Usha's Recipes

Tomato Onion Raita 

Ingredients:

1 cup curd (yogurt)

1 big onion finely chopped

2 green chilies finely chopped

1 tbsp grated carrots (optional)

1 small tomato finely chopped and de-seeded

1 tbsp chopped coriander

Salt to taste

Procedure:

·         Beat the curd using whisk.

·         Add salt, onions, green chilies and mix well.

·         Add tomatoes, carrots and coriander just before serving.

·         Tastes good with Biryani/fried rice.

Vegetable Biryani 

                            Vegetable Biryani

                vegetable biryani served with onion raita 

Ingredients: 

For Rice:

2 cups basmati rice

1 tbsp of oil

2 cloves

½ tsp shahjeera

1” cinnamon stick

For Vegetable mixture:

1 big carrot – cut into big pieces

2 medium sized potatoes – peeled and cut into big pieces

2 cups cauliflower florets – cut into big florets

½ cup beans – cut into long pieces

½ cup capsicum slices (optional)

1/2 cup matar (frozen green peas)

1 big onion finely chopped

1 big tomato chopped

5 green chilies chopped

1 cup mint leaves tightly packed

1 cup coriander leaves tightly packed

1 cup yogurt (curd)

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

2 tbsp oil

¼ tsp turmeric

½ tsp shahjeera (black cumin seeds)

½ tsp cumin seeds

2 cloves

1” cinnamon stick

2 cardamom pods

2 bay leaves

10-15 cashews and almonds chopped

¼ tsp of saffron

2 tbsp milk

1 tbsp coriander seeds

½ tbsp cumin seeds

1” cinnamon stick

4 cloves

3 cardamom pods

2 dry red chilies

·         Soak saffron in lukewarm milk for at least 20 minutes.

·         Wash and soak the basmati rice for about 30 minutes.

·         For cooking rice: Bring 8 cups water to rolling boil and add cloves, cinnamon stick, shahjeera, salt, oil, drained soaked rice.

·         Start timer and make sure turn off flame after 6 minutes, check once before turning off, rice should be 80 % cooked.

·         Immediately drain the water with help of colander and spread the rice in a platter.

·         For masala: Dry Roast masala ingredients and blend them to fine powder

·         Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide open pan and add shahjeera, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves saute for a minute.

·         Add onions, ginger garlic and chilies fry until onion become soft,

·         Add all the vegetables (carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, capsicum, tomatoes), salt, turmeric, half of dry masala powder, ½ cup mint leaves, ½ cup coriander leaves and saute for 3-4 minutes.

·         Now add half a cup of water mix well and cook covered for 8-10 minutes. Vegetables should be half cooked.

·         Now add half cup of beaten yogurt to the vegetables and mix well and let the vegetable cook in yogurt for 3-4 minutes and turn off the flame.

·         Divide vegetable and rice in to 2 or 3 equal parts. I prefer 3 layers so divided in to 3 parts.

·         Spread 1 tsp of oil in a cooking vessel (coat sides and bottom) and add 1 portion of vegetable, a tbsp of curd and spread like a layer.

·         Now spread 1 portion of rice on top of vegetable layer.

·         Again spread 2nd portion of vegetable and yogurt on the rice and sprinkle some salt, dry masala, chopped nuts, mint leaves and coriander leaves. Then add 2nd layer of rice and the same procedure for the 3rd layer also.

·         The top layer is rice; spread some mint and coriander leaves on top of the rice.

·         Sprinkle saffron milk on the top and cover the vessel with lid. If you don’t have saffron, use orange food coloring. Of course it’s not a substitute for the saffron's aroma but at least can get the color to food.

·         Now Take a wide open pan or skillet and pour half a cup of water and place the Biryani vessel in to the pan. Cook like this for about 40 minutes on low flame. This is the secret of avoiding Biryani getting burnt on the bottom and stuck to the vessel.

·         After turning off heat, transfer the biryani to a serving bowl and mix once or twice without getting rice broken.

·         Serve hot with onion raita or your favorite gravy.

Note: Do not use wooden ladle for mixing, wood tends to absorb saffron flavor easily.

Vegetable Manchurian

Vegetable Manchuria - Dry

Vegetable Manchuria - Wet

Ingredients: 

1 cup grated carrots

1 cup grated cabbage

1 cup grated mixed vegetables of your choice (beans, cauliflower, capsicum, green peas) optional

2 tbsp Corn flour

1/2 cup mashed boiled rice

3 green chilies finely chopped

1 inch ginger finely minced

1 Spring onion finely chopped

¼ tsp pepper powder

½ tsp red chili paste

2 tsp Soy sauce

¼ tsp ajinomoto

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

1 tbsp Oil

1 inch ginger finely chopped

2 garlic flakes finely chopped

1 onion (big) chopped

2 green chilies chopped

2 spring onions

1 cup Vegetable stock

1 tbsp corn flour

½ tsp Chili paste

1 tsp pepper powder

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp Sugar

Salt

Chopped coriander

Procedure:

·         Boil 1/2 cup of water and add all the grated vegetables (carrots, beans, cabbage, cauliflower, peas, capsicum) and let them cook covered for 3-5 minutes, vegetables should be half cooked.

·         Cool the vegetable mixture and squeeze the excess water from vegetables using a cloth and use the squeezed water as vegetable stock for making sauce.

·         Mix squeezed vegetables with salt, ajinomoto, ginger, green chilies, spring onions, pepper, soy sauce, chili paste, boiled rice, corn flour and make dumpling of small size.

·         Heat oil in a frying pan, and fry the dumplings until medium dark brown color and take out onto a kitchen towel.

·         Take another pan heat 1 tbsp of oil add cumin seeds, chopped ginger, garlic, onions, green chilies, pepper and saute for 2 minutes

·         Add spring onions, ajinomoto, salt, chili paste, soy sauce, sugar, 2 tbsp of water and saute for 2 minutes.

For Dry Manchuria

·         Add the dumplings into the sauce and sauté for 2-3 minutes until dumplings are well coated with sauce.

·         Garnish with chopped coriander and greens of spring onions.

·         Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

For Wet Manchuria

·         Add the vegetable stock (squeezed water from vegetables) to the sauce and adjust salt.

·         Mix 1 tbsp corn flour with little water and add this to the sauce. 

·         Add the fried dumplings to the sauce, and bring to boil until the sauce thickens to the required consistency.

·         Garnish with coriander and serve hot with noodles, fried rice or even with rotis/chapathis.