Tag Archives: Food

Recipe: Rajma

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Another Punjabi dish which is is probably not as well known as it’s cousin Chole, but just as ubiquitous everywhere. This is a protein rich dish and is super yum with jeera (cumin) rice

The way I make it is inspired by Sanjeev Kapoor’s recipe. I remember seeing him make this on television many many years back and started making it the same way. Over the years it’s been tweaked, so does this make it an original recipe?

Punjabi Rajma

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Ingredients:

  • 1 cup dried kidney beans, soaked in water overnight
  • 2 onions, roughly chopped
  • 4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 5-6 cloves of garlic
  • 1 inch piece of ginger
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Salt to taste
  • 1-2 tsps red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 2 tsps rajma masala
  • Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Wash the rajma thoroughly and cook it in a pressure cooker for 4-5 whistles till it becomes soft. You can also cook it without pressure, in a pan, but it will take quite long.
  • Chop the onions and tomatoes and peel the garlic and ginger and chop them into pieces.
  • Heat oil in a pan and when warm, put in the cumin seeds. When it starts popping, add the garlic, ginger and stir for a few minutes. Then add the onions and stir and cook till they turns translucent.
  • Add the tomatoes next and a tsp of salt to help the tomatoes start watering. Let the tomatoes cook till they are mushy and well cooked.
  • Switch off the gas and let it cool completely. When cool, blend it till it becomes a smooth puree.
  • In the same pan, pour this puree and let it boil. When it comes to a rolling boil, add the cooked kidney beans, chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and rajma powder. Check for salt and add more if needed.
  • Let this cook well and once the whole mixture is nice and thick, switch off the gas and garnish with coriander leaves
  • Enjoy piping hot Rajma with Cumin (Jeera) rice, Rotis or Nan.

Tips:

  • You can put a pinch of baking powder/soda while soaking the kidney beans overnight. This will soften it up. Remember to wash it well before cooking it to remove all traces of the baking powder/soda
  • You can buy ready-made rajma masala at any Indian store. I prefer to use the Everest brand, but you can use any that is available or the one that tickles your taste buds.

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Recipes: Kanda Poha

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I am surprised that I have not yet blogged and posted this dish. This dish is a staple breakfast item in my home state of Maharashtra and is so embedded into the Maharashtrian psyche that days without Kanda Poha may actually give some people withdrawal symptoms.

In our home, we don’t like to eat heavy meals for dinner, except maybe occasionally when we are dining out. So most dinners are simple, what, in other traditional homes, may be eaten for breakfast.

Last week when I prepared this for dinner, I took pictures and checked whether I had posted it or not, and it was a no, so here it goes….

Like most Indian food, every family prepares this in a different way and if you’ve come across a different recipe for this, it’s quite possible that both variants exist and thrive. Also Poha or beaten rice flakes recipes are common across India, especially in the west and south and each state, nay region or province may have their own specialty. Now add family taste differences into the mix and what you get is a recipe which will be different each time you eat it!

This particular recipe which I make has evolved over the years. I first learned it from a friend who is Maharashtrian and then played with it till it became something that my family likes. S loves this recipe as do the kids and it pops on the dinner table every few weeks. It’s not very difficult to make, most of the items will be available in your pantry. The only pre prep work you need to do is with the peanuts.

Kanda Poha

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Ingredients:

  • 1 pack poha or beaten rice flakes
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 2 potatoes chopped into small pieces
  • 1 green chilli, chopped into small slices
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1.5 tsps turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp oil
  • A pinch of asafoetida
  • ½ tsp sugar (optional)
  • Salt to taste
  • ½ cup peanuts
  • 2 tbsps coconut (optional)
  • 2 tbsps lemon juice
  • Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • In a pan, dry fry the peanuts till they are crisp and slightly brown. When still slightly warm, using your fingers, remove as much of the skin as you can. It’s best if you can remove all the skin, but if not, it’s not the end of the world. When completely cool, using the pulse function of your blender/mixer, crush it a bit. You can make it into a fine powder if you want, but the way I like it is to have some powdered while the others are still in smaller peanut pieces.
  • Chop the onions, potatoes and chilli and keep aside.
  • In a colander, wash the beaten rice flakes and let the water drain completely. Then add a tsp of salt, the sugar and a tsp of turmeric powder and mix it well into the damp rice flakes. Use your hands to make sure all the flakes are coated. Put some of the powdered peanuts also into this mix and keep aside.
  • In a pan, heat the oil and when warm, add the mustard seeds. When the seeds pop, add the chilli and let it fry for a few minutes. Next add the remaining turmeric powder and asafoetida and stir for a couple of seconds. When the chilli is coated with the turmeric, add the onions and let it cook.
  • Once the onions are translucent, add the potatoes with some salt and let it cook well. You can add some water at this stage to help the potatoes cook. Don’t add too much water as the final dish has to be dry, just enough to help the potatoes cook and not catch the bottom of the pan.
  • When the potatoes are completely cooked, add the balance of the peanuts (or less if you don’t like too many peanuts) and let the peanuts absorb any of the water you may have added to the pan.
  • Once the water has been absorbed, add the damp poha and stir well to mix the onion/potato mixture with the rice flakes. When everything comes together well, add the optional coconut and the lemon juice and mix well.
  • Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

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Recipe: Carrot and Raisin Salad

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I’ve been so busy this week that I’ve not really had time to sit and think over a nice blog post. My apologies….So here’s another recipe which I made last weekend.

Carrot Salad 3This is something my mum used to make all the time growing up and I always assumed it was typical tambram food. Maybe not and this is something she learned. But I think many communities across India have a similar recipe. My mum’s recipe does not have raisins, which is something I usually add – I saw something similar at a dinner at S’ aunt’s place aeons ago and started using it since then.

This salad is a quick one, you can be done in less than 15 minutes, start to end and is a very healthy and colourful addition to your table!

Carrot and Raisin Salad

Carrot Salad 1Ingredients:

  • 1 cup carrots, peeled and grated/shredded
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 2-3 fresh green chillies, chopped into medium pieces
  • Salt to taste
  • 1-1.5 tsps lemon juice
  • 1 tsp ghee or oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • A pinch of asafoetida
  • Chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Shred or grate the carrots and keep aside.
  • Make sure the raisins are at room temperature
  • In a pan, heat the ghee or oil and when it’s warm, add in the mustard seeds. When the seeds pop, put in the asafoetida and saute for a few seconds. Then add in the chopped green chillies and let it saute for a couple of minutes.
  • Now add the grated carrots and cook for a few minutes. The carrots should not cook and should still be crunchy. Add the raisins and salt to taste and remove from the fire.
  • Pour in the lemon juice to the tartness you like and garnish with coriander leaves.

Yummy carrot and raisin salad ready….

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Recipe: Carrot and Peanut Chutney

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My Chutney series continues….

Carrot Chutney 1Last week, while making dosa, a rice-based pancake, we wanted to have a chutney, but were tired of having the usual coconut and tomato chutneys which I usually make. So I decided to experiment and see if I could tweak something we usually make and come up with something else. I decided to tweak my carrot thuvaiyal recipe. It was a hit, with the sweetness of the carrots balanced with the spiciness of the chillies and the tartness of the tamarind.

Carrot and Peanut Chutney

Carrot Chutney 2Ingredients:

  • 1 cup chopped carrots
  • ¼ cup peanuts (soak them in hot water for 20 mins so they soften. Then drain and keep aside)
  • 5-6 fresh red chillies (you can use dried red chillies as well as change the amount depending on the intensity of the chillies and your tolerance levels)
  • 2 medium sized onions, chopped
  • 5-6 pods of garlic
  • ½ inch piece of ginger
  • 1 small marble-sized ball of tamarind (or 1 tsp of tamarind paste)
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • Method:
    Heat oil in a pan and when warm, put the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seeds one by one, stirring it for a couple of seconds each before the next one is put in the pan.
  • Fry the garlic and ginger for a few seconds each and then add the onions and let it soften and brown
  • Add the chillies and fry till it starts to soften and wilt. Then add the drained peanuts and fry for a minute.
  • Add the carrots, stir well and add a pinch of salt to help cook faster. Cover and cook until the carrots are well-cooked.
  • Once the carrots are completely cooked, remove the pan from the fire and let it cool completely.
  • Blend this mixture in a blender or mixture until it becomes the consistency you like. I prefer chutneys to be very fine, but others like a more coarser texture, it’s completely your preference.
  • Check for salt and add if needed. Transfer to a bowl and use for idlis, dosas, rotis and even bread!

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Recipes: Red Chilli Chutney

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I love having chutneys in the house and will have one or more lying around at any point in time.

A couple of weeks back, while making veggie burgers with my Mixed Veg Kofta recipe, I played with this recipe and found one that suits me! Don’t be fooled with the name, though its made from red chillies, it’s not as fiery as the name suggests.

This chutney is made from fresh, largish red chillies which are not spicy. I suspect they will be very nice with red peppers also, though I’ve not yet tried them with them.

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Fresh red chillies

Fresh Red Chili Chutney

IMG_5357Ingredients:

  • 1 cup fresh red chilies, chopped into large chunks
  • 2 onions, chopped into large pieces
  • 10-12 cloves of garlic
  • 1 large handful of raisins, soaked in warm water for a while
  • Salt to taste
  • 1-2 tbsps lemon juice

Method:

  • In a blender, using the water used to soak the raisins, blend all the ingredients except the salt and lemon juice.
  • Use water sparingly to keep the chutney thick.
  • Add salt and lemon juice and blend till you get the consistency you want.

This chutney is amazing with bread and also goes very well with chats and and any fried food like samosa, pakoras etc. The chutney was not very spicy and the raisins helped cut the spice factor even more. If you can take a lot more spiciness, you can reduce the amount of raisins, or increase the chili amount.

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