Vada Pav/Aloo Chop/Indian Burger

 

Vada Pav is one of the popular fast food in Western part of India and also one of the favorite foods of my husband. The Vada is made of spicy potato mixture and dipped in a gram flour batter and then deep fried in oil. Serve this with spicy garlic chutney powder between two dinner rolls or burger buns. This is very easy to make and best suits for family road trips and outside picnics. If you are a true garlic lover then definitely try this mouthwatering Vada Pav.

 

For making Vada patties:

Ingredients:

• 5-6 medium sized Potatoes
• 10 peeled Garlic cloves (If you want more you could add few more)
• 5-6 Green chilies
• Small amount of Ginger
• 1 tsp. Turmeric powder
• 2 pinches of Asafoetida/Hing
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 cup Gram Flour/Besan
• 1 tsp. dry red Chile powder
• 2 tbsp. finally chopped Coriander leaves
• 1 tsp. of Lemon Juice (optional)

Preparation:

• Grind green chilies, garlic cloves and ginger like a fine paste.
• Wash potatoes thoroughly and cut them into half.
• Cook potatoes with a pinch of salt in a pressure cooker up to 4-5 pressures.
• Once the boiled potatoes are completely cools down, Peel the skin and mash them with hand. (Don’t grate it.)

• Heat the non-stick frying pan add 2 tbsp. oil, Hing, ground Ginger, garlic & green chili paste; stir fry it for a while.
• Now add turmeric powder, salt, chopped coriander leaves and mashed potatoes; Mix and fry it well. According to your taste adjust the spiciness.
• Switch off the flame; keep it for cool down.
• (Note: Don’t stir fry it for long time and also don’t add any other masalas to it.)
• Using this mixture, make desired size patties.

Preparing the dipping batter:

• In a mixing bowl whisk together sieved Gram flour, 2 pinches of turmeric powder, salt, Red chili powder and Baking soda, 2-3 tbsp. of warm oil, mix everything with 3/4^th cup of water like a smooth thick batter.

• Heat the Oil for deep frying. Once the oil is ready for deep frying, take one patty at a time and dip it in Gram flour batter and then put that in hot oil (You could fry 4-5 patties at each batch based on the pan that you are using). Fry both sides till it turns light-dark yellow color.

Preparation of Garlic chutney powder:

Ingredients:

• 10-12 Peeled large garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp. dry shredded coconut powder
• 1 tbsp. red chili powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp. oil

Method:

• Grind the above mentioned ingredients (except oil). Please do not add any water for grinding.
• Heat up the non-stick pan; add oil and the fry ground mixture till the color changes slightly.
• Switch off the flame and let it cool down.
• (You can use the leftover chutney powder in some other stir fry dishes as well)

Procedure of Serving:

Apply some Garlic chutney powder in the middle of buns and place the already prepared Vada on top of the chutney powder and serve it. You can also apply Coriander or Tamarind chutney as well.

 

Coriander Chickpeas spicy Curry( Dhaniya Chana Masala Curry)

 

Many people like the taste of boiled Chickpeas/ Garbanzo beans/Chana. My kids love, if I make any dish with boiled chickpeas. It has very good nutritional values of fiber and calcium.

Chana masala curry is a very popular dish in Northern part of India. This Coriander Chickpeas spicy curry has unique taste and procedure. You can eat this curry with Chapathi, Poori, Roti, Vegetable rice or even with South Indian popular dishes Dosa, Appam or Puttu as well. So everyone can try this curry and enjoy with your favorite dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans/Chana
• 2 small size potatoes
• 2 small size carrots
• 1 small size onion
• 1tsp. Ginger garlic paste
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1tsp. Cumin seeds
• 1 big bay leaf
• 1 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. store brought Chana masala powder or normal masala powder.
• Masala ingredients:
• 1 ½ tbsp. Poppy seeds
• 1 tsp. Fennel seeds/Somp
• 4 cloves
• 1 small Cinnamon stick
• 1 small size onion
• 3-4 green chilies
• 2 small size tomatoes
• 1 ½ tbsp. grated coconut
• 1 bunch Coriander leaves
• Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Soak Chickpeas 8-10 hours and then wash it and boil in a pressure cooker with sufficient water up to 6 pressures.
• Slice potatoes length wise and cut carrots like round pieces.

• Chop onions, tomatoes and green chilies.
• Wash coriander leaves and chop them.
• Dry roast poppy seeds, fennel seeds, cloves and Cinnamon stick in a pan until color changes; take this out and cool it down.

• In the same pan put 1 tsp. of oil and add half of the chopped onions, green chilies fry them for a while; once onions turns golden brown color then add coconut and fry it for a while. Take this out in a separate plate and cool it down.
• Slightly toss chopped coriander leaves and tomatoes in the same pan with 1 tsp. of oil. Keep it aside and cool it down.

• Now in a blender grind the above roasted and fried items altogether like a chutney texture with little bit water.

• Now warm up the pressure cooker/pressure pan, put the remaining oil, Cumin seeds, and the remaining sliced onions. Once onions turns golden brown color then add ground masala; fry it well until the oil comes out from the surroundings of the gravy.

 

• Now add sliced potatoes, carrots and boiled chana along with the boiled water in the pressure cooker/pressure pan, then add Chana masala powder, Turmeric powder, Bay leaf, Salt and little bit amount of water. Close/cover the cooker with the cooker lid and cook for 1 to 2 pressures. Now switch off the heat.

• Open the pressure cooker once pressure releases then stir it nicely and add 1 tbsp. butter and cook it for a while without covering the lid. Now you can take this curry in to the serving dish and enjoy with your favorite dish.

Aaloo Tikki Chaat (Spicy Potato Patty with Peas Soup)

Tangy and spicy Chaats are highly popular fast food varieties in India. The gravy part of the chaat is mainly made with green/white dried peas or garbanzo beans. This chaat is served with potato patties and garnished with finely chopped tomatoes, freshly chopped coriander leaves and mixture. This dish is delicious & healthy evening whole some meal. For this recipe we need to prepare Peas-chaat and Aaloo tikki/patty separately.    Aaloo tikki/patty recipe:

Ingredients:

• 4-5 Medium size potatoes/Aaloo
• 1 tbsp. Ginger & garlic paste
• 1 ½ tbsp. Green chili paste
• Required amount of salt
• 1 tsp. Chaat masala
• 1 tsp. cumin powder
• 1 tsp. Coriander powder
• 2 bread slices
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• Oil for shallow frying

Preparation:

• Cleanly wash potatoes, each potato cut into half and pressure cook them with little bit of salt.
• Remove brown part sides of the bread then cut it like a small pieces and sprinkle few table spoons of water on top of the bread pieces; keep it for 15 minute.
• Once the boiled potatoes are completely cools down then peel the skin and grate all boiled potatoes.
• Now gently mash soaked bread slices and combine with grated potato mixture and then gradually add salt, ginger & garlic paste, green chili paste, Chaat masala, Coriander powder,  and lemon juice and mix them well.
• Grease your hands and take small amount of above mixture and make it like a patty shape; keep it aside. Do the same thing with rest of the mixture.
• Heat the wide non-stick skillet and shallow fry the patties on both sides with little bit of oil until the patties outer layer turns golden brown color.

Peas-Chaat recipe:

I made this chaat with little bit different than other chaat recipes. For this chaat; no need to make tamarind and mint chutney separately. It has all kinds of flavors and taste.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry green peas
• ¼” ginger
• 3 green chilies
• 1 tbsp. thick tamarind paste
• ¼ cup of canned tomato puree/ finely chopped tomatoes.
• Small piece of Jaggery (optional)
• Hand full amount of mint leaves
• Few coriander leaves
• Required amount of salt
• 1 ½ tbsp. chaat masala
• 1 tsp. Coriander powder
• 1 tsp. Cumin powder
• ½ tbsp. butter/cooking oil

Preparation:

• Wash and soak dry green peas at least 4 hours.
• Cook the soaked peas in the pressure cooker up to 6-7 pressures. (Make sure peas should not be mashed)
• Blend Ginger, green chilies, coriander leaves and mint leaves with some amount of water like a chutney paste.
• Put the butter in the wide & deep skillet then add the ground masala and then fry it about 2 minutes.
• Then add tomato puree/chopped tomatoes; cook it for about 5 minutes.
• Now add tamarind paste, jaggery, chaat masala, coriander powder, cumin powder, cooked peas and required amount of salt; cook it for about 5 minutes.
• Now add the required amount of water and cook the chaat at medium heat.
• Adjust the spiciness according to your taste.

Serving procedure:

 Garnishing ingredients:

• Chopped tomatoes
• Chopped onions
• 1 tbsp. chaat masala
• Store brought/homemade snack mixture.
• Yogurt (optional)

First place an Aaloo tikki in the serving container, pour the peas chaat on top of the tikki then garnish with chopped fresh tomatoes, onion, little bit chaat masala, Yogurt and Mixture.

 

Avocado spicy roti/Chapathi

I love the taste of Avocados. Avocados are packed with rich protein and good fat. The creaminess of the Avocados keeps the roti smooth and fluffy and gives the roti/chapathi a wonderful buttery taste and texture. These roties don’t become hard it will be always soft.

 

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3 medium size ripped Avocados
• 2 small green chilies
• Required amount of salt
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• Water for kneading

Preparation:

• Wash and cut the Avocados vertically and discard the seed.
• Now with a spoon gently scoop up the pulp and keep it aside.
• In a blender blend the scooped avocado pulp, chopped green chilies, salt and lemon juice like a fine mixture.

• Now mix this ground mixture and the wheat flour in a wide bowl.

• Now gradually add sufficient water to the above mixture and mix it like normal roti/Chapathi dough; cover the dough and keep it aside for 1 hour.

• Now take large lemon sized dough and roll it like a round shape ball and flatten it.
• Using roller pin roll the flatten dough like a thin round circle.
• Heat up the skillet and place a rolled roti/chapathi and cook it both sides till golden brown.
• Apply oil/ghee as per your desire.
• Repeat this procedure with rest of dough.
• Serve this wonderful smooth roti with curd or pickle or any curry.

Carrot Rasam

 

Rasam is a one of the common and popular dish of South Indian food. Normally Rasam is prepared with already prepared or store brought Rasam powder. But in my recipe I have used the freshly prepared masala ingredients. For that reason this Rasam preparation is extremely unusual but the taste is super delicious. You can serve this Carrot Rasam with hot rice along with crunchy Papad/Chips. If you’re suffering from flu or cold or having cough then this is the best choice dish and you really have wonderful relief.

Note: You can also prepare this Rasam with Beat root instead of Carrot.

Ingredients:

• 1 big carrot
• 2 cloves of garlic
• ½ tbsp. of thick tamarind paste/freshly squeezed tamarind pulp
• 2 tbsp. Toor dal
• ½ tsp. mustard seeds
• ½ tsp. cumin seeds
• ½ tsp. Pepper corns
• ¼ tsp. Fenugreek seeds
• 1 tsp. Coriander seeds
• 1 -2 dry Red Chilies
• Sal to taste
• ¼ tsp. Turmeric powder
• A small piece of jaggery

Tempering Ingredients:

• 1 tsp. oil
• ½ tsp. Mustard seeds
• Few curry leaves
• Pinch of Hing/ Asafetida
• Few coriander leaves for garnishing.

 

Preparation:

• Wash and Scrap the carrot skin and dice into small cubes and peel the garlic also.
• Mix Toor dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, Black pepper corns, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds and dry red chilies in a bowl with required amount of water.
• In a pressure cooker put the masala ingredients bowl and diced carrot pieces, garlic separately; cook them up to 4-5 pressures.

 

• Once the pressure cooker completely cools down then blend the boiled masala ingredients and carrot pieces together.
• Mix this ground mixture with tamarind paste and water in a vessel.
• Now add turmeric powder, jaggery and required amount of salt; keep it for boil for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Then prepare a tempering with oil, mustard seeds curry leaves and Hing; pour it on top of the Rasam; Switch off the heat.
• Garnish with finally chopped coriander leaves.
• Serve this hot & spicy Carrot Rasam with Rice or you could have like a side dish.