Happy Diwali

Diwali, the "Festival of lights" is celebrated among all Hindus and Jains. This is one of the most important festival for us. Certain things which comes to our mind when we plan about Diwali is definitely fire crackers, and also sharing sweets and snacks among friends and relatives. Here are my specials for Diwali, i'll upload  my recipe one by one. Just 3 more weeks ahead for Diwali, lets kick start from now. 

Wish u all a very very happy and prosperous Diwali:):)

1.  Paasi Payaru Nei Urundai
2.  Diamond Chips (Spicy)
3.  Nei Biscuit
4.  Shankarpali (Inippu Biscuit)
5. Ola Pakoda/Ribbon Pakoda
6. Rava Laddu

Nei Biscuit (Ghee Biscuit)

Nei Biscuit is fav among most of the kids, i always use to wonder what would be the recipe for this biscuit, according to me it was a very tough job. Only after searching the recipe for this biscuit i realized that it is such an easy recipe. We call it as Joosebery (Not sure about the pronunciation :p). Nei is nothing but Clarified Butter.
When i was too young i can still remember my appa did this biscuit for us, that was the best taste i've ever tasted:):)

Ingredients
1 1/2  cup Plain Flour
1/4 cup Ghee
1/2 cup Icing sugar
1/4 teaspoon Baking powder
A pinch of Salt

Method

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (approx 162 degrees C)
• Mix the ghee and sugar, beat well till you get the creamy texture.
• Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well and knead into a soft dough. The dough should be very soft, even if it is sticky no prob, if you feel the sweetness is less, add some sugar. (This is definitely no prob).
• Place a baking sheet in a tray and take the desired size balls and slightly flatten it and place it in the tray.
• There should be space between each biscuits.
• Bake it for 9-12 mins, not more than that. If you feel the biscuits is not done, bake for another 3-5 mins.
• The Biscuits shouldn't turn brown. The right way to know is, your biscuits starts leaving from your sheet.
• When the Biscuits are hot, it looks like very soft and smooth, no worries, after cooling you will get the exact texture.

Note

• Do not melt the ghee
• If you do not have Icing sugar, you can use normal sugar but powder it.

Diamond Chips (Spicy)

With simple ingredients, you can make amazing snacks. To make Diamond chips, the main ingredient is Maida (Plain Flour) which is very common and you can get in any grocery shop.

Ingredients
1 cup Maida (Plain Flour)
2 tablespoon Rice Flour
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
15-20 dry red Chilies
Handful of Curry leaves
1 tablespoon Ghee or Butter
1 pinch baking soda
Red food color (optional)
Salt
Oil for frying

Method

• Finely powder the cumin seeds, also powder the dry red chilies separately.
• Mix the maida, rice flour, Cumin powder, dry red chilly powder, finely chopped curry leaves, ghee, salt and baking soda.
• Add little amount of water to knead into dough. Cover it with wet towel. Leave it for 10 mins.
• Take a small lemon size ball and roll it out as you do for Poori, it should be very thin to get the crispiness.
• Cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch strips and cut across diagonally again 1/2 inch apart. Separate the cut pieces.
• Drop them in hot oil and fry. 

Note

• Adjust the dry red chilies according to your spice level.
• If you are not getting the diamond shape properly, then no worries, cut into small pieces as your wish. (But try to give it a differnet name:P)
• Curry leaves plays an important flavour, so please don't try to avoid it.
• I did not use the color, if you want you can use it.

Paasi Payaru Nei Urundai (Green Moong dal balls)

This is a very healthy sweet, the amount of ghee i used here is very limited. You can't find  this sweet in most of the sweet shop. Traditional and also a simple recipe. After preparing it, store it in a Air tight container, it will last for even a month. 

Ingredients
1 cup Paasi payaru (Green moong dal)
2 tablespoon Pottu kadalai (Roasted gram)
3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Ghee (Clarified Butter)
2 Cardamon pods
1 tablespoon of Cashews

Method

• Roast the cashews with a teaspoon of ghee and keep it aside.
• Powder the pottu kadalai. Sift it.
• In a heated pan, dry roast the dal, till it turns into very light brown color. Remove from the stove and allow it to cool.
• Grind the roasted dal and cardamon pods to fine powder and sift it. Add it to the pottu kadalai powder.
• Powder the sugar and mix well with the dal powder mixture and also add the roasted cashews to it. Mix well.
• Heat ghee, and pour this to the mixture and mix.
• Immediately make the desired size balls.
• Gives you 16-20 urundais

Note

• If this ghee isn't sufficient, add a little more.
• When you heat the ghee and pour on to the sweet mixture, the sooner you make balls, the lesser will be the ghee usage. 
• If you aren't able to make balls out of the mixture, you can add more heated ghee to it. To avoid this divide the sweet mixture into small portion and pour little ghee to mixture make the balls after finishing it, follow the same for other portions too.

Chicken 65 / Chicken lollipop

This is all time fav for everyone in this world who loves Chicken. I always use to wonder what is the difference between the Chicken 65 and Chicken lollipop, according to my guess, it is boneless and lollipop is  Chicken drumlets, but the mixture for frying is all the same. I don't prefer the ready made mix for Chicken 65, i really don't get the flavor i want. Here is a simple Chicken fry masala, it will be exactly the one you have in restaurant.

Ingredients
6-8 Chicken Drumlets
1 tablespoon Red chili powder
3/4 tablepoon Ginger garlic paste
1 teaspoon fennel powder
1 pinch Ajinomoto
1 1/2 teaspoon yogurt
Salt
Oil for frying
Method

• Clean Chicken and add all the above ingredients and allow it to marinate for 10 mins in freezer.
• Heat sufficient oil in a frying pan and fry the marinated chicken.
• Serve hot with sliced lemon and onion.

Note

• The more you allow it to marinate, the best taste you get, if you are marinating the Chicken for more than 15 mins do not keep in freezer, you can refrigerate it.
• Instead of ajinomoto you can add 1 teaspoon of sugar
• If it is BONELESS chicken, add 1/2 beaten egg for 1/4 kg of Chicken. (This makes your chicken soft)

Kadai Chicken Masala

One of my simple and all time fav recipe, this isn't the restaurant type, but quite delicious, main speciality is you can prepare this for any roti, rice or for the regular meals also. If you have kadai masala before hand, your work becomes much easier, even if you don't have no worries, you can prepare one if you don't prefer the one which is available in shops.

Ingredients
1/4 kg Chicken
1 Onion
1/2 Tomato
1 Capsicum
10-15 Dry red chili
1/2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste(optional)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder 
1 tablespoon Kadai masala powder
Handful Curry leaves
3 tablespoon Coconut oil
Salt

For kadai masala powder
10 Dry red chili
2 tablespoon Coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin 
1 tablespoon fennel
1 small piece dry ginger
2 inch cinnamon
4 cloves
Dry roast the above ingredients seperately in a pan, allow it to cool and then grind into fine powder.


Method

• Slice onion and tomato, cut the capsicum in cubical shape.
• In a pan add ordinary cooking oil or coconut oil, saute the onion and dry red chilies.
• When it turns golden brown add ginger garlic paste, fry till the raw smell goes off.
• Add tomatoes and capsicum, just saute for a min and add kadai masala powder, chili powder and turmeric powder and salt.
• To this masala add the chicken pieces and fry till it turns white color, then add little water and allow it to cook, when it is cooked, take a seperate pan, add the coconut oil and fry the curry leaves.
• Pour this tempering to the masala and cook for 2 mins for the masala to absorb the oil.

Note

• Adjust the spice level according to your taste, as we are adding dry red chilies, spice level differ accordingly.
• Kadai masala is available in all Indian shops, i mostly prefer that.

Paneer Pulao

This is very simple pulao, done with cottage cheese(Paneer) and Capsicum. Generally the color of the Pulao is White but please excuse me for it, to get the flavour i added tomato puree which totally changed the color, but still it is very delicious.

Ingredients
150 gms Paneer
1 Onion
1 Tomato
3/4 cup Tomato Puree
5-7 Green chilies
1 Garlic
Handful Mint leaves
2 tablespoon Coriander leaves
2 Cups Basmati rice
1/2 Capsicum
2 tablespoon Coconut paste(optional)
1 tablespoon Butter
1 teaspoon Sugar
Oil and salt

Method

• Wash and drain the rice. Chop the onion into thin slices. Cut the paneer in cubical shape or any shape of your wish.
• In a deep bottom pan or in a pressure cooker, add 4 tablespoon of oil and fry the Paneer till Golden brown. Drain the excess oil.
• In the same pan, add butter to the remaining oil, saute the onions and green chilies.
• Add the chopped garlic, tomato, salt and sugar and saute till the tomato is well cooked, to that add the tomato puree. Mix well.
• Now add the coconut paste, capsicum, mint, coriander leaves, paneer, Basmati rice and  enough water for the rice to cook.
• If it is pan stir occasionally, if you are using pressure cooker leave it for 1 or 2 whistles depending on your pressure coooker. When it's done, mix well and serve hot with any raitha or chips of your choice.

Note

• If you do not like to cook Basmati rice, you can try it with any other rice of your choice.
• I don't prefer to fry the Paneer into golden brown, if you are frying till it turns to golden brown, try to soak it in a cup of water, so that it won't looses it's softness.

Sunday Spl Chicken Curry

This is my mom's recipe. This is very very simple but tasty gravy, we always try to keep the cooking time short in Sundays so that we can have more time in the weekend, this is very time saving and if you keep the onions ready the day before you prepare, it becomes more simple. I won't have any other special side dish with this gravy, just one egg and onion-cucumber raitha will do.

Ingredients
1/2 kg Chicken
2 cups chopped Shallots
3/4 cup chopped Tomatoes
2 Slit Green chillies
1 1/2 tablespoon Ginger garlic paste
1 tablespoon Chicken masala powder (Optional)
1 tablespoon Chili powder
1 tablespoon Coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder
1/2 cup coconut milk(optional)
1 Bay leaf
2 Cloves
2 Cardamon
2 inch Cinnamon 
Handful Curry leaves
Coriander leaves
Oil and Salt

Method

• Clean chicken, In a deep bottom pan, add chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger garlic paste, chicken powder, coriander, chili, turmeric powder, salt and 2 cups of water.
• Let it boil for some mins, wait until chicken and onions are well cooked(may take 15 mins), Stir occasionally.
• When all ingredients are well cooked, add the coconut milk.
• In a separate pan, add oil, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, cardamon. When it splutters, add the curry leaves and pour this tempering to the gravy. Let it boil for a couple of mins.
• Garnish with Coriander leaves, slit green chilies and Serve hot.

Note

• If you do not have shallots at home, you can use onions but definitely the taste differs.
• When you are adding onions in the pan, no need to add oil, oil is required only in tempering.
• When it is boiling you can finish your rest of the work.:p

Kadai Paneer Masala

One of the most creamy and spicy gravy, i just love this paneer gravy with any bread. This is restaurant kind of recipe. This recipe ingredients may look like it takes very long time to cook and bit tough, but that is not so. You can use the kadai masala which is available in all Indian stores, i prefer homemade powder which is so easy to prepare.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Paneer
1/2 cup Onions
6-8 Green Chilies(finely chopped)
2 cups Tomatoes(finely chopped)
1/4 cup Tomato Puree
2 tablespoon Garlic paste
1-2 tablespoon Chili powder
1 tablespoon Coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon Cumin powder
1 1/2 teaspoon Garam masala powder
1 1/2 teaspoon Kasoori Methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
1/2 cup Green Bell Pepper
1/2 Whipping Cream
Coriander leaves for garnish
Oil and Salt

For Kadai masala powder
10-12 Dry red chili
2 tablespoon Coriander seeds

Method

• In a pan without adding oil, fry coriander seeds and dry chilies separately for about 2 mins in medium flame, let it cool and grind.
• In a deep bottom pan, add oil and fry the paneer for a couple of mins, drain the oil and keep it aside, now add the chopped onions and saute for 2 mins.
• Then add the garlic paste and saute for not more than a min, it shouldn't get burned.
• Add the chopped green chili, chopped tomatoes and salt, saute till the tomatoes are half cooked.
• Now add the tomato puree, chili, coriander, cumin, garam masala, kadai masala powder, kasoori methi, Green Bell pepper add 1/4 cup water(approx, to get gravy consistency).
• Add the whipping cream and Paneer when all raw smell goes off, let it cook for 2 mins, add Coriander leaves and Serve hot.

Note

• Every time when i fry Paneer, i won't leave it till it turns to golden brown, if you wish to get light brown color,you can do it.
• Don't over cook after adding cream.
• Tomato puree is nothing but, soak the tomato in hot water for a min and peel the skin, grind to fine paste.