Cottage Cheese Marinated with Creamy Hung Curd & Spices (Reshmi Paneer Tikka)

Indian Vegetarian Starters Special

North Indian Cuisine

Cottage Cheese Marinated with Creamy Hung Curd & Spices (Reshmi Paneer Tikka)

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Fresh Cottage Cheese-

Hung Curd-

Green Bell Pepper-

Red Bell Pepper-

Yellow Bell Pepper-

Onion-

Tomatoes-

Coriander Powder-

Red Chilli Powder-

Kasuri Methi-

Fresh Garam Masala Powder-

Salt-

Method:

Feel free to share your views & do let us know how this one turned out :)

Anand Adyar Bhavan & Sarvana Bhavan @ Chennai

Anand Adyar Bhavan @ Chennai

There are a variety of South Indian Style Snacks, Sweets, Salted & Ghee Biscuits available at Anand Adyar Bhavan (AAB) @ Chennai

Interestingly, we first tasted the Savory items at the Green Park Branch in New Delhi before we knew that AAB has a line of Fresh Baked Products Savory, Sweets in their Chennai branches

                                               

Spicy Sesame Potato Crisps

 

Okra Crisps

Indian Baked Delights like Pista Biscuits & Chocolate Chip Biscuits

 

Breakfast Items like Puri Kurma, Mini Tiffin are Local favourites as well

Sarvana Bhavan @ Venkatnarayana Road T Nagar
One of the best part of this location is the Valet & regular Car parking available
Another plus point is the separate Indoor area for different Meals




Feel free to share your views & do let us know of any Quality Bakeries/Cafe/Restaurants in your area :)

Pudding with Date Palm Jaggery (Khajur Gud Pongal)

Indian Vegetarian Festive Season Special
Traditional Indian Sweets!

Tamil Nadu/Andhra Cuisine

Sankranti/Pongal Special

East Meets South- Orissa Meets Andhra!
 

Pudding with Date Palm Jaggery (Khajur Gud Pongal)
Serves 4

Ingredients:
Rice- 1 Cup
Split Yellow Lentil (Dhuli Moong Dal)- ½ Cup
Date Palm Jaggery (Khajur Gud)- 1- ½ Cup
Ghee- 1 Cup
Milk- 1 Cup
Cardamon (Elaichi) Powder- ½ Tsp.
Fresh Coconut- 1 Tbsp., Finely Siced & Fried in Ghee
Dry Fruits (Equal Quantity of Almonds, Cashews, Raisins)- ¼ Cup

 
Method:
Soak Almonds Overnight in Water
Drain, Peel, Finely Slice the Almonds

Fry Almonds, Cashews, Raisins & Fresh Coconut in 2 Tbsp. Ghee till Golden, Drain & Keep Aside

In a Pan, Roast the Moong Dal on a Low Flame till it turns Pinkish and Keep Aside
In a Deep Bottom Pot, Mix 4 Cups of Water in Rice & Dal, Cover & Let them Simmer on Low Flame
Check if the Rice & Dal are Partially Cooked by Pressing each grain between fingers
Add Milk and Cook on Low Flame until Rice and Dal are Completely Cooked
Mash the Rice-Dal Mixture till the Dal becomes Invisible & Mixes Well within the Rice
Next Add Khajur Gud & Keep on Stirring continuously on Low Flame
As the Jaggery Melts, a Syrupy Consistency should form in the Mixture
Slowly Add the Remaining Ghee & Stir Continuously for about 5 minutes till the Mixture turns into a Sticky Porridge
Finally Add Elaichi, Fried Coconut & Dry Fruits

Serve Hot!

Tip:
Rice used should be Small to Medium Grain Size like Sona Masuri, Ponni & Jeera Samba

Slow Roasting the Moong Dal Releases the Sweet Flavour of the Dal, so can Roast & Add the Dal if have time on hands

Pressure Cooker may be used for the Rice & Dal but Slow Simmer definitely gives the Best Tasting Pongal!

Ghee should definitely be used in this Recipe as it enhances the Taste

Jaggery is the Traditional Unrefined Sugar which has been & still is used in Rural India for its Umpteen Health Benefits over Refined Sugar!

The Date Palm Jaggery (Khajur Gud) is obtained from Sap of the Date Palm Tree & is one of the Rarest to find; it adds that Yummy Flavour in the Secret Recipes from the Eastern India most of us want to incorporate in our Cooking also!

There is a Specialty which also is a Trick to keep this Sweet Dish Perfect. Cook the Rice in Equal Quantity of Jaggery Syrup & Ghee on Low Flame till the Rice Completely Softens & becomes Pongal-like Sticky Consistency

Alternatively, Jaggery can be Boiled with Water separately to get a One String Consistency & Added to the Rice-Dal Mixture

To achieve the Perfect Consistency, can keep Sweet Pongal to Cool as it always Thickens

Feel free to share your views & do let us know how this one turned out :)

Carrot Radish Lentil Stew (Dappalam/Mukkala Pappu Pulusu)

South Indian Vegetarian Main Course Special 
Andhra Cuisine
Carrot Radish Lentil Stew (Dappalam/Mukkala Pappu Pulusu)
Serves 2

Ingredients:

Carrot- 1, Peeled & Cut into Cubes/Slices
White/Pink Radish- 1, Peeled & Cut into Cubes/Slices
Onions- 1, Cut into Quarters
Tomatoes- 4 Medium, Cut in Quarters 

Split Yellow Pigeon Peas (Toor Dal/Arhar Dal/Kandipappu)- 2 to 3 Tbsp.
Turmeric Powder (Haldi/Pasupu)- ½ Tsp.
Jaggery (Gud/Bellam)- 1 Tbsp.
Tamarind Paste (Imli/Chintapandu)- 1 Tbsp.

For the Charu/Rasam Powder:
Coriander Seeds (Dhaniya)- 1 Tbsp.
Cumin Seeds (Jeera/Jeelakarra)- 1 Tbsp.
Black Pepper Corn (Kali Mirch/)- 1 Tsp. (the Pepper Powder is quite ‘hot’ so adjust the quantity accordingly)
Split Pigeon Peas (Toor/Arhar Dal/Kandipappu)- 1 Tbsp.

For Tempering:
Extra Light Olive Oil/Olive Pomace Oil- 1 Tsp.
Mustard Seeds (Rai)- ¼ Tsp.
Cumin Seeds (Jeera)- ¼ Tsp.
Curry Leaves (Karvepaku)- 5-6 No’s
Asafoetida (Hing/Inguva)- a Pinch

Salt- To Taste

Method:
Clean, Wash and Pressure cook the Toor Dal with just enough Water to Cover the Dal till it is cooked & becomes easy to mash
Keep the Boiled Dal Aside
 
Slightly Dry Roast and Blend the ingredients for Charu/Rasam Powder into a Fine Powder
 
Heat Water in a Deep Heavy Bottomed Non Stick Pot
Put Carrot, Onions, Radish, Tomatoes, Salt, Turmeric Powder, Jaggery, Tamarind Paste and let it boil on Low Flame (Slow Cooking)

Check to see if the Vegetables are Tender with a Fork

Next add the Boiled Dal along with Fresh Charu/Rasam Powder and Curry Leaves

In a Small Tadka Frying Pan, heat the Oil/Ghee for the Tempering, fry Mustard Seeds till they crackle, add Cumin Seeds and Asafoetida and Add to the Prepared Charu/Rasam

Serve Hot with Steamed Rice!

Tips:
Can add Cubed Vegetables like the Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, Bottle Guard, Brinjal, Two Inch Cut Pieces of Drumsticks, Ladyfinger/Okra, Baby Onions in this Stew as well

Some varieties made with different vegetable combinations are given below:

Drumstick & Green Brinjal

Hindi- Sahjan ki Phali

Tamil- Murungaikai

Telugu- Mulakkada

Bottle Gourd & Okra:

English- LadyFinger/Okra 
Hindi- Bhindi
Kannada- Bhendekayi

Malayalam- Vendakka

Tamil- Vendaikai

Telugu- Bendakaya

Can use Ambika Rasam Powder which is as good as Home Made as well
This is available in Ambika Store Pondy Bazaar T. Nagar & various other locations in Chenai

For more info visit:
http://ambikaappalamdepot.com/

 

Feel free to share your views & do let us know how this one turned out :) 

Colocasia/Taro Root Fry (Arbi/Chamadumpa/Chamagadda Vepudu)

South Indian Vegetarian Main Course Special

Andhra Cuisine

Colocasia/Taro Root Fry (Arbi/Chamadumpa/Chamagadda Vepudu)

Serves 2

Here are some different names for the Colocasia/Taro Root in few Indian Languages:

Bengali- Kochu 
Gujarati- Colocasia Leaves (Patra/Patarveliya)
Hindi- Arbi

Kannada- Samagadde, Colocasia Leaves (Pathrode)

Odiya- Saru

Punjabi- Kachalu
Tamil- Cheppankizhangu

Telugu- Chamadumpa/Chamagadda

International Names- Cocoyam/Dasheen/Elephant Ear

Ingredients:

Colocasia/Taro Root (Arbi/Chamadumpa)- 20 Pieces

Extra Light Olive Oil/Olive Pomace Oil- 2 Tbsp.

Salt- To Taste

Red Chilli Powder- 1 Tsp.

Method:

Completely Wash & Clean the Arbi of the dirt particles

In a Pressure Cooker, Add Water & the Arbi (water should be just enough to cover the Arbi) & Cook for about 3 Whistles on Medium Low Flame for about 5 Minutes, remove from the Flame


Let the Arbi Cool so that they can Peel off easily (to ease the process, can also Soak the Boiled Arbi in Water at Room Temperature before peeling, these tend to get sticky so first timers make sure to rub hands with Oil or wear comfortable Kitchen Gloves)

Cut the Arbi in to Rounds/Slices & Keep aside

In a Non Stick Pan (Kadhai), Heat Oil

Add Arbi the Slices & Sauté for about a Minute Uncovered

Cook till Golden Brown & Crispy on both sides on Low Flame

Tips:

Arbi is the primary Source of Starch for most of Africa & Asia

Taro Root has the Complex Carbohydrates just like the other Tubers; Taro Root is full of Iron, Phosphorus, Riboflavin, Thiamine, Zinc

It is also one of the finest sources of Dietary Fibre without the red alert of Fat & Cholesterol

Completely Wash the Arbi as being a Root Vegetable, skin may have a lot of hidden Dirt  

The most important step in this Recipe is the Boling Stage

There is a high chance that they may overcook & become mushy while boiling which should be avoided

The Arbi should be Cooled post boiling & be easy to peel off before cutting in to pieces

One of the famous Sindhi dishes is the Aloo Kachaloo

Feel free to share your views & do let us know how this one turned out :)