Malai Mushroom

Ingredients:

Mushrooms - 15 (button mushrooms)
Onions - 1 big
Tomatoes - 2 big
Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 Tbsp
Green chillies - 2
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Malai (cream) / Milk - 1 Cup
Rice flour - 1 Tbsp (if using milk)
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Zeera - 1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Wash mushrooms under running water. Dry them with paper towel and thinly slice them.
2. In a sauce pan, add oil and start doing seasoning with mustard & zeera.
3. Add finely chopped onions and some salt and fry them until light brown. Add turmeric.
4. Now add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute.
5. Mean while prepare tomato and green chilli puree by grinding them together into a fine paste.
6. Add this puree, red chilli powder to the fried onions and cook for 8 mins under med flame, covering with lid.
7. When you get good onion tomato sauce, add the mushrooms and let it cook for 8-10 mins under medium flame, covering with lid. Mushroom oozes lot of water while cooking. So, let it cook in its own juices and make gravy.
8. Meanwhile take the milk and add the rice flour and mix very well. If using cream, ignore this step.
9. Pour this malai/milk into the mushroom gravy and let it cook uncovered, constantly stirring. Otherwise, milk gets curdled.
10. When it starts boiling and getting thick, let it boil for a min and switch off the stove. Garnish with chopped coriander.

That's it! Creamy Malai Mushroom is ready to serve with Rotis.

Tips:

• To avoid fatty cream / malai, or half & half milk in the gravy, I use normal milk and rice flour.
• Adding rice flour to the milk gives gravy, that creamy/malai texture.
• Adjust the consistency of the gravy curry by adding little water/milk if needed.

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Vegetable Pulao

Ingredients:

Rice - Basmati - 2 Cups
Onion - 1 medium - chop coarsely
Potatoes - 3 small - cut into chunks
Carrots - 2 small - cut into thick circles
Peas - 1/8 Cup
Beetroot - 1/2 small - Cut into thin strips
Soy Chunks (meal maker) - 1/4 cup
Cashews - 12
Curd - 1/6 Cup
Ginger garlic paste - 1 Tbsp
Mint leaves - fresh  - fistful or dry - 1 tsp
Oil - 4 Tbsp
Ghee - 1 Tbsp (optional)
Water - 4 Cups

Spices:

Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - 1/4 inch piece
Cardamom - 1
Javantri - 1
Star Anise - 1
Bay leaves - 2
MTR Pulao mix powder - 1/4 Tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 Tbsp
Green Chillies - 3



Method:

1. Wash and soak rice with 1:2 ratio of water. Keep it aside.
2. Cut the onion, veggies and green chillies. 
3. Take a wok and pour oil and ghee.
4. Fry cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, javantri, star anise, bay leaves, cashews & green chillies.
5. Add onions and saute until they turn light brown. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for 1 min until the raw smell goes away.
6. Add potatoes and fry for 2 mins.
7. Now add carrots, peas, soy chunks & salt enough for veggies. Fry for 1 min. 
8. Now add curd, chilli powder, pulao powder, mint and fry for 1 more min.
9. Add rice along with soaked water & salt.
10. Check the salt (should be slightly salty) and let it cook in the wok under lowest flame for about 15-20 mins. 
11. If using rice cooker, transfer this mixture into rice cooker. When the rice is half way cooked, insert the beetroot pieces carefully and close the lid again. 
12. If using pressure cooker, transfer this mixture into the cooker and cook for 1 whistle, simmer for 10 mins. Use half of the beetroot mentioned above and add it before closing cooker with lid.

That's it! Aromatic and Shiny Vegetable Pulao is ready to serve with any gravy curry or Raitha.



Note: Beetroot acts as coloring agent instead of adding artificial colors like saffron. Do not add beetroot while frying veggies because it gives all the pulao red color.

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White Pumpkin Majjiga Chaaru / Buttermilk Rasam

Well...what do you do with the fresh juicy White Pumpkin got from the Indian stores? Hmm.. I know very few of the varieties but I bet this would be one of the best & easy way to eat this fresh pumpkin without loosing its texture and nutrients. Good... right???


Ingredients:

White Pumpkin - 1 Palm size - 2 cups cut - cut into thin pieces as shown in pic
Buttermilk - 4 Cups
Garlic pods - 2
Green chillies - 4
Red chillies - 2
Ajwain - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds -1/2 tsp
Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp
Zeera - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Oil - 2 Tbsp
Salt


Method:

1. Wash pumpkin and cut into thin pieces as shown in pic.
2. In a pan, pour 1 Tbsp oil. Add the cut pumpkin and some salt. Saute on high flame covering with lid for about 1 min and then without lid for 1 more min or until tender & crunchy. 
3. Meanwhile, prepare buttermilk by whisking yogurt/curd and water together.
4. Prepare chilli-garlic paste by grinding garlic and green chillies together.
5. Do the seasoning with ajwain, mustard, zeera, methi, red chillies, turmeric and curry leaves.
6. Add the sauteed pumpkin, chilli-garlic paste, seasoning and salt to the buttermilk. Stir well. 

That's it! Flavorful and crunchy White Pumpkin Majjiga Chaaru is ready to serve with white rice.

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Instant Tomato Pickle

Pickle means lot of  chilli powder and oil. And also pickles need some marination time. But this is an instant pickle made with very less chilli powder and can be used right away without any wait time. Also, this tastes like the dried tomato pickle made by our moms with great effort. Wow, then it is even good... isn't it?

This suits people who doesn't want to/like to eat spicy pickles every day or for the people with acidity and who can't take marinated pickles.  This is excellent to use as side dish for curd rice or dal rice or with any breakfast items daily without any guilty feeling of eating pickles.

This contains very less chilli powder. You can increase or decrease accordingly to your taste.




Quantity yield: 1 bottle as shown in the pic


Ingredients:
Tomatoes - 12
Red Chilli powder - 1-2 Tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 Tbsp
Methi seeds - 1/6 Tbsp
Garlic - 10 pods
Oil - 3 Tbsp
Salt

Method:

1. Cut tomatoes into small pieces. Chop Garlic into chunks if they are too big
2. Heat the oil in a pan. Season with mustard, methi & garlic.
3. When the garlic is little fried, add chilli powder and fry for few seconds.
4. Add tomato pieces and salt.
5. Let it cook under high flame for about 8-10 mins with the lid.
6. Remove the lid and  let it cook for another 15-20 mins, under med-hi flame, until all the water evaporates and the oil oozes out. Stir in between.
7. Switch off the stove and let it cool down.
8. Transfer into an air tight dry container. 
9. Refrigerate for more shelf time like about 1 month.

That's it! Yummy, tasty, mouth watering and colorful pickle is ready to enjoy with idli, dosa, curd rice, dal rice etc.

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Easy Eggless Cookies - Nan Khatai

Makes - 25 cookies


Ingredients:

Unsalted Butter - 1 Stick (1/2 Cup) at room temperature
All Purpose Flour - 1 Cup
Powdered Sugar - 1/2 Cup
Cardamom Powder - 1/4 Tsp
Baking Powder - 1/4 Tsp

Method :

1. Take butter in a big bowl.
2. Add powdered sugar,baking powder,cardamom powder and mix them into a soft dough.
3. Now add all purpose flour little by little into the above butter mixture and make soft dough.
4. Now put it in a zip lock bag for 20 min.
5. Preheat oven for 300 degrees F.
6. Take a baking tray and grease it lightly.
7. Take the dough out of zip lock and knead it well.
8. Separate the dough into equal parts of small lemon size each.
9. Make each part into a soft ball. Ball should be without cracks.
10. Place all balls on the greased baking tray.
11. Leave at least a 2 inch space between each ball.
12. Place a small piece of cashew/almond on each ball and press it lightly.
13. Put the baking tray in the middle rack of the oven and bake it for 20 to 25 min.
14. Take the tray out of the oven and let it cool for at least 2hrs.

That's it! Time for Fun - Cookies are ready to eat...!!! :)

Storage: If any remaining - Place Cookies in a dry air tight container. Will be fresh for 10 days. For more shelf life, refrigerate them.

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Thai Green Curry - Desi style

Ingredients:

Bell pepper (green, also add other colors if you have)
Carrot - 1/4 cup
Bamboo shoots - 1 tin
Basil - few leaves(dry or fresh)
Green chillies - 4
Red chillies - 1
Mustard
Zeera
Green Curry Paste - 1/2 Tbsp
Coconut milk - 1 can
Water - 1/2 can (measure with the coconut milk can)
Salt & Oil
Mint (optional) - for garnishing

Method:

1. Cut bell pepper & carrots into 1 inch long and 1/4 inch width pieces.
2. Take sauce pan and do the seasoning with oil, mustard, zeera, red and green chillies, turmeric.
3. Now add carrot and saute for 1 min.
4. Now add bell peppers and saute for 1 more min.
5. Add bamboo shoots and saute for another min.
6. Add green curry paste and salt. Fry once.
7. Pour coconut milk, water, basil.
8. Let it boil for couple of mins until it gets little thickened.
9. Garnish with mint.

That's it! Super tasty, flavorful, and creamy Thai Green curry in Desi style is ready to serve with hot rice.
For more fusion recipes like this and authentic Andhra recipes, please keep visiting www.AndhraChef.com.

Note: FYI... I got -
Coconut milk in Indian stores in USA.
Bamboo shoots and Basil in American stores like walmart etc.

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Kobbari Dosa / Coconut Dosa

Kobbari Dosas are sooooo easy to make and tasty to eat. These are so delicious and crispy and gives out nice aroma of roasted coconut. This batter can be prepared within 5 mins with juuuuuuuust 2 main ingredients and need NO fermentation. Wow, what a relief, isn't it?
 


Makes ~10 dosas.

Ingredients:

Rice Flour - 1 1/2 C
Coconut (grated) - 1 C
Warm water ~ 2-3 C
Salt

Method:

1. In a bowl, take the flour. Add luke warm water and mix it well.
2. Add grated coconut to it and mix it well again. Add luke warm water again if needed to get batter of Dosa consistency. Add salt.
3. On a hot dosa pan, pour one laddle full of batter from outside to inside like ravva dosa, in a circle shape.
4. Drizzle some oil and let it roast on high heat to golden color. You will get nice aroma of roasted coconut now.
5. When done, flip to the other side and let it cook again.
6.  Take this into a plate and repeat this for more dosas.

That's it! Enjoy these delicious & crispy dosas with  spicy, sour and sweet chana dal chutney or with any sweet & hot pickle.

Note: Adding luke warm water makes the batter sticky and makes dosas come out perfect without breaking. If you add room temp water, dosas doesn't come out well.

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Capsicum Patoli

Ingredients:

Capsicum/Bell Peppers - 2
Seasame seeds - 2tbsps
Coconut - 1/2 Cup grated
Green chillies - 5
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Oil - 2 Tbsp


Method:

1. Wash the capsicum and chop it into small cubes.
2. Take a saute pan, pour oil and heat it. Put some cumin seeds and let it fry.
3. Add chopped capsicum and little salt and saute it.  
4. Cover and cook on med-hi flame for 2 mins, by frequently stirring. (capsicum cooks in no time, so be careful not to cook it mushy)
5. In the mean while, grind seasame seeds, remaining cumin seeds, green chillies, some salt. 
6. Now add sesame paste in the pan and again cover & cook for 2 mins.
7. Remove the lid and fry until it becomes powdery, under med-hi flame.
8. Finally, add grated coconut and saute for 1 more min.

That's it! Quick & simple Capsicum Patoli is ready to eat with rice or roti.

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Onion Chutney

Ingredients:

Onions - 2 medium size
Tomato - 1 big
Garlic - 2 pods
Green Chillis - 8
Tamarind - 1 small grape size
Urad dal - 1 Tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Methi seeds - 6
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Salt - as per taste

For Seasoning:

Oil - 1 Tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 Tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/4 Tsp
Urad Dal - 1/4 Tsp
red chilli - 3
Curry leaves - 5


Method:

• Take a saute pan and add 1 spoon oil and heat it.
• Once the oil is hot enough, add methi seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, garlic, green chillies, tamarind.
• Fry them and the add onion slices.
• Saute the onions for 3 mins.
• Add tomato pieces and salt. 
• Cover and cook them well. Swith off the stove and let it cool down.
• Blend it to a paste without adding water.
• Do the seasoning in another small pan with oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, red chillies, curry leaves.
• Add the seasoning to the prepared chutney and mix it well.

Serve this chutney with idli, any kind of dosa or vada.

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Masala vada

Ingredients

Chana Dal : 1 Cup (Soak in water for 4hrs)
Onion : 2 medium size cut into small pieces
Green Chilli : 6 cut into small pieces
Cumin Seeds : 1/2 Tsp
Curry leaves : Few chopped
Coriandar Leaves : 1/4 Cup chopped
Salt :1/2 Tsp
Oil : For deep frying

Method:

1. Take 1 Tbsp of soaked chana dal separately.
2. Grind remaining chana dal into a corse paste.
3. Heat the oil for deep frying.
4. Mix all other ingradients along with salt to the prepared paste and prepare the mixture.
5. Now take small amount of mixture and make a small patty.
6. Repeat the same with remaining mixture.
7. Now deep fry all prepared patties on medium flame until they are brown in color.

Serve them hot with any chutney or ketchup.

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