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Showing posts from May, 2011

Karela Masaledar -Orissa style

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Bitter Gourd, as the name suggests is really bitter and the most disliked veggies among children. But moms have always tried their best to feed children in some way or the other. There are many different ways to prepare karela, it can be fried, stuffed, boiled..... The way we make it in orissa is cooking it with musard paste. Ingredients: Karela: 1 large or 2 small Mustard seeds : 3tbsp Garlic : 4-5 cloves Red Chilli : 2-3 Turmeric Powder : 1tsp Salt : to taste Oil: for cooking Procedure: Wash and chop the karela into thin slices. In a saucepan boil the chopped karela with some salt, till its cooked. Make smooth paste of mustard seeds, red chilli, garlic, turmeric powder, salt and 1 tsp oil. Once the Karela is done drain it and mix it with the mustard paste. Make sure all the karela pieces are nicely coated with the masala. In a flat pan add some oil and when hot add the karela in a single layer. Fry all the karela till crsipy. This is authentic oriya food :) Serve it with dal chawal

Fish Biryani

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Biryani is a rice based dish made with basmati rice, spices and meat, fish, egg or vegetables. It originated in Iran and has spread all over the places. Even though its mostly popular in South Asia but I guess it is prepared, served and enjoyed all over the world. There are a lot of varieties of biryani prepared all over the world and one style that we all know is hydrabadi dum biryani. In Bangalore in Kormangala there is a restaurant only for biryani and every time we went there it would be crowed with people lined u p till the road :) It was there when I for the first time tasted with fish biryani. Since then I have been trying to prepare this yummy recipe. Finally did it last week, here is the recipe. Ingredients: Fish : 2 lbs (try using fish that is firmer like : tilapia) Basmati Rice: 1 cup Curd: 1 cup Chilli Powder: 1 tbsp Turmeric Powder: 1 tbsp Biryani Masala: 3 tbsp ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp mint leaves : 1 cup chopped coriander leaves: 1 cup chopped fried onion : 1 cup Gr

Aloo Paratha

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Writing this post takes me back to my school days when I would be eagerly waiting for the lunch bell to ring so that I can dig into my tiffin box for the aloo paratha. Aloo paratha is one of the most common breakfast prepared in most parts of India. Along with all the yummy food my mom used to prepare this is till date my most preferred take away. When I miss those days I would prepare aloo paratha for lunch so that I can re-live few of those days that are never gonna come back. So let see what we need and how to prepare aloo paratha. Ingredients: Dough: Whole Wheat flour: 1 cup Water : 1/2 cup (more as needed) Salt: pinch Potato Filling: Potato : 2 medium (boiled) Salt : to taste Red Chilli powder : 1/2 tsp (more depending on how spicy you like) Onion: 1 small (chopped) Green Chilli: 2-3 (chopped) Garlic: 2 cloves (finely Chopped) Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp Coriander Leaves : 1 tsp (finely Chopped) Chat Masala : 1/2 tsp Oil: 1/2 tsp We would also need: Dry flour and some extra oil for roi

Fish Cutlet

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Being from the coastal state of Orissa I am very fond of fish. I prefer fish over any other type of non-veg any time :) There are hundreds of varieties of fish available and even more ways to pr epare them. The same fish can be cooked as a simple curry or can be grilled , can also be made into a sushi , it really depends on how you relish it. Fish cutlet is one of the most delicious and easy Indian recipe for fish. The fish we want to use for this recipe really depends on what we have available but preferably one with fewer bones so that it is easy to clean. I used Tilapia fillet that I bought form Costco. That made my job even easier as it was filled nicely without any bones. You can always use what you have in the kitchen, just make sure that you remove all the bones so that it doesn't get stuck while eating. Ingredients: 1/2 Kg of any fish(preferably steak or fillet) 1 Cup of water 4 Cloves of garlic 1 inch piece of ginger a few peppercorns a teaspoon of fennel seeds 4 Boiled

Mango Cake (Eggless)

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Isn't yummmmmm the first thought that comes to our minds when we here mango? The season for this delicious fruit has started and shops are flooded with variety of options tempting you to buy more even if a load is lying there at home :) Mango is a fleshy stone fruit originally from India. Mango is generally sweet, although the taste and texture of the flesh varies across cultivars, some having a soft, pulpy texture similar to an overripe plum, while the flesh of others is firmer. Every part of the mango is beneficial and has been utilized in folk remedies in some form or another. The ripe mango is anti scorbutic, diuretic, laxative, invigorating, fattening and astringent. The most delicious way to have one is in its natural form as a fruit :) But how many can one finish alone when they are lying in the refrigerator. So I decided to use few together in a cake. If you don't have fresh mangos at home you can always go for the store bought puree. Ingredients: 1 – 1/2 cups all purpo

Cauliflower Masala ( with Poppy Seeds)

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Cauliflower is a vegetable that can be cooked in many different ways. Today I have a very yummy recipe for you with cashew and poppy seeds. I have been trying to find a new recipe using cauliflower so I tried something different. So here we go.... Ingredients : Cauliflower : 1 large cut into florets. Potato : 1 cut into wedges. Poppy seeds : 1 tbs Cashew Nuts : 2 tbs (broken into pieces) Ginger : 1 inch Garlic : 6 flakes Green Chillies : 2 Onion : 1 large chopped Tomatoes : 2 medium chopped Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp Coriander Powder : 1 tsp Cumin Powder : 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder : 1 tsp Curd : 1/2 cup Coriander Leaves : chopped 1 tbs Oil : for cooking Salt : as per taste. Procedure: Soak the cauliflower florets in water with turmeric powder for few minutes. Fry the florets and potato wedges. Make a paste of poppy seeds and cashew seeds. Make a paste of ginger, garlic and green chillies. In pan heat oil and add chopped onion to it. Fry the onions till they are golden brown. To this add