Vegetable Burger - Easy and quick method

For the past few weeks, I have been craving burgers. I do not like to eat burgers outside mostly because they use meat and cheese in the preparation. I wanted to try out a simple vegetable burger at home which is less in calories and also more tasty. To start with, the first thing that came to my mind was Potatoes. So I prepared Potato cutlet to go in between the burger buns.



The Potato cutlet is a very easy recipe. But the problem with my cutlet was, it was not stiff enough. Though I used bread crumbs and squeezed out excess water from the vegetables, the cutlet was not stiff enough to hold its shape while eating. Who cares? I am not serving a party. I was completely satisfied with the taste. So if you are trying out this recipe for a party or to serve someone else, do take care to be sure that the cutlet would hold its shape. If anyone knows any tips for this please share it.

Ingredients:

2 Burger buns
1/2 cup chopped lettuce
1/4 cup length wise chopped onions
4 thin slices of tomatoes

For the cutlet:

2 medium potato, boiled and peeled
1/4 finely chopped onions
1/4 cup finely chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp chilli powder
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp garam masala powder
Salt to taste
1/4 cup of bread crumbs
Oil to shallow fry

Method:

In a bowl, mash the boiled potatoes.

Add all the other ingredients and mix well with hands.

Make small balls with this mixture and make flat round shape.

Roll this on the bread crumbs.

In a pan, add some oil and shallow fry these cutlets until they are cooked.

Place 1 half of burger bun, add some lettuce, onions and tomatoes on top.

Place the cutlet on top of it and add some more lettuce.

Cover it with t he other half of the burger bun and serve with ketchup.

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Chicken Kurma - A recipe which lead to an eating competition

Whenever I hear Chicken Kurma, I automatically get reminded of the Sunday breakfasts at my in law's. My mom-in-law, most of the time, makes Chicken Kurma for Idly/Dosa for breakfast and my husband and my bro-in-law will be literally into an eating competition. I used to wonder... was it because of my mom-in-law's chicken kurma or was it because they were hungry.Hmm..I bet it was because of the recipe.



Recently my husband made the chicken kurma recipe and I went short of Idlys.! Huh..it means something...it means that the chicken kurma is utterly delicious. So here is the recipe for you to try and tell me what impact it had on your loved ones.

Ingredients:

500 grams Chicken
2 tbsp cashew nuts
2 chopped green chillies
1 cup Coconut grated
2 tbsp Cooking Oil
1 bunch coriander leaves
1 tbsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 cup curd
few curry leaves
2 finely chopped Onion
1 tsp Ginger garlic paste
1.5 tsp pepper pdr
salt to taste
1 tsp turmeric
1.5 cup Yogurt

whole garam masala:

2 cloves
2 bay leaves
2 cardamom whole
1 cinnamon stick



Method:

In a pan, heat oil and add the whole garam masala. Add mustard seeds and when they pop, add cumin seeds and chopped onions. Saute them and add salt.

In a blender, add cashews and coconut and make it a fine paste.

When the onion is done, add turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste. Mix well.

Add curry leaves and green chillies.

Now add the coconut and cashew paste and mix well.

Cook this mixture in a Sim flame till the oil oozes out.

Now add yogurt, coriander and cumin powder. Mix well.

Add chicken mix well. Add some pepper powder.

Cover the mixture and cook it in a Sim flame. Occasionally stir.

After 15 min to 20 min the chicken will be done. Garnish it with some coriander leaves and cook in Sim flame for 2 -3 min.

This goes well with Chapati/Roti, Rice varieties, Idly/Dosa.

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Shikampur Kabab/Shami kabab

Shikampur Kabab or Shami kabab is another recipe from one of my readers. Thanks Amina Anjum for this great recipe. Hope every non veg lovers would be more than happy to try this out. This is a very simple recipe which would go great with any rice variety says Amina.

You can also share your recipes through this recipe form. Please attach a picture if you can.

Ingredients:

500gms mutton (boneless and cut into small pieces)
4 to 5 tbsp channa dal.
ginger garlic paste 1 1/2 tsp.
red chilli powder 1 tsp.
green chilles 2 or 3 (adjust with ur taste).
Haldi 1/2 tsp.
coriander seeds (dhaniya) pd 1 tsp.
salt to taste
garam masala powdered 1 tsp.
coriander leaves and mint leaves to garnish (chopped).
egg white 1 beaten.
cashew nuts 10.
oil.

For shikampur filling -

Thick Curd 1 cup
green chilles 2 chopped.
coriander leaves chopped. few
salt.

Mix all the filling and keep it aside.

Method:

1. Pressure cook channa dal and little haldi till the dal is cooked,remove in a bowl.

2. In the same cooker add mutton pieces,haldi, salt,red chilli pd, green chillies,ginger garlic paste and some water, pressure cook till the mutton is cooked.

3. Remove the lid and now dry the excess water in the mutton (it should be completely dry) you can add the cooked dal and fry nice till there is no water.

4. Cool the dry mutton and dal mixture and grind it without adding water, remove in a dish.

5. Grind the cashew nuts also.

6. Now mix the mutton paste and cashew nut paste,coriander and mint leaves, garam masala pd and add salt if less.

7.Make small balls from the above mixture,make a shallow space in center and fill with curd filling and close the kabab nice, shallow fry each shikampur kabab till golden brown and little crispy or till cooked.

8.You can make plain shami kabab from the same mutton mixture without adding curd filling, just make into diamond shape or flat round shape and shallow fry.

9. Best eaten with dal rice,fried rice.

10. You can store these kabab in a air tight box and keep it in your refrigerator and fry whenever you want to eat.

Enjoy the Shami kabab

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Garam Masala - Spice it up!

Garam Masala is a spice which plays an important role in almost all the North Indian recipes and few south Indian recipes. It is a spice powder which is used to add the flavor of the recipe. Garam Masala literally means 'Hot Spice'.



This again can be prepared in many different ways and mostly we will be following our family recipe and here is my family recipe for Garam Masala Powder.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons cardamom seeds
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg


Instructions:

In a pan, add all the spices and fry them for few minutes until they turn light brown in color and your kitchen is filled with their aroma.

Allow it to cool.

Grind the mixture into a fine powder.

You can store this powder for 1 month in an air tight container.

This powder is used in many of the North Indian side dishes. Here are some of the recipes which uses Garam masala in their preperation.

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Authentic Chetinad Pepper Chicken Curry Recipe

ok, now you may wonder what is this girl doing with non-vegetarian cooking? oh! has she shifted to non-veg? and especially if my parents are reading this, I might get a phone call immediately. Because I am vegetarian, not vegan though. I neither cook non-vegetarian nor eat. So how is this recipe? All credits goes to my husband.

Pathetic!, you might think. But he has no other option. His mom is not near us to cook for him. So only way is to either eat outside or self cook. After coming to a conclusion that eating outside is not affordable, my husband has decided to cook himself. Here he is sharing his recipe for the Authentic Chetinad pepper Chicken Curry recipe.



I really don't know how it tastes. But, after coming to know that he followed the recipe from Vahrehvah, I am pretty sure that it would have tasted awesome. I am a great fan of Sanjay, the Vah chef and I take this opportunity to thank him for making my husband cook.


Ingredients:

2 whole cardamom
250 grams chicken (wash, clean and cut the chicken)
2 cinnamon sticks
2 Bayleaves
3-4 cloves
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp crushed pepper corns
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp cumin powder
Few curry leaves
few fresh chopped coriander
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
3 green chillies,chopped
1 tsp mustard
2-3 tsp oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste
3/4 cup tomatoes



Method:

Heat the oil in a large pan.

Add mustard seeds, when it pops add cumin seeds and whole garam masala (cardamom,cloves,cinnamon, bay leaves).

Add the onions, salt and saute till onions are light brown.

Now add turmeric, ginger garlic paste curry leaves, and green chilli.

Add tomatoes and mix well.

Now, add the chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder mix well.

Cook for 10 min in a medium flame till the tomatoes are cooked well.

When the oil oozes out, add the chicken to the frying pan and mix well.

Cover and cook over a low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.

Add the ground pepper into the mixture and mix well.

Serve hot as side dish to chapati, Dosa or any Rice varieties.

Note:

This is a highly spicy recipe. So be sure to lower your spices according to your taste.

Do not add water throughout the entire process.

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Baingan Bhartha - Eggplant gravy/curry

When it comes to spicy gravy/curry recipe, no recipe can compete with the Indian recipes. They have their own 'it' factor that makes them unique. Baingan Bhartha is one such South Indian recipe, an Andra Recipe to be precise. I had bought a big eggplant to make Bagara baigan, one of the famous eggplant recipe prepared the Indian way. Unbeknownst to me, I had been preparing baingan bhartha. Got a little confused with the names. Whatever may be the case, I was happy that the recipe turned out to be highly tasty.



This is a simple and easy way to cook eggplant and it goes great with any type of biriyani, pulao, chapathi, roti or even naan. You can find these recipes in my recipe index.

Ingredients for Baingan Bhartha:

1 large eggplant/Brinjal OR 2 to 3 medium sized eggplant
1 cup of finely chopped onions
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Ginger and garlic paste
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp Oil
50 ml Tamarind juice
Jaggery (small lemon size)OR 2 tsp of sugar
3 cup Water
Salt to taste

To make the paste:

1 cup Groundnuts
2 tbsp Dry coconut powder
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 Green chilli

Whole Garam Masala

1 Bay leaf
1 stick of cinnamon
2 to 3 Cloves
3 whole cardamom OR 1 tsp cardamom powder



Method:

In a pan, dry roast ground nuts, coconut powder and sesame seeds. Allow it to cool.

Blend it to a coarse paste with water and green chilli.

In a pan,add oil.Fry whole garam masala,mustard and cumin seeds when they start to splatter add onions turmeric,Ginger Garlic Paste.

Add cumin and coriander powder.

Now add the paste we had prepared earlier. Add salt to taste and cook for 10 min.

Now add the tamarind paste and jaggery and cook till oil oozes out in a Sim flame.

Meanwhile, cook your eggplant either by showing it directly to the flame in your stove or using a pressure cooker. The choice is yours.

If using pressure cooker, do not cut your eggplant. Add little water and a pinch of salt. Pressure cook for 3 hisses. Allow it to cool.Peel the skin and mash it with a spoon or masher.

If going to cook eggplant directly in the flame, be careful. Don't hurt yourself. Slowly cook till the skin peels off by itself. It will take time and make sure that you don not burn the eggplant too much, which undoubtedly will spoil the taste for you.

Personally, I made this gravy by cooking eggplant directly in the flame. It gives a very unique flavor to the recipe.

Now, add the mashed eggplant to your gravy which is already cooking. Mix well.

Cook for at least 15 min so that the eggplant absorbs the flavor from the gravy.

Serve hot. You can also store refrigerate it and use it for later use. Reheat before serving.

This is going to MM (Sensational Side dish) started by Meeta and this month hosted by Ruth.

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Vermicelli (Semiya) Biriyani/Briyani Recipe

Recently I came across various version of Vermicelli (Semiya) Biriyani in many of our foodie's blog. This variety of Biriyani was really new to me. The only things I have tried with Semiya(Vermicelli) are Vermicelli (Semiya) Payasam and Semiya Upma. The main thing that made me skeptical in trying this biriyani is, lumps. If you screw the process it is for sure you will land up having lumps. But, I have a cure for that now. Its easy and tasty.



To avoid getting lumps in any of the semiya recipes, fry them in Ghee/Oil till they become light brown in colour. This really solves the lump issue. The rest depends on your recipe. So, here comes my vermicelli Biriyani Recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cup vermicelli/Semiya
1 tbspn Ghee/clarified butter
1 Cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
2 whole cardamom
1 cup onions finely chopped
Salt to taste
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 cup of Mint leaves, washed
1 tsp of Biriyani masala powder(optional)/ Garam masala powder
1 cup chopped vegetables(Any kind, I used carrots,cauliflower,potatoes)
1 cup of peas and corn (Frozen is good)




To Blend:

1 small onion
1 small tomato
1/4 cup of cilantro
2 garlic
1 1/4 inch piece of ginger
1 green chilli



Method:

In a pan, fry the vermicelli in ghee. Allow it to cool.Keep it aside.

In the same pan, add the ghee. When hot, add cloves,bay leaves,cinnamon stick,cardamom and wait till you get t he aroma.

Add the onions and saute them. Add salt.

Add mint leaves and cook.

Add the blended mixture to it and cook in Sim flame till the raw smell is vanished.

Add chilli powder, cumin powder,coriander powder and mix well.

If you want colour, you can add either saffron powder or soy sauce to it.

Add the vegetables, corn and peas and add little water and cook them.

When the vegetables are 75% cooked, add 2 cups of water and wait till it comes to a boil.

Now add the vermicelli and cook in a Sim flame.

Mix occasionally so that the bottom is not burnt.

Garnish it with cilantro and little lime juice and serve hot with your favorite side dish.

Need recipes for side dish? Don't worry! You can find them in my recipe index.

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Channa Masala - A traditional Punjabi Recipe

When I was in India, my neighbour aunt always calls me if she makes channa masala in her house. She is an extraordinary cook and channa masala is one of her speciality. Even restaurant's channa masala can't compete with the taste and look of her recipe. I am very happy to share her recipe with you all.

Ingredients:

1 cup of channa (chickpeas)
1 tsp of channa masala powder
1 springs coriander leaves finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
2 number gr chillies
1tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp oil
2 number onion finely chopped
Salt to taste
2 number tomatoes finely chopped
1 pinch turmeric
few piece whole garam masala (cardamom, bay leaf, Cinnamon,cloves)

Method:

Soak the channa for 4-5hrs and then pressure cook it with a pinch of salt for 3 hisses. Make sure you add required amount of salt (required for channa alone) while pressure cooking, otherwise you have to say bye bye to your dish.

In a pan, add oil ,cumin seeds and whole garam masala and wait till you get the aroma of the masalas. Add the finely chopped onions and fry them till they are brown.

Add ginger garlic paste and saute. Now add green chilles, and tomatoes and saute them for few minutes.

Add turmeric and chilli powder and mix them well. When the tomatoes are well cooked , add channa masala powder and add the water that we drained from the channa while pressure cooking. Add salt.

Let it come to a boil. Now add the channa and mix well. Cook for 5 - 10mts in Sim flame. Garnish it with finely chopped cilantro and finaly add some lime juice and serve hot with Batura, Parathas, roti, puri or you can have this as a chat.

Variations:

1.You can make a paste with onions, garlic and coriander and use that instead of chat masala

2.You can also mash few channa and add it to your gravy for better mixing.

Chickpeas are a helpful source of zinc, protein. They are also very high in dietery fiber and which results in a healthy source of carbohydrate for persons with insulin sensitivity or diabetic. One hundred grams of mature boiled chickpeas contains 7.6g of dietry fiber and thats what we are talking about. This goes to my Eat healthy- Fiber rich event.

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Lamb Biryani Recipe

Whenever we go to a hotel, my non-veg friends never hesitate to order Lamb biryani. I have asked them what is so special in it. They said, it depends on the chef. In few hotels they love this food and in other hotels this food is prepared differently which is not very tasty. So I asked one of my friend to share this lamb biryani recipe with us, so that we can make this food taste the way in the hotels. This food was prepared in her house just to help me take photo, so that I can share it with you all.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 pound boneless lamb, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons butter /Ghee
1 medium onion, cut into thin slices

1 tomato cut in small pieces

4 cloves

1 cinnamon stick, broken in half

2 whole cardamom

1 large bay leave

1 1/2 cups basmati rice, washed and soaked for 30mts

2 3/4 cups water

1/3 cup chopped cashews or any other nuts of your choice

3 green chillies cut lengthwise

Safron colour (optional)
A few dashes of vinegar (optional)

Spices:

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon of cumin powder and coriander powder each

2tsp of chilli powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 tsp of Garam masala

Method:

In a bowl, add the yogurt , Ginger garlic paste and all the above mentioned spices and vinegar. Mix well.

Now add the Lamb pieces and make sure that each piece is coated finely with this mixture.

Refrigerate this mixture for 20mts. This process is called marinating.

In a Pan, Add some butter/ghee and then add bay leaf, cloves, Cinnamon, cardamom.

Add Cumin seeds and after few seconds add onion and fry them until they become light brown.

Add the green chillies and fry. Now add the tomatoes. Mix well.

Now add the mixture we prepared in a bowl and cook it in a low flame for 15 to 20 mts so that the raw smell disappear.

Cook this mixture till have to ensure that the lamb is tender - and that the spice mixture tastes right.

From here on we have 2 different ways of cooking biryani. The first is by adding the soaked basmati rice to this cooked mixture. Add enough water and close the lid. Cook this for 30mts in a Sim flame and after 30mts the Lamb Biryani is ready. Do not open the lid until the rice is cooked; which will be in 30mts.

The second method is the traditional one. It takes some time but tastes good when we do this way.

In a big pan, add the rice and water. The water should cover the entire rice. Cook this in a medium flame till the rice is half done. Switch off the stove and stain the water from the rice.

Take a wide vessel (Wider than the Pan in which you are going to cook lamb biryani). Add some water in the vessel. Now place the Pan on this vessel and add some of the cooked mixture in the bottom. Now add the half cooked rice on top of it. Add some safron colour. Again add the cooked mixture and then place the rest of the rice on top. Add some safron colour. Close the lid and allow it to cook for 20mts in low flame.

We are using water in wider vessel so that the biryani is not burned at the bottom.

After the Lamb biryani is done, add some fried cashews or any nuts and coriander leaves.

Serve hot with Raita. See my recipe on how to prepare raita.

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Soy Meal Maker Recipe

This is a very healthy dish. You can eat this as a snack or as a side dish. Though it is vegetarian, my friends say that it tastes like chicken. So non-veg lovers, try Soy meal maker instead of chicken to reduce your calorie intake. This dish was also introduced to me by Rekha. You get Soy Nuggets as a packet in all the grocery shop.

Ingredients:

Soy Nuggets (Meal Maker/Nutrela) : 1/2 pack

Water : 2 1/2 glass

Salt to taste

Red Chili pwdr : 1 tsp

(Coriander) Dhaniya pwdr : 1 tsp

Oil for shallow frying

Curd : 2 tbsp

Black pepper pwdr : Little

Method:

Heat the water in a big vessel and when it starts boiling, add the soy nuggets and cook for 5 min.

When the Soy is cooked, drain the water and marinate with curd, chilli powder, dhaniya powder,salt and pepper. You can also use garam masala.

Allow it to rest for 15mts. You can keep it in fridge or you can keep it outside.

Now add some oil preferably in a nonstick pan and when the oil is hot, add this marinated soy.

Close the lid and allow it to deep fry.

Occasionally stir and add check for the spices. If you need more you can add them now.

Cook for 20mts in a Sim flame, serve hot.

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Channa Briyani Recipe

I have never heard of 'Channa Briyani' until I met Poornima. She used to tell me that this is one of her favourite and she prepares this very often. So, we made her prepare this recipe yesterday for lunch and wow! it was very delicious. She learnt it from her mother-in-law and below is her version of 'Channa Briyani'.

Ingredients:

Salt (as per taste)

1 cup Konda kadalai(kabuli channa)

1 cup Basmathi rice

1 Tsp Garam masala powder

3 Tbsp Ghee

1 no Cardamon (crushed)

1 no Bay leaf

1 cup Tomato(chopped)

1 bunch of Mint leaves (chopped)

Coriander and curry leaves (chopped)

1 cup Coconut grated (½ shell)

To grind:

3 to 4 flakes of Garlic (chopped)

3 Tbspn Any vegetable oil

1 no Cinnamon stick (small)

1 no Clove

3 nos Dry red chili(as per required)

1 tsp Jeera

1 cup Onion (roughly chopped)


Method:

Soak channa overnight and pressure cook with salt. Leave for 3 hisses. After 15 min remove water and keep boiled channa aside.

In a pan take 1/2 tablespoon of ghee and fry the basmathi rice for 2 min

Grind the chopped tomato into juice and keep aside.

In a pan, heat 3/2 teaspoon of oil and fry all the ingredients under 'To grind' with one tablespoon of grated coconut. Leave it to cool and grind in mixer (Paste 1)

Grind the grated coconut with 1 cup of hot water and take the milk from it (This is first extract), Again grind with another 2/3 cup of hot water and take the milk (second extract).

In a pressure cooker, add 3 tablespoon of ghee.When ghee gets heated up add the crushed cardamon and bay leaves.When the cardamon aroma comes,add remaining chopped garlic. after a minute add the grinded paste 1.Stir for a 2 minutes. Now add the tomato juice and the garam masala.

Add the boiled channa. Add coconut milk and water so as the combined volume of the both should be of 2 cups. Now add basmathi rice, salt. Add chili powder if required. Add mint and coriander leaves. stir for few seconds. Close the lid and pressure cook for 3 hisses. Leave for 15 min .

Open the lid and mix it up as the masala may remain at the top. Serve with raitha

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Peas/Cauliflower Kurma Recipe

When we hear the word kurma, we automatically think about the masala and the spice that this dish is famous for. Yesterday for my dinner, I had cooked Idly. However I was in a dilemma to make either Kurma or Chutney. Finally Kurma won and I prepared Peas Kurma. I will share my recipe for Peas kurma. However, Cauliflower or any other vegetable kurma is done in the same method. You can prepare this dish in 20mts.

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh/frozen green peas

1/2 cup onion finely chopped

1 cup fresh/frozen coconut - This is for taking coconut milk. You can also use store bought coconut milk.

1/4 cup tomato cut into big pieces

1 table spoon of cumin seeds

1 table spoon of Cumin powder and Coriander powder

2 Table spoons of chilli powder

1 tsp of turmeric powder

1 table spoon of Ginger Garlic Paste

1 tsp of Mustard

3 table spoons of Oil or Ghee

Salt to taste

water

1 tsp of hing powder

For Masala: You can use either 1 tsp of Garam masala or

3 cloves

1 Bay leaf

1 cinnamon stick

2 cardamom

For Vegetable Kurma (in addition to the above ingredients)

1/4 cup potato pieces

7-8 pieces cauliflower pieces

1/4 cup of carrot

Method:

Heat the oil/ghee in the pan.

Add mustard seeds. When the seeds pops, add hing,bay leaf,cloves,cardamom,cinnamon and cumin seeds.

Add the cut onions and fry till they become brown.

Add Ginger garlic paste and fry till its raw smell is vanished.

Add the cut tomatoes and fry them till they are half cooked.

Now add the green peas and fry them a little.

For vegetable kurma, You have to add the cut vegetables now and fry them a little.

Add 1 cup of water.

Add Cumin powder,coriander powder,chilli powder,turmeric powder and salt.

Cook it in a Sim flame.

When this mixture comes to a boil add the coconut milk.

Cook it in a Sim flame for 10mts.

Transfer the dish and serve hot with chapatti,puri,idly,dosa etc. Even you can use it as a side dish to briyani.

Happy Cooking!

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