Category Archives: Curries

Bharwan Bhindi

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Bhindi Masala

Bharwan bhindi is a spicy curry from Hyderabad. Bhindi is cooked with salan like gravy made with ground nut, sesame seeds, tamarind paste, and spices. Tamarind is an important part of my family recipes. I remember my mom keeping a stock of tamarind water and ground peanuts and sesame seeds always. This gravy goes well with capsicum, tomatoes, and even potatoes. Add tamarind water/paste based on your taste and the sourness of tamarind.

Bhindi Masala

Cooking bhindi is a tricky (and sticky) job. Placing a plate filled with water on top helps the vegetable cook evenly without getting burnt. It makes the cooking process quicker too.

Bhindi Masala

You can make the gravy in advance and freeze it too. Add vegetable (steamed) of your choice and you can have a curry ready in jiffy. This curry tastes best with phulka or paratha. You can try it with rice too.

Bhindi Masala

Ingredients

Serves 4

  • 15-18 okra (bhindi)
  • 3 tbsp ground nuts (mung fali)
  • 1 ½ tbsp sesame seeds (til)
  • 2tbsp tamarind paste or tamarind water
  • ½ tsp red chilli powder
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • ½ tbsp coriander powder
  • ¼ tsp mustard seeds
  • ¼ tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tbsp oil

Recipe

Wash bhindi in water and let it dry completely. Cut both the ends of the bhindi. Cut each bhindi into 2-3 pieces and make a slit in each piece. Roast and grind the ground nuts and sesame seeds. Heat oil in a kadhai or a non stick pan. Add mustard and cumin seeds. Once the seeds splutter, add chopped bhindi. Mix well and cover the pan/kadhai with a plate. Add water in the plate. This will help the bhindi cook evenly and it will also not let the curry burn.

Carefully check the bhindi every few minutes. 6-8 minutes should be enough. Once the bhindi is almost cooked, add the ground nuts and sesame seeds, tamarind water, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder and salt. Mix well. Add little water (1/4 – ½ cup) if the gravy looks too dry. Let it cook till oil floats on top (2-3 minutes). Add chopped coriander and served hot with rotis or rice.

Paneer Capsicum Masala Restaurant Style

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Paneer is a must order curry for most of us when we eat out and it is also one of the most cooked dishes in my kitchen. I have done innumerable experiments (some were successful too) to cook restaurant style capsicum paneer gravy and never came as close as this one. Got this recipe from a friend and who in turn got it from a chef (connections you bet). This comes closest to the Paneer capsicum at the restaurants and that too without an overdose of butter.

I prepare the gravy in advance and use it with paneer, peas, capsicum, corn and even sandwich fillings when required. You can substitute oil with butter if required but it really does not alter the taste much. Fresh paneer tastes the best and if you are using frozen paneer,  do dip it in hot water for few minutes before using it.

You can have this curry with roti and rice both. I have even tried it as a sandwich filling with whole wheat bread and it tastes superb!

Kadai Paneer

Ingredients

Serves 4-5

  • 4 tomatoes quartered
  • 1 big onion quartered
  • ¼ cup cashew nuts broken
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1 ½ tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tbsp coriander powder
  • 1 ½ tsp kitchen king masala
  • 1 small capsicum diced
  • 1 cup paneer
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • ½ tsp honey
  • 2 tsp kasoori methi (lightly roasted and crushed)
  • 1 tbsp fresh cream for garnishing (optional)

Recipe

Boil tomato, quartered onions, and cashew nuts for around 8-10 minutes. Drain the water and let the onions, tomatoes, and cashews cool down completely. Grind them to a fine paste and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a non stick pan. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the chopped onions and capsicum. Mix well and cook for 2 more minutes. Add paneer and mix well. Add the ground paste, red chilli powder, coriander powder, kitchen king masala, and salt. Mix well and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Add little water (2-3 tbsp) if you find the gravy too thick. Add honey and kasoori methi and mix. Cook for one more minute and switch off the heat. Garnish with a dollop of fresh cream and serve hot with roti or jeera rice.

Ker Sangri

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Ker Sangri

Ker sangri is one of the most popular dishes from Rajasthan.  Ker sangri are dried berries and beans which are found in abundance in the desert. They do not look edible at first look but you have to taste this curry to know why it is so popular in Rajasthani cuisine. It is a part of almost every Rajasthani wedding menu. There are different ways to prepare this curry. This is the recipe which is cooked at my place.

You need to soak ker sangri overnight. Some people soak this in buttermilk too but plain water works fine. It swells to more than double in size. Make sure to wash it well under running water to get rid of any impurities.

If you do not have dry mango powder, you can use tamarind water to add the sourness. This curry is ideal for travelling too as it stays good for 2-3 days without refrigeration. This curry tastes best with puri, missi roti, paratha, and rotis.

Ker Sangri

Ingredients

Serves 2-3

  • ½ cup ker sangri
  • 8-10 cashewnuts broken
  • 10 raisins
  • 2 dates chopped
  • 3 tbsp oil
  • ¼ tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
  • ¼ tsp mustard seeds (rai)
  • 2 dry red chillies broken
  • ¼ tsp asafetida (heeng)
  • 2 tsp red chilli powder
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp dry mango powder (amchur)
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • Salt as per taste

Recipe

Soak ker sangri in water over night. Wash it well under running water.  Bring 4-5 cups of water to boil and add the ker sangri, cashews, dates, and raisins. Let them boil for 8-10 mins or until they are tender. Drain the water.

Heat oil in a deep pan or kadhai. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafetida, and dried red chilli. Once the seeds pop, add the boiled ker sangri, cashews, and raisins, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, sugar, and dry mango powder and ¼ cup water. Mix well. Cook for 10-12 mins till the oil floats on top. Serve with puri, roti or parathas.

 

Rajasthani Dana Methi Sabji (Dried Fenugreek Seeds Curry)

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Rajasthani Dana Methi Sabji (Dried Fenugreek Seeds Curry)

Dana Methi ki sabji or Fenugreek seeds curry is an authentic Rajasthani curry made with dry fenugreek seeds, dried fruits like dates, cashews, and raisins, and sugar or jaggery. People in Rajasthan depend a lot of dried foods like fenugreek seeds, and ker sangri due to the hot weather and unavailability of fresh vegetables. These curries are both tasty and nutritious. This is my mom’s recipe of the dana methi sabji. This is kind of fixed curry for festivals and it is also a good option for travelling as it does not need refrigeration.

Fenugreek seeds have a very sharp, bitter, and pungent flavor. It is very important to soak them and wash them well to get rid of the yellow water and bitter taste. My mom’s tip that works everytime for me is to soak the seeds in warm water and wash them thoroughly in a colander under running water. Some people say you shouldn’t touch the seeds while soaking or they will taste bitter. I am yet to try this tip though.

There are different versions of this curry. You can make it sweet and sour (like this one), spicy version without sugar and dry fruits and with papad, with papad and moong dal dumplings called mangodis. You can substitute sugar with jaggery  if you want to make this healthier.

This curry tastes good with puri or whole wheat parathas. You can serve it cold or hot.

Rajasthani Dana Methi Sabji (Dried Fenugreek Seeds Curry)

Ingredients

Serves 4

  • ½ cup dried fenugreek seeds (dana methi) soaked overnight
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 8-10 curry leaves
  • 1-2 dry red chillies
  • ¼ tsp mustard seeds
  • ¼ tsp cumin seeds
  • 10-12 cashew nuts
  • 2 tsp red chilli powder
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • 10-12 raisins
  • 2-3 dates chopped
  • ¼ cup chopped raw mango (replace with 1 tsp dry mango powder (amchur) if raw mango is not available)
  • 4 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp water
  • Salt to taste

Recipe

Drain the water from methi seeds and put them in a strainer. Wash them under running water for 1-2 minutes to drain out the bitter taste.  Keep washing till the water that you drain from the seeds is clear (it should not be yellow)

Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan or kadhai. Add curry leaves, dry red chillies, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and cashewnuts. Once the cashews are light brown, add the soaked methi seeds, raw mango pieces, salt, red chilli powder, coriander powder, raisins, and dates. Mix well and cook for two minutes on low flame. Add sugar and 1 tbsp water. Mix well and cook for two minutes. Remove from heat. Over cooking this curry will spoil its taste. Serve hot with parathas or puri.

Hyderabadi Baghare Baigan (Brinjal Curry)

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Hyderabadi Baghare Baigan (Brinjal Curry)

Brinjal curry or Baghare Baigan as known in Hyderabad is a local delicacy. Brinjals are cooked in sour and spicy gravy made of sesame seeds, groundnut seeds, tamarind paste and coconut. There are lot of variants of this recipe but this particular one is my mom’s recipe. Though I don’t like brinjals but this is one of my favourite gravies. This tastes best when eaten with hot rice.

Choose brinjals that are small and round. Make two slits in the brinjals for them to absorb the gravy well. Since I do not like brinjals, I have substituted brinjals with tomatoes or capsicum on many occasions and I loved those variants too. You can also try using fresh green chillies (non-spicy ones) instead of brinjals.

The gravy is the key to this recipe. Groundnut and sesame seeds are used a lot in Hyderabadi cuisine. It is important to roast the ingredients separately and on low flame. You can substitute the jaggery with sugar if jaggery is not available. People also add poppy seeds to this gravy. I love the combination of sambhar, rice, and this gravy. This curry tastes best with hot rice. You can also serve this with parathas.

Hyderabadi Baghare Baigan (Brinjal Curry)

Ingredients

  • 5 brinjals (small ones work best)
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • ¼ tsp mustard seeds
  • 2 inch piece of ginger grated
  • 4-5 cloves of garlic grated
  • 2 tbsp red chilli powder
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • Salt to taste

For the Masala

  • 2 tbsp grated coconut (I used the dry desiccated coconut)
  • ½ tbsp cumin seeds
  • ½ tbsp coriander seeds
  • 1 ½ tbsp sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp peanuts
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 ½ tsp jaggery
  • 4 tbsp tamarind pulp
  • Little oil to fry the onions

Recipe For the Masala Dry roast the coconut, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, sesame seeds and peanuts separately on low flame. Fry the onions till brownish using little oil. Combine all the ingredients for masala and grind them to a smooth paste. Add little water if required. Keep the masala aside. For the Curry Make two slits in the Brinjals. Do not cut them completely but just a deep cut like a plus sign. Heat oil in a kadhai or non-stick pan. Add mustard seeds. Once the seeds splutter add ginger and garlic. Sauté for 10-15 seconds. Add the Brinjals and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the masala paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and one cup water. Mix well and cook on slow flame till the Brinjals are cooked and oil floats on top. Keep mixing in between. Serve with hot rice and sambhar or with plain parathas.

Rajasthani Saag Rotla

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Rajasthani Saag Rotla

Rajasthan’s cuisine is as rich, colourful, and royal as the place itself. One of my sisters in law is from Jaipur and she introduced me to this winter dish called Saag rotla. It is a cauliflower and peas curry cooked in pure ghee and orange juice. It is served with thick rotis (called rotla) made of whole wheat, ghee, and milk. If you feel like indulging, you can try this dish. This dish is perfect for a lazy weekend afternoon. I surely feel sleepy after eating this.

I am not a cauliflower lover. But after tasting this dish, I have made an exception. Since this curry does not use any water, you need to cut the cauliflower very finely (it should look almost finely grated) so that it can be cooked quickly.

The essence of this curry lies in the slow cooking of vegetables in spices and orange juice. You can add as much spices and ghee as you can tolerate. I have not tried cooking it in oil yet. Cook it on the lowest flame throughout and keep mixing in between. If you feel that the curry might burn add little more orange juice but no water.

The rotla that accompanies this dish has ghee too. Knead the dough for rotla with only milk. No water again. Roll out the rotla thick and small. Cooking it on a clay tava will add to the taste. But fret not if you do not have a clay griddle. Cook it on a low gas on normal griddle and then cook both sides on open flame like normal phulka is made. Again with the ghee, drizzle as much as you can tolerate. Serve this with fresh cut onions and green chillies.

Rajasthani Saag Rotla

Ingredients

For Rotla

  • 1 ½ cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
  • 1 tbsp ghee (you can double the amount of ghee if you want softer rotis)
  • Milk to knead the dough (appx ½ cup is sufficient)
  • Salt to taste

For Saag

  • 4 tbsp ghee
  • 7-8 cloves of garlic
  • 3 tbsp chopped ginger
  • 4 green chillies
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 1 cup peas (If you are using frozen peas, thaw them in advance)
  • 2 cups finely chopped cauliflower
  • 2 tsp red chilli powder (you can increase this if you like the curry spicier)
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Recipe

For the rotla

Mix all the ingredients for rotla and knead a firm dough. Cover and keep aside for 15-20 minutes.

Divide the dough into 10 portions. Roll out each portion into small and thick rotis and cook on a hot griddle just like phulkas. Drizzle each rotla with around 1 tsp or more of ghee.

For Saag

Grind the ginger, garlic, and green chilly to fine paste. You can add 1 tbsp water if required. Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan. Add the ginger, garlic, and green chilli paste. Cook on slow flame for 3-5 minutes mixing in between. Add the onions and sauté. Cook till onions start browning. Add the peas, cauliflower, salt, red chilli powder, garam masala, and turmeric. Mix well.

Add the orange juice and cover cook on slow flame for 3-5 minutes. Remove the cover and cook till the cauliflower is cooked and you see ghee on top. (appx 10-15 minutes)Keep mixing in between. Serve with hot rotla, fresh green chilli and cut onions.

Paneer Capsicum Masala

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Paneer Capsicum Masala

Paneer is one of the favorite vegetarian curries at the restaurants. This Indian version of cottage cheese is full of protein. It is a different story that the rich and heavy gravy they prepare at the restaurants almost negates the health benefits. I have tried making restaurant style paneer curry at home many times and this recipe comes closest. For me paneer and capsicum are the best combination. Fresh paneer and capsicum are key to a yummy curry.

I do not get fresh paneer here and I rely on frozen paneer when I have guests at home. Put the frozen paneer in hot water for 3-5 minutes and you have soft paneer ready to cook. Now comes the tricky part. Restaurant style gravy but in a slightly healthier version. I leave out the butter for sure. Second substitution I make is, to reduce the quantity of cashew nuts to half and add melon seeds.

I prepare the gravy in advance and freeze it in batches. Every time I want to cook paneer ki sabji, I just take one batch of gravy and defrost it and cook it with panner and the vegetables of my choice. I have the curry ready in minutes.

This curry can be served with hot roti, naan, or with jeera rice. Do not forget fresh cut or pickled onions and some fresh non spicy green chillies.

Paneer Capsicum Masala

Ingredients

Serves 4

  • 1 ½ cup paneer
  • 1 cup mixed bell peppers chopped into square medium sized pieces
  • 1 small onion chopped

For Gravy

  • 1 big tomato roughly chopped
  • 1 small onion roughly  chopped
  • 20-22 cashew nuts
  • 3 inch piece of ginger chopped
  • 4 cloves of roughly garlic
  • 1 green chilli
  • 2 tbsp melon seeds
  • 1 ½ tbsp kasoori methi
  • 3 tsp chilli powder
  • 1-2 tbsp fresh cream (optional)
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • ¼ tsp cumin seeds
  • 4 tbsp oil

Recipe

Heat 3 tbsp oil in a kadhai or a deep pan. Add green chilli, ginger, and garlic. Once the garlic is lightly browned, add onions and saute. Cook till onions are translucent. Add cashews and melon seeds and cook till the cashews are lightly browned sauteing in between. Add the tomatoes, salt, and red chilli powder and mix well. Cook till oil separates and tomatoes are mushy (2-3 minutes). Switch off the gas and let this mixture cool. Once it is cool, grind this to a fine paste and keep aside.

You can store this gravy in the freezer for future use too.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadhai or thick bottomed pan. Add cumin seeds. Once the seeds pop, add onions and cook till they are translucent. Add bell pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add paneer and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add the gravy and mix well. Add little water if the gravy is too thick. Cook for 3-4 minutes or till oil separates. Garnish with fresh cream and chopped coriander and serve with hot rotis or rice.

Karela Masala (Bitter Gourd Curry)

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Karela Masala (Bitter Gourd Curry)

I am not celebrating the most hated vegetables week. My mom in law is visiting us and I am just trying to make the most of it. I am trying to learn from her the best recipes she makes. Next few weeks you might see lot of gujju stuff on Vegetarian Khana and if you want to see any gujju dish on Vegetarian Khana, do share it with me so that I can ask her to teach me that. It is Karela (Bitter gourd) masala this weekend. People either love Karela or they absolutely hate it. I don’t love it but I love the Karela fry that my mom makes, or the masala Karela that my mom in law and my aunt make. Karela is very bitter, but is eaten a lot in India because of its medicinal value.

To reduce the bitterness of Karela, peel the Karela, cut it into small pieces and discard the seeds. Sprinkle little salt on peeled and chopped Karela and leave it aside for 20-30 minutes. When ready to cook the Karela, wash it under running water and squeeze the Karela to reduce the bitterness.

Remember my mom in law’s signature mixed veg curry recipe? Well, this one uses the same masala. If you have the masala ready, this is a very quick recipe. You can check the recipe for masala here. Adding a little jaggery, adds flavor and helps to reduce the bitterness of Karela.

Make sure to take the curry off from flames as soon as you finish mixing the masala. Cooking it for a long time will make the besan in the masala stick to the pan. This curry tastes good with bajri roti or whole wheat rotis. You can serve this with fresh/pickled onions and the non spicy chillies.

Karela Masala (Bitter Gourd Curry)

Ingredients

Serves 2

  • 1 cup chopped Karela (bitter gourd)
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • ¼ tsp mustard seeds
  • ¼ tsp chilli powder
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • ¼ tsp coriander powder (optional)
  • 4 tbsp mixed vegetable sabji masala
  • 1 tsp jaggery
  • Salt to taste (Remember the masala and the karela already have salt so taste the curry and add salt only if required)

Recipe

Peel the Karela. Remove seeds and chop into small pieces. Sprinkle approximately 1 tsp salt and keep it aside for 25-30 minutes. Squeeze the Karela and throw the water. Wash them in running water and squeeze again.

Pressure cook the Karela with 1 cup water and little salt for three whistles. Once the pressure is released, strain the Karela and discard the water.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a thick bottomed pan. Add mustard seeds. Once the seeds splutter, add onions, little salt, and turmeric powder. Sauté and cook for 1-2 minutes till the onions start getting brown. Add Karela, chilli powder, and jaggery. Mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the sabji masala and mix well. Cook for 40-50 seconds and take off from the gas. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with hot roti.

Onion Curry (Pyaaz ki Sabji)

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Onion Curry (Pyaaz ki Sabji)

Statutory Warning: If you live in India and buy onion with your yearly bonus these days, wait for the prices to come down before you try this curry.

Once upon a time onions were banned in my grandmother’s kitchen. They slowly made a guest appearance when my mom took over the kitchen. It was a once in a while affair then. Weekend snacks, or special occasions or whenever my aunt visited us from Solapur. As with any other thing that you are not supposed to eat or which is not cooked regularly, onion too was my favorite especially the pyaaz ki pakodi (onion fritters). Things slowly changed, and onion is a permanent resident in our kitchen now. Though used sparingly, the ban is not there anymore.

One of my aunts lives in Solapur. Whenever she used to visit us during vacations, it would be a treat for us as she would prepare all the new recipes she learnt at her in laws place. Most of the dishes she prepared included onions. One such curry was this quick and easy onion curry. Only thing she insisted always (and still does) is to have the hara masala (fresh coriander, curry leaves, ginger and green chillies) for cooking. These fresh ingredients add that special flavor to the curry.

This curry makes a perfect yummy meal for the times when you don’t want to spend lot of time in kitchen and still want yummy food. The coarsely ground groundnuts add crunch to the curry. This curry, tastes best with hot rice. You can eat it with roti too.

Onion Curry (Pyaaz ki Sabji)

Ingredients

Serves 2-3

  • 3 onions chopped (preferably juliennes)
  • 3 tbsp oil
  • ¼ tsp cumin seeds (Jeera)
  • ¼ tsp mustard seeds (rai)
  • 8-10 curry leaves
  • 2 green chillies slit
  • 2 inch piece of ginger grated
  • ¼ tsp asafoetida (heeng)
  • 2 tsp red chilli powder
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
  • 2 tsp coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
  • ¼ tsp garam masala
  • 3 tbsp groundnuts roasted and coarsely ground
  • 1 ½ tsp lime juice
  • 2 tbsp fresh coriander (chopped)
  • ¼ cup water
  • Salt to taste

Recipe

Heat oil in a kadhai or a thick bottomed pan. Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Once the seeds splutter, add grated ginger, green chillies, and curry leaves. Tear and crush the curry leaves a little to get more flavor.

Add half of the chopped coriander and sauté. Add chopped onions and salt. Mix well and cook for 2-3 mins or till the onions are translucent. Add, turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder, asafoetida, groundnuts, and garam masala. Add little water (approximately 1/4th cup) and mix well. Cook on low flame for 5-6 minutes.

Add lime juice and chopped coriander. Mix well and serve with hot rice.

Mixed Vegetable Curry Gujarati Style

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Mixed Vegetable Curry Gujarati Style

This is my mother in law’s signature dish and just like me, almost all my friends love this one. It is a mix vegetable curry with gram flour stuffing and gravy. My mom in law calls is Aakhu shaak (aakhu means whole and shaak is vegetable). This does not involve lot of chopping and cutting. Vegetables are slit, filled with the spice mixture and pressure cooked.

You can make the filling in quantity and keep it in fridge for a month. Once you have the filling ready, this is a very quick recipe to make. Though I have learnt from her to make this dish, I still prefer and make sure to get packs of stuffing made by her.

My mom in law uses Potatoes, Onions, Brinjals, and Green chillies (non-spicy ones) for this curry. Since I don’t like Brinjals, I leave out Brinjals and add Capsicum. As with all the moms, there are no exact measurements for this recipe. All the spices depend on taste. This curry tastes best with rice. You can have it with rotis or hot puris too. The recipe looks long but it is worth the effort.

Mixed Vegetable Curry Gujarati Style

Ingredients

Serves 2-3

  • 2 potatoes
  • 2 onions
  • 1/2 capsicum (cut in big pieces)
  • 2 big green chillies (non-spicy ones)
  • 4-6 curry leaves
  • ¼ tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
  • ¼ tsp mustard seeds (rai)
  • 1 ½ cup water
  • 2 tbsp oil

For Masala

  • ½ cup gram flour (besan)
  • ¼ cup coriander cumin powder
  • 3-4 green chillies
  • 7-8 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tsp lime juice
  • 2 table spoon oil (groundnut oil preferred)
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp red chilli powder
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
  • Salt to taste

Recipe

For Masala

Roast the gram flour on very slow flame for 3-4 minutes. Keep mixing it continuously so that it does not burn. Add the coriander cumin powder, red chilli powder, and turmeric powder. Roast further for 1-2 minutes. Over roasting will burn the gram flour so be careful while roasting the masala. Once the masala is roasted remove it from pan immediately and let it cool.

Make a coarse paste of green chilli and garlic. Combine the roasted gram flour and coriander powder, and rest of the masala ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Taste for spices. You can adjust the chilli powder or sugar based on taste.

For Curry

Peel potatoes and cut them into two pieces and make slits. Don’t cut the potato completely. Create a slit enough to fill some masala. You can check the image above for slits.

Peel onions and make 2 slits. Slit the big green chillies and remove the seeds.

Take little masala; around ¼ tsp and fill the masala into the slits.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker. Add mustard, cumin seeds, curry leaves and let them pop. Add the vegetables and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add 3 tbsb masala and water. Close the lid and cook for 3-4 whistles.

Once cool. Open the cooker and put it on slow flame again. Add 3 tbsp of masala. Mix well and check for taste and consistency of gravy. (The gravy should be thick. You can add little water if it is too thick as gram flour tends to thicken the curry). Taste for spices and make adjustments for salt or spices. Cook for 3-4 mins mixing occasionally.

Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with hot rice or roti.