None of the homely, north Indian meals are complete without potato.

Lipatwa in english means wrap and this dish literally means potatoes wrapped in masala.

This easy to make dish goes very well with roti or puri.

Ingredients:

2 medium sized Potatoes (boiled,peeled and chopped)

1 Onion finely chopped.

1 tablespoon minced Garlic.

1 tablespoon grated Ginger.

1 medium Tomato finely chopped.

1 ttsp Cumin Seeds.

1 tsp Red Chilli Powder.

1/2 tsp Haldi Powder.

1/4 tsp Asafoetida.

1 tsp Amchur powder.

1 tsp Coriander Powder.

1 tsp Garam Masala Powder.

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Oil.

2 tbsp Coriander Leaves finely chopped.

Method:

Clean,boil,peel and cut potatoes into pieces,keep aside.

In a pan, heat oil ,add cumin seeds and asafoetida. When the cumin seeds begin to splutter, add onion, ginger and garlic.saute well till onion turns golden brown.

Now add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 7-10 minutes or till you see the oil releasing from the sides.

Once the tomatoes are properly cooked, add red chilli powder, haldi powder, coriander powder,garam masala powder and mix well. Add tbsp of water to avoid burning of masala.

Now add boiled,peeled and chopped potatoes,salt and amchur powder,mix well.Now you will notice that slowly the potato pieces look covered in masala.Cover and cook for 2 minutes.Add the chopped coriander leaves and mix well.

Remove in a serving bowl and serve hot with puri, parathas or phulkas.

Tip:This recipe calls for a little spicy masala, however, you can reduce the quantity of the chilli powder depending on your liking.

Happy Cooking!!!

Sameera.

Nimona is a traditional side dish recipe of north India (especially Uttar Pradesh, Bihar & Jharkhand).

This is a gravy like dish prepared with fresh green peas.Every year during winters when fresh peas are in season,Matar ka nimona is definitely made once or twice in my kitchen.
It is a delicious curry and can be enjoyed with rice or chapati and requires minimal spices,it takes just 30 minutes to cook.

So here goes the recipe for this easy and flavour full dish….

Ingredients:

1& 1/2 Cup Green peas,fresh or frozen.

1 big size potato cut into small pieces.

2 Tomatoes.

1 inch piece of Ginger.

2 Green Chillies.

1 tsp Cumin Seeds.

1/4 tsp Asafoetida.

1/2 tsp Haldi Powder.

1/2 tsp Coriander Powder.

1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder.

1/2 tsp Red chilli Powder.

2 tbsp Coriander leaves finely chopped.

Salt to taste.

2 tbsp Oil .

Method:

Coarsely grind 1 & 1/4 cup of green peas and let 1/4 cup of green peas be as it is.Keep aside.

In the same jar grind together tomatoes,green chillies and ginger to a fine paste.Keep aside.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and fry potatoes till they turn brown and crisp,remove and keep aside.

in the same pan add cumin seed, asafoetida, coriander powder and haldi powder,stir over medium flame.Now add prepared tomato paste,saute well till oil comes out,

Now add prepared green peas and saute well for 2 to 3 minutes,then cover and cook till peas are cooked.

Now add 2 cups water,fried potatoes,chilli powder,salt ,garam masala and half of the chopped coriander leaves.Mix well,cover and cook it over medium flame for 10 min.

Remove in a serving bowl and serve it hot garnished with coriander leaves.

Happy Cooking!!!

Sameera.

My 19 year old gym going son eats boiled eggs everyday to fulfill his protein requirements…so like a good mom I keep on trying new recipes for him,this is one such recipe…

Easy to make and tastes yummy…

Ingredients:

5 Hard boiled Eggs,peeled and cut into half.

1 cup Onion Finely chopped.

2 Green Chillies finely chopped.

2 tbsp Coriander Leaves finely chopped.

2 tbsp Butter.

Salt to taste.

Pepper powder to taste.

Dash of Chilli Powder.

Method:

In a pan heat butter,add boiled eggs cut into half,add salt and pepper powder,saute lightly.

Remove in a serving plate and keep aside.

In the same pan add onion and green chillies,add salt and pepper,saute well till onion turns translucent.

Sprinkle chilli powder on prepared eggs and top up with sauted onion, sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and serve immediately.

Happy Cooking!!!

Sameera.

Egg-based omelette is a popular breakfast item in India,however due to many vegetarians across india, there are some veg and vegan omelette too and moonglet is one such dish.
Moonglet tastes best when served hot, to spice it up, serve it with spicy mint chutney.

Ingredients:

For Batter:

1 cup Moong Dal.

¼ tsp Turmeric Powder.

2 tbsp Rice Flour.

Salt to taste.

For making 1 moonglet:

½ tsp Cumin Seeds.

1 Green Chilli finely chopped.

½ tsp Ginger Paste.

2 tbsp Onion finely chopped.

2 tbsp Tomato finely chopped.

2 tbsp Capsicum finely chopped.

2 tbsp boiled Corn.

2 tsp Oil.

½ tsp Eno Fruit Salt.

2 tbsp Water.

1 tbsp Coriander Leaves finely chopped.

Few Juliennes of Beetroot.

1 tbsp Butter.

Method:

Chop all the vegetables and keep aside.

Soak moong dal for 1 hour.
Drain off the water and blend to smooth paste.

Transfer the moong dal paste to a large mixing bowl.add turmericpowder, rice flour and salt.
Mix well forming a nice thick batter.

Take 2 ladleful of batter into a small bowl.
add cumin seeds,chilli,ginger paste, onion, tomato,corn and capsicum.
mix well making sure everything is well combined.

Heat a pan and spread 2 tsp oil.
once the pan is hot, add ½ tsp eno fruit salt, 2 tbsp water to the batter and mix gently.
once the batter turns frothy, pour onto the hot pan cover and simmer for 2 minutes or until the base is cooked well.

Now flip over and press gently.
make a good slit in the centre and 1 tbsp butter in the centre.
simmer for a minute or until the moonglet is cooked completely.

Remove in a serving plate,sprinkle Juliennes of beetroot and chopped coriander leaves,servey hot with spicy mint chutney.

Happy Cooking!!!

Sameera.

Langar wali dal or dal anritsari.Bunch of pulses cooked together with lots of love!

This dal is called as amritsari dal as its quite a popular dal made and served at Dhabas (roadside eatery) outside the golden temple in amritsar, Punjab. 

Also a popular dish in langar in gurudwara.

Its a slow-cooked delicacy. As we don’t have luxury of time to do slow cooking,we can use a pressure cooker for cooking the lentils. However, traditionally the lentils are cooked and simmered in a pot overnight.

Wondering the secret recipe for that langar wali dal? Here’s my recipe how I make it….

Ingredients:

For Boiling:
1½ cup Sabut Urad dal (whole black gram), soaked

½ cup Chana Dal (split Bengal gram)

4- 4 ½ cups water (to pressure cook)

Salt to taste

½ tsp Turmeric Powder.

½ tsp Red Chilli Powder.

½ inch Ginger, chopped.

3-4 Garlic, crushed.

1 Bay Leaf.

For Tempering:

2 tbsp Ghee.

1 tbsp Oil.

1 tsp Cumin Seeds.

1 inch Ginger.

3-4 Garlic cloves, crushed.

2-3 Green Chillies, coarsely ground.

3 medium Onions, sliced.

¼ Turmeric Powder.

1 tsp Coriander Powder.

1 tsp Red Chilli Powder.

1 small Tomato, finely chopped.

1 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped.

Method:

Wash and soak urad dal and chana dal overnight.

Add soaked dals,salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, ginger, garlic and bay leaf to a pressure cooker. Cover and cook till lentils turn soft (4-5 whistles).

Meanwhile, heat ghee and oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and allow to splutter.
Add ginger, garlic and green chillies, saute till fragrant.
Add onions and saute till they turn golden.

Add turmeric powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder, mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add tomatoes and saute till the ghee begins to separate.

Open the pressure cooker, mash the lentils a little with the back of a spoon/spatula.
Transfer dal into prepared tadka along with chopped coriander leaves and mix well.
Garnish with coriander sprig and serve hot.

Happy Cooking!!!

Sameera.

This fool-proof no spread cookie dough recipe is the best snack option for coffee lovers. These biscuits have a crisp texture with a bittersweet coffee flavor, are easy to make and absolutely delicious.

If you are a coffee lover,you are in for a treat with these coffee bean-shaped cookies.They are named so as they resemble coffee beans and even taste similar to it.So lets begin these easy cookies infused with coffee.

Ingredients:

¼ cup (60ml) Hot Water.

2 tsp (8gms) Coffee Powder.

¾ cup (160gms) Salted Butter, softened.

⅔ cup (65gms) Icing Sugar.

1 tsp Vanilla Essence.

1 and 1/4 cup (160 gms) Maida.

1 tbsp (14gms) Corn Flour.

¼ cup (30gms) Cocoa Powder.

Method:

Submerge coffee in hot water and allow to sit for some time.

Take butter and sugar in a bowl and mix together until very well combined.

Add the coffee mixture, vanilla essence and mix.

Add the flour, corn flour, and the cocoa powder.
Combine everything well and form a dough.

Allow to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
After refrigeration, make equal sized cookie balls and shape into an oval shape.
Place the cookie balls on your baking tray and make a gentle cut in the middle using the back of a butter knife.

Bake at 180C for only 8-10 min. Let the cookies rest on the baking try for 10 minutes after baking.

Remove and store in airtight jar,serve with milk.

Happy Cooking!!!

Sameera.

Ganji Anna or Akki Ganji is basically rice porridge cooked in coconut milk,and is an everyday breakfast dish in Udupi, Mangalore.It is very easy to make, healthy and easily digestible.
Can be had as light dinner as well.

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice.

1/2 cup Moong dal.

1 cup thick Coconut Milk.

1 tbs Ghee for tempering.

1 tsp Jeera.

1/4 tsp Asafoetida.

1/2 tsp Black Pepper Corns.

2 Cloves.

2 Red Chillies.

1 sprig Curry Leaves.

1/2 tsp Haldi Powder.

Salt to taste

Method:
Wash rice and dal together and soak for half an hour,now add 5 cups of water to it and pressure cook on medium heat for 4-5 whistles.

Once done, mash it well.

Meanwhile, you can extract coconut milk by grinding coconut with ½ cup warm water.
Squeeze it through a metal strainer to get coconut milk or you can use ready to use coconut milk from tetra pack.

Add coconut milk,haldi powder and salt to the mashed rice.

Adjust the consistency as per your need using hot water.

Slightly heat the kanji in medium flame.

In a pan heat ghee,add jeera, asafoetida,curry leaves, pepper corns,cloves and red chillies…add this tempering to the rice mixture,mixed well and serve hot.

Tip– In some recipes instead of Coconut milk grated coconut is added.Traditionally in this recipe haldi powder is not added….but I have added it as I like the pale yellow colour of this dish.

Happy Cooking!!!
Sameera.

Malai Pyaaz ki sabzi is a Rajasthani recipe which is cooked with onions and fresh Malai.We can use fresh malai (the one which we collect from the top of milk) or cream from the market. Here I have used Amul fresh cream.

Trust me you will be blown away by the simplicity of the flavors and it can be made in less than 10 minutes.

It can easily be made when you don’t have any vegetables…and goes very well with paratha or phulka.

Ingredients:

3 Medium sized Onions, Peeled and sliced.

1/2 Cup Malai.

1 tbsp Oil.

1/8 tsp Asafoetida.

1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds.

1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds.

2 Bay Leaves.

2 Green Cardamom.

1 Green chili finely chopped.

1 inch Ginger finely chopped.

2 tbsp Tomato Puree.

1/2 tsp Red chilli Powder.

1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder.

1/2 tspn Coriander Powder.

1/2 tsp Kasuri Methi.

1/2 tsp Sugar.

Salt to taste.

Chopped Coriander Leaves for garnishing.

Method:

Peel and chop onions in slices.Keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadhai, add asafoetida,mustard seeds and cumin seeds let it splutter.Add bay leaf,green cardamom,ginger and green chillies,mix well.

Add onions and saute well,cover and cook for 2 minutes on low flame till it gets translucent.

Once the onions are translucent add tomato puree,turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and salt,mix well,cover and cook for 2 more minutes.
Now add malai or fresh cream and cook it on low flame for 2-3 minutes. Keep stirring.
Add sugar and kasuri methi,mix well.

Remove in a serving bowl and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with paratha or phulka.

Happy Cooking!!!

Sameera

In Pune a meal is considered incomplete without a sumptuous glass of Mastani, Pune’s very own creation. Mastani is our very own thick mango milkshake topped with pieces of cut fruit, dry fruit,ice cream or whipped cream. The name comes from the legend of the famous Peshwa ruler Bajirao and his lover, the beautiful Mastani…

It is believed that Mastani was so beautiful, that when she would chew a paan (betel leaf), the red juice from the pan would be seen going down her throat in a streak.

The drink might have got the name as it is beautiful to look at.

Mastani can be made in various flavours like mango,Kesar pista, butterscotch and so on, today I am sharing recipe for Mango Mastani.

Ingredients:

2 cups chilled Milk.

4 tbsp Mango Pulp.(Fresh or Frozen can be used).

1/2 cup Mangoes chopped into pieces.

2 tbsp sliced Pistachios, Cashew nuts and Almonds.

4 scoops of Vanilla/ Mango Ice cream.

6 ice cubes (optional)

Method:

Slice a few dry fruits like pistachios, almonds and cashews. Keep them aside.

Making Milkshake for Mastani:

in a blending jar mix together milk, mango pulp,2 scoops of ice cream and ice cubes.
Blend to a smooth thick milkshake.

Making Mastani:

Pour this thick milkshake in 2 glasses,leave enough space on top for ice cream scoop and mango pieces.

Place a scoop of ice cream and some mango pieces on it,sprinkle sliced dry fruits on top.

Serve mango mastani immediately with a spoon and a straw.

Happy Cooking!!!

Sameera.

I tried this dish for the very first time and loved it….as I had mentioned in an earlier post…I have been advised to stay away from gluten….so was missing one of my favourite breakfast dish…Bread Upma….and had a jowar bhakri left over from yesterday’s dinner…so gave it a try.

It’s easy and quick to make and tastes delicious.Same reipe can be used to make phodnichi poli,using chapati instead of bhakri…

I have used jowar bhakri,any other bhakri can also be used…bajri,nachni,rice…

Ingredients:

2 leftover Jowar Bhakris,crumbled into small pieces.

1 tbsp Peanuts.

1 tbsp Oil.

1/4 tsp Asafoetida.

1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds.

5 Curry Leaves.

2 Green Chillies chopped.

1 Onion chopped.

2 Garlic cloves crushed.

1/4 tsp Haldi powder.

1 tsp Sugar.

Salt to raste.

juice of 1/2 Lemon.

2 tbsp Coriander Leaves chopped.

2 tbsp Sev for garnishing.

Method:

Crumble the leftover bhakri into small pieces.Keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadhai.Add peanuts and stir fry till crisp,now add mustard seeds,asafoetida,curry leaves,garlic and chopped chillies.Saute for a minute.

Add onions and haldi powder,saute well.

Add crumbled bhakri,salt and sugar.Sprinkle some water,mix well.Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Switch off the gas and add lemon juice,mix well.Serve hot garnished with sev and chopped corriander leaves.

Tip-This is a basic receipe,various things can be added to this dish to make different versions.Diced potatoes,soaked moong dal(with skin),green peas,sprouted moong,grated carrots,boiled corn kernels, can also be added to turn this dish into a complete meal.

Happy Cooking!!!
Sameera.