AMRITHSARI GOBHI PAKODA !!!!!

AMRITSARI GOBHI PAKODA is one of famous starter from Punjab. It tastes awesome when eaten hot. This recipe is given by my friend SAIGEETHA S. PAI who owns a food blog GEETHS DAWATH. 

INGREDIENTS:-

Cauliflower florets - 2 cups

onions, finely chopped - 2 medium

coriander leaves, finely chopped - 2 tblsp

green chillies, minced - 4

caram seeds/ajwain - a generous pinch

ginger, grated - 1 tblsp

cornflour - 2 tblsp

cornmeal - 2 tblsp

rice flour - 2 tblsp

gram flour - 4 tblsp

turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

salt - to taste

oil - to deep fry

METHOD:-

1. Take a broad mixing bowl & add all the ingredients except oil.

2. Marinate it well by adding few tsp of water to coat the gobhi well.

3. Heat oil & deep fry until crisp.

4. Serve it hot.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))

THANDOOR MUSHROOM !!!!!

Who dont like mushrooms ? From kids to elders , everyone wants to eat starters prepared by mushroom. Infact when i visit barbeque nation, i eat starter thandoori mushroom miximum. So, when i saw this recipe in one of food group in facebook, thought let me try it. And believe me it turned out awesome. But take care of one thing, curds should not be sour & dont keep it for too long time after marination.  Btw, i adopted this recipe from KINI'S KITCHEN.

INGREDIENTS:                                

10 nos button mushrooms
Salt to taste
Oil as needed

FOR MARINATION:

1/2 cup hung curd or thick curd
2 tsp roasted besan/bengal gram flour
1/2 tsp kasuri methi
1 tsp red chilli pdr
1/2 tsp chat masala
1 tsp roasted cumin pdr
1/4 tsp ginger and garlic crushed
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp oil

PROCEDURE:

1. Wash the mushrooms and remove the stems
2. Marinate with the ingredients and keep for 1/2 an hour
3. Heat tava fry the mushrooms adding littlle oil
4. Serve hot .

HAPPY COOKING :))))))

CRACKLING SPINACH !!!!!!

I adopted this recipe from one of my favourite blog GEETHS DAWATH. Something unique & tasty. But looks like i over fried them a little bit. So, please take care of the flame & temperature of oil while deep frying spinach. But tasted good & got to taste something new too. Btw, it's a chinese dish.

Ingredients:

Spinach- 1 bunch

Cornflour - 2-3 tblsp

Chilly flakes – to taste

Sesame seeds -2 grams

Sugar- 1/2 tsp

Garlic – 2 tbsp chopped finely

Salt   to taste

Oil – as much needed to deep fry 

Method:

1. Wash the spinach well, dab it in a clean kitchen cloth, remove the water and chop the spinach into julienne.
2. Sprinkle lots of corn flour on it.
3. In hot oil deep fry the dusted spinach till crispy.
4. Put the fried spinach on an absorbent paper to drain the oil. 
5. Heat wok/pan on a high heat.
6. Saute garlic until light brown.
7. Add the deep fried crispy spinach.
8. Add chilly flakes(except sugar).  
9. Add sesame seeds and toss till seasoning covers the spinach.
10. Toss it with sugar.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))

CHILLY CHEESE TOAST !!!!!

My son was craving for this & i had mozzarella cheese lying in my fridge. So,, decided to try both grilled & tawa version. I liked grilled version very much & my son liked tawa version. What i felt is i should have added little oregano & few chilly flakes to the mixture.  You can serve it as starter or for evening snacks or for kids lunch box.

INGREDIENTS:-

Bread – 6 slices
Cheese – 100gm (I used mozzarella), grated
Green Chillies – 1 (thin long variety)
Green Capsicum – half
Italian Seasoning 1/2 tsp

Chilly flakes - 1/2 tsp

Butter - 2 cubes (i used salted amul butter cubes)
Salt – if needed

METHOD:-

1. Cut green chillies finely, chop the capsicum – set aside. 

2.Take grated cheese in a bowl and mix green chillies, italian seasoning , chilly flakes and capsicum with it.

(Quantity shown here is after applying mixture to 3 bread slices)

3. Take the bread slice and apply butter to both sides.

4. Now apply the cheese chilli mixture. 

HOW TO GRILL ?

 Meanwhile preheat oven at 200 deg C for 3mins and grill it at the same temperature for 11 mins.

Cut diagonally n serve wid tomato ketch up

TAWA METHOD:-

Heat tawa and apply butter to both sides of bread and toast bread slices from one side.

Now keep flame low and turn bread slices to another side & apply chilly cheese mixture.

Now close the lid and turn the flame off when cheese completely melts (it will take 5 mins on low flame).

Cut diagonally n serve wid tomato ketch up.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))

NOTES:-

1. You can add one more green chilly minced to make it little spicy.

2. Or you can sprinkle oregano and chilly flakes while serving.

PALAK PATHRADE !!!!!!!

      I adopted this recipe from one of my fav blog GEETHS DAWATH which s created & managed by my dear fried SAIGEETHA S. PAI who is an awesome baker too.  We usually prepare pathrode using colocasia leaves but this is slightly different method yet very tasty & quick & easy too. Dont forget to add more hing as we use bengal gram flour in this. Btw, i use pathanjali hing powder now a days & became fan of it. Btw, my friend staemed these pathrodes & deep fried them too. I didnt fried them ^& we ate steamed ones.

 Ingredients to marinate:

Spinach-1 bunch
Bengal gram flour-1/2 cup
Chilly powder-1 tsp
Asafoetida-1/4 tsp
Rice flour-2
tbsp
Salt-to taste

Method:

1. Wash,clean and chop the  spinach leaves.
2. Drain the water completely and add all the above ingredients under marinade.
3. Bind the mixture until it forms a lump like mixture and shape it into oblong shape.(Check the pic).

1. Steam it for 10- 12 minutes and then remove it out.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))))

BADAMI EGGS !!!!!!!!

          Actually this is badami chicken recipe from NDTV FOOD.COM But i used eggs instead of chicken here & it tasted great ! It goes well with roti/rice/idly/dosa etc. A must try recipe.

INGREDIENTS

For the roasted spice mix:

1 tsp peppercorns

2-3 black cardamom

1 cinnamon stick

1 green cardamom

1 tsp cloves

1/2 grated nutmeg

For the gravy base:

1 Tbsp ghee

1 finely chopped onion

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 finely chopped ginger

1 tsp coriander powder, heaped

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp jeera powder

Sea salt (Substitute - normal salt)

Water

1 1/2 cup yogurt

1 cup almond paste

1 cup saffron infused milk

6 whole apricots

Rock salt

8 pieces chicken or 8 eggs boiled

For the tempering (tadka):

1 Tbsp ghee

6 green cardamoms

3 dried kashmiri chillies

For the garnish:

1 Tsp ghee

Mint leaves

3-4 whole red chillies

      OR

1 tblsp chopped coriander leaves

METHOD

For dry roasting the spices:

Heat a pan, add peppercorns, black cardamom, cassia, green cardamom, cloves, nutmeg and roast them. Use a mortar and pestle to ground the spices.

For the gravy base:

Heat a pan, add ghee and sweat out the onions till they are a creamy yellow-white. Mix garlic, ginger and keep stirring. Add 2 teaspoons of the grounded spices and mix well.

Add coriander powder, turmeric, jeera powder, sea salt (to taste) and toast the spices on high flame. Add water to deglaze the pan and cook out the masala.

Add the yogurt to this mix slowly while stirring. Then mix in the almond paste. It can be prepared at home by blanching almonds, peeling them and grinding with water.

Add the saffron infused milk and stir till gravy thickens. Then add the apricots and a pinch of rock salt. Keep stirring.

Make incisions on the chicken with a knife and add to the gravy to poach. Add the cooled down tempering to the gravy. Let this simmer on low flame for 30-40 minutes till the chicken is coming off the bone. Uncover the pan for the last ten minutes of cooking till the gravy has reduced and thickened.

Put the chicken pieces in a bowl and strain the gravy on top using a colander. Garnish and serve hot.

For the tempering:

Heat the ghee in a pan for the tadka and add green cardamom and kashmiri chilli. Let it cool and ad to the gravy

For the garnish:

Put the ghee in a pan and heat it. Add chillies and mint leaves and cook till it's crispy. OR garnish it with chopped coriander leaves.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))

Note : I found dis recipe sweet n sour , so added 2tsp everest chicken masala n it tasted great

GRILLED MINT CHUTNEY & CHEESE SANDWICH !!!!!!!

I adopted this recipe from EDIBLE GARDEN. Its a simple, easy to make delicious sandwich. Kids will love it for sure 👍 An ideal dish for kids lunch box. As my son loves sandwiches very much, i keep trying different recipes. 

Ingredients:

8 slices of bread of your choice
4 slices of cheese
For the Mint Chutney:
A bunch of fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated coconut
1 green chilli
1/2 tsp minced garlic (optional)
A pinch of dry ginger powder or 1/2″ piece of fresh ginger
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Grind all ingredients together with very little water to a smooth paste.

To assemble and toast the sandwiches: Spread a generous amount of the mint chutney on one side of the bread slice. Top with a slice of cheese and toast in a sandwich maker until done. You can also toast in a pan on the stovetop with a pat of butter until both sides are golden brown and the cheese has melted. Or grill them in sandwich maker.

Serve mint chutney cheese sandwiches hot with ketchup.

HAPPY COOKING :)))))))

Vegetable Cooker Biriyani !!!!!!

My today's recipe VEGETABLE  COOKER BIRIYANI is from SWASTHI'S RECIPES. Easy to make & yummy to eat 👍

Ingredients (240 ml cup used)

1 ½ cup of basmathi rice (soaked for at least 10 mins)
1 potato cubed
1 carrot chopped
Fistful of green peas
1 onion sliced
1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste
Fistful of mint leavesCoriander leaves (optional)
1 to 2 green chili
1 tbsp. lemon juice (optional)
1 ½ to 2 tsp. Biryani Masala Powder (adjust to suit your taste)
2 ½ cups water or thin coconut milk2 to 3 tbsp.
Oilfried capsicum for garnish (optional)

Dry spices

1 bay leaf
4 green cardamoms
1 star anise
Two 1 inch cinnamon stick
6 cloves½ tsp. shahi jeera
Few pepper corn (optional)

For garnishing:

Few cashew nuts
Chopped mint & coriander leaves

How to make the recipe

Prepration

Soak rice for at least 10 minutes. Drain the water and set aside.Chop all the veggies and mint.

Making veg biryani

1. Add oil to a pressure cooker and heat it.
2. Add spices and fry till you get a nice aroma for one to 2 minutes. 
3. Fry onions until golden. 
4. Add ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell has gone.
5. Add all chopped vegetables, fry for about 2 minutes.
6. Add mint leaves, biryani masala and saute for 2 more minutes.
7. Measure and pour water or coconut milk, salt and lemon juice.
8. When the water begins to boil, add rice and stir
9. Close the lid and let the cooker whistle once on a low flame. 
10. Off the stove and when the pressure goes down, open the lid and fluff up.
11. Serve veg biryani with raita

Notes

If your rice is not cooked, just sprinkle some water and cover with a loose lid and cook for few more mins
If your rice becomes mushy, reduce the qty of water the next time you cook.
You can use store bought biryani masala powder. Using too much of masala powder can make your biryani bitter. So adjust the powder according to your taste.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))

Masala eggs

I adopted this recipe from my fb friend , admin of fb food groups Konkani amchi food & Vinaya's culinary journey VINAYA PRABHU. What i felt after tasting is everyone may not like this recipe as we add wheat flour in this . But you can resuce quantity of wheat flour too. Occasionally can have it with rice or as a starter.

Ingredients: 

boiled eggs 6
Ghee-3tbsps
Wheat flour-3_4 tbsp
Coriander  powder 1tsp 
Turmeric powder  1tsp
Chilli powder 1 tsp
Sambar powder1 tsp
Garam  Masala 1 tsp
Pepper  powder  1tsp
Salt as per taste

Method 

1. Heat ghee in a pan on low flame
2. Add wheat flour and saute till colour changes to  light brown in colour but don't  burn it.
3. Then one by one add all the spice  powder and salt and mix it together
4. If masala is  dry add a little more ghee
5. Then add the whole boiled eggs to masala  and mix it.
6. Serve hot.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))

MOONG DAL KHICHDI !!!!

 I am posting recipes tried & tasted by me after a long gap. Took a break inbetween 😜 I adopted this recipe from HEBBAR'S KITCHEN. Must say this is healthy & yummy recipe 👍 But in a hurry i forgot to add turmeric powder, hence the colour.

                 (After adding turmeric powder)

Ingredients

• ½ cup sona masuri rice
• ½ cup moong dal
• 1 medium green chili
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• ½ inch ginger
• 1 medium tomato
• 1 medium onion
• ½ tbsp mustard seeds
• ½ tbsp jeera
• pinch hing
• 5 curry leaves
• 2 tbsp ghee or oil
• 3 cups water
• ½ tbsp turmeric powder

Instructions ( 1 cup =255 ml)

1. finely chop onion, tomato, ginger, chilli and coriander leaves. keep them aside.
2. take moong dal and rice in equal proportion.
3. wash and rinse rice and moong dal. add 3 cups of water to 1 cup of rice and dal combined together
4. cook it for 3-4 whistles. depending upon your cooker.
5. meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons ghee in a pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and hing.
6. when mustard seeds start spluttering, add onions. saute them till golden brown
7. once onions turns golden brown, add ginger garlic. fry them till raw smell goes away.
8. now add chilli and saute for a minute.
9. add tomatoes and fry on medium flame.
10. fry tomatoes till they turn mushy.
11. open your cooker once the pressure is released. add some water if the consistency is thick.
12. now add the masala over the cooked rice-lentils and mix well.
13. keep on low flame to simmer the khichdi till you get the right consistency.
14. yummy, tasty and healthy moong dal kichidi is ready 

1.   HAPPY COOKING :))))))))