Tip of the day # 3

Storing green peas/Carrots/ cauliflower  in season

Green peas/ carrots and cauliflower are easily available in good quality and very less in cost in winters, while they are expensive and in poor quality available in summers.  They can  be purchased in large amount in winters and can be stored for used in summers .

Ingredients

500 Peeled green peas/chopped carrots/florets of cauliflower (required to be stored)

2 cup water

Method

Boil water in a pan.

Pour the vegitables required to be stored in boiling water and boil for 2- 3 minutes.

Remove from stove.

Drain out the water.

Keep the vegitables aside for about 15-20 minutes, so that all exceess water evaporate.

Pour the vegitables in airtight plastic box or zip pouch and store in freezer.

Whenever they required, take them out from freezer, defrost them and use them as per receipe. 

They will take  less time for cooking as they are already parboiled.

Dum Masala Gobhi

Ingredients

500 gms cauliflower, cut into big florets

2 Medium sized onions (make paste)

½ cup tomato puree

2 table spoon curd

½  tea spoon ginger paste

1 tea spoon garlic paste

2-3 green chilies (paste)

½ teaspoon of red chilli powder

½ teaspoon turmeric power

½ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ tea spoon jeera power (cumin)

1 cardamom

2 leaves of tejpatta (Bay leaf)

A small piece of cinnamon

Chopped coriander leaves

2 cloves

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon Oil

Oil for frying cauliflower

Method

Heat oil in a Kadhai/Wok.

Fry all cauliflower florets in oil to golden and keep them aside.

Heat oil in a pan.  Add ginger & garlic paste to it. Stir it.

Add onion paste.  Cook it till the paste become golden.

Add green chilli paste and keep stirring.

Now add the tomato puree and curd to it and cook it till the oil separates.

Add bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, garam masala, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, and salt to taste, and stir it well.

Add cauliflower florets to this pan and mix it well so that all cauliflower florets get coating of curry masala.

Now add 1 cup water to it and mix well and cover the lid of pan.

Cook it for 10-12 minute on slow flame.

Pour it in a serving dish and garnish with chopped coriander leaves

Serve it with hot parantha/Nan or rice.

Keema Gobhi (Cauliflower)

Keema Gobi is very fast and easy  to prepare .

Ingredients

2 Cup grated cauliflower

1 medium finely chopped onion

2 medium finely chopped tomatoes

1” finely chopped ginger

½ teaspoon garlic paste

1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves

1 bay leaf

1 finely chopped green chili

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon cumin powder

½ teaspoon red chili powder

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon oil

Method

Heat oil in Kadhai /Wok

Add ginger and garlic to it. Stir it.

Add onion, green chili and bay leaf. Cook it till the onions becomes little transparent.

Add tomatoes and stir fry it till oil separates.

Now add turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala, cumin powder, red chili powder and salt.

Now add grated cauliflower and mix it well.

Cover the Kadhai/Wok with a lid and cook it over a slow flame for 5-6 minutes.

Open the lid.  Cook for 2-3 minutes uncovered.

Don’t overcook it. Cauliflower should remain little crunchy.

Remove from stove.

Add half of the chopped coriander leaves into it and mix it well.

Pour the content in serving dish

Garnish it with left over coriander leaves.

Serve while hot with parantha.

Palak /Chucander (Spinach/Beetroot) puris

I wish to share the recipe of spinach/Beet root puris this Republic Day which my wife made recently at home.

Ingredients

1 cup chopped and boiled spinach, make puree’

1 peeled, chopped and boiled beetroot, make puree’

2 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Method

Sift the flour and divide it into two parts.

Add half teaspoon of coriander powder, cumin powder and salt in each part.

Make firm dough by adding Spinach puree’ in the one part and the Beetroot puree’ in the other part.

Cover both the dough and keep them aside for 10 minutes

Heat oil in a Kadhai/wok

Make small lemon size balls of dough.

Roll them with rolling pin of required size (about 4-5” diameter)

If find difficulty in rolling, apply little oil on dough balls.

Fry them in hot oil both sides.

Serve while hot with curry and raita/curd

HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY TO EVERYONE!!!

Wishing You a very Happy 62nd Republic Day!!!

Aloo ke Pakode (Potato Pakode)

Aloo ke Pakode is everybody’s favorite in winters.  They can be quickly made when guests arrive at home or in the evening when kids suddenly feel hungry.

 Ingredients

2 Large potatoes peeled and sliced.

Ingredients for marinating potato slices

Salt to taste

¼ teaspoon black pepper powder

½ teaspoon chat masala

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Mix all these ingredients.

Coat these ingredients onto the potato slices and keep them aside.

Ingredients for batter

1 cup Besan (chickpea flour/Bengal gram flour)

1” finely chopped ginger
1 finely chopped green chili

1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves

½ teaspoon red chilli powder

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon fennel seed (saunf) powder

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Method

In a pan take the besan and add ginger, coriander leaves, red chilli powder, green chili, coriander powder, fennel seed powder and salt to it.

Make smooth batter by adding water out of the besan. It should be of pouring consistency.

Keep it aside.

Heat oil in a Kadhai or wok.

Put the marinated potato slices into the besan batter and apply the batter all over it.

Fry them in hot oil from both sides.

Serve while hot with tomato ketchup or green chutney (recipe for this can be found here : Green Chutney).

Egg Curry

Egg Curry is a perfect dish for winters. Kids just love it with hot parantha or rice.

Ingredients

3 Boiled Eggs

Oil for frying eggs

For gravy

2 Medium sized onions (make paste)

2 medium tomato, make puree

1 tea spoon ginger paste

½ tea spoon garlic paste

1 finely chopped green chilli

½ teaspoon of red chilli

½ teaspoon turmeric power

½ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ tea spoon jeera power (cumin)

1 cardamom

2 leaves of tejpatta (Bay leaf)

A small piece of cinnamon

Chopped coriander leaves

2 cloves

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon Oil

Method

Peel all the Eggs.

Pierce them with a fork

Heat oil in a Kadhai /wok.

Fry all eggs golden brown over a medium flame

Drain and keep aside.

Gravy

Heat oil in a pan. Add ginger & garlic paste to it. Stir it.

Add onion paste; cook it till the paste become golden.

Add green chilli and keep stirring it.

Now add the tomato puree to it and cook it till the oil separates.

Add bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, garam masala, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and salt to taste, and stir it well.

Now add water to it and cook for 8-10 minutes.

Cut the eggs lengthwise into two.

Arrange eggs in a dish.

Pour the gravy on the eggs.

Garnish them with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve while hot with parantha or rice

Beet-root Raita

Ingredients

1 cup curd

1 tablespoon finely grated Beet-root

2 spring onions, finely chopped white and green parts.

1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves

1 finely chopped green chili

¼ teaspoon black salt

¼ teaspoon dried mint leaves powder

¼ teaspoon roasted cumin seeds, make powder

¼ teaspoon red chili powder

Salt to taste

Method

Beat the curd so that it becomes smooth in texture.

Add beet- root, spring onions, half of the coriander leaves, green chili, black salt and salt and mix it well.

Pour it in a serving dish and garnish with left over coriander leaves, cumin seed powder and red chili powder.

Serve chilled with hot parantha and curry as a side dish or a complementary dish.

Tikona Parantha (Triangular Parantha)

Ingredients

2 cup whole wheat flour

Salt to taste

1tablespoon oil

Method

Sift flour with salt.

Mix enough water to make the soft dough.

Knead for 5 to 6 minutes.

Keep it covered for 4 to 5 minutes.

Divide the dough in 10-12 equal parts and roll them out into 6-7” diameter circular shapes (a parantha, which is like a pancake or roti) and spread a little flour over it if you find it difficult to roll or the pancake is sticky.

Sprinkle little oil over pancake and then fold it into half.

Again sprinkle little oil over the folded pancake and fold it into quarter.

Sprinkle little flour over it and again roll it into 6-7” diameter pancake.

Heat a tava or a non-stick pan.

Place the parantha on the pan.

Cook it till it begins to turn golden, and then turn it over.

Pour a little oil over the parantha.

Fry till golden brown.

Turn the parantha over and pour a little more oil if required, then fry till it is golden brown on both sides.

Serve while hot with Raita/Dahi-Bada and any Indian curry or subzi..

Soya bean ke Dahibade (Soy bean balls in Soy curd)

Soy bean is a wonder pulse. It is very high in protein and can easily be used in making tasty Indian recipes

Ingredients

1 Cup soy bean (soaked overnight and ground to a smooth paste)

½ cup Urad dal (soaked overnight and ground to a smooth paste)

½ cup Besan (Chickpea flour) (I have used coarsely grounded)

1 teaspoon soy curd/curd (for making soy curd)

1” finely chopped ginger

2 finely chopped green chilies

½ teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon black salt

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds (coarsely grounded)

½ teaspoon red chili powder

½ teaspoon chat masala (optional)

1 tablespoon tamarind chutney
(recipe for this can be found here : (Tamarind Chutney)

Oil for frying

Method

Dilute soy bean paste with the help of water to a pouring consistency.

Strain it through a cotton cloth.  Collect the soy milk in a bowl.

Press the residue from the cotton cloth so that all the soy milk comes out of the soy bean paste and is collected in the bowl.

Boil the soy milk collected in a bowl.  Cool it to room temperature if it is summer season and leave it a bit warm if it is winter season.

Add the curd to the soya milk.  Mix it well and keep it aside at warm place to set soya curd

(It will take about 7-8 hours)

The residue collected in the cotton cloth will be soy pulp.  

In a bowl mix soy pulp, urad dal paste, besan (chickpea flour), salt, ginger, and green chilies together to form a batter. Mix it well.

Heat oil in a Kadhai/wok

Apply little water on your fingers.

Take small batter with the help of your fingers and make small balls.

Make small balls of all the batter.

Fry all these balls on a slow heat to golden brown.

Dip all the balls in water and keep them in the water for 8-10 minutes.

Take them out of the water. Drain excess water out of the balls by pressing them gently.

Arrange all balls in a serving dish.

Beat the soy curd with fork/beater.

If the curd is thick, add some water so that the curd becomes pouring consistency.

Add sugar, half of the cumin seed powder, black salt and salt to soy curd.  Mix it well.

Pour the curd in serving dish over the fried soy balls.

Garnish them with the left over cumin seed powder, chat masala, red chili powder and tamarind chutney.
Serve as it is or chilled.