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,

4 ways to make Methi Paratha (Fenugreek paratha)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Methi Paratha is a very common flat bread all over India. Methi is a green leafy vegetable which is available in the whole year. It is a very common breakfast also. Whenever my mother goes for any trip or she has to travel out of station, this paratha is must for her. 

I wanted to be little creative to make these common parathas. Kept on wondering what to do??? But could not get any new idea to make it different. I added the whole grain flour and powdered nuts to make it more healthier.

Coming to the recipe,

Methi leaves - 2 bunches

Wheat flour - 1 cup

Whole grain flour - 1/4 cup

Gram flour - 1/8 cup

Powdered nuts - 1 tbsp (I always keep the almond and cashew nuts powder in the kitchen)

Crushed garlic - 1 tsp (optional)

White pepper powder - 1 tsp 

OR

Red chilly powder - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Ajwain seeds - 1/2 tsp, crushed

Oil - 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Water to make the dough

Oil to fry the parathas

There are 3 ways to use methi leaves before adding.
1. Wash and boil the methi leaves. Drain and chop it. 
2. Wash the methi leaves and chop it finely. Fry it with little ghee. 
3. Wash, chop and add directly.
Each method gives different taste. So the choice is yours.

Method :

Take all the ingredients except water,  in a big wide bowl or plate. Keep on adding little water till it becomes soft dough. 

Keep it aside for 15 minutes to half an hour.

Divide the dough  in to big lime size balls. 

Keep tawa or pan to heat.

Take one ball, roll into paratha of desired size. Do not make it very thin or thick. It should be medium to make soft parathas.

Put the paratha on the pan, apply oil and fry for 15 seconds. Turn it and fry the other side. Remove and apply ghee. Store it in a box. 

Repeat with other dough balls.
This quantity makes 6 to 8 parathas.

These parathas stay good for 2 days at least. Best food to take while travelling.

I love to have these parathas with Lime and chilly pickle  or any other pickle. 
To make stuffed methi paratha,
Take the same ingredients and fry in a oil for a minute. Divide it into small balls. 
Stuff it in the chapati atta you have prepared and fry the same way you did for normal paratha.

Sending these parathas to 2 events : 

Announcing Global Kadai - Indian flavoured flatbreads ! by Sandhya of Sandhya's Kitchen

Providing the link back to Cilantro's page as per the rule.

AND

 Think Spice : Think Fenugreek BY Priya of Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes - Rajasthan A State in Western India

 Sunitha's World page

Keep Smiling,

Few recipes with green leaves stem

Tried and tasted by Nivedita 

Hi All,

Most of the times, we discard the vegetable peel, fruit feel and this green leafy vegetables. Most of us, use only the leaves from Spinach, Amarnath leaves and many few green leaves(I do not know English names for those like Rajgiri, Harive, dantina soppu). We do not like the tender stem of leafy vegetables. But it tastes very good and has more nutrition.

When I was in school, this was the toughest task for me, to clean these green leaves. But it was my work! I used to take so much time to clean it. Some times, mom used to get irritated and she used to clean it. That time, I used to collect these stems and play with those, making necklace or used to build spider web with the stems. 

When I was in college, I tried making  sabji using these stems. The taste was good. From then, its become regular in my house to use these stems for sabji, sambhar or salad. 

There are three recipes you can make with these(which I know),

1. With onions and garlic

Recipe for the same :

cleaned, and chopped stem - 1 cup

Onion - 1 medium, chopped

Garlic - 1 small bulb or 6 to 8 cloves, crushed

Green chilly - 1 crushed

Salt to taste

Haldi a pinch

Oil - 1 tbsp

Heat oil in a kadai. Add chopped garlic and saute till brown. Add onion and fry till it changes it color. Add green chilly and cleaned stem. Saute for some time. Add salt, haldi and 1 tbsp water. Cook for few minutes.

Garlic and stem sabji is ready.

2. Just add these stems while making dal or sambhar. It taste good.

3. Clean, chop and steam these stems and use it to make salad with curds, onion and tomato with seasoning of salt and pepper.

4. Now coming to the recipe with the photo:

Here is the recipe with dal,

Cleaned and chopped stem - 1 cup

Chana dal - 1 tbsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Green chilly and cumin seeds paste - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Haldi - a pinch

Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Fresh coconut - 2 tbsp grated

Hing a pinch

Soak the chana for one hour in warm water.

Heat oil in a kadai.

Add mustard seeds. When splutter, add curry leaves and hing. 

Add soaked chana and fry for a minute.

Add chopped stem, green chilly paste and 1 tbsp water. Cook for a minute.

Add salt and haldi. Cook with 1/4 cup water till the chana is cooked.

Add Lemon juice and fresh coconut. Adjust the seasoning.

Serve hot with chapati or rice and sambhar.

Sending this to the event hosted by

Nithu at Nithu's Kitchen on 

Best out of Waste

Keep Smiling,

Green Moong with Dill leaves

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Now a days I have made it compulsory to have green leafy vegetables for our dinner. And morning breakfast is replaced with Chapati and any veg. preparation or grains or pulses. 

And this Green Moong and Dill leaves serves both!! 

My kids do not like this leaves in any other form. So this is the best way to feed them. We make Thalipeeth, dosa, Paddh using these leaves. Mom makes yummy "Dill and Chana vada". I love the smell of Dill leaves. This is a common preparation in North Karnataka.

It has many health benefits too. It is benefited in Digestion, Dysentery and Diarrhea, bad breath, swelling, Menstrual disorders. Read more here for details. It is very useful article on this herb.

Coming to the recipe,

Dill leaves - 1 bunch, cleaned, washed  properly and chopped finely

Green moong - 1cup, soaked for  2 hours

Garlic - 1/2 bulb if it is small, cleaned and crushed

Green Chilly - 1 or 2 as per your taste, chopped

Oil - 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Transfer every thing in to a cooker vessel or directly in to a small cooker. Give 3 whistles. When cold, mash it to mix properly. It is ready to serve with chapati or jowar rotti. I like to have it with curd rice or rice and milk!!!

Another way...

If you like, you can give tadka ,

Do not put the garlic in the cooker. 

for tempering :

Oil - 1 tsp

Crushed garlic 

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds and garlic. Add it to  the cooked moong and Dill. Mix it properly.

Keep Smiling,

Brown rice,green veg curry and brinjal fry!

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Brown rice and green veg curry is nothing but Bhooga Chaawar aur Sai bhaji. A traditional Sindhi dish. A wonderful combo for a hungry stomach.

Brown Rice(Bhooga chawar) :

Long grain rice : 200 gm

Onion - 2 big, long, thin slices

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Cloves - 3

Bay leaf - 1

Red chilly powder - 2 tbsp

Sugar - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil - 1 to 2 tbsp

Warm water to cook the rice.

Wash the rice and keep aside to remove all the water from it.

Heat oil in a cooker, add bay leaf, cumin seeds and cloves. Then put onions and fry for a minute. Add sugar and keep on frying till the onions turn dark brown but not burnt. Now add Chilly powder and salt with rice. Fry for a minute so that all gets mixed well. Now add warm water till the rice is just covered. Close the lid and give 2 whistles.

Brown rice is ready. Garnish with Fried onions(optional).

Coming to Sai bhaji, click here for old post., Still giving the details again as this post is going for an event.

Green Veg Curry(Sai Bhaji)  :

Palak(Spinach) - 1 bunch
Methi leaves(Fenugreek leaves) - 1/2 bunchSabbasgi (Dill leaves) - 1/4 bunch(Optional)

(While making for this post, I did not had dill leaves and brinjal, so you can not see in the photo)
Brinjal - 1 medium (cut into cubes), its optional.
Potato - 1 medium(cut into cubes)
Tomato - 2 big(cut in to cubes)
Carrot - 1 medium(cut into cubes)
Channa dal - 1/2 cup (Soaked in water at least for an hour)
Salt to taste
Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Haldi - 1/2 tsp
For tempering,
Oil - 1 tbsp(Ghee will taste better)
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Ginger Crushed - 1tsp
Mix all the ingredients for bhaji in a cooker and make 4 whistles. When cooker is cool, remove the lid, churn it with churner or with blender. Adjust the taste for salt.Give bhagar with mustard seeds and crushed ginger in a oil.Sai Bhaji is ready to serve.
(You will enjoy the same in  Alka's  Sindhi Traditional Food also. (Being Sindhi, our preparations are almost the same!) This is just for your information. I am not in to any copy cat thing!! I am a regular follower of her blog, as I love to learn more of Sindhi Cuisine. She got a lovely blog about All Sindhi Recipes.)
Next is
Brinjal fry :
Brinjal - 1 big, cut in to round, medium thin slices.
Salt to taste
Red chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Curry powder - 1 tsp
Oil to shallow fry
Mix the powders with salt. Rub this powder to all the brinjal slices. Keep it for 5 minutes.
Heat tawa or frying pan. Put the slices on the pan and shallow fry by turning the slices often for 10 minutes. 
Brinjal fry is also ready to serve.
Arrange every thing in the plate and enjoy with your family on Sunday afternoon.

Sending this to Pari's  THE COMBO EVENT 

Keep Smiling,

A healthy green soup for all!

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

I am not much in to boiling soups. Even though I love to have, somehow I do not like to cook for myself.

But  soup was urgent need for my both daughters. Last month both fell sick and doctor's strict advise was to include any soup in their regular food. Just for my kids, I had to start making the colorful soups. This one is one of those I tried.

 Some times,my camera plays tricks with me!!!

My younger daughter does not link spinach or palak. So I play few tricks to feed her the same. And what can be the best trick than adding palak in the soup????

Coming to the recipe,

Potato - 1 medium, washed, peeled and cut into cubes

Spinach - 10 to 12 leaves, cleaned, washed and chopped.

Tomato - 1 big, washed and cut

Cabbage - 2 leaves, washed and cut

Onion - 1 small, cut into cubes

Ginger - 1/4", washed, peeled. Keep it whole.

Keep all the vegetables in a cooker with very little water. Give 2 or 3 whisltes. When cold, discard the ginger.

Puree the vegetables.

For tempering,

Butter or oil - 1 tsp(for kids, add both)

Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped finely

Salt to taste

White pepper powder - 1 tsp

Milk - 2 tbsp

Heat oil and ghee(if adding) in a pan.Add garlic and brown them. Now add the veg.puree. When it starts boiling, add white pepper and salt. Boil it for 2 minutes without covering. Add milk before taking it down the flame.

Immediately serve it in a bowl.

This soup is good for every one. If you avoid potato, its good for reducing weight and diabetic patients.

Do not skip tomato as it helps spinach to get digested.

I am sending this one to Event Announcement held by Usha of Veg Inspirations.

Keep Smiling,

Egg bhurji with green leafy veg.

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

It is always very difficult to feed green leafy vegetables to kids. They just puke it out, if we stir fry and give them. Till now, I thought to add the leaves in dal and feed the kids,  is the only way. But my aunty (Mom's cousin) gave me a tip. A very healthy and easy way to give green leafy veg. to your kids. 

Every one know the benefit of intake of green leafy vegetables and egg in everyday food.

So I am good girl, if I do not explain the benefits in detail!! (Just because, it is my last minute entry, I do not have much time!! Sorry!)

Just add any leafy veg. into Egg bhurji and the purpose is served.

Jumping to the recipe,

Green leafy veg - 1 bunch, cleaned, washed and chopped finely

(Methi or palak or Rajgiri or any leafy vegetables which cooks faster)

Eggs - 2, beat and keep ready in a bowl

Onion - 1 big chopped

Garlic - 2 flakes(optional)

Green chilly - 1 chopped

(skip green chilly and add 1 tsp red chilly powder, if you are giving to younger kid)

salt to taste

Jeera - 1/2 tsp

Dhania powder - 1 tsp

Haldi - 1/4 tsp

Tomato - 1 small (only if you are using Palak)

Lime juice - 1 tsp for other leafy veg.

Oil - 1 tbsp

Heat oil in a kadai, add jeera, onion and green chilly. Fry for some time. Add tomato if you are using palak. Cook it till tomato starts leaving the sides. Add salt, dhania powder and haldi.(and red chilly powder if not using green chilly). Mix it properly. Add beaten eggs. Mix it properly and cook till egg is 3/4 cooked(3 to 4 min). Now add chopped green leaves. Mix it and cook it. Keep on stirring, or else it will get burnt. Once the green leaves is cooked and the raw smell is gone, add lime juice. Take it from the heat. Mix properly. The bhurji is ready to eat with chapati or rice!!

I want to send this healthy dish to RV's Food for 7 Stages of Life - Kids Special Event Announcement 

and it is essential to give credits to Sudeshna of

 Sudeshna’s Cook like a bong(http://bengalicuisine.net) page.

Keep smiling,

Green Corn Rice

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

I am not so good, when it comes to rice preparations. But, now after coming to India, I am trying to do new experiments with rice.

One more reason is, I need to send lunch box to my daughter to the school, as she stays in the school for 6 hours. So rice is the best food to eat faster than chapati. And fast food or junk food is not allowed in her school. Even bread, noodles is not allowed. So in these two months I have

tried almost more than 10 rice varieties and surprised that even I can do it!!!!

Here is the recipe for Green corn rice,

Long grain rice(or normal rice) - 1 cup

Onion - 1 big chopped lengthwise

Ginger & garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Green chilly - 2 or 3 finely chopped

Methi leaves - 1/4 bunch cleaned and washed(optional)

Tomato - 1 big chopped

Fresh coriander - 1/2 bunch, cleaned and washed

Pudina - 1/4 bunch, cleaned and washed

Fresh, frozen or canned corn - 1 cup

Salt to taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

Wash and soak the rice for 2 minutes. Remove the water and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a cooker. Add onion and fry till golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste, green chilly and tomato. Saute for 2 minutes. Now add chopped green leaves mix properly. Now goes the corn and rice. Fry it for two minutes. Add salt and hot water till the rice is covered. Do not add more water.

Close the lid of the cooker and wait for one whistle. Open the lid, when cooker is ready(When it allows to open!!)

Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot with raita or papad.

Sending this recipe to

Rice Feast @ Aathidhyam from Chaitra

Keep smiling,

Aloo Pattice

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

My father used to love this! He was a great cook, and always tried new recipes in the kitchen. This was one of his favourite, he used to prepare for guests. This is from my mother. It tastes more delicious when she prepares it. A good snack for kids. They will love to eat with sauce or ketchup.

Main ingredient for this is, a green leafy vegetable called Kiraksali in Kannada. It is very common in North Karnataka. We usually just stir fry it with lot of onion and garlic. It tastes great with Jowar rotti.

Please help me to get the English name for this. I did lot of searching, but I could not get the name for this in English.

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

You can substitute with Rajgiri leaves or methi leaves, but I am not sure about the taste.

Here is the recipe,

Potato -4 big

Haldi - 1/2 tsp

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

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

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.

Aloo Pattice is ready to serve with Ketchup or Sauce.
Linking it to
http://sindhirasoi.com/link/potato/

Keep smiling,