Snake gourd Usili (Podalangai puttu/ Usili/ made with channa dal)

preparation time	15 mins
cooking time	30 mins
Total time	1 hour

Snake gourd has plenty of nutrition being inherently, high on water content vegetable, it provides a cooling effect on the body, having zero cholesterol thereby augmenting heart health and has plenty of vitamins and minerals to facilitate key metabolic functions in the body.

Author - Aharika

Cuisine - Indian

Servings - 4

Ingredients

1. 250 grams snake gourd chopped / pudalangai
2. to taste salt
3. 3 tbsps  oil
4. 1 tsp mustard seeds
5. 5 - 6 curry leaves
6. coriander leaves chopped
7. 6 tbsps channa dal soaked
8. 4 to 5  green chilli
9. 1 pinch turmeric powder
10.  salt as required
11. Ginger 1 inch
12. Garlic  4 to 5
13. 

    
    

To Grind:

• Channa Dal – 5 tsp (soaked for half an hour)
• Green Chilli –  5 nos
• Garlic – 5 
• Ginger- 1 inch
• Fennel Seeds (Sombu) – ½ tsp
• Salt 2 pinch

Method for Preparation:

1. Wash and soak Channa dal in water for an half an hour.
2. Then drain channa dal completely and add it to the mixer.
3. Along with it, add green chilli, garlic, ginger, fennel seeds (Sombu), and salt to taste and grind coarsely without adding water.
4. Boil the mixture in a idli cooker for 10 mins. Take after 10 mins and smash it thoroughly and keep aside.

1. Wash snake gourd thoroughly and chop it into small even sized pieces.
2. Take a pan. add 3 tbs of oil, add mustard seeds and oce it bursts add onion and saute it till brown.
3. Now add chopped snake gourd into it and saute it well and close the pan for 10 mins (not more than 10 mins and do not add water to cook it). 
4. After 10 mins, add salt to it and finally add the grinded mixture into it.
5. Saute the entire mixture in low flame for 15 minutes.
6. Turn off the stove. Do not disturb it for 10 minutes and after 10 mins, transfer it to a serving dish.
7. Serve it and its a best side dish for rasam rice.

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Paneer Gravy with fried paneer/ Home style/ mildly spiced/ Easy and delicious recepie

PANEER GRAVY WITH FRIED PANEER

Preparation time	40 mins
cooking time	40 mins
Total time	1 hour 30 mins

This Home Style Paneer gravy recipe is made with fried Paneer cubes and mildly spiced curry.  It uses freshly pound kadai masala made with whole spices.The recipe is simple and very easy to make for young beginners. 

AUTHOR- AHARIKA

CUISINE- NORTH INDIAN

SERVINGS- 4

 

INGREDIENTS:

 Oil - 6 to 7 tbs 

Onion - 5 (medium sized)

Tomato- 4 (red and ripe)                            

Cardamom- 4

Cinnamon- 1 inch

Cloves- 3 

Paneer- 200 grms 

Cashews- 6

salt- As required

Chilli Powder- 2 tbs

Garlic and Ginger Paste- 2 tbs

Corriander powder- 1 tbs

Garam Masala - half tbs (optional)

Corriander leaves- one hand full

Ingredients

To be grinned:

• Soak cashews in water for half an hour, and the make it into a fine paste and keep aside.
• Cut onions into thin slices, take a pan, add 2 tbs oil, add Cardamom,Cinnamon, cloves and sliced onion into the pan. Saute it till the onion turns golden brown. Turn off the stove once it turns brown and let it cook for  sometime and then grind it to a paste in a mixie jar and keep aside.
• Take a bowl, add 500 ml of water to it. Add full tomatoes into the water bowl and boil the tomatoes until the outer skin peels out and the tomato turns soft. Once the tomatoes turns soft, turn of the stove. Let it cool for sometime and then make a fine paste of boiled tomato's and keep aside.

  

  Pre- Preparations

Preparation:

First take a pan and heat oil. Then fry the paneer cubes till it turns slight red and keep aside.

• Then once again take the pan, pour  oil (You can use the same oil that you used for paneer fry) and  then add onion paste.
• Saute the onion till it turns brown and then add garlic-ginger paste in a medium flame for 2 mins.
• Add tomato paste and cashew paste and saute it for 2-3 mins in medium flame.
• Add Chilli powder, Coriander powder and salt as mentioned above and saute it till it becomes like a paste and starts to leave oil.
• Now, add the fried paneer cubes and corriander leaves and saute it well
• Finally  close the pan for 5 mins. so that the paneer gets cooked with masala and the gravy is enriched with the flavour of corriander leaves. 
• Turn off the stove, and serve hot with roti, naan or ghee rice. 

 

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Briyani- Hyderabadi style- Chicken Briyani

HYDERABAD BRIYANI

Preparation time- 30 mins

cooking time- 1 hour

Marinate time-  min 2 hours

Total time- 3 hours

This is the simple Hyderabad Briyani thats easy to cook with mild spices and that even child can eat with great interest.

Author: Aharika

Servings : 4- 5

INGREDIENTS (for cooking rice)

1 1/2 Cup Basmati Rice(1 cup = 500 ml)

1/2 Kg Chicken

3 Large Onions sliced

Cinnamon- 1 inch

Cloves- 2

Ghee- tsp

Saffron (4to5 strands), 2 Badam, 2 Cashews (soaked in 3 tsp hot milk) grind into paste.

Green chilli 2

Mint leaves 4 to 5

Marination of Chicken

 3 tsp  of Ginger and Garlic Paste

1/2 tsp of Garam masala

3 tsp red Chilli Powder

1 tsp of turmeric powder 

Curd- 1 small cup

2 tsp of lemon juice

Salt- 3 tsp or as required to your taste

Preparation:

Marination and soaking:

• Wash Chicken and drain water completely befor you marinate. Now take a bowl and add curd, red chilli powder, turmric powder, gingrt& garlic paste, salt, Garam masala and lemon juice. Mix them well and taste it for further requirements and finally add drained chicken in to the mix and marinate it for 2 hours before you cook.
• Wash rice till the water runs clear. Soak rice 30 mins and set aside.

Cooking Rice:

• Boil 5 cups of water, add salt to it. 
• Boil water for 5 mins and then add drained rice into it (The rice has to get cooked upto 70% and the balance will be cooked in dum).
• Once the rice is cooked, drain it and set aside. 

Cooking Briyani:

• Heat a pan, add 6 tbs of oil and 2 tbs of ghee.
• Once the oil gets heat, add cinnamon, cloves and then add sliced onion into it. (the onion has to turn brown and slight crispy).
• Then, add the Marinated Chicken into the pan and saute it till the chicken gets cooked. 
• Taste it to add salt or spice if required.
• Once the chicken gets cooked, layer the cooked rice evenly over the chicken.
• Finally add the paste of saffron, badam and cashew mix and lemon juice over the rice. 
• Give a slight stir to the rice and sprinkle corriander leaves atlast.
• Now Set the flame to medium and close the pan with heavy lid and place a weight over the lid so that the steam  does'nt go out of the Casserole. Thats perfect to make dum. (you can also place thawa beneath the pan and make a dum).
• Cook in medium flame for 10 mins and in low flame for 5 mins.
•  Atlast, turn off the stove and Rest it for 20 minutes before you serve.

 

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Halwa- Red rice/ Puttu arisi/ kavuni arisi( purple sweet)

PUTTU ARISI HALWA

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking time :30 mins

Soaking time: 5 hours

Healthy Halwa

Red Rice also called as Kavuni arisi or puttu arisi in tamil has more health benefits. It is rich in iron, zinc and manganese. It is much more good for kids.        

Author : Aharika

Cuisine- African/Asian food

Servings- 5

Recepie- Sweet         

Ingredients:

Red Rice- 1 cup (i use 250 ml measure cup) 

*you can also use black rice

Water- 4 cups(1:4)

Cardomom Powder- 2 pinch

Coconut- Grated (1 cup)

white Sugar- 1 1/2 cup or brown sugar 2 cup.

Ghee- 2 tsp

Preparation:

• Wash Red rice and soak it in water as per given ratio, for minimum 5 hours, max 8 hours.
• Once its soaked, transfer them into cooker and use the soaked water to cook and close the pan. Cook it for 20 mins in medium flame.
• After 20 mins, Open the pan and heat the same to add the other ingredients.
• Now add sugar ( good to add brown sugar) and stir it until the liquid state turns into a mild solid state. Also add cardomom and stir well.
• Finally, add grated Coconut and ghee, stir them for 2 minsand turn off the stove.
• Your halwa is ready to serve.  

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Carrot & Cabbage rice

Carrot and Cabbage Rice

Preparation time	Cooking time
30 mins	15 mins

Author: Aharika

Recipe type: South indian quick lunch

Cuisine: India

Servings – 3

A healthy and quick lunch for kids or adults who can pack and carry easy to their work places.

Ingredients:

One  cup raw rice( as per ur measure for 3 persons)

Water- 2 cup

Oil- 3tsp

Ghee- 2 tsp

Cashews- 3 pieces

Onion- 2 medium sized

Ginger Garlic paste- 1 tsp

Garam masala- ½ tea spoon

Black pepper powder- 1 tsp

Chilli powder- 1 tsp

Salt – as required

Carrot- Grated 2

Cabbage- Grated half

Curry leaves- 1 spring

Corriander leaves- as required

Preparation:

•          Boil rice with 1:2 and keep it aside. Let it cool and dry for sometime. (Make sure the rice is not over cooked.
•          In a pan, add Oil and ghee and once it turns heat, add onion, curry leaves and Cashew and saute it till it turns light brown.
•          Then, add ginger garlic paste and stir till the raw smell vanishes.
•          Add grated carrot and cabbage and saute it for 3 to 4 mins.

•          Add salt, chilli powder, garam masala and pepper powder and saute it in medium flame for 2 mins and sprinkle some water.
•          Close the pan for 3-4 mins. (do not add too much water and make sure that veggies are not overcooked).
•          Now the veggies are cooked and its time to add the cooked rice and mix well.
•          Taste at this point to add salt or spice if required.
•          Atlast spinkle some coriander leaves and serve it hot or you can pack it well to office.

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Milagu Kuzhambu

Milagu Kuzhambu

Preparation time	Cook Time	Total time
20 mins	40 mins	1 hour

Recipe type: South indian Traditional gravy

Cuisine: Indian

Serves: 6 servings

This Gravy is a South indian special in which we use all indian spices and its good for health which also cures cough and cold and instant relief from  sore throats.

Ingridients:

Oil- 4 tsp

Mustard seeds- 1tsp

Fenugreek- !tsp

Cumin seeds- 1tsp

Cinnamon- small size

Cloves- 2

pepper- 3 tsp

Ginger Garlic Paste- 1 tsp

chilli powder- 1 tsp

Corriander Powder- 1 tsp

Coconut- half grated

Onion - 2 medium size

Tomato- 2 medium size

Tamirind juice- 3 tsp

curry leaves- 1 spring

corriander leaves- as required

Drumstick- 2 ( Brinjal or ladys finger can also be used)

Turmeric powder- 1 pinch

Salt- As required

To be Grinded:

Grind onion along with Cinnamon and cloves

Grind tomato seperately

Grind Coconut along with pepper

Preparation:

• Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds followed by curry leaves.
• Add Grinded onion paste and saute it for few minutes until the raw smell vanishes.
• Add ginger Garlic paste and saute it for 3 minutes.
• Add Tomato Purie and saute till it turns juicy. 
• Add salt to taste so that mixture turns soft quickly.
• Now add the turmeric powder,chilli powder and Corriander Powder and stir it for few minutes.
• Add drumstick and stir for few minutes and add 1 cup of water for the drumstick to get cooked. Pour Water and close the pan for 20 minutes in medium flame. (Timing depends on the vegetable we use to get cooked)
• once the drumstick is cooked and oil stagnates in the gravy, add coconut purie and allow it to cook for 5 minutes.
• finally add tamirind Juice and leave it for 10 minutes in low flame.
• Turn off the stove and add corriander leaves and serve it hot as a side dish for Rice, Chapathi, Dosa or Idli.

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