Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Rava Idli

We live in the 21st century and we need or have got habitual to instant things. We need instant food, we need everything automatic and machine operated. Microwave is one of them. It is a great great appliance in the kitchen and we are just handicapped without it.
I made Instant Rava Idlis in microwave. They were made just in 4 minutes. My mother-in-law sent me the microwave idli maker and i loved it. Thank-You so much. Its been a life saver. My husband loves Idlis and now I can make them whenever i can without fermenting the batter.
Ingredients -
1) 2 cups Rava/Sooji/Semolina
2) Oil
3) 1 tspn mustard seed
4) a pinch of asafoetida
5) 1-2 dry whole red chillies
6) 1 tspn chana dal
7) 1 tspn urad dal

1) 1 cup yogurt well beaten
2) 4-5 curry leaves
3) 2-3 green chillies chopped finely
4) 1 inch ginger grated
5) Salt to taste
6) 1 cup water
7) A handful of cilantro
8) 2 tspn ENO or Fruit Salt
9) Thinly sliced tomato and cilantro for garnishing


Method -
1) Heat oil in a wide skillet and do the seasoning. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida, red chillies, chana dal and urad dal. Add the rava and mix well. Roast the rava nicely until it start changing its colour.
2) Meanwhile coat the Idli trays with oil and keep aside.
3) Turn off the heat and let it cool down to room temperature.
4) Take the yogurt in a bowl and add all the other ingredients to it except ENO. Mix well.
5) Add this mixture to the Rava and mix it well.
6) Add water little at a time and keep mixing it without forming any lumps. Rest the batter for 10-15 minutes.
7) Add ENO at the last minute and mix well. The mixture should foam up. This step is important as we are not fermenting the batter. Adding ENO takes care of that.
8) Pour little batter in the Idli trays and put them in the mocrowave on high for 4 minutes. Let it stand for 5 minutes and then remove.
Serve hot Idlis with sambar and coconut chutney.
I kept a thin slice of tomato and a coriander leaf in the idli trays before pouring the batter. Its looks nice and attractive.
Enjoy!!!

Monday, August 17, 2009

Chicken Kadhai

Chicken Kadhai, one of my husband's favourite dish. He orders this everytime when we go to any Indian restaurant. I made this at home yesterday and it turned out delicious. A very very easy and a quick recipe. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1 pound chicken
2) 2 medium onions sliced lengthwise
3) 3-4 garlic cloves
4) 2 inch ginger
5) 3-4 green chillies
6) 3 medium tomatoes
7) 2-3 dry red chillies
8) 3-4 peppercons
9) 1 tspn turmeric powder
10) 1 tbspn cumin-coriander powder
11)Salt to taste and Ghee
Method -
1) Wash chicken pieces nicely and marinate it with turmeric powder and salt for 2 hours. Its always best to marinate it for a longer time. The longer you marinate the quicker the chicken cooks.
2) Grind ginger, garlic and green chillies to a fine paste.
3) Puree the tomatoes along with peppercons, cumin-coriander powder and dry red chillies.
4) Heat ghee in a skillet and put in the chicken pieces. Fry the pieces for a couple of minutes. Remove them.
4) In the same ghee, fry the onions till they become translucent.
5) Add the ginger-garlic-green chilli paste and saute for a minute.
6) Now, add the tomato puree and saute for a couple of minutes.
7) Add the chicken pieces. Mix well and add 1 cup of water. Adjust the salt at this time.
8) Cover and cook the chicken until its tender.
9) Garnish it with coriander and serve hot with chapatis or rice.
Enjoy!!!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Gujarati Dal

This dal tastes awesomely delicious and is a nice variation to the usual Toor Dal. Its spicy, tangy and flavourful. I also like to have it simply as a soup. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup Toor Dal washed
2) 1/4 cup peanuts
3) 1/2 tspn turmeric powder
4) 1/2 tspn chilli powder or to taste
5) 1 tspn cumin-coriander powder
6) 1 tspn Garam Masala
7) 3-4 Kokum
8) 1 tspn Amchur Powder
9) 2 green chillies finely chopped
10) 1 inch ginger grated
11)1 medium Tomato diced
12)Jaggery to taste
13)Lemon Juice to taste
14)Salt to taste

For the seasoning -
1) 1 tspn Oil
2) 1/2 tspn mustard seeds and Cumin seeds each
3) A pinch of asafoetida
4) 5-6 curry leaves
5) 2-3 cloves
6) 1 small cinnamon stick
7) 1 dry red chilli

Method -
1) Pressure cook the toor dal with peanuts, salt, turmeric powder with enough water. Make 3-4 whistles and let the pressure go down.
2) Transfer the dal to a skillet and add all the dry powders, kokum, tomato, green chillies, ginger and jaggery. Add around 2 cups of water and let it boil.
3) Now, heat oil in a small skillet and do the seasoning.
4) Add this seasoning to the boiling dal.
5) Mix well and check salt at this point. Adjust salt and water according to your taste and allow it to boil nicely.
6) Add enough water as Toor Dal has a tendency to absorb the water and thicken. This dal should be more watery.
7) Garnish it with cilantro.
Enjoy!!!

Monday, August 10, 2009

Guacamole - Indian Style

Guacamole, used in Mexican recipes is made up of ripe Avacados. My friend makes this Indian style. I loved it when I tasted. Since,now I have developed a taste for Avacados, I use them in my cooking very often. I decided to make this Guacamole and I loved it. You can use it as a dip or as a bread spread or as a chutney. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1 ripe Avacado
2) about 1 inch ginger
3) 3-4 green chillies
4) Lemon juice and salt to taste
Method -
Cut the Avacado into 2 parts. Remove the seed and scoop out the pulp. Mash it. Grind the ginger and green chillies to a smooth paste and add this paste to the pulp. Add salt and squeeze in the lemon juice. Mash it well once again and Guacamole is ready.
Enjoy!!