Friday, September 21, 2007

Radish Roti with Jhunka



Radish Roti


Ingredients

2 medium sized radish
2 green chillies finely chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp freshly roasted jeera powder
1/4 tsp freshly roasted ajwain powder
Salt to taste

Wheat flour ~400 gms

What next ? Clean the radish. Peel skin. Grate. Take 2 tbsp oil in pan, add the jeera and ajwain powders, turmeric, green chillies and then the radish. Simmer until cooked partly (for 5-10 mins).Take off flame. Add wheat flour to it and knead into smooth dough. Make them into equal sized balls and then roll them into rotis. Roast on tawa.

To serve ? Serve with Jhunka






Jhunka (popularly called pitla)

Ingredients

1/4 cup besan
2-3 cups water
1 large onion finely chopped
2 small tomatoes finely chopped
2 green chillies finely chopped
2-3 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
Salt to taste

What next ? Take oil in pan, add onion. Fry till pink, add tomatoes, green chillies and once tomato is cooked, add the paste. Add garam masala powder, salt to taste and cook on sim until the paste thickens. Coriander leaves to be added for garnishing.

To serve ? Serve with Radish roti




Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Mushroom- Broccoli Stir Fry


Ingredients
2 pack weikfield button mushrooms
7-8 cloves garlic, slit and crushed
2 green chillies slit
2-3 small onions chopped into strings
2-3 tbsps oil
Salt to taste
Oregano and Basille for garnish

What next ? Clean the mushrooms and broccoli well. Chop mushrooms into 4 quarters and broccoli into tiny florets. Take oil in a wok, add the garlic and stir till pink, add onions and fry till lightly brown, add mushrooms and broccoli florets, slit green chillies and salt to taste. Cover wok and cook for 20 mins (or until done). Water is not usually required for cooking, since mushrooms give out water while cooking with salt. However you could add 3 tbsps water if you need a little bit of broth.

To serve ?
Garnish with oregano and basille

Most suitable with rice. It's a quickie :)


Friday, July 20, 2007

Daal Makhani


Ingredients
250 gms black urad daal (better referred in the north as Maa ki daal)
125 gms rajma
1/2 tea cup fresh cream
3 tbsps butter
Puree made from ~6 medium sized tomatoes
2 tsps ginger-garlic paste
Red chilli powder and Jeera for seasoning

What next ? Soak the black urad dal and rajma overnight. Pressure cook for 20-30 mins (until well cooked). Smash the boiled mixture, until a little pasty. Then add tomato puree, ginger garlic paste, cream, butter, salt to taste. Simmer (low flame) for 15 mins.
Take a tablespoon of oil/ butter, add jeera and red chilli powder. Stir till jeera darkens slightly, then add the seasoning to the daal concoction and continue simmering on slow flame for another 30 mins.

To serve ?
Garnish with coriander and cream/ butter before serving

Can be had with rotis/ chapatis (bread) or rice. It's a popular North Indian (read - Punjabi) dish. Well loved and relished.

Courtesy - Meena Ramachandran

Kadi pakora


Ingredients
300 gms curd, blended well
2-3 tbsps gram flour (besan)
Turmeric
Salt and a pinch of sugar to taste
For seasoning : curry leaves, dried red chillies, jeera

For pakoras :
Gram flour (besan) to make 12 pakoras
Bottle gourd half
Jeera
Salt
Green chillies 2-3 chopped finely

What next ?
To make pakoras - skin the Bottle gourd, grate it, remove excess water by squeezing, add gram flour, green chillies, jeera, salt to taste. Make smooth paste which can then be rolled into balls (pakoras) and deep fry in oil till golden brown

For kadi - take 2-3 tbsps of oil, add jeera, curry leaves, red chillies and stir until done. Shut the flame, add curd blended with 2-3 tbsps besan, salt and sugar to taste, pinch of turmeric an be added for colour. If curd added when flame is on, then the curd is likely to curdle. Then once blended finely, turn on flame, add pakoras to the kadi, simmer till the pakoras have absorbed the curd well.

To serve ? Garnish with coriander and serve. Can be eaten with chapatis (bread), or with rice. Kadi chawal is a popular and well relished dish in Uttranchal. Can be had as a meal by itself when served with rice.

Great for a rainy day or a chilly winter day.

Monday, June 25, 2007

Cottage cheese Pakodas

Ingredients
250 gm cottage cheese (paneer) grated
2 green chillies
Coriander leaves 3 tbsp
Cornflour/ Maida 3 tbsp
1/4 tbsp baking soda
2 slices of bread(make into crumbs)
3 tbsp curd
Salt to taste

What next ? Blend/ mix (no blender required) all ingredients into a smooth blend. Set aside for a couple of hours. Roll into tiny marble sized balls, deep fry on medium flame till golden brown.

To serve ?
Serve this with the mint chutney or ketchup.
Alternately this could be rolled into the form of cutlets (oblong shaped) and then deep fried.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Burger patty


Ingredients
4 medium sized boiled potatoes
1.5 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste
Bread crumbs
1 beaten egg

What next ? Skin the boiled potatoes, mash them. Add salt and chilli powder. Take little of the mixture and pat it on the palm of the hand to make a round cutlet (say 2" in diameter). Roll it is the egg and then dust with bread crumbs. Deep fry till golden.

To serve ?
Serve this with the mint chutney or ketchup. Alternately this could be served between 2 slices of bread slices spread with chutney, garnished with onion, tomato slices. Sprinkle pepper and some ketchup. This makes for lovely burger patty.

Okra fry in minutes


Ingredients
1/2 kg bhindi (okra/ ladies finger). Cleaned, cut in half and with a slit inserted so the spices hold on.
2 tbsp besan (gram flour)
1 tsp red chilli powder (or more if you like it spicy)
1/2 tsp amchur powder (raw mango powder)
Salt to taste

What next ? 1-2 tbsps oil in a pan, add okra. Keep at maximum heat in the microwave so it cooks mildly. Add to it the spices (mentioned above), and besan, mix well and then microwave it again at maximum for ~5 mins. Don't cover when cooking as moisture gets trapped and may make the okra soggy.

To serve ?
It can be garnished with a little bit of chopped coriander leaves before serving.