Jack Fruit & Baby Potato Curry

I call “Jackfruit & Baby Potato Curry” a fuss free, gourmet dish which takes very little time to cook. The best part about this delectable curry is, it’s cooked without onion and garlic and appeals to the everyone’s taste buds. Have it with rice or roti, paratha or kulcha, (Variants of Indian flat breads), this curry is pure addiction.

Last summer, when I cooked this curry for the first time, it was more of an experiment of sorts. More or less a calculated one I’d say, for I somehow knew that the flavouring wouldn’t disappoint. And, it didn’t! As a matter of fact, we all liked it so much that the taste lingered in our taste buds for days together. That’s when I knew, I just have whip this curry up again and share the recipe on my blog.

Soon after, I cooked this curry again with super enthusiasm and excitement. My happiness however, was short lived this time when the potatoes that came out of the pressure cooker were overcooked in spite of the usual pressure. Though the curry tasted good, I couldn’t take proper pictures for the blog (Recipe I had jotted down). The disheartenment was huge because summer was getting over and so were jackfruits from the market. It took me some serious consoling from bae, to be out of that dismay. 

Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait for the whole year like I apprehended earlier. I was over the moon when bae, one day, managed to get it  from the market in the middle of the winters. I literally waited for months together to rustle this delight up for the blog. Imagine the happiness when I got jackfruits when I least expected it!

A few days have been passed since I cooked this Jackfruit & baby potato curry but couldn’t publish it a little earlier when onion prices soared a new high all across India. So much so, people almost stopped using onions. Albeit, the price now is still a little on the higher side, the situation is much better. Now, how can you not be at ease and happy , if you can make a gourmet-ish curry without using onion-garlic in a very less time. Trust you me folks, this curry is all of that and much more.

Read on for the recipe!

Jackfruit & Baby Potatoes Curry

Ingredients Required:

For the paste:

• 2 tablespoons full of melon seeds
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds

• 3 dry red chillies

(Blitz them all together to make a fine paste)

Other Ingredients:

• Grated ginger – 1 teaspoon

• Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon

• Jackfruit – 300 gms

• Baby Potatoes – 8

• Veg Oil – 4-5 tablespoons

• Bay leaf- 1 medium size

• Tomato purée – 1 medium sized

• Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon

• Kashmiri red chilli powder- 1 teaspoon

Method Of Cooking:

• Cut the jackfruit in cube size and wash it properly along with the baby potatoes. Add water, salt and turmeric powder in the pressure cooker and add the jackfruit and potatoes in it. Pressure cook it for 2 whistles in high flame ( It’s always advisable to give pressure according to your cooker quality).

• Heat oil in a wok/ pan and once hot, add bay leaf and mustard seeds in it. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add grated ginger and sauté for 1 minute.
• Now add the paste (dry red chillies, melon seeds and cumin seeds) in the pan and sauté.
• Add turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder and a bit of salt in it and mix well. Cook for about 10 minutes or till the oil start separating.
• Now add the boiled / pressure cooked baby potatoes and jackfruit in the gravy and mix it well. Put the lid on and let it cook for about 5-7 minutes.
• Add a bit of water in the gravy, mix well and again let it cook for some time till the jackfruit and potatoes soak in all the flavours.
• Once done, transfer it in a bowl and garnish the curry with chopped coriander leaves. Relish with steamed rice or rotis.

This curry gets done very quickly and hence, a perfect dish to rustle up for guests for it tastes no less than a gourmet dish. Also, people may have a hard time to figure that this curry cooked without onion and garlic. Take my words, this curry will be loved by all kinds of people.

I totally totally heart this Jackfruit & Baby Potatoes Curry and can relish it with both steamed rice and rotis or parathas. Honestly, parathas are a great combo. Since summers are not far away, I can guarantee that this curry is going to be cooked regularly at home. You make this easy peasy curry too and tell me how did you like it.

Till then, Happy Munching & Keep Smiling! Tada!

Love,

Shobhna

Khichdi-Pulao

Apparently the famous Italian painter and sculptor Michelangelo said, ” I am still learning”…at the age of 87. The one person who I think fully epitomised this was my Grandma (Paternal Grandmother). She never shied away from learning new crafts, new games she found exciting or mentally stimulating rather or just about any random new stuff that caught her fancy till the time she was alive.  What’s even more amazing is the fact that there never was a matter of hesitation or concern from whom she was going to learn and even could approach a kid unabashedly. That quality of hers I reckon is quite commendable.

Life, after all is a bouquet of our learnings. The more you learn, the bigger and beautiful the bunch becomes. In my endeavour of learning new things with each passing day, I always think of my Grandma and her infectious enthusiasm to master any new craft impeccably. 

A new and easy dish, a comfort food for many that I learned recently somehow made me reflect on those memories. 

In a recent visit to my homeland, Odisha, I gorged on to various kinds of native food I longed to have.  One day,  the cooking help back home cooked this different variant of “Khichdi” (A dish cooked with rice and lentil together) which was not only lip smacking but with a wee bit of modification could easily be passed off as a “Pulao”. The Khichdi was so delicious that I scoffed it all down in no time. Needless to say, the taste lingered on my palate for long. I immediately asked for the recipe and believe you me, I have already cooked this delight a couple of times. Oh BTW, did I tell you, after much contemplation and after a few minor addition to this simple khichdi, I renamed it as “Khichdi-Pulao”. I feel, this name justifies the dish more.

Read on for the recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

• Long Grained Rice – 2 small cups
• Moong Daal (Split yellow gram) – 1. 5 cups
• Bay leaf – 1
• Desiccated Coconut – Half of one medium sized coconut
• Black peppercorns – 1 teaspoon 
• Cumin seed – 1. 5 teaspoons
• Black Cardamom – 1
• Green Cardamoms – 5-6
• Cinnamon stick – 1
• Turmeric powder – 1.5 – 2 teaspoons
• Ghee – 3-4 tablespoons
• Cashew – 10 pieces
• Raisin – 2 tablespoons
• Sugar – 1.5 tablespoons
• Salt to taste

METHOD OF COOKING

• Wash rice properly. Keep aside!
• Boil water in a container / vessel. Once the water starts to bubble, add turmeric powder and give it a quick stir. Now add cinnamon sticks, cardamoms (both variants) and bay leaf in it. 
• Add rice in the the water and meanwhile dry roast the moong dal (split yellow grams) in the medium flame till it starts to turn a pale golden brown (Be careful when you dry roast and don’t over do it ) and becomes fragrant. 
• Add the dry roasted lentil in with the rice, salt to taste and give it a quick stir. 
• Once the rice and lentil seem to have been cooked, cover the container with a lid and drain the water (Just in case you don’t know, the method is similar to cooking rice by using draining method).
• Add desiccated coconut and sugar. Mix well.
• Put  for about a teaspoon of ghee in a small pan. Roast cashews and raisins in it and keep aside. 
• In the same pan put 1 teaspoons of ghee again. Add cumin seeds and black peppercorns. once, cumin seeds start to change colour, pour the mixture over the khichdi.
• Add some more ghee atop the rice and give it a final mix. cover the lid so that the Khichdi – Pulao soaks in all the flavour. Garnish it with a tad bit of chopped coriander leaves before you serve!

Being an Odia, I love relishing this “Khichdi – Pulao” with the famous Odia delicacy called “Dalma”. But, it can be savoured with a number of other dishes as well.  Having flavoured hung curd alongside can also be a great combination. Oh yes, just in case you’re wondering, adding of dry fruits and whole Indian spices (bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cardamoms) transformed this khichdi into a  pulao which is full of aromatics and is a true delight to grub onto.

This “Khichdi-Pulao” is a very simple but wholesome meal in itself.  Be with assortments or without it, the heavenly taste will surely linger on your palate, like it did when I tasted it for the first time ever. I seriously hope you all like the dish as much as I did. Also, during the summers, it makes for a perfect and simple lunch option. 

P.S. As uncanny as it may sound I had no clue before I started writing the blog post that today is my Grandma’s death anniversary until my mom called me to inform. She always remains in our hearts forever.

Until next time, Happy Munching & Keep Smiling! 🙂

Love

Shobhna

 

Assamese Food Festival at IHM, Lucknow

I somehow like the fact that we Indians are an amalgamation of people with different culture,religion, cast and creed. That’s what makes us a very big and beautiful bouquet which looks supremely good. Each flower renders it’s own beauty to the bunch. We perhaps are yet to realise how culinary rich our country is owing to the diverse cuisines from different regions of India.They are similar in many ways but there are certain distinct flavours of that particular region that makes their cuisine special. It has always been my belief that food is one major uniting factor amongst other diversities in our country.

I recently attended “Assamese Food Festival” at Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), Lucknow organised by their students under the “Ek Bharat, Shreshta Bharat Abhiyan”. Honestly, it was an amazing experience to be a part of  this festival for it echoes my feelings that food plays an important part of every region and such festivals help in deepening the bond and knowledge about other regions and their culture.

Curry Leaves Bora & Koldil 

The lovely Assamese spread I had included starters like “Curry Leaves Bora” which means deep fried curry leaves coated with gram flour batter and “Koldil” – A banana and potato cutlet. “Maas Korika” – Fish fillet strips marinated shallow fried satey sticks. They also had the chicken variant of it which was even more delicious.  I quite relished sipping “Assamese Island Tea” in between. It simply was refreshing.

Assamese Island Tea

Maas Korika & Chicken Satey Sticks

Patha Mangshor Jhol

Main course was equally fascinating and interesting. Since I was almost full, gave the whole platter a miss and settled in for a few which included “Patha Mangshor Jhol” – It is spicy mutton curry cooked with distinct Assamese flavour. I enjoyed having it the most with rice. It was very similar to Bengali Style Mutton Curry and reminded me of few similar Bengali Meat curries I relish at my in-laws place. The grated onions added the much needed sweetness, texture and added flavour to the otherwise fiery gravy.  It was drool worthy for sure. 

Kol Posolar Aru Murgi

“Kol Posolar Aru Murgi” which is chicken curry cooked with Assamese kolposola masala and bamboo shoots and banana stem which apparently acts as a thickening agent. This Chicken Curry variant was definitely something different I have had so far. It had a unique taste and I was glad to try something new. 

Masor Tenga

Masor Tenga or Tenga Fish Curry is one of the signature dishes of Assamese cuisine. This is a fish curry which is a little tangy and a little sour in taste. The gravy in this fish curry is usually kept light unlike the fish curry.  However, the Fish Curry  at IHM was cooked with spicy bottle gourd gravy. 

There were other dishes as well that completed the Assamese Platter which included “Tarkari” (Mixed Veg Stir Fry), “Khar” (Papaya, kala chana cooked in mustard oil and panch phoran) “Tita Karela Bhaji” (Bitter Gourd stir fry with onions), “Kotholer Tarkaari” (Jackfruit Curry), “Poita Bhaat” (Fermented rice) . They made the Assamese Thali wholesome and toothsome.

Khar

Tarkari

Tita Korolar Bhaja, Kotholer Tarkari, Poita Bhat

If you have a sweet tooth and wondering about Assamese Desserts, there were “Kesa Mithoi” (Coconut and rice flour based sweet balls) , “Poka Mithoi” (Rice and Jaggery flavoured ladoo with dash of spices) and “Chak Hao Kheer” ( Black rice pudding garnished with pistachio) in the offering. 

The “Assamese Food Platter” indeed won my heart but the most amazing part of this food festival was that, the food tasted like home cooked food which makes it all the more special. Also, the hospitality of the students of Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), Lucknow was very endearing. I not only relished a good Assamese meal and enjoyed the hospitality, but took home a nice experience and learning of few Assamese delicacies.

Food is a powerful tool to learn about various cultures and traditions across the globe. It not only widens our horizons but connects us all together. I really appreciate this initiative of the Indian Tourism Department for promoting such food festivals. I hope they continue to do it for other regions for that “Oneness to grow further.“Ek Bharat indeed is Shreshth Bharat”!

Hope you enjoyed reading the blog post and it was informative for you in some way or the other. Do write your feedback in the comment section. 

Till then, Happy Munching & Keep Smiling! 🙂

Love,

Shobhna

KATHAL (Jackfruit) PULAO

Like music and fragrance, food also brings back fondest memories. Be it any local food or that familiar taste/ flavour of a particular dish or your mom’s food,  they all evoke pleasant memories and stories. At times I reckon, if we ask people about their favourite dishes, we would end up listening to a lot of buoyant stories associated with that. Imagine how beautiful that would be, ain’t it?

I have lots of memories about my favourite dishes and “Kathal ke Pulao” / “Jackfruit Pulao” is definitely one of them. My fondest memories of relishing  “Kathal” or ” Jackfruit” Pulao is that of my mom’s. We as kids, used to get super excited whenever mom cooked “Kathal Pulao” for us. One of the major factors always was it gave us the feel of having something non-veg (read chicken) while we actually savoured a vegetarian delicacy. I love having jackfruit, so it’s kind of double whammy for me.

KATHAL PULAO / JACKFRUIT PULAO

KATHAL (JACKFRUIT) PULAO

I have been wanting to make “Kathal Pulao” for a very long time till I made it recently during my in-laws’ visit. I am glad that I cooked it during their stay as they  never had the dish before nor were they aware of that. They thoroughly enjoyed having it and I couldn’t have been any happier. Below are the details of the recipe and I hope you enjoy cooking and feeding your loved ones equally.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Jackfruit / Kathal – 350 grams (Skin peeled and diced)
2. Long grained basmati rice – 500 grams
3. Potatoes – 4-5
4. Ginger-Garlic Paste –  6-7 tablespoons
5. Sliced onions – 4 medium sized
6. Hung Curd – 3-4 tablespoons
7. Turmeric Powder – 2 teaspoons
8. Kashmiri Red chilli powder – 2 teaspoons
9. Coriander powder – 2 teaspoons
10. Garam Masala / Whole Spices Mix – 2 teaspoons
11. Green Chillies chopped – 2-3
12. Neeta Mehta “Biryani /Pulao Masala” – 2 full tablespoons (NOTE:  You can use any other Biryani or Pulao masala or chuck using it completely).
13. Desi ghee – 7-8 tablespoons
14. Chopped coriander leaves
15. Whole black pepper – 10-12
16. Bay leaves – 1  (You can use 2 if the size is small)
17. Cinnamon sticks – 2
18. Black Cardamom – 2
19. Vegetable Oil – 4-5 tablespoons
20. Salt to taste

KATHAL PULAO

COOKING PROCEDURE:

1. Heat 3 tablespoons ghee in a pan. Add half of the sliced onions in it and stir fry it till it becomes a little crunchy & golden brown (You can deep fry the onions if you wish to). Take out and mix chopped coriander leaves and keep aside.
2. Wash the rice properly, drain it and keep it aside as well.
3. Heat for about 3 tablespoons of ghee in the same pan with 2 tablespoons of oil.  Put whole black pepper and bay leaves in it. Let the pepper spuller a bit and then add the remaining sliced onions into it. After it turns golden brown, add the ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder and kashmiri red chilli powder in it and mix well.
4. After 5 minutes of sauteing the masala, add the remaining spices  i,e coriander powder, pulao masala and garam masala into it. Add a wee bit of water and give it a nice mix so that all the spices blends well.
5. Add hung curd into the masala and mix well before finally adding the cube sized jackfruit pieces (Kathal) into it. Add salt to taste. Cook it till the oil separates and the pungency of the masala is gone.
6. Now heat for about 2 tablespoons of ghee in a pressure cooker. Once it’s hot stir fry the whole peeled potatoes till the outer layer is golden brown. Take out.
7. Put bay leaves, whole black pepper, cinnamon sticks, black cardamoms in the ghee in the pressure cooker. Add the drained rice into it and stir fry the rice a bit.
8. After 5-7 minutes add the Kathal (jackfruit) gravy and fried potatoes into it and mix well till the rice gets coated nicely.
9. Add water (The water taken should be double the amount of rice or a little lesser than that) and salt to taste.
10. Pressure cook it in high flame till it gives 2 whistles (Keep checking according to your pressure cooker).
11. Once done, take out the lid and put the pan fried onions and chopped coriander mix on top and just cover the lid of the cooker so that the aroma can be soaked in well.
12. Take out and relish with raita.

“Kathal (Jackfruit) Pulao” tastes great with all the Indian spices in it. Like I mentioned before, it almost has a feel of Chicken Pulao to it which pleases non-vegetarian and vegetarian people alike. The potatoes also adds a nice character to the dish. “Kathal Pulao” is best relished with “Dahi Raita”. It was an epicurean delight for us. Hope you all make it too and share your feedback with me.

I shall be back with yet another interesting recipe.

Till then, Happy Munching & Keep Smiling! 🙂

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Doi Maachh (Fish in Curd & Mustard Paste)

Bonjour! It’s summers already and the charm of having certain dishes during summers is different altogether and “Doi Maachh” or “Dahi Maacha” is definitely one of them. Now, if I go for a literal translation, it means “Curd Fish”. The dish is very famous in Odisha and West Bengal and with time, gained popularity in other parts of India as well. Doi Maachh is made in numerous ways but what makes people relish it during summers is the fact that it’s not spicy and the curd based gravy acts as a cooling agent and is very light on stomach. I read it somewhere that ” Fish, to taste right, must swim three times – in water, in butter and in wine”. I must add here that fish has to swim “in curd and mustard paste” as well to taste heavenly.

Doi Maach: 

Like I said earlier, Doi Maach is a dish  mostly had in the Eastern regions of India but the making process vary from person to person.  But the significant difference in the cooking method can be observed in Odisha and West Bengal’s version of the dish.  In Odia, it’s called “Dahi Machha” and the flavouring of the dish varies a little. I remember relishing it long back when our Landlady (Of that time) made it for us. However, the variant of “Doi Maachh” I am talking about today is my mother-in-law’s recipe which I love to have too. Apart from the taste, the fact that it’s non fussy and super easy to cook appealed to me all the more. Also, unlike the other variants, it is cooked in the microwave.

Be it any variant, Doi Maachh doesn’t always have “Doi” or “Curd” in it alone. It always has some amount of mustard paste in it as well.  I always prefer using pieces of big “Rohu Fish”  because they are fleshy, have lesser bones and it’s flavour enhances the taste of the gravy. Now without any further ado, I shall straight away jump into the making process.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Rohu Fish – 6 pieces
2. Hung Curd – 100-150 grams
3. Mustard Paste – 4 Tablespoons
4. Chopped Green Chillies – 4-5
5. Mustard Oil – 4-5 Tablespoons
6. Salt
7. Sugar – 3-4 Teaspoons

COOKING METHOD:

1. Heat for about 2 tablespoons of oil in a (Non- stick) pan. Put the fish pieces ( washed properly and marinated with a little salt) on it.  Cook it from both sides for just about 5 mins so that the raw smell of the fish goes. Don’t crisp fry it.

 

2. In a microwave safe bowl, put hung curd(make it smoother first by beating well), green chillies, mustard paste, sugar, mustard oil and salt. Give it a nice mix.

3. Add the pan-fried fish pieces into the gravy  and try to mix it carefully so as to avoid the breaking of the fish pieces.

4. Microwave it for about 10-15 minutes and that’s just about it. “Doi Maachh” is DONE! Note:Temperature may vary with different microwaves.

This variant of the “Doi Maach” is super easy to make and can be done in a jiffy. All you have to do is just to mix the ingredients and put it in the microwave and while it’s getting cooked, you can wind up your other stuff too. Just take out and have it with steamed rice for that ultimate summer bliss. It’s light and non-spicy and the fleshy flavour that rohu fish releases makes the dish more lip-smacking. This makes for a light & breezy summer perfect meal.

I really hope you guys make it once and share your feedback with me. Apart from that, if you have any queries or suggestions, do comment in the section below.

Till then, Happy Munching & Keep Smiling! 🙂

Love,

Shobhna

 

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MIXED FLOUR PANIYARAMS

I am a sucker for South Indian food which by the way, is a known fact now (Thanks to my instagram / FB posts). Be it idlis, dosas, appams, sambar ( I can lick your bowl clean if it’s made nicely) or any other South Indian delicacies for that matter, I just savour it completely. This is probably because we as Odias also love our idlis, and chakuli pithas, poda pithas, etc (All are made from the same black lentils and rice batter). As a matter of fact, there are so many variants of “pithas” that is usually made in Odisha, that you may lose count of it. While the post seems to be deviating towards pithas and my enormous love for it, but that’s how I probably came to love South Indian delicacies all the more.

However, “Paniyarams” were a late entrant in my life comparatively. It so happened, when one day my mom was suggested to buy a paniyaram mould by someone. From then on making paniyarams became a regular affair at home. But initially we knew it as “Appe” and not “Paniyam”. Later on, I made it with potato stuffing and it tasted equally yum but the variant that I tried recently was completely different from the usual ones.

MIXED FLOUR PANIYARAMS:

Classic Paniyarams are known by different names such as Paddu, Kuzhi Paniyaram or Gunta Ponganalu. These are the ones made with fermented black lentils and rice batter, the ones used for making idlis or dosas. But, I tried making a different variant of it using gram flour, semolina and whole purpose flour and the result was not bad. The good part is you don’t have to wait for the batter to be fermented.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Semolina –  1 cup full
2. Gram Flour – 1/2 cup
3. Whole Purpose Flour – 1/4 Cup (Adding this is completely optional. You can skip it if you wish to)
4. Chopped Onion / Spring Onion  – 3-4 table-spoon
5. Chopped Green Chillies – 1-2 teaspoon
6. Chopped Coriander – 2 tea-spoon
7. Chopped Capsicum (Optional) – 1-2 tea-spoon
8. Red Chilli Powder – 1 tea-spoon
9. Salt to taste
10. Vegetable oil for cooking

NOTE: You can also add grated carrot into it.

PROCEDURE:

1.  Mix semolina, gram flour and whole wheat flour  in a bowl. Add other ingredients into it. Add salt to taste and mix well.
2.  Heat the “Paniyaram” pan or mould and add a little oil in every pit of the pan. Once it is adequately hot, pour the prepared batter into it.

3. Cover it with a lid  and let it cook for 8-10 mins. Then carefully turn the side and again and let it cook for 5-7 mins. You don’t need to cover it with a lid this time.

4.  Take out once they’re done and relish it with any tangy or savoury chutney of your choice.

Paniyarams  can be had as a filling breakfast option or it can also be served as an evening snack. Paniyarams have sweet variants too but I always prefer the savoury ones.  Although I love the classic “Kuzhi Paniyarams” or “Appe” as I knew it earlier, these “Mixed Flour Paniyarams” tasted equally good and less time consuming as all you need to do is mix the batter along with the veggies and it’s done. No fermentation required at all. It can be your breakfast quicky that can make everyone happy.

Hope you all liked the post. I would really appreciate your feedback. I shall be back with another post soon.

Till then, Happy Munching & Keep Smiling. Tada! 🙂

Love,

Shobhna

 

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“Mula Saga with Badi” – Radish Leaves cooked with Radishes & Dried Lentil Dumplings

 

 

 

 

 

 

For some weird reason I had long harboured the notion, of course foolishly, that only fancy and elaborative dishes can make great blog posts. Now, before you jump to any conclusion and start judging me, I no more think like that…because fancy or simple, easy or difficult, each dish has its own charm. It always makes me feel very happy that I get to share new and regional recipes with all of you irrespective of the complexity level of any dish. Blogging about food sort of gives me a sense of  satisfaction, because when a blog post is ready to be posted, I always feel ecstatic. 🙂

I totally agree with Julia Child that ” You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients.” I mean it is so true, especially in today’s day and age where we need to take care of our health all the more owing to the sedentary lifestyle we lead. I, for one, like to indulge myself in all kinds of food but having said that I tend to watch the proportion as well. But I am sharing a ridiculously simple recipe in this post with you all which has numerous health benefits and tastes equally good. The name of the dish is “Mula Saga with Badi”.

MULA SAGA WITH BADI

Making Mula Saga with Badi is mostly a regular affair in any Odia household (As all of you must have known by now that I am from Odisha).  “Mula” means “Radish” where as  “Mula Saga” means ” Radish Leaves”.  And “Badi” is something you can call dried dumplings made out of lentils (Split Black Gram / Urad Dal) which is fried later on to put in various dishes or can be had stand alone as well. So, this dish basically has these 3 main ingredients.

Consuming Radish is very good for health but actually it is the radish leaves that contain more nutrients than radish and provide us with host of health benefits. They apparently help in keeping illness at bay. Now before I talk about the health benefits, let me tell you about the quick recipe of the “Mula Saga with Badi”.

INGREDIENTS:

1. 1 Radish – Medium size
2. Radish Leaves (Approx of 3 radishes)
3. 6-7 Garlic Cloves
4. 1 Dry Red Chilly
5. Mustard Seeds – 1 Tea Spoon
6. Badi ( Sun dried lentil dumplings) – 8-10 smaller variant
7. Vegetable Oil – 2-3 Table Spoons
8. Salt to taste

PROCEDURE:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and dry red chillies into it.
2. After the mustard seeds splutter, add the chopped garlic and saute a bit.
3. Add chopped radishes in it and mix well.
4. Add chopped radish leaves into it. Add salt to taste and mix well. Put on the lid for 5 minutes so it gets cooked well. Once the leaves are cooked perfectly and radishes become tender, put off the gas and it’s almost done ( Yup, I told you that the dish is ridiculously simple).
   

   

   

5. Now deep fry the “Badis” in a separate pan ( Or you may fry it earlier in the same pan and take out the extra oil before you start cooking).

Below is the video of how fried badis look like.

 

6. Take the badis and break it into halves ( you can put the whole badis too).  Add them into the “Mula Saga” and give it a nice mix. Now the dish is completely ready.

Badi gives the dish a nice crunch and a distinct flavour and the flavour goes very well in radish/ radish leaves dishes. It takes the dish to another level altogether. However, if you belong to a place where Badis are very difficult to get, then you can chuck adding it.  The dish would taste just fine.

Radish leaves have such good aroma that by the time you’re done cooking, home is filled with its smell. Oh Yeah, the health benefits of having radish leaves are numerous because it has essential vitamins and minerals and high fibre content. It helps in reducing fatigue and purifying blood because of the high iron content and has other detoxifying agents.  Well, to top it all, it tastes good and that my dear friends made me post about this simple yet super healthy recipe.

For a wholesome meal experience, have Mula saga with Badi with steamed rice. I am sure it will make you drool to bits and you will fancy about having this simple dish more often.

I hope you all liked this post and if you have any queries, suggestions or feedback, do write your views in the comment section.

Till then, Happy Munching & Keep Smiling. 🙂

 

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Baked Coriander Chicken with Sweet Corn!

Hola! It’s a brand new year, a brand new day, a brand new beginning and a brand new feeling … sort of assuring everyone of a brand new chance to make things happen. When we step into a new year, it fills us with a renewed hope and joy…almost reflexively.  And it is this hope that keeps us moving forward with a great gusto throughout the year. So, here’s wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and a great kick-start to the journey ahead.

The New Year demands a new food post and I can only happily oblige, because I love cooking and sharing old/ new recipes with you all is so soul satisfying. As Thomas Keller puts it “A recipe has no soul. You as a cook must bring soul to the recipe” and I guess every cook in the world can vouch for it.  Recently, I made a dish which I eagerly wanted to share with all of you because it’s not only healthy but tasty and refreshing as well.  What better way than to start the new year on a healthy note, right peeps? So, the name of this deliciously healthy dish is “Baked Coriander Chicken with Sweet Corn”.

BAKED CORIANDER CHICKEN WITH SWEET CORN

I love chicken because of its versatility. It not only soaks in and complements mostly all kinds of flavours but gets cooked in relatively lesser time than any other meat. Hence, it was all the more alluring to try this chicken dish because it is a healthier version of the Coriander Chicken… without making any compromise with the taste.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Flaxseed Oil – 1 Tablespoon
2. Hung Curd – 2 Tablespoons
3. Ginger, Garlic and Onion Paste – 3-4 Tablespoons
4.  Coriander Paste – 10-12 Tablespoons  ( NOTE: Make a Coriander paste  by grinding coriander leaves, a bit of ginger, 5-6 Cloves of garlic, green chillies and salt)
5. Chicken Pieces (Big to Medium chunks ) – 500 gms
6. American Sweet Corn – 2-3 Tablespoons
7. Salt to taste

PROCEDURE:

1. Take a microwave safe container. Put the above mentioned ingredients in it barring the chicken and corn. Mix well.

2. Then put the chicken pieces and sweet corn, give it a nice mix and let it marinade for at least 30 minutes. However, if you have a time crunch, you can marinate it for 15-20 minutes too. But the longer the period of marination, the better it soaks in the flavour.

3. Preheat the OTG or oven for around 10-15 minutes at 180 degrees C.

4. Now, put the bowl ( A tray would do just fine as well) inside  the oven and let the chicken cook at 180-200 degrees C for about half an hour to 45 minutes ( It depends on the temperature of your oven).

5. Keep flipping the chicken pieces and mix it in regular intervals so as to avoid burning or overcooking the chicken from one side.

6. Keep a watch. Once the chicken pieces turn brown, flip it. Also, it is very important to wash the chicken pieces and pat day it properly so as to avoid excess water coming out while cooking (Sadly, that’s what happened with me).

7. Once it’s done, take out.

You can relish the “Baked Coriander Chicken with Sweet Corn” with hot parathas or can saviour it with steamed rice equally. Also, there’s one more advantage of this. If you want to have it like Tandoori Chicken, all you have to do is to let the gravy dry completely and chicken dark brown . This would taste equally awesome and can be your perfect winter companion. All you have to do is to serve it with onion rings and squeeze in a bit of lemon juice on top for that extra zing. This fusion dish which is “HEALTHY  & TASTY” with mostly Indian flavours is bound to tickle your taste buds.

I kept mine a little gravy like to have it with rotis / parathas. You can make any variation you wish to as per your taste. This dish has freshness of coriander, hot punch of green chillies, flavours of garlic and curd and a hint of sweetness from the corn. The amalgamation is just delicious.

NOTE: The dish is prepared with just 1 Tablespoon of flaxseed oil which makes it super healthy.

I hope you enjoy making “Baked Coriander Chicken with Sweet Corn” and share your feedback with me in the comment section. Hasta la Vista for now.

Till then, Happy Munching & Keep Smiling. 🙂

Love,

Shobhna

 

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ADA ANNA / ADA KHICHDI (Ginger Rice with Green Grams)

Hello Folks! It has been a busy sort of month which left me with little time to be regular with my blog updates. Hence, I owe you all a sincere apology if you have been waiting for new blog posts. But you know what…of late, I have been noticing a lot Odia dishes being featured on different websites and I can’t tell you how joyful I am to see this (Yup, I am from Odisha). Slowly but steadily, Odia Cuisine is getting its due and I can’t be any happier. Because Odia food culture has a rich tradition and one can simply write a book on different kinds of  “Pithas” (Well, you can call it Indian cakes) that is an integral part of the Odia cooking/ food culture.

While it may sound like a boast, the fact is native food catching national or global attention renders a sense of joyousness, satisfaction and pride ( We are yet to get there though). And there is no comfort food like native food, especially on days when you miss your home or home cooked food like crazy. It is as if you derive the much-needed solace from cooking and having it. That makes me realise, one simply can’t shrug off the emotion food evokes and controls it at the same time.

On one such day when I was craving for some comfort food, had a time crunch and wanted to eat something simple or “Sattvik Food”, one dish that instantly came to my mind was “Ada Anna” or “Ada Khichdi”. In Odiya “Ada” means Ginger and “Anna” means rice. So, basically “Ada Anna” means Ginger Rice cooked with whole or split green grams and ghee along with other condiments.

ADA ANNA / KHICHDI

Cooking “Ada Anna” is an absolutely fuss free affair without even compromising with the taste. On the contrary, this can be your “go-to” dish when you invite guests over to have a simple lunch as cooking it is not at all time-consuming.

One interesting fact about “Ada Anna” is that  it is offered to the deities as a part of “Chhapan Bhog” ( 56 varieties of dishes that is offered to Lord Jagannath ) at the Puri Jagannath Temple, Odisha. The dish is also known as “Ada Khechedi”. Because it is served as a prashad at the Puri temple, it is always preferred to be had along with veg food when made at home (There’s no hard and fast rule as such though). 

INGREDIENTS:

1. Rice
2. Whole Green Gram  (The ratio of rice and lentil should be 2:1 …i,e take half the quantity of green grams for the amount of rice taken).
3. Grated Ginger – 2 tablespoons
4. Bay Leaf -1
5. Cow Ghee – 8-9 tablespoons
6. Whole Peppercorns –  10-15
7. Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
8. Green Chillies – 2-3
9. Desiccated coconut – 1 cup or 100 gms
10. Asafoetida or Hing – 2 pinches
11. Salt to taste

PROCEDURE:

•  Put the pressure cooker on gas. Once hot, add 5-6 tablespoons of  ghee in it.
•  After ghee is warm enough, add bay leaf and cumin seeds.
• Add whole peppercorns, green chillies and then add grated ginger and saute till it turns slight brown in colour. Add asafoetida.

 

•   Now add washed and soaked rice and whole green grams in the pressure cooker. Add a bit of salt and mix everything well.

While you mix all the ingredients in the cooker, the aroma it exudes would be simply irresistible. One cannot not ask you “What’s cooking” while it brings a chuckle on your face.

•  After mixing it, let it get cooked for around 7-10 mins by keep sautéing it.
• Add water to it. It should be almost the double or a little lesser than the quantity of rice and grams taken together. Add salt to taste.
• Let the water come to a boil  and add the remaining ghee before you pressure cook it by giving it 1-2 whistles ( It depends on your pressure cooker type).
• Add desiccated coconut and mix carefully.
• Serve hot!

Once it is out of the cooker, the aroma that fills the air is simply divine (Well…sort of literally).  The best thing to have with “Ada Anna” is the Odisha famous “Dalma” ( Veggies cooked with lentil). But apart from that it can be savoured with “Dahi Raita” (Flavoured Curd), “Aloo bhaja” (Pan fried thinly sliced potatoes), “Baigana bhaja” (Fried Eggplant) which gives the whole eating experience a holistic approach.

I simply LOVE having “Ada Anna” since the time my mom cooks it. I also cook this for my family and loved ones on and off, especially when I want to feed them something super tasty which can be cooked in no time. And guess what, they loved it. I hope you all love cooking and having it too.

Also, do share your feedback regarding the post and my blog in general in the comment section. Would be glad to know your views.

I shall be back with another new recipe soon.

Till then, Happy Munching & Keep Smiling ! 🙂

Love,

Shobhna

 

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Dahibara Aloodum Ghugni

Hola Peeps! I was out of action from the blogging scene for some time as I was a little preoccupied with other things. When things are away from us, it make our heart grow fonder. Well, I am not sure about you guys missing me but what I did miss was writing for you all and at the same time my favourite local and famous food of Odisha, Cuttack to be precise (Eastern Part of India)… “Dahibara Aloodum Ghugni”!! Distance did make me crave for the dish all the more because I don’t stay in Odisha anymore.

With a slight nip in the air, when the feel of festivity embraces you… you look forward to get engulfed in that embrace and celebrate it with utter happiness. Festivals create such joyful environment and food just adds further excitement to the exiting celebratory mood of people. Yup, food and festival go hand in hand. Special occasions demand special food. And this time to make my Diwali celebration special, I made “Dahibara Aloodum Ghugni” at home since there was no other way I could have it. 🙂

Dahibara Aloodum Ghugni is an immensely popular dish from Odisha, especially Cuttack and it’s a staple diet for many there. The uniqueness of it is, people of  Cuttack can have it as their breakfast, snack, lunch and dinner or it can just be anything. Yup, amazing it is, ain’t it? Those who stay out of Odisha like I do, crave for it on a regular basis and once home, they just gorge on it.

As the name suggests, “Dahibara Aloodum Ghugni” is a mixture of Dahi Vadas, Spicy Dum Aloos (potatoes) and yellow pea gravy topped with spicy chutneys, diced onions, green chillies, chopped coriander leaves and besan ke bhujias (Noodle like crispy savoury  made from gram flour). And oh Boy!!! It just tastes HEAVENLY! No wonder then it’s a popular street food of Cuttack, Odisha like “Chaats” across India.

I made “Dahibara Aloodum Ghugni” from the scratch after ages and it turned out to be just perfect. So, the joy of celebrating Diwali was double. I, however, had one regret that i I couldn’t give my baras/ vadas the shape of ” Medhu Vada” (When the vadas are shaped like doughnuts…with a hole).

RECIPE:

Since the dish is an amalgamation of  3 things, I shall explain the making process of all three briefly.

1. DahiBara/ Dahi Vadas/ Dahi Bhallas

Call it by any name,  Dahi Baras ( As is called in Odisha) are something everyone relishes. However, they are flavoured differently in different regions of India. In Northern parts, they like to have it with sweet chutneys where as in Eastern parts, especially in Odisha, people like it fiery.

Ingredients:

1. Black Gram without skin (Urad Dal) – 200 – 250 gms
2. Curd – 250 gms
3. Green Chillies -4-5
4. Curry Leaves, dried red chillies, mustard seeds,  for Tamepring
5. black salt, salt, red chilli powder , chopped coriander leaves

Making Process:

1. Soak the black gram (without skin) in water for about 2-3 hours and then grind to make a fine paste of it. Cover the lentil batter and leave it overnight or 6-7 hours for a proper fermentation.
2. Add salt and green chillies in the batter and deep fry it in a dough-nut shape. Else, you can just give it the basic round shape. Takeout the baras once it turns light orange and crispy.
3. In a big bowl, add curd, salt, black salt, red chilli powder and mix well. Add water into it and mix well.
4. Tamper the mixture with dry red chilles, mustered seeds and curry leaves.
5. Put Baras in the lukewarm water for 5 mins and put them in the curd mixture and slightly mix it. Let the baras/ Vadas soak in all the flavours of curd. The water should be adequate in the curd so that all the baras can be submerged into it. Add chopped coriander to it.

ALOO DUM:

Aloo Dum or Dum Aloos are almost everyone’s favourite. It is a quick  potato dish that is easy to cook and delicious to eat. It is THE most essential part of “Aloo Dum Dahibara Ghugni” and is usually kept spicy and made with rich gravy paste when cooked for this preparation.

Ingredients:

1.  Large sized potatoes – 4-5
2.  Ginger Garlic paste – 7-8 Table Spoons
3.  Turmeric Powder – 2 Tea Spoons
4.  Red Chilli Powder (Kashmiri Mirch) – 2-3 Tea spoons
5. Coriander Powder – 2 Tea spoons
6.  Chopped Tomatoes – 1 big in size
7.  Ruchi Dum Aloo powder – 3 Table Spoons ( I used this specific Aloo Dum powder which is manufactured in Odisha and really adds to the flavour but you can use any other dum aloo powder or can do away with it as well).
8. Sliced Onion – 1 big in size
9. Salt to taste
10. Whole Spices powder ( Garam Masala) – 2 Tea spoons
11.  Vegetable Oil – 6-7 Table spoons
12.  Chopped Coriander for garnishing

Making Process:

1. Heat oil in a kadai / wok. Add sliced onions in it and saute till it turns golden brown.
2. Add ginger-garlic paste to it. Add turmeric, coriander, red chilli powder to it. Also add dum aloo powder and mix well.
3. Add garam masala or whole spices to it. Add Chopped tomatoes after 3-4 minutes.
4. Cook the masala till the oil comes afloat.
5. Boil potatoes and cut it into half. Add them to the masala / gravy once done.
6. Add salt and mix well. Put the lid on and let the potatoes mix and soak in all the flavours of the masala.
7. Cook for another 7-8 minutes. Take out and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

GHUGNI:

Ghugni  is a simple yellow pea curry cooked with the Indian spices.  It can be made in a spicy or less spicy manner,  depending on how you would like to have it. But in “Dahibara Aloodum Ghugni” the Ghugni is usually kept a little less spicy (Can be made spicy too though) because the Dum Aloo is already hot and spicy already. I always prefer to keep mine a little less spicy and make it without onion and garlic. It tastes just as great and less time consuming at the same time.

Ingredients:

1.  Yellow Peas – 150-200 gms
2.  Grated ginger – 3 tea spoons
3.  Chopped Tomato – 1 Medium sized
4.  Turmeric Powder – 2 Tea spoons
5. Red Chilli Powder – 2 Tea spoons
6. Coriander Powder – 2 Tea spoons
7. Subzi Masala ( Curry Powder) – 4 Tea spoons
8. Mustard Seeds
9. salt to taste
10. Bay leaf – 1
11. Vegetable Oil for cooking

Making Process:

I always prefer to make this yellow pea curry in a pressure cooker. It’s a quicker and fuss free option that I opt for.

1. Heat oil in the pressure cooker and once hot put the mustard seeds and let it splutter.
2. Add the grated ginger and saute it a bit. Once it turns a little brown, add the bay leaf and chopped tomatoes. Add salt.
3. Then add the turmeric, red chilli, coriander and the curry powder in it. Mix well and cook for about 10 minutes.
4. Add the soaked Yellow Peas into the masala and give it a nice mix!
5. Once the masalas/ spices get coated with the yellow peas and oil comes out, add water and salt in it and let it boil.
6. Give 2-3 whistles in the pressure cooker (Depends on the kind of yellow peas) and take out once done.

Now that everything is ready for “Dahibara Aloodum Ghugni”, in proper mixing and topping lie the irresistible taste of this amazing snack like chaat.

Ingredients required for Topping

1. Chopped Onions
2. Chopped coriander leaves
3. Chopped green chillies
4. Black salt
5. Red Chilli Powder
6. Roasted cumin powder (Optional)
7.  Sev bhujia ( Fried crispy snack made from gram flour which looks like small sized noodle)

First Put the Dahibaras in a bowl with the dahi or curd (The curd water it was dipped in). Then add Aloodum and Ghugni and garnish it with the above mentioned topping and voila, the Cuttack (Odisha) famous “Dahibara Aloodum Ghugni”  ready to devour.

Believe you me when I say as I am writing, my mouth is getting all watery. And writing this post will be truly successful if you make “Dahibara Aloodum Ghugni” and feel the same. Although this post turned out to be a little lengthy, I wouldn’t want to write it in any other way as I want all of YOU…from all across India and world to know about it, make it and eat it. That would be my real achievement. This post literally has my Feelings that I served on your Platter.

Be it summer, rain or winter…Dahibara Aloodum of Cuttack can always be devoured. 🙂

Hope the post is explanatory enough. But in case you have any query, do mention in the comment section. Also leave behind your feedback and suggestions if any.

Till the next post, Happy Munching & Keep Smiling! 🙂

Love,

Shobhna

 

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