Pyaaz kachori finds its roots in Jodhpur city of Rajasthan state (India). This is a very popular snack and available in many Rajasthani snack/food joints in India. Steaming hot spicy Pyaaz Kachori, with rounded shape is a burst of flavors. Usually these joints serve these kachoris with khatti-meethi (sweet-sour) chatneys but I am adding a twist and serving them as ”Pyaaz Kachori Chaat”. So go ahead and give your chaat craving taste buds another reason to be delighted. The best thing is that the Ingredients used in the recipe are commonly available in every Indian kitchen and doesn’t need any preparations in advance.

Ingredients:

Ingredients for Dough:

• 1-1/2 Cups- All-purpose flour (Maida)
• 2 tablespoons- Clarified butter (Ghee) or Oil
• 2 teaspoons- Carom seeds (Ajwain)
• 1 teaspoon-Salt or as per taste

Ingredients for Filling and Frying:

• 1 Cup- Chopped onion (kate hue pyaaz)
• 2 tablespoons- Gram flour (Besan)
• 1- Boiled potato small (Ubla hua aalo)
• 2 to 3 – Finely chopped Green chilli (Barik kati hui hari Mirch)
• 2 teaspoons- Ginger paste (Adrak ka paste)
• 1 tablespoon- Fennel seeds (Saunf)
• ½ tablespoon- Coriander seeds (Khada Dhaniya)
• 1 tablespoon- Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 1 teaspoon- Red Chili powder (Lal Mirch powder)
• 1 teaspoon- Turmeric powder (Haldi powder)
• 1 teaspoon- Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
• 2 teaspoons- Dry Mango Powder (Amchoor powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon – Asafoetida (Hing)
• 1 to 2 tea spoons- Sugar (Shakkar)
• ¼ cup- Finely chopped coriander (Barik Kata hua Hara dhaniya)
• Salt as per taste
• Oil for filling and frying.

Ingredients for garnishing:

• 2 tablespoons- yogurt/ Curd (Dahi )
• 2 teaspoons- sugar (Shakkar)
• 1/4 cup- water (Pani)
• Tamarind and date chutney
• Mint-coriander chutney
• Chat Masala
• Nylon sev

Method:

The entire cooking process for Pyaaz Kachori, is divided into following four steps:

1. Dough Preparation:

• Take all-purpose flour, Carom seeds (crushed between palms) and salt (½ teaspoon or as per your taste) in a bowl and mix well.
• Now add ghee in flour and mix with your fingertips until you get crumbling texture.
• Add water in parts and knead a soft dough.
• Let the dough rest while covered for at least 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Filling Preparation:

• Heat a pan and dry roast Cumin seeds, Coriander seeds and fennel seeds . Once roasted, coarsely grind in a grinder and keep the spice mix aside.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Add spice mix, asafoetida, ginger paste, chopped green chilies. Roast everything for a minute.
• Add chopped onion and salt in masala mix. Give it a good mix and cook it for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Now add coriander powder, turmeric powder and red chili powder. Mix everything and cook for another minute.
• Now add gram flour, mash boiled potato and sugar in the filling mixture for 2 more minutes, add dry mango powder and sprinkle chopped Coriander, mix and keep it aside to let it cool down.

3. Stuffing and Frying:

• Smooth the dough and divide it into equally small sized balls.
• Take a ball and flatten with your fingertips or roll it into a shape of “Poori” with the help of rolling pin. Keep the edges thin.
• Now place the small amount (approximately a tablespoon or according to the size of your Poori) of stuffing mixture on the flattened dough. Bring the edges of the dough together and join it (Remove or pinch off the excess dough). Press the stuffed Kachori gently with the help of palms.
• Make all the Kachoris as the process mentioned in the previous step. Keep Kachoris covered to avoid getting cracks from being dried.
• Heat oil in a deep pan/Kadhaai for frying. Keep the heat on low. When the oil is hot enough for frying (to check whether the oil is perfectly hot, first drop a pinch of dough).
• Carefully slide the Kachoris one by one into the frying pan. Once the Kachoris start puffing and the color changes to slightly golden from the one side then gently flip them over.
• Fry the Kachoris until they become golden and crispy from both sides. Turn them often and regulate temperature from low to low-medium as required to get even color and crispy texture.
• Take out Kachoris on kitchen towel/absorbent paper to remove excess oil.
• Fry all Kachoris as per the process explained above.

4. Garnishing & Serving:

• Take yogurt in a bowl add 1 to 2 tea spoons of sugar and water. Mix it with the help of whisk into a smooth batter like consistency.
• Take a serving plate/bowl, crack the top of the kachori , now top it with yogurt, tamarind-date chutney, mint-coriander chutney and sev. Sprinkle some chat masala over it and serve hot.

Note: You can also enjoy these Kachoris without toppings as a tea-time snack.

Indian cuisine is famous for it’s delicious curries with exotic spices. Specially, Paneer entrées are the very popular among most people. There are so many different varieties of paneer dishes and each one has its own unique taste. Though Paneer is supposedly a north-Indian speciality however its fan base is almost global. I have posted couple of paneer recipes in past like Ghee Roast Tangy Paneer and Lehsuni Palak-Paneer and received great feedback. Today’s recipe “Matar Paneer” is another fantastic option for paneer lovers. The special gravy of this recipe will give this dish look and taste exactly like restaurants while still retaining goodness and purity of homemade food. So go ahead and try your hands on this paneer-rich recipe. As always, let me know your feedback in the comments.

Ingredients:

• 250 gm- Diced cottage cheese (chote kate huye paneer)
• 1 cup- Green peas (Matar)
• 2 to 3- Green chilis split in two halves (Hari mirchi beech se do hisse mai kati huyi)
• 6 to 8- Finely chopped garlic cloves (barik kati hui Lehsun)
• 1 inch- Finely chopped ginger (barik kati hui Adrak)
• 1 cup- Finely chopped onion (Barik Kati hui Pyaz)
• ⅔ cup- Tomato purée (Tamatar ka paste)
• 1 to 2 – Dry red chilli whole (Sukhi Lal Mirch Khadi)
• 1 – Bay leaf (Tez patta)
• 2 tea spoons- Kashmiri red chilli powder (Kashmir laal mirch powder)
• 2 to 3 tea spoons- Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
• 3 to 4 tea spoons- Kitchen king masala
• 1 tea spoon- Garam masala
• 1 tea spoon- Turmeric powder (Haldi Powder)
• 2 tea spoons- Kasoori Methi
• 1½  table spoons- Cashew nuts (Kaju)
•  ¼ cup- Milk
• 1 table spoon- Heavy Cream (Malai)
• 4-5 table spoons- Mustard Oil (Sarson ka tel) or any oil of your choice
• Salt as per taste
• Finely chopped coriander for garnishing

Method:

• • Let’s start with our especial paste which will make this curry exactly like restaurant. Put cashews, 3 to 4 pieces of paneer, milk and 2 table spoons water in a grinder and make a fine paste. Keep this paste for later use.
  • Heat a pan and add oil till it’s hot enough for sauté. Add bay leaves, red whole chili and splutter cumin seeds, now add turmeric powder, green chilies, chopped garlic and chopped ginger. Sauté for a while.
  • Add chopped onion and cook till it’s golden brown. Now add coriander powder, kashmiri red chili powder, garam masala, kitchen king masala, salt and mix together. Cook these spices with onion for few minutes till oil separates.
  • Add tomato paste, mix well and again cook for few minutes again till oil releases and its rawness gone, (at this stage you can add 1 or 2 tea spoon of sugar if you like little little sweetness in the curry). Now add our special paste and ¼ cup water and stir. Cover the pan and cook covered for 10-15 mins on low flame till oil separates or comes on the top of the gravy. Stir in between to avoid sticking on bottom.

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  • Now add green peas, mix and cook covered for another 3-4 minutes (Note- I have used  frozen green peas if you are using the fresh peas than boil for few minutes and strain water and rinse with fresh water before use). Add kasoori methi (crush with the help of palms before adding). Now add cottage cheese cubes and mix. Cook for a minute.

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  • Take out in a serving bowl, garnish with heavy cream and coriander. Serve hot with Poori, Naan, Paratha (any bread) or rice.

There are times when you want to cook something other than your regular food but don’t have enough time or energy to prepare something that is time-consuming or tedious in process (such as when you have a surprise guest that too after a long tiring day). You need a recipe that doesn’t require exclusive ingredients or extensive cooking efforts. Today’s recipe “Instant Onion Rava Dosa” comes to rescue in such situations. It’s quick, easy and can be made with ingredients commonly available in your kitchen. Despite its instant nature, it gives a crispy and yummylicious flavour. It can be served with Sambar, coconut chutney or with any other chutney of your choice. If you are a Dosa-lover but not an ardent cook then this should be your go-to recipe whenever you crave for a Dosa next time.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup – Semolina (Rava/Sooji)
• ½ cup – Rice flour (Chawal ka Atta)
• ¼ cup – All purpose flour ( Maida)
• 1 cup – Finely chopped onion ( Bareek kati hui Pyaz)
• ½ cup – Finely chopped fresh coriander ( Bareek kata hua hara Dhaniya)
• 2 to 3 – Finely chopped Green chillies (Bareek kati hui hari Mirch)
• 1 tablespoon – Chopped Kadi Patta
• 1 tablespoon – Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 1 teaspoon – Black pepper powder (Kali Mirch powder)
• Salt (as per taste)
• Water (as per requirement)
• Oil/Ghee for roasting

Method:

• Take Rava, chawal ka atta, maida, black pepper powder, cumin seeds, chopped coriander, chopped green chillies, chopped Kadi patta and salt in a big bowl and mix everything together.
• Slowly add water in the dry mixture and make a watery/runny consistency like “Chaas” (keep stirring while adding water to avoid lumps)
• Keep the batter for 10 minutes to rest.
• Heat a flat tawa /non-stick pan and brush some oil on it.
• Sprinkle some chopped onion and pour batter all over the tawa and brush some oil over it.
• Let it cook on medium-high heat until the base becomes golden and crispy.
• Flip the dosa and cook the other side for a minute.
• Your crispy onion dosa is ready to enjoy.
• Serve hot with Sambar, chutney or sauce.

Note: If don’t like onion you can exclude it and it will still be crispy and tasty “Rava Dosa”.

Kadhi is yet another most common side dish which is made in almost every Indian kitchen and liked by most. The usual Kadhi is made of Yogurt and Besan (Gram flour) also it has many variations e.g. Saadi (Plain) Kadhi, Kadhi Pakoda, Mutter Kadhi, Bathua Kadhi etc.Sindhi Kadhi, on the other hand, uses Imli (Tamarind) paste or Amchur (dry mango) powder instead of yogurt for the tangy flavour. This popular Sindhi recipe has a unique flavourful taste thanks to the mix of roasted besan, assorted vegetables and spices. You can add as many vegetables as you like e.g. Cauliflower, Drumstick etc. It is generally served with rice and/or roti/chapati. Alternatively, it can also be used as a soup. So, go ahead and try this fantastic variation of Kadhi and add a new option to your dining table.

Ingredients:

• ½ Cup- Gram flour (Besan)
• 1- Medium sized Potato (Aloo)
• 2- Tomatoes (Tamatar)
• 6 to 8- Okra/ Ladyfingers (Bhindi)
• 6 to 8- Green Beans
• 2 to 3- Small sized Eggplant (Chaukor Kate hue Baingan)
• ½ inch- Grated Ginger (kisi Hui Adrak)
• 1- Medium sized Onion (optional)
• 1½ teaspoons- Red Chilli powder (Lal Mirch powder)
• 1 teaspoon- Turmeric powder (Haldi)
• 1½ tablespoons- Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
• 1 table spoon- Cumin powder (Jeera powder)
• 2 teaspoons- Mustard seeds (Rai)
• ½ teaspoon- Fenugreek seeds (Methi Dana)
• 1 pinch- Asafoetida (Hing)
• 1½ tablespoon- Dry mango powder (Aamchur) or 1 table spoon- tamarind paste ( Imli paste)
• Dry red chilli (Sukhi Mirchi)
• Salt (as per taste)
• ¼ cup- oil
• 5 to 6 Cups- Water

Method:

• First of all Wash/ Clean vegetables.
• Cut potatoes and eggplants into small dices, slice okra into half and then chop into ½ inch pieces, chop beans into ½ inch pieces, slice onions lengthwise and chop tomatoes into small pieces. Keep chopped vegetables aside for later use.
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker.
• Splutter fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds into oil.
• Add gram flour and stir continuously on low heat till it roast and colour changes to light brown (Do not overcook).
• Add dry red chilli (whole), turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt and dry mango powder/tamarind paste and roast this masala mix for a minute on low heat. Then slowly add water and keep stirring to avoid lumps. (Consistency should be running)
• Let it boil for 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat and then add all the chopped vegetables and mix well.
• Pressure cook for a whistle. Leave it on low heat for 2-3 minutes and then turn off the heat. Once the pressure of the cooker releases, open the lid of the pressure cooker and transfer in a serving bowl and garnish with fresh coriander.
• Serve hot with rice and chapati as a side dish or enjoy it as soup.

Today’s life is busy and fast-moving. Our health is at a greater level of risk due to the rise of the unhealthy lifestyle and popularity of junk food. This is probably why I keep getting frequent requests for more and more healthy food ideas. A few days ago, I posted one such healthy recipe Avocado Paratha which has some interesting health benefits at the same time it’s quite delicious too. This recipe received a great response from the readers of my blog.

Today’s recipe “Methi-Dana Sabji” also follows the same “healthy-yet-tasty” approach. Methi Dana (Fenugreek Seeds) apart from being antioxidant and antidiabetic it is also a great source of fibre, proteins, magnesium, iron, manganese and vitamin B6. It reduces blood cholesterol, controls blood sugar levels, helps losing weight and improves digestion Ingredients. These are just a subset of its numerous health advantages, for a detailed list of its benefits click here. Despite its goodness, Methi dana is not very popular probably because of its bitter taste. Therefore, this recipe uses jaggery to lessen the bitter taste and make it a more “tastebud-friendly” dish and goes well with paratha, poori or chapati. This dish also lasts long (6-7 days) when refrigerated in airtight container. The process to make this curry is fairly easy and ingredients are commonly available in a typical Indian kitchen.

So wait no more…take this unsung hero out from the back of your kitchen-shelf and try your hands at another “healthy-yet-tasty” dish.

Ingredients:

• ½ Cup- Fenugreek seeds (Methi-Dana)
• 1 Cup- Milk
• ½ Cup- Jaggery (Gur)
• 2 teaspoons- Red Chilli (Lal Mirch) powder
• 1 teaspoon- Turmeric (Haldi) powder
• 2 teaspoons- Coriander (Dhaniya) powder
• 2 teaspoons- Cumin (Jeera) powder
• 1 teaspoon- Black salt (Kala Namak)
• 1 pinch- Asafoetida (Hing)
• 1½ tablespoons- Oil
• 1 tablespoon- Dry mango (Aamchur) powder
• 2 dry red chillis (Sukhi Mirch)
• 2 bay leaves (Tej Patta)
• 1 tablespoon- Raisins (Kismish)
• 1 tablespoon- Cashew nuts (Kaju)
• Salt (as per taste)

Method :

• Wash methi dana with drinking water and soak it for 6-8 hrs in a mix of milk and water in equal proportion (using milk to reduce bitterness).
• Strain the mix of milk and water. Keep it aside for later use.
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add bay leaves and dry red chillis.
• Now add asafoetida, turmeric powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. Roast spices for 2 minutes.
• Add soaked methi dana into the cooker and mix well with roasted spices, now add raisins and cashew nuts and mix again.
• Now add red chilli powder, jaggery, salt, black salt, dry mango powder and mix well.
• Add the leftover mix of milk and water and bring it to boil. The consistency of the gravy should be running if needed add additional water.
• Close the lid of the cooker and pressure cook until 5-6 whistles.
• Once the steam completely released from the cooker, transfer the curry to a serving bowl.
• Serve hot with Parathas, Puris or Chapatis. It can also be used as the sweet and sour chutney with Kachori or Samosa.

India is home of many delicious authentic recipes. Every region of India has its own delicacies and Rajasthan is no exception. Baati (a.k.a. Bati, Daal-Baati, Batti) is probably the most popular Rajasthan dish and liked nationwide. Originally it was cooked on charcoal (BBQ style) in open area however with the growing metro culture it’s hard to find open cooking areas which makes it difficult to make Baatis. The good news is that you can still make Baatis at home using electric or Tandoor oven. These mouth watering dumplings soaked in ghee are mostly served with Daal, Baingan Bharta, chutney, salad and Choorma (sweet). In Rajasthan the Daal is usually a mix of five kinds a.k.a. Panchmel Daal (mix of 5 type of pulses, I will post the recipe soon) but in other areas like Malwa region it’s just the Toor Daal (Pigeon Pea). This is great combination and once you taste it you can’t resist yourself from falling in love with its flavour. The process of making Baati is much easier than most people think and its fun!! And honestly speaking, it’s totally worth it. Here is the recipe for this great dish…

Ingredients:

• 1 cup- Whole wheat flour (Gehun ka atta)
• 1/2 cup- Gram flour (Besan)
• 1 table spoon- Fine semolina (Fine Suji/Rava)
• 1-1/2 tea spoons- Ajwain (or as per taste)
• 1-2 table spoon- Oil (for moyan)
• 2-3 tea spoons- Salt (as per taste)
• A pinch of Asafoetida (Hing)
• Water for kneading
• Ghee to soak Baati

Method :

• Take whole wheat flour, Besan, Rava, Ajwain, salt and oil in a big bowl and mix all together.
• Add water in the flour mixture, knead into tight dough like we do for poori.
• Cover the dough with damp towel and let it rest for at least half an hour.
• Preheat oven at 245 degree Celsius/ 475 Fahrenheit for 10 mins.
• Divide the dough in small portions, roll them like round balls. Push the balls gently with palms to make it slightly flat like Pattie
• Depress the center of the Baati (dough Pattie) with your thumb. ( The depression will flatten while baking and this practice will help you to know that your Baatis are perfectly baked from inside as well) once the Baatis are fully baked from inside the depressed portion will flatten up.
• Place the Baatis in the oven and bake them for 30-40 minutes or till they turn golden brown. Flip the Baatis upside down in between to make sure that your Baatis are done from both the sides.
• Meanwhile, heat some ghee in a deep bowl/pan until ghee is fully melted.
• Once baked, carefully take the Baatis Out of the oven as the Baatis will be very hot. Now using a clean cloth slightly squeeze the Baatis so that the top part of it cracks and opens the shell.
• Now dip the Baatis in melted ghee from the open side so that Baatis can absorb the ghee.
• Serve hot with Daal, Baingan ka Bharta, Chutney and salad.

Baingan (a.k.a Eggplant or Brinjal) is an ordinary vegetable however when used creatively, it can create mouth watering wonders. “Baingan Bharta” is one such wonderful recipe. This is usually served as the side dish with Roti, Naan, Parantha or even Daal-Baati. Some people also call it vegetarian’s grilling substitute for chicken. The magic of “Baingan Bharta” lies in its roasted smokey flavor which originally came from the clay ovens (a.k.a. “Tandoors”) used in old times. Though the new style homes usually don’t have these clay ovens anymore but the good news is that you can still make this delicious dish using the common electric oven or even on the regular gas stove burners. As usual, I did some experimenting with the traditional recipe by adding peanuts to give it a crunchy (rather than usual soggy) texture. This is very popular among my friends and I am certain you will enjoy it too. So what are you waiting for…..Go and give it a shot!!

• 1 medium sized eggplant (Baingan)
• 2 medium sized onions
• 2 medium sized tomatoes
• 8-10 garlic cloves
• 2 small green chills
• 1 small piece of ginger
• 4-5 table spoon- cooking oil
• 1 tea spoon- turmeric
• 1 table spoon- coriander powder
• 1 tea spoon- red chili powder
• 1 tea spoon- Garam masala (optional)
• Salt as per taste
• 1 cup- Peanut (Moongfali)

Method:
Baking/ Roasting:

• Make a hole on the top of the Baigan (as shown in the first picture above).
• Fill 4-5 garlic cloves in the hole and reseal it.
• Grease the baingan with little oil.
• Place the baingan in the oven @ 475 degree Fahrenheit for 30-45 mins or over the flame (whichever available)
• Let it cool down for 5-10 minutes.
• After cooling remove the skin and mash it finely. Now Keep it aside for later use.

Preparation of Masala:

• Grind onion, garlic, ginger and green chilis all together to make a paste.
• Now take tomatoes in a grinder separately and make a purée, keep both of them aside.
• Heat oil in a pan to shallow fry peanuts.
• After cooling, grind fried peanuts into a coarsed powder. Keep it for garnishing.
• Add the paste (onion, garlic, ginger and green chili) into the remaining oil in the pan used earlier and sauté till they turn golden brown.
• Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder and salt. Mix well.
• Add tomato purée, mix and cook until the oil starts separating from gravy.

Putting it altogether:

• Mix the mashed baingan (eggplant) into the gravy. Stir well.
• Cover the pan with a lid and let the mixture cook for 10-15 mins on a low heat. This way, mashed baingan absorbs all the flavors of masala.
• Take out in a serving bowl, garnish with coarsed groundnuts and fresh coriander leaves.
• Serve hot as a side dish.

As the saying goes, “We are what we eat”……then I say “we all should eat lot of sweets”. Eating some sweets is probably the best way to conclude a meal. Today I am going to present a sweet which is mouth-watering just upon calling the name that is “Choorma Laddoo”. This recipe finds its roots in Rajasthan (an Indian state) and usually prepared with “Daal-Baati” (another popular specialty from that area) but it can be a great snack just by itself. These laddoos are rich in nutrition and irresistibly delicious at the same time. Therefore, it could be a perfect option for moms who have hard time convincing their kids who keep running away from the regular food. Moreover, once prepared they last for quite a few days if stored properly. In fact, the taste keeps getting better with time as the Ghee gets absorbed into the other ingredients. I learnt this recipe from my grandma and tweaked the method a bit to fit it in the modern kitchens. So, are you ready to get indulged in some wonderful sweet?

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups wheat flour (gehun ka atta)
• 4 table spoon ghee
• ghee for deep-frying
• 3/4 cup sugar powder
• Dry fruits (cashew nut (kaju), Almond (badam), Buchanania lanzan (chiroli/chironji) & raisin (kishmish))
• Cardamom powder (Elaichi powder)

Method :

• Mix the wheat flour, ghee and ½ cup of water in a deep bowl and knead into stiff dough.
• Divide the dough into equal portions and shape each portion into the shape of your fist.
• Heat the ghee in a deep pan and deep-fry fist shaped dough on  medium flame till they turn golden brown in colour from all the sides. Drain on an absorbent paper and allow them to cool down.
• Once cooled, break them into small pieces and grind in a mixer to a coarse powder (choorma). Keep aside.
• Add the choorma, powdered sugar, little amount of ghee (helps in binding), chopped dry fruits (sautéed in ghee) and powdered cardamom in a deep bowl and mix very well. Allow the mixture to cool slightly.
• Shape each portion into a round ball (laddoo).
• Serve immediately or store in an air-tight container.