Bohri Biryani

This yummy biryani recipe is borrowed from a Bohri family, hence the name...

Ingredients (for 4 people)

• 1/2 kg mutton
• 1/2 kg rice
• 250 gms onion
• 1/2 cup curd
• 1/2 cup mint leaves, chopped
• 1/2 cup coriander leaves, chopped
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
• garlic ginger paste 1.5 tbsp
• 7-8 cloves
• 5-6 small cardamom
• a small stick of cinnamon
• red chilli powder (as per taste)
• coriander powder 1.5 tbsp
• cumin powder 1.5 tbsp
• 3/4 cup milk
• few strands of kesar
• ghee 2-3 tbsp
• salt to taste
• 4-5 cashew nuts (for garnishing)

Method

• Cut onions in long and thin slices and deep fry it.
• Prepare garam masala powder by grinding cloves, cardamom and cinnamon.
• Marinate all the ingredients together except rice and tomatoes. Add tomatoes after half and hour. Marinate for minimum 3 hours.
• Add kesar to hot milk for about 30 mins.
• Par boil rice in a lot of water and a little bit of salt. Strain and keep aside.
• Put some oil in the bottom of pressure cooker, put a layer of marinated mutton and then add a layer of rice.
• Pour kesar milk on top of the rice; this prevents the rice from becoming too dry. Add ghee on top of rice as well.
• Put the pressure cooker on high flame till you get 2 whistles; then keep on low flame for 7-10 mins and switch off the gas. Let the pressure cooker cool completely.
• Serve hot with onion tomato raita and garnish with golden fried cashew nuts + onions.

Avocado Banana Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 Avocado
1 Banana
1 Pear or Apple
1 mug milk (I use soy/almond/hazelnut milk... Normal skimmed milk is fine too)
1/2 inch ginger (optional)
Few mint leaves (optional)

Method:
Mix all ingredients in a blender. I do not remove the skin from Apple or pear. Bring to a nice smooth thick consistency (add a little water if too thick) and serve immediately.

Maa ki dal

Sabut urad - 1cup
Rajma -2tb sp
Tomatoes puréed 1
+tomato puree(Dabur) 100 gms
Onion-1
Ginger-2" piece
Garlic-5-6 cloves
Salt
Jeera-1 tsp
Hing pinch
Red ch pd
Garam masala
Dal makhani masala-2tbsp
Butter-3tbsp
Milk 150 ml or cream

Method
- soak dal and rajma overnight
-pressure cook dal rajma with 3-4 cups of water and salt , till soft
-open the lid and keep cooking on slow heat , add more water when required
-add Dabur puree and keep cooking
-now add milk (add cream for rich makhani dal)
-simmer on low heat till you get creamy consistency
- if required mash the dal  little with a ladle
-add dal makhani masala

-For tempering

 -heat butter ,add jeera hing and chopped onions and fry till transfer ant
  -add ginger garlic and keep frying till onions are golden brown
  -add the puréed tomatoes and ch pd
   -when ghee separates ,mix with dal
    - add Garam masala
    - garnish with little butter and coriander leaves

Ragi and buckwheat (kuttu) porridge

Another healthy breakfast recipe, esp for cold winter mornings. This breakfast high in calcium and fibre and very filling.

Ingredients

1. 1 cup Ragi powder
2. 1/2 cup Buckwheat(kuttu) grains
3. 3 cups water
4. Jaggery
5. Milk (soya / almond / normal milk)
6. Nuts
7. Raisins

Method

1. Dry roast Ragi powder till it gets a roasted smell.
2. Add Buckwheat grains and roast for few more minutes.
3. Add water into the mix and boil it.
4. Add jaggery as per taste to get some sweetness into the mixture.
5. Boil slowly till you get the desired thickness.
6. Add milk, raisins and nuts before serving.

This porridge can be stored in the refrigerator easily 2-3 days.

Oats ka cheela

Healthy breakfast recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups oat
• 1 cup sooji
• 2 small cups yogurt
• one small onion
• 2 green chillies
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• coriander leaves
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Dry roast oat and sooji separately for 5 minutes each.
2. Mix both the ingrediants together with yogurt and mix well and keep aside for ten minutes.
3. Add sliced onion,cumin powder,coriander powder,coriander leaves,chillies and salt according to the taste and mix well and make a batter.
4. Make chillas out of the batter and serve hot with chutney or sauce.

Besan ki sabzi (in mustard gravy)

My mom's recipe.

Ingredients (for 4 people)

1. Besan - 1 medium cup
2. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
3. Salt to taste
4. Red chilli powder - As per taste
5. Yellow mustard seeds - 3 teaspoon
6. Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
7. Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
8. 1 medium tomato paste
9. Black mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
10. Coriander leaves
11. Oil

Method

1. Make a fine paste of yellow mustard seeds and garlic in a mixie.
2. In a bowl, mix water with besan, red chilli powder, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1/4 coriander powder. 1 teaspoon mustard+garlic paste, salt. The mix should be on pancake consistency.
3. In a non-stick pan, add a few drops of oil and make a thin pancake of the above mixture. When its brown on one side, fold it inwards into three layers. Add a bit of oil on the sides to brown it well.
4. Make similar pancakes of all the mixture, cut the folded pancakes into diamond shaped pieces.
5. In a kadai, add 2 teaspoons of oil; when oil is hot, add the mustard seeds till it crackles.
6. Add the remaining mustard+garlic paste. Reduce flame and saute for 3-4 mins. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and saute for 3-4 minutes more.
7. Add tomato paste and saute for few minutes.
8. When the masala is cooked, add 2.5 cups of water. 
9. Add salt as per taste. 
10. When the gravy starts boiling, add the besan pieces, reduce the flame and cook it for 5 minutes.
11. Garnish with coriander leaves.
12. Serve hot with roti or rice.

Malpua

This malpua recipe is also from my mom.

Malpua is a mandatory dish in Holi. Believe it or not, we eat it with mutton curry during Holi :)

Ingredients

1. Maida - 2 cups
2. Sooji - 1/2 cup
3. Milk - 1.5 cups
4. Over ripe bananas - 1.5 big or 3 small
5. Sugar - 2.5 cups
6. Cardamom powder - 1/2 teaspoon
7. Chopped pistachios for garnish
8. Oil or ghee for frying

Method

For chashni

1. Add 1/3 cup of water to sugar and heat it. Once it starts boiling, let it boil for 2-3 minutes and switch off the gas.

For malpua

1. Soak sooji in milk separately, add just enough milk to cover sooji. Leave it for 1 hour.
2. Then mix the sooji very well with your palms. Add maida and milk and leave it for 3 hours.
3. Blend bananas only in a mixie and then add it to the maida + sooji mixture.
4. Add cardamom power and mix well with a big spoon.
5. Bring oil to medium heat and add 1 big spoon of mixture. Once it rises and is brown on the lower side, flip it over.
6. Once it is brown on both sides, squeeze it between two spoons to remove excess oil.
7. Add the malpua into the chashni, leave it for 2 minutes and then take it out.
8. Garnish with chopped pistachios.