Bharwa Turai

 

#turai #ridgegourd #bharwaturai #vegetablescookeddifferently #chatpatiturai #stuffedturai #stuffedvegetables

Ingredients: 2 turais (approx 200gm) peeled, 2 tbsp roasted groundnut powder, 1/2 tbsp fennel seeds, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 2 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chilly powder, 2 tsp dry mango powder or amchur, salt to taste, 1 tbsp oil, 3/4 tbsp sesame seeds, 1 tsp garam masala

Preparation Time: 25 min (serves 4 as a side dish)

Recipe:

1. Slit the turai from center vertically, such that it remains intact (not cut in two halves). Now, cut 2 inch big pieces out of it (as shown in the picture). Keep aside.

2. In a mixer pot, add groundnut powder, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, chilly powder, amchur and salt. Ground it to a very fine mixture. The filling/ stuffing is ready.

3. Now, heat a wide mouth kadhai/ pan and add oil. Keep the gas at low. In the meantime, fill the stuffing in the open slits of turai pieces. Gently press it inside. You might have observed that we haven't used any specific binding agent like besan or maida or some liquid - the reason being turai has a high water content level to retain this stuffing. So not to worry about the mixture falling apart.

4. Add the sesame seeds to the oil. Once they splutter, add garam masala and a pinch of turmeric powder to give a good color to the outer skin of turai. Now, immediately place the stuffed pieces of turai in the kadhai. Speed matters or else garam masala would turn black and you may need to redo everything. If you are not very quick or confident, I would recommend to first place the stuffed turai and then add garam masala and turmeric powder.

5.  If any extra filling remains, liberally add it to the kadhai.

6. Now, keep the flame medium and sprinkle about 1 tsp of salt over the pieces evenly. Cover with lid. After 2- 3 minutes, check on the pieces. Turn them gently and cover again. Keep checking intermittently on them until they are cooked. They are cooked when a tooth pick/ or knife can be easily pierced through. 

7. Plate it by garnishing with coriander leaves and a dash of lemon juice. You may eat it cold as well coupled with dashmi or fulka or chapati!       

Masala guar/ gawar/ cluster beans

 

#guar #gawar #clusterbeans #beans #veggies #masala

Ingredients: 2.5 cups of diced guar or cluster beans (approx 200gms), 1 tomato chopped, 1 onion finely chopped, 1 green chilly finely chopped, 2 tsp turmeric powder, 1-2 tsp red chilli powder, 2-3 tsp dhania powder, salt to taste, 2 tsp roasted groundnut powde, 1 tbsp oil, 2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp asafoetida, 5-7 curry leaves, water

Preparation Time: 10 min ( serves 4)

Recipe:

1. Heat a pressure cooker (1 ltr size works fine). Add oil to it and heat on medium flame for half a minute. Then add mustard seeds followed by asafoetida, curry leaves and green chilly. 

2. To this add the onion and saute well till golden (or become translucent). Now, add the tomatoes and cover with a lid temporarily. (Tip: Typically, when you add tomatoes in the seasoning, there are vapors that get released. These vapors also carry flavor of the seasoning. Therefore, it is recommended that you cover with a lid. The lid retains the flavors in the cooking vessel only. This holds true in all other cases/ vegetable preparations)

3. Cook for 2 min till the oil oozes out from tomatoes as well and tomatoes shrink. You may turn the gas low. To this add the chopped guar/ cluster beans. Mix well.

4. Now, add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, dhania powder and salt to taste. Mix well. Let the oil come out of the mixture. Now, add water little by little (about a cup or so) only till all the ingredients get soaked. (You should know how the pressure cooker performs i.e. if it requires more water or less to cook.) There should be enough water to give it a thick gravy kinds texture and not flowing water. After that add the groundnut powder and bring it to boil.

5. Close the lid of the cooker and pressure cook with two whistles.

6. The masala guar is ready. Serve it hot with garmagaram fulkas or chapatis!

Tips: You may also reduce the quantity of cluster beans and add some capsicum, bottle and ridge gourd to make it a masala mix veg.

 

Veg patiala

#veg #patiala #veggies #papad #vegpatiala

Ingredients: 2 onions roughly chopped, 6-8 cashews, 1/2 cup diced french beans, 1/2 cup diced carrots, 1/2 cup florets of cauliflower, 1/4 cup green peas, 1/4 cup paneer cubes, 2 udat papads, 2 tsp kasuri methi, 1/2 cup cream, 2-3 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp red chilli powder, salt to taste, 1 tsp asafoetida, 2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tbsp grated paneer, 1 1/2 tbsp ghee, oil to fry papad, 2-4 tbsp milk

Preparation Time: 25 min (prepares for 6)

Recipe:

1. Saute the onions and cashews dry in a pan till they become golden and grind both to paste.

2. In a shallow pan, add a tbsp of ghee. To this, add the cauliflower, carrots, beans, peas and salt to taste and mix well. Cover with lid and allow cooking of the vegetables. Do not over- cook the veggies. They should remain crunchy. Once cooked, remove the veggies in a bowl and keep aside.

3. In the pan, add the remaining ghee and heat for seasoning. Now add mustard seeds and asafoetida. Upon cracking, add the paste of onion and cashews and stir well on low gas till the ghee oozes out from the corners. Now, add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and garam masala to this and mix well. Let the spices cook well. In the meantime, beat the cream (I use the mixer pot - it gives a smooth texture as well as drives away the smell of onion that was ground earlier). Add this to the pan and stir continuously for half a minute. 

4. Add 2 tbsp milk and mix well. Bring the curry to a boil. Add salt to taste to the curry.

5. Now, add all the cooked vegetables to this mixture. Allow cooking and mixing of the flavors by tossing slightly. The mixture should not have running gravy yet it should not be too thick. The consistency should be such that the mixture can be easily spread over. If it is too thick, then add a tbsp or more of milk. Add the paneer cubes to this and turn well. Add kasuri methi to this, mix well and cover with lid.

6. While the vegetables' curry is simmering, deep fry the papads. You can cut them into halves and then fry. Keep aside the fried papads.

7. It's time to dish! In a serving bowl, add a layer of one papad. Over this layer, evenly spread half of the veg curry prepared in the form of a layer. Then, place a layer of second papad. Over this, again evenly spread the layer of the veg curry. 

8. Garnish with grated paneer and serve it hot! Veg patiala tastes great with kulchas or lachha parathas.

  

Lauki kofta curry

  #lauki #kofta #veggies #curry                        #koftacurry #vareityfood

Ingredients: 200gm grated and squeezed lauki/ bottle gourd (not using the centre part), 1 onion, 1 tomato, 2-3 cloves of garlic, 2 cardamoms, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 green chilli, 3 tsp garam masala, a pinch of turmeric powder( for curry) + 2 tsp turmeric powder (for kofta balls), 1/2 tbsp oil + oil for frying koftas, 1 tsp red chilli powder, salt to taste, 1 tbsp bengal gram flour/ corn flour, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp fresh cream (malai)

Preparation Time: 20 min

Recipe:

1. Take some oil for frying koftas in a deep small pan (so that you do not use much oil) and keep it for heating.

2. In the meantime, take the grated and squeezed lauki in a bowl, add 2 tsp turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt to taste. Mix well. Now add the flour in tranches a nd keep mixing. If you are able to make balls loosely, then no need to add more flour else keep adding. Fry the balls/ koftas till golden on low gas only (this should take 5-7 minutes).

3. Now, in a pan, saute onion, garlic, green chilli and cumin seeds for 2 min. Shift them to a mixer pot, add ginger paste and tomato pieces to it and grind them to a fine puree.

4. In another pan, heat half  tbsp oil to prepare the curry. Add the puree to this and stir properly for 2-3 minutes on low- medium flame till oil oozes out. In the meantime, blend the cream and keep aside.

5. To the pan, add the garam masala, a pinch of turmeric powder and salt to taste. Mix it properly and allow cooking for sometime till oil oozes out from the gravy. Now, add the cream to this and stir continuously until the mixture boils. Now add 1.5 cups water to this (check salt) and a tsp of sugar too. Stir it well and check the consistency. If still thick, add some more water.

6. do not add koftas to the curry. Serve it hot with a tbsp of curry/ gravy poured over the koftas! garnish it with tomato slices and coriander.

Besan k gatte/ gatta

#gatta #dal_baati #gate_ki_sabzi #variety #sabzi #gatta_with_a_twist

 

Ingredients: 2 cups of gram flour, 2 tsp turmeric powder and red chilli powder each, salt to taste, 1 tbsp oil, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp asafoetida, 1 green chillies chopped, 1 tsp red chilli powder and turmeric powder each for gravy, 2 tsp amchur or dry mango powder, 1 tsp garam masala, ½ cup finely chopped coriander, 1/2 cup medium sized green bell pepper diced, 1 cup onion diced  

Preparation time: 30 min


Recipe:

1. Take the gram flour in a mixing bowl. Add 2 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp red chilli powder, 1/4 tbsp oil, 1 tsp cumin seeds and salt to taste. Add water in parts to make extremely (in order to make rolls) tight dough as shown in pic. Keep it aside for 5 min to mix all the flavours.

2.  Take the dough and apply 1/4 tbsp oil to it and massage it properly. If it is proper tight, it will not stick to your hand. However, if it sticks, then sprinkle some wheat flour and massage properly.

3. Heat 4 cups water and bring it to boil. In the meantime, make 4-5 portions of the dough and roll them out on platform with your palms to approx. 15 cm long pipes. Add these rolls to the boiling water (if too long cut them to halves). Cover with a lid and allow boiling for 15 min. Check if cooked (with a knife, if the tip easily goes throw and comes out clean, then the besan rolls or gatta are cooked) else allow cooking for some more time. If cooked, sieve the gattas and allow cooling to cut the rolls in 1.5 cm sized gattas.

4. In the meantime, in another pan, add 1/2 tbsp. oil and heat for seasoning. Now, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida to this. Allow popping for 1/2 a min. then add onion to this and sauté till golden in color.

5. After this, add capsicum to it, saute and allow cooking for 3-4 min until capcisum changes its color.

6. Add garam masala, 1 tsp of turmeric and red chilli powder each, amchur powder and mix well. keep the gas on low flame and allow cooking for 2 min.

7. Add the gattas to this and mix well. Add 3-4 cups of water and salt to taste. Cover with lid and allow cooking for 5 min.

8. Serve it hot garnished with coriander! TAstes great when coupled with fulkas or parathas.

Begun bhaja

#varietybaingandishes #brinjal #eggplant. #bengalistyle

Ingredients: 4-5 long purple brinjals slit in four vertically, 1 lemon's juice, 1 tbsp poppy seeds, 2 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder, salt to taste, oil to fry, jiravan powder/ salt n red chilli powder mix as sprinkler, oil to deep fry

Preparation time: 25min

Recipe:

1. Put the pieces in a platter and add red chilli powder, turmeric powder n salt over it. Add the lemon juice and mix all well. Add poppy seeda and toss the brinjal pieces thoroughly. Allow marination for 15-20 min.

2. Take a deep pan and heat oil for deep frying. Add 2-4 pieces of the marinated brinjals and deep fry till brinjals turn dark. Remove on an absorbent.

3. Add the sprinkler and serve it hot.

Sev bhaji

#sev#gravysabzi#onlygravyprep#shev#besansev

Ingredients: 2 onions cut in big pieces, 1 tomato, 2 tbsp curd, 4 garlic cloves, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp asafoetida,  1/2 tbsp oil, 1 cup thick sev, 2 tsp garam masala, 2 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, salt to taste

Preparation time: 15min

Recipe:

1. In a hot pan, parch onion pieces and garlic cloves till golden and make paste of it.

2. Heat a pan and add oil to it. Heat for seasoning. Add mustard seeds and asafoetida. Add the onion garlic paste and sauté on low gas. In the meantime, prepare puree of the tomato. Add the puree to the pan. Stir well.

3. Beat or churn the curd properly and add to the pan. Stir it well at medium gas until it leaves oil. Now add all the spices and mix well. Allow cooking for 5-8 min so tht all the spices mix well.

4. While serving, add a tbsp of sev and pour a tbsp gravy on it. Garnish with coriander.

Tawa bhaji

#mixveg#tawabhaji#varietyveggies#vegetables

Ingredients: 1 big onion sliced, 4-5 garlic cloves paste, 1 tsp ginger paste, 2 green chillies finely chopped, 2 brinjals halved, 8-10 broccoli florets, 8-10 okra slit in four, 1 potato diced, 5-6 baby corns halved, 3-4 tomatoes puree, 2 tbsp pav bhaji masala, salt to taste, 5 tbsp oil

Preparation time: 20 min

Recipe:

1. In a deep pan, heat 4 tbsp oil for deep frying veggies.
2. On a big flat pan, heat a tbsp of oil. Keep gas on medium flame. Add onion, green chillies followed by garlic ginger paste. Saute it.
3. In the meantime, first deep fry broccoli, drain on an absorbent napkin, then baby corn.
4.sauté onion intermittently until golden
5. Deep fry brinjal and potatoes. Drain out. Then at last fry the okra and drain out.
6. Place all the veggies on the pan of onion. Keep the gas low.
7. Take a portion of all the veggies in the middle of the pan. As my pan is not big enough, i used another pan to prepare the actual bhaji. I added a portion of these veggies to the preheated pan. Added 2 tsp of pav bhaji masala and sautéed it. Then add. A small tbsp of tomato puree and sprinkle some water. Add salt to taste. Saute for 3 min and serve it.
8. Follow step 7 each time u serve the tawa bhaji to someone. Prepare it fresh.

Tips: use sliced bitter gourd as well. It tastes awesome. I didn't add as the eaters don't like karela. Keep karela n brinjal as essentials. Rest add subtract veggies based on availability. You can avoid cholesterol intake by opting for right oil to deep fry. Else, you can reduce the oil quantity and parch the veggies, cooking them till soft. Sort of roasting.

Angoori Shimlamirch

#angoorkisabzi#angoorshimlamirch
#capsicum#grapes#varietyveggies

Ingredients: 1 big capsicum diced 1cm size, 15- 20 green long grapes halved vertically, 1 tsp asafoetida, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 2 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 2 tsp coriander powder, salt to taste, 1/2 tbsp oil

Preparation time: 15min

Recipe:

1. Heat a pan and add oil. Heat for seasoning and add mustard seeds and asafoetida.

2. Add capsicum and saute for a min on medium gas. Turn the gas low and allow cooking for 3 min.

3. Now, add the grapes and all the spices. Mix well. Add a cup of water and mix well.

4. Bring it to boil and cover it with lid. Turn the gas low and allow cooking for 5 -7 min.

5. You can have it hot with fulkas/ parathas as well.

Pumpkin

#pumpkin #lalbhopla

pumpkin, plating food

#plainpumpkin
#varietyveggies
#sabzi

Ingredients: 250gm pumpkin diced to 1cm size, 3/4 tbsp oil, 2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp asafoetida, 2 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 2 tsp coriander powder, 2 tsp dry mango powder, salt to taste

Preparation time: 15min

Recipe:

1. Take a pan and heat it. Add oil and heat for seasoning. Add mustard seeds and asafoetida.

2. Add the diced pumpkin and saute for a minute. Add all the spices and mix well. Sauté till it leaves oil.

3. Add 2 cups of water, mix well and cover with lid. Cook it for 5 min on medium gas. Check if the pumpkin is cooked. If not and water absorbed fully, then add little more water and cook for 3-4 minutes.

4. Serve it hot!

Drumsticks

#fastcookingofdrumsticks#drumsticks#drumsticksingravy#varietyveggies

Ingredients: 250gm drumsticks, 1/2 tbsp oil, 2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp asafoetida, 2 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, salt to taste, 1 tbsp freshly roasted groundnut powder

Preparation time: 20 min

Recipe:

1. Peel off the hard thread-like skin of the drumsticks and cut them to 2inch long pieces.

2. Take a pressure cooker and heat it. Add oil n heat for seasoning. Add mustard seeds and asafoetida to this.

3. Now add the drumsticks and mix well. Add all the spices and groundnut powder.
Mix well.

4. Add water till all the ingredients are just submerged. Pressure cook on medium gas with three whistles.

5. Serve it hot!

Lauki Paneer Rings

#laukipaneersabzi#laukivariety
#bottlegourd#vegetable#sabzi#gravy

Ingredients: 1 small lauki/ bottle gourd, 1 onion (cut in big pieces), 2-3 green chillies, 6-8 garlic cloves, 1cm cube of ginger, 1 heaped cup of coriander, 1 cup of mint leaves, 1 cup curd, ½ litre milk (for paneer), ½ lemon, 2 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp garam masala, salt to taste, 6-8 black pepper freshly ground, 1 small tbsp oil, 1 tsp asafoetida, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, ½ tbsp butter

Preparation Time: 35 min

Recipe:

1. Peel off the bottlegourd and slice it horizontally with a thickness of 1cm. Now, scoop out the white portion of the slice with the help of knife (peeler one can make it easy) to make a ring. Steam these rings in steamer/ vita saver/ an open cooking vessel. Ensure that the rings don’t get overcooked. Bottle gourd cooks fast in cooker. So be careful. For first timers, boiling in open vessel is the best option as rings can be monitored. As the rings change color, check if they are cooked (a knife should easily pass through the edge of the ring)

2. Prepare paneer from the milk. Bring the milk to boil and squeeze the half lemon into it, while stirring continuously. The milk will start curdling. After 2-3 min of boiling, turn off the gas and sieve off excess of water. Strain out water from the paneer in sieve by gently pressing it. Add freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste to this. Mix well. Leave it aside.

3. In a pan, roast the onion, green chillies, garlic and ginger for 2-3 min on medium gas. Put them in a mixer pot.

4. Wash the coriander and mint leaves properly. Add these to the mixer pot as well. Grind it. Now add the curd to this and grind well again to form a paste. Add a cup of water to this.

5. Take a deep pan. Add oil to it and heat for seasoning. Now add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida to this. Add the paste formed. Stir continuously till it starts boiling as there is curd in it. Now add turmeric powder, garam masala and salt to this. Mix well. Add water to make consistent gravy. Allow simmering for 5- 10 min so that all the flavours mix well. Stir intermittently.

6. In the meantime, heat a non stick pan on low gas. Take the rings in a platter. Fill in the paneer mix tightly in the middle of the ring. Sprinkle a few drops of butter on the pan. Now place the lauki rings stuffed with paneer on the pan. Turn the gas on medium flame. After a min, flip over all the rings. Allow them to cook for 2 min. Then turn over again until paneer is golden.

7. Take off the rings and serve them with hot green gravy.

Tips: In a bowl, keep a stuffed ring and pour a tbsp of gravy over it.

Palak Sabzi

#mixvegherbs#herbsonly#palaksabzi

#spinach#wholesomediet

Ingredients: 3 cups of washed and chopped spinach (do not dry them or squeeze out extra water), ½ cup finely chopped onion, ½ cup finely chopped tomato, ¼ cup peas, ½ tbsp of oil, 2 tsp cumin seeds, ½ tsp asafoetida, 1 finely chopped green chilly, salt to taste

Preparation time: 15 min

Recipe:

1.      Take a pan and heat it. Add oil for seasoning. After heating it (till light fumes appear), add the cumin seeds followed by asafoetida and green chillies.

2.      Add the onion and stir fry till golden. Add tomato and peas.  Mix well and allow cooking for 3 min while covered with lid.

3.      Add the chopped spinach, turmeric powder and salt to taste.

4.      Mix well and cover with lid again. Allow to cook for 8-10 min more at low gas.

5.      Serve it hot with roti!

Tips: If you are fond of garlic, then it can be added during seasoning.

Aloo Pyaz Shimlamirch/ Potato- Onion- Capsicum

#aloopyaz#onion#potato#capsicum

#varietyaloo#vegetable#sabzi

Ingredients: 2 big potatoes, 3 big onions, 1 big capsicum, 2-3 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 2 tsp coriander powder, salt to taste, 2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp asafoetida, 1 tbsp oil.

Preparation Time: 20 min

 

 

Recipe:

1. Cut all vegetables in 1 cm cubes.

2. Take a pan and heat it. Add oil and heat for seasoning. Add mustard seeds and asafoetida.

3. Add onion first and sauté till golden. Then add potato and capsicum. Sauté for 2-3 minute on medium gas. Add all the spices. Mix everything well and allow the veggies to leave oil. This will take a minute or two.

4. Now add 2-3 cups of water to this, turn the gas high and bring it to boil. Cover with lid and       turn the gas to medium flame. Allow cooking for 5 min.

5. Check now if the potato is cooked. If yes and the sabzi is dry, then add a cup of water, heat it for 2 min without lid and turn off the gas. If potato not cooked, then add 2 cups of water, cover with lid and allow cooking for 5 min more on medium gas.

6. The aloo-pyaz-capsicum is ready. Serve it hot with Indian Breads!

Tips: You can make this dry and use it as filling for sandwiches too!

Hara Baingan (Dry)/ Eggplant/ Green Brinjal

#greenbrinjal#eggplant#baingan#harabaingan
#drybaingan#vegetable#sabzi

 

Ingredients: 5 green brinjals (250 gms approx), 1 ½ tbsp oil, 1 tbsp sesame seeds, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp asafoetida, salt to taste, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 3 tsp jiravan powder (or if not available, dry mango powder), ½ tbsp roasted groundnut powder

 

Preparation Time: 15 min

 

Recipe:

1. Cut the brinjals/ eggplants vertically to make 5- 6 slices per piece.

2. Take a pan and heat it. Add oil to this and heat for seasoning. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida and sesame seeds to this.

3. Once the seeds pop, add the brinjal slices to this and toss them in the pan. Cover with lid.

4. After five minutes, check the brinjals. They will start changing color. Toss them again and check if cooked with a spoon. If spoon cannot easily cut the slice skin,  then cover with lid again and allow cooking for 2- 3 min.

5. Once cooked, add turmeric powder, garam masala, coriander powder and mix well. Allow cooking for a minute.

6. Now add salt (if you add jiravan powder, then add little less salt than normal) and jiravan/ dry mango powder. Add groundnut powder, mix well and cover with lid. Allow cooking for ½ a min.

7. Hara Baingan is ready!

Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji

#bhaji#pavbhaji#mixedvegetables#veggies

Ingredients: 5 medium sized potatoes, equal amount of cauliflower i.e. 3 cups of big cut flower, 1 carrot, 1 ½ capsicum, ½ cup peas, 3 ½ onion, 1 cup chopped coriander, 1 lemon, 15- 20 garlic cloves, 2 tomatoes, 2 tbsp of ghee or butter, salt to taste, 2 medium tbsp of Everest Pav Bhaji Masala, 3 tsp of turmeric powder, 3 tsp of red chilli powder (medium spicy).   

Preparation Time: 30 min

Recipe:

1.       Take the potatoes, peel them and cut in four big pieces each one. Cut the cauliflower in big pieces (about an inch cube or pluck the flowers), peel the carrot and slit it vertically and cut in half an inch sized cubes. Cut the capsicum into 2 cm squares. Neither the size matters nor the shape. Basically, cut them in big size. Wash all these with clean water and pressure cook them. Don’t add excessive water. 4-5 whistles are fine.

2.       In the mean time, take 2 onions, peel them and make cut them in big pieces. Take a mixer pot, add the onion and the garlic to make a paste of the two. Prepare the paste and keep it aside. Now, make a puree of the tomatoes using the same mixer pot (no need to take their skin off, but if you like with their skin off, then you know the process).

3.       Take a deep pan (kadhai).  Heat it and add ghee or butter to this. Heat the ghee. Once ready for seasoning, add the onion garlic paste to this. Keep the gas at low and cook the paste for 5 min. Stir it properly and intermittently till it turns light golden. Now, add the tomato puree to this and cook for 5 min till the mix leaves the ghee. At this point, add pav bhaji masala, turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Mix it well and allow cooking of the spices for 2-3 minutes at low gas.

4.       Open the cooker. If there is excess of water then empty the excess water in a bowl. Do not throw this as it contains all the nutrients. Now, smash the vegetables properly. If you find them hard to smash using a smasher, then use a grinder or hand mixer once. Keep small granules. Be careful not to make a paste.

5.       Once the spices and the mixture in the kadhai leave the ghee or butter, add the smashed vegetables to the kadhai. Mix them well. If it is very thick, then add the nutrients rich water to it little by little, checking the consistency. It is better to add little extra water as the bhaji will thicken later.

6.       Now, add salt to taste and allow the bhaji to cook for 10- 15 min so that all the flavours mix well.

7.       Take the remaining 1 ½ onion and chop it finely for garnishing.

8.       Serve it hot garnished with finely chopped onion, coriander and a slice of lemon!

9.       Add a butter cube if you love butter and have no cholesterol problem (use it for kids).

10.   Eat it with either pav or slice of bread parched in butter on a hot pan.

Tips: You can boil the peas separately and add it in the bhaji instead of pressure cook. The taste of bhaji remains the same. This is a faster recipe to make yummy pav bhaji. You can increase the quantity of pav bhaji masala if you want hot spicy bhaji.

Shimla Mirch Besan/ Sukha Besan/ Capsicum dish

#shimlamirchbesan#sukhabesan

#capsicumdish

#besan#sidedishes#vegetables

Ingredients: 1 cup of squared cut capsicum (1.5 cm size), 2 cups besan or gram flour, 4 red dry chilli, 2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp asafoetida, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 tsp fennel seeds, 2 tsp dry mango/ amchur powder, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tsp turmeric powder, salt to taste, 1 big tbsp oil

Preparation time: 20 min

Recipe:

1.       Heat a pan and add oil. Heat the oil for seasoning. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, and asafoetida and red chillies.

2.       Add capsicum to this and sauté for 2-3 minutes till it changes color on medium gas.

3.       Add besan to this and parch at low gas for 2 minutes by continuously mixing the ingredients. Then turn the gas at medium flame and parch for another 2-3 minutes with continuous stirring till the besan color changes to golden. This will ensure that the besan will not taste raw or stick to the teeth.

4.       Now, add turmeric powder, amchur powder and salt. Mix well.

5.       Sprinkle half a cup of water in this and add sugar. Mix the mixture well and sprinkle some more water. Cover with lid and turn the gas low. Allow it to cook for 3 minutes or so.

6.       Remove the lid and check if the besan is cooked or not (check its stickiness in between fingers). If it sticks, then sprinkle some water (don’t add much water or else it will become damp, we are making a dry besan) and mix well. Do not cover with lid now. Allow it to cook on low gas for 5 minutes. Keep stirring intermittently. Leave it open in order to make it sukha/ dry.  

7.        The Sukha besan is ready.

Tips: Instead of amchur powder, you can as well use raw green tomato. One chopped tomato should be added along with capsicum and cooked. Fenugreek Leaves can also be used instead of capsicum to make methi besan.