fastindianrecipes.com

aloo ka halwa

Aloo ka halwa or potato halwa is an unusual dessert. If you are making it for the first time, you will be surprised that how good it tastes. Potato halwa is also eaten in some fasts. If you roast it really well, it will not give a potato taste but some unique taste. Try it and be ready for surprise!

Recipe of potato halwa

1 cup boiled, peeled and mashed potato

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp elaichi (cardamom) powder

1/4 cup milk

4 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

Toasted nuts like cashew nuts and raisins

1. Mash the boiled potatoes while still warm. Heat ghee in a kadhai/ wok. Add mashed potato and roast on a low heat.

2. Keep stirring the halwa as it tends to stick to the bottom. Roast for 10-15 minutes.

3. Add milk and sugar. Again keep roasting till sugar dissolves and halwa thickens to desired consistency. Turn off the heat.

4. Add elaichi powder and garnish potato halwa with toasted nuts.

Note- The more you roast the aloo ka halwa, the better it will taste. Take medium sized potatoes for this halwa.

baby corn pakoda

Baby corn pakoda or bhutte ka pakoda is something exotic to most people. I once had them at a party as a starter. I asked the hostess about the recipe of baby corn pakoda and she was happy to oblige. Here I am sharing her recipe with you with few changes made.

Recipe of baby corn pakoda

10 baby corns (small,slim and tender bhutta)

1 1/2 cup besan (gram flour/ chickpea flour)

1/4 cup makki atta (cornmeal/ maize flour)

1/2 tsp green chilli paste

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

2 tsp lemon juice

Oil to deep fry

baby corns

1. Clean baby corns of peel and fiber etc. Cut them lengthwise into 2 parts.

2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl except baby corns and oil. Add water little by little, mixing with other hand, to get pakora (fritter) batter like consistency. Beat the batter well so that you get fluffy pakodas.

3. Heat sufficient oil in a kadhai (wok). Dip each baby corn piece in the batter and drop gently in the oil. Fry pakoda till golden brown and crisp. Drain on an absorbent paper by slotted spoon (pauni/ chhari).

4. Serve baby corn pakoda with tomato sauce or chutney.

gajar ka paratha

Gajar ka paratha or carrot paratha is a super nutritious food since it is loaded with Vitamin A. It’s both healthy and tasty. It’s also a healthy breakfast option and good way to start your day.

Recipe of gajar ka paratha/ carrot paratha

1 cup atta (whole wheat flour)

4-5 carrots- grated

½ tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

1/4 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)

A pinch of turmeric powder

Oil to shallow fry

1. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together. Add water to knead it into pliable dough.

2. Take a ball (peda) out of the carrot dough. Roll it into a 6 inch round dusting with dry flour as needed.

3. Heat a tava (griddle) and place this round or parantha on it. Cook from both sides applying oil till gajar ka paratha turn golden brown with brown-black specks in it. Serve hot carrot paratha with curd or pickle.

bharwa pyaz

Bharwa pyaz is made from small sized red onions. My mother-in-law used to cook them really well. Our family likes this sabzi of pyaz as we like to eat onion in all its form.

Recipe of bharwa pyaz

6-7 small sized red onions- peeled and washed

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp saunf (fennel) powder

1/2 tsp amchoor (dried mango powder)

1/4 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp oil

pyaz stuffed with spices

1. Make cross like slits in the onions without separating from the base (as shown in the picture).

2. In a small bowl, mix salt and all the spices except turmeric powder. Stuff this spice mixture in the pyaz using a clean knife.

3. Heat oil in a pan and add turmeric powder. Cook for 2 seconds and spread it in the oil using a spatula. Add stuffed onions.

4. Lower heat and cook covered. Turn the pyaz over when the underside is cooked so that onions are roasted from all sides. Do not overcook.

5. Serve hot bharwa pyaaz with roti or paratha.

Paneer paratha

Paneer paratha is something which is relished by adults and kids alike. It’s a good breakfast option. You can enjoy paneer paratha with some curry or all by itself. It tastes absolutely great and liked especially by paneer lovers.

Recipe of paneer paratha

Filling

100 grams paneer- grated or finely crumbled

3 green chillies- finely chopped

Coriander leaves (cilantro) - finely chopped

1/4 tsp garam masala

Salt to taste

Dough

2 cups whole wheat flour (atta)

1/2 tsp salt

1. In a bowl, mix atta with salt. Add water slowly to knead it into smooth, pliable dough. Cover with a damp cloth and keep aside for 1/2 an hour.

2. Mix well all the ingredients of the filling except salt.

3. Take lemon sized ball (peda) from the dough and roll out into a 3 inch round. Grease this round lightly by an oiled spatula.

4. Place 2 tsp paneer filling in the center and add salt to it. Mix. Gather the edges of the round and reshape into a ball. Flatten the ball between your palms.

5. Roll out, dusting with dry flour as needed, into a 6-7 inch round.

6. Heat a griddle (tava) and shallow fry this parantha from both sides applying oil. Cook till golden brown from both sides with brown- black specks in it. Similarly make other paneer parathas. Serve hot paneer paratha with curd or pickle of your choice.

gobhi ke danthal ki sabzi

Gobi ke danthal ki sabzi is mainly made in Punjabi households. It’s full of nutrition since it has high fiber content. It’s like putting vegetable waste to good use since most people throw away the stalks. I find it as a nice side with rotis.

Recipe of gobi ke danthal ki sabzi

Danthal of 1 or 2 gobi (stalks of 1 or 2 cauliflowers) - depends on how much stalk cauliflower has

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp amchoor (dried mango powder)

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1 tbsp oil

danthal (stalks)

1. Peel the hard outer covering of gobi danthal. Wash and chop them into pieces.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. When they change color, add hing.

3. Add gobhi danthal, salt and all the spices except amchoor and garam masala. Mix well.

4. Cook covered on a low heat till danthal or stalk pieces turn tender. Add amchoor and garam masala and mix. Turn off the heat. Serve hot danthal ki sabzi garnished with coriander leaves. Serve with roti or paratha.

rava pongal

While casually surfing through net, I came across this wonderful recipe of rava pongal. This is a healthy South Indian breakfast which people from other parts can eat as a nice variation to regular fare. Rava pongal uses 2 main ingredients that is, rava or semolina and moong dal instead of dal and rice used in pongal. It’s healthy and tasty and try it yourself before believing me.

Recipe of rava pongal

1 cup rava (sooji/ semolina)

3/4 cup moong/mung dal (split, skinless green gram)

1 tbsp cashew nuts- broken

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

Salt to taste

1 1/2 + 4 cups water

1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter) or oil

1 tsp ginger- garlic paste

2-3 green chillies- slit

1. Heat a kadhai/ wok and dry roast moong dal till aromatic and light pink. Take out from the wok and wash it thoroughly.

2. Place moong dal, 1 1/2 cups of water and salt in a pressure cooker and cook to 1 whistle. Open the cooker after 3-4 minutes.

3. Place the cooker on stove to evaporate the water in moong dal.

4. In the mean time, dry roast rava till aromatic and some golden grains appear. Take rava out of kadhai.

5. In the same kadhai, heat ghee or oil. Add mustard seeds and when they pop, add cashew nuts. Add ginger-garlic paste and green chillies. Brown them lightly. When the water in moong dal dries, take it off the heat.

6. Returning to kadhai, add 4 cups of water and bring it to boil.

7. Add rava slowly, stirring with other hand. Add moong dal and salt. Mix well. Cook stirring till pongal gets thick. Cook it to desired consistency. Turn off the heat you can add lemon juice at this stage if you want it tangy. Serve rava pongal hot.

My husband insisted on adding vegetables to pongal so I boiled green peas (matar), potato, carrot along with moong dal. I agree it increases the nutritional value of rava pongal. Below is the picture of vegetable rava pongal or healthy upma.

vegetable rava pongal

Mooli paratha

Today I made mooli paratha or mooli ke parathe for breakfast. Some people enjoy them with white butter on top but we had our mooli paratha with curd. They are best enjoyed hot and crisp straight from the tava (griddle).

Recipe of mooli paratha

3 mooli (white radish/ diakon) - peeled and grated

2 cups atta (whole wheat flour)

3 green chillies- chopped

1/2 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)

Coriander leaves (cilantro) - chopped

Salt to taste

Oil to shallow fry

mooli (white radish)

1. Squeeze hard the grated mooli to remove excess liquid. Heat a tsp oil in a pan and sauté mooli till light brown. Purpose is to evaporate the water of mooli.

2. In a bowl, take atta and add 1/2 tsp salt to it. Add water and knead it into smooth, pliable dough. Set aside for 20 minutes.

3. Add rest of the ingredients except oil to the mooli and mix.

4. Take a small ball (peda) out of the dough and roll out into a 3 inch round putting more pressure on the outer side so that outer edges are thinner than the inner portion of the round.

5. Grease this round with an oiled spatula. Put 2 tsp stuffing in the centre. Gather the edges and reshape into a ball. Pat between your palms to flatten the ball.

6. Roll out, dusting with dry flour, into a 5-6 inch paratha.

7. Heat a tava (griddle) and place this parantha on it. Shallow fry paratha from both sides applying oil. Fry till golden brown. Similarly make rest of the mooli ke parathe. Serve hot mooli ka paratha with curd and pickle of your choice.

Bathua raita

Bathua also known as pigweed comes in winter season in India so this is the time to prepare bathua raita or bathua paratha. Here I am sharing the recipe of bathua ka raita. This raita is not just delicious but also full of nutrition since bathua is a rich source of Iron and Calcium. So enjoy!

Recipe of bathua raita

2 cups curd (yogurt)

1 cup bathua leaves (pigweed)

1 tsp cumin seeds- dry roasted and coarsely ground

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Black salt or ordinary white salt to taste

Bathua leaves

1. Pick leaves of bathua and discard the stems. Wash bathua thoroughly under running water.

2. Boil bathua leaves with 1/2 cup of water for few minutes. Strain. Grind them to a coarse paste using a blender.

3. Whisk curd till smooth and lump free. Add some water to the curd if it is too thick.

4. Add bathua, salt and red chilli powder to the beaten curd and mix. Sprinkle ground cumin seeds over the raita. Since its too cold these days, serve bathue ka raita at room temperature. You can also refrigerate it before serving.

Lauki ke kofte

Lauki ke kofte or lauki kofta are my hubby dear’s favorite. Like many people he doesn’t care much for lauki ki sabzi but can eat kofte any time. It takes a little time and practice to make perfect lauki kofta but the result is well worth it. This dish is liked by kids also as it contains deep fried pakoras (fritters).

Recipe of lauki ke kofte or lauki kofta

Kofta

1/2 kg lauki (bottle gourd/ ghiya/ doodhi)

1 cup besan (gram flour/ chickpea flour)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

Oil to deep fry

Gravy

3 tomatoes- pureed

1 inch piece ginger

2 onions

3 green chillies

4-5 cloves garlic (optional)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

3/4 tsp coriander powder

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

1 tbsp oil

Chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) for garnish

Fried koftas

1. Peel, wash and grate lauki. Squeeze genlty to remove excess water. There is no need to squeeze hard. Reserve the liquid for gravy.

2. Mix lauki, besan, salt and red chilli powder. Mix well and beat with your hands.

3. Heat enough oil in a kadhai/ wok. Drop small portions by your hand or a tablespoon in the hot oil. Fry koftas on medium heat, then when they appear cooked, increase heat to give them brownish color. Fry in batches. These fritters or pakoras are called kofte.

4. Drain kofte on an absorbent paper and keep aside.

5. To prepare the gravy, grind together onion, ginger, garlic and green chillies.

6. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. When they change color, add hing. Add onion paste and fry till light brown.

7. Add tomato puree. Add salt and turmeric, coriander and garam masala powders. Fry till oil begins to separate.

8. Add 1 cup water and give 1 boil. You can also add the reserved liquid from lauki. Add kofte and simmer on a low heat for 5-7 minutes. Adjust water according to consistency of the gravy you want. Serve hot lauki ke kofte garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Lauki kofta