Fried Rice!!

Onmyplate today is “Fried Rice” which is one of my favorites and therefore, wanted to share with you all 🙂

“Fried Rice” is prepared from the leftover rice either cooked for dinner or lunch which generally no one wants to consume and therefore goes for a waste…..

Giving a new name and re-cooking makes it fresh and delicious in taste too!!

Here goes the recipe which would help you not to waste the leftover rice 🙂

Ingredients::

• Cooked rice 2 cups
• Onion 1 large chopped
• Tomato 1 medium chopped
• Fresh Green Chili 1-2 chopped
• Haldi (Turmeric) 1/4 tsp
• Ajwain (carom) seeds 1/2 tsp
• Zeera (cumin) seeds 1/4 tsp
• Cinnamon 2 half inch
• Lemon juice 1 1/2 tbsp
• Salt 1/2 tsp or according to taste
• Oil 3 tbsp

Preparation::

• Heat oil in a fry pan and add ajwain, zeera and let it crackle
• Now add cinnamon and fresh green chili and let it crackle too
• Add the chopped onions and fry in low flame till golden in color
• You may now add tomatoes, haldi, salt and fry in medium heat
• Once the tomatoes are soft add rice and mix well
• Fry the rice in high heat till it starts crackling (almost 6-7 minutes)
• Keep stirring so that it doesn’t burn
• Remove from heat and add lemon juice and mix well
• Serve hot with curd, pickle or sauce!!

Roasted Sewai Kheer (Vermicelli Pudding) !!

Onmyplate today is a sweet dish ” Roasted Sewai Kheer (Vermicelli Pudding)” which is nutritious and full of energy!!

I love this dish a lot since it’s easy to cook, sweet, tasty and doesn’t require too many ingredients 🙂

ingredients::

• Full cream Milk 1 L
• Roasted Sewai (Vermicelli) 1/2 cup
• Cashew 1/4 cup
• Raisins 1 tbsp
• Cardamom 2-3 crushed
• Sugar 4-5 tbsp or according to the taste

Preparation::

• Boil milk add let it dry in low heat till it’s half the quantity
• Keep stirring so that the milk doesn’t stick to the bottom of the vessel
• Now add vermicelli and mix well
• Cook for 5 minutes and check if the vermicelli is soft
• Add cashew, raisins and sugar and mix well
• Cook for 2-3 minutes in low heat and then add crushed cardamom
• Remove from heat and refrigerate it for 30 minutes
• Serve chilled!!

Shimla Mirch- Aaloo ki sabji (Capsicum-Potato Curry) !!

Onmyplate today is “Shimla Mirch- Aaloo ki sabji (Capsicum-Potato Curry)”.

This beautiful combination is very special as addition of potatoes and tomatoes help to get rid of the bitter taste and is loved by the children too since many of them do not like capsicum at all!!

Ingredients::

• Capsicum 1 medium cut into small pieces
• Potatoes 2 medium thinly sliced
• Onion 2 medium thinly sliced
• Tomato 2 medium chopped
• Fresh Green chili 1 chopped
• Haldi (Turmeric) 1/4 tsp
• Red chili powder 1/4 tsp
• Panch-phoran 1/2 tsp
• Salt 1/2 tsp or according to taste
• Oil 2 tbsp

Preparation::

• Heat oil in a fry pan and add panch-phoran and let it crackle
• Add fresh green chili, potatoes, salt, haldi, red chili powder and mix well
• Cover the lid and cook in low heat till the potatoes are soft
• Now add the capsicum and mix well
• Cover the lid and cook for 2 minutes in low heat
• Remove the lid from the pan and stir
• Now spread the sliced onions over the capsicum and potatoes
• Without mixing it, cover the lid and cook for 2 more minutes in low heat
• You may notice the discoloration of the onions
• Now mix it well and add the tomatoes
• Cover the lid once again and cook in low heat for 2-3 minutes
• Once the tomatoes are soft remove from heat
• Serve hot with parathas!!

Stuffed Paneer (cottage cheese) Paratha!!

Onmyplate today is ” Stuffed Paneer (Cottage Cheese) Paratha”!!

Apart from being loved by children, paneer is a great source of Calcium and Vitamin D and very healthy…

Ingredients:

• Atta (Whole wheat flour) 1 cup or for 3-4 parathas
• Fresh Paneer 1 cup mashed
• Onion 1 medium chopped
• Tomato 1 small chopped
• Haldi (Turmeric) 1/4 tsp
• Red chili powder 1/4 tsp
• Fresh green chili 1 chopped
• Ajwain (Carom) seeds 1/2 tsp
• Garam Masala 1/4 tsp
• Lemon juice 1 tbsp
• Salt 1/2 tsp or according to taste

Preparation::

• Take whole-wheat flour in a bowl and add salt and sufficient water to knead into a dough
• Apply oil, cover and set aside
• Heat oil and add ajwain, onions, green chili, red chilli powder, salt, garam masala and stir
• Fry till the onions are golden or light brown in color, ensure that it doesn’t turn too brown
• Now add tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes are soft
• Add the mashed paneer and fry in low heat for 2 minutes
• Remove from heat and add the lemom juice and mix well
• Now divide the dough into equal portions, the size of your regular chapatis
• With your palm, flatten a dough and using one hand, press the sides of the ball to form a hallow to fit the paneer ball. The middle should be thick and sides should be thin
• Place the filling into the ball and cover the sides
• Run it around the palm so that it gets closed well
• Dust some flour on your palm and and press the dough
• Then gently press till its flat
• Ensure you don’t press too much and make the stuffed paneer to come out
• Heat a tawa (Iron flat bottom utensil) and smear oil
• Once the paratha is pressed, with all the sides evenly spread, gently place on the hot tawa
• Reduce the flame to medium and let it bubble up. Turn it around and spread oil around the parathas
• The parathas taste better if the oil is spread to the sides too. Cook till both sides turn a golden brown
• Serve hot with curd or pickles or drop a dab of butter if you like!

Beetroot Pulao (Fried Rice)

Beetroot is one of the vegetables which is not only a store-house for Vitamin C and Iron but also good for liver.

Today’s special recipe “Beetroot Pulao” is super healthy, easy to cook, beautiful to look at and delicious in taste!!

Ingredients::

• Beetroot 1 cup chopped
• Basmati Rice 2 cups
• Zeera (Cumin) seeds 1/2 tsp
• Cinnamon 1/2 inch
• Cardamom 3 crushed
• Black Cardamom 1
• Red Chili powder 1/4 tsp
• Salt 1/2 tsp or according to taste
• Ghee (clarified butter) 3 tbsp

Preparation:

• Heat ghee in a pressure cooker and lower the heat
• Now add zeera seeds, cinnamon, black cardamom and let it crackle
• Rinse  the rice properly and add in the pressure cooker and stir well
• Now add red chili powder, salt and cardamom and mix well
• Fry the mixture in low flame for 2 minutes
• Now add 2 1/2 cups of water and cover the cooker with the lid
• Cook it till 2 whistles or 5-7 minutes and remove from heat
• Serve hot with pickles, curd or sauce of your choice!!

Methi (Fenugreek leaves) & Potato Curry

Today’s special is Methi (fresh fenugreek leaves) and Potato Curry!!

Ingredients::

• Methi 2 cups chopped
• Potato 4-5 medium cut into small pieces
• Garlic crushed 1 tbsp
• Red chili 1
• Onion paste 1 tbsp
• Tomato 1 medium chopped
• Cumin powder 1 tsp
• Coriander powder 1 tbsp
• Garam Masala 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
• Red chili powder 1/2 tsp
• Kitchen King 1 tbsp
• Fresh cream 1/2 cup
• Fresh yogurt 1 tbsp
• Salt 1/2 tsp or according to taste
• Oil 2 tbsp
• Ghee  (clarified butter) 1 tsp

Preparation::

• Heat oil in a fry pan and add garlic with red chili and let it crackle
• Now add potatoes and fry till golden brown in color
• Take onion paste in a mixing bowl and add salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, kitchen king and mix well with 1/4 cup water
• Add this mixture to the potatoes and fry in medium heat till the spices are brown in color
• Once the potatoes are soft add methi and stir
• Let the leaves turn little soft and then add tomotoes and cover the lid
• In 2-3 mintues tomotoes should turn soft then add yogurt and fry in low heat
• Now add fresh cream and fry in medium heat so that thick gravy is formed
• Lastly add ghee and cook for 20-30 sec in low heat
• Remove from heat and serve hot!!

Egg and Potato Curry!!

Eggs are my family’s favorite and easy to cook. It is indeed beneficial for health and it’s moderate consumption doesn’t have negative impact on the health!!

Combining potatoes with eggs make it richer in health as potato is a rich source of carbohydrate and loved by almost all the age groups….

Today’s special is “Egg and potato curry” which is spicy and delicious in taste!!

Ingredients::

• Eggs boiled and peeled 2
• Potatoes small, half boiled and peeled 4
• Onion paste 2 tbsp
• Ginger paste 1 tbsp
• Garlic paste 1 tbsp
• Onion thinly sliced 1 small
• Tomato 1 medium chopped
• Coriander powder 1tbsp
• Zeera (Cumin) powder 1tsp
• Garam Masala 1/2 tsp
• Kitchen king 1 tbsp
• Zeera (Cumin) seeds 1/2 tsp
• Cinnamon 1-2 half inch
• Badi Elaichi (Cardamom) 1
• Bay leaves 1
• Red chili 1-2
• Red chili powder 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
• Salt 1/2 tsp or according to taste
• Fresh cream 2 tbsp
• Cashew 2 tbsp finely crushed
• Oil 1/2 cup
• Fresh coriander leaves to garnish

Preparation::

• Make small incisions on the boiled eggs & potatoes
• Heat oil in the fry pan and fry eggs in low heat till golden brown in color and keep it aside
• Now fry the potatoes till golden brown in color and keep it aside
• Add zeera seeds, red chili, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaves in the oil
• Let the seeds crackle in low heat
• Now add thinly sliced onions and fry in medium heat till golden brown in color
• Once the onions are fried well add the pastes of onion, ginger and garlic and stir
• Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, zeera powder, kitchen king, garam masala and salt and mix well
• Fry in low heat for 3-4 minutes and add the tomatoes
• Let the tomatoes turn soft and then add fried potatoes
• Stir well, cover the lid of the fry pan and cook for 5 minutes in low heat
• Remove the lid and add 1 cup of water and let it boil for 1-2 minutes in medium heat without the lid
• Check if it has turned into a thick gravy add fresh cream and stir well
• Add the fried eggs and cashew and cook for 2 minutes in low heat
• Remove from heat and garnish with fresh coriander leaves
• Serve hot with steamed basmati rice or parathas!!

Crunchy Fruit & Toast Custard Delight!!

Yippee!! have touched the milestone of 125 + followers……….. 🙂   🙂

Today’s special dish is Yummy, Crunchy, Delicious and Healthy which is dedicated to all my FRIENDS who have liked my blog and motivated me to continue blogging for The TASTE of India…Cheers!

Here goes the recipe for Crunchy Fruit & Toast Custard Delight!!

Ingredients::

• Milk 500 ml
• Custard Powder 2 tbsp
• Pomegranate 1/4 cup
• Banana 1 small cut into rings
• Sugar 3-4 tbsp or according to taste
• Cashew 15-20 pieces chopped
• Almonds 8-10 finely cut width wise
• Bread slice 2 cut into squares of 2 inches ( sides removed)
• Oil for deep fry

Preparation::

• Take 1/4 cup hot milk and add custard powder and make a smooth paste
• Now boil the remaining milk and remove from heat
• Add the custard paste into the milk and stir
• Heat it in low flame and cook for 2-3 minutes
• Keep stirring so that the paste doesn’t stick to the bottom of the vessel
• Remove from heat and let it cool
• Now add the dry fruits, pomegranate and banana and mix well
• Refrigerate it for 1-2 hrs
• In the meanwhile heat oil in a deep fry pan
• Take the bread pieces and deep fry in low flame till golden brown in color
• Cut the pieces further into small squares and refrigerate it for 30 minutes
• Now take a serving cup and layer 6-7 crunchy bread pieces and then top it with custard delight
• Serve chilled!!

Zeera Lauki (Bottle gourd with Cumin Curry)

Bottle gourd (Lauki) is a rich source of nutrients like fiber, iron and Vitamin C. This vegetable is indeed healthy and can be used in many vegetarian and non- vegetarian dishes.

Today’s special “Zeera Lauki” is simple and easy to cook with minimal ingredients handy at home.

Ingredients::

• Lauki (Bottle gourd) 500 gm chopped
• Tomato 2 medium chopped
• Zeera (Cumin) seeds ½ tsp
• Haldi (Turmeric) ¼ tsp
• Salt ½ tsp or according to taste
• Red chili powder ½ tsp
• Red chili 1-2
• Oil 1 tbsp

Preparation::

• Heat oil in the kadhai (Fry pan) and add zeera (cumin) seeds with red chili and let it crackle
• Now add Lauki, salt, haldi, red chili powder and mix well
• Cover the kadhai with a lid and let it cook for 5 minutes in low heat, keep stirring in a little while
• Check if the Lauki is soft then add tomatoes and cook in low heat
• In 5-10 minutes the tomatoes would turn soft
• Mix the tomatoes well with Lauki and remove from the heat
• Serve hot with Parathas!!

Veg Soya Pulao (Rice) with Boondi Raita

Rice is used over all part of India and we Indians are fond of it’s different shades. Therefore, I have used rice with different vegetables and soya chunks which is full of health and nutrition.

This beautiful dish shares its space with Boondi Raita which is a traditional Indian salad made in Yogurt . Believe me this combination gives the mouth a texture of spicy, sweet and tasty treat!

Here goes the recipe for Veg Soya Pulao with Boondi Raita…

Ingredients for Veg Soya Pulao

• Cooked rice 2 cups
• Onion 2 medium finely chopped
• Peas ½ cup
• French Beans ½ cup cut into small pieces
• Soya chunks ½ cup
• Paneer (Cottage Cheees) ½ cup cut into ½ inch cubes
• Fresh Cream 2 tbsp
• Fresh Green chili 1 finely chopped
• Haldi (Turmeric) ¼ tsp
• Red chili powder ½ tsp
• Salt ¾ tsp or according to taste
• Garam Masala powder ½ tsp
• Zeera (Cumin) seeds ½ tsp
• Badi Elaichi (Black Cardamom) 1
• Chhoti Elaichi (Cardamom) 2 crushed
• Cinnamon ½ inch
• Tejpatta (Bay Leaves) 1-2
• Oil 5-6 tbsp
• Ghee 1 tsp

Preparation::

• Heat oil in the kadhai (deep frying pan) and add Zeera seeds with cinnamon, Badi Elaichi and Tejpatta
• Once the seeds crackle add green chili and onions in low heat till golden in color
• Now add french Beans and Haldi, red chili powder, salt, Garam Masala and fry in medium heat for 2-3 minutes
• Add ½ cup of water and mix well and cover the kadhai with a lid
• Let it cook in low heat for 5 minutes
• In the meanwhile take Soya chunks in a pan and add 2 cups of water, a pinch of salt and boil in medium heat for 4-5 minutes
• Once the Soya chunks are done take out in a strainer to extract the water
• Press the chunks on the palms and drain out excess water and keep it aside
• Check if the french beans are done then add fresh Cream, Soya chunks, Paneer and fry in medium heat
• Lower the heat and take rice and make a layer on top of the vegetables
• Stir well and fry in medium heat for 5 minutes
• Now add Chhoti Elaichi and Ghee and stir
• Remove from the heat and serve hot with Boondi Raita!!

Ingredients for Boondi Raita

• Fresh Yogurt 1 cup
• Boondi (made of chickpea flour) ½ cup
• Black salt ¼ tsp
• Salt ½ tsp or according to taste
• Red chili powder ½ tsp
• Roasted Zeera (Cumin) powder ½ tsp
• Sugar ½ tsp
• Black mustard seeds ½ tsp
• Oil ½ tsp
• Red chili 1-2
• Chaat Masala a pinch (optional)

 Preparation::

• Take yogurt in a mixing bowl and add salt, sugar, red chili powder, cumin powder, chaat masala and mix well and keep it aside
• In a small bowl take boondi and add ¼ cup of water and let it soak for 5 minutes
• Now add this soaked boondi in the yogurt mixture and stir
• Heat oil in a seasoning spoon and add mustard seeds with red chili and let it crackle
• Remove from heat and spread it over the Raita and regrigerate for 20-30 minutes