Aloo masala

 

When I was a kid puri masala used to be a sunday special. At least once a month my mom used to make this for me and my bro. I used to love the hot puffed up poori. As kids even small things used to amuse me. I loved to put my hands in the middle of the puffed puris and watch it deflate. 

Veggie dho corn

This post is dedicated to one of my close friend, who is an amazing cook and from whom I learnt this recipe. She used to be my neighbor too and used to send these oh-so-good kind of dishes. M and I used to love it and would literally polish of the vessel. This corn-baby corn subji (hence the name veggie dho corn... hmm may be little lame!) was the first dish she gave us and I totally fell in love with it.

Onion paste is sauteed in oil along with capsicum. Tomato puree (boil tomato, remove skin and then liquidize using a blender), veggies and kasuri methi are added and simmered to get the right flavour. Milk is added in the end to get the right consistency and to even out the flavours of the gravy.

It is a simple gravy and to save time I usually boil the veggies and tomato in cooker along with rice.

The best part about this subji is just a couple of cardamoms and a handful of kasuri methi gives so much flavour to the gravy. It is loaded with veggies and goes well with both rice and roti.  

INGREDIENTS
Serves - 4

• Baby corn - 6-8 ( cut all the veggies lengthwise into thin strips)
• Sweet corn kernels - 1/2 cup
• Beans - 6 to 8 
• Carrot - 1 big stick
•  Capsicum - 1 small
• Tomato - 4
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Chilli powder - 11/2 tsp (or more depending on your preference)
• Dry mango powder or aamchur - 1 tsp (optional)
• Dried fenugreek leaves or kasuri methi - 2 tbsp (heaped)
• Milk - 3/4 cup
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Salt

Grind to a smooth paste

•  Onion - 2 (roughly chopped)
• Almonds - 3 (can be substituted with watermelon seeds)
• Elaichi or cardamom - 2
• Green chilli - 1 (big)
• Ginger - small piece
• Garlic - 1 or 2 cloves 

1. Boil baby corn, corn kernels, beans and carrot. Add little salt and keep aside.
2. Boil tomatoes, remove skin and grind to a smooth puree.
3. Heat oil in a kadai (preferably non stick as the onion paste gets sticky and burns very easily). Add the ground onion paste and saute till it loses its raw smell and turns light brown.
4. Add capsicum and saute again for few minutes. ( You will get a lovely aroma of capsicum and the cardamom)
5. Add tomato puree, turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilli powder, aamchur and salt. Cook for few minutes.
6. Add boiled vegetables, 1 cup water, kasuri methi and bring it to a boil. Allow the gravy to boil for 3 to 5 minutes to bring it all together. Excess water has to evaporate and as the gravy boils it will bring out the flavour from kasuri methi.
7. Add milk in small portions and stir continuously to avoid curdling. Simmer for a minute or  two. Once the gravy thickens switch off and serve hot.

 

Sending this to favourite recipe event by zesty south indian kitchen  

Lauki kofta

Lauki or bottle gourd is low in calorie and very good for health. Koftas made out of bottle gourds are a big hit at my place!!! Unlike other koftas these are toasted in tawa with very little oil. You can even bake or grill. I usually serve them in a tangy tomato gravy. It might sound like a tedious recipe but it is actually quite simple to make. However, grating the lauki will take time.

Methi aur masoor dal tadka

You put me in a kitchen that has everything. Best microwaves, mixers, blenders, knives, vessels, pantry but still I cant cook as good as  I do in my kitchen. Thats more or less the case with most people.

There are somethings that you get used to, you cant do without it and you dont want it to change.

I just cant make dal without my cooker. Its a tiny cooker and I always make my dals in it. Dal tadkas are one of my regulars and make it atleast once a week. Its healthy, easy to make and tastes good.

This post is on methi masoor dal tadka. Masoor dal or red lentil is widely

Paneer tamatari

I love paneer. I find it hard to keep my hands off  paneer dishes. Here is a very simple paneer recipe that doesnt even need onions :) yes finally I have managed to make something thats delcious without onions (  love onions but dont like chopping them ).

Palak paneer

Home cooked food is always special. It's far lighter, fresher and well balanced than what we get in restaurants. But the challenge is to get the rich flavor and texture, yet keep it healthy. This post is on palak paneer, one of the simplest and healthiest paneer dish.

Dum aloo

Dum aloo is a popular recipe and when you google, about a zillion recipes come up and no two are same. There are differnt styles and versions, some people use yogurt some dont. I did use yogurt, and it cameout  well.

Classic paneer recipe

Paneer butter masala is one of my favourite and its special too. Its special coz tis is one of those dishes which I learnt to make all by myself when I started cooking. Back then, I used to think most of the dishes like channa masala, tikka masala, paneer butter masala etc had the same gravy recipe. But slowly I learnt that to get a good dish lott of care has to be taken while making the gravy . That's what makes them unique.(ratio/ the way you add ie pureed or chopped onions, tomatoes does make a lottt of difference)

Paneer butter masala is a rich dish with silky tomato sauce. Onions are optional but if u add they give a nice flavour. The recipe requires adding some ketchup to the gravy. This is the first time I used and it did make a big difference.

Southern spice !!!

 All those people who have tasted Saravana Bhavan's Idiyappam and kurma will totally agree that they make the best. Recently, we went to SB in connaught place and after waiting in the queue for about 45 minutes was really disappointed when they said there was no idiyappam. After coming back when I searched for the kurma recipe came across this one. I tried and it was similar to SB's.
Sauf is the main spice and you have to add lots - about 1 tbs.Its a simple recipe but cooking time is more. The end result is tasty so worth a try :)!!!

Ingredients

grated coconut       -  1 cup
chopped onion       -  1/2 cup
chopped tomato     -  1 cup
mixed vegetables    -  1 to 11/2 cups (boiled peas, beans, cauliflower,carrot)
poppy seeds          -  1/4 cup (soak in water for 15 minutes)
sauf / fennel seeds  -   1 tablespoon
cashew nut             -   5 to 6 (soak in water for 15 minutes)
green chillies           -  3 ( you guys know how spicy my food will be lol ;) so add more if u want)
ginger                     - small piece
garlic                      - 1 clove

grind to paste the above ingredients

 onion       -  1/2 cup finely chopped
  tomato    - 1/2 cup finely chopped
  whole garam masala or garam masala powder
 bay leaf
 sauf / fennel seeds - 1tsp
 salt
 oil - 2 tablespoon ( yup !! it is too much so I added lill less)

1. In a kadai add oil 2 tablespoon or less
2. Add bay leaf, sauf.
3. Add onion, haldi and saute for 2 minutes
4. Add tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes
5. Add the boiled vegetables and cook for few more minutes till they become little soft 
6. Add the ground paste, 1/4 cup water , salt and cook till the oil splits and comes off the kurma (it takes a long time 20 to 30 minutes , keep in sim and mix it occationally)
7. Add 1/2 - 1 tsp garam masala powder , cook for 2 minutes and serve hot with sevai/idiyappam/roti :)

p.s
1 tablespoon (tbs) is equal to 3 leveled  teaspoons (tsp)
Instant sevai or rice noodles is a good substitute for Idiyappam :)
This is  little oily and spicy  but can be made once in a while !!