Recipe: KADAI VEGETABLE

Kadai Vegetable

Kadai Vegetable is a favourite of mine when I order food at restaurants. They are made best at the many Shetty restaurants in town. This dish is basically a mix of vegetables in a thick gravy with a few pieces of paneer (cottage cheese) thrown in. I decided to make my own version at home and believe me, it turned out to be finger-licking delicious. It can be served with rotis, naans or pooris. 

INGREDIENTS

Cauliflower – 150-200 gm (cut into flowerets)
French Beans – 50 gm (cut into ½” pieces)
Carrot – 1 (cut into ½” pieces)
Peas – 1 handful
Capsicum – 1 large (cut into squares)
Haldi powder (Turmeric powder) – ¼ tsp
Mirchi powder (Red Chilly powder) – 1 pinch
Garam Masala Powder (Mixed spices powder) – ¼ tsp
Salt to taste
Sugar – ½ tsp
Cream – 1 tbsp
Chopped coriander leaves – 1 tsp
Oil – 3 tbsp
Jeera – ½ tsp
Paneer – 100 gm (cut into small cubes or the way you like it)

For masala

Onion – 2 large (chopped)
Green chillies – 3 
Ginger – ½” piece
Garlic – 4-6 (peeled)
Tej Patta (Bay leaf) – 1
Kadi Patta (Curry leaves) – 5-6 leaves
Coriander seeds – ½ tsp
Jeera (Cumin seeds) – ½ tsp

For gravy

Tomato – 2 medium (chopped)
Cashew nuts – 4 (soaked in water for half an hour)

METHOD

1. Cook the cauliflower, beans, carrot and peas with half a glass of water, a pinch of salt and a pinch of haldi powder. 
2. Take a kadai (saucepan) and keep it on the gas on a low flame. Add the oil and once hot, shallow fry the chopped paneer and remove when golden brown. Keep it in a serving bowl. 
3. Now let the jeera crackle in the remaining oil. Then add the cut capsicum and shallow fry.
4. Add all masala ingredients in a mixer and grind to a smooth paste. Add a bit of water only if required as you grind the masala.
5. Once the capsicum is fried, add the masala to it and stir fry.
6. Add tomato and soaked cashew nuts to the mixer and grind into a smooth paste.
7. Add salt, sugar, haldi powder, mirchi powder and garam masala powder to the cooking mixture. Stir well and allow it to cook for a couple of more minutes.
8. Now add the tomato gravy to the kadai and mix thoroughly before adding salt and sugar.
9. When it begins to boil, add the rest of the boiled vegetables along with the water they were cooked in. (There shouldn’t be too much water. Only half a cup as mentioned above. If there is more, some of it needs to be drained away or the kadai vegetable will become too soggy).
10. Allow the mixture to cook for 2-3 minutes before adding beaten cream and chopped coriander leaves. Mix well and switch off the gas.
11. Pour the cooked vegetables in gravy into the serving bowl contained stir fried paneer cubes. Mix well before serving hot with rotis, pooris or naans as you choose.

I promise you that the Kadai Vegetable tastes as delicious as any hotel recipe that you have tasted. Apart from the cutting of veggies, the dish is quite simple to make. 

*The above quantity is enough to serve two large portions. 

Recipe: ALOO PANEER KOFTA IN TOMATO / PALAK GRAVY

Aloo Paneer Kofta

I was keen to make Paneer Kofta for Diwali. I have never made this before and so I browsed the net and checked out a few recipes. Armed with this knowledge, I set out to make Aloo Paneer Kofta in both tomato and palak gravies. They both turned out to be delicious.

ALOO PANEER KOFTA

INGREDIENTS

Potatoes – ½ kg
French Beans – 100 gm (chopped fine)
Carrots – 2 (chopped fine)
Paneer – 150 gm (grated)
Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
Mirchi Powder – ½ tsp
Dhania Powder – ½ tsp
Jeera Powder – ½ tsp
Kotmir – 2 tbsp (chopped)
Corn flour – 100-150 gm
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

METHOD

1. Boil the potatoes. Peel the skin and mash them in a mixing bowl.
2. Add the chopped beans and carrots to boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes before draining the water completely. Add these also to the bowl.
3. Add grated paneer and the many powders along with salt and kotmir.
4. Sprinkle the corn flour over this and mix well into a thick dough. Add flour as per requirement.
5. Shape them into round balls or ovals as you please.
6. Deep fry in medium hot oil till golden brown in colour.
7. Remove and keep them aside.

The Aloo Paneer Kofta is ready. They taste yummy by themselves - but more so with the gravies.

Aloo Paneer Kofta in Palak Gravy

TOMATO & PALAK GRAVIES 

I am giving the two recipes together as the basic masala is the same – the only difference being tomato and spinach themselves.

INGREDIENTS

Onion – 6 (large; chopped)
Tomato – 4 (large; cut into pieces)
Palak – 2 bunches (chopped roughly)
Garam Masala Powder – 1 tsp
Dhania Powder – ½ tsp
Jeera Powder – ½ tsp
Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
Mirchi Powder – ¼ tsp
Jeera – 1 tsp
Kotmir – 1 tsp (chopped; only for tomato gravy)
Salt to taste
Oil – 3 tbsp
Fresh cream – 5-6 tbsp

Masala

Cashewnuts – 8 (soaked for 15 minutes)
Garlic – 6-8 cloves
Green Chillies – 8 (less if you don’t like spicy)
Ginger – 2” piece

Aloo Paneer Kofta in Tomato Gravy

METHOD

1. Boil the palak in salted water for 3-4 minutes before draining the water completely.
2. Grind the masala ingredients to a smooth paste.
3. Take a kadai and heat oil in it before adding jeera.
4. Once that crackles, add chopped onions.
5. As it begins to turn colour, add the ground masala.
6. Keep stirring as you add the masala powders and salt.
7. Cook for 3-4 minutes and switch off the gas.
8. Remove half of this cooked mixture into another kadai and leave the balance in the same kadai.
9. Add cooked palak to one kadai and chopped tomatoes to the other.
10. Add a cup of water each and cook both the gravies with the lids on for 6-8 minutes.
11. Switch off gas and grind both the gravies into a coarse consistency with a hand blender.
12. Check for salt and cook them for 2 more minutes each.

For serving Aloo Paneer Kofta in Palak Gravy

Place 2 Aloo Paneer Kofta on a plate and pour a few spoons of palak gravy on them. Add some dollops of fresh cream on it and serve hot with puris or rotis.

For serving Aloo Paneer Kofta in Tomato Gravy

Place 2 Aloo Paneer Kofta on a plate and four a few spoons of tomato gravy on them. Add some dollops of fresh cream and sprinkle chopped kotmir on it and serve.

Both of them taste absolutely yummy, I promise!

Recipe: PINDI CHOLE

Pindi Chole

I have tasted this version of chole at a few restaurants and I liked the one at Cream Centre best. Asking a couple of friends and using my imagination, I arrived at the following recipe. It was yummy, to say the least.

INGREDIENTS

Kabuli Channa – 250 gm (soaked overnight)
Tea decoction – 1 cup (Boil 2 tsp of tea leaves in 2 cups of water until it becomes 1 cup. Filter the decoction and keep aside)
Jeera – 1 tsp
Bayleaf – 2
Turmeric Powder – 1 large pinch
Chilli Powder – ½ tsp
Dhania Powder – ½ tsp
Jeera Powder – ¼ tsp
Garam Masala Powder – ½ tsp
Oil – 3 tbsp
Salt to taste
Kotmir for garnish

Masala

Onions – 3 (medium; cut into pieces)
Boiled channa – a handful
Garlic – 5-6 cloves
Ginger – 1” piece
Green chillies – 3
Tamarind – 4-5 strips (soaked in water)
Jaggery – 3 tbsp

METHOD

1. Pressure cook the soaked channa along with the tea decoction, some more water, ½ tsp of salt and one small pinch of turmeric powder. Allow it to cook for 8 whistles.
2. Grind all the items under masala to a smooth, thick paste.
3. Take a kadai and heat oil in it.
4. Add jeera and bayleaves and allow them to crackle before adding the masala paste.
5. Cook for a while with the lid on, stirring on and off.
6. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, dhania powder, jeera powder and garam masala powder to the cooking gravy and stir well.
7. Add salt and cook for 4-5 minutes till you see the oil surfacing above the masala.
8. Add the boiled channa to this along with the water it was cooked in.
9. Allow the mixture to cook for 8-10 minutes on a slow fire, stirring occasionally.
10. Allow the chole to reach a thick consistency before switching off the gas.
11. Garnish with kotmir before you serve hot with puris, rotis, baturas or naans.

The Pindi Chole turned out to be as tasty as the one I ate at Cream Centre.

NOTE: The tea extract gives the channa a lovely brown colour. One might ask why use white channa and make it brown. Why not use brown channa instead? Well, brown channa’s flavour is very different and does not suit this dish, that’s why.

Recipe: VEG-CHEESE PIZZA

Pizza Wedge

I prefer the Indianised version of pizzas to what Domino’s has to offer. While these are available in the restaurants nearby, it’s way more fun to make them at home. I don’t have an oven and so managed to make them on a Tawa. They turned out delicious.

INGREDIENTS

Readymade Pizza Base – 4
Capsicum – 2 (cut in rings)
Onion – 1 (cut in lengths)
Cheese – grated (4 tbsp per pizza)

For sauce

Tomatoes – 8 (large) (chopped)
Onions – 2 (chopped)
Carom Seeds – ¼ tsp
Green Chillies – 4
Garlic – 8-10
Salt to taste
Olive Oil – 2 tsp
American Corn – 1 packet
Fun Foods Pizza Topping – 2 tbsp

METHOD

1. Boil the corn in a bowl of water along with salt. Drain the water completely once cooked.
2. Grind green chillies and garlic into a coarse paste.
3. Heat oil – you can use regular cooking oil if you don’t have olive oil – on a medium flame. Add the carom seeds and then the chilli-garlic paste.
4. Cook for a couple of minutes before adding chopped onions.
5. Once onions turn golden brown add tomatoes and salt. Cook well.
6. Mash the sauce well before adding the boiled corn and Fun Foods Pizza Topping.
7. Cook for two more minutes before switching off.

8. Spread the sauce liberally over the readymade pizza base.
9. The next layer with be the capsicum rings.
10. Spread the onions over the capsicum.
11. Top it with grated cheese.
12. Heat a tawa – an iron skillet is preferred as the pizza can be slow-cooked to perfection on this – and cook the pizza on it. Keep it covered and check it from time to time. It should be cooked till the cheese begins to melt. The gas should be kept on a very low flame or the pizza will get burnt.

Cut into wedges and serve hot. The yummy pizza can be had with ketchup or just by itself, the way I prefer it.

Recipe: BATATA VADA

Batata Vada

Vada Pav is a hot favourite in Mumbai, especially during the rains. While it can be purchased at every naka in the city, one can’t beat homemade Batata Vada. I learned to make this from my sister-in-law’s husband. It’s quite easy to make and very delicious too.

INGREDIENTS

Potato Mixture

Potato – 1kg
Rai – 1 tsp
Channa Dal – 1 tbsp
Urad Dal – 1 tbsp
Garlic – 10-12 (chopped fine)
Green Chillies – 6-8 (chopped fine)
Curry Leaves – 10 (chopped fine)
Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Oil – 2 tsp
Salt to taste

Potato Balls ready to go into the batter

Oil for deep frying

For Batter

Besan – 250 gm (2 cups)
Turmeric Powder – 1 large pinch
Chilli Powder – ¼ tsp
Oil – 2 tsp
Salt to taste

METHOD

1. Cook the potatoes in pressure cooker for 4 whistles.
2. Mix the batter with the ingredients mentioned along with water to form a smooth paste to the consistency of Dosa batter. I add oil instead of soda as the latter is not healthy at all. It will give the same crispness to the vada.
3. Peel the potatoes and smash well using a pav-bhaji masher.
4. Take a saucepan and heat 2 tsp oil in it. Add the rai and allow it to crackle before adding the channa dal and urad dal.
5. Fry till golden brown before adding the chopped garlic, green chillies and curry leaves. Fry till the garlic turns brown before switching off the gas.
6. Add turmeric powder and salt and mix well.
7. Now add the mashed potatoes and coriander leaves. Mix well with hand. Check for salt.
8. Mould the potato mixture into balls.
9. Heat oil in a kadai for frying.
10. Dip the potato balls into the besan batter and deep fry till golden brown.

The yummiest homemade Batata Vadas are ready. You can serve them with pavs and lasoon chutney.