Dum Parwal ( Pointed Gourd) & Flax Seed Flat Bread | Lunch Combo |

Hi!!

It was about 3yrs back, I was entering a new territory, a new job with new surroundings, new colleagues, new targets and pressures. I used to feel lost at times and my best friend in that hostile situation used to be the library, where I could spend a decent time reading various books, either work related or even others too.

Apart from the personal time that I used to spend in the library, I had to compulsorily use three quarters of an hour on records in the reference section. The reference section had books of all kinds, from literature and history to modern technology. And amongst all these books were a few cookbooks too which I could not touch during my officially allotted time but on other days, I could use them.

There were books on Cooking as a science and few cookbooks in the reference section. Amongst, all these books related to cooking, my favorite book was Nita Mehta’s Vegetarian Curries. This book has very nice collection of veg curries made using day to day spices. These are regular veggies cooked with a difference but no elaborate steps to follow. I started noting down recipes from the book into my diary and thought that I would try them one by one. But my job became very hectic, the day to day cooking itself had become very difficult for me but I managed somehow..and then one fine day we got our transfer orders and I had to quit my job and move..

Till recently, the recipes and my diary took a back seat for one or the other reason, one can see that from the number of blog posts per month. But about a few weeks back when I was cleaning book shelves, I landed on my old diaries and I started flipping through the pages, that’s when I landed on the recipes I had copied from Nita Mehta’s cookbook.

I was too tempted to try them at once and this particular recipe using the Pointed Gourd (Parwal) had taken preference as it used a pressure cooker for the ‘Dum Cooking’ making it a faster cooking method. Moreover, this particular recipe didn’t ask for any grinding or any exotic methods to try. The only thing required was chopping and thanks to my decent knife skills, I manage that well.

To go with the curry, which I realized might turn out a semi thick curry, I wanted to make a healthy flatbread. Recently, during a discussion on FB, a blogger friend asked what she could do with flax seeds and I had suggested that she could add it in the regular chapatis/ phulka. After mentioning her that I castigated myself as I also had a packet of the flax seeds which I had been postponing to use. I decided to use it immediately and it so happened that I also knew exactly what to cook with it..This was a recipe which had made a mark in my brain with it’s sheer simplicity and health benefits. It’s a recipe that I had read in Madhu Gadia’s The Indian Vegan Kitchen.

I must tell my readers here that the curry is not a vegan preparation but the flatbread is. The combination of the curry and flatbread turned out simply superb. My family enjoyed the lunch and S was simply happy with the preparations and the combo. The flatbread is good with the health benefits of flax seeds. What more do I need, a smile from the family after eating a hearty meal, that’s my bonus, that’s my increment.

Preparation Time: 15mins | Cooking Time: 20mins | Serves: 3-4 | Difficulty Level: Easy

Ingredients For Dum Parwal ( adapted from Nita Mehta’s cookbook)

5-6 Pointed gourd ( parwal) tippped, lightly peeled and cut into halves

4-5 baby potatoes, peeled or 1 potato, cubed

2tsp freshly made ginger garlic paste

2tomatoes, chopped finely

1large or 2medium onions, sliced

1/2 cup yogurt, smoothened

2tbsp oil + 2tbsp clarified butter (ghee)

1/2tsp cumin seeds

Dry spices:

1mace leaf (javitri) powdered

1tbsp coriander powder

1-1/2tsp chili powder

1/2tsp turmeric powder

1/2tsp garam masala powder

Whole spices

2-3 cloves

1bayleaf

2-3 black cardamom

2-3 small pieces of cinnamon

Method

Heat the oil and ghee together in a pressure pan and fry the pointed gourd and potatoes lightly, to a golden color.

To the remaining oil, which would be around 3table spoons, tip in the cumin seeds. Once the seeds crackle, add the whole spices. Do this process on a medium flame else the hot oil burns the spices.

Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté to remove the raw smell. Add the sliced onions and sauté till golden in color.

Add the tomatoes and salt to taste. Cook till tomatoes are done. Add the dry spices and cook for a minute.

Remove from the fire and add the beaten yogurt and mix. Put back on fire and cook on low heat till the oil separates.

Tip in the garam masala and mace powder.

Add the fried veggies and a cup of water.

Pressure cook up to a whistle.

Let the pressure drop and then check for the consistency of the curry.

Preparation Time: 5mins | Standing Time: 10mins | Cooking Time Per Roti: 1min | Makes:8-10 | Serves: 3-4 | Difficulty Level: Needs Skill

Ingredients For Flax Seed Flat Bread ( adapted from Madhu Gadia’s Cookbook)

1-1/2cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup besan (Bengal gram flour) or Soya Flour
2-3tsp flax seed meal
water to knead
1/4tsp salt
2-3 drops oil
wheat flour for rolling

Method

Make a soft dough using the ingredients, apply oil and let the dough rest for 10mins.
Divide the dough into 8-10 portions. Make balls and flatten them.
Using dry wheat flour, roll the roti into a thin disc.
Cook it like a regular roti on a griddle and puff it directly on the flame.
Apply clarified butter on the flatbread/rotis (optional) else apply oil lightly. This keeps rotis soft for a longer time.
Serve hot as these flatbread/ rotis might become dry after sometime.

Sending it to my event ‘Only’- Cooking From Cookbooks guest hosted by Gauri.

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Mughlai Dum Aloo…… on a foggy day

Hi.

We have been facing dense fog and chilly winter these days. Have a look at this pic which I managed to click around 10 AM ..

 

Mornings are gloomy with the sunshine missing. With kids back to school and S too busy again I needed something interesting to eat to cheer myself…I had picked up baby potatoes this weekend. I had been wanting to make my kind of Dum Aloo since long. The last time when I had indulged with these baby potatoes and wanted to make the Dum Aloo I could not, as I wanted to make it with an ingredient that was missing in my pantry that time and I insist using it for my Mughlai version..so had landed making tangy baby potatoes  which were equally tasty.

So this time I ensured that I had that ingredient in my pantry well stocked before I could make this. Do not laugh friends it’s a very simple ingredient but makes the curry rich (not fattening) and enhances the creamy texture…. Magaz or the water melon seeds. The curry when completed was well spiced and  creamy.

I had not made this curry in the true DUM fashion…those who want to try this in DUM way can read my post Dum Arvi… instead I opted cooking on slow fire, this surely ensured that the potatoes imbibe all the flavours.

I would have personally loved to have this preparation with Tandoori roti…..I feel Dum preparations taste best with it…nevertheless I had it with Roti and some rice.

Do try this curry…surely a finger licking one…

Ingredients
300 gm baby potatoes
3 onions chopped
3 tomatoes
3 tbsp watermelon seeds (magaz)
1-1/2 tbsp poppy seeds
an inch piece of ginger
2-3 garlic pods (optional)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric pwd
2 tsp coriander pwd
a large pinch garam masala
1-1/2 tsp chili pwd
salt to taste
oil for cooking about 2-1/2 tbsp


Method

Par boil potatoes with some salt and turmeric, later drain the water and wash with some cold water. One can also deep fry the potatoes, choice is…..

 
Soak the poppy and magaz in water for about 30 mins and grind them to make a paste.
 

In a pan take chopped onions and saute til they turn dark brown in colour. Now add half a spoon of oil and saute further. Alternatively if one wants to indulge in higher calories can deep fry the onions till nicely brown. Cool it and grind it with a little water to a fine paste.

Wash the tomatoes and ginger. In a pan boil together the tomatoes, ginger and garlic. Remove them from the water and grind them together. Do not discard the water, it can be used later in the curry.

Heat oil and put cumin seeds and let them splutter. Now add the onion paste and saute.

Add the tomato paste and mix thoroughly. All the pastes do not need much cooking being precooked.


Now add the spices…turmeric, chili, coriander, cumin, garam masala and some salt, mix and cook for a minute.


Add the magaz-poppy paste. Mix and cook till oil separates.

Add the potatoes and mix it in the masala. Now add the water (use the one in which

 tomatoes were boiled)  and bring the curry to a boil. Cover and cook and low flame for

 20-25 mins.

Once done garnish it some fresh cream (optional), which I had … serve it with hot phulkas and rice.

It is a rich curry to be enjoyed  and the added bonus is …it’s minus the calories.

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Dum Arvi (Colocasia)

Now that both the kids are back to school I get a lot more time in the morning. One of these days I was in a mood to cook something exquisite . I had been planning to cook a curry using 'Dum' method of cooking since some time, so I thought let me grab the opportunity . My house was silent and I was able to concentrate properly with no one around. And the patience of cooking the curry on 'Dum' resulted in a finger licking curry.

'Dum' means to 'breathe in' signifying the steam and 'Pukht' means 'to cook'. So Dum Pukht means cooking in the steam and prevent it from escaping. The cuisine, the origin of which dates back to the 1780's was popular at the time of Nawab Asaf -ul-Daulah, the ruler of Awadh. This cuisine came by sheer luck when the state was hit by a famine and the unemployment was high. The Nawab decreed the construction of the giant edifice Bara Imambara to provide employment to many. By royal decree too, the arrangements were made to provide food. Enormous containers were filled with rice, meat, vegetables and spices, and sealed. Hot charcoal was placed on top and fire beneath while the slow cooking ensured the food was available day and night. The result was extraordinary, for when the containers were unsealed, splendid aromas attracted even the royal attention. The 'Dummed' cuisine was perfect for the royal table. Exotic dishes evolved in which the fragrances intermingled, with exqisite results.

The Dum Pukht cooking emerged in four major centres - Lucknow, Hyderabad, Kashmir and Lahore. It is represented by it's own taste and flavour in all the 4 places.

Here's what I used and how I made Dum Arvi.

Ingredients

350 gms of Colocasia ( Arvi )- Parcooked and peeled

4 small onions roughly chopped

5-6 garlic pods

an inch of ginger

5 tbsp tomato puree ( I used the tetrapak)

1/4 -1/2 cup curds (check the sourness)

spices-

2tsp red chili pwd

1tsp cumin pwd

salt to taste

1 tsp turmeric pwd

4 tsp coriander pwd

1 -1/2 tsp garam masala

For Tempering

Oil to cook

1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)

1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

2 bay leaves

For the seal

softly kneaded wheat flour dough

Method

• Grind together onion, ginger and garlic to a smooth paste.
• Cut each Colocasia into 4 long pieces.
• Heat oil and add mustard. Once the mustard crackles add the bay leaves, carom and fennel seeds.

Add the onion paste and roast in nicely on low flame till oil seapartesand leavesthe edges. Keep adding 1 tbsp of water to the masala if it sticks to the pan and starts scorching.

• Now add the tomato puree and saute for a minute.

• In a bowl mix thick curd with all the spices. Remove the pan from the flame and add curds and mix ( This prevents curds from curdling).
• Put the pan back on flame and cook the masala till the oil separates.

• Now add the Colocasia, mix propelry. Add a cup of water and bring the curry to a boil.
• Cover the pan with a lid and seal the joint with the wheat dough.( Make long thin rope of wheat dough and press it on the joint ).
• Put the pan on a heavy base Tava (Griddle). Let it cook on low flame(Dum) for 45 mins to one hour.
• Remove the seal. (This will become dry)
• Serve it with Naan/Paratha/Hot rice.
• Serves four.
  
  

  

  
  

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