Gatte Ki Kadhi

The very first time I ate Gatte ki kadhi was at Mansukh's in Madras. I was enjoying a Gujarati Thali while a colleague was enjoying a Rajasthani Thali. She asked me to try the kadhi and I fell in love with it instantly.

Years later, I sampled more of this spicy dish at Dhola-ri-Dhani, a Rajasthani village theme resort in Hyderabad. Soon, I bought myself a copy of Tarla Dalal's Rajasthani Cookbook. I've tried quite a few recipes from the book. I use a lot less chilli powder than the recipes call for. So you may adjust the spice level according to your taste.

Ingredients:

For the gattas:

3/4 cup
Bengal gram flour 1/2 tsp Chilli Powder
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/8 tsp ajwain
1 tbsp curds
2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste


For the Kadhi:


2 cups Curds, beaten
1 tablespoon Bengal gram flour
4 to 6 Curry leaves
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
1 bay leaf
1 clove
1 stick cinnamon
1 cardamom
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp coriander powder
2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste


For garnish:
2 tablespoons chopped coriander






For the Gattas:

Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and knead into a firm dough using as little water as necessary. Divide the mixture into eight 3 inch long cylinders.

Heat plenty of water in a vessel and cook the gattas for 8-10 minutes in boiling water. Drain and cut the gattas into half inch pieces.


For the Kadhi:


Mix the curds, gram flour, curry leaves and 1/2 cup of water and mix well.

Heat oil in a kadhai and add the mustard, fennel and cumin seeds, asafoetida, bay leaf, clove, cinnamon and cardamom. When the mustad and cumin seeds crackle, add the turmeric, chilli and coriander powders and fry for a minute. Add the curd mixture, 1 cup of water and salt and bring to a boil while stirring continuously.


Add the prepared gattas and garnish with coriander. Enjoy this with steaming hot rice. I can guarantee you'll fall in love with it.

This is my entry to Weekend Herb Blogging, started by Kalyn and hosted by The Chocolate Lady of In Mol Araan.

This fits in perfectly with my Eating out while eating in series. The earlier ones in this series being Kothu Roti, French Bread Pizza, Macaroni, Egg Bhurji and Potato Wedges.

Egg Bhurji

Perhaps, the Indian cousin of scrambled eggs. This one, though, has no resemblance to the popular breakfast dish. Eggs, paneer and soya always come in handy when I am hard pressed for time.

Egg bhurji is one of the few egg dishes available in most restaurants and I've eaten this at restaurants and dhabas in Hyderabad. When one vegetarian and one non vegetarian go out for dinner, egg is usually what ends up on the table. Satisfies both! My friend and I used to eat out a lot in Hyderabad and that's where I rediscovered this dish that I'd probably eaten once before when a classmate brought it in her dabba at school.

Continuing with my Eating out while eating in series, I made egg bhurji. The earlier ones in this series being Kothu Roti, French Bread Pizza, Macaroni and Potato Wedges.

Ingredients:

1 Eggs

1 Onion, chopped

1 Tomato, chopped (optional)

1 tsp Green Chilli Paste

1/2 tsp Ginger Paste

1/4 tsp Chilli Powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds

1/4 tsp Cumin Powder

1/4 tsp Coriander Powder

1/4 tsp Kitchen King Masala

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

Salt to taste

1 tsp Oil

Chopped Coriander for garnish

Heat the oil in a kadhai or a saucepan. Add the cumin seeds and asafoetida. When the cumin seeds crackle, add the onion and fry till the pieces turn translucent. If using the tomato, add now and fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric and chilli powders and fry for another minute. Add the ginger and chilli pastes and salt and fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the Kitchen King Masala and fry for a minute. This is one of my entries to the RCI: Punjabi Cuisine which is being guest hosted by Richa of As Dear As Salt.

Break the eggs into the onion spice mixture and whisk thoroughly. Allow the mixture to cook for a few minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy it with rotis.

Grilled Garlic Potato Wedges

I've always enjoyed potato wedges. But I'd not been able to get rid of the guilty feeling that I get whenever I bit into one. About 2 years ago, my boss was visiting India from the US and she came home for dinner. I'd cooked a variety of dishes: Tomato Saar, Bisi Bele Huli Anna, Cucumber Pachadi, and Seppankizhangu Fry. I'd promised her a home cooked meal during her last trip and we talked about how the stuff that we get in restaurants, even in India, are so different from the stuff we make at home. She remembered that conversation and more importantly remembered my interest in vegetarian cooking and brought me a nice gift. A book called "Favorite Vegetarian Dishes". It is one of the nicest cook books I have ever owned and cooking from it is just so much fun. Here's one recipe from the book.

Wanting to make something special, I made potato wedges to eat while we played Scrabble. This is my fourth feature on Eating out while eating in. The earlier ones being Kothu Roti, French Bread Pizza, and Macaroni.



What I like best about these wedges is the fact that they aren't deep fried. I modified the recipe that I found in the book.



Ingredients:


3 medium Potatoes, scrubbed and parboiled
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Butter
1 tsp Rosemary
1 tsp Parsley
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Chilli Flakes
2 tsp Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cut the potatoes into wedges. (Leave the skins on.)

Heat the olive oil and butter in a saucepan. Add the parsley, rosemary and thyme and fry for a minute. Add the chilli flakes and the garlic powder and fry another minute. Add the wedges, salt and pepper. Toss the wedges in the spice mixture and transfer them to a foil wrapped grill rack.

Grill for 10-12 minutes and serve with a cheese dip or garlic mayonnaise.

Macaroni and Vegetables in White Sauce

Given the number of times in a month we eat pasta at home, it is difficult to believe that at one time I actually hated the stuff. Rewind to about 23-24 years ago. A time when macaroni wasn't even easily available in India. I always looked at the bottle on the top shelf that had some small twisted straws. I couldn't reach it. But I'd ask her each time I looked up at it, "Amma, taen kallen?" (Amma, what is that?) And she'd tell me, "Macaroni". "Macaroni mhalar kallen?" (What does Macaroni mean?) And she'd try to explain in the best way she could to a 6 year old. Then one day she made it because I was so enthusiastic about it. And I hated it. I ate it, but almost swore never to touch it again.

Almost, but not quite! Many years later, Amma decided to make the dish again. Macaroni and vegetables in white sauce. Suddenly, the same dish, made quite the same way, was yummy to say the least. I make it very often. I have modified the dish greatly from the time I learnt it. At times, my sauce is so creamy that I don't even bother adding cheese to it.

But the recipe is a keeper. Filling, nutritious and tasty. What more can one ask for in a meal?

Ingredients:

1 cup Macaroni (Cooked/Boiled with a little oil and salt)

1 cup Mixed Boiled Vegetables (Carrot, Beans, Peas, Cauliflower, Potato), chopped

1/4 cup Mushrooms, chopped

1/4 cup, Mixed Capsicum, chopped

1 tbsp Butter/Olive Oil

1 tbsp Flour

1 cup Milk

1/2 tsp Parsley

1/2 tsp Basil

1 tsp Chilli flakes

1/2 tsp Garlic Paste

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1 slice Low Fat Cheese (optional)

Heat the butter in a saucepan. Add the capsicum and fry for a minute. Add the garlic paste, parsley, basil and chilli flakes and fry for another minute. Add the flour and fry without browning the flour. Add the mushrooms and fry for about 30 seconds. (Do not fry the mushrooms for too long as the water in them gets released.) Add the milk and bring the mixture to a boil while stirring continuously. If adding cheese, add it at this point and stir the sauce well. As the sauce thickens, add the salt and pepper. Add the boiled vegetables and the macaroni to the sauce.

If you like, you could transfer this to a baking dish, sprinkle grated cheese on top and bake for 10 minutes at 450 F. I go through the trouble only if I am making it at dinner time and can enjoy it with Garlic Bread. This is something S and I have enjoyed at Ten Downing Street. This is my third feature on Eating out while eating in. The earlier ones being Kothu Roti and French Bread Pizza.

This is my entry to Waiter There's Something in My...Sauce, and hosted by Andrew of Spittoon Extra.

Kothu Roti

I blame this all on Nupur. She made this post a few days ago about "Eating out while eating in". And that is why I am craving restaurant food.

S broke his leg on Sunday and that rules out eating out for a while. (He actually tore a ligament and I am told that it is worse than having a bone fractured.) We're going to be eating out a lot for the next few days, at home that is! We started with French Bread Pizza and this is my next venture.

I have, very often, come home from a restaurant itching to recreate the dish I've just devoured. One of those has been the Kothu Parotta that I've had at Komala's in Madras. My last trip there was when we'd gone to book accommodation for the groom's party before my wedding. I ordered Kothu Parotta again and was so disappointed. The chef just dumped chilli powder over the parottas and I had to eat the dish with about 10 glasses of water. (Finally, Appa said to order a plate of idlis to undo the damage!)

Someday I'll be able to make parotta all by myself. These are best savoured at roadside shacks and Puru's opposite the Pondicherry University campus will go down in my books as one of the best Parotta Kurma joints. My dear readers may note that a parotta is very different from a paratha and the two are not the same bread. The parotta has saved me on many an occasion from the "the-mess-food-is-lousy-hence-I-will-go-to-bed-hungry" syndrome.

I had some rotis in the fridge. They were made on Saturday morning and we were fully expecting to eat them for lunch. But S went to work and when he came back it was already 4 p.m. I was busy blogging all day and didn't get up to make anything to go with the rotis. When S got home, he quickly made 2 egg rolls and we ate them before heading out. Our rotis usually have no fat in them and that makes eating them any day after they're made, rather difficult.

But then again, I am not given to wasting food or randomly giving it away. So, when I was working from home on Monday, to help S at home, I decided to use rotis instead of parottas and make Kothu Roti instead of Kothu Parotta! I was making this purely from my memory of the taste.

6 Rotis, torn into bits

1 large Onion, sliced

2-3 medium Tomatoes, chopped

1 tbsp Oil

1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

7-8 Curry Leaves

1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tsp Chilli Powder

1 tsp Cumin Powder

1/2 tsp Coriander Powder

1 tsp Green Chilli paste

1/2 tsp Ginger paste

1 tsp Pav Bhaji Masala (I used MDH)

Salt to Taste

Heat the oil in a kadhai and add the mustard seeds and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the curry leaves, ginger and chilli pastes, and onions. Fry the onions for a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the chilli, turmeric, cumin and coriander powders and fry for a minute. Add the pav bhaji masala and fry for another minute or two. Add the salt and the roti bits. Mix well. Cover and cook for a couple of minutes and then cook without the lid for a couple of minutes more.

Enjoy this piping hot. Wash my roti version of Kothu Parotta down with a glass of buttermilk. It'll be a treat, I promise.

French Bread Pizza

Until a few years ago, there was a quaint little restaurant in Bangalore, near the junction of Residency Road and Brigade Road, that kindled my curiosity enough to walk in and the experience there made me go back. Again and again. This restaurant was French Bread Pizza.

All items on their menu were pizzas. Only they were made using the famous baguette as a base. Think of this as a large, really large piece of garlic bread with all the toppings. They served these little wonders on wooden holders specially designed to hold the baguette. When I finally moved back to Bangalore 2 years ago, the place, much to my utter disappointment, had shut down and given way to a Chettinad restaurant. Maybe it wasn't viable enough a business. I hope they come back into business because they've given me several moments of satiated happiness. The kind that only comes from having eaten a good meal.

Last evening, we went to Galleria, a shopping complex close by and walked in to the Grand Plaza bakery. There we found some fresh baguettes. I remembered that I had everything at home to recreate the French Bread Pizza magic at home. Ever since my trip home last month, I've been preparing to make Amma's signature pizza at home. But the incidents of the past 2 weeks didn't allow me to make anything so elaborate. This seemed perfect.

Ingredients:

1 Baguette

For the sauce:

1 Onion, chopped finely

2-3 medium Tomatoes, chopped finely

1 Capsicum, chopped finely (I used small portions of all 3 colours)

4 Button Mushrooms, chopped finely

2 tbsp Tomato Puree

1 tbsp Tomato Ketchup

1 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Oregano

1/2 tsp Pepper

1/2 tsp Chilli Flakes

1 tbsp Olive Oil

Salt to Taste

2-3 Olives

100g Grated Cheese

Some oil/butter for glazing the bread

Slice the baguette in two and chop in half. You will be left with 4 quarters. Apply some butter or olive oil to the flat surface of each piece and grill for 3 minutes.

In a pan, heat the oil and add the onions. Fry for a minute or two. Add the capsicum and mushrooms and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the oregano, chilli flakes, salt, sugar and pepper and fry for another minute. Add the tomatoes and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the puree and ketchup and cook the mixture for a couple of minutes.




Spread the sauce over the grilled bread pieces and add the olives on top.

Sprinkle grated cheese over the slices and bake in an oven at 220 C for 7-8 minutes and then on grill for 3-4 minutes.




Enjoy this when hot with a glass of milk, coke, beer or breezer. I am sure that a glass of iced tea will go very well with this too.

This sauce is Amma's signature sauce and I will soon be putting up the recipe for her pizza as well. Initially, her sauce used to be only onions and tomatoes and any other toppings, we'd put over the sauce and then sprinkle cheese on it. I suggested to her that if she adds them in the sauce, they would imbibe the flavours of the sauce. The addition of ketchup was also my idea. Last night, I went ahead and added some puree and some chilli flakes to the sauce. No one was complaining!

This is my entry to Waiter There's Something in My...Sauce, and hosted by Andrew of Spittoon Extra.