Eggless Peanut Butter cookies

Preparation Time : 30 minutes | Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Ingredients
All purpose flour (Maida) – 1 ¼ cups
Baking powder – ½ teaspoon
Baking soda – ¾ teaspoon
Salt – ¼ teaspoon
Unsalted butter – ½ cup, soften at room temperature
Granulated white sugar – ½ cup
Light brown sugar– ½ cup
Peanut butter – ½ cup, (creamy)
Milk – ¼ cup

Method
Take maida, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl, mix it well and keep it aside. Now take butter in a large bowl and whisk it until it get smooth and creamy. Add both sugars and beat it again until creamy and fluffy.Now add peanut butter and milk and beat it again. Add the flour mixture beat it until smooth but ensure you do not over do it.



Preheat the oven to about 190 C. Line the baking tray with parchment paper (butter paper). Make tablespoon size balls from the batter and arrange them in the prepared sheet. Place them about 2 inches apart from each other. If required, using a fork, make crisscross patterns over the batter.

Bake them in the oven for about 13 to 15 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Let it cool for 5 minutes.

Note: I have used Demerara sugar for my recipe and that's the reason my cookies are darker.

Recipe courtesy: Kanan Patel (spiceupthecurry)

Grill chicken & lettuce salad

Preparation Time : 45 minutes | Cooking Time : 10 minutes

Ingredients
Skinless/boneless chicken breast halves - 2

Marinade
Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp 
Lime juice - 1 tbsp
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Salad
Iceberg Lettuce -washed, rinsed and torn in small pieces.
Salad cucumber - 1
Green/red/yellow peppers - 1/2 each
Onion - 1
Dressing
Mayonnaise - 2 tbsp
Lime juice - 1 tbsp
Olive oil - 1 tsp
White pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method 
Marinate the chicken with the ingredients mentioned above and keep it aside for an hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 200 C & cook the chicken on the grill until juices run clear and the chicken is cooked through approximately 10-15 mins. Set the chicken aside. Once it is cool, slice it into thin pieces.


Make the salad dressing with the ingredients listed. Dice the peppers, onion & cucmber. Add the lettuce and the dressing and mix well.  Place the salad in a serving bowl, put the chicken pieces on them and serve immediately.

Pineapple Chilli Crab Stick Salad

Preparation Time : 10 minutes | Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Ingredients
Pineapple peeled - 1 medium
Fresh red chillies - 2
Crab sticks - 6
Roasted peanuts - 2 tbsp
Garlic cloves - 8-10
Ginger chopped -1 tsp
Salt to taste
Soya sauce - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Green capsicums - 1/4
Cucumber - 1 medium
Spring onions with greens - 3
Sliced onions 2 tbsp
A few iceberg lettuce leaves

Method
To make dressing
Pound garlic cloves, ginger, fresh red chillies and salt in a mortar with a pestle and put into a bowl. Add soya sauce, sugar and lemon juice and mix well.

Dice green capsicum. Slice unpeeled cucumber. Diagonally slice spring onions with little greens and put everything into another bowl. Quarter the pineapple, add to the second bowl. Diagonally slice crab sticks and add. Add sliced onions and the dressing and mix well. Add roasted peanuts and mix.

Roughly tear iceberg lettuce leaves and place them in a serving bowl. Put the salad on them and serve immediately.

Courtesy: Sanjeev Kapoor

Crunchy coriander fish with peanut yogurt dip

Preparation Time : 30 minutes | Cooking Time : 45 minutes

Ingredients
Fish fillets - medium sized (2)
White pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
Pepper corns - 8 to 10
Red chilies (whole) - 3 to 4
Thyme - 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Maida (refined flower) - 4 tbsp
Corn starch - 1 tbsp
Oil for frying
Salt as per taste.

Method
Cut the fillet into 8 pieces, marinate it with salt, pepper powder, lemon juice for half an hour. Dry roast the coriander seeds, pepper corns & red chilies. Grind to a coarse powder. Add thyme to this.
In a bowl mix the spice powder, finely chopped coriander leaves, corn starch & the refined flour.
Now coat the marinated fillets in this mixture and shallow fry until crisp.

You can chose an appropriate dip to go along with the fish. I chose the peanut yogurt dip which went well with the fish and the salad.

Peanut yogurt dip
Ingredients
Yogurt- 2 cups
Peanuts(roasted) -1/4 cup
Coriander leaves (finely chopped) -2 tbsp
Red chilies - 2
Cream - 1/4 cup
Salt as per taste

Method
Hang yogurt overnight in a muslin cloth, keep in the refrigerator (it should not be sour). Crush peanuts coarsely, remove the stem and crush the red chilies.  Take yogurt in a bowl, whisk well, season with salt. Add crushed red chilies, peanuts, chopped coriander leaves. Whisk in the cream and mix well.

Koonthal pirallan (Squid stir fry)

Preparation Time : 60 minutes | Cooking Time : 45 minutes

Ingredients
Koonthal (squid)- 1 kg
Shallots - 15 or 1 big onion
Chopped garlic - 2 tsp
Chopped ginger - 2 tsp
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Coriander powder - 3 tsp
Chilly powder - 2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2tsp
Turperic powder - 1/2tsp
Coconut pieces - 2 tbsp
Coconut oil or Veg oil - 1 tbsp
Salt as per taste

Method
Clean the squid nicely and cut them into rings.Roast all the dry masalas together until the raw smell goes away. Add this to the squid along with salt & coconut pieces. Pressure cook it for about 15 mins or 3 to 4 whistles.

Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped ginger, garlic, onions and curry leaves. Saute for about 5 mins until onions are translucent. Now add the squid along with the stock and cook on low flame until semi-dry. It would take about 10 mins.

Serve hot with plain rice. It goes will with curd rice also.

Vegetable Nizami seekh

Preparation Time : 45 minutes | Cooking Time : 30 minutes

Ingredients
Potato,boiled and mashed - 1 medium
Carrot,boiled and chopped - 1 medium
Green peas,boiled and mashed - 1/2 cup
Butter - 3 tablespoons
Ginger paste - 2 teaspoons
Garlic paste - 2 teaspoons
Caraway seeds (shahi jeera) - a pinch
Salt to taste
Rock salt (sendha namak) - a pinch
Red chilli powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Cumin powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Green cardamom powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Black cardamom powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Clove powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Cashewnut paste - 2 tablespoons
Fresh cream - 1 tablespoon
Processed cheese,grated - 3 1/2 tablespoons
Roasted chana dal powder - 3 tablespoons

Method

Heat one tablespoon butter in a pan. Add carrot, green peas, ginger and garlic pastes and sauté. Place the mashed potatoes in a bowl. Add the sautéed vegetables, caraway seeds, salt, rock salt, red chilli powder, cumin powder, green cardamom powder, black cardamom powder, clove powder, cashewnut paste and cream and mix well. Add cheese and mix. Add roasted chana powder and mix well.

Grease your palms. Take a small portion of the mixture and dab it around a skewer. Press well and shape into a seekh kabab. Similarly make more kababs and keep them in the refrigerator for about fifteen minutes before cooking them. Heat the remaining butter in a pan, place the skewers and cook till the kababs are evenly golden. Serve hot.

Recipe courtesy: Sanjeev Kapoor