Besanwali Bharwan Mirch | Spicy stuffed jalapenos

Its the best time of the year! Certainly not coz of the climate but because of the plethora of gorgeous vibrant flowers and the variety of greens available for my kitchen! Winter greens are healthy, nutritious and so versatile. One could do so much with it. Innovate & cook.

Any kind of condiment with my food is an indispensable part of our meals. A spicy dip or a kachumbar salad enhances the flavors. A lot of time even a homemade ghee is handy! Winter season is a season of pickles, chutneys and green chillies with spicy stuffing! Takes a simple meal to a different dimension all together.

While i was doing my weekly grocery and vegetable shopping, i caught hold of some bhavanagri hari mirch/green jalapenos which are so multifaceted. Stuff them with mashed potatoes or spicy keema mixture and deep fry them, they make an awesome delectable finger food. Cut them in chunks and spice them, makes a perfect pickle accompaniment for your one pot meals or just stuff them with roasted gram flour and you will get a perfect match for your parathans. 

A not so fiery yet delectable combination of green chillies and spices make this a right accompaniment, which stands out for its simplicity and intrinsic flavor. The recipe uses simple spices which are handy at home. Store them in an airtight container and put them in the fridge to be consumed later. I am sure you are going to love this spicy treat as its very very easy.

 Ingredients:-

1 cup gram flour (besan)

8 Green jalapenos (badi hari mirch)

3/4 cup water

1/2 tsp turmeric

2.5 tsp dried mango powder (amchoor)

1 tsp grated ginger

Salt to taste

Tempering

1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)

2 finely chopped green chillies

1 medium sized finely chopped onion

3 tbsp Oil 

Roughly pound in mortar & pestle:

1 tsp coriander seeds

1/2 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)

1 tsp cumin (jeera)

1/4 tsp carrom seeds (Ajwain)

Steps to follow:-

1. Slit the jalapenos lengthwise from one side and scoop out the seeds (chop the scooped out content finely and keep it aside)

NOTE: Do not throw the seeds away. They will be used for stuffing.

2. Heat oil in a wok and throw in the spices in 'Roughly pound in mortar & pestle' and saute.

3. Now one by one add the items mentioned under 'Tempering' , grated ginger and the seeds scooped out from jalapenos.

4. Add salt, turmeric and amchoor powder.

5. Now add besan and vigorously saute till the besan becomes fragrant.

6. Add water slowly and keep stirring so that no lumps are formed.

7. The besan mix should not be lumpy but smooth and should be dough like .

8. Let the mixture cool and later fill the slit jalapenos with this mix with soft hands else you will end up breaking the jalapenos.

9. Once all the jalapenos have been filled, pan roast them in a broad pan until cooked from each side.

NOTE: Use 2 tsp oil for pan frying and keep the flame low. You will need to keep a constant watch else they would burn. The jalapenos would be ready in 10-15 mins. 

Tangy Potato Nests

Busy weekday calls for simple dinners at my home. So i keep my dinners light and easy to cook types. So did this make you think that the dinners in my house are boring??? No way!! That can never be the case coz my husband and i crave to eat something good once we are back home from work, to assuage our office traumas! :P :P 

So even though the dinner is simple and easy, there has to be variety when it comes to taste. Hubby dear is extremely difficult to please when it comes to food. For past two days he had been telling me to prepare some chaat at home and i kept declining the offer thinking, it requires so much of preparation. Just when i was thinking over his chaat proposal and looking for something less extensive and elaborated for a weekday, i was struck with this recipe of potato nests. Trust me, initially it was just a random thought and further contemplation made me draft the complete recipe. 

Yesterday, i decided to surprise my darling hubby with a stylish new twist to the traditional chaat. Oh yes! I am the innovation queen and for me its a big NO NO to follow a recipe as it is. A twist is my signature style to any dish. So before hubby was back home, i began with the preparation. Easy peasy steps and easily available ingredients made my tasks a cakewalk!

20 minutes of kitchen work and all was set and served :) My Mr.Tripathi entered the home sniffing around, enjoying the aromas and looked happy conjecturing that wifey had made something special for him. He knows me too well! Mr. Husband was right! His eyes gleamed at the site of the pretty little nests that were waiting to get devoured. First bite and his eyes said it all. He looked spell bound and later confessed that he overate BIG TIME!! :) No wonder, he always blames me for his cute little bloated tummy :P Nevertheless, for me that growing belly is a sign of happiness and contentment!

So here's how you make a contemporary chaat or a tangy starter!

Ingredients:-

For the Dough

1 cup flour (Maida)

2 tsp carrom seeds (Ajwain)

2 tbsp Oil

1 tbsp Dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi)

Warm water for kneading 

Salt as per taste

For the Potato Stuffing

4 big boiled potatoes (broken into small pieces by hand. Do not use knife here as the potatoes should have a rough broken look. You may choose to use a knife if needed)

2 tsp red chilli flakes (Kuti lal mirch)

2 tsp nigella seeds (kilonji)

1 tbsp roasted coriander seeds (sabut dhaniya)

3 tsp Fennel seeds (saunf)

3 small green chillies (finely chopped)

sprig of coriander leaves

4-5 tbsp chaat masala

1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing)

2 tbsp Oil for tempering 

Salt as per taste

Green Chutney

 
1 cup Coriander leaves
2 or 3 (If you like it to be spicier, you may add more) Green chillies
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1 small peeled onion
Salt to taste
Juice of 2 lemon (or adjust as per your taste)

Sonth (Tamarind Chutney)

 
2 cup tamarind pulp (soak dried tamarind overnight in water and then mash it next day and pass the fluid through a seive to get the pulp)
2 tbsp roasted cumin seeds powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 cup sugar or as required - adjust as per your taste
rock salt or black salt as required
1/4 cup kishmish
Handful of ginger cut into julienne

Steps to follow:-

For the Dough

Combine all the ingredients and knead it to a stiff dough. Once done, let it rest for 15-20 mins while you prepare the stuffing.

For the Potato Stuffing

1. Heat oil in a pan.

2. Throw in asafoetida, green chillies and saute for 1 min

3. In a mortar and pestle, roughly pound the roasted coriander seeds and fennel seed 

NOTE: Do not make a powder. Just roughly ground them

4.  Now add nigella seeds, fennel seeds and coriander seeds and red chilli flakes.

3.  Let the spice splutter for a while and then add broken potatoes and saute them on medium-high flame.

NOTE: Since the potatoes need to be crisp and browned well, hence the medium-high flame recommended. Ensure, while the flame is high, you continuously toss the mixture else all will burn. 

6. Add salt and chaat masala 

NOTE: The mixture needs to be tangy, so you may increase or decrease the chaat masala according to the sourness required by you. 

7. Keep tossing on medium-high flame until the potatoes look crispy and well browned.

8. Once potato mixture is ready, sprinkle chopped coriander and transfer the mixture to a bowl and let it cool

Green Chutney

 
Blend all the ingredients mentioned for green chutney and squeeze in the lemon juice once all has blended well. 

Sonth or Tamarind Chutney

 
1. Place a wok on the gas stove and let it warm up.
2. Pour in the tamarind pulp in the wok and let it come to a boil.
3. Bring down the flame to medium and now add roasted cumin seeds powder, sugar, ginger julienne, red chilli powder and kishmish and salt as per taste.

NOTE: The tamarind pulp will reduce in quantity so add the spices accordingly

4. Stir continuously and would observe the mixture would start to thicken
5. When cooled, store the saunth chutney in an air-tight dry jar or container. refrigerate and serve the sonth chutney whenever required with chaat or snacks. 

Final assembling of potato nests

1. Make small balls of the dough and roll them into thin chapatis. (You don't have to cook them on a tava/griddle)

2. With the moulds open surface facing you, place the rolled chapatis onto the mould

3. Use your fingers to press the rolled chapati on the mould letting it take the shape of the utensil.

4. Press it hard and ensure there is no air passage anywhere.

5. Trim the excess dough from the rim of the moulds.

6. Prick the dough (stuck to the muffin mould) with a toothpick or fork everywhere

7. Heat oil in a wok and deep fry the nests in the oil.

NOTE: When you are deep frying, you have to add the muffin mould( which has the dough stuck to it still) into the oil. 

9. Once the top surface of the nest is cooked, flip the mould and it will automatically leave the dough and you can fish it out of the oil then.

10. Now fry the nests in the oil just like mathris with flame switching between medium and high.

11. One the nests are light brown in color, take them out of the oil and transfer to a kitchen towel.

12. Make the nests from the remaining dough following the above steps and let the nests cool for sometime before final assembly.

13. Arrange the nests on a platter and add potato mixture till the level of rim.

14. Put some green chutney and sonth on top and serve.

Sindhi Tomato Kadhi..my little twist to the traditional affair!

I am a principled person.  A true fun loving, jovial & a crazy being who has a deeper side of character residing within her. I value ethics more than anything. Its not just a perception but a religion which i sacredly follow. Yes i do...Indeed! Its something that's completely intrinsic of my persona. A nature that has evolved over years of maturation in undulated trajectory of life. I have learnt to be calm & controlled when at the zenith of success and grasped from my failures, that mistakes acknowledged must not be repeated. Trust, Life's all about learning. 

I live to learn new things. Embarked on the journey called Life, I crave to widen my knowledge & share my findings with people around. That's my purpose of being here! One of the poems which i had studied years back and is undoubtedly my favorite , aptly sums up my philosophy of Life.

I am a part of all that I have met;Yet all experience is an arch wherethro'
Gleams that untravell'd world whose margin fades, For ever and forever when I move.
How dull it is to pause, to make an end,To rust unburnish'd, not to shine in use!
As tho' to breathe were life! Life piled on life.

Were all too little, and of one to me. Little remains: but every hour is saved
From that eternal silence, something more,A bringer of new things; and vile it were
For some three suns to store and hoard myself,

And this gray spirit yearning in desire, To follow knowledge like a sinking star,
Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.  - Ulysses, By Alfred Lord Tennyson 

My mom's my Guru! I remember her tell me always 'There is no age bar when it comes to learning. Hamesha bas koshish karo ki kuch naya seekho aur aage badho. Main aaj bhi seekhne ki ichcha aur koshish karti hoon'. The guiding star who has taught me and made me learn the right things that essential for the perfect proud living sans any sham. Maa, I love you! I am truly blessed to have you.

Today's post is a dedication to my yearning over new avenues..new learnings..Cooking is very dear to me and i desire to create varied delicacies irrespective of the region or culture. Right attitude to learn! Not caught up in any kind of inhibitions. So, this time i have ventured into 'Sindhi Tomato Kadhi' preparation, something that i had years years ago..and just once. Did not get fortunate enough to savor it again, though i was always on a look out for a right source of information for the recipe, yet it took me so long to find the perfect recipe from a perfect source (True that, i am a finicky person when it comes to recipes especially). Cooking is a delight and i don't venture into any new stuff (ofcourse i innovate and experiment but then sometimes one needs to have ones fundas straight, to start off at least) until i know that the recipe reads perfect and is relevant to my needs and whims. :) 

Neelam, a dear friend in one of my FB groups promptly posted the recipe on my request and guess what, i could not wait to try it! The very same day, it was all cooked, ready and served with a bit of hanky panky to the original share. My dearest husband was taken up by a storm with the flavors and aromas...Aaahhh! a sigh of satisfaction!!

Ingredients:-

1 Cup Tomato Puree
3 tbsp Besan
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds  (methi seeds)
Sprigs of curry leaves
1 drumstick (cut into 2 inch piece lengthwise)
7-8 lady's finger (cut into 1 inch piece lengthwise)
2 potatoes (cut into big cubes)
1 big carrot (peeled and cut into 1/4 inch discs)
1-1/2 tbsp tamarind pulp
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 - 2 finely chopped green chillies
Spices needed - Turmeric, coriander powder, red chilli, salt as per taste
Oil for deep frying
2 tbsp Oil for tempering the kadhi 
3 cups water
Coriander for garnish

Steps to follow:-

Tomato puree

Boil some water in a pan and put 7-8 tomatoes in it and blanch till soft & supple. Turn off the gas once done. Let it cool. Once they have cooled down, peel off their skin and blitz till the fine texture. Further you can seive the puree to ensure the seeds get removed. [I do it coz my husband suffers from stone troubles :( ] Your tomato puree is now ready to be used. 

Tip: I prepare  4-5 cups of tomato puree in advance and keep it in the freezer for future use. It does not turn rancid and comes handy while cooking in a jiffy!

1. In a kadhai take pour in the oil for deep  frying.
2. Separately deep fry all the veggies - Potatoes, Carrots, Drumsticks, Lady's Finger.
3. Transfer the deep fried veggies to a tissue paper so that any extra oil get drained
4. Now in another pan, pour oil for tempering. 
5. Throw in cumin, fenugreek and asafoetida.
6. Once the spices start to crackle, simmer the flame and add besan.
7. At this step you to keep a constant vigil and stir continuously else the besan may burn.
8. Once the besan turn pale yellowish brown in color and emits nutty fragrance, add in turmeric, coriander, red chilli and some salt.
9. Stir once more.
10. Now add the tomato puree.

NOTE: While adding the tomato puree, you have to ensure that besan gets evenly dissolved in tomato and there are no lumps. I had a bit tough time here. I resorted to the below two tricks.

• Add the tomato puree little by little and give a stir after every addition.
• If the lumps are visible after adding the puree, pick up a whisk and with a gentle hand whisk the mixture.         

11. Once tomato puree is fully added to the besan, roast the mixture for another 5-7 minutes so that the slight rawness of the tomatoes goes away.
12. Now add water to the mixture and give it a stir twice or thrice.
13. The flame should be on high and you have to constantly stir so that nothing spills out of the pan.
14. After one boil let the kadhi simmer for another 5-10 mins on low flame.
15. While the kadhi is simmering, in another pan, add some oil (1 tsp only since your veggies are already deep fried)
16. Add curry leaves, garlic, ginger, green chillies.
17. Saute on a high flame with pan 3-4 inch above the gas stove. 

NOTE: Keep it 3-4 inches above the flame else the high heat will further burn the deep fried veggies. I would here recommend not to use the spatula but toss and twirl the pan with hands

18. keeping the flame on high, add all the deep fried veggies
19. Add some turmeric, coriander, red chilli and some salt (You have put salt in kadhi as well so keep that in mind)
20. A good swirl after the spice and your veggies are ready to get dipped in the pool of tomato curry
21. Add the veggie mix to the kadhi and lid for 5-7 mins coz drumsticks might need some more time to become soft.
22. Unlid the pan, check the doneness of drumsticks, if all done, let the kadhi now simmer on low flame till it becomes a bit thick in consistency. (This would take another 10-12 mins)
23. Once the required consistency is achieved, turn off the gas.
24. Add the tamarind pulp and chopped coriander.
25. Lid the pan again and let it rest for 5-7 more mins.

Serve with hot rice and cucumber salad.

A must try for all those who can never get tired of learning and truly enjoy the magic of cooking!

Lemony Lemon Rice...My one hot-pot meal

I am a rice freak. Its a staple food in all my meals. Guess i have inherited this genetically from my parents. Our family meals are incomplete if there is no chawal-dal (rice & curry). 

And then there are days when my husband and i both prefer to have some rice preparation for dinner specifically. Quicker, as its done in a matter of few whistles and tastier coz it calls for plenty of condiments along with it, that are easily available in every household! With rice preparations all you need is some salad, pickle and poppadom for some crunchy munchy taste and once all is set, there can be no match to this divine combination. Oooo! Waah! Kya baat..i am drooling on the thought itself. I think this defines my love for it, honestly.

I have mastered the various well-known rice combos (a statement from my hubby dear) of northern part of India, kadhi-rice, rajma-rice or chole-rice. All tried and tasted plenty of times. So today i attempted a southern flavor of rice in my North Indian kitchen, & guess what! I conquered it!!! My husband who is not a great rice lover happily finished more than half of it!!!! 

Whaoo! The feeling is amazing..I guess more than ingredients of the recipe what matters the most is the love that you put in the food you cook. 

I love my kitchen and all that i cook there with so much care. Today i celebrated the feeling of love for my love of cooking and of course the love for rice with my one hot pot meal recipe of lemon rice with some pickled onion curd (recipe shared in the end) to enhance the sourness further. 

Its super duper easy and i have, as always, made a slight twist to it. Old habits die hard! So here's a super quick twisted lemon rice..completely my way. 

Ingredients:-

1.5 cup rice

1 tbsp urad dal (skinned & split)

1 tbsp channa dal

1 tsp Asafoetida 

2 tsp Haldi

2 tsp Coriander powder

Few springs of curry leaves

1 tsp of black mustard seeds

3-4 dried red chillies (broken into halves)

1/4 cup peanuts

Juice of 2 lemons

Finely chopped coriander for garnish

3 tbsp mustard oil

Salt to taste

For my twist include - handful of raisins, 2 tsp of sambar powder (i used homemade)

Raisins to balance the sourness from lemons n pickled curd. Trust this twist was worth it.

Steps to follow:-

1. Soak the rice in water for an hour or two.

2. Once soaked completely, boil the rice with minimum water (uptil the level of dipped rice or 1/2 inch above) upto 1-2 whistle and then turn off the heat. 

NOTE: Do not cook it for more whistles else the rice grains will stick to each other and will not be flaky.

3. Once the rice is cooked, transfer it to a broad plate and let it cook. Give it good swirl, ensuring that rice grains are not sticky.

4. Heat a wok and pour in the oil.

5. Throw in the urad dal, chana dal and peanuts. Ensure that the flame is medium. (Constant saute is needed at this stage else the chances are that the contents might burn)

6. Once the dals emanate their aroma, they are roasted well at that point.

7. Simmer the gas and add curry leaves, mustard seeds, asafoetida, dried red chillies. Toss for a minute or two.

8. Add haldi, coriander powder, salt and sambar masala and raisins. Swirl the pan well so that everything gets mixed well.

9. Add the rice and vigorously toss the contents. The rice should after thorough tossing should become yellow in color.

10. Lid for 3-4 minutes.

11. Unlid the pan, toss one more time and turn off the gas.

12. Add the lemon juice and toss for some more time.

NOTE: Lemon juice should be added only once the gas is turned off.

13. Sprinkle some coriander and serve with appalams and pickled onion curd.

Pickled Onion Curd: Finely chop some onions and green chillies and squeeze in good amount of lemon juice so that the onions and green chillies are completely soaked in the juice. Refrigerate this for 3-4 hours. Meantime, whisk some curd and add black salt, powdered roasted cumin and some freshly ground (in mortar & pestle) mint leaves. After 3-4 hrs or whenever the dinner is to be served, add the onion-green chilli pickled mixture to the whisked curd. Serve chilled along with lemon rice or any other dish. 

Enjoy this dish with your loved ones on of those laid back days when you just feel like relaxing and treating yourself with some comfort food. 

Chivda Namkeen

The onset of monsoon calls for delicious savories along with a hot cuppa! I love it. Don't You?

For me, a yummy accompaniment with my tea is such a necessity!!! Especially with a lovely weather around. So when i want it to be easy & quick (occasionally healthy too ;) ), i go for something that can be created fast and at the same time something that can tickle my taste buds as well!! So here it is Dry chivda mix, for those days when you wish to enjoy the downpour outside and not spend too much time cooking. 

Rice Flakes are a good source of Iron & peanuts give intake of protein. Undoubtedly, a perfect nosh with so much nutritive value. 

Goes without saying, this will be a big Hit!

Ingredients:-

Thin rice flakes (Chivda/Poha) - 250 gms

Peanut - 1 tbsp

Roasted Chana - 1 tbsp

Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp

Raisins - 10 - 15 pcs

Curry Leaves - 10 leaves

Dry red chillies - 2 (cut into halves)

Rock salt - as per taste

Amchoor/Dry Mango Powder - 1 tbsp

Powdered sugar - as per taste (to balance out salt-sour flavor)

Oil - 2 tbsp

Asafoetida - 2 pinch

Steps to follow:-

1. Dry roast rice flakes in a thick pan on a medium flame.

2. Keep stirring the rice flakes till they are crispy. Ensure they do not over cook.

3. In another pan, pour some Oil and add curry leaves, roasted chana, peanuts, raisins, asafoetida, turmeric and rock salt.

4. Once all are sauteed well add amchoor and sugar.

5. Add the curry leave mixture to the roasted chivda and mix thoroughly, ensuring that all flakes turn yellow in colour.

6. Remove the chivda from the pan and let it cool.

7. Store it in a dry Jar.

Wooah! Such a Delectable relish ready to be devoured in no time! Eat & Enjoy! Happy Monsoons.. :)