Yellow Pumpkin Curry

This pumpkin masala sidedish can be used as a side dish for Chapathi. Ingredients:- Pumpkin - 1 cup (cut into cubes) onion -1 (chop it) Tomato - 1 (chop it) Oil - 1 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Coriander seeds - 1 1/2 tsp Ginger - a small piece Garlic - 1 clove Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp Red chillies powder - 3/4 tsp (acc to taste) Salt to taste Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp (optional) Coconut - 2 tsp Take a pan and cook the pumpkin pieces adding required amount of water. In the mean time, grind coriander seeds, garlic, ginger, coconut, half of chopped onion and tomato, into a fine paste and keep it aside. When the pumpkin is 3/4th done, drain it and keep it aside. Pre heat the same pan with oil, splutter mustard and cumin seeds, saute the remaining...

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Homemade Ladakhi Thukpa

Thukpa (Tibetan: ཐུག་པ་, Wylie: thug pa) is a Tibetan noodle soup, usually served with meat. It is popular in Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, and also in the states of Sikkim, Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh and some other parts of India. The food is widely available in restaurants in these regions. Ingredients: For the broth 3 medium tomatoes, chopped 4 medium radishes, chopped 1/2 cup spinach, blanched 3 small onions, chopped 5 big garlic cloves, chopped 4 sprigs of spring onion, chopped 1/2 cup cilantro 1 tablespoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoons cumin powder 1/2 teaspoons garam masala 1 teaspoon turmeric 4 tablespoon mustard oil Salt to taste For the Noodles 1 egg 3 cups atta About 1 cup water Preparation In a heavy skillet, heat mustard oil until hot and add onions and garlic and fry until fragrant....

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Gujia(Chandrakala)

This is a Rajasthani speciality sweet made with semolina and all purpose flour that is suji and maida and they are stuffed with exotic dry fruits and milk solids. Gujia is an favorite sweet served in North India during the festival of holi. With colors of gulal and fun and friends this sweet add special sweetness to this festival of  color. In south there is a similar variation which we call chandrakala. Recipe makes 20 to 24 gujia. Ingredients:Crust:  •1 cup all purpose flour (plain flour or maida) •1 tablespoon sooji (semolina flour) •2 tablespoons oil •1/3 cup lukewarm water or as neededFilling:  •1/2 cup heavy cream or whipping cream •1 cup milk powder •1/4 cup coconut powder •1/4 cup sliced almonds •1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder •2...

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KING PRAWN PULAO

Cooking time: 2 hoursServes: 8 Ingredients King prawn (shelled) 1 kgBasmati rice 1 kgOnions 1 kgTomatoes ½ kgOrange colour ½ tspMilk 1 tbspPeppercorns 20 nosCloves 25 nosCadammoms 15 nosCinammon stick 10 cmCummin seeds 1 tspShahajeera (caraway seeds) 1 tspRed chillies 20 nosTurmeric powder 1 tspGarlic 1 podGinger piece 4 cmsCoriander leaves (cut fine) ½ cupGreen chillies 6 nosCashew nuts 125 gmOil 1 cupSalt 1 tbsp Method: Wash rice and keep aside for two hours. Slice ½ kg onions and deep-fry till dark brown in the oil. Keep aside. In the same oil add peppercorns, green chillies (cut lengthwise) and coriander leaves (cut fine). Add ½ kg onion (cut fine). Fry onion till it becomes light brown. Grind ginger, garlic and other masala to a fine paste. Add to the roasted onion, in the pan and...

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FINE PRAWN KISMOOR

Ingredients: Cooking time: 15 minutesServes: 6Ingredients: Fine dried prawn (galmo) 2 cupsGrated coconut 1 cupChilly powder ½ tspTurmeric powder ¼ tspOil 1 tspTamarind pulp ½ tspSalt ½ tspOnion chopped fine 1 tsp Method: Clean the prawns by taking off the head, legs and tails. Roast the prawns on a slow fire with two teaspoons oil. Keep stirring continously and when light brown, take off the fire. They will get crisp after a little while. Break the prawns into two to three pieces each depending on the size. Chop the onions finely. Mix together the coconut, chilli and turmeric powders, tamarind juice and salt thoroughly. Just before serving add the prawn pieces and chopped onion and mix well once again. Do not add prawns before hand as they will get soft. Onion may be roasted in a little...

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Akhuni Chutney

Khatsu, my friend from Nagaland told me about this when we were in college. Fermented soya bean popularly known as Akhuni in Nagaland, kinema in Sikkim and turumbai in Meghalaya, is a significant ingredient, used to create a pungent aroma in various dishes, also used as a pickle.It is prepared year-around from soyabeans by people of all tribes, but most notably the Sema tribe of southern Nagaland. Angami Nagas prepare their pork with akhuni. But, then again its pungent smell might not appeal to some... There are a whole lot different ways of making Akhuni chutney. This is the simplest, easiest and fastest way.  Its for those times when you are hungry and want to have something hot and tasty! Try it and you won't regret it. Here's the recipe - step by step.You'll need a couple of chillis...

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Mulligatawny or Milaku tanneer - Anglo Indian Soup

Mulligatawny is a curry-flavoured soup of Anglo-Indian origin.  Translated literally from Tamil, "Mulligatawny" or "Milagu tanni" means "pepper water" ("Millagu" மிளகு means pepper and "tanni" தண்ணீர் means water). The dish the Anglo-Indians call "pepper water" is actually closer to Tamil ரசம்-rasam (pronounced russ-um) than "mulligatawny".  There are many variations on the recipe for mulligatawny. In the West, the soup typically has a turmeric-like yellow colour and chicken meat, beef, or lamb meat. Often it is thickened with rice. Ingredients 2 Tablespoons butter or olive oil 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 carrot, peeled and chopped 1 large onion, peeled and chopped 1 chile pepper, seeded and deveined (your choice: banana, poblano, jalapeno, ...

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Litti & Chokha - Bihari breakfast

Litti - Chokha is a very popular food of north Bihar.It is generally served with a bowl of melted pure desi ghee.Made with Whole wheat atta and stuffed with Sattu (a special gram flour).  Chokha is similar to the ennai kathirikkai minus the tamarind in it. Instead tomato is used. INGREDIENTS All things should be according to your requirement. For example, I am going to explain for two persons: For Litti   ·         Atta Flour ¼ Kg ·         Sattu (gram flour) ¼ kg ·         Garlic 1 piece ·         Ginger...

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Pua

Maithili is a language spoken in mithila, which is the north eastern part of bihar. Legend says it is the land of Sita, daughter of King Janaka and consort of King Rama. The dialect is Indo- European and it is more like Hindi or sanskrit. Pua is a sweet dish made like poori. I had the chance to taste this dish while at Adampur in punjab from Sinha uncle's (My father's colleague) residence. Ingredients: Milk :500 ml Sugar :300 gms Maida(Flour) : 250 gms Kismis(Raisin) : few pieces Cardamom powder : 1/4 tsp Desiccated Coconut : few slices Banana : 4-5 nos Oil for frying Method:   Boil milk and cool. Add sugar to the milk...

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MOIRA PLAINTAIN CROQUETTES

MOIRA PLAINTAIN CROQUETTES Cooking time: 45 minutes Serves: 12 Ingredients: Big Moira plaintains (not fully ripen, a little hard) 6 nos Milk 2 litres Sugar 2 cups Grated coconut 1 cup Crushed cashew nuts 1 tbsp Raisins 2 tsp Cardamom powder ½ tsp Butter 50 gm Method: Cut bananas (without removing the skin)into 3 or 4 pieces and steam till soft. Cool, peel and lay in a flat dish. Cut each piece in half and carefully remove the string of seeds. Mash smooth, adding a little butter. Shape into a 15 balls. Keep aside. In a saucepan mix ¼ cup sugar and 1 cup grated coconut. Add cashew nuts and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously....

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Goan MACKEREL CURRY WITH BLACK GRAM & FENUGEERK (Uddamethi)

MACKEREL CURRY WITH BLACK GRAM & FENUGEERK (Uddamethi) Cooking time: 45 minutes Serves: 8 Ingredients :- Large mackerels (scalled) 6 nos Grated coconut 2 cups Onions 4 nos Red chillies 8 nos Turmeric powder 2 tsp Peppercorns 50 nos Oil  3 tbsp Lime-size ball of tamarind (15 gm)/Kokum Rice 2 tbsps Black gram 2 tbsp Fenugreek ½ tsp Salt to taste Method: Cut each mackerel into 4 pieces; apply salt, marinate and wash after 15 minutes. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Stir-fry rice till it becomes dark brown and remove from oil. To the same oil add  black gram (dal) and stir-fry till browned. Remove the black gram (dal) from the oil....

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Goan UDDAMETHI (Raw Mango Curry)

In every cuisine there are a couple of dishes that stand out for their unique combination of flavors. Mango and fenugreek in a curry - can you get more exotic than this? Uddamethi is made in both a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian version. Mackerel is used for the non vegetarian one. I shall tell that in a separate post. Sour ingredients like hog plums (ambade) also called called Pulicha kaai in the Tamil language, which means "sour fruit" and raw mangoes for the vegetarian one. UDDAMETHI (Raw Mango Curry) (serves 2-3) Ingredients 1 unripe mango 2-3 tsp grated jaggery salt to taste Masala - 1 tsp black gram (urad dal) 1 tsp fenugreek...

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Fried fish (तळील्ले नूस्ते)or talile Mashali

This is a Goan Hindu food one of the hot favourites of Daivajna Brahmins of the the goan Saraswat community who eats fish and chicken on most days and are facultative vegeterians. However, they do not eat beef or pork, due to religious beliefs. Goan Fried Fish (तळील्ले नूस्ते)or talile Mashali Ingredients: (2-3 servings) 5 slices of fish (Mackerel, pomfret, king fish, etc) 2 tbsp Goan masala paste 2-3 tbsp Cooking oil for shallow frying Preparation of Talile Mashali Apply Goan masala paste to the fish and let it marinate for 15-30 minutes. Heat oil in the large skillet over the medium heat. Add fish slices and let them fry...

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Tsebhi shiro

This is another chutney type thing added on top of injera. Ingredients: 500 gr. raw dry groundnuts 100 gr. butter 2 spoons tomato paste 2 small onions 2 teaspoons mixed spices to taste Salt and pepper to taste Shell groundnuts, clean and grind into flour. Put the other ingredients into a saucepan with 500cc of water and bring it to the boil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with inje...

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Alitcha birsen

Ingredients: 5 spoons sunflower or other vegetable oil 6 cloves of garlic, crushed 250 gr. tomatoes, peeled 200 gr. lentils 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon ginger 2 fresh red chilies (remove the seeds) 1 liter boiling water Heat the oil in a frying-pan and fry the garlic light golden. Add the sliced skinned tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes. Add the washed lentils and simmer shortly. Add salt, pepper, ginger, chili and boiling water. Cover the pan and simmer the mixture on a low fire for 60 minutes. Add boiled Eggs cut in halves on top of it if you like. Serve with injera....

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Derho(Chicken)Tsebi

This is a Dish that is put on top of injera. This typically is a chicken dish.   Ingredients: 3 Medium size onions, chopped 50 cc chili paste (berbere) 50 cc tegelese tesmi 1 teaspoon chopped ginger 1 teaspoon chopped garlic 2 spoons lemon juice 2 spoons tomato paste 2 teaspoons salt 4 large tomatoes, peeled 1 kilo chicken 6 hard boiled eggs (peeled) pepper and salt to taste To make Tegelese tesmi (herb butter) Ingredients: 200 gr. unsalted butter100 cc water2 small onions, shredded2 cloves of garlic, crushed2 teaspoons ginger, shredded Put the butter and the water in a frying-pan and heat them until the butter has melted. Add...

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Tsebhi Birsen (Spicy Lentils)

This is a traditional Eritrean recipe for a classic stew of lentils cooked in a tomato-based sauce with Berbere spice, cardamom and cumin. Ingredients 250g red lentils 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 large onion, minced 2 tbsp Berbere spice 200g tomatoes, blanched, peeled and sliced 2 tsp tomato paste 1 tsp cumin seeds 1/2 tsp ground Ethiopian cardamom (or substitute ground black cardamom) 3 garlic cloves, crushed salt and black pepper, to taste Berbere Spice preparation: This is a common Ethiopian sauce that is hot and spicy tasting. Made with the seeds of cumin, cardamom, coriander, and fenugreek that are combined with garlic, ground cloves,...

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Injera - eat your plate

Injera This is an Ethiopian recipe. I happened to visit an ethiopian restaurant in california a couple of years back with my friends Sudhir and Makesh. This looked similar to our Dosa and was delicious. Though it looked like a Dosa, it was made like we make Appam. When we were young we (I and my sister) used to fight for a plate to have food. "My mother used to yell.. are you guys eating food or the plate.!" Well, Injera is not only a kind of bread—it’s also an eating utensil. In Ethiopia and Eritrea, this spongy, sour flatbread is used to scoop up meat and vegetable stews. Injera also lines the tray on which the stews are served, soaking...

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Vendakka Mezhukkupuratti / Ladies Finger(Okhra) Stir fry

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus Moench, pronounced US: /ˈoʊkrə/, UK: /ˈɒkrə/, known in many English-speaking countries as lady's fingers or gumbo) is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of South Asian, Ethiopian and West African origins. The plant is cultivated in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions around the world.Unspecified parts of the plant were reported in 1898 to possess diuretic properties; this is cited (or simply stated) in many sources associated with herbal and traditional medicine. Okra (and rhubarb, beets, spinach, Swiss chard, sweet potatoes, tea, chocolate and soy products) are rich in oxalates; the Mayo clinic recommends that people who tend to form calcium...

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Olan

Olan is a typical Kerala dish and a must in Sadya (big feasts). This is a less spicy dish so everyone including children enjoys it.The main ingredients are Black-eyed Bean, Pumpkin, Ash Groud and Coconut Milk. This is a very easy dish and good to serve along with Cooked Rice or Chappathi.The dish is extremely nutritious and healthy, it is supposed to be very easy to digest and light on the stomach. This dish is low in calories. The White Pumpkin is rich in calcium and vitamins B and C and has a high fibre content. The Orange Pumpkin is rich in Vitamins A and B, protein and calcium The Black eyed Beans (Lobia) though a high calorie food is rich in protein, calcium and vitamins A and B.Olan is prepared in ina way thatis could besaid that no Sadya (Feast) is said to be complete without the olan....

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Aval Upma / Poha Upma/ Beaten(Flattened) Rice Dish

Flattened rice (also called beaten rice) is a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids. The thicknesses of these flakes vary between almost translucently thin (the more expensive varieties) to nearly four times thicker than a normal rice grain. This easily digestible form of raw rice is very popular across Nepal, North East India and Bangladesh, and is normally used to prepare snacks or light and easy fast food in a variety of Indian cuisine styles, some even for long-term consumption of a week or more. It...

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Cherupayar Curry

Cherupayar (Green Gram) curry is the most common breakfast item served with the puttu (Steam cake). Like the kadala curry, cheru payar curry also a good combination with the puttu for breakfast, it’s very tasty. Cherupayar or Green Gram curry is also served with the breakfast items like Dosa, Idly or Bread. Payaru curry can be served with rice gruel for lunch and with chapatti for dinner. Ingredients: Cherupayar parippu (Moong dal) – 200 gmCoconut – 1 cupCumin powder – 1 pinchTurmeric powder – ¼ t spGarlic – 3 nos.Salt – As requiredCoconut Oil – 1 tbspMustard Seeds – ½ tspRed Chili – 2Curry Leaves – 1 stemShallots – 2 Black pepper powder - 1 teaspoon Plantain - Cut into medium sized cubes 10 pieces Preparation Method: Wash the cherupayar and cook...

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Thakkali Saadam / Tomato Rice

This is a simple and delicious dish which is easy to prepare. The dashing red colour rice just invigourates the tastebuds. When the aroma of masala is mixed to it, wah..Yummy! Delving into the history of this dish, I found that it is not originally a dish from Tamilnadu, But a dish from Mexico. It is simple to explain this. The tomato is native to South America.The word "tomato" comes from the Nahuatl word tomatl, literally "the swelling fruit". Aztecs and other peoples in the region used the fruit in their cooking; it was cultivated in southern Mexico and probably other areas by 500 BC. After the Spanish colonization of the Americas,...

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Lime Pickle / Cheru naaranga Achar

This is the lemon you get in US. This is too big and the taste is also different. This is what I use for this pickle. In US they call this Limes...     Ingredients:- Cheru naranga / Yellow Lemon - 10 ( the grocery store here has lemon double the size of it back home, so I purchased the same lemons we get in India from the Global food market in Kirkwood) Salt -  to taste + a pinch of sugar Gingelly oil / Nallenna / Sesame oil - 2 table spoon + 2 table spoon Mustard seeds - 1.5 tea spoon Fenugreek seeds - 1 tea spoon Garlic - 10 cloves ( you can add more if you love the bite of it in your pickle) Ginger -...

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Double Ka meetha

Double ka meetha is a dessert of Hyderabad and made from hot crisp fried roundels of bread, soaked in saffron and cardamom flavoured syrup, topped with cream. It is similar to of Shahi tukre.It is a popular dessert of Hyderabadi cuisine. It is served at weddings and parties. More often than not, it is the double ka meetha that one encounters or, if a more elaborate banquet is being hosted, gille firdaus or badam ki jaali relegate this simple yet elegant sweet to the background Cardamom powder - 1 tspSugar           - 1 CupCondensed Milk  - 3 TspBread slices    - 4saffron         - 2 small piecesMilk            - 2 CupsAlmonds        ...

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Veggie Puffs

This infact is a desi version of American gourmet which is called a "turnover". We call it veg puffs or veggie puffs in India. A turnover is a kind of pastry made by placing a filling on a piece of dough, folding the dough over, and sealing it. Turnovers can be sweet or savory and are often made as a sort of portable meal or dessert, similar to a sandwich. Ingredients: •Pastry sheet – 1 pack •Medium size potato – 1 (cooked and mashed) •Green chilly -1 •Green Peas – 3 tbsp •Onion – 1/2 cup •Coriander leaves – a few •Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp •Cumin seeds – 1 tsp •Red chilly powder – 1/2 tsp •Garam masala – 1/4 tsp •Oil – 2 tsp •Salt to tasteMethod of Preparation:Preparation of Masala: 1.Pastry sheets are available in any of the...

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