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. :)