Capsicum Masala | Green Pepper Masala

Capsicum Masala, a  flavorful dish and made with simple ingredients. It  is good combination for all types of rotis.

Ingredients :

• Capsicum - 1
• Onion - 1 (finely chopped)
• Tomato - 1 (make it as puree)
• Bay leaf - 1
• Cinnamon -2
• Cloves - 2
• Cardamom - 1
• Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
• Garam Masala Powder - 3/4 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Coriander Leaves for garnishing
• To grind:

• Cashews - 1 tsp
• Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
• Poppy seeds - 1/2 tsp (optional) 

Method :

• Heat oil in a pan, add cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, cardamom & fry for few seconds.
• Now add chopped onion, fry till the onions turn golden brown then add ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell goes away.
• Now add chopped capsicum & fry till it turns to light green.

 

•  Now add tomato puree. Mix it well, add some water and let it boil.

• Add all the powdered spices mentioned above (Chilli pwd, Coriander pwd, Turmeric pwd, Salt,  Garam Masala pwd) and mix it well. Cook it for 15 mins until the raw smell of masala goes away.

• Here I don't have poppy seeds so I grind the mixture only with Cashews & Fennel seeds. If u have poppy seeds you can add it to make the dish more flavorful.

• Now add the above mixture to the gravy, stir well & cook it for another 15 mins.

• Now the gravy is in prefect Consistency ,sprinkle some coriander leaves and switch off the flame.

• Capsicum Masala is ready to serve.

                  

Pineapple Avalakki Kesari

Pineapple Avalakki Kesari is a sweet dish prepared from avalakki/ poha/ aval/ flattened rice flakes. Got to know about this recipe through a cookery show. So I prepared this dish on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami to serve as a neivedhyam to Lord Krishna. Flattened rice flakes are fried in ghee and grinded coarsely and cooked in pineapple juice along with sugar and cardamom powder. Kesari color and pineapple essence is added to give color and flavor to the recipe. Add your favorite nuts to give crunch to this yummy dessert.

Ingredients :

• Avalakki/ Flattened Rice Flakes - 1 cup
• Pineapple Juice - 1 cup
• Water - 1 cup
• Sugar - 1 cup
• Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Saffron Yellow Color - 1/8 tsp
• Pineapple Essence - 2 tsp
• Ghee - 3 tbsp
• Nuts - 1/4 cup

Preparation :

• Take roughly chopped pineapple in a mixer jar and grind it using little water. Strain the the juice and discard the residue. Pineapple juice and water quantity in any ratio together should be double the quantity of flattened rice flakes.

Method :

• In a non-stick pan heat 2 tbsp ghee and fry nuts till golden. Remove to a bowl and keep aside.

• In the Same pan heat remaining ghee and fry rice flakes in medium flame with out changing its color. Let it cool.

• Transfer the cooled rice flakes to a mixer jar and grind to a coarse powder.

• In the same pan take pineapple juice, water and let it come to a boil. On medium flame add powdered rice flakes and mix well. Cook until all water is absorbed and rice flakes is cooked and soft. 

• Now add saffron color and pineapple essence and mix well. Add sugar and mix. (Add sugar only after rice flakes is cooked)

• Dont worry if the mixture turns watery. Keep on stirring on medium flame until kesari becomes a whole mass with out sticking to sides of pan. Add cardamom powder and fried nuts. Mix well and switch off the flame.

• Pineapple Avalakki Kesari is ready to be served.

Chili Chicken Drumsticks

Chili Chicken is a popular Indo-Chinese dish. Chicken is marinated with sauce and spices, coated with flour and deep fried. Fried chicken is then stir fried with onion, capsicum and Ching's Chicken Chili Miracle Masala. Ching's Miracle masala is easily available in stores. Chili Chicken can be served as an appetizer or to compliment veg/non-veg fried rice dish. Here I have used chicken drumsticks. You can use bone/boneless chicken pieces and prepare the same dish.

Ingredients :

• Chicken Drumsticks - 4 nos.
• Onion - 1 medium sized
• Capsicum - 1 small
• Chili - 1 
• Ching's Chicken Chili Miracle Masala - 1 1/2 tbsp
• For Marination :
• Red Chili Sauce - 1 tbsp
• Soy Sauce - 2 tsp
• Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• All Purpose Flour(Maida) - 2 tbsp
• Corn Flour - 1 tbsp
• Oil for frying + 1 tbsp

Method :

• Clean the chicken drumsticks and pat them dry with a tissue. Make slit on them to absorb the spices.
• Take the drumsticks in a bowl and all the ingredients listed under marination. Marinate for minimum of 1 hour.

• Add maida, corn flour, salt(optional if required, as we have added for marination) and coat the drumsticks. Sprinkle water if required.

• Deep fry them in oil till done and drain on a absrbent paper. Or grill them in oven/ air fryer at 180 degree C until done.

• Chop onion into 4 parts and separate its layers. Chop capsicum into cubes and slit 1 green chili.

•  In a bowl take chili miracle masala, add 1/4 cup water and mix well with out any lumps.

• In non-stick pan heat 1 tbsp oil. Add cubed onion, capsicum and slit green chili. Fry for a while. Drop in fried chicken drumsticks and give a stir.

• Pour the prepared masala mix over the chicken. Stir and cook till the chicken has absorbed the masala.

• Chili chicken drumsticks are ready to be served as an appetizer.

Vegetable Samosa - using Samosa Leaves

Samosa needs no description. It is sinful yet loved by all. Mixed vegetables are cooked with flavorful spices and filled into samosa leaves and deep fried. For healthier version you can bake them too. You can use variety of your favorite vegetables - beans, carrot, cabbage, green peas, potato, sweet corn and even add scramble paneer.

Ingredients :

• For the filling :
• Beans finely chopped - 1 cup
• Carrot finely chopper - 1 cup
• Cabbage finely chopped - 1 cup
• Sweet Corn - 1 cup
• Onion- 1 medium-sized
• Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tsp
• Green Chili Paste - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Chili Powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
• Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
• Jeera Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Samosa Leaves - 15 to 20
• Maida / Corn Flour - 2 tbsp
• Water as required
• Oil for deep frying

Method :

To Prepare filling :

• In a pan heat oil on medium flame. Add ginger galic paste, chili paste and fry them till raw smell goes away. Add finely chopped onion and saute till translucent. 

• Add all the dry powders, salt and fry for few seconds. Add 3-4 tbsp water to prevent masala from getting burnt and mix well.

• Add finely chopped beans, carrot. Mix well and cook covered till they are half cooked.

• Now add finely chopped cabbage, sweet corn. Mix and cook covered till they are cooked. Switch off the flame and let it cool. Filling is ready.

Filling the Samosa :

• Before starting to fill the samosa make a slurry of maida/corn flour with water in a bowl and keep ready.
• Take a single leaf and place it on a plate. Fold one edge over to form a triangle shape.

• Fold over again to form a triangular pocket. Hold it in your hands to do the filling.

• Fill the samosa pocket with the prepared filling. Place it on the plate for further folding.

• Now fold the other end to cover the filling. Flip it and spread the flour paste so that you can make the final fold.

• Gently fold over the last layer making sure that you leave no holes at the corner and press down to close the seal. Repeat the steps to prepare other samosas.

• Heat oil in kadai on medium flame. When the oil is hot enough lower the flame to medium-low flame and slid the samosas one-by-one. Fry them in batches till golden and crispy. Remove them onto absorbent paper to remove excess oil.
• Serve them warm as a tea time snack with your favorite dip.

Tips :

• The mixture used for filling samosa should be dry. 
• The oil should be hot enough. If you put the samosa in low-temperature oil, it will absorb too much oil. 
• But while sliding the samosas in hot oil, reduce the flame to medium-low. Else there are chances of air bubbles forming on the sheets and it will not be cooked from inside.
• Baking in Oven/ Airfryer : Preheat the oven/air fryer to 180 degree C. Brush the samosa with oil and bake them for 30-35 mins or till they are golden at 180 degree C.