Bitter Gourd Rasam

Pagarkaya Rasam by Rama Eshwar

Ingredients Needed : Bitter gourd, tamarind juice, turmeric, roasted sesame seed powder, green chiilies, onion, cilantro, ginger garlic paste, jaggery.

First step cut the bitter gourd into your desired size and shape after removing seeds and add 1 tbspn of salt and 1 tbspn turmeric mix it well with a spoon, make sure you don't break the pieces and keep it aside for about 15 mins.

In the mean time cut onions, green chillies and grind G&G paste.

Heat some oil and add the green chillies, saute it for about a minute or so.

Then add the chopped onions and cook it till it becomes light brown.

Then add the ginger garlic paste and half tbspn of turmeric.

Now mix the marinated bitter gourd with hand and squeeze it gently so that you can get rid off the bitterness from the vegetable and wash it in running water well and then add to the sauteed mixture.

Cook it for about 1 min and add 1tbspn of sugar and cook it for about 3 mins, then add the tamarind extract, salt and let it boil for about 5 mins and then add half tbspn of jaggery powder and about 2 pinches of roasted jeera powder and then boil it for 10 mins or boil it till the oil gets separated from the rasam and then add 2tbspn of roasted sesame seed powder and boil it for 2 mins and add the cilantro before turning off.

Biryani For Beginners

Chicken Biryani

I have tried various styles of Biryani, but this is one of my favorite, Even though it's a lengthy process, I like the outcome, as people say the more effort you put, the better outcome you get. Ok let's jump on to the procedure.

Ingredients Needed : 3 medium to large onions thinly sliced, 3 medium tomatoes finely chopped, green chillies, ginger and garlic paste about 50gm, turmeric, cilantro, mint and whole spices of course.
I have used about 3 pounds of whole chicken and 3 cups of basmati rice ( not the U.S measuring cup, I measured using the Indian Rice cooker measuring cup, if you are not sure what am talking about, the cup is of the same size as the tide detergent measuring cup.

                               

Heat some oil or ghee in heavy bottom pan, coz the g&g(ginger and garlic)paste tends to stick on the bottom, so if you use a heavy bottomed pan it won't burn. Add the whole spices.

                               

Add the g&g paste once the spices start to splutter, saute it for about 2 to 3 mins make sure it doesn't burn, mine looks little bit burned coz I went to do dishes in the mean time, so please don't go away while cooking it, coz if you burn it, that will ruin the whole dish.

                               

Add the onions and green chillies and saute it for about 10 mins in medium heat, the moisture should be completely gone and it should be nice and brown.

                              

Once the onions become dry add the tomatoes and cook it for about 7 to 8 mins till the oil gets separated out from the mixture.

                             

Then add the washed chicken, turmeric and the chopped, save some cilantro and mint for the rice and add the remaining and mix it well adding the required amount of salt for the chicken gravy alone, coz we are gonna cook the rice with salt so don't worry about it.

                             

Cook the chicken covered or uncovered depending on your wish, but don't add water in either way, I pressure cooked for about 1 whistle coz I have used the whole chicken, if you are using boneless you don't have to pressure cook it, If the chicken oozes out too much of water, then let it boil till extra water evaporates until the gravy becomes thick or the consistency of pav bhaji, or a thick porridge, sorry guys nothing comes to my mind to compare the consistency of it, but make sure its not watery or a runny gravy.

                           

In the mean time boil the water required for the rice,  add salt to the water, till the you could taste the salt in the water, at the same time the water should not be too salty or under salted, when you taste the boiled water, you should be able to taste the salt, add some cumin seeds and cloves. Once the water comes to boil add the rice and please note it " I have soaked the rice over night ".

This is the most important step please don't go away from the stove coz it tends to get cooked within 3 to 5 mins since its been soaking for over night.

The rice should be of this size and it should be done only 75% it should not be completely cooked, when you press the rice between your thumb and index finger, the rice should be firm but not hard and you should not feel the grain of the rice. Now strain the water and keep it aside.

                        

Now place a wide bottomed pan or a pot which has tight lid to close. Add about 2 laddles of chicken gravy and layer rice on top of it.

                       

                                        Alternate with layers of rice and gravy.

                       

Add the final layer of rice and add the herbs and few strands of saffron( not necessary ). Since I don't know what to do with it I went ahead and added it, Now close the lid and let it sit in a low heat for about 45 mins to 1 hour, yes I know it's a lot of cooking time, but as I said before it's a lengthy process, but you can't go wrong, beginners could try it, when I can do it anybody can do it.

This is how it will look after cooking it for an hour, I messed up with the lightings, so it looks dark and yellowish.

                                               You Can enjoy it with cucumber raita.

Crunchy 'N' Munchy Asparagus

Indian Style Asparagus

This is a Recipe which I learned from my co sister Meena, thanks for sharing this recipe akka, she is a wonderful and innovative person, she always comes up with different ideas to cook the greens in a delicious way, so that the kids would love it, she is the one who inspired me to experiment different kind of foods.

Ingredients Needed are :  Tender Asparagus, garlic, green chillies, butter and roasted peanuts.

                   

Wash the asparagus well and strain the water, Here comes the cutting part, people cut it in different ways, some eat the flowery tip and few people don't like, so its according to your wish, if you want to leave the tip in go ahead and do that, if not cut it off like I did.

         






When it comes to bottom part, its very fibrous and non edible, so I just peeled the skin of the bottom part for about an inch and a half so that it becomes thin and tender as well, coz the skin is the one which makes it very fibrous. And cut it into desired sizes.

                        

Heat some butter in the pan and add chopped garlic and green chillies.

                        

Add the chopped asparagus and salt, mix it up and cook it covered for about 7 to 8 mins, don't need to add water, since your covering it up with the lid it will do its job.

                       

After about 8 mins, cook it uncovered until the excess water evaporates, and then add the roasted and crushed peanuts.