Anda Aloo Curry (Egg Potato curry)

It is a popular dish made of hard-boiled eggs and potatoes cooked in onion masala gravy with a richness of cashew paste.

Ingredients:

• 6 Eggs (hard boiled)
• 1 cup green peas or 1 big potato boiled, cut into big chunks
• 1 medium onion sliced
• ¼ cup fresh yogurt
• 3-4 pods of garlic
• ½ inch piece of ginger
• 1-2 green chilies
• 5 cashew nuts
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• Salt To Taste
• 1 brown cardamom
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp Red chili powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 5-6 tbsp vegetable oil / ghee

Method:

• Remove the shell of boiled eggs and keep aside.
• Make a paste of onion, garlic, ginger, green chilies and cashew nuts in a grinder mixer.
• Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add bay leaf and brown cardamom and fry till they change color. Now add onion-garlic paste, and fry until golden brown.
• Add all the spices (salt, turmeric, coriander and chili powder) except garam masala and fry for a minute. Now add yogurt and fry until masala starts leaving oil.
• Add boiled eggs and the green peas or boiled potato chunks (whichever using).
• Add 2 cup of water and bring to boil. After a minute reduce the flame and simmer for 8-10 minutes till you get gravy consistency of your choice. Mix in garam masala before serving in a dish.
• Garnish egg curry with cilantro leaves.
• Serve hot with paratha, roti or rice.

Do You Know?
Eggs are one of the most complete, naturally produced foods containing many essential nutrients for a balanced diet for adults and children alike. Eggs are an excellent source of protein, which is one of the cheapest available proteins. They are rich in vitamins A, D, E, B12 and niacin - and minerals - calcium, zinc and iron.

Keema Lobia (Minced Lamb with Black Eyed Beans Curry)

Minced Lamb/Goat cooked with Lobia (Black Eyed Beans) makes a delicious curry; can be enjoyed with Roti or Rice.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound minced Lamb/Goat
• 1 cup Lobia soaked in water for 4-5 hours
• ½ cup yogurt
• 1 tomato finely chopped
• 2 medium onions finely chopped
• 2 tbsp ginger paste
• 1 tbsps garlic paste
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp green chilies paste
• 1 tbsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 bay leaves
• ½ ” cinnamon stick
• Salt to taste
• 4 tbsps cooking oil
• Ginger juliennes to garnish
• Fresh chopped coriander to garnish

Method:

• Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan on medium flame and add bay leaf and cinnamon stick; fry till they are light brown.
• Add onion slices and sauté in oil until light brown. Add ginger, garlic, green chili paste and fry for a minute. Now add all dry spices, yogurt and chopped tomatoes. Cook on medium heat until water is almost dried. Add minced meat and dry the water again.
• Add soaked Lobia and 2-3 cups of water (adjust the consistency of gravy according to your choice). Season it with salt.
• Pressure-cook up to three pressure releases or whistles.
• Turn off fire, garnish with ginger juliennes and coriander leaves.
• Serve with salad and hot roti (Indian Flat Bread) or Nan.

Do You Know?
Lobia or Black Eyed Beans are leguminous plants. Legume plants have symbiotic relationship with certain bacteria known as rhizobia found in the root nodules of these plants. With the help of these bacteria, legumes have ability to fix up atmospheric nitrogen. This reduces fertilizer costs for farmers and gardeners who grow legumes, and allows legumes to be used in a crop rotation to replenish soil that has been depleted of nitrogen.

Legume seed and foliage have comparatively higher protein content than non-legume material, probably due to the additional nitrogen that legumes receive through nitrogen-fixation symbiosis. This high protein content makes them desirable crops in agriculture.

Bedmee Ke Aloo (Potato Curry for Puri)

Boiled potatoes are cooked in masala of Fenugreek, Fennel and Coriander seeds. Eat with poori or Kachori.

Ingredients:

• 2 big potatoes boiled, peeled and chopped roughly
• 1 tomato chopped
• 3-4 tbsps cooking oil
• 2 green chilies finely chopped
• Chopped cilantro leaves to garnish
• Pinch of asafetida
• 1 tsp cumin seeds

For Bedmee Masala:

• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds roasted and crushed coarse
• 1 tsp Fennel Seeds roasted and crushed coarse
• 1 tsp coriander roasted and crushed coarse
• 1 tsp amchur powder (dry mango powder)
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a small pan and add the cumin seeds to it. When the seeds stop spluttering, add the asafetida, chopped tomatoes, salt and green chili chopped. Fry until tomatoes become pulpy. Add crushed fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, red chili powder, turmeric powder, mango powder and 3 cups of water. Boil for 7-8 minutes.
• Now add mashed potato and simmer for 5-6 minutes.
• Take out in a dish when the gravy is thick. Mix garam masala powder.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with Bedmi Puri or Kachori.

Do You Know?

Fenugreek seeds contain a high percentage of mucilage, which is a natural gummy substance. This mucilage does not dissolve in water and when fenugreek seeds are exposed to fluids, they swell up and form gooey mass. This soft mass is not absorbed by the body, but instead passes through the intestines and also triggers intestinal muscle contractions. Both actions promote the emptying of intestinal contents.

Therefore, fenugreek is a mild but effective laxative.

Matar Bhari Aloo Ki Kachori

Kachoris are very popular in North India. Variations are always there. In general, kachori is a round or flattened ball made of fine flour filled with a stuffing and deep-fried.

Here I have made round balls of spiced potatoes, which are stuffed with peas masala and deep-fried.

Ingredients:

• 2 big potatoes
• 2 tbsp yellow corn meal
• Salt to taste
• ¼ tsp Black pepper powder
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Oil for deep-frying

Stuffing:

• 1 cup green peas
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• Pinch of asafetida
• 2 tbsp cilantro leaves chopped fine
• 1 tbsp ginger grated
• 2 green chilies chopped fine
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

• Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan on a medium flame. Add cumin seeds and asafetida. When cumin stops spluttering add peas, grated ginger, chopped green chilies, and salt. Fry till peas are half done. Take out peas in a bowl, add cilantro leaves and lemon juice, keep aside to be used later to stuff kachori.
• Boil and mash potatoes. Add cornmeal, black pepper powder, salt and lemon juice and mix well. Knead potato mix in the same way as you knead the wheat flour dough to make the roti (flat bread).
• Now apply some oil on your palms and put some of the potato mix in the cupped palm of your hand, and form it into a hollowed cup about size of half a lemon. Add some of the pea mixture in the potato cup, and cover with the potato mix around it to make a ball. Roll the ball between the palms to make a smooth ball.
• Heat oil in a deep pan or kadhai on medium heat and fry the potato kachoris until light brown.
• Serve with chutney or ketchup of your choice.

Do You Know?

Cornmeal is flour ground from dried corn, is a common staple food, and is ground to fine, medium, and course consistencies. In the United States, the finely ground cornmeal is also referred to as corn flour. However, the word corn flour denotes cornstarch in recipes from the United Kingdom.

Stone ground cornmeal retains some of the hull and germ, lending a little more flavor and nutrition to recipes. It is more perishable, but will store longer if refrigerated. Steel ground yellow cornmeal, commonly used in the United States, has the husk and germ of the maize kernel almost completely removed. It is conserved almost indefinitely if stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Urad Dal Puri (Crispy Deep Fried Puffed Flat Breads)

Make stiff dough of wheat flour, semolina and Urad dal powder; deep fry in hot cooking oil on medium heat until crispy brown, serve hot with curry and pickle of your choice.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup semolina
• ¼ cup Urad dal powder ( available in Indian Grocery Store)
• ¼ tsp red chili powder
• ¼ tsp dry mango (amchur) powder
• ¼ tsp coriander powder
• ¼ tsp garam masala powder
• ½ tsp fennel (saunf) powder
• Pinch of asafetida
• 3 tbsp cooking oil
• Salt to taste
• 2 cups cooking oil for deep frying

Method:

• Mix all dry ingredients except cooking oil for frying.
• Add water and make smooth dough but little harder than dough for roti. Cover the dough and keep it to rest for at least 1 hour at a warm place. Punch and knead the dough again before rolling out.
• Divide the dough into small balls about golf-ball size, and roll out into 4" rounds on an oiled board.
• Heat cooking oil in a wok or saucepan. Fry the puri one at a time, holding them under the oil on the first side until they puff up. Turn and fry until light brown. Drain and take out in an absorbent paper.
• Serve crispy Dal puri hot with Aloo Gobhi/Aloo methi/ Rajma or any other vegetarian curry.
  

Jackfruit Sabji

It is a quick recipe of spicy, raw jackfruit sabji. Roasted gram flour gives it a different flavor and texture.

Ingredients:

• 1 can of young green Jackfruit (Drained wt: 10 oz or 280g)
• 1 medium onion chopped fine
• 1 tbsp garlic chopped fine
• 1 tbsp ginger chopped fine
• 3-4 tbsp dry roasted Besan (gram flour)
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• ½ tsp amchur powder (modify according to your taste)
• 6 tbsp cooking oil
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Cut jackfruit into small pieces and wash in running water thoroughly.
• Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan and fry jackfruit pieces until they are pink. Remove jackfruit from the pan, add 3 tbsp cooking oil more and fry chopped onion, ginger and garlic until light brown. Now add coriander, chili, garam masala and turmeric powder. Add 4-5 tbsp water and fry until oil separates out from the masala. Add salt and jackfruit pieces. Mix well and simmer for 6-8 minutes with about ¼ cup of water. Do not use much water because jackfruit sabji is dry. Stir in amchur powder and roasted besan.
• Take out in a serving dish. Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve with Dal and hot roti.

Do You Know?

The jackfruit is native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The outside of the fruit is greenish yellow, and it has a thick leathery spiky skin. The sap inside is as sticky as glue, and it takes some work to get the fruit out.

Young jackfruit has a mild flavor and distinctive texture. When fully ripe, the unopened jackfruit emits a strong disagreeable odor, resembling that of decayed onions, while the pulp of the opened fruit smells of pineapple and banana.

Anda Roti Roll (Egg Flatbread Wrap)

Make tasty egg wraps of old chapatis/rotis and serve for breakfast. For stuffing, you either cook onion tomato mix or use any leftover vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp milk
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of black pepper powder
• Stuffing (onion tomato mix):
• 1 small onion chopped fine
• 1 green chili finely chopped
• 1 tbsp green coriander leaves chopped fine
• 1 small tomato diced in small pieces
• 1 tsp ginger chopped fine
• 2 tbsp capsicum diced in small pieces
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• Salt to taste
• Pinch of black pepper

Method:

• Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan. Stir fry all the ingredients together for stuffing till little soft or according to your choice. Keep aside for making the wraps.
• In a bowl, beat one egg; add 1 tsp of milk, salt and fresh-ground pepper. Mix well.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan on low flame, pour the egg mixture in the frying pan and swish it around so that a fine uniform layer of egg sticks to the bottom and side of the pan. Do this by picking up the frying pan and rotating it slightly.
• Leave the egg mixture alone for a few minutes to allow it to cook and "set up."
• When the egg is about 70% cooked solid, it is time for layering the roti over omelet. After layering the roti over the omelet, let it continue to cook until the crispy thin egg edge starts to pull away from the pan.
• Take a spatula, run it under the omelet and flip it. Now roti is underside towards the frying pan and the omelet is on upper side. Arrange stuffing in the centre of the omelet and roll it. Roti will be on the outer side and omelet will be on the inner side of the roll but visible from the sides.
• Serve hot.