.....From My Palate

Meals

Rajma Masala

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I never thought of sharing this recipe until my son mentioned me, “You didn’t take pictures of my favorite dish?” Taking pictures of food means “something special has cooked today” for him. That made me realized, he is right! Rajma Chawal is the most popular recipe in north India. Both children and adults likes it with same intensity, even the most picky eater is happy to see it served for lunch or dinner. It is the most easily cooked dish for parties or potlucks. Serve it with Jeera Rice, Chapatis or Naan, it goes well with everything and for everybody.
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Rajma Masala
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • 2 cups Rajma (Kidney beans) soaked overnight, boiled
  • 2 medium Onions, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp. Ginger-Garlic paste
  • 4 tbsp. Tomato puree
  • few Green chilies, slited
  • 2 nos Tejpatta (Bay Leaf)
  • 2 tsp. Coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Turmeric Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Cumin Seeds
  • 1/4 tsp. Asafietida
  • Red Chili Powder To taste
  • 3/4 tsp. Garam Masala
  • Fried Green Chilies and Coriander Leaves for garnishing
  • Salt to taste
  • 3 tbsp. oil
Instructions
  1. Heat oil in a heavy-bottom pan.
  2. Add bay leaves, cumin seeds and asatefida powder.
  3. When seeds start to splutter, add onions and saute till light brown.
  4. Add ginger-garlic paste and cook for a minute.
  5. Add tomato puree and turmeric powder mix it well and cook for 3-4 minutes till oil separates on the side of the pan.
  6. Add coriander powder, red chili powder and salt. Mix it well.
  7. Add boiled rajma along with water according to consistency needed.
  8. Cook for 10-15 minutes on low heat.
  9. Mash the beans with the back of the ladle, add garam masala powder and mix it well.
  10. Add more water and salt if required.
  11. Garnish with fried green chilies and coriander leaves.
  12. Serve hot with rice or chapatis.
  13. Add 1/4 cup cream for more richer and creamy taste.
  14. tsp of desi ghee enhance its taste.

Saibhaji – A Sindhi Delicacy

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If you are looking for a recipe that is guilt-free to eat, healthy, full of protein and nutrients, you are at right place. Saibhaji, one of the most loved dish from Sindhi Cuisine. It literally means green vegetable. (Sai-green Bhaji-vegetable) It tastes so good with rice that my picky eater son ate the leftover next day too. Nimisha, my very first friend in this country, who happened to be Sindhi introduced Saibhaji to me. She is a good cook and makes the best Sindhi Kadhi and Kandha Poha. Oh! I miss those carefree days when we used to talk a lot about food, friends, life and other things. Being new to this country, she helped me a lot in adjusting and making me comfortable in this new lifestyle. Though we both are busy now and miles apart, she still hold a special place in my heart.

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Sindhis are famous for their love for food. Saibhaji is a one pot meal that goes well with brown rice but when served you can see different accompaniments like aaloo tuk, sindhi papad, chutneys and pickles served on table. The most interesting and delicious one is with sindhi kadhi. Yes! sindhi kadhi is served with white rice, aloo tuk or fried eggplant and sweet boondi. And the whole think on plate tastes heavenly delicious and a full meal.

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Saibhaji
Author: Bhawana
A Sindhi Delicacy
Ingredients
  • 1 bunch Spinach
  • 1/2 bunch Fenugreek Leaves
  • Handful of Sua (Dill Leaves)
  • 1/2 cup Channa Dal (soaked in water)
  • 3 nos. Tomatoes
  • 1 small Brinjal
  • 1 medium Potato
  • 1 big Onion
  • Green Chillies to taste, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp. Garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp, Ginger, grated
  • 1 1/2 tsp. Coriander Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Turmeric Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Red Chilli Powder
  • 1/4 tsp. Cumin Seeds
  • Pinch of Hing (Asatedfida)
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tbsp. Oil
Instructions
  1. Wash all the greens thoroughly and chop them roughly.
  2. Peel and chop all the vegetables.
  3. Heat oil in pressure cooker. Add cumin seeds and hing.
  4. When splutter, add ginger, garlic, onion and green chillies.
  5. Mix it well, now add channa dal and vegetables.
  6. Cook for a minute and add all greens and spices.
  7. Mix it, add salt and water as it needed.
  8. Cook it on medium flame until 5-6 whistles.
  9. Mesh it well to the consistency required.
  10. Serve it with table spoon of desi ghee on top.
  11. It goes well with brown rice or onion rice.

Kathal Biryani

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You can find inspiration anywhere, anytime if you keep your eyes open and have a hunger to learn and create. Best inspiration comes from your mother and the people around you. Sometimes, something just clicks in your mind and you know that very moment this is it!. The dish I am sharing today has an interesting story and an inspiration from a friend.

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Well, truly the guiding light for this amazing dish was an invitation from a friend. Today I am so happy that even with a pain in my neck (well, seriously it was bad!) still I was able to join her for a lunch get together. She served Jackfruit Biryani with spinach raita.   With  one spoon in my mouth I knew that this dish is going to be a part of my cooking excursion. Thank you Nidhi, and please let me know if you think my recipe is missing any important ingredients from what you have created that day. It was delicious. (Thank You for that pain relief cream :-))

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Biryani always gives an impression of lot of work and patience but if we do the prep work its easy and exotic dish to impress your friends and family. Its a one pot meal that can have a impact of array of dishes.

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Kathal Biryani
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • 2 cups cubed Jackfruit (boiled with salt and turmeric)
  • 1 1/2 cups fried Onions
  • 1 1/2 cups Yogurt
  • 2 tbsp. Biryani Masala
  • 2 tbsp. Ginger/Garlic Paste
  • Green Chillies slit, to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2 cup Milk
  • Few Saffron Threads
  • 1 tsp. Rose Water
  • Few drop of Kewra Essence
  • 2 tbsp. Desi Ghee
  • Pinch of saffron color
  • 1 cup Mint Leaves (fresh and chopped)
  • 1/2 cup fried Cashewnuts and Resins
  • 1/2 tsp. Shah Jeera
  • Whole Garam Masala (small amount)
  • 2 tbsp. oil
  • 2 cups Basmati Rice (soaked in water for an hour)
  • 2 small Bay leaves
  • 1 small stick Cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1 tbsp. Desi Ghee
Instructions
  1. Mix yogurt, biryani masala, 3/4 cup fried onion, Green chillies, ginger/garlic paste, 1/2 cup mint leaves.
  2. Mix boiled kathal (jackfruit) and let it marinate for 1/2 an hour.
  3. Mix saffron, rose water and milk.
  4. Mix 1 tbsp of Desi ghee with saffron color.
  5. Boil rice with bay leaves, cinnamon, salt and ghee until 80% done.
  6. Heat oil in a deep heavy-bottom pan. Add shah jeera and whole garam masala.
  7. Add marinated kathal, mix it well and cook it for 2 minutes on medium flame.
  8. Now add salt, half of desi ghee, cashewnuts and resins. Mix it well.
  9. Layer the cooked rice over the jackfruit mixture.
  10. Sprinkle fried onion, mint leaves, cashew and resins.
  11. Add all around saffron milk mixture and desi ghee with color.
  12. Sprinkle few drops of kewra essence
  13. Cover and cook it on dum for 12-15 minutes on low flame.
  14. Let it rest for a while.
  15. Serve with chilled raita and salad of your choice.

Tadka Rice Noodles with Coconut Gravy

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Who doesn’t like noodles?
Noodles are comforting food that breaks the monotony of everyday food. There are so many varieties and different recipes to make noodles. With lots of vegetables or with meat, and the best part is, you don’t need to spend hours in the kitchen to impress your friends or family. This noodles recipe is little different and full of Indian flavors. Instead of adding vegetable with noodles I served vegetable coconut curry with it. The inspiration of this recipe is Kerala or Tamilnadu’s famous breakfast recipe Idiyappam / Sevai. They serve fresh idiyappam with spicy curry that looks really tempting and different. We mostly eat curry with rice or chapatis, so this recipe gives a interesting twist to the regular food.

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Vegetable Coconut Gravy
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • 2 cups Mixed Vegetables
  • 2 tbsp. Oil
  • 1 Onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp. Ginger-Garlic Paste
  • 1 1/2 tsp. Dhaniya Powder (Coriander Powder)
  • 1 tsp. Cumin Seeds
  • 3/4 tsp. Haldi Powder (Turmeric Powder)
  • 1/2 tsp. Red Chilli Powder
  • 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
  • 1 1/2 cups Vegetable Broth
  • 1 1/2 cups Coconut Milk
  • 1/4 tsp. Black Pepper Powder
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime Juice
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh Coriander Leaves
  • Salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a pan and add cumin seeds.
  2. When they start to splutter add ginger-garlic paste and onion.
  3. Cook onion on medium flame until little brown in color.
  4. Add all the dry spices and tomato paste. Mix it well and cook for few minutes.
  5. Add mixed vegetables and cook them on high heat. Add vegetable broth if needed.
  6. Now add coconut milk, salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper and bring to a boil.
  7. Add vegetable broth, mix it well.
  8. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for almost 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the gravy is to the consistency of your taste.
  9. Add lemon juice and garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

 

Tadka Rice Noodles
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • 1 packet of Rice noodles
  • 3 tsp Oil
  • 1 tsp Rai (Mustard Seeds)
  • 2 nos dry Red Chillies, break in to half
  • 5-6 Green chillies
  • 8-9 curry leaves
  • 1 tsp. Channa Dal
  • 1 tsp. Urad Dal
  • 1/2 tsp. Turmeric Powder
  • 1/4 cup broken Cashewnut
  • 2 tsp. Lemon Juice
  • Coriander Leaves finely chopped for garnishing
Instructions
  1. Cook noodles according to cooking directions.
  2. Drain and mix some oil in the noodles
  3. Heat oil in a broad pan. Add mustard seeds, urad dal and chaana dal.
  4. When seeds crackles, add dry chillies, green chillies, and curry leaves.
  5. Fry for 30 seconds and add turmeric powder and cashews.
  6. Cook until cashews are light brown in color.
  7. Next add the cooked noodles and salt.
  8. Mix it well and cook for another 2 minutes
  9. Finally, add the chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice.
  10. Serve hot with the curry.

Bharli Vangi/Eggplant In Peanut Coconut Gravy

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Bharli Vangi is one of the traditional and classic dish in Maharashtra. Though I never attended any Maharashtrian wedding but heard that this dish is must in menu for any wedding or festive occasion, Personally i like this dish better next day,  when eggplants are all marinated in the masala and tastes awesome  with coconut y-peanut  flavor melting in mouth. The ingredients for Bharli vangi recipe are almost same for stuffed eggplant or bagare baigan but the magic wand in this recipe is Goda Masala.

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Bharli Vangi/Eggplant In Peanut Coconut Gravy
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • 8-9 Baby Eggplant
  • 2-3 tbsp. Oil
  • For Stuffing-
  • 1 cup chopped Onion
  • 2 tsp. Ginger Garlic paste
  • 1/2 Cup Dessicated Coconut
  • 1/2 Cup roasted Peanuts
  • 2 tbsp. roasted Sesame Seeds (Til)
  • 2 tsp. Red Chili Powder
  • 2 tbsp. Coriander Seeds Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Turmeric Powder
  • 1 tsp. Cumin Seeds
  • 1 tsp. Goda Masala
  • 1 tbsp. grated Jaggery
  • 1 tbsp. Tamarind Plup
  • Salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Slit the eggplants into four, lengthways keeping the stems intact.
  2. Heat little oil in a pan and saute dessicated coconut over medium heat for two minutes, stirring continuously, till the coconut turns a light golden brown.
  3. Mix peanuts, sesame seeds in the coconut mixture.
  4. Cool and grind the mixture with a little water to a coarse paste.
  5. Mix and add goda masala, coriander powder, salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, jaggery and tamarind pulp.
  6. Stuff the mixture into the eggplants.
  7. Heat the remaining oil in a deep wide pan, add cumin seeds and when they begin to splutter, add onion and ginger garlic paste.
  8. Saute onion until light brown in color.
  9. Now place the stuffed eggplants in the pan and cook for two or three minutes.
  10. Add water as needed to cook the eggplants evenly from all sides.
  11. Gently turn the eggplants once or twice in between while cooking.
  12. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat until eggplants are soft and evenly cooked.

Puran Poli

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Maharashtrian cuisine!! What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you read it? May be, spicy Vada Paav, steaming hot Paav Bhaji, Misal Paav, Ragda Patties or chatpati Bhel Puri. But the real food of this filmy state is much more than these easily available street food. Today we are talking about the most popular Puran Poli. Puran Poli is a sweet, soft and flaky flat bread that melts in the mouth with burst of sweet nutty flavors and makes every occasion sweet and auspicious with its presence.

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Puran Poli
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • For Puran-
  • 1 cup Chana Dal
  • 1 cup Jaggery (Gudh)
  • Pinch of Nutmeg powder
  • 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder
  • Few strands of Saffron
  • 1 cup Water
  • For Dough-
  • 1 cup Whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup All Purpose Flour (Maida)
  • 1 tbsp Oil
  • Salt to taste
  • (I used only whole wheat flour but adding all purpose flour makes it softer and tastier)
Instructions
Puran
  1. Wash and soak chana dal for overnite.
  2. Boil chana dal with one cup of water and saffron for 3-4 whistles.
  3. Drain and coarsely grind it.
  4. Mix chana dal, jaggery, nutmeg and cardamom powder.
  5. Cook the mixture in a nonstick pan until it thickens (spatula can stand upright in the mixture just to check it.)
  6. Keep it aside and make small balls of the mixture.
Puran Poli Dough
  1. Take maida, whole wheat flour, salt and oil. Mix it well.
  2. Add water as needed and knead it in to a soft sticky dough.
  3. Cover and leave it to rest for an hour.
Puran Poli
  1. Make a soft dough with tsp of oil.
  2. Take small ball from dough and roll like a puri.
  3. Stuff puran in to rolled puri and seal the edges nicely.
  4. Roll it evenly like stuffed paratha.
  5. Heat non stick tawa and cook puranpoli from both the sides with little ghee or oil till it gets nice golden color.
  6. Serve hot with a dollop of ghee over it.

Kutchi Dabeli

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Kutch is the largest district of India in Gujarat famous for its magical wet and dry lands. Apart from wetlands and white desert Kutch is famous for its wonderful culinary delights. One of the jewel from its treasure box is Dabeli. Dabeli is a famous street food in Gujarat. Its original roots are from Mandvi Kutch. Dabeli is a spicy potatoes mixture cooked with dabeli masala served sandwiched in paavs (buns) with chutneys and accompaniments. Dabeli is a delectable answer from India to all the burger served in west.

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Dabeli is also known as double roti. This dish is deliciously spicy, easy to prepare and undoubtedly a star dish to impress people. With all the assorted accompaniments served with it gives a sweet, tangy, spicy, crunchy taste that will lead to overeating and no way to stop its craving. Just a word of caution to my dear friends. 🙂 🙂

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Kutchi Dabeli
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • Round Buns (Pavs)
  • 3 tbsp. Dabeli Masala
  • 5 Potatoes boiled, peeled and mashed
  • 3 tbsp. Oil
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tsp. Lemon Juice
  • Butter
  • 1 cup Tamarind Chutney
  • 1/2 cup Masala Moongphalli (Spicy Peanuts)
  • 2 tbsp. Coconut, scraped
  • 1/4 cup Pomegranate Pearls
  • 1/4 cup Black Grapes, chopped
  • 1/4 cup Nylon Sev
  • 2 tbsp. Fresh Coriander Leaves, chopped
  • 1 Onion, finely chopped
  • Garlic Chilli Chutney
  • 6-7 Garlic Cloves
  • 1 tsp. Lal Mirch Powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 3 tbsp. Water
  • Lemon juice to taste
Instructions
  1. Take dabeli masala in a bowl, add 2 tbsp. of tamarind chutney and little water.
  2. Mix it well and keep aside.
  3. Heat oil in a pan, add dabeli masala mixture in it.
  4. Cook for 2 minutes, now add potatoes, salt and a little water.
  5. Mix it well, add lemon juice and cook until moisture is absorbed.
  6. Take it out in a platter. Sprinkle coconut all over.
Garlic Chilli Chutney
  1. In a grinder add all the ingredients
  2. Grind it in to a smooth paste.
  3. Add little water if needed while grinding.
Assembling Dabeli
  1. Slit buns in to two.
  2. Apply garlic chutney on one side of bun and tamarind chutney on other bun.
  3. Now add potato mixture, peanuts, onion, grapes, coriander leaves, pomegranate and sev.
  4. Cover with the other slice of bun.
  5. Place the stuffed pavs on a hot tawa.
  6. Press slightly and toast on both sides, with a little butter, till done.
  7. Serve hot.

Asparagus Crescent Rolls

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My son loves Crescent Rolls and tubes of Pillsbury Quick Crescent Rolls are the necessary item in my refrigerator. Like other kids of his age he is also not so crazy about greens. And now even become hesitant in trying out new things. So one lazy Sunday evening I decided to make his favourite crescent rolls with a little tweak. I added these asparagus with cheese while rolling out crescent shape and served warm to my son with a winner smile on my face.

Ingredients

  • Tube of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
  • Asparagus Spears trimmed and washed
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Olive Oil
  • Grated Cheese

Method

  • Pre-Heat oven to 375F.
  • Toss Asparagus with oil, salt and pepper.
  • Unroll the Pillsbury Dough and separate in to triangles.
  • Place seasoned asparagus spears on narrow side of the triangle.
  • Sprinkle cheese and roll up according to the instruction in to Crescent shape.
  • Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
  •  Serve warm.

June is a month of celebration for us. And it started from 2nd June (yesterday) with my Hubby Dear B’day. We had a nice evening yesterday and personally I had a busy day. I will share my recipes in coming posts for now pictures straight from my party table.