Chhundo (Raw mango chutney)

Raw mangoes (kachhi keri) is girls best friend. When I was growing up raw mango in any form was hot favourite with me and my friends. As soon as spring arrives markets are full of these yummy raw mangoes. That means it was time for making achars. This particular preparation of raw mangoes was very famous in our household and is called "chhundo". This is an instant recipe and should get consumed within few days. Please try it and make it your meals. I love to enjoy it mixed in my dal chawal or with roti or even on bread or with idli dosa etc...he he he basically I would it this with anything. Hope you enjoy it too. Please leave a comment if you tried it and liked it.

Ingredients

2 raw mangoes
2 medium red onions
3/4 katori grated jaggery (you can have more as per ur liking)
1 tbsp roasted cumin powder
1/2 tbsp red chilli powder
Salt as per taste

Recipe

In a bowl grate raw mangoes and onion. Add jaggery, roasted cumin powder, red chilli powder and salt. Mix all together using your hands and leave on counter top for 15 minutes before serving. Mix well again prior to serving.

Sev Tomato curry

Sev tomato curry - this curry has many khatti mithi (Sweet and tangy) memories associated with it. This curry is famous in the region of Gujarat called as "Kathiyawad". When I first met my husband who belongs to Kathiyawad I had no idea of cuisine from Kathiyawad. When he came to meet my parents for the first time I decided to make this curry to impress him. Googling back than wasnt very popular and so cook books were in thing. Being me I thought ahh well sev tomato curry how hard can it be. So I ignored the need to check out recipe and went ahead and prepared my version of this famous curry which was tomato gravy (punjabi curry base) and topped it with dry sev and proudly served it to my would be hubby. I never knew it would make me laughing stock for years to come.

After marriage my father in law taught me all the authentic recipes and so I can now make this yummy curry in authentic way. Below is the recipe that has come straight from our kitchen in Surendranagr for you to enjoy. Do leave me a comment and say what your thoughts are on this recipe and if you had any further suggestions. 

Ingredients:
Tomato : 4 medium sized chopped in medium sized pieces
Green chilli: 2 or 3 chopped
Curry leaves: 6 to 8 leaves
Oil: 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida powder: 1/2 tsp or slightly less
Red chilli powder: 2 tsp or more as per taste
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
Cumin corriander powder: 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Sugar: 3 tsp
Sev (Chickpea noodle): 1 small bowl (Below is the picture of type of sev I have used )

Method:
Heat oil in a pan. When oil is hot add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add cumin seeds and when they crackle add asofetida. Now add curry leaves and chopped green chillies fry them for half a minute and add chopped tomatoes. Add 1.5 cups of water and add all the spices (Red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin coriander powder) Now turn the flame to low and add salt as per taste. Cover and cook until tomatoes are well cooked and mushy. Add sugar and mix well and cook on slow flame for 2 - 3 minutes. Now check water consistency (If too dry add some more water ) and add Sev. Cover and cook on slow flame for again 3 minutes (Ensure there is some gravy left and curry isnt too dry). Turn off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with roti / paratha / thepla or rice.

Punjabi Aloo gobi

One of my 2016 new year resolution is to do more blog posts and bring more of my cooking to your kitchens. So here goes my second post for 2016 which needs no introduction.

So I wasn't a big fan of cauliflower from childhood but it changed when I grew up and started living in hostel. Having had Punjabi aloo gobi at many restaurants since than I have slowly converted into a crazy aloo gobi lover and search started for recipe to make best Aloo gobi that tastes like its coming straight from kitchens of those dhabas on highways of punjab. After trialing many different combinations of spices this is what I have come up with which to me comes closest to that taste. If you are aloo gobi fan like me you must give this recipe a go. 

Recipe: 

Cauliflower florets - 1 bowl

Potatoes cut in big chunks - 1 bowl

Onions - Sliced - 1 medium size 

Tomato - Chopped - 1 small 

Ginger garlic chilli paste - 1 tbsp 

Oil - 2 tbsp 

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp 

Asafoetida - pinch 

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp 

Dhaniya jeera powder - 1 tsp 

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp 

Salt - to taste 

Garam masala - 1 tsp 

Amchoor - 1 tsp 

Chopped coriander - to garnish  

Heat oil in heavy bottom pan. When heated add cumin seeds and let it splutter. Add asafoetida. Add sliced onions and saute for 2 minutes. Add ginger, garlic and green chilli paste and continue saute. when onions turn translucent add tomatoes and saute more. When tomatoes become mushy add red chilli powder, dhaniya jeera powder, turmeric powder and saute more. When oil starts to separate from sides add garam masala and amchoor powder and mix well. Add Cauliflower florets and potatoes and mix well. Add salt per taste. Cover and cook for 10 - 15 minutes while stirring intermittently. Turn off the gas when cauliflower and potatoes are cooked. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with warm roti or rice.

Try this recipe and give me suggestions if you have any more tips to make it better or simply if you liked it. 

Dal makhani in slow cooker

Dal makhani has been one of my favourite dal for a long time specially those served in langar at gurudwara.  Nothing can beat that taste. I have been trialing a lot of recipes for dal makhani since a long time to come close to the taste from those langar wali dal. It was always a near miss. Have been researching ways of how to slow cook dal and finally found the perfect solution! Slow cooker. If you are a Dal makhani fan like me u must try this recipe. My husband who isnt a big fan of dal makhani loved it very much and gave his thumbs up to this recipe. Please leave a comment if you tried this and loved it or had any feedback to make it better.                                                                                          

Ingredients :
1 cup whole udad dal
1/4 cup kidney beans
 1 tbsp chana dal
Salt to taste
 Ghee: 3 tbsp
3 tomatoes - blanched, skin removed and pureed
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
Garam masala: 1 tsp
 Kasoori methi: 2 tsp
Aam choor: 1/2 tsp
Dhaniya jeera powder: 2 tsp
 Cream: 1/4 cup

For  Paste: 5 or 6 cloves garlic 2 inch piece of ginger 3 dry red chillies soaked in water for 10 mins. Make paste and keep aside.

Recipe:

 Mix udad dal, kidney beans and chana dal and wash properly. Add to slow cooker with 4 cups water and keep setting on high. Add 2 tbsp ghee, salt and prepared paste to this.Check after 2 hours. Stir and add tomato puree, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala, kasoori methi, aamchoor and dhaniya jeera powder. Cook on high for 1 more hour and open and stir well. Mash dal with spetula and add remaining ghee. Cook again for 40 minutes and check consistency of dal. Add cream and cover and cook for 20 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice and tandoori roti.

If you want to try a pressure cooker version pressure cook dal along with salt, ghee and ginger garlic and red chilli paste. Take out in a heavy bottom pan and add add tomato puree, turmeric powder, redchilli powder, garam masala, kasoori methi, aamchoor and dhaniya jeera powder adjust water as required. Let it simmer on slow flame for 30 to 40 minutes. Mash dal as required add cream and simmer for another 20 to 25 minutes and serve to eat.                                                                                                                               

            

Lasaniya bateka

            Last few weeks I had been missing from this space and was pondering if I should close this page and not write any more. But I missed being here and realised that I have a lot to share and writing this blog could be one of the ways I can share with mass. I am not very good at food photography due to limited knowledge, time constraints, space constraints and that was putting me off from creating blog posts. But the knowledge of recipes that I have is very pure and lot of these recipes I have learnt from elders and are very traditional. Here I am presenting one of such recipe. Simple potato curry made traditionally, this curry is called lasaniya betaka (Garlic potatoes). This is a regional speciality of part of Gujarat known as zalawad. I hope you also enjoy this curry as much as I do. Please leave me a comment with your feed back and questions in the comment section. 

Ingredients 

Baby potatoes : 10 

Tomatoes: 3 big
Green chillies: 4 or 5
Ginger: about 3 inches piece
Garlic: 6 or 7 cloves
Oil: 3 tablespoons
Red chilli powder: 4 to 5 teaspoons
Cumin corriander powder: 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder: 2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Tamarind water: take half tea spoon tamrind paste and about 5 inch size jaggery add 3 table spoon water to this and mix well and keep aside.

Recipe: 

Pre heat oven at 200. Peal potatoes and pearce them 2 - 3 times with fork. Place in baking pan sprinkle some red chilli powder and oil and lightly coat. Place in oven and bake until almost done but not completely done. It took me about 20 to 25 mins.

Take khal dasta and place garlic cloves. Crush them. Add 1 tea spoon red chilli powder and mix well. Keep aside 

In mixture grinder add tomatoes, green chillies and ginger and make paste (try not to add water)

Heat oil in a pan. Add asafoetida once oil is hot. Now add garlic red chilli paste thats prepared and cook for 1 minute. Add tomato chilli ginger paste to this and on medium heat cook for few minutes until oil seperates. Now add remaining red chilli powder, cumin corriander powder and turmeric to this. Cook for few minutes until oil seperates. Now add potatoes and half cup of water and salt to taste. Simmer on low heat until gravy thickens and potatoes are cooked well. At last add tamarind jaggery water and cook for 3 to 4 minutes at this stage oil will come up on surface which will indicate curry is ready. Turn off the gas and garnish with corriander.

Please note this curry is meant to be super spicy but you can adjust level of red chilli powder or green chillies according to your spice preference. Can be served with pooris and buttermilk and salad.

Brussels sprouts Pakora.

So have been long since I posted my last post. These days I am trying to eat healthy and so am always trying healthy twists on classic dishes. Being part of many internet foodie groups I often come across  many inspirations but noted that Brussels sprouts were not a frequent on my news feeds! Decided to try it in form of pakora and so came up with following. I wasn't sure how it would turn out but gave it a try any way. Following recipe is for Pakoras but I also made muthiyas from same batch. If you are trying to eat healthy but bored of usual salads and soups diet you must try this. Jowar flour is considered to be healthy option too with ample protein supplement. This is a perfect low carb snack option without compromising on taste. Do give this a try and send me your comments and suggestions in comment box here.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Jowar flour
1/4 cup Besan (chickpea flour)
1/4 cup Bhakhri flour (Coarse wheat flour)
1 cup finely chopped Brussels sprouts
1.5 tbsp Ginger, garlic,chilli paste (Freshly ground)
1/2 cup thick yogurt (Sour taste is better)
1 tbsp oil
2 tsp red chili powder
2 tsp cumin coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste

In a bowl mix all the ingredients as mentioned above. Add water as required. I kept consistency to soft consistency but still I was able to make loose balls to place in paniyarapm pan.

Place Paniyarapam pan on gas top and grease all the moulds with oil. Once the pan is heated carefully place prepared balls into each mould, cover pan and on slow gas cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Open the pan, turn the balls and cook again. Turn the gas off after 2 - 3 minutes and leave it on stove top with lid closed for 5 minutes before serving.

Kitchen tips

Useful Kitchen Tips

So last week has been very busy with work and social commitments which means I spent very less time in kitchen. Haven't visited yet another state to hunt my next dish from the state. Today I sat down to do my weekly blog post as promised and was wondering for a long time about what to write. Finally decided to go with writing a list of handy kitchen tips that I have learnt over the years. I am sure these will be helpful to you.

1) Tired of gooey bhindi? adding a spoon of yogurt to Bhindi while cooking will make it less gooey.
2) Ever experienced curry stains on your clothes? Soak them in water with vinegar and wash after 30 minutes. This should help get rid of the stains. If you spilled curry on carpet? pour lemonade on it and dab with kitchen towel this will help lightening the stain.
3) Having trouble with puris soaking a lot of oil? - try refrigerating dough for 10 - 20 minutes right before making puris - this will yield puffy soft puris with less oil soaked.
4) Made your curry too spicy? - Adding ghee tadka will help reduce the heat in the curry.
5) Having trouble rolling your stuffed parathas? - Add some breadcrumbs to the stuffing and roll them carefully - they will be easier to roll.
6) Enjoy a bowl of popcorn with movie? - Store corn seeds in freezer and pop them while still frozen (Add to vessel straight from freezer) - This will give bigger popcorns and ensure less wastage of seeds
7) Love crispy pakora with your tea? - Add some rice flour to batter - Pakoras will be crispy and less oily
8) Preserve water that you have used to boil vegetables and use it while making curries.
9) Soak almonds in cup of warm water for 15 mins prior to pilling skin off
10) Ever felt frustrated by the time it takes to boil a whole potato? - Try soaking potato in salt water for half an hour prior to baking it in oven.

I will aim to bring you more interesting tips that I have personally tried and have worked for me at regular intervals. Do give me feed back while you read my posts.