Sada Aloor Tarkari and Luchi .... a Bengali's favourite breakfast

Winter mornings. 
Hustle and bustle in the dining room.
And in the kitchen at the far end of the verandah. 

House helps all around ... busy with chores. 
Some running to and from the kitchen. 

A full dining table. Everybody talking. 
Kids at their own small one. Freshly washed faces and smelling of sweet cold creams. 

Bundled up in woolens. 

Dadu at the head of the table. 
Nodding to something one of the kakus has just said. 

Jethu and Bapi discussing who will go to the farmlands next. 

Kansar plates being laid on the table by a kakima. 
Jethima  ladling out steaming hot Shada Aloor chorchori onto the plates. 

A help keeps a small bowl of freshly plucked green chillies in the centre of the table. 

And then comes that big jhuri  from the kitchen ... filled with pristine white and super hot Luchis. 
So hot that Jethima  has to blow on her fingers after picking up one and dropping it on a plate everytime. 

Thamma goes around the table pouring fresh notun gur  into small bowls kept beside the plates.

And soon a hush settles in. 

Everybody quietly savours the simple, beautiful food. 

We kids poked holes into the puffed up, hot luchis, letting the steam escape first. 
Then the upper layer would be broken off and stuffed into  mouths, closed eyes savour it melting away. 

While I do make this shada aloor tarkari often, I have never posted it here. 

This time, we are having a very cold winter.
And by a stroke of luck, I got some very good Patali gur as well as jhola gur from a Bengali shop here. 

So decided that this is the perfect time to make a post. 

Need : 

Potatoes, preferably the new ones  - cut into cubes 

Nigella seeds / Kalo jeere 

Green chillies 

Oil / Ghee to cook 

Salt 

How to : 

Heat oil or ghee. 

Add the nigella seeds and green chillies. 

Add the potatoes and add water immediately. 

Add salt, cover and cook till they are fully done. 

Serve hot with luchis. 

Another look. 

Stay safe. Stay warm. 
Enjoy winter with good food. 
Stay happy. 

 

Samosa / Singara / Spicy, deep fried and sinfully good, savoury pastry

 
Growing up in a huge joint family has taught me, among other things, the ability to accept everyone as they are, without questions. 

We lived together, in Dadu's house. With its orchards, ponds, four main gates and three smaller ones too. And a big open space where stood a magnificent  mango tree that was uprooted by one of the cyclonic storms that was so common during my childhood. 
And a big patch of garden that bore seasonal vegetables, lovingly tended by the gardener.
And, with uncles and aunts and house helps and cousins.
Yes, it was both a picnic as well as mayhem ... our family was.

And naturally, we always had a lot of relatives around. Every Kakima's paternal side of the family was our family too.
I still remember our excitement when any particular relative was to visit.
That Mama, who was popular with us because  he would actually enact out whatever story he was narrating. 
Or that Dida who did not know any language besides Bengali .... and who we loved to grill with new words, asking her the Bengali equivalent. She naturally came up with wrong words and how we would dissolve into peals of laughter.
Or that Didi, who sang like an angel, and we looked forward to learning a few new songs, whenever she visited, especially Adhunik / modern songs. And a few more gems of Tagore. 
Or that Mashi, who we stayed clear of, because of her quizzes on maths and chemistry. 

I can go on and on. 

The best part of these visits was we got to eat food from outside, .... sometimes .... that was otherwise prohibited for us. 

On any day, during the evening tea, someone would want some ' gorom gorom tele bhaja' / deep fried street food. And as hosts, one of the Kakus would comply. 
Or we would get one of our favourite Didas to ask for them .... and she would happily oblige.
Knowing very well that she would not eat any, at all. 
And we children would get to eat the small sized, crisp singaras, filled with a dry, spicy potato and peas masala that was so hot it burned our mouths when bitten into. 

Those were different from the regular samosas that we get in North India.
But then, the samosa is such a common street food that its filling varies in texture and taste in almost every state of the country. 
Making it create a different memory for every different person growing up eating their local samosa.  

I still remember the samosas we ate during our trip to Ranthambore, Rajasthan. Standing in the middle of the vast highway, in a small shed, stood a man frying hot samosas on a make shift kitchen with the barest of things. We waited till he got them out of the hot oil ..... smoking hot. 
And standing there on the empty highway side, biting into those crisp, spicy, hot little triangles of pure bliss, sipping on cardamom tea and watching the sun go down slowly in the horizon, I felt that was one of the best moments of my life. 

A few days back, once the rains started in earnest here, I was reminiscing about the monsoons back home and how the ponds overflowed and the fishes came up right to our doorsteps,
how we would sit near the bay windows and look out at the big droplets create beautiful patterns on the pond,
how Dadu or Jethu would ask us, one by one , to sing their favourite Rabindra sangeet on the rains, 
how we hurried to shut the wooden windows when sudden gusts of water laden breeze came in .... but would leave just a little gap to be still able to smell the wet air .
And that  was when I remembered this beautiful singara from my hometown. 

I wanted to make it. B was game.
He enjoys these stories and what better than crisp, hot singaras to go with them. 
To his credit and because he is from the kachori and namkeen city of Rajasthan, B is an expert when it comes to actually handling the singara. So I did the cooking and B did the maneuvering part. 
And we made some really good samosas that evening. 

They were so good and the cover was so perfectly crisp that I thought I will document it and  share here. 

So here is my recipe for the perfect Khasta Shingara / Khasta Samosa . 

Need : 

For the dough : 

Maida / Apf - 2 cups 
Cooking oil - ½ cup or more, if needed 
Baking soda - one small pinch
Kalonji / nigella seeds - ½ tsp 
Chilled water - enough to knead with 
Salt - to taste 

For the filling : 

Potatoes - 2, medium, chopped very small 
Green peas - ½ cup
Turmeric powder 
Red chilli powder 
Amchur / dry mango powder 
Chilli flakes 
Black pepper powder
Salt - to taste 
Cooking oil - 1 tsp 

Cooking oil - enough to deep fry 

 How to : 

To make the dough, knead the maida with the rest of the ingredients, except water for some time. 
When the oil has mixed in well, it should form a lump when held in the fist. 
Now add the chilled water, very little at a time, and knead into a tight dough. 
Do not over knead it.

For the masala, heat oil in a kadahi and let in the chopped potatoes and peas. 
Add the rest of the ingredients and cover and cook till done. 
Remove cover and dry it up completely. 
Remove to an open plate and cool. 

For the samosas, 
cut out medium sized balls of the dough. 
Roll each one out . Do not roll it too thin. 
Cut in half. 
Pick one half, make a twist and seal the edges with water. 
Scoop in a spoonful of the stuffing mix and seal the ends. 
Set aside. 

Take a heavy kadahi or deep pan .... preferably an iron one. 
Fill it with oil. 
Set it on to heat. When the oil turns lukewarm, let in the samosas. 
Never heat the oil too much ... it will cause blisters on the samosa cover and will remain raw too. 
Do not over crowd the kadahi. 

The samosas will slowly float up to the top as they cook. 
Cook them on low heat. 

The perfect khasta samosas are always light in colour and yet perfectly cooked and the cases crisp. 
Dark coloured samosas mean over cooking or ... in the case of shops ... re frying. 

When done, remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel. 

Our samosas turned out to be perfect. 
When I tapped the cover, it was perfectly crisp and tough. 
And when I broke it open, it showed the layers of the casing too! 
Just have a look. 😊

We munched on them, right there in the kitchen, while still frying. 
The rain sang on outside and it was cold and dark. 
But our kitchen was warm.  
And fragrant. 
With memories; and the hot samosas. 

Stay home everyone! 
And stay safe! 


Ps: photos clicked in the dark and low light. 

Aloo ki Launji / Sweet and sour Potato curry

In my childhood, I had seen Ma make a potato curry, usually for breakfasts, that would be a little sour, a little sweet and had the light spice of the fresh green chilli. She would serve it with either parathas or luchis.
But on most times we would eat it with the Chakuli pitha .... just like Odiyas did.
One of my Kakus / uncle, who was staying with us for a while due to office work loved this curry and asked  Ma to tell the recipe to Kakima.
A few months later, while we were visiting Dadu, Kaku asked for that potato curry again, mentioning how he missed it.
When Ma asked why didn't he ask Kakima to make it often, he said he had asked once.
The curry had turned out to be so sour that my paan eating Kaku's sensitive teeth had stayed painful for days. 😊

The next time I had a sweet and sour potato curry was at Kanha sweets in Amritsar.
It was more of a chutney and less of a curry.
And came on the side of their famous breakfast of Chole Bhatore.
The man serving us kindly explained that it was a must with Chole Bhatore and was made with tamarind and sugar and is called Aloo ki Launji.
And shared the recipe too.
I was much intrigued by this dish and the Bengali in me loved it too as it was slightly sweet.
And have always made it whenever I make Chole Bhatore or Chole Puri at home.

I finally managed to make a post on my Chole Bhatore and today on this beautiful Aloo ki launji.
The balance of the sweetness and the salt and the sourness has to be just right ... but I might say that it is upto you and your taste.
There are many recipes for the Aloo ki Launji on the internet but I follow the one that I got from that server in Amritsar.
It is light and simple and the real trick is to simmer the potatoes in the gravy for as long as you can for maximum flavour.


So here goes the recipe.

Need :

Potatoes - boiled
Saunf / Fennel seeds + Methi / Fenugreek seeds in equal amount
Haldi / Turmeric powder
Red chilli powder
Dhania / Coriander powder - a little
Tamarind paste - to taste
Hing / Asafeotida - a pinch
Sugar - to taste
Salt - to taste
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp.
Water - for gravy

How to :

Pound the methi and saunf in a mortar and pestle to make a coarse powder.
Mash the boiled potatoes well.

Heat oil.

Add the hing and the saunf + methi powder.

Add the potatoes and mix well.

Then add the masala powders and some water and mix well.

Now add salt + sugar + tamarind paste and water.

Do a taste check and adjust.

Cover and simmer till gravy reaches desired consistency.

I often add water two or three more times and set it on low heat to simmer.

Serve warm with Chole Bhatore.

Or you can enjoy this with parathas and puris too.

Enjoy!!










 

Kuntala's Aloo Posto

 

Kitchen cleaned ... check.
Dals, rice, papads, dry chillies and boris sunned and stocked in air tight bottles .... check.
Achars sunned well and stocked .... check.
Curtains washed ... check.
Pillows and cushions dusted and sunned ... check.
Mattresses sunned .... check.
Covers washed and stored away ... check.
Light quilts sunned .... check.
Light blankets washed .... check.
Light woolens, jackets and shawls sunned and ready .... check.
Winding up half done knittings at a frenzied pace ... check.
(Here is a sneak peek into one .... the throw ... almost done ... just the border needs to be done.
A riot of colours ... isn't it? ) 

Now, to sit back and  watch the clouds as they float by. Slowly increasing by the number every passing day. And I snatch some time from my daily grind to look up at the sky and play my favourite game of making out the shapes of the clouds.

I am ever so ready for the monsoons.

The breeze is heavy with a warm, wet smell ... a tell tale sign of the water content it is carrying.
Or maybe the smell of wet earth from some far off place that has seen rain way before us.
There is a marked cheerfulness all around along with the cool weather.
Even the birds come less for water these days.

When I have so much to do, I keep cooking to the minimum.
One pot meals rule the days ... read lunches; and stuffed parathas rule dinners.
Or maybe a noodles dish or macaroni loaded with lots of vegetables.
Or a simple dal, bhaat, some bhaja and aloo posto or a makha on the side. Light and uncomplicated.
Just like this Aloo posto.

I have posted Aloo posto earlier.
But ever since I have seen this recipe on Kuntala's blog, I have never made aloo posto the conventional way anymore. Kuntala is a wonderful writer. She blogs at Abantor and if you have not read her blog, yet, you are surely missing a lot.
This is her mother's recipe. 

This Aloo posto does not have any temperings, onions or turmeric.
Just the flavours of aloo and posto. And a whiff of fresh green chillies.
And a dash of raw mustard oil.
Nothing a Bengali does not love.
Pure bliss.

Kuntala suggests to keep the posto paste slightly coarse and I have done exactly that.

 Need :

Potatoes - 3 big sized, cut into cubes
Posto / Poppy seeds paste - 4 tbsp
Raw mustard oil - 1 tbsp
Fresh green chillies - 2
Salt - to taste
Water - to cook the potatoes

How to :

Place the potatoes with water in a kadahi with a little salt.

Cover and cook till they are done.

Remove cover and add the posto paste and the green chillies.
Add a little water if necessary.

Give a good mix, cover and cook till all water is soaked up.

Remove cover, spread the mustard oil all over, cover and remove from heat.

Let it stand for some time. 

Serve hot, warm or cool.
The photographs do not do justice to this ... will try to click better snaps the next time.
I have made the Jhinge (ridge gourd ) posto this way too ... was equally good.

Kuntala suggests this with rotis. I have tried and loved the combination.
But I usually make this for lunch and pair it with the bhaja muger dal and steaming hot rice with a big dollop of ghee.
Heaven!

Enjoy!!

Aloo Baingan ki Sabzi

After contemplating for four long years, we finally took the plunge.
After months of planning and running around, we finally allowed ourselves the indulgence of a renovation.
Of nothing much ... not life; not soul.
But of our kitchen.

That one place that is most dear to me. To the both of us.
We like to spend most of our time in our kitchen. Many of our happy discussions and serious decisions take place there .... with B sitting with his plate on the little swivel chair that I use, and I rolling out rotis and flipping one hot roti after another from the stove into his plate. Then we would switch places.
At times it would be dosas. At  other times, the omelette.
Or a simple cup of tea.
At times it would be raining outside. Or it would be a cold, winter night.
For us, our little kitchen is our home.

I had been dreaming of a more streamlined, organised kitchen, for long.
Initially it was just a dream.
Later it became a necessity ... given my limited capabilities these days.
But unlike my real self, this was one project I was very afraid of taking up.  Questions loomed large.
What if it does not turn out the way I want it to be?
What if I do not get the colours I want?
Not like; want.
What if the planners do not like my designs? Or plans?
And so on.

And to an extent, it turned out I was right all along.
Sitting down with obnoxious people, who do not know the ABC s of design and are absolute zeroes when it came to practicality, was a pain we endured for months.
Then came the part when I was denied the colours I wanted. Worse, I was suggested what colours I should be going for.
Needless to say, those guys got struck off from my list faster than you could blink.
And the final straw was when I was denied anything that made my kitchen practical to use and easy for me to work in.
I did not want a lavish, 'good looking, modular' kitchen. I wanted an 'easy to work in', practical kitchen.
But all the guys could do was not see that.

So after an agonising few months, B one day announced that we are going the wrong way all along.
Read ... approaching the wrong people.
What we should be doing is approach the right people who knew both civil work,plumbing,electric work as well as a good carpenter.
To me this sounded like asking for all the good places to see in the world at one place, together.

But I was wrong. And I have never been gladder for that.
B sought out the guy who had worked with the builders of this housing society. The man knew every brick, every wall and every electric wire ways and every other detail inside the skeleton of this flat.
More importantly, he knows what needs to be done and what is unnecessary.
He understood what I wanted in the kitchen.
For example I wanted the counter top to be able to be scrubbed with soap and water ... yes, I am old fashioned. But that is the only way I believe I can clean after I have cooked Ilish.
Or any other fish, for that matter.
None of the kitchen designers was ready to allow me that.
But this guy understood the necessity of a clean kitchen.

Hence, we have smoothly crossed that part.
Got a clean and practical design too.
Hopefully, all will go well.
Right now, as I type this, the workers are hammering the kitchen down.
The exhaust is running ... trying its best to blow out the dust.
And I am looking forward to trying out new places to eat for the next few days.
Wish me luck guys!

I am finally posting the simple Aloo Baingan ki sukhi sabzi that I had made for lunch along with the Saabut Masoor ki dal. 
I make this sukhi sabzi very often ... mostly for dinner. I love dryish dishes slightly overdone ... a little on the mushier side. I find  that the flavours blend together very well this way.
The onions and the brinjals add moisture ... so there is no need to add any water.
 But if you still need to, you can sprinkle some.

And I almost always have a bottle of roasted and coarsely ground or crushed peanuts / groundnuts in my kitchen. While it comes handy whenever I am making the Sabudana Khichadi, I also use it to spike anything from a chutney to a simple, dry sabzi like this one.
Sprinkle a few teaspoonfuls and watch your sabzi going to another level altogether.

Need :

Aloo / Potatoes - 2, medium, peeled and cubed
Baingan / Brinjal - 1 medium, cubed
Pyaz / Onion - 1 medium, chopped into largish pieces
Moongfali / Peanuts - 5 tbsp, lightly roasted and crushed
Dhaniya / Coriander powder - 1 tbsp 
Haldi / Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Mirchi / Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Jeera / Cumin seeds - ¼ tsp
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

How to :

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed kadahi / wok.

Add the jeera. When it starts to splutter, add the onions.

Lightly fry them.

When they start to turn pink, raise heat and add the potatoes.

Stir fry them for a while. Add haldi and salt.

Cover and lower heat. Cook till they are half done.

Remove cover and add the brinjals.
Add the dhaniya powder and mirchi powder.

Stir and toss them well, bringing everything together.

Cover again and cook till everything is done.

Remove cover and add the peanut powder.

Raise heat and lightly stir and toss well till the peanut powder coats everything well and the whole thing is cooked well.

Cover, switch off heat and let it stand for five minutes.

 Serve hot.
 We love it with hot rotis.
Here is a look of the lunch plate that day.

Enjoy!!

Dahi Aloo / Potatoes in yoghurt gravy

 Hello! Happy New year!
I know, I know. It's been a long time since my last post.
But I have been waylaid by a lot many things. And that left me with little time for Kichu Khonn.
But I came as soon as I realised that I hadn't made a single post this new year ... and it is already past a week.
Easier said than done.
I cook much less these days. I click even lesser.
So went back to my folders loaded with snaps that I had clicked once upon a good time and picked up these ... a quick scan confirmed I had not posted them .. yes, it has come to that .. I do not even remember things I've posted.
So here's a brand new recipe on the start of a brand new year.
Yesterday, a RJ on a station I was listening to, said that she has decided that she'll keep wishing everyone "Happy New Year" all through January ... till the 31st.
So, on that line, I guess I am not too late to wish you all a very happy new year ahead!

I had made this dish with yoghurt/curd ... yes. But I had also added a good dose of Tandoori masala to it.
Was undecided on a name ... so stuck to Dahi aloo.
You can call it the gravy version of Tandoori aloo ... sans the colour and the roasting.

Need :

Small potatoes - boiled in salt water and peeled
Ginger paste
Garlic paste
Curd - beaten with some water  till smooth
Haldi / Turmeric powder
Red chilli powder - a pinch
Tandoori masala
Kasuri methi - powdered
Salt - to taste
Cooking oil

How to :

Pick the potatoes with a fork.
Heat oil in a kadahi /wok.
Add the ginger and the garlic paste and fry well.
Add a little haldi powder and the potatoes. Fry well till the masala coats the potatoes.
Add some water and bring to a boil.
Lower heat and add the tandoori masala and the kasuri methi. Simmer for a while.
Then slowly add the beaten curd and do a taste check for salt.
If needed add some more.
Simmer for some more time, covered.
Remove from heat and let it stand covered for a while.

Serve hot with rotis or naan.
Enjoy!!

Ok ... I have lost Feedly too ... so am totally lost. I cannot hop over to your blogs as regularly.
So I apologize for being out of touch.
Will hop over to your spaces as soon as I get a good reader.
Till then do keep coming over and stay in touch friends.

Wish you all a very happy and healthy new year ahead!

Pyaaj ka Paratha and Aloo ki Subzi

While the dishes that I share here are simple and usually easy to make, it is a fact that I do not post ... or get to post ... many of the dishes that I cook on a daily basis. Dishes that are simpler and use not more than 3 to 4 ingredients. So I've decided to try and post as many such meals as possible hence forth.

This combination of the Rajasthani aloo ki sabzi and Pyaaz ka Paratha makes for a hearty meal ...  a breakfast, brunch or dinner. This aloo ki sabzi is made very frequently at my home in Rajasthan and is similar to the one served with the crispy hot kachoris at the halwai shop. Can be combined with puris too to make a meal.

The pyaaj ka paratha or Onion parathas are a regular at my home. I usually add leftover dal to the dough and when combined with a little dahi or pickle, makes for a filling breakfast.

No ramblings today ... I sure wish I get over this block soon. So straight to the recipes.

For the Pyaaz ka Paratha : 

Need :

Atta / Whole wheat flour
Onions - very finely chopped
Green chillies - finely chopped
Ajwain / Carom seeds
Red chilli powder
Salt
Water - to knead ( can use left over dals or gravies too )
Oil - around 1 tbsp to add to the dough and some more to fry the parathas

How to :
Mix everything together and knead to make a firm dough.
Take medium sized balls out of the dough and roll into round shaped parathas.

Heat a tawa. Fry one paratha at a time, smearing with a little oil, flipping on both sides once in a while.

For the Aloo ki sabzi :

Need : 
Aloo / Potatoes - peeled and cut into medium sized cubes
Jeera / Cumin seeds
Dhania / Coriander powder
Haldi / Turmeric powder
Laung / Clove powder
Black pepper powder
Amchur / Dried mango pwder
Red chilli powder
Hing / Asaefotida
Salt
A little cooking oil
Water

How to :

Heat oil in a pan or kadahi ( I sometimes make it in the pressure cooker too ).
Add jeera. When it starts to splutter, add hing and the cubed potatoes.
Stir fry for a while on high heat.

Lower heat. Add haldi powder and red chilli powder .
 Raise heat and add water, salt, pepper powder and dhania powder.
Cover and cook till the poatatoes are done. Keep checking the water level ... it should not dry up and burn at the bottom.

Remove cover. Raise heat and add some more water.
Add the amchur powder.
Add the laung powder ... careful ... just a pinch ... else will make it too spicy and hot.
Cover and keep simmering for around 15 minutes.
When the potatoes are well done and start to break off at the touch of a spoon and the gravy is of dxesired consistency, remove from heat.

Serve hot.
This aloo ki subji tastes best when left to simmer for a long while.

Another close look ... 
Enjoy !!

Some other sabzis on my blog ... to enjoy parathas and puris with : 

 Nashte ki sabzi ... made with mixed vegetables 
This post brings about a wave of nostalgia ... the memories of wonderful people that the blogging world had then. 

The Aloo Matar rasse wala 

Mushur daler borar jhol / Fried lentil balls in a light gravy

 "Dekho, dekho, woh aadmi kuch bhi nahi pehan ke scooter chala raha hai!!!!"

 Bhaiya, Bhabhi and their young son, were visiting us for a week. And we were doing everything we do when the family is together. Talk, laugh, gossip and eat out a lot.
I did cook at home ... but only breakfast. :-)

They are easy going people. We would go out everyday, scour the city the whole day and came back late, tired to the bones.
Visiting new places, restaurants, shops, parks ... we just didn't get enough of everything.
Then sit up and chat into the night ... with a round of coffee every other hour ... taking turns to make it.
Finally, at dawn, Bhaiya would  insist that we have the morning tea too ... which he would make ... and then catch some sleep, which would be for only a few hours.
And we were ready to face another day.

After three whole days of eating out, shopping and more eating, we went for our road trip to Pondicherry. It was fun. Chatting, laughing, singing together, munching on snacks, peppered with the young boy's one line interludes ... it was a great drive.
But when Bhabhi fell ill, it gave a different twist to our vacation. But things smoothened out and all was well.

It was on one of our drives to the city that we heard young R exclaim that the guy in front of us was riding a scooter, wearing nothing!
Where?! where?! All of us looked out ... right, left, straight ... but couldn't see a man without clothes.
And riding a scooter!
He pointed out to a man riding a little ahead of us.
He seemed fully clothed. A helmet on his head, a checked half shirt and ... yes, we spied a full bare leg from thigh down! Riding on in a steady speed ... oblivious to everything.
"Sacchhi ... kuch bhi nahi pehna!"

A little later, we saw the rest of his attire ...  a white cloth,  like the dhoti ... around his waist. It was flapping in the wind, baring his legs to above the knee ... and hence was not visible.
Unfortunately, the young boy from up North saw the bare leg first. A lecture on the lungi, the mundu etc. followed. His first visit to the South, we realised a lot of things ... and not only the  food ... were new to him. :-)

 Another shock that he got was at the Chidambaram temple near Pondicherry ... where men have to remove their upper body clothing to be able to get a darshan.
But that's another story. :-)

The Mushur dal or the Red lentils are a part of any Bengali meal. The light dal goes great with rice to make a simple meal ... and is also the perfect foil to any other spicy non veg dish on the side.
At times, they are soaked, ground to a paste and deep fried to make these boras or fried dumplings.
Add a little chopped onion and green chillies, these crunchies are perfect with a meal of khichudi or plain steamed rice and dal.
Or as a snack with some chutney or the good old tomato ketchup.

I made a simple, very light jhol using them ... on one of those days when the fridge was bare and there were  no fresh vegetables at home, to whip up a meal with.
The jhol is very light, almost like a thin soup and has very simple flavours ... another easy dish from my kitchen.
When boiled for a long time, it picks up the flavours of the jeera, tomatoes and the red chilli powder ... as do the potatoes too.
And after the boras have soaked long enough, you can find the roasted jeera powder's flavour in them too.
All in all, this simple, purely vegetarian and jhol will taste simple but will be very flavourful too.

This can be made with left over boras / vadas / pakodas too.

For the Boras :
Need :

Mushur dal / Red lentils - soaked for around 2 hrs and ground to a paste
Chopped onions
Chopped green chillies
Chopped ginger
Salt
Oil for deep frying

How to:
Mix everything together. Scoop out small balls and deep fry in heated oil.

For the jhol/ gravy :

Need :

Potatoes - cut into small pieces
Ginger paste
Onions - chopped
Tomatoes - chopped
Jeera/ Cumin seeds
Haldi / Turmeric powder
Red chilli powder
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste
Roasted jeera powder
Oil - around 1 tbsp
Water

How to :

Heat oil. Add the jeera.
When it starts to splutter, add the onions and fry only for a while. Do not brown them.
Now add the potatoes and fry again on high heat.
Add the ginger paste, haldi powder, red chilli powder and salt.
 Add enough water to cover the potatoes.
Cover and cook till the potatoes are done.
Remove cover and check if there is enough water. Else add more water and check ... if needed add a little more salt.
Add the tomatoes now and cover again.
When it comes to a boil again and the tomatoes are done, add the dal boras/ fried lentil balls, the roasted jeera powder and a pinch of sugar.
Cover and simmer for a while.
The boras will soak up a lot of water ... so keep adding accordingly. And keep checking for salt when you add water.
When you get a jhol of your desired consistency and amount, raise the heat and give a final boil.
Remove and keep covered for a while.

Serve hot.
This goes great with rotis or parathas.
Enjoy!

PS:  Bong Mom makes a wonderful jhaal with these boras ... check it out here.

Peyajkolir Jhaal / Onion stalks in mustard paste

No rants today. No ramblings either. But I really need to make a post else I will never be able to clear up the backlog of photographs and move on to newer recipes that I have been making recently.
So there ...

This recipe has been waiting in the sidelines for quite a while now. I had made these with the rest of the bunch of peyaj koli that I had got for the bhaja or the fry.

This jhaal was always made in winter, as that is the time when we get the peyajkoli. Served with a simple dal and steaming hot plain rice, sometimes small fish  or bori/badi would be added to it too.
This still reminds me of the lunches at home, when the whole dining set up would be shifted to the South facing French windows of the dining room ... where we could get the warmth of the sun on us while we ate.

Even in today's time of cold storages and supermarkets, where we easily get other winter veggies like the carrot, cauliflower and cabbages, all year through, the peyaj koli still makes it presence only in winter.

And just like the addition of the fresh coriander leaf, again a winter product, to a dish , still brings on a wave of nostalgia, so does the presence of peyaj koli on the plate ... be it the simple bhaja or this jhaal ... reaffirms that winter is around. Still.

 Need :
Peyaj koli / Onion stalks - cleaned and cut into medium sized strips
Potatoes - peeled and cut into thick strips
Mustard paste
Tomatoes - chopped
Kalo jeere / Nigella seeds
Fresh green chillies
Turmeric powder
Salt
Sugar
Mustard oil

How to : 
Heat a little mustard oil.
Add the kalo jeere and green chillies (remember to break the chillies else they'll burst open).
Add the potatoes and stir fry on high heat for a while.
Add the peyaj koli, turmeric powder and salt.
Cover and cook till the potatoes are done.
The peyaj koli will release a lot of water ... now add the mustard paste and stir well.
Then add the tomatoes and a pinch of sugar and cook till all water dries up.
Remove from heat.

Serve hot with plain rice.
Enjoy!!

PS: Those who have been asking after and giving me gentle nudges to restart my Travelogue, here's a good news for them.
Kichu Onno Golpo is awake from its slumber now. :-)
Hop over to accompany me on my trips and travels all over the country.

And yes, it is on Face Book too.
You like it here? Go 'LIKE' it there.... Kichu Onno Golpo

C'ya all there! :-)

Aloo Gobhi / Potatoes & Cauliflower

Ok ... after that experiment, it is back to some great homely food.

This is one dish that I love to make over and over again. And is loved by everybody who gets to taste it .... especially family.

I learnt this from a Punjabi colleague's wife U. She suggested that it tastes great when made with mustard oil. And of course, you can use fresh green coriander.
I don't use any masala in it .... and the only flavour is of ginger. Tastes awesome. :-)

Need : Cauliflower cut into small pieces, potato cut into small cubes, chopped tomatoes, finely chopped ginger, haldi/turmeric powder, salt to taste and a little cooking oil.

How to : Heat a little oil. Add the potatoes and stir well. Then add the cauliflower, haldi/turmeric and salt. Cover and cook till the veggies are done.

Remove cover and add the chopped ginger and tomatoes. Cover and cook till the tomatoes are done.

Serve hot with rotis / parathas / puris. :-)

Aloo Methi

This dish is a simple one ... made with fresh fenugreek leaves, it is very favourful. I had got some good methi in this season of rains ... which is rare. So made it. And it made its way into my new post. Kept a little aside for methi paratha.

Need :
Fresh fenugreek / methi leaves , picked, washed and roughly chopped,
Potatoes / aloo (boiled and roughly cut),
whole jeera / cumin seeds,
a pinch of hing / asafoetida,
haldi / turmeric powder
red chilli powder,
salt to taste,
1 tbsp cooking oil.

How to : Heat oil.
Add jeera and hing.
Add the aloo and toss for some time.
Now add the methi leaves.
Add haldi, red chilli powder and salt. Cover and cook.
Remove cover after some time and cook till all water dries up.
Serve hot. Goes great on the side with rotis and dal.