Vinayaka Chavithi Subhakankshalu to all my friends, family and dear blog readers

Prasadam I made this year:

Aava Pettina Pulihora

Semiya Payasam

Prasadam Burelu

Kobbari Kudumulu

Bellam Kudumulu

Senagala Talimpu

Chekkara Pongali

Panchamrutham

Palakura Pappu (picture missing)

© 2012 by Rajani Rayudu

Vegetable Soup - Slow Cooker Method

 Crock-pot

Vegetable Soup - Slow cooker Method

 Good for Lunch Pack, Dinner and for Picnic too. For Bachelors no fuss recipe.

Ingredients:

Sun Valley Foods Soup mix - 1 packet (500 g)

Chick peas - 2 handful (soak overnight)

Veges to dice and add - 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 sweet potato (skin removed)

Green chilli  - 1 no.chopped.

Garlic - 5 flakes. (sliced)

Ginger - 2 inch piece (slice thinly)

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp (freshly ground)

Dried Parsley - 1 tsp
Coriander stalks - handful

Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp (freshly ground)

Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder- 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp (available in packets)

Diced Tomato tin - 1 tin. + 3/4 tin

Water - as needed (kettle boiled water)

Oxo Vege stock Cubes - 4 no. cubes

Olive oil - 2 tbsp

For garnishing:

Parmesan cheese

Cheddar cheese (grated)

Black pepper powder

Proceed:

1) Heat a small nonstick kadai, add oil, once hot on low heat add garlic and ginger once fried lightly add onion, fry until transparent. add gg paste fry lightly and add spice powders now, mix well and add veges, once fried for 2-3 mins add dried parsley and coriander stalks, mix well. 

2) Transfer this to slow cooker and add drained chick peas, washed lentils, stock cubes (powder and add), tomato, now fill it with kettle boiled water until it reach to the rim, cover and cook on high for 7 hrs. 

(Remember to stir in the middle and fill it with kettle water again, to reach to the rim. )

Cook until lentils are soft. Switch off and Serve.

(serve piping hot, this is my lunch photo)

Serve it in a bowl, sprinkle parmesan, grated cheddar cheese, black pepper powder on top. Along with Toasted Burgen Bread, spread with margarine and serve on side. Yum Yum!!!

To serve pour 3 ladleful of soup in a bowl + with toasted 2 slices of Burgen bread on side per person.

Note:

No need to add salt. We already got salt in stock cubes.

Left overs can be freeze d once cooled.

Special Thanks to my Husband!!!!!!! who did it.

© 2012 by Rajani Rayudu

Tandoori Chicken Wrap

Tandoori Chicken Wrap

Serves - 2 (2 wraps per person):

Ingredients:

Tandoori Chicken (thigh piece) - 1 no. (shred it, keep the bone for pot biryani)

Carrot - 2 no. (large, skin removed and grate)
Salad Mix - as needed (1 pack, we buy from paknsave)

Sliced Jalapeno Peppers - as needed (3 per each wrap)
Nachos - 7 no. (crush like big pieces, not powdery)

Tomato Sauce - as needed
Habanero Pepper Sauce - as needed (Louisiana Gem)
Thousand Island Dressing - as needed (we have edmonds)
Yoghurt Sauce - as needed {3/4 th katori thick yoghurt (strained in a tea strainer), 1/2 tsp chaat masala powder, salt a pinch, habanero sauce 1 tsp, garlic 1 (pressed with garlic presser), lime juice 1/2 no., pinch of sugar - mix everything in a katori well and keep aside in fridge until needed.}

Tortillas - 4 no.
Cheddar Cheese - as needed (grated)

(Close-up view)

Proceed:

Heat a tawa or skillet on medium heat. once hot put the tortilla cook on few secs, turn and sprinkle cheese in the middle vertically. close the tortilla press with spatula (this way cheese melts quickly) and turn again to get few brown spots. immediately remove and open while stuffing.

Put the cheese wrap on a plate, put some grated carrot vertically on top of cheese, put some salad mix, put few pieces of tandoori chicken, put 3 jalapenos, drizzle with tomato sauce, drizzle with habanero sauce, drizzle with thousand island dressing, drizzle with yoghurt sauce, sprinkle nachos on top. Fold both the ends on one top of the other to make a wrap and serve immediately.

Do the rest while serving only, otherwise it will get soggy.

We are two, I will heat the tortillas 1 at a time and my husband stuff with the above stuffing and switch off the stove. once finished eating we come again and do the rest.

© 2012 by Rajani Rayudu

Rajani Rayudu's Pot Biriyani

Rajani Rayudu's Pot Biriyani

Patented my Pot Biriyani  ha ha!!!!!. Do try it, you will love it I promise!

For Pot Biriyani:

Serves - 2

Ingredients:

Left over Tandoori chicken - 2 thigh pieces

Left over cooked tandoori chicken gravy - 3/4 th cup (for me only, 3/4 th of a apple bowl)

Onion - 1/2 (sliced thinly)

Whole garam masala - {cloves - 4, cinnamon - 1 inch, cardamom - 4, shah jeera - 1/2 tsp, bay leaves - 2, mace - 2,  star anise - 1}

Dried mint leaves - 1 tsp

Chicken masala podi - 1/2 tsp (check my kodi kura for masala)

Basmati rice - 2 rice cups (I used Daawat Rozana Basmati)

Water - 3 rice cups

Salt - 1 tsp

Ghee + Oil - 1 tbsp each

Green chilly - 2 no.

Proceed:

Heat ghee and oil in a nonstick cooker (I used my handi prestige cooker), on medium-low, once hot add whole spices, once fried add green chilly and fry.

Add onion fry until light brown, then add mint leaves, mix and add chicken, mix well and add gravy, fry until water dries up. Increase heat to medium and 

(meanwhile wash rice three times, drain the water out)

add rice, gently mix until water dried up, then add measured water + salt, mix and close the cooker with lid and put the weight on and cook for 1 whistle and switch off. once cool remove the lid wait for few mins and then stir with fork and serve.

Tandoori Chicken:

Ingredients:

4 no. -  thigh pieces (put slits on each)

2 tbsp - tandoori paste (I used patak's)

2 tbsp - yoghurt

1/2 tsp each - {coriander powder, cumin powder, chilli powder, black pepper powder, garam masala powder}

2 tsp - gg paste

Lemon juice - 1/2 no.

Salt to taste

Red food color - little

Proceed:

First marinate the ingredients in a glass bowl except chicken taste it, if needed add more lemon juice and spices. Keep the chicken and rub the marinade all over and inside the slit. Marinate over night or 3 hrs minimum.

On a pizza stone lay a baking paper on top. put the chicken side by side and distribute the marinade if you got left over on each piece. cook these on preheated oven 230" C for 30 mins (remember to turn the chicken in the middle of the cooking time).

Remove the pizza stone carefully by using oven glows,  transfer the chicken to a plate and collect the marinated cooking juices into another and keep it reserve. Put the chicken back in the oven and cook for 7 mins more by turning the pieces in the middle of the cooking time.

Eat two tandoori chicken pieces and Rest do the above method for Biriyani.

Note:

While cutting cooked tandoori chicken use the bone also for cooking rice and cut the pieces into big pieces.

© 2012 by Rajani Rayudu

Celery Pachadi or Chutney

Celery Pachadi

Ingredients and Proceed:


Oil - 1 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
Urad dal - 1 tbsp
Red chillies - 5 no. (split)

Heat oil in a flat deep nonstick pan or steel pan (which ever u prefer), once hot do seasoning one after the other once fried remove to mixie jar. once cool, grind into powder.

(meanwhile follow this step)

Green chillies - 10 no. (I have used frozen green chilli packet from Indian store)
Celery - 2 rice cups (slice)
Celery leaves - 2 rice cups (chop)

Add 1/2 tbsp oil in the same above pan and fry green chillies first and add celery saute for 3-4 mins. Add celery leaves and cook until nicely fried and wilted. may be 3-4 mins more. remove. add salt to taste and 3/4 tsp of tamarind paste. mix well and cool the mixture. and grind into paste. Check for salt, spiciness and sour. add if required. Remove to a serving bowl. Do seasoning.

Seasoning:


Oil - 1 tbsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 4 no.
Hing - a pinch
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Heat oil in a kadai once hot do seasoning one after the other and add it to chutney mix it and serve.

Serve with Dal, Rice and yoghurt on side.

© 2012 by Rajani Rayudu

Aratikaya Tokka Pachadi/ Raw Plaintain Skin Chutney

Aratikaya Tokka Pachadi

Ingredients and Proceed:

Aratikaya - 2-3 (boil them in pressure cooker with water, for 2 whistles, remove skin and reserve, remaining do fry, we need 2 cups of cooked aratikaya skin, chop)

Sesame seeds - 2 tsp 

Roast and powder in grinder jar.

Oil - 1 tbsp


Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tbsp
Red chillies - 7 no.
Grees chillies - 7 no.
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Hing - a pinch


Heat a flat deep pan, add oil and do seasoning one after the other once fried remove, cool and keep it in grinder jar and powder it.

In the same above pan add 1/2 tbsp oil and fry the cooked aratikaya skin and 1/4 tsp turmeric and fry for little while. switch off and add salt to taste and 2 tsp tamarind paste. once cool add it to above grinder jar and grind it into paste by adding water little. once grinded into thick paste remove and keep this in a bowl and do seasoning.

Do Seasoning:


Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp

Fry these in oil and add it to chutney.

Tip:

Use butter milk while grinding into paste. Yoghurt makes it mild so do accordingly. (may be 3 tbsp of water is required while grinding)


Note:

Check for salt and tanginess or else add extra.

Translation:

Aratikaya = Raw Plaintain

© 2012 by Rajani Rayudu

Mushroom Egg Curry

Mushroom Egg Curry

Good for unexpected guests or even for bachelor cooking.

Ingredients:

Eggs - 4 (boiled, remove the shell and prick them with tooth pick randomly)


Oil - 4 tbsp
Fennel seeds or Sompu - 1/2 tsp
Whole Spices - 2 cloves, 2 cardamom, 1 inch cinnamon


Onion - 1 large (chopped finely)
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Spice powders - 1/2 tsp turmeric, 3/4 tsp chilli powder, 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder, freshly grounded garam masala powder (2 cloves, 2 cardamom, 1 inch cinnamon - pounded in pestle)


Button mushrooms - 6 large (sliced into three each and cut in the middle once)
Chopped tomato tin - 1 tin (400 g tin)


For garnishing - 2 handful of chopped coriander leaves, 3 sprigs curry leaves.

Proceed:

1) Heat oil in a non-stick kadai. once hot add aniseeds, once started splutter add whole spices, once fried add onion mix well, cover and cook on low heat, fry until lightly brown.

2) Add gg paste mix well, cover and fry for 3 mins, add mushrooms, mix well cover and cook for 2 mins and add spice powders mix and fry for 1 min or so.

3) Add tomato tin, mix gently, cover and cook for 5 mins or until mushy.

4) Add pricked egg to it, cover and simmer for 10 mins.

5) Lastly add salt to taste, garnishing stuff mix well cover and cook until oil floats on top may be 5-10 mins. no need to add water. once opening the lid you will get nice chettinaad flavors coming out from curry. yum!!!

Enjoy this dish with Plain White Rice and Yoghurt.


Tip:


Omit mushrooms and follow the same for Tomato Egg Curry.


© 2012 by Rajani Rayudu

Badusha

Badusha

Makes - 22 badushas


Ingredients:


Plain Flour - 4 rice cups (sieve it before adding to food processor)
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Melted Butter - 1 rice cup
Yoghurt - 1 rice cup + 3 tbsp (or less)


Sugar - 2 rice cups
Water - 1 rice cup


Cardamom - 4 (pound in pestle)
Lemon juice - 1 tsp


Oil - for deep frying


Sliced grated Almonds 


Proceed:


Mixing the dough:

In a food processor, put the dough thingi, to the bowl add melted butter + soda, close the lid and pulse it for few secs.

Add yoghurt little by little and pulse again until well combined.

Remove lid scrape all the mixture from top and add it to the bowl itself, to that, add entire flour, cover and mix it on maximum speed for 60 secs, stop and do again for every 60 secs until it forms like a ball.

Remove this to a plastic container, cover it with wet cloth and put lid on top. leave this aside for 1 and 1/2 hr.

(mean while keep the oil heated in a kadai on simmer heat)

Making Badusha shapes:

Smear some oil on a plate. Smear little oil or ghee on your palms and take gooseberry size balls out of it and roll nicely and slightly press it to a flat round and put dent with ring finger slightly not too deep may be until you reach 3/4 th, keep this on the plate side by side. once every thing done, cover it with wet cloth and keep lid on top.

Ready for deep frying:

Once oil is hot enough drop the dent side facing down towards kadai first (this makes the dent to be intact otherwise if you put the other way the dough will come closer and you won't get nice badusha shape).

You have to fry on simmer heat. keep pouring oil from sides on top of badushas so that they won't crack while frying. Once golden color on one side, turn it over very gently and fry again until golden color. now keep turning to the other side for few secs to get evenly fried.

(badusha is frying on the other side)

(mean while do sugar syrup)

Getting ready for Sugar syrup:

In another dish add sugar + water and cook it until 2 string consistency with candy thermometer it reaches some where between 230 d F - 233 d F. switch off and add cardamom powder and lemon juice to it.

(just have a wee look once finished frying about to dip in syrup)

Once Badushas are fried on both sides add this directly to syrup and leave for 1 min on each side and remove to a plate and decorate immediately with sliced grated almonds (no need to roast).

Add the remaining batch to oil and fry the same way and drop them in syrup and remove every 2 mins. and keep on plate. and do garnishing.

Let it cool completely before you serve otherwise you will have the smell of fat. and it makes you unpleasant to eat.

Note:

When ever you are making rounds cover the remaining dish-balls with wet cloth.

These should be fried gently not on medium heat simmer heat is good.

While adding badusha balls to oil remember the dent should goes towards the bottom of the pan first.

And drizzle the oil on the uncooked side. this way cracks will be minimum.

Do not immerse in sugar syrup too long it might break. so do accordingly.

Food processor makes nice and fluffy and less pain in mixing the dough.

Invest in buying Candy thermometer.

If the syrup became less do with more sugar just the way to get string consistency.

Remember to check whether it is cooked or not.

Verdict:

do not make when you are only two, can't resist while eating do for pot luck or for get together or even birthday party or treat your loved ones on valentine day.

Happy Valentines Day!!!

© 2012 by Rajani Rayudu

Happy New Year!

Yummy food cooked by my cousin Padma for holiday get-together.

Mirapakaya Bajji

Chepala Pulusu

Chicken Biryani

Guthi Vankaya 65?

Poached Egg Curry

Mullakada Jeedipappu Kura

Peppered Egg

Sambhar

Rawa Kesari

Verdict:

akka you are killing me.

© 2011 by Rajani Rayudu