Friday, November 2, 2007

ANDA ALU CURRY


Here is yet another recipe for an Egg curry combined with potatoes to give you a wholesome curry.

Ing -
4 eggs - boiled & slit into two
3 potatoes - boiled & coarsely broken
3/4 stalks of curry leaves
2 big onions - chopped
2 tomatoes - chopped
3/4 flakes garlic - grated
1/2 inch ginger - grated
1 tspn - mustard seeds
2 tbspn - corriander powder
1 tbspn - garam masala or meat masala
1 tspn - turmeric powder
green chillies as per desire

Method -
In a kadai add some oil. When hot, add the mustard seeds
When they sputter add the garlic & ginger.
When they are fried, add the onions & roast till the onions are brown in colour
Add the corriander powder, garam masala, haldi & the chillies.
Fry for about a minute.
Add the tomatoes & fry till oil separates.
Add about 3 small cups of water & salt
Let it boil & then add the potatoes & place the split eggs carefully.
Simmer till the required consistency of the gravy is acquired.

Goes well with both chappatis & rice.
When hot add the

EGG MASALA


Egg has become staple for me these days. Easy to cook, yet a fulfilling meal anytime. That's why EGG is so,so my favorite!!!

Ing -
2 eggs
5 onions - sliced not very thin
3 tomatoes
1/2 inch pc of ginger - grated
1/4 tsp - haldi / turmeric powder
green chillies - as per desire


Method -
In a flat pan add some oil.
Fry the ginger first
Add the onions & fry till pink
Add tomatoes & fry till the oil starts separating
Add the green chillies, turmeric & salt
Fry till oil separates.
Spread the masala as widely as you can on the pan.
Carefully break the eggs onto the masala away from each other.
Drizzle some water on the sides of the masala.
Lower the flame, close the lid & cook till the eggs are fully cooked.

This is an yumm dish.

I enjoyed them with brown bread.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

CRISPY ALU STIR FRY



Cooking these days is a low key affair, coz of bad health. I make whatever comes handy is effortless. Therefore, tiffin today was alu, which has been stir fried till crisp, & seasoned well.

Ing -
5 medium sized potatoes
1/2 tspn - red chilli powder
1 tspn - lime juice
1/2 tspn - turmeric / haldi
1 tspn - garam masala
5 flakes - garlic
a bunch of corriander leaves
1/4 tspn - jeera / cumin seeds
1/4 tspn - ajwain / bishop seeds

Method -
Peel & dice the potatoes into cubes.
Soak them in some water, along with a pinch of salt till you make the other preparations.
In a kadai heat some mustard oil - smoke it well
Add the jeera, ajwain & the minced garlic
When the garlic is turning brown, add the potatoe pcs.
Add some salt.
Cover the lid, n keep stirring in between till the pcs turn brown n crisp
Add the rest of the masala & the limejuice.
Cover the lid once more & let the masalas fry for about 2 mins.
Serve garnished with corriander.

Goes well with chappatis / parathas.

Friday, October 26, 2007

ALLERGY & RESHMI KEBAB

Hi there all of you. I know I have been away for a long time, with sporadic blogging. Blame it on my home connection conking off, n the MTNL guys (sarkari) never being able to come & repair it, n the datacard being too painfully slow & now I am ill. I feel really terrible wiht the season switching to winters, n me getting the allergy attack!! N to top it off, I have been tooo tooo lazy to go visit my Homeo Doc, who can cure me quickly, but just cant bring myself to go sit there....I guess I will go today itself, coz I cant take it anymore!!

Meanwhile I am posting a wonderful recipe for Reshmi Kebabs. Lovely healthy snacks.

Ing -

1/2 kg boneless chicken cut into bit sized pcs.
2 tspn ginger-garlic-chilli paste (add about 4/5 green chillies into the grinder while putting ginger & garlic)
4 tbspn - thick curd
2 tbsp butter
6 tbsp besan / gramflour
Half cup cream- you can use any variety, but preferably the heavy one.
2 tsp pepper powdered
1 egg
4/5 flakes of cardamom powdered
1/2 cup cheesespread

Method
Use the fork to punch the chicken in a few places, so that the marinade goes well into the chicken.
Marinate the chicken with ginger/garlic/chilli paste, the curd & salt for 1 hour. If you dont want it to be spicy you can avoid putting the chilli during grinding.
Heat butter in a kadai (preferably non-stick)
Add besan and stir till the oil separates from the flour. You can add some haldi if you want to give the kebabs a nice yellow colour, if you want to let it remain whitish then omit the haldi.
Beat the cream till no lumps are there.
Remove from heat add cream , cheesespread, pepper powder, egg and cardamom powder . Mix till it forms a very smooth paste.
Now remove the marinated pcs of chicken from the ealier dish. Leave aside any water of any other residue from the earlier marination.
Add the new marinade & ensure that the pcs are coated very well.
Set aside for 2 hours.
You can either skewer the chicken and grill on charcoal
Or put the pcs on a cookie tray, grease it & bake it in a hot oven, turning the pcs till they are done & cooked well.
You can use the grill option if you have that in your oven.
Serve with green chutney

I really wish somebody would prepare this for me, & send it across. How I wish I had the energy.

Dont have a photo yet, will do so next time when cooked.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

BIRD'S EYE VIEW

This is a reminder to all of us that we are living in a world full of sweet temptations to fall into the pit of evil, be it a wrong thought, a wrong deed, a envious glance, we all maybe very well aware, but still feel that it is harmless, n its o.k. sometimes. God is ever forgiving, but I think we should inculcate the habit of our heart nudging us everytime something wrong passes us ....that is the only way we can get rid of the seemingly harmless habit.

BIRD’S EYE VIEW - by Charlene Friesen

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful" (Colossians 4:2).

I've got a bird's eye view to a picture that is larger than life. My birdbath offers free access to the Wildlife and Learning Channel. It's a wild kingdom out there, for both the birds and me.

Hot days, of course, are a busy day at the bath. Chipper robins, gangster blue jays and nervous chickadees jostle in line, waiting their turn for a cool drink and a refreshing splash.

Although the birds differ in size, personality, and color, they have one thing in common: a deliberate course of action. No bird dares fly directly to the birdbath. They spend a good five minutes on the clematis arbor, head bobbing up and down, body shifting to and fro, making sure the area is secure. Preparing for a bath is serious business.

Once the coast is clear, one bold robin perches on the edge of the bath. Prancing about the perimeter, he carefully scans the neighboring plants and grass, even giving me the once over through the window.

He then steps into the middle of the bath, sinking up to his chest. "Aah!" he seems to say, hunkering down in the cool water, fluffing his entire body for a good soak. He may seem relaxed, but his head never stops moving, eyes always scanning for the unpredictable, the unknown.

After the soak it's time to scrub. Safety first, of course, as one final glance precedes a furious flapping of wings. Every inch is scrubbed, the vigorous cleansing splashing water onto my deck. Between scrubbings, he continues to look about, his keen eyes not missing a thing.

Bath time done, he chooses a perch and flies to the safety of a maple tree. Quite the ritual, but if robin redbreast wasn't cautious, he may never make it home for dinner.

Unlike the robin, a comforting soak may be our only time to relax and clear our head. But once we leave the steamy confines of the bathroom, we're fair game to inappropriate TV shows and music, unhealthy friendships and the like. Satan roams the earth like a lion, seeking to destroy those who are hungry for God. He is hungry for our character and for our hearts.

Approach life like the robin - head up, aware of the surroundings. Also take heed of the spiritual surroundings; our walk with Jesus Christ directly affects our walk on earth. Placing both feet on God's path heightens our awareness of unhealthy situations and the dastardly motives of Satan.

Like the robin, you'll never be able to avoid all of the pitfalls and dangers that lurk, but make every effort to be vigilant in life, by choosing to be deliberate in your faith.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

DHANIYA PANEER



This is one simple recipe, but is loaded with flavorfull dhaniya / corriander leaves. It tastes absolutely yum.



Ing -250 gms - paneer
50 gms - corriander leaves
2 big onions - chopped finely
3/4 green chillies - chopped finely
1/2 tspn - garam masala
salt to taste

Method -
In a kadai add some oil. When hot, add the onions & fry till pink in colour.
Add the green chillies & mix well
Crumble the paneer & add into the kadai.
Mix well & let cook till any moisture evaporates
Sprinke the salt & garam masala & stir till mixed properly.
lastly add the finely chopped corrainder leaves & stir till everything is combined.

Serve with hot rotis.

CHANNA DAAL PULAO - SPLIT PEAS PULAO


I called my husband to ask him what he was having for dinner with friends (he was busy finishing a Project for college & would get late), n he said Daal-Chawal, n there was me all alone sitting at home n doing nothing for dinner. I didnt want to be left behind, & therefore decided to make myself a treat - simple but still a treat !!

What I made was - Chana Daal Pulao - the spicy masaledaar version!!!

Ing -
1 glass - basmati rice
1/4 glass - channa daal (split peas yellow)
3 big onions - thinly sliced
1 tomato - chopped finely
4 cardamoms - crushed
1 tspn - jeera / cumin seeds
1 tspn - garam masala
1 tspn - red chilli powder
1 tspn - haldi / turmeric powder
1 tspn butter
1-1/2 glass (the same glass) - water

Method -
Wash & soak the rice for about 10-15 minutes
Wash & soak the daal separately for about 20 minutes
I soaked both of them & meanwhile did the preparations
In a cooker, add some oil
Add the crushed cardamoms & jeera.
After they sputter, add the onions and fry till brown
Add the the tomatoes & fry till the oil separates
Now add the haldi, garam masala & the chilli powder. Fry well
Drain the rice & the daal & add into the cooker.
Fry well, after adding the butter.
Now add water.
Add the salt & put the lid of the cooker
Wait for a whistle & close the flame.
Wait for the steam to pass

Serve with raita & achaar & papad.

I also make this as a very simple Pulao without any masalas, which I will post some time later.