The red drink!!

I was watching the Dr Oz show a few days back and thats how this red drink came about. The drink recipe calls for 1 beet,  1 carrot, 1 apple and parsley blended together. I did replace parsley with cilantro. When I finished the final recipe was not sweet enough and tasted exactly like a health drink would.

So I experimented a little more. I filtered the pulp, added a table spoon of agave nectar and a dash of lemon juice and voila...the health drink transformed itself into a drink that can worthy competition with any over the counter drink.

Try it!!

PS: Dr Oz site says that : "This delicious juice combination contains a surprise longevity-boosting secret ingredient – beets! This super food dilates vessels so your blood flows easily, and it’s high in iron, which fights anemia "

Vegetable Dum Biryani

My Vegetable dum biryani is inspired from Vahrehvah. Love the beautiful blend of flavours

Ingredients:

2 cups - Basmathi Rice  (soaked for 30 minutes)
3 medium size Potato(cut into equal size strips or cubes)
10-15 Beans (cut into equal size strips)
1 Carrot  (cut into equal size strips or cubes)
1 bunch mint leaves(washed and chopped)
1 bunch coriander leaves(washed and chopped)
3-4 medium size green chili
1/2 packet store bought Biryani masala
2-3 cloves
2-3 cardamom
1 strip Cinnamon
 1/2 tsp Shahi Jeera
1/2 tsp Garam masala
1 cup yogurt
Fried onion( onion cut and fried in oil until golden brown)
2 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste


Method:


Cut the potato, beans and carrot into equal size strips, wash and keep aside. Also finely chop the mint and corriander, wash and keep aside.

In a wide bottom fry pan, head some oil. Add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and shahi jeera. Now add the cut vegetables. Add 1/2 tsp salt and fry the vegetables in the oil. Do this until the vegetables start to brown up.

Now add 1/2 the mint and corriander. Also add the chilli and fry for a minute. Now add biryani masala powder, salt to taste and 1/2 cup yogurt. Keep cooking on medium-high flame until the vegetables are nicely coated with the masala-yogurt mixture. Remove from heat.(The vegetables are 70-80% cooked at this point)

In a deep bottom pan, add water. Season the water with 1/2 tsp garam masala and 1/2 tsp salt. Shahi jeera can also be added to season the water. When the water comes to boil, add the soaked rice and cook until 70-80% done(same as the vegetables). Remove from heat, drain the water and keep aside.

Now we need to layer the rice in order for it to cook in the dum.

Take a deep, think bottomed pan. (remember that the pan needs to be think bottomed because the rice and the vegetables have to cook in the pan for 30-40 minutes on low heat)

Now add 1/2 the vegetable in the bottom of the pan and add the remaining yogurt and cook for a minute until the yogurt blends with the vegetable. Now add half the cooked rice. On this add remaning vegetable mix, some fried onion, remaining mint and corriander leaves. On top of this add the remaining rice. Add remaining fried onion and food color.  Close the pan with a tight lid.

Cook in the pan for 30 minutes on low heat. Do not open the lid during this 30 minutes. After 30 minutes check if the rice is cooke and cook for a few more minutes if needed. Mine is always well cooked by the 30 minutes are up.

Enjoy with fresh Raita.

Raw-Mango Rice/Mavinakai Chitranna

Raw-Mango Rice/Mavinakai Chitranna

Ingredients:

3 cups Cooked Rice
1 Cup Grated raw Mango
1/2 Medium Onion Chopped
1/2 tsp Mustrad
1/2 tsp Urad Dhal
1 tsp Channa Dhal
2 cloves garlic(finely chopped)
2 Dry red chilli
4-5 green chilli(split at the middle)
1 Sprig curry leavs
Few coriander leaves(chopped)
Peanuts(Optional)
2 Tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Tumeric
Pinch of Asafoetida
Salt to taste


Method:

In a pan heat oil and add mustard seeds, when they start to splutter (Keep you heat on medium at this point) add cumin and dry red chilli, fry for a few seconds and add Channa Dhal. After a few seconds add urad dhal. Now add finely chopped garlic and Onion and fry until the raw smell goes away from both and the Onion turns light brown.

Now add the curry leaves and the chopped coriander leaves. Add Asafoetida and salt to taste. Add the grated raw mango and cook for 5-10 minutes(Grated Mango does not need to be cooked for a long time).

Now add the cooked rice and mix well. Add more salt if needed.

Serve hot and Enjoy!!

Indian Chicken Roast - Oven Baked

Ingredients:

1 tsp Chilli Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1/4 Tumeric Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste

Marination:

Mix all the ingredients with 2 lb Chicken. Check the spices and add more salt or chilli powder as required. Marinate atleast for 1 hr. Overnight marination in the refrigerator will be great.

Place the chicken pieces on a Aluminium foil covered baking dish(Aluminum foil helps in easy clean up and is optional). Put the marinated Chicken pieces for 375F about 30 mins turn and cook for 20 mins. Increase to 475 and leave 10 mins until it browns.

Makes yummy appetizers too. Enjoy Hot!!

Green Shrimp

1 bunch fresh coriander leaves
1 medium onion (chopped)
2 green chillies
1 tomato (chopped)
1 clove garlic
2 lb shrimp (cleaned and de-veined)
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
Salt to taste


Grind Coriander, tomato, 1/2 onion, green chilli and garlic into a fine paste.  In a pan heat oil and add the onion. Fry until onion turns lift brown. Now add the ground paste. Add chilli powder, cumin and salt to taste. Cook until the mix reduces to half its consistency.

Now add the shrimp and cook for 10 minutes. Remember over cooking shrimp will make it rubbery. By now the shrimp will be well coated with the green curry and cooked. Remove from heat and serve.

Kasa Kasa Payasam

I crashed my laptop with all the photos in it. I also seemed to have misplaced the usb cord that connects the camera to the desktop computer and hence I'll be next few recipes with out photos. Will update photos when possible.

Ingredients:

1 cup Kasa Kasa (poppy seeds)
1/2 cup Jaggery
8-10 Almonds
1/2 cup grated coconut
1 tsp ghee
8-10 raisins
1/2 cup milk

Method:
Soak the Kasa Kasa with a little water for 30 mins. Soak Almond and grated coconut in the milk for 30 mins. Grind soaked poppy seeds with soaked almond and grated coconut along with the milk that was used for soaking.

In a deep bottomed pan add 1 cup of water and add jaggery. Allow it to dissolve well and if needed strain the jaggery water and then keep aside. In another deep bottomed pan heat the ghee and fry the raisins. Remove and add the ground poppy-almond-coconut mixture into the remaining ghee. Bring to boil and then add the jaggery water while stirring constantly.

Boil well and if needed add little milk. Stir the mixture constantly so that it does not boil over. When done add a little cardamom powder and add the fried raisin.

This payasam tastes best when served cold.

Organic food?

Its everywhere and everyone is talking about it. Organic food!!

I heard about Organic food only after I moved to US.  In simple terms Organic variety of a food involves food which has been grown without the influence of pesticides, insecticides and herbicides.

Even though I have often wanted to buy organic food, I find that it gets very expensive. There has been a lot of articles on what can be bought organic and what cannot be bought organic. It gets confusing at some point, so here is a list for my reference which I read in a article on yahoo.

Preferably Organic
—Most Commonly Contaminated*

1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Sweet Bell Peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes - Imported
11. Carrots
12. Pears

If Budget Allows, Buy Organic

1. Collard Greens
2. Spinach
3. Potatoes
4. Green Beans
5. Summer Squash
6. Peppers
7. Cucumbers
8. Raspberries
9. Grapes - Domestic
10. Plums
11. Oranges
12. Cauliflower
13. Tangerines
14. Mushrooms
15. Bananas
16. Winter Squash
17. Cantaloupe
18. Cranberries
19. Honeydew Melon
20. Grapefruit

It’s Your Call
—Least Commonly Contaminated

1. Sweet Potatoes
2. Tomatoes
3. Broccoli
4. Watermelon
5. Papaya
6. Eggplant
7. Cabbage
8. Kiwis
9. Sweet Peas - Frozen
10. Asparagus
11. Mangoes
12. Pineapple
13. Sweet Corn - Frozen
14. Avocadoes
15. Onions