Rava Fried Vegetable

Whenever I think of cripsy pakoras, be it deep fried or tava fried, South Indian Rava fry comes to my mind. Rava fry goes best with vegetables or sea food. Any body would get instant liking towards this dish and it would disappear from the plate in a jiffy. Its delicious and a lot easy to prepare too. Comes in handy when you need to prepare a quick side dish.

In this post I would share the recipe for Drumstick Rava Fry. It tastes good with rice and dhal. You can substitute drumstick for any vegetable of your choice like Indian Gourd, Cauliflower, Okra(Bhindi) and Brinjal to name a few.

Ingredients: 

15 - 20 pieces of desired vegetable

2 tsp of Chilli pwd ( more or less depending on taste)

a pinch of Asafoetida pwd

2 tbsp of Semolina Flour (Rava or Sooji)

2 tbsp of Rice Flour

salt to taste

Oil for deep or tava (shallow) fry

Procedure: 

* Mix the vegetable with chilli pwd and asafoetida and keep it aside  for 30 mins.

* Just before you are ready to fry rub the vegetable with salt.

* Mix rice and semolina flour together and roll each piece of the vegetable in it so that the flour covers it from all the sides.

For Deep Fry :

* Heat enough oil for deep fry in a deep pan.

* Deep fry the vegetables until they are crispy and golden brown.

For Tava(Shallow) fry:

* Apply little oil to the pan and place the vegetables on it. 

* Shallow fry by turning the vegetable so that it gets cooked on both sides. ( you can keep adding a few drops of oil if needed)

Serve hot as an appetizer or with rice and dhal. 

Luv,

Cabbage Capsicum Rice

"Cabbage Capsicum Rice" - is one of my most favourite easy to make rice dish. I used to love it when my mom would pack it for me during college days. She had come across this recipe in one of Sanjeev Kapoor's Shows. The 1st try itself was an instant hit! :) Even my dad who doesn't like capsicum loved this dish. And since then its remained a favourite :)

After coming to States, I made it for my hubby (even he doesn't like capsicum) and  he too liked it and  now is one his favourite too! So folks, this recipe is also a hit among people who aren't Capsicum Lovers ;)

The only spice in this dish is of pepper powder and believe me it works wonders. The recipe asks for limited ingredients and hence you can prepare it in a jiffy. It does taste good by itself but also goes well with any Chinese side dish like Manchurian, chilli chicken etc.

Ingredients :

1 tbsp Oil

2 tbsp Ghee

1 and half cup of pressure cooked rice

3 large Onions, finely sliced

1/4th to 1/2 portion of a medium sized Cabbage, finely shredded

2 medium sized Capsicum, finely sliced into an inch pieces

Salt to taste

4 - 5 tbsp of Pepper pwd ( can add more as per taste)

grated Cheese for garnishing

Procedure:

* Take a pan add oil + ghee, when it gets heated add onions and saute until it changes colour.

* Once the onions are done add shredded cabbage and saute till its cooked.

* Then add the capsicum and fry it along with onion and cabbage until all the vegetables are thoroughly cooked.

* Now add the cooked rice in small portions. Add a small portion of the cooked rice and mix it along with the veggies followed by the remaining portions in the similar way.

* Add salt to taste and pepper pwd and mix well.

* Now mix it well with the grated cheese. You can also add a little grated cheese on top while serving.

I'm sure it will be a hit when you guys try it out too!! :)

Luv,

Kadai Paneer - An all time favourite!

"Kadai Paneer" - just the name itself makes my mouth to water! Its my all time favourite and I always make it a point to order the dish whenever we go to a Punjabi Veg Restaurant. Reminds me of the "Punjabi Dhabha" restaurant in Mangalore which we would frequent during college days. All the dishes we order would have paneer in it. By now you must have guessed that I like paneer ;) :D

But unfortunately I dint find the same authentic taste of kadai paneer in the Indian Restaurants in States. So the only option left was to try it at home :( It so happened that one day I got a call from my hubby asking me to do something spicy to have with chapatti ( his all time favourite). I already had my own plans for lunch. But he asked me to do a gravy dish with paneer. Huh! Well I did say NO I cant change the menu blah blah... but after I dropped off from the call.... the thought of paneer made me change my mind!

So here I was googling and searching my cook books for a paneer dish. By chance I came across "Paneer Kadai" from Tarla Dalal's cookbook. She's one of my favourite cooks and I used to love watching her cookery shows as a kid.  I had a quick glance at the recipe and finalized it! With just an hour at my disposal I had to rush quickly with the preparations for the same.

The recipe was very easy to prepare and in no time was ready to be served. Hubby had a surprise menu for lunch ;) He loveddddd it a lot! Hubby and his Tummy were very happy! Mission Accomplished!!! :D

Ingredients:

250 grams Paneer, cut into cubes

3 Onions,  finely chopped

5 medium Tomatoes for puree (can also substitute with half cup of ready made tomato puree)

2-3 tsp of Ginger Garlic paste

2 tsp Coriander-Cumin pwd

1/4 tsp Tumeric Pwd

1 tsp Chilli Pwd

1 tsp Garam Masala Pwd

1 Capsicum, Sliced

1 tsp Sugar

3 tbsp Ghee(Melted Butter)

salt to taste

Ghee(Melted Butter) or Refined oil for deep frying

For Garnish, Butter and Coriander(Cilantro) Leaves

To make Tomato Puree:

Put the tomatoes into hot water for 10 minutes. Remove and blend into puree.

Procedure:

* Cut the paneer into 1 inch cubes and deep fry lightly in ghee. Then place in lukewarm water.

* Heat 3 tbsp of ghee in a kadai and fry onions till golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for 1/2 minute.

* Add the coriander-cumin pwd, turmeric, chilli and garam masala pwd and fry again for a minute.

* Now add the tomato puree and capsicum, cover and cook for 5 minutes.

* Add the paneer and salt to taste and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until it comes to a boil.

* While serving you can garnish with butter and coriander leaves.

Hope you try this dish out. Happy Cooking!

Luv,

Bisi Bele Bhat

"Bisi Bele Bhat" - is a Classic Karnataka Dish which is a wholesome meal by itself. Bisi Bele Bhath in Kannada means hot dal(lentil) and rice which is mixed with all sorts of vegetables. Its a complete lunch or dinner meal and tastes good with potato chips or any kind of spicy mixture.


The main key ingredient for this recipe is the Bisi bele bhat mix powder. Traditional way is to prepare the mix at home and use it in the recipe. But our generation has the advantage of ready to use store bought mixture and prepare the dish in a jiffy :)

So here's Bisi Bele Bhat made easy recipe for my friends :D


Ingredients :


1tbsp Ghee
1 tbsp Oil (Preferably coconut oil)
1 tsp of Mustard Seeds
8- 9 Curry Leaves
12 - 14 Cashew bits
1/2 glass Tamarind water ( soak a marble size tamarind ball into 1/2 glass of water for 20 mins)
4 - 5 tsp of Bisi Bele Bhat powder
chopped Coriander Leaves for garnishing.
3/4th cup Toor Dhal or Split Pigeon Pea
1 cup Rice
1 big bowl of Mixed Vegetables :
- 1 tbsp of Green Peas
- 12 to 15 cut Cauliflower Florets
- 1 large Tomato diced
- 2 diced Carrots
- 2 big Onions diced
- 4- 5 beans chopped ( 1 inch piece)
- 1 drumstick cut into 2 inch pieces ( if you are adding drumstick, make sure it is cooked separately in a microwave for 2 - 3 mins and then added later along with the cooked vegetables.


Procedure :


* Cook Rice : Instead of a pressure cooked rice, I would recommend to cook rice the traditional way. For this, wash and drain a cup of rice. Take a vessel full water and keep it for boil. Add the washed rice when the water comes to a boil. Bring it to a boil again and then switch the stove off. Close the vessel with a lid and leave for 45 mins. Then drain the remaining water off from the vessel, leaving behind the cooked rice.


* Cook Dhal with the Vegetables : You could pressure cook dhal and the vegetables together in a cooker in separate cooker container. In one add the vegetables along with less than 1/4th cup of water. Add dhal in another container along with sufficient water so that the dhal gets soaked completely and add a drop of oil to it. Pressure cook both with sufficient water in the cooker. Keep the flame or heat on medium high till the 1st whistle. Then simmer to low for 10 mins. Switch off the stove and let it stand for 20 mins to cool.


* Now take a large Kadai(Pan). Add ghee and oil. When the oil gets heated, add mustard seeds, curry leaves and fry it along with cashew bits until golden brown.


* Add the cooked vegetables with water and mashed dhal. To it add the tamarind water and bring it to boil. (Please note consistency should not be very thick nor too thin


* When the mixture comes to a boil, add the cooked rice along salt to taste and Bisi Bele Bhat powder mix. Mix well and bring it boil again. ( Add water if needed.)


Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve bisi bisi (hot hot) with ghee and potato chips.


Luv,

Egg Biryani

"Biryani" - is a rice based dish made with spices, rice (preferably basmati) and meat, fish, eggs or vegetables. The name is derived from the Persian word beryā(n) which means "fried" or "roasted".

Many different varieties of Indian Spice go into the making of a Biryani. The curry and the cooked rice are brought together and layered one after the other resulting in a dish with exotic flavours and aroma of the spices and the meat or vegetables. The dish may be served with Salads, Dahi(Yogurt), Raita(yogurt based sauce or dip, sometimes combined with raw vegetables or fruits) or a boiled egg. In India, the Hyderabadi and Lucknowi Biryani are ranked top in the list of biryani's.

My Egg Biryani is easy to make, hassle free, quick and tastes good :D

Ingredients :

2 tbsp of Cooking Oil

1 tbsp of Ghee(Melted Butter)

1 large Onion sliced

1 medium sized chopped Tomato (or you can add 2 tbsp of tomato puree)

1 cup Rice (preferably Basmati Rice)

3 Eggs
2 boiled and sliced Eggs
salt to taste

Whole Garam Masala Items -

1 Bay Leaf (Tej Patta)

1 inch piece of Cinnamon(Dalchini)

4 Cloves (Lavang)

1 tsp Cumin Seeds (Jeera)

3-4 Peppercorns (Kalimirch)

1 Cardamom Pod (Elaichi)

For the Green Gravy -

1 bunch of Coriander Leaves

3 Green Chillies

5 to 6 Garlic pods

1 inch piece of Ginger

2 medium sized Onions cut into 1 inch cubes

1 tsp of grated Coconut (optional)

Procedure :

* Pressure cook 1 cup of rice. ( Ratio to cook rice in a cooker is 1 cup Rice : 2 cups of Water. Pressure cook on medium high heat. After the 1st whistle, turn the heat to low and let it cook for 10 mins)

* Prepare the green gravy by grinding all the gravy items with little water. The consistency of the gravy should be thick.

* Take a non stick vessel. Add oil and ghee. When the oil gets heated, add all the whole garam masala items one by one. (mentioned in the list above). Fry them for a minute and add sliced onions. Saute till they turn light in colour. Then add the chopped tomatoes.

* After the tomatoes are cooked, add the green gravy and keep frying on low heat until all the water content in the gravy is evaporated. Add salt to taste. ( Approx 1 and a half tsp)

* Now break 3 eggs into the gravy. Saute till the eggs get scrambled and mix well with the green gravy.

* To this add the cooked rice and mix it all together gently so that the gravy and the eggs coat the rice completely.

* Garnish the rice with finely chopped coriander leaves and sliced eggs.

And so your Egg Biryani is "Ready to Serve" !!

Note : Make sure you have the cucumber salad ready to go with the Biryani :)

Luv,