Tag: indian food

Easy Chicken Biryani

Easy Chicken Biryani

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Biryani began life among the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent, say some. Others say it was developed in the royal kitchens of the Mughals. Some historians say that the Arab traders brought it to Kerala. Whatever be the origin of the dish, today it is loved across the world, not only by the Indian diaspora but by all races and nationalities.

While some recipes take hours to prepare, this chicken biryani is a quick and easy recipe that I developed as a busy working mother. It is tasty but you can serve this one-pot dish in less than an hour.

Ingredients

Chicken 1/2 kg, with bones

Basmati rice 2 cups

Onion 1 large, sliced

Tomatoes 2 large, chopped

Yoghurt 1/2 cup

Red chilli powder 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Pepper powder 1/2 tsp

Biryani masala 1 tsp

Cinnamon 1” stick

Cloves 2

Bay leaf 1

Raisins 1 tbsp

Roasted cashews 2 tbsps

Oil 3 tbsps

Ghee 1 tsp

Curry leaves

Coriander leaves for garnish

Salt to taste

Method

Marinate the chicken with red chilli powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder, salt and yoghurt and leave it for 15 minutes.

Soak the rice in water for 10 minutes, drain.

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil.

Add the sliced onions and fry till they turn translucent.

Add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cloves. Sauté for a few seconds.

Add the marinated chicken and fry for 2 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes and curry leaves. Add 1 cup of water and cook covered for 20 minutes. Add more water if needed.

Add the rice, raisins and biryani masala and mix well. Cover and cook on a slow fire for about 30 minutes.

By now the rice will be cooked and the chicken will be tender and juicy.

Add the ghee and garnish with cashew nuts and coriander leaves.

Serve hot with raita and garden salad. Or a serving of banana chips.

Vegetable Pulao

Vegetable Pulao

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

I could never understand how much time my aunt would spend on making Vegetable Pulao, ensuring each piece was of the same size, blanching and frying each kind of vegetable separately and then bringing it all together to make the final dish. Till the Covid-19 pandemic locked us in our homes. I found myself enjoying the care in cooking and the precision of each step in the making of a dish. I learnt to enjoy the magic of botany and chemistry in the process of cooking.

Ingredients

Basmati rice 2 cups

Cauliflower 1 cup of florets, each 1” thick

Carrots 1 cup of 1” cubes

Frozen peas 1 cup

Potatoes 2 medium, cut into 1” cubes

Onion 1 medium, sliced

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Cinnamon 1” piece

Ginger 2” piece, crushed

Bay leaf 1

Peppercorns 1 tbsp

Cloves 4

Oil 5 tbsps

Method

Soak the rice for 20 minutes and drain.

Boil a pan of water with 2 tablespoons of salt and blanch the vegetables separately. Don’t blanch the peas.

Heat the oil in a iron pot — I use Le Creuset — and fry the onion slices till they are brown and keep aside.

Fry the blanched vegetables separately and keep aside. Don’t fry the peas.

Add the cumin seeds. When they stop sputtering, add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves and peppercorns.

Add the crushed ginger and sauté for a few minutes.

Add the peas and the drained rice. Add the fried vegetables and salt to taste.

Mix well and add enough water to cover the rice and 1” above.

Bring to a boil, reduce the flame, cover and cook till the rice is cooked and the water is completely absorbed.

Garnish with fried onions and serve hot.

Saag Gosht (Spinach with Mutton)

Saag Gosht (Spinach with Mutton)

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

Spinach with mutton is a combo that few can say no to. Winter is a season when spinach is available in plenty and this is something that tastes delicious as temperatures plunge.

Ingredients

(Serves 5)

Mutton 500 g

Spinach 500 g

Yoghurt 1 cup

Red chilli powder 2 tbsps

Salt to taste

Turmeric 1 tsp

Coriander powder 1 tsp

Pepper powder 1/2 tsp

Ginger 2” piece

Garlic 6 cloves

Onion 1 large, chopped

Tomato 1 large, chopped

Bay leaf 1

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Cinnamon stick 1” piece

Cloves 3

Vegetable oil 2 tbsps

Method

Divide the ginger into two and crush one half with three cloves of garlic. Slice the other half into slivers. Slice the rest of the garlic cloves.

Marinate the mutton with the crushed ginger-garlic paste, yoghurt, chilli powder, salt, coriander powder and pepper powder. Rest in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.

Boil the spinach and purée in a blender.

Pour oil in a pressure cooker and add cumin seeds. When they stop sputtering, add the bay leaf, cinnamon and cloves.

Add the onions and sauté till they turn translucent.

Add the garlic slices and fry for a few seconds. Be careful not to burn the garlic or the curry will turn bitter.

Add the marinated mutton and fry for five minutes. Add the tomatoes.

Add about half a cup of water and cook on high for one whistle. Reduce the heat and cook for three whistles. Let the cooker cool.

Add the puréed spinach and cook till the gravy thickens.

Garnish with the ginger slices and serve hot with rice, paranthas or whole wheat bread.

Mutter-paneer (Peas and Cottage Cheese Curry)

Mutter-paneer (Peas and Cottage Cheese Curry)

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

Mutter-paneer is a dish that I make very often. It is light and it’s refreshing taste of tomato and garlic makes it the best accompaniment for rotis or rice. You can use fresh or frozen peas. If using fresh peas, you need to cook it a little longer. Use paneer or cottage cheese cubes.

Fresh taste

Ingredients

(Serves 5)

Peas 250 g

Paneer or cottage cheese 200 g, cut into cubes

Tomatoes 2 medium

Onion 1 large

Garlic 5 cloves

Ginger 1” piece

Green chillies 2, split

Coriander leaves for garnish

Turmeric 1/2 tsp

Red chilli powder 1 tbsp

Oil 2 tbsp

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Method

Grind the onion, tomatoes, ginger and garlic in a blender.

Heat oil in a wok and add the cumin seeds. When they stop sputtering, add the ground paste. Fry for about three minutes till the oil begins to separate from the edges.

Add the turmeric and red chilli powder and cook till blended in well, about two minutes.

Add the peas and mix well. Add about a cup and a half of water and salt. Bring to a boil and add the paneer cubes. Add the split green chillies.

Cook covered on a low flame till the gravy thickens.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with ajwain puris, roti or rice.

Rice and Lentil Cakes

Rice and Lentil Cakes

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

This is a delicious and healthy steamed dish that works as a snack, breakfast dish or even for supper. It has a mix of lentils or dals and minimal amount of oil. Wrapped in banana leaves, the steaming brings out a unique flavour.

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

Parboiled rice 125 g

Moong dal 50 g

Masoor dal 50 g

Tuvar dal 50 g

Urad dal 50 g

Chana dal 50 g

Salt to taste

Red chilli flakes 1 tbsp

Any Indian pickle masala 2 tbsps

Jaggery 1 tbsp grated

Coriander leaves, chopped

Mustard seeds 1 tbsp

Oil 4 tbsps + 1 tbsp

Yoghurt 2 tbsps

Eno fruit salt 1 tbsp

Water as needed

Asafoetida 1/2 tsp

Banana leaves cut into squares and rolled to form cone-shaped pockets.

Method

Wash the dals and rice and soak for 30 minutes. Drain and grind to a paste along with the yoghurt and 2 tablespoons of oil. Add enough water to make a batter. Add salt and leave to ferment for 7 hours.

Add chopped coriander leaves, the pickle masala, jaggery and chilli flakes to the fermented batter. Add the Eno fruit salt and leave for a few minutes.

Heat water in a steamer.

Spoon batter into the banana leaf cones and steam for 30 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and add the mustard seeds and asafoetida.

Unwrap the steamed cakes and pour the oil with mustard seeds over them.

Serve hot with chutney or pickle.

Moong Dal

Moong Dal

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 2 Comments

When we were a newly married couple, my husband and I used to cook dinner together. We had a lovely terrace off the kitchen in our first home. We would take a drink each — my preferred drink was and is Coca Cola — and we would concoct all kinds of delectable dishes. One of our favourites was the simple moong dal, made with tomatoes, onions, garlic and fresh coriander leaves. We would team it with paranthas or rotis and rice and with fried fish or prawns as a side dish.

Ingredients

(Serves 3)

Moong dal, split 1/2 cup
Onion 1 medium, chopped
Tomatoes 2 medium, chopped
Green chillies 2, chopped
Garlic 5 cloves, chopped
Turmeric 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
Ghee 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnish, chopped

Method

Wash and drain the moong dal. Add the onions, tomatoes, green chillies and garlic. Add water and boil.

Add salt, turmeric and red chilli powder. Simmer till the dal is cooked completely. Add water as needed.

Heat the ghee in a small frying pan and cumin seeds. When they stop sputtering, add them to the dal.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or roti.

Potato curry, simple and easy

Potato curry, simple and easy

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

Puris with potato or aloo curry is a favourite with most people, it never fails to hit the spot. My mom used to make this simple potato curry with hardly any spices always with puris and the aroma and the combination would have us asking for more a la Pip in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. When I moved to Singapore, I found this was the prasad at the temple closest to home. It was delicious and at the temple too, it was served with puris.

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

Potatoes 4 medium, peeled and cubed
Onions 2 medium, cubed
Green chillies 2, chopped
Curry leaves few sprigs
Ginger 1″ piece, chopped
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Oil 1 tsp

Method

Boil the potatoes, onions, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves along with salt and turmeric powder till cooked. Mash gently with the back of the ladle. Add enough water to make a thick gravy and let it boil once.

Switch off the heat and serve with hot puris.

Mutter-mushroom Curry (Peas and Mushroom Curry)

Mutter-mushroom Curry (Peas and Mushroom Curry)

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

The combination of mushrooms and peas in a delicately flavoured tomato gravy is delicious. This is a dish that I fell in love with when I was a young girl. I loved the version of this curry sold at a restaurant called Chic Fish near my home. I have experimented till I have managed to get the same taste and texture.

Mutter-mushroom Curry

Ingredients

Peas 1 cup, fresh or frozen
Button mushroom 250 g, sliced
Onion 1 large, roughly chopped
Tomatoes 2 large, roughly chopped
Garlic 4 cloves
Ginger 1” piece
Green chillies 2, sliced on a slant
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
Oil 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnish
Cream 1 tbsp for garnish

Method

Grind the onion, tomato, garlic and ginger to a fine paste.

Pour oil into a hot wok and add the cumin seeds. When they stop sputtering, add the ground paste. Sauté till oil begins to leave the sides of wok.

Saute till oil leaves the sides of the pan

Add the red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Fry for 1 minute on medium heat.

Add the mushrooms
Add the peas

Add the peas and mushrooms. Add salt and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Cover and cook for 5-8 minutes till the peas and mushrooms are cooked. The gravy would have thickened as well.

Take the curry into a serving dish and garnish with the cream, coriander leaves and sliced green chillies.

Serve hot with rice or bread.

Lauki Chana Dal (Bottle gourd with Bengal gram)

Lauki Chana Dal (Bottle gourd with Bengal gram)

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 2 Comments

I was not a big fan of the bottle gourd or any member of the squash family. Till I got a bumper crop from the garden and the fresh bottle gourd with firm fleshy white meat and no seeds or very tender seeds turned me into a fan. The only dish I would make from bottle gourd or lauki was kofta curry. Then I tried my hand at this humble dal and surprised myself at how tasty it turned out. Using chana dal (split Bengal gram) gives the dish a lovely creamy texture.

Creamy and wholesome

Ingredients

(Serves 4 persons)

Bottle gourd or lauki 1 1/2 cups, peeled and cubed
Chana dal 1/4 cup
Onion 1, chopped
Tomato 1 large, chopped
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Garlic 4 cloves, chopped
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Turmeric 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves a few sprigs, chopped
Mint a few leaves

Method

Soak the chana dal in water for 30 minutes. Drain.

Add oil to the pressure cooker and sputter the mustard seeds. Add the onions and fry till they turn translucent. Add the garlic and fry for a few seconds. Add the tomatoes and fry till they soften. Add the spices. Saute for 1 minute.

Add the chana dal and the cubed lauki. Add salt and mix well. Fry for two minutes. Add enough water to cover the dal. Close the lid and let it cook on high flame for one whistle and on low flame for four whistles. Switch off the heat and let the pressure cooker cool.

Take the lid off and check the gravy. If needed, heat it till the gravy thickens.

Garnish with coriander leaves and mint and serve hot with rice or bread.

Ada, health meets taste

Ada, health meets taste

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

This is comfort food, especially in winter. The aroma of the pancake cooking on a hot griddle will set your taste buds working overtime. This is a healthy option for breakfast, packed with proteins from all the variety of lentils that go into the batter.

Comfort food

Ingredients

(Serves 6 persons)

Idli rice 1/4 cup
Urad dal 1/4 cup
Moong dal 1/4 cup
Arhar dal 1/4 cup
Chana dal 1/4 cup
Masoor dal 1/4 cup
Whole red chillies 4
Til oil
Onions 2 medium, sliced
Green chillies 2
Ginger 1” piece
Curry leaves 4 sprigs
Asafoetida powder 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method

Mix the first seven ingredients in a bowl, add water and soak overnight.

In the morning, drain and wash the the soaked rice and lentils.

Grind it along with the onions, green chillies, ginger and curry leaves.

Add the asafoetida and salt and mix well.

Heat a griddle and apply oil. Pour a ladleful of batter and spread it like a pancake. Flip it over after 30 seconds.

Use all the batter to make similar pancakes.

Serve with idli chutney powder, onion chutney or pickle.