Rajma Curry

This is the most favored dish of northern part of india; it's very delicious and easy to prepare. You can have it with steamed rice or hot chapattis.

Serving: 3 people

Ingredients:

1. Rajma (red kidney beans) - 1 cup (100/125gms)
2. Cooking Oil (sunflower) - 3 Tbsp
3. Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 tsp
4. Onion (finely chopped) - 2 No (big ones or 3 medium ones)
5. Tomatoes (finely chopped) - 2 medium ones
6. Green Chillis (spilt) - 2 No
7. Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tsp
8. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
9. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
10. Rajma masala powder - 2-3 tsp
11. Salt - 2 tsp (or as per taste)
12. Butter - 1 tsp

Preparation:

• Soak Rajma overnight in a bowl with sufficient water (or soak for 4 Hrs in warm water)
• Drain out the water from the bowl and wash rajma once in water and put in pressure cooker for boiling with sufficient water and 1 tsp of salt at medium flame.
• Rajma will be cooked after 5-6 whistles; switch off the flame and keep aside the cooker (don't release the steam from cooker)
• Take a deep frying pan and keep it on high flame; once it is heated add cooking oil to it.
• Once Oil is heated add jeera and green chillis to it and stir for 15-20 secs; then add chopped onions. Reduce the flame to medium and stir the mix at regular intervals till onion color changes to light brown.
• Then add the ginger-galic paste and 1 tsp of salt and mix well; after 1min add the chopped tomatoes and stir well at regular intervals.
• Take a small bowl and mix all the masalas (turmeric, chilli powder, rajma masala powder) with little water and make a thin paste.
• After the tomatoes seem to be cooked a little add the thin paste of masalas to it and mix well. Keep stirring for 1 min.
• Add the boiled rajma from cooker and mix well with masala and keep stirring at regular interval for another 2-3mins. Then add the left over boiled water in cooker to it (add as you like to make your gravy). Leave it till water starts to boil and you see bubble formation on top.
• Once the gravy starts boiling properly add 1 tsp of butter on top and switch off the flame.

Enjoii this lovely dish with steamed rice.

Veg Fried Rice

This is one of the most favored dish around the world i guess... :-) Its easy to prepare and delicious too... Here are the steps to prepare it.

Serving: 2-3 People

Ingredients:

1. Pre-Cooked rice - 2 cups (cold rice, break it properly if crumps are formed)
2. Cooking oil (sunflower / peanut) - 3 Tbsp
3. Onion (chopped) - 1 small
4. Capsicum (chopped) - 1 small (red one preferred)
5. Mushroom (chopped) - 1 cup / 100 gms
6. Carrot (finely chopped) - 1 small one
7. Cabbage (finely chopped) - 100gms
8. Green Peas - 1/2 cup
9. Garlic Paste (or smashed garlic - 3-4 cloves) - 1 tsp
10. Spring Onions (thin slice) - 2 or 3
11. Salt n Pepper powder - as per taste
12. Soy Sauce - 3 Tbsp

Preparation:

Heat the oil on a big pan (deep fry one) on high flame; when the oil is heated properly add the chopped onions to it and stir well - keep the flame at medium high. Stir it at regular intervals for 1-2 mins then add the vegetables to it (one after the other and mix well).

Add capsicum, carrot first and mix well; then after 10-15secs add cabbage and peas to it. Stir well and after sometime (30secs) add mushroom to it and mix well. Add garlic paste, 1 tsp of salt to it and mix well; keep stirring at regular intervals for 3-4 mins.

When mushroom seems to be cooked (feel softer) then add the rice and spring onions to it and mix / stir well. 

Keep stirring at regular intervals for 2-3 mins; then add the Soy sauce on top of the rice (add pepper powder if you like) and mix well - keep mixing for 1min on medium flame.

Your dish is ready to be served hot... Enjoy your dish!!!

Baigan Bhurta

This dish is the one of the most favored dishes among Oriya people n also other people in India.

Serving: 2-3 persons

Ingredients:

1. Baigan (aubergine / Brinjal) - 2 Medium ones
2. Onion (chopped) - 1 big or 1 medium ones
3. Tomatao (chopped) - 1 
4. Cooking Oil - 1 Tbsp
5. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
6. Green Chillis (spilt) - 2 no
7. Garlic Cloves (smashed) - 3-4
8. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
9. Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Salt - 1 tsp or as per taste
11. Coriander Leaves (chopped) - as per taste to garnish

 Preparation:


Wash the brinjals and wipe it with paper napkins, then apply some oil on top and burn it over the flame (otherwise boil it separately in cooker - 2 whistles). 
After the brinjal is properly cooked / burned over the flame (when you see the layer coming out) keep it aside for some time and remove the burned layer (or top cover).
Smash both the brinjals properly in a separate bowl and add 3/4 tsp of salt to it.
Now on a medium frying pan heat heat the cooking oil on full flame. When the oil is heated add the mustard seeds  and green chillis to it (add the chillis after some time when mustards start to burst). Reduce the flame to medium.
Mix the chillis for sometime (5-6 secs) and then add the finely chopped onions to it.
Mix it well and keep mixing at regular intervals till the color of onions is light brown; then add the smashed garlic cloves to it and mix well.
when the garlic starts to give a nice aroma then add chopped tomatoes, salt (1/2 tsp), turmeric powder and salt to it and mix well. keep mixing at regular intervals and after 2mins add the smashed brinjal to the pan.
Mix it properly and cover it up for 1min on low flame.  After that garnish it with finely chopped coriander leaves.


Your dish is ready to be served. Enjoy your dish!!!

Jeera Rice

This dish is very easy to prepare and delicious to eat...

Serving: 3-4 People

Ingredients: 

1. Basmati Rice / Sona Masoori Rice - 250gms
2. Pure Ghee - 1 Tbsp (or 3 tsp)
3. Cumin  Seeds - 2 tsp

Preparation:

Wash the rice properly and soak it in water for 20min prior to you start cooking. 

Heat up the pressure cooker on high flame; add the ghee when its heater properly and reduce the flame to medium.

When the ghee is heated properly add the cumin seeds to it and mix it. After the color of the cumin seeds is changed to light brown in color add the rice to it and mix well. Make sure you drain out the water from the rice before mixing it.

Mix the rice at regular intervals for 2-3 mins; then add 1 tsp of salt to it and mix well.

After that add same portion of water (in this case 250ml) to it and close the cooker lid. Let the cooker on the same medium flame and wait for 1 full whistle.

After that switch off the gas and keep the cooker there (don't release the pressure). You can have your delicious "Jeera Rice" after 15-20mins when the pressure is automatically reduced.

Enjoii this simple n delicious "Jeera Rice"

Alu Dam (or also known as DUM ALOO) recipe

There are many ways this dish is prepared... every part of India have their own custom version of this lovely dish.

This preparation is what i have learnt and liked by my friends and colleagues; hope you will like this too...

Serving: 3-4 people (with Roti / poori / rice)

Alu Dam (Aloo Dum) ingredients:

1. Baby potatoes (300 gms)
2. Red Onions - 2 big ones - finely chopped
3. Tomatoes - 3 medium ones - chopped
4. Cooking oil - 2 (or 3) Tbsp
5. Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
6. Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
7. Green Chillis - 2 small ones (split them)
8. Ginger - garlic paste - 2 tsp
9. Red-chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (can reduce / increase depending on hotness of chilli)
10. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Garam Masala powder - 1 tsp
12. Salt - as per taste.
13. Tomato Sauce (hot n sweet) - 1 tbsp

Preparation:

Boil the potatoes separately in a pressure cooker over medium flame for 2 - whistles; after that switch off the gas and keep it aside (don't release the steam).

Take a deep fry pan and heat it on high flame, when it is hot add 2 Tbsp of oil into it and reduce the flame to medium. After some time when the oil is heated add the mustard seeds, then add the cumin seeds. Wait till the color of cumin is changed to light brown, then add the green chillis; fry them for 5secs and then add the chopped onions into it and mix well.

Keep stirring / mixing at regular intervals till the color  of onions is changed to light brown; make sure that the onions are not sticking to the base of the pan.

After the color of the onion is changed add the ginger-garlic paste to it and mix well. Add 1 tsp of salt to this mix and stirr well.

Then after 1min add the chopped tomatoes to it; add 1/2 tsp of salt on top of tomatoes and mix well. Keep mixing it at regular intervals for 3-4mins. 

After you see the tomatoes are starting to mix along with onion add the remaining masala to it - like turmeric, chilli powder and garam masala.

Mix the whole stuff properly and keep mixing it till you see oil being separated out from masala; this means that your masala is cooked properly. Then add the potatoes to it and mix it (peel the potatoes and add to this masala - you can cut the potatoes if you like).

Mix the whole thing at regular intervals for another 4-5mins and then add the tomato sauce on top of it; then mix again. 

Reduce the flame to low and keep it covered for 3-4mins and then mix again.

Your dish is now ready to be served. You can add chopped coriander leaves to garnish.

Enjoy your dish.