Dum Aloo...(Baby potatoes in a spicy gravy)

Dum aloo comes from a very beautiful state in India, Jammu n Kashmir but is extremely popular everywhere. There are various recipes found but shallow frying the potatoes in oil and then cooking them in a curd/tomato based gravy is common.

Ingredients:

8-10 baby Potatoes

3-4 tbsp Tomato Puree

2 tbsp Blanched Onion Puree

2-3 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste

3 diced green chillies

4 tbsp yogurt (plain is preferred)

1/2 tsp fennel powder

1/2 tsp Amchur powder (dried mango powder)

1 tsp Sugar

Red chili powder as per taste

1 tsp Garam Masala Powder

1 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

1 Bay Leaf

3 Cloves

1/2" Cinnamon stick

2-3 tbsp Oil

Salt as per taste

Lemon juice

Butter to shallow fry potatoes

Method:

1. Blanch Onions, make puree of it and keep aside. Make tomato puree as well.

2. Peel all potatoes and prick them using a toothpick or fork. Sprinkle salt over them and keep aside. In a pan shallow fry the potatoes till they turn light brown in color. Remove them.

3. Now in same pan take oil. Add bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon stick in it. When the spices start crackling add cumin seeds in it.

4. Now add Onion puree and a pinch of salt and pinch of sugar. Fry puree for 3-4 minutes. Then add chopped green chilies, ginger-garlic paste an stir for another 3 minutes.

5. Then add tomato puree, saute for about 2 minutes, add garam masala powder, cumin-coriander powder (dhaniyajeera powder), turmeric powder in it and saute again.

6. Meanwhile mix amchoor powder, fennel powder, sugar in yogurt; stir it well and add it to the pan. Mixing yogurt should be fast. Saute again until the oil separates out from the gravy. Yogurt thickens the gravy giving a nice feel.

7. Add salt, sugar and stir. Add fried potatoes in the gravy and lid it till potatoes cook well. Add little milk/water as required. At the end add crushed Kasuri methi and few drops of lemon juice.

Tips:

• 
  
  If yogurt is not plain and is bit sour then reduce the quantity of tomato puree.
• 
  
  Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
• 
  
  Serve with Garam Parathas.
• 
  
  If you don't have fennel powder make one from the fennel seeds we have at home. Aamchoor powder adds to the taste but is optional.

Simple Onion and Tomato Salad

Ingredients:

1 Onion diced
1 fresh Tomato diced
1 Green Chili
2 tsp chopped Coriander
1 tbsp plain Yogurt (curd)
Salt as per taste
Little Sugar as per taste

Method:

1. Put diced onion and tomato in a mixing bowl. Add yogurt, slits of green chili on top of it and lid.

2. Just before serving, remove the excess water from the mixing bowl, if any. Then add salt and sugar. Mix well and serve.

3. Yogurt should be cool. If you don't have one after the step 1 put this bowl in the fridge.

Chole (Kabuli Chana/ Pindi Chana)

Chole are mainly liked by Punjabis from North India. You can find this in every Indian restaurant with the name just "Chole". Chole is one of the most popular dish in Indian restaurants world wide. This punjabi sabzi is generally eaten along with bhature or puri. A diet conscious mind can have this with parothas. Chole are called as Garbanzo beans or Kabuli Chana or Pindi chana as well in different languages.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup chickpeas (Garbanzo beans / kabuli chana / pindi chana)

For Puree:
2 small Onion
1 Medium size Tomato
2-3 Garlic cloves
A small Ginger piece
2 tsp shredded Dry Coconut

For Masala:
2 Cloves
1 Whole Pepper
1/2" Cinnamon Stick
2 tsp Sesame seeds (til)

Red Chili powder to taste
2 tsp Chole Masala (If not available, add Garam Masala )
Salt as per taste
Oil, Mustard seeds, Cumin Seeds, Asafoetida (hing) for seasoning
Chopped fresh Coriander for garnishing

Method:

1. Soak Chana overnight and pressure cook till done.

2. Make puree of all the ingredients listed and keep aside.

3. Grind all the ingredients under "masala" and make a fine powder, keep aside.

4. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, when they splutter add cumin seeds, asafoetida, hing and quickly add the puree. Saute for 3 minutes.

5. Now add the masala powder, salt, red chili powder, chana masala as per taste and saute till oil separates out.

6. Add boiled chickpeas and water as per requirement. Cook till all things blend. Mash some chikpeas and add to the gravy. This gives better consistency.

7. Garnish with coriander before serving.

Tips:

• Garnish with chopped onion before serving.
• You can also add potato to them.
• Mash some chickpeas and add to the gravy. This gives better consistency.

Coriander (Kothimbir / Dhaniya) Vadi

Coriander is generally used for garnishing. But there are many other recipes of coriander where it is used as a main ingredient. Everybody loves using coriander in cooking and I am sure this recipe will be liked by all.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp Gram flour (besan)
2 tsp Rice flour
1 bunch of Coriander
1 tsp Red Chili powder
1 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Soda
Salt to taste
2 tsp Oil

For seasoning:
1 tbsp White sesame seeds (til)
Shredded coconut
Oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida (hing), curry leaves

Method:

1. Take out the coriander leaves, wash and chop.

2. In a bowl take the chopped coriander leaves. Add both the floors, chili powder, turmeric powder, soda, oil, sugar and salt. Add little (if required) water and make a thick batter. The amount of flour depends on the quantity of coriander.

3. Grease a deep platter and spread the strips of this batter. Steam for about 15 minutes in a steamer. Remove and cool.

4. Cut into small pieces.

5. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, asafoetida, cumins seeds, curry leaves, sesame seeds, coconut and then add these pieces. Mix well.

Tips:

Serve this as a side dish.

An Award and a funny Poem ... :)

I received a versatile blogger award from 2 of my blogger friends of: Priya Mitharwal and Suja Sugathan.
Both these ladies are as new to the blogging world as me. But the way they are flourishing is commendable. The only reason for this is truly the recipes on their blogs. Do visit them :)
Priya has been a good friend of mine. She is always excited about all the food events going around. You will find her entries in all the events :).  Suja has various yummy South Indian dishes. Besides this speciality she also cooks many other varieties. Thanks to both of you for sharing an award.

To accept this award I have to thank the persons who awarded it, share seven things about myself and pass it to fifteen blogger friend.

Many Thanks to Priya and Suja

Seven Things about myself.....

I have posted these things before as well...I will copy some from them :)

1. I love to learn, experience, eat and know new things each day.

2. I love chitchatting with my dear ones and bugging them :)

3. I love to dance (non-classical :)

4. Fresca is my favorite soft drink.

5. I am a chocolate addict.

6. I love giving suggestions and free advice. :)

7. I like writing poems. You can find some of them here at my other blog. I am posting the one which I wrote long back even before getting into this cooking world :)

Cookery

I decided to cook

That too with no book

Headed towards the kitchen

A mission was to begin

Played in a sea of permutation

But none promised to be perfect combination

It seemed laughed all of they

To a stranger who went grey

Chilies, garlic, mint, ginger

Made my mind for a lady finger

She yelled mummy and daddy

Life was ending for sticky lady!!!

Didn't fell the need of water

As she had enough within her

Tossed and turned into a pan

She was ready within no span

To rest on the case

Cooking is an interesting mess

Its surly not about the lucks

Once you understand the whole crux... :)

Hope You all liked it :)...

Now passing this award to Lizy, Yummy O Yummy, Hari Chandana, SpicyTasty, Smita, Racahna (Sizzle NSpice), Valarmathi, Pavithra, BeenaShylesh,Nitha, Hamaree Rasoi,Creative Saga,PanchPakwan, Sayantani, Suhaina