Biryani

Biryani Made Easy...

Serves 3

Soak 2 cups of Basmathi Rice in water for 15 minutes. Drain water out. In a utensil, take 2 cups of water, and 2 cups of milk, add the rice, 1/2 inch cinnamon, 4 cloves, 4 cardamom, 1 bay leaf cut into pieces, 1 tsp ghee, 1 tsp salt. keep in a cooker and  pressure cook for 10 mins on medium flame or until 2 whistles.
open and let it cool.

in a wok, take 1 tsp butter/ghee, add 1and 1/2 cup mixed veggies, salt. saute. cover for 5 minutes on medium flame. add 2 medium tomatoes finely chopped, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1/2 tsp tumeric powder, saute and keep covered on medium flame for another 10 minutes. saute in between. add biryani masala, mix well, and cook for another 3-4 mins uncovered. masala is ready. (do not make a gravey)

take 2 tsp ghee in a pan, saute sliced onions until brown, take out. keep aside. likewise, brown a handful of cashews.

in a greased utensil (that fts in a cooker), place 2/3 of the rice, then layer the whole of the masala. then layer with the remaining rice. top with the browned onions and cashews. pressure cook this for 5 mins or give 1 whistle. Biryani is ready to eat...

if u like it spicy, just add a couple of slit green chillies after the 1st layer of rice...

Hot and Spicy Macaroni

Serves 4
Boiling Macaroni
Take 8 large cups of water, bring to boil. Add sufficient salt, 1 tbsp oil and 3 large cups of macaroni. once it starts to boil, simmer for 15 minutes, stirring in between. check if it is cooked. cooking time for macaroni differs depending on the brand. once boiled, strain excess water. rinse in cold water, strain, add 2 tsp oil, mix well and keep aside.

How to Proceed
slice/dice/chop veggies like carrots, French beans, cauliflower, peas, etc (nothing fancy like olives, jalapeños, babycorn). need about 1 cup of mixed veggies. take 1 tbsp oil, add these veggies, salt to taste, fry until soft. take out and keep aside.
8-10 cloves of garlic, 1/4 inch ginger, 4-5 dry red chillies,- to be blended into paste using little water if needed. (or you can soak the red chillies overnight in 2 tsp vinegar and 1/4 cup water. if you do, remember NOT not add vinegar again)
take 2 tsp oil, add the paste, saute for 2-3 minutes, add the veggies, macaroni, 3tsp vinegar, 1/2 tsp soy sauce (optional), 1/4 cup water, saute on medium flame. then add 1/2 large cup coriander, mix well. you can also add finely chopped green chilli if you want it too spicy. saute for another 2-3 minutes.
Hot and Spicy Macaroni is ready to eat.
you can also add grated cheddar/mozerella cheese.

Paneer Kofta Kurma

Serves 4
Home made paneer
Take 2 ltrs of millk, bring to boil, add 1/2 lemon and boil it on a low flame until water is separated. strain it after it cools.

Paneer Kofta
Take paneer, add 2 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1 small onion finely chopped, 1 green chilli finely chopped, corriander leaves optional, 1/2 tsp tumeric, salt to taste. mix well. to this, add gram flour and rice flour at 3:2 ratio or as much as required to bind it into small paneer balls. make sure the paneer balls do not have any crack in them. roll them in rava and deep fry.

Kurma
first, take 2 cups of coconut, 1 cup corriander leaves, 7-8 cloves garlic, 1 inch ginger, 2-3 green chillies and blend it into a paste. keep aside.
in a saucepan, take 2tbsp refined oil, add 1/2 tsp jeera, 3 cardamom, 1/2 inch cinnamon, 4-5 cloves, 1 bay leaf, add 1 finely chopped onion, let it brown, add 2 medium sized tomatoes, 1/2 tsp garam masala powder and salt to taste. let oil separate.
add coconut mixture prepared before. mix well. add milk/ water for consistency.

Kurma is ready. (just add boiled veggies or white channa with potato n capsicum instead of paneer kofta for regular kurma)

Paneer Kofta Kurma

Just add the kofta to the kurma, 1/2 cup water and let it simmer for 5-7 mins until the koftas are soft. Serve hot with Puri or roti.

Baked Veggies In Cream Sauce

Very east and extremely tasty....

Dice veggies like red/yellow capsicum, carrot, french beans, broccoli florets, cauliflower, mushroom, babycorn, add peas, and sweet corn. drizzle 2-3 tsp extra virgin olive oil, salt to taste and bake in a pre-heated oven for 10 mins at 200 C. mix in between.

in a mixer, take 1 cup cream (i use amul), 2-3 cloves of garlic, 1/2 tsp pepper pwd, 1/3 cup cheese, salt to taste. blend it so it mixes well. add this to the baked veggies and bake it for 5 mins at 200 C.

Chilli Garlic Spaghetti

The easiest recipe for spaghetti lovers...
recipe for 2

Boiling Spaghetti

Bring water to boil, add sufficient salt. then add the spaghetti, without breaking it. this will give u long strands. strain the water, keep aside. save 1 cup if the same water for later.

grind 6-7 cloves of garlic with 4 dry red chillies. if u like it hot n spicy, add more chilli.
take a saucepan, 2 tbsp oil (refined or olive oil), add sliced onions, let it brown, add chopped veggies like carrot, french beans, cauliflower etc, salt to taste, cover it and let it cook, saute in between. when cooked, transfer to a bowl.
in the same saucepan, add 1 tsp oil and the chilli garlic paste. saute for 2-3 mins. add the veggies. saute for another 2 mins. add the spaghetti and the water used to boil the spaghetti. mix well. saute on medium flame till the water is evaporated. Garnish with chopped coriander.

Spicy hot Chilli Garlic Spaghetti is ready to eat...

Brown Rice topped with Roasted Veggies and Baked in cheese sauce

Absolutely delicious...

For Brown Rice
Soak 1 cup brown rice for 4-5 hours.
in a pressure cooker, saute 1 large onion until golden, add 3 cloves of finely chopped garlic, saute for 2 mins. add the brown rice, 2 1/2 cups of water (different brown rice takes different amount of water and cooking time. check and proceed), bring to boil and close the lid. once cooked, let it cool and then separate the rice using a fork.

for roasted vegetables
choose vegetables of your liking,,, like capsicum, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, babycorn, mushrooms, etc.3 cups of mixed vegetables, 4 cloves of finely chopped garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil and salt to taste. Mix them well and spread on a baking dish. bake them on a pre-heated oven at 200 C for 15-20 mins, mix once in between.

For cheese sauce
Prepare white sauce first - Melt 2 tbsp butter on a sauce pan over low heat. Add 2 tbsp flour (maida), keep stirring for 2 mins. do not brown. Add 1 cup milk and continue cooking over low flame, stir until sauce thickens. salt and pepper to taste.
once the white sauce is prepared, add another cup of milk and continue stirring (add salt to taste). add 1 tsp of mixed herbs, 1tsp chilli flakes and 1/2 cup grated cheddar + mozzarella cheese. bring to boil.

bring them all together
in a baking dish, layer the brown rice, topped with the roasted veggies, and cover with the cheese sauce. bake this (before serving) on a pre-heated oven at 220 C for 15 minutes.