Vidhya's Veg Indian Recipes: January 2018

Sunday, 28 January 2018

Broccoli Rice-Spiced with Black Pepper

Step by step procedure to prepare a comforting and easy to prepare Broccoli & Pepper Rice. This is a very unique, flavourful and nutritious rice recipe. This can be prepared in very less time with minimal ingredients, so it makes a perfect, tasty and healthy lunch box recipe. when it comes to side-dish for this rice, you can have them with papad/apalam. I prepare this recipe once in a week for lunch box and it is always absolutely tasty and spicy. Give it a try in your kitchen and share your feedback. Scroll further to see the full recipe.

Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 20 min
Serves: 1-2
Category: Variety rice
Recipe by Vidhya

Ingredients

Rice - 1/2 cup cooked (I used ponni raw rice)

Broccoli floret - 250 grams

Onion - 1 finely chopped

Ginger - 1 inch finely chopped

Garlic - 1 finely chopped

Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1 spoon

Black Pepper - 1 tablespoon crushed

Turmeric powder - 1/2 spoon

Garam masala - 1/2 spoon

oil - 1 tablespoon

Salt - As per your taste

Method

Cook 1/2 cup rice and allow it to cool. Do not over cook the rice. Rice should be soft, fully cooked and should not be sticky.
Wash and clean the broccoli in the mean time and also chop the ginger, garlic and onion.
In a kadai, add a tablespoon of oil, when the oil is in medium hot add jeera/cumin seeds. Then add ginger and garlic. Give a stir.
Add the chopped onion and cook it until the raw smell from ginger and garlic goes off and the onion should change colour.
Now add broccoli floret and give a stir.
Sprinkle little water and cook for up to 8 min. Check whether the veggie is completely cooked.
Once the vegetable is cooked, add a tablespoon of crushed blacked pepper and 1/2 spoon turmeric powder. You can also add turmeric powder as soon as you add broccoli to the kadai. Give a stir and cook for a minute.
Then add 1/2 spoon garam masala and salt and stir. Cook for another 2-3 min.
Add the cooked rice and gently stir. Remove the pan from the hot plate and close it with a lid, so that the rice and spices will nicely blend and also retain the flavour.
The Broccoli rice-Spiced with Black Pepper is ready to serve/for a tasteful lunch box.

Monday, 22 January 2018

Carrot Paratha/Gajar ka paratha

Step by step procedure to prepare an simple and healthy paratha recipe - Carrot Paratha/Gajar ka Paratha. This carrot paratha is soft and spicy and also healthy. The dish is so filling as we are stuffing the cooked and spiced carrots in between two chapathi. This makes really an excellent dinner and also good for lunch tiffin box. The carrot parathas are spicy by itself and it doesn't need a special side-dish. If you like, you can have them with thick curd/yogurt. Enhance the healthy aspects and flavour of your paratha with carrots and with our own Indian spices. Now we will see how to prepare carrot parathas/Gajar ka paratha in detail.

Preparation time: 25 min
Cooking time: 5 min for each paratha
Serves: 4 parathas
Category: Paratha/Stuffed roti/Stuffed Chapathi
Recipe by Vidhya

Ingredients

Atta/Wheat flour - 1 1/2 to 2 cups

Carrot - 2 Medium sized grated

Onion - 1 Medium sized finely chopped

Green Chilli - 1 finely chopped

Jeera/Cumin seed - 1 tablespoon

Garam masala powder - 1 spoon

Chilli powder - 1/2 spoon

Coriander powder - 1 spoon

Turmeric powder - 1/2 spoon
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Ghee/butter - to prepare paratha

Salt - As per your taste

Method

Make roti dough in your regular procedure and set it aside covered for at least 30 min before start preparing parathas.

Stuffing

Grate carrots, chop onion and green chilli.
In a kadai/pan, add a tablespoon of oil. When it is medium hot add jeera/cumin seed.
Add onion and green chilli and saute till the onion changes colour.
Now add the grated carrot. Stir occasionally and cook the carrots until it is soft and completely cooked. Add turmeric powder at this stage, if you want.
Once the carrots are cooked completely, add 1/2 spoon turmeric powder, 1 spoon garam masala powder, 1/2 spoon chilli powder, 1 spoon coriander powder and salt. Stir it and cook for a minute.
Now the stuffing is ready.

To make Paratha

Make two medium sized ball with atta dough.
Make two flat rotis for about 5-6 inches diameter with the medium sized atta ball.
Take one flat roti, take 1 1/2 tablespoon of stuffing and spread it across the roti leaving the edges.
Now with another roti cover the stuffing.
Press the edge with fingers and make sure the stuffing won't spill when you toss the paratha.
Now using roller, roll the stuffed paratha.
Heat the pan and put the roti, when pan is hot.
Grease the side with butter/ghee (I used ghee). The paratha is ready, when you can see some spots over it and make sure the edges are cooked too. Press the edges while making parathas. I used 1 to 1 1/2 spoon ghee for making each paratha.
Now the paratha is ready to serve.

Thursday, 18 January 2018

Chana/Chickpea Salad

Step by step procedure to prepare a very refreshing salad recipe - Chana/Chickpea Salad. Here we are adding whole lot of fresh vegetables and herbs with olive oil and tossing them with the cooked chickpeas. Chickpeas are the vegetarian-friendly source of protein. Not only nutritious but also a very colourful and appetising dish. And the best thing about making this salad is "no cooking". We are just going to boil the chickpeas and then tossing them in the mixture of vegetables. sounds easy?? yes it is. This would be great for a simple supper. This is served best in room temperature and as well as chilled in refrigerator. You can also store it in fridge and have them for next day. Chilled salad also tastes extremely good and do not have to re-heat them. When you are hosting small parties/get together, Chickpeas Salad can be served as a starter/appetiser. According to your taste you can also add cheese or you can use lemon juice for seasoning. Now we will see how to prepare a filling and refreshing Chana/Chickpea Salad.

Preparation time: 20 min (excluding 8 hours soaking time of chana)
Cooking time: 5 min
Serves: 2-3
Category: Salad
Recipe by Vidhya

Ingredients

Chana/Chickpeas - 1 cup

Carrot - 1 grated

Onion - 1 finely chopped

Cherry tomato - 12 nos
Cucumber - 1 large/2 medium sized chopped

Capsicum/Green bell pepper - 1/2 portion of a whole capsicum

Coriander - 1/2 cup tightly packed

Jeera powder - 1 tablespoon

Pepper - 1 1/2 tablespoon

Extra virgin olive oil - 2-3 tablespoon

Salt - As per your taste
Cheese/lemon juice for seasoning(I used Cheddar cheese)

Method

Wash the chana and soak them for about 8 hours/soak it overnight. Pressure cook the chana for 6-7 whistles. Once the pressure comes down, strain water and keep the chana aside.
In the meantime, you can chop the list of veggies. Grate the carrot, chop the onion, slit the cherry tomatoes, chop the cucumber. capsicum and coriander leaves. You can also replace cherry tomatoes with our regular ones, but cherry tomatoes are apt for salads.
Now we will make the salad. Take a large bowl and add the cooked chana. Add 2-3 table spoon of olive oil. Give a gentle stir.
Add 1 tablespoon of jeera, 1 1/2 tablespoon of pepper and salt. Mix them gently.
Now add the whole lot of chopped vegetables and mix them with chana.
With a lid, close the bowl and keep it for 30 min. You can also refrigerate them for 30 min.
Put the salad mixture in a bowl and serve them. As I had mentioned above, I served it in 2 different ways.

Cut the cheese into small cubes/grate the cheese and top them on the salad and serve. Kids would love this version of salad.
Cut and squeeze the lemon over the salad and mix it nicely and serve. This version is my husband's favourite.

Monday, 15 January 2018

Indian Style Masala Pasta

Step by step procedure to prepare a yummy pasta - Indian Style Masala Pasta. As I have mentioned in my earlier post, pasta is becoming a very famous and likeable food, right from kids to elders. Making little variation in preparing pasta will makes the recipe exotic. In our Masala Pasta recipe, we are tossing the cooked pasta in mushy tomato-onion, cooked vegetables and Indian spices. And it doesn't need any sauce or any special seasoning, we could prepare it with the ingredients which are available handy in our kitchen. This would be an ideal weekend snack and can also be served as a simple dinner. Enjoy cooking a home made Masala Pasta and delight your kids and family. Scroll further to see the full procedure to prepare - Indian Style Masala Pasta.

Click on the link for another simple pasta recipe - Vegetable Pasta

Preparation time: 15 min
Cooking time: 25 min
Serves: 1
Category: Pasta
Recipe by Vidhya

Ingredients

Durum wheat pasta - 1 cup/100 grams

Onion - 1 big finely chopped

Tomato - 1 big chopped

Ginger - 1 inch finely chopped

Garlic - 1 finely chopped

Carrot - 1 finely chopped

Beans - 5 - 6 nos finely chopped

Green peas - a handful (I used fresh peas)

Capsicum/Green bell pepper - 1/2 portion finely chopped
Extra virgin olive oil - 2-3 tablespoon

Spices

Garam masala powder - 1 spoon

Coriander powder - 1 spoon
Black pepper coarsely powdered - 1/2 spoon

Chilli powder - 1/2 spoon/ As per your taste

Salt - As per your taste

Method

Cook 1 cup pasta as per instruction given in the pack. Usually the instruction would say to cook the pasta in boiling water for 8-9 min. But I cooked the pasta for around 12 min, which makes them more tender, so it can absorb more masala and it won't be blunt in taste.
In a pan/kadai, add 2-3 table spoon of olive oil(I added up to 2 1/2 tablespoon oil), when the oil becomes hot, add ginger and garlic, stir it until the raw smell goes off. Now add chopped onion and fry it until it becomes transparent/changes colour.
Add the chopped tomatoes and fry until it becomes mushy.
Add chopped beans and carrot, cook until the vegges are half cooked. Sprinkle water while cooking to avoid the burns.
Add green peas and cook for another 5-7 min.
Now add chopped capsicum and cook for 3 min.
Add 1 spoon garam masala powder, 1 spoon coriander powder, 1/2 spoon chilli powder, 1/2 spoon black pepper powder and finally salt. Mix it well and cook for another 4-5 min.
Add the cooked pasta. and stir it gently for 3 min.
Remove pasta from hot plate, close the pan with a lid for 5 min. This would allow the pasta to absorb the masala and keep it closed until you serve to retain the flavour.
Serve pasta and have a great snack time with your family and friends.

Notes:

You can used any vegetables of your choice.
Cook pasta for 12 min or so. It should be fully cooked and firm.
Vegetables should be completely cooked, but at the same time it should be crunchy. So do not over cook the vegetables.
Be generous in adding olive oil, which ensures a great taste.
You can also top it with cheese of your choice or you can add the cheese during the finishing stage and blend them nicely with pasta.

Thursday, 11 January 2018

Sweet Corn Biryani

Step by step procedure to prepare a delicious biryani - Sweet corn Biryani. No Onion No Garlic Biryani dish.

When kids are asking for new dish every day and when you want to surprise them, you can definitely try this one. The procedure to prepare sweet corn biryani is very simple and this is pressure cooker version of preparing biryani. We are using all our regular biryani spices, fresh corn and cream/milk for preparing this dish. No blending required in this method and hence it is quick and easy to prepare. Cook a delicious biryani in just 30 min and serve hot biryani with raitha. Now we will see how to prepare Sweet Corn Biryani.

Preparation time: 10 min (excluding 30 min of soaking time)
Cooking time: 20 min
Serves: 2-3
Category: Variety rice/Briyani
Recipe by Vidhya

Ingredients

Basmathi rice - 1 cup

Corn kernels - 3/4 cup

Tomato - 2 medium chopped

Ginger - 1 inch chopped

Bay leaf - 1 small

Cinnamon stick - 1 inch

Cardamom - 2-3

Cloves - 2-3

Star anise - 1

Butter - 1 table spoon

Chilli powder - 1 tablespoon/As per your taste

Turmeric powder - 1 spoon

Cream - 1/2 cup (I used low fat cream. You can also use milk instead of cream)

Salt - As per your taste

Method

Soak the basmathi rice for at least 30 min.
In the mean time, you can chop the Ginger and tomato. And if you are using cob corn, you can remove the corn kernels from the cob. If you are using frozen corn, then you can measure 3/4 cup of corn and thaw them.
Now take pressure cooker, add a table spoon of butter. You can also use ghee/oil.
When it is hot add bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and star anise. Stir it for a minute.
When spices becomes aromatic add the chopped ginger. Stir until it becomes slightly brown and the raw smell goes off.
Now add the chopped tomatoes and stir until it becomes mushy.
Then add the corn kernels and give a stir.
Add 1 tablespoon chilli powder and 1/2 tablespoon turmeric powder. Give a stir.
Add half cup cream/milk. Add water, the ratio is 1:2, i.e. 2 cups water for 1 cup rice. If you are adding milk then take 1/2 cup milk + 1 1/2 cup water for 1 cup rice.
Give a stir and add the soaked basmathi rice. Add salt, stir again and close it with lid.
Pressure cook for 15-16 minutes. Allow the pressure to comes down by itself. And keep the lid closed for another 10 minutes after the pressure comes down, this will allow a nice blending of masala with rice and corn. And also keep the lid closed until you serve to retain the flavour.
Serve the hot Sweet Corn Briyani with raitha.