Mutton Dum Biryani

A very simple method of cooking Dum Biryani without using a heavy bottomed copper vessel and burning hot charcoal in a city kitchen.

Ingredients (for marination) :

1. Mutton : 1 kg
2. Pumpkin : 1 cup, grated (or any meat tenderiser) 
3. Curd : 400 g
4. Turmeric : 2 tsp
5. Chilly powder : 2 tsp
6. Jeera powdered : 1/2 tsp
7. Dhania powdered : 1/2 tsp
8. Garam masala powdered : 2 to 3 tsp
9. Cardamom (whole) : 5 each of black and green
10. Cinnamon (whole) : 2 sticks
11. Clove (whole) : 5
12. Black pepper (whole) : 1/2 tsp
13. Salt : 2 tsp
14. Mint leaves : a few
15. Ghee : 4 to 5 tbsp
16. Onion : 3 big, chopped lengthwise and deep fried till golden crisp
17. Ginger paste : 2 tsp
18. Garlic paste : 2 tsp

Method :
Mix the above ingredients well keeping aside little fried onion for later use. Marinate for 8 hours or over night, in the fridge.

Ingredients (for cooking) :

20. Rice : 500 g, extra long super Basmati
21. Milk : 1/2 mug, hot
22. Saffron (Kesar) : 2 g
23. Salt : 2 tsp
24. Ghee : 4 tbsp
25. Wheat flour (Atta) : 1 cup

Method :

1. Cook rice with more water than needed, ghee and salt. Remove from fire after around 20 minutes when rice is half cooked. Drain the remaining water and leave in a perforated vessel/bowl.
2. Heat milk, remove from flame and add saffron. Leave for 20 minutes.
3. Knead little atta and water to make a smooth dough.

4. Put the meat along with the marinade in a heavy bottomed vessel. Layer with rice fried onion, kesar mixed milk and ghee (optional).
5. Seal the mouth of the vessel with dough. Cover lid.
6. Place a heavy iron tawa below the vessel/cooker while cooking.

7. Cook on high flame for 35 minutes, then 10 minutes on medium flame.
8. Put off gas and keep for 15 minutes before opening the lid.
9. Biryani goes well with raita. Boondi raita with this Dum Biryani was a perfect treat.

Triangle Paratha/Parota

A soft and delicious Paratha/Parota. Can be served with any curry but my family's favourite is with mutton curry 

Ingredients : (Makes 10 Parotas)

1. 5 cups Maida/Flour (the cup I use for measuring is a little smaller than the usual tea cup)
2. 2 tsp Ghee
3. 1/2 tsp (level) Salt
4. 1 tsp Sugar
5. Water to knead
6. Ghee to fry 

Method : 

Mix the ingredients from 1. to 4. Once mixed well, add water, a little at a time and knead well. Knead till it is very soft. 
Make 10 equal portions. Take one portion, flatten between your palms and roll out like roti, but very thin. Take half a tsp of Ghee and spread over the rolled out roti like the above picture. Sprinkle Maida over it and fold into half. 

Spread Ghee on this folded roti now, sprinkle Maida and fold again. It will look like the above picture. 

Roll it out again, but carefully this time so that the layers/folds remain, triangle shape is good, yet rolled out properly like the above picture. Make the rest of the Parotas this way. 

Put a tsp of Ghee on tawa, fry Paratha on medium heat. 

Serve hot with any curry, preferably mutton.... Love the taste but more than eating, I love to make this Paronta and serve.

Saboodana (Sago) Vada

Saboodana Vada, just the right snack to enjoy with a cup of your favourite tea in the late afternoon. 
Sago = Tapioca Sago or Tapioca Pearls 

Ingredients : (makes around 16 vadas)

1. Sago 1 cup

2. Water 1/2 cup

3. Potato 3 medium

4. Peanuts little less than 1/2 cup

5. Green chilly to taste

6. Salt to taste

7. Sugar 1/2 tsp

8. Oil to deep fry

Method :

Soak sago in 1/2 cup water for 4 hours.

Roast peanuts, grind a little (coarsely).

Boil potato, mash with salt, chopped green chilly, peanuts, salt and sugar

Now mix sago carefully to the mashed potato.

Make round vadas flattening a little on your palms.

Deep fry on medium heat till golden brown on both sides. 

Serve with your favourite chutney.

Saboodana Khitchree

Big pearls of Sago (Tapioca Sago or Tapioca Pearls) is preferred for this recipe.   

Ingredients : (serves 2)
1. Sago (Saboodana), 1 cup
2. Water, 2 cups
3. Peas, (shelled) half cup
4. Potatoes, 2 medium
5. Almonds, 5
6. Ghee, 3 tbsp 
7. Mustard seed, half tsp
8. Salt, to taste (may use Sendha namak/Rock salt which is used during fasting)
9. Curry patta, a few
10. Lemon juice, 1 tbsp (optional)

Method : 
Soak Saboodana in 2 cups water for 5 hours. Drain remaining water, spread on a big plate and keep under fan to dry for another hour or so. 

Soak almonds for an hour, peel and slice. 
Peel and cut potatoes into small pieces. 
Cook peas in water adding a little salt till tender. Heat little ghee, stir fry peas for a minute or so and keep aside.
Heat little ghee, fry almonds till golden, keep aside.
Heat little ghee, fry potato till cooked and turns brown. Keep aside. 
Heat ghee, put the mustard and curry patta, cover and let it splutter. Add potato, peas, almonds and saboodana, salt. Stir fry carefully for 2 to 3 minutes. Add lemon juice (optional). 

Serve with a cup of tea. Any nuts or any vegetable of the season may be used in this recipe. 

Xewali Phool bhaji

There are quite a few flowers which are used in several cuisines of the North Eastern region of India. One such flower is the Night-flowering jasmine. It is a beautiful flower with a lovely fragrance. Although tastes bitter, bitterness is reduced to almost nil after cooking. Can be eaten fresh or sun dried. 

 Assamese name : Xewali phool

Bangla name : Shefali/Shiuli 

Hindi name : Parijat/Paarijata

Tamil name : Pavazha malli 

Malayalam name : Pavizha malli

Odiya name : Shefali/Shiuli

Marathi name : Parijat

English name : Night-flowering jasmine

Scientific name : Nyctanthes arbor-tristis

sun dried Xewali phool

This is a simple yet very tasty recipe.

Ingredients: 

1. 1 cup dry Xewali phool 

2. 3 cups boiled rice

3. 3 tbsp oil

4. salt, to taste

5. 1 big onion, sliced 

6. 2 green chilly, whole 

7. a pinch of turmeric (optional) 

Method : 

Soak the dry flower in water for an hour (like the above picture). Rinse well, squeeze out water and pour more water. This way rinse three times. This procedure will lessen the bitterness. 

Heat oil and add the flower, onion, chilly, salt, turmeric (optional). Fry on low heat for a few minutes. 

Add boiled rice and stir fry for two to three more minutes. Your "Xewali phoolor logot Bhaat bhaji" is ready. 

Stir fried King Prawn

Ingredients : (Serves 4)
 For marination :
     1. Jumbo Prawn 5oog
     2. Paste of Ginger 1 tbsp
     3. Paste of Garlic 1 tbsp
     4. Salt half tsp

  For frying :
      1. Refined oil 3 tbsp
      2. Onion 2 medium, big slices
      3. Green Chilly 3 (or to taste), cut lengthwise
      4. Soya Sauce 1 tbsp

Method :
Mix all the ingredients for marination and leave for at least 4 to 5 hours. 
Heat oil and stir fry onion, chilly for a minute or two. Add the prawn and soya sauce. Stir fry for a minute, cover and cook on low heat till done. Take care not to over cook which will turn the prawn hard. 

Loochi for breakfast

Ah, the joy of taking a few days off after a big successful event at work place. And what can be more relaxing than to have an intense affair with the kitchen!
Here is my first date ... a breakfast platter. Everything is fair in love and cooking, no calories counted smile emoticon

Loochi (Poori), scrambled egg and Kothal (jackfruit) sabji. Loochi is favourite of the Assamese. Goes well with any sabji, meat curry, halwa or kheer. Loochi is normally preferred exactly like the above pictures, pale fried.

Kothal (Jackfruit) sabji :


Ingredient :
1. One small tender Kothal, around 500g. Peeled and cubed.
2. 3 medium potatoes, peeled and halved 
3. Paste of : 2 medium onions+6 to 8 pods garlic+little ginger
4. Dry ground masala : 1 tsp each garam masala, jeera, dhania, chilly of course to taste
5. Salt to taste
6. Half a tsp turmeric
7. A few bay leaves
8. 3 to 4 tbsp mustard oil

Tender Jackfruits

Method :
Blanch the cubed kothal, leave aside.
Add salt, turmeric to potatoes and stir fry a little, keep aside. Accordingly fry kothal adding salt, turmeric and keep aside.
Heat oil, put in bay leaves, fry wet paste a little, add dry masala, salt, turmeric. 
Add kothal and potatoes when the masala turns pale brown. Keep frying for a while. 
Add water, cover and cook till done.

Loochis are wonderful with any accompaniment like fried potatoes, daal, halwa, kheer  etc .

Any curry or sabji can be a good accompaniment to Loochis

One of my favourite accompaniment with Loochi is BILAHI r OMBOL

Happy Women's Day

My Daughter

You are the woman who taught me the joy of being a mommy; who pulled me along wherever she went, teaching lessons on life. The woman who taught me to stand on my own, to speak out and fight for the right. The woman, in whom I find all the women rolled into one, be that a mother, a daughter, a friend, a philosopher or a guide. 
You are the most wonderful thing to happen in my life ....


My Sister 

No matter how delicate and petite you are, turn out my strongest support. Just one hug from you strengthens me to tackle a thousand misery. Your reading me even before my saying anything is simply amazing. That your dainty shoulders are always there for me to lean on for comfort, feels wonderful. 
You are one awesome woman, don't know what would I do without you ...

Some wonderful souls like you are the ones for whom celebrating womanhood finds a meaning and joy.
Thank you so much God, for bringing them to my life. It is wonderful living with these beautiful WOMEN ...