Passionate about Life 'n Spice...: Mint

Showing posts with label Mint. Show all posts

Monday

Dahi Batata Puri: Yeh Dil Maange More...

It's a beautiful evening with chirping birds flying back to their warm nests. Sun is setting behind the mountains. It looks like he is on his way to meet his lover as the sky is blushes with beautiful red. All of sudden the dimly lit street starts buzzing. People start arriving in large numbers, almost like devotees make pilgrimage to their favourite temples. Just like in any temples you can see people standing in a long queue waiting eagerly for their turn. To me it seems like a never ending queue as I wait eagerly, my patience threatening to fly out of the window. My tummy starts grumbling as my eyes are seduced by the sight of people gorging on platefuls of delicious looking items. My nose seems to have lost in aromatic world of spices and herbs. I stand there drooling non-stop which would easily solve any water issues. Yes, the queue is moving fast now… I am behind just two people now… now just one. The guy before me orders for one plate of Bhel Puri and another plate of Masala Puri. Oh the sweet torture. It’s my turn now… What am I going to have? Is it Bhel or Pani Puri? May be I should have Masala Puri today. Wait, Dahi Batata Puri which that fat guy stuffing in his mouth looks so good. The GaaDi-walah looks at me and asks me what I want to have… At last I make up my mind and ask for plate of Dahi Batata Puri. I look at him as he quickly whips up sinfully delicious looking plate of my favourite Chaat with fascination. First he arranges a plateful of puri and then he starts stuffing it with potato filling and then quickly adds colourful chutneys. Then he starts filling each puri with a spoonful of spiced yogurt. Finally he sprinkles few pieces of red onions and sev… “Bhaiyya, put little extra sev for me!”, I almost plead. He smiles and adds extra handful of sev and there it is… All mine… Mine, mine, mine… He extends my plate of Chaat… It’s almost within my reach and I extend my hand…

Tringggggggggg…………. What, where, how??? It’s a dream!!! It’s just a %&*$ dream!!! Not again, why oh God! Why me!!! Why are you punishing me like this?

God shouts back at me, “Because it’s your fault that you had to choose Street Food for food blogging event. Now repent. Why blame me?”…

Oh yes, this is what happens when you host any blog events. You don’t know when you will get hunger attack as the entries fill in your mail box any time of the day. If it’s close to lunch or dinner time, then you are finished!!! Imagine opening your mailbox just when you had to skip your breakfast because you forgot to set your alarm clock on a very important day at work, and find these delicious, mouth watering, drool-worthy entries there. Do I need to say anymore? Since I announced Street Food theme for this month’s MBP, I have been getting lots of nightmares like this every night. There was only one way to get rid of it and that’s what I did this weekend.

This plate of Dahi Batata Puri is a result of my non-stop nightmares I am getting since past few weeks. To be precise, from the day I announced Street Food for MBP. I have been trying very hard to avoid deep fried puries but failed miserably in the end. Well, you can’t call it exactly junk food. It uses vegetables, greens, and importantly good dose of yogurt. So in my opinion, its healthy food all the way and I am sure most of you will agree with me ;) We used store bought puries and there were 30 of them… and all of them are gone now. It was our lunch yesterday and we skipped our dinner at night ;)

Dahi Batata Puri

I can’t say it is as good as the ones you get on street carts in India but it was tasty nevertheless. Well, beggars can’t be choosers! This recipe is from my Amma who makes excellent Chaats (second next to the Chaatwalah Bhaiyya! I hope she is not reading this post ;). We licked our plates clean and were confused which plate was washed and which were not washed (Ok, bad joke ;). We have got little extra chutney left in refrigerate which we are going to use tonight. Oh yes, we are having Bhelpuri for dinner as the puries are over and cant make another batch of Dahi Batata Puri or Masala Puri. Off this plate of Dahi Batata Puri goes to gorgeous Sig for her JFI-Tamarind (just on time), dear Dee's Herb Mania-Mint and to bubbly Siri for her Frozen Yogurt. Enjoy girls…

Dahi Batata Puri

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Dahi Batata Puri (Chaat, famous street food of India where puffed puries are stuffed with potato, sweet-spicy-mint chutney and fresh yogurt)
Prep Time: 20-30 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins
Serves: 2-6 (difficult to say)

Ingredients:
20-30 Puffed deep fried Puris (store bought or home made)
½ - ¾ cups Sev
1 Red Onion, finely chopped

For Potato-Peas Filling:
1 large Potato, cooked, peeled and diced into small pieces
½ cup Green Peas, cooked (or use cooked Kabuli Channa (Garbanzo)/Moong Sprouts)
½ tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt to taste

For Sweet Tamarind-Date Chutney:
1 lemon sized Tamarind Pulp, soaked in water
6-8 Dates, pitted
½ tsp Red Chilli Powder
4-6 tbsp Jaggary (adjust acc to taste)
Salt to taste

For Green Mint Chutney:
1 packed cup Mint Leaves
½ packed cup Coriander Leaves
4-6 Green Chillies (adjust acc to taste)
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
¼ tsp Tamarind Paste
Salt to taste

For Spicy Red Chutney:
10 Dry Red Chillies
2-3 Garlic flakes
1 small Tomato (Optional, it helps in grinding teh chillies to smooth paste)
½ tsp Tamarind Paste
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
Salt to taste

For Curd/Yogurt Filling:
3 cups Yogurt, beaten till smooth
1 tsp roasted Jeera/Cumin Powder
1 tbsp Sugar
Big Pinch of Salt

Ingredients for Dahi Batata Puri: Potato-Peas Filling, Sev, Red Onion, Spicy Red Chutney, Sweet Tamarind-Date Chutney, Green Mint Chutney, Spiced Yogurt, Puri

Method:
For Potato Filling:
First prepare the potato filling. Heat a pan and add cumin seeds to it and dry roast for a minute. Then add cooked diced potatoes, green peas, garam masala, turmeric, salt to taste. Sauté on medium flame for a minute or two and keep it aside.

For Sweet Tamarind-Date Chutney:
Grind all ingredients listed to very smooth paste adding very little water at time. This paste should be little thick not runny.

For Green Mint Chutney:
Grind all the ingredients listed to smooth paste adding very little water at time. Adjust the number of green chillies according to taste. I personally like little hot. Make sure that the chutney is not very watery.

For Spicy Red Chutney:
Grind all the ingredients to very smooth paste adding very little water at time. If you find it difficult to grind, add small tomato (tip learnt from my favourite Chaatwalah).

For Curd/Yogurt Filling:
Beat the curd/yogurt till its smooth without any lumps. Now mix in powdered roasted cumin, sugar and salt to taste.

To Assemble the Dahi Batata Puri:

Arrange 6-9 puris in a plate, making small opening on top of each puri big enough to add the fillings.
First fill each puri with a tsp of Potato-Green Peas filling. Add one or 2 tsp of yogurt filling. Then fill it with ¼-½ tsp of all three chutneys. Drizzle over little more of yogurt filling and then sprinkle chopped red onion and sev on each puri.
Serve this delicious plate of Dahi Batata Puri immediately as if kept for long it will become soggy. Remember to use your finger to eat it not with spoon and enjoy this finger-licking-ly delicious Chaat.

This one is for you...

Reminder: MBP-Street Food (Last Call...)

MBP-Street Food ends on 30th of June, 2008. Start patrolling the blogs and cook your favourite Street Food that your tummy begs and heart desires and spread link love.

Deadline: 30th June, 2008

Please go through the guidelines and include all the required information in your post and mail when sending me your entry. Don't forget to add Your Name, Your Blog Name, Name of the Dish you cooked, Perm Link of the entry, Perm Link of original recipe along with the gorgeous Photo of final dish.

Click Here or on the logo to find out more information on this event.

Reminder: WBB-Summer Feast

For this edition of WBB, your challenge is to cook anything with summer fruits and vegetables. Yes, the theme is WBB-Summer Feast. Go to your town/city’s Farmer’s Market and pick fresh season’s produce and make your favourite breakfast or brunch and join in the Summer Feast.

Deadline: 31st July, 2008

Please go through the guidelines and include all the required information in your post and mail when sending me your entry. Don't forget to add Your Name, Your Blog Name, Name of the Dish you cooked, Perm Link of the entry, Perm Link of original recipe along with the gorgeous Photo of final dish.

Click Here or on the logo to find out more information on this event.

Ayurveda in Cooking: Sun Dried Pomegranate Peel Tambli

Indian cooking is not all about curries, biriyanis and spices. Indian home food also benefits from the combination of Ayurvedic knowledge with day to day ingredients. In Ayurveda, India's ancient science of life, health and longevity, food plays a prominent role in promoting health and is therefore considered medicine. Dating back over five thousand years, Ayurveda is still a highly respected form of health care in India today.
It is ironic how something as obvious as nutrition has become overlooked in the modern health care system, and how in the name of convenience our fast paced society has given way to fast foods, canned foods, take-away, microwaves, quick fix meals, and eating on the run. With the hike in growing obesity and unhealthy eating habits, it is more important to focus on the understanding the importance of role that nutrition plays in maintaining good health and healthy lifestyle. It is not necessary to pop tablets for each and every little health problems. There are natural ingredients which can be used to cure health problems.
My Ajji was one such person who believed in using natural ingredients and Ayurvedic knowledge in cooking when someone fell sick. This treasure of recipes with Ayurvedic approach is what I treasure from my Ajji’s (Grandma) kitchen. These recipes are simple and are prepared using common ingredients which will be present in your pantry any time of the day. And the best part is you don’t feel like you are forced to take some bitter medicine. These recipes not only cured your illness but also tingled your taste buds.
One such recipe is Tambli or Tambuli. There is no cooking involved when making tambli. The main two ingredients used are fresh grated Coconut and chilled Yogurt which is very common ingredients found in any South Indian homes. Based on the season and health condition different ingredients like Brahmi, Onion, Jeera etc are used in making Tambli.
Whenever a kid or even grown up had Diarrhea, Pomegranate is used in treatment. But it is not possible to find pomegranate through out the year and hence the pomegranate peels comes to rescue. The sun dried pomegranate peels were ground with coconut and some fresh herbs and mixed with yogurt to make this unusual Tambli which is used to treat Diarrhea. It is such a simple and effective therapy which is much better than popping tablets. I usually make Tambli once in every fortnight with different ingredients as they are not only healthy things to eat but also tastes great. I am sending this Sun dried Pomegranate Peel Tambli to dear Sra who is guest hosting AFAM-Pomegranate. Sra, I kept my promise ;)

Sun Dried Pomegranate Peel Tambli

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Sun Dried Pomegranate Peel Tambli
Prep Time: 5-10 mins
Cooking Time: -
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
2 inch sun dried Pomegranate Peel
½ cup Fresh/Frozen Coconut, grated
1-2 Green Chillies
½ inch Ginger
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
Few Mint Leaves
1 cup Yogurt
Salt to taste

Sun Dried Pomegranate Peel Tambli-Ingredients Used

Method:
Soak sun dried pomegranate peel in a cup of water for 15-30 minutes.
Drain and grind to smooth paste with grated coconut, green chillies, ginger, jeera, and mint leaves adding very little water.
Add the ground paste with yogurt and mix well. Refrigerate and serve chilled with rice and pickle.

Sun Dried Pomegranate Peel Tambli

Note:
To sun dry the Pomegranate Peels, peel a pomegranate and save the peels. Cut them into 1 inch pieces and lay out in the sun to dry. The peels are ready when they become hard and are easy to break. Store them in a dry air tight bottle and use as and when necessary.
Another way to treat Diarrhea is to take 3-4 pieces of sun dried pomegranate peels and place them in a glass. Pour boiling water and cover and keep aside for few minutes. Drink half a cup of this water and see how it goes. If required drink other half a cup of this drink after 3-4 hours.

More Tambli Recipes from Monsoon Spice

Brahmi Tambli

Update:

Looks like second season of Blog Awards is giving tight competition with Oscars and Filmfare! Guess what?! My blog is Excellent! Nope, it’s not me who is self praising here;) This is what Pravs of Simply Spicy says.
Thanks Pravs for passing me this E for Excellent Award. It means a lot to me from coming from wonderful fellow bloggers. I am flattered :)

An Update:
Purnima of Fantasy Cooking nominated Monsoon Spice for E for Excellent Award. Thank you dear Purnima. I am really flattered by your kind words and gesture.

Finally... I did it: Aloo Paratha

I have had seen his larger than life pictures in many blogs, glossy cookbooks and magazines, cooking shows. He had tempted and seduced me enough to touch his well toned body, caress his face, and smell his heavenly fragrance! Oh!!! How badly I wanted him. He was always out of my reach and it was my friends whom he favoured. I envied them and the way they seemed to compliment each other. He never seemed to mind the way my friends treated him and never complained about it when most of them seemed to take him for granted. I never knew I was capable of loving someone so much but all I could do was admire him from distance. I was scared of rejection and couldn’t bear the thought of him or my friends laughing at my poor attempt to attract him. I had attempted few times to lure him and failed miserably until two months back… Yes, at last I conquered my fear of rejection and I can’t stop beaming stupidly. It was just few weeks back that I got hold of necessary ingredients to get his attention and since then there is no looking back. Like every fairly tale or M&B's it is happily ever after for me and my round, dark, handsome Paratha!!!
Mastering the art of making perfectly round, well shaped Paratha is not an easy task. And it’s more so when you make stuffed parathas. My Roties and Chapattis are (in)famous among my friends as they use them as examples for Geography classes. It seemed I somehow didn’t manage to inherit ‘perfect round chapatti rolling’ genes from my Amma. To make things worst, it seemed I skipped making ‘soft chapatti’ genes too. There was no trick and tips that I didn’t follow to get soft, round chapattis and the more I tried, the more it resembled some country map. Just when I was thinking of shooting the person who said ‘practice makes perfect’ everything changed drastically. Nope, I didn’t stop making chapattis. I just happened to find the purr-rrr—fect Atta (whole wheat flour). Well, I am not kidding when I say that 90% of credit goes to Atta for delicious Roti/Chapatti/Paratha I make. Using good quality Atta has always been the secret for soft, fluffy roties which you can tear using your thumb and fore finger. Three brands which Amma likes in India are Pillsbury Chakki Fresh Atta, Annapurna and ITC’s Ashirwad. I use Pillsbury Chakki Fresh because that’s the only brand I get in my Indian grocery store and I am happy with the soft, fluffy chapattis it makes. And since then it’s been stuffed Parathas at our place every weekend. Don’t be surprised if you see Stuffed Paratha Parade coming in Monsoon Spice because I am kind of enjoying (read obssesed with) making stuffed parathas these days. And please do share about the brand of Atta, little tricks and tips you follow at your home to make soft, fluffy roties. :)
Today I am posting Aloo Paratha. I used Fresh Green Peas in Atta to give it colour, taste and also little boast of nutrition. The green chillies give bit of heat and mint leaves gives little kick of freshness to the dough. The filling I used is usual mashed potatoes flavoured with kalonji and jeera powder. You can also add Garam Masala if needed but I like the subtle flavours of pungent garlic and hing which compliments sweet taste of potato. This Aloo dish is my humble entry for my an Ode to Potato event and lovely Dhivya's The Potato Fe(a)st.

Stack of Aloo Paratha

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Aloo Paratha
Prep Time: 20-30 mins
Cooking Time: 15-30 mins
Makes: 10 Medium Parathas

Ingredients:
For Dough:
3 cups Chapatti Atta/Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup Fresh Green Peas
2 Green Chillies
Few Fresh Mint Leaves
Salt to taste
Warm water to knead

For the Stuffing:
2 large Potatoes
2 tbsp Onion, finely chopped
2 Green Chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp Garlic, finely chopped
¼ tsp Amchur/Dry Mango Powder
¼ tsp Nigella Seeds/Kalonji
A big pinch Hing/Asafetida
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Powder
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds(Optional)
1 tsp Oil
Salt to taste

Aloo Stuffing

Method:
For Dough:
Grind fresh/frozen green peas with green chillies and mint leaves to smooth paste adding very little water.
Sift chapatti atta, salt to taste and make stiff dough by adding green peas puree and warm water as needed. Cover the dough with wet cheese cloth and keep it aside in a warm place for at least half an hour.

For the Stuffing:
Cook potato chunks with little salt and turmeric powder. Drain water, cool completely and mash it with a wooden masher without leaving any lumps.
Mean while heat oil and add jeera and kalonji. When they sizzle add finely chopped garlic, green chillies and onion and sauté for few seconds. Switch off the flame and mix jeera powder and amchur.
Transfer these contents to mashed potatoes and mix well. Make small lemon sized potato balls and keep aside.

Aloo Paratha- Work-in-Progress

To Make Stuffed Paratha:
Take dough and knead again for about minute and make big lime sized balls.
Dust it with wheat flour and roll it into thick poories of about 4 inch in diameter.
Place the Potato balls in center. Cover and seal the ends and roll again, dusting flour if necessary, into ½ cm thick roties using rolling pin.
Heat a griddle at high flame and lower it to low-medium flame.
Place Stuffed Paratha on griddle and cook on both the sides till its cooked and brown spots start to appear on top. Apply little ghee/oil if desired.
Serve hot Aloo Parathas immediately with any curry or with plain yogurt and pickle of your choice and enjoy.

Aloo Paratha

Note:
Before mashing the potatoes let them cool completely. This way the filling will remain dry and filling will not ooze out from covering.
Make sure that the potatoes are mashed without leaving any lumps. This helps in rolling the parathas with even surface.

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Saturday

Mushroom-Rajma Curry with Mint Chapatti & Spiced Butter Milk

Well, well… I never knew my blogger friends had patience to read my bragging all these days until I was tagged for 7 & 8 Random Facts MeMe by Bee, Arundathi, Richa and Priyanka. Thanks ladies for tagging me :) Initially I thought all I have been doing these days were talk about my memories, me and everyone who is connected to my life in one way or the other. Looks like you smart people want me to talk more about myself and talking is what I am exactly gonna do ~smiles wickedly~ Don’t blame me if you fall asleep in middle and start to have second thoughts as why you asked me to write this MeMe. I am just a simple human being who is fulfilling my friend’s wish ;) Those who are not interested in reading all this bragging can scroll down (a lot) and read the delicious Mushroom-Rajma Curry with Mint Chapatti and Spiced Butter Milk. Those who still want to test their patience level are welcome to read my 8 Random Facts about me, me and only me :)

1. For the first few months of our married life, Krish and I both survived with just 2 ancient vessels to cook and 2 mismatching plates from his student life. Along with those two vessels and plates we were the proud owners of few mismatching coffee mugs and an ancient gas burner and refrigerator which made enough ice in freezer to cover our backyard. It was after few months we received a big parcel from India which contained a pressure cooker and mixer grinder along with full batch of different masalas and pickle jars and a cook book. Thinking about those days and looking at our over flowing kitchen cabinets with different gadgets and cooking ingredients I don’t know how we managed to cook and survive all those days.

2. First dish I ever cooked was Gobi Manchurian when I was in my early teens. I remember coming home after school and had serious craving for Gobi Manchurian. Mom was not at home and I had no clue as what goes into the recipe. Just going with my instincts I mixed some ingredients and voila!!! It was ready within half an hour. Although it was not the proper recipe for making Manchurian it did taste very close to Manchurian. After my first venture and adventure I started cooking Indo-Chinese once in blue moon without necessarily following any recipe or instructions. Even today I am not sure if my family loved eating what I cooked or ‘pretended’ to eat ;)

3. From my early teens to till I got married I lived in hostel and hardly entered kitchen during my semester holidays. I didn’t know the difference between one dal to other when I came here after marriage. I remember using toor dal instead of channa dal for tempering/tadka and using masoor dal in place of toor dal. According to me cooking was not a big deal and all I needed was to chop few onions and tomatoes and cook some vegetable with ginger-garlic paste and garam masala for any north Indian food and cook few chunks of vegetables with dal and sambar/rasam powder and season it with mustard curry leaves tempering for south Indian food. I give all credits to 3 important people in my life, my Amma, Atte and Krish, who made me realise cooking is not just a chore but an art. It was my husband who taught me to cook sambar and rasam and then slowly I picked up some basic recipes from my MIL and Amma. They were my 24X7 helpline for the 1st few months (even now) and thanks to them now I have found whole new meaning and respect to cooking.

4. Spice Corner was born out of my boredom and home sickness. Although I had another general blog where I used to pen down all my rants I thought of having another blog to jot down all the recipes given by my Amma and Atte. It was easier to write down the recipe in blog than in a piece of paper which I would keep some where and loose. It was much later when I realised there are whole bunch of food blogs in blog-sphere while googling for few recipes. First blog I stumbled was Anita’s My Treasure and My Pleasure and since then it’s history. I never ever thought of making friends in this cyber space and even today I feel I am still dreaming. For a person who usually gets bored of everything after some period and loves change, I have surprised myself with sticking to Spice Corner all these months. Eventually I might get bored with food blogging but for now I am enjoying what I am doing.

5. Unlike my Amma and MIL who have beautiful garden, I don’t have green thumb. Last year was the first time I tried my hand in vegetable gardening and it was a complete disaster. It was our first gardening experience and we did what most people do, ignore the instructions in seeds pack. We did get few crops of carrots, tomatoes but I didn’t have a heart to cook them after watching them grow everyday. This year we started our very ambitious vegetable gardening but unfortunately weather seems to be not on our side. Will wait and see what happens in the coming year.

6. I am a trained Bharatanatyam dancer and Carnatic Classical singer. I started my classical dance training when I was just 6 years old and continued it till I joined my degree class. After that I kind of completely lost touch with it. During my school and college days there was not a single annual day where I did not perform on stage. I loved the lights, stage, music and performing in front of hundreds of people. I do regret sometimes for not continuing my passion for dance. Now I do different kind of performance, giving presentations and seminars ;)

7. I am a hoarder. I can’t stop buying things for kitchen and home. Every time we go out for shopping I end up buying few more kilos of rice or dals or pickles or any such things which I can hoard for months. With the items we have in our pantry we can survive for 2 months without spending a penny on any items. My hoarding issue doesn’t limit to cooking items. I still have got big box filled with the entire greeting cards I received from family and friends on special occasions and all the letters from my parents and friends I collected till date. I treasure each and every small item which for me is the most precious things than any expensive metals or stones. I can’t let things go so easily and like Bee pointed I still have many single earing whose pair is lost some where, long time ago;)

8. I am a big movie buff. I can watch even the most boring movie till ‘The End’ sign pops up on the screen. Same thing applies when it comes to reading. Once I start reading a book I will make it a point to finish it in one sit even if the author bores me to death. I don’t understand my obsession with finishing any thing which I have started and may be that’s the reason I have read hundreds of M&B’s in spite of same kind of stories and very predictable ‘they lived happily ever after’ endings. Back in my school days I remember reading comics and story books hidden in between text books during class hours. I love to watch cartoons and at any given chance, I prefer animated movies to dishum-dishum violent types. I guess my kid will be the luckiest one because I am the happiest kid when I am watching my favourite Tom and Jerry show or The Simpsons (I have already taken a leave from office to watch the first day first show of The Simpsons movie ;) or any cartoon shows.

1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and 8… Yayyyyy… I did it! If you are still awake after reading my almost never ending bragging let us talk about food. OK, I will not take long. So stop yawning there!

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Mushroom-Rajma Curry with Mint Chapatti & Spiced Butter Milk

Here is my contribution to this month’s RCI-Punjab which celebrates the cuisines from different regions of India. Regional Cuisines of India is a brainchild of Lakshmi and this month it is guest hosted by our lovely Richa. Around seventy percent of the menu in most of the North Indian restaurants is from Punjab-the land of five rivers. When ever I think of Punjab I think of Bhangra (lively folk dance), legendry Punjabi Kisse (folk tales of love and honour), golden mustard fields and Punjabi food. Think about those lovely paronthes (Indian stuffed bread) smeared with desi ghee and dipped in Mah Di Dal and Sarson KA Saag. Then you have big glass of Ganne ki juice (sugarcane juice) or Lassi (sweetened Yogurt). Who can resist this kind of temptation? Not a mere mortal like me. Just the thought of food is enough to make all your senses come alive.
I went to make my all time favourite Rajma and realised I didn’t have enough Rajma to Serve four hungry people. Then ended up adding mushrooms to Rajma (Red Kidney Beans) and every one seemed quite happy with the end product as I had empty vessel and nicely licked plate to deal with. The refreshing Mint Roti with Mushroom Rajma Masala and a big glass of Spiced Butter Milk was the perfect meal to serve.

Mushroom-Rajma Curry

Mushroom Rajma Masala
Prep Time: 15 mins (excluding soaking time)
Cooking Time: 30-40 mins
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
1 canned Rajma/Red Kidney Beans or 1 cup of Rajma soaked in water overnight
2 cups Mushrooms, quartered
1 large Onion, chopped roughly
2 large Tomatoes, quartered
2 Green Chillies, slit
1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
½ tsp Red Chilli Powder
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
¼ tsp Coriander Powder
½ tsp Amchur(Dried Mango Powder)/Anar daana(Pomegranate Powder)
½ tbsp Garam Masala
½ tbsp Kitchen King Masala
5-6 Cashew Nuts
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
2-3 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped finely
½ + ½ tbsp Ghee/Oil
Salt to taste

Mushroom-Rajma Curry with Mint Chapatti

Method:
Drain the water from canned kidney beans and keep aside. If you are using a dried beans then soak them in enough water over night and pressure cook for 10 minutes or 1 whistle.
Heat ½ tbsp of ghee/oil in a pan and add chopped onion. Sauté this onion for about 3-5 minutes in a medium flame till it becomes transparent.
Now add ginger-garlic paste and sauté it for a minute or so till its raw smell is gone.
Transfer this mixture to a food processor and add tomatoes, cashew nuts, chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, amchur/anar daana powder, garam masala and kitchen king masala. Grind it to a smooth paste without adding any water and keep aside.
Heat ½ tbsp of ghee/oil in a pan and add jeera. When cumin seeds starts to sizzle and pop add mushrooms and slit green chillies. Sauté the mushrooms in a high heat for 2-3 minutes till they starts to leave little water.
Now add the ground mixture and mix well. Reduce the heat and keep stirring for about 3-4 minutes.
Add cooked or canned rajma, salt to taste, sugar and about ½ cup of water.
Simmer and cook covered for another 5 minutes till all flavours blend well stirring in between so that the gravy don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
If you feel the gravy is too thick add little more water to get the required consistency. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with roties or rice.

Now coming to my own creation…Tadaa…. Here is my Mint Roties or Chapattis, whatever you wish to call. Tasted great with Mushroom Rajma Curry with little hint of minty taste. I am happy with the way they puffed and looked. After my unsuccessful attempt at making puffed chapattis I had almost given up making them at home. Last month I got a bag of Pillsbury Atta and now I know the problem was with the Atta I used before not with the way I kneaded it. The below recipe will make around 8 good sized chapattis.

Mushroom-Rajma Curry with Mint Chapatti

Minty Chapattis
Prep Time: 15-20 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:
3 cups Atta/Wheat Flour (I used Pillsbury) and little more for dusting
1 tbsp Mint Paste
¾ tsp Salt
½ cup Warm Milk
Little warm Water
Ghee for smearing the surface of each chapatti

Method:
Place flour in a bowl and add salt, mint paste and milk to it and start kneading well.
Knead well for 5-6 minutes by adding little water at a time so that you get soft dough.
Leave to stand for at least 15 minutes or so and knead a little again.
Make a golf ball sized balls and roll it using rolling pin by dusting each ball with little atta so that it don’t stick to the surface.
Chapatti should be rolled from centre out so that the surface has equal thickness and usually the sides of the chapatti should be little thinner than the center. This way the chapatti nicely puffs like poories when cooked.
Place the rolled chapatti on hot griddle and turn it over when you see a few blisters on the surface. Cook the other side same way.
Pick the chapatti with tongs and transfer it on the direct flame (medium flame) or in a grill. Move it around continuously so that it doesn’t get burnt.
Transfer it to the serving plate and smear its surface with ghee which will keep them soft for long time. Serve hot chapattis with any curry of your choice.

The Punjabi meal will be incomplete without a big glass of Lassi (sweetened Yogurt) or Chas (Buttermilk). So my hubby dear was ready with a chilled Spiced Buttermilk and here is his recipe.

Mushroom-Rajma Curry with Mint Chapatti & Spiced Butter Milk

Spiced ButterMilk
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: -
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:
2 cups Yogurt, little sour one is better
½ inch Ginger, grated or chopped very finely
1-2 Green Chillies, chopped very finely
2 tbsp Lime Juice
1 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
½ tsp Salt
2 cups Cold Water

Method:
Place yogurt, salt, lemon juice, ginger and water in a food processor and whiz it for 15 seconds or so till u get a bubbled drink.
Mix in finely chopped green chillies and coriander leaves and chill it in fridge for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Thursday

Mango Rice with Cucumber-Mint Raita

Mango… I can say without any hitch or hesitation that mango is my favourite fruit. It’s not just because of its colour and taste. It is one fruit which is connected to my happy childhood memories. My childhood days I have spent almost every summer vacation in my grandma’s home. Every year me and my sister and our cousins would eagerly wait for our holidays and keep our bags ready before our exams. Right next day after our exams our uncle would come and take us to grandma’s place. We all cousins would gather there and play day in and day out. When our elders use to take siesta in hot afternoon we would go to our mango groves and collect basketful of mangoes for my grandma who would cook delicious items using them. The choices are numerous: Pickles, Mambla (made using mango pulp and sun dried), Gojju, Sasame, Papadam, Sambar, Rasam, Raita etc. It’s a never ending list of delicious mango delicacies.