Punjabi Recipes : Stuffed Aloo Paratha | Alu Ka Paratha

Parathas can be stuffed with potatos, cauliflour, methi (Methi Paratha), cottage cheese (paneer), radish (Mooli Paratha), onions or just lightly mashed leftover vegetables, as long as they’re dry. Aloo Paratha is most popular Punjabi breakfast dishes around.  It is a tasty, stomach filling breakfast recipe which really does not need introduction to any Indian cuisine lovers. It is best served with pickle and curd.  Here is a easy Alu paratha recipe.

Preparation Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cup Wheat Flour 
• 1 cup Water
• 3-4 small Potatoes(boiled and mashed) 
• Coriander leaves finely chopped
• Small piece of ginger (very finely chopped or grated) 
• 1 or 2 green chilies (finely chopped) 
• Salt  and garam masala as per taste
• 2 table spoon oil
• 1 tea spoon mustard seeds
• 1 strand of bay leaves
• A pinch of asafoetida

Method:

• Add water and salt to wheat flour. Knead it to make a soft dough.(similar to chapathi dough but not very soft). Apply oil to the dough and keep for around 1hr.

• Cook the potatoes and mash.

• Add grated ginger, finely chopped coriander leaves and green chillies.

• Add salt  and garam masala as per taste.

• Add seasoning of oil, mustard seeds, bay leaves and asafetida.

• Now mix everything thoroughly.

• Take small balls out of the dough. Roll it in circular shape like a puri.

• Take a ball(ping pong ball sized) of potato stuffing, keep it on the puri and close the puri over stuffing.

• Press the resulting dough gently and dust it with flour. Flatten to the size of roti.

• Place it on hot tava. When it gets little brown, apply oil or ghee.

• Turn it and again apply oil or ghee on other side.
• Keep turning simultaneously until it gets golden brown.

• Tasty Aloo Parathas are ready!!!  
• Serve it with curd or dhaniya chutney(coriander chutney).

Konkani Breakfast Recipes : Boiled Rice Roti | Ukkad Tandla Bhakri | Akki Rotti

As every one knows Boiled Rice or what we call Brown Rice is rich in fiber and vitamins. Here is very tasty, nutritious and yummy breakfast recipe made of Boiled Rice. Banana leaf used in the preparation of roti gives a great aroma to the roti.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes excluding soaking time

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Boiled Rice
• ¼ cup grated coconut
• 2 table spoon sugar
• Banana leaves
• Salt as per taste 

Method:

• Soak the Boiled Rice for about 18 - 20 hours.
• Grind the soaked Rice to get a very smooth thick paste, putting very small amount of water.

• Add grated coconut, sugar, salt and mix well.

• Cut the banana leaves in to small pieces, so as to cover the roti fully.

• Spread the banana leaf, put the batter, spread the batter with your hand.
• Don’t spread the batter to very thin or thick. This consistence should be of the chapathi.  Cover it with another banana leaf as shown in picture.

• Heat Tava(which is used to make chapathi) and cook both side of the roti along with the banana leaf and put it on serving plate.

• This roti can be served with any side dish or chutney or chutney pudi(chutney pitto in Konkani) or simply butter.

 PS:  If banana leaf is not around then, the batter can be spread directly over tawa. If you like crispy rotis, then after frying the roti along with the leaf once, remove the leaf and fry the roti without leaf for a second on both the sides. This makes the roti crispy.

Chinese Recipes : Restaurant Style Mushroom Manchurian

As every one knows Mushroom is one among very nutritious food item. This delicacy of China is the tastiest, mouth watering recipe one can make with Mushrooms.  This recipe goes very well with any fried rice or noodles or simply just as a snack or starter. Mushroom Manchurian is a great party food and every kid loves it.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 250 gm Mushrooms
• 2 medium size finely chopped onions
• 1 big capsicum cut length wise
• 1 table spoon grated ginger
• 2 table spoon chopped garlic
• 4 table spoon tamato ketchup
• 1 table spoon soya sauce
• 2 table spoon red chilli sauce
• 4 table spoon corn flour
• 2 table spoon plain flour (Maida)
• 3 cups oil
• 2-3 strands finely chopped coriander leavers to granish
• Salt as per taste

 Method:

• Cut the Mushroom in to medium pieces as shown in picture.

• Mix corn flour, maida, salt and water in a bowl and prepare a think batter for dipping the mushrooms.

• Heat 2 cups of oil in a non stick pan.
• Dip the cut Mushrooms one by one in the batter and deep fry them over medium flame till they are golden brown and crisp.

• Take out the mushroom pieces from oil, drain the excess oil using tissue paper. And keep them aside.

• Heat 2 table spoon oil a non stick pan on high flame.
• Add diced onion, ginger, garlic, diced capsicum one by one. Saute for 2-3 minutes.

• Now add soya sauce, tomato ketchup, chilli sauce and salt in it.  Add more ketch up to get a liquid gravy.

• Add fried Mushrooms and mix well.
• Cook for another 2-3 minutes so that mushroom pieces get dipped in the sauces completely.

• Garnish them with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve them hot.

 PS:  Spring onions can also be used for garnishing. In this recipes, there is no usage of green chillies. Green chillies can also be added in the beginning whilie frying onions if one wants the recipe more spicier. Instead of cutting Mushrooms in small pieces, Mushrooms as a whole can be used if they are small.

Konkani Randap : Khubbe/Tisre Vade | Clam Vada

In  south western coast of India, also known as the Konkan region, Clams are used to cook curries and side dishes, like Tisaryachi Ekshimpi (which is clams with one shell on), Clam curry in coconut, Clam vada etc. Opening the shell of the Clam and taking out the flesh is one of the toughest task while preparing dishes of Clams. But the final outcome is worth of taking the trouble of opening them. They taste great with onion and coconut combination as vada. Here is the recipe of Clam Vada.

Preparation Time:  30 minutes.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Clams
• 3/4 cup fresh/frozen coconut
• 1 tea spoon coriander seeds
• 1/2 table spoon turmeric powder
• 1/4 table spoon son tamarind extract (or 2 pieces of tamarind)
• 7-8 red chilies
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup rice rava(idli rava)
• Oil
• Salt

Method:

• Open the shell of the Clam and separate the flesh as shown in picture.

• Heat little oil and fry coriander seeds and red chillies.

• Grind coriander seeds, red chillies, coconut, tamarind, turmeric and salt without adding too much water.

• To this paste, add clams and onions.

• Mix all together and make balls.

• Roll the balls in rice rava.

• Slightly press them with hand and Shallow fry on tava as shown in picture.
• Use oil for fryng as per your use.

• Serve with rice as a side dish.

Konkani Randap : Karathya Nonche | Bittergourd Pickle

Bitter gourd is antidotal, antipyretic tonic, appetizing, stomachic, antibilious and laxative. It helps in healing constipation, piles, blood disorders, respiratory disorders and the list goes on. Because of its medicinal value, every one should try to consume this vegetable at lease once a week. Some people try to avoid bittergourd, because of its  taste. But believe me, here is recipe which you would love to eat every day. Try out this pickle with curd and rice. Its yummy.

Preparation Time: 40 minutes excluding the standing time.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cup finely chopped Bitter Gourd
• 1 and ½ cup grated coconut
• 4-5 red chillies
• 2 table spoon coriander seeds
• A pinch of turmeric powder
• 3 Small pieces of tamarind
• ¼ cup jaggary
• A pinch of asafetida
• 2 table spoon oil
• Salt as per taste

 Method:

• Take finely chopped Bitter Gourd in a vessel and add 3 table spoon salt to it. Mix well and keep it aside for an hour.
• Then squeeze out the water from Bitter Gourd and keep it aside. This removes a little bitterness of the Bitter Gourd.

• Fry red chillies, coriander seeds, separately on a tawa for 5 minutes.
• Grind red chillies, coriander seeds, asafoetida, tamarind, jaggary, turmeric powder to get a coarse thick paste, with only 3 to 4 table spoon of water.

• On a non stick tawa, add oil and bitter gourd. Fry for around 10 minutes.
• Add grated coconut and fry another 10 minutes.

• Take out the tawa and let it cool for some time.
• Mix the tawa contents and the ground masala very well with hand.

• Check for salt (bitter gourd retains some salt from first step). If required, add salt.
• A spicy, tangy, tasty pickle is ready for lunch or dinner.

Konkani Randap : Valasangi Upkari | Long Beans Stir Fry Sidedish

Valasangi is very famous vegetable in konkan belt of Karnataka. And Valasangi Upkari is one delicious dish of this vegetable among Konkanis. This vegetable is known as alsande kaayi in kannada and yardlong beans in English. It is very nutritious and the recipe is very tasty.  This Upkari can be served with chapati or roti or as a side dish for white rice.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of Valasangi cut in to very small pieces
• 2 table spoon oil
• A pinch of asafoedita (hing)
• 1 table spoon mustard seeds
• 2 green chillies
• A pinch of turmeric powder
• 2 strands of curry leaves
• 4 table spoon grated coconut

Method:

• Cut the Valasangi into very small pieces as shown in picture.

• Heat oil in non stick kadai.
• Add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds splutter, add asafoetida powder, curry leaves and green chillies one by one.

• Fry for a minute and add turmeric powder and the cut Valasangi beans and sauté for a minute.
• Add sufficient amount of water (about a cup), close lid and let the beans cook for about 5 minutes.
• Now add salt and grated coconut and mix well.

• Cook a low flame for another 2-3 minutes until all the water gets absorbed in the subji.
• Serve hot with chapatti or as a side dish along with white rice.

PS:  Sugar also can be added if one likes the dish little sweet.