Aloo gobi (dry)

Aloo gobi 

Aloo Gobi is a classic dry vegetarian Punjabi side dish made with Aloo (potatoes) and gobi (cauliflower) mixed with spices and stir fried.You can add mutter in the same recipe to make aloo gobi mutter.This simple dry curry goes wonderfully with roti or dal tadka and rice.

                                                              

Grind tomato,onion and chili to thick paste

       
        Ingredients (serves 2-3)

• Potato cubes (1 cup)
• Cauliflower florets (1 cup)
• Salt as per Taste
• Coriander powder (1Teaspoons)
• Garam masala( 1Teaspoons)
• Tomato (1 medium size)
• Red chili powder (1Teaspoons)
• Turmeric powder (1/2Teaspoons)
• Ginger-garlic paste (1Teaspoons)
• Cumin seeds (½ Teaspoon)
• Oil (2-3 tablespoons)
• Onion (1 medium size)
• Asafetida (¼ tsp)
• Green chili (1)
• Amchur powder (1/2 Teaspoons)
• Chopped coriander leaves (handful)

                                                            

Prepare gravy 

        
        Method of preparation

• Coarsely grind tomato, onion and green chili in a blender and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan, sauté cumin seeds, ginger-garlic paste,turmeric powder and asafetida for a minute.
• Then into the pan add tomato, onion and green chili paste cook for a minute or two.
• Now add rest of spices like coriander powder,amchoor powder and chili powder sauté and cook .
• Add very little water if required then add potatoes, cauliflower, garam masala and salt.
• Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.
• Put off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve hot with rice or roti.

        Happy Cooking !                               

Add seasoning to gravy then add veggies

       

Masala Tendli talasani

‘Talasani’ are the dishes prepared by shallow frying the vegetables in oil.So water should not be used at any point.Tendli (Ivy gourd) talasani is the konkani dish prepared by stir frying tendli in oil,it is very easy to make and amazingly delicious dish.Me and my aai are big fan of this dish.

The original recipe of this dish is very simple which my mother taught me but I have added some spices in the dish to make it more chatpata (tasty).Hot rice,a simple dal and fried ivy gourd is a complete meal i would cherish anytime.

Talasani tastes best if coconut oil is used as it imparts a very nice flavor to the dish.However coconut oil is not a must and any other cooking oil can be used.The flavor of the tendli,oil and seasonings used takes these tiny gourds to another level.

                                                   

Tendli cut into long pieces and apply salt 

        
        Ingredients

• Ivy gourds/ tendli 2 cups (cut in long pieces)
• Red chili powder (1tsp)
• Turmeric powder (½ tsp)
• Coconut Oil (3-4 tablespoons)
• Chat masala powder (½ tsp)
• Coriander powder (½ tsp)
• Jeera powder (½ tsp)
• Lemon juice (1-2 tsp)
• Salt (as per taste)

        Method of preparation 

• Wash tendli well.Remove both the ends and cut into long  pieces.
• Apply salt(as per taste)and set aside for 10 minutes.
• In a kadhai, heat oil and transfer the tendli into it.
• On the medium flame fry them slowly,uncovered.Stir them in between.
• When they are half done add chili powder,turmeric powder,chat masala powder,jeera powder,coriander powder and mix well.Now fry them for some more time on low medium flame.
• When the tendli(ivy gourd)turns crispy brown and cooked well sprinkle some lemon juice.Mix well.
• Put off the flame.Serve hot with rice and dal.

      Note

• These should be fried on low medium flame.If they are not fried till they become crispy brown they remain tender from inside and do not taste good.
• While selecting the tendli for talasani all the ripe ones should be discarded as it will not taste good.
• If you like to make simple version of this dish the just add salt,chilli powder and turmeric powder to the dish and omit all the other ingredients.

        Happy cooking!

Paneer makhani / Paneer makhanwala

                                                         

Paneer makhani (makhanwala)

Paneer makhani or Paneer makhanwala recipe is a dish where paneer in simmered tomato cashew gravy, topped with milk cream. One of the simplest & popular Indian paneer recipes that can be made easily by a beginner. It can be served with naan, roti, paratha or with biryani rice or jeera rice.

This recipe is made with very few ingredients and uses no onion making it distinct from the butter paneer or paneer butter masala. This makhani dish becomes rich with an addition of few cashews and cream. Cashews can be optional and doesn’t affect the taste much since cream is used. To get the right taste i suggest sticking on to the quantities mentioned.Fully ripened red tomatoes and a good quality chilli powder that is not very hot contribute to the best color of the gravy.

       Ingredients (serves 4)

• 8 to 10 cashews
• 2 cups tomatoes (around 250 Gms)
• 200 Gms paneer
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 2 green cardamoms
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• 1 green chili slit
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• Salt as per taste
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 tsp garam masala
• ¼ tsp kasuri methi (crushed)
• 2-3 tablespoons milk cream.

      Method of preparation

• Soak cashews in hot water for 5 minutes. Meanwhile chop the tomatoes.
• Add tomatoes and cashews in a blender. Blend to a smooth puree.
• Heat butter in a frying pan. Add slit chili, cardamoms, cloves and small cinnamon stick.
• When they begin to sizzle, add ginger garlic paste. Saute for a minute or two.
• Pour the tomato puree in the pan. Cover the pan and continue to cook until the tomato puree thickens.
• Now add red chili powder and salt. Stir and cook until it begins to leave the sides. You can adjust more or less chili powder as per your taste.
• Next is the time to add garam masala.Mix well then add about 1 cup water, sugar and mix.
• Cover and cook on a medium flame until the gravy thickens.
• Add paneer to the gravy. Sprinkle crushed kasuri methi over it.
• Gently stir, cover and cook on a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Lastly add milk cream to the dish and stir gently.
• Serve hot with rice or Indian bread.

       

        Happy cooking!

Whole wheat pav (pao)

Whole wheat pav

Pav or bread rolls are very popular in almost all the parts of India mostly because of recipes like pav bhaji,vada pav,bhurji pav,missal pav etc.Pav means a small loaf of bread, this word has been derived from pão a Portuguese word for bread. Portuguese were the first one to bring yeast to india, which produced the doubled bread loaves. 

The art of bread making is a legacy which came to goa by the Portuguese.The Goan pão is a culinary masterpiece.Growing up in the Goa we had no use for the alarm clock.Our early morning wake up call was in the form of typical horn Ponk! Ponk! by poder on his bicycle.It was part of being goan and the the tradition still continues.

I always wanted to bake my own bread but I wanted healthier version of it. I planned to prepare famous goan dish chicken xacuti today which is served with pav. Pav with xacuti is the perfect combination instead of roti or chapati.

Being a doctor by profession I know the unhealthy effects of refined flour so I tried the healthy version of ladi pav using wheat flour. No butter or milk or eggs used in the recipe which makes it even healthier.The pav had a great soft texture and my hubby was also delighted.I made smaller buns instead of bigger ones.Nothing beats a homemade pav in terms of taste, texture and hygiene.

                                       

Yeast soaked in water and sugar 

        
        Ingredients ( serves 8-10 pav)

• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1.5 cup water
• ½ tbsp dry active yeast
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt                                                                                                                                            

  

  Mix all the ingredients and knead the dough 

        Method of preparation

• Warm the water. 
• Dissolve sugar in the water.
• Sprinkle the yeast and stir.
• Keep aside for 10 minutes or till the yeast bubbles up and froths.
• While the proofing is happening, sieve the flour with salt.
• Add the oil to the flour.
• Now add the frothy yeast.
• First mix everything, and then start kneading the dough.
• The dough has to be smooth and light. Grease the dough with oil.
• Keep in a large bowl and cover loosely with kitchen napkin.
• Keep aside for around 2 hours until the dough doubles up.
• If it requires keep aside for some more minutes. Take the dough on a lightly floured surface. This naturally deflates the dough.
• Now make balls from the dough. Shape the balls into circular shape and place these on the greased pan.
• To get the ladi pav, keep some gap between the pav.
• You can also make small buns and let these bake separately without touching each other.
• Cover again loosely with the kitchen napkin and let it rise again for about 30-40 minutes till it fully doubled up.
• Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C and bake for around 35-40 minutes till you get the pav are all done and baked.                                                       

Round dough balls kept in  greased tray for baking

         Note

• You can also brush the pav with oil or melted butter once they are baked to give them a glaze. 

         

        Happy baking !

                                                                             

Pav ready after baking 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Chum Chum (Bengali Sweet)

                                                        

Chum Chum 

Chum chum  also known as chom chom or cham cham is one of the other Bengali delicacies apart from rasgulla, sandesh and rasmalai. Oval shaped chena  balls are cooked in sugar syrup just like the rasgulla.Then garnished in different ways.Few variations of the garnishings are to stuff with mawa/khoya or dunk them in rabri or just serve them with coconut garnish.

Unlike the rasgulla this is not served with sugar syrup, so the sugar syrup can be reused for other recipes like gulab jamuns. Commercially sold chum chum are colorful as food colors are used while preparing. Since I do not prefer colors, I have not used. If you want to make chum chum colorful, then you can add few drops of it while kneading the chena.

Once my husband’s friend had brought this bengali sweet in the office from Kaka halwai in pune; my hubby had liked its taste very much.Hubby has a sweet tooth and it was his demand to make this dessert.Today I had around a litre of milk extra in my fridge. I remembered this recipe and thought of giving it a try.I prepared this recipe for the first time and it was ultimate in taste and shape.

                                                           

Chena mixed with semolina

        Ingredients

        To make chena

• 1 litres or 4 cups full fat milk
• 2 to 4 tsp lemon juice or vinegar diluted with 4 tsp water
• Semolina (1 tsp)

                                                          

Oval chena balls

        For the sugar syrup 

• 1 ¼ cup sugar
• 3 ¼ cups of water
• ¼ tsp cardamom powder

                                                       

Chena balls cooking in sugar syrup

        For filling

• 4 tbsp mawa/khoya
• 1 tbsp sugar (powdered, adjust to suit your taste)
• Chopped dry fruits (1-2 tablespoon)
• Few strands of kesar
• Cardamom powder (1/4 tsp)  

                                                           

Ingredients to make  filling

        For garnishing

• Few pistachios and desiccated coconut.                                                                                             

                                                               

Khoya filling is ready

                                                   

        Method of preparation

• Boil milk on a medium flame. Add diluted lemon juice to the pot and stir. Use as needed until the milk curdles completely.
• Add ice cubes or ice cold water to the curdled milk. Drain it off to a muslin cloth.
• Rinse it under running water. Squeeze excess water from the chena.
• Hang it for about 1 hour.
• Knead it well for 3 to 4 minutes until smooth. Add semolina to kneaded chena .Make equal sized oval shaped balls.
• Make sugar syrup by adding sugar and water to a pot. Bring it to a boil. When it begins to boil, then add cardamom powder and cham cham balls.
• Cover and cook on a moderately high heat for 8 to 10 minutes.
• After a while, transfer the cham cham to a plate and cool completely.
• Slit them length wise using a knife (do not cut into half)
• Make mawa stuffing by mixing mawa with powdered sugar,kesar,chopped dry fruits and cardamom powder.
• Stuff the cham cham with this mawa mixture.Garnish the cham cham with pistachios and desiccated coconut.
• Serve chilled.                                                                                                                                       

  

  Slit the chum chum in the middle

      Note

• Do not boil the chum chum on a low flame, they may not puff up.
• Do not overcook; they can turn rubbery and hard.
• If you do not knead the chena properly,chums chum might break while cooking in the syrup.
• Filling of the chum chum can be personal choice.
• Some people also use kewda or rose flavor to sugar syrup in which chena balls are boiled.

        Happy Cooking !