make sure that the tawa is hot.
With a ladle pour the dosa batter. Start from the edges move towards the center.
If there are big or small gaps, then fill them lightly with the batter.
On a medium-low to medium flame, cook the dosa.
When the top side looks cooked, then sprinkle ½ to 1 tsp oil on the top and sides.
Spread oil all over the dosa with a spoon.
Rava dosa takes a little longer time to cook than regular dosa.
Cook till the base is golden and crisp.
The more you cook the dosas and the more golden it becomes, the more crisp it will be. You can even cook both the sides if you want.
Fold and then serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar.
The flours settles down at the bottom of the batter. So you have to stir and mix the batter very well every time you make dosa. In case the batter becomes thick after making a few dosas, then add some water and stir again.

Served hot with coconut chutney or dosa podi or any chutney of your choice.

Chefs Nectar,”Cottage Cheese Nuggets”

Ingredients for making the Cottage Cheese Nuggets

for paneer marination:

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
½ tsp kashmiri red chilli powder / lal mirch powder
½ tsp pepper, crushedsalt to taste
2 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
8 dices paneer /Cottage Cheese

Ingredients fo making the Batter

¼ cup corn flour
2 tbsp maida / plain flour / all-purpose flour / refined flour
½ tsp pepper, crushed salt to taste
½ cup water, for batter
½ cup panko bread crumbs / crushed corn flakes
oil for deep frying

Method of making the Cottage Cheese Nuggets

firstly, in a large mixing bowl take 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, ½ tsp chilli powder, ½ tsp pepper and salt to taste.
also add 2 tbsp coriander leaves and 1 tbsp lemon juice. mix well to form paste.
coat the prepared paste to paneer cubes.
cover and allow to marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
meanwhile prepare maida batter by mixing, ¼ cup corn flour, 2 tbsp maida, ½ tsp pepper and salt to taste.
add ½ cup water and prepare lump free, flowing consistency batter.
dip the marinated paneer into maida paste and coat well.
now coat with bread crumbs covering all sides. use panko bread crumbs / crushed corn flakes as they give nice texture.
deep fry the paneer nuggets in hot oil. alternatively, bake in preheated oven at 180 degree celsius for 12 minutes.
fry on medium flame, stirring occasionally till it turns golden brown.
finally, serve crispy paneer nuggets with green chutney or tomato sauce.

“Chicken Medallions with Beet mash and steamed vegetables”

Ingredients for making the Chicken Medallions

1 chicken breast
1 garlic clove
1 tsp mixed herbs (no salt added)
1 ¼ cups beets (cooked and chopped)
1large potato
20 gms broccoli
20 gms green beans
20 gms red yellow bell peppers
a tiny bit of salt
a tiny bit of black pepper
1 ½ tsp olive oil (extra virgin)

Method for making the Chicken Medallions

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Peel and roughly chop garlic. Score the chicken, add to a bowl and combine with garlic, oil, salt, pepper and herbs. Leave to marinate (Tip: try stuffing the garlic pieces inside the cuts you’ve created).
Once oven is hot, add the chicken to a lined baking tray and roast for 20 mins or until browned. Meanwhile, peel and cut potato.
Then add to boiling water for about 10 mins, or until soft. Heat a pan on medium heat, add all the vegetable and let it blanch for some time. Season with salt and pepper (you can add other spices, like nutmeg if you want).
Once potatoes are ready, drain, add beets and either mash by hand or with a blender. Season with salt and pepper with little butter and cream to make it more delicious.
Arrange the steamed vegetable on the edge then de-mold the beet mash, arrange chicken medallion on the top of the veggies.

Please Note

For making the chicken medallions just cut the chicken breast from the center, and slit it in between. Make a roll of one part and similarly do it with the other portion as well.

Chefs Nectar,”Paneer Kathi Rolls”

Ingredients for making the Paneer Kathi Roll

2 cups paneer cut into 1 inch cubes
1 small red pepper thinly sliced
1 small green pepper thinly sliced
1 medium red onion thinly sliced

Ingredients for Marination

1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon ginger grated
1 teaspoon garlic pressed
1 tsp 2 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon kasoori methi
1 teaspoon salt

for serving

6 to 8 kawan parathas cook per package instructions
1 medium onion thinly sliced
1/2 cup cilantro chopped

Mint Cilantro Chutney

½ cup cilantro
¼ cup mint leaves
2 tbsp unsweetened coconut frozen or dry
1 garlic clove
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 to 2 small green chiles
1 tbsp lemon juice
seasoning to taste
1 teaspoon sugar

Method of making the Paneer Kathi Roll

Marinate the paneer- Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add paneer and mix well.
Make the filling- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Add onions, peppers and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add marinated paneer and mix well. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the heat off. Add cilantro.
Chutney – Blend all the chutney ingredients using 2 tablespoons of water to make a smooth sauce. Note: Add more water as needed, little at a time.
Cook the Parathas- Heat a non-stick griddle pan. Remove the kawan paratha from the plastic wrapping and place on the griddle. Cook on medium high heat for about to 1 to 1-1/2 minutes on each side or until both sides are golden brown, pressing gently with a spatula. Enjoy hot!
Assemble Kathi Roll- Spread 2 teaspoons of chutney on cooked paratha. Add 2 to 3 spoonfuls of the filling in the middle. Add few sliced onions and cilantro on top. roll the sides up to the middle. You can use small toothpicks to hold them together.

Chefs Nectar, “Chicken Kathi Roll, Indian Specialty”

Ingredients of Chicken Kathi Roll

2 Whole Wheat leavened bread
2 Egg Whites
2 tsp Coriander, chopped
3 tsp Oil
To garnish Onions and Pepper, sliced
For the Filling :
150 gram Chicken Tikka
Cottage Cheese (optional)
2 tbsp Onions, chopped
2 tsp Coriander Leaves, chopped
2 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
1/4 cup Tomatoes, chopped
A pinch of Turmeric Powder
to taste Salt and Chilli Powder
1 tsp Green Chillies, chopped
To shallow fry Oil

How to Make Chicken Kathi Roll

Prepare the crepe:
Mix the egg whites with the coriander.
Heat oil in a non stick pan. Dip each phulka into the egg white mix and place on the pan one at a time till it turns color. Keep aside.
Prepare Tikka mixture:
Put the prepared chicken tikka into strips.
In a pan heat the oil and add chopped onions, ginger garlic paste, chopped tomatoes, turmeric, red chilly powder and green chillies.
Now, add the chicken tikka strips, sliced onions and pepper juliennes.
Cook a little and add chopped coriander.
Divide the tikka mixture between the 2 atta phulkas and roll them.
Serve with mint chutney and salad.

Chefs Nectar, “Cheese Garlic French Loaf”

Ingredients for making the Cheese Garlic French Loaf

14 ounces (400 grams) loaf French bread, (or Italian), sliced in half horizontally (lengthwise)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic)
2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 tsp salt, (or to taste)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp dried parsley,

Method of making the Cheese Garlic French Loaf

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (baking paper), or foil. Arrange bread on baking sheet, cut-side up.
In a small-sized bowl, combine together the butter, garlic, fresh parsley and salt. Mix ingredients together until well blended. Evenly spoon the garlic butter mixture evenly over both bread halves right to the edges. Top with the cheeses and sprinkle with the dried parsley.
Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Broil for about 2 minutes, or until the top is golden and crispy.
Slice and serve warm.