Vegetable Fried Rice

If I were to list out my top ten favourite foods, fried rice would definitely figure quite high on that list. Special favourites like this and ulli sambar were usually made by my mother on Sundays so that we could all sit together and enjoy the food. I usually end up making it when I am stumped for ideas on what to make or low on time and high on hunger.

What you need:
Basmati rice - 1 cup (washed and soaked in water for 30 minutes)
Cardamom - 4 pods
Clove - 5
Cinnamon - a small piece
Star anise - 2
Pepper corns - 1/4 tsp
Chopped vegetables - 3/4 cup (use a mix of beans, carrot, cauliflower, peas, potato and beets)
Green chilli - 3 or 4 (adjust to taste), minced
Salt
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Ghee - 6 tsp

Heat a tsp of ghee and fry all the spices in it until fragrant. Let it cool and then grind to a fine powder.
Drain water from the rice and then fry it in a tsp of ghee until it loses all the moisture and turns creamish in colour.
Heat the rest of the ghee, add the powdered spices, green chillies,chopped veggies, and turmeric powder. Stir fry for a few minutes. Transfer all the ingredients to a pressure cooker, add 1.5 cups of water, required amount of salt and cook until one whistle.
Enjoy with raita and papad.

Read more »

Chole-Bature

Asalam-wa-lekum!!!...sorry guys im unable to post regularly these days...i m hardly finding time for blogging these days,today we had a small snack party in our apartment,i have a group of 5 hyderabadi friends here.We meet up daily..thought lets make chole bature today as an evening snack...i made the chole n we all made the bature.This is my mom's recipe..its a must try u will simply love it...thank u everyone for all ur comments...i do keep checking my blog whenever i m free...thanks for lifting up my spirits...
INGREDIENTS:

1. Kabuli chana 1 cup(soaked for 6-8 hours)


2. Potatoes 2big(boiled and mashed)


3. Onions 2large(grinded)


4. Ginger-Garlic paste 2Tspns


5. Tomatoes 3big


6. Green chilles 6-8


7. Red chilli powder 2Tspns


8. Turmeric powder 1/4th Tspn


9. Garam masala 1Tspn


10. Coriander powder 1Tspn


11. Cumin(zeera) powder 1/2Tspn


12. Chole masala(any brand)


13. Curry leaves few


14. Coriander/Cilantro leaves 1bunch


15. Loung (2-3),Dalchini(1 inch)


16. Tamarind (handful-soak,stain and keep the pulp ready)


17. Oil for cooking


18. Salt to taste

METHOD

• Pressure cook kabuli chana for 10minutes(u can also add potatoes to it) and keep aside.


• Heat oil in a vessel and add loung and dalchini , also add grinded onions and fry till golden brown in colour.


• Add slitted green chillies along with curry leaves.


• Now add ginger-garlic paste fry for about 2 minutes.


• Add tomatoes and let then condense a bit.


• Now add the cooked kabuli chana n potatoes along with salt,turmeric powder,red chilli powder,garam masala,coriander powder,cumin powder and chole masala.


• Add tamarind pulp and cook for 5-10minutes.Lastly add cilantro and serve along with baturas.

Read more »

Aloo Gobi Curry

Ingredients
Aloo
Gobi florets
Onion, chopped into big pieces - 1 or 2
Tomato - 1 or 2
ginger garlic crushed/paste - 1/2 table spoon
Oil - 4-5 table spoons
Red chilli powder - add it according to your taste
Garam Masala - 1 table spoon
Kasoori Methi - a pinch
Coriander powder (optional) - 1/2 table spoon
Salt to taste
Kothimeeru (Coriander) to sprinkle at last.

Method of preparation
1. Take a vessel, add oil to it. Let it heat up and add cumin seeds to it. Add chopped onions, crushed ginger garlic or paste and let it fry for a minute or until onions turn golden brown.

2. Add Aloo and Gobi to it with pinch of turmeric, red chilli powder, Garam masala and let it stand for 5 minutes covered. Try to mix in between so that the curry do not stick to the pot/vessel. If you feel it starts sticking then add 1/2 cup of water to it.

3. Add chopped Tomato's, Salt, kasoori methi, coriander powder and mix well. Add little water and let it stand for some more time until all veggies are cooked.

4. Add Chopped and washed Coriander leaves to the curry and serve hot either with roti or rice.

Read more »

Spring Onion Tomato Dal

This is one of my favourite. I never forget to get spring onions when I go for grocery shopping. Here is the recipe for it.

Ingredients:

Spring Onions chopped - 1 cup
Tomato - 1 medium
Turmeric - a pinch
Toor Dal - 1/2 cup
Red chilli powder - 1 table spoon or
Green chillies - 2
Jeera(Cumin Seeds) - 1 table spoon
Tamarind/Tamarind paste - small piece for sour taste or 1/2 table spoon (Optional)
Garlic cloves chopped - 2 (Optional)
Oil for tadka
Salt to taste

Method of Preparation:

1. Cook dal in your way after adding a pinch of turmeric and cumin seeds, tamarind piece (optional) and tomato also.
2. Take a vessel, add oil to it. After oil is heated add garlic (optional), green chillies. Then add the chopped and cleaned spring onions to it.
3. Let the spring onions be lightly fried. If we add dal before the spring onions are fried, the raw smell remains intact and does not go away. After the spring onions are fried, add the dal.
4. Then add salt, red chilli powder (if needed), stir it. After it is mixed thoroughly , your dal is ready to serve and eat.

Read more »

Karthigai pori

What you need:
Pori (puffed rice flakes) - 4 cups
Jaggery - 1 cup
Water - 3/4 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Thin slivers of fresh coconut - 1/3 cup

Remove the husk, if any, from the pori. Take jaggery in a heavy bottomed vessel. Add water and heat over a medium flame until completely melted and then stir intermittently until it reaches a soft ball consistency. To check if it has reached this consistency, drop a little bit of the jaggery into a bowl of water. You should be able to gather it between your fingers and form a soft ball.
Switch off the heat. Quickly stir in all the ingredients and whisk briskly for a few minutes until it is well mixed together. Store in an airtight container once it is completely cooled.

Read more »

Chicken 65(party special)

Hi everyone im sorry for posting after so long,was on a holiday to Egypt,its a beautiful place ,its same like India fully populated n lotz of traffic,the pyramids were good.i had also been to sharamal-sheik and had a very good time with my family.i guess i missed a lot of stuff happening in blogging,thanks yasmeen,lubna,syeda,mala gandhi...for passing me the awards...inshallah i will update my blog soon with them...coming to this recipe this is a must at all my parties,its very damm easy to make n preparation time is abt 20-25mins,n the outcome is awesome...hope u all like this dish..i learnt this from a very close friend of mine husna...i dedicate this recipe to her!!!....


INGREDIENTS
For the marination

1. Chicken 1 whole


2. Red chilli powder 2tspns


3. Turmeric powder 1/4th Tspn


4. Garam masala powder 1Tspn


5. Salt to taste.

For cooking

1. Vinegar 3Tbspns


2. Tomato sauce 3Tbspns


3. Soya sauce 2Tbspns


4. Red colour


5. Green chilles slitted 10-15


6. Curry leaves few


7. Oil 3-4Tbspns

Method:

• Marinade chicken with the ingredients n refriegerate for 1-2 hours.


• Heat oil in a vessel and add the marinaded chicken to it


• Let the chicken condense abt 90%,let all the water get evaporated.


• Now add the sauces,food colour and keep stirring.


• Finally in a small pan heat abt 2-4tspns of oil , add green chilles and curry leaves fry for a minute or two and put it on the prepared chicken

This dish tastes great with rotis.

Read more »

Happy Holidays

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays to all....... Hope you will all have a blast.

Read more »

Cabbage thogayal

Thogayal was standard fare while I was growing up, but there were only two kinds of thogayal that we made - coconut and mango. Needless to say, those are my top two favourite thogayals. However, once I started wielding the ladle, true to the name of this blog, I started experimenting with different ingredients and now make thogayals with almost any veggie. The basic recipe is almost always the same.

What you need:
Cabbage - chopped into large chunks - 1.5 cups
Red chilli - 3 or 4 (adjust to taste)
Urad dal - 3 tsp
Tamarind - a small gooseberry sized piece soaked for 5 minutes in just enough water to cover it
Salt
Asafoetida - a little (optional)
Curry leaves - a few sprigs
Oil - 1 tsp

Take the red chillies, curry leaves and dal in a microwaveable bowl. Pour oil over it and heat on high for 2 minutes or until the dal turns reddish. Stir in the cabbage and heat for another 4 minutes. Let it cool completely. Add the other ingredients and blend adding as little water as you possibly can to a coarse paste.This goes best with rice, but can also be enjoyed with dosa/idli.

Read more »

Corn pulao

What is it with schools that ask you for personal info like your monthly salary??? The application form of one of the top rated schools here asks for my husbands' and my monthly salaries, and also whether the child will reach school by car/auto/two wheeler or walk. Why does that matter? Will saying my child will walk hamper her chances of getting into that school or will they think that we are an environment friendly family??? The application process is tiring to say the least. Looking at all the children running out of their classrooms when the bell rang for their break reminded me so much of Pavlov's experiment. Is this what we hope to achieve through education??? Masses of young people trained to think alike and to obey without question??? I could go on and on, but I've already done that on my other blog.
So, let's get on with what this blog does and talk food. More specifically, let's talk about a very simple pulao that I cooked. This pulao is different from most others in that it is not heavy on spices. It uses very few ingredients and yet is satisfyingly flavourful.What you need:
Rice - 1 cup, washed and soaked in water for 10 - 15 minutes
Onion - 1 large, chopped fine
Garlic - 7 or 8 cloves
Green chilli - 3 or 4 (adjust to taste)
Corn kernels - 1.5 cups
Salt
Turmeric powder
Ghee/oil - a few tsp

Grind chillies and garlic without adding any water.
Heat oil in your pressure cooker. Add the ground paste and fry for a minute. Stir in the onions and fry until translucent. Now add all the other ingredients along with sufficient water and cook until two whistles.
Serve with raita, pickle and papad on the side.

This is my second entry to Valli's Rice Mela.

Read more »

Coconut Chutney

This is a simple recipe which can be made instantly but still tastes delicious. Ofcourse, the hardest part will be to cut coconut into pieces. I use the frozen ones sometimes to avoid that pain.

Ingredients
Coconut pieces (scraped or small pieces)
Green chillies
red chillies (optional)
Tamarind - little to get the sour taste
urad dal
Oil
Salt to taste

For garnishing:
Kothimeeru - Coriander leaves
Tadka (Oil heated and then add mustard seeds, jeera, urad dal, red chillies and curry leaves)

Method of preparation

1. Make the coconut pieces ready by either scraping the coconut or by cutting the coconut into small pieces.

2. Do the tadka now, by heating oil in a small bowl and add mustard seeds. After mustard seeds splutter, add Jeera, urad dal, red chillies, and tamarind also and switch off the stove.

3. Grind the coconut, green chillies, salt and half of the tadka(add all the tamarind in the tadka while grinding). If needed add water in between.

4. Take the coarsely grinded paste into a bowl, then garnish with remaining tadka and chopped coriander leaves. Your coconut chutney is ready.

This tastes good with all the south indian tiffins or with rice.

Read more »

Vella payaru

There are some dishes that I associate with my childhood. Eating the dish, or even the aromas that waft out of the kitchen while it is being made take me back to another time and place. Vella payaru (black eyed beans or karamani cooked with jaggery) is one such dish. This often made an appearance whenever we were hungry and wanted something in the evenings and during navaratri. Children usually love this because it is sweet (my daughter is an exception) and filling.

What you need:
Black eyed beans - 1 cup (There are two kinds of black eyed beans - white and reddish brown. I prefer the red one and that's what I've used)
Jaggery - 1/3 cup
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Cardamom - 4 or 5 pods, coarsely crushed

Soak the beans in plenty of water for 2 hours. Pressure cook until two whistles or until it is cooked through but not mushy. Drain off excess water.
Take the jaggery in a pan. Add a little bit of water to it and heat until the jaggery melts completely. Stir in the cooked beans and heat for a minute or two until all the moisture evaporates. Switch off the heat and mix in the grated coconut and crushed cardamom. Stir well. Serve hot or cold.

This goes to Madhavi who is hosting the Childrens Day edition of the Festive Foods event.
It is also my second entry to the 5th helping of MLLA hosted by Simona and begun by Susan.
A helping of this is also being sent to Aparna's birthday party.

Read more »

Rajma methi

The first time I tasted rajma was in Delhi. It was served with rice and tasted absolutely, positively divine. I am yet to find a recipe that I like to eat with rice, but whenever I make rotis and want to serve rajma curry, this is the recipe that I follow. The methi leaves are a last minute addition intended to save them from going directly from the refrigerator to the dustbin.

What you need:
Rajma (Red kidney beans) - 1 cup, soaked in plenty of water overnight and cooked
Onion - 1, large, chopped
Tomato - 2, chopped
Green chilli - 2, minced
Ginger - a small piece, chopped
Garlic - a few cloves
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Sugar - a little (optional)
Chopped methi(fenugreek) leaves - 1/2 cup or a small bunch
Oil/ghee - 2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 3/4 tsp
Kalonji seeds - 1/2 tsp

Heat oil/ghee. Add the cumin and kalonji seeds and toast for a few seconds. Stir in the chopped green chillies, ginger, garlic and onion. Saute until onions start to brown. Add the tomatoes and heat until mushy. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt, sugar, garam masala and stir well to mix. Add the cooked rajma along with the water in which it was cooked. Boil for a few minutes until the gravy thickens. Add chopped methi leaves and simmer until the leaves wilt and soften. The addition of methi leaves will make the curry bitter. So skip this step if you don't like anything that tastes bitter.
Serve hot with roti/puri.

This goes to Simona who is hosting the 5th edition of My Legume Love Affair. MLLA was started by Susan of the Well Seasoned Cook.

Read more »

Aval dosa (Rice flakes dosa)

What do you do when you've picked up a pack of rice flakes from the store and then, while putting away the groceries, you notice another pack that's somehow gotten lost amidst all the things in the kitchen and has been unnoticed until then???
Well, what I did is try out this recipe. It certainly has not made a dent in my rice flakes stash, but hey, the dosas turned out to be really nice, hole-y and soft. If, like me, you are under the impression that you need to use urad dal to get soft dosas, try this out and you'll definitely change your mind about that.
What you need:
Raw rice - 3 cups
Rice flakes - 1 cup (I used matta rice flakes - the reddish brown Kerala rice flakes)
Sour curd - 1 cup
Salt

Soak rice in plenty of water for 6-8 hours. Soak rice flakes in the curd for 3-4 hours. Grind both together. Add salt and let it ferment. This gets fermented much faster than normal dosa batter does.
Heat a dosa tawa. Pour a ladleful of batter. Spread it a little thick (the thickness should be somewhere between that of a regular dosa and an uttappam). Drizzle some oil over it. Turn over and cook both sides.
Serve hot with chutney/sambar.

Recipe source : Mallika Badrinath's Tiffin Varieties.
This is my entry to Valli's Rice Mela.

Read more »

Tomato-Gosht

Tomato -Gosht is the most Quickest n easiest recipe one can make,When i run out of Vegetables...i go ahead and make this awesome recipe,All u have to do is just chop and pressure cook.It tastes great with steamed rice and parathas.This is one of my all time favourites in taste n Cooking time lol....

INGREDIENTS:

1. Mutton 1/4th kilo


2. Tomatoes 6-8


3. Green chilles 6


4. Red chilli powder2Tspn


5. Turmeric powder 1/4th Tspn


6. Onions sliced 1 big


7. Ginger-Garlic paste 2Tbspn


8. Oil 6Tbspns


9. Salt to taste

METHOD

• Mix all the ingredients well and pressure cook for 15minutes on low flame.


• After condensing the mutton just keep frying it till oil starts leaving sides and the gravy is medium thick


• Garnish with cilantro/coriander leaves.

Read more »

Keera molagootal

This is the quintessential Kerala Iyer comfort food. I make keera molagootal so often that my blog feels incomplete without giving it a mention. Stated very simply, it is a gravy that is made by combining cooked spinach with a mildly spiced coconut-chilli mix and tuar dal. It is almost always served as an accompaniment to rice, though some people(including yours truly) also serve it with rotis.
What you need:
Spinach - any kind - 1 bunch (Iam partial to red spinach) - chopped fine
Tuar dal - 1 cup, cooked
To grind :
Red chilli - 3
Urad dal - 2 tsp
Fresh grated coconut - 3/4 cup

Heat a tsp of oil. Fry the urad dal and red chilli in it until reddish brown. Let it cool and then grind it to a smooth paste along with the coconut.
Take the chopped spinach in a kadai. Add sufficient water, turmeric powder and salt. Let it boil until the spinach is well cooked and soft. Mash it a little with a masher or the back of a ladle at this point. Stir in the ground mixture and let it boil for 5-6 minutes or until the raw smell goes away. Add the cooked tuar dal and heat for a minute or two.
Heat a tsp of coconut oil. Season it with some urad dal and mustard seeds. When the seeds sputter, pour it over the molagootal.
Molagootal is usually served with rice. Since it is not too spicy and has no tamarind to add tanginess, it is accompanied by either a tangy rasam or spicy thogayal or pachadi. I like my molagootal to be paired with spicy mango pickle.
Molagootal can also be made using other vegetables like ash gourd, snake gourd, carrot, potato and cabbage. The difference between keera molagootal and molagootal made with other veggies lies in the ingredients that are ground together. One of my earlier posts on cabbage molagootal has the recipe that can be followed while using other veggies.

This goes to Sra who is hosting the 4th helping of My Legume Love Affair which was started by Susan.
It also goes to Suganya's Vegan Ventures, Round 2.

Read more »

Nahari (Chicken)

Nahari is a traditional hyderabadi dish that is had with hot parathas or nan.Its made with Goat's trotters called paya traditionally,its a speciality to serve this dish with Goat's tongue and tender part of the head.Because of the hot nature of this dish its usually made in winters.Here in riyadh the winter has just started,as the weather isn't cold yet i thought i will try a variation with this recipe ,n tried making it with chicken.It tastes superb with chicken too .inshallah i will post the Paya recipe soon.
INGREDIENTS:
STEP 1
For the handi

1. Chicken 1 whole



2. Onion 1 medium(sliced finely)



3. Red chilli powder 1Tspn



4. Turmeric powder 1/4th Tspn



5. Ginger-Garlic paste 2Tbspns



6. Green chillies 6-8



7. Cilantro/coriander leaves 1 bunch



8. Mint leaves 1/2bunch



9. Peppercorns 1Tspn



10. Salt to taste

STEP 2

For the shorba

1. Onion small 1 sliced



2. Ginger garlic paste 1Tbspn



3. Green chilles 8-9



4. Garm masala powder 1Tspn



5. Wheat flour 2 handfuls



6. Nahari masala 1/2 packet or potli ka masala



7. Curry leaves few



8. Cilatro and Mint leaves few



9. Salt to taste

METHOD:

• Pressure cook chicken with step 1 ingredients with 2-3 cups of water for 10mins on low flame.(if ur using potli ka masala u can put the masala in a muslin cloth tie it out in shape of a potli and pressure cook it with the chicken,remove the potli once ur chicken is condensed)this completes ur step 1



• Now coming to step 2. Heat 5-6Tbspns of oil in a big vessel and add ginger-garlic paste and fry till it turns brown in colour.



• Add the onions and fry to golden brown ,now add curry leaves ,green chilles.



• Later add wheat flour and fry for about 4-5 minutes,note that the flame of the stove should always be low.



• Add garam masala,red chilli powder,turmeric powder.



• If ur using ready made nahari masala ,Add about 1/2 packet,keep tasting when u add the masala.



• Add the step 1 ingredients that you have pressure cooked and boil with mint and coriander leaves for sometime.



• Serve hot with paratha or nan.

Read more »

From Chitra Amma's kitchen to mine

Have you ever seen something and then craved it so badly that you set out to make it even though you do not have enough of the main ingredient?

That's what happened to me once I saw Dibs' recipe for Bournvita fudge. The fact that I had only a teeny weeny bit of maida in the pantry did nothing to deter me from trying it out. I used half a cup of maida and half a cup of besan and proceeded with the recipe. This is an absolutely fantastic dish which is guaranteed to disappear even before it is completely cooled. I heated it a little longer than Dibs suggests because I wanted it to be of burfi consistency. Despite using the tiniest glass in my home to measure out the ingredients, I was able to turn out a decent number of fudge squares.
This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thank you Dibs.

Read more »

Aloo Paratha

INGREDIENTS:

For the Dough:

1. Wheat flour 2cups




2. Olive Oil 2Tbspns




3. Water as required




4. Salt to taste

For the Stuffing

1. Potatoes 3Medium(boiled and mashed well)




2. Red chilli powder 1Tspn




3. Turmeric powder 1/4th Tspn




4. Cumin powder 1/2Tspn




5. Roasted cumin 1/2Tspn




6. Roasted coriander seeds 1Tspn




7. Green chilles 3-4(chopped finely)




8. Garam Masala 1Tspn




9. Coriander leaves/cilantro 1bunch




10. Salt to taste

Method:

• Mix the wheat flour with oil,water and salt and leave it aside for 20minutes.




• Knead the dough to soft,and make small balls out of it.




• Mix all the powders to the potatoes and keep your stuffing ready.




• Roll to make paratha (roti)of 3 inch diameter.




• Fill lots of potato in the middle and with the help of your fingers spread it till the ends




• .Fold the Paratha and again dipping ur fingers in oil press the paratha lightly till its round shaped.Do it carefully or the stuffing will come out.




• Heat a non stick pan or Tava .Roast both sides of paratha to golden brown,applying ghee/oil what ever you like.

Serve hot with Achaar or any chutney.

Read more »

Marag

Asalam-wa-lekum all you beautiful people,here comes my first attempt at making this awesome recipe and let me tell you it turned out really great.Marag is basically an arabic dish which has now become very popular in Hyderabad.People love Marag for its tender meat and delicious soup.It is one of the must have starter in all the parties.My husband had made a special request to make this one when he saw it at the RCI event from mona's blog,My recipe is the outcome of 2 recipes from Different sites and 1 from my friends chef ,so here's the outcome, a new recipe.,
Hope you all will like it and also try it. Its really easy to make it and it tastes really awesome!!
INGREDIENTS:
Step 1
For the handi

1. Meat with bone 1/2kilo



2. Ginger-Garlic paste 3Tbspns



3. Turmeric powder 1/4th Tspn



4. Ajinomoto 1/2 Tspn



5. Peppercorns(whole) 2Tspns



6. Shazeera 1Tspn



7. Coriander leaves 1bunch



8. Mint leaves 1/2 bunch



9. Water 5 cups



10. Salt to taste

Step 2

For the shorba

1. Onion 1medium(Fried to light brown)



2. Roasted Khopra(dessicated coconut) 4Tbpns



3. Cashew nut (handful)(Grind and make it to a paste)



4. Dalchini 1inch



5. (Cardamom)Elaichi 4-5



6. Coriander powder1 Tspn



7. Cumin Powder 1Tspn



8. Garam masala powder 1Tspn



9. Green chillies 6



10. Curd 200grms



11. Black pepper powder 1-2 Tspns



12. Coriander leaves 1/2 bunch



13. Oil 5Tbspns



14. Ghee 1Tspn

METHOD:

• Pressure cook Mutton with step 1 ingredients for 10minutes and set aside.



• Heat oil in a vessel and add ghee to it,also add dalchini and cardamom.



• Fry for a while and add ginger-garlic paste and green chilli paste,keep frying till the ginger-garlic paste becomes brown.



• Add cashwenut paste,Onion paste and khopra and fry till oil starts leaving sides.



• Later add coriander leaves and curd and keep frying till 30minutes on low flame.The more you fry the masala the tastier the Marag will be.Keep adding water say about a cup while frying if ur masala starts sticking at the bottom.



• Add Coriander powder,cumin powder and garam masala.



• Finally add black pepper powder and fry for 2 more minutes and mutton shorba which you pressure cooked with step 1 ingredients.



• Boil for 5-10minutes ,Serve hot with Rumali roti.

Read more »

Sheer Khorma

Asalam-wa-lekum,i have been planning to post this recipe for long,but was feeling lazy to take a picture.Here in Saudi Arabia we have a week off from work and all we do is sleep,shop,party celebrating Eid for a week,have sheerkhorma daily saying you only have it only in Eid. Everyone has a different way of making this traditional recipe,here's my version....hope u all will like it,i know i am late in posting this one...sorry for that.Hoping you all will still give it a try...

INGREDIENTS:

1. Milk 1liter


2. Thin vermicelli(Roasted one) 3/4th cup


3. Ghee 4-5Tbspns


4. Sugar 1 and 1/2 cups


5. Elaichi 2


6. Dry fruits(fried to golden brown in ghee)

Almonds soaked overnight and skin removed(handful),Cashewnuts(handful),Chironji 3Tspns(soaked overnight and skin removed by rubbing in a soft cotton cloth),Pistachios 2Tspns(you can use the dry fruits u like),Khajoor(soaked overnight and cut to small).

All the Dry fruits need to be sliced thinly.

METHOD:

• Fry the dry fruits in ghee to golden brown and set aside.(these are called magziyaad)


• Fry vermicelli to deep brown colour in the same ghee and set aside.


• Boil milk with elaichi on low flame for 30mins atleast.


• Add vermicelli to milk and cook for about 10minutes.Later add sugar.cook for 5 more minutes.


• Garnish with dryfruits(magziyaad) and serve warm.

TIP:

When you serve the desert make sure the serving bowl has lotz of milk and less vermicelli ,atleast 1 khajoor and few magziyaad(dryfruits).

Read more »

Best Chicken Biryani.

CHICKEN BIRYANI.

1 Whole Chicken (cut into large pieces)
3 cups of Basmati Rice
6 large Onions (thinly sliced)
A bunch of Mint Leaves (Podina) (chopped)
A bunch of Fresh Coriander/Cilantro Leaves (Hara Dhania) (chopped)
1.5 tsp. Ginger Paste (Pisi Adrak)
1 tsp. Garlic Paste (Pisa Lehsan)
2 cups of Plain Yogurt
3 tsp. Coriander Powder (Pisa Dhania)
1 tsp. Turmeric Powder (Pisi Haldi)
2 tsp. Red Chilli Powder (Pisi Lal Mirch)
1 tsp. Cumin Powder (Pisa Zeera)
5 Green Chillies (Hari Mirch) (more or less may be used depending on spice preferance)
9 Cloves (Loung)
6 small Cardamom Pods (Choti Ilaichi)
2 Cinnamon Sticks (Dal Cheeni)
½ tsp. Garam Masala Powder
Lime Juice or Lemon Juice (to taste)
Salt (to taste)
A few strands of Saffron (Zafran) (optional)
4 tbsp. Whole Milk (optional)
20 Cashew Nuts (Kaajoo)
20 Raisins (Kishmish)
4 Eggs
½ cup of Clarified Butter (Ghee) or Cooking Oil
Cooking Oil (for deep frying) .

Method

Beat the plain yogurt well. Marinate chicken with the plain yogurt , ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, chilli powders, and salt. Let it marinate for about one hour. Meanwhile, slice onions very thin, and deep fry in oil mixed with ¼ cup of clarified butter or cooking oil until crisp. Clean and wash the rice, drain, and set aside.
Clean and chop the mint leaves and coriander leaves. In the same oil, fry the chopped cashew nuts and raisins until golden brown, drain and set aside. Slit green chillies, and mix into the marinated chicken. Put chicken and marinade into a kadai or pot in which the onions and cashew nuts were fried. Add a little water, cover and cook until the chicken is half done. Remove the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and measure the stock. Add enough water to make it six cups. Put the rice into a rice cooker, add the whole spices, arrange the chicken pieces on top, sprinkle three-quarters of the fried onions and all the chopped coriander/cilantro and mint leaves. Pour in the measured stock into which the garam masala powder has been added. Pour the remaining quarter cup of clarified butter or oil over the whole mixture. Cover and cook until well done. Meanwhile, hard-boil and shell the eggs. Soak the saffron in milk (if using it). When the biryani is done, open the rice cooker, and sprinkle the saffron-soaked milk on top. Mix carefully and cover and leave on very low heat for a few minutes. Just before serving, mix in the juice of half a lime or lemon. Arrange on a serving dish and garnish with the remaining fried onions, cashew nuts, raisins, and boiled eggs.

Serve it with Raita and Pickle.

Please feel to discuss the results. Your feedback and suggestions are Welcome.

Read more »

Mirchion ka Saalan

INGREDIENTS:

1. Green chillies 15(Big ones)




2. Khopra/Dessicated coconut 1 and 1/2 cups




3. Til 3/4th cup




4. Phalli 3/4th cup




5. Onion 1 medium(Fried to light brown in colour)




6. Cumin powder 1/2Tspn




7. Coriander powder 1Tspn




8. Tamarind Pulp 2Handfuls




9. Cumin whole 1Tspn




10. Rai whole 1Tspn




11. Kalonji 1/2Tspn




12. Methi whole 1/2Tspn




13. Curry leaves 10-15




14. Salt to taste




15. Oil for cooking

METHOD:

• Roast Khopra,phalli,til without oil and grind it to a fine powder.




• Mix cumin powder,coriander powder in it.




• Heat 6-8Tbpns of oil in a vessel,Slit the Green chilles a bit and fry for 2-3 minutes,remove them in a plate and keep aside.To the same oil add zeera,rai,kalonji,methi seeds and curry leaves.This makes your bagaar.Fry for 1-2mins.




• Cook on low flame only and make sure oil is not too hot otherwise your masala will get burned when u add the powders..Add the grinded powders along with tamarind pulp and 2-3 cups of water.




• Fry till oil starts leaving sides,also add salt and green chilles.




• Keep tasting the saalan ,add more tamarind pulp if required.Cook on low flame for 20mins approximately.Keep stirring the saalan as well.The trick is to keep stirring Masale wale recipes (bhuno)to make it even more tastier.

Read more »

Maash ke Waade

INGREDIENTS:

1. Maash ki daal 1 cup



2. Green chilles 6



3. Zeera whole 1/2Tspn



4. Coriander leaves 1/2bunch



5. Baking powder 1/4th Tspn



6. Salt to taste



7. Oil for deep frying

METHOD:

• Soak maash ki daal for 6hours and grind it with green chilles,coriander leaves,baking powder and salt.



• Grind it with as little water as possible to a thick consistency,otherwise you will end up with a loose batter which when fried soak in lotz of oil.



• Add zeera,wet your hands and take about 2Tspns of batter on your palm and make a hole in the middle with the help of ur finger,with the help of another hand deep fry them to golden brown in colour.



• Wash ur hand and keep it wet for frying each of the wadas.



• Use fresh batter each time you make.

RECOMMENDED COMBINATIONS:

Any Pickle or Chutney.

Read more »

Tamarind chaaru or pachi chaaru

This is one of the simple and easy to make dish. This item goes good with any dal & rice, or with papukaya(with any curry).



Ingredients
Tamarind - Lemon size
Onions - chopped into small pieces
Green chillies - chopped into small pieces
Cilantro (Coriander)
Salt to taste

Tadka:
Oil
Mustard Seeds
sesame seeds
Curry leaves (Optional)
Asafoetida (Optional)

Method of preparation
1. Soak tamarind for 1/2 hour or you can microwave for 1 minute and remove the pulp. Add enough water. Remember it might become too soar if you make it thick. So add enough water.

2. Add chopped onions, green chillies and salt to the above.

3. Now take a small vessel/bowl for tadka. Add oil and let it heat. Now add mustard seeds and let it splutter. add sesame seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida. switch off and add the tadka to the chaaru made on step 2.

Your chaaru is ready.

Terminology:
Tadka - Popu, talimpu, ponee(Telugu)
Coriander - Kothimeeru (Telugu)
Curry leaves - Karivepaaku (Telugu)
Tamarind - Chinthapandu (Telugu)

Read more »

Spring Rolls

This Recipe is again one of favourites at iftar,the stuffing is so yum...it makes u feel like having more and more.Have made this many times with my mom,its a favorite at my mum's and also at my in-laws place.,i dedicate this to my cousin nafay,who has made a special request for me to post this recipe...sorry nafay wasnt able to post this from so many days...finally here it goes..

INGREDIENTS
For the Stuffing

1. Beans 100grms



2. Carrots 100grms



3. Cabbage 100grms



4. Capsicum 100grms



5. Chicken 100grms(boiled and shredded)



6. Spring Onions 50grms



7. Potatoes 150grms(optional)



8. Green chilles 10



9. Coriander leaves 1 bunch



10. Ajinomoto 1/2Tspn



11. Green chilli sauce 1Tspn



12. Finely chopped Ginger 1Tspn



13. Finely chopped Garlic 1Tspn



14. Black Pepper powder 1-2Tspn(if u want it to be spicy)



15. Soya sauce 2drops



16. Fresh Lemon juice or Vinegar 1Tbspn



17. Salt to taste



18. Spring roll Flabs or Samosa flabs will also do

Method

1. Chop beans,capsicum,green chillies and spring onions finely.



2. Grate carrots,potatoes and cabbage.



3. Boil the chicken and shred it.



4. Take a kadai add 3Tbspns of oil with ginger-garlic pieces and fry for a minute.



5. Add spring onions,capsicum,green chillies,beans ,carrots,cabbage,potatoes .



6. Add the masalas like ajinomoto,soya sauce,black pepper pwdr and chilli sauce.Also add chicken.



7. Fry for 5-7 minutes and add some salt.



8. Keep frying and add lemon juice or vinegar .



9. Garnish with coriander leaves and cool it.



10. Take a spring roll flab and put about 2Tspns of stuffing in the middle and roll it .Seal with water



11. Deep fry to golden Brown in colour.

Read more »

Sheek Kabab

INGREDIENTS:

1. Minced meat (kheema) 1/2 kilo






2. Red chilli pwdr 2Tspns






3. Turmeric pwdr 1/4th Tspn






4. Ginger-Garlic paste 2Tspns






5. Black Pepper pwdr 1/2Tspn






6. Almond Powder 2Tspns






7. Garam masala pwdr 1Tspn






8. Grated Cheese 1Tbspn






9. Nimbu 1






10. Coriander leaves 1bunch






11. Saffron pinch






12. Salt to taste

METHOD

• Mix all these Ingredients except saffron with minced meat.






• Add keep mixing this paste to a smooth dough with your hands for 10-15 minutes(do not grind it)






• Take Sheek or stick that you get to make kababs and roll the meat in your hands or with a help of a plastic cover and insert it into the sheek.






• Brush oil mixed with saffron on the meat and cook it in the microwave at 180degrees for 20-30mins till both the sides turn golden brown in colour.

RECOMMENDED COMBINATIONS:

Roti,Rice,Any kind of daal or can also be had as a side dish or a snack.

Read more »

Macaroni with Vegetables & Chicken

INGREDIENTS

1. Macaroni 1 cup



2. Cabbage 1/2 cup (sliced finely)



3. Carrot 1/2 cup



4. Capsicum 1/2 cup(finely cut to small)



5. Chicken(boiled and shredded 1/2 cup)



6. Black pepper 1 & 1/2 Tspns



7. Ajinamoto 1/4th Tspn



8. Vinegar 1Tbspn



9. Soya sauce 1Tbspn



10. Coriander leaves 1/4th bunch



11. Butter 1Tbspn



12. Salt to Taste

Method

• Boil the macaroni with salt till done and run through cold water and keep it aside.



• Heat Butter in a pan and add the cut vegetable with chicken.



• Add black pepper,ajinamoto,vinegar,soya sauce,coriander leaves.



• Keep frying till almost done.



• Finally add the cooked Macaroni and fry for about 2 minutes.

Read more »

Cheese Ke Samose

This one is my favorite snack in iftar during Ramadan,its very delicious the cheese just melts in your mouth...and its so easy to cook.
INGREDIENTS

1. Boiled Eggs 6



2. Cheese(kraft) 3Tbspn



3. Black Pepper Powder 1 and 1/2tspn



4. Coriander Leaves 1Bunch



5. Samosa leaves with oil.(available at the bakery)



6. Salt to taste



7. Oil for deep frying

Method For the stuffing:

• Cut the boiled eggs to small and keep aside.



• In a mixing bowl add cheese and mix black pepper pwdr,salt and coriander leaves.



• Finally mix the cut boiled eggs.



• You can refrigerate this mixture for 2 days.(its good if u make fresh stuffing every time.
  

For the samosas

• Take a samosa leaf and put 2Tspns of the prepared stuffing and roll it to triangle shape.



• Seal with water.



• Deep fry them to golden brown.
  

Read more »

Hyderbadi Tasty Gobi Manchuria

Click to enlarge image

This appetizer has been a favorite with me, way back in Hyderabad...this was when Dhabas were booming all around, it was a patent name on the menu cards. The name is familiar to Chicken Manchuria...probably because they look identical. The only thing I resisted adding was the food color. Anyways, here are the ingredients.

Ingredients:
2 cups cauliflower, washed and cut into decent sized florets
3/4 cup chana besan flour
oil as needed
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
a pinch of turmeric powder
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
a pinch of baking soda
1 green chilli, chopped
chopped cilantro to garnish
water as needed

Method:
Mix all the ingredients except cauliflower florets. Let the marinate sit for sometime.

Dip the cauliflower florets and mix in well. The mix should not be very runny, make sure it is thick and cling well to the cauliflower.

Heat oil in a deep based pan and fry till gloden brown, serve with mango chutney or sauces of your choice.

Read more »

Aloo(potato) Ke Puffs

INGREDIENTS:

1. Boiled Potatoes 4 medium




2. Onion finely chopped 2Tspns




3. Ginger-Garlic paste 1/2Tspn




4. Rai 1/2Tspn




5. Zeera 1/2Tspn




6. Dried Red chillies 4




7. Green chilles 4




8. Chane ki dal 1Tspn




9. Curry Leaves few




10. Coriander Leaves 1/2 bunch




11. Turmeric powder 1/4th Tspn




12. Lemon(nimbu) 1




13. Puff Pastries




14. Oil




15. Salt to taste

METHOD:
For the stuffing:

1. Boiled Potatoes 4 medium




2. Onion finely chopped 2Tspns




3. Ginger-Garlic paste 1/2Tspn




4. Rai 1/2Tspn




5. Zeera 1/2Tspn




6. Dried Red chillies 4




7. Green chilles 4




8. Chane ki dal 1Tspn




9. Curry Leaves few




10. Coriander Leaves 1/2 bunch




11. Turmeric powder
    

• Heat 2Tbspns of oil in a kadai and add Onions and fry them to light brown colour and add ginger-garlic paste and keep frying.




• Add Rai,Zeera,dried red chillies,green chillies,curry leaves and fry for 2mins.




• Add potatoes,Turmeric powder,Salt and coriander leaves.




• Fry till the Potatoes start sticking the kadai.




• Lastly add lemon and switch off the stove after 1minute.
  

For the pastries:

• Take out the pastries from the refrigerator 15mins before stuffing them.




• Beat an egg and keep aside.




• Put 2Tspns of stuffing in the middle of the puff pastry and seal the ends with water.




• Now coat the pastry with egg.




• Place the pastries in oven and cook for 45mins




• Till the pastries turn Golden brown.




• Serve with tomato sauce or any chutney.
  

Read more »