Veg Momo With Chilli and Peanut Chutney:

Should I say, Momo’s are everyone’s favourite or teenager’s favourite 😉 .

 If you have teens at your house, you can relate to me 😀 . Yes, it is the easiest, cheapest and tummy filling, in their language, it is healthy too 😉 . My daughters were missing their friend group as well as their usual outing to eat Momos with 3 dipping sauces 😀  I had the recipe of Momo as well as an easy chutney recipe ,which I had noted down during our Gangtok trip from a couple of local people there.

Tried my hand at an elaborate procedure and felt happy to see a happy face as well.

You can prepare chutney in the beginning and keep it ready, before making momos.

For Momo: It gives around 15 momos

At First: Outer covering/Dough:

Ingredients:

All-purpose flour – 1 cup

Salt

Oil – 2 sp

Water – to bind.

Method:

-Take a flour, add salt, oil. Rub for a while and make a pliable dough. Cover with a wet towel and keep it for rest, while preparing stuffing.

Second: Inner stuffing:

Ingredients:

Cabbage – 1 cup (grated)

Carrot – ½ to 1 cup (grated)

Onion – 1 (chopped)

Ginger – 1 tsp (grated)

Salt

Method:

-Mix everything, keep aside for 5 minutes. Drain all the water, which oozes out by holding/ placing in your palm , folding, and squeezing properly.

-Drain the liquid and keep it ready.

Final step: Folding and steaming

-Take ready dough, take a small portion , make a ball, apply little oil to flat surface as well as to wooden roller.

-Prepare a small disc by rolling, place a little filling at the centre. You can then either close it by folding like how I did . (Lift one side make pleats and fold to the other half and seal the edges OR gather all around and close it at the centre top like a cone.)

-Prepared Momos  should be under wet towels to avoid any dehydration.

-After making some , you can start to steam, by placing it in an idli /Momo steamer. Line the steamer either by spreading banana leaf, parchment paper/ butter paper or by oiling.

-Steam for 10 minutes and serve with any kind of chutney or sauce.

Now we would see how to make,

Hot chilli Chutney and Peanut Chutney to go with steamed momos:

It is sort of a one by two preparation. At first, we are going to make chilli chutney, divide into half and add roasted peanut to one half, grind and make really tasty additional dish.

For Chilli Chutney:

Tomatoes – 4

Red Byadagi chilli – 4 to 5

Garlic cloves – 5 to 6

Roasted sesame seeds – 2 tablespoons

Salt

Method:

-Take a half cup of water, boil and add red chilli, halved tomato, and boil for 2 more minutes.

-Remove outer skin from the tomato , cool.

-Take a mixer jar, powdered sesame, add peeled tomato, cooled red chilli with water, salt and grind smooth.

-It is our Hot Chilli chutney.

For Peanut Chutney:

Roast fistful of peanuts, cool and powder it. Add half the quantity of chilli chutney , little salt, and grind into paste. Voila!!! Your two sides are ready to indulge .

If you like Mayonnaise ,fill the third cup and indulge 😊

Note:

Don’t discard  the vegetable water, which can be used while kneading the dough for any kind of roti’s. 

If you want to serve these momo’s to any kind of parties, prepare before hand, keep inside the fridge /freeze, steam on that day, before serving.

Chole Bhature (Chana Bhatura) and Alu subzi:

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 😊

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nacho’s Aloo Chat:

This 72nd Indian Independence Day, my daughters’ school had organised a fund-raising event and my daughters wanted to make a couple of attractive dishes with no usage of gadgets, on the spot kind of menu. They made a group of 9 kids and chalked down ideas decided to do Nachos. One dish was nachos with dips and deciding one more item was the task. Finally, I also chipped in and after a couple of ideas we all finalised with the Nacho aloo chat.

Now started my headache of deciding on how to make it, quantity of the ingredients etc. Because quantity was huge, and preparation should happen at the early morning as well.  Kids wanted to do a food photography for their banner and board to hang in their food stall. I grabbed the opportunity and thought of making Aloo chat for their group which contained 9 students. Last Sunday, made tamarind and date chutney, and went ahead with one kg of potato. So, that I would know, how many plates we can make from this much.

After preparing and plating, it turned out well and kids were happy with the dish as well as they enjoyed the activities of banner making, painting the board and food photography as well.

I was relieved and finalised the quantity. Why I made this post is – it is a perfect dish for any parties and this mixture turned out very good and as a tasty sandwich stuffing as well, with a little grated cheese.

 Pic by : Aneesh Navanale

Let us see how I planned and proceeded.

Event was on Wednesday morning.

Sunday, I made tamarind and Date chutney and stored it in a fridge.

Monday, I made Mint and coriander chutney and stored it in a fridge.

Tuesday night before going to bed, cooked whole potatoes, drained and kept it for cooling.

1 kg of potato yields 10 to 12 plates of chat. So, used 5 kgs of potatoes for around 50 to 60 plates.

Wednesday morning peeled the potatoes, diced into small bits and proceeded.

Khatta Meeta tamarind and Dates chutney:

Ingredients :

Dates – 200 grams (please adjust according to its sweetness)

Tamarind – 100 grams (please use according to sourness of the tamarind)

Jaggery – As needed.

Green chillies – 2

Red chilli powder

Black Salt or Sea salt – very little

Roasted cumin powder

Method:

-Mine is home grown, hand cleaned tamarind, so I went ahead as it is. If it is store bought one, please remove any impurities.

-Boil one to two cups of water, soak tamarind and pitted dates in it.

-After an hour, grind this in a mixer grinder by adding 1 or 2 green chillies. You will get very smooth paste.

-Adjust the consistency by adding water and boil. While boiling add red chilli powder, salt, cumin powder and required amount of jaggery.

Once cooked, raw smell of dates, tamarind and jaggery is vanished, switch off the gas.

Cool completely and store it in a refrigerator.

Note:

  • I usually prefer to make little thicker version. So that, if thicker or thinner version is needed, scoop out a little from this batch, adjust by adding little water.
  • Adjust the ingredient according to your taste.
  • One can add more jaggery if mixture is sour.

Green chutney/ Mint – Coriander chutney:

This is my basic sandwich chutney, which I usually make and store it in a fridge for an emergency use.

Ingredients:

Coriander – ½ bunch.

Pudina – 1 small bunch

Green chillies – 1 or 2

Garlic – 2 cloves

Cumin – 1 tea spoon (without roasting)

Dry mango powder – ½ tea spoon

Salt

Sugar or jaggery – ½ tea spoon

Ready sev or boondi – 2 to 3 tea spoons (to give thickness)

Method:

-Wash coriander, pudina, green chillies, drain, chop.

-Put everything and grind in a mixer grinder by adding required amount of water.

-I normally store this as a thick chutney. So that if it is sandwich, use as it is like a spread. If it is chat, adjust the consistency by adding water.

For Aloo Chat:

 Pic by : Aneesh Navanale

I am giving here for the quantity of one kg potato. Which will yield approximately 12 plates of ready chat.

Ingredients:

Potato – 1 kg

Tomato – 3 (big)

Onion – 2 (big)

Lemon – ½ to 1

Green Coriander – As needed

Black salt – As needed

Cumin powder – As needed

Chat masala – As needed

Dry mango powder – As needed

Sweet chutney – As needed

Green chutney – As needed

Nacho chips – As needed

Corn mixture – As needed

Thin Sev – As needed

Method:

Wash potato,cook whole potatoes by immersing in water by adding very little salt ( potato should absorb very little salt) for one whistle in a pressure cooker, drain and keep it for cooling.

-When it is cool, peel outer skin,dice potatoes in to small chunks. Chop onion and tomatoes in to small pieces.

-Chop coriander as well.

-Take one big bowl. Mix in chopped potatoes, onions, tomatoes.

-Pour sweet chutney, green chutney, black salt, cumin powder, chat masala, dry mango powder and lemon juice and adjust the seasoning according to your taste.

-Take a serving plate, spread nacho chips at first.

-As a second layer, spread potato mixture over chips layer.

-Sprinkle corn mixture, sev , chopped coriander and serve.

Potato and cheese / Aloo Sandwich:

If this above ready mixture is available, you can make and serve awesome tasty sandwiches as well.

Just take a couple of breads. Spread aloo mixture over one bread. Grate some cheese and close with another slice of bread. Apply some butter and grill or roast it on Dosa tawa and enjoy.

Mango Trifle:

Trifle, name itself brings a smile on my face. I started my non-Indian dessert preparation journey from this recipe and it has come a long long way. It has been almost 20 years now. When I was in my native, exposure to the outside world was minimal and our day to day preparations were all traditional and prepared with locally available ingredients or seasonal vegetables. After my wedding, my opportunities got widened as well as the encouragement. It was not an internet era. My sources were library books and my notebook and pen. I used to read about the different cuisines, uses and ingredients. In the meantime, I tried to implicate all of that knowledge in my cooking.

Trifle is an English dessert, which is cold and creamy, that contains 3 layers. Here I usually use Sponge cake at the base, then vanilla milk custard which is topped with any seasonal fruits. Mostly Mango or strawberries. Here sponge cake will be soaked with hot custard and will swell like a thick foam. It is cooled under refrigeration and while serving, last layer will be added. It is a party pleaser and a very good idea for a large gathering and usually is loved by all. Prepared this easy dessert to celebrate 6th Anniversary of our Foodie group in  Facebook.

Ingredients:

Sponge cake – ½ kg

Custard powder – 4 table spoons

Milk – 1 litre

Sugar – ½ to ¾ cup (I usually prefer light sweet)

Mango fruits – 3 to 4

Method:

-Take one flat, rectangular or square glass dish or baking dish.

-Place the first layer.  Slice the sponge cake and place flat at the bottom of the dish.

-Prepare custard first:

-Pour milk to the vessel, remove half cup of milk from this vessel, mix in custard powder and make a paste and keep it ready.

-When milk starts boiling, add the custard paste and boil for some more time (2 to 3 minutes)

-Mix in sugar and stir nicely.

-Pour this hot custard over the first layer (over the sponge cake)

-Sometimes sponge cake pops up, while pouring the custard. It is ok. After some time, you will be able to press it back.

-Now cool it completely, cover with the cling wrap and keep it under refrigeration to cool.

-It takes almost 4 to 6 hours or overnight is also fine.

-Next is Fruit layer: Chop the fruits into small chunks. Remove all the pulps which is attached to the inner seed as well.

-Mix in couple of spoons of sugar and keep it in the fridge.

-Before serving, remove cling wrap and spread the fruit all over the custard.

-Take one serving spoon, dig it up to the bottom, take out all three layers, while serving and enjoy.

-If you are making this for a larger crowd, you can prepare this in advance and serve.

Crunchy Ice cream:

I am celebrating my blog’s first anniversary, what more reason do we need to celebrate than this? I chose to prepare our all-time favorite “crunchy ice cream” which I whipped up a couple of years back, after tasting this yummilicious blend of fresh cream, chocolate, Vanilla ice cream with crunchy rice crispies, which we enjoyed during our Malaysia trip at Dip n Dip’s This recipe is a crowd pleaser, child friendly as well as perfect for any family gathering and celebrations.

DSC02177_Fotor main

Ingredients:

Fresh cream – 200 grams

Cooking chocolate – 100 -150 grams

Sugar – 2 tsp

Rice crispy – 100 grams

Vanilla ice cream – as needed

Chocolate vermicelli or sprinkles – little

Method:

-Grate cooking chocolate or make small chunks.

Ribbet collage 1

-Take one sauce pan and boil fresh cream, cooking chocolate, sugar into sauce consistency.

-Now Take 4 serving bowls. Pour Rice crispies at the base.

Ribbet collage 2

-Next, pour Hot chocolate sauce and place one ball of ice cream.

pic main_Fotor

-If you want, you can sprinkle some chocolate vermicelli/ sprinkles and some more sauce and enjoy with your family.

Guacamole / Mexican Avocado or Butter fruit dip:

I tasted my first fresh and authentic Guacamole which was prepared by a native Mexican couple in Key west during my recent trip. Personally, I had never liked it before. It was by accident that we spotted a cart over there, due to my tiny niece who loves her dose of Guac at any time of the day, and that is the reason why we picked up one.

pic main

We got an opportunity to taste Authentic key lime pie and visited “Peppers of Key west” which is a small pepper bar. We sat at the pepper bar and did a taste test as well. They had more than thousands of varieties of sauces and dips with spice levels ranged or ranked from 0 to 10 and my daughters and sister who enjoyed this tasting session earned their ” I have the Hottest tongue in this island” badge as well.

collage 1

At Mallory square, one will get to see lots of things like Magic shows, tarot reading or some amazing food in different kinds of carts. We browsed a bit and decided to taste Budapest special Chimney cake, Caribbean grilled corn and this Guacamole. After all these experiences and eating sessions, we enjoyed the sunset over there.

pic 8

Now we will see how I tried to replicate their recipe and I want to dedicate this recipe to that couple.

Ingredient:

Avocadoes/ Butter fruit – 2 (small size)

Garlic cloves – 5 to 6

Crystal cooking salt – as needed

Tabasco chilli sauce – 1 tea spoon

Tomato ketch up – 1 teaspoon

Tomato – 1 (big)

Spring onion greens – 2 table spoons

Fresh Lemon juice – as needed

Method:

-Make a paste of garlic, salt and Tabasco sauce by using pestle and mortar.

– it should be like a semi ground paste and it takes little time and energy of yours.

collage 2

-Now cut open the fruit, remove seed and scoop out the flesh and mash this into fine texture.

collage 3

– Mix in tomato ketch up and ground garlic and salt paste.

-Garnish with finely chopped spring onion, tomato and juice of lime .

pic 7

Serve fresh with tortilla chips or with some other choice of yours.