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Monday, February 20, 2017

Chana Ghashi (Black Chickpeas cooked in coconut gravy using Instant Pot and traditional way)



Chana Ghashi (ChaNya Ghashi or ChaNe Ghashi) is a very staple and beloved dish of the konkani clan :) This quintessential yummy ghashi is usually eaten with rice, parboiled rice, papad, sandige, pickles etc. A slurpicious curry where you literally keep licking your fingers even after your plate is wiped off clean :) The addition of either kadagi (young/raw jackfruit) or plantain pieces or potato makes it even more yummY!

I got this Instant Pot Cooker(IP) :) after the rage on the internet :), it's been a month now and I keep experimenting with it on and off. Have tried Khandvi, Chole, Oats, Fish curry etc which comes out excellent, will upload those recipe also! (eventually :)) Today I cooked my husband's favorite chana ghashi in IP and it came out perfect! 2 thumbs up! I couldn't be more happy.


I will write the recipe for both Instant Pot as well as traditional method here, so not to worry :)

Legumes when cooked with coconut masala tastes simply awesome. I don't know what it is but the taste is exquisite. It is funny how my cooking trait keeps changing! Few years back coconut was hailed as the villain in the food industry because of the oil content in it which eventually led to cholesterol disease. So I restricted myself from using coconut with just few must recipes up my sleeve. But now in the past couple of years, coconut has taken the spot of a healthy ingredient and the experts say that it must be incorporated in your diet! So yay to that! I have started using it a little bit more and am happy to cook without much guilt! Just a FYI:  anything in excess is bad for health :):)


Let us take a look at Chana Ghashi recipe cooked in IP and traditional way.

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup chana (black chickpeas)
  • 1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
  • 5-6 dry red chillies
  • 1 small marble shaped tamarind ball
  • 1 can young jackfruit (raw jackfruit)
  • 2 tsp coconut oil
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • pinch asafoetida (optional)
  • salt to taste
Preparation:

Instant Pressure Cooking Method:
  • Soak the chana overnight or atleast 6-8 hours. Drain the water.  Dump the chana in IP container.
  • Add enough water to soak the chana (should be immersed in water with approx 1 inch water showing on top of chana) Add salt to taste.
  • Close and lock the lid, press manual mode and set to 15 minutes pressure cooking time. When time is up NPR. ( Note: I have also tried it on bean/chili mode--- takes 30 minutes of cooking)
  • In the meantime, prepare your coconut masala (known as masol in konkani). In a blender,  add coconut, dry chillies and tamarind and make a fine paste by adding little water.
  • Also drain the water from young jackfruit tin, rinse it nicely, cut into pieces and keep aside.
  • Open the lid of the IP once you get the indication, your chana should be nicely cooked.
  • Using a masher gently mash the chana to get the creaminess/thickness in the curry.
  • Now pour the coconut paste in the cooked chana, add chopped young jackfruit (kadagi) pieces, adjust salt.
  • Close the lid, on sealing, press manual mode for 3 minutes. Open the lid when pressure releases. Your Chana Ghashi is done!! You can transfer it to a serving bowl.
  • Now you can give a tadka by heating oil in a tadka pan, add mustard seeds, let it splutter, then add curry leaves and hing.
  • Pour this over the chana ghashi and enjoy!!














Traditional Method:
  • Soak the chana overnight or atleast 6-8 hours. Drain the water.  Dump the chana, add enuf water, salt in a pressure cooker and cook for 4-5 whistles.
  • Let the cooker cool off, open the lid. Your chana should be nicely cooked.
  • In the meantime, prepare your coconut masala (known as masol in konkani). In a blender,  add coconut, dry chillies and tamarind and make a fine paste by adding little water.
  • Also drain the water from young jackfruit tin, rinse it nicely, cut into pieces and keep aside.
  • Using a masher gently mash the chana to get the creaminess/thickness in the curry. Now pour the coconut paste in the cooked chana, add chopped young jackfruit (kadagi) pieces, adjust salt.
  • Bring the curry to a boil, then simmer for 6-8 minutes while stirring in between. Adjust water and salt as per your liking of thickness. Switch off the gas.
  • Now you can give a tadka by heating oil in a tadka pan, add mustard seeds, let it splutter, then add curry leaves and hing.
  • Pour this over the chana ghashi and serve hot with rice or roti.

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

You may also like

Kala Chana Dry Sabji
Kala Chana Masala (Curry)
Tomato Poori
Val Dal Sabji (Dalimbi)




Health Benefits: Chana is loaded with proteins. The fact that chickpeas have low glycemic index (GI) makes this legume good for diabetics. It causes a slow and steady release of glucose into the bloodstream and thus, maintains your blood sugar levels. Chickpeas also help in relieving mood changes during menstruation and post-menopausal symptoms in women. The high fibre content in chickpeas helps in promoting a healthy digestive system and intestine by lowering the risk of digestive disorders.

Friday, February 17, 2017

Chicken Over Rice (Halal Cart Style)



Manhattan (New York) and halal cart food go hand in hand!! As you walk past the over populated streets and corners of the city, aroma of the amazing warm spices from the chicken and rice hits you and you will find yourself standing in the long lines before you even realize what happened:) Serving lunch to late-night, these carts dish up a container full of chicken over rice that is so rich and yet so subtle, hitting the spot that's absolutely crave-worthy and totally worth your time standing in those long lines!! Its street food at its best Manhattan is world's melting pot where best of best cuisine is served. A grand treat for your taste buds.

So coming to the cart food, this particular meal is served with perfectly seasoned grilled chicken or beef over flavorful rice with their secret sauces, one so hot that fumes may come out of your ears and other yogurt based mild cooling sauce. It serves as a comfort food for the exhausted tourists after a grand site seeing day!


Witnesses literally swear by the food and the rush hour actually begins after midnight! Yessss! this takes me back to the streets of Mumbai where such famous spots like Bade Miya in Colaba and Khyber in Kala Ghoda are known for their kebabs (check out sheekh kebabs and chapli kebabs) and fast food that is more famous than any other 5 star hotels in the vicinity. I am actually slightly drooling thinking about all these places and the food

I thought of making it at home and got recipes online from yourhomebasedmom and dinneranddessert blogs. Since I liked the sauce from both sites I mixed up the ingredients :) I was happy with what I found and the outcome.
Now to my delight the halal guys have started their franchise and one is open right by my house... Yay!! But I can still cook at home and be happy :)

Let us get to the recipe of Chicken over Rice Halal Cart Style!

Ingredients:
For the chicken: 
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice 
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (you can use dried oregano too)
  • ½-1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped (about 1½ tablespoons) 
  • ¼ cup light olive oil 
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper (1 tsp)
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (6 to 8 thighs) 
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil 
For the rice: 
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric 
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin 
  • 1½ cups extra long-grain or Basmati rice 
  • 2½ cups chicken broth 
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
White Sauce
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • ½ cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • handful chopped fresh parsley
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper (1/2 tsp)
  • 2 tsp sriracha sauce
To serve:
  • 1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
  • 1 large tomato, chopped
  • red onion rings
  • cucumber chopped (optional)
  • Pita bread (optional)


Preparation:

Chicken
  • Combine the lemon juice, oregano, coriander, garlic, and olive oil in a blender and blend until smooth and well combined.
  • chop chicken to bite size pieces and apply the marinade evenly. Season the marinade to taste with salt and pepper.
  • Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours, turning occasionally to redistribute the marinade. Do not marinate for longer than 4 hours. If need to wait longer, remove chicken from marinade and pat dry and refrigerate until ready to use.
  • When ready to use, season with salt and pepper, going heavy on the pepper.
  • Heat the oil in a 12-inch heavy-bottomed cast iron or stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat until it is lightly smoking.
  • Add the chicken pieces and cook without disturbing until they are lightly browned on the first side, about 4 minutes.Turn the chicken and reduce the heat to medium and cook until the chicken is cooked through for another 3-4 minutes. Don't overcook or else you will end up with dry pieces.
Fragrant Rice:
  • Melt the butter over medium heat in a large heavy pan. Add the turmeric and cumin and cook until fragrant but not browned, about 30 sec (don't burn it). Add the rice and stir to coat.
  • Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.
  • Add the chicken broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil.
  • Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes without disturbing. Remove from the heat and allow to rest until the water is completely absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.
Yummy Sauce:
  • In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, parsley, black pepper and sriracha sauce. Whisk to combine. Season to taste with salt. 
  • Refrigerate for 1 hr or until ready to use.
  • To serve, divide the rice, lettuce, tomato evenly among four to six plates. Pile the chicken on top of the rice. Top with the white sauce. Serve immediately. Have extra sauce on hand.
njoY!! happY cookinG!!


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Mediterranean Salad

Thank you for dropping by. Your feedback is much appreciated.



Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Tofu, Vegetables Rice Bowl with Mongolian Sauce



Valentine's Day is here and every year I try to cook something neat, fancy and different from what my kitchen usually witnesses. Again I try to keep it as simple as I can. For the past few years I have been cooking at home instead of going out to an over crowded restaurants. We do a candle light dinner at home and it has become a ritual which all of us enjoy as a family :)

Mongolian food bowls are simple, filling, eye pleasing and yummy in my tummy kinda comfort food. I love their stews, rice bowls, noodle soups and stir fries. I came across this recipe which Sonal had posted. She is a fantastic cook and owns a blog known as simplyvegetarain777!  I had immediately bookmarked it :) Finally I got a chance to make it and it tastes simply awesome.


This dish brings back memories from my office lunch break days when I used to go hog at Mongolian Grill place. Also have fond memories of Genghis Grill where my friends and families have enjoyed fun meals but after witnessing an incident I wouldn't recommend that place :( [hygiene issues].

This Tofu rice bowl with Mongolian sauce is a very simple preparation, you need to chop few veggies, ginger garlic and cook rice, make sauce and put everything together! It is a bowl of slurpicious goodness full of flavors and comfort feeling! Try it and enjoy with your family!

Let us take a look at this Tofu Vegetables Rice Bowl with Mongolian Sauce:

Ingredients: 
for Mongolian Sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp Ginger finely chopped
  • 1/2 tbsp Garlic finely chopped
  • 3- tbsp Soy sauce (low sodium)
  • 2 tbsp  Brown sugar 
  • 2 tsp veg oil 
  • 1 tbsp dissolved in 2 tbsp water - Corn starch/flour 
  • 1 cup Water 
  • 1 tsp or to taste  Red Chili flakes 
for Stir Fry
  • 1 tbsp Oil
  • 1 - 2 Red Chili whole dry or fresh
  • 4 cups  assorted Vegetables (julienned or roundels carrots, celery, spring onion, broccoli, bell peppers, green beans)
  • 1/2 tsp- 1 tsp black pepper powder
  • 14 oz / 400 gms (extra firm) Tofu
  • Grilled with little salt pepper till slightly golden
about 2 1/2 cups Rice cooked


for Garnish
  • Sesame seeds and scallion green




Mongolian Sauce

Tofu

All veggies


Preparation:
Mongolian Sauce
  • Dissolve cornstarch (cornflour) in 2 tbsp cold water and set aside.
  • Take a heavy bottom sauce pan and heat 2 tsp oil in it. 
  • Add ginger and garlic to it and saute on medium heat for few seconds. Now add soy sauce, red chili flakes, brown sugar and water to the pan. 
  • Add cornstarch (flour) mixture to it slowly while you keep stirring the sauce.
  • Bring it to a boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Take it off the gas stove and set aside. Check the salt and adjust. 
Preparing the Vegetable Stir Fry
  • Heat 1 tbsp oil in heavy bottom saute pan. Add whole red chili and white part of spring onion to the hot oil. 
  • Saute for few seconds and then add all the other vegetables to the pan. Saute them on high heat for about 2-3 minutes, while stirring continuously. Set aside.
Preparing the Tofu
  • You can either use the extra firm tofu as is, or buy the baked version from the market. 
  • Slice the tofu into rectangular shaped blocks and pan grill it lightly as you sprinkle little salt and pepper over it. Use little oil while frying. Keep aside.
Now put this delicious dish together:
  • Take a bowl. Add rice. Add stir fried vegetables and tofu in the bowl.
  • Pour Mongolian Sauce over the vegetables and tofu, as desired. Garnish with sesame seeds and the greens of spring onions.
  • Serve warm.
  • You may adjust the salt and heat of the dish, as desired.

Health Benefits: 
Tofu is a good source of protein and contains all eight essential amino acids. It is also an excellent source of iron and calcium and the minerals manganese, selenium and phosphorous. In addition, tofu is a good source of magnesium, copper, zinc and vitamin B1. Tofu is an excellent food from a nutritional and health perspective. It is thought to provide the same sort of protection against cancer and heart disease as soya beans. Soya protein (from which tofu is derived) is believed to help lower levels of bad cholesterol (LDL). Also take a note of this--> Tofu and all soya products contain large amounts of oxalate. Individuals with a history of oxalate containing kidney stones should avoid over consuming soya products. Women who have or have had oestrogen-sensitive breast tumours should restrict their soya intake to no more than four servings per week.
other than tofu, Stir Fry vegetables contain loads of minerals and vitamins and provide the much needed carbohydrates that our body deserves. Rice is again a low calorie food, one can substitute it with brown rice or brown noodles too.

Thank you for visiting my post. Your feedback is appreciated.


Chicken Ghee Roast



Ghee Roast is fairly a new addition in my list of authentic drool-worthy chicken recipes. Ghee (clarified butter)  Roast is a very popular Mangalorean Chicken recipe whose origins go back to a small town, Kundapur, close to Mangalore. Chicken Ghee Roast has a fiery red, tangy and spicy flavors as it is cooked in the (asli desi) ghee with freshly roasted spices and NO COCONUT :) Ya people, a fantastic coastal dish with no coconut :) This I can say is one ass kicking dish without blinking my eyes :) It actually reminds me of Ethiopian dish Doro Wat that is served with Injera, cause this is cooked in clarified butter too :)




My generation uses oil very wisely meaning sparingly :) My mom wouldn't blink to add dollops of ghee/butter/oil while cooking :) Her nose always wrinkles up when she sees me cooking :) [she actually goes into a mocking mode] I always keep complaining to her saying 'why my mutton curry doesn't turn out like yours?' or even as simple as Poha she makes for breakfast doesn't turn out as yummy when I make...:) She flat out tells me 'You know why' :):) -- sighhh [But I am glad we have chosen a healthy lifestyle using less of everything :)] My folks are learning and trying their best too :)


I never cook anything in ghee (solely) except for gulab jamuns, that too, like once in a while. This dish calls for cooking your chicken with spices in GHEE ...YASSS! So I treat it like a VIP dish that gets cooked in my kitchen on a special occasion or whenever I need to get into an ass kicking mode hehe kidding! It's RICH, it's FLAVORFUL, it's TANGY and not to mention it's FIERY!

There are various recipes out there for ghee roast. You cannot substitute ghee with oil for this preparation, else you will have to rename the dish as just roast chicken :):) You can play around with the spices if you like but a big NO when it comes to clarified butter, just stick to the recipe here ppl :)



Look no further, let's live a little by diving into all the fatness/goodness of meat, spices and ghee.
Same recipe can be used for shrimp too.

Here is the Chicken Ghee Roast Recipe:

Ingredients:
  • 1 whole chicken or 6-7 chicken drumsticks or 3 breast cut in cubes. ( I prefer bone in chicken)
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1-2 tsp jaggery or 2 tsp sugar
  • 3/4th cup yogurt
  • 1 1/2 inch ginger piece
  • 3 cloves garlic (big)
  • 1 tsp kashmiri chili pwd
  • marble size tamarind piece
  • salt to taste
  • 1/2 cup Ghee
  • 1 small onion chopped finely
  • 1 sprig of curry leaves
To Roast:
  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp peppercorn
  • pinch fenugreek seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 10-12 dry red chili (byadgi/kumta chilies)

Preparation:





  • Clean the chicken, cut it into big bite size pieces. If using drumsticks, just roughly run the knife through it to make cuts, so that marination is done evenly.
  • In a pan roast the ingredients under 'to roast' for 2-3 minutes till you smell all the aroma of the spices. Transfer it to a blender. Grind along with ginger, garlic and tamarind. Add little water or yogurt.
  • Now marinate the chicken with this ground paste, yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric, salt and kashmiri chili pwd. Keep it marinated for at least an hour. Remember, more you marinate the meat better the curry will taste!
  • In a kadai, heat ghee (clarified butter), add chopped onions, sprinkle little salt and saute till translucent. Add marinated chicken and don't leave out any extra paste from the bowl. Mix everything nicely and add jaggery(or sugar) to balance out the spiciness. 
  • Cook the chicken till done around 15-20 minutes on med heat. Keep stirring in between. Adjust the spices if need be (some like more tangy or more spicy etc).
  • Garnish it with cilantro, and curry leaves. Serve hot with Roti, Dosa, Neer Dosa, Rice etc.


njoY!! happY cookinG!!

You may also like

Kori Rotti
Chicken Curry
Chicken Molagu

Health Benefits: Chicken is a very good source of protein. It helps one build muscles, keeps your bones healthy, relieves stress, boosts immunity and promotes heart health. Always buy organic or a good quality chicken and try to include it in your diet regularly.

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