Street Smart: Aloo Tikki Chaat

I love standing by stalls - heat/rain - no barrier, just digging into whatever particular food that I was in the mood for that day. Panipuris, Chaat, Kachori Chaat, Pav Bhaji, Dahibara aludum, Vada pav, Dosa, Chuski, Momos, Chicken chops - there is nothing that you cannot find in the streets of India. You move from north to west to east and then down south - you will find variations of various food in its most deliciousness when you turn every corner. And you have your favorites in all those places. I mean you have to have jaleba from the corner of Chandni chowk[Delhi] when it is freshly fried and then dunked on to sugar syrup before being handed out to you. Or have Dahibara Aludum from Naya Sarak[Cuttack] and follow it up with ice golas to soothe your burning throat. And I could write entire posts on the multifarious street food from all corners of India.

 

 But, this is just the beginning. The paeans and odes to joy will follow in the wake of more blog posts. Bear with me when I do that. You know that I am justified. So coming back to this post - I am probably beginning with one of the easiest to make at home snacks or quick dish to served at a street food themed party. And it is delicious. And easy to make. Need I say more. The recipe for the matar curry is my beginning post for this blog. It is simple but remember - for this recipe you need to add one more whistle. This will give make your curry a more stewy version and perfect canvas to build your chat for the crowd. Check out the recipe at here.

 

Make your tikkis:
4 medium potatoes boiled
2tsp red chili powder
2tsp garam masala
2tsp cumin powder
salt
a handful of chopped coriander leaves
Oil for frying
Mash the potatoes. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix everything together. Make small balls and then flatten it with your palms.
Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry tikkis till golden brown on both sides.

Assembling your Chaat:
Matar curry
Tikkis
3 medium onions sliced
2 lemon wedges
Coriander leaves chopped
Sev depending on how much you want[Haldiram's Aloo Bhujia is a good choice but check out your local shops for cool combinations]
Imli ki chutney
Put the curry at the bottom of the bowl. Add a tablespoon of chutney
Arrange the tikkis - maybe three to four per serving.
Put some onions on top.
Sprinkle lemon juice. Then sprinkle coriander leaves and sev.
Serve with bowls of lemon wedges, coriander leaves and sev for the guests to pile on when they want.

Vegetable Pulao

Somedays you just act on instinct. You just pull out ingredients from the fridge and start chopping and cutting randomly. Suddenly a dish starts to form on its own and you know it is good. Thats the thing about improvisation - you add this here and that there - and construct your own dishes making them taste good and impress everyone around you. Making pulaos is an art, you need to have just the right ingredients, the right flavors and the right techniques. And there can be disasters - oh yes they can be - but if you can get it right everything is good.

 This is not exactly a proper pulao. In fact, it is a cross between pulao and a fried rice. And to make things easier, you can make it in a rice cooker so you can just let it cook at the flick of a switch. This recipe is a celebration of the vegetables in the supermarket. It contains leeks, red and yellow bell peppers, carrots, mushrooms and cucumbers. And lets me clarify - the cucumber is for the raita that goes so well with this pulao. This contains some really mellow flavors making it perfect to have with any type of curry or sabzi with raita. This recipe is a good one to have in your repertoire when you have people over the dinner or a special Sunday lunch. You can add different vegetables like cauliflower when they are in season, beets, peas or even fry paneer[just repeat the mushroom process] and make a really hearty rice dish for a grand occasion.

Ingredients:
1 leek sliced
2 onions sliced
6 gloves garlic chopped
1 green chilly chopped
1 red bell peppers sliced
1 yellow bell peppers sliced
2 carrots sliced
6 green beans sliced
1 packet of button mushrooms sliced
1 and 1/4 cup rice
1tsp pepper
2tsp red chili powder
2tsp garam masala
salt to taste
Oil for cooking
Water for cooking rice
Juice of half a lemon
Coriander leaves chopped

Method:
Switch on your cooker. Add the oil and wait for two minutes.
Add the leek and onions and fry for 6 to 7 minutes. You dont need it browned just softened and infuded into the oil.
Add the garlic anc chilly. Cook for two minutes. Tip in all the vegetables and fold everything in.
Add the rice and sprinkle the pepper, red chili powder and garam masala. Fold in the rice. Add twice as much water. Cover with the lid and let it cook.
Toss the sliced mushrooms with red chili powder and garam masala. When the rice is done, heat the oil in a frying pan. Fry the mushrooms till browned.
Mix the mushrooms into the rice. Sprinkle lemon juice and a handful of chopped coriander leaves. 
Toss everything together and serve.

Chicken Curry

This post takes some time to write. Mostly because the non-veg preparation of this post has always been an issue for me. I get slightly squirmy around raw meat or fish especially the cleaning and cutting. Fish I cannot stand but seafood and meat - slightly better. The author has taken a lot of time to get over this issue to cook a proper dish of chicken curry.

 If there is any universal classic all around India it would be chicken curry. And every home has its own variation for their Sunday lunches or entertaining guests at home. I mean you have the spicy curries with curd and cream, the sweet and sour Western ones, the masala ones that have come out of my own home kitchen, the coconut milk and curry leaf flavored Southern specialties. There are so many versions that it boggles the mind. Mutton, beef, pork - they are regional but chicken - it really is universal.

I think for me the best chicken curry that I have had is my grandfather's chicken curry. My sister and me, we go over for Sunday lunches at my grandfather's place where there would be an entire kadhai full of chicken curry with hot dal and gobi pakoras cooked by my grandmother. We would have big thalis full of steamed rice, pakoras, dal, curry with salad and raita. My grandmother would be sitting right next to the both of us making sure that we would have second  helpings and possible thirds if we didnt protest on account of extremely distended stomach.
This post has come after a long series of kitchen trials. Chicken curry is not something that you get right on the first time. Not to discourage you, but to cook chicken to perfection takes a lot of practice. And that is what the author was involved in. Trying to hit upon the recipe that becomes a personal signature. And perhaps she has found it. For this recipe, make sure you get the spice paste right and follow the steps exactly as specified in the post. After that, you will be an expert on making chicken curry.

Marinating Chicken:
1kg boneless chicken legs
1 tub of yoghurt
1tbsp salt
1tbsp red chili powder
1tbsp turmeric.
Bring chicken to room temperature. Make incisions with a knife. This will help the marinate soak into the chicken.
Add the rest of the ingredients into the chicken and then mix everything together. Marinate for at least three hours.
Making spice paste:
Grind 3 medium onions, 9 cloves of garlic, 2 inch of ginger, 5 green chillies and a handful of mint leaves with 2 tbsp of water into a smooth paste.

Making the Curry:
5tbsp oil
1tsp cumin powder
3 cardamon smashed
6 cloves
1 bay leaf
2tbsp red chili powder
2tbsp coriander powder
2tbsp cumin powder
2tbsp kitchen king powder
2tbsp garam masala
salt to taste
coriander leaves for garnish
Heat oil. Splutter cumin, cardamom, cloves and bay. As the aromas release add the spice paste. If the paste needs more oil then add a little more. It takes around fifteen minutes to cook the paste. But go for twenty if you are not sure.
Add the marinated chicken along with the spice powders and the salt. Simmer the chicken for twenty minutes until all the masala is cooked out and the chicken is cooked through. Adjust your seasoning and spices. If the masala is sticking then add a little water. Check if the chicken is cooked all the way through. If the curry needs cook for a few minutes more. Add coriander leaves and mix it all the way through.

Kadhai Mushroom

Remember that episode in The Big Bang Theory - The Vegas Renormalization where Sheldon talks about the merits of Kadhai Paneer. It was folksy the way he bungled around the Indian words [ he might not object to the word folksy] but somehow this particular dish stuck with me. I have already made Kadhai Paneer in one other post. This post started out as a way of having mushrooms for dinner. Since the author had re-watched the episode a couple of days back, her unconscious well it had its own direction for this recipe.
For this recipe's unique flavor, you need to have two things - one sliced capsicum and the other its spice paste. After that all you need is some sliced mushrooms and onions and you are off to make a cracker of a dish which even Sheldon Cooper would think delicious enough to be enjoyed in his Fortress of Solitude [if he is not locked out that is]

Making the Spice Paste:
2 medium tomatoes chopped
1 small onion chopped
2 green chilly chopped
1tbsp of water.
Grind to make a smooth paste. I am making this with readymade ginger-garlic paste. If you are using fresh than add 1inch ginger and 6 cloves of garlic.

For the curry:
1 cinnamon stick
1tbsp of cumin
1bay leaf
1 medium onion sliced
2tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1/4cup of the paste made above
1 packet button mushrooms sliced
1 large capsicum sliced
2tsp red chili powder
2tsp cumin powder
2tsp coriander powder
a pinch of turmeric
2tbsp garam masala
salt to taste
2tbsp water
Oil for frying

Method:
Heat oil. When it is hot, splutter the spices. When they start to sizzle, add the sliced onion and brown. This on high heat takes around eight minutes.
Add the spice paste. Cook for three minutes. Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook the whole lot for ten-fifteen minutes. Add the spice powder except garam masala and a little water. Cook for five minutes.
Add mushrooms and fold everything in. The mushroom will need another ten minutes to cook. At this time also add the garam masala and the salt. If it is a little dry then add some water.
The final result needs to be the masala coating the mushroom. Adjust seasonings. Serve it with some hot rotis.

QuickSmart Egg Curry

I love egg curry. It is my go to comfort curry whether I am having a bad day and need a pick me up or when it is one of lazy days when I can leisurely whip up a tasty curry, make some fried rice and toss in a couple of fritters while I am at it. I learnt to make egg curry from my grandmother actually. It was one of those days after school when she was minding me and my sister and to make sure that we stayed out trouble showed us how to make this particular dish. Her curries would always begin with caramelizing a little bit of sugar and then tossing in jeera and onions so as to make a slightly sweet and very savory curry to go with hot rice, dal and karela sabzi that she would have prepared earlier. It is one of my favorite memories of her - standing by the window patiently, framed in the afternoon light, as she guided us through the step by step process of cooking.

So returning to the recipe at hand, this was first sampled in the heartland of Kerala as a breakfast treat. The friend I was staying with - her mother had made idiappams and mutta curry which basically meant stringhopper idlis with egg curry. After that, I had the chance to sample it when this friend attempted to recreate it later. And it was delicious. This recipe is an adapation of the tastes that remain in the memory and cause incredible cravings months later.

Ingredients:
2 boiled eggs
1 large onion sliced
1inch ginger chopped
6 cloves garlic chopped
2 green chillies chopped
8 curry leaves
4tbsp tomato puree*
1tsp red chili powder
1tsp cumin powder
1tsp coriander powder
1tsp kitchen king powder
1tsp garam masala
 salt to taste
1/2 cup coconut milk
4tbsp water
Oil for cooking

Method:
Boil eggs for twelve minutes.
Heat oil in a saucepan. Add curry leaves. Be careful as they splatter. Fry onions till light brown - this should take a few minutes. Sprinkle ginger, garlic and one chopped green chilly. Cook for four minutes.
Add the tomato puree, the other chopped chilli, salt, red chili, coriander, cumin and kitchen king powders. Cook for a few minutes. Add a little bit of water so as get a smooth consistency.
Remove from heat and add coconut milk and water. Sprinkle garam masala. Adjust seasonings. The curry should be a thick soupy consistency by now. Add the egg and fold in. Serve hot with rice, rotis or pretty much anything that you choose.

Egg Curry with Green beans and Coconut Milk

Pan frying eggs is a lot of fun. Oh, there are so many childhood memories of mom frying snowy white eggs in oil and watching the skin splitting to form that golden color. And the later taste of curry and rice with fried papad and slices of cucumber. This particular egg curry has become something of a signature for my mom. The fried boiled egg, the grinding of cashew with tomatoes and lightly spiced - all come together to form a beautiful curry. Every time I am home, this curry has to be on the menu at least once a week.

The idea for my version began a week back with a craving for that fried eggs. And strangely for crunchy green beans. The idea kept rolling around my head until a proper dish could be constructed resulting in a spicy as well as creamy curry reminiscent of mom's yet a little different so as to incorporate my crazy ideas. The frying I have kept because I love the texture it adds to the eggs. And the coconut milk takes the role of creaminess that cashews do for the original. Damn, writing this has given me the serious craving for making the original.

This technique comes from the eastern part of India particularly in Bengal and Odisha. Sometimes there is panch phoran involved and sometimes its just mustard seeds. I think my grandmother caramelizes some sugar before frying the onions. So this recipe can be a take on the traditional cuisine and be a tangential to the series of posts on Oriya Cuisine. Try this out on a lazy Saturday evening when you are in the mood to make some spicy curry and rice.

Ingredients:
2 eggs, boiled
1 medium and 2 small onion sliced
2 green chillies
3 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
2 medium tomatoes sliced
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp kitchen king powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
5-6 green beans cut into halves
1/2 cup coconut milk
3 tbsp water
SaltOil for frying and cooking[4 tbsp]

Method:
Boil eggs for ten minutes. Peel skin and dry.
Heat oil to a smoking point. Add the eggs to the oil. There should be sizzle when it hits the oil. Fry till both the sides are golden brown. Remove.
Add the onion slices and 1 cut chilly. Fry till the onions are lightly browned. Sprinkle with garlic. Cook for three minutes.
Add the tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Cook till the tomatoes mash into the onions. That should be for ten minutes. Sprinkle with red chili powder, turmeric, coriander and kitchen king powder. Add the green beans as well. Season. Cook for two more minutes.
Add the coconut milk and water. Sprinkle the garam masala and simmer. Half the eggs and then add to the curry. Serve hot.

Monday Khichdi

In one other post I talked about cheat's khichdi which can be made by throwing ingredients into the rice cooker and then letting it simmer till done. This post is about something a little more time consuming - in the sense that you need to fry some of the ingredients before letting the pressure cooker do its work. The recipe is a sookha preparation which when done comes somewhere between khichdi and a pulao. It is adapted from this amazing post from The New York Times.
The everyday life leaves little time for flavor. I mean when you are back home after a hard day's work, do you really want spend more than even an hour on cooking, developing depths of flavor, making sure that it is cooked to perfection and all the details are taken care of. On an average night, you are just happy to throw frozen dinners into a microwave and push buttons. Don't get me wrong - frozen dinners have their own merits but taking that little time - oh boy does it work. This recipe can be done on a  Monday so you can utilize your leftover Sunday curries. Also, when you chop onions and chillies, keep some aside for a quick Monday night supper.

Ingredients:
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
1 dried red chillies
1 medium onions sliced
1 chilly chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp kitchen king powder
salt to taste
1/2 cup massoor dal
1 cup rice
1 tsp ghee
oil for frying
water as required
Method:
Wash and soak the rice and dal while you get the ingredients ready.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add the red chilly and bay. As it sizzles, add the cumin and mustard seeds. Let it splutter.
Add the onion, chillies. Fry till the onions are slightly golden and the tomatoes are a little squishy. Sprinkle salt, turmeric and kitchen king powder.
Fold in the rice and dal and fry for a minute till everything is mixed it together. Add four and half cups of water and a little bit of ghee.
Put the cover of the pressure cooker. Cook for two whistles. Serve piping hot with whichever curry is at hand.

Signature Moong Dal

A whole blog. For how many years? And no dal?  
At all? Really, at all?
And so this post shall be dedicated to the dal - to the dish that can go from humble to jewel of the menu at the blink of an eye. For any Indian meal be it simple or fancy, a dal is a must-have. Like the ubiquitous clutch or the little black dress, a good dal recipe is a given for any cook aspiring to master the essentials of Indian cooking. And the author would know, since she collects fashion as she hordes her recipes and ingredients.

The dal  is one of those dishes that can be used in almost any meal or any course. Looking for a quick morning breakfast or light dinner - dal and roti with little bit of aloo sabzi. A healthy lunch - dal with steamed rice and baingan bharta. The dal can also be converted into a soup and had with toast [trust me, it is delicious]. You can used it so many permutations and combinations that it is handy to perfect your own recipe and make it your signature. My grandmother prefers arhar dal and she has turned it into one of the hallmarks of her culinary repertoire. My cousin actually asks her to pack him a lunchbox whenever he has to return back to the city so that he can have more of this dal. So, go on ahead, find your choice of dal, your own tadka and  perfect your recipe. Once you do, people will keep coming back for more.

Ingredients:
2/3rd cup of moong dal
Water[twice the amount of the dal]
2tsp turmeric
2tsp salt
Water as required later
For the tadka
4 cloves of garlic chopped
1 green chilly slitted
1tsp cumin seeds
1tsp mustard seeds
2 dried red chillies
1 bay leaf
Oil
1/2 cup of coriander leaves chopped

Method:
Put the dal, the water, turmeric and salt in the pressure cooker. Cook for three whistles. The dal should be a thick consistency when you open the pressure cooker.
Heat oil in a wok. When it is hot, add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, dried red chillies and bay leaf. Fry till the room is full of spicy aromas. Add the garlic and cook for a minute.
Add the dal and a cup full of water. Stir and then simmer for five minutes. Adjust salt if required. Add the slitted green chilly and the coriander leaves. Simmer for two more minutes and serve with your meal of choice.

One Tandoori chicken kebab

The place is located on the cross roads of Himayat Nagar right before the turning to KFC Lane. The first look - shady. Second look - definitely shady. But, the family section is all right if not a little cramped. And the staff is very quick. The moment you sit down you have plates set down in front of you. The menu is already placed on the table for your perusal. The choice here is actually simple. We ordered a plate of  Tandoori chicken and Chicken biryani. The biryani is a hit and miss. They get it right most of the time but sometimes there is a cardamom overload.

But their piece de resistance is their kebabs. Mouthshut.com actually has awarded their kebabs for the I was here awards in 2013. And with reason. The Tandoori chicken is spiced well, with just the right amount of char on both sides of the pieces. The best thing about this dish - well apart from the flavor - is the color. It is probably the only kebab that employs a certain usage of the food color. And you need to add the color - just a dash of red so as to get that right blend of color and black. The meat is tender, flakes right under your fingers. You dip it into the mint chutney - the classic combination for the kebab. This chutney is one of the better ones in Hyderabad. The one other place that comes close if not better is the one from Shadab and perhaps Paradise.

This particular kebab is worth all the hype that I have given in this post. You need to sit and savor the dish as it falls apart at the first bite and then you wash it down with a sip of cold drink. Tandoori chicken is the perfect starter for a dinner when you want to satisfy your meat cravings. The biryani is nice and spicy but the taste that you remember is the char grilled spicy chicken that you had earlier in the meal. And now isn't that a thing to come back to. While you are at it, you can be bold and explore the other kebabs in their repertoire. I do not think you will regret it.

Location: Himayat Nagar, In front of Kings and Cardinal Bakery 
Rating: 4/5
What to try: Tandoori chicken hands down.

Aloo kasa

Okay. I realize that I did promise a series of posts on Oriya cuisine but got a little side-tracked. But, it is still not too late. So I start this again and hopefully the blog will be little more diligent in this undertaking.  There was a post on a version of this dish when the blog was still minty fresh. That was more of a quick recipe done for a quick meal. This is more luscious and needs to be done the right way. And trust me, this is totally worth the effort taken. Now, Oriyas love their potatoes. They love putting them into anything and everything except sweets of course. So, you have your dalma[thick dal with pumpkin, drumsticks and potatoes], aloo posto[potatoes cooked in poppy seed paste], bharta[mashed potatoes] etc etc. Recipes will follow shortly for these dishes soon. But, onto the subject - cancel the potatoes and us Oriyas will be loss for words. And food would be so so boring.

 The trick to this recipe is the spice paste. Make it right and fry it right and half your work is done. And also because of that, you do not have to spend time making right cuts for the onions, chillies and stuff. You can just coarsely chop them and throw into the blender. It does need a little more oil than usual. But for a Sunday meal, it would be the perfect accompaniment. Aloo kasa finds itself among one of my favorite dishes. Every time I leave home, my mom or my dad would make this to be packed in a lunchbox and opened later to be eaten. It is always a reminder of home cooking and memories that come with it. So I take my time with it and make sure it reaches that taste - just the right spice and the right heat. And now it goes to you - make sure you handle with care.

  
Ingredients: Spice paste
3 medium onions
1 inch ginger
6 large cloves garlic
2 green chillies
2 medium tomatoes
Ingredients Proper:
3 medium potatoes, boiled
1tsp cumin seeds
1tsp cloves
1 bay leaf
2 dried red chillies
1 cinnamon
2 green cardamon crushed
2tbsp red chili powder
1tsp turmeric powder
1tbsp coriander powder
1tbsp cumin powder
1tbsp garam masala
salt to taste
3-4 tbsp oil
Water as needed

Method:
Coarsely chop all the ingredients from the spice paste and blend into a paste.
Heat oil. When it is smoky, throw in the spice paste. It should sizzle when it hits the oil and splatter. As you fry the paste, add the cumin, cloves, bay, dried red chillies, cinnamon and the cardamom. It should take around fifteen minutes to fry on a high heat. If the paste starts the stick add a little water.
Sprinkle the paste with the red chilli, turmeric, coriander and cumin powder. Add a little bit of salt and the potatoes. Fold the paste through the potatoes. Cook for five more minutes.
Add the garam masala, adjust the salt and add quarter of a cup of water. Simmer until the masala becomes a thick sauce for the potatoes. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve piping hot. Perfect with rotis, puris, hot rice and just about anything.

 

Thursday Pulao

When you are running errands, picking up groceries and finishing up the final stages of your presentations you have three options for dinner on a Thursday - order takeout, re-heat leftovers[probably the takeout from Wednesday night] or throw something together for a tasty dinner for family or friends. Some days you go with the first two options - I mean life is so demanding these days - but on other days you need a home cooked meal to soothe away all those frustrations of the day. And, on those days, only a lightly spiced pulao will do.
Okay, I have to be honest here. This recipe was a spur of the moment throwing together of ingredients. There was no method or template involved. And it was good [at least that was the general consensus]. And so I felt like sharing this recipe in this post. The pulao is the ultimate making lemonade out of leftover lemons. All you need to do is to chop some carrots and thaw frozen peas. While the peas are thawing, slit a chilly and assemble your spices. This recipe is made in a rice cooker so as to cut down on cooking and cleaning time.

Ingredients:
1 cup basmati rice[soaked]
1 green chilly slitted
2 medium carrots chopped
1/2 cup peas
1tsp cumin seeds
2 dried red chillies broken
1 cinnamon
2tsp nigella seeds
2tbsp oil
Water for boiling

Method:
Press the cook option of the rice cooker. Heat oil. In a couple of minutes, the oil should be ready to temper the spices. Add in the dried red chilles, cinnamon and cumin seeds. Put in the green chilly as well. Fry for a minute.
Add the carrots and saute everything. Add the soaked rice, kalonji and fold in with everything. Pour in twice the amount of water and cover. Let the rice cooker do its work. If you need water, add 1/4 cup of water into the cooker and cook for ten more minutes.
I served this rice with channa masala made from canned chickpeas. It is quick and easy and perfect for the weekday dinner. Enjoy.

Onion Pakoras in Five Steps

The author loves her fried food. Fry mostly anything[except fish or seafood] and she will happily consume it with some chai or coke. And be grateful to you. Because this love began early, her interest in cooking also began early. The whole drama of whisking a batter, coating all the manner of food in it and then watching it sizzle in hot oil - how could she resist! The years have long gone but this almost childish anticipation has not yet left her. And so yet again I go on the road of pakoras. Back home, pakoris would be sourced from this local place near High court which caters to people from the whole expanse of the town. And when it is brought home, its heady scents would invariably be accompanied by hot, freshly brewed ginger tea. This post is my attempt to recreate those times - complete with picture albums and all.

The pakoras of this recipe is made of onions, chillies and coriander leaves. And a particular favorite of mine on certain cold days with too much rain and not enough sunshine. You can slice or chop the onions and the chillies and finely mince the coriander leaves. A little more assembly of ingredients and you are good to go. Trust me, when you have a bite of this, it will soon become a tradition. So, here I go - onion pakoras in five simple steps.

Ingredients:
6 small onions
2 green chillies chopped
1 bunch of coriander leaves, minced
2 tsp red chili powder
1tsp garam masala
salt to taste
baking soda a pinch
2/3rd cup of besan or gram flour
1/2 cup of water
Oil for frying

Step one:
Slice onions, chop chillies and mince coriander leaves. Mix all of them together.

Step two:
Mix the besan with 1 tsp of oil. Add the spice powders, salt and baking soda. Mix. Pour the water in a steady stream until a thick-ish batter is formed.

Step three:
Heat oil.

Step four:
Add the onion mix and fold everything together. If you think the batter is too thin, add besan. If it is too thick, then add a tablespoon of water.

Step five:
Drop a little batter into the oil. If it starts to sizzle, then start adding spoonfuls of batter into the oil. Fry till golden brown.

Though technically it is five steps, there is a sixth step. That would be to brew some tea, add red chili sauce to the side and serve the pakoras hot alongside it. And life will be good.

Aloo ki sabzi

Potatoes fried in oil and spices - you really cannot go wrong with that. This recipe - be it as a side-dish to be had with puris or the regular dal and rice, a filling for samosas or paranthas, or just like that with papdi chat - is very versatile and flexible. As stated above - there are a lot of options for this recipe. And its quick and easy. So really it is a win-win all round.
The only preparation required is boiling the potatoes. After that, a quick stir-fry and you are done. The post you see is as short as the recipe I am about to write. Trust me it is that simple. So, try it out for dinner tonight or for breakfast tomorrow. You will not regret it.

Ingredients:
2 large potatoes, boiled and diced
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp jeera
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp kitchen king powder
1 tsp coriander powder
salt to taste

Method:
Heat oil. Add cumin and splutter for a few seconds.
Add the potatoes and fold in the oil and the jeera. Sprinkle all the spice powders and adjust the salt.
Mix everything together and cook for a few more minutes. It should not take more than 5 to 7 minutes for the spices to cook.
Serve hot.

Mint rice

There is nothing better than a pulao well-made. You need to make sure that the rice is perfectly soft and fluffy. The spice added to it should compliment and not detract the flavor of the rice. And when you finally eat, it should be the perfect canvas for every curry or sabzi that you make. Most of the time when you make this dish, it involves a lot of work. But, it does not have to - not every time. For me, when it is Friday night and you need to something quick and delicious - you make this rice. This is an adaptation of the rice recipe that my aunt makes so as to wire it for convenience.
All you need is rice, mint, onion and chillies. And, lots of pepper. You can make all of this in a rice cooker. That will cut down on the cooking and the utensil time. A one-pot wonder for any occasion.

Ingredients:
A bunch of mint
1 medium onion sliced
1 green chilly chopped
1and 1/2 cup of rice soaked
salt to taste
3 cups of water
2 tbsp of pepper
Oil for frying

Method:
Heat oil. Saute onion and chillies. Cook till onions are light brown.
Add the mint and pepper. Steam it for two minutes. Add the rice and salt. Fold in all the ingredients. Pour in the water and set it to cook till the rice it soft. Add a little water if you think the rice is a little chewy. Fluff the rice with a work.
I served this rice with egg curry and dahi baingan. But, this dish is so versatile that you can serve it with any curry from vegetarian to non-vegetarian. Happy cooking!

Khansaab

This is a very specific review to a very specific dish. It rarely happens that I go to a place and fixate on one particular dish. Don't get me wrong - the food there is really good. Khansaab is the epitome of Awadhi and Lucknowi cuisine and hospitality. Tikkas, shorba, biryanis, gulab jamun - they have the whole spread ready for you to partake in. But their Peshawari paneer tikka is spectacular. As my friend and partner-in-crime stated, "It is like biting into a cloud". And she was right. This tikka was melt-in-the-mouth in the true sense. Probably the best one I have tried yet.

The dish comprises of blocks of paneer marinated with spicy and creamy filling. There is a slight hint of smoke that tickles the back of the throat. It is the perfect compliment to the creaminess of the paneer. This is served with cool raita, pudina chutney and imli chutney. You mix the imli and raita and dip your tikka into. The spicyness is abetted to the right amount. The mint chutney adds to the fragrant spice of the tikka. But, it is rich. So, split it with your fellow vegetarians so that you can make room for their biryani and gulab jamun.
And forgive me for the cliches. It is slightly unavoidable when confronted with such delicious Awadhi cuisine. The last thing I would say is that if you are in the vicinity please do go and order this dish. You will not regret it. Perhaps this post is short - but when it is that delicious sometimes simple words does the trick.

Location: Gvk One Mall, Road no.1, Banjara Hills
What to try: Peshawari Paneer Tikka, Subz panchmel biryani, 
Rating: 4.2/5

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. 

Easy Brinjal Sabzi

This post is in continuation of the series of posts exploring the delights of Oriya cuisine. Baigana bhaja or spicy eggplant sabzi is a usual accompaniment to most dishes on meatless Monday or Satvik Tuesday. These are the days when meat/egg/fish is an absolute no-no in an oriya household. On those days, my mother and aunts will bring out their creative guns to make boring vegetables taste delicious to fussy young children who wanted omelets or chicken pakodas. Oh, those memories seem so funny right now when the author has more or less embraced the vegetarian culture[except for karela]. This is a simple dish which can write itself into any lunch or dinner on any day of the week. Also, the leftovers make for nice sandwiches with slices of cheese. So, go ahead, make the dish for a nice vegetarian addition to the usual fare.

Ingredients:
1 eggplant
1 small onion sliced
1 chili chopped
3 cloves of garlic minced or sliced
1tbsp red chili powder
1tsp turmeric
1tsp coriander powder
1tsp garam masala
salt to taste
Method:
Heat oil. Fry onions and chillies. Add the minced garlic.
When the garlic turns brown, add your spice powders and stir.
Fold in the eggplant. Add a little water and then steam the whole thing for fifteen minutes.
You need to cook this dish until the flesh loses all its firmness.Adjust salt and seasonings.
Serve this along with your curry and rice.

An Oriya Dinner

The craving stuck - as it always does - in the late hours of the night. Food from home - my mom's awesome cooking. The words of hermeneutics and subject were starting to blur and form flakes of rice and spots of curry in front of me. I closed the book, had a cup of chai and then went to sleep. But, that feeling of course will not just say goodbye.
So, found some frozen grated coconut at the supermarket. And, a nice ripe eggplant[brinjal]. Came back and got to work. The curry of this blog post is called Nadiya bara tarkari or fried coconut balls in spicy gravy. I served this curry is served with a baigana bhaja[brinjal sabzi] and steamed rice. Oh, yumm and joy has come back to the world.

 My mother of course makes this curry best. That was discovered after having this meal. I mean, the author is good but not that good - yet. This curry is authentic and luxurious - something you can make for a nice Sunday lunch or an Indian dinner to surprise and impress. For me personally, I think Oriya cuisine is very underrated. I mean, you have your butter chicken, your dosa even your vada pav - but, where are the dahibara aludum, kasa mansa or nadiya bara tarkari. So this post will be the start of a series of posts highlighting and promoting this cuisine so close to my heart.
I have taken some shortcuts with this meal simply because you usually do not have time to grate coconut and then blend your spice paste. So, I have studded this post with nice little cheats for a express treatment of this homely classic.The main work over here would be the boiling the potatoes, slicing the onion and chopping the chili. Once that is done, it is ready-set-go.

Make your baras or the coconut balls
1 packet frozen grated coconut
1tbsp turmeric
1tbsp red chili powder
1tsp coriander powder
1tsp cumin powder
salt to taste
flour for coating
Oil for frying
 In a bowl add 80 percent of grated coconut. Add the spice powders and salt according to your taste. Mix everything together and then make nice round balls.
As the oil heats to a smoking point, dust the balls with flour. Fry till golden brown. Remove.
Make your curry:
1 medium onion sliced
1 chili chopped
1 and half tbsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tbsp tomato puree
1tbsp red chili powder
1tsp haldi
1tsp coriander powder
1tsp cumin powder
1tbsp garam masala
1 large potato cubed and boiled
salt
water
Heat oil. Add the onion and chili and fry.
While the onions are frying, add the ginger-garlic paste, tomato puree, red chili, turmeric, coriander and cumin powder and make a paste to 2 tbsp of water. This is a major cheat that saves you time and concentrates your flavor.
Add the spice paste and stir. Add some water to the spice bowl, clean and then add the water to the gravy. Adjust salt and spice and cook. It will take some five minutes.
Add the potatoes and fold in. Add a cup of water and simmer for a few minutes till all the curry comes together. Add the coconut balls and fold in the curry. Be careful so as not to break them.
Sprinkle some garam masala and simmer for two more minutes. Your curry is done.

Egg Roast

For me when I encounter a new recipe, the impulse has to be to research as much as possible on it. I have to know its many adaptations, how my friends like to eat it, what other dishes go with it. One such recipe was Egg roast. My friend and fellow blogger Sulfia introduced me to this recipe. The dish was surprisingly easy to make and incredibly tasty to eat. Forgive the rapture, but a simple dish made well - that is the key. And I cannot contain my excitement when I think of the taste that lingered after the meal. She advised me to have it with rotis which is the best way to eat it. And as I agree with that judgement, I will pass it on.

When I decided to make it, the obvious route was to go to the books. And in times such as this, The Suriani Kitchen is my go to cookbook. Lucid with tried and tested recipes, this book gives you an insight into the culinary tastes of Kerala. I have already adapted the recipe for Thoran in my previous posts - with excellent results. And this again was no exception. You do need to give time for the onions to caramelize and yes you need a lot of oil for this recipe. My friend Sulfia suggests using olive oil. I have done so in this recipe and found the taste to be equally good as one made with regular vegetable oil. All you have do is to throw in a couple of fluffy, soft rotis and Monday night dinner is taken care of.

 Ingredients:
4 hard boiled eggs
6 medium onions sliced
7 curry leaves
2 slitted green chilies
1 tbsp Red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
3/4 cup olive oil

Method:
Heat oil. Add the onions and sprinkle a little salt to prevent it from burning. You need to give the onions at least 15 to 20 minutes to caramelize. Add the curry leaves and slitted green chilies. The onions should be a rich golden brown color at this point of time.
Add the spice powders and check for salt. Fold everything in.
Cut the eggs in half and add to the onions. Serve immediately.

Egg Pulusu

Waiting for the East Coast Express to take me for the first time to Hyderabad I was informed by my uncle that Andhra cuisine is a mix of spicy and sour and that I better be prepared for it. The words perhaps tinged with my bittersweet feelings of leaving home kept me away from the local cuisine for a while. However, in due course curiosity-as it always does-won out. And a good thing too, for the cuisine is my kind of spicy with lots of heat and just the right sourness to give the food a robust, full-bodied flavor. I mean, it is really full on.

Pulusu translated into English means sour or acid. The addition of tamarind along with fenugreek seeds to this gravy gives it the acidity that characterizes the essence of this cuisine. The egg, on the other hand, is one of my favored ingredients and the perfect partner for this marriage of flavors. So try this recipe of Egg Pulusu and prepare your taste buds for this adventure.

Mise-en-place

2 eggs.

Bring water and egg to boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Remove and de-shell eggs.

Ingredients:

2 eggs boiled

1tsp turmeric

2tsp red chili powder

1tsp coriander powder

1tsp cumin powder

1tsp methi[fenugreek] seeds

1tsp mustard seeds

3 dried red chilies

2tbsp curry leaves

1 medium onion chopped

2 slitted chillies

1tsp ginger garlic paste

1tbsp tamarind

1/2cup water

salt to taste

oil as required

Method:

Heat oil. Add a pinch of turmeric and red chili powder. Fry the eggs till brown on all side. This should take two minutes. Remove.

Add the methi and mustard seeds, dried red chili and curry leaves. Stir everything together. 

Add the chopped onions and cook till brown. This should be a few minutes. Meanwhile in a bowl mix the ginger-garlic paste with a little water to make a thick paste. Add the red chili powder, haldi, cumin and coriander powder. Mix.

Add to the golden brown onions and stir. Cook for five minutes. Add the chilies and infuse the heat into the masala for another five minutes.

Add the tamarind, water and salt. Simmer for fifteen minutes. Stir every five minutes so that the masala does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Adjust for seasonings.

Meanwhile cut cucumber into thick slices and sprinkle with some chili powder. Serve along with the pulusu curry with some hot Basmati rice.