Cauliflower Mulugu Peratu/South Indian Cauliflower Stir-Fry

I made this recipe last weekend and enjoyed it so much I made it again this week! This is a very simple cauliflower recipe but is really tasty and therefore is blog worthy. Try it and let me know how you liked it. The recipe is inspired by the Veh reh Vah chef video although the ingredient proportions I used are quite different.

Ingredients:
1 medium head cauliflower cut into small florets
2-3 dried red chilies
2 tsp channa dal
2 tsp urad dal
4 sprigs curry leaves
6 thai green chillies, minced
2-3 dashes hing
1 medium onion, chopped
cilantro leaves (for garnishing)

Grind together to a coarse paste using mortar and pestle:
4 cloves garlic
10-12 whole black peppercorns
1.5 tsp cumin seeds

Method:
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and splutter. Next add dried red chillies and saute for a minute. Add channa daal and saute until daal starts picking up some color. Next add urad daal. and saute until light golden. Now add ground up masala and hing and saute for a minute. Don't overcook mixture. Now add chopped onion, curry leaves and chopped green chillies. Saute until onion becomes translucent. Finally, add cauliflower, salt to taste and toss with the mixture. Cover and steam on low for a few minutes until cauliflower is 1/2 cooked. Remove lid, raise the heat to high and keep cooking until the steam water has evaporated and the cauliflower is fullt cooked. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rotis.

Fantastic Chicken Karahi

This recipe is a slightly modified recipe from a famous Pakistani chef. I modified it a bit to suit our tastes and based on the ingredients we have here. I have made this recipe several times and each time it turns out fantastic - just like the Chicken Karahi in Pakistan. The key to the recipe is using good tomatoes so the tomato taste shines through. If you don't have good tomatoes (often the case in the winter), use the full amount of tomatoes and also add a couple tablespoons tomato paste.

1kg whole chicken cut into small pcs (its important that the chicken should be bone in)
2-3 tsps chopped garlic
2 inch piece ginger, julienned
1/4 cup oil
6-7 medium tomatoes, sliced or chopped
6-8 serrano chilies depending on heat level (can use other chilies too but adjust to heat level)
2 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

Spices:
1.5 tsp whole coriander seeds
1 tsp whole cumin
10-12 whole black pepper
1 black cardamom

Grind whole spices and set aside.

To add separately:
1.5 tsp crushed red chili
1 tsp red chili pdr

Method:
1) Heat oil in a pan and fry chicken pcs on high heat until white but still not fully cooked. Add garlic and keep sauteeing (don't burn or brown the garlic). Remove chicken and set aside.

2) Add tomatoes to pan with the remaining oil. Add a few more teaspoons if you feel the oil is not enough. Add 1.5 tsp crushed red chili and 1 tsp red chili pdr. Cover and cook until soft.

3) Add 2 tsps ginger and 1.5-2 tsps kasoori methi crushed by hand. Cook 2 mins more.

4) Add chicken to pan along with the green chilies and saute so the chicken is coated with the tomato-spice mixture and starts absorbing it. Cook for a few minutes.

5) Add salt to taste. Add some more ginger (julienned) along with the ground masala. Add a little water and cook with the lid on. Remember this is supposed to be a dry-ish dish with only a little gravy. The chicken is supposed to be liberaly coated with the sauce you create.

6) Garnish with julienned ginger and serve hot with naans.

Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

I just tried this today. It turned out absolutely delicious....just like the restaurant version. This is an amalgamation of several different recipes I found online. Its a little time consuming but very worth it, especially for guests.

Ingredients:

4 bone-in chicken breasts (can use boneless but the bone helps the chicken stay moist), Approx 2 lbs

To marinate chicken:

Shan tandoori chicken masala (4-5 tbsp)

4 tbsp yogurt

2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste (I used fresh ginger/garlic crushed in the food processor)

Juice of 1 lime

Mix the above ingredients with the chicken and set aside in the fridge for a few hours (or overnight). Grill chicken until jut cooked (do not overcook). Set aside to cool completely. When cooled, cut into bite sized chunks for curry.

Spices:

3-4 cloves

3 green cardamoms, lightly crushed

6-8 whole black peppercorns

1" stick of cinnamon

2 bay leaves

2 tsp coriander pdr

1 tsp cumin pdr

1.5-2 tsp red chili pdr (depending on your spice level)

1/4 tsp turmeric pdr

3 tbsp kasuri methi

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 large onion, chopped finely

2 tsp ginger-garlic paste (I used fresh)

2 tomatoes

2 tsp cashew butter or almond butter (You can also use 1/4 cup or so of nuts crushed in the food processor)

3/4 cup half and half

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tsp sugar

Salt to taste

3 tbsp butter

1 tsp oil

Method:

In a large pan, melt the butter and oil. When hot, add whole cumin seeds until sizzling. Now add chopped onion and saute until the onion is soft. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for 2 minutes. Now add cloves, bay leaves, pepper, cinnamon and cardamom. Saute another 2 minutes taking care that the spices don't burn. Add coriander pdr, cumin pdr, red chili pdr, turmeric, and 2 tbsp kasuri methi (rubbed between the palm of your hands). If the mixture looks too dry and like it might burn, add a little oil or a little water and stir. Saute until the raw smell of spices disappears. Now add 2 chopped tomatoes and saute until the tomatoes are soft and the mixture starts forming a paste. Once you can see oil oozing out of the mixture, add about 4-6 cups of water to make a gravy. Add ketchup and sugar and cook mixture until slightly thickened.

Remove cinnamon stick and bay leaves and puree mixture with an immersion blender or when cool, puree in the blender until a smooth sauce is obtained. Return to pan and cook until the curry is thickened. Add grilled chicken pieces and half and half. and simmer on low for 5-10 minutes. Add remaining 1 tbsp crushed kasuri methi along with 1/2 tsp garam masala. Stir and remove from heat.

Gajar Mattar Keema/Ground Beef with Carrots and Peas

I made this the other day and it turned out nicely.
Ingredients:
1kg ground beef
3 medium onions, sliced
1 tsp ginger garlic paste (I used fresh)
4-5 medium carrots, grated
3 medium chopped tomatoes
10 green chili, slit in half
8-10 black pepper
6-7 cloves
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp red chili pdr
1-1.5tsp whole cumin seeds, coarsely crushed
2 tbsp julienned ginger
Chopped cilantro
Chopped dill
1 cup peas

Method:
Fry onions in oil until translucent. Add 1 tsp ginger garlic paste. Add black pepper, cloves and fry. Add turmeric and keep cooking. Add a little water if the mixture looks dry. Add 2 tsp red chili pdr. Add 4-5 med grated carrots and stir fry for a few mins.

Now add ground beef and fry until it is no longer pink. Addchopped tomatoes and keep cooking. Add salt to taste.

Add 4-5 green chili. Add coarsely crushed white zeera. Keep frying mixture and garnish with julienned ginger.

After cooking another 5 mins add 5 chopped green chilies (omit if you don't like it spicy).

Remove from heat once cooked and garnish with chopped cilantro, dill, julienned ginger and peas.

Boneless Chicken Handi

Here's another tasty chicken recipe that turned out well.
Ingredients:
1/2 kg chicken pieces, cut into cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 + 1/2 tsp coarsely crushed cumin
1 tsp red chili pdr
2-3 chopped tomatoes
salt & oil
1 tsp crushed kasuri methi/dried fenugreek leaves
2 chopped green chillies
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsp dessicated coconut
1 cup yogurt
1 tsp AP flour
2 tbsp julienned ginger
cilantro
1-2 tsp ghee (optional)

Method:
Heat oil in karahi. Fry chicken pieces until just white. Remove and set aside. Add onion and fry a little  until translucent. Add ginger-garlic paste and cooked 1-2 mins. Now add coarsely crushed cumin and red chili pdr. Saute 1 min and then add a little water. Add chopped tomatoes and salt to taste. Cover and cook until tomatoes are soft. Uncover and add chicken and mis thoroughly so the chicken is coated with the tomato-spice mixture. Add crushed kasuri methi, chopped green chili, black pepper, garam masala and remaining 1/2 tsp cumin. Also add dessicated coconut and yogurt. Keep cooking until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Add 1 tsp AP flour to thicken gravy if needed.

Serve garnished with julienned ginger, cilantro and a sprinkling of ghee if using. This dish is best enjoyed iwth hot rotis or, even better, naans.

Paneer sabzi handi/Indian Cottage Cheese curry with MIxed Vegetables

I tried this the other day and really enjoyed it.

Ingredients:
2 cups paneer (indian cottage cheese) cut into cubes
1 cup carrots, cut into med-large chunks
1 bell pepper, cut in the same size as the carrots
1 cup green peas
1/2 cup onions, cubed into the same size as the other veggies
1/2 cup water chestnuts, drained
1-2 potatoes, cubed
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic-ginger
1-1.5 tsp red chili pdr
1/2 cup tomato puree
1.5 tsp coarsely crushed cumin pdr
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp sugar
salt
1/2 cup yogurt
1 tbsp julienned ginger
2 chopped thai green chillies (can use any other med spicy variety)
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
1/4 cup cream (optional)
2 tbsp chopped cilantro (for garnish)

Method:
Heat oil and fry all the vegetables except the chestnuts together.
Cover and leave until half cooked. Using a slotted spoon, remove the veggies and set aside.

Saute chopped onions in the same oil until translucent. Now add garlic-ginger paste (or fresh chopped). Add red chili pdr and a little water if the mixture looks dry and continue to saute.
Add 1/2 cup tomato puree and continue to saute until the oil starts oozing out from around the tomato. Add the vegetables and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Next add coarsely crushed cumin and 1 tsp garam masala.

Add salt and sugar.. Add 1/2 cup yogurt and the julienned ginger along with the chopped green chillies and . the crushed black pepper. Keep cooking and sauteing.

Add a little water if the mixture looks too dry and kasuri methi Add 1/4 cup cream if using along with the paneer (indian cottage cheese). Cook for another 5 minutes so the paneer absorbs the tasty sauce. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rotis or rice.

Kerala chicken roast

Today, I was lucky enough to come across Varsha's blog with her mouthwatering recipes. I hadn't made desi-style food in a while and so I was craving some yummy kerala-style chicken. I tried this recipe for a kerala-style chicken roast, modifying it a tiny bit to incorporate the spices I had on hand and man, was it good! The taste of the curry was quite authentic and the sauce was finger-licking good!

The recipe did not use any chilio powder and while I was a little skeptical at first, I went ahead and obeyed the instructions. The spice in this dish comes from the liberal use of pepper powder and the whole spices take the dish to another level entirely. Try it and you will not be disappointed!

Here's my adaptation of the recipe:

Ingredients for curry:

2.5 lbs pieces of bone-in chicke
1" cinnamon stick
3 cardamoms
3 cloves
7-8 black pepper corns
5-6 curry leaves
3-4 thai green chiles, slit
1/2 tsp turmeric pdr
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp chopped ginger
2 large onions, sliced
1 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
oil
cilantro

Dry  roast and grind the following to a paste:

2 tsp pepper corns
1.5 tsp fennel seeds
4 cloves
5-6 curry leaves
1 small onion, sliced
3/4 tbsp coriander seeds
3 cardamoms
1" cinnamon stick
1/2 cup grated coconut

Keep aside the above paste.

Method:
Heat oil in a wide-bottomed pan. When oil gets hot, add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and pepper. Fry for a few seconds and then add curry leaves and stir-fry a few seconds more until they get crisp. Add sliced onions and saute until the onions become translucent. Now add chopped ginger, garlic and green chiles and saute another 2 minutes. Add turmeric powder and pepper and saute 1 minute more or until the smell of the raw spices is gone. Increase heat, add chicken pieces and stir fry for about 5 minutes. The chicken will become white at this point. Add salt to taste, lower heat, cover and cook chicken about 10 minutes or until the chicken is 3/4 cooked.

Remove lid from pan. There should be some gravy in the pan from the chicken juices. Now add the ground mixture from above and only add a little water if you feel the mixture is too dry and may burn. Do not add moe than 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook another 5 minutes or until chicken is done.

After 5 minutes, remove cover and stir-fry mixture until the sauce liberally coats each piece of chicken. This is a dry-ish dish and should not have much sauce. Turn off heat, add garam masala powder and cilantro, stir and replace cover until ready to serve.

Cajun chicken pasta with mushrooms

I was craving some pasta and somehow came across a cajun chicken pasta recipe. It sounded delicious but seemes too heavy (2 cups of heavy cream...yikes!) A quick internet search found several recipes, most of them with heavy cream. So I set about to make my own cajun chicken pasta, without all the fat and calories but still with plenty of flavor. Before I go on, here's a disclaimer. I realize this is not "authentic" cajun chicken pasta (if pasta can be cajun at all!) but rather my rendition of it.

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups mushrooms
crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2 chicken breasts
cajun seasoning
1 pound whole wheat rigatoni pasta
1 large can crushed tomatoes (28-32 oz.)
1 habanero pepper ground to a paste with a little vinegar
1 cup milk - I used 2% but anything works
1 cup chicken stock
fresh basil or oregano (if you have it)
freshly grated parmesan cheese - as much as your heart desires
olive oil

Method:
Dry chicken breasts thoroughly. Coat with cajun seasoning and brown in about 1-2 tbsp oil until golden on both sides. Add 1/4 cup water, pop the lid and cook about 5-7 minutes until done. Set aside to cool.

While the chicken is browning, heat about 2 tbsp olive oil in a deep pan (enough to hold all the cooked pasta) and saute onion and garlic until onion is translucent. Add crushed red pepper flakes if using, and sliced mushrooms. Once the mushrooms start releasing liquids, add tomatoes, chicken stock, habanero pepper paste and about 2 tbsp cajun seasoning. Simmer on stovetop until the mixture thickens. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed at this point. Reduce heat to low and add milk.

While your sauce is cooking, cook the pasta in plenty of salted hot water until al dente (almost cooked with a little bite to it). Also, slice the chicken breasts thinly (or however you prefer). Add to the sauce so it can absorb all the flavors.

Once pasta has cooked, drain and immediately toss with sauce. Add parmesan cheese and chopped basil/oregano. If you don't have basil/oregano, just add cilantro (who said it was authentic??!).

Enjoy your lower fat cajun chicken pasta!

The BEST refried beans you'll ever eat!

I made these beans yesterday to use for tacos later in the week. Its incredibly easy to make and very healthy. Try it and you'll never visit taco bell again!

Ingredients:
1.5 cups dried pinto beans soaked in water until rehydrated or use canned
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 packet sazon seasoning
1 habanero pepper blended with some white vinegar to make a paste
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
salt to taste
Water

Method:
Add all the ingredients in a pressure cooker or a regular pot. Top with water and cook. You want the water to be about 1 inch above the beans. Mine took about 15-20 minutes in the pressure cooker. If using a regular pot, top with more water as you do not want the mixture to dry out before the beans are cooked. Once beans are done, raise the heat and stir occasionally to make sure the mixture is not getting caught at the bottom of the pan.

Once most of the liquid has evaporated, using a potato masher or a regular wooden spoon, begin mashing the beans until the desired texture has been achieved. I like mine slightly chunky but its a matter of personal taste. Enjoy and remember, no more taco bell from now on!

Egg and Vegetable Biryani

I had never heard of egg biryani until I read Mishmash's post. A few months back I tried the recipe (with a few changes..mostly not bothering to measure the ingredients) and it turned out wonderfully! It is very different from the typical Pakistani style biryanis I make and was quite light as well.

I have been making biryanis for a long, long time and apparently have become quite good at it judging from the compliments I get! I believe the key to a good biryani apart from the biryani masala is technique. Without technique, you will not get the same results even if you have the best biryani masala. I have included detailed instructions below that should make this easy to navigate for even a beginner cook. Don't be afraid by all the steps and ingredients. Its really very easy once you get the hang of things.

This time I had some eggs languishing in the fridge along with a few other ingredients and so I decided to make an egg and vegetable biryani. I am including my amended version of the recipe below.

Soak 2.5 cups basmati rice in some water. Rinse out a couple times until the water runs clear. Also start hard boiling 4 eggs in water. Once the water comes to a boil, turn off heat and cover. Leave for 10 minutes or so and you will have perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs.

Make the biryani masala now.

Ingredients for Biryani Masala:

1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp whole allspice (kabab cheeni)
6 cloves
1 tsp black pepper
2 green cardamoms
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp mace
1 tbsp chili powder (feel free to reduce if you like a milder biryani)
1/2 tsp turmeric

Grind everything to a fine powder and keep aside.

Ingredients to make curry:
3 medium onions
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 inches ginger, chopped
1 black cardamom
1/2 cup tomato sauce, or 2 roma tomatoes chopped
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3-4 tbsp oil
1 large potato, cubed
1 carrot, cubed
Biryani masala from above
2 cups water
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot and fry onions until light brown. Add chopped garlic, ginger and cardamom and fry for a few minutes. Do not brown the garlic and ginger during this time. dd tomato sauce/fresh tomatoes and fry until the mixture becomes a paste and the oil separates from the paste. Now add the biryani masala, potato and carrot. Fry for 5 minutes, add yogurt and cook uncovered for another 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of water and check for desired thickness. The cury should be a little thick because we will need to layer it with the rice. Cover and cook.

Meanwhile, prepare the egg omelette.

Ingredients for egg omelette:

4 eggs
1 medium onion, chopped very finely
1-2 green chillies (depending on how hot you like it)
salt to taste

Mix the above ingredients and cook with a tiny amount of oil. Flip and cook the other wise. Set aside to cool. When cool, cut into strips and reserve.

Check to see if the potatoes and carrots are done. If they are almost done, you may cook uncovered. Check the consistency of the curry as well. It should be somewhat thick. Not too thick since we need to add the omelette to the mixture as well and layer with rice.

Meanwhile boil the rice that you soaked in salted water until it is almost done (al dente..just like pasta). Run cold water over this while draining. Be sure all the water has been drained from the rice.

Chop 1/2 bunch cilantro

And now for the final part!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take a shallow baking tray, coat lightly with oil or cooking spray and place 1/3 of the rice in a layer. Add 1/2 of curry and spread evenly over the rice. Garnish with 1/2 of the cilantro. Add another 1/3 of the rice, top with the rest of the curry and cilantro and finish with the remaining rice.

Cover lightly with foil and place in preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven, uncover and enjoy!

Spicy Lo-Mein

It's amazing how every country has its own version of a popular food. Take Chinese food for example. In Pakistan or India it is spicy and peppery and in the US it tends to be doused with sweet-savory sauces. I am sure if you and I were to visit China and eat authentic Chinese food we would be absolutely lost because it would be "Chinese" to us!

Jokes aside, I prefer Pakistani-style Chinese to any form of Chinese food because it is appeals to my spicy taste buds more. Ginger, garlic, chili...whats not to love? This is my take on a populr dish back home..enjoy!

Spicy Noodles

Ingredients:
1 boneless chicken breast (can also use equivalent quantity dark meat if desired)
1 bell pepper, julienned
1 carrot, julienned
2 spring onions chopped finely; separate the white part from the green
2-3 green thai chillies or 1 jalapeno (use less if desired)
1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, julienned
3 cloves of fresh garlic, smashed and chopped finely
3 tbsp chili garlic paste (look in the asian foods aisle)
2 tbsp soya sauce
1 maggi/knorr chicken or veggie bouillion (optional)
3 tbsp ketchup
3 tsp oil
3/4 lb noodles (use ones from Indian store if you can get it or you can use any thin pasta)

Heat big pot of water until bubbling. Throw in some salt, stir and add your noodles. You will want to keep checking the pasta - we want it to cook it al dente (just cooked). In the meantime season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tsp oil in a seprate frying pan and when hot, add the chicken breast. Sear meat on one side until golden brown and then flip over to the other side. Add about 1/8 cut water to this with 1 tsp soy sauce. Cover and steam chicken until just done. How do you know if its done? Pierce the chicken with a fork and the juices should run clear. Remove from pan and place in a plate and LEAVE ALONE for the next 5 minutes. If you cut into this too soon, the chicken juices will run and the meat will become dry. When the chicken has cooled down, using 2 forks, shred the chicken into small pieces.Heat a wok over medium heat for a minute.

Drain pasta in a colander and immediately toss with plenty of cold water so it does not stick. When pasta has cooled down, heat a pan with 1 tsp oil until hot. Separating the pasta into approximately 3 batches, saute the noodles in the oil, tossing only occasionally. This should create a nice golden brown crust on some of the noodles. Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat a wok over medium heat. When heated through, add oil and white part of spring onions. Saute for a minute or so and then add the choppes garlic and julienned ginger. Stir-fry the garlic, onion and giner for about 2 minutes until nicely cooked. Add julienned carrots - stir fry one minute. Next add bell pepper and cook another 2 minutes. Using your wooden spoon, push the vegetables off to the sides of the wok and with your fingers crush the maggi cube to the middle. If more moisture is needed, add a few drops of water to the pan to help the bouillion melt. Once melted, toss with the vegetables and season with pepper. Taste the vegetables - are they cooked sufficiently? Remember we still want them on the crisp side as soggy vegetables can ruin the dish. Add the soya sauce, chili-garlic paste and ketchup at this point. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes and immediately add the noodles, tossing carefully so everything is well combined. Cook for a few minutes more so the noodles have a chance to absorb the flavor of the sauce. Turn off heat and garnish with the green portion of the spring onions.

This is one quick and easy dish that never fails to please in our home. Enjoy!