Veg. Malai Kofta

Koftas are small, soft round balls of either minced meat, or vegetables seasoned with spices & cooked.

Ingredients: For Malai Kofta

1) 1 cup boiled & lightly grated vegetables such as carrots, french beans, green peas, corn etc.

2) 1 cup of grated paneer

3) 1 cup of boiled & grated potatoes

4) 5-6 chopped green chilies

5) 1 tbsp coriander powder

6) 1 tbsp cumin powder

7) 1 tbsp red chili powder (or less)

8) 1 tbsp chopped nuts (kaju)

9) Chopped fresh coriander

10) 2-3 tbsp corn flour

11) Oil for frying koftas

12) Salt to taste

Ingredients:For masala gravy

1) As given in chole masala. Prepare same masala. (2 tbsp)

2) 1 big chopped tomatoes

3) 1 tbsp powdered cashewnuts

4) Desired quantity of red chili powder

5) Salt & Sugar to taste

Method: For Malai Kofta

1) Place the boiled & lightly grated vegetables in a muslin cloth. Remove all water from the vegetables. Use the squeezed water in masala gravy.

2) In a big bowl, mix grated paneer, boiled & grated potatoes, boiled & grated vegetables.

3) In the above mixture, add coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, green chilies,nuts & salt. Mix the entire mixture properly. If the mixture is too soggy/wet, add little bread crumps or little corn flour.

4) Now roll the mixture into perfect round balls. Balls should be firm enough.

5) Roll the above balls into corn flour.

6) Deep fry the balls in oil until they are golden brown in color. Keep the stove on medium heat.

7) Now, into the masala gravy add chopped tomatoes & desired quantity of red chili powder. Heat the gravy for 5 mins on medium heat. Add 1/2 cup milk/cream.

8) Add the veg malai kofta into the masala gravy. Add salt & sugar to taste. Add powdered cashewnuts also.

9) If you feel, the gravy is too thick add little water or milk. Koftas should soak into the gravy.

10) Garnish the veg malai kofta with freshly chopped coriander & serve hot with naan, or chapati.
11) Add the koftas in the curry just before serving, otherwise they will dissolve.

Hyderabadi Veg Dum Biryani

I enjoy eating & preparing spicy, slightly sweet veg biryani.

Ingredients: Vegetables

1) 1 big onion

2) 1 big potato

3) 1/2 cauliflower

4) 1/4 kg fresh french beans

5) 1 small bowl green peas

6) 1 small bowl corn

7) 1 big capsicum

8) 2 medium size carrots

9) 8-10 sprigs of corriander
10) 15-20 pudina leaves

Masala:

1) 2-3 tsp mustard seeds

2) 2-3 tsp dhania powder

3) 2-3 tsp turmeric powder

4) 3-4 tbsp chili powder (I added more, i like spicy)

5) 3-4 tbsp garam masala/goda masala/biryani masala (u can also add whole garam masala)

6) 1/2 inch ginger

7) 4-5 garlic cloves

8) 2-3 fresh curry leaves

9) 2 dried bay leaves

10) 3-4 green chilies

11) 3 tbsp dessicated coconut

12) Refined vegetable oil/Pure ghee (Quantity of your choice. I added 4-5 tbsp, to make biryani delicious. You can add less also.)
13) 2-3 oil fried onions 

Dryfruits:

1) 10-12 fried cashewnuts

2) 1 tsp kesar mixed in milk
3) 10-12 kismiss

Grains & General Items:

1) 2 cups of basmati rice (Add 3 1/2 cups water to cook rice)

2) Sugar to taste

3) Salt to taste

4) 1 tbsp milk
5) 1 cup curd

6) Water

Method:

1) Chop all the vegetables finely & wash the rice thoroughly.

2) Heat the oil/ghee in a large frying pan/a large non-stick container. Add all the masala, cashewnuts, onion. Saute it for 5 mins on low flame.

3) Add all the vegetables.Cook the vegetables in oil/ghee. Once the vegetables are half cooked, add the curd. Cook the vegetables. In another container, cook the rice by adding desired quantity of water & salt. Cook everything on low-medium flame. Once the rice is done, pour the rice in a plate & separate the rice with a fork before it cools.

4) Once the rice & vegetables are properly cooked, mix them properly.

5) If required, add oil/ghee & red chili powder (oily & spicy biryani tastes good.)

6) Mix kesar in a small quantity of milk. Add this milk in biryani.

7) Add sugar, salt, coriander & pudina leaves to taste. Now, keep tawa on a low flame. Cover the container with silver foil.
Keep the container on hot tawa for 30-35 mins. Once, you see the steam coming, switch off the flame.

8) Remove the biryani in a serving plate & decorate it with dessicated coconut, deep fried onion, finely chopped corriander & pudina leaves. Serve it with raita.

(For egg biryani, the recipe will be the same. Instead, of vegetables add boiled eggs).

Masala Chole With Garlic Naan

Masala chole is one of my favorite vegetable dish in Indian cuisine. You can havechana masala with puri, bhatura or naan.

Ingredients: For Garlic Naan

1) 2 1/2 bowls maida

2) 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

3) 1/2 cup milk

4) 5-6 chopped garlic cloves

5) 2 tsp curd

6) 1/2 tsp baking soda

7) Sugar to taste

For Masala Chole

1) 3 cups cooked chickpeas

2) 2 medium size onions

3) 2 small chopped tomatoes

4) 3-4 dry red chilies

5) 1 bowl dry coconut powder

6) 1 tsp cumin seeds

7) 1 tsp coriander seeds

8) 1 tsp mustard seeds

9) 1 tsp ajwain

10) 2-3 cardamom

11) 2-3 cloves

12) 2-3 black pepper

13) 1/2 cinnamon stick
14) 1 bay leaf

15) 2 tsp turmeric powder

16) 3 tsp tamarind juice

17) 4-5 chopped garlic cloves

18) 1/2 inch chopped ginger

19) A pinch of asafoetida

20) 4-5 tbsp vegetable oil

21) Jaggery to taste (optional)

22) Salt to taste

23) 10-12 sprigs coriander

Method: For Garlic Naan

1) Mix maida with garlic, sugar, baking soda & curd.

2) In a bowl, mix yeast with milk. Add this mixture into the maida & make it into a dough.

3) Place a wet cloth on dough & keep the dough in a warm place for atleast 2 hours for fermentation.

4) After 2 hours, knead the dough with oil for 5 mins.

5) Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf balls. Roll of the balls into either triangular or circular shape like chapati.

6) Now, place the uncooked naan on a hot frying pan.

7) Cook until both sides of naan are brownish in color. Apply butter if required on both sides.

8) Hot naan is ready.

For Masala Chole

1) Soak chickpeas in water for overnight. On next day, add desired quantity of water to chickpeas & cook them in a pressure cooker until they become tender.

2) To prepare chole masala, take a nonstick container & add oil (1/2 tsp) in it.

3) Add onions & saute it until they are reddish brown. Shallow fry all the spices on a medium flame.

4) Keep the onions aside. Now, add 1/2 tsp oil in a nonstick container & shallow fry the red chilies for 2mins.

5) Keep the red chilies aside. Now, again add 1/2 tsp oil in a nonstick container & shallow fry the dry coconut powder for 2 mins.

6) Keep the dry coconut aside. Add 1/2 tsp oil in a nonstick container & shallow fry the remaining spices together namely, cumin seeds, ajwain, cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves, corriander seeds, black pepper.

7) Now mix all the spices in a plate namely onions, red chilies, coconut, ajwain, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves, corriander seeds, black pepper, garlic, ginger. Allow it to cool for 5-10 mins.

8) Add all the above spices & desired quantity of water in a mixer blender. Blend all the spices until it is semi-liquid & soft in texture.

9) Heat 5-6 tbsp oil in a nonstick container. Add bay leaf, mustard seeds, a pinch of asafoetida, turmeric & above masala. Allow it to cook for 15mins on a medium flame.

10) Add cooked chickpeas, tamarind juice, jaggery, salt & chopped tomatoes in the above masala. Allow it to cook for 15mins on a low flame.

11) Masala chole is ready. Garnish it with chopped coriander.

Butter Paneer

Butter Paneer is immensely popular in North India. It is typically eaten with roti, chapati or other Indian breads.
Ingredients:
1) 300gm Paneer
2) 2-3 Cloves
3) 2-3 Black pepper
4) 3 medium size tomatoes
5) 1/2 tsp chopped Garlic
6) 1/2 tsp Ginger paste
7) 2 chopped Green chilies
8) 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
9) 1 tsp Red chili powder
10) 1 tsp Garam masala
11) 1 tsp Dhania powder
12) 3/4 cup Heavy cream/milk
13) 1 tsp Oil
14) 2 tsp Butter
15) Honey/Sugar to taste
16) Salt to taste
17) Fresh corriander leaves

Method:
1) Heat the oil & butter in a container.
2) Add cloves, black pepper, garlic, ginger, turmeric powder, red chili powder, dhania powder, garam masala & green chilies into the container.
3) Prepare tomato puree. Add this, tomato puree into the container.
4) In another container, shallow fry the paneer on a low flame.
5) Once the paneer is shallow fried, mix the paneer & tomato puree together.
6) Add heavy cream, honey/sugar & salt.
7) Garnish the butter paneer with chopped corriander leaves.