Chole-Bhatura

My kids are the biggest fans of Indian food at our home. They are absolutely pleased with home-made Paav Bhaaji, Sev puri and Dosa and most of the times prefer it over McDonalds. I am proud of this and try to cook them up at home as much as I can.
So, this weekend it was Chole-Bhatura for dinner.

I have tried to stay as much true to the real Punjabi Chole and Bhatura.

Recipe for Chole :-
Chana - 2 cups, soaked overnight or for 4 hours in hot water
Oil - 2Tbsp
Ginger-Garlic paste - 2 Tbsp
Onion, chopped - 2 Large
Tomato, chopped - 2 Large
Green chilli, split - 2No.s
Red chilli powder - 1Tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1tsp
Coriander powder - 2Tbsp
Garam Masala - 1Tbsp
Chole masala - 1Tbsp (optional)
Coriander leaves - 3Tbsp

Method :-

Cook the chana in a pressure cooker with enough water and half a teaspoon of baking soda for around 20 minutes on a low flame.

Heat oil in a pan. Saute the ginger garlic paste until it start to brown. On low heat, saute the onions until it starts to brown. Add the chopped tomatoes and a pinch of salt and saute well on low flame for 15-20 minutes, stirring in between, so that the masala gets completely dry and the oil starts to seperate. At this point, add the red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and chole masala and saute on a low flame for 1 minute.
Add the cooked chana to this with the water left from cooking chana. Add the coriander leaves. Cover with a lid and cook again on low flame for 10 minutes until the gravy gets to the desired consistency.

Recipe for Bhatura:-
Ingredients
All purpose flour, maida - 3 cups
Semolina - 1Tbsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 1 tsp
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Yogurt - 3 Tbsp
Yeast - 1/2 tsp (if not using instant yeast, stir the yeast in 2Tbsp lukewarm water)
Milk - 2Tbsp
Water
Oil - for deep frying

Method :-
Mix all of the above mentioned ingredients. Addind enough water, knead it into a dough like that of a chapati dough. Cover and let stand for 4 hours.

Roll the dough into small balls size of a tennis ball. Flour the work surface and roll it out into thin rounds.

Heat the oil in a kadai or wok and deep fry the balls until it starts to brown on both the sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towels.

Serve with chopped onion, raita, pickle and lemon wedges.

Thai Red Fish Curry

I have always loved Thai dishes, especially the coconut milk based soups and curries they serve at the restaurant. I have tried to attempt some of these dishes at home but the lack of fresh Thai herbs like Galanjal, lemon grass etc which impart the aroma and flavour that is so specific to Thai food always left them somehow void.
I had given up my attempts at Thai food and had resorted to restaurant food whenever I was in the Thai mood, until I came across these divine herbs in the local grocery shop. Went home armed with some of them and just got going.
The combination of Seafood with coconut milk and Thai herbs always had a mystical aura to it. And in that Tom Yum Soup takes the cake. I didnot dare to attempt it this time but settled for a lesser one, Thai Fish red curry, which I knew was a hard-to-go-wrong dish.
This curry is very fragrant, with the use of fresh herbs and rich in flavours.


Ingredients:
Any fleshy fish fillet, cut into 1" pieces - 250gms
Oil - 2Tbsp
Red Bell Pepper - 1/2No, sliced thin
Mushrooms, cut into pieces - 1 cup
Garlic cloves, finely chopped - 2No.s
Lemon grass, finely chopped - 2Tbsp
Galanjal or fresh ginger, grated - 2 Tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1tsp
Turmeric powder - 1tsp
Thai Red Curry Paste - 2Tbsp
Canned Thick coconut milk - 1/4ltr
Fish Sauce - 2 Tbsp
Brown Sugar - 2tsp
Fresh Basil, finely chopped - 2Tbsp


Method :-
Heat oil in a deep pan. Saute Bell peppers nd Mushroom with a little salt for 2-3 minutes, stirring in between. Add the garlic, lemon grass and galnjal and saute while stirring, until the garlic gives out a nice aroma.
Add the red chilli powder, turmeric powder, fish sauce, Thai red curry paste, brown sugar and saute for a minute.
Add the coconut milk and water, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Slowly add in the fish pieces and simmer, covered for 10 minutes, until the fish gets cooked.
Remove from fire, add lime juice and basil leaves and serve with Thai Jasmine Rice.

Goan Prawns Curry

Goa has some real good seafood dishes. This is one such dish and it has been adapted from Lakshmi Nair's Flavours of India program.

Jumbo Prawns - 1/2 kg
Marinade:-
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1Tbsp
Salt - to taste
Coconut oil
To Grind :-
Onion - 1 No
Tomato - 1No.
Ginger - 1" piece
Garlic pods - 4 No.s
Coriander leaves - a bunch
Green chiilies - 4 No.s
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/4tsp
Grind together all these with little or no water and keep aside.

Extract thick milk and thin milk from 1 coconut and keep aside.

Method:-

Wash and clean the prawns, retaining part of the head. Apply marinade.

In a deep pan, add 2Tbsp oil and saute the marinated prawns for a while until the prawns start to get cooked. Remove from oil and keep aside. In the same pan, add the ground paste and saute for a while till the raw smell is gone. Add the sauted prawns to this and cook for a while in open pan. Add thin coconut milk and curry leaves, close pan and cook for 5 minutes so that the prawns get cooked through. Add thick coconut milk and remove from fire.
Serve.

Shahi Kofta Curry

Indian food has long been synonymous to Mughlai Cuisine. The contributions from the imperial kitchens of the Mughal empire to India's culinary culture is very significant. The cooking style comprises the use of exotic spices and rich gravies simmered to a delicious blend using elaborate cooking methods like slow simmering in clay pots.

This recipe was shared to me by one of my friends and have loved it ever since.

Chicken/Beef or Lamb, minced - 1/2kg

Ginger Garlic Paste - 1tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4tsp

Red chilli powder - 1/2tsp

salt - to taste

Cook the above ingredients in a pressure cooker. Strain the meat and reserve the stock.

For the kofta:

Grind the cooked meat in a food processor. Remove and keep in a large bowl.

Grind together the following ingredients in the same processor.

Onion, chopped - 2 No.s

Green chilli - 2 No.s

Ginger Garlic paste - 1tsp

Coriander leaves - a handful

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Add this to the minced and ground meat. Add an egg yolk to this and mix well.

Form into small balls the size of a tennis ball.

Dip in egg white and breadcrumbs and deep fry in hot oil till brown on all sides.

Drain on paper towels.

For the gravy:

Nestle cream / Fresh cream - 1 cup

Cashew nuts - 5-6 No.s

Raisins - 1 Tbsp

Soak the nuts for some time in water and Grind together the nuts and raisins adding little bit of cream if needed.

Saute' the following in a pan adding 1 Tbsp oil.

Onion, sliced - 2 No.s

Capsicum / Green Bell Pepper, sliced - 1 No.

Green chillies, slit - 4 No.s

Curry leaves, a sprig

Boil the reserved stock along with the cream and ground nuts and bring down the flame to simmer.

Slowly add the fried koftas and the saute'd ingredients to this and mix well taking care that the koftas dont break apart. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with piping hot parathas.

Health Bytes :-

1. Use lean white meat such as boneless chicken.

2. You can bake the koftas instead of deep frying. Do not coat the koftas with egg white an bread crumbs.

Instead, bake for 10 minutes in a preheated oven at 450F. Turn the kofta and bake again for a10 minutes. Repeat this until all sides are lightly browned.

3. You can substitute the cream with low fat milk or thick coconut milk. The gravy can be thickened by adding 1 Tbsp cornflour mixed with 2Tbsp water.