Dahi vadas

This is how I made dahi vadas..

For the vadas:

Urad dal - 1 cup soaked for 3 hrs (if you add hot water then for 1 hr)
green chillis - 1 tbsp - chopped
coriander leaves - 2 tbsp chopped
ginger - 1 tdp finely chopped
Hing - 1 pinch (optional)
salt to taste
Oil for frying vadas

For garnish:
chilli powder
chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbsp

For serving:
4 cups beaten curds
Salt to taste
kaju imli ki chutney

Method:

Wash and drain Urad dal.
Grind the urad dal into a coarse to fine paste
Add green chillis, coriander leaves, hing, salt and ginger.
Mix well till the batter becomes nice and fluffy

Heat the oil in a kadai
Wipe your palms with water and take a little batter into your palm, poke a hole in the centre. Drop this in the oil and deep fry till they are golden brown in color on a medium flame.

Drain the vadas.

After this soak the fried vadas in water for about 35 - 40 mins.

Just before serving, squeeze the excess water from the vadas.
Arrange the vadas in a serving dish. Top it with the beaten curd (remember to add salt to the curds :) )..
Garnish it with chilli powder and chopped coriander leaves
Add kaju imli chutney on top

Your dahi vadas are ready.



P.S: Yesterday I was feeling very hungry so did not have the mood to prepare the khajur imli ka chutney, so added the bhelpuri chutney from kissan (after diluting it )

Pani Puri

Life is becoming very very stressful and monotnous... up in the morning.. going to the office.. catching the shuttle back.. travelling on hosur road for hrs together.. Sometimes you feel like running away to some place.. but where to run is also a big question. hmm..

As soon as I reach home the first thing that comes to my mind now a days is I want to eat something hot and spicy.. (the second thought of course is I will eat and then dig up my aerobic CD :) )

Yesterday I reached home early (it was 6:25 hurray!!!! :) ) and my aunt started telling me about the monkey which came yesterday and broke a branch in my tomato plant (dart those monkeys!!! the moment a tomato starts ripening.. they pluck the tomatoes and throw them on the ground.. my hubby says they are helping me in picking the tomatos Grrrrrr... ) Now I have a small basket full of green tomatoes.. do not know what to do with them.. hmmmm...

Any way I had recently planted the mint leaves... Look at how they have come up :)

Saw them and started thinking about pani puri... So decided to make it (ok ok my aunt who stays with us made the puri and I made the rest! )

For the Pani
(Loosely based on Tarla Dalals pani puri recipie)

Mint leaves - 1 1/2 cups chopped
Coriander - 3/4 - 1 cup chopped
Tamarind - 1/3 cup
Ginger - 1" piece
Green chillis - 4 - 5
jeera powder - 1tsp (roasted dry will taste good)
Black salt - 1 1/2 tsp
Jaggery - 1 tsp (optional)
salt to taste

For Kajur Imli Ki chutney:
Dates - 2 cups deseeded
Tamarind - 1/4 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup grated
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Hing - 1 pinch
salt to taste

For the puris

Fine rava - 1 cup
Maida ( Plain flour) - 2 tbsp
Water
Salt
Oil for frying

For the stuffing: (Bangalore gaadi style)
Potatos - 1 cup boiled and mashed
Peas - 1 cup boiled
Onion - finely chopped

Method:

For Kaju Imli Ki chutney:

1. Wash the dates and tamarind and place them in a saucepan.
2. Add the jaggery, chilli powder, asafoetida, salt and 4 cups of water
3. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Cool and strain the mixture through a sieve.
4. Store in an air tight container in the fridge

For the pani:

1. Soak the tamarind in ½ cup of water for approximately 1 hour. Strain out all the pulp through a sieve (But when in hurry you can even soak the tamarind in boiling water for 15 mins) and keep aside
2. Grind the remaining ingredients along with the pulp except the black salt and salt in the blender into fine paste.
3. Transfer the paste into a large bowl and combine with 1 litre of water (preferably from the fridge), the black salt and salt. Mix well.
4. Chill for some time after making so that all the flavours have blended properly.

For the puris

1. Mix the rava, maida, water and salt to make a semi-stiff dough and knead well. Keep aside, covered with a wet muslin cloth for 10 - 15 mins
2. Roll out a big chapati and cut out small circles with a cutter ( I usually use the lid of a small dabba)
3. Place these circles under a damp cloth till ready to fry (not more than 5 mins)
4. Deep fry in a kadhai in hot oil on a medium flame till they puff up and are golden brown (Press each puri using a slotted spoon till they puff up in the oil).
5. Remove, drain on absorbent paper (Can also be stored in an air-tight container).

Now for the best part (How to eat :)) )

1. Poke the puri and make a hole.
2. Fill it with the stuffing, add a little kajur imli ki chutney.. dip it in chillied pani and eat immediately...

Yummmmm..

Variations:
For stuffing you can also use mixed sprouts or soaked bhoondi

Quick Aloo mutter curry

Yawwwn.. Monday morning blues... hmmm. Sometimes I wonder why do we have monday mornings. Why can't we just start the week with Monday afternoons..

Now a days its getting colder in Bangalore and getting up from the warm bed on monday mornings is becoming more and more difficult.. I am still in Zzzzzzzzz state...

Today I was really running late.. so thought will make this quick version of aloo mutter.

You need:

Aloo - 1 up chopped and cooked
Mutter - 1/2 cup boiled
Ginger Garlic paste - 2 tsp
Onions - 1 med sized finely chopped
Tomato - 1 large finely chopped
Jeera - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric - 1 pinch
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Coriander chopped for Garnish

Method:

Heat the oil in the pan. Add the jeera when it splutters add the onion and fry till onion becomes pink
Add the ginger and garlic paste and fry for 1 more min
Add the tomato, turmeric, garam masala, chilli powder, salt and continue frying till the oil starts leaving from the edges
Add the boiled potatos and mutter and 1/2 cup water
simmer for 5 mins
Turn off the flame and garnish with chopped coriander

Beetroot Halwa

Read somewhere you can also prepare Beetroot halwa so did a bit of experimentation.

Replaced carrot with beetroot in my Gajar ka Halwa recipe :)
Never thought it will taste this yum..

Paav Bhaaji

Yesterday evening by the time I reached home I was feeling pretty low (horrible traffic on Hosur Road) and had the beginnings of a head ache.. Eating something hot and spicy usually lifts my mood :) (retail therapy is the sure shot solution thou!! )
So thought will make pav bhaaji, luckily had all the required ingredients in the fridge else my second option would have been gobi manchurian

Ingredients:

For the bhaaji:
Cauliflower - 1 cup chopped
Peas - 1/2 cup
Capsicum - 1/2 capsicum thinly sliced
carrot - 1 med sized one
Potato - 2 med sized
Onion - 1 cup finely chopped
Tomato - 1 1/2 cup finely chopped
Garlic - 4 - 5 cloves
Green chilli - 2
Pav bhaaji masala - 1 1/2 tbsp
Red chilli poweder - 1 tbsp (reduce if you do not like the bhaaji hot!)
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Oil
Salt

For the Pav:
Pav
Butter
Pav bhaji masala (optional)

For Garnish / Serving:
Coriander leaves chopped - 3 tbsp
lemon wedges
Onion finely chopped

Method:
Cook / Steam cauliflower, peas, carrot and potato.
Mash them using a potato masher and keep aside
Prepare the Ginger garlic paste and keep aside
In a pan take the oil, add capsicum and onion and saute till the onion turns pink
Add ginger garlic paste and saute for 2 - 3 mins
Add the tomato, turmeric, chilli powder, salt and paav bhaaji masala and saute till the masala starts leaving oil at the edge
Add 1 cup of water
Add the cooked and mashed veggies and mash the veggies.
If you feel the bhaaji is too thick add a bit of water
Sim the flame and leave it for a few mins (10 mins should do)

This is how we had ours...

Baingan Ka Bartha

(Inspired by Tarla Dalal's Punjabi cook book)

I just love the beautiful purple color of the Baingan. One of my favourite
veggies. Baingan is called "Gulla" in Tulu. In my home town we get a variety of green round brinjals.. locals call it "mattu do gulla". My mom makes "edi gulla aagothno" (similar to stuffed baingan).. yummmmm

Anyway this is my version of Baingan ka Bartha:

Ingredients:

1 Big Purple Brinjal
Onions chopped - 1 cup
Tomato chopped - 1 1/2 cup
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp (reduce the quantity if you do not prefer the curry to be hot)
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Ginger chopped - 1/2 inch piece

For the paste:
Garlic - 3
small sized Onion - 1/2 chopped
Ginger - 1/2 inch

Method:

Apply a thin oil coating on the baingan cook in the microwave for 10 - 12 mins till it is 80% cooked (you can also roast it over the flame)

Slit the Baingan and stuff the paste inside and micro wave it till it is cooked ( another 4 - 5 mins)

Let the baingan cool and remove the skin and mash it

In a pan heat the oil, sauté the onions and ginger till onions become pink in color.

Add the tomatos, chilli powder, garam masala, salt and baingan and sauté till the oil starts separating from the mixture.

Add a little bit of water if you want the curry to be gravy.

Turn off the flame and garnish with Coriander.

Serves 2 people
Preparation time = 15 mins
Cooking time = 10 - 15 mins

This is how mine turned out

Gajar ka Halwa

Will start my postings with one of my hubby's favorite sweet :) Carrot Halwa

My MIL makes great gajar ka halwa. As it is one of my hubby's favorite dish I thought I will also try my hand at it. This is the first sweet I tried making at home

Here is how I do it:

Ingredients:

Carrots grated - 2 cups
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Milk - 4 cups
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Cashews and raisins for garnish


Method:

Cook the grated carrots and milk in a thick bottomed vessel on a low flame stirring occasionally till the milk evaporates. This process anyway takes some time (30 - 40 mins)

Add the 2.5 tbsp ghee to the cooked carrots and Stir.

Now add the sugar and keep stirring occasionally till the halwa solidifies.

Take the vessel off the flame.

Heat the remaining ghee and fry the cashews and raisins.

Add this to the halwa.

Serve hot or cold :)

P.S: Yesterday my halwa disappeared before I could take a good photo. Will post one as soon as I make it again..