Paneer Biryani ( Pressure cooker method)

Ingredients:
2 cups Basmati rice
3 cups of water
1 cup of paneer cubes pan fried
2 tbsp ghee + 2 tbsp oil
1 onion diced lengthwise
3 green chillies slit lengthwise
1/2 cup chopped green beans
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 1/2 ginger garlic paste
Whole garam masala (cinnamon(1), elaichi(4), cloves(5), bay leaves(3), mace, kala jeera, black pepper corns, Star anace(1))
Fresh mint
Salt to taste(2 tsp)
1 tbsp garam masala 
coriander leaves for topping.

 How i make it :

• Wash Basmati rice and drain the water with colander.
•  Heat a tbsp oil in a pan and fry all the paneer cubes or blocks until golden color and once fried set aside.
• In a pressure cooker (must be atleast 5 liters) heat 2 tbsp ghee+1tbsp oil and saute all the whole garam masala for a min. Then add onions and chillies and fry for 2 mins untill tender.
• Dump all the veggies and ginger garlic paste and saute for 2-3 mins until no raw smell from veggies.
• Add in the drained rice just incorporating with veggies, also add fried Paneer blocks at this stage. Then pour the water to the rice and season it with salt, garam masala and pressure cook it with a whistle on the top. After 2 whistles stop the heat and leave it until pressure goes out. Top it with coriander leaves before serving.

        Serve hot with Raita or any gravy curry.

Grilled Garlic Shrimp Skewers

Ingredients:
1 Pound shrimp (35 shrimps deveined and peeled)
4-5 bamboo skewers
3 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp salt
1 lemon juice
1 tsp of red chilli flakes
1 tsp chilli powder(optional)
1/2 tsp garlic powder(optional)
Cilantro leaves chopped fine.

 How i make it :

• Soak bamboo skewers in water before grilling. Marinate the prawns with the above spice seasoning. Insert the shrimps or prawns into the bamboo skewer in a series.
• Heat a grill pan with 2 tsp oil coating the pan. Grill in medium high heat each side for 4-5 minutes and prawns are totally cooked on each side.

          Serve hot with a sauce and salad.

Cabbage Curry Puffs

Ingredients:
(1 sheet of puff pastry yields 9 puffs)
1 Package Puff pastry
1/4 cup onion chopped (small onion)
2 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 cup carrot chopped
1/2 cup peas fresh or frozen
1 1/2 tbsp oil
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp dhaniya powder
1 tbsp milk (substitute for egg wash)

 How i make it :

Cabbage curry stuffing:

1. Thaw the puff pastry from the freezer for 40 mins.  Meanwhile cut all the above veggies into small .
2. In a non stick pan heat oil, and saute onions untill tender and add the veggies except peas and saute untill tender. Add in the chiili powder, dhaniya powder, turmeric, salt and cook for 5 mins on a low medium heat stirring in between.
3. Once veggies look tender dump in the peas and 2 tbsp water and cook for another 5 mins and shut the heat down. 

Folding the Puff pastry:

1. Dust the work surface with little flour and place 1 sheet of puff pastry, dust some more flour on the pastry to avoid sticking. 
2. Roll down the pastry sheet gently with chapathi roller and cut them into desired shapes or parts.
3. Stuff the curry in each cut part and fold it gently pressing the ends with the folk.
4. Brush little milk on the top of all stuffed puffs and place in the preheated oven for 25 mins on 350 degree F.

          Serve hot with ketch up or hot sauce. 

Pomfret Fish curry (Chanduva chepa iguru)

Pomfret is a fleshy fish with less bones, it tastes great when fire grilled or curried. I made a masala curry version with coconut and poppy seed paste, getting some korma flavour into the fish. 


Ingredients:
2 pomfret fish sliced.
2 medium onion chopped
2 green onion chopped
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
4-5 green chillis slit
5 tbsp Oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chilli powder
2 tbsp salt (little less)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp Garam masala (blend along with cumin and coriander powder)
3 tbsp coconut shred
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1 cup of water.
Coriander leaves for garnish.

How i make it :

• Cut the pomfret fish and gently massage it with little salt and wash thoroughly. Do not over work with fish. Marinate the fish pieces with 1 tbsp each of chilli powder, salt, turmeric and lemon juice and set aside for 15 minutes. Mean while grind coconut and poppy seeds into paste with little water.
• Heat 5 tbsp oil in an open broad pan and fry onions, green onions and chillis till tender and colored. Season the onions with 1 tbsp chilli powder, salt, turmeric, ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute. 
• Gently arrange the fish on to the seasoned onion and cover it and cook for 3-5 mins on low medium heat. Dust a tbsp of really spicy garam masala powder.
• Slowly the fish pieces gives out water, add the Coconut-Poppy seed paste into the fish with a cup of water (do not over fluid the fish as it may break).
• Cover and cook the fish with gravy for 15 minutes or more on low medium heat stirring in the middle. 
• Once the gravy is thickening off the heat and garnish it with coriander and cover it and let cool and serve with white rice.

          Enjoy!

Spicy Andhra Chepala Pulusu (Fish Tamarind gravy curry)

Fish Pulusu can be made with Kingfish, Tilapia, Carp or Catfish if staying away from India. In Andhra it is exclusively made with Bochha, Jalalu, Vanjaram and many more. The curry is made spicy to compensate it with sourness from the tamarind pulp, which together gives a Delicious dish.


Ingredients:
2 Tilapia fish (scaled, cleaned and made into fillets)
2 medium onions chopped
5-6 green chillis slit
2 green onions
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
yellow lemon size or egg size tamarind soaked in water
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
5 tbsp oil.
2 tbsp or more chilli powder
1 tbsp turmeric
Salt to taste (2tbsps)

             

 How i make it :

• Scale and clean the fish fillets just by massaging it on a cutting board to remove the dirt on the fish skin. Marinate the fish with chilli powder, turmeric, and salt. 
• Grease a open non stick pan with 5 tbsp oil and saute onions and green onions and slit green chillis until tender. Once tender stir in the ginger garlic paste and saute until no raw smell.
• Arrange the marinated fish fillets into the onions and cover for 5 mins until water coming out and then flip the fish and cook for another 5 mins(I personally skip flipping). Once the fish is added the heat should be in medium low flame.
• Squeeze the pulp from tamarind with 3/4 cup water and add to the fish and add 1/2 cup of water. DO NOT OVER FLOOD IT. NO STIRRING WITH THE SPOON ONCE FISH IS IN THE PAN. HOLD BOTH THE EARS OF THE PAN AND GIVE A GENTLE SHAKE, BECOZ THE SPOON MAY BREAK UP THE FISH FILLETS.
• Cover with lid and cook on lower medium for 12-15 mins until the gravy gets thicker, just shaking in the middle. Top it with chopped fresh cilantro.

Enjoy this master piece with Rice. Curry tastes great the next day as the fish absorbs sourness from the tamarind.