Vegetable Pulav

Ingredients

• Long grained Basmati rice  -   1 kg
• Onion         -  1 medium ( thinly sliced )
• Tomato    -   1 medium
• Potato    -  1  medium ( cubed) 
• Carrot   -  1  big ( round slices )
• Green peas  -  a hand full ( partially cooked or previously soaked )
• Beans   -  5 - 6 nos. ( cut into 1 inch pieces )
• Capsicum -    1 medium (sliced)
• Spring Onion   - 1/2  cup
• Black pepper powder   -   1 tbs
• Lemon juice   -  1   lemon
• Ginger garlic paste   -  2 tsp
• Garam masala powder   -  1  tsp
• Salt   -  accordingly
• Water    -   1 1/2 cup for 1 cup rice 
• Gheee / olive oil   -   1/2  cup

Method

Soak the rice for half an hour. Meanwhile in a large pan, add olive oil or ghee and saute the onion till translucent. Now add the tomatoes and ginger  garlic paste. Keep adding the other veggies (you can also use other veggies of your choice ) one by one and fry in the oil for 5 minutes on high flame. Add salt, lemon juice ( lemon juice avoids sticky rice), garam masala and black pepper powder.  Add water and bring to boil. Drain the rice and cook in it on medium flame till done. Pour over more ghee or oil and give  a gentle mixing.

              You can decorate with parsley or coriander leaves.  Relish with raita or green chutney. 

Chilly Chicken

Ingrediants

• Chicken   -  1 kg ( cut into very small pieces)
•  Onion   -  3  big  or  5 medium  (sliced lengthwise)
• Capsicum  -  1  big  ( sliced lengthwise )
• Tomato  - 1 big  ( sliced lengthwise )
• Tomato ketchup  -  3 tbs
• Soya sauce   -  1 tbs 

Spices for marinating

• Red chilly powder  -  1 tbs
• Turmeric  powder   -  1 tsp
• Black pepper powder  -  1 tbs
• Garam masala powder  -  1  tsp
• Ginger garlic paste   -  1 tbs
• Salt  -  to taste

Method

Marinate the chicken for atleast half an hour. Deep fry in oil. do not over fry. Transfer to a pan and fry the onion, capsicum and tomato one after the other in the same oil. Mix with the chicken in the pan and add soya sauce, ketchup and if needed salt and more pepper powder. Tastes woderful with kulcha, naan and chapathi.

Irani Pola

Ingredients

For Masala

• Chicken    -  250 gm
• Red chilly powder  -  1 tsp
• Turmeric powder  -   1/2  tsp
• Pepper  powder  -  1/4 tsp
• Onion   -  2 big sliced
• Turmeric powder  -  1/4 tsp
• Ginger & garlic  - 1 tsp
• Green chilly   -   2  (chopped)
• Garam masala powder -  2 pinch
• Coriander leaves  -   chopped
•  Ghee  -  for greasing
• Oil   -  2 tbs

Method

Cook the chicken with red chilly powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder and salt. Mince the chicken and keep it aside. Heat oil in a pan and add the sliced onion and saute till transparent.  Then add the green chilly, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder and salt. Saute well. Add the minced chicken  to it and cook for about 5 minutes. Finally add garam masala and coriander leaves. 

For Pola

Ingredients

• Egg   -  5
• Milk  -  1 cup
• Maida   - 1 cup
• Oil  -  3/4 cup
• Pepper Powder   -  1 tsp
• Salt   -  to taste

Method

Blend all the ingredients . Grease a nonstick pan and pour half of the mixture. Then put the masala evenly  when the mixture is half done.  Pour the remaining mixture on top of the masala. Decorate with thinly sliced cucumber, capsicum and carrot.

Shahi Paneer

Ingredients

• Paneer   -  200grm
• Cashew nuts   -  1/4 cup
• Milk    -  3tbs
• Cardamom     -  2
• Onion    - 2 thinly sliced
• Green Chilly   - 2chopped
• Tomato   -  3 chopped
• Ginger (chopped )   -  1/2 tsp
• Red chilly powder   -  1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder   -   1/2tsp
• Turmeric powder     - 1/4 tsp
• Tomato sauce      -  1 tbs optional
• Garam masala powder    -  a pinch
• Kasurimethi      -  1/2  tsp
• Water     -   3/4  cup
• Fresh Cream  - 1/4 cup
• Coriander leaves    -   2 tbs
• Salt   -   to taste
• Oil    -   4 tbs

Method

1. Soak the paneer cubes in medium hot water till the gravy is ready. 
2. Grind the cashew nuts to a fine paste adding 3 tbs milk.
3. Heat 2 tbs oil in a pan, add cardamom saute for few seconds.Add onion and salt and saute till soft. Add green chilly and ginger and saute till nice aroma appear, add the tomatoes and cook till soft. Remove from the flame and leave it to cool. Grind it to fine paste (can remove cardamom if you do not like the flavor ). 
4. Heat 2 tbs oil in a pan over medium flame, add red chilly powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder and saute till the raw smell disappear.Add the ground onion / tomato paste, cashew paste and tomato sauce and cook over low  flame for about 2 - 3 minutes.
5. Add garam masala  powder, kasurimethi and 3/4 cup of water and bring it to boil.Add the paneer cubes to the prepared gravy and cook for about 3 - 4 minutes.
6. Add fresh cream and coriander leaves and combine well. Remove from flame and serve hot. 

Kabsa Rice

Ingredients

• Sella basmati rice    -  1kg
• Beef   -  1/2kg 
• Olive oil    -   3tsp
• Onion    -   1big
• Garlic   -  1(whole)
• Tomatoes  -    3big

Ground kabsa  spices  

• Coriander powder  -  1 tbs
• Red chillly powder  -   1/2tsp
• Turmeric powder   -    1/2 tsp 
• Black pepper powder  -    1tsp
• Garam masala powder  -     1tsp

   Kabsa whole spices     

• Cardamom   -  3
• Cloves   -   3
• Cinamom stick   - 1 big
• Coriander seeds   -   1 tsp
•  Whole blackpepper   -   1tsp
• Fennel seeds   -  1/2 tsp
• Bay leaf     -   1

Main kabsa ingredient               

• Olive oil   -  5 tbs
• Dried whole blacklemon   -   1  (this is usually available in the gulf region,but nowadays available elsewhere inside 'kabsa kit')

Method

Soak sella basmati rice in water for 1 hour. Meanwhile ,in a large pan or preferably pressure cooker, Pour 3tbs of olive oil and splutter the whole spices. Saute a roughly cut onion, add the beef to it. Put in the ground spices, salt, black lemon and mix well. Now blend the tomatoes and garlic in a cup of water using a juicer and pour in. Cook till 3/4 done. Add enough water to the gravy (about 1 1/4 cup of water to a cup of sella rice) and bring to boil. Add salt accordingly. Cook the rice till no more water is left in the pan. Switch off the flame and dash over the kabsa a generous amount of olive oil (about 5tbs) and toss over gently.

Tomato sauce

Ingredients

 Tomato   -  2
 Garlic     -  5
 Green chilly -   3
 Shallot  -    1

Method

Blend in all the ingredients to make a yummy sauce!

* You can also use other cooking oil but olive oil enhances the taste of kabsa and gives it a unique aroma....olive oil is the best because it lowers cholesterol and it also has many health benefits.

Chicken Kadai (Home Style)

Ingredients

• Chicken      -  500 gm
• Tomato       -  2 medium size
• Garlic paste - 1 tbs
• ghee            -  3 tbs
• Curd           -  1/4 cup
• Cream        -  2 tbs
• Coriander powder -  1 tbs
• Turmeric powder  -  1/2 tsp
• Red chilly powder -  1 tbs
• Garam masala -  1/2 tsp
• Salt                -  to taste

Method

In a kadai, mix the chicken ( cut into small pieces) and diced tomato and saute on a medium flame till the tomato softens. Now add garlic paste and 1 tbs ghee. Mix well and add all the other spices. Add the curd and cook on low flame till the chicken is tender. When done, blend in the cream and the leftover ghee to the gravy and mix well. 

* Fumigate with coal for a typical unique taste.

For Fumigation

Burn 3 pieces of coal and place on a small steel bowl and carefully keep inside the kadai. Pour 1 tbs oil or ghee onto the smoking coal and quickly cover with a tight lid so that the smoke doesn't escape out.

Layered Chapatti / Square Chapatti

Ingredients

• Wheat Flour (Aatta)     -  2 cup
• Cooking Oil                  -  1 tbs
• Ghee                           -   2 tsp
• Salt                             -  to taste

 Method

Knead the aatta with plain water and salt. Keep this aside for 1 hour so that it become  very soft to roll out.  Make balls approximately 12 nos. Roll out to make chapatis. Spread the ghee a little onto the center of the chapati and fold into 4, such a way that the ghee doesn't leak out.

Now roll again to make small chapatti. Add maida or wheat flour for easy rolling. Fry both sides on a thawa by  adding oil and ghee mix. (Mix and keep the rest of the ghee and oil for this purpose).