Kaju Curry Korma

Kaju Curry Korma is a pleasure dish which imparts a wondrous aroma when being cooked, as well as tastes heavenly. The sweet cashew nuts are lightly toasted in little ghee/oil until they turn a light golden shade of beauties and then simmered in velvety creamy gravy of onions, tomatoes and very special aromatic spice blend.

This served as a side dish for us on a Sunday afternoon with Tandoori Chicken. I served this with plain rotis. Also, this curry can be used as a base for many vegetables including kaju curry paneer, malai kofta, lauki kofta and many other vegetarian curries. The specialty of this dish is it is actually very simple to make and doesn't need much time to get ready.

This is the original recipe of my mother who once discovered this dish many, many years ago when there were sudden guests and there were no vegetables in the fridge. She told me she prepared this and the guests loved it so much that this recipe became a regular in our home for guests and for special occasions and festivals at home. So this can also be the best choice to prepare when you have sudden guests at home or even when you want to cook something royal and special, something different from the regular menu.

Ingredients:

Cashews: a handful
Cooking oil: 2 tsp.
Butter: 2 tsp.
Onions (chopped): 2
Tomato puree of 3 tomatoes
Ginger-garlic paste: 3 tsp.
Salt to taste
Cinnamon: 1 inch
Coriander seeds: 1 tsp.
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp.
Green cardamom: 2
Cloves: 2
Dried red chili: 2
Garam masla: 1 tsp.
Kasoori methi: 1/2 tsp.
Mango powder: 1/2 tsp.
Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp.

1. Heat oil in a pan and fry half the cashews on a medium flame till they start getting a golden brown color. Drain and keep aside.
2. Add onions and all the dry spices: cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chillis and the other half of cashews to a mixer and grind to a fine paste. Grind using a little water if required.
3. In the same pan, add the butter and add the onion paste. Cook on medium flame till this paste starts getting light brown and the oil starts leaving at the sides.
4. Now add kasoori methi and the ginger garlic paste. Mix well and cook for about a minute. Add garam masala and mango powder. Here I add kitchen king/biryani masala/chicken masala whatever I have at hand; that's optional. 
5. Mix well and add tomato purée. Cook for another minute. Add half cup of water and mix well. Add salt, red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Mix and let cook on medium flame for about 5-7 minutes. 
6. Turn off the heat, garnish with coriander leaves (optional), add the fried cashews and serve with roti/paratha/rice.

Loved this recipe? Do leave a comment and/or your feedback if you tried this recipe. 

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Zafrani Chicken Biryani

My love for biryani will never end !! Third weekend in a row with Mughlai Chicken Biryani and Ambur Chicken Biryani, I prepared Zafrani Chicken Biryani.. yet another style in making of biryani, yet another wonderful, finger-licking meal for the weekend.. this biryani is sure to leave anyone asking for more..

Ingredients:

Rice: 1 cup 
Chicken: 300 gm
Green chili (thin slit): 1  
Onion (chopped): 1  
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tablespoon 
Cloves: 2  
Cinnamon stick: 1 inch 
Star Anise: 2  
Bay leaves: 2  
Cardamom: 2  
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp. 
Red chili powder: 1/2 tsp. 
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp. 
Coriander powder: 1/2 tsp. 
Yogurt: 1 cup 
Mint leaves: a handful 
Lemon juice: 2 tbsp. 
Cooking oil: 2 tbsp.
Butter: 1 tbsp. 
Salt to taste 
Biryani Masala: 1 tsp.

1. Heat oil in a pan and add the slit green chili. Fry them for a while till they get cooked. 
2. Drain oil and take out the chili on a kitchen paper and keep aside. 
3. In the same pan, add the butter and add the whole spices: cloves, cinnamon, star anise, bay leaves, cardamom seeds. Sauté for a while and add chopped onions. 
4. When the onions are light brown, add the finely chopped mint leaves and ginger garlic paste. Mix well and cook for a while. 
5. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and yogurt. 
6. Add the chicken pieces and the salt. Mix well and let cook for about 10 minutes. 
   
7. Add a bit of water if required. Mix well and cover. Let cook for about 15 minutes covered till the chicken is almost done. 
8. By the time, we can cook rice. Boil the rice with lemon juice and when they are almost done, drain the water and keep aside. 
9. When the chicken is done, turn off the flame. Now, in another container, add a layer of rice at the bottom and a layer of the chicken curry over it. 
   
10. Repeat this process until all of the rice and the curry is done; the top and bottom layer should always be rice. 
11. Sprinkle the biryani masala over it and add the fried green chili. 
    
12. Cover with a tight lid and cook on low flame for 15-20 minutes. Remove the cover, mix and serve hot. 

Onion Chilli fritters (Pyaaz ki bhajiya)

Tried making potato and onion pakodas so many times for evening tea time snacks.. today hubby suggested making onion bhajiyas for a change, and wow, these tasted well awesome and took less time too. First time try, and they turned out to be crispy and savoury. I served these with Coriander Chutney and hot cup of tea !! What an amazing combo !!

Corn Capsicum

"Corn capsicum".. this dish is and will always be special for me; because this was the first dish I cooked for my husband after wedding. I did not read anywhere, just invented this my style and he even liked it.. It was a success, so I'm sharing this simple recipe with you..

The magic of Blue

Blue is the only color which maintains its own character in all its tones, it will always be blue; whereas yellow is blackened in its shades, and fades away when lightened.. red when darkened becomes brown and diluted with white is no longer red, but another color: pink.
- Raoul Dufy

As a picture painted in yellow always radiates spiritual warmth, one in blue has an apparently cooling effect.

The Mediterranean has the color of mackerel, changeable I mean. You don't always know if it is green or violet, you can't even say it's blue because the next moment the changing reflection has taken on a tint of rose or grey.
- Vincent Van Gogh

If the sight of blue sky fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has the power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand; rejoice.. for your soul is alive.
- Eleonora Duse

Blue is the overwhelming favourite color. Blue is seen as trustworthy, dependable and committed. The color of the ocean and the sky, blue is perceived as the constant in our lives. As the collective color for the spirit, it invokes rest and can cause the body to produce chemicals that are calming. Electric or brilliant blues are dramatic and dynamic; engaging shades that express exhilaration. Indigo blue symbolizes a mystical borderland of wisdom, self-mastery and spiritual realization.

People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is to walk on earth. Everyday we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child, our own two eyes; all is a miracle.
- Thich Nhat Hanh

She glanced upwards for a second at the soft blue vault of the midsummer night sky. Not a cloud misted its solemn depths. Tomorrow would be a beautiful day.
- Stella Gibbons

The blue in the summer makes me happy and I'm so renewed that all the nature seems renewed around me and with me. The sky seems to be pure, a cooler blue, the trees a deeper green. The whole world is charged with the glory of God and I feel fire and music under my feet.

I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirit of trees and for the blue dream of sky, and for everything which is natural, which is infinite. The touch of an infinite mystery passes over the trivial and the familiar, making it break out into ineffable music. The trees, the stars and the blue hills ache with a meaning which can never be uttered in words. 

Kashmiri Chicken Curry

Salmon fish curry

So pretty much after trying a lot of experiments with chicken varieties like Butter Chicken, Coorgi Gawti Chicken, Mint Chicken Korma; I decided to try my hands on cooking fish, at least for once. So hubby dearest got Salmon fish and I decided to make a simple fish curry with it. Honestly, I was seeing raw salmon fish for the first time, so was feeling wonderful and it looked so beautiful to me raw that I could not stop myself from taking pictures even of that..

The resultant fish curry was really simple and delicious, cooked with minimum amount of spices which was light on platter.

Ingredients:

Salmon fillets (cut) 250 grams 
Onion (chopped) 1 
Tomato (chopped) 1 
Ginger garlic paste 2 tablespoons 
Red chili powder 1/2 tsp. 
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp. 
Coriander powder 1/2 tsp. 
Salt to taste 
Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp.  
Curry leaves: A few 
Coriander leaves: a handful 
Cooking oil: 2 tablespoons

1. Wash and clean the salmon fillets and keep aside. 
2. Heat oil on medium heat and add mustard seeds. Add curry leaves and onions. Sauté till onions are transparent. 
3. Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for about a minute. 
4. Add the tomatoes and let cook covered until they become completely soft. 
5. Add salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder. Mix well and cook for half a minute. 
6. Add a cup of water (more or less, depending upon the amount of curry required) and bring it to a boil. Add the fish fillets after 2 minutes and stir gently. Cover and let cook for 10 minutes. 
7. Remove the cover, let cook for another 5 minutes on low heat. The salmon will get cooked by now. Turn off the heat and serve hot with steamed rice.

Update: Salmon tastes much, much better if it's marinated in just salt, turmeric, mango powder etc. for about 10 minutes and shallow fried in oil till both sides are browned. Frying will take only about 2-3 minutes each side but changes the taste so much.
(From experience after making salmon curries a lot of times).

When I saw Salmon for the first time :D

Flowers' Paradise

Flowers.. are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world. Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul. They are the sweetest things God ever made and forgot to put a soul into.. They are restful to look at; they have neither emotions nor conflicts..

Every flower is a soul blossoming in the nature. We came into this world, but we won't be here forever. We are here just for a short visit..so don't hurry, don't worry..and be sure to smell the flowers along the way !! 

Flowers are the music of the ground from the earth's lips; spoken without a sound. Where flowers bloom, so does hope.. Flowers only bloom when they are ready; people are the same way.. you cannot rush or force them open, just because you think it's time. Be patient.

Flowers could be described as bursts of color, patterns and infinite grace all governed by sacred geometry. They are perfectly woven into the fabric of existence to brighten up our world. 

Little things seem nothing, but they give peace, like those meadow flowers which individually seem odourless; but all together perfume in the air. 

When words escape, flowers speak.

- Bruce W. Currie

"I will be the gladdest thing

under the sun!

I will touch a hundred flowers,

and pick no one !!"