Vegetable Pakora with a cup of masala chai is comforting food on a pleasant winter evening. A vegan recipe that makes for a great party finger food. The standard Vegetable Pakora recipe calls for the use of mixed vegetables, chick pea flour and carom seeds. But I tend to tweak the recipe and add a few more spices to pep up the flavor.

In today’s Vegetable Pakora recipe, I used carrots, beans, cabbage and potatoes but you can also add raw plantain, eggplant, caulilfower and pumpkin. Make sure to use fresh firm vegetables. Chickpea flour and carom seeds are essential ingredients that make the pakoras visually appealing and appetizing. But do add an extra ingredient, dry fenugreek leaves aka kasoori methi to your pakora batter which will elevate the flavor of the pakoras by leaps and bounds. It adds depth of flavor and keeps you coming back for more.

Our friends sent us loads of farm fresh tomatoes they harvested in their farm. Last week saw the making of a lot of tomato based recipes namely, tomato pickle, tomato rasam, tomato soup and Tamatar Pulao. Tomato Pulao is an extremely flavorful rice dish using ripe red tomatoes and rice. The key to this recipe is in the spices and the use of mint leaves. With raita as an accompaniment, it makes for a great one pot meal. I made coconut chicken curry along with Tamatar pulao which made for a delectable combination.

Tamatar Pulao Recipe

Carrot Kheer is a crowd-pleaser Indian dessert that makes for a special festival food this Navratri. Warm and comforting flavors, visually appealing, rich and sweet, carrot kheer lends a striking dash of orange to the table. A decadent dessert to finish off a festive thali (meal).

Red carrots work best but you can use the orange ones too. I used the orange ones as I could not find the red carrots at my local farmer’s market. Use of whole milk and sweetened condensed milk yields a rich kheer.

1 Heat a vessel, add ghee and toast the cashew nuts and raisins till golden brown. Remove from vessel, keep aside.
2 In the same vessel, add the grated carrot and saute for 5-6 mts. Add the boiled milk and simmer for 15-16 mts, stirring once in a while. Add sugar and simmer for another 10-12 mts, stirring once in a while.
3 Add the cardamom pwd, saffron and toasted cashews and almonds. Serve warm or refrigerate until chilled. It tastes good both warm and chilled.

Palak Pakoda is a monsoon snack that is super easy and quick to make. I found the freshest farm grown spinach at the Farmer’s Market (rythu bazaar) and decided on making a North Indian style snack – Palak Pakoda. A vegetarian and vegan Indian snack that is a crowd-pleaser. I love the crisp texture and flavors that go into its making. The green chilies and ginger are the main ingredients that set everything off.

1 Mix all the above ingredients adding salt as required and 2 tablespoons hot oil. Add very little water and mix. The batter should just coat the palak leaves and it should not be a flowing batter but a stiff batter. [Start with few tbsps of water and keep adding till the batter just coats the spinach leaves]
2 Heat oil in a deep frying or heavy bottomed vessel. Once the oil is piping hot, reduce flame to medium and drop a little mixture of the batter to form fritters. Deep the pakodas to a golden brown color. Do not over crowd the vessel.
3 Serve Palak Pakoda warm with a cup of masala chai or coffee. The pakodas can be stored in an air tight container for 2-3 days.

Though I am not too fond of cabbage, I find myself enjoying a North Indian style cabbage dry saute that calls for the inclusion of potato. Its a fabulous combination and a drizzle of lemon juice gives it a flavor that is so satisfying. Its amazing how the simplest of recipes are the most flavorful. Serve with rotis and salad for a clean and simple meal.

1 Heat oil in a cooking vessel, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add the cumin seeds and curry leaves and saute for a few seconds. Add asafoetida, saute for a few seconds.
2 Add the ginger-green chillies paste, saute for half a minute. Add the cubed potatoes and turmeric powder and mix. Place lid and cook over low flame for 12-15 mts. Mix in between so that it does not stick to the vessel or burn.
3 Add the chopped cabbage and mix. Place lid and cook over low flame for 12-15 mts. Mix in between so that it does not stick to the vessel or burn.
4 Remove lid once the cabbage is three fourth cooked. Continue to cook over low flame. Add red chili powder, coriander powder, jaggery or brown sugar and salt to taste and stir fry for a few more mts till the flavors blend and the cabbage retains a bit of crunch. Turn off heat, add lemon juice and mix.
5 Sprinkle fresh coriander leaves and serve with rice and rasam OR rotis.

One of my favorite eating places in Vizag is ‘Kebabri’, known for its North Indian and tandoori food. I especially love their stuffed flats breads prepared in a tandoor. I tried to re-create the same at home a few days ago. So, prepared Kulchas stuffed with paneer, cooked over stove top and served them with Channa Masala. Made for a hearty filling meal. I more or less followed this Paneer Kulcha recipe and am quite happy with the outcome. Tastes best hot off the stove/tandoor.

How to prepare home style Kulcha:

1 Sieve flour, baking pwd and salt. Place the sieved flour on a wide plate. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour sugar, milk, yogurt and slowly combine, to form a soft dough. Cover with damp cloth and let it rest for 2 hrs.
2 After two hrs, knead the dough gently for a mt. Dust the working surface with some flour, pinch a large lemon sized dough and roll into a small thick roti. Place a ball of stuffing in the center of the roti and enclose it from all sides and roll into a ball.
3 Dust the working surface with flour and roll the ball into a 6″ diameter thick roti. Sprinkle few sesame seeds on top and lightly roll with a rolling pin. Prepare rotis with rest of the dough.
4 Heat an iron tawa, once hot, place the kulcha and cook for 15-20 secs on high flame. Brown spots begin to appear. Flip over and cook the other side for another 15-20 secs. Drizzle some ghee or butter and roast for a few seconds on each side and remove.
5 Serve hot with any curry of your choice like Methi Matar Malai or Nilgiri Chicken Korma or Amritsari Chole.

A large boiled potato was lingering about in the fridge along with some chapati dough. I decided to make Aloo Parathas for breakfast/brunch since it meant less preparation work. The stuffing I make is super simple. Whatever variations of the stuffing I prepare, coriander leaves and green chilies are a constant. And I always use desi ghee to roast them, the flavor is simply out-of-the-world. Yogurt and pickle is our favorite side to go with Aloo Parathas.

1 Add salt to the atta, combine, slowly add water to form a soft yet slightly firm dough. Cover with damp cloth and let it rest for 10 mts. Get the stuffing ready in the mean time.
2 Prepare stuffing by combining mashed potato, green chili paste, coriander leaves, coriander pwd, turmeric pwd, cumin pwd, amchur and pinch of salt and combine.
3 Pinch a large lemon sized ball of dough and roll to form a 3″ diameter circle. Place some stuffing and take the edges of the dough and cover the stuffing. Prepare with rest of dough.
4 Dust the working surface with some atta and roll out the stuffed dough to form 6″-7″ diameter circles.
5 Heat a iron tawa and once its hot, place a paratha and let it cook for 15 secs. Flip the paratha and let it cook for a few more secs. Once light brown spots appear, drizzle some oil or ghee and roast to a golden shade on both sides. Use a spatula to press the puffed areas as the paratha gets roasted.
6 Serve hot with any curry of your choice or yogurt or raita.

Gajar ka Halwa – the famed, rich, indulgent, Indian dessert. I wonder why it took me so long to blog it. Better late than never. Prepared this classic Indian mithai a couple of days ago for a friend visiting me after many years.

I used the regular orange carrots that are available in my local farmer’s market. I could not find the deep red Delhi carrots hence had to make do with the regular ones. Ghee and condensed milk give richness to the halwa while warm spices like cardamom and cloves infuse it with an unmistakable aroma and flavor.

1 Heat 3 tbsps ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel, add the grated carrot and saute for 8 mts on low to medium flame.
2 Add the milk and cloves and allow to cook till the milk is almost absorbed. Add sugar and cook further for another 15 mts. Add the condensed milk and go on stirring till it leaves the sides of the pan.
3 Remove the cloves, add the cardamom pwd and saffron and mix. Garnish with toasted almonds, raisins and cashew nuts.
4 Serve warm or refrigerate and serve. It tastes good both warm and cold.

One of my favorite Punjabi dishes is Punjabi style Chole – a high protein classic recipe with heady flavors. I love the texture and combination of spices that go into its making. The addition of one of my favorite flavors, anardana, adds a tangy punch to the nuttiness of chickpeas. This recipe is adapted from Anita’s famous Punjabi Chole. Goes great with Bhatura, puri or rice.

I couldn’t agree more when Anita says that this recipe is sure to bring in the flavors of Delhi streets right into your home. Thanks Anita for sharing with us a simple yet out-of-the-world recipe.

1 Pressure cook the chickpeas along with 3 cups of water, large pinch baking soda, a tea bag, cinnamon and one large black cardamom (badi elaichi) till soft. The chickpeas should be soft and not be overcooked and mushy. Drain the water and keep aside for latter use and discard the tea bag.
2 Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, add green chillis, grated ginger and bay leaf. Saute for few seconds.
3 Add the chopped onions and saute till transparent. Add red chili pwd and salt. Mix well. Add the tomatoes and cook until soft and oil separates, approx 13-15 mts.
4 Add the ground masala pwd and mix well.
5 Add the boiled channa (keep aside 2-3 tbsps of boiled channa and mash). Cook on simmer for 4 mts. Add the left over water and if necessary add another cup of water and bring to a boil. Add the mashed channa and mix. Cook for approx 18-20 mts or till you achieve a slightly thick gravy.
6 Adjust the salt and turn off heat. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
7 Serve hot as a snack garnished with chopped onions or with bhatura or rotis.

Among the many versions of Aloo Dum, today’s recipe is a favorite in our home. Cute round baby potatoes are slowly simmered in a yogurt based gravy this is subtly rich in flavor and spice but least bit heavy. Makes for a lip smacking side with rotis or flavored rice.

1 Heat half a tbsp of oil in a vessel, add the boiled baby potatoes and saute for 3-4 mts till lightly browned. Remove from vessel and keep aside.
2 In the same vessel, add the remaining oil, add the chopped onions and saute for 4 mts or till the onions turn transparent. Add the ground ginger-green chilli-tomato paste and fry further for another 4 mts. Add the chili pwd, turmeric pwd and coriander pwd. Combine well.
3 Slowly add the beaten thick yogurt and keep stirring for at least 5-6 mts. Add the sauteed baby potatoes and cook on low to medium heat for 4 mts. Reduce heat, add the ground cashew nut paste and malai and combine. Cook for a mt.
4 Add a cup of water, garam masala pwd, salt and cook covered on low flame till you get the desired gravy consistency.
5 Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve with hot rotis, rice or any flavored rice.