Peanut Salad

Peanut Salad is a quick and easy salad which can do magic during parties. It can serve as a starter or can accompany your main dish. Its simple, tasty and addictive too. Check out the procedure of making this tasty salad and Enjoy!!

Ingredients

• Peanuts- 250 gms 
• Onion- 1 large
• Green chilly - 1
• Vinegar - a dash
• Salt

Method

• Finely chop the onion and green chilly
• In a clean bowl, mix all the ingredients
• Check salt. Make sure you add the right amount of salt.
• Serve and enjoy!!

Egg Curry

Egg curries are usually made when you prefer something tasty within a few minutes. I love making variations of egg curries which is loved by all at home. Usually they go well with Appam, Rotis, Naan and even Rice.

This egg curry is a totally different one that does taste spicy and has all the goodness of coconut milk. Try this out with rotis and make your supper super cool.

Ingredients

• Eggs - 4
• Onions - 4
• Tomatoes - 2 
• Chilly powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander powder- 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
• Cumin powder- a pinch
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
• Coconut Milk- 1/2 -3/4 cup
• Salt
• Oil

Method 

• Full boil eggs, peel the skin
• Make slits on the egg and keep them aside
• Finely chop onions
• Finely chop tomatoes
• Heat a pan and pour some oil
• Add onions and saute till transparent
• Now add Ginger Garlic paste and saute well
• Add Red chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder and garam masala powder and saute
• Add finely chopped tomatoes and saute well
• Now add a glass of water to the paste and let it boil
• You may now add some amount of coconut milk to it
• Add salt and let it boil
• Remove the contents in a bowl and arrange the eggs neatly.
• Serve hot with Rotis, Appam or Naan

Aloo Bhindy Sabzi

Aaloo Bhindi Sabzi is a Punjabi dish that is very simple to make and very tasty too. You can prepare this dish within minutes and you simply can resist its yummy taste with rotis.

Ingredients

• Ladies Finger/Bhindi- 300 gms
• Potato - 2 large
• Onions- 2 
• Ginger Garlic Paste- 1/4 tsp
• Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1/8 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida powder - 1/8 tsp
• Dry mango powder (Optional)- a pinch
• Salt
• Oil

Method

• Heat a pan 
• Add oil
• Fry cubed potatoes till they are cooked completely
• Remove from flame when done and remove the excess oil by placing them on a tissue
• In the same oil, fry bhindi pieces till they become light brown in colour
• Remove the fried bhindi after they are fried properly and drain off excess oil by placing them on tissue paper

• In the same oil, add finely chopped onions and saute well till they turn golden brown
• Now you may add Ginger Garlic paste and saute them till it loses the raw smell
• Add Red chilly powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder and saute well
• You may now add the finely chopped tomatoes to the spices
• Saute the tomatoes till they cook well
• Now add half a cup of water and allow the tomato mix to boil well

• Now it is time to add the fried potatoes and bhindi to the pan
• Add sufficient salt to it
• Add asafoetida and garam masala too
• The optional ingredient, dry mango powder has to be added at this point. I have avoided it. You may add it if you want to.
• Mix well gently for 1 min
• Serve hot with Rotis

Pulisadam

I remember Pulisadam as a favorite food item in my lunch box when I was a child. Though I loved other lunch box varieties when i was at school, I prefered to choose Pulisadam the most because it did not spill out and spoil my books. Moreover, my Mom used to make the best Pulisadam I had ever tasted in my whole life, so could not resist asking her to make it each time she asked me what I preferred for my lunch breaks.

This tangy rice delicacy is a quick and easy one to make, and I think anyone who prefer rice as their lunch would defenitely fall in love with it.

Ingredients (Serves 1)

• Cooked rice - 3 cups
• Shallots- 5 nos
• Chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida powder - 1/8 tsp
• Tamarind paste- 1 tsp
• Salt- Not too much - 1/4 tsp would do. But make sure you check the saltiness before adding it to the rice.
• Water- 1/4 cup
• Mustard seeds- 1/8 tsp
• Curry leaves
• Oil - 1 tsp

Method

• Heat a pan
• Pour oil
• Add mustard seeds and allow them to splutter
• Add finely chopped shallots and saute well
• In a small bowl, add water, chilly powder, asafoetida powder, salt and tamarind paste, and mix well
• Add the tamarind mix to the shallots and allow it to boil
• Now you may add the cooked rice to the pan
• Check salt
• Mix the tamarind mixture to the rice perfectly well
• Now you may close the lid for 5 min
• Serve or pack the rice in a lunch box after 5 min
• Enjoy a tangy lunch with coconut chutney or vegetable thoran.

Chicken Fried Rice - Treat Your Tummies On Every Special Occasion

Are you planning to make your Sundays special? Or are you confused over what to make for your guests? If you want something grand and elegant, for a dinner or a lunch, you can always try your hand making Chicken Fried Rice.

I always love chicken fried rice that is loaded with a whole lot of veges and shredded chicken pieces with a bit of scrambled eggs, nuts and raisins. 

Ingredients

• Basmati Rice- 1 kg
• Onions - 2 large
• Beans - 1 kg
• Carrot - 1 kg
• Chicken cooked and Shredded - 2 cups
• Eggs - 2
• Green chilies - 2 
• Pepper  powder - 2 tsp
• Garam masala - 1 1/2 tsp
• Tomato Sauce - 2 tbsp
• Soya Sauce- 1 tsp
• Raisins - 50 gms
• Cashew nuts - 50 gm
• Ghee -
• Vegetable oil
• Salt
• Cardamon whole - 2
• Cloves - 2
• Cinnamon - 1 inch piece

Method

Stage - 1

• Wash the basmati rice and soak it for 20 min
• In a large pressure cooker, add around 3/4 water and switch on the flame.
• Add cardamom, cloves and cinnamon to the water and allow it to boil
• Add the soaked basmati rice to the water and allow it to cook. Do not over cook.
• After the rice is cooked, strain off the water and keep the rice aside

Stage - 2

• Heat a pan and add vegetable oil to it
• Add finely chopped Onions, carrots, beans and green chilies to the pan and saute well after adding salt to it
• Add pepper powder and garam masala and mix well
• Close the lid and cook for 10- 15 min
• Switch off flame and keep the veges aside

Stage- 3

• Beat the eggs 
• Add salt, half a tbsp of tomato sauce and beat well
• Heat a pan and scramble the eggs
• Switch off the flame and keep the eggs aside

Stage - 4

• Cook chicken pieces by adding salt and pepper powder
• Remove from flame after they are cooked
• Shred them and keep aside

Stage - 5

• Heat a pan and add 1 tbsp of ghee
• Fry the nuts and raisins separately and strain off oil and keep aside

Stage-6

• Take a large Kadai and heat it
• Add 2- 3 tbsp of ghee and heat it
• Add the cooked rice to it and mix well in the ghee
• Now you may add the vegetables, shredded chicken, fried raisins and nuts, scrambled eggs, tomato sauce, soya sauce and salt to the rice
• Mix well 
• Serve hot with chicken curry and raitha
• ENJOY!!

Beef Cutlet

Beef cutlet is a real delight as an evening snack or as an accompaniment with rice. You can even serve it as a starter when you have guests for dinner or lunch.

Though making cutlets is simple, it takes too much a time while getting the ingredients prepared for the final stage. The effort you take is never wasted when you find your loved ones and your guests shower you with appreciations.

PS.: Picturized version below the description

Ingredients

• Beef keema- 1 kg
• Potatoes - 4 medium
• Onions - 2 medium
• Carrot- 1 1/2 medium
• Beans - 15 nos (app 1/4 kg)
• Ginger garlic paste- 1/2 tbsp
• Coriander leaves - a bunch
• Green chilies- 2
• Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
• Bread crumbs - 
• Eggs
• Salt
• Oil

Method

• Pressure cook beef keema with Ginger garlic paste and sufficient salt
• Remove them allow it to cool
• Cook the potatoes in pressure cooker until it cooks perfect. 
• Switch off the cooker and allow the potatoes to cool.
• Peel off the skin as soon as the potatoes cool enough to handle with your bare hands
• Finely chop the vegetables (carrots, onions, beans and green chilies separately)
• Heat a pan 
• Add oil to it
• Now you may add the finely chopped veges in the order- Onions, green chillies --- saute then carrots and beans. Saute well after adding sufficient salt.
• Add a pinch of turmeric and saute
• Close the lid and cook for 5 min
• Switch off flame after the veges have cooked well
• After the vegetables have cooled down, add them to the cooked dry beef keema
• Now you may add pepper powder, Garam masala, coriander leaves and mashed potatoes to the beef and vege mix
• Add salt if you find salt is little
• Mix well and divide the mix into small balls
• Place a flat plat upside down or you may use a smooth surface for flattening the balls into cutlets
• You may use a small thin strip of flexible plastic for shaping the cutlets
• Make sure you flatten the cutlets after dipping the balls in a plate with some bread crumbs
• Beat an egg in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and keep aside
• Heat a pan and add oil for deep frying
• As soon as the oil gets heated, take a cutlet, dip it in the beaten egg
• Remove excess egg content and add them to the hot oil for deep frying
• Fry it for 5 min
• Now turn it other way round to get the other side cooked well
• Remove the cutlets from flame as soon as it turns brown in colour
• Place them on tissues to drain off excess oil
• Serve hot with tomato sauce
• Enjoy!!

Mackerel/Ayala Fish Curry

Ayala Fish curry, one of my favorites is a quick and easy one to prepare. Usually it is served with rice during lunch time in the state of Kerala, India. But often, it takes place in the breakfast plates with Puttu, which is a steam cake made out of rice flour. I love it both as a side dish for lunch and as an accompaniment for Puttu. So here is the method of preparing Ayala Fish curry, the Kerala style.

Ingredients

• Ayala/Mackerel fish - 4 nos
• Coconut gratings- 1/2 cup
• Shallots - 6 nos
• Chilies - 3 nos 
• Tomato- 1 no
• Red Chilly Powder - 2 tsp
• Coriander Powder - 2 tsp (Optional)
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Tamarind paste - 1/4 tsp
• Salt 
• Oil(Coconut oil)

Method

• Take out a mixer jar, add coconut gratings, Red chilly powder, Turmeric powder, Coriander powder(optional) and Shallots, and Grind them by adding a bit of water (1/4 cup) till you get a fine paste
• Clean the fish and cut them into small pieces
• In a kadai, (Do not put it on flame now) you may add the coconut paste, fish and small amount of salt. Now add the slit green chilies, finely chopped tomatoes and a tablespoon coconut oil and mix well.
• Now you may place the Kadai on top of stove. Switch on the stove and allow the mix to boil
• When the curry is about to boil, add the tamarind paste to it and mix it with the help of a spatula.
• Add some curry leaves.
• When the curry starts to boil, simmer and close the kadai with a lid.
• Let the fish cook for 10 to 15 min.
• After 10 min, or as soon as the fish is found soft and cooked well, switch off the flame.
• Remove the contents to a serving bowl
• Serve hot with rice or puttu
• Enjoy a tangy tasty ayala fish curry with your family!!