cookbypassion

Do you like Mangoes? Who doesn't like mangoes, after all its the king of fruits. Summer is almost here and we see mangoes every where. Staying in USA for more than a decade now, I miss eating those yummy mangoes everyday. Though we get mangoes here, they just don't taste like the ones we get in India. Anyways be happy with what you get is my policy.   Now, its also a season all those yummy pickles are made with raw mangoes, tomatoes, gooseberries and what not. Coming to raw mangoes we get pretty good mangoes here which are rarely sour in taste. They are used to pickles,  juices, jams and also cooked with dal and rice. We use raw mangoes in Fish curry as well,  it gives very nice tangy taste to the dish. As we are cooking with grains for this whole month, I have made a spicy and tangy mango rice. Luckily I got a mango which is very sour / tangy this time from market, which is the key ingredients to the dish am making today. It is other wise called as mango pulihora or...

Brown rice and masoor dal Kichidi is a one pot comfort food with which can be made with in 30 minutes. Healthy, nutritious and flavorful  Kichidi is complete meal in itself. Whole Masoor dal is a classic Indian red lentil. Lentils are a great source of protein, fiber, Vitamin B. iron and Zinc. Asafoetida gives a nice flavor and aroma to the dish. Brown rice is a great substitute to those who want to reduce regular white  rice consumption.   Brown Rice & Masoor Dal kichidi goes to day 17 of Mega Marathon theme " Biryani / Pulao / Kichidi recipes with grains". Ingredients: Brown rice 1 cup Whole Masoor dal 3/4 cup Asafoetida 1/4 tsp Cumin seeds 1 tsp Onion slices 1/4 cup Green chili chopped 1 tbsp Salt to taste Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp Oil / Ghee 2 tbsp Preparation: Wash and soak rice and lentils  together for 15 minutes. Heat oil in a presser cooker, add cumin seeds and let them splatter. Add sliced onions and green chili. Saute till onions turn slight brown in col...

Turkish Cuisine is largely the heritage of Ottoman Cuisine which can be described as a fusion and refinement of Central Asian, Middle Eastern and Eastern European Cuisine. Ingredients like lamb, beef, rice, fish, eggplant, onion, peppers, garlic, lentils and tomatoes are frequently used. Nuts like Pistachio, chestnuts, almonds and walnuts together with spices have special place in Turkish Cuisine and used extensively in desserts like Baklava  and Honey cakes .  Plain rice pilaf is often the primary side dish to any Turkish meal. It is made with  sauteing rice with butter until properly toasted and simmered with veg or chicken stock. Turkish rice / pilaf is buttery, soft and stable food of Turkish Cuisine. Little brown bits like Sehriye otherwise called as Orzo is a small kind of pasta which adds great texture and flavor to the dish. The rice used for this pilaf is Baldo Rice, a short grain rice similar to Italian Risotto rice. Today I will be preparing this simple yet del...

Hyderabadi Zafrani Pulao is a sweet saffron pulao made with rich ingredients like Saffron, nuts, milk and mild  spices. Zafrani means saffron which is the main ingredient to prepare this dish so good amount of saffron is used here.  This rich and exotic dish is made  and served especially during festivals.  Tastes very nice with rich gravy curries specially Mughlai curries. I have added almonds, cashew nuts and raisins to this dish, you can go ahead and add walnuts, Pistachio, Chironji or any of your favorite nuts. I have followed Vah chef recipe with few variations.  So this rich, classy and flavorful recipe goes to day 15 of Mega Marathon theme " Biryani / Pulao / Kichidi with grains". Ingredients: Basmathi Rice 1 cups Small onion or shallot 1 sliced Saffron strands 1/4 spoon Milk 1 /2  cup Water 1/12 cup Sugar 1 tbsp ( optional ) Cashew nuts 5 Almonds 5 Raisins 10 Bay leaf 1 Shahi Jeera 1/2 spoon Cinnamon  1 inch stick 1 Star Anise 1 Cardamom 1 Clo...

Dum Aloo or Aloo Dum is a potato based traditional dish from Kashmiri Pandit Cuisine. It is a easy, delicious and flavorful curry usually made with baby potatoes, mild spices, cashews and yogurt.  The potatoes are deep fried and cooked in a gravy on low flame. This  creamy and yummy curry goes well with any pulao, biryani or any Indian Bread.  Now, how about making biryani with this delicious curry. Just soak some rice for a while and cook with very little spices as we already added some spices to the gravy. Layer it and cook on dum style. That’s it enjoy with your favorite raita.  Potato lovers here is the dish for you all posting under the theme " Biryani / Pulao and Kichidi with grain " for day 14. Ingredients: Basmati Rice 2 cups Prepared Dum Aloo curry 2 cups Onion 1 small sliced Bay leaf 1 Cinnamon  1 inch stick Cardamom 2 Cloves 3 Biryani masala 1 spoon Salt to taste Butter / ghee  2 tbsp Oil 1 spoon Chopped cilantro 1/2 cup Preparation: Wash and so...

  Broken wheat or Dalia is a healthy substitute to Rice that is easy to digest and  high in iron and fiber. It is also known as fada, cracked wheat, bulger, lapsi.  Dalia has been a part of Indian Cuisine since ages. It can be used in making lot of varieties like kichidi, pulao, upma an dcan be used to make sweets too. Broken wheat is not only good for kids but also grownups who want to loose weight. Today I will me making Dalia Pulao with lots of veggies. Add your favorite veggies with some whole spices. Can be a great dish for lunch boxes and dinner. Here goes day 13   post under the theme " Biryani / Pulao / Kichidi recipes with grains". Ingredients: Broken wheat or Cracked wheat  1 cup Small Onion sliced 1 Green chili chopped 2 spoons Green peas 1/4 cup Carrots chopped 1/4 cup Beans 1/4 cup Bay leaf 1 Cinnamon stick 1 Cloves 3 Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon Chopped cilantro and mint 1/4 cup Water 2 cups Oil 2 tbsp Preparation: In  a presser cooker heat oil ...

Onion Biryani / Shallots Biryani is a rice dish where lots of whole shallots are used along with some spices. Like any other biryani we will be using yogurt, mint, coriander, biryani masala and cashew nuts in this recipe. I like shallots / small onions in sambar. I also use them to make onion  tomato chutney. Like I said for Brinjal Biryani, this Onion biryani is no less than any other biryani. We prepare this biryani just as we  cook any other biryani. I have used yellow shallots in this recipe, if you can find red shallots or red onions, the biryani would taste even better. This recipe goes to day 12 under the them Biryani / pulao / Kichidi recipes with grains...... Ingredients: Medium size sambar  onions  / Shallots  8 Basmathi rice 1 1/2  cups Onion 1 large Cashew nuts 15 Yogurt 1/2 cup Slit green chilies 4 Coriander powder 1 1/2 spoon Cumin powder 1/2 spoon Red chili powder 2 spoons Biryani Masala 2 spoons Salt to taste Turmeric powder 1/ 2 spoon Cinna...