Mooli Paratha (Radish Stuffed Flatbread)

mooli paratha

Today I made mooli paratha or mooli ke parathe for breakfast. Some people enjoy them with white butter on top but we had our mooli paratha with curd. They are best enjoyed hot and crisp straight from the tava (griddle).

Recipe of mooli paratha

3 mooli (white radish/ diakon) - peeled and grated

2 cups atta (whole wheat flour)

4-5 green chillies- chopped

1/2 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)

Coriander leaves (cilantro) - chopped

Salt to taste

Oil to shallow fry.

1. Squeeze hard the grated mooli to remove excess liquid. Heat a pan and sauté mooli till light brown. Purpose is to evaporate the water of mooli.

2. In a bowl, take atta and add 1/2 tsp salt to it. Add water and knead it into smooth, pliable dough. Set aside for 20 minutes.

3. Add rest of the ingredients except oil to the mooli and mix.

4. Take a small ball (peda) out of the dough and roll out into a 3 inch round putting more pressure on the outer side so that outer edges are thinner than the inner portion of the round.

5. Grease this round with an oiled spatula. Put 2 tsp stuffing in the centre. Gather the edges and reshape into a ball. Pat between your palms to flatten the ball.

6. Roll out, dusting with dry flour, into a 5-6 inch paratha.

7. Heat a tava (griddle) and place this paratha on it. Shallow fry from both sides applying oil. Fry till golden brown. Similarly make rest of the mooli ke parathe. Serve hot mooli ka paratha with curd and pickle of your choice.

Vada Pav

vada pav

Vada pav is a famous Maharashtrian street food. It’s an Indian version of burger. Call it batata vada or bonda, it is finger licking good. Earlier vada pav was a favorite street food of a Mumbaikar, now it is eaten all over India.

Recipe of vada pav

Vada

4 big potatoes- boiled, peeled and mashed

3-4 green chillies- chopped

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Juice of a lemon

Fresh coriander leaves- chopped

Batter

1/2 cup besan (gram flour/ chickpea flour)

1 tbsp rice flour (chawal ka atta)

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp soda bicarbonate

1 tbsp oil

Oil to deep fry

5 pav or any soft, unsweetened bun

Sweet tamarind chutney (Imli chutney)

Mint coriander chutney (dhania pudina chutney)

1. In a bowl, mix potatoes with rest of the ingredients of vada. Mix well using your hands.

2. Make ping pong sized balls from this mixture.

3. In another bowl, mix all the ingredients of batter. Add water little by little, mixing with other hand, to make a thick, smooth, lump free batter.

4. In a kadhai/ wok, heat oil for deep frying. Dip potato balls in the batter so that they are well coated with the batter. Shake off excess batter.

5. Turn the heat to medium. Put these balls in the oil. Do not overcrowd the kadhai. Fry vadas from both sides by turning. Fry vada till golden brown.

6. Drain on an absorbent paper.

7. Warm the pav or bun. Slit the pav such that it is connected at the base and not separated into 2 parts.

8. Spread sweet tamarind chutney on one side and green coriander chutney on the other side of inside portion of pav.

9. Place vada inside the pav and flatten the vada a little. Similarly make other vada pav with rest of the vada and pav. Serve hot.

Ghugni (Bengali Version of Chickpeas)

ghugni

Ghugni is a Bengali version of chole or ragda. Here I have used kabuli chana or chickpeas but green peas or matar is also used for making ghugni.

Recipe of ghugni/ ghoogni

1 cup kabuli chana (chickpeas/ garbanzo beans)

1 onion- chopped

1 tomato- chopped

1 bay leaf (tej patta)

1 black cardamom

1 green cardamom

2-3 cloves (laung)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1 1/2 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

1 onion- cut into rings for garnish

1. Soak the kabuli chana overnight. Drain.

2. Pressure cook chana with water for 25-30 minutes.

3. Heat oil in a kadhai/ wok. Add bay leaf, cloves, cumin seeds and cardamoms. Let them splutter.

4. Add onion and sauté till light brown.

5. Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for 1 minute.

6. Add tomato and rest of the spices and salt. Cook till oil begins to separate.

7. Crush a handful of chana and add along with rest of the boiled chana.

8. Boil on a high heat for 3-4 minutes. Lower heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Cook till you get the desired gravy consistency.

10. Garnish with onion rings and serve hot ghugni with either roti, luchi, poori or rice.

Simple Potato Salad

potato salad

My husband always looks out for some potato dish in the dinner. So on those lazy days when I am not in the mood to cook elaborate meals, I prepare potato salad to satisfy his craving for aloo. In fact I learnt this recipe from hubby dear himself. It's a healthy salad as I have used lemon juice instead of mayonnaise as suggested in other recipes. No doubt mayo makes the salad richer and creamier but it also adds to the waist line so for all of you health buffs, this is a healthier version of potato salad.

Recipe of potato salad

3 medium potatoes- boiled, peeled and cubed

1 large onion- chopped

1 large tomato- chopped

2-3 green chillies- chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Black salt to taste

1/4 tsp black pepper powder

1. Mix all the above ingredients and toss. Serve potato salad hot or cold.

You can also use 4-5 freshly ground black pepper corns in place of black pepper powder and can replace black salt with ordinary white salt.

Gatte Ki Sabzi

gatte ki sabzi

Gatte ki sabzi belongs to Rajasthani cuisine where gram flour and curd are extensively used in the cooking. Gatta curry is mainly gram flour dumplings which are first steamed and then dunked in yogurt based gravy.

Recipe of gatte ki sabzi

Gatte

3/4 cup besan (gram flour/ chickpea flour)

1/4 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)

1/2 tsp salt

¼ tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

1 tbsp oil

Gravy

2 tomatoes- pureed

1/2 cup curd (dahi)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tbsp oil or ghee

1 moti elaichi (big cardamom)

2 laung (cloves)

1/2 inch piece ginger- crushed

cylinders before boiling

gatte after boiling and cutting into pieces

1. In a shallow bowl, take besan. Crush ajwain between your palms and add to besan. Add rest of the ingredients of the gattas.

2. Adding little water, knead besan into firm, stiff dough. Keep aside for 15 minutes.

3. Take small balls out of the dough and roll into cylinders. Cylinders should be able to fit in a pan.

4. Heat water in a pan. When it comes to boil, immerse the cylinders and turn the heat to medium. Boil till cylinders rise to the top and are covered with small bubbles.

5. Using a slotted spoon (pauni, chhari), take out the cylinders from the water. Keep aside to cool. Once cooled, cut them into about 1 inch pieces.

6. For the gravy, heat oil or ghee in a pan or karahi. Add cumin seeds, cloves and big cardamom. When cumin seeds change color, add hing. Add turmeric and red chilli powder.

7. Add ginger and tomato puree. Cook for about 3 minutes.

8. Lower heat and add curd. Stirring constantly, simmer for 3-4 minutes.

9. Add gatte and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot gatte ki sabzi garnished with coriander leaves.

Toasting/ Roasting Nuts in Microwave

roasted cashews

Roasting nuts in microwave is a breeze. You will be surprised as to how quick and easy this job is. All it takes is a few minutes to toast or roast nuts like almonds, cashews or peanuts in a microwave.

Recipe of roasting nuts in microwave

Cashew nuts, almonds, peanuts- as required

Salt to taste

Oil or Ghee (clarified butter) or butter- as required

Chaat masala (optional)

roasted almonds

1. Mix nuts of your choice like cashew nuts, almonds or peanuts with oil or butter or ghee.

2. Sprinkle salt and chaat masala over them and mix.

3. On a microwave safe plate, spread these nuts evenly.

4. Cook on a micro High for 2 minutes. Then check after every 30 seconds till they turn slightly brown. It usually takes 3-4 minutes to roast them but it also depends on the power of your microwave oven.

5. Take out of the micro and let them cool. When fresh from the micro, nuts will be soft but turn crisp when cool down.

Open Potato Toast

Open potato toast soon becomes everybody's favorite including kids. These toasts are so delicious that I can eat them one after the other. I learnt this recipe from my hubby Rahul who used to make them during his hostel days. By the way, he is an excellent cook who loves to experiment with various ingredients.

Recipe of Open potato toast

4 slices of bread

2 medium potatoes- boiled, peeled and mashed

1 onion- chopped

2 green chillies- chopped

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves (cilantro) - chopped

Butter to toast the bread

1. Mix all the above ingredients except bread and butter. Mix well.

2. Spread potato mixture on one side of bread slices, pressing gently so that potato mixture sticks to the bread. You have to do it gently because you don't want the bread to break.

3. Heat a non- stick tawa (griddle) and melt some butter on it. With the help of a spatula,

smear the tawa with the butter. Put bread slices on it, potato side down. Toast till potato becomes reddish brown, pressing it with the spatula.  Flip and toast the other side of bread also. Remember it takes much longer to toast the potato side than plain bread side. Also toast on medium heat. Serve hot open potato toast with tomato sauce.