Palak Parathas

I love to try foods from various cuisines. Just wonder how I was eating just Tamil cuisine (I love you Tamil cuisine, always!) all these days? May be my mom made such tasty dishes which never made me to think of other cuisines. Thank you mom!
But, Sundar has never got complaints on my cooking, did you Sundar?

I hopped into Bihari cuisine and tried couple of dishes.
Food habits of the people in Bihar show how the cuisine of the state has evolved over centuries under the influence of various cultures and regimes which controlled it from time to time.

Mooli Paratha

Mooli Paratha is Indian Bread stuffed with White raddish. All Parathas can be filled with our own style masalas. There is no specific masala recipe for them. So we can adopt our recipes and try each of them.

 You need
White Radish (Muli/Daikon) – 3 medium size, peeled and shredded
Salt – to taste
Coriander – 5 sprigs, finely chopped
Green Chilies – 3-4 finely chopped
Ajwain Seeds – 1/4 tsp
For the dough:
Chapati Flour – 1 1/2 cups
Salt – 1/4 tsp
Oil – 1 Tbsp
Warm Water – 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp
Extra Flour – for dusting
Oil – for pan frying
Mix Salt and Oil with Flour and add warm Water. Knead to form semi-firm dough. Coat dough with few drops of Oil, cover and set aside for sometime.
Sprinkle shredded Radish with Salt, mix well and set aside for 10 mins. The salt helps to pull the water from the radish. Although, the salt pulls out water, we need to squeeze out the water from raddish and discard them.

After that, add the chopped cilantro leaves, green chillies and Ajwain seeds. Mix well. Now divide the dough in 8 or 10 balls and divide the radish also in 8 or 10 balls.
Roll out one dough into a small circle using dry flour to prevent sticking. (Hint: While you roll out, make sure that the rolled dough is slightly thicker in the center. If so you can do like we did for gobi Paratha or Aloo Paratha. Or else we can do by below method).

Place one portion of Radish mixture in the center of the disc. Wrap the dough around the Radish mixture to form a ball. Dip the ball into dry flour once again and roll out the paratha.

Shake off any excess dry flour and place the paratha on a hot skillet or tava.

I do not have a great lighting in my kitchen. You can see that in my pictures. Need to add some special lights for taking pictures.
When bubbles appear, flip the paratha over. Wait approx 30 – 40 secs and spread a little oil on the top. Flip the paratha back to the other side and gently press to cook. Spread a little oil onto this side. Continue to flip and press until the appearance of raw dough has gone. Store paratha in a covered or insulated container until ready to serve. Repeat with remaining dough. Serve paratha hot with pickle, yogurt or butter.

I prepared Tomato thokku to go along with this. It was really yummy and quite spicy too! Sundar wanted to have more spicy dish, so I opted to have thokku instead of yoghurt.

Some Facts about Radish
Radish, the well known part of your salad, is a root crop, pungent or sweet in taste with a lot of juice. Radishes can be white, red, purple or black, long cylindrical or round in shape. They are eaten raw, cooked or pickled.
1. Radish is very good for the liver and the stomach and it is a very good detoxifier too, that is, it purifies blood.
2. Radish is very rich in roughage, i.e. indigestible carbohydrates. This facilitates digestion, retains water, cures constipation (one of the main causes for piles) and thus gives relief in piles. Being a very good detoxifier, it helps heal up piles fast. Its juice also soothes the digestive and excretory system.
3. Radishes are very filling, i.e. fills your stomach and satisfies your hunger easily without giving you many calories, as they are low in digestible carbohydrates, high in roughage and contain a lot of water. It is a very good dietary option for those determined to lose weight.
4. Being a very good detoxifier and rich in vitamin-C, folic and anthocyanins, radish helps cure many types of cancer, particularly those of colon, kidney, intestines, stomach and oral cancer.
5. Vitamin-C, phosphorus, zinc and some members of vitamin-B complex, which are present in radish, are good for skin. Smashed raw radish is a very good cleanser and serves as a very efficient face pack.
Many more benefits are there. 
6. Apart from above benefits, radish is a good appetizer, mouth and breathe freshener, laxative, regulates metabolism, improves blood circulation, is a good treatment for headache, acidity, constipation, nausea, obesity, sore throat, whooping cough, gastric problems, gallbladder stones, dyspepsia etc.

Gobi Paratha

I love parathas, what ever be the filling. Rather than the routine rotis, I prefer to have parathas. It is very easy that they can be had with curd or pickle.
When my mom was with me last time, I never tried to be in kitchen. And now I never let her in, and love to cook all that I can for her. My mom is a great lover of Gobis and she enjoys all dishes made out of it! So I thought I would try Gobi Parathas. When I was looking for recipes on cookbooks, I came across some recipes which is layered parathas. Somehow I dint want to try that now, rather I adopted the traditional method to prepare the Parathas. I would surely try the layered one ssometime later.



You need:

Cauliflower - 1 cup minced
Onion - 1/4 cup, minced
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Cumin / jeera - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 - 1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Oil to saute
Salt - to taste

Heat oil in a skillet, add the cumin powder or the seeds. Once cumin splutters, add the onion and saute unitl the onions are golden brown. Now add the ginger garlic paste (i nalways use fresh minced ginger and garlic). Next add the garam masala, chilli powder and salt to taste. Mix well and then add the miced cauliflower. Cook this on low flame with covered for about 10 mins. You can sprinkle very little water. There should not be too much of water as it will make the roti mushy.
It should like this -

You can add some paneer for an added taste. And finally add finely chopped coriander leaves.

We need to make the dough. We will need 4-5 cups atta/whole wheat flour, salt and a little warm water. Mix in the salt and add water little by little to the atta to make a firm dough. Let it rest for about 30 minutes.
Make lime-sized balls. While you make the dough into small balls, make the gobi masala also into small balls so that they should be 1/2 the size of the dough balls. And then roll out each dough to a circle. Now fill in the gobi masala and close the dough and press it flat. Then again roll out to a circle.

Little of the masala might come out, it is ok. It often comes out for me. Sometimes I tend to keep more of the masala and it muddles so badly, oops! It happens every time I prepare Parathas, and still I love to prepare the way they come for me.
Now you can cook them on hot griddle. First cook one side, then go to other side. Make sure you take them when they are golden brown. Don't forget to add a pickle or little curd.

 I made methi chutney to dip in the parathas. And they were just great!

Aloo Gobi masala

Its been almost 8 months since I made something special, or I would say I rather had no time to enter my kitchen since my little Prince came to our house. And now its time to step in! 

All this while I have been preparing gobi manchurian only. 

This time decided to prepare more varieties with Gobi. Since my mom is with me here, we will definitely have gobi atleast once a week as Gobi is her favorite veggie and she loves with anything and everything. 

Sundar will also be home soon, and he is expecting something for chapathi today!

Mattar Paneer

Paneer dishes are always carved for. Esp., I love paneer butter masala and Mattar Paneer. Both of us in our house crave for mattar paneer. This is always part of our party menu or I try to prepare once every month. This is a hit everytime I prepare. 

I do not prepare Paneer at home all the time. I do not get the patience to wait to prepare. Home-made paneer, ofcourse has excellent taste!

You will need:
1 cup Paneer cubed
1 cup Fresh/frozen Peas

For the Gravy:
2 Onions chopped
8 Tomatoes chopped

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Chilli powder
1 tbsp Corriander powder
1 tbsp Cumin powder
1 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste
1 tbsp Cashew pieces
3 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste
3 Cloves, 

3 Cardamom pods, 

1” cinnamon stick, 

2 Bay leaves
1 tsp Cumin seeds
Chopped Coriander
1 tbsp Kasthuri Methi 

1/4 cup Fresh cream

In a saute pan, heat oil and add cashews. Saute it till slightly golden. Now add the chopped onions and saute till soft. Then add the ginger garlic paste and saute for about a minute or until the aroma comes. Add the chopped tomatoes and turmeric powder and cook until tomatoes are soft.

Cool and grind the mixture to a smooth paste. This gravy is rich and creamy. This can be stored and used in couple of days also. You can use this to make any other curry by adding ingredients like vegetables to make Kadai Vegetable, Koftas to make Malai Kofta etc. This gravy is creamy and delicious inspite of the fact it contains no butter. The great taste comes from the slow simmering which brings the flavours together.

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and whole garam masala. Saute for a minute. Now add the gravy mixture and about 1/2 to 1 cup of water based on the consistency. Stir in cumin, coriander and red chilli powders. Add salt as required. Bring to boil and let simmer for 15 minutes. This thickens the gravy and also blends the spices well. Crush the kasthuri methi in your palm and add it to the gravy. Add the peas and paneer cubes. Simmer for 5 more minutes, stir in the fresh cream. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with rotis.

Vegetable Kurma

Indian KURMA is one of the most wanted side dishes that all of us look for...It is very easy to prepare and very less time consuming! Just take some potato, carrot, beans, peas & cauliflower with some masala to it, the side dish is ready to eat. This goes excellent with idiyappam, and ofcourse a good combo with rotis.

The kurma for idiyappam is a spicy and bland combination.

This spice can be altered to your liking depending on your taste buds! It still tastes great!

I make it very spicy, thats what is preferred in my home.

Sundar always looks forward for my kurma. He always prefers this even with rice more than other side dishes. And this gives me more pleasure for preparing kurma. I hope you enjoy this time too like always, sundar!

You need:
Vegetables (carrot, beans,couliflower,green peas,potato) - 2 cups

Onion - 1 big

Tomato- 1 big

Green chilies -5

Ginger -1" piece

Ginger garlic paste - 1 teaspoon

Bay leaf -1

Oil -2 tablespoon

Mustard seeds -1 teaspoon

chilli powder- 1 1/2teaspoon

Coriander powder 1 1/2 teaspoon( add more or less)

Garam masala - 1 teaspoon (preparation link)

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Coconut milk 1/4 cups

Salt to taste

To Grind:

Coconut - 1/2 cup

Cashew nuts - one handful (about 10)

Poppy seeds -1/2 teaspoon

Fennel seeds 1/4 teaspoon

Green chillies - 4

In a heavy saute pan, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds.

Add these spices one by one. Take a min to saute them separately - onions, bay leaf, green chillies , ginger and ginger garlic paste. The add the chopped tomato and saute well.

Make sure not to saute the onion to brown color.

Add the powder ingredients and fry for few mins.

To this add the vegetables, and cook for 4-5 mins. Before the vegetables gets cooked add the coconut milk,salt and enough water and cook the vegetables to your desired consistency, I prefer the vegetables to be cooked nicely.

When this is almost done, or is just 2-3 mins from cooking completely add the finely ground paste (refer TO GRIND ). Let it cook until done. Add a few curry leaves and coriander leaves at the end for a better aroma and taste !!

This goes well with idiyappam, appam, and also with the rotis.

Mattar Curry and Chapathis

Mattar Curry in restaurant style.

Mattar curry is such a feast to all of us. 

You need

2 Cups Fresh Green peas, boiled

1/2 cup Onion paste (raw)
1 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste
1 1/2 cups Tomato puree (Made from about 3 large tomatoes)
3 tbsp Cashew bits, soaked and ground to a smooth paste
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp Oil
2 Whole cloves
2 Whole cardamom pods
1 inch piece Cinnamon
¼ tsp Turmeric powder
2 tsp Corriander powder
1 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Hot chilli powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala
2 tsp Dried Fenugreek leaves, crushed
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan. Add the whole cloves, cardamom and cinnamon stick. Add the ginger garlic paste and onion paste. Fry on medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Now add the turmeric, coriander and cumin powders, garam masala, cayenne and paprika. Also stir in the prepared tomato puree. Saute on low heat for 10 minutes. This thickens the gravy and helps the flavours blend well

Season with salt and add the dried fenugreek leaves. Stir in the cashew paste and cream. Combine well and bring to a boil. Adjust seasonings if required and turn off heat.
It goes great with rotis and butter naan. I prefer to eat with chapathis, as the cream and cashew will get heavy with butter naan.

Chapathis

Chapathis are also known as Wheat Rotis. These are the staple food in North India. In SouthIndia, esp., in Tamilnadu we feel it as a very HUGE task for preparing Chapathis. And there is no Standard method of preparation for chapathi. So, I took some exp. to prepare some soft chapathis. But for the end product to be perfect and good tasting, a certain method must be followed. Many of my friends often used to complain that their chapathis were never soft and always turned hard when cold. This is how I make chapathis.

You need:
2 cups Wheat flour
½ tsp Salt
2 tbsps Oil
1- 1 ½ cups Warm water
Take the wheat flour in a bowl then add salt and oil. Toss them and now slowly add warm water while mixing the flour to form a dough. Add water as much required, it should get sticky. Now the flour has to come together to make a soft mass, so until then do not knead the dough. Cover and keep aside for at least 30 minutes, longer is better. Knead only after letting the dough rest. Kneading the dough well helps incorporate the ingredients and also makes the dough more pliable. Make even sized balls of your desired size, roll them with the help of a rolling pin.

Flip in the wheat flour if the dough is too sticky. I roast one side and only when its completely done, I flip it. Flipping frequently only hardens the chapathi after it becomes cold. Apply oil/ghee to the side that’s done.

Once the other side is done, flip, apply oil and remove from heat immediately. Cover chapathis with a cloth or paper towel to keep them warm and from drying out.


Sending this entry for Back to basics and Jayas 

Puri

Puri is a routine weekend dish in my home! My aunt used to make the puris, we steal away one by one while she fries them. By the time she finishes, hardly couple of puris will be left. It is always fun to eat when there is someone to snatch a piece. All childhood fun and play reminds me while making the puris.
My daughter is a very picky eater. She likes puris to dosa or idli. Although, she likes, she takes only couple of them.
So I try some varieties in them. I add spinach to make green puri, or beetroot juice to make purple puri. Also add sugar to make sweet puri.
Any natural vegetable juice to make it colored puri.

Chilli Brocolli with roti

Broccoli has been around for more than 2000 years, The name "broccoli" comes for the Latin word brachium, which means "branch," or "arm." This vegetable is highly recognized for its anti-cancer nutrients. It is a cruciferous vegetable and member of the cabbage family which is helpful in preventing certain types of cancer.
It's a good source of Vitamin A, and vitamin C, potassium, folacin, iron and fiber. Broccoli has as much calcium ounce per ounce as milk and contains a few important phytochemicals: beta-carotene, indoles and isothiocyanates. Phytochemicals prevent carcinogens (cancer causing substances) from forming. They also stop carcinogens from getting to target cells and help boost enzymes that detoxify carcinogens.
So next time you sit down to eat and broccoli is on the menu. Remember it really is good for you!
The best way to cook broccoli is to steam, cook in the microwave or stir-fry with a little broth or water. These methods are better than boiling. Some of the vitamin and mineral content are lost from the vegetable and end up in the cooking water when they are boiled.

I have always wanted to try to cook in our style and serve for roti or rice. So I wanted to try make like a side dish for roti, as it is almost everyday we eat roti or rice, why a dish with broccoli shouldn't be part of the menu?

you need
2 cups broccoli florets
1/4 cup red bell pepper (small french cut)
1/4 cup green bell pepper (small french cut)
1/4 cup yellow bell pepper (small french cut)
1/2 cup red onion (small french cut)
3 green chillies (cut length wise)
1/3 cup Tomato (finely chopped)
2 tspn garlic chilli paste
1/2 tspn ginger
juice of half lemon
oil for fryying

Heat 2 tspn oil in a pan.  Stir fry the onion till golden brown, add the bell peppers and green chillies. On the other side, steam the broccoli florets to tender.
To the onion- pepper mixture add the garlic paste, chopped ginger and salt. Cook for 5-10 mins until bell pepper are partially cooked. Now add the tomatoes and cook till it form like nice gravy, add water if required.
Now add the broccoli to the gravy and cook in low steam for 3-5 mins or until broccoli mixes well with gravy.
Once done, turn off the flame and add juice of helf lemon. Mix well before serving.
Microwave 4 pieces of broccoli florets and top it before serving.


Eat florets as a nutritious snack. Try them with a low-fat dip, or include them in your favorite salad. Think about adding two vegetables to your dinner menu, and include broccoli or other vegetables several times a week :)