Potato Capsicum Curry

This is a very simple and easy to make vegetarian dish. This curry can be served with chapatti or rice. When I was a student my mom used to give this in my lunch box with chapatti or rice.

Ingredients for potato capsicum curry:

Medium sized onion chopped 2

Medium sized Potato 2

Medium sized capsicum 2

Oil 3 tsp.

Red chili powder 1½ tsp.

Salt ½ tsp.

Turmeric powder 1/4^th tsp.

Ginger garlic paste 1/4^th tsp.

Chopped coriander 2 tsps.

Preparation of potato capsicum curry:

• In a pressure cooker heat oil and fry chopped onions till golden brown.
• Cut potatoes and capsicum into 10-12 small pieces and add it to the pressure cooker and fry for few sec.
• Add all other ingredients and fry for few sec and add 1 glass of water.
• Cover the pressure cooker and let 2-3 whistles to come.
• Remove the cooker and let it cook until the excess water is absorbed.
• Add coriander and turn off the flame.
• Serve it hot with chapatti, phulka(chapati without oil), and rice.

spicy rice with meat (Tahari)

 This is a non-vegetarian dish, where meat is prepared separately like a curry and then in a big cooking bowl fried rice is prepared like my fried rice recipe posted earlier then meat curry is added to it and covered with a lid with charcoal on top(Dam). But I like this simple method that my mother has taught me. This is one of my favorite dishes. As a combination to this tahari curd chutney is served. Pure Indian ghee is also very good with this hot and spicy tahari.

Ingredients for Tahari:

Meat ½ kg.(500 gms.)

Rice 1 glass

Water 2 glasses

Chopped tomato 1 cup:

Mint leaves 1 cup

Chopped coriander ½ cup

Green chilies 5-6

Fresh lemon 1

Onion finely sliced ½ medium sized

Oil ½ cup

Salt to tase

Fresh ginger-garlic paste 1 tsp.

Whole garam masala: cloves 1, Cardamom 1, cinnamon 1inch, Caraway (shah zeera)

Preparation of  Tahari:

• First in a pressure cooker heat oil and fry sliced onion till light pink in color.
• Then add fresh ginger garlic paste, mint leaves, meat, red chili powder, salt, turmeric, whole garam masala.
• Fry these till the water from the meat is absorbed completely.
• When you leave the meat to absorb the water, wash the rice nicely with water.
• Once the water is absorbed add chopped tomatoes, let it cook for 2 min.
• Then add washed rice to the pressure cooker, add some green chilies.
• Add 2 glasses of water in the pressure cooker.
• Cover the pressure cooker and let it cook up to 3 whistles and then turn of the heat .
•  After half an hour open the pressure cooker, squeeze a lemon on top and mix it well.
• Then serve the hot and spicy tahari with yogurt chutney (dahin ki chutney/raita).

Spicy Vermicelli

This is a very simple and easy to make recipe, the only difficulty is at the frying part of vermicelli we need to be very careful otherwise it gets burnt at the bottom. This is a vegetarian dish, you can also add egg in the end when the water is absorbed but a little is remaining.

Ingredients for vermicelli:

Bambino vermicelli (mote semiya) 2 cups

Water 5 cups

Chopped onion 1 small sized

Red chili powder 2 tsp.

Turmeric powder 1/4^th tsp.

Salt to taste

Oil ½ cup

Fresh ginger-garlic paste ½ tsp.

Tomatoes chopped ½ cup

Green chillies chopped 2

Coriander chopped 2 tsp.

Garam masala  :
Cloves (laung)        1
Cardamom(ilaichi)  1
Cinamon(dalchini)   2 to 3 inches
Shazeera                 1 tsp

Preparation of spicy vermicelli:

• Heat half of the oil in a pan and fry vermicelli till it turns into light brown, keep mixing don’t burn it.
• After frying vermicelli take it into a plate and keep it aside.
• In a pan heat the left over oil and fry chopped onions till light brown then add ginger-garlic paste.
• Add tomatoes, fry for a few seconds, then add red chili powder, salt and turmeric.
• Fry these for a few seconds and pour water.
• Now add green chillies, coriander and whole garam masala.
• Make it like a soup, bring it to a boil.
• Now add fried vermicelli which we have fried earlier.
• Cook it till the water is absorbed and vermicelli turns soft.
• Serve it hot.

Murukku-savoury

A savoury snack made of rice and spices, Murukku can be stored over large periods of time. This is a very common savoury in India it is made in every kitchen. Homemade Murukku are very good than the readymade packets. These are very crispy and tastes good. Murukku has different names all over india but tastes similar, it is made in lots of varieties.

Ingredients for murukku:

Butter 1 tsp.

Chili powder ½ tsp.

Oil for deep frying

Rice flour 4 cups.

Salt ½ tsp.

Sesame seeds 1 tsp.

Urad dal (white gram) 1 cup

Water as required.

        Preparation of murukku:

• Wash and clean the rice well. Leave it to dry.
• Once it has dried completely, powder it nicely or you can use rice flour.
• Fry the white gram and powder it.
• Keep it aside.
• Mix together the powdered rice, powdered gram, white sesame seeds, cumin seeds, butter and salt. Do not add water.
• Take a little of this mixture and add water to it to get a dough like consistency.
• Now make boll and stuff this dough bolls into the murkul frame.

 this is the murukku frame these are in 2 models i prefer first from the left will be easy to use it has app. 5 blades you can prepare murukku in 5 patterns. 

• Heat oil in a kadhai or a pan.
• To test if the oil is hot enough, drop a pinch of dough into it. If it sinks, the oil isn`t hot enough.

• If the dough springs to the top with bubbles all around it, then the oil is ready.
• Now slowly press the murukku frame so that the dough drops into the hot oil and fry till golden brown Keep flipping the sides till the murukku is done.
• Store in an air tight container.

Coconut sweet

This coconut sweet is called as "nariyal ki barfi". If you cut it into pieces and if you make it into small bolls  it is called as "nariyal ke ladoo". This is very good for health as it is made from coconut.

                                

Ingredients for coconut sweet:  

Sugar 2 cups

condensed milk 2 cups
coconut (dry and ground) 5 cups
cardamom powder 1 tsp.

ghee ½ cup.

Water 2 cups

Dry fruits for garnishing like almonds, pistachio, cashew nuts.

 Preparation of coconut sweet:

• Mix condensed milk,sugar, coconut and cook them lightly with ghee on a low heat.
• cook until it gets hard to mix and it doesn't stick in the pan anymore.
• Add cardamom and mix well.
• Grease the plate and spread the grated nuts on it.
• Spread the prepared evenly over the plate and allow it to cool.
• Now with the knife, cut it into desired shapes. Or make balls.
• Turn them over so that nuts covered part appears on the top.
• Nariyal ki burfi is ready to be served.