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.

Tadka maar ke - Makki ki roti and Sarson ka saag

So as promised this is my second post in series everything in between, This time a plate from Punjab - the land of five rivers. Interestingly this word was derived from Persian words panj meaning five and aab meaning waters. Agriculture is the largest industry in Punjab and farming forms a big part of culture, festivals and cuisines in Punjab. Major festivals are celebrated at the times crops are harvested. Some of the festivals Punjabis  celebrate are Lohri, Baishakhi, Maghi, Teeyan etc. When I think of Punjab I remember the scences from a very famous bollywood movie Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge - beautiful country side, attractive farms , pretty women in their colourful garments and handsome jawans young Punjabi boys ..India at its best!

One day I would love to do a road trip through Punjab to see its beauty through my own eyes. Would love to taste yummy dhaba food which is a speciality in punjab. Punjabi cuisine offers variety of dishes such as Sarso ka saag and makki ki roti,halwa puri, tandoori chicken, naan, paneer dishes. All of these dishes well celebrate locally grown produces and makes Punjabi cuisine one of the popular cuisines of India.

So Sarson ka saag was on my mind last whole weeks when I spotted mustard greens at a vegetable shop. It is bad cold winter in our part of world and I thought Sarson ka saag and Makki roti can be a perfect way to end the cold weekend. And here is my recipe to happy tummy!

Sarson ka saag:

Ingredients

300 gms - Mustard greens - washed and chopped
100 gms - Spinach leaves - Washed and chopped
1 Big onion - Sliced
4 - 5 Cloves Garlic - crushed
4 - 5 Green chillies - cut
1 Medium piece ginger  (2 -3 inch) - grated
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp corn meal
Salt to taste
Lemon juice 2 tsp
1 tbsp Clarified butter
1 tsp Asafetida
2 -3 dry red chillies

Recipe:
Heat olive oil in heavy bottom pan. Once heated add sliced onions, chopped garlic, grates ginger and cut green chillies. Saute til onions are translucent.Add mustard greens and spinach leaves and cook until greens are cooked. Do not cover while cooking (This helps keeping leaves green). Add salt to taste and cornmeal and cook for few more minutes stirring in between. Leave aside and let it cool. Once cooled add into grinder and make a smooth paste (You can keep it half done as well depending on texture you are aiming for) Bring it out in a bowl ready for serve. Add lemon juice and mix well. Heat ghee in a small bowl and add red chillies and asafetida. Spread this over prepared saag and cover it and keep for few minutes before serving.

Makki ki roti:

Ingredients
1.5 cups Corn meal (Makki ka aata)
.75 cups wheat flour (You can mix more as per your preference as it is difficult to roll rotis from corn meal alone)
Salt to taste
1 Table spoon oil.
White makhan/ Ghee/butter for cooking

Method:
In a bowl mix corn meal, wheat flour and salt. Add oil and using warm water knead medium soft dough. Tip is to not leave dough after kneading as it dries out and makes it difficult to roll the rotis. Place tava on gas. Divide the dough in lemon sized portions and start rolling the rotis. It is difficult to roll so you can use two plastic sheets and roll it in between them.Be as gentle as possible and slowly make a round roti. Roll it to thickness as naan bread / bhakhri and gently transfer it to hot tava. Cook it until it is slightly brown and turn over carefully. Cook till half done and apply white makhan / Ghee / butter on both sides and cook until nicely brown on both sides and cooked well through. Can add a dollop of ghee / makhan while serving on makki roti.

Serve Saag and roti with chopped onion salad, pickle and khari lassi (Punjabi flavored butter milk)

I hope you enjoy this meal as much as I did. Please try recipe and leave me your feed back. See you soon with my next post.

The Royal Meal - Dal Baati - Churma

Kesariya Baalam aavo ne....Padharo ne mahre desh re...Song echoes in my ears when I think about this beautiful state of Rajasthan also known as state of kings and palaces. Rajasthan has a distinctive geographic feature - Thar desert which runs through the state almost from start to end. My memories of Rajasthan are from childhood vacations. It was my favourite tourist destination and I used to be awestruck looking at those huge palaces and learning about rich heritage they had behind them.These vacations to Rajasthan were the root cause of my fairy tale dreams which I often used to see as a child.

Rajasthan has a very rich culture dating back many centuries and it is amazing to see that many of those ancient traditions and practices are still alive and well celebrated by many families in Rajasthan. Rajasthani folk songs and dancing, specially the ghoomar dance are world renowned and attracts tourists from every corner of world. Rajasthan is known to be very colourful state, famous for mirror work and embroidery on clothes. Main festivals celebrated in Rajasthan are Holi, Gangaur, Teej, Deepawali, Janmashtami etc.

Rajasthan is also popular for its rich cuisine. Lot of these dishes were highly celebrated in ancient times and are still prepared traditionally. Few years back I happened to visit Jaipur for a cousins wedding - he was marrying a Marwari girl and we got to experience their hospitality and I went bowled over the yummy dishes we ate in those few days. Phew I must admit some of the yummiest food I have ever tasted in my life.If you are a foodie like me you must taste these dishes. Some of the well celebrated dishes from Rajasthan are Dal baati - Churma, Ker Sangari, Gatte ki subji / Gatta pulao, Kachori, Gujiyas, Badam Halwa, Rabri. Last friday night I tried making Dal baati, Churma and was very happy with what I was able to cook.

Recipe -
Baati

Ingredients:

1 Portion (1 cup)  wheat flour
1/2 Portion (1/2 cup)  Chickpea flour
1/2 Portion (1/2 cup)  Semolina
Salt to taste
3 Table spoon Clarified butter (Ghee)
Some more ghee for dipping Bati

Recipe:

Take wheat flour, chick pea flour and semolina in a bowl and add salt to taste. Add 3 table spoon ghee and mix the flour. Using lukewarm water knead the dough to firm texture. Keep aside. Pre heat oven at 200 C. Meanwhile take a handful of dough and shape them into a round sphere.. Press between your palms to form bati and carefully organise on oven tray.Bake in oven for 15 to 20 minutes checking in between. Batis should be cooked all the way through and from light golden brown colour on the top. Bring Batis out of oven and dip each of them in ghee and keep aside.

Dal

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Split moong dal
1/4 cup  Bengal gram (Chana) dal
1/4 cup  Masoor dal
1/4 cup  split green gram dal
1 Table spoon clarified butter (Ghee)
1 tea spoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
1/2 tea spoon asafoetida
3 -4 cloves
1 -2 bay leaves
Small cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon ginger, garlic and green chili paste
Red chili powder 1 teaspoon (more if you like spicy)
Turmeric powder 1 teaspoon
Cumin coriander powder 1 - 2 teaspoon
Amchoor - 1 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Corriander for garnish

Recipe:

Pressure cook all mixed lentils with required water until nicely cooked (aim is to have them soft but not mushy). In a pan take clarified butter and add jeera seeds. Let jeera splutter and add asafoetida. Add clove, cinnamon and bay leaves and saute for half a minute. Add ginger, garlic and green chili paste and saute for few seconds. Add red chili powder, Turmeric powder, cumin coriander powder and amchoor and saute for few more seconds (Make sure masalas don't get burnt - reduce heat if required) Add boiled lentils, garam masalas, adjust the thickness of dal by adding water as required. Add salt to taste and bring it to boil. Take off the heat and garnish with chopped coriander. Keep aside ready for serving later.

Churma

Ingredients:

1/2 cup wheat flour fine
1/2 cup wheat flour coarse (Bhakhri flour)
2 -3 table spoon clarified butter (Ghee) for kneading
3/4 cups or a bit less Jaggery (U can adjust according to how sweet you would prefer your churma to be)
Clarified butter (Ghee) for frying
1/2 cup mixed chopped nuts

Recipe:

Mix both wheat flours in a bowl and add ghee. Using warm water knead form dough. Divide in similar portions and make balls pressed between palms. Heat ghee for frying and fry these balls. Keep aside. Once they are cooled churn them in a grinder to make crisp powder and take out in a bowl. Mix jaggery, chopped nuts and some remaining ghee from frying and mix well. Serve with your Dal bati.

Thank you for stopping by I hope you enjoy making this dish. Please post your feedback here in comments section. 

Everything in between

From the hills of Kashmir to the pristine beaches of Kanyakumari and Desert of kutch to the bay of bengal, lives a diverse population with varied cultural beliefs,practicing various religions, speaking different languages, celebrating various festivals and eating variety of food.Yes the name says it right! This series is about everything in between. Our India is world renowned for its diverse culture. Unity in diversity is the motto we live by. Growing up I was always fascinated by this diversity in culture specially the food. My father is a chemical engineer working for a chemical factory. We grew up on a township far away from the city. I feel that I was privileged to grow up on that township as we lived amongst people from different states of india. Thus I was introduced to food from various states from a very young age.

This series is a tribute to my growing up. Each week I will bring you a plate from a state of India. I have been researching each state to know more about their traditional food, culture, traditions and I was surprised to find out so many new things that I never knew. Making this series is fun as it is giving food for both my brain (knowledge) and tummy (real food that we all love). Kick starting this series and also my first post on this blog with beautiful state of palaces Rajasthan. Please watch this space for soon to be updated post on Rajasthan.