A Super Bowl (Veggie Lentil Curry with Jeera Rice)

Hi guys!! I know I know , I have been as bad as ever. Neglecting my blog again for days now. Just got caught up doing other things (like playing Farmville!!) . But now I am back and have something wonderful to share. Wonderful yet very very simple to make , but very nutritious ,mind you. I made this dish just 2 days back. Got the recipe from a diet magazine and the picture in it was so good that I had to make it immediately.
This dish is perfect for those days when you have the middle of the week dinner blues and can't think of what to put on the dinner table that day. Well this ones a winner. It's fast to cook and very little washing up to do later as it can all be eaten from a single bowl.


What you need:
2 medium onions chopped
2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup of uncooked masoor dal (split red lentils)
1 cup of green beans cut into pieces
1 cup of cauliflower florets
1/2 cup of green peas
1 tblspn each of garlic and ginger paste
1 heaped tspn mustard seeds
1 tspn cumin
1 tblspn hot curry powder
1 tspn chilly powder (more if you like)
1/2 tspn turmeric powder
Oil to cook
coriander to garnish


Method:


Heat about 3 to 4 tblspns of oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds first. When they begin to splutter add the cumin and fry for about 30 secs.
Next add the onions and the ginger- garlic pastes and fry well
Add to this the curry powder, chilly powder and turmeric
Now add the lentils and the vegetables, salt and 3 to 4 cups of water.
Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer.
Cover and cook until the veggies are cooked and the lentils are mushy. The beans take the longest to cook , so if they have cooked , rest assured that the rest of the veggies have cooked.
Adjust the seasoning according to your taste and garnish with chopped coriander


Have this curry with a rice of your choice. I made simple jeera rice and  just made a salad to go with it. It makes  a quick and power packed supper with minimum hassle.


Right! Now  after that spicy curry here's something completely different. Recently I was introduced to the GrazeBox. What is a GrazeBox?  Well it  is just what it sounds like . It's a box which contains 2 or 3 types of nibbles which you can graze on throughout the week. It's the best thing to have to control those  4o'clock hunger pangs .It contains delicious things like nuts, raisins, seeds  dried fruit ,fresh fruit and even some exotic spicy nibbles.  This is what a graze box looks like from the outside. 

And this is my box from last week. I ordered  a graze fresh box and got all this delcious stuff in it. Believe me it's supposed to last you for atleat a week but it  was gone in minutes.

So if you are in the UK and interested in ordering one yourself  or would just like to know more about graze then  do visit http://www.graze.com/

If you feel like ordering one then please use the promotional code below. That will give you your first box free.

free box code: LYLD625A

So go Grazing!!

Kutcchi Dabeli

You all probably know from many of my previous posts that we friends have regular tea get-togethers on Fridays. It gives the kids a chance to have a great time on the last day of the school week and it gives us ladies an excuse to meet and chat and eat tasty snacks. Well this week it was my turn and my choice of snack was this ever -popular Kutcchi Dabeli. For those of you who aren't familiar with Kutcchi Dabeli ,it is a Gujarati snack ,it's name being derived from the place Kutch in Gujarat. But it is a very very popular street food in Maharashtra and is probably just one place below Vada-Pav which tops the best-seller list of street-food.

Very surprisingly though I never ate Kutcchi Dabeli when I was in college. Never even once. I ate it the first time here in England when a friend made it . I just loved it and have ever since wondered why I never ate it earlier. I mean if it tastes so good at home it must be great when eaten on the road-side, right?? Well I definitely will find out the next time I am in Pune ,which unfortunately is not so soon. So till then I will keep making it at home.

Now Kutcchi Dabeli needs a special Masala /Spice Mix which is easily available back home, but not here in UK. The most popular brand is Siddhi Masala , so I had my sister bring me a few packs of that when she last visited. But it can be substituted with cumin-coriander powder and garam masala which is also a blend of the same spices just probably in different proportions.
So now on to the actual process :

Ingredients for approx 12 Dabelis:
12 soft rolls /buns
1 kg potatoes boiled ,peeled and mashed,
1 pack of Dabeli Masala (100 gms) OR
2 tblspns each of coriander and cumin powder, 2 tblspns of garam masala, 1 tblspn of chilly powder,
Salt to taste (you don't need any salt if you are using the dabeli masala . It has everything in it.)
Date and Tamarind Chutney,
Red chilly and garlic chutney (blend red chillies, garlic salt and sugar together in a blender with a little water)

For the garnish:
Seeds of one or two pomegranate,
Sev,
2 finely chopped onion,
Salted/spicy peanuts
Finely chopped coriander

Method:

• Boil and mash the potatoes and keep aside,
• In a pan heat 4 to 5 tbslpns of oil , add to that the mashed potatoes and all of the 100 gms of dabeli masala or the alternative spice powders with the salt. (Remember no salt if using the Dabeli Masala) and mix it all well. Your filling is ready.
• Spread out this filling evenly on to a large plate and garnish generously with all the garnishings as you see in the pic. It looks very pretty.

To serve:

Split a bun in half and spoon both the chutneys in it first, then put about 2 tblspnfuls of potato filling on top .

• Put some more salted nuts and sev if you wish.
• Top again with date and tamarind chutney and close with the top part of the bun.
• Butter the bun on both sides and brown it nicely on a tawa/flat pan.
• Serve hot

Amazingly Delicious Paneer Potato Bites

A very warm Hello to all my dear readers. Sorry I have been away for so long. Had a lot of other tasks to do and somehow in all the rush to do 20 things at the same time it is always my blog that takes a back seat. But it is never far from my thoughts. Whenever I cook something different from the ordinary my mind is planning out how I can present this on Food-n-More. In fact in the last fortnight it so happened twice that I did make some tasty snacks and was determined to take pics of the dishes but somehow I left it too late and the food was over and gobbled up (don't ask by whom) before I could get my camera out of it's case. But not this time. This time I did take pics before anyone had a chance to set eyes on what I had made. And what did I make? Yes these very delicious ,crispy and mouthwatering Paneer Potato Bites.
They were practically made in minutes . They are a great starter for any party or get together and my friends loved them. So will you!

Here's what you need:
1 large potato and 1 small one cooked ,peeled and mashed
150 gms paneer grated
2 cubes of cheddar cheese (approx 40 gms),
a handful of fresh mint leaves finely chopped,
some coriander (optional)
cumin and coriander powders 1 heaped tspn each
1 tspn sugar,
1 tspn garam masala,
1 and 1/2 tspn chilly powder
salt to taste
Oil for frying

1. Mix all the above ingredients together (except of course the oil) very well .
2. Make small bite sized balls and keep aside.
3. Heat the oil and fry the balls until golden (hardly takes a few seconds)
4. Serve on cocktail sticks with your favourite dip. I used Thai Sweet Chilly Sauce.

Now wasn't that quick?
N.B : I fried them a little before my guests were due to arrive and left them in the oven at 100 deg C. They were nicely warm and crispy when I served them. These are excellent finger food for kids' parties too.

Jacket Potato with Chicken Tikka Masala

Thank you all for sharing my joy by leaving such warm and heartfelt comments on my previous post . I really enjoyed reading all of them . But as much as I would like to keep that post on I do have some fantastic posts with delicious food waiting in the wings to make an appearance. So moving on, here is one lip-smacking dish which I tried for the first time yesterday and was thrilled with the way it turned out.

Now when I say Chicken Tikka Masala ,what is it that first comes to your mind? Most people would instantly think it is the same as the Chicken Tikka that we have on restaurant menus in India. Well that's not the case. This Chicken Tikka Masala is something that is totally english. Yes ,you heard right. It's a complete english creation. In a survey conducted in the UK about the TOP 10 FAVOURITE FOODS this dish stands at no 3. People here just love it. And one good way to eat it is as a topping on a hot baked jacket potato.

And that's what I am sharing with you today. So here goes:

First you need to marinate the chicken for atleast an hour . Best would be to marinate the night before.

For the marinade you need:

1 cup yogurt, 2 tspns garlic paste, 2 tspn ginger paste, 1/2 tspn turmeric powder

Mix all the above and coat the chicken pieces thoroughly with this marinade. Leave for atleast 1 hr.

For the baked potatoes :

You can take 4 large potatoes. Here I could get potatoes that are specially meant for baking,but you can use any large potatoes.

Mark out cross slits on both sides of each potato with a sharp knife and oil them well all over.

Preheat the oven at 250 deg C and place the potatoes under the grill. It takes about 20 mins each side to bake a potato to a crispy finish.

Ok now for the Tikka Masala you need:

200 gms boneless chicken cubes,

1 can chopped tomatoes (400gms) or approx 5 medium tomatoes finely chopped,

3 cloves garlic crushed,

1 tspn cumin powder,

2 tspn coriander powder,

1/2 tspn garam masala,

1 tspn Kitchen king masala (omit this one if its not easily available),

1/2 cup single cream,

1 tspn chilli powder,

1.5 tspn sugar,

2 tblspn oil,

salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Thread the chicken pieces on skewers and griil them at 225 deg C until tender .

2. In a pan heat the oil and fry the garlic first. To this add the chopped tomatoes and all the spice powders, salt ,sugar and cream.

3. Boil the sauce until the tomatoes are well cooked and well blended with the cream. This takes about 20 to 25 mins.

4. To this sauce add the grilled chicken and boil further for 5 mins.

Your chicken tikka masala is ready.

Now to assemble the dish:

Place one hot baked potato on a plate. Slit it open slightly and spoon the tikka masala over the potato. Garnish with chopped coriander. Serve with fresh crisp salad

Stir-fried Sweet Potatoes (Delicious Fast Food)

Now fasting is something I have tried to do umpteen times. I have friends who religiously fast atleast once a week. The reason behind the fast may be religious or a self-imposed dietery restriction but they never fail. Taking inspiration from one such friend I have tried fasting on several occasions . What normally happens on the day I decide to fast is this:

I wake up that day full of conviction that today I will not succumb to my hunger and will successfully complete my fast by having only liquids throughout the day. Well , I do manage to survive on liquids (plain water,milk, juice and butter-milk) ,but only till 2 p.m. I drink something or the other on an hourly basis. After 2 o'clock my body and mind start their protests. The mind is already into overdrive and torturing me by conjuring up all possible images of delicious foods. Then the body starts protesting with the onset of a headache. And headaches are something I just cannot handle. I tolerate the headache for about 1/2 an hour and then resign to the fact that I cannot not go on with this fast. I have to eat something solid . And that is just what I do and thats the end of my fast.

Now another kind fasting is the one done by eating only certain kinds of foods that day and that is a different ball-game altogether. That is a treat. I really look forward to such days which are few and far in the whole year .I cook all the different types of food that one is allowed to eat on that day. And one of my favourite food is this dish I make from sweet potatoes . The sweet potatoes available in UK are just terrific in colour as well as in taste and this dish is the easiest thing in the world. Here's how you make this dish

----------------------------------------------------------------------

You need:

2 medium sized sweet potatoes (about 300 gms)

2 tblspns clarified butter (ghee),

2 tblspns coursely ground peanuts,

2 tspns cumin seeds,

2 green chillies chopped,

1/2 tspn sugar,

2 to 3 tblspns chopped fresh coriander

salt to taste

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What next:

1. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes into uniform cubes,

2. In a flat pan (kadhai), heat the ghee (ghee can be replaced with oil),

3. When the ghee is hot add to this the cumin seeds and green chillies and fry for 10 to 15 seconds,

4. Next add the diced sweet potatoes, sugar and salt and mix well,

5. Cook the potatoes by alternating between stirring them and covering the pan with a lid and keep the heat low.

6 Sweet potatoes cook very fast and should be done in 15 to 20 minutes.

7. Once the potatoes are cooked sprinkle the ground peanuts all over and mix well Just before serving add the coriander.

This dish can be eaten as a part of a meal or its great even on its own.

Sweet Potato Soup with Corn and Red Pepper

Now sweet potato is something that I have always thought of as food eaten when you are fasting. I mean back home in India in the city where I come from, people buy and eat sweet potatoes in all its different forms mostly on days when they are fasting. So Sweet potatoes with corn and peppers ..... unheard of.

But living in a foreign land means you get to experience different tastes and and cook different combination of foods which is so good. Much as I love India and indian food (thanks to my mother, mother-in-law and Tarla Dalal) , being in England and cooking here from different cook books authored by english chefs is so enriching. This recipe is one such new experience for me. I followed this recipe from Sally Mansfield's Cookbook "Potatoes: more than mashed.

Do make it and let me know how you liked it:

Serves 3 to 4

The ingredients are:

1 tblspn oil, (the recipe suggests olive oil but I used vegetable oil and that was fine too)

1/2 onion chopped,

1/2 a medium sized sweet potato diced,

1 clove of garlic crushed,

1 small red chilli deseeded and chopped (alternatively you can use 1/4 tspn of red chilli powder),

3 and a 1/4 cups of vegetable stock (you can prepare stock from scratch or use 2 oxo or maggi stock cubes for that much stock)

1 tspn of cumin powder,

1 tblspn of chopped red pepper,

1 cup sweet corn kernels ,

salt and ground black pepper and lime wedges to serve.

Now what do you do with all these:

1. Heat the oil and fry the onions for 5 mins until softened. Add the garlic and chiili and fry further for a couple of minutes.

2. In the same pan add 1 and 1/2 cups of the stock and simmer for 10 mins.

3. Add the cumin powder now along with the diced sweet potato,stir and simmer for 10 mins again. Season with the salt and pepper.

4. Finally add the red pepper, sweet corn and simmer again for 10 mins.

You can now process half of the soup until smooth and then stir into the rest of the chunky soup or you can simply procees all the soup andjust garnish with few kernels of corn and bits of red pepper the wat I did.

Serve with the lime wedges for squeezing over.

The combination of sweet corn and sweet potato is simply great and gives the soup a fab colour.

Hash Browns ( My Entry to Jhiva for Ingredients)

Oh God ! I have probably missed this event. But Vaishali being the kind soul that she is will consider my late entry and let me be part of this event. I even got a book from the library which has 100 recipes only with potato as the main ingredient. I have had it now for 3 weeks but I managed to open it only today . There are some really scrumptious recipes in there, but the one which appealed to me is this simple one of Hash Browns which I just love to eat. Till now I had eaten only the store bought variety which are good no doubt , but today I made them at home for the first time and they were delicious. Do try them out and have them as part of a typical english breakfast or just as a tea-time snack . Anyway you eat it they are yummy. Now without any further delay I'll get down to the recipe.

I used:

2 large potatoes (peeled, par-boiled and grated)

3 tblspns oil,

1 small onion finely chopped,

salt and pepper to season,

dried parsley or fresh chopped chives to garnish.

What I did with all these:

1. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottom frying pan. When the pan is very hot spread the grated potatoes evenly into the pan. Press the potatoes down gently.

2.Spread the chopped onion evenly over the potatoes and cook over a medium heat.

3. Season generously with salt and pepper,

4. When the potatoes are browned from underneath make sections by cutting through with a pizza cutter or a sharp knife.

5. Turn over the hash in sections and cook again until the other side gets crispy and brown too.

6. Garnish with chopped chives or parsley and serve hot with loads of tomato ketchup.

Well thats all there is to it. Easy ,isn't it? And that below is the book from which I followed the recipe.

Aaloo Methi Fry (Giving an Old Post a New Look)

This is the first time I have repeated a post on my blog. The first time I posted this was sometime last year when my blog was still in its infancy stage and I did not have many readers. I did not even have a decent photo to go with it. So when I recently cooked it I took some shots. This dish definitely deserves to have more accolades than it previously did. I am sure you will agree with me when you try it out. When one of my friends cooked this for the first time after taking the recipe from me, the compliment she recieved from her husband was, "I feel as if I am having a meal in a very fine indian restaurant." This dish has the much liked punjabi flavour to it without going over the top with the spices. So do give it a try and let me know what you think.

Ingredients:

8 Baby Potatoes

2 tblspns Kasoori Methi

1 large tomato pureed

1 onion chopped

2 tspn cumin seeds (jeera)

2tspn Dhana jeera powder (cumin and coriander powders)

1/2 tspn garam masala

3-4 tblspns oil

Procedure:

1.Peel the potatoes, prick them with a fork and boil them in salted water until cooked but firm. Drain the water and keep the potatoes aside.

2.Heat the oil in a pan (Kadhai), add the jeera and fry for few seconds.

3.Then add the chopped onion. Fry the onion till golden brown.

4.Next add the kasoori methi and fry again for a few minutes.

5.Now add the tomato puree and fry till the oil separates. Add to this the garam masala, the dhana-jeera powder and chilli powder.

6.Mix the masala and the spice powders well and again fry for one minute.

7.Lastly add the boiled potatoes and the peas to the mixture and stir them in gently until all the potatoes are thickly coated with the masala. As the potatoes are boiled in salted water check the taste before adding more salt.

8. Garnish with chopped coriander and small cherry tomatoes for that special touch.

Baked Potato Paneer Tikki

Baked Potato Paneer Tikki, originally uploaded by Anupama 72.

This was just an experimental trial I had where I baked these Tikkis (Cutlets) instead of frying them and I must say they did come out much better than I had anticipitated. The whole recipe was not just these tikkis but it was Paneer Tikki Chaat which I followed from Tarla Dalal's Book "Chaat". But I could not take any pics of the entire dish put together as I was busy playing hostess when my friends were gorging on it. But fortunately I had some unfried tikkis left which I baked the next day instead of frying them. So I thought I would post these at least.You can find the entire recipe for Paneer Tikki Chaat on Tarla Dalal's site. I'll just share with you the way I made the tikkis which are a little different than her's .

Ingredients for around 12 tikkis:

4 large potatoes

100 gms paneer grated or crumbled (indian cottage cheese)

1/2 cup green peas boiled and coarsely mashed

3 tblspns cornflour

2 slices of bread (soaked in water ,squeezed and then crumbled)

1/2 cup fresh coriander finely chopped,

5 cloves garlic crushed,

2 to 3 tspns red chiily powder,

juice of one lemon,

2 tspn sugar ,

salt to taste.

To coat the cutlets you need:

1 cup semolina.

3tspn dry celery/mint/coriander (if easily available)

1 tspn salt

What you do:

• Boil the potatoes in a pressure cooker.
• While the potatoes and cooking, collect all the other ingredients and keep them ready.
• As soon as the potatoes are done, peel them while they are still hot and mash them.
• Mix all the other ingredients in the potato mash while it is still hot . (This is important because once the potatoes cool down they will get awfuly sticky and it gets very difficult to make the cutlets. I can tell you because I have been through it)
• What you have now is a nice non-sticky and easy to handle mixture of potato and all the other ingredients.
• You can now shape them into cutlets
• Coat each cutlet in the semolina and celery mixture.

To bake them: Lay a sheet of aluminium foil onto your baking sheet and lightly brush it with oil. Arrange all the cutlets on to the sheet. Spray the cutlets with oil. In case you do not have a spray. Spoon 1/2 a tspn of oil over each cutlet and bake at 200 deg c until golden. Turn them over once . Use more oil only if required. Your Tikkis(cutlets) are ready.

Eat them according to the Chaat recipe or simply with a sauce and chutney of your choice. They are great when sandwiched between 2 slices of bread too.

Cream of Vegetable Soup for a cold Winter Night

Hi to all my dear Bloggo-buddies. Here in England its getting cold . Although it is still Fall, it is slowly giving way to Winter. Back in India winter always means great vegetables . After a hot October, its November that brings with it the best of veg produce.The vegetable vendors have their stalls overfull with delicious red carrots, juicy amd plump tomatoes, greenest of beans and the lushest of salad greens. Just looking at all the veggies always makes me go into overdrive and I normally end up buying all sorts of veggies sometimes even those with which I do not know what to do. I guess I still associate winter with fresh vegetables although here in Engalnd you don't really mark the difference that much.
The recipe I am sharing with you today is one of my favourite winter recipes. Its easy to make and a meal on its own or is great with a couple of pieces of warm crusty toast . Its warms the heart and is great comfort food.

Ingredients:

3/4 of a cup of each of the following veggies chopped:
Carrots, french beans, spring onions, mushrooms, potatoes, coriander, corn kernels, green peas, cauliflower.

2 to 3 cloves of garlic chopped

3 tblspns oil to saute the veggies

4 to 5 cups of water

2 tblspns of cream or simply half a cup of milk

1 cube of veg stock (Available as Oxo cubes in UK and by Maggi in India)

Salt and pepper to season

How you go about it:
1. Heat the oil in a saucepan or kadhai, first add the chopped garlic and green onions. Saute for a couple of minutes.

2.Then add all the other chopped veggies and saute for a while. Crumble the stock cube and add. Add salt and pepper .

3. Add the water and bring to boil. Simmer till the veggies are tender.Switch off the heat. If you have a electric hand blender you can blend the soup immediatey in the saucepan itself. But if you have to do it in a blender jar then let the soup cool down a bit and then blend until smooth.

4. Put it back on the gas and let it simmer for a while. Check the seasoning. At the last stage add the cream or milk and stir it in gently. The soup is ready to eat. Garnish with more coriander and serve with warm crusty buttery toast or garlic bread.

MIX VEGETABLE PARATHAS (PURNA PARATHAS)

I got the idea of making these parathas from a marathi T.V serial I used to watch regularly back home in Pune. The scene was such that a newly wed girl tries her hand at cooking and makes mixed veg parathas (she calls them Purna Parathas : Purna meaning Complete in marathi) for everybody in her new home and how at first they turn up there noses at eating something so alien to them but after the first bite they are all gaga about it and cannot stop singing their praises. Well I hope you people will also go gaga over my recipe. It is completely my creation and it is a very wholesome dish that can be eaten as breakfast, lunch or supper. well here goes:

Ingredients needed:

For the outer cover of the parathas:

3 cups wholewheat flour, 2 tspns salt, 1 tspn fennel seeds powdered(optional), 1 tspn turmeric powder, 1 tspn chilli powder 2-3 tblspns oil.

For the stuffing:

2 large potatoes boiled and mashed, 1 carrot grated, 1 onion grated, 2-3 cloves garlic crushed, 1/4 cup boiled and mashed green peas, 1/2 beetroot grated a handful of spinach leaves finely chopped, 1 tblspn kasoori methi, 1/4 cup grated cabbage, 2-3 tblspns tomato ketchup, 1.5 tspn chilli powder, salt as per taste oil for cooking.

Procedure for the outer covering:

Mix all the ingredients and form a dough which is not too soft and not too stiff. Cover it and set aside.

Procedure for the stuffing:

Heat the oil and first add the grated garlic and onions. Saute till they turn golden brown. Next add the grated carrots, mashed peas, grated beetroot, chopped spinach, kasoori methi, and cabbage and fry for a few minutes. Now add to this the ketchup chilli powder, salt and mix well. Finally stir in the mashed potatoes and give it a good mix. Taste the stuffing. Its okay if it tastes slightly too salty and too hot because the outer covering will mellow it down. Let the stuffing cool completely before rolling out the parathas.

Take a portion of the dough and roll it into a ball (a little smaller than a golf ball). Roll it out about 3 inches in Diameter onto a well dusted platform. Now take a tblspn full of the stuffing and set it onto the rolled dough. Envelope the stuffing completely in the dough . Dip this stuffed dough ball again into some flour and now roll out a thick paratha. Roast the paratha on a hot tawa(griddle) and smear with butter on both sides. you can dry first dry roast all the paratha and roast them again with butter just before serving them

Serve hot with a dal fry, fresh yogurt and pickles of your choice or simply with tomato ketchup.

You might feel exhausted just reading the recipe but believe me these parathas are worth all the effort you put in. At my place they are a favourite weekend brunch.

Aaloo Methi Fry

Aaloo Methi
Originally uploaded by Anupama Puranik.

A Family Favorite

Ingredients:

8 Baby Potatoes
1 cup green peas boiled
2 tblspns Kasoori Methi
1 large tomato pureed
1 onion chopped
2 tspn cumin seeds (jeera)
2tspn Dhana jeera powder (cumin and coriander powders)
1/2 tspn garam masala
3-4 tblspns oil

Procedure:
Peel the potatoes, prick them with a fork and boil them in salted water until cooked but firm. drain the water and keep the potatoes aside.

Heat the oil in a pan (Kadhai), add the jeera and fry for few seconds. Then add the chopped onion. Fry the onion till golden brown. Next add the kasoori methi and fry again for a few minutes. Now add the tomato puree and fry till the oil separates. Add to this the garam masala, the dhana-jeera powder and chiili powder.Mix the masala and the powders well and again fry for one minute.

Lastly add the boiled potatoes and the peas to the mixture and stir them in gently. As the potatoes are bolied in salted water check the taste before adding more salt.

Garnish with chopped coriander and small cherry tomatoes for that special touch.