My Cooking Wonders

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 ...

Today's recipe is a spur of the moment recipe. I have some ingredients that are left over on hand from some other recipe. Half can of coconut milk, handfuls of mint and coriander leaves that need to be used or I have to throw them away which gave me an idea for this recipe. To my surprise this curry did turn out really rich, creamy and yummy!!! A really simple, nothing fancy, fast recipe which can be made in a jiffy. Give it a try and see for yourselves!! Ingredients 2 lbs boneless Chicken 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste 1/2 cup onion paste 1 cup coconut milk Salt per taste 1 tsp red chili powder(adjust per spice level) 1/2 tsp garam masala powder 1 tbsp ghee or oil 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 1/2 tsp turmeric powder handful of mint leaves handful of coriander leaves + 1 tbsp for garnish Method Clean and cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Set aside. Heat oil in a pan. Add in cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add in mint and coriander leaves and let them splutter as wel...

It is raining outside and my palette is expecting something spicy to cope with the rainy weather. I am too tired to make snacks so decided to make some fry curry that works for both chapati(for me) and rice (for hubby dear)..    That is when the raw plantains that I bought over the weekend caught my eye. Raw plantains are one of the versatile vegetables that can be transformed into gazillion recipes. So, I made simple raw plantain fry(called as aratikaya vepudu in my native language). There are many versions of plantain fry recipes which I make and this is one of them. Give it a try while I enjoy my yummy plantain fry.... Ingredients 3 Plantains 5 Green chillies chopped real fine 1/4 Red chili powder(adjust per your spice levels) 8 Garlic pods skinned and chopped real fine Salt per taste 2 tbsp Oil  1 tbsp Ghee 1/2 cup  chopped  Onion  Coriander leaves for garnish 5 or 6 curry leaves 1/4 tsp turmeri c Tempering 1 tbsp chana dal 1/...

During Summer months, ridge gourd cooked in milk gravy is an often made curry in our house. We tend to make it atleast once a week as this is pretty much one of my hubby dear's favorite curry. After eating the same curry for 3 to 4 months already, my taste buds started protesting and I have to think of a different recipe that can be made with ridge gourd.  This is one such recipe I tried and hubby dear is very reluctant to taste this at first. Once he tasted it, he went for second and third servings which made me super happy. Give it a try and I can say that you will not be disappointed.. Ingredients 1 Beerakaya/Ridge gourd 1/2 tomato finely chopped 1/2 cup onion finely chopped 1/4 tsp ginger garlic paste 2 tbsp Grated coconut or dried coconut powder Red chilli pwd per taste 1 cup Water Couple of pinches Garam masala Juice of half lemon Salt per taste 2 tbsp  Ghee 1 tbsp Oil 1 tsp mustard seeds 1/2 tsp cumin seeds For Paste 1 tbsp Sesame seeds 1/4 cu...

Hubby dear wanted to eat kebabs and I am feeling little lazy that day... so kind of went ahead and made this version of kebabs with very few ingredients and to my surprise they turned out pretty tasty... I just used regular ingredients we use in Indian meat dishes and at times simple and easy is definitely better :) Ingredients 250 grams boneless Chicken Cooking oil as required 3 to 4 skewers depending on length of the skewer(If using wooden skewers, soak in water before hand for 3o minutes) For Marination 3 tbsp thick yogurt(preferably greek yogurt) 1 to 1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder(adjust depending on the spice level) 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste(adjust per spice level) 1 tsp garam masala Salt per taste 1 tbsp lemon juice Method Clean and wash the chicken properly. Cut it into thin strips . Keep it aside. Next, add the marination ingredients in the chicken and mix it properly. Keep it in the fridge for about an hour. Preheat the oven to 400F. Ta...

If you are looking for something healthy or lighter version, no offense...you can just stop here and look for other recipes(hey..the name says it all....it is Paneer, BUTTER and whole lot of other good creamy stuff). I have never came across a restaurant in USA that does not serve Paneer butter masala. This mouth watering gravy is like heaven to your taste buds with right amount of spiciness, creaminess and little sweetness. Here is my version of this awesome goodness..Give it a try :) Word of caution: This recipe looks little lengthy and takes time but trust me, it is all more than worth it at the end.. Ingredients 800 grams(around 2 lbs) Paneer sliced into bite sized cubes 2 big onions grind to paste(around 4 1/2 to 5 cups of onion paste) 3 tbsp ginger garlic paste 8 large tomatoes blanched(check notes below), skin removed and made to fine puree(around 4 cups of puree) 24 whole cashews 2 tsp poppy seeds/gasagasalu(optional) 4 bay leaves 2 cups milk(I highl...

My version of shrimp/Prawn curry from my native place popularly known as royyala vepudu. This recipe brings back so many wonderful memories. This being one of my favorite foods and me being a very picky eater growing up, my mom used to give me more of this curry than my brother. Once I grew up, I was told if you leave your favorite food item in the name of god, your wish will come true. My wish came true and I gave up shrimp because this is hands down, the one food I love the most. Been 13 years I gave up Shrimp but still make the curry for hubby dear because this happens to be his favorite too.  Ingredients 3 cups finely chopped Onion Salt per taste(around 3 tsp) 1 tsp Turmeric  2 tsp Coriander powder 6 Green Chillies slit length wise 1 tsp Cumin seeds  3 tsp Ginger garlic 3 to 4 tsp Red chilli powder depending on your spice level 1 tsp Garam masala 3 tbsp Oil 3 tbsp ghee 10 to 15 pieces cashews Handful of Curry leaves, coriander leav...