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

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!!!!

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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.

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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.

Makki di Roti/Maize flour flatbread:

Makki Ki roti/Makki di roti is the staple food of Punjab and tastes really good when we pair this with Sarson Ka Saag. Usually Makki Ka roti is made by using maize flour and patted by hand. It is slightly thick and firm in texture. We like our roti to be soft and puffy like regular phulka.

That is the reason I do this by adding whole wheat flour and roll like a regular roti. So, my version is light and soft but has Makki Ka flavour.

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Ingredient:

Maize flour – 2 cups

Water – 2 cup

Whole wheat flour – to bind

Salt

Ghee – 1 tsp

Method:

-Boil water, put salt, ghee and maize flour and mix by using one spoon.

-Mixture will be sticky so adjust this by adding the required amount of whole wheat flour to make firm dough.

-Keep it covered and keeps aside for 5 to 10 minutes.

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– Roll out roti’s like a regular Chapati.

-Keep Dosa tawa on fire, when it is hot, cook both the sides of this roti, and hold the roti over the gas flame.

-when it fluffs, remove and keep it on the plate.

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-Apply some ghee or butter and serve. Enjoy this roti with Sarson Ka Saag or any other side dish of your choice.

 

 

 

Sarson Ka Saag/ Mustard greens curry:

Come January, my veggie vendor will bring mustard greens and Bathua greens. In Kannada, we call Bathua as chakotha and mustard as sasive soppu .Last week I got a bunch from him and I prepared this curry. I love to include seasonal veggies in my cooking and it is a yearly ritual to make Saag at least once in winter.

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How I make –

Sarson / Mustard greens – 2 bunches

Bathua / chakotha leaves – 2 bunches

Palak/spinach – 2 bunches

Onion – 1

Green chillies – 4

Garlic – 10

Ginger- 1 inch

Maize flour – 1 table spoon

Cumin – ½ teaspoon

Turmeric – ½ teaspoon

Hing- ¼ teaspoon

Butter – 1 table spoon

Salt

Method:

  • Clean all the greens remove stalks and discard.

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  • Wash and chop the leaves into fine strips and cook this in a vessel by putting half cup of water, little salt, sugar for 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Take one mixer jar and put sliced onion, crushed ginger; chopped chillies and garlic, dry grind all this into rough paste.
  • When greens are cool, grind this as well. Don’t make smooth paste. Whip only once or twice, you will get required consistency.

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  • I usually use earthen vessel to cook traditional items. If you have one, you can use it otherwise use normal kadai.
  • Take vessel, put butter, when it is hot add cumin and hing. Then onion and chilli paste. Fry for a while. Add turmeric and salt. Salt will help to ooze out water from the onion and will retain moisture while frying.

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  • When it is light brown, add maize flour and fry for 2 minutes.
  • Add one cup of water and mix onion and maize flour mixture. This will look like a paste now.

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  • Add Ground greens and boil, If you feel water is needed you can add water and cook until you get the right consistency, and when it is done , mixture becomes like a mass and surface becomes little glossy.

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Masala Whole Wheat Laddu/ Pinni Ke Ladoo:

Happy New Year wishes to all my Readers!!!!

Masala whole wheat laddu’s are pure bliss!!!! I had some apprehension before tasting this mainly because, I couldn’t imagine the taste of laddu’s with fennel, pepper etc.! These beauties are originally from Punjab and known as Pinni ke ladoo. This recipe is from my friend and according to her; each family has their own style of preparation of Pinni and is a must for winter months. I have prepared according to our taste and availability of the ingredients in my pantry.

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Ingredients:

Note: Here I have used steel tumbler or regular steel glass to measure ingredients.

Whole wheat flour – 3 cups

Ghee – 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups

Almond- ½ cup

Pista – ½ cup

Desiccated coconut – ½ cup

Flax seed powder – 1tblsp

Sugar – 1 ½ cup (powdered)

Jaggery – ¼ cup (powdered)

For masala: Fennel – 1 tsp, black pepper – 1 tsp, cardamom – 1 tsp, ginger powder – ¼ tsp.

Salt – ¼ tsp

Edible gum – 30 – 50 gms.

Method:

-Dry roast almond and Pista, cool, powder it and keep aside.

-Dry roast desiccated coconut for 2 minutes, to increase its fragrance.

picture-1-Powder masala ingredients in a small mixer jar. No need to roast this.

-Put 1 tsp of ghee, fry edible gum in a hot ghee until it puffs and becomes transparent. Cool it and powder in a mixer jar.

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-Take one thick bottomed kadai, add one cup of ghee and roast whole wheat four in a very low fire, until it becomes light brown and sandy in texture.

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-Switch off the gas. Add in edible gum, sugar powder, jaggery powder, masala powder, salt, coconut, dry fruits powder,flax seed powder etc.

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-Mix everything together, try to make roundels. If you are able to bind it together, well you can proceed to make laddu’s.

-If it breaks while binding, add little by little hot ghee and mix, and then make the roundels.

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-Cool completely before storing it in an air tight container.