Tag: biryani

Being Vegetarian is a Delight!!!

Non- vegetarians always think the only food which is edible is in form of meat. That’s so unfair for those people who do not eat meat and still have a happy tummy after every meal. Yes ! its a myth that only non vegetarians can survive in other parts of world or even in India. That is completely untrue and so not “The Fact “. Its good that you follow a certain cuisine and prefer to eat meat as its the best form of protein but its totally not true that who doesn’t eat meat is wasting his life or appetite.According to my own research (putting in statistical view point )I have seen a variety of dishes are catered for vegetarians which are full of nutrients and full of taste. They are easy to be made yet so good in appeal. Its not necessary that tandoor food should only have meat else we do not

consider it to be tandoor. You will be wrong if you taste panner tikka or tandoori Gobi. The variety of curries and appetisers are more in number for a vegetarian than for a non -vegetarian. I am not stating that we should quit non-veg and pledge to be vegetarians (That’s so not the motive of writing this ) but instead appreciate the value of a vegetarian cuisine and just do not crib about having only non-vegetarian dishes only in every meal. The variety , colour , aroma which can be created in a vegetarian recipe is just awestruck and it tastes much better than a non-veg item (Putting this on a serious note).The variety we eat in a marwari wedding is more than a variety we eat in a Bengali wedding (I have attended both so am capable of distinguishing both). I would appeal to my bengali
friends (Specially) to not crib for non-vegetarian food always and try and appreciate the richness , variety and goodness of veggie’s delight. Give a look to the recipes below and come out of the myth . Stay fir stay blessed.

Mix Vegetable Fried Balls :

Ingredients : 2 cup roughly chopped onions , 2 cup roughly chopped capsicum , 1/2 cup green peas, 1 cup grated carrot, 1 cup spring onions finely chopped, 1/2 cup grated potato, 1 &1/2 cup gram flour (Besan ), 1 tablespoon green chillies finely chopped, teaspoon carom seeds, 1 teaspoon Asafoetida, 1 teaspoon red chilly powder,1/2 teaspoon of sodium bi-carbonate,1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1/2 tablespoon coriander chopped, water as required for batter, Oil for deep frying, Chat masala for garinshing

serving : 4

Method :Mix all the ingredients with water to get thick flowing consistency. Leave it for 30
minutes.With the help of a large spoon drop small drops into the heated oil of the drying pan and fry till golden brown . Do not fry in high flame else it will remain uncooked in the centre. Fry in medium or slow flame. Once golden brown vegetable balls sprinkle chaat masala over it and serve with tamarind chutney. Its a dish to be enjoyed with friends and invite those who believe non -veg is the only food possible and surprise them.

Panner Kofta :

Ingredients :

For Kofta : 200g grated cottage cheese (panner), 3 medium sized potato boiled and mashed, 1 teaspoon Pomegranate seeds (anardana) finely crushed , 1 tablespoon chopped green chillies, 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves , Salt to taste, 1 teaspoon kashmiri lal mirch , 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder), 1/4 cup resins finely chopped for kofta filling , Oil for frying .

For gravy: 1 tablespoon cooking oil, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 2 to 3 cardamoms, 2 to 3 cloves, 1/2 cup onion paste, 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste,1/2 cup tomato purée, 2 teaspoon cumin and coriander powder mixture, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 3/4 cup fresh cream, 1 teaspoon garam masala, salt to taste. Chopped coriander for garnishing.

Servings : 4

Method:

For kofta: Add all the ingredients except resins, listed for kofta, mix them well and make a smooth dough. Now make even balls out of the dough, filling chopped resins into the kofta balls as a filling and givethe koftas its desired round shapes. Keep it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Fry the koftas in medium flame slowly until golden brown and keep it aside.

For Gravy :
Heat a deep pan ,add oil, cumin seeds, whole spices , onion paste , ginger and garlic paste and stir it for 3 to 4 minutes until onions separates oil .Add tomato purée and all the dry spices along with little bit of salt keeping in mind that koftas too have salt.Cook until tomato separates oil and add fresh cream and 1/2 cup water. cook the gravy for 4 to 5 minutes and switch off the flame. When its time to serve, then only add fried koftas into the gravy so that koftas doesn’t turn soggy . Isn’t it a recipe which can compete with any non-veg dish .

Vegetable biryani :

Biryani is such a non-veg recipe and breaking the typecast lets make it a veg dish and it will still be so yummy and mouth-watering which will surprise you to the fullest.

Ingredients : 1/2 kg basmati rice washed and soaked in water for an hour, 1 cup sliced Onions, 1 chopped carrots , I cup chopped beans , 1 cup diced potato, 1 cup panner cubes, 1 cup yoghurt, 1 cup tomato roughly chopped, 1 cup boiled green peas, 1 tablespoon coriander and mint leaves finely chopped, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, 1 tablespoon ginger and garlic paste, 1 teaspoon red chilly powder, 1 teaspoon garam masala, half a dozen cloves, half a dozen black peppercorns, half a dozen green cardamom, 1 cinnamon stick.

Servings : 6

Method :

Half cook the rice and flatten it on large rice plate and sprinkle a little ghee on top avoiding sticking of rice grains with each other. Take a deep pan with a lid and and separately deep fry all the vegetables (Except Onions and tomatoes) and panner and keep it aside. Pour the remaining ghee into the pan and add all thw whole spices ,half a dozen cloves, half a dozen black peppercorns, half a dozen green cardamom, 1 cinnamon stick .Add Onions and ginger garlic paste to it and stir till onion becomes translucent.Now add Tomato and all powdered dry spices, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder,1 teaspoon red chilly powder, 1 teaspoon garam masala, Salt, and green chillies . Sauté it for 5 to 6 minutes stir in all the deep fried vegetables along with panner and add yoghurt to it. Stir gently for 3 to 4 minutes let the gravy dry a little and then pour out half of the gravy into a separate plate. Now spread half of the cooked rice into the deep pan and garinish on top with chopped green coriander and mint leaves and half of the fried onion slices, Repeat theame step with the remaining gravy and rice. Slow the flame. Close the lid of the deep pan and remove it from the flame. Now place a flat tava/pan on the slow flame and then put the biryani containing deep pan on it . with the help of a tight dough seal the edges of the pan’s lid so that air could not pass through it.This process is know as cooking in Dum. Keep the dum flame on till the dough which is used as a seal looses out moisture and nearly becomes breakable. The Biryani is ready to be serve with your prefered choice of gravy or curry or even a raita.

December 20, 2014
Treat From The South!

Think of South India and the first thing that comes to the head of a North Indian like me is the yummy ‘Idli and Dosas’. But what else do we know about South Indian cuisine except the fact that it is amazingly delicious. But there is a lot more to know about our favourite cuisine.

South India being hot and humid climatically, gets rain in abundance each year and so fresh fruit, vegetables and rice are readily available throughout the year. Malabari cooking comes from Kerala with its catalogue of yummy seafood dishes. Nizams have ruled Hyderabad so the food that comes from Andhra is rich and full flavour. The food is full of dry fruits and nuts (and especially exotic spices like Saffron.)

On the whole, South Indian cuisine is the hottest of all Indian cuisines. Most of the meals are centred on rice and are rice based. Sāmbhar is a soup-like lentil with which is rice is combined. Rasam is a hot-sour lentil soup, again eaten with rice dishes.

Yes they love Rice! No meal in South India is complete without rice being an active participant in the entire cooking process! Idles, Dosas, Uttapams are all a part of their daily meal. Coconut oil is usually used for cooking and frying purposes and vegetable oils and ghee is spread over rice when meals are cooked on special occasions. Curry leaves, mustard and peppercorns are the main ingredients in every south Indian dish.

Let’s talk about the various culinary schools of South India:

Andhra: Food from Andhra is mostly vegetarian but in the coastal areas of the state, you would get to taste a variety of seafood. Prawns and fish are fried in coconut oil and ground pepper is used to flavour the dish. Again, Andhra food is usually served with rice. Rice and Sāmbhar along with other lentil preparations, steamed vegetables that are flavoured with coconut oil are all a part of the Andhra culinary school. Pakodas and vadas are served for snack. They taste even more delicious when they are dipped in Sāmbhar. One can also try the payasam or the exotic Hyderabadi Sheer Khurma for dessert. Andhra cuisine will definitely take you heart away!

Karnataka: On a visit to the state of Karnataka? Then you would surely find a typical Kannad meal served to you that would include very specific dishes and in a definite order. And the surprising part! You start your meal with a dessert! Then come some soup-like dishes as majjige huli, Kootu, saaru etc. and these are eaten with rice. The raita comes next and then the Bonda is served. Finally, the meal is ended by serving a bowl of curd rice. For sweets, try the famous Mysore Pak, Pedha or Chiroti!

Hyderabad: The fancy Nizams and the even fancier and amazingly delicious cuisine from Hyderabad. The cuisine from Hyderabad is a combination of techniques of the Muslim rulers and the vibrant spices and ingredients from the local Hindu people. It tastes sour and sweet and everyone who tries it returns to Hyderabad for some more. It is one of India’s most exotic and finest cuisines and people from all across the globe love to savour their tatste buds with the Hyderabadi Biryani.

Tamil Nadu: Cuisine from Tamil Nadu is popularly called ‘Chettichand Cuisine’. If you think that its tastes similar to the simple, bland cuisine of the traditional Tamil Brahmins, then you are definitely mistaken, because Chettichand cuisine is one the oiliest and the most aromatic food in the country. Though, Chetiars are popular for their yummy vegetarian meals, their preparations also include a variety of other items like meat, fish etc. Since I already mentioned that its one of the “oiliest “cuisine, the use of oil is extremely liberal while cooking these dishes and have a large amount of bay leaves, cinnamon and red chillies in them. Some popular dishes are veruval which is a dish fried in spices and onions, poriyal is a curry and kuzambu is a dish which has ingredients that are stewed in gravy of spices and coconut. And where there is oil and spice, can pickles be far behind? So you will find that a variety of pickles and pappads and dry snacks are a part of Tamil Cuisine too. Murukkus are small spiral shaped snack fried out of rice dough. Other small snacks include thattai, masala vada, etc.

Kerala: Kerala is popular for its pancakes rice cakes that are steamed. Kerala is a state which home to various religious communities and this is a reason behind the repertoire of dishes one finds when Kerala cuisine is mentioned. For the Muslims, Biryani is a must. This flavoured Biryani is made of mutton and fish.

In districts like Kottayam and Pala, which are largely inhabited by Christians, a dish called ‘ishtew’ with appam is permanent dish that one finds in every marriage reception. There are fermented beverages which form a part of the Kerala cuisine. Kallu and patta charayam are one of these.

July 7, 2014
Unparalleled Taste of the Awadhi Cuisine

The sumptuous meal that the city of Awadh has to offer is nothing short of magical. The royalty and the grandeur of it will leave you mesmerized. It will leave an everlasting impression on your taste buds. You’ll always want some more of it. You will get the Nawabi feel in every bite you take. Such is the magnificence of the Awadhi cuisine. The city is notably famous for the dum style of cooking. It originated in Awadh, or the present day Lucknow. This style of cooking goes back to the 16^th century. The food is cooked over a slow fire in a closed container. With the increased time of cooking, the entire flavour of the spices and herbs used, is released into the dish. This gives a distinct taste to the Awadhi cuisine. Sometimes cooking dough is used to seal the mouth of the container in which the dish is being prepared. This leads to aroma of the spices to seep through the dough, thus providing it with a flavour.

Awadhi Dumpukht

Not just the style of cooking, but also the way in which the meal is spread out elaborately, will make your mouth water. The presentation of the food has a royal touch to it. When you sit down to eat, it will appear to you that you’re a king and everyone on the table is waiting for you to take the first bite! In the olden times, the spread was laid out in the centre and it was necessary for everyone to sit around and eat together. Such a spread is known as Dastarkhwan. It consists of a variety of dishes like kebabs, korma, biryani, roomali rotis, nihari kulchas, sheermal etc. Such practices can still be observed around the city. The menu of the Dastarkhwan changes with the seasons.

A typical example of the spread: Dastarkhwan

The menu of winters is very different from that of spring. In winters, heat giving, rich meat is preferred. During spring, various kinds of crispy snacks are prepared. Similarly during summers, a variety of dishes and desserts are prepared using raw mangoes. Sewaiyan is another sweet dish which can be often seen in the houses during the pious months of Ramzan. The dishes that form a major part of the Awadhi platter are Kebabs, Biryani, Korma and a variety of breads. Kebab is the identity and pride of Lucknow. Kebabs are made from meat, fish or vegetables that are grilled on a chulha. Lucknow boasts a wide variety of Kebabs, namely, Kakori Kebabs, Seekh Kebabs, Galawat ke Kebabs, Ghutwa Kebabs, Shami Kebabs, and Boti Kebabs etc. Vegetarian kebabs are made using yam, kidney beans, jackfruit (kathal), peas and taro (arbi). The most famous shop for kebabs in Lucknow is the Tunde Ke Kabab. It is a 100 year old shop which serves the best kebabs in the city. It boasts of using 160 different homemade spices which is their trade secret. The who’s who of Bollywood come all the way to try out these kebabs. The list of the fans is endless. So many of the Bollywood biggies fly out the khansamas (cooks) from here to cater their functions. This is surely a feat to be proud of.

Galouti Kebabs

Lakhnawi biryani is another dish that is famous worldwide. It is a special preparation of basmati rice with species, curd, meat and/or vegetables. It uses the method of layering. The meat and the rice are cooked separately. They are then layered on top of each other and baked. Vegetarian biryani is also very common.

Biryani

The various types of breads that are eaten are chapatis, pooris, parathas, naans, roomali roti, tandoori roti and sheermal (sweet naan). Korma is the curry used which is made by braising meat or vegetables in case of navratan korma. The Awadhi desserts have the perfect kind of sweetness and taste that is required after a meal. Kulfi is one such dessert which is famous among the masses. It is made from rich milk and cream. Prakash Ki Mashhoor Kulfi is the oldest known shop for kulfi. They offer the best falooda kulfi in the city. A type of halwa which is specially prepared in Lucknow is the sohan halwa. Different cereals like gram flour, sooji, wheat etc. are used to prepare halwa. It is heavily garnished with rich dry fruits. The barfi, jalebi and rabri are some other desserts to look up to. After the meal, consumption of Paan is quite common. An evening without Paan is thought to be incomplete. Paan is made from betel leaf which is garnished with saffron, spices, silver foils and other condiments.

Falooda Kulfi By Prakaksh ki Mashoor Kulfi

After boasting of the nawabi Awadhi cuisine, Lucknow still has a lot to show off in terms of street food. Be it Idris ki biryani or Shukla ki Chaat, be it Rahim ke Kulchey Nihari or Royal Café k paani-batashe, every single one of them is worth a try. And when you try them once, you’re surely going to be a fan. The originality of the taste will hold you spellbound. Paapdi chaat, tikki chaat, dahi bada, paani poori, sev poori etc., the names are enough to tickle your taste buds. Where else can you get eight different types of paani for the paani puri at one stall? That’s right, in this magical city which has a cuisine so quintessential!

Aaloo Tikki by Shukla ki Chaat

The mouth-watering delicacies that this culture offers are just too many to name. Piece of advice, go try out some Awadhi cuisine, you are missing out on a lot. Trust me, you’ll be thankful!

May 29, 2014