Easy Banana Muffin

This is an easy dish with leftover bananas. Quick to make and can be served instantly. I did this on microwave and this can be done in conventional baking method too. I added some cereal to this and it added some extra crunch.

Ingredients:

Ripe Banana - 2
All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cups
Oil - 1/2 cup
Egg - 1
Baking Powder - 2 tsp
Left over cereal - 1/2 cup, crushed
Sugar - 1 cup

Procedure:

Mash the bananas well in a mixer

To this add egg, sugar and oil and mix for 2 minutes

Mix the flour and baking powder and crushed cereal. To this add the egg mixture and mix well with a spoon.

Grease the microwave muffin pan with oil and pour the muffin mix till 3/4th.

Microwave this for 3 minutes on 60% power. Check if its done by picking with a toothpick. If not done, microwave for another minute.

Cool for a while. Yummy Banana muffins are ready to serve.

Muttai(egg) kuzhambu

Egg is always my favorite. And this is my most wanted one of my mom's recipes. As I am fond of puli kuzhambu and eggs, this combination of eggs with puli kulambu is excellent and is a best accompaniment with rice.

Ingredients:

• 4 Eggs (no need to boil)
• 1 Onion
• 1 Tomato(small)
• 6 Garlic Flakes
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 2 tsp Coriander Powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder
• 3 tbsp Tamarind Paste
• 1 cup Water
• Oil for cooking
• Mustard seeds
• Jeera / Cumin seeds
• Curry leaves
• Coriander Leaves for garnishing
• Salt to taste

To grind (powder)
Pepper - 2 tsp
Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1 tsp 


How to make Muttai Kulambu:

• Chop the onion, tomato and garlic.  Grind the pepper and cumin to a powder (coarse is okay)
• Heat the oil. Its better to use a wide pan as we need more space for dropping the eggs separately
• Add Mustard seeds and jeera. Allow spluttering. 
• Add the chopped curry leaves, onion, tomatoes and garlic.  Saute till they turn brown and tender. 
• Mix turmeric powder, red chili, coriander powder and salt and fry for few minutes
• Fry the mixture for few minutes. 
• Add tamarind paste and water.  Bring it to boil and keep it covered for 5 mins.
• Add the ground pepper, cumin powder.
• Now reduce the flame to medium and break the eggs directly to the gravy one by one separately. A wide pan will help this to give more room for the eggs.
• Cook it covered over medium flame for 10 minutes.  Once the eggs are cooked properly, adorn the gravy with coriander leaves. 
• Serve it with steamed rice.

I am sending this post for Spotlight: Curries and Gravies happening at Cuisnie Delights

Idly manchurian

I am always a fan of Gobi manchurians. This is an excellent starter and have tried it in all ranges, from street-side shops to restaurants. This week when I had excess idly batter, I made some idlys keeping in mind to try out this mouth-watering Manchurian with fried idly. It came out very good and we all enjoyed a variety snack this evening.
I thought  that idly may absorb lots of oil. But if the batter is perfect, its as good as Gobi Manchurian with less oil in idly.

Ingredients:
Idly - 8
Chopped onions - 1 small size
Chopped capsicum - 2 cups
Red chilli sauce - 1 tsp
Soy sauce - 3 tsp
Tomato ketchup - 2 tbsp
Green chillies - 2 (I skipped for kids)
Finely Chopped Ginger & garlic - 1 tbsp each
Salt
Water - 2 tbsp
Sesame Oil - 2 tsp
Batter for frying idly
Corn flour - 4 tbsp
Rice flour - 1 tsp
Salt - very little as idly has salt already
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Oil - to fry

Procedure:

First mix the ingredients for the batter with little water. It need not be too watery or too thin. As that tends to absorb more oil. So maintain a slight thick consistency. Cut the idlys into cubes and roll over them in the batter. Fry them in hot oil till golden brown. Drain them and keep aside Heat sesame oil (or any other u use regularly) in a pan and saute the chopped ginger and garlic. To this add green chillies and onions. After sauting for a minute add peppers/Capsicum and saute till it turns tender. add the soy, chilli and tomato sauce one by one and little salt. now if needed add little water and let the gravy get mixed well. To this add the fried Idly and mix well. And turn off flame. Arrange in a plate and sprinkle spring onions and serve hot.

Veg Pulav with coconut milk

This is an easy to make veg pulav.  Addition of coconut milk gives it a nice taste and it serves a great recipe for parties and potlucks. I learned it from a friend and have tried it successfully so many times. I actually bake this recipe which really makes the rice elongated and absorb the flavor perfectly. But keep in mind you have to allot 1 hr for baking. This can also be tried in the traditional rice/pressure cooker method. This will be very mild and kids will love it too. This dish goes very well with any gravy veg/non-veg.

Ingredients:
Basmati rice -2 cups, soak in water for 1/2 hr
Onions- 1 big size, thinly sliced
Tomatoes - 1
Mixed veggies (carrots,beans, peas) - 2 cups
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp
green chilli - 2
Whole garam Masala
Oil/ butter - 2 tbsp
Salt
Coconut milk - 1 1/2 cups
Water - 2 cups
Chopped Mint leaves, Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

Procedure
Pre-heat oven to 400F and grease a oven-safe container with oil and keep ready
Heat oil/butter in a pan and add the whole garam Masala
Add sliced onions and saute them well for 2 mins. Then add ginger garlic paste and saute for 1 more min
Then add green chilli, tomatoes and veggies and saute for few more minutes. Drain the water from the soaked rice and add it along with salt.
Now turn off the flame and add the chopped mint and coriander leaves. Mix well

Convection-oven method:
Transfer this to oven-safe container and add the coconut milk and water and mix well. Cover this with aluminium foil and seal the edges and let it bake for 1 hr in 400 F. After 1 hr tun off the oven and take it out safely and mix well. Sprinkle little water on top if needed and close it again with aluminium foil and keep it back in the oven until ready to serve.

Rice/pressure cooker method:
Transfer the mixed contents to the rice cooker and add the coconut milk and water. Cook until done.
For Pressure cooker, cook this on low flame for 5 mins and increase the flame for 3 whisltes.
Serve with your favorite Rita/gravy

Pav Bhaji

This is a famous street dish on the roads of Mumbai but has got famous allover Indian. The Bhaji is the main thing which is served with Pav bun and the combination is exotic. The aroma and color are most inviting for this dish. Its quite nutricious too as it has lots of veggies in it, potato being the main. This compensates for the butter we add to the recipe. I actually served this bhaji with Hotdog buns but that didn't had anything les for the dish except have to be called as Hotdog Bhaji. :-),. I actually grinded my own Bhaji Masala, but u can always use store bought Pav bhaji Masala powders.

Ingredients:
Pav buns - 20
Big Potato -1
Carrots - 1
Cauliflower - 4 big florets
Green peas - 1/2 cup
Capsicum - 1/2 cup
Green chilli -2
Onions - 1 chopped finely
Tomatoes - 1 chopped finely
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Salt
butter - 1 tbsp
Red food color - optional
To saute and grind
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
Ginger - 1 inch
garlic - 3

Procedure:
Pressure cook all the vegetables from potato to green chillies with 1 cup of water till they become well cooked. This has to be mashed so cook very well. Vegetables are your choice and u can add or reduce any vegetables
Mean while saute the ingredients for grinding with little oil and grind to a smooth paste with water
In a pan heat 1/2tsp butter and add the chopped onions and tomatoes one by one and saute very well. This has to be cooked well but take care not to burn them. To this add the ground paste and red chilli powder. Cook well and add little water if needed.
Mash the vegetables that we pressure cooked. we don't want to see anything whole so mash very well. Add this to the pan and mix well and mash again. Now add the food color if needed (I didn't) and salt.
Finally add remaining butter and chopped coriander leaves
When this is ready toast the buns with butter and serve with Bhaji. While serving decorate with fresh chopped onions, coriander leaves and lemon juice.
Let your soul say yummy while u enjoy..

Palak Paneer

If there is one dish in which my family loves Spinach, my vote is undoubtedly for "Palak Paneer". Its simple and nutritious dish makes my family have an extra bite of chapati. Lets go for the recipe now.

Ingredients:

Palak leaves - a bunch
Paneer - 150gm, cubed
Milk - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1
Green chillies -2
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 4
Cloves -3, cardamom stick - 1/2
Oil - 1 tbsp
Butter - 1/2tsp
Salt


Procedure:

Heat oil in a pan and add cloves and cardamom. After they splutter add ginger, garlic, green chillies and onions. Saute them well and add the washed palak leaves to this. Cook for 3 minutes and turn off the flame to let it cool.

Grind, after it cools down to a smooth paste.

Heat butter in a pan and the ground paste. Add salt and let it boil for a minute. To this add the milk and let it boil for 1 more minute.

You can add cream to this instead of milk which enhances the flavor more. Turn off flame.

Before serving add the cubed paneer pices to the gravy. If the paneer pieces are not fresh, you can deep/shallow fry them and add it.

Serve with ur favorite rice or Rotis.

Vegetable Biriyani

After marriage I had tried Vegetable biriyani so many times. But failure every time. I don't know how such an easy recipe which my mom will make so tasty cud be a flop. But slowly I observed many people cooking and corrected and now I could say its somewat to my mom's level. There are so many things which could get the nice aroma and taste. Starting from ingredients, the amount of sauting, cooking time etc., If we miss few things the taste definitely varies. So experience is the best teacher.

Now, here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:

Basmati rice - 1 cup

Sliced Onions - 1, sliced

Tomatoes - 1, chopped

Mix vegetables - 1 cup (I used carrots, beans, potatos and green peas)

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Yogurt - 1 tbsp

Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Chilly powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 pinch

Salt

Whole garam masala (Cloves -3, cardamom stick - 1/2, Cardamom/Elachi-1, bay leaves -1)

Butter /Oil - 1 tbsp

Coriander leaves, chopped - 1 tbsp

Mint leaves, chopped - 1 tsp

Procedure:

Heat Oil in a pan and add the whole garam masala

To this add the Onions first. Let the onions cook to tender and turn light brown. Do this on low flame as it will not burn the onions. Next to this add the ginger garlic paste. Adding this next to onions gives good time for onions to get fried. If we add ginger garlic first then it tends to stick to the bottom of the pan and the onions may not be sautee well

Now add the tomatoes and keep cooking well till it gets mashed

Next is to add the mixed veggies. Now we can add the salt, turmeric and chilly powder but hold adding coriander and mint leaves

Once all the vegetables are mixed well, turn of the flame. Now add the yogurt, lemon juice and chopped mint and coriander leaves. Mix well. The reason for adding at the end is hold the aroma of the leaves wen the rice is getting cooked. Also turning off the flame, helps the yogurt to get mixed well. Now add the clean and dranied basmati rice

Add 1 and 3/4 cup of water and put it the pressure cooker. (Alternatively you can use rice cooker)

After 1 whislte reduce the flame to very low for 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, increase the flame and allow for 2 more whisltes. Turn of the flame and open after pressure is released.

Awesome Vegetable Biriyani is ready.

Quick tips:

Addition of lemon juice, yogurt and mint leaves gives a nice aroma and great taste.

Saute the onions and vegetables for the perfect time and add enough oil. A little extra oil means extra taste.

If using pressure cooker, instead of cooking the rice directly in the pressure cooker, use a separate bowl that will fit in your cooker. Fill the cooker base with 1 cup water and keep the bowl with the rice and the measured amount of water inside. Cooking procedure and time will be the same as usual. This way you can avoid rice burning at the bottom.