Okra gravy(Dahi Bhendi)

Ladies finger/Okra Gravy is a famous Side dish and ac-compliment with Rice
This Ladies-finger vegetable (okra) cooked in a gravy soured by Tomato/ Tamarind is cooked in all Indian household, and is a Main gravy dish for vegetarians.

This Time made the gravy North Indian Style along with Yogurt. Where ladies-finger(okra) is fried and cooked in a Tomato gravy and Yogurt is added for creaminess.

Make this Easy Okra gravy and enjoy your scrumptious Vegetarian Meals, here are few more Okra recipies: Crispy Okra, Okra south Indian gravy, Ladies finger with prawns gravy

Ingredients Required:
Okra(ladiesFinger/ Bhindi): 10-15
Oil: 3-4 sps

For grinding:
Onion: 1
Tomato: 2
Greenchilies: 3-4

Yogurt: 1 cup

Simple method for this North Indian Style Dahi Bhendi

First wash the Okra (bhindi/ ladiesfinger) nicely & pat it dry using kitchen towel
Then cut it little slantly to form finger size long pieces

For the gravy :
In a pan add little Oil & fry the Onion along with green chilies
Then once its fried for 5 min add the Tomatoes & fry till its mushy
In a blender add all these fried ingredients along with 1 cup water 
And Grind to a fine paste

In a Deep dish:
Take oil & add the Bhindi(Okra) & fry it nicely for 5 min
Then add salt & fry for 2 more minutes
Lastly add the Blended paste mix add water 1 cup water

Now let it boil for 5 min, Then simmer & add 1 cup yogurt mix 
Close the lid & cook just for 2 min Bhindi (Okra)cooks completely

Check the consistency if its too thick add bit more water
Tangy & Spicy Dahi Bhindi in tomato gravy ready to serve with Rice

Fruits Custard 2

Fruits salad with custard, made using custard powder store brought & served with Fresh fruits 
Always include lots of fresh fruits in your diet, this way you can have all seasonal fruits which are healthy


I have Made this custard in a very simple way, this is the Eggless version using Vanilla custard powder slow cooked & served chilled with fruits salad....

Ingredients:

Whole Milk: 500 ml

Sugar:5 sps (as per taste)

Milk: 1/2 cup(room temperature)

Custard Powder(Vanilla): 2 tbsps

Mixed Fruits chopped: 2 cups

(Apple, banana, Mango)

Method: 

Bring the Milk to Boil & cook it for 5 more min
Add sugar appx 5 tsps Mix well check the taste if you want more sweet
Mix custard powder in a bowl with half cup milk(room temperature) to make a paste
Slowly add the above custard paste to Milk & keep stiring
Cook for another 5 min till it thickens


Remove from heat & let it cool down & come to Room Temperature
If you want you can even whisk this mixture 
Place this  in any container with cap...close tightly & freeze
Freeze for 1 hr for best results
Remove from the freezer mix 
Serve with fruits & Nuts of your choice 

Sheer Korma( Semaiya kheer)

It's Festive time again, Eid Special Sheer korma or roasted Semaiya kheer is a sweet pudding prepared on this occasion 

This is usually accompanied with lots of nuts which makes it very rich.  Usually its made using Long roasted Vermicelli. If you dont get this thin Vermicelli can make using the regular Vermicelli as well

Ingredients

Vermicelli: 2cups
Ghee: 4sp
Milk: 1/2 ltr
Sugar: 1+1/2 cups
WATER: 3 cups
Badam powder: 2 tbsps
Nuts(cashew & pista): 1/2 cup
Pista: few for garnishing

Method

• In a Kadai take Ghee add Vermicelli & fry till golden brown 
• Keep water in a vessel & bring to boil

• Once the Vermicelli is roasted add hot boiling water to it & cook 5 min

• Then add the Milk & let the Vermicelli cook in milk

• Once it bubbles up you can see that the vermicelli is almost cooked

• Add sugar to this and mix well

• Cook for 2 min & add Badam powder for taste

• Finally add Add the Nuts fried in ghee

Sheer korma is Ready to be served Garnish with pistas....Serve hot / chilled, Enjoy Eid

Millet Dosa with chutney

Crispy Millet dosa for breakfast, replace rice with millets for Healthy breakfast, same crispy and tasty dosas can be made with Millets try this easy recipe

Millets are traditionally important grains,Millets are gaining popularity these days because of their health benefits like high fiber content, gluten free and rich nutritional content. So replace your Rice with Millets & make all the dishes healthy & low calorie, click here for some of my Millet dishes:

South Indian special breakfast is incomplete without dosas, These crispy Dosas are made using Foxtail Millet, You can use any millet of your choice

Ingredients for Millet dosa

Urad Daal: 1 cup
Foxtail millet: 2 cups
Dosa Rice: 1 cup
Flattened rice(poha): 1/2 cup
Oil little to spread on dosa

Soak Urad Dal & millet in separate containers for  4 hrs 
Wash & Grind Urad dal with little water to fine paste & remove

Soak Poha just before grinding for 15-20min

Then Wash & Grind soaked millet with poha & water to fine paste

Here is Urad dal paste & Millet Paste below

Then mix this millet & poha paste with Urad dal Paste
Add little water & make it dosa paste consistency

Keep in warm place to Ferment Overnite (6hrs)

Procedure For Millet dosa is as follows

After fermentation when making Dosa add Salt to batter & mix
Heat up the dosa pan, take a laddle full batter and spread to form thin dosa
Spread the oil to the sides & apply little ghee on top of dosa cover lid and cook on medium flame
After 2min when its slightly brown turn and cook other side for 2 min

Crispy healhy Millet dosa is ready to serve, Best served with chutney

Shark Chilly Fry(Manchurian)

Tasty seafood for todays Sunday lunch, Shark fish which has a white flesh with very little or soft bone is good to make Manchurian

So try this Shark Chilly Fry(Manchurian)style & enjoy these boneless soft shark flesh

This fish is very rare to get and seasonal, also it produces heat in the body so consume it in fair quantities, Include salads with your fish meals, Coastal fresh fish is the best.

Ingredients Shark Chilly Fry

Fish cubed:8-10 PCs
Lemon juice: 1/2
Redchili powder/Achi fish fry masala: 3sps
Corn flour: 4-5tbsp
Salt o taste
Turmeric 1 pinch
Oil to  deep fry
Tomato sauce or sweet chilly sauce: 2-3sps

Method for Shark Chilly Fry
Marinate: fish steaks: apply salt to taste & 1/2 lemon juice keep for 5 min
Mix together chili powder or Achi fish fry masala, Turmeric lillte, 1/2 Lemon juice to form a paste add spoon full water not more.
Squeze the fish remove excess water & apply this paste leave to marinate for 15min- 1/2 hr 

Heat a deep pan with Oil for deep frying
Coat the Fish pieces with cornflour & remove excess then deep fry in oil

Cook for 3 min on each side then remove on an absorbent paper

Once all the fish is fried, In a pan add Tomato sauce or sweet chilly sauce and add fried fish and toss well till its coated

Spicy Shark Chilly Fry(Manchurian) is ready to serve, enjoy this boneless fleshy shark manchurian

Paneer Samosas

Crispy Samosas with Paneer & Potato spicy filling, Todays special evening snacks for this seasons IPL Finale

Make easy snacks, by prepping most of the things and enjoy the match with these crispy samosas as i'm doing 

Very simple and easy method to follow where you can prep the filling before itself and keep ready 

Ingredients For Outer cover Poori:
All purpose flour(Maida): 3 cups
Caraway seeds(Ajwain): 1tsp(Optional)
Ghee/butter: 1sp

Oil for Deep frying

For Stuffing

Potato(Boiled):1large
Paneer crumbled: 1 cup
Mashed Peas:1 cup
Green chili: 1
Onion chopped: 1
Redchili powder: 1sps
Jeera(cumin)powder : 1/2sp
Garam masala: 1sp
Chaat masala: 1/2sp
Coriender leaves: 1/4 cup
Salt to taste

Method

Preparation of Poori (Outer cover):

• Seive All purpose flour (Maida) add caraway seeds(Ajwain) salt & ghee mix to form crumble
• Then add little little water & make a hard dough 

Preparation of Stuffing:

• Heat a Pan add Greenchili & Onion saute for few min  add Boiled & grated potato with Cooked & Mashed Peas mix then add crumbled paneer
• Add salt, Redchili powder, Jeera powder, Garam masala & chat masals mix add coriender leaves 
• Mix well stuffing is ready Keep aside

For the Assembly

• Make small portions of Dough & make lemon sized balls of it
• Then Roll Out Thick poori, and make marks with fork(Optional)
• Cut the Poori into 2 as shown in pic
• Fold one side & other side join by applying little water to edge to form a pocket as shown in pic


• keep the Potato & paneer mixture in middle 
• Hold it in your hand to form a triangular shape then fold the end sides to close & press it 





• Make all the rest rolled dough similarly to form samosas
• Heat up Oil in a deep dish, once hot turn the flame to medium
• Fry the samosas 2-3 at a time for 3 min then turn around
• Fry all the samosas and remove on absorbent
• Crispy Paneer samosa ready to relish with evening tea

Navayathi Biryani (Bhatkal Biryani)

Navayathi style Chicken Biryani is a Mix of Long grain Rice & Chicken cooked seperately & then layered together to form a perfect Biryani which is not very spicy

The Navayath cuisine can be primarily found in the coastal districts of Karnataka, mainly in Uttara Kannada its Famous for its Bhatkal Biryani which i have recreated

I have cooked Chicken Biryani many times here are some more Biryani & chicken Pulav recipes

I always make Biryani Rice seperately & Chicken seperately, This way Biryani does not become soggy. But If you prefer one pot Biryani you can make in pressure cooker. Click here for recipe

Follow this simple procedure Navayathi Biryani 

Ingredients Serves 6:

Biryani Rice(Basumati): 1/2 kg
Cloves: 3-4
Pepper corns: 5-6
Cinammon: 1 Inch cut to pcs

For the chicken :

To Marinate:
Chicken: 750grms
Curd: 1 cup
Turmeric: 1 tsp

Oil: 4 sps
Cloves: 4-5
Cinnamon: 2 inch
Bay leaves: 3
Pandant(Biryani leaf) : 1
Onions: 4
Tomatoes: 4
Ginger garlic paste: 3sps
Green chilies slit: 3
Pudina leaves: 1/2 bunch

For the garnishing of layers:
Onion: 1 sliced & fried in Oil
Pudina leaves: 1/2 bunch
Cashew: 10 pcs
Ghee: 2-3 sps
Saffron 5-6 stands
Milk 1/2 cup

Few steps first:
Soak the Basumati Rice for 1/2 an hr

For the garnishing of layers: deep fry 1 Onion julians till its crispy

Making Of Chicken Biryani:

Marinate the chicken with curd & turmeric for half an hr

I prefer to Cook Rice & keep aside to cool it down till I cook the chicken
Add spices & add equal measure of Water (1:1) & Rice & cook in a deep dish till water dries off

Once you keep it on the Heat to cook turn the heat to medium for 5 min then on sim closing lid

In a Deep dish prepare the chicken mix

Add Oil, add all whole spices listed, then add Green chilies & Onion & fry till its brown
Then add Ginger garlic & green chilies paste mix well add chopped Tomatoes cook for 5 min
Add Pudina leaves & fry then add all the spice powder

Add Marinated chicken & mix add salt cover lid & cook for 10-15 min(Add very little water if its too dry)

For the Layers:

Once the Basumati Rice is cooked remove on a big plate to cool down

Meanwhile chicken must be cooked
Mix well & remove 1/2 of the chicken gravy, rest half leave in the Dish
Add 1st layer of Basumati Rice(1/2 of the rice)


Then Add half ghee, pudina & Fried Onions kept aside for garnishing, add saffron milk(or orange color)

Add the rest chicken gravy on this, then make second layer of rice & half ghee, pudina & Fried Onions kept aside for garnishing, add saffron milk(or orange color)
Close the cooker, keep it on a heated Tawa & reduce heat to minimum & cook without visel
Cook it for 7-8 min or 10 min max & switch off cool down completely & remove 
Garnish with cashew & serve without mixing for perfect coloured Biryani