NIMONA ( GREEN PEAS PASTE CURRY)

Hello everyone

Today I am here with a very delicious and easy side dish , speciality of purvanchal area, nimona. Though it is prepared in winter season, when fresh green peas pods are easily available in market. But here we don't get those very easily, even in winter season too. So once I tried to make nimona with frozen green peas and viola it was hit. It turned out so delicious and tempting that from that day , I used to make it whenever have craving, irrespective of season. It is prepared in many ways in many areas of northern India, but my favorite is my mom's way, less spices and more greens. Though I used to make that spicy version too but will share its recipe later. For now try this super yum one, it's my favorite and after trying this you will never have craving for those spice laden curries.

Step wise recipe is given below, hope you will definitely give it a try . I bet you will never regret.

NIMONA ( GREEN PEAS PASTE CURRY)

Serves: 4-5

Time : 30 mins

Ingredients 

For making paste:

1 1/2 cup green peas ( frozen or fresh, sweet ones)

1/2 cup green coriander leaves, roughly chopped 

3-4 green chilies ( according to your taste preference)

2 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp cumin seeds

For tempering:

1 medium onion, finely chopped 

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp asafetida ( heeng)

1/4 tsp turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1/2+ tsp chaat masala powder

Salt to taste

Oil

Method:

First of all make little coarse paste of all ingredients given under making paste section, using little water.

* Paste should neither be too coarse not very smooth. But you can also make as per your preference.

Heat oil in a wok, add asafetida and cumin seeds. Let them crackle, add chopped onions. Fry till light golden. 

Now add prepared paste followed by turmeric powder and garam masala powder. 

As I use less oil so leaving oil after being nicely fried, is not visible here.  Fry it till it starts making a big lump and not sticking to pan any more. It will take good 10-12 mins to get fried well. It's must for best flavours.

 Now add water , little at a time stirring constantly to avoid any lump formation. Add water according to your preference of consistency of curry. 

Add salt and chat masala powder. Let it boil and then simmer for 5-7 mins.

 Your delicious curry is ready to be served with roti or rice. It tastes best with non aged rice with mild sweetness.

***  And don't forget to add a dollop of pure ghee in each serving, it increases its flavours manifold.

* I don't add potatoes in my nimona but if you prefer, fry cubed potatoes till done and add to the curry while simmering. 

* You can also add paneer cubes.

* Always use soft and sweet peas for best out come.

* You can use fresh garlic pods and ginger for much better taste.

* You can also use more spices if you prefer but even this will give you perfect taste, I can bet.

I prefer this curry over spicy one, as it is perfect blend of sweetness of peas , aroma of green coriander and hotness of chilies. Do try and you will never regret. 

Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

PLAIN TAWA KULCHA

Hello everyone

Who don't like kulchas, whether stuffed or plain , these are one of the favorite breakfast in North Indian houses. But it is a bit different from regular parathas as it's more softer and fluffier than those. That's why kids prefer it over parathas.Though my younger one is very picky eater so to feed him different veggies I have to exercise my mind ,a lot. This time I thought to make these kulchas and serve with their favorite combo and viola it was a hit, as my lil pie finished his lunch box. You can prepare it with any filling of your choice . But this time I made simple plain kulcha and served with panjabi chhole.

Recipe is given below , hope you all will love to try it. 

PLAIN TAWA KULCHA

Serves: 5-6

Time: 30 mins ( leaving kneading and resting time)

Ingredients 

4 cup chapatti flour/ all purpose flour ( as per your choice ), 

1 tsp active dry yeast

1/2 cup Luke warm water

2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 cup warm milk

1/2tsp salt

2 tbsp oil

Butter/ ghee for cooking kulcha

Method: 

For dough:

First of all add yeast in 1/2 cup Luke warm water and 2 tsp sugar, mix them lightly and leave for 5-10 min or till it become nice frothy.

Combine everything together , knead for 5 mins and let it rest for 7-8 mins. Again knead for another 5-6 mins to get nice soft dough. Initially it may seems to be too sticky but after kneading for long you will get nice non sticky soft dough.

* This resting and kneading process is important to produce gluten in dough to get nice soft and fluffy kulchas, so don't skip it.

* Knead the dough by pulling and stretching it instead of applying too much pressure on your dough

 Grease the dough with oil and keep it covered at warm place to rise, at least 2-3 hr or till it doubles in volume, depend on weather. 

When it become double in volume then punch the dough and again knead for 2 mins .

Again keep it for second rise for 1/2-1 hr. If you are not going to make it soon then, better to keep the dough in refrigerator for slow rise . But keep the dough out side refrigerator atleast 1 hr before making kulcha to get your dough at room temp.

For kulcha:

Take a tennis ball size of dough and flatten it . Now roll it in nice thick round / oblong shape using rolling pin and some dry flour. 

* You can also make flavored kulchas by sprinkling some nigella, sesame seeds, crushed garlic and coriander leaves all over it on one side. Now again roll lightly to stick sprinkles on it.

** If you are good at making round shape of kulcha with hand then it's best , just go for it. But I am not so good at this so used my rolling pin.

Now place it on a preheated tawa and cover with lid.

Now cook it on medium to low flame till you see it's upper side getting nice dry and bubbles on it. 

Now flip it and apply some butter or ghee all over it as we do with paratha. 

Cook till it get nice golden patches on it both sides. Keep flipping in between to get both sides cooked evenly. 

Similarly make all kulchas. 

Your soft, fluffy and delicious kulchas are ready to serve with any side dish of your choice. 

You can serve it for breakfast, dinner or even in lunch box too. 

You can also prepare it stuffed and serve with any side dish of your choice. 

*Stuffing can also be done according to your choice and availability.

* You can also make it in oven. Bake for 10-12 mins at 200degree C or till you get desired golden colour on it.

This is so yummy to resist. Hope you and your family will definitely love this delicious treat , so make it and do share your experience with me .

Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

CHANA DAL PULAO

Hello everyone 

Some times we don't feel like to prepare a huge dinner/lunch spread but also don't want to serve khichadi or Dalia then this one is a perfect fuss free one pot healthy meal for everyone in your family, as kids too love this tempting combo of Chana dal and rice. To serve a full meal with goodness of protein and carbs with new variation, you can try this without much effort and full of flavours.

It is so healthy and easy recipe that anyone can try without fail, at the same time super yummy too. You should must give it a try if you too have fussy eaters like mine, believe me you will never regret.

Stepwise recipe is given below, hope you will like it and definitely give it a try.

CHANA DAL PULAO

Serves: 4-5

Time: 45 mins

Ingredients 

3/4 cup Chana dal, soaked in hot water for 1 hr

2 cup basmati or any aged rice, soaked in normal water for 1/2 -1 hr

2 medium onion,finely chopped 

2-3 green chilies, slitted

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1/4 tsp turmeric powder 

Salt to taste

Oil

Dry fruits of your choice ( cashews, raisins, almonds etc), I skipped as my kids don't like.

For tempering:

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

4 cloves

4 green cardamom 

1 inch piece cinnamon stick

1/4 tsp asafetida ( heeng)

Method:

First of all Heat oil in a thick bottomed vessel, add dry fruits ( if using)and fry till little golden , remove on a tissue paper and keep them aside for later use.

 Now add all spices of tempering section in the same oil and saute till everything crackled and become aromatic. Be careful while sautéing so not to burn spices. Now add green chillies and chopped onions, saute till nice golden then add ginger garlic paste and saute for 2 mins. 

Now add Chana dal , turmeric powder and some salt. Fry it for 3-4 mins and then add 1/4 cup water and cover to cook. Stir occasionally to avoid burning . When Chana dal is 70-80% cooked ( if needed you can add more water to cook dal) and all extra water from pan is evaporated ,add rice and fry for 2-3 mins .

Then add remaining water of rice and 2 1/2 - 3 cup of more water( depending on variety of rice) i.e. Double the amount of rice and dal. Add salt and Let it cook at high flame, when it starts looking little dry on top then lower the flame and cover with lid. Let it simmer for 5 mins. Then switch off the flame. 

Flip it with fork or knife to make fluffy pulao.

 Let it sit for 5- 10 mins covered, then open the lid and add fried dry fruits  to it and mix with light hand gently and serve with raita and mint chutney.

 Your easy, yummy and super healthy pulao is ready to be served with gravy dish or with simple raita and chutney. It taste best even if taken as it is, it doesn't need any thing else to go with. A simple one pot meal loved by everyone.

** I soaked rice in exact 2 cup of water to spare me with any indecision of how much water to be added for cooking rice. As we know 2:1 water rice ratio is needed to cook nice fluffy rice, but when we soak it then it already absorb some water and then our ratio gets disturb. So avoid this situation I soaked in exact amount of water and then used the same in cooking too. This will ensure you to get nicely cooked fluffy rice. 

** Make sure to cook dal first before adding rice to it. As both have different cooking time and if added together then dal may remain uncooked at the end.

*You can use any veggies also as per your choice and availability. But then taste may change.

* If you love dry fruits then must add to get much richer flavours in your pulao.

* You can also add dry spice powder while frying dal to make more spicy pulao, I skipped as wanted mild one.

** Don't skip soaking of dal and rice, as it ensure even and quick cooking . And to get nice fluffy end result must soak for mentioned time and at adequate temp.

Hope you all will like this super healthy and yummy rice dish, so please drop down your valuable comments and suggestions, they meant a lot to me.

Happy cooking....

MUSHROOM DO PYAAZA

Hello everyone

Mushroom is a veggie which contains almost negligible fat content and full of nutrients. You can add it to your menu if you are a health conscious fellow. Not only healthy but it also turns out so delicious when prepared. My lil fussy eater like mushrooms so I used to cook for him in many different way. Today I made mushroom do pyaaza, it is so simple to prepare with handful of easily available ingredients and superbly delicious. Everyone loved it to the core and demanded to prepare it again . 

Stepwise recipe is given below, do try and tell how's it turned out for you.

MUSHROOM DO PYAAZA

Serves: 3-4

Time: 30 mins

Ingredients 

250 gms button mushroom, diced 

2 big onion, cubed

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 medium onion, chopped and pureed

2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

2-3 green chilies, slitted

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp asafetida ( heeng)

1/4 tsp turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp curry powder or chicken powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1/4 cup green coriander leaves, finely chopped

1/4 cup milk

Salt to taste

Oil

Method:

First of all heat oil in a wok, add asafetida,cumin seeds and bay leaf. Let it crackle then add chopped onions and green chilies. Fry till onions get light brown, add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute. 

Now add pureed onion followed by turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, curry powder and chilli powder. 

Fry till raw smell of onion goes off and all the spices are nicely cooked and started leaving oil. Now add chopped tomatoes and some salt.

 Let it cook till tomatoes are nicely cooked and become mushy. Now add cubed onions and mushrooms, mix well and cook them covered till onions become transparent . 

Now add milk and let it boil stirring constantly to avoid cuddling of milk. Now add some water according to your preference of gravy consistency. 

Adjust salt and again boil it. Now add garam masala powder and mix well. Finally sprinkle green coriander leaves and switch off the flame.

 Mix well and serve with roti/rice/paratha or naan. 

If you are a mushroom lover then you can't resist yourself from asking for a second serving.

* you can also use some diced capsicum to enhance its flavour.

* Do pyaaza means double onion so if you wish , you can incerease diced onion as I used almost double but in different ways. You can add more cubed onions too. But then adjust spices too, accordingly.

Make this simple and delicious side dish and please your family and pals. Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

HYDERABADI STUFFED MIRCH KA SALAN

Hello everyone

Mirch ka Salan is one of my favorite veg dish , I can relish on any time. Last time when I posted mirch ka Salan recipe, I promised to soon post stuffed mirch ka Salan recipe too. So today I am here to fulfill my promise and to give you another delicious version of Salan. My kids love stuffed version more than simple one. So thought to prepare it and draft its recipe for you all. Stuffing of moong dal and paneer makes it more exotic and rich. You will not need any thing else to complete it just simple chapatti or plain rice too make it a superb filling and satisfying platter.

Step wise recipe is given below, do try and let me know your experience.

HYDERABADI STUFFED MIRCH KA SALAN

Serves: 3-4

Time: 45 mins

Ingredients 

3-4 fry chilies ( long and thick chilies without hotness), cut in half ( if too long)

2 medium size onions, finely chopped 

2-3 green chilies, finely chopped 

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp asafetida ( heeng)

2-3 springs of fresh curry leaves

1/2 tsp turmeric powder 

2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder 

1 tbsp tamarind paste

Salt to taste

Oil

For paste:

1/4 cup roasted peanuts 

1/4 cup freshly grated coconut

2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds

2 tsp coriander seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

3-4 dry red chilies 

For stuffing: 

1/2 cup dry yellow moong dal, soaked for 30 mins and drained

200 gms paneer ( cottage cheese), crumbled ( approx 1 cup)

2 medium onion, finely chopped 

2-3 green chilies, finely chopped 

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1/4 tsp turmeric powder 

1/4 tsp black pepper powder

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

1/4 tsp cumin powder

1/4 tsp curry powder ( optional)

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp asafetida ( heeng)

2 springs of curry Leaves 

1/4+ tsp chaat masala powder

Salt to taste

Oil

Method:

First of all dry roast coriander seeds then cumin seeds and red chilies till aromatic. Remove in a plate to cool. Now dry roast coconut till it slightly change the colour. Let it cool. Now take all the ingredients under for paste section in a grinder jar and using little water, make a smooth paste. Keep it for later use.

* I used peanuts with skin if you want then can deskin it then use.

Now make a coarse paste of moong dal using little water and keep aside.

Now heat some oil in a wok , add asafetida and mustard seeds. Let them crackle then add curry leaves, saute for a min then add chopped onions and chilies. Let it get little golden then add ginger garlic paste and saute for 2 mins.

 Now add all dry spice powder except chaat masala and saute for a minute. Add moong dal paste and fry till its raw smell goes off, nearly 3-4 mins. Now add crumbled paneer, salt and chaat masala powder. Saute for 2 mins and switch off the flame. Let it cool a little.

Till then slit fry chilies and remove its veins and seeds. Now stuff prepared stuffing in cavities of chilies. If chilies are too long to handle then cut in half.

Now take some oil in a wok and add fry chilies in it. Shallow fry at medium flame , flipping in between carefully so that stuffing will not come out. Cover with lid to ensure even cooking of chilies.

 When they become soft and having nice golden spots on it, remove on a plate and keep for later use.

Now in the same wok add some more oil, if needed, add asafetida and mustard seeds. Let it crackle then add curry leaves. Saute for a min and add chopped onions and green chilies. Saute till little golden , add ginger garlic paste and saute for 2 mins.

 Now add turmeric powder and Kashmiri red chili powder. Saute for a min then add tamarind pulp. Mix well and add prepared paste. Saute for 3-4 minutes .

 Now add required water as per your preference of gravy consistency. Add salt and let it boil. Now add fried chilies with open side up to ensure it filling remain inside the chilies and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes. So that chilies absorb all the flavours.

Now switch of the flame. Garnish with roasted sesame seeds and grated coconut. Serve hot with roti / naan/ paratha/ poori or even with plain rice. 

It tastes heavenly with all of these accompaniments, just try whatever combo you like. 

I kept my gravy of medium consistency but if you want too thick gravy then increase ingredient's quantity in making paste.

* You can adjust tanginess in gravy according to your taste preference by increasing or decreasing tamarind pulp quantity.

Do try this easy yet super delicious nutty flavored side dish and drop down your precious comments and suggestions, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....