Indian Odyssey

We list two easy-to-cook and lip-smacking Indian recipes for your next get together.

 

Veg Biryani

 

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 60 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Calorie count: 588 calories (per serving)

 

Ingredients:

5 g mint leaves

10 g ginger

3 g green chillies, slit

10 g salt

20 g cauliflower, diced small

20 g French beans, diced small

100 g yoghurt, whisked

20 g carrot, diced small

3 g cumin powder

5 g coriander powder

5 g turmeric powder

3 ml kewda water

5 g deghi chilli powder

5 g garlic paste

10 g ginger paste

20 g onion, sliced

3 sticks cinnamon

3 bay leaves

20 ml ghee

To prepare the rice:

5 green cardamoms

4-5 cloves

4-5 mace pods

Salt, to taste

150 g basmati rice, washed and soaked for an hour

To garnish:

1 lime, juiced

5 g saffron

10 g cream

2 ml kewda powder

5 g fried brown onions

2 g ginger, julienned

2 green chillies, slit

4-5 mint leaves

1 g mace powder

5 g green cardamom powder

10 ml ghee

5 g butter, melted

 

Method:

1. Heat the ghee in a large pan with straight sides and add the cinnamon and bay leaves.
2. Add the sliced onion, stir until golden brown, and add ginger and garlic paste. Cook until golden brown.
3. Toss in cumin, coriander, turmeric and deghi chilli powders and cook until ghee starts to separate from the masalas.
4. Now add the salt, cauliflower, beans and carrots and cook for two minutes. Add the whisked curd and cook until the vegetables are done and a semi-dry gravy is obtained.
5. Add the mint leaves, kewda water, ginger, and green chillies and cook for two more minutes.
6. Remove the cooked vegetables from the flame and set aside.
7. In another pot, boil water after adding green cardamom, cloves, mace pods and salt.
8. Add the soaked rice and cook on low heat for until the rice is three-fourth cooked. Strain the rice.
9. Heat another pan and add a little gravy from the vegetables and two tablespoons of water to it to prevent the rice sticking to the pan.
10. Spread one layer of cooked rice in the pan, add a layer of vegetables, and repeat this process until the pan is full.
11. For the garnish, pour the melted butter and ghee over the dish. Mix together the cardamom and mace powders, and sprinkle over it.
12. Top the rice with kewda water, fried brown onions, ginger juliennes, slit green chillies, and mint leaves.
13. Cover with silver foil and cook on slow flame for 15 minutes.
14. Once done, release the steam and pat the silver foil.
15. Turn off the heat and let the biryani rest for 10 minutes.
16. Open out the foil, add saffron, lime juice and cream before mixing the rice.
17. Serve hot.

Tip: Serve this veg biryani with your favourite raita.

 

Bharwan Mirch ka Saalan

 

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Calorie count: 455 calories (per serving)

 

Ingredients:

1 tsp cooking oil

1 large capsicum, halved

To prepare the curry sauce:

½ cup of coconut milk

Salt, to taste

½ tsp turmeric powder

2 dry red chillies

10 curry leaves

½ tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp coconut oil

2 tbsp roasted peanuts

1 tbsp white sesame seeds

2 tbsp desiccated coconuts

To prepare the spicy potato stuffing:

Salt, to taste

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 large potato, boiled, peeled and mashed

2 dry red chillies

10 curry leaves

½ tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cooking oil

 

Method:

1. To prepare the curry sauce, begin by roasting the white sesame seeds, peanuts along with desiccated coconut until golden and start releasing their aromas.
2. Cool and blend to a coarse powder using a few quick pulses in the mixer.
3. Heat the coconut oil in a pan on medium heat and add the mustard seeds. Add curry leaves, salt, turmeric powder, and dry red chillies once they begin to splutter.
4. Add ½ a cup of water and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the flavours are mature and the gravy gets a shine.
5. Finish the gravy with coconut milk. Remove from heat and set aside.
6. To make the spiced potato stuffing, heat the cooking oil in a pan over a medium flame, splutter the mustard seeds, add the dry red chillies and curry leaves and saute for a minute.
7. Add salt, turmeric, and mashed potato. Mash till smooth and cool.
8. Stuff the two capsicum halves with potato filling.
9. Heat one teaspoon of oil in a non-stick pan over a low-medium flame and cook the stuffed green pepper on both sides until well seared.
10. To serve, ladle the curry sauce on a plate and place the stuffed capsicum halves on it.

Tip: serve the stuffed capsicum with naan, roti or rice.