MINAL'S SPICE WORLD

मसालेदार चने कैसे बनाएं || How to make chana masala || Chickpea curry

2020-04-15T12:55:00.003+05:30

www.minalspiceworld.com

Chatkaredar Tamatari Chole :

I feel cooking is a very interesting way to celebrate life obviously we are cooking because we are alive and happy .

These days we all are spending most of our time in kitchen…like me many of you love cooking but most of you are facing tough time by doing all the office work from home and doing all other chores without any house-help.

Today I am making Chana Masala To make this chana masala, you’ll need onion, ginger, garlic, and several good-for-you spices, including coriander, cumin, and turmeric. Garam masala is the traditional spice blend for chana masala, but if you don’t have that on hand, you’ll find alternatives below.

कैसे बनाएं घर पे ढाबे वाली दाल तड़का ।।Special Daal Tadka

2020-04-13T22:54:00.001+05:30

SPECIAL DAAL TADKA

Hi Friends, It is really an unfortunate situation ...because of corona outbreak ...we all are confined to our homes .During the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, millions of us are under stay-at-home orders and practicing social distancing. And for many of us, this means more time in the kitchen ..cooking meals. Most of you must be looking for some simple and less time taking recipes.

पौष्टिक उपमा ।।Three grain upma (tasty and healthy)

2019-01-24T10:57:00.001+05:30

Tasty and Healthy upma

Its all about health!! There is a saying 'health is wealth' and health is all dependent on how you eat? what you eat?and when you eat? Generally people think that diet food is very bland and tasteless. This myth discourages them to indulge in diet plans. when i say myth I mean it ...yes!! diet food can be very delicious believe me and follow all my recipes ,,,,,little smart choices can convert your unhealthy food to a very delicious healthy food ...

Hydrabadi cuisine

2019-01-22T11:41:00.002+05:30

A big hello from secundarabad to all my friends and followers sorry for a long gap again ..so we got post out from Calcutta to secundarabad ..one foodies paradise to another i am sure you all are very much aware of the lip smacking, delicious, flavorful Biryani of Hydrabad .. Hydrabad is ruled by nizams,you can see the influence of the spices and taste of that in the food also called Deccani cuisine . South India is famous for it's spices , you can feel the freshness and fragrance of the spices in there food though Hydrabadi cusine The food was mostly meat oriented being grilled and fried in tandoor. The curry were highly seasoned and flavoured by using spices. Fruits were preferred rather than dessert after main course. I will definitely figure out some nice vegetarian dishes out of it but we have planty of deserts to try with kubani ka meetha, double ka meetha ,sheerkurma and ya how can we miss faluda and firni... tuned up for all the new recipes of Hyderabadi cuisine Ta.Da

Start with...
Kababs

Vegetarian galouati kababs

Paranthas :

Nutri keema parotha

Kerala parotha/ Malabar parotha

Curries:

Baghara bangan/ Hydrabadi bangun
Mirchi ka salan

चुकंदर और गाजर का पोष्टिक सलाद।। root and carrot salad

2018-05-26T15:19:00.001+05:30

Why I Love Beetroot and Carrot

This is one of my favourite salad recipes and it always goes down well with guests. It is such a simple, tasty and nutritious side dish that goes well with almost any meal. I really recommend you give it a go and experience the benefits of these incredible ingredients for yourself! I have no doubt it will soon become one of your favourite salad recipes too. This nutritious salad will help you with your diet too as it is rich in fibre and antioxidants and full of nutrients. I had included health benefits also that I learned from Internet .

Daab mushroom ( mushroom cooked in tender coconut)

2018-04-14T23:34:00.001+05:30

Subho Poila Boishakh , Pahela Baishakh or Bengali New Year also called Pohela Boishakh is the traditional new year day of the Bengali people .It is celebrated on 14 April. Poila Baisakh is also known as Nobo Borsho. This festival is celebrated with much fervour, zeal and happiness all across West Bengal and Bangladesh.This period usually falls in the mid-April according to the Gregorian calendar. This year, it will be celebrated on April 15 ....on the occasion of Nobo Borsho .

Gondhoraj ghol/ Buttermilk flavored with Gondhoraj lemon

2018-03-23T10:15:00.001+05:30

Gondhoraj ghol

Starting Bengali cuisine veg recipes with a very tasty yet healthy drink Gondhoraj ghol .....Gondhraj Ghol marked a special place in my list because of its simplicity and flavour.

This is a light yogurt based drink flavoured with Gondhoraaj lebu/lemon and topped with zest of lebu .Gondhoraj lebu/lemon has a very subtle aroma. It is very widely used by bengolis , a little dash of its juice adds lot of flavor to any dish, or even to normal daal rice. Now -a days a variety of dishes are made using this lime. Gondhoraj Veg curry,

Bengali cuisine

2018-03-19T22:04:00.003+05:30

Kolkata..A Foodies Paradise...

Kolkata ' city of joy ......The moment we got our posting to Kolkata almost all my friends told me that Kolkata will grow on you and you will get attached to that city ..being in the army, postings and shifting to new places is a regular affair. I told myself ...what can be so great about a metro city to change my opinion about big cities? ...but...Kolkata does that magic....a city with blue and white surroundings, rich in culture, following old as well as new traditions , mesmerising river banks and over and above it is a foodies paradise ....the more I am exploring the city, I am getting attached to it ......though most of my friends (bong friends ) told me that Kolkata cuisine or bengali cuisine is more favourable for non vegetarians as they are fish and meat lovers ..but when I explored Kolkata ...I found, their veg cuisine is as decorated with tasty dishes as non veg cuisine .

I started my food journey with street food .......phuchka ( panipuri ), dhoi phuchka ,churmur, aloo Dom with loochi , ghugni , rolls, papari chat ,radhaballavi or kahaori ....I can go on and on ...and so many delicious things to eat. Kolkata’s culture of Tea can be aptly observed by just one visit to this historical place. While their tea, which comes in different “bhaanr” (earthen cup) sizes is the absolute best ,you will get minimum three Flavours in any famous tea stall called ADDA . No food journey can come to end without mentioning Kolkata sweets ...love .....The dripping Roshogolla, thick Misti Doi, innumerable varieties of Sandesh, mouthfuls of Rasmalai, unmatched Rajbhog, nol n gur mishti and the sweet Payesh ummmm ....

When we talk about the full fledged meal, story gets even more interesting ...to start with Gondhoraj ghol and simple Begun Bhaja , Motor Shutir kochuri , Cholar Dal, Dhokar Dalna , Aloo Jhinga Posto , Pur Bhora Achari lanka or exquisite Mochar Chop, Potolar Dolma or Pur Bhora Doi Potol ...you name a dish and that will get marked off from others by some distinguishing qualities...this makes me more inquisitive about Bangoli cuisine .....so I folded my sleeves to try few of them and took my friends help to get the authentic bangoli taste .....will post all my tried and tested Bengoli vegetarian recipes very soon .....love Minal

Oats dosa with drumsticks sambhar

2017-07-18T17:30:00.001+05:30

Oates Dosa

Health is wealth .....it is really important to be fit and healthy. I realised that, some change in lifestyle can help in maintaining a balanced diet. To apply it in daily routine...I have started a Diet food series.

There's nothing more inviting than hot South Indian breakfast: strong filter coffee, piping hot drumstick sambher with little bits of coconut, tasty coconut chutney gunpowder and golden-crisp Dosa! I love dosas and in fact I'm planning to make one today in breakfast. And it's not just because they taste divine but also because they're really fun to make: Right from grinding down the urad dal and rice, letting the white stuff ferment to running your ladle through the batter checking for lumps, it's almost therapeutic. After your pour the batter down a hot sizzling pan, even the wait to figure whether the dosa will stick or not is a delicious feeling....Dosa with healthy twist will make this delicious treat more interesting. My dietitian suggested me oats dosa.

It's not just healthy because it's got good-old-oats but it's also really easy to make, needs a few ingredients, a hot pan and about 30 minutes .

oats dosa

Bell pepper and baby corn salad

2017-03-21T13:26:00.001+05:30

Bell pepper and baby corn salad

Bell peppers contain folate and are a good source of vitamin A (from beta-carotene), vitamin B6 and vitaminC In adulthood, it is believed that bell peppers protect the body against rheumatoid arthiritis and may also prevent the development of cataracts.

Red peppers have the edge on green ones in terms of nutritional value, as they contain more folate, an impressive nine times more beta-carotene and lots of lycopene. Lycopene is an important carotenoid and plays a valuable role in later life, by protecting against cancer and heart disease.

टमाटर और खीरे का पोष्टिक सलाद ।।Tomato and cucumber salad

2017-03-20T19:14:00.001+05:30

Next in salad series is very simple yet healthy salad i.e. Tomato and Cucumber salad .

Sounds familiar ?? If you grew up in north India you've probably eaten Tomato and Cucumber salad with every meal ....to give an Indian twist to this salad sprinkle little chaat masala on it and for more healthy option omit or limit olive oil.

Ingredients for Cucumber and Tomato Salad:

4-6 medium tomatoes

 4-5 small cucumbers,

or 1 English cucumber

 1 small onion, thinly sliced  

2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil 

1 Tbsp distilled white vinegar

 1 tsp fine sea salt,

or 3/4 tsp table salt

 1/4 tsp Pepper to taste freshly crushed

 2 Tbsp Green onion for garnish (optional)

How to make Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Slice tomatoes and cucumbers and place them in a large bowl. Thinly slice onion and add them to the salad bowl.

In a small bowl, stir together 2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil, 1 Tbsp vinegar, 1 tsp fine sea salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.

Just before serving ,drizzle your salad with dressing and add more salt to taste if desired. Don’t add the dressing early or the tomatoes will be too juicy.

Garnish salad with chopped Green onion.

* you can use 1 Tbsp lemon juice instead of vinegar for typical mom taste.

* Sprinkle 1/2 tsp chaat masala to give Cucumber and Tomato salad an Indian twist.

Chickpea salad

2017-03-16T11:08:00.000+05:30

My sincere apologies to all my readers and followers for a long silence. As I mentioned earlier also, in the army life is full of uncertainties....sudden change is part of our life .....with time we all get used to it and by taking it positively we really enjoy the upcoming challenges and leave everything to almighty ....with God grace this time we moved to city of joy (Kolkatta ) in West Bengal . Being a first time visitor I was very exited and enthusiastic ...New city,new culture , new cuisine and very positive people indeed, This city is full of joy and josh .

Before I share my experiences of West Bengal I wanted to share my healthy recipes as I promised earlier ....initially I was also in doubt ....to follow or not to follow the prescribed diet. As you all know that the Internet is loaded with diet plans and I have tried almost all of them...though I lost also few kg but gained it back in few months after I stopped or complete the plan .

I realised that diet food is very boring to accept in our daily life ....whatever diet plan I used to follow earlier was possible to follow only for few days ....so this time I thought I must learn the science behind this and I found it is basically poor metabolism, lack of exercise and eating habits ....in my case and it may differ from person to person. So to make it interesting I gave tasty twists to that boring diet plan and followed it religiously. After few months of struggle I experienced the happiest moment of my life .....my size changed from XXL to LARGE and all this happened because of my nutritionist ...she taught me how to maintain without starving ..

Today I will start with a new series of healthy salads. Vegetables in salads are good source of insoluble fibre which keeps your gut healthy . Good healthy Salad consists of fibre,protein and pack of antioxidants Many salad basics, including tomatoes, sweet peppers and the greens, are chock-full of antioxidants. The greens alone have calcium, iron, potassium and B vitamins.

First in series is my favourite protein rich chickpea salad ....

For CHICKPEA SALAD we require

For the salad:

1 cup of chickpeas, soaked and boiled

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 small red onion, chopped

15 small tomatoes, halved (about 1 cup)

1/3 cup pitted olives

1 medium cucumber, sliced and quartered

For the dressing:

1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place all salad ingredients into a large bowl and toss to combine.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and oregano. Pour onto salad and toss again to well combine. Taste and add salt and pepper as you like.

3. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour to marinate, or serve immediately.

Detox water: How to make detox water for good health

2016-09-13T14:53:00.000+05:30

Detox water

Well while you made up your mind for weight loss the first thing is to detox your body. Whether you’re trying to lose weight or you simply want to look and feel healthier, one of the best ways to rid your body of harmful toxins is to drink water. Just 6 to 8 glasses every day will help to keep you hydrated and keep your vital organs in their best possible health. For that in case you drink detox water it is considered better.

Sattu vegetable parantha

2016-09-09T11:40:00.000+05:30

Good nutrition is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Combined with physical activity, your diet can help you to reach and maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk of chronic diseases (like heart disease and cancer), and promote your overall health.

Sattu or powdered roasted grams is one of the most healthiest foods on earth. Its packed with nutrients and tastes great. Sattu is native to the state of Bihar, and Sattu ke parathe is a wholesome breakfast option. Sattu can be easily bought off at any grocery store.

In this series of Diet Food you will find Healthy and Tasty Nutritive Recipes .....

The Health Benefits:

Apart from providing the body with energy, what makes sattu, quite a unique ingredient is that its preparing process (Dry roasting)keeps the nutritional values in place, and it can also be stored for longer. It's high on insoluble fiber which makes it good for your intestines, and is low on glycemic index, making it safe, and in fact beneficial for diabetic. plus it has good proportions of iron, manganese and magnesium, and is low on sodium too.

Generally in Bihar they make sattu paratha by stuffing the mixture in wheat roundels I gave a

nutritive twist to this simple sattu ka parantha . I mixed sattu and grated vegetables in wheat

flour to make it more healthier. Here is the recipe .....

Sattu Vegetable Parantha

Eat Wise And Stay Healthy

2016-09-09T11:01:00.000+05:30

We all know that health is wealth. It is really important to take good care of our health. Like me most of us neglect our health and get into health issues. Obesity ,heart problems, high B.P and sugar are most common health issues ..... with age it is really important to maintain our weight and stress level.......Last few years I gained a lot of wait due to my negligence or may be because of high stress level or may be P.M.S...whatever was the reason.... but now I thought in the right direction and realised .....the sooner the better. I am not a nutritionist so I am following a diet plan which my dietitian has prescribed..... she enlightens me about different needs and requirements of our body which I thought I should share with you all.

A healthy diet gives you energy, supports your mood, maintains your weight, and can be a huge support through the different stages in life. Healthy food can help reduce PMS, boost fertility, combat stress, make pregnancy and nursing easier, and ease symptoms of menopause. Whatever your age, committing to a healthy diet will help you look and feel your best so that you can enjoy life.

VEGITARIAN SHAMI KABAB (Lintel dumplings/ Lintel kababs )

2016-07-15T13:22:00.001+05:30

Kababs are the main mouthwatering snacks from haydrabadi cuisine or muglai cuisine. I usually make this for cocktails as it is very simple to prepare and crunchy texture of Kababs liked by everyone..... This recipe of mine is inspired by chef sanjive kapoors recipe....

Shami kabab

Strawberry cream pudding

2016-07-15T12:49:00.000+05:30

wanted to share this quick and heavenly pudding with you all. this pudding is so simple that even kids can try their skills on it ..you just needed few simple ingredients and yummy cream pudding is ready ...

Strawberry cream pudding

Ingredients :

8 graham crackers,
2 cups heavy cream,
1/4 cup granulated sugar,
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 packet fresh strawberries,( Cut strawberries into pieces)
2 cups powdered sugar
Reserve a handful of strawberries for garnishing the top of the pudding.

Cut and Place the remaining strawberries in a large saucepan add 1/4 cup of water in it. Sprinkle granulated sugar over top.
Heat and Stir to combine and cook for 5-6 min. or till it converts into a thick sauce with strawberry chunks.
In a tall bowl whip heavy cream with an electric mixer until you can start to see a trail of the mixer through the cream. Add vanilla and 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Whip until stiff peaks form. (In other words when you turn off the blender and lift the beaters out of the cream, the cream stand up at the end of the beater). Set aside. I like to set this pudding in glasses for individual servings.. If you want you can set in glass bowl.
Layer each glass with 1 tbsp of strawberry syrup and top it with Layer of whipped cream mix a little with the help of straw to give a swirl look............ Spoon 2 tbsp of strawberry syrup on top of whipped cream, evenly.
Top with a layer of graham crackers, breaking them if necessary to make them fit. Then add another 1/3 of whipped cream, smoothing out evenly. Add the remaining strawberries and juice evenly over the whipped cream.
If you want you can top the pudding glass with a layer of graham crackers, breaking them if necessary to make them fit. Cover and freeze for 3-4 hours. Remove pudding from freezer, 5 min. Before serving top with whipped cream and sprinkle remaining strawberries on top. Serve chilled.

Tips..
* You can set this pudding in bowl also.
* Instead of graham crackers you can use roasted nuts.

Basic sponge cake without fat

2016-07-12T11:36:00.000+05:30

This is a basic sponge cake recipe tried and tested ...weigh the ingredients very carefully to get a perfect sponge ...

Basic sponge cake (without fat)

4 eggs
120 gm powdered sugar
100 gm flour (all purpose flour/ maida)
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 Tbsp Hot water
(9" round or square tin, brown paper for lining)

Tipsy pudding

2016-07-11T23:03:00.002+05:30

Life is like a roller-coaster, happiness and sadness take you to the ride and you are a person riding on it with an open mouth and waiting what is the next adventure waiting for you like everyone else i am also in a verge of settling my daughters and preparing them for the next adventure of their life.....

A practical experience of this world... Now they're opening there wings and trying to take a happy flight towards independent life. Now they have to learn to balance between responsibilities,work, and enjoyment lets see how perfectly they will take this flight. My contribution is just to guide them along.. with less jerks and potholes lets see how much i succeed.

One of my contribution is this food blog. Whatever i share, it always in back of my mind that some day my daughters will need me when may be i am not around... That time they can feel me through my recipes..

With this sweet note today I am starting my new series i.e puddings

Last so many days i am getting continues request for pudding recipes.
First of all i wanted to thanks my friends and blog readers for their love and appreciation.
First in series is most delighted Tipsy pudding...... Tipsy pudding is one of our (Army fraternity) favorite pudding. I am sure most of the readers from army agree with me. Since I got married this is 'The' pudding I am making for my soldier and his friends and till now it is one of his favorites.
For Tipsy pudding i usually soak cake in sherry or brandy but it is an optional ingredient you can omit and replace it with any juice of your choice.

Tipsy pudding ( English triffle)

We needed..

1 small square sponge cake
For soaking..
1 cup of any juice ( I prefer fresh orange juice)
For topping..
400 gm fresh dairy cream
2 cups finally chopped assorted fruits ( like mango,bananas, grapes,kiwi,pineapple, charry etc..)
2 tbsp pineapple/ mix fruit jam
2 drops essence
* 1/4 cup sherry/brandy (optional)
Fruit slices for decoration

Preparation:

1. Prepare the yellow sponge cake according to directions using a 9-inch cake pan (reserve

one layer for another use). cut baked cake layer horizontally into two equal layers.

2. Place one sliced layer into a trifle dish or a large square glass bowl with straight sides.

cover with 1/2 cup jam and half of the sliced strawberries. Pour approximately half of the orange juice over the cake or until it is moist but not sloppy.

3. Pour 1/4 cup sherry or brandy over the top, as evenly as possible. Place the second sliced cake layer on top and cover with remaining jam and strawberries, pour remaining orange juice and sherry or brandy over the top.

4. Beat fresh cream with whisker or electric beater till little fluffy add powdered sugar in it and beat for 2 more min. do not over beat. now add chopped fruits of your choice in it, mix well add few drops of vanilla essence. decorate with toasted sliced almonds or sliced strawberry / cherries . Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

for decoration

you can use sliced almonds, sliced fruit of your choice and serve in a round glass ....

Black urad dal ( Dal Makhani) in crockpot

2016-03-27T23:12:00.001+05:30

Slow cooker brought life in my lazy days. This Sunday got a massage from a very dear friend they wanted to visit us...as you know I consider my Sundays as rest days and I just want to relax and spend my time watching movies. At this time slow cooker came to my rescue..haha!!! And I decided to make dal makhani and rice for dinner. Though I was trying dal makhani first time in my crockpot but I remember One of the chef of famous hotel told me that this daal tastes best when cooked on slow fire for 4-5 hours, so I thought to give it a try ....My hubby really liked my idea as we were planning to watch movie. My mom also tells me that when she was young Dal makhani would be cooked really slowly overnight on the dying embers of the fire. This method is what gives this lentil dish its soft creamy texture (and not by adding bucket loads of cream!). So my slow cooking test started ...and believe me I never had such a creamy and tasty dal before, My friends were totally impressed with my slow cooking ..

Dal Makhani in crock-pot

Traditional rice kheer in crockpot

2016-03-27T22:27:00.000+05:30

Recently my sis-in law gifted me crockpot. This is an electrical cooking gadget that has a removable internal pot. The heat is usually applied around the sides of the pot. ...different types of crockpots are available in market these days (few of them have settings for different dishes) but mine is the simple one and more effective with three manual settings for heat control .....it's actually a really convenient way to cook, and you can safely leave everything to cook overnight or all day.

stuffed paranthas

2016-02-12T10:50:00.000+05:30

By mistake I have deleted few of my posts long time back labeled Indian bread... As you all know we put lots of effort to create a posts for you really difficult to regenerate it....trying to retrieve it since then, Some how I got it somewhere in my old laptops memory... Really thankful to God I was thinking of recreating this again but now I am sharing my original posts..... Very excited..

INGREDIENTS FOR THE DOUGH

whole wheat flour………..2 cups
salt as per taste and water for kneading

FOR THE FILLING
carrots grated……….2-3.

onion chopped ……..1big

garam masala……….1 tsp
cumin powder” jeera powder”………1 tsp
a pinch chat masala
salt to taste
green chillies, chopped coriander and red chilli powder to taste
METHOD:-

knead the flour with salt and pepper and enough hot water to make a nice soft dough. keep aside covered and now make your fillings.

take a frying pan and add the carrots and sauté on the fire till the carrots are soft and dry. take off the fire and add the spices, onions, green chilies and coriander leaves. mix well and taste for seasoning.

Gooseberry pickle ( Amla ka achar)

2016-02-11T21:19:00.000+05:30

My garden is full of Indian gooseberries these days. I have learned that Indian gooseberry has tremendous health benefits ..like, The - amla - has been used in traditional Indian medicine, called Ayurveda, for millennia. Clinical studies suggest it has a positive effect on Alzheimer's disease, but on prevention, rather than cure.

Another study showed gooseberries to block breast cancer cell growth and metastasis potential in vitro. They also may have anti-cancer properties, as well as cough-, fever-, pain-, stress-, and diarrhea-suppressing effects. To gain these health benefits of gooseberries. I found it very sour to consume it raw so I decided to make pickle and chutney out of it.

Gooseberries contain a healthy dose of scurvy-preventing vitamin C-69 percent of the daily value, and nearly 20 times the C in oranges. And get this: gooseberries lose none of the vitamin C nutrition in the cooking process.

So let's cook gooseberry ...a healthy treat for your family ..

GOOSEBERRY PICKLE

Aloo ke gutke / potato dry curry

2015-12-20T14:58:00.000+05:30

Aloo ke gutke

Aloo ke gutke is the pahadi name for potatoes stir fried in spices. The word gutke in the local kumaoni dialect means pieces. If you have ever travelled to the hills of Uttaranchal, you will find this to be the most common snack served by the local tea vendors.

The potatoes of hills have a peculiar sweet taste to it, which gives this dish a very unique flavor....over the years aloo ke gutke has become quite a popular dish among the tourists and food lovers.

Aloo ke gutke are generally served with pahadi kheere ka raita and hot cup of tea as accomplishment.......the combination of curd and tea may sound odd, but that is the usual menu of a typical kumaoni tea time affair.

This combination of pungent mustard flavored pahadi kheere ka raita and aloo ke gutke prepared in mustard oil and tempered with jakhiya together gives a nice comfortable warmth in winters also.

Jakhiya seeds are used for tempering almost all types of vegetables and curries in the kumaon and garhwal region. Spices such as jakhiya ( cleome viscose), faran ( Allium stracheyi) choru (Angelica glauca), dolu( Rheum austral) and chippi are sometimes used in kumaoni / garwhali dishes and can leaves an exotic feel on taste buds. Jakhiya is primarily used for tempering while others are used in preparing spices.

My first exposure to jakhiya was very recent, when I visited Ranikhet and Almora . I started my day with aloo ke gutke and hot cup of tea with special tempering of jakhiya and ended up my day with hara saag with madwe ki roti .

That time I realized that most kumaonis prefer jakhiya over cumin and mustard seed for tempering. It is used in almost all the local dishes like vegetables, dal, saag,curries -almost everything that needs to be tempered before or after cooking.

" you cannot experience authentic kumaoni taste without it and this taste you will not find in any eating joint even in kumaun." Says Mrs Radha Bisht our humble hosts. I really want to thank Mrs Radha Bisht as she shared all the authentic recipes with me ...

Ingredients:

* 350 – 400 grams Potatoes (I used 2 med- large red potatoes weighing 350 grams)

* 25 grams or 1 – 1 ½ tbsp. Oil

* 2 Long Red Chilies

* ¼ tsp. Jakhiya / Mustard Seeds

* ½ tsp. Turmeric Powder

* 1 tsp. Coriander Powder

* ½ tsp. Chili Powder

* ½ tsp. Salt

* ¼ tsp. Cumin Powder
* 1 tsp Chopped garlic & ginger
* 1 tsp Chopped green chilli

* ¼ – ½ cup Chopped Coriander Leaves ~ Cilantro

Preparation:

* Wash potatoes and cut them into 2 pieces. Boil the potatoes until cooked. Potatoes should be just cooked and do not overcook. It takes about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the potatoes rest in the boiling water for 5 minutes, drain the hot water and fill the pan with cold water. Peel the potatoes and cut them in to 1 ½” pieces.

* Heat oil in a skillet and fry the red chilies until brown. Remove from the oil and keep aside.

* In the same oil add jakhiya / mustard seeds and let the seeds pop.

* Add coriander powder, chili powder, salt, turmeric powder and mix well.

* Immediately add potatoes and mix well for to coat the spices.

* Sauté the potatoes for about 5 -7 minutes on medium low flame until potatoes are evenly roasted.

* 2-3 minutes before turning off the heat, add cumin powder and roast until potatoes are done.

* Turn of the heat, transfer to a serving dish and garnish the potatoes with red chilies and lots of
coriander leaves.

* Aloo ke gutke can be served as it is as a snack or can also be served as a side dish with roti, paratha
or rice. If serving as a snack, squeeze some lime juice.

Note:

* If jakhiya is not readily available with you ..replace it with cumin or mustard seed.

Kulath ki daal / horse gram millet

2015-12-20T14:56:00.001+05:30

It's been long ...I was busy with my new baby venture , my jwelery business trying to put it into shape, completing my orders, build up my online shop....Drumbeads

And was trying to start up my dream project ....must visit my Instagram pages -minal's spice world as well as Drumbeads ....:)

While I was busy with my new venture I had left some recipes lined up in my Dropbox....so posting them now. Continuation of tasty mountain food ( kumaoni cuisine ) I wanted to share pahari Dal / kulath ki dal / mandua ki dal / horse gram millet

Kulath or Horsegram is also know as Gahat. This dal is tempered with gandharein. Searching on what it is, I came to know it's a sort of heeng, I couldn't get it so I used regular heeng and cumin seeds.

Kulath Ki daal / Gahat

Ingredients :

Mandua Kulath .....1 cup

Rice Paste..............2 Tbsp

Turmeric powder.....1 tsp

Coriander powder....1 tsp

Garlic......................5/6 in no.

Ginger....................20 grams

Red Chilly powder......1 tsp

Butter.........................50 grams

Asoefetida.................a pinch

Cumin seeds..............1/2 tsp

Gandhreni small piece

Onion ........................1 chopped

Method :

Soak the dal in water for 4-5 hrs. Crush a little in mixer.

Chop ginger and garlic. Add ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander and half of the chilly powder and salt in dal ,Boil / pressure cook the dal in water double the amount of dal.

When done, add rice paste and cook for some time. Before removing the dish from the burner, add cumin seeds, Asofetida, gandhreni (if you get it )and rest of the chilly powder.

In a small pan heat pure ghee and add chopped onion in it cook onion till turn golden brown add a little red chilli powder just to add taste and give this Bhagar to cooked dal .

Garnish the dal with either little boiled rice or with lots of butter and coriander leaves.