An lunch with a dash of spice

So what do you do when you have friends over and have promised them something special from your kitchen? You make some nice stuffed paranthas and a plain sabzi and let them fight over who gets the last piece of flaky bread and pickle. I think Indians have achieved an art form in the making of stuffed paranthas. Alu, gobi, methi, mooli, palak, dal, cheese, mixed-veg, paneer, kheema - you name it and some one or the other would put it in atta or maida and they would roll out bread to be toasted in oil and served with spicy chutney, pickle or curry.
This particular day was drizzly and slightly gloomy. The perfect weather for curling up with warm cocoa and reading your favorite book. Not perhaps the best day for inviting company. But, you really cannot delay the inevitable. Soups will take sometime and let's face it - you want something a little more fun and very hot. And, the author loves being ambitious [to her own deterrent]. So, she announces - I will make you nice palak paranthas with alu curry.

 The recipe for palak paranthas is adapted from Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Cooking. This cookbook is a must for anyone beginning an ambitious journey into the wonderful aromas of the Indian hearth. I mean, no wonder, this book was awarded a James Beard. It should belong to the repertoire of any aspiring Indian cook. I have added coriander and chillies to make a little more interesting. And, this is a good thing. While there are certain things you should follow down to the last letter, it is important you make it your own. So boldly experiment and make it for yourself so you learn and fine-tune and just have fun in the process.
The curry forms the perfect accompaniment - spicy and yet light enough for a lunch. You can also use this a side-dish for a meat main course. It is a versatile dish that can meld into any Indian table you might favor. Go forth and prosper.

 Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cup of atta
1tbsp salt
500 gm of spinach, boiled
2 medium potatoes, boiled
2 green chillies
1 bunch coriander leaves
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1tsp ajwain
2 dried red chillies
1 bay leaf
4 small onions, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1tbsp red chilli powder
1tsp kitchen king powder
1tsp coriander powder
1tsp garam masala
water as needed
Oil for the curry

Method
Boil potatoes and spinach. Remove the spinach after three minutes. Mix it with coriander leaves. If they are too big, chop it into little pieces.
In a bowl, mix the atta with salt. Add spinach, coriander, 1 chopped green chilly, cumin seeds and ajwain. Add water as required and make a dough. Cover it with a wet cloth and leave it to rise.
While the dough is taken care of, heat oil. Add 1tbsp cumin seeds and splutter. Break the red chillies in half and add to the oil along with the bay.

 Add the onions and fry till golden brown. Add a ginger-garlic paste and fry for two minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and a little bit of red chilli powder. Fry till the tomatoes mashes into the onions, ginger and garlic. Add a little water if the masala sticks.
Add the boiled potatoes and fold into the spice base. Sprinkle red chilli powder, kitchen king and coriander powder. Adjust the salt. Cook for five minutes.
Add 1/4 cup of water, garam masala and simmer till all the water has almost left.
Put this away and take out your dough.
Roll the spinach dough into round roti-sized shapes. Toast the rotis for a few minutes till golden spots appear. Add a teaspoon of oil around it and toast for a few more minutes. Repeat with the other. Serve the paranthas with the curry, tomato pickle and slitted green chillies.
 

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Pizza Hut's Cheesy Bites spicy chicken sausage pizza

Shree Datta Vada pav

So the plan was wake up at around seven and leave by seven-thirty and be on the hills in the next hour. But, plans rarely go like clockwork. So it was delayed by a couple of hours. And by the time the hills were in sight, we were all hungry [ even though we all had breakfast] and my cousin would not stop raving about this highway side snacks place - Shree Datta Snacks. The place on the Mumbai-Pune expressway is a detour but one you absolutely have to take.
The place is surrounded by major franchise chains - Subway, Mcdonalds, KFC - as well as other food stores. And yet, this place is full to the brim. Families laughing and dining together, friends chatting, kids running around even as others walk in - all of them munching on vada pav or digging into sabudana khichdi and misal pav. When my brother got the order, we all carried our plates to side stand and started digging into our vada pav.

 You know that's when I realized something. Nobody does it like the Maharasthrians. The batata vada before would be encased with thick, doughy flour and the bread or the pav is too dense and kills any flavor that you might have from the cutlet. And, a tart chutney that would make everything unbearable.

This order from this innocuous place was so, so different. My time in Pune was a revelation. When I had the first one - my taste buds found their new addiction. I mean I was having them every other day. And then when you have from this particular place, you know you have been changed. The mashed potato is spicy and is coated with crispy besan batter. And, there is something different about the bread here. It is soft and melt in the mouth. The dish is served with a spice powder and a chilly. And, once you have taken your first bite, you really fall into it - ravenous for more.
So, when you are on the road and want something quick and portable, stop at this watering hole and have yourself this snack with a hot cup of chai. It is totally worth it.

Location: Mumbai-Pune Expressway
What to try: Vada pav, Misal Pav, Sabudana khichdi
Rating: 5/5

Wholesome food

For a nice wholesome lunch or dinner, a plain khichdi with an easy curry forms the ideal recipe. My mother - being the domestic goddess that she is - makes this recipe with ghee, cauliflower, toasted dal and rice - the works. The author likes her food a little simply prepared with as little fuss as possible. Except when she decides not to. This particular dish was created out of a desire to eat something - anything - other than the mess food. Usually I just throw everything in the rice cooker and then let the machine do all the work. The 35 minutes that it takes, you can chop up some potatoes and spinach for a quick sabzi and assemble a salad. This menu is healthy and tastes warm and delicious on a cold, foggy evening. All that is required is a few minutes of work and you are good to go.
This is also a good recipe when you have leftovers in the fridge and want to finish it off before market day.  Quick and tasty, this recipe takes so little and gives so much flavor back.

Ingredients:
1cup rice
2cup dal[preferably moong dal]
2 small onions, sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced
1/2 large capsicum, chopped
a handful of beans, chopped
1/2 cauliflower, chopped
2tsp red chili powder
1tsp coriander powder
1/2tsp turmeric
1tsp cumin powder
1tsp garam masala
salt to taste

Method:
Soak the rice and dal in the cooker. While they are soaking, you can chop all the vegetables.
Add the vegetables except capsicum to the pre-soaked rice and dal. Sprinkle all the spice powders. Adjust the salt.
Add around nine cups of water to the cooker. That is the rule of thumb. You should always add thrice the amount of water to rice and dal combined. Close the lid and cook.  If you are doing it in a pressure cooker then around four to five whistles should do it.
Before the last five minutes add the capsicum and close the lid again. In the pressure cooker it should be before the last whistle.
You will know when the khichdi is ready when the dal melts into the rice. If you like, sprinkle a little lemon juice before serving. 

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Sree's simple and amazingly delicious Stew