Aaloo wadiyaan (Potatoes with spicy nuggets made of lentils)

Here's another yummy potato recipe for those of you who are potato lovers.  A tasty yet healthy potato recipe thanks to the wholesome wadi.  Yes, you guessed it right, I am from Punjab and grew up with Papads and Wadis.  Those of you who are not aware of it, in fact, we Punjabis believe that the best wadis and papads are those from our own Amritsar.

Ingredients:

1                             Wadi

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

Procedure:

1.                   Heat oil and add wadi to it. 

2.                   Heat till it is light brown.  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 take off the flame.

8.                   Break the wadi.

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

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.

Simply delicious potatoes - chaTapaTey aaloo

Potatoes… how we love to hate this veggie!  We, especially Indians, put them in several vegetables and then complain how we hate to do it because these make us obese, etc.  French fries, country potatoes, aaloo bhaja, aaloo bonDaa, aaloo Tikki… and we’ve not yet heard the end of this potato debate.  I’ll let those interested in talking talk and share another delicious potato recipe with you… many of you must have already tried it so it is just a ready reminder if you are still trying to think of a recipe that you'd like to cook this afternoon or evening.

Ingredients:

4-5 medium           Potatoes (boiled, peeled and cut into small cubes)
Salt (according to taste)
1 pinch                  Red chilli powder (according to taste)
¼ Tsp.                   Turmeric powder
1 Tb. Sp.               Sunflower Oil
1 Tsp.                    Cumin (jeera) 
1 Tsp.                    Coriander seeds (dhania)
1 pinch                  Asafoetida (hing)
1 Tb. Sp.               Garam masala powder
1 Tsp.                    Amchoor powder (powder made of dried unripe mangoes)

Procedure:

1.                   Heat oil.

2.                   Add cumin and coriander seeds.

3.                   When they start spluttering, add asafoetida, salt, red chilli powder and turmeric
             powder and mix well.

4.                   Add garam masala and amchoor powder.
5.                   Mix well.
6.                   Add boiled potatoes that you’ve already peeled and cut in small cubes.

7.                   Mix well.

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

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

This easy recipe is excellent if guests come uninvited and without informing (quite a few of us have gone through this experience). 

This dish can be eaten during Navaratri by those who avoid onions, etc., during this period.
These potatoes can be used in other ways that I’ll share with you soon.

Meanwhile, have a lovely potato day J

Poha: A healthy snack

Every time you want to prepare snacks for yourself or your little angels, isn’t it a struggle to search for a healthy and yummy option?  Well, today, I’m sharing a traditional recipe that is not only healthy but yummy as well.

Ingredients:

1 Tb. Sp.              Sunflower Oil

1 Tsp.                    Mustard seeds 

1 medium           Potato (peeled and cut into small cubes)

Salt (according to taste)

1 pinch                 Red chilli powder (according to taste)

½ Tsp.                   Turmeric powder

Water

100 gms               Rice Flakes (chidwa/ chooDa/ pohey)

1                            Green chilli (optional)

½ medium sized Onion finely chopped (optional)

1 Tb Sp                 Sugar (optional)

25 gms                 Green coriander, finely chopped.

5-6 drops            Lemon juice (optional)

2 Tb Sp                 Haldiram’s Bhujia/ any namkeen (optional)

Procedure:

1.                   Wash rice flakes under running water (in a sieve).

2.                   Heat oil in a pan.

3.                   Add mustard seeds.

4.                   When the seeds start sputtering add potato cubes.  Stir fry till they are golden brown.

5.                   Add salt, red chilli powder and turmeric powder and mix well.

6.                   Add washed rice flakes. Mix well and cover for 2-3 minutes.

7.                   Add onion, green chilli, lemon juice and sugar.   Stir well and cover.

8.                   Take off the heat and garnish with green coriander, mix.

9.                   Serve in a bowl and garnish with bhujia.

And if you wish to make it healthier, just add a few veggies such as peas and carrots (finely chopped) after step 4.  Have a nice and healthy meal!