Spiced Basmati Rice

Recipe Ingredients: 

2 cups rice

1 tbsp cumin seeds 

5 cardamom pods   

3 bay leaves 

5 cloves 

1-2 cinnamon sticks 

2 cups water 

1 tbsp ghee 

salt (according to taste)

 

How to Prepare:

Wash rice in several changes of cold water untill the water runs clear. Leave to soak in fresh cold water for 20 minutes, then drain the water. Cook rice, cumin seeds, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and ghee by adding water and salt for 20-30 minutes. Serve hot.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with any gravy curry or raita.

Fenugreek Dal

Recipe Ingredients :

1 cup toor dal
2 cups fenugreek, washed
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
4 green chillies finely chopped
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1/2 tbsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
10 curry leaves
2 dry red chillies, broken into two
4 tbsp oil
salt (according to taste)

How to Prepare: 

Wash dal untill water runs clear and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Pressure cook toor dal, fenugreek leaves, 3/4 of the chopped onions (reserve the remaining chopped onions) turmeric, salt, red chilli powder and green chillies with 3 cups of water and cook for 40 minutes or untill 3 whistles. Mash toor dal into smooth paste with the laddel. 

Heat oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat, when hot add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. As as the mustard seeds pop add dry red chillies, reserved chopped onions, chopped garlic and curry leaves. Let the seasonings sizzle untill dry red chillies have lightly darken in colour. 

Pour the contents of seasoning over the fenugreek dal, scraping off every bit from the saucepan. Turn off the heat and keep the saucepan covered untill you are ready to serve. 

Serving Suggestions: 

Serve with hot rice and ghee.

Palak Panner

Recipe Ingredients :

1 bunch spinach

4-5 green chillies

1 medium onion

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

 1-2 cinnamon stick

 150-200grams paneer

 1 tbsp garam masala powder

 1 tbsp turmeric power

 1 tbsp red chili powder

 1 tbsp cumin seeds 

 2 tbsp oil/ghee

 salt (according to taste)

 1 cup yogurt 

 water-for boiling

How to prepare: 

Wash spinach with cold water and boil spinach in pressure cooker untill one-two whistles on medium flame. Drain the water and keep aside. Blend in a mixer along with green chillies into a thick paste. Do not add water. 

Meanwhile chop paneer into cubes. Boil paneer in water with little salt for about 10-15 minutes. In a medium sized pan add oil and fry paneer on both sides till golden brown in colour, drain paneer from oil and keep it aside untill needed. In the same oil add cumin seeds, cinamon stick and finely chopped onions. Saute till onions turn golden brown.

Add ginger garlic paste and stir for a minute. To this paste add garam masala, turmeric and red chili powder. Add spinach paste and stir for a minute or two. Pour some water to get  gravy consistency. Add salt and yogurt let the gravy boil by stirring from time to time and cover with lid. Add the paneer to palak gravy, remove from heat and serve hot. 

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with naan/chapati.

Zeera Rice

Recipe Ingredients:

2 cups rice

1 tbsp cumin seeds

2 cups water

1 tbsp ghee

salt (according to taste)

How to Prepare:

Wash rice in several changes of cold water untill the water runs clear. Leave to soak in fresh cold water for 20 minutes, then drain the water. Cook rice, cumin seeds, ghee by adding water and salt for 20-30 minutes. Serve hot.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with any gravy curry or raita.

Chicken Liver Fry

Recipe Ingredients:

600 gm chicken liver

 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste 

1 tbsp turmeric  

2 tbsp red chilli powder

5-10 curry leaves

1 tbsp cumin seeds

 2 tbsp salt
 

How to Prepare:

 

In a bowl add chicken liver, turmeric powder, salt and ginger garlic paste, mix well untill well combined. Add water cover with a lid and cook untill liver is tender on medium -high heat.  In a heavy base saucepan add oil, when hot add curry leaves, cumin seeds and boiled liver  and cook untill chicken liver  turns little dark in colour and crispy, cook  with out covering with the lid, finally add red chilli powder and mix well. Serve hot.