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AliaTwitter: @alia_dalwai

A Recipe for Minced Meat Curry-Indian Style

Hello all you beautiful people out there.

How are you all?? It's been a long time since I posted anything! Sorry for that! :(

Well, I thought of sharing a recipe with you today. It's a recipe for Minced Meat Curry-Indian Style 

Minced Meat Curry (Indian Style)

Ingredients:

1. Minced Meat - 1.5 Pounds (I used Goat meat and my meat was hand chopped. I don't know why but my mom prefers Hand Chopped Mince
   
2. Sliced Onions - 3 Medium Sized
3. Red Chili Powder - 1.5 Teaspoons (You could also use 4 Dried Red Chilis-I prefer Dried Chili to Chili Power)
   
4. Garam Masala Powder - 3 Teaspoons (You could use the ready made versions that are available in the market or you could refer to this link for the recipe http://aliascreativelife.blogspot.in/2011/06/recipe-for-perfect-indian-garam-masala.html)
5. Turmeric Powder - 0.5 Teaspoon
6. Yogurt - Half a Cup ( I know, I use weird measures, Sorry!)
7. Coriander Seed Powder - 1 Teaspoon, Dry Roasted
8. Ginger Paste - 2 Teaspoons
9. Garlic Paste - 2 Teaspoons
10. Tomato Ketchup - 3 Teaspoons
11. Salt - To taste
12. Cooking Oil - 5 Tablespoons
13. Frozen Peas - Half a Cup, Blanched in Hot water for 5 Minutes
14. Meat Tenderizer - Optional

Method:

1. The first step is to Caramelize the Onions. Heat the oil in a Deep Dish/Wok. I used a Traditional Indian Cooking pot made of Hindalium. Here's a sneak peek.
   
2. Fry the Sliced Onions. When they turn Golden Brown, drain them and put them on a cool plate. Turn off the stove. Let the oil stay in the pot. We'll use this to cook our Minced meat. Let the caramelized onions cool down for 10 minutes. (I don't know why the onion doesn't look golden enough in this picture. Bad lighting I guess!)
   
3. Grind together the following ingredients to make a fine paste-
   Caramelized Onions
   Yogurt
   Turmeric Powder
   Red Chili Powder/Dried Chili
   Garam Masala Powder (2 Teaspoons)
   Coriander Powder
   Ginger Paste (1.5 Teaspoons)
   Garlic Paste (1.5 Teaspoons)
   Add some water to make a fine paste
4. Heat the oil again (The same oil that was used to fry the onions). Add this paste and saute well for about 5-7 Minutes. Keep stirring. Soon you'll see the oil separating from the Paste.
5. By this time the paste is almost cooked. Add the Minced meat and the Peas.
   
6. Add some salt. Do not add any water at this stage as the meat will shed some of its own. Stir well and cover.
7. You could use some Meat Tenderizer if required. One of the best Meat Tenderizers is Raw Papaya (Both the skin and pulp). It is so good, people swear by it and of course it's natural and healthy. I did not use any tenderizer in this recipe but you could use one. The meat takes lesser time to cook and becomes softer.
8. So now basically at this point of time you just need to let the meat cook. Cook it covered. Stir it occasionally. As I said earlier, the meat will shed some of its own liquid. Keep stirring from time to time and let it cook while covered.
   
9. When the meat is almost cooked, sprinkle 1 Teaspoon of Garam Masala, Half a Teaspoon of Ginger paste, Half a Teaspoon of Garlic Paste, add 3 Teaspoons of Tomato Ketchup and stir well. If the meat is dry, add some water, stir and let it cook. If there is too much liquid in the meat, let it cook without the lid, it will dry off.
10. When the minced meat is cooked, turn off the stove and serve hot. Garnish with Caramelized Onions and/or Chopped Coriander Leaves and/or Curry Leaves.
    

Well, I hope you guys try this recipe out and like it.

See you, Love you all!

Alia

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I'm back!

Flying through the skies like a bird free.
A new new life with new hope awaits me.
Gone are the dark, cloudy skies,
Its a whole new world for a whole new me.

Hello, all my lovely followers, how have you all been?

I know you all must be wondering where I had disappeared. Actually, I got divorced in July. It was a very difficult time for me, hence I kept a low profile all these months.

My parents and brother bore the brunt of my tantrums and my manager allowed me to work from home which really helped  maintain my sanity. :) Also, I ate a lot of home cooked food (Thanks to my mom), gorged on Ice cream and most importantly, Prayed a lot. I'm so much better now, Alhamdulillah!

I'll be posting regularly now. A lot of them will be my mom's recipes :) I'll also be posting poems and craft tutes.

Missed you all!

Alia

I'm Sorry I've been away!

Hello all my lovely followers!

How are you all? Long time, eh? How are you all doing?

First of all I would like to apologize for being away from my blog for so long! I'm so so sorry! Actually, I am going through a very rough phase and I'm trying to gather myself up again...I need your prayers please!

I'll write about my problem when the time is right, till then, please remember me in your prayers and thank you for being so patient with me!

Love you all!

Alia

My Trip to the Veggie Market and a Recipe for Masala Garbanzos

Hi all you lovely people out there!

Guess what? I've come to stay with my Mommy dear, not feeling very well so Mommy's making sure she pampers me to the core! :p

I went to the Local Vegetable Market with my mom and her friend. The sight of fresh Veggies and Fruits all around was so refreshing! :)

Fresh Lady Finger/Okra

Coconuts

Fresh Spinach

  

Onions

Potatoes

Radish

Cauliflower

Chillies

Peppers

Indian Cucumbers

Carrots

Bananas

Sprouted Beans

Anyways, I want to share a Quick recipe with you all. Hope you all like it!

Masala Garbanzos

Ingredients:
Garbanzos, 1 Cup (You can use them straight from the can or just boil Chickpeas)
Onions, 2, finely sliced
Tomato, 1, finely chopped
Ginger Paste, 1/2 Tsp
Garlic Paste, 1 Tsp
Boiled Potato, 1 Medium, Peeled and Cubed
Coriander Leaves/Cilantro, 2 Tsp, Chopped
Oil
Salt

Method:
1) Heat some oil in a sauce pan or a wok.
2) Saute some oil in it till it becomes tender.
3) Add the Ginger Paste, Garlic Paste, Chopped tomatoes and Potatoes. Saute for another 5 minutes.
4) Add the Garbanzos (Boiled Chickpeas) and stir well.
5) Cook for a few minutes and Garnish with Coriander Leaves!
6) Serve Hot.
Enjoy!

Well, all you guys have fun and I'm gonna enjoy my time with my Mom!

Love u all!

Alia

To see what parties I've linked to, check out this link.

Cute Book Labels for Kids

Hi Everybody,

How are you all today??

With Ramadan on, I'm so very busy these days, but I do have something for you guys! Guess what?? Book Labels for Kids!! I made them in a hurry, but they are not that bad.

You can find them here.

Hope you like them!

I'll post a recipe soon.

Love you all!

Alia


P.S:
To check out the Parties I always link to, click here.

Quick Kebabs from Burger Patties

Hello, all you lovely people out there!

Today I have a quick, yummy recipe for you - Kebabs from Burger Patties! Very easy and very tasty!

Well, here's the recipe:

Kebabs from Burger Patties:

Ingredients:
Burger Patties - 4
Onions - 1 big, ground
Garam Masala - 1/2 Teaspoon
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 Teaspoon
Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - 2 Teaspoon, Chopped
Yogurt - 1 Tablespoon
Salt -  To Taste
Oil

Method:
1) Defrost the Burger Patties.
2) Add the Yogurt, Ground Onion, Garam Masala, Ginger Garlic Paste, Cilantro and Salt. Mix well
3) Shape them as desired. I made them round.
4) Fry and serve hot!

Hope you guys like it! :) Enjoy!!

See you soon!

Love ya all!

Alia

I am linking to:




   



        
   

Quick Crispy Veggie Fritters and some Old Projects

Hi everybody,

How are you all today? Well, I'm still in Mumbai (Bombay). Thankfully, the rains have taken a break and the warm sunshine has made me a little cheerful again! :)

Well, I made these Veggie Fritters the other day - Very Modest ingredients, Very Quick, Very easy to make and Surprisingly Crispy and Yummy! I want to share the recipe with you. Hope you guys like it!

Veggie Fritters:

Ingredients-
Cabbage (Medium): Half
Carrot: 1
Capsicum / Green Pepper: 1
Onion: 1
All-Purpose Flour: 1 Cup
Salt: To taste
Water
Oil: For Frying

Method-
1) Finely Chop all the Veggies together. You could chop them all together if you want.
2) Add the Salt and Flour to it.
3) Add Enough Water to make the mixture sticky. Mix well.
4) Deep Fry till they turn Golden.
5) Serve with Tomato Ketchup.

Trust me, its very simple to make and very yummy! Very convenient when you have unexpected guests over!

Sorry for the poor picture quality. I was in a real hurry so I took this pic with my cellphone....I know, I'm Pathetic! :p

Anyways, I want to share a few projects that I had done in the past. I came across these pics and just couldn't resist myself from posting these.

This was a Cross Stitch Pattern that I had done when I was in School (Grade 5, to be precise). I was 10 at that time. My mom has still kept it safe in a bag (Aren't Mom's the greatest?)

I loved it so much that I actually wrote my Name and Class on the sides so that incase I lost it somewhere in school, it could be found and returned back to me! :p

 

And now these flowers, these aren't that old. I made them last year, some from Crepe paper, some from Stockings. Aren't they beautiful?? 

   

 

Anyways, I hope you guys didn't find this post boring :P

In the meantime, I'm linking to:

     border="0"         href="http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com"    

     target="_blank">

src="http://hadfield.smugmug.com/photos/825895175_xmTVA-O.jpg"          

  alt="Join  us Saturdays at tatertotsandjello.com for the weekend wrap 

 up           party!"  />

  

That's all for now!

Loads of Love,

Alia

Prayers for Mumbai...Say No to Terrorism!

Dear friends,


Mumbai was once again in sorrow as terror hit the city, yet again! 3 Bomb Blasts ripped across the city yesterday, Thursday, 13th July 2011. Here is some footage from the Blasts. 


















I came to Mumbai 4 days ago and as if the Constant Drizzling wasn't enough to be depressed, when this happened. Atleast 21 people were killed and 141 were injured in this terrible incident. Yet, the Resilient Spirit of Mumbai stood firm and minutes into the blasts, people offered help in the form of food, medicines, transport, blood donation and more. 





Its so shocking, I don't know what to say. I don't know what thrill people get out of killing others, I mean do these terrorists have a heart? All we can do is pray for those who were killed, for their families and for those were injured.


Thats all for now Folks! I just don't know what to say!


Alia






The 

....And I'm back!!! :) Life in Chennai and A Recipe for Egg Curry!

Hi Guys!


How have you all been?? Long time, eh?? Well, I'm in India, trying to set up my cozy li'l flat, its so much fun, trust me! Well, its more homey now, after all, a Woman makes a House a Home! ;)


So far, I'm loving Chennai (Madras)...Its so much better than what I had expected! The people here are so warm and friendly! :) The only thing I hate about this place is the water! It has ruined my hair :( My hair has never looked so bad before! Luckily for me, I got a jar of Schwarzkopf Conditioner from Saudi Arabia, I managed to fish it out from my bags and lets see, I'm hoping for a  miracle here! ;)


So, let me tell you guys a li'l about the flat we've rented. Well, since we're gonna stay here for just about 6 months, my husband insisted on getting a small one. Its tiny but real cozy, it has a living room, a bedroom, a Kitchen, a Utility Room and a Bathroom. But I am not very fond of the landlord, he's strictly prohibited us from re-painting the walls, drilling holes on walls to put shelves or even nails, changing the light fittings etc. I mean what am I left with now? Decorating this place is gonna be such a tough task! :(


Anyways, you can always tell that a woman lives in a house when you see:
1) A Clean Kitchen Top :p

2) A Well Made Bed

3) Cosmetics :)

4) And Fresh Veggies!

Lols...Anyways, I made an Egg Curry-Indian Style and surprisingly, it was really good! :) I wanna share the recipe with you all today.

Egg Curry-Indian Style

Ingredients-

Boiled Eggs - 3 or 4

For the Gravy:

Tomatoes, Ground or Very Finely Chopped - 2

Onions, Sliced - 3

Garam Masala - 1 teaspoon

Ginger Paste - 1 teaspoon

Garlic Paste - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric Powder - 1/4th teaspoon

Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Green Chillies, Slit - 2

Oil

Salt

Cilantro, for Garnishing

Method:

1) Heat some oil and fry the Sliced Onions till they turn golden brown.

2) Add the Chopped Tomatoes and saute on medium heat for about 5 min.

3) Add the Ginger Paste, Garlic Paste, Garam Masala Powder, Turmeric Powder, Red Chilli Powder and Salt and stir well. Saute for another 5 minutes.

4) Add about a quarter cup of water and stir well, let the gravy cook on medium heat for a few minutes. The raw taste of the spices should fade away. Add some more water if you want the gravy to be of a thinner consistency.

5) Add the Boiled eggs into the gravy. Add the Slit Chillies. Stir well. Simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes.

6) Garnish with some freshly chopped Cilantro.

Well, that's it for now.

Love you all!

Alia