ALOO GOBI AND AWARDS

ALOO GOBI

I was tired of heavy and complicated recipes so decided to churn out this simple recipe with ingredients easily available in any Indian kitchen. Aloo Gobi is a comfort food and a sure hit in my house. It is Yo’s favorite. Here is a fast to cook and good to eat recipe.

Ingredients

Cauliflower – ½ kilo

Potatoes -1

Onion – 1
Grated Ginger/Gingerpaste - 1 tsp

Tomatoes – 1

Cumin seeds – 2 tsps

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Red chilly powder – 1 tsp

Asafetida – a pinch

Salt as per taste

Oil – 1 tbsp

Freshly chopped coriander for garnish (optional)

Method

Peel the florets of the cauliflower and keep the florets in some warm water with some salt and turmeric for about half an hour. Meanwhile, peel and chop the potatoes into cubes/wedges. Chop the onions and tomatoes as well. Keep aside. Now the drain the water off the cauliflower florets and rinse well. In a wok, Add one tbsp oil, add the cumin seeds, when the cumin seeds start to fry. Add the onions, when the onions become transparent, add in the tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are soft, then add the potato wedges, Cook for 5-7 minutes. After which add the cauliflower florets and mix well, now add the chilly powder, turmeric powder, asafetida and salt as per taste. Mix everything well, cover with a lid and cook on a low flame. After every 5 minutes give it a stir, you will see that the vegetables have become moist. Always allow it to cook in its own juices. If you see that there is no water, add a bit and cook covered on a low flame. After about 10 minutes you will notice that the potatoes are cooked, check if cooked with a spoon, if not wait until the potatoes are cooked. Cauliflower usually cooks fast. Once it is done, you can garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with chappatis or u can have it with dal and rice. Tastes great.

Tips

• Do not add water to  the vegetables as the potatoes will get mashed and your vegetable will get soggy.
• Instead of red chilly powder, you can add ginger-green chilly paste
• You can add other spices like coriander powder, cumin powder, anardana powder, amchur powder, garam masala in any combinations of your choice. I didn't add in this because i wanted to share a simple and easy recipe with minimum ingredients.
• You can avoid onions in this recipe if you do not like the flavor of onions. 
• You can avoid ginger in this recipe 

AWARDS TIME

Purva and LG have passed me the Great Buddy Award

and 360 degree Foodie Award

I would love to thank both of them for these awards.

LG has also showered upon me a few awards,

A Perfect Blend Of Friendship Award

Iam a Chocoholic award

Kreativ Blogger Award

Hard Working Food Blogger Award

Inspiration Award

Thanks Lakshmi for these lovely awards. It really makes your day.

PANEER PULAO

Paneer Pulao goes to Srivalli’s Rice Mela event.

PANEER PULAO

This exotic dish is for people with a milder tongue or you can cook them on the days when you are tired of the same dishes, but dont want to indulge in anything pungent but want something exotic at the same time and are lazy to go to a restaurant. Most of the ingredients can be found at home except paneer, but since nowadays we get frozen paneer even that problem is solved. Paneer Pulao is mildly spiced, exotic and tasty, you can safely cook it for a party and it will surely be a hit.

Ingredients
Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Paneer - 250 gms cut into cubes
Onions - 2
Carrots – 1 cup
French beans – 1cup
Green peas – ½ cup

If using frozen mix vegetables – 1½ cup
Ginger grated – 2 tsps
Green chillies - 2

Asafetida - 1/2 teaspoon

Bay leaves - 3-4
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Everest Shahi Pulao/Biryani Masala – 2 tsps
Salt as per taste
Oil – 4-5 tbsps
Method
Wash the paneer and then cut into chunky cubes, then fry them lightly (don’t deep fry until brown) and keep aside. Fresh paneer tends to get squashed while cooking so I treat them differently. Now, wash the rice and soak in water for about half an hour. Chop the vegetables into square chunks, I used frozen mix vegetables pack which has beans, carrot, corn and peas. I just soaked the frozen vegetables in water to thaw them, rinsed them once and drained the water completely and kept aside. Make a paste of one onion, 2 green chillies and the ginger. Chop the onions keep aside.
In a pan, Add 2 tbsps oil, Add cumin seeds and Bay leaves. When the cumin seeds start to fry, add one onion chopped and fry until transparent, then add the onion-ginger-chilly paste, add the Shahi Pulao/Biryani Masala and fry until the oil separates from the masalas. Add the vegetables, fry for about 5-7 minutes. Add diced vegetables, stir-fry for few minutes. Then drain the water from the soaked rice, add. Add soaked rice and mix with the masalas and vegetables, add salt and fry for 3-4 minutes. Add in the lightly fried paneer cubes. Mix lightly without squashing the paneer. Add 3 cups water (ratio is 1:1(1 cup rice : 1 cup water + 1 cup for the vegetables), but subjective to how old or new the rice is, how long the grains are etc.) and pressure cook upto 3 whistles. Open the cooker, stir the Pulao gently and serve hot. For those who like it spicy, you can have it with a fiery curry. Enjoy the Paneer Pulao.

DUM ALOO & AN AWARD

I am coming towards the end of the NaBloPoMo challenge. I am already in a celebration mood.

I would like to post this recipe for the NaBloPoMo theme of the month “HOT”. There were many “HOT” recipes that I posted in August but this is definitely an ode to the theme.

Dum Aloo is perhaps one of the most exotic and liked potato gravy dish in India. This dish has its roots in the North of India. Its "Fast to Cook and Good to Eat”

DUM ALOO

Ingredients

Small potatoes – 15 -20

Medium sized onions – 2

Tomatoes – 2-3

Ginger - A small piece

Green chilies - 2

Cardamom pods - 1-2

Cloves – 1-2

Cinnamon sticks – 1-2

Yoghurt - 1/2 cup

Garam masala powder - 2 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Cumin powder – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – 2 tsp

Red chili powder -1 tsp

Salt to taste

Freshly chopped coriander leaves

Oil for deep frying the potatoes

Method

Boil the potatoes. Peel them and prick the potatoes with a fork. Fry the potatoes in hot oil till they turn slightly brown. Drain and set aside.

For the Dry Masala

Powder the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon sticks. Add in the Garam masala, Coriander powder, Cumin powder, chilly powder and salt and blend it all once in the dry mill of your blender.

For the Wet Masala

Grind Onion, tomatoes, Ginger, chillies into a fine paste. Add in the dry powders and blend once.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add in the cumin seeds and the dry and wet masala mixed paste and fry till the oil separates. Now add in the fried potatoes and some water and cook on a low flame covered with a lid. Keep opening the lid every 5 mins and give it a good stir without breaking the potatoes. This is to ensure that the masala coats and enters the potatoes well.

In the blender just blend ½ cup of yogurt once, so that it doesn’t have any lumps. Pour this inside the potato gravy and mix well. Add enough water to cover the potatoes and Cook on dum(steam) for another 10 mins. Simmer till the gravy is thick for about 10 minutes. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with Chapathi/Poori/Nan or Rice.

Sowmya of Creative Saga and LG of Taste of Mysore think that I have done a Good job with my blog and have honored me with the Good Job Award.

Thanks Sowmya and LG for encouraging me with this award.

I would like to pass this award to Purva and Priti, I sincerely feel they are doing a good job hosting the Festive events.

MATAR PANEER

This is my entry for Srivalli's Curry Mela event. Matar Paneer can be eaten with rotis, dosas and rice. Roti is the best combo though.

MATAR PANEER(GREEN PEAS AND COTTAGE CHEESE COOKED IN A GRAVY)
Matar Paneer has its origin in Northern parts of India, This dish can be rustled up in a jiffy especially because now we don’t have to take the efforts to make the paneer nor do we have to strip the peas from its pods. We just have to cut open neatly sealed packets and thaw them to make this dish. Green peas are protein rich and low fat. Paneer is rich in protein and can be substituted for meat. So those who are looking for a protein rich diet here’s the recipe for you.
Ingredients
Paneer (Cottage cheese) -200 gms
Green Peas – 1 cup
Onion – 1
Tomato – 1
Ginger – small piece
Cumin seeds – 2 tsps
Coriander powder – 1 tsp (freshly ground if possible)
Cumin powder – 1 tsp (freshly ground if possible) Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Red Chilly powder – ¼ tsp
Asafetida – ½ tsp
Garam Masala – 1 tsp
Salt as per taste
Oil – 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves for garnish
Method
I have used frozen Amul Paneer (available in the form of chunks) and frozen Peas in my recipe. So I had to thaw both, then rinse it well with water which I always do for all the frozen items that I buy. Keep aside.
Roast the coriander and cumin seeds and powder it. Using the freshly grounded powder gives a good aroma to the dish. Chop the onions and tomatoes and keep aside. Grind the ginger to a paste or alternatively use 2 tsps of ginger paste.
Now in a Kadhai(wok), Take one tbsp oil, when the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and when they are frying, add in the asafetida, the ginger paste stir fry for about a minute then add in the Onions, Stir fry till they are transparent, Now add in the tomatoes and fry for about 2 minutes, after this add in the green peas, stir fry till the green peas is half cooked. Now add the Paneer chunks and then add coriander powder, cumin powder. Turmeric powder, chilly powder and Garam masala and stir well. Add salt as per taste, stir again then add about half cup water and close the wok with a lid and let it get cooked. Don’t press on the paneer chunks else they will crumble. Stir with a light hand. Once it is done, switch off the gas. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with Chappati.
Tip :

1.Paneer can also be fried until golden and then added to the dish, but I didn’t want to fry and add on extra oil and calories to the dish.
2.If you want the gravy to be thick like in the restaurants, Make a paste of Cashewnuts (1 tbsp) with water and run in the blender until it becomes a smooth paste. After adding the onions and tomatoes and frying them. Add the cashew paste and fry and then follow the above procedure.

NAVRATAN KORMA (Microwave recipe)

NAVRATAN KORMA (Microwave recipe)
Ingredients:
Beans – 1 cup chopped
Carrot – 1 large chopped
Cauliflower florets – 1 cup
Potato – 1 cup chopped
Green Peas – ½ cup
Capsicum - 1
Onions – 2
Ginger - a small piece
Green Chillies - 1
Tomato (Use red ripe tomatoes) – 1 large pureed
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Chilly powder – ½ tsp
Garam Masala – ½ tsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Yogurt -1/4 cup
Fresh Cream - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnish
Method
Chop all the vegetables. Grind the onion, ginger and green chilly into a paste.Heat oil on high in the microwave for 1min, then put the onion-ginger-chilly paste in the bowl, mix well and microwave uncovered on high for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree, all the vegetables, then add all the masala’s i.e. coriander powder, cumin powder, chilli powder garam masala powder, also add salt, mix well. Microwave covered on high for about 10 minutes. You can open at about 5 minutes and stir everything well so that the masala sticks properly to the vegetables. Ensure that the vegetables are cooked, if not, cook for some more time. Mix together the yogurt and fresh cream and add to gravy. Microwave covered on high for about 4 minutes. Stir once in between. Allow to thicken a bit and boil till the gravy is thick and the fat separates. Once done let it remain for about 2-3 minutes inside the microwave, then remove and garnish with fresh finely chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with naan, roti or paratha.

Note : Cooking time from microwave to microwave may vary. The best way to cook using a microwave is to keep opening and checking and once u note the time taken to cook then the next time you need not worry.

NAVRATAN KORMA WITH FRUITS

NAVRATAN KORMA WITH FRUITS
Ingredients:
Beans – 1 cup chopped
Carrot – 1 large chopped
Cauliflower florets – 1 cup
Potato – 1 cup chopped
Green Peas – ½ cup
Apple – 1
Banana - 1
Pineapple – 2 slices
Mosambi (Sweet lime) -1
Pomegranates – 1-2 tbsps
Cashewnuts - 10-15
Raisins – 10-15
Cherries - 2 glaced cherries for decoration (Optional)
Yogurt -1/4 cup
Fresh Cream - 1/4 cup
Tomato (Use red ripe tomatoes) – 1 large
Butter - 3 tbsp.
Ghee - 1 tbsp.
Coriander leaves for garnish
Grated Cheese – 1 tbsp (Optional)
Salt to taste
Dry Masala:
Toasted Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Khuskhus (poppy seeds) - 2 tsp
Cardamoms - 1 tsp
Wet Masala:
Onion -1 large
Green chillies - 3
Coconut shredded - 1/4 cup
Method:
Chop all the vegetables, the carrots either u can chop or u can cut into roundels. Make a puree of the tomato. As for the fruits, chop the apples and pineapples into cubes, but the bananas cut into roundels
(don’t make thin slices but slightly thicker discs). Take the mosambi slivers and cut them into halves. Ensure that the sweet lime is sweet otherwise you can avoid the fruit.
Grind the dry and wet masalas separately. Heat ghee and fry cashews, remove the cashews once they are slightly pink and keep aside, the cashews fried in ghee give the cashews a very good flavor. To the remaining ghee add the 3 tbsps butter and heat until the butter melts, now add the wet masala and fry until the wet masala leaves the oil, after this add the dry masala and salt and fry for 2 more minutes. Now add the vegetables and mix well with the masala, so that all the masala sticks to it. Close and cook without water till the vegetables are tender. Add the tomato puree and stir well. Close and cook again. If the vegetables are not getting cooked and the gravy is drying up add a little water but not too much as the taste will be affected. Mix together the yogurt and fresh cream and add to gravy. Allow to thicken a bit, At this point add the fruits, cashews and raisins and boil till the gravy is thick and the fat separates.
Garnish with grated cheese, coriander, pomegranates and chopped cherries.
Serve hot with naan, roti or paratha.

MAA KI DAL (Whole Black Lentils Soup)

MAA KI DAL
Black gram or Whole Udad Dal is known as 'maa ki dal'. Whole udad dal is cooked in most north Indian houses. These lentils are small and oblong. When cooked they have a rich, heavy taste and they usually give a thick consistency to the final dish. These lentils can be cooked with red kidney beans (Rajma) to make Punjabi 'maa ki dal'. Here is the recipe for Maa ki dal which would be considered as a comfort food for most North Indians. Using butter instead of oil increases the taste of this dal manifold. For health purposes I have avoided using fresh cream while I made the Maa ki dal although the recipe uses fresh cream. The dal that I cooked in the morning tasted amazing in the night and tasted still better the next day, probably because the spices enter the dal and make it tastier.

Ingredients
Black lentils, whole Udad daal – 1 ½ cups
Onions - 2
Tomatoes – 2
Green chilies - 2
Ginger – a small piece
Garlic 1-2 flakes (optional)
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 2 tsp
Chilly powder – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 1tsp
Cumin powder – 1 tsp
White Butter – 2 tbsp
Fresh Cream – 2 tbsp
Salt as per taste

Method
Wash, rinse and soak lentils for at least 3 hours. Pressure cook the lentils with a pinch of turmeric. Once cooked, mash the lentils well with the back of a ladle. Keep aside. In a wok (kadhai), Make a paste of one onion, one tomato, the green chillies, ginger and garlic. Chop the other onion and tomato. Heat the butter, fry the cumin seeds, add the chopped onions and sauté for a minute, then add the onion-tomato-ginger-chilly-garlic paste. Fry for 2-3 minutes, Add the tomatoes and fry for another 2 minutes. By this time the masala paste looses it raw smell and gets cooked Add all the powders i.e the Cumin, coriander, red chilly and garam masala powders and mix well and fry for another minute or two. Now add the boiled lentils. Cook further for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. This dal tends to stick to the bottom of the pan hence its important to keep stirring. Add chopped coriander and one tablespoon of the fresh cream (leaving 1tbsp aside). Serve hot garnished with the rest of the fresh cream. Serve hot with Roti or rice.