Mint Vegatable Biryani

Some days are just so hectic it is hard to make a full course dinner especially both me and hubby working and two kids it seems like we are always running and 24 hours do not seem enough, so to satisfy our hunger I usually try to make up some with whatever is left in the fridge since no one of us want to really go grocery shopping.
So this is a very common biryani whipped up with everything left in bitesN bits in your fridge. Also since my mint plant is growing by leaps and bounds have to chop it off like every month had to add some of those too which made this dish turned out pretty much like a mint vegetable biryani.

What u need:

basmati rice 2 cups
sliced onions 2
thinly sliced onions seperate for garnish 1 cup optional
tomato 1 cup
chopped vegetables like cauliflower, potatoes, beans, carrots , peas etc
green chillies 4 optional
garlic 1 inch
ginger 1 inch
minced coriander leaves
mint leaves about 1/2 of the cilantro
salt to taste
Star anise 1
Bay leaves 3
peppercorns 10
cloves and cardamon 8 each
cinnamon 2 pieces
garam masala Sanjeev Kapoor's 1 tsp
half n half 1/2 cup
turmeric 1/2 teaspoon
lemon juice 2 tsp

Heat with oil fry whole spices lighlty.
A minute or two later add onions cook till they r soft and little brown add tomatoes and veges fry well with the onions .
add ginger and garlic in paste form along with mint n cilantro.
Add to this turmeric powder and the spices u can add garam masala too I added Sanjeev Kapoor's garam masala.
Once the veges are nice crispy n half cooked add the half n half or cream also is an option gives a very soft flavour to the biryani , let it simmer till the sauce is thick about 10-15 minutes.
Now for the rice boil a pot of water with salt and lemon juice (lemon juice makes the rice fluffy ) and whole spices add the washed rice and cook till half done.
Strain the rice and let it drain ,then mix the vege gravy and rice little at a time till even and bake for 30 mins at 350 C. What I need did was took it baking pan out slightly mixed the biryani put it back in again makes it even color .

For garnish add fried onions and raisins serve with a yogurt based raita.

happy onam 2009

wishing all of you very happy and

prosperous onam
2009!

Moong Khichidi

There is something about khichidi that makes it so appealing when u are sick , or down with a cold the gluey texture makes u feel a lot better along with all the tender , love and care . I was first introduced to this recipe years back when I was at my friend P's house and as usual we were chatting non stop didn't realise it was almost lunch time and I was suffering from a cold all stuffed up . So she being a good cook decided to whip up some khichidi with the veges that were available . Although at that age ( being teenagers) nothing was really measured just eyeballed ,threw all the ingredients in a cooker after 2 whistles the khichidi was done.
P served this with homemade mango pickle and roasted papad YUMMY!!
Since then this dish is usually served at my place pretty regularly or if some one is sick.
Recently my 5 yr came down with a cold all stuffed up, didn't want to go to school but did play with toys all day . All he wanted was to stay at home , so for lunch I decided to make the moong khichidi which was pretty simple done in 20 mins.
Turned out great so here is the recipe :
Ingredients:

• 1 cup Basmati rice
• 1/2 cup spilt moong dal
• 3 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped
• 1/2 cup shallots chopped
• 1 carrot chopped
• handfull of green peas
• 2 halopeno peppers chopped
• 1 tomato chopped
• 1 potato cubsize
• 1/2 tsb jeera
  
• 1/2 tsb paprika
• 1/2 turmeric pwd
• 1 tbsp olive oil EVOO
  
• ghee to serve
  
• Salt to taste

wash the rice and moong dal , soak for 5-10 mins .
cut all the veges , heat the cooker add EVOO , add the jeera seeds
after they splutter add the veges and saute for 2-3 mins
add turmeric, paprika , and salt cook some more
add the soaked rice and dal,
mix well add 3 cups of water.
add the chopped cilantro leaves
close the cooker , cook till at least 2 whistles blows,
which makes the rice a lil more gluey.
If u don't like the gluey texture one is enough .
serve hot with a dollop of ghee and pickle.

Coconut Chutney

Coconut chutney has been a staple at our home as and when we have idlis or dosas which is like every other weekend . My mom would make this by adding a little tomato which tasted fine to me as I grew up loving it. But after our wedding every time I made the chutney i.e with the one with tomato in it my hubby dear would eat it , but somewhere down was not very happy with the end product coz he grew up having the orange nadan style chutney like the ones u have at thaatu kada . For all of u who do not know what a thaatu kada is it is a roadside eatery not necessarily in one of the best locations , or decor or hygiene but one thing u can be sure of is it has one of the best tasting foods. Every visit that we make to India we usually love trying food from these joints whether it is mumbai or kerala .

So then I began a quest for the recipe for the orange coconut chutney which I knew was simple but for some odd reason I never got it right. One time while during my trail and error experiments I added the shallots in the grinder along with the coconut and then I had to look no further , my orange chutney was born :) I guess the shallots gave it a raw taste to the chutney which goes very well with idlis .

What u need

• coconut 1/2 cup
• shallots 1-2 chopped
• ginger 1 inch
• curry leaves 4-5
• oil 1 tsp
• salt as needed
• chilli pwd 1/2 tsp
• mustard seeds 1/2tsp

grind coconut, ginger and shallots in to a fine paste , add oil in a pan when hot add the mustard seeds as they start to break add the finely chopped shallots and curry leaves,
keep the heat on low so that nothing gets burnt.
Add the chilli pwd stir well, add the coconut mix soon after the chilli pwd is added .
Keep in stirring for few mins then add salt.
Serve it with idlis or dosas.

Baghare baingan

I was one of the most pickiest kid ever, and just to get me to eat my veges mom would try different recipes. Some vegetables didn't ever make in to my system as they never left my plate and eggplant was one of them. I remember my mom would make eggplant thorans and other possible mallu eggplant versions which never interested me until I came across this recipe .

She would make eggplant which were fried and then simmered in thick groundnut gravy which was tempered with jeera and mustard seeds, tasted great with hot parathas or rotis and I Loved it !!

Here in the US there are so many types of eggplants , but for this particular recipes u need the typical small purple Indian kind eggplants. The recipe turns our much better .

This is a recipe that I made from a fellow food blogger Zaiqa » Baghare Baingan original recipe link posted below, as the bookmarked recipe list had been getting longer and longer so about time I started to make them.

We had it with hot rice and dal tadka :)

Lasagna with ground turkey

Lasagna is now a now craze at my home ever since my friend K made this dish it has been a big hit. The first time she made it for us ground beef was used, then we modified to healthy version the recipe down has turkey which tastes absolutely great and of course more healthy. Lasagna is pretty filling but can be made as per ur likes and dislikes by adding more veges like spinach etc.

what u need:

• 1 pound lean ground turkey
  
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 cups tomato sauce (we used prego)
  
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  
• 1 teaspoon crushed pepper
  
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• hand full chopped fresh parsley
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 8 ounces feta cheese
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup low fat mozzarella cheese grated
  
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  My folders:
  

In a wide pan, heat EVOO add ground turkey, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in tomato sauce, and water. Season with crushed pepper, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 15 mins till the turkey is all done, stirring occasionally. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine feta cheese with egg and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). To assemble, spread the turkey with sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Arrange noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the feta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese . Spoon meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes till the cheese on top browns . Cool for 15 minutes before serving. Serve with garlic bread or by itself

Chicken Curry

Chicken curry is the most common delicacy on every menu of any and every Indian Restaurant
and every home has its own version of it too. So do we too have our version simple , easy and delicious . I always loved the Chicken that u get in India the ones that had more flavor to it and would not cook up so fast. So we opted out for the Cornish hen which is pretty similar in taste as compared to the Indian chicken and tastes also about the same.

what u need:
Cornish hen : cut in bite size marinate with salt and turmeric for 30 mins
onion (shallots ) - 1 cup chopped
garlic -1 tablespoon chopped
ginger- 1 tablespoon chopped
tomato-1 finely chopped
turmeric- 1 teaspoon
chilli pwd -2 teaspoon (add spice as needed)
paprika - 2 teaspoon
black pepper ground- 1 teaspoon
garam masala - 1 teaspoon
whole spices -cinnamon, cardamon, bay leaves ,anise ,mace (few each)
olive oil-2 tablespoon

heat a pan with the EVOO.
add the whole spices in to get the flavor going,
meanwhile grind the shallots, ginger and garlic into a fine mixture
add into the hot oil and cook till the raw taste goes away or till the onion turns a little brown
then add turmeric, paprika, pepper, chilli pwd, and garam masala and let it cook for a few mins more till the spice blend into the onion paste.
Add the cut chicken mix well let it cook for at least 5-10 mins
add the chopped tomatoes and salt to taste
let it simmer till the chicken is completely cooked.
Serve with hot rice or rotis.
salt to taste

Poha

Poha is one of those snacks that just fit perfectly right on a dull and rainy day not too heavy does not take much time to make and tastes great, there are a lot of variations to this dish add more potatoes then it is potato poha , or with addition to peas turn it into a peas poha and the ever famous onion poha (kanda poha) anyways it turns out great.








what u will need:
1 cups Thick Poha ( flattened rice )
1 medium sized Onion chopped fine
2 Green Chillies
a few curry leaves
green peas 1 tablespoon
Chopped Cilantro
Grated Coconut for Garnishing
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt to taste
For Seasoning:
2 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tbsp Peanuts
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

soak the poha in lil' water, what I usually do is wash it once leaving little water to soak up in the poha in my experience the thick poha works this way better and then set aside till u get the other things ready. Fry the peanuts for garnishing and set these aside too.
heat the pan add oil till it warms up, add mustard seeds till it starts to pop, add the chopped onion , green peas, chillies and saute for few mins till cooked, add the curry leaves (optional) then add turmeric do not let it burn add the wet poha mix well .
Add salt as needed and close the pan for the poha to cook for few mins, u can even add little sugar which is also optional .
garnish with chopped cilantro, roasted peanuts ,coconut, and lemon juice enjoy this with a hot cup of tea .

Nadan Chicken Biryani

growing we were always invited over for dinner to my aunt's place who lived very close to us and for most celebrations like Christmas , Easter , anniversary or birthday she would sometimes make her version of chicken biryani which was so delicious and just right with the spices that went along perfect with the onion vinegar salad. All that time never ever thought of jotting the recipe down well better late then never :)
Recently my very good friend S happened to make dinner for us when I was recovering after my delivery, as we have been blessed with our second baby Boy in Dec 2008!!!:)
It was so nice of her to make us food as with a newborn that is the best gift ever good home cooked food ,what she bought us for dinner was chicken biryani with salad , being hungry 24/7 I could hardly resist the smell and it smelt just like the one my aunt used to make well it tasted like that too. YUMMY!!
I guess what they say is true if u desire hard enough for anything then it comes to you ,
I had to get back to her for the recipe and here is the recipe

chicken 750 grams
basmati rice 2 cups
sliced onions 2
tomato piece 1 cup
green chillies 4
garlic 1 inch
ginger 1 inch
minced coriander leaves
mint leaves about a cup each
salt to taste
Star anise 1
peppercorns 10
cloves and cardamon 8 each
cinnamon 2 pieces
yogurt half cup
turmeric 1/2 teaspoon
lemon juice 2 tsp
ghee 1/2 cup
coconut milk 1/2 cup optional

grind 2tsp each of ginger, garlic, onion, mint and coriander leaves and marinate the chicken for 30 mins.

Heat ghee (substitute with oil if you need) fry whole spices. A minute or two later add onions and the ground stuff,along with the chicken, till it is half cooked add tomatoes when onions are almost done and when they are ready . During the last 10 mins or so some coconut milk , salt,turmeric, yogurt and lemon juice. let it simmer till chicken is almost done .
boil a pot of water with salt and lemon juice (lemon juice makes the rice fluffy ) and
whole spices add the washed rice and cook till half done.
Strain the rice and let it drain ,then mix the chicken gravy and rice little at a time till even .
Mix everything if the chicken has gravy it works fine as the rice doesn't dry up while baking
and bake for 30 mins at 350 C.
Serve with yogurt salad .

Lemon pickle

PIC COURTESY: google image


Since the beginning of spring I have been thinking of making some home made pickles, especially lemon pickles although there are a ton of ready made pickles out there.

But home made pickles have a taste of their own, so this time when I was at the Asian super market spotted some yellow lemons could not resist so picked up a few.

Lemon is widely grown all over the world. Lemon grows in abundance in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mexico and West Indies.The Ayurveda has regarded lemon as a valuable fruit and admired its properties. Lemon is sour, warm, promoter of gastric fire, light, good for vision, pungent and astringent. It checks the excessive flow of bile and cleanses the mouth. It dislodges phlegm (cough) and expels wind from the digestive tract. It helps in digestion and removes constipation. It prevents vomiting, throat trouble, acidity and rheumatism. It destroys intestinal worms.


The benefits of lemon are countless, and also they can been made into scrumptious pickle, as my parents are here this summer my mom decided to go ahead with the pickle recipe.





so here are the ingredients:

yellow lemon : 8-10

ginger chopped : 2 t sbp

garlic chopped : 2 tsbp

salt : to taste

chilly pwd : 1 tsbp

paprika pwd : 2 tsbp

tumeric pwd : 1/2 tsp

asafoetida pwd : 1 tsp

meethi pwd : 1 tsp

olive oil : 2 tsb

clean and dry the lemons set aside till properly dried, take care not a drop of water to been left as this can spoil the pickles.

add some oil in a pan add the lemons to cook slowly some acidic juice may come out, take care of cooking the lemons on low heat, for about 10 minutes.

then heat a non stick pan add the olive oil , ad d the chopped ginger -garlic saute for 5-8 mins , add the rest of the spices saute for few minutes more , and add salt as needed.

set this aside to cool down.

meanwhile wipe the cooked lemons and cut then in desired size and shape , do not discard the liquid as it is acidic and adds to the tanginess if the pickle .

add these cut lemon pieces to the rest of the sauteed garlic ginger mix, after mixed well .

store this pickle in air tight container and in a week will be ready to enjoy !!

note the spoon also used has to dry to avoid any kind of decay.

Khatte Chicken

Chicken is one of our all time favourite non veg delicacy, and usually tastes good in any shape or form. I had been making chicken mostly the same routine way like curry or with coconut milk or dried chicken, so decided to try something different and something which didn't require a lot of effort too.

Hence my hunt began looking on the Internet (the obvious source) and also the cookery book collection that I had been piling on , that is when I came across a baked and rich chicken recipe in one of the cookery books(the Indian menu planner) called Katte Chicken,

so an experiment was on its way.

I was pretty sure that this would be different from the rest of the chicken dishes I make as it had new ingredients or the ones I never used along with chicken.

Above all that this was going to be baked , but my work paid off (not that I did much :))this turned out really good and is for sure a keeper.

Ingredients:

chicken breasts 12

almond paste 3 tbs

black pepper pwd 1 tsp

cumin seeds 1 tsp

capsicum 3 oz (optional)

ginger garlic paste 4tsp

green chilly 4

lemon juice 1tbs

onions in rings 2/3 cup

saffron 1 pinch

salt to taste

butter 1 stick

yogurt 1cup

• Hang the yogurt in a cheese cloth until reduced by half.
• Make a marinade of yogurt, ginger garlic paste salt cumin pepper lemon green chilly and almond paste, leave it aside for half and hour to marinate.
• Grease a baking vessel place the chicken pieces without overlapping. Arrange the onions and capsicum rings over the chicken pieces and pour the remaining marinade over it.
• Add dollops of butter and bake in oven for 20 minutes at 300 F.
• Remove and sprinkle saffron, and let it stay for 10 mins more.
• Serve with roti or hot rice.