Aloo Paratha

Aloo Paratha

Whatever paratha I make the first question I am asked is “aloo paratha?”

Half the times I say no and the complaint to you never make … blah blah is followed.

I make aloo paratha in 2 ways this is the simplest one. The only job here is grating the boiled potatoes. Mashing them makes them sticky and at times there are fine lumps which will make rolling out a bit difficult in this shortcut method that I generally follow,

Needless to say aloo paratha is filling and tasty.

Tastes best with pickle and curds!!

 Aloo Paratha

Ingredients:

For The Dough:

• 2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsp oil
• salt to taste

For the Stuffing:

• 2 ½ cups boiled potatoes peeled and grated tsp jeera/cumin powder
• 1 tsp dhania/coriander powder 
• 1 tbsp green chillies finely chopped 
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• 2 tbsp dhania/ coriander leaves, finely chopped
• Salt to taste
• whole wheat flour for rolling
• oil for cooking and greasing

Method:
For the dough:

• Combine the whole wheat flour, oil and salt in a bowl and mix well.
• Add enough water and knead into semi-stiff dough. Keep aside.
• For the stuffing:
• In the grated potatoes add the cumin powder, coriander powder, green chillies, chilli powder, coriander leaves, and salt.
• Mix well till it forms soft dough.
• Divide the stuffing into 12 equal portions and keep aside.
• Divide the dough into 12 equal portions.
• Using the dry flour roll a portion of the dough into a circle about of about 4 inches.
• Place a ball of the stuffing in the centre of the circle and
• Fold the edges over stuffing and seal tightly.
• Roll again into a circle of 6 inches circle using the flour as needed.
• Heat a tava/skillet and cook the paratha using a little oil until golden brown spots appear on both the sides.
• Repeat with the remaining dough and stuffing.
• Serve immediately with fresh curds.

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Mirchi Bada~Indian State Rajasthan

 Mirchi Bada~Indian State Rajasthan

Today we stop at Rajasthan, a state that I hope to visit soon not just because of the food which is splendid collection of colourful, spicy and unique dishes but because of its inhabitants and their rich culture.

As a child, in my nomadic lifestyle, we were at Akola, Maharashtra. Our neighbours were marwadis, a joint family their lifestyle amazed me. I loved watching how the old lady called dadiji though very old  was very sweet and saw to it that we were invited for every ”Teej Towhar” not only for food but the earlier day to apply mehendi, mehendi being the most important ritual. They used to draw the designs not with the mehendi cone but with matchsticks and the designs were breathtakingly beautiful. Thin lines and weaves it was really magic the way they did the job.

Another strange thing was the vessel were washed suka. That means the vessels were dampened then were scrubbed with ash. With a dry cloth they were wiped clean of all residues. Then one more cloth finished all the rest of the cleaning. This way the water used was minimal.

Food, like I said is delicious Rajasthani cooking was influenced by both the war-like lifestyles of its inhabitants and the availability of ingredients in this arid region. Food that could last for several days and could be eaten without heating was preferred. Because of lack of leafy green vegetables, the use of lentils, pulses, legumes and milk, curd and buttermilk in place of the water in the gravy marks the essentials of Rajasthani cuisine. To decrease the use of water in this desert state they use a lot of milk and milk products to cook.

Originating for the Marwar region of the state is the concept Marwari Bhojnalaya or vegetarian restaurants, today found in many part of India, which offer vegetarian food of the Marwari people.

Rajasthan is known for not only its snacks like Bikaneri Bhujia, Mirchi Bada and Pyaaj Kachori but also for  dishes like Bajre ki roti (millet bread) and Lashun ki chutney (hot garlic paste), Mawa Kachori from Jodhpur, Alwar ka mawa, Malpauas , let’s not forget dal bati churma ………………

The Rajput clan was always known to enjoy a hearty hunt (shikar) and the royal chefs (Khansamas) would delicately cook the day’s capture and incorporate the dish into the night menu. The women of the household never involved themselves in cooking the meat which they considered impure

 Rajasthan Food is an experience to be cherished.

Tinda Stuffed with Paneer and Mint~ Dedicated to Mom

 I decided to make tinda and started to make Tinda Do piyaza that I had seen here.

However as I started long lost memories of how we, that is we siblings, hated this vegetable as kids swamped me. We always fought with my mother when we saw this vegetable. But in the sweltering heat of Nagpur and Akola where we spent our childhood in the summer very few vegetables were available. One was Gola Bhaji and other dhemsa or tinda. Poor mom had nothing to make, she must have been so frustrated…

Reposting for Events-Lets Get Stuffed Series- Bell Peppers or Capsicum

Thanks all of you for your prayers and good wishes my father is on the path of recovery! The update today is that he is making the hospital staff's life miserable!! I think he plans to make them so tired of him they will say he is fine and send him home. Haha!

Coming to my first event which I have been neglecting I am reposting an old recipe from my blog .This is my SIL, my Bhabhi's post but she had not posted any pictures. I used this opportunity to repost the recipe with the pictures.

I have followed the recipe in almost every way except I have not boiled the capsicum before hand just cooked it in the gravy. Also I was lazy and have not chopped the tomatoes fine as needed, I was heating milk and some was left in the packet so I poured it over the the capsicum. An yes I have doubled the recipe.

Sending this my first event here and to Vatsala of Show and Tell's announcement here.