Tag: maincourse

Kashmiri Pulav:

July 21, 2017

The Kashmiri Pulav what we see in restaurants have so many fresh fruits and dry fruits and are sweetish in taste as well. But in 2011, when we went to Kashmir, the care taker of our boat house made this wonderful Pulav which he served with tadka dal. That Pulav neither had fresh fruits nor so many dry fruits and it was not that sweet. It had raw yellow fresh dates, coconut chunks, cashew and raisins. My family liked this very much and wanted to note down the recipe to try it out. When I asked for the same.

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Our care taker Mahdha kaka was very happy to share his recipe and I want to dedicate this blogpost of mine to this humble man. 

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here we go for detailed account – 

Ingredients:

Basmati rice – 3 cups

Ghee – 150 Gms

Onion – 2 (sliced)

Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbl sp

Shahi jeera- 1 tsp

Bay leaf – 1

Salt

Saffron – 7 -8 strings

Hot milk – ¼ cup

Yellow dates, Raisins, cashew and dry coconut bits – as you wish.

 Method:

–    At first wash rice, soak for 10 min and drain the water and keep aside.

–   Soak saffron in hot milk and keep aside. Slice dates, coconut etc.

–   Now take one thick bottomed pan, put little ghee, fry cashew, raisin, coconut slices and dates one by one and keep aside.

–   Now fry half of the onion in to dark brown and keep aside.

–   Pour remaining ghee, put Shahi jeera, bay leaf then remaining sliced onion and fry for a while.

– When it becomes brown add ginger garlic paste and fry until raw smell vanishes.

–   Add drained rice, fry for a while.

–   Now add 6 cups of water, salt and cook this rice by closing the lid and keeping it in a simmer.

–  When rice is almost done, add soaked saffron with milk, fried onion, dates, raisins and cashew.

–   Mix everything and keep it in a fire for little more time until all the water evaporates or until rice is done.

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–         Enjoy this Kashmiri Pulav with Tadka dal.

Methi Dal with Bitter gourd seasoning:

March 1, 2017

I have harvested fresh bitter gourd from my green patch and I wanted to use them as fresh as possible.

So, the result is this dal. If you like methi leaves and bitter gourd,  this is a must try dish. It surprisingly tasted really great and pairs really well with hot rice as well as Whole wheat roti.

In this recipe, I did two seasonings. At initial stage of cooking as well as at the end stage.

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Ingredients:

Toor dal – ½ cup

Chana dal /Bengal gram dal – ½ cup

Moong dal/green gram – ½ cup

Tomato – 1

Tamarind paste – ½  teaspoon

Salt

Coriander leaves – to garnish.

For first seasoning:

Oil – 1 table spoon ,Cumin – ½ teaspoon, Hing – ¼ tsp, Crushed garlic -7 to 8,Green chillies – 4 to 5, Curry leaves – 1 spring and Methi leaves – 1  fistful.

For Second seasoning:

Ghee – 1 table spoon, Bitter gourd – 1, red chilli powder – ½ tsp and curry leaves – 1 spring.

Method:

  • Wash all the three dals and cook. I usually fry Moong dal before washing. If you like to fry, u can do that or use as it is.
  • Cook this in cooker by adding sufficient water, little turmeric and drop of oil.
  • Wash bitter gourd, chop this into bite size pieces and mix in little salt and keep aside.
  • Chop tomatoes, methi leaves, green chillies and coriander leaves.
  • Now do the first seasoning, take one thick vessel (I usually use clay pot), pour oil, when it is hot, add cumin, hing, crushed garlic, green chillies and curry leaves and fry for a while.
  • Next add methi leaves and fry until it wilts.

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  • Add tomatoes, while frying add salt and cook till tomato becomes mushy.
  • Add cooked dal, tamarind paste, required amount of water and boil.
  • Once again, do the seasoning. Take all the materials under second seasoning.
  • Heat the ghee, add salted bitter gourd bits and fry until it becomes brown, and Switch off the gas. Add red chilli powder, curry leaves to this hot ghee and pour this seasoning over the dal.
  • Garnish with coriander leaves.
  • Enjoy this dal with Rice or Roti.

Vegetable Nagercoil Biryani:

January 27, 2017

When I saw this Nagercoil biryani on this website, I couldn’t wait more and tried it with a vegetarian option. Instead of mutton, I tried with double beans, baby potatoes and sweet corn. Kids liked it and I’m happy to share it with you all.

It is little different than our usual biryanis. Usage of small grain rice is a highlight of this biryani.

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Ingredient:

Jeera or small grain rice – 3 cups

Vegetables – ½ kg

Oil – 3 table spoon

Ghee – 3 table spoon

Onion – 3 (chopped)

Ginger garlic paste – 1 table spoon

Green chillies – 4

Tomato – 2

Turmeric – ½ teaspoon

Red chilli powder – ½ teaspoon

Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon

Coriander leaves – handful

Mint leaves –handful

Curd- ½ cup

Cashew – 10

Raisins – 10

Salt

Whole masala: Cinnamon -1 stick, clove -4, Cardamom-2, Bay leaf – ½, star anise -2, stone flower -2, Cumin – 1 tsp, Mace – 2 petals .

Method:

  • Wash and soak rice for half an hour. After half an hour drain the water and keep aside.
  • Chop vegetables, here I have taken sweet corn cob, baby potatoes, carrot, beans and double beans.
  • Heat oil and 2 table spoon of ghee in a cooker. Add whole masalas.

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  • Add Chopped onions and green chillies, fry until it becomes light brown.
  • Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a while.
  • Add chopped tomatoes, chopped veggies, sufficient salt and fry until tomatoes becomes mushy and veggies are coated with masala.
  • Add turmeric, red chilli powder and coriander powder and fry for a while.
  • Add chopped coriander, mint and curd.
  • Add drained rice and mix everything together and add sufficient water (here I took 5 ½ cups of water)

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  • Fry cashews and raisins in a table spoon of ghee and add it to cooker vessel.
  • Check for salt and close the lid and cook until one whistle, keep it in a simmer for 3 to 4 minutes and switch off the gas.
  • When pressure relieves, open the lid and mix everything together and serve this tasty biryani with onion raita.

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NOTE:

  • I usually take 1 ½ cups of water for 1 cup of Jeera/small grain rice.
  • Additional 1 cup of water for veggies to cook.