Vegetable Palao

Ingredients:
2 cups basmati rice – washed and drained
1 1/2 tbsps ghee
1 tbsp oil
2 green cardamoms
4 cloves
2” cinnamom stick
1 star anise
2 bay leaves
very small pinch nutmeg pwd
2 onions finely sliced
1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic-green chilli paste
1 1/2 tbsps of fresh mint leaves/pudina, finely chopped
1 1/2 tbsps fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped mixed vegetables (beans, green peas, carrots and potatoes)
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
3 1/4 cups water
salt to taste
8-10 cashew nuts (lightly roasted in ghee till golden brown)
coriander leaves for garnish


1 Heat ghee and oil in a vessel, add bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, caradamom and star anise and stir for a few seconds. Add the sliced onions, ginger-garlic-green chillis paste. Saute the onions till they turn transparent.
2 Add the coriander and mint leaves and saute for 2-3 mts. Add the chopped mixed vegetables and cook on medium for 4-5 mts.
3 Add a chopped tomato and stir fry for a minute. Add the drained rice and saute for 2 mts.
4 Add the coconut milk and water. Bring to a boil.
5 Add salt and nutmeg pwd and reduce heat to low-medium and cook covered with lid.
6 Once the rice and vegetables are cooked, turn off heat. Add fried cashew nuts and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
7 Serve warm with raita.

Mutton Curry

Ingredients

:

Mutton, Onions, Tomato, Curry Leaves, Turmeric Powder, Oil, Ginger & Garlic Paste, Jeera, Red Chilies, Coriander Leaves for garnishing , Masala,

• 600 gms Mutton
• 2 Onion( finely chopped)
• 3 Tomato (finely chopped)
• 6- 7 Curry Leaves
• 2 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 4 tbsp Oil
• 1 ½ tbsp Ginger & Garlic Paste
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds( Jeera )
• Coriander Leaves for garnishing
• Masala To grind :
• 3 Cloves
• 1 Cinnamon
• 1 Bay Leaves
• 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1/4 cup Coconut (shredded)
• 1 tbsp Coriander Powder
• 1/4 cup Onion (Sliced)
• 4 -5 Whole Red Chilies
• ½ Whole Black pepper
• 3 Cardamom
• ½ cup Coriander Leaves
• ½ tsp Fennel Seeds



How to make Spicy Mutton Curry:
• Cook in the pressure pan by adding 1 cup of water, cumin seeds, salt and turmeric powder for about four to five whistles.
• Remove it and separate the water and mutton.
• In a pan fry the ingredients ( cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaves, cumin seeds, whole black pepper, red chili, and fennel seeds ).
• Once it is cooled grind it into fine powder. And set it aside.
• In the same pan fry onions till it becomes brown. Add them to the ground mixture.
• Add the rest of the ingredients (coriander leaves, coconut, and coriander powder).
• Grind it into a smooth paste.
• Take a large pan add oil and onions and other things, and fry them till it becomes transparent.
• Add ginger garlic paste and fry it for few minutes, add mutton and deep fry them all together for about 3-4 minutes.
• Add the chopped tomatoes , salt, turmeric powder and the curry leaves. Cook them in heat for about 3-4 minutes in a low heat.
• Add the ground mixture and some water , stir them all together and allow it to settle in heat for about 5 -10 minutes.
• Garnish it with coriander leaves and lemon juice.

Fish Curry

Ingredients:

7-8 fish fillets (mackarel or catfish or tilapia)
1 cup finely chopped onions
4 slit green chillis
1 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp cumin pwd
1 tsp coriander pwd
1 1/2 tsp red chilli pwd
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
10-12 curry leaves
1 big lemon-sized tamarind pulp (soak tamarind in 1 1/2 cup of warm water and extract thick juice)
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves (optional)
salt to taste
1/2 cup oil

Tempering:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp methi seeds (fenugreek)


Heat oil in a wide vessel and add the mustard seeds and let them splutter.Add the methi seeds and let it brown.Add the curry leaves and stir for a few seconds.
Add the chopped onions and fry on medium heat till the onions turn transparent. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for 3 mts. Add the turmeric pwd, coriander pwd, cumin pwd, red chilli pwd and salt and fry for a minute. Add the tamarind extract and bring it to boil.
Now carefully place the fish pieces in the vessel and cook covered for 3 mts. Add the green chillis. Turn the fish pieces over and cook. Cover and cook on low heat for 10 mts. Let the sauce thicken and till the oil separates or leaves. Adjust salt and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Note: Do not stir too much lest the fish pieces break and be gentle while stirring the fish pieces. Serve it after a couple of hours of cooking so that the fish pieces absorb the tangy flavour of the tamarind sauce and spices. In Andhra, we generally prepare this pulusu with Koramenu, Vanjaram, Thella chepa or Bocha. Generally we dry roast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and dry red chillis and make a powder for this dish.You can use the ready made powders also to save time. But if you have time to spare it would be best to dry roast the spices and make a powder.