Telangana Cuisine - Rasam

Ingredients :

2 nos - Tomatoes
1 tbsp - Tamarind paste
3 nos - Red Chillies
1 pinch - Turmeric Powder
2 cloves - Garlic
2 stalks - Curry Leaves
1 stalk - Coriander leaves
1 tsp - Mustard Seeds
2 tsp - Cumin Seeds
1 tsp - Pepper (powdered)
2 tsp - Oil
Salt to taste


Cooking Instructions :

- Cut tomatoes and in a vessel add 4 cups of water, turmeric powder, tamarind paste, pepper powder and salt.
- Let it boil for 15 -20 min or till the tomatoes are cooked well on medium flame.
- Now heat a pan add oil to it, then add mustard and cummin seeds once it splutters add curry leaves, red chilles and garlic cut in small pieces.
- Add this to the boiling rasam.
- Cut coriander leaves and garnish the dish.
- Serve it hot as an appetizer or with hot rice.

Chettinadu Cuisine - Vendekkai Mandi

Ingredients :

20 nos - Okra(Lady's Finger)
1 no - Onion
10 nos - Garlic flakes
6 nos - Green chillies
1 tsp - Tamarind paste
1/2 Cup - Raw rice water
7 nos - Curry leaves
1/2 tsp - Mustard seeds
1/2 Cup - Water
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Cooking Instructions :

- Add 1/2 cup water to the tamarind paste.
- Wash the okras and cut it into small pieces, chop the onions and garlic, slit green chillies.
- Heat the oil, fry the okra pieces and keep aside
- Heat the oil again and add mustard seeds and curry leaves.
- Mix chopped onions, garlic and green chilies.
- Add fried okras and tamarind paste, Mix it well.
- Add raw rice water, add salt, boil till the mixture turns thick.
- Vendakkai Mandi is ready.

Punjabi Cuisine - Naan (Butter Naan)

One of the very popular Indian breads is Naan... it is a simple bread cooked in a tandoor (Claypot oven). We will see the ingredients required and the cooking method in this post.

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp - Active dry yeast

1/2 cup - Warm water

1 tbsp - Sugar
3 tsp - Milk
1 egg, beaten
Salt to taste
2 cups - Bread flour
1 tbsp - Butter (Optional)

Cooking Instructions:

- In a bowl dissolve yeast in warm water, stand it until frothy.
- Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough.
- Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth.
- Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
- Punch down dough. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size.
- During the second rising, ready the tandoor and if you do not have a tandoor you can preheat grill to high heat.
- At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Turn over the naan and let it cook well from both sides.

As an option we can brush the naan with butter during the cooking process to get Butter Naan. Serve it hot with any gravy. 

Suggested Reading:

Punjabi Cuisine

Maharani Dal

Hyderabadi Cuisine - Nihari

We've seen about hyderabadi cuisine and a few dishes from that cuisine. Today, we will see another signature dish of the hyderabadi's. Nihari is a beef preparation and is cooked till the meat is tender with the gravy.

Ingredients :

1/2 kg - Beef
1/2 tsp - Turmeric Powder
1 tsp - Coriander powder
1 tsp - Ginger paste
1 tsp - Pepper
1 tsp - Chilli powder
4 tbsp - Oil
3 tbsp - Flour
Salt to taste

Spice mix :

2 tsp - Fennel Seeds
2 nos - Green cardamom
2 nos - Black cardamom
2 tsp - Coriander seeds
1/2 tsp - Peppercorns
1/2 tsp - Cumin Seeds
10 nos - Cloves
1 no - Cinnamon Stick
1 no - Bay Leaf
1/4 tsp - Nutmeg
Onion slices, coriander, ginger and green chilies for garnishing

Cooking Instructions :

- Take a heavy based pot and heat oil. Fry the meat a little.
- Mix salt, chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder, pepper and ginger paste. Pour a little water. - Mix flour in half cup of water.
- Add this mixture to the meat and boil it.
- Grind all the spice mix until powdery fine.
- Add this to the meat.
- Add 3-4 cups of water cover and leave it to tenderize over very low heat.
- It will take about 7 hours for beef to get done.
- Fry some onion slices in oil until golden brown.
- Garnish the Nihari with it.
- Fresh coriander, ginger and green chilies can also be used for garnishing.

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Suggested Reading:

Hyderabadi Cuisine
Hyderbadi Biryani
Mirch ka Salan
Haleem

Chettinadu Cuisine - Chettinadu Biryani

We've seen a couple of chettinadu dishes already and this post is on chettinadu biryani, a rice preparation South Indian Chettinadu style. This dish is full of flavour and spice and a typical main course of the chettiars.

Ingredients :

• 300 gms Basmati rice
• 600 gms Chicken
• 4 Cardamoms
• 6 Cinnamon
• 1 Ginger
• 3 Garlic flakes
• 2 Onions
• 10 gms Coriander leaves
• 10 gms Mint leaves
• 1 tsp Black pepper
• 1 tsp Coconut paste
• 2 tbsp Lemon juice
• 2 Cups parboiled rice
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying

Cooking Instructions :

- Soak basmati rice in water for 30 minutes.
- Add salt, cardamom and cinnamon.
- Grind ginger and garlic to make a paste.
- Mix the paste with coriander and mint leaves.
- Add coconut, cardamom paste, lemon juice and black pepper.
- Mix it well.
- Now add red chilli powder, coriander powder and salt.
- Cut chicken into pieces.
- Marinate the chicken in this mixture.
- Heat the oil and fry the chopped onions.
- Add marinated chicken pieces.
- Cook over medium flame till done.
- Prepare a bed of parboiled rice in a handi.
- Sprinkle the fried onions.
- Put chicken pieces and cover it with rice.
- Cover it properly and cook for 10 minutes.
- Serve hot.

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Suggested Reading :

Chettinadu Cuisine
Chettinadu Chicken

Punjabi Cuisine - Maharani Dal

We've seen what Punjabi Cuisine is about and now we would see a great recipe prepared with lentils. This is rich creamy recipe which is not only tasty but healthy as well considering the amount of proteins that gets added in it.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup - Rajma
1/4 cup - Whole Urad Dal
1/4 cup - Channa Dal
1 nos - Onions, chopped
2 nos - Tomatoes, chopped
3 nos - Green chillies, sliced
1/2 inch - Ginger, Grated
Salt To taste
1 Pinch - Turmeric Powder
1 tsp - Red chilli powder
Corainder leaves
1 tbsp - Butter
1/4 cup - Cream
1/4 tsp - Cumin Seeds
1/4 tsp - Mustard Seeds

Cooking Instructions :

- Soak rajma, urad daal and chana dal overnight.
- Pressure cook the urad dal, chana dal and rajma. Mash them a little. Keep aside.
- Heat butter in a pan, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and fry until they splutter. Add ginger and chillies.
- Fry for few minutes. Add chopped onions and tomatoes. Cook until done.
- Add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and stir well.
- Add the mashed dals and boil for few minutes.
- Add cream, corainder leaves and mix well. Serve the dal maharani hot with roti or Naan.

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Suggested Reading:

Punjabi Cuisine

Recipes using Broccoli - Broccoli au Gratin

In the series knowing a vegetable we will see another recipe using broccoli. Broccoli au gratin is a baked dish and "au gratin" in french means "Covered with bread crumbs and sometimes butter and grated cheese, and then browned in an oven". So here we have the recipe and cooking instructions for Broccoli au Gratin

Ingredients:

2 Cups - Broccoli florets
1 ½ cup - Mayonnaise.
1 cup - Cheddar cheese (Shredded).
1/2 cup - Parmesan cheese (Shredded).
4 nos - Green onions sliced.
2 tbsp - Dijon mustard.
¼ tsp - Ground red pepper.
3 tbsp - Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs.

Cooking Instructions:

- Steam the broccoli for 6 to 8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain well.
- Place the florets in a baking dish.
- Mix together the mayonnaise, Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, onion, mustard and ground red pepper.
- Spoon over florets in the baking dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
- Bake at 350 F for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden.

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Suggested Reading :

Broccoli the vegetable
Cream of Broccoli - Soup
Broccoli Quiche

Hyderabadi Cuisine - Recipe for Haleem

Continuing the series knowing a cuisine with Hyderabadi cuisine, today we see Haleem a dish prepared with meat and served with rotis usually during a meal. Hyderabadi cuisine is known for its influence of the mughalai cuisine and this recipe is a signature dish (one of the highest searched recipes on the net). Going no further I bring to you the recipe for Haleem.

Ingredients :

200 gms - Wheat (whole)

300 gms - Boneless Mutton

20 gms - Green Chillies

2"piece - Ginger

6-8 flakes - Garlic

100 gms -Ghee

3 medium - Sliced onions

1/2 tsp -Turmeric Powder

2 tsp - Garam Masala

Salt to taste

Cooking Instructions :

- Clean wheat and soak in water for 2 hours.

- Grind ginger, garlic and chillies to a fine paste.

- Clean and slice mutton into small pieces.

- Marinate mutton pieces with half quantity of ground paste and salt for 1 hour.

- Pressure cook the soaked wheat and marinated meat till done.

- Once cooked mince and grind to a fine paste.

- Heat ghee in a pan and saute onions till brown.

- Add turmeric, garam masala, salt and remaining ground paste and keep stirring occasionally on a low flame till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.

- Adjust seasoning and serve hot.

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Suggested Reading :

Hyderabadi Biryani

Mirchi ka Salan

Hyderabadi Cuisine

Breakfast Recipes - Appam (South Indian Breakfast)

Breakfast recipes is a series we started some time back and we saw recipes of pancakes, waffles, etc. Today we are to see another recipe for breakfast. This dish is called appam and is prepared in southern India. Usually served for breakfast this dish is similar to a pancake except that it is prepared using fermented rice batter. Healthy enough and tasty as well, bringing to you Appam

Ingredients :

1/2 Cup - Cooked rice
1/2 kg - Raw rice
1 No - Grated coconut
3 tsp - Sugar
1/2 tsp - Yeast
Salt to taste

Cooking Instructions :

- Soak raw rice for about 4 hours and drain.
- Blend with cooked rice and grated coconut in a blender.
- Mix sugar, yeast and salt in boiled water. Leave it for half hour.
- Add this mixture to the above ground mixture.
- Leave the mixture for fermentation, it is better it ferments for 8 hours.
- Spread this fermented mixture in a non-stick pan.
- Put a lid on the pan and cook it for 2 minutes.
- Appam is ready. Serve it with potato curry or coconut milk.

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Suggested Reading :

Breakfast recipe - Waffles
Breakfast recipe - Pancakes
Breakfast recipe - French toast

Knowing a Cuisine - Punjabi Cuisine

Knowing a cuisine, as you are aware by now is a series that concentrates on the various cuisines of the world. This series provides a gist of the cuisine under discussion and the popular dishes and recipes of the cuisine would be followed up through the posts that follow. So, under the series today we look at another cuisine, The punjabi cuisine.

Punjabi cuisine (from the Punjab region of Northern India) is mainly based upon Wheat, Masalas (spice), pure desi ghee (Clarified butter), with liberal amounts of butter and cream. Though wheat varieties form their staple food, Punjabis do cook rice on special occasions. During winter a delicacy, Kheer a very popular dessert is cooked using rice.

Punjabi cuisine specializes in variety and it can be non-vegetarian or completely vegetarian. It is widely popular however there is some ignorance in Western Cultures that Punjabi is cuisine is completely curry based. The level of spices can vary from minimal to very prevalent. One of the main features of Punjabi cuisine is its diverse range of dishes. Home cooked and restaurant Punjabi cuisine can vary significantly, with restaurant style using large amounts of clarified butter, known locally as desi ghee, with liberal amounts of butter and cream with home cooked concentrating on mainly upon wheat masalas (spice) flavorings. Though wheat varieties form their staple food, Punjabis do cook rice on special occasions. During winter a delicacy, Roh Di Kheer, is cooked using rice. Rice is cooked for a long time in sugar cane juice.
Within the state itself, there are different preferences. People in the area of Amritsar prefer stuffed parathas and milk products. In fact, the area is well known for quality of its milk products. There are certain dishes which are exclusive to Punjab, such as Mah Di Dal and Saron Da Saag (Sarson Ka Saag).

The food is tailor-made for the Punjabi lifestyle in which most of the rural folk burn up a lot of calories while working in the fields. The main masala in a Punjabi dish consists of onion, garlic and ginger. Tandoori food is a Punjabi speciality especially for non-veg dishes.

We will have follow through posts which will have the recipes of the popular dishes of the punjabi cuisine. Make sure subscribe to more such posts by Email

Suggested Reading :

Udupi Cuisine
Hyderbadi Cuisine
Chettinadu Cuisine

Udupi Cuisine - Bisi Bele Bath

In the series knowing a cuisine we saw Udupi cuisine and what is it about Udupi cuisine. I though I would start it with a great recipe!!

It is just for your information that my mother makes lovely bisi bele bath and now my beloved has picked up the tricks of the trade. I am these days being spoilt with good food. So the signature dish for your benefit as below.

Ingredients :

1 Cup - Rice
1/2 cup - Toor Dal
2 Nos - Boiled Potatoes
1/4 cup - Cooked Peas
3 Tsp - Ghee
10 Nos - Cashew
1/4 Cup - Grated Coconut
1 1/2 Tsp - Tamarind Paste
10 Nos - Small Onions

For Masala:

8 Nos - Dry Red Chillies
1 1/2 Tsp - Corriander Seeds (Dhania)
1/4 Tsp - Fenugreek Seeds
1/2 Tsp - Urad Dal
1 Tsp - Bengal gram
1 Tsp - Khus Khus
1 No - Bay Leaf (Patta)

Cooking Instructions :

- Fry the above masalas in a dry pan and powder them.
- Mix Rice and Dal and cook in cooker.
- Heat oil in a pan, fry onions till brown, add cut boiled potatoes and peas, can also add brinjal.
- Add tamarind powder and 1/2 cup water and salt and the ground masala powder. Let it boil.
- Now add cooked rice and dal and mix well. Remove from flame.
- Fry the coconutes till brown and powder them.
- Garnish with chopped coriander, fried cashews and powdered cocounts.

Enjoy the lovely bisi bele bath like I do. Don't miss more such posts that are due in the future, subscribe to more such posts by Email

Suggested Reading :

Udupi Cuisine
Hyderbadi Cuisine
Chettinadu Cuisine