Mushroom Curry

I got mushrooms home one of these days and I did not want to make the normal mushroom sabji that I usually make, hence while browsing the website I came across this simple and delicious receipe at Monsoon Spice blog. The photos in this blog are really drooling, I have no idea how she manages to get such lovely pictures.

So here is what I did:-

Dry roast:-

Red Chilly

Chana dal

Pepper

Ingredients:

Mustard

Curry Leaves

Mushrooms

Tamrind Juice

I dry roasted the ingredients under dry roast ofciurse and blended them. Then in a kadai, took oil, put mustard,curry leaves,mushrooms and ten the blended masala, once they were mixed well I added salt and tamrind juice. Left for 5 minutes and then turned off the gas

Very simple and very very tasty.

Capsicum Masala Rice

The other day I saw this receipe on teh VahreVah site and I had to try this as I had 3 different colored bell peppers staring at me from the fridge.

Here is what I did:

Dry roast:-

3 red chilly dry

coriander seeds - a pinch

fennel seeds - a pinh

urad dhal

peanut

curry leaves

Main Dish

Rice cooked

Capsicum chopped

I dry roasted all the ingredients and then blend them well in a blender. Heated butter in a vessel and fried the cut bell peppers. Add salt, the ground spice and mix well, then add the cooked rice and mix well. This very tasty Capsicum rice is ready

Anniversary Dinner Party

Mar9th2009:- And now for the dinner menu. Here is what I made:-

Starters

Tandoori Chicken

Main Course

Appam

PotatoStew

ChineseFriedRice

GobiManchurian

Sweet

RasMalai

And here is how I made each of the dish:-

Tandoori Chicken.

Ingredients:-

TandooriChicken Leg pieces -10

Salt

Red Chilly

Pepper

Youghurt

Ginger,Garlic pate

Coriander Powder

Garam Masala

 I had 10 leg pieces, so after washing them I made gashes on the meaty part. Next took a mixture of salt,red chilly and lemon juice and spread them in the gashes.

 Then took a bowl and mixed youghurt, salt,red chilly, pepper,corinader powder,garam masala,garlic ginger paste made a paste and applied them liberally on the leg pieces. Kept it in the fridge for marination. Next day I baked it in the oven aat 350F for 30 mins.  Before serving I heated it again in a pan with some cut onions and sprinkled lime juice over it.

Appam

Ingredients:-

RawRice - 3 cups

Cooked Rice - 1 cup

Coconut powder/pieces - 1 cup

Blend all the above ingredients in a blender well, Do not make it watery. It should be thick and a little coarse. Add a little yeast and keep it for fermenting. Next day before actually cooking add salt. Normally this is made in an appam pan, but as I do not have it here , what I do is to pour the batter in a non fry pan and then cover it with a lid. It gets cooked by the steam. No need of turning to cook like dosa. It is cooked only one side and then removed

Potato Stew

Ingredients:-

Potatoes - 3 big ones (boiled)

Spices(Bay leaves,cardamon,cinnamon)

Coconut Milk -1/2 can

Onions - 1 big

Green Chilly - 3 slit long

Ginger,garlic cut

For tempering

Oil

Mustard seeds

Red Chilly

Coriander Leaves

Curry Leaves

Heated oil in a pan, added the spices,green chilly,ginger,garlic and heated. Add onions and salt and saute. Add cut potatoes and fry. Smash the potatoes but not completely, try to leave timy pieces of potato. Add 1/2 can coconut milk and equal amount of water. Let it cook well. Add salt as per your taste.  Once done add the tempering to this. A very simple and tasty dish.

Chinese Fried Rice

Ingredients:-

Cooked Rice

Choice of Veggies

Spring Onions

Onion - 1

Cumin Seeds

SoyaSauce

I heated oil in a pan, added some cumin seeds, once it spluttered I added onions and sauteed, added some spring onions, then added veggies like beans, cauliflower,capsicum,salt,tossed in some soya sauce and ccoked it on high flame for a minute or two, the veggies have to remain crispy, tossed in the rice, adjusted salt,pepper as per my taste and it was done.

Gobi Manchurian:-

Ingredients

Cut cauliflower florets

Corn Flour

Salt

Pepper

Spring Onions

Garlic,Ginger

First I made a paste of cornflour, salt and pepper and dipped the cauliflower pieces in them for coating and fried them well. Once this was done I had to make the sauce.

For this I heated oil in a pan, added cumin seeds, spring onions, garlic,ginger pieces, added soya sauce, salt as per taste, and a little water. Added the fried cauliflower in them, mixed well and garnished with cilantro leavs.

Note: For the Chinese receipes you can use ajinomot,chilli sauce, as I did not have these ingredients I omitted them.

The Be(Fir)st Wedding Anniversary

March9th 2009 was to be a whole year since our wedding. I was not expecting to celebrate in any way, would be just a normal day for me. I think waiting for this day for 3 years had taken away all its significance for me. i am happy everyday and that is what matters more to me than celebrating just one day. Now that my cullinery specializing is at it's peak eating out is a big No- No.

We had nothing planned out until hubby told at his office and the guys demanded a treat. It was also quite some time we had friends over for dinner and so we thought of having all of them home.

I was not expecting anything either with my bday in 2 months, he better save for that ocassion.

Sun nite 12:00 am as I was prepping for the 

next days meal hubby wished me and took me inside the bedroom. It was dark except for the table which had tiny candles lighted in the shape of HA (short for Happy Anniversary) .......a card titled "What is a Wife", 2 more lighted candles in a jar surrounding a yummy chocolate cake and a tiny balloon with happy Anniversary labelled on it.  And oh! I forgot the flower vase, actually gopi also forgot about it and placed it a little later:)  and a very 

pretty heart-shaped diamond necklace. I was speechless,overjoyed and excited at the same time

Here is something for my hubby :)

There are few who are so lucky
To have the things we do,
Companionship and friendship,
And loving feelings, too

I never thought I could feel this loved
until I became your wife.
You made this day and every day
the best one of my life

Mutton Curry-Simple and Easy

This week-end we got mutton and let me tell you that it is here in US that I have learnt a very easy, fast and delicious way of cooking mutton.

Ingredients:- 

Mutton - 2 pounds

Onions-1

Garlic

Ginger

Potato - 3

Red Chillies

Lime juice

Salt, Pepper, Cilantro for garnish.

Here is what i do:-

Marinate the mutton with salt, red chilly,turmeric and lime juice for half-hour.

Then put in a pressure cooker with little water and cook till about 12-13 whistles.

Cut potato pieces in a bowl , add salt and microwave for 10 minutes. Remove the skin and keep aside.

In another vessel, heat oil, add red pepper, whole garlic and ginger and then add onions. To this add salt, garlic and ginger paste(xtra addition of paste is to give the mutton curry a good flavour). Once onion is tender add mutton pieces and little water. To this add the potato pieces and smash them, this is to get a thick gravy.

Adjust salt and chilly as per your taste. Leave it to simmer for 10 minutes and then garnish with cilantro. 

Ras Malai -Yummmmmmmmmmy

This week-end hubby desired to eat Rasmalai- he normally never demands for anything(eats whatever I give...:), so I had to make this.

It turned out to be very simple and tasty. Here is what I did:-

For the rabdi, you have to heat milk and get it to half it's consistency. Bring it to a boil once and then keep it on simmer till it reduces to half the original amount, keep stirring ocassionally. Once it is half, add sugar and cardamon and refrigerate.

For the malai, I did not have any cheese so I decided to make it, for this I boiled milk and then added lime juice while stirring it,  I could see the cheese or paneer getting seperated. Once the milk became to a watery consistency I added some ice-cubes in that to stop the process of churning.

Then ideally the cheese formed has to be drained and kept in a muslin cloth it to loose it's mositure, but as I did not have any xtra cloth I used tissue papaer to drain the water off and as I am not very patient I left it only for 10 minutes. This is how the cheese looked. I made round balls of the cheese. 

Now in another vessel I heated water and added sugar and cardamon. When it is boling hot add the cheese, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Make sure that the sugar and water mixture do not form a thick syrup but remain a watery consistency.

The cheese enlarges in the water, after 5 minutes take it out in a dish, pour the rabdi on it, refiregerate and serve cold.

Fried Califlower--Simple and Easy

Cauliflower has always been my favorite veggies, I love the crunch that it gives especially with a little burnt effect, it tastes yummy.

I saw this event JFI Cauliflower and wanted to submit my simple receipe :)

Here is what I do:- Heat oil in a vessel, once hot add cumin seeds, as soon as they splutter I add cut onions, Saute the onions till they actually get nice and brown, add califlowe, salt, pepper, cover and let it fry. I allow the cauliflower to get burnt just a little bit and my most delicious side dish is ready for dinner.

Simple and easy :)

The link to the event is here. Link to Indira Mahanandi's blog is available.