Month: June 2020

Pulao is a rice dish made by boiling rice in a steamer pot with added spices and then frying it. This is a very popular recipe in the Indian subcontinent, Middle-east and people there like it very much. The adding of spices gives off a fragrant smell from this food.

There are various kinds of pulao recipes like matar pulao, chicken pulao, Kashmiri pulao, and vegetable pulao. These pulao recipes are eaten with meat or vegetable gravy, salad, and kebab.

Pulao is a popular dish in the subcontinent and believed to have been brought into the sub-continent culture by the Muslim rulers in its history. People prepare this recipe on happy, joyous occasions alongside other traditional cuisines.

The rice used for making pulao is known as Basmati which is long, slender, and grained aromatic rice. Using this rice for cooking pulao gives it a unique taste.

The spices and seasoning like cardamoms, cinnamon, bay leaves, etc. are used in this recipe making it highly delicious. People from middle-east also eat this revered dish alongside their other traditional cuisines.

Vegetarians eat a version of this recipe called matar pulao and vegetable pulao. These versions of pulao are made by adding sautéed vegetables to the pulao giving it a rather unique taste.

Non-vegetarians either eat the normal pulao or the chicken pulao. Since this is a basic dish mostly people often include other dishes to eat with this food recipe.

Vegetable Pulao Recipe

Course: Main Course,  Cuisine: Indian, Prep Time: 15 m, Cook Time : 15 m , Total Time : 30 m , Servings : 2 ( Ingredient quantities will vary accordingly. For example, if the dish is prepared for 4 servings double the amount of ingredients will be required )

Ingredients

• 1 cup basmati rice

• chopped onion  1 number

• tomato chopped 1 number

• 1/2 cup green peas

• 1/2 cup chopped carrot

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 piece cinnamon

• 3 piece clove

• 1/4 tbsp garam masala powder

•  turmeric powder 1/4 tbsp

• red chili powder 1/4 tbsp

• 2 tbsp oil

• 1 tbsp ghee

• little coriander leaves

• 1 cup water

• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Wash the rice and soak it in water for about 30 minutes. Drain the water and keep it aside.

2. Heat the ghee and oil in a pan.

3. Add bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, onion, and saute till the onion turns brown in color.

4. Add chopped tomato,green peas, and carrot. Stir fry for 3 minutes.

5. Add soaked rice, garam masala powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and salt

6. Stir them for a few minutes. Add 1 cup water and mix well.

7. Close the lid and pressure cook over medium flame.

8. Serve vegetable pulao with fresh coriander leaves.

Variations

There are many many variations of vegetable pulao. When I make vegetable pulao I mostly make it with vegetables.  If you are health freak you like to make it with palak, beetroot, carrot or meethi.

Nutritional value

 Pulao is rich in calories and fat. This recipe is cooked with ghee and oil making it a calorie-rich food. Therefore people with health issues like hypertension and blood pressure must avoid this food item.

This dish also has a subsequent amount of vitamins and minerals. Adding vegetables can help increase its nutritional value making it a vegetable pulao.

 This traditional recipe is a must-try for people with other cuisines together. The fragrance and aroma of this recipe along with its taste is an attraction to many. Overall pulao is the pride and heritage of the people of Asia and is enjoyed by people all over the world.

Notes

Pulao is mostly made with basmati rice. To get great results the basmati rice need to be fragrant and long-grained. The rice can be also be aged or parboiled.

Serving Ideas

Indian vegetable pulao is served with raita, papad, and pickle. In southern states it is served with coconut chutney. It is also nice dish for bachelors to make for dinner.

 

Samosa is an evening snack made out mashed potato with other ingredients stuffed in dough and then deep-fried. This crispy, flaky snack is a favorite to many in Asia. Samosa is eaten as a snack in many countries in Asia and is becoming popular all around the world.

Samosas can be both vegan and non-vegan. The triangular-shaped snack is filled with meat, vegetables, and also mashed potato making it a snack time favorite in many countries. Particularly in the Indian sub-continent, samosas have been prepared for long times and is seen as a snack time delicacy.

Samosa has originated from middle-east. During the Muslim rule of the Indian subcontinent, it spread in this region. This dish is gaining popularity in Europe and the West. Samosas are also highly popular in  Middle East. Samosas are found in almost all food shops in the subcontinent.

Vegetarians can enjoy vegan samosa made with vegetables used for stuffing. Air fried samosas have lower calories making them healthier. For meat-eaters, the stuffing of samosa can be made of meat and other ingredients. This is a very easy recipe and can be easily made in your homes.

To make the covering of a samosa we’ll have to use all-purpose flour, oil, water, carom seeds, and salt in quantity. For the stuffing, we have to use mashed potatoes, green peas, oil, ginger, chili, salt, and additional spices per your choice of flavor.

Samosa Recipe

Prep time : 15 m, Cook time : 15 m,  Course : Main Course, Cuisine : Indian, Servings: 5

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Flour
1 cup Refined oil
3 Potato
2 chopped green chili
1 chopped ginger
handful raw peanuts
1 tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp each ( red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder , cumin powder , tsp carom seeds )

Salt to Taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Nutritional Value

Although samosas are exceptionally delicate in taste, they are not good for health. The stuffing is made of mashed potato which is rich in carbohydrate and fat. Deep-fried food is harmful to our bodies.

They delay the fat burning process by creating inflammation in the body resulting in fat and calorie build up. Although air frying, baking could help in less calorie build up and using vegetables for stuffing can be healthy for the body.

Samosa is a very delicious snack. For a good health daily consumption of such food can be avoided, though using healthy ingredients to make it can be worth the health risk altogether.

More Indian Snack Recipes

Besan Pakora Recipe

Aloo Tikki Recipe and Aloo Tikki Burger Recipe

Dahi Vada Recipe

Oatmeal is a staple food to many homes and is a highly nutritious one at that. Studies show oatmeal to be gluten-free making it a healthy recipe for those following a diet. Due to its high fiber content, people tend to eat oatmeal in a healthy diet.

Oatmeal is generally made from three kinds of oats which are whole oat groats, steel-cut oats, and old-fashioned oats. Oatmeal can be eaten any sort of toppings like almonds, peanut butter, cream, etc. giving the food more savory. We will give a general idea of this recipe of oatmeal.

Recipe

In this recipe, we’ll try to use old fashioned oatmeal. Also, we’ll have to use milk, salt, unsalted butter, and any topping as desired to make this dish tastier. The quantity of each ingredient would depend on the number of persons it is being made for.

Firstly we’d have to cook the oats with salt and unsalted butter on medium heat. The mixture should be stirred until the oats are thick and look creamier.

Depending on the individual, more milk or water can be added if the oats mixture is preferred to be thinner. In addition to all this sugar can be added including toppings like various nuts, peanut butter, jam, or even cheese if preferred.

Features

Scotland’s culinary traditions have a long history of growing oats because of their low temperature and high humidity.

Studies have shown this crop to have originated from these parts of the continent. It is completely a vegetarian dish. The nutritional value of oatmeal has prompted many to adopt it as their staple food.

Nutritional Values

Researches shows that oatmeal can lower the chances of heart disease and blood cholesterol. They are a good source of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. The dish has fame as a health food because of their nutritional values.

Oats are rich in soluble fiber making them efficient for appetite suppression and fullness of the stomach. Oats are also gluten-free and rich in protein making them reliable for a healthy diet. 

The high concentration of protein and beta-glucan links it to multiple health benefits. It is also rich in vitamins and minerals such as manganese, phosphorus, copper, iron, selenium, magnesium, and zinc. Overall oatmeal can be consumed to have a fit body and have a healthy life.

Oatmeal is a very easy recipe to make. Having multiple health benefits this food can be quite effective for our daily lives. As it satiates hunger and helps in keeping our gut health we must try to keep it in our meals every day.   

The Gobi in the “Gobi Manchurian” translates to cauliflower. It is a traditional Indo-Chinese recipe made from cauliflower covered in batter, fried and then cooked in a sweet, spicy Manchurian sauce.

The chemistry of the cauliflower florets and the delicious Manchurian sauce makes it a highly desirable food recipe. The Manchurian sauce is prepared with sautéed spring onion, a paste made from ginger, garlic, soy sauce, tomato ketchup, chili sauce, and capsicum.

Gobi Manchurian can be served with Manchurian gravy as an entrée or can also be served stir dry which is known as dry Gobi Manchurian. We will discuss more on this wonderful dish below.

This dish would require cauliflower florets which is the main ingredient. In addition batter will be prepared to fry the florets and Manchurian sauce will be prepared to dip the fried florets.

Gobi Manchurian

Prep Time : 10 m

Cook Time : 25 m

Total Time : 35 m

Course : Appetizer

Cuisine : Indian

Serving : 3

INGREDIENTS

250 grams cauliflower florets
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp corn flour
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
Salt to taste
Oil for fry
1 tbsp Soya Sauce
2 tbsp Red Chili Sauce
2 tbsp Tomato Sauce
1 tbsp each ( Oil, Chopped Garlic, Chopped Ginger )
1 (Chopped Green Chili, Chopped Onion ( Small ) )

1/2 Cup Bell Pepper
1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tbsp Vinegar
1 tbsp Sugar

Origin and popularity

This dish is believed to have originated in Kolkata by a Chinese family living there during the British colonization of the Indian sub-continent. It is a fusion of Indian and Chinese food style.

The subcontinent is highly famous for fried foods and the Manchurian sauce is obviously a Chinese delicacy. This food recipe is now a favorite to many all around the world. The dry Gobi Manchurian serves as an appetizer and the classic gravy Gobi Manchurian serves as an entrée.

Nutritional Value

 Gobi Manchurian is entirely a vegetarian dish although non-vegetarians add meat  to it for extra taste. It is rich in protein, carbohydrate, fiber, and soluble fat.

It’s also rich in vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, C, E, and Folic acid making it a healthy food for everyone. This is an exceptionally nutrient-rich food and can help keep the fitness of our day to day lives.

This Indo-Chinese recipe has been renowned all over the world for its excellent taste, textures, and flavor variety. Not only that its richness in nutritional values makes it a highly nutritious  food and should at least be tried on once.   

Chana Dal Recipe

Chana Dal is the Hindi word for “Bengal Grams” and its fry is a traditional sub-continental cuisine. This food is commonly eaten throughout the Indian subcontinent and very common here. It is usually eaten with steamed hot rice, some gravy dish making it a healthy meal.

It is obtained from black chickpeas. This food is highly effective for people on diets and chronic diseases like blood pressure, diabetes, etc. Here is a brief discussion on the popular recipe of chana dal fry.

Prep Time : 1hr

Cook Time : 30m

Total Time : 1hr 30m

Cuisine : Indian

Servings : 3

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup chana dal

  1 cup water

  ghee

  1/2 tsp cumin

  1 chopped onion

  1 green chili chopped

  1 tomato chopped

  1/4 tsp turmeric powder

  1/4 tsp red chili powder

  1/4 tsp garam masala

  1 tsp lemon juice

  Little coriander leaves

  1/4 tsp kasuri methi

INSTRUCTIONS

Origin and Popularity

There is no specific origin of this food recipe as Bengal grams is a staple food in the Indian sub-continent. Besides, it can also be seen to grow in Mediterranean, Southern Europe, Northern Africa, and South America making it a common food recipe in these regions.

Because of its rich nutritional values, it is popular amongst patients with a chronic illness like hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, etc. It is eaten as a side dish alongside rice, meat, or fish gravy and bread also.

Nutritional facts

This food recipe is completely a vegetarian meal. Since it is consumed as a side dish, people don’t add meat or fish to this recipe making it completely vegetarian.

This recipe is highly rich in protein, fiber, vegetable fat, vitamin-A, and minerals making it a healthy food for those on a diet. Chronic illness patients can consume this food and remain healthy without worrying about being sick.

This food recipe is not that hard to make or too complex. In addition to our daily food, this food recipe can increase our nutritional content keeping us healthy. People on a diet can rely on this food. Thus making it people favorite everywhere.

Dal Makhani

Dal makhani is a lentil-based stew that is made using soaked black lentils boiled and cooked with lots of butter and cream. Dal stands for lentil and Makhani refers to cream and butter, hence “Dal Makhani”. It is a famous delicacy of North India.

It is a recipe mostly prepared on occasions of joy, happiness in those regions. Since lentil is a staple food in the Indian Sub-continent this recipe is popular in this region. The flavor and texture of this magnificent recipe has earned the praise of many renowned chefs all around the world.

The dal makhani is cooked slowly for a prolonged time giving it a creamy, thick buttery feeling making it a very tasty dish. The intricacies of this dish will be discussed below.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup black lentil
1/4 cup rajma
3-4 cups water
1 tbsp ghee
3 tbsp butter
1 chopped onion
1 cup tomato puree
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp kasuree meethi
1/2 cup cream
1 bay leaf ( whole spices )
1 green cardamon ( whole spices )

INSTRUCTIONS

Origin and Popularity

This food was first brought out to the public by Kundal Lal Gujral, the founder of the restaurant chain known as Moti Mahal. He made this recipe famous by giving it a thick creamy and buttery texture which is now renowned all over the world.

He was an inhabitant of undivided Punjab during the partition of the Indian sub-continent and moved to India where he opened his famous restaurant chain and gave his famous recipe Dal-Makhani to the world. Due to its creamy, buttery textures, it is a famous delicacy and has earned a lot of praise from people all over the world.

Nutritional value of the dish

This is entirely a vegetarian dish and meat is not included in it whatsoever. This fact makes it more popular for everyone irrespective of their food choices. This food is rich in protein, carbohydrate, fiber, fats, vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, C, E, folic acid, and minerals.

Since lots of cream and butter are used in this recipe it is also high in cholesterol. But overall it is nutritionally rich food for everyone.

This recipe is indeed an Indian delicacy. People have traveled to India from far and wide to taste this magnificent recipe. Indeed it is an excellent example of the combination of flavor and food texture and the subtle art of cooking.

This food recipe is a specialty of northern India. It is made from split pigeon lentils and split pink lentils. This north Indian cuisine can be found in roadside restaurants in India and is a specialty there.

This cuisine brings in a combination of lentils and the amazing spices found in India making it a popular food. Like Dal makhani, this recipe also is a beautiful creation from the northern part of India.

This dish is highly famous in India and also the sub-continent region. Since lentils are a staple food in this region, people love this food dearly. Because of sub-continental restaurants in Europe and the North America, people there love this food recipe love it too.

This food recipe is known to be available in roadside restaurants (Dhaba) in India. This dish is entirely a vegetarian dish as no meat or fish is used in this recipe. It can be consumed with steamed rice, vegetable, or meat gravy. Vegetarians and people on diets can consume this food because of its nutritional values.

Dal Tadka

What does Dal Tadka mean

Hindi term for Dal is lentils.

Tadka is a Hindi term for tempering. This technique is mostly used in preparing Indian cuisine.

INGREDIENTS

Toor Dal
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tbsp ginger chopped
1 tbsp garlic chopped
1 tbsp onion
3 green chilies chopped
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Red Chili Powder
1 tsp Kasoori Methi
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp ghee
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp hing
1 tsp Garlic
5 Dry Red Chilies
Cilantro ( Coriander )

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add dal, turmeric, salt and water to a pressure cooker. Mix well and pressure cook for a few minutes.

2. Heat ghee in a pan.

3. Add cumin seeds, ginger, garlic, onion, green chilies and saute for a few minutes till onions are golden brown.

4. Now add tomatoes, red chili powder, kasoori methi, coriander leaves and mix well

5. Now add the pressure cooked dal and water to the mix and saute for a few minutes

6. Add garam masala to the mix.

7. Cover the lead and cook for a few minutes. Dal is prepared

8. Now I will prepare the tadka

9. Heat ghee in a new pan

10. Add cumin seeds and hing to the new pan

11. Now add garlic and dry red chilies to the the new pan. Cook till the garlic turns brown.

12. Now add the tadka to the newly prepared dal.

13. Dal Tadka is now ready

Variations

Lentils Used

Generally dal tadka is made from toor dal or arhar dal. Even moong dal can be used to make the dal tadka.

Nutritional Value

Dal tadka is very healthy food. Lentils are rich in protein, fiber, and vitamin B1 making it a perfect food choice for people on fitness regimes and people with chronic illness.Overall this is the perfect food to keep in our food style and remain healthy.

All recipes made from lentils are healthy and have been reputed to be unique in flavor combinations. People can make this recipe easily at home using the ingredients. The seasoning makes it tastier giving it a sense of elegance and grandeur.

Notes

Adjust the spice level by increasing or decreasing the proportion of red chili or green chili powder.

Flavor of the dal will be enhanced by tempering with ghee.

The recipe tastes great when prepared when its slightly thick.