Baby Potato-Tastic... Dum Aloo

I've been away from blogging for a long time. I just lost the inspiration, I guess. I have been cooking however, and expanding my repertoire slightly.

I've recently started up my new blog to document my journey in the Zentangle world. Crocheting didn't work out for me, mainly due to the lack of reasonably priced, quality materials available in Mumbai. I may come back to crochet at sometime, but cooking and tangling have been with me some time now, and will continue to be in the near future.

I'm so happy, because I just found this recipe saved on my laptop. I thought I'd lost it, and couldn't quite remember the right spice mix to make this for MoH. This is a recipe that came from his Mum, and although nothing is quite the same as your own Mum's cooking, this is a favourite of his.

It's best made with little baby potatoes, but if you can't get them, then chop your big potato up into little chunks.


Dum Aloo

500g baby potatoes
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp jeera
1 piece cinnamon
4-5 black peppercorns
2 onions, ground to a paste
1 tbsp ginger & garlic paste
1/2 tsp haldi
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp dhaniya
2 tomatoes, pureed
1/2 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste

1. Boil potatoes in salted water, leave to cool then peel off the skins
2. Heat oil and add jeera, sizzle then add cinnamon and peppercorns and mix well
3. Add onion and cook until golden brown
4. Add ginger & garlic paste, haldi, chilli powder, dhaniya and cook for a minute or so
5. Add the tomatoes and salt and cook until oil separates
6. Add the boiled potatoes and garam masala and simmer for a few minutes

Serve with parathas

The same recipe can be used for a corn (makkai) bhaji, just use corn rather than potatoes!
Both versions are extremely yummy, so I hope you enjoy them.

Happy eating...

Claire

Brain like a sieve - Aloo Bhaji

So last week I said that I'd probably make aloo bhaji for dinner. It didn't happen, and for the life of me, I can't remember why I didn't make it or what I did make in the end. This is not unusual for me. There are people that can remember every word that you ever said (this should be banned - it makes it really difficult to change your mind about anything, especially those things you say in your most irrational moments), then there are people like me, who can't can't remember anything a few minutes after it happened.

Not only do I have a sieve instead of a brain, but I'm also stupidly clumsy. I walk into corners of tables and desks; I trip over my own feet; I drop marker pens. Not only that, but like a four-year old kid I attract dirt, grazes, scrapes, cuts and bruises. I'll chop chilli then manage to rub it into my eye; I'll forget the rice on the stove (that reminds me...); I'll burn myself on the iron.

One of the best examples of my inner four-year old happened earlier this week, all I can say is that I'm lucky I travel to work in my own car, by myself. So I'm waiting at the traffic lights just before the turning I need to take to get to work when I look down. "Where are my buttons? Who's stolen my buttons?" What such silly thoughts go through our minds when we're confused! And then I realise, I've managed to pull my top on this morning inside out; it's the label that's been tickling my right arm.

How can this happen to a grown woman? Well I'm too lazy to undo my buttons on this blouse (why bother when you can pull it on and off over your head), and I got dressed in the dark. Anyway, I had a good laugh out loud at myself, causing the people in the next car to stare at me like I'm a maniac, which just made me laugh more. Luckily there were very few people around when I got to work...

Finally, mid-week I remembered my hankering for aloo bhaji, so tried out a recipe that I've got written in my book. Not sure where this recipe came from, I think from one of my friend's recipe books, but it's really quite tasty. I didn't make the puri to go with it, as I seem to be unable to make bread of any form, but really this is best eaten with puri, so I'll give you the recipe too, but be aware that it's untested! Instead I ate mine with chapatti, which I buy from the shop in the market because mine turn out like cardboard every time.


Puri Bhaji

Puri:
1 cup atta
salt to taste
1 tsp ghee
~1/4 cup water
oil for frying

1. Sift atta (flour) and add salt
2. Mix ghee into flour until it blends well
3. Add water and mix to form a dough
4. Knead with a greased hand to make it smooth
5. Cover and keep aside for 1/2 hour
6. Take a small ball of dough and roll out into a small circle - repeat
7. Deep fry in oil until golden
8. Remove and drain


Aloo Bhaji:
1 tablespoon oil
pinch of hing (asafoteida)
1/2 teaspoon rai (mustard seeds)
1 teaspoon urad dal
1 dried red chilli, broken (optional)
2 onions, chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ginger paste
4 potatoes, boiled, chopped and mushed a bit
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 teaspoon haldi (turmeric)
salt to taste
few curry leaves
1 cup water
coriander leaves for garnishing

1. Heat oil and fry hing, rai, urad dal and red chilli
2. When spluttering add onion, green chilli and ginger
3. When the onion is golden, add the potato, tomato, haldi, salt and curry leaves
4. Add some water (up to a cup), mix well and boil until all is cooked well
5. Serve topped with coriander

<3 Yummy!

I'm not so keen on lots of chilli, which is why I don't use the dried red chilli in this recipe.
I know the puris don't sound too difficult to make either, but neither do chapatti and I suck at them. Please can I borrow an indian mummy for a day or two? I promise I'll give her back!

Looking forward to more of my four-year old adventures this week... :D

Aloo Mutter and my crazy, pea-loving Dog

What a week it's been... Coco's boyfriend, Brownie, is becoming a permanent fixture outside my door, even though he's not so taken with her now because she's no longer in heat. He's a good guard dog - so much so that if any delivery boy comes to our floor, they end up hiding in the lift until they can be rescued!

As he hangs out with us all day I've tried to feed him, but it turns out that Brownie is very fussy about his food. He doesn't like Coco's plain chicken, rice and veg - no that's not good enough for him. His food has to be spicy, but not with any of those rubbish veggies in it. Coco, on the other hand, will eat just about anything, as previously documented in my blog.

One food that she always begs for is Aloo Mutter - she'll eat it straight out of the pan given chance, but prefers to be hand-fed Aloo Mutter with Chapatti. I have to be careful that she doesn't try to eat my fingers too!

It's also one of my favourites, and is simple to make too. I use fresh peas as I love to sit and shell them, but you could easily use frozen peas if you prefer. Coco loves helping to shell peas. She steals peapods at every chance. If they're young and fresh she eats them whole, otherwise she opens them up and chases the peas around the floor. Crazy, pea-loving dog!


Aloo Mutter

1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)
1 teaspoon rai (mustard seeds)
pinch of hing
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 cup of peas
1/4 teaspoon haldi (turmeric powder)
1 teaspoon dhaniya (coriander powder)
1/2 teaspoon jeera powder (cumin powder)
1 teapoon chilli powder
salt to taste
water
Coriander leaves to garnish

1. Heat oil over medium flame. Add jeera, rai and hing.
2. When seeds start to splutter add potato and peas and stir until well mixed.
3. Add haldi, dhaniya, jeera, chilli powder and salt. Mix well.
4. Add a small amount of water - just enough to cook the potatoes and peas - you can always add more throughout the cooking.
5. Cook on a low heat until potatoes are cooked.
6. Garnish with chopped coriander and eat with chapattis.

This version is a 'dry' dish - not a gravy dish. I need to learn how to make some gravy dishes... So if you have any gravy versions, please let me know!

Soft food required... Mung with Aloo and Tamatar

This weekend I've had a bit of a tongue incident. I bent down to pick up Coco's bone and she jumped up at the same time...You can see it can't you - a chain reaction; I bend down as doggie jumps up; hard dog skull (I'm sure it's steel plated) makes contact with soft chin and jaw; teeth clamp shut on soft, pink tongue; I yell in agony and doggie looks at me like I'm mad and goes back to chewing her bone as I hold my head in my hands until I can see straight again.

Today it feels like I've gone several rounds with a heavy-weight boxer; The right side of my face aches. My shoulder and neck ache. I've got a bruised jaw and a chipped tooth, but the thing that hurts the most is the HUGE gash across my tongue - it's practically hanging off!

Ok, ok, I'm being a little melodramatic here. It's really a teeny cut on the side of my tongue but it really, really hurts. I can't keep my mouth shut coz it hurts. I can't keep my mouth open coz it hurts. I can't eat coz it hurts. I can't have a glass of cold water coz it hurts. I can't have a cup of hot coffee coz it hurts. It hurts.

So as I drink my luke-warm cup of coffee (it hurts), I've decided to write today about a great dish - Mung with Aloo and Tamatar. I'm looking forward to eating this later... I'll make it extra soft coz of my tongue. Plus, even though it's got a few chillies in, it's not spicy at all. In fact the reason I like it so much is that it's actually quite sweet due to the fantastic mung beans (and the pich of sugar I add). I often eat this by itself, but you can eat with chapatti or rice.

Mung with Aloo and Tamatar

1/2 cup mung beans (can be soaked for a couple of hours to reduce cooking time)
2 medium potatoes, cut into small chunks
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)
1 green chilli, slit and deseeded
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1/4 teaspoon haldi (turmeric powder)
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
A few curry leaves
3-4 tomatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (if you prefer, you can leave a few tomatoes out and add some tomato puree)

1. Cook the mung beans in plenty of fresh water, until soft (30 mins). Keep aside. If you prefer, you can cook them in a pressure cooker - If your beans are soaked, it'll take just a few whistles, plus let the pressure go down naturally.
2. Cook the potato chunks in plenty of boiling water. When just cooked, drain and keep aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large pan, over a low heat. Add the jeera.
4. Once seeds start to pop, add chilli, garlic and ginger. Stir for a few mins.
5. Add the haldi, chilli powder, salt, sugar and curry leaves and stir for a min more.
6. Add the tomatoes (and/or tomato puree) and cook until soft. This takes about 5 minutes.
7. Stir in the cooked mung and aloo and simmer for a few minutes until everything is hot. You may want to add a splash of water at this stage to keep everything from sticking.
8. Eat.

Tonight I'll cook the mung and potatoes till they're mushy so I can eat this more easily!

What about you? What's your favourite beany dish?

Aubergine, Eggplant, Brinjal, Baingan... Whatever you want to call it!

I love aubergine when it's cooked well. I've enjoyed it in Moroccan, Lebanese, Italian and Indian dishes - from Moussaka, via Baba Ganoush, stuffed aubergine and Parmigiana di Melanzane, to Aloo Baingan.

What I also love about Brinjal is the variety you get, in size, shape and colour.


When aubergine is not well cooked it tastes bitter and has a texture of a well worn shoe... I've had some nasty experiences of this when cooking with Aubergine in the past!



What I didn't know is that you can draw the bitter juices out of the aubergine by salting it well and leaving for half an hour or so. Also, like potato, aubergine goes a nasty brown colour when chopped and left. Putting it in water stops this happening.


So here's the recipe for my current aubergine fave...

Aloo Baingan:

1 tablespoon Oil
1 teaspoon Rai (Mustard seeds)
1 teaspoon Ginger paste
1 teaspoon Garlic paste
1-2 Green chillies, slit and deseeded
1 med Onion, finely chopped
1 med Tomato, finely chopped
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon Haldi (Turmeric powder)
1 teaspoon Chilli powder
1 teaspoon Jeera (cumin) powder
2 med Potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 kg Baingan (aubergine), cut into chunks
2 cups water
Coriander leaves – for garnishing

1. Heat oil over medium flame and add rai.
2. When popping, add ginger and garlic pastes along with the chilli. Cook for a minute or so.
3. Add onions and cook until translucent.
4. Add tomatoes and fry until oil starts to separate.
5. Add haldi, chilli powder, jeera and salt. Fry for a few minutes.
6. Add potatoes and fry for 4-5 minutes. Add a little water if needed.
7. Add baingan and fry for 3-4 minutes.
8. Add 2 cups of water and simmer for about half an hour, until potato and baingan are tender.
9. Serve garnished with coriander leaves and eat with roti.


What's your favourite aubergine dish? Let me know so I can try it too?