Aloo Patakha ~ Spicy Potatoes

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It was only a few days back that we were welcoming the new year and now the first month of the new year is already gone. I hope all of you are still sticking to your new year resolutions and implementing all the new plans you had in mind.

I had been trying to eat healthy as much as possible and I hope to continue the trend. When I talk of eating healthy, the first blog that comes to my mind is this. It is an amazing space with a variety of recipes and there is not a single deep fried dish. I have bookmarked and have tried a number of dishes from her space and they turned out every bit delicious! The recipe of today's post comes from there too.

Potatoes are very versatile and I make something of it very often. The day I spotted the very small variety of baby potatoes in the supermarket, I knew instantly what I had to make of them. This dish is versatile too and you can have it as a chat all by itself or as a curry with chapattis. There was a time when I didn't use garlic in my cooking because, I found the smell too overpowering and it was only slowly with time I began to appreciate the flavour it added to dishes. Still, I use it in moderation so that my dishes would have a very subtle garlic flavour. But, this one is an exception. Although I have used less garlic than stated in the original recipe, it has a predominant garlic flavour, which I actually LIKED in this dish. I have made only a few tiny changes to the original recipe, I grilled the boiled potatoes instead of baking them and I reduced the garlic and chilli to my taste and increased the tamarind. Thank you Rachana for this amazing versatile recipe.

Recipe Source: Veggi Fare

Serves 2

Ingredients 

400 grams baby potatoes, boiled and peeled

4 tbsp - sunflower oil + to grease the baking tray
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp - coriander powder  

3-4tbsp - tamarind pulp
salt  to taste

To be coarsely ground together:

 
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped  

4 pieces - whole red chillies
2-3 inches of ginger
1 tbsp - cumin seeds 

little water to help in grinding

Lemon juice and loads of finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Click here for the printable version

Process

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C on grill mode. Grease the baking tray with a little oil. Place the potatoes and mix lightly so that the oil coats the potatoes. 
2. Place the tray in the upper rack of preheated oven and grill until slightly golden. It took 15 minutes in mine and I tossed them around once in between so that they were grilled uniformly.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds, bay leaves and the coarsely ground paste.
4. Saute the paste on a medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add the coriander powder and salt and cook for another 6-7 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally. 
5. Add the baked potatoes. Mix lightly, cover the bowl and let it cook for 10 mins, stirring occasionally. 
6. Add the tamarind pulp. cover and let cook for another couple of minutes. 
7. Remove from the heat, but leave the pan covered. To enhance the taste and the flavours, prepare a few hours in advance.
8. Serve at room temperature, after garnishing with the lemon juice and coriander leaves.

Linking it to Spice Your Food and Health With Spices- Cumin seeds by Tomato Blues. It is an event started by Anu, New Year, New Dish by Nupur , This Month Potato Mania by Siri and to my Event Healthy & Hearty.

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Pav Bhaaji

While going through my drafts today, I found that I had not yet posted some of the recipes which I intended to post during my India visit. In an attempt to use the vegetables in my pantry prior to my India visit, I was making something or the other every day. Finally, one of those recipes is seeing the light of the day!

If you have a number of vegetables lying around what could be better than making this famous street food -Pav Bhaaji. It is very popular dish in my house and I make it quite often. I prefer having this bhaaji at home as most of the time the bhaaji served in restaurants in laced with too much oil. You can use store bought buns or these home made buns will go very well too.

Pav Bhaaji is one of the most popular fast food served through out India right from the roadside vendor to the most upscale restaurants. The dish originally hails from the state of Maharashtra, India. It is basically a mixed vegetable potato curry served with pav buns, chopped onions and a lemon wedge.

Serves 4:

4 large potatoes.
1 carrot
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 onion finely chopped.
½ capsicum finely chopped.
½ cup of green peas.
3 tomatoes chopped
1 tsp red chilli powder
3-4 tsp pav bhaaji masala
1 tsp garam masala
2 green chilies chopped finely.
1/4 chopped coriander leaves.
Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing.
½ tsp grated ginger.
2 cloves garlic chopped
Salt to taste.
Water as required
1 lemon
2-3 tbsp oil
2 tbsp butter.

Procedure:

1. Boil the potatoes. Once they are cool enough peel the skin off and mash them into a smooth mixture. Set aside
2. Pressure cook carrot and cauliflower till one whistle. When cool enough churn it in the mixer (not into a smooth paste but somewhat chunky).
3. Heat a frying pan. Add oil. When heated add the chopped chilies, chopped garlic and grated ginger. Stir for a few seconds. Then add the chopped onions. Sautee for 2-3 mins till the onion is slightly golden.
4. Now add the chopped tomatoes and cook till it melts into a liquidy form. Then add the chopped capsicum.
5. Then add the spices, salt and pav bhaaji masala and heat well for 5-7 mins. Keep stirring continuously to prevent it from over burning. The spices on being roasted will give out a nice aroma.
6.Add the cauliflower and carrot mixture, peas and mix well. Heat for 2 minutes. Add mashed potato paste and mix thoroughly. Add water to give it the desired consistency. Heat for 5 mins.

7. Squeeze out juice of one lemon and add to the bhaaji. Add the chopped coriander leaves and stir it nicely. Heat for a few more minutes. Transfer in a serving bowl. Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and butter.

Pav:

16 buns.
Butter.

Procedure:

1. Heat a tava. Spread butter on the plain side of buns and heat them on the heated tava.
2. Serve the bhaaji hot with warm pav along with finely chopped onions and a wedge of lemon.

Enjoy! Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Spicy Corn Chaat ~ For Blog Hop Wednesdays~From Sizzling Tastebuds

It is time again for another edition of Blog Hop Wednesday. This week I am assigned Kalyani akka Mom Chef's blog- Sizzling Tastebuds. I would like to express my heartflet gratitude to Radhika for creating such wonderful event. It is indeed a pleasure to visit blog and try recipes from there. In this process I have discovered so many fabulous blog and I believe I will continue doing so. If you too want to be a part of this event check out this.

Coming back to the recipe I have chosen today, it is Spicy Corn Chaat. It is for them who are craving for a spicy chaat and yet are worried about junk food getting into their bellies. In my case, I have already put on quite a lot on my India visit, so I am trying to avoid anything that will add to my already increased waistline..:-(!

I too prepare a similar version often, but this one has loads of vegetable and hence for colourful and healthy too! Thank you Kalyani for this wonderful and healthy recipe.

Spicy Corn Chaat:

Ingredients:
1 cup boiled corn
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 tbsp chopped green pepper.
Handful of chopped coriander.
1/4 tsp Black salt
1 tbsp lemon juice.
1/2 tsp chat masala
a dash of freshly ground pepper.
chopped green chilli to taste.

Process:

1. Add all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and mix.
2. In another large bowl, add all the other ingredients and corn preferably warm/mildly hot.
3. Pour the dressing over it and mix well. Serve immediately.

Check out what other bloggers are up with!
Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!