Bengali Ghugni Chaat Recipe with Moodi/Bhaja Masala | Calcutta Style Vegan Yellow Peas Curry

Learn how to make Bengali Ghugni Chaat ~Calcutta style vegan yellow peas curry garnished with assorted fresh toppings

My love for Indian street food has no beginning and no end… This ongoing affair with street food is unparalleled to any other food, including the comfort foods, and I can quite happily go on living just eating street food for rest of my life. As much as I love deep fried, calorie loaded foods which I like to binge on occasionally, it’s the nutritious, delicately spiced street foods bursting with big flavours I am enslaved to. Apart from being highly addictive, these Indian street foods are packed with nutrition, nourishing and guilt-free. And there are couple of street food that screams comfort food, which wraps you in a warm blanket on a cold, cold night. One such recipe is Ghugni Chaat, a delicious yellow peas snack is a popular street food of Eastern Indian states of West Bengal, and some parts of Orissa, Assam and Bihar.

Ingredients for Calcutta Style Ghugni Chaat

To make Ghugni Chaat, dried yellow peas are soaked overnight and pressure cooked until soft and almost mushy and then simmered in a spicy and sour gravy of finely chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger and a special spice blend called Moodi/Bhaja Masala. A traditional Ghugni is made with dried yellow peas, sold as vaTana in Indian groceries in the lentil and bean aisles. Although there are other versions of Ghugni made with black or white chickpeas or dried green or white peas, I personally prefer the dried yellow peas which easily takes in layers of flavours added to it. Some versions of Ghugni Chaat also included meat, such as lamb, and some are made without garlic and onions during the festival times.

Kolhapuri Usal/Misal Recipe with Kat and Kolhapuri Masala | Popular Indian Street Foods Series

Learn how to make Kolhapuri Usal/Misal with Kat and Kolhapuri Masala ~ Sprouted Moth Beans cooked in a spicy gravy of onion, coconut and flavoured with Kolhapuri misal masala

Who likes spicy food?

I mean super spicy… Spicy as the one that turn your nose crimson red and brings tears in your eyes! Spicy as you are left with wiping your nose and eyes and yet you are smile and happily continue to devour the food! Yeah, I am talking of hot and fiery spicy food.

Ingredients for Kolhapuri Usal/Misal

If you are still reading this and nodding your head in agreement then this recipe is for you. We have hot and fiery Kolhapuri Usal or Misal in our today’s menu. Last time I had it was in Belgaum where my friend took me to this small hotel in one corner of the city. It was not a fancy hotel with crystal chandeliers and comfortable chairs. Instead it was a small, modest hotel with wooden tables and long benches in a small square room with sea green coloured walls and red roof tiles. The hotel’s owner was sitting right next to the entrance door on a beautifully carved high rosewood chair. And in front of him was the ancient rosewood table with half a dozen big glass canisters filled with coloured peppermints and shortcrust cookies studded with colourful tutti-frutti. The wall behind him was adorned with frames of colourful pictures of Goddess Lakshmi (goddess of wealth), Lord Ganesha (elephant faced Hindu god) and Goddess Saraswati (goddess of knowledge). The owner himself was a pleasant looking guy with kumkum on his forehead and wore pristine white cotton kurta and dhoti.

Aloo Tikki-Chole Chaat Recipe | How to Make Aloo Tikki Chole Chaat

Learn how to make Aloo Tikki-Chole Chaat ~ A popular Indian street food of spiced potato patties served with spicy chickpeas curry and assorted sweet date-tamarind chutney and hot mint-coriander chutney and topped with finely chopped onions, tomatoes and sev

Inside a small restaurant with double glazed window you will find several posters of Bollywood stars smiling at you. There are small granite tables with pickle and chutney trays on top and matching red velvet cushioned chairs. Large framed photograph of Guru Nanak is hung just above the cashier’s desk and a small table fan is rotating gently. The aroma of food being cooked inside the kitchen is intoxicating and people are busy savouring plates of Naans, Curries, Chaats, Indian sweets and Kebabs.

Come out of the restaurant you will find women in colourful saris and salwar kameez, men wearing colourful turbans and kurtas, pavement food stalls selling Samosas, Chaats and Jalebi, small shops selling mobile phones and bright fabrics in rainbow colours hanging in shop fronts. Add to this the Bhangra music and sweet smell of incense and spices is in the air. Am I in India?!

Chattambade Recipe | Spicy Chana Dal Vada Recipe

Learn how to make Chattambade or Masala Dal Vada ~ Spicy split chickpeas/Bengal gram or chana dal fritters

When you do something for a very long time, it becomes part of your life. It no longer remains a separate entity, but it becomes a way of life. It integrates into your life, your thoughts and the very core of your being! It becomes a habit, a routine and ultimately, part of you! Well, it’s no wonder that something that I have been doing for the last seven years has becomes inseparable part of my very soul! And today Monsoon Spice is not just a food blog, but my little place that treasures little snippets of my life, my memories, my dreams, aspirations and above all a place where I have freedom to express myself!

Bhutta or Butta Recipe | Indian Styled Roasted Corn on the Cob

Learn how to make Bhutta or Butta ~ Indian styled roasted corn on the cob flavoured with lime, salt and chilli powder

It was the same spot he chose to park his push cart, the corner road that faced the school gate. His push cart was plain wooden one with its pale blue paint that once must have been a bright and happy shade of blue, now peeling at the edges and exposing the dark wood underneath. There was nothing fancy about his shop that earned his livelihood and there was no colourful board bearing his name or his humble shop’s name. It was a plain and boring looking little shop selling things that was far from being labelled boring things!

Stuffed Bread Pakoda/Pakora Recipe | How to Make Bread Pakoda/Pakora

Lean to make Stuffed Bread Pakoda/Pakora ~ Deep fried savoury bread slices stuffed with spicy mashed potato and coated with spicy chickpea flour batter

Every night after patting Lil Dumpling to sleep I stand next to the window, looking out at the night sky. Some days I see the full moon, round and bright, shining down on us with little twinkling starts against deep blue background! Some other days the same moon peeks out of dark grey clouds heavy with unshed rain. Most days I watch little drops of rain falling gently from the sky and kissing the earth, pitter pattering in a small puddle formed by one missing brick from the pathways right under the street light. On some other days, the rain is accompanied by gushing wind, howling in the dark night like a lonely wolf parted from its family and looking desperately for them. And then there are nights when torrential rain falls angrily on ground, tearing the sky like Monsoon rains in my home land!

Ragda Patties Recipe | How to Make Ragda Patties

Learn how to make Ragda Patties ~ Potato patties served in a spicy peas gravy and topped with assortment of chutneys and garnished with crispy sev, chopped onions, tomato and coriander leaves; a famous and much loved street food of Indian sub-continent

Where do I begin to tell you my love story…? Love story that is sweeter than any greatest love stories of Shakespeare’s tragic Romeo and Juliet, Punjabi folk tale of Heer-Ranjha or Kalidaasa’s Dushyanth-Shakntala! Love story that is spicier than all of masala movies that Hindi Cinema keeps churning every year! Love story which is juicier than thousands of Mills and Boons with millionaires or billionaire dark, tall and handsome business/shipping tycoons who sweep beautiful woman off their feet! Love story that will not be documented in romantic novels to be read by millions of romantic souls late into nights or whispered in hushed voice!

Is That My Green Thumb: Dabeli

Dabeli

Grow Your Own a.k.a. GYO is a twice-a-month blogging event that celebrates the foods we grow ourselves and the dishes we make using our homegrown products is a brainchild of Andrea who blogs at Andrea’s Recipes. This fortnight it is being guest hosted by dynamic Jugalbandi’s Jai and Bee.

Here comes the problem. Well, it’s another food blog event and the rules are quite straightforward. You might ask me what exactly the problem is. For the last couple of weeks every blogger is showing off their gardening talents. Well, after all its summer and everyone seems to be growing something or the other in their vegetable patch resembling football stadium or snooker table and some even managed to grow in their small sized balconies and containers. I went through all these blogger’s posts with dozens of photographs of their summer bounty and admired their skills.

Then the realization hit me hard!!! All we had grown in a small patch of our backyard is few flowering plants and mind you they were not from seeds we had sown!! We just bought few plants from weekend farmer’s market and just planted them. Now its not that we are lazy (Ok, little bit). The reasons for not growing our own summer vegetable and fruits bounty are many. First and most important of all is the unpredictable weather. Just when we had cleaned our vegetable patch from all those wild weeds (my goodness, they have very strong and had deep roots), slugs and snails (they are so yuck!), it started to rain cats and dogs. After 2-3 weeks of these heavy summer rains the vegetable patch was filled with new bounty of weeds and snails and we didn’t fancy cooking those Dandelions in soups and stews and being a vegetarians eating those snails were unimaginable ;) So again we cleared our veggie patch and again it started to rain!!! We ended up planting few plants of Geranium, roses, lavenders. Second reason, our work schedule. Leaving to work at 7 in the morning and coming back at 7 in the evening doesn’t give much time to spend time in gardening during weekdays. Next reason is the visits to our vegetable patch by unwanted guests. You see some way or the other many cats in our neighborhood feel that it’s their birth right to come and empty their stomachs in our vegetable patch. We have 6 different cats coming and leaving behind their smelly trails. Sometimes we do wonder how roasted and grilled cats taste, just like Manisha. (Ok, I am kidding big time;)

With all these problems, we did manage to grow few herbs in pots. Some mint leaves are growing wildly and we are making good use of it in summer drinks. We have two curry plants donated by our close friends. And we have successfully grown a big pot of coriander leaves. I have been using them in most of the curries as garnishes. And Bee did say coriander used as garnishes can make it to the event. Thank you Bee, my coriander garnish is what I am sending you for GYO. This time its Dabeli garnished with fresh corianders from our garden makes its grand entrance for Jugalbandi’s GYO event.

Dabeli or Katchi Dabeli or Double Roti is a street food mostly originated in Kutchi/Gujarat and very popular street food sold in Mumbai/Bombay. In my engineering days I survived eating these Dabeli for my lunch and sometimes for dinner from our campus Bakery. It is also known as Kutchi Dabeli or Double Roti and uses a special spice blend called Dabeli Masala. When I hosted MBP-Street Food, I had many Dabeli entries and I couldn’t wait to try my favorite street food. When I received Raghavan Iyer’s 660 Curries book for my birthday, I was rejoiced to see detailed recipe for Dabeli with its spice blend.

In Raghavan’s own words,

"Maharashtrian’s are very creative when it comes to combining multiple sources of carbohydrates in the same dish. This curry-in-a-bun is love at first bite-topped with luscious-red, juicy-tart pomegranate seeds. It’s really a cinch to make as a do-ahead dish. Just lay everything out in a bowls assembly-line style, in the same order as they go into the bun, and folks can help themselves by making their own. Those ho-hum taco parties will make a run for the border."

I made Dabeli Masala by strictly following Raghavan’s recipe and then assembled the Dabeli according to our taste. So without any delay, I made these wonderful street food and relived my college days:) Straight this goes to Jugalbandi’s for their GYO.

Kutchi Dabeli

Print This Recipe

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Dabeli (Spiced Potato & Pomegranate Sandwiches)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Makes: 4-6
Recipe Source: 660 Curries

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Ingredients:
For Dabeli Masala:
1 tsp Whole Clove (about 4-5)
½ tsp Fennel Seeds
½ tsp Black Peppers
½ tsp Coriander Seeds
4 dried Red Chilies (Thai or Cayenne), stems removed (I used Byadagi Chilies)
4 blades of Mace or ¼ tsp Ground Mace (I omitted it as I didn’t have any)
2-3 Whole Star Anie
1-2 Dried Bay Leaves
Seeds from 1-2 Black Cardamom Pods
½ tsp Ground Ginger (You will get them in any Asian stores)
Pinch of Turmeric Powder

For the Filling:
3 large Potatoes (Russet or Yukon Gold), peeled, boiled and mashed
1 small Onion, finely chopped (Optional)
1 tbsp Dabeli Masala
1 tsp Sugar Powder
½ tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

For the Sauces:
Recipe calls for just Sweet & Sour Date-Tamarind Chutney and Green Mint-Coriander Chutny but I also used Spicy Red Chutney.

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 the chilies to smooth paste)
½ tsp Tamarind Paste
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
Salt to taste

For Assembling the Sandwiches:
4-6 Ladi Pav/Burger Buns
Butter for Spreading
Seeds from 1 small Pomegranate
½ cup Spicy Roasted Peanuts (I used plain ones)
1 small Red Onion, finely chopped
½ cup Sev (Gram flour noodles, deep fried. You will find them in any Asian stores)
1-2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped

Spices for Dabeli Masala

Method:

For Dabeli Masala:

The above ingredients make about 2 tbsp of Dabeli Masala. Place all the ingredients in a spice blender or coffee grinder and grind to fine powder. Store it in an air tight container till needed. I will last for 2 months.

For Potato Filling:

Combine mashed potatoes, dabeli masala, salt and sugar and mix well.
Heat oil in a pan and add finely chopped onion if using (adding onion is optional but I remember having it in the dabeli potato filling back in my campus bakery). Sauté it on medium heat till onions turn golden, about 2-3 mins.
Mix in spiced potato and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are warmed and the spices are cooked, 5-6 mins. Keep this potato mixture 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 chilies 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 favorite Chaatwalah).

To Assemble Dabeli:

Heat a griddle or skillet over a medium heat. Cut the ladi-pav or sandwich bun in centre and apply little butter on cut side. Place this bun, buttered side down, on a skillet and cook until they are browned, 1-2 mins. Remove the bunds from griddle and keep aside.
To make the sandwich, first spread a tsp each of date-tamarind sauce, mint-coriander chutney and spicy red chutney. You can adjust these chutneys depending on your taste.
Next, place 1/6th of Spiced Potato. You can make a medium lime sized potato balls and pat it a bit and place it on the bun.
Sprinkle a tbsp of juicy pomegranate seeds, followed by a tbsp of roasted peanuts, ½ tbsp finely chopped red onion and a tbsp of Sev.
Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves on top and then cover it with the other half of bun and serve them.

Dabeli

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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 along with the gorgeous Photo of final dish.

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

The Wait is Over! Presenting MBP-Street Food Round-up

Statutory Warning:

This post might lead to some serious side effects in human behaviour and please read through the disclaimer before you proceed. Strictly no cursing and blaming and pointing finger at any person living or dead (especially at the blog owner) for your serious cravings and hunger pangs caused by this delicious spread! This post might be injurious to your diet plan, so please get your doctor or nutritionist’s advice before indulging. Proceed with caution.

Pani Puri, Dahi Puri, Sev Puri, Bhel Puri…
Manchurians, Hakka Noodles, Summer Rolls…
Pav Bhaji, Ragda Patties, Dabeli, Kachori…
Kottu Parotta, Kati Rolls, Roti John…
Samosa, Fritters, Dhoklas, Vadas…
Bajjis, Bondas, Pakodas, Puries…
Frankie, Sandwiches, Chats, Pot Stickers…

You name it and I have them all… Yes, each and every thing that makes you go hungry just by thinking. Wait, there is more to it. Along with wonderful recipes I have killer photos of each and every street food listed above.

Welcome to the round-up of MBP-Street Food. Hey Coffee dear, thank you for giving me this wonderful opportunity to host MBP with my favourite theme. Thank you one and all for your delicious contributions and making it a very successful event. It’s because of you all lovely bloggers now we have One-Stop-Shop for Street Food. Here is what you have been looking forward to… Presenting you MBP-Street Food Round-up…

Don’t wait for too long or else you will be really sorry. Go and grab your plates and feast on your favourite Street Food. I am sure you will be spoilt for choices ;)

Click on the collage or click here to take you to the MBP-Street Food photo gallery

• Sonal of Kitchen Kaper's Pav Bhaji inspired from here.
• Lakshmi of Chutki Bhar Pyar's Gujrati Kutchi Dabeli inspired from here.
• Asha of Aroma's Dabeli Masala inspired from here & here.
• Nupur of One Hot Stove's 3 Dipping Sauces inspired from here, here & here.
• Alka of Sindhi Rasoi's Dahi Sev Puri inspired from here.
• Lakshmi of Cooking Station's Khasta Kachori inspired from here.
• Swati Raman of Chatkhor's Calcutta Style Puchka/Pani Puri inspired from here.
• EC of Simple Indian Food's Masala Puri inspired from here.
• Maheshwari of Beyond The Usual's Kottu Parotta inspired from here.
• Alka of Sindhi Rasoi's Jaljeera inspired from here.
• Uma of Essence of Andhra's Kati Rolls inspired from here.
• K of Khichdi's Dhokla inspired from here.
• TBC of The Budding Cook's Roti John inspired from here.
• Arundathi of My Food Blog's Roasted Almonds inspired from here.
• Vanamala of Nalapaka's Sev Usal inspired from here.
• Deepthi Shankar of Vegetable Platter's Sprouts Chaat inspired from here.
• Prema of My Cookbook's Onion Pakoda inspired from here.
• JZ of Tasty Treat's Banana-pepper fritters (Mulaku baji) inspired from here.
• Happy Cook of My Kitchen Treasure's Kolkata Street Egg Rolls inspired from here.
• Cham of Spice Club's Vada Pav inspired from here.
• Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen's Ragda Patties inspired from here.
• Divya Kudua of Easy Cooking's Churmura Upkari inspired from here.
• Mansi Desai of Fun and Food's Khasta Kachori Chaat inspired from here.
• Laavanya of Cookery Corner's Pav Bhaji inspired from here.
• Laavanya of Cookery Corner's Ragda Patties inspired from here.
  
• Rachel of Tangerine's Kitchen's Sharjah Shake inspired from here.
• Sujatha of Spicy Khazana's Kottu Porotta inspired from here.
• Priya of Live 2 Cook's Green Onion Pancake inspired from here.
• Abhirami of Soulful Creation's Dal Chilla inspired from here.
• Srilekha of Me & My Kitchen's Ulundhu Vada inspired from here.
• Srilekha of Me & My Kitchen's Palm Jaggery Aappam inspired from here.
• Srilekha of Me & My Kitchen's Theyngai Mangai Pattani Sundal inspired from here.
• Sia of Monsoon Spice's Bombay Pav Bhaji inspired from here.
• Sia of Monsoon Spice's Khatta-Meetha Khaman Dhokla inspired from here.
• Jyothsna of Curry Bazaar's Cucumber Tomato Sandwich inspired from here.
• Vandy of Culinary Adventure's Frankie inspired from here.
• Kamala of Mom's Recipe's Pav Bhaji inspired from here.
• Divya Vikram of Dil Se's Vegetable Club Sandwich inspired from here.
• Hetal of Isha's Kitchen's College Chaat inspired from here.
• Meera of Enjoy Indian Food's Bombay Toast inspired from here.
• Namratha of Finger Licking Food's Channa (Chickpea) Chaat inspired from here.
• TC of The Cooker's Wada Pav inspired from here & here.
• Rekha of Plantain Leaf's Pineapple Rava Jamun inspired from here.
• Archana of Archy's Recipe Book's Charmuri/Masal Mandakki inspired from here.
• Richa of As Dear As Salt's Catalan Chickpeas with Almonds & Tomatoes inspired from here.
• Vani of Mysoorean's Corn Chaat inspired from here.
• Srilekha of Me & My Kitchen's Paruppu Vadai inspired from here.
• Raaga of The Singing Chef's Hakka Noodles inspired from here.
• Shankari of Stream of Consciousness's Pav Bhaji inspired from here.
• Srivalli of Cooking 4 all Seasons's Kottu Parotta inspired from here.
• Ivy of Kopiaste...to Greek Hospitality's Souvlaki inspired from here.
• Renuka of Fusion's Chana Chaat inspired from here.
• Arundati of Escapades's Bhel Puri inspired from here.
• Trupti of Recipe Center's Pani Puri inspired from here.
• Srilekha of Me & My Kitchen's Kara Vadai inspired from here.
• Sunshinemom of Tongue Tickler's Aloo Chaat inspired from here.
• Dhita Beechey of Cooking Etcetera's Black Pepper Prawns inspired from here.
• Rajitha of Hunger Pang's Jal Jeera inspired from here.
• Srilekha of Me & My Kitchen's Kara Pori inspired from here.
• Dee of Ammalu's Kitchen's Ladi Pav inspired from here.
• Dee of Ammalu's Kitchen's Pav Bhaji inspired from here.
• Priyanka of Asan Khana's Pav Bhaji inspired from here.
• Priyanka of Asan Khana's Gobi Manchurian inspired from here.
• Priyanka of Asan Khana's Ornage Candy inspired from here.
• Priyanka of Asan Khana's Aam Panna inspired from here.
• Priyanka of Asan Khana's Salad Dip inspired from here.
• Sita of For Spicy Lovers's Pani Puri inspired from here.
• Srilekha of Me & My Kitchen's Samosa inspired from here.
• Sumi of Sumi's Kitchen's Stuffed Chilli Bhajji inspired from here.
• Olivia Mark of Streat's Pot Stickers inspired from here.
• Miri of Peppermill's Dabeli inspired from here.
• Sig of Live to Eat's Thattukada Chicken Fry inspired from here.
• Pooja of My Creative Idea's Sev Batata Puri inspired from here.
• Rashmi of Delhibelle's Masala Puri inspired from here.
  

And last but not the least, dear friend Arun shares few drool-worthy pictures with beautiful write-ups of Shanbhag Fastfood at Hospet in Karnataka, Murugan Idli House in Chennai, Alaskan Killer Shrimps, Salzburg Seafood, Kebabs at Bademiya: Colaba's Culinary Firmament, Paanwallah in Mumbai and Butta: Roasted Corn. His photo eaasay of Kailash Parbat, Colaba on How to eat a Paani Puri left me with bulging eyes and drool.

I have posted the entries in the order I received them. I have tried not to miss any of your entries and please leave a comment or mail me if there are any errors or omissions and I will make the correction accordingly. MBP-Street Food logo/link posted in the side bar of Monsoon Spice will bring you to this event round-up page for future reference.

Thank you once again for participating in MBP-Street Food. I greatly appreciate each and every one of you and some of you who chose to participate in blog events for the first time. Thank you one and all… Have a wonderful weekend.

Dahi Batata Puri: Yeh Dil Maange More...

Dahi Batata Puri

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 ;)

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

Print This Recipe

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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)

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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...

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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.

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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.

Update on MBP-Street Food

New posts of Monsoon spice are not showing up at Sailu’s Taste of India. Please click on the RSS image or Click Here to subscribe and get notification on any new posts posted on Monsoon Spice. Or you can get e-mail notifications by entering your e-mail on the top right hand sidebar.

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With many requests pouring into my mail box, I am extending the deadline for MPB-Street Food to 30th June, 2008. So foodies, you still have got one more week to indulge yourself with all delicious Street Foods from fellow blogger’s blog. Please don’t forget to go through the guidelines and mail me the details. Mean while please do check July edition of MBP-Less is More guest hosted by lovely Nupur of One Hot Stove. My apologies to Nupur and Coffee for any inconvenience caused by me.

It was not difficult for me to choose our favourite street foods. We have been making these two lip smacking-ly delicious Bombay Pav Bhaji from dear Nupur’s blog and Khatta-Meetha Khaman Dhokla from lovely Trupti’s posts ever since we tried it few months ago. We highly recommend these two recipes for everyone who are very fond of Pav Bhaji and Khaman Dhokla which is not just delicious but very, very simple to cook.

Nupur's Bombay Pav Bhaji is my contribution for Zlamushka's T&T, Archana's OneD and Madhu's YRR events.

Bombay Pav Bhaji

Trupti's Khatta-Meetha Khaman Dhokla is my entry for dear Raaga's WBB-Express Breakfasts.

Khatta Meetha Khaman Dhokla

Announcing MBP-June

Update:

With many requests pouring into my mail box, I am extending the deadline for MPB-Street Food to 30th June, 2008. So foodies, you still have got one more week to indulge yourself with all delicious Street Foods from fellow blogger’s blog. Please don’t forget to go through the guidelines and mail me the details.

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Is your bookmark page is over-loaded with recipes to try? Mine is. Every day it’s the same old story. Blog hop and bookmark mouth watering recipes which has grabbed your full attention. With so many recipes bookmarked I always look forward to participating in Coffee’s Monthly Blog Patrolling a.k.a. MBP. Here is one event which encourages us to cook something from our fellow bloggers blog which you had meant to try for ages but had no time till date. This is one event which not only gives you a chance to explore the food blog world but also spreads link love. And I am proud to be guest hosting June edition of MBP and this month’s theme is Street Food.

The term "street food" best describes the casual, delicious and local cuisine sold in stalls, carts and open air markets around the world. Chats and Kebabs from India, hotdogs from New York, Mexico’s mango on a stick, stir-fries from china, caramel-filled stroopwafels at an Amsterdam stand—street food is convenient, finger licking delicious, cheap(no pun intended) and tantalizing. From full meals to simple snacks to fast refreshers, the street food has it all. Well, I am a die hard fan of Street Food and I know many of you out there share this love for Street Food. So my dear friends hop around the food blogsphere, cook your favourite Street Food from fellow blogger’s blog and post it on your blog. Chats, Dosas, Stir Fries, Pakodas, Kebabs, Hotdogs, Kulfi, anything your tummy begs and heart desires and spread link love. Please carefully go through the guidelines posted below and send in your entries.



Here are the Guidelines:
1. You have to cook something from the fellow bloggers (the “from” has to be a blogger and not any other cooking site!!) posted recipes.
2. Please link back to this announcement page and/or the logo below, and also to Coffee’s MBP announcement page.
3. Post a picture of the final recipe on your blog linking it to the blogger (whose recipe you made) and to this event. You can either post the full recipe or just the picture of final recipe; it’s entirely up to you to decide. But one final picture of the recipe and a link to the blogger whose recipe you made and this event is a must. Please highlight any changes made to the original recipe in your post.
4. Email the following details to sia[at]monsoonspice[dot]com with MBP-Street Food as the subject line by 30th June.

• Your name
• Your blog name
• Name of the Recipe
• Permalink of your post
• Permalink of the original recipe
• A photograph of the final dish (Any size is fine. Don’t worry about resizing the image.)

5. Please remember that the deadline for this event is 30th June, 2008 and no late entries will be entertained. I'll not include your entries in the round-up unless I get them through emails as it's not feasible for me to check individual blogs and pick your entries. I will post the final round-up in first week of July.
6. There is no limit to the number of entries that you might want to contribute. If you don’t have a blog but wish to participate in this event, send your entries with a picture, your name and recipe to sia[at]monsoonspice[dot]com before the deadline. I will post the recipes with your picture in my blog and include it in the round-up.

Simply copy and paste the below code to your post to use this logo.

MBP-Street Food:

<a href="http://www.monsoonspice.com/2008/05/announcing-mbp-june.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z5/siablog/MBP-StreetFood.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a>

So friends, don’t delay. Start little bit of blog patrolling and send in your entries. Thank you Coffee for this opportunity.

Chole Bhature

At last my hubby said it openly that I am addicted to blogging. Well… I am guilty of the fact that I am shamelessly, completely addicted to blogging. For every half an hour I check my blog for comments and in between I am busy with checking other blogs. From now onwards I am planning to leave my laptop upstairs. It’s not because I want to stay away from my blog. It’s just because it will help me getting some exercise of running up and down. (I can see my hubby nodding in agreement now). Before blogging came to picture, first thing in the morning I used to get up and have my breakfast. Now all I can think of is checking my blog as soon i get up. Oh yes!!! Sometimes I do this even before I brush my teeth. Ah!!! The power of blogging.
Now a days it’s become a habit to have food once I finish cooking and clicking. Both go hand in hand. It’s become kind of unsaid agreement between me and my hubby. We both are happy as long as I get to click pictures and he gets yummy things to eat;)

Today I am posting a recipe of Chole which I learnt from my Amma. I made Bhatures to go along with Chole. I adapted the recipe of Bhatures from Asha’s Blog. A delicious recipe from Punjab which is served for breakfast has become very much loved brunch and dinner in our house hold. This may not be the authentic way to make Chole Bhature but this is how I make it at home. The soft and spongy Bhatures with saucy Chole is a combination made in heaven.

Chole Masala

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Chole Masala
Prep Time: 10-15 mins (excluding soaking time)
Cooking Time: 25-30 mins
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:
1 cup White Kabuli Channa
2 big Onions
3 large Tomatoes/1 canned Tomato
1 inch Ginger
2-3 cloves Garlic
½ tsp Amchur Powder/Marble Sized Tamarind
½-1 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Garam Masala
½ tsp Kitchen King Masala
½ tsp Channa Masala (optional)
1-2 tbsp Kasuri Methi
2 Cardamoms
2 Cloves
½ inch Cinnamon
2-3 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Chole Masala

Method:
Soak kabuli channa over night in enough water with little cooking soda
Drain and wash well and cook it in pressure cooker with enough water for about 15 minutes.
In a mean while, grind onion, ginger, and garlic along with cardamom, cloves and cinnamon without adding any water.
Score a cross with a sharp knife in the base of each tomato and place them in boiling water and leave for 2 -3 minutes.
Drain and allow them to cool. Then peel the skin and make a puree in food processor and keep it aside.
Heat ghee or oil in a frying pan and add cumin seeds to it.
When it splutters add the ground masala paste and fry in medium flame till ghee separates from it.
Add garam masala, kitchen king masala and channa masala and sauté it for a minute.
Now mix tomato puree and keep stirring constantly until the moisture is completely absorbed.
Add salt, amchur powder, sugar and cooked channa with its water and cook till gravy turns thick.
Remove from fire and garish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with bhaturas or puries accompanied with finely chopped onions and lemon pieces.

Chole Masala

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Bhatura
Prep Time: 10 mins (excluding resting/rising time)
Cooking Time: 10-15 mins
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:
2 Cups Plain Flour
2 tbsp Plain Yogurt/Sour Cream
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Chole Bhature

Method:
Mix all the ingredients above and knead well using enough water to make soft dough.
Cover it with wet cloth and keep it in a warm place for 2-4 hours.
Make a lemon sized ball and roll them out to chapatti sized circles with ¼ cm thickness.
Heat oil in a deep frying pan and fry bhaturas till they turn slightly golden and place them on paper towel.
Make sure that you don’t fry the bhatures long because you want them to be soft and light golden.
Serve them with Chole and vegetable salad and relish.

Chole Masala

Also Tried Trupti's and Lera's Chole recipe. Both the recipes are the keepers.

Baby Corn Manchurian

Have I mentioned that I'm a lover of Indo-Chinese Food? Oh yes, I am and so is my better half when it comes to Manchurian:) Although its a uses Chinese ingredients, Manchurian is an Indian creation and has become part and parcel of many fast food joints in India. Even in five star hotels it's served with glitz and blitz. It has shaped into Indian istyle to match the taste of mass audience.
For me its a comfort food. Although I dont prefer deep fried food and try to avoid cooking them as much as possible, manchurian always managed to change my mind. Combined with my love for manchurian and little persuasion from my hubby(which was unnecessary;) I made Baby Corn Manchurian which I actually brought to make Baby Corn Masala... And it turned out just yummmyyyyyyyy....

Baby Corn Manchurian

Ingredients:
10-12 Baby Corns
3-4 tbsp Flour/maida
1 tbsp Cornflour
1 tsp Dry Red Chilli powder (Adjust acc to taste)
1 inch Ginger, chopped finely
3-4 flakes Garlic, chopped finely
3-4 spring onions, diced
1 small Green Capsicum/Bell pepper,diced
2-3 Green chillies, chopped (Adjust acc to taste)
3 tbsp Tomato Sauce/Ketchup
1 tbsp Soya Sauce
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves,finely chopped
Oil for deep frying
Salt to taste

Crisp 'n Crunchy Baby Corn Manchurian

Method:
In a pan take little oil and fry chopped garlic, chillies and ginger.
To this add Capsicum and saute it for 1-2 minutes.
Add Spring Onions, Coriander leaves,tomato sauce and soyasauce(if you want it to be more spicier add chilli sauce)
Cut Baby Corns length wise and keep aside.
Make a little thick batter with maida, cornflour, chilli powder, salt with water.
Coat the baby corn with the batter and then deep fry at medium flame till they turns golden brown.
Drain them in paper towel to remove excess oil.
Add the fried babycorns with the sauce you have prepared and mix well.
Garnish them with chopped coriander leaves and greens of spring onion and serve hot.

Baby Corn Manchurian

Final Verdict:
Baby Corn Manchurian turned out much better than my expectation. It was crisp, crunchy, saucy, spicy and delicious...Mama mia... Me n my hubby felt that we should have brought another pack of baby corns:( May be next time we will:)

Gobi Manchurian

In every small or big cities and towns in India you will find Chinese fast food centers present in its every nook and corner. I’m not sure when and where it became so popular but people even today are still hooked to manchurians, be it chicken, mushroom, gobi or even Indian version of Paneer manchurian. Most of the times I remember going to restaurants for dinner Gobi Manchurian used to be my favorite dish for starters. First time I tried cooking it when I was in my early teens and till now I’m not bored of it. Thanks to my hubby who is as big foodie (or bigger) as me and its one among his vast section of favourites.

Gobi Manchurian

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Gobi Manchurian
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Serves: 4-6

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Ingredients:
Small head of Cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tbsp Coriander leaves, finely chopped
Oil for deep frying
Salt to taste

For Batter:
1 cup Refined flour/maida
2 tbsp Cornflour
1 tsp dry Red Chilli Powder (adjust acc to taste)
1/2 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
Salt to taste

For Sauce:
4-5 Spring Onions, thinly sliced (Keep greens sepated from white)
1 cup Capsicum/Bell pepper, diced(any colour)
1 inch Ginger, chopped finely or grated
3-4 large cloves Garlic, chopped finely
2-3 Green chillies, finely chopped
4 tbsp Tomato Sauce (I used Maggi Hot & Sweet Tomato Ketchup)
1 tbsp Soya Sauce
1-2 tbsp Sweet Chilli Sauce (Optional)

Gobi Manchurian

Method:
Preparing the Base Sauce:
In a pan take little oil and fry chopped garlic and chillies for a minute over mdeium heat.
To this add whites of spring onions, ginger and capsicum and saute till onions turn translucent, about 2-3 mins.
Add tomato sauce, sweet chilli sauce and soyasauce(if you want it to be more spicier add chilli sauce)and stir well. Switch off the flame and keep it aside.

Preparing Batter and Gobi for Deep Frying:
Wash the cauliflower florets in water with a little salt dissolved in it.
Make a little thick batter with cornflour and all purpose flour dissolved in water. Mix in red chilli powder, ginger-garlic paste and salt to taste.
Coat the florets with the batter and then deep fry at medium flame till they turns golden brown.
Drain them in paper towel to remove excess oil.
Add these fried cauliflower florets with the sauce you have prepared just before serving and mix well.
Garnish them with chopped coriander leaves and greens of spring onion and serve hot.

Gobi Manchurian

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Notes:

Same recipe can be used to make paneer and mushroom manchurian.
By adding little more of cornflour mixed in water you can make more gravy with gobi manchurian and serve it as a side dish with chinese fried rice.