Bhagara Baingan

Ingredients:

Brinjal - small ones (whole slit in the center on both sides)

For Gravy:

Til (white) - 1 or 2 tsp,
Groundnut - a handful,
Cloves - 2 or 3,
Cinnamon - 1" stick,
Dry Red Chilli - as reqd,
Dry Coconut (copra) - grated 1 tbsp,
Dry Dhaniya - 1 tsp,
Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp,
Jeera - 1 tsp,
Tamarind - 1/2 cup thick pulp,
Salt - to taste,
Oil - 5 to 6 tbsp For tadka

Jeera - 1/2 tsp,
Mustard - 1/2 tsp,
Curry leaves

Method:

1. Fry all ingredients for gravy (except tamarind, salt, oil) individually over low heat, till you get the aroma.
2. Grind the above to a fine paste.
3. Heat oil in a kadai/wok. Add the brinjal and fry till it is little soft. Add the ground paste. Fry.
4. Add tamarind paste, salt and water. Let it boil. You can see the oil coming to the top.
5. In another pan, heat a tsp of oil, add jeera, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add this to above gravy.

Shahi Paneer

Ingredents:

Onion, chopped-1
Ginger, chopped-?piece
Green chili, chopped-1
Tomatoes, chopped-4
Big cardamom, crushed-2
Curd, beaten-cup
Paneer, cut into cubes-250 gms
Chili powder-tsp
Garam masala-tsp
Tomato sauce -1tsp
Milk-250 gms
Ghee-3tbsps
Salt-1tsp

Mathod

1.Add onion, ginger, green chili and cardamom to 2 tbsps. of heated ghee.
2.Saut� until light brown, then add the tomatoes, cover and cook on a low flame for a few minutes.
3.Now add the curd, cook for 2 minutes, remove form heat and blend in a blender with � cup of water.
4.Cook the puree in the remaining ghee for a few minutes, then add the salt, chili powder, garam masala, tomato sauce and enough water to make a thick gravy.
5.Cook on a low flame and then keep aside.
6.Just before serving, heat the gravy and add the paneer pieces, milk and serve garnished with grated paneer.

Mixed Vegetable Paratha

Ingredients : 1 cup:mixed vegetables ( potato, cauliflower, carrot, beans etc.) 1 cup: Wheat flour 1/2 cup: Refined flour (maida) 1 tsp: Garam masala 3-4: Green chillies 1 cm piece: Ginger Coriander leaves Ghee for frying Salt to taste

Method:In a pan, dry fry all masala ingredients. Put it in mixer, make dry masala.

1. Sieve wheat flour and refined flour with a little salt.
2. Knead a soft dough. Divide into equal portions.
3. Add garam masala crushed ginger, salt, cut green chillies and chopped coriander leaves into one cup chopped and cooked vegetables and mash them nicely.
4. Take a one portion of the dough, roll out into small chapati, place one portion of vegetable mixture into th centre of the chapati and seal carefully on all sides. Roll out again into chapathis about half cm thick dusting with flour to prevent the chapati from sticking the board.
   5. Bake or fry on tawa by adding ghee to both sides till nicely golden brown.
5. Serve hot with butter and pickle.

Malai Kofta Recipe

Ingredients
For the Kofta:

1 1/2 lb. potatoes
2 heaped tablespoons each of crumbled paneer,
khoya and thick malai(You can substitute this with
baked ricotta cheese and heavy cream)
4-5 cashewnuts chopped
1 tablespoon raisins
2-3 finely chopped green chillies
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red-chilli powder
1/2 tsp cardammom powder
Salt to Taste
3 tbsp cooking oil/ghee(clarified butter)
Oil for frying the koftas

For the gravy:

2 medium onions,chopped
3 flakes garlic,crushed
1 inch ginger,crushed
3 large tomatoes,pureed
1 tsp red-chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp dhania(corainder) powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp powdered poppy seeds
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp ground peanuts/cashewnuts

Method

Boil the potatoes till tender.
Peel, mash and add salt to taste.
Keep aside.
Mix all the other ingredients for the
kofta into a paste.
Make rounds of the potato dough and place a
little of the prepared mixture in the center
of each round.
Seal the edges and shape into stuffed rounds.
Deep fry each kofta till golden brown.
Drain and keep aside.
Blend together the onions, ginger, garlic and the
poppy seeds and fry in 3 tbsp of oil till brown
and the oil begins to seperate.
Add the pureed tomatoes and the masala powders.
Add the sugar and the ground peanuts.
The gravy will begin to thicken.
You can also add some malai to thicken it some more.
Mix in some water if necessary.
When the gravy comes to a boil, add the koftas.
Heat through and serve.
The koftas should be put in just before eating
the dish or else they will turn soggy.

Tips For a Lifetime

1. Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.

2. Use a meat baster to "squeeze" your pancake batter onto the hot griddle - perfect shaped pancakes every time.

3. To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

4. To prevent egg shells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before hard-boiling.

5. To get the most juice out of fresh lemons, bring them to room temperature & roll them under your palm against the kitchen counter before squeezing.

6. To easily remove burnt-on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stovetop-skillet will be much easier to clean.

7. When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead-no white mess on the outside of the cake.

8. If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato-it absorbs the excess salt for an instant "fix me up."

9. Brush beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

10. Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it back up.

11. When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness.

12. To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh-if it rises to the surface, throw it away.

13. Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

14. Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

15. If you have a problem opening jars: Try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.

16. Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub raw potato on the stains and rinse with water.

17. To get rid of itch from mosquito bite: try applying soap on the area, instant relief.

18. Ants, ants, ants everywhere ... Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march-see for yourself.

19. When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.

Kitchen Safety Tips

This is an overview of what I, as a chef, have found to be the most common ways people can get hurt in a kitchen, and the ways you can avoid being hurt, or hurting a friend.
A busy kitchen on a professional level is a dangerous place indeed, with many sharp edges, hot pans and fire, breakables and burnables, oils and acids, and a lot of people working very fast. The level of cooperation in a good fast professional kitchen is incredible, and the attention to safety, both your own and your co-worker's, is all pervading. Here is some of the most valuable knowledge regarding kitchen safety that I have learned.
No matter who you are, or your skill level, this site is worth a quick look-through to remind yourself of the basics, and to check and make sure you have not missed anything. You may also want to use it as you teach your children or beginning employees to work a kitchen.
Probably the two most dangerous characteristics of a kitchen are: Knives and Other Sharp Edges, and Fires and Other Hot Things. These both have been given their own pages. In addition I have a page on General Kitchen Safety page which covers "Food Poisoning, Spoilage and Temperature Control," "Chemicals" and "Slips and Falls."
Good Luck, and: Keep On Cooking!

General Cooking Tips

General Cooking Tips:

Prepare what you need before you start. It’s how the pros do it and it simplifies the process when you are scrambling to put it all together.

When using a broiler to cook steaks, pre-heat oven until it's really hot. This will sear the outside of the meat and keep the juices in. And don’t use a fork to turn the steaks, use thongs or a spatula to prevent juices from leaking out.

Buy yourself a potato ricer for mashed potatoes. It a great gadget to have in your kitchen, it looks like a giant garlic press, costs about six bucks, but there’s nothing better for smooth airy mashed potatoes.

A folding steamer platform that sits in almost any pot works great for your steamed veggies. Important, be careful not to overcook the broccoli, you want it to be crisp but tender.

Invest in a salad spinner. They’re inexpensive and work great. There’s nothing more unappealing than soggy lettuce. And speaking of lettuce, you may have grown up on iceberg, but try some red or green leaf lettuce for a little diversity.

Never cook with any wine you wouldn't drink! You can substitute 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary leaves with 1 teaspoon. of dried, but fresh is better. Try using a spray olive oil to coat your roasting pan.

Any brine-cured black olives can be substituted for Kalmata and remember to tell your guests there are pits so they don't break a tooth.

To roast garlic, sprinkle the bulb with a little olive oil and white wine, salt and pepper, wrap it in tin foil and roast in a 350 degree oven for approximately one hour.

Try using a hand blender to puree the soup....it's easier than transferring to food processor.

Mushrooms should be wiped off with a damp cloth and not washed under the faucet since they are like sponges and will absorb the water.

Make sure your roasting pan is the correct size and is placed on the middle rack.

When roasting, save the pan juices for your gravy.

Leeks are full of hard to get at sand and dirt, chop them first, then give them a bath in cold water and drain in a colander.

Try using carrots instead of sugar to sweeten your sauces.

Cracked pepper corns: I opt for putting the peppercorns in a zip lock bag and cracking them on my cutting board with a hammer. Noisy, but it worked. Otherwise, set your pepper mill to course grain instead.

When buying cabbage, look for heads that appear heavier than their size with crisp leaves.

Grilling Tips:

Be sure your grill is hot enough before starting.

Grill meat and veggies about 4 inches from heat source and chicken about 6-8 inches away.

To add more flavor, try adding pre soaked chunks of natural hardwoods like Hickory.

Make sure grill is clean before cooking.

To prevent sticking, brush or spray a light coating of oil on grid.

If your grill has a top, close it to allow smoke to add it's flavor.

To keep poultry from drying out, grill with bone in and baste continuously.

Poultry dark meat takes longer than white meat so start it sooner.

Sear chicken on the skin side first.

COCONUT CHIKKI

Ingredients:

300 gms of dry grated coocnut
150 gms brown sugar
100 gms sugar
3 tsp ghee

Method:

Roast grated coconut in ghee keep aside. In the frying pan add brown sugar, sugar add a little water allow to boil the mixture. When its turns like chikki like consistency, put drop of water and check if it is hard. Now mix the coconut and pour in the flate plate and cut into pices.

Vegetable Hyderabadi Biryani

Ingredients

1½ cups Basmati rice 2 large sized Potato 3 medium sized Carrot 5-6 French beans 1/4 small sized Cauliflower 4 large sized Onion 3/4 inch piece Ginger 6 cloves Garlic 1/3 medium bunch Fresh mint (pudina) 1/3 medium bunch Fresh coriander leaves Saffron a few strands 2 tbsps Milk 5 Almonds 2 tbsps Raisins (kishmish) 5 Cashew nuts Oil to deep fry 1/2 cup Yogurt 3 tbsps Biryani Masala powder 4 tbsps Pure ghee Salt to taste Dough to seal

Method

Pick, wash and soak rice in three cups of water for half an hour. Drain. Add four cups of water and salt. Bring to a boil and cook till the rice is three fourth done. Drain excess water and spread out on a plate to cool. Peel, wash, cut potatoes and carrots into half inch sized cubes. String, wash and cut French beans into half inch sized pieces. Separate cauliflower into smaller florets, wash and drain them. Peel, wash and slice onions. Peel, wash and grind ginger and garlic to a fine paste. Clean, wash and chop mint leaves and coriander leaves. Par boil potatoes, carrots, French beans and cauliflower in two cups of salted water. Drain and keep aside. Dissolve saffron in warm milk. Blanch almonds in half a cup of warm water. Wash raisins and pat them dry. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai and deep-fry sliced onions till golden brown. Drain onto an absorbent paper. Beat yogurt. Add two tablespoons of Khazana Biryani Masala, half of the fried onions, ginger-garlic paste and parboiled vegetables. Allow to marinate for one hour. Heat ghee in a thick-bottomed vessel, add the marinated vegetables and sauté for two to three minutes. Add three-fourth cup of water and bring to a boil, then simmer for two to three minutes. Preheat oven to 180°C. Transfer the vegetables into a thick bottomed handi. Layer the rice over the cooked vegetables. Sprinkle the remaining Biryani Masala, chopped mint leaves, chopped coriander leaves and the remaining fried onions. Garnish with cashew nuts, almonds and raisins. Sprinkle saffron milk. Place a moist cloth on top, cover with a lid and seal with dough. Put the sealed handi in the pre-heated oven and cook at 180°C for fifteen to twenty minutes. Alternately keep the handi on a heated tawa and cook on very low heat for fifteen to twenty minutes. Serve hot.