Peas Pulao

Preparation time-25mins
Serves-4
Ingredients:
3 cups basmati rice
2 cups green peas
1 big onion
1 cup chopped coriander
3 sps kaju
3 sps raisins
2 cloves
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 sp whole jeera
1 sp salt
6 green chillies
2 sps ghee
3 sps sunflower oil
Method:

1. In a deep sauce pan,add ghee and warm it.When warm fry kaju and raisins.keep them aside in a plate.
2. In the same pan heat sunflower oil and add jeera,cloves,crushed cinnamon,sliced green chillies,bay leaves and saute till they release flavours.
3. Chop onion fine and add it to the pan and fry till transparent.Add salt at this point.
   
4. Now wash and add peas to the pan and mix well with the ingredients.
5. Wash basmati rice in flowing water for a minute.
6. Add it to the pan mixing with peas and onion mixture.
7. Put 6 cups of water in the pan and close the lid.Always take same cup to measure ingredients for any recipe.
   
8. Pan should be big enough to allow palao cook properly.If not rice grains will not seperate from each other.
9. Cook it on low heat for 15mins and keep an eye whilst cooking.
10. When done,transfer it into serving bowl and garnish with fried kaju,raisins,ghee and chopped coriander.
11. You can have it with any gravy curry or it tastes perfect with cucumber raita.
12. Simple and quick special dish for weekend parties.Its my favourite lunch box recipe high in proteins.Try and leave me your comments.

choco-banana burfi - diwali style

Preparation time-20mins
Serves-6
Ingredients:
1 cup wheat flour
2 ripe bananas
6 small chocolate bars
1/2 cup dessicated coconut powder
3/4 th cup sugar
2 sps cashews
10-12 badam flakes
5 sps ghee
Method:

1. Take a thick based sauce pan and heat it.
2. Put wheat flour and fry it in the dry pan for 3-4 mins continuously on low heat till it becomes slightly brown and loses its rawness.
3. Add coconut powder to the pan and fry it for 2 more mins along with the wheat flour.
4. Collect it in a plate and keep aside.
5. Now put ghee in the same pan and fry crushed cashews till golden brown.
6. Cut each banana into round slices and add them to the ghee.Close the lid for a min till banana comes to a paste and gets cooked.
7. On low heat add sugar to this and mix well.Add chocolate bars at this point.
8. Toss continuously till chocolate melts and mixes well with banana.
9. Then add the fried wheat and coconut mixture,stir well until all ingredients blend with each other.
10. Switch off the heat and pour the mixture in a plate applied with a layer of ghee and cut them into cakes.Wait or 15 mins till it settles and remove each burfy carefully and serve.
11. I made it in a diya shape for the Diwali festival.You can also try this way.
12. When the mixture is still luke warm take it a palm full and press it tight same as u make laddoo.
13. Press it slightly flat and then make a notch in the middle with your finger tip.It should get you the shape of a cup.
14. Place a badam flake at one edge to make a glow for the diya:)
15. Hope you will enjoy this and HAPPY DIWALI to all.Please let me know your comments.

Optional: You can add 3 sps of kova before adding sugar and fry for minute,to make the sweet more yummy!

Methi Chaman/Paneer methi gravy

Preparation time - 30mins
Serves - 4
Ingredients:
Paneer-250gms
Methi-250gms
2 big onions
1 cup chopped tomato
4 garlic pods
1 cup milk kova/whole curds
6 green chillies
4 dry red chillies
2 sps whole jeera
1 sp salt
1 sp chilly powder
2 pinches of turmeric powder
1/4 cup sunflower oil
Method:

1. Slice paneer into cubes and fry them golden brown in a sauce pan with 2 sps of oil.
2. Then,take them and dip in a bowl of water to retain the softness.
   
3. In the same sauce pan,warm oil and fry jeera,garlic pods,slit green chillies,slit red chillies and saute for a min.
   
4. Chop onions into fine pieces and add them to the pan.Fry till transparent.
5. Now add washed and seperated methi leaves and mix well with onions.Fry for 2mins.
6. Add chopped tomato pieces,salt,chilly powder,turmeric powder and fry for 3more mins.
7. When done,switch off the heat,add kova/curds and mix well.
8. Now add paneer cubes to it,mix evenly and close the lid for 5mins.
9. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with rotis.
10. Perfect dish for paneer lovers!

Optional:You can also have grated paneer instead of paneer cubes.That case,no need to fry paneer.Add the paneer grate directly in the end along with kova or curds.Kova gives a yummy taste.Curds give a tangy taste.So you can add either kova or curds according to your taste