Easy & Quick Channa Biriyani Recipe-Rice Varities-South Indian Cuisine

Hello Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Channa Biriyani is one recipe which i wanted to post for a long time.I had it ready but was posting others . And finally feeling happy today because i am using laptop after a long time,These many days i was posting from my desk or ipad...

This recipe is one which i do not make often.I do this only if i have any guests at home.Trust me ,this will be different and a stomach filling dish, Because as you know,channa is very rich in protein.

When channa is mixed with rice and for an advantage , if channa is cooked softly,it tastes great with rice. You can boil the channa and just sprinkle some salt and have it .It is a very good source of protein.

Now let's see how to make channa biriyani.....)))))))))))))))))

Cooking Time                 :   15 Mins

Serving                            :4  people

Ingredients:

1.)Basmati Rice                - As required(Here i have used 2 cups,ref my measurements post)

2.)Fresh curd                    - 3 teaspoons(Normal big spoon)(Ref my measurements)

3.)Salt                              - As required

4.)Water                          -As required

5.)Garam Masala            -1 Teaspoon(Normal big spoon)(Ref my measurements)

6.)Chilli Powder            -A pinch or a teaspoon(Normal big spoon)(Ref my measurements)

7.)Veggies                     -Beans and carrot-2 cups chopped(Ref my measurements)

8.)Small Onions            -1 cup (Ref my measurements)

9.)Tomatoes                  -1 cup chopped(Ref my measurements)

10.)Green Chillies       -Optional

11.)Bay leaf                -As shown

12.)Cloves                  -As shown

13.)Cinnamon            -As shown

14.)Mace                   -As shown

15.)Cumin Powder   -1 teaspoon(Nomal big spoon)(Ref my measurements)

16.)Olive oil             -As required

17.)Channa               -As required

Method:

1.)Soak the basmati rice for 20 mins before cooking.

2.)Soak channa overnight and boil it seperately in a pressure pan with sprinkling of light salt for 4- 5 whistles. 

3.)Now heat a pressure pan.I used non-stick pressure pan. Saute olive oil and add ingredients from no.11-14 and fry them till golden brown.

4.)Now add the small onions and tomatoes(do not chop the small onions, because when small onions are eaten with channa fully, it gives a great taste.Fry those onions till it turns little pink.

5.)Now add the chopped veggies and boiled channa to this and mix well.If you want to add green chillies , add at this stage itself.Here i have not added green chillies because we do not eat much spice. Add the required salt for the whole dish and remember you have sprinkled some light salt when you boiled the channa.

6.)Add Garam Masala,Chilli Powder,Cumin Powder and mix well.

7.)Now add fresh curd to this in the said quantity and mix well.

8.)Add the soaked basmati rice to this and mix well,Pour the required water .

9.)Since i used non stick pressure pan i just left only two whistles and i soaked the rice already for 20 mins,

10.)Now hot channa biryani is ready.Serve with any raita of your choice.

Note:

1.) You can even use potatoes and green peas in the veggies list.

2.)Do not add salt after adding curd.Always add salt with the veggies so that it will also catch salt and the whole dish will taste good.

3.)Always put small onions as it will enhance the whole flavour. 

4.)I have not added ginger garlic paste.If you want you can add it before adding the veggies. 

5.)You can use coriander leaves when you add veggies as it will give a good aroma.


Have a Tasty & Hot Channa Biriyani!!!!!!!!!!!

Bon Appetit!!!!!!!!

Ishwarya Balaji

Easy&Healthy Water For Digestion in 5 Mins-Appetizer Or Heavy After A meal/party dinner,lunch??????????

Hello Everyone!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry for the delayed posts as i was busy with Pongal Festival and had a short relaxing trip with my daughter.

Today we are going to a simple recipe which is really healthy and very easy to make also.

Jeeraga Thanni/Cumin Water/is a water prepared in my mother's house for generations. We have this water daily and we drink this after breakfast,lunch and also dinner.We add many ingredients other than cumin seeds/jeeragam but generally in my house they say Jeeraga Thanni/Cumin Water. Now i also prepare this water daily and it is really good for digestion after a heavy meal,party dinner, and some food which is hard to digest.Everyone in my house loves this water.It may sound simple but it has lots of health benefits because of the ingredients used in this. You can google the health benefits of these ingredients and then you will know the intresting facts of this water. It is like an appetizer. So you can also try the same!!!!!!!!!!!

Serving                 :    6 People for a single time

Cooking Time      : 10 Mins

Ingredients:

1.)Water               -As shown / As required

2.)Cumin Seeds/  -As shown
    Jeeragam

3.)Black Pepper  -As shown
    Corns

4.)Fenugreek     -As shown
    Seeds

5.)Elaichi         -6 Nos

6.)Ajwain        -As shown
    Omam    

7.)Cloves/       -As shown
    Krambu

Method:

1.)Allow the water to boil in a vessel(here the vessel which i use might have one to reduce a half water).

2.)Now add all the ingredients as shown below to the water .

Cumin Seeds

Black Pepper Corns

Cloves/krambu

Ajwain/Omam

Fenugreek Seeds

Elaichi

2.)Now add all these to the water and allow it to boil.When you add elaichi alone, smash it and then add so that the seeds also gets into the water.

3.)After all the ingredients starts boiling , you can turn off after 5 mins.

4.)Hot Jeeraga Thanni is ready!!!!!!!!!!

Note:

1.)Do not add too much of all the ingredients.You can add and reduce the ingredients according to your water amount.

2.)For nearly 1 litre of water itself i am adding only this much.So you will have an idea of how to reduce or add the ingredients.

3.)You can either have this water as an appetizer or if you have a heavy meal you can drink this and it will help in easy digestion.

Have a Wonderful Day ahead!!!!!!!!

Bon Appetit!!!!!!

Ishwarya Balaji 

Want to learn,Share??????20 Kitchen,Health,Family & Housekeeping Tips-Jan''14--Interaction Session-Join me!!!!!

Hello Friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For a small change hereafter every month one post will be regarding kitchen and housekeeping tips.
I am just posting these which i follow, so everything posted here is tried.These are very simple tips and you can try these with very simple things available is daily chores of your life...

You can share your valuable tips which you have learnt from your family members which will be a learning session for others.We can jointly create some awareness and we can spread the same with the technology available with us,

Hereafter every month i will be posting this one and i welcome you all to share the tips which you know and i will be posting the same in my blog.So let's have an interaction session through this. You can mail your tips to

ishwarya.bgr@gmail.com

or you can inbox me the same to my facebook official page

Ishwarya Balaji's Kitchen

I will ask for your tips every month 1st week and you can start sending me your tips.Please mention your name,country and profession. You can also tell about your blog or website regarding cooking while your messaging me.And always suggest tips which you are 100% confident and mostly the tips you have tried are most welcome. So that people who view my blog can also get in touch with you.

Let's have a great interactive session and learn more!!!!!!!!!!

Tips:

1.)While preparing Paneer at home,do not pour off the drained water.You can use the same while making a dough for chappathi and chappathis will be very very soft. You can also use mild hot water while making chappathis to make it more softer.

2.)If you have some small bugs in your store room ,put some black pepper corns(not powder)in the corners and you will get rid of them overnight.But this is not a permanent solution , it can be done to keep away the bugs for one night.

3.)If you have waste lemons or the skin alone after making juice out of it , use it to clean the chappathi pan because when you make phulkas it will not be too sticky .

4.)When you prepare brocolli, do not overcook it as you will get a very sour taste. Always brocolli is best tasted when it is crunchy .

5.)When you prepare Palak , always blanche it to maintain the green colour.

6.)Do not store fruits and vegetables togethor.Because fruits can spoil the vegetables due to high levels of ripening agent in them than vegetables.

7.)When you store green chillies , take off the front end and then store or it will go waste.

8.)When you cut Vazhaipoo/Banana Blossom , put them in buttermilk to avoid discoloration and always grease your hands with oil to avoid blackening of your palms.

9.)When you boil potatoes , the gassy nature in it goes off.

10.)Always roast the ingredients for Sambhar and Rasam powder because you can avoid bugs and it will be fresh for a longer time also.

11.)Try to avoid canned foods because generally if you notice in that sodium content will will be little high.This is applicable only for persons who are trying to avoid sodium.

12.)Include a green salad in your daily diet .

13.)Depending on the age, if you ask your children to help them to cut vegetables ,peel or wash them , you can set a good example to make them eat and understand the importance of vegetables. While they are with you in the kitchen you can tell the importance and how healthy are the vegetables.

14.)For snacks, you can keep nuts instead of biscuits or any other fried items.

15.)Add greens to your daily diet atleast 4 times a week. Daily eating is actually very good .

16.)Try to use olive oil in your cooking.

17.)Adding jeeragam/cumin seeds is very good for digestion.

18.)If you feel very heavy after a meal , after half an hour, just take few cumin seeds/jeeragam and munch it. You may feel lighter immediately.

19.)If your fridge gets a very foul smell or some smell which is not appealing, cut 2-3 lemons and keep them opened and close the fridge .

20.)If you have flies in your house , for immediate remedy keep 1 or 2 agarbathis .Always use doctor recommended agarbathis or very mild ones without chemicals.

These are some simple and useful tips .Feel free to write to me in gmail or inbox in my official facebook page. I will post your tips for the month of february.

Have a great Day ahead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ishwarya Balaji......

Soya Nuggets Mint Vegetable Gravy-Side Dish Gravy/Roti/Chappathi/Steamed Basmati Rice/Jeera Rice

Hello Friends!!!!!!

Now we are going to see Soya Nuggets Mint Vegetable Gravy.It is a tasty side dish for Roti/Chappathi. And it also tastes great with Steamed Basmati Rice as well. But mostly i make this for chappathi only.

Soya has lots of health benefits and it is a rich source of protein.

I love soya nuggets when it is made like Curries .But i dont make this often as my husband is not a big lover of soya nuggets. I use the same in Vegetable Biriyani also.

Serving                :   6 People

Cooking Time     :   20 Mins

Ingredients:

1.)Onions                              - 2 Cup chopped(ref my measurements)

2.)Tomatoes                         -1 Cup chopped (ref my measurements)

3.)Oil                                   - 1 Teaspoon(Normal Big spoon)(ref my measurements)

4.)Veggies                           -2 and a half cups(chopped)(ref my measurements)(Vegetables as per your choice)(Here i have used Beans,Carrot and Cauliflower)

5.)Salt                                  -As required

6.)Green Chillies                -As required

7.)Pudhina/Mint Leaves    -Half a bunch

8.)Soya Nuggets               -As shown in the picture

9.)Water                           -As required

10.)Amchur Powder/      -Half a  Teaspoon(Normal Big spoon)(ref my measurements)
 Dry mango powder

11.)Chilli Powder         -As required

12.)Garam Masala       -Half a  Teaspoon(Normal Big spoon)(ref my measurements)

13.)Milk                      -1 Cup(ref my measurements)

14.)Coriander Leaves-To garnish

Method:

1.)Saute oil in a deep kadai and fry onions(take 1 cup now)in it till they turn pink.

2.)Now add the veggies as per your choice and add the required salt for the whole dish.

3.)Now grind the remaining 1 cup chopped onions and tomatoes togethor and make a fine paste.

4.)Add this paste to the vegetables and mix them well.

5.)Now add green chillies as per your spice requirement.

6.)Now grind the mint leaves/pudhina into a fine paste and add it to the vegetables.

7.)Now take the soya nuggets as shown and boil it as below.Boil it only for 10 mins maximum.Use a mixer type to press the soya nuggets to drain off the water completely.

8.)Now add these soya nuggets to the vegetables and mix them well.

9.)Now add ingredients no. 10 to 12.

10.)Add milk as said .

11.)Allow the gravy to boil nicely until all the raw smell goes off.    And you will get a

nice aroma of the mint mixed with the vegetables and then you can turn off. Garnish with coriander leaves.


Serve Hot with Chappathi/Roti/Ghee Rice/Steamed Basmati Rice/Jeera Rice or any serving of your choice!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Note:

1.)If you want you can grind the green chillies with the mint leaves if you want to avoid green chillies in the dish. 

2.)Do not add salt after adding milk.Always add salt when you fry the vegetables as it will catch in the whole dish.

3.)Drain the soya nuggets fully or it will become very soggy.

4.)Veggies like pototoes,chow chow,beans,carrot,cauliflower and stuffs like these only will taste good. Do not add soggy type vegetables like brinjal,yam etc. Add green vegetables mostly. 

Bon Appetit!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ishwarya Balaji

Happy Cooking..)))))))))))))))

Honey Sesame Peanut Potatoes-Starter,Side Dish,Chaat Type,Party Recipe,Yummy Recipe..

Hello Everyone!!!!!!

Honey Sesame Peanut Potatoes is one dish which i used to make when we are bored of regular meals,tiffin or other usual stuffs.This goes great with Rice,Chappathi/Roti and even just steamed plain basmati rice,ghee rice or jeera rice or any stuff for that matter. 

I love potatoes and will taste it in any form cooked except it should not be very spicy.

This can be served as a starter and definitely trust me honey when mixed with peanuts and potatoes tastes fantastically.

Now let's see how to do this.

Serving                 : 2 People

Cooking Time      : 15-17 Mins

Ingredients:

1.)Baby Potatoes        - 1 Packet

2.)Onions                   -1 cup chopped(Ref my measurements)

3.)Mustard Seeds      -To temper

4.)Oil                        -1 and a half teaspoon(Normal big spoon)(Ref my measurements)

5.)Black Gram/        - To temper (Use broken black gram/urad dhal)
   Urad Dhal  

6.)Green chillies      -As required


7.)Salt                     -As required

8.)Peanuts              -2 and a half teaspoons(Normal big spoon)(Ref my measurements)

9.)Cumin Seeds    - One teaspoon(Normal big spoon)(Ref my measurements)

10.)Chilli Powder-As required

11.)Chaat Masala-One teaspoon (Normal big spoon)(Ref my measurements)

12.)Turmeric       -A pinch
      Powder

13.)Curry leaves- 2 Archs

14.)Sesame         -1 teaspoon(Normal big spoon)(Ref my measurements)

15.)Honey          -2 and a half teaspoons((Normal big spoon)(Ref my measurements)

Method:

1.)Boil the potatoes and keep aside. I boiled them in my microwave owen.You can also do the same.
   Close the lid for 12-16 mins and your potatoes will be boiled.

2.)Saute oil in a pan and temper mustard seeds.

3.)Now add the black gram/urad dhal and fry it till light golden brown only.

4.)Add the chopped onions and fry them till the onions turn pink.

5.)Add the boiled potatoes and green chillies.I wanted a slight smash on the potatoes , so just smashed with hands here and there.If you want you can just put the boiled potatoes.

6.)Add the cumin seeds,turmeric powder,salt and peanuts and mix them well.

7.)Now add chilli powder and chaat masala.

8.)Add honey at this stage and mix it well.

9.)Add the curry leaves .

10.)Now add the sesame seeds.

11.)Mix well and serve hot!!!!!!!!!!

Note:

1.)Always use baby potatoes.

2.)Do not add salt after adding honey.

Bon Appetit!!!!!!

Enjoy your starter!!!!!!!

Ishwarya Balaji