Aloo Poha

Aloo Poha

Recipe Type: Breakfast

Cuisine: Indian(Maharashtrian)

Ingredients

1. Poha(thick)/flattened rice 1 cup 

2. Potato/aloo 1 medium sized chopped into small cubes

3. Peanuts 11/2 tbsp

4. Green chillies 2 finely chopped

5. Onion 1 medium sized

6. Mustard seeds 3/4 tsp

7. Urad dal 3/4 tsp

8. Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp

9. Curry leaves 1 sprig 

10. turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

11. Dried red chilli 1

12. Ginger 1" chopped

13. Chopped Coriander leaves for garnish

14. Juice of lemon 3/4 or 1 tsp

15. Oil 2 tbsp 

16. Salt 

Method Of Preparation 

1. Heat a tawa & dry roast the peanuts on a medium flame till they become nicely roasted & crunchy.

2. Wash the poha under cold, running water. Rinse it well & strain the water completely & keep the poha aside on the countertop. When u wash it twice or thrice the poha becomes soft, so there isn't any need to soak the poha in water. Soaking tends to make it soggy, also do not wash it too many times in water & break the poha. If the poha hasn't become soft even after 2-3 rinses, then u can sprinkle a few drops of water on the poha & keep it aside. This will make it soft.

3. Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, cumin & urad dal. When they start to splutter, add the dried red chillies, curry leaves, then add the green chillies & sauté for a few seconds, then add the chopped ginger & sauté well for a few more seconds.

4. Now add the chopped onions... When it becomes translucent add the small cubed potatoes.

5. Sauté the potatoes till they get a nice golden color & they are done.

6. Add the poha & mix gently.

7. Add the peanuts to the mixture.

8. Close the tawa with a lid & cook the poha for a min on low flame.

9. Open the lid & garnish with coriander leaves & turn off the gas.

10. Squeeze the juice of lemon & give it a mix gently.

11. While serving, u can add sugar to the poha if u wish to & eat it.

Whole Wheat McDonalds Paneer Wrap

Whole Wheat McDonalds Paneer Wrap

Ingredients: 

1. 1 big round chappati 

2. 4" long & 1" thick rectangular paneer cube

3. 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs 

4. 2 tbsp All Purpose Flour

5. 2 tbsp corn starch

6. 2 tbsp panko bread crumbs 

7. Salt 

8. 1/4 tsp Oregano

9. 1/4 tsp Mexican seasoning

10. Paprika

11. 1/2 tsp Black pepper 

12. 2 tsp Chipotle Mayo 

13. 21/2 tsp Honey mustard sauce

14. Shredded cabbage/lettuce

15. Sliced onions

16. 2 Cheese slices

17. Water

18. Oil for deep frying 

Method of Preparation:

1. Mix together all purpose flour, corn starch, salt, pepper, Mexican seasoning & oregano. Add water little a time to make a lump free batter. The batter needs to be of pouring consistency(neither too thick nor too thin). Keep this aside.

2. Take the bread crumbs in a bowl & add paprika to it & mix well. Keep it aside.

3. Now cut the paneer.

4. Coat the paneer in the batter & then roll it in the bread crumbs, again dip it in the batter & roll it in the bread crumbs.

5. Keep this in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

6. In the meanwhile make the chappati. Make the chappati, round & big.

7. After 30 minutes, take the paneer out & deep fry it in oil.

Assembling:

1. Place the chappati on a cutting board.

2. Add a few shredded cabbage slices/ lettuce.

3. Add a few sliced onions.

4. Add the chipotle mayo & then the honey mustard sauce on the cabbage & onions.

5. Now place the paneer on top of it & 2 cheese slices on the paneer.

6. Fold in the bottom side first, then the two sides(right overlapping the left), then fold in the upper side. It resembles a square now.

7. Put it on the panini press or grill & grill it for 2 minutes. The cheese should have melted by now.

8. Take it out & cut it diagonally into 2 pieces.

9. Serve with ketchup.

Notes:

1. Do not fill the chappati with too many onions & cabbage/lettuce as it will become difficult to wrap it.

2. If u want ur wrap to be sweeter, add more of honey mustard sauce(kids will like it that way)

Bhuna Chicken

Bhuna Chicken

Ingredients:

3 chicken drumsticks medium size 

3/4 tsp red chilli powder

11/4 garam masala 

1 tbsp soy sauce 

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste 

1 tbsp juice of lemon 

1/2 tsp pepper powder 

Method Of Preparation:

1. Was the drumsticks nicely & pat them dry. Poke them on all sides with a fork so that all the flavors can get into the chicken & make it nice, juicy & flavorful 

2. Marinate the drumsticks & keep it covered in the countertop for an hour 

3. Grease a non stick tawa with some oil(put a tsp of oil on a napkin & dab it on the tawa)

4. Put the drumsticks on the tawa & cook covered on medium flame till the the chicken releases water & all the water from the chicken dries up & the chicken becomes a little brown on the sides.

5. Check to see if the chicken is cooked, if it hasn't then sprinkle a few drops of water on the drumsticks & cover & cook again for 10 minutes or till it gets cooked.

6. Now open the lid & cook the chicken on high flame for 2-3 minutes. Keep turning sides so that the chicken gets the burnt color on all the sides. 

7. Turn off the gas 

8. At the end when the chicken is cooked & you turn off the stove, the spices should have stuck to the drumsticks & there shouldn't be any water or oil oozing out of the spices. It should be dry & should have coated the chicken nicely.

9. Serve with lemon wedges, onion rings & 

mint-coriander chutney.

Bisi Bele Bath

Bisi Bele Bath

Recipe Type: South Indian

Serves: 8 approx

Ingredients

Rice 1 cup(any short grain basmati rice)

Toor Dal 11/2cup

turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

tomatoes 2

tamarind  1 large lemon sized

Oil 8 tsp 

Mixed veggies 11/2 cup(fresh green peas, beans, carrots, raddish & small onions) cut into pieces

Home-Made BisiBeleBath powder 61/2 tbsp 

Salt to taste 

Ingredients for BBB powder 

1. Byadaygi dried red chillies 24

2. Guntur dried red chillies 8

3. Coriander seeds 4 tbsp

4. Urad dal 2 tsp

5. Channa dal 3 tsp

6. Marathi Moggu 6

7. Cloves 4

8. Cinnamon 1" 2

9. Cardamom 4

10. Mace 1" piece 

11. Fenugreek seeds 1/2 tsp

12. Poppy seeds 1/2 tsp

13. Shredded coconut 4 tbsp 

14. Cumin seeds 1 tsp

15. Whole black pepper 1/2 tsp

16. Curry leaves 10

Ingredients for seasoning

1. Ghee 5 tbsp 

2. Mustard 1 tsp

3. Cashews 1/2 cup

4. Hing 1/4 tsp

5. Curry leaves 3 sprigs 

Method Of Preparation 

1. Wash the rice well under running water till the water runs clean. Soak in water for 15 minutes.

2. Wash the lentils well & keep it aside.

3. Soak tamarind in hot water for 15 minutes.

4. Cook the dal in a pressure cooker with double the amount of water & 1/4 tsp turmeric. Cook till the dal gets nice n soft. After you open the cooker mash the dal with the back of the ladle.

5. Cook rice with 4 or 5 cups of water. I cooked this for 9 whistles but you need to take care of this as each & every cooker might be different. The rice needs to cooked very well in such a way that it needs to blend well with the mashed dal, that's the purpose of using short grain basmati rice.

6. You can also cook the rice & lentil in a pot until well cooked.

7. Cover & cook the cut vegetables with the required amount of water& 1/4 tsp turmeric powder. Add salt half way through. Turn off the gas when the vegetables are cooked but remain firm. Do not overcook the veggies & mash them.

8. Meanwhile in a heavy bottomed pan dry roast the ingredients for the BBB powder. On a low heat, dry roast the poppy seeds n fenugreek seeds. Remove onto a plate once done, then dry roast coconut till the coconut turns a little brown n till u get a nice aroma, then dry roast the curry leaves & remove them onto a plate, then on medium heat dry roast everything else listed under the ingredients till the lentils turn golden brown in color n till it emits a nice aroma. Let this cool & then grind to a smooth powder. Do not remove the lid of the spice grinder until the time you add the spices to the rice & lentils. This is done to not let the aroma escape. 

9. Discard the water in which the tamarind is soaked & keep the pulp aside.

10. In a kadai add oil, add the diced tomatoes & cook. Then add the cooked vegetables along with the stock & give it a stir, then add the tamarind pulp & bring to a boil. Add the mashed dal & rice & keep stirring so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. 

11. Add more hot water if u feel the mixture is getting dry.

12. Mix BBB powder in a tbsp of warm water & mix well to break any lumps & add it to the rice-lentil-veg mixture & cook on sim for 5 minutes. Alternatively you can also add the powder directly to the rice-lentil-veg mixture & mix well well to break any lumps & make sure it gets mixed well with the rice & veggies & cook for 5 minutes on sim. If you feel you need to add more powder, u can add. Turn off the gas after 5 minutes.

13. Add two tbsp of ghee to the rice & mix well.

14. Add the remaining ghee in a hot kadai. Add mustard seeds, when they splutter add the curry leaves, then add cashews & stir till they become golden in color. Now add the hing & turn off the gas & add this tempering to the BBB & immediately cover the baath in order to not let the aromas escape.

15. Serve hot with raita, pappad pickle & more ghee drizzled on the rice.

16. BBB tastes even more when it's served a few hours later after the preparation.


Notes:

If there's left over BBB put it in a sealed airtight container & store for future use.

Oriental Chicken

Oriental Chicken

Recipe Type: Indian
Serves: 4

Ingredients 

1. Chicken 1 kilo
2. Onions 3 Thinly sliced
3. Green Chillies slit 5
4. Ginger juliennes 11/2 tbsp
5. Chilli Powder 11/2 tsp
6. Turmeric Powder 3/4 tsp
7. Soya Sauce 23/4 tsp
8. Curry leaves 2 sprigs
9. Coconut oil 3 tbsp
10. Salt

Method Of Preparation 

1. Wash the chicken well & cut it into pieces & put it in a bowl.

2. Add salt, chilli powder & turmeric to this.

3. Marinate the chicken with these spices & keep it aside covered for atleast 2 hours.

4. After 2 hours, transfer the marinated chicken to a heavy bottomed kadai.

5. Cook the chicken on low flame covered with a tight fitting lid. The chicken will let out water while cooking so there isn't any need to add water to cook the chicken.

6. If the chicken is fully cooked but there is still water in the pan, then you will have to turn the flame to high & cook till all the water dries up. Please make sure not to burn the chicken.

7. When the chicken is fully cooked, now reduce the flame, add the soy sauce n coat the chicken nicely in the sauce. 

8. When the chicken sucks up all the sauce, add 2 tbsp coconut oil n coat the chicken nicely in the oil and fry for 2-3 minutes on low flame. Add curry leaves & mix everything together. The chicken needs to be nice & brown.

9. Turn off the gas.

10. In another kadai add coconut oil, add the skit green chillies & ginger juliennes & sauté well.

11. Add the thinly sliced onions & sauté till the onions become translucent.

12. Add curry leaves to this & fry well.

13. Add this to the chicken & sauté everything together for half a minute & turn off the gas.

Notes

1. Add coconut oil for the nice flavor & aroma. Coconut oil makes this dish more tasty & flavorful

2. Please feel free to add more chilli powder if u want to

3. Add a lot of green chillies & onions thinly sliced to make the dish more tasty.

4. Add the soy sauce only after the water from cooking the chicken dries up.

5. Do not add the sauce when there's still water in the pan, it will ruin the taste of the dish.

6. There shouldn't be any sauce in the pan, the chicken needs to be coated well in the sauce.

Vegetable Biryani

Vegetable Biryani 

Recipe Type: Indian

Serves 4

Ingredients 

1. Long grain basmati rice 1.5 cups

2. Onion sliced 1 large 

3. Tomato 1 

4. Ginger paste 1 tbsp 

5. Garlic paste 11/2 tbsp

6. Green chilli paste 1 tbsp

7. Carrots 1 cup chopped

8. Beans 3/4 cup chopped

9. Fresh green peas 1 cup chopped 

10. Mint leaves 1/2 cup

11. Coriander leaves 1/2 cup

12. Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

13. Cardamoms 4

14. Cloves 4

15. Cinnamon 1 long stick

16. Bay leaves 2

17. Water 21/4 cups

18. Lemon 1/2

19. Ghee/Oil 3-4tbsp

Method Of Preparation

1. Wash the rice well in running water, drain it& keep it aside.

2. Add ghee/oil in a heavy bottomed vessel.

3. When the oil is hot, add the whole garam masala.

4. When it starts to splutter, add the sliced onions.

5. Sauté till the onions turn transparent

6. Add the ginger garlic & green chilli paste.

7. Sauté till the raw smell disappears.

8. Now add the mint & coriander leaves.

9. Sauté till it shrinks in size & the raw smell goes away

10. Add the tomatoes & cook till it gets mashed well.

11. Add the carrots, followed by beans, followed by green peas.

12. Sauté for a minute.

13. Add the washed rice & sauté for a few seconds

14. Add turmeric & salt to this & stir well.

15. Add water & squeeze the juice of lemon. 

16. Give it a stir & close the pot

17. Cook on low flame for 15 minutes or till done.

Notes: 

1. If you want to make the biryani more spicy, then you may add 5-6 slit green chillies after u made the whole garam masala

2. Be gentle when u stir after adding the rice as basmati rice is very delicate & u made tend to bread the long grains.

3. Turn off the stove when there's a some moisture in the rice, do not let it cook too much & let the rice stick to the bottom.

Garlic Naan

Garlic Naan

Recipe Type: Indian

Yields: 15

Ingredients 

All Purpose Flour 6 cups

Yeast 3 tsp

Sugar 41/2 tsps

Salt 

Lukewarm Water 6 tbsps

Lukewarm Milk 21/2 to 3 cups

Garlic chopped 

Coriander leaves chopped

Black or white sesame seeds

Method of Preparation 

1. Pre-heat the oven to 450 F along with the baking tray lined with aluminium foil & greased with oil.

2. In a bowl take yeast and sugar. Add lukewarm water to this and give it a stir. Put it in a warm place, preferably the microwave.

3. Leave it like that for 10 to 12 minutes.

4. Meanwhile in a bowl, take the flour, add salt to it. Mix well.

5. Take the yeast out of the microwave. It should have frothed now.

6. Add it to the flour.

7. Add the milk little at a time. Start kneading the dough. It will be too sticky at this point, keep kneading, add milk. I added only 21/2 cups of milk. If you think u need more, u can add upto 3 cups but definitely not more. 

8. Once the stickiness has gone & the dough starts becoming stiff, put it on a countertop & keep kneading it. You need to knead it for 10-15 minutes. The dough needs to become nice & stiff. It should be in such a way that you are able to work with it & it is no more sticky.

9. Grease a big pan(wide & tall) with oil n put this dough into it. The pan should be big enough because this dough is going to rise to double its size & you also don't want it to stick to the sides of the pan so you need to grease the pan well.

10. Cover it with cling wrap & again put it back in the microwave.

11. Leave it in there for 11/2 to 2 hours.

12. When you take out the dough, it would have risen to double it actual size.

13. Punch down the air, knead it for a minute or two & then make it into a log & cut chunks out of it to make the naans.

14. Grease your countertop with oil, put this dough on it & roll it with a rolling pin or work with ur hand. I used my hand to roll out the dough.

15. Wet your hands with water & dab it on the naan & now put the finely chopped garlic, coriander leaves & sesame seeds on it. Press it a little.

16. Brush the naan with butter.

17. The rolled out naans should be 1/2 inch thick.

18. Bake the naan in the oven for 5 minutes or till you see the edges start turning brown. 

19. Once you see the edges starting to change color, change it to broil & cook on broil mode for a minute or till the edges turn slightly brown.

20. The time mentioned is the time that my oven took to cook the naan. If your doing it for the first time, keep an eye so that u don't burn the naan. Also when you put it on broil mode, u definitely need to have a closer watch over this as it might get burnt easily & you will have to discard it.

21. Remove from the oven as soon as it is done. Brush the naan with butter again & wrap it in a foil so that it stays hot.

22. Cut it into two if u want it that way

23. Serve hot with shahi paneer or paneer butter masala.