Pilau Rice with Roasted Sliced Almonds
Posted: October 24, 2013 Filed under: Indian, Rice | Tags: almonds, Cook, Cooking, food, indian recipes, pilau, pilau rice, recipes, rice Leave a comment
Pilau Rice with Roasted Sliced Almonds
Basmati (or long grain rice) is popular for its flavor and its fragrance. You can purchase the brown or white rice, but the brown variety has more flavor. When cooked, the rice is lighter and more fluffy than standard white rice, and does not stick together. Basmati rice is also used in cooking Biryani dishes.
I garnished this rice dish with roasted sliced almonds, but you can also use roasted cashew nuts as well, but since I had none available, I substituted it with almonds instead. The rose water and ghee adds a very nice fragrance to this delicious and easy rice dish.
INGREDIENTS
3 cups Basmati rice – wash and drain
2 tablespoons ghee
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
4 cardamoms
1 thumb sized ginger
3 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
3 cups water
5 tablespoons evaporated milk
salt to taste
1 tablespoons rose-water
Sliced almonds (or cashew nuts) fried in ghee until they are light golden brown
Pilau Rice with Roasted Sliced Almonds
METHOD
- Heat the ghee and add the ingredients for frying together with the ginger/garlic paste – fry till fragrant
- Add the yogurt, water, evaporated milk, salt and rose-water and bring to a boil
- When the water boils add the rice and continue to boil
- When the rice is drying, reduce heat and keep the pot covered and cook over low heat
- Stir the rice, cover the pot and continue cooking for another 5 minutes
- To serve sprinkle sliced almonds
Absolutely Delicious Butter Chicken
Posted: October 22, 2013 Filed under: Chicken, Curry, Indian, Meat | Tags: Butter, butter chicken, Chicken, Cooking, food, recipes 7 Comments
Butter Chicken
I was flipping though one of my cookbooks a few days ago and came across this recipe. I have never tried cooking butter chicken before, but I have had it several times while dining out and I simply love it. It is a little time-consuming to prepare, but believe me it is worth all the effort. It is really such a delicious dish and I was wondering what took me so long to actually try to make it myself – maybe it was because I felt it was a very complicated process. Well, I finally got round to doing it and it really turned out amazingly good. One thing’s for sure – I will now be whipping up this dish more frequently! ;D
By the way this recipe has been adapted from Oli – Favourite Cuisine
INGREDIENTS
1 whole chicken
Ingredients A
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vinegar
80 grams yogurt
2 tablespoons mustard oil
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon pepper powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
salt to taste
coriander leaves for garnishing
Ingredients B (for the sauce)
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, ground to a paste
4 medium tomatoes, pureed
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 tablespoon yogurt
1/4 cup cream
50 grams candle-nut and cashew nut ground to a paste
1 cup water
salt to taste
Butter Chicken
METHOD
- Skin the chicken and make small cuts on the fleshy parts
- Mix Ingredients A into the chicken and roast in a pre-heated oven at 170o C for approximately 30 minutes until it is 3/4 roasted
- Let it cool and remove the bones and cut the chicken into medium pieces
- To make the sauce, heat butter in a pan and add all of Ingredients B
- Let it simmer, stirring continuously until the spices are well cooked
- Next add the roasted chicken pieces and continue to cook for about 2-3 minutes
- Add more water if the gravy gets too thick
- Pour a little cream before serving
- Garnish with coriander leaves
Pumpkin, Pea & Mushroom Curry
Posted: October 5, 2013 Filed under: Indian, Vegetable | Tags: food, indian recipes, mushrooms, peas, Pumpkin, recipes 5 Comments
Pumpkin, Pea & Mushroom Curry
Hello everyone. I mentioned that this is “pumpkin week”. Last week I prepared a pumpkin curry and it was a winner, from the feedback I received from my family and friends.
Here is another absolutely tasty pumpkin recipe. For this recipe I have combined pumpkin, green peas and mushrooms. I would normally prepare this dish with button mushrooms, but unfortunately I had run out of them, so I replaced it with a huge shiitake mushroom instead and it turned out as great.
INGREDIENTS
1/4 a medium-sized pumpkin (skinned, seeds removed and cut into cubes)
1 large shiitake mushroom (sliced) * / or 1/2 cup button mushrooms (sliced)
1/2 cup green peas
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
2 cardamoms
1 medium onion, sliced
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
2 small green chilies (sliced)
1 large tomato (chopped)
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
Salt to taste
3 cashew nuts (blended with 3 tablespoons water)
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 tablespoon olive oil
Coriander leaves for garnishing
METHOD
- Heat oil in a pan and fry the cinnamon sticks, cloves and cardamoms until they are aromatic
- Add the onions and saute until they are golden brown
- Next add the ginger and garlic paste and saute for another minute
- Add the chopped tomatoes, coriander, chili, turmeric and gram masala powders. Saute over a low flame until the oil rises (for about 5 mins or so)
- Add the salt and water and bring to a boil
- Firstly add the sliced pumpkin (as they take a little longer to cook)
- When the pumpkin is half-cooked, add the green peas, sliced mushrooms, blended cashew nuts, tomato puree and mix well
- Cook covered, stirring occasionally, until the pumpkin is soft and adjust salt according to taste
- Turn off the heat and garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve
And there you have it – another wonderful pumpkin dish!
Pumpkin
Pumpkin Curry
Posted: September 28, 2013 Filed under: Indian, Vegetable | Tags: Cook, Cooking, Curry, Pumpkin, pumpkin curry, recipes 13 Comments
Pumpkin-Curry2
The pumpkin is a member of the squash family, and, though it is treated like a vegetable, it is technically a fruit. Well this is something new to me because I always thought the pumpkin was a vegetable. The reason a pumpkin is a fruit is because it grows on a vine and it contains seeds.
I love it for its natural sweetness and it can be used in stews, you can grill it, bake it and there are dozens other ways to prepare this wonderful fruit.
Pumpkin is an excellent source of antioxidant beta-carotene and is loaded with Vitamin A. It helps keep the skin and mucous membrane cells healthy. It has also been classified as one the world’s healthiest foods. The beta carotene can help prevent night blindness and other eye problems. It is said to help enhance your immune system, and protects against colds, flu and infections. It is also believed that it can reduce the risk of cancer.
This wonderful curried pumpkin dish that I have prepared goes so well with rice or Indian breads.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 small pumpkin
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 thumbsized ginger
- 1 large onion (sliced)
- 2 dried chilies
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper corns
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves
- 2 small fresh green chilies (whole)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons tamarind paste (or tamarind pulp mixed with 6 tablespoons water)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup water
- Salt to taste
- Coriander leaves for garnishing
Pumpkin-Curry3
METHOD
- Skin and slice the pumpkin into cubes
- Slice the onions
- Grind and garlic and ginger to a paste
- Heat oil in a pan and fry the dried chilies, cumin and mustard seeds until they sizzle and the chilies turn brown
- Add the sliced onions and fresh green chilies and saute for about a minute or until the onions turn a little brown
- Next add the pumpkin, chili, cumin, turmeric powders and water, cover and let it cook until the pumpkin is tender but not mushy
- Add the tamarind paste, fenugreek leaves and salt and continue to cook until the liquid is absorbed and the pumpkin is soft
- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice or Indian breads
Pumpkin Curry
Fenugreek and Tomato Fried Rice
Posted: September 22, 2013 Filed under: Indian, Rice | Tags: Basmati, Cook, Cooking, Fenugreek, Fenugreek fried rice, food, Fried rice, Indian, recipes, Tomato Fried Rice 1 Comment
Hello everyone! Today’s recipe is Fenugreek and Tomato Fried Rice.
I prepared this fried rice for just the two of us for lunch today. I don’t usually cook huge quantities if its just for the two of us, mainly to avoid wastage and I don’t like having to eat the left overs again the next day (well that’s just me!). So if you are cooking for more than 2, just double up on the rice and ingredients accordingly.
For this dish you can also use fresh fenugreek leaves, but I used the dried ones and they can be purchased in packets and they do last me quite a long time. I’ve cooked this dish with basmati rice (which is much healthier as it’s not too starchy).
This dish goes well with Pumpkin Curry and I will also be sharing the recipe soon as well as Indian Tomato Chicken Curry and Bhindi Masala (Okra and Tomato Curry)
Fenugreek-Tomato-Fried-Rice2
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups cooked basmati rice
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves
2 cardamoms
1 tablespoon ginger/garlic paste
2 green chilies (chopped)
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 large tomato (chopped)
Coriander leaves for garnishing
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste
METHOD
- Cook the basmati rice and set aside
- Heat oil in a pan and when hot add the cumin seeds and let it sizzle
- Next add the bay leaf and cinnamon stick and cook them for a few minutes
- Add the ginger/garlic paste and chopped green chilies and cook till they brown
- Next add the chopped onions, mix well and cook until light brown
- Add the chopped tomatoes and all the spice powders (i.e. cumin, coriander, turmeric and chili powders)
- Mix well and continue cooking until the tomatoes are soft
- Add the dried fenugreek leaves and mix well with the cooked ingredients
- Next in goes the cooked rice (if it’s too dry add a little water) and mix well with all the ingredients and continue to cook until done
- Add salt to taste and serve immediately
Mint Chutney
Posted: September 8, 2013 Filed under: Indian, Snacks, Starters, Vegetable | Tags: chutney, Cook, Cooking, Coriander, food, mint chutney, mint leaves, recipes 1 Comment
Mint Chutney
Mint chutney is usually served cold with pakoras, tandoori chicken, chicken tikka and samosas. It is a delicious tangy dip. If you prefer it very spicy just add a few extra green chilies – I use the small chilies and just 3 pieces is enough to add lots of spice to this dip.
INGREDIENTS
1 small bunch of mint leaves
1 small bunch of coriander leaves
1 small onion (sliced)
3 cloves of garlic
3 small green chilies
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
METHOD
- In a blender or food processor, grind all the ingredients together until finely blended
- Add enough water to achieve a thick paste
Mint leaves. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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- Mint Chutney (whipadish.com)
- Mixed Vegetable Pakoras (whipadish.com)
Indian Tomato Chicken Curry
Posted: August 24, 2013 Filed under: Chicken, Curry, Indian, Meat | Tags: Chicken, chicken and tomato curry, chicken curry, Cook, Cooking, food, Indian curry, recipes, spicy, tomatoes, Yoghurt 5 Comments
Tomato Chicken Curry
Another all-time favorite of mine is this simple, yet really delicious spicy Indian-style chicken curry dish with lots of tomatoes. Served with freshly cooked rice or Indian breads, this dish is always a winner.
INGREDIENTS
1 medium-sized chicken
4 tbs yoghurt
2 tbs tomato paste
Ingredients for frying
2 large onions (sliced)
2 sticks cinnamon
3 cardamoms
5 cloves
2 tsp aniseed, pounded coarsely
a few sprigs curry leaves
Ingredients to be blended with 1/2 cup water
10 cloves garlic
1 thumb-sized ginger
4 tbs coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tbs chili powder
6 tomatoes (cubed)
1 tbs ghee + 2 tbs oil
3 1/2 cups water
coriander leaves
salt
METHOD
- Wash and cut the chicken into medium pieces.
- Rub the yoghurt over the chicken pieces and leave it aside for about 1/2 an hour
- Heat oil and ghee and add the onions and the ingredients for frying
- When the onions are brown add all the other ingredients except for the tomato paste
- Let the chicken boil until it is tender
- Add the tomato paste and season with salt to taste and mix well
- Bring to a boil and garnish chopped coriander leaves
- Serve
Indian Tomato Chicken Curry
Masala Fried Fish
Posted: July 16, 2013 Filed under: Curry, Indian, Seafood | Tags: Cook, Cooking, Fish, food, masala fish, recipes, Seafood 7 Comments
Masala Fish
Here’s another treat for fish lovers. This Indian fish dish is very flavorful and it uses simple Indian spices. For this recipe I have used a barramundi fillet, but you could use any other fish of your choice. This has definitely become one of my favorite dishes. You should give it a try – I am sure you will enjoy it .
INGREDIENTS
1 fish fillet
2 tablespoons yoghurt
1 teaspoon ginger/garlic paste
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons red chili powder (less if you prefer it not too spicy)
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 large tomato (chopped)
1 medium onion (chopped)
Vegetable oil for frying
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnishing
METHOD
- Wash the fish with salt and cut into 4 slices
- Marinate the fish with lemon juice and salt and set aside for about 30 minutes
- Heat oil in a pan fry the pieces of fish on both sides until they turn brown, remove and set aside
- In another pan, heat a tablespoon of oil and fry the onions until they start to brown
- Add the yoghurt and all the other ingredients to the onions and keep stirring on a low heat until a thick paste is formed
- Next add the fish to the paste and cook for another few more minutes
- Remove and garnish with coriander leaves and serve
Absolutely Amazing Fenugreek Chicken
Posted: July 7, 2013 Filed under: Chicken, Curry, Indian | Tags: Chicken, Cook, Cooking, Fenugreek, food, recipes, Turmeric 6 Comments
Hello everyone
For today’s lunch I have prepared an absolutely delicious Indian chicken dish. The fenugreek leaves gives it a nice distinct flavor and it goes so well with just plain rice or, I am sure, even better with garlic naan or some other Indian bread. I have still not mastered the technique of making naan, but I would love to one day give it a try, as the ready-made ones are not as soft and pliable as what you would get if you were to make it yourself.
Most of the ingredients listed here can be easily obtained from any Indian grocery store, so don’t be intimidated by what’s on the list.
INGREDIENTS
1 medium-sized chicken
3 cloves garlic
1 thumb-sized ginger
2 green chilies
5 shallots onion
1 large onion (sliced)
2 tablespoons yoghurt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
3 tablespoons cooking oil
3 cups water
2 cardamoms
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 tablespoons Dried fenugreek leaves
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Corriender leaves for garnishing
METHOD
- Wash and cut the chicken into medium pieces
- Peel and slice the onion, garlic and ginger and grind to a paste together with the green chilies
- Mix the paste with the yoghurt, chili and turmeric powder and salt and add to the chicken pieces and set aside for about an hour or so
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan and fry the marinated chicken pieces until they are brown
- When the chicken pieces are brown, add the water and simmer on a low heat until the chicken is done and the gravy is thick
- In the meantime, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan and add the cardamoms, cinnamon stick, caraway seeds and sliced onions and stir fry until brown
- Next add the fenugreek leaves and stir fry until aromatic
- Add the fried fenugreek mixture to the chicken pieces, together with the lemon juice and mix well
- Check seasoning and adjust accordingly, adding more salt according to taste
- Garnish with a coriander leaves
- Serve hot with rice or Indian breads
Enjoy!
Chicken Biryani
Posted: April 30, 2013 Filed under: Chicken, Indian, Rice | Tags: Biryani, Chicken, food, Lamb and mutton, recipes 1 Comment
Chicken Biryani
If you learn to cook it well, there is nothing like home cooked chicken biryani. I generally cut out
Chef’s Choice
the oiliness by using very little cooking oil (which is of course much healthier) and avoid cooking with ghee, or in fact use very little, if a dish calls for it.
Don’t let all the ingredients listed here intimidate you. These are all available at your local grocery store. So try it out – you will be amazed at the result!
INGREDIENTS
1 small chicken (mutton or beef)
2 medium size red onions (sliced)
2 cloves garlic
1 thumbsize ginger
2 tomatoes (chopped)
1 small bunch fresh coriander leaves (chopped)
1 small bunch fresh mint leaves (chopped)
2 tablespoon plain yoghurt
A dash of yellow food colouring (optional)
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 cups long grain rice
4 cups water (to cook the rice)
Salt to taste
Biryani Spices
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons coriander powder
1-2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
3 pcs cardamom
3 cloves
METHOD
- Grind the garlic and ginger to a paste and set aside
- Peel and slice onions thinly
- Slice the tomatoes into cubes
- Wash and chop the coriander and mint leaves
- Wash and cut the chicken (mutton or beef) into medium pieces
Sliced onions, coriander leaves, tomatoes and mint leaves
- Heat oil in a pan and add the garlic and ginger paste and fry for a few minutes and then add the sliced onions and stir fry until golden brown
- Add the chicken (mutton or beef) pieces and continue cooking for about 10 minutes until the meat is light brown
- Next add the tomatoes, yoghurt, biryani spices and salt. Mix well with the meat and continue cooking for another 15 minutes
- If using mutton or beef, then add 3 cups of water and gently simmer until the meat is tender
Chicken cooked in biryani spices
- Remove the meat from the pan and set aside
Simmer rice in a pot of hot water
- In the meantime boil water in a pot and when it is boiling add the washed rice and salt. Let it simmer gently until it is 3/4 cooked then drain the water completely.
Layer the rice with the meat and top with mint and coriander leaves
- Now in a pan layer the rice and meat pieces and finally top it off with another layer of rice and garnish with the chopped coriander and mint leaves
- You may sprinkle some yellow food coloring if you wish (but just a dash will do and not too much)
- Cover and continue to cook on low heat until done (be careful not to burn the rice)
Chicken biryani ready to serve
- Dish it up and serve with cucumber and tomato salad and Tadka Dal
Whip A Dish 