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Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Sarson ka Saag with Makkai Roti


Ingredients

Palak-200 grams or 500 grams(depends on ur taste)
Sarson-500 grams
Bathwa-200 grams(optional)
Soya-100 grams(optional)

Onions-1
Tomotoe-1-2
Green chilly-4-5
Red chilly-3-4 (seeds removed by tearing)
Garlic- 1 clove
Ginger- 1 small piece
Salt-1 tsp

Saute

Red chilly-4-5
Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Oil-2 tbsp (cooking spoon)

Recipe

1. One can take equal amounts of palak and sarson too ( one can include bathwa and soya to too) and cut them really small.

2. Wash the saag and let it drain completely.

2. Add saag in cooker and add onions, tomotoes, Ginger , , green chilly, salt to it.

3. Cover it with a plate and keep on low flame so it leaves water.

4. Let it leave some water and then add about 1/2 cup of water or more if water left by saag is less and close lid and let it give 2-3 whistles.

5. Take out sag on a strainer so water is stored in bowl down and saag in up.

6. Let it cool completely and then mix in a mixer using the stored water.

7. Take oil in kadai and add red chilly(whole cut into 3 each ) to it and zeera and then add the saag to it and water to make it thin of desired consistency and cover partially and cook for 3-5 minutes so that water is boiled nicely.

The saag tastes awesome with makkai roti.

Makai ki roti

Ingredients

2 1/2 cup maize flour
hot water

Method

Take all the ingredients in a bowl and add hot water.

Mix with a wooden spoon.

Keep covered till it is cool enough to be kneaded by hand. Knead for a few minutes. Hot water helps obtain a softer dough that doesn’t fray at the edges when rolled.

Divide into 8-10 portions. Roll out, one at a time, into 1/8 inch thick circles 5-6 inch diameter and .

Pressed between the palms to perfection by expert cooks, I roll mine between two layers of plastic (this slit Ziplock freezer-bag has been serving me well for over 10 years!].

Cook on medium heat on a tava or cast iron griddle, with or without a brushing of oil, ghee, or butter.

or

(1. Prepare a dough by adding water gradually.
2. Shape rotis between plastic sheets or make thin with hand by keep using water.
3. Cook on hot, well-greased griddle on slow flame.
4. Add a little ghee on both sides while cooking. Smear ghee on top and serve hot.)

Tip : Chopped methi leaves or grated radish can be added while making the dough. One can add 1-2 tsp atta and some ghee too.

Chane saag is made same way....use half kilo chana saag and 250 grams of both palak and bathwa

Methi Aloo


Ingredients

1 bunch fresh methi (fenugreek) leaves (cleaned, washed and finely chopped) (500 grams)
2 medium peeled and cut into small pieces aloo (potatoes)
2-3 medium tomato (chopped)
2 onions
ginger garlic paste-1 tsp(optional)
Salt To Taste- 1/2 tsp
1/4th tsp turmeric powder
Red chili powder to taste (opipnal)
green chillies-2-3
1/2 tsp panch puran
1/4 tsp rai
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Preparation:
  • Heat oil and add panj puran and rai and let it spluter
  • When seeds are done add onions, green chilly and saute till they turn brown and then add potaoes, salt, turmeric, chili powder and fry nicely . Sauté foe a moment.
  • Cook till potatoes are half done on a medium flame.
  • Add methi and cook on a medium flame till they absorb water and then add potatoes and ginger garlic paste so that smell retains and then cook till done.
  • Serve the aloo methi hot with chapati .
Note: one can add equal amounts of palak too to it and cook same way.
Palak aloo/Palak bathwa (1 bunch each) aloo is cooked in same way but use cumin seeds instead of panj and rai.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Fish Fry

Ingredients

Fish- 1 kg ( i used ocean less thorns one (surmai)
Salt/ besan to rinse and water it to remove smell

For Marination

Ginger Garlic paste-1 tsp
Tumeric powder-1/2 tsp
Red Chilly powder -1/2 tsp
Salt- 1tsp
Lemon -1

For Frying

Maida-2-3 tsp
Suji-2-3 tsp
Garam masala-1 tsp
Oil
Salted potatoes

Recipe

1. Put fish in a bowl and rinse with salt/besan and water nicely.

2. Marinate it with all ingredients except salt and lemon for an hour or more. One can even marinate and keep in fridge overnight.

3. Add lemon juice about 10 minutes before frying. Add salt few minutes before frying too as it leaves out water.

4. Take suji, maida and garam masala in a bowl with pinch of salt and mix nicely.

5. Take enough oil in a kadai and let it heat.

6. Wrap suji mixture around fish and fry on low to medium flame for it to cook nicely.

7. Cut potatoes into slices and salt it and remove water in 5 minutes.

8. Fry potatoes in the remaining oil and serve them together


Tip : One can sprinkle maida etc with pinch of water on top of fish and roll just suji and fry . Result would be like this :-

Baby Vegetables with carrot puree


This is a Masterchef Australia dish

Ingredients

100g butter
750g trimmed baby vegetables, such as artichokes (halved, dressed with lemon juice), turnips, red and golden beetroot, female zucchini flowers, leeks, shelled peas, peas in the pod, radishes, yellow and red grape tomatoes
2 tbs peeled pistachios
olive oil, to drizzle
Micro-herbs, such as basil and rocket, to garnish
30g butter
2 carrots, coarsely grated
800ml olive oil
2 brushed potatoes, peeled, cut into 1cm slices
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
250ml milk ( i used 1/2 cup)
6 garlic cloves

Method

Step 1:

For the carrot puree, melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add carrots and a generous pinch of salt. Stir mixture every couple of minutes until the carrot starts to soften. Cover with a lid and cook for about 6 minutes or until very soft. Transfer to a blender, puree until smooth.
Step 2:

For the potato wafer, heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat and cook potato for about 25 minutes until soft, taking care not to let the oil get too hot. ( Cook for 25 minutes even if they get done in 5 minutes to make the wafer )

Remove potato and drain, reserving the cooking oil. Transfer to a blender with ¼ cup of the cooking oil and puree until smooth. Using a pastry scraper or palette knife, spread a thin film of the warm potato puree onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
Set aside in a dry place for 12 hours (preferably overnight). or else I baked it in a oven for some minutes and they were done. Tricky part is to spread flat...I used hand to spread it thinly too.

To finish the potato wafer, pour vegetable oil into a saucepan until one-third full. Heat over medium-high heat until 150°C. Carefully peel the dried potato off the baking paper and break into shards. Place into the oil and fry until lightly golden. Drain on paper towel and season with sea salt.
Step3: For the poached garlic, pour milk into a small saucepan and add the unpeeled garlic cloves. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and gently simmer for 2-3 minutes or until soft. Drain. Peel garlic and set aside.

Step 4:

For the vegetables, add the butter, just enough water to cook the vegetables and a good pinch of salt to a deep frying pan, over medium-high heat. Depending on the vegetables you choose, add in the order of what will take the longest to cook. Start with the artichokes, baby turnips, and golden beetroot and cover with a lid. If using baby red beetroot, cook separately in salted boiling water until tender. Then after a few minutes, add the leeks and female zucchini flowers. Baste the vegetables with the stock. Next add the shelled peas in the pod, radishes, then the tomatoes. Finally, add the pistachios and a drizzle of olive oil.

i used brocolli, some beans, tomoto, some mushrooms, beetroot, baby radishes, green capscicum....i avoided putting water and dizzled just 1/2 tsp for radish.

Step 5:

To serve, smear some of the carrot puree onto a large serving platter. Top with the baby vegetables, poached garlic, potato wafer and micro herbs. Herbs I used were pudina powder and oregano.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Khichdi


Ingredients

Mong Dal- less 1/3 cup
Masoor Dal- 1/3 cup or more ( take masoor dal more and mong dal less and combine to make 1/2 cup)
Rice-1/2 cup
Ghee- 1/2-1 tbsp
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Laung -1-2
Salt-1/2 tsp
Malai/Dood- 1/2 cup
Water-3 cups

Recipe

1. Take ghee in a cooker and heat it and then add cumin seeds and laung and let it splutter
2. Wash dal and rice and then add them to the cooker and fry a bit.
3. Add salt and then add water and let it boil.
4. When boiled add 3-4 tsp of malai or bit of milk.
5. Close the lid and give 3-4 whistles.
6. Close the stove and then let steam be released itself.
7. If you find too much water when opened, dry it a bit or else have it this way.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Cumin Crusted Potato Cutlets


Ingredients

boiled potatoes-5-6
dhania- nicely cut
1 cup mashed peas- boiled and mashed
Pomegranate( anar)- 1
aamchur powder-1/2 tsp
,salt- 1/2 tsp
pepper-1/2 tsp
Roasted cumin powder-1 tsp
butter
bread crumbs -2-3


Recipe

1. Take all the ingredients and then mash and mix them nicely. I also added 1/4 tsp of red chilly powder .

2. Make cutlets by binding it nicely.

3. Shallow fry in less butter or oil

4. Eat it with pudina chutney.

Note: do not add butter in the mixture. If your mixture is too moist add 1-2 spoons of besan powder to bind and then fry.

Brocolli Salad


Ingredients

4 hard boiled eggs, cut into bite size pieces
1 head fresh broccoli, cut into bit size pieces
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (I used roasted poppy seeds)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons maple syrup or sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper


Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine eggs, broccoli, onions, raisins and pumpkin seeds.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, garlic, balsamic vinegar, sugar, oregano, salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste.
3. Pour dressing over broccoli mixture and toss until well mixed. Refrigerate for about 3 hours before serving (this allows broccoli to become tender).
4. Sprinkle a small handful of pumpkin seeds before serving, to give it an extra crunch.

Note: i used black vinegar and didn't like it...unless one has white/rice/balsamic vinegar....avoid putting vinegar...its pungent makes one not like it.
I even added 1/4 tsp of red chilly for taste.
This dish generally uses bacon....so if u eat it u can use it instead of eggs

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Haleem/Khichda!



Ingredients


Haleem


Wheat grains(crushed)-/Also known as kuta gehu/- 2 cups (or minimum 1 cup )
Chana Dal(Split bengal gram)-1 cup
Arhar Dal(Red Gram)(dhuli)-1 cup
Urad Dal (Dhuli )(White split gram beans)-1cup
Masoor Dal(Red Lentils(split))(dhuli)-1 cup
Moong Dal (Green gram split)(dhuli)-1 cup
Rice-1 cup

Salt-2 Tsp(1+1)
Red chilly powder-2 tsp(1+1)
Tumeric powder-2 tsp (1+1)
Ginger garlic paste-1 1/2tsp (1/2+1)
Some fresh cut garlic
Water according to consistency

/Use all dal dhuli not sabut/




Meat Ingredients



Meat/Kheema(mota)(prefer rann meat or kheema)- 1 or 1 and1/2 kg
Ginger garlic paste-1 and 1/2 teaspoon
Red chilly powder- 2 teaspoon
Salt-1-2 teaspoon
Onions-2-3
Tomotoes-4-5
Indian bay leaf(tej patta)- 1(optional)
Cinnamon(dalchini)-1(optional)
Big Cardomans-2-3(just seeds)
Black pepper-1/2 teaspoon(optional)- to be removed after cooking meat (I avoid it)
Green chilly-2-3
Ginger-small cut pieces
Oil-3 cooking spoon



Tadka



Ghee-1 cooking spoon
Onion for tadka-1
Fresh coriander

Water-14-16 cups



Dal Preparation



1. Wash grain very nicely and then soak grains and chana dal overnight. Soak rest of the dals for 2 hours.



2. Put grains in cooker with enough water and boil with 3-4 whistles. Add salt and tumeric powder to it



3. Then add chana dal , arhar dal to it and let it give out 2-3 whistles.

4. Simulatenously, in a big pateli boil adequate water and add rest dals and rice to it along with masala (salt, red chilly, ginger garlic paste, tumeric powder and fresh garlic) and let it cook till nicely done and then add grain mixture to it and mix nicely.




Meat preparation



1. Put oil in a cooker and then add onions to it. Let them get golden brown and then add tomotoes to it. Then add all of the meat ingredients and meat to it and fry it nicely. Then put enough water and let it cook for 15-20 minutes and leaves 3-4whistles.



2. Once cooked fry the meat nicely to give out a nice flavour and it bhuna done



3. Remove the meat and take out baf leaf , cinnamon and black pepper from it if you had put in it.



4. Add the meat to the dals and boil once . Add boiled water adequate for haleem to be curry like if dals have soaked water before adding meat.



Haleem



1. Put meat into the dals and let it cook nicely for some 2-3 minutes till its done.



2. Put ghee in a pan and lots of thinly sliced onions. Once they r dark brown. Pour the mixture into haleem. Dccorate with coriander leaves.



Haleem is ready! Use lemon, garlic to serve.

Note:- Haleem takes time to cook and are cooked in large quantities so cook it if you could relish for some days or when there is a party.