Biryani, is an evergreen classic dish, which really needs no introduction. Biryani is a complete meal in itself. It’s one of the most loved delicacies of the country. It is believed that Mughals were the first to introduce Biryani in North India . Biryani flourished in some of the notable Muslim centres throughout the country – including Lucknow, old Delhi and Hyderabad, to name a few – after which it was gradually embraced by all. Do try out this authentic Biryani Recipe made with the goodness of Brown Rice and you will know what I mean.

Ingredients:

Brown rice – 1 cup ( I used Dawat Quick Cooking Brown rice)
Onion – 1 medium size
Fried onions- 1 cup
Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
Ginger garlic Paste- 1 tbsp
Green chilli – 2 slit
Yogurt-1/2cup
Garam masala-1/2 tsp
Saffron-5 to 6 strands
Milk-1/4 cup
Ghee-1 tsp
Kewra water- a few drops
Mixed Vegetables -Carrot – 1,Beans – 5-6,Baby Corn- 2 to 3,Cauliflower-2 florets,Peas – fistful
Paneer- 100 gms
1 tbsp mint leaves
For the seasoning

Oil – 1 1/2 tbsp
Cloves – 2
Green Cardamom – 2
Cinnamon – 1 inch piece
Star Anise-1 no
Mace- 1 no
Bay Leaf-1 no
Shah Jeera- 1 tsp

Method:

Wash and soak brown rice for a minimum of 1 hour in hot water.

Cut onion into thin slices. Peel skin and cut carrot into thin strips. Cut beans, baby corn into 1 inch pieces. Cut the cauliflower into small florets.

Cut the paneer into cubes and shallow fry in 1 tsp of oil and keep it aside.

Heat sufficient water in a deep non stick pan, add rice, salt, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, green cardamoms , Bay Leaf, mace, a tsp of oil and cook.When the rice is almost done strain it into a bowl . Put 1 tsp ghee to the rice and keep aside.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in another non stick pan, add a tsp of cumin and once it starts to splutter, add the sliced onion and slit green chillies and saute till it turns brown. Add ginger garlic paste , turmeric powder, salt and sauté till the raw smell of the masala goes away.

Add the mixed vegetables , adjust salt and cook for 4 to 5 minutes till the vegetables are half done. Add paneer and yogurt and mix. Add garam masala powder and mix again. Add fried onions to it and cook till slightly dry.

Take saffron and milk in a small bowl and heat in a microwave oven for ½ minute.

Spread the rice over the cooked vegetables. Sprinkle saffron milk, some fried onions,kewra water, garam masala powder, a few fresh torn mint leaves. Cover the pan and seal with silver foil.

Heat a tawa and place the pan over it and cook 10-12 minutes on low heat. Serve hot with fresh some chilled Raita of your choice.

Read full post: BROWN RICE BIRYANI

Winters brings with it a respite from the scorching hot summers, where temperature drops in and the spirits soar. Along with cosy blankets and quilts it brings with it variety of food, vegetables, fruits and sweets. This is the time when the markets are flooded with lush greens saags and vegetables. Come winters Makki di roti (coarse maize bread) and Sarson da saag (mustard plant) are culinary delights that are savoured in every household of North India especially Punjab .

The prominent names that come to mind whenever Punjabi cuisine is mentioned are tandoori chicken and butter chicken. But one thing that remains literally evergreen, is the traditional Punjabi dish of sarson da saag with makki di roti. Come winter and every Punjabi household, eateries and most roadside dhabas have their fill of this dish which is so rich in iron and calorie.

Ingredients:

Ingredients for the Sarson Da Saag
4 cups chopped Fresh mustard leaves
2 cups chopped Spinach
1 cup chopped Bathua ( Wild Spinach)
2 tablespoons Pure ghee
2 medium Onions finely chopped
2 nos of medium tomatoes
2 inch piece of Ginger chopped
6-8 cloves Gralic cloves chopped
4 nos of Green chillies chopped
1 teaspoon Red chilli powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons Cornmeal
Unsalted butter for garnishing
Sliced Green Chillies, Tomatoes and Ginger Julienne for garnishing

Ingredients for Makki Di Roti

2 cups Corn Meal or Maize flour
1 bunch of Chopped coriander leaves
Salt as per taste
1 inch finely chopped ginger
2 nos of finely chopped green chillies
1 teaspoon ajwain
Warm water

Method:

Let’s Learn how to prepare Sarson da saag recipe:

Clean , wash and chop the mustard leaves, spinach and wild spinach leaves and keep aside.
In a pressure cooker place the chopped mustard, spinach and wild spinach along with the ginger, garlic , tomatoes, salt and 2 cups of water and bring to a whistle and let it simmer on low heat for another 10 minutes.

After cooling take away the boiled leaves and keep the water aside. Place the boiled leaves in a food processor along with 2 tablespoon cornmeal and grind to smooth paste.

Now heat 2 table spoon ghee in a pan.Add the finely chopped onion and sauté till light brown. Add green chillies and sauté for a few minutes more. Add the ground mixture , red chilli powder , coriander powder , garam masala and cook for five to ten minutes or till the paste thickens.

Garnish with thinly sliced tomato, green chillies and ginger julliens Serve hot with makki di roti.

Let’s Learn how to make makki di roti:

Mix maize flour, ajwain,chopped coriander, green chillies, ginger and salt in bowl.

Add warm water. Mix and knead to make a smooth dough. Cover With a damp kitchen cloth, cover the dough for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into equal parts. With your palm, flatten the dough pieces.Slowly roll the dough to a thick and small round on a silver foil or baking sheet to prevent it from sticking to the floor. A small quantity of flour can be sprinkled to stop the dough to stick to the surface.

Place the Roti on a hot Tawa or griddle and cook on both sides. Roti is now ready to be served. Add a dash of butter for a richer taste.

Read full post: SARSON DA SAAG AND MAKKI DI ROTI (TEMPERED MUSTARD GREENS WITH CORNMEAL FLAT BREAD)

Nankhatai is the Indianised Eggless Shortbread cookies. They are popularly known as Bakery Butter biscuits in South. These melt in mouth cookies are usually made with Shortening/Dalda which makes it quite unhealthy. But it is also true that it tastes so good that you crave them even in odd hours. This version of mine tastes very close to the bakery butter biscuits we get in India I think it is mainly because of the cardamon and rose. Do give it a shot and let me know if it helped you to recreate child memories just like it did to me.

Ingredients:

1 cup All purpose flour/maida
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar or 1/2 cup fine granulated sugar (See notes)
pinch of baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp dried rose petals
4 cardamon pods crushed (see notes)
1/2 – 1 1/2 tsp Rose water or 1/8 tsp Rose Extract/Essence

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F or 176C
In a bowl add butter, baking soda, powdered sugar and beat until it is light and creamy around 3 minutes on low speed (3 on my hand mixer) or sugar is completely incorporated
Add flour, salt, crushed cardamon, crushed dried rose, rose water and gently knead to form a dough
Roll into a log and freeze for 15 minutes
Remove and cut it into equal size and arrange them on baking tray 2 inch apart
Bake for 15 minutes. Allow it to cool on a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container
Notes
When you take it out of the oven it might still look soft but it gets crisper as it cools down.
I have tried both granulated and powdered sugar. The texture is slightly different but both tastes equally good
It is very important that butter is at room temperature
You can either use cardamon powder or crush them coarsely if you like biting into it
Add nuts to garnish.
Since I ran out of rose extract I have used rose water in this recipe. Please feel free to substitute with rose extract or rose essence
You can bake them without freezing as well.
If you don’t have dried rose petals use 2 tsp of rose water
Tastes even more better after a day or two
Adapted from From my Mom’s recipe book

Read full post: Rose and Cardamon Nankhatai

Desserts made with Sesame seeds is a must have during the cold winter days. Whip up this easy to make and nutritious laddoo to add some warmth to your holiday parties. And it goes easy on your palate too.

Ingredients:

1 cup black sesame seeds/Til/Ellu
1/4 cup Almonds / Badam
1/4 cup Walnuts
1/4 cup Peanuts
1 tbsp Flax seeds
1 cup grated Jaggery / Gur / Vellam
3 Cardamon pods

Method:

In a pan/skillet dry roast black sesame seeds and flax seeds on a medium heat. When more than few sesame crackles and the seed releases its aroma remove from heat. Empty it into a bowl and allow it to cool
In the same pan on a medium heat dry roast Almonds, Walnuts and peanuts separately until the nuts releases its aroma for 30 seconds to a minute. Don’t let the nuts change color. Spread it on a plate/ bowl and allow it to cool
In a mixer/blender combine almonds, walnuts and peanuts and grind to coarse powder. Don’t let the mixie run for more than 5 seconds. Pulse!! Pulse!! Pulse!!
Empty the jar. Now add sesame seeds and grind to coarse powder with the same pulsing technique
Combine crushed black sesame seeds, nuts powder, grated jaggery and cardamon and grind until it combines using the same pulse technique
Empty the jar into a bowl. Take a hand full of the sesame nuts mixture and start rolling it into a ball by gently pressing the mixture (see step wise pictures to get an idea)

Notes
If the mixture doesn’t bind into a ball sprinkle luke warm water
You can roast nuts in the oven
Amma says we should wash black sesame seeds and dry (preferably sun dry) it well before roasting. I do both ways
You can substitute black sesame seeds with white sesame seeds. But I like the former. The rich nutty flavor in black sesame cannot be matched by white ones
While buying jaggery choose the the dark brown ones which are “true” unrefined sugar. The lighter ones are bleached using bi-carbonate and/or may contain chemicals

Read full post: Black Sesame Seeds Laddoo

It is the time of the year when I go on a baking spree. The nip in the air made me crave for something hot yet spicy and I got reminded of the gluten free fusion tart I baked few months ago. Though I was not very happy with the tart crust as the sweetness of almond meal was overpowering the better half seemed to like it. And Aloo Gobhi tart it is. This time I wanted to whip up something real quick and I didn’t have patience to make the tart crust from the scratch. Ding… The idea of using puff pastry popped in my mind and viola I had a delicious savory tart to share it with you all. Flaky buttery crust forms a perfect base for this spiced Aloo Gobhi Masala and I would never think of using another crust recipe. Yum!!!
Welcome your guests with this easy to make Aloo Gobhi tart during this holiday season.

Ingredients:

2 cup Cauliflower florets
2 Potatoes (medium size)
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1/2 cup finely chopped Onion
1/4 cup finely chopped Tomato
3 teaspoon Canola Oil (or any cooking oil)
1/4 teaspoon Cumin Seeds / Jeera
2 Cardamon pods
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri Chili Powder or red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon Cumin Powder
1/2 teaspoon Coriander Powder
1/4 teaspoon Garam masala
2 teaspoon Yogurt
2 cup + 4 teaspoon Water
Salt to taste
1 Puff Pastry Sheet (preferably Pepperidge farm), substitute with home made or store bought pie crust
1/4 tablespoon Butter (Optional)
2 tsp Dried fenugreek leaves / Kasuri Methi (Optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Line a baking tray with wax/parchment paper or foil. Brush it with butter/oil. Place 1 frozen puff pastry sheet on it and allow it to thaw.

Wash cauliflower florets. In a sauce pan, add 2 cup of water, 1/2 tsp salt. Bring it to boil. Turn off and add the cauliflower florets. Let it stand for couple of minutes. This step will cleanse the cauliflower.

In another sauce pan, boil Potatoes until it is 95% cooked (fork tender). I prefer to steam the potatoes. I cut them into equal size chunks and put it in my steamer for 5-6 minutes.

In a wok/kadai, add oil. When it is hot add cumin seeds and allow it to sizzle. Add cardamon, finely chopped ginger. Add onion. Saute until it turns translucent, for 2-3 minutes on medium flame.

Then add tomato, 1/2 tsp salt and saute for another 3 minutes or until it becomes mushy. Add turmeric powder, chili powder, kashmiri chili powder, saute. Add 2-4 tsp water to prevent it from sticking.

Add cumin powder, coriander powder and saute. Add 2 tsp yogurt, potato and cauliflower. Mix well. Adjust salt as per taste.

Then add garam masala, mix and close the kadai with a lid and let it simmer for couple of minutes. This will allow the flavors to marry well. Do not forget to stir in between to avoid sticking to the pan.

Open the lid, if there is any liquid left cook for couple of minutes until the water evaporates. Turn off and allow it to cool.

Place the baking tray in oven and bake the puff pastry sheet for 10 minutes. Remove it from the oven and reduce the temperature to 350 F.

Spread the Aloo Gobhi Masala on the tart. Add few swirls of butter and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Serve it hot.

Read full post: Aloo Gobhi Tart

This recipe is aligned with the objective of my blog to share delicious recipes that are nutritious and can be ready in around 30 minutes. I offer nutritive value of the dish, how to complement it and vary it for different occasions. Here is one such dish to add variety to the usual palak paneer craze. Yummy tofu pakoras immersed in palak gravy infused in the beautiful spices and preserving the bounty of nutrients, is a dish worth trying.

Indian cooking takes food to a whole new level with the mix of spices and fresh produce. It is a great contribution to global cuisine. If balanced well keeping in mind the nutritional value, it can help everyone lead a happy and healthy life! I would like to promote Indian cuisine for its health benefits as more global citizens turn toward using spices in their cooking.

Ingredients:

Ingredients (6 servings):

For Palak Curry:

5 cups of chopped spinach, tightly packed

1/2 onion, diced*

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1″ ginger piece, diced

1 large clove of garlic, diced

1/8 tsp turmeric powder

3/4 tsp red chili powder

1/4 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp kasuri methi

2 tbsp oil

salt to taste

* 1/2 medium yellow onion in US= 1 medium red onion in India

For Tofu Pakora (2 per serving):

12 slices of firm tofu, 1 cm thick slices of 2″X 2″ cubes

1/2 cup chickpea flour (besan)

1/2 cup water

1/8 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp red chili powder

salt to taste

1.5 tbsp oil for pan frying

Method:

Procedure:

For the palak curry, heat oil in a non-stick pan and then add the diced onion. Allow it to caramelize on medium heat. In the meantime, wash and chop your spinach and tomatoes. Chop the ginger and garlic.

Once the onions turn medium brown, add the tomatoes, ginger, garlic and the dry powders and saute on medium heat for a minute or two.

When the tomatoes have softened add the spinach and mix well. Cover the pan and let the spinach cook on low heat for about 5-7 minutes.

Cut the tofu slices and prepare the chickpea flour batter. In order to avoid a lumpy batter, add water slowly and beat it well into a smooth paste. Then add the remaining dry powders.

Heat oil for the pakoras in a large non-stick pan. If you are using a small pan, use oil according for each batch you make, not exceeding 1.5 – 2 tbsp of oil for whole batch. Dip each slice of tofu in the batter, coat it well and transfer to the pan. Flip the pakoras when one side is done.

By now, the spinach will be cooked. Allow the spinach to cool down a bit and then blenderize it to make a smooth, homogeneous puree. Add 1/2 to 1 cup water gradually. From my previous attempts I have realized that the taste isn’t as great if the puree is not homogeneous.

Heat it up again in the same pan that you used for cooking the spinach and serve with hot pakoras. Add some ghee for your kids.

Enjoy with warm phulkas and a side salad of vitamin C rich foods. Refer the GOOD TO KNOW section.

Read full post: Palak with Pan-fried Tofu Pakoras

This recipe is aligned with the objective of my blog to provide delicious recipes that are packed with nutrients and can be cooked in around 30 minutes. I try to transform restaurant style dishes that I enjoy and healthify them without compromising on the taste. This recipe brings out my experimentation with ingredients to replicate the taste I have savored in my home country.

This recipe also explains the nutritive value of this dish and also encouraging the consumption of beans in general for their myriad health benefits.

Ingredients:

Ingredients for 6 servings:

3/4 cup whole black gram (whole urad), soak for ~10 hours
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 large tomatoes, pureed
1.5 ” ginger, chopped & mashed (or make fresh paste)
2 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
3/4 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp kasuri methi
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp oil/ ghee
salt to taste
ghee or chopped cilantro for garnish

Method:

Instructions:

Rinse the whole black gram (urad bean). Soak with 1.5 cups water overnight or for 10-12 hours.
Pressure cook it for 10 minutes on low heat after the first whistle in case of Indian pressure cooker or after the pressure regulator begins to rock in case of US pressure cooker. Turn off the heat and then let the pressure get released. It will take about 5 minutes or so.
In the mean time, prepare the gravy. Chop the onion and garlic.
Heat oil/ghee in a steel pot. Add cumin seeds and bay leaf after the ghee melts.
Allow the cumin seeds to sizzle a bit and then add the onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat till it becomes light brown.
While the onion is cooking, puree the tomatoes, chop & mash the ginger or make fresh ginger paste.
When the onion has turned light brown, add the tomato puree and saute till it darkens and thickens. Then add the dry ingredients and saute for a minute.
While you wait till the pressure cooker cools down, prepare a fresh salad or raita with yogurt and vegetables. Make sure you include some vegetables with vitamin C to help absorption of iron from urad. Learn more about vitamin C rich foods in the GOOD TO KNOW section.
If the pressure cooker has cooled off, transfer the black gram to the steel pot and mix well. Add 1 cup water, salt and mashed ginger and bring it to a boil. Cover the pot and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes on low heat.
All the flavors get infused into the dal and it becomes very aromatic.
Serve with home-made / whole wheat parathas/ rotis and salad/raita.

Notes:

Sugar in this dish balances the tang of the tomatoes. Total amount of sugar per serving is very low.

Since this dish has high fiber & other nutrients that white rice lacks, it seems like a good complement for the days you want to eat rice. Counteract the high glycemic load of rice by serving this dal with your favorite jeera rice!

Read full post: Restaurant-style Dal Makhani, No Cream

Even though mine is a South-Indian household, I’ve grown up eating a lot of North-Indian style curries. This particular curry contains cottage cheese (paneer) and fenugreek leaves (methi) in a subtly spiced onion-cashew-tomato gravy. This is a recipe with a typical punjabi touch which results in a lip-smacking curry best served with naan/rotis/parathas or basmati rice.

Ingredients:

1 cup paneer cubes (fresh or frozen)
11/2 cup fresh fenugreek leaves (methi), washed thoroughly, stems removed and finely chopped
2 large onions, 1 for ground paste and 1 finely chopped
15-20 cashewnuts
3-4 dry red chillies
1/2 tsp nigella seeds/kalonji
1/2 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 cup tomato puree
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp kitchen king masala
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)
Salt to taste
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp ghee/oil
Fresh cream for garnish
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Heat vegetable oil in a pot and when hot, drop the paneer cubes and fry until golden brown. Drain the paneer cubes in a bowl of warm water (this makes the residual oil come out of the paneer and makes them soft). Keep aside.
2. In a skillet, fry 1 roughly chopped onion until golden brown and then add in and sauté the dry red chillies for a few seconds.
3. Blend the onions and red chillies with 10-12 cashews & 1/2 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji) with a little water to a smooth uniform paste.
4. In the same skillet from before, heat a little more ghee/oil and add in the cumin seeds (jeera). Once it begins to splutter add the ginger-garlic paste and 1 finely chopped onion. Fry until the onions turn translucent.
5. Add in the chopped fenugreek leaves and fry until they are cooked (takes 2-3 minutes). Now add in the onion-cashew paste, red chilli powder (if desired), coriander powder, kitchen king masala, turmeric and simmer on low flame for a few minutes.
6. Drain the water from the fried paneer cubes.
7. Add the tomato puree, fried paneer cubes, salt & sugar to the curry. Add quarter to a half cup of water. Mix well and bring to a boil. Check the seasoning.
8. Once the curry thickens to the desired consistency, switch off the heat, add in the kasoori methi, mix well and garnish the curry with fresh cream.
9. Serve hot with naan/rotis/parathas or steamed basmati rice.

Read full post: Methi Paneer