Dal Palak (without onion and garlic) | Palak Dal | Easy Dal Palak Recipe

Recipe for the day is this warm and yummy Dal Palak which always reminds me of our Pune days. This hot bowl of simple yet flavorful palak dal was enough for us to eat scores of phulkas and extra extra helpings of rice. Did I slightly go overboard? Maybe ;) But you get the drift right. It is healthy too. All you need is that bowl of dal and maybe a sabzi. Even if I don't get time to make a sabzi, we manage with boiled egg fry or paneer burji. I love to make this with the palak I used to buy in Pune which gives an earthly flavor to the gravy. With the Chennai palak I feel that's missing. So without much further talk, let's get to the recipe.

Recipe Source: Here

Serves: 3-4 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

I Used:

Palak	-	2 cups
Tur Dal	-	½ cup
Oil/Ghee	-	2 tbsp
Cumin seeds	-	1 tsp
Ginger	-	An inch piece - chopped
Green Chilly	-	2 nos (medium sized) - chopped
Red Chilly powder	-	½ tsp
Asafoetida	-	¼ tsp
Turmeric powder	-	½ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed

The Way:

1. Rinse the lentil with water for 2-3 times. Then take them in a pressure cooker and add around 2 cups of water. Add salt and turmeric powder to it. If you have time soak the dal for 15-20 minutes before cooking so that they cook faster

2. Pressure cook the dal for 5 to 6 whistles till it becomes soft and mushy

3. Now rinse the palak in water for 2-3 times. Drain them of water. Then chop finely and keep aside. Also clean and chop the ginger and green chillies and keep aside

4. In a pan heat oil/ghee. Using ghee gives a very nice aroma and flavor to the gravy. Then temper the cumin seeds 

5. Reduce the flame to low and then add the chopped ginger and fry till the raw smell goes off

6. Then add the chopped green chillies & fry for 30 seconds

7. Now add the chopped palak and saute for a minute

8. Then add the red chilly powder and asafoetida

9. Now cover the pan and cook for 6-8 minutes till the palak is cooked. Palak will release some water. So no need to add additional water at this point. Just open the lid and saute twice or thrice in between so that the palak doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan

10. Mash the cooked dal so that it is smooth. Once the palak is cooked, add the mashed dal to it

11. Add water (1-2 cups) depending on the consistency you want or the gravy and give a nice stir

12. Check salt and add if needed

13. Simmer the dal for about 5 minutes and then switch off

Serve with nice phulkas/rotis, rice & a sabzi of choice :)

Cheers,
Chitz

Nadan Chicken Curry | Kerala Style Simple Chicken Curry | Easy Chicken Curry without Coconut - Type 2 :)

Nothing gives me more pleasure than the food I cook being wiped clean by my 2 boys :) And I'm sure that would be the same for every person who loves to cook, right :) Though we love to cook chicken in myriad number of ways, this is that recipe that we go back to every now and then mainly coz it's sooper easy (the basic Indian chicken gravy recipe) and my little one loooves it.. Even if I make it a little extra hot he will have this with the same enthusiasm and a little moist eyes ;) This is nothing fancy, just the basic onion-tomato base gravy and the normal spices simmered with lots of love :) 

During my initial days of cooking I never used to get the dense gravy in my chicken curry and it would be loose or watery. I always used to wonder what was going wrong and finally found that adding a bit of onion and tomato puree while preparing the base gravy changes the consistency. It was partly my laziness of grinding them to avoid washing an extra set of utensils that kept me away from that consistency for quite some time ;) So if any of you wondering why your gravy is watery, now you know! I love having this versatile gravy with practically anything from steamed rice / chapathi / porotta / appam / dosa / idly / idiyappam / puttu / ghee rice / coconut milk rice. Do try out and let me know which combo is your favourite :)

My other chicken recipes that you can find in the blog would be

Chettinadu Kozhi Kulambu
Chicken Masaledar | Spicy Chicken Masala

Coorgi Style Chicken Curry

Mughlai Chicken

Baked Chicken Pasta

Spring Roll

Recipe Source: Amma

Serves: 3-4 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 20-30 mins

Cooking Time: 45 mins

I Used:

Chicken	-	750 gm
Coconut Oil	-	2-3 tbsp
Onion	-	3 nos - medium sized (2 chopped & 1 for grinding)
Tomato	-	2  - medium sized
Ginger	-	A fat 2 inch piece
Garlic	-	15-20 nos (medium sized)
Green Chilly	-	2 nos - slit
Red Chilly powder	-	2 tbsp
Coriander powder	-	1 tbsp
Turmeric powder	-	½ tsp
Garam Masala	-	1 tsp
Salt	-	As Needed
Curry leaves	-	2-3 sprigs
Coriander leaves Water	- -	2-3 sprigs As Needed (½-1 cup)

The Way:

1. Clean the chicken and cut them into small bite size pieces. Cutting the chicken into small 2 inch size pieces makes it easier for the gravy and masala to sink in to the pieces and make them more succulent 

2. In a mixie jar, take the peeled ginger (15-20 medium sized ones), garlic (A fat 2 inch piece) and onion (1 no - cut into 8-12 chunks) and grind them to a smooth paste. If needed you can add 2-3 tbsp of water for grinding. Keep aside

3. Heat 2-3 tbsp of coconut oil in a pan/kadai. When the oil is hot, reduce the flame and add the 2 medium sized onions (finely chopped) along with 2 slit green chillies. Saute them well on medium flame till the onions turn translucent. You can add salt as well while sauteing the onions to help them cook faster

4. Now once the onions are translucent, add the ground onion paste to it and saute on a low flame till they start to turn brown. Keep sauteing occasionally else they might get burnt

5. Once the gravy starts to turn brown add the masalas - 2 tbsp red chilly powder, 1 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tsp garam masala and ½ tsp turmeric powder and saute well again. Keep sauteing for another 2-3 minutes till the raw smell of the masala goes

6. Meanwhile, roughly chop 2 medium sized tomatoes and add them to the mixer jar. Grind them to a smooth paste

7. Once the raw smell of the masala goes off, add the pureed tomato to the gravy and saute well. Allow it to cook for 5-6 minutes on low flame and keep sauteing occasionally

8. Then add the cleaned chicken pieces and give a nice stir. Add the required amount of water for your gravy and also 1 sprig of curry leaves. Keep in mind that the chicken will ooze water while cooking, so adjust the quantity of water accordingly

9. Cover the pan/kadai and cook in medium-low flame for 15-20 minutes till the chicken pieces and cooked tender. Keep stirring occasionally to avoid the gravy getting stuck to the bottom of the pan and getting burnt

10. Once the hicken is cooked, uncover the pan and add the remaining 1 sprig of curry leaves and 2-3 sprigs coriander leaves. Give a quick saute

Switch off the flame and serve the gravy hot with steamed rice / chapathi / porotta / appam / dosa / idly / idiyappam / puttu / ghee rice / coconut milk rice of your choice !

Cheers,
Chitz

Kadai Mushroom | Restaurant Style Kadai Mushroom recipe | How to make Kadai Mushroom

There is no dearth of rich recipes with mushroom right? Almost any dish you make with them, they taste great and rich. And I'm talking about people who like mushrooms,okay. If you do not like them, no matter how yummy or rich it is made, it is difficult to appease them. And today's dish is kadai mushroom which is both easy to make as well as yum and rich and definitely not heavy :) 

It is a simple prep with sauteed onions and pureed tomatoes and an instant homemade masala. Of course a dollop of cream makes it more smooth and balances the taste. It tastes great with phulkas or rotis or plain parathas. I had it with palak paratha and you do not need anything else. This in itself makes a complete meal :) And that's what I like the best about mushrooms. They do not need an elaborate meal but just phulkas would do and that makes a complete and satisfying meal, agree? So let's see how to make them.

My other recipes with mushrooms are Mushroom Dry Fry, Mushroom Do pyaza, Restaurant Style Mushroom Pepper Fry & Sauteed Mushrooms

Recipe Source: Adapted from here

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

 

Serves : 3-4 persons

I Used:

For the Masala

Red Chilly	-	2 nos
Coriander seeds	-	1 tbsp
Cumin seeds	-	½ tsp
Pepper	-	1 tsp
Cinnamon	-	1 inch piece
Clove	-	2 nos
Cardamom	-	1 no
Bay leaf	-	1 no

For the Gravy

Oil	-	2 tbsp
Mushroom	-	200 gm - sliced
Capsicum	-	1 medium sized - de-seeded & diced
Onion	-	1 medium sized - chopped finely
Tomato	-	2 medium sized - chopped
Ginger garlic paste	-	1 ½ tsp
Turmeric powder	-	¼ tsp
Kasuri Methi	-	1 tsp - crushed in your palms
Cream (optional)	-	2 tbsp
Garam Masala (optional)	-	¼ tsp

The Way:

1. Clean the mushroom by removing the stalk & peeling off the skin as shown in the photo below. Clean all the mushrooms in the similar manner. 

2. Then rinse them in water twice or thrice and pat them dry immediately using a clean towel. Do not soak them in water for long, rinse them and remove them from water immediately else they will suck and retain water.

3. You can slice the mushrooms and cook as well. Slice or cut them as per your choice. You can use the stalks as well. Cut them into an inch piece in length and a quarter an inch in thickness.

4. De-seed the capsicum and cube them. Rinse the tomatoes and chop them roughly. Keep aside. Chop the onions finely and keep aside

5. In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil. Add the cleaned and sliced mushrooms to it. Saute them

6. The mushrooms will release water. After a while the water will evaporate. Saute them till the mushrooms get slightly browned. Once done, remove them and keep aside

7. Similarly, add the diced capsicum also to the same pan. Add a little salt if you like and saute them. I find the capsicum bland in the gravy sometimes, so I add a little salt while sauteing itself so that it does not feel very bland

8. Once they turn slightly soft (3-4 mins), remove them from the pan and keep aside

9. In the same pan, take all the spices for the masala - coriander seeds, red chilly, peppercorns, cumin seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves & cardamom

10. Dry roast them in a low flame till they are fragrant. Do not burn them

11. Once they are roasted well and turn fragrant, switch off the flame and allow them to cool. Once cool, take the spices in a mixer jar and grind them to a smooth (if preferred coarse) powder. Keep aside

12. Now add the roughly chopped tomatoes in the same mixer jar and grind them to a smooth paste. Keep aside

13. In the same pan used earlier, heat another 2-3 tbsp oil. Add the finely chopped onions and salt and saute

14. Keep sauteing. Once they start turning brown, add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for another 2-3 minutes or until the raw smell of the paste goes off

15. Now add the tomato puree and saute till they start to leave oil off the sides

16. Now add the turmeric powder and the ground masala and give a nice stir. Saute for another 2-3 minutes till they blend in well

17. Add little water (around ½ cup) and give a nice stir. Bring the gravy to a boil on low flame

18. Then add the cream and mix well. Then add the sauteed capsicum and mushroom to it. Give a stir

19. Finally add the crushed (between your palms) kasuri methi and garam masala (if using, i don't) give a gentle stir

20. Switch off the flame. Garnish the kadai mushroom with some chopped coriander leaves and serve warm with hot phulkas/rotis

Notes:

• Capsicums are optional. If not available or not preferred, you can omit them

• You can add garam masala in the end if needed. Since my ground masala already contains most of the garam masala ingredients, I do not add extra garam masala in the end

Cheers,
Chitz

Aloo Methi | Punjabi Aloo Methi Ki Sabji | Potatoes with Fenugreek Leaves

I started using methi leaves extensively in my routine after coming to Pune :) And I'm loving it. Both for it's health benefits as well as for the yummy dishes that can be made with them.. Aloo Methi is one such recipe that I'm absolutely in love with. In fact I started liking this more after our trip to Dapoli and having it there in the home stay. You pair anything with potato, it sure is going to taste yum right ;) But this one was very simple with minimal ingredients and the flavour of the methi being beautifully balanced by the slightly fried potatoes. It was just yum. So from then on, I keep my aloo methi simple with minimal flavours and it's definitely very yum with just plain parathas or rotis or rice & dal as well. 

Some other Methi recipes that might pick your interests might be

Methi Paratha

Methi Malai Matar
Methi Dal

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

 

Serves : 2-3 persons

I Used:

Aloo	-	2 medium sized - cubed
Methi	-	2 cups heaped (before chopping)
Oil/Butter	-	2 tbsp
Cumin seeds	-	½ tsp
Green Chilly	-	2 nos - slited
Asafoetida	-	¼ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed

The Way:

1. Pluck the fenugreek leaves and discard the stem. Rinse the leaves in water nicely for 2-3 times so that all the mud and dirt sticking onto the leaves get removed

2. Then soak the leaves in salt water for 10 minutes to remove the bitterness of methi. This step is optional. You can omit this step if you do not want. After 10 minutes, squeeze the leaves in your palm to remove water. Then chop them finely and keep aside

3. Rinse, peel and chop the potatoes into bite sized cubes

4. Heat oil/butter in a pan. Splutter the cumin seeds. Then add the cubed potatoes

5. Saute the potatoes for a few minutes till they turn crisp and the edges start turning slightly golden in colour

6. Then add the slit green chillies and asafoetida and give a quick stir

7. Now add the chopped methi leaves and salt and give a stir. Allow the methi leaves to cook on a low flame

8. The methi leaves will start to leave water. Allow them to cook further (5-6 minutes) till the water dries up and the leaves are wilted

9. Saute for another 2-3 minutes after the water has dried up. The sabzi should become completely dry

Serve with parathas or dal-rice combo!

Notes:

• You can use normal potatoes or baby potatoes for this recipe

• To reduce the bitterness of the methi leaves, soak the leaves in salt water for 10 minutes. But if you can, omit this step as the nutrients will be lost by soaking the leaves in salt water

• Instead of green chilly, you can use ½ tsp of red chilly powder as well

Cheers,
Chitz

Aloo Matar Recipe | Aloo Matar Dry in Pressure Cooker

So hello folks, I'm back with a recipe post today. It is none other than the Punjabi Aloo Matar recipe :) Generally I am not a fan of green peas a.k.a the fresh or frozen ones. But dried ones I am good :) So usually I mix the peas with something else or use the frozen or fresh peas as a accompanying ingredient in some dish like the biriyani, Methi malai matar, peas pulav and likes :) And this is one such dish. Actually aloo makes everything else good right. Add it to a chicken gravy or fry it or boil it. Make cutlets or just make a simple sabzi.. Aloo makes everything taste good :) And I just can't believe when someone doesn't eat aloo or picks it and keeps it at the side of a plate for discarding :O

So coming back to this recipe, it is simple and takes no time as you use a cooker to make it :) Just chop some onions and tomatoes. Dice some potatoes, and go saute saute. And it's done :) If you do not want to use a cooker, then also fine. Potatoes do not take long to cook :) And this recipe is very much liked by my little one and so it's extra special to me :D Thanks to Hebbar's Kitchen on that :) So off to the recipe :) 

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Cooking Time : 10 minutes

Recipe source : Here

Serves : 4 persons 

I Used:

Aloo	-	2 medium sized - cubed
Peas (Matar)	-	½ cup
Oil	-	2 tbsp
Cinnamon	-	½ inch piece
Cumin seeds	-	½ tsp
Kasuri Methi	-	1 tsp
Red Chilly Powder	-	1 tsp
Coriander Powder	-	½ tsp
Turmeric Powder	-	¼ tsp
Ginger-Garlic paste	-	1 tsp
Onion	-	1 medium sized - finely chopped
Tomato	-	2 medium sized - finely chopped
Coriander leaves		4-5 sprigs - chopped

The Way:

1. In a pressure pan, heat oil. Add the cinnamon stick, cumin seeds and crushed kasuri methi

2. When the cumin starts to splutter, reduce the flame to low. Add red chilly powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder and give a quick saute. Take care not to burn the powders

3. Then add the chopped onions and saute till they become soft. Since we have already added the powders in the beginning, it will be difficult to know if they turn colour. So saute for 4-5 minutes till they turn soft

4. Next add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for another 2-3 minutes till the raw smell goes

5. Then add the chopped tomatoes. Saute them. They must turn mushy

6. Once mushy, add the green peas and diced potatoes and give a quick saute. I have used frozen peas here. I soak them in water for 10 minutes before adding to the gravy

7. Then add ½ cup water and give a quick stir. Then close the cooker and pressure cook for 2 whistles in high and 2 in simmer or till they are cooked, Take care not to turn the peas too mushy. If you do not want to pressure cook, go ahead and cook them normally. Add a little extra water around 1/4 cup more and cook covered till the potatoes are cooked. Check and stir in between to see that they do not get burnt or stuck in the bottom

8. Once done and the pressure is released, open the cooker. See if any water is left. if then switch on the flame and allow them to evaporate and the dish to become dry. Once done switch off the flame and add the chopped coriahnder leaves and give a quick stir

Serve wit warm phulkas!

Cheers,
Chitz

Mushroom Do pyaza | Easy Mushroom Dopyaza recipe

Are you a mushroom lover? I am and that too an ardent one. That's why you can see many mushroom recipes here :) Deeps is not a big fan and Dhruv is an occasional eater. But that doesn't stop me from buying and making them. i do prepare for myself once in a month or so ;) So today's recipe is an easy do pyaza preparation using mushrooms. do pyaza as you know is nothing but using onions twice in the recipe.. Like do (two) pyaz (onions).. This is a simple preparation and makes a wholesome meal with some phulkas.. An easy to go option for making lunch box recipes that look healthy as well as cute and filled :) So the mushroom fans, do try out and let me know :) My other recipes with mushrooms are Mushroom Dry Fry, Restaurant Style Mushroom Pepper Fry, Sauteed Mushrooms & Kadai Mushroom

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cooking Time : 30 minutes

Serves : 3-4 persons 

I Used:

Mushroom - 200 gm Oil - 3 tbsp Onion - 1 medium sized - cubed Onion - 1 ½ medium sized - chopped finely Tomato - 1 medium sized - chopped finely Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 tbsp Green Chilly - 2 nos Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp Red Chilly powder - ½ tsp Coriander powder - ½ tsp Cumin powder - ½ tsp Garam masala - ½ tsp Coriander leaves - To Garnish Salt - As Needed

The Way:

1. Clean the mushrooms by removing the skin (refer here) and slice them up. Chop 1 big sized onion (I used 1½ medium sized onion) and cut into cubes another medium sized onion. Chop finely 1 medium sized tomato and keep aside

2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add the cubed onions and saute them till they turn slightly golden. Do not brown them. Once done, remove and keep them aside

3. Now add the remaining 2 tbsp oil. When it turns hot, add the chopped onions and slit green chillies along with some salt and saute 

4. When they turn translucent add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for 4-5 minutes till the raw smell goes off and the onions slowly start to change colour

5. Now add all the dry masala powders - red chilly, coriander, turmeric, cumin and garam masala. Give a nice stir. Saute for another 3-4 minutes and allow the raw smell of the masalas to go off. Take care not to burn them and keep sauteeing occasionally

6. Then add the chopped tomatoes and saute. The tomatoes should turn soft and mushy

7. Finally add the sliced mushrooms and give a gentle stir. Now cover the pan and cook the mushrooms till done. Do not add water. Mushrooms release water when they are covered and cooked. So that will be sufficient for them to get cooked 

8. Now when the mushrooms are cooked, there can be some water left in the pan. If then keep the lid open and allow the water to evaporate and the gravy to become dry

9. When done, add the sauteed cubed onions and coriander leaves and give a nice stir. Switch off flame and serve with some hot phulkas !

Cheers,

Chitz