Dumdaar dum aloo

Baby potatoes, I always like making something with them and recently i spotted them at a local Reliance Fresh store so that very night i bought them i had to prepare Dum aloo. I gave it a little bit of my twist to it from the regular one.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4


Ingredients:

1. Baby potatoes 1/2kg
2. Tomatoes 3-4
3. Green chillies 2-3
4. Dry red chillies 3-4
5. Saunf 1/2tsp
6. Dhania powder 1tsp
7. Jeera seeds 1tsp
8. Ginger garlic paste 1tbsp
9. Coconut shreeded 2tbsp
10. Salt
11. Cardamom 2 pods
12. Cloves 3-4 pods
13. Cinnamon stick 1inch
14. Pepper corns 4-5 corns
15. Poppy seeds 1tsp
16. Oil
17. Water
18. Coriander leaves


Method: 

1. Wash the baby potatoes well and poke them with fork and pressure cook with a little bit of salt.
2. Grind tomatoes, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, clove pods, pepper, coconut, saunf, green chillies and dry red chillies and poppy seeds to a fine paste.
3. Heat oil in a kadhai and add jeera seeds once they splutter add ginger garlic paste and saute.
4. Now add the grind paste and let it cook till raw smell disappears.
5. Once done add dhania powder and mix well.
6. Now add the peeled and cooked baby potatoes, salt (be careful if you've already added salt while cooking potatoes) and mix well. Add water if required.
7. Close the kadhai and let it cook for about 3-4 minutes. keep stirring in  between.
8. Garnish with corainder leaves and serve hot with chapathi or parantha.

My style bhindi masala

Its dinner time and i often think what shall i cook along with chapathi's so that my hubby's taste buds say yummy yummy all the time and in this process one night I found bhindi's laying in the fridge.. Took them out give them a nice was and cut them vertically, in a slant position..

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1. Bhindi (lady's finger) 1/2kg
2. Onions 2
3. Green chillies 2
4. Dry red chillies 5-6
5. Poppy seeds 1/2tsp
6. Cashews 7-8
7. Cinnamon 1 inch
8. Garam masala powder 1tsp
9. Amchur powder 1tsp
10. Dhania powder 1tsp
11. Tomatoes 2
12. Oil 5-6tbsp
13. Mustard seeds 1/2tsp
14. Jeera seeds 1tsp
15. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash the bhindi's and slit them horizontally or in a slant position.
2. Heat 5tbsp of oil in a kashai and fry the bhindi's (but dont make them moist). Keep it aside
3. Now grind onions, tomatoes, poppy seeds, cinnamon and cashews along with dry red chillies to a fine paste.
4. To the remaining oil add mustard seeds, jeera seeds, let them splutter. Now add the slit green chillies and add the ground paste.
5. Saute for a while and add garam masala, amchur powder, dhania powder and mix well.
6. Mix in the fried bhindi so that they blend well.
7. Add salt and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
8. You may add water t your required consistency.
9. Serve hot with chapathi's or roti's.

Crispy Pungulu

This one i borrowed from another fellow food blogger (forgot her name)... all i knew was this had to be a perfect teatime snack especially in rainy weather and chilly winters.. And this being my post after a really loong time i made sure i posted something really yummy and easy to make as well.

Dosa's are always a part of daily breakfast menu's in every south Indian household and especially with kids around one does have the batter stored in refrigerator almost daily (at least i do, having a always dosa lover 2.9 year old toddler) so one day i made use of this batter for something else other than dosa...

Preparation time: 10min
Cooking time: 20min
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1. Dosa batter 3-4 cups
2. Rice flour 2-3 handfuls (look at the consistency after mixing)
3. Onion 2 (optional)
4. Green chillies 4-5
5. Coriander leaves
6. Salt a little bit (because you would have already added some to the dosa batter)
7. Oil for deep frying
8. Jeera seeds 1tsp


Method:

1. If you've stored dosa batter in refrigerator, let it come to room temperature.
2. Chop onions, green chillies and coriander leaves and keep aside.
3. Add rice flour slowly to the dosa batter and mix well leaving behind no lumps.
4. The batter should come to idli batter consistency.
5. Now add onions, green chillies and coriander leaves along with some jeera seeds.
6. Heat oil in a kadhai and pour the batter with spoon or hand.. may not be round exactly, but who cares..
7. Once they turn brown and fried remove them on absorbent paper and serve hot with chutney or tomato sauce..


P.S: Got to know later that this is a street food made in Vishakapatnam.

Badamlicious Oats

My little one loves having oats for his breakfast. I generally give him the adult breakfast at home but on the day rice is prepared as a breakfast i settle down to giving him something else and ask him what he wants he quickly says oats, well knowing that its really healthy why should i not give him. I make more healthier by adding something new to it all the time so that he never gets bored eating the same stuff, say i add cocoa powder or even drinking chocolate powder to make it more tasty for him. This time around i did add in MTR Badam Drink powder...


Preparation time: 2 minutes
Cooking time: 3 minutes
Serves: 1 hungry and taste seeking toddler


Ingredients:

1. Oats 2tbsp
2. Milk 1/2 glass
3. Water 1/4 glass
4. Sugar 1tsp
5. MTR Badam Drink powder 2tbsp

Method:

1. Take oats, add milk, water, sugar and MTR Badam Drink powder in a microwave safe dish.
2. Give it a nice stir and place in microwave at high power for about 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
3. Keep stirring in between and please mind that you dont cover the dish.
4. Keep looking for overflowing in between, necessarily stirring in between.
5. Voila, your oats are ready to serve. Cool down a bit however before you serve.

If you little one can eat a little big chunks of dry fruits, you can also add raisins, cashews, badams in this yummy breakfast.


I guess its not a bad idea to serve it for other members of the family as well, especially the loving and hard working hubbies for a day full of energy.

Pav bhaji upma

I'm an ardent fan of Sihi Kahi chandru, a comedian and an actor who also has his own cookery show on Suvarna Kannada channel. This Upma he made the other day really got me going as it was unique in itself. I had to try it out, but only thing i had to assure was people at home liked it. I usually try most of the recipes he cooks on his very famous show Bombatt Bhojana and this one is one among many..

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25-30 minutes
Serves: 7


Ingredients: 

1. Vegetables [I took 200gms each of beans, carrot, potatoes, capsisum and green peas]
2. Onions 4-5
3. Tomatoes 3-4
4. Pav bhaji masala 3tbsp
5. Green chillies 7-8
6. Bansi rawa 2.5 cups
7. Salt
10. Mustard seeds 1tsp
11. Chana dal 1tsp
12. Urad dal 1tsp
13. Jeera seeds 1tsp
14. Water about 3 cups
15. Curry leaves
15. Coriander
16. Oil
17. Fresh grated coconut 1/2 cup


Method: 

1. Roast the bansi rawa till it emits good smell and keep aside for it to cool.
2. Chop the veggies into small cubes and cook them till half done (except for the capsicum and tomatoes).
3. Heat oil in a kadhai and make seasoning of mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, jeera seeds,  green chillies followed by fresh curry leaves.
4. Add in the onions and saute till they turn golden brown.
5. Next add in the capsicum and saute them.
6. Time to add in tomatoes and cook them a bit.
7. Add pav bhaji masala, give it a nice mix and  then add water, salt, the half cooked veggies and let it boil.
8. Now add the grated coconut and mix well.
9. Slowly pour in the roasted rawa and keep stirring so that no lumps are formed.
10. Simmer the flame and let it cook covered for about 5-6 minutes.
11. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot.


Look at the family gulping down this never tasted before upma...