Mixed Vegetable Soup

Ingredients :

1 Tb. Sp.          Butter

1                      Leek (Cut in big pieces)

1                      Turnip (Cut in big pieces)

1                      Carrot (Cut in big pieces)

1 big                Potato (Cut in big pieces)

½ cup              Water
½ cup              Tomato puree
Cream
Salt
Pepper

Procedure:

1.      Put a pan on fire.  Add butter.

2.      Once it starts melting add leek, turnip and carrot cut in big pieces.

3.      Continue stirring from time to time. After some time add potato.
4.      Add water when you can smell the fragrance of vegetables.
5.      Add salt and pepper. Stir well.
6.      Cover. Let it cook for approximately 15 minutes. Remove the lid and see if it is well cooked. If yes, then remove from the fire. If not, then add some more water, stir and cover till it is well cooked.  Now, add Tomato puree and let it cook for 4-5 minutes.

7.      Once cooked, remove from fire and let it cool down a bit.
8.    Use a hand-held mixer to grind it into a smooth paste. If it isn't liquid enough then add some water or milk (I prefer milk). Heat it before serving.  Add finely chopped pieces of leek and serve.

Potatoes and onions - simple recipe

I know I recently shared a potato recipe and you must be wondering how can I come up with another one so soon, but you can make potatoes in so many different ways that I couldn’t help sharing another one with you.  And this is not the end of potato recipes…. There are more to come, so be prepared.  Meanwhile, enjoy this one!

Ingredients:

4-5 medium       Potatoes (peeled and cut into big pieces)

½ medium          Onion/ shallot (cut lengthwise)

Salt (according to taste)

2-3                         whole red chillies

1 pinch                 Red chilli powder (according to taste)

¼ Tsp.                   Turmeric powder

1 Tb. Sp.              Sunflower Oil

1 Tsp.                    Cumin (jeera) 

½ Tsp.                   Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)

¼ Tsp.                   Garam masala

1 Tsp.                    Tomato purée

Procedure:

1.                   Heat oil.

2.                   Add cumin and whole red chillies.

3.                   When they start spluttering, add onions.

4.                   When the onions are semi-cooked add salt, red chilli powder and turmeric powder and mix 

              well.

5.                   Add potatoes and some water.

6.                   Cover and let it cook on low flame.  Keep stirring from time to time.

7.                   When the potatoes are cooked, add tomato purée and let it cook for another 5 minutes.

8.                   Add garam masala and coriander powder.

9.                   Mix well.

10.               Let it cook at low flame for approximately 5 minutes.

Serve as a side dish with chapattis, rice or poories.

Aaloo - Karela bhaji

Here’s a quick dish that I love having as an accompaniment with several types of food-items and it is the perfect replacement for ketchup minus preservatives.

Ingredients:

1 Tb. Sp.              Oil

1 Big                      Onion (Cut lengthwise)

4-5                         Bitter gourd (karela) (Cut in circles of approximately 2 cms wide)

1-2                         Potatoes (cut in cubes)

Salt (according to taste)

Red chillies (according to taste)

Turmeric

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan and onions to it.

Once the onions are cooked, not brown, add salt, red chillies and turmeric.  Mix well.

Add bitter gourd and potatoes

Lower the flame and cover for a few minutes.

Once it is well done, remove the lid and continue cooking for approximately another 10 minutes.

Serve as an accompaniment with dal and rice or chapattis.  Even though it is a bit bitter, as the name suggests, bitter gourd is excellent for health and one doesn’t really feel the bitterness.

Most Indians are aware of the benefits and extensive use of bitter gourd to treat and control diabetes in Ayurveda.  Bitter gourd juice is good in diabetes.

Parantha (Simple fried flat Indian Bread)

Like many north-Indians I grew up having paranthas in breakfast.  I can have these at any time of the day and there are so many varieties.  You can understand the place that paranthas have in the lives of Indians from the fact that there is actually a whole road in Delhi that is named after this delicacy and photographs of many Indian and Pakistani dignitaries decorate the walls of these small restaurants.  It is called Paranthey wali Gali (literally the road of paranthas).

One of these days, I’ll take you down that road and tell you more about it but today, I’m going to treat you to a yummy parantha… one of the simplest types of paranthas.

Ingredients:

1 Cup    Wheat flour

Water

Ghee (clarified butter) or Oil

Procedure:

Knead flour so that when you make a hole in it with your finger, it doesn’t stick to your finger.

Take a small part of it and roll it into a small ball and ensure that there’s no crack in the ball.

Roll this ball in dry flour and flatten it.

Use rolling-pin and flatten the circle further till it is around 4-5 inches in diameter.

Take ½ tea spoon oil and oil the flattened dough.

Fold it four times as shown in images.

Roll it in some dry flour and flatten it upside down i.e. the last fold should face the plate.

Use rolling pin to further flatten it and make it into a bigger square.

Put the girdle on fire.

When it is hot, put the flattened square dough on the girdle.

Once it is cooked on one side (it will become somewhat yellowish brown), turn it over and put oil on the cooked side.

After some time, turn it over again and if the other side is cooked oil it as well otherwise turn it back till it is cooked.  Once it is cooked, turn it over and oil the other side (that you’ve not oiled earlier).

After around 1 minute turn it over and let it cook for some time.

Serve it with pickle or/and vegetables or/and plain yoghurt and/or raita and/or dahipakodiyan.

I hope that you loved it as much as I do.  Enjoy your meal!

Mixed Vegetable Special

Ingredients:

1 Tb. Sp.                Sunflower Oil
2                             Green cardamoms  (use just seeds)

2-3                         Cloves
1 Tsp.                    Kasoori methi

2-3                         Bay leaves (Tej patta)

1 Tsp.                    Kalonji
1 Tb. Sp.               Cumin (jeera)

1 Tb. Sp.               Coriander seeds (dhaniya)

4-5                         Dried red chillies

Salt (according to taste)
1 pinch                 Red chilli powder (according to taste)
½ Tsp.                   Turmeric powder
2 cloves               Garlic (paste/ crushed)

1 Tsp.                    Ginger paste

1 pinch                 Asafoetida (hing)
1 big                     Onion cut along the length (big pieces)

200 ml                  Tomato puree

2 medium            Potatoes (peeled and cut into small cubes)



1 medium            Capsicum (Shimla mirch) (cut in big squares)

150 gms               Maize grains (I used a can)

100 gms               Tofu or Paneer (cut in big cubes)
1 Tsp.                    Garam masala
Water
25 gms                 Green coriander, finely chopped.
5-6 drops            Lemon juice (optional)

Procedure:

1.                   Heat oil in a pan.
2.                   Add kalonji, cumin and coriander seeds.
3.                   When the seeds start sputtering add red chillies.  Stir fry till they are golden brown.
4.                   Add asafoetida, bay leaves and kasoori methi.

5.                   Garlic and ginger paste.
6.                   Once it turns golden brown, add onions.

7.                   When the onions are well done, add salt, red chilli powder and turmeric powder and
                mix well.
8.                   Add potatoes and capsicum.  Mix well.
















9.                   Cover and let it cook at low flame for 15 minutes.
10.               Add tomato puree and mix.
11.               Let it cook for another 10 minutes.  Keep stirring from time to time.
12.               Add tofu (or paneer) and mix well.
13.               Cover and let it cook.
14.               Add maize seeds and mix well.  Keep at low flame for another 5 minutes.
















15.               Add garam masala and mix well.  Leave it on fire for another 5 minutes.
16.               Take off the heat and garnish with green coriander, mix.

I love to add a few drops of lemon juice.  When serving to guests, it is a good idea to put a piece of lemon as a garnish. 

I love to have it as side-dish with rice, poories, chapattis and parontheys.  It’s up to you to choose your favourite way to have it.

Feel free to add carrots or other vegetables.