Exotic Mixed Vegetable Butter Masala Curry

It is very familiar to have paneer butter masala but it can be made healthier with the addition of vegetables that provides it a distinct flavor and crunch. I used a little butter for this preparation but it can be avoided completely if you feel you are going to add some extra pounds.

This dish is very ideal for parties or get togethers so do try it out and surprise your guests.

Ingredients

• 2-3 cups mixed vegetables (cauliflower,beans,carrots,brussel sprouts,baby corn,paneer,capsicum,green peas)
• 1.5 cup diced onions
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1 green chilli
• 1/2 inch ginger
• 4-5 garlic
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp cummin powder
• 6-7 cashewnuts
• 1/2 tsp poppy seeds
• 1 tsp dhania/coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 2 cardamoms/elachi
• 2 cloves
• 1/2 inch cinnamon stick
  
• 1 tsp kasuri methi
• 1 tbsp cream (optional)
• salt to taste

Procedure

Heat 4-5 cups water in a deep bottom pan, once water starts boiling add all the vegetables except paneer and blanch them for 2-3 minutes. Drain all the water. 

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add all the above blanched vegetables till light golden brown. Keep aside.

In a pressure cooker add all the ingredients with 1 tbsp butter except vegetables, kasuri methi and cream and fry for 2-3 minutes, add 1/2 cup water, pressure cook for 3 whistles. Once it cools transfer to a mixie/blender and make a smooth paste.

Again heat 1 tbsp butter, add the above prepared paste and fry nicely till oil begins to saturate out of the mixture.Now add the fried vegetables along with paneer and mix it till all the gravy blend with the vegetables. Now add 1/2 cup water, let it boil for 4-5 minutes, add the kasuri methi and let it cook for 2 more minutes. All the cooking should be done in low flame.

Add 1 tbsp cream and switch off the flame. Serve hot with chappatis or rotis

Note: You can any vegetable of your choice for this preparation

The Sumptuous Paal Pongal and Anumulu Sambar

Some comfort foods are best prepared traditionally. This combination of paal pongal and anumulu sambar is a suprising combination that will delight you with its lipsmacking taste. Anumulu is a seasonal bean so it is best now to buy it fresh to prepare this recipe.

Paal Pongal
Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw rice
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups water
• Salt to taste

Procedure:
Wash rice properly and soak it with 2 cups water for 30min.After 30 min discard the water fully and keep aside.
In a thick bottom pan boil 2 cups milk and 2 cups water once it starts boiling add the soaked rice and cook in a medium to low flame till rice becomes soft. During the whole process stir the rice nicely for every 3 mins interval so that it will not stick to the bottom.Once rice become soft, switch of the flame and add the salt and stir properly. Your paal pongal is ready

 Note:
1.By soaking the rice the cooking process will be faster.
2.Add more water while cooking the rice if required.


Anumulu Sambar
Ingredients:

• 1 cup anumulu/mochai seeds/field beans
• 1 cup chowchow chunks
• a lemon size tamarind
• 2 tbsp channa dal
• 1 tbsp coriander/cilantro seeds
• 4 red chillies
• 1 tbsp grated coconut
• 1 tsp oil
• 1/4 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp musterd seeds
• a pinch of turmeric
• a few fenugreek seeds
• a pinch of hing
• salt to taste

Boil the mochai/anumulu and chowchow with 1 cup of water in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles and keep aside.

Soak tamarind in water for 10 min then extract the pulp and keep side.

In a pan heat 1/2 tsp oil then add coriander seeds,channa dal and red chillies and fry in a low flame till dal become light golden brown.Then add curry leaves and fry for a while till become crispy ,shift this to a blender and make a fine powder then add coconut and little water and make a fine paste ,keep aside.
Heat a tsp of oil in a deep bottom pan add mustard seeds,cummin seeds,fenugreek seeds and once mustard seeds start to splutter add hing and curry leaves and stir for a min then add cooked mochai seeds and chowchow without the water and reserve the water . Stir it properly then add the above prepared paste and stir for 1 min . Add the tamarind pulp, reserve water,turmeric,salt and let it boil for 5 min ,check the consistency if required add some water .

Once its boils nicely switch off the flame and garnish with cilantro.Serve warm with paal pongal.


Note:
1.You can make the spice powder of coriander seeds,channa dal n red chilli much before also n can store it in container and use how much you need  but preferable make it fresh when you need .

2.If you add more powder then sambar will become thick so add carefully.

3.Any excess spice powder can be used for stuffing for brinjal

4.Instead of chowchow you can use onions

5.If you do not have fresh anumulu/mochai/field beans then you can soak the dried field beans for 3 hrs and use in this sambar 

Achari Aloo / Spicy Pickled Baby Potatoes

Baby Potatoes blended with some exotic indian spices like saunf,kalonji,cummin and with amchur gives this side dish a very exciting pickled flavor. The recipe that will surprise your guests. It would be the perfect accompaniment for curd rice and rotis
 

Ingredients

• 20-25 baby potatoes
• 1 onion small size
• 1 tsp garlic ginger paste
• 1 small finely chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp saunf/fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp fenugreek/methi
• 1/2 tsp nigella seeds/kalonji
• 1/2 tsp jeera/cummin seeds
• pinch of turmeric
• pinch of hing/asafoetida
• 1/4 tsp amchur powder
• 1/4 tsp red chilli powder
• salt to taste

Procedure
Boil pototoes and remove the skin and keep aside
Make a coarse powder of saunf,mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds and keep aside
Heat oil in a pan, add kalonji and cummin seeds and once it splutter add onion and once it becomes translucent add ginger garlic paste and fry for one min.Then add tomatoes and fry till they become soft, now add the boiled potatoes and stir until is completely coated and fry in medium to flame till pototoes look crispy with a golfer brown texture.
Now add the prepared powder (saunf, fenugreek and mustard which we prepared earlier). Along with this add red chilli powder, amchur powder and salt and stir nicely till it completely blends for 30 seonds
Serve hot with rotis or rice
Note: Vinegar can also be added to give it a more tangy pickled flavor
 

The Mysterious Stuffed Eggplant Curry / Kalonji Baingan

Many people do not like eggplant and there is a mystery how to use them to make flavorfull curries. The wonder of indian spices is a vegetable like eggplant can become a exotic dish.

This dish is tradionally known as Kalonji Barvan Baingan. Kalonji/Nigella is a dark and mysterious spice that adds flavorful surprise to this dish that will make eggplants taste superb.

The recipe courtesy goes to vah reh vah . His excitement inspired me to try this wonderfull eggplant curry

Ingredient

• 12 small eggplants/brinjal/baigan of equal size
• 3 tbsp oil
• 1/4 tsp cummin seeds/jeera
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds/sarso
• 1/4 tsp nigella seeds/kalonji
• 1/4 tsp fennel seeds/saunf
• 1/8 tsp fenugreek/methi

For stuffing

• 4 red chilli
• 1 tbsp coriander/dhania seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds/sarso
• 1/2 tsp cummin seeds/jeera
• 1/2 tsp nigella seeds/kalonji
• 1 tsp fennal/saunf
• 1/2 tsp ajwain/caraway seeds
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds/methi seeds
• 1/2 tsp tumeric powder
• 1 tsp amchur powder
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• salt to taste

Dry roast red chilli, coriander, mustard, cummin, kalonji,methi,ajwain,saunf till the nice aroma will come ,then cool it and make fine powder .

Add turmeric powder,amchur powder,chilli powder and salt and mix properly .Then add little water to this mixture so it binds mildly.

Wash the eggplants ,cut the stem little bit and then cut through the eggplant with a  pluse sign upto the stem as shown in the pic.Stuff the eggplants with the prepared stuffing carefully

Heat oil in the frying pan and add cummin,mustard,kalonji,saunf,and methi seeds and fry till cummin splutters ,once it splutters arrange the stuffed eggplants in the pan and cover the pan with a lid and cook in the low flame .Roll the eggplant occasionally to ensure it cooks on all sides.

Once it soft and cooked on all sides add the remaining leftover masala with some salt and stir softly , cover and cook for another min and swith off the flame

Enjoy you stuffed eggplants with hot steamed rice or rotis 

The Authentic Panchapuran Aloo Mooli Curry

This authentic dish is prepared in the northeast part of India. It is traditionally cooked with 5 spices, panchpuran simply means "five spices" in Bengali. In Bengali cuisine mustard oil is extensively used, the aroma of mustard oil complements the other flavors of this gravy really well .

Ingredients

• 2 cups diced radish(approx 5 to 6 medium size)
• 1 cup diced potatoes(approx 2 medium size potatos)
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup chopped tomato
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp saunf
• 1/2 tsp black jeera
• 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1/8 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp garlic ginger paste
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 3 tbsp mustard oil (see the note)
• 1/2 tsp himalayan salt or salt to taste.

Cooking Procedure
Wash the radish and poatoes and peel them ,cut them into dices.

In the pressure cooker heat another tbsp oil , add cumin seeds,mustard seeds,fenugreek seeds,saunf and black jeera (panchapuran) , when these seeds splutter, add onion garlic ginger paste,turmeric powder and stir till light golden brown. Add tomatoes and cook till soft.

Add all remaining powders,sugar,salt and stir until oil begins to saturate out of gravy.Then add the radish chunks and potatoes and stir and blend the mixture with the veggies and fry for 5 mins.

Add one cup of water mix nicely and cover the lid ,pressure cook for three whistles.Once it cools open lid and switch on the flame again and bring it to a boil.Mash some potato chunks in the curry to make the gravy little thicker.Check the consistency if needed add a little water.

Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Note:
1.Normally panchapuran and potao combination is awesome and when it is cooked in mustard oil it become awesome but prefer ot add some veggie with potato.

2.To cook food with mustard oil,first heat oil until the mustard oil begins to smoke otherwise the mustard oil would smell and spoils the dish.

3.Cooking with mustard oil is purely optional, but I prefer to cook my gravies with mustard oil for the authentic flavor and healthy benefits.

4You can shallow fry radish and potatos lightly before adding it to gravy but i prefer the above method when i am really in jiffy.

5.You can replace the radish with cauliflower and it will also taste awesome.

Flavorfull Sesame Capsicum Curry

Sesame seeds have a nutty taste and a delicate, almost invisible crunch. It is also considered a super seed as it has some amazing health benefits.

This recipe was shared by my mom and you would love it as provides a excellant flavorfull side dish to have with rice.

Ingredients

• 6 med size capsicums
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp grated coconut
• 2 green chillies
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/8 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/8 tsp cummin/jeera
• 1/8 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 spring curry leaves
• 2 red chillies
• pinch of hing

Procedure

Wash the capsicum, dice them and deseed and keep aside

Make a fine paste of sesame seeds, grate coconut, green chilles and hing with a little water

Heat oil in a pan, add cummin and mustard seeds, once the mustard splutter, add the red chillie and curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds.

Add the capsicum and fry for a minute then add turmeric and salt to it and mix nicely. Cover and cook in a medium flame,stir occassioanlly until the capsicum becomes tender.

Add the sesame paste prepared earlier and mix nicely till it blends completely with the tender capsicum and fry for another 5 minutes on a low flame.

Serve this curry with rice and a dash of ghee