Rice & Moong Dal Khichadi

Khichadi is an Indian dish made from rice and lentils. It is commonly considered to be a comfort food and is an all time favorite in many Indian homes. It is very healthy and a very delicious dish. A simple rice & cereal khichadi without any spices & onions, is generally given to babies considering its health & nutritional values. There are many variants of Khichadi. Simple Rice Khichadi, Masala Khichadi, Rice & Moong Dal Khichadi, Vegetable Khichadi being the most popular in India. There are many ways to prepare this dish. You can cook rice & dal together and then season it with spice mix or temper the spices initially and then add soaked rice & dal and pressure cook it etc. You may even add varieties of dal, fresh vegetables if you want to but the standard method and ingredients remain the same. This post is for Rice & Moong Dal Khichadi though.


Cooking Time:  30 mins                                                                             Servings:  4
Preparation Time:  20 mins                                                                       Category:  Main Course - Veg


Ingredients:
========

Rice & Moong Dal Khichadi

Rice - 2 cups
Split yellow moong dal - 1 cup
Sliced onions - 1
Slit & chopped green chillies - 2
Chopped coriander - 1/2 cup
Salt - as needed to taste
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Cumin sticks - 2
Cardamon - 4
Cloves - 4

Preparation Method:
=============

• Soak rice & dal in water and keep it aside (about 30 mins). Dal & Rice mix should be in 1:2 ratio respectively.
• Heat ghee in a vessel/cooker and add cumin, cardamom & cloves. Saute it for couple of mins and add chopped onions.
• When onions change to light brown in color, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, chopped green chillies, ginger garlic paste and turmeric.
• Mix them well and saute for about 5 more mins. Add water (1:1/2 ratio). Rice & Dal mix is 3 cups here, so add not more than 5 cups of water approximately.
• Add 2 more cups, if you want the consistency to be semi-liquid.
• Add salt to taste and bring it to a boil. Now drain out the water from dal & rice mix and add it in the vessel/cooker.
• Stir carefully and pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles or cook on medium flame until all the water is absorbed.
• When done, take it in a serving bowl and garnish with ghee and chopped fresh coriander.
• Serve hot with curd raitha or mango pickle

Natu Kodi Pulao

Pulav/Pulao is a rice based dish in which rice is cooked in a seasoned broth sauce which may contain chicken, meat, fish, vegetables or dried fruits. In some cases, the rice may also attain its brown color by being stirred with bits of cooked onion, as well as a large mix of spices. Basmati rice is often used to prepare Pulav. Rice and all ingredients can be cooked together in the broth or rice is par boiled, the vegetables/meat/chicken, is cooked in rich spices and then the rice is added to stir fry with them.

The origin of this dish is from Middle East and it is a vast speard dish across Asia. Due to this, there are lot of variations to the recipe and its name viz. Pilav, palov, pilaf etc. In India, it is commonly known as pulav/pulao and again there are lot of variations to it due to many regional & cultural influences. I've seen many restaurants in Bangalore serving Chicken Pulao in the name of Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biriyani and people relish it considering the dish served to them is actually Hyd Dum Biriyani.


Cooking Time:  40 mins                                                                             Servings:  8
Preparation Time:  20 mins                                                                       Category:  Main Course - Non Veg
 
Here is the recipe of Kodi Pulav

Ingredients:
========

Natu Kodi Pulav, served with dalcha & raitha

Chicken (bone/boneless) - 500 gms
Basmati Rice - 1 Kg
Sliced Onions - 2
Sliced Green Chillies - 4
Fresh Yoghurt - 2 TBsps
Chopped Coriander - 1 bunch
Curry leaves - fistfull
Ginger & garlic paste - 2 TBsps
Red Chilli powder - 1 Tsps
Turmeric powder - 1/2 Tsps
Salt - to taste
Garam Masala - 2 Tsps
Bay Leaves - 4 or 5
Ghee/Vegetable Oil - 2 TBsps


Preparation Method:
=============

• Wash chicken thoroughly and take it into a bowl. Similarly wash & soak rice into a separate bowl.
• Add half quantities of onions, green chillies, ginger garlic paste, salt (to taste for the quantity of chicken only), coriander & curry leaves and whole of red chilli, turmeric powders to chicken.
• Now add yoghurt and mix all the ingredients well. Let this marinade for 15 mins.
• Meanwhile, heat ghee/oil in a vessel. Add bay leaves & remaining half of onions, green chillies, curry leaves and saute them.
• When the onions turn golden brown add ginger garlic paste, chopped coriander, salt (we already added for chicken, so now add for rice only).
• Now add the marinated chicken to this, mix well and cook for 10 mins. Stir once in a while to avoid the spices sticking to the bottom of the vessel.
• Add 2 cups of water and let the dish simmer for 10 mins on medium flame or cook until it forms a thick gravy.
• Now add water again (One rice : One & half water), remaining garam masala powder. Give it a quick mix and let it come to a boil.
• Add the soaked rice in this sauce, gently mix it and close the vessel with a lid. Cook on high flame until the rice is half cooked.
• Lower the flame & close the vessel with a lid again until the rice is completely cooked. Turn of the stove.
• Serve Chicken pulav hot with a raitha & dalcha as side dishes.

Aloo Chaman

Aloo Chaman is a simple dish where aloo & corn is cooked in onion paste with a variety of spices. This dish was an experiment and am glad it turned out really well.  Here is the recipe...

Cooking Time:  30 mins                                                                             Servings:  4
Preparation Time:  15 mins                                                                       Category:  Main Course -Veg

 Ingredients:
========

Aloo Chaman

Aloo - 250 gms
Corn Kernels - 150 gms
Kasuri Methi - 2 tsp
Onions  - 2
Methi - 2 sticks
Coriander - 1 stick
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Jeera seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 2-3 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Saunf powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Vegetable/cooking oil - 2 Tbsp


Preparation Method:
=============

• Chop onions, blanch methi & coriander leaves and blend them along with chopped onions into a thick paste.
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, jeera and chopped aloo cubes and saute them until aloo turns golden brown.
• Add corn kernels to this and mix the dish well. Saute for about 5 more mins.
• Now add all spice powders and crushed kasuri methi, mix and simmer it for about another 5 mins.
• Add the blended paste, salt and saunf powder to the dish and mix thoroughly. Let it simmer it for 10-15 mins. Keep stirring regularly.
• When the oil starts to ooze out, add a cup of water, mix well and simmer for another 3-5 mins.
• Turn off the stove when the gravy thickens, add garam masala powder, mix well and take the dish into a serving bowl.
• Garnish with finely chopped garlic & coriander or with carrot & cucumber slices.
• Serve hot with phulkas, rotis, steamed rice or any other masala rice.

Murg Hara Masala

Murg Hara Masala, as the name suggests chicken is cooked in hara (green) masala, generally a blend of mint leaves, coriander & green chillies. This dish is famous in Punjabi cuisine and mouth-watering delight. Some parts of India, even spinach is added to the hara masala. This dish can be made both in gravy style or as a starter. The starter is usually called chicken hariyali kebabs, boneless chicken is marinated in the hara masala and are grilled on skewers in a tandoor. In the gravy , chicken is cooked in an authentic style with great combination of hara masala & spices. This recipe is for the gravy version.

Cooking Time:  30 mins                                                                             Servings: 6
Preparation Time:  45 mins                                                                       Category:  Main Course - Non-Veg


Ingredients:
========

Murg Hara Masala

Chicken - 500 gms
Coriander leaves - 1 cup
Mint leaves - 1 cup
Green chillies - 5
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsps
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tsps
Salt - to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Kasuri Methi - 1 Tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Yogurt - 1/2 cup
Cooking/vegetable oil - 2 Tbsps
Tej pattha (Bay leaves) - 2 or 3
Cardamom - 3 to 4
Cinnamon sticks - 2
Cloves - 3 to 4

Preparation Method:
=============

• Wash coriander leaves, mint leaves. Along with green chillies, blend them to a fine paste.
• In a vessel, add chicken and all the ingredients, hara masala but for whole garam masalas (tej pattha, cardamom, cinnamon & cloves). Mix it and let it marinade for 30 mins.
• Heat oil in a kadai and add the whole garam masalas. Saute it for a minute.
• Now add the marinated chicken, mix well and cook for 15-20 mins. Stir it regularly to avoid the paste sticking to the kadai.
• Add a small cup of water and simmer it for another 5 mins or until the chicken is completely cooked.
• Turn off the stove, take the dish in a cooking bowl, garnish with sliced ginger sticks and serve hot.
• This dish goes well with steam rice or any Indian breads.

Paneer Tikka Masala

Paneer is a fresh cheese common in South Asian cuisine. In northern parts of the Indian subcontinent, it is generally called Chhana. It is an unaged, acid-set, non-melting farmer cheese or curd cheese made by curdling heated milk with lemon juice, vinegar, or any other food acids. It is also commonly known as Indian Cottage Cheese. Dating back to ancient India, paneer remains the most common type of cheese used in traditional South Asian cuisines. The use of paneer is more common in Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh due to the prominence of milk in their cuisine.

Paneer tikka is a dish made from chunks of paneer or paneer cubes marinated with spices and then grilled in a tandoor. It is a vegetarian alternative to chicken tikka and other meat dishes. It is a very popular dish that is widely available in India. When paneer tikka is served with a gravy, it is called paneer tikka masala. The recipe is simple but takes time for preparation. For all those who are wondering how to prepare this dish at him with out a tandoor, there is always an alternative. Generally, the marinated paneer & vegetable cubes are skewed & grilled in a tandoor. However, the alternative for this to prepare at home without tandoor is simply to roast them on a pan or tawa.


Cooking Time:  30 mins                                                                             Servings: 6
Preparation Time:  45 mins                                                                       Category:  Main Course - Veg

 

Paneer Tikka Masala

Ingredients:
========
For the Tikkas
----------------
Paneer - 500 gms
Bell Pepper - 1 each (Red, Yellow & Green)
Yogurt - 2 Tbsps
Red Chilli Powder - 2 tsps
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Jeera powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Ginger & garlic paste - 1 1/2 tsps
Red cooking color - a pinch
Cooking/Olive oil - 1 Tbsp

For the Gravy
---------------
Onions - 2
Tomato puree - 1 Tbsp
Kaju paste - 1/2 cup
Cream - 2 Tbsp
Green chillies sliced - 5
Saunf powder - 1 tsp
Kasuri Methi (crushed) - 1/2 cup
Ghee/Butter/Cooking/Olive oil - 2 Tbsp
Salt - to taste
Cinnamon sticks (small) - 4
Cardamom - 4
Cloves - 4/6
Coriander Leaves - 1/2 cup

 
Preparation Method:
=============+

• Blend onions into a thick paste and keep it aside.
• Slice the paneer into small square cubes or rectangular pieces. Cut the bell peppers too in the same shape.
• In a bowl, place these paneer & bell pepper cubes. Add turmeric, red chilli, coriander, garam masala, jeera powders, ginger garlic paste, salt, red color & yogurt.
• Mix them well so that all the spices are coated very well to the paneer & bell pepper cubes. All olive oil, mix well and let this marinade for 1 hour.
• Heat a pan and add 2 tsps of oil. Spread it along nicely and then add the marinated cubes. Roast them all well on both sides and keep aside.
• For the gravy, heat oil in a vessel and add all dry garam masala ingredients (i.e Cinnamon, cardamom & cloves). Saute them for couple of minutes.
• Add onion paste and cook for 2 mins. Then add tomato puree, green chillies and cook for another 5 mins.
• Now add kaju paste, kasuri methi, salt and saunf powder. Mix well & cook for another 10 mins until the gravy oozes out the oil.
• Keep stirring in regular intervals to avoid kaju paste stick to the vessel.
• Add a cup of water and let it simmer for 5 mins. Then, add the cooked tikkas to this gravy, mix and simmer for another couple of minutes.
• Turn of the stove and take this dish into a serving vessel. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander or curry leaves.
• Serve hot with Rotis, Naans, Chapathis, Bagara rice or Jeera rice. This dish goes particularly well with rotis & naans.