Aloo Lahsuni ( Garlic Patatoes..)

 

 

Spicy n Hot ( or not! ) Aloo Lahsuni ( Garlic Potatoes )

 

 

 

With all the festivities of holidays going on around me how could I stop myself from blogging about one delicious recipe my husband experimented over a couple of days and has now mastered the skill. Don't caution yourself just by looking at the super spicy texture of these baby potatoes... It will be a taste to remember.. No doubt!!

 

A simple recipe with minimum ingredients and super quick is what everyone is looking for to make a good conversation starter!!

 

Ingredients:

1. Small Baby Potatoes - preferably in round shape  15 count
2. Peeled Garlic cloves - 15
3. Oil - 3 Tablespoons
4. Hing / Asafoetida powder - 1 pinch
5. Cumin seeds - 1 Teaspoon
6. Curry leaves - 5

Masala

1. Garam Masala - 2 teaspoons
2. Coriander powder - 3 tablespoons
3. Chaat masala or amchur powder - 1 tsp
4. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder - 1 tablespoon ( This is not so spicy compared to the regular red chili powder)
5. Salt - To Taste

Wash thoroughly the potatoes then pressure cook the potatoes to boil them.

 

Boil the potatoes in a Traditional Indian Pressure cooker and peel them. One good trick to peel hot boiled potatoes is to submerge them in cold water so that the skin leaves the potato body and it is easy to peel it off. Make sure that the potatoes are not too soft and crumble when you peel them.

 

 

 
 
Chop the Garlic into small pieces as shown below

 
In a flat base Skillet warm the oil and let the cumin seeds crackle. Put the curry leaves and the pinch of Hing and let the garlic pieces saute for 2-3 min. Then mix the remaining Masala Ingredients together and blend in together to get the spicy look.

 

Let the onions saute for 5-10 min till they are crispy on the outside. Stir until the oil separates from the potato masala.

 

Yummy comfort food ...finger snacks are served!!

                                                                  ENJOY the holidays!!!


 

Puris on the go!

Its been a looong time since I have blogged and I am sure no excuse is as bad as being super busy and leading a hectic life here in Chicago... While I started my Technical blog site today  .. My passion for food blogging finally took over and here I am in the wee hours of my 11th Anniv.. blogging about my all time favorite Poori..

When we travel ( specially in trains) in India with family, home made Puri with Alloo ki Sabji and pickles are the hot items in the train we as kids used to look forward to. So here we go with the exteremely simple recipe of Puris...

Pooris or Puris are most commonly served at breakfast. It is also served at special or ceremonial functions as part of ceremonial rituals in India.

I have often made these puris special by kneading the dough with the below to get healthy and colorful puri
1. Finely Chopped / Pureed spinach
2. Finely Crushed Greenpeas
3. Finely Grated Carrots
4. Finely grated Beetroot
5. Finely chopped Spring Onions

Puri is prepared generally with wheat flour, Maida (refined wheat flour / all purpose flour),  optionally mixed with Rava (coarse wheat flour)

Ingredients :
1. Wheat four - 1 cup
2. Maida - 1/4 cup
3. Soy granules - 3-4 Tablespoons  ( optional - this will make it crispy and healthy )
4. Rava - 3-4 Tablespoons ( optional - this will make it crispy )
5. Water - 1/2 cup
6. Salt - to taste
7. Vegetable Oil - 2-3 Tablespoons
8. 1-2 teaspoons of Ajwain (also known as carom, ajowan, or bishop's weed) - this is extremely good for digestion

A dough of all the above is made sas shown . Then it is rolled out in a small circle or rolled out and cut out in small circles and deep fried in vegetable oil.

The dough is rolled in flat circles using a pin roller or a belan popularly found in every Indian household.



Immerse the Puris in hot oil, it puffs up like a round ball because moisture in the dough changes into steam which expands in all directions.





Remove when golden-brown in color. This may be served hot or saved for later use The rolled puri may be pricked with a fork before deep frying to get a flat puri.

YUM YUM...
Will Blog at least biweekly... thats a promise to myself!
Chao.....
Take Care all!

Saturday Morning Snack - Poha

Poha is a very popular dish of western India. It is made from flattened rice, and is an extremely easy-to-cook, nutritious breakfast for us Indians. I add a little extra zing to Poha by adding tomatoes to it! Sounds odd as an ingredient for Poha.. well it is.. until you try it out for yourself!!




Main Ingredients

1. Poha - Thin flattened Rice - 500 gms
2. 3 medium sized potatoes (cut into small equal sized wedges)
3. 1 medium size tomato - finely chopped
4. 1 medium sized Onion - finely chopped
5. Handful of Skinless roasted Peanuts
6. Handful of green peas ( if you can't get fresh ones - frozen should do)

For the Tadka

1. 3 Tablespoons Sunflower Oil
2. 2 green chillies - slit across along their length
3. 1 teaspoon Black Mustard seeds
4. 1 teaspoon Cummin seeds
5. 1 pinch of Hing ( Asafoetida )

Masala:

1. 1 teaspoon of Turmeric
2. 1 teaspoon of Red chilly powder
3. Salt to Taste ( 1 table spoon )
4. 1 Teaspoon Sugar

Garnish

1. Finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
2. Ratlami Thick Bhujia sev
3. Lemon wedges 

To Do:

 

Wash the poha in a strainer and let it sit with some water in the strainer. It will become a little fluffy after about 5 min. Sprinkle the sugar and salt evenly on this and mix it well.

 

Heat a skillet with sunflower oil and put the tadka ingredients in the same order as listed above one after the another. Add the onions, potatoes, peanuts and peas in the skillet and let it cook for 5 min with closed lid. Keep stirring in between to avoid the charring at the bottom. Then add tomatoes and cook for another 5 min without covering it.

Add turmeric and chilly powder and then add the poha from the strainer and mix it carefully. Sprinkle some water over the poha and cover and let it cook for another 2-3 min on low heat covered.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice/wedge . Add Ratlami thick Bhujia sev on it to get an added spice! Enjoy with tea on a lazy Saturday morning!


Happy Times...
Pallavi