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Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Gulab jamun quick recipe

I tried this quick recipe from :
http://www.veggiebelly.com/2012/09/milk-powder-gulab-jamun-recipe.html

I followed the recipe word by word and my gulab jamuns came out awesome. It took me 40 mins to make 30 gulab jamuns.
Here is the picture:

Vegetable Biryani

This recipe belongs to Manish. He taught me how to make biryani :) and now Kalyani has asked for the recipe. SO here you go Ms. Kaly :)

Rice:
3 cups basmati rice - 3/4th cooked with bay leaves and 2 cloves
Dried mint crushed- 3-4 tbspn
Lemon juice- 2 tspn
Salt- 1 tbspn

Masala:
1 - packet (1lb) frozen mix veg (corn, beans, peas, carrots)
2 potatoes - chopped
3 onions
1 cup grated ginger
4-5 cloves garlic
2-3 whole black pepper
2-3 cloves
2 green chillies
2 tspn cumin seeds
3 tomatoes - pureed
1 1/2 cup yogurt
Shan Biryani masala - 1 packet

Method:
In a microwave safe bowl add water and chopped potato and cook it for 5 mins. The drain out the water and keep potatoes aside. Then in another microwaves safe bowl add frozen veggies and water and boil them for 7-8 mins stirring it in between. Drain out  all the water.

Grind onion, ginger, garlic, black pepper, cloves, green chillies and cumin seeds together.
Heat oil in a pan. Add onion paste to it. Let the onion paste cook completely. Then add pureed tomato to it.
Let the tomato cook completely. Then add  yogurt, red chilli  powder(to taste) and shan biryani masala to it. Once the masala leaves oil on the sides then add salt to it. When masala is completely cooked then add veggies to it. Let the veggies cook for 10-15 mins on medium-low heat.

On the side cook rice(3/4th done) with Cloves and bay leaves. Spread the rice in a plate to let it cool down completely. When rice cools down completely then add dried mint powder, salt and lemon juice to it and make sure that you coat the rice properly.

Then in an oven safe dish put one layer of rice and top it with a layer of veggies masala. Repeat the process once again. And rice should be the final layer on the top. Then just drill some holes in the layered biryani(4-5) and add few drops of milk in each one.

At 350C cook biryani for about 15-20 mins till eat is hot from inside as well. You can garnish the biryani with some sauteed red onions.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Mutton pepper fry

Same as Mutton kurma (http://easyhappycooking.blogspot.com/2013/07/mutton-kurma_22.html) except:

1. Dry fry pepper and fennel seeds and powder it. (2 tbs. of pepper and 1 heaping tbs. of fennel seeds)
    instead of coconut and cashew paste
2. use 2 big tomatoes (instead of 4 big tomatoes)
3. once the mutton is cooked, take a pan - add 3 tbs. of oil and add the mutton to it.
    If the curry is a little water, let it boil and let the sauce thicken a little bit (about 8 minutes on medium heat - 4).
    Now, add the above pepper + fennel powder mix to it. The sauce should thicken here more.
    Now, let it fry till the needed consistency.
   

Mutton Kurma

ingredients:
Goat mix: 1.5 pounds (for 5 litre pressure cooker)
onions: 2 small - roughly chopped (or 1 big)
tomatoes: 4 big - roughly chopped
oil: 3 tbs. of oil
garlic: 5-6 cloves
cinnamon: two 2" pieces
4 heaping tablespoon of coconut powder
6 cashews
1/2 bunch of coriander

2 heaping tablespoons kolambhu powder
(kolambhu pwder = 1 measurement of chilli + 2 measurement of dhaniya + little menthulu + cumin)
2 tablespoons of ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
salt to taste

In dhinchik, smash the below together and keep it ready:
few curry leaves
2-3 stalks coriander leaves
3 chillies
1/2 index finger ginger
5 cloves of garlic

Seasoning
2 tbs. of oil
1 tsp. of fennel seeds
2 stalks of curry leaves


Method:
In a 5 ltr. pressure cooker, put the washed mutton pieces and add 3 tbs. of oil.
Now, add ginger garlic paste and wait till the mutton changes color from pink to white. (keep mixing until then)
Now add chopped onions, tomatoes and smashed ingredients. Add garlic and cinnamon.
Stir it for 2 minutes. Now, add chilli powder, kolambhu powder, tumeric powder and salt.
Stir it for 3 minutes. Add one small glass of water (it should just cover mutton level).
Now close the lid and put it on high.
Wait for four whistles and turn it off then.

Grind coconut and cashews with water to a thick paste. It should not be watery.
If you feel like the kurma might need some more water, add it now.

open the pressure cooker lid and put it back on heat. Now, add the ground coconut and cashew paste.
Stir it and let it boil in a medium fire (on 4) for 15 minutes.

Now, bring the fire to low (on 2) and keep it for 10 minutes.
Now season the kurma with seasoning ingredients. (Heat the seasoning ingredients in the oil and immediately pour it on kurma)

Now garnish the curry with coriander!

Enjoy the delicious mutton curry.








Sunday, July 21, 2013

Pasta muffin cups

This is the most awesome and easiest appetizer I have had, thanks to a very dear friend Preethi!

Try it and I am sure you will LOVE IT!!!!!

Ingredients:
Elbow macaroni -1 cup cooked and cooled
Cheddar cheese- 3/4 cup or more :)
Panko breadcrumbs
Chat masala
Salt

Sauted finely chopped veggies: You can add whatever you like. I add colored peppers, onions, Zuchini and yellow squash. Finely chopped and sauted in olive oil. This is more like grilled on high flame so that it doesnt leave any water.

Mix Macaroni, cheese, chat masala and salt. You can red chilli powder as well to make it spicy.

Heat the oven to 200C. Grease the muffin pan with olive oil. Put a nice layer of breadcrumbs. then fill the macaroni cheese mixture. Top it with little veggies and then more breadcrumbs. Spray more oil on it.

Bake it for 15 mins at 200C and then increase the temp to 350C and bake for another 5-10 mins till the top is golden and using a toothpick you can rotate the muffin.

Here are couple of  pics for this one:


Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji is a dish which is a medley of mashed vegetables and spices served with Pav or Bread. It is a wonderful one pot meal and easy to make with lots n lots of veggies in it :)

Part1:
1 cabbage, chopped finely
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 cup frozen green peas
2-3 potatoes, chopped finely

Part2:
3 hot house tomatoes, pureed
2 green chillies, crushed
1 garlic,  chopped finely
1 tspn grated ginger
Red chilli powder-1-2 tspn adjust to taste
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tspn adjust for color
Salt to taste
Pav bhaji masala (preferably Baadshah masala) -2-3 tspn-adjust per taste

To Garnish:
Cilantro
Lemon
Onion, chopped finely
Butter
Pav aka dinner rolls

Pressure cook all the veggies in part1. I normally take 2-3 whistles and then 15 mins on slow.
Mash all the veggies once the pressure cooker is cooled. 
While the veggies are pressure cooked, on the side take a pan and put some oil in it. Add ginger, garlic and green chillies to it. Then add tomatoes. Once the tomatoes are fully cooked (around 15 mins) add Red chilli, turmeric powder and pav bhaji masala. Once the masala is fully cooked i.e. when you see oil on the sides means its cooked, add salt. Then add all the mashed veggies to it. Mix it nicely and let it cook for another 10-15 mins on slow heat.
Add cilantro and butter to garnish. Serve with chopped onions, lemon and pav.

I use dinner rolls for Pav and toast it with butter on tawa.