Two Years Of Blogging

Happy birthday to my blog.Can't believe that i completed 2 years of blogging here.Thanks to blogger for giving me a platform to show my cooking skills and thanks to lovely readers and friends who take time to read and trying out my recipes.Thanks a lot for the people who take time to give me the feed back.

In the journey of 2 years i did 256 post and around 260 recipes.Need 1 more follower to reach 100 followers,thank u girls/guys for following me.

The top 6 post which get maximum hits are Hyderabadi Bagara Rice,Kadai Vegetable,Hyderabadi Dum Gosh Biryani,Mutton Paya Soup,Eggless Cake with Milk Powder and Mirchi Ka Salan.So out of six recipes four are must cooked recipe in any hyderabadi household.

We always celebrate any occasion with sweet but i will celebrate my blog birthday with my favourite veggie ie brinjal/Vankaya.

Dum Ka Baingan

Ingredients:-

Brinjals 10

Oil 4 tbsp

Dry red chillies 5

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Black pepper 1 tsp

Green cardamoms 2

Bay leaf 1

Cinnamon 1" stick

Cloves 3

Onion paste 1 cup

Ginger garlic paste 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Method:-

Trim the stems of the brinjals.Slit open each brinjal crosswise,without dis joining it from the stem.

Heat 1tsp oil in a pan over medium heat.Add dry red chillies,cumin seeds,black pepper,green cardamoms,cinnamon sticks,bay leaf,cloves and cumin seeds.Saute over medium heat for 5-6 minutes.Cool and grind to a fine powder.

Heat a little oil in a pan.Fry brinjals,a few at a time for 5-6 minutes.Remove from heat and keep aside.

In a same pan,heat the remaining oil.Saute onion paste until lightly coloured.

Add ginger garlic paste,turmeric powder and ground spice paste.

Stir and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes.

Add salt and 1/3 cup of hot water.Cook until the water evaporates and oil separates from the gravy.

Arrange the fried brinjals in the gravy.Stir very carefully,cover and cook over low flame.

Serve hot with rice or with rotis.

Recipe source:-Dum cuisine-- chef's special

Kala Koora

సంక్రాంతి శుభాకాంక్షలు

Happy Sankranthi to my readers and to all my friends.

Kala koora is one the delicacies made on sankranthi that is on the second day of the festival.Kala Gura is made with different seasonal vegetables.|This recipe is my sisters mother-inlaws.

Ingredients:-

Soorakaya/Bottle gourd 5-6 (peeled and chopped into 1' thick pieces )

Brinjal 4 (chopped into thick long pieces)

Tomatoes 2 (chop each tomato into 4 pieces)

Cauliflower 5-6 florets

Potatoes 2 (Chopped into thick pieces)

Tamarind (fresh) 2 pieces

Chikudikaya/Indian broad beans 5-6 (Slice into 2 pieces)

Onion 2 chopped finely

Green chillies 3 silted

Curry leaves few

Red chilly powder 1 tsp

Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil 2 tbsp

Method:-

Take a deep pan,add oil.When hot add onions,green chillies and curry leaves.

Fry until onions are pink in colour.Now add all the veggies,turmeric powder,red chilly powder and salt.

Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for 5-6 minutes.

By now the veggies are soft.Add 1/2 glass of water.

Let it come to boil.Now simmer and cook till the veggies are very soft and the curry is semi dry.

Dappalam

Andhra is famous for its pulusu,be it chapala pulusu or any other pulusu.Dappalam is a mixture of many veggies cooked in tamarind gravy and is very famous in andhra.Sometimes besan or channa dal is added to get the thickness in the pulusu.

My elder sister is married into a typical Andhra family from Vijayawada and she cooks this dappalam very often.I love this with plain rice or hyderbadi bagara rice (not a weird combination though).This is my sister recipe....

Ingredients:-

Soorakaya/Kadhu/Bottle Gourd 1 cup (big pieces)

Brinjal 2 chopped into thick pieces

Drum stick 2

Tomatoes 2

Lady finger 4 chopped into big pieces

Green chillies 2 sliced

Channa dal 4 tbsp (soaked for 3-4 hours)

Tamarind small lemon sized

Jaggery a small piece

Mint leaves few

Coriander leaves few

Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Seasoning

Mustard seeds few

Hing little

Curry leaves few

Oil 2-3 tbsp

Method:-

Soak channa dal for 3-4 hours and pressure cook until soft.Mash it and keep aside.

In a deep pan take oil and add all the seasoning.When they spultter add all the veggies and green chillies,mint leaves,coriander.

Add salt and turmeric powder.Mix well.Cover and cook for 7-8 minutes.Now the veggies will become soft.

Remove pulp from tamarind and add it to the veggies.Also add jaggery.

Add 2 glass of water.Let it come to boil.

Then add the mashed channa dal,cook until the veggies are soft (say for another 5-6 minutes).

Serve hot with rice and vadiyalu or else serve like i do with bagara rice.

Bhindi with Peanuts

Ingredients:-

Lady's finger (bhindi) 300gms cut diagonally into 1/4'' thick slices,about 1'' long

Peanuts 1/2 cup

Garlic flakes 3-4 crushed roughly

Onion 1 chopped

Tomato 1 chopped

Coriander powder 1 1/2 tsp

Garam masala 1/2 tsp

Salt as per taste

Red chilly powder 1/2tsp

Tomato chilli sauce 2tsp

Oil to fry

Method:-

Heat oil for deep frying in a kadhai to medium hot temp.Add half of the bhindi and fry on medium flame for about 5 minutes till it gets cooked.Remove from oil on a paper napkin.

Fry second batch of bhindi also.

In the same oil deep fry peanuts also till golden,drain on a paper napkin.

Remove all the oil from the kadhai.Heat 2 tbsp of oil again the the kadhai.

Reduce flame.Add garlic and fry till it changes colour.

Add onion and fry till golden brown.

Add chopped tomato,cook for 4-5 minutes till it leaves oil.

Add tomato chilli sauce,coriander powder,garam masala powder,salt and chilli powder.

Stir for a minute on low flame.Add peanuts and bhindi.Stir,serve.

Dum Aloo

Ingredients:-

Small potatoes 6 boiled and peeled
Onion 1 chopped and grounded into fine paste
Onion 1 chopped finely
Green chillies 2 chopped finely
Curd 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds 1/2tsp
Curry leaves few
Food colour red a pinch
Red chilly powder 1/2tsp
Garam masala powder 1/4 tsp
Salt as per taste
Oil 3 tbsp

Method:-

Prick the boiled and peeled potato with a fork.
Add onion paste,red chilly powder,garam masala,salt and food colour.Mix throughly and keep aside for 20 minutes.
Take oil in a pan,when hot add cumin seeds and curry leaves.
When cumin crackles add onion and green chillies.Saute till onions are light brown in colour.
Then add curd.Once the curd starts boiling add the potatoes.
Mix well and saute until semi dry.
Remove from the stove and serve hot.

Bendakaya perugu kura (Dahi bendi fry)

Ingredients:-

Lady's Finger 500gms
Onions 2 chopped
Green chillies 3 chopped
Dry red chillies 2
Mustard seeds 1/2tsp
Sour curd 1 cup
Curry leaves few
Red chilly powder 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Salt as taste
Oil 3 tbsp

Method:-

Wash and wipe bendi with a dry cloth until dry.Chop them into pcs.

Heat oil,add mustard seeds,dry red chillies and curry leaves.Then add onions and green chillies.

Saute till they are pink in colour then add bendi, salt and turmeric powder.

Cook on a low flame.Cook till bendi are tender.

Add curd and mix throughly.Don't saute with a laddle but holding both the sides of the pan rotate it.

Once all the curd is dried add red chilly powder.

Serve hot.

Avial

I ate avial only once in a kerala restuarant on a onam day where they served onam sadya.I thought it involves lot of work to make this curry.Deeps my friend who blogs at perceptions shared her recipe which is quite easy to make and very tasty as well.Thanks deeps for the wonderful recipe.Here goes her recipe

Ingredients:-

Carrot 1
Beans few
Drum stick 1
Yam  few pcs of 1'' size
Potatoes 1
Capsicum 1
Raw banana 1/2 pc
Oil for seasoning 1 tbsp
Curry leaves few

Make a paste of the below ingredients:-

Fresh coconut 1 cup
Curd 1/2 cup
Green chillies 4-5

Method:-

Chop all the veggies into long equal size pcs.

Boil the veggies until done but not so soft.

Add the grounded coconut mixture into the veggies.

Mix gently.Add salt.

Boil for few more minutes until your kitchen is filled with the nice aroma of coconut.

I did a mistake of adding more water and avial was watery.I had to boil for longer time so that the curry thickens.So avoid adding water.

Surprisingly my mom liked this curry,she is very choosy  and she prefers her cooking than my cooking.

Baby Corn Masala

Ingredients:-

Baby corn  10 Chopped

Onion Paste

Onions 1 onion (big)

Jeera/Cumin Seeds 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon 1 inch

Cloves 3

Green Cardamoms 1

Bay Leaf 1

Khus-Khus/White Poppy Seeds 1/tbsp

Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp

For Tomato Paste:

Tomatoes 3

Cashews 10

Garam Masala 1 tsp

Amchur/Dry Mango Powder 1/2 tsp

Turmeric Powder pinch

Kashmiri/Deghi Chilli Powder 1 tbsp

 

Method:-

Grind onion and tomato paste with all the ingredients listed above separately and keep aside.

Heat another tbsp of oil in a same pan and add cumin seeds. When it starts to sizzle,add onion paste. Keep stirring at medium heat till onion paste turns light brown in colour.

Make sure that you continuously stir the paste and it doesn’t stick to the pan.

Add tomato paste and stir well. Simmer the heat and let it cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring in between to make sure it doesn’t stick to the pan.Add baby corn pcs and stir well.

Increase the heat to medium and add a cup of water, salt to taste and mix well. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Open the lid and adjust the seasonings.

If you find the gravy too thick, add about another ½ cup of water.Simmer the gravy and let it cook uncovered for another 7-8 minutes or till the corn is cooked and soft.Switch off.

Serve it hot with roti.

Brinjal and curd curry 2

 

I blogged about brinjal and curd recipe before,the recipe i blogged was kashmiri dahi baingan.That recipe i did from sanjeev kapoors book and this is from a writer who is from andhra and the book is called Kantamani Vantakalu by Mrs.Kantamani which is in telugu.

 Ingredients:-

Brinjal/Egg plant  1/2 kg

Curd 1 cup

Onions 2 chopped

Green chillies 2 silted

Dry red chillies 2

Tamarind juice 2 tbsp

Red chilly powder 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves few

Oil 3 tbsp

Method:-

Take oil in a pan.Add mustard seeds,red chillies and curry leaves.When mustard seeds spultter add onions and green chillies.

Add tamarind juice to the curd and mix it well.

Once onions are fried add brinjal,turmeric powder and salt.

Cover and cook till brinjals are tender and cooked.

Now add curd mixture and mix well.

Cook till the curry is dry and serve hot as a side dish.

PS:-By adding tamarind juice to the curd,curd won't break when cooked.

Gobi 65

Ingredients:-

Cauliflower 1

Plain flour 1 cup

Corn flour 2 tbsp

Curd 2 tbsp

Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp

Food colour a pinch

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

For Sauce

Garlic 4 chopped finely

Soya sauce 1 tsp

Green chillies 2 chopped finely

Spring onions 2

Curry leaves

Salt to taste

Black pepper powder 1 tsp

Method:-

Cut cauliflower into big florets.Soak cauliflower in warm water with salt for 5 minutes.Drain water using a sieve.Keep aside until use.

Make a thick batter with plain flour,corn flour,ginger garlic paste,curd,food colour and salt.Add cauliflower florets to the batter and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Deep fry each florets in the hot oil and drain them on a tissue.

In another pan take 2 tbsp oil.On a high flame add garlic,curry leaves and green chillies.Saute on a high flame till garlic changes its colour.

Then add spring onions,soya sauce and salt.Fry for 4-5 minutes and lastly add the fried cauliflower and pepper.

Serve hot as a snack or as a side dish.

Dahi Aloo

Ingredients:-

Potatoes 3 (boiled,peeled and cubed)
Onion 1 chopped
Green chillies 2 chopped
Ginger 1'' pc chopped finely
Curd 1 cup (beaten)
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Oil 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Seasoning/tempering

Mustard seeds few
Udad dal few
Curry leaves few

Method:-

Take oil in a kadai.When hot add all the above seasonings.When they splutter,add onions and green chillies.
Fry for 1 minute and add ginger pcs .(don't fry onions to brown colour)
Now add the boiled and cubed potatoes , turmeric powder and salt.Mix well and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Lastly add the curd and mix well.
Cook till dry and serve hot.

Ponnaganti/Water Amaranth and Pesarapappu(moong dal) Curry

Ingredients:-

Ponnganti/WaterAmaranth 2 bunches.
Pesara papu 1/2 cup
Onion 1 chopped
Green chillies 2 slited
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste


Tempering/Seasoning

Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp
Udad dal 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds 1/4 tsp
Red chilly dry 1 broken into pcs
Curry leaves
Oil 2 tbsp

Method:-

Soak moong dal for 1 hr.

Pluck water amaranth leaves from the stems and wash thoroughly.Chop them and soak in the water until use.

Heat oil and add all the tempering ingredients.

Add onions and green chillies.Saute till onions are fried.

Then add the leaves and soaked moong dal.

Add turmeric powder and salt and mix well.

Cover and cook until water dries.(no need of adding water as the water amarnath leaves enough water to cook)

Once the water is dried add the red chilly powder and saute for a while.

Serve as a side dish to rice.

Small Onion Curry

Ingredients:-

Small onions -- 10 skin peeled

Tomatoes 2 chopped
Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp
Cinnamon 1 pc
Clove 2
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Red chilly powder 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder 1/2 tsp
Salt as per taste
Oil 2 tbsp

 

Method:-

Peel small onions and leave them in the water until use.

Heat oil in a pan,add cinnmon and clove.Once they splutter add small onions.

Fry for 4-5 minutes.

Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell of ginger garlic paste is lost.

Then add tomatoes,salt,turmeric powder,coriander and red chilly powder.

Saute for 3-4 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup water and bring to boil.

Reduce heat and cook until the gravy is thick.

Serve hot with rotis or rice.

Alu Palak / Potato and Spinach Curry

Ingredients:-

Potatoes 3 peeled and cubed
Spinach 2 bunches chopped
Onions 1 chopped
Green chillies 2 slited
Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp
Cumin powder 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds 1/4 tsp
Kasuri methi 1 tbsp slightly roasted on a tawa and rubbed with the hands
Salt to taste
Oil 2 tbsp

Method:-

Take oil heavy bottom kadai.Once hot add cumin seeds and let them splutter.
Add onions and green chillies and saute till onions are fried.
Then add ginger garlic paste and fry further for 3-4 minutes.
Add coriander powder,turmeric powder and cumin powder,saute again for 1 minute.
Then add the cubed potatoes pieces and salt.
Cover and cook till potatoes are half cooked.
Add spinach and kasuri methi and mix well.
Let it cook for another 3-4 minutes.Then add 1/2 cup water.
Reduce the flame and cook till water dries (not completely),lastly add red chilly powder.
Combine well and serve hot with rotis/parathas.

PS:Don't throw away the water used to blanch spinach,that water can be added to the curry instead of plain water.

Kakarakaya stuff fry/Bitter gourd stuff fry

Kakarakaya/karela/bitter gourd is my favourite veg,but i hardly make it at home as no one in my house eat it.When ever i am with my mom i make sure that she cooks kakarakaya for me.I have blogged about kakarakaya fry before and now it is stuff fry.

Ingredients:-
Kakarakaya/Kerala/Bitter gourd 7 nos
Oil 3 tbsp

For stuffing :-
Onions finely chopped
Senaga pindi/Besan/powder 2 tbsp
Garam masala powder 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder 1/2 tsp
Oil 1 tbsp
Salt as per taste

Fry onions in the oil until light pink colour.Add coriander powder,garam masala powder,salt and red chilly powder.Saute for 2 minutes.
Lastly add besan.Fry till you get nice aroma and besan changes colour.Keep aside to cool.

Scrap the outer skin of kakarakaya/karela.Steam in a cooker for 6-7 minutes.Once cool slit the kakarakaya length wise and remove the pulp.

Fill the kakarakaya with the stuffing as seen in the picture below and tie each kakarakaya with the thread.

Take oil in a pan and shallow fry kakarakaya until golden colour.The flame should be on a medium.Saute  frequently and take care not to over fry/burn them.Once the karela are fried sprinkle the left over stuffing and again saute of a min.

Once they are fried remove the thread and serve with rice and sambar.

Methi Chaman

I am here in india and very much alive.Its been more than a month i came here but didn't get the internet connection at home.

Ingredients:-

Fenugreek leaves (methi leaves) 1 cup

Spinach leaves (palak leaves) 2 cups

Panner cubes 15 nos

Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds 1/4 tsp

Onion 2 (fried and made into smooth paste)

Green chillies 2 slited

Coriander powder 1 tbsp

Red chilly powder 1tsp

Salt to taste

Oil 2 tbsp

Method:-

Blanch methi and palak leaves.Strain water.Once cool grind both into smooth paste

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add paneer blocks. Fry these pieces on both the sides till they turn golden

Place them in a bowl of water for about 15 mins.Squeeze water and keep aside until use.

In the same pan take 1 tbsp of oil and fry cumin seeds.When it start to sizzles add ginger garlic paste.Saute till the raw smell disappears.

Then add onion paste,coriander powder,red chilly powder and salt.Fry till onion paste leaves the sides of the pan.

Next add spinach and methi paste and let it cook for 8-10 minutes on a low heat.Add a cup of strained water and bring into boil.

Drop the fried panner cubes and combine well.Let it cook it the gravy becomes thick.

Serve hot with rotis.

This curry goes to the event --Think spice--Think fenugreek hosted by priya of mharorajasthanrecipes,the event started by sunitha of sunita's world

Aratikaya Vepudu/Raw Banana Fry

Ingredients:-

Raw banana 2
Onions chopped 1
Garlic flakes 2
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Cumin seeds ½ tsp
Black gram 2 tsp
Red chilly whole 1 (break into pcs)
Red chilly powder 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Salt as per taste
Curry leaves a few
Oil- 3 tsp

Method:

1. Peel the raw banana and cut it into round cirlces
2. Boil these cubes in a bowl by adding salt and turmeric
3. When the raw banana circles are cooked, drain the water and keep them aside.
4. Take pan and add oil. Let it heat up.Add mustards, cumin seeds,black gram,red chilly and curry leaves.
6.Add onions and fry till pink in colour.
7.Fry well and add banana.
8. Saute well and fry till raw-banana is turned into golden brown.
9. Crush garlic with red chilly powder and add it to the banana.
10.Saute well and serve as a side dish.

Dahi Ghobi (Cauliflower cooked in curd)

Ingredients:-

Cauliflower 500gms

Onions chopped 1

Green chillies chopped 2

Curd 1 cup

Tomatoes chopped 1

Ginger and garlic paste 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder 1/2tsp

Coriander powder 1 tbsp

Cumin powder 1 tbsp

Red chilly powder 1 tbsp

Salt as per paste

Oil 3 tbsp

Method:-

Cut cauliflower into big florets and soak in warm water with salt for 10-minutes.After 10 minutes put in the strainer.

Take oil in a kadai, add onions and green chillies.

Fry till pink colour.Add ginger and garlic paste and saute till raw smell of ginger and garlic paste goes.

Then add curd and put the flame in low and saute for 3-4 minutes.Then add tomatoes and fry till oil separates.

Add coriander powder,cumin powder,turmeric powder and red chilly powder.Saute for another 1 minute.

Now add cauliflower and sprinkle salt.Mix thoroughly.Cover and cook till cauliflower are soft and the curry is dry.

Serve hot with rotis or as a side dish with rice.

Kashmiri Dahi Baingan

Brinjal is my favourite veg and no one eat this veg at home.When ever i am with my mom she makes brinjal curry for me.This recipe i got it from Sanjeev Kapoor's book and the picture tempted me to attempt this curry.The taste is wonderful and goes very well with hot parathas or rotis.Here is the recipe..

Ingredients:-

Brinjals (long variety) 6-8 medium sized
Yogurt 2 cups
Salt to taste
Oil 2 tbsp + to deep fry
Asafoetida 1/4 tsp
Green cardamoms 3-4
Fennel (saunf) 1/2 tsp
Dry ginger powder 1/2 tbsp
Kashmiri red chilli powder 2 tsps


Method of preparation:-

1.Wash and cut brinjals into lengthways and keep in water until further use.
2.Wisk yogurt and salt together.Pat dry brinjals on kitchen towel.
3.Heat oil in a kadai and deep fry brinjals until golden light brown.
4.Heat 2 tbsp and add asafoetida and green cardamoms.Stir fry briefly and immediately add the wisked yogurt.
5.Stir in fennel,dry ginger and red chilli powders.
6.Cook on medium heat for two to three minutes and add fried brinjals.
7.Reduce heat and cook covered for three to four minutes.
Serve hot with parathas or roties.

Gobhi Kasoori

Ingredients:-

Cauliflower 1 (medium sized)
Dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi) 1/4 cup
Onions 2
Ginger and garlic paste 1 tbsp
Green chillies 4
Tomatoes 2
Oil 1 tbsp + to deep fry
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Yogurt 1/2 cup
Salt

Method:-

Wash and cut cauliflower into florets.Keep in salted water for 10 minutes.

Chop onions and tomatoes.

Heat sufficient oil in a kadai and deep fry the cauliflower florets until golden brown.Remove onto an absorbent paper to remove excess oil.

Roast kasoori methi on a tawa on medium heat.Cool slightly and powder.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan,add mustard seeds,when they crackle add onions and cook until golden brown in colour.Add green chillies and saute along with onions.

Add ginger garlic paste,stir for a minute.

Add tomatoes and stir for 2-3 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup water,cover and cook.

Add coriander powder,turmeric powder,salt and mix well.Add yogurt,stir and cook on high heat for 5 minutes.

Lastly add fried cauliflower and mix well.Add kasoori methi powder and mix.

Cook for 5-7 minutes and serve hot with paratha and roti.