Egg Curry

This is an easy version of the egg curry Amma used to make at home.I have always wondered how she patiently kept stirring the onions till they become golden brown and then add tomatoes, then sauté ing again. Well, i don't have that much patience.So i developed my own style of making egg curry for which Amma always teases me saying 'eluppavazhi egg curry'(egg curru made in easy way)...Lazy me.. :P

But no compromise with taste,huh..so lets get on with the recipe

Ingredients

Eggs-6 nos.,boiled & deshelled
Onion-2 big,roughly chopped
Tomatoes-3 medium,roughly chopped
Green chillies-2 ,slit
Garlic cloves-10-12
Fennel seeds-1 tsp
Curry leaves-2 sprigs
Turmeric -1/2 tsp
Soya sauce-1/2 tsp
Chicken masala-2 tsp
Chilli powder-1/2 tsp
Pepper powder-1/4 tsp
Coriander powder-1/2 tsp
Garam masala-1/2 tsp
Milk-3/4 cup or cream-1/2 cup
Oil- for tempering

Method

Heat 2 tsp oil in a kadai and add the fennel seeds and let it splutter.Add the chopped onions,green chillies and garlic and sauté till it becomes soft.Add tomatoes and sauté again till it becomes slightly mushy.Switch off the flame and allow the mixture to cool down.Transfer the whole mixture into a mixer jar and grind it to a smooth paste.Add a little water if needed.

Heat a kadai and add 2 tsp oil and add the ground mixture and sauté in medium flame.Add the curry leaves and continue cooking till oil oozes out.Then add turmeric,chilli powder,soya sauce,chicken masala,garam masala,pepper powder and coriander powder one by one and sauté till the raw smell leaves.Then add 1/2 cup water,mix well and bring the whole gravy to boil.Add salt and simmer flame.Then add milk/cream,slowly mix.Check for salt. Allow the gravy to simmer for 5-10 mins.Take care not to put in high flame as the milk may curdle.Now the gravy will be slightly thick.Add the eggs one by one after giving slits on the surface.Let the curry cook for 2-3 mins and switch off.Garnish with cream/coriander leaves if needed. Enjoy with hot rotis/phulkas/steamed rice!!

Corn Flour Halwa/Karachi Halwa

Corn flour halwa is a very easy sweet dish that even a beginner can make.This comes out so good and it hardly takes 10 mintes for the whole preparation.Do try this sweet this Diwali and enjoy!!


Ingredients

Corn flour - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 2 1/2 cups
Cardamom powder - a fat pinch
Cashews - 5-10,chopped
Ghee - 1 tablespoon
Food colour - a small pinch,any clour of your choice( i tried with orange and green)

Method

Grease a plate with ghee and set aside.

In a nonstick pan, add sugar and one cup water and bring to boil till slightly sticky. No need to check for string consistency. In a seperate bowl, mix corn flour, 1 1/2 cup water and food color together without any lumps.
Then add the cornflour mixture into sugar syrup, keep stirring in low flame.Stir continuously to avoid lumps Slowly it will become glossy here and there.Keep stirring.Then it will thicken.Now add ghee and cardamom powder and chopped cashews.Once it comes together as a whole mass and starts to leave the sides of the pan, switch off.Now transfer the mixture to the ghee greased plate.Let it cool for some time, cut into squares and enjoy.

Baby Corn Pepper Fry

I love baby corn a lot.I was looking for some interesting baby corn recipes other than Babycorn masala, just then i got this babycorn pepper fry from rakskitchen. Being an ardent follower of rakskitchen, i try my hands on almost all the recipes posted by raks. I can say this one is a real keeper and i am definitely going to make it often. Easy ,simple and delicious.

I followed the recipe from rakskitchen A to Z. So i am not going to list out everything again. :)

Beef Cutlet

I have made these cutlets so many times and it came out yummy all the times.You can make this from leftover beef/chicken dishe also.

Ingredients

Beef-500 gms,cubed
Chilli powder-2tsp
Coriander powder-1tsp
Turmeric-1/2tsp
Garam masala/meat masala-2tsp
Pepper powder-1/2 tsp
Shallots-6-8,halved
Ginger garlic paste-1tsp
Salt-to taste
Potato-2 medium,boiled and mashed
Onion-1medium,finely chopped
Ginger-1tsp,crushed
Garlic-1tsp,crushed
Green chillies-1 or 2
Curry leaves-1 sprig
Coriander leaves-2tbsp,chopped
Mint leaves-1tblsp,chopped
Breadcrumbs-3tblsp
Egg-1,beaten
Oil-to fry

Method

Wash and clean beef pieces. Squeeze out all the water and transfer them into a pressure cooker along with chilli powder,turmeric,coriander powder,pepper powder, ginger garlic paste, garam masala,shallots and salt and cook covered for 3 whistles or until done.Do not add any extra water while cooking.Drain the beef pices from water once cooked.Let it cool down and mince them in a mixie jar adding green chillies,curry leaves,mint and coriander leaves.In a kadai heat a teaspoon of oil and add crushed ginger and garlic.Then add chopped onion and saute till it becomes soft.Add minced meat and cook for 2-3minutes.This ensures no water content in the mixture. Add mashed potato and mix well until combined nicely.Check for salt and spices.Allow the mixture to cool down.Pinch a lemon sized ball from the meat mixture and flatten it in your palm in oval shape. The cutlets should be thick.Then dip them in beaten egg mixture and then coat them with the breadcrumbs. The cutlets can be freezed at this stage and can be taken out,thawed and fried whenever needed.Shallow fry the cutlets till golden brown on both sides.Serve hot with ketchup/green chutney and lemon wedges and onion slices.These cutlets can also served as a sidedish with rice.

Aloo Bhaji/Easy Potato Curry

This aloo bhaji is always my go to side dish for rotis/phulkas/pooris when vegetables are out of stock and there are only potatoes at home.Its quite easy too.This recipe is sooo simple and flavourful.Shikha just loves aloo or anything made with aloo.So i always stock up potatoes.No fancy ingredients and this curry/bhaji is ready in a jiffy.

Ingredients

Potatoes- 6nos. Medium sized,peeled and halved
Onion- 1 big,sliced
Tomato-1 small,chopped
Ginger-1" inch piece,finely chopped
Garlic-1 tsp,chopped(optional)
Green chilly-2 nos,slit
Coriander leaves -1 tblsp,chopped
Turmeric-1/4 tsp
Salt- to taste

To temper
Oil-1 tblsp
Mustard seeds-1 tsp
Jeera- 1 tsp
Curry leaves -1 sprig

Method
Pressure cook halved potatoes after adding salt for 4 whistles or till soft.Mash it coarsely.Do not discard the boiled water. In a kadai, heat oil and temper with items mentioned under 'to temper' list.Add sliced onion,ginger,green chillies and saute till the onion turns soft and golden.Add turmeric and mix for one minute.Add the chopped tomatoes and cook till they turn mushy.Add the mashed potatoes along with the water in which they were cooked.Mix well and cook until the whole gravy becomes slightly thick.Check for salt and add chopped  coriander leaves and serve hot.

Notes

• You can add chopped garlic if you like.In that case, it should be added along with onion.
• Ginger garlic paste can also be used.
• If you are boiling the potatoes with the peel on,discard the water.Add the required amount of water later on.
• While tempering, you can add dal also.We don't like dal in our aloo sabzi.So i didn't add.
• You can even add 1/4 tsp coriander powder after adding turmeric.It gives a nice flavour.
• You can also add a pinch of garam masala by the end.But i didn't add.
• Adding curry leaves gives a nice flavour.
• The curry tends to thicken as it cools down. So adjust water accordingly.

Chicken Drumsticks-Easy version

Chicken dishes are always relished by all at home except Amma, eventhough she cooks the most amazing chicken curry in the world. Yes...my Amma don't eat fish or meat.She only have eggs, that also very rarely. Achan(my dad) is also not a big fan of chicken, but he will have it without any complaints. :) His favourite non-veg item award goes to Beef roast/curry.He likes the Garlic chicken i make when i am at home.

 Only after marriage, i started cooking all by myself although i used to be my Amma's helper in our kitchen. I came to this place called Visakhapatnam where my husband Sanju is working. Its been 3 years and 9 months of blissful life and now we have an angel daughter Shikha who is almost 2 years old. Now she is my biggest critic when it comes to cooking. She just enjoys food, specially chicken. After getting married to Sanju, i used to cook(still cooking) for a hungry bunch of 15-20 bachelors almost every weekend. Very terrifying...isn't it?? Well.. to be honest, initially i used to panic when weekends come and now i can say i  became kind of an expert in making Chicken curry. All thanks to Sanju's friends and coursemates. :) But i enjoy every bit of it.

Now onto our today's recipe.These chicken drumsticks can be easily made at home and they are sooo yumm..It is crispy on the outside and juicy inside.. :) I just made two drumsticks for Shikha and Sanju this weekend. But here i am sharing the recipe for four pices of chicken legs.


Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients

Chicken legs/drumsticks-4 nos.
Oil- enough to shallow fry

To marinate
Turmeric-1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder-1tsptsp(kashmiri chilli powder
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
Lime juice - juice of half a lemon-1 tsp
Salt - to taste

For extra coating
Red chilli powder-1/2 tsp
Coriander powder-1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder-1/4 tsp
Garlic powder-1/4 tsp
Salt-a pinch

Method
Wash and clean chicken legs.Pat dry them.Give slits on the flesh.Marinate with the items mentioned under 'to marinate' list and keep undisturbed for atleast 2-3 hrs.I kept in the freezer overnight. Then coat the chicken legs with the items mentioned under 'for extra cowting' list. Shallow fry the chicken legs on a frying pan for 2-3 minutes on each side or till it gets cooked nicely and becomes crispy and golden brown on the outside.Keep the flame on medium throughout the cooking or else you will end up in burnt chicken legs.

Garnish with lemon wedges and enjoy!!

Rajma Masala

Rajma masala is a very flavourful and delicious dish that can be paired with any rice or roti.My favourite combo is this rajma masala along with hot phulkas.I also use the left over masala as filling for sandwich for the next day breakfast.I must say, this dish tastes even better the next day.I used the red rajma variety which i found more flavourful than the black ones.

Rajma masala
Ingredients

Rajma-1 cup
Onion-1 big,chopped finely
Red chilli powder-1.5 tsp(i used kashmiri chilli powder)
Turmeric-1/4 tsp
Coriander powder-1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder-1/2 tspzz
Kasoori methi-1 fat pinch
Cream/milk- 2tblsp
Coriander leaves-2 tblsps

To temper
Oil-1 tblsp
Jeera-1 tsp
Cloves-2
Cardamom-2
Bay leaf-1
Cinnamon-1/2" stick

To grind
Tomatoes-3 nos.,medium sized
Ginger-1" piece
Garlic-7-8 cloves
Green chilly-2 nos.

Method
Wash and soak rajma overnight or atleast for 8 hours.Wash again for 2-3 times and cook it in a pressure cooker after adding salt until cooked.Mine got done in 7 whistles.Take cqre not to overcook rajma.Set aside.

Grind all the items under 'to grind' list to a smooth paste and keep it ready.

In a kadai,add oil and splutter jeera and then add all spices listed under 'to temper'.Add onion and saute till transparent. Then add the tomato puree and mix well.Cook until oil oozes out.Then add all the masala powders one by one and mix until tge raw smell leaves.Crush kasoori methi with your hands and add it to the dry gravy.Now add the cooked rajma along with teh water.Mix well and let it boil til the vravy reaches a semi-thick consistency. Now simmer the flame and add cream or milk.Doil boil after adding cream as it will curdle.Keep on low heat for 2-3 minutes,add cortiander leaves and switch off.Delicious rajma masala is ready to be served eith steamed rice or hot roti/phulkas!