Rajma Masala

Many of my south indian friends might be remembering the  dialog of actor Prakash Raj  from Abhiyum naanum movie ;   yes "Rajamma............."  I mean Rajma ; yes today’s recipe is rajma masala.

  Rajma chawal  which is a famous dish among north Indians; and a its favorite dish  of Sandeep too. The health benefits of   Rajma are............. ...... it  lowers the risk of heart attack and rich in protein, its contain iron, which helps in increasing energy level, it also helps to maintain good bacteria in digestive tract; so add rajma in your diet as often as you can............  

 

 

Ingredients

2cups Rajma (soaked overnight)

3 Onion sliced

2 Tomatoes

3-4 Garlic flakes

1/2" Ginger

2sp Masala powder(posted earlier)

1sp Kashmiri chilli powder

1sp Kitchen King Masala

1/2sp Kasuri methi

2 Cloves 

1/3" Cinnamon

Coriander leaves chopped

Method

 

• Cook rajma in cooker by adding salt

• Strain cooked Rajma and keep aside (reserve its cooked water)

• Fry sliced onion till it turn light caramelized colour

• Blanch tomatoes( make a small cross mark on tomatoes and boil) and keep aside

• Grind fried onion with ginger,garlic cloves and cinnamon  to a paste and keep aside

• Peel the skin of blanched tomatoes and grind to paste separately and keep aside

• In cooker heat oil add onion paste and fry till it turn red (add a pinch of sugar for a nice caramelized colour)

• Add masala powder and fry ,add haldi ,chilli powder and fry till raw smell goes

• Add tomato paste and fry till it leaves oil

• Add cooked rajma mix well let it boil 

•  When it starts to boil add Kitchen king masala mix well 

• Add salt if necessary  (salt is added while cooking rajma) close led and cook till 2 whistle and till rajma is cooked

• After rajma is cooked add kasuri methi powder mix well and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

•  Serve hot chawal (rice)

Tips: Add a pinch of sugar while frying onion ; it will give a nice caramelized colour to the curry and enhance the taste.

 

Aloo paratha

Aloo paratha is a heavy breakfast;which  is  regularly prepared in my kitchen..

Ingredients

2cups wheat flour

Stuffing :

 

2  Potatoes boiled
2  Green chillies
1   Onion chopped
1sp  Zeera powder
1sp Chilli powder
1sp Chat masala
1/2 cup Coriander chopped
Salt to taste
Oil/Ghee to cook

Dipping:

2cup Curds(beaten)
1/4 sp Chilli powder
1/2sp Sugar
1/4sp     Zeera powder
1/4sp Chat masala
 

Method 

• Make a soft dough of wheat flour and keep aside

• In bowl mix well all the stuffing ingredients together.

  Aloo paratha

• Make small ball of dough 

• Take a dough ball; make katoris(cup) shape and stuff potato stuffing and cover the stuffing very carefully

                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                     

• Now make paratha of this stuffed dough very carefully;see that the stuffing doesn't come out
• Heat tawa and cook paratha on both sides
• Apply oil or ghee just before removing from tawa
• Serve hot with Dahi (curds) or pickle

Dipping 

• Take beaten curds add salt sugar and mix well
• Sprinkle chat masala,  zeera powder and chilli powder on curd and serve with paratha.

Garlic Rasam

After Diwali’s heavy food now its time to have simple and healthy Garlic rasam. This rasam is good for digestion.

            

Ingredients

3 Tomatoes (preferable desi tomatoes)

2 Green chillies

1 Onion sliced

6-7 Garlic flakes

1sp Zeera

1sp Oil

1/4sp Rai

1/4sp Pepper powder

Coriander chopped for garnish

Method

1.     Cook tomatoes and green chillies

2.     Crush garlic and zeera and keep aside

3.     Grind cooked tomato and green chillies to puree

4.     Heat oil add rai add sliced onion sauté it

5.     Add crushed garlic and fry till raw smell goes

6.     Add tomato and green chillies  puree and add salt close the led and let it boil

7.     Add pepper powder and garnish with chopped coriander

8.     Serve hot with rice or strain and drink as a soup

Note:  If you don’t get desi tomatoes; add channa size tamarind with tomatoes and green chillies while cooking.

Shubha  wishes you all a very happy diwali.........................................................................
                                                                                                        



                   

Besan n Rava Laddo

Its Diwali.............................. and without chakli, laddos and gujiya (karanji,,karjikai) Diwali is incomplete.
                                                                                                         
                                                                                    Earlier  making laddos use to be a tough task for me; as you  have to make laddos when then laddo mixture is hot or else it  will get hard and you will end up with a mess......;but in this recipe you can make laddo when the laddo  mixture gets cool so no need to burn your hands or end up with mess.....
                                                                                           This recipe I learnt from my Mom  so "Thank you Mom for such a wonderful  recipe".

Ingredients

2 cups   Besan (gram flour)
1cup      Rava (preferable zero size rava or chiroti rava)
2 3/4 cup      Sugar
1cup          Water(for making sugar syrup)
2 1/2 cup Ghee
1/2sp     Elachi powder(cardamon)
Kaju and kismish for decoration

Method

• Fry rava  separately and keep aside
• Heat  ghee  add besan and fry (besan should dilute in ghee) 

 

• Fry till it release appetizing aroma

 

• To this add fried rava  and mix well and keep aside
• Take sugar in kadhai add 1cup of water and boil
•  Make a one thread syrup of sugar (one thread syrup is compulsory)

•  At this stage add fried beasan and rava mixture
• Mix well  and keep aside to cool
• After few minutes mix well the above mixture and make laddos by keeping kaju and kishmish .
• Store in air tight container

Vegetable biryani

Vegetable biryani  was always favourite among my friends and relatives.It goes well with simple onion raita and papad.

Vegetable Biryani

     Ingredients

2cups  Basmati rice

2       Onion sliced

1cup  Vegetables(here i have used mushroom,broccoli and carrot)

 3sp    Oil/ghee

1sp    Kasuri methi powder

For masala:

1/2 cup Fresh coconut grated

4-6       Dried red chillies

3          Clove 

1/2"   Cinnamon

2sp    Dhania

1sp   Zeera

4       Garlic flakes

1/2" Ginger

 2     Green chillies(optional)

Method

• Grind masala  ingredients  to paste and keep aside
• Heat oil/gee in cooker
• Take half of sliced onion and fry till it turns to red and keep aside
• In remaining oil add onion saute it add chopped vegetables fry it 
• Add  masala paste and fry till raw smell goes and it leaves oil
• Add  washed rice and fry for awhile
• Add 4 cups of water and salt stir in in between till it boils
• Close the led of cooker keep on high flame 
• When steam comes out slow the flame and cover with glass instead of cooker weight
• Cook for 15min
• After 15min add kasuri methi powder and  fried onion and mix well
• Serve with Onion raita.

Chakli

Chakli is  a traditional Indian savory snack. When I was a kid my Mom use to  prepare  this savory  for Diwali and Ganesh chaturthi and  I use to help my mom in  preparing chakli. Times has changed now I prepare chakkli  for my family. This chakli recipe I learn t from my mother-in-law.

Chakli

Ingredients

1kg      Raw rice
250 gm Roasted channa dal
5-4 sp  Chilli powder
3sp     Til
3sp     Zeera
100gm Butter
Salt to taste

Method

1. Wash rice and spread on a cloth to dry.
2. Then fry rice without oil so that the moist in the rice gets dried
3. Grind the  rice and  roasted channadal;to make a nice flour
4. To this flour add chilli powder,til,zeera,salt and butter mix well
5. Add water little by little  and make a nice a dough
6. In chakli maker fill the dough and make  chakli
7. Deep fry in oil
8. Store in air tight container

Tasty karela(bittergourd)

Bitter gourd(karela) the name itself tell the taste of this vegetable but  the health benefits of bitter gourd  are greater than those of any other vegetables.Bitter gourd is highly beneficial for diabetes.  Karela is  good for skin health as it purifies blood. It makes sense to include karela in your diet as it offers so many health benefits.Here is a tasty recipe of karela.

          

Tasty Karela

Ingredients

10       Small Karela
3tbsp  Besan(Gram flour)
2-3sp  Chilli powder
1sp     Chat masala
1sp     Zeera powder
 1/4sp Haldi
Salt to taste
3-4sp Oil

Method

• Wash small karelas  and make a slit on it

• Mix all the above ingredientsin a bowl except oil
• Stuff mixed masala in karela

 

• Heat oil  in kadhi arrange stuffed karela and fry till it get red 
• Then close led and cook for 5min
• After 5 min remove the led and check whether  karelas are cooked ;then add remaining besan masala and fry till raw smell goes and besan gets coated on karela
• Serve hot

Banana flowerr sabzi

Banana flower is rich in vitamin and protein.Its a  best medicine for excessive bleeding during menstruation.In this recipe I am using petals of banana flower.

Banana flower sabzi

Ingredients

 

1 banana flower cleaned and chopped
2-3sp   Masala powder (posted earlier)
2sp      Tamarind pulp
1/4sp  Haldi

2tbsp Coconut grated(fresh)
1/2    Onion
4       Garlic flakes

1/4sp Rai
1/4sp  Udhal dal
Small piece of jaggery
Salt to taste
 2sp oil

Method 

• Remove first 3-5 petals of banana flower
• After removing first 3-4 petals
• Separate the other petals and chopp removing white flowers

                                                                                                               

 

•  Wash chopped petals by adding few drops of oil in water
• Extract excess water
• Take chopped banana petals in a vessel add masala powder,salt,jaggery,haldi and tamarind pulp mix well close led and cook till it is cooked
• In mixer add onion,2 garlic flakes  crush it then add grated coconut and run mixer only one round and keep aside
• Heat oil add rai ,udal dal and 3 garlic flakes crushed fry it till it turns red add coconut paste and fry till raw smell goes 
• Add cooked banana flower and mix well and serve with roti and rice

Note: Apply lemon juice on hands while cutting banana flower.