Baby potato biryani is very similar to the veg biryani we usually make. When you feel lazy or tired or  if u have doesn’t have proper vegetables to cook biryani, but you crave for royal food, this recipe really helps you. Baby potatoes are my fav veggie. But its rare to find this ,here in Brunei. Last week when i noticed these potatoes in a super market, i bought that and planned to make biryani.  Lets look how to prepare this simple biryani recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

FOR FRYING POTATO:

10 Baby potatoes, skin peeled and cut into half

4 tbspn Oil

1 tspn Red chilly powder

½ tspn Turmeric powder

For Biryani :

4 tbspn Ghee

1 Bay leaf

1 Star anise

2 Cardamom

4 Cloves

1 inch Cinnamon stick

2 Onion, thinly sliced

2 Tomatoes, sliced

Mint leaves, a handful

Coriander leaves, a handful

2 to 3 tbspn Biryani Masala

3 tbspn Curd

1 tbspn Ginger Garlic paste

1½ cup Basmati rice, soaked

2½ cup Water (or level given in rice packet)

Salt required

INSTRUCTIONS:

Take potatoes in a bowl, wash well and peel the skin. Cut the potatoes into two.

In a kadai, add 4 tbspn of oil. When heated enough,reduce the flame to low and add red chilly powder and turmeric powder. Add potatoes and fry for 2 to 3 min. Keep aside.

In another kadai, add ghee. When heated add bay leaf, star anise, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Add sliced onions and cook till it turns golden brown.

Then add tomatoes and cook till it turns mushy. Then mint and coriander leaves goes in. Fry for a min. Add ginger garlic paste, biryani masala and curd. Saute till the raw smell of gg paste goes off.

Now the fried potatoes goes in. Stir till the masala coats well. Now add the basmati rice (soaked in water for half an hour). Mix gently (dont break the rice) and add water required (i have added 1 ½ cup of water for 1 cup of rice).

Place few mint and coriander leaves over the top and close the pan tightly. Cook on medium flame for 20 to 30 min or till it is cooked well.

Serve biryani with onion raita and enjoy.

Try this recipe and post your comments 🙂

Pearl Millet (Kambu in Tamil) is rich in Protein, Magnesium, Iron, Fiber and Phosphorous.  It is the important food for Tamil people, consumed predominantly in the hot humid summer months from February through July every year.

Since, the millets are regaining their importance now a days, many leading food brands are producing vermicelli using varieties of millet. Recently my dad sent me some varieties of millet vermicelli from Anil brand.  I planned to prepare semiya upma using kambu semiya and later trying sweet variety using other millets. Though the instructions are given clearly in the pack, i elaborated here, as loose packets or some other brands doesn’t give proper instruction. Trt it and please give your feedback.

INGREDIENTS:

180g Kambu Semiya ( I used Anil Kambu Semiya)

1 Onion chopped

1 cup Mixed Vegetables (I used carrot, peas, corn)

2 chilly, slit into two

1 tbsp Urad dhal

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 sprig Curry leaves

1 tsp Garam masala

Salt required

Oil required

INSTRUCTIONS:

Take one liter of plain water and add required quantity of salt. Soak Anil kambu semiya in it. Allow it to soften for 5 to 8 min and drain the excess water. Do not keep it for more than 8 min. It may turn mushy.

Then steam it for 8 to 10 min. Once done , keep it aside.

Heat adequate quantity of oil in a frying pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dhal, curry leaves and fry it for a min. Then add in onion and chilly. Saute till the onion turns translucent. Add mixed veggies, garam masala and salt, cook for few min.

Then put in the steamed vermicelli and mix thoroughly for 3 min and serve hot.

Here comes an another summer cooler. A beautiful and eye catching, refreshing pinkkk it is. An absolute gorgeous and healthy drink which beats the hot summer. Since the beetroot gives a raw smell, i slightly roasted it before grinding. This smoky flavour will just lifts you and gives a complex taste. But roasting is purely optional. You can also use the raw beet as well.

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium sized beetroot (roasted & cut into cubes)

1½ cups yogurt/ curd

¼ cup full fat milk

3 to 4 tablespoons honey

A pinch of cardamom powder (elaichi)

4 to 5 ice cubes

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a blender, add all  the ingredients given above. Blend well for 30 to 40 seconds.

Serve chilled in a glass.

Notes:

If u wish, you can filter the lassi after blending. It will give you a smooth texture.

You can use low , skimmed or full fat yogurt.

If u want thinner lassi, add ½ cup yogurt and ½ cup milk.

Karuvepilai podi is healthy, delicious  and easy to make chutney powder recipe which can be stored for months and used whenever needed. Its best for travel and lunchbox. Lets see how to prepare this healthy recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

FOR POWDER:

½  cup Urad dhal

2 tbspn Channa dhal

2 tbspnToor dhal

10 to 15 Dry red chillies

1 tbspn Cumin seeds

3 tbspn Desiccated Coconut

1 cup tightly packed Curry leaves

Salt required

FOR RICE:

2 cups Cooked Rice

2 to 2 ½ tbspn Curry leaf powder

1 tbspn Gingelly oil

Roasted Peanuts or Cashews, as needed

INSTRUCTIONS:

Wash curry leaves well, pat it with a towel to remove water and dry it well in the shade. Spread them in a cotton cloth until the moisture dries up completely. There should not be any moisture in the curry leaves.

Dry roast urad dhal, channa dhal and toor dhal until golden. When they are half roasted , add dry red chilly and fry until it turns crisp. Remove from pan.

To the same pan, add cumin seeds and coconut, toss for a min. Do not burn. Set aside to cool.

To the same pan, add curry leaves and fry until they are crisp. Cool them.

Powder them together in a blender by adding required salt and store in an air tight glass jar and use for idli, dosa or rice.

To make curry leaf rice, take 2 cups of cooked and warm rice in a bowl. Add a tablespoon of gingelly oil, few roasted nuts and 2 to 3 tablespoons of curry leaf powder.

Mix well and add more powder if needed.

Serve warm.

General Tso’s Chicken is a deep fried, hot and sweet chicken dish that is served in most of the North American Chinese Restaurants.  I saw this recipe in Asian food channel and noted it down on my recipe book and made it now as today is Chinese New Year 🙂

The dish is named after Zuo Zongtang (also romanized Tso Tsung-t’ang), a Qing dynasty statesman and military leader, although there is no recorded connection to him nor is the dish known in Hunan, Zuo’s home province.

(Source: Wikipedia).

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE CHICKEN:

300 gms Skinless, boneless Chicken Thighs

2 teaspoons Light soy sauce

2 tablespoons Rice vinegar

1 Egg yolk

1/2 cup Chicken stock

1/2 cup Corn starch

Salt required

Oil for frying

FOR THE SAUCE:

2 Garlic cloves , thinly sliced

4 to 5 Dry red chilly, deseeded

1/4 cup Chicken Stock

1 teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce

1 teaspoon Rice vinegar

1 tablespoon Tomato paste

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoons Corn starch dissolved in 1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons Oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a Mixing bowl, add chicken, chicken stock, soy sauce, vinegar, egg yolk, salt and marinate it for 2 hrs.

Coat the marinated chicken with cornstarch and deep dry it over medium heat, until it turns brown.

Remove chicken from oil and set aside to drain on paper towels.

Heat oil in a large pan and fry sliced garlic until it releases aroma. Then add in dry red chilly and fry for a min. Add tomato paste and brown sugar.

Then add chicken stock, rice vinegar and soy sauce. Keep mixing until it starts bubbling. Reduce the flame to low and Add cornstarch slurry, stirring frequently. The sauce should begin to thicken in a minute or less.

Increase flame, Add cooked chicken pieces, stirring them to coat with the sauce.

Remove from heat and garnish with sliced garlic and serve with rice.

Pandan Chicken from Thai cuisine is popular in south east asian countries. Marinating, steaming and frying the chicken, makes the recipe flavourful and juicy. It is a beautiful recipe, that can be served as an appetizer or as a main dish for parties.

Pandan  (screwpine pandanus) is called Rambai Ilai in Tamil.

INGREDIENTS:

250 gms Chicken , skinless and boneless (prefer breast)

1 tspn Ginger paste

1 tspn Garlic paste

1 tspn Fish sauce

1 tbspn light soy sauce

1/4 tspn White pepper powder

1 tbspn Sesame oil

A pinch of Salt

Pandan leaves

Oil for frying

INSTRUCTIONS:

Marinate the chicken with ginger, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, pepper powder, sesame oil and salt. Leave it to stand for about one to two hours.

Cut a pandan leaf to right size and twist the middle part of it with both ends sticking outwards. Take a piece of chicken from the marinade and put it inside the leaf and wrap it as shown in the pictures.

Make sure each piece of chicken is completely covered. Cut off any excess length from the leaf. Repeat for others.

Steam the wrapped chicken over boiling water for 10 min. This will make the pandan juice incorporate with chicken well.

Deep fry the steamed chicken for 4 minutes until the exposed area of the chicken become golden brown.  Transfer the chicken pieces to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.

Transfer the chicken to a serving plate. Serve, Share and Enjoy !

NOTE:

If you do not want to wrap the pandan leaf as shown, just roll it up and secure it with a toothpick. But this method is not as juicy as the wrapped one.

Carrot chutney is a simple but healthy and delicious recipe which pairs excellent with Idly and Dosa. It is a best way to introduce the veggie to children or those who dont like to eat carrots. Usual carrot chutney recipe requires sauteing the carrots in oil. But here i steamed the carrots until soft, to preserve the nutrients. You can follow any method. Lets see how to prepare this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups Carrot, chopped

8 to 10 Pearl Onions

3 Dried Red Chilly

3 tbspn grated Coconut

1/2 inch Ginger

1/2 lemon sized Tamarind

1 tbspn Urad dhal

1 tbspn Channa dhal

Salt to taste

To Temper:

2 tbspn Gingelly oil

1 tspn Mustard seeds

1 sprig Curry leaves

A pinch of Hing

INSTRUCTIONS:

Chop the carrots into small pieces and steam it , till the carrots are soften. Once done, set aside

Heat oil in a pan. Add urad dhal and channa dhal. Saute till they turn golden. Then add in onions, ginger, tamarind and dried red chilly. Saute for few minutes.

Add shredded coconut and saute for a minute. Switch off the flame and let all the ingredients cool.

Transfer the mixture, steamed carrots and salt to a blender and blend it to smooth puree. Add water if required.

Heat oil in a same pan. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, hing. Mix and stir. Pour this tempering to chutney, mix well and serve.

Mushroom omelette is a super delicious, healthy and filling recipe which can be prepared in minutes if the ingredients are ready. Here i have incorporated Italian herbs and processed cheese to make it more nutrient rich breakfast and it is a best one for those who are on Paleo diet. Today we will learn how to make mushroom omelette with herbs and cheese.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Chicken Eggs

5 button Mushrooms , Thinly sliced

1 big Onion, Finely sliced

1 Garlic clove, Thinly sliced

1 Chilly, Finely chopped

1 tspn Mixed Italian Herbs

10 gms, Processed Cheese

A pinch of Garam Masala

1/4 tspn, Pepper powder

Salt, required

Coconut Oil, required

INSTRUCTIONS:

Beat the eggs with salt, pepper powder and garam masala. Set aside.

Heat oil in a pan, add chopped onions, garlic and chilly. Saute till the onion turns translucent.

Add sliced mushroom, mixed herbs, salt and cook in medium flame. Mushroom begin to release water. Cook till the water evaporates. Remove from heat and set aside.

Pre heat another pan and add oil. Once heated, pour beaten egg mixture and keep the flame low. Cover the pan for few seconds. When the omelette is slightly cooked, spread the mushroom mixture and then top it with shredded cheese. Cover the pan for few more seconds , then fold it till the cheese melts and the omelette is cooked well.

Remove from flame, Sprinkle finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

When I noticed the purple carrots in Supa save – Seria, for the first time, I felt very surprised. I searched in Google about this and found some interesting info.

Purple carrots date back thousands of years, originating in Ancient Persia. As well as having all the health benefits of orange carrots, it has added benefit of being a great source of anti-oxidants with naturally occurring anthocyanins. Purple carrots have 28 times more anthocyanins than an orange carrot. It has naturally occurring anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.

Since I was not sure about the taste of this carrot, I decided to go for making juice before making any curry. And yes, it tastes excellent and better than orange carrot. Im not sure whether it will be available everywhere. But if you get it, try making this juice and enjoy.

INGREDIENTS:

2 purple carrots

2 tbspn sugar

1/2 inch ginger piece

Juice from 1 lemon (medium sized)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Chop the carrots into small pieces and put it to blender along with ginger and sugar. Add required water and grind it to fine puree.

Strain it and discard the pulp. Add lemon juice to strained carrot juice. Mix well and serve chilled.

NOTE:

• You can use Honey instead of sugar, for healthier option.

Ash gourd is known by variety of names such as wax gourd, winter melon, white gourd. In Tamil, it is called Neer poosanikkai. It has very mild taste, so it is easy to incorporate into salads, smoothies and juices. Ash gourd is primarily composed of water (about 96%). It also has minerals and B-complex vitamins. It enhances the intellectual capabilities and also treats mild dysentry. Lets see how to prepare a cooling Ash gourd juice.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup – 1 inch sized Ash gourd cubes

1 tbspn lemon juice

A pinch of Salt

A pinch of pepper powder

INSTRUCTIONS:

Remove the rinds of ash gourd and cut the flesh into cubes. Don’t remove the seeds as it has medicinal properties.

Blend the flesh and seeds to smooth puree and strain it. Discard the pulp.

Add lemon juice , pepper powder and mix well. Serve chilled.

Note:

• People with the history of asthma or sinusitis may avoid ash gourd, as it may cause too much coolness in body.
• You can also add honey instead of lemon juice.