Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Salmon Fish Biryani


Easy peasy. No marination required, done with the usual masalas lying in your pantry. Great the next day too. One pot meal!

Ingredients n Proceed:

1) Salmon - 350 g

Wash the pieces, chop into big pieces, Marinate with 1/2 tsp turmeric n Lime juice 1 tbsp. keep aside until needed.

2) Cook rice in electric cooker:

(cooked rice)
Basmati rice - 4 rice cups
Water - 5 rice cups or until to the level of no. 4 line immersed.
Whole spices - {1 tsp Shah jeera, 4 Whole Cloves, 4 Cardamom, 1 inch Cinnamon, 5 Bay leafs}
Oil - 1/2 tbsp
Green chillies - 5 no. (leave it whole)

Cook Rice along with ingredients above. Mean while make curry.....


3) For making Gravy:

(cooked dish)

Heat a flat deep pan, add 4 tbsp oil, once hot add 2 large onions (sliced), n 1/2 tsp salt n fry until golden brown. remove half the fried onion with a slotted spoon, n keep aside. to the pan add 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste stir well on low heat fry, 1 tbsp dried mint leaves, add  1 n 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder,  garam masala powder (4 cloves, 4 elaichi, 1 inch cinnamon, 2 mace - powder in pestle), salt to taste. fry for few secs. add 3/4 cup yoghurt, mix well n add fish pieces one by one. rotate the dish n cover n simm for 5 mins. turn again, cover n simm again for 5 mins. check for salt.

Mean while grease a flat deep nonstick pan with butter.

(greased pan)
Now rice will be cooked, remove bay leafs on top n stir with fork to fluff it up. n curry is ready.

4) Layering rice:

(fried onions)
Add half cooked rice in the greased pan, top it with half the fried onions, entire gravy all over to cover, 1 tbsp lime juice, if you r using fresh mint, add now chopped mint or else leave it if u have used dried mint, cover with remaining half the cooked rice, remaining fried onions, 1 tbsp lime juice, yellow color (mix in 1/2 katori milk) drizzle over, put  1 tbsp butter on top. Cover with foil, place the lid tightly n do dum on simm for 20 mins.

(ready to do dum)
(done dum)
Tip:

add 1 cap full pandan water on top while doing dum.


© 2015 by Rajani Rayudu

Monday, June 01, 2015

Sri Satyanarayana Swamy Puja













Puja Prasadam Menu: for 40 - 50 people

Rawa Kesari (1/2 kg)
Podi Prasadam (made with fine godhuma rawa, skipped banana n coconut)
Panchamrutam (plus added little sugar)
Vada Pappu (soak moong dal, over night)

Lime rice (12 rice cups)
Daddojanam (6 rice cups)
White rice (12 rice cups)

Garelu (3 kg)
Kobbari Chutney (5 packs frozen)

Tomato Dal (3/4 th kg)
Senagala Talimpu or Kadala Curry (1 kg for curry is good, if u r doing dry little more would be good)
Aloo Fry (we did with 3 kg but 5 kg is appropriate as kids loved it)
Beans Fry (we did with 3 kg's frozen packet, but felt like 5 kg would be sufficient)

Papad's
Majjiga Mirapakayalu

Carrot Halwa (we did with 3 kg's, but 2 kg are enough ) or Gulab Jamun (your wish)
Vanilla ice cream (if it is summer)

Fruit juices

a) Points to remember:

    1) Banana stem should be towards you.
    2) Betel Leaves stem should be towards you.
    3) In kalasam inside put - 3/4 th qty water with powdered ingredients like (pacha karpuram, elaichi, cloves, nutmeg), coin, akshintalu, pasupu, kum kuma.
    4) Tamalpaku lo pette tappudu put, 1 date, 1 vakka, 1 coin, 1 pasupu kommu.

b) Watch "Blouse Piece folding for Kalash" on youtube.

c) Watch "Hindu Customs -Toran made by stringing mango leaves and marigold flowers" on you tube.


 (mango leaves toran)

 Random Pictures for the big day!


(painted muggulu)



(Lime Rice)

(Garelu frying away)

(Aloo Fry)

(Kadala Curry)


(Fried Papad's)


(Kobbari Chutney)


(Carrot Halwa)

(Tomato Pappu)

(Rawa Kesari)


(Lime Rice)

(Daddojanam)


(Hare Krishna's Boondi Laddu)

(Stack all the cutlery in beautiful baskets)

(Return gifts)



(Directions while doing Nava graha puja)

(Directions for Ashta dikpalakas)

(Soak gatti vathulu in ghee over night)

Tips:

1) For lime rice, use squeeze lime juice.
2) Sri Satyanarayana Swamy Poojavidhanm And Katha.
3) Keep Ziplock bags for Podi Prasadam.
4) When you are visiting some ones home for Sri Satyanarayan Puja, u can take to host's house 1 coconut, 1 Incense stick packet, Bananas, or Flower pot of Chamanthi or sweets like Hare Krishna's Boondi Laddu with you.

Note:

For Tambulam: 

Vakka Packet, Pasupu, Kum kuma, 2 Betel leaves, 2 Fruits,  Coin or Return Gift, 1 Blouse piece (buy colors like red, orange, green, yellow as they can keep it on kalash)  1/2 broken Coconut (prasadam), 1 Ziplock Packet Podi Prasadam (inside put 3 spoons each Podi Prasadam or as u wish), n finally chocolates (for kids) - inside a goody bag or a small box that fits everything or a nice to-go platter.

For Shopping for puja items:

Giri.in or buy local Indian Store for puja items.

© 2015 by Rajani Rayudu

Friday, February 20, 2015

Mullakada Jeedipappu Kura/ Drumstick with Cashew Curry




Mullakada/ Drumstick

Good for Parties or Get together.

Ingredients and Proceed:


Whole Cashews - 2 handful (soak in kettle boiled water until needed)

For Masala paste:

heat a small pan, add 3 cloves, 3 cardamom, 1 inch cinnamon, 1 Mace/ Javithri, 1 flat tsp White poppy seeds, 3 flat tsp of coriander seeds lightly roast and add hot water 1/2 cup or so and leave it a aside to soften a bit. then keep this in grinder mixie jar grind into paste first, then add 3 tbsp fresh coconut or frozen. grind again into smooth paste, by required water to grind smoothly, not much water.

Onions - 1 large (chop)
Green chillies - 4 (slit)
Fresh Tomatoes - 2 (chop)
Mullakada/ Drumstick - 4 no. (peel the strings and cut into 3 inch pieces)
Curry leaves - 1-2 sprigs
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Oil - 3 tbsp
Milk - 3 cap full or 3 tbsp

1) Heat a flat deep pan, add oil once hot on medium heat, add onions mix well and fry for 5 mins, by covering with a lid.

2) Add Mullakada pieces, gg paste mix well n fry for 5 mins on low heat, keep it covered.

3) Add turmeric, chilli powder, stir well n fry for few secs, then add grinded smooth masala paste to it, fry until few mins, remember not to burn the paste.

4) then add tomato pieces mix well along with curry leaves, cover n cook until tomatoes are soften a bit.

5) Now add soaked cashews with out water stir well and add 1 and 1/2 rice cups of water to grinded mixie jar n pulse again, add this water to it too. make sure the pieces are immersed slightly. bring to boil n keep the flame to simm n cook for 10 min by keeping a lid on top.

6) Add chopped coriander leaves handful + salt to taste mix well, cover n cook for 5 mins.

7) Once the drumsticks are cooked add milk bring to boil n switch off immediately. keep the cover for 10 mins more.

Note: while adding milk we are just reheating the milk if you cook for longer it will curdle.

Tip: before u chop anything first soak cashews for at least 10-15 mins. break the cashews in half after it has soaked, it will separate easily.

I always get Cashews from India. they are more fresh

Serve with Pulihora or Vegetable Pulao or Plain Rice too if u wish n Guthi Vankaya 65,  Sambhar, Bobbatlu for elaborate meal.

© 2015 by Rajani Rayudu