Ghatvan Aloo

Rajasthani food is known for its richness and delicious taste and universally popular dish in this cuisine is Ghatvan Aloo - easy to make and yummy to taste.
Ingredients
4 medium sized potatoes boiled and peeled
4 to 5 medium sized tomatoes grated
1/2 tsp saunf seeds (ani seeds)
2 to 3 pieces of one inch (dal chinni / cinnamon)
1/2 tsp peppercorn
10 to 12 cloves
1/2 tsp methi seeds
8 - 10 curry leaves
1 inch piece ginger finely chopped
2 green chillies finely chopped
4 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp haldi (turmeric)
1 tsp dhania (coriander powder)
1 tbsp yoghurt (dahi)
Salt to taste
Procedure:
In a thick-bottomed pan or kadai heat oil and put all the dry spices and let them crackle for minute or two. Add grated tomato and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add turmeric powder and dhania powder and cook for a few minutes. Add yoghurt and 1 cup of hot water and bring to the boil. Smash the boiled potatoes unevenly and put into the gravy. Add salt to taste and cook for a couple of minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with roti, puri, paratha or fresh bread.

Chatpatti Mathri

“ Having just celebrated Raksha Bandhan and now Janmashtami to be followed by Ganesh Chaturthi, the festive season is upon us …. i.e celebrations and get to gethers with families and friends… and a lot of eating all through the day. A good snack to make and have at home whether you have guests or not is Chatpata Mathri. It stays crisp and fresh for several days, goes well with both hot and cold beverages and is a great in between meals snack. Try making it sometime and I am sure it will soon become a regular habit.”

Ingredients:
• 2 cups refined flour (Maida)
• 2 heaped tbsps. Pure ghee
• 1tsp cumin seed (jeera)
• 1tsp thyme (ajwain)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Oil for frying

Procedure:
Heat ghee and add to the flour. Put all spices into the flour. Knead into chapatti like dough with water. Make small balls like for puris. Roll out each ball into a thick puri. Pierce each puri at several places with a fork / knife. Heat oil in kadai. When hot add one puri at a time. Fry on slow turning sides till golden brown. Don’t allow the puri to swell up. Cool and store in air tight jar. Serve with pickle, chutney and tea / coffee.

Paneer Bhurji

Paneer or cottage cheese is a healthy and versatile food, loved by most of us especially vegetarians. It can be used in a number of interesting ways in starters, main courses and desserts too. From paneer tikkas and parathas to exotic dishes like paneer makhanwala and pasanda to pulao, palak paneer and kababs, paneer adds elegance and class to any dining table. A very simple and quick to make yet delicious paneer preparation is Paneer Bhurji. It takes just 10 to 15 minutes to make it, but it can be served in so many different ways. It tadstes great with paratha, roti or puri, can be served on hot toast, makes an excellent filling for sandwiches and grilled toasts, is a yummy filling for canapies served with drinks, makes a great pulao when added to cooked rice. I am sure there are many, many more ways to enjoy it. Would love to hear about your way...

Ingredients
250 gms paneer(cottage cheese. Cut into very small pieces(1 cm)
1 medium sized onion finely chopped
2 large tomatoes finely chopped
1 inch piece ginger finely chopped
2 green chillies finely chopped
Few coriander leaves finely chopped
Half teaspoon ajwain
1 teaspoon coriander powder(dhania powder)
1/2 teaspoon cummin seed powder(jeera)
1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
Salt to taste
3 tbsp oil

Procedure
Heat a thick bottomed kadai or pan. Add oil and when hot add ajwain seeds and allow to splutter.Add green chillies, ginger and onion and stir for a few minutes till onions are translucent or light pink in colour. Now add chopped tomatoes and cover the pan for 2-3 mins and reduce flame. After a couple of mins open the lid and add dry spices and continue to stir for a couple of mins till the tomatoes and onions are well blended. Now add chopped paneer and salt,cover the pan and cook for a min or two. Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves accompanied with hot roti, nan or puri.

Steamed Eggplant with Toppings

August or Shravan is the month where many people do not eat non –veg food and fast and are always looking out for interesting vegetarian recipes to try out . Here’s one which is easy to make and doesn’t take too much time I am sure will be liked by all who love brinjal or eggplant.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium sized eggplants (Brinjals - use Bharta Brinjals)
• 2 large onions finely chopped
• 2 medium sized tomatoes finely chopped
• 2 green chillies
• 1” pc. Ginger finely chopped
• Few coriander leaves finely chopped
• 1\4 tsp. garam masala powder
• 6 tbsp. Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Procedure:

Slit Eggplants in half lengthwise. If eggplants are about 6-8 inches in length cut each half into 2 horizontally so you have four pieces from each. Soak in salt water and keep aside for a few minutes.

In a non-stick pan heat 4 tbsps oil and fry the eggplant pieces till golden brown on both sides. Remove from pan and keep on a clean white paper.

Topping:

Heat non-stick pan and put 2 tbsps oil. Add green chillies and ginger. Stir for a minute and add chopped onions. Saute for a minute or two, now add tomatoes, garam masala powder, salt, mix well and cover pan with fitting lid. Cook on low flame for a few minutes till tomatoes and onions are soft and blended. Put off flame. With a spoon spread the tomato mixture evenly on one side of each egg plant piece. Arrange eggplant pieces back in the pan. Garnish with coriander leaves, cover and cook on low flame for a couple of minutes till eggplant pieces are hot and soft. Serve. Goes well with dal-rice, or chapatti.

Sunday Brunch

We've had a very wet Mumbai all week. The rains not only make the city dull and damp, they also impact our food preferences. After a long day at work and a long commute home, the desire to have a hot and light meal is very strong. A hot soup and a delicious sandwich is the perfect answer to such a meal. So today I suggest spinach soup that is very easy to make, delicous and highly nutritious too and is even tastier with a few baked Hippo Munchies. Cheese Tomato Sandwich Toast provides the perfect accompaniment and completes the meal.

Cheese Tomato Sandwich Toast
Ingredients:
• 2 cubes cheese (50 gms)
• 1 green chillie
• 1 small / medium tomato
• Few coriander leaves finely chopped
• 4 slices of bread buttered on 1 side
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Procedure:
Grate cheese/ cut into small pieces and chop tomato, chillie and coriander fine. Mix all together. Add salt & pepper. Divide mixture into 2 portions. Take 2 buttered slices of bread at a time and fill in one portion of mixture, keeping the buttered side outside. Place in a sandwich toaster and toast on low gas flame till both sides are golden brown.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup / chilli sauce / green chutney and potato chips.


Spinach Soup
Ingredients:
• 2 Bundles Spinach finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons oil
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 medium sized onion finely chopped
• 100 gms cheese grated
• 100 gms fresh cream
• salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
Heat oil in a pan. Sauté the onion. Add chopped spinach. Stir for a minute or two. Now add salt, cumin seeds, pepper and ginger paste. Stir and cook for a few minutes on low flame. Add milk. Cook for a few minutes. Remove from fire. When cool blend in mixer. If the mixture is too thick dilute to gravy consistency with a little water. Serve hot garnished with grated cheese.

Moong Dal Pakodi

Monsoon months are great to socialise and catch up with friends over a movie, game of cards, high tea or a meal. All of these activities make one want to unwind with a nice chilled drink and a hot snack to accompany. Moong Dal Pakodis are delicious and convenient thing to make. The batter can be stored in the refrigerator to last for two days, so ideal for a weekend.

Ingredients:
• 1 ½ Cups Moong Dal
• ½ piece ginger
• 2 Green Chillies
• ½ tsp Cummin Seed
• Few coriander leaves finely chopped
• ¼ tsp. ajwain
• 1/8 tsp soda bicarb
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying

Procedure:

Soak dal in 3 cups of water for about an hour. Grind in mixer with ginger and green chillies to a fine paste. Remove in a bowl. Add cumminseed, ajwain, coriander leaves, salt and soda bicarb and mix well.

Heat oil in a kadai. When quite hot, add one teaspoon of the mixture at a time making pakodis. Put 10 to 12 Pakodis at a time. Reduce flame and deep fry till golden brown and crisp. Serve hot with tamarind chutney, mint chutney or tomato ketchup.

Mango Murabba

“With the onset of the rains we bid good bye to the much love Alphonso mango and welcome other vaieties of mangoes like Langda, Badam, Dusehri and Totapuri. The Totapuri mango has a very distinctive longish shape and is pointed at both top and bottom ends and has a distinctive taste too. As a young girl many , many years ago I watched with interest my mother make delicious Mango Murabba with Totapuri mangoes . Now, I try to make it at least once every year around this time. I made it last week and am sharing the recipe so you can try it out if you have a sweet tooth and love to have something sweet with your meal. “

Ingredients

1 kilo Totapuri Mangoes
½ kilo sugar
30 cardamoms (remove seeds and discard skins)
1 pinch boondi colour

Procedure
Peel the mangoes and cut into slices of about 2 inch length and 1 – 2 cms width. Add two glasses of water to the sugar and boil in a pan for about five minutes, reduce flame and add mango slices. Cook on low flame. After about 10 minutes add cardamoms to the mangoes being cooked. Cook till the sugar syrup thickens and the mangoes are cooked. The consistency of the sugar syrup should be like gulab Jamun syrup. Add a pinch of boondi colour and turn off the flame. Cover the pan with napkin and allow to cool. When cool fill in jars and refrigerate. This Murabba tastes very good with hot roti, paratha or puri.