Kashmiri dum aloo.

 This was the most unusual recipe I have made till date. I always had a prejudice against fennel seeds being used in savoury recipes. But this recipe not only broke all those prejudices, but also opened a new chapter in my cooking experience. Fennel seed powder (sauf powder) is the spice that gives this aloo dum its distinct flavour. It’s a authentic kasmiri recipe.

 Kashmiri pundits traditionally do not use any garlic and ginger in their cooking. Even in their non vegetarian cooking only the five common species are predominantly used. Mustard oil is the traditional oil for cooking .which are fennel seed powder, dried ginger powder, coriander powder, chilli powder and zeera powder. These form the basis of any gravy along with asafoetida and curd.

           Ingredients                                                           

          Baby potatoes       ½ kg
          Curd                       1 cup
          hing                        ¼ tps

     Whole garam masala
     cloves                   5
     Bay leaves            2
     Cinnamon             ½” stick
     Green cardamom  5

Powdered spices
Fennel seed powder     2 tbs
Dried ginger powder     ¼ tps
Coriander powder         1 tps
Kashmiri red chilli powder    1tb
Jeera powder                         1tps

Par boil the potatoes and peel the skin.

Heat mustard oil till smoky. Meanwhile prick the boiled potatoes and deep fry them in the heated oil on a medium flame. The colour should be medium brown (slightly darker than medium brown).

Take 3 tbs oil (remaining mustard oil) in a deep pan. Mix all the dried ingredients except the asafoetida in the curd and keep aside for 5mins.

In the oil put the whole garam masala and roast on a slow flame. Add the asafoetida and immediately after that the curd mixture. Sauté the masala till oil is separated from the masala. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add the fried potatoes and cook covered for about 20 15 mins.

The cooked dish should have a layer of oil floating on top. Mostly all kashmiri recipes have a higher oil content because of the weather there. And even if the oil used is lesser the oil will generally come on top because the spices used are dried ones. When I made this recipe I did not have kashmiri chillies at home so went ahead and used the normal ones. But if kashmiri chillies are used the colour

apple crumble

Apple crumble

A crumble is a topping on any fruit or even a savoury element which resembles bread crumbs. Crumble is a dish of British and Irish origin, although its variants are found all over the world.

Here I am showing my version of the apple pie, which I generally make when I have got, not so firm apples. It hardly takes any time, but once served to your guests, they will go gaga over it. It tastes good on its own, hot or cold, but with vanilla ice-cream its heaven!!!

The ingredients used are simple. Traditionally unsalted butter is used in the recipe and salt is added. But I like to use medium salted butter which gives it a wonderful buttery salty flavour.
Ingredients
• Apples 6
• Sugar ½ cup
• Cinnamon powder ½ tps
• Vanilla essence ¼ tps
For the crumble

• Flour 1 ½ cups

• Butter 1 cup (frozen and cut in cubes)
• Castor sugar ¼ cup

Peel the apples and slice them medium thin. Immediately coat them in sugar. Heat the sugar coated apples till the apples are semi cooked. Add the cinnamon powder and vanilla essence. The cooked apples should not be dry. Don’t cook the sugar too much. It should still be syrupy.

For the crumble.

Take the flour and mix it with the castor sugar. Put in the frozen butter cubes. Using both your hands rub the butter with the flour till the mixture resembles bread crumbs.dont used too much force.

Once the crumble mixture is ready take a baking dish (in which you will be serving as well).

Put the apples first and then the crumble on the top. Bake for 15 to 20 mins in the oven at 180c.

Enjoy this with everyone you love.

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani

hyderadi chicken dum biriyani.
After coming to hyderabad after marriage, I had a completely new way of life. Own house, my life, my kitchen and a constant feeling of longing for my family. Everything remained the same except the constant feeling of longing for my family. Hyderabad being a vibrant and a colourful culmination of religions which resulted in different kinds of cuisines and food habits captured my attention and I soon stared to learn new things about the people and their food habits. Biriyani being one such thing.
Hyderabadi biriyani is different from the lakhnowi biriyani in its basic way of cooking. Hyderabadi biriyani is kacche ghost hi biriyani in which raw meat and semi cooked rice are cooked on dum , in contrast to the lakhnowi biriyani in which rice and meat are cooked seperately and then given dum together later.
It’s the simplest form a party dish can have.
Just assemble everything and you have your biriyani ready. Try to do things step by step and this ever so complicated looking biriyani will dance on your tune.
Ingredients
¾ kg long rice soaked in water
½ kg chicken cleaned
Saffron strings ¼ tsp soaked in ½ cup milk
Spices (for chicken marination)
Green cardamom 5 no’s
Cloves 5
Bay leaves 2
Cinnamon 3” 3 sticks

Black cardamom 3 no’s
Star anise 2
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Lemon juice 1 tsp
Salt 1 ½ tsp (or according to taste)
Red chilli powder 1tsp
Green chillies slit 2 no’s
Ginger garlic paste 1 ½ tsp
Coriander leaves chopped ½ cup