Keema Vepudu/ Fry and Keema Naan

***Keema Vepudu/ Fry:

Keema Vepudu

Ingredients:

Lamb mince - 500 g

Ginger and Garlic paste - 1 tsp each

Salt to taste

Chilli powder - 3 tsp

Turmeric - 1 tsp

Red color - 1/4 tsp

Water - 1 cup

Pressure cook these for 8-10 whistles.

Oil - 4 - 5 tbsp

Green chillies - 5 no. (sliced round)

Onion - 2 m (finely chopped)

Masala powder - {Cardamom - 5, Whole cloves - 5, Cinnamon stick - 5 and Coriander seeds - 2 tsp - roast these with out oil and powder}

Mint - 2 handful

Coriander leaves - handful

Proceed:

Heat oil in a deep flat non-stick pan, add chillies fry for few secs.

Add onion and fry until golden brown.

Add cooked keema (with out water) and fry for 1 min.

Add masala powder, mint and coriander leaves and fry until all water is evaporated and serve.

Serve with Rice, Ghee, Rasam and Yoghurt on side.

***Naan dough (egg less):

Naan Dough

Ingredients:

Milk - 2/3 cup (luke warm)

Sugar - 1 tsp

Yeast - 1 tsp

Mix these and keep aside until needed.

Butter - 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp (for smearing)

Melt this in a microwave safe bowl.

Yoghurt - 3 tbsp

Plain flour - 2 cups

Salt - 1 tsp

Mix these together. Add 2 tbsp melted butter to it, mix it well, it looks crumbly. Add yogurt and mix well with your fingers. Add yeast milk and mix well, if it is wet add little flour and knead for 5 mins until soft dough consistency, cover it and leave this on top of the water heater or near a warm place for 3 hrs.

If you want plain naan just dip the rolls in flour, flattened a bit and roll them in to round shape. Please read the cooking procedure for Plain Naan. For garlic naan just add 1 clove of mashed garlic to the butter mixture.

***Stuffing and rolling Keema Naan:

After 3 hrs knead the dough again and make lemon sized balls.

Take one dough and keep it on bench top, hold the rolling pin, press 4 corners, not the middle. Repeat this for all the dough rolls.

Now take few tspns of cooled keema mixture and keep it in the middle of the dough

Now carefully wrap them by lifting one corner of dough by placing on the mixture. Keep wrapping until you finished it off with it. Press gently and hold in your palms and carefully make a dough patty. Keep this in the bowl lightly dusted with flour.

Repeat this to all the dough rolls.

Hold one stuffed dough, roll in the flour, keep the thicker side of the dough facing towards you and wrapping side faces towards the bench.

Gently roll it into round shape, repeat for all the stuffed dough balls and keep aside.

***Cooking Keema Naan:

Keema Naan

Heat a iron skillet on medium-low heat, when it is hot keep stuffed naan on it. Cook until small bubbles appear on top, turn it over and smear melted ghee on top. Turn again and smear melted ghee, when golden spots appear under neath, turn again and do the same. Keep this in a kitchen towel or Roti basket.

Repeat this process until you finished all of them.

Serve it with Butter chicken or Paneer gravy.

© 2008 by Rajani Rayudu

Get together Menu

I am really sorry for not taking any photos, actually too lazy or too tired by the time everything is ready. Ok just imagine how it will be.....:-)

These are the things I cooked yesterday for a small group of friends. Deciding what to cook my head just spins, thats the most difficult part. Once decided I make sure everything ready before cooking.

For appetizers:

Chicken Leg Fry (end twisted with foil for presentation, this time I cooked in an oven.)

Chicken Lollipops 

For Mains:

Kobbari Annam

Plain Rice

Aloo Kurma

Pepper Lamb (cook the same way as Pepper Chicken, will post some time separetly)

Sambhar

Yoghurt (this one is compulsory for Indian dinner, it cools you down after eating lots of spicy food)

For Drinks:

Mango Lassi (would be good option, I didn't made, some times it doesn't strike me, any how here it is winter, so for summer people you can always opt for this)

For Chutney:

Gongura Pachadi 

For Dessert:

Pulla Ice cream (hihi....... it's Magnum Chocalate)

© 2008 by Rajani Rayudu

Experiment Food

Have you noticed I have added few links to side bar, which are excellent. Well adding just other url's are not for looking, trying is an art. So coming to this web-site by Sanjay Thumma, what an excellent chef! I would say a Guru which puts him into even Higher Grade. His enthusiasm in cooking, just loved it. Well one day decided to give it a shot, whether what he says really works or not. The first thing I tried was Rava Dosa (quick version), by tweaking a little bit by adding yoghurt as I always do. I would say Wow Wow..........He is genius :-) Sanjay If you ever read this Thanks dude, you rock and I wish you well.

                                      Well eating Rava Dosa is just like that is not what we Indians do, we add bit of pickle or chutney to go with. This time in my kitchen Shyamala comes to my kitchen thrice. Have you remembered I made Egg Puff and Adai, got it, she is the one. This time to pair it up I made Cabbage thogayal (chutney) from her blog. Well, this is the best combination to go with Rava Dosa. I really loved it.  Thanks Shyamala..........

© 2008 by Rajani Rayudu

Experiment Food

Aratikaya Tokkala Pacchadi

Have you ever tasted or tried Aratikaaya Tokkala Pacchadi/ Raw Plaintain Skin Chutney, I never did but heard though. While searching, I came across a very nice blog with lots of Mom's cooking. That is what I love about cooking - what ever your mom serves that's the best!

Today for dinner I made, Rice with Dried Mango Gongura Dal, Aratikaya Vepudu, Aratikaaya Tokkala Pacchadi and Yoghurt. First bite of this pachadi I fell in love with it.

So no waste in Raw Plaintain, you can make curry with the inside part and flesh can be made into chutney. So why wait, next time when you buy Raw Plaintain try this chutney.

This recipe is blogged by Aruna Chalasani from " ammachethivantalu " blog. Thanks Aruna, it was yum yum...........a big thumbs up and a happy face.

© 2008 by Rajani Rayudu

Chinese aaku Pachadi/ Chinese Box-thorn Chutney

Chinese aaku Pachadi

Set 1:

Red chillies - 25 no.

Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp

Urad dhal - 1 tbsp

Sesame seeds - 1 and 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

*Fry these in little oil and powder in mixie.

Set 2:

Chinese aaku - 1 bunch (Pluck the leaves alone, wash well. Keep it on towel to dry out little)

Tamarind - lemon size (add enough water, until immersed. Microwave for 2 mins, cool, squeeze the pulp)

Salt as required

Oil - 2 tbsp

*Heat Oil in a deep pan and fry the leaves till it shrinks. Add tamarind juice and cook it until it becomes thick. Keep aside until cools down.

*Transfer this to the above mixie jar and add salt to taste, grind this into paste. Check for tartness and salt. Remove the grinded paste into a tiffin box.

Set 3 (seasoning):

Oil - 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Red chillies - 4 no. (split them)

Asafoetida - little

*Fry these in heated oil and add it to the above chutney, mix well and serve.

Serve with Chow Chow Dal, Rice and Yoghurt on side.

Tip:

Tastes good the next day. If you need more chillies for hotness, don't hesitate to add. Personally it needs more.

It got very subtle taste, so need tamarind juice bit more. Do try! some times I just eat it with ghee. Keep refrigerate........

Meaning:

Chow chow = Ban-galore vankaya

Box-thorn:

is a plant native to China and Japan, but it also grows in parts of tropical Asia where it is particularly appreciated by the Chinese. The stiff stems are known in Chinese as the "walking stick of immortals", no doubt a reference to the plant's medicinal properties. Both the fresh leaves and ripe berries (often known as wolf-berries) are eaten, the dried berries being one of the most popular items in the Chinese pharmacopeia and in use for at least 2,000 years. Chinese box-thorn should not be confused with the noxious weed, African box-thorn, a native of South Africa which has been grown as a decorative plant in Europe, Australia and America.

Appearance & Flavor The plant has somewhat oval, dark green leaves growing closely together from a very stiff, almost woody stem which has sharp spines well hidden where the leaf stems join the central stem. The stems are usually 10 - 12 in (25 - 30 cm) in length when sold in markets. Choosing & Storing Box-thorn is sold with the leaves still on the hard stems. Look for leaves which have not wilted. Do not remove the leaves from the stem until just before cooking. To store, wrap in kitchen towels and refrigerate for 4 - 5 days. Preparing When removing the leaves from the stems, be careful to avoid the short, sharp spikes hiding on the stem - remember the word "thorn" in the name of this plant. Rinse the leaves and drain. Nutritional & Medicinal Properties Both the green leaves and the ripe red berries (sold dried in Chinese medicine shops and in herbal mixtures in Asian stores) are said to be good for the liver. The leaves are rich in calcium and iron, while the berries contain carotene and vitamin C, and are regarded as a general tonic, as well as being good for eyesight. Culinary Uses Box-thorn is generally cooked in soups by the Chinese, often with pork or pork liver. As the leaves are slightly bitter, dishes with box-thorn often need a touch of sugar to counteract the bitterness, as well as a dash of white pepper for fragrance. The dried berries have a pleasant sweet-sour flavor and are often added to soups such as clear chicken stock. Wolf-berries can also be added to stir-fried vegetables for color and texture ( by Wendy Hutton - A Cook's Guide to Asian Vegetables).

In other languages...........

© 2008 by Rajani Rayudu

Get together Menus

Deciding what to cook for get together! these are the menus I cooked for small group of friends. Hope it might help you in planning. Please do share it with me your menus for a party. I will include it here.......

Get together Menus

1)  Menu:

Prawn Biriyani

Andhra Chepala Vepudu

Andhra Chepala Pulusu

Perugu Chutney

2) Menu:

White Rice

Kodi Vepudu

Kodi Kura

Sambhar

Poppadums

Yoghurt

3) Menu:

Layered Lamb Biriyani

Yoghurt chutney

4) For Chaat Party:

Vada Pau

Pani-puri

Mirchi Bajji

5) All time snacks:

Chuduva

Nuvvulu undalu

6) Pickle to go with:

Chinese aaku Pachadi 

© 2008 by Rajani Rayudu

Kodi Vepudu/ Andhra Chicken Fry

Kodi Vepudu

Ingredients:

Chicken - 750 g (use chicken thigh pieces with bones, cut into bite size pieces)
Red onion - 1 no. (grind into paste)
Ginger and Garlic paste - 1 tsp each
Chilli powder - 2 - 3 tsp
Kashmiri chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Mix these together, cook in a daaka/ utensil with 1/4 th cup water, until pieces are cooked.

Onion - 2 no. (sliced finely, brown ones)
Green chillies - 6 no. (sliced round)
Salt to taste
Oil - 5 tbsp

Masala Powder:

Coriander seeds - 3 tsp

Whole cloves - 5 no.

Cardamom - 5 no.

Cinnamon stick - 5 in

Black peppers - 1 tsp

Fry these in tsp of ghee, until roasts well and powder.

Garnish:

Coriander leaves - handful (chopped finely)
Mint leaves - handful (chopped finely)

Proceed:

1) Heat a flat deep non-stick pan with oil on medium heat, when it is hot add green chillies first, fry.

2) Add sliced onion and fry until golden color. keep mixing (otherwise onions become darker).

3) Add cooked chicken along with gravy it may have. Now mix these and fry until all the water is evaporated and sticks to the chicken. Check for seasoning.

4) Add masala powder and garnishing stuff, mix well and switch off.

Serving suggestions:

Serve with Kodi Kura, Charu or Rasam, Rice and Yoghurt.

Serve with Kodi Kura, Mutton Pulav or Ghee Rice and Raita.

Tip:

You have to keep stirring while cooking, to get even frying.

© 2008 by Rajani Rayudu

Apricot Pastry Puff

Apricot Pastry Puff

Ingredients:

Puff pastry - 1 - 2 sheets (defrost as per instructions, cut in to round circles with help of cookies cutter makes 8)

Apricots - 1 tin (drain, keep these on paper towels)

Crystalised ginger - as needed (each piece cut into pieces and keep them sperately)

Runny honey - as needed

Pistachios - chopped, as needed

Egg wash or milk - to smear

Proceed:

Preheat oven to 220 d' C.

Place circles on a lined baking tray, brush with egg wash or milk all over.

Place small amount of crystalised ginger inside middle of each pastry circle. Drizzle little honey.

Place 3 apricots on top, drizzle bit more honey on top.

Decorate pistachios on top.

Repeat this procedure for each circle.

Bake these for 15 mins or until golden brown.

Serve dusted with icing sugar on top. yummy....................

Note: I have cut the pastry into four as I don't have any cookie cutter, smeared milk on top. Instead of 3 apricots, I used 4. I don't have pistachios either so used lightly toasted almonds.
I think you need to prick them before you keep everything in the middle, I didn't do it so no worry's.

This recipe is adapted from Allyson Gofton.

© 2008 by Rajani Rayudu

Vegetarian Tacos

Vegetarian Tacos

Things we need:

Tacos - 10 no.

Cook until heated through in a microwave, do not burn

Mexican Style beans - 1 tin

Cayenne pepper - 1/2 tsp

Mix these two in microwave safe bowl and cook for 1-2 min

wee look

Nupur's Green tomato chutney (Hiravya tamatyachi Chutney) - as required

Avocado and garlic dressing - store bought

Red Capsicum - 1 no. (chopped)

Carrots - 1-2 no. (grated)

Cheddar Cheese - grated, as needed

Hiravya tamatyachi Chutney

Salsa - as needed

White onion - 1/2 no. (chopped very finely), Jalapeno - 2 no. (chopped finely), Tomato - 1 no. (chopped finely), lemon juice - to taste - Mix these in a small bowl

getting ready

Proceed:

Keep everything separately in bowls with serving spoons.

Hold taco shell in one hand and spoon off some beans on to the bottom of the shell, then some grated carrots, capsicum pieces, salsa, Nupur's chutney, avocado dressing and some cheese.

A big thanks to Nupur for the recipe, I ate it with kichdi and invented to eat this way too. Worked wonder. Hugs........


Tip:


For assembling in taco shells, invert non-stick muffin trays, and keep the shell inside the gap to hold, do this for every gap, fill and place it to serve.

© 2008 by Rajani Rayudu

Silverbeet Pappu/ Dal

Silverbeet Pappu/ Dal

Set 1:

Toor Dal/ Kandi pappu - 1 cup
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Water - 2 and 1/2 cups
Silverbeet - 1/2 bunch (cut the white part off, wash and chop)

Cook set 1 in pressure cooker until soft and mash lightly with pappu guthu. or masher.

Set 2 (seasoning):

Oil - 1 & 1/2 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Garlic - 5 cloves (smashed and sliced)

Red chillies - 2 no. (split in half)

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Hing/ Asafoetida - small pinch

MTR Rasam powder - 1/2 tsp (my twist)

Set 3:

Tamarind - lemon size (add water until immersed and microwave for 1 and 1/2 min and squeeze out the pulp when cool enough)

Salt to taste

Proceed:

1) Take a kadhai, heat oil in it. Do seasoning from Set 2 by adding mustard seeds when it is stopped poping add cumin seeds when it is starting to brown, add curry leaves, red chillies, garlic and fry, add hing and rasam powder in the last, mix well. Immediately follow by adding Set 3 and stir. Cook until it becomes slightly thick.

2) Add cooked dal from Set 1 to the above, mix well. If you want the dish to be little runny add water to loosen up a bit, cook until it boils. Check for salt and switch off.

Serve with Plain White Rice, Ghee, Poppadums, Aloo Fry, Yoghurt on side.

Tip:

Use home made tamarind paste.

Meanings:

Silver-beet = Swiss Chard

© 2008 by Rajani Rayudu

Majjiga Mirapakayalu/ Dried Sour Chillies

Ingredients:

Yoghurt - 1/2 litre
Water - to make it thin
Salt - as needed
Green chillies - 15 no. (long variety)

Proceed:

Wash the green chillies, slit them in the middle (by keeping intact). In a Plastic container add yoghurt, water, salt and beat it. Now add slit chillies to it, put the lid on top. In the morning take a steel tray, keep the chillies side by side (do not throw away the butter milk) and keep it in a sunny area whole day. In the evening add these chillies to the same buttermilk, repeat this process for 3 days. On the 3 rd day throw away the buttermilk. Now keep these chillies under the hot sun until all the chillies are dried up. You can turn now and then. But make sure to keep inside in the evening. Store these in an air-tight container, keep serviattes in side to remove any moisture it may have. Will stay for an year.

While serving:

Deep fry the chillies and serve.

Serve with Yoghurt rice or daddojanem and any lentil curry. Yum........................

Tip:

You can stuff these chillies with turmeric, mustard powder, fenugreek powder, amchur (dried mango powder), hing and kala namak (black salt) or salt. When you have slitted the chilli, sprinkle some of this mixture inside and keep in butter milk. Taste will be so

different..................

© 2008 by Rajani Rayudu

Merry X-mas

Have a Happy Christmas and a New Year!

Want to try an Eggless Fruit cake...................

© 2007 by Rajani Rayudu

Baingan Burta/ Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes

Baingan Burta

Roasting:

Eggplant - 1 no.(large and fat)
Oil - little to smear

First preheat oven to 250 ' C- Bake. Smear little oil to the eggplant and keep it on a tray lined with foil and roast the eggplant for 40 - 60 mins until the skin looks flaky and water oozes out. keep aside and remove the eggplant skin and tap it with serviettes to remove any water which is coming out and chop.

Other things we need:

Oil - 5 & 1/2 tbsp

Garlic - 7 cloves (sliced)
Ginger - 2 inch (sliced and chopped)

Green chillies - 6 no. (cut into small pieces)

Onions - 2 m (chopped)

Tomatoes - 3/4 th tin

Coriander leaves - handful (chopped)
Salt to taste

Proceed:

1) Heat oil in a non stick kadhai, add sliced garlic, ginger and fry well . Add green chilli fry again.

2) Add chopped onion and fry until light brown.

3) Add chopped smoked eggplant and fry for 8 mins keep stirring.

4) Add 3/4 tin chopped tomatoes (cook first, for 1 min in microwave) and cook for 8 mins again or until oil floats on top, stirring in between.

5) Garnish with chopped coriander leaves, stir and remove from flame and add salt to taste.

Serve with Phulkas or Rice.


Eggplant used:


American Eggplant

© 2007 by Rajani Rayudu

Chicken 65

Chicken 65

Set 1:

Chicken - 1/2 kg (boneless, diced)

Red color - a few drops
Ginger and Garlic paste - 1 & 1/2 tsp
Egg - 2 no.s
Pepper powder - 1 tsp (freshly ground)
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Corn flour - 1 tsp
Plain flour - 1 tsp
Ajinomotto - a pinch

Set 2:

Yoghurt - 1 cup

Set 3:

Green chillies - 10 - 15 no.s (slit lengthwise)
Curryleaves - 3 sprigs

Proceed:

1) Mix every thing from Set 1 and marinate for 1hr, keep this in refrigerator and fry in oil. keep aside.

2) To the above add Set 2 and cook until yoghurt evaporates, keep aside.

3) Heat oil, add green chillies and curry leaves fry for some time and add point 2. Fry altogether and Serve.

Serve with Fried Rice or Methi Biriyani or Sambhar.

Tip:

1) One can deep fry the chicken or else u can shallow fry too, by adding small amount of oil, here I have shallow fried only.

2) Add required amount of oil in the last and fry.

© 2008 by Rajani Rayudu

Sorra Pidupu/ Shark Fry

Sorra Pidupu/ Shark Fry

Ingredients:

Sorra or Baby Shark - 1/2 kg pieces
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 - 1 tsp
Masala powder (follow my kodi kura recipe) - 3 tsp
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp

*Boil shark pieces in water, it cooks under 10 - 15 mins. Cook until soft, wash, remove skin and bones, mash it with fingers. To that add turmeric, chilli powder, masala powder, gg paste and salt to taste, mix well.

marinating fish

Onion - 2 large no. (chopped finely)
Green chillies - 6 - 8 no.s (sliced round)
Curry leaves - few

Coriander leaves - handful (chopped finely)
Oil - required (add oil just to immerse the bottom of the pan)

Proceed:

1)Heat oil in kadai or wok. When it is hot add curry leaves and green chillies and fry.

2)Add onions and fry until golden color.

3)Add shark pidupu and fry well.

4)Lastly add coriander leaves and fry for 5 mins more.

Serve with Plain white Rice and Yoghurt on side.

Tip:

Use lots of chillies for this recipe.

I used lemon shark/fish

© 2007 by Rajani Rayudu

Bye Bye

Buzzy Bee is so Busy!

Me going on a holiday. Will be back in few months in new city. Until then enjoy my cooking! Last weekend we had a party at our place. We cooked all the dishes from start to finish.

They are-

Chuduva
Pedas

Layered Lamb Biriyani
Kobbari Annam
Plain Rice

Kodi Kura

Cauliflower Manchurian
Aloo Kurma
Chana and Paneer curry
Sambhar
Vankaya Chikkudu Ginjala Kura

Courgette Pachadi
Perugu Chutney

Pesara Pappu Payasam

Pesara Pappu Payasam recipe is blogged by Indira from "Mahanandi" blog. It tastes great with the addition of poppyseeds in the payasam, eat this and take a nap :-). Thanks Indira as always for your yummy authentic recipes.

Pedas recipe is blogged by Prema from "premascookbook" blog. Thank u once again.

The above drawing was drawn by Anirudh (Radha's Buzzy Kid). He is little artist, only 6yrs old. Have u noticed Bee got a small kid in the nest. The mommy Bee is flying kites and got tangled it seems! If you tell them to paint their imagination goes wild and come up with all sorts of ideas in a funny way.


Take care every one!

© 2007 by Rajani Rayudu

Green Chilli Pickle

Green Chilli Pickle

Ingredients:

Green Chillies - 1/2 kg
Lemons - 10 no. (take the juice, keep aside)

Mustard seeds - 1/4 th cup

Salt - 1 & 1/2 cups

Asafoetida - 1/4 th tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 3 tsp

Turmeric powder - 4 tsp

Rice Bran Oil - 2 cups

Proceed:

Fry Asafoetida and fenugreek and grind in the grinder with salt and mustard seeds. Cut chillies in small pieces. Mix them well with the ground masala. Pour the lemon juice over the chillies. Fill them in the jar. Heat oil. When cold, add to the pickle. Cover and leave aside.

Serve with Parathas.

Tip:

Use Rice Bran Oil it tastes good and brings out natural flavor from spices and chillies. I use it for making Aloo Kurma too. Do try and see the difference.

© 2007 by Rajani Rayudu

Kanda Bachali

Kanda Bachali

Italian spinach

Ingredients:

Kanda/ Ratalu - Frozen 350 g packet (wash these in warm water)
Tamarind - Lemon size
Water - 1 & 1/2 rice cup

Keep these in cooker and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Remove the tamarind in a bowl add the cooked water around 1/2 cup. and squeeze the pulp. Drain the water from the kanda by using strainer and keep aside or use directly.

Bachali/ Italian spinach - 1 bunch (wash and chop roughly)
Salt to taste
Coriander Leaves - small handful

Seasoning:

Oil - 3 tbsp
Chana dal - 2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 4 no. (broken into bits)
Green chillies - 4 no.(chopped finely)
Curry leaves - 3 sprigs
Hing - 2 pinch
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Powder:

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Powder this in pestle and keep aside.

Proceed:

1) Heat a deep non-stick pan, when it is hot add oil, wait for few mins and do seasoning in the above order.

2) Add Bachali leaves and fry for 2mins, add tamarind juice and cook for 10mins, by mixing now and then.

3) Add drained kanda to it, mix well, keep covered and simmer for 15mins.

4) Add Salt to taste and coriander leaves, cook on high for 2mins and switch off.

5) Add Mustard powder, mix well and serve.

Serve with Vadiyams or Poppadums, Plain Rice and Yoghurt.

Where to find?

Frozen Ratalu can be found in Indian groceries in freezer section.

© 2007 by Rajani Rayudu

Experiment Food

Pedas

For my friend sreemanthem I made Pedas, blogged by Prema from premascookbook. They were simple and yet very delicious.

I even fooled them by saying bought it from sweet vendor........haha

Instead of keeping the mixture inside a cap, I did gulab jamoon shape, keep the toppings on it and flattened with fingers to get even shape. After u finished doing Pedas leave these aside for 4hrs to harden a bit, otherwise it will be chewy.

Do try them ! Thanks Prema for your delicious Peda recipe.

© 2007 by Rajani Rayudu

Hyderabadi Chicken Biriyani

Hyderabadi Chicken Biriyani

Ingredients:

Marinating Chicken for 3 hrs or 24 hrs:

Boneless Chicken - 1 kg (diced in to pieces), Green Chillies - 4 no. (slit length ways), Yoghurt - 1/2 cup, Milk - 1/2 cup, Chilli powder - 5 tsp, Big Lemon - 2 no.(take the juice), Salt - 2 & 1/2 tsp, Ginger & Garlic Paste - 3 tsp, Garam masala - 1 tsp, Turmeric - 1/2 tsp., Red Orange Color - 1/2 tsp.

Mix all the above and marinate for minimum 3 hrs or overnight.


For Par-boiled Rice:

Basmati Rice - 6 rice cups (electric cooker measure), Whole Cloves & Cardamom - 4 each., Shahjeera - 1 tsp, Cinnamon - 1/2 inch., Water - 9 cups

Par-boil rice (please read tips and comments too) with all the above. Once half boiled drain and spread it on a plate.


Deep Fried Onions:

Onions - 2 no. large (Sliced thinly), Oil - 1 cup (use electric rice cup measure, only)

Deep fry sliced onions until light golden color, keep these aside on a plate. (please read tips).


Powder these in Pestle:

Cardamom - 10 no., Whole Cloves - 10 no., Cinnamon Stick - 1 inch, Salt - 2 tsp.

Powder first three ingredients in hand pestle. Add salt, powder again and add very little water to dilute. Keep covered.

For garnishing:

Mint leaves - 1 big Bunch, Corainder leaves - 1 bunch, Lemon juice - 1 no.

Chop these together and add lemon juice to it.

Proceed:

1) We need a large pressure cooker. Smear some ghee from top to bottom, add chicken marination inside the cooker. Spread evenly.

2) layer with some deep fried onions.

3) Layer the top with some half boiled rice.

4) layer the top with some chopped herbs.

5) Sprinkle some of the powder liquid on top.

6) You can even add few tspns red orange color liquid (1/4 tsp ROC which is been diluted in little milk).

7) Repeat the layers from Point2 - Point6.

8) Top it with the oil in which onions were fried earlier.

Close it with a stainless steel lid and wrap a wet cotton towel (remove water by twisting) around it and cook this on medium-low for 40 - 45 mins until u get this nice aroma while cooking. Switch off once cooked.

After 30 mins stand by mix gently with fork or dig in through layers and serve.

For Hyderabadi dinner party:

Serve it with Haleem, Perugu Chutney or Raita, Mirchi ka Salan and for dessert Double-ka-meetha


Tips:

Always use Kohinoor Basmati Rice for quality and aroma, next bet would be Daawat.

Par-boil? When u cook the rice it just reaches bubbling or boiling point (60% cook rice). At this point switch off and drain immediately in a colander and spread it on a thali or a plate.

Always fry onions until golden color. Drain it on a plate, once cooled it turns in to dark color. If u cook the onions darker, it will taste bitter. Here we need sweetness from onions.

Always prepare this dish when everything is ready. Do not do multi tasking.

Always check the wet cover, if is dry wet again and wrap around the lid or u can keep atta dough around to seal the edges well. If the steam is escaping put the atta paste to stick where it is damaged.

Use pressure cooker utensil only, not stain less steel utensil, other wise you will burn the dish.

Electric element works even cooking, where as some gas cooking elements burns the dish. So keep an eye and sniff method while cooking.

Cooking on gas, then keep a skillet (means dosa pan) underneath the pressure cooker to get even cooking. As always said keep an eye on it.

If you are unable to powder the ingredients in pestle use coffee grinder to powder only. Remove this in to small bowl and add very small amount of water as shown in the picture.

Don't forget to post your comments, much appreciated:-)

© 2007 by Rajani Rayudu

Kothimeera Pachadi/ Coriander leaves Chutney

Kothimeera Pachadi

Ingredients and proceed:

Coriander seeds - 5 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Red Chillies - 10 no.

Oil - 1 tbsp

Roast these in oil until golden color. Keep aside in chutney jar. Grind these first.

Kothimeera - 1 big bunch (only leaves and young stem)
Oil - 1 tsp

In the same skillet add oil and roast leaves, until wilted. Add this to chutney jar.

Tamarind - 1/2 lemon size (add water until just immersed microwave for 1 & 1/2 min, soak for few mins)

Add the tamarind to the above jar and salt to taste and grind everything into smooth paste by using very little tamarind water which u kept aside. Check for salt, scrape this into a small serving bowl and do seasoning.

Seasoning:

Oil - 1 tbsp

Chana Dal - 2 tsp

Urad Dal - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Red Chillies - 2 no. (split in half)

Garlic cloves - 5 no. (smashed lightly).

Do seasoning in the above order. When finished add it to above grinded coriander paste.

Serve with Rice, Dal or Curry and Yoghurt on side.

© 2007 by Rajani Rayudu

Andhra Chepala Pulusu/ Andhra Fish Curry

Andhra Chepala Pulusu

Marinating Fish:

Fish - 1 kg pieces (please read tips)
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Chili powder - 3 tsp
Salt to taste

Mix these together and keep aside.

Ingredients:

Green chillies - 6 no. (slit lengthwise)
Curry leaves - 3 sprigs

Onion - 1 large (diced, fried in 2 tsp of oil and then pureed) or Shallots - handful (peel and sliced thinly)

Ginger and Garlic paste - 1/4 tsp each
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Masala powder - 3 tsp (please read tips)

Tamarind - Big lemon size (add water until the tamarind is immersed, microwave for 2 mins, and squeeze to make pulp)

Coriander leaves - handful (chopped finely)
Oil - 7 tbsp

Proceed:

1) Heat oil in a non-stick Kadhai, add green chillies and curry leaves and fry well, keep few for garnishing

2) To the above add onion paste or sliced shallots and fry for 5 mins. on medium heat.

3) Add gg paste, turmeric, red chilli powder and masala powder and fry for few mins. Mix well.

4) Layer the fish pieces on top, close the lid and cook for few mins, turn over carefully, rotate the dish and cook for few more mins. by closing lid.

5) Add water until fish pieces are immersed, keep the heat on high, when it is started boiling, simmer and cover for 10 mins.

6) Add tamarind pulp, close the lid and cook until oil floats on top and the raw smell of tamarind disappears, do not mix the curry with the spatula instead carefully hold both the handle of the dish and rotate.

7) Add coriander leaves and check for salt, cook it for 5 more mins and serve. While serving, garnish with curry leaves and green chillies which is been fried earlier.

Serve with Plain White Rice. 


Tips:

* For this dish use shallots, if you don't have then do as above. I would recommend to use shallots to get that authentic taste of Andhra Chepala Pulusu. For shallots no need to fry or grind as normal onion, you can slice them thinly and fry in oil directly, just follow point 2.

* When u have added fish pieces, do not mix with spatula, instead rotate the dish or otherwise fish becomes mushy.

* For Indian curry's do not use Salmon. Any other firm fish will do. For Indians use Bochu Cheppa, Sheelavathi, Pulsa variety.

* Only for River fishes (ex: Bochu cheppa, Pulsa, Rohu) we do pulusu style. For Sea fish ( ex: Tella Sanduva or Silver Pompfret, Vanjeeram) do iguru type, means with out adding any tamarind to it, but replacing with my chicken masala powder to the above method.

* Pulusu and Iguru type curries have their own masalas, so do not add cloves and say pulusu. In here we omit the cloves and cinnamon.

Masala Powder (no need to roast spices):

Coriander seeds - 3 tsp, Poppy seeds (white) - 1 tsp, Cardamom - 4 no. {Grind all these together in to fine powder}.

********For New Zealand Fish:

Blue Warehou and Mullet are good for Fish Curry or Pulusu. Trivally and Red Snapper is good for Fish Vepudu or Fry.

Meaning:

Mullet = Koyyingalu (we call these in telugu language, when they are small we call them katti chepalu, big we call them koyyingalu)

© 2007 by Rajani Rayudu