Royal bagara baingan !

Bored of brinjals ? Try this new recipe, a great combination with steamed rice and rotis!

Ingrediants:

• small brinjals - around 8 cut in a thin long strip
• tomato- 3 chopped
• green chillies - 3 finely chopped
• cardamom - 1
• cinnamon- 1 stick
• fennel seeds - 1 tsp
• poppy seeds - 1tsp
• cashew - 8 to 10
• peanuts - 1tsp
• till seeds - 1tsp
• dessicated coconut - 3tsps
• fresh cream - 1cup
• onions - 2 finely chopped
• salt and oil - as required

Method of preparation:

• In a khadai add some oil and fry the brinjals and keep aside.
• make a puree of the tomatoes.
• grind cardamom,cinnamon,fennel seeds,poppy seeds,cashew,peanuts,till seeds,dessicated coconut into a smooth paste.
• In the kadai heat some oil and fry the onions,green chillies, fried brinjals and stir well.
• Add the tomato puree and the grounded paste and allow to cook for 5 mins
• now when it is ready and time to serve, add fresh cream and garnish with celentra leaves.

Peas Gobi Curry.

Jus had some extra peas in the freezer and a cauliflower, so tried to make a curry out of it which came out fabulous.













Ingredients:

• Peas - 1 cup
• Gobi - 1 medium size (cut and washed several times and soaked in warm water)
• jeera - 1 tsp
• salt - 1 tsp
• kasuri methi - 1tsp
• garam masala - 1 tsp
• red chilli pdr - 1 tsp
• corriander pdr - 1tsp
• oil - 2 tsp

Method:

• Heat oil in a kadai and when hot add the jeera seeds and fry them.
• slowly add the peas which are washed and fry till they are cooked.
• add the soaked gobi florets and stir fry.
• add all the spices fromsalt to corriander pdr as mentioned in the ingredients.
• Pour a cup of water and close the kadai with its lid and cook till all the spices are absorbed by gobi and peas.sprinkle celantra leaves if neccesary.
• Serve hot with paranthas/roti/naan.

Methi malai mattar

I wanted to try this out (methi malai mattar ) for a very long time,and once saw this receipe in zee telugu channel, though i dont understand the language much, i followed by seeing the ingrediants. here s the receipe for you all:

Ingrediants:

• peas ( matter/pattani ) - 1/2 kg
• methi leaves (vendaya keerai) - 1 bunch
• malai (fresh cream ) - 1 cup ( available in supermarket ,i prefer amul fresh cream )
• onion - 1
• cashews - 6
• salt - to taste
• green chillies - 4
• oil - 4 tsp

Method of preparation:

• Heat a kadai and add some oil and fry the cashews and onion and blend them into smooth paste.
• now in the same kadai add little more oil and pour the blended mixture and saute well
• meanwhile boil the peas and cook them
• clean and wash the methi leaves several times, cut them and add them to the kadai and slowly saute them.
• add salt and finely cut green chillies (green chilly paste can also be added).
• Boiled peas can now be slowly added and little amount of water. close the kadai with lid so that all the spices blends well with the mixture.
• Now open the kadai and add the fresh cream , mix well and serve!

Serving suggestions:

taste best with roti,naan,parathas and jeera pulav.

Tomato - garlic chutney

In my Aerobics class we all usually share different receipes. one such was tomato-garlic chutney shared by shruthi, which she says tastes best with aloo-paratha,but i feel it is more tastier with our very own curd rice!



Ingredients:

• Tomato - 2 to 3 large
• garlic - 8 to 10 flakes
• gingelly oil - 4 tsp
• salt - to taste
• chilly powder - 1tsp
  

Method:

• Clean and wash the tomatoes and directly blend them in to a puree in a mixer grinder
• In between add the garlic flakes and grind well
• Now heat a kadai and add gingelly oil and when hot add the pureed mixture
• Add salt and chilly powder and stir well till oil seperates and serve

Aloo Masal !

A common receipe which is all time favourite with puris and chappatis!

Ingredients:

• Potato - 5 /cooked and partly mashed
• onions - 3 sliced
• peas - a handful ,boiled
• musturd seeds - 1 tsp
• turmeric pdr - 1tsp
• corriander pdr - 1tsp
• salt - to taste
• oil- 3 to 4 tsp
• celatra leaves - to garnish
• curry leaves - few
• green chillies - 3 to 4 sliced

Method of preparation:

• Heat a kadai,add oil and when hot add the mustud seeds to splutter, add the curry leaves,grren chillies and saute well
• Add the sliced onions ,salt turmeric ,corriander pdr and cook for abt 2 mins till the onions turn tender and golden brown in color.
• Add the boiled potatoes and mix well. slowly add water genoursouly to form a gravy and close the kadai with a lid for the mixture to cook well with the spices.
• Garnish with celantra leaves and serve!

Bringal/egg plant/aubergine curry

I know Bringal belongs to a 'not so popular' category among many people,but a little more oil and dash of different spices can make make this dish top the charts!

Ingredients:

• Bringal - 8 to 10 sliced in equal sizes and soaked in water
• oil - 4 to 5 tsp
• musturd seeds - 1 tsp
• salt - to taste
• turmeric pdr - 1/2 tsp

to be ground into powder:

• red chillies - 3 to 4
• corriander seeds - 2 tsp
• til seeds - 1 tsp
• groundnuts - 1 tsp
• channa dal - 1 tsp

Method of preparation:

• Heat a kadai and when hot add few drops of oil and fry all the ingredients to be made into a powder. cool and grind them
• now in the same kadai add oil generously abt 4 tsp and when hot add musturd seeds, when they spullter add the cut bringals and stir well
• Add the salt,turmeric,and the powder that has been finely grounded.
• lower the heat,cover the pan and cook them for abt 8 mins so that the bringal absorbs the spices and oil.
• garnish with celantra leaves if neccesary and serve!

serving suggestions:

taste best with hot steamed rice with ghee/sambhar rice/rasam rice.

Masala tuvar dal

Try out this new variation of dal.

Ingredients

• Tuvar dal/tuvaram parrupu - 2 cups soaked and pressure cooked
• oil/ghee - 2 tsp
• cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• red chilli - 1
• celantra leaves - to garnish
• salt - to taste
• corriander pdr- 1 tsp
• turmeric pdr - 1/2 tsp

to be ground into a paste

• onion - 1 large chopped
• garlic - 3 to 4 cloves
• red chillies - 3 to 4

Method of preparation:

• Heat a kadai and add oil, when hot add the cumin seeds
• when the seeds starts to splutter add the ground paste from the blender and stir well.
• lower the flame and slowly add the cooked tuvar dal and stir the mixture
• allow it to boil for abt 2 to 3 mins and serve hot!

serving suggestion:

can be served with roti, naan,steamed rice.

Alu ki sabzi / potato curry / urulai kuruma

My neighbour Mrs.Mamta Jain gave me one of these variation of alu sabzi which i tried and like to share with you all.

The method of preparing this receipe is quiet uncommon in south indian kitchen !

Ingredients:

• Potatoes - 4 peeled and cut into cubes
• yoghurt - 1 cup
• chilli powder - 1 tsp
• coriander powder -1 tsp
• salt - to taste
• turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• cumin powder - 1 tsp
• gram flour ( besan ) - 1 large tsp
• oil - 2 to 3 tsp
• musturd seeds - 1 tsp
• fennel seeds - 1 tsp
• nigella seeds - 1 tsp
• cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• bay leaf - 1
• cinnamon stick - 2

Method of prepation:

• Take youghurt in a mixing bowl and add chilli powder,turmeric powder,corriander powder,salt,cumin powder and mix well so that there are no lumps formed and keep aside.
• Heat a kadai and add oil, when hot add the musturd seeds,cumin seeds,fennel seeds,nigella seeds,bay leaf and cinnamon stick and saute well till they splutter.
• Now lower the heat and add the yoghurt mixture kept aside and stir till it comes to boil
• Add the potatoes peeled and cut into cubes into the boiling yogurt mixture and stir weel
• pour a cup of water and close the kadai with a lid and cook for 8 to 10 mins which allows the potatoes to absorb the spicy yogurt mixture.
• Garnish with celantra leaves and serve.

serving suggestion:

Can be served with chappatis, rotis,naans.

Best with puris ( my preference)

Doll Churchuree

A fusion of Indian ingredients and western cooking

resulted in this mouthwatering dish,a great source of fibre and rich in vitamins!



Ingredients:

• Bengal gram - 50 gms


• moong dal - 40gms


• black dal - 75 gms


• kidney beans (rajma) - 75gms


• whole moong - 50 gms


• oil - 3 to 4 tbsp


• cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
• ginger paste - 1 tbsp
• desi ghee - 2 tbsp
• red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
• apple - 1 cut finely
• salt to taste
  

Method:

1. Soak all the dals together for atleast 2 hrs
2. heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan , temper with jeera. as it starts to splutter, add the drained dal and saute. add abt 750 ml of boiling water and cook until it is 2/3rd done.
3. add ginger paste,ghee and red chilli powderand cook until the dal is done.
4. add the diced cooking apples and the salt ,simmer for another 15 mins and serve.

This receipe is named by the chef from oh!calcutta, Delhi.

serving suggestions:

goes well with roti,naan,parathas,steamed rice.

Mattar Panner ( Peas with indian cottage cheese)

Mattar Panner ( Peas with indian cottage cheese)

Try out this delicious receipe which is most sort after in any restaurent !

Ingredients:

• Panner (indian cheese ) - cut into cubes
• Green peas - a cup
• onions - 2 finely chopped
• tomatoes - 2 chopped
• turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp
• chilli powder - 1 tbsp
• cumin powder - 1/2 tbsp
• corriander powder - 2 tbsp generously
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• cashewnuts - few broken
• oil - for cooking
• salt - to taste
• green chillies - 1 finely chopped
• cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
• corriander leaves - few
• kasuri methi - a tbsp
• cream - 1/4 cup
• Garam masala - 1 tbsp

Method of preparation :

1. Heat some oil in a pan and add broken cashewnuts and slightly saute them. Do not add too many cashews as this can spoil your sauce/gravy
2. Add the onions and salt and cook till the onions become translucent, add the turmeric powder,ginger garlic paste and saute
3. when the garlic and ginger leave their raw smell, add the chopped tomatoes and cook them
4. Now blend these (onion,tomatoes and cashews) in a blender.
5. Heat some oil in kadai, add the cumin seeds and the blended puree mixture, add green chillies,cumin powder,corriander powder and chilli powder
6. Bring the mixture to a boil in medium heat so that all the raw spices are cooked and the gravy thickens.
7. Add the panner cubes,green peas and kasuri methi powder to the dish
8. simmer the heat and add the corriander leaves and cream.

Now your nice silky,delicious mattar panner is ready!

Serving suggestions: Best with rotis, parathas,naan.

Thai Green Curry

I was jus watching 'chef and the better half ' on NDTV Good Times where you find both husband and wife cooking for you (Nikhil and Natasha). It is jus a fun cookery show wherein you have to concentrate really hard if you want to follow the recipe in between their romances !

Here's a receipe which is similar to our Avial.

Ingredients:

To be made into paste -

cumin seeds - 1 1/2 tbsp roasted

Coriander seeds - 2 to 3 tbsp roasted

green chillies - 3 to 4 slit

ginger - 1 inch cube

onions - 1 chopped

other ingredients for the gravy/sauce:

garlic - 1 tbsp

sugar - a pinch

salt to taste

carrot- 1/2 cup chopped in cubes

broccoli - 1/2 cup chopped ( optional )

cauli flower - 1/2 cup chopped

potatoes - 1/2 cup chopped

baby corn - 1/2 cup chopped

coconut milk - 2 cups thick

1 cup thin

Method:

Grind into a smooth paste with little water all the ingredients mentioned under to be made to a paste

in a pan / kadai add oil and when hot had garlic. saute well and add the paste in the blender and stir by adding very little water.

Add coconut milk little by little , starting from the thick milk and stir continuously.

Add salt, sugar and stir

one by one start adding the vegetables, stir and close the container.

Allow the veg to cook in the coconut milk gravy and when done serve.

Serving suggestion: Taste best with steamed rice.

Nutrition : all the veg and coconut milk have good amount of proteins and vitamins in them.