Spicy Vegetable Biryani

 

Spicy Vegetable Biryani

INGREDIENTS : 

Basmati or Seeraga Samba rice - 2 cups

Water - 3 1/2 cups

Oil - 3 tablespoons

Ghee - 2 teaspoons

Cumin - 1 teaspoon

Fennel seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Cinnamon - 2 inches long stick

Cloves - 6

Bay leaf - 1

Medium sized red onion - 4

Medium sized ripe tomatoes - 6

Ginger - 2 inches size

Garlic - 5 cloves

Coriander leaves - a small bunch ( 2 handfuls)

Green chilies - 5

Carrot - 1

French Beans - 15

Frozen peas - 1/4 cup (optional)

Sweet corn - 1/4 cup (optional)

Red chili powder - 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Homemade Uttar Pradesh Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 teaspoon (Check my recipe on the blog)

Mint leaves - a handful for garnish

Salt - a per liking

METHOD:

1. First, let's make the green paste. Blend ginger, garlic and coriander leaves till become a smooth paste. Keep that aside.

2. Heat a wok or pan with some oil and ghee. Add, cumin, fennel seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon and cloves. Temper them lightly. 

3. Now, tip in sliced red onion. Sauté onion till slightly golden brown. Next, add diced tomatoes and green paste that we have prepared earlier. 

4. Give a quick mix. This is followed by turmeric powder, chili powder and salt. You can cook this for 5 minutes. That's enough because it will keep cooking in the rice cooker later. 

5. Wash 2 cups of basmati or Seeraga samba rice (smaller type of basmati rice) three times in  clean water.

6. Now, add the cooked items in the pan to a rice cooker, followed by the washed rice, diced length- wise carrot, beans and optional frozen vegetables like peas and sweet corn. To this you will need 3 1/2 cups of water. 

7. Cook the biryani in the rice cooker.

8. In the middle of cooking in the rice cooker, you can add the garam masala and lavish sprinkle of mint or pudina leaves.

9. Continue to cook the rice until done. Serve this vegetable biryani with your choice of curry or raita (yogurt and cucumber salad).

Thank you

Abby 

Red Rice Puttu / Sivapu Arisi Puttu

 

INGREDIENTS for making Homemade Puttu Flour : 

Red rice - 1 cup
Raw rice - 1 cup

Water

METHOD:

1. First, wash the two types of rice in a clean water three times and let it soak for an hour.

2. Then, drain the rice in a basket or colander until it has drip off the excess water.

3. Now, lay a cotton cloth or wide towel on a table and spread the drained rice on the cloth. Let it dry for 30 minutes.

4. Don't dry it under the sun, dry it on a table would be suffice. 

5. Grind the rice to fine powder.

6. After that, you need to dry roast the powder in a wok under low flame. The rice powder should release nice nutty aroma and it will be ready when it resembles like sand. Let this flour to cool completely. 

7. Last step is to sieve or sift the flour and can be stored in a air-tight container for use.

INGREDIENTS for making Puttu : (serving for 5 people)

Prepared rice flour - 2 cups

Water - as needed

Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Grated coconut - 1 cup

Organic brown sugar or jaggery - as needed

Cooked yellow mung bean - 4 tablespoons (optional)

METHOD:

1. Take the prepared rice in a wide bowl. Sprinkle some water that has been mixed with little salt. Mix the flour using your hand with sprinkle of water to resemble like breadcrumbs. This should not neither be wet nor dry. When you clump the flour in your hand, you should be able to press together without falling apart. That should be ready to go to the next process.

2. Heat idli pan, puttu maker by adding water to it. 

3. If using idli pan, you need to spread white cotton muslin cloth on the idli mould pan, then spread the prepared puttu flour on the cloth. Close the lid and steam it for a good 20 minutes.

4. If using puttu maker, alternate between puttu flour and freshly grated coconut forming layers of flour and coconut.

5. The steamed puttu is removed from the idli pan. You need to put this in a wide bowl. Next, mix freshly grated coconut, cooked yellow mung bean and brown sugar as per your liking and serve for breakfast. 

6. This is a healthy and nutritious South Indian Breakfast menu.

Thank you

Abby 

No- Frill Kala Chana or Black Chickpea curry

                  No- Frill Kala Chana or Black Chickpea curry 

INGREDIENTS: 

For soaking and cooking :

Black Chickpeas - 1 1/2 cups

Water - enough to submerge the chickpeas

Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

For Curry :

Medium sized onions - 3, finely chopped

Tomato puree - 2 cups (blanched 4 ripe tomatoes and blended to puree)

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tablespoon

Amchur or mango powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Uttar Pradesh Garam Masala - 1/2 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Chili powder - 1 tablespoon (adjust the heat accordingly)

Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon

Coriander powder - 2 teaspoons

Cumin powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt - to taste

Chopped coriander leaves - handful 

Green chilly - 1

Kasuri Methi or dry fenugreek leaves - 1 teaspoon

TO TEMPER :

Vegetable oil - 3 tablespoons

Cinnamon - 1 inch

Cloves - 6 

Star anise - 1

Bay leaf - 1

Cardamom - 1

Cumin - 1 teaspoon

METHOD:

1. Soak black chickpeas for 8 hours or overnight in water. 

2. The next morning, rinse off the chickpeas in clean water and drain them. 

3. Boil the chickpeas with enough water submerged in a stewpot with some salt to flavor the chickpeas. 

4. After the chickpeas has boiled thoroughly, drain them in a colander. Reserve the chickpeas stock for making curry later.

5. Now, in a frying pan or wok, add 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, after it has heat up, now you may add all the ingredients under the 'TO TEMPER' section.

2. Then, followed by the finely chopped onion. Sauté the onion until translucent. Then add in all the powder (highlighted), keep the flame very low as you don't want the powder to burn. Sauté' for 1 minute and then add tomato puree and ginger garlic paste. Put a lid and keep the flame low. Allow the raw smell of the masala dissipates and you may see the oil separates. This takes about 10 minutes. 

3. Now, blend half cup of boiled black chickpeas in a blender without any water or you may mash it with a masher. 

4. Add the mashed chickpeas into the masala concoction and cook for another 10 minutes with the lid on.

5. Next after 10 minutes, add the remaining boiled chickpeas and it's stock. Adjust the water to your preferred curry consistency. Add enough salt to season the curry. 

6. I simmered this under the low flame reducing into semi-thick curry and the oil has started separating beautifully. Sprinkle a lavish amount of coriander leaves, a slit of green chili and a teaspoon of dry fenugreek leaves.

7. The black chickpeas curry can be served as a side-dish for rice, pulao, biryanis, chapatis, rotis. 

Note : Please you the Uttar Pradesh Garam Masala for this recipe as it gives the curry a great robust flavor. Don't skip this suggestion.

Thank you Beautiful People

Abby 

Vegetarian Fried Rice/ Vegetarian Nasi Goreng

This is a delicious fried rice full of the goodness of vegetables. It is spicy, sweet and salty without the usage of any sauces. The sweetness comes from the onion, sweet corn and carrots. The vinegar is replaced by the ripe tomato. Spiciness comes from the dry red chilies and ginger. If you are a non-vegetarian, you may add two eggs beaten with some salt and turmeric powder. This egg mixture is scrambled in a wok with hot oil. The scrambled egg is later added to the fried rice. I have also tried this method and it was very tasty. I hope what I share with you will be useful.

Vegetarian Fried Rice/ Vegetarian Nasi Goreng

Ingredients:

Cooked Basmathi rice - 5 cups

Big onion - 1 

Garlic cloves- 4

Big ripe tomato - 1

Shredded  cabbage - 2 cups cups

Diced carrots - 1 1/2 cups

Diced beans - 1 cup

Frozen peas - 1/2 cup (optional)

Sweet corn - 1/2 cup (optional)

Chopped spring onion or scallions - a handful

Salt : as needed

Vegetable oil - 5 tablespoons

To Make Sambal Paste:

Dry red chilies - 8(soak in hot water for 15 minutes)

Small onion - 4

Ginger - 2 inches piece

Garlic cloves - 4

Method :

1. First, we will make a red sambal paste. Add soaked dry red chilies, small onions, garlic cloves and ginger into a blender. Grind into a smooth paste. 

2. Next, shred the cabbage, dice the carrots and dice or cut length wise the French beans. 

3. In a hot wok, add 5 tablespoons of vegetable oil, let the oil become smoking hot. Now, add chopped onion and finely chopped garlic cloves. Fry these items for 2 minutes and then add chopped tomato, followed by sambal paste about 4 to 5 tablespoons or as per your liking. Put a lid and allow the tomato become mushy and the oil starts floating on the sambal paste. This will dissipate the raw sambal smell. 

3.  After that, add all the vegetables. Stir the vegetables well until coated in the sambal paste. Vegetables should only cook for 5 minutes. Don't over cook the vegetables.

4. Add in the cooked Basmathi rice and season with enough salt, give a good mix. Ensure all the ingredients get good coating of the sambal paste. 

5. Now, I put a lid to the wok, and allow the fried rice and vegetables to cook for another 10 minutes. The water in the vegetable will help to soften the rice a bit. 

4. Lastly, after witching off the flame, add handful of chopped scallions or spring onions. 

5. If you are non-vegetarian, you can add scrambled egg to the fried rice and give a toss. 

Abby

Thank you

Sura Meen Puttu

This is my my mother's signature fish dish at home. Apart from making the best tasty fish curry, she prepares Sura Meen Puttu using shark or any flesh thick firm fish so that you get more of the puttu. It spicy, aromatic and rich from the coconut  and spice powder. I know it is time-consuming and the process described here are lengthy, but I guarantee you, it is worth all your effort in the kitchen. I am sharing what we cook in our kitchen at home. We cook it with love. 

Sura Meen Puttu 

Ingredients:

Sura Meen - 1 kg

Big onion - 3 

Whole garlic - 2

Green chilies - 2

Ginger - 3 inches piece

A few curry leaves

Grated coconut - 1/ 2 cup

Chopped coriander leaves - a handful

Salt : as needed

Vegetable oil or Indian gingerly oil - 4 tablespoons

To Temper:

Cinnamon -  1 inch piece (small piece is enough)

Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon

Cloves - 3

To Make Special Spice Powder:

Raw rice - 1/2 cup

Dry red chilies (spicy one) - 8

Fennel seeds - 1 1/2 tablespoon

Cumin seeds - 1 tablespoon

Turmeric powder - 2 teaspoons

Method :

1. First, we will make a special spice powder for making Sura Meen Puttu. You need to heat a pan over a medium flame, to that add raw rice. Fry the rice without any oil until it puffs and sputters. It has to become very crispy brown in colour and you know that when it breaks easily in your hand. Keep the puffed rice aside.

2. Next, add the cumin, fennel and broken pieces of dry chilies. Fry for 1 or two minutes until you get nice roasted aroma. Make sure you don't burn the chilies. Grind puffed rice, cumin, fennel, dry red chilies and turmeric powder until they become fine powder. You can store this spice powder in an air tight container or a bottle in a fridge. 

Special Spice Powder

3. You can use any  fleshy fish for making this puttu. The fish should have thick firm flesh. I have used small variety of shark which I asked the fishmonger to peel off the skin and debone it. I marinated the pieces of fish with some salt and steamed until it cooked thoroughly.

4. The, flake off the steamed fish with a fork and remove any bones that may have stuck there. Now, to this cooked fish, add the special spice powder of about 7 tablespoons. (I like it spicy)

3. In a pan, pour four tablespoons of vegetable oil and when it's hot, add all the ingredients under the 'TO TEMPER' section, and then chuck in finely chopped onion, garlic, ginger and green chilies(all must be finely chopped) and a few curry leaves. You need to sauté lightly for 2 minutes.

Finely chopped onion, garlic, green chilies and ginger

4. Next, add the steamed fish coated in spicy powder. Season it with salt as per your taste. Give a good stir and cook for another 5 minutes. The fish is already been cooked so here we are trying to mix the spices and other ingredients to bring them together. 

Steamed fish pieces

5. Lastly, add freshly grated white part of the coconut and stir for another  5 minutes. You can sprinkle lavish amount of chopped coriander leaves in the end after switching off the flame. 

6. This dish is a best combo with sambar and piping hot rice. 

Abby

Thank you

Malaysian Style Vegetarian Fettucine Goreng/ Fried Vegetarian Fettucine

Malaysian Style Vegetarian Fettucine Goreng/ Fried Vegetarian Fettucine 

Ingredients:

Fettucine - 1/2 packet

Shredded cabbage : 4 handfuls

Carrot - 1 (cut length wise)

French beans - 15 ( cut in big pieces)

Fresh bean sprouts:  1 handful

Large ripe tomato : 1

Medium sized onion - 1 

Garlic : 4 cloves

Salt : as needed

Spring onion - some

Vegetable oil - 4 tablespoons

Sambal Paste :

Dry red chilies - 10

Garlic - 7 cloves

small onion - 1

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Method :

1. Finely shred the cabbage and soak in salted hot water for 5 min and discard the water. Rinse off the bean sprouts. Keep everything aside separately.

2. In a deep bottom pan, enough water is added along with salt and 1 tsp of oil. Bring the water to boil and start adding the fettucine. Cook until it is al dente or cooked to be firm to the bite. Drain off the excess water by using a colander and rinse the pasta under the running cold water. 

3. In a pan, pour four tablespoons of vegetable oil and when it's hot, add finely sliced shallots or onion and finely chopped garlic. Fry them till translucent. Now is the time to add diced tomato and 3 to 4 tablespoons of sambal paste. Fry till the raw smell of chili disappears and diced tomato turns mushy.

4. Next, add shredded cabbage, length wise cut carrot and beans. Sauté lightly for 10 minutes as you don't want to over cook the vegetables. Keep the vegetables crunchy. Season your mixture with salt. 

5. Next, add cooked fettucine. Stir the vegetables and fettucine until the sambal paste brings all together. Lastly, add beans sprouts and chopped spring onion. Mix for 5 minutes  and serve hot. 

Abby

Thank you

South Indian Lime Rice

 This is our simple lunch today. It is lime rice with potato roast. This rice has tangy, salty and spicy flavor which brings out our appetite. Do not skip the asafoetida because it gives nice aroma and it is also good for bloated stomach too. 

South Indian Lime Rice 

INGREDIENTS: 

Cooked raw rice or basmati rice - 2 1/2 cups

Gingerly oil - 2 tablespoons

Green Lime - 1

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Urad dal - 1/2 teaspoon

Dry red chilies - 6 (broken into pieces)

Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Curry leaves - a sprig

Salt - to taste

METHOD:

1. First, cook rice by adding little salt to flavor it lightly.

2. Heat a pan with 2 tablespoons of gingerly oil, add mustard and allow it to sputter. Then, add urad dal, allow it to become light brown colour. After that, add broken pieces of dry chilies, asafoetida and curry leaves. 

3. Switch off the flame. To the pan, now add turmeric powder and squeeze out the juice of 1 lime.

4. This mixture is added to the cooked rice. Give a gentle stir by adding enough salt as per your taste. 

5. Lime rice is best served with potato roast or potato chips or French fries.

 

Thank you

Abby 

Chickpeas Masala /Garbanzo Masala for Chapati, Rice, Pulao or Poori

Chickpeas Masala /Garbanzo Masala for Chapati, Rice, Pulao or Poori

INGREDIENTS: 

Dry Chickpeas/ Dry Garbanzo - 1 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Chili powder - 1 1/2 teaspoon (adjust the heat accordingly)

Medium sized onion - 1

Ripe tomato - 1

Salt - to taste

Chopped coriander leaves - handful (optional)

TO TEMPER :

Fennel seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Oil - 1 tablespoon

FOR PASTE :

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Medium sized onion - 1

Ginger - 2 inches size

Fennel - 1 teaspoon

METHOD:

1. Soak the chickpeas for 8 hours or overnight. 

2. The next morning, rinse off the chickpeas in clean water and drain them. 

3. Boil the chickpeas with enough water submerged in a stewpot with some salt to flavor the chickpeas. 

4. After the chickpeas has boiled thoroughly, drain them in a colander. Reserve the chickpeas stock for making soup later.

5. Now, in a frying pan or wok, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil, after it has heat up, now you may add all the ingredients under the 'TO TEMPER' section.

2. Then, followed by the chopped onion. Sauté the onion until translucent. Then add in chopped tomato and salt. Cook until tomato is slightly soften.

3. Make a smooth paste by adding enough water with all the ingredients under the 'FOR PASTE' section. Add the masala paste after the tomatoes have become mushy. At this stage, you can add turmeric powder and chili powder. Mix well.

4. Now, add the boiled and drained chickpeas into the masala paste mixture. 

5. You need to add some 1/ 2 cup of water to further cook the raw smell of the paste. You will notice the gravy has thicken slightly. 

5. I simmered this under the low flame reducing into thick dry masala gravy. That should be the sign to switch off the flame. Sprinkle a lavish amount of coriander leaves. I didn't use coriander leaves as I didn't have some at home.

6. Thus chickpeas masala can be served as a side-dish for rice, pulao, biryanis, chapati, rotis. 

Thank you

Abby 

Badam Burfi/ Almond Burfi

 Don't get alarmed by the uninteresting photo that I have captured. It was wee last minute that I thought of sharing the recipe with my readers. I was only left with some so I didn't bother to present it in a nicer way. Sorry.. I guarantee you the taste of this sweet is fantabulous. It is an addictive kind of an Indian sweet. If you like almonds, you will love this...This is a simple recipe which does not require you to check for sugar string consistency. It is sweet, fudgy, soft and melts in your mouth..

Badam Burfi/ Almond Burfi

INGREDIENTS: 

Raw almonds -  1 cup

Fresh milk - 1/2 cup

Brown sugar - 1 1/4 cup

Clarified butter - 7 to 8 tablespoons

Saffron - a pinch

METHOD:

1. First, soak the raw almond in one cup of hot water for few minutes. This way it will be easier to peel the skins.

2. Then, wash the peeled almond in water and put them in a blender with 1/2 cup milk. Grind it to smooth paste. 

3. In a heavy bottom pan, add the almond paste, brown sugar and a pinch of saffron.

4. Keep the flame as low as possible as you don't want the mixture to turn brown easily. The mixture will start becoming a bit watery as the sugar starts to dissolve.

5. Keep stirring continuously until the mixture is semi- thick, at this point you can keep adding the ghee little by little. The almond mixture will tend to absorb clarified butter easily. 

6. Keep stirring until the mixture has turn to a thick consistency that you can it coming together as a dough. if you take some and roll in your hand, that is the right stage to switch off the flame. 

7. Grease a tray with some clarified butter and pour the mixture into the tray.

8. Smoothen the surface with a spatula or any flat bottom of a stainless steel container. This will give an even, non-cracking surface.

9. Let the sweet cool slightly, start cutting into any desirable sizes using a pizza cutter.

7. Separate the pieces and keep them in a stainless steel container in the fridge.

 

Thank you

Abby 

Kalyana Pulikaichal (Indian Style Spiced Tamarind Paste for Rice)

 

Kalyana Pulikaichal

INGREDIENTS: 

Tamarind - one small lime size ball

Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon

Water - 2 cups

Jaggery/ brown sugar - 1 teaspoon

TO MAKE SPICE POWDER:

Coriander seeds - 1 tablespoon

Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

TO TEMPER:

Gingerly oil - 1/4 cup

Mustard - 1 teaspoon

Urad dal - 1 tablespoon

Channa dal - 2 tablespoons

Dry red chilies - 18 to 20 (broken to small pieces) (reduce it if you don't like spicy food)

Asafoetida/ Hing powder - 1 teaspoon

Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

METHOD:

1. First, take tamarind into the size of lime. Adding 2 cups of water to the tamarind and let it soak for 5 minutes. After that, squeeze tamarind in the water, and strain the tamarind water and discard the pulp.

2. In a pan, dry roast 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds and 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds. Roast the ingredients until golden brown. Grind them to fine powder. 

3. Heat a pan with 1/4 cup gingerly oil, add mustard and allow it to sputter. Then, add urad dal and channa dal, allow them to become light brown colour. After that, add broken pieces of dry chilies, asafoetida and curry leaves. 

4. Immediately, add the tamarind water into the tempered ingredients. Let the tamarind water boil and reduce to half.

5. When it has reduce to half, add salt (I added 2 teaspoons), jaggery or brown sugar and turmeric powder. Let the concoction boil and thicken further. At this stage, add another 2 tablespoons of gingerly oil. Boil for 5 minutes after adding oil. When oil starts floating on the surface and it has become semi- thick paste, switch off the flame. 

6. Last but not least, after switching off the stove, add the ground spice powder and give a quick mix. 

7. Cool this paste and store it in an air-tight container. Keep in the refrigerator.

 

Thank you

Abby 

Eggless Buttermilk Fruitcake

 

Eggless Buttermilk Fruitcake

INGREDIENTS: 

Good quality unsalted butter, melted - 1/2 cup or 113g

Premium molasses powder/ Muscovado dark sugar - 3/4 cup or 150g

Plain flour - 1 1/2 cups or 200g

Baking soda - 1 teaspoon

Buttermilk - 1 cup or 240ml

Black Raisins - 1 cup

Chopped cranberries - 1/2 cup

Chopped dates - 1/2 cup           

Chopped toasted almond - 1/4 cup

Vanilla essence - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Ground ground cinnamon - 1/2 teaspoon

Ground cloves - 1/2 teaspoon

Ground nutmeg - 1/2 teaspoon

Orange zest of 1 orange (You can add 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice)

**DRY FRUITS AND NUTS CAN BE FROM 300 GRAM TO 350 GRAM**

METHOD:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degree F (180 degree C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter and flour or spray with a non- stick vegetable spray, a 9x5x3 inch (23x13x8 cm) loaf pan.

2. First, sift plain flour, baking soda, salt and spice powder. To the flour mixture, add all your chopped dry fruits and nuts, and give a good mix to coat well.

3. In another bowl, whisk melted butter at room temperature, molasses/ muscovado brown sugar and buttermilk.

4. Now, combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Give a gentle fold. Immediately pour into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula or with the back of a spoon. Give a tap.

5. Bake the cake in the oven for 50 to 60 minutes or the cake is golden brown and just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan.

6. You know this when you insert a skewer to top of the cake. If it comes clean, then your cake has baked properly. 

7. Remove the baking tin from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.

8. Finally, gently remove the cake from the pan and let it sit in a wire rack until it is completely cool.

9. I have transferred the cooled fruitcake into the fridge by storing it in a stainless steel container. The next day, in the morning, when the cake is still firm, I cut them into desirable pieces(It was an easy cutting process when the cake is chilled).

Thank you

Abby