Aloo Tikki with Chhole

Recipe: aloo tikki

Another dish I've had at a restaurant and have tried to reproduce at home. The chhole isn't what I had in the restaurant. I had sev sar over it, but apparently the internet doesn't know what sev sar is...oh well. They were still good separately.


Aloo Tikki

Ingredients:
1/4 kg potatoes boiled and grated
1/4 cup of boiled and mashed green peas
2 slices white bread toasted a bit and made into a coarse powder (bread crumbs)
2-3 green chillies finely chopped
1" ginger grated
3 tbsps of chopped fresh coriander leaves finely chopped
salt to taste
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp chaat masala (optional)
1 tsp roasted cumin pwd
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
ghee/oil for shallow frying

Method:
Boil potatoes and cool them before grating them.Add the rest of the ingredients except the ghee and mix well.Roll into lemon sized balls and flatten them and shape into cutlets or round burger shaped patties and flatten them a bit.
Heat 1 tbsp ghee on a griddle and add 3 to 4 tikkis at a time and let them cook on slow fire till a crisp golden color crust is formed on both the sides.Remove on absorbent paper and serve with chole & a squeeze of lemon.


CHHOLE-

Ingredients:
2 cans Garbanzo beans also called Chick Peas
2 large Onions, chopped finely
4 large Tomatoes, chopped finely OR 1 cup of canned tomatoes can be used instead
2 teaspoons Ginger paste
2 teaspoons Garlic paste
2 Bay leaves
1 Star anise
2" long Cinnamon stick
2 to 3 teaspoons Cumin powder
1 teaspoon Garam masala
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon Sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons Oil
3 table spoons fresh mint leaves, chopped finely
1/4th cup cilantro or coriander leaves, chopped finely

Method:
Heat the oil; add the bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon stick and the ginger and garlic paste. Sauté for a few minutes till light brown.

Add the onions and fry till brown. Add the tomatoes and sauté till the oil starts to separate.

Add the cumin powder, garam masala salt, sugar and mint leaves. Mix well.

Add the garbanzo beans. Add 1/2 cup of hot water and cook for 5 to 8 minutes. Serve over Aloo tikkis with some finely chopped red onion, cilantro leaves & a squeeze of lemon.


Verdict:
So, I ended up serving the aloo with yogurt and eating the chhole separately. I loved the aloo, but then again, it's potatoes and yogurt, two of the best ingredients ever. The chhole was good, too, but I think I should have used fresh tomatoes to make it more fresh and creamy.

This could be gluten free if you substituted the breadcrumbs with corn meal or something. There are other recipes that use corn meal, if you search.

Cheese Fondue

(Recipe from FondueRecipes.org)

Ingredients:
8 oz of shredded chedder cheese.
8 oz shredded emmental chesse.
1 garlic clove.
1 can of beer.*
2 tablespoons of flour.
1 teaspoon of Salt.
Pinch of pepper.

Method:
Mix together all of the ingredients. Melt the mixture and place into a fondue pot.

NOTES
*I used Shiner Bock, a central-Texas specialty and just really good middle-of-the-road beer. (Also so I could toss around words like 'local specialty' and 'you probably can't find it in your area'.) Any medium to dark beer would probably work fine.

Serve with cubes of French bread, cubes of fried potato, steamed broccoli, steamed cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, cubes of apple, and/or whatever else you have lying around that seems like it could be good with cheese. Go wild!

Do not be fooled by the simplicity of the 'Method'. "Just melt the cheese and put it in the fondue pot!" Apparently you have to be very careful when melting the cheese and not cook it at too hot or cool a temperature lest it become a MASS OF DISGUSTING GLOOP in beer. Incidentally.

VERDICT
Well, I really only wanted to try my hand at fondue because I had discovered a brand new fondue set at Goodwill for only $5 several months earlier and had bought it. Despite the somewhat off-putting texture of the concoction I ended up with, it tasted good, and with all of the dipping items it actually made for a pretty well-balanced and filling meal. I'm not sure how soon I'll be attempting cheese fondue again, but I think I'd like to try some of the oil and dessert varieties, at least.

Upitta and Ravioli

Recipes: Sage cream ravioli

This week has been crazy. So, due to different engagements every night, I have cooked two meals partly from scratch. Enjoy!

Upitta--

Ingredients:
Cream of Wheat
potatoes
peas
onions
spices
oil

Method:

1. Peel and boil potatoes. Toast Cream of Wheat.
2. Saute onions and spices.
3. Add potatoes.
4. Add Cream of Wheat and follow box's directions.



Ravioli with Sage Cream Sauce--

Ingredients:
1 8- to 9-ounce package refrigerated vegetable-filled ravioli

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage or 1 1/2 teaspoons crumbled dried sage leaves
3/4 cup dry white wine
2/3 cup whipping cream

Parmesan cheese shavings

Method:
Cook ravioli in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, about 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add pecans and stir until slightly darker and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pecans to small bowl. Add shallots and sage to same skillet. Sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and cream. Increase heat and boil until sauce is reduced to generous 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes.

Add ravioli to sauce; toss. Season with salt and pepper. Divide between bowls. Sprinkle with pecans and Parmesan.

Cook ravioli in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, about 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add pecans and stir until slightly darker and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pecans to small bowl. Add shallots and sage to same skillet. Sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and cream. Increase heat and boil until sauce is reduced to generous 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes.

Add ravioli to sauce; toss. Season with salt and pepper. Divide between bowls. Sprinkle with pecans and Parmesan.

Verdict:

Well, I still can't make Upitta, but now that I can spell it, I have found some recipes that I can try. One day, Sharad will teach us how to do it. He's made it alot and it always comes out to this consistency that I just can't get. And I messed up the spices this time. So, I'm sorry if that recipe sucks. I'll share the winner when I can find it!

I used spinach and cheese ravioli, from the *gasp* frozen aisle. The sauce was nice. It needed a little more butter to mellow it out, and I was using a fruity wine that wasn't quite right. I also would have strained out most of the 'stuff' that ends up in the sauce at the end, just to make for a more pleasant eating experience. You could even use some of it as a garnish.

I served the ravioli with a radicchio and carrot salad that was okay. I also forgot to bring the bread (we had a picnic), so it wasn't as filling as it could be.

Mild Coconut Curry

(Original recipe from BBC Food.)

Ingredients:
2 medium potatoes, chopped
1 lemongrass stalk
4 tbsp Puy lentils (I had no idea what these were or where to find them, so I used red lentils. Because that's what we had at home.)
1 tbsp coconut oil (Couldn't find it at the grocery store, so used vegetable oil.)
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
125g/4oz green beans
1 [courgette/zucchini], chopped
250g/8oz frozen sweetcorn
300ml/½ pint can coconut milk
1 lime, juice only
1 tbsp chopped [coriander/cilantro] leaves

Method:
1. Put the potatoes, lemongrass and lentils into a medium saucepan and add enough boiling water to just cover the tops of the potatoes. Return to the boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion, garlic, turmeric and cumin until the onion is soft. Add all the remaining ingredients, except for the coriander, and stir well.
3. Remove the lemongrass from the lentil pan, then add the lentil mixture to the onion mixture.
4. Simmer everything for about 10 minutes, or until the lentils are soft, then add the chopped [coriander/cilantro].

NOTES
I served this over rice and with an onion naan on the side that I picked up frozen from my local supermarket.

This recipe makes a LOT of curry. Carrie and I both ate until we were stuffed and there were still a good two servings left.

VERDICT
I'd tasted this sort of Thai-ish curry before, but had never actually tried to make it myself, so I had no idea how it would turn out. I might have preferred it slightly more flavorful (it is very mild) but it was still delicious and surprisingly filling for what was essentially a plate of vegetables and starch. A great warm-weather meal.

Eastern Europe

Recipes: Spaetzle, Sausages


Spaetzle--

Ingredients:
6 eggs, beaten frothy
3 cups sifted flour
1 cup milk
3 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon)

Method:
1. Mix wet ingredients first. Then, with a power mixer, slowly add flour until it's all combined.
2. Boil a pot of water. Have a lid, large slotted spoon, colander, and pot holder nearby.
3. I don't have a spaetzle hex, so I did it the 'fun' way. You could also just use a spoon and plop globs in the water, though this makes them more like dumplings than a pasta.
4. Ladle two spoonfuls of batter into a colander. Use the back of the ladle to push the batter through the holes in the boiling water. Once there is a layer in the pot, cover and allow the spaetzle to puff up. It takes about two minutes. They will expand and get puffy.
5. Use the slotted spoon to move them into another colander, or a paper-towel. Repeat until you have no more batter.


Bacon Sauce--

Ingredients:
One package Smart Bacon, chopped well
4 tbsp butter
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 c freshly grated parmesan cheese

Method:
1. Throw it all in a pan and cook for about 5 minutes, until the bacon gets limp.
2. Drizzle over spaetzle, then sprinkle with the cheese.



Polish Sausages with Cabbage--

Ingredients:
2 lbs polish sausages
1 large onion
1 head cabbage, cored and quartered
1/2 cup white wine or vegetable broth
2 tbsp butter
Italian herbs
salt to taste

Method:
1. In a frying pan, brown your onions in the butter along with your sausages. (We used 6 Johnsonville Bratwursts and a box of Morning Star Breakfast links. I think that Boca or MS makes veg. brats, but I couldn't find them at our stores this week. If you are going to make this recipe, I recommend waiting until you can find the veg. bratwursts, you'll have a better flavor in the end) Also--if using precooked or vegetarian, do your onions first, then throw in the sausages for long enough to get browned.
2. Once cooked, add the cabbage, broth/wine, and herbs. We only had oregano for whatever reason, but it worked well.
3. Cover and reduce to low heat. Cook for 15 minutes. I like my cabbage softer, so I added about 7 minutes.


I love spaetzle. I grew up with it and just recently discovered it in the stringy-pasta form. We always made larger dumplings at home, which are still good, just different. At home, we usually serve with butter and parmesan cheese. I decided to try the bacon sauce and it was a nice change.

The sausages were okay. When I was in Dusseldorf a few years ago, the family we were staying with made an amazing sausage and cabbage dish that I just can't seem to duplicate. I would have made this with vinegar instead of wine, because I prefer that flavor with my cabbage. But I can see how, if we had used polish sausages instead of brats, it would be nice with the wine. Also--do they make vegetarian polish sausages?!

Verdict--I need a spaetzle hex because this method was brutal on my arms and the kitchen.

Savory Tarte Tatin with Carrot and Coriander Soup

(Both recipes from BBC Food.)

SAVORY TARTE TATIN

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
25g/1oz unsalted butter
2 red onions, peeled and chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 circle ready-made puff pastry (cut to slightly larger than a small frying pan)
100g/3½oz Brie, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 shelled walnuts, halved

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. Place the olive oil and butter into a small ovenproof frying pan.
3. When the butter has melted, add the onions, celery, sugar and balsamic vinegar. Fry for about five minutes, until well softened.
4. Place the pastry on top and tuck in the edges.
5. Place in the preheated oven and bake for ten minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and carefully turn the pastry out onto a baking sheet.
7. Sprinkle the cheese over, before putting the tart back into the oven, pastry-side down. Bake for a further three minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
8. Serve on a plate, with the walnuts sprinkled over.

CARROT AND CORIANDER* SOUP

Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
½ onion, chopped
400g/14oz baby carrots, roughly chopped
1 bunch fresh coriander/cilantro*
400ml/1 pint vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
double cream as garnish (if desired)

Method:
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large heavy pan. Add the onion and carrots and sauté over a high heat for 3-4 minutes.
2. Roughly chop the coriander/cilantro* stalks and add to the pan, along with the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for ten minutes or until the carrots are tender. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Blend with a hand blender until smooth.
3. Serve in a soup bowl. Garnish with the coriander leaves and drizzle with cream and remaining oil.

NOTES
*If you're in America, the leaves of the plant are called CILANTRO and the seeds are called coriander. For heaven's sake don't put coriander seed in instead of cilantro. I can't speak from personal experience, here, but I'm pretty sure the result would be far less appetizing.

Leave the cream out of the soup, the brie off the tarte, double-check your puff pastry, use margerine or oil instead of butter, and you've got a completely vegan meal.

VERDICT
I became a huge fan of carrot and coriander soup when I lived in England--there was a soup and smoothie stand at Paddington that I'd often stop at on my way home from the couple of classes I had in London. I was excited to discover just how ridiculously easy it is to make. Mine wasn't quite as good as I remember theirs being, but even given that it was my first attempt and I got a little over-zealous with the salt, it was delicious.

The tarte was okay. Not my favorite ever, and didn't make great leftovers, but it complimented the soup well for that meal.

Dosas with Miscellaneous

Recipes: dosa, tomato chutney, cilantro chutney, red onion chutney

Dosa--

Ingredients:
1/2 kg raw rice
300 g black gram
salt as req'd

Method:
1. Wash and soak rice and black gram for at least 8 hours
2. In a blender, blend a little of each with enough water to get a pancake-batter consistency. Pour into a second bowl as needed so you are only dealing with about 2 cups at a time in the blender.
3. Set aside for 6-8 hours.
4. Lightly oil a flat griddle. If desired, rub a raw onion on the pan between each dosa.
5. Heat griddle with high heat. I'd give it about 5-7 minutes to get hot.
6. Turn down heat. With a ladle, add one ladle-ful of dosa batter to the middle of the pan. Pressing down, go in a spiral from the middle, pushing the batter out into a circle. You want the dosa thin so it cooks best so don't be afraid to really spread it out--but using circular motions. Think crepe thinness.
7. Turn heat back to high. With a spoon, drizzle oil around the edge of the dosa.
8. Wait about one-two minutes, right as the edges start to curl and the thin parts look brown, then flip it. Add a little more oil around the edges if you feel it is necessary.
9. Once golden and almost crispy, remove and repeat.
10. I seriously recommend eating a dosa at a restaurant or experienced friend's house before you try this. If you don't really know what a dosa is, it is hard to make. Once you know, it is as easy as pancakes.

Tomato Chutney--

Ingredients:

3 pounds of plum tomatoes, peeled and diced. (Unpeeled tomatoes will end up losing their peel in the mix, which is fine but affects the texture)--> just use two or three cans of peeled tomatoes, it will save you so much time though it won't taste as fresh

3 ounces of fresh ginger, finely grated
1 1/4 c sugar
1 red onion, diced very small
10 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 c apple-cider vinegar
3/4 c balsamic vinegar
2 tsp salt
1/3 c golden raisins (or dried apricots if you prefer)

Method:

Simmer everything but the raisins into a heavy saucepan over low heat.
Cook, stirring frequently over low heat, until you get syrup, about 45 minutes.
Add the raisins and cook 5 to 10 minutes to make them plump.
If the sauce seems runny while warm, it will thicken as it cools.

Cilantro Chutney--

Ingredients:
1 cup coriander leaves
1 tablespoon oil or Ghee
3 small green chilies, minced
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1/4 tsp sugar
salt to taste

Method:
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the green chilies and ginger for about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat and add garlic paste. Remove from the heat and add coriander leaves and mix completely. Place the mixture together with, salt and sugar in a food processor or grinder and mix until well blended.


Red Onion Chutney--

Ingredients:
object2=">2 cups finely chopped red onion
object2=">1/2 cup red wine vinegar
object2=">1/3 cup packed brown sugar
object2=">1 teaspoon mustard seeds
object2=">1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
object2=">1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
object2=">1/4 teaspoon salt
object2=">1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Method:
Bring all ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Uncover and cook 10 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.


Potato Curry--(Carrie's recipe)

Ingredients:
2 medium potatoes, peeled and boiled
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1 large onion, chopped well
1 tsp tumeric powder
2-3 tsp curry powder
1/2 green chili, finely chopped
some chopped cilantro
salt

Method:
1. Really, I know what's it's supposed to taste like, and all the recipes online are too ocmplicated or I'm missing ingredients, or I feel like they are. So, just spice to taste.
2. Peel and boil the potatoes.
3. In a frying pan, heat oil and add the mustard seeds. They will start to pop. Add onion and saute to golden brown.
4. Add spices and potatoes. Let simmer for a bit. Taste and re-spice as necessary.


I hadn't really eaten a dosa until this past year, and even then, I ate it with the usual restaurant-provided potato curry (what you get when you order Masala Dosa). So I set out to find alternative dips for the dosa. In the end, I loved the tomato chutney. The red onion was nice, but bland next to the tomato. The cilantro was, eh, something I wouldn't do again. And the potato curry was fabulous, as always.

I also cheated here because Grandpa (the father of my boss) made the dosa mix for me the day before. I have seen him do it five or six times, but never done it myself. I would suggest, because the chutneys and potatoes are a handful on their own, to just buy pre-made dosa batter at a local Indian store. It needs to ferment for at least 6 hours, so be sure to find out when it was made to make sure it will be ready when you cook.

In all, it was a delicious Indian-nosh kind of night.