Kari kadubu/fried Modak

Happy ganesh chauturti to all my readers!

  

Enjoy this ganesha chaturti with delicious easy to make crispy fried modaks . Modak is Lord Ganesh’s one of favorite dishes. There are lots of variant of Modak, here I am posting fried modak recipe for Ganesh Chaturthi festival. Lord Ganesha is my favorite Hindu God and we all celebrate this festival.We offer different types of prasad to lord ganesha on this day and  Modak is one of them which is also loved by my kids. Fried modak is made from different types of flours like wheat flour,maida and rice flour and easy to make. Maida is not ideal for fried modak. By easy steps you can made fried modak easily, even you can changes ingredients to change taste.

Ingredients

• To make outer cover:
  1. 1/4 cup rice flour
  2. 1/2 cup Maida/all purpose flour
  3. 1/4 cup fine soji/chiroti rava or wheat flour
  4. water as required
  5. 4 Tbsp ghee
  6. Pinch of Salt
  
  
  To make stuffing:
  
  1. 2 cup freshly shredded Coconut
  2. 2 cup Jaggery
  3. 4 Tbsp poppy seeds
  4. 2tbsp white thil/sesame seeds
  5. Cardamom powder a pinch
  6. Roasted cashewnuts and raisins ( crushed)

To make outer cover: 

• Mix all the flours together and salt in a bowl.
• Add water and knead well.
• At the end add ghee and knead again.
• Keep it aside for 15 mins,covered with a muslin cloth or cling film.

To make stuffing: 

• In a pan, roast the poppy seeds and white sesame seeds
• Once they are roasted well add the shredded coconut and jaggery. Mix everything well.
• Finally add cardamom powder and cashewnuts.
• The stuffing is ready.

 To make modak:

• Take small balls of the dough, roll it into small puris.
•  Now spread spoonful of stuffing over the puri.
• Fold the edges as shown in the picture and gather them in the center. Seal it properly.
• Heat oil and deep fry the modaks. The oil should be not too hot as the modak can get burnt and remain uncooked from inside.
• Stir them at regular interval to make sure that they are cooked from all sides.
•  Serve them hot or Store them in an air tight container.
  
  
  Note:

•  To make the modak crispy the puri should be thin.

• To make modak of same size cut out the puri with a round shaped cutter or a sharp edged bowl.

Stuffed brinjal in Microwave

stuffed brinjal in microwave

In most kitchens, the microwave is a re-heater and a defroster. But there are ways to coax out delicious flavors and textures that you'd swear came from an old-fashioned,gas top.
Today i am here with an interesting recipe of stuffed brinjal that i learned from my Facefook freind Sabita shenoy with a little twist here and there.
I am sure "You'll feel good about feeding your family this creatively delectable recipe"

stuffed brinjal in microwave

Ingredients:

10 small sized purple brinjal

2 Big onions,chopped

3tsp Red chilly powder

1tsp Dry mango /amchoor powder

1tsp Garam masala

2tsp Coriander powder

1tbsp Ginger -garlic paste

A Pinch of sugar

Salt to taste

3tbsp Oil

1tsp lemon juice

Coriander leaves for garnishing

 

Method:

• Wash the brinjal thoroughly under tap water and make four slits from opposite side of the stalk .Do not cut them fully.Now leave them in a salt water for 10-15 minutes.

• Now prepare the stuffing by mixing all the ingredients and stuff the brinjals with this masala.

• Take a microwave safe glass bowl and add oil and micro on medium heat for 1 minutes

• Now arrange all the stuffed brinjal at a proper distance and sprinkle half of the coriander leaves and micro for 5-6 minutes.

• Take it out and slowly  turn all the brinjals,sprinkle some water and lemon juice,cook again on medium heat for about 5-6 minutes depending on the size of the brinjal

• once done garnish it with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with chapati or roti

 

 Note:

1. It can also be cooked completely on fire using nonstick pan or griddle but it should be on slow fire and takes little more time ie about 20-25 minute

2. If there is an excess of onion masala, put it on the top of brinjals before cooking.

Kolhapuri style Chicken Paandra Rassa ( White chicken curry)

 

Kolhapuri cuisine is famous nationwide and is easily available in all of Maharashtra.Curries are not just tempting but lip smacking & delicious too. These dishes are full of flavors and spices. Some people (who are not from Maharashtra) find kolhapuri food a little hot and spicy but this is a truly marata style curry to suit everybody`s palate with coconut ,cashew,poppy seeds & spices, very mild but rich & creamy.

Pandra rassa/white curry is mild mutton soup/ curry prepared  by using white coconut milk and hot spices with very little chilly or without chilly.you will find strong aromas of spices as well as garlic and ginger in abundance. Pandhara Rassa is served along with the main course as accompaniments.

 

Ingredients:

1. 1kg Chicken,cut into medium sized pieces
2.  2-3 bay leaves
3.  salt to taste
4. 3-4 green chillies ,slit 
5. 3tbsp oil or ghee

For the 1st paste* :

1. 2 Onion,sliced
2. 10 cloves
3. 3-4 pieces of cinnamon
4. 10-12 pepper corns ( you can also use white pepper powder)
5.  4  green chillies
6. 1tsp Saunf/fennel seeds
7. a small piece of Nutmeg
8. 3 Green cardamoms
9. 1tbsp Poppy seeds /Khus Khus
10. 2-3 tsp white sesame seeds/safed til
11. 10 cashew nuts
12. 2inch Ginger
13. 15 Garlic cloves

For the 2nd paste*:
1 Coconut,medium sized,freshly grated
2 liter warm water

Method:

• Soak Poppy seeds,sesame seeds and cashew nut in a bowl of warm water for about 10-15 minutes.
• Now grind 1st paste* ingredients to smooth paste with soaked poppy seeds with very little water .
• Extract coconut milk by grinding grated coconut with warm water ,then strain it using a metal  strainer or a muslin cloth.you'll get thick coconut milk.
• Now Repeat this twice and you will get thin coconut milk.You can use this thin coconut milk when cooking the chicken.
• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pan or handi,add bay leaves and stir for a couple of seconds.
• Add  1st paste* and fry till oil comes on top or till the raw smell goes off.
• Mix chicken pieces with the fried masala till chicken pieces are well coated with the masala.
• Now its time to add thin coconut milk to the chicken and stir it well,cover and cook on medium flame for 10- 15 minutes
• When the chicken is almost cooked add the thick coconut milk and bring it to boil along with the slit green chillies.Now bring this Pandra(white) rassa to a boil,about 6-7 minutes,turn off the heat.
• Garnish with coriander leaves(optional) and serve hot with puri or pulka

Amaranth leaves Pakoda/pakora (tamdi bajji pakoda)

Amaranth leaves pakora

 

Are you looking for a crunchy,munchy?, then lal baji pakoda or pakora will be just perfect for you especially during cold evening tea time snack .
Amaranth (Thotakoora) leaves are the best and easily available leafy vegetable and the
 beautiful color of the leaves along with their freshness pairs wonderfully with anything you cook.It gives nice red colour to that dish.

 

These pakodas are to die for as they were so crisp and yummy!

 

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups Amarnath leaves/tamdi bajji
2. 1 cup Besan
3. 1/2 cup Rice flour
4. 1/4 cup Corn flour
5. 1/4tsp baking powder or a pinch of baking soda
6. 1tsp crushed coriander seeds
7. 2tsp Ginger chopped
8. 4-5 Green chillies,chopped finely
9. 1 onion chopped finely
10. 1tbsp hot oil
11. Oil to fry

Method:

• Wash and roughly chop the amaranth leaves .
• In a mixing bowl mix together onion,green chilles,ginger,salt and amaranth leaves,mix it well and keep aside for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes of resting time you will notice the amaranth mixture have let out more moisture.
• Now add all the remaining ingredients and a tbsp of hot oil, keep mixing with your finger tips.The mixture will start to resemble like bread crumbs
• If you see more moisture,then add some more rice flour or if it is dry just sprinkle a tsp of water at a time and form a smooth but stiff dough.
• Now prepare pakoras with dough and arrange it on a plate.
• Heat a deep frying pan with oil,drop a small ball of a dough into the oil and when it rises immediately to the top,the temperature of the oil is just right to fry the pakoras
•  Now drop the pakodas into the oil till the pan can hold.Cook over medium flame turning the pakodas once or twice in the middle.
• Once the sizzling of the oil subsides  and they look golden and crisp,remove and drain them on a kitchen paper/towel to absorb excess oil
• Serve hot with tea or coffee
  
  
  Notes:
  
  • Cook the pakodas over a medium heat ,if we cooked over high flame they will get burned quickly and will give out a bitter taste.

   
  
  
  
  

Brahmin style vegetable Kurma (no onion- no garlic)

vegetable kurma

This Shravan try this amazing veg gravy recipe from south India without Onion and Garlic!!!

Among Hindus many people discourage eating onion and garlic along with non-vegetarian food during festivals or Hindu holy months of Shrawan.As a true GSB i too avoid cooking food with garlic or onion during our festivals like Sutta punnav,krishna ashtami and gouri-ganesha.

Ingredients:

1 Potato diced

1/2 cup Green beans sliced

1/2 Cup Green Peas

1/2 Cup Carrots cut into 1'pieces

1tsp Mustard seeds

2 spring curry leaves

1/2" Cinnamon

3 Cloves

Salt to taste

2 Tsp ghee

Grind to Paste*:

1. 1/4 Cup Coriander Leaves
2. 1/2 Cup grated Coconut
3. 4-5 Green chillies
4. 1/4 Tsp Jeera
5. 1/4 Tsp Saunf/Fennel Seeds
6. 1 Tbsp Roasted Channa Dhal/Putane/hurigadale
7. 1/8th Tsp Turmeric Powder
8. 1 small piece of Ginger
9. 1 marble sized tamarind ball

No onion-no garlic veg kurma

Preparation:

Heat ghee in a pressure cooker, add mustar,curry leaves cinnamon, cloves, and fry for a couple of seconds.

Now add chopped vegetables and fry for a minutes,add salt and 2 cups of water and cook till done/pressure cook on high for 2 whistle.

Grind all the Ingredients under Grind to Paste* with little water.

Now open the cooker when all the pressure/steam has subsided and the pressure cools down.

Add the ground paste and salt if needed,mix it well.You can add water if needed to adjust the gravy according to your requirement .

Cook on a low flame for about 10-15 minutes or till done.

Serve hot with roti or puri

Hyderabadi style Dum Pukth Murgh

Dum PUkth Murgh/Hyderabadi style

  

Enjoy this deliciously rich and tasty Hyderabadi slow cooked Chicken curry using Dum method.
This is very late recap of my Eid ul Fitr (almost 5 days late), perhaps appropriately so. This year  instead of mutton i have cooked this chicken masala for a change.
 ‘Dum’ means to ‘breathe in’ and ‘Pukht’ to 'cook'. Dum Pukht cooking uses a round, heavy – bottomed pot, a handi, in which food is tightly sealed and cooked over a slow fire. There are two main aspects to this style of cooking; bhunao and Dum, or ‘roasting’ and ‘maturing’ of a prepared dish. In this style of cuisine, Herbs and spices play an extremely critical role. The process of slow roasting gently persuades each to release maximum flavor. And the sealing of the lid; the sealing of the lid of the handi with dough achieves maturing. Cooking slowly in its juices, the food retains all its natural aromas and becomes imbued with the richness of flavors that distinguishes the cuisines..

Ingredients for the main dish:

1. 500 gms chicken (breast pieces or leg pieces) 
2. ½ tsp turmeric powder
3. ¾ tsp green chilies.chopped
4. ¾ tsp chicken masala Powder *
5. ¾ tsp salt
6. ¾ cup curd
7. 1 tsp lemon juice
8. 2 units green cardamom
9. 3 pieces of cinnamon 
10. 1 bunch green coriander leaves
11. 2tsp Kasoori methi ,crushed
12. 2 fried onion
13. 2 tsp ginger garlic paste
14. 1 tbsp oil 
15. A little bit of kneaded wheat dough for seal the edges of the pan ( roti dough)

Ingredients for chicken masala Powder:

1. 2tbsp Coriander seeds
2. 1tsp Jeera/cumin
3. 3-4 pieces of cinnamon
4. 1 big cardamom
5. 2 green cardamom
6. 1 small piece of mace
7. 1tbsp Saunf/fennel
8. 1Star anise
9. 1tsp Poppy seed
10. 1tsp Black Pepper corns
11. 4-5 Guntur chillies/ Hot Dried red chillies 
12. 10-12 cashew nuts 

Star anise

1-2

Black cardamom

6

Black peppercorns

2 1/2 teaspoons

Cinnamon

10 1 inch stick

Cloves

1 tablespoon

Green cardamom

4 grams

Mace

1 blade

Coriander seeds

4 tablespoons

Cumin seeds

3 tablespoons

Nutmeg grated

1 teaspoon

Salt

1/2 teaspoon

- See more at: http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/recipe/Garam-Masala.html#sthash.hYDK7XsC.dpuf

Star anise

1-2

Black cardamom

6

Black peppercorns

2 1/2 teaspoons

Cinnamon

10 1 inch stick

Cloves

1 tablespoon

Green cardamom

4 grams

Mace

1 blade

Coriander seeds

4 tablespoons

Cumin seeds

3 tablespoons

Nutmeg grated

1 teaspoon

Salt

1/2 teaspoon

- See more at: http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/recipe/Garam-Masala.html#sthash.hYDK7XsC.dpuf

 METHOD
 chicken Masala Powder*

• Take a pan and lightly roast all the spices together except cashew nuts on the low flame.
• Let it cool and grind to a fine powder with the cashew nuts.
  

 Main dish

Marinated chicken

• Make a marinade by adding curd, turmeric powder, green chilies, chicken masala*, salt, lemon juice, green cardamom,cinnamon kasuri methi and ginger garlic paste in a bowl.
• Then add the chicken to this marinade and allow it to rest for about 20 minutes to 1 hour.
• Now transfer this marinated chicken to a heavy bottomed handi/sauce pan,and cover it with a lid. Now use the wheat dough and seal it nicely so that steam do not escape.
• Cook in a low flame for 25-30 minutes.
• Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with Naan/rotis /chapati