Aloo Posto

After the heavenly Sondesh, here's Aloo Posto - another yummy-licious from Bengal!!

You'll need:

* 4 boiled potatoes

* 1 cup cooking oil

* 6 green chilies

* 2 bay leaves

* 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

* 2 tbsp poppy seeds

* Salt to taste

1. First of, peel & cut the potatoes into cubes; and set aside for later use.

2. Now, in a food processor, grind 3 chilies, turmeric powder, poppy seeds & salt to form a thick paste.

3. Iske baad, add 1 tbsp water to this paste, and smear this paste on to the potatoes.

4. Now, heat the cooking oil & fry the bay leaves & the remaining 3 chilies. Then, add the potatoes on a low flame, stirring constantly.

5. Finally, as the oil heats more, move to the flame to medium, then to simmer. Once the potatoes turn golden brown, drain the oil & remove them from the flame.

Aloo Posto done!!

TipToEat - Piping hot steamed rice. With dal. And with love :)

Mathura Ke Dubki Wale Aloo

After the successful (I hope?) Dum Bhindi & Sultani Dal, bringing you another yumminess from Uttar Pradesh - Mathura Ke Dubki Wale Aloo!!

Oh, did you know that Mathura is one of the 7 most holy places for Hindus in India? Although I still can't find the connect of this being called 'dubki wale aloo' :| Eh, anyway.

Gather the following: (serves 6)

- 6 boiled & peeled potatoes
- 3 finely chopped green chilies
- 1/2 tsp dry ginger powder
- 1/2 tsp amchur
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida
- 1 cup chopped coriander leaves
- Cooking oil
- Salt to taste

1. Sabse pehle, cut the potatoes in cubes. Then mash them a bit & set aside.

2. Then, heat the cooking oil in a pan & add the cumin seeds & asafoetida.

3. When they begin to pop, add the potatoes, turmeric powder, ginger powder, amchur, sugar & salt.

4. Iske baad, add water to make a thin gravy. Then remove from flame.

5. Finally, heat 1 tbsp cooking oil & pour on the potatoes, then sprinkle the red chili powder & coriander leaves pronto.

MKDWA done!!

TipToEat - This actually depends on whether the aloos have turned out dry or with gravy. If dry, have them with puris. And with rice (yay!) :P if there's  gravy.

Chane Jaisalmer Ke

After the successful Churma Laddoo & Dal Baati, here's another plateful from Rajasthan - Chane Jaisalmer Ke!!

Oh, did you know that Jaisalmer is nicknamed the "sun city"? And that it is considered the driest place in India? (Am not going there, owing to my dry skin) :P

Anyway, you'll need the following:

- 4 chopped green chilies
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 2" cinnamon stick
- 1/4 cup asfoetida
- 1 cup Bengal gram (black chana)
- 1.5 cups yogurt
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 4 tsp besan
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp chaat masala
- 3 black cardamoms
- 1 cup chopped coriander leaves
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 6 cloves

Let's get started!!

1. Soak the Bengal gram overnight in 4 cups of water. In the morning, drain, mix in 6 cups of water & pressure stir fry till done. Then mash them slightly.

2. Now, heat the ghee & oil, then add the cumin seeds. When they begin to crackle, add the garam masala & fry for 2 min.

3. Iske baad, add the asfoetida & green chilies and then saute. Followed by the yogurt, besan, a cup of water, cinnamon stick, coriander powder, chili powder, turmeric powder, chaat masala, cardamoms & cloves. Stir till it boils.

4. Now, add the Bengal gram along with the water it was cooked in, followed by the salt. MIX WELL :D

5. Cover & simmer for 10 min.

6. Finally, garnish with the coriander leaves &  a serve with a whole lot  of love :)

Aloo Ke Masaledar Lachche

Hands down, one of the easiest (and difficult) dishes I've made till now :D But hey, I guess that's what Punjabi food is about, right? ;)

You'll need:

* 1/2 tsp red chili powder
* 8 big potatoes
* 1/2 tsp cumin powder
* 1/4 tsp dry mango powder
* 1/2 tsp chaat masala
* Cooking oil for frying

1. First of, peel the potatoes, wash them & cut them into really think sticks or better, use a good food processor to ease your job :D I did that :P

2. Then, soak the potatoes in cold water for 30 min, then change the water & soak again for 30 min. Post which, remove & pat dry on a towel.

3. Now, heat oil in a kadhai on a medium flame. Then, one handful at a time, fry the potatoes, stirring constantly to keep them separate.

4. Once they turn a pale golden (I didn't even know that a color like this existed, till I saw it frying in my kadhai) ;) spread them out on absorbent tissue papers so that the excess oil gets absorbed.

5. Now, mix the red chili powder, cumin powder, dry mango powder & chaat masala together, and sprinkle this on the potatoes while they are still hot.

AKML done!!

TipToEat - You can either have them hot, or even later when they cool; they'll last a week if stored in an airtight container :)

Mushroom Curry

After ages, am making a mushroom dish. But hey, better late than never, eh? ;) So here's mushroom curry, Oriya style!!

You'll need:

- 500 gm mushrooms (not tinned or canned - see if you can get garden fresh ones or at least the ones that come in a packet)
- 150 gm onions
- 100 gm tomatoes (cut in julienne)
- 100 gm shallots (chota pyaaz)
- 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1.5 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp coriander leaves
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
- Salt to taste

1. First of, wash the mushrooms with a little flour & vinegar. Then quarter them & keep aside. Followed by, quartering the shallots & slicing the onions.

2. Now, heat the oil in a kadhai & add the cumin seeds. Once they start crackling, add the ginger-garlic paste, shallots & onions.

3. Once they turn soft, add the red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder & salt. Stir fry for a mew min & then add the mushrooms. Mix well :D

4. After the mushrooms are cooked, add the tomatoes, coriander leaves & lemon juice. Mix gently & simmer for 4 min.

MC done! Serve piping hot with roti, paratha, naan & love :)

Malai Peda

Yes, yes, yes. YET another mithai :D Maharashtrian-style this one, though.

Gather:

- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
- 2 tsp cornflour
- 1/4 tsp citric acid
- 1l milk (I used a low fat version; waise bhi weight kam nahi ho raha hai) :|
- 4 satchets saccharin
- 1 tsp chopped pistachios
- Few strands of saffron

1. Firstly, take a heavy bottomed pan & add the milk to it. From this, keep 8 (mind you 8) tsp of milk aside.

2. Then, boil the milk in the pan stirring it continuously, till its quantity reduces to half.

3. Now, heat the saffron & add 4 tsp of the unboiled milk & stir till the saffron dissolves. Then, add this to the boiling milk.

4. After this, add 3 tsp of water to the citric acid & mix well. Now, dheere dheere add this to the boiling milk, till it begins to curdle a bit.

5. Then, add the cornflour to the remaining 4 tsp of unboiled milk & add it to the boiling milk. Stir constantly till the mixture thickens (auntaana, yes!) & begins to resemble khoya.

6. This, followed by adding cardamom powder & mixing well. Guess the mixture should be about done now.

7. Give it whatever shape you want. Balls, too will do. Hey am not judging!

8. Finally, garnish with the pistachios. Malai pedas done!

TipToEat - I prefer my pedas hot, for some reason. Try & let me know if you did, too :)

Shahi Paneer

Is it just me, or do  everybody's mouths water at the mention that melt-in-your-mouth hottie called Shahi Paneer? *dreams about curry-drowned soft paneer*

Enough said. Here's the recipe of the mother of all things paneer!

You'll need:

- 250 gm paneer
- 1/4 cup beaten curd
- 1.5 cups milk
- 1.5 cups finely chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 cup onion chopped in strips
- 1/2" finely chopped ginger
- 3 finely chopped green chilies
- 3 crushed cardamoms
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- 2 tsp tomato sauce
- 3 tsp butter
- Mint leaves
- Salt to taste

1. Chop the paneer in 2" fingers. (Bollocks; I didn't do this :P I chopped them in squares. It's my recipe, for crying out loud!) :|

2. Now, heat half the butter i.e. 1.5 tsp. Then add the onion, ginger, green chilies & cardamoms. Fry this for 4 min.

3. Then, add the tomatoes, cover & cook for 8 min. Follow this, by adding curd & cooking for another 5 min. Now add 1/4 cup water & let it cool.

4. Once cooled, blend the gravy in a blender till it is smooth.

5. Now, heat the remaining 1.5 tsp butter, gravy, curd, garam masala, red chili powder & tomato sauce. Boil this till it turns really thick. (Remember auntaana?) ;)

6. Once this is thick, consider your gravy done. Only before you have to serve, heat this, add the milk & paneer & boil for 4 min.

7. Garnish with mint leaves & SP is ready to be belted :D

TipToEat - Kal ka Zafrani Pulao ;)

Microwave Wala Zafrani Pulao

Hello (again) from the hills of Kashmir! After Kashmiri Pulao & Kashmiri Aloo Dum, I have Zafrani Pulao (from my humble microwave). Lazy woman se zyada ummeed nahi kar sakte :P

You'll need -

* 2 cups long grained rice (I'd suggest Saffola Arise Premium Grain - it is a tad healthier version) :)
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 tbsp ghee
* 20 (yes, 20) almonds
* 15 cashew nuts
* 10 raisins
* 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
* 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
* A mix of 3.5 cups of water & milk
* A pinch of saffron

1. First of, wash the rice & soak it in just enough water for half an hour. Aadhe ghante baad, drain the excess water.

2. Now, place the almonds & cashews in a flat microwave dish, keep it uncovered & microwave it on medium (70%) for 5 min. Then, once the nuts have cooled (NO sexual connotation here!), thinly slice the almonds & halve the cashews.

3. In a deep microwave bowl, add the ghee & rice, keep it uncovered & microwave it on high (100%) for 2 min. Phir 2 min baad, stir then again microwave it on high (100%) for 2 min.

4. Then add the nutmeg powder, caardamom powder, saffron, sugar & raisins to the rice. Follow this by adding the milk-water mixture, then stir once. Cover & microwave it on high (100%) for 15 min.

5. Let it stand for 5 min, then garnish with the almonds & cashews. ZP done!

TipToEat: I've zilch this time :P

Gajar Ka Halwa

Another sweetie from my humble kitchen :D Actually wait, it was a couple friends' kitchen :D Haryanvi-style gajar ka halwa!

You'll need:

- 1 kg carrots
- 1 litre milk
- 1 tsp crushed cardamom seeds
- 3/4 cups water
- 3 tbsp ghee
- 2 tbsp raisins
- 2 tbsp almonds
- 2 tbsp pistachios
- 2 tbsp cashews
- 450 gm sugar
- 200 gm khoya

1. Start by washing & grating the carrots.

2. Soak the raisins in water for 30 min.

3. Put the water to boil; once it starts boiling, add the carrots. Cook for 7 min & add the milk.Then cook on a low flame, stirring occasionally.

4. Add the sugar. Mix well till it dissolves & all the milk is absorbed. Then add ghee & let it simmer for 3 min.

5. Finally, add khoya & mix well. Then add the cardamom seeds & raisins. Again, mix well :D

6. Take this off from the heat & spread it out on a serving bowl/plate. Top it off with the almonds, pistachios & cashews.

GKH done. TipToEat: Serve piping gajar ka halwa with rabdi or even vanilla ice cream. Yum!!

Dhokla

Another hit from Garvi Gujarat - dhokla!

Did you know that there are over 10 types of dhoklas? Some of them being -

* Khatta
* Rasia
* Khandhavi
* Toor dal
* Sandwich
* Rawa
* Mixed dal
* Green peas

But of course, the lazy chef will share only the classic dhokla recipe - khaman :)

* 1 cup rice
* 1 cup urad dal
* 1 cup yellow moong dal
* 3 cups buttermilk
* 2 finely crushed green chilies
* 1/4 tsp finely grated ginger
* 1/2 tsp soda bicarb
* 2 tbsp oil
* 3 pinches red chili powder
* 1/2 tbsp finely chopped coriander
* Salt
* Mustard seeds

P.S. The method is a little tedious, time-consuming & involves  some outdoor activity, but the result is beautiful (& tastes great), trust me :)

1. Mix the rice & dals, then wash, dry & drain on a clean cloth for a few hours till completely.

2. Here's the outdoorsy part - get the rice-dals mixture ground at a flour mill, till it is completely fine & powdery.

3. Then, take a cup of this powder, add the buttermilk & mix well. Let it stay for 5 hours.

4. 5 ghante baad, add the soda bicarb to the oil & add this to the mixture.

5. Then, throw in the green chilies & ginger & pour this mixture on a greased plate.

6. Steam this in a pressure cooker for 3 min, then take it out & pierce with a knife to check if done.

7. Sprinkle the red chili powder, coriander & mustard seeds, then steam again for 3 min.

Dhokla done! Cut in diamonds or square or trapezes :P A friend once cut the dhokla she made into different shapes of women's underwear! But hey, who's judging? ;)