Chickpea Biriyani

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1. Chickpea/Kabuli Chana - 1/3 cup

2. Basmati rice - 1 cup

3. Onion - 1 large

4. Tomato - 2 medium sized

5. Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tablespoon

6. Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

7. Green chilli - 2-3

8. Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon

9. Garam masala powder - 1/2 teaspoon

10. Coriander leaves/Cilantro chopped- handful

11. Mint leaves/Pudina chopped - 2 tablespoon

12. Oil - 2 tablespoon

13. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash and soak chickpea in water for 6-8 hours.

2. Pressure cook with enough water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt for 5-6 whistles until well done.

3. Strain the water and keep the chickpea aside. Save the water to use it later while cooking rice. 

4. Heat oil in a large pan and splutter cumin seeds. Add thinly sliced onion and fry until they become translucent.

5. Add ginger garlic paste and slit green chillies and fry for a minute.

6. Add sliced tomatoes and cook covered until tomatoes turn mushy.

7. Add red chilli powder, garam masala and salt. Be careful while adding salt because chickpeas were cooked with salt. 

8. Add cooked chickpea, chopped cilantro and mint leaves. Mix well and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

9. Meanwhile wash the rice and drain off the water.

10. In a rice cooker, add rice, chickpea gravy and 1 cup of water reserved from cooking chickpea. Check for salt and cook until rice is done. You can even cook it in open vessel instead of rice cooker. 

Serve with yogurt and salad. 

Red Kidney Beans and Avocado Burger

These are one of the best burgers I have ever had. They are very filling and are best for breakfast. 

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Red Kidney beans/Rajma - 1/4 cup
2. Avocado - 1
3. Hamburger buns - 4
4. Onion - 1 medium sized
5. Garlic - 2-3 cloves
6. Pepper powder/Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
7. Oil - 2 tablespoon
8. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Wash and soak kidney beans in water for around 8 hours.

2. Add around 2 cups of water and pressure cook for 5-6 whistles until well done.

3. Strain the water and separate the beans. This cooked water can be used while making curries or rasam.

4. Allow the beans to cool completely and put it in blender for 30-40 seconds to make a course paste.

5.Heat a tablespoon of oil in a small pan and saute minced garlic and finely chopped onions until onions turn translucent. Take a large mixing bowl and add bean paste, sauteed onions, salt and pepper powder. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Take a handful of this mixture, pat it into disc and set aside.

6. Heat a skillet on medium flame, place these patties and drizzle little oil over them. Reduce the flame to low-medium.

7. Cook for 4 minutes, flip carefully and cook for another 4 minutes.

8. Slice the avocado and keep it ready.

9. Now it is the time to assemble the burger. Take a bun, open the top half, place a bean patty, few slices of avocado and place back the top half. Serve immediately.

If you wish to eat after a while, you can add lime juice on avocado slices to prevent them from browning.

These bean patties can be made in bulk and stored in freezer. Whenever needed you just need to defrost it by heating on skillet/microwave oven.

Strawberry Sauce

Delicious and simple sauce recipe. This sauce can be

• poured over pancakes
• mixed with milk to make strawberry milkshake
• mixed with yogurt to make homemade strawberry yogurt
• sauce for icecream
• eaten as it is - my fav way

Ingredients: 

1. Strawberries - 1 cup

2. Sugar - 1-2 tablespoon (adjust according to the sourness of strawberries)

Method:

1. Combine strawberries and sugar in a blender and blend until smooth. 

2. For storing, place in an air tight container and refrigerate.

Dates Pickle

Ingredients:

1. Dates (pit removed) - 1 cup

2. Green chilli - 2-3 

3. Tamarind pulp(thick) - 1 tablespoon

4. Jaggery(grated) - 1 tablespoon

5. Grated ginger - 1 teaspoon

6. Crushed garlic - 1 tablespoon

7. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

8. Curry leaves - few 

9. Asafoetida powder/Hing - 1/8 teaspoon

10. Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon or as per spice level

11. Fenugreek powder - 1 pinch

12. Oil - 2 tablespoon

13. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Soak dates in warm water for 5 minutes. Drain off the water and pat dry on a paper towel. Cut them into small pieces and keep it aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. 

3. Add asafoetida powder, grated ginger, crushed garlic, finely chopped green chilli and curry leaves. Fry for couple of minutes. 

4. Add chopped dates, chilli powder, salt to taste, grated jaggery and tamarind pulp. Mix well and cook for around 10-12 minutes on medium flame.

5. Just before turning off the flame add a pinch of fenugreek powder. 

Allow it to cool completely before storing in a air tight container. 

Potato Fry with Yogurt

This is good side dish for chapathi/rice. The sourness of yogurt makes this dish different from the regular potato fry.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Potato - 2 medium sized
2. Yogurt - 2 tablespoon
3. Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1/2 teaspoon
4. Curry leaves - few
5. Green Chilli - 1-2
6. Ginger paste - 1 teaspoon
7. Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
8. Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
9. Asafoetida/Hing - 2 pinch
10. Oil - 2 teaspoon
11. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Wash  and pressure cook potatoes for 2-3 whistles.

2. After potatoes cool down, remove the skin and cut into cubes.

3. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds.

4. Add asafoetida, ginger paste, curry leaves and slit green chilli. Fry for a minute and add cubed potatoes.

5. Add salt to taste, turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Mix well and cook on medium flame for 5 minutes.

6. Add 2 tablespoon yogurt and give it a good mix. Let it simmer for 5 more minutes and then it is ready to serve.

Peanut Ladoo

Peanut ladoo is one of the easiest snacks to make. It contains only 2 ingredients: peanut and jaggery. Jaggery is a good source of Iron and Calcium. Peanuts are good source of protein. This healthy dish can be prepared in less than 15 minutes.

Serving: Makes 1 dozen ladoos

Ingredients:
1. Roasted Peanuts - 1 cup
2. Jaggery grated - 1/3 cup

Method:
1. Peanuts can be roasted on stovetop or in microwave. For stovetop method, take a heavy bottom pan and heat on medium flame. Add the peanuts and keep stirring until you see dark brown spots. This method takes around 15-20 minutes. Roasting in microwave oven is quick and easy. The steps are mentioned in my other post: Roasting Peanuts in Microwave.

2. Add roasted peanuts(I prefer to add skin as well) and grated jaggery in a blender and make a fine powder.

2. Take a handful of powder and shape into balls. The moisture content in jaggery and oil in peanuts is sufficient to make ladoo and there is no need to add additional water/milk/ghee.

These ladoos stay fresh for a week when stored in a airtight container under normal temperature.

Roasting Peanuts in Microwave oven

Peanuts can be roasted on stovetop or in microwave oven or conventional oven.

For stovetop method, take a heavy bottom pan and heat on medium flame. Add the peanuts and keep stirring until you see dark brown spots. This takes around 15-20 minutes.

Roasting in conventional oven requires preheating the oven to 350 deg F and roasting for 15-20 minutes.

Roasting in microwave oven is quick and easy. The steps include:
1. Place  peanuts in a microwave safe dish and spread evening.

2. Microwave on high power for 1 minute.

3. Stir well and microwave for 30 seconds.

4. Continue doing step 3 until the skin turns brown. Make sure to stir every 30 seconds otherwise there is a fair chance of burning the peanuts. It takes around 3 minutes in total.

I prefer microwave method over stovetop and conventional oven.