Aloo Capsicum Sabzi | Dry Sabzi for Roti

Roti-Dal-Sabzi can make me a very happy person.I hear my friends complain all the time about the trouble of kneading the dough,rolling the chapathi and cooking it on the tawa in this blistering Chennai heat,but me,anything is bearable when you are rewarded with warm,soft chapathis,even better when paired with delicious side dishes like these.

When I was pregnant and perennially hungry,I used to make chapathi in bulk and store in the fridge.Whenever hunger pang struck me,I heated up one chapathi,added any sabzi cooked that day on top,rolled and relished.My amma says that's the reason why Arjun loves chapathi :)

Aloo-Capsicum sabzi is a very simple one you can whip up in a jiffy.It is inspired by my friend's cook who made this while we were at her place for dinner one night,along with some Jeera rice and Paneer Makhni.

Aloo-Capsicum Sabzi

Ingredients

Potato - 2 medium,thinly sliced
Capsicum - 1 medium,sliced
Oil - 1 tbsp
Jeera - 1/4 tsp
Onion - 1 medium,finely chopped
Red Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Jeera powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves - 3 tbsp,finely chopped

Method

In a kadai heat oil and splutter jeera.Add onions and saute till it softens lightly.

Add the masala powders and give a quick mix,take care the flame is on low so that the spices do not burn.

Mix in the potato and capsicum,add salt to taste.Mix well so that the spices and salt coat the vegetables well.
Cover and cook on medium heat till the vegetables are cooked.No need to add any water.
Once the vegetables are cooked,open the lid and keep the flame on high so that the vegetables crisp up a bit.Mix in coriander leaves and switch off flame.

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Vegetable Tahiri | Pressure Cooker Rice Recipes

I hadn't come across a recipe named Tahiri before,so when I heard it in UBF,a foodie group in Facebook,I did a double take.I have to admit though,when it comes to rice recipes,I haven't much ventured past the Biryanis,Pulaos and Fried rice.The ease of the recipe as well as the curiosity led to me try this simple rice recipe named Aloo Matar Tahiri,to which I added other vegetables too hence mine is a Vegetable Tahiri.

There are no steps involved-other than to load your cooker and cook for a specific time,and you do not need to supervise it either.Works well for me with a hyper active toddler around!

Vegetable Tahiri

Ingredients

For the marinade

Ghee- 3 tsp
Tomato - 1 chopped
Onion - 1 finely chopped
Bay leaf -2
Ginger garlic paste -1 tsp
Potato - 1/4 cup,chopped
Carrot - 1/4 cup,chopped
Capsicum - 1/4 cup,chopped
Cauliflower - 1/4 cup,chopped
Green peas - 1/4 cup
Yogurt - 1 cup
Salt - 1 tsp
Biryani Masala - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Basmati rice - 1 cup,washed well and soaked for an hour
Mint - 1/4 cup,chopped
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup,chopped
Water - 1/4 cup

Method

Mix together the ingredients for the marinade well.

Place half of it in a pressure cooker - I used a 3ltr Handi cooker.
Layer the rice on top and then the rest of the marinated vegetables and then the mint and coriander.
Sprinkle the water on top.Pressure cook at medium heat{600W if using induction cooktop} for 2 whistles(20 minutes).

Let the cooker cool down and then open,fluff up with a fork and serve hot.

Notes

• If you want to scale up the recipe,go by the number of whistles rather than the cooking time.
• You can add any vegetables of your choice or just stick with aloo and matar{potatoes and green peas}

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Malai Kofta - North Indian Side Dishes

When you think of a rich,creamy North Indian gravy,many dishes come to mind.Malai Kofta does feature somewhere in the first three.With a mildly spiced kofta dunked in a creamy gravy,it makes for a perfect side dish with roti or pulao.Unfortunately,not many prefer the taste and being the lone vegetarian in the group,I have to look out for commonly liked dishes so that at least some of it is shared!

I'd made a cheat's version sometime back but always wanted to try out the real thing.Before I get into the recipe and ingredients,I want to confess something.Though this one tasted great,it wasn't THE Malai kofta I was looking for.If you are wondering why else I am putting up the recipe if I am not satisfied with it completely,it is only because this indeed is a good recipe which yields great results.I was trying to recreate something I'd eaten in a restaurant in Bangalore and in that way,it hasn't given me full satisfaction.

Malai Kofta,the name itself suggests how rich the curry is.Mildly spiced vegetables/potato/paneer is fried and dunked into a gravy which is rich with the addition of cream and nuts,it really is an indulgent gravy.

I made up the recipe as I went adding ingredients of my choice and liking.Also,I used my paniyaram pan to make the koftas rather than deep frying them.Contradicting the name,I haven't added any cream to the gravy as I felt the addition of the nuts paste made it quite rich,so I added milk instead.I'd made some Paneer Kulchas to pair with the curry and the combo tasted delicious.I am still looking for recipes,so you can expect some more Malai kofta recipes in Easycooking in the coming days :)
Malai Kofta

Ingredients

For the kofta

Paneer - 100gms,grated
Potatoes -3 medium,mashed and grated
Capsicum - 2 tbsp,chopped (optional)
Carrots - 2 medium,grated
Onion - 2 tbsp,chopped
Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Cornflour - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Mixed nuts - 2 tbsp,I used Cashew and Almonds
Oil as required to make the kofta

For the gravy

Almonds - 10-12,soaked in 2 tbsp milk
Oil/ghee - 1 tbsp
Whole garam masala - 1 bayleaf,1' stick cinnamon,3 cloves,2 cardamom
Onions - 2 medium,ground to a paste
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Tomatoes - 2 big,pureed
Red chilly powder - 3/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 3/4 tsp
Haldi powder - 1/4 tsp
Jeera powder - 1/4 tsp
Milk/cream - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Kasoori methi - 1 tbsp

For garnish

Grated paneer - 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves,chopped - 1 tbsp
Almonds - 1 tbsp,thinly sliced

Method

For the kofta 
 
Mix together all the ingredients mentioned for the kofta except the nuts.Knead it to form a smooth ball.
 
Take a tablespoon full of the mixture into your palms and flatten it.Keep a little crushed nuts in between and close it all over forming a smooth ball.Repeat with the rest of the kofta mixture.
At this point,you could either deep fry the koftas in hot oil until brown or use a paniyaram pan to cook the koftas.
 
Heat the paniyaram pan and add 1/4 tsp of oil in each of the holes.Place one kofta in each and let it cook on one side.Flip over and cook the other side as well.Drain into a paper towel and repeat with rest of the koftas.

For the gravy 
  
Soak the almonds in warm milk and grind to a smooth paste,reserve.
 
In a deep kadai add oil/ghee and saute the whole garam masala.Mix in the ground onions and saute till it starts changing colour.Mix in the ginger garlic paste and tomato puree.Stir and let it come to a boil.
 
Add the spice powders-red chilly,coriander,haldi and jeera powder.
 
Mix in the almond paste and milk and cook the gravy for 3-4 minutes.
 
Add salt to taste,garam masala and crushed kasoori methi.Cook the gravy further for 2-3 minutes and then switch off the flame.

For garnish - Place the koftas in a serving dish and pour the prepared gravy on top.Garnish with grated paneer,coriander leaves and chopped almonds.Serve hot.

Notes

• Make the koftas and the gravy before hand and mix only before serving.Or else the koftas may get soggy.
• If you want to add cream,do so in place of milk.
• You can make koftas using only paneer and potatoes.Adding vegetables is a personal choice.

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Anjum's Indian Vegetarian Feast- Cookbook Review & Best Ever Bombay Potatoes Recipe

If you've watched Anjum Anand's show Indian food made easy on TLC,you'd understand it when I say she makes cooking look so easy,more so when it comes to Indian dishes.There are so many intricate and time-consuming,please note I didn't say complicated,dishes in our cuisine which we find excuses not to cook.But in this show she shows people(mostly people in the UK)how easy and quick it is  to whip up an Indian dish.

When I received the book from MySmartPrice for a book review,I wasn't sure if the book is as good as the show.But after going through the book for almost 2 weeks now,I can safely say the book is as good,if not better,than the show.Detailed explanations,stunning pictures and step by step pictures for slightly difficult to master dishes,it is a wonderful book to own.

One thing which I found amusing is the number of recipes with eggs.Somehow I had assumed that the name Vegetarian Feast meant only vegetarian recipes.But obviously it is not so.Different people have different perspectives,so I am going to brush it aside.
About the author - Anjum Anand grew up in London but has lived and studied in Geneva,Paris and Madrid.She has worked in restaurants in New York,Los Angeles and New Delhi,but her love is delicious,stylish and healthy modern Indian food that is simple enough to cook at home.She is based in London and has presented two series of 'Indian Food Made Easy' and now has her own range of Indian sauces-The Spice Tailor.

In the introduction page,Anjum shares how she was raised by a vegetarian mother and a non-vegetarian father.She finds it a funny twist of fate that she got married to a vegetarian who comes from a generation of vegetarians!She admits some of the recipes are 'just hanging by a home-spun cotton thread to an Indian heritage but are too delicious not be included'.

A peep into the Indian Vegetarian Pantry section includes most of the ingredients necessary to whip up exciting,nourishing vegetarian food.Notes on different kinds of pulses,spices,grains,nuts and seeds.Also tips on how to roast spices and how to make paneer.

Some interesting recipes which include Keralan-inspired banana pancakes with peanut butter,Melon & Ginger Sharbat,Steamed Nepalese Momos(with step by step pictures),Mile-high Chickpea Burgers with Indian Coleslaw,PLT-Indian vegetarian version of BLT-Paneer lettuce tomato sandwich,Juhu-beach Pau Bhaji,Rogan Mushroom,a take on vegetarian version of Rogan Josh,Wild-Mushroom biryani(which looks gorgeous!)and many more.

The Dessert section though has only a few recipes,considering how varied and rich our desserts are.Cardamom Kulfi is perhaps the lone 'Indian' dessert in that section.

I wanted to try out either the Mumbai Bhelpuri,Juhu Pau bhaji or the Bombay Potatoes and chose the latter.I have heard a lot about the dish and couldn't wait to see how different it was from our usual potato favorites.Anjum says it goes well with rotis and rice and it does.I felt it was a Mumbai-yya take on the humble Urulai roast!

Best Ever Bombay Potatoes
Recipe source - Anjum's Indian Vegetarian Feast

Ingredients

Potatoes - 3 large
Ginger - 10 gms,peeled
Garlic cloves - 3,peeled
Tomatoes - 2,one quartered and the other cut into wedges
Oil - 2 tbsp
Jeera/cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Onion - 1 medium,roughly chopped
Haldi/turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Jeera powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
handful of chopped coriander leaves

Method

 
Cook the potatoes in salted water for about 4-5 whistles in a pressure cooker.The potatoes should be just rightly cooked,not too mushy.Peel and chop into medium cubes.
Blend together ginger,garlic and quartered tomatoes to a smooth paste.
 
In a kadai add oil and splutter cumin seeds and mustard seeds.Mix in the onion and saute for a minute.Add the ginger garlic tomato paste and saute for 2-3 minutes.
 
Add the ground spices-haldi,coriander,jeera,garam masala and red chilly powder,along with salt to taste and saute till the raw smell of the masala and garlic subsides.
 
Now add the tomato wedges and cook for 2-3 minutes.Tip in the potatoes and  cook for a further 4-5 minutes till the potatoes absorb the masalas.  
Mix in the chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Indian Tea Biscuits is what I am going to try next!

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Kananga Phodi ~ Tawa-fried Sweet Potatoes | Konkani Recipes

I am a sweet potato addict.Yes,after ignoring this root vegetable for a long time,I am falling in love with it and actually obsessing over it to be honest.Thanks to my sister-in-law who introduced this simple recipe to me,which finds its way into our lunch menu at least once in week(sometimes more!).Crisp on the outside and soft and buttery inside,ah this makes for a good starter too and a no-fry one at that,how cool!

I remember,once while we were in Bangalore,ma-in-law prepared a sweet dish with sweet potato,well not exactly a dessert,but it was sweet and mushy and I just couldn't bring myself to eat it.Nevertheless,it is considered a very popular way of eating it.Just pressure cook peeled sweet potatoes with jaggery and a pinch of cardamom.I am told it tastes delicious:)

My maid gave me another suggestion to cook with this one,which would be very similar to the above method,but here in Tamilnadu,Sakkara Valli Kizhangu,as it is locally named is just boiled with salt and had as a healthy snack.

Kananga Phodi - Tawa fried Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

Sweet Potatoes - 2-3
Red chilly powder - 2 tbsp
Hing/Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Gram flour/kadalamavu - 1 tbsp
Rice flour - as required
Oil - 1-2 tbsp

Method

 
Peel the sweet potatoes and immerse in water to prevent browning.
Cut into thin round slices-not too thin as it would make the phodi too crisp.
Mix in red chilly powder,salt,hing and gram flour.Sprinkle 1-2 tsp water and marinate the potatoes for 20-30 minutes.
 
In a small plate add rice flour-enough to coat the potatoes.Dip the marinated potatoes in the rice flour so that both the sides are coated with the flour.
In a tawa,add oil and layer the potatoes.Keep the flame on high and sprinkle 1-2 tbsp of water and cover with a lid.Cook for 2-3 minutes.
 
Open the lid and cook on the other side too.

Remove and drain on a tissue paper.Serve hot with rice and dal/sambhar.

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Homemade Potato Chips | Easy Snacks Recipes

Long back,we had a newly-wed couple over for dinner and amma had made an elaborate meal for them.They arrived at tea-time so were treated with an array of snacks with tea which included Aloo bonda and homemade Banana chips.After having a bite,the husband asked his wife about her culinary skills and she was a bit amused and said,please don't expect me to cook 'that'looking at the chips.All of us had a hearty laugh.

Thinking back,I myself would not venture into making chips at home.Primarily because it is too much effort for something which is addictive and pretty much gets over sooner than the time it takes to make it and secondly because good quality chips are available in the market which we can buy when we fancy eating chips,which is very rarely.

But amma is amma and she will never settle for store-bought chips.So this time,she made some potato chips-just like that.I would have settled for Lays in the given time!All I had to do was to take pics as she peeled the potatoes,kept the oil for heating and got her 'chips machine' ready.Off it went straight into the hot oil and in less than 20 minutes,we had a batch of yummy homemade potato chips ready!

Homemade Jackfruit Chips | Homemade Banana Chips

Homemade Potato Chips

Ingredients

Potato - 1 kg
Oil - 1/2 ltr ( we used coconut oil )
Red chilly powder - 2 tbsp
Salt - 1 tbsp
Hing/Asafetida - 1 tsp

Method

Peel the potatoes.Wash and wipe them dry on a kitchen towel.
 
Make a dry mix of red chilly powder,salt and hing/asafetida.
 
In a kadai heat the oil to smoking point.
Using a chips machine slice the potatoes straight into the hot oil.Do not crowd the pan.
Stir lightly as the potatoes start to crisp up-will take anywhere between 5-7 minutes depending on the size of the pan and the temperature of the oil.
 
When the potatoes become golden brown and the edges become crisp remove the chips using a slotted spoon draining off as much oil as possible.
Immediately add a tsp or so of the dry mix spice powder and shake the chips.Repeat with rest of the potatoes.
Store in an airtight container.

 
Notes

• Maintain the temperature of the oil consistently for evenly fried chips.
• If you do not have a chips machine,slice the potatoes as thinly as possible and fry-it might take longer to fry if the chips are not thin.
• You can make a plain salted version too if you don't like adding chilly powder.

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Kashmiri Dum Aloo | North Indian Side Dishes

I was introduced to Baby Potato curry by my friend Mary's mom.During those days of our combine talking studies,she used to make scrumptious meals of Fried Rice,Ghee Rice with Chicken for others and Baby Potato Masala for myself.Sometimes it would be just plain fried rice and Dates pickle.

I have tried several variations of baby potato curries and always wanted to try the Dum Aloo version.Cooking in Dum is an interesting method  wherein the marinated vegetables with spices/gravy is cooked in a pan with the lid sealed in with a flour paste so that the flavor is locked in and is absorbed by the vegetables.

Many recipes I checked(including this one)called for the potatoes to be fried first and then added to the curry with the skin on.Firstly,I am wary of frying potatoes and secondly,I already had a batch of pressure cooked potatoes in my fridge,so went ahead with that.You could follow the original version or my cheats version without compromising on the taste.

Kashmiri Dum Aloo
Recipe source - Tarla Dalal's Popular Restaurant Gravies

Ingredients

Baby Potatoes - 20-25(some were very tiny,so 15-20 medium ones would work fine too)
Oil - 1 tbsp,divided
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Cream/Full fat milk - 2 tbsp
Fresh Coriander leaves - 3 tbsp,chopped
Kasoori Methi - 1/2 tsp,crushed


For the Basic Dum Aloo gravy

To be ground into a paste
Onions - 1 cup,roughly chopped
Green chilly - 1,chopped
Ginger - 1' piece
Garlic - 3 cloves
Red chillies - 2,chopped
Cashewnuts - 4-5
Haldi powder - 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Black peppercorns - 1/2 tsp
Water - 1/3 cup

For the Tomato Puree
Tomatoes - 2 cups,roughly chopped
Water - 1 1/2 cups

Method


 
 
Grind the masala with the ingredients given to a smooth paste,keep aside.
 
Combine the tomatoes and water in a broad pan and cook on a medium flame for 10-12 minutes or till they tun soft.
Cool and blend in a mixer til smooth.Strain and keep aside.
 
Boil and peel the potatoes.In a kadai add 1 tsp of oil and roast the potatoes on a slow flame until they turn brown and become slightly crisp on the outside.Remove from the pan.
 
In the same kadai add remaining oil(2 tsp) and saute the ground masala.When it comes to a boil add garam masala and the tomato puree.Stir well and let it come to a boil.
 
Mix in salt,sugar and the roasted potatoes.
 
Cover with a lid and let it cook for 4-6 minutes.Add coriander leaves and cream/milk and switch off the flame.Just before serving add crushed kasoori methi on top.

Notes

• Dum Aloo pairs well with any Indian breads like Roti,Butter Naan and even pooris,as well as mixed rice like Pulao or Ghee Rice.
• The gravy thickens as it cools down,so if you are serving it with rotis,make sure you have enough gravy as you are switching off the flame.
• I used leftover dum aloo as a starter by roasting the remaining pieces which had dried up and were coated well with the masala.

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