Egg Biryani

Hello guys...
This is one of those food which I make when I have no fish or chicken to make curry with.... and no veggies for an upperi... or more simply put, a meal which comes to mind when Im lazy to cook all the curry, fry and upperi... a food I make at a time of crisis :P .... Egg Biryani :)

This is a new recipe I found... made some modifications to my likings... and I love how this has turned out...

What all you'll need:

• 2 cups basmati rice
• 2 medium sized onion
• 2 green chilles finely chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped ginger
• 1.5 tbsp chopped garlic
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 garam masala
• 1 tbsp chaat masala (optional. I love using this for almost everything)
• some mint or coriander leaves for garnishing
• salt to taste

How to make:

• Wash and soak rice in water for about 20 minutes. Boil in water(add salt and a little oil). Drain when its almost done(3/4 cooked) and keep aside.
• Hard boil the eggs while the rice is cooking. Keep aside. Peel when cool. Make long cuts on it making sure it remains whole.
• Next heat oil in a pan, add chopped onions, cook for a minute or 2 and then add in the ginger-garlic and green chillies. Cook until the smell of garlic goes. Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, salt and a little chaat masala. Let that cook for a minute and then add in the boiled eggs.  
• To let the eggs absorb the masala, let it stay in the pan on very low flame for some 5 minutes. Switch off flame. 
• Now take the eggs out and toss in the cooked rice. Let the masala mix well with the rice. Check taste. Here I add salt, extra chaat malasa or even oil if I find the rice and masala too dry. I even add pepper powder if I feel its not spicy enough for my taste.  
• Add the eggs. Garnish with coriander or mint leaves. Serve hot! :)

This is one super easy filling meal to make when you just want to be done with the food making already :D
Try it.... Enjoy! :)

Caramel Bread Pudding

Got this from Google Images

Hellooooo! :)

I'm back with desserts! Now here is a pudding I simply love. When you have guests coming and have lots to prepare this is something u can whip up quick and refrigerator until serving time. And if you are a person who love a more thick and creamy kinda pudding this is perfect for you.... The Bread Pudding! :)

 All it requires are:

• 2 cups milk
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 egg
• 8 small bread or 6 large ones

Blend all the above ingredients in a blender. Keep aside. 

This pudding is made by steaming so keep a pan or bowl or whatever you want to set the pudding in aside making sure it can withstand steaming.

Now take:

• 2 tbsp sugar and
• 1 tsp water

Heat it in a pan. Keep stirring until the mixture turns a dark golden brown. The caramel is ready. Take it off the flame and pour it into the dish you kept aside. Coat the bottom well. Give it a minute or 2 to set and pour in the bread-milk mixture. Place this bowl with in a pressure cooker or a deep bottom vessel for steaming. (Just do what you do when making idly). Steam for 25-30 minutes and check if the pudding has set. If not let it steam for a while longer. When its done take off flame and let it cool. Then refrigerator (minimum 2 hours is good) until you have to serve. 

I simply love this dessert. My husband loves it when I make it without the bread. I garnished it with some chopped pistachio. Gave it some lovely colours.

Now I have noticed that covering the bowl of pudding before placing it inside the hot water vessel for steaming is not a good idea. I have made this once without covering and once covered with aluminium foil (poked some holes too for steam to escape). The covered one took a long time to cook and still the centre was a bit watery. You can see that in my pic. But the one I made without covering was well done. I guess it was the water dripping onto the pudding from the foil while steaming.
The steaming vessel will be covered so no need to cover the bowl inside it too... got it?

Try it out! And enjoy! :)

Green Cheera Upperi

You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces, just good food from fresh ingredients....

- Julia Child

Hey everyone... :)

I've not been able to update this blog for a long time since I had my baby in the last week of June 2014. Taking pics of the food I make was easy... but getting the time to write a post on it was not. The little time that I did get when baby was asleep I would want to rest myself. 

And even Steffy is going through the same thing. She had her baby in the first week of November 2014. :)

I was in Saudi for 2 weeks... had gone for a mini vacation to be with my parents and sisters. I thought I might be able to post from there, but sadly weather changes(sand storm for days on) made my kids sick (allergies :( ) and yet again the little time my baby slept I wanted to sleep too.
Alhamdulillah we are getting back to routine now.

Here is an upperi I had made some months back. Its made with my favourite green cheera. I love green cheera upperi with rice, fish curry and fish fry. This upperi is also made the same way as the kovakka one I had posted.

The things you'll need are:

• 2 big bunch of green cheera (Washed and cut)
• 4-5 small onions
• 4-5 tbsp grated coconut
• 2 dry red chillies
• 1 tsp mustard seed
• 2 tbsp coconut oil (You can use any oil u want. Keralites mostly love food cooked in coconut oil)
• salt to taste

How to make:

• Grind together grated coconut, small onions and dry red chilly. Don't grind into a paste.
• In a pan heat 2 tbsp of coconut oil, add mustard seed, let it splutter. 
• Now add in the coconut-small onion-red chilly mix. Cook that for a minute or two until coconut starts changing colour to light brown. Add in the chopped cheera. Mix well. Add salt.
• Cheera cooks very fast. Hardly 5 minutes so do take care. 

This goes great with rice and curry.
Also take note: Its best not to add curry leaves to dishes u make with palak, cheera and other leafy veggies.