Chatpatti Gajar( carrot)

 
  Ingredients
  2 long red or orange carrots
  1 t sp. finely chopped ginger
  1 tb sp. finely chopped coriander leaves
  juice of 1/2 alime or lemon
  3/4th t sp. roasted ground jeera(cumin powder)
  chilli flakes to taste
  salt to taste
  cayene pepper to taste
  olive oil


  Method

• Scrape, wash and cut the carrots  into 1/2" thick slices.
• Put carrots into boiling water for 1 minute and turn off the heat.Let them be in the water for another minute or so. It should be crunchy.
• Drain and add all the ingredients and a drizzle of olive oil.
• Mix well and chill in the fridge.
• Serve as short eats with cocktails or enjoy it as a side dish with an omelette, or grilled fish.
• Takes not more than ten minutes for the entire process. an excellent healthy snack when you are short of time annd hungry.

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Mangalore Prawn/ Fish /veg. curry

  Ingredients
  200 gms prawns or your favourite fish cut into cubes
  1/2 cup chopped onions
  2 cloves of garlic
  small piece ginger
  2 medium size tomatoes chopped roughly
  3/4 dhania (coriander powder)
  1/2 t sp jeera (cumin) powder
  chilli powder to taste
  salt to taste
  2-3 green chillies slit and cut into half
  1 tb sp cooking oil
  1/4 piece of fresh coconut or 2 tbsps of coconut powder/dessicated coconut


      Method

• Heat oil in a frypan, add chopped oniond and fry till golden brown .
• Add chopped ginger, garlic, dhania powder and jeera powder and fry till the raw smell goes.
• Add chopped tomaoes and salt and cook till soft.Remove from heat, cool and grind to a paste along with the coconut.
• Put the ground  masala back in the fry pan. add the slit green chillies,and ginger julliens and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water if the masala is too thick and bring to a boil.
•  Now add the prawns/ fish and cook till  tender. Do not over cook the prawns or they'll turn hard.
• Serve with boiled rice.

                                                    
  Vegetarian option
  Replace the fish with mushrooms or fried cubes of brinjal(egg plant) or try any of your favourite vegetable    that you feel  will taste good with this strong  robust masala.I repeat, use your imagination.

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  Note:
A quicker version is to grind the raw ingredients, fry for 5 minutes, add the fish/ prawns and cook till done.
Tamrind pulp can be added before adding the prawns to give it a slightly sour taste.
A really satisfying  quick dish for a cold winter evening . 
 
 

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.