Tamatar Kadhi

Tangy, tasty Tomato Kadhi goes well with plain boiled rice and Aloo Ki Sookhi Sabji.

Ingredients:

For the Kadhi:

• 2 cups yogurt ( sour)
• 4 cups water
• 2 big red tomatoes chopped fine
• 1 medium onion chopped fine
• 2 tbsp gram flour (besan)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
• 2-3 green chilies split lengthwise
• 5-6 curry leaves
• 4-5 cloves of garlic chopped very fine
• 4 tbsp cooking oil
• Salt to taste

For Tempering:

• 2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
• Big pinch of asafetida
• ½ tsp red chili powder
• 2 dried whole red chilies

Method:

• Mix the yogurt, water, besan and turmeric powder, Whisk to ensure there are no lumps. Set aside.
• In a deep pan or wok heat 2 tbsp of oil. Add cumin, fenugreek, mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chilies. When they stop spluttering, add the besan yogurt mixture slowly, stirring constantly, and bring it to a boil, cooking about 4-5 minutes.
• Make sure you stir the yogurt mixture or it will curdle. Reduce wok heat if ingredients start to boil over.
• Once liquid comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is smooth and silky, for about 45-50 minutes.
• In a separate frying pan heat 2 tbsp of oil. Add onion and garlic and fry until the onion is tender. Now add chopped tomatoes, red chili powder, coriander powder and salt to taste; cook until tomatoes are mushy. Add this tomato mixture to the boiling Kadhi and stir well.
• Adjust thickness of sauce with the extra cup of boiled water (continuous simmering of Kadhi makes it thicker so go on adding boiled water if Kadhi becomes very thick).
• When Kadhi is ready turn off the heat. Add ¼ cup of chopped cilantro and take it out in a serving dish.
• Prepare ‘Tadka’: To temper Kadhi, heat ghee in a small pan, add asafetida, dry red chili and ½ tsp red chili powder; immediately pour this over Kadhi in dish before chili powder gets burned.
• Serve with piping hot plain boiled rice.

Do You Know?

Method to make Gram flour at home:

Take pre-cooked chickpeas, rinse thoroughly and drain. Spread evenly across an un-greased baking tray and cook on medium heat for 2–3 hours then turn off oven and leave overnight to cool. Place into a mortar and pestle and grind to a fine consistency.

Gosht Shorba (Spicy Meat Soup)

Shorba is a spicy version of the soup.

Just add sliced onion, ginger, coriander leaves, mint leaves, and the usual whole spices in meat and cook.

My husband loves to eat Meat Shorba with pieces of Roti dipped in it during cold winter days.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds Lamb meat with bone, washed and cut into bite size pieces
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• ½ tsp curry powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 4-5 cloves
• A small piece of cinnamon
• 4-5 green cardamoms
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 2 medium size onions cut in halves
• 2 green chilies
• 1” piece of ginger
• Salt to taste
• 2-3 tbsp mint leaves
• 2-3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp garam masala powder

Method:

• Heat the butter in a pressure cooker at medium high heat. Add bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, green cardamoms and cumin seeds and sauté for few seconds.
• Now stir in ginger garlic paste, curry powder and meat pieces; fry for 4-5 minutes on medium heat.
• Add onion halves, whole green chilies, ginger piece, mint leaves and half of the coriander leaves.
• Pour in about 4-5 cups of water and pressure cook until the meat is very tender and almost falls off the bone (the time depends on the cut and type of meat you are using).
• Once the meat is tender add lemon juice, garam masala powder and remaining coriander leaves.
• Taste and add salt and green chilies if required. Add water to obtain your desired consistency.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with Roti (Indian Flat Bread) or bread.

Do You Know?

Congee is popular in many Asian countries. It can be considered as a porridge or thick soup made of boiled rice. It can be eaten or served with a side dish also.

In many Asian cultures, it is also called Kanji (Tamil/Malayalam/Tulu), Ganji (Kannada/ Hindi), Ghanji (Telugu).

In some cultures, congee is eaten primarily as a breakfast food or late supper. It is often considered particularly suitable for the sick as a mild, easily digestible food.

Crispy Moong Dal Cheela ( Green Gram Pancakes)

Nutritious, crispy, pancake is made with Green Gram Flour, grated boiled potato and spices.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Moong flour (Green Gram Flour)
• 1 medium potato, boiled and grated
• 2-3 green chilies chopped fine
• One bunch of green coriander leaves chopped fine
• 1”ginger piece grated
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• Pinch of asafetida ( hing)
• 1 tsp chaat masala (available in Indian Grocery Stores)
• Salt to taste
• Cooking oil for shallow frying

Method:

• Take Moong flour in a bowl.
• Add enough water to make a batter of pouring consistency.
• Beat the mixture with hand beater to make it a smooth paste. Leave to rest for half an hour.
• Add grated boiled potato, chopped onion, green chilies, coriander leaves, ginger, cumin seeds, asafetida, salt, chaat masala and 1 tbsp of hot oil.
• Heat a flat pan/griddle and grease it. When moderately hot, wipe it clean with a cloth.
• Pour one ladleful of batter on the griddle and spread it with the back of the ladle or a flat bottomed Katori, in circular way, to make round cheela on a medium flame.
• Sprinkle some oil around the edges of cheela (pancake) and some oil on the upper side of the cheela. When one side is light brown, flip it over. Drizzle oil around and cook on other side also till golden brown.
• Serve hot with chutney of your choice.

Do You Know?

Archaeological evidence suggests that varieties of pancakes are probably the earliest and most widespread types of cereal food eaten in prehistoric societies whereby dry carbohydrate-rich seed flours mixed with the available protein-rich liquids, usually milk and eggs, were baked on hot stones or in shallow earthenware pots over an open fire to form a nutritious and highly palatable foodstuff.

Hare Tamaatar Ki Chutney (Green Tomato Chutney)

Chutney is made with Sautéed pureed green tomatoes with green chilies and unripe mango.

This tangy spicy chutney goes well with savory item as well as main meal.

Ingredients:

• 4-6 green tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1 medium sized onions, coarsely chopped
• 10 green chilies chopped (hot chilies)
• ½ cup raw unripe mango (kairi) chopped (or lemon juice)
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• Pinch of asafetida
• ½ cup chopped coriander leaves
• salt or to taste

Method:

• Heat 2 tbsp cooking oil in a pan on medium heat.
• When hot, add asafetida and cumin seeds and fry till spluttering stops.
• Add chopped onion, chopped green chilies, chopped green tomatoes and salt; sauté over medium heat for about ten minutes or until tomatoes are cooked to soft mush.
• Turn off the heat. Let the ingredients cool to room temperature.
• Take them in a blender; add chopped raw unripe mango and chopped coriander leaves. Puree until smooth. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.
• Spoon out into a clean glass jar.
• Serve green tomato chutney with your favorite savory items. The chutney stays fresh for about 4-5 days, when refrigerated.

Note: Although unripe mango gives a desirable flavor to chutney but if it is not available than use fresh lemon juice (according to taste).

Bajrey Ki Roti (Millet Pan Fried Flat Bread)

Bajrey ki Roti goes well with almost any gravy type vegetarian or non-vegetarian dish.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups millet flour (Bajre ka Atta)
• Warm water to make dough
• 1 tsp Salt to taste
• Butter/ghee to apply on Roti

Method:

• Put the millet flour and salt in a large deep mixing bowl.
• Make a well in the center. Pour a very small amount of water into this well and start to blend the millet flour with it. Keep mixing by adding very little water at a time, till the flour and water start to come together and result in non sticky dough. Once the dough is formed, start to knead and continue till you have smooth, pliable, medium-firm dough.
• Cover the dough with moist kitchen towel and keep aside for 15 minutes.
• Now heat a tawa or griddle on a medium flame.
• While the griddle is heating, divide the dough into equal-sized 8 portions. Roll each portion between the palms, into smooth balls.
• Lightly flour a rolling surface. Take one ball and press it flat. Now with the help of rolling pin roll this ball out into a circular shape roti.
• Place this roti on hot griddle; flip the roti with a spatula, when tiny bubbles rise on the surface of the Roti.
• Flip again in few seconds when other side is also cooked.
• Pick with tongs now and cook directly on low flame, turning around until both sides are pink.
• Repeat the process with each ball of dough till all are used up.
• Top with butter or ghee.
• This roti tastes best with Masala Dal or Palak Dal, but it can be served with any vegetable of your choice.

Do You Know?

Millet is gluten free and the natural alkalinity of millet flour makes it easily digestible. It is very beneficial for people with ulcers and digestive problems. It is also believed to be one of the least allergenic varieties of flour.

Stuffed Papads (Thin Indian Wafers)

Papads or Poppadoms are salty (usually spicy) crispy thin wafers. These are served as a side dish to a meal or as an appetizer or snack.

Ingredients:

• 6 Urad Dal papad medium size
• ½ cup boiled mashed potato
• 2 tbsp green peas
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 2 green chilies chopped fine
• ½ tsp red chili powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ tsp amchoor powder
• Salt to taste
• Chopped coriander leaves
• Cooking oil for deep frying

Method:

• Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan on medium heat.
• Sauté the onion and green chilies till golden brown. Add mashed potato, peas, red chili powder, turmeric powder, amchoor powder and salt. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes. Add chopped coriander leaves.
• Moisten each papad carefully with a wet kitchen cloth towel.

• Place a teaspoonful of the potato mixture at one end of the papad.

• Now roll the papad, turning in the top and sides, so that the potato mixture does not escape.

• Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat and fry the papads, a few at a time carefully, turning them over till they are crisp and golden brown in color.

• Serve hot with Tea.

Do you know?

Papad is a dried lentil chip studded with Indian spices that comes alive when grilled or deep fried. Chickpea and rice papads are common in South India.

In certain parts of India, raw papads (dried but unroasted) are used in curries and vegetable preparations.

Papads are made in different sizes. Smaller ones can be eaten like a snack chip and the larger ones can be used to make wraps.

Hari Pyaz Ka Paratha (Scallion Pan-fried Flat Bread)

Delicious Hari Pyaz Ka Paratha is an irresistible recipe of mixing the chopped scallion/green onion/spring onion and green chilies in wheat flour. Serve with Sabji and Raita of your choice.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup maida (All Purpose Flour)
• 1 cup chopped green onion
• 2 green chilies finely chopped
• 1 tsp Stuffed Paratha Masala (available in Indian Grocery Store)
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp cooking oil for dough
• 1 cup ghee (clarified butter) or cooking oil to pan-fry parathas

Method: For step by step demo: Making Paratha Method II

• Mix the wheat flour and maida. Add 2 tbsp cooking oil, Parantha masala, green chilies, chopped green onion and salt to taste and mix well.
• Knead the flour into smooth, firm dough and keep aside in refrigerator for ½ hour.
• Divide the dough into equal sized balls.
• Flour a clean surface and roll each ball out into a circle about 4” in diameter.
• Sprinkle some dry wheat flour over it and roll it into a finger shaped structure. Coil this finger into a spiral.
• Flour the rolling surface lightly and very gently roll out the spiral into a flat circle about 5-6” in diameter.
• Heat a griddle or ‘tawa’ and carefully put a paratha over it. Allow to cook for a minute then turn it over. Drizzle a bit of oil on the top and spread well over the surface of the paratha. Smear a little oil on the surface of griddle or ‘tawa’ along the edges of the parantha. Flip and drizzle some more oil on this surface too. Continue to flip the paratha frequently, pressing with a spatula on any unbrowned areas until browned all over on both the sides. The parantha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown.
• Serve with Green Coriander Chutney and /or Curry of your choice.

Do You Know?

Green Onions are a great source of vitamin A, iron, calcium and fiber. Research has shown tat Onions contain a substance that prevents the formation of blood clots.