Chole + Chapati

Hi Everyone! Wish you all a very happy New Year 2017.

With the new year comes the resolution that I’ll blog a bit more… and this time I do hope I keep to it! Well, here is a recipe with a different take to start off the year.

Chole is usually eaten with bathura (large maida-based puri), and made in a typically masaledar style. The version I speak about is something that doesn’t use masala in the traditional form, but gives it a twist that can be made healthier and at home. This particular version is made by my mother-in-law, and this is now how I make chole at home.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups – kabuli chana (soaked overnight)
• 2 large potatoes
• 2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 12 green chillies
• 1/2″ piece of ginger
• 1/3 cup grated fresh coconut
• 2 tsp khus-khus
• small lemon-sized ball of tamarind (washed well)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• salt to taste
• curry leaves and chopped coriander for garnishing
• oil for cooking
• water as needed

Method:

• Grind the khus-khus to a fine powder. Add the coconut, chillies, ginger and tamarind and grind. Add water to make it a thick fine paste. Set aside.
• Steam-cook the peeled and chopped potatoes with the chana. Mash the potatoes and set aside
• In a wide-bottomed cooking dish, add about 2 tbsp of oil and add the cumin seeds.
• Once the cumin starts sputtering, add the tomatoes and braize till it is completely soft and mashed up.
• Add the chole, potatoes, and the khus-khus paste and mix well.
• Add salt and turmeric and mix. You may add water if needed.
• Cook till the ingredients have blended well and it gets a bit thick.

• turn off the flame and add curry leaves and coriander and set the lid to rest for a 25-20 mins.

Serve hot with rotis or puri!

 

 

Aloo Rasedar

This is a dish that my husband has always praised. It used to be served at his college, and so has always been associated with good memories. However, I wasn’t very familiar with UP cuisine, and wasn’t able to search this recipe out. Recently though, my husband came by the name, and I was finally able to re-create this dish!

Aloo Rasedar

This is a typically UP dish, and does not use onion or garlic. It makes a great side to parathas or puris, and is easily prepared.

Ingredients

• 4 medium potatoes/aloo
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1 inch ginger, finely chopped
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin/jeera
• 1 tsp coriander powder/dhania powder
• 1 tsp dry mango powder/amchur powder (optional)
• ½ tsp garam masala powder
• 1 tsp salt

Method:

• Peel and boil the potatoes till they are very well cooked and can be easily crumbled.
• In a wok, heat some oil and add the jeera and dhania powder.
• add finely chopped ginger and saute for a half a minute on low flame.
• Add the chopped tomatoes, chilli powder, turmeric and braise till the tomatoes are completely cooked and mashed.
• Mash some of the potatoes and add along with salt and mix well.
• add water and braise till it reaches the consistency you want. The gravy will come from the mashed potatoes and tomato mix.
• Here you can add dry mango powder/amchur powder and garam masala. Keep braising till the gravy comes together.
• Add chopped coriander leaves for garnishing.

This gravy is best served hot. Since it doesn’t really take very long, its a perfect breakfast/dinner dish.

Vakkaya Pappu

Recently, my father-in-law brought home some berries to be cooked. My mother-in-law remembered it from their days at SriHariKota (abt 28 years back). So she prepared it, and we definitely enjoyed the taste that very day! I do keep to keep a look out though, for its availability in Bangalore..

To quote Wikipedia: Common names include “crane berry” (English), karonda (Devanagari: करोंदा), karamardaka (Sanskrit), kauLi hannu/ಕೌಳಿ ಹಣ್ಣು (Kannada), kali maina/कालि मैना (Marathi),karauna (Maithili), vakkay (Telugu), kilaakkaai/கிளாக்காய் (Tamil)The fruit is a rich source of iron, so it sometimes used in treatment of anaemia. It contains a fair amount of Vitamin C and therefore is an antiscorbutic.

Vakkaya

Ripe one, with seed

After de-seeding

Ingredients:

• 1 cup kandi pappu (toor dal)
• 1 small cup of de-seeded vakkaya
• 8-10 green chillies
• 1 tsp salt
• 1tsp chilli powder
• 1/4tsp hing/asafoetida/inguva
• Tadka: aavalu (mustard seeds), jeera, mina pappu (urad dal), red chilli

Method:

• Cook the dal, chopped green chillies and vakkaya chopped into long pieces of 6 or 9.
• Once the dal has cooked, mash the dal and chillies well. Some of the vakkaya pieces may get smashed.
• Add the salt, chilli powder . and hing and mix well
• cook for 10 mins or till excess water dries up
• In a small wok, heat 1 tsp oil and add the tadka.
• Once the aavalu start popping, add to the dal and mix
• Cook the dal for a couple of minutes more and then take off flame.

Can see the vakkaya pieces being cooked

Serve hot with rice and ghee.

Vakkaya pappu all set!!