Hyderabadi Veg Biryani

A flavorful assortment of Basmati rice and vegetables cooked with whole spices.

Time: 1.5 hours
Serves: 4-5


Ingredients:
Basmati rice: 1.5 cups
Ghee/clarified butter: 1 tbsp or more
2 big onions ,sliced
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
2 tbsp chopped mint leaves
2-3 green chilies divided lengthwise
3-4 strands of saffron
2 tbsp warm milk
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp raisins
5-6  broken cashewnuts
7-8 blanched and halved almonds
1-2 bay leaves
Salt to taste
Marinade:
1 cup yogurt 
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 potatoes,cubed
2 carrots,cubed
5-6 green beans,diced
1/4 cauliflower,diced
2+1 tbsp of biryani masala


Directions:

• In a pan,heat 1 tbsp oil to caramelise onions.(Onions should turn brown)
• Parboil all the vegetables listed under marinade.
• Beat yogurt,add ginger garlic paste,parboiled vegetables,half of the caramelised onions and 2 tbsp biryani masala and let it sit aside to marinate for 1 hour.
• Wash and soak rice for half and hour.Dissolve saffron in warm milk.
• Boil rice with sufficient amount of water,till 75% done.Do not cook rice thoroughly.Drain.
• In a thick bottomed pan/kadhai heat ghee and add the bay leaves along with marinated vegetables and saute for 3-4 minutes.Transfer half vegetables onto another dish.
• In kadhai,layer the cooked rice over vegetables,sprinkle some biryani masala,coriander leaves and mint leaves followed by another layer of vegetables and rice.
• Rice should be at the top.Sprinkle some more biryani masala, coriander leaves,mint leaves,and saffron milk.
• Garnish with cashews,almonds,raisins,green chilies and caramelised onions. 
• Place a moist cloth on top and cover with a lid.Seal the lid with dough.
• Cook it either in oven for 15-20 min at 180 C or place the kadhai over hot tava and let it cook on low flame for about 30 minutes.
• Serve hot with raita/curd.

Is eating out making you gain weight???

Eat smart.......cut calories....lose weight!!!

Soooo easy...isnt it..yeah I know it sounds so,but really difficult when it comes to dining out and  to control your cravings and  taste buds!!
But what if you get to eat whatever you like,with some healthy changes to it...Yeahh..now I'm talking business..hehehe...Well here you'll find some very small changes which if you incorporate when ordering from a restaurant or eating out can save you hundreds of calories..try them..they wont hurt..I promise!!!!

• Choose a restaurant either at a walking distance from your house or park the car at the far end from the restaurant.Those extra steps will really help you digest the food with that lil extra butter!!!

• Buy 1 get 1 free..sounds good,but its not good for you!!Stay away from such offers else all food would end up in your tummy,if not today then tomorrow!!
• Opt for soup instead of fried appetizers..but careful!!! Not cream based soups,go for broth based.
• Include salads in your meal..but order the dressing on the side and use a tsp of it.Else you can try some vinegar or salsa or some low fat dressing for your salad.

• Free breads in restaurants are fun..opt for hard crunchy bread/flat bread instead of doughy white bread,it would save you about 100 calories.
• For a drink,keep water as the first option,followed by masala lemonade or diet soda.

• If ordering a wine,divide it in two and try adding some sparkling water to it.
• Select items with whole grains like pasta/pizza/sandwich.
•  Choose grilled,baked,poached,roasted or broiled options over fried.

• Stay away from mayo on the sandwich,rather try mustard or low fat dressing. 

• Ask your server to get the dishes made with no extra cheese or butter.
• If portion size is big,get it packed for the next day.
• Savor food,eat slow,let your mind calculate if you are full.
• Coffee: Buy a small size coffee with fat free or skim milk and use less sweetener.
• Italian food: When choosing pasta,order it with tomato based sauce,avoid cheese based.
• For pizza,ask your server to get it done with less cheese with vegetables and one leaner meat topping.
• Mexican food: Stay from deep fried tortilla chips or hard shelled tacos,rather order fajitas or burritos with less or no cheese...Trust me..it'd taste excellent!!

• Thai food: Go for soup,stir fry options,salads and steamed rice on the side.

• Chinese food: Opt for stir fry veg/noodles/rice,avoid large bowls of fried rice or dishes with thick hot and sour sauces.

Indian food:Opt for tandoori dishes and roti.If getting gravies or naan..ask the server to get them with less or no butter.

Desserts: Share your dessert...half the dessert,half the calories..eat with a small spoon,savor it.

• Buffets: Usually we end up eating more at buffets,but choosing wisely can help.Choose greens,broth based soups,avoid beverage refills,control the portion size.

Tip to save lots of calories...When munching on junk,try it with your non dominant hand..i.e..if you are a righty,eat with your left hand,you'll end up eating less.

Bread upma

Bored of eating bread toast or sandwiches,then try out this yummmmmyyyy bread upma!

Time:15 min
Serves: 2


Ingredients:
4 bread slices (you can use stale bread in this recipe)
1 onion,rougly chopped
2 cups shredded cabbage(for fiber)
2 green chilies,finely chopped
1 tomato,chopped
4-5 curry leaves,chopped
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp chana dal 
1 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp of minced ginger
1 tsp lemon juice
A pinch of asafoteida
2 tsp oil
Salt to taste
Water


Directions:

• In a pan,heat oil,to it add asafoteida,mustard seeds,chana and urad dal.Let them splutter.
• Add ginger ,green chilies and onions to it and saute till dal and onion turn golden brown.
• To it,add cabbage,tomato and turmeric powder.Saute.
• Either chop the bread into small pieces or grind them in a mixer and sprinkle some water on it to keep wet.
• After 2-3 minutes add bread to the pan,add salt and stir well.
• Finish off the upma with lemon juice and coriander leaves.Mix well and serve with chutney.

* You can add any vegetables of your choice,like carrots,beans or peas.

Kalmi vadas

       A very very crispy and chatpata snack by itself,enjoyed as a local street food in India.

Kalmi vada chaat,my mom's favorite.

Time: 2hrs+45 min
Serves: 4


Ingredients:
1 cup chana dal (split bengal gram)
1 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 green chilies
1 tsp coriander seeds (optional)
1 inch piece of ginger
pinch of asafoteida
Salt to taste
Water
Oil for frying


Directions:

• Wash and soak dal and cumin seeds for 2 hours or more.
• Drain them and grind coarsely  along with green chilies and ginger with no water.
• Heat oil in kadhai.
• In a bowl take ground dal mixture,add salt,coriander seeds,asafoteida and mix.
• Make 4-5 big balls/cutlets and fry them till they change their color.They should not be golden.
• Let them cool.
• Cut carefully with knife in 4-5 pieces either lengthwise or diagonally.
• Fry them till golden brown and crisp.
• Eat them as it is with chutney or serve it as a chaat with curd and chutneys.

* You can also add chopped coriander leaves and fennel seeds in dal mixture.