Hyderabad Veg biriyan

Hyderabad Veg biriyani (DUM biryani)

A vegetable biryani from the land of the Nawabs - Hyderabad. The biryani is light, aromatic and deliciously yum....

            Ingredients

• The Rice:
• 1 and half cup basmati rice
• 2 green cardamoms
• 2 black cardamoms
• 2 cloves
• 1 cinnamon of 1 inch
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 mace strands
• 3 cups water
• salt
• The Vegetable Gravy:
• 1/2 medium sized cauliflower, florets removed
• 1 medium sized carrot, diced
• 1 medium sized potato, cubed
• 1 cup of chopped french beans
• 1/2 cup frozen/fresh peas
• 1 and half onion, finely sliced
• 1 green chili, slit
• 2 tbsp julienned ginger
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 2 green cardamom
• 2 black cardamoms
• 2 cloves
• 1 cinnamon of 1 inch
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 mace strands
• 1oo gms whisked curd
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder/cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp cashewnuts
• 1 tbsp sultanas/raisins
• 2 tbsp almonds, blanched, peeled and sliced
• 3 tbsp ghee
• salt
• Herbs and Spices for the assembling:
• 1/2 cup chopped coriander/cilantro leaves
• 1/2 cup mint leaves
• 100 gms whisked curd
• a few saffron strands
• 1 tbsp milk

Instructions :

1. Cooking the Rice:
2. Pick and clean the rice in running water. Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes.
3. Now you can microwave or pressure cook the rice. You have to cook the rice till its 3/4th done. The rice should not be fully cooked but almost cooked.
4. In a pressure cooker or a microwave cooker, add the pre-soaked rice, all the spices mentioned above, salt. Cook till the rice till is almost done. I microwaved the rice and cooked it for 9 minutes at full power. Fluff the rice and keep it separate.
5. Traditionally biryani were made in clay pots, known as handis. If you have a clay pot, you could use it. I did not have a clay pot or handi. But I have a pressure cooker shaped like a handi, so I used it. If you have a handi shaped pot made up of aluminium, you could use it also.
6. Making the Vegetable Gravy:
7. Heat ghee in the handi.
8. Add all whole garam masala: cardamoms, mace, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves. Fry the garam masala till they crackle.
9. Now add the onions. Fry the onions till golden brown.
10. Add the green chilli, ginger and garlic. Fry for a minute.
11. Add the turmeric and red chili powder.
12. Give the mixture a stir.
13. Now add the vegetables and stir for a minute.
14. Add the curd/yoghurt.
15. Stir and then add 3/4 cup water plus salt. Stir the mixture well.
16. If using a pressure cooker for cooking the veggies, then cover the cooker with a lid and pressure cook for 2 minutes.
17. If not using a pressure cooker, then bring the entire vegetable mixture to a boil. Then simmer until the vegetables are cooked. Add the dry fruits – almonds, raisins and cashew nuts to the vegetable gravy.
18. Check the salt. Add more if required.
19. Assembling the Biryani and slow cooking it on Dum:
20. Warm the milk. Add saffron to it. Let this saffron-milk mixture cool. Add the curd to this mixture and mix well.
21. In the same handi with the cooked vegetables, sprinkle half each of saffron-flavored curd/yoghurt, mint and coriander leaves.
22. Now spread half of the rice.
23. Sprinkle the remaining saffron-flavored curd/yoghurt, mint and coriander leaves.
24. Spread the remaining rice.
25. Sprinkle rose water. This is optional and you could skip it.
26. Place a moist cloth on top.
27. Cover with a lid.
28. Then seal with wheat flour dough or keep a heavy weight on the lid.
29. This is one technique that you could use for dum cooking if you do not have the wheat flour dough.
30. Place the sealed handi on the gas stove at low fire.
31. Cook for 20-25 minutes more. If you think and feel, that you do not want the base to get burnt while cooking the biryani… there is a technique for avoiding this disaster.
32. Right at the beginning, before dum cooking the biryani……. take a tava/griddle and heat it on medium flame. Now keep the sealed handi on the tava. Keep the flame to the lowest and cook for 20-25 minutes.
33. For the first 15 minutes, I dum cooked the biryani on direct low flame and for the last 10 minutes, I placed the handi on the tava and cooked on a low flame.
34. You could also preheat the oven to 190 degree celsius and then bake the biryani in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Please remember to use an oven proof utensil like the pyrex ones for baking in the oven. You will have to assemble the biryani as mentioned above in the oven proof utensil and then bake it.
35. While serving, make sure you equally serve the vegetables as well as rice.
36. Serve the yummy veg biryani with your choice of raita, onion-mint salad-kuchumber, mango pickle, roasted papad.
37. Other accompaniments for this Hyderabad Veg Biryani would be Mirchon ka Salan…. the way the Biryani is traditionally served in Hyderabad.

Gravy :

Readying the handi for DUM

Dum steps :

Hyderabadi DUM Biryani Ready served with Papad

These photos  are taken step by step during the making,pls check the pictures for any doubts about the DUM process 

Indian style pasta

Ingredients
Shell Pasta - 1 cup
Onion - 1 cut into small pieces
Tomato-2 ripe , cut (puree is also good 1/2 cup)
Ginger & Garlic paste - 1 Tsp
Cheese -Mozarella -2 tbsp
Chilly-3 slit into 2
salt to taste
oil to fry

Method:
Making Pasta
Boil 3 cups of water.
When it comes to a boil add paste n reduce flame ,let it simmer for 10 min ,add salt (1 tsp) & oil(2 sp) to the water .
Filter the cooked pasta and keep aside.
Cooking Instructions
Heat 2 tsp oil in kadai .
Add onion fry till golden brown.
Add the ginger/garlic paste.Add chillies.Stir.
Add tomatoes.
Keep stirring till the tomatoes are blended well with the onion

Onion,tomato,g&g paste ,& chilles

Cheese cut in cubes

Now add the cooked Pasta & salt and blend well .
Sprinkle the cheese on top n stir slightly.

Pasta Ready

Pasta is Ready ...........Kids'll Love this !!!

Banana Fritters/ Ethakka Appam /Pazham pori

Banana Fritters/ Ethakka Appam /Pazham pori

Mommy ,Mommy snacks pls !!Well :) if you are lazy as I am Banana fritters is your choice .It is very healthy  and tasty and easy to make too .




Ingredients :

Ripened Banana /Nendrapazham : 1 large
All Purpose Flour /Maida : 3/4 cup
Rice flour : 2 tbsp
Milk : 2 tsp
Turmeric powder : a pinch
Sugar : 2 tsp (adjust accordingly to the sweetness of plantain)
Salt : a pinch (just to adjust the sweetness)
Baking Powder : a pinch (optional)
Coconut Oil for frying(coconut oil for the traditional taste,any oil will do)

Method :

1. Peel the banana skin and cut into two lengthwise.Take one piece and cut into thin slices lengthwise.
2. Mix the remaining ingredients except oil together with enough water and make it into a smooth batter. The batter should be in a medium thick consistency, care should be taken not to form lumps
3. Now heat a shallow frying pan and pour oil.
4. Dip the banana pieces thoroughly in the batter .
5. Fry the bananas in batches of 2 ,turn it over till crisp and golden brown color ..

6. Fritters are ready

7. Enjoy :)

Sent to event:

Priya’s place.

Best Ever Microwave Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour / Maida - 1 cup / 8 oz
Castor Sugar / Powdered Sugar - 1 cup / 8 oz
Butter- 2 tbsp's
Egg's - 2
Unsweetened Coco Powder - 1/2 cup / 4 oz (or any cocoa flavored health drink powder)
Oil - 1/3 cup / 3 oz
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Coffee Powder - 2 tsp's(optional)
Vanilla Essence - 5 ml
Salt - a pinch


Method:

Mix All purpose flour and Baking Powder and salt. Sieve them for atleast 3 time's. This is to combine the baking powder evenly along with the flour. Mix Coco Powder and Coffee powder with the flour and keep aside. [Let me call it all as Flour Mix.]

Beat the 2 egg's for atleast 2 minutes and set aside. Beat the Sugar and Butter, add whisked egg's and Oil to sugar and Butter Mix. keep beating all for 3 minute's atleast. add vanilla essence and mix well.

Now keep adding the Flour Mix little my little to the Egg mix, Mix them well with a Spatula.
If the Mix is so thick, add few drop's of warm milk to make the flour egg mix little thin.

Grease a 3 inch Microwave safe bowl with Butter and Line it with a Baking Sheet. Pour the Flour Egg Mix to the Bowl and level the top by the spatula.

Microwave the cake on High [900 W] for about 3 minute's. To check whether the cake is cooked or not, insert a knife and ensure it comes out clean without any sticky, when pulled out.

Now Pre-Heat the Microwave oven up to 220C, and put the cake for about 2 to 3 minutes for the top of the cake to get slightly browned. Remove it from the Microwave and Let the cake cool
for about 5 - 7 minute's. Dust some Powdered Sugar upon the Cake if desired.
This was taken from Lavi's blog .

Palak keerai kadasal

Ingredients

1 bunch palak leaves

6/7 small onions(peeled n cut)

3 tsp toor daal(cooked)

1 green chilly

1/4 tsp jeera

1/5 tsp mustard seeds for thalipu

1 tsp coconut scraping

salt ,oil to taste

direction

1.Heat oil in kadai ,fry onion ,jeera,g.chiily in it till golden,

2.add 1 cup water n add palak leaves to it

3.let it come to a boil,simmer for 3 min.

4.add 1 tsp coconut scraping to it

5.now grind (4) after adding the cooked dal .to a coarse paste

6.temper mustard seeds and add the ground palak to it.

7.relish as a kootu or a side dish to chapati

Tamilar Thirunal - Pongal

Pongal pandikai Yendral yenna ?What is pongal festival ?

-content courtsey www.pongalfestival.org

Avial

Avial is one of the most popular side dishes of Tamil Nadu. It is specially prepared on the festival of Pongal. This dish is very healthy and delicious, as a variety of vegetables is used to make it. Apart from that, it also has channa and urad dal as its ingredients.

Ingredients

Drumstick (Muringakai) Chenai (Yam)Vala Kai (Green Plantain / Raw Plantain)CarrotBeans Achingapayar Kovakai Mango (if not using Yogurt) Vellarikai Kumbalangai Kathirikkai / Brinjal2 - 3 green chilles slit Cut all the above vegetables into a medium thin strip (similar to our small finger - hope that's more easy way to explain). Add 1 tspoon of chille powder, 1 tspoon of turmeric powder, salt to taste and boil till the vegetable are done in very small quantity of water (as most of the vegetables we are using have water in them it is more than enough if we add less water). Grind together desired quantity of fresh scrapped coconut (to get the real taste) along with 2 - 4 red chilles and a tspoon full of cumin seed (no need to grind with water and make a smooth paste). Now add 2 - 3 spoons of curd or yogurt to the boiled vegetables if not using mango or tamarind, lower the heat let it mix with the vegetables, then add the ground coconut, mix well, let the vegetables coat nicely with ground coconut, off the stove / gas, decorate it finally with curry leaves and 1 - 2 spoons of coconut oil. This is a traditional 'AVIYAL' receipe, hope all will enjoy making and having it. It is also a nutritious and good healthfood as it contains almost all vegetables.

The Rice recipes are as follows

Pongal

Pongal is a harvest festival of India, mainly celebrated all over Tamil Nadu and some other parts of South India. The festival is celebrated as a form of Thanksgiving to God, for all the goodness created by him. Food is an important part of Pongal and there is a wide range of recipes that are prepared as a part of the celebration. Pongal is one of those delicacies.

Ingredients

• 2 cup Jeeraka samba/basmati/raw rice
• 1/2 cup Moong Dal
• 4 tsp Ghee
• 1 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 10-12 pieces Cashew Nuts (roasted or fried)
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp Pepper

Method

• Clean and wash thoroughly the rice and dal. Boil them together in 5 cups of water in a deep pan. When cooked, keep them aside.
• In a separate shallow pan, heat the ghee and stir fry cumin seeds and cashew nuts slightly and separately.
• Add it to the rice and dal. Add salt and pepper and serve hot.

Sarkkarai Pongal

Pongal is one of the very famous and much-awaited harvest festivals celebrated in South India. To celebrate the festivity of Pongal, traditional recipes are prepared in every household. Sarkkarai Pongal is one of the special dishes for the occasion. It is prepared in an earthen pot, on the second day of Pongal. Sarkkarai Pongal is a very simple and easy-to-make dish, which gives a mouth

watering taste.

Ingredients

• 2 cup Basmati Rice
• 1/4 liter Milk
• 1½ cup moong Dal
• 1 cup Jaggery
• 12-15 pieces Roasted Cashew Nuts or Fried Raisins
• 12-15 pieces Almonds
• 1/2 tsp Cardamom (dried and grounded)
• 1 tsp Ghee
• 1 pinch Edible Camphor

Method:

• In a deep pan, boil the milk. Add rice and dal and turn it on low flame after Cleaning and washing them thoroughly.
• Stir in the Jaggery until it dissolves. When the rice and dal are cooked, add raisins and nuts, grounded cardamom and edible camphor keep while stirring continuously.
• Pour ghee before taking off the fire. Serve it hot or cold as desired.

Paal Pongal

Pongal, a harvest festival with major significance South India, is celebrated by preparing a wide

variety of traditional recipes. Sweet Pongal is one of the popular dishes that mark their presence on Pongal. The dish sweetens the celebration and sets on the festive mood. Pongal is an occasion to indulge in celebrations and merry making.

Ingredients

• 2 litres Milk
• 10 Almonds
• 1½ cups Newly Harvested Rice
• 1/4 cup Moong dal
• 15 Cashew Nuts
• 1½ cup Hard sugar candy(Kalkand)
• 30 Kishmish
• 1/4 level-tsp Nutmeg Powder
• 1/4 tsp Saffron Crushed
• 1 tsp Cardamom Powder
• 2 tbsp Ghee

Method:

• Chop almonds and cashew nuts and clean kishmish. Pour milk in the earthen pot called `Pongapani` and place it on fire.
• When the milk starts boiling add rice and dal, after washing. As soon as the rice and dal are cooked to softness, add Sugar candy and ghee.
• Let cook on medium fire for some time and then put in almond and cashew nut bits, saffron nutrieg and cardamom powders.
• Finally put in the Kishmis. Bring to one or two good boils

Puli Pongal

Ingredients

• 2 cups Broken Raw Rice
• Tamarind - small lemon size (soaked in water)
• 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1 tsp Chana Dal
• Dry Red Chilies (according to taste)
• 1/4 tsp Asafoetida Powder
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1/4 cup Sesame Oil
• A sprig of Curry Leaves
• Salt to taste

Method

• Keep the measured tamarind juice. For every cup of broken rice add 2 1/4 cups of tamarind juice.
• Heat oil in a pressure pan. Now add mustard seeds and when it splutters add the Chana dal.
• When the Chana dal is lightly brown, add turmeric powder, asafoetida, dry red chilies and curry leaves.
• Then add the tamarind juice. When it begins to boil, add the broken rice and the required amount of salt.

Thus, the harvest festival of Pongal symbolizes the veneration of the first fruit. The crop is harvested only after a certain time of the year, and cutting the crop before that time is strictly prohibited. Even though Pongal was originally a festival for the farming community, today it is celebrated by all. In south India, all three days of Pongal are considered important. However, those south Indians who have settled in the north usually celebrate only the second day. Coinciding with Makara Sankranti and Lohri of the north, it is also called Pongal Sankranti.