Category: Indian

Categories
Condiments Jam & Preserves Pickles & Chutneys Rajasthani Uncategorized

Lehsun-mirch ki chutney

If you observe food from any particular region,  you can start learning a lot about the people, the weather, the produce available etc. It is very evident in the various cuisines from across India.

One such cuisine is the cuisine of Rajasthan.

I am in love with everything about this place . This land is known for its sand dunes, colorful dresses, camels and palaces. It is the western state of India, the dessert state, water is very scarce here and fresh fruits and vegetables are not readily available all the time, so a lot of the dishes from this region use ingredients that are available easily. Things like lentils, grain flours, dried chilies, dried vegetables and milk products.

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I have been to Rajasthan a few times and fell in love again with its people and food. I have learnt a few recipes on my visits and would be sharing them here.

Today’s recipe- Chili Garlic Chutney

I love spicy food. Today’s recipe is easy and can be made very easily, most of the ingredients should be available in your pantry. It is one of those dishes that can perk up any dull meal or add a bit of spice to it.2015/03/img_2445.jpg

Ingredients:

10-15 Red Chilies

6-8 fresh garlic cloves

2 tbsp Kashmiri red chili powder

1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seeds

2 tbsp Oil

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp tamarind pulp( optional)

Method:

Some people also add onions, I feel that they make the chutney sweet so I don’t add it.
Soak dry red chilies in warm water for 1 hour.

In a blender grind the garlic & soaked chilies with little water.

Heat oil in pan, add mustard seeds. When they splatter, add the cumin seeds. Add fenugreek seeds and fry for 10 secs. Add the red chili powder. Add the chili garlic paste. cook till you see oil separating,mix salt & sugar and mix well. Add tamarind pulp to taste.

Chutney is ready, serve it with any Indian meal.

Note:

I mix it with greek yogurt and use it as a dip for fresh vegetables.

I also mix it with a little bit of butter and use it as a spread for sandwiches.

 

 

 

Categories
Chicken Curry Maharashtrian Masala (Spice Mix)

Kolhapuri chicken- A fiery treat

Kolhapuri chicken rassa- a fiery treat that you can not stop eating.

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I like to eat it with Jowar Bhakri, raw onion and raw methi & white butter ( makhhan).
Recipe:
2 chicken breast- chopped
1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1/4 tsp lime juice
4 tbsp Kolhapuri masala
2 tbsp Bedgi chili powder.
Oil
1 medium onion chopped


Method
Mix ginger garlic paste, salt and lime juice with chicken and keep aside for at least an hour.

Take oil in the pan. Saute finely chopped onions till they are brown.

Add the red chili powder. Add the marinated chicken and cook for 30 sec. Add the masala paste and saute more. Add salt to taste.
Add hot water to get the consistency you desire. Cover and cook for a few mins.
This actually works better with the mutton but since my husband prefers chicken, I make it more often

 

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Categories
Breakfast Indian Maharashtrian

Sabudana Khichadi- a typical Indian Breakfast

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Sabudana ( Tapioca) looks  like tiny white pearls, made from roots of the cassava plant, it is very common in Indian cooking. It is a younger cousin of the Boba tea/Tapioca tea. Typically it is eaten during fasting, but also eaten as a common breakfast food. It is can be made as a savory or a sweet dish. It can be eaten like a tapioca pudding but my favorite recipe is a savory one.

My husband and kids are big fans of this and happily eat it any time. In fact whenever my son comes home, the first thing he wants to eat is this ‘Sabudana Khichadi’

 

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Sabudana Khichadi

A popular dish from Maharashtra India, made with Tapioca Pearls, seasoned with green chili cumin and peanuts, its often enjoyed during 'Vrat' or Fasting

Course Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine Indian, Maharashtrian
Keyword fasting, vrat

Ingredients

  • 3 cups Soaked sabudana sago/Tapioca
  • Sugar
  • Salt
  • 1/4 cup milk at room temp
  • 1/2 cup roasted peanut Powder

Spice paste

  • 1 1/2 tbsp Cumin seeds divided use
  • 4-5 green chilies

Tadka

  • 3 tbsp ghee
  • 1 1/2 Tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 1-2 Green Chilies Adjust based on spice preference
  • 1-2 Potatoes peeled and sliced

Garnish

  • Chopped cilantro
  • Fresh grated coconut

Instructions

  1. Take the sabudana in a large pot. Wash it with cold water. When you start washing it will looks cloudy
  2. Wash until the water runs clear. This helps get rid of excess starch which makes the khichadi clumpy when cooked.
  3. Add water just to cover the sabudana and a little over.
  4. Now let it soak for at least 7-8 hours. I end up soaking it overnight since I make this mostly for breakfast.
  5. About an hour before you plan to make the khichadi, take the milk and sprinkle it over the soaked sabudana. Using fork separate the grains and leave aside.
  6. Make powder with roasted peanuts
  7. Make paste with the green chilies & 1 tbsp of cumins seeds in a mortal & pestle, you can also use a blender.
  8. Add peanut powder, chili mixture, salt & Sugar to the soaked sabudana and mix well.
  9. In a pan heat oil, add cumin seeds. Add some green chili pieces and saute till the cumin seeds are brown.
  10. Add sliced potatoes, add salt to the potatoes and cover.
  11. Cook until the potatoes are done.
  12. Add the sabudana mixture and cook. Cover for only a couple of mins and stir constantly, this will prevent clumps from forming. The easiest way to know when it is done is to check if the pearls are translucent.
  13. Add the ghee and mix well. Traditionally it is cooked in ghee, but if you are trying to avoid it then adding just a couple of tbsp at the end is a good solution. This gives the flavor of ghee but you dont have to cook solely with it.
  14. Garnish with chopped cilantro, fresh grated coconut and yogurt or a lime wedge.
Categories
Condiments Indian Kashmiri Pickles & Chutneys

Smoked Walnut chutney- a treat from Kashmir

Indian food for non-Indians is naan, butter chicken, chole, saag, as that is the only food they have been exposed to in the restaurants. You would think Indians would know everything about different types of indian foods but Indian food is so diverse and regional that many a times you only know about the food from yours and may be neighbouring region. So even though I grew up in India, there are many indian delicacies that I had not even tasted. For example, Assamese food, Bengali Food or Kashmiri Food.

So when I came to think country, I not only learnt about different cuisines of the world but also different regional cuisines of India as well. The Indian grocery stores here carry things that are used in Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab and many other Indian cuisines. One such item was ‘Lotus Stems’, growing up I had never eaten a lotus stem. It is very commonly used in Punjabi & Kashmiri cuisine. In Kashmir they call it ‘Nadru’. So when I started reading about how to cook Nadru, I came across many Kashmiri delicacies. I make many kashmiri dishes now, and I will be sharing a few here.

Today’s recipe however is from a facebook food group. When I saw this post, I knew I had to make it.

I love anything smoked, I love onion, green chili and I love walnuts…so this recipe was just too good to ignore.

Smoked Walnut Chutney

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It is so simple to make yet fantastic flavors

Ingredients

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1/2 cup walnuts

1/3 cup onion chopped

2 green chilies

1/2 tsp crushed red chilies

1 tsp jeera

1/2 cup or more chopped cilantro

salt to taste

For smoking:

1 piece of coal

Few drops of mustard oil

 

Method:

Dry roast the walnut and jeera slightly.

Add all the ingredients to a mortar and pestle. On a related note, I am obsessed with the mortar & pestles, I have many in my collection 🙂

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Pound all the ingredients till you get a coarse paste. I feel that the coarse texture add to the taste of this dish.

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Now take out the chutney in a bowl.

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Cover the bowl with a leaf. If you don’t have a leaf, you can use a aluminium foil and poke a few holes in it.

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Now take a piece of coal and burn it on the gas flame till it is bright red.

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Now place the coal on top of the leaf.

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Pour a couple of drops of mustard oil and cover immediately with a bigger bowl.

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You will see that it smokes up quickly.

 

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After a few minutes when the smoke has died down, open carefully and enjoy. The recipe looks very easy, but I was amazed how delicious it tastes. Give it a try.

You can even serve it with pita chips as a dip.

 

 

 

Categories
Bengali Masala (Spice Mix)

Panch Phoran

This is a spice mix from Bengal, the eastern state of India. I just love the combination of flavors. As the name suggests it is a mixture of Five( panch) spices.  There are many variations of this recipe, but here is what I use:

Panch Phoran

Ingredients:

1 tbsp Fennel Seeds ( saunf)

1 tbsp fenugreek seeds ( methi seeds)

1 tbsp Mustard seeds ( Rai)

1 tbsp cumin seeds ( jeera)

1 tbsp nigella seeds ( kalonji)

Method:

Slightly rosat all the ingredients separately. Mix them in a bottle. You can use it in many recipe.

Categories
Curry Indian Vegetable curries/daal

Lauki majedar

I try to eat and cook only what is in season, so I only shop at the farmers market for my fruits and vegetables. You will always find some kind of squash in season. Most of the summer and almost through the fall season, you will get opo squash in the market. It is  easy to clean and very nutritious, so I try to include that in our diet as  I can, be it in the form of a salad, curry, Soup, Parantha( Indian flat bread) or even dessert. Although it is very good for you, it can be very bland testing and needs some dressing up.

Typically you will find Lauki made with some sort of lentil, or in a form of a kofta. This recipe is none of that, it is very simple and easy to make.  I also like the fact that it does not have onion or garlic and hence can be a nice addition to a dinner plate with  other curries with onion, garlic.

For last night’s dinner I made egg curry which had onion and garlic, so I made the lauki majedar to compliment it.

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Ingredients

1 lauki ( squash)

1 tbsp Panch Phoran

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 inch ginger

1 green chili

1 roma tomato

Cilantro for garnish

Oil

1/2 tsp ghee ( optional)

 

Method

Peel and chop the squash in fine dice. Chop tomatoes in small pieces. Chop ginger in fine pieces. Chop green chilies in fine pieces as well.

Heat oil. Add panch phoran, turmeric saute for 10 secs. Make sure that the panch phoran does not burn otherwise the methi might start tasting bitter.

Add ginger and green chilies, saute for 10 secs.

Add the chopped tomatoes and saute for 20 secs.

Add chopped squash and mix well. Add salt to taste and cover. Cook on low flame until cooked.

Add the ghee if using.

Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Categories
Curry Indian Maharashtrian

Indian Egg curry- poached eggs in coconut curry

Yesterday was one of those days when I had very few things in the fridge and yet I was hoping to make something yummy for dinner, then I thought about Egg curry. Egg curry is a very common Indian dish. Most of the ingredients are available at home and egg curry can be very handy on one of those days when you don’t know what to make. It can be eaten with rice or wheat roti( Indian bread). Sometimes I like to eat egg curry with a crusty bread for breakfast as well, with a cup of tea it is perfect nutritious way to start the day.

Typically egg curry is made with boiled eggs in a tomato-onion gravy. Although I like the taste of that curry, I find that the eggs and curry don’t blend well.   I prefer to make it almost like poached eggs. The eggs get cooked in a nice coconutty curry to perfection. This recipe does not have tomatoes and gets its tartness from tamarind. This egg curry reminds me of the the Tunisian recipe ‘Shakshuka’,  Eggs cooked in tomato based sauce, so try this Indian Shakshuka, it is very easy to make.

Last night’s dinner was a simple egg curry, Opp squash with panch Phoran & whole wheat rotis.

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Ingredients

For the Masala paste


1/2 cup Fresh grated coconut
4 dry red chilies
1 big clove of garlic
1 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp jeera
1/4 cup cilantro
1 tsp tamarind paste
1/2 tsp turmeric

Oil
1 small onion chopped fine
3/4 cup coconut milk( optional)
4-5 eggs

 

Method

Grind all the ingredients for the paste fine using water.
Heat oil and sauté onion till nice and brown.

Add masala paste and sauté it for a min

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Add water to make a thin curry It should be thinner than what you would like the final product to be.
Add salt and mix well.

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Make small wells in the curry and crack eggs gently in the curry.
Cover and cook on low flame. After a couple of min open the lid and spoon some curry over the eggs without disturbing them.

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Add coconut milk if you want richer curry.
Keep cooking until the yolk is set. Garnish with chopped cilantro & serve with Roti or Rice

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Categories
Appetizer Indian Maharashtrian

Vada Pav -the indian veggie burger

If you have visited India and especially Mumbai, you must have seen many road- side stalls for Vada Pav. Vada is a name for anything that is round in shape and fried..and Pav is the bread or dinner roll in hindi.

Indian Vegetarian Burger

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Usually I visit India in July-August time frame, at that time it is Monsoon  in India. When we drive from Mumbai to Pune, you go through the Western Ghats, the mountain are covered in lush green carpet, you see beautiful streams bouncing down the mountain side. The air is clean and crisp, and as you are enjoying this all, you smell Hot Vada Pav being made somewhere.

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Vada Pav is a popular street food of India, especially Maharashtra.  Vada is a name for anything that is round in shape and fried..and Pav is the bread or dinner roll in hindi. There are some foods which I can eat anytime of the day, many times in the week and still enjoy and love the same. Vada Pav is definitely one of them. In fact, whenever I visit India Vada Pav is the first food I eat.

When you travel by train any station the train stops at, you will find the vendors selling vada pav. On a piece of paper with some spicy hot green chilies.

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It is a very easy recipe and typically most of the ingredients are available at home so anytime you crave it, you can make it quickly.

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Vada Pav

Indian vegetarian Burger

Ingredients

Ingredients:

Filling

  • 3  potatoes boiled and diced I have used russet potatoes
  • 1/2 onion finely chopped optional
  • 6-8 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 tsp grated ginger
  • 4-5 green chilies
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • a few curry leaves
  • 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
  • Sugar to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp lime juice

Batter:

  • 1 cup of besan bengal gram flour
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp oil
  • Couple of pinches of baking soda
  • Oil to fry

Instructions

Method

Filling

  1. Peel the potatoes and dice them in small pieces. Make sure the potatoes are cooled before you dice them, else they can get sticky. Slightly mash them with the back of a fork.
  2. Pound the garlic and green chilies with a little bit of salt into a coarse paste.
  3. Heat oil, add mustard seeds. As soon as they splutter, add curry leaves and turmeric. Add onions if using and saute them till they are light brown in color. Dont let them burn at all.
  4. Add the chili-garlic paste and saute for 15-20 secs. Turn the heat off
  5. Add the potatoes mixture, salt, sugar and lime juice. Mix well, and taste to adjust the seasoning.

Batter

  1. Mix all the ingredients for the batter except the baking soda well, make sure there are no lumps. When you are ready to fry the vada, add the baking soda and set aside for 5 mins.
  2. Make lemon size balls of the potato mixture.
  3. Dip the balls in the batter and fry on medium heat till golden brown.

Serve with dry garlic chutney. You can also use tamarind chutney or Mint chutney as a spread on the bread before making a sandwich with the Vada.

Recipe Notes

Serve with dry garlic chutney. You can also use tamarind chutney or Mint chutney as a spread on the bread before making a sandwich with the Vada.

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Categories
Indian Maharashtrian Pickles & Chutneys Snack

Garlic chutney

Whenever you eat Vada Pav, this chutney is absolutely essential. It is very simple recipe made with a few ingredients but adds a necessary kick to the Vada Pav. It is almost like a dry rub in the texture and needs to be consumed pretty quickly since it has raw uncooked garlic.

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Ingredients:

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1/2 cup dry coconut, slightly roasted
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
2-3 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp kashmiri red chili powder

1 tbsp deghi mirch powder

1 tsp Kanda lasoon masala( I sometimes use Kolhapuri masala)

Method:

Chop the garlic in the food processor. Add all the rest of the ingredients together while pulsing the food processor. A lot of people do not add peanuts and make it just with coconut, I feel like the taste of peanuts. Also, Kanda lasoon masala is a very typical Maharashtrian spice mix, the Kolhapuri masala I make come close so sometimes I use that.

Also, it is the Kashmiri red chili powder that gives it that tempting red color, so I mix Deghi for spice and Kashmiri for color.

 

Enjoy with Vada Pav!

 

 

Categories
Indian Maharashtrian Main Dish

Chicken Savji- a unique chicken curry

I posted Jowar Bhakri last week. One of the accompaniments was Chicken Savji and many people asked for the recipe.So as promised here are the recipes of Chicken Savji.

Chicken savji can be made in two ways, Solapuri and Nagpuri style. This is made with the recipe that my mom makes, it is a little different than the Savji on the Nagpur side. I make both, but like the Solapuri version a little more.

Savji– सोलापुर स्टाइल

Savaji Chicken…my mom makes Savaji mutton, the same masala with chicken.I love Savji Chicken…it is very very yummy. Typically indian meat curries have tomato, onion as a base. This recipe is unique since it does not have onion or tomatoes.

Savaji Chicken

savaji chicken

Ingredients:


1 lb Chicken( I make it with boneless for the kids, but tastes better with boned)
1tsp haldi
2 tbsp Ginger garlic paste

Dry Masala


1/2 cup dry roasted coconut ( I take the dry coconut wati and almost burn it on the gas flame, you can also use shredded coconut)
2 tbsp of khukhus
2 tbsp of Sesame seeds

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2 tbsp tamarind pulp ( mixed with some water)

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1.5 tsp garam masala
2-3 tbsp Bedagi chilli powder

 

Method:

Dry roast khuskhus, til and coconut and grind together to make a fine paste. I use my coffee grinder.

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Marinate chicken with 1tbsp ginger garlic paste,salt and haldi.
Heat oil, add ½ garam masala, chili powder.

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Add chicken pieces. Saute for a few minutes, add hot water, cook for some time.

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Add tamarind pulp and  the remaining ginger garlic paste.

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Add boiling water to get the consistency of the curry you like. Bring it to a good boil. Add the til-khukhus paste.

Taste and add more garam masala/chili powder as needed. My mom likes to season the dish as she goes along, I feel it works really well.Do not boil too much after the paste is added  otherwise it gives out oil and does not taste very good.

Serve with bhakri. It taste good even the next day.

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Note:

It tastes really good with mutton, in fact I feel the mutton savji tastes better than the chicken version.

 

 

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