Bengali lamb curry

So... There has been a new addition to my extended family from west Bengal-one of the north eastern states of India with a very distinct cuisine. 

      So, it was the inspiration for me to search for a Bengali lamb curry and bioy oh boy , it turned out super yummy. I will be making it more often 

Bengali lamb curry ( lamb in sweet and spicy gravy)

Ingredients

1 lb lamb cut into 1 in cubes

1 tablespoon oil 

1 medium large onion chopped

2 green chillies

1 heaped teaspoon ginger garlic paste

Ingredients for marinade

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 teaspoon each of brown sugar, ground mustard, oil (preferably mustard oil) ( I used canola)

1/2 teaspoon each of salt, chilli powder, turmeric

Marinade the lamb pieces in the marinade for minimum 30 minutes .

In a pressure cooker heat the oil ( the original recipe called for mustard oil, but I did not have any. So I used canola and fried 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds till they started to splutter) and add onions. fry the onions till they start turning brown. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for 1-1.5 minutes. Add slit green chillies and fry for 30 seconds. Add marinated lamb and fry for 5-7 minutes. Stir to combine, add 1/4 cup water and cook for 3-5 whistles. 

Let the steam escape, open the cooker and simmer till the gravy reaches your desired consistency.

The original recipe calls for garnishing with toasted almond slices but I skipped it.

Serve with vegetable fried rice or plain white rice and enjoy 

Persian lentil curry

Little Mr. Junior who used to just loooooovvvveeee the indian dal or sambar recently had a change in his tastes and doesn't want to eat rice with dal anymore. But that being a staple food in a house, I am seriously stuck. SO am searching for new ways to make lentils and today is the persian way of making red lentils or masoor dal

Persian Lentil soup (Tangy Red lentils made with vegetables)

                                  

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup each of red lentils or masoor dal, grated carrots, thinly sliced onions
2. 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes
3. 1 tablespoon oil
4. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric, chilli powder, salt, finely chopped garlic
5. 2 tablespoons lemon juice

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions till golden brown, take a tablespoon out and set it aside. Add the carrots and garlic and fry for a few minutes. Add tomatoes and all the spices but hold the salt and fry for 5 minutes. Add 3 cups water and the lentils and bring to a boil and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the lentils are soft. Add the lemon juice and salt ans garnish with the fried onions set aside and cilantro and serve.

Enjoy

Egg biryani

                                                   

Its been such a gloomy weather lately, winter just landed with a thud. We haven't seen the sun in 10 days. Its been raining non stop...man it feels more awful as I right it LOL

So...I was craving something hot and spicy and for some reason I wanted Egg Biryani...to top it of, I never had egg biryani in my life. But the recipe I followed helped me make the most delicious rice dish I ever tasted. It will be a regular in my house for sure.

Oh...and the pink spots on the eggs in my dish is because the previous day I used my cutting board to cut beetroot and even though I washed it, the color was still there and it colored my eggs when I peeled and put them on the cutting board

Egg Biryani (Spicy rice with boiled eggs)

Egg Biryani

                                             

Ingredients:

1. 2 cup of  basmati rice
2. 2 tbsp oil
3. A small bunch of  coriander leaves (cilantro)
4. A small bunch of  mint leaves
5. 2 green chillies
6. 2-3 cloves of  garlic
7. 2" piece of  ginger
8. 1.5 cups of  large onions, sliced thin
9. 1 cup  tomato finely chopped
10. 1/2 tsp of  red chilli powder (adjust to taste), cumin powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder
11. 1 cups of  thick coconut milk (optional)
12. 1 teaspoon  biryani masala or Hyderabadi Hara masala 
13. 1 tsp of  ginger garlic paste (freshly made is best)
14. 6 eggs hard boiled
15. 1/4 cup of  cashew nuts and more coriander leaves and mint leaves, for garnish

Hard boil the eggs and keep aside.
In a pan and heat 2 tablespoon oil. Add the cashew nuts and fry until golden. Drain and set aside.

 To the same pan, add half of the sliced onions. Fry until golden, drain and set aside. Add the rice and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add it to a rice cooker and cook it.

 Grind together - coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chillies, ginger, garlic with salt.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil and fry the rest of the onions until brown. Add the ground paste and fry for another 30 seconds or so. Or add 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste and the Hyderabadi hara masala and fry for a minute. Add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Add the spices and powders - coriander, turmeric, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, chilli powder. Add the coconut milk and 1/2 cup water and cook for 10 more minutes on low flame. Mix the masala well. Add the rice and mix well and reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes. Keep stirring occasionally. Garnish with the fried onions, cashew and cilantro and the boiled eggs. Enjoy steaming hot

Rava idli

So, there are other kinds of idlis than just the regular one which needs planning ahead by 2 days....but when you are short of time and you want to eat an idli right now, then this is the idli . Super fast and delicious.

Ravva idli( streamed sampling dumplings )

Ravva idli with beet root

  Ingredients 

1. 1 cup upma ravva or samolina
2. 1 tablespoons+ extra oil for basting the idli molds
3. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, mustard seeds, salt and baking soda
4. 1 teaspoon Chana dal soaked in water for 10 minutes
5. 1/2 cup plain yogurt
6. 1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
7. 1 tablespoon each of finely chopped ginger, green chillies and cilantro, cashew
8. 2 tablespoons finely chopped onions
9. 1 tablespoon each of grated carrot, beetroot, cabbage

In a pan heat the oil and fry the cumin, mustard seeds, few curry and fry for a minute. Add cashew and fry for a minute. Add Chana Dal and all the veggies and fry for 5 more minutes. Add soji and fry/roast for 5-7 minutes.

In a bowl mix the yogurt with lemon juice , salt, baking soda and 1 cup water. Let the soji cool a bit and add this to the yogurt. Add more water to get the consistency of a thick pan cake batter.

Prepare the idli pans by applying oil with a finger. Add a tablespoon of batter. Stream in a cooler for 15 minutes. Enjoy with your favorite chutney 

Chunky bean and chicken soup

So... I went to the dentist today...mmm you figure out the rest and its soup for dinner

Chunky bean and chicken soup

This soup/ chilli is sooo simple, delicious and hardy I love it. You will love it too

Ingredients 

1. 1 large can fire roasted tomatoes ground to purée

2. 1 can beans in mild chilli sauce 

3. 1/2-1lb chicken breasts cubed small

4. 1 tablespoons oil

5. 1/2 cup finely chopped onions

6. 2 large garlic grated

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions till translucent. Add garlic and fry for 30 seconds. Add chicken and fry through. Add tomato purée, beans with the sauce and 1 cup chicken stock or water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Enjoy with any crusty bread

Meat empanadas

Lately I have been making things at home which the kids can just heat up in the microwave and eat and won't go bad super fast. This empanada recipe from the food network is my favorite and and filling is ofcourse my own recipe.

Meat Empanada (Meat turnovers)

Meat empanada

Meat or lamb filling

Ingredients for the crust:

1. 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2. 1 teaspoon salt
3. 1 teaspoon sugar
4. 3 tablespoons oil
5. 1 egg, beaten

Combine flour, salt, and sugar and mix well. Add the oil and mix. Add the egg and mix well and add water one tablespoon at a time until dough comes together and is pliable.Set aside.

Take a small golf ball sized dough and roll into 4-5 inch circle. Add 1-1.5 tablespoons filling. Dip your finger in water and run it over the edges and turoldnover on edge to cover the filling. Press the edges with a fork to create the pattern.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30-40 minutes until the empanadas look golden brown. Let it cool a bit before serving

Soya chunk in coconut gravy

Soya chunks is something my mom did not like, so  needless to say she never made it. In my whole life in India, my mom might have made it once and the second time I ate it, was when one of my colleagues/lecturer's brought it for lunch and offered it to me for tasting when I was curious.

But my hubby likes it. I am not a super fan of them but I am not avers to them like my mom. So I do make it. And today I made a recipe with soya chunks in coconut gravy and it was yum yum.

Soya Chunks in coconut gravy

Ingredients

1. Soya Chunks - 1/2 cup
2. 1/2 teaspoon each of ginger garlic paste, salt, chilly powder, turmeric, cumin seeds
3. Coriander powder - 1 tsp
4. Oil - 1 tbsp
5. Few curry leaves
6. 2 dried red chilli

 To grind:

1. Coconut - 2 tbsp
2. Pepper - 1/2 tsp
3. Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
4. Onion - 1 medium sized
5. Tomato - 2 medium sized

 In a microwave safe bowl heat about 2 cups of water for 1-1.5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to it and mix and add the soya chunks to it. And let sit for 20 minutes. Drain them and squeeze as much water out of them as possible. Set aside.

Ass 1/2 tablespoon oil Add the onion and fry for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and fry for 5-7 more minutes., Let it cool a bit and grind to a paste along with the rest of the ingredients under "to grind".

In a pan heat the remaining oil - add  cumin, mustard seeds, dried red chillies, curry leaves and fry until the seeds start to splutter. Add the ground paste, ginger garlic paste along with all the powdered ingredients and stir to combine. Add the drained/squeezed soya chunks, 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes on medium heat and serve

 

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