Simple potato and egg plant

Ingredients :

  • Potato
  • eggplant
  • peas ( optional )
  • tomato
  • bay leaf
  • turmeric
  • cumin
  • coriander
  • chilli powder
  • oil, salt

Cooking Method :
Cut potato and eggplant in cubes. Cut tomato in fine pieces. To some oil in a vessel, add the potato and eggplant pieces, peas , sprinkle little salt and lightly fry them. Then put them aside.

Add the finely cut tomato pieces to the vessel, add enough salt for a semi dry prep, little water. When the content boils, cover and cook the tomato in low flame for 5 to 7 mins. Open the lid, mash the tomato finely. Add little water to the spice mixture and pour into the vessel. Add bay leaf. Saute a little. Add the lightly fried potato, eggplant and peas. Add enough water to form a semi dry prep. When the mixture boils, cover and cook in low flame for about 12 mins. Serve with hot rice or bread.

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani with Raita

Ingredients:

  • Boneless Chicken pieces
  • Basmati rice
  • cardamom
  • cinnamon
  • cloves
  • cumin seeds
  • mace
  • bay leaf
  • mint leaves
  • turmeric
  • chilli
  • coriander
  • cumin
  • garam masala powder
  • curd
  • fried onion
  • ginger
  • garlic paste
  • salt
  • oil
  • butter

Cooking Method:

Wash the chicken and cut into small pieces. Add cut mint leaves, little cumin seeds, little turmeric, chilli, cumin, coriander powder, some garam masala powder, fried onion, ginger, garlic paste, curd, salt and oil. Mix well and marinate in fridge for 2hrs or more.

Wash 2 heaped cups of basmati rice and drain off the water. To a vessel, heat some oil, add bay leaf, 4 split cardamom, 4 cloves, a piece of cinnamon and mace. Saute in low flame. Add the washed rice, add 2 and half cups of water, salt, some mint leaves, little butter. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and cook in low flame for 5 to 10 mins until water in the vessel is dry. Dip a spoon to check it. The rice this way is 75% cooked. Make sure to check remaining water often as there is a chance the rice might burn if cooked for too long.

After opening the lid, try to remove the pieces of cardamom, cloves, mace, cinnamon and bay leaves if possible to avoid them coming in the mouth while eating. They are normally on the top.

In another vessel, where the biryani is to be made, arrange the marinated chicken at the bottom of the vessel. Add 1 cup of water. Cover and cook for 10 mins, until till the chicken is tender. Remove the lid and make a semi dry preparation.

Then arrange neatly the 75% cooked rice on top, covering the chicken. Add little oil and add 1 and half cups of water. Add some fried onion on the top. Cover and cook in low flame for another 5 mins. Open the lid and check if the water inside has dried by dipping a spoon. Cook the rice with open lid until there is no water remaining. The rice of the biryani should be loose. Pay close attention that the bottom of the rice does not burn due to over-cooking.

Gently serve the hot biryani with the chicken so that the colour of the biryani is white with streaks of yellow.

Raita Ingredients:

  • Curd
  • finely cut cucumber
  • tomato
  • onion
  • salt
  • chat masala ( optional )

Cooking Method:

Take required amount of normal curd, beat it with a spoon to a smooth consistency. Add washed pieces of the above vegetables. Add some salt and chat masala (optional ). Mix well and keep in fridge before serving with biryani.

Potato Pumpkin Curry

Ingredients:

  • Potato
  • pumpkin
  • pach foran
  • bay leaf
  • 1 green chilli ( optional )
  • turmeric powder
  • oil
  • salt

Cooking Method:

Cut off the skin of pumpkin, peel potatoes. Cut them into small pieces. To a little oil in a vessel, add some pach foran and bay leaf as seasoning and saute.

Add the washed potato and pumpkin pieces and fry them lightly. Add salt, turmeric powder and little water. When the mixture boils, cover and cook in low flame for about 10 mins.

Open the lid and make a semi dry prep. Serve with bread.

Jeera Potato

Ingredients:

  • Potatoes 
  • onion
  • ginger paste
  • garlic paste
  • mustard seeds
  • cumin seeds
  • dry red chilli
  • turmeric
  • chilli
  • coriander
  • cumin powder
  • kasoori methi
  • salt
  • oil

Cooking Method:
Cut potatoes in cubes, grate onion finely. Heat some oil in a vessel and fry the potato pieces lightly and keep aside. To the oil, add little dry red chilli, mustard and cumin seeds as seasoning and see them splutter.

Saute grated onion till golden brown in colour. Add ginger, garlic paste and saute again. Mix turmeric, chilli, cumin, coriander powder with little water and add to the vessel. Heat a little in low flame.

Then add the half fried potato pieces, salt, some water as required for a semi dry prep. Bring to a boil, then reduce the flame, cover and cook for about 10 mins. Open the lid , dry off excess water, sprinkle some kasoori methi leaves, mix in low flame and serve with rice or bread.

Mixed vegetable with hing and ginger paste

Ingredients:

  • Assorted vegetables like, spinach leaves
  • egg plant
  • green beans
  • radish
  • carrot
  • potato
  • pach foran
  • small dry red chilli
  • pinch of hing
  • little ginger paste
  • turmeric powder
  • salt
  • oil
  • lime

Cooking Method:

Cut the egg plant in cubes , slit the beans and cut them in medium long pieces. Similarly cut the radish and carrot also into thin long pieces. Cut the potato in medium size slices. Wash these vegetables with the spinach leaves.

Heat some oil in a vessel. Add pach foran, dry red chilli, little hing and ginger paste. Saute in low flame. Add some turmeric powder in little water. Stir a bit.

Add the washed vegetables, and salt. Bring the mixture to boil. Cover and cook in low flame for 10 min. Open the lid ,dry off excess water in the vessel and make a dry prep. The dish can be served with rice or bread.

Goan Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

  • Chicken pieces
  • grated onion
  • ginger paste
  • garlic paste
  • cinnamon
  • cloves
  • turmeric
  • chilli powder
  • coconut milk
  • curd
  • salt
  • oil

Cooking Method: Heat some oil in a vessel and lightly fry grated onion. Add ginger, garlic paste and saute a little. Add appropriate quantity of cinnamon and cloves. Mix some turmeric and chilli powder with a little water and add to the cooking vessel.

Beat 1 tbs curd and add to the mixture. Add chicken pieces , salt and fry in low heat for a while. Add enough water, bring to a boil, cover and cook till the chicken is tender.

Open the lid, add some coconut milk ,simmer for few minutes and keep enough gravy to be served with rice.

Achari Chicken

Ingredients:

  • Chicken pieces
  • grated onion
  • ginger paste
  • garlic paste
  • tomato
  • curd
  • lime
  • few mint leaves
  • turmeric
  • chilli
  • garam masala powder
  • pach foran
  • hing
  • little dry red chilli
  • cooking oil
  • little mustard oil ( if possible )

Cooking Method:

Heat some oil in a vessel, saute grated onion till light brown in colour. Add ginger, garlic paste and saute again in low flame. Add finely cut tomato and a little salt, water. Boil, cover and cook in low flame for 5 min. With spoon ,mash the mixture well.

Add some slightly beaten curd, turmeric, chilli ,garam masala powder,chicken pieces enough salt and little water. Stir in low flame for some time. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover and cook till the chicken is tender. (25 or 30 mins)

Open the lid. Add few cut mint leaves. In a separate small vessel heat some mustard oil ( use normal oil if mustard oil is not available). To this add a small piece of dry red chilli, pinch of hing, and some pach foran. Saute well , then add this to the above chicken preparation.

Add little lime juice , mix ,cover and keep covered for some time so that the aroma is retained. This is a semi dry prep which can be had with rice or bread.

Yellow Moong Dal with Vegetables

Ingredients :

  • Yellow mug dal
  • cumin or pach foran seeds
  • bay leaf
  • small piece dry red chilli
  • ginger paste
  • turmeric powder
  • some cabbage and/or peas
  • salt
  • pinch of sugar or sugar free
  • oil
  • little butter

Cooking Method:

Heat a little oil in a vessel. Add cumin or pach foran seeds, bay leaf, dry red chilli, little ginger paste and saute in low flame.

Add washed mug dal, turmeric powder, salt , sugar or sugar free and appropriate quantity of water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook in low flame till the dal is cooked.

Cut some cabbage in cubes. Boil the cabbage and or some green peas in water with a little salt for about 10 mins. After the dal is cooked, add the boiled vegetables to the dal and a little butter. Mix and serve with rice or bread.

Yellow Moong Dal

Ingredients:

  • Yellow split moong dal
  • cumin or pachforan seeds
  • dry red chilli
  • bay leaf
  • ginger paste
  • turmeric powder
  • salt
  • pinch of sugar or sugar free
  • oil
  • butter

Cooking Method:

Heat a little oil in a vessel. Add cumin or pachforan seeds and see them splutter. Add bay leaf, dry red chilli , little ginger paste and saute.

Add washed moong dal, salt, pinch of sugar and turmeric powder. Add enough water, mix and bring to a boil in high flame.

Cover and cook in low flame until the dal is ready. Whisk it to get a smooth consistency. Water added according to desired consistency. Add a little butter, mix and serve with rice or bread.

Cauliflower, potato with roasted masala

Ingredients:

  • Cauliflower
  • potato
  • lime
  • roasted masala
  • chilli powder
  • salt
  • oil
  • lime

Cooking Method:

Cut cauliflower and potato in very small cubes. Heat some oil in a vessel. To this add the washed cauliflower and potato pieces, add salt anf fry well in low flame.

Add chilli powder and enough water to make a dry prep. Bring the mixture to a boil, Cover and cook in low flame for about 5 min.

Open the lid, dry off excess water. Sprinkle roasted masala and lime juice. Mix well and serve with chapati. This prep can be used in between bread in a sandwich toaster.