Cauli-Corn Pohe

I made this Cauli-Corn Pohe today for a light lunch. It was great. The kids even ate it all up! The one change that I would make would be to add cashews and/or peanuts at the beginning. I love to have that crunch in my pohe. Since we have a slight allergy in the house, I skipped it all together. 

1/4 head of cauliflower, trimmed and diced into small pieces

1 cup frozen corn, defrosted

2 cups thick pohe (beaten rice)

1/2 onion, diced

1 tsp ginger paste

1/2 tsp garlic paste

1/2 tsp green chili paste

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp sesame seeds

Pinch of hing

1-2 tsp salt or per taste

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp coriander powder

Juice of 1 lemon, or 2 tbsp lemon juice 

Few curry leaves

2 tbsp olive oil

Chopped cilantro for garnish

Lemon wedges for serving

1. Start by heating up oil in a big Dutch oven nonstick pot. When hot, add the mustard and cumin seeds and let them pop. Drop the curry leaves in and close lid. Remove from heat to prevent getting burned. Add the sesame seeds and hing and mix. Add the onions and return pot back on the heat.

2. Let onions cook on medium heat until shiny. Add the ginger, garlic and green chili paste and mix for about a minute. Add the cauliflower and salt next and let it cook.

3. About 5-7 minutes once the cauliflower is a bit soft, add the corn and coriander powder.

4. While the veggies are cooking, soak the pohe for about a minute or two until you see them puff up. You want to be careful not to soak for too long or else they'll get all mushy and will not retain their shape. Drain the water out of the bowl of pohe using a colander.

5. Once again, remove the pot from the heat. I bring the pot next to the kitchen sink. I squeeze out as much water from the pohe as possible and sprinkle the pohe into the pot. Return pot back on heat.

6. Let all of the flavors marry for about 5 minutes. Then add sugar and lemon juice, tasting and adjust seasoning. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with lemon wedges on side.

This dish was surprisingly delicious. The cauliflower was a great substitute for the traditional potatoes. Soybeans, peas and/or carrots would also be a great addition to bump up the nutrition level. After all, potatoes and rice alone aren't all that wholesome! Definitely give this one a try!

Homemade Granola

Hidden in my pantry were all of the ingredients needed to make granola. The only thing I needed was the recipe to put it all together. Even after watching granola and granola bars being made on Food Network, I still did not have the courage to actually make it myself. I think to be honest, I had no interest in eating it- possibly because it is so healthy! I could hide no more, though. Yesterday, my hubby suggests we make granola together. We pretty much followed Alton Brown's recipe, with a few alterations.

3 cups rolling oats

1/3 cup cashews, chopped

1/3 cup almonds, chopped

1/3 cup roasted sunflower seeds

1/3 cup roasted and hulled pumpkin seeds

3/4 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp honey

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 tsp salt

3 cinnamon sticks

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

2. Combine the oats, nuts, seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks and coconut in a bowl.

3. In another bowl, combine the salt, honey and oil. [To loosen the honey, we zapped it in the microwave for 10 seconds.]

4. Combine both mixtures and lay out onto two baking sheets. We placed both baking sheets on different racks.

5. Stir every 15 minutes so that the granola stays as loose as possible. [To make life easier, set your oven timer for every 15 minutes so that you do not forget all about it!]

6. Alton's recipe cooks slowly for 1 hour, 15 minutes. Our granola on the bottom rack cooked in 30 minutes while the top rack took about 45 minutes.

7. Let cool, remove the cinnamon sticks and store in airtight container. Once cool, you can also add 1 cup raisins. Enjoy for breakfast as cereal or with yogurt. I prefer my granola as a healthy snack.

The granola came out nice and toasted perfectly. The one thing B and I disagreed about was the raisins. He thought it added texture, while I'm not too fond of dried fruits.We will tweak the ingredients some more. Instead of whole cinnamon sticks, we will add 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder instead. Some other things we wanted to try were adding cardamom, walnuts and pecans.

Emeril has his own recipe, where he uses 1/4 cup unsalted butter in place of the vegetable oil. He also adds 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Those are a few other options to keep in mind for next time. This snack/cereal gets eaten FAST so I have a feeling I will be making it quite often.

Vegetable Pies (Turnovers)

I was recently introduced to this menu item and I loved it. Up until now, I had only eaten samosas. These vegetable pies, on the other hand, use flaky and buttery puff pastry for the outer crust so you can never go wrong. For the first time, they turned out pretty well. It looks like alot of steps, but it's really easy and cleanup is even easier. Here's the rundown ...

1 sheet of Pepperidge Farms puff pastry, defrosted

1 pack of frozen mixed vegetables

1 potato, peeled and diced

1/2 onion, diced

2 tbsp vinegar

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp garlic paste

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp asafoetida powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chili powder

1 tbsp garam masala

2 tbsp Louisiana hot sauce

1/2 lemon, juiced

Chopped cilantro

For stuffing:

1. In a bowl, soak chopped onions in vinegar. Keep aside.

2. If you do not have time to defrost the mixed vegetables, just run them under hot tap water in a colander. Drain well. The green beans were bigger in size compared to other vegetables, so I chopped them into thirds. Keep aside.

2. Heat oil in Dutch oven. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter fully. Remove from heat. Off heat, add asafoetida powder followed by potatoes. Mix well.

3. Return to medium high heat and add salt next. Cover lid.

4. After about 5 minutes, add the mixed vegetables to pot. Also, add the turmeric powder, garlic paste and ginger paste. Cover lid.

5. After about 5 more minutes, reduce heat to medium and add the garam masala and red chili powder. Mix again and cover lid.

6. When the vegetables are cooked, add in the sugar, lemon juice and hot sauce.

7. Squeeze out the vinegar from the onions and add the pickled onions to the stuffing. Also, add the chopped cilantro and mix one final time. Adjust seasoning per taste, keeping in mind that the spice level should be higher due to the pies being baked in the oven. (Stuffing should be spicy and sour.)

For pies:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Spread a generous amount of all purpose flour on your work surface. Lay out your sheet of puff pastry on top of the flour.

3. Roll out the pastry into a rectangular shape.

4. Cut the pastry in half horizontally and into thirds vertically until you have 6 fairly equal size pieces.

5. Take each piece one at a time and roll a few times more. Place stuffing in center of the pastry, leaving one inch open for closure. Using your finger, brush water or milk along the border of the pastry.

6. Fold the pastry over. Pinch closed and prick with fork on all three sides. Make a slit on top with a knife to release steam. Finally, brush the tops with milk.

7. Spread a generous amount of cornmeal on top of a baking sheet. Place the vegetable pies onto the baking sheet.

8. Bake the pies for 30 minutes.

For instant spicy chutney/sauce:

1. Mix together equal amounts of Asian chili-garlic sauce with ketchup.

2. Enjoy with hot vegetable pies!

We gave these pies a 5 out of 5! The flavor was just right, having the perfect balance of sourness and spice. The pies were also the perfect golden brown, although some of the sides may have gotten too crispy. I would suggest reducing the baking time by a few minutes to resolve that issue. Also, I will also lay down parchment paper on the baking sheet next time (rather than using cornmeal). Otherwise, it was a great dinner!

Potato Mac

This dish is one that B grew up eating when he was little. He spoke of it many times before and it sounded interesting so I just had to try it. My mil gave me this recipe. As a child, he probably enjoyed it. As a grownup, though, you figure out that all it is is carbs. Nothing wrong with indulging in that pleasure every now and again. This recipe, when made milder, would work great for children!

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 onion, diced

1/4 package of whole wheat elbow macaroni

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Pinch of asafoetida powder

1/4 tsp red chili powder

1/2 tsp green chili paste

1 tsp garlic paste

sriracha sauce

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Salt to taste

Dash of sugar (optional)

Shredded cheese for garnish (optional)

1. Boil the elbow macaroni until al dente.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in nonstick pan. When hot, add the mustard seeds, then the cumin seeds. Wait for it to splutter. Remove from heat and add the asafoetida powder.

3. Add the onions first and sautee for a few minutes until soft. Then add the potatoes and salt. Close lid and let the potatoes do their thing on medium heat.

4. After about 3-4 minutes, open lid and add the garlic-green chili paste as well as the turmeric powder. Close lid again and let the potatoes cook through.

5. Once the potatoes are completely cooked (roughly 5 minutes later), add in the elbow macaroni. Mix in red chili powder, the sriracha sauce (a little goes a long way, gotta remember that!), lemon juice and dash of sugar together. Cook for just about 1 minute more.

6. Finally, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot. Place cheese on table. "To each their own!" Enjoy .. I certainly did.

This dish is definitely added to one of my favorites. It so closely resembles my other favorite (puva bataka) and it contains two of my favorite things (potatoes and pasta!). As I noted above, I went a little overboard on the sriracha sauce. I would suggest only adding a dash and allowing everyone to add more at the table, if they wish. Otherwise, it's a winner ... my only question is .. "How come I didn't grow up eating this stuff?"

Baked Polenta Chips

I got the idea to make this while checking out 101cookbooks.com. Recently we have been eating alot of polenta, and I am beginning to have a liking for different variations of it. Polenta really does not have much a taste, really, it just takes on whatever flavors you add to it. You can make polenta from scratch, by following the recipe above. I will do that next time. This time around, we bought a fat log of organic polenta from Trader Joe's. Only costs $1.99! Here's the recipe ...

1 big log of organic polenta
Salt and Pepper
Evoo or cooking spray
Baking sheet

1. Cut the ends of the polenta and unwrap package. Cut the log in half. Then cut into pieces, so that it resemebles french fries.
2. Preheat oven at 450 degrees. Grease or spray down the baking sheet. Place the sliced polenta on the baking sheet side by side in a single layer. Spray the top of the "fries" down as well so that they get crispy.
3. Bake the fries for 15 minutes on one side. Remove from oven. Flip each one over and return to oven to finish baking for remaining 15 minutes until golden brown.
4. Serve polenta fries hot with spicy chipotle sauce or ketchup.

The fries turned out wonderful. I'm glad because I've been looking for something to satisfy my craving for fast food, greasy french fries. This is much healthier so I do not feel so guilty about eating too much of it!!

Mom's Oven-Baked Handvoh

While in India, I made handvoh over the stovetop as we did not have an oven. Now, that we are back in the States and have a sturdy reliable oven, I made it again today for brunch. This recipe is compliments to my Mom, during our recent "training" session.

1 bowl of ready handvoh flour (available in Indian grocery store)
1/4 cup yogurt (or pinch of limbu nu phool)
1 cup of water
4 tbsp oil
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp green chili paste
1/2 tsp garlic paste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp crushed peanuts
2 tbsp sesame seeds (or per taste)
Pinch of sanchoro (citric acid)
1 tsp salt (or per taste)
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup tuvar peas (frozen pigeon peas)
1/2 tsp ENO fruit salt
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
Pinch of asafoetida powder.

1. In a bowl, mix the flour with the oil and dry spices, including salt, sugar, sanchoro, turmeric and coriander powders. Add the yogurt next and mix together.
2. Slowly mix in the water until you form batter of semi-thick consistency. Let sit overnight to ferment. A good rule of thumb is that if you are making this for dinner, ferment in the morning. If making for breakfast/brunch, then soak the night before.)
3. When ready to bake your handvoh, mix in the remaining ingredients, including the crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, lemon juice and green chili-ginger-garlic pastes. Also, add in the pigeon peas and ENO fruit salt. Mix everything together and keep aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. While the oven is heating up, heat some oil in small tadka pan. Add the mustard seeds and let them fully splutter. Remove from heat and add the pinch of asafoetida powder.
5. Grease baking pan. Pour the batter in the pan. Garnish with the sesame seeds and tadka seasoning. Bake for 35 minutes.
6. When done, let cool for 5 minutes before cutting into pieces. Serve hot with ketchup or cilantro chutney.

The handvoh "muffins" were a hit, especially paired with the apricot chutney. Not only was it a feast for the eyes, but it was also very delicious. I'll be making these often for weekend brunches. Yummy!

The Great Indian Kati Roll

The kati roll is another great Indian street food. It has also made its way to the States. I had a kati roll for the first time when I visited Vibhaben in New York City a few years ago. I had never even heard of it before. At the time, I was amazed by all the different varieties of kati rolls. After moving here, that's all you see in the streets- Kati rolls and Momos. We have yet to figure out what a Momo is. I did some research on how to make the kati roll, and it looks like a pretty feasible item. This is my first attempt at a homemade kati roll, and that is what we are having for dinner tonight! Here you go ...

2 homemade rotis (I made them bigger and thicker than normal.) You can also use store bought parathas.
Green cilantro chutney (Optional)

For kati roll stuffing:
1 onion, chopped
1/3 green bell pepper, chopped
1/3 red bell pepper, chopped
1/3 yellow bell pepper, chopped
** You can also add boiled potato cubes or cubed paneer
1 tomato, chopped
1 carrot, chopped lengthwise, very finely
1/2 cup shredded cabbage, and/ or spinach
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp paneer masala
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt to taste
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Step 1: Cook the stuffing.
1. Heat oil in pan. Add the onions, garlic paste and ginger paste. Cook until onions turn translucent.
2. Next, add the peppers and carrots and sautee those for a few minutes.
3. Finally, add the tomato and cabbage/spinach. Also, add the dry spices: salt, red chili powder and paneer masala. Mix well and stir fry for about 2-3 minutes.
4. Garnish with the lemon juice and chopped cilantro and keep aside to let stuffing cool down.

Step 2: Assemble the kati roll.
1. Heat a both sides of the tortilla/roti/paratha (whichever you are using) on griddle on low heat. Remove the tortilla onto plate.
2. Spread the green cilantro chutney all around base of tortilla. Then, place the stuffing vertically down the center of the tortilla,.
3. Roll your kati roll up and enjoy as a snack or as a light dinner.

It's like an Indian spicy burrito! You can eat the kati roll fresh. If packing for lunch or on the go, wrap it up in aluminum foil and you are all set ...

End Result: Boy was this kati roll spicy! The stuffing itself tasted really nice, but once we wrapped with the cilantro chutney, we were ON FIRE! In the rush to make the chutney, I added more spice and less green. I will surely remake the chutney. As far as the stuffing,keep in mind to sautee briefly. We still want a crunch to the kati roll. We gave this one a three because it needs improvement, and we will make it again and again until we get it just right!

Colorful Corn Bhel

This morning I whipped together a very healthy breakfast. It's a little bit like the Corn and Peppers on Toast I once made, except toned down in spiciness. It tasted very nice and would make a great addition to any breakfast/brunch menu.

1 packet American sweet corn (frozen, but you can use canned or even fresh)
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped (Use red, orange and yellow to make it even prettier)
1 tsp red chili powder
2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt to taste

1. Since the corn was frozen, I washed it under running water to defrost it. Boiled half a pot of water and threw the corn in the pot to continue defrosting. Let it soak while you prepare the rest. Drain the water out when you are ready to get started.
2. Heat olive oil in pot. Add the garlic, onions and bell peppers and sautee for a few minutes.
3. Add the corn next with the salt and red chili powder and mix well. Let the corn cook for a few minutes with closed lid on medium heat
4. After about 5 minutes, add the lemon juice and reduce heat to low and let continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from flame and serve hot.

The street stall vendors prepare something like this. They have plain corn, which they heat up for you and add chaat masala and other spices to it. We tried it once when we were out and about in Delhi. It tasted pretty good. You could add chaat masala (or pav bhaji masala) to the above recipe if you wish.

It's very simple, quick and easy. Serve the corn bhel hot and ungarnished with two slices of toast on the side. Just put the chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, chopped cilantro, lemon juice and sev in the center of the table, and let everyone add their own garnishments!

Kantamasi's Pav Bhaji

Over the holidays, I learned yet another Pav Bhaji recipe. This recipe was demonstrated to us by none other than Kantamasi from St. Louis. She made the most delicious Pav Bhaji that I have tasted in a very long time. Here is the breakdown, and some of the ingredients will surprise you.

1/2 head of cauliflower
1/2 head of cabbage
2 carrots
1/2 of big eggplant
2 potatoes
1 cup peas
4-5 tomatoes, canned or fresh
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
2" piece ginger, grated
1.5 tbsp pav bhaji masala
2 tbsp butter/ghee
2 tbsp lemon juice or per taste
Sugar to taste
Salt to taste

1. Process half of the cabbage, carrots, eggplant, and cauliflower, each separately, in food processor.
2. Boil the potatoes. Then, steam the remaining cabbage, carrots, eggplant, cauliflower, and peas until soft and tender. Mash the potatoes and steamed veggies and keep aside. Once all the preparation is done, the rest is pretty easy...
3. Heat oil in pot. Add the mustard seeds. Once they fully splutter, add the ginger and sautee for 30 seconds. Then add the tomatoes, reduce heat to medium and let them cook down.
4. Once the tomatoes have reduced, add the turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, salt, sugar and pav bhaji masala. Mix well.
5. Next add the boiled veggies, processed veggies and butter. Let the pav bhaji cook a little bit more.
6. Finally, garnish with chopped cilantro and lemon juice and serve hot with Buttery Pav and chopped onion and tomato salad.

I will eventually try her pav bhaji again for myself. For now, I thought I would post the recipe to share with all of you.

Ragda Patties

I've been saving making this dish for a special occasion. What better occasion then to celebrate Dad coming to Delhi! Ragda Patties is another great Indian street food. Cooking the dish is a two part process. It consists of the "Ragda", which is a spicy pea based gravy served alongside "Patties", or aloo tikka, along with tamarind chutney and cilantro chutney. This is my first attempt making this so wish me luck!

Step One: Make the "Ragda" as follows:
1 cup dehydrated white peas, soaked overnight or for a few hours (If not available, chickpeas would suffice.)
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp mustard seeds (optional)
Pinch of asafoetida powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Grind the following to make paste:
2 green chilies
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp shredded coconut
1/2 of boiled white peas

1. After soaking the white peas, wash thoroughly. Then pressure cook with about 4 cups water until soft and mushy. Allow cooker to cool and then remove. Remember to keep aside 1/2 of the boiled peas for the paste. Also, do NOT discard any of the starchy water.
2. Heat oil in pot. Add the mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Once fully spluttered, add in the asafoetida. Next, add in the ground up paste and sautee for 2-3 minutes. Then add in the salt and dry spices. Continue to fry for 2 more minutes.
3. Add to pot the boiled peas along with the water.
4. Let simmer until mixture thickens. Garnish with remaining tbsp of chopped cilantro.

Step Two: Make the "Patties" as follows:
4 potatoes, boiled
1/4 tsp red chili powder
2 bread slices
Salt to taste
1 tbsp chopped cilantro

1. Dip bread slices in warm water. Squeeze out excess water and place bread slices in bowl.
2. Add to bowl, the boiledpotatoes as well as salt, red chili powder, and chopped cilantro. Mix well.
3. Knead mixture together and then shape into small patties.
3. Shallow fry the patties with 2 tsp oil until golden brown on both sides.

This version could be considered the Jain version as I did not add any garlic or onions to the Ragda. I reserved the same for garnishing. You do have the option of sauteeing garlic, ginger and onions in Step 2 of the Ragda.

To serve Ragda Patties, drown the hot Patties with the piping hot Ragda. Top it off with chopped onions, the Chutney Trio (tamarind chutney, garlic chutney, cilantro chutney), beaten yogurt and a few splashes of lemon juice (optional because the garlic and cilantro chutneys also contain lemon juice). Finally, garnish with sev and enjoy hot!

This one is a little time consuming, but well worth it in the end. It's a great one dish meal for entertaining or even as a simple, romantic, and comforting meal when it's just the two of you.

Bombay Style Masala Pav Bhaji with TLC

India's greatest street food has got to be Pav Bhaji, hands down. There's just something about pav bhaji, especially the Bombay style Pav Bhaji, that invokes such feelings from within as pride, joy and um hunger. As a matter of fact, pav bhaji is practically the only thing I will order when in Bombay. It's probably not the most healthiest way to go, but I just cannot resist.

Pav Bhaji has always been my favorite. A few years ago, while making it, I burned myself (quite severely). I was over anxious (like I almost always am) and did not wait until all the pressure was released from the pressure cooker. Actually, I forgot to put the black foamy ring around the cooker's top. In any case, I fought with the cooker to get it open and tomatoes, potatoes everything went flying everywhere. Of course, it was BURNING HOT, and I burned my neck and face. I was so scared that I would be scarred for life. Luckily, that was not the case, and even this story did not stop me from making pav bhaji again. It's a true story, and I have learned my lesson. Always, always release the pressure from the cooker completely and secondly, do not rush. Good food takes time and TLC!

So, like I did in my previous post, I normally just stick all the veggies in the pressure cooker. Let them steam, then mash them up and season last. Then, I learned from my oldest sister, Nimisha, to sautee the onions separately. My other sister, Smita, taught me to add carrots to add a little bit of sweetness. So, you see, I have experimented with this dish many times. In this attempt, I am hoping for something different and hopefully I get it right. Here is my version of Masala Pav Bhaji, Bombay style.

1 onion, minced
5 fresh Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 medium potatoes, chopped
1 small carrot, grated
1 green bell pepper, minced
2 green chilies, minced
1/2 cup peas
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp Everest Pav Bhaji masala (or more per taste)
1/4 tsp garam masala
1 lemon, juiced
Salt to taste
1 tbsp butter/ghee*
Chopped cilantro for garnish

1. Peel and grate carrots. Peel and chop potatoes. Wash frozen peas. Then pressure cook the potatoes, peas, and shredded carrots with 2 cups water until soft. When cools down and all pressure is released from cooker, open it and mash the veggies. Keep aside. [You can also add eggplant. I think I will try adding it next time.]
2. Heat oil/ghee in pot. Add the onions, minced green chilies and ginger-garlic paste and sautee for few minutes until onions are golden brown. Add the green bell peppers next and cook until soft, roughly 5 minutes.
3. Now add the tomatoes, turmeric powder and salt. Let the tomatoes cook down until they almost resemble a paste.
4. Next add in the red chili powder, pav bhaji masala, butter* and garam masala and mix. Also add in the boiled and mashed veggies. Mix well and let cook for another 5-10 minutes.
5. Have a taste and adjust seasoning per taste. Garnish with the lemon juice and chopped cilantro and serve hot with Masala Pav and a side of onion salad.

* If you use oil to sautee onions in Step 2, then add butter where indicated. I replaced the butter with ghee and added it in Step 2 and skipped the butter where indicated.

I normally make regular buttery and garlicy buns with Pav Bhaji. Today, I decided to try something a little unique and add a sprinkle of pav bhaji masala to the butter/ghee to make Masala Pav.

8 pav buns (the Krystal buns are classic for this)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp butter/ghee
Generous pinch of pav bhaji masala

1. Mix the melted ghee, masala and crushed garlic together.
2. Lather masala butter mixture on the buns.
3. Toast the buns, butter side down on griddle until golden brown. Toast other side.
4. Serve hot with Bombay Style Pav Bhaji.

For the Onion Salad, chop up 1 onion. Mix it well with a splash of lemon juice and cilantro and serve along side Pav Bhaji.

Okay, so the picture above is not my finished product, but we did not have time to take a snapshot before dinner. After the first bite, I was in food heaven. This dish tasted finger licking delicious that there was none leftover- AT ALL! The pav bhaji definitely tasted like restaurant style. Enjoy because I know I will!

Aloo Chaat

Chaat which literally means 'to lick or taste' in Hindi is a very popular Indian street food. Chaat is a generic name for a tangy and spicy mix, whose ingredients can be quite varied. It can be tangy, spicy, sweet, salty, crunchy and soft all at the same time. Some common chaats include pani puri, bhel puri, sev puri, dahi puri and papdi chaat.

I had some extra potatoes sitting in the pantry so I boiled them yesterday and was planning on making aloo tikki (potato pancakes) for breakfast. Instead, I thought I would try something a bit different.

2 potatoes, boiled, peeled and cubed
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 green chilies, chopped
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp chaat masala
Pinch of garam masala
Pinch of turmeric
Pinch of asafoetida
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 onion for garnish
1/2 tomato for garnish
Chopped cilantro for garnish
Sev for garnish

1. Boil potatoes in pressure cooker. When they cool down, peel and chop them into cubes.
2. Heat oil in skillet. Add cumin seeds and let crackle.
3. Then add the green chilies, asafoetida, and turmeric.
4. Sautee for few seconds and then add the boiled potatoes followed by red chili powder, salt, sugar, chaat masala, and garam masala.
5. Mix well so that all the potatoes are evenly coated with the spices. Before taking off heat, add the lemon juice.
6. Serve hot or cold with garnish as follows: Spiced potatoes topped with sev first, then onion-tomato-cilantro mixture.

* Chaats would not be chaats without cilantro chutney and tamarind chutney. I did not have these chutneys on hand so did without them. If you have, you would mix the potatoes with the chutneys first, then top with sev followed by the mixture.

Light Breakfast- Corn & Peppers on Toast

I found this recipe, and my mouth immediately watered because one of the ingredients requires pav bhaji masala (pav bhaji is my fave dish!). So I tried it out and it tasted great!

6 slices of bread
1 green bell peppers (can use other colors if you like)
1 onion
3/4 cup corn
1 green chilli chopped
Few drops of lemon juice
1/2 tsp pav bhaji masala
1/4 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
Salt to taste
Shredded cheese as topping

1. Toast bread. Butter toast.
2. Meanwhile, heat up a little oil in pan. Add onion and green chilli and cook until onions are translucent.
3. Add green peppers and sautee until peppers lose all of their moisture.
4. Then add corn, salt, pav bhaji masala, red chilli powder.
5. Add the lemon juice just before turning off the heat. Remove sauteed veggies from pan.
6. In same pan, add 2 slices of the buttered toast and place some grated cheese on each slice. Add the sauteed veggies as stuffing and close.
7. Grill the sandwich and serve with ketchup.

You can either eat this one as an open sandwich or closed. You can also add whatever veggies you like (mushrooms, tomatoes, peas) It tasted great!

Good Ole Bhel Puri

When in doubt, make bhel puri. I found this packet of Haldiram's Bhelpuri at the market and I thought we would try it out. The packet contains the basic chevro mix along with a dry packet of the tamarind chutney and sev. You basically just build the bhel puri by soaking the tamarind mixture with water for a few minutes. Then mixing all three together. I also chop up some onions to garnish.

It's a great after work snack or you can eat it for breakfast!

Aloo Tikki

If you have extra mixture leftover from the potato paratha, you can make these aloo tikki for breakfast. My Mom calls them "cutlas", and adds green peas, carrots and onions.

4 slices of bread (ground to make bread crumbs)
Mashed Potato mixture (See Potato Paratha from last entry)

1. Toast the bread slices. Then, take off the edges and blend the bread pieces until they form bread crumbs.
2. Take the mashed potato mixture and form into small oval shape and flatten gently with palm of hands.
3. Dip the ovals into breadcrumbs.
4. Heat up a griddle. Drizzle a bit of oil and bake the potato tikkis on both sides until golden brown.

Then, place 2-3 tikkis on plate. Top with chopped tomatoes and onions and yogurt. I added red chilli pepper, cumin powder, and salt in the yogurt. We also topped with a dash of hot sauce. Tasted great!
*The pickled onions would be great with this. Equally good, would be cilantro chutney mixed in yogurt. There's always next time ..

Bombay Toastie Sandwich

I intentionally cooked extra potatoes so that we could eat what Bhavnesh calls a "Bombay Sandwich" for breakfast tomorrow, but, we had it for a light dinner tonight. It's basically our version of a sandwich we ate in Bombay last winter. Here's how he prepared it.

4 slices bread
butter
1/2 onion
leftover potato sak
shredded cheese
ketchup

There's nothing to it. You place the potatoes on the bottom slice, top it with shredded cheese and ketchup. Put the top slice on and grill the sandwich in the pan with some butter. Serve with cilantro chutney or ketchup, but we ate with the onion raita. It was a nice light dinner topped off with paan.

Tomorrow's Menu:
Breakfast: Upma with Eggplant
Dinner: Mugnushak with Roti

Pow Bhaji for Dinner

Yesterday's dinner was pow bhaji, which is my favorite Indian dish! I consider it my specialty, but I know some people would beg to differ. Here is my recipe:

• 2 potatoes
• 3 tomatoes
• 2 onions
• 1 cup of frozen green peas
• 1 tsp salt oil
• 1 tsp red chilli pepper
• 2 tbsp pow bhaji masala
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp ketchup
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• cilantro
• buns
  1. Boil the vegetables in pressure cooker. Then mash the boiled veggies. (You can also add carrots and/or cauliflower)
  2. Heat oil in skillet. Then add the onions and garlic and sautee until translucent.
  3. Add the red chilli pepper, salt, and pow bhaji masala. Then add boiled vegetables. Now I add just a bit of ketchup for its tanginess.
  4. Mix everything together. Finally garnish with lemon juice and cilantro.
  5. Spread some butter on some buns/bread and serve with garlic bread.
  
  * Note: I give measurements, but really I am much more free handed when I make the dish. Bhavnesh suggested I add less peas and pow bhaji masala next time. Of course there was enough leftover for Bhavnesh to take to work in his tiffin!