Kadhi Chawal

Punjabis are predominantly wheat eating people. They cook rice only on special occasions. Rice is eaten with Rajma, Chole or Kadhi. In winter rice is cooked with peas called matarwale chawal. Kadhi rice and Rajma rice are my favourite dishes too. I prepare it on Sundays or on holidays for lunch.

Punjabi Kadhi

Ingredients: - Sour curd - 1kg, Gram flour- 1 cup, Water -1 litre, Onions-2 chopped, Garlic-6 cloves, Ginger-1" piece, Salt - 2 tsp., 1 tea spoon Garam Masala, Cooking oil- 3 tbsp., Chopped coriander-50 grams.

For Baghar or Tadka: - Mustard (Rai) -1 tsp., Fenugreek (Methi)-1/2 tsp., Cumin seed (Jeera)- 1/2 tsp., 6-7 curry leaves

Pakoras (Dumplings) Gram flour -250 grams, Sliced onions, green chillies, fenugreek or spinach chopped, salt -1 tsp., red chilli powder -1/2 tsp., and oil to fry.

Method

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard, fenugreek and cumin seeds. Add paste of garlic and ginger. Fry the paste till it gets brown, add chopped onions and fry them till light brown. Keep aside. Make batter with gram flour, add water, salt and spices. Beat well till it is light and fluffy. Add onion, chopped chillies and fenugreek or spinach leaves. Heat oil in a Kadai. Make pakoras. Beat curd, add gram flour and water and stir well. Add this to the fried onion-ginger garlic paste. Add salt and powdered masalas to it. Bring it to a boil, lower the heat. Cook for 10-15 minutes (stirring frequently) till it coats the back of the ladle, add pakoras and chopped coriander. Cover and keep it aside.

Kadhi goes well with boiled rice.

Matthi

Ingredients:

1/2 kg. all purpose flour i.e. maida
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. ajwain
3/4 cup Oil to make dough
whole black peppers
Water to make dough
Oil for frying

Method:

Mix salt and ajwain in the maida. Add oil. Mix the oil well into the flour. Oil should be evenly mixed into the flour. To test if you have added sufficient oil, take some mixture in your hands and close your hands, then open them, mixture should retain the shape.

Actually the main trick in matthi is how much oil to put and how hard the dough is. Now knead it into a hard (it will be so hard that when you roll out a matthi, its edges will crack, if they are smooth like a roti that means your dough is not hard enough) dough by using as little water as possible. The dough too need not look smooth. Now cover it with wet paper towel/cloth. Leave it for 15 minutes. Now make small rounds and roll out into thick matthis. Put some marks on it using a knife (to prevent it from rising like a puri). Insert one or two whole black peppers into the matthis. Deep fry. Enjoy with hot tea.

Note:

You can roll out all the matthis first and then put marks on all of them and then deep fry them in the end together. I believe if you put lots of matthis in the oil together its better. You can also cover your rolled out matthis with wet paper towel/cloth, to prevent them from drying up.

Hints:

If your matthis have not come out to be khasta and are hard to break, you have not put enough oil. Also you need to apply lot of pressure to make rounds and to roll out the matthis as the dough is very hard.

Namak Pare

Method:

Make the dough exactly as above. Make a big round of the size of a thick roti. Roll it out as big as possible. Take a knife and cut it into diamond shaped namak pares by first putting marks from top to bottom 3/4 cm apart all over it parallel to each other and then at an angle. Deep fry.

Mooli (Radish) paratha

Ingredients:


For Dough
2 cups whole wheat flour

for stuffing
1 cup grated mooli
1 boiled and mashed potato
1/2 tsp. ginger grated
1 green chilli crushed
1 tbsp. coriander leaves chopped
1/2 tsp. garam masala
salt to taste
oil to shallow fry

Method:

1. Make soft dough of wheat flour. Keep aside for 15 minutes.
2. Sprinkle some salt over grated mooli this will release the excess water.
3. After 5 minutes, press and remove all excess water.
4. Mix mashed potato and all other ingredients, except oil.
5. Divide the dough in to equal sized balls.
6. Take one ball at a time and roll into a thick round shape about 4" in
diameter, put a tbsp. of mixture. Bring the ends to the center from 4 or 5 points.
7. Overlap ends so that they do not leave an opening.
8. Press gently, dust with dry flour, and roll them with a rolling pin
to approximately six-inch diameter.
9. Heat a griddle, place parantha on it and cook on moderate heat for three minutes.
10.Turn it and pour half a tablespoon of oil or butter, spread it on
parantha and shallow fry over low heat. Turn it and again pour half a
tablespoon of oil or butter on other side. Cook on low heat till golden brown.
11.Serve hot with plain yogurt, any kind of raita or pickles.

Tip : potato is optional for stuffing. 

Pav Bhaji

Ingredients:

Pav Bhaji Masala 2 table spoon
Potato 1 Cup (Boiled and mashed)
French Beans 1 Cup (Boiled)
Cauliflower 1 Cup (Boiled)
Green Peas 1 Cup (Boiled)
Onions 3 Cups (Finely Chopped)
Tomatoes 3 Cups (Finely Chopped or grated)
Capsicum 1 Cup (Finely Chopped)
Ginger 2 tsp (Finely Chopped)
Garlic 2 tsp (Finely Chopped)
Coriander enough for dressing
Salted Butter to taste
Lemon to taste
Salt to taste
Water
Pavs (squarish soft buns )

For Bhaji ( pav bhaji gravy)

















Heat the butter in a pan and add garlic and ginger. Fry until garlic turns slightly brown. Add the onions (keeping one cup aside for garnishing ) and fry and until transparent. Add the tomatoes and capsicum and fry for 2 minutes. Add all the vegetables. Add Pav Bhaji Masala and Salt and some water (add more water if u like the bhaji thin). I use Everest Pav Bhajij masala. Bring to Boil. Remove from flame. Add Coriander and Butter.

For Pavs ( bread)

















Slit pavs horizontally leaving one edge attached (to open like a book). Apply butter (as desired) and roast open on a griddle till hot and soft with the surface crisp on both sides.


















Serve hot with bhaji, a piece of lemon and finely chopped onion.

Batata Vada

Ingredients:

Serving size - 4
6-8 medium sized boiled potatoes,
2 cups gram flour (besan),
oil for frying,
salt,
pav ( A kind of bun, In India it is known as Pav) - If pavs are not available, you can use any other bun. Choose the ones which do not taste sweet.

Masala
1 small piece ginger,
4-5 flakes garlic,
4-5 (or more) green chilies,
1/2 cup coriander leaves (chopped),

For tempering
1 tea spoon turmeric powder,
curry leaves,
1 teaspoon mustard seeds,
2 teaspoon oil

Method :

1. Grind ginger, garlic and green chilies together into a paste.

2. Peel and smash potatoes with a potato masher (or simply use hands). Do not smash completely. Let some small chunks remain.

3. Add ginger, garlic and green chili paste, coriander leaves, and salt to the potatoes.

4. Then take 2 teaspoons oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add turmeric powder and curry leaves.
Pour this tempering on the mashed potatoes and mix gently. .

5. Make small balls of mashed potato mixture. (You can flatten the balls if you like)

6. Add some salt, turmeric powder and chili powder to the gram flour. Add water gradually and keep mixing with a sppon or wire whisk. Remove lumps if any. The batter should not be too watery or too thick. If lifted by a spatula, it should flow in a ribbon like consistency.

7. Heat some oil in a pan. To check if oil is properly heated, drop some batter in the oil. If the batter immediately turns soild and float on the surface of the oil, the oil is ready. Also make sure that the oil is not too hot. Otherwise, the vadas become dark from the outside before they are actually done from the inside.

8. Now dip each ball in the batter, letting the excess batter drip off and slowly add to the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan, else the temperature of the oil reduces which in turn slows down the frying process. Like this, deep fry all the vadas until golden. Remove on a paper towel and drain. Batata Vadas are ready.

9. For Vada Pav, split Pav keeping the base intact & spread garlic chutney or green chutney on the inner surfaces of it. Place the vada in it. Serve hot