Choliya Rice (Green Chana Rice)

Choliya Rice (Green Chana Rice)

Today I am sharing with you age-old recipe of my grand mother for making rice. Conventionally we used to give 'dum' to biryani that too using wheat dough. But I learnt this technique from my father (who in turn learned from his mother) in which she used to get the same impact by using tava.

In fact, this dish was made by my father, in his mother style and we could not stop praising it till we finished our dinner...



Preparation Time : 20 Min

Cooking Time : 20 Min

Resting Time : 10 Min

Ingredients :

• 1 Cup basmati rice, soaked for 20 min in water
• 2 Tablespoon oil
• 1 Tablespoon dry whole spices (2 green cardamom, 1 black cardamom, few black pepper, 2 cloves, small piece of cinnamon, 1 Star anise)
• 1 Teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 Medium onion sliced
• 2 Tomato chopped
• 1 Bowl choliya (green chana washed)
• 1 Potato cut in small pieces (optional)
• 1/2 Lemon juice
• Salt according to taste
• Red chilly flakes according to taste

Procedure :

• Finish all the preparation first like cutting, chopping and soaking rice

• Now take a pan, add oil in it, add cumin seeds and all whole spices then sauté it

• Now add sliced onions and sauté it for 4 to 5 minutes or till it turns transparent 

• Now add diced potatoes and sauté it

• Now add green chana and cook for 2 minutes, add chopped tomatoes, cook this for 4 to 5 minutes or till tomatoes are cooked

• Now add rice to this and cook it gently for few minutes

• Now add 2 cups of water to this as we are not pressure cooking the rice, (in this case 2 cups of water and ad 1/2 lemon juice so that your rice will not stick to each other)

• Now close the pan with lid and cook it for 7 to 8 minutes on medium flame or till it is cooked
• Once you feel the 90% rice is cooked, keep your tava under the pan as shown in picture and cook rice for next 5 minutes so that the tava is nicely hot

• Now switch off the gas and remove the lid and cover your pan with hot tava as shown in picture. (This is one of the way to put dum to your rice my grand mother used to do this)

• After 5 to 6 minutes remove the tava and serve your rice with curd or curry whatever you like....

Tip :  1. If you want your rice to be "khila khilla" non sticky add 1/2 lemon juice with water.
2. You can replace the green chana with green peas, french beans or any other vegetable of your choice 

Crispy Bread Fingers

Crispy Bread Fingers

A just in time snacks options to attend to unexpected visitors at a time when you don't have the option of going to market and bring some thing tasty. Further it improves your image of instant solution provider.

Preparation Time : 5 Min

Cooking Time : 15 Min

Ingredients :  

 (Serving for 4)

• Brown Bread 10 slices (always a healthy option in place of white bread)
• Besan 1 cup
• Rice flour 2 table spoon
• Green chilly 2
• Coriander finely chooped
• Chilly powder 1 tea spoon
• Ajwain  1 tea spoon
• Oil for cooking
• Chaat masala to sprinkle

Procedure : 

• Cut the brown bread slice in strips and triangles or what ever shape you like. 

• Mix all the ingredients except oil and chaat masala and make a smooth batter from it.

•  Heat the oil for deep frying. Dip bread in the batter and deep fry it. 

• Once the bread is ready keep it on a paper napkin so that the excess oil is drained out. 

• Now place the crispy fingers on a plate served with green chutney and tomato sauce.  

Mango Ice-Cream Candy

Mango Ice-Cream Candy

Mangoes are all time favourite fruits. this mango Ice-Cream candy is made from pure mango puree dipped in chocolate covered with sugar candies altogether is perfect to pamper yourself as a kid ......

Preparation Time : 20 Min

Freezing Time : 5 Hours

Ingredients :

• 2 Ripe Mangoes
• 2 Tablespoon Sugar
• 1 Lemon juice
• 100 gm Dark or plain chocolate for garnishing (optional)
• 1 Tablespoon sugar candy for garnishing

Procedure :

• First of all dice the mangoes in pieces and blend it in a blender with sugar and lemon juice and blend it to make a smooth paste

• Now take a Ice-cream moulds and pour it with the mango puree, keep it in freezer for 5 to 6 hours

• Your mango Ice-cream candy is ready, serve it or garnish it with chocolate.....

• Now melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. Dip the mango candy in it, now dip it into sugar candies and keep it in freezer till it is served ...

Tip : Chocolate is optional. If you want to garnish your Mango ice-cream candy with chocolate handle it gently. this is little bit tricky as ice-cream is cold and chocolate is hot so as you dip your ice-cream in chocolate remove it immediately ....

Melon Frappe

 Melon Frappe

I remember during my childhood I used to get attracted towards colourful ice-creams and "gola" on the street ... but due to hygienic reasons my mom didn't allow. Now as a mother of growing age daughter I want her to enjoy food which is tasty, healthy and hygienic. This is one of my version to serve fruit in easy and exotic way i.e. chilled, sweet and tangy......

Serves : 4

Preparation Time : 2 Hours


Ingredients :

• Water Melon 1 small cut in pieces 
• 2 Tablespoon sugar
• 10 -12 Mint leaves
• 2 Lemon juice
• Pinch of black-salt and chat masala
• 1 Lemon zest for garnishing
• Few ice cubes 

Procedure :

• First of all take Water melon, cut it into pieces and remove the seeds, keep it in freezer for 2 hours or till it is hard as ice
• Now in a mixer jar, add this freezed melon along with few ice cubes, also add mint leaves, lemon juice and sugar. Blend all ingredients nicely

Video : 

• Now take a glass serve it immediately, garnish it with lemon zest, water melon balls, mint leaves and sprinkle black-salt and chat masala

Stir Fried Tofu and Vegetables in Hot and Sour Sauce

Stir Fried Tofu and Vegetables in Hot and Sour Sauce

Lifestyle is changing. every time kids want to have snacks, pizza, burger or restaurant style food simple food they don't like. Mom are working they don't have much time and on the same time they want to make their kids happy and eat healthy. I am also a mother so just to find out the solution I tried restaurant style Hot and Sour Vegetables with Tofu, ready in 15 to 20 minutes, fully loaded with vegetables and goodness of tofu and very less oil ...

Preparation Time : 10 to 15 Min

Cooking Time : 10 Min

Ingredients :

200 gm Tofu (cut into diced)

1/2 Cup diced onions

1/2 Cup diced Bell peppers

1/2 Cup diced carrot

1/2 Cup diced capsicum 

1/2 Cup baby corn

1/2 Cup broccoli

1 Small Zucchini 

1 Tablespoon chopped garlic

2 Tablespoon tomato sauce

Green chillies according to taste

1 Tablespoon Schezwan sauce

Crushed red chilly according to taste

Salt according to taste

2 Tablespoon oli for cooking

Pinch of sugar (optional if you like sweet as well as hot)

Procedure :

• Finish all cutting and chopping of vegetables, then cook all vegetables except capsicum and bell pepper in boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes then wash it with cold water and keep it aside (to keep your vegetables crunchy after boiling immediately transfer it in cold water)

• Now in a pan add 1 tablespoon of oil and sauté Tofu pieces for 3 to 5 minutes and transfer it in bowl

• In a pan add rest of the oil, add crushed garlic saute it. Now add diced onions and cook it on high flame for 2 minutes 

• Now add all the blanched vegetables, capsicum, bell peppers and tofu, cook for a minute. Add salt, red chilly, tomato sauce and schezwan sauce and mix all together nicely. (if you want bit sweet taste just add a pinch of sugar)

• In a bowl take 1/2 cup of water add corn flour to it, mix well and add this to vegetables. If you want more gravy just add water according to your taste. Cook vegetables till 1 or 2 boil, switch off the gas 

 Serve it hot with chapati, boiled Rice or chilly garlic noodles