Sunday 31 July 2011

Mirchi bhajji

Hi, guys i am back and today i ll be bringing to you a snack that has been the heart of the long lost of Telganian cuisine (Telangana is region in the Andhra Pradesh in India also my home town)  any Hyderabadi would know about it and is common part of the Hyderabadi street food , its really a quick dish easy to make and easy to eat , so lets go on & make it , then ...


category: snacks



Ingredients:
***************

  • gram flour-1/4kgs
  •  coriander  powder-1cup
  •  salt -to taste
  •  carom seeds-1tsp
  •  oil
  •  ginger-garlic paste-1tbsp
  •  baking soda-couple of pinches
  •  big fresh green chili - 10 to 15



    • Method: 
      ************** Take a bowl and pour the gram flour and some water and make a thick paste, add carom seeds ,baking soda , ginger garlic paste and salt , let the mixture rest , now take the green chilies , slit it longitudinally and deseed it , now mix salt and coriander powder and fill the chilies with this mixture, now take a pan and heat some oil , when the oil is ready dip the chili in the paste made before and deep fry it ,when the color changes and starts becoming brownish red , take it out , put it on a tissue paper and drain the excess oil , sprinkle some chat masala on top the dish and garnish with some onions 
      now the dish is  ready to be served .
      Nutritional value:
  • The Bad
    The only disadvantage of this dish is that it has been deep fried , deep fried dishes are not good for health as they are tough to digest and contain a lot of oil or fat , also all the healthy contents of the dish are removed from its ingredients

Friday 29 July 2011

rasoi ki mothi: Pepper chicken

rasoi ki mothi: Pepper chicken

Pepper chicken

Category:Appetizer





Ingredients
*************

  • 1/2kgs chicken
  • black pepper seeds -100gms (fresh)
  • onions - julian cut - 2
  • curd-100gms
  • ginger garlic paste-1tbsp
  • corriander-1 cup
  • salt
  • oil-5tbsp or more
  • turmeric powder-1tsp

Method
************
Take a pan and heat the oil in it , now add the onions , fry till the onions go brown.when the onions are getting cooked wash the the chicken with some lime juice and then with water this will take away the rawness of the chicken now add the salt to taste , turmeric & ginger-garlic paste to it & keep for about 5-10 mins. After the onions go brown add the chicken to it ,cook till the spices caramalise together & chickens color changes and becomes light brown , now add curd now cook this together for another 5 mins . while this is cooking roast the black pepper seeds and powder it , now after this add it to the chicken mixture, now put the flame on simmer , cover the dish and let cook by it self , cook till the color of the chicken changes and becomes totally  brown , add some coriander and take the dish off the flame server after garnish.

Nutritional Value
********************
CURD
The good: This food is low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Protein, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Potassium and Zinc, and a very good source of Riboflavin, Calcium and Phosphorus.

The bad: A large portion of the calories in this food come from sugars.

Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/106/2#ixzz1TTDtZSoK

CHICKEN
The good: This food is low in Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin B6 and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Protein, Niacin and Selenium.

The bad: This food is high in Cholesterol.

Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/poultry-products/703/2#ixzz1TTD0qGrW







Thursday 28 July 2011

Tori Ki Sabzi


Hi guys , well another its bright sunny day to be blogging about the one thing we live for and that is food,well most people who know indian cuisine well would know that its an vegetarian dominated and today I am gona blog about another curry of RIDGE GOURD commonly know as Thori or Thorai in India , this is eaten in a variety of forms in India, such as chutney, add them to the dal or make a curry with this vegetable. In Maharashtra, India, dodka (ridged gourd/luffa) and ghosavala (smooth luffa) are common vegetables prepared with either crushed dried peanuts or with beans. But here we are going to make another variety with a south indian touch. So lets start cooking.

Category:Main course



Ingerdients
******************

  • rich gourd-1/2kgs
  • tomatoes - 2 to 3 make sure the tomatoes are large in size and also very red in colour
  • onions-3 to 4 depends on the amount of gravy you would like
  • oil -as necessary
  • salt -to taste
  • turmeric-1tsp
  • red chilli powder-to taste
  • ginger garlic paste-1tbsp
  • milk - 1 cup
  • fresh creame-2 tbsp

Method
*************
take a pan and heat some oil in it after that cut the onions julian style and add it to oil and cook till onions go brown till the onions get cooked peel the rich gourd , chopp it into medium sized pieces , ince the onions become brown add the rich gourd, add turmeric, salt, ginger-garlic paste, now cook for till all ingredients caramalise together and all ingredients get mixed together this will take about 5 mins, now add red chili powder and finely chopped tomatoes,let it cook till the tomatoes go soft and its juices come out , now add the milk and cook till oil starts coming out from the sides , now add creame let it cook for another 2 mins . take the dish off the flame add some freshly cut corriander and garnish , the dish is ready to be served.

  Nutritional Value
************************
Believed to be originated in the Arabic desserts and spread throughout the world. It is a dark green vegetable on the exterior side with white pulp and white seeds embedded within in a spongy flesh. Ridge gourd is low in saturated fat and cholesterol, high in dietary fibre, vitamin C, riboflavin, zinc, thiamin, iron, magnesium and manganese. The nutritional value of gourd makes it suitable for maintaining optimum health, weight lose. It has excellent cooling properties. Ridge gourd is a powerhouse of nutrients and are rich is dietary fiber, vitamin C, riboflavin, zinc, thiamine, iron and magnesium. It is also low in fat and calories. Being low in saturated fat and cholesterol make it the ideal choice for those who wish to lose weight. It also has very high water content, making it a very low calorie vegetable (only 60 calories in 100 gm of cooked ridge gourd). vegetable has excellent blood purifying properties which helps to purify, restore and nourish liver protecting it from alcohol intoxication. Cellulose in ridge gourd helps to overcome constipation and also aids in curing piles. A glass of Ridge gourd juice mixed with other healthy vegetables in the morning can help to strengthen your immune system against any infection.
Read more at:

Sunday 24 July 2011

spinaach- curry



Its has been a busy week or two especially after the Indian monsoon season approaching , and seasonal festival  of mirgam , bonalu & jaathra , hence the delay in my updating of the blog , but now that all the festival's are over , we are back to blogging about the one thing we love and live for thats food .
Today's dish is spinach curry  not suppose to be Indian , why you ask because is supposed to have originated in middle east Asia , then from there it went to European Mediterranean regions and the far east  , hence i am mentioning it here in south Indian cuisine, cause now its an integral part of Indian cuisine .Well enough of history lets go on & make the dish then .






CATEGORY: Main Course      




INGREDIENTS:
*********************

  • Spinaach -400gms
  • Methi or Fenugreek  -3 catta
  • Green chilies -10-15
  • Ginger-garlic-1tbsp
  • Onions-3
  • Salt







METHOD:
*****************



Take some water add salt to it , now wash the spinach with this salt water, this washes away all the germs and other insects .Now wash Fenugreek with fresh water, cut the all the 2 vegetables and mix them together,now finely chopp the onions take a pan and put about 3 tbsp's of oil into it , add the finely chopped onions to it after they go brown ,add the vegetables , ginger garlic paste , also the green chili paste, to it . Now cover & cook (the vegetables should always be covered & cooked only, this preserves the colour and taste from going away) on medium flame till the water from vegetables evapourates and oil starts coming from the sides , now before taking the curry off the flame & add salt to it & mix well . let it cook for another 5 mins

fianllay take it off the flame , garnish & serve.





NUTRITIONAL VALUE:
*****************************

SPINACH


The good: 
This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Niacin and Zinc, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

The badThis food is high in Sodium.




FENUGREEK


The good: This food is low in Sodium, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Protein, Magnesium, Copper and Manganese, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber and Iron.

Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/spices-and-herbs/189/2#ixzz1T08nPY7Q





Saturday 16 July 2011

Crispy Dhai Vadda

Hello everyone , well 2 day is another bright day here in Hyderabad ,a good day i suppose to be be blogging about food and also enjoying it.


Today's recipe is a bit special cause this is what i had made yesterday, whats so special about yesterday you ask ?? well it was my husbands birthday and hence as would happen almost everywhere there was a special dish made for yesterday. I hence decided to blog about it , this is a very special dish called "Dhai Vadda" believed to have originated in the western parts of India this dish can eaten in both sweet and spicy versions and belongs to the snack section in the food classification hierarchy, to know how to make the dish read on ,



Category: quick snack , starter, dessert.




Ingredients
*******************
  • Split Black Gram-200gms
  • Split Green Gram-50gms
  • oil
  • curd-4cups
  • coriander leaves & powder
  • Red chili powder
  • Black rock salt
  • salt
  • cumin seeds
  • mustard seeds
  • curry leaves


Method
*******************

Vadda
mix the grams & soak for 2hrs, then grind them and make a batter. take some oil in a pan and heat it, now form the batter into medium sized balls flat on the top & bottom , deep fry these balls put these aside in a tissue paper


People who would like to eat it as a sweet snack add some sugar to the curd before taking it into the tadka process , the ratio of sugar to be added depends on the taste of the people who are goning to eat it.

Tadka

The tadka is a process which is a part of most of the Indian cuisines, its basically the frying of all the spices in oil to bring all the spicy flavor together , later when this oily mixture is added to the ingredients the spicy flavor spread among them .


Take abt 1 tea spoon of oil, add cumin and mustard seeds , curry leaves, salt to taste when these start to splatter add the curd add some water to make the curd semi liquid , let it cool, the tadka process ends here.


Now take the vadda's and soak them in water & instantly remove them also press them slightly to remove the water , this will remove the excess the oil (as according to physics oil is lighter than water hence it will come out of the vadda to make space for the water) , it will also make the vadda softer & crispier , also upon pressing it ,it removes the excess water , making space for air to go in and inflate the vadda.


now take a bowl put the vadda's into it and pour curd,coriander,dhaniya powder,red chili powder, black salt to taste from above , toss it a few times so that all the ingredients gel well , then let it rest for some time so that all the spices will go into the vadda and make it even more tasty .After that garnish it with coriander leaves and serve.


Nutritional Value
**************************

Black Gram
Black gram is rich in potassium, phosphorus and calcium with good amount of sodium. It also has small amount of iron in it.Black gram is also rich in Vitamin A, B1 and B3 and has small amount of thiamine, riboflavin and Vitamin C in it. 100g of Black Gram has 347 calories. Black Gram cures diabetes, sexual dysfunction, nervous disorders, hair disorders, digestive system disorders and rheumatic afflictions


Green gram
Unlike other pulses, green gram is free of flatulence-causing agents. This makes it an acceptable food for convalescents and pleasant weaning food for babies. The protein is especially rich in the amino acid, lysine, but it is somewhat deficient in sulphur-containing amino acids. The seeds are rich in calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium, folate and other B Vitamins. They also contain appreciable amounts of Vitamin C. The best & healthiest method of making it edible is boiling. Cooking does not affect the protein profile of this seed.


Curd
  • Consumption of yogurt or curd has been associated with strengthening of the immune system.
  • One serving of yogurt per day is said to be beneficial for those suffering from osteoporosis.
  • The bacteria in curd can help digest food and thus, alleviate the problem of stomach infection.
  • Those suffering from vaginal infection have also been found to have benefited from yogurt.
  • Studies have suggested that consumption of curd might help reduce the risk of high blood pressure.
  • Curd is also said to be helpful in treating inflammatory bowel disease
  • Yogurt helps you feel fuller and is thus, a very good snack for those trying to lose weight.
  • Being rich in calcium, curd is good for the health of bones as well as the teeth.

well as you saw this is a very healthy at the same very tasty dish so do try it , and also drop some comments as to how you liked it or disliked it .
its chow for now




Thursday 14 July 2011

Ghatti ki bhaaji

Hello everyone ,
well i have been thinking about today's recipe & decided that enough of starters guess , i hav done a lot of them already , so i wanted to introduce you to a dish right from the grass roots of the country , and having done some research by looking into my old self made cooking books i have zeroed in on this recipe called the "Ghatti ki bhaaji" regularly , traditionally believed to be a Gujarati dish , its extensively used as part of Maharashtrian cuisine mainly a part of breakfast most suitable to be eaten with bread , but also on most occasionally is a part of the meal . Well enough of history lets get down to making it ,



CATEGORY : part of the main course

INGREDIENTS
********************
  • Ghatti-200gms
    (its a common ready to eat item found in the indian sweet shops commonly know as ghatti made from besan ka atta or gram flour)
  • coriander leaves
  • tomato's-3 to 4
  • onions-1/4 kg
  • salt-to taste
  • turmeric powder-1tbsp
  • ginger garllic paste-1/2 tbsp
  • red chili powder-to taste




METHOD
********************
Cut the onions by finely slicing them in julian style( julian is a style of cutting, google it for information ) .In a pan heat some oil (health conscious people may try usng olive oil) & fry the sliced onions till they go golden brown , now add some ginger dgarlic paste , turmeric powder & some salt & red chilli powder to taste, mix it well let the spices caramalise with the onions , during the caramalization process finely chop the tomatoes , once the mixing process is done add the tomato's , & cook on low flame by the vessel, once the tomato's go soft , add 2 cup's of water to the dish , and raise the flame till the water comes to boil , once the water comes to a boil add the corriander leaves & stems (the stems are supposed to be the ones with most of the juice in it hence most suitable for cooking process) and the ghatti , now lower the flame & let the it cook for about 5-10 minutes depending on the softness of ghatti liked by you , keep checking the softness of ghatti , take the dish off the flame once the softness is satisfactory
garnish with coriander leaves , and serve.



NUTRITIONAL VALUE
*************************
  1. Ghatti
  2. the ghatti is made steaming a dough of besan ka atta that is bengal gram or simply gram flour hence there is minimal quantity of oil involved. Also the gram flour is known for its nutritional values,Besan is exceptionally rich in proteins and very low in calories. It is a non-gluttonous flour . Carbohydrate content is also very low in besan. Even after having all these nutritive values, besan or besan dishes should be consumed in moderation as it contains more fat as compared to wheat flour .    
  3. Coriander
  4. It is a good source of Thiamin and Zinc, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E,Vitamin K,Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.  
  5. Ginger
  6. ginger is very effective in alleviating symptoms of gastrointestinal distress. Its also an excellent carminative (a substance which promotes the elimination of intestinal gas) and intestinal spasmolytic (a substance which relaxes and soothes the intestinal tract).Ginger also possesses numerous therapeutic properties including antioxidant effects, an ability to inhibit the formation of inflammatory compounds, and direct anti-inflammatory effects .    
  7. Garlic
  8. It is a good source of Calcium, Phosphorus and Selenium, and a very good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 and Manganese.



Wednesday 13 July 2011

Suran-Tava Fry

Hello everyone   , today is the second day of my blogging adventure and i have decided to change the style of my blogging , from today my blog's gona be more inform (go to hell with the formality's yaar) , i have also decide to include a nutritional segment in order to make my reader more aware of the nutritional value of dishes , they are reading about .

Today we are gona make another south Indian starter made out of a vegetable which is extremely healthy but is getting lost to the modern age cooking practices, so read on guys




CATEGORY:Starter



INGREDINETS
***********************


  1. suran or elephant foot yam-1/2kg

  2. turmeric-1tsp

  3. salt-to taste

  4. red chili powder-to taste

  5. oil-1 cup

  6. ginger-garlic paste-1tbsp

  7. besan ka atta or bengal gram flour-1 cup


METHOD
**********************
Peel the yam first , cut the yam into small piecese preferrably square shaped now take a vessel and put the yam and water in it & heat it for 7-8 minutes , until the water boils. after the water boils drain the water & let the yam pieces cool, now add turmeric powder , salt & chili powder to taste with some ginger garlic paste , mixture them well. now take some Bengal gram flour and dip the yam pieces into it , such that they are fully covered in it , now , heat some oil in a pan & shallow fry these pieces in it , until the color becomes golden brown. Take the done yam pieces out & soak the excess oil in a tissue paper garnish and serve.




NUTRITIONAL VALUES
********************************

  1. Besan or Bengal Gram Flour


    Besan is exceptionally rich in proteins and very low in calories. It is a non-gluttonous flour unlike
    wheat and other flours. Carbohydrate content is also very low in besan recipes. Even after having all these nutritive ,values, besan or besan dishes should be consumed in moderation as it contains more fat as compared to wheat flour.


  2. Elephant Yam Health Benefits:

    • The trace minerals and key minerals present in elephant yam include copper, zinc, selenium, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium.
    • The fiber content in elephant yam is naturally high and therefore, it is usually considered a slimming food, as it promotes weight loss and reduces the levels of cholesterol in the body.
    • It has a cooling effect on the body, which is why it is good for people who suffer from hypertension.
    • Elephant yams are very high in omega 3 fatty acids; they help reduce the bad cholesterol in the body and increase the good cholesterol instead.
    • People who are undergoing treatment for piles are usually advised to eat high amounts of elephant yam.
    • The anti-coagulating properties present in yam can prevent the blood from clotting.
    • The glycemic index of yams is on the lower side, which is why it is good for people who are suffering from diabetes.
    • The consumption of elephant yams is good for women, as it increases the estrogen levels in their body, thereby, helping them to maintain their hormonal balance. Since yams are high in Vitamin B6, it can provide relief from pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) too.
    • Elephant yams can help reduce irregular bowel movements & cure constipation.


    People suffering from sinus infections, asthma or chronic colds should avoid eating elephant yam, as it has a cooling effect on the body. Also women who are pregnant or a breast feeding should get an approval from the doctor, before consuming any amount of elephant yam.
  3. Health Benefits TurmericIt is a powerful medicine that has long been used in the Chinese and Indian systems of medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent to treat a wide variety of conditions.




Tuesday 12 July 2011

Chegodi

CATEGORYStarter



INGREDIENTS
**************************

  • Moong daal or mung beans-100gms 
  • Rice flour-150gms
  • turmeric powder-1/2tsp
  • oil
  • salt-to taste
  • cumin seeds or jeera-1tsp





METHOD
**************************


Soak the moong daal in cold water  for an hour , before the cooking process starts,
now boil some water in a vessel, after the water comes to a boil take it out and add rice flour  , turmeric powder & cumin seeds , also add the soaked moong daal or mung beans , & make a dough of this mixture
.Now roll the dough into a dough molder and make small circular rings (chegodi) out of it , let the rings dry for sometime say about 5-10 minutes , during this time heat oil in a pan , once the oil has been heated deep fry the rings made earlier , fry till the rings have become golden brown in color . once the color become brown take them out & soak the excess oil in a tissue paper .

the chegodi are now ready to be served




VEG DRUM-STICK FRY

CATEGORY : Starter



INGREDIENTS
********************

  • Chopped drumsticks:-8 pieces
    (make 3 pieces of a full grown drum stick fruit)
  • Sesame (til) -100gms
  • Turmeric-1tsp
  • Salt-to taste
  • Red chili powder-to taste
  • oil





METHOD:-
******************

Filling


Now roast the sesame seeds , now after the sesame seeds cool down a bit put them in a mixture jar with turmeric powder , salt chili powder  & then grind them until they become a fine powder , take this powder out in to a plate.



Drumsticks


Boil the drumstick pieces & keep them aside ,Now take the just boiled drumsticks and slit them , now fill them with the powder, shallow fry the drumsticks in a pan on low heat by covering them with a lid , after 5 mins when the bottom side becomes brown roll the drumsticks to the other sides . After the drumsticks becomes  brown on all sides consistently take them out, soak the excess oil in a tissue .

The  dish is now ready to be served




Moong-Tomato dal

INGREDIENTS:-
*****************************************
moong dal or mung beans-1/4kgs
tomato -1/4kgs
green chillies -10-15
turmeric-1tsp
salt-to taste
ginger-garlic paste-1tsp
cloves of garlic 3-4
dried red chillie 1-2
cummins & mustard seeds
corriender leaves
curry leaves
*****************************************
Quantity:3-4 persons
*****************************************
METHOD:-
heat  1/2 tsp oil & roast moong dal , now rinse the dal with cold water and soak in water for 15-30 minutes .
Put the soaked dal with the stock(water used to soak the daal)  when this mixture starts to come to a boil , add turmeric powder & some oil about a tsp of both is preferable , when the water content gets reduced and daal starts coming up  means that the daal is cooked now.
Now added finely chopped green chillies and tomatoes .
cook for 5-10 mins
after its totally cooked mash the daal nicely(this is to be done while the daal is being cooked on the flame)
now add salt to taste & ginger-garlic paste 1tbsp .  take the daal of the flame

Now the process of tadka starts
heat about 2 tbsp's of oil in a pan , add cummin,curry leaves, finely chopped garlic,dry red chilli (preferably broken into pieces) , cook till  the garlic pieces  go red, now take the mixture off the heat & add the tadka mixture to the daal  .

Add 1/2-1 cup of water to the daal-tadka mixture, put it an high flame and cooked uncovered , till the daal comes to a boil .
The daal is now fully cooked .
Garnish and serve.