Coconut Rice with a Red chilli, Curry Leaf and Gram Tempering

Hello my Dear Wonderful Readers!!

How are you all doing today? So this is what I made for our dinner last night. It is so simple and hardly takes any time. If you have any left over rice, you can use that too. I make a new batch of rice everyday so I can add that to my sons diet. Rice is a staple at my place. It could be fermented like in Dosas and Idilis, or plain rice and Pulav/ Pilaf or just various kinds of flavoured rice. Its not really the best thing to have a lot of rice in your diet and trust me I know that, but its just the easiest thing to cook when you can’t spend too much time in the kitchen. One question I get very often is how do I cook my rice? Now heres the thing, cooking rice purely depends on the type of rice!

If you are using a good quality Basmati rice, then one cup of rice with 2 cups of water is perfect! But if is red rice, or any kind of wild rice, its a whole different story. We make a lot of red rice at home, but that involves soaking the rice for one whole night and then using tons of water and then draining out the excess water! Its a long procedure, but personally I love the flavour of red rice. Back in my village we always have red rice. Ah the taste of red rice and avial!

My son loves it too!! We make Kanji – ( rice cooked in lots of water) and have it with Payar (green gram curry) with Papapdam and pickle. It is just the simplest dish on this planet and yet the most healthy and power packed meal ever!

Ok so back to this recipe. This recipe is super simple!! All you have to do is make the tempering and mix them both! Finished!

Ingredients :-

1. Basmati Rice – 1 cup  ( soaked for 15 – 20 mins)
2. Water – 2 cups
3. Salt – 1 tsp
4. Coconut Oil – 4 tbsp
5. Dry Red Chillies – 6
6. Mustards Seeds – 2 tbsp
7. Urad Dal – 1 tbsp
8. Channa Dal – 1 tbsp
9. Cashew Nuts – 10
10. Curry Leaves – 15 ( cleaned and dried)
11. Asafoetida – a pinch
12. Salt – to taste ( for the final dish)
13. Fresh desiccated coconut – 1 cup

 

Instructions :-

1. Pour 2 cups of water into a large dish with a lid. Once the water comes to a boil, add the soaked rice and salt. Stir gently and cover and cook for 10 mins
2. Then using a spoon, take one grain of rice and check if the rice is cooked. If so, turn the flame off and set aside
3. In a large wok / Khadai, heat coconut oil
4. When the oil is nice and hot, add mustard seeds. When the seeds begin to crackle, add the dry red chillies, asafoetida, urad dal, channa dal and cashew nuts . Fry till the urad dal turns a light golden yellow
5. Then add the curry leaves and stir
6. Then add the coconut and the cooked rice
7. Stir well to combine all the ingredients
8. Add salt according to taste and your dish is done!
9. Serve right away with your choice of curry or just with yogurt and popopdams

 

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Keema Kofta – Mutton Meat Balls curried in a spicy tomato gravy

 

My Dear Wonderful Friends

It’s been a while since I have had the time to sit down and write a decent entry into the blog. Simply cause I chose to spend more time with my little baby and I realized that I rather have the time now than repent later when he is old and doesn’t really want someone like me to play with him. I remember when I was younger and my mum and i would play together. She would be the “student” and I would be the “teacher”. I had a black slate with a red handle and scraps of chalk. We would learn the numbers and recite “A, B, C, D” at the top of our lungs. Slowly the “student” moved to the pot and plants at home and later my dad got me a bicycle and once I made other friends, my mum was never my play mate again. It’s ironic right? Today I am in the same role as my mother and some day I will not be his play mate ever and maybe it will break my heart, but playing and making friends with others his age is a big milestone and therefore it would still be a good thing. (Sigh..!! )

Ok so enough of the mushy stuff.  I am going to leave you with a nice meatball recipe and I hope you try it out some time.

Ingredients :-

For the meat balls :-

1. Mutton Minced – 800 gms
2. Ginger Garlic Paste – 4 tbsp
3. Potatoes – 3 large sized – boiled and mashed
4. Coriander Leaves – 2 cups (chopped fine)
5. Salt – according to taste
6. Oil – 3 tbsp
7. Pepper Powder – 2 tsp
8. Cumin Powder –1 tsp
9. Chili Powder – 1 tsp
10. Garam Masala Powder – 2 tsp
11. Water – 3 tbsp

Instructions :-

1. Line your baking pan with non stick baking paper. Set aside
2. In a cooker, turn the flame to medium and heat oil
3. Once the oil is hot, add the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell is gone
4. Then add the mutton, 1 cup of coriander leaves, 2 tsp salt, pepper powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder, chili powder and water
5. Cover and cook for 3 – 4 whistles ( depends on the meat)
6. Once the meat is cooked, open the cooker and turn up the heat. Let the water evaporate. Remember to stir every now and then
7. After the water has evapotared and the meat is nice and cooked, set aside to cool down
8. During that time, in a large bowl combine the coriander leaves with the potatoes and mix well.  Season with a little salt
9. Now mix the cooled mutton mince with the potatoes and make small balls and arrange in the prepared baking tray
10. After all the meat has been arranged on the tray brush lightly with some oil ( this is optional)
11. Put the meat balls in the fridge for 20 mins while you pre heat your oven to 180
12. Bake the meat balls for 30 mins or till you see them turn nice and golden brown

Ingredients for the gravy

1. Oil – 3 tbsp
2. Bay Leaf – 1 large leaf
3. Cardamom – 3
4. Cinnamon Stick – 1 ( around 10 cm long)
5. Cloves – 4
6. Ginger garlic paste – 2 tbsp
7. Onion – ½ cup ( chopped fine)
8. Tomato – 2 cups ( chopped fine)
9. Chili Powder – 2 tbsp ( adjust according to taste)
10. Cashew Nuts – 1 cup
11. Water – enough to soak the cashewnuts
12. Pumpkin Seeds – 1 tsp
13. Fresh Cream – 2 tbsp ( optional)

Instructions :-

1. Heat a cup of water in the microwave and drop the cashewnuts to soften
2. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan
3. When the oil is hot, add the bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves
4. Then add the ginger garlic paste and the onion
5. Fry till the onions are translucent. Do not brown them
6. Then add the chilli powder and fry till the tomatoes are nice and soft
7. Turn the flame off the let the mixture cool
8. Now blend the mixture to form a nice smooth paste
9. Transfer the puree back into the heavy bottom pan and simmer on low
10. Blend the softened cashewnuts to for a nice silky paste ( use water if required)
11. Once the tomato mixture has reached a simmer, pour in the cashew mixture and give it a nice stir
12. Cook till the mixture thickens

Assembling the Dish

1. Just before you serve the dish, drop the baked meat balls into the curry
2. Sprinkle roasted pumpkin seeds and pour cream over the top ( optional)
3. Serve with hot rotis or rice

Home Style Butter Chicken

Hello My wonderful readers!

How are you all this weekend? Hope you had a wonderful week filled with delicious thanks-giving feasts!

It was a normal week here, no frills no thrills. But I did have a lot of fun in my kitchen. Tried  a bunch of new recipes that I will share with you all in my next few posts and I would love to know what you think of it. But this post is about how we make Butter Chicken at home. This particular recipe is my mum’s recipe and it does not use as much cream and butter as other recipes. So, if you want the original rich creamy butter chicken then just add a few table spoons of butter and 200ml of cream to the recipe. But trust me when I say that this recipe is as tasty and yummy as the other recipes. As much as we love having butter chicken at home, we try eating baked or roasted chicken with less oil or butter. So this is like a once in a blue moon event.

When I began blogging I was excited to share so many recipes and tips and tricks with everyone. But I truly wonder how bloggers make rich food everyday and still stay healthy. Some of my blogger friends hit the gym daily and some day I will have the liberty to do that as well.  Before you get me wrong, no one is holding me back, it’s just that I would have to leave my little peach at home which honestly I haven’t done yet.

You know it is real! That little guilt that gets to you when you leave your child with some one else. I could imagine what other mums go through when they get back to work leaving a three-month old baby at home. The struggle is real! Its  like a dark joke isn’t it? We work to provide happiness and a good living and then we realise how we have very little time enjoy just that. Ok, so while we think about the “heavy things in life” let’s have a “slightly-lighter butter chicken”

Ingredients :-

For Marination :- 

1. Chicken – 500gms ( breast, boneless and cleaned)
2. Lime Juice – 1 tbsp
3. Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
4. Turmeric Powder –  1/2 tsp
5. Kasuri Methi – 1 tsp
6. Pepper – 1/2
7. Salt – 1 tsp
8. Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
9. Thick Yogurt – 3 – 4 tbsp

Instructions :-

1. In a bowl combine all the ingredients apart from the chicken
2. Mix well to make a nice paste
3. Now cut the chicken piece into large curry pieces and make small slits on the meat
4. Rub the marinade into the chicken pieces making sure to coat the meat well with the masala
5. Transfer the coated chicken into a clean bowl, cling wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 mins to over night
6. After the marination time, arrange the chicken pieces on a baking tray lined with silver foil
7. Bake at 180 – 200 C for 15 mins or till you see the chicken start to get a little golden. The chicken might leave some water, do not throw it out, it can be used in the curry

Ingredients for the gravy

1. Butter – 1 tsp
2. Oil – 1tsp
3. Cinnamon – 1 stick ( 6 – 7 cms)
4. Cloves – 4
5. Cardamom – 4
6. Bay Leaves – 1 small
7. Tomato – 5 large ( chopped and pureed in a blender)
8. Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
9. Cashew Nuts – 3/4th cup
10. Milk – 3 tbsp
11. Kasuri Methi – 2 – 3 tbsp
12. Green Chilli – 2
13. Kashmiri Chilli Powder – 3 tsp ( we like it spicy but you can reduce it)
14. Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp (chopped)

Instructions:-

1. Heat oil and butter in a Kadai/ Wok
2. Once the butter melts, add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and bay leaves
3. Give it a minute and then add ginger garlic paste. Stir and fry for another minute
4. Then add the pureed tomato paste
5. Cook till the raw smell disappears and the mixture starts to come together to form a semi liquid consistency. This should take 6 – 8 mins on medium flame
6. While the tomato paste is cooking, grind cashew nuts with 1 tbsp of water to form a nice paste
7. One the tomato is cooked and the oil starts to separate from the mixture, add the cashew paste
8. Then add the green chillies, kasuri methi and chilli powder
9. Finally when the mixture comes to a boil add the chicken (with its juices)
10. After a minute add milk / cream ( traditionally cream is used but whole milk is good too)
11. Let the chicken simmer on low for 5 – 6 mins while covered
12. Your Butter Chicken is ready!!
13. Serve Hot with Naan or hot rice!

Tomato Rice

Ok so this  is a quick post and I wanted to do this one cause for the past few weeks this has been my staple for lunch. I just don have the time to cook some thing elaborate so I love a pot meat that has every thing in it!

 If you like flavored rice then this one is a big yes yes!!

Ingredients :-

• Tomatoes – 3 large (shopped into small cubes)
• Rice – 1 cup
• Water – 1 cup
• Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
• Cinnamon stick – 1 small ( 1inch )
• Dry Chilly – 2
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Onions – 1 large ( chopped)
• Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp ( optional)
• Salt – 1/3 tsp
• Red Chilly Powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric – 1/3 tsp

 Instructions

• Heat oil in a cooker and add cinnamon stick. Once it begins ti sizzle, add mustard seeds. As soon as they crackle add the dry chilly.
• Then add onions and ginger garlic paste. Fry till nice and golden brown
• Then add the tomatoes + chilly powder and turmeric power to the onion fry and let it cook for 5 mins.
• Once the tomatoes are done add the rice, water and salt.
• Cover the cooker with its lid and wait for three whistles
• Once done let it cook off in the cooker.
• Serve hot along with a curry or pappad or a simple raita