Papad ki Sabji

Perfect curry to make when you have no veggies left in your fridge :) All you need is tomatoes, yogurt and papad as main ingredients. A delectable curry will be ready in no time. It is a famous Rajasthani dish, most of us know about it and yes, it is cooked in 10 different ways:) I have tried making it both ways, with and without onions and I like it better with no onions. My husband enjoys this papad ki sabji a lot more than I do actually :) so this curry is here to stay in my household. It goes well with khoba roti or any other paratha or simply with the plain rice.

Making papad (thin, fried accompaniment) is a summer affair and I am sure every kid of my generation must have spent their few days of summer vacation helping out their moms and aunts in rolling, spreading, drying papads in the backyard or on the terrace under the scorching heat and then having a cold beverage like lemon sherbet or sol kadi to cool themselves. :) Real fun days it used to be :)

Let us check out the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 4 big papads dry roasted or fried or done in microwave*
• 2 tomatoes
• 2-3 green chillies
• 1 inch ginger
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/2 cup curds/yogurt room temperature
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
• pinch of asafoetida (hing)
• 1 tbsp kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• salt to taste
• handful of cilantro chopped

Preparation:

• In a blender, grind tomatoes, chillies and ginger, keep aside.
• In a wide mouth pan, heat oil, add cumin seeds till they splutter, add hing, kasuri methi and saute for a minute or so.
• Add tomato mixture along with the chilli pwd, coriander pwd and garam masala.
• Mix everything and let it cook till oil separates from the tomato gravy.
• Now sim the gas and add whisked yogurt plus water slowly while you keep stirring the gravy, else it will curdle in the gravy. Bring it to a boil, add salt as per taste.
• Now take the fried/roasted papads, make med-small pieces and slowly add to the gravy. Cover and cook for a couple of more minutes till the papads soak in the gravy.
• Your gravy is ready. Serve it with kobha roti or with rice.

Notes:* Papads can be roasted or fried anyway you want. You can also add raw papad cut in pieces and cook till done.

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

recipe adapted from nisha madhulika's website.

papad

fried papad

Health Benefits: This curry is made with tomatoes and yogurt as a base with little spices. The debate that tomato is a fruit or vegetable is still on :), nonetheless, it is considered as a superfood. It is rich in antioxidants. It has lycopene which helps in fighting chronic diseases and helps in delivering other health benefits. It is an excellent source of Vit C, potassium and cholene. Yogurt is no. 1 probiotic food. It is known to be helpful in digestion and is a good source of calcium. Papad is mainly made from peeled black flour (protein), it is seasoned and consumed in either fried, roasted or deep fry form.

Tomato Poori

Poori: one of the best deep-fried bread from India. It basically goes very well with any curry. In fact, it does nothing but enhances the flavors of anything it compliments with. Its downside is that it is deep fried yes! guilty pleasures of human taste buds. Now here I tried to have fun by adding healthy ingredients and played with the flavors. Recipe adapted from Maayeka site. Loved it the moment I saw it! Have been making these since past couple of years! Everyone loves it at home and I am sure you will too!

Poori is not cooked on an everyday basis (it is deep fried you see :)) in most of the households. It is considered as a special bread to be served on important occasions like festivals, birthdays, anniversaries etc. In my house, I tend to do that. Today on the auspicious occasion of Dussehra, took an opportunity to make tomato pooris along with kala chana dry sabji.

The combination of tomato, mint, cumin is so appetizing and the poori's taste simply amazing. No cutting, chopping or sweating. It is a straight forward recipe and I am sure you will enjoy making it as much as I do.

Without any further delay, let me get to the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4th cup semolina (rava)
• 1 6oz tomato paste ( or 1 cup thick tomato sauce)
• 1 tbsp mint chopped 
• 1 tsp chili powder ( or less of you like less spicy)
• 1 cup water to knead (approx)
• 1 tsp cumin mildly crushed
• pinch carom seeds (ajwain - optional)
• pinch baking soda
• salt as per taste
• 1 tsp oil
• oil to fry

Preparation: 

• In a mixing bowl, add all the above ingredients and mix with a spoon first.
• Add water little by little and start kneading the dough. Make a semi-stiff dough. Rest it for 15 minutes by covering it.
• Now make small balls from the dough and lightly coat with oil (can use a drop or 2), roll into a 3-inch disc.
• In the meantime, heat oil in a frying pan, frying should be done on med-high flame. 
• Slide poori in the hot oil and gently press the poori from one side with a slotted spoon, it helps to puff up the poori. Turn over and fry for few more secs. Take it out and let it rest on a paper towel, let the excess oil be absorbed. Got to do everything we can to get that oil out :);)
• Serve hot with your favorite chutney or ketchup, kala channa, or any curry.

You may also like dry kala chana, ragi poori (finger millet), lachcha paratha, aloo bhaji, kala channa curry etc

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

Health Benefits: The health benefits of tomatoes include improved eyesight, good stomach health, and reduced blood pressure, as well as relief from diabetes, skin problems and urinary tract infections. Furthermore, tomatoes can increase digestion, stimulate blood circulation, reduce cholesterol levels, improve fluid balance, protect the kidneys, detoxify the body, prevent premature aging, and reduce inflammation and related conditions. Tomatoes consist of a large number of antioxidants that have been proven to fight different forms of cancer. It is a rich source of vitamins and minerals and exerts a protective effect against cardiovascular diseases.

Mushroom Matar Masala

The word "mushroom" brings back sweet memories for me. Few decades back remember how people used to look forward to eating and relishing their seasonal favorites? Nostalgia connected with Mushrooms and Monsoon season go hand in hand for me. It's also called Alambi in the local coastal region and they are the yummiest ones. Shallow fry version used to be my favorite. My mom makes a kick ass mushroom curry :) [I will be soon featuring it here, I promise]

We are lucky that we find mushroom all year round now, though it kind of loses the special treatment and wow factor due to that  :) :) Mushroom Matar masala comes from the northern region of India. Usage of cream and cashews makes it a Mughlai style rich dish. What I have observed is children enjoy this kind of dishes.

So without any delay let's get to the recipe...

Mushroom Matar Masala

 Ingredients:

• 10 mushrooms cut into 4 parts each
• 1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
• 1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
• 1pinch asafoetida (hing)
• 2 tsp oil
• 3 medium size tomatoes
• 10 cashews soaked in warm water for 10 min
• 1-inch ginger
• 2 green chillies (use as per your spice level)
• 1 tsp coriander seeds powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• handful cilantro chopped for garnish
• 1 tbsp cream (or 2 tbsp whole milk) 
• 5-6 black pepper, 1 inch cinnamon(dalchini) stick,  2 big(or small) cardamon(elaichi), 2-3 cloves(laung)
• 1 tbsp kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
• 1/2 cup water ( if u don't like it very thick) 
• salt as per taste

Preparation:

• Grind tomatoes, ginger, green chillies and cashew together and keep aside.
• Roughly grind whole garam masala- pepper, dalchini, elaichi, cloves.
• Heat oil in a pan and add jeera, as it splutters add hing and turmeric and pour the tomato mixture and stir. Cover the lid till it comes to a boil, keep stirring in between. 
• Then add kasoori methi, ground whole garam masala, chilli powder and mix everything together and cook till it leaves oil on top of gravy.
• Now add peas and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. 
• Add Cream or milk over the peas masala and bring to a boil quickly. 
• You can add water if you want the consistency of the gravy to be thin.
• While you simmer the gravy add mushrooms and salt to taste. [mushroom cooks fast and hence add it in the end]. Cook for around 4-5 minutes and shut the stove off. Garnish with cilantro.
• Serve with nan, roti, parathas, phulka or just plain rice. 

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

Note: You can skip adding cream/milk if you are using cashews. I used both, correcting the ratio as per my requirement. Also, if the tomatoes you are using are not sour enough use 1 tbsp of tomato paste, you get good color and sourness in the gravy.

Based on recipe courtesy: www.Nisha Madhulika.com (changed measurements and few ingredients)

Health Benefits: Mushrooms are low in calories, fat-free, cholesterol-free, gluten-free, and very low in sodium, yet they provide important nutrients, including selenium, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin D and more. They are a good source of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and help in weight loss. Only keep in mind you eat good quality fresh mushrooms.

Tomato Rice (Tomato Bhaat)

This is a quick one pot yummilicious rice dish that can be made in few minutes with few ingredients and it tastes super yum!! When in college, my close friend Rekha used to bring this delicious tomato rice in her lunch box and I still remember the aroma and its taste :) Hope those memories stay with me forever.(meaning don't want to have any amnesia :( ) I have made tomato rice before but something was missing and it did not turn out the way I remembered it.

I casually asked my friend Rekha today to send me her mom's recipe and she did so instantly, very sweet of her (power of internet era) I was in a great mood to have some, so made tomato rice today and voila...as expected that swad (taste) just hit the spot!! :). Thank you Rekha:) and thank you to Aunty for bringing back to me those college memories.

The tanginess of tomatoes and all the fried dals gives this rice dish a very comforting feel and taste. 

You must try it out!!

Here is the recipe:
Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked rice (any, I use Basmati)
• 4 big tomatoes finely chopped (ripe)
• 2-3 dry red chillies
• 12 curry leaves
• 1 tbsp of channa dal (bengal gram)
• 1 tbsp urad dal
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• pinch of asafoetida (hing)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
• salt as per taste
• 3 tbsp oil (or less)

Preparation:

• In a non-stick pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds, as it splutters add dry red chillies, curry leaves, channa dal, urad dal and saute till it turns light brown, add asafoetida, saute quickly and add chopped tomatoes. 
• Mix everything once, now add turmeric pwd, salt and saute for few seconds. 
• Now let the tomatoes cook and come together as a pulp. Once it starts leaving oil at the side, add cooked rice and slowly fold it in. 
• Do it delicately else you will be breaking the rice. The aroma in the house will surely make you happy :) 
• Let it cook on slow heat for a couple of minutes more till all the tangy flavors mix with the rice.
• Serve it with a little ghee (optional) along with yogurt raita, papad/fried sandige and pickles. 

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

You may like Vangi Bhaat, Vegetable Rice Pulao, Phodnicha Bhaat (tempered rice), Bhatkal Chicken Biryani...

notes* you can garnish it with cilantro and grated coconut too.

Health Benefits: The health benefits of rice include its ability to provide fast and instant energy, regulate and improve bowel movements, and slow down the aging process, while also providing an essential source of vitamin B1 to the human body. It is very low in sodium and cholesterol free! The debate that tomato is a fruit or vegetable is still on :), nonetheless, it is considered as a superfood. It is rich in antioxidants. It has lycopene which helps in fighting chronic diseases and helps in delivering other health benefits. It is an excellent source of Vit C, potassium and cholene.