Kheema

This is another Hyderabadi comfort food eaten with Kichri usually.  It compliments the Kichri really well and most of us grew up eating this combination every sunday morning!  Well now that we are all grown up, we gotta cook for ourselves but we can still enjoy the unbeatable taste of Kichri & Kheema :o)

Ingredients:

5 tbsp. oil
1 lb. kheema
1/2 pyaz (onion)
2 tsp. namak (salt)
1 tsp. adrak laysan (ginger & garlic paste)
1/2 tsp. laal mirchi (cayenne pepper)
1/4 tsp. haldi (turmeric powder)
1/2 tsp. garam masala (found in Indian stores)
1.2 tsp. zeera (cumin)
2 tsp. chopped hara dhania (cilantro)
1/2 hari mirchi (serrano pepper)
1 tamata (tomato)

Directions:

Chop onion and tomato.

Wash your meat and let it drain excess water.

Add laal mirchi, zeera, namak, haldi and adrak laysan to the meat.

Mix the masalas into the meat well.

Turn heat on high and add oil.

Add onion and saute til translucent.

Add the meat to the onions and brown.

Once the meat releases some water add tomato and mix in.

Turn heat down and cover for 25 mins.

Open lid and add hara dhania, hari mirchi.  Let it simmer (still on low heat) for 10 mins.

Enjoy!

Katti Daal

This recipe appeals to every Hyderbadi (although it is a South Indian origin).  This daal can be served with rice, parathas (bread) with a side of a meat dish.  Making this in a pressure cooker makes life ten times easier!  If you don’t like cooking with onions, then this is the recipe for you!  This recipe will make enough daal to serve about 5-7 people and can easily be halved.  One of my husband’s favorites!

Helpful Hint:  It is good to taste the daal while you are cooking to make sure the salt and lemon juice is to your liking.  Although it will taste incomplete, it is better to know your salt content before the end.  IF the salt is too much, add more water during step 6.

Ingredients:

First set:
1/2 cup Masoor Daal
1 1/2 cups water
2 sliced medium tomatoes OR 1 sliced large tomatoe
3 full sized kari patta leaves
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/3 tsp laal mirch
1/4 tsp haldi
1/2 tsp adrak laysan

Second set:
4 tbsp. oil
1 tsp zeera
3 dried red chili peppers

Third set:
1 tbsp. chopped hara dhania
1 chopped hari mirch
5 generous splashes of lemon juice
1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Turn stove on high and add all the ingredients in the first set to your pressure cooker.  Bring to a boil.
2. Keeping the heat on high put pressure cooker lid on and let it whistle 4 times*.  Turn heat on low for twenty minutes.  After twenty minutes, turn heat off.
3. While that’s cooking, in a separate small saucepan heat oil from the second set of ingredients.
4. Add zeera and red chili peppers til brown ( about 3-4 minutes).  Turn off heat and set aside.
5. Back to the cooker: lift the whistle with a utensil to release all the steam in the cooker.  Open the cooker and turn heat on high again.
6. Add the third set of ingredients to the daal and bring the it to a boil for about 5-7 minutes.  Taste and check to make sure the salt and lemon juice is to your liking.
7. Turn heat off and add the browned zeera and red chili peppers to the daal.

*IF you are using a regular pot, bring the daal to a boil and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes (put lid on for the last 10 minutes).  Remove and blend in a blender til smooth consistency.  Once completely blended, pour back into the pot and continue with step 3.