Usha's Recipes

Chakra Pongal 

Ingredients: 

1 cup Rice

1/4 cup moong dal (pesara pappu)

1 cup powdered jaggery

5 cardamom pods

1 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp ghee

12-15 cashew nuts

10 raisins

10 coconut pieces (fresh or dried)

4 1/2 cups water (3 1/2 for rice, 1 for jaggery syrup)

·         Dry roast moong dal in a pan until the color starts to change.

·         Cook rice and moong dal with 3 1/2 cups of water in a pressure cooker or on a stove top.

·         Mean while, roast cashews, raisins and coconut pieces in 2 tbsp ghee and keep it aside.

·         Mix cardamom pods with sugar and ground to make fine powder.

·         Add jaggery and a cup of water to a thick bottomed vessel or non-stick pan and stir until jaggery melts.

·         Boil the syrup for 4-5 minutes on medium flame and turn-off heat and let it cool for a bit.

·         Now add the boiled rice and dal to the jaggery syrup, mix well with a strong ladle on medium flame.

·         Add the remaining ghee, sugar-cardamom powder and combine well.

·         Turn-off heat and let it sit for 5 minutes so that rice absorbs the sweetness.

·         Garnish with cashews, raisins coconut pieces and serve warm.

Pani Poori  

Ingredients:   

For poori

½ cup Semolina

1 tbsp All purpose flour

¼ tsp Cooking soda

Salt to taste

Water to make dough

Oil for frying

½ cup tamarind

½ cup coriander leaves chopped

1 cup mint leaves chopped

4-5 green chilies

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ tbsp cumin powder

½ tbsp coriander powder

1 tsp grated jaggery

Pinch of black salt

Salt to taste

Water to dilute

For stuffing

2 medium size Potatoes

3 tbsp matar

¼ tbsp red chili powder

Salt to taste

1 onion finely chopped  

For tamarind chutney (optional)

½ cup tamarind

¼ cup jaggery

1 tbsp sugar

¼ tsp red chili powder

½ tbsp cumin powder

Salt to taste

½ cup warm water

Poori preparation:

·         Mix semolina, salt, plain flour cooking soda and add little bit of water and knead well to make soft dough and leave it for 10-15 minutes. (mean time u can prepare pani)

·         Make very small balls and roll them into small circles.

·         Alternatively roll like big chapattis and make small circles using some bottle cap. Here I used priya pickle bottle cap

·         Don’t make too big pooris that we can’t swallow whole.

·         Heat the oil in a thick bottomed pan and then fry the rolled pooris till puffed and golden brown which appears like spheres...

·         Take them out and put them on kitchen paper towel, to get rid of extra oil.

·         Store the pooris in an air tight container, after cooling them.  

Tangy spicy juice or Pani Preparation:

·         Soak the tamarind in a cup of warm water for 15-20 min

·         Strain the tamarind out to get thick tamarind water.

·         Blend mint leaves, coriander leaves, green chilies, cumin seeds with little water to make smooth paste. 

·         Now mix this blended paste, black salt, salt, coriander powder, cumin powder, jaggery and thick tamarind juice and add water slowly until required consistency.  

Stuffing:

·         Boil potato and matar till done, then mash it

·         Mix it with chili powder and salt

Tamarind chutney preparation:

·         Soak the tamarind in warm water for 15-20 min

·         Strain the tamarind out to get thick tamarind juice and add jaggery, sugar, salt, red chili powder, cumin powder.

·         Pour the mixture in to a pan and heat for 5-7 minutes on medium flame to melt the sugar and jaggery

·         Now the pani poori is ready it’s time to enjoy the taste come we will taste it now

Serve this way

Make a small hole in the center of the poori

Fill one tsp stuffing and ½ tsp chopped onions in to the poori and ¼ tsp tamarind chutney (optional, those who like sweet flavor in it)

Now dip poori in the tangy spicy juice or just pour spicy water into the poori.

Gulp it :)

Wow tasty...........

My mouth watering, have to go and gulp.

But bit careful, don’t talk or laugh while eating.........

Butter Chicken

For marinating
½ kg boneless chicken pieces
½ tbsp salt

½ tbsp chili powder

½ tbsp Coriander powder

¼ tsp turmeric
½ tbsp ginger garlic paste
2 tbsp oil

For gravy
1 large onion finely chopped
2 medium sized tomatoes chopped
½ tbsp ginger garlic paste
½ tbsp coriander powder

½ tsp turmeric
½ tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp kasuri methi
4 cashews nuts
4 almonds
salt to taste
2 tbsp butter

½ cup fresh yogurt
½ tsp sugar

1tbsp tomato sauce

1 tsp garam masala

Food coloring – Red

Coriander to garnish

Preparation:

·         Mix chicken with salt, chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric, ginger garlic paste and allow it to marinate for 15 minutes.

·         Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide open pan and fry the marinated chicken pieces for 10 min and take out chicken from the pan and keep aside.

·         Now add onions and ginger garlic in the left over oil and sauté till the onions turn light brown then add a cup of water and stir well to get all the masala stuck in the pan.

·         Add chopped tomatoes, green chilies, salt, chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder, kasuri methi, cashews nuts, almonds and cover the pan with lid and cook it for 8-10 min until tomatoes become soft.

·         Now cool the mixture and blend it to a smooth paste

·         Heat butter in the pan and add the blended paste, fresh yogurt and a cup of water to thinner the gravy.

·         Add red color, sugar and tomato sauce. 

·         Now add chicken pieces in the gravy and cook for 10 minutes covered till the required consistency.

·         Garnish it with chopped coriander and serve hot with spice flavored rice/rotis.