Aloo Palak

My husband is not a great fan of paneer. Which is good in a way because it makes our dishes less fatty. On the other hand it prevents me from trying our paneer specific recipes, such as paneer makhani, butter paneer etc. I try to substitute paneer with potatoes whenever I can, and so I tried a "potato" version of palak paneer. It turned out really good and I was amazed to see how much spinach went into the dish. It's a great way to sneak greens into the diet.

This recipe makes 4 servings.

Ingredients
Spinach - 1 bunch (If using baby spinach from the packet, use half the packet)
Onion - 1 medium
Boiled Potatoes - 4 medium, chopped
Garlic - 3 cloves, chopped
Oil - 2 tablespoons
Salt - 1 teaspoon, or to taste
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoons
Green Chillies - 3, or to taste
Cumin Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
Garam Masala - 1 teaspoon
Fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi) - 1 teaspoon

Procedure
1) Wash the spinach and remove the leaves if using the bunch.
2) Chop the onions. They don't need to be too fine because you will grind them anyway.
3) Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan/kadhai and add the onions, green chillies and garlic. Saute until onion has brown edges.

4) To the pan add spinach.

 5) Cover with a lid and let the spinach wilt. It will take only about a minute or so.

6) The spinach reduces to so little! Now let the mixture cool and then blend it with little water.
7) In the same pan, heat oil and add some cumin seeds. When the start sizzling, add the potatoes and saute them till they are browned around the edges.
8) Add the spinach puree and salt. Add some cumin coriander masala and crushed fenugreek leaves and stir. If you didn't add much water while blending, add half a cup of water.
9) Cover with a lid and let it simmer on a low flame for 6-7 minutes. Check every now and then to make sure it isn't sticking to the bottom.
10) Optionally, you can add some cream or milk to make the dish taste richer (I didn't).
11) Do a taste-test to see if you need more spice.
That's it! Serve with roti, naan, or rice.

Marathi style Puran Poli

In India and particularly in the states of Gujrat and Maharashtra, puran poli is synonymous with the festival of Holi. As a child, I always remember the Holi day routine of playing with friends, coming home drenched in water and colors, taking a long bath to get rid of the "gulaal" and then having a sumptuous lunch of puran poli with family.  Though we are quite far from Holi at this time, we had a craving for puran poli this weekend, which hubby dearest happens to be a great fan of.

Some people make puran poli with toor dal, but in Maharastra it has traditionally been made with chana dal. I personally like more with the flavor and aroma of chana dal. During older times, making puran poli wasn't such an easy affair. People meticulously used "puran yantra" to crush and make a smooth mixture with the dal. But of course, with growing number of kitchen gadgets and lesser time on hand, there are quicker and less time consuming methods available now.

Puran poli is served with katachi amti, which is a delicious sweet-tangy-spicy accompaniment to puran poli and compliments it perfectly. Katachi amti is made with water that's leftover after you boil the chana dal. So to have enough amti, make sure to boil the dal in lots of water.

In this post, I will show you step by step method of making puran polis. Give it a try, you will love them!

This recipe makes about 10-11 puran polis.

Ingredients
For the roti dough
Whole Wheat Flour or Atta : 2 cups
Salt : 1/2 teaspoon
For the puran
Chana Dal : 1 cup
Sugar : 1 cup (adjust according to your taste)
Nutmeg : 1/4 teaspoon
Cardamom : 1/4 teaspoon
For katachi amti
Water left over from cooking chana dal : 3 cups (or whatever remains after boiling)
Oil : 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 teaspoon
Jeera/Cumin seeds : 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric : 1/4 teaspoon
Red Chilly Powder : 1/2 teaspoon
Salt : 1/2 teaspoon
Hing : 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves : 4-5
Tamarind paste : 1 tablespoon
Sugar : 1 teaspoon

Procedure
1) Boil chana dal in about 4 cups water with a pinch of salt until it is very soft and tender to touch. I usually pressure cook it for 5-6 whistles.
2) While the dal is boiling, prepare the roti dough. Mix 1/2 teaspoon salt with atta and knead with adequate amount of water to make s soft and pliable dough. Cover it with a cotton cloth and set aside.
3) Drain the boiled dal and reserve the water.
 
4) In a non stick pan, pour the drained dal and add the sugar. Start with 3/4 cup and increase until you get to the sweetness level you like. For us, usually 1:1 ratio of dal and sugar works well.
5) Add ground nutmeg powder and keep mixing and mashing until you get a smooth paste without any traces of whole dal. The consistency of the mixture is really important - if you make it too dry, the puran poli will be crumbly and if you leave it too moist, the filling will come out while rolling.
6) When the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan, sprinkle ground cardamom powder and transfer to another plate to cool.

7) You will know you got the right consistency of the paste when you can form soft balls of the mixture. Make small balls of the roti dough as well as the filling. The filling ball should be approximately 1.5 times the roti dough.

8) Heat the tava/griddle. Roll out the roti dough into a small circle, and as much as possible try to roll out the sides instead of the center.

9) Add the filling and pull the edges of the dough together and twist it on the top. Remove the excess.

10) Press the dough ball lightly and set aside. Do the same for all the dough balls.
 
11) Roll out the dough you set aside the first (which has been sitting around the longest). Apply very gently pressure while rolling it out or the mixture will come out of all sides!

12) Place the poli on the griddle/tava and flip it when you see bubbles appear. Smear some ghee (optional) and after a few seconds, flip it again. Smear ghee on this side as well.
13) When both sides are nicely done, remove from tava and continue the process for the next one.

14) For making katachi amti, heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot enough, add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add jeera, hing, curry leaves.
15) Add the turmeric and red chilly powder and immediately add the water from chana dal.
16) When the water comes to a boil, add tamarind paste, salt, and sugar.
17) Let it boil for 3-4 minutes. Check the taste and add ingredients as required.

Serve piping hot with Puran Poli! 

Gobhi Machurian

When I first came to US, I was super excited to see Chinese take-out places everywhere. I was so glad that we could still eat Schezwan Fried Rice, Hakka noodles and Manchurian. But not before long, my bubble of happiness burst when I visited one of those places and ate steamed vegetables and steamed rice for lunch. I searched for a Chinese place that served Chinese like we had in India with no avail. One day at work, I asked my Chinese colleague if she knew how to make authentic Machurian. She looked at me as if I was crazy and asked me "Machurian?" So I googled and image searched to convince her there is indeed a Chinese dish called Machurian. Sadly, she took none of it and told me all she knew was there is a place in China called "Manchuria" but that's it. Sadly, I accepted the fact that you can't find that kind of "Chinese" food anywhere but on the streets of India. If you are one of the lucky people who live in New York, I've heard there are several great Indo-Chinese places there. For other people like me, the only option is to try recreating the magic at home. Which is what I tried to do with this Gobhi Manchurian.

This recipe serves two.

Ingredients
For the sauce
Onions : 1/2 cup
Spring Onions : 3-4 bulbs with leaves, chopped
Garlic : 4 cloves, minced
Tabasco/Sriracha/Red Hot Sauce : 2 teaspoons
Soy Sauce : 2 teaspoons
Tomato Ketchup : 2 tablespoons
Salt : 1 teaspoon
Vinegar : 1 tablespoon
Olive Oil (or any that you use) : 1 tablespoon
Bell Pepper : 1/2 cup, chopped

For the cauliflower fritters
Cauliflower, washed and cut into florets : 2 cups
All Purpose Flour : 3 tablespoons
Corn Flour/ Corn Starch : 2 tablespoons
Salt : 1 teaspoon
Sriracha Sauce/ Tabasco : 1 teaspoon
Oil : As needed, for frying

Procedure
1) We will start with the sauce first, because we don't fried cauliflowers sitting around for too long and losing their crunch.
2) In a pan, heat oil and on a high flame, saute onions until they are pink. Add the bell pepper, garlic, and spring onions (reserve some leaves for garnishing) and mix well, cooking for a minute or two.
3) Add Sriracha/Tabasco sauce, Soy sauce, vinegar, and tomato ketchup. Mix well to combine.
4) Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring continuously. Add little water if the mixture is too dry.
5) Do a taste-test and see if you need salt. Add as needed.
6) Switch off the flame and set sauce aside.
7) Heat oil for frying.
8) Let's prepare the batter for the fritters. Add all purpose flour and corn starch in a bowl. Add in salt, red sauce and mix to combine. Gradually add water as needed. Don't make the batter too thin, as it will not hold to the cauliflower. Don't make it too thick either, or the cauliflowers will not get cooked enough. The batter should be such that it holds on to the florets forming a medium-thick layer.
9) Dip the florets into the batter and fry them. Avoid adding too many at one time of they will stick to one another.
10) Once they have golden spots, remove and set aside on a plate covered with tissue paper.
11) Continue for the remaining florets.
12) Once all the florets have been fried, heat the sauce on a low flame and add the florets. Mix for a minute or two until the cauliflower is well coated with the sauce.
13) Garnish with chopped spring onion leaves and serve!

Gobhi Manchurian makes for a great appetizer or side dish with Fried Rice or Noodles.

Power Packed Spinach Paratha

My favorite pastime during the day is to view YouTube recipe videos and reading food blogs. Favorite pastime during the evening is to think about what dishes I want to make this weekend. At night I snuggle up with a cookbook. You got the idea, I am pretty obsessed with food. During one of the 768958 hours that I was on YouTube, I stumbled across this recipe (among many others) for palak cabbage paratha. I didn't think adding cabbage to the paratha was such a great idea, but since I had some left over, I added it anyway,   and I am so glad I did. It adds a wonderful crunch to the paratha and makes it even more nutritious.

This recipe serves 4.

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour or Atta : 2 cups

Grated Cabbage : 1 cup

Spinach - 2 cups
Green chillies - 2-3, or to taste

Salt - 1 tsp 

Ajwain or Carom Seeds - 0.5 tsp (Optional)

Oil - 1 tbsp

Recipe
1) In a blender, puree spinach leaves and green chillies to a fine paste using very little water.
2) In a large bowl, add flour, grated cabbage, salt, carom seeds, and spinach puree.
3) Start kneading the dough. Be very careful and add water only if you need it. The cabbage will let out a lot of moisture and you also added some water to the spinach puree.
4) Add oil and knead again to coat the dough with oil evenly.
5) Cover and keep the dough aside for 10 minutes.
6) Heat a griddle and make golf size balls of the dough. 
7) Roll the parathas taking care that they are not too thin. Use some flour to prevent the paratha from sticking to the rolling surface.
8) Put the paratha on the griddle and let it cook until small bubbles appear on the surface. Flip it and let it cook until it has brown spots all over the surface. Flip it again and let it cook similarly on the other side. At this point you may choose to apply some oil or butter (ghee) on either or both sides of the paratha.
9) Continue the process for other parathas.

I served these with just pickle and yogurt, since they are so flavorful on their own!

Fast and Easy Weekday Dinner: Rasam Rice

If you've read my previous posts, you are aware of my love for all things South Indian. I remember having Rasam only one or twice during my childhood, and never really made it myself until a year ago. Last winter, I visited a friend who is South Indian and she made Rasam for dinner. It felt so good to have the simple but yet complex spicy-tangy-watery Rasam with rice! So during the next trip to the Indian store, I bought a packet of MTR Rasam Powder. Please note that this is NOT an authentic recipe, and cooks from South Indian homes will be appalled that I am using a store-bought Rasam powder, but this recipe is quick and easy and a great way of cooking up a meal with less time and effort. This is also a great recipe for students or new cooks.

Ingredients
Toor Dal : 4 tablespoons
Oil : 1 tablespoons
Garlic : 3 cloves, finely chopped
Curry Leaves : 4-5
Jaggery: 1 teaspoon
Tomato : 2, finely chopped
Tamarind paste : 1 tablespoon
Red Chilly Powder : 1 teaspoon
Salt : 1.5 teaspoons, or as needed
Rasam Powder (I used MTR's) : 1 tablespoon
Turmeric Powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin Seeds : 1/2 teaspoon
Mustard Seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander Leaves (Optional) : 1/2 cup, finely chopped

Procedure
1) Boil toor daal with 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric and about 3 cups of water until fully cooked and soft.
2) In a pan, boil a cup of water with tamarind paste.
3) When the above mixture starts coming to a boil, add the mashed toor daal, curry leaves, jaggery,  tomatoes, chopped garlic, rasam powder, red chilly powder, and salt.
4) Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. The rasam is supposed to be more on the watery side, so adjust the water as required. 
5) Do a taste-test and add more spice/tamarind/salt as required.
6) In another pan or kadhai, heat 1 tablespoon oil and once it is hot enough, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once they splutter, add the oil into the rasam and mix well.
7) Let it simmer for 6-7 more minutes and if required, add some finely chopped coriander leaves at the end (I was too lazy to do it).

Serve piping hot with rice!

Pumpkin Bread

This is my first attempt of baking with pumpkin and it was surprisingly good. We commonly use pumpkins in India for various curries but I never imagined that flavor with a sweet tinge. I tried the recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook and it turned out amazing. The flavor is not that pumpkin-y and the spices elevate the bread to a whole new level. It is lightly sweet, dense, moist and would go perfectly with a hot cup of coffee. No wonder its one of the most popular recipes during Fall!

This recipe makes 1 loaf.

Ingredients
Sugar : 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon
Pure pumpkin puree : 1 cup
Vegetable (or any other neutral) oil : 1/3 cup
Pure vanilla extract : 1 teaspoon
Eggs : 2
All purpose flour : 1 and 1/2 cup
Baking powder : 1 teaspoon
Baking soda : 1 teaspoon
Salt : 1/2 teaspoon
Pumpkin Pie Spice : 1 tablespoon
Chopped Walnuts : 1/2 cup (optional)

Procedure
1) Heat oven to 350F and grease the loaf pan. In a mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, pumpkin puree, oil, vanilla essence, and eggs.
2) Add all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice and stir just until combined.
3) Stir in chopped walnuts (I forgot to add them to the loaf you see below) and pour into the loaf pan.
4) Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
Let cool completely before slicing.

Note: I like my bread to be less on the sweet side, but if you like it sweeter, add 2-3 tablespoons more sugar to the batter. Chocolate chips and raisins are also very interesting additions to this bread!

Quintessential Street Food : Vada Pav

Ask any person from Bombay, rich or poor, young or old, what they can have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner without any complaints...I bet most people (including me) will say good old Vada Pav! I could describe Vada Pav as "potato fritters sandwiched between buns with chutneys" but that would be an insult to the beloved king of street food. Vada Pav is much more than that - it is a favorite snack for kids, a quick lunch for office going folks, an affordable dinner for laborers and truly a treat for the common man. What makes it so special? It is the burst of flavors at each bite? Or the fact that you can't stop yourself at one? Whatever it is, I have yet to meet person who says he/she doesn't like Vada Pav. I've made these several times for friends on different occasions and it always been a hit. So, thought of sharing the recipe with you all. Hope you benefit from it :)

This recipe will make about 6 Vada Pavs (for us, that's just 2 servings. Greedy? Yes. Ashamed? No.)

Ingredients
For the filling:
Potatoes (I use Yukon Gold) : 5
Chopped Onion : 1/2 cup
Curry Leaves : 4-5
Methi Seeds : 3-4
Mustard Seeds : 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin Seeds : 1/2 teaspoon
Red Chilly Powder : 1 teaspoon, or to taste
Dry Mango Powder (Amchur) : 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder (Haldi) : 1/2 teaspoon
Salt : 1.5 teaspoon, or to taste (divided)
Oil : 2 tablespoons
Garlic cloves, minced : 4
Hing : a pinch
Coriander leaves : about 10-12 springs, washed and chopped.

For the vadas (fritters)
Besan : 1/2 cup
Water: 3 tablespoons, little more or less
Red Chilly Powder : 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric : 1/2 teaspoon
Salt : 1/2 teaspoon
Oil : As needed, for frying

For the Sweet Chutney:
Pitted Dates : 4
Brown Sugar : 1 cup
Salt : 1/2 teaspoon
Black Pepper Powder : 1/2 teaspoon
Tamarind Paste : 1.5 tablespoons

For the Green Chutney:
Chopped Coriander : 1 cup
Chopped Mint : 1/4 cup
Green Chillies : 3-4 (or to taste)
Salt : 1/2 teaspoon
Lemon Juice - 1 tablespoon

For the Dried Garlic Chutney:
Dry Shredded Coconut : 1 cup
Garlic Cloves : 10-12
Dried Red Chillies : 4-5
Tamarind Paste : 1 tablespoon
Salt - 1 teaspoon

Procedure
For the vadas:
1) Boil potatoes with a pinch of salt and when done, peel and mash them. I usually use a pressure cooker to boil them as that's the fastest method.
2) In a pan, add oil and let it heat. Add mustard, methi and cumin seeds and let them crackle.
3) Add a pinch of hing and onions and cook them for a minute or two, until they are pink.
4) Add the minced garlic and curry leaves cook for another minute or two.
5) Add the dry spices (red chilly powder, haldi) and quickly add the mashed potatoes.
6) Give it a good mix and add about a teaspoon of salt (or to taste).
7) Add some dry mango powder and mix again.
8) Let the mixture cook for about 10 minutes on a low flame. Make sure to stir in between to prevent the stuffing from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
9) Add chopped coriander to the mixture and set aside to cool.
10) In the meanwhile, prepare the batter/covering for the vadas. In a bowl, add besan, salt, red chilly powder, turmeric, and salt. Mix well to evenly distribute the ingredients and add water gradually as needed. The batter should not be too thin, otherwise it will not hold on to the filling.
11) Mix well with a whisk to avoid lumps.
12) When the filling has cooled, make even sized balls and set aside.
13) Heat the oil for frying and when it has heated enough (you will know when a small drop of batter dropped in the oil will come right back up), dunk the potato mixture ball into the batter to cover it evenly on all sides and slowly drop it in the oil. Be extra careful when dealing with hot oil!
14) When the vadas are golden brown on all sides, remove them on a plate covered with tissue paper to absorb the extra oil.
15) Continue the process for the remaining vadas.

For the Chutneys:
1) Chutneys look intimidating but are actually the easiest part. Just grind everything listed under the individual chutneys together and you're all set! And if you are not in the mood to make all or any one of the chutneys, you can also use the bottled ones from the Indian Stores.

To Assemble the Vada Pav:
1) Divide the bun into half by slicing through horizontally and apply green chutney on both sides. Then follow up with the sweet tamarind-date chutney and dried garlic one. Usually I use potato/dinner rolls as the Pav but if you can get the traditional Pavs, that would take the awesomeness of this dish just one notch higher.
2) Place the vada between the buns and indulge!
3) I also added roasted green chillies on the side. Just slit the chillies and roast them directly on the flame (slitting is important or chilly tends to burst!)

If this does not make one's mouth water, I honestly don't know what does :)