traditional indian food Archives

Gobhi ke parathe

Gobhi ke parathe (stuffed wheat flour flatbread stuffed with spicy cauliflower) is the best meal for a lazy Sunday brunch!! Though any variety of stuffed parathas will fall in this catagory like – Aaloo ka Paratha (wheat flour flat bread with spicy potato stuffing) , Pyaaz ka paratha (Indian flat bread, stuffed with roasted onion) and Mooli ka paratha (wheat flour flat bread stuffed with spicy radish) . Stuffed Gobhi ke Parathe require a little extra effort, so I prefer to keep them safe for Sunday brunches.

Generally people are hesitant to prepare stuffed parathas in their kitchen. They find it slightly complicated and always feel that homemade ones are no match for restaurants’ ones. Personally, I never liked stuffed parathe in restaurants. First reason is that the stuffing doesn’t go well with my taste. Next, I always feel that in restaurant they make very thick paratha. You might say that I am too fussy in my food habits, but not really, I can give you a long list of desserts that I can have any time only in restaurants!! But any variety of paratha – I prefer them to prepare in my kitchen.

Take care of a few points and you can prepare the best gobhi ke parathe in your kitchen…

Wheat flour dough should be more loose than chapati/roti’s dough. If dough is hard, then while rolling paratha you will have to apply slightly more pressure and stuffing will come out from the sides.
Stuffing should not have a lot of moisture. Wet stuffing will be troublesome while rolling the dough.
Let stuffing cool down properly – don’t ever fill hot stuffing in paratha.
Don’t overfill the stuffing. While rolling, stuffing will come out from the sides. But don’t fill too less also, otherwise there wouldn’t be any taste. With a few trials you will be an expert in any kind of stuffed parathas.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower 600 grams
Oil 2 tbsp
Ginger ( grated) 1/4 tsp
Green chillies (chopped) 3-4
Small mustard seeds (rai) 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds (jeera) 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida powder (hing) 1/8 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Dry mango powder 3/4 tsp
Garam masala 1+1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Salt as per your taste
Oil for preparing paratha
Wheat flour dough
Dry wheat flour

Process:

Cut cauliflower florets, wash them, let the water rinse out completely and then grate them.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok and crackle rai, hing and jeera. Add grated cauliflower, grated ginger, chopped green chilies followed by all spices, except dry mango powder (amchoor) . Mix everything well and let it cook until cauliflower becomes soft. Keep on stirring in between and cover the pan. When mixture is ready, add dry mango powder, mix it well and let this masala cool down completely.

Prepare wheat flour dough and heat tava. Take a small portion from the dough (approximately 50-60 grams) and make a round ball, apply some dry flour on it and roll it evenly with the help of rolling pin in a small round shape.

Keep some cauliflower mixture on rolled dough and seal it by pinching from all the sides. Don’t stuff too much masala otherwise while rolling it will come out from the sides.

Again apply some dry flour and roll this by applying very light pressure in a round shape, carefully and evenly, from all sides.

Place this on hot tava and when you notice tiny bubbles, flip it to other side and apply oil and follow the same for other side too.

Paratha will puff up beautifully if you have rolled evenly.

To make paratha crisp, use slightly more oil and press it from both the sides with spatula. That extra oil will give paratha beautiful colour and nice crisp cover. Serve hot with curd, chutney, butter or pickle!!

I like it best with butter!!!

November 20, 2020April 22, 2022

Deeksha Pathak104 Comments

Aaloo – Gobhi ki sabzi

Aaloo-Gobhi ki sabzi (potato and cauliflower) is loved by almost all my family members on all occasions. This sabzi is part of our regular food menu. If we have some guests at home, then aaloo-gobhi ki sabzi will be part of the spread. You will also find this in any elaborate wedding feast!

Generally, all age groups like this. I remember that whenever during winter season we used to have sudden guests at my parents’ house, my mother used to prepare this sabzi with little extra oil and spices. We were instructed that this sabzi is only for the guests as quantity used to be less due to their unexpected arrival. The taste of the dish prepared by her used to be so out-of-the-world that my siblings and I always wished that guests shouldn’t be very hungry so that we will get to enjoy in sufficient quantity once they have eaten😀.

Children can think of anything, isn’t it!!!😇

Sometimes, if cauliflower is sufficient in quantity, I don’t add potatoes. It tastes equally good. But kids are fond of potatoes so you can add them…

There are a few more vegetables dishes in the blog. If interested, can take a look…Vegetables (Curries)

Ingredients :

Cauliflower 500 gms
Potatoes 2 medium size
Oil 5 tbsp
Cumin seeds (jeera) 1/2 tsp
Small mustard seeds(rai) 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida powder (hing) 1/8 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tbsp
Salt as per your taste
Green chillies chopped 2 – 3
Grated ginger 1/4 tsp
Dry mango powder (amchur) 1tsp
Garam masala 1 tsp

Water 1/8 cup, if later sabzi is not cooked and yet sticking to the bottom add 1/8 cup more.
Chopped green coriander leaves for garnishing

Process :

Cut cauliflower florets in small to medium size along with potatoes and wash them nicely.

Heat oil in a wok and add rai, hing and jeera.

Add cut cauliflower and potatoes along with chopped green chilies and grated ginger.

Add red chilly powder, coriander powder, salt and turmeric powder.

Mix everything and add 1/8th or 1/4th cup of water and cover the wok. Reduce the heat to sim and let it cook till cauliflower and potatoes turn soft. In between, stir 2-3 times.

When it is nearly cooked, add garam masala and dry mango powder, mix it well and again cover and cook it for 2-3 minutes. If you don’t want to use dry mango powder, add chopped tomatoes.

Sabzi is ready.

Add chopped green coriander leaves just before serving.

September 5, 2020September 5, 2020

Deeksha Pathak47 Comments

Kaashifal ki sabzi (pumpkin veggie)

Kaashifal ki sabzi (pumpkin veggie) always reminds me about my father. He always used to prefer kaashifal ki sabzi or pumpkin veggie for dinner, so that all family members can sit together and enjoy it with hot poori, curd and pickle. This used to be my favorite dinner also!

Pumpkin is basically sweet in taste. So chirpy green chillies, tiny pieces of raw mangoes or lemon juice gives this sabzi a perfect mixed taste of sweet, chirpy and slight tangy flavours.

Unlike other North Indian sabzis, kaashifal is not seasoned with our regular ria, hing and jeera. It is seasoned with dana methi (fenugreek). So the moment fenugreek seeds are added in hot oil, the fragrance spreads in the whole house and everyone knows that kaashifal ki sabzi is coming at the dinning table!!

For preparing Kaashifal ki Sabzi I always prefer to buy pumpkin which has green skin. Green ones are very soft and we don’t have to remove the peel while chopping pumpkin. This variety of pumpkin has lots of water in it, that’s why it gets cooked very fast. Nowadays, we are ordering online vegetables, so we get all varieties of mix pumpkin pieces. Other varieties of pumpkin are a little dry so while cooking add little water.

One more thing, while preparing pumpkin vegetable, add slightly more oil than usual. Trust me, you will feel like having chatpata pickle! Probably, I like pumpkin a lot, so either it is kaashifal ki sabzi or Kaashifal ka raita (pumpkin raita) I can just brag on and on…

Try this sabzi once, who knows this might be a new regular entry in your menu!!

Ingrediants:

Chopped pumpkin 1/2 kg
Oil 5 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds 3/4 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Chopped green chillies 3
Salt as per taste
Raw mango pieces(grated or chopped) /dry mango powder (amchur) /lemon juice
Water 1/8 cup (if pumpkin is dry)

Process:

Wash and chop pumpkin in small pieces along with skin (chilka).

Heat oil in a wok and splatter fenugreek seeds followed by chopped pumpkin pieces and green chillies.

Add salt, coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt.

Mix everything and cover it. Let it cook on sim flame till pumpkin becomes soft. In between 2-3 times keep on turning pumpkin upside down for even cooking. When 90% pumpkin is cooked add tiny chopped pieces of raw mangoe or 1 tsp dry mango powder or 1/2 tbsp lemon juice.

Mix it well, cover it again and in 2-3 minuets Kaashifal ki sabzi will be ready! Serve hot with poori or parathas.

August 9, 2020August 10, 2020

Deeksha Pathak70 Comments

Stuffed Baati (baked)

Stuffed Baati is a traditional Rajasthani savoury dish. It is prepared with wheat flour, and stuffed with boiled potatoes mix. Traditionally, stuffed baati is a roasted dish and later it is immersed in melted desi ghee (clarified butter) which gives it a wonderful combination of crispy outer layer and softer insides.

We get a separate baati oven to roast as now in our modern kitchen roasting baati in traditional way is not possible. For more information on traditional method of preparing plain baati, you can refer my earlier post Plain Baati (traditional Rajasthani food)

Generally, I prepare this complete traditional Rajasthani platter of besan ke ladoo (Besan ke ladoo), panchmel daal (Panchmel daal), baati and churma – wheat flour (Churma (wheat flour)) and besan (Besan churma) – on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi festival. But this time, after a few days of Ganesha festival there was a potluck arranged at my husband’s office. So I decided to send panchmel daal and stuffed baked baati. As I don’t have baati oven till now, I baked them in my OTG.

Oh, it was a lot of baati baking day!!

I baked stuffed baati dough in two batches – initial 60 baatis for potluck and another 30 in second batch for our lunch and some for my neighbouring friends.

It was a big tiring day, but in the afternoon my husband’s message refreshed me and I was re-energised!

My dish was appreciated by all and was ranked first under vegetarian dishes category 💃💃💃💃

Try these stuffed baked baatis once and feel free to at add any stuffing of your choice. It could be mixed veggies with paneer (cottage cheese), cheese, fresh grated coconut or roasted gram flour with spices too.

Ingredients:

Wheat flour 3 cups
Baking soda 1/2 tsp
Baking powder 1/2 tsp
Salt 1 tsp
Carom seeds (ajwain) 1+1/2 tsp
Water 1+1/2 cup (reduce or increase 1-2 tbsp as per requirement,normal temperature)
Oil/desi ghee (clarified butter) 4 tbsp
Melted Desi ghee 1/4 cup (extra)
Boiled Potato mixture with spices

Process:

Collect all dry ingredients in a big vessel so that kneading is easy.

Pour melted ghee and with the help of water knead smooth dough.

Peel boiled potatoes and add salt, red chilli powder, asafoetida, garam masala, dry mango powder, grated ginger, finely chopped green chillies and green coriander leaves. If you like the taste, can add little bit of chaat masala too.

Mash potatoes and mix everything together. Potatoes mix is ready.

Divide the dough in 40-45 gms balls and roll them smooth.

Flatten one ball of dough with the help of rolling pin or simply with your fingers.

Place in between little bit of potato mix and close it.

Roll this filled baati gently in between your palms to make it smooth. This way complete all baatis and place them in your ghee greased baking tray. Brush them with melted ghee nicely and bake in a pre-heated oven at 185 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or till they are nicely brown.

Once again apply melted ghee all over the baked baatis and relish them with panchmel daal or as a snack with your tea.

September 22, 2019September 22, 2019

Deeksha Pathak87 Comments

Lahsun (garlic) ki chutney

lahsun (garlic) ki chutney add zing in your food. It is part of traditional Rajasthani cuisine. I have always been blessed with a good neighbourhood. After my marriage, I moved to Chennai and stayed there for 9 months. Later we moved to Jamaica before settling in Bangalore after three years. At all these places I was surrounded by wonderful people in my neighbourhood.

In Jamaica when suddenly my daughter became sick, along with our Indian friends, my Jamaican neighbours were extremely helpful. On the occasion of Apoorva’s 1st birthday celebration, my Jamaican neighbours loved Indian food a lot and they requested to pack some for the next day.

In Jaipur, my parents’ house is blessed with kind and friendly neighbours and food is shared between us frequently. We developed a taste for authentic Rajasthani cuisine because Rajasthani neighbours used to bring food to our house or we were the frequent visitors in their house on several occasions.

So this year, during summer vacation when I visited my parents’ house, all childhood memories were revived. And I was very lucky when we got an invitation from the same neighbours for dinner. We relished all authentic delicacies but I still felt that something was missing from the menu. Then my sister pointed out that garlic chutney is not there. I asked them about the missing dish and got the assurance that before I go back to Bangalore I will surely get “Lahsun ki chutney”.

After coming back to Bangalore I was tempted to prepare this chutney. This chutney is cooked with lots of oil, so we can keep it in an airtight container in the fridge and it will last for at least 2 weeks. We can also use it as a part of gravy for vegetables and tadka for lentils.

In Rajasthan, if you have seen this chutney, you will find that oil will be floating in the container and the chutney is red in colour as lots of dry red chilies are used here. I didn’t want so much oil, so reduced the quantity of oil and instead of dry red chilies, I have used raw red chilies as they were available in my kitchen.

You can check a few more posts in the blog for other chutney recipes also…Imli ki meethi chutney,Tamatar ki chutney,Coriander Chutney (dhaniye ki chutney)

Ingredients :

Peeled garlic cloves 100 gm
Red chili 🌶 50 gm
Oil 1/4 cup
Cumin seeds 1/4 tsp
Salt as per your taste
Asafoetida 1/8 tsp
One small onion and a small tomato 🍅

Process:

Keep peeled garlic cloves, red chilies, tomato and onion together.

Chop onion and tomato and grind everything together in a smooth paste.

In a small wok, heat oil, crackle cumin seeds and asafoetida and add garlic paste. Cook it on sim heat for 15 minutes. Let it cool down completely and use it as any part of your meal.

July 7, 2019January 4, 2021

Deeksha Pathak37 Comments

Imli ki meethi chutney

Imli ki meethi chutney (sweet tamarind chutney) is loved by all age groups. Indian chats (snack) are incomplete without chutney – either sweet or savory. Buy samosa or kachori and you will get sweet and savory chutneys along with them.

Bhel puri, Sev puri, Dahi puri, Papdi chaat or Dahi vada; all are incomplete without chutney. At my parents’ house, we never bought any chats. My mother used to prepare everything from the scratch. So, after my marriage, I also continued the same tradition. Preparing savory chutney with coriander or mint leaves is regular in my kitchen. But I always felt a little lazy to prepare imli ki meethi chutney at frequent intervals and so instead I started preparing in enough quantity that it will last for 6 months.

While cooking sweet tamarind chutney you might not be able to figure out exactly how it tastes because flavors really taste better the next day. Therefore, you wait till the next day for the developed taste and if you feel something is less or missing, add accordingly and boil a little bit more.

Ingredients :

120 gm tamarind
3 +1/2 cups water
300 gm sugar/jaggery powder
5 dates

For the rest of the ingredients, I am not giving specific measurements as you can add them according to your taste. You can prepare it as sweet tamarind chutney or it could be tangy tamarind chutney by reducing the sugar a little bit – choice is completely yours!

White salt
Black salt
Ginger powder
Garam masala powder
Red chili powder

Process :

Soak tamarind in 2 cups of water for 2 hours.

In a separate pan soak dates in water.

After 2 hours, mash tamarind and sieve it. Add the rest of the water in tamarind, mash it and sieve it again so that the whole pulp comes out.

Boil this sieved tamarind water and pulp on sim heat by adding de-seeded dates and sugar for at least 1+1/2 to 2 hours. If you are interested in thick consistency, boil for at least 2 hours but if you like thin consistency, boil for 1 to 1+1/2 hours. Just 10 minutes before the chutney is done, add the rest of the ingredients as per your taste.

Let the chutney cool down completely before filling in an airtight container and storing that in the fridge.

July 3, 2019January 4, 2021

Deeksha Pathak38 Comments