Experimental Vegetable Biryani and Raita

Warning: This is not the authentic vegetable biryani you will get in hotels. This preparation was experimented on me for my quick lunch at college. It worked wonders and remains a favourite dish among my friends and family:-)

Ingredients:
Basmati rice: 2 small bowls (300-350 gms)
Pure Ghee: 4 tablespoons
Onions (medium-sized): 2
Tomatoes (medium-sized): 2
Ginger-garlic paste: 2 teaspoons
Haldi(Turmeric): ½ teaspoon.
Cauliflower: 200 gms.
Green Peas: 200 gms
Potatoes(medium-sized): 2
Everest Biryani Masala Powder: 1 ½ tablespoon
Red Chilly Powder: 1 ½ tablespoon
Salt: As per taste
Boiled Water: 4 small bowls( Double the amount of rice)
Corriander Leaves
Fresh Wet Grated Cocunut: For Garnishing.

Preparation:
Ginger-garlic paste:
You get this readymade these days, or else take an entire garlic flower, heat it in microwave for a min, it’s easier to get off the covering. Then add ginger around half a piece along with garlic in the mixer, grind it and add water and grind it further till you get fine paste.

Biryani:

1. Soak rice in water for 1/2 hour. Then rinse the water from the rice.
2. Take 4 tablespoons of pure ghee and heat.
3. Add finely chopped onions in it. Add a pinch of salt to the onions, keep frying till onion turns brown. Add ghee if you think a little more will be needed.
4. Then add ½ teaspoon haldi and 2 teaspoons of ginger-garlic paste.
5. Stir the mixture for a minute.
6. Then add finely chopped tomatoes and stir again.
7. Then add green peas, the medium-sized chopped pieces of cauliflower and potato to it.
8. Add 1 ½ tablespoon Red Chilly Powder and mix properly.
9. Add 1 ½ tablespoon Everest Biryani Masala Powder and mix properly
10. Add rice to this mixture. Mix properly till the rice gets dry i.e. the wetness goes.
11. Add 4 small bowls of boiled water. Stir properly.
12. Add salt as per taste. Around 2-3 teaspoons should suffice.
13. Turn the gas on high and let the rice boil.
14. Once all water evaporates and rice settles, turn the gas mild, and put a lid on top and let it cook for 15-20 minutes. If vessel is not non-stick keep a plate below the vessel as well.
    
    

Garnish:
Once the rice is done garnish it with finely chopped corriander and grated fresh coconut. Serve along with the vegetable raita

Vegetable Raita
Ingredients:
Cucumber: 1
Onion: 1
Tomato: 1
Corriander Leaves
Curd: 4 tablespoons
Salt: As per taste (1 teaspoons should suffice)
Sugar: As per taste (2 teaspoons should suffice)

Preparation:

1. Finely chop cucumber, onion, and tomato.
2. Take a bowl and put the chopped pieces in it.
3. Add 4 tablespoons of curd to it
4. Add Salt: As per taste (1 teaspoons should suffice)
5. Sugar: As per taste (2 teaspoons should suffice)
6. Mix the entire mixture properly
7. Then add finely chopped coriander leaves to it.
8. Leave it in the refrigerator for few minutes before serving.

Have the biryani with the raita, it tastes pretty good. The best part is this rice preparation does not consume much time or effort on one's part:-)

Quick Veggies-1

Cauliflower Vegetable Dish

Ingredients:

1. Cauliflower: 250 gms
2. Kala Masala: 1 tablespoon
   (Black Masala: Easily available in Maharstra, its basically a mixture of Red Chilli Powder and Garam Masala Powder)
   *If you cannot find this masala, you can also use the red chilli masala powder.
3. Haldi(Turmeric Powder): ½ Teaspoon
4. Sugar (To taste): 1 teaspoon should suffice
5. Salt (To Taste): 1- 1.5 teaspoon should suffice
6. Corriander Leaves
7. Wet shredded coconut
   

Preparation:

1. Chop the cauliflower into medium size pieces
2. Take a bowl and put the chopped pieces in it.
3. Add ½ Teaspoon Haldi to it.
4. Add 1 tablespoon Kala Masala Powder to it. ( If you want it spicy can add ½ more)
5. Add Salt
6. Add Sugar
7. Mix the ingredients properly and leave it covered in the bowl for ½ hour
8. In the cooking vessel add 1 -1.5 table spoon of oil.
9. Heat the oil on mild flame
10. Then add the cauliflower mixture
11. Cover the vessel with a lid and place some quantity of water in it.
12. Check ever 5 minutes, stir a bit.
13. Keep the gas on till the vegetable is cooked properly (should not take more than 15-20 minutes), it gets cooked on steam.
14. Taste it to confirm salt/sugar
15. Once the vegetable is cooked, garnish it with shredded coconut and finely chopped coriander leaves

Eat it with rotis/chappatis/dal-rice.

Tea-Time Snacks-1:Bread Rolls:

Ingredients:

1. Potatoes: 1/2 Kg (5-6 medium sized)
2. Slice Bread: 1 Packet
3. Green Chillies
4. Rai (Mustard seeds)
5. Jeera(Cumin)
6. Hing (Asafoetida)
7. Haldi(Turmeric Powder)
8. Lemon
9. Sugar (To taste)
10. Salt (To Taste)
11. Corriander Leaves

Preparation:

1. Boil the potatoes.
2. After boiling and having them cooled a bit, peel of the skin and smash the potatoes.
3. In a separate small vessel do the seasoning:
   Add 1 -1.5 table spoon of oil.
   Heat the oil on mild flame
   Then add 1 – 1.5 tea-spoon of Rai
   Then add 1 – 1.5 tea-spoon of Jeera
   Then add 0.5 tea-spoon of Hing
   Then add 0.5 tea-spoon of Haldi
   Then add finely chopped Green Chillies (3-4 mild spicy ones, medium-size should suffice
4. Add this seasoning to the smashed potatoes
5. Add juice of half a lemon
6. Add 1 table spoon of sugar( and more or less as per your taste)
7. Add Salt as per taste( 1 tea-spoon should suffice)
8. Add finely chopped coriander leaves
9. Mix the entire mixture properly and taste it to confirm salt/lemon/sugar
10. Now take a slice of bread and dip it gently in water from both sides
11. Do not cut the sides of the slice bread, they hold the entire roll together.
12. Squeeze the bread to let out the water, do this gently or the bread will break.
13. Add the potato filling in the bread and turn the bread into an elongated roll-shape or round shape.
14. Deep fry the roll in the oil.
15. Once the bread turns slightly brown, the roll is ready to be taken out and served
16. Serve it with tomato ketchup or hot and sweet chilly sauce.
    

Eat it at tea-coffee time and make sure the tea/coffee is served hot. I think this potato filling should suffice for 10-12 bread rolls. You can use the same mixture with a little modifications to make the famous Mumbai Vada Pav. About the coating preparation will write about it tomorrow.

Dosas, Some Old, Some New

I. Urud Dal/Rice Dosas (Traditional Dosas)

You can make plain ol' urud dal and rice dosas the traditional way.

Ingredients:

1. 4 measures of rice;
2. 1 measure of urud dal (black gram dal);
3. 2 tsps. raw methi seeds (fenugreek seeds); and
   
4. Salt to taste.

Method:

1. Soak the urud dal and the methi seeds together in a bowl for about 4 hours, with the water fully covering the dal;
   
2. Soak the rice separately, also for about 4 hours;
3. Grind the urud dal, methi seed mix to a smooth paste. Try not to add any water while grinding or as little as possible;
4. Transfer to a vessel;
   
5. Grind the rice coarsely and transfer to the same vessel as the urud dal, methi seed mix;
6. Mix them well and allow to ferment overnight. In people in cold climates: if you have an oven, just turn the oven light on and leave the vessel in the oven, or if you have a stove with a pilot light, keep the vessel over the pilot light, or if you have the heating system on in the house, leave the vessel close to a vent. Make sure that there is a plate below the vessel to catch any spillage.
7. The next morning, stir the batter well to make sure it has a pouring consistency (add water as necessary, but not too much) and add salt.

If I were you, however, I would go to the nearest Indian store in the US and pick up a few boxes of the Gits mix and follow the directions on the box. Or here, in India, I would go to to the nearest grocery store and pick up a few packets of the dosa batter (Surabhi, for example) from the refrigerated shelves near the milk and curds. They both work wonderfully well.

A well-used, greasy-edged, rarely-washed cast iron pan is the best equipment you can have to make crispy golden dosas. Moms and moms-in-law need to be coaxed to part with these from their own kitches. Don't let them fop off a brand new pan on you. Failing that, non-stick pans are the way to go.

Roasting the Dosa:

1. Before you start pouring the dosas, make sure the pan is hot and lightly greased with fresh grease;
2. Pick up a ladle full of batter, pour in at the center of the pan and with the ladle, make quick, concentric motions until the batter is spread around the pan but not touching the edges;
3. Trickle a spoonful of oil around the edges of the dosa;
4. When you see the edges browning, flip the dosa with the appropriate pancake flipper (metal for cast iron pans and wood for non-stick pans);
5. A minute later, pick the edges off of one side of the dosa with the flipper, fold it over the other side and transfer to a plate.

Now, for some newer, quicker-to-make, but delicious and healthy dosas.

II. Moong Dal Dosas

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups moong dal;
2. 1/2 an onion;
3. Green chillies to taste;
4. Salt to taste; and
   
5. Coriander leaves (cilantro).

Method:

1. Soak the moong dal for a couple of hours in enough water to cover the dal completely;
2. Grind the moong dal to a smooth batter;
3. Chop the onions, green chillies and cilantro finely and mix them well into the batter;
4. Add salt;
   
5. Make sure that the batter has a pouring consistency, a little bit more watery than the traditional dosa batter mix.
   
6. Roast the dosa as in the the same way as in the instructions for the traditional dosa above, but do not spread the batter around in the pan as you would the traditional dosa. Let it cook on the pan where you pour it.

An even easier method is to get the moong dal flour (I know these are available in the Indian stores in the US, will try to find it in India), add water to it and follow the instructions from no. 3 above.

III. Channa Dal Dosas

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups Channa dal;
2. 1/2 an onion;
3. Green chillies to taste;
4. Salt to taste; and
   
5. Coriander leaves (cilantro).

Method:

1. Soak the channa dal for a couple of hours in enough water to cover the dal completely;
2. Pinch the dal to make sure it's soaked enough; you should be able to cut it easily with your finger nails;
   
3. Grind the channa dal to a smooth batter;
4. Chop the onions, green chillies and cilantro finely and mix them well into the batter;
5. Add salt;
   
6. Make sure that the batter has a pouring consistency, a little bit more watery than the traditional dosa batter mix.
   
7. Roast the dosa as in the the same way as in the instructions above, but do not spread the batter around in the pan as you would the traditional dosa. Let it cook on the pan where you pour it.

Unfortunately, channa dal flour is not available in the stores. This is the only way to make it. Channa dal is extremely good for the body, especially if you are on a diet and you need to lower the amount of high-glycemic index foods (such as rice) in your diet.

IV. Ragi Dosas

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups ragi (millett) flour;
2. 1/2 an onion;
3. Green chillies to taste;
4. Curds (or yogurt) mixed with water and stirred enough to eliminate the lumps in the curds;
   
5. Salt to taste; and
   
6. Coriander leaves (cilantro).

Method:

1. Chop the onions, green chillies and cilantro finely;
2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl;
3. Make sure that the batter has a pouring consistency, a little bit more watery than the traditional dosa batter mix;
   
4. Roast the dosa as in the the same way as in the instructions for the traditional dosa above, but do not spread the batter around in the pan as you would the traditional dosa. Let it cook on the pan where you pour it.

V. Rava Dosas

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups rava (upma or uppittu rava);
2. 1 cup rice flour;
   
3. 1/2 an onion;
4. Green chillies to taste;
5. Curds (or yogurt) mixed with water and stirred enough to eliminate the lumps in the curds;
   
6. Salt to taste; and
   
7. Coriander leaves (cilantro).

Method:

1. Chop the onions, green chillies and cilantro finely;
2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl;
3. Make sure that the batter has a pouring consistency, a little bit more watery than the traditional dosa batter mix;
   
4. Roast the dosa as in the the same way as in the instructions for the traditional dosa above, but do not spread the batter around in the pan as you would the traditional dosa. Let it cook on the pan where you pour it.

If this is the first time you are making dosas, expect diasters. I had quite a few of them. But persist. Fiddle around with the consistency. And grease that pan. Bribe it to give up those dosas. Weekend mornings were made for them.

Dosas are best enjoyed with chutneys (recipe for raw onion cutney here and for coconut chutney here), chutney pudi (MTR has a really good chutney pudi) and molaga pudi (that atom bomb, that staple of every self-respecting Tamilian household, of which MTR, again, makes a very good imitation, and is available in the Indian grocery stores in the US) mixed with a teaspoonful of oil.

Steamed Rice (Without a Pressure Cooker)

If you don't have a pressure cooker, not to worry. You can still make fluffy, white steamed rice. I must thank my husband for this one.

For the best consistency, use the sona masuri rice from the Indian store. For those in the US, unless you prefer sticky rice, I highly recommend that you do not buy the Thai jasmine rice.

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup rice; and
2. 3 cups water.

Duh!

Method:

1. Wash the rice until the water runs clear;
2. Use a vessel large enough to hold the cooked quantity of rice (preferably thick bottomed);
3. Once the rice is washed, measure out the required amount of water;
4. Place the vessel (do not close the top) on the stove with the flame at the lowest setting;
5. Do not stir;
6. The rice is done when you hear a mild crackling sound (the sound of the last few drops of water evaporating);
7. Now close the top and allow the rice to sit for a few minutes.

The first few times I implore you to stay near the stove so you can watch the rice. As you can imagine, it's very easy to burn the rice this way.

Raitha

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups plain, low-fat yogurt;
2. ½ cup peeled, de-seeded and chopped cucumber;
3. 1 split green chili;
4. 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro; and
5. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Mix all of the ingredients except the salt in a medium-sized bowl; and
2. Add salt to taste, and mix well just before serving.

Note: Finely chopped onions, or chopped and de-seeded tomatoes may be substituted for the cucumber.

Dal Fry (Moong Dal)

Ingredients:

1. 1½ cups moong dal
2. 3 cups water
3. 2 tablespoons oil
4. 1/8 teaspoon asafetida
5. 1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder
6. ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
7. ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
8. 3 green chilies, split lengthwise (small, thin variety)
9. 1 teaspoon ginger paste
10. 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
11. 1 coarsely chopped red onion (medium)
12. 1 cup chopped tomatoes
13. 2 sprigs curry leaves, leaves removed and rinsed
14. Salt to taste (up to 2 teaspoons)
15. 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves

Method:

1. Rinse the moong dal. Add water, and boil in a medium-sized saucepan (the dal is cooked when you can pick up a few grains and mash them easily between your fingers). Mix the dal well with a spoon to a smooth consistency.
2. Heat oil on medium heat, in a medium-sized pan, for 30 seconds;
3. Add asafetida, turmeric, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves, in quick succession. Cover the pan to prevent the oil and spices from splattering;
4. When the mustard seeds start crackling, add the green chilies, ginger paste and garlic. Saute for 1 minute;
5. Add onions, and continue sauteing until they turn translucent, about 5 minutes;
6. Add the tomatoes, and saute for 3 minutes longer.
7. Add the boiled moong dal and salt, and fry until all the ingredients are mixed well. Garnish with cilantro leaves.
   

Dal fry goes well chapattis or naan. Serve with raitha and mango or lime pickle.

I also like dal fry with plain, white rice.

Chapattis and Naan are available in the refrigerated food section of Indian grocery stores. When ready to serve, take them out of their pouches, and warm on a griddle for about a minute on each side, taking care not to burn.

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup unsweetened grated coconut
2. 2 green chilies (small, thin variety) or more
3. 1 cup dalia (split)
4. ½ bunch cilantro leaves
5. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Blend all ingredients to a smooth consistency, adding up to two more chilies for a spicier chutney;
2. Add about ½ cup of water, if necessary, to ensure all ingredients mix well (adding more water will make the chutney too diluted).

Chutneys are often “tempered” with oil and spices to reduce the heat of the chilies and to add additional layers of flavor. Tempering is optional.

Ingredients for tempering:

1. 1 Tablespoon oil
2. Pinch of asafetida
3. ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
4. 1 sprig of curry leaves, removed from stem and rinsed

Method for tempering:

1. Heat the oil in a very small saucepan;
2. Add the rest of the ingredients, and let the mustard seeds crackle;
3. Pour over chutney, and mix well before serving.

Upma or Uppittu

Ingredients:

1. 3 tablespoons oil
2. 2 cups semolina (sooji)
3. 1/8 teaspoon asafetida
4. 1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder (optional)
5. ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
6. ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
7. 1/4 teaspoon urad dal
8. 1/4 teaspoon channa dal
9. 3 green chilies, split length-wise (small, thin variety)
10. 1 teaspoon ginger paste
11. 1 coarsely chopped red onion (medium)
12. 2 sprigs curry leaves (leaves removed and rinsed)
13. Salt to taste (up to 2 teaspoons)
14. 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
15. 4 cups water

Method:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil, on medium heat, in a medium-sized pan for 30 seconds
2. Add the semolina and roast, stirring frequently to prevent burning
3. Remove from heat when the semolina turns an even, golden-brown color, and transfer to a plate;
4. In a separate deep frying pan, on medium heat, heat two tablespoons of oil for 30 seconds;
5. Add the asafetida, turmeric, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, channa dal and curry leaves in quick succession;
6. Cover the pan to prevent the oil and spices from splattering;
7. When the mustard seeds start crackling, add the green chilies and ginger. Saute for one minute;
8. Add the onions, and continue sauteing until they turn translucent, about five minutes;
9. Add water, and bring to a boil. Lower heat, and add salt and the cooked semolina slowly, stirring constantly;
10. Mix ingredients thoroughly, and cover;
11. When the water has been absorbed and the Upma acquires a fluffy consistency, mix once more; and
    
12. Remove from heat and garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.

To serve upma, grease a small howl with butter and scoop spoonfuls of the mixture into the bowl. Press down to mold, and invert onto a serving plate. Add a couple of tablespoons of coconut chutney and a teaspoon of grated mango pickle on the side.