Alu Bonda (Alu Pakora)

This is an all time favourite snack, again more seen in the south Indian areas than north, but regardless - it tastes great. It's also a great way to use up any left over potato stir fry, or pani puri stuffing or dry alu korma. The placement and decoration credit goes to Jyotsna who changed my mind from not posting this photo to posting it and decorating it :)

Ingredients:
For batter:
1 cup besan (gram flour)
pinch of salt
pinch of baking soda
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
For filling:
3 medium sized potatoes
1/2 onion chopped finely
1 tsp crushed ginger
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
2 green chillies cut in small pieces

Preparation:
Boil the potatoes until done.
In a pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil, add the onions, green chillies and ginger.
Stir until onions turn slight golden.
Add the potatoes, cumin and coriander powder and salt to taste.
Stir for 5 minutes on medium heat.
Once done, let the mixture cool down.
On another deep frying pan, add oil and heat. A good test to check the temperature is to drop one small drop of the batter and see if it immediately floats. If the oil is not ready, it will just touch the bottom and not cause the same reaction.
Prepare the batter by mixing all ingredients mentioned above to a thick consistency.
Make small balls out of the potato mixture, dip these balls in the batter and fry.

Serve with coriander chutney or just onions and lime.

Mirapakaya Bajji (Stuffed pepper pakora)

This is a mouth-watering dish mostly prevalent in Andhra Pradesh (Vijayawada, Guntur & neighbouring areas). The very mention of this dish makes me feel nostalgic of my college days - our most loved evening snack! I am sure many of those are reading this post know what I am talking about :)
This past sunday, my husband and I went to a friend's (Raji & Krishna) place to watch the 2 playoff games on TV, and this whole cooking session became a discussion of the different ways to make the filling etc. Will try out the other suggestions and post as variations later..

Ingredients(serves 6):
8 Anaheim peppers
For batter:
1 cup besan
2 tbsp cornflour (for crisp-factor)
1 tbsp cumin+coriander powder
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
a pinch of baking soda

For the filling:
3 tbsp white til(nuvvulu) - powdered.
1 tsp amchur
1 tsp cumin+coriander powder
pinch of salt

Preparation:
Mix the contents of the batter to a thick consistency (kinda like the pancake mix). Don't thin it down too much, else it wont stick to the peppers.
Mix the contents of the filling in a small bowl.
Slit the peppers on one side like a pocket, and spoon in the filling in all the peppers.
Heat peanut oil in a frying pan.
Dip the stuffed peppers in the batter, cover all sides.
Place them one by one in the frying pan.
Don't turn to the other side until the bottom side is completely done.
Pat with paper towels to get off extra oil, once you take them out.

Serving suggestion:
Cut into bite size pieces and sprinkle some chat masala on the pieces.
Cut the red onion into small pieces, and sprinkle 1 whole lemon.
Eat the bajji pieces with a nice helping of onions & lime squeeze.
mmm...delicious!!

Cauliflower and Peas Stir Fry (Gobhi Matar Masala)

Cauliflower is a vegetable I have seen mostly popular in Northern part of India, some parts in East and West too. Though not as popular in the south, I still see most restaurants serving cauliflower based dishes.

Ingrediants (serves 3)
1 Cauliflower
1/2 cup green peas
1/2 red onion
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
3 green chillies
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chilli powder
Tadka/Chonk/Popu:
2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp black mustard seeds, 5 curry leaves

Cut cauliflower into desired shapes.
Chop a medium size onion into thin slices.
In a pan, add some oil, heat it. Tip: Dont let the oil heat up too much..
Once oil is mildly hot, add the tadka materials and let them pop.
Add the onions and green chillies, stir until onions are golden brown.
Add ginger garlic paste if available, else skip this step.
Stir for a minute.
Add the cauliflower pieces, mix it up once and then onwards mix it every 2 mins. No need to continuously stir it, it will break up the cauliflower so it doesnt remain a full slower anymore.
I usually dont cover with a lid, as again I dont want too much moisture to be trapped inside which makes the cauliflower break up.
After 10 mins, add the peas.
Sprinkle turmeric, chilli powder and stir.
Sprinkle 1/2 tbsp coriander(dhaniya) powder OR for a stronger flavour, sprinkle 1 tbsp garam masal powder instead.
Salt to taste.
Mix it up, cook until cauliflower is slight browned on some sides.
Stir every 2-3 mins on medium to high heat until cooked.

Total preparation time: 25-30 minutes.

Serve hot with parathas or rice.

Beerakaya Thokku Pachadi

This is a great quick recipe that hardly needs any preparation and tastes delicious with idlis or hot rice+ghee! What more, it's a good source of fiber too. So whenever you make anything with the turai, save the chilka/skins for this chutney.

Ingredients (serves 2-3):
Beerakaya thokku from 2 large beerakaya (comes to approximately 2 cups)
1 tsp of tamarind paste (I always prefer using fresh tamarind pulp for these kinds of recipes for that extra zing, but it's really up to you and how time you have in hand)
1 tsp chana dal
4 dry red chillies
Chonk/Popu materials
1/4 cup onions
4 garlic cloves peeled and cut
Salt to taste

Preparation:
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan.
Add the popu ingredients (mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves).
Add the red chillies, chana dal and garlic, stir.
Add the onions and stir until onions turn slight brown and let go of the moisture.
Add the beerakaya thokku and stir for 5 mins.
Empty contents into a plate and let them cool down.
In a blender, add the cooled contents from the pan, some water and tamarind paste.
Blend to a smooth consistency.

Serving suggestion:
Best with hot rice and ghee!

Turai Sabzi (Beerakaya Kura)

This is one of my favourite vegetables, very simple to make and the flavour is amazing when cooked with garlic. So for all the garlic lovers, this is a treat! Imagine hot rice and a side of this vegetable.. its just mouth watering !;)

Ingredients(serves 2-3):
2 long Turai peeled off and cut into small pieces (save the skins for beerakaya thokky pachadi - yummy!)
1/2 medium sized red onion chopped
5 garlic cloves peeled and chopped
2 green chilles
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
Chonk/Popu for seasoning (Mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, urad dal)

Preparation:
In a pan, heat 1 tbsp of peanut oil/vegetable oil.
Add the chonk ingredients, garlic and onions.
Stir until onions are light-brown.
Mix in the Turai, turmeric powder and cumin powder.
Stir until the turai is rid of all water and is very slightly browned.

Serve with hot rice and enjoy!

Breakfast Taco

Austin is THE place for some amazing breakfast spots.. and living in Texas, one cannot avoid tex-mex food. Mahesh and I sometimes just love to drive to Taco deli and get a breakfast taco with their Salsa Dona as the sauce.
When we don't feel like driving first thing in the morning, this is how we make it at home.

Ingredients (serves 4):
3 eggs scrambled
1 can of black beans mashed
1 small packet of instant garlic mashed potatoes
Salsa (medium hot or hot - your preference)
Flour tortillas

Preparation:
Empty the contents of beans on a hot pan, add a pinch of paprika
Optional: 1 tsp cayenne pepper to add some spice
Stir until hot, may need to add 2-3 tbsp of water
Prepare the garlic mashed potatoes according to the packet instructions

Heat a tortilla on a pan on both sides.
Add a layer of beans, potatoes and eggs.
Add salsa and enjoy your yummy taco!

Garlic Herb Pasta with Chicken and Shrimp

After coming back from work, sometimes I just don't feel like reaching out for the cutting board and start chopping.. And that's when I reach out for the IQF(Individual Quick Freeze) based frozen goods. One issue to solve though is to cook them in a manner that just gives it a made fresh from scratch taste and suits our respective taste buds. Mine and my husband's taste preferences are lots of flavour and spice, so my recipes are all full of both elements ;)
This is one of my favourites!

Ingredients:
1 packet of frozen "Penne pasta with chicken, shrimp and garlic herb sauce" (The brand I like is 'Viola' however go down the isle of frozen meals and pick up any packet that refers to a pasta meal with garlic herb sauce and if you follow the instructions below, you will most certainly get good results.)
1 chicken breast cooked & seasoned (again - look for this in the frozen foods, this is one thing you can very quickly get used to, and will love it forever!)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp lemon-pepper
salt
1 chicken bullion
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 cup penne pasta or garden rotini

Preparation:
Sprinkle 2 tbsp of water on the frozen chicken breast and heat for 1.5 minutes in the microwave. Allow it to cool down
Cut in half and slice it into thin strips
Optional step: Saute the chicken strips on a pan with some lemon pepper and crushed red pepper
In a deep dish, cook the garden rotini/penne pasta until done, drain and set aside
On medium heat, in a separate cooking pan, add 1 tsp olive oil
Add the thyme, rosemary and crushed red pepper
Now follow instructions to cook the frozen pasta on the stove
Once the frozen pasta is half thawed on stove, add a chicken bullion cube to the mix and 1/4 cup water
Add the lemon pepper and cook until the sauce, pasta is completely thawed and almost done.
Add the additional pasta that you just boiled and set aside with the rest of the frozen pasta mix.
Add chicken to the pasta and mix
Serve hot!

Serving suggestion:
Garnish with some fresh parmesan cheese and chopped parsley

Vegetable Pulao

This is one of the things I absolutely love as it's so easy to make, tastes delicious and is a meal on its own!


Ingredients (serves 4):
1 cup rice
2 bay leaves
12-15 long green beans
1 red onion sliced in long wedges
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee
2 green chillies
Salt to taste
Pulao Masala:
4 cloves
2 cardamoms
2 small sticks of cinnamon
1 tbsp cumin
Vegetables:
Mixed vegetables( peas, lima beans, corn, carrots)
Cauliflower cut into bite size pieces (optional)
Potatoes cut into cubes (optional)


Preparation:
Heat a cooking pan on medium heat, and add the oil.
Add onions, green chillies and ginger garlic paste, bay leaves, stir till onions turn brown.
Grind the pulao masala ingredients in a coffee grinder to a fine powder.
Add to the cooking pan, stir for a 1 min.
Add the vegetables mentioned above and stir till the water from the vegetables evaporates.
Wash the rice under water, drain and add to the cooking pan with the rest of the ingredients.
Stir for 3-4 minutes under medium-high heat.
Add salt, mix.

Alternative 1: In a rice cooker, add this mix from the pan, 3.5 cups water(Tip for good Pulav/Biryani is to always add less water than usual to give a dry consistency to the finished rice). Add 2 drops of Kewra water.
Cook until done.

Alternative 2: This is handy when you have left over rice. Once the vegetables & spice mix is done, mix the rice in and stir for 2-3 minutes until well mixed.

Serving suggestion:
Serve hot With yogurt raita

Chinese vegetable fried rice

You know what sometimes just waters my mouth is a delicious fried rice full of savoury vegetables and just enough spice !;)

Ingredients
[For 4 people]
2 cups cooked rice (better if its left over as the moisture in the rice is either evaporated or lost in refrigeration giving it a dry consistency, which is key). If you are preparing the rice fresh, once cooked lay it out on a open dish so the heat and vapor is gone.
5-6 garlic cloves
Broccoli cut into medium size pieces
10-12 Green beans chopped
5 carrots diced
12 white button mushrooms chopped
6-7 snow peas
1 bell pepper cut in thin long wedges
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tsp white pepper
3 dried red chillies
3 eggs
1 onion (1 big or 2 small)
Green peas
Spring Onions for garnish

Process
In a wok, heat some oil (You can add butter to give it a richer taste)
Add 5-6 garlic cloves finely cut TIP: shouldn't let them brown too much otherwise they will give a bitter taste
when they just about start to turn yellow, add onions(one big, or 2 small) finely cut - can be largely cut if you like to see them.
add 1 tsp black pepper
add some red pepper flakes and red chillies. You can also add green chillies instead
once onions are fried, add the vegetables except bell peppers, salt to taste; about 1-2 tbsp soy sauce
Let the veggies let go of the water in them - might take up to 3-5 minutes
Add bell peppers, mix, push it to the side of the pan
Break open 3 eggs - scramble them on the wok
once the eggs are cooked, mix with rice and stir
Add 2 tsp white pepper.
1 tsp black pepper again
check the taste to see if more soy sauce is needed
add spring onions if you have, else its fine
toss it, and serve.

Idli

Ingredients (serves 6)
1 cup Urad Dal
2 cups Idli Rawa
Salt to taste

Preparation:
Soak the Urad Dal for 3-4 hours.
Grind dal in a blender to a smooth consistency (make sure the dough is not too think or too thin)
Add the idli rawa to this mix.
Transfer into a container such that the dough only takes up a third of the room inside, you would need the additional room to give space for the fermented dough - you will know what I mean when you try this out, otherwise you may just wake up to a surprise ;)
Leave it overnight or by a window that gets sufficient sunlight during the day.
When you see the dough rise to twice its height inside the container, your dosa dough is ready!
Once fermented, mix the dough properly, add 1 tbsp salt. You may need to add some water depending upon how you blended the dough in the first place.
Once caution is the batter needs to be thick as though you are making a cake.

For cooking idlis, you would need a idli container/maker
Sprinkle a drop of oil or spray some oil onto the cups made to hold the batter.
Pour the dough so it occupies half the space available.
Cook in a pressure cooker or the idli maker.
It typically takes 12-15 minutes for a 16 size idli maker.
When done, allow the vapour to go away and idlis to cool down just slightly before you scoop them out.

Serve with besan chutney/coconut chutney/peanut chutney.

** The key thing with dosas and idlis is fermentation process without which they just don't taste right. So make sure you plan in advance.

Dosas with Rice Flour

Grinding rice to a smooth consistency is not easy.. those who have done will know what I am talking about. Blending dal is way easier and quicker. So replacing rice with rice flour was suggested by my mother-in-law, I always thank her for this tip as it makes preparing the dough so much easier! This post is just a tad bit simpler process to making dosas.. Enjoy!

Ingrediants (serves 6)
1 cup Urad Dal
2 cups Rice Flour
1 tsp methi(fenugreek) seeds (optional)

Preparation:
Soak the Urad Dal and Methi for 3-4 hours.
Grind them in a blender to an extra smooth consistency (make sure the dough is not too think or too thin)
Add the rice flour to this mix.
Transfer into a container such that the dough only takes up a third of the room inside, you would need the additional room to give space for the fermented dough - you will know what I mean when you try this out, otherwise you may just wake up to a surprise ;)
Leave it overnight or by a window that gets sufficient sunlight during the day.
When you see the dough rise to twice its height inside the container, your dosa dough is ready!

Before pouring the batter onto a dosa pan, mix the dough and add some salt and a 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds.
Heat a circular flat pan until it's heated to medium-high heat.
You may sprinkle a drop of oil or spray some before pouring out the first dosa.
You would need a spatula with a circular mouth that can contain the dough as well as can be used in spreading it evenly in circles to occupy most of the pan's surface area.
Let the dosa brown, cook on both sides.

Serve with besan chutney/coconut chutney/peanut chutney.

** The key thing with dosas and idlis is fermentation process without which they just dont taste right. So make sure you plan in advance if you want to make dosas.

Dosas

You may sometimes find yourself in the middle of a discussion between what's better - dosas from the scratch or pack mix or using rice flour.. At least I have a couple times ;)

I think it's all upon your convenience and mood. I simply LOVE cooking, but there are times when I just say "Thank you Gits"

Here's my mom's recipe I used to follow for the longest time until.. for this you need to read my next post ;)

Ingrediants (serves 6)
1 cup Urad Dal
2 cups Rice
1 tsp methi(fenugreek) seeds (optional)

Preparation:
Soak the above ingrediants for 3-4 hours.
Grind them in a blender to an extra smooth consistency (make sure the dough is not too think or too thin)
Transfer into a container such that the dough only takes up a third of the room inside, you would need the additional room to give space for the fermented dough - you will know what I mean when you try this out, otherwise you may just wake up to a surprise ;)
Leave it overnight or by a window that gets sufficient sunlight during the day.
When you see the dough rise to twice its height inside the container, your dosa dough is ready!

Before pouring the batter onto a dosa pan, mix the dough and add some salt and a 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds.
Heat a circular flat pan until it's heated to medium-high heat.
You may sprinkle a drop of oil or spray some before pouring out the first dosa.
You would need a spatula with a circular mouth that can contain the dough as well as can be used in spreading it evenly in circles to occupy most of the pan's surface area.
Let the dosa brown, cook on both sides.

Serve with besan chutney/coconut chutney/peanut chutney.

** The key thing with dosas and idlis is fermentation process without which they just dont taste right. So make sure you plan in advance if you want to make dosas.

Chinese Broccoli Stir-fry

A good friend of Mahesh, Bentley, introduced me to this awesome vegetable! So now there I am at the chinese/asian supermarket every other week or month going for one precise reason, well I should say two - 1)Basil leaves 2) Chinese broccoli

This is the simplest recipe but with great results and very healthy for you, an excuse to get some greens in your body.

Ingredients:
1 bunch of chinese broccoli cut in halves
3 pieces of garlic chopped
1 whole red chilli broken into halves
3 tsp soy sauce (for low sodium, use lite soy sauce)
1 pinch of black pepper (optional)
Salt to taste

Preparation:
Wash the broccoli thoroughly, as the last thing you want is sand on your teeth. One minor fact that sometime people overlook is the manner to wash the greens - Never put them in running water hoping the sand/soil will wash away.
1.Make sure you wash them in a deep dish immerse the leaves in the water
2.Take them out into a second container by hand (Don't drain the water from the leaves instead as the left over sand lying as sediment will stick back on the leaves)
Repeast 1, 2 as needed. I do it at least twice maybe a third time if I still see sand in the water.

In a pan, warm a dash of olive oil (or sesame oil or peanut oil for alternative flavor)
Add the garlic and red chili
Immediately add the chinese broccoli, soy sauce and salt
Sprinkle a few drops of water and cover with a lid.
Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes and turn the stove off.

Serve as a side with chinese chicken fried rice
Or
Just eat it as a meal!

Chicken Bihari Kebab

For the longest time I used to think that Bihari Kebab is only made out of ground beef. During my last visit to visit Mahesh's(my husband) parents in Atlanta, we went to eat at a restaurant called 'Lukma'. Mom ordered Chicken Bihari kebab and it was just delicious.

I returned to Austin but the taste just haunted me and I had to give it a try on my own. So I started reading online and I found there are several ways to make them with beef.

This is a recipe with some of my personal favourites in grilling ingredients that I tried with and found very pleasing results.

Ingredients:
2 lbs Chicken breast fillets cut in thin strips length wise

Marinade ingredients:
1/4 cup yogurt
1/4 of raw medium size raw papaya
1 tbsp amchur
1/2 lime freshly squeezed
1.5 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp red chili powder
2-3 green chillies
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp Shaan Bihari Kebab Masala
Salt to taste

Preparation:
Cut the onions in wedges and saute them in a pan until they turn golden brown
Let the onions cool down, and then in a blender, grind the onions, green chillies, ginger, garlic and yogurt(for providing the liquid consistency while grinding)
Once that becomes a paste, add the raw papaya cut into pieces and blend.

For preparing the marinade, add the contents from the blender in a long dish (so the chicken pieces can sit lengthwise), add the rest of the marinade ingredients, add the meat.
Cover with a lid, and refrigerate overnight.

Cooking on a grill:
Make sure the heat is mild/low, as the breast pieces are very delicate and will burn off easily.
Take some skewers and arrange the meat in length.
Before putting on the grill, make sure there's plenty of marinade on all sides, especially the bottom of the meat.
Spray some oil for protective coating and effective cooking.
Let the meat cook on the bottom, do not turn the meat until the bottom is done completely else the marinade will not come off with the meat when you turn.
Cook to completion.

Cooking in a conventional oven:
Most kebab dishes taste good on a grill, however in this case, I found cooking in the oven more effective as we can carefully regulate the heat and broil it when needed in controlled conditions.
All the instructions are the same for placement of the meat and grilling, except the temperature conditions.
I cooked the meat on lo Broil settings until the 1st turn of the kebabs. For the second turn, you can put it in high broil as the breast meat cooks very fast. Really, what you are broiling at this point is the marinade.

Serve with yogurt raita or fresh onions and lime.