Down Home Cooking

Mysore masala dosa

2012-02-27T14:37:00.000+02:00

Am not really in to idlis and dosas. I like patathas and rotis and stuff, but on working days making a naan can be a bit too much,I mean only if a day has few more hours...

Back at my home,my mother used to use the same batter for idlis and dosa. Rice and urad dal in the ratio 2:1,fenugreek seeds, and a little cooked rice while grinding the dal,simple.
But now I know we can alter the taste and texture by varying the amount and types of dal used in the batter. Like in this recipe which I got from my old neighbor ,she is from chennai.

ingredients:

White rice 4 cups
chana dal(bengal gram) 1/2 cup
Tuvar dal (split piigeon peas) 1/2 cup
Urad dal(skinless black gram) 1/2 cup
Fenugreek seeds 1 teaspoon

for the masala:

Potatoes boiled and mashed 2
Onions chopped 2
Carrots chopped 2
Green chilli chopped 4
Curry leaves 2 sprig
Ginger passte 1/2 tablespoon
Red chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida a pinch
mustard seeds 1 teaspoon
oil 1 tablespoon
Salt.

for the red chutney:

Urad dal 1/4 cup
Grated coconut 2 tablespoon
Red chilli 8
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Tomato chopped 2
Tamarind water 2 tablespoon
Salt
Oil 1 teaspoon

method:

Soak the rice and dals seperately for 6 hours or overnight. Soak the fenugreek seeds with the dal.
Grind everything to a smooth batter.
Keep it in a warm place for fermentation for 8 to 12 hours.

to make the masala:

Cook all the vegetables in very little water. Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. When the seeds stops cracking add the vegetables .stir well. Add the ginger paste,asafoetida ,salt and red chilli powder. Saute for a few minutes. Turn off the heat when all the water has evaporated from the masala.

to make the red chutney:

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan. Fry the urad dal,curry leaves and red chillies until the urad dal changes color. Add the chopped tomato and saute for 2 minutes. Grind with grated coconut,salt and tamarind water to a smooth paste.

to make dosa:

After 12 hours of fermentation the dosa batter should rise well. Addthe salt and stir well.
Heat the cast iron or non stick griddle.
Pour a small ladle full of batter,and spread immediately with the back of the ladle . Spread half a tablespoon of ghee or butter on the top. Flip the dosa and cook on both sides until golden brown and crispy.

Spead one or two teaspoon of red chutney all over the inner side of the dosa.(I skipped this step,I can't eat too spicy and hot.I served the chutney on the side)

Put one or two tablespoons of masala on top of the dosa and fold it . Serve with chutney and sambar.

Chocolate chip Cookies

2012-02-27T12:25:00.000+02:00

Ever since my son started school, I found myself very interested in baking cookies and muffins for that's the only thing he eats from his lunch box. I used to pack his lunch box with a simple green salad,some kind of sandwich, and some cookies or cup cake. He eats only cookies and cup cake,rest of the meal ,he brings it back home. I tried everything to make him eat the lunch,but to no avail. Now I give him the money to buy hot lunch from school and pack his lunch box with some home baked desert.
Back to the cookie; crumbly moist,chewy biscuits,delicious as they are,very easy to make as well.
This one is my sons second favorite( his first favorite is butter almond cookies,I don't have the picture right now,am planning to post it here next time I make them)

ingredients:

Self raising flour. 1 cup
baking powder 1 teaspoon
Unsalted butter 1 stick(1/2 cup)
Light brown sugar 1/2 cup
Vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon
Golden syrup 2 tablespoon
Egg 1 large lightly beaten
Chocolate chips with at least 50% coca 3/4 cup
Pecan nuts chopped 1/4 cup
Salt 1/4 teaspoon

method:

Preheat the oven to 200 degree C. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper or grease lightly

Sift flour,baking soda and salt in to bowl. In another bowl,cream together the butter,sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Add the golden syrup and 1 tespoon of water and mix well.

Add the egg a little at a time. Gradually stir in the flour. Fold in the chocolate chips and the nuts until evenly combined.

Drop small size balls of dough 5 cm apart on the baking sheets. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or so or until the edges are golden and the centres well puffed up. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Store in an airtight container. Stores up to 5 days.

Sugiyan

2012-02-27T12:10:00.000+02:00

Sugiyan is a typical kerala tea time snack. Very easy to make and very tasty as well.
When made for shrardham, cardamom is omitted.

ingredients:

For the filling

Green moong dal. 2 cup
Grated coconut. 1 cup
Grated Jaggery. 1 cup
Cardamom seeds crushed 1 tablespoon

For the batter

Rice flour 2 cup
Black gram(Urad dal) flour 1 cup
Baking soda a pinch
Salt 1/2 teaspon

method:

To make the batter,combine the flour,salt and baking soda with water,mix well. Batter should be like dosa batter

Dry roast the moong dal until a nice aroma arises.pressure cook the green moong dal with just enough water. Dal shouldn't be overcooked or soggy. Add the grated coconut and mix well. Melt jaggery in a pan. When the jaggery syrup starts thickening add the dal and coconut mixture. Mix everything together. Turn off the heat when the dal mixture is quite dry. Add the cardamom and allow to cool.Make small balls.
Heat the oil.
Dip each ball in the batter and deep fry until golden brown.

Samosa

2012-02-02T09:57:00.000+02:00

I have been thinking about making samosas for a few weeks,but then I burned my finger and I had to restrain myself from the kitchen for a few days. Last weekend I thought about it again,first I thought I would make baked samosas using puff pastry, then I thought I should make the deep fried version using phylo pastry. But I couldn't feel the real enthusiasm or energy that I usually feel when I think about cooking. When there is something store bought ,ready made item as an ingredient,even if the dish turns out a success, I have difficulty taking credit for the dish. To feel the sense of accomplishment,I have to make everything from scratch.
Back to the samosa story, I finalized on phylo pastry,took it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge for thawing.Then I made the filling. I had no intention of taking pictures or posting it on blog or whatever,then out of the blue;to make my life more harder than it already is; I decided to make my own khol pastry. I still remember, I was 16 or 17 when I made my first samosa with my mom. None of us had much knowledge about making these north indian snack. We did manage to make a tasty filling,but the pastry was much like a oil dredged chapathi. But over the time I've learned a lot from friends and from lots of reading. Today my khol pastry has dramatically improved,it is crispy and light; puff pastry is also very flaky,but it is a bit bulky for samosas.

ingredients

For the pastry

All purpose flour 2 cups
Baking powder 1/2 teaspoon
Ghee/butter 6 tablespoon
Salt
Ice cold water

For the filling

Boiled potatoes 3 big
Green peas cooked 1 cup
Onions chopped 2 big
Green chilli paste 1/2 tablespoon
Ginger paste 1/2 tablespoon
Asafoetida 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon
Garam masala 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder 1 teaspoon
Oil 1 tablespoon

method:

To make the pastry

Combine all the dry ingredients for the pastry, add the ghee/butter and pinch the butter in to the flour using your finger tips until it resembles a coarse bread crumb. Add the cold water little by little and lightly knead to a soft and pliable dough. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for an hour or two.

To make the glue

In a small bowl put 2 tablespoon of flour and little water. Mix well to get a thick paste. We have to use this to seal the edges of the samosa.

To make the filling:

Chop the boiled potatoes in to small cubes. Heat oil in a pan,add the asafoetida and cumin seeds. Add the chopped onion,saute for a couple of minutes. Add the turmeric powder,salt,green chilli paste,ginger paste and saute for another minute. Add the potatoes and boiled peas. Add garam masala and mix everything well.
Take it off the heat and set aside to cool.

Knead the dough again for a minute. Make small balls of the dough and roll it in to a thin 8 inch round chapathi.

Heat a tawa and bake the chapathis on either side for a few seconds.

Cut the chapathi in to four pieces by cutting through the centre. fold each piece in to a cone and use the flour paste to stick the edges together. Fill the cone with the potato - peas mixture. Close the samosa and again use the flour paste to stick the edges together. There should be absolutely no exposed filling at all. Repeat the process for the rest of the samosas.

Heat oil in a deep pan. Fry the samosas on medium heat until golden brown. Serve hot with mint chutney.

Chilli Gobi

2012-01-06T09:20:00.001+02:00

Chilli gobi is an appetizer or starter very similar to gobi manchurian but the spice levels are at a new high. A very good side dish for fried rice

ingredients:

Cauliflower seperated in to florets 1 medium
Onion finely sliced 1 big
Tomato puree 1/2 cup
Ginger minced 1 tablespoon
Ginger finely chopped 1 tablespoon
Soy sauce 1 tablespoon
Chilli paste 1/2 tablespoon
Freshly ground pepper 1 teaspoon
Tabasco sauce 2 teaspoon
Green chilli minced 2 or 3
For the batter
All purpose flour 1/2 cup
Corn starch 1/2 cup
Black pepper powder 1 teaspoon
Salt 1 teaspoon
Turmeric 1/4 teaspoon
Ginger garlic paste 2 tablespoon
Baking powder 1/4 teaspoon
Red chilli powder 1 teaspoon
Method
Wash the cauliflower and steam them for a few minutes or microwave them at high for about
5 minutes . Keep aside

To make the batter, mix together the cornstarch ,allpurpose flour,salt,pepper powder,turmeric,redchilli powder and baking powder in a bowl.
To this add ginger garlic paste and enough water to make a smooth thick batter. Keep it in the fridge for half an hour.

Heat sufficient oil in a kadai. Dip the cauliflower florets in batter and deep fry them until golden brown. Keep it aside
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok. When the oil is hot,fry the ginger , garlic and chopped green chillies until raw smell goes off.To this add the chopped onions and fry them until color changes slightly.. Add red chilli paste, saute for another minute. Add the tomato puree and cook until oil starts to seperate. Add the soy sauce ground pepper and the salt. Mix well. Add the deep fried cauliflower florets and mix well to cover it with the masala. Cook for a few minutes to evaporate all the water. Finish it off with a drizzle of tabasco sauce. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

sweet boli

2012-01-04T20:24:00.000+02:00

I wanted to make something really special for my sons birthday. Since am not really confident about baking a chocolate cake I thought I would rather go for the indian things I am more familiar with. Now don't get me wrong,making the boli is in no way more easier than baking a cake; it takes a lot of patience and a little expertise.

Ingredients:

Chana dal 1 cup
All purpose flour 1 1/2cup
Sugar 1 1/2 cup
Semolina(sooji rawa) 1/4 cup
Saffron a few strands
Cardamom powder 1 teaspoon
Ghee 2 tablespoon
Milk 1/2 cup
Salt 1/2 teaspoon

Method:

To make the dough:

Soak the saffron in warm milk for 30 minutes.
Mix the flour and rawa with salt in a bowl.
Add the ghee and mix it with your hand.
Pour the milk over the flour mixture and knead it to get a very soft dough.
Cover with a damp cloth and keep aside for 2 to 3 hours.

To make the filling:

Soak the chana dal over night.
drain all the water. Transfer it in to a small steel pot that can fit inside your pressure cooker.
Take 3 cups of water in the pressure cooker.
Put the stand inside the cooker.
Put the steel pot on the stand and cover it with a lid. Now cover the cooker and put the weight on. Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes.
Note that we are not adding any water to the chana dal.

Once done, make sure the dal is copletely cooked and copletely dry. Dry on paper towels if necessary.
Transfer it in to a blender and grind to a smooth powder.

Powder the sugar and mix it with the dal. Add the cardamom powder and mix well.
At this stage the dal mixture should be damp because of the moisture from the powdered sugar.

To make the boli:

Take small balls of kneaded dough and roll it to a small circle using a rolling pin.
Put a ball of dal mixture and close the edges
( The amount of filling should be twice that of the dough)

Roll it in to a thin roti.

Heat the griddle and cook the rolled boli by adding teaspoon of ghee.

Serve with milk payasam.

Mini Apple pie

2012-01-02T12:26:00.000+02:00

I never baked a pie before. This is my first
attempt to bake a pie. I was a little nervous when I started because of all the horror stories I heard about what can go wrong when baking a pie.
I have to say it wasn't that bad after all.

Ingredients

For the pie crust:

Cake Flour 2 cups
Chilled Butter 3/4 cup
Powdered sugar 1/4 cup
Salt
Ice water

For the Apple pie filling:

Granny smith apples 5
Sugar 1/4 cup
All purpose flour 3 tablespoon
Ground cinnamon 1/2 tablespoon
Clove powder 1/4 teaspoon
Salt a pinch

Method

Making the filling:

Peel and chop the apples.
In a large bowl, toss the apples with the sugar-flour-spice mixture
Keep aside.

Making pie crust:

Stir the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl.
Add the chilled butter to the dry mixture.
Pinch the butter in to the flour using your fingers.

You can also use a food processor: pulse the flour with half the butter until it's the texture of cornmeal. Add the remaining butter and pulse until it's the size of small peas. Turn the mixture into a bowl.

Add the chilled water one tablespoon at a time, mixing gently with a fork after each addition. You should be able to gently press the dough into a ball. Handle the dough as little as possible; overworking will make it tough.

Split the dough in half. Pat the dough into balls, flattening them slightly, and wrap them in plastic wrap.

The dough needs to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This allows the flour to absorb all of the liquid, lets the dough relax and become more elastic, and keeps the fat in discrete pieces which will give the crust a lighter texture when it's baked.

Dust a clean surface with flour. Take off the wrappings and put the dough on the floured surface .
Start rolling at the center of the dough and work outwards.

Working quickly, roll the dough into a circle ¼-inch thick or smaller.

As you roll it out, lift up an edge or move the dough to ensure it's not sticking to the counter. Add flour as needed.

Cut 5 inch diameter rounds using a ramekin or a small round dish.

The dough round should be slightly larger than the pie dish. Since I am making mini pies 5 inch is the suitable diameter for a 3 inch wider pie dish.

Transfer the pie round in to the pie dish.
Press the pastry in to the pan using your fingers .
Fill with apple pie filling. Cover with another similar pastry round and pinch the edges together.

Use kitchen shears or a paring knife to trim the dough to about a half-inch overhang.
Prick the top crust using a fork

Repeat the process for the rest of the pies.
Arrange all the pies in a baking tray.

Pre heat the oven to 180 degree Celsius.
Bake the mini pies until the crust turns golden brown .

Dust with icing sugar.

Boondi Laddoo

2012-01-02T10:56:00.000+02:00

Happy newyear everyone. It was a fabulous christmas. Being abroad for many years christmas time has became my favorite time around the year.. From cutting the trees and decorating them ( We don't use artificial trees anymore, rather we use the real ones)to making cakes and sweets,I love every bit of all those chaos.

I made these Laddoo's for the new year . Laddoo is one of my son's favorite sweet.
Very common sweet in any southindian home. Also an auspicious sweet prepared for marriages and other Hindu functions.

Here all of my friends love indian sweets. Although they can't stand the heat of my curries ,they love indian sweets.

Ingredients:

Chana flour(besan) 2 cups
Sugar 3 cups
Kesari powder (yellow saffron) 1/4 teaspoon
Baking powder 1/2 teaspoon
Cloves 10- 12
Cardamom powder 1 teaspoon
Cashew nuts broken 2 tablespoon
Milk a few drops
Ghee 1/2 kg

Method

Mix the besan and baking powder with water to make the batter . It should be like pancake batter.

Heat sugar and 1 1/2 cup of water on high heat. When it starts to boil ,reduce the heat and cook until the sugar syrup reaches one thread consistency. To check the sugar syrup take a drop of the solution and drop it in water - if it remains intact and does not dissolve right away in water, the sugar syrup is ready.
Add saffron and cardamom powder to it. (While preparing the sugar syrup, add a few drops of milk. Impurities will collect on the surface in a layer - remove it.)

Heat half a kilogram of ghee in a deep frying pan.
The frying pan should have at least 1 1/2 inches of ghee. To test if the ghee is the right temperature, drop a pinch of batter into the ghee; if it rises immediately without changing color then the ghee is ready to start frying.
Put besan in boondi maker
and drop the boondi directly into the hot ghee.
Hold the boondi ladle about 1 to 1 1/2 inches above the ghee over the center of the frying pan with one hand. With your other hand pour the batter in to the boondi ladle. if you hold the boondi ladle higher than 11/2 inches above the ghee ,boondi will not be round.
Fry till light yellow. Drain and keep aside. Fry cashew nuts . Add boondi, cashew nuts and cloves to the sugar syrup and mix.
Let it sit for a while to absorb the sugar syrup.
Rub some ghee on your palms. Make laddoos by squeezing the boondi mixture in your palms and making round balls.

Note: if you don't have the boondi maker use a flat skimmer, strainer or perforated ladle that has several round holes on the surface, each about the size of a whole black peppercorn

Palappam and mutton stew

2011-11-28T09:20:00.000+02:00

My mother makes really soft palappams. We used to eat it with vegetable stew. My mother in law is an expert in making soft lace rimmed appam. But they don't normally add coconut milk to the batter. Mother in law sometimes add toddy but I prefer my recipe with the coconut milk.

Ingredients:

Rice flour 500 gm
Thick Coconut milk 2 cups
Grated coconut 2 cups
Cooked rice 1/4 cup
Active dry yeast 2 tablespoon
Sugar 4 tablespoon
Salt 2 teaspoon
Baking soda a pinch
Cumin seeds 2 teaspoon
Warm water 1 cup

Method:

Dissolve the sugar in warm water. Sprinkle the dry yeast over the water and stir to mix.
Keep it in a warm place until the yeast is frothy.
Grind together grated coconut and cooked rice to a smooth paste. Set aside

Take the rice flour in a big bowl. Add the coconut milk,ground coconut- rice mixture,yeast, baking soda and salt. Mix very well. Add enough warm water to get the right consistency. It should be a little runny than the dosa batter. Cover and keep it in a warm place for 6 to 8 hours or over night to ferment.

Add the cumin seeds to the batter before making appams. Mix well. Adjust the salt and sugar according to taste.

Heat the appam pan . Pour a ladle full of batter and rotate the pan in circular motion to spread the batter. Put the lid on. Cook on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until the outer edges are crispy and browned.
Serve hot

Note: it is good to use a non stick appam pan if not appam may stick to the pan because of the coconut milk and sugar in the batter.

To make the outer edges crispy, cook a few more minutes with the lid off.

Mutton Stew

ingredients:

Boneless Goat meat/ lamb 1 kg
Coconut scraped 5 cups
Pepper corns 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon
Coriander seeds 1 teaspoon
Star anise 2
Cinnamon 1 inch stick
Cloves 4 - 5
Green cardamom 5
Black cardamom 2
Chana dal 1 teaspoon
Coconut oil / vegetable oil 4 tablespoon
Potatoes,1 inch cubes 1 medium
Green chilli slit 5
Curry leaves 2 sprigs
Ginger grated 1/2 tablespoon

Method:

Soak scraped coconut in two cups warm water for five minutes. Grind and squeeze through a muslin cloth to extract thick milk. Repeat this process two more times but with only one cup water to get a second and third thinner extracts.

Dry roast chana dal, peppercorns, cumin seeds and coriander seeds on medium heat. Cool and grind to a powder. Set aside.

Pressure cook mutton in third extract of coconut milk for six whistles or until almost done. No need to use lot of liquid to pressure cook since mutton will release some water on its own.

Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan, add star anise, cinnamon,cloves,crushed black cardamom and crushed green cardamoms and sauté till fragrant. Add pressure-cooked mutton, potatoes, curry leaves, green chillies,grated ginger and salt. Sprinkle powdered masala and cook, stirring continuously, for five minutes.
Reduce heat and cook on medium heat for five minutes or until potatoes are almost cooked. Add second extract of the coconut milk and continue cooking till both mutton and potatoes are completely cooked.
Remove from heat and stir in first extract of coconut milk and adjust salt.
Add more crushed pepper corns if needed.
Reheat and simmer for two to three minutes before serving hot with appams or paranthas.

Aloo paratha

2011-11-28T08:01:00.000+02:00

I learned this recipe from a prior punjabi neighbor of mine 5 years ago. I remember every friday evening all of us will gather at their house ,sit around a big fire pit eating kulfis and rotis. It was fun. I would go there a little early to help her with the cooking and stuff. That's how I learned how these parathas are made. This is not her original recipe. They add chat masala,cumin seeds ,coriander leaves and chilli powder to the mashed potato. I changed it a little bit to freshen up the flavors.

ingredients:

Whole wheat flour 3 cups
Ghee 1 tablespoon
Salt 1 teaspoon
Water as needed

For the filling

potato medium 2
Ginger grated 1 teaspoon
Green chilli minced 5
Coconut oil/vegetable oil 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves 2 sprig

method:

Knead the wheat flour adding enough water,salt and ghee until the dough is smooth,soft and playable. Cover and set aside for at least half an hour.

To make the filling, boil the potatoes in little water until just cooked through. Boiling it for long time will result in potatoes absorbing lot of water and it will make it almost impossible to roll out the parathas.

Alternatively microwave the potatoes in a microwave safe bowl without any water. It will take almost 10 minutes on high,give it another 5 minutes of standing time. I prefer this method over boiling .

Peel the potatoes and grate them using a box grater. Add the green chillies,grated ginger and salt. Mix well. Heat oil and add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds stops sputtering pour it over the grated potato. Mix well. Keep it aside.

Divide the dough in to lemon sized balls.
Roll it out in to a small poori. Place a small ball of the potato mixture on top of the poori. Gather the edges of the poori and close it completely. Flatten slightly.

(Alternatively, take one ball of the dough and make an indentation right in the middle. Make a small ball of the potato and place it inside the indentation of the dough ball. Push it completely inside of the dough by using your thumb . )

Roll out gently in to a 8 to 9 cm diameter parathas. It is very important not to use any pressure at all while rolling.

Fry them on a hot griddle applying a little ghee on both sides.

If done correctly ,parathas will puff up very nicely.
Serve hot with any raita of your choice

pineapple chilli raita

Ingredients
•Pineapple,cubed Tinned3-4 slices
•Pomegranate seeds (anardana)1/2 cup
•Yogurt2 cups
•Sea salt to taste
•Cumin seeds1/2 teaspoon
•Red chilli powder 1/4 teaspoon
•Fresh mint leaves/coriander leaves,chopped sprigs+for garnish a few
Method
Whisk the yogurt and add sea salt. Dry roast cumin seeds and crush coarsely. Mix chopped pineapple, pomegranate seeds, red chilli flakes and chopped mint leaves.Garnish with chilli powder and a sprig of mint. Serve chilled

Mutton korma

2011-11-27T21:43:00.000+02:00

What surprises me most is how things get changed with the course of time. How I used to faint at the sight of meat and blood ,how I felt nauseated by the smell of fish..... But somehow out of the blue I got over all of the hesitations of handling non veg,am still a vegetarian though. Being born and bought up in a vegetarian environment,I had no solid knowledge about cooking meat. I had to learn it myself. My meat recipes are mostly north indian and pakistani because the people who taught me these dishes are north indians,punjabis, and pakistani's. I still have absolutely no clue how chicken and lamb is cooked in kerala.
The following dish-mutton korma-a traditional pakistani preparation goes very well with Naan or roti.
One more thing about this dish worth mentioning is that it is not lamb or mutton but it is goat meat that is used to make this korma in pakistan and india. Goat meat has less fat in it and has a distinctive game flavor. Since there is no way I can find goat meat here,I used lamb.The meat of a sheep in its first year is lamb; that of a juvenile sheep older than 1 year is hogget; and the meat of an adult sheep is mutton.
Mutton takes longer to cook than lamb. You can tenderize the meat by pouring a little vinegar and keeping it overnight.

ingredients

Mutton/lamb 800 grams
Onions 3 medium
Cloves 5-6
Green cardamom 4
Black cardamom 2
Cinnamon 1 inch stick
Black pepper corns 2 tablespoon
Oil 3 tablespoon
Ginger paste 1 tablespoon
Garlic paste 1 tablespoon
Coriander powder 1 tablespoon
Cashew nut paste 1/4 cup
Yogurt beaten 1/2 cup
Garam masala powder 1 teaspoon
Fresh cream 1/2 cup
Salt

method

Cut the lamb in to 1 inch cube pieces. Wash and keep aside. Chop the onions.
Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan.
Saute the green cardamom ,black cardamom,cloves,cinnamon and black peppercorns until fragrant
Add onions and sauté until lightly browned. Add ginger paste, garlic paste and sauté for one minute stirring continuously to avoid the paste from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add lamb pieces and sauté on a high heat for three to four minutes stirring continuously. Add coriander powder, red chilli powder and salt. Sauté for another two to three minutes. Add yogurt and one cup of water. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook till the lamb pieces are tender. Add cashewnut paste and garam masala powder. Cook for five more minutes on medium heat. Add cream and mix. Simmer for ten minutes. Serve hot.

Note: the success of this recipe depends upon the slow cooking method. The curry is allowed to simmer in low heat for about an hour and a half . if you pressure cook the meat,then it will get cooked so fast so there is no time for the masala to flavor the meat.

Rawa Idli

2011-11-25T19:49:00.000+02:00

Rawa idli is a variation to regular idli
If you don't have the time to soak,grind and ferment rice ,rawa idli's are a great option
Ingredients
Rawa sooji 2 cup
Yogurt 1 cup
Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon
Chana dhal 1 teaspoon
Urad dhal 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida a pinch
Green chilli chopped 3
Ginger grated 1 teaspoon
Broken Cashew nut 1 tablespoon
Curry leaves a few sprigs
Coriander leaves chopped a few sprigs
Eno fruit salt 1/2 teaspoon
Oil /ghee 2 tablespoon
Salt 2 tea spoon
Water as needed
Method
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds.when it begins to crack,add chana dhal,urad dhal,broken cashews,asafoetida,and the dry red chilli.give it a stir
Next to the pan ,add the rawa and saute everything untill rawa gets golden streaks. Transform the contents of the pan in to a big bowl. Add chopped green chilli,grated ginger,chopped coriander leaves,curry leaves,yogurt and salt. Mix everything together.
Add enough water to make the batter. Mix the Eno fruit salt. This should be done at the very last-just before pouring the batter in to idli moulds.
In the Idli pot,bring the water to boil. Steam the idlis 7 to 8 minutes. Cool before taking the idlis out
Serve with tomato chutney and sambar

onion-tomato chutney(vengaya chutney)

Ingredients

Onions 2 large
Tomato 2 medium
Urad dal 2 tablespoon
Whole dry Red chilli 4
Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves a few sprigs
Oil 2 tablespoon

Method
Chop the onions and tomatoes roughly.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan. Fry the urad dal and red chilli. Add the chopped onions,tomatoes and curry leaves. Saute for a few minutes. Transfer the contents in to a blender and grind it to a smooth paste.
Heat the remaining oil. Once hot add the mustard seeds. Pour it over the chutney.

Pita Bread

2011-11-25T16:44:00.000+02:00

I have a neighbor who is of Lebanese origin. She makes a lot of middle eastern food I am so much in love with. Pita bread is a staple in middle eastern cuisine. Pita is so versatile that we can use it to dip in tahini or in any rich creamy gravy or for making sandwiches using falafel or chicken- the possibilities are endless. And the best part- we can make it ahead of time!!!
Traditionally these are made in large brick ovens in which temperature can shoot up to 500 degrees. Although we can't achieve that at our home, we can still do a good job with pita.

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour 2 cup
Cake flour/ all purpose flour 4 cups
Active dry Yeast 2 tablespoon
Warm water 2 1/2 cup
Salt 1 tablespoon
Sugar 1 teaspoon
Ghee or oil 2 tablespoon

Method

Dissolve sugar and dry yeast in 2 1/2 cup warm water. Keep it in a warm place for about 10 minutes or until it becomes frothy.

Take a large bowl and sieve 2 cups of whole wheat flour in to the bowl. Add the frothy yeast. Mix the flour and yeast by stirring in one direction for about 1 minute using a wooden spatula. Let this sponge rest for half an hour.

Sprinkle salt over the sponge and stir in the oil/ghee
To this add the cake flour ,one cup at a time, stirring continuously. When the mixture becomes too stiff to stir, transfer it in to a lightly floured surface and knead for not less that 10 minutes. The dough should be very soft and springy when done. Transfer the dough in to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl using a cling film . Let it rise until at least double in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours. Gently punch down.

Pre heat the oven to 250 degree Celsius. Place the baking tray on the rack close to the heating element of the oven.
Divide dough into sixteen equal pieces and flatten each piece with lightly floured hands. Roll out each piece to a circle 8 to 9 inches in diameter. You may wish to roll out all of the dough before starting to bake. Cover rolled out breads, but do not stack.

Bake 2 at a time (or more if your oven is larger) directly on baking sheets. Bake each bread for 3 or 4 minutes, until the bread has puffed up in to a full "balloon" or until it is starting to turn lightly golden, whichever happens first. If there are seams or dry bits of dough - or for a variety of other reasons - your bread may not go into a full "balloon". Don't worry, it will still taste great. The more you bake pitas the more you will become familiar with all the little tricks and pitfalls, and your breads will more consistently "balloon."

When done let it cool slightly then wrap it in a kitchen towel to keep them moist.
To serve,cut the pita in half using a bread knife and you will immediately see the pocket in the bread.(That's the reason we put so much pressure to make them puff to a balloon- to get these 'pockets'!!!)
You can fill the pocket with a variety of things, veg or non veg ,to make pita sandwich.

You can also freeze these pitas in a freezer bag for later use.

Note: pitas puff with the help of all the steam that releases while baking. So do not open the oven door before they are cooked.

Mullu murukku

2011-11-07T20:17:00.000+02:00

Mullu murukku,murukku,chakri,mullu thenkuzhal...whatever you call it,this is one of the staple savory snack of south india.

I personally dislike sweet things in general. When I was in india,I used to buy these things whenever I feel like to eat them. But when I came here, I found it difficult to find.
That's when I decided to make it myself. I wasn't very sure how it will turn up,but I ended up with a big cookie jar full of crunchy,hot and delicious chakris. I am not exaggerating, just try it yourself,it is better than the store bought chakris.

Ingredients:

Rice flour 3 cups
Besan(chana dhal flour) 1 cup
Yellow moong dhal flour 1 cup
Asafoetida powder 2 teaspoon
Ghee 1/4 cup
Red chilli powder 3/4 cup
Salt 3 teaspoon
Baking powder(optional) 2 teaspoon
Black sesame seeds 2 tablespoon
Oil for deep frying
Method

Combine together the rice flour,besan and yellow moong dhal flour in a big bowl.
Add the redchilli powder,asafoetida,sesame seeds,salt and baking powder.
Mix everything together.
Make a well in the centre,add ghee,use your fingers to rub the ghee in to the flour.
When finished,the flour mixture should almost look like bread crumbs.

Add enough water and knead lightly to a make a dough like chapathi dough

Cover and keep it in the refrigerator for one or two hours

Heat enough oil in a deep pan.
(To check the oil,drop a little of the dough,if it comes to the surface immediately ,the oil is ready)

Take the sev press,and put the mold for mullu murukku.
Fill the press with dough and squeeze the dough in to the hot oil to form concentric circles of murukku.

Deep fry in low heat until done.
Drain on to a kitchen towel to remove the excess oil.

Orange Pilaf

2011-11-07T17:34:00.000+02:00

Here in southafrica the main characteristic of a suburban house is a little enclosed backyard with a swimming pool,a little garden and a few choice of fruit trees. Mostly pear,peach,plum,lemon and orange. In mountain areas they grow grapes and strawberries. Its amazing how big and cheap these strawberries can get and that too fresh from the farm. That's the plus side of suburban living.
Some of my neighbors even have pomegranate trees. I have an orange tree in my backyard. The smell of orange blossoms in cool mornings and breezy evenings are just amazing

The main ingredient in this rice pilaf is of course oranges. You need 8 or 10 depending on the size.

Ingredients:

Basmati rice: 2 cups
Oranges 8-10( to get 3 cups of juice)
Green cardamom 5
2 inch long Cinnamon sticks 2
Cloves 6
Saffron few strands
Milk 1 tablespoon
Pure ghee 1/4 cup
Pepper corns 2 tablespoon
Sugar 1/4 cup
Salt 2 teaspoon

Method

Wash the rice very well until the water is no longer cloudy (to remove all the extra starch from the rice so that it won't stick)
Soak the rice in enough water for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes drain the rice and keep aide.(Do not soak the rice any longer than 30 minutes !)

Cut the oranges in half and extract the juice.
To cook 2 cups of rice we are going to need a total of 4 cups of liquid. Here we are using 3 cups of orange juice and 1 cup of water.

cut the skin of two oranges into julienne. Boil orange rind julienne in a cup of water for a minute, drain and keep the rind.

Dissolve saffron in warm milk and keep aside

Crush the cardamom and pepper corns slightly to bring out all the flavours.

Heat ghee in a deep pan. Add cinnamon,cloves and cardamom and sauté for a few seconds. Add the rice and sauté for another 1 or 2 minutes. Add 3 cups of orange juice and 1 cup of water to rice. Add the crushed peppercorns, saffron dissolved milk , orange rind and salt. Stir once and put the lid on. cook on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes undisturbed. Do not take the lid off or stir the rice before it is done. In doing so you will mess up the entire dish. So you have to resist the tendency to take a peek. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and give it another 5 minutes of standing time.

Fluff the rice using a fork.(Over handling the hot rice can make it mushy ).
Transfer it in to a wide and shallow serving dish. Let it sit uncovered for a little while.

Bon appetit !!!

Butter chicken - chicken in creamy makhani gravy

2011-11-03T22:08:00.000+02:00

lNGREDIENTS

Boneless chicken, cut into 1½ inch pieces 1 kg
red chilli powder 2teaspoon
Lemon juice / apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Marinade
Thick yogurt 1/2 cup
Ginger paste 1 tablespoon
Garlic paste 1 tablespoon
Red chilli powder 3 teaspoon
Garam masala powder 1 teaspoon
Mustard oil2 teaspoons
Salt 1 teaspoon
For the gravy
Tomato, roughly chopped12 medium
Butter4 tablespoons
Green cardamoms 6
Mace1 gram
Ginger paste 1 tablespoon
Garlic paste 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder 3 teaspoon
Dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi), roasted and crushed 2 teaspoon
Honey 1 tablespoon
Fresh cream 3 1/2 tablespoons

METHOD

Prick the chicken pieces all over with a fork. Place them in a large bowl and add the salt, red chilli powder and lemon juice and mix well. Cover the bowl with a cling film and set aside to marinate for thirty minutes in a refrigerator.
For the marinade, mix together yogurt, ginger paste, garlic paste, chilli powder, salt and garam masala powder. Add the mustard oil and mix. Add the chicken and mix well so that all the chicken pieces are well coated with the marinade. Cover the bowl with cling film and place it in the refrigerator to marinate for about two hours.
For the gravy puree the tomatoes till smooth. Heat two tablespoon butter in a deep non stick pan on low heat. Add the green cardamoms and mace and cook till fragrant. Add the ginger paste and garlic paste and sauté for a minute. Add the pureed tomatoes, salt, red chilli powder and cook, stirring occasionally, for fifteen to twenty minutes. Grill the chikcken pieces in a preheated oven. cook till the chicken pieces are done. Add the roasted and crushed kasuri methi to the gravy and mix. Add the remaining butter and cook for a few minutes. Add the honey and cream and mix well. Cook for two minutes more. Add the chicken pieces and cook for three minutes.

Garnish with cream and crushed kasuri methi. Serve hot.

Bakarkhani-Indian leavened bread

2011-11-03T21:26:00.000+02:00

When am happy ,I've all these extra energy. So I go to my kitchen and cooks something very ambitious. Being a south indian, I never used to north indian rotis and parathas when growing up. The only thing my mother made is chapathis and puris. By learning how to cook these tandoor cooked rotis ,I literally opened a door to an entirely new world of culinary adventures. And these adventures are keeping my world intact ,so as to say. To me cooking is a great distraction from all the painful things in my life,from all the wrong ,evil people.... :)
So basically when I am happy I cook ,when I am sad I cook.... LOL

Bakarkhani is a very rich ,leavened roti from pakistan and kashmir region.
If done correctly,it will melt in your mouth.
It is so soft and aromatic and it is traditionally cooked in tandoor ovens.

Ingredients

All purpose flour 2 cups
Fresh yeast crumbled 1 tablespoon
Baking powder 1 teaspoon
Milk 3/4 cup
Sugar 2 tablespoon
Pure ghee 5 tablespoon
Sunflower seeds 2 tablespoon
Raisins 2 tablespoon(optional)
Kewra water few drops
Cardamom powder 1 teaspoon
Salt 1 teaspoon

Method
Warm quarter a cup of water and add a tablespoon of sugar. To this add the crumbled yeast and stir. Keep it in a warm place to rise.
Warm the milk and dissolve the rest of the sugar. Keep it aside.

Sieve together the flour,baking powder and salt. Make a well in the flour , add the dissolved yeast, milk ,cardamom powder and kewra water. Knead to make a soft dough. Cover with a damp cloth and keep it in a warm place to rise the dough for 10 minutes.

Incorporate 3 tablespoons of ghee in to the dough . Add the sunflower seeds, raisins and knead well. Cover with the damp cloth and keep it in a warm place for another half an hour.

Divide the dough in to eight equal parts and roll them in to balls. Cover and keep aside for another 10minutes.

Preheat the oven to 240 degree Celsius.
Roll the dough balls in to 5 inch diameter round disks. Prick the entire disk with a fork or make two or three slits in the disk using a knife. Place them on a baking tray and put it in the oven . Bake the bakarkhanis untill golden and puffed up. When placed on the top shelf of the oven(closer to the grill),it only takes 3 to 4 minutes. But every oven is different,so you have to keep an eye on it while baking.

Brush with melted ghee and serve hot with some kind of meat curry or qorma

I made Butter chicken as an accompaniment.

Bhattura

2011-11-03T08:53:00.000+02:00

We love bhattura. It is so easy to make,tastes better than poori and it absorbs much less oil- so what's there not to likey huh?

Ingredients:

Refined flour 2 cups
Thick Yogurt 1/2 cup
Baking powder 2 teaspoon
Salt 2 teaspoon
Sugar 2 teaspoon
Oil for deep frying

Method:

Sieve together refined flour and baking powder. Mix yogurt with salt and sugar. Add this to the flour and mix well. Knead well to make a soft dough adding enough water. Incorporate two tablespoons of oil in to the dough and cover it with a cling film and let it rest for an hour.
Heat oil in a deep pan. Divide the dough in to 12 lemon sized balls. Cover and keep it rise for 10 minutes.
Roll out each ball in to 5 inch diameter bhaturas..
Deep fry until golden brown.
When you put it in to the oil, first it goes to the bottom of the pan then it floats. At this point you will have to push it back to the oil to help the bhaturas puff up.
Serve hot with chole

Nostalgic food- Uzhunnu vada/Medhu vadai

2011-11-01T21:23:00.000+02:00

I think nostalgia tends to come from home sickness....its a longing....
I feel real homesick for india when I live here. So it is those lost moments when I want to eat things that reminded me of home and things I associated with my childhood.....
The fun thing is you don't have to live thousands of miles away from home and be away for years to get home sick,even if you've been holiday for a few weeks,there's this part of you that craves familiar food
...
I miss the green fields because nothing found as green as the green I knew,I miss the rain,I miss a descent cup of tea....
Most mundane and odd things,but these are the things you miss.
Uzhunnu vada is one of those things that my mother used to make once or twice in every week as an evening snack.

Let's look in to the ingredients
Ingredients
Urad dhal 11/2 cup
Green chillies chopped 3
Black peppercorns-a few
Ginger 1 inch piece
Shallots 5
Curry leaves a few
Salt
Oil for deep frying
Method
Soak the urad dhal for a few hours.
Drain and grind the urad dhal in to smooth dough using as little water as possible.
Coarsely grind together green chilli,ginger,shallots and curry leaves. Mix with the urad dhal dough.
Add the peppercorns and salt and mix well.

Heat oil in a deep kadai. Wet your palms with little water. Put a tablespoon of dough in the wet palm and shape in to disk. Dip your finger in water and make a hole in the center of the disk . slip it in to the hot oil.
Deep fry until golden brown.
Serve with either Sambar or chutney or both!

A big cup of tea and one or two of these Vada's will instanly take me back to my home, to my childhood...

Happy cooking .

Aloo kulcha

2011-10-29T08:16:00.000+02:00

waking up on a pleasant saturday morning means the world to me. After a busy week of work and responsibilities it is actually a soothing experience to being able to sleep in. Now that being said,I never do sleep in,instead i wake up very early like on working days but on a saturday, with a smile on my face-enjoying the chirps of the birds and the refreshing smell of brewing coffee ,checking on my herbs and roses and finally cuddling on my favorite chair sipping hot coffee - heaven :)
Ok, back to business, I have been longing to make kulcha's ever since I got the recipe from a dear friend of mine. But every time I planed to make it ,I found myself short of one ingredient or the other ,until last thursday.
When I finally made it,it was an instant hit.
My son and husband loved it-kudos to me :) .

It may seem like a lot of work but on the plus side,you don't have to work a lot on the accompanying curry. You can serve the kulcha's with cucumber raita.

INGREDIENTS

Refined flour (cake flour)2 cups
Salt to taste
Baking powder 1 teaspoon
Yogurt 2 tablespoons
Milk 2 tablespoons
Oil 3 tablespoons
Potatoes2 medium
Onion1/2 medium
Green chillies2
Fresh coriander leaves1/4 bunch
Fresh mint leaves8-10
Pomegranate seeds (anardana) 1 teaspoon
Red chilli powder 1/2 tablespoon
Cumin powder 1 tablespoon
Onion seeds (nigella seeds) 3/4 teaspoon
Soft unsalted Butter 2 tablespoons

METHOD
Wash, boil, cool, peel and grate potatoes. Peel, wash and finely chop onion. Remove stems, wash and finely chop green chillies. Clean, wash and finely chop coriander leaves and mint leaves. Dry roast pomegranate seeds and grind to a coarse powder. Mix potatoes, onion, coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chillies, pomegranate seeds powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and salt to taste. set aside
Sieve refined flour with salt and soda bicarbonate. Gradually mix in yogurt and milk. Add sufficient water to make soft and smooth dough. Cover with a wet cloth and rest the dough for ten minutes. Add two tablespoons of oil and knead the dough well. Cover it once again and keep aside for at least an hour. Divide the dough into six to eight equal portions and form them into smooth balls. Divide potato mixture into six to eight equal portions and keep aside. Flatten a portion of dough, place a portion of potato mixture in the centre and fold the dough over to form a ball (like in aloo paratha). Place the stuffed dough on a lightly floured surface and roll gently into a disc of four to five inch diameter. Brush lightly with oil, sprinkle kalonji on the surface and press with your palm.

Preheat oven to 220°C. Place kulchas on a greased baking tray and bake in the preheated oven at 220°C for about six to eight minutes. Brush the hot kulchas with butter and serve immediately.

Cucumber raita

Ingredients
2 cups plain yogurt
2 cups grated cucumber (unpeeled)
1 clove garlic, minced
4 sprigs fresh mint or coriander, leaves only, minced finely
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Whisk the yogurt until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients, plus a little freshly ground black pepper if you like. Stir, chill, and serve.

Note:
This is a really winning recipe. You have to be extra careful when making the potato filling. It should be really dry,not watery. If the filling is not right,u will end up ruining the entire thing.
The best way to get the potatoes right is to microwave them ,that way we can avoid boiling the potatoes with water,thus ensuring the consistency of the filling.

Garlic Naan

2011-10-27T11:46:00.000+02:00

I am having one of those days when am obsessed with baking. Since my family is not crazy about cakes and sweets,am routing my desire to bake in other ways away from the sweet teeth.
Every time we go out for dinner we normally prefer north indian food. Nowadays. I've started to make my own rotis and qormas :).

This is an authentic naan recipe from a punjabi restauranteur in Gabarone,Botswana. I managed to get a few recipes from the chef when they were catering for my sons birthday party: nice chance to friend the chef and know a little more about their food right :D

Ingredients

2/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon white sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup ghee
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon garlic minced(
Combine the butter and minced garlic together)

Directions

Whisk the warm water with the yeast and sugar until the yeast is dissolved. Cover and let stand in a warm place for 10 minutes.
Sift flour and salt three times into a large bowl add the yeast mixture, half of the ghee and all the yogurt. Mix into a soft dough then knead on a floured surface for about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a large greased bowl, cover and let stand in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours or until the dough is doubled in size .
Punch down dough then knead for 5 minutes. Divide dough into 6 pieces. Keep it covered for another 10 to 15 minutes .

Preheat the oven to 225 degree Celsius.

Pull and stretch each piece out into 8 inch round naans using your hand
Cover an oven tray with foil and grease the foil. Cook naan one at a time in the hot oven for about 2 minutes on each side or until puffed and just browned.
brush with garlic-butter mixture.

Serve immediately

Vegetable biriyani

2011-10-11T07:45:00.000+02:00

This is a biriyani I make very often, it is cooked in oven in a cast iron pot covered with aluminium foil. Let's see how to make it

Ingredients

1) Basmati rice - 2 cups
2)Onions - 5 medium
3)Garlic - 7-8 cloves(sometimes I use the crushed garlic about 1 and half table spoon)
4)Ginger- 1 inch piece
5)Green chillies-5 - 6
6)Tomatoes - 2 medium
7)Carrot- 1 or 2 medium
8)Cauliflower- 1 small
9)French beans- 20-25
10)Green peas- 1 cup
11)Fresh coriander leaves- few sprigs
12) Saffron- a few strands
13)Cardamoms- a few
14) Cloves- a few
15)Cinnamon- 1 inch piece
16)Bay leaf- 1 or 2
17)Oil- 2 tablespoon + for frying
18)Caraway seeds- 1/2 tablespoon
19) Cumin seeds - 1 tablespoon
20)Coriander powder- 1 tablespoon
21)Turmeric powder- 1 teaspoon
22)RedChilli powder- 1/2 tablespoon
23)Yogurt- 1/2 cup, well beaten
24)Salt- according to taste
25) Garam masala powder- As required
26)Butter or ghee- 2- 3 table spoon
27) Fried cashews and raisins for garnish- 1 cup

Now it looks like a lot of ingredients, but I promise you it worth the effort. :)
Method:
1)Soak the rice in cold water for about 20 minutes
2) Grind together the green chillies,ginger and garlic to a smooth paste without using any water
(It is important not to use any water at all)
3) Finely slice 4 onions, and deep fry them in enough oil until deep brown and crunchy. Drain on to a kitchen towel
4). Cut the beans in to 1 inch pieces
5) Cut the carrot in to small cubes
6) Separate the cauliflower florets and cut them in to bite size pieces
7) Cook the green peas until three fourth done
8) Mix the beans, carrots,and cauliflower and cook in very little salted water until three fourth done( I steam these in a microwave adding a tablespoon of water and a little salt, that way I can assure that there is no excess water to throw out) . Do not overcook the vegetables.
9) Slice the remaining onion in to thin slices.
10) Chop the tomatoes
11) Drain the soaked rice and cook in 5 cups of salted boiling water. Add the cardamoms, bay leaf,cinnamon and cloves to the boiling water. Take the rice off the heat when it is three fourth cooked. Drain excess water and keep aside
12) Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a thick bottom kadai or pan. Add caraway seeds and cumin seeds
When they change color add sliced onion. Fry until onions turn golden brown
Then add green chilli-ginger- garlic paste,give it a stir
Next to the pan add coriander powder, chilli powder and turmeric powder. Add the yogurt and chopped tomatoes. Cook on medium heat until oil starts to separate from the masala . Take good care not to burn the masala.
When the oil starts to separate add all the vegetables,peas and salt . Mix well
Turn off the heat.
At this point the vegetables should be coated in masala and should be really dry
13) Soak the saffron in a little warm water

14) Pre heat the oven to 275 degree Celsius
15) Take the cast iron pot( see the picture of the pot I used),arrange alternate layers of rice and vegetables

Sprinkle saffron dissolved water, garam masala powder,fried onions and butter in between the layers and top
Make sure that you end up with the rice layer topped with saffron and spices
Cover and seal the pot using aluminium foil

Cook in the pre heated oven for 10 minutes at 275 degree Celsius
Reduce temperature to 225 degree C and cook for another 20 minutes

When done mix everything gently, and garnish with the coriander leaves and fried cashews and raisins( I omitted the coriander leaves this time because I didn't have any)

Viola, we have our yummy vegetable biriyani!:) :)

Lemon-poppyseed muffins

2011-08-18T09:53:00.000+02:00

Ingredients:

all purpose flour -2cups
poppyseeds - 2 tbs
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Salt -1/4 tsp
Unsalted butter - 1/2 Cup
White sugar - 1 cup
Eggs -2large
Plain yogurt -1 cup
Zest of one lemon

For glaze
Icing sugar - 1/2 cup
Lemon juice - 3 tbs

Instructions:

1) Poppy Seed Muffins: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) . Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners or spray each muffin cup with a non stick vegetable spray

2) In a bowl, whisk the flour with the poppy seeds, salt, and baking soda.

3) In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the lemon zest, yogurt (or sour cream), and vanilla extract until well blended. Stir in the flour mixture just until moistened. Do not over mix. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. Bake for about 18 - 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about five minutes before removing from pan.

Lemon Glaze: Place the sugar in a small bowl and stir in the lemon juice. While the muffins are still warm, drizzle the tops with the glaze.

Makes 12 muffins