CORN AND CARROT POHE

Hello everyone

Before marriage I was not a very big admirer of poha. As in our family,only my youngest brother loves it, so mom used to make it rarely. But after marriage found that hubby is die hard fan of pohe. He can have it everyday in breakfast without getting bore. But as per my interest I started making twist and turns in basic recipe of poha . And now I too love to have it any time but still not everyday😜. Today I planned to prepare poha for breakfast but peas were finished. But I was not in mood of preparing anything else so gave my twist and added some sweet corn and carrots. Viola It too was so yummy and delicious to resist. Though it was not planned to share its recipe here in my blog , so didn't clicked stepwise pics, but be sure to get elaborated stepwise recipe. As it's so simple and easy to prepare that  first timer can also prepare perfectly.

Recipe is given below. Hope you all will like it and do share your experience with me here.

CORN AND CARROT POHE

Serves: 2-3

Time : 20 mins

Ingredients 

1 cup flattened rice ( pohe) thick ones

1/2 cup sweet corn kernels ( you can also use peas)

1/2 carrot, grated

2 medium onions, thinly sliced 

1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste 

2-3 green chilies, finely chopped ( as per taste)

1 medium tomato, finely chopped 

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp black pepper powder

1/4 tsp chaat masala powder ( optional)

2 tbsp green coriander leaves, finely chopped 

Salt to taste

Oil

Handful of roasted peanuts or any savory mixture, for garnishing 

Method:

First of all wash flattened rice ( pohe)  and drain all the water. Keep it aside for later use.

Now heat some oil in a wok , add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Let them crackle then add onion and chilies. Saute till onions get transparent. 

Now add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute. Add corn and carrot followed by turmeric powder and some salt. Saute for a minute and cover to cook for 2-3 minutes. 

Now add chopped tomatoes and again cover to cook till tomatoes get mushy. Add coriander leaves and mix well. Now add flattened rice ( pohe), black pepper powder , chaat masala and salt . 

Mix well and saute for 2-3 minutes. Serve in individual bowls and garnish with some peanuts or mixture. 

Your delicious breakfast is ready to serve hot with a cup of tea or coffee.

** You can also add some other veggies too, like capsicum, beans, peas, potatoes etc. keep changing ingredients and enjoy new flavor every time.

** You can increase quantity of onions as per your taste. As I like too many onions in my poha, it leads to poha' taste to another level.

You can prepare it for morning breakfast or for evening snacks. It's not only yummy but filling too.

Hope you all will love to try this simple yet delicious breakfast and don't forget to share your experience with me. Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot...

Happy cooking....

CHATKA PANEER

Hello everyone

Are you wondering over its name? No use of doing that as this wonder name is given by my 10 yrs old daughter , who is die hard fan of paneer dishes. According to her it is yummy chatakhedaar dish , so deserve this kind of name. As I didn't tasted it yet due to my fast today but my lil fussy eater too confirmed the authenticity of his elder sis's statement and finished his lunch in no time 😁😁. This made me confident enough to share this recipe with you all.

Stepwise recipe is given below, hope you will also love it as my kids do.

CHATKA PANEER

Serves: 4-5

Time : 30 mins

Ingredients 

2 cup cottage cheese ( paneer) , cubed

2 big onions, cubed

1 medium capscicum, cubed

1 big onion, thinly sliced 

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste 

2-3 green chilies, slitted 

1 medium tomato, chopped

1/4 cup tomato puree ( I used store bought)

1 tbsp kitchen King masala

2 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 cup milk

2 tsp kasoori methi, crushed between palms.

Salt to taste

Oil

Method:

Heat some oil in a wok, add cumin seeds. Let it crackle then add slitted chilies and sliced onions. Saute till onions become nice golden. Now add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute.

 Add chopped tomatoes , little salt and all dry spice powders except garam masala. Saute till tomatoes are mushy.Now add pureed tomato and again Saute till it starts leaving oil.

 Now add cubed capsicum and onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes then cover and cook till onions get transparent. 

Add milk and cook it stirring constantly till it boils. Add water as per your choice of gravy consistency, add salt and let it boil again. 

Now add paneer cubes and let it simmer for 3-4 mins. Finally add kasoori methi and garam masala. Again simmer for 1 min and switch off the flame. 

Your delicious chatakhedaar paneer gravy is ready to be served with roti/poori/paratha/naan or rice/pulao. In each combo it tastes delicious.

** you can increase quantity of chilli as per your taste to make it more or less hot. I kept it medium hot.

If you have unannounced guests and want to serve something delicious yet fussfree and quick the go for it, you will never regret.

Hope you all will love to try this super yum paneer gravy recipe and don't forget to share your experience with me. 

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

Happy cooking....

AWADHI VEGETABLE BIRYANI

Hello everyone 

Biryani is a tempting treat for all who love rice dishes. Even I am too fond of biryani , especially veg version. This time thought to try something different , so tried Awadhi biryani. It is not as spicy as hyderabadi biryani yet so tempting to lure any biryani lover.Though my way of cooking don't call for too much oil or butter hence this one is also one of the low calorie biryani compared to regular ones. This is also simple to cook and don't need any special utensil or technique, even then you can get quiet authentic taste. Step wise recipe is given below hope you all will definitely give it a try.

Recipe adopted from Pankaj Bhadouria.

AWADHI VEGETABLE BIRYANI 

Serves: 4-5

Time: 1 hr

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cup cauliflower florets

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/2 cup green peas

1 large carrot, chopped 

1/2 cup beans, cut in 1 inch pieces

1 big onion, sliced

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp black pepper powder 

3/4 cup thick yogurt ( curd), beaten

Salt to taste

Oil

1 tsp ghee

For veggie tempering:

1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
4 green cardamom
4 cloves
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 inch piece mace

For rice:

3 cup basmati or biryani rice, soaked for at least 30 mins

water

1 tsp salt

1 star anise

1 black cardamom

4 green cardamom 

4 cloves

2 inches piece cinnamon 

2 bay leaves

1 inch piece mace

For layering:

1/4 cup milk

 Handful mint leaves

1 tsp Kewda essence or rose water

2 tsp ghee 

Few strands of saffron soaked in little milk or red and yellow edible colors 

1 big onion, thinly sliced and deep fried till golden brown 

Fried dry fruits ( almonds, cashew, raisins) for garnishing

Method:

Heat oil in a wok and fry onion till brown for layering .Fry dry fruits in the same oil and drain on a tissue paper. Keep aside for later use. 

Now add ghee and oil in same wok and add all veggie tempering spices and saute till aromatic, then add thinly sliced onions .

 Saute till nice golden, add ginger garlic paste and saute for 2 mins. 

Add all chopped veggies and saute for 3-4 mins. Now add salt and black pepper powder. Mix well and add beaten curd.

 Again mix well and cook stirring constantly till it start boiling. Now cover and let the veggies cook till done but still crunchy. 

Switch off the flame and veggies are ready for layering.

In the mean while start preparing rice too. Boil enough water in a heavy bottom vessel, add all whole spices and salt in it. Add drained rice. 

Let it cook till 80% done but not completely soft. Drain rice in a sieve or colander , may be some liquid will drain. You can use this in your veggies or for kneading dough.

* Don't overcook otherwise you will end up with veggie khichadi. Use water as per requirement, as different rice needs different quantity of water. I don't add too much water to drain but it should be enough to boil your rice till right consistency.

Now for layering, divide veggies and rice in two to three equal parts. Spread one layer of veggies then spread some of mint leaves all over it then sprinkle, red color or saffron strands soaked in milk. 

Now spread next part of rice on it evenly so that it cover whole veggies.Sprinkle 2 tbsp of milk on it, then sprinkle 1/2 tsp of Kewda or rose water ,spread half of fried or grilled brown onions and some of mint leaves on it. Similarly make another layer of veggies on it and rice layer. 

Finally pour 2 tsp ghee all over it. You can make 2-3 layers of each veggies and rice, as per your convenience and quantity. 

* Reserve some fried onions for garnishing while serving.

Finally cover it well with an aluminum foil so that it can be put on dum. You can also seal it with dough.

Now keep a tawa on low flame and put this biryani pot on it and dum it for 20-25 mins. 

Switch of the flame and let it rest for at least 10-15 mins so that all the flavours and aroma of spices and essences get infused in whole dish. 

Then open the lid and flip biryani with fork or skewer to get nice fluffy rice. Garnish with fried onions and dry fruits.

Your aromatic,easy, yummy and flavour full biryani is ready to be served with tomato onion raita.

* Always try to cook rice and veggies simultaneously so that you will get nice fluffy biryani. Never cook rice too early otherwise it may stick. If it's not possible to cook both at a time then first cook veggies then go to rice.

*** I accidentally added 2 tsp of white vinegar on rice while layering and believe me it doesn't smell or taste like vinegar after dum and gave much fluffier rice at the end. You can also try my this mistake and get much delicious outcome😁😁. 

* Never mix biryani with spatula, always use a fork or best to flip it by tossing.

* If you ran out of fresh mint leaves then can use crushed dry mint also.

It's a one pot meal that none of the biryani lover can refuse. Its aroma is sufficient to bring you to the dinning room. 

This can be a hit dish for any get together or family party. You need not to serve too many dishes with it only simple raita is enough to accompany it.

Hope you will definitely give it a try, it might be looking a long recipe but believe me it will not take your much effort and time . 

At last you will never regret for trying it, it's a must try recipe for all biryani lovers.

Please stop by and pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot to me.

Happy cooking....

PANEER PALAK FRANKIE ROLLS

Hello everyone

Serving nutritious, healthy cum delicious food to their family is every homemakers dream. And this dream becomes more challenging when you have fussy eaters at your home, just like mine. My younger one demand more attention , when I have to prepare lunch box for him. He is too picky to like regular meals, so I have to invent new forms of daily meals to lure him. Today I added some spinach and paneer to kids lunch box in some innovative way without telling them. Who doesn't know the nutritional values of green leafy veggies , which our kids totally deny. Generally kids are fond of paneer dishes, so I took advantage of this weakness of them and added some more nutrition in my way. Hope you will find it more interesting way to feed your child some more nutrients without more fuss. 

Recipe is given below, do try and see your kids having healthy snacks in delicious way.

PANEER PALAK FRANKIE ROLLS

Serves: 5-6

Time: 30 mins 

Ingredients 

For filling:

1 1/2 cup cottage cheese ( paneer), cubed

2 big onion, thinly sliced

1 cup spinach , roughly chopped 

2-3 green chilies

1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste

Pinch of turmeric powder 

1/4 tsp cumin powder

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

1/4 tsp chaat masala powder

1/2 tsp lemon juice ( optional)

Salt to taste

Oil

For rolls:

5-6 tortilla wraps/ round parathas/ khubus ( I used parathas made of dough kneaded with left over dal)

Some salad

Sauce of your choice

Method:

First of all make smooth paste of spinach, green chilies and some water. Keep aside for later use. 

Heat some oil in a wok and add sliced onions. Let it cook till transparent, add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute. Now add cumin powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder and salt. Saute for 2 minutes then add prepared puree of spinach. Cook for 4-5 minutes and add chaat masala powder. Add paneer cubes and saute for 2 mins. Adjust salt and our filling is ready. 

Now either prepare round paratha or take ready made wraps and put required amount of above filling , topped with some salad and sauce. Roll it to give cylindrical shape and wrap in an aluminum foil if giving in lunch box , to retain its shape and softness.

 Or cut it in desired size and serve hot with any sauce or as it it. I used khubus this time.

*You can add other vegetables too as per your choice and availability.

* Paneer can also be replaced with any other veggie option or meat products as per your choice.

It is very delicious cum healthy breakfast/ tiffin snacks provides maximum nutrition in one go, and is very easy to prepare too.

 You can also prepare it for dinner/lunch/breakfast or whenever you want  as it is a complete meal and filling too.

Hope you all will definitely give it a try and don't forget to share your experience with me. 

Happy cooking....

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....

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....