Special Vegetable Pulao and Happy Dussehara

A very happy Dussehara to all my lovely readers. The blog statistics have been truly encouraging pointing towards a sharp upward trend in the past few days and it has been a great source of encouragement to go on. Thank you for visiting.

A special vegetable pulao is what I am posting today. "Special" not because of the ingredients or the method of cooking used but because of the love and care that went into the making of this dish.

Just the other day I was not keeping too well in the evening (a bad headache and a terrible feverish feeling) and decided to take a short nap. I really did not have the strength to put anything together for dinner (didn't want to have the pizza either). Anyway went for a nap with the thought that I would be better when I wake up. Slept off for more than an hour and was woken up by hubby dear at around 8 pm. Was not feeling too good anyway but walked into the kitchen with the intention of heating up some leftovers.

Imagine my surprise, as I walk into the kitchen I see this delicious looking pulao, cucumber onion raita and pappad all laid out on the table with plates and glasses all ready for dinner. Hubby (he can just barely make a cup of tea) decided to cook (just the weekend before I had made this pulao and chicken curry for our beach trip and he stood watching very intently...and decided to try it out:)and this is what he had made for the three of us. Surprise, surprise it was all the way and I am completely lost for words.


He was so excited and me too felt better and pepped up almost immediately. He even agreed to click these snaps for the blog. It is indeed these small pleasures in life that bring big happiness. Life's truly worth living..every moment of it.

Here's the recipe of hubby's vegetable pulao
Basmati rice - 2 cups
Vegetables - 400 gms (carrots, beans, green peas, cauliflower -all washed and finely chopped) *(he used a 400 gms packet of frozen vegetables)
Water - 3 cups
Green cardamoms - 3
cloves - 3
cinnamon - 1" stick
Peppercorns - 4 to 5
Salt to taste
Butter or ghee - 1 tbsp

Method for vegetable pulao:
1- Take a pan and add in the ghee/butter(you may even use oil if you want to cut down the calories further). Now add the vegetables and saute till soft.
2- Add the washed and drained basmati rice and fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the spices(green cardamoms, cloves,cinnamon and pepper corns) and mix well.
3- Add the water and salt to the vegetables and rice(the water has to be salty only then will the pulao have enough salt when cooked). Cover and cook till the water completely dries. Switch off the gas and keep covered for anothe 5-7 minutes.
4- Open fluff up the rice with a fork. Serve with a raita of your choice and pappads.
A delicious, tasty and nutritious meal is ready in minutes.

Day 5: Coconut Onion Chutney - a delicious accompaniment

One of my recent posts was instant rava idli that I served with this coconut onion chutney. I had mentioned in the post that you can actually put together this quick and delicious chutney in the time that the idlis get steamed and you are all set for a tasty meal in minutes. So here is the recipe to a coconut chutney recipe that is Mom’s recipe. This is one that is made very often at my in-laws place too and I just love the taste and flavour an onion can add to a simple coconut chutney.

Ingredients:
Coconut- 1 cup (grated, you may also use dessicated coconut instead of fresh coconut)
Onion – 1 (small, cut into long slices)
Kashmiri red chilli powder – 1 tsp (if you like your chutney real spicy you could add 2 dry red whole chillies instead)
Salt – to taste
For tempering:
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 8 to 10
Oil – 1 tsp
Method:
1-Grind together the coconut, chopped onion and kashmiri chilli powder in your mixer.
2-Take out in a bowl and add salt to taste.
3-In a pan add 1 tsp of oil. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds begin to split, take the pan off the fire. Add in the ground coconut mixture and mix with the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Serve with idlis or dosas of your choice.

Day 4 :Beetroot Pachadi – a Kerala delicacy

The Kerala cuisine is known for a variety of pachadis and kichadis(very different from the Khichdi of North India) that are a true vegetarian delight. Cooked vegetables combined with coconut in a curd/yogurt based gravy and tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves is a simple way to describe the flavouful pachadis/kichadis. They form an integral part of the Kerala sadya or feast. The beetroot pachadi is one that I would like to introduce here. It is a tasty and healthy dish and you are sure to love with the subtle pink colour of this mildly spiced treat from God’s Own Country.

Ingredients:
Beetroot – 1 cup (grated)
Curd – 1 cup (you may add approx 1/4 cup of water to it for the right consistency)
Coconut – ½ cup grated
Green chilli – 1 (you may add more depending on your individual taste)
Cumin seeds(jeera) – ½ tsp
For tempering:
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 8 to 10
Method:
1-Boil the grated beetroot with ½ cup of water on a medium flame. Cover and cook. It should be completely dry.
2-Grind the grated coconut, cumin seeds(jeera) and green chillies in the mixer.
3-Add the coconut mixture, cooked beetroot and salt to the curd and mix well.
4-In a pan, add ½ tsp of oil. When the oil gets hot add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add this to the curd mixture. Serve.

Day3: Batura – a delicious Indian bread

The Batura is a delicious Indian bread that is an integral part of the Indian cuisine. The usual combo with this tasty Indian bread is a Chole masala or a preparation of chickpeas made with a variety of Indian spices. The Chana Bhatura has come to be a topper on the fast food menus at several Indian restaurants and is also a popular street food at many places. Quick and easy to make this is a bread made out of All Purpose Flour/Maida. The dough is rolled out using a rolling pin and then the Bhatoora or the Indian bread is deep fried in oil.

This is yet another recipe from my Mom’s kitchen. Mom makes the dough and leaves it overnight in the refrigerator and we enjoyed beautiful delicious baturas for breakfast. Me being the impulsive and the quick solution kind, I add a little Soda bi-carb to the dough making it an almost instant recipe.

Ingredients: (can make 10-12)
Maida/All purpose flour – 3 cups
Curd/Yogurt – 1 cup
Salt – 1 tsp
Sugar – 2 tsp
Soda bi-carb – ½ tsp
Oil – 1 tbsp and for deep frying

Method:
1- Sieve the all purpose flour and make a well in the centre. Add the salt, sugar, soda bi-carb and curd. Mix well to form a smooth dough(if required add some milk to make a pliable dough).
2- Take the 1 tbsp oil in your palms and rub it all over the dough once it is done. Keep aside for an hour.
3- Roll out the dough into slightly thick long baturas and deep fry. Take out into a plate with some kitchen towels to absorb the excess oil.
Serve with Chole masala or any curry of your choice.

Dahi Wale Aloo Recipe and Marathon Cooking

This dahi wale aloo recipe is a tangy tasty dish you will fall in love with. It has a list of simple ingredients and does not take much time cooking. Serve with rice or parathas and you have dinner ready in no time.

I have been away for quite a few days this time. The winter has been creating a little trouble of and on with my health. After dealing with the slight throat irritations and a few feverish days I am back and this time with plans for some marathon cooking to spice up the space. So for all those who have been nice enough to visit my blog in spite of my absence here's some news. From today for the next 7 days I will have a new post every single day, so please do keep coming back for more.

Thank you to all who shared the awards with me. Will be posting them soon and passing it on in the coming days.

I am starting the cooking marathon with one of my current favorites, the Dahi aloo or the Dahi wale Alu. I first had this dish at my neighbour's place and just loved the subtle flavours and the tangy twist to it. It is a dish with simple ingredients that is readily available in every Indian kitchen. Although I do make several Kerala curd based dishes this one did give me a tough time and had to try it a second time to get it right. A little care while handling the curd is essential for the right consistency and to ensure that the curd/yogurt does not split.

A simple and quick recipe from my kitchen to yours. You are sure going to love the tangy taste that yogurt/curd lends to this delicious potato dish. This goes well with puris/ parathas or even rice.

Ingredients:
Potatoes – 4 (medium sized, cubed and boiled)
Curd/ Plain Yogurt – 1 cup
Water – ½ cup
Onions – 1 (small, finely chopped)
Garlic – 3 to 4 cloves (finely chopped)
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Kashmiri red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Jeera (Cummin) powder – ½ tsp
Whole Jeera (Cummin) -1/2 tsp
Ajwain – 1 pinch
Methi seeds (fenugreek) – 5 to 6
Green chilli – 1 (finely chopped)
Curry leaves – 5 to 6 (optional for garnishing)
Kasoori methi – 1 tsp
Besan/ Chickpea flour – 2 tsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method for making Dahiwale Aloo:
1- Wash, peel and cube the potatoes. Microwave for 7 minutes or boil om stove top and keep aside.
2- Take a pan and add the oil. When hot add the whole jeera, ajwain, methi seeds, green chillies and chopped garlic. Saute for 10 seconds and add in the chopped onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes and add the red chilli powder, coriander powder and jeera powder. Saute for another 2-3 minutes. Take off the fire and add the curd/yogurt little by little (keep stirring).
3- Put the pan back on fire (do not forget to keep stirring to avoid the yogurt from splitting). Add the water and potatoes. Cook on low heat. When it comes to a boil, add the turmeric powder, salt and kasoori methi. Cover and cook for 7 to 10 minutes.
4- Add the besan diluted in 2 tbsp of water and mix into the gravy (this would thicken the gravy). Cook for a minute or so till the gravy/sauce is of the right consistency.
Serve with hot puris or rice.

I am sending this over to the AWED-Indian event started by DK and currently hosted by the Tasteof Pearlcity.

Dal Palak - a nutritious combination of lentils and greens

Dal Palak
Palak or spinach is a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals and is thus, a must have for both children and adults alike. Packed with a combination of vitamins like vitamin A, C, E, K and minerals like magnesium, potassium, copper, zinc, niacin, phosphorus it sure is one that must be included in our everyday diet. It is also an important source of iron, calcium and omega-3 fatty acids. With the palak being a high nutrition food I sure have to make sure that I include it in my daughter's diet in some way or the other. Getting her to have her veggies is not an easy task and it has to appeal to her tastebuds first so the dal palak is a one way that I get her to have a good helping of Popeye's favorite spinach. The toor dal is a favorite of hers and so the greens mixed with it is accepted without much fuss.

Here is the quick and easy way to make the dal palak(a healthy and nutritious combination of lentils and spinach cooked the Indian way)

Ingredients:
Dal- 1.5 cups (cleaned and washed)
Finely chopped spinach - 1 cup
Water - 3 cups
Garlic - 2 to 3(finely chopped)
Onions - 1 (finely chopped)
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Cummin - 1/2 tsp
oil - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method to make Dal Palak:
1- Take the pressure pan and add the 1/2 tsp of oil. Add the cummin seeds and let it splutter. Now add the chopped onions and garlic and saute for the minute.
2- Add in the dal and spinach. Mix. Add the water, turmeric powder and salt. Mix. Cover and cook under pressure for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool. Open. Boil for a minute. Adjust salt and seasoning.
3- Serve hot with steamed rice or rotis.


This dish goes out to Sara's "Only Greens" event.

Jeera Rice and an easy raita

The last few days have been truly busy with a lot of things of winding up (as I mentioned shifting residence and moving from Mumbai). The next few weeks too is going to be one of hectic activity. With a lot of things to be sorted out, directions to be given at the bank, school admission to be taken care of and a lot of things that keep cropping up and demand inclusion in the long check off list.

Hubby is on leave so it has been some fun too with exploring the streets of Mumbai, some art galleries and of course shopping. So its work and fun all in one. Not much serious cooking happening. Have been finding easy shortcuts to the elaborate cooking, in fact, I have already got into the winding up mode and will be packing my kitchen in a week's time. So it's going to be a little slow on my side for the next few weeks.
However, for the contributor's to the "Paneer event", do not worry at all. It will go strictly as per the schedule. Thanks to all who have made contributions of their delicious paneer creations. Looking forward to more of the delights with a few more days left for the deadline.

For today there is a simple anytime anywhere recipe of a yummy jeera rice and raita that I would like to post. One of my easy cooking sunday lunches. This with a chicken curry and crispy pappads are a meal in itself. This blog post goes out to all those beginners in the kitchen who would like to make a successful and simple beginning. I do remember my early days of experimenting when I would call my mom for instructions on how to make even rice and a simple potato fry(Ya the initial days were really tough with absolutely no idea of cooking:)).

Jeera Rice
Ingredients
Basmati rice – 1 cup
Water-1 ½ cups
Jeera ( Cummin seeds )- 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Ghee – 1 tbsp

Method:
Soak basmati rice for approximately half an hour. Wash and drain. Take a pan and add the ghee to it. Put in the jeera ( cumin seeds ). Let it splutter. Now add the rice and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the water and cover and cook till done. Serve with chicken curry or spicy vegetable gravy and raita.
Note: There are many friends of mine who like to make additions to the jeera rice with curry leaves and also fried cashewnuts. You may try that for an added flavor although at my place this is the cultivated taste that my family likes.

Raita
Ingredients
Curd- one cup
Onion – 1 (small , finely chopped)
Tomato – 1 (finely chopped)
Cucumber- ½ (finely chopped)
Green chillies -2 (finely chopped)
Fresh Coriander or cilantro – a handful (finely chopped)


Method:
Mix all the ingredients and add salt to taste. Serve chilled. Enjoy this absolutely refreshing delicacy.

Paneer Makhani

Have been wanting to make a post more often, in fact, everyday was my initial plan. However, keep slipping on that due to some reason or the other. Right now it is moving residence in the next few days that has taken precedence. There are so many things to be done around the house. Moving in a couple of days and then going to the new place and settling down in the new house I think is going to keep me away from blogging for some time. However, will try to be around for as long as I can juggle between home and cooking for my blog.

Sorting out things especially books,papers and yes, clothes seems to be an unending task. My hubby is always left "wondering" as to why I keep complaining that there are so many clothes to be sorted through. Why "wondering" must be what you are thinking about right now? It is because he is really not able to understand me when it comes to clothes. With a cupboard full of clothes and complaining to have to spend so much time getting them sorted I still end up telling him that I really don't have anything nice to wear when I have to go out somewhere. Guess this is going to remain a mystery for him throughout, that's probably why they say "Men are from Mars and Women from Venus".

I have been spending some time surfing and have come across several of these delicious curries on various blogs and they all go to Srivalli's curry mela.

Just couldn't resist it and so had to make this post. This Paneer Makhani goes out to you Srivalli...great theme...great idea yummy rotis and now curry to go with it. I know now just where to look on a day when I run out of ideas for dinner.

This also goes to the "Eat Healthy- Protein rich" event. It is such a wonderful theme, a great way to eat healthy and experimenting with a variety of nutritious ingredients.




Ingredients
Paneer- 200 gms (chopped into cubes)
Butter- 2 tbsp (keep 1/2 tbsp aside to add at the end)
Oil - 1 tbsp
Tomato - 2 big (boil the tomatoes covered with water for 5 to 6 minutes, once the peel starts separating, cool. Take out the peel and grind to a smooth puree alongwith the soaked cashewnuts)
Onions- 1 (big, finely chopped)
Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Kashmiri Chilli powder- 1 tsp (not heaped) (I like to use Kashmiri chilli powder as it adds colour without being too spicy)
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cummin powder - 1/2 tsp
Whole cummin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Kasuri methi or dried fenugreek leaves -1 tbsp
Cashew-10 to 12 (soaked in hot water and made into a paste in the mixer, you can grind it alongwith the boiled tomatoes)
Garam masala powder- ½ tsp
Whole garam masala - 2 green cardamoms, 2 cloves, 1 inch piece cinnamon
Fresh coriander leaves – 2 tbsp
Salt- to taste
Sugar-3/4 th tsp
Cream or milk - 3 to 4 tbsp ( I generally use milk when I make it for everyday meals at home. When I have guests for lunch or dinner I prefer to add cream for a richer texture and taste)

Method:
Take a pan and add the oil and 1.5 tbsp of butter. Add the whole cummin seeds and the whole garam masala and saute for 10 seconds. Add in the chopped onions and ginger-garlic paste. Saute. When the onions turn transparent, add the puree of 2 tomatoes ground with soaked cashew nuts. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Add salt, turmeric powder, Kashmiri chilli powder, coriander powder and the cummin powder. Saute for 3-4 minutes till the oil starts coming out from the sides. Now add the kasuri methi (crush between your palms and add) and half the chopped coriander leaves and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the paneer pieces. Add half cup of water and cover and cook till paneer is done(about 5 to 6 minutes). Open and add the garam masala powder and the remaining chopped coriander leaves.Add half the tbsp of butter. Finish with cream or milk (your choice). Serve hot with any of the Indian breads or even rice.

There have been a number of awards that have been showered on me by friends in the blogging world. Thank you for thinking of me it sure feels really good. Will soon make a post exclusively for that:)Thanks to all of you who have been sending in their entries for the Paneer event...looking forward to more such delicious entries.

Potato Pakodas - just right for the Mumbai rains

Potato pakodas
The Mumbai rains have been generous enough to bless us with occasional showers that create just the atmospehere to feast on some hot and crispy pakodas. The tiny drops of water going pitter patter on the window panes, a hot cup of chai and a platter of hot crisp pakodas..what more could one ask for. The drops soaking the dry soil bit by bit and the fresh smell of wet mud and greenery all around is truly a picture perfect setting. It is sure time to put on the kadai on to the hot stove and bring out those piping hot golden delights.

Rushina with her pakoda contest has provided just the excuse I needed to indulge. Potato pakodas it was and so in went the chunky potato slices into the gram flour (besan)batter for a royal dip and then were dropped into the hot oil to sizzle away. The house filled with the aroma that deep fried delights bring with them and I just couldn't wait to lay my hands on this lovely treat. Here is the easy potato pakoda recipe that we polished off with tea. This entry goes to Rushina's "hot" event.

Ingredients:
Potato -2 (cut into thin round slices, leave in hot water for 5-7 mins)
Besan - 4 to 5 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp ( you may increase it as per your taste)
Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Salt - to taste

Method:
1- Make a thick batter with the above ingredients(except potato) adding water as required.
2- Dip in the potato slices. Let the potato slices stay in the batter for approximately 5 minutes to soak in the flavor. Deep fry till golden brown. Enjoy!!

Announcement of second event - Paneer: a delicacy

The first event thmed chicken - my favorite has provided great encouragement to go on and make the announcement for the second one. The previous event had a collection of 50 wonderful recipes and this makes me look forward to the exciting entries for the second event. Hope all of you would lend your support for the second one too.
The theme for the second event is "Paneer - a delicacy". Paneer is another favorite at my place and is a welcome addition to the menu.

The paneer definitely needs no introduction to us all. Paneer is the Indian cheese made out of curdling hot milk with lemon juice or vinegar. A rich source of protein the paneer is any vegetarian's delight. It is generally used in the sliced form (in cubes), however, the crumbled variety "chenna" used in the Eastern Indian too is an equally tasty option. So by paneer here , I mean any dish made out of this wonderful and versatile ingredient whether a savoury or sweet, a curry or dry subzi. you are the boss. I look forward to all the mouthwatering varieties that is possible with this wonder ingredient. Here are some simple rules to make it a fun experience for both you and me.

Rules
1)Each one of you may send in as many entries as you like.
2)Please do send me an email at vandanarajesh2@gmail.com with
-Your name
-Blog name(url)
-The particular blog post url
-Name of the dish
- A brief description
- A Photo as attachment
3)Please do link to this post from your blog.You may use the event image in your post, if desired.
4)For any other queries,feel free to write to me at the email mentioned or leave a comment on the blog.
The last date for submissions is 31st July 2008. The round up will appear in the first week of August.

Looking forward to all your delicious paneer recipes.

Lime rice - a quick and easy formula

It's been a hectic week as usual but exciting with all the awards and our wedding anniversary on last Sunday. Sometimes, when the going gets really busy I sure start looking forward to a break. However, a few days into the break am again craving for work and some activity. Don't know if I am the only one who is going through this phase or there are others too,who face this.

When I started working from home with the laptop being my office it felt great . the idea of not having to commute like the other working ladies was exciting. I decide my schedule for the day. Ya, I do enjoy the benefits of sitting with my daughter a few minutes and watching Television or listening to her stories from school and being generally around which many working mothers miss out on. Don't have to get permission everyday from a boss to take a break and can meet all the requirements at home too. However, at times when there are a pile of assignments to submit, deadlines to meet (like now) and school holidays happen to coincide with my busy schedule it does make me feel guilty.Trying to balance the home and work even from home) is sure difficult. Cooking great dishes and being around for everything and also have all the office work done on time can be really taxing. Wonder how most working moms balance it without the guilt feeling.

Anyway for now don't really know where my thoughts are taking me. I started off with just looking into my posts and realizing that I don't have any rice dishes on my menu yet. So its this lime rice that I thought I would post for today.

I like to make this for picnics with a stir fry chicken,raita and papad. Lime rice is good for taking along while travelling as well(stays fresh for long with the lime). An easy to make recipe that's ready in minutes.

Ingredients:
Basmati rice – 1 cup
Lemon juice – of one lemon
Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
Ghee- 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Curry leaves – a handful
For Tempering:
Mustard seeds- ½ tsp
Urad dal -1/2 tsp
Chana dal-1/2 tsp(soaked in water)
Curry leaves- 3 to 4
Dry red chillies – 1 (split into two)

Method:
Soak basmati rice for half an hour. Wash and drain. Take a pan and add ghee in it. Add the rice and fry. Add the turmeric powder, lime juice, curry leaves and salt. Cover and cook till done. Temper with all ingredients for tempering. You could even add roasted peanuts. Mix well. Serve with raita and chicken/mutton curry.

Chicken cutlets

I am just back after a lovely vacation in Kerala. Frankly haven't had enough. It was a wonderful vacation with a great time at home. My hubby and I took off on a 2 day holiday to picturesque backwater country - Allepppey. Oh! absolutely loved the place and also the lovely 150 year old heritage home that has been so aesthetically converted into a hotel. Hospitality at its best is what we enjoyed at "Raheem Residency" that overlooks the Allepppey beach.

Another thing that has me excited is the new blog that I launched yesterday. The services of customised digital portraits and photoart is what I have to offer here.Please do check out http://www.artfrompixels.blogspot.com/ and I am sure you would love to have a personalised digital portrait of yourself, family or someone special. There are also a number of photopaintings of beautiful locations of Kerala and Mumbai that are available at an attractive price.

Coming back to cookery would like to post my mother-in-law's yummy never fail chicken cutlet recipe. This is one of the first few recipes I learnt from her. It is my husband's favorite. I too have become a great fan of this yummy dish and yes, my daughter absolutely loves it.

Ingredients:
Minced chicken (chicken kheema) -1/2 kg
Onions-2 (big) (chopped finely)
Green chillies -2 (chopped finely) (you could add more if you like it spicy)
Ginger – 1” (chopped finely)
Curry leaves- 10 to 12 (chopped finely)
Coriander leaves – a handful (chopped finely)
Egg-1(beat and use for coating)
Breadcrumbs- 1 ½ cups
Potatoes- 2 (medium size)(boiled and mashed)
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Red chilli powder- ½ tsp
Salt – to taste
Fennel seeds powder- 1 tbsp
Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
Method:
Cook the minced chicken with salt,turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Do not add any water as the chicken kheema would release a lot of water by itself. Let the water dry up completely. Take a pan add 1 tbsp of oil. Add the chopped onions, green chillies, curry leaves and coriander leaves. Add the fennel seeds powder and garam masala powder. Saute for 20 seconds and mix with the cooked kheema. Run the mixture in the mixer for half a minute so that your cutlet does not crumble while frying. Add the potatoes and mix well. Make balls of the desired size. Flatten it to the desired shape. Dip in the egg and then roll over breadcrumbs. Similarly make the remaining cutlets. The given quantity would make 17-20 cutlets. Deep fry till golden brown.

Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori chicken has been a part of my mom's menu. She makes this yummy tandoori chicken on the gas tandoor. So when I got married and started working to improve my culinary skills a gas tandoor was what I was on the lookout for. After many unsuccessful searches on the Internet however, I was lucky enough to find one in a home appliances store near my place. I like the burnt edges that I get while making it on my gas tandoor. It provides it the authentic Tandoori taste like that of the restaurants serving the dish.




Ingredients
Chicken -1 (1 kg – cut into 4)
Yogurt- 3 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Cummin powder( jeera )- 1 tbsp
Pepper powder – 1 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1 to 2 tsp (according to taste)
Salt – as per taste
Garam masala powder- 1 tsp
Juice of 1 lemon
Method:
Wash and clean the chicken. Marinate the chicken in a mixture of all the ingredients. Keep marinated overnight in the refrigerator. Take out. Cook in the gas tandoor or the oven for 15-20 minutes on each side (or till done). Serve with any of the Indian breads.

My Mom's Yummy Brown Kerala Style Prawn Curry Recipe

After a long break of over a month which involved shifting residence and a whole lot of other domestic commitments, I have finally found the time to sit down and enjoy the blogging world. It has been a wonderful feeling connecting with several others for whom cooking is a passion. Going through the treasure house of food blogs online has not only widened my knowledge but must admit has made me really hungry too. I must go across to the kitchen and get a quick bite to pamper my poor tastebuds.

Food blogs and websites dedicated solely to food sure have made it easy for those who plan to make a foray into the world of cooking. With tips and an array of multi-cuisine recipes, you can select from a long list and find exactly what interests you. When I began my culinary experiments this was not an option that was available in India. So it was the cookery shows and the recipe books that played the role of the guide and yes, there are loads of tried and tested recipes of my mother and mother-in-law that saw me through the troubled times of culinary experiments.

This is one of my mom’s wonderful prawn recipes. I just love the flavour of coconut combined with the other spices and the tangy flavour of tamarind that completes it so wonderfully. My mom is an expert with making fish and prawns. There’s really nothing I have tasted that can beat her fish curry and of course this prawns recipe.

About the Prawn Curry
This prawns curry is a traditional Kerala style prawn recipe that has a brown coconut gravy or sauce. I admit that it does involve a little bit of effort, but believe me every bit of it is worth it. This would go great combined with steamed rice. My husband particularly feels that since the curry is a blend of exotic Indian condiments and spices, it must be had with plain rice (and strictly not flavoured rice) to really enjoy the taste of the prawn curry.

Ingredients for the Kerala style prawn curry:
Prawns -1/2 kg (small, de-skinned and deveined)
Coconut-1 cup (grated)
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Dried red chilli- 2
Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp(whole)
Curry leaves- a handful
Tamarind water- ½ cup or according to taste
Garlic- 4 to 5 flakes
Asafoetida-1/4 tsp
Salt – to taste
Oil -1tsp

Method for making the prawn curry:
1-Boil, washed and cleaned prawns with a cup of water ( do not add too much water as prawns would also release water), turmeric powder, asafoetida and salt to taste. When the prawns are more than half done, add the tamarind water.
*In traditional kerala style cooking there is a special tamarind used to make fish curries. It is known as “Kodam Puli” in Malayalam. It is 3-4 pieces of this special tamarind that my Mother adds at this stage of cooking. However, you could add tamarind water instead. Add curry leaves and boil for about 5-8 minutes.

2- Take another pan for preparing the coconut paste. Add 1 tsp oil. Add the grated coconut, whole coriander seeds, dry red chillies and garlic. Sauté till the coconut turns golden brown. Grind in the mixer to a smooth paste. Add a little water if required (however, do not add too much water or the color of your gravy would turn out a light brown color instead of the rich brown yummy gravy).

3- Add this coconut paste to your prawns and let it simmer for about 10 mins. Take another pan and fry small pieces of coconut till golden brown. Add this alongwith a handful of fresh curry leaves to your gravy for an added flavor and taste.

Accompaniment: Plain steamed rice

Dosa Recipe - A Healthy Tasty Addition to your Breakfast Recipes

Presenting the dosa, an integral part of my home. The dosa recipe is one that I can mutter out even in my sleep as it is a part of our everyday breakfast. Hubby dear simply loves the dosa and so I always have batter at hand. Once a week we have it for dinner with of course, a different accompaniment like a chicken curry recipe, a traditional kerala egg stew recipe/egg curry or the kadala curry(black chana cooked Kerala style in a coconut gravy).

About the Dosa
The Dosa is an Indian pancake or crepe made with fermented batter and is a staple diet in South Indian homes of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The batter for the dosa is a combination of rice and lentils and thus, is highly nutritious combining carbohydrates and proteins in just the right proportion to give your day a kick start.

How to Make the Dosa Batter?
The pre-soaked rice and the lentils are ground together to make a smooth batter. Allowed to ferment for atleast 6-8 hours, this batter is then spread out on a hot griddle and cooked with ghee or vegetable oil.

The Transition of the Regular Dosa
The dosa has currently moved on from the traditional South Indian homes to achieve international status and today is a popular fast food item that is seen on the street food menu to that of fine dining restaurants. A variety of dosa recipe are seen with chefs not leaving any stones unturned to please the palette of the modern day foodie. From the traditional plain dosa, masala dosa, rava dosa, adai dosa, onion dosa to the oats dosa, ragi dosa, the paneer and the chicken or kheema dosa, the variety is truly mind blowing. The dosa has come to be a great example of what one can do with a little creativity and experimentation.

It is a great way to start a day power-packed with energy to take on the world. The plain dosa is the recipe that I am sharing here. It can be enjoyed with chutney, sambar, vada or even a delicious curry.

This is my Mom's recipe for the dosa batter. This is one that she has been using for years and I continue to blindly follow it as every time I can be sure of a crispy delicious delights that would have hubby and my doll smiling and asking for more. A quick and easy recipe of the dosa that is a fool proof method to getting the perfect dosa. However, it may require some practice to get the perfect circle (you can be sure of mastering it in a few days). This batter may be used after fermenting or even immediately after grinding to make tasty and crispy dosas.

Ingredients for the Dosa batter recipe:
Rice - 2 cups
Urad dal-1 cup
Cooked rice- 1 cup
Salt to taste
Water - as required for grinding

Method for making the dosa batter:
1-Soak rice and urad dal for 6-8 hours (the traditional way of doing it would be to soak it separately however,I soak them together and still have wonderful dosas from the batter).

2- Wash thoroughly. Grind the soaked rice, urad dal and the cooked rice to a fine paste in the mixer or your grinder with enough water. Add salt to taste (ensure that the batter is of pouring consistency for dosa).

3- Heat a griddle or a non-stick pan. Grease the pan with a little oil so that the dosa/crepe does not stick to the pan. Pour the batter and spread into a circular shape. Pour some oil over(say half a teaspoon - if you decide to forget being health conscious for a while and decide to pamper your taste buds , you can opt for ghee/butter instead). Fold and serve hot with the desired accompaniments.

Notes:
1- For an added flavour to the dosas you could mix a pinch of fenugreek powder (or soak a few methi/fenugreek seeds along with the rice and urad dal and grind) to the dosa batter before making out the yummy dosas.
2- I make dosa both with both fermented and unfermented batter. If you like making with a fermented batter then grind, mix salt and let the batter ferment for 6-8 hours.
3- I use the same batter for idlis too. I generally add very little water while grinding so that I get a thick batter perfect for making idlis. I take out a little from this thick batter and add required quantity of water to make it to a pouring consistency to make dosas. You can also use this batter to make make delicious uttapams (add the veggies and cheese if you desire and you have another yummy breakfast ready, will add the recipe in the coming days). 
4- A filling can be added to the dosa to make it a masala dosa, paneer/chicken dosa or anything else of your choice. You may decide to make the dosa/crepes thin or slightly thick as desired. This is a base batter and does allow for a lot of creativity. 

This is a tried and tested recipe that guarantees tasty crispy pancakes that promise to melt in your mouth.