I have many complaints that I dont publish many vegetarian dishes. So here is one specially for my vegetarian friends.
Matar Paneer is a popular North Indian recipe and is one of my staple cooks when I have vegetarian friends over.  Its a very simple recipe and doesnt need much fine chopping and saves a lot of time.




Ingredients
250 gms paneer/cottage cheese cut into triangular 1 inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas
3 medium sized ripe red tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 green chilies, chopped
1 inch ginger, chopped
5-6  garlic chopped
5-6 cashews

4 to 5 black peppercorns
2 to 3 cloves
½ inch cinnamon
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp kasoori methi
½ tsp cumin seeds/jeera
¼ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
¼ to ½ tsp red chili powder
½ tsp garam masala powder
1 tbsp cream
½ tsp sugar 
2 to 2.5 tbsp oil or ghee
Coriander leaves

Method

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add 1 inch cinnamon, cloves, pepper corns, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds and saute. 
2. Add onion and a pinch of salt and saute for 5 mins till translucent.
3. Add green chillies, ginger, garlic and saute for another 2-3 mins. 
4. Now add tomatoes and cashews and saute till the tomatoes are mushy. Keep this mixture aside to cool and then blend it in a blender to get a coarse paste.
5. Now heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and when hot add ½ tsp cumin seeds.
6. When the cumin splutters, add the paneer and saute it for a bit.  You can add the paneer pieces directly later into the masalas too if you dont liked it sauteed in oil.
7. Now add the masala paste and mix well. 
8. Add the frozen peas and mix well
9. Add a pinch of turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder and 1/2 tsp garam masala powder and mix well.
10. Cover and cook till a good boil. Add salt according to taste and add water if you find the gravy too thick. I add a pinch of sugar to this - however you can decide based on your taste.
11. Garnish with 1 tbsp cream (or more based on your taste) and a 1/2 tsp of crushed kasoori methi and cook for 2 mins.
12. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve this hot with chapatis

Note: In case you are using fresh peas, you may have to cook the peas separately in water till cooked and then add it to this gravy as frozen peas is almost cooked and doesnt need much cooking.

Ambe Hummane(also called Ambe Upkari) has been a regular affair in the summers for ages. It is a typical Konkani dish and I wonder if mango is cooked this way in any other cuisine.This dish is made from the smaller mangoes which can only be eaten by sucking out the flesh(called ghonto in Konkani).

This summer I stored some of these mangoes after deskinning them in the freezer. They were perfect even after 4 months and tasted just like fresh mangoes.


While trying to write this blog entry, I tried to think of how can I name this Konkani dish in English and I think the English name I came up with just doesnt give the essence of this dish..anyone has a better suggestion??please leave a comment

Method
1. Remove the skins of around 8 mangoes and squeeze out any pulp from the skins.

2. Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan. When hot add 1 tsp mustard seeds. When they start spluttering, add 1 tsp urad dal. Add 1 green chilli, 2-3 red chillies slit in half, 10-15 curry leaves and saute till the urad dal is slightly reddish in color. 
2. Now add the mangoes and 1 cup water. Add 1 tsp jaggery (you can add more if your mangoes are not sweet), 1/2 tsp salt.
3.  Close the lid and cook for a good 10 mins on low flame.



4. You can garnish with some grated coconut and serve this as a side dish.

Decided to cook some boneless chicken for dinner...thought that I should cook something low fat. Decided to use Dahi for the gravy and came up with this dish. 
Pretty simple dish to cook - The flavors of the dahi, capsicum and kasoori methi go very well in making this a very tasty dish.



Method

1. Take 2 cups of dahi. Mix 2 green chillies slit finely. Add 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 1-2 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, pinch of haldi, a pinch of kasoori methi and salt.
2. Mix 500 gms of boneless chicken in this marinade and set aside for atleast 30 mins.
3. In a hot pan, add 2 tsp oil. When its hot, add 1 tsp cumin seeds. When they start spluttering, add 2 finely chopped onions. Fry well. Add 2-3 finely chopped garlic cloves.
4. When onion is translucent, add 2 finely chopped tomatoes. 
5. When the tomatoes are soft, add the above marinade with the chicken. 
6. Cover and cook on a slow flame till the chicken is cooked. When chicken is 80% done, add finely cubed capsicum. Cover and cook for a few more minutes.
7. You can adjust the consistency of the gravy according to your taste. You can open the lid and let all gravy cook till its dry if you want less gravy. I added a pinch of sugar to balance the tanginess.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves and kasoori methi and serve with chapatis or rice.

I like Onions with my chicken and hence decided to cook this Murgh Do Pyazza today. This dish is so called because you add a lot of onions to the gravy. The gravy is very rich and goes perfectly with both Roti and Rice.



Method

1. Clean and cut 500 gms chicken into pieces and marinate with freshly grated 1 inch ginger and 3-4 pods of garlic, some salt and 1 tsp red chilli powder.
2. Finely chop 1 large onion and cut another large onion into cubes. Separate the onion layers and keep aside. Blend 2 tomatoes in the mixer to a fine puree.
3. Heat 1 tbsp ghee or oil in a pan. I added ghee for extra taste. Add 1 tsp ginger paste and 1 tsp garlic paste (I again grated ginger and garlic into a pan directly.
4. When it turns brown, add finely chopped onions. Add a pinch of salt and cook till it turns brown. Now add tomato puree and saute for 5 mins.
5. Meanwhile, take 2 tbsp yoghurt in a bowl, add pinch of turmeric and 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder and 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp garam masala powder and mix well. Add this to the pan and saute well till the smell of raw spices is gone.
6. Add the chicken pieces,and the cubed onions and mix well, add water according to the consistency you like. I added 1 cup of water and mix well.
7. Cover and cook for 20 mins on a small flame.

The chicken do pyaza is ready to eat. You can garnish it with kasoori methi leaves and coriander leaves before serving.

The usual chicken gravy recipe with onion and tomato paste. Very easy to cook, this spicy chicken gravy is ready in less than 45 mins.. You can hardly go wrong with this recipe.

Method

1. Clean and chop about 500 gms of boneless chicken. Add salt and set aside.
2. Roughly chop 3 medium sized onions. Blend in a mixie with about 7-8 pods of garlic and 1 inch ginger till you get a fine paste and keep aside. Blend 2 tomatoes in the same mixie and keep aside
3. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 inch cinnamon, 5-6 cloves, 2 tsp coriander powder, 2 tsp chilli powder, 1 cardamom and blend in the mixie to a coarse powder. You can add some salt if you need to add some volume to blend.
4. In a pan, add 1 tbsp oil.  Add the coarse masala powder and saute till you can smell the aroma of the spices. Now add the the onion paste and saute till golden brown. Since the onion was blended raw, you need to ensure that you saute for a longer while till the raw smell of onions is gone. 
5. Add the tomato paste and some turmeric and again saute till the tomatoes are cooked. Add additional chilli powder if you want a spicy gravy.
6.  Add chicken and coat it with sauce. Add 2 cups of water and mix well. Now cover with a lid and let the chicken cook for 15-20 mins on a slow flame. Keep stirring in between and cook till chicken is tender.
7. Adjust the salt. Add 1 tsp of garam masala powder. Garnish with coriander leaves. Squeeze some lemon juice on the gravy and serve with rotis.

I had seen this episode of Chak Le India - Kachcha Raasta long back and had noted down the recipe. I like Aditya Bal's style of cooking where I see him char the aromatics regularly. This reduces cooking time and also gives a good consistency to the gravy.
Wanted to cook something quickly today and hence decided to try this recipe. The dish was amazingly tasty and ready in less than a hours time. 




Method
1. Take 250 gms of chicken, clean and keep aside. I used boneless chicken but you can use one with bones too. Marinate the chicken with 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp oil and salt and keep aside
2. Char the aromatics a la Aditya Bal - 2 medium sized onions cut into cubes, 5-6 garlic pods, 1 inch ginger, 2-3 green chillies and 1 bunch of chopped coriander leaves and stalks. Saute this well till the onions are slightly browned and the raw taste of the aromatics is gone. Keep aside
3. Now dry roast the 7-8  cloves, 2-3 cardamom pods, 7-8  black peppercorns, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds and 1 inch of cinnamon for 2 mins. 

4. Grind the dry roasted spices to a nice powder. Add the charred aromatics and again grind to a fine paste. Aditya Bal generally uses a mortar and pestle to grind the spices, but I used the mixer grinder to save on time. Add the paste to the marinated chicken. Add 3 tbsp curd to the chicken and mix well and keep aside. 

5. Take a pan and add 2 tsp oil. Add 2-3 green cardamoms and saute. Add a handful of raisins and saute again. Now add the marinated chicken and mix well. I added 1 cup of water but you can add water according to your preference. Adjust the salt.

6. Cover, simmer and cook for 20 mins. 

Murgh Kofta is an elaborate recipe if you cook it the traditional way. But time is a big constraint these days and that makes me invent quicker recipes. 

Here is my 30 min chicken kofta recipe (I bought ready to cook koftas from the supermarket). I especially liked the texture of the gravy and the richness from the cashews that go into this recipe.



Method

1. Deep fry the chicken koftas and keep aside.
2. Take 1 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker. Add 2 roughly cut onions and saute till translucent. Add 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste, 1 inch piece of cinamon, 1 -2 cardamom seeds, 2-3 cloves and saute for a minute. 
3. Add 2 roughly chopped tomatoes, around 10 cashew nuts, 2 tsp red chilli powder, pinch of turmeric powder, 1 tsp garam masala powder, 3 tbsp curd,  salt, water according to taste and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
4. Now let out the steam of the pressure cooker and open the cooker. Blend the above mixture in a blender to get a smooth paste. '
5. Add the koftas and let it cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add 1 tsp garam masala powder and salt if needed.
6. Serve with Chapatis/roti.

Here is a more detailed recipe from Show me the curry - you can also check this link to know how to make the koftas at home

Ever since I have come to Hyderabad, I have tasted some awesome mutton preparations like Mutton Biryani, Haleem, Patthar ka Gosht and many more. I have now developed a taste for Mutton so much that I have started preferring it to Chicken. 
Today I cooked Mom's Konkani Mutton Gravy. Tasted awesome.



Method

1. Prepare a paste of 2 green chillies, 7-8 garlic flakes, 1 inch ginger, handful of mint and handful of coriander leaves. Marinate the 500 gms of mutton with this paste. Add 1 cup of curd, 1 tsp turneric and 1 tbsp chilli powder and salt. Leave to marinate for 1 hour.

2. Dry roast 1 tbsp coriander seeds, 1 tbsp cumin seeds, 4-5 dried red chillies, 1 inch cinamon stick, 5-6 cloves, 5-6 pepper corns, 2 cardamom with 3 tbsp of freshly grated coconut. When slightly brown remove from flame and let it cool. Then grind in a blender to get a fine paste.

3. Take a pressure cooker and add 2 tbsp oil. Add 1 big onion finely chopped and saute it till translucent. Add 2 finely chopped tomatoes and saute till cooked. Now add the marinated mutton and cover the cooker. Cook for 4-5 whistles - mutton takes longer to cook.

4. After the whistles remove the pressure cooker lid and add the finely ground paste and bring to boil. Adjust the salt. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

This mutton goes well with rice rotis or rice. In Konkani cuisine, we use a lot of coconut. In the original recipe, we add around a cup of coconut since coconut adds to the volume and makes the gravy thick. However I prefer adding more curd and less coconut to get a slightly thinner gravy.

This dish is traditionally cooked using fresh mushrooms which grow naturally during the rains. But since those are not so easily available, I cook it with button mushrooms which are available in the food stores.

However if are lucky enough to get those fresh mushrooms that sprout up during rains, do try this recipe with those...I bet that you won’t be disappointed.

Method

1.     Cut 1 medium sized onion into fine pieces. Cut mushrooms to similar sized pieces so that you have around 2 cups of mushroom

2.     Heat 1tbp oil in a pan and fry 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 inch cinnamon, 3-4 black pepper, 2 cloves and 3-4 red chillies. Grind to a paste with 1 cup of freshly desiccated coconut and a marble sized ball of tamarind.

3.     In a vessel boil onions and mushroom in water. When this comes to a boil add the above paste and salt to taste and continue cooking. Cook for another 10 mins on a slow flame or till the mushrooms look cooked.

4.     Add 1 tsp garam masala at the end just before putting of the flame.

This dish tastes good with neer dosas, chappatis and even with rice.

This dish is my creation from different Andhra recipes that I have tasted.

Method

1. Marinate prawns (after removing the shell - I use smaller prawns for this dish) with ginger garlic paste, lemon juice, tamarind paste and salt for atleast an hour before cooking
2.  Take 2 tbsp oil in a pan(Andhra dishes are high in oil but I add less of oil and use a non stick pan instead)
3. Add 1 tbsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp mustard seeds, pinch fenugreek seeds, 3-4 dried red chillies, 2 medium sized onions (cut them into long and thin slices) and 2 twigs of curry leaves. Saute on medium heat till onions are pinkish.
4. Add 2 chopped tomatoes and sauté.
5. Add 2 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, salt and sauté till the oil separates
6. Now add a cup of tamarind water. You can make this by boiling tamarind in water.
7. Add the prawns and cook for 10 mins on slow flame. Prawns cook easily to see to it that you don’t overcook them
8. I add a pinch of sugar to balance the sourness in this dish
9. Garnish with coriander and serve with rice

Andhra cooking is high in chilli, salt and tamarind. I don’t like too much chilli in my cooking and hence have not added much. You can add more if it suits your taste. You can replace prawns with boneless chunks of fish too.

This is a traditional Konkani recipe and I always end up cooking this dish when there are no vegetables in the fridge and I have only have potatoes and onions left.

Method

1. Boil 3 medium sized potatoes with the skin on. Cut them into big (around 1-2 inch) pieces.
2. Add 2 tsp oil in a pan.  Add  2 medium sized onions chopped finely. Saute till it is pinkish in colour
3. Take a different pan and dry roast 1 cup freshly desiccated coconut, 1 tsp coriander seeds and 2-3 red chillies. Grind in mixie with a small marble size ball of tamarind and water. Add this thick paste to the onions and sauté till the rawness of spices is gone. Add salt to taste.
4. Add the boiled potatoes and water and cook the dish till the gravy is ready.
5. Keep the gravy slightly thick and use this as a side dish with rice. I use coconut oil in this dish as it gives a beautiful flavour to the curry.

Crabs are my all time favourite. Whenever I have a trip planned to Mumbai, I ask my mom to keep the crab curry ready - that is my sole demand on each of my visit.  Here is my mom's recipe for Kurle Ambat

Method

1. Clean the crabs. I still haven’t mastered this art and get it cleaned from the place where I buy the crabs. I just wash the crabs thoroughly before starting
2. In a small pan take 1 tbsp oil and  roast 1 tsp coriander seeds and 4-5 red chillies. Grind in the mixer with 1 cup freshly desiccated coconut , a pinch of turmeric and 1 marble sized ball of tamarind. Grind this to a fine paste as finer the paste better the taste.
3. In a large pan, add 2 tsp oil.
4. Fry 2 medium sized onions till pink. Now add crabs and sauté for a minute. Add the masala and salt and cook. Crabs take around 15 mins to cook on medium flame. Serve hot with rice.
5. The crabs almost always taste better the next day after absorbing all the masala.

The crab available is Mumbai is much more meatier than the ones available in Hyderabad. I havent verified this personally but it is also said that crabs should be bought when alive as they start losing their body fat and flesh after losing life.

Mud crab that is easily available in Mumbai (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scylla_serrata)

The blue crab which we get here in Hyderabad (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_fisheries)

This is a traditional Konkani dish and is a regular fare at Konkani weddings. Like all Konkani dishes, we use coconut, red chilli and tamarind here. We cook a lot of different pulses in Konkani cooking but somehow the masala remains the same and yet every curry tastes different. So sometime back I started grinding together this masala to suffice a weeks cooking and storing it in the fridge and using small portions every day. This reduced cooking time drastically.

Method

1. Soak 1 ½ cup of black chickpeas (kala chana) overnight
2. Next day pressure cook it till  tender but not completely soft.
3. For the masala, dry roast 1 tsp of coriander seeds, 3-4 dry red chillies and grind together with ½ cup of freshly grated coconut and 1 small marble sized ball of tamarind to a fine paste. Dont add too much water while grinding
4. Now pour the masala and the cooked chana in a pan. You can add the water used to boil the chana too. Add 1 potato cut into cubes/  or raw banana cut into cubes or 1 cup yam cut into cubes
5. Add salt according to taste and cook till gravy boils and the potatoes are cooked. Turn off the gas.
6. Give a chaunk/seasoning with oil,1 tsp mustard seeds, pinch of asafoetida, 5-6 curry leaves. Cover the dish and let the gravy absorb the flavours of the seasoning
7. Serve with rice

I have used raw jackfruit (kathal in hindi) in the above picture instead of potatoes.

Dal is one of the essentials of Indian cooking. However every different state has their own Dal version. Dalitoy is Konkani dal recipe and is a must in every Kokani festival or wedding menu. It is a quick non fussy recipe.

Method

1. Cook 1 cup Toor Dal with a pinch of turmeric, 2 green chillies (slit along the middle) and 1 inch ginger piece and 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker
2. Once the Dal is cooked, heat it on medium flame. Add salt to taste and mash the Dal.
3. In a Chaunk/seasoning  pan add 1 tbsp ghee, Add 1 tsp mustard seeds. When they splutter, add  2-3 red chillies broken into 2 at the centre, a pinch of asafoetida and around 10 curry leaves.
4. Pour this on the Dal and cover with a lid. Serve hot with rice
5.  Garnish with Coriander leaves and serve

My mom also adds one tomato finely chopped in Step 2 and let it cook with the Dal and serves it with coriander garnishing. You can also add garlic to the seasoning.