Corn Peas Palak

In my go green world of recipes, I was all set to make Palak Paneer today for a couple of my friends.. but found that paneer was not available. I thought of trying out something which I had at home. A brief look around made me realize that I had peas and corn. So here it is .. my accidental recipe which was indeed mouthwatering!

Jayant, Dilip and Pragya... you are ones who can vote for the taste, since you tried it today!!!





Ingredients:

Tadka:
1. Oil - 3-4 table spoons
2. Hing - one pinch
3. Cummin seeds - 1 teaspoon

1. Spinach ( palak ) - 1 bunch ( make a puree with water - 1 cup)
2. Corn - 1/4 cup
3. Peas  -1/4 cup
4. Tomato - 2 medium ( cut in small pieces)
5. Onion - Grated 1 Big
6. Tomato Paste ( 2 teaspoons )






Masala :
1. Garam Masala - 2 teaspoons
2. Ginger Paste  - 1 teaspoon
3. Garlic Paste - 1 teaspoon
4. Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
5. Red Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
6. Salt - per taste


Steps:


1. Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds to crackle. Add the hing powder.

2. Saute the onions till golden brown.

3. Add the tomato and mix well, saute for another 2-3 minutes on high flame and add the masala.

4. Now add the corn and peas to the mix and saute for another 3-4 min

5. Add the pured spinach to the pan and let it simmer for 10 min,

6. Keep mixing it every 2-3 minutes so that it does not stick at the bottom. Turn off the heat once the color starts turning dark.

Enjoy this with nan/ roti/ poori

Ria's Super Easy Boondi Raita

Boondi Raita is one of the most yummiest healthy side dishes in Indian food. Preparation is so easy....even my 8 year old daughter can make it really well.. please watch the video of my daughter Ria preparing this easy breezy dish...







Ingredients:

• Not sweet Yogurt  - 1 cup ( for health conscious - prefer non-fat version)
• Masala Boondi - 1/2 cup

Garnish

• Sugar - To taste
• Salt - to Taste
• Dry Lemon Pepper Powder - 1 pinch
• Red chili powder - 1 pinch
• Chat Masala - 1 pinch
• Dry roasted cummin and coriander powder

Mix the ingredients together and with a smooth hand for about a minute till it gets blended properly. Now add the Garnish and enjoy with Pulao Jayekedaar..a recipe I will be posting soon....

My Daughter's video - easy version of how to make boondi Raita....

Special Dry Bhindi ...

Bhindi ( Okra ) is one of my daughter's favourites...Also popularly called as the Lady finger in India this is one vegetarian delicacy...




Ingredients:

1. Bhindi (Okra) - 1/2 kg  around 1 lbs)
2. Onion - 2 medium
3. Tomato - 2 medium
4. Lemon juice - 2-3 teaspoon
5. Vegetable oil - 4 Tablespoons
6. Cummin Sees - 2 teaspoons
7. Hing (Asafoetida) - a pinch
8. Raw mango amchur powder

The Masala

1. Garam Masala - 2 teaspoons
2. Jeera ( cumin) Powder - 1 teaspoon
3. Dhania ( coriander) powder -1 teaspoon
4. Red chili Powder - 1 teaspoons
5. Salt - to Taste
6. Cut coriander leaves for garnish
7. Roasted Cashews - for garnish

Method:

Wash the bhindi with wet cloth and dry it with a clean kitchen towel. Normally we wash all our vegetables in running water but not the bhindis. The main reason being the bhindi gets very sticky if there is water remains while cooking. if you wash in running water make sure it is dried thoroughly for the crispness.

Cut the bhindis as shown.
Tip : This is my special trick to cut multiple bhindis at one time with the same shape.

Set the pan on the mid flame and pour the oil and when hot, put the cumin seeds to crackle. Put in a pinch of hing for the awesome aroma.Put the cut onions and stir fry till golden brown

Add the tomatoes and fry for another 3 min. This is Optional if you like tomoatoes in the Bhindis ( if this is added then we do not need the raw mango amchur powder at the end)



Add the Cut bhindi and the lemon juice ( this helps it be be non sticky).Stir with a soft hand every 3-4 min. Do not stir it vigorously, this will make the seeds come out and make it more like a halwa...



Add the Masala ingredients and stir fry it on a little high flame. Make sure it doe not stick to the bottom of the pan and gets dark burnt.

If you did not add the tomatoes then sprinkle the raw mango amchur powder.

Now add the cut coriander leaves and garnish it with roasted cashews.. Enjoy this delicacy...

Sometimes with the Bhindi, I also add 2 medium sized cut potatoes and it tastes wonderful!!

Baked Vegetarian Patties

My new year resolution for 2012 is to make healthy and simple food which appeals to the eye as well. Grilled Vegetarian Patties fit perfectly in this category. I made these on an experimental basis a couple of days back when we had some friends over for dinner as an apetizer and everyone loved it. You can also try these simple and super easy to follow recipe.




Ingredients :

1. Boiled and peeled potatoes - 2 medium
2. Diced Tomato - 1 medium
3. Onion - 1 large
4. Oil to taste
5. 1/3 cup Green peas ( frozen will do if out of season)
6. Ginger and Garlic Paste - 1 teaspoon each
7. Garam Masala, coriander powder, Cumin Powder - 1 teaspoon each
8. Cumin seeds for Tadka - 1 teaspoon
9. Fresh diced coriander leaves - a handful
10. Puff Pastry sheets - 3 ( makes 6 puffs)
11. Hing - a pinch
12. Vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons
13. Salt to taste

Prepare the stuffing:

Boil the Potatoes, peel them and crumble them slightly so that they are not mashed all the way. Then in a pan add vegetable oil crackling cumin seeds and add a pinch of Hing. Add the diced onions and saute till golden brown. Then add the cut tomatoes, ginger & garlic paste and fry on medium heat till they melt and the mix starts leaving the sides of the pan. Add the crushed potatoes, peanuts, green peas and mix it well. Add salt to taste.


Cover and let it cook for 2-3 minutes and keep stirring so that they do not stick in the bottom of the pan. Add fresh coriander leaves to the stuffing and keep it aside.

Defrost the puff sheets around a minute before so that they are soft and ready to use.

Cut the puff sheets as shown below, other shapes can also be tried - circles and  triangle shapes appeal to kids a lot!

Fill the stuffing that we made above and fold it as shown above. Make sure that the quantity

is manageable while folding, if you find it difficult reduce the quantity of stuffing from the puff sheet.

After folding it using your thumb to press it gently on the sides with a fork. Do not touch the either sides.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and place the puffs on a baking sheet sprayed with non stick vegetable spary. After 15 min turn them upside down to bake on each side.

Keep it for 15 more minutes and then turn off the oven, Let it stay in the heated oven for another 5 minutes before serving. If the color of patties is not golden brown keep it in the oven on 25 degrees for a couple of more minutes and keep a watch, it should get the desired color in -5 min.

 Yummy Puffs are ready to melt in your mouth!!! These can be served with green coriander chutney or Tomato Ketchup.  The stuffing can be made healthier by adding grated spinach & Carrots as well. Thanks all!! Try this and let me know how this turns out! This is one of my daughter and husband's all time favourite items...

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!

Holi Special - Dahi Bhalle..

Dahi Bhalle is an extremely popular dish of North India. Made of Yogurt(curd) and Urad Dal salty doughnuts.They are also called as Dahi Wade in some parts of India.

I learnt how to make these from my mom, she makes the best dahi bhalle ever ;-)



India is known for its mouth watering recipes. On our colorful festival Holi, people just wait for delightful home made delicacies. Especially during this time, we indulge in coloring each other, teasing our loved ones and enjoying recipes like Gujia, Namak Pare, Kheer, Malpue and Dahi Bhalle.

Dahi Bhalle Recipe

Ingredients for Bhallas

• 1 Cup Urad daal ( Black gram without the skin)
• Vegetable Oil- to Deep Fry
• Salt to taste
• Ginger - Finely grated 2 tablespoons
• Finely chopped coriander leaves
• 2 chopped green chillies
• 4-5 teaspoons of dry Urad flour
• 4-5 teaspoons of dry Rice flour 
• Baking powder - 1 teaspoon

Garnish

• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp Cumin (Jeera) powder, roasted
• 2 tablespoon Coriander(Dhania) powder, roasted
• Red Chili Powder, to taste 
• Tamarind Paste / Chutney - to taste
• Chat Masala / aamchur powder - to taste
• Finely chopped coriander leaves

Method

For Bhallas

• Clean, wash and soak the urad daal overnight.
• Grind it into smooth paste.Be careful for the blender/Mixie - the daal tends to be sticky
• Tip - Pour some extra water to get a smooth paste, if it becomes too watery to make the pakodas, have dry urad powder handy to mix it in the paste to get the right consistency.
• Add the rice flour and the baking powder for the extra crispness.
• Add salt to taste. 
• Add the cut green chillies, ginger and finely chopped coriander's and mix well
• Tip : someties I add the market bought Coriander/desi green chutney for the right tang!

• Heat vegetable oil in a flat base pan and drop a spoonful of batter and fry till golden brown. Flip it on alternate sides after 2-3 min on medium flame.
• Mix lukewarm water with 1/2 cup of yogurt and mix it well with little salt. It should be a little thick than water consistency.
• Take the hot Bhallas and put in above yogurt mix.

For Dahi 

• Blend the curd (yogurt) and little water until it is smooth.
• Keep in refrigerator for an hour to get chilled.
• Add salt

Serve

• In a deep dish arrange bhallas and pour dahi over them.
• Now add red chili powder and cumin powder. 
• Add the tamarind chutney, Chat Masala/Aamchur powder for the sweet and sour tanginess
• Garnish with finely chopped coriander.

Enjoy with Holi ke raang!! Happy HOLI!!!

Shahi Matar Paneer - A treat for your loved ones for Holi..

Khao and Khilao Holi hai !!

Another North Indian dish on popular demand. My Love for paneer is deep rooted, as a kid I used to love Paneer and was not into other dairy products i.e. milk, curd etc. 

well.. my love for paneer dishes has only grown with time due to its great taste and nutrition value.
 
Easy to make home made paneer :
Heat milk till it is reduced by 1/4th part. To break the milk add a couple of tablespoons of either lemon juice, vinegar, sour curd, citric acid. My take is to use lemon juice for the flavour. This seperates the curd and whey. Now you need to tie the curd in a muslin cloth leave overnight with heavy weight on top of it to flatten it. After the milk concentrate is out of moisture , further flatten it with the help of a rolling pin and and cut into paneer cubes.

Main Ingredients

1. 500 gms of Paneer cut into small cubes
2. 2 medim size Onions thinly sliced
3. 1/3 cup Tomato Puree
4. 1 small tomoato finely cut
5. 1 cup green peas
6. 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil

Spice Mix:

1. 2 teaspoons Garam Masala
2. 2 teaspoons Coriander Powder
3. 2 teaspoons Salt
4. 1 teaspoons kashmiri red chilly powder
5. 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste

Cut the paneer in small cubes and finely chop the onion and tomato.
Saute the paneer in little oil so that they develop a golden brown crust. Keep them aside.

In a pan, saute the onions in oil till golden brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for another 2-3 minutes. Add the finely chopped tomoatos and mix for another 5 minutes.










Add the tomoato puree and soaked green peas in the mix.





 

Add the masala mix. Fry for another 3-4 minutes till they start sweating out.

Add about 2 cups of water and paneer cubes and simmer on low heat for another 5-7 minutes.


 

Garnish with coriander leaves and grated paneer.......

Serve with Indian Roti or poori...

Khao and Khilao Holi hai....ENJOY  !!