Vegetable Briyani( Without Briyani Masala)

Hello All

Spring came with lots of refreshing flowers .... Cherry Blossom... Fresh flowers all over ....Summers are too close now .... here in US we can feel more refreshing and positive with new leaves ..flowers coming on trees...It feels so relief by seeing tress full of flowers after a long winter..... So its just not onlyrevitalize nature but us also with new spark to go out .. explore places.... to enjoy summers ... after depressing boring winters ....

Some of the pics taken by me husband... See how beautiful these flowers are :) :).... Love there colors ... softness... freshness... Me and my husband are nature lovers... We just love greenery... scenic view... gardens..parks.. waterfalls...to visit.... Long drive in mountains full of trees.... Sitting beside a lake... admiring nature around us... Last year we visited Longwood gardens in PA.So many different species of plants were there... with lots of characteristics...it was a amazing experience to go there...

Lots of talk on nature today :) :)...hope you people not got bored ... So lets move on towards today dish... that is Veg Briyani... I guess everyone loves briyani... my husband loves a lot... But I Don't like to use store brought Briyani masala for making Briyani... because it has big big pieces of masals which comes in mouth while eating briyani....And also it not always briyani masala available at home... So with normal our daily masala's I make Briyani... Let's start with the Vegetable Briyani ... 

Ingredients :-

Basmati Rice 1 1/2 cups(Soaked in water for at least 1/2 hour)
French beans 15-20 chopped in pieces
Carrots 2 medium size (Sliced in long pieces)
Half medium sized Cauliflower chopped in big big pieces
Green peas shelled 1 cup
2 big onions sliced
2 medium size Potatoes sliced vertically
Salt to taste
Cloves 3-4
Cinnamon 1/2 inch stick
Bay leaf 1
Green cardamons 3-4
Black cardamom 1
Shahi jeera1/2 teaspoon
Red chilli powder 1 tablespoon
Cumin Powder 1 teaspoon
Ginger-garlic paste 1 1/2 tablespoons
Turmeric powder 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder 1 tablespoon
Yogurt 1/2 cup
1-2 tsp Chat masala
Saffron (kesar) a few strands
Garam masala powder 1 teaspoon
Fresh coriander leaves chopped 1/2 cup
Fresh mint leaves chopped 1/2 cup
3 tablespoon of oil for briyani and 1/2 cup of oil for frying onions

Procedure :-

In a big vessel boil rice in four cups of salted boiling water.Add two green cardamoms, one black cardamom, 2-3 cloves, half inch stick of cinnamon.Once rice is 70% cooked,drain excess water and set aside. Heat a heavy bottom non-stick pan.Add oil.Once hot add the remaining green cardamoms, cloves, black cardamom and cinnamon along with bay leaf and shahi jeera and roast. Wash all the vegetables thoroughly.Now add  carrot, French beans, cauliflower florets , potatoes and green peas and cook it till they are 70% done.

Now sprinkle salt as per taste, cover and cook on medium heat for two minutes. Add ginger-garlic paste mixed with a little water and stir. Cover and cook for two minutes. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder, cumin powder and cook.Whisk yogurt and add to the vegetables. Cook it on medium flame for 2-3 minutes.And stir it.Add Garam Masala and some of the chopped coriander and mint leaves and switch off the flame.In another pan heat remaining oil.Once hot put the sliced onions and cook it till they become golden brown and crispy.Take out on the paper towel.

From the vegetable pan take out some vegetables.And keep it aside.In the same pan spread the remaining vegetable such that it should cover the bottom of the pan fully.Now spread a layer of rice.On that sprinkle some chat masala and chopped coriander and mint leaves.Put a new layer of vegetables on rice.On that again put rice layer.Sprinkle again some chat masala.And Fired onions with coriander and mint leaves.Sprinkle some saffron milk(optional).Also you can add some desi ghee on corners for flavour(optional).Cover the pan with lead.And on low flame let it cooked for another 15-20mins.If pan is not that thick from bottom you can place it over another pan so that briyani should not get burned from downside.

Note:- You can also used boiled Soya Chunks in Briyani.

Serve hot with Curd or raita.

Hope you all like this recipe.Do let me know the outcome.You can share your experiences , queries with me.I will come soon with new recipe.Till then enjoy Briyani :)♥

Garlic Naan

Hello Lovely People

February month of Love... :) .... Valentine's day comes in Feb... I love this month :)... I know that for loving someone... we should not be day specific... We should show our love every time we feel... as love is a feeling which should be expressed and not to be hidden .... with our loved ones.... on all the days... But Celebrating a day is also not a bad idea... :) :) ... to feel special and to make someone feel  Special ... both sounds good :) :)

Me and My husband too celebrated Valentine day ... We exchanged gifts ... flowers... chocolates with each other....  as a token of love for each other :) :) ...  I feel really blessed to have such a humble... smart... benevolent ... loving ..understanding husband... Touch-wood.. Thank you God for Showering your blessings on me... So in order to show me love... and also to thank him for taking care of me like a baby of him... So  this time I did something special on this Valentine..Firstly I decorated home with candles... flowers...then I ordered one photo card for  him with my feelings written ...and then thought to make something unique ... which my husband can never think..  that I can make... As my back of mind ... I knew that he would be knowing ... I will surely cook something different for Dinner as its a Valentine day.... 

So in order to surprise him ... I thought will  make a dish which he can't think in his mind... And then I came up with Garlic Naan... As I never prepared at home Naan's... Will always prepare parathas and chapati... For me also it was first time...I was bit nervous too... as I was going to make the Naan's on gas stove.. and not in oven.... And with the god Grace ... finally my Naan's Came just perfect as I thought they should be :) :) .. I was on Cloud nine and Waiting for my hubby to come and eat ....  When he came he was totally astonished.. with the presentation ... decoration  ... and by my homemade NAAN... On his first sight he was not believing that I made them ... he was searching for hotel bill... thinking that I ordered... Then I showed him by making one ... After that he was like WOWWWWWW ...  amazing ... he smiled and it was the moment I felt I won his heart and my hard work got the reward :) :)

That was the story of my Valentine day this year... Want to hear your experiences too ...  How you made special for your partner this Valentine :) :) ...

Now its time to share the recipe of NAAN .... So let's start with it :-

Ingredients :- 

1 cup of  Maida or All Purpose Flour

3/4 cup of curd

1/2 tsp of baking powder

1/4 tsp of baking soda

Salt to taste

1-2 tsp of oil
3-4 tsp chopped garlic or grated garlic
1/2 cup of chopped green coriander 

Procedure :- 

In a bowl add all the ingredients except oil. Kneed a dough.The Dough will be soft and may be sticky. Don't worry.Now brush oil on dough.And cover it with muslin wet cloth or wrap it with gelatin and cover it with some plate . Let it rest for 1 hour. After 1 hour make 4-5 small balls from it.Now heat the pan or tawa for roasting Naan.With the help of Dry flour try to roll Naan in shape of your choice.Then spread garlic and coriander on the Naan.And give one or two more roll downs on the Naan with the roller.So that garlic and coriander get spread on the Naan properly.Once done take the Naan in hand having the other side up (i.e without garlic and coriander side) and apply generous amount of water on it.And place the Naan on hot tawa on watery side.Water is necessary so that our Naan get stick on the Tawa.Once you see the bubbles appear on the Naan.Flip the tawa on stove and try to cook it by rotating the tawa on stove in such a way that it get cooked from all the sides.Once done rub generous amount of butter on it.And then take out from Tawa.And Done :) :)

Easy right !! ... Try this at home soon and let me know the outcome.If somehow the Naan get fallen from Tawa while you are cooking it with rotation , don't worry.Cook it on stove with tongs or direct on tawa.

Hope you and your family will like Home made NAAN more then any restaurant. Enjoy... Stay blessed... Will come soon with new recipe... till then Gd bye.. tc..

Sesame Seeds And Jaggery Ladoos and Barfi

 Hello Everyone 

Happy New Year !!!

I know its too late to wish ... But I was away from blogging from quite a long time... Just was busy in somethings... was not able to take out timing for blogging.... And finally I got time ... and lets again catch up guys in cooking ... Me happy to Back again in mine world of Blogging and getting close to you all .... I missed all my fun of blogging... sharing my recipes..tips with you all in last few months when I was away... Hopping to be back again with same enthusiasm as before in this New enchanting refreshing NEW YEAR 2017 .....

New year brings lots of new hopes ... things..wishes..  for everyone... I too have lots of wishes.. plans.. dreams attached with the new year... hope so they get fulfill :) :) ...I didn't took any resolution this yr ... I am bad at this... Every year I promise something tome... and in some days only I give up... So this time I never made any of the promise to me.. Better what ever comes to me.. I will give my 100% to it... and lets see what happens then... We should believe in doing...not just in only thinking... and promising... So I wish Best of Luck to Everyone for all you wishes and dreams to come true in 2017...

Lets now talk about today's recipe... Jan marks us with the Festival for Hindus ... SANAKRANTI ...

Festival full of Til Ghud .... That is Sesame seeds and Jaggery .. I am talking about... I am north Indian... and at my place we celebrate Sanakranti with this Till ghud... flying kites... and playing a game we called in Hindi as "GULI DHANDA"... I dont know its English name... But playing it in childhood was a great fun... I Miss those days a lot... So what My mom use to do.. is in morning we all take a bath... with sesame seed in our bucket of water... Its a ritual for this day... Then my mom do puja.. we go temple.. will offer god ladoo and barfi made with sesame seeds and Jaggery... And then my Mom as married women will distribute some things to 10-15 women's... by calling them at our home.. doing haldi kumkum... and giving sweets and one of the things..

Now I too a married women... So I too perform the same ritual as my Mom do... This time I too prepared Til Ghud ladoos and barfi... will be sharing here today the recipe of both... So lets Start with it :) :).... Both have the same ingredients and quantity just with one difference... In Ladoos I added Coconut flakes as well...

Ingredients :-

1 cup roasted sesame seeds
3/4 cup jaggery
1/4 tsp cardamon powder
1/2 cup roasted coconut flakes(for Ladoos)
 1 tsp ghee
and chopped roasted nuts (optional)

Procedure :-

In a pan add ghee and Jaggery.On medium flame let it melt and cook.Stir continuously till the whole jaggery melt and starts bubbling.Take a drop of melted jaggery and drop it in a bowl full of water..If it forms solid ball.. Then its done... Quickly take it out of flame and mix the left over ingredients.For Barfi Grease a plate with ghee and pour the hot mixture on the plate...And withe help of some flat small bowl or knife try to flatten it on tray.. apply ghee on back side if small bowl with which you are flattening it.And make cuts with knife of desired shape barfi you want.For Ladoos you need to grease your hands with ghee and roll the ladoos with hot mixture carefully.

Note :- You need to make Ladoos with hot mixture otherwise it will become hard and you will not able to give shape.

Also while setting the barfi make the desired cuts while it is hot... otherwise after some time you will not able to cut it...

You can also add roasted peanuts in whole form or in powder form to this Ladoos and Barfi.Hope you enjoyed this recipe...Its good to eat sesame seeds and jaggery in winter season.Its very good for health.Also you can keep this in airtight container for 1 month and eat whenever you want.

Share your views and queries with me... Will be back soon with new easy but Simple recipe ... Till then Bye.. God Bless you all ... tc !!!