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.

  

Stuffed tomatoes

 

#stuffed #tomatoes #potato #variety #curry #vegetables 

Ingredients: 12- 14 small sized tomatoes (not cherry tomatoes), 4 medium sized potatoes, 2 onions roughly chopped, 4-5 garlic cloves, 3 tsp kasuri methi, 3/4 cup cream, 2 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp asafoetida, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 tbsp oil, salt to taste, 2-3 tsp freshly ground black pepper, cheese for garnishing

Preparation Time: 25 min

Recipe:  

1. Keep the potatoes for boiling in pressure cooker with 3-4 whistles.

2. In the meantime, heat a pan and add a few drops of oil to it. To it add the onions, garlic cloves, ginger and cumin seeds. Saute on low flame for 2-3 minutes till onion gets pink.

3. Take the tomatoes and scoop out the inner part from the top neatly. Retain this part for making puree. It is recommended to use a pointed knife. 

4. Now, add the sauteed veggies and spices to a mixer pot along with the inner part of the tomatoes. Grind it to fine puree. 

5. Check on the potatoes once. If through, peel them off and mash them. Add salt to taste and the black pepper. Mix well. Now fill this mixture into the tomatoes tightly. This is little tricky. The tomatoes are delicate to handle so carefully stuff the mashed potatoes there.

6. In a shallow pan, add about 1 tbsp oil and heat it at medium flame. After a minute, add the stuffed tomatoes to this and sprinkle a pinch of salt. Cover with lid. Keep turning the tomatoes after every minute or two until the skin is wrinkled throughout. Plate them with grated cheese covering them at the top.

7. Side by side, in another pan, heat a tbsp of oil. To this, add asafoetida and mustard seeds. Upon the cracking sound, add the puree to this and stir well until the oil oozes out. Keep the flame low. 

8. In the meantime, beat the cream and add it to the sauteed puree. Mix well and keep stirring until the oil oozes again. To this add garam masala,  turmeric powder, red chilli powder and kasuri methi. Mix well. Allow cooking at low flame until the oil oozes out. Add salt to taste. Check the consistency of the gravy. If it is too thick, then add milk 

(if you want a creamier taste) or water half cup a time and keep stirring well. Ensure that the gravy is consistent yet thick. Do not add much of any of the liquids. Boil it well so that the flavors mix well.

9. While serving, add half a tbsp hot gravy in the serving dish and place two stuffed tomatoes over it!

Saanjh savera kofta

 

#kofta #kabab #paneerkofta #palakkofta #herbskofta #greenkofta #varietyfood #koftacurry #sanjeevkapoor #inspired

Ingredients:2 cups of roughly chopped spinach, 1 cup of fenugreek leaves, up to 2 tbsp of gram flour, 1/2 litre milk and 2 tsp curd to make paneer, 2-3 tsp freshly ground black pepper, salt to taste, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp garlic paste, 2 tsp garam masala, 1/2 tbsp oil, 1-2 green chillies, 1 tsp turmeric powder, around 2 cups oil to deep fry the koftas,

Preparation Time: 25min

Recipe:

  1. For preparing paneer, bring the milk to boil and add the curd while on low flame and continuous stirring till the milk curdles. Sieve the whey and collect the curdled milk in the sieve

2. In the meantime, in a kadhai or pan, add 4 cups of water and bring it to boil. To this add the herbs, cover with lid and turn off the gas. After 2-3 minutes remove the excess water through sieving and wait a minute.

3. Transfer the blanched herbs to grinder pot along with the ginger garlic paste and green chillies. Grind them together to consistent paste.

4. Now heat a pan and add 1/2 tbsp oil to this. After half a minute, add the puree in the grinder to this and stir well till the oil oozes out. Now add the garam masala and turmeric powder to this and mix well. After this, slowly add the gram flour to this till a binding dough like mixture is obtained. The gram flour may exceed 2 tbsp in case if the dough like texture is not obtained. (Quick tip: If it is dry, then add few drops of oil and mix well. Sprinkle some water.) Add salt to taste. Allow it to cool down.

5. To the curdled milk, add salt to taste and the grounded black pepper. Mix well with your hand and divide the paneer to 8-10 equally sized balls. Ensure that you make tight balls with a smooth outer surface.

6. Of the dough obtained in step 4, divide the mixture equally in portions = the paneer balls. Now, make tight round balls of each of the portions. 

7. The paneer balls need to be stuffed in the dough. For this, flatten the dough to accommodate the paneer ball (roughly twice the diameter of the paneer ball). Instead of manually, it is recommended to use a rolling pin and some loose flour to ensure the balls don;t stick while being rolled out. In each of the flattened pieces, place the paneer ball in the center and gather the free end of the dough in the center to form a ball again. Repeat this to make other stuffed balls as well.

8. While you make the stuffed balls, it is recommended to heat the oil for deep frying in a frying pan. 

Once the oil is heated aptly (till you see fumes), keep the flame low and carefully add the stuffed balls in batches. Toss them after a minute so that they are cooked evenly from all the sides. Fry them till golden. Remove them over an absorbent napkin/ tissue. Allow them to cool down.

9. With a knife, slit the fried stuffed balls from the center to form two parts. For the white and golden green outer cover, this dish is called saanjh- savera (dusk-dawn :)) 

10. You can serve them as sheer starters with a cheese dip or combine with red curry (as shown in Babycorn Curry Recipe) to have a relishing vegetable to complement bread!

N.B.: The first time, this recipe may take more time for it might be difficult to multi- task. Later, once you get the hang of it, you can be quick!

Lauki stuffed karela

 

#bitter_gourd #lauki #bottle_gourd #veggies #variety #stuffedvegetables #sidedishes

Ingredients: 6 -7 small sized (about 2.5 inches) karela or bitter gourd, 125 gms of grated lauki or bottle gourd (do not squeeze), 1 tbsp gram flour, 6-7 curry leaves, 1.5 tbsp oil, 2 tsp asafoetida, 2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 tsp fennel seeds, 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds, 2 tsp red chilli powder, 2 tsp turmeric powder, 3 -4 tsp dry mango or amchur powder, salt to taste,

Preparation Time: 25 min

Recipe:

1. In a shallow pan, add about 1/2 tbsp oil and heat it for seasoning. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and sesame seeds in series followed by asafoetida and curry leaves. As the stuff crackles, add the grated bottle gourd to it. Stir well for a min. Add a pinch of salt, mix and cover with lid with gas on low flame so that the lauki cooks up faster in around 3-4 min.

2. In the meantime, take the karelas and cut off their end points. Peel off the skin of each of them and keep aside. 

3. Check on the lauki. If turned transparent, then add all the spices to it (including salt) and stir for half a minute. Allow the oil to ooze out. Now, add the gram flour to this and mix well. The flour should absorb the water of the lauki masala and also help to form a binding mixture that has to be stuffed in karela. Cover with lid with the gas still at low flame. Allow the flour to cook well for 3-4 min. Keep stirring every minute. Sprinkle water if too dry. However, if still wet, add some more flour. Turn off the gas and allow cooling. Transfer the masala to a plate and divide it in equal portions = number of karelas.

4. Now, slit the karela vertically and cup out the inner flesh along with the seeds. Fill each of the karela with  a portion of the mixture prepared in step 1 and 3. The karelas are now ready to be cooked.  

5. In the pan, add the remaining oil and turn on the gas at medium flame. Now, place all the karelas gently in the pan and cover with lid. Every minute, keep turning the karelas so that they cook evenly from all the sides. Adjust the flame from low to medium. The cooking should take approx 10 min. Once the skin changes color to dull green, the karela starts cooking. You can do a toothpick test (a toothpick can easily be inserted in the karela). If the test fails allow cooking for some more time but ensure to turn over the karelas often.

6.  Plate the karela pieces and have them as a side dish! If required, sprinkle some chat masala on the karelas...

Tips: You can as well add onion to the masala to enhance the taste. No need to re- heat the karelas. They taste great even when cold!

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.

Babycorn curry

#babycorn #bellpeppers #vegcurry #mixveg #variety

Ingredients: 100gm babycorn sliced, 1 cup of diced red and yellow bell pepper each, 1 cup of chopped tomato,1 cup of chopped onion, 5-7 garlic cloves, 2 cardomoms, 2 cloves, 10- 12 jumbo cashews, 5-6 black pepper, 1 tbsp fresh cream, 2 tbsp ghee, 2 tsp garam masala, 2-3 tsp red chilli powder, salt to taste

Preparation time: 20 min

Recipe:

1. Heat a pan with 1 tbsp of ghee. Add cardomom, cloves, black pepper and garlic cloves to this followed by chopped onion and tomato. Saute well for about two min on medium flame. Add cashews to this and saute for a minute. Add garam masala and red chilli powder to this and sauté for another minute.

2. Transfer the ingredients in the pan to a mixer pot along with cream to make a paste of it. Keep it aside.

3. Heat the pan with another tbsp of ghee.   Add baby corn and the diced bell peppers to this. Add salt to taste to quicken up the cooking. Sauté for a minute and cover with a lid for 4-5 min to allow the veggies to parcook.

4. Add two cups of water to the thick paste and stir well to make it consistent and lump-free. Add this to the pan and mix well. Allow the veggies to simmer in the curry for 4-5 min.

5. Serve it hot garnished with coriander!

Tips: you can add or use paneer instead of the veggies to make pbm.

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.

Onion sabzi

#onion#pyaaz#summerspecial#veggies

Ingredients: 4 onions sliced vertically, 1/2 tbsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp asafoetida, 2 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, salt to taste, 1/2 tbsp groundnut powder

Preparation time: 15min

Recipe:

1. Take a pan and heat it at medium gas.
2. Add oil and heat for seasoning. Add asafoetida and mustard seeds. Add sliced onion to this. Sauté for a minute. Sprinkle half cup water and cover with lid.
3. Allow cooking for 5-7 min. Remove lid and sauté. If the onions are not cooked, then sprinkle some more water and allow cooking.
4. Add all spices and stir well. Cover with lid and allow cooking for 2-3 min. Add groundnut powder. Mix well and turn off the gas after a min.

5. Complement this with jowari ki roti or parathas.

Tomato bhindi/ okra

#bhindi#okra#lady'sfinger#sabzi#veggies

Ingredients: 250gm okra diced, 1 tomato diced, 1 onion diced, 1 green chilli chopped, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp asafoetida, 5-6 curry leaves, 1 tbsp oil, 2 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp red chilli powder, 3 tsp coriander powder, salt to taste

Preparation time: 20 min

Recipe:

1. Heat a pan and add oil. Heat for seasoning and add asafoetida, cumin seeds and mustard seeds to this. Add green chilli and curry leaves.

2. Add onion and sauté till golden. Add tomatoes and saute for a minute. Now add the okra to this. Sauté well and spread out in the pan. Allow cooking at medium gas flame for 4-5 min. Then again toss the mixture.

3. Add all the spices and mix well. Allow cooking for 5-10 min till okra gets cooked properly.

4. Have it with hot fulkas

Tips: typically I use this recipe if okra is thick.

Launji/ kacchi kairi

#launji#lonji#kacchikairi#khattimithisabzi#variety

Ingredients: 1 big raw mango cut in vertical slices, 2 heaped tsp of fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds and fennel seeds each, 1 tsp asafoetida, 2 tsp turmeric powder and red chilli powder each, salt to taste, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp coriander powder, 3/4 tbsp oil

Preparation time: 25min

Recipe:

1. Parboil the raw mango slices till they become little soft and change color. Seive the

2. Heat a pan and add oil. Heat for seasoning. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida, fenugreek seeds and fennel seeds. Stir once and wait till fenugreek seeds turn golden.

3. Now add the seived parboiled raw mango slices. Stir well. Add all the spices and stir well. Wait for two minutes till the spices leave oil.

4. Now add 1 1/2 cup water to this and sugar. Allow cooking for 10 - 15 min at medium gas till the water syrup thickens.

5. Launji is ready.. Have it with parathas, khakras, khaja, etc.

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!

Palak Matar/ Peas in Spinach Gravy

#palakmatarmasala#peasinspinachgravy

#palakgravy#veggies#vegetables#sabzi

Ingredients: 1 medium sized onion, 6 – 8 garlic cloves, 1.5 cm cube of ginger, 2 medium sized light green chilli, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 2 bay leafs, 1 tsp asafoetida, 3 cups of chopped spinach, 1 cup of peas, 2 tsp turmeric powder, 1 heaped tsp garam masala, salt to taste, ½ tbsp oil.

Preparation Time: 20 min

Recipe:

1.       Boil water in a cooking vessel and add peas to it. Allow it to boil for 10 min. Do not drain the water instantly. Keep the peas in the water until you want to use them in later step.

2.       In the mean time, take a pan. Take a tsp of oil and heat. Cut the onion in big pieces and add to the pan, followed by garlic cloves, green chilli, ginger and cumin seeds. Parch them for 2- 3 minutes on medium flame and shift to a mixer pot.

3.       Now, in the pan add half cup water, heat it and add chopped spinach to this. Turn the gas on medium flame and cover with lid. Allow to cook for 2 minutes. The spinach will be reduced till then. Now drain the excess water and add the spinach to the mixer pot containing onions and other ingredients added earlier. Make a paste of this in the mixer.

4.       Take a pan, heat it and add oil. Heat it for seasoning and add asafoetida and bay leaves. Add garam masala and turmeric powder (keep the gas low) and immediately add the paste to this.

5.       Stir well and bring it to boil. Add 1 cup water to this and salt to taste. Mix well.

6.       Sieve the peas and add them to the spinach gravy in pan. Cover with lid and allow cooking for 5 min at low gas.

Palak Matar is ready to be served hot!

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.

Bhindi Masala/ Okra in Gravy

#bhindisabzi#okra#ladysfinger#gravy

#bhindiingravy#newexperimentswithfood

Ingredients: 5 – 6 medium sized okra or bhindi, 1 onion, 4 garlic cloves, 1 small tbsp khus khus, 1 cm cube of ginger, 1 tsp of cumin seeds, 2 tsp red chilli powder, 2 tsp garam masala  ½ cup wheat flour, 1 and ½ tbsp oil, 1 tsp asafoetida, 2 tsp mustard seeds, salt to taste, 1 cup water

Preparation Time: 20 min

 

 

 

Recipe:

1.      Slit Okra vertically and cut into an inch sized piece. Roll the Okra in the flour and set aside.

2.      Take a pan and heat it. Cut the onion in four pieces and add in the pan. Add garlic, ginger, khus khus and cumin seeds. Parch for 2 min on medium gas and turn off the gas. Take the ingredients in mixer and make a paste.

3.      Take the pan, heat it and add only 1 tbsp oil. Heat the oil properly to shallow fry the rolled okra. The okra will leave the flour and make the oil dark as well. Do not worry, fry all the pieces till light brown on medium gas. Keep the okra on an absorbent tissue napkin.

4.      If you are using the same pan, then first clean it, remove the oil (discard it, do not re-use) and clean the pan. Add ½ tbsp oil and heat for seasoning. Add mustard seeds and asafoetida. Add the paste on onion and other ingredients. Sauté for 3 min at low gas. Now add red chilli powder, garam masala and salt to taste. Mix well and allow the spices to cook for a minute at low gas only.

5.      Now add a cup of water to the pan and stir continuously to for consistent gravy. Take a boil and add the okra pieces. Let it cook for 5 min

Serve it hot!

Lauki Sabzi/ Bottle Guard Sabzi

#laukisabzi#laukivariety#bottleguard#vegetable#sabzi

Ingredients: 2 cups of chopped lauki (1 cm cubes), ¾ cup chopped tomato cubes, 1 tsp oil, 2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp asafoetida, 4-5 curry leaves, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1+ tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp dhania powder, salt to taste, 2-3 cups water

Preparation Time: 20 min

Recipe:

1.       Take a presseure cooker (1 ltr suffices) and heat it. Add oil and heat for seasoning. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves.

2.       Once they pop, add tomato pieces and sauté for 2 minutes. Then add all the spices and sauté for half a minute.

3.       Add lauki cubes and water till all the ingredients are submerged in water.

4.       Cover with lid and take three whistles on medium gas.

5.       Lauki sabzi is ready!

Tips: You can as well add onion before adding tomato. It tastes good.

Paneer Bhurji

Paneer Bhurji

 

#paneerbhurji#dishesfrommilk#paneerdishes

#homemadepaneer#vegetables#sabzis

Ingredients: paneer of ½ litre milk, 2 chopped onions, 1 chopped tomato, 2 small capsicums chopped, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp green chilli paste, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 small tbsp butter/ ghee, salt to taste, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp of black pepper powder.

Preparation time: 25 min

Recipe:

1.       Prepare paneer as directed in recipe of Strawberry sandesh and leave it in sieve.

2.       Take a pan and add 1 small tbsp of butter/ ghee. Heat it for seasoning. Add mustard seeds and the ginger and chilli paste.

3.       Add onions and sauté till they turn pink. Add capsicum and tomato. Cover with lid and allow them to cook for 5 minutes.

4.       Check after 5 min. Mix well once. If not cooked and you think all dry inside the pan, then sprinkle little water. Cover with lid again and allow to cook for 3 minutes.

5.       Then add the paneer and sauté for 2 minutes at medium gas.

6.       Add salt, pepper and red chilli powder (I like the red color of the bhurji. You can skip adding chilli powder though)

7.       Mix well, cover with lid again and allow cooking for 10 minutes on low gas. This will increase the flavour of all the veggies used in the recipe.

8.       Serve it hot!

Tips: You can as well add cabbage and carrots if you like.

Methi – Palak/ Fenugreek Spinach Herbs

#mixvegherbs#herbsonly#methipalaksabzi

#fenugreek#spinach#winterspecial

Ingredients: 2 cups of washed and chopped fenugreek leaves (do not dry them or squeeze out extra water), 2 cups of washed and chopped spinach (do not dry them or squeeze out extra water), 1 tsp of ghee, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 2 tsp sesame 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 ghee for seasoning. After heating it (till light fumes appear), add the cumin seeds and sesame seeds followed by asafoetida and green chillies.

2.      Add the chopped herbs together and cover with lid.

3.      After 5 min of cooking, check and add salt to taste. Mix well and cover with lid again. Allow to cook for 5 min more at low gas.

4.      Serve it hot with roti!

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

Dahiwala Aloo

Dahiwala Aloo



#aloosabzi#buttermilkitem#alooinyellowgravy
#chhaachwalaaloo

Ingredients: 2 cups curd, 4 medium sized potatoes, 2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 ½ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp asafoetida, 4 red dry chillies, 5-6 curry leaves, salt to taste, finely chopped coriander, 1 tsp oil

Preparation Time: 15 min

 

 

 

Recipe:

1.      Boil the potatoes and chop them in 1 cm cubes.

2.      Take curd in a bowl, add two cups of water and churn it well.

3.      Heat a pan, add oil and heat for seasoning. Add mustard seeds or rai, cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves and the red dry chillies. Follow the order to avoid burnt taste of the ingredients.

4.       Now add the curd mix to the pan and stir continuously till it boils, to avoid curdling.

5.      Add turmeric powder and salt.

6.      Add the potatoes and allow cooking for 5 minutes so that they absorb the flavour/ sourness of the curd.

7.      Serve it hot, garnished with coriander.

Tips: Tastes very good when eaten with Rot/ batya/ Kadhai Puri