Cabbage (Patta Gobi) Curry

Cabbage (Patta Gobi) Curry

Description:

Cabbage is used in many ways, ranging from eating raw and simple steaming to pickling, stewing, sauteing or braising. But in east India usually people make curry of it in different ways. I will show you one simple recipe of cabbage curry. You can have the dish with rice or phulkas.

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients: 

Cabbage - 1 lb finely sliced

Potato - 1-2 peeled and cut into cubes

Carrots - 1 cut into cubes 

Green peas - 50 grams

Ginger - 1 inch cut into thin slices

Green chilly - 2-3 cut into thin slices

Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon

Cumin powder - 1 tablespoon

Turmeric powder - 1 tablespoon

Garam masala - 1/2 teaspoon

Bay leaves- 2

Oil - 2-3 tablespoon of any cooking oil 

Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt

 Picture: 1 Peeled and cubed  potatoes

Picture: 2 Carrot peeled and cut into small pieces

Picture: 3 Green peas

Picture: 4 Ginger and Green chili cut into thin slices

Picture: 5 Cabbage finely sliced

Picture: 6 Pan fried potatoes

Steps:

• Preparation:
• Wash, peel and cut potato into cubes.
• Cut carrot into cubes or small pieces.
• Finely slice cabbage.
• Finely sliced ginger and green chilies.

Cooking:

• Heat oil in a pan. Put the potato pieces and sprinkle little salt. Fry it for 2-3 mins in medium flame or till it turns brown. As shown in picture 6. Remove it once it is done.
• In the same pan put the sliced cabbage. Sprinkle little salt and fry it till it becomes soft. Stir time to time and cover the lid. After 5 mins put chopped carrot and stir well.
• Approximately after 10 mins put turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, sliced ginger, green chili and mix all well. Adjust salt if necessary. Put 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.
• Then put fried potato, green peas and mix well.
• Add little water. Cover and let it cook for 2 more mins.
• Once all the water has evaporated lower down the heat.
• In another pan heat little oil.
• Put bay leaves and garam masala.
• Pour the curry in it and mix well.
• Serve hot.

Kadai Chicken ( Chicken Curry)

Kadai Chicken

Description: 

This recipe is a very famous Indian chicken curry among many other chicken recipes. Usually this is prepared in restaurants and considered to be complicated and time consuming dish. But i will show you have to prepare it at home and in a very easy way. You can have the dish with phulkas or rice.

Preparation Time: 15 mins

Cooking Time: 60 mins

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients: 

Chicken  - 2 lb preferably pieces with bone.

Onion - 2 medium size finely chopped 

Ginger- 2 inch

Garlic- 15-18 cloves

Dry Red Chili - 7-8 

Cumin seeds- 2 teaspoon

Coriander seeds- 2 teaspoon

Pepper corns- 7-8 peppercorns

Tomato - 2-3 chopped

Coriander (dhania or cilantro) leaves- Half bunch chopped

Oil for cooking- 4-5 tablespoon of any cooking oil

Salt

Picture 1 : Dry coarse powder

Picture 2 : Ginger, Garlic, Dry Red Chilly Paste

Steps:

• Preparation of first Dry powder
• Heat a pan. Dry roast 2 teaspoon of coriander (dhania) seeds, 2 teaspoon of cumin seeds and 7-8 peppercorns. When the aroma comes out take it out in vessel or grinder and ground it to make a coarse powder. As shown in the Picture 1.
• Preparation of second masala
• Make a paste of 2 inch ginger, 15-18 garlic cloves, 7-8 dry red chili and little water. As shown in the Picture 2.
• Finely chop 2 medium size onions.
• Chop 2-3 tomatoes.
• Wash and chop half a bunch of coriander leaves.

Cooking:

• Heat 4-5 tablespoon of oil in a kadhai or deep bottom pan. 
• Put 2 chopped onions. Saute till it turns slightly brown.
• Then put half of the dry coarse powder which was prepared earlier. Saute.
• Put the masala paste of ginger , garlic and red chili. 
• Saute till oil separates.
• Put 2-3 chopped tomatoes and salt according to taste. Mix well and let it cook for 5-6 mins. 
• Once oil separates from the masala, put the chicken pieces and mix it well.
• Cover the lid. Cook it for almost 45 mins in medium flame. Continuously stir the chicken time to time so that it doesn't stick and get burned. If it is very dry then you can add little hot water.
• After cooking for 45 mins chicken is almost cooked.
• Then put remaining dry coarse powder and chopped cilantro leaves to it.
• Add hot water if required and if you want little gravy.
• Mix it well and cook it for 10-15 mins more.
• Serve hot with roti or rice.

Roasted Tomato Curry (Chutney)

Roasted Tomato Curry (Chutney)

Description:
We all know tomato is a fruit and a very good source of rich anti-oxidant which helps our body to fight against many diseases . It is also very good for our skin . Raw tomato has more benefits than cooked tomato. This recipe is dedicated to people who do not usually like to eat raw tomato. This recipe is one of my personal favorites as i have learned it from my mother . I have memories of my childhood when i used to avoid eating raw tomatoes and my mother prepared this recipe.  This is a simple,quick, easy to make healthy recipe. As this is a quick recipe, it is best for the working people who hardly have time and energy to cook and eat a proper nutritious meal.  You can have the dish with roti .

Preparation Time: 5 mins

Cooking Time: 5-7 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1 Raw Tomato
1 Onion finely chopped
1/2 inch size ginger finely chopped
2 Green chilies
Coriander (dhania or cilantro) leaves
1 teaspoon oil (any)
Salt

Steps:

• Preparation
• Wash and clean Tomato.
• Cut the tomato into half.
• Finely chop 1 onion.
• Finely chop 1/2 inch size ginger
• Chop 2 green chilies
• Chop few cilantro leaves
• Cooking
• Heat oil in a pan. Once it is little hot , place the tomato flat side down.
• Cover the lid and cook it for 2-3 mins.
• Then again change the side of the tomato and cover the lid. Let it cook for another 2-3 mins.
• You will notice the skin of the tomato peeling off once it is cooked properly. 
•  Remove the tomato from the heat and let me cool for few mins.
• Remove the skin from the tomato and with help of a fork smash it till all the juice comes out from it's pulp.
• Then put sliced onion, sliced ginger, green chilies and salt. Mix it well.
• Garnish it with cilantro leaves.
• Serve hot with roti.

Moong Dal (Green Gram) Sprout Upma

Moong Dal (Green Gram) Sprout Upma

Description:

Fiber is an amazing nutrient which can help lower cholestrol, protect heart health, aid weight loss and gives us tremendous energy.  The following recipe is made of Moong Dal  (green gram) sprout. This is a very healthy and simple recipe. I try to sprout the dal myself at home. I will share how to sprout the dal but if you feel too tedious to do it, then you can also buy it from stores. This is a very healthy breakfast or snack option.

Preparation Time:  5 mins

Cooking Time: 5 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

Moong Dal (Green Gram) - 1 cup

1 Onion finely chopped

1 dry red chilly

2 green chilies finely chopped

Curry leaves (Kari patta) 5-6 leaves

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Roasted peanuts - 1-2 tablespoon

Coriander (dhania or cilantro) leaves chopped

Olive oil or any oil which you use for cooking - 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Steps:

• Preparation :
• First step in this is to learn how to sprout your dal properly. First wash your raw dal and soak it for 1-2 days . Always change water if you want to it soak for more than 1 day. Drain the soaked dal and tie it tightly like a bag using a muslin cloth or any other porous thin cloth. Tie the dal properly and keep it in a dark place for 24 hrs. Let the damp dal breath through the cloth. After 24 hrs you can open it and check. If the sprouts are very small and you want it to be little bigger than sprinkle little water to the tied bag of dal and again leave it for one more day.
• Finely chop one large onion.
• Finely chop 2 green chilies.
• Wash and drain 5-6 curry leaves.
• Cooking:
• Heat  1 tablespoon of oil in a pan or kadhai.
• Once it is hot put 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds and dry red chilly. Let it splatter.
• Then put chopped onion, green chilies and curry leaves to it. Saute.
• Put roasted peanuts to it.
• When onion turns translucent put the sprouts in it and toss properly. Let it cook for 2 mins.
• Sprinkle salt to taste.
• Garnish with coriander  leaves.
• Serve hot.

Chatpata Aloo

Chatpata Aloo

Description:

This recipe is for all potato lovers. Baby potatoes are usually used for many Indian curries. This recipe is inspired by one of the famous chain restaurant "Barbecue Nation". Reminds me of the days when i was in Bangalore and used to visit the place with my family and friends. After relocating to USA, i very much missed that dish. So i tried it on my own.  You can have this dish as a starter or even as a snack. If mixed with curd, you can also have it with tandoori roti and phulkas.

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 30 mins

Serves: 2 

Ingredients:

• Baby potatoes (8-10 pieces)
• Coriander (dhania) powder - 1 tablespoon
• Homemade dry roasted cumin (jeera) and dry red chili powder - 1 1/2 teaspoon
• Aamchur (dry mango) powder - 1 tablespoon
• Freshly crushed pepper (golmirch) powder
• Dry red chili
• Bay leaves (Tej patta)
• Lime juice - 1
• Freshly chopped coriander (dhania) leaves for garnishing.
• Salt 
• Oil for frying

Raw Baby Potatoes

Fried Potatoes

Fried and Pressed Potatoes

Potatoes fried in masala

Steps:

• Preparation
• Wash and clean baby potatoes. Remove excess water from it.
• Heat oil for deep frying the potatoes. You can even bake it for 30-45 mins in the oven in order to avoid intake of excess oil.
• Heat a pan and dry roast cumin seeds (jeera) and red chilies. Remove it once aroma comes out. Let it cool and make powder in the grinder.
• Cooking
• Heat oil in a deep bottom pan. Once the oil is hot deep fry the potatoes for about 10 mins.
• Check one potato by taking it out of heat and pressing it with a fork. If not cooked properly  then fry the potatoes for little more time.
• Take the potatoes out of oil and remove excess oil by using paper towel.
• Once the potatoes are little cold , press it as shown in the picture above.
• Once again in another pan , heat little oil. Put some dry red chilies and bay leaves to the oil  and toss the pressed potatoes in order to make it extra crunchy and crispy.
• Sprinkle little water in it.
• Add  salt to taste.
• Then add 1 tablespoon of coriander powder, 1 1/2 teaspoon of homemade cumin powder, 1 tablespoon aamchur powder and freshly crushed pepper powder to the damp potatoes. Saute it for 2 mins in order to make it dry.  Important part is not to add the dry spices directly to the oil . It will burn the spices making the potatoes look dark and taste smoky. Always sprinkle water to the potatoes before adding the spices. 
• Squeeze juice of one lime to it.
• Garnish it with freshly chopped coriander leaves. 
• You can also add little curd to the  final cooked potatoes, if you prefer not to have it dry.
• Serve hot.

Tangdi Kebab

Tangdi Kebab

Description:

This recipe is basically from Hyderabad (India). Hyderabad is most famous for its various spicy flavorful dishes which was originated by Mughals.  This is a special spicy easy to make chicken recipe which you can have it with tandoori roti, phulkas, rice, pulao or even as starter of your meal.

Preparation Time: 2hr 15Mins

Cooking Time: 1hr 10Mins

Serves: 2/3 person

Ingredients:

• Chicken leg piece or whole leg piece as shown in the picture - 750gms
• Ginger-Garlic paste - 4 tablespoon
• Mustard oil or any vegetable oil according to preference - 50ml
• Lime - one whole
• Lime zest - little
• Curd - 2-3 tablespoon according to preference
• Chilly powder - 2 teaspoon
• Garam Masala powder - 1 teaspoon
• Any curry powder (optional to make it more spicy) - 1 teaspoon
• Chat masala - little sprinkle just for garnishing
• Salt according to taste

Steps:

• First marination 
• Clean and wash chicken properly and remove excess water from it.
• Take a bowl and mix two tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste to the chicken pieces.
• Add salt to taste
• Put half lime juice in the chicken pieces.
• Mix all well and cover the bowl with clear wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Second marination
• Mix 2-3 tablespoon of curd, 2 tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste, little salt, mustard oil (40gms), chilly powder 2 teaspoon, garam masala 1 teaspoon and any curry powder 1 teaspoon ( according to preference) and lime zest together in a small bowl.
• Take out the marinated chicken from the refrigerator and mix the above mixture to it properly.
• Again cover the bowl with clear wrap and place it in the refrigerator for another 1-2 hours.
• Cooking
• Either oven or grill can be used.
• Preheat oven at 350 F 
• Cover the tray with aluminium foil.
• Place the chicken pieces in the tray and put it inside the oven.
• Cook for 30 mins.
• Take it out from the oven and turn the sides. Spray little oil and cook it for another 30 mins. 
• Then again turn the sides of the chicken pieces by taking the tray out from the oven and cook it for another 10 mins on 500 F in order to make the top layer crispy and brown.
• Garnishing
• Remove the chicken pieces from the tray carefully on a plate.
• You can layer the excess masala on the chicken pieces also.
• Sprinkle chat masala and garnish it with sliced onion, lime and fresh green chilies.
• Serve hot.