Nasuha Blog

All you need is

Chickpea - 1 cup
Garlic cloves - 12-14
Tahini - 4 tbsp ( mix 4 tbsp sesame seeds with 2 tbsp olive oil and little water and blend in a blender to make a smooth paste )
Extra virgin olive oil - 8 tbsp
Lemon juice - 5 tbsp
Salt to taste
Roasted cumin powder - 1\2 tsp
Chili flakes - 1 tsp
Warm water from boiled chickpeas - 3-4 tbsp


Method of preparation

Wash and soak chickpeas in enough water for 5-6 hours.
Drain the water.
Add chickpeas and 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker and pressure cook the chickpeas till done.
Drain the water reserving 3-4 tbsp for the hummus.
Add all the ingredients including the boiled chickpeas in a blender and blend to make a smooth hummus.
Serve with pita or any other crackers.

All you need is

Oil - 2 tbsp
Garlic - 5-6 cloves
Onion - 1\4 cup ( thinly sliced )
Thai Red curry paste - 4 tbsp
Chicken breast - 2 ( cut into small pieces )
Broccoli - 1 small heat cut into small pieces
Carrot - 1 ( cut into thing stripes )
Red bell pepper - 1 ( cut into stripes )
Thick coconut milk - 1 cup
Fish sauce - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1\2 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Thai basil - 10-12 leaves
Salt to taste



Method of preparation

Heat oil in a pan.
Add garlic and fry for a few seconds.
Add shallots and fry for a minute.
Add red curry paste and fry for a minute or two.
Add chicken and fry for 2-3 minutes.
Add the broccoli, carrots and red bell pepper.
Add coconut milk and a cup of water.
Let the curry come to a boil.
Simmer the heat and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add fish sauce, lemon juice, sugar and salt.
Tear the basil leaves and add in the pan.
Serve hot with Jasmine rice .

You think of Indian snacks and the first thing that pops up is Samosa. Samosas have made a big name for themselves and for Indian snacks in the foreign world. During our days of travel, lot of Mohit's colleagues requested me to make samosas for them and it was always a joyous sight to see them devour the humble samosa with much Oohhs and aahhs. With the easy availability of samosa patti these days, it has become my snack of choice whenever I have guests at home and I keep experimenting with the filling. This time, I ditched the regular potato filling and instead whipped up a delicious chicken and cheese filling for my samosas. Needless to say, it was a hit and is definitely going to be on the menu when ever we are entertaining for the next time. So here is the recipe to make these super easy and delicious Chicken and cheese samosa.



All you need is

Samosa patti - 12-15
All purpose flour - 1 tbsp
Water - 2 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp and for frying
Garlic - 3-4 cloves ( thinly sliced )
Onion - 1\4 cup ( finely chopped )
Green capsicum - 3 tbsp ( finely chopped )
Chicken mince - 150 g
Salt to taste
Dried oregano - 1\2 tsp
Dried thyme - 1\2 tsp
Dried basil - 1\2 tsp
White pepper powder - 1\4 tsp
Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
Cheese - 1\4 cup ( grated )


Method of preparation

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan.
Add garlic once the oil is hot.
Fry for a few seconds.
Add onion and fry till they turn translucent.
Add capsicum and chicken mince and fry for a minute.
Add salt, oregano, thyme, basil, white pepper powder and lemon juice.
Cook till chicken is done.
Remove from heat and cool.
Once cooled to room temperature, add grated cheese.
Mix all purpose flour and water to make thick paste.
Keep a tbsp of filling on the end of Samosa patti and roll to make samosa.
Seal the ends using the flour paste.
Make all the samosas in the same way.
Heat oil in a pan.
When the oil is heated nicely, simmer the heat to medium.
Deep fry the samosas on medium heat till golden brown.
Remove on a plate lined with tissue.
Serve hot with ketchup or coriander chutney.

It's been really long since I made some Indian sweet. With the festive season coming close, it's the right time to indulge in some sugary treats and so I bring you this easy to make yet very delicious Nariyal Ki Barfi. Nariyal ki barfi or coconut fudge is a must make sweet for the weddings in Mathur community and is called Pili barfi for it's yellow color. The sweet which is decked with silver foil, saffron strands and dry fruit slivers is arranged on a big thaal or plate and is send to the grooms family along with the other goodies as a token to mark the beginning of the celebration. The soft, melt in your texture of this sweet is loved by all in my family and it is so easy to make that I end up making a batch of this goodness for all the festivals. Keep the consistency of sugar syrup in check and you will nail this recipe. Here is how to make this simple yet very delicious Nariyal Ki barfi.


All you need is

Grated fresh coconut - 3 cups
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 3\4 cup
Yellow food color - 1\4 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Khoya - 200 g
Dry fruits slivers, silver foil and saffron strands for garnishing



Method of preparation

Grease a 9 inch pan with ghee.
Keep aside.
Heat khoya in a pan.
Fry till pinkish in color.
Keep aside.
Heat sugar and water in a pan.
Cook till the sugar dissolves and the syrup reaches a 2 string consistency.
Do not swirl while the sugar syrup is cooking.
Add yellow food color and cardamom powder.
Mix.
Meanwhile, add ghee in a pan.
Add grated coconut and fry on medium heat for 5-6 minutes.
Add khoya and sugar syrup and mix well.
Pour the mixture in the prepared pan and spread evenly.
Let the barfi set for 3-4 hours.
Cut into small pieces.
Garnish with dry fruits slivers, silver foil and saffron strand.

Note - If your Barfi is not setting and is too soft, just microwave the mixture for 3-4 minutes and set again.
You can skip using food color and can make a white color barfi.
The consistency of sugar syrup is important for the barfi to set nicely.

For some reason when ever we decide to eat non veg food, it's either chicken or mutton that comes to my mind. I am so used to eating chicken and mutton in the name of non vegetarian food that it takes a little extra effort to cross my limits and think about sea food and fish. That is the reason you will find very few fish recipes on the blog. But now I will try to make a conscious effort and try to make more of fish recipes as it is not only tasty is also very good for health as well. This Fish Dum Biryani is a perfect start and you will love how well the fish blends with the flavorful rice and masala. I have used Seer fish to make this recipe but you can use any fish of your choice. Here is the recipe to make this delicious and flavorful Fish Dum Biryani.


All you need is

For the rice

Long grain basmati rice - 2 cups
Cloves \ Laung - 2-3
Black peppercorns \ Kali mirch - 5-6
Black cardamom \ Badi ilachi - 2
Cinnamon \ Dalchini - 1 inch piece
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Salt - 2 tsp
Kewra essence - 4-5 drops

For the fish

Fish - 500 g ( I used seer fish. )
Hung curd - 2 tbsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1\2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
Oil - 3 tbsp
Onion - 1 cup ( thinly sliced )
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Green chili - 2 ( slit into half )
Tomato - 1 cup ( chopped )

For layering

Onion - 1\4 cup ( thinly sliced and fried in hot oil till crisp and golden brown  )
Cashew nuts - 5-6 ( fried till golden brown )
Saffron  - a pinch ( soaked in a tbsp water )
Fresh mint - 3 tbsp ( chopped )
Fresh coriander - 3 tbsp  ( chopped )
Ghee - 2 tbsp


Method of preparation

For the rice

Wash and soak the rice for 30 minutes.
Drain the water.
Add all the remaining ingredients in rice along with 4 cups of water and cover and cook till 80% done.

For the fish

Wash the fish nicely.
Mix hung curd, turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder, salt and lemon juice in a bowl.
Coat the fish pieces with this marinade and keep aside for 20 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan.
Add onion and fry till they are slightly browned.
Add green chili and ginger garlic paste and fry till onions are nicely browned.
Add tomato and half cup water and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the fish pieces along with the marinade.
Cook for 5-6 minutes till fish is done.

For layering

Take a big pot.
Transfer half of the rice in the pot.
Layer with the fish and it's masala.
Sprinkle half of the browned onion, coriander, mint and saffron soaked in milk.
Top with the remaining rice.
Sprinkle the remaining onion, coriander, mint and saffon soaked in milk.
Add 1\4 cup water.
Pour the ghee.
Cover the pot tightly with a lid and keep some heavy weight over it.
Let the biryani cook on very low heat for 15-20 minutes.
Give a gentle mix.
Garnish with fried onions and fried cashew nuts.
Serve hot with mix veg raita.

A couple of days back, we enjoyed a lovely evening with friends, good food and drinks at my place. I was in charge of food and we decided to use our newly acquired gas grill and a barbeque was set up. With a lot of  food and drinks around, I ended up with a big batch of grilled vegetables as left overs. Now to use up all those vegetables was a challenge and that's when this Veg Tikka Masala came to my mind. The gravy is the same that I make for my Chicken Tikka masala and the beautiful smoky flavor from the grilled vegetables made it even more amazing. Although I used the left over vegetables to make this curry, you can specially marinate the veggies, grill them on a gas grill or a grill pan and then add them in the curry. Here is the recipe to make this very delicious Veg Tikka Masala.



All you need is

To marinate the vegetables

Capsicum - 1\2 ( cut into cubes )
Onion - 1\2 ( cut into cubes )
Baby corn - 3-4 ( cut into half )
Mushroom - 10-12
Paneer - 150 g
Cauliflower - 10-12 small florets
Hung curd - 2 tbsp ( the curd should be really thick so that it can cling to the vegetables )
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Kashmiri red chili powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
Garam masala powder - 1\2 tsp
Red chili powder-  1\2 tsp
Kasuri methi - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp and for applying while grilling

For the gravy

Oil - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Cloves - 2-3
Black peppercorn - 5-6
Black cardamom - 2
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch piece
Onion - 1 cup ( chopped )
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Tomato - 3 ( medium size )
Kashmiri red chili powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1\2 tsp
Salt to taste
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Honey - 1 tsp
Fresh coriander for garnishing


Method of preparation

For the veg tikka

Mix all the ingredients for marination and cover the bowl with a cling wrap.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Thread the vegetables on skewers and grill on a grill pan or tandoor or barbeque till done and slightly blackened.
Apply little oil while grilling.
Keep aside

For the gravy

Boil water in a pan and add the tomatoes.
Cook for 5-6 minutes.
Remove the skin of the tomatoes and grind in a blender to make a smooth puree.
Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan.
When the oil is hot, add cloves, black peppercorn, black cardamom and cinnamon.
Fry for 10 seconds.
Add onion and fry till slightly browned.
Add ginger garlic paste and fry till onions are nicely browned.
Add tomato puree.
Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the leftover marinade and cook for a minute.
Add the grilled vegetables and a half cup of water.
Cook for 3-4 minutes till oil separates.
Add honey and lemon juice.
Garnish with fresh coriander.
Serve hot with Naan or Laccha Paratha.

Mango kadhi or Fajito is a Gujarati dish made with yogurt and chickpea flour. Pulp of ripe mango is added to it to give a very unique taste. You may be skeptical on how the sweet taste of Mango go with savory nature of the kadhi, but be assured, the outcome is a delight to eat. We enjoyed this mango kadhi with steamed rice and phulke. Here is the easy and simple recipe to make Mango kadhi or Fajito.


All you need is

Sour curd - 1 cup
Chickpea flour \ Besan - 2 tbsp
Ginger - 1\2 inch piece
Green chili - 2
Oil - 2 tbsp
Fenugreek \ Methi seeds - 1\2 tsp
Mustard \ Sarson seeds - 1\2 tsp
Cumin \ Zeera seeds - 1\2 tsp
Asafoetida \ Heeng - 1\4 tsp
Dry red chilies - 2-3
Curry leaves - 10-12
Turmeric powder - 1\2 tsp
Salt to taste
Mango puree - 1 cup

For tempering

Ghee - 1 tbsp
Fenugreek \ methi seeds - 1\4 tsp
Mustard \ Sarson seeds - 1\4 tsp
Cumin \ zeera seeds - 1\4 tsp
Dry red chilies - 3-4
Red chili powder - 1\4 tsp


Method of preparation

Blend chickpea flour, curd, ginger and green chilies in a blender to make a lump free paste.
Heat oil in a pan.
When the oil is hot, add fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida.
Add dry red chilies and curry leaves.
Now add the curd paste.
Add 3 cups of water, turmeric powder, salt and mango puree.
Bring the kadhi to a boil.
Simmer the heat and let the Kadhi cook for almost 40-45 minutes on low heat.

For tempering

Heat ghee in a small pan.
When the ghee is hot, add fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and dry red chilies.
Fry for 10 seconds.
Remove the pan from heat.
Add dry red chili powder.
Pour the tempering over the cooked kadhi.
Serve the kadhi with rice or Phulke

Methi Thepla is a very popular Gujarati dish made with whole wheat flour, chickpea flour, spices and fresh fenugreek leaves. A dough is made and it is then rolled into small flat breads which are cooked using little oil on a griddle. These Thepla's keep good for a couple of days and are a perfect choice to take along while travelling. These are also a great lunch Box option as your kid can just roll and eat it without much hassle. Methi Thepla's can be eaten as such or can be paired with pickle and yogurt. Here is the easy recipe to make Gujarati Methi Thepla.


All you need is

Whole wheat flour \ Gehun ka atta - 2 cups
Chickpea flour  \ Besan - 1\2 cup
Fresh fenugreek \ Methi leaves - 1 cup ( chopped )
Curd - 1\2 cup
Ginger paste - 1\2 tsp
Chili paste - 1\2 tsp
Asafoetida \ Heeng - a pinch
Cumin seeds \ zeera - 1\2 tsp
Carom seeds \ Ajwain - 1\2 tsp
Turmeric \ Haldi powder - 1\2 tsp
Red chili powder  - 1\2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Warm water to knead the dough
Oil for frying



Method of preparation

Mix all the ingredients except warm water and oil in a bowl.
Mix nicely with your finger tips.
Add very little water and knead to make a soft dough.
Keep in mind the fenugreek leaves will leave water, so add very little water while kneading.
Cover and keep the dough for 15-20 minutes.
Add a tbsp of oil in the bowl and knead the dough again for a minute.
Divide the dough into 10 equal balls.
Dust and roll the balls to a 6-7 inch circle.
Heat a griddle.
Keep the thepla on the hot griddle and cook from both the sides till brown spots appear.
Apply 1 tsp oil on both the sides and cook till spots darken and the thepla is cooked.
Keep pressing the thepla with a flat spoon while it is cooking.
Serve hot with pickle and curd.

Note - If you are making the Theplas to store and eat later, do not add besan to the dough. It will keep your Thepla's soft for a longer time. But if planning to eat hot Thepla's, besan will add a nice crunch.

Vegetable spring roll is a classic Indo Chinese dish perfect for evening snacks or entertaining guests. These are very easy to make and with the easy availability of the spring roll wrapper sheets in the market, it is a very good option to make when you have guests at home or you want some snack ready within no time. You can fill and roll the rolls beforehand and cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours and can deep fry them when ready to eat. Here is how I make mine.


All you need is

Spring roll sheets - 15-20
All purpose flour \ Maida - 2 tsp
Water - 2 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp and for frying
Garlic - 2 tsp ( finely chopped )
Ginger - 2 tsp ( finely chopped )
Onion - 1\2 cup ( finely chopped )
Cabbage - 1\2 cup ( finely chopped )
Capsicum - 1\2 cup ( finely chopped )
Carrot - 1\2 cup ( finely chopped )
Salt to taste
Black pepper powder - 1\4 tsp
Soy sauce - 1\2 tsp
Red chili sauce - 1\2 tsp
Ajinomoto - 1\2 tsp ( optional )



Method of preparation

Take out the spring roll sheets from the freezer, approximately 45 minutes before you want to make the rolls.
Mix all purpose flour and water in a bowl and keep aside.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok.
When the oil is hot, add ginger and garlic and fry for a few seconds.
Add onion and fry till translucent.
Add cabbage, capsicum, carrots, black pepper powder, salt, red chili sauce, soy sauce and ajinomoto.
Add 1\4 cup of water and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Increase the eat and cook till all the water is evaporated and the filling is dry.
Remove the wok from heat and let the filling cool.
Take one spring roll sheet and keep a tbsp of filling at one corner.
Roll until you reach the center.
Fold the sides inside.
Apply little maida mixture on the other end and roll till you reach the end.
Make all the spring rolls in the similar way.
Heat oil in a pan.
Deep fry all the spring rolls on medium heat till they are golden brown.
Drain on a tissue lined plate.
Serve hot with chili dipping sauce.

Lemon rice is a popular South Indian Rice recipe. The dish is complete in it self or it can be eaten with curd, raita or any chutney and is a wonderful way to use left over rice. A tadka of mustard seeds, lentils, peanuts, cashew nuts and curry leaves is made and is added to the cooked rice. Lemon juice is added at the end to give it a slight tangy taste. Here is the recipe to make this simple Lemon Rice.


All you need is

Rice - 1 cup
Sesame oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1\2 tsp
Urad dal \ Split Black lentil - 1 tsp
Chana dal \ Split bengal gram - 1 tsp
Green chili - 2 ( slit into half )
Dry red chilies - 3-4
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Heeng - 1\4 tsp
Peanuts - 1\4 cup
Cashew nuts - 6-8
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - 1\2 tsp
Lemon juice - 2 tbsp


Method of preparation

Wash the rice and soak for 20 minutes.
Drain the water.
Add rice and fluff the cooked rice with a spoon.
Keep aside.
Dry roast the peanuts and cashew nuts till slightly browned.
Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan.
When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, urad dal and chana dal.
Cook till dals are slightly browned.
Add green chili, dry red chili, curry leaves and heeng. Cook for 10 seconds.
Add the roasted peanuts, cashew nuts, salt and turmeric powder.
Cook for 10 seconds.
Add the cooked rice and lemon juice and mix well.
Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Serve hot with plain curd, raita or coconut chutney.