Paneer briyani

Ingredients:

• 10 Cashews 
• 10 raisins 
• 1 onion thinly sliced
• 1 onion sliced
• 1 handful coriander leaves chopped
• 1 handful mint leaves chopped
• 3 tbsp ghee or oil
• 1 tsp orange color 

cooking rice 

• 1 tsp oil
• 1 ½ cups basmati rice
• 1 star anise / chakra phool
• 1 bay leaf / tej patta
• 4 cloves / laung
• 2 inch cinnamon / dalchini
• 3 green cardamom / choti elaichi
• 2 to 4 pepper corn / kali mirch
• Salt to taste

Marination ingredients

• 1 cup Paneer cubes
• 1 bay leaf 
• 2 green cardamoms 
• 2 inch cinnamon 
• 4 cloves 
• ½ tsp shahi jeera 
• ¾ cup yogurt ,
• ¾ tbsp red chili powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric 
• ¾ tbsp. ginger garlic paste
• 1 tbsp biryani masala
• 1 handful mint leaves chopped 
• 1 handful coriander leaves chopped
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Fry cashews and raisins in ghee and set aside. Saute cold paneer cubes in 1 tsp of ghee for 2 to 3 mins on a medium high flame.
   

   
2. Immediately drop hot fried paneer in the cold yogurt marination ingredients and set aside for at least 30 mins.
   

   
3. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil, add in the spices cooking rice.soaked basmathi rice.Cook till the rice is ¾ th cooked.
   

   
4. Heat 3 tbsps. ghee in a wide and deep non-stick pan or a clay pot, add sliced onions and fry till they turn golden brown.Add the Marinated paneer. Sauté for a 2 min on medium high.
   
5. Spread a layer of rice evenly.Sprinkle the coriander and mint leaves.Sprinkle the fried onions.Pour the orange color milk evenly all over.Add the fried cashews and raisins.
   
6. Cover the pan with a foil and close with lid, making sure that the lid is airtight, so that the steam doesn’t escape. Heat a tawa move this rice pan on to the ot tawa, I used an old dosa tawa. Cook for 25 mins on a medium flame. This helps in preventing the biryani from getting burnt beneath. 
   
7. Serve and  garnish paneer biryani with mint or coriander leaves.

Andhra chicken curry

Ingredients:

• ½ kg Chicken 
• ¼ tbsp red chili powder (adjust as needed)
• 3 onions medium , finely chopped
• 12green chili slit 
• ¾ tsp Ginger garlic paste
• 3 tbsp Oil
• 1 tomato chopped finely 
• 1 handful coriander leaves finely chopped
• 10 cashewnuts 

Marination

• ¾ tsp ginger garlic paste
• ⅛ tsp turmeric
• Salt as needed
• 1 to 3 tbsp lemon juice 
• ¾ tbsp red chili powder

Whole spice

• 1 bay leaf 
• 2 to 3 cloves
• 2 cardamom
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• ¼ shahi jeera 

Method:

1. Blend cashew nuts with water to make a fine paste .
   

   
2. Marinate chicken with marination ingredients and set aside till we use it.
   

   
3. Add oil in a pan and heat till hot, sauté the whole spices in the oil for a min.
   

   
4. Add green chili, salt and onions. Fry till onions become fragrant and golden evenly.
   

   
5. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté again till it becomes fragrant. Do not burn. Add tomato, fry until tomato become mushy.
   

   
6. Add chicken and fry for 2 to 3 mins.Add chopped coriander leaves and the rest of the chili powder and garam masala.
   

   
7. Add water just enough to immerse the chicken.Do not add lot of water. Curry becomes runny.Cover and cook on a low flame till the chicken is fully cooked and is tender.
   

   
8. Add cashew paste. Stir well and cook till you get the required consistency for about  5 minutes.
   

   
9. Serve andhra chicken curry with any rice or roti.
   
   

coconut ladoo with jaggery

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups coconut grated 
• ¾ cup jaggery
• ¼ tsp Green cardamom powder
• Ghee or coconut oil for greasing the palms + 1 tsp.
• ¼ cup Water

Method:

1. Add jaggery and water to a pan and melt it on a low flame. Keep aside.
   

   
2. Take another pan, Add ghee to a and heat it. Add the coconuts and fry evenly for 2 to 3 minutes.
   

   
3. Pass the jaggery syrup through a filter to discard impuritiesAdd cardamom powder and mix well.
   

   
4. Cook till the moisture evaporates and you begin to see strings in the mixture. This could take about 3 to 4 minutes after you add the jaggery syrup. Please mind that the cook time also depends on the kind of pan used. so judge accordingly and switch off the flame.
   

   
5. Cool the mixture.Grease your palms and take small portions of the mix and make balls.These keep good for about a week.
   

   

Easy chicken briyani

Ingredients:

Marination:

• ½ kg chicken
• 3 tbsp curd 
• 1 ¼ tbsp. ginger garlic paste 
• ¼ tsp turmeric 
• ½  tsp red chilli powder 
• ½ tbsp biryani masala powder
• 1 tbsp Lemon juice 
• Salt as needed

Whole spices 

• 1 bay leaf or tej patta
• 4 green cardamoms 
• 4 to 6 cloves 
• 1 inch Cinnamon  
• ¾ tsp shahi jeera 

Other ingredients 

• 2 cups basmati rice 
• 2 tbsp ghee 
• 1 onion large 
• 1 green chili slit
•  4 tbsps yogurt 
• ¼ to ½ tsp red chili powder 
• 1 tsp biryani masala powder
• ¼ tsp Salt 
• 3 cups water 
• ¾ tsp salt to sprinkle in water
• 2 tbsps. fried onions

Method:

1.  Marinate with curd, ginger garlic paste, ½ tsp salt, biryani masala powder, turmeric & chili powder. Set aside for 1 hour.
   

   
2. Wash basmati rice thrice and soak for 30 mins. Drain to a colander.
   

   

chicken biryani

1. Heat ghee or oil in a cooker or pot.  Saute whatever spices you have – bay leaf, cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon and shahi jeera  for a minute.
   

   
2. Add onions fry for 3 min.Saute chicken for 5 mins on a medium heat. Cover & cook on a low flame until the chicken is soft cooked. Saute to evaporate excess moisture in pot.
   
3. Add curd, red chili powder, ¼ tsp salt and1 tsp biryani masala.
   

Layering for chicken biryani

1. Mix everything well and layer chicken evenly at the bottom. Spread rice in a layer over the chicken.
   

   
2. Pour 2 cups of this water across the sides of the  pot. Gently pour 1 cup water on top of the rice. Level the rice if needed. Sprinkle mint & fried onions.
   

   
3. Enjoy chicken biryani with raita.
   

Simple brinjal curry

Ingredients:

• 250 grams brinjal 
• 2 tbsp oil
• ¼ tsp mustard
• ¼ tsp cumin 
• 1 sprig curry leaves 
• 1 cup onions chopped finely 
• 1 green chili  slit
• 1 large tomato chopped 
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• ¼ to ½ tsp red chili powder 
• half tsp turmeric or haldi
• Salt as needed
• ½ to ¾ tsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped 

Method:

1. Chop onions and tomatoes finely, Slit green chili and set aside.
   

   
2. Add oil to a pan and heat it. add mustard ,cumin and allow them to splutter.add curry leaves. Fry for about a minute.
   
3. Then add onions and green chili. Fry till transparent. While the onions fry, wash and cube brinjals.  Keep them immersed in a bowl of water to prevent discoloring.
   
4. When the onions are golden, add ginger garlic and saute until the raw smell goes off.
   
5. Add tomatoes and little salt. Fry for 2 mins. Cook covered until the tomatoes turn soft.
   
6. Then add chilli powder, turmeric and garam masala. Saute until the masala leaves oil.
   
7. Drain off the water and add chopped brinjal to the pan.  Saute for 2 to 3 mins.Pour half cup water. Cover and cook till they turns soft and tender. If you prefer a dry curry then reduce the water.
   
8. For a gravy curry, add more water and simmer a little longer. When done the brinjal turns soft.Sprinkle coriander leaves.
   
9. Serve brinjal curry with rice.