Chole

A very easy recipe to make is Chole or Chana Masala. Also if had with chappati / roti with some salad or raita makes it a complete meal.

It is said that eating lot of this chana causes gas problems, stomach upset etc. but cooking this with some ginger will reduce the 'gassy' effect of this chana.

I have never been very chole person, would prefer eating veggies to chana, but busy lifestyle, less time for cooking etc. have made me develop liking to this food.

Ingredients

• 1 cup kabuli chana / chick peas
• 1 tsp jeera
• 1 onion (chopped finely)
• 1 tomato (chopped finely)
• 1-2 green chillies (chopped finely)
• 2 tsp ginger (finely chopped)
• 2 garlic pods (finely chopped)
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp chilli pd
• 1 tsp corriander pd
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp chana masala / chole masala (any brand)
• 1 tsp cream / yogurt
• 2-3 tsp oil
• 1-2 tsp butter / ghee
• Salt to Taste

How to make:

1. Soak Chana Overnight or for 6-7 hours.
2. Boil and cook Chana along with ginger, a pinch of chilli pd and some salt in a pressure cooker.
3. Heat some oil in the kadhai or a pan. Add jeera and let it splutter. Now add onions and fry till it turns brown. Add chopped garlic to it and fry well.
4. Add the dry masalas - turmeric pd, chilli pd, corriander pd and garam masala and fry.
5. Once fried well, add some cream or yogurt and mix well till oil separates. To this add tomato and let it cook till it forms a consistent mushy gravy.
6. Now add the boiled chana along with the remaining water in which the chana was boiled.
7. Add some salt as per taste and cook for 10 min in low flame so that the masala blends with the chana.
8. In a small pan heat some butter / ghee. When hot add chana masala to it and immediately pour over the chole.

Spicy Chole is ready and can be served garnished with corriander leaves and a dash of lemon.

Mor Kozhambu (south indian kadi)

The main diet of Iyer Brahmins is composed of vegetarian food comprising of mainly rice and accompanied by Sambhar, rasam, kootu etc. Sambhar is also called kozhumbu in Tamil. This Kozhumbu is made in different types using various ingredient base. Generally the base is of tamarind pulp, but a different variety is also made using tangy Buttermilk or Mor called Mor Kozhumbu.

This Mor Kozhambu is a well-known and very popular dish in every Tamil Iyer house hold. To this you can add vegetables like lady's finger or okra, white pumpkin, Colocassia, lentil dumplings etc.

Similar to this, people in Maharashtra and in North india prepare Kadi made from buttermilk and besan.

My husband hails from the very famous Tanjore household where every person enjoy food to their heart content. He loves this tangy concoction the way his mother makes it and I must say that my mother-in-law is a great cook!

I learnt this recipe from my mother-in-law and now I can say that I am trying to gain expertise in this too!

There are many recipes that I have learnt from her and my father-in-law and will add it as and when time permits!

In this Mor Kozhumbu I am going to add Okra or Vendakkai in Tamil.

Ingredients

• 4-5 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 tsp toor dal
• 1/2 tsp channa dal
• 1/2 tsp corriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp raw rice
• 2-3 tsp jeera
• 4-5 Green chillies
• 1/2 cup grated coconut
• 10-12 curry leaves
• Salt to taste
• 5-6 okra (cut into medium size pieces)
• A pinch of Turmeric
• 1-2 tsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds

How to make it:

1. Soak the toor dal, channa dal, corriander seeds in some water for 1/2 hr
2. Fry the Okra pieces in some oil with a pinch of turmeric and salt. Fry well and then add some water so that the Okra cooks well. (If you fry the okra well, it will not get slimy when you add water)
3. Now take a blender / mixer. Add grated coconut, green chillies, jeera and the soaked dals and corriander seeds. Add a little salt and grind. Instead of adding water add some buttermilk and grind it to a paste.
4. Next, either you can mix the paste into the rest of the butter milk or you can add all the buttermilk in the blender and blend it once.
5. Transfer the buttermilk mixture into a heavy bottom vessel and place it over the stove on medium flame.
6. Keep stirring the mixture else it will curdle.
7. When it is about to boil, add the cooked okra to the buttermilk mixture.
8. Keep stirring and let it boil for a min and switch off the gas.
9. In a Small pan, add some oil. Once heated add mustard seeds to it and let it crackle.
10. Add this tadka to Mor Kuzhambu.

Tasty tangy Vendakkai Mor Kuzhambu is ready. It is best served with Kottavarangai paruppusili. (Another great Tamilian dish)

Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji has been a quintessential food of every Mumbaikar. Being true Mumbaikars, we also like hogging on to this road side junk whenever we can get our hands on. In Mumbai, the best place to have this at Khaugali.

But whenever you are out of the country the accessibility to have these kinda food becomes restricted. Hence enjoying this typical "Mumbaiya" delicacy is confided into the 4 walls of your home.
I have tried cooking Pav Bhaji in different ways but never could get that taste.

Recently when I wanted to make Pav Bhaji, I did an online search of different recipes. It is only then I stumbled upon this link of Authentic Pav Bhaji made in an Indian Street.
http://www.ifood.tv/recipe/pav_bhaji

Immediately I set myself making this recipe. And I don't have to explicitly mention the outcome. It was simply wow!

Ingredients

• 1 Capsicum
• 2 Tomatoes
• 1 potato
• 1/2 Cauliflower (broken into florets)
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1 onion
• 1-2 tsp of Ginger-Garlic paste
• 2-3 tsp Red Chilli pd
• 2-3 tsp Pav Bhaji Masala (I used Everest)
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric Pd
• A pinch of Hing / Asafoetida
• 4-5 blobs of Butter
• 2 spoons Lemon juice
• 2 tsp of Kasuri Methi (Dry Fenugreek leaves)
• Coriander leaves (for garnishing)
• 1/2 small tsp Tandoori Masala (to get the red color)
• 8 pav / buns

How to make:
For Bhaji:-

1. Heat very little butter in a heavy Bottomed vessel (preferably a flatter one). Add capsicum to it and saute for a min.
2. Now add tomato and saute. Add a little water if required.
3. Smash Potato, Cauliflower and peas with a smasher and add to the tomato-capsicum gravy.
4. Add ginger garlic paste, red chilli pd, turmeric pd and mix well.
5. Add butter and keep smashing the vegetable while u mix.
6. Now add Pav Bhaji Masala, Salt and corriander leaves and keep mixing and smashing till the oil separates.
7. The next heat some butter in another tawa / pan. To it add chopped onions, ginger garlic paste, red chilli pd, Pav Bhaji Masala, Kasuri Methi, Hing, Corriander leaves and some Lemon Juice. (optional - if u require the red color, add tandoori masala)
8. Mix well till the masalas are cooked.
9. Now add the vegetable mixture to the fried onions and keep smashing till u get a consistent mixture.

For Pav:-

1. Heat some butter. To it add a pinch of Red chilli pd, Pav Bhaji Masala and some corriander leaves.
2. Slit the pav or bun horizontally and saute it in this mixture for a min. Roast both sides till it becomes soft.

Serve Pav Bhaji garnished with corriander and a blob of butter with some raw onions mixed with corriander and a lemon wedge on the side.

Masala Pori

Every evening my hubby comes home and wants something to snack on. He would not like to eat upma, dosa and all, but would need something spicy or chatpata.Hence, my house would always be stocked with junk food like chips, mixture, chivda, ribbon pakoda n all. Unfortunately we both knew that eating such junk is not a healthy way to snack.

I remembered when I was young, my mom used to insist having healthy snack and never liked us indulging in junk food. One of her recipes was this Masala Pori.

Pori / Kurmura is a healthy option for snacking and mixing it with simple spices makes it a tasty snack. Some people add Garlic to this snack, but I prefer keeping it simple.

Ingredients

• 3 cups Pori / kurmura / Murmura / Indian Puffed Rice
• 2-3 tsp Oil (healthy option : use olive oil)
• 1 small tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 small tsp asefoetida or hing
• 1 tsp roasted chana dal (the one used in chutney)
• 2-3 tsp peanuts
• 2-3 chillies
• 1/2 tsp chilli pd
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric pd
• Salt to Taste

How to make:

1. Mix salt with the Pori and keep it aside
2. Add oil to a small pan. When hot, add mustard seeds and let it splutter.
3. Keep the flame on low and add asefoetida, roasted chana dal, chillies, peanuts, chilli pd and turmeric pd. Mix it lightly and Pour over the Pori.
4. Mix the Pori with hand or with a ladle.

The Healthy snack is ready. Enjoy with a cup of hot Indian Chai!

Chole Palak

Though I come from a typical south indian family, I was brought up in the cosmopolitan city of Mumbai. Hence , have acquired a taste for both South Indian and North Indian cuisines. There are days when I crave for authentic south indian food like sambhar, rasam, aviyal n all... and there r days when I would only like to have simple roti and sabji.

When it comes to dieting, wheat scores over rice. Though rice is a staple food for most south indians, eating lot of rice tends to make put on weight and a big belly. It makes you feel lethargic and sleepy.

Here in Oslo, I and my hubby decided on a pattern which will help us enjoy both south indian (read rice) and north indian (read roti).

During the weekdays we stick to roti, sabji and a salad or raita and in the weekends we have proper south indian saapadu varying from sambhars, rasams, tuvaiyal, aviyal etc.

I believe lentils and veggies should be equally included in the diet.

This recipe of Chole Palak or Chana Palak blends the nutrients of both lentil and Leafy vegetable - palak / spinach.


Ingredients

• 1/2 cup kabuli channa / Chick peas (soak overnight or for 6-7 hours)
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1-2 green chillies (finely chopped)
• 1 packet spinach leaves / Palak (cleaned and chopped)
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 1 tomato (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp chilli pd
• 1 tsp turmeric pd
• 1 tsp jeera powder
• 1 tsp channa masala powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 1 tsp whole jeera
• 2 tsp malai or curd
• 2-3 tsp Oil
• 2 tsp ghee
• Salt as per taste

How To Make:

1. Pressure cook the soaked chana with some salt for 4-5 whistles or till they become soft.
2. In a separate vessel, add the chopped spinach with a little water and let it cook till soft.
3. Heat oil in a pan / kadhai. When hot add jeera and let it splutter. Now add onions and saute till it turns pink. To this add chopped green chillies and ginger paste. Let it cook for a minute. Now add the masalas - turmeric pd, chilli pd, jeera pd and garam masala pd and Fry till the masala is well cooked.
4. Now add the chopped tomatoes and fry till oil separates. Then add malai or curd and fry well till it forms a thick gravy.
5. Now add spinach to the gravy. Fry for 1-2 min and add the boiled channa with the water in which it was cooked. Add salt to taste. Simmer and cook for 5 min so that the gravy blends well with the palak and the chana.
6. The next step changes the taste of the dish to a great extent.
7. Heat some ghee in a small pan. When hot switch off the stove and add some chana masala pd. As it shimmers, pour it over chole palak.
8. Mix well and close with lid and let it cook for 1-2 min.

Serve Chole Palak with roti / Naan or rice with a dash of lemon and cucumber raita. Optional - Before serving sprinkle some corriander leaves.

Kaju Katli

It was our first anniversary and I wanted to make something special. It is a general tradition that for special occassions, we should make something sweet. Unfortunately, my husband does not like anything sweet except for Kaju Katli. If I was in was India, I would have ran to the nearest sweet mart and buy Kaju Katli for the occasion. But in Oslo, I don't even know if any sweet mart exists!

This is when I thought of making Kaju Katli at home. I searched many recipe books that I had brought from India, but none of the recipes were close to what the sweet shop actually sold.

Then, while searching online, I stumbled upon this recipe evolved by Padma Mehta which was easy to make and as I thought it came out better than the one that one you would find in any sweet shop. Moreover it was home made too.

My husband just loved it! Moreover, since he was going to India the next day on a business trip, he took some for his and my parents. They thought I bought Kaju Katli from outside and sent for them and could'nt believe that I had actually made it at home.
Ingredients:

• 250 gm Cashews / Kaju
• 4-5 pods of Cardamom / Elaichi
• 50 ml Water
• 125 gm Sugar
• 2-3 sheets of Varak / silver foil (optional - as the way the varak is made is controversial)

How to Make:

1. Grind the Cashew along with the Cardamom in a grinder to a fine powder. Do not add any water while grinding. It may become a lump or like a paste but that is due to oil in cashews.
2. Add the sugar in a pan with water. Boil till you get a single thread consistency. It would take around 3-4 minutes after the syrup starts boiling.
3. Turn the gas off but do not remove the pan. Directly mix the ground kaju paste into the syrup. Remove lumps if any by mashing with a spoon, pressing it and moving it in circular motion, stir well.
4. Let it cool. When cooled it becomes thicker like a dough.
5. Grease a Table top or a flat surface. Transfer the dough on the greased surface and roll it with a rolling pin to the thickness you desire. (Optional - In this step, after you have spread the dough on the greased surface, let it cool a bit and then apply the varak. For decoration you can spread small cut pistas, raisins, etc)
6. Now let it cool completely and cut into diamond shape Katlis.

Enjoy the richness of cashew and the goodness of home made Kaju Katlis on any occasion!