Malai paneer(Paneer in cream and cashew gravy)

Ingredients:

1.Red tomatoes-4
2.Chopped onion-1
3.Paneer -250 g(cut into 1" cubes,soak in warm water with a pinch of salt for 3 minutes )
4.Cashewnuts- handful(15)
5.Cream (1/2 cup)
6.Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp
7.Garam masala- 2 tsp
8.Red chilli powder- 2 tsp
9.Oil-2 tbsp
10.Dried methi leaves-2 tbsp
11.Green chillies-3
12.Jeera/Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
13.Chopped cilantro
14.Salt
15.Butter- 2 tsp
16.Sugar- 2 tsp

Method:

1.Heat 2 tsp oil,add chopped onions & green chillies,saute till it turns transparent.Toss in the chopped tomatoes and let it cook for 10 min. Stir now and then.Once the tomatoes have lost all the water,switch off stove.Let it cool.
2.Grind the above in a mixer(add 1/2 cup water) with the cashews to form a smooth paste.
3.Heat oil/butter in a pan,add jeera,let it crackle.
4.Add the ginger garlic paste,stir.Empty the onion-tomato paste. Add 1/2 cup water and let the gravy simmer for 10 minutes.
5.Add all the spices(chilli powder,garam masala,salt,crushed methi leaves)
6.Quick Tip!!: For the garam masala,u can either get the readymade ones or can make at home.Roast the cinnamon stick,cardamon,cloves and coriander seeds.Grind it to a fine powder and store.
7.Add whipped cream,1 tsp sugar and paneer cubes and cook for 5 minutes.
8.Quick tip!!-If you don't have whipped cream ,use milk(preferably whole milk)
9.Switch off.Garnish with cilantro and serve with rotis/naan.

Corn capsicum subzi

Ingredients: 

1. Green/Red capsicum - 1( chopped lengthwise)
2. Frozen corn Kernels - 1 cup(Microwave the corn in water for 1 minute)
3. Chopped green chillies - 2
4. Onion - 1(chopped lengthwise into thin pieces)
5. Chopped tomatoes - 2
6. Turmeric Powder -1/2 tsp
7. Chilli powder - 1 tsp
8. Ginger/garlic paste - 2 tsp
9. Coriander powder - 2 tsp
10. Jeera/Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
11. Garam Masala - 2 tsp
12. Salt
13. Oil - 3 tbsp
14. Cilantro  

Method: 

1.Heat little oil,add jeera,chopped onion.Saute till golden brown.

2.Add the ginger garlic paste and stir for a minute.

3.Next toss in the tomatoes & green chillies.Cook in medium heat for 5-8 minutes till the tomatoes lose the raw smell and gets mashed up.

4.Add garam masala,salt,turmeric ,chilli powder,coriander powder and mix.

5.Add the chopped capsicum & corn kernels

6.Close the kadai with a lid and cook well for 10 minutes in low-medium heat. Saute now and then to avoid burning.

7.Garnish with cilantro and serve with rotis.

Mor Keerai(Spinach in curd)

This is an unusual tasty combination of spinach and curd(yogurt).You can use any spinach for this preparation.

Ingredients:
1.Spinach- large bunch(washed and chopped well)
2.Moong dhal- 3 tbsp
3.Curd/Yogurt- 1 cup
4.Coconut oil- 2 tsp
5.Mustard- 1 tsp

To grind:
1.Green chillies: 3
2.Soaked chana dhal- 1 tbsp
3.Shredded coconut- 2 tbsp
4.Jeera/cumin- 2 tsp

Method:

1.Pressure cook the spinach and moong dhal with little salt adding 2-3 cups of water for 2 whistles.
2.Transfer it to a vessel,mash well and cook again for 5 minutes.
3.Grind the above listed items to a fine paste with curd.
4.Add it to the spinach.Simmer for 5 minutes till it thickens a bit.
5.Quick tip!!:If its watery,you can add little rice flour to improve consistency.
6.Seasoning: Coconut oil+mustard
7.Serve with rice and papad.

Brinjal Thogayal

Ingredients:

1.Whole brinjal/eggplant-1 (medium size)[not the regular ones we get]
2.Urad Dhal - 2 tbsp
3.Red chillies - 4
4.Tamarind - (Small seed size)
5.Asafoetida
6.Salt
7.Mustard
8.Oil-1 tbsp
9.Curry Leaves

Method:

1.Heat 2 tsp oil,fry the urad dhal,tamarind,red chillies till it turns light brown.Keep aside.
2.Apply oil all over on the brinjal and roast it on direct fire in stove till the skin turns black.Keep rolling it so that all the sides gets cooked evenly.Allow it to cool.
3.The skin will off easily.Remove the skin completely.Cut the stem.
4.In the mixer,add the brinjal(cut pieces)and the sauted ingredients in step 1. Grind it to a slightly coarse paste adding salt and asafoetida.
5.Seasoning: Oil+Mustard+curry leaves
6.Serve with rice.                       

Carrot Halwa(Gajar Ka Halwa)

Ingredients:

1.Carrots- 4 (peeled,washed and shredded)
2.Ghee-6 Tbsp
3.Milk-1 cup
4.Sugar-1/2 cup
5.Cardamon Powder- 1 tsp
6.Cashews,raisins, cut almonds (to garnish)

Method:

1.Boil the milk in a thick vessel for about 8-10 minutes in low-medium flame.Stir now and then.Set aside
2.In the meantime ,roast the nuts and raisins in ghee till golden brown and keep aside
3.In the same kadai,put 2 tbsp ghee,add the shredded carrots and saute until the colour changes.(This will make the carrot lose the raw smell) Do not skip this step.
4.Add the milk and cook till the milk gets well absorbed into the carrots. Time taken( 10 minutes).Make sure you don't mash the carrots with the milk & make it a soggy paste.
5.Next add the sugar,cardamom powder,remaining ghee and stir-fry for 3 minutes
6.Garnish with the nuts.
7.Serve hot or cold.It tastes delicious either way :)

Vegetable Dum Biryani(Homestyle)

 

Ingredients:

1. Long grain basmati rice( 2 cups)
2. Onion-1(Chopped very finely)/Fried onion from store
3. Potatoes – 2 (cut into large pieces)
4. Green Peas – 1 cup
5. Beans – 1 cup, cut into long pieces
6. Carrots – 1( cut into big pieces)
7. Cauliflower – 15-20 florets
8. Green Chilies – 4 (slit them vertically)
9. Paneer-1/2 cup(cut into cubes)
10. Mint Leaves
11. Cilantro
12. Ginger/Garlic Paste – 1 Tbsp
13. Coriander Powder – 2 tsp
14. Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
15. Garam masala/Biryani masala- 2 tsp
16. Yogurt/curd- 1 cup(beat it nicely)
17. Oil/Butter
18. Saffron- 12 strands
19. Salt

 Spices:

1. Cloves-2
2. Bay leaves- 2
3. Cinnamon stick- 1/2
4. Cardamon(optional)-2

Method:
1.Soak rice in water for 30-45 minutes.
2.Heat 4 cups of water,add rice,cook for 5 minutes.Make sure its just half cooked.Drain and set aside.
3.Also soak saffron strands in water and keep aside.
4.Heat a large pan with oil,add all the spices and saute.
5.Add ginger garlic paste and stir for 2-3 minutes.
6.Then add the finely chopped onion and fry it well or you can add fried onion bought from any store(available in indian store)
7.Next toss in the cauliflower,carrot,potatoes,peas,beans,green  chillies one by one,add salt and allow them to cook 60%.Dont overcook and mash them.
8.Add the coriander,turmeric powder and little garam masala/biryani masala.
9.After 5 minutes,add the cubed paneer and saute without breaking it.
10.Add Mint leaves,cilantro ,the cup of curd,mix and allow the spices to soak into the vegetables.
11.Now there are two options.Either cook in a slow rice cooker or in a large non stick round bottomed vessel.
12.Rice cooker: Coat the bottom with little ghee/butter.First layer with soaked rice,second layer with the cooked marinated vegetables.Alternate this.Drizzle the saffron water.Top with a little fried onion.Don't mix.Switch on the cooker.(If you want,can add a layer of almonds,raisins,cashews too).
13.Round bottomed Vessel: Follow the same as step 12.layer it with bread loaves finally.Close it with a lid. Cook on low flame for 20-30 minutes.
11.Serving: Just mix the biriyani gently and serve hot with raita.

Quick Tip!!:I choose to cook in a rice cooker as i need not worry about burning/sticking to the vessel.

Thai red curry

Ingredients to make red curry paste: 

1. Dried Red Chilies – 6
2. Thai Red Chilies – 3-4
3. Lemon Grass – 1 Tbsp(if you have)
4. Chopped Ginger – 1  Tbsp 
5. Chopped Onion – 1/2
6. Cilantro Stems – 10(leave out the leaves)
7. Chopped Garlic – 5 pods
8. Black Pepper or white pepper– 1 tsp
9. Salt
10. Oil

Method to make red curry paste:

1.Soak the dried red chillies in hot water for 20 minutes
2.Take the soaked chillies after draining the water and all the other ingredients in the mixie.
3.Add little salt and grind to a smooth paste without adding water.(If you want,you can add very little water)
4.Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a pan.
5.Add the paste and nicely cook it for 8-10 min till the paste absorbs the oil and starts to clump to a smaller quantity.
6.Remove from stove and allow it to cool.
7.You can store the paste in an airtight container,refrigerate it and use it upto 1 month.

Ingredients for Thai Red curry: 

1. Red Curry Paste – 2-3 tbsp or as per taste
2. Red Bell Pepper – 1/2(thin sliced)
3. Green Bell Pepper – 1/2 (thin sliced)
4. Carrot – 1/2 (thin sliced)
5. Green Peas – 1/4 cup
6. Onion – 1/4, sliced
7. Snow Peas – 10-12 (This gives the crunch)
8. Coconut Milk – 1 can( 350 ml)
9. Sugar – 2 tbsp
10. Thai Basil Leaves – 4-6
11. Soy Sauce-1 Tbsp

Method to make Red curry:

1.Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a pan
2.After 3 minutes,add 2-3 Tbsp of red curry paste and stir well
3.After 5 minutes of sauting the paste,add the coconut milk.
4.Nicely mix so that there are no lumps.
5.Now add in sugar and soy sauce.
6.Start adding all the vegetables to the coconut gravy.(Quick tip!!:You can nicely wash & use the frozen thai vegetables instead of chopping them separately)
7. You can also add Tofu pieces(I am not a big fan of tofu,so skipped it)
8.Add some basil leaves  and cook well for 10 minutes.Mix occasionally.
9.Turn off stove,garnish with few more torn basil leaves and serve hot with jasmine rice/brown rice.
10.If you don't get the desired red color,sprinkle a lil paprika:)

Quick tip!!:
You can make a generous quantity of red curry paste,refrigerate it.So,once the paste is available,the red curry can be done in no time!!

Brown rice takes a longer time to cook than white rice.Make sure you add 2 cups of water to 1 cup of brown rice.When you pressure cook it,simmer it for 20 minutes after 2-3 whistles.