Karimeen Varuthathu / Fried Pearlspot using Hudson Canola Oil

Last month I received an email request to review a product on my blog. I agreed . And so, last week, I received a 1 litre bottle of canola oil for a sampling program from Hudson Canola oil, a brand recently launched in India. As canola oil is a neutral flavored oil, it suits all cuisines including Indian cooking.

  

So this week I thought I'll use this oil and review the product and tell you guys what I think about it. The recipe I thought of for this trial round was a simple one . Karimeen fry . I used  the Canola oil as a medium for frying my karimeen or pearlspot.

 

The oil has a high smoke point and is ideal for frying and sauteing. Moreover, the neutral flavor of the oil helps the canola oil stay in the background of the dish rather than dominate in the forefront like most oils. This makes the oil a must-ingredient in the kitchens of those who are into global cuisine. Fortunately, I loved the outcome of cooking with this oil and my verdict would be that I really liked the product received.

 Ingredients: (Serves 4)

• Cleaned Pearlspot - 4
• Chili powder - 3 tspns
• Turmeric powder- 1/2 tspn.
• Salt - To taste
• Canola oil - 5 tbspns.
• Lemon, onions, cucumber and oranges- to garnish

Directions:

• Mix chili powder, turmeric powder and salt in a small bowl. Marinate the fish with the mixed spices and let rest for 30-45 mins.
•  Heat canola oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
• Fry the fish for about  8-9 mins. on each side.
• Serve hot with a spritz of lemon and sliced onions. (I served it with a slice of orange and cucumber too.)

Tomato egg curry

Going straight to the recipe today.

Ingredients:( serves 2)

Eggs - 2 (hard boiled and peeled)
Oil - 2 tbspns
Ginger - 1/4 inch piece( sliced)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tspn
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tspn
Black gram dal (Urud) - 1 tspn
Green chilli - 1 small
Garlic - 1 large clove
Onions - 1 large
Curry powder - 1 tspn( available at indian grocery stores or see masalas recipe)

• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tspn
• Chilli powder - 1/4 tspn
• Tomatoes - 4
• Coriander leaves - 1/8 cup(chopped)
  

Directions:

• Heat oil in a pan, add ginger to it and saute for a minute. Remove the ginger from the oil and discard.
• Splutter some mustard in the ginger infused oil.Add the cumin seeds, black gram dal and green chilli.Saute.
• Add garlic and saute and before it browns add onions.Saute.
• Once the onions turn translucent, add salt, turmeric, chilli powder and curry powder.
• Saute well for about 4-5 mins on a medium flame.
• Add tomatoes and stir.Cook for a minute, add 1/2 cup water and cover and let cook for 7-8 mins.
• Add coriander, stir and turn off the flame.
• Finally, make slits in the hard boiled egg and add to the curry.
• Serve hot. Partners well with any roti or even rice for a change.

Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

Repost -Pav Bhaji

I'm making a repost today. This is being sent for the 15 minute cooking event conducted by Mahima
Mumbai is known for its street food as it is for Bollywood. I have visited Mumbai once, on a school excursion, and have a vivid memory of all the yummy street food availabe there. Gol gappas( pani puri), vada pav, pav bhaji etc.

Once, I heard Anthony Bourdain, famous chef and Tv personality, remark on a Tv show, that he expected all the politicians, street vendors and other citizens to break into song and dance, out of the blue, on the streets (like in Indian movies) when he visited Mumbai. But, it didn't happen. He was disappointed at that, but, the street food did not disappoint, he said. That's fair enough.

Pav bhaji is the number one street food in Mumbai and soon catching up in other states as well. Pav means bread and bhaji means vegetable gravy. It is Indian fast food and mind you- a very healthy version compared to it's american counterparts. Now, how many fast foods can boast of that? I have heard that it is also called the - Indian sloppy joe.

Always makes as a meal in itself. It is a great way to get your kids to eat their veggies. The homemade version of this dish may never taste as authentic as the style in which the street vendors make it. But, it, defintely, is a more hygienic preparation and the flavors come close.
This food is worth every minute you spend making it.
Prep time - 20-25 mins
Ingredients:(serves 2-3)

• Potatoes- 2 large( peeled and cut)
• Carrots - 2 ( chopped)
• Beans - 10 ( cut)
• Cauliflower florets - 1/2 cup
• Peas - 1 cup
• Capsicum( green pepper) - 1 small( diced)
• Onions - 1 medium (diced)
• Tomato - 1 (diced)
• Pav bhaji masala - 2 tspns (click here to see recipe)
• Cumin powder - 1 tspn
• Garam masala - 3/4 tspn
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn
• Paprika powder - 1 tspn ( substitute with kashmiri chilli powder)
• Chilli powder- to taste
• Ginger - garlic paste- 1 tspn
• Oil - 2 tbspns
• Salt - to taste
• Chopped coriander leaves - 3 tbsps
• Butter - 1 tspn (optional)
• Wedges of lemon and chopped onion -to garnish

Directions:

• Boil the carrots, beans, peas, cauliflower and potatoes with little salt. Drain the vegetable and save the stock(stock is the water in which the vegetables were boiled)
• Heat oil in a sauce pan.
• Add onions and saute till translucent.
• Reduce heat to medium and add ginger-garlic paste. Saute for about 3 mins.
• Add the pav bhaji masala, turmeric powder, paprika powder, chilli powder and garam masala. Saute for 5-6 mins. Add tomato, capsicum and 3-4 tbspns of the vegetable stock( which was saved earlier) and cover and cook for 3-4 mins.
• Add the necessary salt.( remember that the vegetables were cooked with salt earlier so add salt accordingly)
• Add cumin powder and stir.
• Add the boiled vegetables and mash with a potato masher.Mix well. Add 4-5 tbspns or more vegetable stock to this mixture till you get bhaji which is semi-solid.( it should not be too thick nor too dilute). Stir well till the masala is mixed well with the bhaji.
• Cook on low flame for 2 mins.
• Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with some chopped onions, coriander leaves and a blob of butter and a wedge of lemon.
• Serve hot with pav( bread).

I forgot to add onions to my bhaji garnish while taking snap shots. I realised it only after I wiped my plate clean :)
Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

Thepla/ Methi Roti

Hi folks,
I'm glad to be back. Hope all of you are well. Seems like a long time. I had a great trip Since many of you asked for my tour snaps, will post a few sometime next week. I will not harp too much on my travel because my blog is just a food blog and not a travel one:)

So back to food blogging.

This recipe comes to you right from the place of it's birth- Gujarat. My sister-in-law, Vidya, lives in Gujarat. She, being born, brought-up and settled there, is great at preparing Gujrati cuisine. This one is unmistakably scrumptious and I think that it's the authentic preparation too.

I love the vesatality of rotis. You can make them plain, or stuffed , mix them with spice, fry them etc etc. When I check out many blogs, I see different varieties of rotis and it always amazes me at the innumerbale varieties in which one can make them. WOW!

I know that Gujratis always add sugar to most of their dishes. Might sound funny to south Indians, but it's all a matter of taste. For theplas, the dough is made by adding yogurt instead of water. I have mentioned a quick tip in the end of the recipe to freeze the theplas and to facilitate making them later.
This recipe is being sent to the 15 minute cooking event conducted by Mahima.

Ingredients:( makes 10 theplas)

• Atta (whole wheat flour) - 1-3/4 cups
• Bajra flour( pearl millet flour) - 1/2 cup
• Besan ( chick pea flour) - 1/2 cup
• Yogurt - 1/2 cup( or as required)
• Oil - as required
• Fresh methi leaves (fenugreek leaves) - 1 bunch ( separate the leaves from the stalk and discard the stalks)
• Garam masala - 1 tspn
• Turmeric - 1/4 tspn
• Chilli powder - 1 tbspn
• Salt - to taste
• Cumin seeds - 1 tspn
• Cumin powder - 1 tspn
• Ginger- garlic paste - 2 tspns
• Sugar - 1 tspn( optional)

Directions:

• Mix all the ingredients and make a dough. Knead well. Add more yogurt if necessary.( The dough will be sticky ) So after kneading the dough, add a tspn of oil and spread it around the dough and cover and set aside for 20-30 mins.
• Divide the dough into 10 equal portions .( The dough will be very soft and kind of sticky
• Using more oil, roll out the dough into rotis. Theplas are thick rotis , so don't roll them out too thin.( since the dough is very soft you don't have to apply pressure while rolling out the thepla.)
• Cook them on tava( crepe pan) similar to making chapatis.Serve with raita and pickle.

Quick Tip:
This recipe is a great one to make ahead of time and freeze. The instructions to freeze theplas is provided below. I, usually, make double the dough and freeze the uncooked theplas. So, next time you want a quick thepla, just take it from the freezer and cook it.

Instructions: Roll out the theplas with the help of oil and place each one of them between sheets of parchment paper. Use of parchment paper prevents the rotis from sticking to each other. Put them in ziploc bag and freeze them. They stay for upto a week.

Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

Avial

Vishu is round the corner. Vishu is new year's day in the Malayalam calender and falls on the 14th of April in the Gregorian calendar . It is celebrated with much pomp and splendor in Kerala.

There are 3 awesome things about Vishu which I love.

One, I love the custom followed at dawn, on the day of Vishu.

The lady of the house sets up a large platter in the Pooja room( room of worship) on the night before Vishu. The platter is arranged with fruits, money, jewels, flowers, a new piece of cloth, paddy and a very special mirror called the "valkannadi". The unique feature of this mirror is that it is not made of glass, like most mirrors, but bronze metal. The significance of the mirror on this arranged tray is to reflect prosperity, wealth and welbeing. This arranged platter is called Vishu Kani.The ritual followed at dawn is that every individual is brought blindfolded straight from bed to the Pooja room, so that the first sight seen on the new year's day is this tray signifying prosperity. This is called Kani kaanal. It is believed that seeing the Kani will carry forward prosperity throughout the year.
Secondly, I love the tradition of all the elders in the family offering money to the younger members( Great way to get a fat pocket)

Finally, I love the sadhya( famous vegetarian meal of kerala) with lots and lots of sides.

Usually, sadhya is served on banana leafs and it's difficult to number the various side dishes. The sides for rice are avial, sambar, moru kootan, kaalan, thoran, erisseri, papadam, pickle, kaaya varthathu( plaintain chips), chena varthathu( yam chips), sarkkara upperi, ghee, inji puli, parippu(dal), olan, moru, stew.........and believe me when I say that I have named just a few :) Then, there's dessert too. Mostly palpradhman( kheer made of milk) and sarkkara pradhaman( and one made of jaggery). Mmmm! (I guess just by reading that, everyone's stomach is filled:)

I wonder why I write all this...........it only makes me yearn to go home...
Anyway, I'm shelling out some recipes for some kerala specialities. I'll start with avial. Avial is a mixture if various vegetables in a yogurt-coconut gravy. I personally think that an avial requires a minimum of 5 veggies to be included in it. In this recipe, I have added 6 varieties of veggies. This dish is a powerhouse packed with nutrition. And it's pretty simple too.

Note: The vegetables are required to be cut into long peices. This cutting style is called julienne . For avial, the veggies need to be cut into 1-1/2 inch long and thin pieces.

Preparation time - 20 mins

Ingredients:( serves 5-6)

• Julienned yam- 3/4 cup
• Julienned carrots - 1 cup
• Beans (cut into 1 inch pieces) - 1 cup
• Drumsticks ( cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces) - about 12-15 pieces
• Julienned white pumpkin - 1 cup
• Julienned raw plantains - 1 cup
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn
• Salt - to taste
• Grated coconut - 1 cup
• Green chillies - 4
• Cumin seeds - 2 tspns
• Sour yogurt - 1/2 cup
• Oil - 1 tspn
• Curry leaves - 7-8

Method:

• Make a coarse paste of the coconut, green chillis and cumin seeds with about 3-4 tbspns of water.
• Transfer the paste to a small bowl and add yoghurt. Mix well. Set aside.
• In a large pot, pour 2 cups water and add turmeric and salt. Boil beans and drumsticks in it for 3 mins. ( If you need avial with lots of gravy, add more water)
• When they are half-cooked add the rest of the vegetables in the same pot and cook
  When the vegetables are nearly done, add the coconut- yoghurt mix to the vegetables. Stir well and bring to a boil.
• Add the curry leaves and the oil and turn off the heat.
• Serve hot with rice.

Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

Simple Vegetable Pulao

Hey guys! I'm becoming a busy bee now a days. All because we are planning to travel to a lot of places next month. Starting the second week of April, we are visiting the Grand Canyon- North and South rim, the following weekend- Chicago, the week after that- Michigan, Niagara and New York. Phew! That's going to be some trip. So, I'm in charge of all the bookings and reservations and travel info. So, now you know I'm not giving you some lame excuse.
I did not want to fore go making a post today. So, here's another simple dish which I'm sure all of you know about and prepare often. Simple vegetable pulao. My mother-in- law makes a different kind of pulao, which I love and I will post that recipe sometime soon.This picture is being sent for the Holi Hai event conducted by Purva of purvasdaawat.blogspot.com/.

• Ingredients:(Serves 2)
• Basmati rice - 1/2 cup
• Oil/Ghee- 3 tbsps
• Cumin seeds- 1/2 tspn
• Green chillies - 2(slit)
• Bayleaf- 1
• Cinnamon - 2 sticks( 1 inch )
• Cloves - 4
• Cardamom - 3
• Carrots - 2 (diced)
• Green beans - 10-15(chopped)
• Green peas - 1/2 cup
• Salt - to taste

Directions:

• In a pressure cooker or saute pan, heat oil and ghee.
• Add cumin, green chillies, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom.
• Add the vegetables, and salt.
• Turn heat to low and stir for a minute.
• Now, add rice. Stir fry on a medium flame for a minute.
• Add a little less than 1 cup of water to the rice.
• Cover and pressure cook on medium flame for 6-8 mins. If using a saute pan, cover and cook for 15 mins.
• When done stir the rice .
• Serve hot with raita or any gravy.

Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

Tomato rice

How many of you have been to boarding school? ( Right now, I've put my hand up.....Anyone else?) I loved hostel life.

If you have not been a boarder, I think, that you have truly missed out on one of the most exciting experiences. Being surrounded by friends, fun and frolic. There may be many of you who disagree with me. Anyway....your entitled to your own opinions:)

While I was studying for my graduation and was in hostel, I had a big, big gang of friends and we did everything from bunking classes , to pretending to be sick and scooting for movies, sitting late into the night playing cards and chatting away non-stop and much much more...... But, mind you, we did sober stuff which were harmless. No harm to anyone, including ourselves. None of us, ever flunked a paper nor did we do anything our parents didn't approve of. We were serious where we had to be and had fun whenever we had a chance. They were good days....

Well, hostel life was great, except when it came to the food part. We were served cold, horrible meals and our lunches included no other veggie other than yams and potatoes on a regular basis. Coming to the idlys......they were stone-hard, and we often joked that it could kill someone if it rolled off the table. It could have been for a fact, but, never tried to prove it :)

But, there was one dish which was unanimously loved..... tomato rice. Served with potato chips (not surprising, potato again), the combination was utterly enjoyable. It rice was tangy and spicy. This is my take on that tomato rice, but I've included a veggie as well. No not potato this time:) It's peas. And I'm avoiding the chips too( for everyones sake).

Enjoy the weekend everyone. And beware! Today is FRIDAY THE 13TH. Spooky...

Ingredients:( serves 3-4)

• Basmati rice - 1 cup ( or 4 cups cooked basmati rice )
• Vegatable oil - 2 tbspns
• Onion - 1 medium( chopped)
• Garlic - 2 cloves( finely chopped)
• Green chilli - 1
• Cumin seeds - 1 tspn
• Cloves - 2
• Cinnamon stick - 1
• Chilli powder - 1/2 tspn ( or to taste)
• Garam masala - 1/2 tspn
• Frozen peas - 1/2 cup (optional)
• Tomatoes (roma tomatoes) - 5
• Tomato paste( puree) - 2 tbspns
• Boiling water - 1-1/2 cups( if using cooked rice, no need for water)
• Salt - to taste
• Fresh cilantro- 3 tbspns

Directions:

• Wash the rice nad soak in cold water for 10 mins.Drain and set aside
• In a large sauce pan, heat oil and add the cloves and cinnamon.
• Then add cumin seeds, green chilli and garlic and saute for 30 secs.
• Add onions and saute till light golden.( about 3 mins)
• Add garam masala and chilli powder. Stir well.
• Now add the tomatoes and tomato puree and mix well. Reduce heat to medium-low. Let it simmer and reduce till most of the liquid is evaporated and you are left with a thick tomato masala. (takes about 1o mins).
• Add peas a cook for another 5 mins.
• If using cooked rice, just stir in the rice. Mix well so that all the rice grains are coated with masala. Stir in coriander leaves. Serve hot with raita.
• If using uncooked rice, stir in rice and add the boiling water.
• Cover the pan and set heat to medium and let the rice cook.( abt 13-14 mins)
• Stir occasionally.
• When the rice is cooked, remove from heat and stir in cilantro leaves with a fork.
• Serve hot with raita

You might like to check out these recipes:

Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

HYDERABADI BIRYANI

Did you know that biryani comes from the Persian word 'birian' which means 'fried before cooking'? Or that there are over 26 varieties of biryani made in India?
It is considered a royal dish of the Nizams and the Nawabs.But now a days,in India, you find restaurants specializing in biryani around every corner.
I am a biryani fanatic. I just love the whiff of spices and the blend of flavors in it. I can eat biryani morning, noon and night.So, by now you would have guessed that this recipe is an all time favorite of mine.Vinit adores it too.Hyderabadi biryani is usually made with Mutton(Goat meat).But since I prefer white meat, I have substituted mutton with chicken.You can absolutely use whatever meat you prefer.
I have made this recipe easier to follow in many ways in comparison to the traditional method of making hyderabadi biriyani without compromising on taste .So, you don't have to run to your favorite restaurant everytime you crave hyderabadi biryani .You have it right at your fingertips.........Yippeeeeee! Here are the flavors which come straight from the Nawab's kitchen.

QUICK TIP: Now the easiest way to go about this recipe is to marinate the chicken or mutton ahead of time.I marinate it and refrigerate it overnight.In this way, the process of making biryani the following day becomes shorter and way easier.

Preparation of the marinade takes about 15 mins.

Preparing the biryani takes about 40 mins

INGREDIENTS (makes 6-7 servings)

• 2 pounds chicken(which includes breast, thighs and legs), cut into 1-1/2 inch peices
• 1 tablespoons papaya paste (tenderising agent)[OPTIONAL]
• 2 tablespoons ginger paste
  
• 2 tablespoons garlic paste
  
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
  
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
  
• 2 teaspoons red chilli powder
  
• 2 cinnamon sticks (1 to 1 -1/2 inches each)
  
• 9 cloves
  
• 3 bayleafs
  
• 7 cardamom pods
  
• 10 tbspns sunflower oil or vegetable oil
  
• 4 large onions thinly sliced
  
• 15-20 Cashew nuts
• 1 tspn Saunf(fennel seeds)
  
• 2 tbspns raisins
  
• 5 tablespoons whole yogurt
  
• 1 lemon, juiced
  
• 1/4 cup chopped mint
  
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  
• 2 green chiles, slit
  
• 4 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
  
• 3 cups basmati rice
  
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron (about 10 strands fresh saffron) boiled in 1/2-cup milk for 5 minutes and set aside for 15 mins to allow the color and flavor to transfer to the milk. [ a substitute for saffron is 1/8 tspn of turmeric powder in milk. But ofcourse, the taste will have to be compromised a little if you are going for this option]
  
• Coriander powder - 4 tbspns
  
• Garam masala - 1 Tbspn
  
• Coconut milk - 1 cup(divided into 2 equal halves)

DIRECTIONS
For marinating the chicken:

• Lay the chicken peices in a bowl. Add papaya paste,1 tbsn ginger paste, 1 tbspn garlic paste, salt, turmeric, chilli powder, 1 cinnamon stick, 3 cloves, and 2 cardamom pods. Mix the spices into the meat with your hands.
• Strain the yoghurt in a tea strainer or a cheese cloth for 15-20 mins till all the whey drips out and you are left with a very thick curd.
• Heat refined peanut oil or sunflower oil in a saute pan . Add 3 of the thinly sliced onions and fry until light golden and crisp. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Keep 1/3 part of these fried onions aside for garnishing.
• Now fry the cashew nuts and the raisins in the oil and set on a tissue.Reserve the oil.
• Pulse the fried onions in a food processor to get a very coarse paste and rub it onto meat and mix with hands. Add yogurt and mix again. Add lemon juice, half of the mint and half of the coriander leaves and 2 tablespoons of the oil that is leftover from the onions. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour( or overnight) for the flavor to develop.

For preparing the Biryani:

• Par boil the 3 cups of rice along with 3 pods of cardomom and 3 cloves in 7 cups of salted water.Par boil means to boil only till the rice is half-cooked.[For example , if basmati rice takes 16 mins to cook fully, then this recipe phase requires for the rice to be cooked for only 8-9 mins]
• When the rice is still crunchy in the middle, turn off the flame and strain it, reserving the starchy liquid that is drained from the rice.
• Divide the rice into 2 equal portions. To one portion add the saffron milk and stir and set aside. To the second portion of plain white rice and add 2 tbspns of ghee.Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(177 degrees C)
• In heavy bottom pan heat the oil left over form frying the onions along with 2 tbspns of ghee.Add the bayleaves, remaining pods of cardomom, saunf, cloves and cinnamom sticks.Then, add the slit green chillies and the remaining sliced onions.
• Saute until golden brown.Add the remaining ginger-garlic paste.Saute well.
• Now add the coriander powder,garam masala and the remaining mint and cilantro leaves.When the masala is well sauteed add the marinated chicken along with all the marinade.Add one 1/2 cup of coconut milk and 1/8 cup of water .Cook for 8 mins or till the chicken pieces are half cooked.
• Then, take a lasagna dish or any flat based oven-proof bowl and make a single layer of this chicken masala. Spread evenly all across the base of the dish.
• Layer the rice on top of the chicken masala.
• You can layer the rice in 2 ways. One way is to layer the rice like in this picture here. Layer the ghee rice first on top of the chicken layer and then layer the saffron rice above the ghee rice.This is an easier method.
• The second way is like in the first picture of this posting. Take the ghee rice and saffron rice and layer it alternatively. I have used 2 layers of rice( meaning, that below every ghee rice layer I have layered saffron rice and below every saffron rice layer, there is a ghee rice layer. (I opted for this layering style only for the sake of a good snap)
• In a small bowl, mix the second 1/2 cup of coconut milk with 3/4 cup of the rice-starch drained from the boiled rice(which you have reserved earlier).
• Pour the coconut milk-starch mixture evenly over the top of the rice .Cover the dish with a lid or a aluminium foil and pop it into the preheated oven for 30-35 mins.(Don't open the oven frequently while food is being cooked in it.This leads to sudden drops in oven temperature and your food will remain uncooked in the recommended time)
• When the biryani is done, remove the foil and garnish with fried onions and cashews and raisins.
• While serving the biryani dig right through to get all the layers on your plate.
• Serve with raita.(raita is a simple salad made with yoghurt which is mixed in with chopped onions,cucumber,coriander leaves and salt)

Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

Puffy treat - BATTURA

Having invited a couple of friends home for dinner, I planned on making a good, authentic Indian meal. I was an amateur cook and a newly wed then. This was my first attempt, ever, at cooking for anyone other than my immediate family. I phoned an aunt for a battura recipe and decided to go ahead with my plans.The process required a fermented dough which I kneaded. I decided to make hot batturas only after the arrival of my guests. So, I spent half my day decking up my house and the other half, pouring out energy, into making refreshments and other items on my menu.

My guests arrived and having served them a round of refreshments and store-bought snacks, I headed for the kitchen. I thought it would be an easy process but ended up fighting with the sticky dough and I had flour all over me and my kitchen. I, painstakingly, rolled and fried and fried and fried each of the, so called, batturas...............only to end up with something really wierd. It looked like alien food. And the taste?.......... Don't even bother to ask.

I, frightfully, realised, that I may have to organise a naming ceremony for those oil-soaked monsters........Was there going to be a christening that evening? I cringed at the thought of my guests starving. Those wierd things that I had made were just NOT BATTURAS. Just some kind of thick, hard papad which could easily be of use to a dentist to have a patient's tooth removed. My guests were neither dentists nor did they require a tooth job. My heart sank. Moreover, my evening was sabotaged.

Finally, we made other arrangements and ended up eating take-out food. My friends were only too happy to have saved there teeth and escaped my horrendous food. They joke about it to this day. I vowed never to make batturas in my lifetime ever again.

As time passed, my anger towards batturas faded and my tough declarations not to make them again have been broken. With all the food experimenting going-on, ever since, my batturas turn out excellant now and I don't detest them anymore. This is my tried and tested recipe. It is as easy as making simple puris. Follow the steps below and I am sure you will not have the same experience as I did.

So, they say, chole masala is the perfect-partner for battura . A match made in heaven. Go ahead and make any side which you think is a perfect accompaniment for this puffy treat. Paneer shabnam is also a great gravy for batturas.
INGREDIENTS : (Makes 10-14)

• All purpose flour - 2 cups
• Yoghurt - 6-7 tbspns
• Sugar - 1 tspn
• Salt - to taste
• Oil -2 tbsps(for dough)
• Luke warm water - 1/2 cup
• Active dry yeast - 1/2 tspn( substitute with bakin soda)
• Oil- for deep frying

DIRECTIONS:

• If you are using baking soda, just mix the water, baking soda and all other ingredients together to make a soft dough.
• If using yeast, add yeast to the lukewarm water along with sugar and set aside for about 10 mins.
• After the yeast starts frothing, mix it in with all other ingredients and make a soft dough.
  Put dough in a large bowl and cover the dough with a slightly wet cloth or with a plastic wrap and set aside for 3-4 hours for the dough to rise.
• Now,gently, beat the dough down and divide it into 10-14 equal portions(into the shape of balls).
• Roll out each ball on a floured surface with a rolling pin.
• Heat oil to 375 degrees F(191 C) and deep fry the batturas in hot oil-similar to making puris(be cautious of oil splatters)

NOTE:While frying each battura, only when one side is done you must turn it over onto the next side .(At the most, you can turn sides twice).If you keep turning sides, the battura will soak up alot of oil which is not what we want. Bring the oil to the right heat and cook each side of the battura for about 10 seconds.You might like to check out these recipes too:











Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

PANEER SHABNAM - DELICIOUS VEGETARIAN GRAVY RECIPE

This recipe is one of the handiwork of my mother-in- law, whom I refer to as 'Amma' ( I refer to my mother also in the similar manner).

Paneer is an Indian cottage cheese available at all Indian grocery stores. It has a very bland taste and can be homemade by curdling hot, whole-milk with lemon juice and straining it till all the whey water is drained and you are left with just the milk solids.This is later pressed into a box to form a block of cheese. I saved myself the trouble of this process and took a short cut. I opted for store bought paneer.

I cook frequently, infact, on a daily basis and I have noticed that I have days when I'm just unable to decide what to prepare for the day.And there are days when I'm as lazy as a log.(ring a bell?)Well, I use this recipe on one of those days.
In India, Amma(referring to my mother in law here) makes this recipe on days when she wants to finish cooking in a snap. It has very simple ingredients and takes just about 15 mins to prepare. Hubby dear, who is usually finicky when it comes to food loves this gravy and so do I . Saves so much of time. Though a simple recipe, chances are that this preparation will be an instant hit in your home and a frequent dish on your table.Great for when guests turn up too.

I don't like to deep fry the paneer, so I toast it. In that way, I avoid the use of alot of oil.

Toasting paneer:

Toast all sides of the block of paneer on a crepe pan/dosa pan (see pic).When it is seared and golden brown on all sides, cut into 1/2 inch cubes and set aside. (Toasting is done do prevent the paneer from disintegrating when put into hot gravy)

In this recipe, I have used store-bought paneer because it's for a lazy day. Remember? You can make it from scratch too. There are directions for making paneer in my rasgulla post. (click here for recipe). Curry powder is another ingredient in this recipe for which you can either use homemade powder or store-bought. ( click here for curry powder recipe)

Tip:

Those of you who don't like paneer..... cheer up. You can add boiled eggs to this gravy instead of the paneer. The curry will still taste just great.
Ingredients:(serves 3-4)

• Paneer - 250 gms (My rasgulla recipe post has the recipe to make paneer. Click here see recipe)
• Cumin seeds - 1 tspn
• Green chilli - 1 ( slit)
• Onions - 1 large (sliced)
• Garlic - 2 large cloves(finely chopped)
• Capsicum(green bell pepper) - 1 large(chopped into 1/2 inch pcs)
• Curry powder - 3 tspns (Click here for recipe)
• Chili powder - 1/2 tspn( or to taste)
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
• Chopped Tomatoes - 5-6 medium
• Salt - to taste
• Sugar- 2 tspns
• Sunflower Oil - 2 tbspns
• Chopped Coriander leaves- to garnish.

Directions :

• Heat oil in a sauce pan and add cumin seeds and pop a slit green chilli into it( be cautious of splatters).
• Add garlic and onions and saute.
• Mix-in curry masala, chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and sugar and saute well.(about 3 mins)
• Add tomatoes and stir well.Pour in 1/2 a cup of water .
• Cover pan and allow it to cook on a medium flame for abt 3 mins.
• Add capsicum and cover and cook for abt 3-4 mins.
• Add cumin and stir and when the capsicum is cooked turn off the flame.
• Add the paneer pieces in the hot thick gravy ( since it is toasted it will not disintegrate).
• Finally add coriander leaves to garnish.

Paneer shabnam is a tasty side for rotis, parattas, naans or...... on lazy days for BREAD :)

Luv 'n' luc'

Smitha