RAVA KHOBRA LADOO |SOOJI NARIYAL LADDU for DIWALI

Vow I dont believe that today I am completing my 100th post....Congrats I have completed a century,,,,It was just a month before that I started this site.....& I dont believe I am writing 100th post..So thought of posting some sweet dish recipe....

Rava coconut ladoo is one of the laddoos which I eat...basically i am not a fan of ladoos.But I just cant avoid these ones...

Normally these are prepared during diwali....But my mausis keeps on preparing them occasionally.here I am posting their recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups fine semolina
• 1 3/4 cups shredded fresh coconut
• 2 cups sugar (adjust the amount as per the sweetness of the sugar),
• 1 cup water to make sugar syrup
• 3/4 cup melted ghee (clarified butter),
• cardamoms, almonds,pistas & raisins.

Method

1. Add ghee in a kadhai & roast semolina over medium heat. Keep roasting until its color changes to golden brown and it gives out aroma.Take care not to burn rava
2. Now add coconut to semolina and again roast for approx. 10 minutes. Add cardamom powder to it.
3. Combine sugar and water in a thick bottomed pan. Heat it to achieve a syrup of one string consistency.
4. As the syrup reaches one string consistency, add roasted rava and coconut mixture into it. Keep mixing for a minute or so.
5. Turn the heat off and keep mixing the mixture after every half an hour.
6. In about 2-3 hours, the mixture gets thick. Add nuts and raisins.
7. Divide mixture into equal parts and shape them into balls of desired shape. Ladoos are ready to eat. Store them in an airtight container.

Tips

The cardamom powder should not be added till the end. If it is added before, the laddoos loose their aroma.
If the mixture does not get dry after keeping for about 20mins, you can slightly heat it to get it dry.
If  rava is not roasted properly, the laddoos come out to be very sticky. So fry till it turns slightly reddish.

Adding milk at the end when the laddoo mix becomes too dry should be avoided as much as possible as this decreases the shelf life.

JEERA RICE RECIPE | CUMIN FLAVOURED indian rice- bhat

JEERA RICE / CUMIN RICE is yet another favourite dish of mine.I believe this definetely is the favourite dish of most of us. My favourite combination is jeera rice with dal fry/dal tadka ,masala-papad,pickle & piece of lemon
Jeera Rice (Cumin flavored rice), is a simple and tasty variation on plain boiled rice made with cumin seeds. Jeera rice can be prepared in 2 ways, one by total absorption of water by the rice and other by draining the water from the rice,
Generally cumin seeds are lightly sauted in ghee / white oil and then the soaked basmati rice is cooked with sufficient water till soft or the parboiled rice is tossed with the sauted cumin seeds to bring out the flavour. Jeera rice is generally served with any veg or non-veg gravy / curry side dishes.
One good way to utilise leftover rice is to convert it to jeera rice.

INGREDIENTS

Basmati rice - 1 cup
Ghee /oil - 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves- 1 tbsp chopped
Green  chilli - 2
jeera (cumin)- 1 tsp
salt - as per taste
Water - 2 cup

INGREDIENTS
Basmati rice - 1 cup
Ghee /oil - 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves- 1 tbsp chopped
Green  chilli - 2
jeera (cumin)- 1 tsp
salt - as per taste
Water - 2 cup

METHOD 
1.Wash rice ,drain water & keep aside for 30 minutes
2.Heat ghee in a pan .
3.Add cumin ,gr chilli ,  coriander fry add water twice the amount of measured rice
4.Bring the water to boil add salt
5.Add pre soaked rice bring it to boil till 90% of water is absorbed and reduce the flame to minimal and cook covered for 5 more min and you will have awesome jeera rice

 
1.Wash rice ,drain water & keep aside for 30 minutes
2.Heat ghee in a pan .
3.Add cumin ,gr chilli ,  coriander fry add water twice the amount of measured rice
4.Bring the water to boil add salt
5.Add pre soaked rice bring it to boil till 90% of water is absorbed and reduce the flame to minimal and cook covered for 5 more min and you will have awesome jeera rice

Tip
1 .For quicker version of jeera rice .pre cook rice upto 90%  heat ghee add jeera & saute rice in ghee cover with lid for 5 minutes & serve

SWEET CORN CHAT | MAKAI CHAT (SALAD)

 A refreshing and filling corn chaat, great for snacking on or as a salad.A healthy & tasty option for junk food & quick recipe
Rains and Corn  go hand in hand. Steaming Corn Chat  & CORN PAKODA is another favourite -" Monsoon’ recipe".

INGREDIENTS
1 cup boiled sweet corn
2 medium size - Tomatoes, chopped to small pieces
1/4 cup - Red onion, chopped to small pieces
1/4 cup - Cooked potato, cut to small pieces
1/4 cup - Cucumber, cut to small pieces
1 tbsp - Fresh lime juice
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp tamarind-dates-chutney (optional)
Salt as per taste

POWDERS FOR SEASONING

1 tsp - Chaat masala powder
1/2 tsp - Cumin powder
1/2 tsp - pepper powder
1/2 tsp - Red chili powder

GARNISHING

Yellow sev /shev
1/4 cup - Coriander /Cilantro leaves, finely chopped

METHOD

1.Boil corn in water for 5 minutes.
2.Drain and mix in other ingredients .
3. Season it  with above mentioned .
4. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves & sev. Add sev just before serving so that it remains crisp

METHICHI BHAJI | STIR FRY FENUGREEK (methi) SUKHI SABJI

This is a delicious combination of methi and coconut! Methi leaves are slightly bitter in taste and combining them  with roasted coconut wonderfully balances out all flavors. I disliked methi since childhood but nowadays this has become a weekly favourite in my house.

There  are 2 types of fenugreek available in market one with long leaves & other with small leaves also known as valutli methi (one grown in sand).

This wonder herb is rich in minerals like Potassium, Calcium, and Iron. The leaves have good dietary fiber and are abundant in Vitamin C and Vitamin K.

INGREDIENTS
4 Bunches of Methi
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp  mustard seeds
3 tsp Oil
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 tspn asafoetida(hing)
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste
4 Green chillies chopped
1/2 cup freshly ground coconut

METHOD

1) Separate stems from  methi leaves, wash them  thoroughly in cold water. Add salt to bowl of water & keep the methi leaves  immersed in this  salty water for atleast 15 minutes .this will help to remove the mud from the methi leaves.Drain the methi leaves in a colander to remove excess water.
2) Heat oil in a pan, add  hing,cumin,mustard seeds, garlic and saute till garlic gets nice golden color. Add green chillies.
3) Add methi leaves,sugar, salt, mix, cover and let it get cooked in its own juices.remove lid after 1 minute & stir uncovered till methi shrinks
4) Add  fresh grated coconut, mix, cover and cook for another 2 mts.
5) Methichi bhaji is ready to serve with chapathi /phulkas.

RED CHILLI FLAVOURED COCONUT CHUTNEY DOSA OR IDLI

This is another variety of chutney which can be used with idli /dosas /uttapam /ghavan.

INGREDIENTS

3 tsp wet coconut shredded
2-3  red chillies
1 inch tamarind (imli)
4-5 lasun (garlic)
salt as per taste.


For seasoning:
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tbsp mustard seeds
1/2 tbsp urad dal
1 tsp asafoetida (hing)
2 red chillies
3-4 curry leaves 



METHOD

1.Grind all above ingredients to a coarse paste .


2: Heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they start popping, add urad dal.

3: When dal turns slightly brownish, add curry leaves,red chilles,asafoetida. Fry for a little while. Pour this seasoning over chutney.

4: Mix well and serve with hot dosa or idli.

Tip:

1. You can create variations by adding lemon juice,yoghurt or cumin to above chutney.

GAJAR KA HALWA | DIET CARROT PUDDING | GAJAR CHA HALWA

When we talk about Indian desserts, one name that undoubtedly comes into every person's mind is the traditional Gajar ka halwa prepared on every Indian home in almost all the festivals. On the occasion of Diwali, Gajar ka Halwa is an unavoidable part of the menu. When served hot, the Gajar Ka Halwa tastes wonderful. It is simply the prefect sweet dish to be relished post dinner. Not only its delicious, it’s also fulfilling and nutritious with about proteins,carbohydrates and fat. Making Gajar Ka Halwa is not a very difficult task in terms of process; it requires a little more time and patience than any other halwa. Even if you are in love with this mouth watering dish, here is the recipe…

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS
1 kg Carrots
1 litre Milk
2 tsp milkpowder
1 teaspoon Cardamom seeds
3/4 cup Water
3 tablespoons Ghee
2 tablespoons Raisins
2 tablespoons Almonds
2 tablespoons Pistachios
450 grams Sugar

METHOD
1.Wash and grate the carrots. Soak the raisins in water for 30 minutes. Blanch and shred the nuts.
2.Heat ghee in a pan & add grated carrots & saute it for 2-3 minutes
3.Add the milk. Cook on a low flame for 1 hour stirring occasionally.
4.Add sugar,milkpowder, mix well and cook till the sugar has dissolved and all the milk has been absorbed.
5.Add ghee and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the slightly crushed cardamoms and the raisins.
6.Mix well. Remove from heat and arrange in a serving dish. Garnish with almonds and pistachios.
7. Serve cold, hot or at room temperature.

TIP
serve gajar ka halwa with vanilla icecream

GULAB JAMUN RECIPE | GULAB JAM USING MTR MIX

Gulab Jamun
Gulab Jamun is my favorite dessert since my childhood. My mom used to make gulab jamuns on my birthday.  Diwali seems imperfect without umpteen varieties of sweet and scrumptious dishes. Though there are lots of sweet dishes that you can prepare on Diwali, the lip-smacking Gulab Jamun has no substitute. Liked by almost everybody, there are sweet softballs with delightful aroma and luscious taste. Prepared from milk powder, flour and milk, this is one sweet dish that is easy to prepare, however takes a little more time compared to other desserts as it requires to be dipped in sugar syrup for whole night.

INGREDIENTS:
MTR Gulab Jamun mix- 1 pkt
Sugar – 6 cups
Cardamon powder (Elachi powder) – 2 tsp
Saffron strands (Kesar) – ¼  tsp
Goldan raisins (kismis) – 1/2 cup
Milk- as required for making gulab jamuns
Water – 6 cups [for syrup]

METHOD:
1. In a bowl, gradually add milk little by little to the gulabjam mix. Mix well.
2. Gently knead the mixture to make it an even dough.
3. In another large vessel, take 6 cups of water and add 6 cups of sugar. Also add saffron and cardamom powder to it. Bring
it to a boil. Mix it well and boil again.
4. Take the dough and divide it into small 50 parts. Take golden raisin and put one raisin in the center of each portion.
Roll each portion into a smooth ball. Make all the balls and keep aside.
5. In a pan, heat cooking oil for frying the gulab jamuns. Deep fry the gulab jamuns on medium high heat. It should take
approx 7-8 minutes to become golden brown. If it happens before that, oil is too hot and jamuns won’t be able to cook all
the way through. If it takes more time than 7-8 minutes, the oil is not hot enough.
6.Drain all the fried gulab jamuns on a kitchen towel. Let it sit for 4-5 minutes and then add all jamuns to the sugar
syrup. Let them completely soak for couple of hours.
7.Gulab jamuns are ready to eat.

TIP
Enjoy Gulab jamums hot or chilled. I prefer them hot with chilled ice-cream on the top.

APPLE RABDI | SAFARCHAND RABDI | SEB RABDI (PUDDING )

Today is navratri .I was wondering what sweet to be made for navaidya ( offerings to goddess durga) .The first immediate thing was to make sevaiya-verimicelli-kheer. But then I thought of making something different for prasad & hence tried this apple rabdi which turned out to be delicious.
Delicious and crunchy apple fruit is one of the most popular fruit favored by health conscious, fitness freaks who believe in “health is wealth”. This wonderful fruit jam-packed with rich phyto-nutrients that in the true sense are indispensable for optimal health. The antioxidants in apple have many health promoting and disease prevention properties; thus justifying the adage “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”.

Health benefits of apple

• Apples are low in calories; 100 g of fresh fruit slices provide only 50 calories. They are however contain no saturated fats or cholesterol; but rich in dietary fiber which helps prevent absorption of dietary LDL cholesterol in the gut. The dietary fibers also help protect the mucous membrane of the colon from exposure to toxic substances by binding to cancer causing chemicals in the colon.
• Apple fruit contains good quantities of vitamin-C and beta carotene. Vitamin C is a powerful natural antioxidant. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals from the body.
• Apples are rich in antioxidant phyto-nutrients flavonoids and polyphenols. The total measured anti-oxidant strength (ORAC value) of 100 g apple fruit is 5900 TE. The important flavonoids in apples are quercetin, epicatechin, and procyanidin B2. Apples are also good in tartaric acid that gives tart flavor to them. These compounds help body protect from deleterious effects of free radicals.
• In addition, apple fruit is a good source of B-complex vitamins such as riboflavin, thiamin and pyridoxine (vitamin B-6). Together these vitamins help as co-factors for enzymes in metabolism as well as in various synthetic functions inside the body.
• Apple also contains small amount of minerals like potassium, phosphorus and calcium. Potassium in an important component of cell and body fluids helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure; thus counters the bad influences of sodium.

 

INGREDIENTS

2 Apple

2 cups milk

 6 tsp sugar

4 tsp milkpowder

1 stick dalchini (cinamom)

1tsp  roasted dryfruits

METHOD

1. Boil 1 cup water in a pan / kadhai .When the water starts to boil add cinamom stick & 3 tsp sugar to it.
2. Wash apples & peel the skin of apple with the help of a peeler . Cut the apple into small pieces. Apply 1 tsp lemon juice to apple to prevent it from turning brown .

3. Next add apples to water & let the apples cook fully  for 10 minutes.When the water is completely absorbed switch off the gas.Remove the cinamom stick. Now we will prepare rabdi

4.In a non stick pan pour milk & let it boil.

5. Mix 4 tsp milk powder in a bowl with 2 tsp cold mik & mix it properly to form a paste.

6. Once the milk boils add the milk powder paste prepared in step 5 to boiling milk & mix well .

7. Next add reamining 3 tsp sugar to milk & let it boil till it reduces to 1 cup & thickens to form a rabdi.

8. Keep on stirring the milk in between .

9. Switch off the gas once the milk thickens to form rabdi let it coool

10. Dry roast the dryfruits in a pan.

11. Pour the rabdi on the apple pieces prepared in step 3.

12. Garnish with roasted dry fruits of your choice & refrigerate.

13. Serve cool

  

  

  

KABULI CHANA SALAD | KALA CHANA CHAT | CHICKPEA SALAD

Kabuli chana (chickpeas) salad / Brown chana chaat can be used as a side dish or even as a healthy evening snack.The best thing is it is oil free

Chickpeas are a helpful source of zinc, folate and protein. They are also very high in dietary fiber and hence a healthy source of carbohydrates for persons with insulin sensitivity or diabetes. Chickpeas are low in fat and most of this is polyunsaturated.

 The major well known varieties are white chickpeas also known as kabuli chana or garbanzo beans, brown or black chickpeas known as kala chana and green chickpeas also know as hara chana.

 

INGREDIENTS

2 cups boiled kabuli chana (white chick peas)[ You can even use brown chickpeas (kala chana)]
1 boiled potato, cut into pieces
1 tomato deseeded & finely chopped
1 onion chopped finely
1 capsicum / cucumber chopped  (optional)
1 tsp lemon juice
1-2 finely chopped green chillies (Use as per your taste)
1 pinch red chilli powder
1 pinch pepper powder
1 pinch jeera (cumin) powder
1 tsp chaat masala
1 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania /kothmir/cilantro)
salt to taste

METHOD

1.Wash & soak chana overnight .
2.Pressure cook till soft or tender salt .Take care not to overcook the chickpeas .
3.Add all the above ingredients and mix well.Garnish with coriander leaves,sprinkle some chaat masala and serve .
4.Chill thoroughly and serve.
5.You can make this salad early and store it in the fridge.
6.Serve the chat with hollowed tomatoes or onion slices for great presentation.

TIP
1.You can even use sprouted chickpeas to prepare this salad which will increase the nutritional value further.
2. You can add a more tangy taste to above salad by adding 1-2 tsp of date tamarind chutney to above salad & then garnish it with yellow shev & coriander

KURKURIT KARLYACHI (KARLI) BHAJI |CRISPY STIRFRY BITTERGOURD SABJI

 

I hardly liked karli /bittergourd /karela since childhood.But this version of kurkurit (crispy) karli prepared by mom the one which I managed to eat & started to like it.

 

Health benefits of Bitter gourd

• Very low in calories provides only 17 cal per 100g. The pods are rich in phytonutrients like dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants. 
• Bitter melon notably contains phyto-nutrient, polypeptide-P; a plant insulin known to lower blood sugar levels. In addition it also contain hypoglycemic agent called charantin. . Together, these compounds are thought to be responsible for reduction of blood sugar levels in the treatment of type-2 diabetes.
• Fresh pods are an excellent source of folates;   Folate helps reduce incidence of neural tube defects in pregnant mothers when taken during early pregnancy.
• Fresh bitter melon is an excellent source of vitamin-C (100g of raw pod provides about 140% of RDI). Vitamin-C, one of the powerful natural antioxidant, helps body scavenge deleterious free radicals one of the reasons for cancers development.
• The vegetable also an excellent source of health benefiting flavonoids such as b-carotene, a- carotene, lutein, zeaxanthins. It also contains good amount of vitamin A. These compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging, cancers and various disease processes.
• Bitter melon stimulates digestion and peristalsis which can be helpful in relieving indigestion and constipation problems.
• The vegetable is also good source of Niacin (vitamin B-3), Pantothenic acid (vit.B-5), Pyridoxine (vit.B-6) and minerals such as iron, zinc, potassium, manganese and magnesium.
• 
  
  Early laboratory tests suggest that compounds in bitter melon might be effective for treating HIV infection.

  

INGREDIENTS
2-3 medium bittergourd (karli)

1 chopped onion

1tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp cumin coriander powder

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp jaggery (gul)

1 tspn amchur/ tamarind (chinch)

salt as per taste

TEMPERING
Oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 pinch asafoetida

4-5 curry leaves

METHOD

1. Wash & Cut each bittergourd into 2 pieces and remove its seed by using spoon or small knife.
2. Cut into thin slices. Rub salt & turmeric to these pieces & keep them aside for atleast one hour.

 
4. Soak tamarind in a cup of water; add finely cut jaggery into it.
5. wash the slices thoroughly water & drain water completely
6. Heat oil in kadhai, When oil becomes hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing, turmeric powder,red chilli powder,cumin coriander powder, curry leaves,chopped onion.
7. Now add  bittergourd pieces into it . Now fry till it becomes golden brown for 10-15 minutes. Now add tamarind jaggery water,salt into it and stir finely for another 5 minutes.

TIP
 

 1.Once the bitter gourd becomes brown sprinkle 1-2 tsp of rice flour on the bhaji & mix it well for crispy bitter gourd.

 2.Also don't use water while preparing this bhaji as it will add to bitterness

3.Adjust the quantity of tamarind jaggery according to bitterness of bittergourd.

4. Cook this bhaji uncovered on a low flame so that it becomes crispy

VEGETABLE IDLI |TRICOLOUR MASALA IDLI | SOUTH INDIAN IDLI

Sounds interesting right. My mom used to  give this in my tiffin .Presenting her recipe. Only variation made here is adding chopped vegetables in the batter, which will enhance the taste of normal Idli.

The vegetables I have used are uncooked.  Further, chutney ingredients like ginger-garlic paste, mint leaves etc. could also be added to make it more spicy. This is a good option for kids tiffin as normally kids are a bit to eat these vegetables in the sabji form. A good option for mummys to try out for theie kids tiffin

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups  idli batter .Pls click here for soft-fluffy-idli-recipe

2 cups of finely chopped mix vegetables

(Carrot, green peas, capsicum,corn,beans )

1 tablespoon chopped coriander (kothmir/cilantro)

1- 2 finely chopped green chillies

1 tsp red chilli powder

Oil for greasing

Salt to taste

METHOD :

1. Take idli batter in a bowl
2. Add finely chopped vegetables (I have used green peas & carrot) coriander, green chillies and  salt to the mixture.
3. Sprinkle pinch of red chilli powder & twig of coriander
4. Grease idli mould (Idli patra) with oil and pour the mixture into it.
5. Pour 2-3 glass of water in a presure cooker.Place idli stand in cooker .
6. Steam the idlies for fifteen to twenty minutes in pressure cooker remove the whistle while steaming.
7. Once the Idlies are cooked, keep the mould aside for few minutes to cool down.
8. Gently take out the idlis from the mould with help of spoon
9. Serve hot with chutney

KACHYA KELYA CHE CUTLET |FASTING (UPWAS) RAW BANANA -PLAINTAIN CUTLET

I prepare this recipe normally during my husbands fast.

A good alternative to normal sabudana khicdi.

INGREDIENTS

2 Raw banana ( plaintain  / kachya cutlet)
1 boiled potato
1/4 cup soaked sago (sabudana)
3/4 cup upwas bhajani / rasgira flour /singhada flour ( fasting flour)
2-3 green chillies (coarsely crushed)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup roasted peanut powder (shegdana kut)
1 tsp jeera powder / 1tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
salt as per taste

METHOD

1. Peel the skin of raw banana & grate it on a grater & keep it immersed in water so that it doesnt turn black.

2.In a bowl smash boiled potato add  upwas bhajani / rasgira flour /singhada flour ( fasting flour), green chilies ,sugar salt,roasted peanut powder (shegdana kut),lemon juice,jeera powder,soaked sago.
3. Drain water from the grated bananas & add to above mixture mix well & make a dough.Add very little water only if required.

4. Next take a medium size ball & shape it in form of cutlets.

5. Heat non stick pan add 2-3 tsp ghee & spread it across the pan.
6. Place the cutlets & shallow fry till golden brown.

7.Turn the cutlets carefully with a spoon & cook til  the other side also turns golden brown.

8.Serve with yoghurt (dahi) & upwas-chutney

HYDERABADI EGG DUM BIRYANI | HYDERABADI DUM ANDA BIRIYANI

I learnt biryani preparation only after we came to hyderabad In JAN 2011.My first attempt was chicken dum biryani hyderbadi style which turned out to be superb...Now I have been making this regularly.

Now i wanted to try something different..So this idea of egg biryani stuck to my mind.I got this recipe from my apartment friend in madhapur.But unfortunately I had not made it for months even when the recipe was ready in my diary.

Last week I suddenly noticed my fridge was loaded with eggs.So the next idea that came to my mind was attempting this biryani which was simply fabulous...

.A big compliment from my husband....Another feather in my cap...........I served this with hyderabadi-mirchi-ka-salan onion rings & lemon wedges...presenting the recipe

Total Time: 1 hr
Serves: 4-5

INGREDIENTS
5 Eggs
1/3 – ½ cup Oil
2 large Onion sliced finely

MARINADE
1/2 cup Mint Leaves chopped
1/2 cup coriander leaves chopped
2-3 tsp ginger Garlic Paste
6 Green Chilies cut length wise
1 tomato grind to paste (optional)
½ tsp Chili Powder
½ tsp cumin coriander powder
½ tsp Biryani Masala (recipe given below,you can use readymade biryani powder too)
¼ tsp Garam Masala
¾ cup Yogurt
½ lime juice or 2-3 tbsp lime juice

1/3 cup Milk
Few strands of Saffron
2 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp cashew nuts & almonds

BIRYANI MASALA:
4 cloves
1/2 cinnamon stick
2 elaichi/cardamom
1/4 star anise
1/4 tsp shah jeera
5 pepper corns

RICE PREPARATION
 3 cups Rice
4-6 Cardamoms
3-4 Cloves
5 black pepper
½” Cinnamon
½ tsp Saha Jeera/Black Jeera/Caraway seeds
2 Bay Leaves
1 Biryani Flower
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 tbsp oil
3/4 tbsp salt
1/2 lime juice
2-3 sliced green chillies

METHOD:
1. Boil Eggs, peel and make some slits on it taking care not to cut the eggs or poke it with a fork or a knife.
2. Wash rice wash and soak in 4 cups of water. Ratio here is 1cup rice: 1 1/2 cup water. Add all the ingredients listed under  rice preparation. Soak the rice for 10-15 minutes.  till its half cooked.
Half Cook the rice in rice cooker or on a stove top.Strain the water and spread the rice on a large wide plate. Allow to cool.
3. Grind ginger garlic,mint,coriander,chilies & yoghurt to a paste in mixie
4. In a pan add all the oil, keeping aside 2 tbsp of for later use. Fry sliced onion until golden brown and remove ½ of the browned onions and keep it aside.Fry cashews & almonds till brown & keep it aside.
5. To the remaining onion, add mint, ginger garlic yoghurt paste prepared in step 3 and saute for a minute.Add chili powder, garam masala, biryani masala,coriander cumin powder,lemon juice,tomato paste,salt and boiled eggs. Cook until the spices are well coated to the eggs & oil starts to separate.
6. Add lime juice and half of the cilantro and mix well and turn of the heat.
7. Add saffron to milk and heat for a minute in the microwave.
8. Now we will arrage the biryani in layers.Take a wide sauce pan/vessel with a lid and grease the pan with oil & ghee.  Spread ½ the cooked rice in it. Sprinkle ghee, saffron milk, fried onions & fried cashew & almonds,chopped cilantro on top of rice.Transfer the egg mixture to the sauce pan to make the second layer. Follow this layer with the remaining rice. Sprinkle remaining ghee, saffron milk, fried onions & fried cashew & almonds and the remaining chopped cilantro.  Cover the pan with a well fitted lid.
9. . .Now, we need to seal the the  saucepan and make it air tight so that the steam doesn’t escape when we cook. In India, flour dough or a big cloth is used to seal the container and the cover together.Place a heavy weight( roliing board/skillet/presuure cooker/big kadhai) on the lid. Cook on medium high flame for 5 min
10.  Remove the vessel from fire and place a iron tawa (griddle) over low flame. Place back the sauce pan on the iron tawa and cook on low flame and cook biryani for 15 mts. Turn off heat and do not remove lid for 5 min.

11. Serve hot with your favorite raita or mirchi ka salan,onion rings & lemon wegdes.

TIPS
1.If you have time in hand you can marinate the boiled eggs with green paste(step3) & spices(chili powder, garam masala, biryani masala,coriander cumin powder) for 1 hr .Next add browned onion in oil & ghee mixture & add the marinated egg mixture with green paste & spices along with tomato & cook till eggs are coated well & oil separates .Lastly add lime juice ,cilantro & turn off the heat.
2. Use basmati rice or any long grain rice.Ratio for cooking rice is 1cup rice :1 1/2 cup water.
3.Use red/orange food colour if you do not have saffron

HYDERABADI CHICKEN BIRYANI | AUTHENTIC HYDERABADI CHICKEN DUM BIRYANI

Biryani is one of the most popular dishes in Hyderabad, India. I learnt biryani preparation recently when we shifted to hyderabad due to my husbands transfer

 Finally last weekend, I decided to make a delicious lunch for us.

There are two ways to prepare Hyderabadi Biryani. One is, precooked meat method and the other is raw meat method. In both the methods, meat and half cooked rice are arranged in layers, and cooked until the rice and the meat are fully cooked. For Chicken Biryani, I use the precooked method .

 To make Hyderabadi Biryani, the meat and the rice are cooked in an air tight pot on very low flame, so that the rice is cooked in the flavors of meat and gets the aroma of the meat. The meat gets the direct heat from the flame and the rice is cooked with steam generated by the air tight method of cooking, also known as Dum method. It is a lengthy process but the taste is worth going thru the elaborate process.

Ingredients:

MARINADE

400 gms Chicken cut up into 2” pieces/ 4-5 chicken drumsticks

½ cup Yogurt

1 1/2 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste

2 – 3 tsp Chili Powder

2 tsp Coriander Powder

12 small Chilies split into two

1 cup chopped Mint Leaves

1 cup chopped Cilantro

½ tsp Turmeric

Juice of 1 lime

Salt to taste

GARAM  MASALA POWDER

10 Pepper Corns(kalimiri)

10 Cloves(lavang)

½ tsp Cardamom Seeds(elaichi)

½ tsp Sahajeera or Black Cumin

1” Cinnamon Stick(dalchini)

1 Large Onion sliced

1 cup Oil

½ tsp of saffron strands

½ cup milk
1 tspn cashew & almond

RICE PREPARATION

3 cups Basmati Rice soaked for 30 minutes

6 Cardamoms

3 Cloves

2 Bay Leaves

1 Bay Flower or Biryani Flower

1 tsp Sahajeera

½ tsp Ginger Garlic Paste

1 tbsp of Oil

First Full of Salt

  

METHOD:

1.Clean the chicken and cut it into 2” pieces. Wash the chicken and squeeze all the water from it. This is very important that you squeeze all the water away from the pieces or put it a colander to let water drain away.
2. Grind all the ingredients listed under biryani masala to a fine powder.You can even use readymade biryani masala.
3. Mix all the ingredients of the marinade and marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight in the fridge.
4. In pan heat oil and fry the onions & cashew almonds until light golden brown.& keep aside. Soak saffron in hot milk.
6. In a big pot bring water t
5.In the same oil add the marinated chicken mixture & cook covered with lid till the chicken is almost cooked.o a boil, add all the spices for boiling rice and mix well.
7. Add rice and continue to cook until you get a one good boil, i.e rice should roll over with boiling water.  Drain the rice and keep aside. 

8.Now its time to arrange chicken and rice in layers, one layer of chicken and two layers of rice. In a heavy bottom sauce pan, pour ½ the oil at the bottom, arrange the chicken pieces and sprinkle some oil on top of the chicken.
9. Arrange ½ the boiled rice on the chicken pieces, sprinkle some oil, ½ the fried onions and ½ the saffron milk,1/2 fried cashew almonds.
10.Repeat the above step for the last layer, I.e, arrange the last layer of rice. Spread the rest of the rice, sprinkle all the oil, fried onions,fried cashew almonds and the saffron milk.
11. Now, we need to seal the the container and make it air tight so that the steam doesn’t escape when we cook. In India, flour dough or a big cloth is used to seal the container and the cover together.
12.Put a heavy object (motor pesto or heavy pan or skillet) on the top of the container, so that the steam doesn’t escape easily. Cook for 10 min on high flame.
 Remove the saucepan from fire and place a iron tawa (griddle) over low flame. Place back the sauce pan on the iron tawa and cook on low flame and cook biryani for 15-20 mts. Turn off heat and do not remove lid for 10 min.
13. Mix the rice ,garnish with chopped coriander and serve it hot with raita or mirchi ka salan.

TIPS

1. Usually saffron is used for the biryani, which gives a beautiful color. Substitute saffron with red/orange food colour.

2. The dough is made by mixing 1 cup flour with water (I used wheat flour). I keep the pan on a tava to give it two layers of thickness..
3. I add 1 and 1/2 cup water for 1 cup rice while cooking rice instead of adding more water and draining it as done traditioanlly. Adding less water and cooking till water is absorbed, avoids overcooking of rice and also, since water is not drained out, all the spices/ghee used remains with the rice.

KOLHAPURI MISAL RECIPE |KOLHAPURI MISAL PAV - Maharashtrian recipe

 Misal mean mixture. It’s hot, delicious– the true test of a genuine misal. The ingredients, which basically comprise an Usal made from matki/moth beans, Tarri /Katt (the spicy curry) and the garnish of shev, chiwda, farsan, onions, fresh coriander arranged in three layers and served with a wedge of lemon. Basically It is very spicy, so you can have curd with it.Misal is very famous in the entire state of Maharashtra. Misal is very spicy hot and served with pav (Buns).
Misal Pav is certainly not a ‘junk’ food. If made with all the proper ingredients, it’s zesty, healthy, nourishing snack. It's a real fiiler, this is one breakfast you must not miss. There are different types of Misal in Maharashtra like… Kolhapuri Misal, Khandeshi Misal, Puneri Misal, Mamledar Misal, Dahi Misal .
I remember eating mamledar misal in thane at my mausis place.She used to get along this famous mamledar misal parcel in evening  & I used to enjoy this along with my cousins.We also used to enjoy misal at gokhale hotel in thane....My mausi used to prepare this misal even at home.Presenting the recipe learnt from her.

INGREDIENTS

For Usal
Matki (Moth beans) - 1 cup
Chopped onion - 1 medium
Red chilly powder - 1 teaspoon
Goda masala (or garam Masala) - 1 Teaspoon
curry leaves - 5-6
Salt to taste
Tempering -
Oil - 1 Table spoon
Mustard seeds (Rai) - 1/2 tea spoon
Turmeric Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Asafetida powder(hing) - 1 Pinch

For Tarri /Kaat

Sliced onion - 1 medium
Chopped tomato - 1 small
Garlic cloves - 5-6
1/2 tbl spn cumin seeds,
1/2 tbl spn coriander seeds
1/4 tbl spn sesame,
3-4 pepper corns
1.5" cinnamon stick
Ginger - 1 inch
Grated dry coconut - 3 table spoon
Red chilly powder - 1 table spoon
Kala masala (goda masala) powder - 1 tea spoon
Kanda lasun masala - 1 tea spoon (optional)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tea spoon
Sugar - 1/2 tea spoon
Oil - 5 table spoon
Salt to taste

For Garnishing

Boiled mashed potato - 2
Farasan - 1 Cup
Thick Sev - 1 Cup
Finely chopped onion - 1 Mediun
Chopped Coriander leaves - 3 table spoon
Lemon - 1

METHOD

For Usal
1.Wash Matki and keep it in a large bowl. Add 2 cups of water and .
2. Soak the seeds for about 10 hours. Next drain out water  next morning, rinse it with fresh water and again drain it. Now keep it covered in a warm place for 8-10 hrs or else tie it tightly in a smooth cotton cloth for 8- 10 hrs so that the matki will sprout.
3. In a kadai heat oil, put hing, mustard seeds,curry leaves, turmeric powder. Add chopped onion and saute it for two minutes. Add sprouted matki, red chilly powder, goda masala and salt. Pour some water and cook covered with lead till matki gets cooked.Add more water if needed. Usal is ready.


For Tarri
1.Fry onion, coconut, garlic, ginger and tomato in little oil separately till onion & coconut is browned. Cool it for some time. Grind to a fine paste in mixer.
 2.Dry roast , sesame,coriander seeeds,black pepper, cumin seeds, cloves and cinammon. keep aside.grind it to powder once they cool.
3.Combine the paste &  powder & mix well or grind both in a mixie & keep aside.
4 .Now in another pan, heat oil then add sugar (for the red oily layer on gravy), Turmeric powder,half of red  chilli powder and immediately add grinded paste, kala masala , kanda lasun masala (optional) and salt. Saute it for 2 minutes .
 Now you will feel nice aroma. Pour 3 cups of hot water so that taste of the gravy will remain same . Bring it to boil for 2 minutes. The Tarri is ready.
5 .Heat 2 tbsp oil once it is hot switch off gas & after 1 minute add remaining red chilli powder & pour this mixture on top of the tarri/cut for the red oily layer


Serving Misal Pav
1. Take a Large Bowl, Add 2 table spoon matki usal, Pour tarri on it. Then add 2 table spoon of farsan, 2 table spoon Sev ,boiled potatoes,1 Table spoon chopped onion, Chopped coriander, a wedge of lemon & fresh curd. Serve it with Pav.
2.But I  prefer to give every thing in separate bowls so that every one can mix all the items according to their tastes.
3.Serve misal with pav (bun).

TIPS

1.Adjust the spices while making tarri/kaat depending on your taste .If you prefer less spicy version simply add chilli powder,kala masala & kandalasun masala to onion coconut paste & you can skip adding ground spices.
2. Replace lemon with dahi( yoghurt).
3. Use normal bread if you dont get pav.