Aloo Methi

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.