Dosakaya(Cucumber) Chutney

I picked up this vegetable from an Indian grocery store and was wondering how to cook it.I happened to browse few recipes using this vegetable and tried this quick recipe and from then on,this has been added to the regular veggies list.

This is a very quick , easy and tasty recipe .It is tangy to taste and can be served  with rice or roti as side.I always have it in my refrigerator and use it on those days when i am lazy to cook a vegetable or when i don't have any vegetables left in my pantry.

This recipe has been adapted from vah-re-vah cooking video on youtube Dosakaya pacchadi .

Ingredients

ToGrind

- 2 medium sized cucumbers(peeled,de-seeded,and cut into small chunks)

- 4 green chillies(as per your taste)

- Salt to taste

- 4 cloves of garlic(cut into pieces)

- lemon sized tamarind(washed and soaked in little water say 3 Tbsp)

- 1 tsp cumin seeds

Tempering

- 1 Tbsp oil

- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds

- pinch of asafoetida/hing

- 1 tsp urad dal

- 4-5 curry leaves(chopped)

Recipe 

- Grind all the ingredients under the title "ToGrind" (It needn't be ground to a fine paste,few chunks left gives a great texture)

- Heat oil in a small pan and add the remaining  ingredients under "Tempering" one by one.

- Now pour the tempering prepared in the above step to the ground mixture of cucumber.

- Mix it well.

Notes : Sometimes i also add few drops of lemon juice as i like it extra tangy.

Coconut Rice

Coconut Rice is a very flavorful and festive dish.By festive,i mean it is cooked and offered to God during Indian festivals in most of the households.Well my mom never made this dish neither was i aware of this fact until i visited a friends house for Ganesh Chaturti and she offered me this dish as prasad.This is a very simple dish yet its so flavorful and tasty.

Ingredients

- 1 cup long grain rice/any rice(soak it in water for 20 minutes and cook it so that grains are separate)
- 1 cup freshly grated coconut/defrosted grated coconut
- 1 Tbsp urad dal
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 4 green chillies(as per your taste)
- 2 dried red chillies
- 1 Tbsp groundnuts/peanuts
- 1 Tbsp cashew nuts(optional)
- 1 strand curry leaves(approx 10 leaves)
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp cumin/zeera seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- pinch of hing/asafoetida

Recipe

- Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds/cumin seeds.Wait till the seeds splutter and add green chillies,red chillies,hing,peanuts and cashew nuts into the oil and saute them for 2-3 minutes.Now add urad dal,curry leaves and saute them altogether for another 2 minutes.
- Add the grated coconut and saute for another 3 minutes.
- Now add the rice,salt to the pan and mix all the contents well.
- Cover it with a lid and cook on low flame for 5 minutes.
- Serve hot

Perfect Shrimp(Prawn) Biryani(step by step recipe)

When you hear the word biryani,you only think of either chicken or mutton biryani,however seafood biryanis are equally great to taste and amongst them shrimp biryani is our family favorite.I cook it occasionally.I find it super easy and quick to make when i run out of time on any special occasion or when i have friends visiting my place.
My mom who has never been an fan of shrimp or cooked them much loved then recipe and became an instant fan of shrimp.So all those folks who don't like seafood or shrimp must try this recipe,and i promise you will love it :-)

shrimp biryani

Ingredients

- 3 cups basmati rice (I found India Gate Basmati rice as the best for biryanis)
- water to cook rice(atleast 8 cups)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- whole garam masala(2 cardamom,2 cinnamon sticks,3 bay leaves,2-3 cloves,4-5 whole black peppercons)
- 1/2 cup mint leaves finely chopped
- 1/2 cup coriander leaves finely chopped
- 1/2 cup fried onions(if you dont have this,cut 1 onion lengthwise and fry them in some oil till they turn completely brown)
- 3 Tbsp biryani masala(i use shan bombay biryani masala)
- 1 large tomato thinly sliced
- 1 large onion thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup yogurt
- 4 green chillies

Marinade
- 1.5 lb jumbo shrimp peeled,de-veined(atleast 20-25 pieces)
- salt to taste
- 3 tsp chilli powder(as per your taste)
- 1 Tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 2 Tbsp oil
- juice of one lemon

Recipe

Step 1 :
Wash the shrimp pieces thoroughly and drain all the water.Mix all the ingredients under "Marinade" and marinate it in an airtight/closed container for atleast 15 minutes or up to 1 hour in a refrigerator

Step 2:
Soak the basmati rice in lots of water for atleast 30 minutes.

Step 3:
Drain the water from the rice,cook the rice in a large pan with lots of water.Add salt,cumin seeds,whole garam masala to the boiling water.Make sure the rice is 70% cooked,it should be slightly hard when you feel it.Drain all the water and it aside.

Step 4:
 Heat oil in a wide nonstick pan.Add the marinated shrimp and shallow fry them on each side for 5 minutes.Remove the shrimp from the pan.

Step 5 :
To the same pan add the green chillies, onions and fry them till they run translucent.Now add the tomatoes and cook them till well done.Add yogurt,biryani masala and cook till it forms a thick paste.

Step 6 :
 Reduce the flame to low,cover the thick gravy in the pan with the rice and layer it with the fried shrimp.Sprinkle some biryani masala/whole garam masala , fried onions,mint leaves,coriander leaves and lemon juice over the rice.

Tip : To get some yellowish color,warm 2 Tbsp milk and add saffron to it.If you dont have saffron ,add a pinch of turmeric to the milk.sprinkle this milk over the rice.

Step 7:
Place the pan on the stove,cover it with an airtight lid and cook on low flame for 10-15 minutes.Mix the biryani before serving from bottom to top.

Most simple recipe for Chicken Biryani (Hyderabadi)

This is a very easy and a no fail recipe for a yummy hyderabadi chicken biryani which each of you must try out in your kitchen.
I am sure everyone might feel lazy to cook biryani as many of the recipes call for long duration and are a many step process.
However i have always loved making this biryani as its so simple to make and yet tastes so delicious

All it takes is to marinate chicken with lots of aromatic spices ,cook rice,layer them and recook .
Lets see what are the steps to cook this recipe.Ingredients follow.

Ingredients

- 3.5 cups basmati rice (I found India Gate Basmati rice as the best for biryanis)
- water to cook rice(atleast 8 cups)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- whole garam masala(2 cardamom,2 cinnamon sticks,3 bay leaves,2-3 cloves,4-5 whole black peppercons)
- 1/2 cup mint leaves finely chopped
- 1/2 cup coriander leaves finely chopped
- 1/2 cup fried onions(if you dont have this,cut 1 onion lengthwise and fry them in some oil till they turn completely brown)

Marinade
- 1 whole chicken cut into small pieces(go for bone in verses boneless)
- salt to tase
- 3 Tbsp biryani masala(i use shan bombay biryani masala)
- 1/4 cup yogurt
- 3 tsp chilli powder(as per your taste)
- 1 Tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 4 green chillies
- 2 Tbsp oil
- juice of one lemon
- 1/2 cup mint leaves finely chopped
- 1/2 cup coriander leaves finely chopped


Recipe

Step 1 :
Wash the chicken pieces thoroughly and drain all the water.Mix all the ingredients under "Marinade" and marinate it in an airtight/closed container for atleast 2 hours or overnight in a refregirator

Step 2:
Soak the basmati rice in lots of water for atleast 30 minutes.

Step 3:
Drain the water from the rice,cook the rice in a large pan with lots of water.Add salt,cumin seeds,whole garam masala to the boiling water.Make sure the rice is half cooked,it should be slightly hard when you feel it.Drain all the water and it aside.

Step 4: Take a wide nonstick pan.Place the marinated chicken on to the pan and spread evenly.
Now spread the half cooked rice over the chicken and layer it evenly.
Sprinkle some biryani masala/whole garam masala , fried onions,mint leaves,coriander leaves and lemon juice over the rice.

Tip : To get some yellowish color,warm 2 Tbsp milk and add saffron to it.If you dont have saffron ,add a pinch of turmeric to the milk.sprinkle this milk over the rice.

Step 5: Place the pan on the stove,cover it with an airtight lid and cook on medium flame for 25 minutes,now reduce the flame to low and cook for another 10 minutes .Increase the flame to high and cook for another 5 mins.Put of the flame and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
Mix the biryani before serving from bottom to top.

Tori aur lobia ka Mel

Tori ya Ridgegaurd or beerakaya is? Was one of my least favorite vegetable.My husband never liked it either until I made t his recipe.
I fell in love with this vegetable when I first tasted it in India which was made by aunt.
Ever since I cook it regularly and is now a favorite of my husband as well.
Well that is because of the mystery ingredient lobia or black eyed peas.
So all those folks who hate tori gotto try this combo and share your views.

Ingredients

- 3 medium sized tori sliced into small cubes
- 1 cup lobia soaked over night
- 3 green chillies
- salt as required
-  1/4 tsp turmeric power
- 1/4 cup methi leaves ( optional)
- corriander leaves for garnishing
- 1/2 tsp each cumin, mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- few curry leaves
- 1 Tbsp oil

Recipe

- Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard, cumin seeds and let them crackle.
- Now add methi leaves ,green chillies,curry leaves, turmeric powder and fry for a min
- Add tori cubes and mix all ingredients well.Mix. in the lobia and fry them for 2-4 mins
- Add salt, chilli powder and mix well.
- Cover it with a lid and cook for 20 mins by stirring in between or until done.

Gobi ke gutke(spicy cauliflower fry)

This is similar to aalo gutke. I just replaced aalo with gobi(cauliflower).
It is a very quick and simple way of cooking cauliflower.This can be served with rotis or rice.

Ingredients
- 2 cups cauliflower florets (1 medium cauliflower)
- 3 garlic pods minced
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- pinch of asafetida
- 2 tbsp oil

Masala
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala/Chana masala powder
- 1/4 tsp amchur powder(dry mango powder)
- salt per taste

Recipe

- Heat the oil in a wide nonstick pan and add asafetida ,cumin seeds to it.
- Once the cumin splutters,add minced garlic and fry for a minute
- Mix all the ingredients under masala with some water and make a thin paste
- Add the masala from the above step into the pan and fry for 2 mins
- Now add the cauliflower florets to the pan and mix them well until each one coats with the spices
- cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes or until well done on a slow flame.

Tomato Paneer pulao

I just made this accidentally as I was lazy to cook a full meal and to my surprise this has bagged a place on my husbands favorite dishes list :)
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice
- 1 cup water
- 2 medium tomatoes finely chopped
- 1/2 large onion finely chopped
- 3 green chillies
- 2 red chillies (optional)
- 1 tbsp ghee/butter/oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 8-10 paneer cubes (upto you as to how much u wanna add)
- 1 tsp kasturi methi
- salt per taste
Recipe
- Heat the ghee/oil/butter in a pressure cooker
- once the ghee is hot add cumin seeds and wait till they splutter.Now add green chillies, red chillies and fry for another minute.Add onion, bay leaf, coriander powder and fry for two minutes
- Once the onions are well cooked, add paneer cubes and fry for 3 mins.Now add tomatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes untill the tomatoes are completely cooked and form a thick gravy
- Add kasturi methi powder and cook for a minute
- Add rice and fry for another 3 minutes.add salt and water.
- Cover the pressure cooker with a lid and cook up to 3 whistles.
- Open the lid once the pressure has escaped and serve

Chintalian Noodles(Chinese Noodles with Pasta)

My husband loves chinese and i have always failed to master cooking chinese dishes with those egg noodles.
Egg noodles are not only complex to handle but also have lots of calories and fat. They tend to get sticky and mushy if they are not prepared properly.
Hence i have discovered an alternative to solve this problem.I have replaced the egg noodles with spaghetti(italian pasta).I normally use high fiber whole grain pasta which makes it a healthier recipe.

Ingredients
- Spaghetti - as required
- mixed vegetables (beans,cabbage,carrot,capsicum)
- spring onions(green onions)
- lemon juice - 1 TSP
- tomato ketchup - 1TSP
- Chings schezwan sauce -1 TSP
- salt to taste
- Oil - 1 TSP
- soya sauce - 1/4 TSP

Chinese Sauce :
- Mix tomato ketchup,schezwan sauce,half lemon juice in a bowl.

Recipe

Boil lots of water in a big pan.Drop the spaghetti noodles and some salt as required.Let the spaghetti cook until al dente .

Chop all mixed vegetables into thin long slices .Add the oil into a pan and Saute the finely chopped mixed vegetables covered for 5 mins.
Now remove the lid and add some soya sauce and salt to the vegetables.Add the chinese sauce prepared earlier and mix all ingredients well.

Drain the cooked pasta properly and mix it with the prepared chinese veggies .Cover the pan with a lid and heat it for 5 minutes.Turn off the heat ,garnish it with finely chopped spring/green onions

A healthy and tasty Chinese noodles with italian pasta is ready for you

Dal Makhani

******Dal Makhani/Maa ki Dal******

Utterly butterly delicious Dal Makhani! This dish is my personal favorite of all Dal's or Lentils because of its creamy taste and also its nutritional value.This aromatic mildly spicy dish is prepared by a combination of Kidney Beans(Rajma) and Urad dal ,both of which are a high source of Protein and fiber.

How many of you out there might have craved to eat this awesome dish and failed to make it so yummy?I am sure there are plenty.So was i many a times.Finally i have zeroed down to the below recipe after trying it multiple times.YOU gotto try this and i am not gonna make you FAIL this time baby!

I will have to specially thank papa (my father in law) for bringing us this organic urad dal from a tiny village in the Himalayas.I feel sorry sometimes that we have multiplied into such a huge population and it makes it difficult to produce organic food to meet the demand vs supply.

Ingredients

Urad dal - 2 cups

Rajma(kidney beans) - 3/4 cup

chana dal - 1/4 cup (optional)

large onion - 1

medium tomatoes - 2

tomato puree/paste - 1 tsp

ginger/garlic paste - 1/2 tsp

oil - 3 tsp

cumin(zeera) - 1/2 tsp

milk/heavy cream - 1/2 cup

Butter - 2 tsp

salt - as required

green chillies - 4-5

chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Method

Combine all dal's and soak them overnight. Add 1tsp of salt and boil the mixture with atleast 9 cups of water for 25-30 mins on a medium flame. In a separate pan,heat the oil,add zeera and wait until it splutters.Now add green chillies and ginger garlic paste .Chop the onions as small as you can and fry the onions until they become brown.Now add chopped tomato and cook it till it becomes soft and forms a paste.Add the tomato puree to this mixture and cook it for 5 more minutes.Transfer the boiled dal into this pan and add water if required. Close the lid and cook it on a medium flame for another 15 minutes.

Now add milk or heavy cream and butter to the dal and mix well.Heat this mix on a medium flame for 10 minutes and now reduce the flame to low.Let the dal simmer for another 20 minutes.Keep stirring it in between.Finally after its complete,you can garnish it with some fresh coriander leaves and some heavy cream