Tiramisu (eggless)

Today, 27th August, is my MIL's birthday. D and myself would like to wish her a very very happy birthday and we are grateful for her ever present love and affection and for everything that she represents! We celebrated in absentia the occasion with a homemade eggless Tiramisu and it turned out really tasty! We just wish we were able to share it with her.

    

The Tiramisu version that I made, is eggless and made with mascorpone cheese. D loves it a lot, and more so because the coffee flavor is his favorite Breakfast blend!

Tiramisu is made with layers of ladyfinger biscuits and a mascarpone- whipped cream mix.And I made the following changes to my Tiramisu  from the traditional recipe :


1. I replaced the egg in the mascarpone - whipping cream mixture with custard . Custard, just like eggs would help in firming up the cheese and cream.
2. Instead of using lady finger biscuits ( sponge cake with eggs ) i made my own eggless sponge sheets.
3. The traditional Tiramisu recipe uses dessert liquor ( like Marsala wine, Rum, Brandy, Kahlua ). You can instead use unsweetened grape juice.

I referred to Sanjay Thumma's eggless video for Tiramisu, he has used strained yogurt whereas i made my own mascarpone cheese.

I hereby present the full recipe

Ingredients :

For the sponge cake thin sheets :

All purpose flour - 1 cup
Sweetened condensed milk - 7 ounces /198.5 gms [ half can ]
Melted butter - 1/4 cup
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Water - 1 cup

Heavy whipping cream - 8 ounces / 227 gms
Mascarpone Cheese - Refer the recipe by clicking on it
Strong brewed coffee - 1.5 cups
Unsweetened grape juice - 3 to 4 tbsp
Sugar - as per taste ( i used about 1/4 to 1/2 cup )
Cocoa powder - 1/2 cup ( or more as per taste )

For the custard :

Milk - 1/2 cup
Custard powder - 1 tbsp

For Garnishing:

Cocoa powder
Chocolate ( I used mildly sweet Hershey's dark chocolate )

Procedure :

Sponge cake cookie sheets :

Preheat the oven at 350 F and grease a sheet pan ( cookie tray).
In a small bowl mix melted butter, condensed milk and water.
In another big bowl mix all purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda, make a well in between and pour in the condensed milk - butter mix and mix properly.
Pour this batter on the greased tray and spread evenly so that when its baked , we will get a thin sheet of sponge cake.Take a knife and cut it into small strips ( Similar to the ladyfinger biscuits ).

Mascarpone, whipped cream and custard mixture (MWC mixture) :

How to make whipped cream

Take the heavy whipping cream in a bowl, add a tbsp of sugar and whisk  till soft peaks are formed. This should take about 20 mins of heavy whisking.

How to make custard

In a small pan heat milk. Take custard powder and mix it in 3 - 4 tbsp of milk.  When the milk comes to a rolling boil add the custard mix and stir continuously till it thickens. This would take few seconds. Cool the custard.

In a big bowl take mascarpone cheese and mix 3-4 tbsp of sugar and whisk till the cheese becomes soft. Add the whipping cream and custard and mix them well till you get a smooth  mixture . To this mixture add 2-3 tbsp of brewed coffee. Check for sugar , If you want to make your cheese more sweeter, add some more sugar.

Preparing the coffee liquor:

In a bowl mix the strong brewed coffee and 2-3 tbsp of unsweetened grape juice ( or Wine, Rum or Brandy if using ).

Chocolate Shavings for garnishing:

Take the big bar of dark chocolate and with a vegetable peeler shave off to make the chocolate shavings.

Assembling the cake :

Take a serving bowl ( preferably square or rectangle ) in which we will assemble the Tiramisu layers.

1st layer 

Dip the sponge sheets into the coffee liquors ( give a quick dip, like for a second or two. Over dipping would turn the cake soggy and break ) and line them into the serving bowl. Fill out the empty spaces with small pieces of sponge sheets if necessary.

2nd layer

Pour half of the MWC mix over the sponge sheets gently.

 

  

Evenly spread the cocoa powder over the MWC layer with the help of a tea strainer.

 
3rd layer

Take the sponge sheets and give a quick dip in the coffee liquor and line them over the cocoa powder .

4th layer

Pour some more MWC mix over the sponge sheets.

Sprinkle the cocoa powder over the MWC layer with the help of a tea strainer and decorate with chocolate shavings.

Cover with a saran wrap ( plastic wrap ) and refrigerate for 6-7 hours.

Serve chilled . Cutting and serving the tiramisu can be little tricky as the cake is very spongy and creamy. So cut carefully and serve.

Happy b'day again to my mother-in-law!!!!

Mascarpone Cheese (for Tiramisu)

 Mascarpone Cheese is used mainly in Italian cooking and is most famously used in Tiramisu and other deserts.

                          



 It is made mainly from heavy whipping cream and lemon juice or tartaric acid. I looked through various websites to make mascarpone cheese, all of them recommended using pasteurized heavy whipping cream.But when I went looking for it I was able to find ultra pasteurized whipping cream ( not pasteurized whipping cream ) and decided to go ahead with it ( as few websites said it was okay to use ultra pasteurized whipping cream  for the same ). It was also recommended to use a cooking thermometer to check the heat, it should not be a problem if you don't have one.


Just like how paneer ( cottage cheese) is made, the main ingredient (in the case of mascarpone cheese it is heavy whipping cream whereas for paneer it is whole milk), is curdled with lime juice. And the similarity ends there because when you curdle the milk in paneer we can see the paneer and whey seperating immediately whereas in mascarpone cheese, when the whipping cream is curdled, we hardly see any significant difference except for the thickening of the cream. You will understand it seeing the pictures shown and described below.

It might take more or less time than described here to make mascarpone cheese.

Active prep - 20 - 25 min

Inactive prep - 12 hrs

Ingredients :

Heavy Whipping cream ( Organic ultra pasteurized ) - 2  packs, 16 ounces / 454 gm ( 8 ounces / 227 gm each )

Lemon juice - 1 tbsp ( you can also use vinegar )

Other things required :

Cheese cloth - 4 nos ( I used 4 nos of clean men's handkerchief )

Colander

Cooking thermometer ( I didn't use this )

One large skillet

One strong bottomed, heat resistant cooking bowl

Procedure:

1. Double Boiling:

In a large skillet on medium heat, fill about one inch of water and heat till the water comes to a rolling boil.

Turn the heat from medium to low. Transfer the heavy whipping cream into the heavy bottomed cooking bowl. And place this bowl over the skillet. ( Take out some water from the skillet if it spills after the bowl is placed )

 

2. Boiling and Curdling:

Take a wooden spoon and keep stirring once in a while, you will notice that a very light coating of milk remains on the back of the wooden spoon.

Keep stirring the cream till the whipping cream reaches a temperature of 190 F, since I did not use a cooking thermometer I waited till small bubbles started forming on the surface of the cream.

This should approx take 20- 25 minutes of gentle heating. once you see small bubbles forming on the surface add the lemon juice .

After few minutes of stirring , the cream would thicken a little ( as thick as say condensed milk ).

When the back of the wooden spoon is covered with a thick layer of curdled cream, turn of the heat and cool the curdled cream for about 20 - 25 minutes.Take a colander and place the four pieces of  men's handerkerchief over it.

3. Firming:

Pour the curdled cream over the cloth ( the four layers of cloth would prevent the cream from flowing immediately and would eventually filter the whey  ) Do not squeeze or press the cloth. Place the colander along with the cream over a plate ( to prevent the whey from dripping all over) and cover the colander with a plastic wrap (saran wrap).

Place it in a refrigerator for atleast 12 hours and only after minimum 12 hours would the cheese firm up completely.
There would be a very little whey in the plate. You would get a firm and creamy cheese.

The cheese should be refrigerated until used and should be used within 3-4 days.

Keerai Vadai

Soaking time - 2 to 3 hours
Prep time - 10 mins
Cooking time - 20 - 25 mins

Ingredients :

Chana Dal - 1 cup
Udat dal - 1/2 cup
Spinach ( or any green ) - 2 cups, finely chopped
Dried red chillis - 3 to 4
Black pepper - 1 tsp
Saunf / sombu / fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped [ I didn't use onions this time ]
Salt - as per taste
Oil - for deep frying

Procedure :

Wash and soak chana dal and Udat dal for 2-3 hours.

Grind the soaked dals along with pepper, red chillis and salt coarsely.

Add the chopped spinach, fennel seeds and onion ( if using ) to the ground dal and mix properly.

In a large wok , heat oil on medium.Make a small lemon sized ball from the dough and press between your palms gently and deep fry in the oil on medium heat till golden brown on both the sides.

Eggless Orange and Chocolate Zebra Cake

Prep time - 20 mins

Baking time - 40- 45 mins

Ingredients :

For the Orange batter :

All purpose flour - 1 and 1/2 cups

Sweetened condensed milk - 7 ounces / 198.5 gms [ half can]

Orange Juice - 1/2 cup

Melted butter - 1/2 cup

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Vanilla essence - 1 - 1.5 tsp [ Optional ]

For the Chocolate batter :

All purpose flour - 1 cup

Sweetened condensed milk - 7 ounces / 198.5 gms [ half can]

Aerated cola - 1/2 cup [ I used Coke ]

Melted butter - 1/2 cup

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Cocoa powder - 2 tsp [ I used regular cocoa powder; for darker stripes, heavy dark cocoa powder can also be used]

Powdered Sugar - 2 - 3 tbsp [ or as per your taste ]

Procedure :

Orange batter :

In a bowl mix butter, condensed milk, orange juice and vanilla essence properly.

In another big bowl mix and sieve all purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda.  Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour in the butter - orange juice mixture and mix properly with a large spoon into a smooth batter without any lumps. [ Avoid using electric mixer as  over beating an eggless batter would cause it to deflate ]. Keep the batter aside.

Chocolate batter :

In a bowl mix butter and sugar until creamy. Add condensed milk and Coke to the butter - sugar mixture and mix properly.

In another big bowl mix all purpose flour,cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda. Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour in the butter - cola mixture and mix properly with a large spoon into a smooth batter. Keep the batter aside.

Preparing the Zebra Cake :

Preheat the oven at 350 F. Grease the baking pan.

Keep both the batters nearby and place a medium sized spoon in each of the batters.

In the baking tray, first pour in a spoon of chocolate batter in the middle of the baking pan, then pour a spoon of plain batter on top of the chocolate batter. Again pour a spoon of chocolate batter over the plain batter. Continue pouring both the batters alternatively until finished.

Do not tilt the pan, the batter will spread by itself eventually.

Bake for 40 - 45 mins or till the toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Vegetable Sagu

Prep Time - 15 mins
Cooking time - 15 mins

Ingredients:

Mixed vegetables ( potato, peas, beans, carrot, cauliflower, capsicum) - 3 cups, cut into cubes
Onion - 1 medium , finely chopped
Tomato - 1 large, finely chopped
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Oil - 1-2 tsp


For the paste:

Chana Dal- 2 tsp
Coriander seeds - 2tsp
Cloves- 3
Cinnamon stick - 1inch stick
Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Red Chillies - 2- 3 [ you can add more of you want it more spicy]
Coconut - 2 tbsp , grated
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1/2 tsp

For Garnishing :

Cilantro chopped
Lime juice

Procedure:

Boil and cook all the vegetables . Do not pressure cook the vegetables as we don't want the vegetables mashed up.
Take a small wok , when hot pour in 1/2 tsp of oil and fry all the ingredients under the " For the paste " section till they turn golden brown.Cool and grind with little bit of water into a smooth paste.

Take a wok , heat oil on medium. Add onions and fry till light golden brown , add the tomatoes and turmeric and cook till the tomatoes turn mushy. Add in the paste and mix till you get a nice aroma. Add salt and the boiled vegetables . Mix and add little water to get a semi solid consistency, cook till it comes to a boil. Turn off the heat. Garnish with cilantro and lime juice. Serve hot with roti.

Carrot, Dates & Soy Milkshake

This tasty and healthy but not so common milkshake is one of our recent favorites. This is D's recipe which I am posting  on his behalf.

Prep Time - 5 mins
Serves - 3 ( 1200 ml approx )

Ingredients :

Carrots - 2 large , chopped
Whole dates - 10 -12, chopped
Soy Milk - 2 and 1/2 cups
Almonds - 1/4 cup
Walnut - 1/4 cup

Procedure :

Place all the ingredients in a blender , blend till smooth and serve.

Vegetable Dum Biryani

Vegetable Dum Biryani is one of the most wholesome and satisfying dishes that I have cooked in the recent past. Filled with veggies, lots of spices and rich in nuts, it is one festive meal that you should not miss!

Before going into the details of the Dum Biryani recipe, I would like to share something that I learnt recently, that is the difference between a Pulao and Biryani. In the former, rice is cooked along with all the spices and vegetables whereas in biryani the rice and the vegetables (along with spices ) are cooked separately till 70% is done and are then layered alternatively and cooked slowly. This slow cooking process is called Dum cooking.

Prep time - 1 hr approx
Cooking time - 30 mins
Baking time - 45 mins to 1 hr

Ingredients :

For garnishing :


Saffron - 1 tsp
Fried onions - 1/2 to 3/4 cup [ store bought, these may also be readily available in Indian grocery stores.]

For the rice :


Basmati rice - 1.5 cups
Mint - 2 to 3 tbsp, chopped
Cilantro / coriander leaves - 2 to 3 tbsp, finely chopped
Oil - 1 + 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Whole spices for rice:

Cinnamon stick - 1 inch stick
Cloves- 4
Cardamom - 1
Bay leaf - 1

For the vegetables:

Potatoes - 2 , cut into long  and thick strips
Carrots - 2, cut into long strips
Beans - 3/4 cups, cut into medium pieces
Cauliflower - 1/2 cup, cut into big florets
Peas - 1/2 cup
Onions - 1, medium, cut into long strips
Tomato - 1, medium and firm, cut into medium cubes
Paneer - 1/2 cup, cut into cubes
Walnuts - 1/4 cup
Cashew nuts - 1/4 cup
Yoghurt - 3/4 to 1 cup
Jeera / Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Mint - 3 to 4 tbsp, chopped
Cilantro / Coriander seeds - 3 to 4 tbsp
Kasuri methi / dried fenugreek leaves - 1 tbsp
Green chillies - 4 , slit
Ginger & garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

Whole spices for the vegetables :

Cinnamon stick - 1 inch stick
Cloves- 4
Cardamom - 2
Bay leaf - 1
Oil - 3 tbsp

For the Biryani Masala [ You can also use store bought biryani masala ]

Whole dried red chillies - 6
Whole dried cloves - 6
Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp


One hour prior to cooking :

1. Wash and soak the rice in water .
2. Soak the saffron in 2-3 tbsp of water.
3. Prepare paneer if making at home .
4. Prepare Biryani masala if necessary -  Dry roast the coriander seeds, red chillies and cloves till the coriander seeds turn golden brown. Cool and grind this mixture.

Procedure :

Marination of the vegetables:

In a big bowl mix ginger and garlic paste, coriander powder and turmeric properly. Add in the vegetables, mint leaves, coriander leaves , Kasuri methi and little salt. Mix properly taking care that the vegetables do not break during mixing. Cover and keep the vegetable mix aside.

Cooking the Rice :

Take a big vessel and boil about 7-8 cups of water. Drain the water from the rice and when the water comes to a rolling boil add the drained rice along with the whole spices , mint leaves, coriander leaves,a tsp of oil and salt. We want the rice to be cooked only 70 % so keep stirring in between and check that the rice doesnt get overcooked. This should take less than 5 minutes on medium heat . Also keep stirring to prevent rice from sticking in the bottom.

Once cooked drain the water from the rice in a colander . The drained rice would have a very nice aroma from the whole spices, cilantro and mint leaves . Add another tsp of oil and with a fork fluff up the rice while mixing the oil. Keep the rice aside.

Cooking the vegetables :

Heat oil in a large pan on medium heat.In the hot oil add cumin seeds and whole spices. Stir for few seconds and add in the onions and fry till golden brown.

Once the onions turn golden brown sprinkle about a tbsp biryani masala and turmeric , give it a good stir and add in the vegetables. Add more salt if you want to. Cover and cook the vegetables till the potatoes and carrots are 70 % done. Take a potato and carrot and cut them with a knife, they would get cut yet not easily, [ same as in when you cut refrigerated butter] This should take approx ten mins or less on medium heat.

While the vegetables are getting cooked, in a small pan heat a tbsp of oil and shallow fry the cashew nuts, walnuts and paneer respectively.

Once the vegetables are done switch off the heat and add in the fried walnuts and cashew nuts, fried paneer, tomatoes and curd and mix gently and keep it aside.

Layering the Biryani:


Preheat the oven at 400 F.

Grease a baking pan, there will be 2 layers of vegetables and 3 layers of rice so choose a baking pan big enough for  5 layers.

1st layer (rice):

Spread a layer of rice ( as we will have 3 layers of rice, use rice here by keeping aside enough rice for the other two layers)

 After spreading the rice sprinkle about 1/2 to 1 tsp of biryani masala.

2nd layer (vegetables):

Now layer the vegetables over the rice. ( as we will have 2 layers of veggies, use half veggies in this layer keeping the other half of veggies aside.)

Press the veggies gently with a large spoon to make room for other layers. Now sprinkle some fried onions over the veggies.

3rd layer (rice):

Spread another layer of rice over the veggies.

Sprinkle the biryani masala.[ I avoided sprinkling the masala in the 3rd layer as i didn't want  it to be too spicy.]

4th layer (vegetables):

Spread the remaining half of vegetables over the rice.

Sprinkle some fried onions and press the veggies gently with a large spoon.

5th layer (rice):

Spread the remaining rice over the vegetables evenly. Sprinkle the fried onions  and finally sprinkle the saffron over the rice.

Cover the baking pan with an aluminum foil and bake for 45 mins.

[ This baking step can also be done by double boiling. For this, heat water in a large skillet on medium heat and place the steel pan ( with the layers of veggies and rice ) over it for 45 mins]

When done the fried onions would turn dark brown in color. Do not over-cook in the oven as the rice might turn hard. 

Serve hot. Since the Biryani is a wholesome meal by itself, it can be served with a plain raita.


[ To watch the video of the complete recipe of Vegetable Dum Biryani from showmethecurry.com click here.]

Kurma ( South Indian Style)

Prep Time - 10 mins
Cooking Time - 40 mins

Ingredients :

Vegetables ( Carrots, Potato, Cauliflower, Peas, Beans) - 2 cups, Cut into small cubes.
Onion - 1/2 cup, cut into long strips
Tomato - 1, medium , chopped
Bay leaf - 1
Jeera/ Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp ( optional, I didn't use it)
Salt to taste
CIlantro / Coriander leaves for garnishing.

For the Paste :

Coconut - 1 cup
Khus khus / Khasa khasa / Poppy seeds - 1/4 cup
Saunf / Fennel seeds / Sombu - 1tbsp
Shredded onion - 1/2 cup
Diced Tomato - 1/2 cup
Green Chillies - 4 ( or as per taste )
Cashew nuts - 1 tbsp
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 1 or 2 medium pods

Procedure :

Boil the vegetables and keep aside .

Grind into paste all the ingredients in the " For the paste " section with little water.

In a large wok, heat oil on medium heat . Add the bay leaf and cumin seeds , wait till it splutters. Add onion
and stir till it turns golden brown and add in chopped tomato and turmeric and cook till the tomatoes turn mushy.

Then pour in the ground masala paste with salt. Mix and cook till the raw smell of the masala disappears and you get a nice aroma and you will see the oil seperating. This will approx take 20 - 30 mins.

Add the vegetables and garam masala [ if using] and bring it to a boil. [The kurma should have a semi solid consistency so add water accordingly].Garnish with chopped Cilantro.
Serve with hot puris or parotta.

Mac and Cheese with veggies

Prep Time - 20 mins
Baking Time - 15 mins

Ingredients :

Elbow Macaroni - 10.5 oz / 300 gms
Carrots - 2, diced
Corn kernels - 1 cup
All-purpose flour - 4 tbps
Milk - 2 cups
Butter - 3 + 1 tbps
Bread Crumbs - 1 cup
Cheddar cheese - 1 cup, grated
Salt - 2 tsp or as per taste
Pepper - 1 tsp

Procedure :

Cook the elbow macaroni al dente and keep aside. Cook the carrots and corn.

Preheat the oven at 400 F (200 deg) and grease the baking tray.

Heat a wok and add a tbsp of butter on low heat and toss in the breadcrumbs and cook till all the breadcrumbs are covered with butter. This should take a minute or so.
In the same pan melt 3 tbsp of butter on medium heat , add the all-purpose flour and stir till you get a creamy mixture. Remove the wok from heat and pour milk, stirring simultaneously. Once mixed properly, place on low heat till the sauce starts to boil. Add 1/4 cup of cheese, salt and pepper. Mix and keep aside.

Now take the greased baking dish and spread the elbow macaroni (1st layer), Carrots and corn mix( 2nd layer). Pour the sauce evenly over the macaroni and vegetables(3rd layer), spread the remaining grated cheese (4th layer) and sprinkle the buttered breadcrumbs evenly and bake for 15 mins or till the top layer becomes golden brown. Serve hot.

Cilantro - Lime Sour Cream Dip

Prep Time - 5 mins

Ingredients :

Sour cream - 1/2 cup
Spring onions - 2, chopped
Lime juice - 1 tsp
Cilantro / Coriander  fresh leaves - 1 tbsp, chopped
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Pepper - 1/4 tsp

Procedure :

Stir together all the ingredients. Chill and Serve .

Aadi Perukku kalantha saatham [Mixed rice]

On this special day - Aadi Perukku (18th day in the month of Aadi on the Tamil calendar), the lunch menu consists of any three mixed rice items. In this blog, I am posting one such menu with these three - Lemon, Coconut and Curd rices.

 

Prep Time - 10 mins
Cooking Time - 10 -15 mins

Ingredients :

Cooked Rice - 3 cups (1 cup for each rice item)

For Lemon Rice :

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Chana dal - 1/2 tsp

Cashews - 1 tbsp

Green chillies - 2 [ or as per taste ] , chopped

Curry leaves - 5 to 6 

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida - 1/8 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

For Coconut Rice :

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Chana dal - 1/2 tsp

Red Chillies [ Dried ] - 2 [ or as per taste ] , broken into medium pieces

Curry leaves - 5 to 6

Asafoetida - 1/8 tsp

Coconut [Shredded] - 1/2 to 3/4 cup

Peanuts - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Oil - 1 tbsp

For Curd Rice :

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Green Chili - 1 finely, chopped

Curry leaves - 3 - 4 leaves

Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp, chopped

Curd - 3/4 cup

Milk - 1/4 cup

Oil - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

 

Procedure :

Separate and fluff up the rice with a fork.

Lemon Rice :

Heat oil in a medium pan on medium heat. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter, add chana dal, urad dal and cashews and give it a quick stir. Then add green chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida and turmeric stir for few seconds till you get a nice curry leaves aroma [ make sure that you don't burn ] . Add one cup of cooked rice and salt and mix properly. Switch off the heat and pour in the lemon juice and mix again. 

Serve hot.

Coconut Rice :

Heat oil in a medium pan on medium heat. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter, add chana dal, urad dal and add peanuts and stir for few seconds. Add the red chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida and stir for few seconds till you get a nice curry leaves aroma . Add coconut, mix and turn the heat to low. Add rice and salt. Mix and serve hot.

Curd rice :

Heat oil in a small pan , when hot add mustard seeds and let them splutter , add the green chillies and curry leaves. Switch off the heat and pour the mustard seeds and green chillies over the rice.Take a large spoon and mix so the rice gets mashed up. Now add milk , curd and salt and mix again. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Navratna Kurma

Prep Time : 15 mins
Cooking Time : 25 mins

Ingredients :

Nine main ingredients (Navratnas):


Potato - 1 large, cut into cubes
Cauliflower - 1/2 medium, cut into medium pieces
Carrots - 2 large, cut into cubes
Beans - about a cup, cut into medium pieces
Pineapple - 1/4 cup, cut into cubes
Paneer - 1/2 cup
Raisins - 2 tbsp
Almonds + Walnuts - 3 tbsp, chopped

Other ingredients:

Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped
Cashews - 2 tbsp
Green Chillies - as per taste, Chopped [ I used 4]
Jeera/ Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Ground black pepper - 1/2 tsp or as per your taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger & Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Heavy cream - 3 tbsp
Saffron - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

Whole spices :

Cardamon - 2 pieces
Cloves - 2 pieces
Bay Leaves - 1 medium
Cinnamon Stick - one half inch stick

For garnishing :

Pomegranate seeds
Chopped coriander

Procedure :

Soak Saffron in 2 tsp water.

Boil all the vegetables till they get cooked. Do not pressure cook the vegetables as they might get mashed.

In another vessel, add water and let it boil. Once it starts boiling add the cashews and onions and cook till the cashews get tender. This should take approx 5-6 minutes. Once tender, cool and grind the cashew and onions into a smooth paste.

Heat oil in a large pan [on medium heat ], and saute the raisins, paneer, walnuts and cashews separately.
In the same pan when the oil is hot add the cumin seeds and whole spices. Stir for few seconds and add the ginger-garlic paste, giving it a quick stir, add the cashew-onion paste, green chillies cumin powder, coriander powder  and about 1/4 cups of water. Stir and cook this mixture on low heat till the oil oozes out.
Now add in about 1/2 cup of water slowly while stirring and boil the gravy till it gets a sauce-like consistency.
Add the nine main ingredients (i.e. the four vegetables, pineapple, paneer, raisins and almonds and walnuts). Mix them with the gravy slowly. Once mixed add the cream, salt , soaked saffron and pepper.
Mix and cook on slow flame for 15 mins. Remove from heat and garnish with pomegranate seeds and Coriander.

Serve hot with Naan or chapathis.