Vegetarian Dumplings

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Vegetarian Dumplings

When in Rome, do as Roman do and when in Singapore celebrate the Chinese New Year with dumplings and oranges. This is our first lunar new year in Singapore and it’s been fun so far. Everything is decorated in red and orange. Four days of holidays and family reunions everywhere you see. Unlike the English New Year, Chinese New Year involves lot of preparation, celebrations (15 days), reunion, and traditions. Market is filled with oranges, pomegranates and tens and hundreds of varieties of candies and snacks. People exchange Oranges and Tangerines. Oranges symbolize good luck and Tangerines symbolize wealth. Families get together and cook dumplings with every member taking part in the process. I am not a big fan of Chinese food but I found the idea of dumplings very interesting. Especially the way they are shaped.

I wanted to try making a vegetarian version of the dumplings (also known as dimsums or pot stickers). Boiled Dumplings are called Jiaozi. Pot stickers are famous in the west and are fried in a small amount of oil before steaming them slightly.

You can practically fill the dumplings with anything you like. I have used carrots, cabbage, beans, and paneer. Baby corn, Mushrooms, tofu are good options to try.

Shaping the dumplings is not as tough as it looks. The trick is to roll out the dough thin on edges and slightly thicker at the center. You can buy the ready made dumpling sheets too. You can even make colorful dumplings by adding natural colors. Add spinach puree to the dough for green and carrot puree for orange color.

Dumplings are always served with a dipping sauce. I wanted to make a spicy sauce which could complement the not so spicy dumplings and wanted to stay away from the oily dips. You can try the traditional soy sauce based dips too which are not very spicy. Dumplings are usually served as a starter or side dish. Happy New Year!

Vegetarian Dumplings

Ingredients

Makes 16-18 dumplings

For the Dough

  • ½ cup all-purpose flour (Maida)
  • 2-3 pinches of salt
  • Water to knead the dough

For the Filling

  • 1 ½ tbsp. chopped ginger
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 small onion finely chopped (use spring onion if available)
  • ½ cup mixed vegetables (cabbage, carrot, beans)
  • 5 tbsp paneer crumbled
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander
  • 1 tbsp corn flour diluted in little water
  • ½ tbsp. soy sauce
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the Dip

  • 5 fresh red chillies
  • 5-6 garlic cloves chopped
  • ½ tomato chopped
  • 5 tsp rice vinegar
  • 3 tsp brown sugar
  • Salt

Recipe

Add salt to the all-purpose flour and knead into a soft and smooth dough using enough water. Cover and keep aside for 10-15 minutes.

To make the dipping sauce, combine all the ingredients and blend them in a mixer till smooth.

In a wok or kadhai, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Add the ginger and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, until aromatic. Add the onions and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the chopped vegetables, paneer, salt, pepper, soy sauce, and coriander. Add little water and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the vegetables and soft. Stir the corn flour mixture and add it to the filling. When the mixture thickens, turn off the heat. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool completely before assembling the dumplings. You should have about one cup of filling.

Divide the dough into equal portions and roll out thin sheets around 3 to 31/2 inches.

To make the dumplings, hold a sheet in a slightly cupped hand. Scoop up about 1 tablespoon of filling with a dinner knife, or fork and position it slightly off-center toward the upper half of the wrapper, pressing and shaping it into a flat mound and keeping about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of wrapper clear on all sides. Then fold, pleat, and press to enclose the filling to create a half-moon. You can steam them as is or try different shapes by adding pleats, joining the ends of the crescent etc.

Place the dumplings in the steamer at least an inch away from the edges. Steam for 8-9 minutes until slightly puffed and translucent.

If you want to cook them like pot stickers, heat little oil (appx 1tsp) in a pan. Add the dumplings and cook till they are little crispy. Add little dip and some water and cover immediately. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove the cover and toss to coat the dumplings with the flavor sauce. Cook little more till the sauce dries.

Serve immediately with the dipping sauce.

 

 

Rotli Nu Chaas Valu Shaak (Leftover Rotis in Spiced Buttermilk)

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Left Over Roti Snack

Rotli Nu Chaas Valu Shaak

 

Rotli nu chaas valu shaak is leftover rotis cooked in yogurt and few spices. It is like a quick and easier form of dal dhokli. Some days are just lazy when you don’t feel like cooking but you still want to eat something healthy and tasty. In a place like Singapore where vegetarian food is not as easily available as in India, home food always tastes better and is sometimes the better or only option. This is one of the quick fixes when everyone is tired or there are leftover rotis at home. There is a similar dish that is made at my place. I will post that soon. This is one of the best dishes that my mom in law prepares.

Somehow all the moms have this trick of transforming simple things into yummy delightful meals. They do not even use fancy ingredients. Just a few basic spices and you endup raving about the same leftover food which you would have had made faces at a while ago.

This tastes even better if the butter milk is lightly sour. Make sure to keep stirring the buttermilk till it boils. Since I was using the store bought thick curd for buttermilk, I added more water, if you are using homemade curd you can reduce the quantity of water. This is healthy, quick, and delicious and can be enjoyed as lunch or dinner. The only thing you need to keep in mind is that you cannot prepare this in advance. It tends to get lumpy as it gets cold. This one pot meal is best enjoyed hot.

Rotli Nu Chaas Valu Shaak (Leftover Rotis in Spiced Buttermilk)

Ingredients

Serves 2

  • 5 whole-wheat rotis
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • ¼ tsp mustard seeds
  • 6-8 curry leaves
  • 1 green chilli slit
  • 2 cloves of garlic chopped
  • 1 dry red chilli
  • 1 ½ cups buttermilk (I used ½ cup curd and 1 cup water)
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tbsp fresh chopped coriander

Recipe

Tear the rotis into small and medium bits and keep aside.

Whisk together the buttermilk, turmeric, red chilli powder, and salt. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a deep pan or kadhai. Add mustard seeds. Once the seeds pop, add curry leaves and green chilli. Add chopped garlic and dry red chilli and cook for 30 seconds to one minute. Add the buttermilk and bring to boil while stirring. Add the roti pieces and reduce the flame to minimum. Check for salt and spice and make adjustments if required. Cook for 5-6 minutes, till the yogurt gets thick and rotis get soft.

Do not stir a lot after you have added the rotis. Just a mix or two should be good. Add chopped coriander and serve immediately.

Til Papdi (Caramelized Sesame Seeds)

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Til Papdi (Caramelized Sesame Seeds)

Til Papdi or caramelized sesame seeds is a sweet prepared in India for the winter festivals like Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Lohri etc. Variety of sesame seed sweets are made and exchanged in various parts of India during winters and especially for the festivals of Sankranti/Lohri. At my home it is mostly Til Laddus (sesame laddus) for Sankranti but my dad and I like Til Papdi more and my mom makes sure to have enough supply at home. There is no winter in Singapore and no festival feeling either. When my mom called to wish me and asked me to make Til papdi for my son, I was apprehensive as I had never made this before. I am glad I made it as he just loved it and enjoyed eating it as much as I do. This recipe does not include any nuts as I was making it for my little one. You can add chopped nuts if you like.

The names of the festivals and the way they are celebrated differs throughout the country. Only practice common is to eat sesame seeds on the festival day. Sesame seeds are high in iron and calcium and also helps in lowering cholesterol levels. Roasting the sesame seeds lightly adds the crunch to til papdi.

This sweet can be made very quickly and needs very few ingredients. If you want a healthier version, you can replace sugar with jaggery. Be very careful while working with sugar. If you let the sugar melt longer, the til papdi will taste bitter.

Though it takes very less time to make this sweet, it needs lot of practice. The thinner you can roll out a til papdi, the better it tastes. Speed is the key to making perfect til papdis. You need to roll out the papdi before the mixture cools down. You can either make papdi mixture in small batches or put the bowl of the papdi mixture in hot water so that the mixture remains hot while you roll out the papdis. Once you have mastered rolling out the papdi quickly, you can try cutting it in various shapes while it is still hot. Store til papdi in an airtight container and put a butter paper or plastic sheet between two papdis so that they don’t stick.

Til Papdi (Caramelized Sesame Seeds)

Ingredients

Makes 10 pieces

  • 100 gms white sesame seeds
  • 75 gms sugar
  • Little ghee for greasing

Recipe

Lightly roast the sesame seeds and keep aside. Heat sugar in a thick bottomed pan. Once the sugar melts, quickly add the sesame seeds and switch off the gas. Mix well.

Grease a clean flat work surface and a rolling pin. Take a little mixture at a time and roll it out as thinly as possible. Make rest of the papdis in same manner. If the mixture cools down, heat it up a little and you should be able to work with it again.

Chilla/Chilve Vali Kadhi

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Chilla/Chilve Vali Kadhi

Kadhi is a tangy, yogurt based north Indian dish that is served with plain rice. There are various types of this dish based on the regions. There is Punjabi kadhi, Rajasthani kadhi, Gujarati kadhi, Sindhi kadhi and a lot more varieties. The basic mixture of gram flour and slightly soured yogurt is same and the tempering and flavours change as per the region.

This recipe is of chilva or chilla vali kadhi. My mom’s family is from Haryana and their cuisine differs from the marwadi cuisine that is made at my place. I don’t know the exact region this kadhi belongs too but this particular kadhi is famous at my maternal grandmom’s place. This is kind of healthy too. Chilva is a gram flour pancake which is made using very less oil compared to the deep fried pakodis that are used in the regular kadhi.

The tempering or tadka for kadhi too differs as per the regions. Just replacing the oil with ghee in the tadka makes a lot of difference to the kadhi. You can even add whole coriander seeds and fennel seeds to the tadka.

Kadhi is usually served with plain rice. I like it more with hot puris. At my place kadhi is served with rice and pressure cooked mung beans. Mung chawal Kadhi is the classic Rajasthani preparation and is a complete meal.

Chilla/Chilve Vali Kadhi

Ingredients

For Kadhi

  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 ½ tbsp. gram flour (besan)
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • Salt to taste

For Chilva/Chilla

  • 3 tbsp gram flour (besan)
  • Few pinches turmeric
  • Salt to taste
  • 2-3 pinches carom seeds (ajwain)
  • 4-5 tbsp oil for frying

For Tempering

  • 2 tbsp oil
  • ½ stick cinnamon
  • 4 cloves
  • 6-8 curry leaves
  • ¼ tsp cumin seeds
  • ¼ tsp mustard seeds
  • ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 3 inch piece of ginger grated
  • 1 green chilli slit
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • ¼ tsp asafoetida
  • 2 dry red chillies

Recipe

Mix all the ingredients for kadhi using a blender or whisk making sure there are no lumps. Keep aside.

To prepare the chilva or chila, make a paste of pouring consistency (of dosa or dhokla batter consistency) using gram flour, salt, turmeric, carom seeds and water. Heat a griddle and put around half table spoon of oil on it. Take a spoonful of the prepared batter and drop it on the oil. It should be like a small round coin sized pancake. Let it cook for 10-15 seconds. Flip on other side and cook for another 10-15 seconds. Move to the side of the griddle. Make rest of the chilvas using the same method adding oil in between. Remember to flip the chilvas on the side of the griddle and take them off from the griddle once you see brown spots forming on the chilvas. Keep the chilvas aside on an absorbent paper.

In a thick bottomed pan or kadhai, bring to boil the mixture for kadhi. Remember to stir continuously till the kadhi boils. Simmer the gas.

Heat two tablespoon oil in a kadhai. Add mustard and cumin seeds. Once the seeds pop, add curry leaves, dry red chillies, mustard seeds, cloves, and cinnamon. Sauté for 30-40 seconds. Add the green chilli, grated ginger, asafoetida and cook for 30-60 seconds. Add the red chilli powder and switch off the gas immediately. Pour this tempering on the kadhi and mix well.

Add the chilvas to the kadhi just before serving and cook the kadhi for 3-5 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander.

Eggless Blueberry Cheesecake

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Eggless Blueberry Cheesecake

Blueberry cheesecake – Eggless – No Bake! Any better way to start the New Year? I enjoy making eggless desserts and enjoy it even more when people around me love to eat them. This is one of my dear friend’s favorite dessert. This post comes a little late but I wanted to make something special to thank her for all the effort she has put in helping me create this blog. Thank You Sowmya for all the late night nonsense discussions, answering my silly questions, and helping me create this blog. Hope this post will remind you of the time we spent in Bangalore searching for the perfect blueberry cheesecake.

Blueberries are rich in antioxidants, yummy, are in season now, and most of all I got them cheaper at the supermarket this week. Traditionally, cheesecakes are made using cream cheese but I have used Mascarpone cheese for this cheesecake. Combination of Mascarpone and fresh whipped cream seldom goes wrong.

I have used Mcvites Digestive Biscuits for the base. You can use graham crackers or even Marie biscuit based on your choice. Oreo is another great choice if you are a Oreo lover. I like the base nutty so I have added cinnamon powder. You can experiment with the base too by adding powdered almonds, walnuts, and spices like nutmeg and cinnamon.

You can substitute blueberries with other berries like strawberries, raspberries, or even cherries. If you are lazy to make the compote, you can buy the ready made fruit preserves available in the market. Happy New Year!!!

Eggless Blueberry Cheesecake

Ingredients

Serves 6

For the Base

  • 6 digestive biscuits
  • 1 tbsp cocoa powder
  • ½ tsp cinnamon powder
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp butter at room temperature

For Filling

  • 2/3 cup mascarpone cheese
  • 2/3 cup heavy fresh cream
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 2 tsp lemon juice

For Topping

  • 2/3 cup fresh blueberries
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2-3 tsp lemon juice
  • Whipped Cream (Optional)

Recipe

Crush the digestive biscuits to crumbs. You can use a hand mixer for this. Mix rest of the ingredients for base. The mixture should be like moist sand. Press down the mixture tightly into a spring form pan and put it in fridge for 15-20 mins to set.

In a bowl, whip together the cream and 2 tbsp sugar till stiff peaks form. Keep aside.

In another bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with remaining sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla essence till it is smooth and creamy. Fold in the whipped cream carefully and spread this mixture on the base. Let it set in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.

In a pan, put the blueberries, sugar, and ¼ cup water and cook on low flame till you get a thick sauce like consistency. This should take approximately 7-10 minutes. Add the lemon juice in the end and mix well. Keep aside to cool completely.

Once the cheesecake is set, spread this blueberry topping and serve chilled. You can use whipped cream also to decorate the cheesecake.

 

 

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.

Eggless Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes

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Eggless Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes

Merry Christmas! It is eggless chocolate and vanilla cupcakes for the Christmas. It’s a rainy Christmas in Singapore and with all the neighbors gone, our floor is even gloomier so I just needed something to cheer me up. What better than baking a cake! I like to bake cakes more than eating them. The smell of a freshly baked cake just lifts up the spirits and makes me happy. Baking or rather eggless baking has always been very satisfying for me. As kids, we never had any cakes for birthdays or any occasion for that matter. It was not a Marwadi thing or rather not a middle class thing to afford. But being the odd one out always, I have been trying to bake since my school days. From pressure cooker cake disasters to decent cakes in convection oven, I have tried lot of baking at home. Now that I have a wonderful oven in my kitchen, I experiment even more.

I don’t know what it is with eggs and baking. The more things I want to bake the more I need to research on how to bake an eggless version of it. Once you try these cupcakes you will agree that eggs don’t matter really. For me the most important lessons of baking are Follow the recipe point to point; PREHEAT the oven – however excited you are to put your cake in; ALWAYS use the best quality and exact measurement of Ingredients.

I have made chocolate and vanilla flavors as few members in my family prefer vanilla flavor to chocolate. Really! If you wish to make all chocolate cupcakes, just double the quantity of cocoa powder and mix it in the whole batter or if you wish to bake only vanilla cupcakes, leave out the cocoa completely and double the quantity of vanilla essence.

One thing to keep in mind while baking them is that every oven has a different baking time. Best would be to bake the cupcakes for 15 minutes and check them once and then continue baking as required. These mini cupcakes go well with tea, or as a dessert after a meal or just eat them when you like. You can choose to ice them or just eat them warm.

Eggless Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients

Makes 40 mini cupcakes or 25 normal cupcakes

  • 1 ½ cup plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 3 tbsp cocoa powder
  • ½ cup hot water
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup oil (preferably rice bran)
  • ½ cup curd (Indian curd)
  • ½ tbsp. vanilla essence

Recipe

Mix flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl and pass this mix through a sieve once or twice so that the soda gets mixed with the flour.

Combine hot water and sugar and beat them on medium speed till the sugar is almost mixed in water and you see very small grains. Add the curd and oil and blend on high speed for 2-3 minutes. Add half of flour mix and blend on low speed. Add rest of the flour mix and blend on low speed till the flour is mixed into the liquid ingredients and there are no lumps. Make sure to scrape the edges in between. 2-3 minutes should be enough to mix the dry and liquid ingredients well.

Divide this batter into two portions. Add vanilla essence to one portion and cocoa powder to another one. If you find the batter with cocoa too stiff, add one table spoon hot water at this time.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease a cup cake mould or put cupcake liners in a cupcake mould. Spoon the vanilla mixture in half the liners and cocoa mixture in half. Fill only 3/4th of the liners. Tap the mould lightly on a flat surface. This is to get rid of any air bubbles in the spooned batter. Bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes or till a skewer comes out clean when you put it in the cupcake.

For a variation you can also spoon alternate layers of chocolate and vanilla.

Once the cakes are baked, cool them completely and decorate with the icing of your choice.

Icing

I have used Betty Crocker’s Dark Chocolate icing and Cooked Flour frosting from leelabeanbakes.com.

In India, you can get the ready butter cream icing from Pillsbury. It is easily available at supermarkets like FoodWorld and Spencers. You can also try whipped cream or Nutella  Icing. Happy baking!!

Dahi Vada

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Dahi Vada

Dahi vada or Dahi bhalla is an Indian chaat. It is a deep fried lentil dumpling, soaked in thick yogurt and topped with garnishes like sweet chutney, chilli powder, cumin powder, and coriander. Dahi vadas are not as difficult to make as they look. Lentil dumplings are fried and soaked in salted water and then in thick yogurt and garnished just before eating. The secret to light and fluffy dahi vadas is to beat the batter in circular motion for 3-4 four minutes just before making the vadas.

In some parts of India, especially in Delhi and Gujarat, the yogurt used for soaking the vadas is sweetened. I prefer the unsweetened yogurt and like to add the sweet chutney as a topping. There are different versions of dahi vada around the country and this is my family recipe. It might appear bit different from the other recipes you find on Internet. My mom prefers to add some spices like chilli powder and some cumin powder to the yogurt in which the dahi vadas are soaked.

In Hyderabad, during the month of Ramzan, you can find roadside stalls selling dahi vadas in the evenings when people break the fast. I have blurred memories of  the vendors shouting funny slogans to attract people to their dahi vada stalls. These vendor sell dahi vadas with different toppings. Red chilli powder, cumin powder, and sweet chutney are common toppings for dahi vada. People even add chaat masala, grated coconut, sev, mint chutney, and pomegranate as toppings.

Dahi vada tastes best when it’s chilled. This is a fixed side dish at my place for the Diwali dinner. It can be served as a snack or as a side dish with meals.

Dahi Vada

Ingredients

Makes 15 dahi vadas

  • 2/3 cup urad dal soaked for 5-6 hours
  • 3 cups yogurt beaten
  • 1-2 tsp salt
  • 1-2 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1-2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1-2 tsp black salt
  • ¼ cup tamarind chutney
  • 1-2 tbsp chopped coriander
  • Oil for frying

Recipe

Drain water from the soaked urad dal and grind it to a smooth paste using as little water as possible. Transfer the paste to a mixing bowl. You can add a pinch or two of soda at this stage if you wish. But this is optional.

Heat oil in a deep pan or kadhai. Wet your palms. Drop around a tablespoon full of the dal paste and shape it round. Carefully slide the vada into hot oil. Do this for rest of the vadas. Fry on medium flame till the vadas are golden brown. Another option is to use a wet table spoon and carefully drop vadas into the hot oil. Remember to dip the spoon in water before taking the paste for each vada.

Put the vadas on a paper towel to drain excess oil. Take around 1 ½ to 2 cups of water in a bowl. Add around two tsp of salt and mix. Now add the fried vadas to this water and let them soak for 30-40 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the yogurt with salt, and little red chilli powder. Squeeze out the vada from salt water after 30-40 minutes. Dip the vadas in the beaten yogurt and refrigerate for 30-40 minutes if you like the dahi vada chilled.

Just before serving take the vadas in serving dish. Top it with little more yogurt. Garnish with pinch of black salt, cumin powder, and red chilli powder. You can adjust the garnish as per taste and quantity of the vadas. Add tamarind chutney and chopped coriander.

Masala Khichdi

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Masala Khichdi

Khichdi is a preparation of rice and lentils and is a comfort food. It is also a common baby food or food for people who are sick as it is a very basic and healthy food without any or much spices. It is a very quick recipe too. Rice and dal are pressure cooked with salt and turmeric and its done.

I was never a khichdi fan until I had this wonderful spicy or masala version of khichdi. In Bangalore, we were local guardians to a wonderful girl from Gujarat who was in Bangalore to study Pharmacy. Her mom made this Khichdi for us when she came to drop her to Bangalore. Since then, Masala khichdi is a regular on our menu.

Since then I have also tasted this dish at few restaurants where it is called dal khichdi. I still love this simple and quick masala version made by Ridhhi’s mom. This can be a quick and filling meal if you are tired to cook roti sabji or you just want a healthy one pot meal. You can eat this masala khichdi with pickle, curd, papad or have it the gujju way with a glass of chilled chaas (buttermilk).

Masala Khichdi

Ingredients

Serves 3

  • ¼ cup rice
  • ¼ cup mung Dal
  • 3 tbsp oil
  • ¼ tsp mustard seeds
  • ¼ tsp cumin seeds
  • 8-10 curry leaves
  • 2 inch piece ginger grated
  • 2-3 cloves garlic chopped (optional)
  • 1 green chilli slit
  • 1 dry red chilli broken
  • 2 tbsp groundnuts
  • 1 small onions chopped
  • 1 small potato chopped
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • ¼ tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 tbsp fresh chopped coriander
  • Salt to taste

Recipe

Wash rice and dal 3-4 times and soak them in 3 cups of water for 5 minutes.

Heat oil in a cooker. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once the seeds pop, add curry leaves, dry red chilli, and green chilli. Add ginger and garlic and sauté. Add groundnuts and sauté. Add onions and cook till they are translucent. Add potatoes, red chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, and garam masala and mix well. Add the washed rice and dal with water. Add salt and mix well.

Close the lid and pressure cook for four whistles. Once the pressure is released, open the cooker and mix well. Mash the khichdi with the back of the spoon while mixing. Add chopped coriander and mix well. Serve hot with curd, pickle, and papad.

Ragda Patties (Aalu Tikki Chaat)

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Ragda Patties (Aalu Tikki Chaat)

Ragda patties is a famous street food from India. Potato patties are topped with boiled green peas, onions, tomatoes, spices and sweet and spicy chutneys to make this mouth-watering street food (Chat). This dish has variations according to regions and this recipe is of the ragda patties (called cutlet or ragda katlis) you can find on the streets of Hyderabad. Boiled green peas tempered with basic spices is called ragda. You can also use dry white peas for the ragda if you wish.

Potato patty known as aloo patty or cutlet is made with boiled potatoes and very few spices. Some people add fillings to these patties. Common stuffing for patties includes finely chopped carrots and French beans or roasted gram flour with spices. I have not used any stuffing in the recipe here. I like to play around with the toppings more than the stuffing.

Tricky part for people who do not cook often is the topping as per taste instruction. But this really has no other way. Some people like their chat sweet, some like it spicy. So you really need to experiment with this one. I like my cutlet with yogurt and lots of sev. I enjoy my cutlet piping hot with chilled yogurt on top.

Normally, this dish is served in layers of patty, ragda, and the toppings. If you want to eat it the hyderabadi way, Crumble the patty on a hot griddle, add some ragda and little panipuri water. Give it a nice mash or mix. Add the spices and chutneys for topping and mash again. Now take it in a plate and top it with yogurt, coriander, and sev. This is hyderabadi ragda katlis for you. Enjoy!

Ragda Patties (Aalu Tikki Chaat)

Ingredients

Serves 4

For the Ragda

  • 1 cup dried green peas (hara batana) soaked overnight
  • ¼ tsp mustard seeds (rai)
  • ¼ tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
  • ¼  tsp asafoetida (heeng)
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • Salt to taste
  • Ghee/oil for shallow frying

For the Patties

  • 4 potatoes boiled, peeled, and mashed
  • 2 tsp corn flour
  • 2 tsp ginger and green chilli paste
  • 1 tsp finely chopped coriander
  • Salt to taste

Toppings/Garnish

  • 1-2 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1-2 tsp black salt
  • 1-2 tsp cumin powder
  • 2 tsp chopped coriander
  • 7-8 tbsp nylon sev
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 1 tomato finely chopped
  • 7-8 tbsp tamarind chutney
  • 7-8 tbsp mint chutney
  • 10-12 tbsp fresh yogurt beaten with some salt

Recipe

For The Ragda

Pressure cook the peas with little salt and 2 ½ cups of water for 5-6 whistles.  Heat oil in a kadhai. Add mustard and cumin seeds. Once the seeds pop, add turmeric and asafoetida and the boiled peas. Add around one cup of water and mix well. Mash the peas a little with the back of a spoon. Simmer for 7-10 minutes or till the ragda thickens and keep aside.

For the Patties

Combine the ingredients for patties and divide the mixture into eight portions. Shape each portion into flat round disc.  Heat a thick griddle. Put ¼ tsp ghee and place a patty. Smear some more ghee on top of the patty and turn it over after a minute. Move it to the side of the griddle. Follow the same procedure for all the patties. Keep turning the patties every 1-2 minutes till they turn brown on both sides. Keep aside.

To Serve

Place two patties in a bowl or a deep plate. Add close to 1/4th of the ragda, 2 tbsp yogurt, 2 tsp onions, 2 tsp tomatoes, few pinches each of red chilli powder, cumin powder, and black salt. Add the tamarind chutney and mint chutney as per taste. Top it with chopped coriander and nylon sev and serve.