Aloo tikki chaat..

Few weeks back invited some of my friends for dinner, so thought of making chat in starters, and guess what, they came out perfect (though they turned out to be too filling). For making tikki chat, if you think of making everything from scratch, than indeed we feel it's a long long process, but as i already had my tamarind as well as green chutney ready in my fridge, and one of the dish in the main course as chole itself, so it was a lot easier... :). Even though, if it needs to be done at one go, still its worth the effort.

Ingredients:

For Aloo Tikki:

Potatoes 5 large
Bread Slices 2 -3
Garam Masala pwd ½ tsp
Roasted Jeera/Cumin Pwd 1 tsp
Coriander Powder ½ tsp
Corn Flour 1 tbsp+
Oil, for shallow frying
Salt to taste

For Date and Tamarind Chutney:

8 10 deseeded dates
2 tbsp tamarind pulp
1/4 cup jaggery
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
Salt to taste

Chole
Green chutney

Curd, beaten till smooth
Cumin powder
1 tbsp sugar
Finely chopped Onions
Fine sev to garnish
Red chilli powder
Chopped coriander leaves.


Method:

1. Prepare green coriander chutney

2. Prepare tamarind chutney.(better make both chutney's one day in advance)

Bring tamarind pulp to a boil. Add date paste and jaggery.
Then add red chilli powder , cumin powder and salt to taste. Adjust the spices and consistency, switch off the gas and let it cool. This can be stored in the air tight jar in the fridge for later use.

Alternatively, grind all the ingredients, along with little water, to make a thick chutney.

3. Make spicy Chole.

4. Yogurt Filling:

Beat the curd till its smooth without any lumps(add a bit water ,if too thick). Now mix in roasted cumin powder, sugar and salt to taste.

5. Aloo Tikki:

Boil potato till tender, peel and mash well(or better grate them for even consistency).
Remove the edges of bread slices. Dip the slices in water and squeeze them between your palms to remove the water. Crumble them with hands and add to the mashed potatoes. Also, bread crumbs can be directly added to mashed potatoes.
Mix in all the spices ; garam masala, roasted cumin powder, coriander powder, salt to taste and corn flour and mix well. Adjust the corn flour as required, it helps in binding and hence proper shape of tikki's.
Take a small lump and make a small ball. Press it down to shape it into round shape (about 1 cm thick ) to amke a tikki.
Heat tawa/griddle , put about 1 tsp oil, and shallow fry all the tikki's on medium to low heat on both the sides till they turn golden brown in color.
Repeat with all the tikkies and place them in a paper napkin to remove excess oil.


Assemble and Serve:

Place 2-3 hot Aloo Tikkies on serving plate.
Pour about 2 ladles full of Chole. Then add about 2 tablespoons of spiced yogurt.Then drizzle about a spoon each of Sweet Date-Tamarind Chutney and Green Chutney.
Finally garnish with chopped onion, sev and chopped coriander leaves.
Sprinkle a bit of red chilli powder and cumin power on top of it and serve immediately.

Tips:

Instead of bread slices can add one cup Bread Crumbs too
For oil consicious people, can also bake the tikkies till they turn gold and crisp on both the sides

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Malai Kofta

This dish comes for special occassions, Malai ( Cream) Kofta; it has the richness of cream and dry fruits and lots of aromatic flavours. First time when i tried this , it was a total mess. I don't know, i think the potatoes were some new ones(for that season, as i remember told by my mom ..or were they old ?? ). Anyways, the result was the potatoes were too sticky and even after dipping my hands in oil, i wasn't able to make balls out of it. Somehow with the help of my mom ,with the tips given at last, finally balls were made and i was able to make delicious Kofta's.
These koftas are served in a creamy gravy (which i got correct without her help). Malai Kofta is served best with Naan (tandoor-baked flatbread), kulcha's or Jeera rice.

Ingredients:

For koftas:

250 gms(4 large) boiled potatoes
50 gms paneer mashed
50 gms Khoya(thickned milk, optional)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (almonds,raisins and cashewnuts)
1 tsp garam masala powder
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry the koftas

For the sauce:

3 tbsps cooking oil
2 large onions grated
1 tomato pureed
2 tbsps garlic garlic paste
2 tsps coriander powder
2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp garam masala powder
1 cup milk(approx)
1 tbsp khoya
1 tbsp fresh curd
Salt to taste
Fresh cream to garnish

Method:

Grate the potatoes(so as there's no lumps and its even thoroughly). Season with salt.
Mix all the other ingredients separately for koftas, add salt to taste and make small small balls out of it.
Shape the potato mixture like a bowl and put the paneer mix balls in the center and then roll into perfect rounds.
Heat the oil to fry the koftas, on a medium flame. Deep fry these rounds till light golden brown in colour.
Drain on paper towels and keep aside.
If the potatoes are sticky, and are not manageble, add a bit of cornflour in the mix, or can coat it with cornflour paste and then fry. More tips in the end.

For the gravy, first heat the 3 tbsps of oil in a deep pan and add ginger garlic paste to it.
Then fry the onions till it is light brown in color and the oil begins to separate from the onions.
Then first add red chilli powder and then all other dry spices and then immediately add tomato puree to it. Fry till oil separates.
Add khoya ,a bit of salt and curd. Fry .
Then add milk slowly and water to get a desired thick consistency (not too thin), and cook. Mix well.
Bring the gravy to a boil and then reduce the fire to a simmer.

Serving:
At the time of serving, place the kofta's in the dish, and pour hot gravy over it. And then garnish each kofta's with the whipped cream and serve.
Serve with hot Naans ,Kulcha's or Jeera Rice.

Tips:

Instead of directly pureeing the tomatoes you can blanch them first in hot water and then puree, it gives better taste n color too.
If potatoes are sticky still, you can add a bread slice (edges removed), or even soaked pooha(rice flakes) to it.
If you don't have khoya, use Ricotta cheese.Just bake the same in Microwave,the cheese will crumble and can be substituted for khoya.
And most important DO NOT add kofta's in the gravy beforehand. The balls will absorb lots of gravy and will be tooo soft, to pour.Can see my gravy is looking thin a bit in snap, but eventually it got thicker.

Also, there's some flowers, Rose, that i tried making with apple's peel. Did u liked them???
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Sending this Malai Kofta to RCI: Lucknow started by Lakshmi

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Gingery Sweet Potato Soup

When i did announced the event SWC:Soups, it was really hot here in Singapore. I didn't felt like having or cooking soups at all. And then i made that chilled refreshing Gazpacho Soup. Usually it rains a lot here in December and January, but as per records, this month January was the driest jan. in a decade. And it followed till almost end of feb. But, thanx god , now its finally raining, raining a lot (nowadays climate has gone so unpredectable), and we felt like having hot soups. So for yesterday dinner i made this along with Instant corn dhokla( recipe coming soon)

Something about Sweet potatoes,they are a great source of beta-carotene, essential for vision. The soup had a strong taste of ginger, and was perfect for a filling dinner in a rainy day.

Ingredients:

1 small onion,cut coarsely
2 garlic cloves,chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
1 carrot, chopped coarsely
1 stalk of fresh lemongrass, thinly sliced crosswise
100 gms sweet potato, peeled and cut into big chunks
2 cups vegetable broth or 2 vegetable stock cubes.
Salt to taste
1/2 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Method:

In a pressure cooker add onion, garlic, ginger, carrot ,lemon grass and sweet potato. Cover and and cook for a whsitle, till the potatoes are tender.
Transfer the sweet potato to a blender. Puree the sweet potato soup.
Return the soup to the saucepan.Add stock cubes and season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
Pour the soup into a bowl, top with the cilantro and serve.

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Sending this to SWC:Soups, (started by LG ) Hosted at my blog.

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Aloo pooha

Aaloo Poha or kanda pohe is i feel the staple breakfast/snack in every North Indian Kitchen. Actually this tangy snack is an all time favorite throughout India with slight variations,though. I also make it every week atleast once. Easy to make, its quite filling too. Must be, as its made with flattened beaten rice.

I sometimes use to make this even before my marriage, but that was under my mom ,so was quite simple. After marriage,when we were in bangalore, when first time i bought poha, it came out to be thin one. Result it all formed one big lump,when i soaked it.(That one is used to make chiwda) Then i bought thick one(asked specially for thick one). It didn't got soaked properly n was all dry. Finally ,asked my sister,What's wrong??? she told me there's comes one more of medium thickness,that we should use. OMG.

Once when we went to indore, i saw this poha everywhere, and it was too spicy there. Hot steaming poha was prepared and kept warm over boiling water so that the hot moisture from the water can keep the poha warm and moist. One nice combo was Poha Jelabi..

Ingredients:

2 1/2 Cup Poha(rice flakes) (from Indian groceries)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 potato, diced
3-4 green chillies, chopped
Handful of frozen green peas (optional)
2 tbsp peanuts
2 tbsp Cilantro, chopped finely
1 lemon/lime

Haldi/turmeric powder 1 tsp
Jeera/cumin 1 tsp
1t mustard seeds
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Black salt 2 tbsp
Sugar 1tbsp
Garam masala powder 1 tsp
Oil 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash the rice flakes/atukulu in running cold water,in a seive, drain and set aside. These flakes will absorb the water and shall puff up.
Meanwhile, chop onions, green chillies, potato.
Heat oil in a wide pan and firstly add the peanuts. fry them and set aside.
In the same oil add the cumin seeds and curry leaves(optional). Let it fry for a min and a then add onions, diced potato, green peas and green chillies to the pan . Add a bit of salt to enhance cooking.
Let it cook for few mins till the potatoes are done.
Meanwhile, mix all the spices in the soaked poha and mix well with your hands. (so as not to break the flakes)
Finally mix it well in the pan and let it sit on the flame for 3-5 more mins. Add the lime/lemon juice and chopped cilantro and mix well so that the juice is evenly distributed.
Serve hot with any of the below toppings.

Toppings:

I serve it with fried peanuts on top of it.
Also it tastes womderful with Haldiram's bhujia.
In nagpur we had it with some very hot red chutney over it, along with green chillies.
Also its served with chopped onions or grated coconut.

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Sending this to Cooking for kids :Potato, authored by Sharmi of Neivedyam as my kids love it too. Along with Yummy Samosa's and Vegetable cutlets.

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Dum Aloo

Nowadays its raining here always. Everyday i feel like eating something hot and spicy..hehe So while shopping vegetables in the Wet Market, when i saw these cute little potatoes i couldn't resist myself . And now, what could be better use of these cuties, then making spicy and flavourful Dum aloo or Aloo dum pukth.
This is one of the dishes ,that we often get to see in Indian resturants. The speciality of this recipe is all the spices that are added to it, along with our always beloved POTATO, which makes it a perfect family favourite.
Back in India, i use to make it using Dum aloo masala, but this time its without masala powder and its indeed better.

Ingredients:

Small potatoes 1/2 kg
Medium size onion (grated) 1
Fine yogurt (curd) 2 cup
Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp.
Turmeric Powder 1/2 tsp.
Chilli powder 1 tsp.
Asafoetida a pinch
Bay Leaves 4-5
Milk 1/2 cup
Ghee/oil 4 tbsp.
1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste

Spices:
Coriander seeds 1 tbsp.
Cardamoms (brown) 4
Cloves 4-5
Black pepper 7-8
Cinnamon 1 small piece
Caraway seeds 1/4 tsp.
Cardamom (green) 2

For garnish:
Few coriander leaves
Green spring onion


Method:

Take all the spices and grind it in a blender to make fine powder.

Prick the potatoes all over with a fork and soak in the water with little salt for 2 hours.
Boil or microwave them till half done.
Peel the potatoes and dry them on a cloth. Then heat the ghee or oil.
Deep fry the potatoes, remove immediately. This is just to give them a crispy texture on the outside,it gets golden brown. Drain and set aside.

Add bay leaves, asafoetida, ginger-garlic paste, grated onion to the remaining oil. Fry till the paste becomes reddish brown and the mixture starts separating from the oil.
Add the garam masala prepared initially to this mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. Fry it about a minute.
Now add milk to make the gravy. Then add yogurt (fine) and continuously stir it.
If you find the gravy too thick, you can add some water.
Finally add pricked fried potaoes to the gravy and pressure cook it(so as the masala seeps inside the potatoes). Switch off the gas after 4-5 minutes (before first whistle).

Decorate it with green coriander leaves and serve hot with parathas or rice ..

Note:
I did half boiled the potatoes ,so as there's no need to deep fry them for long. But in authentic recipe we do not boil, and directly deep fry the potatoes.

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Sending this to RCI: Lucknow started by Lakshmi

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Mini Samosa

After i did my diet plan, for about a week(not even full week), i lost interest in eating sweet food. Actually i lost my interest in eating any kind of spicy or oily food too. Just wanted to have something plain. But noooow...:) ,again all my taste buds are back, and are even more aggressive...haha....

Few days back only i had made veggie cutlets, and then i felt like having samosas. Samosa's are the symbol of indian appetizer all over the world. They are basically fried indian vegetarian ( or non vegetarian too) potato stuffed pastry. While browsing , i saw a very nice link about samosas, can see here. Now, one reason for my temptation was, just today i saw sanjeev kapoor in Zee, making them, and also i had seen them by sanjay thumma a few days back.

One more thing ,i must tell you they came out really very very yummy, much more than my expectations......

For samosa dough:

All purpose flour 3 cups
Oil 3 tbsp
Carom seeds(ajwain) 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

For the stuffing:

Potatoes 2 boiled and diced
Onion 1 smal, finely chopped
Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp
Tumeric powder 1/4 tsp
Green chillies 2 3, finely chopped
Coriander leaves, chopped
Cumin powder 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Chat masala 1 tsp (optional)
Cashew nutsand groundnuts 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
salt to taste
Lime juice of 1/2 lime
Oil

Method:

For the dough:
Take the maida, add the ajwain seeds,salt and a bit hot ghee/oil to the maida and mix well so that each flour grain will be coated with the oil. Knead properly to make a stiff dough using lukewarm water and let it rest for 15 to 20 mins.

Potato stuffing:
Heat some oil in the pan,add the cumin seeds,ginger garlic paste,green chillies,cashews,groungnuts and turmeric mix well and let cook for few mins.
Add onions and cook untill golden brown.
Then add the red chilli powder,coriander powder and cumin powder,add little water so the masalas don't burn.
Then add the diced potates,salt and coriander leaves.sprinkle the lime juice over it.

Samosa:
Take a puri sized ball of dough, and roll it into oval shape.


Cut that oval shape into half,take that half apply water on all edge,take one end bend it in center and taking other end overlap it on the first edge making it a cone(i.e, along the diameter).
Fill the cone with the stuffing and seal the edges to get a triangular shape for the samosa and let it rest on its 2 sides. (i took a snap for this ,but it didn't came out well :( )
Now fry the samosas in the hot oil ,medium low flame (not high, else it 'll turn out oily n soggy) till they turn golden brown.(this step takes time )
Take them out in a paper towel to remove excess oil.
Enjoy the samosas with ur favourite chutney.

Tip:
You can make any stuffing of your choice with any variations. with peas, or other non veggies too, its variations are endless..
Heard that adding ghee instead of oil, while making dough, helps in eliminating the bubbles on the crust.
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Sending this to Cooking for kids :Potato, started by Sharmi of Neivedyam
And to Sunday Snacks - Hot n Spicy at All Thingz Yummy!!
Now here comes my yummy Cabbage rolls,


I'm sending these Mini Samosa's , along with the Cabbage rolls which i made earlier to Monthly Mingle, "Appetizers & Hors'Doeuvres", hosted by Mansi of funnfud, an event started by Meeta of What's For Lunch Honey?

For the recipe of cabbage rolls ,you can check the link here.

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Vegetable cutlets

A few days back , i saw cutlets in some blogs. So i too was tempted to make them. I used to make them quite a number of times few years back, but nowdays due to some of my instinct of not eating deep fried, and be a bit health consious; and some due to my hubby , who always say better shallow fry them, whenever i say of cooking them(though he loves them a lot n then eats tooo :)...)

But finally i did made them. Initially i did tried to shallow fried them n had 1 2 pieces, but naaaaaaaaaah, the shallow fries ones stand nowhere in front of deep fried ones. So i thought its better to eat less, than to compromise with taste..

Here goes its recipe,

Ingredients:

Potato - 300 gm
Bread slices 2 3, edges removed
Carrot - 1 cup, finely chopped
Green peas - ½ cup
Beans - ½ cup, finely chopped
Corn kernels 1/4 cup
Beet root - ½ cup, shredded
Ginger & garlic paste - 3 tsp
Green chillies 4 5
Coriander leaves 2 tbsp
Cumin powder 1 tbsp
salt to taste
oil for frying

bread crumbs to coat

Method:

Boil, peel and mash the potatoes.
Boil carrot, beans and peas,corn .
Dip bread slices in water and then squeeze all the water out, mix in potatoes
Add ginger garlic paste to mashed potatoes.
Add all the mixed vegetables,coriander and green chilli.
Add grated beetroot(it gives such a nice colour) ,cumin powder and salt to taste.
Mix well and shape into cutlets.

Coat with maida paste and bread crumbs.
Deep fry in hot oil. (or can shallow fry too )

Mine shallow fried ones, they were not that bad, good for those who are health consicous.. And the beetroot and ginger gives it such a good taste and look, you simply can't resist them too...


Tips:
Crush the mixed vegetables, specially peas,as they may burst during deep frying.
For healthier version can add more vegetables and reduce potatoes, but do take care for proper binding.
We can also use frozen mixed vegetables, for faster cooking.
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I'm sending this to Monthly Mingle, "Appetizers & Hors'Doeuvres", hosted by Mansi of funnfud, an event started by Meeta of What's For Lunch Honey?
And also to Sunday Snacks - Hot n Spicy at All Thingz Yummy!!

And to Cooking for kids :Potato, started by Sharmi of Neivedyam

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Aaloo Bonda

Ingredients:

4 large boiled, mashed aloo (potatoes)
2 to 3 green chilies (chopped)
1 onion chopped finely
2 tbsp coriander leaves (finely chopped)
1/2 cup chopped mixed vegetables(carrots,peas,cauliflower..)
1 2 bay leaves
2 3 cloves
1 cinnamon
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin seeds

2 cup gram flour
1 tsp red chilli powder
3 tbsp rice flour
1/2 tsp baking soda(khane ka soda)
oil for frying
salt to taste

Method:

Add salt, chili powder,turmeric, garam masala, coriander, and green chilies to the mashed aloo (potatoes) and mix well
Put 1 tsp oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, bay leaves,cloves and cinnamon , allow it to sputter.
Add chopped onions, fry, then add mixed vegetables and cook for a few minutes,then add potato mix. Cook for 2 3 minutes .
Make small balls of aloo (potato) mixture.



In a bowl take a cup of gram flour,add rice flour, little salt and chilli powder and baking soda to it.
Add little water bit-by-bit and mixing with hand makes a batter (neither too thick nor too lose).



Dip each ball in the batter and deep-fry them till golden brown.
Serve aloo bonda hot with green chutney.
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Sending this to Sunday Snacks - Hot n Spicy at All Thingz Yummy!!

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Rava Idli with Sagoo

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Rava Idli with Sagoo
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Ingredients :

For rava idli:

2 1/2 cups medium semolina
2-3 stalks curry leaves finely chopped
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. urad dal
1/2 tsp. channa dal
8-10 cashews broken into pieces
4 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. soda bicarb
2 tsp. salt
2-3 tbsp. coriander leaves finely chopped
1 tbsp. finely grated fresh coconut
2 cups fresh curds

For sagoo:

2 large onions chopped medium
2 potatoes peeled, chopped and boiled
2-3 green chillies
2 tbsp. coriander leaves
1 tbsp. curry leaves finely chopped
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. fresh grated coconut
1/2 tsp. each ginger & garlic grated
1/2 tsp. each mustard & cumin seeds
1 tbsp. cashew bits

Method for idlis:

Heat 2 tsps. oil in a small pan, add seeds, cashews and fry till light brown. Remove from fire, keep aside. Take semolina in a large plate or pan. Make a well in the centre. Pour remaining oil here, add all other ingredients, except coconut, curds and coriander. Pour also seasoning of seeds and cashews. Mix gently with hands till mixture is well blended. The mixture should have enough oil to show on your fingers after mixing. If too dry add some more. Keep aside till required. 10 minutes before serving:Beat curds lightly, add rava mixture, coriander and coconut and mix gently. Keep aside for 5-7 minutes. If too dry add some more curds. DO NOT make the mixture too thin, and DO NOT beat too vigorously. When spooned into the moulds, it should hold with spreading fast. Steam in an idli cooker for 5-7 minutes. Check by inserting a skewer or matchstick It should come out clean.

For sagoo:

Blend together, 1 onion, chillies, 1/2 coriander, 4-5 pieces potato, 3 tbsp. water. Keep aside Heat oil in a heavy pan, add cashew, dals, and fry for a minute. Add seeds, asafoetida and allow to splutter. Add garlic & ginger Add onions, stir fry till pink and tender. Add ground paste, potatoes and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, simmer for 5-7 minutes till the gravy becomes thick. Add turmeric, salt, sugar, coriander, curry leaves, lemon juice, coconut, and stir. Simmer further 2 minutes. Remove from fire. Serve hot with rava idlis and chutney.

.Makes:15-17 ildis, 4-5 servings of sagoo

Shelf life: dry rava mixture may be stored at room temperature for a week in refrigerator for a month. Make sure curry leaves are wiped dry before adding. Sagoo, fresh or refrigerated 1 day. Potatoes may be boiled ahead of time.

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