Ghiya Ke Kofte

Bottle gourd or more fondly known as ghiya, is one such vegetable which doesn’t have many followers. They would be only a few people who are fond of it. It is equally disliked by kids and adults alike, but the health benefits of bottle gourd are hard to ignore. It is packed with vitamins and minerals such as, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, Vitamin A, C and folate. It helps in better digestion and also has a cooling effect. The list is endless. Coming back to the recipe, this one is something that I have learnt from my Mom. The beauty lies in its simplicity. No heavy cashew or cream gravy. Easy to digest and equally enjoyed with rice or roti.

Ingredients:

For kofte

500 gms peeled and grated bottle gourd

½ tsp ajwain

Salt to taste

2 tbsp besan

½ tsp garam masala

½ tsp chilli powder

10-12 raisins/almonds

Oil for deep frying

For gravy:

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp zeera

1 pinch hing

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

1 big onion chopped

1 big tomato chopped

Salt to taste

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp haldi

½ tsp red chilli powder

2-3 tbsp fresh cream/ ½ cup milk

Kasoori methi for garnishing

Method for Kofte:

1.       Strain the peeled and grated bottle gourd from a strainer. We do not need excess liquid in it.

2.       Keep the water from the strained bottle gourd aside. We will use it in our gravy.

3.       Mix together the bottle gourd and all the dry spices along with besan.

4.       The batter will still be a little watery but do not add more besan as the koftas would come out hard.

5.       Shape the mixture into balls.

6.       Make a hollow centre and fill in raisins/almonds.

7.       Heat oil in a kadai, slide one kofta at a time ensuring they do not stick to one another.

8.       Fry till golden brown. Keep aside.

Method for Gravy:

1.       Heat the oil in a heavy based pan.

2.       Add hing and zeera. Let it crackle.

3.       Now add the chopped onions. Sauté till the onions become golden brown.

4.       Follow by adding chopped tomatoes.

5.       Now add the ginger garlic paste along with the dry soices.

6.       Cook till the oil seperates.

7.       At this stage, add the leftover bottle gourd juice or water.

8.       Milk can be added now and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes.

9.       Gently put the koftas in the gravy and let it simmer for another 2 minutes.

10.   Garnish with kasoori methi and serve.

Vada Pav

Vada Pav – the most famous street food in Maharashtra. It’s more like an Indian burger, with a spicy potato filling deep fried in a gram flour batter along with some spices in a bun. It’s served along with a spicy hot red chutney. There are different variations to it. Some like additional green chutney, some like it with meethi chutney. But I love the simple vada pav with the red hot chutney.I always try to have it whenever I go to Mumbai. The ones you get there are simple delicious and mouth watering. I also managed to find it in Delhi in a few eateries. But the taste was far far different. So I turned to the famous Sanjeev Kapoor for the recipe. With a few ingredients here and there, I came up with this one.

Ingredients for Vada:

2 large Potatoes, boiled and mashed

½ tsp Turmeric Powder

2-3 Garlic cloves

1 -2 Green chillies

Fresh Coriander leaves chopped

Salt to taste 

For the batter:

1 cup Gram flour (besan)

1 pinch soda bicarbonate

½ tsp Turmeric Powder

½ tsp Red Chilli Powder

¼ tsp Ajwain Seeds

¼ tsp Garam Masala Powder

Salt to taste

Red Chutney Recipe

4 Red chillies

4-6 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp Desiccated Coconut Powder

2 tbsp Peanuts

½ tsp Tamarind Paste (optional)

Salt to taste

Method:

1.       For the red chutney, grind together chillies, garlic, coconut and peanuts. Add salt and tamarind paste. Keep aside.

2.       For the Vada, ground together garlic and green chilies. Mix this in th boiled and mashed potatoes. Add turmeric powder, salt and coriander leaves. Divide into 4 equal portions and roll them into balls.

3.       For the batter, mix together gram flour(besan), soda bicarbonate, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, ajwain seeds and salt. Add sufficient water and whisk to make a coating consistency.  The batter should not be too thick or thin else the vadas will not turn out to be good.

4.       Heat oil in a kadai. Dip the vada balls into the batter and deep fry in hot oil till golden brown. The oil should be hot else we will get soggy vadas. Drain excess oil on kitchen paper.

5.       Slit the pavs horizontally without cutting through, spread the red chutney inside and place the hot vadas on the pavs.

6.       Serve hot.

Chocolate Nut and Raisin Bar

This is one of the most simple cake recipes that I have ever come across. But the results are amazing. I remember baking this cake as a child. Cooking fascinated me from a very young age and this was one of my early experiments. I used to bake this cake along with my sister on almost every occasion. The encouragement and appreciation that I got as a child pushed me further into the array of cooking.

This cake uses minimum ingredients which are usually available in every household. Nothing in this cake can ever go wrong. It is the simplicity of the ingredients that make this cake stand apart. It can be enjoyed at tea time or can use some chocolate frosting. I like to eat it plain only and so does my 2 year old daughter.

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 ½ cup maida less 1 tbsp maida

1 ¼ cup sugar

1 cup butter

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

3 tbsp cocoa powder

¼  cup chopped walnuts or almonds

¼ cup raisins

Method:

1.       Combine both walnuts/almonds and raisins in a bowl. Sprinkle 1 tbsp maida over them. Mix well and keep aside.

2.       Beat butter and sugar in a big bowl. Beat till light and fluffy.

3.       Now add the eggs one by one and keep beating. The mixture should be nice and airy.

4.       Sift maida, cocoa powder and baking powder.

5.       Add the maida mixture gradually to the butter-sugar-egg mixture, mixing well after each addition.

6.       Now add vanilla essence. Beat well till smooth and light.

7.       Add the nut and raisin mixture and fold gently.

8.       Pour the mixture in a greased and dusted tin.

9.       Place it into a pre-heated oven for 45 minutes at 180*C.

10.   Check by inserting a knife or toothpick. It should come clean.

11.   Serve plain or with frosting.

Chicken Masala Curry

Today I am presenting a rustic and authentic recipe for chicken masala curry. It’s packed with whole spices and tonnes of flavor. I have been making this recipe for a very long time now and it’s a hit with my folks. Personally I do not like eating curries in restaurants. Reason is their curries are loaded with cream and are way too heavy on the stomach. Almost all the curries taste the same and fail to bring out the true flavor of the main ingredient i.e chicken. I have tried to keep the recipe simple by adding whole spices which makes the chicken flavorful and also imparts a nice fragrance in the dish. It is equally enjoyed with rice, naan or roti.

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken

3 large onions

2 large tomatoes

3-4 slit green chillies

8-10 whole black pepper

1 pinch hing

2-3 bay leaves

2 tsp zeera

3-4 green cardamoms

3-4 cloves

1 big cinnamon stick

1 tbsp whole coriander seeds

1 tsp red chilli powder

2 tbsp corainader powder

1 tsp haldi

Salt to taste

For the marination:

4-5 tbsp curd

2 tbsp ginger paste

2 tbsp garlic paste

½ tsp ajwain

1 tbsp garam masala

Salt to taste

Method:

1.       Take a big vessel. Put all the marination ingredients along with the chicken. Mix well with hands and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2-3 hours.

2.       Heat oil in a pan. Add hing, zeera, clove, cardamoms, cinnamon stick, whole black pepper, coriander seeds  and bay leaves. Let them crackle.

3.       Now add finely chopped onions along with 2-3 slit green chillies. Adding the chillies at this stage gives a nice flavor to the oil. Sauté till the onions become translucent.

4.       Add chopped tomatoes along with salt, red chilli powder, coriander powder and haldi. Sauté till the mixture starts leaving oil.

5.       Now add the marinated chicken and sauté for 10-15 minutes. Sautéing the chicken will bring out more flavor.

6.       Add some water, cover with a lid and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.

7.       Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with rice, naan or roti.

Mumbai Pav Bhaji

When we think of street food, the first thing that comes to our mind is Pav Bhaji. It’s a Maharashtrian dish consisting of a spicy mixture of mashed vegetables cooked in a thick gravy and served with hot buttered soft white bread rolls (pavs). Though I have had pav bhaji many times in Delhi but the one you get in Mumbai are completely different. The secret lies in its fresh taste. It’s a hot selling product on the busy Mumbai roads. The bhaji is always ready which the vendor reheats with some spices and butter… butter being their key ingredient. Dollops and dollops of butter is added and the end result is heavenly..melt in the mouth bhaji. I've tried using less butter in this recipe but feel free to add more as per your choice, the more the butter the butter..ohh sorry..better!!

Ingredients:

1 cup cabbage

½ cup French beans

2 carrots

½ cup green peas

3 big potatoes

1 cup capsicum

2 onions

2 large tomatoes

3 tbsp butter

Hing – 1 pinch

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp haldi

2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

3 tbsp Pav Bhaji masala

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp dry mango powder

½ tsp cumin seeds

2 tbsp lemon juice

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Boil and mash cabbage, carrots, peas and potatoes. Keep aside. Do not throw away the water. It is full of nutrients and we will use this stock in our bhaji.
2. Take a pan and add 2 tbsp butter. Add hing to it.
3. Now add finely chopped onions. Sauté till they become translucent.
4. Add finely chopped capsicum and French beans. Cook for 2 minutes till the vegetables become nice and soft.
5. Add chopped tomatoes along with ginger garlic paste, haldi, coriander powder and red chilli powder.  Cook till the oil seperates.
6. Now add the mashed vegetables along with salt, cumin seeds, garam masala and dry mango powder. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.
7. You can add the vegetable stock at this stage.
8. Use a masher to finally combine all the vegetables. It has to come together as a paste consistency.
9. Simmer it for another 10-15 minutes.
10. Finally add a dollop of butter and stir for another 2 minutes.
11. Remove from gas and add lemon juice.
12. Serve hot with buttered pavs.

For the pav:

1. Slit 2 pavs vertically and keep aside.
2. Heat a large tava, add 2 tsp of butter and slit open the pavs and place on it.
3. Cook on a medium flame till they turn light brown and crisp on both the sides. (add more butter if required).

Mango Kulfi

Kulfi brings back some sweet childhood memories. I still remember when the kulfi wallahs would come crying out loudly on the streets. We as children would eagerly wait for him to come, ready with money clinched in our small fists which were easily collected by throwing tantrums infront of our parents. The kulfi wallah usually carried a large earthen pot on his head which was filled with the tastiest frozen kulfi my taste buds can ever remember. We use to peep inside the pot just to take a glimpse of it. He would serve it plain without the falooda or syrup on large leaves.

Coming back from the mesmerizing thoughts, this is a no fail recipe and again nothing can ever go wrong with it. If you have to make Mango Kulfi in a jiffy, then this is the one. Very simple and easily available ingredients are used. I first tried making it when my mom gave me a carton full of mangoes. I was completely clueless what to do with them. They were the extra sweet variety and were rotting at a fast pace. Me and my husband managed to gobble down a few and also gave the little one a taste of them. Then came the famous mango shake. Still the mangoes managed to take one full shelf in my refrigerator. As I was in no mood to follow the normal recipe and spend hours in the kitchen boiling milk and thickening it, I chose a non-cook approach to my mango kulfi. I picked up fresh cream and played around with the ingredients. Result… I got this finger licking mango kulfi. Since then this is a regular in our household in the summer months.

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh pureed mango

1 cup sugar

2 cups fresh cream

½ cup chopped almonds

1 tsp vanilla essence

½ tsp elaichi powder

Some saffron strands

Method:

1. Combine the mango puree and sugar in a bowl. The msugar needs to be completely dissolved. Keep aside.
2. Take fresh cream in a big bowl and beat till fluffy. This will take some time. You can put the bowl over a bed of ice if doing it manuaaly else use an electyric beater.
3. Once the cream is nice and fluffy, add the mango puree. We need to fold it gently so that the air in the cream is not lost.
4. Add the other ingredients one by one – vanilla essence, elaichi powder and saffron strands.
5. Transfer the mixtureinto a freezer safe dish or kulfi moulds.
6.    Freeze for 4-5 hours.
7.     Serve Mango kulfi cold with some sliced almonds or combine with Falooda and rose syrup.