Archive for the ‘NORTH & SOUTH INDIAN SIDE DISHES’ Category

Here I am giving you another way of doing chole without using tomatoes.

Ingredients

Cooked chole(chick pieces)  – 1 cup

Onion  – 2 nos

Imli – 1 big gooseberry size

Chilli powder 1/2 tsp

Powder 1

1. Clove – 5-6 nos

2. Cinnamon bark – 1 inch piece

3. Badi elachi – 2nos

Warm the above ingredients and powder it

Powder 2

1 coriander seeds – 1tsp

2 cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp

3 pepper -1/4 tsp

Dry roast the above ingredients and make them into a powder

Powder 3

Sonuf – 1 tsp

Methi seeds – 1/2 tsp

Dry roast the above ingredients and make them into a powder

Procedure

- Soak the chick peas overnight or for atleast 6-7 hours and pressure cook by adding salt , tea bag, 2 bay leaves.  If you don’t prefer to use tea bags and bay leaves you can cook the chick peas by adding powdered kalongi.  All this is optional, it is just to give chenna the brown color.

-Mince the onion and soak the imli in a small quantity of water and strain it .

-In a thick bottomed pan add 4 tsp of oil and fry the onion till it is golden brown,  then add powder 1, powder 2,  1/2 tsp chilly powder  and the cooked chick peas and cook for 5 minutes.

-Once again pressure cook this mixture for 5 to 6 whistles in high flames.

-After the cooker gets released  smash the chole little bit , add the tamarind water boil it for 5 minutes.

-Finally add powder 3 and allow it to froth and switch off the stove.  Garnish it with coriander.  Serve it along with raw onion.

This method of doing the chole is the courtesy of my friend Mrs Revathy Vijayaragavan residing at Delhi.  It came out really well.  Try it out and post your comments.

METHOD II

Here is another simple,fast  way of making mixed vegetable kurma. I think this procedure will serve good for morning hurry- burry.

Ingredients to make paste

Coconut – 1 tbl spoon

Chutney dhal – 2tsp ( instead of this you can use 5- 7 almonds)

Saunf (fennel seeds ) – 2 tsp

Green chillies – 1-2  nos ( according to taste )

Cinnamon bark -1 piece

Cardamom and clove – 2 each

Dry fry the cardamom , clove and Cinnamon bark before grinding it.

Make a fine paste, by little water  using the above mentioned ingredients.

I am sure paneer dishes are favorite among children.  Relish the kadai paneer  recipe which I have detailed below.

Ingredients

Paneer – 250 grams ( cut into into medium sized cubes)

Onion – 2 cups (finely chopped)

Tomato – 2 cups (cut into small cubes)

Dahi – 1 cup

Ginger garlic paste – 1 tps

Capsicum – 1/2 cup

Baby corn – 1/2 cup (cut into small pieces)

Butter – 1 Tsp

Chilli powder – 1 tsp

Garam masala powder – 2 tsp

Dhania  powder -1 tsp

Turmeric powder -1 tsp

Jeera – 1 tsp

kasuri methi – 1 tsp

Chopped coriander – 1 tsp ( for garnishing)

Procedure

- Use  a thick bottomed  pan for this preparation.  For any kadai preparations use thick bottomed pan to avoid burning)

-Heat the pan,  add 1 tsp of  butter and season jeera in it.  Once the spluttering is over add the finely chopped onion and fry till it is golden brown.

-Then add the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw flavor vanishes.  Now add 1 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp dhania powder,  2 tsp garam masala powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder  and cook till the raw flavor vanishes.

-Add 2 cups of chopped tomato and cook for 5 minutes.  After that add 1 cup of  dahi,  1/2 cup capsicum,  1/2 baby corn , the required amount of salt , 1/2 tsp sugar and the 1/2 cup of water .  Let this mix boil for about 5 minutes.  The baby corn and capsicum will get half cooked by this time.

-Add paneer cubes and leave the vessel closed for 2 minutes.  At last add kasuri methi .  Bring it to boil.  Switch off the stove.  Garnish it with coriander before serving.

It is an excellent side dish for roti , naan  chapathi  & kulcha.

Why go to restaurant to have punjabi chole ? Give a try at home.

Ingredients

Boiled chick peas – 1 cup( 250 gms appx)

Onion – 1 no (large in size)

Tomatoes – 4 nos (large in size)

Bay leaves – 2 nos

Green chilies – 2-nos

Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Jeera powder – 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder -1 tsp

Red chilly powder – 1 tsp

Sugar -1 tsp

Aamchur ( Mango powder) – 1/2 tsp

Chenna masala powder  – 1 tbl spoon

Lemon and chopped coriander -  for garnishing purpose

Procedure

-Soak the channa over night for about 8 hours. Pressure cook it by adding salt and Tea bags. Once it is cooked the colour of the channa would have changed to little bit brown.

-Chop the onion into small pieces. Talk half of the minced onion and grind with half of the boiled channa and 2 green chillies. Make this paste before putting the pan on the stove.

- Now take a wide thick bottomed pan. Add 3 tbl spoons of oil. Saute the bay leaves, add the remaining minced onion, ginger garlic paste and fry till the onion is golden brown. Add little salt for the onion to get cooked faster. Once the onion is cooked add the channa paste and fry it for 5 to 7 minutes. Be little careful so that it doesn’t get burned at the bottom.

-In the mean time grind the tomatoes into fine paste.

-Now add coriander powder – 1 tsp, jeera powder – 1/2 tsp, turmeric powder -1 tsp, red chilly powder – 1 tsp, sugar -1 tsp, aam chur – 1/2 tsp and channa masala powder – 1 tbl spoon. Cook for 5 minutes. Now add the tomato paste and cook for about 5- 7 minutes or till the raw flavor of tomato vanishes.

-Add the remaining chole and required amount of salt and allow the mix to boil for about 5 minutes. Switch off the stove. Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves.

-Serve it with a piece of lime and chopped raw onion.

This is an excellent side dish for roti, naan and kulcha.

My last post was roti. So I thought of posting the all time favourite side dish “GOBI MANCHURIAN”

Ingredients

Gobi (cauliflower )  – 1 medium size

Maida (all purpose flour) – 3/4 cup

Corn flour – 1 tbl spoon

Chilli powder – 1 tsp

Salt – to taste

Vinegar 1/2 tsp

Chopped green chillies – 1tsp

Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbl spoon

finely chopped onion and bell pepper – 1 cup

Ajinomoto – 1/4 tsp

Soya sauce – 2 tbl spoon

Tomato sauce – 2-3 tbl spoon

Oil- for deep frying gobi

-Cut Gobi into small petals .  soak it in salt water for 10 minutes.  Drain the water and half cook the gobi by adding a small amount of water and salt.

-Make a thick paste using maida, corn flour, salt, 1/2 tbl spoon ginger garlic paste, 1/2 tsp viniger, 1 tsp chilli powder.  Toss the gobi in the paste and deep fry.  Drain the oil and set aside.

- Now in a pan   apply 2 tbl spoon of oil.  Saute chopped onion, capsicum, ginger garlic paste for few minutes.  Once the onion becomes tender add 2-3 tbl spoon tomato sauce, 2 tbl spoon soya sauce and ajinomoto.

-Now add the fried gobi and saute it for few minutes till it becomes dry.  Garnish it with coriander  and spring onions.

If you are going to make it in large quantities,  keep the fried gobi  separate and the gravy portion separate.  Just saute it before serving.  This the preparation I do at home which gives the typical taste as that of hotel.