Restaurant Style Bhindi Do Pyaaza

Hi Friends.

We all crave to eat in restaurant once in a while and wish to make similar food at home. Whenever I like any dish I try to understand the flavors and ingredients gone into it and surely do some ‘Mind Cooking’ and then try making it at home. Many a times I am successful and sometimes I am not.

I had bhindi do pyaaza long time back in a restaurant and I loved it, now this was ages back but that flavor surely had set somewhere in my mind. Recently, I did some mind cooking with this preparation and then tried it in my kitchen and was quite happy with the end result. I was surely very close to what I had liked so thought of sharing it with all of you.

Bhindi or Lady’s Finger/Okra is a vegetable liked by many and this used to be my favorite vegetable during childhood days. During summer holidays when I used to visit my grandmother, she used to pluck fresh Okra from her garden everyday and cook it for me. Over a period of time I tried many other vegetables but Okra surely has a special place in my heart for all the fond memories associated with it.

So this recipe is surely an attraction for all Okra/Bhindi and spice lovers . As far as Do Pyaaza is concerned, Pyaaz means onion, so when the onion is used in a double quantity than normal it is called Do Pyaaza. So, bhindi do pyaaza is a version of Okra with lots of onions…

Ingredients

5 cups sliced okra

3 large onions sliced

1 small tomato

1/2-3/4 cup yogurt

3 green chilies chopped

2 tbsp poppy seed paste

3 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

a mix of ghee and oil for cooking

salt to taste

Spices-

1 tsp kashmiri mirch

1/2 tsp lal mirch

1/2  tsp turmeric pwd

2 tbsp coriander pwd

1 tsp cumin pwd

1 tsp tandoori masala

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2tsp amchoor pwd

1/2 tsp anardana pwd

Method

Heat oil and add ginger- garlic paste, saute it till the raw smell disappears.

Add the sliced onions and green chilies and saute till the onions get a light brownish color.

Add the sliced okra and salt to taste, cook till half done.

 

In the curds mix all spices.

Mix the spiced curds in the half done Okra. Keep the flame low.

 

Mix the poppy paste and cook the okra completely.

 

Add sliced tomatoes and mix thoroughly.

 

Serve hot with Ajwain paratha or Naan.

As you all know that I have started a new event series called “ONLY”. I am inviting fellow bloggers to host it. The details about the event and the themes of next few months are provided here, pls check it out and in case you are interested in hosting it email me to cookingoodfood@gmail.com

Sending it to Divya's 'Show me your curry' event.

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Corn Chaat in Baked Corn Cups

Hi!

With  the onset of monsoon the vegetable market gets flooded with fresh produce of corn. Corn is such a versatile ingredient and can be relished in innumerable ways but my most preferred version is always the roasted corn on cob with lime, salt and butter on top. But that does not stop me from trying other versions…

In monsoon I avoid eating chaat outside as it invites many water borne diseases and especially in India, monsoon also sees the uncontrolled growth of house flies. So eat outs and that too street foods are a complete ‘NO’. My both the kids love chaat and since we are not eating that outside these days I thought of making it at home. With so much corn available now, it was an  obvious choice.

Initially I thought I will make corn pooris, fry them  and  later on stuff the chaat in it, but on second thoughts I decide otherwise as the calorie conscious person  inside me got awake and I decided to bake the cups/ baskets and I am so glad I did that as the cups are amazingly crisp and can be made in advance and stored in air tight container. They can be a good attraction for kids, a starter for party and not to forget extremely tasty and low in calorie too.

This chaat has used all versions of Corn.. fresh corn, Corn meal and Corn Starch, so it’s a perfect dish for Corn lovers….. It can be a great evening snack for every one, as for me I can stuff myself with this anytime.

Ingredients For Corn Cups

1 cup APF
2 tbsp Corn Meal
2 tbsp Corn Starch
4 tbsp oil/ shortening
1/2 tsp salt
warm water for kneading
Method

Mix all the ingredients except water to get a crumbly mix. Add water gradually and knead a firm dough. Let the dough rest for half an hour. Keep the dough covered with a wet cloth to avoid it’s drying.

Take a  large marble size dough and grease it lightly. Roll it like a poori but as thin as possible without tearing the edges( about 10cm diameter).

Prick it with fork, this will avoid it’s puffing.

Grease muffin cups and insert these thin pooris into it. Fold it on the sides and press it properly at the bottom so that their are no air spaces.

Bake them in a preheated oven at 180C for 20 minutes or till golden in color. Cool  and then use them. These can be stored in air tight container at this stage for later use.

 

Ingredients for Corn Mix

2 cups corn boiled

3-4 green chilies

half inch of ginger

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp red chili pwd

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp coriander pwd

1 tsp cumin pwd

2 tsp chaat masala

salt to taste

few tsp oil

Method For Corn Mix

Grind about 1/4 cup corn with ginger and green chilies.

Heat oil and add cumin followed by fennel. Add the remaining corn and spices and mix thoroughly.

Add the ground corn and mix again. Cover and cook for two minutes.

Cool the stuffing and use later.

Assembling the Corn  Chaat  in Cups

Take a baked Corn Cup and put about 2-3 spoons of corn stuffing in it.

Put curds over it. The curd has been made by mixing a little rock salt, roasted cumin pwd, sugar, common salt to it and the consistency adjusted by adding water.

Put the sweet tamarind chutney and green chutney (I made Mint and Coriander Chutney) over it.

Spread some finely chopped onion and fine sev .

Add chopped cilantro and serve immediately. ( Adjust the Curds, spices and Chutneys as per your taste). Personally I like my Chaat spicy and less sweet, how do you like yours?

I have developed a penchant for making low calorie stuff or to make a high calorie stuff, as much low calorie as possible. Would love to know do you find that interesting, worth noticing and noting down?

Sending this to Mita’s  MM- party treat event guest hosted by Saraswathi of Sara’s corner.

and also to my event ‘Only’- Kids delight

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Baked Couscous and Nuts Patty

Hi Friends!

Many thanks for all the well wishes, I  felt special and loved. I feel much better now though the viral still makes me feel weak. I will recuperate completely in a day or two. I also felt  pampered when DH took a day off to take care of me.

Now, my regular readers know that S is a foodie, a connoisseur surely. We discuss food a lot and  while I rested myself and watched Tere Bin Laden with him ( the movie was good, I enjoyed watching it as it was a no tension movie ) in the midst of it suddenly I asked S,  how will couscous and nuts taste together? The encouraging S said, should not taste bad, go ahead and try it.

So today, when I felt energetic enough I made these and I must say I patted myself for my imagination and also for attempting it. The patty is simply amazing, awesome, tasty, nutty and the best part baked…..too good. I am  so glad that I made them! My younger one, for whom his mother is the best cook, gave me his big smile and said “khoop chhaan ahe” ( too good in Marathi). He made my day and it was surely a day when I felt good about myself, my skills. I am sure every one feels that once in a while when they feel good about themselves.

I made them into a small patty but they will make an excellent patty for burgers too, if made big. They do not need any binder as couscous absorbs extra moisture and potatoes help well in binding. You will notice that I have not added many spices in it and tried to keep all natural flavors.  Let’s read the recipe and I do request you to try these…..

Ingredients

4 potatoes boiled, peeled and grated

1-1/2 cups couscous (after soaking)

an onion chopped

5-6 green chilies

3 garlic pods crushed

a small piece ginger crushed

2-3 tbsp  cilantro

2 tbsp oil

a cup of coarsely powdered nuts (I used walnut, cashewnut, pistachios, almonds)

a tsp white pepper pwd

salt to taste

baking spray

Method

In a small pan drizzle a few drops of oil and add chilies followed by onions and saute for a minute. This is just to soften the onions and dry it’s water. Cool it.

Microwave all the nuts on high for a minute. Cool them and then crush them coarsely ( I used my chili chopper).

 

In a bowl mix the grated potatoes, soaked couscous and sauted onions.

 

Now  mix the nuts, pepper pwd, crushed ginger-garlic- cilantro, oil and salt.

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly.

Take small portions and shape the patties.

Grease a baking tray  and line the patties and bake them in a preheated oven at 240C for 10 minutes on one side and then turn and bake again till you get  a golden hue on top. Drizzle a few drops of oil or spray on top of the patties before baking.

Serve hot with tomato sauce, green chutney or any dip. I served it with aioli  sauce.

This is an ideal snack for kids as well as  grown ups as it has nuts in it and is healthy too as it’s baked.

Sending this to Mita’s  MM- party treat event guest hosted by Saraswathi of Sara’s corner.
 
To my event ‘Only’- Kids delight and to Sharmi’s Lets Munch- Tea Time Snacks

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Paneer Dhaniya

Hi friends.

First of all let me apologize in advance as I might not be able to visit you that frequently for next few days as my internet connection is facing a lot of problem. I will also try to acknowledge your entries as much as possible but please understand and bear with me if I am not able to do so.

To add to my agony, I am down with viral fever so avoided cooking in the morning as I was alone but evening I had to cook as my growing kids  and DH would require a proper meal. But the problem did not end here… I did not have veggies at home and I am yet to pick up my monthly grocery so no legumes too .

My frustration got reduced after I saw some cottage cheese packs in my chiller. I wanted to make a quick recipe and finally in all the agony my grey cells helped me concoct this simple to make, creamy and mildly flavored curry. After tasting it I thought this would be perfect with Naan but I managed to make rotis, had a great difficulty rolling them with my running nose…but managed somehow.

This curry is surely not people who like very spicy food as it has very few flavors going into it but surely is extremely delectable. One can increase the spice level by adding more chilies or pepper but I liked it this way. This will surely be a big hit with kids as it was with mine. Now, I am just waiting to try this with Naan.

Ingredients

400gms Cottage Cheese cubed

2 onions finely chopped

7-8 green chilies

1 tsp white pepper

2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1/2 cup chopped coriander

4 green cardamoms

2 tbsp clarified butter

about 1/2 cup yogurt

about 3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup low fat fresh cream

1 tsp corn starch

a pinch of garam masala (optional)

salt to taste

Method

Heat the butter and put the green cardamom.

Once the cardamom crackles add the ginger-garlic paste, saute till the raw smell disappears.

Add the onions and green chilies and saute till the onions  are lightly brown.

 

Add the cubed cottage cheese and saute it nicely in the onions so that it imbibes the basic flavors.

Now add salt to taste, white pepper and half of the chopped coriander. Mix thoroughly.

In the yogurt add the cornstarch and beat lightly, mix this to the cottage cheese. Keep the flame low all this while and mix properly, cornstarch prevents the curdling of yogurt. Cook for about a minute.

 

Add the milk and bring the curry to a boil then cover and cook for a few more minutes.

 

Once the curry thickens, switch off the flame and add cream, garam masala and remaining coriander.

Serve hot immediately.

Sending this to Jay's Letz Relishh Paneer.

 
 Divya's 'Show me your curry' event and also to Mita’s  MM- party treat event guest hosted by Saraswathi of Sara’s corner.

Sending this to my event ‘Only’- Kids delight.

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