SPICY CHICKEN CURRY

This chicken curry is of nellore style and is very spicy and best taken on a chilly day with rice, biryani, vada, or dosa.

Ingredients:
1. Chicken 500 gm
2. Onions 2 to 3 in number
3. Tomatoes 2
4. Curry leaves
5. Coriander leaves
6. Cashew nuts
7. Whole garam masala-Cinnamon, clove, and cardomom a few.
8. Curd half cup
9.Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
10. Chilli powder 2 tsp
11. Salt to taste
12. Garam masala 2-3 tsps
13. Green chillies 2
14. Oil for frying
15. Coconut half cup
16. Ginger garlic paste -1.5 tsp

For masala:

Normally whole garam masala spices are ground together with coconut.. but i took the easy path and ground the coconut with garam masala powder into a thick paste using some water, it comes out like this



Method:
1. First wash chicken pieces well and cut into bite pieces and marinate with the following, curd, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, salt, chilli powder, ground masala and mix well, prick with a fork so that the masala penetrates well into the chicken pieces.and let it marinate for half an hour.. if you want you can refrigerate it.
2. In a pan take oil, add a 1/2 inch of cinammon cut into small pieces, clove 2-3 pieces, cardamom 1-2 pieces, fry well, now add cashew nuts and onions and green chillies, curry leaves and fry well.
3. After onions turn  translucent, add tomatoes and fry well, after the tomatoes soften, add the marinated chicken and fry well for 5 minutes.
4. Now add a cup of water and mix well and cover the lid until chicken is cooked.  As all the seasoning is done while marination itself no need for anything else to be added, check salt and add if necessary.
5. Chicken might take 20 to 25 minutes to cook, check if the chicken is cooked and add coriander leaves and mix well and it is ready to be served.

This chicken recipe goes to the event  Chicken Recipe Event hosted by Sameena

EGG PLANT (BRINJAL CURRY ) WITH A DASH OF DHANIA

Brinjal curry with a dhania masala is good combination which can be taken with rice or even roti and very easy to make.

Ingredients:

1. Brinjal/Egg plant 500 gm
2. Onions 250 gm
3. Turmeric powder 1tsp
4. Salt to taste
5. Oil for frying
6. Curry leaves
7. For tempering, mustard seeds, jeera, urad dal, and channa dal.
8. Half a cup of boiled milk (optional).

Masala:

1. Dhania/coriander seeds 2tsp
2. Garlic 5 to 6 cloves

 Dry roast corainader/dhania seeds, cool it and powder it in a mixie first and later add garlic cloves and grind again to get a coarse masala powder.

Method:

This curry can be done in a pan or small cooker if your short of time ( I do it this way to save time and energy) and it tastes also the same..so go for it, but cook in slow flame.

1. Take oil in a small cooker..add mustard seeds, chann dal, urad dal, and jeera, curry leaves and fry well.
2. Now add cut onions and fry well, add turmeric powder and salt. Now add brinjal cut into cubes and fry well and add very little water(about  2 tablespoons) and close the cooker with the lid and put the whistle and simmer for 15 minutes and switch off.  .If you are cooking in a ordinary pan, add half cup water cover and let the brinjal cook and switch off.
3. Now open the lid, light the stove, put in simmer and add the ground dhania powder and mix well in the curry and add some boiled milk to the curry as this gives gravy consistency to the curry, cook for 5 minutes and switch off...those who do not like milk in curries can avoid adding milk, just adding dhania powder will do.
4. Now the brinjal curry with dhania masala is ready to be served, can be had with rice, roti, or even vegetable biryani…tastes yummy.

Akila’s kitchen - Dish Name Starts with E
Healing foods Event - Eggplant by Spoonful of love and Siri

SPONGE DOSA

Sponge dosa as the name indicates is a soft dosa which can be made very easily for breakfast..and tastes yummm!

Ingredients
1. Buttermilk 4 cups
2. Rice 3 cups
3. Atakulu (poha/rice flakes) 1 cup
4. Methi/fenugreek seeds 1 spoon
5. Salt to taste
6. Soda

Method
1. Wash rice and poha with water well and soak in buttermilk for 4 to 5 hours/overnight with a spoon of methi seeds.
2. Strain the buttermilk and grind the rice and poha till u get a dosa batter consistency ..use the buttermilk for grinding and not water .  Store the dosa batter in a large vessel as the batter has the tendency to ferment fast and comes up easily as it has butter milk in it.  After fermentation dosa batter can be used to make dosas or stored in fridge for  later use.
3. Rub the dosa tava with oil and cut onion.
4. When tava is ready pour a ladleful of dosa batter in which salt and soda have been added, for sponge dosa do not spread the batter and sprinkle oil and cover with lid and cook for few minutes.
5. Turn the other side and cook till you get the brown color..your is dosa is ready to be served.
6. If you want you can also spread the dosa batter and make a big dosa i.e or a regular dosa can be made with the same batter..if you think the batter is too thick add some buttermilk.

This goes to HRH rice flakes.

SPICY TOMATO SAAR

This spicy tomato saar is eaten with rice, or even idly, dosa, or roti, tastes well and can be cooked easily in winter when tomatoes are available in abundance..

Ingredients:
1. Tomatoes 250 gm
2. Toor dal (kandipappu) 1 tablespoon.
3. Onions 1 small
4. Green chillies 4 (depends on how spicy u want)
5. Bay leaf 1
6 Cloves 2
7. Cinnamon 1/4 inch break into small pieces
8. Coriander leaves
9. Salt to taste
10 Oil for cooking
11. Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
12.curry leaves

For the masala.
1. Coconut 1/2 cup
2. Garam masala 1.5 to 2 tsp (individual prefernce)
Grind the above into a smooth paste using little water..it should be like the below picture



Method
1. First take the tomatoes, green chillies, and toor dal in a cooker and with some water and turmeric powder, cook for 3-4 whistles.
2. Now add salt to the cooked tomato dal mixture and mash the cooked tomatoes, green chilli, and dal well and by adding water make a soup consistency tomato puree by straining out the pulp manually or if you are in a hurry you can blend in a mixer and strain out the juice.
3. Now to a pan add oil and add bay leaf, cloves, and cinammon, and finely cut onion pieces, curry leaves and fry well.
4. Now add ginger garlic paste and ground masala and fry well for 5 minutes..add the tomato puree (of soup consistency) and let it boil for 10 to 15 minutes...add coriander leaves ..now spicy tomato saar is ready to be eaten with rice, idly, dosa, or even roti.
5. You can add also add vegetables like drumstick, carrot, potatoes, or bhindi just like in sambar for added nutrients...even boiled egg can be added in this when boiling as kids love the egg cooked in this tangy tomato flavored saar or just the plain tangy and spicy tomato saar is fine...i did the plain one.
 

 this saar goes to the event Cooking with Whole foods(Whole Fruits/Whole Vegetables)-TOMATO by Sanyukta of creativesanyukta on behalf of Kiran of SAMUDHURA

CAMOUFLAGE CABBAGE IN EGG CURRY

My son does not like cabbage..keeps cribbing if he has to eat cabbage curry..so i started camouflaging cabbage in egg curry so he does not notice..so here is how it is done...

Ingredients:

1.Cabbage 250 gm
2. Eggs 4
3. Onions 3 in number (medium size)
4. Chilli powder 2 to 3 tsp( individual preference)
5. turmeric powder 1 tsp
6. Salt to taste
7. Oil 1.5 to 2 tablespoons

Method
1. Cut cabbage and onions finely into small pieces.
2. Steam cabbage in a colander(vessel with holes) in the cooker with just some water in bottom of cooker for up to 3 whistles. Steaming cabbage saves the vitamins in cabbage.
3. In pan add oil and put the cut onions and fry  when onions become translucent ...now add the cooked cabbage and mix well.
4. Now add turmeric powder, salt, and chilli powder and mix well and fry for 5 minutes( as cabbage already cooked does not take much time).
5. Now break the eggs and add them one by one..stir well and cook for sometime..you can either make it like a big omelette and turn it both sides and then cut into pieces cook or else mix it well and break into pieces in the beginning..individual preference.
6. This goes well with sambar and rasam as a side dish or just like that...no one can guess there is cabbage in there until told.

note:  If you want you can also add green chillies cut into small pieces and reduce the quantity of red chilli powder.

 This goes to the following event: Akila's  Dish Name Starts with C

Eat Well Live Well event by umm mymoonah

MASALA DOSA

Masala dosa happens to be favorite at home, but when i decided to post it in the blog my hubby was teasing me about what is new in it...but when i posted the picture of masala dosa in a cooking site..got a tremendous response asking for the recipe so here it is:

Ingredients
For Dosa Batter
1. Rice 3cups
2. Parboiled rice 1 cup
3.Urad Dal 1 cup
4. Fenugreek Seeds- 1/4 tsp
5.Soda 1/4 tsp
6.Salt to taste

For Masala Curry
1.Potatoes 250 mg
2. Onions 2
3. Green chillies 3
4. Ginger 1/4 inch cut into small pieces
5. Oil 3-4 tsps
6. Mustard seeds, urad dal, jeera-few seeds for tempering
7.Turmeric powder-1tsp
8. Salt to taste

Method
1.For the dosa batter soak rice, parboiled rice, urad dal and fenugreek seeds in water for 5 to 6 hours.  Later grind together for dosa consistency and let it ferment overnight.
2. To make perfect dosa..the dosa tava should be rubbed with oil with a cut onion, the first one or two dosas may not turn out good (use oil liberally for first dosas in order to avoid sticking) but later on the dosas will come out very crispy and we can use less oil.
3.Mix water to dosa batter and add salt, soda and make dosa batter consistency.  Take a ladle full of batter and make dosa..sprinkling oil all around the dosa...so it can come out easily.  As methi seeds are added in batter it gives a good brown color..if well cooked..no need to turn other side.
4. Spread the potato curry in the center of dosa and take it out.
5. For potato curry..Boil potatoes and mash them ..not too soft...few pieces here and there.
6. In a pan take oil and add mustard seeds, jeera, urad dal, curry leaves and fry.  Add cut onions, green chillies, and ginger pieces, curry leaves, and fry well.
7. Now add 1 cup of water and let boil for 2 minutes...add the mashed potatoes, turmeric powder,  salt and mix well.
8. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes until u get ur masala to stuff in dosa.

SEMIYA PAYASAM MADE EASY

This payasam happens to be my hubby's favorite...actually unlike the traditional recipe I experimented and ended up getting it right and it is very easy to make

INGREDIENTS
Semiya 1 cup
Milk 2 cups(depends on the kind of consistency you want)
Sugar 3/4 cup(less or more depends on how much sweet u want)
Ghee 1 tablespoon
Cardamom powder 1tsp
Cashews and kismiss a few
Water About 1.5 to 2 cups

METHOD
1. Boil the milk and let cool.
2. Heat the ghee in a pan and fry the cashew and kissmiss and keep aside.
3. Now in the ghee fry the semiya till brown and add one half cup of water and let semiya cook. add cardamom powder.
4. One another stove take a vessel add take sugar and one and half cups of water and boil till the sugar dissolves..syrup should be liquid and do not cook till thick
5. Now add this sugar syrup to semiya in the pan and let boil for 8 to 10 minutes, add the fried cashew and kismiss and mix well and switch off the stove.
6. Now add the milk which is cold by now to the semiya and mix well(it is important for the milk to cold because if it is hot, the milk will curdle) and the amount of milk one wanted to add depends on whether they want the payasam of liquid consistency or a halwa consitency... the more the milk the more liquidy it becomes.
 This payasam goes to the following event

Celebrate Sweets - Kheer by umm mymoonah and Nivedita

HAPPY DIWALI

HOPE U FOLKS HAD HAPPY AND SAFE DIWALI

SOME DIWALI TREATS AND DECORATIONS AT HOME

HYDERABADI CHICKEN DUM BIRYANI

Today I would like to share with you one dish….which happen to be a favorite with my friends…none other than…hyderbadi chicken dum biryani…with due apologies to vegetarians…if you want you can alternate meat with vegetables or soya chunks and follow the same procedure.  Unlike the traditional recipe few alterations have been made to make it easy.  So, here it goes….

Ingredients Required:  Serves 6 people

1.Biryani Rice 3 glasses ( a glass is about 250 gm)

2.Chicken 1/2 kg to ¾ kg (1/4 kg for 1 glass…individual preference)

3. Curd 1 cup (250 gm)

4. 4 to 5 split green chillies ( depends on how much spicy you want)

5. 2 medium Onions (thinly sliced).

6. Lemon juice( From one lemon)

7. Ginger garlic paste 1tsp

8. Salt to taste two to three spoons depends on individual preference.

9. A bunch of curry leaves mint leaves and coriander.

10. 1 tsp each of red chilli powder and turmeric powder.

11. 3 table spoons of ghee

12. 3 tsp garam masala powder

13. Shajeera 1 tsp

14 kabab chini (optional if available) 1/2

DIRECTIONS

1.     Wash chicken pieces with water and drain well. Separately in a bowl mix together ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder ,salt, slit green chillies, lemon juice, mint and coriander , and curry leaves and curd into a smooth paste. Marinate chicken pieces in this mixture and set aside for 30 minutes.

2.     In a deep bottom pressure cooking pan, heat the ghee and add onions and fry to golden brown…half of the onions crush and add in the above marinated chicken.   Pierce the chicken pieces with a fork so the masala penetrates.

3.     Boil rice in about 8 glasses of water in a large vessel until rice is parboiled and drain.  This is important and quite risky….so check that the rice is neither overcooked nor undercooked. 

4.     In the pressure cooker in which u have fried the onions, now add a ½ tsp of shajeera and a few kabab chini, now add the marinated chicken pieces as the bottom layer, on the top of this add the parboiled rice and on the top add the remaining fried onions ….if u want u can add color …now close the cooker lid and put the whistle on and simmer the stove and let cook for 25 minutes.  Finally remove from heat.  While serving be careful that u get both the rice and chicken part equally as it is in two layers….or else mix everything and serve.