CHICKEN SPRING ONION

INGREDIENTS

Chicken-750 gm

Mustard seeds-1 tsp

Chopped onion-3

Chopped tomato-1

Tomato puree-1 cup

Cumin powder-2 tsp

Ginger garlic paste-2 tsp

Red chilli powder-1 tsp

Turmeric powder-1 tsp

Mustard oil- 1 tsp

Salt and sugar as per taste

Spring onion-1 bunch  

Refined oil for cooking

METHOD

Marinate chicken pieces with lemon juice and little salt, and keep aside for 20 mins. Then discard the juices that the marinated chicken leaves. Now add ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, mustard oil and cumin powder. Keep it aside for 20 mins. more. Take refined oil in a pan, put mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start spluttering, add chopped onion, and fry well adding little sugar, salt and red chilli powder. Then add the marinated chicken. Cook till the chicken becomes white in color. Now add chopped tomato and the tomato puree as well. Fry well and add adequate amount of water. Lid-cook for sometime. Put lots of chopped spring onion. Mix well and cook for few more minutes. Serve hot with roti or any tempered rice.

DRY VEGETABLE MANCHURIAN

INGREDIENTS

Grated Cabbage-2 cups

Grated Carrot-1 cup

Chopped Capsicum- 1/2

Chopped Onion-1

Chopped Garlic-2 tsp

Ginger paste-1 tsp

Salt and sugar as per taste

Pepper powder-1 tsp

Chopped green chilli-1 tsp

Red chilli powder-1/2 tsp

Cornflour-1 tbsp

Refined flour-2 tbsp

For Sauce:

Chopped ginger-1 tsp

Chopped garlic-1 tsp

Chopped onion-1 tbsp

Vinegar-1 tsp

Chopped Green chilli-1 tsp

Soya sauce-1 tsp

Green chilli sauce-1 tsp

Tomato sauce-2 tsp

Salt and sugar as per taste

Chopped spring onion-1 tbsp

Sesame/ Refined oil as per requirement

METHOD

Smear little salt to the grated cabbage and keep aside for 1/2 hr. Then take out the cabbage in other bowl, squeezing all the water, and then mix all other ingredients together to make medium sized balls. Deep fry the balls and keep aside. Now make the sauce in another pan. Take little oil, put the chopped ginger followed by the garlic, and fry well for sometime. Add onion and green chilli. Then, go on adding, soya sauce, green chilli sauce, vinegar and tomato sauce to complete the gravy. Add seasonings according to the taste. Now put the balls in the sauce and cover it with a lid. Lid- cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle chopped spring onion or coriander leaves.

FRIED CRACKED WHEAT (Dalia)

This is a recipe of broken wheat with some veggies of your choice. In this health conscious world, I am sure the benefits of broken wheat are not any more unknown to us. This is versatile, rich in fiber, low in calories and loaded with nutrients. Broken/ cracked wheat preparation serves good as breakfast or even as lunch. Or have it whenever you want to.

INGREDIENTS

Cracked wheat-200 gmm (boil till 2-3 whistle in a pressure cooker, adding little salt, turmeric and water)

Parboiled veggies-1 1/2 cup (beans, carrot, capsicum, green peas, cauliflower, potato etc.)

Onion-1 small, chopped

Ginger-1 tsp, chopped

Green chilli-1

Bayleaf-1

Clarified butter-1 tsp

Refined oil-1 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric-1/4 tsp

Salt and sugar- as per taste

Cashew nuts and Raisins-8-10 each

METHOD

Parboiled all the vegetables except the capsicum, and keep aside. Take refined oil in a frying pan, put the chopped ginger into it and fry till this emanates a nice flavor. Then add the chopped onion, fry for sometime and then put the boiled veggies along with the nuts, capsicum and chopped green chilli. Fry well. Now add the boiled cracked wheat to the fried veggies. Add the seasonings and sprinkle clarified butter from above. Now the dish is ready to be served.

MASALA DAHI MURG (Yogurt Chicken)

This is a very simple recipe made with very common ingredients. Only a home-made dry roasted and grounded masala creates the magic of flavor and taste. Let's have a look.

INGREDIENTS

Chicken-500 gm

Curd-200 gm

Onion-2+1, sliced

Garlic-8-10 cloves, chopped

Ginger-2 inch, chopped

Masala powder-Roasted and grounded [2 tsp Cumin seeds, 2 tsp Coriander seeds, 2 tsp (Cinnamon, Cardamon and Cloves)]

Turmeric powder-1 tsp

Red chilli powder-1 tsp

Bayleaf-2

Salt and sugar- as per taste

Green chilli-2

Mustard oil/ Refined oil-as per requirement

METHOD

Marinate chicken pieces with curd for 2 hrs and keep aside. Take oil in a pan, and fry 1 sliced onion with little sugar and salt; when then onion turns golden brown, keep aside. Again, in the same pan, take some more oil and put all the chopped garlic, ginger and onion (2). Fry well till golden brown and make a paste in a blender. Keep aside the paste. In another pan, take oil and put bayleaf in it as tempering. Then put the marinated chicken and continue frying till the color of the chicken turns white. Add the blended paste now, followed by grounded masala, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Mix well and add slited green chilli and little water. Lid cook till the chicken becomes soft and cooked nicely. Serve with Cumin Rice or parantha.

KALONJI MURG (Chicken with onion seeds)

This chicken curry is a combination of wonderful flavors along with it's awesome taste. I have used very common ingredients as tempering for this chicken preparation that has enhanced itss taste to a great extent.

INGREDIENTS

Chicken-250 gm

Onion-2 chopped

Ginger julienne-1 tbsp

Thick Green chilli-3 

Garlic paste-2 tsp

Tomato-1 chopped

Pepper powder-1 tsp

Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

Tomato puree- 1/2 cup

Red chilli powder-1/4 tsp

Onion seeds-1 tsp (kalonji)

Clarified butter/ ghee- 1 tbsp (increase/ decrease accordingly)

METHOD

This preparation tastes better when cooked entirely in ghee but due to health reasons, I have used ghee only for tempering. This also wont put the taste down.

In a pan, take refined oil and put the julienne ginger, and fry till the ginger starts emanating smell. Then put the whole thick green chilli. Go on adding onion, garlic paste and then the chicken. Cook well. Add pepper powder followed by tomato puree, turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Cook well by adding water as per requirement. When the chicken becomes soft and the gravy attains the required consistency, turn off the flame. Now in another pan, take ghee and put the kalonji as tempering. Wait till it starts spluttering. Put the tempered ghee on the cooked chicken and cover it with a lid so that the flavors get passed into the chicken. Serve hot with roti or parantha.

PUMPKIN CUTLETS

Pumpkin is a vegetable with lots of benefits in it. It is incredibly rich in vital antioxidants, and vitamins. This humble backyard low calorie vegetable contains vitamin A, flavonoid poly-phenolic antioxidants such as leutin, xanthin, and carotenes in abundance.But the lover of this wonderful vegetable are not many. So I thought of giving it a tasty twist by making yummy cutlets out of pumpkin. Let's explore the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

Parboiled Pumpkin-1 cup

Grated Coconut-1/4 cup

Boiled Potato-2 medium size

Grated ginger-2 tsp

Fried and crushed dry red chilli-1

Garam masala-1/4 tsp

Roasted and crushed peanut-1/2 cup

Coriander leaf-1 bunch

Green chilli-2, thinly sliced

Bread crumb-1/2 cup

Refined flour (maida)-as per requirement to make the dough tight and for the batter

Cornflour-required for the batter

Salt and sugar- according to the taste

METHOD

Make a batter with maida, cornflour, salt and turmeric powder. Keep aside. Mix all the above ingredients together to make a little tight mixture. Make cutlets out of the mixture, dip into the batter and then deep fry in hot oil. Take out the fried cutlets on oil absorbent paper and serve hot.

PANEER (Cottage Cheese) IN WHITE GRAVY

INGREDIENTS

Paneer-250 gm

Onion paste-1/2 cup

Ginger garlic paste-2 tsp

Curd-1 tbsp

Coriander seeds-1 tsp

Cashew paste-1 tbsp

Green chilli-1 tsp

Whole Garam masala- cloves, cinnamon, cardamon, bayleaf

Refined oil for cooking

METHOD

Make a fine paste with onion and coriander seeds. Take refined oil in a wok, put the garam masala as tempering. Once it starts emanating fragrance, add the onion-coriander seeds paste and the ginger garlic paste, fry for a while. Add the curd and the cashew nut paste. Cook well till the raw smell of the ingredients goes off. Put little water as per requirement of the gravy. Now put the paneer cubes and shimmer for few seconds.

RAW BANANA (PLANTAIN) CURRY

Usually most of us hardly love plaintain curry and try to evade it, at least this is the senerio I get to see at my home whenever I think of cooking this vegetable. But koftas made up of raw bananas are a great hit everywhere. So along with nutrition, it gives tastes as well.

METHOD

Raw banana (Plantain)-2 (boiled)

Potato-2+1(2 boiled, 1 cut into cubes)

Cornflour-2 tbsp

Refined flour (maida)-3 tbsp

Egg-1

Onion-2 

Garlic-6-7

Ginger paste-1 tsp

Green chilli-2, chopped

Salt and sugar as per taste

Tomato puree-1/2 cup
Curd-1 tbsp

Cumin powder-1 tsp

Red chilli powder-1/2 tsp

Garam masala (whole)-Cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and bayleaf

Cumin seeds (jeera)-1/2 tsp

Refined oil for frying koftas and making the gravy.

METHOD

Mash boiled raw banana and potato together. Add little garlic paste, salt, green chilli, red chilli powder, cornflour, maida and egg to it. Make round shaped tikki/ koftas out of the mixture and deep fry them. Now for the gravy, take oil in a pan, add garam masala, jeera and bayleaf as tempering. Add cubed potato and fry a little, keep aside. Put chopped onion, ginger garlic paste and fry well. Then go on adding tomato puree, cumin powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and beaten curd. Fry the masala well, add the fried potatoes as well and pour required water for the gravy. Add the seasonings. Put the fried tikkis or koftas. Shimmer a little and serve hot with steamed rice or chapati.