Tamarind Chutney for Chat | Imli Ki Chutney | Indian Tamarind Sauce

When Konda wanted to take tamarind water for her school weekly home science class, I asked her why she wanted that. She said they were going to be Bhel and she was supposed to bring along Tamarind water. I asked if they were going to cook during the class. She said they were going to just mix everything and eat. I told that just tamarind water wouldn't do for the Bhel, it has to be a chutney. For which she said, "You are the cook, I don't know how it is to be made." 

That reminded me that I am yet to share the typical Tamarind chutney that gets made for the Chaat dishes. This Tamarind Chutney can be made ahead and be preserved for over a week when refrigerated.

Tamarind Chutney

Tamarind Chutney

Ingredients Needed:

Tamarind - 1 cup loosely packed
Jaggary - 3/4 cup
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Chat Masala - 1/2 tsp
Black Salt / Kala Namak - 2 pinches
Sugar - 2 tsp

How to make the Tamarind chutney

Wash and soak the tamarind in water for about 15 mins for it to become soft. Extract pulp from it.

Likewise soak the jaggary and remove the impurities.

In a pan, take the tamarind water and bring to boil. Continue boiling till it becomes little thick. Add the jaggary water and continue cooking.

When the liquid is quite thick, add the red chili powder. It will start to boil over.

Simmer and add the cumin powder, Kala Namak, sugar and chat masala.

Sim for another 10 mins and check if the chutney is thick enough. It should not be thin and dropping, but rather thick to touch.

When done, cool and preserve.

Imli Ki Chutney

You can use this chutney with Bhel Puri, Pani Puri, and other chat dishes.

For Pani Puri, you can make it very thin water.

Mattar Paneer Recipe 3 | Peas Paneer Masala

When it comes to making quick gravies for Rotis as side dish, there is nothing more simpler than making with Mattar and Paneer. Both these are surely a hit combination and can be served with almost any Indian Bread. Sometimes I remember making a sandwich with this filling as well. 

I have already posted two versions of mattar paneer, one with nuts and one without tomato. Today's version is the most common and the simplest. I wonder how I have not shared this under quick 30 mins cooking. Making about six to eight chapatis doesn't take that much time. So this is one of those quick side dishes that you can make when you come back home in the evenings.

Mattar Paneer

I normally make this for chapatis, but this tastes so much better with ghee rice or vegetable fried rice. I made this with vegetable fried rice

Mattar Paneer

Ingredients Needed:

Paneer - 1 cup
Fresh Peas - 1 cup
Onions - 1 medium
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Tomato puree - 1 cup
Roasted cumin powder -1/2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves handful.

How to make Mattar Paneer

Wash and keep the peas aside.

If you are using store bought paneer, stir in a tsp of ghee and soak in hot water.

If you are using homemade paneer, you can simply cut into cubes and saute them in ghee.

Heat a non stick pan with oil, saute finely chopped onions. When they start turning colour, add ginger garlic paste. Cook till the raw smell leaves.

Now add the tomato puree, cook till the tomato is done. Add the spice powders and saute well. Add the fresh peas and saute well.

Add a cup of water and bring to boil. Then add the roasted paneer and simmer for 5 - 7 mins.

Finally just before switching off, add garam masala and coriander leaves.

Serve it with Chapatis

Mutton Biryani - Andhra Muslim Style ~ Pictorial

If there was an award for the recipe that stayed in drafts for the longest, I am sure this recipe will win hands down! This was taken almost couple of years ago. Now I don't even know which year it was. Suffice to say that it was taken during our yearly trip to Hubby dear's native town. It was during Sankranti time when my nephew celebrates his birthday. They decided to request their Muslim family friend,  who made mutton biryani for them on a previous occasion.

They were raving on the taste and wanted to make it during hubby dear's visit. Since their friend would be comfortable in cooking in her own kitchen, we said we would go to their home. Once the breakfast was done, my sil and I landed at their place. It was really such a wonderful experience watching someboby cook. All I had to do was click pictures. I told that I would be sharing the recipe on the blog and she was so happy about it and wanted to share the recipe. She made it look so effortless and simple.

During the entire process we were chatting about everything food and what kids eat and don't eat. She also shared couple of her other favorite dishes. Well as you guessed as this took such a long time with the pictures, those recipes might be longer to make their presence.

Anyway we finally managed to click all the pictures and came back home. Everybody enjoyed and hubby dear said it was indeed too good. If you must know she didn't add butter or ghee. Nor the methi leaves were noticed. I must confess I haven't prepared myself. But the verdict of the entire 20 who eat, was good enough.

Step by Step Picture Recipe

Paste made with Garlic, Ginger, Coriander leaves and 1/4th of cloves.

Before making the gravy, in the pan, brown the onions till crisp

Remove half for the later process

Add the ground masala paste

Mix well

Add salt, chopped tomatoes.

Chopped green chilies, red chili powder is added next

Along with the whole cloves, cardamon, Cinnamon.

Now add the mutton pieces

Continue cooking

When moisture starts coming out, cover with lid and pressure cook for 3 -4 whistles or till the mutton is cooked well.

Wait for the pressure to fall down, remove the lid

Now add the Fenugreek leaves

Washed Mint leaves for the Dum

Cook Rice in a large pot of water and drain the water. Let the rice be just 85% done and have it covered with lid.

Keep one layer of rice and remove the rest of the rice.

This is after the gravy is mixed with the methi leaves.

Top with a mutton layer

Add mint leaves

 Another rice layer

 Now browned onions and mutton pieces

another rice layer

 Continue with mint leaves

 And onions and gravy

 Until you are done with all the layers

Finally sprinkle with orange food colour and mix in random style

Mutton Biryani

Rice - 2 kgs
Mutton - 2 kgs
Green chillies - 50 gms
Onions - 250 gms (Half for the gravy, half for dum)
Cloves - 50 gms
Cinnamon - 50 gms
Cardamon - 50 gms
Salt to taste
Oil - 500 ml
Tomato - 250 - 300 gms (sour variety)
Chili powder - 2 tsp

Coriander leaves - 1 Big Bunch
Ginger Garlic - 2 tbsp

During the Dum process

Fenugreek Leaves / Methi Leaves - 1 big bunch
Mint leaves - 1 Big bunch
Brown Onions

Red colour for sprinkling.

How to make the Biryani

For the Rice

Wash and soak the rice for 30 mins. In a big vessel, take twice the amount of rice and bring to boil. When the water starts boiling, add the rice and cover with lid. Add salt and continue cooking. When it's almost 85% done, cover with lid and drain the water. Keep it covered.

For the Paste

Make a paste of the ginger, garlic, coriander, 1/4 of cloves to a fine paste.

For the Mutton:

Wash and cut mutton into equal pieces. Drain on colander.

Heat a pressure cooker, add all the oil. Add onion julienne, continue till the onions starts browning. Remove half of the onions to a bowl.

To the onions, add the ginger garlic coriander paste. Stir well, then add salt, chopped tomatoes.

Then add cloves, cinnamon, cardamon. Combine and add red chili powder, then chopped green chilies.

Now add the drained mutton pieces. Cover and pressure for 4 -5 whistles.

Wait till the pressure is off. Remove the lid, add chopped methi leaves mix well.

For making the Dum Biyani

Remove the rice to another bowl, leaving one layer below. Else if you have another thick bottom pan that fits, grease the bottom and cover with a layer of rice. Over that add the mutton pieces along with gravy.

Now put one layer of mint leaves. Cover with a thin layer of rice.

Now add one layer of brown onions, another layer of mutton pieces.

Continue alternating with mint leaves, onions and mutton gravy until you are done. Make sure the final layer is rice. Dissolve the red food colour and sprinkle on the top.

Cover with a tight fitting lid and on a slow flame and cook for 30 mins. If you have hot coal, you can put them on the top lid.