Dum Biryani

  Ingredients

  3/4th cups black channa(Bengal Gram) soaked overnight
  2 cups Basmati rice
  3 tb sps chopped onions
  1t sp ginger paste
  11/2 t sp garlic paste
  2 tomatoes chopped or 2tb sps tomato puree


  Whole masalas for the rice
  5-7 green cardmoms
  5 cloves
  3 1" sticks of cinamon
  11 pepper corns
  3 bay leaves

  Dry masalas for the channa
  1 tb sp dhania(coriander) powder
  1/2 t sp chilli powder
  1/2 t sp haldi (turmeric) powder
  1 t sp garam masala made with coarsely ground (3green cardmoms, 1" stick cinamon, 3 cloves 5 peppercorns)

  Msalas for the layers
  1 large onion sliced fine and fried crisp.
  1 cup fresh chopped mint  and coriander leaves and 3 green chillies


  2 tb sps cooking oil
  2 tb sps pure ghee (clarified butter)
  a good pinch of saffron strands soaked in 1 tb sp milk
  1/2 - 1 t sp kewra essence for the aroma

 

  Method

• Wash and soak the rice for 1/2 an hour.
• Boil 8 cups of water in a large saucepan with 2 t sps of salt and all the whole masalas. Add the washed rice and boil till its almost cooked.
• Drain the excess water and spread the rice in a platter so that the grains stay separate.
• Heat the oil in a pressure cooker, fry the chopped onions till golden brown.
• Add the ginger garlic pastes and fry till the raw smell goes.
• Add the dry masalas with a little bit of water and fry for 3 minutes.
• Now add the channa that has been soaked over night.
• Add the tomatoes/tomato puree and cook for a further 5 minutes.
• Add the coarsely ground garam masala and mix well.
• Add 21/2 cups of water, close the lid and pressure cook on high heat till high pressure is reached.Lower heat and cook for 10 minutes.
• Let the cooker cool down , open the lid and dry out the excess water if any.It should be moist with thick masala but no curry.
• Now you are ready to put the biryani together.
• Take an over proof dish and spread the ghee at the bottom.
• Divide the rice into 3 portions and spread 1 part in the dish.
• Layer the rice with the fried onion, green mint , coriander and green chillies.
• Add a layer of 1/2 the cooked channa and top with a layer of rice.
• Repeat another layer similarly and top with the 3rd portion of rice.You are ready to add the flavours.
• With your finger ,make holes in the layers of rice . Pour a few drops of the saffron milk into each hole along with a few drops of Kewra essence (optinal).
• Cover and seal with aluminium foil .Cook in a pre heated oven for about 20 minutes.Alternately cook on an indirect low flame (on dum).
• Open the foil just before serving.
• Serve with raita of your choice.

          
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Kadai Chicken

  Ingredients

  800 gms chicken
  200 gms/ approximately 1cup chopped onions 
  1tbsp ginger paste
  1 1/2 tb sps garlic paste
  200 gms /1 cup yogurt
  3 tbsps oil
  1" stick cinnamon
  4-5 cloves
  5 green cardmoms
  1 tb sp coriander powder
  1 t sp red chilli powder
  2 tb sps kasuri methi /dry fenugreek leaves crushed and soaked in 1/2 cup warm water
  salt to taste
  1 tb sp chopped green coriander
  ginger julliens


      Method

• Wash and cut the chicken into 8 pieces skin removed.
• Heat oil in a kadai/ large frypan.
• Add all the whole masalas, add the chopped onions and fry till golden brown and a bit soft.
• Add ginger paste and fry well ,not letting it stick to the pan.
• Add the chicken pieces and fry till brown on all sides.
• Now add the garlic paste  and Kasuri methi/ dry fenugrrek leaves that have been soaked in water for 10 minutes and fry well for atleast 5 minutes.
• Add the dry masalas and let it cook till the raw smell goes. Sprinkle a little water if too dry.
• The chicken should be well browned by now.
• Lower heat and add well beaten yogurt, stirring all the time so that it does not split.
• Mix well with the chicken and cover the kadai /pan with a lid and cook for 10 minutes.
• Remove the cover and gently turn the chicken, it should have enough liquid, if not add 1/4 cup water, mix well and cover for another 5-7 minutes.
• Check if the chicken is tender and cook on slow heat without the lid for another 2-3 minutes, taking care not to break the pieces.The masala should coat the chiken well but should not be too dry.
• Sprinkle chopped green coriander and ginger julliens on top and serve with rotis/parathas or rice.

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Meal In One (Daal saag)

  Ingredients

  1/2 cup channa daal (split gram)
  250 gms spinach
  1/2 cup chopped onions
  2 large tomatoes
  2 tsps chopped garlic
  1 tsp chopped ginger
  1tb sp cooking oil/ghee
  1/2 t sp haldi/turmeric
  1/2 t sp chilli powder
  3 t sps dhania/ coriander powder
  1/2 t sp whole jeera/cumin
  1 pinch of asafoetida
  1 dry red chilli
  salt to taste


  Method

• Wash and soak daal for 2-3 hours.
• Heat oil /ghee in a fry pan or pressure cooker,  add the dry red chilli broken into two and as it changes colour add whole jeera and asafoetida.
• Add chopped onions as jeera  begins to crackle and cook till soft and golden brown.
• Add ginger, garlic and cook till the raw smell goes.
• Add the dry masalas and salt to taste and cook for 2 minutes , taking care not to burn the masalas.
• Add chopped tomatoes and cook well till oil begins to show on the side.
• Now add the drained daal and spinach and mix well with the masala.
• Add 2 1/2 cups of water and pressure cook for 5 minutes or till the daal is tender.
• Let the pressure reduce naturally, open the cooker and stir really well so that the spinach and daal are mixed well.
• Adjust the consistency to your liking by letting it cook without the lid for 2-3 minutes.
• A delicious meal is ready full of proteins and iron from the spinach.
• Enjoy with roties or parathas or steamed rice.Pickle and chutney will be a good accompaniment.

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Tomato Magic

  Ingredients

  4 large tomatoes chopped thick
  1 medium onion chopped thick
  1 green chilli chopped (optional) or 1/2 green bell  pepper cut into small squares
  2 tb sps chopped coriander/cilantro
  salt to taste
  chilli powder to taste
  sprinkling of coarsely ground black pepper
  1tb sp sugar
  1 tb sp olive oil or any other cookin oil



    Method

• Heat oil in a fry pan, add onions and cook till transparent.
• Add chopped tomatoes, mix well and cook for about 3-4 minutes.
• Add salt and chilli powder, mix and cover with a lid for 2-3 minutes or till the tomatoes are tender.
• Add the bell peppers and cook till its soft.
• Mix in the sugar and cook till it dissolves and thickens to the consistency you want.
• Turn the heat off and sprinkle with coriander, green chillies and black pepper.

   Serving Suggestions

  Its great to have on toasted bread or use it as a filling for a sandwich.
  You could mix it with pasta, top it with grated cheese and put it under the grill till the cheese melts.
  Use it as a base for paneer/ tofu cut into cubes and mixed together.Add chilli sauce to spike it a bit.
  Serve in a flat dish with hard boiled eggs cut into halves, arranged around the dish, sprinkled with pepper, finely chopped green onions and coriander.
  Last but not the least, try it as a dip with french fries or crisps.
  A slightly thinner version is a good accompaniment with kidchri or pulao.
  So make the tomatoes do magic for you. 

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Quick Fix Dahi Kadhi ( Yoghurt kadhi)

  Ingredients

  1 cup /200gm dahi/yogurt
  1 small tomato
  1 green chilli chopped
  1 t sp chopped ginger
  1/2 t sp methi (fenugreek seeds)
  1/2 t sp rai (mustard seeds)
  1/4 t sp haldi (turmeric)
  a pinch of hing (asaphoetida)
  chilli powder to taste (optional)
  salt to taste
  3tsps cooking oil


       Method

• Heat oil in a small saucepan, add hing, methi seeds,mustard seeds and as they begin to crackle add finely chopped tomatoes and cook till soft.
• Add haldi ,salt and chilli powder.
• Add chopped ginger, green chillies,chopped coriander leaves and mix well for a minute or two.
• Lower heat, add well beaten dahi, stir well to mix all the ingredients and turn off the heat. Continue to stir for two minutes even after switching off the heat so that the dahi does not split.
• Dahi Kadi is ready. Enjoy it with boiled rice and vegetables .

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  Note: You can change the consistency to your liking by adding water to the dahi when you beat it.
            Try the thick version as a dip with nachos,crisps or french fries.

Green Crunch (crunchy green salad with spices)

  Ingredients

  2 cups finely shreded cabbage

  1/2 cup finely sliced green beans

  1/4 cup carrot julliens

  7 curry leaves washed and dried

  1 green chilli

  1/4t sp cumin seeds

  1/tsp mustard seeds

  1/4 tsp methi (fenugreek seeds)

  salt to taste

  1tb sp olive oil or any other cooking oil

     Method

• Heat oil in a kadai or frypan.
• Add mustard, cumin and methi seeds. When the seeds begin to crackle, add curry leaves and broken green chilli.
• Add the cabbage, beans and carrots,stir fry for a minute  and cover and cook for 3 minutes on low heat or till the vegetables are cooked to your liking.Do not over cook as the veg's should be crunchy.
• Take the lid off, add salt and  stir fry for a minute or till no moisture is left.
• Can be served hot with rice and daal or  at room temparature as a salad.
• Add grated coconut for an exotic touch.

 

   Note:Innovate as one of the layers of a club sandwich or use it in a tortilla or paratha roll with other accompaniments.Try it out as a raita mixed with well beaten yoghurt, topped with roasted and powdered cumin seeds and coarsely ground black pepper.

Lucknow ki aloo tikiya ( Fried potato cakes with chutney)

  Ingredients

  4 large potatoes

  salt to taste

  Oil for frying

  2t sps ghee(clarified butter)

  1 cup beaten youghurt

 Green chutnney

  1 cup coriander /cilantro leaves

  1 small onion

  3 cloves of garlic

  1green chilli

  1/2 t sp salt

  juice of 1/2 a lemon or lime

 

  Grind all the ingredients in a grinder and your chutney is ready.

  Tamarind chutney

  1/2 cup tamarind paste

  1 cup jaggery powder or brown sugar or refined sugar

  2 tsps dhania (coriander powder)

  1/2 t sp rock salt 

  1/2 t sp jeera /cumin powder ( dry roast jeera /cumin seeds and pound them coarsely or grind in a grinder)

  red chilli powder to taste

 coarsely ground black pepper

  Table salt to taste

Boil the tamarind paste with 1/4 cup water, add the jaggery powder, add all the masalas and cook till it thickens. Should be a syrupy consistency.Pour into a small jar when cool and store in the fridge.

  Method

• Boil poatatoes with the skin.
• When cool peel the skin and mash potatoes to a smooth paste with the salt.Should be like a soft dough.
• Make tikiyas / round balls with the mash and flatten them on your palm about 1/4" thick and 1 1/2" diameter.
• Heat  2 tb sps oil in a heavy bottom fry pan or a griddle till smoking and spread it around the pan. 
• Place the tikiyas in the fry pan and adjust the heat so that it browns slowly and evenly.
• Turn the side with a flat spatula taking care not to break it and let it brown evenly.
• Add a few drops of oil around the sides if required.
• Keep turning the tikiyas till both sides are well browned and crisp.
• Spread the ghee or butter on the tikiyas and turn the side. Now spread the ghee on the other side,turn again and fry till you get the aroma of the ghee.
• Slide on to a small plate, put 1 tb spoon of beaten yoghurt, over the tikiya, top with the green and red chutney and sprinkle chaat masala.
• Take a bite, close your eyes and find yourself transported to the land of the Nawabs.

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 Note: The tikiyas in Lucknow are actually made with pure ghee only and are really yummy.

Try it when you are in an indulgent mood or go for this watered down version as often as you wish.