‘Aloo Parathas’ A.K.A. ‘ Potato stuffed Indian Bread’

Few years back when I met my boyfriend and fell in love, the 2 of us would spend hours on the phone or email or text as we shared stories about ourselves, our families, friends etc which in turn helped us to get to know each other better. In one of these sessions he told me that his favorite breakfast item was aloo paratha. Being in love, I decided to attempt to make them for him as a surprise. But boy o boy, I got a surprise myself when the parathas didn’t turn out the way I had imagined. They were more stuffed aloo papads/stuffed aloo pathars than parathas as were tough, chewy and the filling was sparse and had managed to escape from the paratha (as though didn’t want to be associated with it no more) :-(. I cried as I had put in a lot of effort into making the parathas and when they didn’t turn out good it made me feel incompetent. In order to soothe me, my BF decided to take a walk down memory lane n tell me about his cook Gorang from Orissa whom he claimed made the best aloo parathas. When Gorang started working at my BF’s place, he was requested to make aloo parathas every Saturday for breakfast. There was just one problem; Gorang had never made aloo paratha before he moved to Bangalore . Initially the parathas were a disaster, yet as time went by he soon became an expert and his parathas were the best my BF n his friends had had away from their north Indian homes, in Bangalore. The moral of the story he said was that if Gorang, who had never tasted an aloo paratha in his life could learn and master the dish, so could I. But I needed to believe in the 2 P’s (Practice and Patience) in order to succeed. He even offered to be my guinea pig so that I could continue working on my paratha experiments :-). I guess the fact that my BF had complete faith in me , pushed me to start making parathas with a never before seen vigor. I worked on the filling ings and proportions, the dough and of course the rolling technique until one day, lo n behold I made the perfect, round aloo paratha. N the biggest compliment I got was when after having the parathas, my BF said they were the best parathas, even better than Gorang’s :-). My BF’s (who is now my hubby) encouragement gave me so much confidence that today if I have to make parathas for 10-15 (or more) people I am cool as a cucumber as know I can handle the task and excel at it too ;-). So my dear friends I share with you my recipe for ‘Aloo Parathas’ A.K.A. ‘ Potato stuffed Indian Bread’ which is tried, tested, approved n appreciated by my darling hubby and our family n friends and which will be a great addition to your recipe books. ENJOY 🙂

Aloo Parathas

Ingredients

¼ cup finely chopped – Onion
¼ cup steamed and mashed – Peas
2 cups boiled, peeled and mashed – Potatoes
¼ cup finely chopped – Cilantro
3 Tbsp finely chopped – Green chillies
1 Tbsp minced – Ginger
1 tsp – Amchoor powder (dried mango powder)
1 tsp – Bhuna jeera powder (dry roasted and ground cumin seeds)
1 ½ tsp – Red chilli powder
4 Tbsp – Oil
Salt to taste
3 cups – Whole wheat flour
Oil / Ghee for frying

Method

1. Take a bowl and add flour and 2 Tbsp oil and rub together to make crumbly dough.
2. Add water to make soft dough. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 10-15 mins
3. Mix together the potatoes, onions, peas, cilantro, ginger, green chillies, amchoor powder, bhuna jeera powder, red chilli powder and salt
4. Use a potato masher to ensure there are no lumps or pieces in potato mixture
5. Divide the dough (that has been rested for 15 mins) into equal sized roundels
6. Roll out each roundel into a small circle. Take a Tbsp of the potato mixture and place in the center of the circle
7. Pick all sides towards the center and pinch towards the top. Tear off the excess dough and form the rest into a roundel once again
8. Roll out the roundel into a 5-6 inch diameter parathas
9. Heat a large griddle plate
10. Once it is hot place the parathas on the griddle. Cook for 2 mins on one side on medium flame and then flip to the other side
11. Apply oil / ghee to the side that has been cooked and then flip again
12. Press down a little with a flat spatula in order to cook evenly on both sides and get a golden brown color
13. Once cooked remove from girdle and serve with fresh white butter, yogurt and pickle

TIPS:

1. You can make the dough using milk instead of water if you want extremely soft parathas / want the parathas to last longer
2. You can add ajwain seeds (carom seeds) to the dough , which give it a subtle flavor
3. Make sure not to over boil the potatoes as if they are overcooked / too soggy then the filling will not hold together and thus the parathas will not turn out good
4. If boiling potatoes in cooker, wash them well and then cover with just water till an inch above potatoes. Cook for 2 whistles and then remove n cool. Don’t add salt or anything in the water when boiling potatoes. You can alternately also microwave the potatoes (microwave setting of ‘Baked Potatoes’) and the microwave will automatically do the job for u. Once the microwave process is done make sure to cook for another 1 minute or so if potato isn’t soft enough

 

 

‘Bharwaan Tamatar Tariwale’ A.K.A ‘Stuffed Tomatoes in Gravy’

My darling Amma tells me that during the Delhi winters, her grandmother (my Nu Nani) and mom (my Nani) would order fresh tomatoes from the farm for the family. Amma loved biting into the red, ripe, juicy and round tomatoes and tasting the perfect balance of tartness, sweetness and juiciness. She ate them as a snack and I guess that is why she was convinced that my baby brother and I should love tomatoes as much as her and her siblings. However, I never could develop a taste for it until the day my Nani decided to make a special dish featuring tomatoes. Being a kid I was apprehensive at first to try it but when I was told the filling had paneer and aloo (some of my fav stuff); I decided to give it a go and took the smallest piece I could find. As they say, it was love at first bite for me :-). Thereafter, for a long time the only way I would eat tomatoes was if they were made in this style by Nani or Amma. Once I left home for studies and then work, I forgot about this dish completely. Then one day I tasted this dish at a friend’s home n it brought back memories of the dish and of course Nani n Amma. That prompted me to call Nani and get the recipe and then try to recreate the dish in my own kitchen. Confession time, the first few times I made it the dish turned out too soggy/ too lopsided/ too overcooked / burnt and then I was almost about to give up when my hubby asked me to give it one last try before throwing in the towel and I did and lo n behold, it turned out perfect :-).I am thankful that hubby dear kept encouraging me otherwise I would not be able to share the recipe for ‘Bharwaan Tamatar Tariwale’ A.K.A ‘Stuffed Tomatoes in Gravy’ with you all today. Try it out in your kitchen and I am sure it will become a dish loved by everyone across the board J

Bharwaan Tamatar Tariwale

Ingredients

6 nos – Round tomatoes
1 Tbsp – Oil
2 tsps minced – Ginger
1 ½ tsp – Coriander powder
1 ½ tsp – Dry roasted cumin seeds powder
1 ½ – Red chilli powder
1 ½ tsp – Turmeric powder
1 tsp – Garam masala powder
1 ½ cups boiled, peeled and mashed – Potatoes
1 cup small cubed – Paneer
½ cup steamed – Green peas
½ cup finely chopped – Green beans
1 cup finely chopped – Green bell peppers
3 nos finely chopped – Green chillies
Salt to taste
2 Tbsp – Oil
2 pinches – Asafoetida
1 ½ tsp finely chopped – Ginger
2 ½ tbsp – Almonds (soaked and made into a paste)
1 ½ cups – 2% Milk

Method:

1. Wash tomatoes well and then cut ¼ from the top and scoop out the flesh and keep aside
2. Heat oven to 350 F and in the meanwhile rub oil on the tomatoes on the inside and outside
3. Place the tomatoes along with their tops onto a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 10 mins
4. Take out and keep aside to cool
5. Heat oil in a pan and add ginger and then after a minute add 3 Tbsp of the flesh from the tomato (previously extracted). Add coriander powder, red chilli powder, salt, dry roasted cumin powder and mix well
6. Cook for 5 mins and then add the potatoes, green peas, green beans, paneer, green bell peppers, green chillies and mix well to make a moist filling
7. Fill the baked tomatoes with the vegetable filling , cover with the top and keep aside
8. Heat oil in a pan and add asafoetida
9. In a minute add the ginger and mix well for 2 mins
10. Add the almond paste and mix with well for 2- 4 mins
11. Add the remaining tomato flesh and then add garam masala powder , turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt and cook well (till the raw almond paste and raw tomato smell disappears)
12. Slowly add the milk to the pan and use a whisk to ensure there are no lumps
13. Cook on low flame and bring it to a boil and give 2 boils
14. Add the stuffed tomatoes one by one into the gravy in a single layer and cook on low flame for 7 – 8 mins
15. Remove from flame and serve with naans/ pulao / puris and enjoy

TIPS:

1. Make sure not to overcook the tomatoes in the gravy as they will lose their shape and become lopsided / collapse
2. You can choose to add any vegetables you wish as the filling. You can omit the potatoes and add grated cauliflower instead for a more healthier option
3. You can choose to use whole milk or cream instead of 2% milk for a more creamier texture or fat free milk for a healthier option

‘Tomatoer Chatni’, A.K.A. ‘Sweet Tomato Chutney’

Growing up in a Bong home, we always had some kind of mishti in the fridge. My darling Amma and baby brother loved all things sweet but I wasn’t a fan (guess that is where my TamBrahm genes came into play 🙂 ). However there was something sweet that I did like and that was chatnis. It seemed that for all religious celebrations, family get togethers, and special occasions my Bengali side of the family had to have one kind of chutney or another. Made me think as though a meal wouldn’t be complete without chatni. Though there were many kinds of chatnis there was one which has been traditionally offered to Maa Durga during Durga Puja and thus distributed as part of the Puja Bhog. Now, I am not sure whether it was the fact that we always had bhog in a large group compromising of family & friends or whether it was because it was Maa Durga’s proshad or whether it was that the combination of this cold chatni with hot Khichudi that made the meal so delicious, but this chatni became my favorite. I then learnt how to make this chatni from Nani and Amma, yet the first time I made it I managed to add water and too much sugar and not cook it well and thus ended up with a mess. However, with a bit of practice I got the recipe correct and since then have made this chatni many a times at social and religious gatherings at my home. The best part is my darling hubby and in-laws also likes it n thus encourage me to make this chatni more often than the other kinds of Bengali chatnis. I hope that you would enjoy making n having ‘Tomatoer Chatni’, A.K.A. ‘Sweet Tomato Chutney’ as much as my family and make it a part of your celebrations too :-).

Tomatoer Chatni

Ingredients

3 cups chopped – Tomatoes

½ inch peeled and finely chopped – Ginger

1 tsp – Oil

½ tsp – Black mustard seeds

½ tsp – Salt

4 Tbsp – Sugar

½ tsp – Turmeric powder

½ tsp – Dry roasted cumin seeds

4 nos seedless and chopped – Dates

Method

1. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Once oil if hot add the mustard seeds and as soon as they crackle add the ginger
2. Stir well and after 2 minutes add the tomatoes, salt and turmeric
3. Mix well , cover and cook on low heat for 10-12 minutes until tomatoes are soft
4. Uncover and dates add sugar and mix well
5. Cook for 5- 7 mins on low flame to ensure tomatoes are mushy and cooked
6. Remove from flame and cool for 5 mins and then add the dry roasted cumin powder
7. Serve chilled with Khichudi / Luchis/ Pulao/Parathas

TIPS:

1. If you don’t want to use all fresh tomatoes you can use canned diced tomatoes
2. You can use Stevia/Splenda/Brown sugar in place of regular white sugar
3. You can also use paanch phoran instead of mustard seeds as seasoning and raisins in place of dates

‘Choley Bhature’ A.K.A ‘Spicy Chickpeas with Deep Fried Indian Bread’

Growing up in a TamBong household you would think I ate only Tamil or Bengali food, however that wasn’t the case as my parents loved to try different kinds of cuisines and exposed my baby brother and I to them from a very young age. Even though I would be excited to try new cuisines, there was one dish I loved which if given a choice I would have every weekend for breakfast :-). The neighborhood restaurant which made this dish was Punjab Sweet Shop and often Appa would take me with him to the restaurant to pick up the order. While we waited the owner uncleji would give me a piece of jalebi and as I munched on it I would watch in fascination as the halwai bhaiya would take a piece of dough, flatten it in his palms and then slide it gently into a hot wok of oil where it would puff up golden and round. The love affair with Choley bhature continues till date and on every trip back home to India my baby brother and I make it a point to visit Punjab Sweet Shop to have their signature dish. And like clockwork every time we take a bite we are flooded with memories of our childhood years. N now I am planning to take my darling hubby to try this dish too on our next trip :-). I should also add that I have been meaning to write the recipe for this dish and share with you all and yet kept forgetting, however when my friend who has moved to Russia asked me for the recipe I figured that was the final push I needed in order to put the recipe down on paper n share with you. I have made this dish a few times and I believe there is nothing yummier than ‘Choley Bhature’ A.K.A ‘Spicy Chickpeas with Fried Indian Bread’ for breakfast especially on a cold, foggy wintry dayJ. Enjoy!!

Choley Bhature

Ingredients

150gms – All purpose flour (Maida)
150 gms – Semolina (Sooji)
½ tsp – Salt
2 Tbsp – Yogurt ( sour yogurt preferred)
¼ tsp – Baking soda
150-200 mls – Water
1 Tbsp – Oil
500gms – Chole (Chickpeas)
1 two inch piece finely chopped –Ginger
2 nos – Bay leaves
3 nos – Whole black cardamom
2 nos 2 inch pieces – Cinnamon sticks
200 gms chopped – Onion
100 gms – Yogurt
1 ½ tsp – Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
2 tsp – ground black pepper
2 Tbsp – Amchoor powder (dried mango powder)
2 Tbsp – Anardana powder (dried pomegranate powder)
1 Tbsp – Garam masala powder
1 ½ tsp – Red chilli powder
1 ½ cups boiled, peeled and cubed – Potatoes
Method

1. Wash chickpeas in running water 6-7 times and then soak chickpeas overnight in cold water(ensuring the water covers the chickpeas)
2. In the morning, put the chickpeas in a large pan with salt, turmeric powder, whole black cardamom, bay leaf, cinnamon stick
3. Boil the chickpeas until they are tender but not mushy , approx 30 – 35 minutes
4. Heat a heavy bottom pan and add a Tbsp of ghee and oil and when hot add the onions and brown the onions
5. Add the finely minced ginger and mix well and stir for 2-3 mins
6. Add the yogurt, chopped tomatoes and turmeric, red chilli powder, black pepper powder, anardana powder and mix well. Cook on a low heat until the mixture is a deep reddish brown then remove from the heat
7. When the chickpeas are ready add the onion/tomato mixture to it and stir well.  Add salt (after checking for salt) and garam masala and mix well
8. Reduce heat to medium low and cook until the gravy is thick and chickpeas and soft and completely coated with gravy. Once done remove from heat and keep aside
9. Sift together flour , semolina, salt and baking soda
10. Add the yogurt and 150 mls of water.  Knead well until you have a soft, springy dough (if you push the dough with a finger it should spring back immediately)
11. Put the dough in a clean bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave to rest and rise for 4-5 hours
12. Remove the damp cloth and add a Tbsp of oil into the dough then knead well and divide it into 12 pieces
13. Roll each ball in the same manner of a poori but a little thicker than a poori (approx 6 inches in diameter)
14. Heat oil in a kadhai.  When a small piece of dough dropped into the oil rises quickly to the surface, the oil is the right temperature to fry the bhature
15. Gently slide in one bhatura, let it cook for a couple of seconds then press it down with a slotted spoon which would help the bhatura puff up
16. Flip the bhatura over and press down again.  When the bhatura is golden brown and puffed up, removed to drain on some kitchen roll
17. Heat oil in a pan and add oil , add chopped onions and cook till brown
18. Add chopped tomatoes and salt, turmeric powder, anardana powder, red chilli powder and cook till oil separates and tomatoes and onions are mushy
19. Add the potato pieces and mix well in order to coat them with the onion and tomato spicy mixture
20. Stir the potato cubes into the Choley gravy and mix well
21. Serve hot Choley with bhatura and salad, pickle and yogurt

TIPS:

1. Make sure to retain the water from the Choley (when you boil it) as you can use it to adjust the consistency of the Choley gravy
2. You can make the masala for the Choley and potatoes at the same time (just don’t add yogurt) and then divide and use for Choley and potatoes
3. You can choose to add finely chopped or minced green chillies to enhance the flavor of the Choley

‘Chakro Phool Payesh’ A.K.A. ‘Star Anise Rice Pudding’

If there were ever a competition to judge which mishti could tie the whole of India in one strand, I think this mishti would win hands down. The basic ingredients might be the same however; there might be subtle differences in flavor and texture which make it unique to a particular state. I have had some very great and not so great variations of this mishti :-). The one variation that stands out and is fast becoming my fav is made by my mashi which features some ingredients which aren’t traditionally thought of as being part of mishtis. A little background on mashi – even though she has been in Canada for over 40 years, she still loves her Indian food and mishtis. She likes to experiment in her kitchen which works out great for the family as we are her tasting panel :-). She came up with this recipe while playing around with various flavors that one could add to a standard payesh and once we all tasted this dish, it became our family favorite. So after getting her permission n blessings am sharing my darling Mashi’s recipe for ‘Chakro Phool Payesh’ A.K.A. ‘Star Anise Rice Pudding’ on the auspicious occasion of Bijoya Dashami. Jai Maa Durga !

Chakro Phool Payesh

Ingredients

1 liter – Whole Milk
¾ cup – White rice
1 cup – Sugar
3 Tbsp blanched, peeled, slivered – Almonds
3 nos – Chakro Phool (Star Anise)
3 nos – Cloves
1pinch – Edible Camphor
½ tsp – Green cardamom powder

Method

1. Wash and soak rice in water for 20mins
2. Pour milk in heavy bottom pan and bring to a boil
3. Once the milk comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and add the star anise, cloves and camphor
4. Boil for 7 mins and then add the rice (drained completely so as to not have any water) and almonds
5. Boil on low heat while stirring occasionally taking care not to let the milk boil over or get burnt from the bottom of the pan
6. After 30 – 40 mins add the sugar into the pan and mix well
7. Cook for another 10-15 mins after adding the sugar (in order to make the payesh thick and creamy)
8. Remove from flame and fish out the star anise and cloves
9. Let it cool to room temperature and then add the green cardamom powder and mix well
10. Chill in refrigerator for 1-2 hours and serve with luchis

TIPS:

1. In order to prevent the pan from burning rinse the pan with cold water and leave about 1 Tbsp of water in the pan. Roll it around to coat the pan well and then add the milk
2. You can choose to add raisins, cashews, pistachios to the payesh too
3. If you wish you can substitute the white sugar with brown sugar / Splenda / gur

‘ Mixed Vegetable Parathas’ A.K.A. ‘ Mixed Vegetable stuffed Indian Bread’

Growing up in Delhi I was exposed to Punjabi cuisine from a young age. I loved almost everything that I tasted but one of my faves was Paratha. My darling Amma and Nani made the most delicious parathas and come winter we would have parathas for dinner at least once a week :-). Even though I liked parathas I didn’t make them for the longest time as thought that there was too much work involved in making a paratha. I would instead buy the frozen ones n yet the yearning to have a homemade paratha remained in my heart. Then when I met my dear hubby and came to know his fondness for parathas, I decided to try my hand at making parathas. I started with the simple parathas and then slowly started making variations to my parathas. This particular paratha came about as I was cleaning my freezer and came across a bag of frozen mixed vegetables. As didn’t want to make the usual stuff with a mixed vegetable base , I decided to make a dry subzi and then stuff it and try to make a paratha. Once it was appreciated by hubby dear, I tweaked the recipe a little n now I present to you ‘ Mixed Vegetable Parathas’ A.K.A. ‘ Mixed Vegetable stuffed Indian Bread’ and hope it becomes your family’s fav paratha 🙂

Mixed Vegetable Parathas

Ingredients

¼ cup finely chopped – Onion

1 cup grated – Broccoli

1 cup grated – Carrots

1 cup finely shredded – Cabbage

1 cup steamed and mashed – Peas

1 cup boiled and mashed – Potatoes

1 cup boiled and mashed – Corn

1 cup grated – Cauliflower

1 Tbsp finely chopped – Green chillies

4 Tbsp – Oil

Salt to taste

1 ½ tsp – Red chilli powder

1 ½ – Carom seeds (Ajwain)

1 ½ tsp – Dry roasted cumin seeds powder

3 cups – Whole wheat flour

Oil / Ghee for frying

Method

1. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a pan and add asafoetida. Immediately add the onions. Fry till golden brown and add cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, peas, corn, potatoes, carrots , green chillies and mix well
2. Add the salt, red chilli powder, dry roasted cumin seeds powder and mix well and stir fry for 7 mins
3. Remove from flame and cool
4. Take a bowl and add flour, carom seeds and 2 Tbsp oil and rub together to make crumbly dough.
5. Add water to make soft dough. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 10-15 mins
6. Divide the dough into equal sized roundels
7. Roll out each roundel into a small circle. Take a Tbsp of the vegetable mixture and place in the center of the circle
8. Pick all sides towards the center and pinch towards the top. Tear off the excess dough and form the rest into a roundel once again
9. Roll out the roundel into a 5-6 inch diameter parathas
10. Heat a large griddle plate
11. Once it is hot place the parathas on the griddle. Cook for 2 mins on one side on medium flame and then flip to the other side
12. Apply oil / ghee to the side that has been cooked and then flip again
13. Press down a little with a flat spatula in order to cook evenly on both sides and get a golden brown color
14. Once cooked remove from girdle and serve with yogurt and pickle

TIPS:

1. You can choose to add grated paneer , bell peppers or any other vegetable to the filling
2. You can omit the carom seeds if you aren’t fond of this flavor or you can substitute it with cumin seeds
3. You can make the dough using milk instead of water if you want extremely soft parathas / want the parathas to last longer