Potatoes or Aalu are a universal favourite in most homes. But Aalu when cooked with Methi and other spices has a very distinctive flavour. Methi Aalu goes well with roti and Dal chawal too.


METHI ALOO
Ingredients:

· 6 medium sized potatoes (boiled, peeled and cut into small pieces)
· 1 small bunch of Methi leaves washed and finely chopped
· 2 small tomatoes finely chopped
· 2 green chillies finely chopped
· 8 flakes garlic and 1inch piece ginger ground together
· ½ tsp red chillie powder
· 1 tsp coriander powder
· ¼ tsp turmeric
· Salt to taste
· 3 tbsps oil

Procedure:

Heat oil in a thick kadai and add ginger- garlic and green chillies. Saute for a minute or two till ginger- garlic is golden in colour. Now add methi leaves and turn around for a minute or two. Next add tomatoes, mix well and cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the dry spices , mix well cover kadai and cook on low flame till tomatoes are soft and well blended. With a wooden hand blender, blend the tomatoes and methi to a smooth paste. Then add the potatoes and salt and mix well Cover kadai once again and cook for 5 to seven minutes till the potatoes are steaming. Serve hot with roti, puri or dal rice.

Masala Puri

Winter and weekends are times for Big breakfasts and Big meals.... Masala Puri is an extremely simple to make, quick and delicious breakfast or meal accompaniment.... .

Ingredients:

I small bowl wheat flour
½ tsp pepper powder
1/tsp jeera powder
Salt to taste
4 tsps oil for the dough
Oil for frying

Procedure:

Put the flour in a large plate or bowl. Add all ingredients and knead into a soft dough with water. Make small balls of the dough . Roll out each into a round puri. You can roll out a few puris and place them on a sheet of paper. Now heat oil in a kadai. It should fill about one third of the kadai. When the oil is really hot, gently put in one puri. Allow it to drown in the oil. It will swell up like a balloon, Turn it over . Let both sides be golden brown. Drain out oil , remove puri and place on tissue to remove any excess oil. Fry all puris in this way. Serve hot with aloo bhaji, dahi, pickle and papad.

Red Chicken Curry

All of us tend  to entertain more in winter, have richer and more elaborate meals and more of non vegetarian food. Chicken Curry and rice is a universal favourite for a Sunday lunch or to serve to guests. Here's my recipe  of Red Chicken Curry... simple and tasty.

Ingredients:
• 2 chicken legs (each cut into 2)
• 2 chicken breasts (each cut into 2) In all 8 pieces
• 4 medium sized onions finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste or 1 piece ginger and 8 to 10 flakes of garlic finely chopped
• 3 large tomatoes
• 2 green chillies finely chopped
• 2 tsps. coriander powder
• 1 tsp. garam masala
• ¼ tsp. turmeric powder
• ½ tsp. cummin seed powder (optional)
• ½ tsp. red chillie powder
• Salt to taste
• Few coriander leaves
• 5-6 tbsps oil

Procedure:

Clean and wash chicken pieces. Apply chilli powder, turmeric and cummin seed and keep aside. Heat oil in pressure cooker. Add ginger garlic. Cook for a minute. When it changes its colour reduce flame and add onions. For a few minutes cook onions till golden brown on low flame. Now add chicken pieces, coriander powder and garam masala. Mix well and stir for a minute or two. Now chop tomatoes finely and put them in the cooker, add salt and cook on low flame turning chicken pieces till tomatoes are soft and blended and the chicken has a reddish brown colour. Add salt, coriander leaves and 2 cups of hot water. Close cooker and cook for 10 minutes after first whistle. Serve hot with chapattis, bread or rice.