Curd Rice [Dahi Bhat]

Curd Rice is a summer essential. It is a routine to make curd rice from leftover rice. It is the most comfortable and satisfying dish during summers. Also it is good for digestion. I can see some leftover cooked rice in refrigerator. Let’s see the remaining ingredients required for this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:                                                         SERVING: 2

1 cup Cooked Rice

½ cup Fresh Curd or Yoghurt

1 Tbsp Ghee

½ Tsp Cumin

½ Tsp Mustard

1 Tsp Urad Dal

1 Tsp Chana Dal

1 Tbsp Cashew, chopped

2 Green Chilies, slit

5-6 Curry Leaves

1/8^th Tsp Asafetida

1/4^th Tsp Fenugreek Seeds

½ Tsp Salt

1/4^th Tsp Milk

1/4^th Tsp Turmeric

METHOD:

1.    Heat ghee in a pan.

2.    Add Urad and Chana Dal. Fry it till the Dal becomes pink in color.

3.    Now add mustard, asafetida, cumin, curry leaves, green chilies, fenugreek seeds and cashew.

4.    Sauté it for a minute on a high flame.

5.    Add turmeric and cooked rice. Mix it well and remove it from the flame.

6.    Add curd to the rice mix it. Make sure that the rice is warm not hot. If it is hot then the curd might get curdled.

7.    Lastly add salt and milk. Mix everything well and serve it.

8.    You can serve it cold also.

9.    Garnish it with fresh chopped coriander. 

This dish will help you make your summers a bit soothing.

Happy summers!

 

Hey Friends! If you like my blogs kindly post your comment below the post and do share your response. Looking forward to some new innovative recipes. Thanks for reading. HAPPY COOKING ! :)

Zunka [Pithla]

It is a very popular and traditional dish prepared in Maharashtra and Goa. We call it as a Desi dish and is relished with Jowar or Rice Bhakri and Thecha. It is usually made when there is a shortage of vegetables in the refrigerator. Or when you don’t feel like having vegetables. It is a super quick recipe made within no-time. It has two versions- one is dry Zunka and another is semi-solid Zunka typically called Pithla.

It is a simple and a protein-rich dish. So, give a break to the vegetables and try out this tasty and mouth-watering recipe.

INGREDIENTS:                                                             Serving: 2

1 cup Chickpea Flour [Besan]

1 cup Onion, chopped [you can even use green onion]

2 green chilies

3 Tbsp Oil [use groundnut oil, it adds a lovely aroma]

1 Tsp mustard seeds

1 Tsp Cumin

1/8^th tsp Asafetida

2-3 Garlic cloves, crushed

4-5 Curry Leaves

½ Tsp Turmeric

1 Tsp Red Chili Powder

¼ cup Curds

1½ cups Water

1½ Tsp Salt

¼ cup Coriander, chopped

METHOD:

1.     In a bowl mix Chickpea flour, curds, and water. Whisk it well and make a smooth batter.

2.     Heat oil in a pan, add asafetida, cumin, mustard, curry leaves, and green chilies. Allow it to splutter.

3.     Now add chopped onions and crushed garlic. Sautee’ till onions are cooked.

4.     Add turmeric, red chili powder and the Chickpea Flour batter [step1]. Mix it well. Add more water if required.

5.      Add salt and cover with a lid.

6.     Allow it to cook on a low flame for 10 minutes.

7.     Once cooked, remove the lid garnish it with coriander and serve it with Jowar Bhakri and Thecha.

[You can even have it with steam rice or khichadi]

Tips:  

·        To make it healthy add Fenugreek Leaves/ Meethi Leaves along with the onion.

·        You can add fresh green onion and green garlic to it.

Paneer tikka- stuffed paneer tikka

Monsoon is the most pleasant and refreshing weather. It is the most awaited season. Or we can also describe Monsoon as a plate of steaming Pakoras and a hot cup of ginger tea. But along with these monsoons, indulgence also comes flu, water-borne diseases, and infections. It is a dreaded season for health hazard. Most infections are food-borne. Therefore special care should be taken in the kitchen.

•    Try to keep your kitchen clean and dry. (Also keep your surroundings clean)

•    Try to maintain proper hygiene.

•    Keep the windows open so that there is proper ventilation and thus it helps to lower down the moisture content.

•    Wash fruits and vegetables properly.

•    Keep your utensils clean and dry.

•    Always wash your hands properly before cooking.

•    Use boiled water or filtered water.

Apart from the basic hygiene, you need to have a healthy and proper balance diet.

    Include-

•    Home cooked food.

•    Herbal drink like green tea or black ginger/cinnamon tea (anti-oxidants)

•    Eat lots of bitter vegetables- bitter gourd (karela), methi seeds (fenugreek seeds), neem.

•    Food that dries in nature- chickpea (chana), rajma(red kidney beans), oats, sprouts(moong, moth).

•    Lots of almonds, walnuts, and dates.

•    Try to use asafetida, garlic, ginger, cumin, curry leaves, clove and turmeric in little more amount than usual.

•    Try to include grilled and tandoori dishes-paneer tikka, grilled corns and vegetables.

Avoid-

•    Streetside food. (especially, which left open for a long time- cut fruits, panipuri, chat)

•     Deep fried dishes. (though one cheat day is not a problem)

•    Eating fermented food such as idli, dhokla, bread. They are responsible for gastrointestinal problems.

•    Eating stale and uncooked food. As fruits and vegetables if cut and left to stand catches pathogens.

So be alert while planning a menu and also while cooking. But don’t stop yourself from making some monsoon delicacies.

Take out your grill/sigree/ oven/ tandoor and try making this lip-smacking                

                        HIDE n SEEK TIKKA

[This is a Paneer (Cottage cheese) and cheese tikka. Same-restaurant style but roasted in the home oven]

INGREDIENTS-

250 grams Paneer, diced (almost into 8 big cubes, and make sure that the paneer is firm)

½ cup onions, diced

½ cup peppers (any red, yellow or green), diced

1 tomato cut into big pieces (remove the seeds)

½ cup hung curd

1 tablespoon fresh cream *(do not use malai)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoons crushed black pepper

¼ teaspoon or less red chili flakes/red chili powder

¼ teaspoon dried oregano or any Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste

1 tablespoon oil

¼ cup finely chopped coriander and mint

8 cubes cheese (you can take processed cheese cubes or cheddar cheese)

METHOD:-

STEP 1- MARINATE IT

•    Mix curd, cream, oil, lemon juice, coriander-mint and all dry ingredients in a bowl.

•    Add paneer, cheese, peppers, onions, and tomatoes to it.

•    Marinate it for 20 minutes. (Refrigerate it for better results)

STEP 2- SKEWER IT

•    If using bamboo skewers or toothpicks dip it in water for 10 minutes. If using steel skewer grease it with oil.

•    Skewer paneer cubes alternating with peppers and onions

•    While doing this stuff cheese cubes between two paneer cubes.

STEP 3- GRILL

•    If using oven pre-heat it at 200 C for 10 minutes and place the skewers on a baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes or till the crust looks golden brown. (You might need to turn the tikkas)

OR

•    If you are using a microwave grill it. Place the tikkas over the steel stand set the power and grill it for 15 minutes. In between turn it and grill it from another side till it becomes golden brown.

OR

•    If you do not have both the above options, you can grill it on an electric sandwich toaster. Grease the toaster and place the tikkas over it. (DO NOT CLOSE THE LID) and thus you grill tikkas easily.

OR

•    If you want the best-flavored tikkas, use a CHARCOAL GRILL. That smoky flavor makes it heavenly.

(Avoid grilling tikkas on a tawa as it doesn’t come out perfectly also it is quite messy)

·       After 15-20 minutes when the tikkas are done remove it from the oven carefully.

·       Place the skewers on a serving plate with some crunchy salad and a lemon wedge. (you can see soft molten, gooey cheese peeps out from paneer cubes i.e it is called as HIDE n SEEK TIKKA)

·       You can serve it with some nice tasty dips.

Enjoy this monsoon treat. Eat healthy-stay healthy! 

GREEN CHUTNEY/ HARA DHANIYA CHUTNEY/ CORIANDER DIP

Just like salt, we can’t imagine cooking without coriander and refrigerator without Coriander Chutney.

We are making Coriander- garlic chutney. Both coriander and garlic has string flavors and too balance those flavors we’ll add fresh curd to it. Try making this tasty Dip which goes well or rather mandatory to serve along with many Indian snacks like Samosa, Kachori, Pakora, Sandwich or even with Dosa, Idli , Khaman, Paratha’s.  Also you’ll find Green chutney in every Indian Thali.

INGREDIENTS:-

1 cup chopped coriander

2 green chilis

1 tablespoon cumin

¼ teaspoon black salt

1 tablespoon roasted Chana

2 tablespoon Fresh Curd

7-8 cloves Garlic

½ teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon salt or little less.

METHOD:-

1.  In a mixer pot or chutney grinder add all ingredients except Curd.

2.  And blend it.

3.  Once done with grinding add curd and blend It again into a smooth paste.

4.  This quick tasty Chutney is ready.

5.  Preserve it in a glass jar and you can refrigerate for a week.

Enjoy this chutney with nice hot Pakora’s

Hey Friends! If you like my blogs kindly post your comment below the post and do share your response. Looking forward for some new innovative recipes. Thanks for reading. HAPPY COOKING ! :)