Raju gari kodi pulav in Instantpot

Pulav or Biryani is a very famous dish not only in India but also in other parts of the world. Pulav is quite different from Biryani. Pulav is cooked mixing rice, meat or veggies and whole spices together. But, coming to Biryani it is little complicated but awesome in taste and in this, first meat or veggies cooked with spices later rice layered on top.

There is definitely a lot of taste difference between these two. Some people like Biryani and some others pulavs. Definitely, Biryani is little long procedure compared to pulav. Pulav is very easy to prepare and a quick dish whenever we have less time. Coming to Today's recipe Raju gari kodi pulav is quite famous in Telugu states. I actually tasted the first time in one restaurant in California where you get to taste a lot of yummy dishes. Once I tasted, I decided to cook in our home. It is very different from regular pulav as it has a unique taste with added special ingredients.H ere goes my recipe as follows.

Ingredients:

• onion shallots 5 to 6
• Green chillis 3
• Green chilli paste 1 tspn(4 to 5)
• Fried onion paste( fry one medium onion) 
•  curd 2tspns
• whole garam maslas( cinnamon1,cardamom2, 2 cloves, Biryani flower,mace one ,bay leaf,)
• curry leaves 2 springs
• chopped mint leaves 1 cup
• chopped coriander leaves 1 cup
• Milk 1 cup or 1/4 cup coconut milk.
• rice 3 cups( 160 ml cup)
• Garam masala 1tspn
• chicken 1 1/2 lb
• Fried cashews 10
• Fried eggs3 to 4

Preparation: Saute marinated chicken with 1 tbsp of ghee in a pan so that raw smell of the chicken goes off( This step is optional, you can directly add chicken to the masala paste following the procedure)
Procedure:

• Soak Basmati rice for 30 mins and keep aside.
• In another bowl mix chicken, salt, chilli powder, ghee one tspn, turmeric keep aside.
• switch on the instant pot, keep in saute mode add 3 tbspn oil and 1 tbspn ghee once hot add whole spices, followed by onion shallots and curry leaves. Fry few mins then add ginger garlic paste and green chilli paste and little garam masala.
• Saute well until the raw smell goes off. Now add Caramelized onion paste( fry 1 onion until little brown then add 2 tbsp curd and blend it into a fine paste)Then add chicken pieces and fry few mins.
• Now add chopped mint and coriander leaves, saute well then add 1 cup of milk or 1/4cup coconut milk.
• Add soaked rice to the pot, add water 6 cups and mix it well and switch into Manual mode and set into 11 mins.
• After 11 mins done, wait until the pressure releases on its own.
• Yummy pulao is ready. Decorate with fried eggs and fried cashew nuts on top.
• The optional method using a pressure cooker.
• same procedure follows as above and wait for 4 whistles until it is done.

NOTES: In pulao rice is cooked completely so it comes little soft don't worry because that's the way pulav tastes.

Key taste green chilli paste and coconut milk or milk and ghee. Don't skip these ingredients.

After pulav is done you may add fried eggs, cashews on top. It is entirely our own choice.

carrot beet wheat honeycake(Eggless butter less,sugarless)

Eggless butter less,sugar free carrot beetroot cake is a excellent healthy cake for everyone.When I  first decided to bake the cake immediately thought to bake an egg less version.So,for a change first time tried honey instead of sugar. Truly I haven't expected a tasty cake.To my surprise to was yummy even my kids loved it.First Aarini( daughter) said mummy I don't want to taste it.Then I said first taste it and then come to the conclusion.She tasted soon after baking and said mummy it was good. Aaryan(son) too loved it.Sharing this recipe in my blog as follows...

Ingredients:

• wheat flour 1cup(250 ml)
• carrot and beetroot grated(1 cup)
• Honey 1 cup
• Oil 1/4 cup( vegetable or olive oil)
• curd 1/2 cup( home made yogurt)
• cinnamon powder 1 1/2 tspn
• salt a pinch 
• Baking soda 1 tspn
• Baking powder 1/4 tspn
• Vanilla extract 1 tspn
• Almonds chopped 2 to 3 tbspn

Procedure:

• Sieve dry ingredients,baking powder,baking soda,salt,cinnamon powder( flour in a bowl and mix it well.
• In another bowl mix wet ingredients oil,honey,curd,vannila essence.whisk it nicely until honey mixes well.
• Add grated carrot beet mix to the dry ingredients  i.e flour mix.
• Slowly mix wet ingredients in the flour and fold it nicely until everything mixes well.
• Arrange a baking tray,greased with oil.Pour entire mixture in the baking tray and sprinkle some chopped almonds on top of it.
• Preheat oven to 350F and bake around 40 to 45 mins or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

vegetable paneer curry

Paneer vegetable curry is a mixed of vegetables with paneer and added spices. Paneer is rich in protein and adding vegetables to the curry makes very healthy dish.Any vegetable added to paneer obviously adds tastes to the paneer curry.with simple spices and adding vegetables to the curry gives very good taste.You can adjust the spices and add more vegetables as per your availability and choice.Here in this recipe I added only few vegetables as per my choice. Paneer being favorite to my kids I always try different varieties with paneer.

Ingredients:

• paneer 1 lb packet
• carrots 2
• Beans 10
• cauliflower chopped 1cup
• green peas 1tbspn
• capsicum 1/2
• milk 3 to 4 tbspns
• kasurimethi 1 tspn crushed(dried fenugreek)
• redchilli powder 1 tspn
• turmeric powder
• coriander powder 1 tspn
• cumin powder 1/4 tspn
• salt to taste
• oil 5 tbspn

Masala paste to grind

• onion1 small
• ginger 1 inch piece
• garlic 2 to 3 pods
• tomato 1 big
• green chilli 3
• cashews 8
• whole spices( 1 cardamom,2 cloves,cinnamon 2( 1 inch sticks),fennel seeds 1/4tspn,poppy seeds 1/4tspn)

 procedure:

• Heat 1 tbspn of oil in a pan then saute onion,ginger ,garlic green chilli,cashew and whole spices.Then add chopped tomato. Fry few mins until tomato little soft changes color.Then switch of the flame and grind into fine paste.
• In the same pan add little more oil ,fry paneer  a min and keep aside.Then add chopped beans,carrots,peas,capsicum,fry keep aside.
• Add remaining oil to the pan and once hot add turmeric powder ,chilli powder followed by grinded masala paste,little coriander powder ,cumin powder a pinch of garam masala. Fry few mins and add fried vegetables add little water and cook few mins until vegetables little soft,then add paneer cubes.
• cook everything few more mins then add little milk ( add milk in low flame stir continuosly)
• Finally add kasuri methi and cook a min and switch of the stove.Yummy paneer vegetable curry is ready.

Oats utappam

Oats are the healthiest grains on Earth compared to all other grains.It has numerous health benefits.They are a great source of important vitamins and minerals.Oats usually are eaten in breakfast just boiling oats in milk or water.I tried eating oats that form, but I haven't tried this utappam till now.Oats is our least favorite in our family until I cook this yummy utappam.Oats don't have its original taste when just eaten like the way.So some spices and veggies definitely add up the taste.Nowadays oats utappam became our favorite Breakfast in our family.Here goes my recipe.

Ingredients:

• oats  2 1/2 cups powder( mine 180 ml cup)
• upma rava or( sooji, semolina) 1/2 cup( if u can reduce to 1/4 cup)
• Buttermilk 2to 3 cups depend on consistency( you may decrease or increase the buttermilk)
• oil 2 to 3 tbsp
• capsicum 1/2 cup( both red and green)
• onions finely chopped 1/2 cup
• Green chili 1( chopped)
• Ginger finely chopped a small piece
• Jeera 1.4 tsp
• salt to taste

Preparation:

• In a pan dry roast oats and for 5 mins in medium flame, once cools down grind into coarse powder.Store in airtight container.
• Take a bowl, mix oats powder,sooji or semolina, ginger, jeera salt.Slowly add buttermilk mixing the batter.Batter shouldn't be too thick or thin.Mix it nicely till all ingredients combined and keep aside.
• Heat a nonstick pan a, grease with little oil.Once it is hot pour a ladle full of better in the center and spread a little bit( small omelet size)
• Immediately sprinkle chopped veggies, onions, on top of the batter.Reduce the flame to slow or medium, until bottom well roasted.Press on top of with spatula so that veggies won't spill out while you turn the other side.
• Now turn the other side and roast few more mins.Add a little bit of oil on sides while roasting.
• Once cooked on both sides remove from the pan serve hot with chutney of your choice or just that.These days I'm loving it just like that.
  

chapathi pizza

Chapathi pizza sounds different! But it is very easy to prepare at home and a great snack, a wonderful lunch box recipe for kids.Though I tried different pizza recipe I haven't tried this recipe.One day I tried this recipe in my kids lunch box recipe and it was a big hit with both of my kids.As it is very easy to prepare at home when you have everything ready for pizza.I folded and cut into two in kids lunch box.They enjoyed to the core.Here goes my recipe.

Ingredients:

• chapathi 1
• capsicum 1/4 cup long thinly sliced(both red and green)
• onions sliced 1/4 cup( vertically thinly sliced)
• oregano 1/4 tspn
• dried basil 1/4 tspn
• Red chilli flakes dried few or 1/4 tspn
• pizza sauce1 tbspn
• Mozerella grated cheese 1/4 cup
•  Fried paneer cubes 2 to 3

PIZZA SAUCE 

Ingredients: 

• 3 tomotoes
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• dried basil and oregano 1/2 tspn
• chopped onions 1/4 cup or 1 onion finely chopped
• Pepper a pinch

Method: 

Blanch tomatoes by boiling tomatoes in hot boiling water for 3 to 4 mins.Remove from heat and peel the skin and grind tomatoes into fine paste.

 Heat a pan add a tsp of oil,once heated up add garlic  saute and add finely chopped onions.little salt, little pepper.Fry few mins then add oregano,basil,followed by tomato paste.
cook few mins until tomato paste little thickens around 5 to 6 mins in medium flame.
Yummy home made pizza sauce is ready.

PROCEDURE FOR CHAPATHI PIZZA:

• Heat a chapathi  pan ,fry chapathi on both sides for a min or until just brown spots appear on both sides.Keep the less brown spots side chapathi facing bottom.Turn the stove to low flame.
• spread 1 tbspn of pizza sauce on top of chapathi.
• Sprinkle cheese on top of chapathi, and arrange veggies like capsicum onions on top of cheese.
• sprinkle some oregano and basil on top.Add some fried paneer on top.
• Again add few more grated cheese on top and little italian seasoning and redchilli flakes.
• close the lid and let it cook on low flame or until cheese melts.
• Yummy chapathi pizza is ready.

Barley soup

Barley is the largest grain crop globally,after wheat and corn.Barley is mostly used in breads,soups and stews.Barley is a major cereal grain ,rapidly been gaining popularity over the past few years due to the various health benefits.Although barley may not be as popular as other whole grains like oats,wheat,quinoa,barley has more good health benefits.A very high in fiber content,vitamins,and minerals,antioxidants.Barley is lower in fat and calories,but higher in dietary fiber and minerals.This above information I collected from wiki.Coming to my story I grown up in a hot atmosphere where we used to drink barley every day in summer.During my childhood days I used to enjoy drinking barley water.Usually when you are not feeling well or fever  barley gives lot relief to our body.Here is the simple barley soup recipe below.

Ingredients:

• Barley Powder 4tbspn
• Barley seeds 2 tbspn
• Bayleaf 1( optional)
• olive oil 2 tbspns or may use butter
• water 4 cups or needed
• Onion 1/2 finely chopped(Small onion)
• carrot chopped finely 1
• Beans chopped finely 10 to 12
• cabbage chopped finely 1/4 cup
• capsicum or bell pepper very small piece finely chopped
• spring onions chopped finely 1
• Ginger small piece minced
• Garlic 2 to 3 minced
• pepper 1/2 tspn
• green chilli sliced vertically 2
• salt to taste.

Procedure:

• Fry 1 cup barley in a pan until Barley changes color and nice aroma comes out from barley.This should be done in medium flame.( around 10 mins)
• keep 2 tbspn of Barley aside and grind remaining barley into fine powder( need not be very fine mine was little coarse.
• Take 4 cups of water in a bowl mix 4 tbspns of barley powder in this water,start boiling until it start bubbling.Then,keep in slow flame for 10 mins.Barley broth is ready.
• Press saute mode in instant pot add oil,once hot add onions garlic ginger bayleaf,for one min then add chopped veggies.
• Fry everything few mins then add Barley broth  followed by barley seeds.Finally check salt and pepper.
• Keep instant pot in soup mode.It takes around 30 mins.You may wait for normal release or can do quick release.
• Enjoy hot healthy soup!

NOTE:

Those who don't have instant pot can boil everything in stove stop in slow falme for 30 mins.
You can reduce or increase water as per your taste.
You can filter barley broth if you feel your grinded barley is coarse.