Aaloo Jeera

Wanted something quick and easy for lunch today as I wasn't in the mood to make any daal. So tried my hand at another new recipe - Jeera Aaloo. Came out well actually! And here is the result with a listing of how I got there.

Ingredients

Potatoes - 250 gms / peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
Red Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon
Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder - a pinch
Jeera / Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon (dry roasted and kept)
Tomatoes - 2
Onions - 1
Oil - 1 table spoon
Salt to taste

Method
1) Heat a pan with the oil and saute in the chopped onions into it.
2) Once the onions change to light brown, put in the tomatoes and the powders. Mix well.
3) Cook on high flame until the tomatoes are done cooking and have mixed well with the spices.
4) Now add the potatoes with about 1/2 glass water (or more depending on the amount of potatoes you are using) and mix well.
5) Let this cook until the potatoes are done properly. Cover and let it boil. You can always stick in a fork to check if the potatoes are done.
6) Once done, stir in the roasted jeera seeds and salt to taste.

That's it! Piping hot Jeera Aaloo is now ready to be had with either rice and/or roti/chapati etc.

Enjoy!

ShaKri

Okra Kurma / Lady Finger gravy

Presenting another little experiment of mine that I tried out today listening to some Alejandro Sanz in the background. "Okra Kurma", it is called. A concoction made with okra and spices. I am attaching below the mouth watering result and following it is the recipe. Hope you try it too and enjoy it as much as I did with my stuffed aaloo paratha!

Ingredients
Okra/Bhindi/Lady's Finger - about 15 (thoroughly washed and VERY dry)

Onions - 1Tomato - 2

Ginger/Garlic paste - 1/2 teaspoon

Coconut paste - 1 table spoonOil - 1 table spoon

Curry leaves - a few

Red Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon

Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric Powder - a pinch

Mustard seeds - for seasoning

Method
1) Wash and pat dry the Okra. It has to be very dry. Cut them into 1 inch pieces and fry on dry tawa till it changes bright green in colour. Keep aside.

2) Heat oil add mustard seeds, curry leaves. Then add chopped onions and sauté till they are brown in colour. Then add ginger garlic paste and fry well for a couple of minutes.

3) Then add nicely chopped tomatoes, chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste. Cook the dish till tomatoes are well cooked. Then add the Okra and mix well.

4) Add coconut paste with water. Cook on high flame for 5 mins. Simmer for 10 mins until the gravy thickens.

And that's it! Enjoy with rice and/or roti with daal.

I hope you try this out some day and enjoy it as much as I did. It's great with aaloo paratha as you can see in the mouth watering photograph I have added above. Cheers!

..ShaKri..

Tomato Dosa

Xmas vacations are a time for me to expand my cooking skills and try out new recipes. I am not much of a chef, per say, but I do experiment with things I feel meet my basic cooking skills. This new recipe - Tomato Dosa - was one among them. I am attaching an image of the dosa I ended up making. I had it with some spicy Karela gojju (the # 1 favorite dish on my list) for dinner tonight so thought of sharing the joy - and the recipe!

Ingredients:

1 cup raw rice (about 200 grams)

4 medium sized ripe tomatoes4-5 long red chillies

Coconut - shredded or a can of coconut milk

Salt to taste

Method:

1) Wash and soak rice in water for about 2 hours.

2) Grind together - coconut, tomatoes and red chillies to a fine paste. Make sure there are no lumps.

3) Add rice slowly to this mixture and keep grinding until a fine batter is ready. Add salt to taste and grind it one more round.

4) This dosa is not like a rice dosa where it has to be turned to be cooked. So, ensure that the batter is a tad thin - but not too thin like Neeru Dosa either.

5) Pre-heat the pan with a little oil and ensure the pan is really hot.

6) Pour batter on it in circular motions. One swift motion recommended without spreading it around like a regular dosa.

7) Sprinkle a little more oil on it and cover it with a lid to let both sides cook for about 2-3 minutes.

8) Once done fold it carefully and put it on a plate. And thats it!

I am sure there are several variations for this that more experienced folks can accessorize with. For me, this was heaven considering I had it with Hagalkai Gojju!

Cheers,

ShaKri