Creamy tasty Navratan kurma

Navratan kurma used to be first in the wish list during our visits to the restaurants, awesome taste and texture.  The combination of nuts and fruits embedded in the gravy alongside the veggies is a true delight for the eyes and the tongue.  It is indeed a blend of tastes and is a 'Navratan' in literal terms.  This is a very simple preparation and once the necessary ingredients are ready, gets done very quickly.  Here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:
Potatoes - 2 nos. (chopped)
Carrots - 1/2 cup (chopped)
Beans -  1/2 cup (chopped)
Cauliflower - 1/2 cup (florets)
Green bell pepper - 1/2 cup (chopped)
Peas - 1/2 cup
Onion - 2 nos. (chopped)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Tomato paste - 3 tbsp
Cashews and raisins - 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Red chilly powder - 3/4 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Heavy cream - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves - 1/2 tsp (finely chopped)

Roast the cashews and keep aside. 

In two tablespoon of oil in a pan add the chopped onions and cook it until soft.  The heat should be in the minimum so that the masalas do not get burnt.  Mix the ginger garlic paste and stir till it leaves a beautiful aroma. Now, add the turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander powder and the garam masala powder. Mix the tomato paste and add water.  Once this mixture comes to a boil, add all the chopped veggies and salt.  Cover with a lid for the veggies to cook in the masala.  Once it is cooked, stir in the heavy cream and add the roasted cashews and raisins.  Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Creamy and tasty Navratan kurma ready to serve.

“Cookery is not chemistry. It is an art. It requires instinct and taste rather than exact measurements.”- Marcel Boulestin

Lip smacking Creamy Malai Kofta

This recipe is one of my family favourite and if the procedure is followed in dedication, nothing can go wrong.  It is a treat to dig into the Koftas and enjoy the paneer, nuts and raisins.
 

Ingredients - Koftas:

Boiled and mashed potatoes - 2 cups

Finely chopped and boiled vegetables (beans,carrots,peas etc.) - 3/4 cup

Paneer - 1 cup

Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder - 3/4 tsp

Cumin powder - 3/4 tsp 

Chopped nuts (Almonds,cashew nuts and raisins)

Salt

Ingredients - Gravy:

Onions - 3 med.size chopped

Tomato paste - 1 1/2 tsp

Ginger-garlic paste - 1 1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder - 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 3/4 tsp

Red chilly powder - 3/4 tsp

Nuts (Almonds, cashew nuts) made into a fine paste -3 tbsp

Heavy cream - 2 tbsp

Finely chopped coriander leaves-1 tsp

Salt

To prepare koftas:
Combine the mashed potatoes, boiled vegetables, paneer together with all the spices and salt.  Make sure the dough is firm and can be made into balls.  While making balls, fill 1/2 tsp of nuts and raisins mix in the centre and seal it firm.  Pour little oil in the Kuzhipaniyaram pan and shallow fry the koftas by tossing them at regular intervals, so that they are evenly fried and gets the golden brown color.  Drain the oil and keep aside..

To prepare gravy:
Take oil in a kadai and add chopped onions till it becomes translucent.  Then, add the ginger-garlic paste, garam masala powder,cumin powder and the red chilly powder.  When the masalas are done, add the tomato paste and keep stirring till the raw smell disappears.  Then, add the nuts paste and keep stirring in low flame. Caution is needed at this point, as the nuts paste tends to stick to the base of the kadai, hence continuous stirring is advised.  Add enough water to make a thick gravy.  When it begins to boil, simmer the flame and add koftas to this gravy and cook for 5 minutes.  Garnish with finely chopped coriander.  Drizzle the heavy cream and then the sinful indulgence :):)

Yummy malai kofta is ready to devour.

'We are all dietetic sinners, only a small portion of what we eat nourishes us; the balance goes to waste and loss of energy' - Laiko Bahrs

Dal Makani

I made this dish with hot Roti on a cold day. YUM YUM.

Ingredients

Half black gram (black urad dal) 1cup
Red kidney beans (rajma) 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder 1/4 tsp
Ginger and Garlic paste 1/2 tsp
Butter 3 tbsp
Oil 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Onion , chopped 1 large
Green chillies, slit 2
Tomatoes, chopped 2 medium
Garam masala powder 1/2 tsp
Heavy cream 1/4 cup

Method

Pressure cook half black urad and rajma in three cups of water with salt and half the red chilli powder for three to four whistles. Open the lid and see if the rajma is totally soft. Heat butter and oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds. When they begin to change color, add ginger and garlic paste and onion and saute till golden. Add slit green chillies, tomatoes and saute on high heat. Add the tomatoes and saute till the tomatoes are reduced to a pulp. Add the cooked dal and rajma along with the cooking liquor.See to that its not liquid.You can empty the urad dal and rajma first then the cooking liquor. Add some water if the mixture is too thick. Add garam masala powder and heavy creme.Put salt if needed. Simmer on low heat till the dals are totally soft and well blended. Serve hot with roti or rice.

Enjoy

Evergreen recipe - Alu mutter (green peas)gravy

This is an universally loved dish and found in all the menu cards around the world.  Very quick and easy to meal-out dish.

Ingredients:
Potato - 2 medium sized
Mutter (peas) 1/2 cup
Onions - 1 big sized
Tomato paste - 2 tbsp
Ginger - a piece of 1/2" length
Garlic paste - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 3 tbsp
Salt 
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp finely chopped

Boil potatoes, peel and cube it. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add chopped onions and saute till the raw smell disappears. Cool this and later  grind finely with Ginger. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of oil and add the ground onion ginger paste and the garlic paste.   Keep stirring till it leaves it leaves the pan and cooked well. Then, add the tomato paste and keep stirring. Once this is done, add garam masala powder, turmeric powder and chilly powder and keep stirring for a few seconds only.  Add the pre-boiled and cubed potatoes and the green peas too (Frozen peas cooks very quickly)  .  Pour 1/4 cup water and add salt. Allow it to boil until the masalas are absorbed into the vegetables. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Enjoy this with garam rotis or even with simple white Basmati rice.

'Everything I eat has been proved by some doctor or other to be a deadly poison, and everything I don't eat has been proved to be indispensable for life.  But I go marching on.'  - George Bernard Shaw

Chowri or small black eyed bean

Ingredients:

Chowri or small black eyed bean - 1 cup
Onions - 2
Tomatoes - 2
Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Oil
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves

Soak chowri for two hours and pressure cook it with salt till very soft. Keep it aside. In a pan, add two tablespoon oil, add mustard seeds and when it splutters, add curry leaves, turmeric powder, red chilly powder and finely sliced onions. When the onions are cooked and changes to pink colour, add the finely sliced tomatoes and let it also cook well. Once the tomatoes are done, add the cooked chowri and pour half a glass of water. Water can be added depending on the consistency we need. Check for salt. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Goes very well as a side dish with Phulkas and also with steamy hot rice.

A beautiful relationship does not depend upon how good we understand someone but on how well we avoid misunderstandings.