Banana Bread

Banana bread recipe is easy to make and moist soft bread. It is loaded with goodness of ripe bananas and walnuts. This is the best way to use up ripe bananas.

Ingredients :

• Ripe bananas - 3 large
• Unsalted butter - 100gm(8tbsp)
• Powdered sugar - 3/4 cup
• Eggs - 2
• All purpose flour - 1 cup
• Whole wheat flour - 1/2 cup
• Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
• Walnuts chopped - 3/4 cup

Method : 

• Butter and egg should be in room temperature. If using salted butter omit adding extra salt. You can completely use wheat flour instead of all purpose flour.
• Grease and dust a bread loaf pan. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Mash the bananas with a fork.

• In a bowl sieve all purpose flour and wheat flour. To this add baking soda, salt and mix well.

• In a mixing bowl whisk softened butter and powdered sugar until creamy.

• Add the eggs and whisk until combined. Add mashed bananas and whisk to combine.

• Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix well. Mix in vanilla extract and walnuts.

• Pour the batter into loaf pan and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 50 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean.

• Rest the banana bread for 10 mins and then remove onto a wire rack to cool. 
• Moist banana bread is ready to be savour.

Chicken Yakhni Pulao

Delicious and aromatic chicken pulao with full of essence and flavors. This recipe is lip smacking chicken pulao where Basmati Rice is cooked in flavorful chicken stock infused with spices. You can serve it plain or with raita or salna.

Ingredients : 

For chicken broth :

• Chicken - 1 kg
• Garlic - 4 cloves
• Ginger - 1 inch 
• Onion - 1 medium
• Cumin - 1 tsp
• Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
• Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
• Bay leaf - 2
• Cloves - 5 to 6
• Cinnamon - 1 inch
• Pepper cones - 1/2 tsp
• Star anise - 1
• Black cardamom - 1
• Cardamom - 4
• Salt - 2 tsp
• Water - 4 cups

For pulao :

• Basmati rice- 2 cups
• Oil - 4 tbsp
• Butter - 1 tbsp
• Onion - 1 medium size
• Cumin - 3/4 tsp
• Bay leaf - 1
• Pepper cons - 8
• Cardamom - 3
• Cloves - 4
• Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp
• Mace powder - 1/4 tsp
• Nutmeg powder- 1/4 tsp
• Curd - 4 tbsp
• Sugar - 3/4 tsp
• Green chilies - 4
• Salt to taste

Method :

• In a pot take cleaned chicken preferably with bone as it gives more flavour to the pulao and bigger piece as we will be cooking the chicken twice. Add all other ingredients for broth.

• Cook it for 8 mins on high heat and 15 mins on low heat. Meanwhile wash and soak basmati rice for half an hour.

• Take out the cooked chicken on to a plate and set aside. Filter the broth and discard the residue.

• In a pan heat oil and butter. Add sliced onion and saute till translucent. Add the whole spices and saute.

• Add ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell goes away. Add the cooked chicken pieces and saute well. Add powdered mace and nutmeg.

• Beat curd with sugar and add to the pan and saute on low flame. Add whole green chilies and saute for a minute(add more green chilies as per spicy required and you can slit them too).

• Add the reserved 4 cups of chicken stock and let it come to a boil. Then add drained basmati rice and cook until water is reduced on high heat.

• Cover the lid and cook on low flame for 10-15 mins. You can place the pan on hot tawa and dum the pulao. Let it rest for 20mins before opening the lid.

• Flavorful yakhni pulao is ready. Serve it hot.

Stuffed Chessy Garlic Bread

Stuffed Cheesy Garlic bread is Dominos style garlic flavored bread stuffed with sweet corn and cheese seasoned with mixed herbs and chili flakes for a bit of zing and spicy. Garlic bread is homemade bread from the scratch and is fail proof recipe. It is served as starter/appetizer or along side with your favorite pizza or as a evening snack.

 Ingredients :

    For the dough :

• Warm Milk - 1/2 cup
• Sugar - 2 tsp
• Yeast - 2 tsp
• Maida / All purpose flour - 2 cup
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Mixed Herbs/ Italian Seasoning - 1 tbsp
• Minced Garlic - 1 tbsp
• Butter(unsalted) - 1 tbsp at room temperature
• water as needed
• Oil - 1 tbsp

    For Garlic Butter :

• Butter - 1/2 cup
• Minced Garlic - 1 tbsp 
• Coriander - 1 tbsp chopped

    For stuffing :

• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese - 1/2 cup
• Sweet Corn - 1/2 cup
• Mixed Herbs / Italian Seasoning - 2 tbsp
• Chili Flakes - 1 tbsp or as needed

Method :

• In a large mixing bowl take warm milk, add yeast and sugar. Mix well and rest for 10 minutes until yeast gets activated and is frothy.

• Add salt, mixed herbs, minced garlic, butter and maida. Mix everything well.

• Add water as required and knead to a smooth dough. Spread oil on the dough and bowl.

• Let it rest for 1 hour until the dough doubles in size. Meanwhile preheat oven to 180 degree celsius. Melt the butter, add minced garlic, chopped coriander and pinch of salt if butter is unsalted. Mix well.

• Punch the dough and divide into 4 parts.

•  Take one portion of the dough and roll into oval shape. (You can store other portions of the dough in the fridge up to 2 days)

• Spread the garlic butter over the dough. Further Spread 2 tbsp each of sweet corn and mozzarella cheese on half of the dough.

• Sprinkle mixed herbs and chili flakes.

• Fold the dough into half and seal the edges well so that cheese wouldn't ooze out while baking. Carefully place it on baking tray lined with baking sheet. 

• Spread garlic butter and sprinkle mixed herbs. (Sprinkle chili flakes too for more spicy)

• Make cut marks on the bread with the knife without cutting it fully. Bake in Preheated oven at 180 degree celsius for 15 mins. (Alternatively you can bake on stove. Preheat an empty pan or with salt for 10 mins and place a rack and on top of it place the bread in a plate. Bake it covered for 30 mins. Flip and bake for 8 mins.)

• Cut the bread into pieces and serve hot with ketchup or mayonnaise or cheesy dip.

Tips & Variation :

• Always use warm milk or warm water to activate yeast. Activate the yeast first to check if it is active and then add to the flour. If the yeast is not active and you add it to the flour, the whole flour will be of no use.
• If you are using salted butter reduce the amount of salt mentioned to be added to the dough.
• Only oregano can be used instead of mixed herbs/ Italian Seasoning.
• Crushed Pepper can be used instead of chili flakes. Or you can crush whole red chili and use it.
• You can add chili flakes to the bread dough too. 
• Stuffing can be done only with mozzarella cheese if sweet corn is not available.