Mixed Vegetable Hyderabadi

Mixed Vegetable Hyderabadi is yet another spicy, rich coriander-coconut sauce that envelops sweet green peas and beans. The carrots add color and potato and cauliflower add more flavor. The rich taste of assorted vegetables tossed in with flavors of spices like cardamom, cinnamon and cloves leaves you craving for more.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves: 3-4 people

Ingredients	Quantity
Cloves	2
Peppercorns	3
Cinnamon stick	½ inch
Bay leaf	1 small
Cardamom peels	3-4 peels
Onion (1 grated and 1 sliced)	2 small
Tomato pureed	1 medium
Ginger garlic paste	½ tbsp.
Garam masala powder	1 pinch
Mixed vegetables	1 bowl
Coconut Milk	½ cup
Cream(optional)	to garnish
Ghee or oil	1tbsp
Grind together
Mint leaves	½ cup
Coriander leaves	½ cup
Green chilies	2-3 or to taste
Curry leaves	2-3

Method

Grind together all the ingredients mentioned in the list above to a fine paste.

Heat ghee in a pan, add cardamom peels, pepper, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and cloves when they sizzle, add grated onions and fry till soft. Add tomato puree and fry till soft, add ginger garlic paste and fry till raw smell goes. 

Add sliced onion fry till it is half boiled. It should be crunchy not soft. Later add mixed vegetables and fry well for a minute. Add pinch of garam masala. Add coconut milk, ground masala and bring to a boil. Don't boil much to retain green color.

Serve hot with roti or rice.

Points to remember

• It is best to remove all whole garam masala before adding sliced onions otherwise your gravy becomes very pungent.
• The mixed vegetables I prefer to use are french beans, carrots, cauliflower, green peas, and potatoes.

Bagara Baingan

Bagara Baingan is a popular side dish served with Hyderabadi Biryani. Brinjals are shallow fried and then added to the simmering gravy. It is also called as Nune vankaya kura in Telugu. To make the gravy taste nutty and delicious, ingredients like peanuts, sesame seeds and coconut are used. Since brinjals are fried, they turn soft and mouth melting. When simmered in the nutty, spicy gravy, they absorb all the flavors and taste delicious.

I have tweaked the recipe to suit my family’s taste by adding some potatoes and capsicum and making the gravy thick. I have also used a different type of brinjal called as gulla.

Gulla is a favourite vegetable in the Konkani community. Udupi is famous for its unique brinjal known as Mattu or Matti gulla. It is a very delicate vegetable and starts melting if you overcook.

Bagara baingan can be served with biryani or bagara rice also known as bagara chawal (plain biryani). This curry can also be served with pulao, roti, paratha.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves: 3-4 people

Ingredients	Quantity
Brinjal(gulla)	1 big
Potato	1 small
Capsicum	1 small
Ghee	1 tsp
Cumin Seeds	1 tsp
Coriander Seeds	1 tbsp
Peppercorns	5 nos.
Sesame Seeds	1 tsp
Cloves	3 nos.
Cinnamon Stick	½ inch
Kashmiri Red Chilies	2-3
Grated Coconut	¼ cup
Onion(finely chopped)	1medium
Groundnuts	2tbsps+ 1 tbsp
Oil	2 tbsps.
Tamarind Paste	1 tbsp.
Salt	to taste

Method

Wash, wipe and chop the capsicum into 1 inch cubes. Discard the seeds.

Wash potatoes, peel and chop into inch cubes. Drop them in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Turn off the gas, cover with a lid and let it stand for 4-5 minutes. Then strain and keep aside. If you slide a knife into the potato it should go in easily without and resistance.

Wash brinjal and chop into 1inch cubes.

In a non-stick pan heat ghee and add cumin seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, sesame seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick, Kashmiri red chilies and fry till the chilies are crispy. Transfer to a plate, keep aside to cool.

In the same pan heat 1tbsp of oil, add chopped onions and fry till they are soft. Add grated coconut, fry for a minute. Add the groundnuts and fry till the oil separates. Transfer to a plate, keep aside to cool.

In the same pan heat remaining oil and turn the heat to high, add the capsicum keep stirring, add the brinjals and keep stirring, add the potatoes and keep stirring on high heat till small brown specs start appearing on the skin of capsicum and brinjal and on the potatoes. Add ½ tsp salt cover the lid and keep cooking for a minute on high heat. Be careful not to burn the vegetables. Open the lid stir once close lid and simmer the flame and cook with lid covered for 2 minutes. Make sure all the vegetables are cooked well. Then transfer it to a different bowl to cool slightly and keep the lid closed.

You might think this step is too lengthy but it’s important to seal the edges of the vegetables so they don’t start melting when you boil in the gravy. Traditionally, the brinjals are deep fried in oil. But I use this method which gives it the same taste but not the excess oil.

In a large mixer grinder dry grind the roasted spice, once they and coarsely ground, add the onions and grated coconut, dry grin, then add water little at a time to grind it to a fine paste.

In the same pan heat 1 tbsp. oil, add the ground masala and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the tamarind paste and bring to a boil. Add the vegetables. And stir well. Add water little at a time. Adjust salt and consistency using more water if required.

Close lid and cook on low flame for 8-10 minutes.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Kaju Paneer Pasanda

Kaju Paneer Pasanda – Indian curry with rich gravy and crispy cashwnuts and moist paneer. This can be served with roti, naan or our special Chilly Cheese Naan.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves: 3-4 people

Ingredients	Quantity
Cottage cheese (paneer)	400 grams
Cashewnuts	15-20
Onions chopped	2 medium
Coconut grated	1tbsp
Ginger chopped	1 inch piece
Garlic chopped	2-3 cloves
Fresh coriander leaves chopped	a few sprigs
Kashmiri red chillies	5-6
Poppy seeds(khus khus)	1tbsp
Cumin seeds	1tsp
Coriander seeds	1tbsp
Cloves	2
Cinnamon	1 inch stick
Oil	3 tablespoons
Tomato puree	1 cup
Sugar	1tsp
Salt	to taste
Kasoori Methi(optional)	½ tsp

Method

Cut cottage cheese into one and a half inch sized cubes. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai and shallow fry the cottage cheese cubes till light golden. Drain onto an absorbent paper and immediately drop them into a bowl of warm water to keep the paneer moist.

Shallow fry cashewnuts in the same oil till light golden. Drain onto an absorbent paper and keep aside.

Dry roast kashmiri red chilies along with poppy seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cloves and cinnamon. Combine onion, coconut, ginger, garlic, coriander leaves, kashmiri red chilies, poppy seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, cinnamon and sunflower seeds and grind to a paste using little water. 

Heat three tablespoons of oil in a pan, add the ground paste and fry for four to five minutes till oil separates from the masala. Add tomato puree, sugar, salt and half cup of water and continue to simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes or till gravy is thick. 

Add the cottage cheese and cashewnuts and cook further for a minute. Gently stir in the fresh cream. Garnish with kasoori methi. Serve hot.

Mushroom Ghee Roast

Mushroom Ghee Roast is a Mangalorean dish made from grated coconut, tamarind, and cashew nut gravy simmered in ghee taking the gravy to a whole new level. I generally serve it with Chilly Cheese Naan.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 Minutes

Serves: 4 people

Recipe Courtesy: Sanjana Pai

Ingredients	Quantity
Button Mushrooms	200 gms
Ghee	1 tbsp + 1 tsp
Oil	1 tbsp
Onions (finely chopped)	1 cup
Cashew nuts	50 gms
Coconut Grated	½ cup or 100 gms
Kashmir Red Chilies	5-6 whole
Tamarind Paste	½ tbsp
Salt	to taste

Method

Wash mushrooms and pat dry using paper towel. Chop into bite sized pieces.

Grind together coconut, cashew nuts, red chilies into a smooth paste, adding very little water.

Heat 1 tbsp ghee and oil in a non-stick pan. Once hot, add onions and fry for a minute. Add half a teaspoon of salt and fry till onions are soft but not brown. Now add the ground coconut masala. Mix and fry till oil separates from the gravy (appoximately10 minutes). Now add the tamarind paste. Cook till tamarind paste blends into the gravy.

Add chopped mushrooms to this gravy, mix and keep frying till mushrooms are slightly soft. Add water little at a time. Cook the gravy till mushrooms are cooked completely and keep frying till oil separates from the gravy. Adjust salt. Add a teaspoon of ghee and fry for just one minute.

Serve hot with Neer Dosa, Appam, Rice or Roti.

Magic Mushroom Masala

Mushrooms are used extensively in cooking, in many cuisines like Chinese, Korean, European, and Japanese. Though neither meat nor vegetable, mushrooms are known as the "meat" of the vegetable world. Mushrooms are very rich in fiber, vitamin D, vitamins C, etc. hence it provides good nutritional value.

Ingredients	Quantity
Mushroom (each diced into 4 )	1 cup (boiled  and grated)
Onions (finely chopped)	1cup
Tomato (finely chopped)	1 medium
Capsicum (small diced)	1 small
Cashew nuts	1tbsp
Green chilies	2-3
Salt	to taste
Maggie masala-e-magic	1 packet
Ginger garlic paste	1tsp
Oil	2 ½ tbsp

Method

In a pan heat 1 tbsp oil and add the mushrooms and sauté on high heat for 2-3 minutes. Take out from pan and keep aside.
Grind together cashew nuts, 1/2 cup onion and 1/4 cup water and 1 green chilly to a smooth paste.

In the same pan heat remaining oil and add 1/2 cup onions and 1/2 tsp salt. Sauté on medium flame till onions are lightly brown. Add slit Green chilies and fry for a minute. Add tomatoes and fry till tomatoes are cooked say for about 3-5 minutes. Add ginger garlic paste lower the flame to low and sauté for 2 minutes. Add capsicum and fry for 2 minutes. Now add the ground onion paste and salt. Sauté on low flame till raw smell goes from the onions. Add a teaspoon of water if you find the masala is sticking to the pan.

Now add masala-e-magic powder and fry for a minute. Add mushrooms and mix well. Add 1/2 cup of water to make the gravy. Cook on low flame for 10-12 minutes.

Serve hot with roti.

Points to remember

ü  To enhance the flavor you can add a tablespoon of cream to the gravy in the end. 

ü  You can also use an extra tablespoon of oil while frying the onions. This help to avoid the masala     from sticking to the pan.