I've decided to add the special menus made for people's birthdays here as well...
here is the menu I am planning to make for Rajesh's birthday tomorrow - I need everything to be without onions or garlic as tomorrow is a Saturday. So i'm just using spices and avoiding the onion and garlic.
Recipes due to this reason are chosen from Divine Taste. The besan parathas are from Mad Tea Party in Indian Food Rocks blog.
Vegetable Biriyani
1 1/2 cups basmati rice
1 carrot cut into 1" pieces
1 potato cut into 1" pieces
1 small capsicum cut into 1" pieces
8 to 10 french beans cut into 1" piececs
200g paneer chunks
1/4 cup thick yoghurt
3 cups water
Whole spices
4 cloves
1 bay leaf
2 green cardamom
2 black cardamom
1 star anise
1/2" cinnamon piece
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
1/2 tbsp dhaniya powder
1 tsp asafetida
2 tsp salt
4 tbsp ghee
Wet ground mixture
1 small tomato
1/2 cup coriander leaves
1/2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
1/2 green chilly
1/2 cup fresh pudina leaves
Cut the vegetables, wash, clean and keep the leaves aside for pudina and coriander
Cook the vegetables size wise in the microwave and keep aside
Soak the rice in water for about 15 minutes
Meanwhile, grind the tomato, coriander leaves, mint leaves, ginger, chill together to a fine paste
In a pressure pan, add the ghee and put in the whole spices, when the spices release their aroma, add the turmeric, chilli powder, dhaniya powder, asafedita and stir around for a few seconds
Add the ground paste and cook until the oil seperates
Put in the cooked vegetables and mix well
Add the yoghurt, water, salt and rice in that order and cook covered until done on a low flame
Cover
Besan parathas
For the besan paste:
2 heaped tbsp besan
1/2 tsp ajwain or carom seeds
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/6 cup oil, approximately
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
For the dough
1 cups atta (whole wheat flour)
1/2 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup warm water, approximately
1/6 cup atta for dusting
1/6 cup oil for cooking the paratha
Place a griddle to heat
Add oil, salt to atta, mix and then add only as much water as required to make a not sticky dough.
Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let it rest for 10 minutes
Mix besan, ajwain, chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt
Add oil slowly to get a thick spreadable paste, paste should be little thicker than vada patter
Keep the cilantro in a different bowl
Divide the dough into 8 pieces
Roll each ball into about 3" in diameter
Bhoondi raita
Spread about 1/2 tsp besan paste onto half of the rolled circle and fold it over
Spread about 1/4 tsp besan paste on the semi circle and fold again into a quarter circle
dust with atta and roll into rounds
grill on medium high until colour changes
flip and spread oil and cook about 30 seconds
flip and cook again until puffy
Kashmiri Rajma
Ingredients:
320 gm (1 1/2 cups) rajma beans or red kidney beans
1 bay leaf
1.25 litres (5 cups) water
250 gm (3 to 4 tomatoes. depending on size), eyes removed and ground to a puree
3 tbsp peanut oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
3/4 tsp asafetida
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
4 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chili powder
2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves or cilantro
2 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
For the spice powder or garam masala
2 moti elaichi or black cardamom, seeds without skin
6 green cardamom, seeds without skin
5 cloves
2 to 3 small pieces of cinnamon
Method:
Wash and soak the rajma beans in water overnight or for 6 to 8 hours. Discard the soaking water and place the beans in a pressure cooker along with the bay leaf and 5 cups of water. Pressure cook until the first whistle and then lower the heat and cook for 10 to 15 minutes more until the beans are properly cooked and some of them split open. The cooking time depends on the quality of the beans.
Once the beans are cooked, drain the water over a colander and reserve it.
In a wok or kadai, heat the oil over a medium flame. Pop in the cumin seeds and when then change colour, lower the heat a little and add the asafetida and the ginger. Stir for a few seconds and then add in the tomato puree. Mix well with a ladle or cooking spoon and then put in the coriander seed powder and the red chilli powder. Cook until the spices get incorporated into the tomatoes and the oil separated from the tomatoes.
Take a ladle full of the drained beans (about 1/2 a cup) and add it into the tomatoes. With the back of a spoon mash the beans well. Put in the remaining beans into the pot and stir well. Add the reserved water, salt and the coriander leaves, raise the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Lower the heat a little and cook stirring in between until the gravy thickens to the desired consistency, about 15 minutes.
Assemble all the spices in a mortar and pestle and pound into a powder. Alternatively use a coffee mill or dry spice grinder.
Put in the garam masala, stir and serve hot with rice or rotis.
German Chocolate cake for desert
here is the menu I am planning to make for Rajesh's birthday tomorrow - I need everything to be without onions or garlic as tomorrow is a Saturday. So i'm just using spices and avoiding the onion and garlic.
Recipes due to this reason are chosen from Divine Taste. The besan parathas are from Mad Tea Party in Indian Food Rocks blog.
Vegetable Biriyani
1 1/2 cups basmati rice
1 carrot cut into 1" pieces
1 potato cut into 1" pieces
1 small capsicum cut into 1" pieces
8 to 10 french beans cut into 1" piececs
200g paneer chunks
1/4 cup thick yoghurt
3 cups water
Whole spices
4 cloves
1 bay leaf
2 green cardamom
2 black cardamom
1 star anise
1/2" cinnamon piece
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
1/2 tbsp dhaniya powder
1 tsp asafetida
2 tsp salt
4 tbsp ghee
Wet ground mixture
1 small tomato
1/2 cup coriander leaves
1/2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
1/2 green chilly
1/2 cup fresh pudina leaves
Cut the vegetables, wash, clean and keep the leaves aside for pudina and coriander
Cook the vegetables size wise in the microwave and keep aside
Soak the rice in water for about 15 minutes
Meanwhile, grind the tomato, coriander leaves, mint leaves, ginger, chill together to a fine paste
In a pressure pan, add the ghee and put in the whole spices, when the spices release their aroma, add the turmeric, chilli powder, dhaniya powder, asafedita and stir around for a few seconds
Add the ground paste and cook until the oil seperates
Put in the cooked vegetables and mix well
Add the yoghurt, water, salt and rice in that order and cook covered until done on a low flame
Cover
Besan parathas
For the besan paste:
2 heaped tbsp besan
1/2 tsp ajwain or carom seeds
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/6 cup oil, approximately
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
For the dough
1 cups atta (whole wheat flour)
1/2 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup warm water, approximately
1/6 cup atta for dusting
1/6 cup oil for cooking the paratha
Place a griddle to heat
Add oil, salt to atta, mix and then add only as much water as required to make a not sticky dough.
Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let it rest for 10 minutes
Mix besan, ajwain, chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt
Add oil slowly to get a thick spreadable paste, paste should be little thicker than vada patter
Keep the cilantro in a different bowl
Divide the dough into 8 pieces
Roll each ball into about 3" in diameter
Bhoondi raita
Spread about 1/2 tsp besan paste onto half of the rolled circle and fold it over
Spread about 1/4 tsp besan paste on the semi circle and fold again into a quarter circle
dust with atta and roll into rounds
grill on medium high until colour changes
flip and spread oil and cook about 30 seconds
flip and cook again until puffy
Kashmiri Rajma
Ingredients:
320 gm (1 1/2 cups) rajma beans or red kidney beans
1 bay leaf
1.25 litres (5 cups) water
250 gm (3 to 4 tomatoes. depending on size), eyes removed and ground to a puree
3 tbsp peanut oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
3/4 tsp asafetida
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
4 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chili powder
2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves or cilantro
2 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
For the spice powder or garam masala
2 moti elaichi or black cardamom, seeds without skin
6 green cardamom, seeds without skin
5 cloves
2 to 3 small pieces of cinnamon
Method:
Wash and soak the rajma beans in water overnight or for 6 to 8 hours. Discard the soaking water and place the beans in a pressure cooker along with the bay leaf and 5 cups of water. Pressure cook until the first whistle and then lower the heat and cook for 10 to 15 minutes more until the beans are properly cooked and some of them split open. The cooking time depends on the quality of the beans.
Once the beans are cooked, drain the water over a colander and reserve it.
In a wok or kadai, heat the oil over a medium flame. Pop in the cumin seeds and when then change colour, lower the heat a little and add the asafetida and the ginger. Stir for a few seconds and then add in the tomato puree. Mix well with a ladle or cooking spoon and then put in the coriander seed powder and the red chilli powder. Cook until the spices get incorporated into the tomatoes and the oil separated from the tomatoes.
Take a ladle full of the drained beans (about 1/2 a cup) and add it into the tomatoes. With the back of a spoon mash the beans well. Put in the remaining beans into the pot and stir well. Add the reserved water, salt and the coriander leaves, raise the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Lower the heat a little and cook stirring in between until the gravy thickens to the desired consistency, about 15 minutes.
Assemble all the spices in a mortar and pestle and pound into a powder. Alternatively use a coffee mill or dry spice grinder.
Put in the garam masala, stir and serve hot with rice or rotis.
German Chocolate cake for desert
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