Vegetable Stew

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1 heaped cup (250ml) of diced vegetables includingg carrots, beans, potatoes, peas and cauliflower

Thick (125 ml) and thin coconut milk (250ml) extracted from ½ cup of grated coconut

1 Tsp of coarsely ground peppercorns

1tbsp of coconut oil

1 sprig of curry leaves

One medium sized onion finely chopped

1 tsp of finely chopped ginger

2 slit green chillies

Whole Garam masala 3 cardamom, 3 cloves, and an inch of cinnamon

Method

Take a pan.. Add half the coconut oil.. To this add the whole garam masala. Then add the ginger, curry leaves and green chilli and saute for a minute. Add the onion and saute till translucent. Add the diced vegetables with the peppercorn powder and salt to taste and mix well. Add the thin coconut milk and cover and cook till vegetables are done. Finally add the thick coconut milk and simmer the stew for a minute. Garnish with leftover coconut oil and curry leaves. Serve hot.

Jhaal Alur Dum – Spicy Potatoes

Jhaal Alur dum takes me down the memory lane when I and my friends would head for the Puchkawala near Vivekananda park and gorge on these spicy potatoes drizzled with tamarind juice. This dish can be served as a snack or as an accompaniment in the main course.

Ingredients

Baby Potatoes- 250 gm Parboiled and peeled.

Coriander leaves – 1 tsp finely chopped

Green chillies – 3 broken into halves

Whole Garam Masala- 4 cardamoms, 4 cloves and an inch of cinnamon stick

Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp

Bay Leaf – 1

Turmeric Powder – 1/2 Tsp

Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp

Red Chilli Powder – 1/2 Tsp

Dry Roasted and Powdered – 3 whole red chillies and 1 tsp of jeera

Tamarind juice – 1 Tsp

Salt to taste

Oil – 1 tbsp

Method

Take oil in a pan. Add the bay leaf, cumin seeds, and the whole garam masala. Saute till a nice smell comes. Then add the baby potatoes with turmeric powder and salt to taste and mix well. Then add the cumin powder and red chilli powder and mix well. Add enough water to cover the potatoes and cover and cook at least for 45 mins till the water goes dry. Then add the dry roasted red chilli and cumin powder, and garnish with coriander leaves and green chilli. Mix and switch off the gas. Finally, add a squeeze of tamarind juice. This dish tastes best when spicy and tangy. Serve as a snack with a toothpick or as an accompaniment with dal and rice. It is Yummy!!

 

Alu Chochodi- Potatoes in a simple gravy

Alu chochodi, the name itself sounds so delicious that every time I say it my mouth waters. Lightly flavoured with the minimum of spices, this dish is easy to make and goes very well with rice as well as roti.

Ingredients

Potatoes- 2 (Thinly sliced with the skin on)

Onion – 1 (Thinly sliced)

Coriander leaves – 1 Tbsp finely chopped

Green Chilli – 3 Broken into halves

Red chilli powder – As per taste

Turmeric Powder – 1/2 Tsp

Salto to taste

Paanch Phoron- 1 Tsp of mixed methi seeds, Kalonji, Jeera, Saunf, Mustard seeds in equal quantities

Tej Patta/Bay leaf – 1

Oil – 1 Tbsp

Method

Take oil in a pan. Add the tej patta and the paanch phoron. Then add the onion with turmeric powder and saute till translucent. Then add the chopped potatoes and saute for a minute. Then add salt and red chilli powder and mix well. Add just enough water for gravy and cook till done. Finally, garnish with coriander leaves and green chillies. This dish tastes better if spicy.

Kosumalli- The Healthy South Indian Salad

Kosumalli is one of the easiest, healthiest and most refreshing salad. Good for health, it is also very easy to make. There are many versions to it. Today I share the version that I use.

Ingredients

Moong Dal – 1/2 cup

Coconut water – 1 cup

Coconut – 1 tbsp grated

Cucumber – 1 chopped into small pieces

Green chilli – 1 chopped fine

Curry leaves – A few

Lemon Juice – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Mustard seed- 1 tsp

Oil – 1/2 tsp

Method

Soak the moong dal in coconut water for at least 6 hours. If coconut water is not available you can soak it in plain water too. Coconut water just enhances the flavour of the dal. Once soaked, drain and keep aside.

Take oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds and when it starts spluttering, add the curry leaves and green chilli. Saute for a few seconds and then add the drained dal. Saute till the water is totally evaporated. Add salt, grated coconut and mix well. Switch off gas. Once it comes down to room temperature, add the lemon juice and cucumber and mix well. Serve as an accompaniment or just gobble from a bowl by itself. It is super healthy!!

Alu Kumdo- Potatoes & Pumpkin Gravy

Bengali cuisine celebrates vegetables without adding too many ingredients and dry masalas. The flavour comes from the tadka itself. Alu kumdo is one of the many dishes which is simple to make and yet absolutely lip smacking.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Potatoes – 2 peeled and quartered

Pumpkin- 200 gm peeled and quartered

Onion 1 big

Coriander leaves/dhaniya patta – 1tbsp finely chopped

Green Chilli – 3 pieces broken into halves

Dry Red Chilli as per taste

Paanch Phoron

Haldi/Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp

Tej Patta/Bay Leaf 1

Oil – 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Sugar A pinch

Chop potatoes. And kumdo. Keep potatoes a little bigger than kumdo as we want them just done and kumdo overdone.
Grind onion with red chillies. I add Kashmiri chilli for colour

Take oil in Kadai. Add tej patta..paanch phoron.. paanch phoron has methi.. kalaunji..saunf..jeera and yellow mustard

Add ALU with haldi and sauté for a minute. Then add the kumdo and saute for another minute. Then add ground masala, salt and a pinch of sugar and sauté till the masala loses raw smell. Add enough water for gravy. Cover and cook till the pumpkin is very soft. Garnish with Dhaniya patta and green chilli. Serve with hot rice. It is delicious!!

 

Stuffed Green Chilli

The big Green Chillies, the pakode wale mirchi , can be made in a different way..No need to make it heavy by dipping in gram flour and deep frying. Sharing a yummy recipe that will go well with rice and roti. And as usual it is the easiest to make.

Ingredients

Big Green Chillies – 4 slit and deseeded

Potatoes – 2 boiled and cut into small pieces

Ginger – 1/2 inch piece grated

Nigella Seeds/Kalaunji – 1 tsp

Oil 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Red chili powder to taste

Garam Masala Powder 1/2 tsp

Method

Deseed the pakoda chilli and sauté in a little oil and set aside. In the same oil add onion and grated ginger… Then add kalaunji and haldi and fry till translucent. Then add boiled and diced potatoes and salt.. Cover and cook on slow fire till a little crisp.. Last add the red chili powder and garam masala pwdr.. Mix and remove from heat. Now stuff this into chilli and grill in otg till nicely roasted. Serve hot with Rice or roti

Stuffed Potol/Pointed Gourd

I love potol/pointed gourd..it is indeed a versatile vegetable which mingles with any spice that you use..rainy season is the season for fresh potol and I make a dish with it every other day..sharing the stuffed potol recipe..the Bengali non veg version has fish mince in it…I either use potatoes or paneer..do try

Ingredients

Potol/pointed gourd 4 pieces – Remove the inside of the potol..use the flesh and the seeds only if white in colour..discard if yellow. Scrape the skin of the potol very lightly

1 boiled potato/50gm paneer..use either of the two

Onion 1 finely chopped

Green chilli 1 finely chopped

Ginger half inch grated

Salt to taste

Red chilli powder 1 tsp

Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Method

Take oil in a pan..add the cumin seeds. Then add the onion, ginger and green chilli with turmeric powder and sauté till translucent. Then add the inside flesh of the potol and sauté for a minute. Now add the mashed potatoes/grated paneer with salt to taste..mix well..lastly add the red chilli powder..mix and switch off gas. Once the mixture cools down, stuff it into the potol shells. Shallow fry covered till done. Do not worry if a little stuffing comes out while frying..scoop it out of the oil and RE stuff once the potol is done. Enjoy with dal and rice.

 

Potoler Dolma

I have been really lazy the past few months. But I plan to get out of this state of inertia and what better way to do so than by sharing the recipe of my favourite dish.

For all my friends interested in Potoler Dolma…Basically .. the Non-veg version has meat stuffed in it…So my mom used to make without stuffing with only the gravy and it is indeed yumm..

Ingredients

Take 6 pieces pointed gourd/parmal/potol..scrape the skin…Remove the ends And slit 1/4 on both sides taking care not to halve it…it should be whole.
Chop 1 tomato very fine

Coriander Leaves finely chopped 1 Tbsp

Whole Green Chillies 2

Grind together
2 inch Adrak
2 whole Red Chilli and 1 Kashmiri for colour
Saunf/mowri/fennel seeds 1 tbsp

Method

Take oil in a kadhai..add the potol and saute on high .. do not let it turn brown though..Remove from oil…Now in same oil add bayleaf/tej patta…add the ground masala , haldi, a pinch of sugar..the tomatoes…saute for 2 mins…add the potol and salt to taste…mix…add water just to cover it…and cook on simmer till done. GArnish with green chilli whole and corainder leaves.

 

Hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do.

Hare Matar Ki Nimona/ Green Peas Pureed with Indian Spices

I am a great fan of Food Shows on TV and every once in a while come across a recipe which is worth trying. This time I tried Nimona after watching it in Utsav Thalis of India and it was just fantabulous. The ingredients here are celebrated to the optimum and the dish is delicious.

Ingredients (For 2 as an accompaniment)

Fresh Green Peas 100gm – Ground coarsely

Tomato 1 Medium sized – Blanched and pureed

Potato 1 medium size – Diced

Ginger 1/2 inch and Green Chilli as per taste- ground together

Coriander Leaves- 1 tbsp finely chopped

Red Chilli powder- a pinch

Coriander Powder- 1/2 tsp

Cumin Seeds/ Jeera- 1/2 tsp

Cloves/ Laung – 2 pieces

Asafoetida/ Hing- A pinch

Bay Leaf/Tej Patta- 1

Salt to taste

Clarified Butter – 2 Tsp

Method

Take the clarified butter in a pan and saute the potato until golden brown and set aside. In the same clarified butter add whole red chili, cumin seeds, asafoetida, cloves and bay leaf. To this add the ginger and green chilli paste and saute. After a minute add the pureed tomato and the red chilli powder and coriander powder. Saute till the ghee separates. Now to this add the ground green peas and salt, mix, add a little water and cook it for 3-4 mins. Finally, add the fried potatoes and give it one more boil. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis. Yum!!

 

Kadhai Paneer

One of the most popular dishes in North India, this dish too has many variants. However..at the end of the day, it is indeed heaven to bite into succulent pieces of the capsicum matched with Paneer/Cottage Cheese, a match surely made in heaven. I share the recipe that I follow.

Ingredients (Serves 2 )

Cottage Cheese/Paneer 100 gm cut into 1-inch pieces

Tomato – 2 chopped fine

Ginger- 1 tsp finely grated

Green Chilli – 1 cut into two pieces

Tomato – 1 deseeded and cut into cubes

Onion- 1/2 cut into cubes

Capsicum – 1 cut into cubes

Salt to taste

Clarified butter/desi ghee – 2 tsp

Garam Masala – 1 tsp

Kasuri Methi – 1 tsp

Powder together

Red chilli as per taste and Coriander 1 Tsp dry roasted

3 cardamom, 3 cloves and an inch of cinnamon

Method

Take clarified butter in a pan and add the tomatoes and the ginger and saute until soft. Now add the cubed capsicum, tomato and onion and mix well. Add the powdered spices and saute for 2 mins. Now add the cubed cottage cheese, along with the garam masala, salt to taste and kasuri methi. mix well. Add a tbsp of water at this point so that all the spices mix well. Cook till totally dry. Kadhai Paneer ready to be served with phulkas.