Aloo Paratha

.                      Last few weeks, the week days and the weekends had been so busy  on both, home and work fronts.  So for a welcome change, when we had last Saturday completely to ourselves without any prearranged engagements, we made the most of it!!

                        So after having a nice lie down in the bed in the morning, we decided to have a Aloo Paratha brunch.Actually, I am not a very big fan of Aloo Paratha. So I find making it also a bit boring. So it's not very frequently made dish in our house. But the good thing about it is you don't need to make any accompaniments with it. If you have yogurt in your fridge and some pickle or chutneys in your store cupboards, that's it!!

                     Here is my recipe of Aloo Paratha. I am sure, you all must have tried Aloo Paratha in your households as well. So if you have any useful tips; please feel free to share them in the comments section.

Ingredients & Recipe-

(For 10-12 medium sized parathas)

For the stuffing-

Potatoes 6-7

Paste of 3-4 Green chillies and 1"ginger

(I don't like garlic in my Aloo parathas, you can add 2-3 cloves of garlic to this paste if you like the taste)

Coriander leaves,finely chopped

Salt per taste

Cumin and coriander powder,Amchoor powder 1tsp each

Turmeric,garam masala and chaat masala 1/2tsp each

Juice of 1/2lime

For the outer covering-

Wheat flour 3laddleful

Salt1/2 tsp

Oil 1/2 tsp

1)Boil,peel and mash the potatoes.

2)Mix all the ingredients for the outer covering and knead it into a medium soft dough.

(Some people use plain flour instead of wheat flour to make parathas more soft. But I try to avoid using plain flour in my kitchen).

3)Add chilly-ginger paste, finely chopped coriander leaves,all spices, salt and lime juice to the mashed potato and mix well.

4)Make the equal sized portions of this stuffing, approximately the size of a lime.

5)Make same number of balls from the dough.

6)To roll the paratha, first make a small roti of the dough ball, put the stuffing in the centre and bring the sides together. Press together in the centre and roll the paratha very lightly.

7) Roast it on a hot skillet by applying oil on both sides. 

8) Serve piping hot with yogurt and pickle/chutney of your choice!!

     

Onion Pakoda(Onion Bhajji)

           The month of May is about to end soon, but it's still cold and wet here in England. This country is a perfect place for tea/coffee lovers. Every now and then it's getting cloudy,wet and cold. The other day, my hubby came back from work and said,"What a perfect weather to have hot pakoras and wafting tea!" This time I agreed to whatever he said, which doesn't normally happen, because I had exactly the same thought in my mind.

           There are countless varieties of pakoras that we can make. Onion,potatoes,cauliflower,bell peppers,spinach,green chillies,courgette.oh!! This list is never ending!! Here in Europe, we get onion rings, thick slices of onion, dipped in plain flour batter and deep fried. But when compared to Indian pakoras, they are really bland.

           Today, I am giving the recipe for quick and easy onion pakoras.in Marathi, they are called 'Khekada bhaji' which means crab, because they look like crabs when ready. I am sure, you all must be making these pakoras by more or less the similar way. If you have any tips or any variations, please share them in the comment section.

Ingredients and Recipe-

Red onions 2

Coriander

Green chilly 1

Gram flour(Besan)  1 cup

Red chilly powder, salt,cumin powder,coriander powder,turmeric as per taste

Oil to fry + 1.5 tbsp extra to add into the batter

Sesame seeds and carom seeds 1tsp each

Cooked toor(arhar) daal 2 tbsp(optional)

1)Sieve the gram flour to make it lump free and also aeration during the sifting process makes the  pakoras crispy.

2)Add salt, red chilly powder,cumin and coriander powder,turmeric,sesame seeds and carom seeds to it. If you have cooked toor daal, add 2tbsp of it.

3)Make a wall in the centre of the flour and add 1.5 tbsp hot oil in it.

4)Slice the onion lengthwise, finely chop the coriander and green chilly.

5)Now add these chopped veggies to the flour, mix well and make a thick batter using very little water.

6)Heat the oil in a pan and make the pakoras with your hands. If you make them with a spoon, they will not be the perfect shape.

7)Deep fry on medium heat, till they are done. ( see the tip at the end of the post)

8)Spicy,crispy pakoras are ready to serve. Serve them hot with a sauce of your choice or tamarind chutney. And yes, don't forget the wafting cup of tea or coffee!!

Tip-

Temperature of the oil plays an important role in making the pakoras crispy. If the pakoras are fried on high heat, they burn from outside and stay underdone from the inside. If they are fried on low flame, they absorb too much oil and don't taste good. So always make sure to fry them on medium heat.

Healthy Paneer

       Both of my boys love the Paneer curries made in Punjabi style. Now if you add loads of butter,oil,ghee,cashew nuts or almonds and cream, any gravy will turn out restaurant style and will taste good,isn't it?? But looking at it's high calorie contents I don't like to make these curries very often. So for a long time, I was trying to invent a recipe which will look and taste the way my children like but at the same time, will be low in calories. That 'Eureka' moment came a few days back when I made a gravy using literally whatever came out in my mind, and my children ate it happily. So today, I am sharing the same recipe for you all.

Ingredients and Recipe-
Paneer cubes-1cup
Red Onion- 1 finely chopped
Tomato -1 finely chopped
Ginger-garlic paste- 1tsp
Oats -2tbsp
Milk -1cup
Red chilly powder, salt, cumin and coriander powder,garam masala as per taste
Sugar-1 tsp
Kasoori Methi-1tsp
Oil-2 tbsp
Bay leaf 1

1)Heat oil in a pan and add a bay leaf. Then add ginger-garlic paste and sauté till it becomes golden brown.
2)Add finely chopped onion and sauté till it becomes translucent.
3)Now add finely chopped tomato and fry till it leaves the oil from the sides of the pan.
4)add all the spices,salt,oats and sugar, mix well and turn the heat off.
5)once this mixture has cooled down a bit, grind it to a purée and take it out in the same pan to heat.
6) add  a cup of milk to this purée and let it cook on low flame.
7)Oats give a nutty texture to this gravy like cashew nut or almond paste and milk substitutes the cream.
8) Add paneer cubes,mix well and turn the heat off.
9) Dry roast kasoori methi in the microwave for 20-30 sec, scrunch it and add it to the curry.
      Serve the curry with hot parathas or phoolkas!!