Vegetable Stuffed Pooris

Times left-over food clicks some idea and the most frequent one is to make some stuffed pooris, paranthas, dosas, idly. Till date never tried stuffed pooris, so thought of making some to begin our Sunday. 

While you can plan any stuffing for pooris (most used is potato), the left over vegetable stuffing made for paneer is what I used to make these pooris :)

The ingredients and method below is same as that for preparing Vegetable Stuffed Paneer . You can tweak it by replacing vegetables with only potatoes or add more vegetables including fresh / frozen peas.

Ingredients:

• Cumin Seeds                   : 1/2 tspn
• Ginger Garlic Paste         : 1 tbspn
• Green Chillies                 :1-2 finely chopped (instead you can add more of red chili powder)
• Onion                              : 1 big finely chopped
• Capsicum                        : 1 small finely chopped
• Potato                              : 1 medium boiled and mashed
• Butter / oil                       : 1 tbspn
• Turmeric Powder             : 1 tspn
• Red Chili Powder            : 1/2 - 1 tspn
• Salt                                  :  To taste
• Cashew                            : 4 finely chopped and fried
• Garam / Curry Masala     : 1 tbspn
• Coriander Leaves

Method:

To make the vegetable stuffing:

1. In a kadai, add butter / oil. As it heats up, add jeera and allow it to splutter.
2. Add ginger garlic paste and saute till it cooks
3. Add green chili and saute it for a second
4. Add onion and saute till they turn pink (translucent)
5. Add capsicum and saute
6. As they cook, add turmeric powder, chili powder, garam masala and salt 
7. Then add mashed potato and coriander leaves
8. To this mix, add the fried cashew nuts and remove from fire

To make the dough for pooris:

1. In a mixer, blend the vegetable mix to ensure there are no lumps such as fried cashews 
2. In a vessel, take enough wheat flour and add this mix. 
3. Knead well using warm water and a spoon of oil / ghee

To make the  pooris:

1. In a kadai, pour enough oil to deep fry the pooris. Allow it to heat 
2. Prepare small round pooris (size per your preference) and deep fry. 

To serve as a side dish / gravy : Tomato Mutter Gravy: 

Ingredients:

• Onion                  :1 medium finely chopped
• Tomato                : 1 medium finely chopped
• Garlic                  : 4 pods chopped
• Ginger                 : 1/2 inch chopped
• Green Chilli         : 2 finely chopped
• Peas / Mutter        : 1 cup (soaked in warm water)
• Coriander Powder: 1 tbspn
• Turmeric Powder :   1/2 tspn
• Red Chili Powder:  1/2 - 1 tbspn (as spicy as you need)
• Salt                       : To taste
• Coriander Leaves
• Kasoori Methi (dried feengreek leaves)

Method:

1. In a kadai, add 1 tbspn oil. As it heats up, add a spoon of jeera. As it splutters, add ginger, garlic, onion and saute them till golden
2. Add the peas followed by tomatoes and saute it for 2 mts
3. To this add all spices and salt as per taste
4. Add some water and cook it covered (If you want it tangy, you can add a tbspn of curd)
5. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and kasoori methi

Goes well with hot pooris, rotis, paranthas, dosas and idlis.

Palak Paneer

Palak Paneer is a staple Punjabi dish, given the area's richness in greens especially palak and saag; and paneer / cottage cheese is a given :)

It's a very simple, subtle, rich and delicious preparation that will go well with hot rotis, paranthas, bread or some even relish it with rice. 

Ingredients:

• Palak / Spinach                 : 1 small bundle
• Paneer / Cottage Cheese :  150 gm (1 cup of cubed paneer; dice it to the size you prefer)
• Green Chilies                     : 4-5 (as spicy as you prefer)
• Garlic                                   : 2-4 pods
• Ginger                                 : 1" piece
• Big Onion                           : 2 medium
• Tomatoes                           : 1  small [optional]
• Kasuri methi                     : to flavor
• Jeera / Cumin                   : 1/2 tsp (raw or powder, optional)
• Lemon Juice                      : 1 tspn  
• Garam Masala                   : 1/2 tspn
• Salt                                       : To Taste
• Butter                                  : 1 tbspn 
• Fresh Cream                      : 1 -2 tbspn

Method:

1. Clean the spinach well to remove soil (use running water) 
2. In a kadai add some water and salt. As it starts to boil, add spinach to blanch it for 2 mts
3. Strain it and immediately place in a bowl of chilled water for 1-2 mts (to retain the green color)
4. Allow it to cool and drain the water
5. Make a puree of the spinach with green chilies and set aside
6. In another mixer, make a paste of ginger, garlic, one onion and tomatoes (alternatively you can cut them into fine pieces and saute directly)
7. In a kadai, add a tablespoon of oil. To this add saboot jeera, one diced onion and saute it. As onion turns golden, add the ginger + garlic + onion + tomatoes paste and allow it to cook till the oil starts oozing out (till the raw flavor disappears)
8. Add the garam masala powder and salt
9. To this, add the spinach puree. Stir and cook for 2 mts over small-medium flame
10. To this, add some water and allow it to cook for a few more minutes with occasional stirring over small-medium flame  (till the raw flavor of the spinach disappears)
11. To this, add the cubed paneer (some prefer it raw while some saute it to golden colorbefore adding)
12. Allow the mixture to cook for 2 mts  (should be semi-gravy and not dried. so add water if needed while cooking)
13. Finally, add kasoori methi and lemon juice. Stir it and remove from fire.
14. Top it up with fresh cream and serve hot with rotis / naan / bread 

For this dish, we avoid turmeric, coriander and red chilly powder. 

It's an easy-to-cook dish as compared to many other... so, just go for it!

As a complimentary dish, you can make some Herbal Paneer: 

• Sprinkle some turmeric powder, red chillie powder, salt, dried herbs and mix well. 
• Shallow fry them to golden brown and have it hot!

Tomato Masala Gravy / Chutney

More than the main dish, the challenge lies in making an interesting yet varied yet tasty side dish; one that gels well with the main dish in the making. Whenever we have Idlis / Dosas / Idiyappam etc, we typically run short of ideas... So, we need to keep innovating with chutneys and gravies. One such is this Tomato Kurma / Chutney (Tomao Masala Gravy).

While visiting many cookery blogs, some dishes stay with you and you want to try it out for your taste budzz... this is one such recipe, a Chettinad preparation.

Ingredients

• Tomato                  : 5-6 medium (based on Qty required)
• Onion                    : 2 medium or a handful of small onions
• Turmeric Powder  : 1/2 tspn
• Chili Powder         : 2-2.5 tspn (as spicy as you like)
• Coriander Powder : 1-1.5 tspn
• Salt                        : To Taste
• Coconut                : 1/4 cup grated 
• Green Chilies       : 2 (optional)
• Garlic                   :4-5 cloves
• Ginger                  :1 "
• Jeera                     : 1/2 tspn
• Clove                     :2-3
• Cinnamon             :1"
• Saunf (fennel)       : 1/2 tspn
• Oil                         : 2 tbspn (or more as rqd) - I used sesame oil (nallenai)
• Curry Leaves        : A few

Method:

1. In a kadai, add a spoon of oil. Fry Cinamon, Cloves, Jeera and Saunf. Remove from fire and take it in a mixer. Just saute garlic and ginger and add it to the mixer.
2. To this add the grated coconut, green chilies (if rqd) and grind it to a smooth mix
3. Separately, grind the tomatoes and keep it aside
4. In a kadai, add remaining oil. To this add the onions and let it cook to golden brown with a pinch of salt. To this, add the ground masala and coconut mix. 
5. Allow it to cook till the masala smell is absorbed
6. Add the tomato mix and cook it for a few mts.
7. To this add all powders :turmeric, coriander and chili (While adding chili powder, if you add a bit of oil and then the powder, it will give a rich color)
8. Mix it well along with salt. Add enough water and allow it to cook till oil starts oozing on the sides. You can either make it semi gravy (like Kurma) or like chutney; accordingly remove from fire. 

Serve it hot with Idlis, Dosas, Idiyapam, Rice etc.

NOTE:

• You can use more of green chilies and less of red chili powder to get the typical kurma color (pale green)
• You can make this as semi gravy like kurma or as Chutney (like i did)
• You can adjust the quantity of the masala items based on the flavor you need. I choose to keep it mild.

Potato Peas Curry

One of the simple salivating dish that I've tasted is the "Aloo Mutter Sabji" : "Potato Peas Curry". In the winters of delhi, you get such fresh peas that you would love to eat them in any form. That's how I developed my taste for this.  

Ingredients:

• Peas : 1 cup (Fresh or Frozen) 
• Potatoes: 2 Medium Peeled
• Onion : 2 Small Chopped
• Ginger : 1"
• Garlic : 2-4 pods
• Tomatoes: 1 Medium
• Green Chillies : 1-2 
• Mango Powder (Aamchur) : 1 tspn (can substitute with 1 tbspn of sour curd)
• Turmeric Powder: 0.5 tspn
• Chili Powder: 2 tspn (as spicy as you like)
• Coriander Powder: 1-1.5 tspn
• Garam Masala Powder: 1/2 tspn
• Salt : To taste
• Oil : 2-3 tbspn
• Butter / Cream : 1 tspn (garnishing)
• Coriander Leaves: chopped
• Cumin Seeds: 1 tspn

Method:

• Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes
• Soak the peas in warm water
• Grind the ginger, garlic (or you can add ginger and garlic chopped) separately
• Grind tomatoes separately
• In a pressure cooker / pan, add oil. Add Cumin seeds and allow it to splutter
• To this add chilies, ginger and garlic paste and allow it to cook in the oil for a minute
• Then add onion and fry till golden color
• To this add the tomato pure. Allow it to cook till the raw smell goes off and the mix oozes oil
• Then add all powders including Aamchur or Curd. Add salt and mix well
• Allow the masalas to cook for a mt or two
• To this mixture, add the peas and boiled potatoes. Add enough water to cook
• Close the pressure cooker / pan and allow it to cook for 5-7 minutes (2-3 whistles)
• Open it to check if its cooked and mix it well. Ensure its not too watery (if yes, then allow it to cook without the lid on)
• Garnish with coriander
• Remove to a serving bowl. Add fresh cream or butter

Serve hot with Rotis, some pickle and curd.

Dum Aloo : Baby Potatoes in spicy gravy

Dum Aloo, originally a Kashmiri dish, is famous across North. It is a delicious preparation using Baby Potatoes with moderate - high spice. 

Ingredients:

• Baby Potatoes: 10-12 
• Onion : 1 medium
• Tomatoes: 2 medium
• Curd : 2-4 tspn
• Garam masala : 1-1.5 tspn (Alternatively, I ground it fresh : cardamom (1), pepper (1/2 tspn), Cinamon ( 1 small piece), Clove (1-2 small), Fennel (1/2 tspn))
• Garlic: 4-5 pods
• Ginger: 1/2 inch 
• Chili powder: 1-2 tspn (as spicy as you like it)
• Coriander powder: 1 tspn
• Jeera: 1/2 tspn
• Salt : To taste
• Mango Powder (Aamchur): 1/2 tspn
• Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tspn
• Oil : Some to fry and some to cook

Method:

Prepare the potatoes:

• Boil the potatoes just to soften it (should not be mashed - one whistle should be enough)
• Peel and keep them aside 
• In a kadai, add oil to fry. Add potatoes and fry them till golden brown. Drain and place them in tissues to absorb the extra oil.
• Once it cools down, prick them with a fork on all sides. 
• Kasoori methi : 1 tspn
• I added a few pieces of baby corn as well (cut & fried with potatoes) : Optional

*** I boil and fry so that the oil consumption is less. However, some choose to peel and fry the potatoes directly without boiling them ****

Prepare the Gravy:

• In a bowl take the curd and beat it well. To this add a pinch of turmeric powder, salt and beat it well. Keep it aside
• In a pan, dry roast all masala (if you are making it fresh). Keep them aside. (1)
• In the same pan, add 2 drops of oil and saute ginger, garlic, half of the onion, tomatoes (2)
• Grind the roasted ingredients in (1) and (2) coarsely or if you like the gravy to be smooth then smoothly
• In the pan, add oil. To this add Jeera. Saute it and add rest of the sliced onion. Add a pinch of salt and saute it a bit; then add the ground mix.
• Fry this mix till it leaves out oil (add oil a bit if required)
• To this add, turmeric powder, coriander powder, chili powder, mango powder and rest of the salt (per taste). 
• As it cooks, add the mixed curd. Dilute it based on consistency you want the gravy to be. As it starts boiling, add the potatoes.
• Close it with the lid and cook it for at least 7-10 mts (Keep checking in between to ensure the gravy is not dried up)
• Add kasoori methi (take it hand and powder it) and allow it to cook for 1 mt.
• Remove from fire

Top it with fresh cream (if you like) and coriander leaves. Serve it hot with rotis, puris or rice. 

Note: You can avoid the fresh masala and instead add a tspn of garam masala while adding all other powders. Just ground the onion, tomatoes, ginger and garlic.

Amristari Chole : My first attempt

Chole is a staple punjabi / north indian dish that can be relished with pooris, rotis, rice etc. One variety is made out of kabuli channa / konda kadala / chickpeas (white). Different state gives this dish its own flavor and one such commonly available is "Amristari Chole".

Ingredients:

• White Channa (Chickpeas) : 1 cup (Soaked over night)
• Tea Bag                             : 1 (optional - for this attempt I didn't use it)
• Black Salt                          : 1/2 tspn
• Salt                                    : 1/2 tspn 
• Big Cardamom (badi ilaichi) : 2-4 (Optional)

       For Dry Masala

• Jeera                            : 1 tspn
• Black Pepper               : 1 tspn
• Coriander Seeds          : 1 tspn
• Clove                          : 4-6 pieces
• Cinnamon                    : 1 piece
• Anardana                     : 2 tspn
• Garam Masala             : 1/2 - 1 tspn

        Other Ingredients:

• Green Chillies : 3-4 Chopped
• Ginger            : 1 piece chopped
• Onion             : 1 big finely chopped
• Tomatoes       : 3-4 small chopped
• Red Chillie powder: 1-1.5 tspn (per your taste)
• Coriander powder: 2 tspn
• Bay Leaves     : 1-2 small
• Ghee               :1-2 tbspn
• Coriander        : Finely chopped to garnish
• Oil                   : 2 tbspn (To Cook)
• Aamchur (Mango Powder) : 1 tspn
• Lemon             : 1 medium (for juice)

Method:

• Soak Chickpeas overnight. Remove water and pressure cook the chickpeas along with tea bag (optional), black & white salt. Ensure that the chickpeas are not overcooked but well boiled
• If you use tea bags, remove it after boiling the chickpeas. Strain the water and keep it aside.
• In a kadai, dry roast all masala mentioned under "Ingredients -> Dry Masala". Roast it till it becomes dark such that it gives a darker shade to the cooked channa. Make a nice powder of this
• In a kadai (or same pressure pan), add oil. As soon as it heats, add bay leaves. Then add chilly, ginger, onion and fry till golden brown
• To this add garam masala and tomatoes. Cook for 2 mts till it mixes well with all masala
• To this add the grounded masala powder. 
• To this add aamchur, salt, coriander powder, chillie powder and enough water to cook the chickpeas (you can add water as rqd. Some prepare this as semi-gravy while some make it solid)
• Mash some chickpeas to make it a bit thicker
• Allow this to cook for 5-7 mts in medium flame
• Add some ghee and then garnish with coriander leaves
• Remove from fire and add lemon juice before serving

Serve it with rotis, pooris, white rice etc. Btw, I forgot to mention a key point. My Little princess who otherwise is a bit finicky with her food loved this. She in fact requested it to be saved for her dinner as well:))