BUTTER CHICKEN

Ingredients :

• 1.3 kg chicken cut into medium pieces
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• Salt to taste

For Marination :

• 100 gms yoghurt
• 100 gms cream
•  2½ tsp garlic paste
• 2½ tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp saffron
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 1- 2 drops orange colour (optional)
• 8 tbsp refined oil

For Gravy :

• 200 gms butter
• 2 tbsp garlic paste
• 2 tbsp ginger paste
• 500 gms tomato pulp
• 5 tsp cashew nut paste
• 1 tbsp ginger chopped
• 4 green chillies deseed & chopped
• 1 tsp deghi mirch or paprika (for colour)
• 150 ml cream
• 2 tbsp coriander leaf (for garnish)

Method :

•  Make deep pricks on each chicken piece
•  Take a large bowl add lime juice, red chilli, salt & put the chicken in it & rub all over the pieces well, keep aside for 15-20 mins
• In another large bowl, whisk yoghurt & add all the remaining ingredients rub well into the chicken pieces , keep aside for 3-4 hrs
• Heat oil in a pan add chicken cook on medium heat until both sides turn golden brown
• Drain the chicken from the pan & keep aside
• In a pan melt half the quantity butter, add ginger & garlic paste stir over medium heat for 2 min
•  Add tomato pulp a bit salt & water (1¼ cup) cover & simmer for 5-8 mins
• Remove from heat & keep aside
• Melt the remaining butter in a pan , add chopped ginger , green chilli sauté over medium heat for a min
• Add cashew nut paste stir fry until col changes light brown
• Add deghi mirch or paprika powder  & stir
• Then add the tomato pulp bring it to a  boil & add the fried chicken pieces & simmer for 8-10mins
• Last of all add the cream & garnish it with chopped coriander & cream
• Serve with naan, roti or steamed rice 

HARIYALI GOSHT / GREEN MUTTON

Ingredients : 

• 500 gms mutton (medium size)
• 1 large size onion chopped
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 2 medium size tomato chopped
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder 
• 7 tbsp mustard oil
• 150 gms coriander leaves paste
• 4 green chilli paste
• Salt to taste

Method :

• In a pressure cooker cook the mutton with chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger paste, turmeric, salt & cup of water till the meat is tender
• Heat oil in pan & add the mutton (without the stock), add garlic paste  stir 2-3 mins
• Then add stock stir over medium heat
• Add chilli paste, coriander paste stir fry & cook till oil separates & thick gravy remains
• Serve with roti or nan

CHINESE STYLE LADYFINGER / BHINDI

Ingredients : 

• 500 gms ladyfinger cut slantly
• 1 tbsp garlic finely chopped
• 1 tbsp ginger finely chopped
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 1 large tomato chopped
• 2 green chilli chopped
• 1 ½ tbsp soya sauce
• 4 tbsp refined oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• Salt to taste

Method :

• Heat oil in a wok & fry chopped garlic, onions, ginger, green chilli together                                   for 2-3 mins till golden brown
• Then add ladyfinger stir fry for a min or so, add a bit salt & mix well
• Cover the wok & let it cook for till ¾ th done
• Add 1½ tbsp soya sauce to the ladyfinger and let it cook for a while
• Add tomatoes & stir fry cover till tomatoes are meshed up well
• Add sesame oil  & serve hot

FISH KALIYA

 Ingredients :

• 500 gms Crap fish (Katla / Rui)
• 6 tbsp mustard oil
• ½ tsp cumin seed
• 1½ tsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 2 medium size tomato chopped
• 2 medium size onion chopped
• 1 tsp sugar 
• 10 gms coriander leaves chopped ( for garnish )
• Salt to taste

Method :

• Coat the fish, lightly with turmeric powder & salt.Keep aside for 20 mins
• Heat oil in a pan, fry fish till light brown 
• Drain the fish & keep aside
• To the same oil add cumin seed when it begins to crackle
• Add chopped onions & fry till lightly brown
• Then add garlic & ginger paste stir for 30 secs
• Stir in remaining coriander, cumin, turmeric, red chilli powder saute for 2-3 mins
• Add chopped tomatoes & salt stir fry until tomatoes are messy
• Add 1 cup ( 240 ml ) of water bring to a boil, add fish & sugar
• Low the heat & simmer till thick gravy remains
• Garnish the fish with coriander leaves
• Serve hot with steamed rice

SPICY PRAWN WITH ONION

Ingredients :

• 300 gms tiger prawns medium size ( shelled & cleaned ) 
• 600 gms onion thinly sliced
• 1½ tsp garlic paste
• 1  tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• ¾ tsp five spices / panch phoron ( aniseed, cumin, fenugreek, mustard, nigella)
• 3 medium size tomato chopped
• 6 tbsp mustard oil / refined oil
• Salt to taste

Method :

• Wash the prawns & coat lightly with turmeric & salt 
• Keep aside for 10 mins
• Heat oil in a pan add prawns & saute over medium heat for 2-3 mins
• Drain the prawns & keep aside
• To the same oil add five spices when it begins to crackle
• Add garlic & ginger paste stir for 30 secs 
• Then add turmeric, coriander, cumin & red chilli powder
• Stir for 2-3 mins, add ½ cup ( 120 ml ) of water 
• Now add onion & salt, cover & simmer till the onion are nearly done
• Occasionally keep stirring to ensure that they do not get burnt
• Add tomatoes, prawns stir fry for another 5-10 mins until tomatoes are mushy & well blended into the onions
• Now spicy prawn onion is ready to serve with hot steamed rice or roti

VEGETABLE FRIED RICE

Ingredients:

• 500 gms medium grain rice
• 100 gms carrots cut into julienne
• 100 gms french beans cut into diagonal
• 100 gms peas
• 50 gms onion chopped  
• 100 gms spring onions chopped
• 1 tsp ginger chopped
• 1½ tsp garlic chopped
• 2 green chilli chopped
• 1½ tsp soya sauce
• 4 tbsp refined oil
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• Pinch of ajinomoto (optional)
• Salt to taste

Method :

     
• Wash the rice till water turns clear
• Put the rice in a cooking utensil with water & let it cook on medium heat
• Add a little salt & 1 tbsp refined oil
• Once rice is nearly done, drain the water let it cool & loosen
• Boil the carrots, beans & peas separately for 2 mins
• Pour refined oil into a wok
• Place it over medium heat
• Fry the chopped onions, garlic & ginger till golden brown
• Then add the boiled vegetables, green chilli & stir fry for about 3 mins
• Add salt as per taste 
• Add soya sauce & black pepper
• Toss the cooked rice into this wok
• Mix the rice & other ingredients together for 2-3 mins
• Keep stirring as you mix the rice
• Add & mix the chopped spring onions into the rice, vegetables & ajinomoto (optional)
• Sprinkle some sesame oil into the fried rice for additional flavouring
• Serve the fried rice hot

CHICKEN AFGHANI

Ingredients:

• One full chicken cut into medium pieces
• 2 tsp melon seeds (magaz)
• 75 gms cashew nuts (kaju)
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds (khus khus) soaked for 1 hr in water
• 150 ml cream
•  1 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp powder black pepper
• 3  green chillies
•  ½ tsp powder green cardamoms (chhoti elaichi)
• Salt to taste
• Butter for basting
• Garnish with chopped cabbage, coriander leaves, lime wedges,onion rings & green chillies

Method :

• Wash & cut the chicken into medium pieces
• Drain the water, prick the chicken pieces with a fork & keep aside
• Now grind together cashew nuts, poppy seeds, melon seeds & green chillies
• Take a large bowl put the chicken pieces, grinded spices & the rest of the ingredients &              rub well into the chicken pieces
• Marinate it for 5-6 hrs
• Roast in a moderate hot tandoor or electric grill for approx 8 mins.*
• Remove & hang the skewers to let the excess moisture drip off (approx 4-5 mins)
• Baste with butter & roast again for 3-4 mins
• Garnish it & serve hot with rumali roti or naan 

   *   In a pre heated oven (350◦ F) for 10 mins

   

MUTTON BIRYANI

Ingredients: For the rice & potato

·         500 gms basmati rice

·         1 tbsp refined oil

·         5 green cardamoms

·         1 black cardamom

·         5 cloves

·         2-3  sticks cinnamons (1“)

·         2 bay leaf

·         ½ nutmeg

·         1 tbsp lime juice

·         1 tbsp rose water

·         4 medium potato

·         2 tbsp refined oil (for potatoes)

·         Pinch of food colour

·         Salt to taste

The meat

·         750 gms meat

·         6 tbsp refined oil

·         150 gms yoghurt

·         2 tbsp garlic paste

·         ½ tsp garam masala powder

·         1 tbsp ginger paste

·         1 tbsp onion paste

·         1 tbsp red chilli paste

·         ½ tsp turmeric powder

·         2 large onion thinly sliced

·         2 green cardamoms

·         2 cloves

·         1 stick cinnamon (1”)

·         Salt to taste

For the garnish

·         1 tsp saffron (soaked in ½ cup warm milk)

·         ½ cup fried onion sliced (crushed)

·         4 tbsp ghee

·         Few drops of vetivier (ittar)

·         1 tsp garam masala powder

·         Wheat dough for steam (dum) sealing the lid of the handi

Method:

For making biryani, cook the meat & the rice separately

Meat preparation

·         Wash & cut the meat into large pieces

·         Drain the water, add whipped yoghurt & add a bit salt

·         Keep aside for ½ hr

·         Heat ghee/refined oil in a handi

·         Add thinly sliced onion and fry till crisp & golden brown
 
·         Drain & keep aside

·         Then add green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamons stir over medium heat until it begins to crackle

·         Add garlic, red chilli paste & turmeric powder

·         Add onion paste, ginger paste & keep on stirring for few minutes

·         Then add the meat, salt & thinly sliced fried onions

·         Stir fry on low heat till all the natural juices have been absorbed

·         Cook  till the meat is dry and oil comes to the top

·         Add the hot water, stir and allow it to simmer

·         Cook till the meat is almost tender & there should be a thick gravy

·         Then add the garam masala powder

Rice preparation

·         Wash & soak the rice in water for 30 minutes

·         Bring a handi ¾ full of water to boil & add green cardamoms, black cardamoms, cloves,
     cinnamons, bay leaf, nutmeg ,salt

·         Now in the boiled water add rice, rose water,1 tbsp refined oil & lime juice, stir occasionally until
     the rice is nearly cooked

·         Strain the water

Assembling

·         Whole potatoes peeled, cut into ½, coat with pinch of food colour, salt & 1 tsp of refined oil

·         Boil it in sufficient water, till the potato is ¾ done and there should be no water left

·         Fry the potatoes lightly in refined oil

·         In a handi first of all put 2 tbsp of  spread it all over

·         Now arrange half of the potatoes in the bottom

·         Then a layer of rice on the top

·         Then arrange the meat pieces with gravy

·         Now sprinkle saffron, refined oil/ghee, ½ the quantity of garam masala powder, 
     few drops of ittar & fried onions (crushed)

·         Then again start the 2^nd layer of rice, potatoes, meat & garnish again like before

·         Now seal the lid of the handi with wheat dough

·         Put the handi on a hot griddle  (tawa) for 5 mins

·         Then reduce heat to low & cooked for 20-25 mins
·         Keep shaking the pan from time to time to prevent sticking
·         Now Biryani is ready to serve
     

     *** Biryani is a meal–in-a-dish served with chopped cucumbers, onions, tomatoes & a plain yoghurt raita

DAHI CHICKEN/CHICKEN WITH YOGHURT

Ingredients:

·         500 gms chicken

·         100 gms refined oil

·         100 gms yoghurt

·         2 tsp garlic paste

·         1 ½  tsp ginger paste

·         1 tsp onion paste

·         1 tsp red chilli powder

·         1 tsp garam masala

·         1 tbsp salt to taste

·         Lemon wedges, green chilli and

     onion rings for garnish

Method:

·         Wash & cut the chicken into medium pieces

·         Drain the water, prick the chicken pieces with a fork & keep aside

·         Now for the marinate whisk the yoghurt in a large bowl

·         Mix ginger paste, garlic paste, onion paste, red chilli powder,

     garam masala,1 tbsp refined oil & salt with the yoghurt

·         Add the chicken pieces with yoghurt, mix well & leave the chicken in this marinade

     at least 3-4 hrs

·         Heat oil in a pan add chicken pieces 

·         Cover, lower the heat and cook till the chicken turn out light brown on both side

·         Add the rest of the marinade mixture in the chicken and  stir on low heat for 3-4 min's

·         Garnish with lemon wedges, green chilli, onion rings & serve hot

PREFACE

It is an exciting day for me. 'Heaven in my Pan' for which I've been looking forward to for the last one year - ever since the idea for the food blog first popped into my mind - is finally ready to be launched.

And now since it is ready, I am dying to start its own life in your hands and on your kitchen corner. I am very hopeful that you will like the recipes and provide feedback regularly. Your feedback is very important because there is never an end to learning and I am sure all your valuable points and tips will benefit all who read them.

What's all about

Heaven in my Pan is all about food. Making it, eating it, thinking about it and talking about it. You won’t find recipes here that involve laborious processes or requires two days preparation time before you plan to serve it. For beginners, I hope you’ll find recipes, techniques & ideas that sound doable & worth tackling. For experienced cooks or rather I would call them as chefs, I hope that at least once in a while I can make you think, “wow, I never knew that” or “hey, that actually sounds good.” For everyone else, I hope you’ll find ways of making good & occasionally, great meals.

Who's the Chef ?

I'm Elizabeth Stephen, an amateur chef in the best sense of the word.

I cook because I love to do it.It is my passion. Initially, I started cooking due to necessity and then I discovered that it is my forte' and I enjoy every moment of it. My mode of cooking focuses on fresh ingredients and cheerful willingness to borrow ideas and techniques from all over the world.