Egg Bhurji

Egg Bhurji is the most popular Indian dish which is prepared with eggs, onions, tomatoes and other spices. It's also referred as Indian style scrambled spicy eggs. It tastes awesome with Chapati's or Roti's. If you are new to the cooking world , do try this out and you will love it. It's an all time favorite dish for us. My father loves it the most. Its one of the few dishes which he loves to demand.


So here's the quick recipe for Egg Bhurji

Ingredients
Eggs- 4
Onions - 2 medium sized chopped
Tomatoes - 2 medium sized chopped
Haldi/ Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Fresh Coriander leaves chopped - few
Salt to taste
Capsicum/ Bell Pepper ( Optional)
Oil - 2 tsp
Method
1. Heat a frying pan and add in 2 tsp of oil.
2. Add chopped onions and saute it till they turn translucent.
3. Now add the chopped tomatoes and cook till tomatoes become soft.
4. Add haldi, red chilli powder, coriander leaves and salt. Mix well.
5. Drop in the beaten eggs and mix well.
6. Saute it for 2-3 mins till the eggs are cooked and the desired scrambled eggs are formed.
Egg Bhurji is ready to be served.
Add in any spice powder like jeera powder, garam masala powder or even a pinch of pav bhaji masala to give a twist to this regular simple Egg Bhurji.

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Oats Upma

Ingredients
Oats - 1 cup, dry roast for 5 minutes and cool
Carrot - 1, cubed
French Beans - 5-6, string and chop into pieces
Green peas - fistful (optional)
Onion - 1, finely sliced
Green Chilies - 2, slit
Ginger - 1tsp (grated)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Water - 1 cup
Ghee - 2 tsps
Oil - 2 tsps
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp, finely chopped
Tempering/Poppu/Tadka:
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon Stick - small piece
Star Anise - 1
Cardamom - 1
Bay Leaf - 1
Cashew nuts - 4-5
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Method
Heat oil and ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel. Add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Add whole spices, cashew nuts and curry leaves and saute for a minute on low to medium flame.
Add the onions, ginger and green chilies and saute for 4 mts. Add carrots and beans and saute on medium flame for 4 mts. Add turmeric powder and salt and mix.
Place lid and cook on low flame for 6-7 mts. Add a cup of water and bring to a boil. Reduce flame, place lid and cook for 6-7 mts or till the water is half absorbed.
Add the dry roasted oats and mix. Place lid for 3 minutes. Turn off heat and mix well.
Remove onto a serving bowl and garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve warm with pickle or chutney of your choice.

Tips
Use any vegetable of your choice. Tomatoes make for a good addition.
Vegans can avoid ghee.
If you do not have whole garam masala spices, add a pinch of garam masala powder.

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Bread Upma

Ingredients:-   
Bread 4 slices cut into cubes
Onion 1 Finely Chopped
Green chilli cut in thin slits
Tomato 1 Pureed
Tomato Ketchup 2 tbsp
Peas 1/2 cup microwaved for 1 min.
Mustard Seeds 1tsp
Chilli Powder 2 pinch of
Turmeric powder 1-2 pinch of
Pav Bhaji masala 1 tsp( for a twist in the flavor)(optional)
(you can use coriander powder and cumin powder or any curry powder also if you dont have pav bhaji masala)
Garam Masala 2 pinch of
Curry leaves
Spring onion chopped
Coriander leaves finely chopped

Method:-
1. Take about 4 slices of bread and cut it into cubes.
2. Take a Pan add some butter or ghee and roast the bread until it turns brown from both the sides.
3. Now take a deep pan add 2 tbsp of oil, add mustard seeds. After it splutters add Green chilli, Curry leaves and chopped onions.Before adding onion you can also add chana dal and urad dal around 1 tbsp for extra crunchiness.(here i have not used)
4. After the onion turns brown add peas tomato puree, tomato ketchup, turmeric powder, pav bhaji masala, chilli powder, salt, garam masala and little water and boil it for a while.
5. Now add the roasted bread cubes and give a quick mix until all the sides are well coated and switch of the        flame.
6. Garnish it with green onions and coriander leaves
7. Serve it hot with a cup of tea or coffee.

Tips:-
You can use any variation you want like adding bell peppers, carrots and corns also.
You can also mix lemon juice for little more tangy.
You can use any kind of bread white or wheat.
You can skip the pav bhaji masala.

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Rava Dosa

Rava Dosa is a popular South Indian thin and crispy flat bread. It looks like thin crepes. This is a mouthwatering culinary delight. Rava Dosas are quick to make. They can be served as a snack or part of a main meal.

Ingredients                                                        
1 cup semolina (rava)
2 tsp plain flour (maida)
1/2 cup fresh curds (dahi)
1 tsp finely chopped green chillies
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
2 tbsp thinly sliced fresh coconut
2 tbsp broken cashewnuts (kaju)
salt to taste
2 tsp coconut oil or any other oilfor the tempering
fried coconut chutney for serving
sambhar for serving.

Method

1. Combine the semolina, flour, curds and ½ cup of water together in a bowl and mix well to get a smooth batter.
2. Cover and allow it to ferment in a warm place for at least 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Add the green chillies, cumin seeds, coconut, cashewnuts and salt and mix well.
4. Add more water as required and mix well to a thin batter
5. Heat a non-stick tava (griddle) and sprinkle a little water on it. It should steam immediately.
6. Grease it lightly with oil and wipe hard with a slice of onion or potato.
7. Pour ½ cup of the batter and tilt the tava in all directions so that it forms a thin circle.
8. Smear a little oil on the sides, cook till both sides are golden brown in colour and fold over to make a semi-circle.
9. Repeat with the remaining batter to make 5 more dosas. Serve hot with fried coconut chutney and sambhar.

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Masala Dosa

Ingredients:

• 2-1/2 cup Uncooked Rice • 1 cup Urad dal (whole) • 2 tsp Fenugreek Seeds • Salt to taste • 2 tbsp Oil for cooking For Masala: • 3 Boiled potatoes (peeled and chopped) • 1 Onion (chopped) • 2 Chillies (chopped) • 1 tsp Tumeric Powder • 1 tsp Chana dal • 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds • Salt to taste

How to make Masala Dosa:

• Wash and soak urad dal, long grain rice and fenugreek seeds separately for at least 6 hours in water. • Now grind them together by adding requisite amount of water to make a fine paste. • Add salt and set the mixture aside for fermentation for a day. • Saute onions, mustard seeds, chana dal and chilli in a pan with oil. • Add chopped potatoes, tumeric and salt and stir continuously. • Cook it for a few minutes. • Pour a ladle of the batter on a non-stick pan and give it a circular shape. • Drop little oil around it and turn over when bubbling appears. • Fill in the center of dosa with a spoonful of masala and fold it. • Masala dosa is ready. • Serve it hot with sambhar and freshly prepared coconut chutney.

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Palak Paneer

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg Spinach

• 100 gm Paneer 

• 1 Onion • 1/4 tsp Black pepper powder

• 3/4 tsp Ginger-garlic paste

• 1/2 tsp Green chilli paste 

• 3 tbsp Butter 

• 2-3 Bay Leaves 

• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds 

• 1 tsp Garam Masala Powder

• Vegetable oil

• Salt to taste

How to make Palak Paneer:

Mix green chilli paste and ginger-garlic paste with spinach. Add little water.
Pressure-cook the above mixture for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove before the first whistle.
Cut cheese into small cube shaped pieces. Keep 3 cubes for decoration.
Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan.
Fry the paneer cubes on a medium flame till they become light brown.
Take the pieces out of the pan.
Take 2 tbsp butter and heat it.
Add bay leaves and cumin for frying.
Add chopped onions and fry again until they turn pink.
Add garam masala powder, black pepper powder and salt. Mix well.
Now add fried paneer and cooked spinach. Mix them properly.
Put the palak paneer in a baking tray.
Add the remaining butter and bake for about half an hour at 180 deg C.
Grate remaining paneer pieces and decorate.
Palak paneer is ready to serve.

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Chilli Chicken

Bio: Chilli chicken is a party food, finger food, comfort food and I’m not sure how many more categories it falls into. Whatever be the   category, for me it is the food I crave for quite frequently – when I’m happy and celebrating, when I’m sad and moping and also when I’m feeling dull and want to spice up my mood. So here’s my Chilli chicken recipe, albeit with inputs from my mom. Try it out and do write back with your feedback!

Ingredients for Chilli Chicken Recipe

• 500gm boneless chicken pieces, cut into small cubes (always use boneless chicken for dishes like these. They just never taste the same if you try to scrape off the flesh from bony chicken, leaving the bones out)
• 1 onion, cut into cubes
• 1/2 of a green capsicum / bell pepper, cut into cubes
• 1 tbsp soya sauce
• 1/4 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tbsp green chilli sauce
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2-3 green chillies, sliced (if you are not a sucker for all things hot, try using the large green chillies. They are less spicy than the small ones)
• 1 tsp dry red chilli flakes (optional)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp all purpose flour or maida
• 1 egg (optional)
• Salt to taste
• A pinch of sugar (optional)
• Oil
• For garnish: Spring onions, chopped coriander leaves

Method

• Marination is the absolutely essential part of this chilli chicken recipe. Marinate the chicken in 1/2 tbsp soya sauce, egg, salt, pepper, flour, cornflour, half the garlic and half the green chilli sauce for atleast 30 mins. If you have the luxury of time at hand, please go ahead and marinate it for an hour or even two

• In a pan, add 1/4 cup oil and lightly fry the chicken pieces until golden brown. Drain and set aside.

• In the remaining oil, add chopped garlic and the chillies and flakes and fry for 2 minutes. Next, add the onions and capsicum and fry until soft (2-3 mins). Add vinegar and mix well. Top off with the fried chicken and the remaining quantities of ingredients used to marinate (1/2 tbsp soya sauce, 1/2 tbsp green chilli sauce, salt, sugar, and pepper).

• Stir all the ingredients until well combined and fry again for another 3-4 mins. Garnish with some chopped spring onions and serve chilli chicken hot!

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Butter Chicken

Butter chicken or Murgh makhani is dish from the Punjab region.  You might have already had the recipe for butter chicken as it is a well know recipe but  the actual flavour can vary from recipe to recipe and way it is cooked. Butter chicken is usually eaten with naan, roti or steamed rice.
You might have tasted chicken butter in resturaunts but making it by yourself is a rewarding and tasteful experience. So here is a recipe for butter chicken for butter chicken lovers.
Ingredients 

2 to 3 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion chopped
¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
2 teaspoons of crushed garlic
2 teaspoons of crushed ginger
½ teaspoon of ground turmeric
1 to 2 teaspoons of chilli powder
1 tablespoon of coriander
2  boneless chicken thighs or breasts
2 tablespoons ground almonds
225 gram / 8 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes with juice
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
½ cup of unsweetened yoghurt
salt and pepper

Let’s start cooking!
Trim and cut the chicken into small cubes, season it with salt and pepper and put aside.  Heat oil in a large saucepan or frying pan and add the chicken. Fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes untill it is golden brown. Remove the chicken and put it aside. Melt the butter in the same frying pan. Add onions and cinnamon and stir well. Add all the remaining ingredients garlic, ginger, chilli powder, almonds, tomato and tomato paste and yougourt. Stir them well. Bring it to boil and let it cook for 5 minutes. Add the chicken and cook further for 5 minutes. Serve on rice with a salad and naan bread.

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Classic Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

• 1 quart (1 liter) milk
• 1 Madagascar vanilla bean, split
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon (3.5 grams) black peppercorns (whole)
• 2 bars (3.5 ounces/100 grams each) Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa, chopped

Method:

1. Heat the milk with the spices in a saucepan over medium heat until it reaches boiling point, but do not let the milk boil.
2. Add the chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth.
3. Remove from heat and let rest for 25 minutes to release the spices’ aroma.
4. Strain the liquid and reheat before serving.

Yield:

4 - 6 servings

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How to make Poori

Ingredients

• Wheat Flour  -  2 cups
• Water  -  1/4  – 1/2 cup
• Salt  -  1/2tspn(or to taste)
• Oil

For masala

1. Mustard Seeds  -  1/2tspn
2. Curry leaves  -  few
3. Potato  – 3
4. Big Onion  -  1
5. Green chilli  -  4
6. Ginger Garlic Paste  -  1tspn
7. Turmeric Powder  -  1/2tspn
8. Salt

Recipe
Making Poori

1. Take a Wheat Flour in a mixing bowl.Add Salt and 2tspns of oil in that.
2. Then add water and start Kneading to make a harder dough.Dont make a very harder dough.
3. Once you prepared the dough, Start making poori immediately.
4. This  prevents the poori  from retaining more oil when it is deep fried.
5. Make  small balls of the dough and roll it in to the fla dand  round shape pooris.These Pooris should be little thick.
6. Heat Oil in a pan.When Oil is hot enough, place the poori in to the oil.
7. Poori  raises to the top.Noe press the poori into the oil to make the poori pluffy.
8. Now turn the poori to the other side to fry.Once it turns into light brown color,then take it out.

Making Masala

1. Peel the potatos and cut into 3 to 4 pieces and pressure cook it with salt for 3 whistles.
2. Mash the potato.Dont mash it well.
3. cut onion into lengthwise.
4. Heat Oil in a pan.Add Mustard seeds,Once it starts splutters, Add Curry leaves and Onion.
5. Fry for a minute ,then add ginger garlic paste.Fry it till the raw smell goes off.
6. Now add Potato,Turmeric Powder,Salt and little water.
7. Cover and cook it for 2minutes.

Tips

1. If you want more gravy, then you can mix gram flour in water and pour this mix into the gravy.
2. You can also use dalia.Grind the dalia as a fine powder and add water in this and pour this into the gravy.

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Lemon Rice

Lemon Rice is a delicious South Indian dish you can easily put together when in a hurry. You can also make it with leftover rice. Serve Lemon Rice with a Raita (yogurt salad) and Poppadums for a simple yet tasty meal.

INGREDIENTS:

Rice-----------------------------1 1/2 cups
Salt------------------------------to taste
Curry leaves---------------------10-12
Red chillies whole----------------2
Oil/Ghee-------------------------2 tbsps
Asafoetida-----------------------a pinch
Black gram split(dhuli urad dal)---1 tbsp
Bengal gram split (chana dal)-----1 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds------------------1/2 tsp
Peanuts--------------------------1/2 cup
Mustard seeds (optional)---------1 tsp
Turmeric powder----------------1/2 tsp
Lemon juice---------------------3 tbsps
Coconut (scraped)(optional)-----1 tbsp

METHOD OF PREPARATION 

1.  Pick,wash and soak rice in four to five cups of water for about 30 minutes. Drain and then cook in 4 cups of boiling salted water until almost done. Drain and keep aside. Wash and pat dry curry leaves. Remove stems and break red chillies into 2 pieces each.

2. Heat oil/ghee in a shallow pan or kadai. Add a pinch of asafoetida. Add red chillies, dhuli urad dal,chana dal and fenugreek seeds.Cook till dal changes its colour to light brown.

3. Add peanuts and mustard seeds. As mustard seeds crackle, add curry leaves and turmeric powder. Stir fry for half a minute. Add cooked rice, salt and lemon juice. Mix well, cover and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes.

4. Garnish with scraped coconut and serve hot.

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