Sabudana/ Sago Vadas ( Fried dumplings)- veg snack

With the arrival of monsoons, you start racking your brains for some crunchy, mouth-watering, lip- smacking recipes! What better than things like chilas/ poodey, pakodey/ fritters, and the ever favourite of mine- Sabudana Vada!
So let's go and try churning some out! Its easy and fast!

Sabudana/ Sago Vadas:
Serves: 4
Type: Vegetarian Cooking
Actual cooking time: approx. 20 minutes
Pre Cooking time: 2 hours

Ingredients:
Sabudana/ Sago( preferably medium grain size)- 1.5 cups
Coarsely ground roasted peanuts- 1 cup ( you can have a variant of soaked instead of roasted)
 Boiled potatoes- 4 small ( mashed thoroughly)
 Fresh green coriander leaves- 2 tablespoons, finely chopped
Lemon juice- 1.5 tablespoons
Green chillies- 2 finely chopped
Cumin seeds- 1/2 teaspoon, roasted
Salt- as per taste
Oil- sufficient for frying
     
Method:
Wash and soak the sabudana in clean, warm water, for two hours. After two hours, strain off the excess water, pour some cold water on it and strain it once more.
  Now, add the lemon juice, mashed potatoes, green chillies, roasted cumin seeds,  peanuts, salt and coriander leaves.Mix all these ingredients thoroughly, preferably with a fork.
Make small balls and lightly flatten them between  the palms of your hands. Heat the oil and deep fry these vadas, till golden brown.  Drain off excess oil on paper napkin/ absorbent paper. Serve hot with chutney of your choice.

• Tips: Tastes best with green chilli sauce or dhaniya- pudina chutney.
• Lightly smear some oil on your palms, so the mixture does not stick to your hands.
• Use healthy oil like rice- bran, virgin olive or canola oil
• After frying, always throw away the oil and never reuse fried oil- which becomes unhealthy for the heart.

Spinach and Mushroom delight!

Getting bored of the daily daal, chaawal, roti, sabzi, I decided to churn out something different! Racked my brains and collected some veggies from the refrigerator, and baked this wonderful dish. It would go supremely well with plain steamed rice, but we had it last night with a crazy combo of veg. dimsums :))
Nevertheless it tasted wonderful, give it a try. You can change some vegz. and add others, if you want.

Spinach and Mushroom delight-

Preparation Time: 15 minutes approx.     Cooking time: 20 minutes  Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Potato layer-
Boiled and mashed potatoes- 4 (medium)
Green chillies- 2 (chopped)
Lemon juice- 2 teaspoon
Salt- as per taste
Mix all the above ingredients thoroughly.

Spinach layer-

Chopped Spinach- 4 teacups
Tender corn- 100 grams
Chopped onion- 1 large
Green coriander chopped- 4 tablespoons
Green chillies (chopped into very thin slices)- 2
Chopped Tomato- 1 large
Tomato purée- 1/2 cup
Light butter or cooking oil- 1 tablespoon
Salt- as per taste

Top layer-
Button mushrooms- 2 cups (200 grams) - thinly sliced
Cottage cheese- 200 grams (grated)
Tomatoes- 2 ( thick rings)
Fresh Cream (optional) - 1 teaspoon

Method-

 Heat the light butter in a pan or kadhaai, fry the onions in it for a couple of minutes on medium heat. Now add the green chillies and coriander and cook this for another minute.
  Mix the chopped tomatoes, stir for a few minutes and then add the spinach, tender corn and tomato purée. Sprinkle some salt and allow this to cook for some minutes.
 Meanwhile,take a greased baking dish and spread the potato layer, evenly in it. Now pour the spinach- preparation on it. Sprinkle some sliced mushrooms on the spinach layer, and then spread the grated cottage cheese on it. Again, place the left-over mushroom slices on the cheese, along with the tomato rings.
 Pre-heat the oven at 230 degree Centigrade (450 degree F) and then place the greased dish in it for approx. 20 minutes ( switch off earlier, if you find that the cheese is turning browner than you like).

Serve piping hot with steamed rice or garlic bread sticks!

Sabudana (Tapioca/Sago) Khichdi recipe- a popular Indian breakfast dish!

Pre-Preparation Time: Soak overnight    
 Preparation Time: 25 minutes     Serves: 4

A very versatile ingredient- Sabudana or Sago, is considered to be a delicate, easy to digest and easily prepared food item in India. As is often seen, in a vast country like India, there are of course, regional variations in its preparation/ recipes. I am mentioning here a variant which has been my eternal favourite. This is a mix of the Gujarati style and the Maharashtrian style.

Ingredients:
Sabudana/Sago/ Tapioca- 400 grams ( Soak it overnight or for 6-7 hours in water)
Boiled potatoes- 2 (peeled and cubed into 1/2 inch each)
Roasted peanuts- 150 grams (coarsely crushed)Alternatively you can soak the peanuts overnight.
Salt- 1 teaspoon/ as per taste
Cooking oil- 2 tablespoons- to be sprinkled in a non-stick cookware
Cumin seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves- 4 (chopped)
Mustard seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Ginger- 1 teaspoon (grated)
Asafoetida / Hing- 1 pinch
Green chillies- 3 ( sliced longitudinally)
Lemon juice- 1 teaspoon (or as per taste)
Coconut (optional)- grated 2 tablespoon
Sugar- 1 teaspoon
Green Coriander- chopped 1 table spoon

Method:
After soaking the Sabudana/Sago in water overnight , rinse and drain out the water, with the help of a colander. Add salt, sugar and crushed peanuts to the Sago and cover and  keep aside for about 8-10 minutes ( mainly for the sago and peanuts to absorb the salt and sugar).
Heat the cooking oil, in a non-stick cookware and then add mustard seeds to it. As they start spluttering add the cumin seeds too. Now add the curry leaves, green chillies and grated ginger and allow this to cook on a low flame, till the ginger turns light brown.Sprinkle Asafoetida powder too. To this add the potato cubes and Sago/ Sabudana and lightly stir until the potato cubes and Sago are evenly coated with the masalas/ spices. Sprinkle some water on this and cover completely with a lid, reduce the flame to minimum/ simmer and cook this way for about 5 minutes or until the Sabudana pearls look translucent. Remember to stir in-between, otherwise the Sago has a tendency to stick to the base of the vessel.
Once cooked garnish with grated coconut and chopped coriander. Serve piping hot and if you like curds/ yoghurt, then have it with a bowlful of curd!

Happy feasting!

NI version Aloo Posto.......Potato-poppy seeds curry

Any Bengali worth her/his salt will vouch for aloo-posto as being THE dish. Well, here I present my version of the same (hence the NI.....North Indian!!)
Come to think of it, Poppy-Potato or Potato-Poppy sounds like such a cute name for a dish! However, the richness lies not only in the name, but also in the superb taste.....
Here we go:

 Aloo Posto aka Potato- poppy seeds curry

Ingredients:
Potatoes- 4 large ( cubed)
Poppy seeds- 7 tablespoons roasted poppy seeds

Cooking oil (preferably mustard) - 1 tablespoon
Green chillies- 2

Chopped green coriander- 1 tablespoon

Cumin seeds- ½ teaspoon

Panch Phoran- 2 teaspoon*

Salt- to taste

Water- 125 ml

*(Panch Phoran:

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds/methi seeds
1/2 teaspoon nigella seeds/kalonji

Mix this evenly in a dry vessel, and use 2 teaspoon of it for this recipe. The rest can be stored in an airtight container.)

Method:

Soak the roasted poppy seeds, in a cup of warm water for about 45-60 minutes. Thereafter, sieve the water out and make a paste of the soaked seeds, in a blender or mixer.

As mentioned earlier, cube the potatoes into half-inch cubes.

Slit the green chillies in the middle and keep aside.

Heat the oil, in a wok or heavy - based kadhai. Now, add the cumin seeds and panch-phoran seeds; when they start spluttering, add the slit green chillies and fry all this for about a minute on medium flame.

Add the cubed potatoes to this and toss-fry for 2-3 minutes. After this, add the poppy seed paste and 125 ml water to the potatoes etc. Mix well, sprinkle the salt, and allow it to cook. When it starts simmering, reduce the flame to low and cover completely with a lid. Stir occasionally, and cook till potatoes become tender. In-between, if necessary, sprinkle some water on the potatoes, so that the poppy and potatoes do not get burnt or stick to the wok.

As soon as you notice, that the potatoes have become tender, switch off the flame/ heat and garnish with chopped green coriander.

Serve hot with steamed rice!!

Aloo Panch Phoron - Stir Fried 5 Spices Potatoes recipe 

Recently  a very versatile and  culinary expert friend of mine, Bhavesh Shah, shared this wonderful recipe with me. I have been an all time admirer of anything potato and hence this has become one of my favourite recipes. It is simple yet very yummy!

Aloo Panch Phoron | Stir Fried 5 Spices Potatoes 

Panch Phoron or the 5 spice mix is not very popular down south but it is widely used in East Indian cuisine. This spice mix is a blend of mustard, cumin, fenugreek, nigella & fennel seeds. These spices are mixed in equal quantities & stored in an air tight container & is used to season fish & curries in Bengali cuisine.

You Will Need:
2 large potatoes - washed & scrubbed clean
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed

1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds/methi seeds
1/2 teaspoon nigella seeds/kalonji
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
3 Dry Red chillies
Salt as per taste
1 tablespoon cooking oil
Fresh chopped coriander for garnishing

Method:

Slice the potatoes into fairly thick wedges. I prefer keeping the skin on. But you can go ahead & peel the skin before slicing the potatoes. Immerse them in cold water until ready to use.
In a heavy bottomed pan, heat oil. Add the mustard seeds first, once they crackle, add all the others one by one & allow them to splutter for about 20-25 seconds. Do not burn them.
Add chillies & potato wedges along with turmeric powder & give it a gentle stir. Add salt & sauté on medium heat for about 4-5 minutes until the edges are slightly browned. Turn down the heat, sprinkle a little water & cook on low heat with the lid on. Sauté at regular intervals, to avoid the bottom of the pan from getting burnt. At any point of time, if you find the potatoes dry, sprinkle a little water & allow them to cook. See to it that the potatoes are fully cooked yet firm & not mushy. Once done, adjust salt. Garnish with chopped coriander before serving

Serve Warm with Phulkas or along with steamed Rice & Dal!

KADHAI PANEER LAZAWAB

KADHAI PANEER LAZAWAB RECIPE

 Serves: 3                                                                                                                                       

 Time: 25minutes

Cottage Cheese or Paneer, as it is known in North India, is a very versatile ingredient for vegetarian cooking. Any preparation of Paneer is a great hit with meals involving rice or Indian Breads. In fact, even as a snack or a starter- dish, paneer has won hands down in any vegetarian menu!

Here we will mention a very popular recipe- ‘Kadhai Paneer Lazawaab’. It is very simple and not very time- consuming to make.

Ingredients:

Cottage Cheese/ Paneer- 250 grams (cut into 1 cm broad strips, approximately 3 inches long)

Onions- 4 large sized

Capsicums- 3 (cut into 1 cm broad strips)

Tomatoes- 4 medium sized

Garlic cloves- 5

Green chillies- 2

Bay leaves- 2

Cloves- 4

Cinnamon stick-1 piece (an inch long)

Green Cardamom- 2

Ginger- 1 piece (an inch long)

Red chilli powder- ½ teaspoon

Refined cooking oil- 2 tablespoons

Edible orange colour- 1 drop/ a pinch (if in powder form)

Salt- as per taste or 1 teaspoon (level)

Method:

Sauté the capsicum and cottage cheese/ paneer strips for a few minutes in 1 tablespoon cooking oil and then keep them aside.

Grind the tomatoes, onion, garlic, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom, red chilli powder, salt and green chillies. In this ground paste, add the orange colour and mix well.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a saucepan, and add the bay leaves to it. Immediately reduce the flame and add the ground paste to it. Cook this on a medium flame, until the oil starts separating.

Now, add the sautéed capsicum and cottage cheese strips. Cook on low flame for a few minutes, gently stirring in the mixture, so that it evenly coats the paneer and capsicum. After 3-4 minutes, remove from flame!!

Yeh lo!! Its ready to be served!!

Recipe - Kofta curry of Bottle gourd/ Ghiya

Recipe: Bottle Gourd KOFTA CURRY

Servings: 4

Preparation and Cooking Time: 40 minutes approx.

World over, the humble bottle-gourd is known by different names. In India itself it is called- Ghiya, Dudhi, Lauki, Sorakaya, Lau, Aal, Churakka, Jatilao, Sajmain, Anapakaya,etc.! The Chinese word for this is  hulu (simplified Chinese: 葫芦; traditional Chinese: 葫蘆;pinyin: húlu) or huzi (Chinese: 葫子; pinyin: húzi) in Mandarin.Two common kinds of calabash sold in Chinese stores are the "Opo" kind, which is elongated but still plump, and "Mao Gua" which is very similar to Opo, but it has hairsIn Japan, the species is known as hyōtan (瓢箪, 瓢簞^?) or yūgao (夕顔^?), with the former word referring particularly to the larger-fruiting variety whose fruits are used mostly for making containers or other handicrafts and the latter referring to the smaller-fruiting variety whose fruits are more edible. Names used to refer particularly to the fruit of one or another variety of this species include fukube (瓠, 瓢, ふくべ^?) and hisago (瓠, 匏, 瓢, ひさご^?). It is most commonly sold in the form of dried, marinated strips known as kanpyō, and is commonly used as an ingredient for making makizushi (rolled sushi).

In Korea, it is known as bak (박) or jorongbak (조롱박).In Burma, it is known as boo thee, a popular fruit; young leaves are also boiled and eaten with spicy hot, fermented fish sauce called nga peet. In the Philippines, it is known as upo. In Italian cuisine, it is known as cucuzza(plural cucuzze).(Wikipedia).
Well, that's a really long introduction to this rather un-exotic vegetable!!


Health-benefits: Ayurveda  regards bottle gourd as a health-booster, which  has immense nutritional value. It is known to be helpful in tackling Heart-disease, Jaundice, High Blood-Pressure, Liver function,reducing baldness,tackling greying of hair,constipation,fatigue,indigestion, acidity, diabetes and so on.


Koftas:In the Indian sub-continent, Vegetarian koftas( looking like Manchurian balls or meatballs) are prepared in a variety of ways, like those made with bottle gourd, raw bananas, arbi( colocasia or taro root), cottage cheese, mixed vegetables etc..
 Here I am mentioning a recipe, which is light in taste because it does not include chickpea flour( besan), which tends to give you a heavy feeling after consuming. We will use a few spoons of dried potato powder or simply mashed potatoes.


 Ingredients:


 For the Koftas-
 Fresh green bottle gourd- 500 grams
 Potato powder or boiled and mashed potatoes- 200 grams
 Salt- 2 pinches
 Oil for frying
  
For the gravy/ curry:
Onion- 2 medium sized 
Tomato purée- 200 grams( I use Godrej Smart Cook)
Fresh tomatoes- 2 
Fresh Coriander chopped- 2 tablespoons
Garlic cloves (optional)- 8 cloves
Green chillies- 2 
Bay leaves- 2 (large)
Cumin seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Red Chilli powder- 1/4 teaspoon
*Garam masala- 1/4 teaspoon
Ginger paste- 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder- 1 tablespoon 
Salt- 1 teaspoon ( or as per personal taste)
Turmeric powder/ haldi- 1/2 teaspoon
Cooking oil- 1 tablespoon
Water- 600 ml

*Garam masala is a blend of spices like black pepper, black cardamom, cinnamon, clove, green cardamom etc.


Method:
 Peel the lauki/ bottle gourd and then grate it on a kaddukas/ grater/ shredder or in a food processor. Add 2 pinches of salt and keep it aside for some time (10-15 minutes). Thereafter squeeze the excess water and add the mashed potatoes (or powder) to it. Mix it to a dough like consistency.
Now wet your palm and put a spoon-full of the dough into it and shape it like a ball. ( Alternatively, you can make flattened versions of the same in your palm, since that is easier!)
Heat the oil  in a wok,on a high flame till its smoking point,then reduce the flame to medium, and fry these koftas until they are golden brown. Care must be taken regulate the flame in such a way, that the koftas do not get burnt from the outside or remain uncooked from the inside!
Place the prepared koftas on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.


 Now, to prepare the curry/ gravy. Grate the onions, finely chop the green chillies, garlic cloves and tomatoes. Heat oil in a wok and add the cumin seeds; when they start spluttering add the green chillies,bay leaves, grated onions,chopped garlic,and ginger paste.  Stir frequently so that the mixture does not stick to the base.After two minutes sprinkle the turmeric powder, coriander powder,red chilli powder, garam masala and salt. Reduce the flame and let the mixture simmer until the oil starts separating from it. Now add the chopped tomatoes, stir for three minutes on medium flame and then pour the tomato purée into it. Stir for a few minutes until the colour deepens to a darker shade, and now add the water. Allow this to boil for 5 minutes. Remove from flame.


Keep the gravy and koftas separately. You immerse the koftas in the gravy, 10 minutes before you serve.( otherwise they might dissolve in the gravy!!)
Garnish with fresh chopped coriander and have it with Indian Breads or as an accompaniment to whatever you fancy! Enjoy!!