Jackfruit Kofta Curry

Jackfruit Kofta Curry is a simple recipe, both delicious and easy to cook..Jackfruit also known as kathal or panas katha(oriya) in India is a rich source of nutrients and fiber. It also helps in curing high blood pressure. Some days back i got this recipe from one ofmy favourite sites i.e; http://www.slurrpy.com/....
I dint make any change in the recipe except the garnishing...i used kasoori methi leaves in place of coriander leaves for garnishing..

Ingredients

Raw Jack Fruit 500 gm
3 medium sized onions
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1/2 tsp roasted cumin seed powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
100 gm gram (besan) flour
2 green cardmom
1 big cardmom
small piece of cinnamon
2-3 clove
1 bay leaf
1 tomato chopped
1 tsp kasoori methi leaves
salt to taste
oil

Method

Remove the outer shell of the jackfruit, and cut into small pieces.
Then boil in small amount of water. After boiling mash the pieces and add a bit of turmeric powder for colour, half of the paste of ginger and garlic, gram masala powder, gram flour, and salt..mix it well.
Make small balls of the paste and deep fry in refined oil on low flame till golden brown.
Keep aside the koftas in paper towel.

Now in pan take 2 tsp of oil and saute bay leaf, green cardamom, black cardamom, clove and Cinnamon. Then add chopped onion, fry till golden brown, add chopped tomato, coriander powder, ginger garlic paste, turmeric, pepper powder, cumin powder, red chilly powder and salt to add taste and cook it well until the oil separated from the mixture.
Add water now.When it starts boiling add fried koftas and leave it for 7-8 mins on low flame.
Finally garnish with kasoori methi leaves and serve with rice/roti/naan/parathas.

Sending this recipe to aipi's bookmarked event

Spring Onion & Potato Stir Fry

Spring onion or piaja sainee/sandha or pyaj pati,  now a days is used in many dishes since its a healthy ingredient.  We use it in salads, noodles, fried rice and also in some other dishes. Today I would like to put up spring onion fry which I learnt from my Mom. This is an easy dish to prepare and a good side-dish either with Roti or Rice as a side dish for lunch/dinner..

Ingredients

Spring onions greens Chopped(1-2'' length size) – 4 cups
Potato thinly sliced lengthwise(1-2'' length size)  – 2 cups
Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Tuermeric powder – 1 tsp
Dhania-Jeera powder – 1 tsp
Salt  to taste
Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

Method

Heat oil in a kadai/pan and add cumin seeds to it.
When the seeds start crackling, add chopped potatoes  and spring onions with salt to it .
Let it cook till it tuns little soft on low flame. Keep the lid closed.
Add chilli powder, dhania jeera powder and turmeric powder to it and stir well. 
Cook on low flame till done.
Enjoy with roti/paratha/rice and dal..


U can also check my recipes in http://www.eodissa.com/recipe

Sukhua Bhaja or DryFish Fry

Dry Fish is described as any fishes which had developed a strong odour within hours of capture and salted for about four days and then dried. It is highly salted and semi-dried fishery products with an obnoxious odour and a cheesy but rich fishy flavour widely liked as a sea food item worldwide.

Dry Fish or what we called it in oriya is Sukhua, which is a most common food in the households of Orissa...We have many recipes of Sukhua/dry fish like sukhua, bhaja, sukhua tarkari, sukhua poda etc...I am writing here the most common and and my fav one which is Sukhua Bhaja or dry fish fry...For this we can use the cut pieces of sukhua/dry fish or even the whole fish if it is small...

Ingredients

4-5 Pieces of Sukhua/Dry Fish
1-2 Green chilli
7-8 Flakes of Garlic
2 tbsp Mustard Seeds
1 Tomato
1 small onion(optional)
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
Mustard Oil
Few Chopped Coriander Leaves
1/2 tsp Panch Phutan(Mustard seed+ Cumin seed + Fenugreek Seed + Fennel Seed + Nigella Seed )
Salt to taste

Method

Wash the sukhua and fry in mustard oil for 2 min.

Finely chop the tomato and onion.
Make a smooth paste of green chilli,garlic and mustard seeds.
Heat oil in a kadai/pan, add panch phutan in to it.
When the seeds start crackling, add chopped onions and tomatoes.
Fry till the tomatoes become fluppy.
Now add the salt, turmeric powder and mustard paste with lil water and cook for 2-3 min..
Now add the fried sukhua/dry fish pieces to the above masala and fry till the gravy thickens..

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rice/pakhal...

Mixed Dal Tadka

Dal Tadka is a delicious food containing lentils. It has a high amount of protein and very good for health.

Ingredients:


1/4 cup toor/arhar dal,
1/4 cup moong dal,
1/4 cup masoor dal,
1/4 cup chana dal
1 onion finely chopped,
2 green chillies, slit in the between,
5 flakes garlic, crushed,
1″ piece ginger, crushed,
2 tbsp chopped coriander,
1/2 tsp jeera(cumin seeds),
1/2 tsp rai(mustard seeds),
1/2 tsp red chilli powder,
1/2 tsp turmeric powder,
Salt to taste,
1/2 tbsp lime juice,
A  pinch asafoetida
3 tbsp or more ghee (butter).
 
Method:
 
Wash all the dals together and soak for few hours.
Then pressure cook them upto 3-4 whistles.
If you do not soak them then pressure cook them for more time.
When pressure drops uncover the pressure cooker, transfer the dal into a bowl and beat a lil.
Heat little ghee in pan and add the chopped onoin and fry for till it turns transparent.
Then add turmeric powder and red chilli powder, and dal and bring to boil.
Add little water if necessary as this dal needs to be little thick.
When dal boils, lower the flame and let it simmer for 5 minutes and keep aside..
Just before serving add tadka or seasoning to the dal.
For that heat remaining ghee in a small pan, add mustard and cumin seeds, when they splutter add asafoetida, green chilli, curry leaves, garlic, ginger and fry for a few seconds..
Add the tadka to the prepared dal.
 

Add lemon juice, mix and keep aside.
Garnish with chopped onions and chopped coriander..
Serve hot with plain or jeera rice/roti/paratha/naan/kulcha/lachha paratha

Kanji

Kanji is a very popular and traditional recipe of my state Orissa,India..It is mainly prepared like a soup made with peja(leftover water after boiling rice) and torani(rice water or the liquid juice of Pakhal) cooked with vegetables..

There are 3 types of kanji--


1. Pariba(vegetables) kanji

2. Saga(Leafy vegetables) kanji

3. Sukhua(dry fish) kanji

Kanji Amla Osha

This is held on the ninth day of the dark fortnight of the lunar month of Margashira at the onset of cold season in Orissa. The housewife worship goddess Shathi whose image is placed among seven dried fishes decorated with sindoor/vermilon, kajal/collyrium and yellow rags. Sukhua Kanji  is used as a bhog in this festival.."Kanji' , Amalaki or Amla ( a sour berry) and dried fish are invigorating in winter.

Traditionally in old days, they used to make Kanji during winter season, as it contains Vitamine C, which gives energy and strength to the body to fight the cold..

My mother and grandmother used to cook Kanji always, and i loved to drink that yummy dish..
I am writing here the recipe for kanji with a little variation to make it more simple and easy...

In old days they keep little peja with torani in a container and keep adding the same to that container, till 7-8 days..they keep the container covered, and leave it for formentation  until became sour..then they just add enough water to it with salt and turmeric powder and cook it with vegetables or dry fish(fried)....Those days there was no fridge in the kitchens, so they used to make kanji in winters only.. but now a days we have that facility of fridging, so we can hav the yummy drink to control the heat of the Summer too..Here i keep peja+ torani for one day in the fridge and to bring the sourness, i just add butter milk to it and cooked with vegetables...

* To store peja in its liquid form, we just have to add water to the warm peja and keep aside  to cool..


Ingredients

2-3 Cups Peja
1 Cup Torani
2 Cups Water
(I mixed all the above 3 and kept it in fridge, if its winter then u can keep it outside and even try to do the authentic style)
1-2 Cups Buttermilk(Depends upon its sourness)
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt to taste
1 Raddish
1 Brinjal
3-4 Okra
50 gm Pumpkin

Tempering:-

Few Curry Leaves
1-2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1-2 Dry Red Chilli
1/2 " Ginger(crushed)
Mustard Oil

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves

Method

Cut all the vegetables in to 1" lengthsize..
Add peja, torani, water, buttermilk, turmeric powder,  and salt in to a kadai and boil it.
Once it started boiling, add all the vegetables and cook properly in medium heat.
Cook till all the vegetables are done and keep aside in a container.
Heat mustard oil in kadai, add red chilli and mustard seeds to it.
When it started crackling, add crushed ginger and curry leaves.Fry a lil.
Add the above tempering to the cooked vegetables.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot or cold..

Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori chicken is traditionally cooked in a tandoor...But we can make a perfect tandoori chicken in a oven too.Since we are cooking chicken in oven,to make the chicken tender, I ended up using baking powder as a meat tenderizer and it worked really well. Use thick curd in this recipe so that the marination holds on the chicken well.....

Ingrediants:

Chicken-Leg Pieces of Chicken
Baking Powder-1 tsp
Oil-1tblspn
 
For Marination:
 
Curd-1 ½ cups
Chilli powder-2 tblpsn
Pepper-1 tsp
Cumin powder-1 tsp
Garam masala powder-1 tsp
Coriander powder -1 tblspsn
Chat masala-2 tsp
Kasuri methi leaves-1 tblspn
Ginger Garlic paste-1 tblspn
Salt to taste
Lemon juice to taste
 
Method:

Clean the chicken and make slashes so that the chicken cooks evenly.
Add a tsp of salt,chilli powder,baking powder and mix together.Let it marinate for 15 min .
In a Bowl add Curd and all the ingredients given for marination and mix well.
Pour this over the chicken and let it marinate for 2-4 hours.
Preheat the oven to 200 degree for 10 min.
Now take a Baking tray and line it with foil.
In a small bowl mix oil and lemon juice and keep aside.This is the lemony base for the chicken.
Now place the marinated chicken in it and drizzle with a tsp of oil.
Place this in the center rack of the oven and cook for 20 min.
Now turn the chicken and cook for a further 15 min.
For every 10 min just apply the lemony base over the chicken so that the chicken does not get dry.
Now set the oven to broil and place the tray on the top rack,grill for 10 min..
Remove the chicken in a plate and serve hot with onions and mint chutney...

Khoya Lassi

Lassi is a very easy to make and popular drink in all over India..Though it is a traditional drink of punjab, still it is very famous and has so many variations in all over the country..But genarally Lassi is made in 2 ways either sweet or salty..In a hot sunny day, it is only natural to quench one's thirst with a full glass of Lassi..Khoya lassi is made of curd, milk, sugar and khoya...

Ingredients:

Curd - 1 1/2 glass
Milk - 1/2 glass
Sugar - 3-4tbsp
Grated Khoya - 1 Cup
Ice cubes

Method
In a pan, add 2 - 3 tbsp ghee and fry the grated Khoya. Stir till light brown...Keep aside to cool.
Blend all the ingredients except grated khoya in a blender .
Take 2 glasses and pour the above blended mixture in to it.
Add fried khoya to both the glasses with crushed ice and serve...

Sending this yummy lassi to Serve It – chilled event..

Karanji/Gujiya

On the festival occasions, people all over India prepare best dishes at their home. There are so many varieties of these. Karanji, also known as Gujiya and pirikiya is a dish that is famous all over the country. Though preparation of Karanji requires little time and effort, the taste is worth all the patience. One major advantage of Karanji is that it can be stored for weeks and used as dessert as well as snacks. Incase, you have still not tasted Karanji, give it a try. Here is the recipe:-

Ingredients


For Stuffing:


1 cup grated dry coconut
1 cup powdered sugar
4 elaichi
2 tbsp mixed dry fruit pieces

For Dough:

1 cup maida
1 tsp ghee (butter)
salt (pinch)

warm milk (for doughing)

Method

In order to prepare Karanji, you will have to first prepare dough and then prepare the stuffing. Once you are done with both of them, you simply need to fill the stuffing and deep fry the Karanji.


Dough Preparation:

Mix 1 cup maida, 1 tbsp ghee, a pinch of salt and warm milk to prepare the dough, try to keep the dough a little hard.

Stuffing Preparation:

Mix all the above ingredients and fry them in a pan till dry.

Karanji Preparation:

1. Roll small oval shaped puris from the hard dough.
2. Now place the prepared stuffing in the middle of it.
3. Stick both the corners of the puri by applying some water or milk so that it will seal properly. Remember not to apply too much of water as it will not seal properly.
4. Deep fry it till it becomes brownish color.

5. Serve it hot or cold as you wish.

*Sending this yummy recipe to akil's "CELEBRATE SWEETS~STUFFED SWEETS"  event

Piyaji/Pyaj Pakoda

For most Indians,Pakodas are  the perfect and comforting food during cold weathers or rainy season. It is a very popular and comforting Indian snack. Best enjoyed over a hot cup of tea, the cripsy and spicy Pakoda makes  tea time something special, almost like a bonding time between family and friends .Its not just cold weather or rains which makes me crave for pakodas, I can have them all year around as they are not only tasty but can be prepared in a jiffy and with ingredients which are usually available in home...

Among all the pakodas piyaji or pyaj pakoda is one of my most fav one..which is prepared from a batter of besan (bengal gram flour), rice flour, onions, curry leaves and green chillis...are deep fried till they attain a beautiful golden brown color. The less water used to mix the flours, the harder the batter is, to prepare crisp pakodas...

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups besan (bengal gram flour)
½ cup rice flour
4-5 green chillis, finely chopped
2 large onions, sliced
2 tbsp melted ghee (clarified butter)
few sprigs curry leaves
salt to taste
pinch of baking soda
oil for deep frying


Method

Combine both the flours with salt, soda, green chillis, curry leaves and onions.
Add the melted ghee and mix well with fingers. Combine well till u have a crumbly texture.
Add few tablespoons of water and mix well that it forms a hard batter. Don’t add too much water.
Heat enough oil in a deep frying pan. It should be piping hot.
Drop spoonfull of the pakoda batter and reduce heat to medium ( 2-3 pakodas at a time )
Press the pakodas a lil by using the spoon to give them a round shape.

Deep fry till they turn golden brown. Use a ladle to keep turning the fritters so that it cooks on all sides.
Once they turn golden brown remove them on to absorbent paper.
Serve as evening snacks over a hot cup of masala tea or ny cold drinks...

Alu Posto

Poppy seed is an integral part of the platter in all Bengali households. Preparations with poppy seeds mainly include vegan dishes, but there are also some dishes where poppy seeds are used with fish or meat. The love for poppy seeds among Bengalis started hundreds of years ago. Alu posto is the most common form of poppy seeds use in Bengali cuisine, at times the potatoes are also replaced with ridge gourds, onions, aubergine, or even chicken.

The herbal concoction of the seeds is also beneficial in treating all kinds of nervous disorders. Apart from consuming poppy seeds in its raw form or toasted on bagels and sweet breads, a paste made from the seeds can be used as a poultice in obtaining relief from swellings and joint pains. Finely ground powder made from poppy seeds can also be consumed to treat insomnia and diarrhea. Apart from adding flavor to food, poppy fields also present an added advantage of providing health benefits to the human body. It also supplies essential enzymes and fatty acids as a form of nutrition. In ancient days, athletes would consume or blend of poppy seeds with honey entwined to ensure strength and good health. The oil derived from poppy seeds is used in various cosmetic preparations for the head and skin as balms and conditioners.


Ingredients:

Potato (Alu): 4 medium sizes
Poppy seeds (Posto): 3 tablespoons soaked in water for 1/2 an hr
Nigella seeds (Kala jeera): 1 teaspoon
1 medium onion-chopped
Green chili (kancha lanka): 3
Turmeric powder (Haldi gunda): ½ teaspoon
Mustard oil (Sorisha tel): 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste

Method

Make a smooth fine paste of the poppy seeds and keep aside.
Cut the potatoes into small square pieces
Heat oil in a wok over low flame, add the nigella seeds.
When the seeds start crackling, add chopped onions.Fry till the onion changes their colour.
Add in the potatoes along with the turmeric powder, green chilies and salt .
Pour in about a cup of water and let the potatoes get half cooked.
Add the poppy seed paste and cook till the potatoes are well cooked .
Pour in water if necessary
Take out of flame and serve hot with rice/roti/paratha...

* Sending this recipe to Priya's Flavours of Bengal event started by Nayna

Potol Korma

I dont know why my post of potol korma with all its comments given by my friends has been deleted by blogger...really sad about it...so posting it again...

Potol Korma is a very tasty recipe popularly made in marriages,parties, and receptions in my state Odisha,India..here in this recipe, we used the whole potol/parwal to cook in a very rich and spicy gravy..

Ingredients

5-6 Potol/Parwal
2 medium onions-chopped
1 tomato-chopped
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 cup coconut milk
1-2 tbsp curd-beaten
Salt to taste
ghee/oil

Garam masala paste:-
1'' cinnamon
2-3 cloves
2-3 green cardamom
1-2 black cardamom
2-3 black pepper

Method

Wash, cut the ends of the parwal and peel skin.
Then slit each potol in lengthwise and marinate it with turmeric powder and salt.
Keep aside for 15-20 min.
Heat ghee/oil and fry the parwal till light brown. Keep aside.

In the same oil add 1-2 tsp of sugar and wait until the sugar has turned into a rich brown syrup.
Now fry onion in that oil till medium brown. Add ginger-garlic paste, and fry for a minute.
Add red chili, turmeric,  cumin and coriander powder. Fry for a mniute.
Add tomato and fry in medium heat, adding little water (to prevent sticking) till oil starts coming out.
Add fried parwal.
Add salt, garam masala paste, coconut milk and beaten curd. Bring to boil. Add water if necessary.
Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 min. or till gravy thickens.

Serve hot with nan/paratha/pulao/rice/roti.

Machha Bhaja/Fish Fry

Machha Bhaja/Fish Fry is popularly used as a side dish for pakhala in Odisha,India...Even used as a side dish for rice/roti or u can also have it as snacks..

Though there are various versions of fish fry among different regions of the state, the most common method is to marinate the fish with turmeric, salt, mustard oil & chilly powder & then simply fry with optimum mustard oil in medium heat. But the recipe I am going to give is a slightly different version which is very crispy and tasty...

Ingredients

7-8 Belly Pieces of Fish/peti pieces of machha
Here i used Rohu fish, u can try it with other ones too with fish fillets...
9-10 Flakes of garlic.
1'' ginger
1 tsp cumin powder
1-2 tbsp curd
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp mustard oil
2-3 tbsp all purpose flour/maida
1 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste

Method

Wash the fish thoroughly.
Make a paste of garlic and ginger.
In a bowl, take the fish, add all the ingredients with gineger-garlic paste.
Mix it well and keep it for 15-20 minutes so that the fish soak all the flavors of it.

In a pan or kadai, take 2-3 tablespoon of mustard oil.
When the oil gets heated, put in 3-4 pieces of fish into the oil.
Fry it in medium heat for sometime until the fish is done.

Ensure that the masala is not burnt completely.
As soon the upper crust becomes crisp, take the fish out. Do the same for other pieces.
Serve hot .

Pakhala

My summer treat is Pakhala, a very popular dish of my state...u can have it anytime as breakfast/lunch/evening tiffin or even as dinner...It is soo tasty and  the person may be rich or poor his/her day never pass without pakhala.Pakhala is an Odia term for an Indian food consisting of cooked rice soaked or little fermented in water. The liquid part is known as Torani. A traditional Oriya dish, it is also prepared with rice, curd, cucumber, Cumin seeds, fried onions and mint leaves. It is popularly served with fried vegetables as potato, brinjal, Badi and saga bhaja or fish fry.
 

Probably Pakhala is the food of Odia's just as the Sattu for the Bihari's and Dal Bati for the Rajasthani's. However that does not mean pakhala is eaten and savored only by Odia's. In fact,the popularity of pakhala transgresses the Odisha  border to be enjoyed in states like Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh and even insome parts of Myanmar and Bangladesh. To the Bengali’s it is known as Panta Bhat,to the natives of Chattisgarh as Pakhal Bhat or Bore Bhat and to the Assamiya as Poita Bhat. Not only this, People in southern India have their own form of pakhala, the ‘tair sadam’ / curd rice which falls in the same category.
 
Eating pakhal has been recommended to prevent heat stroke in hot weather. I will post all the side dishes  for pakhala soon one after another, so that u people can have it and enjoy the taste of it...
 
Method
 
Cook rice and allow it to cool (do not freeze).

Add curd and salt to taste.
Mix well before eating..Garnish as per ur choice...
Serve it with fish fry /saga bhaja/ ambula jhola/badi chura/ alu or ny fried veg/baigan chakta/or any other dry curry and salad..

Traditional way of preparing Pakhala is slightly fermented rice. people cook rice and add water to it along with little bit of old pakhal (something like making curd using milk and old curd). Pakhala tastes best when served after 8 to 12 hrs after preparation. Generally boiled potato and other fried vegetables or fried fish is served with pakhala. Modern day variation is to add curd instead of fermenting it..


So have it and cool ur body from the heat of summer and get a nice sleep...enjoy..:)

Some side dishes for Pakhala:-

1. Machha bhaja/fish fry
2. Bhendi Bhaja/stuffed okra
3. Chhueen bhaja/drumstick fry
4. Bhaja Santula
5. Bandhakobi/cabbage Santula
6. Badichura
7. Guduguda

Cabbage Pakoda

Have you relished cabbage in the form of a crispy pakoda? If you haven’t and are fond of cabbage then you should try this recipe. To many, cabbage may not be the prettiest or tastiest of vegetables but it more than makes up in flavor in the garb of a besan coated, golden crisp pakoda . This is one of my fav recipes from my mom's kitchen...I love these pakodas a lot and even like to eat them with rice and dal as a side dish...

Serve warm with a hot cup of tea on a rainy day and you have a snack to provide comfort to your body and soul....

Ingredients

1 cup cabbage, finely chopped
( use only tender cabbage leaves, remove the thick vein, if any )
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 1/4 cup gram flour ( besan )
1 tablespoon rice powder
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
3 pinches asafoetida ( hing )
3/4 teaspoon salt ( or to taste )
Few chopped curry leaves and coriander leaves
1/2 cup water
200 ml oil for frying ( 1 - inch from the base of the kadai )

Method

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together and keep aside for 15 minutes.
Batter should be thick in consistency ( do not add more water).
Heat oil in a kadai.
Drop teaspoons of the pakoda batter and reduce heat to medium ( 6 - 7 pakodas at a time ).
Press the pakodas a lil by using the spoon to give them a round shape..Fry till golden color on both the sides.
Serve hot with sauce, chutney or have it with tea or coffee...

Sending these yummy pakodas to aipi's bookmarked recipes event:-

Methi Chicken

Sun dried fenugreek leaves gives this chcken dish an aromatic taste.

Ingredients

750 gms Chicken(Clean skin and cut in to medium sized pieces)
3 medium onions
2'' ginger
1-2 green chilii
few coriander leaves
2 tbsp oil
2 bay leaves
5 green cardamom
2 black cardamom
3 cloves
1'' cinnamon stick
4 black pepper
2 tbsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/2  cup curd
1 tomato
6-7 cashew nut
3-4 tbsp dry fenugreek leaves(kasoori methi)
1 tsp chicken masala powder
Salt to taste

Method

Wash chicken pieces and marinate with 1/2 tsp turmeric powder,salt to taste, 1 tbsp curd and oil..
Keep aside for1/2- 1 hour...
Peel, wash and chop onions.
Peel, wash and chop ginger.
Remove stems, wash and chop green chillies.
Wash and chop coriander leaves.
Make a smooth paste of tomato and cashew nuts by adding lil water..
Heat oil in a pan. Add bay leaves, green cardamoms, black cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon and peppercorns. Sauté until cardamoms start to crackle.
Add onions and cook until translucent and soft.
Make sure to stir continuously.
Add ginger, garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and chopped green chillies. Sauté for a minute. Add chicken pieces and beaten curd and cook on high heat for 3-4 minutes.
Add kasoori methi, cashew-tomato paste and three-fourth cup of water.
Cover the pan and cook on low heat for ten minutes.

Add chicken masala powder, salt and mix properly.
Serve hot garnished with chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Stuffed Paneer chop/Pakora

Stuffed Paneer chop/pakora is very famous in eastern India...It is easy to make and yummy in taste, is the perfect explanation for this snacks. It is appetizing to even look at. One of my most favourites after aloo chop is paneer chop or paneer pakora, but not the usual one,its slight different, in this green chutney is used as a stuffing which increases the flavour as well as the taste a lott..and the stuffed paneer has 2 coatings- 1st one is of besan and the 2nd one is of maida .

Now its enough of my words...lets start with the recipe:-

Ingredients

Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) – 1 lbs
Besan (Bengal gram flour) – 2 cups
Maida(All purpose flour ) - 2 cups
Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Garam masala – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1tsp
Baking soda – 1 pinch
Green chutney – 1 cup
1 capsicum- chopped
1 Tomato-chopped
Chaat masala – 1 tbsp
Water – 1-2 cup approx. (for making the pakora batter)
oil to fry
Salt as per taste

Method:

Cut the paneer in 1*1 inch square thin slices. Keep aside.
Prepare pakora batter by adding besan, salt, garam masala, red chili powder, turmeric and a pinch of baking soda in one bowl. Add water and mix well into a thick batter.
Take a 2nd bowl and do the same to make batter of maida..
On the paneer slices, apply a layer of green chutney, some capsicum and tomatoes and cover it with another paneer slice. It will look like a sandwich.
Heat oil for frying the pakoras . Check the temperature, if it is medium hot.
Gently cover these sandwiches in the pakora batter of besan and fry it in the oil.
Fry till turns sightly brown and then drain on the kitchen towel.
Now dip these in to the batter made from maida and fry again.

Drain them  when looks crispy or changes its colour to slight brown....
Sprinkle some chaat masala to the pakoras when they are still hot.
Serve hot with tomato sauce or any sauce/chutney of ur choice...

*Sending this yummy pakoras recipe to US Masala's Bookmarked recipes event 

and CBB Series #3 ~ Evening Tiffin

Tomato Paratha

Tomato paratha is a tangy tomato flavored paratha recipe. Recently i made this with  a curry of chana+matar(sukha)+chhole...and it turns out well...So im sharing this with u all...In this recipe, maida and wheat flour is added to a spicy tomato paste and then kneaded into dough for paratha..chillies can be reduced or added more according to your taste....it's certainly a different kind of spicy and tasty paratha.
 

 
Preparation Time: 10min


Cooking Time: 20min



Ingredients


3/4 cup Wheat flour/atta
1 tbsp maida-all purpose flour
5 ripe red tomatoes(chopped)
1 medium onion(chopped finely)
3-4 flakes minced garlics
3 green chillies(crushed)
1/4 tsp coriander powder
2 pinches cumin powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
2 pinches sugar
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
salt to taste
3 tbsp coriander (dhania) leaves
ghee for frying

Method


Take a tawa add 2 tbsp of oil add onion, garlic, saute until soft.
Add tomatoes with turmeric and salt cook in a medium flame until it is well cooked .
Add the crushed green chilli and red chilli powder and the cumin-coriander powder with a pinch of sugar.
Cook for couple of minutes more until the gravy becomes a thick consistency & the water is absorbed.
Add chopped coriander leaves,mix well and let it cool completely.
Take the tomato paste in a bowl add wheat flour and maida, mix well without adding water.
Only add water if required into a thick dough.
Add salt if required.
Roll out as even size parathas.
Apply ghee in a tawa and toast it on both the sides until crisp.
Serve hot with any curry or raita..

*Sending this yummy paratha recipe to the Breakfast Mela Event:-

Veg Chowmein

A complete meal...Perfect combination of all nutrients contributed by the vegetables and starch from the noodles.Flavoured with soya sauce, this chow mein brings out all the flavours of Chinese cooking.
Chow mein is a style of preparing noodles separately and then topping them with a choice of ingredients. Here I have used veggies like carrots, capsicums and cabbages(u can also add musrooms, baby corns or even paneer with this recipe).

 
Preparation Time: 15 mins.

Cooking Time: 20 mins.
Serves 4.

Ingredients


For the noodles:-

1 1/2 cups Boiled Noodles

(Boil Noodles in enough water.Do not overcook. Strain Noodles through cold water 2-3 times and drain water and set aside, add few drops of oil to the noodles to avoid sticking )

1/2 tbsp soya sauce
1/2 tbsp vinegar
1/2 tbsp chilli sauce
1 tsp oil

For the vegetables:-

1/2 cup onions, sliced
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp garlic, chopped

1 tsp sliced capsicum
1/4 cup carrot, cut into thin strips
1 cup cabbage , chopped
1 tsp oil
salt to taste
The sauce to add with the vegetables:-Mix 2 tbsp soya sauce+1/2 cup water+1 tbsp cornflour and keep aside.
1/4 tsp peper powder

For garnishing:-

¼ cup spring onions, chopped

Method

Mix together the sauce(vinegar,chilli sauce,soya sauce) and the noodles. Keep aside.
Heat the oil over a high flame and sauté the onions, ginger, and garlic for a few seconds.

Add the carrots, cabbage, capsicum, salt and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes till the vegetables soften.
Add the sauce (2 tbsp soya sauce+1/2 cup water+1 tbsp cornflour), peper powder and bring to a boil.
Cook till the water evaporates..Keep aside.
In a non-stick pan heat the refined oil and add the noodles.
Arrange evenly on the surface of the pan like making a pancake. Cook till the noodles are golden brown in colour and lightly crisp.

Carefully turn the noodles around cook over a slow flame for 3 to 4 minutes and then slide them on a serving plate.

Serve immediately by mixing with the prepared vegetables and chopped spring onions...
Enjoy it with chilli paneer or any other chinese items...

*Note:-
U can also use sesame oil or olive oil as ur choice instead of refined oil...
According to taste vinegar, soya sauce and chili sauce can be increased or decreased.