Kaikari Ishtew

After a rather heavy lunch yesterday, mom and me wanted to make something simple and flavorful for dinner so we finally zeroed on lemon rice and Kaikari Ishtew .

Kaikari ishtew is a coconut based dish usually had with appam. We tried it with rice and turned out equally good. I followed Sanjeev Kapoor recipe from Matering the art of Indian cooking  with slight tweaks (reduced the chilli & replaced coconut oil with sunflower oil)
You need :

Carrot - 1 medium cubed
Potato - 1 medium cubed
Cauliflower - 1 small cut in florets
Onion - 2 small chopped finely
Ginger, Garlic paste - 1.5 teaspoon
Cooking oil - 1 teaspoon
Bay leaves - 2
Cinnamon sticks - 2,  1" sticks
Cloves - 4
Star anise - 2
Curry leaves - 10/12 leaves
Green chillies - 2 whole (recipe called for 4 chillies stemmed and slit)
Coconut milk - 1 full cup
Salt to taste
Garam masala powder - 1/2 teaspoon




To prepare the Stew

In a wok add a glass of water and bring to boil.

When water comes to boil, add vegetables and let it cook for 2-3 minutes

Drain hot water and toss vegetables in cold water so it stops cooking.

In the wok add oil, once hot add bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, chillies, curry leaves  and chopped onions.

Saute for a minute

add ginger garlic paste and stir , let the whole mix cook for couple of minutes on low heat

Drain water from vegetables and add it to the wok, add salt and coconut milk

Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes

Once vegetables cooks (make sure it doesn't overcook and becomes mushy)

Add garam masala powder , mix well. Turn off from heat, serve hot !

Achari Bhindi

Bhindi (lady finger) always evoke strong reaction from most of the household, people either love it or like my sister can't stand the 'slimy nature' of this simple vegetable. 

However due to its high fibre content it's highly recommended for good health so I try and incorporate at least once every week . I mostly cook it like a dry vegetable in bit of mustard oil but once in a while make achari bhindi, slightly spicy and perfect with plain parathas .  it's  also a great and easy way to use the leftover masala bit from your regular achar.

This is what you need :

Serves 2 

Okra / lady finger / Bhindi (250 -300 gms ) - sliced into 1 inch long pieces

Onion -1 large - sliced very thinly

Mustard oil / any cooking oil - 1 1/2 table spoon

Achar masala -1 table spoon 

Turmeric powder -1/3 teaspoon 

Salt - to taste 

In a wok / heavy pan heat one table spoon of oil on medium flame.

Add sliced Lady fingers and sauté for a couple of minutes( be gentle while sautéing else it would break ).

Turn heat to low and cover and cook till about

80% done.

Remove from wok, keep aside.

In the same wok add remaining half table spoon oil add sliced onion.

On medium heat cook onion for 2-3 minutes till it becomes transparent  and little soggy.

Add achar masala, salt and turmeric and mix well and continue to cook for a minute or so.

Now add back cooked bhindi and gently mix all well.

Turn heat to low and cook till bhindi is completely done.

Serve hot with parathas, also great as a side dish with Rice.

Vegetable Pulao

A favourite potluck lunch, a meal in itself , full of flavours and healthy. Serve it on its own or bit of curd / raita on sides.

Serves 2

Rice - wash drain and keep aside 

Ghee (clarified butter) / Cooking oil -1 table spoon 

Onion -1 medium finely chopped

Ginger garlic paste (or crushed) -1 teaspoon

Tomato -1 table spoon purée or crushed 

Green chillies -  1 finely chopped

Vegetables - assorted chopped small - 1 cup

Spices (you can eliminate any if its not in pantry or you don't have a taste for it), I used 

Bay leaves -2 

Cinnamon - 2"stick

Peppers- 5/6

Cloves -2/3

Star anise -1

Mace 

Coriander seeds -10/12

Salt - per taste

Turmeric 1/3 spoon 

Garam masala powder - 1/2 teaspoon 

Coriander leaves for garnishing.

In a heavy wok, add Ghee and keep the flame to medium. Once hot add all the aromatics ( spices) , sauté for 30 seconds. Add ginger garlic paste sauté for further 30 seconds.

Now add onion and green chillies (if using) and sauté on low heat for a minute. Now add all the vegetables, turn heat to high, sauté for another minute add tomato purée, salt, turmeric and mix well for a minute or so. Now add rice , turn off the heat, mix well for a minute.

Add Garam masala , transfer into a microwave bowl add water and microwave on high for 20 mins. In case you are not using microwave you can use pressure cooker or rice cooker . In pressure cooker cook for 2 whistles and in rice cooker per the instruction. 

Vegetable Pulao ready to be served in 30 minutes.

Arbi masala

I did a bit of experiment in the kitchen and since it turned out good , thought I would share with you all. 

This is what you need : 

 Arbi / Colocassia  (medium size) : 250 gm

Green tomato : 2 medium - sliced thinly

Ajwain( carom seed) : 1/3 of tea spoon

Onion : 1 medium - sliced thinly

Amchur powder / chat masala - 1 tea spoon 

Red chilli whole (deseeded ) : 2-3 small

Garlic 2-3 cloves - finely slice

Oil: 1 tbs ( mustard or any cooking oil)

Salt 

Turmeric powder 

Now boil the arbi in pressure cooker for one whistle, remove from heat, drain and leave aside to cool.

Finely slice onion, tomatoes , garlic . Make a incision in chilli and  remove seeds ( it gives a nice someky flavour without the heat) 

Once arbi is cooled enough to handle, peel the skin ( be careful at this stage some variety really itches, in that case rub oil and lemon juice on hands before handling arbi)

Slice up boiled arbi in 4/6 pieces length wise.

Now heat oil in wok, once it smokes turn down the heat to low  for a minute, add ajwain seeds, garlic , red chilli and fry for 30 seconds. 

Turn the heat to medium

Add onion and fry for 2-3 minutes till it turns brown.

Add sliced tomatoes, turmeric powder , fry for minute , cover and cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes.

Add arbi and mix well so masala covers completely .

Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes on low heat till arbi is almost done

Add chat masala / amchur powder and salt and cook for 2-3 minutes till arbi is done.

Serve hot with roti / paratha 

 

Bharwa karela (Stuffed bitter gourd)

While there are various version of stuffed bitter gourd,  i usually end up making this version cuase its light and takes less time to cook.

So here is the recipe

For stuffing

Onion - 1 medium finely chopped
Ginger - 1/2 inch , chopped/ grated / paste
Tomato - 2 small size, finely chopped
Chaat masala / Amchoor powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - per taste
Chilli powder - per taste
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Cooking oil


To prep the karela, clean them thoroughly and make a slit length wise to open it up , scoop out the inside pulp & seed and keep aside for stuffing (discard if its mostly seed)

Rub some salt all over and inside these karelas and leave aside till you prep the stuffing - rubbing of salt takes out the bitterness and makes them slightly tender. Don't leave for more than 30 minutes else it be too soggy.

Now to the stuffing

Heat oil, add onion , saute for couple of minutes till it becomes slightly golden. Add the inside pulp from karela if using.
Add Tomatoes , further saute for couple of minutes.
Add chilli powder, turmeric, chaat masala and cover and cook for 3-4 minutes .
Since there is no water added be careful about the masala sticking to the pan or better still use a non stick pan.
Once all masala mixes well, add salt and remove from heat

Now clean karelas  carefully so all the salt is removed. Stuff this mix in the karela. If you are feeling a little 'gourmet' you can use a cotton thread to truss it else stuff tightly and roll over so the mixture does not spill.

Pour  a little bit oil on top and sprinkle garam masala. You can now cook this stuffed karela over stove in the pan or like me bake it oven for 30 mins. If using microwave use the convection setting 15 mins.

Best served as side dish for roti / naan/ paratha 

Spinach garlic stir fry

An absolute dinner time favorite, this side dish is healthy , yummy and the best part takes 5 mins to assemble and cook.

Things you need

Spinach leaves - wash thoroughly and pat dry (preferably baby spinach, on more mature leaves remove stalk completely else its little chewy)

cloves of garlic - sliced thinly

toasted sesame seeds- this is for texture really. On a warm tawa/ iron girdle  (not hot else it would burn), toss a teaspoon of sesame seed , roll around for a min, till you get golden brown color, remove immediately.

Sesame oil -  for a slightly nutty flavour

burnt chilly garlic dressing (completely optional - i picked this from fab india and it goes well with lot of stir fry dishes ), you can use a drizzle of tobsaco sauce, peri peri sauce whatever you have in your pantry to give a little heat to the dish. (Skip if you are not in mood)

Salt - a pinch


Now the easy part.

In a hot wok, add a tea spoon of cooking oil (sometimes i don't use oil at  all), add garlic , stir it for 30 seconds.

Add spinach leaves , give it a good stir for a minute.

Add the chilly garlic dressing (1/2 tablespoon) , a generous splash of sesame oil (1 table spoon).

Turn off the heat , add salt , toss well for 20 seconds

Sprinkle toasted sesame seed.

Serve right away .

P.S. This is best to be cooked just before serving , reheating doesn't go too well with it.

Serving suggestions :

Hot Roti / Paratha and curry of your choice. This works as an excellent side dish.

Grilled chicken and instead of baked potatoes / vegetables , you could serve up this stir fry

From mum's kitchen - Kele ka kofta

I had some family members coming over lunch this sunday. There was a quiet a bit of spread, chicken pepper fry, chana dal, chicken tikka curry, pualo and kele ka kofta. Since i learnt to make kele ka kofta from mum very recently and is quiet a hit with husband, thought will share with you all.

Ingredients :

For kofta  

Raw bananas - 3/4

Garam masala powder 

salt to taste 

finely chopped green chillies (quantity depends on tolerance of heat, if you serving to kids, skip this)

finely chopped 1/2 inch ginger 

1/2 tbs amchoor or chat masala powder 

posto dana (optional) 

oil for frying

For curry 

Bay leaves -2/3

Cardamom -1 crushed

2 medium size onion, finely chopped or roughly grounded 

ginger garlic paste - 1 tbps 

Cumin powder -1 teaspoon

Dhaniya powder -1.5 teaspoon

Turmeric 

red chilli powder 

Salt to taste 

2 tbps Oil 

Preparation:

• For kofta, using a large pressure cooker , cook raw bananas (with skin on) for 2 whistles. Take off from heat, let it cool (10-15 mins)
• Once cool, peel the bananas, mash properly , add  chillies, ginger, salt, chaat powder, garam masala and roll into small balls.
• Spread posto dana on to a small plate and roll these koftas on to it, remove excess.
• Heat oil in kadahi and fry these koftas till they nicely browned all over.
• Remove and keep aside on a kitchen towel to drain extra oil.

For gravy.

• In hot oil   bay leaves and single crushed cardamom.
• Add onion, fry for 2-3 mins till it becomes slightly brown / golden.
• Add ginger - garlic paste and fry for 3-4 minute till it mixes well
• Add cumin, coriander, red chilli and turmeric powder , fry for 2-3 mins , add water if this masala sticks.
• Cover and let it cook for 5 mins on low heat.
• remover cover, add salt (be careful, as there is salt in koftas too) and water to form the gravy base.
• Let it come to boil
• Add half tea spoon of garam masla
• Cover and cook till gravy cooks completely(3-4 minutes) , turn off the heat

For serving 

Couple of minutes before serving layer koftas in the serving bowl , add gravy on top , check for salt, serve piping hot with rice / pulao.

adraki gobhi

I was in rush to finish off lunch yesterday to attend the HP indiblogger meet , so  was looking for a easy and quick to make recipe for cauliflower.

As always saneev kapoor to rescue. It's deceptively simple (so simple that you might be tempted to tweak / add ingredients... please don't , it taste great as it is !)

Here is what you need.

Cauliflower - cut into medium size florets
Cumin - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric - powder / paste - turmeric is in season these days , got some from my local super market, now i am using the paste, somehow feels better :)
Red chilli powder / paste
Ginger - paste and few thin slices cut
Tomato - one medium size, chopped roughly
Vinegar - 1 teaspoon  - soak some thinly sliced ginger in it.
Lemon - half
Salt


Now the process

soak the cauliflower in water , add a little salt and turmeric powder / paste

Heat oil in non stick shallow pan (i used normal kadhai  but the masala tends to stick since there is no water, so better to use non stick pan)

add cumin to splutter

add ginger, red chilli paste

saute for couple of  minutes

drain cauliflower , add this to the pan

add salt &  half of vinegar soaked ginger

mix well,

cover and cook on low heat till cauliflower is half done

add roughly chopped tomatoes,

cover and cook till done

add remaining vinegar soaked ginger and juice of half lemon just before removing from fire

serve hot.

I served with matar jeera rice pulao and tadka chana dal,Sure it will taste great with roti / paratha

Total time taken : 20 minutes  and tastes amazing!!

P.S. Finally didnt attend the meet :( blame it on sheer laziness & crying my eyes out while watching Stepmom for the nth time

Quicky lunch for one - Chicken Tikka Masala

I know chicken tikka curry doesnt  exactly sound like a quick and easy meal, but if you have been entertaining like crazy for last few days and now have refrigerator full of tupperware boxes with leftovers just sufficient for one/ two  person, this could be a easy meal.

What you need

Few pieces of left over chicken tikka ( super easy , will share recipe in next post )

Onions - roughly chopped or if you are using smaller onions like  i did , just cut in halves.

Tomatoes (2, preferably pureed - boil in water for couple of minutes, remove skin , blend )

Chicken curry masala (i usually perfer making my own masalas for gravies but for a working day these can be real life savers)

And ofcorse, oil, salt & turmeric


Now the easy part.

Step 1 :

Heat oil in kadhai, add chopped onions, fry for few minutes. Once onion become slighly translucent add pureed tomatoes, cook for few minutes on medium heat (no need for continuous stirring , just make sure it doesn't stick to pan, add water if required . This whole process should take about 5-7 minutes.

Step 2 : 

Now add turmeric powder, salt (be mindful, tikka would have salt of its own so adjust accordingly) and chicken masala powder, mix well and stir for couple of minutes, add water , turn the heat to simmer and cover and cook for 5-7 minute ( this is when you answer few calls, reply to emails :) ) 

Step 3  ( you can skip if you want , in that case leave it on heat for few more minutes so onion and tomato gets a right gravy consistency) 

Once gravy cooks thoroughly, turn off the heat, using a hand blender ( in case you dont have one wait for it to cool a little before transferring it in blender jar ) , mix this in kadhai itself for  a minute. 

Step 4 : 

Turn on the heat , add your chicken tikkas, cook for couple of minutes on high heat. Check salt 

And serve with rice / chappati ...comforting meal for one is ready ! 

Kitchen adventure - Malai kofta

It's been all about food & family last couple of weeks, while we revisited some old recipes, also tried hand at few new and pleasently they all turned out nice and easy to cook.

This one is from Sanjeev Kapoor's cook book and like i said earlier super simple and extremely yummy :)

Ingredients

For kofta

• Paneer - I used Nilgiris Malai paneer - super soft 
• Green cardamom powder - 10 -12 pods, remove skin and grind it into a powder
• Refined flour - 1 spoon with malai panner , 2 if you are using normal paneer (essentially sufficient enough to bind the paneer into balls for frying)
• Oil for frying
• Salt to taste 

For curry

• Tomatoes - 3 medium  (chopped roughly) 
• Cashewnuts - 10, mixed in some almonds as well
• Melon Seeds- didnt have, so could not add
• Poppy seed - 1 tablespoon (best if soaked in slightly warm water for couple of hours)
• Ginger - 2 inches 
• Green cardamoms - 2-3 
• Red chilli powder - slightly more than what you use normally, otherwise the dish would become too sweet 
• Oil - One teaspoon (you can skip also)
• Yougurt - 3-4 table spoon 
• Salt to taste 

For serving

• Fresh cream - 2 table spoon 
• Garam masala powder - 1/4 spoon 

Step 1 : 

Heat a pressure cooker, add all Ingredients   for curry , add a cup of water. Close the lid and leave it on medium heat for 3-4 whistles.

Step 2 :

Grate paneer, mix cardamom powder, salt & required refined flour and shape in small balls (200gm of malai paneer pack gives can be made into 8-10 koftas)

Step 3 : 

Heat oil, fry these paneer koftas  till golden, leave it aside to drain on kitchen towel.

Step 4 : 

Once the pressure cooker  steam goes off, open the cooker, let it cool for few minutes and use a hand blender to mix the cooked 'curry' well to reach the right creamy consistency, add water if required. 

Step 5

Arrange koftas in the serving ball, pour the curry on top, garnish with fresh cream and garam masala powder.

Serve hot with chappati or partha 

(P.S. mix the kofas and curry just minutes before serving , else koftas will get too soggy) 

Photo from Sanjeev kapoor site 

P.P.S , was so busy trying this and playing with my nephew , forgot to click photographs :D, but trust me it looks as good as the picture above ! 

Quicky lunch for one

I love mushroom in all shapes and forms . It is my favorite vegetable to cook for myself since husband doesn't really care for it . So, my meal for one today was mushroom ofcorse, cooked in a jiffy 

ingredients for the "dish", basics from the kitchen - onion, garlic, ginger, green chilli, cumin, coriander  and coconut milk 

Roughly chop, ginger, garlic, chilli and onion

prep on the way, addition of ingredient tumeric, salt and oil 

crack cumin in hot oil, add ginger garlic , chilli, onion - saute for few minutes ..till onion turns brownish.

Transfer this mixture into a belnder and make a coarse paste.

brown onion paste - wait for few minutes before blending , else it gets too hot in the  blender 

Transfer brown onion paste back in wok, add coriander powder, turmeric and saute for few minutes.
Add cubed mushroom, coconut milk, water as required, simmer for a while ....add salt

Let it simmer for few minutes

And here is the final 'meal for one' ...

with hot rotis & yummy garlic and chillies acchar