Experiment Food

Here is what I made for dinner Menthi Pappu from "My rasoi" blogged by Lakshmi.


Serve it with Rice, Ghee and Vadiyams or Papads on side.


Thanks Lakshmi for your recipe.


© 2006 by Rajani Rayudu

Idli Twists

Idli Batter:

Ingredients:

Urad dal (split, no husks) - 1 cup
Idli rawa - 2 heaped cups
Salt - 1 and 1/2 tsp
Cooked rice - a handful (use only long grain cooked rice, not basmati, please read tip)

Proceed:

Soak urad dal and rawa seperately in lots of water, overnight. In the morning wash the urad dal and grind it in to smooth paste by using water and remove it in to big container. Inbetween drain the water lightly by not draining away the rawa from the dish, fill the water again in rawa and keep it settle down the rawa and repeat the process 2 more times. Now squeeze the water from rawa and add it urad dal bowl. Add salt and mix well, cover. keep it on top of water heater, to get ferment. Leave this for 24 hrs for cold countries or 12 hrs for warm countries. After it is fermented add cooked rice and mix well and do Idlies.

Grease idli plates with little oil and pour the batter with help of spatula until the rounds are filled. Keep the plates opposite sides as shown in the figures.

Add enough water in pressure cooker until the skillet is immersed in water. Now put idli stand in pressure cooker, close the lid, no need to put weight on top, we are steam cooking, cook it on medium heat for 10 mins, reduce the flame to medium low and cook further 5 mins or until you get the aroma of idli when you sniff it. Switch off the flame wait for 10 mins and open the lid.
Hold the idli plate and with flat spoon remove the idli from the plate by inserting the spoon underneath and serve.

Serve it with Coconut Chutney, Peanut Chutney, Sambhar or Podi's and with little Ghee on top.

Tips:

For soft Idlies, add cooked rice to the fermented batter, mix well and do Idlies.

For fermenting batter, you can use peeled whole onion, put this onion in the middle of the batter to get fermented.

If you are having over fermented batter, then put one thamala paku on top of the batter. This will reduce sourness in batter.

***Vege idli Twist:
You can add finely grated carrots, chopped coriander leaves little, finely chopped green chillies, finely chopped beans too.... to the fermented batter and do Idlies by following above procedure.

***Uthappam Twist:
If you got leftover Idli batter just add finely chopped onions, finely chopped coriander leaves and finely chopped green chillies mix these well. Heat a small deep non-stick skillet add 1 tbsp oil add 2-3 no. spatula of batter in the centre and spread it round and even it on top, cover and cook until golden brown underneath and turn over, cover and cook 3-5 mins or until cooked well.

Serve this with Mango pickle.

***Siyyali Twist:
Idli - 10 no. (left over idlies, crush them with your hand in to a powder)
Onion - 1 medium (chopped)
Turmeric - 1/4th tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Pappula podi - 2 tspns (opt)
Salt to taste
Lemon juice - as required

Seasoning:

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp, Urad Dal - 1 tsp, Redchillies - 6 no. (broken in to bits) and Curry leaves.

Proceed:

1) Heat non- stick kadai, add oil heat it up. Do the seasoning according to the order mentioned above.

2) Add onions and saute until light golden colour. Add turmeric and salt as required mix well.

3) Add crushed idlies saute for 5 mins.

4) Add pappula podi, mix well. Cook for couple of mins. Check for salt. Turn off the stove and add lemon juice for a tangy taste. Serve it hot.

Notes :
Pappula Podi:-
It is a mixture of Dalia (putnalu pappu), roasted garlic, chilli powder and salt
grinded in to fine powder.

Serve it as light snack.

Want to see who tried my Siyyali recipe:

My World Of Recipes - by Preethi Chalavadhi

© 2006 by Rajani Rayudu

Courgette Vepudu/ Fry

Courgette Vepudu

Ingredients:

Courgettes/ zucchini - 4 no. (long and fresh, cut them in half lengthwise and cut in to moon shape, not too thin)

Onion - 1 no. (chopped finely)
Ginger and Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp each

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Cayenne pepper - 1/4 th tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp extra
Salt to taste

Oil - 3 tbsp

Desiccated coconut - handful
Seasoning:

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Chana dal - 2 tsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Red chillies - 4 no. (split in half)

Curry leaves - 2 sprigs.

Proceed:

1) Heat a wok on medium heat add oil heat it up. Do the seasoning one by one in above order.

2) Add onions fry until light brown.

3) Add gg paste, fry. Add turmeric, cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp garam masala and salt to taste mix well.

4) Add courgettes and fry, keep it covered for 5 mins. Remove the lid and mix again. Please do not mush it up with spatula you need to be gentle with them.

5) Cook until courgettes are cooked well and oil is oozing out. Now add coconut and 1/2 tsp garam masala, cook for few more mins by turning and tossing. Check for salt and serve.

Serve with Mysore Rasam, Rice and Yoghurt.

© 2006 by Rajani Rayudu

Mysore Rasam

Mysore Rasam

Ingredients:

Set 1:

Toor Dal - 1/4 th rice cup
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Tamarind - half lemon size
Water - 1 cup

In a container add toor dal, water, turmeric and keep the tamarind in the middle. Pressure cook these until soft. Mean while prepare Set 2. When cool enough remove the lid from the pressure cooker, take the tamarind off with the help of spoon in a small bowl add 1/4 th cup water and squeeze the pulp and keep aside. Mash the toor dal and keep aside.

MTR Rasam powder - 1 tsp (keep this aside until needed)

Set 2:

Toor Dal/ kandipappu - 3 tsp
Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Whole Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp

Roast on medium low, above ingredients with little ghee until golden color but not burned. Remove it in a plate.

Dessicated Coconut - 1/4 th rice cup

Add dessicated coconut in empty hot container and stir. Add this to above plate, mix and grind in to powder when it's cooled.

Set 3:

Tomato- 2 no.(chopped)

Set 4 (seasoning):

Ghee - little.
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Red chillies - 4 no. (broken in half)

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Hing/asafoetida - less than a pinch.

Garnishing:

Coriander leaves - handful (chopped finely)

Proceed:

Heat a medium sauce pan, add from set 1 squeezed tamarind pulp, salt and rasam powder. Cook until raw smell disappears. add little amount of water and add Set 2 paste and mix well, cook for few mins. Add from set 1 toor dal paste and combined well cook for few more mins. Add 1 and 3/4 th glasses of water and bring it to boil, cover with lid. Add Set 3 and cook until tomatoes are cooked well. Check for consistency, if it is too thick add water to dilute. If it is too thin, remove the lid and boil. It should be thinner than sambhar but thicker than rasam. Do the seasoning from Set 4 and add it to Rasam. Garnish with coriander leaves check for salt and switch off.

Serve Mysore rasam with any Vege Fry or Thotakura Pappu/Dal, Rice and Papad



We cooked a feast one day, so menu as followed:


Tomato Pappu  (Tomato Dal)
Guthi Vankaya Kura (Stuffed Indian Eggplants)
Mysore Rasam 
Dondakaya Vepudu (Tindora Fry)
Beerakaya Pachadi (Whole Ridge gourd Chutney)
Gadda Perugu (Yoghurt)
Neyyi (Ghee)


© 2006 by Rajani Rayudu

Firni/ Phirni

Firni/ Phirni

Set 1:

Basmati rice - 50 g (wash the rice, and soak it in water for 2hrs and grind in to paste by using enough water)

Set 2:

Cardamom Powder - 1 tsp (fresh is best, no husks of cardamom, please)

Set 3:

Sugar - 3/4 th + 2 tbsp (measure with elecric cooker rice cup)

Set 4:

Full-Cream Milk - 1 & 1/2 litre

Proceed:

1) Heat a deep flat non-stick pan, add Set 4 heat it on medium high, bring it to boil. Reduce heat to medium and keep stirring for 15 mins.

2) Add Set 3 and stir until sugar melts, remove from heat. Immediately follow point 3.

3) Add Set 1 paste slowly and stir until well combined. Keep this on flame now.

4) Add Set 2 and keep stirring for 20 mins. Lastly add few drops of yellow colour and mix. Switch off the flame.

5) When it comes to room temperature, pour the firni in individual bowls, garnish with chopped Pistachios on top. Refrigerate and serve.

Serve it with any spicy Indian Meal.

Tip:

It tastes good after 24 hrs. So this is ideal for dinner party's. Do this dessert 1 day ahead.

© 2006 by Rajani Rayudu

Pau Bhaji

Pau Bhaji

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 700 g (boiled, skin removed and roughly mashed)
Whole Tomato - 1 tin (crushed with your hand while adding)
Water - 1 cup
Coriander Leaves - handful
Oil + Ghee - 2 tbsp each
Red Onion - 1 no.(chopped finely)

Seasoning:

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Powders :

Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Amchur Powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 th tsp
Cayenne pepper - 1/4 th - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Proceed:

1) Heat a flat and deep non-stick pan, add ghee and oil heat it up, add mustard seeds, cover and pop. Add curry leaves stir. Add onion and cook until soft.

2) Add all the powders stir and add squashed tomatoes and mix, cook until mushy.

3) Add roughly mashed potato, stir well and add 1cup of water. Bring it to boil and simmer for 5 mins, cover. Remove the lid add coriander leaves stir, cover and cook until you can see a way underneath while sliding the spatula. Check for salt. Add 20 g of Butter on top of the curry.

Serve with Pau or Burger Buns.

For cooking Pau or Burger Buns:

1) Heat a skillet, cut burgers horizontally smear margarine or butter on both sides keep these on hot tawa cook it on both sides until lightly brown.

Serving suggestions -

Keep pau on a plate and curry in a bowl, top the curry with chopped red onions and sprinkle lemon juice on top of the curry and eat while still hot.

© 2006 by Rajani Rayudu

Tortilla Twists

Ingredients:

Refried Beans (with green chilli, Casa Fiesta) - 1 tin (remove the bean paste in microwave container cook it for 2 mins.)

Carrot - 1 no. (skin removed and grated)
Cheese (grated) - as required
Lettuce* - shred in to pieces.

Keep all these in a plate.

Sauces and powders we need :

Tomato sauce

Hot chilli sauce

Caesar vinaigrette (or any salad dressing you prefer but no mayonaisse please)

Cayenne pepper

Salt little

Leftover yellow egg (remembered if you left out egg from Pesarettu, use here)

Tortillas (store bought)

Keep these on one side.

Proceed:

Keep Tawa on one side and a plate on another side.

1 ) Vegetarian Twist -

Heat tawa on high, cook the Tortilla lightly on both sides. Put it on a plate next to you (reduce the tawa heat until you assemble all and increase the heat when you are almost finishing your filling.) now vertically put 1 big tbsp refried bean paste in the middle spread it lengthwise.
add some grated carrot on top of it, add the sauces pouring vertically, sprinkle little cayenne pepper on it. Keep lettuce on top, next add handful of grated cheese or even less (remember to increase the heat) now hold both together and keep it on hot tawa, heat it and fold one corner in the middle and overlap with other on top cook for little while and serve.

2) Egg Twist -

Beat the yellow part of the egg. Heat the Tawa, keep the tortilla pour egg mixture all around the tortilla, sprinkle little salt and cayenne pepper. Cook the tortilla on both sides. keep this on a plate, stuff on egg side as above and cook it the same way as vegetarian twist.

3) Cheese Lovers Twist -

Grate cheese, cayenne pepper, green capsicum (little)- chopped finely and some basil.

Heat the tawa, keep the Tortillas on a plate sprinkle some of the grated cheese all around, little cayenne pepper, basil and some capsicum, cover it with another tortilla on top. Transfer this on to hot tawa cook it on both sides (becareful when you are turning, turn it on a plate and transfer this to hot tawa). Serve this with sweet chilli sauce. Yum.............

Notes:

Here I am using Ice berg lettuce, why? it gives nice crunch when you are biting.

If you put tortilla on one another they become quesidilla.

Can use tomato ketchup instead of tomato sauce, Instead of italian dressing one can use avocado garlic dressing.

© 2006 by Rajani Rayudu

Fried Rice

Fried Rice

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 3 rice cups (washed and discard water, to that add 4 & 1/2 cups water and cook in electric cooker)

Cook rice ahead.

Ghee + Oil - 5 tsp each

Shahjeera - 1 tsp
Cumin + Pepper - 1/2 tsp each (powder these together)

Green Chillies - 2 no. (slit lengthwise)
Ginger and Garlic paste - 1 tsp each
Ajinomotto - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste
Mixed Veges - 2 cups (only - peas, carrots, corn and beans frozen packet)

Proceed:

Heat a wok, add ghee and oil when it's hot fry in the above order. don't mush it up the veges it's should be fried enough add cooled cooked rice and gently mix well to combine fry for few mins and serve.

Tip:

I like fresh veges, rarely use frozen. Next time try this combo:

Cabbage (chopped finely), Fresh Beans (sliced thin round) and Carrot (peeled and chopped finely), replacing Mixed veges frozen packet.

Serve it with Chilli Chicken or Cauliflower Manchurian, Mirchi Ka Salan (actually you don't have to cook Hyderabadi Biriyani for this. Fresh Veges Fried Rice combo tastes even good)

© 2006 by Rajani Rayudu

Chilli Chicken

Chilli Chicken

Set 1:

Chicken (boneless and skin less, cut in to 1 inch pieces) - 600 g

Ginger and Garlic paste - 1 tbsp each

Kashmiri chilli powder - 1 tsp

*Salt to taste

Black Pepper (freshly ground) - 1 tspn

Red Orange Food color - as required.

Mix everything in a bowl.

Corn Flour - 1 tbsp

Egg White - 2 eggs (keep the yellow for using on top of the Pesarettu or for Tortillas)

Mix these in to the Chicken by the order given above. Combine well and cook in Flat non-stick pan, by adding 3 tbsp oil and cook until chicken is cooked well. Keep aside.


Set 2  (for preparing Sauce):

Vinegar - 1 tbsp

*Soya sauce - 2 tspn

Water - 3 tbsp

Corn flour - 2 tsp

Sugar - 1 tsp

* Salt (little bit).

Mix all these in a bowl and keep aside.

Set 3:

Red onion - 1 no. (chopped in to chunks)

Green Chillies - 16 no. (slit length wise)

Curry leaves - 3 sprigs

* Ajinomotto - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 3 tbsp.

Proceed:

1) Take a flat non-stick pan, add oil heat it up. add onions - saute and remove, add green chillies-saute and remove, add curry leaves - saute a bit and keep aside all these in to a plate.

2) Add ajinomotto and Set 2 to above pan and stir, add Set 1 and saute. add point 1 (sauteed onions, green chillies, curry leaves) which you kept aside, mix gently until oil releases and cooked well. Serve.

Serve with Fried Rice or Biriyani Rice.


Tips :

Becareful while adding salt, you have already added salt in the chicken, while preparing sauce aswell and there will be salt in soya sauce too, you can add salt in the end instead of adding a lot.

© 2006 by Rajani Rayudu

Experiment Food

Even gods have approved it. See.......

For dinner, I served my Fried Rice, my style Chilli Chicken and Kulfi. If you ask me, I say my favourite icecream is kulfi. Wake me up in the middle of night it will be the same answer. This recipe is from a blog by Sari from " gluttonyandgourmet ". She wrote the recipe and I couldn't resist in trying it out. It came out well. For that extra zing in taste I have added cardamom powder and rest of the recipe is same.

Now think about you cooking up a delicious meal but bought a dessert in the end, to serve. I would say "naaaa". I would rather opt for small meals, say one entree, two mains and one dessert .......all home made . So next time if you are planning a party try this delicious Kulfi made by Sari. It's yummilicious.......................


Thank you for your yummy Kulfi recipe Sari.

© 2006 by Rajani Rayudu

Bellam Dosa

Bellam Dosa

It's quick and easy no need to go to the fermentation hassle. When you want a change from normal Idli, Dosa or Roti routine and is ideal for unexpected guests. The kids love it............

For Batter:

Bellam/Jaggery - 1no. rice cup (grated)
Warm Water - 3no. rice cup
Chapati Flour - 2 and 1/2 rice cup*
Baking Soda - a pinch

Procedure:

1) Take a big bowl add Bellam/Jaggery and warm water, mix it with your hand to dissolve the jaggery. Strain this liquid in to seperate bowl. Rinse the empty dish now and transfer the liquid back in to the bowl.

2) Add 1tbsp C.Flour at a time and mix it with hand to remove any lumps which may form. Repeat the process until you finish entire C.Flour.

3) Add Baking soda and mix.

4) Heat a non-stick tawa, mix the batter once and pour 2 ladleful of batter on to the centre of the tawa and spread it in to medium thick round, cover for 30secs. Remove the lid add 1tsp oil around the edges of the dosa and cook for few secs or until brown underneath. Turn it over and cook for 1min and serve.


Serve it with Ginger pickle or Coconut chutney. yum..................

© 2006 by Rajani Rayudu

Experiment Food

Today I experimented Cauliflower Korma by Kurma from "Iskcon". It is very rich in taste and tastes good. If you are going to make this, I would recommend do it for potluck or just call friends for dinner, therefore you are not eating away all the calories by yourself.

I served with my Puri and my own Mango Lassi, ya I know every one knows puri. So I am not giving you Puri recipe, but I will give you some tips to overcome the oil which comes with the puri after deep frying.

Tips:

* Keep layers of news paper on a bench and a large plate with serviattes covering entire plate.

* For digestion, it's good to add 2pinch of ajwain while kneading the dough.

* The skillet which you are using should have wide mouth on the top and deep enough.

* Do small balls out of the dough and roll it, Hold the rolled puri gently by not tearing nor scratch with fingers and put in hot oil and gently holding slotted spoon press gently on all sides of the puri, by doing this oil will touch the puri and puff up. Turn it over and cook for a little while. Remove and keep this on a plate which has serviattes and transfer these on news paper keep puri's side by side, on top of it put another news paper and press gently to remove any excess oil.

For lassi follow my Mango Lassi recipe.

I did few modifications for cauliflower recipe not much but little bit. Added 2tbsp ghee + 2tbsp oil instead of only oil or ghee, after that fried 1star anise, later added 1/2no. finely chopped red onion, fried a bit added 1tsp each ginger and garlic paste instead of ginger. added 1/2tsp turmeric, 1/2tspn cayenne pepper instead of green chillies. Didn't add any red chilli powder, I want to leave the korma yellowish not reddish as we do for curries. I used rice cup measure not 250 ml cup. I only used half of big cauliflower. Remaining ingredients are exactly, Enjoy.

I am providing the link instead of writing it down, don't want to take away his credit and thank you Kurma for your wonderful recipe.

Cauliflower Korma

by Kurma from "iskcon"

© 2006 by Rajani Rayudu

Mango Lassi

I am not going to write any measurents for this recipe. The taste depends on tartness of yoghurt and how sweet you would want to make it to balance the lassi, in the end it should just taste like mango not like butter-milk nor as if you are biting a sugar candy and It should be like thick pouring consistency.

Let's do it shall we...

Mango pulp ( tin, you can find these in indian groceries), Plain Yoghurt, Milk and Sugar. Blend them all together in smooth pouring consistency. Pour it in individual glasses and keep in fridge before serving.

Serve it with any Spicy meal or Just have it in summer months. Yum.............

© 2006 by Rajani Rayudu

Keema curry

Keema Curry

Ingredients:

Minced Lamb - 500 g (washed in a steamer by keeping a big bowl underneath , remove excess water by squeezing)

Cook washed M.lamb in a flat non-stick pan with out oil and water. cook until water evaporates.

Oil - 3 tbsp

Curry leaves - few sprigs

Jalapenos - 1 & 1/2 no. (chopped)

Onion - 1 no. (finely chopped)

Ginger & Garlic paste - 1 tsp each

Powders - {Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp, Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp, Nutmeg powder- 1/4 tsp, Turmeric - 1/2 tsp, Cayenne pepper - 1/2 tsp, Kashmiri chilli powder 1 tsp, *Home made masala powder - 3 tsp (please read notes) }

Whole tin tomatoes - 3/4 th tin

Water - 1 & 1/2 cups

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves - a lot (chopped finely)

Proceed:

1) Heat oil in a pressure cooker, once heated add curry leaves and Jalapenos, fry them.

2) Add finely chopped onion fry until light brown.

3) Add ginger and garlic paste and fry on low heat. add all powders and fry.

4) Add cooked lamb which you made earlier and fry for a little while to remove any excess water it may have.
5) Immediately add whole tomatoes squashed with your hand and add directly in to the pan and cook until mushy.
6) Add water, mix well and pressure cook it for 8 whistles.

7) Remove the lid when pressure is down, boil it on low flame by adding salt and coriander until way is formed underneath when you are sliding with spatula. check for salt and serve.

Notes:

Home made masala:-

Coriander seeds - 3 tsp, Poppyseeds - 1 tsp, Cinnamon stick - 1 inch, Whole cloves - 6 no., Cardamom - 5 no, star anise - 1 petal., Mace - 1 no.,  - grind these in coffee grinder in to fine powder, remaining keep it in air-tight container.

Don't get confused with masala I make, every dish has it's own masala to enhance the flavour.

Serve it with Roti or Plain white rice or else can serve with Tari wali Aloo Roti (this is the ultimate combination to go with).

© 2006 by Rajani Rayudu

Experiment Food

Kantola Fry, Tomato Rasam and Dondakayi Pappu

I made Dondakayi pappu. Have you heard that before? not me. I know about Dondakayi fry and few bits added in sambhar or veggie biriyani or just making stuffed dondakayi. I know lots of Indians who believe that eating dondakayi will dull the memory. Yeah right.. I love dondakayi in any form, even if you give me just the curry I will be happy to eat it. So when I saw this recipe blogged by Indira from 'Mahanandi', I thought "aaha thats creative !". Isn't she ? Give some thing to her and she will come up with a tasty version and say "tadaa !!"and our eyes will sparkle. oh my my !

I served this dish with Tomato rasam by Prema Sundar from " My cook book" . I know its just rasam but with lots of tomatoes cooked in a different way. I prepared this rasam twice till now. You might have guessed it, it tastes awesome and never fails me. When you are in a hurry and want to eat something, just keep the rasam on one burner and the curry on another. No need to worry !

I know by now you are wondering "what are these.. they just look like dried sliced lemons, boo hoo !!". Nope, they are Kantola, yeah I know.. never heard these before ! I bought these in frozen section of Indian groceries. My husband insisted to buy them but I worried a bit about how to cook them. My angel 'google' came in handy.

I went to this site called Mangalore world. The name Mangalore caught my eye and I got the recipe. Just followed the recipe exactly. It was awesome. I thought "just don't eat any potato chips, instead eat these. They just melts in mouth". I am definitely going to make these again and again.

I am giving u this recipe - first saying thanks to Mangalore world. Thank u thank u .....so here goes

1 packet of frozen Kantola (packet weighed 340g) washed in warm water. Rub the kantola with your fingers for the seeds to separate. Seperate the kantolas from the seeds and discard . Remember, you are throwing away seeds, not outer skin. Squeeze the water from kantolas and add 1tsp turmeric powder, 3tspns of chillipowder and salt to taste mix these.Roll these in rice flour and deep fry in oil. Drain it on paper-towel. Serve with Dondakayi pappu, Tomato rasam and Rice on side.

A big thank you to Indira, Prema sundar, Mangalore world and my Husband ofcourse.

In Telugu:

Kantola = Akakarakaya

© 2006 by Rajani Rayudu

Butter Chicken

Butter Chicken

Set 1 (chicken marination) :

Chicken boneless - 450 g (diced)
Ginger and Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Lime juice - 1/2 no.
Red orange food colour - as required
Chillipowder - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp



Marinate everything for at least 1 and 1/2 hr. Cook in Iron skillet.

(sizzling in iron skillet)

Set 2 (for making curry paste) :

Onions - 2 no. (cut in to small chunks)

Ginger and Garlic paste - 1 tsp each

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 3 tsp (can reduce if u want, I like it hot)
Nutmeg powder -1/2 tsp
Garam masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Whole tomato Tin - 1/2 tin

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick kadai, fry onions, cover and stir time to time.

Add gg paste and fry, add all powders and fry.

Add tomatoes and salt cook in high heat until mushy. and Keep aside.

When it's cool enough, grind it in to paste. keep aside until needed.

Set 3 (roasting):

Roast Hand ful of cashews in microwave and grind coarsely in coffee grinder, keep aside.

Proceed:

1) Whole spices - Cardamom, Whole cloves, Cinnamon, Star anise 1 no. - remaining 2 each. Fry these in 3 tbsp butter in a deep non-stick kadai.

2) Add Sultanas and Set 2 curry paste. and fry until it is bubbling. Add Set 3 powder and mix well and cook for 2 mins.

3) Add little water in grinded jar (which u have made curry paste earlier) and pulse it and add this mixture to above and cook for 2 mins. add little orange red colour.

4) Add 250 ml Cream and mix well.

5) Add cooked chicken pieces from Set 1. Cook everything until butter floats. Add garam masala 1 and 1/2 tsp and cook 3 more mins. Check for salt and sweetness it may require and Serve.

Serve this with Naan or spiced rice.

Note:


Can do the same as above, but in my picture while doing I have added fresh tomatoes 4 no. chopped up, including 3 no. tomatoes from a whole tin and cooked as usual. 
 
© 2006 by Rajani Rayudu

Naan

" please do come back for my photos "

Naan Dough:

Milk - 1 cup (luke warm)
Sugar - 4 tspn
Yeast - 2 sachets

Mix these and leave it for 15 mins until needed. (please read notes)

Plain flour - 4 cups
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Baking powder - 2 tspn

Mix these in a large bowl .

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mix it to the above flour

Yoghurt - 2/3 cup

Bind these to above flour

Egg - 1 no. (whisk separately)

add this and mix again.

Now add the yeast mixture which you kept aside and bind, use more flour to combine, knead it to soft plaible dough. Keep covered and kept near warm place to double in size takes 6 hrs to rise.

Divide in to 12 equal portions and roll each ball to desired thickness in tear drop naan shapes.

Fry in a very hot dry heavy frying pan until puffed up and turnover for a min.

If you want to refrigerate you can do so, keep the naans in aluminium foil, wrap it up and refrigerate.

For Variations:

1) Garlic Twist:-

melt the butter add garlic paste to it , spread this mixture on naan on one side, keep the buttered side down and heat it on tawa, immediately smear butter on top and turn again and cook for a second, remove and serve.

Serve it with Butter chicken or Paneer dishes.

2) Peshawari naan:-

Carrot - 1 no. (skin removed and grated)
Almonds - 6 no. (grated thinly)
Sultanas - 6 no.
Sugar - 4 tsp

First microwave these 4 mins.

Rose water - 1 tsp

add rose water to the above cooked mixture. mix every thing and keep it cool. Stuff these in naan just like as you do for stuffed paratha. and cook as above excluding garlic paste, smear it melted butter on top.

Notes:-

The more you cook naan second time on tawa it becomes harder.

If you boil milk and add yeast to it, the yeast will die and it won't rise. So you need to heat it until luke warm only. yeast is living organism to live it needs sugar to munch in, thats why you add sugar. If you add more salt yeast won't like it. It's my theory. check it out yourself.

© 2006 by Rajani Rayudu

Asparagus and Silverbeet Fry

Asparagus and Silver-beet Fry

Ingredients:

Asparagus - 1 bunch (cut in to small rounds, keep the last end of asparagus for sambhar or pappu)

Salt to taste

Silverbeet - 1/2 packet (chopped fine)

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Red chillies - 4 no. (split in to tiny pieces)

Curry leaves - 1 sprig.

Onion - 1 m (sliced finely)

Ginger and garlic paste - 1/2 tsp each

                                                      

Proceed:

1) Heat oil in flat non-stick pan, add red chillies and curry leaves and fry.

2) Add onions and fry until golden brown.

3) Add gg paste and fry.

4) Add asparagus pieces and fry for 2 mins, add salt and cover 8 - 10 mins.

5) Add silverbeet and fry with out lid. add turmeric.

6) Fry until everything comes together. Switch off the flame. slightly cover with lid.

Serve it with Rice, Tomato Dal , Poppadums and Yoghurt on side.

Note:

Hold the asparagus on two ends snip it at the very end it will break, throw away or just use it in sambhar it just tastes like drumsticks. Cook it as anyother vege., for the triangle shaped things which are on asparagus scrape it with knife.

Meanings:

Silver-beet = Swiss Chard

© 2006 by Rajani Rayudu

Tomato Pappu / Dal

Tomato Pappu

Set 1:

Toor Dal / kandipappu - 1 rice cup

Water - 2 & 1/2 rice cup
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt - a pinch

Set 2:

Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 3/4 th tsp
Cumin seeds - 3/4 th tsp
Red chillies - 4 no (split in to half)
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Garlic - 3 no. (smashed and sliced)
Asafoetida or Hing - small pinch
MTR-Rasam powder - 3/4 th tsp (my twist)

Chopped Tomatoes - 3/4 th tin
Salt to taste.

Proceed:

1) Cook set 1 in pressure cooker until soft.

2) Take a kadhai, heat oil in it. add 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 point 3.

3) Add chopped tomato and salt, cook until mushy.

4) Add cooked and mashed toor dal, mean while pour 1/2 cup of water in the cooked container of toor dal, scrape away any dal that left behind.

5) Add the dal water to point 4.

6) Cook it until starting to boil. Check for salt and serve.

Serve with Rice, Asparagus Silverbeet Fry or Aloo Fry or Okra Fry, Poppadums and Yoghurt on side.


Tip:

after tadka ( i have included 1 tsp urad dal too for seasoning), add 1/2 tsp rasam powder, and next step would be dal add little water in cooker bowl add that too.

do the same as above, but cook chopped tomato 1 tin in 1 tbsp butter seperately until mushy and add it to dal and mix well and bring to 1 boil.

this way tasted very nice. in Telugu we say kammaga vundi.


© 2006 by Rajani Rayudu

Mixed Dal Chutney

No Oil is required for this chutney.

Point 1:

Whole Mung beans - 1/2 rice cup
Chana dal - 1/4 th rice cup
Split Urad dal - 1/4 th rice cup
Peanuts - 1/4 th rice cup

Roast these seperately.

Point 2:

Green Chillies - 15 no.
Garlic - 2 cloves

Roast these together.

Point 3:

Curry leaves - handful
Coriander Leaves - handful
Salt - to taste
Lemon juice - according to taste.

Point 4:

Water as required

Proceed:

1) First Grind point 1 in to fine powder.

2) Add point 2 and grind again.

3) Add point 3 and grind again.

4) Add water to grind in to thick paste. Check for salt, lemon tartness and any herbs it may require. Empty these in to a bowl.

5) Add little water in to empty grinding jar and grind again add this liquid in to above and mix well.

Serve it with Dosa, Idli or Pesarettu.

© 2006 by Rajani Rayudu