Indian – Page 3 – Meal Haven

Semiya Payasam/Kheer

A light and tasty milk kheer which can be served after a meal. Often served during festivals, this is a staple in many households.

Ingredients:

Semiya/Thin Pakistani Vermicelli -1/2 cup

Milk – 500 ml

Sugar – 1/2 cup

Cashewnuts roasted – 5 or 6 pieces

Almonds/badam – 4 or 5 pieces sliced

Saffron – 2 strands

Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp

Ghee – 1 tbsp

Preparation:

In a pan, add ghee and roast the almonds, cashew and the raisins until it pufs up. Remove and Keep aside 3 almonds and 3 cashewnuts for garnishing.

Heat ghee in a pan. Add the semiya or vermicelli into the pan and saute it well. Take it off and keep it aside. Then add milk to the pan, turn the flame to medium and let the milk simmer for some time about 10 minutes so that it becomes a bit thick. Keep stirring in between so that it does not get burnt. Then, add the semiya to it and stir again. Let the semiya cook in the milk until soft. Keep the flame on low. Once the semiya is cooked, add the sugar, cardamom powder, rest of the cashewnuts, almonds, saffron and stir it once. Turn off the heat and let it cool.

The semiya may absorb milk as it gets thicker and starts to cools down.

Note: Some of them add 1/4 cup of condensed milk for a thicker and creamier payasam.

Vegetable Cutlets

Snacks

A delicious snack made with vegetables and potatoes which can be baked or shallow fried. It is mainly served as a snack in the evenings with a cup of tea or coffee.

Ingredients:

Beans – 6 to 7 pieces

Cauliflower – 3 or 4 small florets finely chopped

Peas – 1/4 cup

Carrot – 1 finely chopped

Onion – 1 medium chopped fine

Potatoes – 3 big

Green chillies finely chopped – 5

Ginger Garlic paste – 1/2 tbsp

Coriander leaves – 5 stalks

Garam masala powder – 1/4 tsp

Bread slices – 2 crumbled

Salt- as needed

For crust:

Maida – 2 tbsp

Pepper – 1/4 tsp

Salt -as needed

Water – 2 tbsp

Bread crumbs – 1 cup

Oil – 2 to 3 tbsp

Preparation:

Boil potatoes in water, until soft. When it is cooked, remove skin and mash it and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add finely chopped green chillies, saute followed by onions. When the onions becomes translucent, add ginger-garlic paste and fry until the raw smell of onions disappears. Then add finely chopped carrots, saute and then, the finely chopped beans and stir for 2 minutes on high heat. Add chopped cauliflower and the peas and stir again.

When it is cooked al dente (not fully cooked, 3/4 th cooked), take it off the fire and add finely chopped coriander leaves, add 2 pieces of fresh bread crumbs, mashed potatoes, salt and garam masala powder.

Divide them into equal balls.Then flatten them slightly to make thick patties and keep them aside in a plate.

In another plate, put half of the bread crumbs and keep them aside.

In a small mixing bowl, add maida, salt, pepper and water and make a thin batter. If you want a thicker crust, the batter should be slightly thick.

Keep the patties, bread crumbs and the batter together, close to each other.

Next, dip the patties in the batter and place them on bread crumbs. Turn it and coat the other side also with bread crumbs.

Place it on a plate and continue with all patties until it is well coated with the crumbs.

Heat 2 tbsps of oil in pan and place the crumb coated patties and shallow fry them in oil on both sides, until it turns golden brown.

You may also bake the patties for 15 minutes in the oven at 180 degree Celsius. Serve it with tomato ketchup.

Sabudana/Sago vada

Snacks

A Maharastran evening snack made with sago (tapoica pearls), potatoes and peanuts, which is crisp on the outer side with a soft texture inside.

Ingredients:

Sabudana/Sago/Tapoica pearls – 1/2 cup

Water – 3/4 cup for soaking sago

Roasted peanuts – 1/4 cup

Potatoes – 1 big or 2 medium sized

Green chillies – 2 finely chopped

Cumin seeds/Jeera – 1/2 tsp

Corainder leaves – 2 stalks chopped

Rice flour (optional if needed only) – 1 tbsp

Preparation:

Soak sago in 3/4 cup water for 2 hrs. Some sago may require longer time. You can find out by pressing the sago. If it is soft, it is soaked well or else, soak it for longer time.Drain it well in a colander and keep it aside.

Powder the roasted peanuts coarsely.

Boil the potatoes and mash them well. Do not overcook the potatoes.

In a mixing bowl, add the mashed potatoes, sago, coarsely powdered peanuts, green chillies, jeera, coriander leavess, salt and mix well.

Shape them into vadas or patties. They should not be too thick or too thin.

Heat oil in a pan. When it is hot, slip the vada into the pan. If it starts to break, add 1 tbsp rice flour to the dough, mix again and fry on medium flame. When it turns golden brown on one side, flip it to the other side. When it is done, take it off and drain it in a kitchen tissue and serve.

Mutton Chukka Keerai Curry

Non-Vegetarian

Another recipe which is a regualr in my mom’s kitchen is mutton with brinjal and sorrel leaves/khatta palak or chukka keerai as we call it. This curry can be served with rice, chapathi or pooris too.

Ingredients:

Mutton – 500 gms

Medium sized Tomatoes – 2

Onions – 2

Chilly powder – 2 tsp

Coriander powder – 4 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Ginger paste – 1 1/2 tsp

Garlic paste – 1 1/2 tsp

Small violet brinjals to be sliced into four – 7 -8 nos

1 small bunch consisting of 15-20 leaves of Chukka keerai/sorrel leaves(English)/Khatta palak(Hindi)

Oil – 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves (chopped finely) – 10 stalks

Mint leaves (chopped finely) – 15

Preparation:

Clean the greens and take only the leaves. Discard the stems. Wash and chop them.

Heat oil. Add chopped onion and sauté till it becomes soft. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté till the raw smell of ginger and garlic goes away. Add mint leaves and half of coriander leaves. Chopped tomatoes and fry well till tomatoes turn pulpy. Then, add chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and sauté on very low fire for 2-3 minutes or else, the powders may get burnt. Then add meat and sauté well. If you feel the meat may stick to the pan, sprinkle with water and sauté for 5-7minutes. Transfer to cooker and add 1 and 1/2 cup of water to cook meat. Cook for one whistle. After one whistle, lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes (depending on the quality of meat).Since this is soft, tender meat I have kept it for 10 minutes only. Put off the fire and open the cooker only after the pressure goes down. Then add sliced brinjals and add chopped sorrel leaves and cook on low flame till brinjals are tender. Remove when gravy thickens.

Chicken Kurma

Non-Vegetarian

One of my mother’s most sought after recipes for lunch and dinner parties. Goes well with puris, parathas, birinji, rice, iddlis, appams, almost anything. It is not a very spicy dish but more of a rich, creamy taste.

Ingredients:

Chicken – 1/2 kg

Green chillies – 4 if spicy (otherwise 6)

Turmeric powder – 3/4 tsp

Tomatoes – 1 no. + 1/2 no.

Onion chopped – 1 no. + 1/2 onion

Chopped coriander – 3/4 tbsp

Mint leaves/Pudina – 8 -10 leaves

Juice of 1/4 lime

Oil – 1tsp + 2 tbsp + 1/2 tbsp butter or ghee

Aniseed/Saunf – 1/2 tsp

Cloves – 2 +1

Cinnamon – 1/2 inch + 1/2 inch piece

Cardamom – 1 +1

Bay leaf 1 big cut into 2 or 2 small leaves

Ginger paste – 1 tsp

Garlic paste – 3/4 tsp

Curd slightly sour – 2 1/2 tbsp

Milk – 1/2 cup

Water – 1 1/2 cup

Grated coconut – 4 tbsp

Almonds – 8 (soaked in water and deskinned) OR

Cashews -8

Khus Khus/Poppy seeds – 1/2 tsp

To grind:

Grind grated coconut , khus khus and almonds to a smooth paste. Keep aside.

2. Heat 1tsp oil in a pan. Add 1 clove, 1/2 inch cinnamon, 1 cardamom and fry. Then add green chillies chopped in half, as it may burst otherwise. Fry for 3 minutes till the green colour changes slightly. Then, add 1/2 chopped onion, saute well and then 1/2 tomato and fry. Grind and keep aside separately.

Preparation:

Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes with curds, half of ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder and salt.

Heat oil and ghee. Add saunf, 2 cloves, 1/2 inch cinnamon, 1 cardamom and bay leaf . Saute once and add chopped onion. When it turns slightly golden, add chopped mint leaves, half of the coriander leaves, rest of the ginger-garlic paste and fry well on low flame till the raw smell of garlic goes off. Then add the tomato-onion-green chillie paste and saute again. Add 1 chopped tomato and saute till it turns pulpy. Add marinated chicken and saute on low heat till it becomes slightly thick. Add 1/2 cup milk and 1 1/2 cup water and cook on low flame till the chicken is cooked. Then add the coconut, almond, khus khus paste and boil on low flame for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.

Switch off the flame and add juice of 1/2 lime and serve garnished with coriander leaves. You can also take a hard boiled egg, chop the whites into small bits and using the grater, grate the yolk as garnish. I have added half cooked boiled eggs, cooked on low heat for 5 minutes in my recipe. Hard boiled egg sliced and quartered or slivered almonds can also be used as garnish.

Broken Wheat Rava Upma

Breakfast

A healthy, easy to make breakfast option with cracked wheat which also happens to be good for people with diabetes! You can serve this with tomato chutney or bottlegourd chutney.

Ingredients:

Samba Godhuma Rava/ Broken wheat/Bansi rava- 1 cup

Water – 3 1/2 cups

Onions – 1 big, chopped fine

Ginger – 1 inch piece chopped

Green chillies – 3 slit lengthwise

Tomato – 1 small (optional)

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp (optional)

Carrots sliced lengthwise – 1/2

Beans – 4

Shelled peas – 1/4 cup

Coriander leaves – 1 tsp chopped

Salt to taste

Seasoning:

Mustard – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Cashew nuts – 5 pieces

Preparation:

Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard and when it starts spluterring, add urad dal, curry leaves and cashew nuts. Then add the ginger, green chillies, onions and saute well. Once the onions turn translucent, add the carrots, beans and peas and saute once more.

Next, add the rava and saute well for another 2 minutes. Then add hot water and salt to it while continuously stirring for 2 minutes ensuring no lumps are formed. Close the lid and let it cook. Serve garnished with coriander leaves.

Easy Ambalapuzha Paal Payasam

Desserts

Ambalapuzha Krishna temple in Kerala is famous for its paal payasam. Rich and creamy, it is usually made with red chemba rice and served without garnishing of nuts or raisins.

I have a sweet tooth and love all types of payasams. But this one from the kitchens of Kerala is an absolute special. My version of this payasam is an easy recipe shared by a friend in Kuwait, Nandini and I would like to thank her for the same. I loved this recipe and have prepared it many times and every single time, it has turned out to be a winner.

Ingredients:

Milk – 4 cups

Basmati rice or broken red rice – 1/4 cup

Sugar – 3/4 cup

Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp

Raisins fried in ghee – 1 1/2 tsp

Cashewnuts fried in ghee – 1 tbsp

Preparation:

Though this payasam is traditonally made from broken rice, I have used plain basmati rice for this recipe.

Boil 4 cups of milk in a pressure cooker. When it starts to boil, add 1/4 cup rice to it and stir well. Once the milk boils again , add 3/4 cup sugar and stir well. When it starts boiling again, close the lid of the pressurre cooker, put on the weight and keep it on the small gas burner on a very low flame. Let it cook for 40 – 45 minutes.

If the milk starts to come out, place a thick wet cloth (preferably a small turkey towel) over the cooker, close to the whistle. You will need to remove the cloth in between and wet it again and place it on the cooker, as it will turn dry.

Once the cooker cools down, remove and check the payasam. It would have turned pinkish cream in colour. Add the cashewnuts, cardamom powder and raisins and serve it hot or cold, as per your preference.

Markandam Soup (Mutton Rib bone soup)

Non-Vegetarian

Mom’s speciality. A soup bursting with flavours which is a big hit with the entire family. The broth is simmered with the spices and the bones cooked alongwith it, brings out the richness of this soup. It can be had with rice or can have it on its own.

Ingredients:

Markandam or Rib bones – 250 gms

Garlic – 3/4 tsp paste

Ginger – 3/4 tsp

Onion – 1 medium

Tomato – 3 medium sized

Coriander leaves – 1 1/4 tsp chopped plus some for garnish

Chillie powder – 2 tsp

Coriander powder – 3 tsp

Kashmiri chillie powder – 1/4 tsp (for colour only)

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Mint leaves/Pudina choped fine – 7 leaves (optional)

Water – 1 1/2 cups

Salt – To taste

Seasonings:

Garlic crushed – 3 or 4

Ghee – 1 tsp

Pepper powder coarsely crushed – 1/2 tsp

Curry leaf – 1 sprig

Preparation:

In a cooker, add all of the above ingredients except the seasonings. Close the lid and let it boil. After 1 whistle, reduce the flame to the lowest and let it boil for 8 – 10 mts, depending on the tenderness of the meat. Once done, open the ooker and check if the meat is cooked. If the soup is very watery, boil it for some more time without the lid on.

Heat a tsp of ghee and add coarsely ground pepper first. Then add the crushed garlic and curry leaves. Pour the seasoning in the soup and voila… the soup is ready.