Spicy Peas-Coriander-Paneer stuffed Aloo Tikkis

Ingredients:

3 med potatoes

1 cup green peas boiled  And drained.
3/4 cup roughly chopped coriander

1/4 cup grated paneer
Few cubes of pineapple.
1/2 cup besan or gram flour for batter
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 full teaspoon Garam masala
1 full teaspoon — red chili powder, turmeric, chaat masala,coriander powder for peas mix and some more of each for potato mix.

Salt to taste
Oil for sautéing and deep frying….Method:

Mash the boiled potatoes , season with salt, red chili powder. Keep aside.
In a sauté pan take some oil, add the boiled peas, coriander and all dry masalas and mix well, sauté for few minutes.
There is distinct taste of Garam masala and spiciness from red chilis so be generous with it. Keep aside.

In your palms take some potato mix, make a ball and flatten it out.
In the center add a big dollop of peas mix, put a small pinch of paneer and then top it with  a piece of pineapple In the center and fold everything into a round ball or oblong shape, whatever works.

Refrigerate the tikkis for a half an hour so it firms up, incase your potatoes are over cooked or the mix is n

ot stiff enough.

For the batter:

add salt,red chili powder to the flour, add water cautiously to the gram flour so to make smooth thick batter.
Dip each tikki into the gram flour batter completely and roll them on the bread crumbs coating each with a thick layer of crumbs.
Deep fry the tikkis and keep them uncovered. These tikkis stay super crisp for long time….
Serve it with sweet ans spicy chutney..Alternately u can add more layers of flavor with  other dry fruits in the center ….
Enjoy

Aditi Sheth

Quick Salmon Recipe

Ingredients:

Salmon fillet (Use fresh if possible, if using frozen, thaw it completely)

Salt, pepper to taste

fresh cilantro

lemon slices

2 tsp olive oil

pinch of garam masala powder or fish masala (optional)

Aluminium foil

Method:

Take aluminium foil square (much bigger than the piece of salmon). Place the salmon on the foil. Sprinkle salt, pepper, masala (garam or fish masala) and fresh cut cilantro on both side. Add olive oil and keep the lemon slices on the salmon. Wrap the fish in the foil, making a nice pouch. You can add 2 layers of foil to keep it intact.

Keep enough water for boiling in a large pot. Slide the salmon pouch in the boiling water and let it remain in boiling water for about 7-10 mins (depending upon the size of salmon fillet). Remove and let it cool for 2-3 mins. The salmon will be ready to eat.

Nice thing is that the fish does not smell at this point, neither the house is filled with smell nor the utensils. I found this was easy way to cook and it tastes delicious.

To kick it up a notch, you can also add sauteed onion or bell-peppers  or mint leaves or any other seasoning of choice inside your pouch.

By

Sudipta Chatterjee

Aloo Masala Roti

Ingredients

2 boiled potatoes
1 grated onion
1/4 cup wheat flour
1/8 cup besan
Amchur powder
Salt to taste
Green chillies
Lots of coriander

 

Method
Knead the dough with little curd and water if required
Make balls and then roll like a chapati
Cook on tawa and serve hot

 

By Komal Patel

Tawa Pulao

Ingredients:

3 cups of cooked rice

2 tbsp Oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 medium onion ( chopped)

1/2 tsp. ginger paste

1/2 tsp. garlic paste

4 medium tomatoes ( chopped)

1/2 cup Green peas ( boiled and crushed)

1 medium carrot ( boiled and diced)

2 tsps Pav Bhaji masala

1 tbsp Red chilli paste ( I used Siracha )

1 Small Bell pepper ( finely Chopped)

2 tbsp. coriander leaves

2 tbsp. lemon juice

Method:

Heat oil in the pan , add cumin seeds saute them till they turn brown, add onion and then ginger-garlic paste.  Once the onion turns translucent add tomatoes , crushed peas & carrots. After a while add Pav Bhaji Masala,  Hot sauce and around 2 Tbsp. of water and mix it all and then add cooked rice and salt to taste.  Finally add finely chopped Bell pepper, corainder leaves and lemon juice and cook it on high flame for another minute or two. Your Tawa Pulav is ready to serve.

Enjoy

Madhu

Corn Palak Pudina Kasoori Methi Subzi

Corn Palak Pudina Kasoori Methi Subzi

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked corn kernels

3 cups finely chopped Spinach

1/4 cup mint leaves + coriander leaves combined ground into fine paste.

2 pods garlic

2 green chilies

2 tbl spoon of dry kasuri methi leaves, lightly roasted.

Salt, turmeric,red chili powder, cumin powder and pinch of garam masala to taste.

Method:

Cook the spinach on medium heat in a teaspoon of oil.

Half way through add the pods of garlic.

Once fully cooked, grind the spinach into a fine gravy consistency, add water if needed.

Take table spoon of oil, add whole cumin seeds and upon crackling add the spinach gravy.

add the mint coriander paste, corn and all the spices.

Take the roasted kasuri methi leaves and crush it in your palms, this way the dry twigs will breakdown into powder.

Add it to the subzi.

cook for sometime until the subzi is ready and flavors absorbed.

Add a dash of cream if you want it rich or a dollop of butter before serving.

By Aditi Sheth

Tandoori Chicken

Ingredients:

 

6 leg pieces chicken  (whole foods preferred)

2 table spoon thick yogurt

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp minced ginger

salt and pepper to taste

2 tsp oil and tsp butter

1 inch pieces of carrot during baking

 

Marination – 6-8 hours before, I marinated about 10 hours ahead.

Make big 1 inch slits inside the chicken.

Mix red chilli powder and salt in lemon juice.

Apply the mixture nicely inside all the slits and some around the chicken. Mix ginger, garlic, pepper powder, cumin, coriander and garam masala powder, salt and yogurt.

Apply this mixture again inside the slits and to the outside of chicken. Add little oil to the marinated chicken (only 1tsp or so). Keep aside for 6-8 hours inside air-tight container.

 

Pre-heat oven to 425F. Place few inch pieces of carrots and put the chicken pieces on top so air can flow around the chicken pieces.

Apply little butter to the pieces so they don’t get dry.

After about 20 mins turn the pieces on the other side.

Another 15 mins or so for the other side and the chicken should be ready. Cover it will foil and set aside for 15 mins.

Optional, you can add chat masala and slightly fry it on a frying pan before serving with fried onion and veggies.

 

I read many recipes which asked for using red color and butter and more complicated stuff.. This one is simple, not very greasy and tastes amazing even without tandoor or grill.

By Priya Vaidya

 

Honey Chili Potatoes

Here’s a recipe of something that’s easily doable at home. This isn’t exactly health food, but more like a bit of sinful indulgence or an interesting appetiser when you are entertaining.

Ingredients:

Potatoes (you can julienne 3 large potatoes into finger sized pieces).

I have used baby potatoes.

500 gms baby potatoes

1 inch root ginger minced

8-10 garlic cloves crushed

4-5 green chillies slit

1 teaspoon Kashmiri Chilli powder

Oil for frying

Red or green chilli sauce

corn flour/corn startch(or maida)

Tomato ketchup

spring onions

1 tbsp sesame seeds

Greens of spring onions

1 teaspoon honey 

1 teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder.

Parboil the potatoes so that they are nearly cooked but not quite.

Peel and allow to cool.

Add 1 teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste, salt, chilli-powder, some red chilli sauce and corn flour.

Mix thoroughly and see that the potatoes are well-coated with the paste. Deep fry in a wok(alternatively you can bake them in the oven/microwave for a healthier option). 

For the sauce. 

Heat oil in a wok. When oil is smoking add sesame seeds and slit green chillies.

Allow the sesame seeds to brown a little. Now add the ginger and garlic but don’t let it brown. Add the potatoes. Stir for a minute.

 Make a paste of chilli sauce, tomato ketchup, kashmiri chilli powder, salt and corn starch and a couple of teaspoons water and add this mix.

Stir fry so that the sauces coat the potatoes well.

Adjust the quantity of sauces if you find the coating light. T

he consistency of the final dish is similar to that of dry manchurian, paneer chilly etc.

Check seasoning.

Finally, add spring onion greens and honey and turn off heat.

You can go easy on the honey if you don’t like the sweet flavour or skip it altogether and make chilli potatoes.

Personally I love the flavour that honey imparts. 

By Jasmine Chokshi

Matar Paneer with a twist

Ingredients:

1 lb frozen green peas

1 large onion roughly chopped

1/2 a tomato.

few mint leaves

1/2 cup cilantro packed.

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

2-3 green chillies finely chopped.

1 inch piece ginger

200 gms paneer

3 tblspoon oil

1 bayleaf

1 cinnamon stick

2-3 cardamom

2-3 cloves

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 bowl yogurt

Salt as per taste.

some milk (if required)

Method:

Cut the paneer in to small square pieces. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan/kadhai and fry the paneer till light brown.

With the remainder of the oil in the kadhai, cook the onions till they get a nice light brown color.

Add chopped green chillies and chopped garlic.

Then add the 1/2 tomato and cook it for a while.

Keep aside the mixture to cool it. Once it cools down, take the mixture in a mixer/food processor.

Add the cilantro, mint leaves. and grind it in to fine paste.

Now there will be some oil left in the kadhai, if not add some more as required.

Add the bayleaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom and cloves. let them fry for a min and the add the onion, mint, cinatro paste and cook it for 2-3 mins.Add salt as per taste.

You can boil the peas before or just microwave it for 3-4 mins and they will be cooked.

Add the peas to the paste and mix it well. Add the garam masala.

Now beat the yogurt in to a fine consistency and add it. Mix well. You can add some low fat milk. Adding mixture of yogurt and milk gives it a creamy texture. Its a more healthy option rather than adding cream itself.

You can add some water to it as per the consistency of the gravy you want.

There’s the mutter paneer with a small twist.
By Neha Sovani

Bangalore Dosa

Banglore Dosa

 

Ingredients:

3 Bowls Rice

1 Bowl Thick Poha

1 T-Spoon Methi seeds

1 T-Spoon Urad daal

 

Recipe:

Soak all the above ingredients separately in water for 12 to 24 hours

Grind them smooth and mix well in a big container

Ferment the batter for another 12 to 24 hours

Add salt to the batter as per the taste

Your dosa batter should be little more thinner than the usual dosa batter.

Heat the tawa on medium flame, grease it lightly with oil (optional)

While making dosa make sure you pour a bowl/spoonful of batter at the center of the tawa from little bit of height (around <0.5 feet above the tawa)

The batter will spread by itself and you really don’t need to spread it while pouring.

Do not try to retouch it with the help of spoon as we do for usual dosa.

Wait for couple of mins to cook it well and dosa will start leaving the edges.

As we do not retouch it or flatten it while on the tawa this dosa becomes little bit thicker compared to the usual dosa

Also this dosa becomes little bit softer. Do not try to make it crispy otherwise it will start losing its unique taste.

Flip the dosa on the other side for a minute or so.

Serve hot with green chutney and dry potato sabji.

 

 

By Vaishali Kulkarni

 

Traditional Maharashtrian Batata Vada (street style)

I know this is a common recipe. Many of you may already know this but writing down my exact recipe for those who may not have tried. My friends seem to like it a lot whenever i make it 🙂 I am also giving the recipe for the dry chutney, like the one you get with street wada.

Variation — There is another variation to this wada also popular in various old restaurants in Pune. In that you replace the lemon juice with (tamarind+little jaggery) extract and add onion instead of the tadka. That comes out very nice as well. No tadka, no lemon juice. Instead, add ginger to the paste, finely cut onion and tamarind extract to the mixture, rest of the recipe is same.

Usually served with pav (pav-bhaji pav with coriander and tamarind chutney)

Ingredients:

Filling:
8-10 medium sized potatoes (yukon gold i like to use, white/yellow sometimes are too fluffy don’t come well together)
8-10 cloves of garlic
4-5 green chillies (vary depending on the hotness and your taste)
4-5 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh cilantro trimmed
salt to taste
oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asofeotida, curry leaves and turmeric powder
Covering:
1 cup besan
1/2  cup water, you may need little more this needs to be adjusted based on consistency
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1-2 tsp ajwain
salt to taste
1-2 tsp hoil oil
Frying:
1-2 cups oil in a kadhai for frying

Method:
Boil the potates and mash them. In a grinder make a paste of garlic, green chilles, fresh cilantro, salt and lemon juice. Add the paste to the potato mixture. Make the tadka of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asofoetida, curry leaves and turmeric powder. Once the splutter, and tadka ready add it to the potatoes mixture. Make round balls of the mixture with hand.
For the covering, mix the besan and water (medium thick, not very lumpy neither too syrupy). Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, ajwain and hot oil and let it set for at least half an hour.
Heat oil in the kadhai for frying. Once the oil is hot, fry the potato balls after covering them nicely with besan covering. Wadas are ready.

Chutney dry
1 cup dry coconut powder
4-5 cloves of garlic
4-5 tsp red chilli powder (or red-chillies fried in oil)
4-5 tsp of toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup of groundnuts (optional)
salt to taste

Grind everything together. Enjoy!

By Priya Vaidya