Bhendi Fry

Bhendi Fry

Okra is one vegetable that my husband says a big yes to. All my childhood I was made to believe that eating okra improves one's math skills. I have no idea how true that is but it is definitely my family favorite vegetarian dish, and I guarantee it will be yours soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:


Okra - 1 lb
Onion - 1 large
Curry leaves - few
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Dry coconut powder - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 3 tbsp

Method:

1. Wash the okra and pat dry each okra with a paper towel. Chop them to 1/2 inch thick pieces and keep aside.
2. Heat a wide non-stick pan and pour the oil in it. After the oil is medium hot, add the cumin seeds and allow them to splutter.
3. Now add the chopped onion, some salt and saute till the onions turn translucent. 
4. Add in the curry leaves, ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw flavor of the ginger garlic paste is gone.
5. Add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder and the coriander powder and saute for a minute. 
6. Now add in the chopped okra. Sprinkle some more salt. 
7. Keep mixing till the stickiness from the okra is gone and you see oil oozing out. Do not walk away, keep stirring continuously, otherwise the okra on the bottom of the pan tends to burn easily.
8. After the okra is dry and cooked through, sprinkle the coconut powder. Mix well and serve hot.
9. It goes excellent with chapati.

Tasty Tips:

1. Okra has a lot of capsules in it. It tends to get slimier when you cut through these capsules. So, be very careful while chopping the okra.
2. Choose the okra that are thin, long and tender.
3. Water contact is what makes okra more slimier. So make sure okra is really dry before you chop. Skipping this step increases the cooking time.
4. Make sure you do not fry the onions too much before adding the okra. Onions fry along with the okra through the cooking process otherwise they tend to darken even before the okra is cooked.
5. If your okra is taking too long to lose the stickiness, add in a few teaspoons of buttermilk. 
6. A wide non-stick pan is definitely helpful.

Kaaram Appaalu

Kaaram Appaalu

Appaalu is a traditional Telangana snack usually made during festive season. It is also called 'Chekkalu' in Andhra. Though this dish has many names, it is a simple and savory version of rice crackers. These are so good that you cannot just stop with one or two. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:
Rice flour - 4 cups
Chana flour (besan) - 1/2 cup
Chana dal - 1/4 cup
Crushed peanuts - 1/2 cup

Sesame seeds - 2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 3 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 3 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - for deep frying
Water - to make the dough

Method:

1. Soak the raw chana dal in water for half-an-hour.
2. In a large bowl, take the rice flour, chana flour(besan). Mix them well.
3. To this add the red chilli powder, salt, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, chopped curry leaves, soaked chana dal and the crushed peanuts. Mix well crushing with your fingers till all the peanuts and the chana dal is coated with the dry flour.
4. Now heat the 3 tbsp oil till its warm  enough. Add this oil to the above flour mixture. Mix all the ingredients well. Be careful the oil you added in is hot. Try mixing it with a spoon if its too hot for you. The goal here is that the flour should soak up all the oil. The mixture now looks like a pastry crust, dry but the flour still comes together when pressed between two fingers.
5. Now heat some water in a microwave for 2 minutes. Add this water to the above mixture slowly as you keep mixing it with a spoon. When mixed well the dough should be of a chapati dough consistency. 
6. Cover it with a damp cloth and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
7. In a kadhai, heat the oil to deep fry the appaalu.
8. Take a small golf-ball size dough, while pressing between your palms, make it into round disc. 
9. In a small bowl take some oil. Dip this disc in some oil. 
10. To make the pooris you need a Poori-press (refer to the picture below)  
    

    

    Tortilla Press
    

11. Place a plastic sheet inside the poori-press to avoid the dough from sticking to the poori press. Apply some oil to this sheet as well. 
12. Place the dough disc inside the poori-press and press it till its thin poori like shape.
    

    

    Tortilla press
    

13. Don't worry if the poori tears, press it with your fingers to cover any imperfections. 
14. Deep fry it in the oil on a low flame till golden brown and crispy.

Tasty tip:

1. Appaalu goes excellent with a hot cup of Indian tea. One crunchy bite into this appaalu and a sip of hot tea is a tea lovers delight.
2. Poori press is sold as 'Tortilla Press' in US.  I bought mine at Target for $15.

Kadhai Paneer Pasta

Kadhai Paneer Pasta

Kadhai Paneer pasta is a fusion of Indian and Italian cuisine. I combined two classic dishes from Indian and Italian cuisines to satisfy my family's taste buds. Spicy red pepper flakes gives this dish a zing. Home-made crunchy garlic bread is an excellent accompaniment. A glass of good Moscato white wine definitely cleanses your palate. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Pasta – 1 lb

Paneer – ½ lb

Bell pepper – 2 (1 yellow, 1 red)

Red chillies – 5

Coriander seeds – 3 tsp

Oil – 3 tbs

Butter – 2 tbs

Garlic – 6 cloves

Marinara sauce – 2 cups

Heavy cream – 3 tbsp

Kasoori methi – 1 tsp

Sugar – ½ tsp

Coriander leaves – a bunch

Cheese – ¼ cup

Salt – to taste

Method:

1.      Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add some salt to the water when it’s rolling boiled. Add in the raw pasta, stir well and cook as per the instructions on the box for not less than 8 minutes till al dente.  Drain the pasta well and preserve some pasta water. Keep it aside.

2.      Cube the paneer into 1 inch cubes. Cut the bell peppers into 1 inch pieces.

3.      In a pan, add 1 tbsp of oil, add in the cubed paneer and fry it till golden brown on all sides. Remove the paneer cubes into a separate plate.

4.      In the same pan, add the bell peppers and cook half way through. Make sure the peppers are not fully cooked and that they still have a bite. Put them in a plate.

5.      Now blend together the red chillies and the coriander seeds into a coarse powder.

6.      In the same pan, put the remaining oil and the butter and add in the red chilli and coriander powder. Fry for 2 – 3 minutes.

7.      Add in the finely chopped garlic and fry till golden brown.

8.      Now add in the marinara sauce and stir well. Add in some salt and sugar.

9.      Add in the heavy cream and stir well. The sauce now has a pink hue color.

10.  Add in the paneer and the bell pepper cubes. Stir well. If you feel that the sauce is thick add in the pasta water that you preserved earlier.

11.  Now add in the cooked pasta. Stir well. Cover it and let the flavors of the sauce stick to the pasta.

12.  Crush the kasoori methi between your palms and drizzle it over the pasta. Add in the chopped coriander leaves.

13.  Turn the stove off. Sprinkle some shredded cheese.

14.  Serve hot with home-made garlic bread (recipe follows).

Tasty tips:

1.      For the pasta, I used Rigatoni. You can use any pasta of your choice. Penne, farfalle are some of the best options.

2.      Be careful while you fry the paneer. Paneer tends to splutter a lot in hot oil. Make sure you use a splutter screen.

3.      Kasoori methi is dried fenugreek leaves that have a unique aroma and taste. I use this in a lot of my dishes.

4.      For the marinara sauce I use the brand Prego.

5.      For cheese you can use any cheese of your choice. I prefer shredded mozzarella. 

Garlic Bread

Bread slices – 4

Butter – 6 tbsp

Garlic – 6 cloves

Coriander leaves – 4 tbsp

Method:

1.      Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2.      Cut each bread slice into two triangles diagonally.

3.      Put the butter in a bowl and whisk it well. Room temperature butter speeds up this process.

4.      Mince the garlic cloves into a coarse paste. This can be done by adding some salt on to the finely chopped garlic and crushing it with a rough edge of a knife. Salt gives good grip on the knife, because the knife tends to slip when the oil in the chopped garlic is released.

5.      Finely chop the coriander leaves.

6.      Add the minced garlic, chopped coriander leaves to the butter and whisk well.

7.      Now apply this garlic butter onto one side of each bread slice generously.

8.      Bake these in the oven for 2 - 3 minutes or till they are golden brown.

Tasty tip:

This crunchy garlic bread tastes excellent when dipped in warm marinara sauce.

Kadhai Paneer Pasta

Hyderabadi Mutton Dum Biryani

Hyderabadi Mutton Dum Biryani

Biryani is such a comforting dish with a perfect blend of right spices. There's an interesting story on how the  Biryani was born. In ancient times when the kings went on wars they used to set camps after the sun sets. On the camp sites the nawabi chefs didn't have enough resources to make a king size meal that has ten different dishes. Then the chefs created this biryani, which is a blend of meat, aromatic spices, nuts and rice, a one pot satisfying meal. There are a number of methods to make biryani. Two basic methods are Paki biryani and Kachchi biryani. Paki meaning cooked, Kachchi meaning raw. In the Paki biryani the meat is cooked first and then layered with rice. In Kachchi biryani the meat and rice are cooked together in an earthen pot called Handi. The lid on the pot is sealed tight with a dough, the steam inside the pot helps the meat and rice cook. The steam is called the dum in Hindi, hence the name Dum Biryani. Hyderabad, a region in South India is famous for Kachchi Biryani.
      Biryani can be made with a variety of meats like chicken, goat meat, lamb, fish or even fried vegetables. After number of failures, I found this recipe easy to make and the results are satisfactory. The leftover biryani tastes even better. Enjoy!!


Ingredients:
Tender goat meat - 1 lb, cut into 1" pieces
Basmati rice - 3/4 lb
Onions - 4 medium, slice
Ginger garlic paste - 4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 3 tsp
Coriander powder - 3 tsp
Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
Garam masala powder - 3 tsp
Nut meg powder - 1/8 tsp
Meat tenderizer - 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves - 1 bunch
Mint leaves - 1 bunch
Green chillies - 4
Shahi jeera(black cumin) - 2tsp
Cashew nuts - 2 tbsp
Bay leaf - 2
Yogurt - 3 cups
Lemon juice - 3 tbsp
Milk - ½ cup
Saffron food color - 2 pinches
Oil - 8tbsp
Ghee - 4tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:

   1. Rinse and soak the basmati rice for at least 40 minutes.

   2. Wash the cut mutton pieces clean and drain the water well.

   3. In a kadai, pour some oil enough for deep frying. Deep fry the onions to golden brown and crispy. Put them aside to cool.

   4. In a bowl, mix the chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt, meat tenderizer, ginger garlic paste, garam masala, 6 tbsp oil, 2tbsp lemon juice and the yogurt. Mix this marinade well.

   5. To this add some of the fried onions, and add some of the coriander and mint leaves Crush the onions and the coriander and mint leaves as you mix.

   6. Add the mutton pieces to this mixture and mix well. Add the slit green chillies to it. Cover it and let it marinate for at least 3-4 hours (preferably overnight in a refrigerator).

   7. Now take a big bowl of water and let it boil, to this add shahi jeera, the nutmeg powder, remaining 2tbsp oil, cashew nuts, the bay leaves and salt. Check for the salt before you add the rice. The water should taste like sea water. As soon as the water comes to a boil add the drained rice. You can see that the rice starts to dance in the water, which is when you drain the rice from the hot water. Make sure all the water is well drained. Put this aside.

   8. Now to the bowl you are going to make the biryani, apply some oil/butter. (I prefer a non-stick bowl that is deep enough, to make this kachchi biryani) Then arrange all the marinated mutton pieces, so that it covers the bottom of the bowl.

   9. Add some fried onions on the meat, some mint and coriander leaves, and drizzle some lemon juice on top of it.

  10. Now layer the rice over the meat and spread it well. Sprinkle the remaining fried onions, lemon juice, mint and coriander leaves over the rice.

  11. In a small cup, dissolve the saffron food color in water. Add this saffron solution to the milk, mix well and spread this over the rice.

  12. Now pour the ghee on the rice.

  13. Cover the bowl with a tight lid so that the air doesn’t escape. I put the chapati dough around the lid to seal it tight.

  14. Put it on a high flame for 10 minutes, reduce the flame to the lowest number and let it cook for another 30 minutes. You can smell the aroma when it is done.

  15. Serve hot with raita, mirchi ka salan, or any non-vegetarian gravy. Garnish with sliced vegetables and a lemon wedge.

 Tasty Tips:

   1. Make sure the lid is properly sealed. If there is any air escape, it dries out the moisture from the rice and   the meat. If the meat dries out it is burnt and tastes bitter.
   2. Make sure the rice is not over cooked.
   3. The pot in which you are making the biryani should be a thick bottom pot. If not place a pan underneath the pot and put it on the stove.
   4. To know more about meat tenderizers please check my mutton fry recipe.

Hyderabadi Mutton Dum Biryani

Egg Puff

Egg puff

Egg puff is such an easy snack that you can whip up in no time. It makes a perfect party appetizer too. Enjoy!!


Ingredients:
Puff pastry sheet - 1
Boiled Eggs - 4
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Chaat Masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Crushed pepper - 1/2 tsp

 Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Boil the eggs and keep aside to cool.
3. Thaw the puff pastry sheets for half-an-hour.
4. Dust the counter-top lightly with flour. Dust the pastry sheet with flour. Using a rolling-pin roll it to 1/4" thick.
5. Cut the sheet into 9 squares. 
6. Shell the eggs and cut them into slices.
7. Place 4 to 5 slices of egg on one side of a puff pastry square. Sprinkle the chaat masala, chilli powder, pepper powder and salt on the egg slices. 
8. Cover the eggs with the other end of the sheet. Using a fork press the edges.
9. Prepare the rest similarly.
10. Bake it at 400 F for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
11. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Tasty Tip:
For the puff pastry sheets I use the brand 'Pepperidge farm'. You can find this product in any grocery store in the freezer section.

This recipe yields 9 egg puffs.

Egg puff

Mutton Fry

Mutton Fry

                                                                        
Mutton fry is a unique dish that leaves non-vegetarian lovers crave for more. This is one of my husband's favorite dishes, so I make it very often. Try it yourself and feel like a master chef. Enjoy !!!

Ingredients:
Mutton (with bones cut to 1 inch pieces) - 1 pound
Onions - 1 large
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbs
Garam masala powder- 1tsp
Curry leaves - few
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Dry coconut powder - 2 tsp
Meat tenderizer - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Coriander leaves - few
Oil - 5 tbsp

Method:

1. Wash the mutton pieces clean and drain the water and keep it aside. 
2. Heat some of the oil in a wide non-stick pan. When the oil is medium hot, add the chopped onions. Fry till the onions are golden brown. Turn off the flame and let the onions cool down completely. Once the onions are cooled, blend it into a smooth paste. Keep it aside.
3.  In the same pan, heat the rest of the oil and add in the garam masala powder. Then add in the onion paste. Fry for a while.
4. Now add the ginger garlic paste and the curry leaves. Fry till the raw flavor is gone. 
5. Add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and the salt. Fry the spices well. 
6. Add in the clean mutton pieces. Stir well till all the meat is coated with the spices and onion mixture. 
7. Add in the meat tenderizer and the coconut powder. Mix well, cover and let it cook on a medium low flame till the oil leaves the sides of the pan. Make sure you check in between. If it sticks to the bottom of the pan, add some water. Check to see if the meat is cooked. When the meat shrinks and separates from the bone, it is cooked.
8. Check the seasonings and finish it off with the lemon juice and the chopped coriander leaves.

         Serve hot with fried rice or jeera rice. Since this is a dry dish, it makes an excellent appetizer too. Enjoy!!

Tasty tips:

1. I use goat meat for most of my mutton dishes. In India people prefer lamb over goat. But the lamb meat we get in California is tough. The goat meat is a better option for this dish in particular.

2. While buying goat meat, make sure its pale pink in color, which means its tender and cooks fast.

3. To make garam masala powder please check my Mushroom fry recipe.

4. Meat tenderizer is found in the spice section of any Indian grocery stores. I use the brand 'Shan'.
     
The traditional meat fry preparations doesn't involve pressure cooking. When meat is pressure cooked, it actually boils the meat whereas an open pan cooking fries the meat, giving it a nice caramelized coating.

        Raw papaya paste, dry pomegranate seeds and pineapple paste are the most commonly used meat tenderizers in Nawabi Mutton dum Biryanis. These meat tenderizers not only help the meat cook faster but also enhance the flavors of the meat. The Shan meat tenderizer that I use is a powder version that has dried raw papaya and pomegranate seeds.

Mutton Fry

                                                                       

Bread Pizza

Bread Pizza

This dish was born when a hungry toddler was whining and bread was the only edible thing lying around. Apparently, my daughter is not a big fan of peanut butter or jam. She loves plain cheese, I combined cheese and bread with some veggies for a picky eater. The best part is its healthy and is ready in no time. Enjoy !!

Ingredients:
Bread slices - 3
Cheese - 1/2 cup
Chopped Veggies - 1/2 cup
Marinara sauce - 3 tbsp

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Take the bread slices, spread a tablespoon of marinara sauce on each slice. Top it with your favorite veggies. Top the veggies with shredded mozzarella cheese.
3. Bake it for 2 to 3 minutes or until the cheese melts.
4. Serve hot.

Tasty tip:
You can use any cheese you want but mozzarella cheese melts beautifully.

For marinara sauce, I use the brand Prego.

Bread Pizza

                                                                            

Mushroom Fry

Mushroom Fry

Mushroom fry is such an easy dish that you can whip up in no time. Whether you're counting carbs or calories or just trying to include more healthy foods in your diet, this is a perfect dish. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

White button mushrooms - 1/2 lb
Onion - 1 medium size
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Dry coconut powder - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 3 tbsp
Finely chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

Method:
Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth. Cut it into thin slices.

In a pan, heat some oil, add the cumin seeds and let them crackle. Then add the garam masala powder. Immediately add the finely chopped onion. Add some salt. Fry till the onions are translucent. Add the curry leaves. Then add the ginger garlic paste, fry for a minute. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and the coriander powder. Fry the spices for a minute. Then add the chopped mushrooms. Add some more salt. Mix well, cover and let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes. The mushrooms wilt down in no time. Add the coconut powder and mix well. Cover it and let it cook for two more minutes. Turn the heat off. Add the chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with chapati or hot steaming rice.

This should serve 2 - 3 people.

Mushroom Fry

Tasty tip:

Garam masala:

I make my garam masala fresh as and when needed. For 1/2 a tsp garam masala I powder one clove, one cardamom and a half inch cinnamon stick using a mortar and pestle.

Mirchi Ka Salan

Mirchi Ka Salan

Mirchi ka salan is an exotic side dish to any biryani. Mirchi is green chilli in Hindi and Salan is a Hyderabadi lingo for a creamy sauce or curry. This is one classic Hyderabadi dish with a tangy peanut sauce. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

Green Chillies - 8
Peanuts - 1/2 cup
Sesame seeds - 2 tbsp
Dry coconut powder - 3 tbsp
Tamarind - 1 tbsp (goose-berry size)
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing(asafoetida) - a pinch
Curry leaves - few
Onion - 1 small
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 1 tsp
Oil - 4 tbs
red food color (optional) - a pinch
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

Method:
Dry roast the peanuts till golden brown. Keep it aside to cool. In the same pan, toast the sesame seeds till it has a nice aroma. Let it cool in a plate. Now dry roast the coconut powder. Make sure the flame is very low while toasting the coconut powder. It tends to burn very quickly. Let it cool.

Soak the tamarind in some warm water till its soft and pulpy. Grind it into a smooth paste and keep aside.

Now blend the toasted sesame seeds, the peanuts and the coconut powder to a smooth paste adding water a little at a time.

The green chillies you choose should be a little thick. Give a small slit to the green chillies. Do not cut the stem off. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a pan and fry the chillies till the skin has some blisters. This gives some nice smoky flavor to the chillies and also cuts down the heat in them. Keep these fried chillies in a plate.

To the same pan add the remaining oil, add hing, add cumin seeds. Let the cumin seeds crackle. Now add the chopped onion and the curry leaves. Fry till the onion is translucent. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw flavor is gone. Add the peanut, sesame and coconut mixture to it. Stir well. When you see oil separating from the sides, add the spices, the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, salt, sugar. Mix well. Just when you see oil separating, add the tamarind pulp to it. Mix well. Add water and adjust to your desired consistency.

Dissolve a pinch of red food color in some water and add this to the above mixture. Mix well. Add the fried green chillies. Stir well. When you see oil on top, check the seasonings and add chopped coriander leaves. Turn the flame off.

Serve it as an accompaniment to any biryani or fried rice.

Safety Tip:

Be very careful while frying the green chillies in the oil. The green chillies tend to pop a lot in hot oil. If you don't slit the green chillies they burst in oil, which is very dangerous. So the cut is very important. Use a splutter screen if needed.  

Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji is a famous street side food originated in Maharashtra and is popular in most fast food chains all over the world. Nobody can resist the buttered pavs and the spicy mixed vegetable bhaji. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

For the Bhaaji:
Potatoes - 2
Green peas - 1/2 cup
Carrot - 1
Green bell pepper - 1
Cauliflower - few florets about 1 cup
Onions - 2
Tomatoes - 2
Turmeric - 1/8 tsp
Chilli powder - 2tsp
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Pav bhaji masala - 1 1/2 tbsp (I use Everest Pav bhaji masala)
Garlic - 2 cloves
Oil - 1 tbsp
Butter - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Coriander leaves - 3 tbsp

For The Pav:
Pav - 8
Butter- 2 tbsp

For each individual Serving:
Finely chopped onions - 2 tbsp
Lemon wedges - 1
Butter - 2 tsp

For Garnishing:
Chopped coriander - 4 tbsp

Method:
Boil the potatoes, cauliflower, carrots and peas with a little water and salt in a pressure cooker. Cook it for 2 whistles. Keep it aside. In a large pan, add the oil and the butter. Add the cumin seeds, let them crackle. Then add the crushed garlic, fry for 30 seconds. Do not let the garlic burn. Then add the finely chopped onions. Fry till the onions are translucent and you notice oil oozing out. Then add the chopped tomatoes. Fry well till you see oil separating. Then add the chilli powder, turmeric powder and the pav bhaji masala. Fry the spices well. Add salt. Mix well. Now add the finely chopped bell pepper. Fry till the oil separates and the peppers are mushy.
Drain the water from the boiled vegetables. Peel the potatoes. And mash up all the boiled vegetables together. Now add these mashed vegetables to the onion, tomato mixture in the pan. Mix well. Add water if required. The consistency will be on the thicker side at this stage. Add the finely chopped coriander leaves. Turn the flame off. Keep it aside.

For the pav:
Slit 2 pavs vertically and keep aside. Heat a griddle, add 2 tsp of butter. Slit open the pavs and place on it. Cook on a medium flame till they turn light brown and crisp on both the sides. (add more butter if required).

Just before serving, heat up a small pan, add some butter to it. Add some bhaji to the pan that is just enough for one person. Fry well till the butter is separated. Put it in a plate, drizzle some lemon juice. Top it with a small cube of butter. The butter slowly melts into the bhaji. Sprinkle some chopped onions and chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with the buttered pavs and a lemon wedge.

Pav Bhaji

Tasty tip:
The left over bhaji goes excellent with hot pooris.

Saag Paneer/ Mushroom Pizza

Saag Paneer/ Mushroom Pizza

Pizza is an all time favorite among the kids and the adults. Pizza is one dish where you have a lot of scope for creativity. Make it a family project, the results are even better.
My Indian version was a super hit. You can see in the picture that it is half green and half red. The green part is the Saag paneer and the other half is the Mushroom topping.
Enjoy!! 


Basic Pizza dough:
The recipe for the pizza dough yields 3 medium size pizzas.

Ingredients:
All purpose flour - 5 cups
Warm water - 1 1/2 cups + extra as needed
Active dry yeast - 1 packet (1/4 ounce) (I used Fleishmann's rapid rise highly active yeast)
Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - 1 1/2 teaspoons
Olive oil - for drizzling

Method:
Microwave the water till warm. Put the water in a bowl and add the yeast and the sugar to it. Stir it until dissolved.
Take a large bowl and whisk the flour and salt together. Add the yeast and mix until it forms soft dough. If the dough is too dry, add a little water, 1 tablespoon at a time. If the dough is too sticky, add a little flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Flour your hands; knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic. Knead it for 15 minutes. Drizzle some olive oil and keep kneading. Brush a bowl with some olive oil and transfer the dough into the bowl. Cover it loosely with a damp kitchen towel. Place the bowl in a warm, draft-free area. (I have preheated my oven for a minute, turned it off and placed the bowl in the oven). Let it rest for 2 hours until the dough has risen double its original volume.
After 2 hours, take the dough out. Deflate the dough by punching it. Now divide it into 3 equal pieces.
Form the dough pieces into 3 balls and place each into 3 oiled bowls. Cover each bowl loosely with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let rest for 1 hour. Remove the dough and wrap in plastic. You can refrigerate the dough for up to 1 day or freeze the dough for a week and use it as and when needed.

Saag paneer pizza sauce:

Ingredients:
Spinach leaves - 100 gms
Green chillies - 2 (or as per your taste)
Garlic - 2 cloves
Lemon juice - 1 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Grated mozzarella cheese - 1/2 cup
Paneer (cottage cheese) - few pieces cubed
Olive oil - for blending

Method:
Blend together the spinach leaves, garlic and the green chillies. It isn't a fine paste yet. Add in the lemon juice, salt and the cheese. As you blend, add the olive oil. Olive oil should help you blend it into a smooth paste. Do not add any water for blending, add oil instead. Take the mixture into a clean bowl and add the cubed paneer pieces.
For the Mushroom Pizza sauce, I have just cut up some mushrooms and added half a cup basic pizza sauce.
I use Prego pizza sauce.

Pizza

Pizza making:
Adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Roll the pizza dough into 14-inch diameter circle, about 1/4 to 1/16-inch thick. If you like a thick crust pizza, roll it thick. Dust it with flour while rolling if needed. Take a pizza stone; sprinkle it with some corn meal. If you don’t have corn meal, you can just sprinkle some sooji (rawa). This prevents the pizza from sticking it to the pizza stone. If you do not have a pizza stone, any baking tray would work just as good. If you are using a baking tray, spray it with some cooking oil, before placing the pizza on it. Or you can just use a parchment paper to prevent it from sticking to the baking tray.
With the help of the rolling pin, transfer the dough on to the pizza stone.  Drizzle it with some olive oil, this helps the pizza from drying out.
Now spread the saag paneer sauce leaving a half inch border.  Top it with some tomatoes. On the other half of the pizza, spread the basic pizza sauce, top it with mushrooms. On top of it goes, shredded mozzarella cheese. Add as much or as little cheese as you wish.  Brush the edges of the pizza with some olive oil. Bake until the crust is golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, cut into wedges and serve.

You can do both these sauces on the same pizza like I did or you can do it on two separate pizzas.

Tasty tip:
While making the pizza dough, do not heat the water too much, else it kills the yeast. The ideal temperature the water should be is 100 F to 110 F. Make sure all the yeast is properly dissolved in the water before you add it to the flour. 

The important thing to remember here is the amount of salt you add. The cheeses we are adding already have a lot of salt in it. The pizza dough has salt in it too. So adjust the salt accordingly.

With the toppings you can be as creative as possible. You can top the pizza with just about any of your favorite vegetables or meats.

Baingan Bharta

Baingan Bharta

This is a super hit dish amongst the egg plant lovers. Egg plant when baked has a unique smoky flavor. The smoky flavor of the baked egg plant makes your taste buds crave for more. Although the method of this recipe looks tedious, it really is not. The end product is all worth the effort.

Ingredients:

Egg plant - 1
Onion (finely chopped) - 1 large
Tomato (finely chopped) - 2 medium sized
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/8 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 3 tbsp
Cilantro (finely chopped) - 3 tbsp

Method:

Preheat the oven to 510 F. Make sure its in a bake mode.

Wash and wipe the egg plant dry with a clean kitchen towel.  Brush it with some oil. Make a few cuts on the egg plant with a knife. This is to prevent it from blasting inside the oven and to let it cook well from inside as well.

Now place the egg plant on a baking tray and bake it for 30 min or till the egg plant skin has some blisters. Keep an eye on it. Every oven temperature is different. You might also want to turn the egg plant round every now and then.

Let the egg plant cool a little bit. Now with your hands, peel the skin off. It should come right off. Discard the skin. Put the flesh of the egg plant on a chopping board and give it a rough chop with a knife. Put it aside.


Now put a pan on medium high heat. Add the oil. Add the mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add in the cumin seeds. Now add the chopped onion. Saute it till the onions are translucent. Then add the curry leaves. Stir them in. Add the ginger garlic paste. Saute it till the raw smell is gone and the oil oozes out. Now add in the chopped tomatoes. Mix well and cover it with a lid till the tomatoes are cooked. This should take around 2-3 minutes. Then add in the turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, salt and saute well for a minute or two.

Add in the chopped egg plant. Mix well, turn the heat to medium low and cover it with a lid. Let it simmer for 3 minutes till the oil oozes out. Turn the heat off. Add in the chopped cilantro.

Baingan Bharta

 
Serve hot with chapati. It goes well with hot steaming rice too, but chapati is the best option. Enjoy !!

Tasty tips:

While choosing an egg plant always choose the one that has a nice green stem. The egg plant should have a vibrant purple color with a nice shine. Such an egg plant has less seeds and the flesh inside is whiter, which is more tastier.
Some people grill the whole egg plant on the stove top instead of an oven. But in US especially, the better option besides an oven would be a barbecue grill. 

Sorakaya Senagapappu Koora

Sorakaya Senagapappu Koora

This is one of my favorite childhood dishes that my mom used to make quite often. Adding lentils to any vegetable not only adds extra proteins but also increases the quantity of the curry that you are making. 

Ingredients:

Sorakaya (Bottle gourd) – 1 medium size
Chana dal (Bengal gram/Senagapappu) – ¼ cup
Onion – 1 medium size
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – few
Coriander leaves- few sprigs
Turmeric – 1/8 tsp
Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – ½ tsp
Dry coconut powder – 1 tsp
Sesame seed powder – ½ tsp
Oil- 3 tbsp
Salt – to taste

Method:
I usually use a pressure cooker, when I use Chana dal in my curries.
First wash the chana dal until the water runs clear. Let the dal soak in a half cup of water. Meanwhile, put a pressure cooker on a medium flame and add the oil. Add the mustard seeds and wait till they crackle. Now add the cumin seeds. Then add the onions and some salt fry them till they are translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Then add the turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, and some salt and fry for a minute. Make sure the spices don’t burn. Drain the water from the chana dal , do not throw away the water. Then add the bottle gourd and the chana dal to the cooker. Mix well. After a minute, add the water that the dal was soaked in. Mix everything well. Cover with the pressure cooker lid. Let it cook for 2 whistles. The key here is not to let the dal mash up too much. It still has to have a bite to it. After the pressure goes off, open the cooker and check if the curry is watery. It usually is, coz bottle gourd has a lot of water in it. Now turn on the flame and keep the lid open and let the water in the curry evaporate. When you see oil oozing out, add the coconut powder and sesame powder. Mix well.

               

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice or chapatti. Enjoy!!

Tasty Tip:
Instead of adding all the salt at once, I usually add little by little as the recipe proceeds. Seasoning every layer of the dish. Always add the salt on the lesser side. The water in the dish evaporates as you proceed. Once the water is evaporated, you will be left with the actual taste of the salt. So if you have added more salt, after the water is gone, it leaves the dish salty. You can always add more salt if it needs but removing extra salt from the dish is definitely not pretty.

Gunta Pongadalu

Gunta Pongadalu is a famous South Indian breakfast/snack dish. The batter is nothing but the regular dosa batter with a few extra ingredients in it. Hope you enjoy it.


Ingredients

Rice - 2 cups
Split Black gram (urad dal) – 1 cup
Bengal gram (chana dal) – ¼ cup
Fenugreek seeds – ¼ teaspoon
Salt – to taste
Oil – 2 teaspoons + for cooking
Cumin Seeds – ¼ teaspoon
Curry leaves – 10 to 12 chopped
Onion – 1 large, finely chopped
Green chillies – 2 to 3

Method Soak the rice, urad dal and chana dal with fenugreek seeds in six cups of water for at least five hours. Drain and grind to a little coarser consistency in a blender, preferably in a wet grinder. Wet grinder helps in a better fermentation. Ensure that the batter is not too smooth.

Add salt, mix well and allow it to ferment overnight. The next day before making the pongadaalu, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, onion and green chillies to the batter. Mix well.

The pan

Heat the pongadala tawa over medium heat and grease each dent with a little oil. Pour a ladle of batter in each dent, drizzle some oil and cook for four to five minutes till the lower side is done.

Turn them over using a spoon/wooden skewer and drizzle a little more oil and continue to cook for three to four minutes or until both the sides are evenly cooked. Prepare the rest similarly.

Serve hot with peanut chutney.

Why another food blog?

Hello Friends,

This is Supriya Soora.

I had no prior experience in cooking. It all started after I got married 6 years ago and I moved to the US. My cooking experiments turned out pretty good most of the times. My first inspiration in cooking is of course my mom. She is the fabulous cook, which she inherited from her mom, my ammamma. My Ammamma was the ultimate cook. She used to create fabulous dishes even without using any fancy cooking gadgets.

Okay, coming to the blog, the most obvious question is why another food blog? I think every person cooks the same dish differently even with the same recipe. The reasons might be many, like the state of mind while cooking, level of understanding the recipe, accidents etc. etc. So I am here to share the same recipes you have seen in your life but with a twist of my own and with the tips I learned on experience. Being the cook of the house, I also feel an urgent need to break the notions of cooking as a risky sport. Cooking is only as complex as you wish to make it. You can make a simple bowl of package mix soup or a complex chicken biryani. You can whip up a simple tomato rasam in no time or make gaarelu from "scratch". I think, for a cook to make something from scratch is to throw together few basic ingredients to make an edible dish. And when I say basic, I mean basic. For example, you don't need to go through the trouble of making the biryani masala to make the chicken biryani. You can get the biryani masala from your local Indian grocers. Heck, you can just go have a hot plate of biryani at Paradise, Peacock or Bawarchi or wherever. Which brings us down to another question, which is a good one, "If I can get food pre-made in a restaurant, then why bother cooking at all?" Number one reason being the affordability on a daily basis and an even better reason is that no one can make food to your taste as well as you do. When you make your own food, you know how much salt and pepper went into it. You know the ingredients in it. You know how healthy it is.

To me, the best reason to cook is for the sheer joy of it. Cooking to me is like any other experiment I did in my chemistry lab. The end product is actually visible to your eye. And when the result is good, there's the satisfaction derived from a job well done.  My mom says to be able to cook; one needs passion to cook, well I say, one needs self-confidence. I am here to boost your self-confidence in cooking by bringing in simple and easy dishes to your table. Enjoy!!