1 cup rice (chawal) 2 pinches of saffron (kesar) strands 2 onions, sliced 2 tbsp broken cashewnuts (kaju) 2 tbsp raisins

(kismis) 3 tomatoes, finely chopped 2 capsicums, sliced 1 1/2 cups mixed boiled vegetables 1 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania) a little milk 4 tbsp ghee salt to taste To be ground into a paste 6 cloves of garlic (lehsun) 25 mm. piece ginger (adrak) 3 cardamoms (elaichi) 4 green chillies 3 cloves (laung / lavang) 1 tbsp poppy seeds (khus-khus) 2 sticks cinnamon (dalchini) 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi) 1/2 tsp chilli powder 2 onions 6 mint leaves (phudina) For baking 2 tbsp ghee

Method
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. You can take cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, green peas as the mixed vegetables. Boil the rice. Each grain of the cooked rice should be separate. Drain and cool. Warm the saffron in a small vessel, add a little water and rub until it dissolves. Add the saffron liquid and salt to the cooked rice. Mix well. Heat the ghee and fry the onions until brown. Remove the onions and in the same ghee, add the cashewnuts and raisins and fry for a few seconds. Remove and keep aside for decoration. In the same ghee, add the paste and fry for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and capsicum and fry again for 2 to 3 minutes. If you like, sprinkle a little water. Add the boiled vegetables and coriander and cook for a while.

How to proceed

1. 2.

Put 2 tablespoons of ghee at the bottom of a baking bowl. Make layers of the rice and vegetables, beginning and ending with rice. Sprinkle a little milk on top. Cover and bake in a hot oven at 200 degree C (400 degree F) for 15 to 20 minutes.

Tips 1. Just before serving, turn upside down on a serving plate, garnish with fried onions, cashewnuts and raisins and serve hot.

How to make hyderabad biryani :

Wash and soak the basmati rice for half an hour. Drain the water. Put the rice, some more water and add half the whole garam masala and salt in a pan. Bring the rice to a boil and cook until the rice is done. Drain and keep aside. Dice the peeled potatoes and carrots and wash them. Slice the onions and green chilies. Peel ginger and garlic and chop finely. Chop the coriander and mint leaves. Soak the almonds in water for half an hour and keep aside. Beat the curd in a bowl and divide into two equal portions. Dissolve saffron in warm milk and add it to one portion of the curd mixture. Heat ghee, add the remaining garam masala and saut over medium heat until it begins to crackle. Add onions until golden brown. Then add green chilies, ginger, garlic and stir for a minute. Add turmeric and chili powder, saute for half a minute add the chopped vegetables and stir for a minute. Add the portion of plain curd, stir, add 2/3 cup water, and bring to a boil, then simmer until the vegetables are cooked. Add the dry fruits and nuts when the vegetables are done. In the handi with the cooked vegetables, sprinkle little saffron curd, mint and coriander. Then spread half the rice and again sprinkle the remaining saffron-curd, mint and coriander and top it with the remaining rice. Place a moist cloth on top, cover the lid tightly so that it gets sealed. Put the handi on dum in a pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes. Serve the hyderabadi biryani hot with mint chutney and other vegtables

VEGETABLE KORMA

INGREDIENTSserves-4 people

Potato-1 medium Cauliflower-1 cup French beans-1 cup Capsicum-1 cup Yoghurt-100 ml Cashews-1/2 cup

Tempering

Bay leaf-1 Cinnamon-1/2 inch Green cardamom-2 Cloves-4 Pepper corns-5 Shah jeera-1/2 tsp Slit green chilies-3 Ginger paste-1/2 tsp Ghee-2 tbsp

Spices

Turmeric-1/2 tsp Salt-1 tsp Coriander powder-1 tsp Chili powder-1/2 tsp Rose water-1 tsp Kewra water -1/4 tsp

PROCEDURE1. Wash and chop all the vegetables in medium size pieces and beans in 1.5 inch long pieces. 2. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry all the vegetables till allmost done. 3. Soak cashews in lukewarm water for 20 minutes and grind to make a fine paste. 4. Take 2 tbsp ghee in a pan then add all the whole spices and shah jeera. 5. When it start crackling add slit green chilis and ginger,saute for few seconds. 6. Now switch off the flame and add turmeric,chili powder and coriander powder. 7. Add beaten yoghurt and switch on the flame.saute for a minute,keep stirring. 8. Now add cashew paste and a cup of water,when it start boiling add fried vegetables and salt. 9. Let it cook on low flame till oil start showing from the sides and top 10. Add rose water, kewra and serve hot.

Note-can avoid adding turmeric ,if you want a white colour gravy. Serving suggestions-serve with naan,paratha or with any Indian bread

Vegetable kurma is one of our most favorite curries with puri/roti. We used to ecstatic when amma (mom) made this!! This is her recipe and I absolutely cherish it Most of you may not have tasted this particular curry because this is not very popular at the restaurants in the US. This curry is from the southern part of India. That is where I hail from and this region has one of the healthiest vegetarian cuisines in the whole world. We do use a lot of coconut because it is abundantly available in this area (dont get me started on how much I miss fresh coconuts here!!). Every house, every backyard has at least a couple of trees and if not, they are very very inexpensive and form an integral part of this cuisine. It is (or rather used to be) a part of every meal. But because of the recent concerns about the cholesterol level in coconuts, people have started restricting it in their diet. But like everything, coconuts eaten in moderation are very good for you. Some common uses of the coconut are: freshly coconut flesh, coconut water, tender coconut, coconut milk and coconut oil. My grandpas place in Pondicherry has at least 10 trees in the backyard. I love coconut water and when we were visiting them during the summer vacations, my grandpa would call in a guy and he would pluck a huge (really huge!!) batch of tender coconuts for us. And once he was done plucking, he would shave off the top. So whenever we wanted to drink the coconut water, we just had to poke the top with a knife and enjoy!! And the best part is eating the tender coconut after you finish drinking the water. Yum!! I absolutely love it and can never get enough!! As soon as I finished drinking the water I would run to my grandpa, grandma or aunt and they would split the coconut for me and I absolutely relish it! And my grandma makes (she still does!!) coconut oil with the surplus coconuts every year. Its a long process, but its totally worth it! My mom gets her annual supply when we go to visit them during the summer vacations and use it all year long! Okay, that was enough nostalgia for today !! Now all that came about because we use coconut milk in todays recipe. It has a creamy, slightly sweet taste that makes this kurma so unique and delicious! My mom makes this with freshly grated coconuts, but I modified it because fresh coconut is not readily available to everyone. But coconut milk is!! These days all major supermarkets carry coconut milk in the ethnic aisles or you can find it in any Asian grocery store. This is a very, very healthy curry, full of vegetables, has amazing flavors and a creamy gravy thanks to the coconut milk and cashew-almond paste, so that makes it vegan. It can be paired with Indian breads like roti, puri or naan and is equally good served with rice. You may use any vegetables you like but these are the vegetables that are most suited and are easily available everywhere. If you plan to use other vegetables, keep the cooking times in mind and add them to the curry accordingly. The flavors are simple but complex. I use whole spices, but if you dont have these spices, go ahead and use some garam masala. Cooking is not an exact science, you have to just use your instincts and do what your nose and tongue tell you

Please dont panic at the long ingredient list, these are very easily available and may already be in your pantry. And never give up because you dont have one single ingredient, the taste may differ but it wont be bad, I promise But let me point out one thing here, Fennel imparts a very distinct and significant flavor to this curry, so try to use it if you can. You can substitute all other spices with garam masala.

Ingredients: Serves 4-6

Cauliflower florets 2 1/2 cups (half of a medium cauliflower) Potatoes (boiled and diced small) 2 medium Carrots (diced small) 2 large (about 1/2 cup) French Beans (sliced into 1/4 inch pieces) 3/4 cup Green Peas (boiled if using frozen) 1/2 cup Tomato (chopped) 1 large (or 2 medium) Cilantro/Coriander leaves 1/4 cup Raw Cashew nuts 5-6 no Almonds 5-6 no. (or just substitute with more cashews) Red chilli powder/Cayenne 1 tsp (optional) Onion (chopped) 1 large Thick Coconut Milk 1 cup Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp Coriander powder 1 Tbsp (or use whole coriander seeds with ingredients to be ground) Salt to taste

For tempering:
Oil 3 Tbsp Mustard seeds 1 tsp Curry leaves a sprig (optional) Cinnamon 2 inches long (or 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon) Cloves 3-4 no. Mace 1 blade (totally optional) Green Cardamom 2 no. Dried Bay Leaves 2 no. Star Anise 1 flower

To be ground into a paste:

Fennel seeds 1 tsp (or 3/4 tsp ground fennel) Khus Khus (white poppy seeds) 1 Tbsp Ginger 1 inch piece Garlic 7-8 cloves Serrano chillies 2-3 no. (I use 5-6)

Note: If you are not using coconut milk, add 1/2 cup of freshly grated/thawed frozen coconut to the ingredients mentioned for grinding and omit the coconut milk. This is how my mom makes this curry. I have substituted this with coconut milk. My mom also makes this curry with only beetroots, all the other masalas remain same. Use only beetroots and onions and make this curry. Trust me, you will start loving beetroots if you already dont!!

Method:

Prepare all the vegetables, peel, chop and dice everything. Boil the potatoes and the peas with a pinch of salt on the side. I like to do this in the microwave, makes life a lot easier! Soak the cashews and almonds in hot water for 15-20 minutes. Peel the soaked almonds. Grind the almonds and cashews into a smooth paste using some water, in a blender. Heat oil in a large, non stick pan or a heavy bottom pan on medium high heat. One the oil is slightly hot, add in the ingredients mentioned for tempering. Saute for 1 minute to 90 seconds, until the mustard seeds start to splutter and the spices become aromatic.

Note: If you are using garam masala instead of the whole spices, do not add it now. You should add it at the end along with the coconut milk. Also, at this point I like to fish out the large spices (cinnamon, cloves, star anise and cardamom) because they are not pleasant to bite. But you may leave them in the curry and remove them when you are eating. This is just a personal preference. There will be no problem with the flavors because the oil has already been perfumed by the spices.

Grind the ingredients mentioned under to be ground into a paste into a smooth paste, adding water as required. Food processor may not be apt here, use a blender. Now add in the onions and a pinch of salt and saute until they are translucent. Then add in the tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder (if using), coriander powder and the ground paste and saute for 7-8 minutes, until you see the oil separating from the gravy. Stir from time to time or the mixture may stick to the bottom of the pan. Then add in the carrots and french beans, some salt and about 1/2 cup of water and cover the pan and cook for 6-7 minutes. Then add in the cauliflower florets and continue to cook until the vegetables are tender, you may add in some water as required but dont add too much. This curry is not really about the gravy, the vegetables are the star here. Season with salt to taste at every step or the vegetables will taste bland. Once the vegetables are tender add in the boiled potatoes, peas, cashew-almond paste and coconut milk. Stir gently, check salt and add more if required. Reduce the heat to low (sim) and cook uncovered for 10-12 minutes. Add water to adjust the consistency as required. Check to see if the raw taste of cashew-almond paste has disappeared. Turn off the heat and finish with chopped cilantro leaves.

Note: This gravy tends to become thick as it sits because of the cashew-almond paste. So f you do not plan on serving immediately, add some water to the curry and heat it on stove top. Be sure to bring to a boil so the water is incorporated into the gravy.