Me, My environment

Everything outside my professional life

Archive for May, 2010

Photos from Sommerfest 2010 (23.05.2010)

May 27

Posted by Uma Ilango in My Daughter, My Family, Photos | No Comments 1,830 views

Ready to go.

Running to Sommerfest. Can't wait for Papa & Amma anymore

Walking with her dad

Ooh What's that??????

A Ride in Sommerfest

A Ride in Sommerfest

Another scary ride.

Another scary ride.

Having a look at the different shops & rides in Sommerfest with Papa

It's time for a photo with Amma. But she is not interested to give a pose.

Looking at another one.. Not interested for a pose again.

This shop is full of gifts. You need to win a game to get one.

A children ride. The only one in which my daughter was ready to go.

Looking at dad. But it's time for a photo again

A close-up photo.

It's a photo with me

I am happy now. Ready to go back home

It was great fun. See you again later with my next post.

Vegetable Kurma (South-indian style)

May 27

Posted by Uma Ilango in Cooking, Indian - Vegetarian, My Hobbies | 1 Comment 23,278 views

Now I am ready for the 2nd recipe. It’s Vegetable Kurma. This is done in traditional south-indian style. You will see that coconut is being used here. Coconut is used mainly in kerala dishes. They use lot of coconut. Other south-indians also use coconut but not very much. Coconut can reduce spiciness in your dish and can also make the gravy thick. Coconut oil is also used in specific south-indian recipes & it gives a very special taste.

Let’s go to the recipe now. Here are the ingredients.

To make ground paste:

1. Fennel Seeds, Cumin seeds – 2 spoons each

2. Poppy Seeds – 2 spoons

3. Cloves, Cinnamon sticks – few

4. Turmeric powder – little

5. Chillies – few

6. Coriander – 2 times chillis

7. Whole Black Pepper – few (this will make your dish spicy. Know the no. of chillies you will add before you decide for pepper quantity)

8. Grated coconut – 1 small cup

9. 1 Big Onion – cut into small pieces

Ingredients for making kurma

1. 1 small onion – cut into thin straight pieces

2. vegetables of your choice – cut into small equal sized pieces (I used potatos, carrots, peas & beans. You can also add cauliflower pieces)

3. Chilli powder, Coriander powder – coriander powder is always two times of chilli powder

4. Garam Masala Powder

5. 2 Big tomatos – cut into small pieces

6. Ginger-Garlic paste – 1 tablespoon

7. Fennel seeds, cumin seeds to use at start (very little)

8. Coconut milk – 1 1/2 cups

Procedure for ground paste

1. Heat little oil in pan.

2. When ready, add cloves, cinnamon sticks.

3. Then add poppy seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, pepper seeds, turmeric powder & stir it once.

4. Now add chillies, coriander & stir it for 1 minute

5. Finally add grated coconut, stir it once & remove it from heat.

All the mixture to cool & finally grind it into a smooth paste.

Kurma Procedure

1. Heat oil in pan & when oil is heated, add little fennel seeds & cumin seeds.

2. Now add onions & stir it once. Then add tomatoes & allow it to get cooked & become smooth.

3. Add ginger-garlic paste & then add all vegetables. Mix the vegetables well in this mixture. Add required salt to it.

4. Now add 1 small cup of water & allow vegetables to cook for few mins (may be 5 mins)

5. Now you can add the ground paste. Allow it to cook for another five minutes. Make sure that the gravy is not very thick. You can add little bit water if required.

6. Add chilli powder & coriander powder. Pls remember that we have already added chillies & coriander in ground paste. If you don’t want it to be spicy, then you don’t have to add chilli powder & coriander powder.

7. Add Coconut milk finally & allow it to cook well. After every 5-10 mins, check if the vegetables have been cooked. Normally beans & peas cook very fast. Potatos & Carrots take little longer time. So if your carrot & potatos are cooked, then you are ready to do finally step.

8. Final step is to remove it from fire & garnish it with coriander leaves. Now it is ready to serve.

Pictures

grated coconut

grated coconut

ginger-garlic paste

Ingredients for kurma ground paste

Ingredients for kurma ground paste

Grated Coconut and Poppy Seeds

Grated Coconut and Poppy Seeds

garnished Vegetable Kurma

garnished Vegetable Kurma

You can eat kurma with naan, chappati or plain rice. It suits with any main dish.

Guten Appetit.

Chicken Biriyani

May 27

Posted by Uma Ilango in Cooking, Indian - Non-vegetarian, My Hobbies | No Comments 2,262 views

Biriyani is the most popular indian recipe that you can find in any indian restaurant all over the world. My husband celebrates his birthday today & I made a few indian varieties for all his colleagues at office. Chicken Biriyani is one of them. I know two different methods of making biriyani. I learned them from my mom & my mother-in-law. My mother-in-law learned it from a Muslim family & so her method is the perfect & default style for this recipe. If you use it with the right portion & follow the right procedure, you will end up with a yummy & very attractive biriyani. My mom does it with south-indian style (using thick coconut milk). This will not be spicy & this is not like restaurant biriyani.

What I am going to give you now is my mother-in-law style. Below are it’s ingredients:

Chicken – 1 Kg – cut into pieces
Onions – 2 (sliced straight & very thin)
Ginger-Garlic paste – few pieces (the paste should be about 2 tablespoons)
Pudina(Mint) leaves – cut into small pieces
Tomatoes – 4 big – cut into small pieces
Green chillies – 4 cut into straight pieces
Cloves, Bay Leaves, Cinnamon sticks – a few
Chilli Powder – 1or2 tablespoons (according to your taste)
Turmeric powder – little
Coriander Powder – 2 times of chilli powder
Oil – few tablespoons (I use olive oil)
Ghee – 2 tablespoons
Lemon Juice – 1 teaspoon
Coriander Leaves – for garnishing
Salt to taste

Procedure:
1. Take a big pan & heat it
2. Add oil & ghee to it.
3. When oil is medium hot, add cloves, bay leaves & cinnamon sticks
4. After that add onions. Make sure that onion don’t stick with each other.
5. Keep stirring it for a minute. When onions turn light golden brown color (not too much), add diced pudina leaves.
6. Now add your chicken pieces & stir it once. Add turmeric powder & salt to it. Stir it again.
7. After few seconds, add ginger-garlic paste & stir it well. Make sure that the paste has reached all chicken pieces
8. Allow it to boil for 2-3 minutes. Normally water need not be added as chicken will emit lot of water & later tomato will also be added. But if it is too thick and you think that bottom will get burnt, you can add very little water (2-3 table spoons max)
9. Now add chilli powder & coriander powder & stir it again well. Allow it to cook for 2-3 minutes
10. Finally add diced tomatos and stir it well. Close the lid and allow it to cook for 15 mins.
11. You will have to stir it once every 3-5 mins to make sure that bottom is not burnt.
12. After 15 mins, you can see that it is looking like a gravy. If not allow it to cook for few more minutes. Please remember that chicken will cook fast & therefore do not cook it for more than 30 mins.
13. At the end, switch off the stove & remove it from heat.
14. Now add lemon juice, stir it once & finally garnish with coriander leaves.

Pictures

diced Onions into thin straight pieces

diced Onions into thin straight pieces

Chicken cut into pieces

Chicken cut into pieces

ginger & garlic cut into small pieces

ginger & garlic cut into small pieces

ginger-garlic paste

diced tomatos

diced tomatos

Chicken Biriyani - 1st look

Chicken Biriyani - 1st look

Just added chilli powder & coriander powder to biriyani

Just added chilli powder & coriander powder to biriyani

All except tomatos has been added & mixed well

All except tomatos has been added & mixed well

Final garnished Chicken Biriyani

Final garnished Chicken Biriyani

Chicken Biriyani served with Joghurt

This is about making chicken biriyani gravy. You should have prepared your biriyani rice already. Mix biriyani rice with the required amount of gravy (you can also add orange color powder to make it like in restaurant) & heat it for 20 mins in oven.

Now it’s ready to serve. Enjoy the food.