Homemede chocolate

These chocolates can be enjoyed during theEeaster season, the Chirstmas season or during a birthday party. The best part of this recipe is that its easy and you will end up with with beautiful and tasty chocolate.Why spend unnecessarily when you can boast of making some of your own !!

Ingredients

Half chocolate slab (for the Ponjekar, visit Mangala, the shop next to Bata showroom, close to the Panjim church)
2 spoons of butter (Amul butter would do)
1/2 cup of almonds
1/2 cup of pistachio
1/2 cup of raisins
chocolate Moulds

Method:

The chocolate slab would have to be kept out , overnight, so that it softens a little. Cuts the nuts finely, mix all the nuts and keep aside. Use indirect heating method for this recipe. Put the two spoons of butter , let it melt, now add the chocolate slab. Allow it to melt and blend with the butter. Once its is nicely blended, add the nuts and mix well. Now add this mixture to your chocolate mold and refrigerate it. Once it hardens, you get to enjoy the very best homemade chocolates

Tip: Don't throw away those ready made chocolate molds that you get while buying ready made assorted chocolate. This will serve your purpose while making these chocolates.

Potato Salad

In Goa, this salad is usually enjoyed with beef roast or with a chicken cafreal or with a sizzlers. A simple yet delicious salad. Try it

Ingredients:
3 Potatoes (boiled)
2 spoons of butter
2 spoons of milk powder
pinch of black pepper
salt as per taste
Black olives for garnishing

Method:
Boil the potato and mash it till fine paste. Blend in the butter and the milk powder. Mix well. Add black pepper and the salt. Garnish with olives.


Tip: To give this recipe a special touch and aroma, add finely chopped celery leaf.

Bacalhau (Cod fish)

Part of the Portuguese cuisine, this delicacy can be enjoyed across a few Goan restaurant. This dish is never missed at my home during Christmas eve. Having a touch of European cuisine, it’s a little blend , however enjoyable. For those who wish to prepare it , visit the Loja Costa at Panjim Immaculate church square to pick your pack of bacalhau and follow this method of preparation.

Ingredients:

A big chunk of bacalhau

Olive oil,

3 Onions

2 potatoes (bolied)

2 green chilies

100 gm Kabuli grams

2 eggs (boiled)

2 garlic (finely chopped)

Salt as per taste

Method:

Desalt bacalhau by keeping the chunk in a basin of water overnight. Once it is desalted boiled this chunk with plain water till the meat is soft and cooked. Once cooked shred the meat into small pieces.

Chop onions finely and fry till Chrisy brown, once brown add the chopped green chilled and chopped garlic, fry for a while. Dice potato and eggs into fine cubes and keep aside. Boil the kabuli grams and keep aside

In a bowl, add a layer of potatoes, followed by a layer of onions,chillies, garlic mixture, a layer of bacalhau, followed a layer of egg, a layer of kabuli grams. Repeat this till all the mixtures are over. Add olive oil and salt as per taste. Mix the mixture well and serve. Why fly to Portugal when you can taste its bacalhau here in Goa

Russian Salad

A very simple salad, mostly known as the Russian salad and served during most Goan catholic marriages, this simple salad is one that I cannot resist. A mixture of raw, sweet and sour flavor, it a perfect blend of veggies and fruit. Here is a quick way of preparing it

Ingredients:

2 onions (diced)

2 boiled potato (diced)

Pineapple pieces

2 Capsicum (diced)

2 Tomato (diced)

1 spoon of olive oil

Few canned cherries

Chilli flakes

A pinch of black pepper

Salt as per taste

SIL Mayo paste (half a bottle)

Boiled prawns (cut in small pieces, optional)

Method:

In a bowl, pour the olive oil and mix it well with the chillies flakes, and pepper powder. Add the veggies along with the pineapple pieces and prawns. Mix well. Now add the SIL mayo paste along with it salt to this mixture and mix well. Top it with canned cherries

Serve chill.

Tips:

Ensure that the tomatoes are de-seeded before dicing. The seeds makes the entire salad soggy.

chicken biryani on the go

For the rice:

1 Kg Basmati rice,

Basmati leaves,

2-3 cloves

2 pieces of cinnamon

Salt (as per taste)

3 onions , finely chopped and fried till crispy

3 potatoes, finely chopped and fried till crispy

Ghee (optional)

For the chicken gravy:

1 chicken (fine pieces)

A bunch of mint leaves

3 onions finely chopped

3 tomatoes finely chopped

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

Salt as per taste

Oil for frying

Coriander for garnishing

Method:

Cook rice along with the basmati leaves, cinnamon piece, cloves . Keep aside. Ensure that the rice grain is not too soft nor too hard.

For the chicken gravy:

Heat oil in a pan, add the onions. Fry till golden brown, add the tomatoes and mint leaves. Fry for some time. Add the chicken pieces. Cook for a while , do not add too much of water since the gravy has to be thick. Add the turmeric powder and the garam masala, salt as per taste. Cook till the meat is soft and tender. Garnish with coriander.

Once the chicken gravy is done, in a separate bowl, arrange a layer of rice followed with a layer of onions which were fried earlier, a layer of chicken gravy and the layer of potatoes, you can add another layer of coriander. Repeat this till the content is over. Serve hot. Can be enjoyed with a simple tomato salad.

There you go, a quick and delicious chicken biryani on the run

Tips:

To avoid basmati rice grains from sticking ,squeeze one lime while preparing the rice.

Potatoes can be deep fried after dipped in bread crumbs to make them nice and crispy.

Coconut Cake

This Goan cake is usually enjoyed during the Christmas festival. It is also called as Bath or Batika. This cake in Portuguese is called gostoso.

Ingredients
half kg Semolina (Rawa)
half kg sugar
200 gm Amul butter
Ghee worth 5 Rs
2 Coconuts
6 eggs
Pinch of salt
Pinch of elachi or nutmeg power
Butter paper
Bits of cashew nuts and raisins (optional)

Method:
Grate the coconut, make a fine paste of the grated coconut. Mix semolina and sugar. Add the coconut paste. Mix well, now add the eggs. Mix this mixture well, do not add any water. Add the melted butter and ghee to this mixture. Now add the cashew nut, raisin, salt and the nutmeg/elachi powder. This mixture needs to be kept overnight. The cake is ready to be baked.

Tips:
Do not add water.
Cashew nuts and raisin adds flavor to the cake
Keeping the cake mixture overnight helps in softening the cake.