Meal haven

Aloo (Potato) Parathas

This is a bread dish from the north of India, made with the dough of whole wheat flour stuffed with a spicy potato stuffing. It is best enjoyed with yogurt, pickle and butter.

Ingredients:

Potatoes – 4 big

Onion – 1 big finely chopped

Green chillies – 4 finely chopped

Cumin powder/Jeera powder – 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp

Salt as needed

Coriander Leaves – 1 tbsp chopped

Red chillie flakes – 1/2 tsp

Oil/Ghee for cooking – As required

For dough:

Wheat flour – 2 cups

Salt – to taste

Water – 1/2 cup

Preparation:

Boil the potatoes well and grate it so that there are no lumps in it. You may also mash it well making sure there are no lumps.

In a mixing bowl, add the grated potatoes, chopped green chillies, coriander leaves, red chillie flakes, chopped onion, coriander powder, jeera powder, salt and mix well. Keep it aside.

In another bowl, add the wheat flour, salt. Add water gradually and knead the dough. The dough should be pliable and soft. Rest the dough for 10 minutes.

Make small-medium balls of the dough and roll them out into 3 inch circles. Add a spoonful of potato filling in the centre and seal it with little oil. Gradually press the rolling pin on all sides while making the parathas. Be very careful to apply pressure evenly. It is very important to ensure that your potato mixture is mashed well and not lumpy or you will never be able to make perfect parathas. Seal the dough and round it with your fingers. Now roll them with a rolling pin into round parathas. Apply the pressure very evenly and gently on all sides. Press very lightly so that the mixture does not come out.

Heat an iron tawa and roast the parathas, cooking them on both the sides with a spoonful of ghee/oil. If you want to use less ghee/oil on the parathas, first roast them on both the sides on low flame and when they are slightly crispy, apply ghee/oil with a kitchen brush on both the sides. You must keep the flame low.

Serve hot with pickle, onions and curds .

Rice flour and Ragi (finger millet) Adai

Breakfast

Arisi maavu ragi adai (Rice flour and finger millet adai) is a traditional flatbread from Tamilnadu which can be served for breakfast.

Ingredients:

Brown Rice flour – 1 cup

Ragi powder – 1/4 cup (optional)

Onions – 1 large (chopped finely)

Green chillies – 2 (chopped finely)

Jeera/Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp

Ginger – 1 tsp

Coconut grated – 1 tbsp

Curry leaves – 4 or 5 chopped

Coriander leaves – 1 tbsp chopped

Salt – As needed

Warm water – 1/2 cup

Preparation:

Heat a pan. Add oil and when it becomes hot, add the cumin seeds. When it starts to sizzle, add the green chillies, ginger, onions and the chopped curry leaves and saute it well. Take it off the fire.

Take a mixing bowl and add the rice flour and the ragi flour to it. Add the sauteed onions and green chillies which were kept aside. Also, add the coriander leaves and grated coconut to the flour mixture. Next, add little warm water and salt and make a soft dough out of it. It should be softer than the normal chapati dough. Cover and rest the dough for 5 minutes.

Heat a tava or griddle. Take a lemon sized ball and make an adai out of it. You can grease a banana leaf or a ziploc cover and make place the dough ball on it. Flatten it with your fingers to make a 5″ diameter.

Gently transfer the rolled out dough to the hot griddle and drizzle a few drops of oil all around. Cook on low heat until both the sides turn crisp. You can also cover and cook to speed up the cooking process.

Serve hot with any chutney of your choice.

Dindigul Thalapakatti Mutton Biriyani

Rice

Thalapakatti is a popular chain of restaurants which was first started in Dindigul, a district in Tamilnadu. Their biriyani is so popular that I am also a huge fan of it. When a friend suggested that I try Suguna Vinod’s recipe, I quickly decided to make it for the weekend. So, here it is and hope you like it.

For this biriyani, the tiny grain of rice variety known as seerage samba (in tamil) or Jeeragashala (in malayalam) is used.

Ingredients:

Seeeraga samba rice – 2 cups

Mutton with bone – 500 gms

Ghee – 2 tbsp

Oil – 3 tbsp

Red chillie powder – 1/2 tsp

Yogurt – 1/2 cup

Salt – 1 1/2 tsp

Mint leaves – a handful

Coriander leaves – a handful

Juice of 1/2 lime

For Masala:

Green chillies – 5

Cinnamon stick – 3 (2 inch sticks)

Cardamom – 3

Cloves – 3

Nutmeg (Jathika) – 1/8th of a nutmeg

Mace – (Jathi pathri) – 1 small piece

Ginger – 2 inch piece

Garlic – 12

Small onions (Shallots) – 15

Water – half cup

Preparation:

Before starting to cook, wash and soak the rice for 20 minutes in water.Do not soak it more as it may become mushy. After 20 minutes, drain it and it should be ready to use.

Wash the mutton and keep it aside.

Grind all the masalas listed under ‘masala paste’.

Take a pressure cooker and heat it. Add oil and ghee. When it becomes hot, add the ground masala to it. Saute it well and add the mutton. Saute it again for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of water, salt, red chillie powder and the yogurt. Mix well and close the lid of the cooker and cook the mutton in it. After the first whistle, reduce the flame and cook the mutton for 20 minutes. Put off the flame and allow it to cool down.

Then, open the cooker and remove the mutton pieces from it to a bowl and roughly measure the liquid in the cooker. You should have approximately 1.5 cups as it need not be accurate.

Transfer the liquid (1.5 cups of liquid) to a wide bottomed cooking pan in which the biriyani is to be cooked. As we require 2 times water to the quantity of rice, we need to add 4 cups of water. As you would have 1.5 cups of liquid already in the cooker, add 2.5 cups of water to the pan. Then, add the chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves and let the mixture come to a boil. (The total amount of water in the pan should be 4 cups).

When it starts boiling, add the meat pieces which were taken out and check the seasoning. Adjust the salt and add the drained rice to the pan. When it starts boiling, add lime juice. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on medium flame for the first 4 minutes.

Then, open the lid. Gently mix once from the bottom, cover the lid again and simmer with lid on for 10 minutes on very low flame. Open the lid and the rice would have been three fourth cooked. Let it cook for a few more minutes.

Switch off the flame and close the lid again and let it rest with the lid on for 20 minutes. The rice will get swollen and absorb all the left out moisture. Do not rush as this step is very important.

Enjoy the biriyani with boiled egg and raita.

5 Minutes Bread Bonda

Snacks

An easy and quick snack which can be served to guests and liked by kids and adults alike.

Makes 12-13 bondas

Ingredients:

Bread – 5 slices + 3 slices (white or brown)

Onions – 1 big finely chopped

Coriander leaves chopped – 1 tbsp

Green chillies – 2 finely chopped

Chillie flakes – 1 tsp

Rice flour – 2 tsp

Yogurt – 3 tbsp

Salt – as needed

Oil for frying

Preparation:

Cut the 5 bread slices into pieces and grind it coarsely in the mixie. Keep it aside. Coarsely grind the 3 bread slices and keep it separately.

In a mixing bowl, add the ground bread slices (the 5 pieces), onions, rice powder, yogurt, red chillie flakes, coriander leaves, green chillies chopped, salt and knead it into a pliable dough. Keep it aside for 5 minutes.

Make 12-13 round balls of the dough.

Transfer the coarsely ground bread pieces (3 pieces) onto a plate. Roll the balls in the bread flour and deep fry.

Heat oil in a pan. Drop the balls gently in the oil and deep fry until they are golden in colour.

Ridge Gourd Skin Chutney or Thogayal/Peerkangai Thogayal

Chutneys

A coarse chutney made from the skin of the ridge gourd which tastes awesome with hot rice and a dash of ghee. I also serve it with dosas or idlis whenever I have ridge gourd at home.

Ingredients:

Ridge gourd skin (peerkangai thol) – 1 cup

Red chillies – 3

Grated coconut – 2 tbsp

Bengal gram dal/chana dal – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tbsp

Tamarind – a small pea sized ball

Salt – to taste

Asafoetida – a pinch

Oil – 1/2 tsp

For Seasoning:

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Curry leaf – 1/2 sprig

Red chillies -1

Oil – 1/2 tsp

Preparation:

Wash the ridge gourd skin well and chop it into pieces. Keep it aside.

Heat a pan and add a tsp of oil in it. Add the urad dal and bengal gram dal and saute well. Then, add the red chillies and fry it well till it becomes slightly brown in colour. Add the tamarind piece and saute again for a few seconds. Remove all the ingredients and keep it aside.

In the same pan, add 1/2 tsp of oil and when it becomes hot, add the ridge gourd skin and saute for 2 minutes. Add salt. Remove and keep aside.

Transfer the ridge gourd skin and the other ingredients to a mixer and grind coarsely.

Season it with the items mentioned under ‘seasoning’ and serve.

Peanut or Groundnut Chutney

Chutneys

A mildly spiced chutney which can be served with idlis or dosas. A delicious and quick chutney where you could also add a tbsp of chana dal or bengal gram dal to make it more healthy.

Ingredients:

Roasted Peanuts or Groundnuts – 1/4 cup

Sesame seeds – 1 tbsp (optional)

Whole red chillies – 4

Tamarind – a small piece

Salt – to taste

Coconut grated – 2 – 2 1/2 tbsps

Asafoetida – a pinch

Water – 3 tbsp

Seasoning:

Mustard – 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves – 1/2 sprig

Whole Red chillie – 1 (cut into two pieces)

Asafoetida/Hing – a pinch

Preparation:

Roast the peanuts, in case you do not have roasted peanuts handy. Heat oil in a pan and add the peanuts to it and roast them on a low flame. Keep it aside removing the skin.

In the same pan, roast sesame seeds slightly and keep it aside. (optional)

Add little oil and add the ingredients for seasonings and keep it aside.

In direct flame, roast the red chillies for 2 seconds. Take it off when they turn brownish black. Make sure it is not fully burnt.

In a mixie jar, add the red chillies, deskinned roasted peanuts, tamarind, salt, (sesame seeds if you are using), fresh coconut, water and grind it to a smooth paste.

Add the seasoning and serve with idli or dosa.

Leftover cooked rice idli

Breakfast

Have leftover cooked rice and don’t know what to do with it?? These soft idlis are the perfect way to use it up. Made with semolina and cooked rice, this is a healthy breakfast to start the day with.

Makes 15 idlis

Ingredients:

Leftover cooked rice – 1 1/2 cups

Semolina/Rava – 1 1/2 cups

Yogurt/Curds – 3/4 cup

Cashewnuts – 7 pieces

Red chillies – 3

Green chillies – 3 chopped

Cumin seeds/Jeera – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 2 stalks chopped

Whole Pepper – 10

Udad dal – 1 tsp

Enos fruit salt – 1 1/2 tsp or soda bi-carbonate – 1 tsp

Water – 1/2 cup

Salt – as required

Preparation:

Chop the cashewnuts into two and break the red chillies into 3 – 4 pieces and keep aside.

In a pan, dry roast the semolina on a low flame for 2 -3 minutes. Keep it aside. In the same pan, heat oil. When it becomes hot, add cumin seeds and udad dal. When it starts sizzling, add the red chillies, green chillies, curry leaves, whole pepper and the cashewnuts and saute well. Lastly, add asofoetida. Take it off the flame and let it cool.

Transfer the cooked rice to a mixer and grind it to a fine paste. Add the semolina, 1/2 cup of water, yogurt and mix well. Make sure that there are no lumps. Next, add the seasonings and salt to this batter.

Next, grease the idli plates. Just before adding the batter in the plates, add the enos fruit salt to the batter. It will start frothing. Mix well and using a ladle, spoon in 1/2 spoon of the batter into each of the plates.

Once enos fruit salt is added to the batter, the batter has to be used immediately and cannot be stored or kept in refrigerator. Therefore, it is advisable to add eno to the required amount of batter. Add eno again for the second batch of idlis to be made.

Place the plates in a steamer and steam for 12-13 minutes. Put off the flame and let it sit for 5 minutes. Open and using a wet spoon, take out the idlis and serve it with any chutney of your choice.

Bread Kheema Toast Sandwich

Uncategorized

A lip smacking sandwich made with kheema or minced meat which everyone will enjoy. You can make this sandwich with omelette, cheese, filing of potato or chicken also.

Makes 2 sandwiches

Ingredients:

Bread slices (white or brown) – 4

Butter – 1 1/2 tsp

Cooked kheema or minced meat – 4 tbsp

Oil – 2 tsp (to brush on the sandwich maker)

Preparation:

Take 2 breadslices. On one of the slices, apply a little butter. Top it with some cooked minced meat and close it with the other slice. Grease the sandwich maker and place the sandwich on it. You may use omelette or a filling of cheese instead of the minced meat.

On a low flame, place the sandwich maker and cook the sandwiches. When one side turns golden, flip to the other side and cook the other side. Make sure to remove and check in between if the sandwiches have been cooked to avoid sticking to the sandwich maker.

Kheema or Minced Meat

Non-Vegetarian

A flavourful combination of onions, whole spices, tomatoes and Indian garam masala powder with minced meat. You can substitute the minced meat with the meat of lamb, goat, chicken, buffalo or pork. It can be served with chapathis, rice, parathas and as minced meat sandwiches.

Heat oil and add the whole garam masala and onions

Ingredients:

Minced meat – 500 gms

Onions – 2 big finely chopped

Tomatoes – 2 medium chopped

Ginger-garlic paste – 2 tbsp

Coriander leaves – 2 stalks chopped

Mint leaves – 1 stalk chopped (optional)

Curry leaves – 1 stalk

Red chillie powder – 2 tbsp

Coriander powder – 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder – 3/4 tsp

Bay leaves – 2 small

Cinnamon – 2 (1/2 inch piece)

Cardamom – 3

Jeera – 1/2 tsp

Water – 1/2 cup

Diced Potatoes – 1/4 cup (optional)

Oil – 2 tbsp

Garam masala powder – 1/4 tsp (optional)

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan. Add the jeera. When it starts to sizzle, add the cardomom, cinnamon and the bay leaves. When it turns slightly brown, add the finely chopped onions and saute well for 5 minutes. Soon, they will start to turn pink in colour. Then, add the curry leaves and the ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes away.

Next, add the coriander leaves and the mint leaves and stir fry for a minute and add tomatoes. Saute for another 5 minutes until the tomatoes turn pulpy. Now add the cleaned minced meat, turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt and the chillie powder and saute well for 5 minutes.

Close the lid and turn the flame to low and let it cook on low flame for 15 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and let it cook. Keep stirring in between to make sure that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Once it is cooked, add garam masala powder and take it off the fire.

Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve.

Note: You may add potatoes to this dish while cooking the minced meat.

Orange Cake

Baking, Desserts

My sweet tooth began at an early age. I remember growing up, eating this cake which mom made so often during my school days. She always used to make it with butter but here, I have substituted it with oil for obvious health reasons. Nevertheless, this cake bursts with citrus flavours and tastes just delicious.

Yields 2 loaves

Ingredients:

All purpose flour – 2 1/2 cups

Eggs – 4 large

Baking powder – 2 1/2 tsp

Sunflower or Canola oil – 1 cup

Freshly squeezed orange juice – 1 1/4 cups

Granulated sugar – 1 1/2 cups

Orange zest of 3 oranges

Vanilla essence – 1 tsp

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degree F or 180 degree C. Grease two loaf pans (8 1/2 inch x 4 1/2 inch pans).

In a mixing bowl, whisk flour and baking powder and keep aside.

In another medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar on high speed using a hand held electric mixer for 3 -4 minutes until they become fluffy. Then, reduce the speed to low and keep adding oil slowly until well combined. Now add the orange juice, orange zest and vanilla extract and keep whisking until it is well combined.

Next, add the flour slowly keeping the speed of the beater on low or use a spatula to mix it well. Do not overmix it as the cake may fall flat while baking.

Then, pour the batter into the two pans for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into it comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely.

Dust it with powdered sugar and serve.

Note: I always used to grate the oranges to take the zest but a tip from my friend Cini was a great time saver. She asked me to peel the orange skins using a peeler and chop it fine with a knife or grind it once in the mixer to a coarse texture. Try and let me know if this works for you too.