Keema pav or minced meat with buns

Well Keema I believe is one of my strongest dishes.... I ve perfected the recipe over years.... If I ve to impress a meat eater with my cooking Keema would be choice... It never ever goes wrong, eat it with pav or lovely ghee roast paranthas.... So here it goes, the yummiest Keema recipe... Trust me its the best
Ingredients
Mutton mince : 250 g
Onions : 2 medium sized chopped finely
Ginger : 1 inch grated
Garlic : 7 cloves medium sized
Tomatoes : 2 medium, grate n discard the skin
Green chillies : 3 chopped
Red dry chillies : 2
Dry Bay leaves : 2
Comin seeds : 1 tsp
Asafoetida : 2 pinches
Ghee/clarified butter : 2 tbsp
Cooking oil : 1 tbsp
Water : 500 ml
Garam masala : 1 tbsp
Salt : to taste
Pav : as many as you want :)
Cooking instructions:
Put a deep dish or cooking pan on high heat on stove.
Add cooking oil & clarified butter. (The oil prevents the ghee from burning)
Now add Cumin seeds, asafoetida, bay leaves & dry red chillies. Break the bay leaves & chilli while adding them.
Once the seeds start sputtering add onions and cook till golden brown.
Now add the tomato paste and garlic.
Cook for abt 3 mins and then add the ginger and green chilli.
Cook on medium heat constantly stirring for another 5 mins. Don't let the masala burn, sprinkle a lill water whenever u feel its getting dry.
Now add the mince and mix properly. Let it cook for 2 mins while stirring it intermittently.
Now add water and bring to boil.
Once boiling turn the heat from medium to low and cover.
It takes approx 30 mins for the water to reduce.
Keep the pan covered throughout the cooking.
After every 5 mins just stir it a lill.
After 20 mins of cooking add salt to taste and garam masala.
Once the water has reduced, Put the heat on sim or low and let it cook for another 15 mins with stirring every 2 mins or so.
Make sure the lid is on throughout and if at any time u feel the dish is getting a lill dry, sprinkle a lill water.
You absolutely don't want the wonderful dish to have dry meat... Trust me I ve done that blunder and hence learnt. It shouldn't be wet but at the same time shouldn't lose its moisture....
You know its done when the color turns a beautiful brown or deep maroon I would say.
I personally like to Garnish with coriander leaves sprinkle but it goes great just like that too. 
Roast the Pav in some butter on a tava or flat pan.
Serve Keema with butter Pav and some salad.... My personal fav Wud be raddish with lemon & black salt as salad.
Bon Apetit

the wonderful masala that wud give u all the flavour u need

masala well cooked

when it all starts to biol.

the plating aint nice but i like it just like this

the wonderful color of a well cooked keema

Murg Pudina or chicken with mint

This time I tried mom's recipe rather than my usual marinating the chicken in a mint paste... Well it does taste much better and looks wonderful too.... Afterall its mom's recipe

Ingredients:
Chicken 1/2 kg
Onions 2 big finely diced
Cooking oil : 4 tablespoons
Cumin seeds : 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida : 1 pinch
Garlic cloves : 7 large
Ginger : 2 inches

For mint paste :
Mint : 1 bunch : leaves cleaned, no stalks
Coriander : a few leaves, 1/4 the quantity of mint
Green chillies : 3

For marinade :
Chicken masala or garam masala : 1 tablespoon
Salt: to taste
White vinegar : 2 tablespoons

Instructions
Marinate the chicken with the marinade spices and keep aside for about 30 mins. Do not put in fridge.
While the chicken marinates prepare the rest of the stuff, like chopping onions, ginger garlic paste, clearing the mint & coriander.

Put the mint leaves, coriander leaves, green chillies and a lill water in a blender and make a paste.

The most important instruction for cooking this dish: don't let it dry in the process of cooking and cook throughout on a medium flame with the lid on. 

Now put the pan on stove on high flame. Add asafoetida and Cumin. Once Cumin starts to crackle add the marinated chicken.
Put the heat to a medium, stir the chicken so that its coated with the oil, and put the lid. Let it cook for about 3 minutes.
Now add diced onions and ginger garlic paste. And let it cook with lid on for about 7 - 10 mins till the onions are a bit cooked, stirring occasionally.

If at any time you feel its getting a bit dry, sprinkle a lill water and continue cooking. The dish should remain moist but not with gravy.

After the onions and chicken have cooked for sometime add the mint paste. Bring to boil on high flame and then put the flame to medium, put the lid on and let it cook for another 20 mins or till the chicken is well cooked.

Once done, don't put the lid back and let the steam escape so that u don't get a condense on the dish.

Serve with paranthas and dal tadka....

Bon Apetit!!

the final yumm yumm chicken

when the onions are cooked

aah the fresh mint leaves

the marinade

My quick fix paneer in gravy

Ok I'm superbly tired and he is in a mood to have something different preferably paneer but not order from a restaurant... Now cummon, I had a rather long day after an even longer day.....

So I pick up the dish with minimal cutting and frying involved.... Paneer in gravy.... Here's the recipe:

Ingredients :
Paneer 250 g _ diced in cubes
Onions 3 medium sized. Diced not chopped
Tomatoes 3 medium sized diced
Green chillies 2
Garlic cloves : 4 to 5 large
Ginger : an inch cut.
Oil to cook : 3 tablespoons
Water
Milk 1/2 cup
Dry Red chillies solid : 2
Red chilli powder : 1/2 teaspoon
Bay leaves : 2
Cumin seeds : 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder : 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste.

Now let's cook :
On the stove put a pan and add a tablespoon of oil. Once its warm add onions. Cook them for about 3 mins or till they turn golden. Now add tomatoes garlic ginger and green chilli. Cook for another 4 mins or till the tomato soften. Now add a cup of water and bring to boil. Turn the heat to medium and let the mixture cook for 10 mins. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
Once cool, use a blender to make a smoothie.

Now put a pan on the stove and add a tablespoon of oil. Add the Cumin seeds, red chilli and bay leaf. Temper the spices, now add turmeric powder and let it cook for a minute. To this add the onion mixture and bring to boil. simmer the gas and let the curry cook for 10 mins. Add water if the curry is too thick. Now add milk and red chilli powder and salt. Stirring continuously cook for 5 mins. Now all you have to do is add paneer chunks and cook for another minute.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve....

Bon Apetit

One little tip: The gravy tends to have the water separated so don't add too much water

Mushroom do pyaaza

Todays special was mushroom do pyaaza... A dish I must admit I have never cooked before... Let's see how it turns out:
The literal translation of the dish is twice the quantity of onions from what is required and also two different textures of onion
Here's the ingredient list: (for two)
Mushrooms : 100 g : diced
Onions : 3 large : half ground and half diced
Tomatoes : 2 large : pureed
Garlic cloves : 5
Ginger : an inch
Coriander : a few leaves
Oil : 2 tablespoons
Asafoetida / heeng : 1 pinch
Cumin seeds : 1 teaspoon
Salt : to taste
Garam masala: 1 teaspoon
Water : 1 cup
Grind together half the onions, garlic ginger
In a pan warm the oil, add heeng, cumin seeds. Once the cumin starts to sputter add the onion paste and cook till they turn brown.
Now add the tomato puree  and cook for 2 mins on high flame stirring in between... Then turn the flame to medium and cook till the paste turns a beautiful reddish brown and the oil separates slightly... If required add a lill water just a few spoons so that the mixture doesn't burn.
Now add the remaining onions, mushrooms and green chillies. cook till the mushroom is wilted or slightly cooked. Add a cup of water and bring to boil. Add salt to taste. Let it boil for a minute, stirring occasionally.
Turn the stove to sim and cover the pan. After about 3 mins, add Varanasi masks, stir and cover again. Cook for another few mins till the mushroom and onion are tender. Switch off the stove and sprinkle the coriander leaves. Cover the pan again & let it stay for a few minutes.... The dish is ready to serve :)
Serve with some raita and paranthas..... Yumm yumm
My first attempt actually turned out good.... Slurp 
But for next time, probably I would add the onions a lill later so that I get that crunchiness of a look raw onion

onions and tomatoes

onions 

dish at the boiling stage

serve with some raita, papad and mango pickle