Hydeabadi Mirchi Ka Salan

Hyderabadi Miri Ka Saalan

Deep - fried piquant chillies cooked in a delicious thick and spicy roasted coconut gravy. It goes well with biryani and steamed rice.

Recipe Credit - Femina Magazine July 28, 2010 & Chef Vishal Kunwar Singh, Chef De Cuisine, Sahara Star - Mumbai

Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

You will need

250 g Bhavnagari green chillies

50 ml cooking oil ( Chef recommends 200 ml oil )

For the masala paste:

3 tablespoon ( 45 g ) poppy seeds ( khus - khus )

3 tablespoon grated coconut

2 teaspoon coriander seeds

6 flakes garlic

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

2 - 3 tablespoon water ( to make paste )

For the gravy:

1 tablespoon oil ( Chef recommends 50 ml mustard oil )

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon fenugreek ( methi ) seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon cumin ( jeera ) seeds

3 dry red chillies

1 spring curry leaves

3 green chillies

2 teaspoon garlic paste

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder ( or to taste )

1 tablespoon tamarind paste

1 teaspoon salt ( or to taste )

1 cup ( 200 ml ) water

2 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves

Method

Heat oil in a kadai / frying pan and deep - fry green chilli till soft and set aside.

For the coconut masala:

Heat an iron kadai and dry roast all the ingredients till golden color and fragrant ( Do not allow to turn deep brown color ). Allow the mixture to cool naturally and grind to a fine paste in a mixer ( add 2 - 3 tablespoon water while grinding ).

To make the gravy:

Heat oil in another wide pan. Add mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, add cumin seeds, fennel seeds, dry red chillies, curry leaves and green chillies. Saute on a low heat for 2 minutes.

Add garlic paste and fry for 2 minutes.

Add coconut paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and tamarind paste. Mix all the ingredients well.

Adjust the gravy consistency with 1 cup - to 1 1/2 cups water. Add salt to taste. Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 5 - 8 minutes.

Finally add fried Bhavnagari chillies. Cook for another five minutes.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with Biryani / Pulao and steamed rice.

Hing Dal

Hing Dal

A tasty and nutritious low calorie dal. Goes well with Rice and Rotis . Easy to prepare with minimum ingredients.

Serves: 2 – 3

Ingredients

2 teaspoon ghee / oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)

¼ teaspoon hing (asafoetida)

½ cup (100 g) moong dal (split yellow dal)

1 green chilli, slit lengthwise

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 ¼ cup (250 ml) water

2 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves (optional)

Method

Wash and soak moong dal in 2 cups of water for half an hour. Drain out water.

Heat oil / ghee in a pressure cooker on a low heat. Add jeera (cumin seeds) and fry on a low heat until fragrant and light brown color.

Add hing and stir well on a low heat.

Add drained moong dal and fry for 2 – 3 minute.

Add green chilli and turmeric powder. Stir well for 2 – 3 minutes.

Add salt to taste and 250 ml water (1 ¼ cup). Close pressure cooker and cook on high heat for 3 whistles. Switch off the heat. Allow the cooker to cool naturally. Open the lid and gently mash boiled hing dal. Sprinkle ghee (optional) and chopped coriander laves. Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Banana Bournvita Milkshake

Banana Bournvita Milkshake

A delicious quick energy drink !!!

Serves: 1 - 2

Ingredients

1 cup milk (200 ml), boiled and cooled milk

2 tablespoon Bournvita or Boost

1 tablespoon sugar

3 small size well ripe bananas (90 g), chopped

Extra ¼ cup (50 ml) milk

Method

Transfer all the ingredients (except extra milk) in a mixer and blend until smooth. Finally add extra 50 ml milk and blend again. Serve in tall glass.

Peanut Pedas (Groundnut Pedas)

Peanut Pedas (Groundnut Pedas)

A tasty sweet, made of melted and sieved jaggery and dry roasted peanuts !!

Makes: 18

Please use same measuring cup to measuring cup to measure peanut and jaggery .

Ingredients

1 cup peanuts (200 ml / 8 oz– measuring cup of 200 ml capacity)

1 cup melted and sieved thick jaggery (200 ml/ 8 oz)

¼ teaspoon dried ginger powder (chukku podi)

1 teaspoon oil / ghee (to grease steel thali/ plate )

Extra 1 teaspoon oil / ghee

Method

For peanuts:

Heat an iron kadai or pan. Reduce heat to medium and dry roast (without oil) peanuts on a medium to low heat until crisp (approximate dry roasting time 15 – 18 minutes). Keep aside to cool for 20 minutes and gently remove the skin of the peanuts and make a fine powder in a mixer (if using small mixer bowl, make a powder in 2 batches).

Microwave method –Arrange peanuts in a microwave safe flat dish and microwave high (750W) for 2 minute 30 seconds. Keep aside to cool for 20 minutes and gently remove the skin of the peanuts and make a fine powder in a mixer.

Grease a steel thali or plate with 1 teaspoon oil / ghee and keep it ready.

For jaggery syrup:

In a thick bottomed bowl / non stick pan, add melted and sieved thick jaggery and 1 tablespoon water. Boil on a low heat for 10 – 12 minutes (stir continuously) until thickens / lot of bubbles / thick syrup / leaves from the sides of the pan. To test the syrup is ready, drop a teaspoon of hot jaggery syrup in cold water. If it form a jaggery ball, then the syrup is ready ( If the syrup is not ready, it won’t form a ball and you can see jaggery dilute in water and cold water become yellow / light brown color). At this stage, mix groundnut and dried ginger powder. Mix well until the groundnut well combined with jaggery.

Spread this peanuts – jaggery mixture into the greased steel thali, apply 1 teaspoon oil on both the palms and make small pedas or balls when it is medium hot. Store in an airtight container.