Vegetable Pulao & Malai Kofta for MEC Potluck

There are many ways to prepare a vegetable pulao. I have taken an easy route here - No grinding/powdering involved. Just chop some veggies, add the whole spices and shop bought garam masala for flavor. And an yummy pulao is ready. Can things get easier than this ?

For vegetable pulao,

Basmatic rice - 1 cup
A handful of sprouted peas. You can use fresh/dried ones too.If you are using dried ones, soak them for 6 hrs.
Cubed mixed vegetables - 1 cup (Use any veggies of your choice)
onion -1

ghee/oil- 2 tblspn

crushed cloves- 3 nos

cinnamon - 1 stick

cardamom - 2 pods

turmeric - a pinch

green chilly(slit) - 3 nos

garam masala - 1 tspn

salt

Wash and soak rice for 30 minutes in 2 cups of water.

In a microwave safe bowl, MW oil/ghee for 30 secs at high power. Add the spices - cinnamon, cloves and cardamom and MW for 2 minutes by stirring once in between.

MW for a minute after adding chopped onions. Add the peas, vegetables and rice along with the soaked water. Add a pinch of turmeric, salt and garam masala. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in between.

Allow to stand for 5 minutes for it to cook completely. Adjust the cooking time according to your oven.
If you want, you can heat a teaspoon of ghee and add half teaspoon of garam masala and mix to the cooked pulao for more flavor

Malai kofta is made fully in MW. So no deep frying the koftas required.

For koftas

grated paneer - 100 gms

Big potato - 1

1/2 tspn corn flour

green chillies - 3 nos (chopped)

chopped coriander - 1 tbspn

chat masala powder - 1/2 tspn

salt and pepper to taste

For gravy

onion paste from 2 onions

tomato puree- 1 cup

ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbspn

ghee- 1 tbspn

garam masala - 1/2 tspn

cornflour - 1 tsp

salt,black pepper and red chilli powder to taste

For garnish

Fresh cream and chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbspn each

Preparing koftas

Cook the potato in MW for 5 minutes. Don't forget to prick on the potato with a fork before you cook.

Mash paneer, boiled potato and corn flour. Mix the rest of the ingredients and make a smooth dough. Form into small balls and shape them. Place in MW safe flat dish and MW at high power for 2 min. Reposition the koftas more than once.

Preparing gravy

In a MW safe bowl, MW ghee for 30 secs. Add onion,ginger-garlic paste and MW at high power for 4 min.

Add tomato puree, garam masala, salt, black pepper and red chilli powder for 4 mins.

Mix cornflour in little water with out any lumps. Stir into the gravy. Add one cup of water. Cover and cook for 4 mins

Add kofta and MW for one min. Garnish with coriander and fresh cream

Yummy malai kofta is ready. Using non- deep fried koftas did not make much of a difference.

Vegetable pulao and malai kofta is joining the potluck at Srivalli's.

Blueberry Bagel

Here is my second attempts on bagel. The recipe had a bit different from the previous bagel I've made. Not only its blueberry flavour but it's made by milk to produce a different texture.
I made big bagel this time and used it for our main course sandwich. I blended some fresh blueberry into paste to produce a blueberry flavor bagel. It smell very blueberry and soft yet chewy. But I still have problem shaping it into a perfect round shape.
I heard a guru said those commercial bagel was form by a round mould but for homemade we've got to use our fingers to make it. Anyway, I don't mind the rustic one but still trying the best to make as round as I can.

Recipe makes four big bagels:

Bread flour 250g
Caster sugar 20g
Salt 1/4 teaspoon
Yeast 3g
Milk 95g
Blueberry paste 50g
Unsalted butter 5g

Method:

1. In a large bowl of a stand mixer combine all the ingredients. knead dough with the dough hook until elastic, about 10 minutes on a low speed.
2. Divide the dough into 4 portions and shape each piece into a tight balls. When all the balls are shaped, place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let proof for 40 minutes.
3. Get ready a large bowl of 1L hot water with 5g sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of syrup. Preheat the oven to 180'C.
4. Once dough balls have rested, poke a hole through the center of each dough ball with your fingers. Stretch out the dough into a ring and make sure the hole is slightly larger than you want the finished bagel to have, as the bagel will expanding during the baking process. Let bagels proof for about 30 minutes.
5. Drop the bagels into the boiling water at about 90'C. Boil for 10 second at each side then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
6. Bake for 20-24 minutes, until golden brown.

Semia Idli - Steamed Vermicelli Idli

Semia Idli - Steamed Vermicelli Dumpling
My mother is an excellent and innovative cook. Even to this day at the age of 78, she prepares my – I would rather say everybody‘s - favourite dishes whenever an opportunity arose. Mysore Rasam with coconut milk for my eldest daughter, Aval Dosai for my second daughter, Bisibelebath for my son, Sojji for my nephew and an endless list of dishes for her really big big family .
I always relished her Semia Idli but had never bothered to find out about the know hows of its preparation. Last week when I had called her up, she enthusiastically enquired about the blog and asked me if I had written about my “favourite” dish. Immediately I got the recipe from her and tried it out for the first time and lo…it turned out to be a delicious hit!

INGREDIENTS:
Vermicelli – 2 cups
Curds – 1 cup
Salt – 1 ½ tsp
Green chillies – 3
Fresh ginger – 1 inch piece
Fresh coriander - a few leaves
Carrot gratings – ½ cup
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Cooking oil – 2 tbsps
METHOD:
1.Add grated carrot, salt, finely chopped green chillies and ginger to the curd and mix well.
2.Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
3. When it splutters add the vermicelli and fry till it is golden red in colour.
4. Add the fried vermicelli to the prepared curd, while it is still hot .
5. Mix well and leave it to soak for 10 minutes.
6. Grease the idly moulds with a drop of ghee and spoon the curd- vermicelli mixture into each mould.
7. Since it does not flow like the normal idly batter , spread out the mixture into each mould with the help of a spoon.
8. Steam the idlis in the pressure cooker without the weight for 12 minutes.
9. Allow the steam to settle down and then remove the idlis.

Semia idlies are very light and delicious. Enjoy with your favourite chutney or sambar.