MASALA CASHEW NUTS

MASALA CASHEW NUTS

Ingredients:

2 cups cashew nuts rinsed
1 cup gram flour
¼ cup rice flour
1 tsp red chillie powder
1 pip of garlic fine paste (optional)
A pinch of cumin powder
Little asafetida powder
Little baking soda
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:
Mix all the ingredients and make it into a slightly thick batter.
Add in the rinsed cashew nuts. Mix nicely.
See that the batter coats all the cashew nuts.

Heat oil in a flat pan. When it gets hot, add little of the cashew.
While adding to the oil, lightly loosen the nuts with your fingers,
To make sure they are separate and do not form lumps.
Do not keep stirring, remove once when they are fried nicely.
Put them on paper towel. When cooled keep in air tight containers

KAARA SEEDAI

KAARA SEEDAI

Ingredients:
1 cup rice flour roasted, and sieved well
1 ½ tbs urad dal flour roasted and sieved well
2 tsp butter or hot oil
2 tsp scrapings
½ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp asafetida powder
¼ tsp chillie powder
Salt to taste.

Method:

Mix the rice flour, urad flour, cumin, coconut scrapings, asafetida,
Chillie powder , and hot oil or butter.
Mix the dough with a sprinkling of water. The dough should just be such that you can make a ball out of it. There should be no lumps.
The seedai will burst open if there are any lumps.allow the balls to rest for at least an hour, so that they will dry out and won't blast in your face.

Roll the the dough into small balls and place them on a muslin cloth
For a while. The cloth will absorb little moisture from the seedais.
Heat the oil in a wok for frying.
Put little seedais at a time. Do not over crowd the wok.
Do not turn the seedai for a while. Then slowly turn them over and fry until they are golden brown and crispy.
Remove from oil and place on paper towels.
Store when really cooled.

Note: Hold a shield to your face when you fry the first batch. Ha! Ha!


Sorry my seedais are not smooth"

BRINJALS IN PEANUT SAUCE (for biriyani)

We normally cook this as side dish for biryani, when we have guests for dinner or lunch. Thanks. Kugan98


BRINJALS IN PEANUT SAUCE


Ingredient:
8 small brinjals or you could cut the long brinjal into strips
4 green chillies slit them length wise
1 tsp pepper corns
1 tsp mustard seeds
A lime sized tamarind ball extract thick juice
4 tbs oil or ghee
Salt to taste
Water about a cup

Paste:
2 tbs groundnuts roasted
1 tsp kas kas roasted
1 tsp sesame seeds roasted
1 tsp fenugreek seeds roasted
1 tsp cumin seeds roasted
10 small onions sliced
2 big tomatoes chopped fine
5 garlic pips sliced
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp tumeric powder
1 tbs chillie powder

Method:
Using very little water grind all the paste items.
Slit brinjals till length so that the stalk is intact. Apply little salt.
Deep fry these brinjals 3/4 cooked in oil and keep aside.
In a wok heat the oil, add the peppercorns and mustard seeds.
Then add the green chillies, saute them well.
Now add the ground paste and stir well.
Add little water and let the paste cook well.
Add the thick tamarind juice and the fried brinjals.
Cook till the gravy becomes thick
The oil will float on the top, taste for salt.
. Off the fire.
Remove and serve. It goes well with biryani or ghee rice.

SOFT ONION PAKORAS (Bonda)

Try this spongy pakoras.


SOFT ONION PAKORAS

Ingredients:
1 onions chopped finely
1 small potato shredded
3 green chillies chopped fine
¼ cup coriander leaves chopped
1 cup besan flour
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp chillie powder
¼ tsp tumeric powder
Little asfoetida powder
A little pinch of baking soda
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method:
Mix salt with the onions and leave aside for few minutes.
Now add all the other ingredients (except the oil) into the onions.
Add little water and make into a soft batter.

Heat oil in a wok, make any shape or balls and deep fry in oil
Fry the pakoras till they turn golden brown.
Drain on paper towels. This pakoras will be very spongy.
Serve hot with mint chutney . or any other sauces.
Mint sauce is the best.

TOMATO RAVA UPMA

This recipe was the request from my dear friend Prema.


TOMATO RAVA UPMA

Ingredients:
1 cup sooji nicely roasted in 1 tbs of ghee
1 tsp ginger finely chopped
1 green chillie chopped more if you like hot
1 medium onion chopped
1 big tomato chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 sprig curry leaves
2 tbs coriander leaves chopped
2 tbs fresh coconut scrapings
2 tbs ghee
2 cups of water
Salt to taste
Little lime juice
Fried cashew nuts if desired

Method:

Heat ghee in a wok, add in the mustard seeds and urad dal.
When the mustard splutters, add in the onions, green chillie,
Curry leaves, and chopped ginger. Stir fry on medium heat for 3 minutes. When the onion becomes soft and little brown add in the chopped tomatoes. Cook till they become soft.

Add in the 2 cups of water, coconut and salt and let it come to boil.
Add in the roasted sooji, keep mixing make sure it does not form lumps. Keep stirring till the sooji is cooked and all water absorbed.
Add in the chopped coriander leaves, cashew nuts and lime juice.
Give a final stir and remove. Serve with any chutney.

This preparation will be a bit mushy and not be uthir, uthir.

HYDERABADI BIRYANI

I do not know why this is called Hyderabadi Biryani.
Anyway I tried and it was yummy.
Thanks my dear friend Yamini.




HYDERABADI BIRYANI

Ingredients:

500 grms Basmati rice soak for ½ an hour and drain.
1 inch cinnamon stick , one
2 cloves
2 cardamoms
1 star anise
1 small piece of mace
1 bay leaf.
5 ¼ cups of water

1 cup big onion sliced
Oil to fry the onion.

Veges:
200 grms potatoes cubed
200 grms carrots cubed
200 grms cauliflower florets
100 grms French beans cut into 1 inch in length
100 grms green peas

Paste:
1 tbs ginger paste
1 tbs garlic paste
2 tbs ground small onions
2 tbs green chillie paste
2 tbs fresh red chillie paste
1 cup ground fresh tomatoes
½ tsp tumeric powder
1 tsp garam masala powder


½ cup fresh curds
2 tbs ground cashew nut paste
¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
¼ cup chopped mint leaves
Little lime juice

¼ cup warm milk, add a pinch of saffron in it.
1 tsp rose water
50 grms almonds, soaked , halved and roasted in ghee
50 grms cashew nuts roasted in ghee
25 grms raisins roasted in ghee
½ cup ghee
Salt to taste

Method:
Rice: Pour 2 tbs of ghee in a pot, add in all the spices.
After they crackle, add in the soaked rice and fry for few minutes.
Add 5 ¼ cups of water and salt, in medium heat, cook till ¾ cooked.
See that all the water is evaporated. You can even cook it in a rice cooker. Keep aside.

Onion: Heat the oil in a wok, and fry the onions to crisp golden brown.
Keep aside.

Masala: Heat the remainder of the ghee in a wok, add in all the things under “paste” and fry on slow fire till oil separates.
Add in the veges, and salt and cook on low flame till the veges are cooked. Stir once in a way to see that it does not stick to the wok.
Add in the well beaten curds, and cashew nut paste. Stir nicely.
Now add in the chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves and the lime juice. Stir nicely and remove.

Place half the rice in a wide pot.
Spread the vegetable masala on the rice evenly.
Now spread the rest of the rice on the vege masala.
Mix rose water and the saffron milk, pour around the corners.
Sprinkle the fried onions, the fried nuts and raisins.
Close the lid and put on dum for 20 minutes.
Mix well once after removing from dum.
Serve with onion raitha

Onion chutney using coconut oil

Onion chutney:

chop around 25 pearl onions. Heat COCONUT OIL & add the onions. Fry till they start browning. add req salt & chilly pwd & switch off flame immediately. mix well,let cool & grind to a paste.

Heat a tsp of CCONUT oil again. splutter mustard & then add a dry red chilly & a few curry leaves. Add in the ground paste & fry again for a min or two. Serve with dosai/wheat dosai. Tastes yum. The use of coconut oil makes a lot of diff to this chutney. So never every try using any other oil.

Try it & let me know how u guys liked this no fuss chutney...