Potatoes in yogurt gravy

It is unusual to have temperatures in the mid 40 to 50s this time of the year. Two years back I was shoveling 10 inches of snow from our drive way. And although I  do like snow and the idea of white Christmas  it is  nice to have  days like this in December. But it is still very cold outside and a good excuse to cook fried food, like poori and sabzi. I made this potato vegetable that my nani (grandmother) used to make on special occasions. To go along with it she always made dal poori which was delicious. I truly enjoyed eating poori and sabzi after a very long time!

Here is the recipe

Ingredients

2 large potatoes boiled and cubed

1 ½ cup yogurt

1 tbsp. chickpea flour (besan)

1tsp mustard seeds

1tsp cumin seeds

2-3 black cardamom

2-3 cloves

1tsp fennel seeds

2 green slit green chilies

2-3 whole red chilies

1 tsp. turmeric

½ tsp. asafoetida

1 sprig curry leaves

1 tbsp. kasoori methi

1/4 cup chopped sweet peppers or bell pepper

Salt to taste

1 tbsp. oil

Method

Heat some oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, cumin, fennel, cardamom, cloves, green and red chilies and asafoetida. Once the seeds splutter, add turmeric and potatoes. Stir for 2-3 minutes until potatoes are well coated with the spices. Add a cup of water and cook for another 3-44 minutes then whisk the yogurt very well with the chickpea flour and gradually add it to the potatoes. Stir continuously for 2-3 minutes until it comes to a boil.. Add salt, kasoori methi, sweet peppers and curry leaves. Cook for another 5-10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro. I like to add a final tempering of ghee cumin seeds, asafoetida and red chilli powder, just before serving.

Spicy black bean wrap with mango, avocado and burnt corn salsa

 


I love spicy food and so when I found these haberno-lime tortillas at a local grocery store I had to buy them. I decided to make a black bean wrap with  mango, avocado and corn salsa. The salsa is more like a side salad and can be enjoyed by itself.  I  made a salad with the left overs the next day (beans, onion, pepper, salsa, sour cream) and that too was quite nice.

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients.
2 red onions (sliced)
1 cup sliced sweet peppers
1 can black beans (drained)
seasoning spices (ground cumin, paprika, pepper, sugar, salt, oregano, onion and garlic powder)
1 mango (diced)
1 avocado (diced)
1 jalapeno (finely chopped)
1/2 cup roasted corn kernels
1 small red onion
1 garlic pod grated
1 tomato (chopped)
bunch of cilantro chopped
salt, pepper and sugar for seasoning

1 cup sour cream
chipotle seasoning
splash of lemon juice

Chopped lettuce

Tortilla (I used haberno and lime flour tortilla)






Method
Step 1
Prepare the black bean. Drain and rinse the beans and add all the spices for the seasoning. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes. Add a little water if needed.

Step 2
Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan and add the onion and peppers. Cook on high heat for a few minutes till the onions and peppers get slightly charred but remain crunchy.

Step 3
For the salsa, mix the mango, avocado, tomatoes, corn, onion, garlic, cilantro , jalapenos, salt, sugar and pepper. Add the juice of lime and mix well.

Step 4
Prepare the sour cream by adding the chipotle seasoning and a little salt and lime juice if desired

Step 5
To Assemble. Heat the tortilla in a pan for a few minutes on both sides and then add the black beans, salsa, sour cream, cheese and lettuce.
.

Poha

Poor man's food or not this is my favorite breakfast. I also make it as an afternoon snack with tea or a when I am in a mood for light dinner. I love this simple but versatile flattened rice dish. Although I make it in a couple of different ways this is the one I enjoy the most - with peanuts, a little spicy, tangy and slightly sweet. The Gujarati way.
Top it with sev (fried savory noodles) pomegranate seeds or even some pickle on the side.

Ingredients

2 cups flattened rice or poha  washed with luke warm water
1 red onion (chopped)
1 potato (cubed)
3-4 green chillies
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp turmeric
a few peanuts (optional)
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tbsp sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
chopped cilantro for garnishing
1 tbsp oil for cooking
salt according to taste

Method

Heat oil in a wok or kadhai and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and peanuts. Once the seeds splutter add the onion and potatoes. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes. The potatoes should become soft and onions slightly brown. Add the turmeric and green chillies. Now add the poha which should have fluffed up and become soft. Mix everything well and add the salt and sugar. Finally squeeze the juice of lemon and garnish with cilantro.

Paneer and babycorn

I completed my internship and am feeling very relieved and at the same time exhausted and tired.  The year has been busy but fulfilling and am excited about the new prospects it will bring. All I wanted to do now was sleep. I did not feel like cooking or blogging or doing anything else. So I have not cooked anything new but I wanted to post something as I realized that I have not posted anything in December. I pulled out this recipe from my drafts. This was a rich gravy based vegetable with paneer and baby corn. I love the delicate flavor of baby corn but have not really used it as much as I would like to. I like it in stir fry or noodles/pasta, but not so much with Indian food. However it tasted really good with the paneer. I did not over cook it so that it retains the crunch.

Ingredients
Cashew, walnuts, almonds soaked (1/2 cup)
2-3 red chilli soaked
1/2 tsp shahi jeera
2 black cardamom
1 large onion ground
1 tsp ginger  grated
1/2 tsp turmeric,
1tbsp kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
1tsp sugar
Baby corn and paneer sautéed and kept aside (about 1/2 cup each)
1/2 an apple chopped
1 tsp black pepper
salt to taste
Cilantro
Oil for cooking

Method

Grind the soaked cashews, almonds and walnuts along with the soaked red chillies. Heat 1 tbsp oil and add the shahi jeera and black cardamom. Once the jeera (cumin) splutters add the grated ginger and ground onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add the ground nut paste and turmeric powder. Mix well and cook for 5-7 minutes till it changes color to a light golden brown and the onions do not smell raw. Now crush the kasuri methi and add to the onion along with black pepper, sugar and salt.

In a separate saute pan take a little oil and saute the paneer till it is light golden. Keep it aside and saute the baby corn and apples . Saute on high heat for a few minutes to get a nice golden color and smokey flavor. Season with salt and pepper. Now add the paneer, baby corn and apples to the gravy and mix. Garnish with cilantro.