Drinks

1. Simple Masala Tea

INGREDIENTS

1. Water ½ cup

2. Tea powder ½ spoon

3. Ginger- small piece

4. Ajwain ( Ayamodhagam )- ½ teaspoon

5. Cardamom -2

6. Sugar

7. Milk ½ cup

Preparation

Boil the water with tea powder, milk, ginger, ajwain, sugar and cardamom. When tea is done, sieve it and serve hot.

2. Avacado drink

INGREDIENTS

1. Avacado fruit

2. Milk ½ cup

3. Water ¼ cup

4. Sugar

5. Cardamom seeds.

Preparation

Take the flesh inside the avacado fruit, mix it with milk, sugar, seeds inside cardomom and required water in a mixer grinder. Delicious avacado drink is ready to serve chilled.

Sweet Dishes

Deserts


1.Rava Kesari

INGREDIENTS

1.Rava – 3 cup
2.Ghee – 1 1/2Cup
3.Sugar – 2 cup
4.Water – 7 cups
5.Cardamom - 2

Preparation

1.Make the sugar syrup using sugar, water and cardamom. Simmer it slowly until it gets thick.
2.Add ghee into a hot pan, now add the rava into it. Roast it by continuously stirring it until it starts changing its colour.
3.Now add this roasted rava into the sugar syrup. And keep stirring it for some time until it takes the form of a kesari.
4.Grease a plate with ghee and add the kesari into it. Allow it to cool and then it can be cut into shapes as desired.

2. Simple Ghee pak

INGREDIENTS

1.Besan – 1 cup
2.Ghee – 1 cup
3.Sugar -2 cup
4.Water 3 ½ cup

Preparation

1.Make the sugar syrup by simmering the sugar and water. Let it simmer until it gets thick
2.Mix the besan and ghee very well together, so that there are no lumps formed.
3.When the sugar syrup is thick, add the besan- ghee mixture into it.
4.Keep stirring it for about 15 minutes until there are big bubbles coming.
5.Grease a plate with ghee and the pak can be allowed to cool. It can now be cut into desired shapes.

Breakfast dishes

1. Dosa & Idli batter preparation

INGREDIENTS

1. Uzhunnu ( Urad dal ) 1 cup – soaked for 7 hrs

2. Pachari – ( Raw rice )3 cup – soaked for 7 hrs

3. Cooked rice 1 tablespoon( choru ) or chowari 1 teaspoon( sabudhana )

4. Salt

Preparation

Grind the uzhunnu with required amount of added water in a mixer grinder. Then separately grind the raw rice with water and some choru or chowari. Mix both of them thoroughly. And leave it overnight.

The next day it can be used as batter for idli and dosa can be made day after. Dilute the batter with required water and add salt before making dosa or idli. Served best with chutney or sambar

2. Velleppam batter preparation

INGREDIENTS

1. Raw rice ( Pachari )– 3 cups ( soaked for 7 hrs )

2. Grated coconut- ½ cup

3. Cooked rice ( choru) -1 tablespoon

4. Yeast - ½ teaspoon soaked in hot water.

5. Salt

Preparation

Grind the pachari in a mixer grinder with added water, grated coconut and choru. When grinded perfectly, add the soaked yeast into ti and leave the batter overnight.

The next day the batter can be used diluted if required and with added salt, for making crispy vellepams. Served best with egg curry or kadala curry.

3. Neer dosa ( An easy appam that need not be kept overnight )

INGREDIENTS

1. Raw rice ( Pachari )- 2 cup soaked for 7 hrs

2. Small onion -3

3. Grated coconut ½ cup

4. Cooked rice ( choru ) - 1 tablespoon

5. Salt

6. Jeera- 1 teaspoon

Preparation

Grind the raw rice, small onion, grated coconut, choru with required water in a mixer grinder. The batter when perfectly grinded can be used for preparing neer dosa instantly by adding salt and jeera.

Thin dosas can be prepared fast on a hot tawa by using the batter. Can be served with kadala curry or cherupayar curry.

4. Upma ( Rava / Vermicelli )

INGREDIENTS

1. Rava ( Semolina ) - 2 cup

2. Mustard seeds

3. Chopped onion

4. Chopped green chilly

5. Chopped ginger

6. Curry leaves

7. Oil

8. Salt

Preparation

1. Initially roast the rava for sometime in a hot pan until it turns slightly brown. Allow it to cool

2. Heat oil in a pan. Splutter the mustard seeds. Add the chopped ginger, onion, curry leaves and green chilly

3. When sautéed add 4 cups of water and add required salt. Allow it to come to a boil.

4. When fully boiled, slowly add the roasted rava into the boiling water. Keep stirring until the upma is cooked.

The same recipe of rava upma can also be tried with vermicelli( semiya ) by roasting vermilli before hand. In that case water can be used a little less of about 1 ½ cups. If you prefer your rava upma to be coloured a little bit of turmeric powder can be added when the water boils.

5. Puri- Potato bhaji

INGREDIENTS

1. Atta – 2 cups

2. Ajwain ( Ayamodhagam ) 1 teaspoon

3. Salt

4. Water

Preparation

Mix the dough very well with atta, salt, ajwain using required amount of water. Roll it into small puris and deep fry in oil.

For bhaji curry

1. Heat oil in a pan. Splutter the mustards seeds and jeera.

2. Now add the chopped garlic, ginger, green chilly and onion. Stir fry

3. Add turmeric powder and add required water and salt. Bring it to boil

4. Now add the cooked and mashed potatoes into it. Cook it well. Add some tomato purée or chopped tomatoes. If tomato is not your preference you can also add lemon juice into the bhaji as well.

5. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with puri.

6. Simple paratha using atta

INGREDIENTS

1. Atta - 3 cup

2. Butter – 4 tablespoon

3. Oil – 2 tablespoon

4. Salt to taste

Preparation

Make the dough using atta, butter, salt, oil and required amount of water.

For Rolling

1. Make a small ball using the dough.

2. Roll the ball into a circle. Now apply oil onto the side up. And fold the circle into the semi circle.

3. Again apply oil onto the half. And fold it once again to form a triangle.

4. Now roll it into a paratha.

5. Heat the tawa hot and get the paratha cooked using ghee or butter as preferred.

Chutneys and Pickles

1. Coconut chutney ( For dosa and idli )

INGREDIENTS

1. Grated coconut -1cup

2. Green chilly -2

3. Ginger ( Small piece )

4. Small onion -3

5. Salt to taste

6. Tadka : Oil, mustard seeds, Whole red chilly, Curry leaves

Preparation

1. Grind all the ingredients 1-5 together in a mixer grinder with added water.

2. Garnish with tadka : Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds, whole red chilly and curry leaves.

2. Coconut chutney with thattu kada quality ( Best for Dosa and idli )

INGREDIENTS

1. Grated coconut – 1 cup

2. Green chilly – 2

3. Kadala parippu ( Daria Dal ) - 1 tablespoon

4. Curd – 1 tablespoon

5. Salt to taste

6. Tadka : Oil, mustard seeds, Whole red chilly, Curry leaves

Preparation

1. Grind all the ingredients 1-5 in a mixer grinder with added salt.

2. For the tadka : Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds, whole red chilly and curry leaves.

3. Coconut chammanthi ( Best with rice )

INGREDIENTS

1. Grated coconut – 1 cup

2. Whole red chilly or broken red chilly pieces – Roasted in coconut oil ( It can also be roasted without oil )

3. Ginger

4. Small onion

5. Salt to taste

6. Curry leaves

7. Tamarind ( valam puli )

Preparation

Grind all the ingredients in a mixer grinder, without adding water. Tasty chammanthi is ready to served with rice or kanji.

4. Coriander chutney

INGREDIENTS

1. Coriander leaves

2. Green chilly

3. Tomato

4. Small onion

5. Salt to taste

Preparation

Grind all the ingredients together in a mixer grinder with little bit of water. Coriander chutney can be served with rice.

For dosa or idli, the same recipe can be used with tomato substituted with tamarind.

5. Pudina chutney

INGREDIENTS

1. Pudina leaves ( Mint )

2. Green chilly

3. Tamarind

4. Small onion

5. Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Stir fry the pudina leaves in a little oil.

2. Then grind it along with the other ingredients, in a mixer grinder, with little bit of added water. Pudina chutney is ready to serve.

6. Tomato Chutney

INGREDIENTS

1. Tomato - 5

2. Onion -1

3. Oil

4. Mustard seeds

5. Chilly powder

6. Curry leaves

7. Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a pan. Stir fry half of the chopped onion, and the chopped tomatoes. Sauté it for some time. Allow it to cool. Grind the mixture in a mixer grinder with added water and make it into a paste.

2. Heat some more oil in a pan. Splutter the mustard seeds and curry leaves.

3. Add some more chopped onion and stir fry.

4. Now add the fine paste of the chutney.

5. Add required salt and chilly powder.

6. Allow it to boil and serve hot with idli or dosa.

7. Tamarind Chutney ( Good with samosa )

INGREDIENTS

1. Tamarind extract ½ cup ( If you have tamarind syrup, just dilute it with added water )

2. Chilly powder ½ teaspoon

3. Sugar 1 tablespoon

4. Hing ( Kayam ) a pinch

5. Jeera ½ teaspoon

6. Ginger powder ½ teaspoon

Preparation

Take the thick tamarind extract in hot water, simmer it under gas until it gets thick. And add the other ingredients. The tamarind chutney is ready to serve with hot samosa

8. Mango pickle

INGREDIENTS

1. Mango ( Chopped ) ( marinated in salt and chilly powder in advance )

2. Fenugreek ( Uluva )

3. Gingerly oil

4. Coconut oil

5. Mustard seeds

6. Green chilly

7. Curry leaves

8. Salt

9. Vinegar

10. Hing ( Kayam )

Preparation

1. Heat the gingerly oil and coconut oil in a pan

2. Splutter the mustard seeds. Add the fenugreek seeds and let it splutter too.

3. Add the green chilly, curry leaves and sauté.

4. Now add the chopped and marinated mangoes. Add chilly powder and salt ( if you have achar powder, can also add that at this point )

5. Add little bit water if required. Let it simmer for sometime.

6. Now switch off the gas and leave it to cool. Add some vinegar and hing ( kayam ). ( When the achar stays for longer, you might have to add some salt )

Salads

1. Green Apple salad

INDREDRIENTS

1. Green Apple - Chopped

2. Onion – Chopped

3. Capsicum – chopped

4. Coriander leaves

5. Curd

6. Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Mix very well the chopped green apple, onion and capsicum with the coriander leaves and salt.

2. Add the curd into the salad. And serve chilled

2. Pomegranate salad ( Anar salad – gives your salad a beautiful pink colour )

INGREDIENTS

1. Pomegranate seeds taken out

2. Chopped onion

3. Chopped coriander leaves

4. Salt to taste

5. Curd

Preparation

1. Mix the pomegranate seeds, chopped onion, chopped coriander leaves and salt.

2. Add the curd to the salad and serve chilled.

3. Tomato Salad ( An easy recipe of a simple small quantity salad which can be prepared within no time, but it can substitute the greatest dishes and hence add taste to your lunch )

INGREDIENTS

1. Chopped tomatoes

2. Chopped shallots ( Small onion)

3. Chopped green chilly

4. Salt to taste

5. Chopped ginger

6. Coconut oil

Preparation

1. Mix very well the chopped tomatoes, chopped small onion, chopped green chilly, chopped ginger and leave aside

2. Just before serving add salt and coconut oil and mix really well. Have it with steaming hot rice.

4. Raitha

INGREDIENTS

1. Chopped onion

2. Chopped cucumber

3. Chopped carrots

4. Chopped green chilly

5. Salt to taste

6. Curd

7. Chat masala

Preparation

1. Mix the chopped onion, cucumber, carrots, and green chilly together very well.

2. Add curd and salt to taste

3. Add a pinch chat masala to make a difference.

Non vegetarian dishes

1. Chicken Curry

INGREDIENTS

1. Chicken washed and cleaned. ( Marinated in ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, Chilly powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder and salt )

2. Tomato purée- 4 whole tomatoes ( into a fine paste )

3. Oil -4 tablespoon

4. Ginger- Garlic Paste- 3 teaspoon

5. Chopped green chilly- 4

6. Turmeric powder -¼ teaspoon

7. Chilly powder -1/2 tablespoon

8. Coriander powder – 1 tablespoon

9. Salt to taste

10. Coriander leaves to garnish

11. Pudina leaves to garnish

12. Capsicum ( Optional )

13. Garam masala –( freshly and coarsely grounded cloves, Peppercorn, Black cumin seeds ( Shahi jeera ), Cinnamon ).

14. Fried onion to garnish

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a pan and add the ginger- garlic paste, chopped green chilly and sauté.

2. When the raw smell disappears add the tomato purée and sauté it for some time.

3. Now add the turmeric, chilly and coriander powder into the purée and stir fry the masala until the oil comes separate.

4. When the masala is fully cooked add the chicken pieces into it and add water and salt as required. Leave the chicken to cook well.

5. When cooked add the grounded garam masala over the curry and bring it to boil.

6. Garnish the curry with coriander leaves, mint leaves, and fried onions. If preferred we can also add capsicum stir fried in oil to the curry for taste. The tasty chicken curry is ready to serve.

2. Chicken curry cooked in roasted coconut paste

INGREDIENTS

1. Chicken pieces ( marinated in turmeric powder, chilly powder and salt. )

2. Chopped ginger

3. Chopped garlic

4. Chopped green chilly

5. Sliced Onion

6. Turmeric powder- ½ teaspoon

7. Chilly powder-1/2 tablespoon

8. Coriander powder- 1 tablespoon

9. Garam masala -1 tablespoon

10. Whole red chilly

11. Curry leaves

12. Grated coconut

13. Pepper balls

14. Coconut oil.

15. Salt to taste

Preparation

Roast the grated coconut, whole red chilly, pepper balls and curry leaves in a pan until it turns into a golden brown colour. Grind the mixture very well in a mixer grinder and make it to a fine paste.

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add the chopped ginger and garlic and saute.

2. Now add the sliced onions, chopped green chilly and stir fry it until the onion turns golden brown.

3. Add the turmeric, chilly, coriander and garam masala into the pan and stir fry it until the masalas are fully cooked. Add water if required.

4. Now add the marinated chicken into the masala and leave it to cook with added salt.

5. When the chicken pieces are sautéed , add salt, the roasted coconut paste into it. When the chicken is fully cooked in the roasted coconut paste, add some curry leaves.

6. After a boil switch off the gas. The chicken curry is now ready to serve.

3. Egg masala

INGREDIENTS

1. Eggs -4 ( Boiled, cooked and de shelled )

2. Chopped ginger

3. Chopped garlic

4. Chopped green chilly

5. Chopped Onion

6. Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon

7. Chilly powder -1/2 tablespoon

8. Coriander powder -½ tablespoon

9. Egg masala or chicken masala - ½ tablespoon ( Optional )

10. Salt

11. Oil

12. Coriander leaves

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onion and sauté.

2. Then add the chopped ginger, garlic and green chilly. Sauté them.

3. Add the turmeric powder, chilly, coriander and egg masala powder into the pan

4. Stir fry the masala very well and cook the masala with required salt and water.

5. When the curry boils add the eggs half slitted into the curry.

6. Garnish with coriander leaves and egg masala is ready to serve.

If preferred add some tomato sauce into the curry.

You can also try for egg curry recipe using the same recipe by adding coconut mik into the curry. But in that case the coriander leaves is substituted by curry leaves and the coconut milk should not be added when the curry is at boil.

4. Squid- Oyster thoran ( Kanava- kakka thoran )

INGREDIENTS

1. Squid – cleaned and chopped

2. Mussels – cleaned

3. Grated coconut

4. Small onion-3

5. Green chilly

6. Ginger

7. Curry leaves

8. Pepper powder

9. Coconut Oil

Preparation

1. Mix the grated coconut, small onion, green chilly and ginger in to a coarse paste in a mixer grinder.

2. Mix the paste with the cleaned and washed raw squid and oyster very well using hands and keep it aside.

3. Heat coconut oil in a pan and add the mixture into the oil. Leave it to cook with added salt and pepper powder. ( Keep stirring the mixture or it might burn )

4. When the mixture is fully cooked garnish with curry leaves and is ready to serve.

5. Tuna Thoran ( choora thoran )

INGREDIENTS

1. Fish tuna ( Cooked and chopped into fine pieces. If canned-2 tins, drain the water away.)

2. Kudam puli -3 soaked in hot water ( Gamboges )

3. Chopped small onion

4. Chopped green chilly

5. Chopped garlic

6. Chopped ginger

7. Turmeric powder

8. Chilly powder

9. Pepper powder

10. Salt to taste

11. Curry leaves

12. Coconut oil

Preparation

1. Heat coconut oil in a pan. Add the chopped onions, garlic, ginger, green chilly and curry leaves to sauté.

2. When sautéed, add the tuna fish. Cook it with added salt.

3. Remove the extract from the kudam puli and put only the kudam puli into the dish. Do not use the extract.

4. Add the turmeric powder, chilly powder and pepper powder and stir fry.

5. Leave the fish to cook. Stir it at intervals or it might burn. When the fish is fully cooked, it is ready to serve.

6. Fish Curry ( meen mulakku vachathu )

INGREDIENTS

1. Fish ( cleaned )

2. Mustard seeds

3. Chopped onion

4. Green chilly -slitted

5. Chopped ginger

6. Chilly powder

7. Turmeric powder

8. Tomato

9. Kudam puli ( Gamboges ) or valam puli ( Tamarind )as prefered

10. Salt to taste

11. Curry leaves

12. Oil

13. Uluva ( Fenugreek -roasted and grounded )

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a traditional chatti if available, or a thick bottomed pan. Splutter the mustard seeds

2. Add the chopped onion, ginger, curry leaves and slitted green chillies.

3. When sautéed, add the turmeric powder, chilly powder. Also add the tomatoes and cook the masala very well.

4. Add the tamarind extract now into the curry. If kudam puli is used, extra water need to be added for the gravy.

5. Bring the curry to a boil with added salt.

6. When curry is boiled for some time, add the fish pieces. Leave the curry to simmer until the fish is fully cooked.

7. Before taking out of the gas, also add the fenugreek powder. The spicy meen mulakku vachathu is ready to serve.

7. Fish curry cooked in coconut

INGREDIENTS

1. Fish ( cleaned )

2. Chopped onion

3. Chopped tomato

4. Ginger

5. Slitted green chilly

6. Turmeric powder

7. Chilly powder

8. Grated coconut

9. Salt

10. Kudam puli ( Gamboges ) or valam puli (Tamarind )as prefered

11. Fenugreek powder ( Uluva Powder )

12. For tadka : Chopped small onion, Mustard seeds, curry leaves.

Preparation

1. Grind the grated coconut with turmeric and chilly powder into a fine paste.

2. Mix the sliced onion, chopped tomato, green chilly, Chopped ginger, Salt and the coconut paste with the tamarind extract or the kudam puli with added water as prefered, in a chatti. Mix the ingredients very well with the hands.

3. Now switch on the gas and let the mixture cook very well.

4. When the gravy is cooked to perfection, add the fish pieces.

5. Simmer until the fish is cooked. Now add the fenugreek powder.

6. When cooked remove it from gas and do the tadka : Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds, chopped small onion and curry leaves.

Rice Recipes

Delicious Rice Dishes

1. Ghee rice

INGREDIENTS

1. The whole spices – Cloves, Bay leaves, Peppercorn, Black cumin seeds ( Shahi jeera ), Cinnamon, Cardamom, Nutmeg, Star anise.

2. Basmati Rice – 3 cups ( Soak the rice for half an hour time. For 3 cups of rice we will need 6 cups for water while cooking.)

3. Sliced onion

4. Salt to taste

5. Ghee

6. Ginger paste

7. Raisin

8. Cashew nuts

Preparation

1. Heat a pan and add 4 big dollops of Desi Ghee. Add all the whole spices and sauté

2. Now add the sliced onion and ginger paste and sauté, until the onion turns golden brown.

3. Remove the water from the soaked rice and add to the pan. Saute for a few minutes.

4. Now add the water required and salt to taste and leave it to cook.

5. After the rice is cooked to perfection, leave it aside and heat another pan and fry some onions, cashew nuts and raisins in ghee.

6. Garnish the rice with the fried nuts and golden brown onion.

2. Vegetable Pulav

INGREDIENTS

1. The whole spices – Cloves, Bay leaves, Peppercorn, Black cumin seeds ( Shahi jeera ), Cinnamon, Cardamom, Nutmeg, Star anise.

2. Basmati rice- 3 cups ( Soak the rice for half an hour time. For 3 cups of rice we will need 6 cups for water while cooking.)

3. Vegetables required are chopped carrots and cooked green peas.

4. Coriander leaves to garnish

5. Salt to taste

6. Chopped onion

7. Ghee

8. Cashew nuts

9. Raisins

Preparation

1. Heat 2 tablespoon of ghee in a pan and add the whole spices and saute

2. Add the chopped vegetables and add a pinch of salt and leave it to cook.

3. When the vegetables are sautéed add the rice and fry it for a few minutes

4. Now add the required water, salt to taste and leave it to cook.

5. When the rice is cooked to perfection, heat ghee in another pan and fry the chopped onion until golden brown, the cashew nuts and the raisins.

6. Garnish the cooked pulav with coriander leaves, fried nuts and raisins.

3. Curd rice

INGREDIENTS

1. Basmati rice- 3 cups ( cooked )

2. Curd

3. Coconut oil

4. Mustard seeds

5. Whole red chilly

6. Curry leaves

7. Salt to taste

8. Pomegranate seeds and green grapes ( Optional )

9. Cashew nuts and raisins ( Optional )

Preparation

1. To the cooked rice add curd, salt and mix very well. Adding pomegranate seeds or chopped green grapes to make it rich is opional

2. Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a pan. Splutter the mustard seeds. Add the whole red chilly and curry leaves.

3. Add these fried things into the curd rice.

4. Fried nuts and raisins can also be added but which is again optional.

4. Khichdi ( An easy to prepare rice dish, also good for health)

INGREDIENTS

1. Rice-1/2 cup soaked

2. Dal – 1 cup soaked ( Can reduce the amount of dal as required)

3. Oil or ghee-2 tablespoon

4. Jeera

5. Hing (Kayam)

6. Pepper Powder

7. Curry leaves

8. Salt

Preparation

1. Cook the rice and dal together with added salt and keep with aside when cooked.

2. Heat oil in a small pan and put the jeera, hing, curry leaves and pepper powder into it.

3. Add the mixture into the rice and mix well. Khichdi is ready to serve with raita or pickle

5. Tomato rice

INGREDIENTS

1. Oil

2. Mustard seeds

3. Ginger chopped

4. Garlic chopped

5. Green chilli chopped

6. Onion- 2 chopped

7. Tomato- 6 chopped

8. Salt

9. Turmeric powder-1/4 teaspoon

10. Chilly powder-1 tablespoon

11. Coriander powder ½ tablespoon

12. Garam masala-1/4 teaspoon

13. Cooked rice-2 cups

14. Coriander leaves to garnish

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds.

2. Add ginger, garlic, green chilly and saute. Then add the onion and stir fry.

3. Add the tomatoes, turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt

4. Stir fry until tomatoes are cooked.

5. Add the cooked masala into the cooked rice and mix very well. Garnish with coriander leaves. Tomato rice is ready to serve.

6. Egg Fried Rice

INGREDIENTS

1. Eggs – 5

2. Soya sauce

3. Salt

4. Oil

5. Onion chopped

6. Green chilly chopped

7. Garlic chopped

8. Rice 2 cups ( For the egg fried rice it would give good results, if the rice is cooked and refrigerated before hand )

9. Coriander leaves

Preparation

1. Beat the eggs with added salt and soya sauce

2. Heat oil in a pan and crumble the egg till cooked. Keep it aside

3. Heat some more oil and sauté onion, green chilly and garlic. Add the crumbled eggs when sautéed.

4. Now add the cooked rice, a little bit of oil and soya sauce. Mix well

5. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

7. Fish Biriyani

INGREDIENTS

For the rice

1. The whole spices – Cloves, Bay leaves, Peppercorn, Black cumin seeds ( Shahi jeera ), Cinnamon, Cardamom, Nutmeg, Star anise.

2. Basmati Rice – 3 cups ( Soak the rice for half an hour time. For 3 cups of rice we will need 6 cups for water while cooking.)

3. Sliced onion

4. Salt to taste

5. Ghee

6. Ginger paste

7. Raisin

8. Cashew nuts

For the Fish masala

1. King Fish -4 pieces( Marinated in salt, chilly and turmeric powder. )

2. Oil

3. Onion- 8 sliced

4. Green chilly

5. Ginger

6. Garlic

7. Tomato-2 sliced

8. Garam Masala powder

9. Salt

10. Coriander leaves and fried onion to garnish

Preparation

For rice

1. Heat a pan and add 4 big dollops of Desi Ghee. Add all the whole spices and sauté

2. Now add the sliced onion and ginger paste and sauté, until the onion turns golden brown.

3. Remove the water from the soaked rice and add to the pan. Saute for a few minutes.

4 .Now add the water required and salt to taste and leave it to cook.

5. After the rice is cooked to perfection, leave it aside and heat another pan and fry some onions, cashew nuts and raisins in ghee.

For Fish masala

1. Heat oil in a pan and fry the marinated fish in oil and keep it aside.

2. Take the excess oil from the pan so as to prepare the masala in the same pan.

3. Add onions to the pan and sauté.

4. Make paste of ginger,garlic and green chilly and add it.

5. When sautéed add the tomatoes, salt and the garam masala powder.

6. When the raw smell of masala disappears and the masala is cooked, add the fried fish into the masala, and cover the fish with the masala.

For the final serving, take half of the rice out and stuff the fish masala in between. And fill up the rest of the rice. And garnish with fried onions, cashews, raisins and coriander leaves. Leave the rice closed tight and open it at the time of serving only.

The same recipe can also be tried with prawns, fishes like salmon for delicious biriyani's.

8. Simple Prawn biriyani

INGREDIENTS

1. Prawn ( marinated in salt, chilly powder, turmeric powder, ginger-garlic paste and lemon juice )

2. Onion -6 sliced

3. Green chilly -4 chopped

4. Chopped ginger and garlic

5. Chilly powder

6. Turmeric powder

7. Garam masala powder

8. Salt

9. Tomatoes 2 chopped

10. The whole spices – Cloves, Bay leaves, Peppercorn, Black cumin seeds ( Shahi jeera ), Cinnamon, Cardamom, Nutmeg, Star anise.

11. Oil or ghee as preference

12. Fried onion, cashew and raisins ( Optional)

13. Coriander leaves to garnish

14. Rice 2 cups soaked in water.

Preparation

1. Cook the rice with added salt and lemon juice and keep it aside. ( If yellow colour is preferred we can add a pinch of turmeric powder while cooking or else the white colour can be retained )

2. Fry the marinated prawns in oil and keep it aside.

3. In the same oil add all the whole spices ( as on availability though ) and sauté.

4. Add the sliced onion, green chilly and garlic- ginger paste and sauté.

5. When cooked add the tomatoes, chilly powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and salt.

6. When masala seems cooked, add the fried prawns into it.

For the final serving, take half of the rice out and stuff the prawn masala in between. And fill up the rest of the rice. And garnish with fried onions, cashews, raisins and coriander leaves. Leave the rice closed tight and open it at the time of serving only.