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)...

Yet another of mom's recipes. Egg drumstick curry is a spicy and tangy tomato gravy curry which mom used to make all the time while we were kids. Back then I am not a big fan of eggs and having drumsticks in the curry used to make my life easy. Now it is a different story - I love eggs and having drumsticks in the curry is a bonus :). This curry is like a party in your mouth with different flavors complementing each other..Give it a try.. Ingredients 6 hard boiled eggs 8 to 10 2 inch drumstick pieces 1 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1 cup finely chopped tomato 1 tsp ginger garlic paste half lemon sized tamarind soaked in water 1 tsp red chilli powder Salt per taste 1/2 tsp Garam masala powder A sprig of curry leaves 2 tbsp oil 1/4 tsp Sugar couple pinches of turmeric Tempering 1/4 tsp Cumin seeds 1/4 tsp Mustard seeds couple of pinches of asafoetida 1/4 tsp Chana dal Method Extract the juice from the tamarind adding 2 cups of water and set aside. Make sli...

Country chicken is not your ordinary chicken. This is either 'you die for it' or 'do not even want to touch it' kind of dish. I most definitely will fall into the first category.. I love love love this dish. Growing up mom used to make this dish during Sankranti(Pongal) season and BOY OH BOY, it use to taste divine with Garelu. The best part of this dish is that we cook the chicken with skin on and trust me, it tastes the best that way. Now a days country chicken is available throughout the year and I do not have to wait for a particular season to eat it :). Here is my version of this yummy yummy recipe(actually version of my mom's recipe little bit improvised by me).  Ingredients 2 lbs country chicken 1/2 cup finely chopped onions 1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder(adjust per spice level) 3 tbsp ginger garlic paste 2 to 3 tsp garam masala powder Salt per taste Water 2 cups(adjust per the tenderness of the chicken) 1 tsp Turmeric 3 tbsp oil 3 tbs...

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 ...