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aloo wadi

Wadis in the recipe of aloo wadi are Amritsari wadiyan. Wadi is sun dried spicy urad dal (black gram) dumpling or nugget. When you make aloo wadi, take care not to add too much salt or spices as wadi is already very spicy. I prefer not to add any red chilli powder or garam masala powder. It’s basically a Punjabi dish and very tasty.

Recipe of aloo wadi/ wadiyan

2-3 large wadis (dried spicy urad dal dumplings)

3 medium potatoes- peeled and cubed

1 onion- chopped

2 tsp ginger-garlic paste

2 tomatoes- pureed

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

2+2 tsp oil

1. Break urad dal wadiyan into small pieces.

2. Heat 2 tsp oil in a pressure cooker and roast wadi pieces till aromatic but don’t roast too much otherwise they will burn. Drain. Soak the roasted wadi pieces in 1 cup of water.

While you make rest of the preparations, let them be soaked.

3. Heat 2 tsp oil in the same pressure cooker and add cumin seeds. When they change color, add hing. Add onion and sauté till onion become pink.

4. Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for 1 minute. Add tomato puree, salt, turmeric and coriander powders. Fry for 2-3 minutes.

5. Add potatoes, wadi and enough water. Mix well. Close the lid of the cooker.

6. Let 1 whistle come, then turn the heat to medium. Let 3 more whistles come. Turn off the heat. Open the lid when pressure drops down naturally. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

tadka dal

There are many ways to cook tadka dal or dal tadka but this is the one I use as it suits our palate. Tadka means tempering and I have used a standard Punjabi tadka with few variations. You can avoid adding tomato and can use lime juice instead. It won’t matter much to the taste. You can also skip onion if you want.

Recipe of tadka dal

1 cup dhuli moong dal (split, skinless green gram) or dhuli masoor dal (red lentils)

1 onion- chopped

1 medium tomato- diced

2-3 green chillies- chopped

2-3 cloves garlic- crushed

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

Salt to taste

Chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) - for garnish

1. Cook the dal with salt, turmeric powder and enough water in a pressure cooker till just done. Dal should not be too mushy.

2. Heat ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. When they splutter, add hing.

3. Add onion and sauté till transparent. Add garlic and green chillies and fry for 1 minute.

4. Add tomato and cook till tomato become soft and pulpy. Pour this tadka or tempering over the cooked dal. Garnish the dal tadka with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Masala aloo gobhi

This recipe of aloo gobi masala is actually my hubby’s recipe. Garnishing with tomato flower is his idea. My mouth actually watered when he presented it. I couldn’t resist a little taste testing and the aloo gobi tasted mind blowing.

Recipe of aloo gobi masala or masala aloo gobi

1 small gobi (cauliflower) - cut into florets

2 medium potatoes- peeled and cubed

1 onion- sliced

2 green chillies- slit vertically

1 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tomato- cut into 8 pieces without separating from the base- for garnish

Chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) - for garnish

1/4 tsp red chilli powder (cayenne pepper)

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

1 tbsp oil

1. Heat oil in a pan or a kadhai/ wok. Add cumin seeds and when they crackle, add hing.

2. Add onion and green chillies. Stir fry till onion becomes pink. Add ginger-garlic paste. Fry for 1 minute.

3. Add salt and all the spices and after few seconds, add aloo and gobhi. Mix well. If you cook on low heat, you don’t need to add any water. Just cover and cook stirring in between.

4. Cook till vegetables are tender. Increase heat and roast aloo gobi till the sabzi gets a roasted appearance. Add coriander leaves and tomato. Cook on a low heat, covered till tomato gets slightly tender. Transfer to a serving bowl with tomato flower on top. Serve hot aloo gobi masala with any Indian flatbread.

masala aloo gobi

Sukhi urad dal

Sukhi urad dal is also known as Amritsari dal as this dal is very popular in Punjab. This dal is so delicious that my husband Rahul licks the bowl to the last crumb.

Recipe of sukhi urad dal

1 cup dhuli urad (split, skinless black gram)

1 onion- long slices

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

1 tbsp + 1 tsp ghee (clarified butter)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp garam masala

1.25 cups of water

1. Wash and soak urad dal for 1 hour. Drain.

2. Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pressure cooker and add cumin seeds. When they change color, add urad dal. Add salt and all the spices. Stir fry on a low heat for 1 minute.

3. Add 1.25 cup water and pressure cook to 2 whistles. Turn off heat.

4. Heat 1 tsp ghee in a small pan and fry onion till light brown. Add over cooked dal. Mix gently. Serve hot.

Meetha pooda

Meetha pooda or sweet pancake is made in many parts of India including Punjab and Rajasthan. In Punjab, it is served as breakfast. You can also make it as an anytime sweet.

Recipe of meetha pooda (chilla)

1 cup whole wheat flour (atta)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp saunf (fennel) powder

2-3 green cardamom (hari elaichi) - crushed

Ghee (clarified butter) or oil to shallow fry

1. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients except oil or ghee. Add water slowly mixing with other hand. Add enough water to make lump free batter of consistency thicker than that of pakoda (fritters). Beat well.

2. Heat a non- stick tava (griddle). Grease it and turn the heat to low. Pour a ladlefull or 2 tablespoon batter in the center of the tava.

3. Spread it gently in the outward circular motion like you would do for a chilla or an omellete. Spread it with the back of a ladle (karchhi). Turn the heat to medium.

4. After 2 minutes, drizzle some oil or ghee on the pooda. Remove it with the help of a wide, thin spatula and turn over.

5. Cook the other side also for 2 minutes and remove from the tava. Your meetha pooda is ready. Similarly make other poodas from rest of the batter.

Always spread the pooda on low heat and cook it on medium heat.

If the first pooda sticks to the tava, don’t get disheartened. It usually happens with the first puda. As the tava get seasoned, rest of the meetha puda will turn out fine.

aloo ki tikki

Aloo ki tikki is one of the most popular chaat and street food of Northern India. It is served drizzled with cilantro chutney, tamarind chutney and beaten yogurt. Aloo tikki is also served as tikki chole chaat when it is with white chickpeas (kabuli chana). Potato patties shallow fried to golden makes for a delicious snack.

Recipe of aloo tikki

6-8 medium aloo (potato) - boiled, peeled

1 green chilli- chopped

Chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)

2 tbsp bread crumbs

Salt to taste

1 inch piece ginger- grated

1/2 tsp amchoor (dried mango powder)

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

Oil to shallow fry

1. Mash the potatoes well or you can grate them. Mix all the ingredients except oil and make smooth potato dough.

2. Make small balls from the aloo dough and flatten them between your palms to make round patties or tikkis.

3. Heat a non- stick flat pan or a tawa (griddle) and drizzle oil on it. Place the tikkis on it and shallow fry till golden brown. Then turn over and cook from other side also. Place as many tikkis on the pan or tava as their surface area allows and you can manage easily. Serve hot with coriander chutney or tamarind chutney.

Paneer pakora

Paneer pakora or cheese pakora is a true rainy day comforter. Since its monsoon time in India, pakoras with hot cup of tea makes for a treat. It’s not that every day we eat deep fried goodies but its okay once in a while yaar.

Recipe of paneer pakora

250 grams paneer (cottage cheese)

1 1/2 cups besan (gram flour)

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1-2 green chillies- chopped

1 cup water

2 tsp oil

Oil to deep fry

1 tsp chaat masala

1. Cut paneer into thick cubes. Sprinkle chaat masala on them and keep aside.

2. Mix rest of the ingredients in a bowl except water and oil to deep fry. Slowly add water to this, stirring, so that no lumps are formed. Adjust the quantity of water to get thick pouring consistency. Beat this batter in a blender so that air is incorporated and pakoras turn out fluffy. You can also beat with a big spoon or using a hand blender. Set aside the batter for 15-20 minutes.

3. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel (kadhai). You can find out if the oil is sufficiently hot by dropping a small portion of the batter in the oil. If it sizzles and comes to the surface, your oil is hot enough. Turn the heat to medium.

4. Dip the paneer cubes in the batter and drop gently in the oil. Deep fry pakodas from both sides till golden brown.

5. Drain on an absorbent paper towel by using a slotted spoon (pauni/ chhari). Serve hot with tomato sauce or coriander chutney.

Salty lassi

Lassi originated from Punjab and is now a favorite summer drink all over. It’s a perfect antidote to scorching summer sun. Salty lassi or namkeen lassi is in some ways similar to buttermilk but thicker than buttermilk.

Recipe of salty lassi

2 cups yogurt (curd/ dahi)

1 cup chilled water

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp dry roasted cumin seeds- grounded

1/2 tsp mint powder

Crushed ice

1. Blend yogurt, water and salt in a blender till frothy.

2. Add ground cumin and mint powder and mix.

3. Add crushed ice to serve.

You can prepare the mint powder at home by picking mint leaves from the stems. Let them dry out in the sun. Then crush the dried mint leaves between your palms. Store this powder in an airtight container. You can also prepare cumin powder in advance by dry roasting the cumin seeds and coarsely grinding them. This can also be stored in an airtight container. This way you can prepare the lassi quickly anytime.

Namkeen lassi

Sweet lassi

Lassi is a summer drink which originated from North India but is now popular all over India and abroad. There are many variations like sweet lassi, salty lassi and fruit lassi. Here, I am sharing the recipe of sweet lassi which really refreshes on a scorching day. If you are using full fat curd, you will have curd cream at the top. Reserve it to be added at the top of the lassi glass.

Recipe of sweet lassi

1 1/2 cups yogurt (dahi/ curd)

1 cup chilled water

4-5 tblsp sugar

1 tsp rosewater (optional)

Ice cubes

1. Blend all the above ingredients in a blender till smooth. Serve it in a tall glass.

Chana masala

Happy Holi to all of you. Besides other dishes like matar paneer, aloo ki puri, I made chana masala or chole for holi lunch. I like eating chana with rice but today we ate it with puri. Here is my recipe of it.

Recipe of chana masala

1 1/2 cups kabuli chana (chole/ chickpeas/ garbanzo beans)

2 medium tomatoes

2 medium onions

2 small potatoes- boiled, peeled and cubed

5-6 cloves garlic

1 inch piece ginger

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 bay leaves

3 black peppercorns

3-4 cloves

2 black cardamoms

1 tsp amla powder (dried Indian gooseberries powder)

1 tsp chana masala powder

Salt to taste

A pinch of asafoetida (hing)

1 1/2 tbsp oil

1. Soak kabuli chana overnight. Drain and put them in a pressure cooker with enough water and salt. Let 1 whistle come, then turn the heat to medium. Boil the chole for about 1/2 an hour in total.

2. Add dried amla powder and potatoes to the boiled chickpeas and mix.

3. Mince onion, garlic and ginger to form a paste. Puree the tomatoes.

4. Heat oil in a karahi (heavy bottomed vessel) and add cumin seeds, bay leaves, cloves, black peppercorns. Fry for 1 minute and then add hing.

5. Add onion paste and saute till brown. Add coriander powder, red chilli powder and chana masala powder. Saute for 1 minute.

6. Add tomato puree and saute till oil begins to separate.

7. Add boiled chana along with the cooking liquid. Let it come to boil. Lower heat and simmer till much of the water evaporates and you get thick gravy while stirring in between.

Dried amla powder is added to get the blackish color. I add it to the boiled channa and not before boiling since this is a sour powder and hinders with the boiling of chickpeas. If amla powder is not available, you can add 2 tea bags and boil them along with chana. Discard them after boiling.

Since we are using 3 sour things i.e. amla powder, tomatoes and chana masala powder, take care not to add any of these items in excess Otherwise chhole will be too sour to taste.