Teekha Murgh

Ingredients
3-4 Tbsp mustard oil/ vegetable oil
1 tsp kalonji/nigella seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 Tbsp garlic chopped
200 gm onion chopped
150 gms tomatoes chopped
1 tsp ginger chopped
2-3 green chillies chopped
2 Tbsp curry leaves
1 kg chicken, cut into small pieces or boneless chicken cut into small cubes
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp red chilli powder
1 tsp black pepper powder
1 tsp cumin powder(roasted)
salt to taste
1 pinch black salt
2-3 tsp fresh coriander leaves chopped
1 tsp chopped mint leaves

Method

• Heat oil and add the kalonji and fennel seeds. Once the aroma of these seeds comes out add the chopped garlic and saute for a while.
• Add the chopped onion, tomato, ginger and green chillies. Stir fry until onion turns brown.
• Meanwhile, fry the curry leaves until crisp. Crush and keep them aside.
• Add the chicken, tomato paste and mix well. Saute for 3-4 minutes.
• Add all other dry spices and mix well.
• Cover and cook on low flame for 10 minutes.
• Add the fried and crushed curry leaves and mix well.
• Serve garnished with coriander leaves and mint leaves.

Dates Sesame Ladoo

Ingredients

1/2 cup white sesame seeds

4-5 soft dates,deseeded and chopped

1/4 cup desiccated coconut +1 tablespoon for garnishing

1 tablespoon honey

Method

• Dry roast sesame seeds in a pan until it turns light brown colour.
• Keep aside to cool.
• In the same pan add dessicated coconut,stir for 30 seconds and turn off the flame.
• Crush sesame seeds in a grinder for 3-4 seconds.(Better to use pulse option in the grinder).
• In a bowl add sesame seeds,chopped dates, desiccated coconut and honey.
• Mix well  using hand .
• Take a small amount of mixture and roll it in hand to form a ball / ladoo shape.
• Roll the prepared ladoos in the remaining desiccated coconut. 
• Store in an air tight container.

Double Ka Meetha

Double Ka Meetha is a Hyderabadi sweet easily prepared with simple ingredients.An apt dish to serve soon after a spicy meal.It is particularly prepared during the festive month of Ramadan and on Eid.

Ingredients

6 slices of bread

2 1/2 cups milk

350 ml milk maid

1 cup water

1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder

1/2 cup sugar

Few dry fruits and nuts of your choice(I used cashew,raisins and almonds)

Saffron,a few strands

Ghee for frying bread and nuts

Method

• Remove edges of bread,cut it diagonally.
• Toast the breads in a non stick pan .
• Deep fry all the bread pieces in ghee on low flame and keep aside.
• Fry the cashew,raisins and almonds in ghee and keep aside.
• Make sugar syrup in a sauce pan adding water,sugar and cardamom powder.
• Heat milk along with milkmaid and few saffron strands in a  deep nonstick pan and cook uncovered until it becomes thick.(Don't forget to stir in between)
• Dip the fried bread pieces in sugar syrup and arrange them in a dish
• Pour the milk over the bread pieces.
• Sprinkle fried nuts on top along with few saffron strands.
• Serve hot/cold.

*Instead of frying bread in ghee you can toast the bread,cut it diagonally and brush with ghee on both the sides.

If you like to serve the dish hot, bake in  an oven proof dish at 180 degree Celsius for 5-6 minutes.

Dim Kosha/ Spicy Egg curry - Bengali style

A Bengali style egg curry that goes well with chappathi, nan or any other Indian bread. Roasted boiled eggs in an onion and tomato based gravy. Bengali dishes usually use mustard oil but somehow here none of us seem to fall at ease with the taste of mustard oil, so here I have used vegetable oil. To go for the typical Bengali taste you can use mustard oil.This is indeed spicy, so please adjust the spice levels as per your taste buds.

Recipe adapted from here

Ingredients

4 hard boiled eggs

1 medium tomato, chopped fine

1 large onion, chopped very fine

1 tsp ginger paste

4-5 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder

1 bay leaf

2 green chillies slit

salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp garam masala powder

1/4 cup water

 4-5 Tbsp mustard oil/ vegetable oil

Chopped cilantro, for garnishing

Method

• Deshell the hard boiled eggs and keep aside.
• Make a paste with a little turmeric powder, pinch of chilli powder and salt. Smear the eggs with this mixture.
• Heat a tablespoon of oil in a non-stick pan and roast the smeared eggs until golden brown on all sides. Keep aside.
• In another pan heat the remaining oil.Add the sugar and caramelise it.
• As the sugar caramelises add the crushed garlic, bay leaf and green chillies.
• Saute until garlic turns slight brown in colour.
• Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until mushy.
• Add chopped onion, salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder and cumin powder. Saute well and cook for 3-4 minutes.
• Add the ginger paste and saute again. Saute until the oil starts to leave from the sides.
• Now add the roasted eggs and mix well so that the masala coats the eggs well. Cook for 3-4 minutes on low flame.
• Add water and increase the flame and cook until the gravy thickens. 
• Turn off, sprinkle the garam masala powder and chopped cilantro.

Cabbage Urad Dal Vada

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup urad dal (soaked in water for 2 hrs)
1 1/2 - 2 cups grated cabbage (can increase or reduce the quantity)
2 tablespoon rice flour
1 medium onion chopped
2 green chilies,chopped
2 sprigs of curry leaves,chopped
1 tablespoon ginger chopped
A pinch of asafoetida
Salt as required
Oil for frying

Method
Add some salt to the grated cabbage,Mix well and keep for 10 minutes.(This is done to bring out excess water from the cabbage)
Grind urad dal to a smooth thick paste with out adding much water.
Squeeze out excess water from the cabbage.
Add cabbage,onion,green chilies,curry leaves,ginger,asafoetida,rice flour and salt to the urad dal paste and mix well.
Heat oil in a kadai.
Wet your hands with water and shape a small portion into a small ball.
Make a hole in the middle  using your thumb.(You can wet your fingers with water whenever the mixture sticks to your fingers)
Carefully drop into the hot oil and fry until golden brown.
Serve hot with sambar/chutney.

Potato Vada Thalassery Style

 

Ingredients

For the masala

2  medium potatoes boiled and mashed

1 medium onion chopped

2 green chilies chopped

2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves

2 cloves of garlic chopped

2 teaspoon mustard seeds

teaspoon turmeric powder

2 tablespoon oil +oil for frying

Salt to taste

For the batter

1 cup maida (I used self raising flour)

1/2 cup wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon asafoetida

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Water as required.

Method

Heat oil in a pan

Splutter mustard seeds.

Add onion,green chilies,coriander leaves, garlic and saute  for 2 minutes.

Add turmeric powder,salt and stir.

Mix  the mashed potatoes,cover and cook on low flame for 3-4 minutes and turn off the flame.

Once the mixture cools, make lemon sized balls out of it.

In a separate bowl add maida,wheat flour,asafoetida,salt and turmeric powder.

Gradually add water and check the consistency (the batter should not be too thin).

Heat oil in a kadai for frying.

Dip the lemon sized balls in this batter .

Deep fry  and drain on to a tissue paper.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

*Since it is a  Thalassery version of potato vada I chose maida /wheat flour for the batter .This can be substituted with besan.

Vegetable Korma

Ingredients

1 carrot,chopped

8-10  beans,chopped

1/4 cup frozen green peas

1 small potato chopped

2 tablespoon grated coconut

1/4 - 1/2 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup water

2 cloves of garlic

3-4 shallots 

1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

Salt to taste

For tempering

2 tablespoon coconut oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

2 shallots finely sliced

2 dried red chilies

Method

Cook all the chopped vegetables in a pan adding  water,salt and turmeric powder.

Grind  grated coconut,shallots,garlic,cumin seeds with little water to form a smooth paste.

Add the paste to the cooked vegetables and stir well.

Cover and cook on low flame for 3 minutes.

Add the coconut milk, mix well and turn off the flame.

Add 2 tablespoon of coconut oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds.

Add shallots and saute until it turns brown.

Add dried red chili, stir well and turn off the flame.

Pour the seasoning over the cooked vegetable korma and stir well.

Serve hot with chapati.

*You can use any vegetables of your choice.

Semiya/Vermicelli Pulav

Ingredients

1/2 carrot chopped

1/4 cup frozen green peas

4-6 shallots chopped

1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 tablespoon urad dal

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 1/2 teaspoon eastern chicken masala

1 green chili chopped

1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste

170 grams roasted vermicelli

2 tablespoon sunflower oil

3 1/2 cups water

A pinch of asafoetida

Salt to taste

Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

Method

• Heat oil in a non stick pan.
• Splutter mustard seeds  and  add urad dal.
• Stir until it turns golden brown.
• Add asafoetida,green chili,shallots,ginger garlic paste and saute for 2-3 minutes.
• Add turmeric powder,chicken masala,tomato paste and stir for a minute.
• Add chopped carrot, green peas and give a good stir.
• Add water and required salt.
• Once the water starts boiling add the roasted vermicelli.
• Cover and cook on low flame stiring occasionally until it is done.
• Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot.