Mutton Dum Biryani -Instant pot

Serves 6

Time 2 hrs (24 hour marination)

 Ingredients:

Marinate

3 lbs Goat leg cut in small pieces

2 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste

1 cup yogurt

6-8 green chilies slit or 2 Jalapenos cut in quarters

6 cloves

1 inch cinnamon stick

4 cardamoms

8 peppercorns

1 tsp Shahjeera

1 tsp turmeric

2 tbsp lime juice

1/4 cup cilantro chopped

1/2 cup mint chopped

salt to taste

Biryani

4 cups Basmati Rice

4 - 6 cups warm water

1/4 cup oil

2 tbsp Ghee

4 cloves

1 inch cinnamon stick

2 cardamoms

1/4 cup cilantro and mint

salt to taste

Garnish

1 large onion caramelized in a tsp of oil and sprinkle of salt. 

Directions

Marinate all ingredients under Marinate for 24 hours in refrigerator.

Set instantpot on saute and heat 1/4 cup of oil till warm. Add the marinate. 

Cancel Saute mode. Close lid and pressure cook for 12 mins.

Wash the basmati rice till water runs clear and leave it to soak. 

Heat 4 - 6 cups of water, just heat do not boil.

You can caramelize the onion at this time and set aside.

When instantpot naturally releases pressure open lid. You may see good amount of liquid.

Gauge that liquid. With no liquid, you would need 6 cups of water. Reduce water by a cup or two based on the amount liquid you see in the mutton. 

Drain the soaked rice and place on the cooked mutton. 

Add whole spices, cilantro mint and salt. 

Add heated water. 

Add Ghee. 

Do not stir during this process. 

Close lid and pressure cook for 6 mins. 

When pressure is released naturally, gently stir from the bottom.

Move to a serving dish.

Garnish with caramelized onions.

Enjoy!!!!

Lentil Quinoa Soup

Happy New Year 2018!!!

Starting this new year with a resolution to eat healthier. The plan is to focus more on vegetarian one dish meals.

I picked this recipe from a dear friend and tweaked it a little to make it gluten free.
Its a protein rich, simple nourishing one dish meal that can be made in minutes.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Toor Dal (Split pigeon peas)
1/2 cup Moong Dal (Split Green Gram)
1/4 cup Quinoa
1/2 cup diced onions
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced tomatoes
2 cups chopped kale
3 green chilies (adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp crushed or finely chopped ginger
1/2 cup chopped coriander (cilantro)
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
6 cups water

Seasoning:

1 tsp crushed or finely chopped garlic
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 broken red chilies
spring of curry leaves (optional)
1 tsp oil

Juice of  half a lemon

Procedure:

Place all the ingredients in a pressure cooker or instant pot and cook just long enough for the lentils to cook.
In instant pot you can cook it on high pressure for 7 - 8 minutes.
Heat oil add crushed garlic followed by mustard, cumin, red chilies and curry leaves and stir for a minute making sure not to burn.
Add this seasoning to the cooked lentils and vegetables.
Add lemon juice.

Note:
Choose vegetables of your choice.  Make sure not to skip tomato.

Palakura --Spinach Curry

Spinach simmered with sautéed onion, ginger, garlic and spices.

Ingredients:

1 lb chopped spinach (preferably frozen)

2 medium or 1 large onion chopped

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

¾ tsp chili powder

¼ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp garam masala

Salt to taste

½ cup milk

Tempering:

¼ tsp mustard seeds

¼ tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp urad dal

1 red chili broken

1 spring of curry leaves

Heat oil in a sauce pan. Add tempering, when it starts to crackle add onions.

Saute for few minutes until the onions are semi transparent.

Add turmeric, chili powder, salt and sauté till the onions are transparent.

Add spinach and sauté for few minutes on medium to high till the spinach is totally defrosted and is well sautéed.

Add milk, when it starts to cook reduce flame and let it simmer.

Half way through simmering add garam masala.

Simmer to desired consistency.

Variation 1

 Bangaladumpa Palakura --Potato Spinach Curry

1 Large or 2 medium potatoes cut into chunks.

Add potatoes after adding turmeric, chili powder and salt.

Sauté till potatoes are semi cooked before adding spinach.

Increase chili powder to 1 – 1 ¼ tsp.

Increase garam masala to ½ tsp.

Increase milk to 1 cup.

Variation 2

Kodi guddu Palakura --Spinach Egg Curry

Add 2 boiled eggs after the spinach is sautéed, stir it for a minute and then add milk. 

Tomato Pappu --Tomato with lentils (Tomato Dal)

Tomato dal is easy to make, highly nutritious and a super comfort food.

Toor dal cooked with onions and tomatoes and topped with aromatic tampering.

Ingredients:

1 cup Toor Dal (Pigeon peas)

2.5 cups water

3 medium tomatoes (cut into large pieces)

½ cup large onion chunks

1 tsp chili powder

¼ tsp turmeric

Salt to taste

Tempering:

2 tsp oil

½ tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp cumin seeds

1 broken red chili

1 spring curry leaves

¼ tsp asafetida (hing)

Wash toor dal. Add 2.5 cups of water to dal in a pressure cooker.

Add tomatoes and onions. Cook on high for two whistles and set the heat to low and let it cook for 10 – 12 mins. 

Once the pressure is off, remove lid. If there is excessive water, cook for few minutes without cover to get it to the desired consistency.

Add chili powder, turmeric and salt.

In a separate pan heat oil, add mustard, cumin, red chili and curry leaves followed by hing. Once the mustard starts spluttering, add the tempering to dal and mix will.

Enjoy it with hot rice and ghee. 

Egg Pulusu --Eggs in tamarind sauce

My boys and many nephews and nieces are entering into their new phase of life at schools and new jobs. I have decided to post recipes that are very basic and easy to make for novice chefs. Most of the recipes will be of simple Andhra dishes for the days when these newbie cooks miss their home food.

The recipe today is Egg pulusu.

Boiled eggs cooked in sautéed onion and tamarind sauce. 

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 tbsp oil

1 large onion chopped into tiny pieces

1 heaped tsp of tamarind paste (adjust to taste)

1 inch cube of jaggery or 2 tsp sugar (reduce if you do not like sweet)

1 tsp chili powder

¼ tsp turmeric

Salt to taste

2 cups water

Tempering:

¼ tsp mustard seeds

¼ tsp cumin seeds

¼ tsp fenugreek seeds

1 dry red chili broken

1 spring curry leaves

1 mashed garlic (optional)

Boil and shell eggs. Set them aside.

Heat the oil either in pressure pan or sauce pan.

When the oil is hot add the ingredients under tempering. When mustard starts spluttering add chopped onions and sauté till transparent. Add chilli powder, turmeric, salt followed by eggs and sauté for a minute. Add jaggery and tamarind paste and 2 cups water (add 1 cup of water and based on your desired consistency add more). If using pressure cooker, cook it until one whistle. If sauce pan cover and cook on medium for 10 mins.

This is a great side dish for white or brown rice. I recommend eating it with rice and plain or tomato dal. I will post the tomato dal recipe soon. 

Chicken Fry (1)

Today’s recipe is one of many chicken fry variations. Ginger and curry leaves add a distinct flavor to this dish.

For Precooking

2 lbs Chicken (with bone or boneless)

1 – 2 tsp of red chili powder (adjust to taste)

½ tsp turmeric

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

For Saute

1 large onion

2 inches on ginger

8 flakes of garlic

3 springs of curry leaves

6 green chilies slit in halves

4 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

1 ½ tsp of garam masala

Handful of chopped coriander leaves

For Seasoning

½ tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp cumin seeds

1 red chili broken

Mix chicken with chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, salt, oil and set it on heat. If there is no moisture at all, add very little water (less then ¼ cup). Cook on medium to high heat. Do not slow cook, it makes the chicken hard. Cook until 80% of the moisture is evaporated. Remove from heat and set it aside.

Blend onions, ginger, garlic and curry leaves into a coarse paste. Just pulse it couple times in blender, it should be chunky.

Heat oil in a wide pan, add seasoning, when it starts to splutter add green chilies followed by the chunky onion paste. Add turmeric and salt and sauté until the onions loose the raw smell.

Add chicken and sauté for about 10 minutes on medium heat until it gets a nice golden brown hue.

Add garam masala of your choice, store bought ones like kitchen king or chicken masala are a good option.

Add coriander leaves mix will and remove from heat.

Enjoy it as a side dish to your Indian meal. 

Kale Pappu - Kale with lentils (Kale Dal)

After a looong hiatus, I am planning on reviving the blog with Kale Dal.

Nutrition rich kale combined with protein rich dal is both healthy and delicious.

Ingredients
1 cup toor dal

3 tightly packed cups of chopped kale

½ a small onion chopped thin and long

2 – 3 green chilies slit (adjust to taste)

3 tsp oil

Juice of one lime

¼ tsp Turmeric

¼ tsp red chili powder (optional)

Salt to taste

Seasoning

½ tsp mustard

½ tsp cumin

1 red chili broken

Pinch of asafetida

1 spring curry leaves

Cook dal in pressure cooker

Heat oil in a large pan, add seasoning followed by onions and green chilies and sauté.

When onions are half done add kale and sauté till it wilts.

Add turmeric, red chili powder and salt.

Add the cooked dal, add water to get it to stew consistency.

Cook until the dal and kale blended well together.

Add lemon juice after you remove dal from heat.

Cooking time of kale can be adjusted to your choice. I do not like to over cook onions and kale. It gives a nice texture to the dish.

Enjoy it with hot rice and ghee. For a carb free meal try adding little more water while cooking and eat it as a soup.