Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Mushroom Kurma and Ghee Rice

My mom is very suspicious of Mushrooms. She does not like buying them, but I pain her so much that she gives in and gets me for them anyway. She does not cleaning or cutting them. She just about likes eating them. So if there are mushrooms in the house, I am the nominated cook, cleaner, chief bottle washer.

I love ghee rice and mushroom kurma because the acidity and sourness of the kurma sets off the bland base of the ghee rice. However, the coconut in both of these dishes can make it quite a heavy dish. A siesta becomes inevitable once you have this combo for lunch.


Mushroom Kurma-

Ingredients: 
Onion-1
Tomato-1
Ginger Garlic Paste- 1 1/2 tsp
Oil- 4-5 tsp
Salt
Chilli Powder- 2 tsp
Garam Masala-1/2 tsp
Jeera Powder- 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder-1/2 tsp
Turmeric- a pinch
Coconut milk- 50 ml
Lemon juice-2 tsp

Seasoning-
Bay Leaf
Saunf
Cinnamon

Method:
1. Dice/ grate onion and tomato to fine pieces
2. Take a kadai/wok and pour oil into it
3. After the oil heats up, add onions and fry till golden
4. Add ginger garlic paste to the mixture and fry till raw smell goes away
5. Add tomatoes and saute till soft
6. Add all the masala powders except salt and cook until the moisture is removed
7. Add finely chopped mushrooms and cook for 5 min
8. Add salt to the mixture and cook for 5 more minutes
9. After the mushroom wilts, add coconut milk. 
10. Dilute with water if necessary and bring to the boil.
11. Remove from flame and add seasoning and lemon juice and mix well

Ghee Rice

Ingredients
Basmati Rice- 1 cup
Coconut milk-1 cup
Water-1-1 1/2 cup depending on rice quality
Ghee- 2 tsp

Seasoning:
Bayleaf
Cardamom
Cinnamon
Clove
Saunf
Green Chilli-2 slit lengthwise


Method:
1. Wash the basmati rice well and place in pressure cooker. 
2. Add coconut milk and water.
3. Add ghee to the mixture and mix well.
4. After the first whistle from the cooker, reduce flame and allow to cook for 7-8 minutes.
5. Remove from flame and add seasoning sauted in 1 tsp of ghee. Mix well before serving.


Sunday, November 4, 2012

Peas Parantha

One of the first dishes that I created and experimented on my own with, did not learn from my mom and actually managed to add to her repertoire. She has of course improved on it and perfected it. It was pretty cool because I figured the recipe mostly by taste. I had it at some restaurant that I can't even recollect now and wanted to make it at home badly enough to figure out what went into it.

It was also the parantha on which I perfected the art of making nice, neatly rounded ones, I still can't make round rotis. I noticed the way all the parantha shop guys made paranthas like modaks and picking off the extra doughy bits to make a evenly filled parantha. I can safely say I have mastered the art of repeatedly rolling out beautiful paranthas.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup peas
Jeera powder- 1 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
2-3 green chillies
Salt to taste
Fresh coriander leaves
Ginger- small piece
2-3 pods garlic
Chapathi dough

Method:
1. Chop green chillies into fine pieces
2. Boil peas for 4-5 minutes on a pan with water, until soft.
3. Drain the water and place peas in mixer grinder jar along with green chillies.
4. Add all masalas and grind to a paste like consistency.
5. Add finely chopped fresh coriander leaves and garlic and ginger.
6. Make balls out of chapathi dough, make a hollow space with your fingers and place stuffing. Close the round and roll out into a parantha.
7. Place on pre heated tava, add oil on sides and surface and cook till brown. Repeat  on the other side.