Monthly Archives: November 2012
Okra Barley Dal stew ~ Barley Pappu Charu
Pappu charu, made with toor dal, tamarind juice and little seasoning is very commonly prepared stew in Andhra homes . It is a lighter version of sambar, takes less time to cook and is good with steamed rice. Many Variations like Benadakaya(Okra) pappu charu, Vankaya(Brinjal) pappu charu, Munnakkaya(Drumstick) pappu charu and Mullangi(Radish) pappu charu are famous. It can be cooked without vegetables too.
Paneer Tikka Masala Home Style
Paneer Tikka is prepared using paneer cubes, tri color vegetables like pepper, tomato and onion marinated with yogurt and Indian spices and baked in tandoor oven. Alternatively at our homes, we bake them in conventional oven or gas grills. Paneer tikka can be served as a starter or snack.It is a must have in our barbecue parties. To make gravy curry, baked paneer tikka is cooked for a while in tomato onion base gravy and can be garnished with cream. In this recipe I did not use cream, instead I used nuts to get the rich creamy texture.
Turkey Patties ~ Turkey Muttilu
Making these turkey patties is simple and all the ingredients are simple regular Indian spices. Based on our preference we can make them as either appetizer or burger or pita sandwich. I mentioned baked version here but you can shallow fry or deep fry them. Using fat meat (white or red) in making patties or kebabs keeps them more moist. For daily consumption, I recommend to use the baking method with extra lean meat for a healthier diet. If you are making them for holidays and parties you may use little oil in baking or fry them in oil. When I first baked these patties, I didn’t use any oil other than spray and the outcome is good and my guests appreciated them as well.
Green Mung dal and Barley Dosa ~ Barley Pesarattu
Pesarattu is a south Indian breakfast made with green whole mung dal and served with sweet ginger chutney. Peasarattu with upma is also a very good combination. To make pesarattu crispy, we usually add table spoon of rice, but in this recipe I replaced rice with one of my favorite whole grain barley to make it a healthy meal. You will get the same texture and better taste with barley as you get with rice.Replacing whole mung dal with sprouted mung dal increases the protein content.
Hyderabadi Double Ka Meeta ~ Shahi Tukda
Double ka meeta is an authentic Hyderabadi dessert. Bread is called double ka roti in Hindi as the dough raises doubles in size and meeta means sweet. Hence the name double ka meeta ( bread sweet).
Another popular Indian Sweet shahi tukda is similar to Double Ka Meeta with slight difference in serving style. In Shahi tukda, triangular shaped bread slices dipped in sugar syrup are added to full fat thick flavored milk just before serving, where as in double ka meeta, bread pieces in no definite shape are soaked in sugar syrup and added to flavored milk immediately during prepartion.
Garam Masala
Garam masala is hot spice powder used as seasoning in very small portions in making of Indian curries. Garam masala consists of variety of spices. Most frequently used spices are cumin, cloves , cardamom and cinnamon. Below, I am presenting my mom’s version which I use in my recipes.
Coriander Powder ~ Dhaniya Powder
Coriander powder is most commonly used spice powder in Indian curries. Coriander seeds have very good source of dietary fiber, good source of calcium and is known for anti-inflammatory, antioxidant properties. They help in stimulating the production of insulin and lowering blood glucose levels and also helps in enhancing the nutritional intake of iron, magnesium and manganese in the diet.
Chicken Shorva
Shorva is gravy made out of chicken or mutton curry and normally has a medium consistency.I always believe in that for any Indian dishes, usage of fresh ingredients, cooking at the right temperatures with perfect timing is the essence for getting a great taste. This is the trick or lesson I learnt by observing when my mother or mother in law is cooking. If you are in a hurry for faster cooking, I am sure that you would lose the taste. Adopt a slower cooking in making of this Shorva. Please ensure that you make this with whole chicken rather than using boneless chicken. Bones release juices which makes the Shorva all the tastier.