Potato Koorma for Pulav

I am Back in India and met all my friends and relatives. So now I can think about my things, blog and everything. I have few old recipes with detailed pictures with  me so I will post them one by one and in the mean time I will try to collect new recipes and I am not sure about the pictures.

Here is the Tangy Potato korma which goes well with Pulav/ Jeera rice/ Biryani or plain rice.  

Ingredients:

Potato – 2 (boiled, peeled and cubed)

Tomato – 1 (cubed)

Green peas – ¼ cup

Onion – 1 big (sliced)

Yogurt – 1 cup (well beaten)

Green chilli – 2

Red chilli powder – ¼ tsp

Turmeric – 1 pinch

Salt – to taste

Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

Ginger garlic paste – ½ tsp

Whole Garam masala – Clove, Cinnamon, Cardamom (one each)

Poppy seeds – 1 tsp (dry roasted and powdered) (optional)

Coconut powder – 1 tsp (optional)

Oil – 1 tbsp

Curry leaves – few

Garam masala – ¼ tsp (optional)

Procedure:

Take a kadai, add oil, when it is hot enough add whole garam masala and sauté for 30 sec and then add cumin seeds and let them splutter, then add curry leaves, green chilli and sauté for 30 sec and then add onions, add little salt, turmeric and fry till they turn soft.

Add ginger garlic paste and sauté till raw smell goes off, and then add tomato and cook till they are soft.

Now add boiled potato, green peas and mix well. Cook for 1 min then add 1 glass of water and bring it to boil.

Now add yogurt and mix well. Add red chilli powder, salt and bring it to boil.

Add Poppy seeds powder and coconut powder if using, and cook for another 2 min., and finish it off with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with Pulav.

Bagara Baingan / Gutti Vankaya - 3

Bagara Baingan:

 Baby Eggplant / Brinjal / Vankaya (వంకాయ) cooked with Onion, Tomato in mild Peanut sauce with other spices.

Bagara Baingan is very famous Hyderabadi vegetarian entry. We can make this curry mild/ medium hot / or even spicy. We can replace egg-plant with Long Green Mirchi to make Mirchi Ka Salan or Whole Tomato (with little variation) to make Tomato salan or even with Bell Pepper or capsicum to make Capsicum masala. And any of the above recipes goes extremely well with Pulav / Biryani or even with Regular White Rice.

Ingredients:

Baby Egg Plant (Pink) – 10

Peanuts – ½ sup

Sesame seeds – 1 tsp

Onion – 1 (Thinly Sliced)

Tomato – 1 (Thinly sliced)

Green chilli – 4 (Slit Vertically)

Ginger – Garlic paste – 1 tsp

Turmeric – ½ tsp

Red Chilli Powder – ½ tsp

Tamarind Juice – 1 cup (Diluted)

Or

Tamarind Paste – 2 tbsp

Oil – 4 tbsp

Cumin seeds / Black Cumin – ½ tsp

Procedure:

Dry Roast peanuts and set aside and let them come to room temperature.

Dry Roast Sesame seeds (optional)

Wash and wipe Egg-plant and make a ‘+’ shape slit and set aside.

Take a Heavy Bottomed deep cooking vessel, add 3 tbsp of oil when it is hot enough add brinjals and fry for 2 or 3 min and put lid if required and let them cook till half done. Take out egg plant in to a separate plate and set side.

In the same vessel, add 1 more tbsp of oil if required, add cumin seeds and let them splutter and add green chilli and onion and sprinkle little salt and cook for 3 min on medium heat, then add Ginger garlic paste and cook till raw smell goes off.

In the mean time, Add Peanuts and Sesame seeds to the blender add required amount of water and make into a fine paste (thick paste or thin liquid kind of paste)

Now add Tomato and cook till they are soft.

Now add Peanut paste, Turmeric and combine well and cook for 2 min and then add tamarind juice along with 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil.

Now add Egg-plant, adjust salt and cover it up with lid and cook on medium flame for approximately 20 min.

Check the spice level and Add Red Chilli Powder if you want and let it cook for another 5 min with out the lid. Check the Gravy Consistency. If you want you can add water or you can cook for another 5 min if it is too watery.

Finish it off with chopped coriander and cover it with lid and switch off the stove.

Serve Hot with Pulav / Biryani / White Rice.

Aloo Curry

Aloo Korma

Potatoes cooked with onion, tomato, and other spices.

Ingredients:

Potatoes – 2 (peeled, cubed and boiled)

Onion – 1 small (chopped)

Tomato – 1 small (chopped)

Green chilli – 3 or 4 (sliced)

Curry leaves- few

Red chilli whole - 1

Chana dal – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

Ginger – 1 inch piece (finely chopped)

Cashew nuts – 2 tbsp (optional)

Coriander leaves – (optional)

Oil – 1 tbsp

Salt – to taste

Lime juice – 1 tsp (optional)

Procedure:

Wash, peel and boil potatoes with little salt, turmeric and set aside.

Add oil to the heated cooking vessel, add red chilli whole, chana dal, urad dal, cashew nuts (if using) and sauté for 30 sec., then add mustard seeds and let them crackle and then add chopped ginger, green chilli and sauté for 30 sec.

Now add chopped onion, add some salt and cook till they are soft.

Now add tomato, mix well and cook till they get smashed.

Finally add potato, mix well, and adjust salt and cook for 2 min. and switch off the stove.

Let it cool a bit and add lime juice and serve.

You can serve with dosa / poori / chapathi / plain rice.

Spinach Fry

Simple Spinach Stir fry:

There are several methods to cook green leafy vegetables…but this version is very simple and quick.

Ingredients:

Baby spinach - As required

Chana dal – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

Green chilli – 4 or 5

Ginger – 2 inch piece

Coriander Leaves - hand full of chopped leaves

Garlic pods – 2 or 3 (crushed if using bigger ones)

Salt – to taste

Oil – 1 tbsp

Procedure:

Wash, and finely chop green chilli, ginger, coriander leaves. If possible put them in a blender n make into a coarse paste.

Now take a kadai, add oil when it is hot enough add chana dal, and stir it for 30 sec., then add urad dal and fry for another few seconds., then add mustard seeds and let them crackle, then add garlic and sauté for few seconds.

Now add ginger-green chilli-coriander paste or finely chopped pieces, and cook for 1 min.

Now add spinach, combine well, add little salt and sauté well till it oozes out the kadai.

Serve Hot with rice.

Gobi Fry

Gobi / Cauliflower Fry

Cauliflower aka Gobi, very nutritious, and some people even call it as “Cabbage Flower”, and this one and only Vegetable flower available in total of 4 different colors, which includes orange, purple and well known white and green (which is nothing but “Broccoli”). The Orange Cauliflower is 25 times rich in Vitamin A than the regular white cauliflower. The purple color is caused by the presence of the antioxidant group anthocyanin, which can also be found in red cabbage and red wine. But what ever it is, Cauliflower and cabbage are said to be very good for health, and they are best eaten steamed.

Usually I cook cauliflower with Green gram dal, or with some spices along with onion and tomato. But the recipe I am sharing today is very very simple one and got this recipe from my friend Sushama.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower  

Onion – 1 medium chopped

Salt – to taste

Red chilli powder – to taste

Clove – 2

Cinnamon – 1 inch piece

Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

Oil – 1 tbsp

Procedure:

Cut the cauliflower into small florets, and wash them.

Washing procedure: Soak florets in warm water along with 1 tbsp of vinegar for 5 min., drain the water and again wash them with regular water couple of times.

Take a kadai, add oil, when it is hot enough add cumin seeds, clove and cinnamon and let them crackle.

Now add chopped onion, pinch of salt, pinch of turmeric, and sort them well, till onion turn transparent.

Now add gobi flowerets, mix well, add ½ a tsp of salt, cover it with lid and cook till they are soft.

Now add red chilli powder, adjust salt, give a nice mix and cook uncovered for another 3 to 4 min on medium flame.

Serve hot with Rice. 

Green chilli Fry

Green chilli fry, the name it self….is very spicy…isn’t it? When I first heard about it I mean read about it in Jyothi’s shadruchulu…. I though of making it for my friend (he is extreme spice lover) who came to my home for holidays…. So I tried it and not only him…but everyone ate it just like that as a side dish with some dal and rasam.  Thank You Jyothi garu for this excellent fry.

Ingredients:

Long Green chilli – 6

Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp

Mustard seeds – 1/4tsp

Turmeric- pinch

Curry leaves – few

Besan/chickpea flour – 1 tbsp

Amchur powder/chat masala – big pinch

Salt – to taste

Procedure:

Wash and wipe green chilli and cut them into 1 inch pieces.

If you want you can de-seed them. Or you can use them directly.

Now take a vessel, heat oil, and then add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and let them crackle. Then add turmeric, curry leaves and fry for 2 sec., then add green chilli and cook on low flame till they little brown.

Now add besan, slat, and cook for another 5 min on low flame.

Finally sprinkle little chat masala, garnish with some chopped coriander and serve hot with rice.

You can eat them directly or with white rice alone.

Ridge Gourd Curry

Beerakaya Curry

Ingredients:

Ridge gourd – 2

Poppy seeds – 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Onion- 1 small (chopped)

Red chilli powder – to taste

Turmeric – 1 pinch

Salt – to taste

Curry leaves

Coriander leaves

Oil – 1 tbsp

Procedure:

Take a pan, and dry roast poppy seeds, and fenugreek seeds separately and ket them cool. Now make them into fine/coarse powder.

Peel, wash and cut ridge gourd into 1 inch pieces.

Take a cooking vessel, add oil when it is hot enough add mustard seeds and cumin seeds, when they crackle add curry leaves and chopped onions, turmeric, little salt and fry them for a while.

Now add ridge gourd, mix it well, add little more salt, cover it with lid and cook till they are 90% done.

Now add red chilli powder, grounded poppy seeds and fenugreek seeds, coriander leaves and mix well.

Turn the flame into low and cook for another 5 min.

Serve hot with rice.