POTATO AND KIDNEY BEANS SALAD WITH HUNG CURD

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Its party time again Ladies :-), How I wish if it was really happening!!!

Potluck party is a great idea for people to come together with their dishes and share with others and enjoy and have a great time too.

Last time I brought the pickle which was the basic food for any Indian food party. For this party I have brought a Salad.  Salad comes next to pickle.

I tasted this potato and kidney beans salad in PIZZA HUT first time in UAE and everytime I got the chance to taste it. I liked it so much but never tried at home. No specific reasons, somehow I could not.

So I thought let me make this for the potluck party. Most of the recipes use Mayonnaise but I have used Hung curd and the taste was superb.

Coming to the recipe,

I prepared only for 2 persons, you can increase the quantity to make it for more people.

Ingredients:

Potato -2 big

Kidney beans - 1/2 cup

Hung curd - 1 cup

Salt to taste

Fresh Cream - 1 tbsp(Optional)

Green Chilly -  1 tsp finally chopped

 Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Soak the kidney beans overnight.

1. To make hung curd:
2. Take the yogurt or curd in a muslin cloth.
3. Tie it tightly and hung it with a vessel down so that the water from the curd should not spread on the floor or platform(where ever you are hanging it) Remove it after few hours(may be 3 to 4 hours), keep it in the fridge till serving time or it will become sour.

1. Boil the potatoes and the soaked beans till soft.
2. Peel the potatoes and mash it.
3. Drain the water from the kidney beans.
4. Take the hung curd, salt, chopped chilly, sugar and fresh cream in a bowl.
5. Mix it well. Add the mashed potato and beans. 
6. Mix well  keep it in the fridge for some time before serving.
7. Serve it chilled.

You can serve it on the bread slice or plain paratha slices to serve as a starter or for kids. I know kids will love it because my both the kids were happy to eat this..

Sending this  to three events:
Jagruti's  two events:

Potluck party, Cyber style! - Fun and the Challeng...

and 

Event Announcement -My Bowl of Salad !

AND 

Pavani of Cook's Hideout

Kid's Delight Event Announcement - 5 Ingredient Fix

which is started by Valli with the name Kid's Delight announcement post

Keep Smiling,

Softest Grape Ice Cream

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

How are you?

Summer is here and cold things are in.. The refrigerator is full of juices, ice creams, squash, Tang, Rasna..

Hey wait, I think  last year also, I started with the same sentences :-)

That doesn't matter anyways, we have to concentrate on today's recipe.

Its Grape Ice cream. It was my elder daughter's wish. And how could I say NO to her..

Before also I have prepared Ice creams many times but this time it was something special, it was the softest Ice cream I ever had at home..

I don't know the reason, but I am giving you the step by step procedure, try and let me know whether you too got the same taste and texture.

                         

Ingredients:

Milk - 1/2 liter (I used thick milk Kolhapur brand)

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Grapes - 1 cup

Corn Flour - 2 tbsp

Vanilla Custard Powder - 3 tbsp(CHIEF INGREDIENT :-) )

Fresh cream - 3 tbsp(I have saved it from 2 days milk and stored in the fridge.

Method :

• Boil the milk in a thick bottomed pan and wait until cold.
• Till its cold,
• Prepare the grapes puree by putting in the mixi. 
• Transfer it into glass bowl or Plastic bowl. Cover it and keep in the freezer.
• Take out the half cup of milk.
• Add the Corn flour and Vanilla Custard powder. Mix well till no lumps.
•  Keep the milk to boil with sugar added. Once the sugar is dissolved and milk starts boiling,
• Add the cornflour and custard powder mix. Be careful, keep on stirring, otherwise the milk will burn at the bottom. Boil for few minutes(5 to 7 minutes is fine). Remove from the fire. Allow it to cool.
• Refrigerate for few hours(depends on the capacity of your fridge) Mine is old one and takes long time to freeze. I kept it for 4 hours. 
• Remove it out, add the fresh cream and grapes puree. Churn it in the mixi. 
• Transfer it in the box storage box(if you have any ice cream box, its good).
•  Keep in the freezer again for few more hours. I kept the whole night.
• Next morning, again I removed it and allowed it to thaw.
• Again I put it in the mixi and churned it well till soft.
• Transfer it again into the box. Keep it in the fridge till its set :-)

Enjoyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy each bite of this softest grapes ice cream.

Keep Smiling,

ALOO PATTICE (Re posting)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

If you really know me and follow my blog, you know that I am a person who finishes the work at the last minute. As the last date is nearing  for any contest puts me into pressure and I do the cooking or posting.

Here is a recipe which I am re posting it for my dearest Jagruti. But Promising that next two days are only for her... for her ongoing event  :I'm well stuffed.

Directly going to the recipe,( Aloo Pattice  is the original post)

Ingredients:

Potato -4 big

Haldi - 1/2 tsp

Kiraksali - 3 bunch(Washed, cleaned and finely chopped)

(In Harsha Bennur's blog (http://girmitt.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/roasted-kirkasaali-tandulsa/), he has given the name as Tandulsa for Kiraksali, I do not know which language it is.)

Green Pea(fresh or frozen) - 1/2 cup

Green chilly - 3 small chopped

Curry leaves - few chopped

Raisins - 8 to 10

Cashew nuts - 8 to 10 cut into pieces (optional)

Khus khus(poppy seeds) - 2 tbsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Dalda or Vanaspati - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Lime juice - 1 tsp

Rice flour to dust the pattice

Oil to fry the pattice

Method:

Boil the potatoes. When cool, mash it. Add little salt (1 tsp) and haldi, mix it properly and keep it aside.

Heat oil and vanaspati in kadai, add curry leaves, peas (if frozen, keep it out of the fridge for 10 minutes before using it), green chilly. Saute it for a minute, now add raisins, cashew nuts and poppy seeds. After a minute add kiraksali. Add salt and haldi. Mix it and let it cook till the green leaves are cooked. Now add lime juice and mix it and keep it aside.

Next step is to make pattice and fry them in oil.

Make equal size(Big lemon size) of mashed potato. Take one, and press it on your palm to make it flat. Stuff it with ready leafy vegetable. Take care to cover full vegetable with potato. Otherwise all the masala will come out while frying. Do for all the potato balls. Dust the ready balls with rice flour.

Now, heat the oil in kadai. When hot, fry the pattice one by one till golden color.

4 to 6 pattice can be prepared with this quantity.

Linking this to Jagruti's event

Announcing an event - I'm well Stuffed !

Keep Smiling,

Fried Potato Cubes

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Lunch box :-), I love to cook lunch and pack it  for my kids. This gives little work to my idle brain. I need to be very specific as their school won't allow few foods like Curry or Sambhar (watery), Upma, Eggs, non veg, Poha, bread and chips. My elder daughter loves to take different type of food as she loves to share her lunch with her friends and they love it. And that makes me a proud mother :-). 

Most of the times I pack the different variety of rice for my elder daughter's lunch. But this Potato fry is my daughter's most favorite lunch. Many times she takes only the fry, but I pack the chapati with it without telling her :-) 

A very simple recipe but tasty and good food  for kids.

Ingredients :

Potatoes - 3 big

Salt to taste

Red chilly powder - to taste or 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Method :

Wash and peel the potatoes. 

Cut into small cubes.

Heat the oil in a kadai.

Add these potato cubes.

Keep on stirring and frying till the potato gets 3/4th cooked. 

Add salt and chilly powder, mix well and fry till its golden brown.

Remove from the heat and transfer it on a plate.

Allow it to cool and pack it with Soft Chapatis. 

I tried to bake and grill it in the OTG, but the taste was not that good and it became very dry..

It can be rolled into chapati with some sauce or ketchup and make it a Fried Potato roll to serve it hot. Or it can be eaten just like that.

Keep Smiling, 

Potato Fry - Chinese Style

Tried and tasted by Nivedita 

Hi All,

One more time to say SORRY for not posting any recipe here. Its exactly one month that I posted any recipe here. I could not manage the time to be regular here.

Today I am here with potato fry in Chinese Style. My kids loved it. Its simple, yummy and perfect side dish for kids.

Ingredients :

Baby potatoes - 250gm

Onion - 1 big,  sliced

Ginger - 1tbsp, finely chopped

Garlic - 1tbsp,  finely chopped

Soy sauce - 1tsp

Vinegar - 1 tsp

Tomato ketchup - 2 tbsp( I used Maggi hot n sweet ketchup)

Chilly paste - 1/2 tsp

Crushed pepper - 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Olive oil - 1 tbsp(normal oil is also fine)

Sesame seeds - 1 tbsp, roasted 

Fresh coriander  and spring onion - 1tbsp each, finely chopped for garnishing(not in the photo)

Method:

Boil the potatoes.

Peel the skin and keep aside.

Heat oil in a thick kadai. When its full hot, add ginger and garlic. 

Saute it till brown.

Add onion and fry till brown.

Add the potatoes and fry for few minutes.

Now go on adding Soy sauce, Vinegar, ketchup and chilli paste.

Add Salt and pepper powder and mix well.

Fry for another minute on high flame.

Garnish with fresh coriander, spring onion and sesame seeds.

Serve hot with chapatis.

Keep Smiling,

A Quick Egg Cutlet

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Being a mother of two growing kids and a person who never likes to waste the food,  I am always in search of reusing the leftover food. Here is another recipe from leftover boiled potato. Whenever I boil potato for something, I have a habit of boiling one or two extra potatoes. Potatoes always come in handy for any quick preparation. prepare a salad with it, turn it  into jeera aloo, pakodas, mix with some vegetable to make it gravy.. 

The other day, when I prepared aloo paratha, I had kept one big boiled potato in the fridge. And afternoon, I told my daughter to bring eggs from nearby shop to make egg kurma for the night. She brought the eggs with one  broken..

I did not wanted to waste it, I transferred it into a bowl and thought of making an omelet. Then I saw my potato in the fridge, thought of adding it to the omelet. I mashed the potato and added in to the egg and went on adding few more things and finally came out with this nice cutlets..... Roll down for the recipe ..

Ingredients:

Boiled Potato - 1 big

Egg - 1
Green chilly - 1 finely chopped(less if for kids)
or 
dry red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Dhania powder - 1/4 tsp
Oil- 1tsp
Fresh coriander - 1/8 cup, finely chopped
Oats - 1 cup


Oil to shallow fry

Method :

• Beat the egg. 
• Add the mashed potatoes and add all other ingredients EXCEPT OATS and oil to fry.
• Mix well, adjust the seasoning, 
• Heat tawa, Till it becomes real hot,
• Take a big spoon of ready mix, give a pressed,round shape, roll it into oats to cover the cutlets on all the sides.
• Make all the cutlets ready and keep.
• Spread the oil, keep 2 to 3 cutlets on tawa and fry on all the sides. Repeat with other cutlets.
• 
  
• Serve HOT with sauce.

Its perfect healthy snack for kids. But try to serve it hot as it it tastes like rubber once its cold.

Keep Smiling,

Potato gravy(ಬಟಾಟೆ ರಸಪಲ್ಲ್ಯಾ)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

My mom's one of favorite food, which has helped her umpteen number of times when she was in a hurry, when she had unexpected guests or when we were hungry and wanted to have some fast gravy that goes well with chapati or puris.

Batati rasapalya or potato gravy which is watery but tasty.

Mom makes on stove and I tried it in microwave. The taste differs. But both tastes good.

Coming to the recipe,
Potato : 3 big, washed, peeled and cubed
Onion - 1 big, cleaned, chopped finely
Oil - 1/2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Tamarind pulp or whole tamarind - 1 tsp
Red chilly powder - 2 tsp or 1 tbsp if you like it spicy
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder  a pinch
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Garlic crushed - 1 tsp(optional)

Method:

Take oil in a M/w safe dish.

Cook on HIGH for a minute.

Add mustard seeds and again cook for 30 seconds.

Now add onion, garlic, curry leaves. Mix well and cook on HIGH again for few minutes till you see the onion changing the color. 

Open, add the cubed potato and all other ingredients. Mix well. 

Cook on HIGH for a minute.

Open, add 2 big glasses of water, mix and cook it on HIGH for 10 minutes or till the potato is cooked and the masala is mixed well.

Season the taste and garnish with fresh coriander( optional)

Serve with hot chapati or Puris.

Sending this to Srivalli's 

Announcing Microwave Easy Cooking Event ~ Curries ...

Started by  herself

Keep Smiling,

Kashmiri Dum Aloo for ICC

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Potatoes!!!! I love to eat in any form. Few days back, a blogger friend Ria Mary Mathew shared the status on FB "Y didn't God make potato rich in Iron and Butter rich in Vitamins? Y God Y? So true! I too feel the same way. 

Few years back I was not a potato person, but  during second pregnancy, I got this craving for potatoes. I always wait for something to cook with potatoes. And when Srivalli gave  this month's  Indian Cooking Challenge, I was very happy because the recipe  is Kashmiri Dum Aloo. This recipe is from the site IndianFood.

I enjoyed preparing the dish and eating it too. And my kids loved it with soft Chapatis.

But!

I used only 1/4 th qty than the original recipe. The original recipe was for 1 kg of potatoes but as we are only 2 persons to eat, I prepared only 1/4th qty.

Please click here for the recipe, 

Baby potatoes taking cold bath.

 

Masalas mixing up for potatoes

 

Masala bath tub for potatoes.

Potatoes taking Masala tub bath.

Potatoes after bath and fry!

Hing and Clove powder with Hot water for potatoes.

Keeping to make aloo dum, the last stage for the potatoes to get ready to go to the dining table.

I am sorry for not giving detailed recipe. As I prepared only the little qty from the original recipe, I felt its not good to give the full details, as the photos and the given qty will not match.

I am enjoying this ICC event.

Keep Smiling,

Spicy baby potatoes with sesame seeds(Food remake)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

When I browse My Diverse Kitchen. I get fascinated with her baking ideas and recipes. She got wonderful collections. But I am still a baby when it comes to baking. May be in another one year or two, I will reach the stage where I can bake without thinking. I have bookmarked her blog itself for baking :-)

But, for now, I am trying only simpler recipes but these are the food I never tried. Here is one of those tasty recipes, which we all enjoyed.

Click Spiced Baby Potatoes with Sesame Seeds for the recipe.

Sending this to 

Srivalli's Announcing Tried & Tasted Event!

Linking it  back to Aparna's post and T&T event and Lakshmi's post. 

Keep Smiling,

Cheese Stuffed Potato Cutlets or Tikki and Sandwich

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

When I got married to a Sindhi, I got few Sindhi cooking books from my friends and my brother. . 

I took the book by Anita Raheja and I have tried most of the recipes from her book. And I can manage to cook many Sindhi dishes with her cooking book.

Last week was the Sindhi Food week for me, I prepared Sai bhaji, Sindhi Curry, Bhooga chavar, Seyal Dabal and yesterday I made Aloo tikki.

Still Independence month is going on :-)

But I thought to do some variation in this. Now a days, I am using more dairy products for my kids, as my younger daughter does not drink milk everyday. I keep Cheese in my fridge, whenever it is available. Today I had Mozzarella cheese. I thought of stuffing it in the tikki and try. And for sure, tikkis came out very well. I enjoyed it with green chutney, my younger daughter had mini tikkis and the elder one had it as a sandwich filler.


Now, some information about the nutrition values of Potatoes and Cheese.
The potato is the best source of Carbohydrate. And contains vitamins and minerals. And potato is very good food for kids if given every alternative day in any form such as curry, paratha, fry or baked potatoes.
And now about cheese : Cheese is valued for its portability, long life, and high content of fat, protein, calcium, and phosphorus.(Cheese) And Cheese is a very good source of calcium which is a good option for a mother of those kids who does not like to have milk.

Here goes the recipe,

Potato - 6 medium

Shelled Peas - 1/4 cup(optional)

Bread - 2 pieces

Corn flour - 1 tbsp

Oil - 1 tsp

For stuffing,

Mozzarella Cheese - 1/2 cup, grated for stuffing

White pepper powder - 1 tsp

Salt a pinch

Mix the three ingredients slowly and keep it in a fridge till you prepare the tikki dough.

To make paste :

Fresh coriander - 1 tbsp

Green chilly - 2 or more if you like it spicy

Cumin Seeds - 1tsp

Salt to taste 

Make fine paste with above ingredients. 

Oil to fry the Tikkis

1. Boil the potatoes. Peel and smash it or grate it.

2. Boil the peas and smash it.

3. Soak the bread pieces in water for a minute. Drain the water.

4. Take the grated potatoes, peas, chilly paste, corn flour, mashed bread and oil in a big bowl or plate. 

5. Mix well to make a soft dough. 

                                

6. Divide the dough into equal portions.

7. Take one portion, press in the middle and put 1 tsp cheese. 

8. Carefully close it and give a ball shape, taking care of not pressing hard. 

9. Flatten it to make round tikki.

10. Repeat with other dough.

                                        

11. Heat oil in a kadai.

12. Deep fry in hot oil till golden color.

13. Serve hot with  GREEN CHUTNEY or ketchup.

My elder daughter's sandwich with these tikkis

                                         

                                                       

My younger daughter's mini tikkis as she did not like the big ones. 

                                                       

Linking it to
http://sindhirasoi.com/link/potato/
Sending this to

Neha's (of Home Made Food) 

Kids Menu Event

Keep Smiling,

Aloo Matar Sabji (Peas & Potato masala) - Microwave method

Tried and tasted by Nivedita 

Hi All,

Most of the times, my use of microwave is restricted to warm the food. But now a days I am trying to make new recipes in it, as it is like an extra hand for me. Morning is very busy time, cooking all the things at a time, Make coffee, boil the milk and drinking water, make breakfast, prepare the food for kid's lunch box. My two burner stove is not enough for me. Thats why, when ever I am short of time with many things to cook in short time, I take the help of microwave. There are only few dishes I always love to repeat it. One is Microwave Chocolate Cake (learnt it 2 months back, and its my daughter's favorite) which I repeat once a week. 

The second one is this, Aloo matar sabji which goes very well with Puri and hot chapatis.

Here is the way to make it 100 % in microwave

Ingredients :

Potato - 4 to 6 medium

Onion - 1 big, finely chopped

Fresh or frozen peas - 1/2 cup

Tomato - 1 big, grated

Curry leaves - few

Coconut milk - 1/4 cup(I used ready coconut powder and added it in warm water)

Oil - 1 tsp or you can skip it.

Salt to taste

Red chilly powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala - 1 tsp (I use MTR product which is mild but gives good aroma)

Fresh coriander to garnish

Wash the potatoes. Prick all over. 

Keep in the microwave on HIGH for 5 minutes or if your M/W has the option to boil the potatoes(I have) cook it with the option on for 5 minutes. Allow it to cool. Peel the skin and cut into cubes.

Cook the peas also in M/W on HIGH for 3 minutes. Keep aside

Take oil in M/W safe bowl  (if using). Keep on HIGH  for a minute. Remove and add onions. Or if not using oil, add the onions directly.

Keep on HIGH for 3 minutes and let the onions fry and change the color. I forgot to take the snap of that.

Next add the tomato and mix it. Cook on HIGH for 3 minute, stir in between. 

Remove it. Add all the dry powders. Cook for half a minute. Now other remaining ingredients except the coriander. Cook on HIGH for 4 to 5 minutes.

Keep it in the M/W for few minutes. 

Open and transfer it into the serving bowl. Garnish with fresh coriander.

Aloo matar sabji is ready to serve.

This makes for 4 to 6 persons.

My daughter loves (me too!) to have it with puri like this :

                                  

Sending this to two events :

PJ's Microwave Easy Cooking -Event Announcement (linking it to Srivalli;s MEC announcement page.)

And 

 Srivalli's 365 days of Microwave Cooking! event 

Keep Smiling,