Vegetable Biryani

I wanted to prepare a rich and tasty vegetable biryani for my husband for a sunday lunch. This is how the biryani came up.

Ingredients:

2 cups of basmati rice
1 sp of saffron
Cloves-4
Bayleaf-1
cardamom-4
Fried onions-1 cup
1 sp of Cumin seeds
5-6 red chillies
1 sp of Coreander seeds
Turmeric powder- 1/2 sp

Capsicum curry

While you are in no mood to cook or dont have any stock of vegetables for a gravy...probably you can the try the below mentioned easy to cook gravy.


Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Capsicum Curry Ingredients
Onions - 2
Tomatoes - 3
Chilli powder - 2 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 2 teaspoon
Garam Masala - 1/2 teaspoon
Capsicum - 4-5
Cinnamon -2 pieces
Cloves - pieces
Oil - 2 tablespoon
Salt - to taste



Capsicum Curry Preparing Method
1. Grind the onions and the tomatoes
2. Cut the capsicum into pieces (bigger)
3. Heat 1 table spoon oil in a pan and fry the capsicum in a medium flame until it is half cooked
4. Then remove the capsicum from the pan and in the same pan add 1 teaspoon of oil
5. Add cinnamon and cloves. When they splutter add the tomato onion paste. Let it cook until the oil separates
6. Now add the chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and salt
7. Mix them properly and add the capsicum to it. When the capsicum gets cooked ( 5-10 min), Capsicum curry is ready to serve.

Mushroom Gravy

I never use to keep mushroom gravy for chapathis. But while in market i saw fresh pure mushrooms and was very much tempted to get them. This is how the below mentioned mushroom gravy was invented by me.

Ingredients
•set 1:
•400gms of button mushroom
•2tbsp of butter
•1tsp ginger garlic paste
•1 tsp pepper
•salt
•set 2:
•4 tbsp of cashews
•4cloves
•1inch cinnamon stick
•2 cardamom
•8 peppercorns
•set 3:
•1 cup of fresh cream
•8 tbsp of kasuri methi
•2 tsp red chilly powder
•1 tsp of garam masala
•a pinch of amchoor
•salt to taste
•1 cup of boiled peas
•4 onions ground into a paste
•1 cup of milk
•6tbsp oil

Directions
1.step 1:
2.Trim the stem of mushrooms.. cut into two(if big) soak in hot salted water for ten minutes.
3.Heat butter. Fry the mushrooms till golden brown
4.Add ginger garlic paste, salt n pepper. Fry for one more minute and keep aside.
5.step 2:
6.Grind set 2 ingredients into a powder.
7.step 3:
8.Heat oil. Add onion paste and fry till oil seperates. Do not make it brown.
9.Add the step 2 powder.Fry for two minutes.
10.Add kasuri methi and cream. Fry till it dries.
11.Add red chilly powder,garam masala, salt and amchoor
12.Add fried mushrooms and boiled peas. Cook for few minutes
13.If u want a thick gravy add a cup of milk. If its too thick u can add some water.
14.Let it boil for five minutes. Serve hot.

Babycorn Gravy

This is a crunchy gravy giving a rich taste of babycorns.

Ingredients:

•Baby corn- 4
•Capsicum- 1
•Lemon juice- 1/2
•Onion- 1
•Tomato puree-2
•Ginger Garlic paste- 1 tsp
•Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
•Milk- 1/4 cup
•Oil and salt- as required
Fry and Grind:

•Cinnamon- a small piece
•Cloves-1
•Cardamom- 1/2
•Bay leaf- 1/4
•Coriander seeds- 1 spoon
•Red chili- 2
•Cumin seeds- a pinch
•Fennel seeds- a pinch
•Pepper corns- 4 or 5
Recipe:

1.Cut Onion, Capsicum and Baby corn. Keep aside.
2.Heat Oil in a pan and add Capsicum, saute till it turns soft or for 3 min.
3.Cook the cut baby corn in 2 cups of water with salt and lemon juice for 2 to 3 min. Then drain the Water.

4.Heat Oil in a pan. Add boiled Baby corns and fry for 5 minutes in low flame. Keep this aside.
5.Fry Cinnamon, Cloves, Cardamom, Bay leaf, Coriander seeds, Red chili, Cumin seeds,Fennel seeds and Pepper corns without any Oil. Fry till it turns dark in color or for 30 sec in low flame.
6.Dry grind all the fried ingredients without Water.
7.Heat Oil in a pan. Add ground items, Onion, Ginger Garlic paste and fry till Onion turns into light brown in color.
8.Then add Tomato puree and Turmeric powder, fry till it becomes dark in color.
9.Add a cup of water, fried Baby corns and Capsicum, cook for 3 minutes.
10.Finally add Milk and cook till it turns dry.

Jeera Rice And Dhal Tadka

Here is a beautiful combination of jeera rice and dhal tadka. These both go on hands as the best combination.
This is one of the favourite choice of food of my husband.


Jeera Rice:

Ingredients:
3 spoon ghee
1 spoon oil
1 spoon mustard seeds
Handfull of curry leaves
1 spoon cumin seeds
1 clove garlic
1 big onion
Bay leaf
4-5 green chillies
5-6 pepper balls
Salt to taste

Instructions:

Add the ghee in a pressure pan and allow the mustard seeds to splinker on.
To this add all the above ingrediants.And allow it to fry for a minute.
Add 1 and half cup of rice.
Add 2 cups of water and 1 cup of coconut milk(optional). Add salt to taste.

                                             

Cook on medium flame for 12-15 minutes.
Garnish with curry leaves.

For a greater appeal you can once again fry cumin seeds in oil and pour it over the already garnished rice.

Dhal Tadka:

Ingredieants:

Channal Dhal 1/3rd cup
Toor Dhal 1/3rd cup
Moong Dhal 1/3rd cup
The dhals should be soaked for 30 minutes. May be you can soak the channa dhal for more hours so that it well come more smashed while cooking.
3 spoon oil
1 spoon mustard seeds
Handful of curry leaves
3-4 green chillies
2 red chillies
1 clove of garlic-minced
1 spoon of minced ginger
1 spoon Garam masala
1 spoon paprika
1/2 spoon turmeric powder
1 spoon coriander powder
Salt to taste

                                                                  

Instructions:

Splinker the mustard seeds in oil for a second.
Add in all the above ingrediants except dhals and fry in for a minute.
Add the dhals and allow it to boil for some 15 minutes in medium flame.

The gravy will come thick as we have added channa dhal.
Garnish with curry leaves and squeeze half a lime before serving.

You can have pappads along with this rice and gravy.
Enjoy the meal.

Badam Cake

One evening i got very bored when my son fell asleep. Then i thought of keeping me occupied till he wakes up. Only then i tried this following dessert. This one called as Badam cake came out very well...and you know what..i was able to give a rich snack for my son when he woke up and he enjoyed showing a yummy yummy face.

Ingredients:

1 cup Almonds
2 cups Sugar
1/2 cup Ghee
1/2 pinch Saffron
1 tbsp Milk

Instructions:
1. Soak almonds in warm water and peel the skin.
2. Grind the almonds using milk to make paste.
3. To this paste add the sugar and 2 tsp ghee and heat this mixture in a heavy non-stick pan.
4. Keep adding the rest of the ghee, Keep stirring.
5. Once it reaches a layered consistency, pour it onto a greased plate, spread the mixture, allow it to cool and cut into desired shapes.

Serve it after the dessert gets a little cold.

Paneer Butter Masala

My son is very fond of paneers..So i use to make him the following paneer recipe.
Goes well with rotis or chapathis.

Ingredients:
1 Cup - Paneer (cut into cubes)
1 No - Onion (chopped)
1 No - Large Tomato
10 No - Cashews
4 Tbsp - Cream
1 Tsp - Cumin seeds
1 Tsp - G/G Paste
1 Tbsp - Red chilly powder
1 /2 Tsp - Turmeric powder
1 Tsp - Garam masala
1 Tsp - Coriander powder
1 Tbsp - Kasturi Methi
2 Tbsp - Butter
Salt - to taste.
Method:
Grind tomato and cashew nuts together and set aside.
Heat butter in a kadai and fry the cubed paneer.
When the paneer is golden brown remove it from the kadai and set aside.
(Frying the paneer makes it crisp and enhances the flavor, you can avoid frying if you like the paneer to be soft)
Add Cumin seeds to the heated butter.
When the cumin seeds pop add the chopped onion and saute.
When the onion browns add the G/G paste,tomato-cashew paste, salt,garam masala, chilly powder,coriander powder,turmeric powder and stir well adding water as necessary.
cover and cook for 5 minutes and add cream, paneer and kasturi methi.
Cook for another minute and serve.