Malai Kofta

I am not much of a kofta person as our menu is predominantly non-vegetarian . And paneer dishes are made very rarely, mostly reserved for occasions when we have any of our vegetarian friends coming over. With koftas being quite messy and rich, I usually avoided it in favour of dishes like Paneer Schezhuan or Paneer Tikka. But when a reader requested for a kofta recipe, I had to think hard before coming up with this. I have cut short the time (and also the amount of oil/butter) spent on making the gravy by cooking most of the ingredients beforehand. The tikkis can also be baked in a oven for further reducing the calories. (I tried doing this for 2 of the tikkis and they tasted good)

Read on for the recipe - 

Preparation Time - 25-30 mins

Ingredients - 

For the koftas -

200 gm paneer

1 medium sized potato

1 tsp cornflour

a pinch of garam masala

1/3 tsp chilli powder

salt to taste

oil for shallw frying

To be boiled -

2 medium sized onion

1 medium sized tomato

3-4 garlic flakes

1 inch long ginger

1 dry Kashmiri red chilli

10-12 almonds (blanched)

1/3 tsp cumin

1 inch cinnamon stick

1-2 green cardamoms

2-3 cloves

salt to taste

Others -

1 tsp oil

1 tsp butter

1 tsp honey

1 tbsp kasuri methi

salt to taste

Cooking - Cook the potato with 1 cup water in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles. Keep aside till steam escapes.

While the potato is cooking, chop the onions, peel the garlic and ginger. Take all the ingredients listed under "to be boiled" in another pressure cooker with 1 cup water. Cook on medium high flame for 7-8 minutes or 2-3 whistles. Keep aside for steam to escape.(let the tomato remain intact/whole while cooking)

Heat oil in a wok for shallow frying.

Peel and grate the boiled potato into a mixing bowl. Also grate the paneer into the same bowl. Add salt, cornflour, chili powder and garam masala. Mix thouroughly and divide into 6-7 portions. Shape each portion into a flattened circle about 2/3 cm thick.

Put the koftas into the hot oil. Fry on both sides till brown. Press slightly against the side of the vessel to drain off excess oil before removing. Keep on a tissue paper to absorb still more oil.

Strain the contents of the pressure cooker. Do not throw away this water. Transfer to a grinder and make a smooth paste.

Heat 1 tsp oil in another wok. Add butter to it followed by the onion masala paste. Cook for 3 minutes before adding some of the strained water. Add honey. Rub the kasuri methi between your palms before adding it to the gravy. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the koftas to the gravy and switch off the flame (only if the curry is to be served immediately else heat the gravy and add the koftas just before serving).

Tastes best with naan/rotis but also goes well with white rice/pulao.

Note - When making this recipe for special ocasions, chop up some dry fruits ( raisins, cashews, almonds ), lightly fry them in some ghee and stuff them inside the koftas.

Paneer Mushroom Korma

Made a special korma for today's lunch. Nothing festive but just felt like cooking something special and that too vegetarian. Quite a challenge as my husband's preference is predominantly non-vegetarian. With no rules to be followed and no expectations being set, I just added a little bit of everything that I could lay my hands upon ( seriously ) and it turned out to be good. Dunno if it can actually qualify as a korma, I wanted to make one but somehow ended up doing a medley of sorts.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 45 mins ( plus some time for chopping)

Ingredients -

• 250 gm paneer cubes
• 200 gm button mushrooms ( each cut into four pieces )
• 1/2 cup sweet corn
• 1/2 cup green peas
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/3 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 1/2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
• 1/3 tsp garam masala
• 2 tomatoes (freshly pureed)
• 2 tbsp yogurt
• 2 large onions
• 2 tsp GG paste
• 1 tsp (coriander leaves-mint-green chili) paste - this is optional but then i was feeling adventurous 
• 1 whole Kashmiri chili
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cardamoms
• 3 cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 2 pinch nutmeg powder
• 1 pinch star anise powder
• a strand of mace
• 1 1/2 tbsp kasuri methi
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp melon seeds
• 9-10 cashews (broken ones)
• 3 tsp oil
• 2 tsp ghee/butter
• salt to taste

Preparation - Take one of the onions. Peel and chop it into 4 halves. Transfer to a pressure cooker along with the whole kashmiri chili, 1 cardamom, cinnamon stick, cloves, cashews and melon seeds. Add 2/3 cup water and cook for 2 whistles.

Open lid once steam escapes. Strain the excess water and transfer to a blender. Make a smooth paste. Keep aside.

Finely chop the other onion.

Cooking - Heat 2 tsp oil and 1 tsp ghee in a wok. Add the mace, bay leaf and cardamoms.

Add the onions and fry till light brown in color. Add the GG paste and coriander-mint-green chili paste. Fry till raw smell goes off.

Add the tomato puree along with all the powdered masalas( just keep aside 1/2 tsp chili powder for later). Fry till the oil starts to separate.

Add the mushrooms, carrots, sweet corn and peas. Fry on high flame for 2-3 minutes. Then reduce the flame to medium and cover with lid. Cook for few minutes till mushrooms and carrots are 80 percent cooked. Make sure it is not too watery else turn up the flame to evaporate excess water. Remove from wok and keep aside.

Heat the remaining oil and ghee in the same wok. Add the paste prepared earlier. Saute for a few minutes.

Add chili powder, sugar and kasuri methi ( just rub it between your palms before adding to the wok ). Add 1/2 cup hot water. Bring to a boil and then add the cooked vegetables.

Meanwhile, boil 4 cups water with 1/3 tsp salt and a pinch of turmeric. Add the paneer cubes and boil for 1-2 minutes. Drain off all the water before adding the cubes to the remaining vegetables.

Cover with lid and let everything simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from flame.

Serve hot with roti, naan, paratha or even a simple pulao/white rice.

Note - One can also add some baby corn/tofu/peppers/cauliflower to the above recipe. I had to make do with whatever was available in the fridge. (No mall hopping this weekend as we are getting all the groceries online)

Mango Sasav (Ambe che Sasav)

Another one of Tarla Dalal's recipes. Hats off to the greatest Indian Chef who ever walked this planet. Her collection of recipes are truly amazing and diverse. She seems to have covered the entire span of the subcontinent while researching for her books and picked out some true gems.

Today I will be sharing this simple Konkani recipe that has green mangoes, coconut and toasted mustard seeds. While it is mostly made with tender green mangoes, I could not find the same and hence used cubed green mangoes. Quite a magical combination. Goes best with plain white rice. Read on for the easy recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 cup freshly grated coconut
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 1/2 tsp tamarind pulp ( optional )
• 7-8 peppercorns
• 2 cups green mangoes ( cubed )
• 2 tsp jaggery
• salt to taste

Preparation - Dry toast the mustard seeds in a pan till they start to pop. Keep aside to cool down.

Take the mustard seeds with grated coconut, tamarind pulp, turmeric, chilli powder and peppercorns in a blender jar. Add 1/2 cup water and make into a smooth paste.

Transfer the paste to a thick bottomed pan/wok and bring to a boil.

Add the mangoes along with jaggery and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Note - I have used dark colored jaggery powder in the recipe which turned the dish brown. But traditionally it is a yellow colored dish. BTW planning to try this with ripe mangoes next time.

Guanra Besara Bhaja ( Guar bean Fry )

Another one from the drafts. This one dates back atleast six months. Made it on my last visit to Odisha. As my husband and in-laws tend to stay away from this vegetable, I  never cook it at home.

A simple stir fry made with a touch of besara ( mustard and garlic paste), this is most common preparation method of bhajjis (or 'bhaja' as we call it) in Odisha. Quick, easy and healthy. Read on to get the recipe -

Preparation Time - 12-14 mins

Ingredients -

2 cups guar beans ( cut into  1 1/2 inch long pieces )
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 garlic flakes
1 red chilli
1/4 tsp pancha phutana
2 tsp oil
2 pinch turmeric
salt to taste

Preparation - Grind the mustard and garlic into a fine paste with very little water. This is besara . Some people also add a little cumin to this.

Cooking- Take 1/2 cup water in a wide vessel. Add salt and turmeric followed by the guar beans and the besara. Cook covered on medium flame till the beans are cooked through.

(Check this by pressing a spatula against one. If it cuts through, it is done. Most water should have been evaporated by now. If not, turn up the flame a bit.)

Heat the oil in a wok. Add broken red chilli and pancha phutana. Once the seeds start popping, add the boiled beans and fry for 2 minutes. Remove from flame.

Serve immediately with white rice.

Beetroot Raita (Detox Mondays)

Though beetroot is one of the healthiest vegetables known to us, some people avoid it owning to the rather strong and distinct flavor it has. Same is the case with my in-laws who otherwise have quite healthy eating habits. While it can be a bit overwhelming in the raw form, adding to the curries and stir fries tends to tone it down and make it more palatable. However, if you still want to have it raw despite being unable to stand it (believe me there are quite a bit of people who fall in that group), you can add it to raita, lassi or even smoothies. Curd seems to enhance the natural flavor of beetroot and I am quite in love with this combination.
( A small tip though. Try using grated beetroot instead of pureeing it as it gives a better taste. )

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 5 mins

Ingredients -


1 medium sized beetroot
1 cup fresh yogurt
1 green chilli (crushed)
salt to taste
fresh coriander for garnishing

To roast and make a powder -

1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
2 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
1 dry red chilli

Preparation - Wash and peel the beetroot. Grate it and keep aside.

Beat the yogurt lightly.

Cooking - Heat a pan. Add the seeds and broken red chilli. Allow seeds to start popping before removing from flame. Once cooled, make a fine powder using a spice blender or even a regular mixie.

Take the beetroot, yogurt , green chilli and 1/2 tsp of the above powder in a mixing bowl. Add salt to taste and adjust the water. Mix thoroughly.

Serve immediately or chill it for 20 mins in the fridge.

Garnish with coriander and serve with rice, rotis or paratha.

Gobi Kasuri

A simple preparation of cauliflower with dried fenugreek leaves, the bitter but aromatic flavors of this herb lift the dish out of mediocrity and catapult it into another league. Unlike the Punjabi version which has an overdose of Kasuri methi, I have aligned it more with the Odiya cauliflower stir-fry 'Phulakobi Santula but with distinct notes of the latter herb . Cauliflower like its other cruciferous cousins ( say broccoli, cabbage and brussels sprouts ) is very low on GI and loaded with cancer preventing antioxidants. However, given the propensity of Indians for deep frying or steeping this vegetable in heavy gravies, much of the benefits are lost. This vegetable tastes best when blanched for few minutes and then sauteed with less oil. A very low calorie dish, this one is especially recommended for those who suffer from diabetes and other heart ailments.

It goes very well with rotis but tastes equally good when paired up with white rice. Since it is quite dry it makes for a good lunchbox recipe. Read on -

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients:
Cauliflower ( 1 no, medium )
tomato ( 1 large )
onion ( 2 nos, medium )
red/green chilli ( 1-2 nos )
red chilli powder ( 1 tsp )
ginger garlic paste ( 1 tsp )
turmeric (1/3 tsp)
kasuri methi ( 1/2 cup)
pancha phutana ( 1/2 tsp)
garam masala ( 1/3 tsp)
oil ( 2-3 tsp) (I used Pomace olive oil for this recipe and t came out good)
salt to taste


Preparation: Dice the cauliflower into large sized florets . Cut the onion into thin long slices. Cut the tomato into long slices along its length and remove the seeds.

Soak the kasuri methi leaves in warm water.

Cooking: Bring water to boil in a large saucepan. Add salt and turmeric, followed by the cauliflower florets. Boil for 5-6 mins. Drain excess water and keep aside.

Heat a wok. Pour the oil into it. Add the pancha phutana and green chilli followed by the onions. Stir fry till the onions turn golden.

Add the ginger garlic paste and cook for 3-4 mins till the raw smell goes off.

Add the tomato slices. Sprinkle red chilli powder and a little salt. Cover with a lid and cook till the tomatoes soften and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Oil should start separating by this time.

Add the cauliflower florets along with the kasuri methi leaves. Stir fry on high flame for 3-4 mins. Cook covered on low flame for another few minutes till the cauliflower florets imbibe the flavors of the kasuri methi.

Add the garam masala and mix well. Remove from the stove. Serve with rice, rotis or parathas.

Note - One can also skip the tomatoes and add amchur instead.

Methi Sagaa Kharada (Stir fried Fenugreek leaves)

Methi or Fenugreek leaves are great for diabetics and people suffering from high cholesterol levels. Additionally, regular consumption of methi leaves also benefits skin and hair. These bitter but fragrant leaves can be a little overwhelming when consumed on its own. But they lend their aroma and taste when cooked in combination with other vegetables or even made into delicious methi parathas/rotis.

While the North Indian style preparations of methi call for use of garam masalas and tomatoes, people in Odisha prefer to savour its original taste. Usually only a little amount of a vegetable like aubergine or ridge gourd is combined with it and made into a stir fry. But I have added some potatoes as well to reduce the bitterness and make it palatable for my kid. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -


2 cups fenugreek/methi leaves (cleaned and chopped into small pieces)
1 cup aubergine (chopped into medium sized cubes)
1 medium sized potato (boiled, peeled and cubed)
1 medium sized onion (chopped into thin long pieces)
1-2 dry red chillis
1/2 tsp panch phoran/pancha phutana
2-3 garlic cloves (crushed)
2-3 tsp oil
salt to taste
a pinch of turmeric


Cooking - Heat oil in the wok. Add broken red chillis and pancha phutana. When the seeds start spluttering, add the onions and garlic. Fry till translucent.

Add the methi leaves and fry on medium to high for 2-3 minutes.

Add the potato and aubergine cubes along with salt and turmeric. Cook covered while stirring at regular intervals.

Remove from the flame after 6-7 minutes or once the methi leaves and aubergine are cooked through.

Serve hot with rotis or rice.

Lobiya Usal (Black Eyed Beans curry)

Have been experimenting with 'Lobiya'/'Chawli' or Black eyed beans in recent times. This Maharashtrian Usal recipe was one of them which proved to be a big hit with the family. Had it with some bread (did not have pav in stock).

Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 40 mins

Ingredients-

1 cup black eyed beans
1 medium + 1 small sized onion
3-4 garlic cloves
1/2 inch ginger
2 tbsp freshly grated coconut
1 tbsp desiccated coconut (optional)
1/3 tsp fennel seeds
1/3 tsp coriander seeds
1 medium sized tomato
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (Use more if you like, it is a spicy curry)
1/4 tsp garam masala
1 Kashmiri red chilli
3 tsp oil
salt to taste


Preparation - Wash and soak the black eyed beans overnight.

Cut the medium sized onion into thin long pieces. Roughly chop the small one.

Cooking - Transfer the beans to a pressure cooker with 1 1/2 cups water with salt and turmeric. Cook for 2 whistles on high and then on a medium flame for 5-6 mins.

Allow steam to escape before opening lid. Check if the beans are soft and can be easily crushed between the thumb and forefinger. If not, cook for another whistle.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a wok. Add the broken red chilli followed by the roughly chopped onion, ginger and garlic. Fry on medium flame for 3 minutes. Add coriander and fennel seeds. Fry for 1-2 minutes. Then add the coconut and fry till it turns brown. Remove and keep aside to cool. Grind into a smooth paste.

Heat the remaining oil in a wok. Add the onion pieces and fry till light  brown. Add the masala paste and fry for 3-4 mins.

Add the chopped tomato along with the masala powders and salt. Cook till the tomato is mushy.

Add the boiled beans along with 1 1/2 cup water. Cook with lid covered for 7-8 mins. If it is still watery, cook uncovered on high flame for 2 minutes to get desired consistency.

Serve hot with a dash of lime and some coriander leaves. (I served it with toasted bread.)

Note - I used only about 1 tsp of fresh coconut but since it is a Maharashtrian dish the coconut is an integral part of it. It adds another dimension ( somewhat like sweetness but not exactly ) to this recipe. With more coconut and more onions in the masala paste, the gravy also tends to be richer.

Kashmiri Dum Aloo

Kashmiri Dum Aloo is a very popular dish that is among the first options for a vegetarian side dish. A spicy semi-dry curry with a distinct reddish orange color (due to the presence of the Kashmiri red chillis), it goes well with almost every Indian bread and even the rice/pulao varieties.

Quite different from the 'Alu dum' that is popular in Odisha, I had to refer to Tarla Dalal's cookbook for an authentic version of it. Of course, I tweaked it a little to suit my requirement but without compromising on its authenticity. Read on for this super easy version:

Preparation Time - 35 mins

Ingredients -

• 15-16 Baby potatoes
• 3 tsp oil
• 2 tsp butter
• 3 green cardamom
• 1 tbsp kasuri methi (dry)
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 1/2 tsp honey
• 1/2 cup milk
• salt to taste
• freshly chopped coriander

For making gravy -

• 2 medium sized tomatoes (fully ripened)
• 1 medium sized onion (optional)
• 3-4 garlic flakes
• 1 inch long ginger
• 2-3 dry red chillis
• 2 tbsp broken cashews
• 2/3 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• salt to taste

Preparation - Roughly chop the onion, ginger and garlic.

Cooking - Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to boil in a saucepan. Add all the ingredients mentioned for the gravy. Boil for 7-8 minutes. Allow to cool down and then transfer to a blender. Make a smooth paste out of it.

Cook the potatoes for 1-2 whistles in a pressure cooker. Allow steam to escape before opening lid. Peel the potatoes.Prick them with a fork and keep aside.

Heat the oil + butter in a wok. Add the peeled and pricked potatoes and fry till light brown. Remove and keep aside.

In the same wok, add green cardamoms and fry for 30 seconds. Then add the masala paste along with chili powder and cook for 7-8 minutes till it starts getting thick.

Rub the kasuri methi between your hand to warm it and then add to the wok. Cook for 2-3 minutes. The gravy is almost done by this time.

Add the milk and honey. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from wok.

Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with hot roti/naan/kulcha.

Note - Add some fresh cream instead of milk for a richer texture.

Kadali Kasa (Raw banana fry)

Simple fries served hot with white rice, dal and raita happen to be among my favorite meal options. Of course, my first choice would be some nice one-pot meal but since kid loves these fries so much that the one-pot meals are becoming increasingly rare.

This stir fry is made with green banana that was boiled first. Hence it uses very little oil for cooking. Add that to the natural goodness of green bananas and you have a very healthy and tasty side-dish that will become a regular on your lunch/dinner menu. It was a regular at home when we were kids as we had a lot of these plants growing in our garden. It used to be fun plucking the fresh vegetables and taking them right into the kitchen for preparing lunch.

Read on for the super easy recipe:

Preparation Time - 15-20 mins

Ingredients - 

• 1 raw banana
• 1 dry red chilli
• 1/5 tsp cumin-mustard seeds
• a pinch of asafotida
• few curry leaves (optional)
• 1/5 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
• 2 pinch turmeric
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp oil

Preparation - Cut the banana into two. Put it in a pressure cooker along with 1 cup water and little salt.

Cooking - Cook the banana for 2 whistles. Allow steam to escape before opening lid. Remove the peel from the banana (this step becomes a lot easy in this case as opposed to peeling the uncooked banana). Cut into small cubes.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add cumin-mustard seeds and broken red chilli. When it starts spluttering, add asafoetida and curry leaves. Allow curry leaves to brown a bit.

Add the banana pieces along with salt, turmeric and red chilli powder. Fry for a few minutes till raw smell of turmeric goes away. Remove from flame .

Serve with rice/rotis.

Kadali Bara Tarkari ( Raw Banana Kofta Curry )

Raw banana or 'Kancha Kadali' is rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. Though high in starch, it is classified in the 'resistant starch' category, i.e., this type of starch acts more like a fiber(insoluble). They help control blood sugar levels and lower the blood cholesterol levels while making one feel full for longer periods of time. Weight watchers would do good to add it to their menu. Infact I regularly use it as a potato substitute for my MIL who is a diabetic. It is also a good source of potassium and vitamin B-6.

Very popular in Oriya households, it is mostly consumed in the form of fries or added to 'dalma'/'santula'. On special occasions, when the lady of the house is feeling very indulgent, she may treat everyone to a special curry ' Kadali Bara Tarkari'. It is prepared just like the other kofta/bara curries which happen to be quite rich/greasy due to the quantity of oil that goes into their making. Hence the special appearance.

I personally like to pan fry/bake the bara with very little oil and have it as it is. For this I flatten them into the shape of tikkis(circles) as it is easier to cook the flat ones on a pan. They are quite tasty even without the gravy. But this time I was cooking for a 'Sunday special' hence the extra effort with making the gravy. Read on for my version of the recipe:

Preparation Time - 45 mins

Ingredients -

For the koftas :

• 1 large green (raw) banana
• 1 medium sized potato
• 1 small sized onion
• 2 green chillis
• 2 pinch of garam masala
• 1 pinch of roasted cumin powder
• 2 tsp finely chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tsp corn flour
• salt to taste
• oil for deep frying

For the gravy:

• 1 medium sized onion
• 1 large tomato
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 inch long cinnamon stick
• 2-3 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cardamom
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/5 tsp turmeric
• 1/3 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/3 tsp coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp meat masala (optional)
• salt to taste
• 3 tsp oil

Preparation - Cut the banana into 2/3 pieces . Boil in a cooker for 2 whistles along with the potato. Remove from flame and allow steam to escape.

Peel the banana and potato and take them in a mixing bowl. Mash well so that no big lumps remain. Add the rest of the ingredients (except oil) mentioned under the 'For the koftas' heading. Mix everything together.

Pinch out small portions from the above mixture and make small balls by rolling between your palms. Grease your palms with a bit of oil while doing this step as it prevents the balls from sticking to your hand. Keep aside the balls.

Chop the onions and tomato required for the gravy.

Cooking - Heat oil for deep frying. Add the koftas, a few at a time. Cook on all sides to a light brown. Be careful while handling them as they tend to lose shape or crumble. Remove from wok and keep aside.

Heat 3 tsp oil in another wok. Add bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and cumin seeds.

Add chopped onions after 30 seconds. Fry till translucent.

Add ginger garlic paste. Fry for 3-4 minutes till raw smell goes away.

Add the chopped tomatoes and cover with a lid for 2 minutes. Cook till tender.

Add all the powdered masalas and fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 - 2 cups hot water and adjust salt.

Allow water to reduce by 1/3 rd before adding the balls/koftas. Cook the koftas for 1-2 minutes on low flame.

Switch off the flame and allow to stand for a few minutes. This allows the koftas to soak in the gravy.

Serve hot with rice/rotis.

Note - Use grated onions instead of chopped ones if you like a fine gravy. Also replace the chopped tomato with tomato puree. Also add 1/2  tsp sugar if you prefer a hint of sweetness.

Aam Kasundi Begun (Eggplant in a mango-mustard sauce)

Aam Kasundi Begun. Sounds almost poetic, doesn't it ???. Ever since I read this name in the TOI last week,  I have been scouring the net and some of my cookbooks/paper cuttings to get the exact recipe. After referring  quite a few sources (including Bong Mom's Cookbook) , I decided to take a bit from here and a bit from there. And the result was almost magical. It surpassed my expectations by a plenty of notches. Tangy, tart, hot, titillating, fragrant.

This is the first time I made it. And since I havn't tasted an authentic 'Kasundi' dish ever, I can not vouch for its authenticity. But the taste is something that I can vouch for...quite unforgettable. "Cholbe naa", I can almost see some of my Bong friends shaking their heads. And I almost wish for Ushnish da to appear out of thin air and reveal the magical recipe to me. On second thoughts, I think I will drop a note to him and ask him to rate my recipe. Till then this has to do (already planning for an encore on Thursday).

Read on for my version of an 'Aam Kasundi Begun':

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 2 cups sliced eggplant
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 tsp grated coconut
• 4 tsp roughly chopped raw mango
• 2 garlic flakes
• 2 green chillis
• 2 tsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1/5 tsp turmeric
• salt to taste
• 3 tsp mustard oil

Preparation - Add a little salt and turmeric to the eggplant slices. Keep aside for 15 mins.

Dry grind (fine powder) the mustard seeds first. Then add raw mango, coconut, green chilli, coriander and garlic flakes to the same grinder cup along with a few teaspoons water. Grind into a smooth paste.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok till it smokes.

Add the eggplant slices and stir fry till almost done.

Add the kasundi paste and coat all the slices. Fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add 1 cup boiling water and cover with a lid. Cook on medium heat till almost all the water evaporates.

Serve with white rice.

Note - If you find mustard to be too hot/spicy, then replace half of the quantity of mustard used with poppy seeds. Also treble the quantity of coconut used in the gravy to mellow it further.

Posto Patua

Posto or poppy seeds is very commonly consumed in the western regions of Odisha. Infact, it is used as a substitute for mustard seeds in quite a few curries. Its cooling properties make it an ideal addition to the summer diet. This is a very simple recipe that goes great with hot rice as well as 'Pakhala', the famous watery rice dish from Odisha.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 12-15 mins

Ingredients -

• 5-6 tbsp poppy seeds (posto)
• 1 small onion, chopped into medium pieces
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 green chillis
• 1 tsp coriander stems (use whites only)
• 2 pinches of pancha phutana
• 1 dry red chilli
• 2 pinch turmeric
• 3 tsp oil
• salt to taste

Preparation - Dry grind the poppy seeds to a coarse powder in the chutney jar of a grinder. Add a little salt, garlic cloves, green chillis and coriander stems along with a little water to the same jar. Buzz for a few seconds. ( If it is too dry to be ground, add water little by little)

Heat the oil in a wok. Add broken red chillis along with pancha phutana.

Once spluttering starts, add onions. Fry till translucent.

Add the poppy seeds paste along with 1/4 cup water, turmeric and a bit of salt (if required).

Cook till constant stirring till most of the water dries up and the poppy seeds paste does not taste raw anymore. Remove from flame.

Serve hot with white rice and toor dal.

Paneer - Mushroom Schezwan

This is an easy and quick vegetarian side dish that I prepared sometime back. Somehow I never got around to posting it. But this week I am not doing much cooking and so while looking to post some recipe this one popped up from the drafts. This one suits my lazy mood perfectly as it requires very less cooking time. It is the cleaning and chopping of the veggies and mushroom that takes the major chunk so if you buy some chopped veggies one can actually get this ready in less that 10 minutes.

The veggies, panner and mushroom make it one nutrition packed dish and with all those lovely colors even the kids find it difficult to resist. One can also add assorted peppers for making it more appetizing. But make sure that you cook the veggies till a little tender (for kids) as opposed to leaving it quite crunchy while serving it to guests. Also go easy on the schezwan sauce in case of the former. Read on for the recipe:

Ingredients:
For marinate : Button mushrooms ( 200 gm), Paneer cubes ( 200 gm), Capsicum ( 1 medium ), carrot ( 1 medium), french beans ( 10-12 nos ), onion ( 1 medium ), spring onions whites ( 3 tbsp, cut into strips), schezwan sauce ( 2-3 tsp), soya sauce ( 1/2 tsp ), finely cut garlic ( 1 tsp ), pepper powder ( 1/4 tsp), salt, tomato sauce ( 1 tsp ), cornflour ( 1 tsp), sugar ( 1/2 - 1 tsp ), oil ( 3 tsp ), spring onion greens for the garnishing.

Preparation: Clean the mushrooms and cut each into 4 parts. Blanch and keep aside. ( Put in hot water for
2 mins, remove and run under cold water.

Put the panner pieces in boiling water (salted) for 2 mins. Drain and keep aside.

Cut the capsicum, carrot, french beans and onion into long strips.

Take the schezwan sauce, soya sauce, pepper powder, tomato sauce, cornflour and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add 2-3 tbsp water along with a little salt. Mix well.

Cooking: Heat the oil in a frying pan.

Add garlic pieces and fry for 5-10 seconds.

Add the onions first and fry till till translucent. Next add spring onion whites, french beans and carrots. Fry for 1-2 mins on medium to high flame.

Next add the mushroom and peppers and fry for 3 minutes on a HIGH flame.

Add the contents of the mixing bowl, stir well and fry the veggies for 1-2 minutes on medium flame.

Finally add the paneer and fry for another one minute or so. (Fry less if you want a little amount of sauce to remain but if you prefer it completely dry increase the flame and cook for 1-2 minutes longer)

Garnish with finely chopped spring onion greens. Serve hot with rice or as a starter. ( If using as starter, cut the mushrooms into 2 instead of 4 halves, and keep it a little crunchy )

Pindi Choley

There is a certain level of comfort associated with cooking from a cookbook. After all, these are recipes that have been tried, tested and honed to perfection by experts who have spent years mastering their art. No air of confusion/indecision, mad scrambling at the last moment to find some ingredient to balance the flavors or nail-biting anticipation about how the dish will finally will turn out. I know it can be quite exhilarating at times but it is not something you want to experience every time you walk into the kitchen.

So, when I am in a mood to relax I look no further then my  favorite cookbook author Tarla Dalal. Her recipes are crisp and precise, with useful notes added wherever necessary. This is one such recipe that I had in mind for quite sometime. Read on:

Preparation Time - 45 mins

Ingredients - 1 cup kabuli chana (garbanzo beans), 1 tbsp chana dal, 1 big cardamon, 1 inch long cinnamon, a pinch of baking soda, 1 tsp tea leaves, 1/2 cup grated onions, 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp pomegranate powder, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 green chilli (chopped), 1 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 3/4 cup tomato puree, 2 tsp chole masala, 5 tsp oil, salt to taste.

Preparation - Soak the kabuli chana and chana dal overnight.

Cooking - Wash and transfer the pulses into a pressure cooker. Add cinnamon, cardamom, baking powder, salt and tea leaves along with 2 1/2 cups water. Cook for 2-3 whistles.

Allow steam to escape before opening lid. Drain the water and it keep aside (do not throw way). Remove and discard the big cardamom and cinnamon stick.

Heat the oil in a kadai. Add grated onion and fry to a light brown.

Add chopped tomatoes and cook till they soften. Add the grated ginger, green chilli, pomegranate powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala. Fry for 1 minute.

Add pureed tomatoes and cook till oil starts to separate from the gravy.

Add the boiled pulses and choley masala. Fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add the drained water and adjust the salt. Cook till semi-dry or as you prefer it.

Garnish with onions and coriander leaves. Serve hot with rotis/parathas or bhatura/puris.

     














Note - This is a semi-dry dish unlike the gravy laden Punjabi Choley.

Lau Raee

Today I am back with yet another Lauki recipe. No matter how much I experiment with it, I am not getting over this wonderful vegetable. Subtly flavored and with a high water content, it imbibes the added flavors rather easily. Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time-20-30 mins

Ingredients - 4 cups chopped lauki, 1 medium sized tomato chopped, 1 medium onion chopped, 1/2 tsp pancha-phutana or mustard seeds, 1 dry red chilli, 1/3 tsp turmeric, salt to taste, 2 tsp oil, 2/3 cup grated coconut.

For the mustard paste: 2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 5-6 garlic cloves, 1 red chilli.

Preparation: Grind the mustard, cumin and red chilli into coarse powder in dry state .Then add a little water along with garlic flakes and grind again into a fine paste.

Chop the onion and tomato into small pieces.

Cooking: Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok. Add the broken red chilli and mustard seeds.

Add the chopped onion and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped tomato and cook till it softens.

Add the mustard paste along with 2 cups water. Add salt and turmeric, and bring to a boil.

Add the lauki/bottle gourd pieces and cover with  a lid. Cook till the lauki softens. (Do not throw away excess water as this curry tends to be watery.)

Garnish with grated coconut and serve with rice and dal.

Vegetarian Kheema Paratha

Consuming soya nuggets have many benefits. They are low in fats and have a high protein content. As it provides all the amino acids that are present in meat, it is an excellent choice for vegans. For the same serving size, soya provide more protein than meat. One serving of soya nuggets is enough to provide more than the daily requirement of iron and almost half of the daily requirement of calcium.
Also its mild taste and texture makes it quite easy to incorporate it many recipes.

Read on for one of my favorite recipes:

Preparation Time - 25 mins ( minus 10 mins if you have the dough ready/ if using soya granules )

Ingredients - Whole wheat flour ( 1 1/2 cups or enough for making 4 rotis ), 3/4 cup soya chunks, 1 small onion, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1/3 tsp coriander powder, 1/4 tsp cumin powder, 1/6 tsp garam masala or meat masala a pinch of turmeric, salt to taste, 6-7 tsp oil.

Preparation - Take the dough in a open vessel . Add salt and 1 tsp hot oil. Mix together.

Add water little by little to the above mixture and make into a firm dough. Keep it covered and allow to sit for 5 -10 minutes.

Chop the onion into small pieces.

Cooking - Cook the soya chunks with a little salt in a pressure cooker. Allow 1 whistle. Remove and keep aside till steam escapes.

Drain all the water and squeeze out the water in the chunks. Wash twice with fresh water and squeeze the chunks to remove remaining water.

Transfer the chunks to a grinder cup and grind into a coarse paste (kheema).

Heat  2 tsp oil in a wok. Add the chopped onions and fry till translucent. Add all the powdered masalas and fry for 30-45 seconds.

Add the kheema and fry till it turns to a brown color.

Remove from stove and allow to cool down.

Make 4 balls out of the dough prepared earlier. Roll out into rotis.

Divide the soya kheema into two portions. Spread the kheema over one roti and cover with another roti.

Pinch the sides to close the paratha.

Heat a tawa. Place the paratha on the tawa and cook for 1 minute. Flip over and drizzle with oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes till done on both sides.

Repeat the process for making another paratha.

Serve hot with sweetened yogurt.

Dahi ke Kebabs

I caught this recipe being aired on 'Khana Khazana'. Since my Little one was hollering at the same time, I might have missed a thing or two. But nonetheless the kebabs turned out fabulous. Also, this recipe does not use any onion and garlic so it can be savored any day.

Preparation Time - 15 min

Ingredients - 200 gm hung curd, 4 tsp besan / bengal gram flour, 1 tbs chopped coriander, 1 tbs chopped ginger, 1 tbs chopped green chilli, 1 tbs coarsely ground pepper, 1 tsp powdered sugar, 2-3 tbs pomegranate seeds, salt to taste, cornflour for dusting, oil for frying.

Preparation - Take all the ingredients (except for oil and cornflour) in a mixing bowl. Mix gently into a soft dough.

Take a small potion of the dough and shape into tikkis. As the dough will be very soft, use cornflour to dust a working surface and make into tikkis.

Cooking - Heat a non-stick frying pan and drizzle with oil.

Place the tikkis on the pan and cook on both sides to a brown color.

Serve hot with pudina chutney/tomato sauce.

Drumstick kadhi ( Sajana Chuein kanji )

There used to be a patch of 'Khada Saga' (Amaranth) growing in our vegetable garden during my childhood days. They are perennial plants and one can harvest and eat the leaves and tender stems throughout the year. Once cut, the leaves and stems grow back in a fortnight. But during the summer months, the foliage reduces, the plants shoot up in height and start flowering. It is now time to cut and remove the main stems called 'Khada'. These make a wonderful 'kanjee', a lightly flavoured sour soup and an appetizing raee with badi and saru (colocasia).

Since i havn't been able to source and khada outside Orissa, i turned to using drumsticks for this kanjee. Though the taste is quite different, i quite enjoyed this new recipe.

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients - 2-3 drumsticks ( chopped in 2" or 3" pieces ), 1/2 cup sour yogurt, 1 tsp besan, 1-2 red chilli, 1 sprig curry leaf, 1/3 tsp mustard seeds, 2 tsp oil, salt to taste, pinch of asafoetida, pinch of turmeric.

Preparation - Lightly beat the yogurt. Add besan and salt and dilute with 1 1/2 cup water.

Cooking - Boil the drumstick with a little salt and turmeric till tender. Drain all the water and keep aside.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the broken red chilli and mustard seeds followed by the curry leaves and asafoetida. Add the boiled drumstick and fry for 30 seconds.

Reduce the flame and add the besan-yogurt mixture slowly while stirring continuously. Stir for 2-3 minutes and bring to boil. Allow to simmer for 3 minutes.

Serve hot with white rice.

Note - one can also add a touch of mustard garlic paste to the kanjee/kadhi. It gives a wonderful flavor.