Priya's kitchen

Aloo Mutter Soya Sabzi

2011-04-24T00:04:00.001-07:00

The husband and I tasted Aloo Mutter and Soya Sabzi for the first time at Delhi, and we both fell in love with it. I tried making it at home today, and the result was extremely good. Everyone in the family loved it. :)

Ingredients (for 2 people):

4 medium-sized tomatoes
2 small onions
6-7 cloves of garlic (peeled)
Salt to taste
A few coriander leaves, finely chopped
Red chilli powder to taste
Lemon juice to taste
Hing to taste
Kitchen King/Garam Masala/Sabzi Masala to taste
A little oil
A few mustard seeds
A 1-inch long piece of ginger, peeled
1 small cup of shelled green peas
4-5 potatoes, peeled and chopped into large pieces
A handful of soya chunks

Method:

1. Boil some water in a pan and add salt in it. Add the soya chunks to the boiling water. Let them cook for about 5 minutes. Then, take the pan off heat and drain the water from the soya chunks. Wash them with cold water, and squeeze them to remove every trace of excess water. Keep aside.
2. Chop the tomatoes, ginger, onions and garlic. Grind them to a paste in a mixer, without adding water. Keep aside.
3. Heat a little oil in a pressure cooker and add some mustard seeds. After they splutter, add some hing to taste.
4. Add the tomato gravy to the kadhai and let it cook for a while, till the raw smell leaves it.
5. Add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric and masala to taste and mix well. Cook for a while.
6. Add the shelled peas and chopped potatoes and mix well, so that they are coated completely with the gravy.
7. Add the soya chunks and mix well. Let everything simmer together for a few minutes.
8. Add more water if required, and close the pressure cooker lid. Let it cook for about 3 whistles.
9. After the steam escapes, add the chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice to taste. Mix well.

Serve hot with parathas or roti.

Pineapple Salad

2011-03-26T05:21:00.000-07:00

I found the recipe for a very different kind of Pineapple Salad on Kavya's food blog, and thought I would like it. I tried it out, without the spinach (palak), and I loved it. Here's the recipe I used, which is just a slight modification of the one at Kavya's blog.

Ingredients:

Pineapple:1 cup(Julienne cut)
Tomato Ketchup:2 spns
Salt:To Taste
Chilli Powder:To Taste
Sugar/Honey:1 spn
Seaseme Seeds:2 spns(dry roasted)
Lemon Juice:1 spn

Method:

1.In a mixing bowl add tomato ketchup,salt,chilli powder,lemon juice,seaseme seeds(save little for garnishing),sugar/honey and mix well.
2.Now add the cut pineapple and mix well. Keep it aside for 5 minutes and then serve. Garnish it with seaseme seeds before serving.

Mushroom Masala

2011-03-24T22:10:00.000-07:00

I had always been skeptical of eating mushrooms – right from childhood. Maybe one of the reasons behind this is that my mom always used to refer to them as ‘Naikodai’ (dog’s umbrella). :(

Of late, I started trying out dishes with mushrooms at restaurants, and quite liked them. The better half – eating mushrooms is a relatively new experience for him too – liked them too. I had been wanting to try out some dish using mushrooms at home, and the chance presented itself when fresh mushrooms were on sale at our recent visit to a departmental store. After reading up on the preparation of mushrooms on various sites, I decided to try out a recipe which was a mishmash of some of the recipes I had read. And, I am happy to tell you, it turned out to be delicious. Finger-lickingly, wonderfully yummy. We both loved it, and we are definitely going to cook and eat more mushrooms now onwards.

Ingredients: (for 2 people)
1. 200 grams mushrooms
2. Salt to taste
3. Turmeric powder to taste
4. Chilli powder to taste
5. Sabji masala/garam masala to taste
6. Lemon juice to taste
7. 3 medium-sized tomatoes
8. 2 medium-sized onions
9. A few coriander leaves, finely chopped
10. A little oil
11. 8-10 cloves of garlic, peeled
12. A small piece of ginger, peeled
13. Mustard seeds
14. Hing powder to taste
Method:
1. Clean the mushrooms and chop them into large pieces. Keep aside.
2. Chop the onions and tomatoes finely, and keep aside.
3. Grind the ginger and garlic into a paste. Keep aside.
4. In a pressure cooker, heat a little oil and add the hing powder. Add the mustard seeds and allow them to splutter.
5. Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté it for a bit.
6. Add the chopped onions and sauté them till they turn brown.
7. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook them till tender, adding a bit of water.
8. Add salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder, sabji masala/garam masala to taste and mix well.
9. Add the chopped coriander and mix well.
10. Add the chopped mushrooms and mix well. Add more water if required.
11. Close the pressure cooker and cook for about 5 minutes on high flame, without the weight.
12. After 5 minutes, open the pressure cooker and add lemon juice to taste. Mix well.

Serve hot with roti or rice.

Oats Vegetable Idli

2011-01-28T23:02:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe on Monika's blog, and knew I had to try it out. I did so, a couple of days back, and the result was YUMMY. Everyone at home loved the idlis. What's more - it's very simple and easy to make, and healthy as well.

Here's the recipe, reproduced from her blog, with a few little changes:

Ingredients:

1. Oats – 1 1/2 cups
2. Rawa – 1/2cup
3. Mix veggies – 1 cup (Grated carrots, chopped onions and boiled peas)
4. Sour Curds – 2 cup
5. Corainder leaves – a handful
6. Curry leaves – 6-7
7. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
8. Chana dal – 1 tsp
9. Urad dal – 1 tsp
10. Oil – 1 tsp
11. Eno Fruit Salt – 1 tsp

Method:

1. Mix oats, rawa and curds and keep aside for 30 minutes
2. Heat oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds
3. When they crack add curry leaves, channa dal and urad dal
4. Fry till it turns light brown in color
5. Add the tempering to the oats mixture.
6. Add the veggies and salt to taste and mix well.
7. Grease the idly mould and keep them ready.
8. Add the Eno and pour the batter in the moulds immediately.
9. Steam for about 15 minutes and your idlis are ready!

Thanks for the awesome recipe, Monika! :)

Undhiyu

2011-01-08T19:35:00.000-08:00

Undhiyu is a traditional Gujarati dish - a curry made out of a lot of vegetables, which is highly nutritious and yummy too. It is sweet and spicy in taste. I LOVE undhiyu, but the better half does not like it one bit. That's sad, but I do cook it whenever he's not around, even though I have to do all that just for myself - cooking undhiyu is an elaborate process, but the end result is totally worth the effort. For me, not making undhiyu at least once in the winter months is sacrilege, with all the peas and fresh vegetables available in plenty now. I have found that different families cook undhiyu in different ways. The recipe that I use was taught to me by my mother who, in turn, learnt it from a Gujarati friend of hers.

Ingredients (for 2 to 3 people)

For the hara masala:

8-10 cloves of garlic
1 inch piece of ginger
2-3 green chillies
A small bunch of coriander leaves
Some dessicated fresh coconut

Peel the garlic and ginger. Chop the coriander leaves. Mix everything and grind to a paste without adding water.

For the vegetables:

2 potatoes
1 medium-sized brinjal
Some elephant yam
200 gms tuvar
200 gms green peas
200 gms beans (avarakkai)
Some carrot
1/2 raw banana

Peel the potatoes, carrot, raw banana and elephant yam. Shell the tuvar and peas. Remove the strings from the beans. Cut all the vegetables into slightly large pieces.

For the muthia:

A little besan
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder to taste
Sugar to taste
Hing to taste
Oil for deep frying
Methi leaves

Wash and chop the methi leaves finely. Drain all the excess water from them, as any retention of water leads to the muthia becoming very bitter in taste. In a large bowl, mix the besan, chopped methi leaves, salt, sugar, hing and red chilli powder to taste. Add a little water and mix to a paste. The consistency of the paste should be neither too watery nor too thick. Heat oil in a kadhai and when hot, put in bites of the methi paste. Deep fry them till brown. Drain the muthia on a tissue paper, so that the excess oil comes off.

For seasoning:

Oil
Dhana-jeera powder (powder of dried coriander seeds and jeera - cumin seeds)
Mustard seeds
A little ajwain
Salt to taste
Hing to taste
Sugar to taste
Lemon juice to taste
A little til

Method:.

1. Heat a little oil in a pressure cooker and add the mustard seeds. Allow them to splutter.
2. Add til and ajwain. Add hing to taste after they get a little brown.
3. Add the hara masala and mix well. Do not overcook the masala, as it leads to the smell of the curry going off.
4. Add the chopped vegetables, salt and sugar to taste, dhana jeera powder to taste. Add red chilli powder if required. Mix well. Add the required amount of water.
5. Close the cooker and pressure cook with the weight on for about 15 minutes.
6. After the steam escapes, add the lemon juice to taste and the muthia. Mix well and cook on a low flame for a bit, till everything mixes properly.

Notes:

1. If you want the curry to be healthier, you can avoid putting in the muthia.
2. You can also make more hara masala and stuff the vegetables with it. That is how authentic Gujarati-style undhiyu is made. I normally do not stuff the vegetables due to lack of time. While undhiyu with stuffed vegetables tastes awesome, it tastes equally good if made without stuffed vegetables.

Pav Bhaji

2011-01-04T08:48:00.000-08:00

I am a big fan of Pav Bhaji, ever since I learnt to eat out. :) I was more than happy when the better half's office boy taught me this recipe. Now I make it at home, and the better half loves it. It's simple to cook, healthy and tasty. I love such one-pot meals, a single dish which is a complete meal in itself.

Ingredients: (for 2 people)

Slices of bread

For the bhaji:

1. 2 large cups of vegetables - peas, corn, cabbage, cauliflower, beans, carrot, etc.(pressure cook with salt to taste)
2. 3-4 medium-sized tomatoes, finely chopped
3. 1/2 capsicum, finely chopped
4. 3 onions, finely chopped
5. Salt to taste
6. Lemon juice to taste
7. Pav Bhaji masala to taste
8. Red chilli powder to taste
9. Turmeric powder to taste
10. Coriander leaves to garnish, finely chopped
11. Hing to taste
12. Mustard seeds for tadka
13. Ginger-garlic paste to taste
14. 6 medium-sized potatoes, pressure cooked with salt to taste, peeled and mashed

Method:

1. Heat some oil in a kadhai, and add some hing and mustard seeds. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes away.
2. Add the finely chopped onions and cook for a while, adding more oil if necessary. Cook till the onions start turning brown.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for a bit, till the raw smell goes away. Mash the tomatoes till they lose their shape.
4. Add the boiled vegetables, removing the excess water from it. Mix well.
5. Add the capsicum and boiled potatoes, adding salt, pav bhaji masala, turmeric powder and red chilli powder to taste. Mix and cook well.
6. When it is almost done, add the chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice to taste. Mix well.

Toast the bread slices lightly on a tawa, adding butter. Serve the bread with the bhaji, garnishing with finely chopped onions.

Mixed Vegetable Soup

2011-01-04T08:21:00.000-08:00

Come winter, and soups start making an appearance on our dining table. Both the better half and me like having a bowl of soup in cold winter days with fried rice or noodles, or just as a starter before dinner. We do like the easy-to-make packed soups available in stores, but I personally prefer this home-made version. It's just as easy to make, and healthier. This recipe was taught to me by my mother, and I can't thank her enough for it.

Ingredients:

1. 1 tsp. wheat flour
2. Mixed vegetables - peas, cabbage, corn, carrot
3. Salt to taste
4. Pepper powder to taste
5. Coriander leaves - chopped finely
6. Butter - 1 tsp.

Method:

1. Pressure cook the vegetables, adding a little salt. After releasing the steam, remove the boiled vegetables and keep them aside. Do not drain the water from the vegetables.
2. Heat a kadhai and add the wheat flour. Dry roast the flour a bit, till it becomes slightly red in colour and a good smell emanates from it. Keep the flour aside.
3. In a kadhai, heat the butter. After it melts, add the finely chopped coriander leaves and fry for a minute.
4. Add the boiled vegetables, along with the water used for boiling them. Add more water if necessary, and mix well. Add more salt if required. Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes.
5. Take the roast wheat flour in a small bowl and add a bit of water. Mix well, and add this mixture to the soup. Mix well and allow to simmer for a while.

Tastes good when served steaming hot with bread sticks or with soya sauce and tomato sauce mixed in.

Fried Rice

2010-10-09T05:10:00.001-07:00

This recipe comes from my aunt, who is a wonderful cook. It is a little customised to suit the tastes of our family. We all love eating this version of fried rice with Gobi Manchurian. It is very simple and easy to cook, and is healthy too.

Ingredients (For 2 people):

1. Oil for tadka
2. Ajinomoto to taste
3. Salt to taste
4. Pepper powder to taste
5. A small piece of ginger (finely chopped)
6. 1-1/2 glasses of rice (cooked in about 3-1/2 glasses of water i.e. neither too raw nor overcooked)
7. 2 small onions (chopped finely)
8. A few garlic cloves (peeled and chopped finely)
8. A cupfull of chopped vegetables - beans, carrots, cabbage, green peas, etc.

Method:

1. Heat a little oil in a kadhai and add the onions. Cook till they start turning brown.
2. Add the chopped garlic and saute a little.
3. Add the chopped vegetables and cook till they are tender, sprinkling water if necessary.
4. Crumble the rice a bit and add it to the vegetables. Mix well.
5. Add the salt and pepper powder to taste. Let it cook for a while.
6. When it is almost done, add a pinch of ajinomoto and mix well. Take off from heat.

Manathankalikkai Vettalkozhambu

2010-10-03T02:49:00.000-07:00

This is one of my most favourite dishes in the world. The recipe was passed on to me by mommy dearest. :)

Ingredients:

1. A lemon-sized ball of tamarind
2. Salt to taste
3. Oil for tadka
4. Some manathankalikkai vetthal (I don't know the English word for this)
5. Sambar powder to taste
6. Jaggery for taste
7. A few curry leaves
8. Mustard seeds for tadka
9. Rice flour/ Wheat flour (optional)
10.Red chilli powder to taste
11. Methi seeds for tadka
12. Hing powder to taste
13. Turmeric powder to taste

Method:

1. Soak the tamarind in water for a while, and extract a thick paste out of it, adding water if necessary.
2. Heat a little oil in a kadhai and add hing powder and mustard seeds. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter, and add methi seeds. Allow to cook for a while.
3. Add the manathankalikkai vetthal and cook for a while, till they become a little soft.
4. Add the tamarind extract, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, sambar powder and jaggery to taste. Cook on a medium flame till the raw smell goes away.
5. Once it starts to thicken, add the curry leaves and mix well.
6. If it is too watery, mix the rice flour/ wheat flour in a little water and add to the kozhambu. Mix well and cook for a while.
7. Take off from heat once it starts boiling.

Notes:

1) This kozhambu can be made with vegetables like kotthavarangai, onions and ladies finger, too. If using them, just substitute the manathankalikkai vetthal in the above recipe with the vegetable of your choice. The rest of the steps in the recipe will remain the same.
2) We use sambar powder made at home, the recipe for which I will be posting sometime soon.

Cabbage/Molai Keerai/Sorakkai Mor Kootu

2010-09-25T02:59:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favourite South Indian dishes, which goes well with rasam/sambar rice and with rotis. This is somewhat similar to avial. I learnt this from my mother, who, in turn, learnt this from her mother. :)

Ingredients (for 2 people):

1. 1/2 cabbage, chopped finely
2. Curd
3. Salt to taste
4. Green chillies to taste
5. Jeera (cumin) to taste
6. Dessicated coconut (fresh) to taste
7. A little toor dal
8. A little chana dal
9. Turmeric powder to taste
10. Oil for tadka
11. Mustard seeds for tadka
12. Hing powder to taste

Method:

1. Grind the dessicated coconut, jeera, green chillies, chana dal and toor dal to a paste.
2. Heat a little oil in a cooker. Add the hing powder and mustard seeds. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter.
3. Add the cabbage and cook for a while, adding the turmeric powder and salt to taste.
4. When it is half cooked, add the coconut and green chillies paste. Mix well.
5. Close the cooker and add weight. Cook for about 3 whistles.
6. Add curd just before serving and mix well.

Notes:

1. You can also add fresh green peas along with the cabbage.
2. We commonly use cabbage or molai keerai to make this kootu, though bottle gourd (sorakkai) can also be used.
3. The curd is added just before serving to ensure that it does not become too sour.
4. The curd should neither be too sour, nor too bland, for the kootu to turn out well.
5. The chana dal and toor dal are added while grinding the coconut and green chillies to ensure that the kootu does not turn too watery.

Corn Upma

2010-09-18T02:38:00.000-07:00

This is another simple but extremely tasty recipe. This is usually made in Gujarati households. The recipe was taught to me by mom, passed on to her by her mother-in-law, i.e. my granny who, in turn, learnt it from some Gujarati friends.

Ingredients:

1. 4 corn cobs, which should be neither too fresh nor too hard
2. A tablespoon of milk (optional)
3. Salt to taste
4. Fresh coriander leaves (chopped)
5. Green chillies (finely chopped, according to taste)
6. Hing powder to taste
7. Mustard seeds
8. Sugar to taste
9. A little oil for tadka
10. Turmeric powder to taste
11. Lemon juice to taste

Method:

1. Grate the corn cobs and keep aside.
2. Heat a little oil in a pan and add hing powder and mustard seeds. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter.
3. Add the green chillies and leave them in for a minute.
4. Add the grated corn and mix well. Sprinkle the milk on it, if using. This adds to the softness of the upma.
5. Add salt, turmeric powder and sugar to taste. Mix well and cook for a while.
6. When it is almost done, add the lemon juice to taste and mix well. Serve hot, garnished with coriander leaves.

Vegetable Sandwich

2010-09-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

This is a very simple recipe that I love. Learnt after a lot of trials and tribulations. :)

Ingredients:

1.Slices of sandwich bread
2. Chaat masala to taste
3. 1 medium sized potato
4. 1 medium sized tomato
5. 1 medium sized cucumber
6. 1 medium sized beetroot
7. Butter
8. A few green chillies
9. Tomato ketchup to taste

Method:

1. Grind the green chillies to a paste and keep aside.
2. Boil the potato and beetroot separately.
3. Cut the boiled potatoes and beetroot, cucumber and tomato into round-shaped pieces separately.
4. On one slice of bread, apply the green chillies paste.
5. Lay it on a flat board and arrange some boiled potato slices on it. Arrange some beetroot slices on top of it. On top of that, arrange some cucumber and tomato slices.
6. Add some tomato ketchup on the vegetables, to taste.
7. Sprinkle some chaat masala on the ketchup, to taste.
8. Spread some butter on another slice of bread, and lay it on top of the sandwich, covering it.
9. Cut into small slices and serve.

Variations:

1. Can also be grilled on a tawa or sandwich maker.
2. Sev (omapidi) can also be sprinkled over the vegetables before closing the sandwich with the second bread slice.

Chocolate Fudge

2010-09-13T10:26:00.001-07:00

This is a highly customised version of chocolate fudge that we have been making at home since years. Taught to me by mom. Probably, it isn't even authentic chocolate fudge, but that has never mattered. All that matters is that it is is chocolate and it is yummy. And it is very, very simple to make. :)

Ingredients (for 2 people):

1) 1 cup low fat milk cream ( I use 200 ml of Amul non-sweetened milk cream. It comes to just about 1 cup)
2) 1 cup sugar, a little here or there, according to taste
3) Cocoa powder to taste
4) Ghee for greasing a plate

Method:

1. Grease a plate with ghee and keep aside.
2. In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat a little water and add the sugar to it. Keep stirring till the sugar dissolves.
3. Add the cream to it and mix well.
4. Add cocoa powder to taste, stirring well, so that no lumps are formed. I add the cocoa powder depending on the colour of the mixture and the taste - it should be just the right chocolate-ey flavour for you.
5. Take off from heat when the mixture is of halwa consistency, and transfer it to the greased plate. Allow to cool.
6. Serve in small bowls, with chopped cashews sprinkled on top.

Grape Thokku

2010-09-12T03:20:00.000-07:00

I had these black grapes that the better half got, which turned out to be extremely sour. I decided to try out something new with the sour grapes, and to my surprise, it turned out amazingly well. Everyone loved it!! Sour grapes are not so bad, after all! :)

I am submitting this entry for the Complete My Thali Contest at Jagruti's blog!

Ingredients:

A bowl of seedless red grapes (if they are with seeds, de-seed them)
Salt to taste
A piece of ginger
2 green chillies
Hing to taste
Sugar to taste
Methi seeds to taste
Oil for tadka
Turmeric powder to taste
Mustard seeds

Method:

1) Grind the grapes in a mixer to a paste, without adding water.
2) Remove the peel from the ginger. Grind the ginger and green chillies to a paste in mixer.
3) In a pan, heat some oil. Add hing powder, methi seeds and mustard seeds. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter.
4) Add the green chillies-ginger paste and cook for a while.
5) When it starts changing colour, add the grapes paste.
6) Add salt, sugar and turmeric powder to taste.
7) Cook it on low flame,stirring well, till the paste starts to thicken. Take off from gas when cooked well.

Tastes well with parotas, chappatis and rice items.

Ari Nellikai Urugai (Ari Nellikai Pickle)

2010-08-15T07:20:00.000-07:00

I wonder how I didn't know something as sinful as Ari Nellikai existed till my recent visit to Mysore. I was overjoyed to find that it was available at the Malleshwaram vegetable market too. Mommy darling taught me how to make yummy Ari Nellikai picke - something I absolutely adore these days. :)

Ingredients:

1. 250 grams of Ari Nellikai

2. Salt to taste
3. Hing powder to taste
4. Chilli powder to taste
5. Turmeric powder to taste
6. Jaggery to taste
7. Oil
8. Mustard seeds

Method:

1. Remove the seeds from the Ari Nellikai and cut it into small pieces. (This can be quite an uphill task, as I discovered, but the hard labour is totally worth the wonderful finished product.)

2. Heat a little oil in a kadhai and add mustard seeds. Allow them to splutter.
3. Add the hing powder to taste.
4. Add the nellikai pieces and cook on low flame till it gets a little soft.
5. After it gets soft, add salt, chilli powder and turmeric powder to taste and mix well. Cook for a while.
6. When it is mixed well, add crushed jaggery as per taste. Mix well and cook for a while.

That's it, and you get some mouth-watering pickle!

Pattarveliya aka Paatra aka Alvi

2010-08-09T02:45:00.000-07:00

This is one of my most favourite Gujarati dishes. This recipe has been customised to suit individual tastes. :)

For 2 people

Ingredients:
1. 10 medium sized paatra leaves (Sepankazhangu leaves)
2. Salt to taste
3. Ginger-fresh coriander-green chillies paste
4. Turmeric powder to taste
5. Jaggery to taste
6. Oil
7. A small lemon-sized ball of tamarind
8. Hing powder to taste
9. 2 cups of besan
10. Mustard seeds
11. Dry, dessicated coconut (kopra)
12. Fresh coriander leaves - chopped finely

Method:

1. Wash the paatra leaves and cut off the bulging veins, taking care not to cut the leaves. Wipe the water off using a clean cloth.

2. Soak the tamarind and extract a thick paste, using a little water. Strain and remove any impurities.
3. In a bowl, mix the besan, salt, turmeric powder, jaggery and green chillies paste to taste. Add the tamarind paste and mix well. Add red chilli powder if it is not spicy enough. Add a little water if necessary and make a slightly watery paste.
4. Lay out the reverse side of a leaf on a hard surface, and spread the besan paste all over it generously. Lay one more leaf over it, and again spread some more paste. Make a layer of 4-5 leaves in this manner.

5. Fold in the sides of all leaves together. Then, roll up all leaves together.
6. Roll up all the leaves in this manner.
7. Grease a plate with a little oil and place the rolls on it.
8. Pressure cook with whistle for about 3-4 whistles.
9. Once the steam escapes, remove the rolls and let them cool. Cut them approximately equal, small pieces.
10. Heat a little oil in a kadhai and add hing powder and mustard seeds. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter. Add the paatra pieces and cook for a while, till the pieces become a little crisp.
11. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and dry, dessicated coconut (Kopra). Tastes nice with tamarind chutney.

Sabudana Khichdi

2010-07-23T22:05:00.000-07:00

Note: Highly customised to individual tastes

For 2 people

Ingredients:

1) 1 glass sabudana
2) Oil
3) Mustard seeds
4) Hing powder to taste
5) Salt to taste
6) Turmeric powder to taste
7) Lemon juice to taste
8) Finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish
9) Sugar to taste
10) A handful of raw groundnuts

Method:

1) Soak the sabudana for about 2 to 2-1/2 hours and then wash and put it in a strainer, to drain out the excess water. You can soak the sabudana and then leave it in the strainer overnight, to cook the khichdi the next day.
2) After the water has drained out, add salt, sugar and turmeric powder to taste to the sabudana and mix well. Keep aside.
3) In a kadhai, without adding oil, dry roast the raw groundnuts till they become a little brown. Then take off from heat and allow to cool. Once cool, remove the skin and grind coarsely in a mixer.
4) Mix the groundnut powder well in the sabudana.
5) Heat some oil in the kadhai and add hing powder and mustard seeds. Allow to splutter.
6) Add the sabudana to the kadhai and mix well. Cook for some time, stirring well. Don't cook for too long, as the sabudana tends to become hard if overcooked.
7) Add lemon juice to taste and chopped coriander leaves when almost done and mix well.

Tawa Pulao

2010-05-24T05:01:00.000-07:00

For two people

Ingredients:

1) A little piece of ginger
2) 7-8 cloves of garlic
3) 2 green chillies
4) A little oil
5) Pav bhaji masala to taste
6) Rai
7) Hing to taste
8) Salt to taste
9) Lemon juice to taste
10)Turmeric powder to taste
11) Coriander leaves, finely chopped
12) Tomatoes (finely chopped)
13) Capsicum (finely chopped)
14) Onion (finely chopped)
15) Green peas (half boiled)
16) Potatoes (half boiled and finely chopped)
17) Beans (half boiled)
18) Cabbage (finely chopped)
19) Cauliflower florets (half boiled)
20) Carrot (half boiled and finely chopped)
21) A little red chilli powder to taste (optional)
22) 2 cups rice (boiled)

Method:

1) Grind the ginger, garlic and green chillies to a paste.
2) Heat some oil in a kadhai and add rai. Allow it to splutter. Add the hing.
3) Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for a while.
4) Add the tomatoes and cook till a little soft.
5) Add all the vegetables and mix well. Add water in required quantity.
6) Add salt, chilli powder (if needed), pav bhaji masala and turmeric powder to taste. Mix well and cook for a while.
7) When it is almost done, add the lemon juice to taste. Mix well and garnish with coriander leaves.

Paneer Bhurjee

2010-04-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

I have taken it upon myself to revive this blog once more, and so I am back with something that I tried out in the kitchen recently and loved. It has been a really long time since an update happened here. Not that I haven't cooked at all during this time, but never got around to updating this blog. Hopefully, updates here will happen more frequently.

I always used to love Paneer Bhurjee at friends' places and in restaurants, but never tried it out. A couple of days back, I did and loved the result. Here's the recipe, highly customised to the family taste. I would love to know what variations you made, in case you try this out, and how it turned out.

Ingredients (for 2 people):

100 gm paneer (grated)
1 onion (finely chopped)
1 capsicum (finely chopped)
2 medium sized tomatoes (finely chopped)
Coriander leaves (finely chopped)
Salt to taste
Garam Masala to taste
Sugar to taste
Chilli powder to taste
A little turmeric powder
A little oil
Hing powder to taste
Cumin seeds

Method:

1) Heat a little oil in a kadhai and add cumin seeds. Let them splutter.
2) Add the hing powder.
3) Add the finely chopped onions and cook for a while.
4) Add the tomatoes and cook for a while, adding a little water.
5) Add the capsicum, salt, garam masala, sugar and turmeric powder to taste. Cook for a while.
6) Add the grated paneer and mix well. Cook for a while. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Can be eaten with rotis.

Aloo Methi

2008-11-23T18:12:00.000-08:00

Ingredients (for 2 people) :

1) A small bunch of Methi leaves
2) 2 medium-sized onions
3) 2 medium-sized tomatoes
4) 2 medium-sized potatoes
5) Sugar to taste
6) Salt to taste
7) Red chilli powder to taste
8) Oil
9) Hing to taste
10) Turmeric powder to taste
11) Mustard seeds

Method:

1) Clean and chop the methi leaves into small pieces. Chop the onions, tomatoes and potatoes into small pieces and keep each of them separately.
2) Heat some oil in a pressure cooker and add mustard seeds. Allow them to splutter and then add hing.
3) Then add the onion and cook for some time.
4) Add the tomatoes and cook till they are soft.
5) Then add the potatoes and the chopped methi leaves. Add salt, sugar, red chilli powder and turmeric powder to taste. Add water and pressure cook for a while. That's it!

Tastes good with chappatis.

Pani Poori

2008-11-14T07:08:00.001-08:00

Ingredients (for 2 people):

Pooris

For the stuffing:

1) 3 large-sized potatoes
2) Salt to taste
3) Panipoori masala
4) Coriander leaves
5) A handful of red chana, soaked for more than 12 hours

For the sweet Pani:

1) A fairly large-sized ball of tamarind
2) Jaggery to taste
3) Jeera to taste
4) Water as per requirement

For the green Pani:

1) A bunch of pudina
2) A bunch of coriander leaves
3) Panipoori masala
4) Salt
5) 1 lemon
6) 2 green chillies
7) Water as per requirement

Method:

1) Soak the tamarind in water and keep aside.
2) Next is the preparation of the stuffing. Boil the red chana and potatoes in cooker. Chop the coriander into fine pieces and keep aside.
3) Make preparations for the green Pani. Chop the green chillies, pudina and coriander leaves and grind together to a paste in mixer. Take this paste in a vessel and add water as per requirement. Add salt and panipoori masala to taste. Add the juice of the lemon (more if required). Stir well and keep aside. Green Pani is ready.
4) Now prepare the sweet Pani. Extract the pulp from the soaked tamarind, adding water whenever necessary. Add more water and heat it in a kadhai. Heat till the raw smell goes away, and then add jaggery to taste. While it is simmering, dry grind some jeera in the mixer and add it to the kadhai. Turn off the heat and allow to cool. Sweet Pani is ready.
5) Now prepare the stuffing. Peel the boiled potatoes and mash them. Cut the coriander meant for the stuffing finely. In a vessel, add the finely chopped coriander to the mashed potatoes. Add the boiled red channa, salt and panipoori masala. Mix well. The stuffing is ready.

Note:

1) Tastes awesome when the Pani is chilled for a while before serving.
2) This recipe is customised to meet individual tastes.

Palak Paneer

2008-11-09T08:41:00.000-08:00

Ingredients: (for 2 people)

1) 250 g palak leaves
2) 100 g paneer
3) 2-3 medium-sized onions
4) 2-3 medium-sized tomatoes
5) A small piece of ginger
6) A few cloves of garlic
7) 2-3 green chillies
8) Oil
9) Salt to taste
10) Sugar to taste
11) Mustard seeds
12) A pinch of hing
13) A bit of turmeric powder
14) 1 tablespoon milk
15) 2 tablespoons curd
16) A bunch of coriander

Method:

1) Wash and cut palak leaves into small pieces. Boil the palak and keep aside.
2) Cut the paneer into small cubes. Heat a little oil and a kadhai and fry the paneer pieces. Keep aside.
3) Cut the tomatoes and green chillies into medium-sized pieces. Take the skin off the garlic and ginger and cut into pieces. Chop the coriander. In a mixer, first grind the ginger, green chillies and garlic to a coarse paste. Then add the chopped coriander (keeping aside a small part for garnishing), tomatoes and onions and grind to a fine paste. Keep aside.
4) Heat the left-over oil after frying the paneer and add some mustard seeds and a pinch of hing. Let the mustard splutter.
5) Add the ginger-garlic-tomato-onion-chilly-coriander paste and cook for a while till the raw smell goes away.
6) Add the boiled palak and mix well.
7) Add salt, sugar and turmeric to taste. Mix well.
8) Add the milk and curd and mix well.
9) Add the fried paneer cubes and mix well. Let it cook for some time and then take off heat.
10) Decorate with chopped coriander leaves.

Note: 1) Highly customised to suit individual tastes :)
2) Ideal for serving with chappatis.

Mango-neem pacchadi

2008-04-12T22:16:00.000-07:00

Ingredients (for 2 people)

1) A little oil

2) Mustard seeds

3) 1-2 dry, red chillies

4) 2 raw mangoes, peeled and grated

5) Fresh/dry neem flowers

6) Jaggery to taste

7) Salt to taste

Method:

1) Heat the oil in a kadhai, and add the mustard seeds. Allow them to splutter. Then break the dry, red chillies into pieces and add. Fry it for a short while.

2) Add the grated mango and neem flowers. Roast for a while.

3) Add some water, cover the kadhai with a plate and cook till the mango becomes soft. Cook till the mixture is in the form of a watery lump.

4) Add a pinch of salt, and crushed jaggery to taste. Mix well till the jaggery dissolves.

Traditionally made in Tamilian households on the eve of Tamil New Year, this Pacchadi is a mixture of sweet, sour, bitter, and hot - symbolising the way life should be, with a little bit of each. It can be eaten either hot or cold.

Khaman

2008-03-23T03:15:00.000-07:00

I am back to the kitchen after a loooooooooooooong time, with Khaman. This is a Gujarati dish, one of my favourites. The recipe has been altered a bit, so as to suit my taste and to make it healthier. Here goes:

Ingredients (for 2 people)

1) 1 cup besan

2) Salt to taste

3) Sugar to taste

4) Curd

5) Juice of 1 lemon

6) 2 teaspoons Eno fruit salt (plain)

7) Coriander leaves to garnish, chopped

8) A bit of oil

7) Green chillies, chopped, to garnish

8) Hing

9) Mustard seeds

Method:

1) Take the besan in a large bowl and add salt and sugar to taste. Add the curd and lemon juice. Add the Eno fruit salt and mix well to make a paste, a bit thicker in consistency than Bajji batter. The paste should taste slightly sour and sweet (pulippu and thidippu konjam thookal). If necessary, add more lemon juice and curd and sugar.

2) Whisk the paste with hands to make it slightly fluffy. Keep it aside for about 1/2 hour.

3) After 1/2 hour, grease a deep steel plate and pour this paste into it evenly. Steam in cooker for about 5 minutes without whistle.

4) Take out the plate. Heat some oil in a kadhai and add mustard seeds. Allow them to splutter. Add the chopped green chillies and fry a bit.

5) Pour this oil-mustard seeds-green chillies mixture on top of the steamed khaman and cut into square pieces.

6) Garnish with chopped coriander leaves before serving. Dry coconut (Kopra) can also be used for garnishing.

Note: 1) Can be eaten hot or cold as a snack by itself, or can be served with Bombay Chutney and/or Raw Papaya kosamalli.

2) People who do not like too much of a sweet taste can cut down on the quantity of sugar.

Paneer sabji

2008-02-03T07:39:00.000-08:00

Ingredients (for 2 people):

1) 100 grams paneer

2) 3 medium-sized tomatoes

3) 2 medium-sized onions

4) A few cloves of garlic

5) Turmeric

6) Salt to taste

7) Sugar to taste

8) Hing

9) Mustard seeds

10) Oil

11) Garam masala to taste

12) 3-4 teaspoons of milk

13) 3-4 teaspoons of curd

14) Coriander to garnish

Method:

1) Peel the onions and garlic. Cut the tomatoes and onions into large pieces. Crush the tomatoes, onions, and garlic into a paste in mixer, without adding water. Keep aside.

2) Cut the paneer into small cubes.

3) Heat some oil in a kadhai and fry the paneer cubes till light brown. Take them out and keep aside.

4) Using the same oil, add mustard seeds and hing. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter.

5) Add the tomato-garlic-onion gravy and cook for some time, till the raw smell goes away.

6) Add salt, sugar, turmeric powder, and garam masala to taste. Mix well.

7) Add the fried paneer cubes and stir well.

8) Lastly, mix the curd and milk and add to the curry. Mix well and take off from gas.

9) Garnish with coriander leaves.

Ideal for serving with chappatis.

Bombay chutney

2008-01-19T09:19:00.000-08:00

Ingredients: (for 2 people)

1) 1/2 medium-sized cup besan

2) Salt to taste

3) 2 green chillies

4) Curd for mixing

5) A 1-inch long piece of ginger

6) Turmeric powder

7) Mustard seeds

8) 8-10 cloves of garlic

Method:

1) Take off the skin from the garlic and ginger. Cut the green chillies into large pieces. Dry grind chillies, garlic and ginger in mixer to make a paste. Keep aside.

2) Mix some curd in the besan and add salt and turmeric powder to taste. Keep aside. It should be neither too thick nor too thin.

3) Heat some oil in a kadhai and add mustard seeds. Allow them to splutter.

4) Add the ginger-garlic-chillies paste and stir for some time.

5) Add the besan paste, and add water/curd as required.

6) Cook for 5-7 minutes on low flame.

This chutney can be eaten with paranthas, dosas or chappatis. Best used hot.

PS: I don't know where this recipe got its name from. It is called Bombay Chutney at our place and has been passed on through generations. :)

Cauliflower manchurian

2008-01-10T06:15:00.000-08:00

Note: Highly customised as per individual tastes

Ingredients: (for 2 people)

1) 1 medium-sized cauliflower
2) 2 small-sized onions
3) 6-7 cloves of garlic
4) Coriander leaves to garnish
5) Salt to taste
6) Sugar to taste
7) Red chilli powder to taste
8) Mustard seeds
9) Oil
10) 4-5 tablespoons tomato ketchup
11) 3 tablespoons red chilli sauce
12) 2 tablespoons corn flour
13) 4 tablespoons maida
14) A pinch of Hing
15) A pinch of turmeric powder
16) A bit of ginger

Method:

1) Cut the cauliflower into large florets. Half boil the cauliflower in some water. Keep aside.
2) Cut the ginger, onion, garlic and coriander and keep aside.
3) In a large bowl, mix together the maida and cornflour, salt and red
chilli powder to taste and turmeric. Add some water and make a watery paste.
4) Heat some oil in a kadhai. When it is hot, dip the cauliflower florets in the paste and fry till brown in colour. Keep the fried cauliflower florets aside.
5) In the leftover oil after frying, add mustard seeds and hing. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter.
6) Add the garlic, ginger and onion and fry for a little while.
7) Add the cauliflower florets and stir well, ensuring that the florets do not break.
8) Sprinkle a little water and add salt, sugar and red chilli powder to taste. Stir well.
9) Add the tomato ketchup and the red chilli sauce and mix well.
10)Take off from heat and garnish with coriander leaves.

In order to increase the thickness of the gravy, mix a tablespoon of corn flour in water well so that there are no lumps and add this to the curry. Can be eaten with rice, chappatis or just as a snack.

Hyderabad-style baingan curry

2008-01-09T01:32:00.000-08:00

Finally I have done it - started a recipe blog! Updates here might not be as frequent as those on my other blog. However, the recipes will be presented in the simplest way possible. Some of the recipes might be customised to meet my tastes. You can add or deduct ingredients as you feel like.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to be an expert cook, but I love cooking. It gives me a lot of satisfaction, though I don’t do it as often as I should. Some of the recipes that I am planning to put up on this blog have been passed on since generations in our family, while some I have learnt from here and there. You might even know some of the recipes. Finally, I would like to add that the blogger does not accept responsiblity for any damage caused to any reader on account of the preparation and consumption of any recipe stated on this blog. :)

I begin with the recipe for Hyderabad-style Baingan curry. Here you go:

Ingredients: (for 2 people)

1) 10-12 small, green brinjals (called ‘Ravaiya’ in Gujarati)
2) A handful of raw groundnuts
3) 10-12 cloves garlic
4) A small lemon-sized ball of tamarind
5) Salt to taste
6) Turmeric powder - a pinch
7) Red chilli powder to taste
8 ) Jaggery to taste (optional)
10) 4-5 tablespoons oil
11) Mustard seeds
12) Hing (asafoetida) to taste

Method:

1) Soak the ball of tamarind in some water in a bowl. Keep aside.
2) Cut off the stems of the brinjals. Put 4 slits length-wise halfway through them. Keep aside.
3) Remove the skin from the garlic. Grind together the garlic cloves, salt and red chilli powder to taste, turmeric powder as well as the groundnuts to a coarse powder. Do not add water.
4) If necessary, more salt/red chilli powder can be added to the ground mixture at this stage. Stuff this powder into the brinjals and keep aside.

5) Extract the pulp from the tamarind and strain to remove impurities. Add a little more water if necessary. Keep this aside.
6) In the pressure cooker, heat the oil and add mustard seeds and hing. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter.
7) After the mustard seeds splutter, add the brinjals and stir a bit, ensuring that they do not break.
8 ) When the brinjals are half-cooked, add the tamarind pulp and cook for a while. If some of the stuffing is left over, it can be added at this stage.
9) Add crushed jaggery as per taste. Stir well, in such a way that the brinjals don’t break.
10) Close the cooker, adding more water if needed, put the weight on and allow to cook for 5-7 minutes.

Open the cooker when the steam escapes, and the curry is ready! Can be eaten with chappatis or rice.

PS: We call this Hyderabad-style Baingan curry at home because this recipe was taught to me by a Maami from Hyderabad. I don’t know the actual origin of the recipe.