Air-Fryer Crispy Potatoes- A simple & elegant side dish with rice!!!

My friend (Subha), who is a great cook always makes these fried potatoes but not in air-fryer. She used to  saute the cubed potatoes in little oil till they turn golden and crispier. Ones, when I went to her house, I had it which reminded me of my mom's potatoes, who makes exactly like these. But whenever I tried making them at home, they would never turn out perfect. Either I had to add lots of oil as potatoes absorb oil or they got burnt. I used to think, the dish which doesn't take much time to make has become complicated for me.

Then one day I tried making them in air-fryer which doesn't require much oil and ta-da, they turned out perfect. I started making them frequently as my family loves the dish. Air-fryer does some kind of magic on potatoes. Crispy out side and perfectly soft inside. These are the most addicting side dish. I am sure that everybody might know how to make these but I realized that with less/ no oil we can make these perfect. Try this easy dish and let me know.

Ingredients:

1. Potatoes( washed & cubed)- 3Cups
2. Red Chili powder- 1 tbsp
3. Turmeric Powder- 1 tsp
4. Salt- as required
5. Oil- 1 tbsp
6. Sambhar powder- 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Toss all the powders along with cubed potatoes and oil in a bowl.
2. Place these potatoes in the air-fryer basket and cook at 370 degrees F for 15- 20 minutes. The potatoes will turn golden in color.
3. Enjoy this with warm rice and rasam.

leftover Turkey Potato Cutlets

Our friends came over for Thanksgiving and together we cooked a thanksgiving dinner by baking the turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes and Apple pie. The turkey was huge, mostly we finished within 3- 4 days but the remaining I kept it frozen as I was thinking of making something later. Then as the kids take lunch for school, one day I decided to finish the turkey by making cutlets which I usually make with chicken.

Ones it's done, the cutlets came out delicious with the right amount of spices and the potatoes. We can add any spice powders from the pantry. These can also be used as patties for burgers or can be stuffed into wraps. In which ever way, these cutlets taste delicious and will be liked by all. Try this recipe and let me know.

Ingredients:

1. Minced Left over Turkey- 2 Cups
2. Onions ( cghopped)- 1
3. Ginger Garlic pate- 1tbsp
4. Red Chili Powder- 1tsp
5. Turmeric Powder- 1tsp
6. Garam Masala powder- 1 tsp
7. Oil- 1 tbsp
8. Salt- as required
9. Boiled Potatoes - 3 

For Coating:

• Egg- 2

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan. When hot add the onions, fry till they become translucent.
2. Add the ginger garlic paste, stir till the raw smell disappers. Add the red chili powder, salt, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and the minced turkey. Mix well and switch off the flame. Let it cool.
3. When cooled add the boiled mashed potatoes in the turkey mixture, mix well and make small balls and flatten the balls. Flatten the  remaining turkey potato mixture.
4. Break eggs in a bowl and mix with salt and keep it ready.
5. Heat a griddle with 1 tbsp of oil, dip each flattened mixture into the eggs and place them on the hot griddle and cook till done. 5-8 minutes on each side. Enjoy warm cutlets along with evening tea or as a side dish with rice or simply just like that.

Haritha's Stuffed Brinjal Roast/ Vankaya Kaaram Koora

Today's post is a dish made with brinjals. A very popular dish  from Andhra. My friend Haritha, who has a YouTube channel in the name of "Haritha's Home and Kitchen" made this dish when we had a get together at my place. She is an amazing cook and you can visit her channel which has lots of cooking videos and authentic recipes. 

I love brinjals but you all might know by now that my husband doesn't like brinjal and so ones in a blue moon I will be making brinjal dishes. As my friend knows about this, she made the delicious roast just for me.

This is a simple dish with minimum ingredients. My mom prepares amazing Andhra dishes, the most famous one is gutti vankaya koora/ Stuffed brinjal curry. In this dish, you have to grind the masala and stuff it in brinjal and roast till done. Within minutes yummy brinjal roast will be ready. Please try this dish and let me know.

Ingredients:

• Brinjal- 7-8
• Oil- 2tbsp

Masala:

1. Grated Coconut- 1Cup
2. Cumin Seeds- 2tbsp
3. Red Chili Powder- 3tbsp
4. Garlic Cloves-4
5. Salt- as required

Method:

1. Cut the brinjal length wise keeping the stem intact. Immerse them in water for 5- 10 minutes. 
2. Grind the masala to a paste. Stuff this masala in brinjal. Repeat with all the brinjals till done.
3. Heat a deep bottomed vessel and pour oil, when it becomes hot, add the stuffed brinjals and mix well. Stir well till everything is mixed and the brinjals become soft and tender. Enjoy with hot rice.

Hyderabadi Chicken haleem

Hyderabadi Haleem is an authentic and traditional Ramadan delicacy served during Iftar after breaking the fast. This dish has got all the nutritions that one requires after  fasting the whole day. Haleem is a delicacy, which you can never miss if you ever want a taste of Hyderabad food. the traditional haleem is a must try dish in one's life.  In recognition of its cultural significance and popularity, in 2010 it was granted Geographic indication status (GIS) by the Indian GIS Registry Office making it the first non vegetarian dish in India to receive the status.

Haleem is a stew composed of meat, different varieties of lentils, spices which is made into a thick.paste. Traditionally this haleem is cooked on a low flame for about 12 hours and two people are required to stir the haleem using a wooden paddle. It is made by adding loads of ghee to make it richer, but at home we can add as we want. In Hyderabad, Pista house is famous for haleem. When we were in Bangalore, we used to order haleem from Hyderabad Pista house and would get our share within a day. In Andhra, almost all the people who are fasting will make this dish and during one fasting time, I tasted this dish when my neighbors prepared and instantly fell in love with this dish. Every year one time during fasting, I would make this dish as my daughter and my husband love this.

I have posted one haleem dish before in my blog, But that only has broken wheat and chicken. Over the years I tried different versions and here I am today with the most authentic version, but I have added less ghee and also a less time consuming version.  Here I have blended everything using an electric hand blender, you can also use a hand masher. This is a dish which is packed with full of proteins and one of the best delicacies to be eaten during the month of Ramadan. With a dash of lemon juice, will bring out the flavors in this dish. Hope you will try this dish and please let me know.

 Ingredients:
For the Chicken:

1. Boneless Chicken- 1lb
2. Ginger garlic paste- 1 tbsp
3. Red chili powder- 1 tbsp
4. Cumin Powder- 1 tsp
5. Turmeric Powder- 1/2 tbsp
6. Coriander powder- 1 tbsp
7. Garam Masala Powder- 1 tbsp
8. Chopped Coriander Leaves- a bunch
9. Onions(sliced)- 1no
10. Lemon Juice- 1 tbsp
11. salt- as required

Pulses:

1. Broken Wheat- 2 Cups
2. Urad dal/ Black Gram - 2 tbsp
3. Chana Dal/ Split Chick peas- 2tbsp
4. Toor Dal/ Split Pigeon Peas- 2 tbsp
5. Moong Dal/ Yellow Split lentil- 2 tbsp
6. Water- 4 Cups
7. Salt- as required
8. For assembling:
9. Red Chili powder-1 tbsp
10. Garam Masala Powder- 1 tsp
11. Pepper powder- 1 tsp

For Frying:

1. Oil- 1 tbsp
2. Onions- 1/2 no
3. Lemon Juice- 1 tbsp

Garnish:

1. Coriander leaves

Method for preparing chicken:

• Put all the ingredients required for the chicken in a pressure cooker and cook on a low flame for almost an hour.

Method for pulses:

• Soak the pulses for 3-4 hours.
• Pressure cook all the ingredients under pulses and cook well for almost an hour on a low flame.

Method for assembling:

• Blend the cooked chicken well using a hand blender.
• Add this chicken mixture to the cooked pulses and blend well so that everything gets mixed thoroughly. Cook on a low flame. Add little water if required.
• Add the red chili powder, Garam masala powder, pepper powder and salt if required. Mix well. Switch off the flame after 15 minutes.
• Fry the onions to golden brown, keep it aside.
• Garnish the haleem using fried onions, lemon juice, coriander leaves and a table spoon of ghee. Enjoy hot and delicious haleem.

One Pot Mushroom Stroganoff

Mushrooms are a staple in our house. I try different varieties of dishes using mushrooms and one day when I was going through some instagram posts, I came upon my favorite chef "Healthy Living James"page and he posted a new recipe using mushrooms. The name looked familiar, stroganoff. I had chicken stroganoff before, but this one using mushrooms was new to me. The ingredients are also so easily available in our pantry and so I tried making it the same day. It came out perfect and super delicious. We had it along with brown rice for lunch and along with quinoa for dinner.

This one pot dish will be liked by all. This dish only requires minimum ingredients and is not at all time consuming. The mushroom gives a meaty texture, coconut milk gives a creamy flavor to the dish.

Coming to my favorite chef, James, who is a qualified health coach, with a healthy living. His recipes are so easy, simple, quick and healthy dishes. I have tried many of his recipes, one of recipes from his blog that I have posted was Quinoa and Potato cakes. A beautiful blog with amazing recipes. Hope you all will try this mushroom stroganoff . If you tried, please let me know how it turned.

Inspired From Gluten Free Mushroom Stroganoff:
Ingredients:

1. Mushrooms- 10-15 ( roughly chopped)
2. Onions- 2 (chopped)
3. Garlic- 1 tbsp
4. CoconutMilk- 1 Cup
5. Dijon Mustard- 1tsp
6. Red Chili powder- 1 tbsp
7. Lemon Juice- 1 tbsp
8. Olive Oil- 2 tbsp
9. Salt- as required

Method:

1. Heat oil, add the minced garlic, onions. When they turn translucent add the chopped mushrooms and stir till they turn soft.
2. Add the coconut milk, mustard paste, red chili powder along with salt. Add the lemon juice and let it cook for almost 10 minutes.
3. When done garnish with some cilantro or parsley and enjoy.

Kerala Easy Fish Fry- For my dad's birthday!!!!

Kerala fish fry is my dad's favorite and ours too. Today for my dad's birthday, I thought of celebrating by posting his favorite dish. As kids we used to get fish very rarely and whenever my dad bought, it was always a special meal.

This is my mom's version of the marination and my dad used to make it, which makes it more special and yumm. Every house will be having their own versions of the marinade. This is a simple and an easy one. Within minutes we can have a delicious side dish.

Fish slices marinated with the spices and shallow fried till done is an amazing appetizer which is every fish lovers dream. This is a staple dish in Kerala non vegetarian house hold. Not only in houses, but also in hotels and restaurants, while walking through the streets of Kerala, the aroma of the frying fish will be lingering.

Ingredients:

1. Fish Slices- 7- 8 nos
2. Red Chili Powder- 2 tbsp
3. Turmeric Powder- 1/2 tbsp
4. Pepper powder- 1 tbsp
5. Ginger- garlic Paste- 1 tbsp
6. Lemon Juice- 1 tbsp
7. Curry leaves- few
8. Salt- as required
9. Coconut Oil- 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Mix all the powders, lemon juice, salt along with the ginger- garlic paste in a bowl.
2. Add the clean and washed fish slices and mix the marinade well with hands into the fish.
3. Let it sit for about half an hour and shallow fry them on a pan. Enjoy them along with rice or with just a salad to the side.

Indian Chicken in Pickling Spices/ Achari Murg

A delicious, spicy, tangy Chicken dish made with pickling spices that preserves the dish for long time. A North Indian delicacy which is made with ingredients that enhances the flavors, increases the taste and is very authentic. This is a dish made in places like Rajasthan from a very long time.

I learned about this dish when I had this for the first time in a restaurant long back. I started making this at home, but couldn't post the recipe as it would be finished in no time and after some time I feel lazy to take pics. Today, here I am with a mouth watering , finger licking delicious dish which will be liked by all and hope you all will try it as the ingredients are easily available in the market.

Achar is an Indian condiment staple. Achar is a pickled food made with different variety’s of vegetables, fruits or meat and fish, which is preserved in brine or vinegar along with various Indian spices. There is no correct way of making pickles, rather every region every household has a preference. Here in this recipe, we use the spices that are used in pickles. Each spice is different from others, some are bitter, some are acidic, some are full of flavor but when everything comes together it's magical!!

Here I started with roasting and powdering the pickling spices and marinated the powder with the chicken, yogurt, which makes the gravy thick and which helps coat the chicken pieces evenly. Sautéed the onion- tomato mixture and then added the marinated chicken which is cooked in a generous amount of red chili powder and ended with a dash of crushed dried fenugreek leaves which will increase the flavors. A tender, juicy chicken in a spicy and tangy gravy is ready within minutes. This is traditionally made using mustard oil but you can use any oil as you like. You can adjust the gravy by adding water or decreasing. Hope you all like it!!

Ingredients:

1. Chicken Pieces- 2 lbs
2. Yogurt- 1 Cup
3. Salt- as required
4. Turmeric Powder- 2 tsp
5. Red Chilli powder- 1 tsp
6. Onions - 2 nos
7. Ginger- Garlic paste- 1 tbsp
8. Tomatoes (crushed)- 2 nos
9. Dried Fenugreek Leaves- 1tbsp
10. Oil- 2 tbsp

Roast and Grind: 
Pickling Spices:

1. Mustard Seeds- 1 tsp
2. Fenugreek Seeds- 1 tsp
3. Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
4. Fennel Seeds- 1 tsp
5. Nigell Seeds- 1 tsp
6. Dried Red Chilies-6 nos

Method:

1. Roast the pickling spices on a low flame and when it cools down grid to a fine powder. Marinate the chicken using this ground powder, turmeric powder, yogurt and salt. Keep this aside for half an hour.
2. Meanwhile heat oil in a pan, grind the onions to a coarse paste and fry till they turn translucent. Add the ginger- garlic paste and stir well.
3. When the raw smell disappears, add the crushed tomatoes and stir till everything gets well blended. When the water evaporates, add the red chili powder. Mix well.
4. In this add the marinated chicken, mix well and cook it covered for about 20- 25 minutes on a low flame.
5. When it gets cooked, add dried fenugreek leaves, stir and switch off the flame. Enjoy with roti, naan, bread or pulav.