A quintessential Punjabi sauté of cauliflower and potatoes. It’s also the dish that became so associated with the film, ‘Bend it Like Beckham’ that (back in 2003) the DVD’s include an aloo gobhi cooking lesson from the director and her mom. This dry dish is ideal to serve as an accompaniment to meats or poultry or lentils or on its own with chapatti or paratha. And if you can save some for the next day, sandwich it between 2 pieces of bread and take it to school or office for lunch.
Vegetarian
Creamy Kala Chana Soup
A healthy, creamy and chunky soup that is mild enough to be kid friendly and layered with flavors of cumin and ginger to please adult taste buds.
Jhatpat Masala Noodles
The quick and easy masala noodles recipe is super addicting. It will bring back some childhood memories.
Baghare Baingan / Tempered Eggplant, hyderabadi style
In honor of National Heart awareness month I am sharing a heart healthy recipe today which your family will enjoy and your heart will love. When I say heart healthy, the ingredients you use, the way you cook and the portion size make a big difference. Baghare baingan or tempered eggplants is a classic dish from the city of Hyderabad that contains healthful nutrients from seeds and nuts. It is made with baby eggplants and is cooked twice, first shallow fried and then later cooked in fragrant and delicious gravy. I didn’t fry the eggplants prior as recommended but simmered them directly in the gravy, creating a healthier version of the traditional dish.
Vegan Meat Masala
I know what you are thinking right now, “How can a vegan dish have meat?” ‘Well, it can”. Jack fruit or ‘kathal’ is one of those unique fruits that is used as a meat substitute for vegetarians and vegans. When young and green, the fruit has a mild flavor and meaty texture. When ripe, it has a strong fruity flavor that can be eaten raw as a fruit or used in desserts. In India people don’t wait for the fruit to ripen and consume it while it is still very tender. I grew up eating it in curries, pickles, semi dry dishes, and rice preparations like biryani. The fruit is rich in energy, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals and free from saturated fats or cholesterol making it more nutritious than many starchy staples. When cooked well, using heavier spices like black cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaf in the preparation, it is indeed a satisfying meat alternative.
Daal Saag / Lentil Stew with Garbanzo Leaves
Gosh! It seems too early to be really posting a winter dish but my garbanzo/ chickpea plants are getting dry and woody and I wanted to use the tender leaves before I uproot them. Every spring I make a small kitchen garden with selective plants. Since most of them do not survive after the frost its a new effort every year. There is not a lot of space for my kitchen garden but I choose vegetables that taste better when fresh and quick to grow. I plant tomatoes, few herbs, salad leaves, chillies, couple of veggies, and then I also make an effort to try one or two new plant every year. This year I experimented with chickpeas. I sowed few black chickpeas in early April and got beautiful plants. Unripe chickpeas or green garbanzo are often picked out of the pod and eaten raw as a snack or can be enjoyed in so many different ways. The tender leaves are used raw in salads, cooked in soup or a lentil stew that we call it, daal saag.
Punjabi Dum Aloo
My mother in law loves potatoes. Love, as in addiction. Pretty much everything she cooks or has cooked all these years had potatoes in it. Now that they are going back to spend winters in India, I thought I should cook a farewell potato dish – Dum Aloo, for their 7 months stay with us. Dum Aloo specifically belongs to Kashmiri cuisine. It’s delicious taste made it popular all over India, hence you will find several variations of it using slightly different ingredients. No matter what you use, how you cook every dum aloo recipe is finger licking good. The recipe I have for you is of punjabi dum aloo with yogurt gravy which is enriched with charmagaz (melon seeds) and freshly ground spices.
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