My Cooking Wonders

Vaangi baath is a rice dish very popular in Karnataka, our neighboring state back in India. The best part of the dish is the masala itself and if you make it fresh from scratch, the dish tastes DELISH!!! There are a lot of versions available on how this dish is made depending on the region you are from. And here is my version... Ingredients 2 cups raw Basmati rice - washed and cooked 1 lb eggplant/brinjal Salt per taste 2 tbsp ghee or butter 1 tbsp oil 3 green chillies slit lengthwise 15 to 20 cashews couple of sprigs of curry leaves 1 tsp lemon juice For Masala 1/2 inch cinnamon 2 cardamom pods 2 cloves 1 tbsp coriander seeds 2 bay leaves 1 small piece of stone flower(dagad phool) 1 small piece star anise 1/4 tsp peppercorns 4 dry red chillies(adjust per you spice level) 2 tbsp poppy seeds(gasagasalu) 2 tbsp sesame seeds 3 tbsp dry coconut powder For Tempering 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 1/2 tsp cumin seeds Method Dry roast the ...

Another day..another instapot recipe😊. Back in the day when I was growing up, anyone throwing a party used to be a rare occasion. And whenever there is a party, one dish they always used to serve is Vegetable pulao with Kurma combination. I used to love that dish and even after all these years that taste just stayed with me. Now a days gatherings/parties have become super common and they rarely are serving veg pulao as there are so many other rice varieties in market today. But to me this one dish is so special and the dish I prepared today brought back all those memories.. It is simple, easy to prepare and so so flavorful... Hope you guys will like this dish as much I did... Ingredients 3 cups basmati rice washed and all the water drained 1 cup Milk or coconut milk 4 cups water 1/2 cup thinly sliced onion 4 green chillies chopped into small pieces(adjust per spice level) 1 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste 1/2 cup chopped potato pieces 1/2 cup chopped carrot pieces 1...

This is my first recipe using an instapot. I got instapot almost an year ago and finally decided to put it to work :). I was skeptical about it but boy I fell in love just after first use. Going forward I can see myself using instapot a lot.. Give this recipe a try.. Ingredients 2 cups basmati rice 1 cup moong dal 4 1/2 to 5 cups water(depending on how mushy you want you kichidi) 1/2 cup diced Potato cubes 1/4 cup chopped Carrot 1/4 cup chopped French beans or green beans 1/4 cup finely chopped tomato 1/4 cup finely chopped Onion  3 Green chillies slit length-wise Salt per taste 1 tbsp garam masala powder 1 1/2 tbsp red chilli powder(Adjust per spice level) 1 tbsp black peppercorns coarsely crushed 2 tbsp Ginger garlic paste  1 tbsp oil 2 tbsp butter 1 sprig curry leaves handful of coriander leaves Temperings 1 tbsp cumin seeds 20 cashews roughly chopped 3/4 tsp turmeric powder 1/4 tsp black cumin seeds Method Wash and soa...

Biryani can be made in gazillion ways but back home the most traditional way is cooking it DUM style. The marinated meat and parboiled rice are sealed in pan and cooked by steam on a very low flame. Making biryani this way is a long process but biryani made this way is so flavorful that at end all the effort is well worth it. Making quick biryani might be satisfying but cooking it the dum way is more special and the flavours are really soul satisfying..Give it a try and please keep in mind that sometimes it might take couple of tries to get it right :). Ingredients For Fried Onions: 1 big Onions  sliced lengthwise 10 to 12 tbsp Oil For Chicken Marination: 600 grams Chicken 12 Green Chillies Slit lengthwise Mint Leaves fistful chopped Coriander Leaves fistful Chopped 4 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste 1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper 1/2 tsp Black Cumin 1 1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder(adjust for spice level - I used 2 tsp as my family likes it spicy)...

In our home, I am a big fan of pulao where as my husband loves his biryani... Pulao is a one dish wonder which is definitely not biryani! Pulao is prepared with less spices. Pulao is made using absorption method - no parboiled rice, no layering, can be made faster and everything is cooked together in one pot. Going out to restaurants, I get frustrated sometimes as I order pulao and I end up getting biryani instead which is why I make it at home the way I like it :)....Here is one of my chicken pulao recipes(Yes..I make different kind of pulaos depending on my mood of the day).. Give it a try.. Ingredients 2 cups Basmati Rice 1 lb Boneless skinless Chicken 10 whole Cashews 1 medium sized onion cut into chunks for paste(4 tbsp thick brown Onion Paste made from this onion) 2 tbsp thick yogurt 2 tbsp oil 4 tbsp ghee 6 to 8 Shallots or small onions 6 Green Chillies(Adjust per spice level) 3 tbsp Green Chilli Paste (adjust per spice level)(Grind around 25 to 30 green chillies ...

I want to share a recipe I made for my hubby dear's thanksgiving potluck at work. This is one dish you can make for big work potluck parties which is very easy and does not consume much of your time. I can tell that this dish turned out real well from the fact that there are no left overs. They ate it ALL!! All the chopping and dicing can be made ahead the night before and all you got to do on the day of is to put everything together.... Ingredients 1/3 cup Butter 1 medium Onion finely diced 3 stalks Celery finely diced 1/4 cup all purpose Flour 2 cups Milk 1 1/2 tsp Salt 1 tsp Pepper 1/4 tsp Nutmeg 1 tsp Thyme 4 cups cooked Chicken, diced (around 2 lbs boneless chicken) 3 cups cooked Rice 1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts drained 1 cup Mushrooms sliced 1/2 cup slivered Almonds Topping 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 15 to 20 crackers) 4 tbsp butter, melted 1/4 cup slivered almonds + hand full Prep Work on previous day Preheat the oven ...

I had left over rice on hand and I do not eat meat on Thursdays. So I am thinking of making a vegan recipe and then one recipe from Sanjeev Kapoor's collection passed my mind. This is customized version of the recipe to match my taste. You can alter it any way you want and add whatever vegetables you have on hand. This is a one dish meal with lot of veggies and lot of taste packed into it, just like that. Just give it a try! Ingredients 1 tbsp oil 2 medium sized onions cut into cubes 2 tsp ginger garlic paste 2 big tomatoes cut into cubes 1/4 cup tomato paste or any tomato sauce used for pastas 2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup 1 1/4 tsp red chili powder 1/2 tsp turmeric 2 tsp pav bhaji masala 1 green bell pepper cut into cubes 2 green chillies minced 2 small Potatoes boiled and cut into cubes Salt per taste 6 cups cooked rice(I used approximately 2 1/2 rice cooker cups raw rice cooked) 1/4 cup green peas For Garnish Handful of Coriander Leaves Method Heat oil i...

With Dasara around the corner I thought of sharing a sweet which very often is made as offering to God. For every festival I remember my mom making 2 out of the following four items for prasadam - Palatalikalu, Chakrapongali, Garelu and Pulihora. Today I just wanted to share one of those which is also one of the famous offering in most of the temples - Chakra Pongali.  Happy Navaratri and Happy Dasara Folks!! Ingredients 1 cup Rice 1/2 cup Moong dal 2 cups Water + 1 cup Water 3 cups Milk 1 3/4 cups Brown sugar or 1 1/2 Jaggery grated fine 4 tbsp clarified Butter or ghee Couple of pinches of Cardamom powder pinch of edible Camphor (pacha karpuram)(Optional) Cashews and Raisins Small piece of dry coconut chopped into bite size pieces Method Rinse the rice and moong dal and set aside. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a pan.Add cashews to the pan and fry till golden brown. Take the cashews out of the pan and set aside. Add the raisins to the pan and fry till they bulge. Take...

My first taste of Biryani is from my mom's kitchen. She used to make amazing biryani even before I knew the concept of restaurants and carry outs. She is my true inspiration when it comes to cooking(just cooking :P he he he).  I have tasted and made many biryanis later but for me My mom's is the best when it comes to Chicken biryani. Today I made this dish the same way my mom used to make with very slight changes. Try it out and I bet this will become your favorite too.... Ingredients For Marinade 2lbs Chicken 1 cup thick Yogurt 1 tbsp Red Chilli powder 1 1/2 tbsp Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp Shai Jeera 1 tbsp Gram masala 1 tsp Cumin seeds Salt per taste(may be a tsp to 2. I usually go by my hand) For Biryani 4 cups Rice 5 cups Water 3 tbsp + 2tbsp Butter or ghee 4 tbsp oil 5 or 6 curry leaves 2 large Onion chopped length wise 1 big Tomato sliced length wise 10 Green chillies slit length wise 1 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste 1 big bunch of coriander/cil...

One quick, easy and yummy rice recipe - Cumin Rice. I was busy and tied up with work and was looking for a quick recipe and Cumin rice crossed my mind. So here it is..Enjoy!! Ingredients 2 cups Basmati Rice 4 cups water 1 medium onion thinly sliced length wise 6 to 10 green chillies slit length wise (as for spice level) 2 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp ground cumin powder 1/2 tsp garam masala 1 tsp ginger garlic paste 1/2 tsp dired mint 1/2 tsp dried cilantro 2 bay leaves  5 cloves 2 small pieces of cinamonn sticks 1/4 tsp shai jeera/black cumin seeds Salt per taste 2 tbsp butter or ghee 1 tbsp oil Method Heat oil and ghee in a pan. Add the cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add in shai jeera, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, cloves, dried mint, cilantro and fry for couple of seconds. Add in slit green chillies and fry for a minute. Add in sliced onions and salt. Fry till the onions are caramelized and dark brown in color as shown in the picture. It might take from...

It has been a while since I posted something here as I was way busy with work and other stuff. Today I had little time on hand. I thought of cooking something to reward myself for all the hard work. What else can make me more happy than the food I love made with my own hands in the way I wanted to..... And here I made one dish I love the most - Mutton Biryani. YUM!!! Spicy mutton biryani with a side of cool raitha and sliced raw onions. Alright guys, I got to go enjoy my food..Want some for yourselves too..There is only one way and what are you waiting for..Get into your kitchens :).. Ingredients For Marinade 2lbs Mutton or Lamb 1 cup thick yogurt 1 tbsp Red Chilli powder 1 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste 2 tsp coriander powder 1/2 tbsp gram masala 1/2 tbsp mutton biryani masala(I used shan brand) 1 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp cumin seeds 4 or 5 bay leaves Salt per taste For Rice 4 cups rice 6 cups water 1 cup thick coconut milk (Optional) 2 tbsp + 2tbsp butter or g...

Yet another thai favorite made up my wonders list. Thai fried rice taste the best when the rice is one day old. So if you have any left over rice in the freezer this dish is worth trying. My hubby dear is a big, bigger and biggest fan of any kind of fried rice and when it comes to Thai basil fried rice, he loves this dish as much as he love our biryani. So this dish I am making it for him today. Thai basil fried rice with chicken for hubby dear and the recipe for you guys. Ingredients 4 cups cooked jasmine rice or long grain rice (let the rice cool before using it in the fried rice recipe, day old cooked rice make the best tasting fried rice) 6 big cloves garlic 4 to 8 Thai chili peppers (I used 8 because I like it spicy) 4 tbsp oil 1 lbs chicken (cut into bite sizes) 3 tbsp oyster sauce 2 tbsp fish sauce 1 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp ground black pepper Garnish 1 cup assorted bell peppers (julienne) 1 Jalapeno (cut into thin rounds) 1/4 onion sliced 4 green onions...

Ingredients 5 cups Basmathi rice 2 tbsp oil 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp Butter or ghee handful of cashews (Optional) 10 Green Chillies 1 Onion sliced thin length wise 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp red chilli powder (adjust for your spice level) 7 1/2 cups of water 1 can(13.5 oz or 400ml) coconut milk  3 to 4 tbsp dry coconut powder 1/2 tbsp garam masala For Tempering 2 tsp Cumin seeds 5 star anise broken into pieces (Anasapuvu) 1 tsp nutmeg powder (Jajikaya) 6 small barks of Mace (Javetri) 4 cardamom pods crushed 6 cloves(Lavangam) 2 inch cinnamon stick 5 Dried Bay leaves 1 tsp Shaijeera(black cumin) 1 tsp turmeric Method In a bowl mix the water and coconut milk and keep aside. Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a thick bottomed sauce pan. Add the rice and toast the rice till light golden brown color. Do not stir the rice as that will break the rice grains. We do not want the broken rice grains. So, to toast the rice evenly, toss it gently or just shake the ...

This weekend I was going through my fridge and freezer and there are lot of veggies waiting for me to be used. The only thing that came to my mind was Vegetable Biryani!! This is a one dish wonder which is spicy yet healthy. Ingredients 2 cups Basmati Rice 3 3/4 cups water 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste 4 Green chillies cut length wise 1 medium onion chopped  1 Tomato chopped 1/2 cup Cabbage chopped 2 cups of desired veggies (I used carrot, Potato, Green Peas, Corn, Lima beans) 1 bunch cilantro 2 tbsp of chopped mint leaves 1 tbsp coconut powder 1/2 tbsp garam masala 2 tsp coriander powder 2 tbsp Olive oil 2 tbsp Ghee or Butter Salt and red chilli powder per taste Whole Garam Masala for Tempering  2 tsp Cumin seeds 1 or 2 star anise broken into pieces (Anasapuvu) 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder (Jajikaya) 3 to 4 small barks of Mace (Javetri) 1 tsp Saunf/Fennel seeds(Sopu) 2 cardamom pods crushed 4 cloves(Lavangam) 1 inch cinnamon stick 3 Dried Bay leaves Me...