Hyderabadi lamb curry

 The lamb curry I made today is super delicious and would be great with paratha or Zeera Rice

Hyderabadi lamb curry (Lamb cooked in spicy nutty gravy)

Hyderabadi Lamb Curry

Marinade Ingredients :

1. 1 lb lamb cut into 1 inch cubes
2. 1 teaspoon each of ginger garlic paste, chilli powder, coriander powder, ghee (clarified butter)
3. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin powder, garam masala powder
4. 1 tablespoon lemon juice
5. 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
6. 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt
7. 1 tablespoon each of fresh coriander leaves and mint leaves chopped

Ingredients:

1. 2 tablespoons oil

Paste Ingredients :

1. 1 tablespoon oil
2. 1 medium small onion sliced (and fried)
3. 1 tablespoon each of almonds, cashew
4. 2 tablespoon frozen or fresh grated coconut (thawed)
5. 2 garlic cloves
6. 1 inch ginger piece peeled (about an inch thick)

Wash the lamb pieces and marinate it with all the ingredients in the marinade list and set aside for 30-60 minutes.

In a pan heat 1 tablespoon oil and fry the onions till they become dark brown.

Soak the almonds and cashews in 1/2 cup water for 10 minutes.

Grind all the ingredients in the paste ingredients list and set aside

In a pressure cooker heat the oil and add the lamb and fry on high flame for 5 minutes. Stir a couple of times. Close the cooker and cook for 3 whistles. Cut the heat and let all the steam escape. Add the paste and another 1/2 cup water and cook for 10 minutes. if the gravy becomes too thick add some water and stir well.

Serve with paratha or Zeera rice

Bottle gourd shrimp curry

 I was looking for something new for dinner and I stumbled upon this Bengali recipe with some gourd and shrimp and it looked super delicious and I improvised it with bottle gourd and it turned out to be spectacular. So here you go

Bottle gourd shrimp curry (Spicy curry with bottle gourd and shrimp)

Bottle gourd shrimp curry

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium to large bottle gourd peeled, cored and cut into quarters length wise and sliced into 1/2 inch thick 1-1.5 inch ling strips (quarter circles)
2. 12-16 oz medium small shrimp peeled and deveined
3. 1 medium small onion sliced
4. 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
5. 1 tablespoon oil
6. 1 teaspoon of salt divided
7. 1 teaspoon each of chilli powder, coriander powder, onion seeds (kalonji)
8. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
9. Cilantro for garnishing

Clean the shrimp and add 1/4 teaspoon salt and turmeric, mix and set aside for 10 minutes

In a pan heat the oil and fry the drained shrimp for 1 minute. Drain and set aside. In the same pan add the onion seeds (add 1/2 tablespoon more oil if needed) and fry for a minute. Add the onions and fry till they start becoming dark brown. Add ginger garlic paste and try and fry for a minute. Add the bottle gourd pieces and add salt and cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and cover and cook for 10 more minutes. Add all the spices and cook on medium high flame for 5-7 minutes until the curry is semi dry. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy with white rice and dal

Cabbage Kheer

 Kheer is nothing but a milk based sweet pudding dish with either rice or vermicelli traditionally. It is not as thick as pudding but thin in consistency. But as we have come to know to cook with more varieties of grains, the kheer has also evolved. Below are a couple of Kheer recipes.

Sabudaana seviyah kheer

Quinoa Kheer

The Kheer is made today is mainly made with Cabbage a little bit of vermicelli. Because there was vermicelli...the picky eaters in my family had no clue they were eating cabbage >:)

Cabbage Kheer (Cabbage cooked in sweet milk)

Cabbage Vermicelli kheer

Ingredients:

1. 3 cups thinly sliced cabbage
2. 1 cup fine vermicelli (optional)
3. 1 tablespoon each of cashews, raisins, almonds
4. 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
5. 3 cups milk
6. 2/3-1 cup milk
7. 2 teaspoon ghee/clarified butter
8. 1 teaspoon rose essence or 2 cardamom crushed

Heat the ghee in a heavy bottomed pan add fry all the dry fruits, drain and set aside.

In the same pan add the cabbage and fry for 5 minutes. Add the milk and cook for 15 -20 minutes until the cabbage becomes tender. Add the sugar and cook further for 10 minutes. Add the rose water or cardamom and add the fine vermicelli if using. Give it a stir. Sprinkle with the dry fruits and poppy seeds and enjoy hot kheer on a cold winter day

Roasted Eggplant and Black Eyed Peas

 Its new year and inevitable every year there is always an article about what foods are eaten on Jan 1st for good luck. And in the South of the USA, Black Eyed Peas are eaten.

I have a couple of Black Eyed recipes from before

Black Eyed Peas and Cabbage

Turkey Sausage with Black Eyed Peas

But this time I made with the roasted eggplants and yum yum yum is all I have to say

Roasted Eggplant and Black Eyed Peas (Black eyed peas cooked with roasted eggplant with Indian Spices)

Roasted Eggplant and Black Eyed Peas

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium eggplant horizontally sliced and drizzled with a bit of an oil and roasted on an open flame for 5 minutes on each side ( I roast them on my stove top flame)
2. 1 can black eyed peas drained or 1 cup dried black eyed peas soaked over night and cooked in a cooker for 3 whistles with 2 cups of water
3. 1 teaspoon each of salt, cumin, red chilli powder
4. 2 teaspoon coriander powder
5. 1 medium onion chopped fine
6. 1 teaspoon graded ginger
7. chopped fresh coriander/cilantro  for garnish
8. 1 tablespoon oil

Leave the roasted eggplant covered in a plate for 5- 10 minutes. Scrape the meat out of the skin and mash it so that there is are no big pieces or long strands of flesh.

In an pan heat the oil and add the chopped onions and fry until they start becoming brown. Add the ginger and give it a quick stir. Add the roasted eggplant and all the spices and mix well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the drained black eyed peas and 1 cup water or the contents of the cooker. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy on a New Year's day with Roti or Rice

Creamy Thai Egg Yellow Curry

 There is this Chinese grocery store in Alabama which has the Thai curry pastes. The last time we visited this place, we got all the three colored curry pastes...the Yellow, Green and Red. 

Yesterday for dinner, I made a creamy egg curry with the yellow curry paste. It was very delicious. I served it with Roti...the Indian wheat bread

Creamy Thai Egg Yellow Curry (Beaten eggs cooked in Thai yellow curry gravy)

Creamy Thai Egg Yellow Curry

Ingredients

1. 3 tablespoons Thai yellow curry paste
2. 1/3 cup frozen grated coconut thawed and ground to paste with 1/2 cup water
3. 4 oz fully cooked salad shrimp thawed (optional)
4. 4 eggs lightly beaten
5. 1 tablespoon oil
6. salt as needed
7. 1 medium small onion finely chopped
8. 1 medium tomato finely chopped

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions until they start becoming brown. Add the Thai yellow curry paste and the tomotos and cook for 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and the coconut paste and stir to combine and cook for 5 more minutes. Raise the flame to high and let the curry come to a rolling boil. Add the beaten egg to the pot and cover and let cook for 2 minutes. Remove the lid and stir to combine. Let the curry boil further for 3-5 more minutes.

Give it a taste test and add salt if desired. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and enjoy with rice or roti

Steamed Sooji breakfast

 I have made and tried all of the below types of idliClassic Plain Idli

Carrot Idli

Ravva Idli

Mint Idli

Corn Meal Idli

Ravva Idli #2

Instant Idli
Masala Oats Ravva Idli
Raagi Idli

But its time to try something else. After all Variety is what keeps life interesting. So I made this recipe I found and it turned out pretty good. I used a round cake pan to steam it in a wide pan (helpful when you do not have the special idli steamer) . Next time I will just use the idli pan.

Sooji Idli (Steamed Semolina breakfast)

Sooji idli dokhla with coco-nut chutney

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup roasted semolina (Sooji)
2. 1/2 cup yogurt
3. 1 teaspoon lemon juice
4. 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt
5. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6. 1/4 cup each of finely chopped onions, capsicum , coriander leaves, carrots
7. 1-2 green chillies finely chopped if desired
8. oil for oiling the dish
9. 1/2 teaspoon chat masala to sprinkle on top (optional)
10. bigger pan for steaming

Add some water to a pan and start heating it. Oil a cake pan which will fit in the pan being used for steaming.

Mix the sooji and yogurt well along with a 1 cup of water and salt. Add the vegetables and mix well. Set it aside  for 10 minutes. If the batter looks too thick add about 1/2 more cup water and mix well. Add the lemon juice and baking soda and stir to combine.

Add this batter to the oiled cake pan. Sprinkle with chat masala if using . Put it in the bigger pan for steaming, cover and reduce heat to medium low. Steam for 16-18 minutes. Cut the heat and let it sit there for 5 minutes.Take it out and flip the "cake" onto a plate. Let it cool for 5 minutes and cut into desired shapes and enjoy with your favorite chutney or as is

Sweet and spicy shaved steak

 I think the shaved steak is a European way of meat because when Lidl...the European grocery store, opened up and  started carrying shaved steak the other regular American grocery stores around us started carrying the shaved steak also.

         I like the shaved steak quite a bit. The texture is great and I usually either make a beef staganoff with it or vermicelli with beef. Super delicious. But I have never deep friend the shaved steak like this before. I found this recipe and I followed it and boy o'boy...its one of the most delicious and melt in your mouth shaved steak.

Sweet and spicy shaved steak (Deep fried shaved steak in sweet and spicy sauce)

Sweet and spicy shaved steak

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb shaved steak
2. 1 teaspoon each of grated ginger and grated garlic
3. 2 tablespoons soya sauce
4. 1 tablespoon sesame oil
5. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper
6. 1 egg
7. 2 tablespoons corn starch
8. oil for deep frying.
9. Store bough sweet chilli sauce

Separate the shaved steak and ingredient from #2-#5 and set it aside for 20-30 minutes. Beat the egg lightly and mix the steak well.

Heat the oil. Add the corn starch and mix well.

Separate the meat into 1 inch big portions and fry for 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally so that all sides get fried evenly. Drain and fry the rest of the meat in batches. Do not over crow the pan otherwise the meat will all stick together and lump up.

Add 2-3 tablespoons of chilli sauce or more if you like and enjoy with noodles or sticky rice