Bhindi Fry (Okra)

   

Bhindi, also known as Lady's Finger or Okra, is an evergreen vegetable of, interestingly, African descent. It is one of those vegetables that seldom go disliked. Simple yet sensational, this side dish is a winner. Go Green!


Ingredients:
1. Okra 1 pound, chopped
2. mustard seeds, 1 tsp
3. cumin seeds, 1 tsp
4. heeng, a pinch
5. Salt to taste
6. Red chili powder, 1.5 tsp
7. turmeric powder, 1 tsp
8. dried red chili
9. oil

Instructions:
1. Heat a wok and and oil.
2. Add mustard seeds and dried red chili.
3. When the mustard crackles, add cumin seeds.
4. When the cumin sizzles, add heeng and turmeric powder.
5. Add okra and mix well.
6. Cook until the okra turns slightly brown.
7. Add red chili powder and salt.
8. Mix well.

Serve with Aloo ki Kadi and Roti. Alternatively serve as a side with Dal and Rice.

Decorating Baked Goodies and Presentation Tips

As an amateur cook, I do not quite dread cooking. However,  I shake to bake and more so when I have to decorate the baked good. There is so much I can learn in the baked goods decoration arena. And today is a step towards this.

Some of you may have noticed the Return of the Garnishing Event a few posts ago on my blog. I've received a couple of entries but there is this one blogger for whom I hold special fondness. The fondness not only comes from her talent and personality but it comes from her style, ability to think outside the box and fearlessly experiment. Her presentation techniques for baked goodies never cease to amaze me. With no further ado, please let me re-introduce you to 'in-the-moment' Nazarina of Giddy Gastronome. Via digestive biscuits, Naz offers a couple of suggestions on how something so healthy can also be made to look rich and appealing.
Note: The tips below is a paraphrased edition of Naz's style with slight additions from my end.

Here are some economical yet head turning presentation techniques from the horse's mouth:
1. Be whimsical or edgy with garnishes. For example,
consider garnishing with a chocolate writing.
2. Use edible garnishes that complete the dish. For example, use cheese to garnish crackers.
3. Stock up on dollar store bought cookie cutters.These can be used to get shapes of edibles such as cheese that will be used as as a garnish.
4. Use toppers or plastic toys to decorate cakes or cookies. These can be found at craft stores like Micheal's.
5. Use a complementary tablecloth of wrapping paper as a base for the edibles. This will bring  the colour of your baked goodie to the foreground.

For more tips and techniques on garnishing, see here.

Aloo Tikki/ Ragda Patties (Potato Cutlets) AND AWARDS

I am a class one fanatic of Aloo Tikkis. I can gobble up more than 15-20 at one time. Give it to me anytime of the day or night and you will be surprised  how clean a full plate will be returned back to you - cleaned to perfection.


After all, aloo tikki (also known as ragda patties) is one popular chaat (street food) originating from the North of India. Enjoy sheer bliss with each bite.


Ingredients:
1. 4-5 boiled potatoes, peeled, mashed.
2. Salt to taste
3. Thai green chili, 1, minced.
4. Red chili powder, to taste (I added 1tsp).
5. Garam masala, 1 tsp.
6. Freshly chopped coriander leaves, 1 cup.

Instructions:
1. Mix everything together. Make round flat balls of this.
Note: If your potato balls are falling apart, add a few tbsp of corn flour to hold them together.
2. Shallow or pan fry the patty on one side.
3. When golden brown, flip and cook on the other side.
4. Serve warm.

Top/Garnish with Chickpeas, Tamarind Condiment, Coriander Condiment, chopped red onion, and Hot Chai!!

Bliss!


Thanks to Sneha of Inspirational Art of Cooking for a bunch of awards!

Namely: Stylish Blogger, Kreative Blogger, Cute little chef, and Yummy recipes awards.

I am overwhelmed by the appreciation and support that you have shown!

I cannot express my gratitude to you in words. It is positivity that keeps me going. Thanks, Sneha! :)



 I would like to pass on this award, as a token of gratefulness, to my readers who are following me both via Google Connect and Networked Blogs and have showed their support to me by becoming a fan of my blog page on Facebook. You people are amazing!

Rajma (Red Kidney Beans Curry)

Rajma needs no introduction. It's a classic North Indian dish packed with protein and flavour, served in everyday meals. It tastes best with steamed white rice. As you can see, I like my rajma with more gravy as it I am not a fan of dry white rice.

This dish needs preparation unless you choose to use canned red kidney beans available at the stores. I prefer to soak my beans overnight rather than using canned or preserved food products.





Ingredients:
1. 5 fists of red kidney beans, soaked overnight.
2. Salt to taste
3. Onion, 1
4. Garlic, 2 pods
5. Cumin seeds, 1 tsp
6.Thai green chili, 1
7. Rajma powder, MDH, 3-4 tsp
8. Tomato paste, 3-4 tsp
9. Oil
10. heeng, a pinch
11. turmeric powder, 1 tsp

Instructions:
1. Grate onion, garlic, chili.
2. Pressure cooker kidney beans and allow 4-5 whistles to blow.
3. Heat a wok and then add oil.
4. Add cumin seeds and let it sizzle.
5. Add a pinch of heeng and turmeric powder.
6. Add the grated paste and mix well. Cook until it slightly changes colour.
7. Add in rajma masala and tomato paste
8. Cook until it leaves the oil.
9. Add some water as per desired consistency.
10. Let it simmer for 10 mins.
11. Add in boiled kidney beans and mix well.
12. Simmer for another 10-15 mins.

Serve warm with steamed white Basmati Rice.

Home Style Kashmiri Dum Aloo (Creamy Potato Curry) AND AWARD!!

Dum Aloo is a classic and signature North Indian delicacy that was traditionally cooked in a sealed clay pot to avoid the moisture from escaping. In a modern world and in the everyday kitchen setting, this recipe is the closest contemporary counterpart. Dum Aloo is characterized by a rich and creamy gravy with potatoes that are boiled and then pan fried.

My mom would often make Dum Aloo at home during my childhood days.

I had a bunch of potatoes in my pantry that needed attention. I am bored of cooking and eating the usual suspects (read dishes) for lunch/dinner. So, after so many years, I decided to try my luck with a new recipe.


1. 2-3 potatoes, boiled, peeled, haved, forked, then pan fried.
2. 1 onion grated
3. 1 pod garlic
4. cashewnuts, a handful
5. Dry roasted cloves, peppercorn, poppy seeds, and cinnamon
6. yogurt, 1 cup, whisked
7. 1 tsp cumin seeds
8. 1 bay leaf
9. 1 pinch of heeng
10. tomato paste, 3-4 tsp
11. 1 tsp Cumin powder
12. 1 tsp Coriander powder
13. 1 tsp red chili powder
14. 1 tsp turmeric powder
15. 1 tsp ghee or clarified butter
16. mace, a small piece
17. nutmeg, a pinch
18 Salt to taste

Instructions:
1. Grate roasted cloves,onions, garlic, cinnamon, poppy seeds, black peppercorn, mace, nutmeg, cashews.
2. Heat a wok.
3. Add ghee and cumin seeds and let it sizzle.
4. Add a bay leaf to this and heeng.
5. Add grated ingredients.
6. Add ingredients 10-14 and salt. Cook till it leaves the ghee. If you like a kick, add some garam masala. I did.
7. Add water and yogurt and let it simmer for 10 mins or so.
8. Add pan fried boiled potatoes and cook for another 5 mins or so.

Serve Warm with roti or parantha.

Verdict: Did not regret it.
Food Palette Pink!
Disclaimer: Weight watchers, beware!

Priya, from Now Serving, has kindly bestowed me an award. Thanks,Priya! This means a lot to me and I am grateful! It's so much fun blogging with you guys. This blog world is a better place to be in because of positive energy bloggers like you disseminate. I love visiting all your blogs. You all are a great bunch!

Since the award needs to be passed on to a specific person, this time around I would like to pass on this award to Prathibha of Chef and Her Kitchen. Pratibha is one talented blogger and I feel that her blog kicks some ass. Congrats, Prathu!

Bharva Baigan Take 3 (Bharelu Ringan nu Shak/ Stuffed eggplant)

Stuffed Eggplant is my favourite. I enjoy experimenting with different fillings. The first time I cooked it my mom's way.  The second time around, I made it my aunt's way. This time I decided to make it the South Indian way.

I had devoured the South Indian way at my husband's friends' house and I had asked them for the recipe. Although, they never gave me the recipe, I was able to find my way and was very happy with the results. I am slowing falling all the more for South Indian cuisine!


1. 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
2. 4-6 laung
3. 2 tsp cumin seeds
4. .5 tsp heeng
5. 4 dried red chili or to taste
6. 5 tsp chana dal
7. 5 tsp urad dal
8. salt to taste
9. turmeric powder, 2 tsp
10. coriander powder, 5-8 tsp
11. amchoor powder, 2 tsp
12. oil
13. indian small round eggplants, 10
14. potatoes (optional), peeled and cubed.



Instructions:
1. dry roast ingredients 1-7. you can leave out the heeng at this time if you wish.
2. Grind dry roasted ingredients with heeng and ingredients 8-11.
3. make 2 slits at the base of the eggplants, perpendicular to each other.
4. Mix the ground ingredients with oil and mix well.
5. stuff the slits with this masala.
6. Heat oil in a wok.
7. add cumin seeds and let it sizzle.
8. add potatoes and the remaining masala (if any) and cook till al dente
9. add in the stuff eggplant with a little bit of water.
10. simmer on low heat flipping the eggplants so that it cooks evenly on each side.

serve warm as a side with roti and dal or with rice and dal.

Bisi Bele Bhath

Bisi Bele Bath is a one-pot south Indian delicacy. It is nothing but rice and lentils together. To be brutally honest, it is not the most photogenic dish. It's the most delicious dish!


For me, the Bisi Bele Bath at the restaurant tastes better. There is nothing wrong with this recipe though. I might be biased about my cooking?




Ingredients:
1. 1 mace
2. 4-6 cloves
3. 1 tbsp chana dal
4. 1 tbsp urad dal
5. 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
6. 3 tbsp poppy seeds
7. 1 inch cinamon
8. 10-12 dried red chili
9. 2 tsp coriander powder
10. 3 sprigs of curry leaves
11. 2 small tomatoes.
12. 2 large onions, chopped
13. oil
14. 3 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
15. 1/2 red green pepper, chopped
16. green beans, 1 cup, frozen
17. turmeric powder
18. toovar dal, 2 cups
19. 2 cups white rice, steamed
20. salt to taste
21. tamarind pulp
22. mustard seeds
23. peanuts (optional)
24. heeng
25. Jaggery, 1 tsp

Instructions:
1. Dry roast ingredients 1-8.
2. Grind the dry roasted ingredients with coriander powder. This will give you the spice mix. You can also add dried coconut, shredded.
3. Boil dal with turmeric powder and salt in a pressure cooker.
4. When the cooker opens, add tamarind pulp and jaggery. You can also add red chili powder depending on how hot you like it.
5. Heat oil in a wok and fry onions.
6. Add red bell pepper, tomatoes, and curry leaves to this. Cook till al dente.
7. Mix this and green beans to the dal and boil the dal.
8. To the dal, add 6 tsp of the spice mix and rice.
9. Heat ghee in a wok and add mustard seeds and let it crackle.
10. Add heeng to the ghee and then add peanuts and temper it in the dal

Serve hot with some salad.


This recipe was adapted from here.
Tried and Tested.

Home Made Bhel Puri

Bhel puri is Indian street food. It is a popular snack eaten tapas style. Bhelpuri is known as Jhal Muri in West Bengal. The doting of Bhelpuri comes from the combination of flavours and textures that it offers. The crunch of flour biscuits and the crispiness of Sev gives the dish presence to the palate while the softness of rice puffs and boiled potatoes counters the crunch in a positive way. The tamarind date condiment brings out a tangy-sweet taste whereas the addition of coriander condiment puts forth a savoury sensation. The balance of flavours makes this snack a family favourite.

Bhelpuri is rather easy to make,  given that you have some basic ingredients. Stock up on the store bought biscuits and rice puffs. Refrigerate or freeze up the condiments. When you have a surprise guest over or when you suddenly go ravenous, throw everything together and a snack will be ready in a jiffy.

The caveat to this dish is that, once made, it must be consumed fresh otherwise it will go soggy. The fun of this dish comes from it's freshness.

Ingredients:
1. Khajur Imli ki chutney (Date Tamarind condiment), cooled.
2. Dhania ki chutney (Coriander condiment)
3. Golgappas or Papdi (Flour biscuits - can be found at Indian stores)
4. Murmura (Rice puffs)
5. Surati Sev (Flour snack - can also be found ready made in packets at Indian stores)
6. Red onion, chopped, 1 cup
7. Freshly chopped coriander leaves, 1/2 cup
8. Potato, boiled, peeled, cut in cubes, 1 cup
9. Black salt or kala namak
10. Lemon juice
11. Red chili, chopped (optional)

Instructions:
Throw everything together, mix well and serve fresh and consume right away.

This recipe is inspired from Tarla Dalal's. This is a bookmarked recipe.