Urad Chana Masala

This is a typical spicy Dhaba Dal. Make it for lunch or dinner, goes well with Tandoori Roti.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dhuli urad dal (split skinned black lentil)
• ½ cup chana dal (split skinned Bengal gram)
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ cup fried onion
• 2-3 green chilies slit longitudinally

For Masala:

• 3 tbsp oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 3-4 cloves
• 2 green cardamoms
• 1 ginger garlic paste
• ½ cup tomato crushed
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• A dollop of butter
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Chopped coriander leaves
• 2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
• 1 dry red chili ( broken into small pieces)
• Pinch of asafetida (optional)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 garlic cloves chopped fine
• Salt

Method:

• Soak chana dal and urad dal separately for 2 hours.
• After 2 hours, put chana dal in a pressure cooker. Add 4 cups of water, green chilies, fried onion, turmeric powder, and one tbsp of cooking oil. Stir well.
• Cover the pressure cooker and set on high flame. After the first 'whistle' or ‘pressure release’, reduce the flame to slow and cook for one more ‘whistle’. Turn off the flame and allow the pressure cooker to cool.
• Open the pressure cooker when cooled, and add soaked urad dal and salt. Cover the pressure cooker again and set on the stove. Turn off the flame after two ‘pressure releases’ and allow the pressure cooker to cool.
• In the mean time prepare masala for dal: In a small pan, heat the oil; add bay leaf, cloves, green cardamoms and half tsp cumin seeds. When seeds stop spluttering, add ginger garlic paste; fry till the rawness of ginger garlic paste has gone. Add chopped tomato, red chili powder and little salt and cook till tomato is soft and mushy. Add this spice mixture to the boiled lentils in cooker, stir to blend and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
• Check the consistency of dal. If it is too thick, add some warm water and stir carefully until the consistency is right. Remember Dal always thickens when it gets cooler and cooler.
• Add butter, chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice and continue simmering till both the lentils and spices are well blended with each other.
• Now remove dal mix from fire and spoon out into a serving dish.
• Garnish with ‘tadka’. Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a small pan on medium flame. Add ½ tsp cumin seeds and fry till spluttering stops. Add chopped garlic, and fry till garlic is just pink. Add now whole red chili and a pinch of red chili powder. Remove from fire and immediately pour over dal mix before chili gets burnt.
• Serve hot with Tandoori Roti, Sookhi Sabji,and Salad.

Do you know?

The seasoning is what makes the dal come alive. Dal is fat free and nature has designed it to absorb various combinations of seasonings and spices.

The standard ingredients of seasoning are mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafetida, red chilies or chili powder, onions, green chilies, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, curry leaves.

Oats Chicken Masala

It is a perfect ‘One Pot Meal’ for dinner. If cooked Chicken is ready in the refrigerator, it will take just 10 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Quaker Oats -‘Old Fashioned’
• ½ pound chicken with bones cut in small pieces
• 1 small Onion chopped finely
• 2 Green Chilies chopped finely
• ½ tsp ginger garlic paste
• ¼ cup tomato chopped fine
• ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
• ½ tsp Red Chili Powder
• 2-3 tbsp Coriander Leaves chopped fine
• 3-4 tbsp Cooking Oil
• ¼ cup fried Onion
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice

Method:

• Heat Oil in a pan; add chopped Onion, and chopped Green Chilies; fry until the Onions start to look transparent. Add Ginger Garlic paste and fry till rawness has gone. Now add chopped Tomato, Turmeric Powder, Red Chili Powder and Salt; fry till Tomatoes become soft and mushy, and Oil is separated out.
• Add Chicken pieces and cook on medium heat until Chicken is tender.
• Now add fried Onions and Oats to the pan and mix well all the ingredients with a spatula. Just fry for 2-3 minutes and then add 3 cups of water. Add little more water if you like soft Oats.
• Cook covered on very low heat for 4-5 minutes or till the Oats turn soft.
• Mix in Lemon Juice and half of the chopped Coriander Leaves.
• Spoon out in a serving dish, garnish with Coriander Leaves and few fried onions.
• Serve hot.

Do You Know?

Oats (naturally gluten free) can be contaminated with gluten in the fields itself, when oats are grown side-by-side with fields of wheat. And contamination can vary widely between batches of processed oats i.e. even oats grown and processed in the same place. So one box of conventional oats may be safe for one gluten-intolerant person, but then the next box might give them a terrible reaction. It's best to completely avoid conventionally grown and processed oats when cooking for a gluten-free individual.

Tarbooz Ke Chhilke Ki Sabji (Water Melon Rind Curry)

Do you know that the rind of water melon is edible? The term rind usually refers to the skin or peel of a fruit.

In watermelon, the rind consists of two parts - the outer green skin and the inner white pulp.The outer green skin of the rind is hard and inedible, so it is discarded. The inner whitish part of the rind is edible, although it has a bland taste when raw and is not as soft as the central red part.

In this simple recipe the de-skinned and de-fruited white rind is cooked with spices. Team it with a Dal and hot Paratha/Roti, you will have a terrific vegetarian meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped white rind of Water Melon
• Pinch of asafetida
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 dry whole red chili
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 2-3 green chilies finely chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

• Remove the dark green part of the water melon rind with a sharp knife and discard it. Cut the white rind into ½ inch cubes.

• Heat the oil in a pan and add asafetida, whole dry red chilies and cumin seeds.
• When the seeds begin to splutter, add the chopped white rind and chopped green chilies; stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
• Add red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt.
• Do not add water because water melon rind is cooked in its own water.
• Cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, on low flame for 10-12 minutes or till the vegetable is almost done. Now remove the cover from the pan and cook till water is almost absorbed. Add lemon juice.
• Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

Do You Know?

Watermelon rind can be stir-fried, stewed, pickled, candied or cooked as vegetable. It contains many hidden nutrients that most people avoid eating due to its unappealing flavor.

Pickled watermelon rind is also commonly consumed in the Southern US.

Chicken Samosa

Whether it is a tea time or a social gathering, Samosa (prism shaped savory) is the most popular snack in Northern India.

This recipe involves Samosa filled with spiced chicken mince.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Maida or Pastry flour or All Purpose Flour
• ¼ cup cooking oil
• ½ tsp Salt

For Filling:

• 1 pound chicken mince
• 1 bay leaf
• 3-4 green cardamom
• 1 green chili chopped fine
• 1 small onion chopped fine
• 1 tsp ginger grated
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped fine
• ½ tsp black pepper powder
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt to taste

For Frying: Cooking Oil for deep frying

Method:

Prepare Filling:

• Boil minced chicken (kheema) with ginger, bay leaf, and cardamoms, until the kheema is cooked. Use minimum amount of water just required to boil the chicken.
• Heat 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a pan on medium flame. Add the green chilies and the onion; fry till soft.
• Now add boiled chicken kheema and salt to taste. Fry it till all the water is evaporated.
• Remove bay leaf and green Cardamoms; mix in black pepper powder, chopped cilantro leaves and lemon juice.
• Filling is ready. Remove from heat and keep aside.

Prepare dough:

• Sieve the flour and salt together.
• Rub in the oil till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
• Add a little warm water at a time to it, to make a firm, smooth dough.
• Keep the dough for half an hour, covered with wet cloth.

Prepare Samosas: (For step by step demonstration refer: Potato filled Samosa)

• Make small balls of almost equal size and roll out the balls to oblong approximately 6 inches in length and 5 inches in width. You can roll out circle also, only the shape of samosa will be little different.
• Cut each oblong into 2 with a knife. Each half makes one samosa.

• Take one half and lightly wet its straight edge with water. Fold it into a cone, overlapping the wet edges and pressing gently to seal well.

• Fill this cone 3/4 full with the filling made earlier.
• Lightly wet the open edges of the cone and press together to seal well. Use all the dough up in a similar manner.

• Deep fry the Samosa on medium heat until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.
• Serve hot with Green Coriander Chutney.

Do You Know?

The majority of Indian appetizers and snacks are based on potatoes, combined with different spices.

Alu ki Tikki is one of the oldest snacks recorded by the history of Indian food, and the Samosa is another snack which is greatly enjoyed from ancient times. It should be noted that authentic Indian dishes can never be limited to a strict formula, since they differ from household to household.

Murg Methi Malai

This is a wonderfully simple dish; the delicious gravy is made from yogurt, cream, fried onions and fragrant Kasuri Methi (dried Fenugreek leaves).

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Chicken boneless
• 1 Bay leaf
• ¼ cup fried Onions
• ½ cup Yogurt
• 1 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste
• 1 tsp Chicken Tandoori Masala (available in Indian Grocery Store)
• 1 tsp Maida (All Purpose Flour)
• ½ tsp Black Pepper powder
• 1 tbsp Lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Kasuri Methi
• 2 tbsp Malai (or heavy cream)
• ½ cup Milk
• 3 tbsp Cooking oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 boiled Egg to garnish
• 1 tbsp Butter

Method:

• Cut the chicken into serving pieces.
• In a bowl mix yogurt, ginger garlic paste, black pepper powder, lemon juice, 1 tbsp oil and ½ tsp salt. Marinate the chicken in this yogurt mix for at least an hour.
• Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large, wide pan or a large, deep frying pan (preferably non-stick) over a medium flame. When hot, stir in only chicken pieces, without its marinade, and sear it for 3-4 minutes. Add marinade, chicken tandoori masala, crushed fried onions, crushed Kasuri Methi and maida, and cook for 5-6 minutes.
• Add ½ cup milk. Cover and simmer on low heat until the chicken is fork tender.
• Add dried crushed fenugreek leaves, and simmer on low heat for another 3-4 minutes or until the oil separates from the gravy. Taste and adjust the salt in gravy.
• Now churn the malai and add to the curry. Mix it well.
• Garnish with fried onions, butter and boiled egg.
• Serve with Roti or hot white Rice.

Do You Know?

How to Handle Fresh Chicken Safely: Fresh Chicken is kept cold during distribution to retail stores to prevent the growth of bacteria and to increase its shelf life. Chicken should feel cold to the touch when purchased. Make the grocery your last stop before going home. At home, immediately place chicken in a refrigerator that maintains 40 °F. Use it within 1 or 2 days, or freeze it at 0 °F. If kept frozen continuously, it will be safe indefinitely.

Oats Upma

Oatmeal is a big challenge to Indian palate mostly because of its blandness. The flavor and spiciness of Curry Leaves, Coriander Leaves and Green Chilies helped me to overcome this hurdle.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Quaker Oats - Old Fashioned
• ¼ cup Green Peas
• 1 small Onion finely chopped
• 2 Green Chilies finely chopped
• ½ tsp Black Pepper powder
• ½ tsp Mustard seeds
• ½ tsp Dhuli Urad Dal (Split Skinned Black Gram)
• 4-5 Curry Leaves
• 2-3 tbsp Coriander Leaves chopped
• 2 tbsp Cooking Oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice

Method:

• Wash and soak Oats for 4-5 minutes in water. After that just squeeze out the water from oats and mix with very little salt and keep aside for later use.
• Heat Oil in a pan, add Mustard Seeds, once the Mustard Seeds splutter, add Urad Dal and fry until they turn golden brown.
• Now add chopped Onion, Curry Leaves and chopped Green Chilies and fry until the Onions start to look a little transparent. Add Green Peas and black pepper powder; fry until Peas are tender.
• Add moist Oats to the pan and mix well all the ingredients with a spatula and fry for 2-3 minutes.
• Sprinkle about 1-2 tbsp of water to the above fried Oats mixture in the pan and cook covered on very low heat for 4-5 minutes or till the Oats turn soft. Make sure to not add excess water to the Oats Upma as the whole mixture can become soggy and Oats Upma may not taste as good as it should.
• Stir it carefully with a fork so that Oats can be separated to some extent. Mix in Lemon Juice and half of the chopped coriander leaves..
• Spoon out in a serving dish. Garnish with Coriander Leaves.

Do You Know?

The main problem with oats in gluten-free eating is contamination. Most commercial oats are processed in facilities that also process wheat, barley, and rye. The gluten in these ingredients can contaminate oats, and the nature of most gluten intolerances is that even a trace amount of gluten can cause severe discomfort. Therefore, only certified gluten free oats should be consumed by those with celiacs.

Oats Ki Kheer (Oats Pudding)

It is fairly easy and quick to prepare. Boil oats with milk, add Saffron and Cardamom Powder and get a taste of creamy delicious Oats ki Kheer.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Quaker Oats - Old Fashioned
• 2 cups Water
• Pinch of salt
• 1 ½ cups Full cream milk boiled
• ¼ cup Sugar (modify according to taste)
• ¼ tsp Green Cardamom Powder
• Few strands of Saffron
• Pinch of Nutmeg powder
• ¼ cup chopped dry fruits (Almonds, Cashews etc)

Method:

• Cook the Oats with 2 cups of Water and pinch of salt in a microwave for about 4 minutes or cook them in a vessel for about 5-6 minutes.
• Transfer the above cooked Oats into a bowl and stir in warm Milk. Keep on stirring for some time so that lumps are not formed and kheer becomes smooth and creamy.
• Add all the Dry fruits, cardamom powder, half of the Saffron, pinch of Nutmeg powder and Sugar.
• Mix all the ingredients well. Transfer in a serving bowl.
• Garnish with little cardamom powder and few strings of Saffron. Keep covered in refrigerator for 4-5 hours.
• Serve Chilled

Do You Know?

Wheat, rye, and barley have proteins that collectively are called 'Gluten'. Some people cannot tolerate gluten when it comes in contact with the small intestine. This condition in ‘Gluten- Sensitive’ individuals is known as coeliac disease.

Oats naturally contain a type of protein called 'Avenin' that is different to the type of gluten you find in wheat, rye, barley and triticale. Avenin can also be toxic to the intestinal mucosa of Avenin-Sensitive individuals, and can trigger a reaction in these coeliacs.

Garbanzo Oats Pulao

Today first time my recipe using Oats has come up, since I started blogging. The inspiration I got from my elder son Piyush, who wanted me to introduce this wonderful food in our diet.

Garbanzo oats Pulao is a simple healthy and delicious dish. In this recipe Garbanzo is cooked with Oats like a pulao. It can be served for dinner, brunch or evening snack.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Quaker Oats (‘Old Fashioned’ Oats)
• ½ cup Garbanzo (Kabuli Chana) boiled or Canned
• 1 small Onion finely chopped
• 2 Green Chilies finely chopped
• ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
• ½ tsp Red Chili Powder
• ¼ tsp Cumin seeds
• 2-3 tbsp Coriander Leaves chopped fine
• 2 tbsp Cooking Oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice

Method:

• Take a non- stick pan and dry roast the oats (without oil) till they leave their whitishness and turn little brownish. Take them out in a bowl.
• Heat Oil in a pan, add Cumin Seeds. Once the Cumin Seeds splutter, add chopped onion, and chopped Green Chilies; fry until the Onions start to look little transparent. Add Turmeric Powder, Red Chili Powder and roasted Oats. Fry for 2-3 minutes.

• Add boiled Garbanzo to the pan and mix well all the ingredients with a spatula.
• Add 2 cups of water to the above Garbanzo Oats mixture in the pan and cook covered on low heat for 4-5 minutes or till the Oats turn soft. Stir Occasionally. Make sure to not add excess water to the Oats as the whole mixture can become soggy.
• Mix in Lemon Juice and half of the chopped coriander leaves. Keep covered for five minutes.
• Spoon out in a serving dish, garnish with the remaining Coriander Leaves and serve.

Do You Know?

• Oats are available in several forms.

• Oat groats are the whole seed with only the outer hull removed.

• ‘Old fashioned’ Oats are the Oat groats that are steamed, pressed with a roller and flaked without further processing. They contain all parts of the oat grain including the bran, endosperm and germ portion.

• Quick Oats are steel cut oat groats that are flaked to .014 to .018 inches thick. They require minimal cooking but, as a result, sacrifice some of the nutty flavor and texture; they are most often used in baking.

• Steel Cut Oats are whole oats that have not been rolled into flakes. Instead, they are cut approximately into thirds. These oats are chewy and often used for oatmeal and muesli. Steel Cut Oats are also known as Scotch Oats, Pinhead Oats (in Great Britain because they resemble the size and shape of the head of a large pin) and Irish Oats.

• Oat Bran is the outer coating of the oat grain which is even higher in fiber. It is usually available at health food stores.

• Oat Flour comes from ground oat groats and contains no gluten (gluten-free). Oat flour contains natural antioxidants that can actually prolong the shelf-life of baked goods. It is usually available at health food stores.

Lamb Pulao

It is a simple recipe in which biryani rice is cooked with meat and spices. Serve with Raita and Chutney as main course.

Ingredients:

• 2 pound mutton (Goat/Lamb) cut in small pieces
• 2 cups Basmati Rice
• 1 Bay Leaves
• 1” stick of Cinnamon
• 2 Green Cardamoms
• 1 tbsp Garlic paste
• 1 tbsp Ginger Paste
• 1 medium Onion finely sliced
• 2 Green Chilies finely chopped
• 1 tsp Red Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Garam Masala Powder
• ½ cup Yogurt
• 1 tbsp Mint Leaves chopped
• 1 tbsp Cilantro Leaves chopped
• Salt to taste
• 4-5 tbsp ghee (Clarified Butter)

Method:

• Soak rice for 30 minutes. Drain and keep aside.
• Heat ghee in a pan; add Bay leaves, Cinnamon, Cardamoms, sliced onions and chopped green chilies; sauté well.
• Add mutton and cook on medium heat for a 5-6 minutes.
• Add garlic paste, ginger paste, red chili powder and ½ cup yogurt and fry on medium low heat for 15-20 minutes or till meat is just done (you can pressure cook it also).
• Now add 3 ½ cups of hot water, chopped mint leaves, chopped cilantro leaves, salt, garam masala powder and soaked basmati rice. Mix lightly.
• Allow rice to cook over a high heat first. Cover the pan and cook further on low heat for 10-12 minutes or until rice is done.
• Garnish with fresh cilantro and mint leaves.
• Serve hot with Onion Raita and Green Chutney.

Do You Know?

Pulao, a favorite-spiced rice dish in India, comes from the Persian word for cooked rice, 'polo'.

The original dish dates back to the Mughal period, with a strong Persian influence since the Mughal emperors admired and emulated Persian culture.

Pyaz Ka Paratha (Onion Stuffed Pan-fried Flatbread)

Delicious paratha stuffed with finely chopped onion along with green chilies and spices. Serve Onion Paratha with Raita or Pickle.

Ingredients:

To prepare dough:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• water to knead

To prepare stuffing:

• 1 cup white onion finely chopped
• 2-3 green chilies finely chopped
• 2 tbsp stuffed Parantha Masala (available in Indian Grocery Stores)
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• Salt to taste

To pan fry:

• Cooking oil to pan-fry parathas

Method: See for demonstration ( Making Paratha Method VI )

• Knead the whole-wheat flour into smooth dough and keep aside for 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 10-12 equal sized small balls. Flour a clean surface and roll each ball out into a circle (like pancakes) about 2-3" in diameter.
• Place chopped onion and chopped green chilies on one circle; sprinkle Paratha Masala Powder, red chili powder and salt according to your taste. Cover the stuffing with the other circle. Press gently around the edges.

• Carefully roll out the stuffed circles into paratha, sprinkling whole-wheat flour on the surface, to avoid sticking of paratha with rolling pin.
• Heat a tawa or griddle and place a paratha on it. Flip the paratha when tiny bubbles rise on the surface. Drizzle a bit of oil on the top and spread well over the surface of the paratha. Flip the paratha carefully again after few seconds and drizzle oil on this surface too. The paratha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown. Remove from the griddle and repeat with the other parathas until all are cooked.
• Serve with Raita and/or Pickle and /or Chutney and Aloo Subji of your choice.

Do You Know?

Cooking onions and sweet onions, can be stored at room temperature, in mesh bag in dry, cool, dark, well ventilated location. In this environment, cooking onions have a shelf life of 3 to 4 weeks, and sweet onions 1 to 2 weeks.

Aloo Badiyan Rasedar (Sun Dried Ground Black Gram Dumplings Curry)

Urad Dal Dumplings (Urad Badiyan) are cooked with potato chunks. Urad badiyan are quite big in size so they are broken in small pieces before they are cooked in masala. You can get readymade badiyan from Indian grocery store although it is not difficult to make them at home.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Urad Badiyan broken in small pieces
• 1 big potato cut in 1” cubes
• 2 green chilies finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 large onions cut into quarters
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 2 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder (reduce quantity if you want less heat)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 6-8 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

• Grind the onion and tomatoes in a food processor until you get a smooth paste.
• Heat 2-3 tbsps of oil in a pan and gently stir-fry the crushed Badiyan until golden. Remove onto a plate and keep aside.
• In the same pan heat 4-5 tbsp of oil and add the onion tomato paste. Fry until it turns light brown. Add green chilies, ginger and garlic paste and fry for another 2-3 minutes. Add the coriander, red chili, cumin, and turmeric powders, and fry stirring continuously, until the oil begins to separate from the masala.
• Stir in the Badiyan and add desired amount of water and salt. Transfer in a pressure cooker and cook till two pressure releases.
• When the pressure drops, open the lid of the pressure cooker. Add potato cubes and pressure cook it again till one pressure release. (Remember that cooking time of Badiyan and potato is different, Badiyan take longer to cook than potato).
• Transfer curry to serving bowl. Add garam masala powder.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with Roti or Paratha.

Lukhmi

Likhmi is a popular Hyderabadi Snack. In authentic preparation it is shaped into a flat square patty, made with maida and stuffed with Kheema (mutton mince).

It is still served as a starter in the authentic Hyderabadi course of meal at weddings and celebrations etc.

In this recipe I have used chicken mince as stuffing.

Ingredients:
For the dough:

• 2 cups Maida (All-purpose Flour)
• ½ tsp salt
• 4 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp Ginger Juice
• ¼ cup fresh yogurt
• warm water

For the Stuffing:

• ½ pound minced Chicken
• 1 tsp Ginger Garlic paste
• 1 small Onion sliced thinly
• 2-3 Green chilies ground to fine paste
• 1 tbsp Cilantro chopped fine
• 1 tbsp Mint leaves chopped fine
• 1 tsp Garam masala
• Ghee 2 tbsp

For deep frying:

Cooking Oil for deep frying

Method:

• Boil the chicken mince with ginger-garlic paste and salt till done.
• Heat ghee in a pan and fry onion till light brown. Add the minced chicken and green chili paste; fry till dry. Mix in the garam masala powder, coriander and mint leaves. Keep aside.
• Sieve the flour and salt together. Rub in the ghee till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Mix the yogurt and ginger juice. Knead to soft, but not sticky dough, with warm water.
• Divide the dough into small portions. Roll each portion into a thin chapati. Place a heaped tablespoon of the mince filling at the centre. Cover with another chapati. Seal the edges by pressing down.
• Cut into squares and deep fry the Lukhmi on medium heat until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
• Serve with Chutney.

Kheema Filling

Do You Know?

Food fried at too low a temperature will be greasy (normal deep frying temperature of food is 375^oF).

Overcrowding the wok during deep frying, also lowers the temperature of the oil, leading to greasy food

Stir fried Peanuts

This delicious snack is quick and easy to make. Peanuts are stir fried with oil, until golden and then mixed with spicy tangy seasoning.

Ingredients:

• ½ pound raw Peanuts without skin
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ tsp Amchoor powder
• ¼ tsp Dahi Masala (available at Indian Grocery Stores)
• ¼ tsp red chili powder
• Salt mix to taste

Method:

• Heat the oil in a wok or Kadhai. When hot add peanuts and stir-fry over medium heat for one minute.
• Turn the heat down and continue to stir-fry for 3-4 minutes or until the peanuts uniformly turn light golden. Remove and transfer to a dish.
• Add all powdered spices and salt according to your taste (while it is still warm). Mix well.
• Cool to room temperature and store it in an air tight container.
• Serve as a mid meal crunchy snack with tea.

Do You Know?

Peanuts are legumes like lentils and black beans. They contain high quality plant protein. When comparing peanuts with similar food, peanuts have more protein than any other legume or nut.

Qabooli (Split Skinned Gram Biryani)

Qabooli is another Hyderabadi dish made with rice and chana dal (Split Skinned Bengal Gram). It is made like biryani, where layers of dal and rice are set one over the other and then allowed to cook till done.

Ingredients:

For Rice (Section A):

• 2 cups Basmati rice
• 8-10 Mint leaves
• 1 tbsp cilantro chopped
• 1 Green chili
• 1” Cinnamon stick
• 4 Green cardamom
• 2 Clove
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• Salt to taste

For Chana Dal (Section B):

• 1 cup split skinned Bengal gram (Chana Dal)
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 3-4 green cardamoms
• 3-4 cloves
• ½ cup yogurt
• 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 green chili chopped
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• ¼ cup crispy fried onion
• Salt

For Layering (Section C):

• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp garam masala
• Salt to taste
• ¼ cup mint leaves
• ½ cup milk
• Pinch of yellow color (or saffron) dissolved in milk
• 2 tbsp ghee
• ¼ cup crispy fried onion

Method:

Prepare rice (use ingredients of section A):

• Wash and soak the rice for half an hour. Then boil with the ingredients till almost done.

Prepare Chana mix (use ingredients of section B):

• Wash and soak the chana dal for 2 hours.
• Boil with salt and ¼ tsp of turmeric powder till just cooked (al dente).
• Heat 2 tbsp oil, in a pan. Add bay leaf, green cardamoms and cloves, and sauté a little. Add ginger garlic pastes and sauté. Add chopped green chilies, browned onions (crushed), red chili powder, garam masala powder, finely chopped coriander leaves, little salt and cooked dal. Stir to mix well. Take it off the heat.
• Add yogurt and mix well

Layering (use ingredients of section C):

• Grease a heavy bottom saucepan (preferably non Sticking pan) with 2 tbsp oil. Transfer half of the dal mixture into this pan. Spread half the rice over the dal mix, spread half of the browned onions, half garam masala powder, chopped mint leaves, lemon juice and milk.
• Spread the remaining dal over this followed by remaining rice, browned onions, garam masala powder, chopped mint leaves, lemon juice and milk (with yellow color or saffron).
• Cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook over high flame for 1-2 minutes in the beginning and then over low flame till done (for about 10-12 minutes).
• Remove from heat and leave it covered for another 10 minutes.

Garnish with fried onions and serve with Mirch ka Saalan and Dahi Ki Chutney .

Do You Know?

Any rice other than Basmati rice is called non- basmati rice. In India, basmati rice equals to only 1% production of the total rice grown.

Non- basmati rice comes in all kinds of different shapes and sizes. Some are long and slender, some are short and thick, some are like beads, and some may be round. None have the same characteristics as basmati rice i.e. they do not have both the aroma and post cooking elongation.

Chicken with Capsicum

Chicken cooked with capsicum/green bell pepper makes an excellent dish, can be served as a side dish with Roti (Indian flat bread) and a dish with gravy.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chicken boneless cut into thin long pieces
• 1 large sized green bell pepper / capsicum chopped into thin long pieces
• 1 large onion sliced thinly
• ½ tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
• Salt to taste
• 3 tbsp cooking oil

For Marination:

• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp chicken tandoori masala (available at Indian Grocery Stores)
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp maida (white Flour)

Method:

• Marinate the chicken for about an hour.
• Heat the oil in a large, wide pan or a large, deep frying pan (preferably non-stick) over a medium flame. When hot, add carom seeds and onion; fry a little.
• Stir in chicken pieces without marinade, and sear for 5-6 minutes. Now add marinade and cook for another 5-6 minutes.
• Cover and simmer on low heat until the chicken is fork tender.
• Add sliced capsicum and cook uncovered on medium heat, for another 1-2 minutes or until the oil separates from the gravy and capsicum is just done. This dish should have almost no gravy, just a coating sauce. If it is too dry, add 1/4 cup of water and mix well.
• Turn off the heat and spoon the Chicken Capsicum onto a serving platter.
• Sprinkle the lemon juice and garnish with fried onions.
• Serve with Roti or Paratha as a side dish.

Do You Know?

Many people think the pink liquid in packaged fresh chicken is blood, but it is mostly water which was absorbed by the chicken during the chilling process.

Blood is removed from poultry during slaughter and only a small amount remains in the muscle tissue. An improperly bled chicken would have cherry red skin and is condemned at the plant.