Drool's special Uppuma

 Uppuma

Ingredients

Semolina (rava)-2 cups

Onion- 1 medium, finely chopped

Ginger- a small piece chopped

Maggi chicken cube - 1 no (optional)

Green chilies- 2  chopped

Water-3 1/2 cups

Turmeric- 1/4 tsp

Potato- 2 small, chopped into cubes

Urad daal- 3tbsp

Toor daal- 2 tbsp

Salt -to taste.

Method

• Dry roast semolina in a nonstick pan for about 8-10 minutes. 
• Transfer to a bowl when done and set aside to cool.  
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan, add urid dal and toor dal. Saute until it turns light brown.Then add the ginger, green chilies, turmeric and chopped onions and saute until onion turns light brown.  
• Add chopped potatoes and stir fry for 8-10 minutes cooking on low flame.  
• Mix chicken cube in 1/2 cup warm water and add along with remaining 3 cups water (this step is optional). 
• Increase the flame and once the water boils add required salt along with roasted semolina, mix well and make sure that no lumps are formed. 
• Close the lid and cook for about 3-5 mts in low flame. 
• Serve with banana and pappad or curry of your choice.  

* You can make your breakfast healthier by adding chopped carrot, green peas or any vegetable of your choice.

Grilled Veggies

Grilled Veggies

Ingredients

Onions – 25 g

Bell peppers – 25 g

Tomato – 25 g

Cumin powder – ½ tsp

Yoghurt – 200 g

Tomato ketchup – 100 g

Oil – for brushing

Chaat Masala – for seasoning

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

• Cut the vegetables into large chunks. Mix together cumin powder, yoghurt and ketchup, and season. Marinate vegetables for at least 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, soak wooden skewers in water for at 30 minutes. Remove from water and skewer all vegetables.
• Brush a little oil on vegetables and grill until cooked through and slightly charred on edges. Sprinkle chaat masala over and serve hot with a dip.

Recipe courtesy: Friday magazine(with slight changes)

One Pot Chicken

Sudden arrival of guests?  Running short of time? Lazy day for doing cutting and chopping...but still craving to eat something spicy and delicious…..?

Well, here’s the recipe that you are looking out to…an easy chicken dish that doesn’t require any cutting or chopping, not even do have the mess of washing up a number of dishes as this chicken is cooked in just one vessel!!!!!

One Pot Chicken

Ingredients

Chicken – 1 kg cut into medium sized pieces

Ginger-Garlic paste – 1 Tbsp(use the readymade store bought one for those lazy days)

Kashmiri chilli powder – 1 Tbsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Pepper powder – 1 tsp

Soya sauce – 1 Tbsp

Salt

Oil/ Coconut Oil – 2 Tbsp

Tomato Ketchup – 1 Tbsp

Garam Masala powder – ½ tsp

Method

• In a pressure cooker marinate the chicken with ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder, soya sauce, salt and leave for 5 minutes.
• Close the cooker, put on the whistle and cook on medium heat until the cooker gives off one whistle.
• Once the steam is released open the cooker and add the oil, tomato ketchup and garam masala powder and cook on high flame stirring continuously until the water evaporates and the masala coats the chicken well. (If you are using the small deep cooker and not the pan type one, you can transfer the chicken into a wide non-stick pan and do the roasting so that there is enough space for stirring and frying)
• Now the quick one pot chicken is ready to serve.

Cluster Beans Stir Fry

Kothamara mezhukupurati / Cluster Beans Stir Fry

Ingredients

Cluster Beans / Kothamara – 300gms washed and cut into 1 inch pieces

Onion – 1 large chopped roughly

Green Chillies – 2-3 chopped

Curry Leaves – 1 sprig

Corriander powder – ½ tsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Salt

Oil – 2-3 Tbsp

Method

• Heat oil in a kadai.
• Add the onions, green chilies and curry leaves and sauté well until the onion turns translucent.
• Add the turmeric powder and coriander powder. Sauté for a minute and then add the cluster beans. Add the required amount of salt and cover and cook on low flame until the beans are well cooked.
• Once cooked, open the lid and stir fry for a few minutes and off the flame.
• Serve this as a side dish with rice or can be had with chappati.

Egg Roast

Egg roast

Ingredients

Boiled eggs-4

Onion-2 sliced

Ginger paste-1 tsp.

Garlic paste-1 tsp.

Tomato-1 big, boiled and mashed

Chili powder-2 1/2 tsp.

Coriander powder-1 1/2tsp

Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp.

Garam masala powder-1/2 tsp.

Curry leaves-1 sprig

Oil-2 tbsp      

Method

• Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a non-stick pan and sauté onions until dark brown.
• Add ginger garlic paste, curry leaves and stir for a minute or until the raw smell goes off.
• Add mashed tomato and continue stirring until oil starts to appear on top.
• Add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and continue stirring for 2-3 minutes.
• Pour in ¼ - ½ cup water to make thick gravy.
• Once it boils, add eggs and cook for a minute.
• Turn off the flame when the eggs are well coated with gravy.
• Serve hot with appam, idiappam or chapatti. 

Bread Gulab Jamun

Bread Gulab Jamun

Ingredients

For the jamuns

Bread slices – 3

Milk – 1/3 cup

Milk powder – 1 cup

Oil/ghee – for frying

For the syrup

Sugar – 2 cups

Water – 1 cup

Cardamom – 2

Method

• In a pan boil the sugar with the water until the sugar is dissolved. Crush the cardamoms slightly and add to the sugar syrup. Off the flame and keep the syrup separate.
• Cut of the edges of the bread and soak it in the milk(add the milk little by little; maybe the whole amount of milk may not be required; depends upon the size of the bread).
• Add the milk powder to the soaked bread and knead well to form a sticky dough.
• Rub some oil onto your palms and make small balls out of the dough and keep separate.
• Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan. Deep fry the balls until it attains a nice golden brown colour. Remove the balls from the oil and add it to the prepared sugar syrup.
• Let the jamuns soak in the syrup for an hour or two and then relish it as such or with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

Soya curry

Soya curry

Ingredients

Soya chunks – 250 gms

Onion – 1 sliced

Garlic chopped  - 1 Tbsp

Ginger chopped – 1 tsp

Tomato – 1 big chopped

Green chillies – 2 slit lengthwise

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Chilli powder – 1 tsp

 Corriander powder – 1 tsp

 Garam masala powder – ½ tsp

Soya sauce – 1 tsp

Tomato ketchup – 1 Tbsp

 Chilli sauce – 1 tsp

Pepper powder – ½ tsp

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Thin coconut milk – 1 cup

Thick coconut milk – ½ cup

Oil – 3Tbsp + 2 tsp

Method

• Boil the soya chunks in salted water until it doubles in size. Drain out the water and wash under cold water. Squeeze out the water from the chunks.
• Heat a 2 tsp of oil in a non-stick frying pan and sauté the chunks until it starts to brown on the sides. Remove from flame and keep separate.
• Heat a little (3Tbsp) of oil in a pressure cooker. Add the sliced onion, green chillies, garlic, ginger and curry leaves and sauté well until the onion turns light brown.
• Add the turmeric, chilli, coriander, garam masala powders and sauté well.
• Add the tomatoes, mix and continue sauteing until the tomatoes get mashed and oil layer comes up.
• The sautéed soya chunks can now be added. Mix well and drip in the tomato ketchup, chilli sauce and soya sauce.
• Pour in the thin coconut milk, mix and close the cooker, put on the weight and set the flame to medium.
• Once the cooker gives off one whistle off the flame and let the cooker remain as such until the steam goes off by itself.
• Open the cooker, switch on the flame and pour in the thick coconut milk and pepper powder. Once it starts to boil off the flame and serve hot with hot phulkas, chappathis or jeera rice.

Chicken/ Veg and Cucumber sandwich

Chicken/ Veg and Cucumber sandwich

Ingredients

Bread slices – 8

Cucumber – 1 diced small

Chicken fillet – 1 breaded chicken fillet or 2 or 3 chicken nuggets(you readily get to buy frozen ones)

Or

Vegetable nuggets or vegetable cutlet – 2 or 3

Mayonnaise – 1 Tbsp

Mustard sauce – 1 tsp

Pepper – a pinch

Salt – a pinch

Sugar – ¼ tsp

 Tomato ketchup – 1 tsp

Butter – 1 tsp

Method

• Fry the chicken/ veg nuggets/ fillets/cutlets and chop it into small bits.
• Take a mixing bowl and add the chopped nuggets/ fillet/cutlet, cucumber, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard sauce, pepper, salt , sugar and mix well.
• Spread out this mixture on 4 bread slices and cover with the other 4 slices to make 4 sandwiches.
• Brush the outer sides of the sandwich with a little butter and toast them in a sandwich maker and serve with ketchup.

This will make a great tiffin for school going kids.

*For those who don’t want to use butter can omit it or use olive oil instead.

Duck Piralan

Duck Piralan

Ingredients

Duck: 1kg, cut into small pieces

Onion: 3 large, chopped

Garlic: 5-6 cloves, chopped

Ginger: 1”piece finely chopped

Green chilli: 3

Curry leaves: 3 sprigs

Tomato: 2 medium, chopped

Chilli powder: 1tsp

Coriander powder: 2tbsp

Garam masala: 1 tbsp.

Pepper powder: 2tbsp

Vinegar: 1 tsp.

Turmeric powder: 1/2tsp

Salt: as required

Coconut oil: 3-4 tbsp.

Method

• Cook the duck in a pressure cooker, with salt and turmeric powder until the cooker gives off 1 whistle.
• Transfer duck to another vessel and in the same pressure cooker heat 3-4 tbsp. of oil and sauté onions until lightly browned. At this stage add chopped ginger, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves.
• Continue sauting until the raw smell of the ginger and garlic goes and the onion turns dark brown.
• Reduce flame; add chilli powder, coriander powder, pepper powder, garam masala and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
• Add chopped tomatoes, vinegar and continue sautéing until the tomatoes are mashed.
• Now add the cooked duck, seal the cooker and cook for 2-3 whistles (cooking time varies depending on the type of duck- tender duck gets cooked by 1 or 2 whistles).
• Open the cooker and boil until the gravy attains a thick consistency.

*To make the dish spicier, you can increase the amount of pepper powder.

Quick Cauliflower and Mushroom Manchurian

CAULIFLOWER AND MUSHROOM MANCHURIAN

Ingredients

Cauliflower – 250 gms cut into medium sized florets

Mushrooms -  250 gms,sliced

Capsicum – 1 sliced into thin strips

Onion – 1 chopped

Ginger – 1tsp, chopped

Garlic – 1 tsp, chopped

Green chillies – 1-2, chopped

Sugar – ½ tsp

Pepper powder – ½ tsp

Tomato ketchup – 1 Tbsp

Chilli sauce – 1 tsp

Soya sauce – 1 tsp

Corn flour – 1 Tbsp

Vinegar – 1 tsp

Salt – as required

Oil – 1-2 Tbsp

Method

• Heat the oil and sauté the chopped onions, green chillies, capsicum, ginger and garlic.
• Once translucent add the cauliflower and mushroom and fry for a minute. Reduce the flame to a medium and cover and cook until the cauliflower florets gets cooked and starts to  brown.
• In a bowl mix sugar, salt, pepper powder, tomato ketchup, chilli sauce, soya sauce, cornflower and vinegar with a little water to from a sauce.
• Pour this sauce to the cauliflower and mushrooms. Mix well and cook covered for around 7- 8 minutes, stirring in between.
• Open and stir fry for a minute, remove from flame and serve hot garnished with capsicum strips.(You can add red, yellow and orange capsicum to make the dish more colorful.)

 This dish can be prepared using either one of the vegetables too( either cauliflower or mushroom)

Paneer Makhani

Paneer Makhani

Ingredients

Paneer – 200gms

Tomatoes – 5 medium sized, blanch, remove skin and grind into a puree

Ginger – 2 tsp chopped

Garlic – 2 tsp chopped

Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp

Kashmiri chilli powder – 1 tsp

Cumin powder – 1 tsp

Corriander powder – 1 tsp

Tomato ketchup – 1 Tbsp

Ghee – 1 ½ Tbsp

Cold milk – ¼ cup

Kasuri methi – 1 tsp

Garam masala powder – ½ tsp

Fresh cream – 2 Tbsp

Corriander leaves – for garnishing

Method 

• Heat pan and add the ghee.
• Add the chopped ginger, garlic and cumin seeds and fry well.
• Reduce the flame and add the chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and salt and fry.
• Pour ¼ cup of water and increase the flame and fry till the oil layer comes up.
• Now add the tomato puree and tomato ketchup and cook for 7- 8 minutes until the gravy starts to dry up and attains a nice red colour.
• Add ¼ cup of water and add the paneer and mix well.
• To this add the cold milk, kasuri methi(crushed between your palms), garam masala and mix well.
• As it starts to boil add the fresh cream diluted in a little water to this. Mix well and off the flame.
• Serve garnished with coriander leaves and cream.