MATAR MUSHROOM IN HEALTHY CURRY

Hello everyone

Mushroom is also one of those ingredients, which hit at my home anytime and in any form. Mushroom is a very healthy ingredient as contains almost zero fat and is enriched with lots of nutrients in it. That's why I prefer it to prepare at my home very often. I used to prepare matar mushroom frequently but never managed to draft its recipe. So this time thought to share this super delicious as well as healthy, yes you read right, it's healthy too. I never use cream in my curries to make it creamy but add almonds paste instead. Which makes my curry creamy as well as healthy at the same time. 

Stepwise recipe is given below. Do try and share your experience with me.

MATAR MUSHROOM IN HEALTHY CURRY

Serves: 3-4

Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

250 gms button mushrooms, sliced

2 cup green peas, I used frozen

12-15 almonds , soaked in hot water for 30 minutes

2 big tomatoes , roughly chopped ( I made puree along with almonds till nice creamy and smooth)

3 medium big onions, finely chopped

3-4 green chiles, finely chopped

1 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 tbsp Kashmiri red chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp black pepper powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1 tbsp kasoori methi, crushed between Palm

Salt to taste

For tempering:

4 green cardamom

2 cloves

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 inch cinnamon stick

1/4 tsp asafetida ( heeng)

Method:

First of all make paste of almond and tomato till nice smooth and creamy. Keep aside for later use.

* You can make these pastes separately too. I made together as didn't have too small jar for almonds.

Now heat oil in a wok, add all tempering spices and fry till they become aromatic, 1-2 mins.

Now add chopped onions and chilies, fry till nice golden. 

Add ginger garlic paste and saute for 2 mins then add tomato almonds paste followed by cumin powder, red chili powder, black pepper powder , turmeric powder and coriander powder.

Now saute till it starts leaving oil. Add sliced mushrooms, green peas and some salt.

 Saute for 4-5 mins and add water as per your choice of gravy consistency. 

Adjust salt ,Let it come to boil and cover to cook till mushrooms and peas are cooked well, approx 7-8 mins.

Now add garam masala powder and mix well. Finally add kasoori methi and mix well.

Your delicious and healthy matar mushroom curry is ready to be served with roti/paratha/poori/naan or rice. 

You can also prepare as a get together menu too. Every mushroom lover will love this delicious treat from you. Even kids love it's flavour .

** If you all using fresh peas then boil it first then use. I used frozen, which take less time to cook.

* You can also use some cream at the end, to make your curry more rich.

Hope you all will love to try this so easy yet droolicious curry with healthy twist and don't forget to share your experience with me.

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

Happy cooking....

MILKY BAR DELIGHT

Hello everyone

This name is given by one of our lovely group member GayatRishi Chopra, so I want to thank her to suggest such a lovely name to my dish. Thank you so much dear.

Actually this one is complete experiment dish. I was having full two liters of milk which I had to use at any cost as it was going to expire very next day. Suddenly idea stuck to mind , why not to make mawa of it and I poured whole milk in a wide pan and started thickening it. But in mid way, I changed my mind and thought , no I don't want mawa .... Let's make some sweet out of it and till then my milk reached to the consistency of rabdi. Suddenly I remembered about left over ghee residue in my fridge , which no one is interested to eat as it is. So used that too and viola the end product is superbly delicious and beautiful sweet . Actually I tried to recreate a very scrumptious sweet , we used to relish on from our childhood days and even now have craving for that. It was UP college ka lal peda. Our grand father used to bring for us without fail, whenever he visits us. And this one is more alike that one, not exactly but too much.

If you are having ghee residue at your home then try this simple and only three ingredients scrumptious delight, you will never regret. Although it is time consuming dish but at the end you will forget everything before it's heavenly taste.

Caution: Not for calorie conscious fellows ☺️☺️

Stepwise recipe is given below. Do try and don't forget to share your experience with me.

MILKY BAR DELIGHT

Yield: 30-32 regular size pieces

Time: 2 - 2:30 hrs

Ingredients 

2 liters full fat milk ( you can half the recipe as per your ease)

1 1/2 cup golden brown ghee residue ( not black one) 

1 1/4 cup sugar ( you can use as per your taste)

1/2 tsp Kewda essence ( optional)

Sliced pistachio for garnishing

Method:

First of all boil milk in a wide and thick bottom wok. Let it thicken at medium flame, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking to bottom.

When it become like rabdi ( almost 1/3 rd of initial quantity) then add ghee residue. It will start thinning and spluttering a lot. So cover it with lid and continue cooking on high flame , stirring in between. But be cautious as it splutters a lot.

Now when it become little dry then add sugar and again cook covered , stirring occasionally till it starts leaving ghee.

*** Don't forget to stir it every now and then, as it may burn at the bottom.

Now lower the flame and continue cooking, stirring constantly till it become a nice mass and not having any moisture trail.

*** Cooking for 3-4 minutes more even after the mixture started leaving ghee is must for nice chewy texture. Don't skip this step if you love chewiness in your delight.

Switch off the flame and add Kewda essence to mixture and mix well. 

Now spread the mixture in a greased tray with the help of spatula. 

** Be careful as the mixture will be very hot.

Sprinkle sliced pistachio all over it and press a little. Now let it cool , when it is still warm, make cuts of desired shape and then let it cool completely.

Now serve this super delicious milky bar delight to your guests or give in kids tiffin. 

You can also prepare it as an offering to God. It can be a center of attraction of a festive preparation.

* You can easily half the recipe as per your requirement.

*** Squeeze all the ghee from residue before adding to thickened milk. Otherwise you will end up with super greasy end result.

* For cooling it fast for slicing  , you can keep it in refrigerator.

* This is not only delicious but long lasting too. This can be kept on room temperature for weeks.

Although it is a time consuming dish but not difficult at all . It needs very less ingredients as well as equipments , so do try it and tell your success stories here.

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

Happy cooking....

SPROUTED MOONG AND PEANUTS KACHUMBAR SALAD

Hello everyone

Almost 9-10 years back, I tasted kachumbar salad for very first time in a restaurant and from that day I became a die hard fan of it. I frequently prepare it at my home and everyone loves it. But the day my doctor told me of hypothyroid and elevated cholesterol level , I decided to replace atleast some of my meal with some zero oil healthy version. And the first name came to my mind was kachumbar salad. Then I started to wonder , how I can add some more health and taste to my regular salad to make it more delicious as well as healthy too. I never liked sprouts but when I added moong sprouts in my salad then it really tasted far better or you can say much delicious to resist it. From that very day, this became a meal replacement for me in a healthy and yummy way.

If you are looking for a diet recipe with deliciousness at the same time then this is for you. Just try it , you will love it to have anytime without any second thought.

Recipe is given below, do try and don't forget to tell your experience with me.

SPROUTED MOONG AND PEANUTS KACHUMBAR SALAD

Serves: 2 ( big)

Time: 10 mins

Ingredients 

1 cup sprouted moong

2 medium cucumber, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, grated

2 slices Apple, finely chopped ( optional)

1-2 green chiles, finely chopped

1 tbsp green coriander leaves, finely chopped

Black pepper powder, as per taste

1/4 tsp Black salt

Chaat masala, as per taste

Lemon juice, as per taste

Salt , as per taste

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

Method:

First of all steam sprouted moong till semi cooked or microwave with some water for 4-5 minutes. Drain all water from sprout and let it cool.

Now add all ingredients together and mix well. Adjust seasoning according to your taste.

While serving ,add peanuts and serve immedietly. Your super yum and healthy dish is ready to fill you .

You can have it with evening tea/ breakfast or replace your dinner or lunch with it. If you are willing to loose some extra pounds then this is best meal replacement for you. So delicious yet healthy and zero oil dish , you can prepare in minutes.

** Don't add peanuts too early, otherwise they will get soggy and will not taste as good as you want.

So always add peanuts while serving.

** You can also add onions, capsicum , spring onions etc as per your taste to make your salad more personalized to your taste buds.

Do try this delicious treat and share your experience with me. Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

MUGHALAI CHICKEN CURRY WITH HEALTHY TWIST

Hello everyone

Few days back I made mughalai mushroom curry and it was a great hit at my place . Just like Mushrooms My kids are a big fan of chicken curries too. Even my fussy eater love to relish on different curries made with chicken as main ingredient . But as I never loved to repeat same typed recipes every time that's why keep on changing the base curries . This time thought to try my mughalai mushroom curry recipe with chicken but with some healthy twist as my kid don't like any dry fruits. So I use to substitute unhealthy or fatty ingredients with healthy dryfruits to give my dish richness as well as healthy touch. This was my first trial to mughalai chicken recipe but it turned out perfectly delicious and lip smacking. 

Stepwise recipe is given below, do try and don't forget to share your experience with me.

MUGHALAI CHICKEN CURRY

Serves : 4-5

Time: 45 mins ( leaving marination time)

Ingredients 

1 kg chicken breast , cubed ( I used boneless)

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1/4 cup tomato puree 

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder

2 tsp black pepper powder

2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp honey ( as per taste, depend on tartness of tomatoes)

1 tbsp kasoori methi , crushed between palms

Salt to taste

Oil

2 tsp ghee

For marination:

1/2 cup thick yogurt ( curd), fresh

4-5 big onions, thinly sliced

1 tbsp garam masala powder

1 tbsp chicken masala 

1 tsp turmeric powder

3/4 cup green coriander leaves, finely chopped

1/2 tsp salt

For paste:

2-3 big tomato, roughly chopped

Handful of almonds ( you can also use cashew instead)

4-5 green chilies

For tempering:

4 green cardamom

4 clove

2 bay leaf

2 inch piece cinnamon

1 tsp cumin seeds

Method:

First of all fry sliced onions till nice golden brown and drain on a tissue paper. 

*Take care , not to burn onions otherwise your curry will become bitter.

Now marinate chicken cubes with all ingredients given under marination section. Cover and keep aside for atleast 1-2 hrs or maximum, overnight in fridge.

Now boil or cook all the ingredients given under for paste section till tomatoes are nicely cooked and mushy. Let it cool down and make smooth puree of it using minimum water. Keep aside for later use.

Heat oil and ghee in a wok, add all tempering spices and fry till aromatic. Now add prepared tomato puree , ginger garlic paste and tomato paste. 

Fry for 2-3 mins then add all dry spice powders . Fry till all spices are nicely cooked and it starts leaving oil. 

Now add marinated chicken along with all the marinate. Fry at high flame , stirring constantly till chicken pieces become white from all sides. 

Now lower the flame, add salt and cover to cook till chicken pieces are cooked and tender.

Add 1 - 1 1/2 cup water  and let it boil .

** Don't add too much water to gravy otherwise all the flavours will be killed. You can also serve it without adding water.

Now add kasoori methi and mix well. Cook for another 5-8 mins. 

Switch off the flame and add honey , mix well and your royal curry is ready to be served with roti/naan/paratha/kulcha or rice/pulao.

** If you don't want to use store bought tomato paste then can use 1 more tomato while making puree and skip tomato paste in your recipe. I added to give my curry a good colour as my tomatoes were not bright red.

* You can also use cashews instead of almonds if don't like almonds . As I added to make my curry more healthy for my kids.

This is not only delicious but Royal curry recipe to please your guests and family members on any special occasion. 

You can also prepare it for any get together or potluck party and earn everyone's praise.

Hope you all will love this delicious treat and will definitely give it a try. Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions, they meant a lot to me.

Happy cooking....

WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR AROMATIC PANJIRI LOADED WITH DRYFRUITS

Hello everyone

Now the season of festivals are on . One after another festival is in the row to make us full of energy and divine spirit. Today is Janmashtami , birthday celebration of our favorite kanha Ji. So made this healthy and delicious treat for him to celebrate this day. But here also my kids choice came first and compelled me to make krishna's treat in his way. As my kid don't like bits and pieces of dryfruits in any way , so I used powdered form of dry fruits to make my panjiri as delicious as it used to be and without hurting my kids feelings too. My lil one was so excited to smell the nutty aroma while I was roasting the flour and dryfruits.

 He was so eager to taste it that started saying - mom , may be kanha don't like this , so give me first and I will tell kanha that it's so delicious and he can also have it.

Really his this cute conversation made my day. He seems to me like lil kanha who used to steal makhan despite of yashoda's threat. Finally my kid was convinced that he will offer this prasad to kanha then he can have it . 

My kids loved it to the core and took another serving too. 

Stepwise recipe is given below, do try and don't forget to remember me.

WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR AROMATIC PANJIRI LOADED WITH DRYFRUITS

Time: 30 mins

Ingredients 

2 cup wholewheat flour

3 -4 tbsp ghee

1 cup powdered sugar or boora sugar ( tagaar)

1/2 cup dry desiccated coconut

1/3 cup almonds+ 4-5 walnuts 

1 tsp green cardamom powder

Method:

First of all grind almonds and walnut to fine powder and keep aside for later use. You can also use sliced dryfruits of your choice. I used powdered as my kids don't like pieces of dryfruits in their sweet treats.

Now heat ghee in a deep heavy bottom wok and add whole wheat flour .Roast it on medium to low flame , stirring constantly till it become nice golden brown and aromatic.

*** Always keep flame medium or low to avoid burning flour and keep stirring constantly.

 Add almond walnut powder and desiccated coconut to it and again roast for 1-2 mins. Now transfer it to dry vessel to cool till it become easy to handle.

** After add almond powder, don't roast for long as it will kill all nutrients of almond.

** Must transfer flour in another vessel to avoid further roasting due to hot wok.

When it become warm then add boora sugar and cardamom powder. Mix with hand, smashing all the lumps if any. 

Add all other dryfruits if adding and if it feels too dry then add some more ghee to it and mix well. 

Your panjiri is ready. 

Garnish with basil leaves and Your super delicious healthy panjiri is ready to offer to your lord.

Prepare this sweet treat and please your lord ,kids and family members in a healthy and yummy way.

** If you don't want to add almond walnut powder then simply skip it. Or can also add any dry fruit of your choice.

* Add sugar as per your taste. Can use boora sugar for better texture ,it's easily available at grocery shops. As it adds crunch to your panjiri.

** You can also prepare these for any katha or Pooja prasad or for kids healthy evening snacks.

*** This can be stored for 1-2 months without spoling if stored in dry air tight jar at cool place.

These are so easy to prepare and super delicious to eat. Either prepare for any festival or as an offering to God , in every way it will earn you lots of praise . 

Hope you all will love this recipe and definitely give it a try. Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here , they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

SPANISH RICE

Hello everyone

Rice is a grain which is used worldwide with different taste and texture. And today I am going to share one of such rice dish which is not from Indian cuisine. As we know Spanish dishes are not so spicy yet full of flavours. Once I came across a recipe of Spanish rice preparation, from that very day I thought to give it a try some day and luckily today made it. And viola it turned out super delicious beyond my expectations. So thought to why not share this tempting recipe with you all. There are no lots of ingredients or utensils needed to prepare it .But Believe me , you will never regret, atleast give it a try once and you will fall in love with it. Recipe adopted from Home Cooking.

Stepwise recipe is given below, do try and don't forget to share your experience with me.

SPANISH RICE

Serves: 4-5

Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

2 cups long grain aged rice ( preferably basmati rice), washed and soaked for atleast 30 mins

2 big onions, finely chopped

1 tbsp garlic , finely chopped

1 heaped tbsp oregano

2-3 big tomatoes, finely chopped

Salt to taste

Method: 

Heat oil in a pan, add chopped onions followed by garlic. Saute till transparent then add drained rice and Saute till rice become little golden. 

Now add tomatoes and oregano. Saute for 2 mins and add 4 cups water ( depend on quality of rice). Add salt and let it boil on high flame. Now cook till top of rice starts looking dry. 

Now lower the flame to minimum and cover rice with lid. Let it simmer for another 5 mins and put off the flame. 

Let it rest for 5 mins then open lid and mix the rice  lightly with a fork or knife. Again cover with lid and let it rest for another 10 mins.

 Now garnish with spring onions and serve hot with your choice of raita /curry/ chutney .

* Always use fork or knife to mix your rice to avoid breaking it.

* You can also use vegetable/ chicken stock instead of plain water to enhance its flavour. But then use salt accordingly as stocks are high in salt content.

Your super delicious aromatic rice is ready in no time to please your guests and family members.

Even kids too like this rice. You can prepare it for their tiffin or for any lazy day lunch/dinner.

So enjoy this easy peasy super yum treat and don't forget to remember me . Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....