Flavour Diary: March 2016

Mooli Paratha | How to make Easy Mooli Paratha Recipe | White Radish Recipe | flavour diary

Paratha's are famous No yeast Indian flat breads. Usually paratha's are stuffed with different stuffing with vegetables or meat or plain and takes bit long to make. But today's recipe is easy way of making paratha with no stuffing required, instead the grated white Radish is mixed along with other spices with flour. Mooli/radish Paratha can be served with plain yogurt or raita or with any spicy curry.

Radishes are grown and consumed all over the world. They are found in numerous varieties, with different colors,size and flavours.Spicy Radishes have their own strong flavour. In India we get White Radish in abundant and we use it in making curries, sambar, pickles and paratha.

You can browse for more recipes in the blog, here are few flatbreads to list.

Amritsari Aloo Kulcha

Shahi Meetha Paratha

Sweet Paratha/Sugar Paratha

Level: Easy
Total time: 30mins
Makes: 8 parathas
1 cup:250 ml

Ingredients

White Radish/Mooli: 2 cups grated (1 large)
Wheat Flour: 2 cups
Green Chilli paste: 1/2 teaspoon (to taste)
Garam Masala powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin/Jeera Powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Fresh Coriander chopped (fist full)
Salt to taste
Water for kneading
Oil for frying

Directions

Peel the radish and grate it. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to it and rest for 5 mins in a bowl. After 5 mins squeeze out the water from the radish and set aside radish and water separately.

In radish water add wheat flour,chilli paste,coriander leaves,cumin powder ,garam masala and squeezed radish and make dough out of it(add 3 or 4 tablespoons of water if required).
Divide the dough in 8 equal parts and roll into round flatbread shape.

Now heat the pan and fry the paratha on one side and add oil and flip and fry again until it is cooked. Keep the heat on medium high.

Serve Mooli paratha with raita or plain yogurt or with spicy curry.

Tips

You can add grated carrot,beetroot along with radish to make it colorful.

Wanna try....let set go..

Tahari/Tehari is a rice recipe and can be made vegetarian or non vegetarian or mixed version. Tahari are spicier than pulao's and they tastes different from Biryani's, i should say tehari is in between Pulao and Biryani. Today's recipe is a nonvegetarian version of Tehari and made of Mutton/lamb. Hyderabadi Mutton Tahari/Tehari is lamb rice recipe where lamb is cooked in flavourful spices and then cooked along with rice. Tehari can be served hot and goes well with any raita(Boondi Raita, Carrot raita, Onion raita...).
You might be interested in other Hyderabadi dishes like

Hyderabadi Bagara Baigan

Hyderabadi Chicken Haleem

Hyderabadi Dahi Vada

Khubani Ka Meetha

Level: Medium

total Time: 50 mins

Serves: 4-6
Cup: 250ml

Ingredients

500gm lamb (cut in small pieces)
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
2 cups of Basmati rice
3 cups of water
2 medium onions(finely sliced)
2-3 green chillies
3 medium tomatoes(finely chopped)
1 cup curd/yogurt
3 tablespoon oil
1 inch cinnamon stick
2-3 cloves(laung)
1 cardamom (elachi)
1 star anise
1 teaspoon shahi jeera( caraway seeds)
1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon red chilli powder (to taste)
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
Fistful of chopped coriander leaves
Fistful of chopped mint leaves
Oil for frying onions

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Directions
Preparations:
Wash and soak rice for 20mins.
Wash the lamb pieces and marinate it with ginger garlic paste, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and keep it aside.
Heat 1 cup of oil in a pan and add chopped onions lengthwise and fry it golden brown.
Steps:
In a pressure cooker and add 3 tablespoons oil. Once hot add
cinnamon stick, cloves, Cardamom and star anise.
Add Chopped tomatoes,shahi jeera and cook till the tomatoes turn mushy and then add marinated lamb pieces. Saute for a minute and then add Yogurt, Chilli powder, turmeric powder and mix well and add 1/3 cup water and pressure cook for 3 whistles or until cook it until lamb is cooked.
Now add slit green chillies, fried onions, chopped Coriander, mint leaves, garam masala powder and 2 2/3 cups water. Adjust salt and add soaked drained rice, mix well. Cover the lid and cook until the rice is cooked.Stir twice in between.
Serve hot with any type of raita, I served it with Carrot Raita.

Tips
YOu can cook in open pot instead of pressure cooker but it takes more time.

Wanna try....let set go....

Mutton Tahari is going to be part of #foodiemonday #rice #bloghop recipes

Days are not all same for cooking, few days are like you have bits and pieces of veggies in the fridge and no chicken or lamb in the freezer. Then i simply go and cook for comfort foods like Dal chawal, or Lemon Rice or make Kadhi or make koftas from veggies left and serve it along with spicy gravy. So today's recipe is all about veggies left in the pantry and cooking a mouth watering veg koftas in tomato gravy.

Usually Koftas are meatballs made out of minced lamb, chicken or even with veggies. Koftas in gravy are served with flavoured rice (Jeera Rice) or parathas or naans or with toasted bread with butter.

You may also like to browse other recipes in the blog but here are few vegetarian curries

Level: Moderate
Total time: 45 mins
Serves: 3
1 cup:250 ml

Ingredients

For Koftas:
White Cabbage: 200gm (approx 1/4th of big cabbage)
Carrots: 200gm (2 medium)
Green Chillies: 1
Chilli powder: 1/2 teaspoon(to taste)
Coriander powder/dhaniya powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Besan/Gram Flour: 1/3 cup (as required)
Salt to taste

For Curry:

Onion: 1 medium
Oil: 2 tablespoon
Cumin seeds/jeera: 1/2 teaspoon
Tomatoes:3 medium (approx 200gm)

Green Chillies: 2

Ginger: 1 inch

Besan/Gram Flour: 2 tablespoons
water: 1.5 cups
Coriander powder: 1 teaspoon
Kasuri Methi/ dry fenugreek leaves:2 teaspoons
Garam masala: 1 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder: 1/4 teaspoon
Chilli powder to taste
Salt to taste
Fresh coriander for garnish

Directions

Making Kofta's
In a food processor add roughly chopped cabbage,carrot and green chilli.(or simply finely grate cabbage,carrot and chilli)
Add salt, chilli powder, coriander powder, Gram flour, and mix well and the consistency should be like you should be able to make sticky balls.

Heat the oil in the pan and when the oil is medium hot then drop the kofta balls and fry on medium heat.

Making Curry:
In blender add tomatoes,green chilli and ginger and blend it to fine paste.
In a pan add oil and when it is hot add cumin seeds. Add chopped onions and fry till it turns transparent.

Now add tomato paste, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt and cook till the water is all gone.

Add besan/gram flour to it and fry for a minute, add water, crushed kasuri methi, Garam masala, chilli powder, salt and cook till desired consistency and add koftas to it serve hot with bread,naan,roti,paratha,chapati or flavoured rice.

Tips

You can use any bits and pieces of veggies left in fridge for koftas or use can add some minced meat too.
While frying make sure your oil is not too hot or too low. If oil is too hot then the koftas are cooked outside and undercooked from inside. If oil is on low heat then koftas absorb lot of oil.Make sure heat is on medium while frying.

This recipe is also a great way to use up leftovers veggies in the pantry and make it healthy and tasty dish, so this is going to be part of #CreditCrunchMunch for March. The challenge is from Fab Food 4 All and Fuss Free Flavours and hosted by Manjiri of Travel for Taste.

Breakfast smoothies are easy to make and quick for any busy day. Adding a healthy and filling ingredients makes it more healthy. Today's smoothie is chocolatey and served in a bowl by adding some crunch to the smoothie. Smoothie is filling because of Oats, protein powder and coconut in it, smoothie is easy to make and gives a chocolatey mood boost. So enjoy making it and check the ingredients.

You may also like to try beverages
Shikanji Lemonade
Mint Ginger Chaach
Mango Lassi
Carrot Cake Smoothie
Persimmon Lassi
Tricolor Smoothie

Level: Easy
Prep Time: 10 mins

Serves: 1
Cup: 250ml

Ingredients

Rolled oats: 1/4 cup
Banana: 1 medium
Milk/coconut milk: 3/4 cup
Chocolate Flavoured Protein Powder: 1 tablespoon
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: 1 tablespoon
Dessicated Coconut: 2 tablespoon
Peanut Butter/ Nutella: 1 tablespoon
Maple Syrup: 1 tablespoon (or sugar or honey to taste)
Vanilla Extract: 1/2 teaspoon
Toppings:
Strawberries,Dessicated Coconut, grated Chocolate, Cashews/nuts

Directions
In a blender jar put all the ingredients and blend it finely, pour in the bowl and top it with your desired toppings.

Tips
Chop the banana and freeze it, this gives the frothy touch to your smoothie.

Wanna try....let set go....

Chocolate Breakfast Smoothie Bowl is going to be part of #foodiemonday #festivalofColors #bloghop

Todays recipe is Kadai Chicken Dhaba Style a famous North Indian Chicken dish with bell peppers/capsicum.Kadai is a hindi word which means wok in english. Chicken is cooked on high flame on thick base wok. Kadai chicken is a spicy and aromatic chicken recipe with thick gravy. Dhaba's are Highway side restaurants or a small shops where you get relaxed and have some refreshment or break from the journey. Dhaba style cooking is mainly done on high flame and uses roughly chopped veggies to make it quick and crunchy in cooking.

I have made used of spices from my pantry but you can replace the Kadai Spice powders with any ready made kadai mixture from the store.This is easy recipe to make and cooks under 30 mins and it is spicy flavoursome. So enjoy cooking and look at the ingredients and steps.Serve hot with roti,naan or chapati.

You may also like other chicken curries Murgh Cholay (Chicken in Chickpea Curry), Chettinad Chicken and other Indian Vegetarian Curries like Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan, Paneer Butter Masala, Shahi Bhindi (Royal Style Okra Curry), Achaari Paneer and many more

Level: Easy
Prep time: 5mins
Cook Time: 30mins
Serves: 2-3
1 cup:250 ml

Ingredients

Chicken: 500gm

Turmeric: 1/2 teaspoon

Ginger: 1 teaspoon (grated)

Garlic: 1 teaspoon (grated)

Cardamom/Elachi: 2

Cinnamon/Dalchini: 1/2 inch

Clove/Laung: 2

Onion: 1 large(finely chopped)

Tomatoes: 2 medium(finely chopped)

Oil: 4 tablespoon

Chilli Powder: 1 teaspoon(to taste)

Salt to taste

Green Capsicum/pepper/shimla mirch: 1 chopped (cubed)

Onion: 1 medium cubed

Thick Yogurt/greek yogurt: 1 cup

Fresh Coriander for garnish

Kadai Spices powder:

Cumin Powder: 1 teaspoon

Garam Masala: 1/2 teaspoon

Coriander/Dhaniya Powder:1/4 teaspoon
Black pepper/kali mirchi powder: 1/4 teaspoon
Kasuri Methi/dry Fenugreek leaves: 1/2 teaspoon (crushed)

Directions

In a pan add oil, once hot add clean chicken and add turmeric powder and salt. Close the lid and cook for 10 mins on high flame.Stir in between and remove the chicken once cooked.

In the same pan add ginger, garlic, cardamom, cinnamon and clove and stir for 30secs.
Add finely chopped onion and saute it until it's translucent. Now add tomatoes and cook until they are mushy and oil leaves the sides.

Now add cubed Capsicum, Onion and stir for 1 min and add chicken,kadai Spice powders, chilli powder and cook for another minute.

Add Yogurt and stir it continuously otherwise it will curdle and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Do the taste test and adjust the spices and add chopped coriander and turn off the flame. Serving hot with roti, pulkha,naan or chapati.

Tips

Cook on high flame throughout the process.
You can add Colourful bell pepper, i used green and red equivalent to one big.

Wanna try....let set go..

Thandai is a hindi word which means coolant in English. Thandai is a beverage where thandai mixture is boiled along with milk, strained and served cooled. Thandai is highly nutritious beverage and gives a cooling effect to the body and is one of the beverage for summer. Thandai is perfect drink to serve on special days and festive occasions, usually made during Holi and is very much popular in North India.
I know March has arrived and it will be very soon that spring is going to start in UK officially and we can see some beauty breaking this snowy winter but back in India start of Spring is celebrated with a festival called Holi also known as festival of colours. Holi is mostly enjoyed by adults and kids as they can play, play and play with colours.On this festival Thandai is the common beverage served at all places.
Today i am making my own thandai mixture at home, which is quite easy to do. Roasting flavourful ingredients and blending it to fine powder it is that simple. You can add this mixture to hot boiling water and strain the milk and serve it cool or you can use mixture and get creative and create your fusion recipes. I am using thandai mixture to creating a fusion recipe called Thandai Baked Yogurt. Its an easy recipe to make and it is going to be part of Foodie Monday Bloghop and Sonal's of www.simplyvegetarian777.com Holi collection of recipes.

You may also like to check other Indian Desserts
Instant Jalebi (Indian)
Badusha (Indian)
Chawal Ki Kheer ( Rice Pudding)
Sheer Khurma (Indian)
Sweet Corn Halwa
Chocolate Cardamom Sandesh
Khubani ka Meetha(Dry Apricot Sweet)
Coconut Moong Dal Halwa Truffle

Level: Easy
Prep Time: 10 mins
Bake Time: 20 mins

Serves: 4
Cup: 250ml

Ingredients

Baked Yogurt
Condensed Milk: 1/2 cup
Fresh Cream: 1/2 cup
Thick Yogurt/Greek Yogurt: 1/2 cup
Thandai Masala*: 2 tablespoon (reduce to 1 tablespoon if you don't like strong flavour)
Rose Essence: 1/8th teaspoon

Thandai Masala(yields 1/4cup)
Source: here
Cardamom /elachi: 3

Black Pepper : 3

Cashew: 6
Almonds/badaam: 8
Pistachio: 10
Poppy Seeds/khuskhus: 1 tablespoon
Saffron strands: 1 pinch
Fennel Seeds/saunf: 1/4 teaspoon

Melon seeds: 1 tablespoon (i haven't used)

thandai masala

Directions
Thandai Mixture/Masala:
In a pan dry roast Cashew, Almonds,Pistachios and take aside and turn off the flame. Now add Cardamom, Black Pepper, Poppy Seeds, Fennel Seeds and stir for 20secs after turning off the flame. In a blender add all the ingredients under thandai masala and blend it to fine powder.

Baked Yogurt:
Preheat your oven at 180c for 10 mins. In a bowl add all the ingredients under baked yogurt and mix well without any lumps. Pour the mixture in ramekins or oven safe bowl. In a large pan add hot boiling water and place the ramekins in the water and bake for 15-20 mins. Serve the baked yogurt after it cools down.

Tips
You can add dry edible rose petals to the thandai mixture and skip rose essence instead.

Fusion output: I found baked yogurt is bit sweet for my tastebuds. My princess didn't like the strong flavour of thandai. If i bake next time i would decrease condensed milk a bit and adjust the thandai masala ratio for my little one's taste bud.