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Matar Malai (Creamy Green Peas)

Green Peas in a creamy sauce. Malai refers to milk cream, but I have used whole milk for lesser calories. This recipe is for my dear friend Priya who loves green peas and had asked for a recipe. Hope you like it Priya.   Ingredients: Green Peas/Matar - 2 1/2 cups Bay Leaf/Tejpata/Tamal patra - 1 Cloves/Long/Lavang - 4 Cinnamon/Dalchini - an inch piece Cashews or Almonds - about 15 Milk - 1/2 cup Salt Oil Onion - 1 medium Tomato - 1 medium Green Chilies - 6 Garlic/Lahsun - 4 big cloves Ginger/Adrak - 1/2 inch piece Coriander Seeds/Dhane/Dhania - 1 tsp Cumin Seeds/Jeera - 1/2 tsp Fennel Seeds/Saunf/Badishep - 1 tsp How to cook Indian Malai Matar Curry: Soak cashews in milk for 15 - 20 minutes. Roughly dice onions and tomatoes. Grind onions, tomatoes, green chilies, ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin, fennel seeds to a fine paste with little water. Keep this onion tomato paste aside. Grind s...

Aloo Methi Poha

Aloo Methi is a much liked combo in my family.  Earlier, I had blogged about Aloo Methi Paratha , Aloo Methi Pulav and Aloo Methi ki Sabji .  This time, I tried with pohe/beaten rice.  It turned out to be tasty and a good change from the regular Kande Batate Pohe.  You can also add peanuts, cashewnuts if you like. Ingredients: Thick Pohe/Parched/Beaten/Flattened Rice - 2 1/2 cups Methi/Fenugreek Leaves - a bunch Red Onion - 1 big Potato - 1 medium Green Chillies - 8 Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - few sprigs Curry Leaves - a sprig Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp Asafoetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Sugar - 1/4 tsp Salt Oil - 3 tbsp Method: 1. Wash parched rice in water 2 - 3 times and drain the water after a minute.  Keep it aside for 15 - 20 minutes. 2. Wash curry leaves and pat them dry.  Julienne slice the onion and peeled potato.  Place diced potatoes in a bowl of water to avoid darkening.  Slit the g...

Bharwa Karela (Stuffed Bitter Gourd)

Ingredients: Bitter Gourd/Karela - 5 medium size Red Onion - 1 big Grated Garlic - 1 tsp Grated Ginger - 1 tsp Green Chillies - 8 Aamchur or Chat Masala - 1/4 tsp Jaggery or Brown Sugar - 1/4 tsp Coriander/Dhania Seeds - 2 tsp Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1 tsp Sesame/Til Seeds - 1 tsp Salt Oil Method: 1. Wash the bitter gourds and scrape the outer rough layer of the gourds.  Sprinkle about 1/4 tsp salt on the scrapings and save them for later.  Slit the scraped gourds and discard the seeds.  Rub salt on the scraped gourds as well.  Keep it aside for about 2 hours.  The purpose of applying salt is to reduce the bitterness. 2. Finely chop onions, green chillies and grate ginger, garlic.  Grind coriander, cumin and sesame seeds to a coarse powder. 3. After 2 hours, wash the scrapings with water in a strainer to remove excess salt.  Wash the scraped gourds as well.  Press with hands to remove the excess water. 4...

Surti Val Papdi Bhaji

My Mom used to make Val Papdi Bhaji in a simple way with few ingredients. This is the first time I gave it a try here in my US kitchen. This stir fry does require little more oil, as no water is added for cooking. Dal Rice tastes great with this sauteed Papdi.  I tried this Bhaji once with frozen Surti Papdi and I was not happy with the result. I prefer fresh Papdi for this recipe, which I can only find in the local Indian store. I am not sure if Val Papdi is called as Navy Bean or Fava Bean in English.

South Indian Bisibele Bhaath

Some days when I want to empty my fridge of those veggies reaching their expiry date, I cook one of these - mixed vegetable soups, coconut curries or a mixed vegetable rice like Bisibele Bhaath. One pot meal with rice, lentils and vegetables, from the southern state of Karnataka. I find this rice dish quite comforting on rainy, wintry days. Ingredients: Rice - 1/2 cup Split Pigeon Peas/Toor Dal - 1/2 cup Carrots - 2 medium Green/French Beans - about 10 Green Peas (frozen) - about 1/2 cup Drumsticks/Shevgyache Shenga - 1 Potato - 1 medium Onion - 1 medium Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Tamarind Paste - 1/2 tsp Jaggery/Gud/Gul - 1/2 tsp Salt Oil Dry Red Chilies (Byadagi variety) - 6 or 8 Split Black Gram/Urad Dal - 1 tsp Split Bengal Gram/Split Chick Peas/Chana Dal - 2 tsp Coriander Seeds/Dhania/Dhane - 4 tsp Fenugreek/Methi Seeds - 1/2 tsp Cloves/Long/Lavang - 4 Cinnamon/Dalchini - an inch piece Cardamom/Elaichi - seeds of 1 p...

Corn Flakes Chivda

Corn Chivda is made from Corn Poha/Flattened Corn.  Corn Poha is easily available in any Indian grocery store.  Before making Chivda Corn/Makai/Makka Poha is deep fried.  Alternatively, Corn Chivda made from Corn Flakes Cereal is comparatively less oily, with fewer calories and equally crunchy and tasty. Ingredients: Corn Flakes Cereal - 5 cups Raw Peanuts/Groundnuts - 3/4 cup Dalia/Roasted Gram Dal/Roasted Chickpeas - 1/4 cup Cashews - 10 (optional) Dry Coconut Slices - 1 tbsp Curry Leaves - few sprigs Green Chillies - 5 Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Asafoetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp Powdered Sugar - 1/2 tsp Oil - 2 tbsp Salt Method: 1. Wash green chillies, curry leaves and pat them dry. 2. Heat about 2 - 3 tbsp oil in a pan and fry the peanuts till they turn slightly brown.  Keep them aside.  Fry cashews, dalia and dry coconut as well. 3. Heat the same pan, in the leftover oil, add mustard se...

Coriander Chicken Curry

Chicken in a spicy cilantro gravy. Ingredients: Chicken - about 500 gms Red Onion - 1 big Tomatoes - 2 medium Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1/2 tsp Bay Leaf - 1 Salt Oil Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - 1 cup Green Chillies - 10 Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Garlic - 8 big cloves Ginger - an inch piece Yogurt/Curd - 4 tbsp Dry Red Chillies (Byadagi Variety) - 2 Coriander/Dhania Seeds - 1 tbsp Poppy Seeds/Khuskhus - 1 tbsp Cloves/Long/Lavang - 5 Cinnamon/Dalchini - a small piece Method: 1. Grind cilantro leaves, green chillies, ginger, garlic, turmeric, 1/2 tsp salt and yogurt to a fine paste.  I used 2 chicken breasts.  Marinate washed chicken pieces in this paste for 2 - 3 hours or overnight.  Keep it refrigerated. 2. Heat about 1 tsp oil in a pan.  Fry the dry red chillies till they turn crisp.  Keep it aside.  Add coriander seeds, poppy seeds, cloves and cinnamon and fry till the spices turn aromatic.  Let the spices cool. 3. Ro...