Goat/Lamb curry

The weekend as being a long one due to the labor day, was one enjoyable weekend to remember, and this came as no surprise with new recipes being experimented. There are different meats that are consumed through out the world, but for me having a fresh lamb meat that is not been frozen in some aisle and thawed when needed, does not build up a appetite. This meat was bought from a halal store and was fresh as it can get in america, because this meat has the smell of freshness, and guess what it was tender this meant that it was a young lamb that was slaughtered that morning.

Ingredients:

Lamb 1#

Yoghut 1cup

Ginger garlic paste 1Tbsp

Coriender powder 1Tbsp

Garam masala powder 1/4tsp

Turmeric powder 1/4tsp

Red chilli powder 1tsp

Cumin powder 2tsp

Cardamom 3ea

Cloves 4ea

Cinnamon stick 1ea

Onion 1ea

Green chilli 4ea

Salt tt

Oil 3Tb

Method:

1. In a bowl place the meat, yoghurt, coriender powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, and ginger garlic paste and let rest in the fridge for about 45 minutes.
2. Heat oil and saute 4 cloves, 1 stick cinnamon and 3 cardomoms until it releases the flavor, add the sliced onion and green chillies split and saute until the onion turns translucent.
3. Add 1tsp of coriender, 1tsp of cumin powder and 1tsp of chilli powder to the onion and saute for about 1 minute.
4. Add the marinated lamb to the onion and cover and cook for 35 minutes on medium heat.
5. Garnish with chopped coriender leaves.

The best combination with this is roti or naan, which is two Indian flat bread. Of course it was a great night with the family freasting on the treat for the labor day weekend.

Eggplant tomato curry

Eggplant has never been my favourite, but when i found that this vegetable can adapt to various combinations i decided on trying out this great recipe of eggplant tomato curry which i am sure, most of you must have tried this at home. A simple recipe which, is usually prepared by households throughout India. It was a calm day with my brother and my nephews around, and sister-in-law was at work. I took a look into the fridge and found there were excess of eggplant and decided to make this dish for the evening, so that my family could savor it.

Ingredients:

Eggplant dice 1ea

Onion dice 1ea

Tomato 2ea (depending on size)

Whole mustard 1tsp

Dry red chilli 3ea

Cumin seeds 1tsp

Curry leaves 5 leaves

Green chillis 4ea (depending on size)

Cumin powder 1Tbsp

Coriender powder 1Tbsp

Red chilli powder 1Tbsp

Turmeric 1tsp

Oil 2Tbsp and also have oil for frying the eggplant

Water 1/2cup

Salt tt

Method:

1. Cut the eggplant into large dices of equal size.
2. In a pan heat oil and deep fry the eggplant until it turns golden brown.
3. Strain excess oil and reserve.
4. In a pan pour 1Tbsp oil and add dry red chilli and mustard seeds.
5. Once the mustards crackle add curry leaves, cumin seeds cumin powder, coridender powder and red chilli powder.
6. Saute them ( make sure to have some ventilation for the fumes to escape)until it turns dark brown.
7. Add the onion and saute until it looks translucent and the spices sticks evenly to the onions.
8. Add turmeric to the mixture.
9. Add tomato to the mixture and cookuntil the tomatos absorbs the spices, cover and cook for few minutes.
10. Add water to the mixture.
11. Add the eggplant and season with salt and let cook for another 4 minutes covered.

You can either add ground cashew, ground peanuts and black or white seasme seeds to give it extra flavor. I perfer to evoperate excess moisture and concentrate the flavors. Hope you enjoy making this great dish.

Eggplant stir fry

As i am following the tradition of posting simple but tasty groumet foods that is served throughout the world, this would not come as a surprise for my readers. It is a great side dish that can be had with both roti and also with a rice and can be served during occations when you have surprise guests and relatives that insist on having lunch/dinner with you.

Ingredients:

Eggplant (preferably japanese eggplannt) 1#
Onion dice 10 oz
Garam Masala 1/2tsp
Coriender powder 1tsp
Cumin powder 1tsp
Chilli powder 1tsp
Salt tt
Curry leaves 8 leaves
Oil 2Tbsp

Method:

1. Add oil to pan on a medium heat.
2. Add Onion and saute until it reaches golden brown.
3. Add cumin powder, chilli powder, coriender powder, garam masala and curry leaves let sweat in the pan for another 3 minutes.
4. Add eggplant that is cut into large dice, and season with salt.
5. Let cook for another 10 minutes.

Beans poriyal

There are serveral instances in our daily lives, that we are too tired to prepare eloberate dishes, that carry a Wow! factor to it when you are back from a long day at work. The beans poriyal as it is called towards southern India, is nutritious and healthy by all means. It works great with either roti or even our famous rice. The process invovles simple methods.

Ingredients:

Fresh green beans (french beans) 1.5#

Grated coconut 3Tbsp

Chilli powder 1.5tsp

Tumeric 1tsp

Salt tt

For the tempering:

Oil

Mustard seeds 2tsp

Curry leaves 5ea

Dry red chilli 3ea

Urud dal 1Tbsp

Method:

1. Clean the beans with fresh water, and slice them.
2. In a saute pan add oil, once it sarts to shimmer.
3. Add the mustard seeds and allow time for it break and realease the flavor.
4. Add the red chilli which is recommeneded to be broken up.
5. Add the urud dal and let cook until the dal turns a golden brown.
6. Add chilli powder.
7. Add the beans and let cook.
8. Add salt and coconut to the beans and turn to a low heat, mix thoroughly and cover and cook for another 4 minutes.

Rasgulla

A famous dessert popular among the people of orissa and west bengal. As the taste and its texture and simplicity advanced, it has caught the people of India and the rest of the world with a sweet tooth. There are other desserts which are variations that are made from rasgulla, as rasmalai, cham cham and many others.

Ingredients:

Milk 5 cups

Lemon juice or vinegar 2Tbsp

Sugar 2cups

Water 5cups

Method:

1. Place milk in a clean pan.

2. Bring to a boil.

3. Add lemon juice or vinegar diluted with 1Tbsp of water.

4. Let the milk curdle, wait until you see the milk solids have been seperated from the water.

5. Strain through a cheesecloth and pour cold running water to release the lime flavor.

6. Drain out all the water from the milk solids, by squeezing the cheecloth tightly.

7. Take the milk solids off the cheesecloth and work it with the flat of your palm, until it gets soft.

8. Make 15 small equal size balls. (Don't be surprised if the balls look small, it will grow in size once cooked)

9. Pour the 5 cups water into a pressure cooker, add the sugar and bring to a boil make sure all the sugar is melted in the bottom.

10. Add the balls that were made from the milk solids to the sugar syrup.

11. Cover with the lid of the pressure cooker and place the stopper for blocking the steam from escaping.

12. Wait for the stopper to release the first pressure, and reduce the flame to low and let cook for 5 minutes.

13. After 5 minutes cool the pressure cooker under running water.

14. Remove the lid and transfer the rasgulla and the syrup to a container to cool.

I would suggest to pour rose water the sugar syrup to give a distinctive flavor.

It is a great favourite with children and elders and will be enjoyed in all occasions.

Potato Cakes

Ingrediens for the potato cakes

Potato cakes garnished with tamato wedges and mint spring

This is a recipe that my wife handed over to me, she is a expert in cooking with various ingredients and also a great cook herself. This idea came to her with a lot of trail and error that has worked wonders at home that my daughter who is just about to be 2 years this september demands at the top of her voice that she be pampered with potato cakes.

INGREDIENTS:


Flour 1 Cup
Black pepper 1 Tbsp
Jeera (cumin) 1 Tsp
Mint leaves 1/2 CUP
Spinach 1/2 CUP
Potato 1 ea
Curry leaves 4ea
Coriender leaves 1/2 bunch
Salt 1/2 Tsp
Ghee (Clarfied butter) 1Cup

Method:

1. First boil the potato and remove the skin
2. Add flour, black pepper, Jeera.
3. Cut the mint leaf, spinach, curry leaves, coriender leaf into tiny bits and add together with the salt and add to the mixture, and mix thoroughly.
4. In a nonstick pan add 2 tbsp of ghee and gently drop the mixture of potato which needs to be flattened into the form of a cake.
5. Cook for 3minutes on each side till it attains a even golden brown colour
6. Add ghee accordingly as you make new batches.

It is advisable to add vegetables like carrots, cabbage (chop) into the mixture, as the kids are going to enjoy it as there is mint, jeera and this is a great source of protein and carbohydrates.

Mango Pulisheri

Indian cuisine has a varied sense of taste, smell, and mouth feel. It is absolutely mouth water when you have a little bit of sweetness, tangyness, spiceness all in one dish coming at you from every sides from the taste perspective.
Mangoes are in ambundance through out south India and across various states. The aroma of a ripe mango or for that instance even a mango grove can be distinguished when you land in any vegetable maket in India. The flavor profile of a mango be it ripe or unripe has been enhanced in the cooking methods of people from different states in India. Here is a dish that would have your craving for more.

Ingredients:

Mango 2ea
Salt tt
Chilli powder 2tsp
Sugar 2tsp
Yoghurt 1.5 cups
Green chilli 2ea (cut into halfs)

Method:

1. Select medium ripe mango and cut them into bite size pieces.
2. In a pot cook the bite size pieces of mango with salt, chilli powder, green chilli & sugar with 1.5 cups of water.
3. Cook until the pieces seem to break apart.
4. Whip the yoghurt in a blender.
5. If the mangos are cooked turn off and let cool.
6. It is the right temperature to add the yoghut to the mango when it is hot enough to the touch.
7. Mix thoroughly.

For the tempering:

Mustard 1/2tsp
Curry leaves 7leaves ea
Dry red chilli 4ea (break up)
Oil 2tsp

To temper in a hot pan add oil, once it starts to shimmer, add the mustard and let it crack then add the curry leaves and the red chillis broken up and then add the mango mixture to it and mix everything together.
It is time to serve. It is going to be a great dish which would be great with rice, or roti.

Dry Fish Curry

Fish is abundant in India. It is a staple diet of the people of Keral which is a state to the southern part of India. This is a state that is rich in greenery and has a high litracy rate. Here fish is preserved in different ways, by salt curing, sun dried are a few of the techniques used by its inhabitants to preserve their catch.
Kerala fish curry is truly exceptional with taste and the method of preperation. The recipe and the method that i am going to show here is not time consuming and also has a levage to alternations to the process.

Ingredients:

Dry fish 1#
Coconut 1/2 ea
Kodam puli (gamboge) 4ea
Greend chilli cut 5ea
Turmeric 1tsp
Coriender powder 3tsp
Chilli powder 3tsp
Potato (dice or matchstick pieces) 1ea
Coconut Oil or veg oil 5tsp
Salt tt

Method:

1. Wash the dry fish and keep aside
2. Boil the kodam puli in 1/2 cup water to extact the juices for about 5 mintues.
3. In a pan add the dry fish, coconut,coriender powder, chillipowder, green chilli and tumeric and the kodampuli with the juices, potato and salt (if it is salted fish please avoid salt)with the oil.
4. Close with a lid and let cook on low heat for about 15 minutes.

You must be wondering, why do i have to put everything together and cook, but trust me on this it is a experience that you are going to enjoy.
There can be a few variations done to the process. If you are unsure of what kodam puli is, it can be substituted with un-ripe mango. Another variation can be adding plantain jardiniere (finger cut) that can be added instead of the potato or also along with the potato in equal proportion.

Vada snack

The word vada might seem confusing to some, but this is a simple snack that can be done in about 10 minutes once the urad dal or the white lentil is soaked for a minimum of 2 hours. Did i tell you this is a Indian dish, especially made in south India.

This dish can be served with a chutney which is made of coconut(the base), small onion, green chilli, ginger and saute of mustard seeds, curry leaves, dried red chilli (broken), urud dal.

The process of making this simple but tasty snack is by soaking the white lentil for about 2 hours.

Transfer the lentil to a blender with 3 small onions, 1/2 ea ginger, and blend it to a smooth paste by adding minimal amount of water.

Once the lentils have formed a fine paste, add in 2 green chilli finely chopped, and salt to taste, mix thoroughly.

Let rest for about 20 minutes.

In a cast iron pan heat about 2/3 oil or just enough to cover the mixture.

Shape vada with hand into rounds and leave a hole in the centre for even cooking.

When it turns golden brown remove from oil and pat dry of excess oil.

It is now ready to be served with the chutney(needs to prepared before making vada).

The process of making chutney is by grating fresh cocounut (can be done with dry coconut also by adding hot water), to this add onion, ginger and blend fine with minimal water.

In a saute pan add oil and once it is hot, add mustard seeds and let it crackle, add curry leaves, broken red chillis and urud dal let it cook for little while under low heat, (do not let the curry leaves to change colour). Add the blended coconut mixture to the pan and finish with salt to taste.

This would be a dish that you will always enjoy.

Avial a Indian dish making waves

Avial goes with rice and also with Indian bread (Chappati)Avial in its true form

When my wife called me to talk about the posts on my blog she was very much enthusiastic in her voice and she told i have a surprise for you. I was eager, to know what was in this surprise for me and here it is the surprise she gave me. My mother and wife, made sure that the photo's were taken of the dish with the accompliments and sent it to me.

Indian dishes, have a unique flavor with the addition to spices that has come down from generations. This is reflected in every households in India. Festivals that are celebrated in India, has its relation to food. It is common throughout the country to have a unique dish that gets its origin in a perticular state or region. Towards the south of India is a state called Kerala, were my parents are from, they bought with them the regions most famous dish avial, when they decided to settle in Bangalore (another state in south India).

Yield 5 portions

Ingredients:

Carrots jardiniere 2 oz

Drumstick jardiniere 2 oz

French beans jardiniere 2 oz

Turnips jardiniere 2 oz

Potato jardiniere 2 oz

Plantain jardiniere 2 oz

Yam jardiniere 2 oz

Eggplant jardiniere 2 oz

Radish jardiniere 2 oz

Curry leaves whole 1/2 oz

Coconut Oil 4 tsp

Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Water 1 Cup

For the Sauce:

Coconut grated 4 oz (1 ea)

Thai bird chili 2 ea

Cumin Seeds 1/2 oz

Coriender Seeds 1/2 oz

Yoghut 1/2 cup

Method:

• Wash the vegetable thorough and cut them into jardiniere.
• Add salt, turmeric powder, curryleaves, one thai bird chili to the vegetables (except the plantains, beans and potato steam seperately), steam them in a covered pan with the water.
• In a blender add the grated coconut, 1 thai bird chili, cumin seeds, coriender seeds and yoghut and whip it up to a fine puree.
• Remove the half boiled vegetables from the pan and pour the puree and heat it up until it comes to a simmer.
• Add all the vegetables to the puree in the pan and cook it covered for about 8 minutes.
• Once cooked add Coconut oil on the top and place it covered until service.

During service the avial can be garnished with fried curry leaves and grated dry coconut (not in photo)

Biriyani treat

The above is a marination for the chicken biriyani

As it was a long weekend, i came over to my brother's place. I had my family all exited when i told them that i was planning on cooking for them. It was a video i saw in youtube that had me going with the idea of preparing biriyani. I was planning for this occasion for quite a while.
There are different styles of making this wonderful dish biriyani and this is one of the ways that i like to make it.

This recipe serves 6 people

Ingredients:

For the Biriyani

Basmati rice – 2 cups (for each cup add 1cup water)
Chicken – 3 lbs (1½ kg)
Chilly powder – ½ tsp
Coriander powder – 1½ tsp
Cinnamon – 10 pieces
Cloves – 10 nos
Cardamom - 8 nos
Ginger – 1" piece
Garlic pods - 8 nos
Mint leaves – 2 - 3 stems
Coriander leaves - 2 - 3 stems
Cashews - 20 nos
Raisins - 15 nos
Ghee/Oil/Butter - As reqd
Curd – 3 Tbsp
Saffron – A pinch
Onion(big) - 3 nos
Tomato - 3 nos
Green chillies - 2 - 3 nos
Oil for frying

For marinating

Chilly powder - ½ tsp
Coriander powder - 1½ tsp
Turmeric powder - 1.2tsp
Black pepper - 1/2tsp
Garlic-ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
Masala powder - A little for taste
(Cinnamon-Cardamom-Cloves powder)
Lemon juice - 5 - 6 drops
Curd - 5Tbsp

For marinating:

Have the chicken cut into equal sizes and in a bowl add the curd, coriender powder, ginger garlic paste and the masala powder, tumeric powder, black pepper and the powders together and marinate it for 4 hours. The mixture needs to be mixed well.

For the Biriyani:

Make a fine paste of the fresh coriender, mint leaves and ginger garlic. Heat oil/butter/ghee in a pan, once hot add the cinnamon stick, clove, cardamom and fry it until the cloves start to crackle. Add the coriender powder, chilly powder and just release the flavor. Then add the rice and cook until the rice gets translucent. Add the paste to the rice, in another pan add little oil and saute the onion until it changes color and then add the tomatos transfer it to the rice and then add water to the rice. Allow the rice to just simmer and then add the marinated chicken to the rice and mix up making sure not to break up the rice. Pour the soaked saffron liquid to the rice. Bring it up to a boil. Once it is come to a boil, reduce the flame, cover the pan tightly and finsihed in a oven at 300*F for 30 minutes.

For the Garnish:

Fry cashewnut and Raisins in ghee and sprinkle on top of the rice.