Hey guys, just wanted to let u know that TummyKhush has migrated. If you have come here looking for recipes, please visit http://TummyKhush.wordpress.com. Thats where the new blog is being updated with new improved blog, recipes and pictures. You can also sign up there and continue getting email updates.Thanks for your continued support. Please bookmark the new blog address for quick reference. Any comments and suggestions are always welcome.
Thanks,
Aparna for TummyKhush
Dec 21, 2010
Mar 9, 2010
Paneer Makhani- Indian cottage cheese cooked in creamy gravy
Paneer is a universally favourite food item. The taste and texture of Paneer or the Indian Cottage Cheese is so yummy that many people make it a compulsary item to eat when going to a restaurant. But I personally have stopped ordering Paneer dishes in restaurants coz the gravy is so spicy that it masks the delicate flavour the paneer. And who can miss the colours ranging from green to orange added to the dishes.:(. So i try learning to make these dishes at home. And one of the simplest dishes I have come across is the Paneer Makhani. It is quite easy to make provided you can lay your hands on a pack of cream. Amul sells tetra packed cream and I personally liked it. So you can grab a pack on your next visit to your super market or store.
This time when i tried making Paneer Makhani I marinaded the pieces in a mix of spices and curd. This ensured that the pieces were soft and flavourful. You can try this method if you have enough time. But then, well, if you are pressed for time, just skip the marination part and follow the rest of the procedure
For serving two people roughly, you would require:
Paneer: 125 gms (half of the stanard paneer cake available in the market)
For the marinade:
Curd: 4-5tbsp
Salt: as per taste
Chilli powder: as per taste
Dhania/fenugreek powder:1/4 tsp
Jeera/cumin powder:1/4 tsp
Kasuri methi- 1 tsp
Small green chilli - 1 finely chopped
Finely chopped coriander leaves : 1 tbsp
For the main dish:
Oil/butter : 2 to 3 tbsp or as per requirement
Green chillies : 2 to 3 slit length wise
Tomatoes : 2 to 3 (medium sized)
Cream - 1/2 cup
Chopped coriander: for garnish.
Method:
Chop that Paneer into 1 inch cubes. Mix the cubes with all the mariande ingredients and place in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours or atleast for half an hour.
Boil water in a dish with some salt added to it. When the water starts to boil add the tomatoes. The water should be enough to submerge the tomatoes. After the tomatoes boil in water for a minute, remove from the water and place them under the cold water for sometime. This stops the cooking process and retains the colour of the tomatoes. This process is called blanching.
Once the tomatoes cool down, remove the skin and grind in a mixer to smooth consistency and keep aside.
Now heat oil/butter in a kadhai. Add the green chillies to it and fry for a minute. Now add the tomato puree and fry till the tomatoes are well cooked and the moisture escapes.
Add turmeric and allow to cook. Turmeric gives a lovely golden hue to the dish.
To this mixture, add the cream, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Now to add the paneer pieces along with the marinade mixture and cook for a few minutes.
If you are not marinading the mixute, then add dhania powder, jeera powder, garam masala powder and salt at the stage where the tomatop puree is cooked. Check seasoning. To this mixture add the cream and cook well. (You can skip the curd if you are not interested).
Check seasoning and adjust salt and chilli powder according to taste. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis, chapatis, pulao or rice
This time when i tried making Paneer Makhani I marinaded the pieces in a mix of spices and curd. This ensured that the pieces were soft and flavourful. You can try this method if you have enough time. But then, well, if you are pressed for time, just skip the marination part and follow the rest of the procedure
For serving two people roughly, you would require:
Paneer: 125 gms (half of the stanard paneer cake available in the market)
For the marinade:
Curd: 4-5tbsp
Salt: as per taste
Chilli powder: as per taste
Dhania/fenugreek powder:1/4 tsp
Jeera/cumin powder:1/4 tsp
Kasuri methi- 1 tsp
Small green chilli - 1 finely chopped
Finely chopped coriander leaves : 1 tbsp
For the main dish:
Oil/butter : 2 to 3 tbsp or as per requirement
Green chillies : 2 to 3 slit length wise
Tomatoes : 2 to 3 (medium sized)
Cream - 1/2 cup
Chopped coriander: for garnish.
Method:
Chop that Paneer into 1 inch cubes. Mix the cubes with all the mariande ingredients and place in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours or atleast for half an hour.
Boil water in a dish with some salt added to it. When the water starts to boil add the tomatoes. The water should be enough to submerge the tomatoes. After the tomatoes boil in water for a minute, remove from the water and place them under the cold water for sometime. This stops the cooking process and retains the colour of the tomatoes. This process is called blanching.
Once the tomatoes cool down, remove the skin and grind in a mixer to smooth consistency and keep aside.
Now heat oil/butter in a kadhai. Add the green chillies to it and fry for a minute. Now add the tomato puree and fry till the tomatoes are well cooked and the moisture escapes.
Add turmeric and allow to cook. Turmeric gives a lovely golden hue to the dish.
To this mixture, add the cream, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Now to add the paneer pieces along with the marinade mixture and cook for a few minutes.
If you are not marinading the mixute, then add dhania powder, jeera powder, garam masala powder and salt at the stage where the tomatop puree is cooked. Check seasoning. To this mixture add the cream and cook well. (You can skip the curd if you are not interested).
Check seasoning and adjust salt and chilli powder according to taste. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis, chapatis, pulao or rice
Mar 8, 2010
Dhadhojanam- Tempered curd rice
Milk and mild products have had major significance in Indian diets from time immemorial. One form or the other of milk like curd, sweets, lassi have been a major part of Indian diet acting as a coolant and a form of good nutrition. While the South Indians use curds as a major part of meals, in North India this can be seen in the form of lassi. The impotance can be understood by the fact that some temples offer dhadhojanam or tempered curd rice as a prasadam or offering to appease the Gods on a daily basis. This preperation is not only tasty and cooling but is also laden with spices which gives it ayurvedic properties. If you have upset tummy after a long journey or a weekend of bingeing, this dish certainly helps in cleansing the stomach and giving a good feeling.
Ingredients (Serves 2 people):
To make this you would require:
Rice and curd-as per requirement.
Salt-to taste.
For the tempering:
Oil/ghee-1 tbsp
Bengal gram dal/senaga pappu/chana dal -1/2 2tsp
Urad dal/minappa pappu -1/2tsp
Mustard seeds/ avalu : 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds/jeera : 3/4 tsp
Methi seeds/fenugreek seeds/menthulu :1/4 tsp.
Dry red chillies : 1-2
Hing/asafetida : a pinch
Green chillies : 1-2 or according to taste
Grated ginger:1/2 tsp
Curry leaves : few.
Turmeric: a pinch.
Chopped Corinder leaves: 1 tbsp
Salt : to taste
How to make it:
Mix curd with rice. Add salt to the rice and keep aside.
Heat oil/ghee in a kadhai. When the oil/ghee is sufficiently hot add the bengal gram and udad dal, fry for a few seconds till they change colour. Now add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. add the jeera and fry for a second.
Add the red chillies and red them fry for a bit. They should not turn dark. Now add the coriander seeds, fry them and add the hing. Fry till aroma of the hing starts coming out. Add the green chillies and let them fry.
Add the grated ginger and let the raw smell disappear. Now add the curry leaves turmeric and chilli powder if you wish.
Switch off the stove and add chopped coriander.
Now add the seasoning to the curd rice mix well check seasoning and serve with a mixed pickle or any pickle of your choice.
Hint: To maximise the flavour of this dish you can refridgerate and serve it.
Ingredients (Serves 2 people):
To make this you would require:
Rice and curd-as per requirement.
Salt-to taste.
For the tempering:
Oil/ghee-1 tbsp
Bengal gram dal/senaga pappu/chana dal -1/2 2tsp
Urad dal/minappa pappu -1/2tsp
Mustard seeds/ avalu : 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds/jeera : 3/4 tsp
Methi seeds/fenugreek seeds/menthulu :1/4 tsp.
Dry red chillies : 1-2
Hing/asafetida : a pinch
Green chillies : 1-2 or according to taste
Grated ginger:1/2 tsp
Curry leaves : few.
Turmeric: a pinch.
Chopped Corinder leaves: 1 tbsp
Salt : to taste
How to make it:
Mix curd with rice. Add salt to the rice and keep aside.
Heat oil/ghee in a kadhai. When the oil/ghee is sufficiently hot add the bengal gram and udad dal, fry for a few seconds till they change colour. Now add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. add the jeera and fry for a second.
Add the red chillies and red them fry for a bit. They should not turn dark. Now add the coriander seeds, fry them and add the hing. Fry till aroma of the hing starts coming out. Add the green chillies and let them fry.
Add the grated ginger and let the raw smell disappear. Now add the curry leaves turmeric and chilli powder if you wish.
Switch off the stove and add chopped coriander.
Now add the seasoning to the curd rice mix well check seasoning and serve with a mixed pickle or any pickle of your choice.
Hint: To maximise the flavour of this dish you can refridgerate and serve it.
Feb 10, 2010
Dahi Bhindi..Spicy Tangy Okra Preperation with curd and spices
Bhindi or Lady’s Finger or Okra also known as Bendakaya in telugu, is one of those vegetables which is available almost across the year and most of the people love their bhindis except a few people who hate the stickiness of bhindis. Bhindis go very well specially with rotis. And being a lover of bhindis myself I am constantly on the search for new recipes. One of the recipes I have commonly come across is Dahi Bhindi or Lady’s finger in combination with curd. Usually moisture in Bhindis makes them more slimy. So I used to wonder if adding curd doesn’t make it more slimy. But having tried it today, I now know that adding curd is not such a bad idea after all. Curd actually adds a kind of tangy zing to the dish which makes is quite yummy.
I found some of the recipes a bit complicated. So I added my own twist to the recipe. Its easy to make, not really time consuming and I am sure it would be a hit.
What you would need to make Dahi Bhindi:
Lady’s finger/Bhindi/Okra/Bendakaya : ½ kg
For the tempering:
Mustard seeds : ½ tsp
Cumin seeds: ½ tsp
Green chillies: 2 to 3
Garlic pods : 3-4 optional
Curry leaves : few
Dry red chillies: 1-2 broken into half
Hing/asafetida: a pinch
Turmeric powder:1/4 tsp
For the marinade mixture:
Curd-: 4-5 tbsp
Coriander/dhania powder:1/2 tsp
Cumin/jeera powder:1/2 tsp
Turmeric :1/4 tsp
Chilli powder : ¼ tsp or as per choice
Chopped coriander : 1 tsp
Salt : to taste
Preperation:
Take the curd in a bowl. Add the dhania powder, jeera powder, turmeric, chilli powder and chopped coriander to it. You can also add amchur powder and garam masala powder as per your choice. Mix the marinade well and keep aside.
Chop the lady’s finger and chillies into small pieces or 1” pieces as per you choice.
Finely chop the garlic.
When you know that the lady finger pieces are getting cooked add the marinade paste to the curry and let it cook for a minute.
Add salt, mix well, check seasoning.
Remove from stove and serve hot with rice or chapatis of your choice.
I found some of the recipes a bit complicated. So I added my own twist to the recipe. Its easy to make, not really time consuming and I am sure it would be a hit.
What you would need to make Dahi Bhindi:
Lady’s finger/Bhindi/Okra/Bendakaya : ½ kg
For the tempering:
Mustard seeds : ½ tsp
Cumin seeds: ½ tsp
Green chillies: 2 to 3
Garlic pods : 3-4 optional
Curry leaves : few
Dry red chillies: 1-2 broken into half
Hing/asafetida: a pinch
Turmeric powder:1/4 tsp
For the marinade mixture:
Curd-: 4-5 tbsp
Coriander/dhania powder:1/2 tsp
Cumin/jeera powder:1/2 tsp
Turmeric :1/4 tsp
Chilli powder : ¼ tsp or as per choice
Chopped coriander : 1 tsp
Salt : to taste
Preperation:
Take the curd in a bowl. Add the dhania powder, jeera powder, turmeric, chilli powder and chopped coriander to it. You can also add amchur powder and garam masala powder as per your choice. Mix the marinade well and keep aside.
Chop the lady’s finger and chillies into small pieces or 1” pieces as per you choice.
Finely chop the garlic.
Heat some oil in a kadhai. When the oil is sufficiently hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add the red chillies and let them fry. Now add the hing powder and let the aroma start coming out.
At this point add the green chillies and garlic and fry well till the garlic loses the raw flavor. Now add the turmeric powder.
Once all the tempering is fried well, add the ladyfinger pieces and fry well on low heat, stirring occasionally.
When you know that the lady finger pieces are getting cooked add the marinade paste to the curry and let it cook for a minute.
Add salt, mix well, check seasoning.
Remove from stove and serve hot with rice or chapatis of your choice.
Jan 16, 2010
Palak rice (medley of spinach and veggies with rice)
I know I was supposed to be blogging about Kerela, but I tried this recipe the other day and it came out so well that I could not resist blogging it. And then..well….monotony does get tedious :D. So here I am with my recipe for Palak rice with the promise that I’d be blogging about kerela too in my subsequent blogs.
Most of you must be familiar with the recipe for making Palak rice but I thought..well for those who don’t know it. And also I have found a healthy way of making it, preserving all the nutrients and maintaining the taste. The process maybe a wee bit tedious, but then Health ke liye…kuch bhi karega.. right?
Well then..here is the recipe.
The Ingredients:
Palak/Spinach – 1 large bunch or two small bunches.
Garlic pods – 4 to 5 deskinned
Coriander leaves – a handful
Cooked rice – enough for two people
Carrots – 1 medium sized chopped
Beans – 4 or 5 chopped
Green peas – a few optional ( I didn’t use green peas)
Potatoes – 2 chopped optional
Oil – for frying
Garam masalas:
Bay leaf-1 med
Cinnamon bark - 1” piece
Aniseed – 1
Pepper – 4 to 5
Elaichi – 2 to 3
Cumin/ jeera – ½ tsp
Onions – 2 to 3 peeled and quartered.
Green chillies – 3 to 4 cut to 1” pieces.
Dhania powder / coriander seed powder – ½ tsp
The method:
Spread the cooked rice on to a wide plate and keep aside to prevent the grains from sticking to each other.
The first step is to blanch the palak. For this, first separate the muddy part of the bunch of palak and wash thoroughly. Put some water in a vessel and bring it to boil. The water quaninty should be enough to immerse the palak leaves. You can retain a part of the stems along with the leaves as they are contain fibre. Now add the palak leaves to the boiling water, leave in for a minute, remove the leaves and drain them in cold water. This process helps in retaining the fresh green colour of the leaves and also stops the cooking process. Let the leaves cool down and now grind the leaves along with garlic pods and coriander leaves. Do not add too much water while grinding as we do not want a very runny consistency. It should be more or less like a paste. More water means more cooking time later and more loss of nutrients.
You can put the chopped veggies in the cooker along with rice to boil them. If you are a little more patient you can also boil them separately for a lesser time to maintain the food value.
Once all the ingredients are cooked and ready, we can start the actual process.
Heat oil in a kadhai. We need a bigger kadhai as the amount of rice is more and so it would be difficult to mix around. I would suggest using the rice cooker as an alternative.
To the heated oil, add the garam masalas. Once the aroma starts coming out, add the onions and fry well. When the onions start changing colour, add the green chillies and fry. Add some dhania powder and fry.
Add all the boiled vegetables and sauté for a minute or two. The vegetables are already boiled. So it would not take much time to cook them again.
To this mixture add the palak puree and cook for a minute till it loses its moisture, starts leaving oil and loses it raw smell. Add salt at this point and check seasoning.
Now add the cooked rice and mix well.
Be careful while mixing. We do not want the rice to break.
Cover and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Check seasoning again. When you see that the rice has absorbed all the flavours and turned green, you can remove from the stove.
This rice can be eaten as it is or with raitha.
Most of you must be familiar with the recipe for making Palak rice but I thought..well for those who don’t know it. And also I have found a healthy way of making it, preserving all the nutrients and maintaining the taste. The process maybe a wee bit tedious, but then Health ke liye…kuch bhi karega.. right?
Well then..here is the recipe.
The Ingredients:
Palak/Spinach – 1 large bunch or two small bunches.
Garlic pods – 4 to 5 deskinned
Coriander leaves – a handful
Cooked rice – enough for two people
Carrots – 1 medium sized chopped
Beans – 4 or 5 chopped
Green peas – a few optional ( I didn’t use green peas)
Potatoes – 2 chopped optional
Oil – for frying
Garam masalas:
Bay leaf-1 med
Cinnamon bark - 1” piece
Aniseed – 1
Pepper – 4 to 5
Elaichi – 2 to 3
Cumin/ jeera – ½ tsp
Onions – 2 to 3 peeled and quartered.
Green chillies – 3 to 4 cut to 1” pieces.
Dhania powder / coriander seed powder – ½ tsp
The method:
Spread the cooked rice on to a wide plate and keep aside to prevent the grains from sticking to each other.
The first step is to blanch the palak. For this, first separate the muddy part of the bunch of palak and wash thoroughly. Put some water in a vessel and bring it to boil. The water quaninty should be enough to immerse the palak leaves. You can retain a part of the stems along with the leaves as they are contain fibre. Now add the palak leaves to the boiling water, leave in for a minute, remove the leaves and drain them in cold water. This process helps in retaining the fresh green colour of the leaves and also stops the cooking process. Let the leaves cool down and now grind the leaves along with garlic pods and coriander leaves. Do not add too much water while grinding as we do not want a very runny consistency. It should be more or less like a paste. More water means more cooking time later and more loss of nutrients.
You can put the chopped veggies in the cooker along with rice to boil them. If you are a little more patient you can also boil them separately for a lesser time to maintain the food value.
Once all the ingredients are cooked and ready, we can start the actual process.
Heat oil in a kadhai. We need a bigger kadhai as the amount of rice is more and so it would be difficult to mix around. I would suggest using the rice cooker as an alternative.
To the heated oil, add the garam masalas. Once the aroma starts coming out, add the onions and fry well. When the onions start changing colour, add the green chillies and fry. Add some dhania powder and fry.
Add all the boiled vegetables and sauté for a minute or two. The vegetables are already boiled. So it would not take much time to cook them again.
To this mixture add the palak puree and cook for a minute till it loses its moisture, starts leaving oil and loses it raw smell. Add salt at this point and check seasoning.
Now add the cooked rice and mix well.
Be careful while mixing. We do not want the rice to break.
Cover and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Check seasoning again. When you see that the rice has absorbed all the flavours and turned green, you can remove from the stove.
This rice can be eaten as it is or with raitha.
Jan 15, 2010
Healthy Kerela Vegetable Kurma
Hey guys.. good to see you again. TummyKhush is back with food for thought for you from Kerela :D. Since there are lots of pics n stuff I am gonna share with you, I would be doing it in a series of blogs. To start off with.. a yummy Vegetable Kurma dish, very typical of Kerela cuisine. I borrowed this from the chef of an Ayurvedic resort where we had stayed in course of our journey. Apart from this my subsequent blogs would be showcasing lots of pictures reflecting the sights and smells (of food of course… :P) of Kerela. So here it comes… Vegetable kurma recipe straight out of the chef’s mouth (or pen if you wish :P).
The Ingredients:
Potatoes - ½ kg
Carrot – ½ kg
Beans – 1/4kg
Cauliflower – ¼ kg
Green peas – 100 gms
Tomatoes – ½ kg (chopped)
Onions – ½ kg (chopped)
Green chillies – 5 (chopped)
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Ginger - 1 inch piece (chopped or grated)
Garlic – 4 to 5 pods or as required (chopped)
Chilli powder - as required
Coriander powder – ½ tsp.
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Pepper powder and salt- according to taste
Coconut milk – ½ glass
The procedure:
Chop all the vegetables i.e., potatoes, carrots, beans, cauliflower. Add peas to this mixture and boil till soft but still form. Make sure that they don’t get mushy as this may spoil the texture of the kurma.
Heat some coconut oil or regular cooking oil in a kadhai and add mustard seeds. (coconut oil does add a degree of authenticity to the dish if you are willing to experiment).
When they start spluttering , add the onions, green chillies, garlic and tomato pieces and sauté well.
Now add the chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and pepper powder and allow to fry for a minute.
Add little water to this mixture and bring to boil. Add the boiled vegetables to this mixture. Add salt check seasoning and allow a boil to make sure that all the spices and vegetables take each other’s flavours. Just before switching off the stove add coconut milk and stir on low flame. The dish should be handled very carefully at this point as the coconut milk may curdle. You can add chopped coriander and serve.
We had this kurma with rotis and it tasted very good. The curry was very mild and the flavors of all the ingredients could be felt. It can be had with rice too depeding on your taste. So guys…. Do try it and lemme know what you thought.
And now some more pics from the resort....
The Ingredients:
Potatoes - ½ kg
Carrot – ½ kg
Beans – 1/4kg
Cauliflower – ¼ kg
Green peas – 100 gms
Tomatoes – ½ kg (chopped)
Onions – ½ kg (chopped)
Green chillies – 5 (chopped)
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Ginger - 1 inch piece (chopped or grated)
Garlic – 4 to 5 pods or as required (chopped)
Chilli powder - as required
Coriander powder – ½ tsp.
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Pepper powder and salt- according to taste
Coconut milk – ½ glass
The Yummy Veg Kurma
Chop all the vegetables i.e., potatoes, carrots, beans, cauliflower. Add peas to this mixture and boil till soft but still form. Make sure that they don’t get mushy as this may spoil the texture of the kurma.
Heat some coconut oil or regular cooking oil in a kadhai and add mustard seeds. (coconut oil does add a degree of authenticity to the dish if you are willing to experiment).
When they start spluttering , add the onions, green chillies, garlic and tomato pieces and sauté well.
Now add the chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and pepper powder and allow to fry for a minute.
Add little water to this mixture and bring to boil. Add the boiled vegetables to this mixture. Add salt check seasoning and allow a boil to make sure that all the spices and vegetables take each other’s flavours. Just before switching off the stove add coconut milk and stir on low flame. The dish should be handled very carefully at this point as the coconut milk may curdle. You can add chopped coriander and serve.
We had this kurma with rotis and it tasted very good. The curry was very mild and the flavors of all the ingredients could be felt. It can be had with rice too depeding on your taste. So guys…. Do try it and lemme know what you thought.
And now some more pics from the resort....
Carving with utmost care...
Herbal plants being grown in the resort premises.
Will be back soon with more interesting stuff.....
Dec 18, 2009
TummyKhush taking a break...
TummyKhush is taking a break . Embarking on a culinary journey to Kerela. Promise to be back with lots of pics and recipes of course. Wish me luck guys :D
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