Monday 26 March 2012

Beetroot Alluchop/ aloo bonda


My post this time is Aloo chop, (allo bonda) are balls of mashed boiled potatoes cooked with onions, crushed ginger garlic, dipped in chickpea flour  batter and deep fried till golden brown. 

This is a very common snack specialty in Orissa. They are the most loved snacks in Orissa , sold in most of the ready made food stalls, and also as a street food by the gudia dokan in small carts by the road side. There are a variety of chops (I still don't know the reason behind calling them chops) vegetable chop, prawns chop, egg chop, fish chop though all these are fried with coated breadcrumbs and not besan. 

Aloo chop in Eastern India and Vada Pav in west. The aloo chop is individual genius and the vada pav is brilliantly cohesive. The aloo chop is sit back and relax and the vada pav is get up and run. In fact, it’s something that has to be savoured, eaten at leisure, with friends, or sitting at home during chilly evenings. I learnt to make these after I left Orissa and after umpteen number of trials and errors I have found a taste very similar to what I get back home:)
So I made aloo chop in beetroot for the 1st time & it came out well. So friends without much ado let’s start the recipe.






Ingredients:


For Masala :

Medium size Potatoes-5
1 small size beet root- chopped
1 large onion- chopped
Ginger garlic- crushed-1 tblsp
Green chilly- 1 chopped
Roasted peanuts- a handful
Green peas a handful (optional)
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Dried kasturi methi leaves- 1tsp
Garam masala powder- 1tsp
3-4 whole green cardamoms
Salt as per taste
Curry leaves afew (optional)
Chopped coriander leaves- 1tblsp
For batter
Besan / Gram flour- 2 cups
Rice flour- 2tblsp
baking soda- ¼ tsp
Cumin seeds- ¼ tsp (or u can add carom seeds /nigella seeds )
Salt as per taste
Water to make batter
Oil for deep frying

Method:

Boil the Potato and smash it.

Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, whole green cardamoms. Let them crackle. Then onion, curry leaves, green chillies. Sauté for 1 min. Then add the crushed ginger garlic paste. Add haldi & red chilli powder. Sauté for 1-2 min. Then add chopped beetroots & green peas. Mix well & cover the lead till the veggies are cooked. The add mashed potatoes, roasted peanuts, Dried kasturi methi leaves, garam masala powder and salt. Mix well. Cook for another 1 min. Add coriander leaves mix well again/ your masala is now ready. Let it cool.

 
For the batter, add gram flour, rice flr , baking soda , cumin seeds , a little salt and water. The batter should be of medium thickness consistency so that it can be coated over the potato dumplings.
 

Now ......... Make smooth round shaped lemon size balls.
 
Heat oil in a pan in the medium flame. 

Dip the potato dumplings and fry them till they become golden brown.
 
Serve hot with chutney or ketchup.

 




Wednesday 21 March 2012

Gobi Manchurian dry


Gobi Manchurian is a delicious appetizer ,has a very crispy coating on the cauliflower and is tossed with a spicy sauce. I tried this the previous weekend and it came out absolutely wonderful, better than expected J.. I never thought it will be so great in taste and it had the same flavour which we get in any good restaurant ...It doesnt take too long to make as well. my husband was zapped J &  had almost 3/4th of it nd still he needs. Hehhehe.. Now he has asked to prepare again J .I never thoght it would be so easy..so friend without much ado lets start the recipe.....





 Ingredients:

Florets of 1 medium size cauliflower
3 tblsp maida
1 tblsp corn flour
¼ tsp baking soda
1tsp coriander powder
1tsp cumin powder
1tsp red chilli paste/ you can simply add red chilli powder
½ tsp soya sauce & ½ tsp vinegar
1tsp chopped garlic & 1tsp chopped ginger
Oil for deep frying
Green onion chopped for garnishing

Method:

Heat sufficient oil in pan. Add all the above ingredients except cauliflower florets in a bowl & mix well. Add water & make a smooth batter. Add 1tblsp oil & mix it again.
Then add cauliflower florets & let them get well coated with the batter.
 

In hot oil deep fry the cauliflower florets by adding one after another till they are lightly browned.
 Sprinkle some chat masala & toss. Serve hot immediately with spring onions.

 

 

Tomato chutney


I am an ardent fan of idli and dosa but they can not be eaten alone. They are always accompanied by something podi with oil, a variety of chutneys, sambar, pickles, and many other sides. Idli and chutney is a perfect combination and quick to prepare .. For chutneys, I make tomato , channa dal or coconut chutney. Wooooo J One of my favorite chutney is tomato chutney. The spice mix with tomatoes makes the dish amazing.. i love dosa &  idli  with tomato chutney..They  are the healthiest breakfast with very low calories, wholesome and tasty.
 

Ingredients

Tomatoes – 5 chopped
Onion – 1 chopped
Garlic cloves-3-4
1-2 red dry chillies
Green chillies – 2 chopped
Kaju a handful (optional)
grated coconut 1 1/2 tbsp (this is optional and can be left out)
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Chilly powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds-1 /2 tsp
Salt – to taste
a bit of tamarind
Hing a pinch
2 tbsps Ural dal
Oil – 1 tbsp for seasoning

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard & cumin seeds. 

Add red chilles, onions,garlic cloves, green chillies and curry leaves. 
Fry till the onions turn light brown .
Add cashew nuts. Fry for 1 min.
Then add turmeric powder. 
Fry for a second and add the tomatoes , tamarind (If you want the chutney to more tangy you can add a teaspoon of tamarind extract)and salt.
 Mix well and cook covered for 10-15 minutes on a low flame till the raw smell goes & gravy is thick.
 If you are adding coconut, fry for a few second & then add to the tomato mixture. Cool the mixture and blend to a smooth paste.
Then lets do the seasoning
Heat oil in a tadka pan, add mustard seeds , urad dal, curry leaves when the seeds splutter remove from heat and put in to the above grinded mixture add  mix it well.
 Delicious ‘Tomato Chutney’ can be served with idli, dosa, rice or chapathi.  Enjoy!.

 



 sending this to Vegan Diet – Only Plant Based hosted by http://sravscc.blogspot.com/

Wednesday 14 March 2012

Urad dal vada






Ingredients:
1 cup Urad Daal
Handful of Curry leaves chopped
1 Onion sliced
1 tsp grated Ginger
1 - 2 Green Chilies chopped
cumin seeds- 1tsp
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Soda
1tbslp coriander leaves chopped
oil for frying

 Method:
Wash and soak Urad Dal for 4-5 hours.
Make a smooth paste of the dal by grinding it . Do not add too much water, because it should be a thick paste.
How to know whether the vada dough is perfect or not. Take  1 large glass of water in a pan. Take a lttle vada mixture & drop it in the water. If the dough floats in the water then u ll kno that your batter is ready.
Beat the dough in your hand to make the vada more soft & fluffy. Add  sliced onions, grated ginger, chopped green chilies ,salt,curry leaves , cumin seeds, coriander leaves and soda to the paste & mix well. set aside.

Heat oil in a kadhai . 
Apply some water in your palms & fingers or u can use a plastic sheet, take a small amount of batter and flatten it with your fingers with a little hole in the middle. 




Take that from it and fry it until golden brown.





serve hot with chutney, samber or guguni...


 


sending this to

Love Lock Series - Legumes hosted by http://vardhiniskitchen.blogspot.comSnacks recipes - Evening snacks recipes hosted by myeasytocookrecipes.blogspot.in




Tuesday 13 March 2012

Palanga Saga besara (Palak & vegetables in a mustard gravy)


Another famous recipe of Odisha is saga besara means leafy vegetables with mustard paste. Wow i just love this..This is a very helathy dish goes well with chapatti/ steamed rice. I love palak and often cook with it . This preparation is very simple & healthy. So donot  waste them away in the refrigerator... I had some fresh palak and other vegetables  so decided to make this curry & it turned out well....so friend without much ado lets start the recipe....






Palak- 1 bunch chopped
Potato- 1 medium size cut in cubes
French beans 5-6 nos- cut in 2” long pieces
Cauliflower florets – 1 cup (optional)
radish- 1/2 cup sliced
1-2 small size brinjals/ eggplants - cut in cubes
Badi- 8-10 fried
Tomato- 1 meduim size sliced
Red Onion- 1 medium size sliced
mustard oil/ refined Oil- 2tblsp
Panch phutan- 1 tsp (Mix of mustard, cumin, fenugreek, nigella& fennel seeds )
Dry red chillies- 2 nos
Turmeric powder/ Haldi- ½ tsp
Salt as per the taste

For gravy:
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Cumin seeds- ½ tsp
Poppy seeds- 1tsp (Optional)
Garlic cloves- 3 nos
Green chilly- 2 nos
(Grind the above ingredients & make a fine paste)


Method:

  Take a pan. Heat 1tblsp oil.  Add all the vegetables except brinjal, tomatoes & spinach. Shallow fry for 2-3 min. 
 

Then add the previously done mustard paste.
Mix well  sauté of 5-8 sec & immediately add 1 cup of water to the vegetables. (Don’t sauté the masala too much to avoid the bitterness)
Add salt as per the taste & turmeric powder. Cover the pan with a lid. 
 

When the curry will start boiling add the brinjals/ eggplants. Again cover the lid. let the curry boil till all the veggies are cooked. 
 
 
Now remove the lid add the chopped spinach, tomatoes. Mix well. Let the curry cook for another 5 mins till the spinach/palak gets cooked. Add the badi pieces.

 

 
Okaayy...now the gravy part is done will do the seasoning.....

Heat oil in a another pan. Add 1 tblsp of oil. Add dry red chillies & panch phutan. Let it crackle. Then add the red onions. Sauté till it it beomes soft.
Now add the gravy in to the seasoning & mix well. turn off the gas & cover with a lid for 5-10 mins.

 


sending this to Vegan Diet – Only Plant Based hosted by http://sravscc.blogspot.com/

&

Let’s Cook #13 ~ Greens hosted by http://ticklingpalates.blogspot.in

Cooking with Whole Foods – Spinach : Event Announcement hosted by http://cooksjoy.com

&http://kiranjay.blogspot.com

Healthy Diet - Vegetarian Side Dishes hosted by http://vardhiniskitchen.blogspot.com






Tuesday 6 March 2012

How to make pasta dough



Ingredients:
2 cups wheat flour
2 eggs
1 tblsp olive oil
½ tsp salt

Method:
 Sift the flour onto a flat surface. Crack the eggs & add in the flour. Add oil & salt. Stir the contents of the well with a fork. 




Gradually stir in more & more flour from the edge until u have a creamy paste. Using both hands heap the remaining flour from the outside over the paste in the middle & knead in. Mix 1 tblsp of water if it is difficult to knead. Knead thoroughly with the heels of your hands until a smooth firm dough ball is formed.

Cover the dough in a plastic wrap & let sit for about an hour. Roll out the dough on a flat surface to a uniform thickness. 
Dust with flour. fold together in to a multilayered strip. Slice in to 1/8 inch wide noodles.