We invited readers to share some of their favourite recipes with us. As part of a continuing series, we publish three recipes we've received so far:
First up is Rahul Rajput's Kasturi Kabab preparation, one he came up with using the help of his mother:
Cuisine: Mughlai
Type: Non-vegetarian
Preparation time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
- 1/2 kg chicken boneless or chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup yoghurt
- 1 pod garlic
- 3 green chillies
- 1 1/2 tbsps kasuri methi
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp garam masala
- Saffron or edible red food colouring
- Butter or olive oil
- Salt to taste
Preparation:
- Clean and wash chicken and take care to get rid of all the water from the cut pieces. Keep aside.
- Cut the garlic and green chillies into very fine, small pieces.
- In a bowl, mix together the yoghurt, garam masala powder, ginger paste, garlic and chillies, coriander, cumin powder and kasuri methi.
- Add chicken pieces to the mixture. Also mix your food colouring (red) or saffron with 2 tbsps of milk and add to the mixture.
- Add olive oil to the mixture. In case you're using butter, apply it later, when you grill the chicken pieces in the oven.
- Refrigerate the mixture for 1 hour.
- Grill the chicken in a preheated oven for approximately half an hour, or as per your oven setting suggested for grilled chicken.
- Serverhot with spring onions and pudina chutney. The cut garlic pieces and kasuri methi give an amazing aroma and taste to the kababs.
Health quotient: Olive oil and garlic are both heart-healthy. Grilling burns off all the harmful fat from the chicken and it can be consumed with no health hazards.
Next we have Srilakshmi's recipe for Beerakaya Pachadi (Ridge Gourd Pickle):
Cuisine: Andhra
Type: Vegetarian
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 ridge gourd (cut into small pieces)
- 4 tbsps urad dal
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 6 dry red chillies
- A pinch of asafoetida
- A marble-sized tamarind
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- Salt to taste
Preparation:
- Roast the urad dal, coriander seeds and red chillies in 1 tbsp of oil till the dal turns light pink in colour and the red chillies turn crisp.
- Next, in a deep pan, cook the ridge gourd till all the water content evaporates.
- Grind the urad dal, coriander seeds, red chillies with tamarind and salt to a coarse powder without adding water.
- Once the ridge gourd cools, add it to the above mixture and grind once more to a coarse consistency. Transfer to a bowl.
- Heat 1 tsp oil and add mustard seeds and asafoetida to it. Once the mustard seeds crackle, remove from flame and add to the ground mixture.
Health quotient: The fibre content of the ridge gourd skin enhances the nutritive value of the dish.
And here is how to whip up a Moong Sandwich by Ashu Agarwal:
Cuisine: Indian
Type: Vegetarian
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup whole moong dal
- 1 inch piece of ginger
- 2 green chillies
- A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
- 1/4 tsp Eno fruit salt
- 2 tbsps oil/ghee
- Salt to taste
Preparation:
- Soak dal for 4- 5 hours, then grind it a little (not into a fine paste, only slightly) using a little water, chillies and ginger.
- Add salt, hing and Eno into the mixture.
- Heat a sandwich toaster and grease it with oil.
- Pour in the mixture and then add some oil atop it.
- Once it is golden-brown, serve hot with green chutney.
- You can also add chopped onions to the recipe while grinding.
Health quotient: All the benefits of dal.