Pages

Monday, November 25, 2013

Quick Egg Curry for Chapathi / Muttai Kurma


Muttai Kurma
Ingredients
Boiled eggs – 6 nos
Onion chopped – 2 nos
Tomato chopped – 1 no
Curry leaves – few
Ginger and garlic paste – 2 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1 and ½ tsp
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Cumin powder – ½ tsp
Coriander powder – 2 tsp
Fennel powder – 1 tsp
Grated coconut -1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Oil – 4 tbsp
Cinnamon stick – 1” piece
Cloves – 2 nos
Cardamom – 2 nos
Egg Curry for Chapathi
Method
1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan add cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, chopped onion, ginger & garlic paste, chopped tomato, curry leaves, red chilli powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and fennel powder, sauté everything on low heat for 6 to 7 mins until all the spices, onions are cooked and oil oozes on the sides of pan.
2. Remove pan from heat, allow the tomato and onion mixture to cool and grind this mixture along with grated coconut until smooth paste.
3. Add the ground masala paste to the same pan, return to heat, season with salt and add required water to loosen the gravy.
4. Bring the gravy to boil, add the boiled eggs to the gravy and simmer for few  more minutes.
5. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Biryani Raita / Vengaya Pachadi / Onion Raita

Biryani Raita
Ingredients
Minced onion – 2 nos
Tomato chopped ( seed and pulp removed) – 1 no
Thick curd / yoghurt – 1 cup
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves chopped – 1 tbsp
Onion and Tomato Raita
Method

1.     In a bowl combine all the ingredients, mix well and serve.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Whole Wheat Naan - Healthy Naan Recipe


Whole Wheat Naan
Ingredients
Whole wheat flour / Atta flour - 4 cups
Thick Curd - 4 tbsp
Warm milk - 1/2 cup
Dry yeast - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Water if required
Garnish: Butter, Chopped garlic, Chopped coriander, Sesame seeds etc to spread over Naan
Naan with Atta Flour
Method
In a bowl add yeast & sugar to warm milk and mix well.
Cover the bowl and set aside to rest until the yeast in milk ferments and becomes frothy.
In a large bowl add flour, salt, curd and fermented milk. 
Mix the flour and knead dough well for 7 mins until dough becomes soft. 
Cover the dough in the bowl with damp cloth and set aside for atleast 4 hours or until the dough to raise & double in size. 
Once naan dough doubles in size divide the dough into equal sized balls. 
Roll the dough into oval triangular shapes.( to get the oval triangular shape of naan, first roll the dough in oval shape then at one oval end roll the dough in opposite direction so that one end gets wider and other end gets narrow). 
Pre-heat oven to 180C to 200C depending on your oven, place the rolled naan on greased cookie sheet.
Place the cookie sheet in the top rack of the oven and bake for 3 mins on each side or until golden bubbles appear on top of naan.
Transfer the baked naan to a plate and generously spread butter on top on hot naan. 
Serve hot butter naan with palak paneer, butter chicken etc.

Tips
While finally rolling out naan sprinkle chopped garlic and coriander for garlic naan or sprinkle chopped dried fruits and nuts for Kashmiri naan or sprinkle some sesame seeds to keep it humble.

Indian Style Empanadas


Indian Style Empanadas
I adapted the empanadas dough recipe from here laylita.com since dough making details are already given in the link I just go ahead with potato stuffing.

Potato and pea stuffing ingredients
Potato ( boiled, peeled and diced into cubes) – 2 nos
Dried green peas ( soaked overnight and cooked) – 1 cup
Red chilli powder – 1 and ¼ tsp
Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves ( chopped) – few
Oil – 1 tsp
Potato Empanadas
Method
1. Prepare the empanadas dough and set aside.
2. To make filling. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, curry leaves and when they crackle add  boiled potatoes, peas, red chilli powder, garam masala powder and salt. Stir well until everything is mixed well and potatoes are slightly mashed. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Roll out empanadas dough into small discs like making puris, spoon pea and potato filling onto each disc and seal the edges. Bake in pre-heated 200c oven for about 15 to 20 mins depending on your oven settings.

4. Serve hot.
Empanadas Recipe

Friday, November 22, 2013

Indian Egg Rolls with Curried Chicken

Egg Rolls with Curried Chicken
Ingredients for eggs
Eggs – 4 nos
Red chilli powder – ¼ tsp
Salt to taste
Oil to make egg wraps

Ingredients for stuffing
Boneless chicken ( cut into tiny bites) -250 gms
Celery ( chopped) – 1 cup
Tomato chopped ( remove the seed and pulp) – 1 no
Capsicum chopped – 1 no
Red Chilli sauce – 2 tsp
Tomato sauce – 1 tsp
Curry powder -  1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil – 2 tsp
Egg Wraps
Method
1. To make chicken filling. Heat oil in a pan, when oil is hot add celery,   capsicum and sauté for few seconds. Next add chicken pieces, sauté until chicken turns white in color.
2. Now add the chopped tomato, red chilli sauce, tomato sauce, curry powder and required salt, stir fry for a minute. Sprinkle some water to the pan, stir well, cover the pan and cook chicken on low heat for 5 mins. 3. When the chicken is cooked increase the heat and cook chicken filling until dry.
4. To make egg wraps. Beat eggs, red chilli powder and salt in a bowl with a tsp of water until frothy.
5. Heat oil in a non stick pan and make thin omelets. Remove each omelet to a plate spoon chicken filling in one corner of omelet and roll.

6. Cut egg wraps into half and serve hot.
Egg wraps

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Indian Style Egg Pasta with Olives


Egg and Olives Pasta Indian Style
Ingredients
Pasta shells – 2 cups
Pimento stuffed olives ( sliced) – 6 nos
Eggs – 4 nos
Onion minced – 1 no
Any veggie minced – 1 cup( optional to make it healthy)
Garam masala powder – 2 tsp
Red chilli powder – ½  tsp
Salt to taste
Oil required
Indian Style Egg Pasta
Method
1. Cook pasta shells in salted water until al-dent( almost cooked), drain the pasta, rinse in cold water, mix with 1 tsp oil and set aside.
2. Beat eggs with salt and pepper, make scrambled egg and set aside.
3.Heat oil in a sauce pan add onion and sauté for few minutes, add the minced veggie and sauté for few more minutes. Add red chilli powder, garam masala powder and required salt, stir fry for few seconds.
4.Now add the scrambles eggs, pasta and chopped olives to the pan and toss well.

5. Finally garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Egg Dum Biryani


Egg Dum Biryani
Ingredients for rice
Basmati rice – 2 cups
Cinnamon stick – 2” piece
Cloves – 4 nos
Cardamom – 4 nos
Shahi jeera – ½ tsp( optional)
Bay leaf – 1 no
Oil – 2 tsp
Water to boil rice

Ingredients for Egg gravy
Boiled eggs – 5 to 6 nos
Onion chopped – 2 nos
Tomato chopped – 2 nos
Ginger and Garlic paste – 2 tsp
Green chilli broken – 2 nos
Red chilli powder – 1 and ¼ tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
Chicken stock cube or Vegetable stock cube – 2 nos( optional)
Mint leaves chopped – ¼ cup
Coriander leaves chopped – ½ cup
Curd – 2 tbsp
Water – ½ to ¾ cup
Salt to taste
Saffron strand 6 nos soaked in 2 tbsp milk( optional)
Oil – 2 tbsp
Dum Egg Biryani
Method
1.     To cook rice. Boil water in a large pot to cook rice, in a small pan heat oil add cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf and shahi jeera, fry for a minute and add this tempering and required salt to boiling water. When water starts to boil add the basmati rice and cook the rice until 3/4th done. ( To check if the rice is 3/4th done, take a single grain and pinch it between your index finger and thumb the grain will break into 3 pieces).
2.     When the rice is 3/4th cooked, drain rice in a colander, mix 1 tsp ghee or oil to the rice and spread it on large plate to cool .
3.     To make the egg gravy. Heat oil in a pan, when oil is hot add the chopped onions and fry till browned, next add broken green chilli and ginger & garlic paste, sauté until the raw smell of ginger and garlic paste leaves.
4.     Now add the chopped mint leaves and tomatoes, fry on medium heat until the tomatoes are cooked and slightly mashed.
5.     Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, chicken stock cubes, curd and required salt to the pan, fry for few more mins.
6.     Add ½ cup water to the gravy and bring to boil, add boiled eggs to the boiling gravy and simmer on medium heat for 3 mins.
7.     To assemble and dum the biryani. Take a thick bottomed pan with tight lid, grease pan with ghee or butter, spoon and layer egg gravy along with few eggs on the bottom layer of the pan, spoon the ¾ cooked rice and layer on the top of gravy, sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves on top of rice, again spoon some egg gravy mixture along with eggs on the rice layer and continue to spoon rice layer. The final top layer should be the rice layer, sprinkle chopped coriander and saffron milk along with saffron strands on the rice layer.
8.     Cover the pan with tight lid and keep pan on low heat for 7 to 8 mins.
9.     Serve hot with Onion Raita or with Chalna.

Tips: Since the eggs do not have flavor for itself I have used chicken stock cubes to flavor the gravy.
Egg Biryani

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Vegetable Wonton Soup / Short Soup - Indian Chinese Recipe

Vegetable Wonton Soup
Ingredients for wonton wrap
All purpose flour / Maida – 1 cup
Butter – 2 tsp
Salt – ¼ tsp
Cold water as required

Ingredients for filling
Grated carrot – ¼ cup
Grated cabbage – ¼ cup
Grated tofu or paneer – 2 tbsp
Chopped spring onion whites – 2 tbsp
Dark soya sauce – ¼ tsp
Salt and Pepper to taste

Ingredients for soup
Vegetable stock – 5 cups
Light soy sauce – 1 tsp
Ajinomoto - pinch
Salt and Pepper to taste
Chopped green onions ( spring onions) - few tbsp

Vegetable Dumpling Soup
Method to make wontons
1.     Combine maida, butter and salt in a bowl. Rub the mixture with fingers until the flour resembles bread crumbs. Add water little by little to the flour mixture and knead to a smooth and tight dough. Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and set aside for 10 mins.
2.     To make the filling. Squeeze the grated carrot and cabbage to drain any liquid from it. Combine squeezed and grated carrot, cabbage, tofu, chopped spring onion whites in a bowl, drizzle some soya sauce and sprinkle little salt and pepper. Mix everything well with a fork.
3.     Roll out the prepared wonton dough into thin sheet, dust with some flour and roll out.
4.     Cut the dough into equal sized squares.
5.     Fill each square with prepared wonton filling and seal the wonton edges with water. Seal it securely so the filling doesn’t come out while boiling.
Method to make Wonton Soup
1.     Add vegetable stock to a large pot and bring to boil, season with soy sauce, ajinomoto, salt and pepper. Simmer the stock on low heat, gently add the prepared wontons to the stock. Cover the pot with lid and let the wontons cook in the soup for 5 mins.( do not overcook the wontons in soup for longtime as they will get soaked in the soup and tear, then filling will drop all over the soup ).

2.     Add the wontons along with soup to the serving bowls, garnish with chopped spring onion greens and serve hot.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Curd Vadai / Thayir Vadai

Curd Vadai
Ingredients
Curd – 1 cup
Warm milk – 1  cup
Curry leaves ( chopped) – 10 nos
Green chilli ( chopped) – 1 no
Ginger ( minced) – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
Urad dal – 1 tsp
Chana Dal – 1 tsp
Asafetida / hing – pinch
Salt to taste
Minced coriander leaves – few tbsp
Thayir Vadai
Method
1.     Prepare medhu vadas as per my medhu vadai recipe and set aside.
2.     Soak fried medu vada in warm water for 5 mins, drain vadas, squeeze excess water from vadas and set aside to make vadas soft.
3.     In a large shallow dish combine curd, warm milk and salt, mix well.
4.     Heat oil in a tadka pan, when oil is hot add mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, fry until dals are browned.        Add curry leaves, green chilli, ginger and hing to the pan, fry for few more seconds and add this tempering    to the curd mixture in the bowl.
         Soak the vadas in this curd mixture for 1 hour and serve garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Curd Rice / Thayir Sadam

Curd Rice
Ingredients
Curd / Yoghurt – 1 cup
Cooked rice – 1 cup
Warm Milk – 1 cup
Curry leaves ( chopped) – 10 nos
Green chilli ( chopped) – 1 no
Ginger ( minced) – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
Asafetida / hing – pinch
Salt to taste
Thayir Sadam
Method
1.     Sprinkle salt to the rice and mash rice with potato masher or dal masher.
2.     Add curd to the mashed rice and mix well, add warm milk little by little to the rice and mix well until required creamy consistency is reached.
3.     Heat 1 tsp oil in a tadka pan or small pan, when oil is hot add mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chilli, ginger and hing. Fry for few minutes and add this tempering to the curd rice. Mix well everything and serve.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Chicken Soft Tacos

Chicken Soft Tacos
Ingredients
Boneless chicken ( cooked and shredded) – 250 gms
Cabbage / Lettuce ( shredded) – 2 cups
Thick cream – 1 cup
Salt and Pepper to taste
Jalapenos ( chopped) – 1 no
Soft Chicken Tacos
Method
      Place cooked shredded chicken, thick cream and chopped jalapenos in a pan. Sprinkle some salt and pepper to the chicken, stir well. Simmer the chicken on low heat for 5 mins until the cream is absorbed by the chicken.
      To serve. Take an cooked tortilla, spoon some chicken mixture in the middle of tortilla, top chicken mixture with guacamole and shredded lettuce.

      Serve at once. 
Chicken Tacos

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Bonda Soup / Bonda Rasam

Bonda Soup
Ingredients for making soup
Water – 2 cups
Red chilly broken – 2 nos
Garlic cloves crushed – 2 nos
Tomato crushed – 1 no
Tamarind paste – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – few
Salt to taste
Asafetida / Hing – ¼ tsp
Turmeric – ¼ tsp
Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
To garnish Bonda Soup
Minced onion - 1/2 no
Minced coriander leaves – few tbsp
Bonda Rasam
Method
11. Make bondas as per my bonda recipe and set aside.
22. To make the soup / rasam. Add 1 cup water, red chilli, crushed garlic cloves, curry leaves, crushed tomato, tamarind paste and salt to a bowl. Stir well and bring the mixture to boil.
33. Let the rasam boil for 3 mins on medium heat, then add rasam powder and rest of 1 cup water to the rasam, mix well and remove from heat.
  4. Heat 1 tsp oil in a small tadka pan, when oil is hot add mustard seeds, hing and turmeric powder. Add this tempering to the rasam and stir well.

  5.While serving bonda soup. Place 2 to 3 bondas in a bowl, add enough rasam and top it with minced onion and coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Broccoli Parmesan Pasta


Broccoli Spaghetti

Ingredients
Spaghetti ( cooked in salted water) – 2 cups
Broccoli florets ( par-boiled) – 1 cup
Garlic cloves ( minced) – 2 nos
Parmesan cheese ( grated) – ½ cup
Dried Red chilli – 2 nos
Butter – 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Broccoli Parmesan Pasta
Method
1 1. Heat butter in a pan, when butter starts to melt add garlic cloves and red chili, sauté for few seconds.
2 2. Add par-boiled broccoli and spaghetti to the pan, toss well until butter is well coated. Sprinkle few pinch of salt if required.

3 3. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on the pasta and serve.
Broccoli Pasta

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Khaman Dhokla Recipe ( A tribute to Tarla Dalal)

Dhokla Recipe

Ingredients for Dhokla
Besan Flour ( Bengal gram flour) – 1 cup
Rava ( semolina) – 2 tbsp
Sugar – 3 tsp
Green chilli and ginger paste – 1 and 1/4 tsp
Lemon juice – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Eno ( fruit salt) – 1 and ½ tsp
Oil to grease pan

Ingredients for tadka
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Sesame seeds – 1 tsp
Green chilies ( finely chopped) – 2 nos
Asafoetida / hing – few pich
Curry leaves( chopped) - few
Oil – 1 tsp

For The Garnish
Chopped coriander leaves – few tbsp
Grated fresh coconut – few tbsp

Khaman Dhokla Recipe
Method
1. Combine all the ingredients given for dhokla together, except the fruit salt in a bowl and mix well adding water as required (approximately ¾ cup) to make a thick batter.
2. Just before steaming dhoklas, mix eno fruit salt to 2 tsp of water and pour over the batter. When the bubbles form, mix gently.
3. Pour the batter immediately into a oil greased cake tin or deep plate and shake the tin to spread the batter in an even layer.
4. Steam dhoklas for 12 to 15 minutes or till the dhoklas are cooked. Keep aside.
5. Heat oil in small tadka pan and add the mustard seeds. When the seeds crackle, add the sesame seeds, green chillies and asafoetida, mix well and sauté on a medium heat for few seconds. Add few tbsp water to the pan, mix well and add this tadka over the steamed dhokla.
6. When dhoklas are slightly cooled cut them into pieces and garnish with grated coconut and coriander leaves.
Khaman Dhokla Tarla Dalal

Arisi Maavu Thenkuzhal Murukku / Nylon Thenkuzal / Thenkuzhal Type 2

 In this method of making Thenkuzhal the murukku will be very light, airy, crispy and not hard to chew. And we do not add chilli powder or any flavoring to this Thenkuzhal, we particularly make this Thenkuzhal for our grandparents and small childrens.
I would suggest you to use 3 hole Thenkuzhal plate in murukku press, because if you use single hole plate the murukku is very delicate and will break into pieces easily.
Arisi Maavu Thenkuzhal
Ingredients
Rice flour - 2 cup
Urad dal - 4 tbsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Hing / Asafetida - less than 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry
Water required
Thenkuzhal Murukku
Method
1. Roast urad dal until golden brown and nice aroma rises, allow to cool and grind to very fine flour.
2. Combine rice flour, urad dal flour, ghee, hing and salt to a bowl, mix well and knead to a soft and slightly sticky dough by adding required water.
4. Grease murukku press with little ghee, place 3 hole Thenkuzhal plate inside press and fill murukku press with prepared dough.
5. Meanwhile heat oil in a pan to deep fry, grease a 2 to 3 thick plastic cover or ziplock bags, squeeze murukku dough onto plastic covers.
6. Gently flip the squeezed dough from plastic cover to your hand and Carefully drop into hot oil, continue with rest of dough.
7. Deep fry murukku on low heat until golden color and until bubbling stops.
8. Drain murukku onto paper towel and once it is cooled to room temperature store it in airtight box.
Nylon Thenkuzhal

Kadalai Maavu Murukku / Besan Chakli

Pepper Murukku
Ingredients
Besan flour - 1.5 cups
Rice flour - 2.5 cups
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Black pepper corns - 2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Water required
Oil to deep fry
Kadalai maavu murukku
Method
1. Grind pepper and cumin to powder in a mixer grinder, let it be slightly coarse.
2. Sieve besan flour and rice flour in a bowl, add powdered pepper & cumin, ghee and required salt to sieved flour.
3. Knead to soft and slightly sticky dough by adding required water.
4. Grease murukku press with little ghee, place Mullu Murukku( star hole) plate inside press and fill murukku press with prepared dough.
5. Meanwhile heat oil in a pan to deep fry, slightly grease slotted ladle( jalli karandi) with oil, squeeze murukku dough onto ladle in round shape.
6. Carefully drop mullu murukku into hot oil, continue with rest of dough.
7. Deep fry murukku on low heat until golden color and until bubbling stops.
8. Drain murukku onto paper towel and once it is cooled to room temperature store it in airtight box.
Besan Chakli

Paal Kesari / Milk Rava Kesari / Melting Kesari


Milk Kesari
Ingredients
Coarse Semolina / Rava - 1 cup
Milk - 1 and 1/2 Cups
Water - 1/2 Cup
Sugar - 2 and 1/4 cup
Ghee( melted) - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Cashew nuts broken - 10 nos
Raisins / Sultans - 2 tbsp
Kesari color - few pinch
Rava Kesari
Method
1. Roast Rava until aroma rises and set aside.
2. Heat ghee in a pan, fry cashewnuts and raisins.
3. Bring water and milk to boil in a pan.
4. When milk and water mixture starts to boil add roasted rava slowly and keep stirring to avoid lumps, reduce heat and cook for 3 minutes in milk.
5. Add sugar, cardamom powder, food color, fried cashewnuts and raisins along with ghee to cooked rava.
6. Now rava kesari will loosen as the sugar starts to melt, at this point remove pan from heat.
7. Allow the paal rava kesari to warm, scoop out kesari with round ladle and place on serving plates.
Paal Rava Kesari