Potato Groundnut Curry (PGC)

It was the day after Janmashtmi. All I had in my refrigerator was one boiled potato, curd and one green chilli. And yes, I had groundnut powder which I had used for making khichdi the previous day. So I decided to experiment.
Ingredients:
1 boiled potato mashed
1 green chilli
1 cup curd
1 cup groundnut powder
1 tsp jeera
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp salt
oil

Method: Put oil to heat and put chopped green chilli and jeera when the oil is hot. Then put mashed potato, groundnut powder, chilli powder and salt and mix it well. Add water to make it into a gravy while stirring continously. Keep the flame medium. Put curd and bring it to a boil. Your Potato Groundnut Curry is ready. You can enjoy it with chapatis, rice and even with bread-slices.

Paneer - e - Paalak or something like it!

I had promised I'd bring Palak Paneer for the potluck party. I reached home at 8.15pm from work. Started cooking at 8.20 and was ready to leave house with my palak paneer at 8.50pm. So lets get started.
Ingredients:
2 bunches of Palak/Spinach (don't ask me how much did it weigh, lets assume you are also going to buy it from Food Bazaar)
250 gms Paneer
2 onions
2 tomatoes
3 green chillies
2 tbsp Dry Coconut Powder
1 tsp KhusKhus (poppy seeds)
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp Dhania Powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sabzi masala
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
100 ml milk

Method: Wash the spinach and put it in a cooker with covered lid and vent-weight in place on low flame for 5 minutes (or one whistle). In the meantime, grind all ingredients except salt, dhania powder, chilli powder and sabzi masala into an even paste.
Put oil in a deep pan (kadaai) and put the paste in it. Add the remaining ingredients except milk. Put it on low flame and keep on stirring it till its golden brown.
Grind the steamed spinach separately and mix it with the golden brown curry paste.
When the whole paste becomes green, add milk and keep on stirring.
Now add cut pieces of paneer and your Palak Paneer is ready.

PS: It was a bit tiring may be because of the long day that preceded this adventure. Next potluck, I'll bring half a bottle of blender's pride.

Garv se kaho ki bhindi hai

I give the credit of this recipe to Dr. Nandita who gave me this recipe over yahoo messenger today. I was cribbing on how there are only two ways to make bhindi and she asked me to try Dahi Bhindi. Well, Operation Dahi Bhindi was a huge success and it took only 20 minutes to cook it.

Ingredients:
300 gms Bhindi
3 tbsp of besan
1 tbsp Amchur powder
1 tbsp Jeera Powder
1 tbsp Dhania Powder
1 tbsp Salt
Quarter tbsp Haldi
Quarter tbsp Red Chilli Powder
1 Cup Dahi (beat it well)
1 whole green chilli
(Jeera and Rai for tadka)

Method: Cut bhindi length wise into pieces. Put it in microwave for 4 minutes in a covered microwave safe bowl. Alternative, you can steam or cook bhindi on pan first with lid on. Now coat this bhindi with 3 tbsp of besan, then spice with amchur, red chilli powder, haldi, dhania powder and jeera powder.

Add one cup dahi and salt to it and let this marinate for a while.

Now, in a non stick pan do tadka with green chilli, rai and jeera. Now saute whole mix till dahi thickens.

Your Dahi Bhindi is ready!!!

Corn-ee Chaat

Now, this is something that will hardly earn me the title of the CHEF. It's the simplest dish of the lot.
Ingredients:

Boiled Corn
Chopped Tomato - 1
Chopped Onion - 1
Salt
Pepper
Lemon
Chopped Coriander for garnishing.

I got this packet of corn from food bazaar. So I guess, that's the standard packet you get in markets. Boil it in water for 5 minutes. Drain the water and keep it aside.
Mix chopped tomato, onion and the boiled corn well and add salt and pepper. Squeeze one small lemon in it. Garnish it with Coriander. Your CORN CHAAT is ready.

PS: It's a very good "chakhna".

O meri chandni...

Well, I named it Paneer Chandni because of the white gravy. Sridevi in white saree, white bindi, white bangles is a very strong imagery. So Chandni it is! Period!
Ingredients:
2-3 potatoes (boiled and mashed)
1 tbsp khada garam masala (whole spices, not grinded)
1 green chilly
1 chopped onion
salt
100 ml coconut milk
1 tsp vinegar
3 tbsp cooking oil
250 gm paneer (cottage cheese)

method: Heat oil in a deep pan. Put the khada masala, green chilly and chopped onion and fry till golden. Put boiled and mashed potatoes, salt and mix it really well. Add water to make it into a gravy. Stir continously. Add coconut milk and bring the whole thing to boil. Turn the stove off and add vinegar and sliced paneer.
You will love it even more with rice than chapati.
serves 2: You and your spouse
cooking time: 20 minutes

PS: You'll have to add little more salt than generally required because of coconut milk.

Pulao from leftover... but still yummy...

Die-hard foodies are going to kill me for this. I can't differentiate between a pulao or a biryani or dum-pukht or fried rice. For me, all rice dishes are biryanis. All of us order food for dinner from restaurants vegetarians order veg makhanwala 70 percent of the times and non-vegetarians order butter chicken. And when its left, we keep it in fridge but dont feel like having it again for lunch the next day. So lets make biryani, pulao, fried rice out of it. What say?
Ingredients:
One Cup Leftover Veg Makhanwala or Butter Chicken.
One teaspoon Jeera
One teaspoon Salt
Two teaspoons Biryani Masala
One Cup Rice (washed and cleaned)
Two tablespoons of oil

Method: Put Cooker on stove and heat it a bit. Put oil in it and as it heats up, add jeera in it. Once the jeera is grey enough, add rice and the leftover dish. Mix it well on slow flame. Add Biryani Masala and mix it well. Put three cups of water and close the lid of the cooker with weight or siti in its place. Cook on slow flame only and turn the stove after 3 sitis or pressure alarms. Open it once the pressure has released itself. Eat this wonderful rice dish with curd or raita.

Enjoy!!!

Cheela? Veg Omelette? Pancake? Whatever...

You need to fetch something to eat and you are bored with toast, instant pasta, top ramen, upma mix etc. So, how about something which my mom used to call Cheela.
Ingredients:
1 small cup Besan (Chana Dal Powder)
1 teasp salt
half teasp Turmeric Powder
Quarter teasp Red Chilly Powder
2 tbsp sour curd


Method: Heat the besan in a dry pan. Don't let it stick. Take it out in a bowl. Mix all the ingredients with water. Don't make the batter too thin. Keep on beating it in the bowl till it becomes a bit foamy.
Now put the non-stick pan on stove on high flame. Grease it a bit with oil. Once the pan is heated, lower the flame and pour the batter in the centre of the pan. Let it form its own shape. Don't try to flatten it with spoon. Turn the pancake when you feel it is set. When it is golden brown from both sides, take it out. Enjoy it with tomato sauce or pickle or green coriander chutney.

To start with

Welcome to my very first post on this blog. Let me start with a very simple recipe - Daal.
I am sure you all like Toor Daal. How do you make it? Boil it in a cooker in a separator vessel and then do the tadkaa? Well, let me tell you a simpler recipe.
Ingredients:
1 cup Toor Daal
1 Tomato
1 Green Chilly
1 teasp Jeera
1 teasp Salt
1 teasp Dhania Powder
Half teasp turmeric powder
Quarter teasp Red Chilly Powder
2 tbsp Oil of your choice
3 cups water
Chopped Coriander for garnishing

Method: Wash Daal and keep aside. Put Cooker on the stove on high flame and put oil. Once the oil is heated, turn the flame low and put chopped green chilly and jeera in it followed by chopped tomato. Stir for half a minute mashing tomato pieces lightly. Then put daal followed by Salt, Dhania Powder, Turmeric Powder and Red Chilly Powder. Mix it well. Pour 3 cups water and close the cooker. Make sure the weight (or seeti) is in place. Let the flame be on sim. Turn off the stove after three whistles. Open it when the pressure inside calms down by itself. Garnish with chopped Coriander. Eat it with steamed rice and pickle.

Serves: 3-4