Aloo Mutter Curry

Want to make something real quick for lunch/dinner. You can make this Indian curry using ingredients readily available in your pantry. Aloo with peas is an awesome combination as a curry which goes well with a variety of rices like lemon, coconut, mor-kuzhambu, sambar, rasam, curd, and even roti. Aloo Mutter is a super easy, filling vegetarian dish which can be made according to your spice level. 

I personally love potatoes, cauliflower and peas. Is there anyone in this world who doesn't like potatoes? Wait yes there is one, my husband ;-(. I will soon post a follow-up on how to make "Aloo gobi mutter" curry. Here you go with my favorite recipe. 

                          

Ingredients 

• Potato - 2
• Peas - 1/4 cup
• Onion (thinly sliced) - 1
• Tomato (finely chopped) - 2
• Ginger (finely chopped) - 1tbsp
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp 
• Red chilly powder - 1tsp 
• Fennel seeds - 1tsp
• Oil as needed 
• Salt as needed 
• Cilantro (finely chopped)- 2tbsp

Method 

• Peel potatoes and then chop into small cubes. Set aside. 
• Keep water for boiling and add the cubed potatoes to the boiling water. Allow it to boil for few minutes.
• Meanwhile head a kadai with oil and temper with fennel. Add ginger, fry for few minutes. 
• Add onion, fry till transparent. Now add tomato, salt, turmeric and red chilly powder. Mix well. Cook till oil separates. 

                         

• Add boiled potatoes and peas to the curry. Mix well. Allow it to cook for 7-10 minutes in medium flame.
• Finally add chopped cilantro and give it a toss.
• Aloo mutter curry is ready to be served hot with any rice or roti. 

                        

Tips

• Dried peas can also be used in this recipe. But it should be soaked over night and pressure cooked for 4-5 whistles before adding to the curry. 
• You can also add ginger garlic paste. 
• You can avoid tomato and add squeeze lemon. 

Gobi/Cauliflower Masala

Is it not funny that we look for the authentic taste, a sense of nostalgia, a touch of home in restaurant meals but also look for restaurant taste, richness in our home cooked food! How contradictory our thoughts can be!

How many times would we have related restaurant food to our mothers, grandmothers or even great grandmothers?

And how many times, would we have scouted the internet for restaurant style recipes of our favorite food?!?

 Of late, there are so many recipes out there in the internet claiming to be ‘authentic’ or ‘restaurant style’ for each and every dish churned out from the kitchen that I don’t really know how much of it is true. But when I came across this recipe for Cauliflower masala, I knew I had to give it a try. I was literally drooling seeing the pictures. I convinced myself that even if not restaurant style, it got to be yummy for sure but it turned out to be both – delicious and very similar to what we get in a really good restaurant!

So here is my version with very very less changes depending on the ingredients that I had available at that time.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - 1 medium, chopped to medium sized florets.
Tomatoes -  2 medium size
Cashews - Around 10
Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Bay Leaf- 1
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala- 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder- 1/2 tsp
Fennel Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Kasuri methi/Dry Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Thick Yoghurt - 1 tbs
Salt
Oil
Water

Preparation:

1. Boil 3 cups of water. When it starts boiling, turn off the stove and add the chopped cauliflower florets to the hot water. Keep it covered for 20 minutes.

2. Grind tomatoes and cashews to a smooth paste.

3. Drain the cauliflowers and wipe them dry.

4. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and add the cauliflower florets. Saute on medium flame for about 8 to 10 minutes until the cauliflower gets some brown spots. Keep the cauliflowers aside.

Method:

1. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in the same pan.
2. Add bay leaf and fennel seeds and fry for few seconds.
3. Add chopped onions and fry until golden brown.
4. Add ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell goes away.
5. Add the ground tomato cashew paste and give a good mix.
6. Add the other spices - turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala and red chilli powder.
7. Saute and stir for about 15 minutes. You should see the oil leaving the sides of masala.
8. Add 1.5 cups of water and give it a stir.
9. Add the cauliflower florets along with required salt.
10. Stir and cover cooked for about 15 minutes or until the florets are completely cooked. Make sure to stir at regular intervals.
11. Add crushed kasuri methi and yoghurt. Give it one good stir.

Your Cauliflower masala is ready. Trust me, it is the amazing cauliflower dish I have ever had. Serve it hot with rotis

Vegetable Kofta Curry/ Gravy

Kofta in simple words is minced vegetable balls mixed with Indian spices, which can be deep fried or baked. This gravy is sweet and mildly spicy, usually goes well with Indian Flat breads (Chapathi, Naan, Roti etc..) and Mild Pulao. It's tomato onion based gravy cooked with rich cream and milk. This gravy is too rich, as daily routine, so you can plan for special occasions. Kofta is like a appetizer. It's your call you can eat the kofta as such or along with the gravy. When making kofta balls it will tempt your taste buds to have as such, it might be silly right but I did it ;). Here you go with the recipe.....Enjoy the royal treat :)
                               

Spinach Curry

Everyone has days when they just can’t face kitchen. It can be for various reasons or lets just say too lazy to cook. In those circumstances, previous day’s leftovers, 2 minutes Maggie noodles, instant ready to serve dishes can be life saviors. Of course, eating out is another option. But what can be more convenient is to have a husband who can cook. It was one such day for me, and my husband cooked this amazing spinach dish. And from that day on, every time we get spinach, it is him who cooks it. How convenient ;) ! He never follows the rules of cooking or the ones that comes with the recipe. He throws in what he feels but I must say the outcome has always been good and my personal favorite. 

Here is the recipe from my husband’s kitchen which I can say is definitely worth a try.This simple delicious dinner/lunch curry can be served with chapathi (Indian flatbread) or rice.

What you need:

1.   Spinach  - 2 or 3 bunches

2.   Green chilli - 2

3.   Red chilli -1    

4.   Moong Dal  -1/2 tsp

5.   Channa Dhal – 1 tsp

6.   Toor Dhal/Pigeon Peas - 1tsp

7.   Urad Dhal - 1 tsp

8.   Mustard seeds    - 1tsp

9.   Cumin seeds 1tsp

10. Grated coconut - half cup

11. Pepper 1tsp

12. Salt, turmeric and chilli powder

Making:

1

       1.   Clean spinach with cold running water from faucet and cut them into pieces.I prefer using scissors as it saves couple of minutes.Throw out the thick stems that may be present.     

  2.  It is time to make some noise in the house. Add the following ingredients in the mixer jar and grind them to a thick mayo like consistency by adding little water

                   1. Green chilli

                   2. Moong dhal 

           3. Grated coconut

                   4. Pepper 

                   5. A pinch of turmeric and coriander powder

 3.  Grab a skillet (one with a lid) - heat oil (use your own discretion, low quantity  should be fine) Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let them jump in joy in the heated oil.

 4.  Add Channa Dhal, Toor Dhal, Urad Dhal and stir till it changes color.

 5.  Add half tbsp ginger garlic paste and cook till the raw smell goes-then add  the cut spinach.

 6.  Transfer the paste that has been prepared into the skillet. Sprinkle
 some water.Check the consistency. Molagootal is neither very thick nor thin

 7. Now add salt and chilli powder as per taste. Garam Masala is also invited to the party but make sure the taste is not over powering.

 8. Boil/cook everything for 8-10 minutes. Make sure most of your spinach retains the color, we don't want them over cooked.

Note:

a. If you need the dish to not look leafy - you can grind the spinach in the mixer separately instead of scissor cutting them.I usually do not grind the spinach but the picture you see is when I tried grinding them

b. Cashew or coriander can also be included in the paste we prepare.

Serve and eat HOT! Spinach curry can be served with rice or as side dish for chapathi, naan etc.

Enjoy!

Of course I didn't invent this - just like you looking at this blog, I reviewed a couple of websites BUT simplified the method to make it my own custom fit. So go ahead try this and see if this hits the right spot for you.

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Sides/Curry

Side Dish - No meal is complete without a side dish ..or two!!

Mint Cilantro Raitha

Spinach Curry

Cauliflower Fry

Channa Masala

Veggie Tofu Fry

Green Gram Curry

Paneer Jalfrezi

   Vegetable Kofta Curry Gravy

Potato Fry/Urilai Kilangu Varuval 

Chilli Tofu