Me and My Kitchen!

Mushroom Peas Masala

2013-04-07T19:24:00.000+05:30

Mushroom and Peas always a great combo, which tastes great when we add this combo in Biriyani’s, Pulao’s, Gravies and Curries. Mushroom Peas Masala / Dhingri Matar Masala / Mushroom Mutter Masala, Whatever it is called, all refers to the same thing, is a yummy and delicious gravy, which goes best with Roti’s, Naan’s, Phulka’s and Chapathis.

Ingredients:

Button Mushroom	200 gms
Green Peas	1/2 cup
Onion – Medium Size	2 (roughly chopped)
Tomato – Medium Size	3 (roughly chopped)
Cooking Oil	3 tbsp
Aniseeds	1 tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste	1 and 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder	1/4 tsp
Chilly Powder	1 and 1/2 tsp (adjust accordingly)
Cumin Powder	1 tsp
Coriander Powder	2 and 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala	1/2 tsp
Salt	3/4 tsp
Coriander Leaves – Finely Chopped	2 tsp

Cooking Instructions:

Take onions and peel the skin and roughly chop it. Add it to mixer jar and grind it to a fine paste without adding water and keep it aside.

Take tomatoes and roughly chop it. Add it to mixer jar and grind it to a fine paste without adding water and keep it aside.

Wash and clean the green peas. Pressure cook it with 1/2 a cup of water exactly for 2 whistles. Once the pressure is released, strain the excess water and keep it aside.

Wash and clean the mushrooms. If the stem of the mushroom is too thick, cut and discard it. If it is normal in size, simply chop the mushroom into two halves. The stem in the mushroom I bought was too thick and so I just cut and discarded it. Peel the top layer skin of the mushroom and discard it. Then just cut the mushroom into two halves and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a pan. When it is hot, add aniseeds and let it splutter and do not burn it. Reduce the flame to medium and add onion paste slowly to the pan. Then add ginger garlic paste to it. Keep frying the onion paste in medium flame until the paste shrinks to half of its quantity but keep in mind not to burnt it.

Then add tomato paste and keep frying for 2 or 3 minutes in medium flame itself. Then add the dry powders one by one – turmeric powder, and chilly powder.

Next add cumin powder, coriander powder and garam masala. And keep it mixing until the raw smell of the powders are completely reduced.

Next add mushroom and boiled peas to it. Then add salt to it and mix well. Next add 1 cup of water to it.

Add chopped coriander leaves and now cover the pan with a lid. Let it cook well in medium flame until the water is absorbed well and the vegetables are cooked and it reaches a gravy consistency and it took 7 to 8 minutes for me.

Mushroom Peas Masala is ready now! Transfer it to a serving bowl and garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and serve it with Pulao’s, roti, naan and chapathis.

Technorati Tags: Mushroom Peas Masala,Mushroom Matar Masala,Mushroom Mutter Gravy,Kaalan Pattani Masala,Dhingri Mutter Masala

Homemade Masala Chai Powder and Masala Chai

2013-04-04T06:55:00.000+05:30

I always like to have my cup of Chai / Tea (a hot beverage) piping hot. I use to start my day daily with a cup of hot tea, which makes me brisk and bright. Masala Chai is a blend of aromatic spices with our normal tea. Masala Chai gives a warmth feeling, when we have it during rainy days or at winter time. Combination of spices and the amount of spices added in preparing masala chai powder depends upon individual taste. People who love the flavor of ginger in tea can add more ginger while preparing masala powder and who love cardamom flavor can add more number of cardamoms. So, everything is at their own discretion. When you have cold and congestion in nose, Masala Chai really gives a good relief and soothing feel.

Homemade Masala Chai Powder

Ingredients:

Pepper	1 tbsp
Cloves	25 or 1 tsp
Cardamom	18 or 1 heaped tsp
Dry Ginger / Sukku	2 small pieces (shown in the image)
Cinnamon	8 inch or 1 tsp
Sugar	1 tsp

Preparation Instructions:

Add all the measured ingredients (except Sugar) one by one in a fry pan and fry in medium flame.

Fry the ingredients for 4 to 5 minutes in the medium flame. Then switch off the flame and let the ingredients to cool for a while. Once it is cooled, transfer it to a mixer jar along with sugar (sugar is added to grind the cardamom to a fine powder) and grind it to a fine powder.

Transfer the grinded powder to a metal strainer and sieve it well since you can find some coarse powder. Store the smooth sieved powder in an airtight container and use it whenever required.

Homemade Masala Chai Powder is ready for use!!!

Preparing Masala Chai

Ingredients:

Boiled Milk	2 cups
Sugar	3 and 1/2 tsp (adjust according to your taste)
Tea	2 tsp
Masala Chai Powder	3/4 tsp (adjust according to your taste)

Preparation Instructions:

Take milk in a pan and add sugar, tea powder, and masala chai powder and mix well and bring it to a good boil in medium flame.

Once it starts to boil, simmer the flame and let it to boil for one more minute. Then switch off the flame and strain it in a glass.

Masala Chai is ready to sip!

Technorati Tags: Hot Beverages,How to Prepare Garam Masala Chai at Home,Masala Chai,Masala Chai Powder

Rava Kichadi

2013-03-28T21:05:00.000+05:30

I can’t believe till now that I have tried Rava Kichadi in my kitchen. Because, when I hear, Rava Kichadi, I simply say “No” and I don’t like it most. But, it is my SH’s favorite dish. He use to ask me to prepare kichadi for him, most of the times. But, I haven’t tried for him. And he use to have it restaurants we go for. After and almost 8 years of my marriage life, I prepared Rava Kichadi for him and he was so amazed of it, not b’coz f my preparation but because of its taste. It came out too good and I too tried it and wondered why I have said NO to this recipe without even tasting once itself. I promise everyone will like this simple dish. It was really too good and so light. Hereafter, I will try it in my kitchen frequently. And, will not say no to any dish without tasting it.

Ingredients:

Semolina / Ravai / Sooji	1 and 1/2 cups
Oil	2 tbsp
Ghee	1/2 tbsp
Mustard Seeds	1/2 tsp
Broken Black Gram / Udaicha Ulutham Paruppu	1 tsp
Bengal Gram / Kadalai Paruppu	1 tbsp
Onion – Medium Size	1 - finely chopped
Green Chilly	2 – finely chopped
Tomato – Medium Size	1 – finely chopped
Curry Leaves	2 sprig
Green Peas	1/3 cup
Beans	7 – finely sliced
Carrot – Medium Size	1- finely chopped
Sugar	1/4 tsp (to retain the color of vegetables)
Turmeric Powder	1/4 tsp
Water	5 cups
Salt	1 and 1/2 tsp
Chopped Coriander Leaves	1 tsp

Cooking Instructions:

Dry roast semolina in a pan for 4 or 5 minutes in medium flame. When it starts to change in color, or when you start to get good aroma, switch off the flame and keep the semolina aside in a plate.

Heat oil and ghee together in a wide pan. When the oil becomes hot, add mustard seeds and let it to splutter. When it starts spluttering, add broken black gram and fry until it starts changing its color. At that time add Bengal gram and fry till it starts changing in color.

Then add onions and green chilly and fry until the onion becomes transparent. Then add tomato and curry leaves and fry till tomato becomes mushy.

Next add green peas, beans, carrot and fry well. Next add sugar to it and give a good stir.

Now add turmeric powder and measured cups of water to the pan and mix well. Then add salt and bring the water to a good boil in high flame.

When it starts to boil well, reduce the flame to medium and add semolina to the pan. While you add semolina, simultaneously keep stirring otherwise, it will form lumps easily. So keep stirring until semolina absorbs 60% of water.

At that time, cover the pan and reduce the flame to the lowest possible. Wait for 4 to 5 minutes and stir it in regular intervals (otherwise it sticks to the pan). After 5 minutes, check the consistency of kichadi. Kichadi should always be little gooey and not dry. So check the consistency and then switch off the flame. Garnish with coriander leaves and transfer it to the serving bowl. Rava Kichadi is ready to serve! It goes well coconut chutney and tiffin sambar!

Technorati Tags: Restaurant Style Rava Kichadi,Semolina Kichadi,Sooji Kichadi,Rava Kichadi Step By Step Instructions,Semolina With Vegetables

Homemade Garam Masala

2013-03-25T12:04:00.000+05:30

Garam Masala, a flavorful masala powder, a blend of most of our Indian spices, used in lot of variety rices, biriyani’s, and gravies. So, we can say it is a must to have ingredient in our Indian kitchen. If you start google for this recipe, you will have a lot and lot of recipes, and Here, I have shared my version of preparing Garam Masala, which I believe it, as a strong, flavorful one. Whenever I prepare this garam masala at home, its nice aroma, fill my home, a whole and whole day. The secret ingredient of most of all my recipes is this “Homemade Garam Masala”.

Ingredients:

Coriander Seeds	5 tbsp
Cumin Seeds	2 tbsp
Peppercorns	3 tbsp
Fennel	2 tbsp
Cloves	1 tbsp
Cinnamon	10’’ sticks
Green Cardamom	2 and 1/2 tbsp
Kalpasi / Black Stone Flower	1 tbsp
Star Anise	6
Bay Leaf	5 big leaves
Turmeric Powder	1 tsp
Rock Salt	2 tsp

Preparation Instructions:

Fry all the spices except turmeric and salt together in a fry pan in medium flame for about 4 to 5 minutes. Then switch off the flame and add turmeric powder and salt. It gets fried in the heat of the pan itself. Now let the spices to cool well for about 5 to 8 minutes. Once it is cooled, add it to the mixer jar and grind it to a fine powder (the mixer jar should be dry).

While running the mixer grinder, once in a while, open the mixer jar and scrap the sides of the jar with a dry spoon and grind it to a fine powder evenly.

Now let the powder to cool well and then transfer it to the air tight container or a glass bottle. Aromatic Garam Masala is ready for use!

Technorati Tags: Curry Masala,How to Prepare Garam Masala at Home,Garam Masala Step By Step Instructions

Homemade Ginger Garlic Paste

2013-03-20T05:13:00.000+05:30

Ginger Garlic Paste recipe doesn’t require much introduction since everyone knows that it is very simple to do.It is purely and purely for beginners who has just now stepped into kitchen for cooking. But, it is an essential ingredient in every home and most of our Indian dishes has Ginger Garlic Paste in it. Ginger Garlic Paste is cheaper in stores too. But, what made me to prepare Ginger Garlic Paste at home is, Preservatives and Adulteration, which is in most of the items we buy today from stores, which is unhealthy too. When I started to prepare Ginger Garlic Paste at home, I found the fresh flavor in it, which we cannot see in store bought bottles. Ginger and Garlic aids in digestion when we add in our food.

Ingredients:

Ginger	250 gms
Garlic	250 gms
Turmeric Powder	1/4 tsp
Rock Salt	1 heaped tbsp
Cooking Oil	2 tbsp

Preparation Instructions:

Wash and clean ginger in water well twice or thrice,until the skin looks clean. Ginger comes from under the ground since it is a root variety, and so we call it as ginger root too. So, cleaning it properly is more essential. Scrub the dirt in ginger with your fingers itself. Once you finished washing, let it dry well, say for 15 minutes. Then, wipe it dry with a clean kitchen towel or kitchen tissue. Then, peel off the skin of the ginger and roughly chop into small pieces.

Peel the skin of the garlic and chop it roughly. You trim or cut the head of the garlic pods, so that we feel easy to peel the skin. You can apply oil too in your fingers (when you peel garlic pods in large quantity), which avoids sticking of garlic skin to your hands.

Now add chopped ginger, chopped garlic, salt, turmeric powder and oil in mixer jar and grind it to a smooth paste (Turmeric Powder and Oil, are natural preservatives,and so we are adding it). Mixer jar should be dry when you use for grinding ginger garlic paste. At any time, do not use your hands. Use clean dry spoon to scrap the sides of the mixer jar.

Do not add water while grinding, which decreases the shelf life of the ginger garlic paste. Once finished grinding it to smooth, transfer it to a clean dry bottle or airtight containers and refrigerate it. Whenever you take Ginger Garlic Paste out of refrigerator, use dry spoon to take it from bottle and keep it back in the refrigerator immediately, which all to maintain the shelf life of the paste. This Ginger Garlic Paste retains good for a period of one month, if used properly.

Technorati Tags: Ginger Garlic Paste Step By Step Instructions,How to Prepare Ginger Garlic Paste at Home,Ginger Garlic Paste Preservation Tips,Inji Poondu Viludhu