Navratri Special Recipes

Happy Navratri and Durga Puja to all my Friends :)

India is a land of festivals and festivals are incomplete without mouth watering dishes.

Festivals in India are incomplete without delicious food, and Navratri is no exception. Navratri is a long festival, which is celebrated continuously for nine days and celebrated with a variety of dishes. Therefore, a variety of dishes are made and served during this festival. Since, in most of the communities, people observe fast during Navratri and eat only one meal a day at sunset, the Navratri meal has special courses and is strictly vegetarian. Even onion and garlic are not allowed in the dishes.

Couple of my friends keep fast on this nine days festival, there are specific recipes which are made only with the ingredients used in the fast. Aloo is one such ingredient which is commonly used in the recipes for Navratri fasts.

Today I have given a special recipe for Aloo Pulao and Aloo Raita, which you can prepare during Navratri fasts. It is very easy dish to prepare with all day kitchen ingredients and delicious to taste.

Aloo Peas Pulao

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice / Jeera Rice - 2 cup

Potato - 2 large (peeled, half boiled and cut to cube pieces)

Peas - 1 cup

Water - 4 cups

Green chillies- 2 nos (slit to half)

Turmeric - ½ tsp

red chilli powder - ½ tsp

Cardamom - 3 nos

Cloves - 5 nos

Cinnamon - 1 stick

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Preparation:

- Heat ghee in a pan, crackle cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and cumin seeds.

- Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, slit green chillies and fry for a sec.

- Add the half cooked potato, peas, salt and saute for few minutes.

- Add the washed rice, cooked masala, water and pour it into an electric rice cooker or cook the rice for 20 minutes in a microwave oven. On cooking stove, cover the cooking pan and let simmer for 15-20 minutes on low flame.

- Serve hot with Raita or Curd Salad.

Note:

- Adjust spice adding more green chilies if desired.

- When cooking potato pulao on a cooking stove, please do not cook potatoes and peas earlier. They will get cooked with the rice on low flame.

Aloo Raita

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 3 nos (peeled, boiled and cut to 1 inch cube pieces)

Curd - 2 cup (beaten well)

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Pepper powder - ½ tsp (white or black)

Red chilli powder - ½ tsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - 1 tbsp (for tempering)

Preparation:

- Boil cut potatoes with salt and black pepper powder.

- In a bowl add the boiled cut potatoes, curd and mix well.

- Heat oil a kadai, splutter cumin seeds, pepper powder, red chilli powder and fry for a sec.

- Add the above mixture to the potato curd and mix well. Add salt to taste.

- Aloo Raita is ready to serve with Poori and Pulao.

Note:

- You can either use white or black pepper powder or black pepper corns.

- Adjust salt and spice as per taste.

- The best taste is serving this dish after refrigerating for at least half hour.

Malabar Beef Biryani

Malabar Beef Biryani is an all time favorite for all at home. There are different variations of Biryani in an around India. Beef Biryani is tried and tasted as the best Biryani towards Malabar side. I love preparing this dish once in two weeks for sure. The recipe and ingredients is very simple compared to any variants of Biryani. So, take a little time out and try this at home today. Our lunch for today is Beef Biryani for sure. Enjoyee...

Ingredients:

For Beef Masala

Beef - ¾ kg (cleaned and cut to cube pieces)

Onions - 3 medium (sliced)

Ginger paste- 1 tbsp

Garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Green chilli paste - 2 tbsp

Tomatoes - 2 medium (sliced)

Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp

Red chilli powder - ½ tsp

Garam masala powder - ½ tsp

Black pepper powder - 1 tbsp

Curd - ½ cup

Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

For the Rice

Jeera rice - 2 cups

Water - 3 cups

Onions - 1 large (thin slices)

Cinnamon - 1 stick

Cloves - 5 nos

Salt - to taste

Ghee - 4 tbs (for cooking)

Garnishing

Onion - 1 large (cut into thin slices- optional)

Cashew nuts - 20 nos

Raisins - 20 nos

Ghee - 2 tsp

- Pour ghee in a kadai and fry onion to golden brown color and keep aside (make sure the onions are not burnt).

- In the same pan roast cashews and raisins and keep aside.

Preparation: Rice

- Wash and drain the rice well and keep aside.

- In a vessel, pour 3 tbsp of ghee and let hot. Add cinnamon, cloves and cardamom and saute for a sec. Add few onion slices and saute till translucent.

- Add the 3 cup washed rice to the vessel and fry the rice till soft. Add warm water (6 cups of water), salt, little lime juice and let the rice cook with lid on. Once the rice is cooked, keep aside.

Preparation: Beef masala

- Heat oil in a cooker, add onions and saute till translucent.

- Add ginger paste, garlic paste, green chilli paste and fry well for a minute or two. Now add tomatoes and saute well.

- Add turmeric, red chilli, garam masala, pepper powder, salt and saute for a minute.

- Add the cleaned cut beef, curd, lemon juice and mix well. Check salt at this stage. (Do not add water)

- Cook beef on medium flame for about 10 - 12 whistles and keep aside.

Now the rice and gravy is prepared for the Biryani. Next we will have to keep the biryani on Dum, this is where we actually get the taste of biryani. This is called the layering process of the biryani

- Take a flat bottom vessel, wipe the bottom and sides of the vessel with ghee (at least 2 tbsp)

- Layering the biryani - Take the biryani rice and and layer it to the bottom on the vessel, sprinkle little garam masala powder, add a layer of beef masala and layer with rice again. Repeat the same for another 2 layering.

- Put the fried onions, cashew nuts and raisins on the biryani rice and close lid and let dum for 10 minutes on low flame.

- Open the lid after 5 minutes, our delicious Beef Biryani is ready to serve.

- The best combination for Biryani would be Salad, Dates or Mango pickle.

Note:

- Rice water ratio is 1:2 (1 cup of rice to 2 cup of water)

- Salt, green chilli and sourness of the lime can be adjusted to taste.

- No water is added while cooking the beef masala. You will get enough water from the onions.

- While frying onions for garnishing, make sure it is not burnt. It should be golden brown in color.

- I have not added fresh coriander and friend onions for this dish instead added loads of raisins and cashews. Coriander leaves can be added if required. It actually enhances the taste.

Peas Pulav

Peas Pulav is a easy and simple yet tasty pulav to prepare. This is one of my favorite dish and love this dish cooked at home or in restaurants. This is a North Indian recipe prepared with peas and basmati rice and a famous dish too.. This a vegetarian dish combined with any veg or non-veg dish together with a curd salad :)

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice / Jeera Rice - 2 cup

Onion - 1 nos (chopped)

Peas - 1 cup

Water - 4 cups

Green chillies- 2 nos (slit to half)

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Cardamom - 3 nos

Cloves - 5 nos

Cinnamon - 1 stick

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Preparation:

- Heat ghee in a pan, crackle cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and cumin seeds.

- Add chopped onion and slit green chillies and fry till slightly brown.

- Add ginger garlic paste, peas, salt and fry for few minutes.

- Add the washed rice, cooked masala, water and pour it into an electric rice cooker or cook the rice for 20 minutes in a microwave oven.

- Serve hot with veg or non veg side dishes and curd salad.

Cucumber Curd Salad

Cucumber Curd Salad is a refreshing accompaniment to a main course with Meat or Fish. This salad is a simple and easy to prepare recipe. This is a great side dish for summer which is healthy and tasty. 

Ingredients:

Cucumber - 2 nos (cut to small cube pieces)

Curd - ½ pack

Tomato - 1 nos (seeds out and chopped)

Green chillies- 3 nos (seeds out and chopped)

Salt - to taste

White pepper powder - ½ tsp

Coriander leaves - for garnishing

Preparation:

- Add and mix all ingredients in a bowl and garnish with coriander leaves.

- Delicious cucumber curd salad is ready to serve with rice.

Note:

- Salt and pepper can be adjusted to taste.

- Refrigerate for half hour before serving.

Coriander Chicken Dry Fry

Coriander Chicken Dry Fry is a special dish I prepare when bored with the usual gravy with Pulav and Rice. This dish really tastes great and will go along as a side dish even with Chapathis and Parathas. Cooking time is a little more compared to the other dishes, but the taste of fresh coriander leaves and cashew paste is worth its time. Have a great time cooking and tasting this dish today :)

Ingredients:

Chicken - 800 gms (With bone or boneless)

Coriander leaves - 1 bunch (chopped)

Onions - 3 large (chopped)

Green chilli - 4 nos (slit to half)

Ginger - 1 small piece)sliced)

Garlic - 10 pods (sliced)

Cashew Nuts - 20 nos (grind to a smooth paste)

Turmeric powder - ½ + ½ tsp

Black pepper powder - ½ tsp

Chicken masala - 3 tsp

Coriander powder - 2 tsp

Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 ½ tsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - 3 tbsp (for cooking)

Oil - while cooking

Preparation:

- Clean, cut chicken and boil with ½ tsp turmeric, salt, black pepper powder and keep aside.

- In a thick bottom pan, heat oil. Add onions, ginger, garlic, green chillies and fry well till onions turn translucent and soft. Now add the cut coriander leaves and saute/fry well for 3 minutes.

- Add ½ tsp turmeric powder, coriander powder, chicken masala, kashmiri red chilli powder and fry well till oil is seen out and the masala is in a thick paste form.

- Once done, add the chicken pieces, cashew paste and mix well till chicken is well coated in the masala and cashew paste. Add salt at this stage if needed.

- Keep on sauteing and frying the chicken in between till you get a dry fry dish (keep on adding oil to make sure the chicken does not burn).

- Delicious, yummy chicken fry is ready to serve hot with chapatis, parathas and rice.

Note:

- Please adjust spice and salt as per taste.

- The preparation time is more compared to rest of my dishes (approx- 45 minutes).

- There is extra oil added to this recipe to fry the chicken and to make sure not to burn. But this is a yummy fry dish.