Beef Biryani

Ingredients:-


For Rice
Basmati Rice - 2 cup
Cinnamon - 2 pieces
Cloves - 5 pieces
Cardamom - 5 pieces
Ghee - 3 tsp
Bay leaves - 1
Salt to taste
Lime juice - 1 tsp
Hot water - 4 1/2 cup


For Beef Masala
Beef - 1/2 kg ( cut into big pieces)
Onion thinly sliced - 2 cup
Green chilli - 4
Ginger chopped - 3 tsp
Garlic - 10 cloves
Tomato chopped - 1
Yogurt/curd - 1/2 cup
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 2 1/2  tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Thin coconut milk - 1 cup
Mace - 2
bay leaves- 1
cloves-3
Oil
Mint leaves 
Coriander leaves


For garnishing
cashew nuts - 2 tsp
raisins - 2tsp
Onion finely chopped - 1 medium


How to make Beef Biryani

Clean and cut the beef and marinate it with salt, curd  1/2 tsp of garam masala and pepper powder and keep aside for atleast 30 minutes

Soak the rice for 15 minutes and drain it well.

Heat ghee in a cooking vessel and add whole cloves,cinnamon sticks, cardamom and bay leaves and fry for a minute  

Add the rice and fry it for 3-4 minutes. Pour in 4 1/2 cups of water ,salt and lime juice and cook it covered till it is done .Set aside the rice

In a coffe grinder or blender, Grind Green chillies, ginger and garlic to a paste

Heat ghee in a pan and fry Onions, cashew nuts and raisins , one by one until they turn brown and keep aside

In the remaining ghee sauté  Thinly sliced onions, until they turn golden brown. Now stir in the ginger-chilli paste and fry it for 2-3 minutes.

Add chili powder, coriander powder,turmeric powder,garam masala and fry it for 2 minutes

Now stir in the chopped tomatoes ,  mace , bay leaves , cloves,corinader leaves and mint leaves.

Add the marinated beef pieces and combine it well. pour in the thin coconut milk and salt.

Transfer the entire content to a pressure cooker and cook for 2-3 whistles or until the meat is cooked well. if the gravy is loose , slow cook it until the gravy is thick.

Now take a baking dish and brush it with some ghee or butter

Spread a layer of rice in the bottom and beef on the top.arrange the rice and the gravy this way.Garnish with fried onions, cashews and raisins.Cover it with an aluminium foil.

Preheat oven to 350 degress and bake this for 10 minutes( if you are using a microwave, arrange the rice and gravy in layers in a microwave safe dish,cover it with a microwave safe lid and cook it for 5-7 minutes. On stove top arrange it in a vessel ,cover it with a lid ,and keep it on the top of a heavy tawa and heat it for 6-7 minutes.)

Serve with chutney and pickle

Cheers!!!!!

Pavakka - Tomato curry

Bitter gourd & Tomato Curry

Its been  some days that I have posted something in my blog, and visited all your yummy treats.

I was busy with things at home and my hubby’s birthday,that’s why I was not able to catch up all your updates.

Today I m bringing you a simple but yummy Charu curry.

On Fridays catholics are not  supposed  to  eat meat, so being catholics both of us try to practice it .

 But On Friday nights its very difficult to keep up with this tradition , since its day of outing or dinner nights…so We start our vegan diet on Thursday  night till Friday evening ;) 

On such a Thursday night I was searching my fridge for something to cook and got hold of Bitter guard and Tomato…and  saw a bunch of coconut milk cans in my pantry. Navee’s aunt had packed me a big bag of bitter gourd last summer from her garden and it is all still in my fridge. So I thought its high time I should use it.

I did the usual mix n match ,the way I do with my dresses and ended up with this Pavakka – Tomato charu curry.

Trust me,this tastes better that what we think it would……

Ingredients:-

Pavakka/ Bitter Gourd   chopped – 1 cup

Tomato chopped – 1

Onion chopped – 1 medium

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Green chillies  chopped – 1

Ginger – a small piece

Garlic – 3-4 cloves

Thin coconut milk – 1 ½ cup

Salt to taste

Oil

Curry leaves

Dry  red chilies

How to make Pavakka – Tomato Charu curry

In a bowl put the chopped Pavakka/bitter gourd with 2 cups of water and squeeze the vegetable well and set aside. This would help reduce the bitter taste to some extent.

Pound Ginger and garlic in a mortar & pestle, or blender and set aside

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they pop up add dry red chilies and stir fry for 30 seconds

Now add chopped onion and curry leaves and sauté well for 4-5 minutes and add ginger and garlic, stir fry it for 3 minutes

Stir in the Pavakka/Bitter gourd pieces  and fry it for 7-8 minutes ,until they start to turn golden.

Add the chopped tomatoes , green chilies,turmeric powder and salt. Combine well and add the coconut milk.

Cook it covered on a low flame for 5-6 minutes. Uncover it and add a tsp of oil and simmer for a minute

Remove from fire and serve warm·

Excellent with Rice.

Cheers!!!!!

Carrot & Garlic Pickle

Pickles are usually a must have item in any south indian home, so is here in my nest.My hubby dear wants pickle with anything he eats; rice ,chapati or even dosas.

In my home back in India, there was always fish pickle made and sent to us by my kuttanadan Grand mom. She knows exactly when that bottle of fish pickle ends and she religiously sent the other one on time ;). So i was not a big fan of any other VEG pickles, since i was fed on this fish pickle...When i came here in US, Navee got me some (from stores)of his favourite Pickles, which he proudly said was his main curry during his MS and later his job days here. But i coudlnt stand the salty and tasteless pickle ,and i felt pity for my dear husband.

So i started making many pickles he likes , and this carrot and garlic pickle turned out to be a big hit.....This is originally my moms recipe , which she usually prepares to make us eat carrots :)

Though its a pickle, which is suppose to last for atleast a week or so,it wont last for more than 3 days in my nest ;), no matter how much i make. This hot,aromatic pickle adds a satisfying bite to any meal.

Ingredients:-

Carrot - 4

Garlic diced - 1 cup

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida powder - 1 pinch

Fenugreek powder - 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice/Vinegar - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds

Oil

salt to taste

Cut the carrots into medium long pieces,wash and pat dry well

Heat oil in a pan and mustard seeds. when they pop up add carrots and sauté well for 7-8 minutes,sprinkle a little water if necessary.

The add diced garlic and stir fry it again for 5 minutes.

Now stir in red chilli powder,turmeric powder ,Asafoetida and fenugreek powder .

Toss it well for a couple of minutes ,add salt and remove from fire.Allow it to cool

Then add Vinegar/lemon juice and mix thoroughly

Store in an air tight container.

On alternate days turn the pickle well and keep refrigerated and this pickle will last for 2 weeks

Cheers!!!

Now on to Awards..

Priya has passed me this Thank you award on occassion of her 100th post..Thanx a bunchPriya..for this colourful and cute award :)

Cheers!!!!

Kuttanadan Fish fry

Every time I post a Kuttanadan recipe ,some of you might think that I am from Kuttanad.

But nop..I m not..but my Mom is!!!

So thats enough for a household to get transformed to a complete kuttanadan diet :)

Thats what exactly happening now ,in my house too...My husband asks me often ,mostly after a full meal ,are we living in Muttar(thats where my mom is from) or NJ :).Initially he couldnt stand the heat of my pepper , but slowly got adjusted to it and now he demands more spices in the food.

The most funny moment was when Navee's family ,before our wedding, came for a dinner to my house.So to impress him, i made some duck roast the usual way my mom makes( i m not sure whether i did add more spices). So while having the appam and duck,Navee started sweating ,cos of the spice in the duck .heheheh...and he went on telling the curry is good...hehhehe..

We had the kutanadan influence even in our breakfast.

Believe it or not we had kanji everyday for breakfast ,we loved it so much that we never allowed mom to make anything else in the morning.and on festive occasions Palappam and Duck curry/roast was a must.. I was even ready to take kanji ,cherupayar and mulaku chammanthi to school ;)..But my husband is never ready to take kanji for breakfast,telling he wants it only when he is sick. So when ever he starts showing the symptoms of cold or fever, I will make Kanji and cherupayar with lot of pepper in it. Bhoom!!!! His fever is gone :)

I bet those who have ever tasted atleast one kuttanadan dish,would never forget the heat of the spices,especially the pepper ,the fabulous taste and aroma of all other ingredients which makes the curry so special :)

I made this fish fry to serve as an appetizer ,for a family friend ,an MLA from kerala, who came for dinner last weekend. He is on a visit in US and when he started from india,he might have thought he could taste all american food,instead he is being served kerala food every where :)

Here comes a simple ,but fabulous fish fry recipe from my own kuttanad....

Ingredients:-

Fish - 1/2 kg

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Pepper crushed - 2 1/2 tsp

Chili flakes - 1 tsp

Ginger Garlic paste - 2 tsp

Vinegar/Lemon Juice - 1 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

oil

Method

• Clean and cut the fish into medium pieces, pat dry well(you can use any fish u want,i used tilapia fillet)
• In a bowl combine Red chilli powder ,crushed pepper,GG paste,Vinegar/Lemon juice and salt and make a paste.If the paste is too dry add some oil to it.
• Apply the paste to the fish pieces and set aside for 30 minutes- 1 hour
• Heat oil in a pan , add curry leaves and stir well for 30 seconds.
• Then add fish pieces and fry it for 8-10 minutes .Fry all the fish pieces batch by batch, adding curry leaves with every batch

Drain on paper towels and serve warm!!!!

Cheers!!!

Nadan Mutton curry

Ingredients:-

Mutton/lamb - 1/2 kg

Onion chopped - 2

Potatoes cubed - 1

Tomato chopped - 1(optional)

Green chillies split lengthwise - 5-6

Ginger chopped - 1 tsp

Garlic chopped - 1 tsp

Cinnamon stick - 1

Bay leaves - 1

Mace -2

Garam Masala - 1 tsp

Pepper powder - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

Thin coconut milk - 1 cup

Curry leaves

Oil

Salt to Taste

Method

Clean the mutton pieces and pat dry

Add 1/2 tsp of Pepper powder and 1/2 tsp Garam masala and salt to the mutton,marinate well and set aside for 30 minutes

Heat oil in a pan and add cinnamon stick ,Bay leaves and mace. Stir fry for a minute and add chopped onions

Sauté the onions for a couple of minutes or until it turns brown. then add Chopped Ginger,garlic and green chillies and stir fry for 2 minutes.

Add the marinated mutton pieces , cubed potatoes ,garam masala and pepper powder and combine it well

Sprinkle a little water and sauté this masala for 7-8 minutes

Now add the coriander powder ,curry leaves and chopped tomato and mix it well

Transfer the entire masala with mutton to a pressure cooker and add the thin coconut milk and required amount of water.

Pressure cook it for 3-4 whistles

After you open the cooker either transfer that to a pan or keep it in the cooker and simmer for another 10 -15 minutes for the gravy to get thick...

Goes well with Appam or Ghee rice

Now on to some awards..

Ash has passed me this cute award...Thanx a bunch dear...its really encouraging :)

Ash and Aysha has passed me this lovely award...Thank a bunch dearies...

I would like to pass on this HUG MUG award to lissie , Vrinda , Ria , Sangeetha, Sreelekha , Saju , Sandya, Sanghi and Shahana

Cheers!!!

Madras Style lamb curry

Ingredients:-

Lamb/Mutton chopped - 1/2 kg

Onion chopped - 2

Tomatoes chopped - 2

Grated coconut - 1 cup

Thin Coconut milk - 1 cup

Red chili powder - 2 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 1/4 tsp

Ginger chopped - 2 tsp

Garlic chopped - 2 tsp

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Poppy seeds - 1 tsp

Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Bay leaves - 1

Salt to taste

Oil/ghee

Method:-

Clean ,wash and pat dry the lamb pieces

Grind together the grated coconut ,red chilli powder,Ginger&garlic, Poppy seeds,cumin seeds,fennel seeds to make a smooth paste,adding a little water

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions until brown.Add the spice paste and fry for another 10-12 minutes over a low heat,sprinkle some water in between

Add the lamb pieces ,bay leaves Garam masala,pepper powder and salt.Add the tomatoes and sauté for another 5 minutes.Add the thin coconut milk and stir well

Transfer the entire content into a pressure cooker,add 2 cups of water and cook it for 3-4 whistles.

Uncover it and simmer for further 15-20 minutes for the gravy to get thick.

Serve warm with rice.

Cheers!!!!