Aloo cholae

Just another cholae recipe? nah...this one is with a twist...Yup! this one is with a cashew twist and simply melts into your mouth with a lingering richness of cashew. I have never used the cashew paste in my cooking so far. Now that I have used it, I realise what has been missing in my cooking - the richness and the texture it lends to the recipe. It just elevates the texture and tunes in the richness of the gravy.

Ingredients-

Chickpeas/garbanzo - 11/2 cup (Soaked in water overnight)
1 large boiled potato- (peeled & cubed)
2 medium onions- chopped finely
3 tomatoes- chopped
4 garlic cloves
ginger- grated (1/2 tsp)
Cashews- 1 tbsp
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Kasoori Methi leaves- 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Salt according to taste
Oil for cooking

Method- 

Drain the chickpeas (that has been soaked in water overnight), add six to eight cups of fresh water and pressure cook it for half an hour till it is soft. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds. As the seeds begin to sputter, add onions and fry till golden brown. In a separate small frying pan, heat oil and saute cashew, garlic, ginger and tomatoes for few minutes. Remove from heat and allow it to cool. Grind the sauteed tomatoes, garlic, ginger and cashews to a fine paste. Add this paste to the onions. Cook for few minutes. Add coriander powder, chilli powder, garam masala and salt. Cook the mixture on low flame till oil floats on top. Add the cubed potatoes and chickpeas. Cook for 10 minutes. Add Kasoori methi leaves to give it a nice flavor.

Gokulashtami and Rava ladoos....

I love celebrating Janmashtami for two reasons- Making small footprints of lord and festive dishes... (Just kidding, Krishna! Of course for you). This time around I did something different from the usual varieties. The usual salty snack (Uppu cheedai) and rava laddu is on the menu for the lord. So, if you really want a sweet dish that doesn't consume much time and is super tasty, here is a treat-

Rava laddu


Ingredients-


1 cup rava (Indian semolina/suji)
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
handful broken cashewnuts
Ghee (clarified butter)

Initial Preparation-

Generally, you use super fine rava for this dish. I couldn't find the super fine one in the market and here is what I did- I gave it a spin in my mixer to break it down and make it super fine. Similarly, the sugar has to be powdered (don't use crystal sugar- if you only have crystal sugar, give it a spin in your mixer/blender and make it to a powder).

How did I do it?


Roast rava in a pan with a bit of ghee till it is well roasted- keep the gas on low flame and do not burn rava/suji. Once done, keep it aside. In a small pan heat some ghee and fry cashew nuts till golden brown and keep it aside (you can include raisins as well). In a bowl, mix roasted rava, fried cashew nuts, cardamom powder and powdered sugar. I used warm ghee to blend the mixture well and make medium sized balls out of them. You need to add the ghee slowly - don't dump too much otherwise it will be difficult to make the balls. You can add warm milk instead of ghee as well. Enjoy!

Sending the entry to FSF - Janmashtami hosted by Show and Tell.

What's in a shape? Triangular rotis!

Seriously, who made the rules of cooking? Why follow a set of rules when you know you can do better? Cooking is an art and is dictated by taste buds and nothing else. When I started cooking, I used to be worried about the measure all the time. Am I putting more masala? Am I putting less spices? more salt? Is my roti geometrically round?? Practice and a bit of imagination is all you need to get it right. Now, if someone asks me how much salt should be used, I would have nothing to say- You just have a measure in your sub-consciousness and it will be tough to explain that to anyone. Enough bantering and lecturing on rules now! 

The other day, I finally chucked my regular round shape and created triangular shaped paranthas (roti's/stuffed indian flat bread). It turned out good and I just loved the new avatar of my roti's. Trust me, there is nothing fancy about the shapes and it is pretty easy to make. You don't have to worry about the precision of the triangle (some are hung up on the precision of the round shape, which won't be a problem with the triangular shape). Maybe, I will go overboard with my imagination and come up with star shaped roti's??? Just watch out for this space...

What do we need?

For the base-

Wheat flour

Water

Salt

For the filling-

Chopped coriander leaves (around a small cup)

Chopped green chillies (used about 3 green chillies)

Cumin seeds (around 1 tsp)

Salt (according to taste)

Preparation- 

Gently crush the cumin seeds and mix it with salt and chopped green chillies in a small cup. Keep the coriander leaves separately. Knead the flour with water and salt to a smooth and consistent dough. I used around 1 & 1/2 cups of flour. 

Method I followed-

Take a small ball of dough and flatten it to a round shape with rolling pin. Spread cumin seed mixture and coriander leaves on one portion of the round dough. Fold the other half over it so that it becomes a semi-circle. Gently fold the semicircle to a triangle. Now, gently flatten this triangle to a medium size keeping the shape intact. (I know it sounds super confusing, but you can get there if you fiddle around with the dough a bit)

Cook the roti (both sides) in a pan with oil/ghee/butter. Serve hot with Mango chutney/pickle and enjoy!!!

Another method- Mix coriander leaves, cumin seeds and green chillies to the flour and then knead the flour to a smooth & consistent dough. Now take a small ball of this dough and flatten it to a round shape. Fold it to a semi-circle. Gently fold this semicircle to a triangle. Flatten this triangle to a medium size keeping the shape intact.

Carrot Curry (Wholesome goodness)

Yeah, yeah, it's been so long since I posted. Not that I haven't been cooking, it's just that I am turning into lazy bones. Too lazy to take a pic, sit down and post.... What inspired me all of a sudden is the movie- Julie and Julia. I absolutely loved the movie! I know, I have been pretty late to catch up on the movie- but the good part is I did not miss it. If you write a cooking blog then the movie is an absolute must. It just talks about cooking in a whole new light and I finally woke up from my slumber to push myself to do this post.
Anyways, I am back on track and it's wonderful to have a space to put my thoughts on cooking.

The dish is a side dish- shredded carrots with lentils (that's why I called it wholesome goodness). This is the first time I tried something different with the carrot- shredded them and used them with steamed lentils to create a wonderful side dish that will work great with roti/rice or simply like a salad. Pretty traditional side dish down southern India, the dish is also known as Carrot thoran/ Carrot poriyal or Carrot curry. I tweaked the traditional recipe to include some lentils and peas and it just tastes divine. So get creative and try something different with carrots-

Ingredients-

6-7 medium sized carrots (when grated it gets you around two cups)

1/2 cup frozen green peas - thawed ( take any standard/small cup that is available in your kitchen for measurement)

1 onion (medium sized)- chopped

3-4 slit green chillies

Salt according to taste

Oil for cooking

Mustard seeds (1 tsp)

Split yellow mung beans - 1/2 cup (take any standard/small cup that is available in your kitchen for measurement)

Curry leaves - few leaves (about 4-5 leaves)

Asafoetida powder/hing (dash)

1 tbsp grated coconut

lemon juice- 1/2 tbsp

Cooking procedure-

• First step will be to boil the lentils till they are soft and tender- you can put them in a cup and microwave it or simply put it in a pan with water and allow it to boil till soft.
• In a frying pan heat some some oil and add the dash of Asafoetida powder. The oil just picks up the flavor. Add mustard seeds and curry leaves.
• As the mustard seeds begin to pop and roll all around your pan, add the onions, peas and green chillies.
• Saute them for a couple of minutes till the onions are golden brown.
• Mix the grated carrots and allow it to cook for 5-8 minutes (till the carrots are cooked and you don't get the raw taste)
• Blend in the cooked lentils (mung beans/moong dal) and mix them completely.
• Allow it to cook for a few minutes.
• Adjust salt and lemon juice to the mixture.
•  Add the grated coconut towards the end and serve!

Couple of points-

Asafoetida powder is completely optional and you can skip it if you don't have it.

You can simply cook the carrots without the lentils and peas.

Peanuts work great with this dish and you can add peanuts instead of lentils or peas.

Exciting Lentils (dal parantha- Indian flat bread stuffed with lentils)

I was in mood for something special- not the same old boring dal and roti or dal and rice. So I am raking my brain and in hunt for something sizzling! I was surfing TV when I landed up on this cookery show where they made some spicy dal. Then suddenly it dawned on me, why not make the dal interesting by filling it in a roti and making dal parantha?? So, I took time to make some lovely paranthas- come, join me for a bite- won't ya??

What goes in?

For the filling-

1 cup Chana dal- soak it for an hour or two in water.

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1 green chilli finely chopped

1 tsp Garlic and ginger paste

1/2 tsp Garam masala

1/2 tsp Coriander powder

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

salt according to taste

Other minor ingredients required for filling- 1 onion chopped, 1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves.

For the base-

wheat flour

water

salt

Preparation-

1. Knead the flour with salt and water to a smooth dough (add oil towards the end to make it silky). Set it aside (I used about 11/2 cups of flour, you can use as per your requirement).
2. In a pressure cooker, heat oil and add cumin seeds. As the seeds begin to sputter add garlic-ginger paste, green chilli pieces. Cook for few seconds on a low flame.
3. Add garam masala, coriander powder, red chilli powder and salt.
4. Rinse the lentils thoroughly in water and add them to the above cooking spices.
5. Add around one cup of water and pressure cook the lentils till they are soft and have absorbed all the water.
6. Once the lentils are soft and well cooked, gently smash them with a spoon.
7. Add the chopped onions and coriander leaves to the cooked lentils, mix them thoroughly and ensure it is a dry mixture and not sticky- our filling is ready!
8. Now, take a small ball of dough and flatten it with a rolling pin.
9. Add around 1 tbsp of filling in middle and fold it to a pouch (with filling in middle).
10. Flatten this pouch on a lightly floured surface to a medium sized round shape.
11. Cook the roti (both sides) on a frying pan with sufficient oil.
12. Serve hot with mango pickle and raita! Enjoy-

Cheesy Sandwich - Just grab n go....

Blend paneer, onion, coriander - stuff 'em on a bread and coat them with cheese to create this grab 'n' go sandwiches! Perfect quick-fix snack that tastes sumptuous. You can do a million variations of this sandwich- add more ingredients, add more spice, saute the filling with indian spices before stuffing in your sandwich. Choice is yours!

Here is my idea-

Ingredients- (for stuffing/filling)

cup of grated paneer
1 onion chopped super fine
coriander leaves, chopped finely (1/4 cup)
green chilli - 1 (chopped finely)
Salt according to taste
ground black pepper 1/4 tsp
olive oil to blend the ingredients (about a tsp)

Other details-

Brown bread slices, a griller or toaster, cheese of your choice- I used a cheese spread readily available in the market (brand amul) ** optional **

Preparation-

Mix all the ingredients (listed above under filling) in a bowl and keep the filling ready- Alternatively, you can saute the onions with paneer and coriander (with Indian spices) to get a magical taste. Since this is a grab and go sandwich, I used my ingredients raw. Spread the cheese on the brown bread slices and fill it up with the stuffing. Grill them till golden brown. Serve hot with spicy green chutney or chilli sauce.

Tip- Mozzarella cheese will taste the best with this sandwich. You can use a combination of parmesan and Mozzarella or just use a spread to make things easier.

Carrot-paneer stuffed roti (parantha)

Carrot works great with paneer and onions. I accidentally stumbled on this combination and boy am I glad to have found it! The stuffing requires grated carrots, crumbled paneer with finely chopped onions and spices. You can be creative with the stuffing and it tastes great with raita/pickle.

What goes in?

For the stuffing-

Grated carrots- 1 cup
Finely chopped onions- 1/2 cup
Crumbled paneer- 1/2 cup
Dry roasted cumin seeds (1 tsp)- gently crushed
Black pepper- crushed 1/2 tsp
Oil
Salt according to taste
1/2 tsp garam masala (optional)

For the base-


1 1/2 cup wheat flour
water for kneading
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp salt

Preparation- 

• Knead the flour with salt and water to a smooth dough (add oil towards the end). Set it aside.
• In a separate bowl, mix grated carrot, paneer, onion, and the rest of the spices mentioned above. 
• Toss the filling well with oil and ensure it is a dry mixture and not soggy.  Some people tend to saute carrots and onion before mixing with spices for filling. But I tend to use it raw (the carrot flavor comes out really well, if used raw).
• Once the filling is done, rest is easy!
• Take a small ball of dough and flatten it with a rolling pin.
• Add around 1 tbsp of filling in middle and fold it to a pouch (with filling in middle).
• Flatten this pouch on a lightly floured surface to a medium sized round shape.
• Cook the roti (both sides) on a frying pan with sufficient oil.
• Serve hot with mango chutney/pickle.

Born out of necessity, devoured for its taste- Corn Pulav!

The title says it all, doesn't it? It's a simple rice dish enhanced by spices and corn. Works well with raita or a simple dal. There comes a time when you don't have veggies in your fridge and running out for groceries is a tiring task. To the rescue, out came tumbling from my freezer a small pack of frozen sweet corn and frozen peas and with basmati rice I pulled out a good concoction for dinner. I would say this is one of the easiest quick fix for dinner and you don't have to sweat for this recipe. Why not give it a shot?

What goes in?

1 cup uncooked Basmati rice
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn kernel
chopped green chilli - 1
minced garlic 1/2 tbsp

Spices?

1/4 tsp crushed black pepper
Cinnamon stick - 1 small piece
1 bay leaf
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
dash of garam masala powder
cardamom - 2
salt according to taste

Bring on the magic-

Wash the rice thoroughly and cook it on a medium flame in a non stick pan with one cup of water. Once the rice is cooked, keep it separate. In another pan, heat oil and add cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, bay leaf and cardamom. As the oil absorbs the flavor and cumin starts sputtering, add green chilli pieces and minced garlic. Cook for a couple of seconds before adding peas and corn. Add garam masala, salt, crushed pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add cooked rice to this mixture and combine everything till the rice gets incorporated with the spices. Enjoy with dal!

Tofu in a spicy gravy!

You are either a Tofu lover or you simply hate it- I have seen strong followers and avoiders of Tofu. I love tofu and believe that it can be cooked to make an avoider into a follower. My husband does not like tofu. So what do I do? Masquerade Tofu as paneer and cook it in a good spicy gravy and pass it on as paneer gravy. Verdict? Clean bowled! The dish was a huge success-

Ingredients-

200 grams Tofu- not firm, a little crumbly (cut in cubes)

2 large onions- chopped 

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tomato- chopped

1 green chilli (cut in pieces)

1/2 cup yoghurt

coriander leaves - chopped finely (about 11/2 tbsp)

salt according to taste

cooking oil

Spices used-

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

2 green cardamom

1 bay leaf

Preparation-

In a wok, add oil and once hot, add cardamom and bay leaf. Allow the oil to soak in the flavor of cardamom & bay leaf. Add onions with green chillies and fry them for couple of minutes. As the onions turn golden brown, add tomatoes with garlic and ginger. Cook them on a low flame for 5-8 minutes (till the tomatoes become mushy). Add garam masala, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and mix well. Add 1/2 cup yoghurt and cook on a low flame for few minutes. Allow the yoghurt to absorb the spices and blend well with the mixture. Adjust salt according to taste. To make it into a good gravy consistency, add 1/2 cup of water and cook it on a medium flame. Add Tofu and allow it to absorb the gravy with spices. Gently mix it and cook for a couple of minutes. Don't over mix it as the tofu will crumble completely and become a paste. Add freshly ground pepper and sprinkle coriander leaves for garnishing. Serve hot!

Vegetable Jalfrezi

This one is a simple and easy to cook recipe-Vegetable stir-fry with Indian spices. Bring on the vegetables and saute it with coriander powder and garam masala to create a perfect infusion. You can vary the vegetables for this dish and spice it up with red chilli powder.

What do we need? 


Vegetables used


Cauliflower florets - 1 cup
Peas - 1/2 cup
Potatoes - chopped in cubes - 1 cup
Carrot- chopped in slices - 1 cup
Green bell peppers - 1/2 cup
Green chilli - 1 (chopped) or Broken red chilli pieces
Onions - 2 medium (sliced)
Tomato- 1 (blanch it, remove the skin, deseed it and then chop to bits)

** Note, the cup size measurement usually varies from household to household. I used a small sized serving cup, you could use a small soup bowl or cup. what matters is the spice level- if you can handle good spice, notch it up a bit higher and vice versa.

Spices used


Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala powder- 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Ginger (minced)- 1/2 tsp
Garlic (minced) - 1 1/2 tsp
Salt according to taste-

Preparation-

• Step 1 will be to blanch the chopped vegetables (cauliflower, carrot, potatoes). All the vegetables take different cooking time, so you will have to be patient with each vegetable. For example, potatoes take longer time to cook whereas cauliflower takes lesser time and carrot takes medium time. Get the water boiling and boil the potatoes first- a word of caution, don't over boil anything- the vegetables should be tender and cooked not mushy. Once the potatoes are cooked to a medium level, add the carrots and after a few minutes add cauliflower florets and in the end peas-
• Alternatively, you can microwave the vegetables till tender/soft (not mushy).
• In a wok add oil (about 2 tbsp) and once hot, add cumin seeds.
• As the cumin seeds start to sputter, add green chillies/broken red chilli pieces, onions and cook them till onions become golden brown.
• Add minced garlic and ginger and cook for few minutes
• Add tomatoes and cook the ingredients on a medium flame for a couple of minutes.
• Add the boiled vegetables and green bell pepper.
• Spice it up with red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and garam masala
• Add salt and about a tablespoon of oil and toss the vegetables together with the spice.
• Saute the vegetables for 5-8 minutes- Add chopped coriander leaves for garnishing and serve!

Hello Blogging world (Sweet modakam/vella kozhukattai)

Good to be back on my toes again- with so much going on, I had to take a temporary leave from blogging. I missed it terribly :( Now I am  back.... There is a religious tradition that I love observing called "Sankata hara chaturthi". This is a fasting ritual for Lord Ganesha who will drive away your worries. A good way to please my ganesha is to prepare his all time favorite delicacy- Modak! More than lord Ganesha, I am fond of this sweet and have the tendency to gorge on it shamelessly :P (all in god's name..). It is a simple preparation made out of Jaggery, rice flour and coconut. If you haven't tried it so far, you have no idea what you are missing!!!

Small little sweet modaks (vella kozhukattai/vella kolukattai) 


Steamed sweet dumplings-:

Ingredients-

Rice flour - 2 cups
Jaggery - 1 cup
Grated coconut- 1 cup
Cardamom powder (dash of it for flavoring)

Preparation-

Dough preparation-

• Boil two cups of water in a wok. As it begins to boil, add one spoon vegetable oil and switch off your gas.
• Remove the boiling water from your stove and stir in the rice flour slowly.
• Keep mixing the flour with water till it becomes a smooth dough.
• If your dough is too watery and sticky, add a bit of flour to achieve consistency. Alternatively, if your dough is too dry, add a bit of water to achieve good consistency.

Filling preparation-

• Usually we get jaggery in blocks or chunks from store. Crush them with a rolling pin to a powder consistency.
• On a low flame, melt the jaggery in a pan.
• As it starts to melt, add grated coconut and cardamom. Mix thoroughly till the coconut gets incorporated into jaggery.

Final preparation- 

• Take a small ball of rice flour and flatten it with your hand.
• With your fingers press the middle portion of the flattened dough so that it resembles a small cup.
• Fill about half a spoon of the filling in middle.
• Close the dough with the filling in middle and shape the top to a small pointed dome.
• Prepare the rest of the dough the same way (with filling in middle).
• Steam them for about 8-10 minutes- Enjoy!

No fuss, flavorful couscous salad

I am not a salad person. Sad, but true... However, I am trying to work on my salad eating skills! Yesterday, for lunch, I got a bowl of ready-to-go couscous salad from the store. I loved the flavors and what caught my attention was the combination of couscous and chickpeas. Really delicious....I then recreated the salad with a hint of cumin and coriander spices and it gave a magical touch to my salad. Working with couscous is so easy. No fuss at all!

Ingredients-

couscous - 1 cup

1 small red onion- chopped finely

chick peas -1/2 cup

carrot - 1/2 cup shredded

parsley - 1 tbsp

1/2 cup shredded celery

garlic- 2 cloves (finely chopped)

ginger - grated, 1/2 tsp

salt (according to taste)

cumin seeds - 1 tsp (crushed lightly)

coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

lemon juice - 2 tbsp

olive oil - 3 tbsp

crushed black pepper- 1/2 tsp

Preparation-

Place couscous in a large bowl. Bring around 1 1/2 cups of water to boil. As the water starts boiling, remove from fire and pour it over couscous and cover the bowl. Allow it to steam for five minutes. Couscous will absorb the water and soften. After five minutes, gently separate the couscous grains with a fork and ensure they are not sticky. Add carrots, onion, garlic, ginger, parsley, chickpeas and celery. Toss the couscous well with the vegetables and chickpeas. In a separate bowl, mix lemon juice, olive oil, coriander powder, crushed cumin seeds, black pepper and salt. Combine well, till the spices are incorporated in the oil. Pour this oil mixture to couscous and mix them thoroughly. Serve and enjoy your salad!

Raw banana curry/poriyal

I love raw bananas- My mom is an absolute genius when it comes to making something delicious out of them! I have literally grown up gorging on the stir fry she would make of raw bananas. Funny thing is, my husband hates them :( - He abhors raw bananas and I seldom cook them. The other day, I was shopping and found these gorgeous looking green bananas. I don't like to cook for myself but then I decided to treat myself with a stir fry that would make my mom proud. So, this dish is just for my taste buds and boy did they feel pampered :) - When was the last time you cooked to pamper your own taste buds???

Ingredients-

500 gms Raw bananas
mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
1 green chilli (chopped)
1 dry red chilli broken into two
turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
salt according to taste
curry leaves (couple of leaves, to enhance flavor)
cooking oil - 2 tbsp

Preparation-

Steam the raw bananas (with their skin) till they become soft and tender. Peel the outer skin and discard it.   Chop the inner pulp into cubes or slightly mash them (depending upon the extent to which they have been steamed). In a wok, add oil. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and allow them to sputter. Add red chilli pieces, green chilli pieces and curry leaves. Cook for a couple of seconds before adding the chopped/mashed raw banana pulp. Toss well. Add turmeric powder and adjust salt according to taste. Cook the bananas till light golden brown. Serve with hot steaming rice!

Cardamom buns!

If I had to chose a flavor, I might be very confused between cinnamon and cardamom! I loveeeeeeeee both and can't get enough of them :) - Both are versatile and can be used in sweet bakery items and can simply enhance an Indian gravy. I love cinnamon in my coffee and always drink my milk with cardamom pods in them. This time, instead of using the usual cinnamon, I tried my hand with cardamom and boy, the buns were awesome. Before I start off again with my ramblings on cardamom and cinnamon, here is my recipe for cardamom buns! Enjoy-

Ingredients-

500 gms all purpose flour

50 gms sugar

pinch of salt

30 gms butter (melted)

12 gms dry yeast

2 tsp cardamom powder

1 egg yolk

250 ml warm milk
1/2 cup raisins

Preparation- 

Activate the yeast by mixing it in a small cup of warm water and a tsp of sugar. Set it aside for five minutes. In a separate bowl, mix flour with salt, sugar, raisins and cardamom powder. Start mixing the flour with the help of yeast mixture. Slowly, blend in the egg yolk, melted butter and warm milk. Knead the flour with your hands for five minutes till it gets a good texture. Place the dough in a separate bowl and cover it with a damp tea towel. Allow the dough to raise for an hour.

Once the dough has risen, knead it for a couple of minutes on a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into medium sized balls. Take one dough ball and roll it into a strip. Tie the strip into a knot. Work in a similar fashion on the rest of the dough. Line a greaseproof paper on a baking tray and place your buns on the tray. Cover the tray with a damp cloth and allow the buns to raise a bit for 10-15 minutes. Coat each bun with a bit of butter and pop them in a preheated oven for baking (@ 200 degree celsius). Bake the buns till golden brown. Enjoy!!!