Khichuri or Khichidi (Rice and Moong beans)

This is stick-to-your-bones kind of Indian comfort food that can easily be made on a busy weekday or if one can manage a healthy breakfast! It's vegan but packed with nutrients, protein and low-fat!

I feel blessed to be Indian, due to my inclination to vegetarianism. Though I like occasional chicken or seafood dish, its vegetarian that I crave for. Being vegetarian in India is probably the easiest than any other country. Your options go way, way beyond salad, meat substitutions or bread. All that without needing non-vegetarian broths or flavorings! 

Back to Kichidi or Kichuri, this is mildly spiced rice and mung beans dish that is ideal for a wintry day or evening! Finish it with a cup of Chai, you can rub your belly with joy! :)

The ingredient list for this is simple:

• 1 1/2 cup Basmati or Sona Masoori rice
• 3/4 cup Yellow mung dal (mung bean - without the green skin and halved, available in Indian grocery stores).
• 10 cashew halves
• 1 tbsp Jeera/Cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp black pepper corns
• 1/2 tsp Hing or asafoetida
• one or two sprigs Curry leaves - leaves separated
• 1 inch ginger chopped
• 1 - 2 cups mixed vegetables (optional)
• 1 tsp Garam Masala powder (optional)
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 tbsp ghee for taste and flavor

Procedure to make:

1. Wash and soak rice and mung dal for an hour. Keep aside. Though soaking is optional, the rice and dal cook well and soft if soaked.
2. Heat oil in a 5-Quart cooking pan on medium-high heat, add hing, jeera and black pepper corns. Fry for few seconds and add cashews, curry leaves and ginger. Saute for 15 seconds and add mixed vegetables and little salt. Saute for 3-4 minutes and add about 4.5 cups of water (hot water preferred). If rice and mung dal are not soaked, use 5 cups of water.
3. Cover and let the water boil. Uncover when the water is about to come to a boil. Let it cook for couple of minutes on medium heat.
4. Drain rice and dal and add to the boiling water and increase heat to medium-high. Add Garam Masala powder and mix well and let it come to boil again. Reduce heat to medium and let it cook until most of the water is absorbed. 
5. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 10 -15 minutes. Switch off the stove and wait another 5 minutes before you open the lid (the flavors need to marry and settle :))
6. Kichuri is best enjoyed hot with either some Indian mango pickle or simply yogurt!

 

Oats vegetable pulao

Start with heating 3 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp ghee, add about 10 cashew halves, 5 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon stick, 4-5 cardamom pods, 1 star anise, 1 tsp jeera. Fry until aroma comes out of the spices. Add 2 cups steel cut oats, mix well and fry until oats leave nutty aroma. Add 2 cups of mixed vegetables - including onions, 5 whole green chilies (optional)and green pepper pieces, salt to taste, mix well and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1 tsp each garam masala, coriander seed powder and red chili powder (reduce quantity of red chili powder if less spiciness is preferred)

Meanwhile, bring 3 -4 cups of water to boil.  Water quantity depends in how dry the pulao is desired.

Pour the heated water over the oats and vegetables. Mix well, adjust salt, bring down the flame to low and quickly cover the pan. Cook for 10-12 minutes.

Mix gently, serve with chopped cilantro sprinkled, and any yogurt raita.

Aloo Paratha and Paneer Burji Dinner

(Potato Stuffed Indian Flat-Bread with Crumbled Indian Cheese Curry)

Today, I wanted to have a hearty dinner...something that not only fills my stomach but also feeds my senses and spirituality. Yes, spirituality. Making Parathas is, for me, like meditation. Making this exquisite thing out of flour, water, potatoes is simply amazing. Making the dough and filling, rolling out the bread, and finally frying it on hot tava (griddle) is as calming as meditation.





Although the paraThas are good with just a pickle, I made an impromptu Paneer Burji.
The combination turned out very delicious.

Aloo ParaThas:

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Chapathi Flour (please see notes)
• 1 cup or more water
• Salt to taste
• 3 cups cooked potatoes, grated
• 1/2 Cup finely chopped onions
• 1 green chili, finely mined (optional)
• 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
• 1/2 cup chapathi flour for rolling paraThas
• Cooking oil for shallow-frying

Prep Work:
Mix 1/2 teaspoon of salt with the onions and keep aside for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare dough: Take the flour into a mixing bowl, add salt and mix well. Adding water slowly, knead into pliable dough. The dough should not be too stiff or sticking to fingers. Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel or lid and keep aside for 15-30 minutes.

Making the Filling
Squeeze onions well to take out excess water. Salt helps to extract this water out of onions.
Mix grated potatoes, onions, minced green chili, Garam Masala and salt to taste well.

Making ParaThas

• Knead the dough well and divide into 12-14 balls (medium lemon sized)
• Take one dough ball and roll it into 2-inch disc
  
• 
  Squeeze the edge of the disc and place a medium lemon sized ball of filling.
  
• 
  Fold the edge as shown here make a parcel.
  
• 
  Pinch the center where all the folds meet and tuck inside, flatten the parcel.
  
• 
  Dust the surface well with flour and roll out into 4-5 inch disc.
  
• 
  Heat tava (or griddle) on medium high heat and dot it with a teaspoon of oil. Place the rolled out paraTha and fry for 1-2 minutes.
  
• 
  Dot the top of paraTha with little oil and flip the paraTha. Fry until done on that side too.
  

Remove from heat, repeat with all the dough balls.



Paneer Burji

Ingredients:

• 1 cup crumbled Paneer (please see notes)
• 1 cup finely chopped onions
• 2 green chilies, chopped coarsely
• 1 large tomato, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
• 2 teaspoons Garam Masala powder
• 1/2 teaspoon each, black mustard seeds and cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 2 teaspoons cooking oil
• Salt to taste

How to make Paneer Burji:
-Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat
-Add cumin, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Fry until the mustard seeds stop spluttering.
-Add red chili powder, Garam Masala, turmeric powder.
-Add onions, green chilies and little salt. Mix well.
-Cook until the onions are translucent, stirring occasionally.
-Add tomatoes, cover and cook until tomatoes are cooked well and the curry started leaving oil on the top. Stir occasionally during this step.
-Add remaining Garam Masala and adjust salt. Mix well.
-Reduce the heat to lowest setting. Add the crumbled paneer immediately. Mix gently.
-Cook for a minute, remove from heat and serve.





Notes:
-I've used Golden Temple Chapathi flour.
-It took 1 cup and couple of tablespoons of water for 2 cups flour for making the dough.
-If making Paneer at home, no need to drain for 2-3 hours like here. Drain for 30 minutes until Paneer has solidified. Crumble and use in recipe.

Chapati (Indian layered flat bread)

A staple on Indian dinner tables that goes with pretty much every curry or simply spiced yogurt!

Ingredients needed:

• Atta (available in Indian grocery stores, can be substituted with whole-wheat powder) 
• Salt to taste
• Oil for shallow frying

Begin with mixing Atta with salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add water. Mix well by adding more water or flour to get a consistency that is not to tough or too sticky. Cover and keep aside for about 30 minutes. Knead the dough with clean hands for 4 - 5 minutes.

 

Make medium-large lemon sized balls, flatten them round (you can flatten the balls on a surface dusted with flour or basted with oil). Rub a few drops of oil to cover the surface of the round, fold it to half and fold it again to form quarter circle. Make these quarter circles with rest of the dough, keep them aside either dusted or oiled so they do not stick to each other. 

Take one of the quarter circles and flatten out evenly taking care - by dusting or oiling- so that it will not stick to the surface.

Heat (on medium-high) and grease a griddle (or tava) lightly, place the flatten chapati. Dot with few drops of oil on the edges and on top. Once you see the air bubble expanding to most of the chapati, turn it so the other side can be cooked. Adjust heat so the chapati do not get burned.

Repeat flattening and cooking with all the quarter circles. Serve warm with any curry or spiced yogurt.

Punjabi Kichdi - Rice and Mung lentil preparation, Punjabi style

Kashmiri Dahi Baingan

(Eggplants in Kashmiri style yogurt sauce)

The ingredients and the deep frying part may make calorie-conscious people gasp with horror, but, it is not that bad. The eggplants do not absorb much oil if the oil is kept at right temperature. This dish is going to take your palette on a tantalizing journey! Enjoy!

adapted from recipe by Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor
~.~.~

What you need to make this curry:
4 medium sized long eggplants (Indian or Japanese variety)
4-5 cardamoms
1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
1/2 tsp dry ginger powder
1 cup fresh yogurt
1/2 to 1 tsp red chili powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Oil plus for frying



Prep Work:
Wash eggplants, slit into quarters lengthwise. Place them in salted water.
Pound fennel seeds to a coarse powder.

Method:

• Heat 1/2 to 1 cup cooking oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat.
• Take few pieces of eggplant, dry them by blotting with kitchen towel. Fry for 2 minutes or until the pieces are light brown in color. Remove and place them on a paper towel.
• Repeat until all pieces of eggplant are done.
• In a deep skillet, heat 1-2 tbsp cooking oil, add cardamoms. Saute for 15-20 seconds. Carefully add yogurt, start stirring immediately. Add salt, cook for 2 minutes.
• Add fennel powder, ginger powder, red chili powder, mix well. Cook, stirring continuously for 3 minutes or until the yogurt breaks down.
• Add eggplant pieces, adjust salt, mix gently. Cook for another minute, remove from heat.

This tastes great with vegetable pulao or biryani or steamed basmati rice.

adapted from recipe by Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor
~.~.~

Amchi Mumbai Street Food - Aloo Tikki with Ragda

(....A.k.a Chaat or ragda patties...)

When I first visited Mumbai, the only thing I liked is the street food. Next time, I fell in love with the city itself; bustling with life, busy and hard working people trying to make ends meet. It is a good way to unwind the day's stress with a vada-pav or pav-bhaji or ragda-patti or pani-puri etc etc and piping hot chai. What separates an outsider from the city crowd is the bewildered look on his/her face while watching the street-wallah churning up these delicacies :-) Many of these street vendors have improved their hygiene in the recent past so we can devour these all time favs.

For Tikkies:
2 medium-sized boiled potatoes
3-4 baby carrots
1 green chili
salt to taste
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
enough oil to shallow-fry the tikkies
3-4 tbsp sooji or rava

For Ragda:
1.5 cups whole dried yellow peas
salt to taste
3 - 4 cups water
1 tsp chaat masala
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 - 1 tsp red chili powder
1 medium tomato, chopped fine
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp mint leaves, finely chopped
a pinch jaggery
1 tsp finely chopped cilnatro

Prep Work:
Pick and wash the peas. Soak for 2 hours.
Take all the ingredients listed under Tikkies except for rava (sooji), and oil in a food processor. Process until it becomes corase somewhat dry paste. Do not add any water. Make lemon sized balls, flatten evenly, sprinkle lightly with sooji on both sides, and keep aside.

Method:
To make Tikkies:
Heat a tablespoon of cooking oil in a skillet. Shallow-fry the tikkies 3 mins each on both sides or until they are golden brown. Sprinkle oil now and then if required. Finish all the tikkies, place them on a kitchen towel.

To make Ragda:

• Drain peas. Add 2-3 cups water and pressure cook for 1-3 whistles or until they are well-done.
• While they are still hot, add salt and half of chaat masala and keep aside
• In a saucepan, heat 1 tbsp oil. Add jeera, half of onions, turmeric powder. When the onions become translucent, add half of tomatoes. Add Salt, remaining chaat masala powder, mint leaves, jaggery, red chili powder.
• Cook until done. Remove from heat, cool for a while. Blend into smooth puree. Return to stove, add the cooked peas, mix gently. Cook until it starts simmering. Reduce the heat to lowest setting and simmer for 3 min.
• Remove from heat. Cool for a while.
• If the ragda is too thin, mash some of it and simmer for few more minutes.

For serving, serve two to three tikkies per person and a ladle or two ragda. Garnish with chopped onions, tomatoes and cilantro.

My contribution for RCI - Mahararashtrian Cuisine

Chicken Tikka

Baby Lima beans Curry

This is a quick to make curry, that is delicious with rice or any flat bread.

What you need to make this curry:

1 packet (around 1lb) frozen Baby Lima Beans
1 medium sized onion, chopped
2 green chilies, sliced
2-3 medium sized tomatoes
½ -1 tsp red chili powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp chopped cilantro

For Tadka/Talimpu/seasoning:

2 tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp each, Chana dal, Urad dal (optional)
1 tsp each, mustard seeds, cumin seeds
1 sprig, curry leaves

Grind to paste:
1-inch ginger piece
2 cloves garlic

Prep Work:
Thaw frozen baby lima beans by leaving the packet in tap water for 30 minutes.
Peel ginger; make a coarse paste of ginger and garlic.

Method:

• In a saucepan, heat oil; add the tadka items in the order given, one by one. Once the mustard seeds stop spluttering, add chopped onion, green chilies, and turmeric powder. Sauté for 2-3 minutes or, until the onions become translucent.
• Add tomatoes, lima beans, salt and red chili powder. Mix well and cook covered on medium heat until the tomatoes cooked well to a pulpy consistency.
• Add ginger-garlic paste, mix well. Adjust salt. Cook for another 3 minutes on low heat.
• This curry should not be very runny. If it is, cook uncovered for 5 min, stirring.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Note: If using store bought ginger-garlic paste, add it along with onions rather than at the end. Same applies for pre-made, refrigerated one.

Methi Bhath (Rice with Fenugreek leaves) with tomato raitha

Methi in a pot... from backyard

I learnt about this rice preparation from my friend and neighbor, UB. This is my take on it.
What you need make this Bhath:

2 cups good quality Basmati rice
2 medium bunches of fenugreek leaves. Should roughly be 1 cup, packed.
6-7 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks, 1 inch each
5-6 cardamom pods
2-3 dried bay leaves
2 star anise
1 medium sized tomato, diced finely
1/2 medium sized onion, sliced finely
4 green chilies, slit in the middle
1 tsp Ghee (clarified butter)
1-2 tbsp cooking oil
Salt to taste
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tbsp, finely chopped fresh cilantro

To be ground into masala paste:

1 tsp dhania seeds (dry coriander seeds)
2 cloves
1-2 cardamom pods
1/2 inch cinnamon stick
a pinch jeera seeds
1 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp garlic paste
2 tbsp grated fresh coconut

Prep Work:
Wash Basmati rice, soak in water (enough to cover 1 inch above rice level) for 30 minutes
Roast all ingredients listed under the masala paste except for ginger, garlic, coconut. Start roasting dhania seeds and keep adding other ingredients in the order given
Once the spices are cooled, grind them into a semi-smooth paste.

Method:

• Drain Basmati rice. Boil in 5-6 cups of water. Once its more than half way thru, drain excess water, cover and cook on a very low flame until its done. When to drain, mash one grain between fingers, if it is soft outside and only a small strain is raw inside, that's the time to drain.
• Cool rice for 15 min.
• In a wide sautepan, heat ghee and cooking oil on medium-high heat.
• Add bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves, star anise. Saute for a minute
• Add onion and green chilies, little salt. Saute until the onions become translucent and light brown.
• Add ground masala paste and red chili powder. Saute for 1/2 minute, stirring continuously.
• Add methi (fenugreek) leaves. Saute until the leaves are wilted, stirring continuously so that leaves would form lumps.
• Add diced tomato. Saute until the tomatoes start become like a paste.
• Add the cooked rice, salt and cilantro. Fold gently, break open any lumps formed by the methi leaves.
• Cook covered on a low setting for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Serve with tomato raitha

My entry for JFI-Green Leafy Vegetables, Methi Bhath with Tomato Raitha.

Tomato Raitha:
Chop 1/2 tomato, 1-2 green chilies. Mix, add yogurt and 1-2 tbsp water to make 1.5 cups raitha. Add salt to taste, mix well. Serve with any rice dish like pulao, biryani.

Brussels Sprouts with Coconut and Ginger

People are clearly divided when it comes to this tiny cabbage lookalike. Either they hate it or love it. This cutie has won less hearts not because it lacks beauty but has a strong uncompromising odor. Before you draw to a conclusion and jump onto the bandwagon, let's do the reality check. Yes, Brussels sprouts emit a strong sulfurous smell; only if its overcooked. Why blame this humble (ahem!) veggie.
Although this is a winter veggie, I found this fresh in the market and since its cold this weekend, thought I would prepare it as I usually make it, with coconut and ginger.
In Andhra another "smelly" vegetable, cabbage is cooked this way. The peppery taste of ginger and delicate essence of coconut balances the robust flavor of these little cabbages.

To make this Iguru (dry curry), you need:

10 - 12 Brussels Sprouts
1/2 medium onion, chopped (optional)
1 green chili, chopped (optional)
1 -2 tbsp cooking oil
salt to taste

For popu (tadka or seasoning)

1 tsp each chana dal, urad dal, black mustard seeds (rai), jeera
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp turmeric powder

To be ground into paste:

1 inch ginger
1/2 cup grated fresh coconut
1/2 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
1-2 green chilies

Note: Using water to make the paste will spoil the taste and brings out notorious odor of Brussels Sprouts. If can not grind without water, chop finely and add to the curry 2 minutes before finishing.

Method:

• Halve Brussels Sprouts and chop (not too finely)
• In a sautepan, heat cooking oil, add tadka items one by one in the order given.
• Once the mustard stops spluttering, add onion and chopped green chili. Saute until the onion becomes translucent.
• Add chopped Brussels Sprouts, salt. Stir well.
• Saute until the the Sprouts are almost done.
• Add the ground paste. Stir well, cover and cook for 1 minute on very low setting of stove. (if the sprouts are soft to bite and little crunchy, they are done). Care should be taken not to overcook.
• Serve with rice or rotis

This dish can be made as Upvaas dish by eliminating onion.

My Contribution to JFI-WBB: Green Leafy Vegetables