Potato and Spring Onion: A quick sabzi

Where have I been? Its a question I ask myself more than you would have asked me. Mid way into 2010, I find myself with one thing that I have never been comfortable with - Change (with a capital C), or to be more precise Unplanned Change. Yeah yeah..."Change is the only constant" wise men have cited and so have the management books, but I am someone who just runs away from it. Maybe because I am too lazy or maybe (as my husband says) because I am a control freak.

And yet, this year has been full of unplanned changes. Change of job (which I wanted), followed by unplanned changes at personal front and professional front too. I do not know what tomorrow holds. If I were someone else, I might have enjoyed the roller coaster ride. But not me! The only bright spot has been an official visit to London (Yipee!). I hope I can blog about it sometime soon.  

Coming to food, sharing a recipe which I have loved as a kid, and still do. Its quick, simple, has minimum spices and has one of my favourite veggies - Spring Onions (also called Scallions or Green Onions).

Ingredients:

Potatoes: 3 medium, diced in small cubes
Spring Onion: a bunch, finely chopped (approx 2 cups)
Onion: 1 medium, finely chopped
Mustard oil: 2 tbsp
Turmeric: 1/3 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1/3 tsp
Jeera / Cumin Seeds: 1/2 tsp
Salt: To taste

Method:

- Heat oil in a kadhai / heavy bottomed pan, till it starts smoking. Turn off the heat and let the oil cool
- Turn on the heat again, and when the oil is hot enough, add the cumin seeds. Let the seeds splutter.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, including the spices. Mix well.
- Lower the heat. Cover and cook. Do lift the lid and stir every few minutes to ensure that the potatoes do not stick to the bottom.
- The potatos should be done in around 10 minutes.
- Serve hot with dal - rice or parathas / chapatis.

Sending this over to Weekend Herb Blogging # 239 hosted this week by Mele Cotte. The event is managed week on week by Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything Atleast Once

Palak ki Kadhi

I am back after ages...one and a half month to be more precise. It is surely the longest break I have taken, though completely unintentionally. 
Has it happened to you that life becomes unpredictably busy - busy not just with activities, but busy in thoughts as well. When your mind is constantly running and it takes over whatever personal space you treasure. 
Today, I decided to strengthen my will power, and told my mind to just shut up, and let me do things which bring me joy. Like trying an old recipe from my Mom's diary, clicking photographs and posting it (without retiring it as a draft), even if its past midnight!

Palak (spinach) ki Kadhi - a recipe which was exchanged by one of the neighborhood aunties with my Mom (when I was still in school!), during one of their afternoon chat sessions. And though my mother has not made it very frequently, I have always loved it. This is the first time I have tried it, and the result was fabulous!

Ingredients (Serves 2 - 3 adults):


Spinach leaves, cleaned and washed: a small bunch
Besan / Chickpea flour: 2 tbsp
Curd: 1 - 1 1/2 cup, preferably a bit sour
Fenugreek seeds: 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Cloves: 2
Turmeric powder: 1/3 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1/4 tsp, or as per taste
Salt: To taste
Oil: 2 - 3 tbsp

Method:


- Finely chop the spinach. It should yield approximately 2 - 3 cups of chopped leaves
- In a bowl, whisk together the besan and the curd. Add 2 glasses of water. Mix well
- Heat oil in a kadhai / pan. When the oil is sufficiently hot, add the cumin seeds. When the seeds begin to splutter, add the mustard, cloves and fenugreek seeds. Let the mustard crackle. 
- Add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder and the spinach. Sauté on medium heat for half a minute or so
- Add the besan and curd mixture, and mix well. Add more water if the mixture is too thick, since the kadhi will thicken as it cooks
- Add salt, and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for 8 - 10 minutes. 
- The kadhi should be of pouring consistency. You may want to add more water, and boil the mixture for sometime if required. 
- Serve hot with  steamed rice or rotis. 

And now that I have sharpened my will power, I hope to be back soon (keeping my fingers crossed!) 

Chatpata Hara Chana (Green Chickpeas)

Which is your least favourite job in the kitchen?

- Washing the dishes?

- Cleaning the mess after cooking?

- Chopping the veggies?

- Any other?

Well, for me the clear winner will be cleaning and chopping the vegetables - esp. ladies finger / okra, cleaning "saag" (green leafy vegetables) like methi, shelling peas and the likes. Yup, I do not like shelling peas at all. Hence, I find it easier to resort to the frozen alternate available in the market.

But, there comes a time when one is forced to slave and spend 3 hours (yes, 3 long hours) for the love of fresh green chickpeas aka hara chana / choliya. The chana, which grows in bushes (remember, chane ki jhaad?) is in the form of pods. The pods need to be individually opened to make way for the chickpeas, so that they can be cooked.

Image Source: http://www.plant-biology.com/

I love hare chane and aloo ki subzi (green chickpeas cooked with potatoes). My mom would make it when the chickpeas were in season, and it tasted yum. But I always refrained from buying it because of the work it would lead to. However, I could not stop myself this time when I visited the local super market. The pods were being sold in packets of 1 kilo each, and I went ahead and purchased it.

What ensued was a 3 hour work spent shelling the pods. I called my Mom the next day to ask her expert advice on how she does it.

**********************************

Excerpts of my conversation with Mom on Hara Chana:

Me: Mom, I bought hara chana yesterday at the supermarket yesterday.And guess what, I spent 3 hours shelling them!

Mom: Wow! That's a really long time

Me: I know. How do you do it? What's the trick?

Mom: I don't know.

Me: (confused)

Mom: Our vegetable vendor sells them all cleaned and shelled!

Me (In my mind): (Cursing the vegetable vendors in my city)

**********************************

So, I made hara chana - in two batches - once with potatoes, and the second time on their own, flavored with lemon and ginger. Sharing the second recipe with you.

Ingredients:

Shelled green chickpeas / hara chana: 2 cups

Oil (Mustard / Vegetable): 2 - 3 tablespoon

Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp

Ginger, finely chopped: 1/2 tsp

Green chilles, finely chopped: 2 - 3 (or as per taste)

Coriander powder: 1 - 1 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp (Optional)

Juice of half a lemon (or more)

Chopped coriander

Salt: To taste

Method:

- Boil the chickpeas in around 4 cups of water. If you are using the pressure cooker, it will take 5 minutes on low flame after the first whistle. Drain the water.

- Heat oil in a pan / kadai

- Add the cumin seeds. When they begin to splutter, add the ginger and green chillies. Lower the flame

- When the chillies begin to change color, add the coriander powder and turmeric powder. You may also mix the spices in a few teaspoons of water to prevent burning. Stir on low heat for a few seconds.

- Add the chana and salt. Mix well.

- Turn off heat. Add the lemon juice and coriander.

- Adjust salt and lemon juice. Serve hot

Serve it as a snack, as a filling breakfast or with parathas / rotis. You can also garnish it with chopped onions and tomatoes for added flavour.

I am sending this recipe to My Legume Love Affair - 19th Helping. The event started by Susan, is being hosted this month by EC of Simple Indian Food.

Grape Raita

Winter is my favourite season. Even when I was in North India - when it seemed a herculean task to get out of the confines of quilts and blankets in the morning - I still loved the winter months. But as I moved to the western parts of the country, the season became quite mild. In my current city, we have already started using the fans during the day, while my parents and in - laws in the north have not witnessed sunlight for the past 3 days.

But temperatures aside, winter still has its charms in terms of the fruits and vegetables it offers. Fresh green peas, cauliflowers, red juicy carrots, oranges, grapes, strawberries - the vendor's cart seems quite tempting. It is fun to shop for vegetables. My mind instantly associates each purchase with a recipe I would like to try.

This week we bought green grapes for the first time in the season. And after reaching home, I realised that the quantity was a bit too much for just the two of us. What I experimented with, and which was an instant success, was this Grape Raita. It is adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor's recipe of Grape & Walnut Raita. I skipped the walnuts since I did not have any, and substituted the mint with coriander.

The raita works well with pulaos and biryanis, and can also be had on its own. We had it with Coriander Mint Rice and the combination was just awesome.

Ingredients:

Curd / Yoghurt: 2 cups

Seedless grapes: 20 - 25, halved lengthwise

Fresh Coriander, finely chopped: 2 - 3 tsp

Sugar (preferably powdered): 1/2 - 3/4 tsp

Cumin powder: 1 tsp

Rock Salt (Kala namak): 1/4 tsp

Salt: To taste

Method:

- Whisk the curd to a smooth consistency

- Add the sugar, rock salt, cumin powder and salt. Adjust to taste

- Add the grapes and coriander

- Cool it in a refrigerator before serving

This recipe goes to Monthly Mingle, the event organized by Meeta of What's for Lunch, Honey? This month's mingle features Winter fruits and vegetables, and is hosted by Sudeshna of Cook like a Bong.

Green & Pink: Coriander Mint Rice and Pomegranate Raita

Yes! I have finally returned after my more than a month long break from the blogging world. Well not the blogging world – because I have started a new blog. Making My Day Brighter is my hobby blog and it would be great if you could visit it sometime. Your views are welcome.
Coming back to the break from this blog – the reasons are several. My hubby was / is on a restricted diet due to health reasons and a few changes at the workplace were keeping me occupied as well.
But since November is ending today, I did not really want to have a complete month of inactivity – technically speaking. Plus I did cook something exciting yesterday which I surely want to share with the world! And with D of India Shoes.

But before we come to the actual recipe, here are a few (abridged and approximate) snippets of conversation:

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Time: Sunday noon. On phone with D.
Me: I am hungry. I want to have Pudina Pulao
D: Pudina Pulao? Why? I have never had it before. And then why don’t you go ahead and make it?
Me: Because there is a power cut since morning. Which means I cannot use the Mixer to grind the leaves.
D: (Laughing) Why don’t you use the old fashioned Imam Dasta (traditional mortar and pestle)?
Me: Humph! #%#@%

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Time: Sunday evening. Returning with Hubby after grocery shopping.
Me: I want to have Pudina Pulao.
Hubby: I have been hearing you say this since morning. What’s stopped you?
Me: The power cut
Hubby: Now that the electricity is restored, why don’t you go ahead and make it?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Time: Sunday Night. On phone with Mom.
Me: What is the recipe for the pudina pulao you used to prepare?
Mom: I never used Pudina!
Me: Then what was the green pulao?
Mom: That’s coriander pulao.
Me: (Disappointed) Oh! What’s the recipe?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, even though the recipe called only for coriander, I went ahead and used mint. Generously. After all, the craving had to be satisfied. Even though it called for modifying my Mom’s recipe – a bit.
I served it with Pomegranate Raita. It is adapted from Nigella Lawson’s recipe which was telecast on one of her shows last year, sometime during Christmas.

For the Coriander Mint Rice:

Ingredients:
Rice (Basmati or any other variety): 1 Cup
Coriander & Mint: a small bunch each, cleaned and washed
Green Chili: 1 – 2 (Optional)
Onion: 1 medium, sliced
Peanuts: ¼ - ½ cup, roasted and coarsely ground
Cumin Seeds: ½ tsp
Bayleaf: 1
Juice of half a lemon
Oil: 2 tbsp
Salt: To taste

Method:
- In a blender, ground the coriander and mint leaves, and the green chilies, to a smooth paste. Add a tsp or 2 of water if required.
- Heat Oil in a heavy bottomed pan / pressure cooker
- Add the cumin seeds and the bay leaf. Once the seeds begin to splutter, add the onions. Sauté on low heat till the onions turn golden brown.
- Add the rice and the coriander – mint paste. Mix well. Add salt to taste.
- If cooking in a pressure cooker: Add 1 ¾ cups of water. Cook on high heat for 2 subsequent “whistles” plus around a minute on low heat. Turn off heat. Let the steam subside before opening the lid.
- If cooking without a pressure cooker: Add 2 cups of water. Cover and cook on low heat till the rice is cooked. Add more water if required.
- Once the rice is cooked add the juice of half a lemon. Mix.
- Add the peanuts before serving.
Verdict: The flavor enhancer is undoubtedly the lemon juice. It complements the coriander and mint flavor beautifully. The peanuts add a nice crunch to each bite.

Pomegranate Raita

- Whisk around 2 cups of curd / yoghurt.
- Add the seeds of half pomegranate. Mix well
- You can add a bit of sugar / salt as per your taste. I did not add any seasoning which worked very well with the pulao.

Alu Parwal: Potatoes cooked with Pointed Gourd

Someone once asked me, “What is the English name for Parwal?” I did not know the answer then, but today, after a Google search, and a wiki research, I feel enlightened. It’s “Pointed Gourd”. Not “Snake Gourd” as the first search told me.
Pointed Gourd, or Parwal / Potol as it is commonly known in India, is botanically termed as Trichosanthes dioica. Snake Gourd, on the other hand, is Trichosanthes cucumerina.

Parwal is a popular vegetable in India and is commonly cooked along with Potatoes. Alu Parwal or Alu Potol, whether dry or with gravy is a side dish eaten with rice or chapattis. Another variation is a dessert – Khoye ke Parwal – where the parwal is made hollow from inside, steamed, filled with sweetened khoya and dry fruits, and dipped in sweet syrup.

The tricky part for me when I first made Parwal was – how to peel it. One needs to scrape off the skin with a knife rather than peeling it completely with a peeler, cut off both the ends, and slice it length wise.
If the gourd is fresh, the seeds will be soft and it is not important to remove the same. If it has ripened, the seeds tend to be hard with a blackish / brownish tinge. I prefer removing the seeds in the latter case.

Sharing my recipe for a very simple Alu Parwal Dry, flavoured with only cumin and turmeric. It works best with Dal – Rice, or with Roti.

Ingredients:
Parwal: 5 – 6
Potato: 1 medium
Mustard Oil: 2 - 3 tbsp
Turmeric: ½ - ¾ tsp
Jeera / Cumin Seeds: ½ tsp
Salt
Red Chili Powder (optional)

Method:
- Scrape the skin off the Parwals, and cut off the ends. Wash it and slice it lengthwise
- Wash the potato well, and cut it length wise, with the skin on
- Heat the oil in a pan / kadhai.
- Add jeera / cumin. When the seeds begin to splutter, add the turmeric, sliced parwal, potatoes and salt.
- Mix well, cover and cook on low heat till the vegetables are soft.
- Keep stirring in between to ensure that the vegetables donot stick to the bottom. You may add little water if the oil seems to be less
- Serve hot as an accompaniment to dal – rice and / or chapattis.

This is also my entry to Weekend Herb Blogging # 203, the event started by Kalyn, adopted by Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything Atleast Once, and hosted this week by Marija.

Vegetarian Keema Matar – made with Soya Granules

This was something I have wanted to make for a long time, and got the opportunity yesterday. A great recipe if you are a vegetarian, or are having vegetarian friends over.
I used Meat Masala, which is readily available in the market, as the key spice. However, if you are averse to using it, or if it is not readily available, you can substitute it with other spices as mentioned below.

Ingredients:
Soya Granules: 1 cup
Shelled peas: ½ cup
Onion: 1 medium, blended to a paste
Tomato: 1 medium, pureed
Ginger garlic paste: 1 ½ tsp
Meat Masala: 1 ½ tsp
Or
Ground cumin (Jeera Powder): ½ tsp, Coriander Powder: 1tsp, Garam Masala: ¾ - 1 tsp
Salt: To Taste
Oil: 3 tbs

Method:
- Add the soya granules along with ½ tsp salt to 2 cups of water, and microwave it for 2 minutes. Let it remain in the water for another 2 minutes. Drain the water and lightly squeeze the granules so that they are dry. Keep aside
- Heat the oil in a pan / kadhai. Add the onion paste and stir it on low heat till it becomes translucent. Add the ginger garlic paste and stir it till it becomes golden brown.
- Add the tomato puree and the spices. Let it cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, till the oil separates
- Add the soya granules, peas, salt and ¼ cup water. Mix well, cover and cook till the peas are soft
- In case there is water left in the pan, stir it on high heat till dry
- Serve hot with chapattis / parathas.

Khoya Aloo - Potato Curry with milk solids

Khoya (or Khoa /Mawa) is made by drying milk over low heat, till it reaches an almost solid consistency. It is used in the preparation of various Indian sweets, and sometimes savory dishes as well. My recipe falls in the latter category.
Potato curry, in India, can be made in so many ways – every family has their own variation. Sharing my recipe which uses khoya. The curry is rich in taste (and calories to an extent), and yet quite simple to make.

Ingredients:
Boiled Potatoes: 2 (cut in cubes)
Khoya: ½ cup
Tomato: 1 medium, blended to a pulp
Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp
Coriander Powder: ¾ - 1tsp
Red Chili powder: ½ tsp
Cumin Seeds: ½ tsp
Sugar: ¼ tsp
Salt: To taste
Oil: 1 – 2 tbsp

Method:
- Mash the khoya with your hands. Heat it in a thick bottomed pan / kadhai and keep stirring till the texture is golden brown. Keep aside
- In a pan, heat the oil, and add cumin seeds. When they splutter, add the tomato pulp, turmeric, red chili powder and coriander powder. Sauté on low heat till the spices are well blended with the tomato, and the oil begins to separate.
- Add the khoya and stir for another 2 – 3 minutes
- Add the potatoes, salt, sugar and around 1 cup water
- Bring the curry to a boil, and let it simmer on low heat till most of the water has evaporated and the gravy reaches a thick consistency
- Serve hot with parathas