Khandvi - Indian cooking challenge

My first challenge in the Indian Cooking Challenge - Khandvi , a snack belonging to Gujarat. I was super excited when i mailed the moderator of ICC , i.e Srivalli about my interest to join the challenge. And my excitement grew further when i got to know this month's challenge - Khandvi. Why? Because it is a snack from the place where my hubby and in-laws belong! Me being a South Indian got married to a guy basically from Gujarat and so i need to adjust/adapt to North Indian traditions, cultures and FOOD! Since i haven't actually stayed with my in-laws till now, i was not able to learn Gujarati dishes. But this challenge has come at a perfect time, when i am about to leave to New York to join my hubby and in-laws and will complete my one year of marital bliss! :) Insha'Allah! 

I am sooo waiting to learn recipes from my mom-in-law and I can tell her,  i now know a Gujarati dish, At least ONE! ;)

From Anupama Krishnamurthy's Mitho Limdo

Ingredients:

For the batter:

Besan / Gram flour - 1 cup
Salt as per taste
Turmeric ¼ tsp
1 cup water

1 cup Yoghurt
Oil - 1 tbsp
Red chili powder - 1/4 tsp
1 green chili + ½ inch of grated ginger; both made into a very fine paste

For Tempering

Oil - 3 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 2 tsp
Asafetida / Hing - 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder - ½ tsp
Sesame seeds - 1 tsp

For garnish

Coconut, grated or dry coconut powder  - 1.5 table spoon
Finely chopped Coriander - 2 table spoons

Method:

1. Mix the batter ingredients and blend to get a lump less batter

2. In a non-stick fry pan,  add 1 tbsp oil. Add the batter and cook on medium-low flame stirring constantly. You will see the batter coagulating, but keep stirring the batter with the back of a spatula or ladle to keep the batter smooth. This step will take about 10 minutes.

3. When the batter is ready after 10 minutes, pour 2 ladleful batter on the surface and spread the batter in a circular fashion as if you are making dosa. You will have to press the back of the ladle firmly on the surface to get thin and even strips. Do this for the rest of the batter.

4. Cut strips with a knife  Roll the strips and arrange neatly in a serving dish.

5. Heat 3 table spoons oil and do a tempering of mustard seeds, sesame seeds and hing. Take it off the stove and add 1/4 tea spoon red chili powder. With a tea spoon, spread the tempering over the khandvis making sure each khandvi gets a nice coating. 

Garnish with coconut and coriander leaves and enjoy the snack! :)

Chatpata Cabbage Fritters

It was a quiet evening yesterday at home. Everybody was just so lazy and no one was in a mood to do anything exciting. All were either sleeping or just lying down here and there :p I was online and when it was time for Namaaz, i did my ablution and did my prayers. Once done, i thought lemme make some quick snack which will lift everyone's mood. Something hot and delicious. I found a nice cabbage in my fridge and i knew what i was going to make! Since i wanted to make it super quick , i.e before others wake up, i asked my Granny to grate the cabbage while i made the mixture. Within minutes the cabbage fritters were ready and yes! Everyone really enjoyed it, so much so that our tummies were full and we couldn't have dinner too! LOL!

Ingredients:
Cabbage - 2 cups (grated)
Gram flour - 1 cup
Chat masala - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Roasted Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp (Pounded)
Asafoetida - pinch
Salt to taste

Method: 
1. In a bowl, mix gram flour with sufficient water to make a nice paste ( not-thick-nor-thin)

2. Add in chat masala, red chilli powder, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and salt and asafoetida.

3. Heat oil in a wok/ kadai and once its well heated, take a little of the grated cabbage and coat it with the gram flour mixture.

4. Now fry the gram flour mixture coated cabbage into the hot oil and fry them in batches.

Serve it hot with tomato sauce and a chutney of your choice! It seriously tastes yum! ;)

Pepper Chicken Fry

Pepper Chicken Fry - Trust me its REAL REAL yummy!! We all at home LOOOOOOVE this! We can gobble up as many roti's or plates of rice if this is on the menu. ;) My Ammi makes this so deliciously well and now i make it too! :D

Ingredients:
Chicken - 1 kg
Pepper Paste/ Masala -  3 tbsp
Tomato -2 chopped
Onion - 2 chopped
Cinnamon - 1 stick
Cloves -2
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Wash and cut the chicken into desired pieces.

2. Add the pepper masala to the chicken pieces along with onion, tomato, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Mix well and cook till its done.

3. IF there is excess water. allow it to evaporate by keeping it on low flame.

4. Heat oil in a pan and fry the chicken pieces. Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and sprinkle some lemon juice over it.

Enjoy it with Roti or serve as a side dish with rice. :)

Sending this to Any One can Cook event hosted by Taste of Pearl city

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pepper Paste/ Masala

This masala is used for making yummy chicken dishes as well as for making gravy/ khurma.

Ingredients:

Roasted Peppercorns - Fistful
Roasted Coriander Seeds -Fistful
Turmeric/ haldi powder - 2 tsp
Roasted whole Red chilli- 4
Ginger - 1''
Garlic - 8 cloves

Method:
Grind all the ingredients together till smooth.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fish Curry

Fish curry - My Ammi Abba's Favorite :) A Not-so-favorite dish of mine- Simply because i don't eat fish! :p But as far as i can cook and serve others, am happy ;) I now know that my in-laws love fish curry too, so this is one dish i had to learn ! So here i am :) It is preferable to cook this curry in a clay pot. It tastes much better - That's what everybody says :)

Ingredients:
Fish - Bangda ( Mackerel) - 3 big cut into 3 pieces each, If Sardines use12 fishes
Coconut - 1
Roasted Whole Red chilli - 8
Turmeric / Haldi powder - 1/4 tsp
Roasted Whole Coriander - 1/2 tsp
Onion - 1
Garlic - 4 cloves
Tamarind - small ball
Roasted Cumin seeds/Zeera - 1/4 tsp
Roasted Fenugreek seeds/ Methi - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Tomato - 1
Slit Green chilli - 4
Ginger - 1''
Curry or Coriander Leaves - 2 tsp

Method:
1. Grind coconut along with Turmeric powder, Coriander seeds and whole red chilli.

2. Once its getting into a fine paste, add tamarind, Zeera, Methi, garlic, onion and grind till smooth paste.

3. Remove the batter/masala adding water to form a not-thick-not-thin consistency and transfer it into a bowl.

4. Mix the batter real well and add salt and allow it to boil with the lid closed. Make sure you keep checking it in intervals so that it does not spill over.

5. Once it starts boiling, add Green chillies, ginger, tomato and onion and give it a boil.

OPTIONAL : Add chopped Ladies finger or Brinjal at this stage.

6. After the first boil, add the fish pieces and allow it to boil till the fish is cooked. Depending upon the type of fish, the cooking time would vary. Please see to it that the gravy is not too thick nor too thin.

7. Once its done, add in curry leaves or coriander leaves.

Enjoy with rice , dosa along with a veggie side dish! :)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Beef Khurma/ curry

Friday calls for special meals every week at our place. Main dish is either Biryani or Pulao, accompanied with beef/ mutton gravy and chicken fry. Sometimes its just Pulao, Daal and chicken Fry - Everybody's favorite! Today my Ammi was out for a meeting at my sis's school and it went on for more time than expected. As expected, she was worried about lunch preparations and that too it was a Friday! I soo knew my Ammi would definitly be thinking about this, so i went to the kitchen, decided the menu and got cooking, without giving her a call. I decided on Pulao, Beef curry and Chicken 65! And when my Ammi called me up to say she would be late and that i should prepare something, i cool-ly sed 'Ammi, You just come and eat ;) Lunch is ready!! LOL!

The happiness on my Ammi's face - Priceless! :)

Beef Khurma/ Curry
Ingredients:
Beef - 500 gms
Onion - 7-8
Tomato - 5
Potato- 2
Cloves - 2
Green Peas- 1/2 cup
Cinnamon stick - 1
Salt to taste
Green chilli paste - 2 tbsp
Coconut - 1
Coriander Leaves - 1 bunch

Method :
1. Wash and cut the beef in desired pieces.

2. Heat oil in a pan and saute onions till brown. Add tomatoes and mix well till oil starts coming on the sides.

3. Add cloves and cinnamon.

4. Add the beef pieces, potato cubes, green peas, salt to taste and green chilli paste along with 2 cups of water and mix well. Pressure cook it till its done.

5. Meanwhile, Grate the coconut and grind it. Extract the coconut milk from it using a strainer.

6. Once the beef is well cooked, add this coconut milk to it and boil it for around 5 minutes.

9. Add the chopped coriander leaves and serve hot!

Sending this to Anyone can cook event hosted by Taste of Pearl city

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Desi Pizza

My blog is two months old today :)

Few days back we were all in a mood to have some nice snack in the evening and i got thinking of what we should make. Somehow we came across a pizza ad on tv and we soo wanted to eat a pizza! But no one was in a mood to go out. So we thought lets make a pizza at home! It takes time!! And all of us were very hungry. So i thought ki chalo lets make something easy, quick  and yummy!  We had bread at home and that was it! See what it turned out into! ;) Y*U*M*M*Y in the T*U*M*M*Y!

Ingredients:
White bread slices - 8 slices
Sesame seeds (til), toasted - 1/2 cup
Corn Kernels, boiled and crushed - 1 cup
Potatoes, boiled and grated - 3 medium
Green capsicum, seeded and chopped - 1 medium
Onion , chopped - 1 medium
Garlic, chopped - 4-6 cloves
Green chillies, seeded and chopped - 2-3
Fresh coriander leaves, chopped - 1 tbsp
Ginger, chopped - 1''
White pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Soy sauce - 1/2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Cornflour/ corn starch- 1/2 cup
Oil - to deep fry

Method:  
1.Cut the bread slices into squares or just cut the sides of the bread. 

2. Take potatoes in a bowl.

3. Add green capsicum, onion, garlic, green chillies, coriander leaves, ginger, crushed corn, white pepper powder, soya sauce and salt and mix well. 

4. Spread the mixture on each bread square generously. 

5. Sprinkle some sesame seeds over the potato mixture and press gently. 

6. Lightly roll in cornflour. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai and deep fry the bread slices till golden. 

7.Drain and place them on an absorbent paper. Serve hot. 

It was seriously delicious. And yeah the name Desi Pizza, was given by my brother ;) He LOVED it too much. And as i am writing this post, my sis comes to me and says 'Didi, Please make this tomorrow'! ;)

I take it as a compliment! :D

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------