Mom's Recipies

 
Kadai paneer is a very famous dish of north in every restaurant menu .Kadai Paneer is a mouthwatering combination of paneer, capsicum, tomato, onion and flavored with spices .

Ingredients:-

Cottage Cheese / Paneer – 250 grams
Capsicum / Shimla Mirch – 3 small
Tomato  - 6 medium
Onions -4 medium
Green chillies – 2
Ginger / Adrak  – 1” piece
Garlic - 7 cloves
Oil or Butter or ghee - 3 tbsps
Cumin seeds /Jeera  - ½ tsp
Coriander powder / Dhaniya Powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder / Haldi  – ¼ tsp
Red chili powder – ¼ tsp
Garam Masala – 1/2 tsp
Salt – to taste
Green Coriander – to garnish (chopped)
water as required
Kasuri Methi / dry fenugreek leaves - 1/2 tbsp
cream -2 tbsps(optional)



Kadai Masala
Dhania / Coriander Seeds - 3 tbsps
Saunf /Fennel Seeds - 1 tsp
Jeera /Cumin Seeds - 2 tbsps
Kali Miri / Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Elaichi / Cardamom - 1
Dalchini /Cinnamom - 1 inch
Lavang / Cloves - 3
Lal Mirch / Dry Red Chillies - 4

Kadai Masala

Method:-

1) Wash and chop all the vegetables and keep it aside.


2) In a pan dry roast coriander seeds, kashmiri red chilli, green cardamom ,dalchini,jeera,kali miri,lavang,until nice aroma releases, for around 1-minute over low flame. Turn off flame and grind them in a grinder until smooth powder. Keep aside until required.


3) If you are using frozen paneer, then defrost it before cooking. Place cubes in hot water for 7-8 minutes to keep them soft. Drain a them and keep aside until required.
4) Heat oil or ghee in a non-stick pan over medium flame. Add half chopped onion and sauté until it turns translucent.


5)Add chopped ginger-garlic and saute for a minute.
5) Then add chopped tomatoes and saute until  turns mushy and soft .


6) Turn off the flame and Cool it completely.
7)  Add the cooled onion-tomatoes to the mixie jar.
8) Grind it to the smooth paste without adding water.


9) Add a spoon of oil in a pan then add onions and capsicum and saute on high flame just until half cooked i.e. crunchy. Constantly stir to prevent burning.


10) Transfer this to a plate.
11) Add a spoon of oil then add tomato-onion paste.
12) Saute it well for 2 mins then add Kadai Masala Powder,garam masala powder,coriander powder,turmeric powder,red chilli powder.Mix well and saute for 2 mins.


13) Add 3/4 cup of water and required salt and stir well.
14) Add sauted onions and capsicum and mix well.


15) Cook covered for 5 minutes.Now add paneer and mix gently.


16) Crush dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) using your hand and add in the curry.


17) Mix and cook for 4-minutes.
18) Add cream (optional) and mix well  and turn off flame. Do not cook for longer after adding fresh cream otherwise it may curdle.
19) Garnish with chopped coriander and transfer  to a serving bowl and serve hot.


20) Enjoy Restaurant Style Kadai Paneer  with Chapatis ,Naan,Rotis ,butter naan, lachha paratha ,Kulcha, Jeera Rice etc.

Also serve with Lemon and onion slices or onion lachha and Lassi or masala Chass or Chass.

 Veg kohlapuri is special and traditional mix veg sabzi / curry. This is very popular dish from Kolhapur city which is situated in  Maharashtra. This is prepared in thick spicy gravy with loads of vegetables
This Kolhapuri masala is very useful so making it in a large batch and keeping it handy is a good idea.
 It is accompanied by a chapati , roti, paratha, naan or kulcha .This Popular dish is traditionally spicy but u can adjust the heat to ur taste buds....Its one of my families favorite dish....


Ingredients:-
2 large onions chopped
8 florets  cauliflower
2 large tomatoes chopped
1 potato boiled and chopped
1 capsicum chopped
1 carrot boiled and chopped
6-8 French beans
1 /4 cup peas boiled
1 inch ginger
6 cloves garlic
2 tsp Red chill powder
1 tbsp Kashmiri red chili powder
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
4 tbsp. oil
2 tbsp. Kolhapuri  Masala
2 tbsp cashew nuts fried
1 inch stick cinnamon
4 cloves
2 Black Cardamoms
1 tbsp fennel seeds (saunf)
salt to taste
1 tbsp. coriander leaves chopped




Method:-

1) Thoroughly wash vegetables and chop in small pieces.

2) Peel, wash carrots and potatoes and cut into half inch sized cubes. String French beans and cut into half inch pieces. Wash and drain green peas.

3) Steam all the vegetables in an electric cooker, steamer or pressure cooker.The vegetables have to be completely cooked and yet retain their shape.

4)  Wash tomatoes and grind it to fine paste.

5) Grind ginger and garlic to a fine paste.

6) Heat two teaspoons of oil in a kadai or pan. Add cloves, cinnamon,cardamom and fennel seeds. Lightly fry. Then grind to a fine powder.

7) Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in kadai then add chopped onions and cook till it turns slightly turns pink. Cool, grind to a paste . Keep aside.

8) Heat remaining oil in same kadai or pan.  Add ginger and garlic paste ,tomato paste ,onion paste and continue to saute till 2-3 minutes.

9) Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder,kashmiri red chilli powder,salt and half cup of water and cook for three minutes.

12)  Add the boiled vegetables, adjust salt and mix well.Simmer and cook covered for four to five minutes.

13) Once gravy starts boiling, add kolhapuri masala, fennel seeds mixture powder and cook for another 4-5 minutes in between stirring continuously.

14) Stir well and  Garnish with fried cashews and chopped  coriander leaves .

15) Serve hot with chapatis or rotis or pulkas or parathas.



Tips:

1) This curry should be enough spicy. However, adjust the amount of red chili powder to give required heat.
2) Kashmiri red chili powder gives nice bright red color and flavor to the curry. If its unavailable, use pinch of edible red color.
3) Normal chilli powder is used for spiciness.

vrat wale aloo or vrat ke aloo are made during Navratri fasting / vrat or during any fastings. This recipe is no onion-garlic recipe. This  potato curry is simple ,tasty and delicious.

This sabzi can be made and serve with pooris or chappatis also any time. There are many variations of vrat ke aloo.

Here I am sharing the way I make this vrat wale aloo sabzi at home.


Ingredients :-

 4 medium potatoes/aloos
 2 green chilies, chopped or paste ( adjust according to taste)
1/2 tsp carom seeds/ajwain
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 cups water
2 tbsps oil
2 tsps groundnut powder
Rock salt or sendha namak as required

Method:-


 1)  First Boil the potatoes.
  2)  Peel and chop the potatoes and  keep them aside.



  3)  Heat oil in a pan.
  4)  Add the carom seeds and cumin seeds and crackle them first.
  5)  Now add the green chilies OR Greenchillies paste and saute for half a minute.


  6)  Add the chopped potatoes and stir.


  7)  Add water, rock salt or sendha namak  and simmer .
  8)  Add Groundnut powder and simmer for a minute till the gravy thickens a bit..
  9)  Vrat wale aloo is ready to serve.  



 10) These vrat wale aloo goes well with Kuttu ki puris or rotis or singhare ka atta puris or parathas or Rajgira puris or parathas.
 
 If you are looking for more fasting recipes then do check Sabudana Khichdi, Jeera Aloo, Sabudana Vada, Sukhi Arbi, Sabudana Thalipeeth ,Coconut Chutney for fasting , Peanut Chutney ,Sabudana Ladoos , Vrat ke Chawal  and so on ...
 

Ingredients:-
For spinach puree:

   Spinach / palak (chopped) - 3 cups
  Green chillies (chopped) -3
   Ginger (chopped) - ½ inch
    Garlic ( chopped ) - 5 cloves

Other ingredients:
    White button mushrooms - 200 gms
    Tomato (Medium sized )  - 2 (pureed)
    Onion (Medium sized ) - 1 paste
    Cinnamon - 1 inch
    Green cardamom - 2
    Cloves -2
    Bay leaf - 1
    Oil  -  2 tbsp
    Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
    Red chili powder -½ tsp
    Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
    Coriander  powder - 1/2 tsp
    Water - 2 cups
    Wheat flour(Atta) or  chickpea flour (besan)- ½ tbsp

Palak Mushroom Curry

1) Clean and wash the spinach.

Gutti Vankaya is a famous Andra recipe .Vankaya Nuvvula masala, is a classic Andhra cuisine  that is prepared on  special occasions and even goes well as a party dish.  What sums up the essence of this dish is the creamy sesame sauce and velvety Vankayas.One bit of it and your in heaven :)

Prep & Cooking: 1 hour
Serves: 8
Cuisine: Andhra

 Ingredients:-

Purple Brinjals /Eggplants/Baingan /Vankaya - 1/2 kg
Onions - 2 large
Green chilies - 6
Khus khus/gasagasalu/white poppy seeds (dry roast ) - 2 tbsps
Nuvvulu/til/white sesame seeds, (dry roast )- 4 tbsps
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsps
Coriander powder  - 2 tsps
Turmeric powder  - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 4 tbsps
Dry Red Chilli - 1
few fresh curry leaves



Method:-

1)  Wash and Slit the brinjals  into  plus shape .Brinjals should be whole that is stalks should be intact  i.e. do not cut fully.Place them in salted water  to avoid discoloration.




 2) Lightly  dry roast  the Khus Khus and sesame seeds  separately for 3 mins and keep it aside.

Poppy seeds /Khus Khus	Seasame seeds /Til /Nuvullu

3) Add 2 tbsps of oil in a pan, add the  slit brinjals and roast them till brown, approx 9-10 mins.Remove and keep  it aside.


4) In the same pan, add the green chilies and  chopped onions and saute for 5 mins on low  flame. Cool it . Grind the onions and green chilies to a fine paste.


5) Grind the lightly roasted khus khus and sesame seeds to a fine paste, adding little water.


6) Add the remaining oil in the pan, add cumin seeds and as they splutter add the  dry red chilli and curry leaves  and saute for a min.


7) Then add the onion paste and  Saute for 3 mins.
8) Add ginger garlic paste and saute for another 2 mins.
9)  Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt.Then  Add the khus khus and sesame paste and cook for 3 more mins.


10) Mix well and  add 2 cups water and bring it to boil.


11)  Reduce the flame and add the roasted brinjals and allow to simmer for 10 -15 mins or until the gravy thickens.  Stir them once in a while without breaking the brinjals. After gravy thickens turn off  the heat.


12) Serve hot Vankaya Nuvvulu Masala or brinjals in sesame sauce curry  with  rice ,flavored rice ,rotis ,chapatis .

Ingredients:-

   Drumsticks – 4 cut into 2 inch long sticks

  Grind to paste ( without adding water):-

   Turmeric powder – a pinch
   Chilli powder – 1 tsp or according to taste
   Salt  to taste
   Onion – 1 (chopped)
   Coconut scraped – half a cup
   Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
   Roasted split chick peas / Daliya - 5 tsp

 For Seasoning:-

   1. Oil – 2 tsp
   2. Mustard – ½ tsp
   3. Urad Dal – ½ tsp
   4. Curry leaves
   5. Cumin seeds -  ½ tsp 

Method:-

Boil the drumsticks in water until the drumstick is tender.
Grind roasted split chick peas,coriander seeds,chopped onion,salt,chilli powder,turmeric powder,coconut scraped in a mixer /blender without adding water.
Heat oil in a kadai mustard seeds,cumin seeds,urad dal,curry leaves and let them splutter. When the seeds stop tossing, add the curry leaves and fry for few seconds.
To this add the Grinded paste and in medium flame fry for 2 minutes stirring frequently so that it doesn't get burn and  then add the boiled drumsticks and mix well and cook for 5 min .
Serve with hot hot rice.

Bitter Gourd is very healthy due to its disease preventing properties.Bitter Gourd is very low in calories . The pods are rich in phytonutrients like dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants. It is responsible for reduction of blood sugar levels in the treatment of type-2 diabetes.

Ingredients:-

    * 2 medium sized bitter gourds(kakarakaya/ karelas)
    * 2 medium onions,chopped
    * salt to taste
    * 1/2 tbsp turmeric powder
    * 1 tsp red chilli powder
    * 1 tbsp oil
    * 2 tsps Spicy Roasted Chickpea Powder
    * 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
    * Few curry leaves

Method:-

    * Clean the bitter gourds(kakarakaya) and drain them.
    * Peel off the skin( run the peeler just once ) and slice into rounds.
    * Add turmeric and salt to kakara kaya pieces and mix well and keep aside for 15 mins.
    * Squeeze the kakarkaya pieces to remove water  and drain them on kitchen towel or paper towels( doing this will remove the bitterness by half )
    * Heat kadai/ pan with oil and add the mustard seeds and when they start to pop add the curry leaves.
    * Add the sliced kakarakaya ( bitter gourd ) pieces and fry stirring Constantly.When they are little brown add the finely chopped onions and fry until done.Constantly stir fry on medium heat ensuring they don’t burn or stick to the pan. Keep frying till they are well roasted and this could take about 15-18 mins.
    * Add salt , red chilli powder,Spicy Roasted Chickpea Powder and mix well.
    * Cook for 2 more mins until done.
    * Serve it with Sambhar or Dal with hot hot Rice .

Ingredients:-

2 raw plantains, peeled and cut
Fistful of Bengal Gram / Chana dal 
1/2 Cup - fresh coconut pieces or grated coconut
8 green chillies
1/4 tsp - Turmeric
1/2 tsp - Mustard Seeds
1/2 tsp -Cumin seeds
Curry Leaves Few
Oil - 2tbsp
Salt as required
Coriander to garnish

Method:-


First soak Bengal gram /chana dal in water for about 30 mins. Grind fresh coconut, green chillies to paste in a mixer.Place of a pot of water on stovetop on medium heat, wait for it to boil. Meanwhile wash, peel and cut the plantains . When water starts to boil, add these plantain cubes to water. Cook them for about 5 minutes on high heat, then pour them into a colander and discard the water.
Heat Oil in a pan,  add mustard seeds.When they splutter add  cumin and curry leaves. Then add the soaked chana dal. Fry them in oil for few minutes.
Then add the plantain cubes, turmeric, salt, coconut-chilli paste. Mix them thoroughly and cook them covered for about 15 minutes.

This curry tastes great with rice and dal.Serve hot with chapati also.