Sheer Khurma Recipe

   Sheer Khurma is a traditional muslim dessert that was introduced to India by the Mughals . Sheer khurma is a must have dessert during the season of Ramzaan . Every Muslim household has its own recipe for this delicacy. This recipe I'm sharing with you is a little different from the traditional recipe. I omitted the use of coconut here. 

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Double ka Meetha Recipe

         Double ka meetha is a simple to make eggless bread pudding that hails form the Hyderabadi Nawabis . Its one of the two main desserts of Hyderabad , the other being Kurbani ka Meeta . Do try this ... You'll not regret :-) 

Ingredients :

• Milk - 1/4 ltr
• Sugar 100 gms 
• Saffron - a pinch
• Dry fruits - to garnish
• Cardamom - 3
• Milk or wheat bread loaf - 1 ( medium )

Method :

• Make sugar syrup by heating sugar in about 1/4 ltr of water .
• Add cardamom  to this to add flavor. Keep the syrup aside.
• Make rabdi of the milk . To do this , boil the milk in low heat till it gets half in quantity .
• Add a pinch of saffron to 1 tbsp of milk and mix well . Add this mixture to the rabdi and stir . This gives good color to the milk . Keep this milk aside .
• Heat ghee in a pan . 
• Shallow fry the bread pieces in the ghee until light brown. 
• Dip each of these bread pieces in the pre-prepared sugar syrup. Keep them until all the syrup is completely  absorbed by the bread . This should take only a couple of minutes .
• Take these bread pieces into a serving bowl . 
• Now pour the rabdi ( thick milk ) over the bread pieces. 
• Garnish with some dry fruits .

Serve cool . Tastes best that way  ;-)

You can also add some condensed milk on the top (if you can handle heavy food :p) 

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Vegetable Momo

Ingredients :

• Maida - 1/4 kg
• Salt to taste 
• Oil - 3 tbsp
• Grated Cabbage - 1 cup
• Grated carrot - 1/2 cup
• Finely chopped baby corn - 1/2 cup
• Pepper powder - 1/2 spoon
• Grated ginger - 1/2 spoon
• Soya sauce - 2 tspns 

Method :

• Heat oil in a pan .
• Add the finely chopped vegetables to the oil and saute for two minutes . Keep them aside for later use.
• Make a dough of maida by adding enough water , 1 tbsp of oil and salt as per taste.
• Make small parts of this dough and press the balls flat like we do to make rotis .
• Stuff these rotis with the fried vegetables .
• Cook these on steam for ten minutes . 

The momos are ready to eat . Serve hot with any spicy chutney.

Cook the momos on steam only . Do not fry them or cook them in any other way . 

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Paneer Fried Rice

         
Paneer fried rice is an easy to make fast food style dish which can be made even with left over rice and very little veggies.Try out the lip smacking paneer fried rice recipe and do let me know your experience in the comment box below. Bon appetite !

Ingredients:

• Basmati rice - 1 cup
• Paneer - 100 gms ( diced into small pieces )
• Onions - 2
• Capsicum - 1
• Grated cabbage - 1 cup
• Ajina moto ( China salt ) -  a pinch
• Pepper powder - 1 tbsp
• Salt- to taste
• Butter - 2 tbps
• Chopped spring onions - to garnish
• Garlic flakes - 2 tbsp

Method :

• Cook the rice and keep it aside . 
• Heat butter in a pan.
• Add onions,garlic falkes, capsicum , cabbage and paneer pieces.
• Saute for about three minutes.
• Add the cooked rice to this along with pepper powder , ajino moto and salt.
• Mix it well. Take it into a serving bowl and garnish with spring onions.

Can also be garnished with roasted cashew nuts .

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Mango Rasam ( Mamidikaya rasam )

            

Raw mangoes are  found during summer and most of us like to make something nice and innovative with the mangoes rather than always having them directly. Hear is a Raw Mango Rasam recipe my mom makes for us during summers .This dish is known for its cooling effect , while consuming mango directly brings heat to the body.

Ingredients :

• Raw mango - 1 (big)
• Dhanaya seeds - 2 tbsp
• Cumin seeds ( jeera )  - 1 tbsp
• Roasted til ( Seasame seeds)  - 2 tbsp
• Salt - to taste 
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp
• Hing - a pinch
• Finely chopped onion - 1 cup
• Green chilies - 4
• Curry leaves
• Coriander - to garnish

Method :

• Boil the mango. Squeeze to make pulp out of it.
• Take mango pulp into a bowl .
• Add salt and six cups of water and mix it well.
• To this add finely chopped onions, sliced green chilies and coriander leaves.
• Make a smooth paste of dhaniya seeds , cumin seeds and til .
• Add this paste to the mango rasam.
• Take this into a serving bowl.
• Heat 2 tbsps of oil in a pan.
• Add two red chilies , mustard , cumin seeds  and a pinch hing.
• Add this to the mango rasam and garnish with fresh coriander leaves .

You may also want to check the most prepared rasam - Tomato rasam

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Make your own Rasam Powder

Making Rasam powder is always a better choice if you have rasam regularly . This recipe was shared by my mother. Its quite simple and hardly takes any time . If you are making it for the first time I suggest you make a small quantity of it , try it, make the required changes as per your taste and then make lots of it later (as it can be preserved far a long ... long time) . Some people use dried coriander in the powder . But I prefer using fresh coriander at the time of making rasam instead. You can add it in the ingredient list if you want to . It comes handy when there is no fresh coriander available at the right time.

Ingredients :

• Dhaniya (coriander ) seeds - 5 tspn
• Methi seeds ( Fenugreek )  - 1 tbsp
• Black Pepper - 5 tbsp
• Red chilies - 5 
• Cumin seeds ( jeera ) - 3 tbsp
• Garlic flakes - 10
• Asafetida ( Hing) -  1/2 tspn

Method :

• Dry roast all the mentioned ingredients .
• Grind the ingredients to make  a  smooth  powder .

Easy ! Isn't it ?
This Rasam powder can be preserved for around  one year when kept in an air tight container away from moisture.

It can be used in any kind of rasam. You may want to try one of these Rasam recipes - Raw mango rasam , Tomato rasam .

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Tomato Rasam

           
The Tomato Rasam is the most basic kind of rasam . Its simple to make with pureed tomatoes simmered with rasam powder which adds the main tang to the dish.

Ingredients :

• Tomatoes - 6
• Garlic flakes - 2
• Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
• Curry leaves 
• Coriander leaves
• Salt - to taste
• Rasam Powder - 3 tbsp

Method :

• Boil the tomatoes and make a puree of it .
• Add salt, coconut , rasam powder to it.
• Boil it  for 3 -5 minutes . 
• Take it into a serving bowl.
• Heat two tbsp of oil in a pan .
• Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds , curry leaves and two red chilies to it.
• Once it starts to splutter, take off from the fire and add it to the rasam.
• Serve hot by garnishing with coriander leaves .

Make your own  Rasam Powder with this simple recipe - Make your own Rasam Powder 

You may want to try this rasam too -  Raw Mango Rasam

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Kurbani ka meeta / Khubani ka meeta

Kurbani ka meeta also known as Khubani ka meeta  is an authentic Hyderabadi delicacy made with dried apricots ( Karjoor) . Generally consumed after dum ka biriyani , kurbani ka meeta is a must try.

Ingredients :

• Dried Kajoor - 100 gm
• Sugar - 200 gm
• Milk - 1 ltr
• Custard powder - 2 tbsp 
• Fresh cream - 50 gms
• Dried fruits - to garnish

Method :

• Soak the kajoor in water for two hrs .
• Boil it for ten minutes.
• Discard the seeds for the fruit and grind to fine paste . Keep few apricots aside to garnish.
• Add sugar to this paste. 
• Keep on fire for five minutes and remove to cool.
• Heat milk in another  vessel.
• Mix two spoons of custard powder in  five spoons water and make a paste.
• Add the custard paste to the boiling milk and stir continuously, not letting lumps form.
• Cool this custard sauce . 
• Add the kajoor paste to the custard sauce . Stir well.
• Garnish with fresh cream , dry fruits and some apricots that were kept aside.

Tastes best when served chill. You can also top it with some vanilla ice cream .

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Palak Dosa ( Spinach Dosa )

We can not find the Palak dosa in many restaurants but many home makers prefer making palak dosa as it is a  rich-in-iron breakfast. Just a little more work with the easy-to-make plain dosa would give us this incredibly healthy alternative. Check out how ....

Ingredients:

• Palak / Spinach - 5 bunches
• Moong dal - 1 cup
• Rice - 1 cup
• Green chilies - 8
• Onions - finely chopped 1 cup
• Tomatoes - 3
• Coriander - 1 bunch
• Curry leaves 
• Butter - 1 cup
• Salt - to taste

Method :

• Wash and soak the moong dal and rice together for four hours.
• Finely chop the coriander and spinach. Keep aside.
• Add green chilies , salt , curry leaves , chopped tomatoes to the soaked rice and moong daal . ( Do not forget to drain the water.)
• Grind this to a smooth paste. This makes the batter for our dosa.
• Add half of the chopped onions and the chopped coriander (the remaining for garnishing ) and spinach to the batter.
• Heat a pan . 
• Pour one big table spoon of the batter on the pan.
• Quickly spread the batter (clockwise) outwards to the edge of the pan.
• Add little oil to the edge of the dosa and few drops on the top to enable it to fry.
• Keep this on high flame for about two minutes till the corners of the dosa  leave surface of the pan.
• Now remove the dosa from the pan and place it on a serving plate.
• Garnish the dosa with a teaspoon of butter and the remaining onions and coriander.    

This dosa can be served with any pickle or chutney.

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Aloo Palak Curry ( Spinach Potato Curry)

Aloo Palak Curry is a homely north Indian dish with potatoes (Aloo) cooked in pureed iron rice spinach (palak) and simmered with light spices.

Ingredients :

• Palak / spinach  - 10 bunches 
• Potato - 200 gm
• Onions - 2
• Cumin seeds / jeera - 1 tbsp
• Green chilies - 10 
• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• Souf / Fennel - 1 tbsp
• Ginger / Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• Oil - 4 tbsp
• Garam masala powder
• Salt - To taste

Method :

• Clean the spinach.
• Take spinach , cumin seeds , green chilies and salt in a vessel .
• Boil this for five minutes.
• Grind it into a smooth paste.
• Heat oil in a pan. 
• Add chopped onions , turmeric powder , ginger / garlic paste , garam masala powder and fry then for five minutes.
• Add the ground spinach and salt now . Saute for two minutes.
• Add sliced pieces of boiled potatoes to it and let cook for another two minutes.
• Take into a serving bowl and garnish with sauf powder and fresh coriander leaves .

Tastes best when consumed with  Roti or Pulka.

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Vegetable kootu

Vegetable Kootu is a veggie rich semi liquid curry , a Tamil Nadu native that can be had with both rice and roti. Its a sure addition into the cook-book of the health conscious as it hardly has any place for unwanted calories. 
Not sure what a kootu is ?
                  

                                               


Ingredients : 

• Cabbage - 100 gm
• Carrot - 100 gm
• Beans - 50 gm 
• Cauliflower - 1/2 
• Green peas - 100 gm
• Salt - to taste 
• Moong daal - 25 gm
• Channa daal - 25 gm
• Green chilies - 5
• Finely chopped garlic - 2 tbsp
• Fresh grated coconut - 1 cup 
• Curry leaves 
• Refined oil - 4 tbsp
• Jeera/ cumin seeds  - 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp

Method :

• Cut all the veggies into small pieces .
• Boil them for ten minutes by adding a pinch of  salt.
• Drain the vegetable stalk and keep it aside for later use .
• Heat oil in a pan ; add mustard seeds , cumin seeds , curry leaves , green chilies , moong daal , chopped garlic , grated coconut and chenna daal.
• Fry for two minutes .
• Add boiled vegetable and salt to this.
• Saute for five minutes .
•  Add 1 small cup of the vegetable stalk to this and let cook for another two minutes.
• Taken this into a serving bowl and garnish with fresh coriander and grated coconut .

 Don't cook  the veggies in the stalk for longer than two minutes as they may get over-cooked . We only need the stalk to capture the flavor of the spices.

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Russian soup recipe

Ingredients:

•  Beetroot - 1/4 kg
• Onions - 2
• Carrot - 4
• Tomato - 2
• Spring onions - to garnish
• Pepper powder - 1 tbsp
• Fried bread pieces 
• Salt - as per taste 
• Finely chopped garlic peices

Method :

• Slice beetroot , tomato , onions , carrot .
• Boil them in water for 10 minutes.
• Drain the water and grind the veggies. Keep the drained water ( vegetable stock ) aside for later use.
• Heat 3 tbsp butter in a pan .
• Add finely chopped garlic. Fry the garlic for a minute.
• Add the grinded  mixture to this. Let cook for two minutes.
• Add the vegetable stalk , salt , pepper powder and mix well.
• Let this boil for five minutes.
• Taken it into a serving bowl and garnish with some spring onions.

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Tomato soup recipe

You can prepare the ever popular and delicious Tomato soup in less than 15 minutes using this simple recipe.
 You can serve it with bread or fresh cream or just savor it with some extra pepper.The topping is left to you. Do ping me back through the comment box below once you've tried it. Bon appetite !  

Ingredients :

• Butter - 25 gms
• Tomatoes - 1/2 kg
• Finely chopped garlic pieces - 1tbsp
• Pepper powder - 1 Tbsp
• Sliced onions - 1/2 cup
•  Salt - as per taste

Method :

• Boil Tomatoes.
• Once boiled, peel of the skin .
• Grind these tomatoes along with onions.
• Heat butter in a pan.
• Add chopped garlic and fry for a minute.
• Add pepper , salt and the prepared onion-tomato juice to this.
• Cook it for five minutes.
• Take it into a serving bowl and garnish with coriander leaves.

Widely served with shallow fried pieces of bread. This is what I generally do. Its optional; however I  recommend.

You can also top it with some cream.

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Katte pongali recipe / Kara pongal recipe

Popular south Indian spicy rice with moong daal .Good when consumed during winter and rainy seasons . Keeps cold and cough at bay . Tastes best with mango pickle. Can also be served with raita .

 


 Ingredients:

• Rice - 1/2 kg
• Green chilies - 6
• Crushed pepper - 1 tbsp
• Cashew nuts - 2 tbsp
• Chenna daal  - 1 tbsp
• Urad daal - 1 tbsp
• Moong daal - 1/4 kg
• Finely sliced fresh coconut - 1 cup
• Curry leaves 
• Red chilies - 3
• Mustard seeds - 1 tspn
• Hing - a pinch
• Cumin seeds - 1 tspn
• Peanuts - 2 tnspn

Method :

• Soak washed rice and moong daal for 1/2 hour.
• Drain the water and in a rice cooker add the rice and moong daal.
• Add half ltr water ,sliced coconut ,salt and pepper to this .
• Cover the cooker and cook until four whistles.
• Let this cool for half hour.
• Remove the mixture and slightly mash it .
• Heat 1/2 cup ghee in pan and add red chilies, moong daal , chenna daal , peanuts , mustard seeds , hing , jeera ,curry leaves and cashew nuts.
• Add this seasoning to the rice and serve . 

The amount of water mentioned above can vary depending upon the rice. All we need to do is ensure that its semi solid . 

Avoid using basmati rice for this recipe.
Also avoid using pepper powder instead of crushed pepper . The coarse crushed pepper gives good taste while chewing .

Do add your comments below if you've tried the dish or if you have any improvements.

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Sabudana Pulav

Ingredients:

• Sabudana - 1/4 kg
• Potato - 3
• Brinjal - 2
• Tomato - 2
• Cauliflower - 1 ( small)
• Pulav masala - 2 tspns
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsnp
• Onion - 1
• Green chilies - 4
• Cashew nuts and Ground nut - 1/2 cup 
•  Vanaspati - 3 tbspns 
• Salt - to taste

Method:

• Fry sabudana in a pan for two minutes . 
• Add 1 cup of water and cover with a lid.
• Keep on fire for five minutes.
• Cut all the above veggies , boil them and keep aside.
• Heat vanaspati in a pan and add cashew nuts, peanuts, cumin seeds ,  chopped green chilies, ginger/garlic paste and onions.
• Saute for one minute, add  boiled veggies and let cook for two minutes.
• Add sabudana , pulav masala and salt to taste
• Mix well. Cover and keep on low fire for two minutes.
• Sbudana pulav is ready . Garnish with fresh grated coconut, finely chopped coriander and serve hot with onions and tomato.

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Semya Kichidi recipe

Ingredients:

• Semya - 1/2 kg
• Ginger/garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• Refined oil - 100 gm
• Salt - as per taste
• Tomato - 4
• Coriander - 1 cup
• Pudina / mint leaves - 1 cup  
• Sliced onions - 1 cup
• Elaichi - 5 
• laung - 5
• Cashew nuts - to garnish

Method: 

• Roast semya to light brown in a pan.
• Heat oil in a vessel and add ginger/garlic paste , elaichi , laung , tomato, onions , pudina and  coriander.
• Fry till onions get light brown.
• Add four cups of water to this. 
• When the water comes to boil , add semya and mix well.
• Cover with a lid and keep on fire for 3 - 5 minutes.
• Semya kichidi is ready . Garnish with fresh coriander leaves ,cashews and 2 spoons ghee.

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