Rajasthani food - Aloo Ki Subji

Although I enjoy all kinds of cuisine, I must admit I have a soft corner for Mexican, Italian and specially Rajasthani food! My dad gifted me this book sometime back. Its a book by Tarla Dalal on Rajasthani cuisine. It has some basic recipes like Gatte ki kadhi to some very complex and mouthwatering Motichur ladoos. Over all a very good book for people who like rajasthani food!

This recipe below is a very simple one and the best one can think of on a very tiring day. All it requires is a just a few spices, yoghurt, gram flour and Potatoes. No special ingredients that you have to rush to the market for. Everything is in your kitchen for this dish!

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 4 (boiled, peeled and cubed)

1 cup fresh curds (beaten)

1 tspn Bengal gram flour (besan)

1/2 tspn mustard seeds

1 tspn cumin seeds (jeera)

1 tspn fennel seeds (saunf)

1/2 tspn nigella seeds (kalonji)

1 bay leaf

2 cloves

2 sticks cinnamon

A pinch of hing

2 tspns chilli powder

1/4 tspn turmeric powder

1 tspn coriander-cumin seed powder

1 tbl spn Ghee

Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, combine the curds and gram flour and whisk well. Keep aside.

2. Heat the ghee in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the cumin seeds, fennel seeds, nigella seeds, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon and asafoetida and stir for a few seconds.

3. Add the curds and gram flour mixture, chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander - cumin seed powder and continue stirring till it comes to a boil.

4. Add the potatoes and salt with 1/2 cup of water and mix well. Bring to a boil.

Garnish with coriander leaves and Serve hot with chapathis or pulkas.

Note: Adding fennel seeds and nigella seeds is very important to this dish because they give a distinct flavor.

Aloo Gobi

This is one of the most easiest recipes I can think of when I buy cauliflower from the market. It's quick, easy and very tasty.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - 1 (cut in to florets)

Potatoes - 2 (diced)

Tomatoes- 4 Fine chopped

Onion - 1 (fine chopped)

Ginger garlic paste - 2 tspns

Cumin seeds - 1 tspn

1 green chilly (slit)

Red Chilli powder - 1 tspn

Cumin powder - 1 tspn

Garam masala - 1 tspn

Coriander powder - 1 tspn

Coriander leaves - ½ cup

Oil - 1 tbl spn

Salt to taste

Preparation:

1.Wash cauliflower as mentioned here. Heat Oil in a pan,add cumin seeds, onions, green chilly, ginger garlic paste. Fry till the raw smell goes and till the onions turn transperant. Take care not to burn them. So do this on low heat.

2. Add tomatoes, and the powders like cumin, coriander, red chilly powder, then toss in cauliflower florets and potatoes together.

3. All of the spices blend really well when you add the veggies together. Add little water for the veggies to cook. Add salt.

4. Add garam masala and coriander leaves in the end and mix well.

5. Serve hot with chapathi, phulka, Jeera rice, etc.

Actually I can send it to the Challenge event I am hosting. So this and many more will be from the host.

Also sending this recipe to Vegetarian Thanksgiving at Fun and Food cafe!

Diwali thali recipes for Sapadu ready event and Priti's Festive Food Event at Indian Khana!

For the Sapadu Ready Event, I am reposting the Diwali menu with recipes for each on the thali.

1. PLAIN RICE

2. PARAPPU OR PLAIN DHAL:

Cook 1 cup Red gram dhal (Thuar dhal/Thogari bele) in a pressure cooker. Mash it slightly. Take a small kadai or pan, Add oil, mustard, 2-3 green chillies(split), coconut, hing(a pinch), and coriander leaves all about 1 tspn. Add salt to taste and mix it. Thats done!

3. RED AMARANTH LEAVES CURRY (Kempu Dantusoppina palya):

Chop a bunch of amaranth leaves and cook in pressure cooker for only one wistle with little water. In a deep bottomed pan or Kadai, Take 1 tblspn Oil, 1 tspn mustard seeds, a pinch of Hing, 1 tspn bengal gram, 1tspn black gram, curry leaves (1 strand), 2-3 green or red chilles, and finally add the leaves without the water. You can use the water for making rasam or soup. fry for a few minutes in oil. Finally add 1 tbl spn coconut. Mix well and serve with chapathi or rice and rasam combination!

4. TOMATO RASAM:

Main ingredient is the Rasam powder. When you have this ready follow the procedure given below.

Pressure cook ½ cup Red gram dhal. In a vessel boil 1 Cup of water with fine chopped tomatoes (2 tomatoes). Add 1 tbl spn rasam powder, 1 tspn jaggery, allow it to boil for 5 minutes. Add 1 strand of curry leaves, coriander leaves (1tbl spn) after 5 mins of boiling. Add the dhal and boil for 3-4 minutes. Add the juice of soaked tamarind (about 1 tbl spn) and salt. Temper it with little Oil or ghee with mustard seeds and jeera and hing!

5. WHOLE MOONG DHAL (GREEN GRAM) SAMBHAR:

Use the same method for sambhar like rasam. Additions are to cook the green gram with the red gram dhal and add sambhar powder while boiling. recipe for sambhar powder coming up soon!

6. SOUTHEKAYI KOSAMBARI (CUCUMBER SALAD)

Fine chop 1 Cucumber in to small pieces. Add coconut (1tbl spn), green chilli (2 chopped), coriander leaves (1 tbl spn), temper it using oil, mustard seeds and hing. Add salt when you are just about to serve it.

7. SHAVIGE PAYASA (SEVAI KHEER)
Boiled Milk - 1 litre

1 Cup Sevai - Roast it in a deep bottomed pan with little ghee until it turns golden brown.

1½ Cups -Sugar

Cardamom powder - 1 tspn

Saffron - few strands

Raisins - 10

Cashewnuts - fried in little ghee (6-7)

Preparation:

a. Add roasted sevai in boiling milk. Keep stirring on a low flame.

b. Once the sevai is cooked, add sugar to the milk. Allow it to dissolve.

c. After a couple of minutes, add saffron strands, cardamom powder, Cashews and raisins.

d. Switch off the flame. Allow it to cool. Best served when chilled.

8. SAPSEEGE SOPPU AMBODE (Fried flattened balls made from a mixture of Dill leaves and soaked bengal gram)

INGREDIENTS:

To grind coarsely without adding much water:

Bengal gram - 1 cup (soaked) save 1 tbl spn for mixing with the batter

Green chillies - 2

Red chillies - 1

Hing - ½ tspn

Coconut - 2 tbl spns

Salt to taste

Once the batter is ready add Dill leaves - half a bunch (chopped) and soaked bengal gram (1tbl spn that you had saved earlier).

Heat Oil in a deep bottomed pan and take a lemon sized batter flatten it and add one by one when the oil is hot. Reduce the heat and allow it fry on both the sides till its golden brown.

Another addition to the batter is fine chopped onion. But since it takes up more oil I omitted it. You can defintely give it a try because with onions its even more tastier.

So there you go, I have posted the recipes for all the food that was on the thali for diwali at my home. Do try this at your home and let me know of your experiences!

This is heading straight to Aartee of Nalabagham for her SAPADU READY event!
I am also sending this Thali to Priti's Festive food Event at Indian Khana

Hope she likes it!

HAPPY DEEPAWALI!

A very HAPPY DIWALI to all my readers! This is the menu in my home today:-)What's special at your place?

1. Rice

2. Parpu (Plain dhal)

3. Kempu Dantusoppina palya (Red Amaranth leaves curry)

4. Tomato Rasam

5. Whole moong dhal Sambhar

6. Southekayi Kosambari (Cucumber Salad)

7. Shavige payasa (Sevai kheer)

8. Sapseege Soppu Ambode (Fried flattened balls made from a mixture of Dill leaves and soaked bengal gram)

May this Festival of lights bring you all Joy , Happiness and Prosperity in the days to come! Enjoy !

TWO OPTIONS WITH CORN (KOSAMBARI AND PALYA)

I. Corn Kosambari

Ingredients:

Fresh Corn – 1 cup
Coconut – 1 tbl spn grated
Coriander leaves – 2 tspns
Curry leaves – (3-4) chopped
Green chillies – (1-2) depending on your taste
Salt as required
Lemon - ½

For tempering:

Oil - ½ tspn
Asafetida – 1 pinch
Mustard – ½ tspn

Preparation:

1. Mix Corn with coconut, coriander leaves, curry leaves, green chillies, and salt.
2. Temper with oil, asafetida and mustard seeds and add it to the corn mixture. Squeeze juice of lemon and its done!


II. Corn Palya

Ingredients:

Fresh Corn – 1 cup
Coconut – 1 tbl spn grated
Coriander leaves – 2 tspns
Curry leaves – (3-4) chopped
Green chillies – (1-2) depending on your taste
Salt as required
Lemon - ½

For tempering:

Butter - ½ tspn
Asafetida – 1 pinch
Mustard – ½ tspn

1. Take butter in a non-stick pan; add mustard seeds, asafetida, curry leaves, green chillies, Corn, salt and coconut. Fry for a minute in the butter. Smells great and tastes great too.
2. Switch off the flame and can squeeze lemon.

UPDATE: This one is on its way to EC's SIMPLE INDIAN FOOD BLOG for the WYF: COLOR IN FOOD EVENT

POTATO SAAGU !

Potato Saagu

Ingredients:

Potatoes – Medium sized (4-5)
Onion - 1 big
Tomatoes – 2 to 3
Curry leaves – 1 strand
Coriander leaves - ½ cup
Cumin seeds -½ tspn
Mustard - ½ tspn
Asafetida – pinch
Garam masala – 1tspn
Turmeric powder - ½ tspn
Red chilli powder – 1 tspn or more according to your taste
Gram flour (besan) – 1 tspn mixed with water
Oil – 1 tbl spn

Preparation:

1. Pressure cook potatoes with salt and water; peel and mash them.
2. Take oil in a pan; add mustard, cumin seeds, asafetida, curry leaves, onion and fry till the onions turn transparent.
3. Add tomatoes, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and red chilli powder. Fry till the oil separates.
4. Add the mashed potatoes, salt, and little water. Boil this for 5-6 mins and add the gram flour mixed with water. This helps in binding the saagu.
5. Finally check for salt and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

This Saagu goes best with Rave Idli (Semolina Idli) and Coconut or Raw chutney. You can also serve it along with Dose and Chapathi too!

This one is heading to Srivalli's Curry mela!

STUFFED BITTER GOURD!

For past two weeks I was so tired of everything blogging, studying, traveling. I just felt like getting away from everything. So took a long break and feel so refreshed now. All I did was update something in my creative blog. That’s it! But it’s better to come back after a break because it gives a clear mind to start something fresh.

I love trying different recipes apart from the food prepared at my home. My maid is a very good cook too. She’s a maharashtrian and whenever she prepares something different she gets it for me and my friend to taste. She had prepared this stuffed bitter gourd and I liked it so much that I asked her for the recipe. Trust me all those people who don’t like to eat bitter gourd will atleast eat the veggie for this recipe. Good example, my hubby! Can you believe it he did not even know what the veggie is, until I told him? I kept telling him its karela (hindi). He did not know what that was until I said its haagal kayi (kannada). Imagine the expression on his face! He was so impressed that it was bitter gourd and he knew nothing about it.

Stuffed Bitter gourd (Serves 3)

Ingredients:
Bitter gourd – 4

For grinding:
Coconut - ½ Cup
Ground nuts – 1 handful
Coriander leaves – 1 tbl spn
Tomato – 2
Garlic – 4-5 flakes (Optional …although I think adding garlic definitely helps in terms of taste and health wise)
Red chilli powder – 2 tspns
Turmeric – 1 tspn for boiling and 1 tspn for the ground paste
Salt to taste
Oil – 3 tbl spns

Preparation:
1. Cut bitter gourd in half and slit one side.
2. Scoop out the seeds. Boil them in water with salt and turmeric until the bitter gourd becomes soft and cooked. This process is approximately 15 mins.
3. Roast ground nuts without oil in small pan on a low flame.
4. Grind tomatoes, coconut, coriander leaves, garlic and the roasted nuts. Take out the paste to a bowl and add salt, chilli powder, turmeric and curry leaves to it.
5. Stuff this ground paste inside the bitter gourd. You will have more ground paste left for the amount I have mentioned.
6. Take Oil in a pan; place the bitter gourds one by one in the pan. Add the rest of the paste in the pan. Fry on each side for 5 mins.
7. Fry till the raw smell of the paste goes. Check for salt again at this point. Add more if required.

8. Fry in simmer for 10 mins until the bitter gourd takes all the juice.

This dish goes well with rice/dhal combination or rice/rasam combination and chapathis too!

MASALA POTATO HINDUSTANI !!!!!!!

I always used to make this recipe just using the first masala. But recently I had been to a restaurant where they fried the potatoes marinated with just mint chutney. So I thought why not combine the two and make my own new version! What’s best about this recipe is its very simple, fast, looks good and tastes very good. It’s a big hit when you are having a party. I made these potatoes for my husband’s PhD party four years back of course minus the mint chutney.

When I read Meeta’s Monthly mingle “Bollywood cooking” theme, I thought what better way to showcase them! It has all the masalas that a commercial bollywood movie has:-)

Well that’s the theme right?

Ingredients:
Potatoes – (6-7) small ones, pressure cooked and halved

For the masala:
Oil – 1 tbl spn
Red chilli powder – 1 tspn
Turmeric powder – 1 tspn
Cumin powder – 1½ tspn
Coriander powder – 1½ tspn
Garam masala – 1 tspn
Salt – 1 tspn

Pudina / Mint chutney:
Mint leaves - ½ bunch
Ginger - ½ inch piece

Green chillies - 2
Garlic – 3 flakes
Salt – 1 tspn
Roasted gram – 2 tbl spns

Preparation:
1. Take a bowl and mix in all the ingredients for the masala in oil.
2. Prepare the mint chutney by blending all the ingredients and add 2 tspns yoghurt to this chutney.
3. Take a flat non stick pan, add the masala and spread it on the pan.
4. Now add the potatoes one by one and toss it slowly so as to coat the potatoes with the masala on all sides.
5. Fry in medium flame for about 10 mins on each side. Keep changing sides. You should be able to see a brown crust on all sides.
6. Add the mint chutney on the potatoes directly and toss over to coat well. Fry for 2 to 3 mins.
Garnish with onion rings.

So this is my entry to Meeta's Monthly mingle

BABY RAJMA SHUNDAL

Ingredients:

Rajma (smaller ones) – 1 cup (soaked overnight and pressure cooked)
Coconut- 2 tbpl spns
Coriander leaves- 2 tbl spns
Green Chillies- (4- 5) slit and cut in half
Lemon- ½
Hing- ½ tspn
Curry leaves- 1 strand
Mustard – 1 tspn
Salt to taste

Preparation:
1. Take 1 tbl spn oil in a pan, add mustard (allow it to splutter), curry leaves, hing, green chillies, rajma, mix well.
2. Add salt, chopped coriander leaves, coconut, and finally squeeze half a lemon.

I used smaller variety of rajma because it cooks really well in pressure cooker (four whistles).

YARD LONG BEANS (ALASANDE BEANS) FRIED WITH FRESH GROUND PEPPER

I don’t get this beans very often at home. But this time I thought let me buy it and see what I can do with it later. I was so tired of making the same old masala curries. I wanted to make something simple, quick yet elegant. Also the reason I used only fresh pepper in this recipe was to get the flavour of only one spice. And after eating this with chapathi, my husband wants to eat this atleast one day in a week. Try this and let me know whether you liked it or not.

Ingredients:

Yard long beans - 1 bunch (chopped in long lengths)
Onion - 1 (chopped)
Oil – 3 tbl spns
Mustard - 1tspn
Bengal gram – 1 tspn
Black gram – 1 tspn
Curry leaves – 1 strand
Coconut – 1 tbl spn (optional)
Salt to taste
Turmeric – pinch
Hing - pinch
Fresh ground pepper – 2 tbl spn (it has to be freshly ground and coarse not in complete powder form)

Preparation:

1. Take oil in a big pan; add mustard, hing, bengal gram, black gram, curry leaves, onion, fry well, add turmeric.
2. Add the beans, fry till the raw smell goes and add little water and salt. Cover and cook for 10- 15 minutes checking in between.
3. Once it’s cooked, allow all the water to evaporate. When it’s dry, add the pepper powder and coconut. Fry for 1- 2 mins. This goes very well with chapathis as a dry side dish.

ENGAYI

Engayi!

The term “engayi” meaning enne kayi has to be prepared with oil and no water. But these days we have modified this by using if not too much water atleast a little bit of it. The same engayi is first prepared and then this is mixed with rice to make it vangibath (vangi as in brinjal and bath is rice). Before going in to vangibath lets first get to know how to prepare engayi.

Ingredients:

Potato-3 to 4(big ones)
Brinjal-7 small purple ones (although the best one to do engai is from the green long brinjals)
Sambhar powder- 3 tbl spns (sambhar powder recipe is coming up soon)
Jaggery-1 inch piece
Tamarind- ½ lemon sized (soak in one fourth cup water before you start)
Coriander leaves- ½ cup
Coconut- 2 tbl spns
Salt as per taste

For seasoning:

Mustard - 1tspn
Bengal gram- 1tspn
Black gram- 1tspn
Curry leaves- 10 leaves
Oil-3 tbl spns

Preparation:
1. Cut brinjal and potato in lengthwise like shown in picture.
2. Take oil in a pan, add the seasonings, and then add the brinjal and fry for few minutes till the raw smell goes.
3. Add the potatoes to this and fry for a couple of minutes. Pour in ½ cup water to cook the veggies. Add jaggery and salt; close the lid to cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add the juice of tamarind, sambhar powder, coconut, and allow to cook the veggies completely.
5. Finally add coriander leaves for garnishing.

This method is usually followed by iyengars although it’s made in lot more ways. In Karnataka alone we have many varieties of engayi. I know one of my neighbour aunties prepares this in a different way and what she makes is also awesome!

Baalekayi palya (Raw Banana)

This goes very well with rasam and rice.

Ingredients:

Raw bananas-4
Onions-2
Red chillies-4 ( can use green chillies too)
Coconut-½ cup
Coriander leaves-½ cup
Oil-4tspns

For seasoning:
Mustard seeds
Bengal gram
Black gram

Procedure:
1. Take oil in a non stick pan, add the seasonings, red chillies, onions. fry well.
2. Then add the raw bananas peeled n chopped in to ½ inch pieces.
3. Fry well , take care not to burn.
4. Add salt and fry for some more time till its cooked well.
5. Finally add coconut and garnish with coriander leaves.

There are many recipes which we make using raw bananas. This is a very simple one but very delicious. I will post some more of them in the future.