Pav Bhaji(Hot toasted buns with a vegetable gravy)

Well what to say ! I have absolutely No words to describe the Pav Bhaji as it is one of my most favorite dish . Whenever I make Pav Bhaji I would love click pictures but the moment it is ready I forget everything and just gobble it up with hot toasted Pav buns! I just love the Bhaji with vegetables well mashed and here goes the recipe of my favorite dish !

Preparation time :25 mins

Serves:4

Ingredients :

Mixed vegetables ( potatoes,carrot,cauliflower,beans,capsicum peas)-2 cups

Big onion chopped-1 no

Chopped tomatoes-2 nos

Ginger garlic paste-2 tsp

Jeera or cumin-2 tsp

Turmeric powder-1 tsp

Chili powder-1 tsp or as desired 

Pav Bhaji masala-1 tbsp

Salt - as needed

Oil-1 tbsp

To garnish:

Butter-1 tbsp

Chopped Coriander leaves-a few

Sliced lemon-1/2 

Chopped raw onion-1 tbsp

Procedure :

1. Heat a wok with 1 tbsp of oil and add the cumin seeds.After it splutters add the chopped onion and sauté well till the onion turns transparent . 

2. Now add the ginger-garlic paste and mix well.After the raw smell goes off add the tomatoes,salt,turmeric powder,chili powder and the Pav Bhaji masala and sauté till the tomatoes are soft .

3. In a pressure cooker add all the vegetables and cook them for 5-6 whistles and mash the vegetables to a semi purée. Add the onion tomato mixture to the mashed vegetables .

4.Mix everything well and add a little water if it's too thick and boil it for 5 mins in low flame.Switch off the flame and garnish with chopped coriander leaves and chopped onion.Serve with hot Pav buns with a dollop of butter on top.Delicious Pav Bhaji is ready !

Tips :

• You can add a slice of lemon along with Bhaji .
• Reduce or add more of chili powder according to your spice level.

Pindi Chole Recipe (Chickpeas cooked with a special spice powder)

This is one of the fantastic recipes which I got to try after tasting my friend's pindi chole along with ajwain poori. It was too yum and the taste was lingering in my mouth for a long time .It made me call my friend to get the recipe and to try it the same weekend .it was a great hit with my family as they liked it more than the ones served with batura at the restaurant.The recipe called for homemade special masala powder which rendered very delicate flavour to the dish.

Ingredients:

White Channa or chickpeas -2 cups

Tea bag-1 or tea infusion -1/4 cup

Cumin seeds-1 tsp

Tomato purée -from 3 tomatoes

Oil-2 tbsp

Fresh coriander leaves-for garnish

Fried potato cubes(optional)-for garnish

Fried green chilies(optional)-for garnish

A)To be roasted and grinded to a fine powder:

Dhaniya or coriander seeds-1 tbsp

Cumin seeds or jeera-1 tsp

Bay leaf-1 

Cinnamon - 1 inch stick

Cloves-1 no

Cardamom(preferably black)-1 no

B)To be grind to a fine paste:

Green chillies -2 no

Onions-2 big ones

Garlic-4 no

Ginger-1 inch

Fresh coriander-1/4 cup

Procedure:

1.Soak the chickpeas with a tea bag or tea infusion and pressure cook it along with the tea bag for 8 whistles or till soft .

2.Dry roast the ingredients given in A) till nice aroma arises and powder them dry in a mixer. 

2.Grind the ingredients given in B) to a fine paste by adding a little water.

3.Heat the oil in a wok and add the jeera seeds .Once it  splutters ,add the onion mixture paste and saute till the raw smell goes off.

4.Then add the tomato purée, salt and mix well.Once it is sautéed well add the powdered masala powder .

5.simmer the flame and cover it with a lid.Once the gravy is thickened switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves.

6.Hot and yum pindi chole is ready to be served with batura or poori  topped with fried green chillies and potato cubes or chopped onion .

Tips:

*Soak the chickpeas overnight.

*The consistency of the chole is semi dry but if you wish you can make it as a gravy also.

Mum's Homemade Fruit Jam(No preservatives)

This is my 100 th post and I am glad it's very sweet.I am not a great fan of jams but son indeed is .But I don prefer the store brought ones though they are tasty.They are loaded with chemicals like food colors,preservatives and artificial flavors which trigger allergy and wheezing in kids.As I was refusing to buy my son jam,my mom sent me a bottle of delicious homemade mixed fruit jam with no preservatives and has the goodness of the real fruits .My son loved it and the bottle got over in a month.I wanted to try it and got an opportunity to make it this time at my mom's place where I am right now , spending my summer vacation .

Preparation time :30 mins

Prepares:150g approx

Ingredients:

Mixed fruit pulp (papaya,chickoo,mango,banana,Apple)-2cups

Sugar-2 cups

Lemon juice-1 tsp

Tonovin essence -1 tsp

Procedure :

1.Heat a wok and add the fruit pulp and sugar and keep mixing well in medium flame .

2.Once all the sugar has dissolved,add the lemon juice and mix well.

3.Once the mixture starts to thicken ,add the tonovin essence.

4.Keep on mixing and the mixture turns glossy and dark in color. Simmer the flame.

5.Glass jars are generally preferred for jams and one must wash it with soap and hot water and air dry it beforehand.As I didn't have an appropriate glass  jar I used a stainless steel one.But please do not use plastic ones even if they are food grade.The  right stage for the jam to be ready is when you  drop a spoon of jam on a plate it should stay still like a pearl or not runny.Then our jam is ready.

6.Transfer the jam to the jar and once it cools down you can refrigerate it .Stays well for upto 2 months in the fridge and when used a clean and dry spoon for use.Enjoy this delicious ,healthy and wholesome homemade mixed fruit jam .

Tips:

*If you miss the pearl stage then the jam may get too rubbery and difficult to spread.

*I didn't add pineapple as I would like it to eat as a pineapple jam.

*Glass jars are always better to store jam.It should be clean and dry.

*Tonovin essence adds a nice flavor and color to the jam so better to add it.

Sprouted Horsegram Kurma

Even before the age of internet and food blogs ,my mom brought the mrs.Mallika Badrinath's kurma recipes book and used to try a few recipes from it and I used to like them a lot.Personally even I like her a lot and she is my culinary idol.After marriage I grabbed a copy of that book for my use and tried a lot of recipes.Recently I sprouted horsegram for sundal/stir fry.That evening I was browsing this cookery book for a nice sidedish/gravy for chapathis and ended up noticing this excellent gravy using sprouted horsegram for chapathis /rotis and I decided to try it and finally got to have a delicious sprouted horsegram kurma for my chapathis.The recipe is very simple and super delicous.

Serves:3

Preparation time:30 mins

Ingredients:

Sprouted horsegram or kollu-100 gms

Chopped onion-1(big)

Diced potatoes-2 no

Lemon-1/2

Salt-to taste

Oil-3 tbsp

To be grind to a paste:

Dry red chillies-6(increase if you wish)

Coriander seeds-1 tsp

Jeera/cumin seeds-1/2 tsp

Ginger-1 inch

Garlic-8 pods

Small onions-7 or 8

Grated coconut -1/2 cup

Fresh coriander leaves-1 small bunch

Roasted poppy seeds/kasa kasa-2 tsp

Tomato-2 big

Procedure:

1.Sprout the horsegram by soaking it for 7 hours and then tie it in a muslin cloth and hang it for another 20-24 hours.Pressure cook for horsegram and keep it separately.

2.Grind all the ingredients given above for grinding to a fine paste.

3.Heat the pressure cooker with oil and add the chopped onions followed by salt and turmeric powder.

4.Once the onions are sautéed well add the ground paste and potatoes and saute well for another 5 mins.

5.To this mixture add the cooked horsegram along with the water it is cooked in and if necessary, add another 1/4 cup of water and pressure cook the mixture for 1 whistle.

6.Squeeze half of a lemon and garnish with fresh coriander leaves and finely chopped onion .Serve hot with chappathi or phulkha.

Bagara Baingan(Fried Eggplants in Peanut Gravy)

Bagara baingan is one of the classic dish that is usually served as an accompaniment for any Indian flat bread or pulao.It has a rich and creamy gravy made of peanut,sesame and coconut paste.Bagara baingan can also be made as a semi dry curry.I often make ennai kathrikai kuzhambhu which is quite similar to this but mostly for lunch with plain hot rice.So this time I wanted to make bagara baingan and ended up having a scrumptious dinner of hot phulkhas with bagara baingan .This recipe is surely a must try and even those who dislike eggplants will also like it .

Preparation time:40 mins

Serves:3

Ingredients:

Brinjal(purple variety )-11 nos

Chopped onion-1 no

Ginger-garlic paste-1 tbsp

Tamarind-1 small lemon size

Turmeric powder-1 tsp

Chilli powder-3 tsp(adjust according to your taste)

Coriander powder-2 tsp

Cumin powder-1 tsp

Garam masala-1 tsp

Salt- to taste

Oil-3 tbsp

To roast and grind to a fine paste:

Peanuts-3 tbsp

Sesame seeds-1 tbsp

Poppy seeds-2 tsp

Grated coconut -3 tbsp

To temper:

Jeers-1 tsp

Curry leaves-a small bunch

Procedure:

1.Soak the tamarind and extract the juice.

2.Slit the brinjals half way in to four but do not break them apart.Shallow fry them in 3 tbsp of oil till they are golden brown and soft.

3.Dry roast all the ingredients separately given above for grinding to a paste and then grind them to a fine paste.

4.In the same pan after the brinjals are fried , add the tempering ingredients to the remaining oil and then add onions and turmeric powder.

5. Once the onions are sautéed well then add the ginger garlic paste and saute well. Then add the chilli powder , coriander powder and cumin powder and fry well.

6.Once all the powders are blended well and cooked ,add the peanut paste,tamarind extract and the fried brinjals.then add garam masala and let the gravy simmer for 8-10 mins.

7.Switch off the flame and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.Bagara baingan is ready to be served with hot phulkhas or chappathi or pulao.

Tips:

*Adjust chilli powder according to your need.I added a tsp of chilli powder at step 6 along with garam masala as I felt my gravy required a little more after tasting it.

* If you want semi dry gravy then allow it to thicken a little longer.

* For dry roasting ,roast all ingredients separately and then you can grind them all together.

Aloo Channa Masala(Potato chickpeas curry)

Aloo channa masala is always a hit in my house because potatoes and chickpeas goes well with each other.it is packed with complex carbohydrates and proteins and keeps you full for a longer time. Also whenever I run out of vegetables ,this dish comes handy.I generally make this gravy with black channa or chickpeas and this Aloo channa masala goes well with chappathi or Dosa. My hubby likes it with hot plain rice also.Kids will love it and moms too will love as it is packed with goodness for health.

I generally store all my lentils in the freezer so that they remain fresh and also there is no insect problem when it is stored in freezer. This also gives me an advantage of the reduced soaking time of all the lentils in general.for this curry I soaked the black chick peas for about 4 hours after taking it from the freezer and soaking it immediately in room temperature water .

Ingredients :

Black Chick peas/black channa -50 gms

Potatoes-3 medium sized no

Chopped onion-1 no

Chopped tomatoes-2 no

Garlic garlic paste-2 tsp(or date made from 7 pods of garlic and 1 1/2 inch of ginger

Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

Chilli powder -1 tsp

Coriander powder-1 tsp

Jeera/cumin powder-1/2 tsp

Chole masala/garam masala-1 tsp

Salt- to taste

Oil-2 tbsp

Coriander leaves - to garnish 

To be grind to a fine paste:

Poppy seeds-1 tbsp

Grated coconut-3 tbsp

Saunf/fennel seeds-1/2 tsp(optional)

To temper:

Cloves-2 

Cinnamon-2 small sticks

Cardamom- 2

Procedure:

1.Pressure cook the potatoes and chickpeas till they are soft.

2.Soak the poppy seeds for a minimum of half an hour in hot water.

3.Heat oil in  a pan and add the tempering ingredients.after a minute add the finely chopped onions and saute till they turn transparent.

4.Add turmeric powder and salt to the onions and add the ginger garlic paste.

5.Once the raw smell of ginger garlic paste is gone add the chopped tomatoes,chilli powder,jeera powder and coriander powder .

6.After the tomatoes and powders are roasted well add the boiled potatoes and chickpeas along with the water in which it was boiled.

7.Let the mixture boil for another 5 mins and then add the ground poppy seed paste and chole masala (or garam masala).

8.After a minute of heating switch off the flame and garnish it with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with chappathi or any Indian flat bread of your choice.

Tips:

*you can also use white chickpeas.

*Along with the coconut,poppy seeds you can also add few cashews for a richer taste.

*The Chickpeas should be cooked till they are very soft but not mashed.