Punjabi

Mango Pickle (North Indian style):

January 10, 2019

This pickle happened due to my daughters. It is a perfect accompaniment for any parathas or Thepla. I came to know about this recipe from my friend Kavita, who had gifted me this pickle, prepared by her. When it was about to finish my daughters insisted that I prepare it at home and this is the result of their insistence. I want to thank Kavita, who did answer all my queries patiently and guided me through the process.

According to my friend, Thothapuri variety of mango tastes good for this masala. Hence I tried with the same.

Ingredients:

Mango – 1 kg (used Thothapuri variety)

Salt

Turmeric – 1 table spoon

Mustard oil – 1 cup

For Masala:

Red chilli powder – 2 table spoons

Hing – 1 table spoon

Fennel seeds -2 table spoons

Kalonji – 2 table spoons

Yellow mustard seeds – 3 table spoons

Fenugreek/Methi seeds- 1 ½ table spoons

Method:

-Wash, dry and cut the mango into pieces.

-Marinate these pieces with 2 fistful of salt, 1 table spoon of Haldi/ turmeric and mix thoroughly by using dry hand.

-Keep this for two hours and drain the oozed-out water and reserve it for future use.

-Spread these marinated mango pieces over dry cloth and dry under partial sun light or air dry.

-In the evening , remove those shrunken mango pieces and once again mix it with oozed out salted water which we have reserved from previous Marination process.

– The next (second) morning, drain and repeat the process of drying.

-On the second evening, those mango pieces will be ready to mix masala.

-First heat half a cup of mustard oil until it is very hot, then cool it.

-Take all the ingredients from fennel seeds to methi seeds and lightly pound in a small mixer jar by using pulse option. Don’t make fine powder.

-Now take one bowl, mix in all the masalas, sun dried mango, additional salt and mix nicely by using your clean and dry hand.

-Fill the mixture in a glass bottle and pour cooled mustard oil and cover the bottle with muslin cloth and keep it under sunlight for 1 week or partial sunlight.

-After one week, pickle would reduce in quantity. Pour remaining half of mustard oil by heating at first, then cooling it.

-Cover the cloth and repeat the process of keeping it in sunlight for some more days.

-Now it is ready to consume.

Chole Bhature (Chana Bhatura) and Alu subzi:

November 26, 2018

Do I need to introduce every one’s favourite dish? It is basically a deep-fried bread with the fermented / proofed flour dough which Is served with semi dried chick pea curry and potato dry Subzi. This is how we eat or were introduced to this loved-by-all dish.

To prepare we need –

For Chole:

Ingredients:

Chana / white chickpea – 1 cup (soaked and swelled)

Black salt – 1 table spoon

Amla powder / Anardana powder – 1 tea spoon

Oil – 1 table spoon

Ghee – 1 table spoon + 1 tea spoon

Onion – 1 (chopped)

Green chilli – 1 (slit)

Ginger – ½ inch (sliced)

Garlic – 4 (crushed)

Tomatoes – 2 (chopped)

Turmeric – 1 ½ tea spoon

Red chilli powder – 1 tea spoon

Coriander powder – 2 tea spoons

Cumin powder – 1 tea spoon

Garam masala – 1 ½ tea spoon

Kasuri methi – 1 table spoon

Salt

Coriander leaves – chopped

Method:

-Cook soaked chana with enough water, black salt and amla powder. It would take any where between 5 to 6 whistles in the pressure cooker.

-Take one tawa, Heat oil and 1 table spoon of ghee. Add onion, green chilli, garlic and ginger fry until it is transparent and light brown.

-Add in all the masalas, from turmeric to Kasuri methi and salt fry for a while. Add tomato, continue frying until tomato wilts. If needed sprinkle some cooked water from the chana and cook tomato well.

-Cool this mixture and grind this into a smooth paste by adding ladle of cooked chana as well. (it would help gravy to thicken)

-Now mix in this paste with cooked chana and start boiling until oil oozes out and garnish with chopped coriander leaves and 1 tea spoon of ghee.

Now we will move towards Bhature / Bhatura :

Ingredients:

Whole wheat – 2 ½ cups

Maida – 1 cup

Chiroti Rava – 1 cup

Curd – ½ cup

Water – ½ cup

Salt

Sugar – 1 tea spoon

Yeast – 1 tea spoon

Oil – 2 tea spoons

Method:

-Take Luke warm water- mix in curd, sugar, salt and yeast. Close the lid and wait until it proofs and bubbles.

-Dry mix all the flours or you can take only Maida as well. Make a dough by using yeast water and apply an oil and keep aside for 2 to 3 hours or until doubles the volume.

-When it is ready or time to serve, roll a small disc and deep fry.

Now one more dish, which is purely an optional item:

Alu Subzi / potato dry:

Ingredient:

Potatoes – 5 to 6

Mustard oil – 2 table spoons

Sun flower oil – 2 table spoons

Cumin – 1 tea spoon

Turmeric – ½ tsp

Coriander powder – 1 to 2 tsp

Red chilli powder – 1 to 2 tsps.

Amchur powder – 1 tsp

Garam masala – 1 tsp

Little Subzi masala – 1 tsp (optional)

Sugar – 1 pinch

Salt

Coriander leaves – chopped (to garnish)

Method:

-Cook potato in pressure cooker for 1 whistle. Peel the skin and dice.

-Take one tawa, heat oil, cumin, diced potatoes, all the powders and fry until masala is coated and becomes little crispy.

Garnish with coriander greens.

For deep fried chillies and Onions :

I normally slit the chillies, put a drop of lemon and salt inside and marinate. While frying bhature, deep fry and serve.

Half the onion, slice width wise and separate the layers by hand and sprinkle some salt and chopped coriander.

While plating, place Bhature, chana , potato, little onions and one chilli and serve with love 😊

Palak paneer:

August 8, 2018

Spinach with cottage cheese is one of the healthiest option of Indian curries. It is the most popular North Indian side dish and goes well with any flavoured rice as well flat breads. We all know the goodness of spinach or paneer. Both are very nutritious- spinach is iron rich, and on the other hand paneer is rich in calcium.

This curry which I make is light, low calorie and creamy without adding any cream or deep fry.

Cottage cheese or paneer is soaked in warm milk and cooked with spinach paste with the added mild spice. This recipe is easy to cook and works just fine as a toddler’s food or for the tiffin box.

How I proceed –

Ingredients:

Palak – 1 big punch

Paneer – 200 or 400 grams

Milk – 1 cup

Tomatoes – 2

Salt

Sugar – ½ tea spoon

Oil – 2 table spoons

Hing – one pinch

Cumin – 1 tea spoon

Garlic – 10 -12 cloves (sliced)

Ginger – 1” (julienne)

Turmeric – ½ tea spoon

Red chilli powder – 1 tea spoon

Cumin powder – 1 tea spoon

Garam masala powder – ½ tea spoon

Method:

-Chop Tomato, spinach and make chunks of paneer and keep it ready. Chop garlic and ginger as well.

-Heat milk, add chunks of paneer and keep aside by closing the lid.

-Grind tomato in the mixer jar and keep aside.

-Take one kadai, add chopped spinach, sprinkle sugar, little salt and cook until wilts.

– Sugar will help to retain the colour green and salt will help spinach to leave its water to cook.

-Cool this wilted spinach, grind into rough paste and keep it aside.

-Now keep one tawa for seasoning, pour oil, when it is hot, add cumin, hing, ginger and garlic. Fry for 2 minutes.

-Add tomato paste, turmeric, red chilli powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder and fry until oil oozes from the sides.

-Now add spinach paste, milk-soaked paneer content and give a stir. Check for the salt and add the required amount.

-After boiling it for some time, you will see a layer of oil or dark coloured layer at the top. Now it is ready.

-Serve this rich gravy with your choice main dish. We always prefer jeera rice as a main dish for this curry.

Palak paneer Parata:

June 28, 2018

Palak aka spinach and paneer is a classic combination from North Indian cuisine. It is usually in the form of Palak gravy with paneer chunks. If we convert this into Palak in a roti form and grated paneer as a filling it is a mind-blowing combination in a very healthy form. Here I have used Palak in the raw form as well as paneer.

It is a healthy option for breakfast, brunch, dinner or even in an office or school lunch box.

Palak or spinach is a healthy green which is a power house of nutrition. It contains Iron, anti-oxidants, vitamins and calcium.

On the other hand, paneer is also a very good source of calcium and if it is made from low fat cow’s milk, it is less in fat as well.

It is one more favourite from our lunch box item –

Ingredients:

For the dough:

Palak/ spinach – 1 bunch (only leaves)

Salt

Sugar – 1 tea spoon

Garlic – 2 cloves

Curd – 2 table spoons

Water – as required

Oi – 1 table spoon

Whole wheat flour – as needed

For the Filling:

Paneer – 200 grams (grated)

Coriander powder – ¾ tea spoon

Cumin powder – ¾ tea spoon

Red chilli powder – 1 ½ tea spoon

Garam masala – ¾ tea spoon

Salt

Turmeric – ½ tea spoon

Coriander leaves – ¼ cup (chopped)

Method:

-Make chapati dough at first and keep aside.

-For the dough, make a paste of chopped Palak, salt, sugar, garlic, curd and little water in a mixer grinder.

– Take out the liquid and pour oil and whole wheat flour. Knead it into a soft pliable dough, cover and keep.

-For filling, take one bowl, mix in grated paneer, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, garam masala, salt, turmeric and mix it.

-Add chopped coriander leaves and mix once again. Now, Stuffing is ready.

-Now comes the rolling part.

-Now take lemon sized chapati dough in hand, spread as a small disc by using fingers, by applying little flour.

-Keep this in your left palm, in a cup shape, put filling (smaller in size) and cover it.

-Now take extra flour for dusting and spread or roll this ball with light pressure by using a roller.

-Cook both the sides by using either oil, ghee or butter.

-Enjoy this either with sweetened curd, boondi raita or pickle.

Winter Veggie Pickle/Gajar, Gobhi aur shalgam ka achar:

January 6, 2018

Winter vegetables are very juicy, which can be preserved and enjoyed during the off season as well. In Northern India mainly in Punjab, they preserve these veggies by making pickle. I am very much fond of all kinds of pickles right from our traditional non-oily baby mango pickle to Andhra Avakaya and Punjabi mustard oil soaked root vegetables. No meal is complete without pickle. I usually prefer homemade pickles over store bought one and usually stocks lots of varieties for our regular usage. People who know me will surely agree with this. 😀

DSC05599_Fotor

In this Pickle we use seasonal Red carrots, radish, cauliflower and Turnip chunks. Which is mixed with assorted spices, salt, jaggery and mustard oil. It is a classic combination with any kind of Indian flat breads.

How I make-

Ingredients:

Carrot – 250 grams (Red or Baby carrots)

Radish – 250 grams

Turnip – 250 grams

Cauliflower – 250 grams

Salt – ½ cup+ 1 table spoon (as needed)

Mustard oil – 50 ml

Refined cooking oil – 50 ml

Garlic cloves – 10

Yellow mustard – 50 grams

Turmeric – 1 + 1 tea spoon

Kashmiri chilli powder – 20 grams

Normal chilli powder – 20 grams

Vinegar – 50 ml

Jaggery – 75 grams

Method:

Wash, cut carrots, Radish, Turnip into long pieces.

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Remove small florets from cauliflower. Wash and drain.
Boil 4 to 6 cups of water in a big vessel. Add 1 table spoon of salt and 1 tea spoon of turmeric.

Ribbet collage 1

Blanch cauliflower, radish, Turnip, carrot pieces separately and drain and cool.
Spread these on a clean towel and keep it under the sun for 1 to 2 hours to remove all the water content.

Ribbet collage 2

If you are keeping and drying it inside the house, please switch on the fan or keep it for long hours, until it is dry.
Now keep everything ready for pickle masala and seasoning.
Take one thick kadai, pour oil, when it is hot, add garlic and fry for 2 to 3 minutes.

Ribbet collage 3

Add crushed yellow mustard, fry for one to two minutes.
Immediately add turmeric and dry veggies. Mix nicely.
Add both the chilli powders, salt and mix nicely.
Then add grated jaggery (I have kept the jaggery piece to show) and vinegar.

Ribbet collage 4

Cook until all the masalas and liquid absorb and becomes like a mass.
Cool the mixture, store this in a clean, dry glass bottle.
It will set in a weeks’ time and one can relish after that period.
After it sets, I usually prefer storing it in the fridge to prolong its shelf life.

Sweet Corn and Cheese Paratha/Parata:

November 4, 2017

Week days are really challenging for moms of school going kids. We must see the nutritional factor as well as the taste. This stuffing is such, it is tasty, nutritious and loved by any kids from tiny tots to teenagers. It has sweet corn, cabbage and cheese.

These three are very tasty and nutritious as well. Sweet corn contains a lot of vitamin B12, Iron, Folic acid and soluble fibre etc.

Cabbage also is rich in vitamins; minerals and it is quite filling as well. In India, the only concern is that it has high pesticide content. So, wash with salt or vinegar solution a couple of times, drain and use.

Now it is cheese. Who doesn’t love cheese? Like all dairy products cheese also provides required calcium to our body and kids need it even more. Usage in limited quantity is always good 😊

Ingredients:

For Chapati dough:

Whole wheat flour- 2 cups

Salt- ½ tsp

Water – as required

Oil – 1 tsp

For stuffing:

Cabbage – 3 table spoons

Sweet Corn – 3 table spoons

Capsicum – ½

Onion – 1 (small)

Oregano or Any pizza seasoning – ½ to 1 tsp

Chopped Garlic – 3 flakes

Red chilli flakes – ½ to 1 tsp

Salt

Turmeric – ½ tsp

Grated cheese – 2 table spoons.

Method:

-Make soft pliable chapati dough by mixing all the above ingredients under chapati. Keep aside.

-Boil corn and drain water.

-Chop garlic, onion, capsicum, cabbage.

-Churn or crush cooked corn, cabbage and capsicum in food processer or veggie chopper.

-Take one wok, add oil, chopped garlic, onion, turmeric and fry for a while.

-Next add crushed veggies, put salt and seasoning. Fry for 2 minutes or until it wilts.

Ribbet collage 1

-Cool and add grated cheese and mix nicely and make small balls.

-Now take lemon sized chapati dough in hand, spread as a small disc by using fingers.

-Keep this in your left palm, in a cup shape, put filling (smaller in size) and cover it.

-Now take extra flour for dusting and spread or roll this ball with light pressure by using a roller.

-Cook both the sides by using either oil, ghee or butter.

-Enjoy this either with ketchup or pickle.

Note:

-Instead of chopped garlic and salt, one can use garlic salt as well.

Tadka dal- Seasoned lentil :

July 22, 2017

Tadka dal is a simple, nutritious side dish from northern India. Tadka dhal is a blend of a couple of lentils, cooked and seasoned with ghee as well as butter. It is a very good side dish and goes very well either with roti, plain rice, jeera rice or Kashmiri Pulav.

Ingredients:

Toor dal/ Pigeon peas – ½ cup

Masoor dal/Red lentil – ½ cup

Ghee – 1 tbl sp

Cumin – 1tsp

Turmeric – ½ tsp

Onion – 1 small

Garlic – 4 to 5 cloves

Ginger – ½ inch

Tomato – 1 big

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Cumin powder – 1 tsp

Red chilli powder – 1 tsp

Salt

To Garnish – Chopped coriander, sliced garlic – 3 cloves, butter – ½ tbl sp

Method:

-Wash both the dals, cook with sufficient water.

– Take chopped onion, garlic and ginger in a small mixer jar and make rough paste and keep aside.

– grind tomato as well and keep aside.

-Now take one kadai, put ghee. When it is hot add Cumin then ground onion mixture, turmeric and fry until it is light brown.

-Now add ground tomato and fry this until raw smell vanishes and add Coriander, Cumin and Red chilli powders.

– Add cooked dal, salt and sufficient water. Boil.

-Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

-Fry chopped garlic in little butter and add this into dal.

Enjoy this Dal with Kashmiri Pulav, plain rice or roti.

Aloo Mungre Ki subzi / Potato and radish pods dry curry:

January 15, 2017

Radish pods are available only in winter and after coming to Bangalore, I tasted this almost ten years back and initially I felt it was very pungent and not for me kind of a flavour. But the foodie in me couldn’t keep quiet and I kept on trying it every season and now it is our favourite too.

I don’t promise that you will like it on your first bite. But when you start getting accustomed to it, you’ll start to like it. Radish pods are known as Mungre in Punjabi language and it is the staple food of Punjab. They usually pair it with potato and make a dry curry and which goes very well with whole wheat roti.

I love Radish pods for their distinct taste. If you pair it with potato, that is it. Pure bliss with hot phulka!!!!

Radish main 1_Fotor

Ingredients:

Potato – 4 to 5

Radish pods – ¼ kg

Mustard oil- 2 table spoon

Refined oil – 1 table spoon

Cumin – 1 teaspoon

Hing – ¼ teaspoon

Salt

Sugar – ½ tsp

Turmeric – ½ teaspoon

Red chilli powder – 1 to 2 teaspoon

Amchur powder – ½ teaspoon

Garam masala powder – ½ teaspoon

Method:

Wash potatoes and dice it. Don’t peel the outer skin.

Boil one cup of water with little salt and Par boil these potato pieces .Potato should cook but pieces should be firm.

Drain water and keep aside.

Wash radish pods and chop this according to your taste. I prefer around 1 inch pieces.

Ribbet collage

Take one tawa; put both the oils, when it is hot add cumin and hing.

Drop chopped radish pods; add all the powders like turmeric, red chilli powder, Garam masala, Amchur powder, salt and sugar.

Mix nicely, add in par boiled and drained potatoes and mix and keep it covered and cook for a while.

Sprinkle 2 teaspoon of water and mix it and keep it covered until all the masalas are absorbed and coated in really well.

Switch off the gas and enjoy with phulka or any roti’s.