Spinach Rice

2012 seems to be a bad start for me.. an accident.. thn dealing with a crazy doc and now a skin allergy.. hope my quota of falling sick in 2012 gets over in this month itself .. fingers crossed.. Now with this state I just don feel like cooking.. and thus, try making a singular dish that would suffice a meal :) ... not that I aint lazy but this is truely out of compulsion (believe me ;)) ..

I had had this dish at a frendz sometime ago and so wanted to replicate it.. SPINACH RICE .. and I think I did a good job.. Arunesh & I ate it up all... and loved it !!

Ingredients 

Rice - 2 cups

Spinach - 1 bunch (blanched)

Onions - 2 (finely chopped)

Green Chili - 3 (you could reduce the chili as per taste)

Bay Leaf - 1

Black Peppercorn - 2

Cloves - 2-3

Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon

Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon

Salt

Water

Oil - 2 Tablespoons

Lemon Juice - 2 teaspoons

Cooking

Wash rice, drain water & keep aside.

Grind blanched Spinach & Chili together into a fine paste.

Heat oil in a cooker. Add Bay Leaf, Cumin Seeds, Mustard Seeds, Cloves & Peppercorns.

As Mustard Seeds start to crackle, add Onions & fry for about 5 mins. Next, add the Spinach-Chili paste & cook for 2 mins.

Finally add the Rice, Salt & 4 cups of water.

Cover the cooker & cook till 2 wistles.

Spinach Rice are ready.. Incase you find the rice still watery, cook uncovered for about 2-3 mins to dry the excess water.

Squeeze some Lemon Juice and serve hot.

Sending this entry to Nupur's New Year, New Dish event.

Visitors.. Accident & Back to Blogging.. Punjabi Tadka: Spicy Egg Curry

I am feeling so good as I write.. It's been almost 20 days since my last post.. First things first.. A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR..May you have a great year ahead :))

... I had my cousins over for the new years.. we had a ball of a time.. kitchen was practically closed and guess I tried almost every fast-food restaraunt around... tried some great food & have jotted down a few recipes to try as well...

...My cousins had just departed and life had barely started slipping back into routine when I slipped (yes in the literal sense)... a small accident in the kitchen.. banged my head on the floor... A stiff back & a collar around the neck made it impossible to cook or blog ... hence the loooong pause... Now I am better and back to my kitchen..

Sharing the recipe for SPICY EGG CURRY in a typical Punjabi style, with flavors of red chili & cinammon..

Eggs - 5 (hard boiled - slit into 2 pieces)

Onion - 1 Big (thinly sliced)

Tomato - 1 Big (thinly sliced)

Fresh Coriander - handful (finely chopped)

Garlic - 1 teaspoon (finely chopped)

Red Chili Paste - 1-2 teaspoons

Cinammon Stick - 2
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Cummin Powder - 1 teaspoon
Garam Masala - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Powdered Cinammon - 1/2 teaspoon

Cooking

1.       Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Fry garlic & cinammon sticks for a minute. Then add the onions.

2.       Once the onions begin to brown, add coriander leaves, tomatoes & salt. Cover with lid and cook for 15-20 mins.

3.       Add red chili paste and cook for another 10 mins. Remove the pan from fire and let the mixture cool. Grind the mixture with 2 Tablespoons of water in a blender/grinder to obtain a fine paste.

4.       Transfer the paste back to the pan and add 1 cup of water for the gravy. On boiling, add the eggs.

5.       Simmer for 10-15 mins and sprinkle garam masala and cinammon powder.

6.       Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot.

The recipe goes to Food Corner's Hot & Spicy Treats ..

PUNJABI TADKA - Jeera Aloo (Dhaba-style)

It's been almost 6 days since my last post.. am currently in India.. trip visiting parents owing to long eid holidays in the gulf :)) 

Posting one of the simplest & quickest-to-prepare potato dishes.. trust me it's the most-masaledaar & yummy main-course dish... just be as liberal with the masalazz as much possible.. the dish is a sure-shot winner for any occasion... JEERA ALOO.. typical dhaba-istyle.. (A must have if you ever do a road trip from Delhi to Punjab)

Ingredients

Potatoes (par-boiled - pressure cook till 2 whistles) - 2 medium sized

Cumin Seeds (Jeera) - 1 teaspoon

Coriander Powder - 1.5 teaspoons

Cumin Powder - 1.5 teaspoons

Red Chili Powder - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Dry Mango Powder (Amchoor)  - 1 teaspoon

Garam Masala - 1.5 teaspoons

Salt

Ghee / Unsalted Butter - 2 Tablespoons

Fresh Coriander Leaves - for garnish

Cooking

1. Dice the par-boiled potatoes into small cubes.

2. Heat the ghee in a non-stick pan and add cumin seeds once the ghee is hot.

3. As the cumin seeds begin to change color, add all the spices (masalaz) except garam masala. Fry for about 2-3 minutes. Stir continuously. 

4. Add potatoes. Mix well. Close the lid and let the potatoes cook on a slow flame for 25-30 minutes (or till potatoes are tender and well cooked in the masala)

5. Sprinkle garam masala and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Serve hot with Paratha (Indian flat-bread)

Shalgam Masala (Turnip cooked in Indian Spices)

Post Diwali, complete laziness had set in... plus a lotta eating out..  made me completely off cooking infact the thought of cooking only ;) ... After a series of usual paneers and chole and aloo in the last 2-3 days... wanted to try something different.. SHALGAM MASALA..

The thought of having turnip for dinner didnt appeal to me much.. untill the dish came out absolutely gorgeous.. Arunesh (my hubby) & I actually fought over getting a larger portion ;) ..

Ingredients
Turnip (medium - diced) - 2
Onion (medium - thinly sliced) - 1
Tomato (small - diced) - 1
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Ginger - Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
Green Chili - 1
Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
Cumin Powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Garam Masala - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt (to taste)
Sugar - 1 teaspoon
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Water
Fresh Coriander  - to garnish

Cooking
1. Heat Oil in a non-stick skillet and saute the sliced onions. Add ginger-garlic paste and the green chili (slit vertically) once the onions turn pink.

2. After frying for about 5 mins, push the sauted mixture to the sides of the pan and add mustard seeds. As the seeds start to crackle, add the chopped tomatoes. Cover the pan wid a lid and let it cook on a slow flame til the mixture becomes pulpy. (Approx 10 mins)

3. Add Coriander powder, Cumin powder, Salt, Turmeric and chopped Turnip. Mix well. Add a cup of water and cover the pan with a lid till the turnip is cooked. (You will have to keep checking on the turnip - in case the turnip is hard you will be required to put more water)

4. Once the turnip is cooked, mash it a little with a wooden spatula and add sugar. Mix well.

5. Finally, sprinkle Garam Masala and Fresh Corainder leaves.

PS - Shalgam Masala tasted great with hot chapatti (indian flat-bread) and yougurt.

PUNJABI TADKA - Dal Makhani

Being a Punjabi, I thought of sharing recipes that typically belong there.. thus, would share them under the section "PUNJABI TADKA" .. starting with "DAL MAKHANI".. cooked in typical punjabi ishtyle :)

Ingredients

Whole black gram 1 cup

Red kidney beans 2 tablespoons

Onion, chopped 1 large

Green chili, slit 2

Tomatoes, chopped 2 medium

Ginger, chopped 2 inch piece

Garlic, chopped 2 cloves

Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon

Red chili powder 1 teaspoon

Coriander powder 2 teaspoon

Cumin powder 2 teaspoon

Garam masala powder 1 teaspoon

Butter 3 tablespoons

Oil 1 tablespoon

Thick Cream 1 tablespoon

Fresh Coriander (finely chopped) for garnish

Salt to taste

Cooking

1. Wash and soak black gram and red kidney bean overnight in water.

2. Next morning, Pressure cook the soaked mixture with half of a tomato (chopped) and salt in enough water till three whistles. Check if the red beans have softened, else pressure cook again till a whistle.

3. In a non-stick pan, heat butter and oil together. Add cumin seeds. When they begin to change color, add ginger, garlic and onion and sauté till golden. Add slit green chilies, tomatoes and sauté on high heat. Add coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder and sauté till the tomatoes are reduced to a pulp.

4. Add the cooked onion-tomato mixture to the pressure cooked pulses and simmer on low heat. Add some water if the mixture is too thick. Add garam masala powder and adjust salt. Add cream and fresh coriander. Simmer on low heat till the dal is well blended.

5. Add a dollop of butter and serve hot.

PS - Goes perfect with Paratha and Naan (Indian Flat-breads)

Egg & Veggie Biryani

Biryani.. surely a hot fav of many of us.. this recipe might read as if it WOULD require SO MUCH work.. but as you will get on to cooking it, trust me you will just sail through.. and in no time the Yummy EGG & VEGGIE BIRYANI would be ready..

Ingredients

Basmati Rice - 2 cups

Boiled eggs – 4

Mixed vegetable (carrot, capsicum, peas, mushroom, broccoli) – 2 cups

Yogurt - 1/2 cup

Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon (heaped)

Onions - 4

Green Chilies - 5

Mint leaves - handful

Coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch

Red Chili powder - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon

Ghee/ Unsalted butter – 1 teaspoon

Cardamom - 2

Cloves – 2

Cinnamon – small stick

Garam Masala powder - 1/2 tea spoon

Lemon Juice - 1 tablespoon

Salt according to taste

Oil for frying


Cooking

1. Wash the rice and half boil in a pan full of water with cardamom, clove, cinnamon and 1 green chilies (slit vertically). Add salt. Drain the excess water by running the rice through a sieve.

2. Whisk the yogurt along with ginger-garlic paste, 1 green chili, red chili powder, turmeric powder, powered garam masala and salt. Marinate the eggs (slit across) for about 40-45 mins.

3. Thinly slice the onions and deep fry them in the oil until golden brown. Strain.  Add 2 green chilies (slit vertically), mint leaves and coriander leaves and keep it aside.

4. For the final layering, heat ghee/ unsalted butter in a skillet (pref one with a lid). Saute the diced vegetables for about 5 mins and pour the egg mixture over them, next layer the onion mixture over it, sprinkle lime juice and finally layer it with half boiled rice. Sprinkle little oil (used for frying onion) and ghee on the top.

5. Cover the biryani tightly with a lid and let it cook on a slow flame for about 30- 40 minutes.

6. Mix well and serve with Raita.