Punjabi Rajma Masala (Red Kidney Beans Curry)

Rajma masala with rice is a very popular dish of north-india (Punjab). It is the favourite of everyone at my home. Rajma or kidney beans are a great source of protein and being a vegetarian, it becomes a necessity to cook these often. Two varieties of rajma are available in india. One is lighter called 'chitra rajma' and other one is darker known as 'jammu rajma'. In this recipe, i have used the lighter one which i find more tastier.

Preparation time: 15 min.
Cooking time: 1 hr.
Cuisine: North-indian (punjabi)
Type: Main-course
Serves: 2-3


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup red kidney-beans (rajma)
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic-green chilli paste
• 2 onion (sliced)
• 4 tomatoes 
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• salt to taste
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• fresh coriander (to garnish)

METHOD:

1. Wash and soak kidney beans in 5-6 cups of water overnight.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add ginger-garlic-green chilli paste and cook for 30 sec.
3. Add sliced onions and cook till golden brown in colour.
4. Remove from flame and let it cool.
5. Grind together browned onions and tomatoes to make a smooth paste.
6. Add all the spices to the same pan and cook for a few seconds.
7. Next, add the ground paste into the pan and mix well.
8. Cook this mixture till oil seperates.
9. Now add soaked rajma into the cooked masala and mix well.
10. Add the above masala coated rajma into a pressure cooker alongwith 4 cups of water.
11. Pressure cook till one whistle and then simmer for 30 min.
12. Add garam masala and garnish with fresh chopped coriander.
13. Serve hot with roti or rice.

Note:

• Kidney beans can be boiled seperately first and then the masala can be mixed. But I like to make my rajma the way i shared.
• If u forget to soak the rajma at night. Next morning, soak these in hot water for an hour and use in the recipe.
• Adjust the quantity of water according to the thickness of curry you like.

Lauki Kofta Curry

Lauki kofta curry is a nice option for those who aren't a big fan of bottle gourd as a vegetable but enjoy curries. Even kids enjoy this when made with lesser spices.

Preparation time: 15 min.
Cooking time: 45 min.
Cuisine: North-indian
Type: Main-course

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:

For the kofta:

• 1/2 kg bottle gourd (lauki)
• 1/2 cup chickpea flour (besan)
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
• salt to taste
• oil for deep frying

For the curry:

• 3 medium-sized onions (sliced or grated)
• 1/2 kg tomatoes (pureed)
• 2 tbsp ginger-garlic-green chilli paste
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp sugar
• 4 cups water
• coriander leaves (to garnish)

Method:

For the kofta:

1. Peel and grate the bottle gourd. 
2. Squeeze out juice from the grated bottle gourd.
3. Add all the remaining ingredients except oil for making kofta in the grated bottle gourd and mix gently.
4. Heat oil on medium heat and make small balls of the kofta mixture and deep fry till golden brown in colour.
5. Keep aside on tissue paper.

For the gravy or curry:

1. Heat oil in a pan, add ginger-garlic-green chilli paste and saute for few seconds.
2. Add onions alongwith a teaspoon of salt to speed up the process of browning onions.
3. Cook till onions turn deep golden brown in colour.
4. Add coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt.
5. Next, add pureed tomatoes and cook till oil seperates from the masala.
6. Add water gradually a cup of water at a time into the gravy.
7. Adjust the amount of water according to your liking (thick or thin consistency).
8. Cook for 15-20 min. till the gravy thickens.
9. Add fried koftas and sprinkle green cardamom powder.
10. Garnish with chopped coriander.
11. Serve hot with roti, naan or rice.

Note:

• Making bottle gourd koftas can be little tricky at times because of the water content present in it. To avoid any hassle, squeeze it well before adding other ingrediens.
• Squeezed out bottle gourd juice can be later added into the gravy.

Arbi ke patte ke patode /Colocassia leaf rolls

 Monsoon arrives and so is the desire to have something crispy and healthy to snack on during evenings enjoying with a hot cup of tea. Colocassia leaves are available during this season only and these are rich in iron. Today i got some leaves from the market and luckily it started pouring outside... ofcourse i had a big reason to make them immediately. These rolls are known by various names in different places.. patra in gujarat.. alu wadi in maharashtra.. arbi ke patte ke patode in north india which is my native place.. hence the title remains the same.

Preparation time: 10 min.
Cooking time: 20 min.
Type: Tea-time snack
Cuisine: North-indian
Serves: 5-6

INGREDIENTS:

• 10-12 colocassia leaves
• oil for frying

For batter:

• 2 cups gram flour
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Water as required

METHOD:

1. Wash colocassia leaves thoroughly under running water and pat them dry.
2. To make batter, in a bowl add gram flour, turmeric powder. red chilli powder, coriander powder, salt and lemon juice.
3. Mix them well and make sure the batter is of dropping consistency neither too thick nor thin.
4. Place bigger leaf on a flat surface keeping the darker side down.
5. Spread the batter on the leaf generously using a spoon or hands.
6. Place another leaf on top of it and spread the batter again.
7. Repeat this process with 5-6 leaves depending upon their size keeping the smaller inside.
8. Now start rolling the leaves from one end and make a roll.
9. Repeat the process with other leaves to make another roll.
10. Steam the rolls for 15 min. on high heat till a knife inserted comes out clean.
11. Let the rolls cool down completely and then cut 1/2" thick slices.
12. Deep fry the slices in hot oil for 1-2 min. till golden on both sides.
13. Serve hot with coriander chutney or tomato ketchup.

Note:

• Once steamed, the rolls can be stored in the refrigerator for later use.
• Number of leaves to make a roll can be increased or decreased depending upon the thickness of roll you like.

Punjabi Raw Mango Pickle

Making mango pickle is a homely ritual in most of the households during summer. Mango pickle  is a tangy and spicy condiment which adds an extra zing to your meals. The best thing about mango pickle is that it goes along very well with any meal of the day whether its paranthas in breakfast or chhole puri in lunch or biryani in dinner. There are many childhood memories associated with making mango pickle when i used to help my mother in spreading raw mango pieces for drying in sun light and grinding spices for it. I am very fond of all kinds of mango pickles but this one is my all-time favourite. I hate buying pickles from market which are more acidic and are prepared with added preservatives. Home-made pickles are best as they are hygenically prepared and are preserved using salt and mustard oil.
Today i am sharing my mom's recipe of mango pickle which can be stored for upto a year.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 kg raw mangoes
• 3 cups salt
• 6 tbsp red chilli powder
• 3 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 cup fennel seeds (saunf)
• 100 gms fenugreek seeds(methi)
• 100 gms yellow mustard seeds(sarson)
• 3 tbsp onion seeds (kalonji)
• 1 tsp asafoetida (heeng)
• 500 ml mustard oil
  

Method:

1. Wash the raw mangoes thoroughly and pat dry using a kitchen cloth.
2. Cut each mango into 8 pieces of 1" size each.
3. Dry the pieces in sunlight for few hours.
   
4. Coarsely ground fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds.
5. Mix together all the spices with salt.
   
6. Put all the spice mixture over the dried mango pieces.
   
7. Pour mustard oil over them and use your hands to mix them thoroughly over all the mango pieces.
   
8. Put all the marinated raw mango pieces into sterilized container.
   
9. Keep in sunlight for few days until the mango pieces get pickled and become soft and juicy.
10. Enjoy with roti, parantha or rice.

Note:

• Always sterilize the container with hot water and then dry in sunlight to remove all the moisture before storing mango pickle into it.
• Mix the pickle every day using a dry spoon and press them tightly to remove any air pockets for few days.
• Always insure to keep the pickle immersed in mustard oil at all times.
• Never use a wet spoon to take out the pickle.
• Keep in sunlight once a month after it is fully prepared.

Eggless Chocolate Cupcakes

The other day my daughter who has a serious sweet tooth and wants something sweet now and then...asked me to make chocolate cupcakes at night.. as i generally avoid stocking up on eggs in summer, i looked for this recipe for chocolate cupcakes without eggs in an old magazine and made her happy in no time.
After eating this you will not complain about missing eggs because these are super moist and spongy and addition of coffee enhances the flavor and richness of chocolate to a new standard. Do try these quick and easy cupcakes or follow the same recipe to bake a cake.


Preparation time: 10 min.
Baking time: 20 min.
Makes: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour (maida)
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
• 1 cup sugar (granulated)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup warm water
• 1.5 tsp instant coffee powder
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 6 tbsp oil

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degree celcius for 10-15 min. 
2. Place liners in the muffin/cupcake pan or lightly grease with oil.
3. Sift together all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
4. Add sugar in the dry ingredients and mix well using a whisk.
5. Add coffee powder to warm water and mix well.
6. Add vinegar, vanilla essence and oil in the brewed coffee.
7. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and make a lump-free batter.
8. Fill the lined cupcake pan till 2/3rd full and bake for 20 min. till a tooth-pick inserted comes out clean.
9. Let these cool on a wire rack and enjoy with a drizzle of chocolate sauce.