Mughlai Potato

Mughlai Cuisine : Mughlai cuisine is one of the most popular cuisines not only in India, even in Abroad, whose origin can be traced back to the times of Mughal Empire. Mughals were an Islamic imperial power and descendants of the Timurids of Turkistan. Timurid prince Babur who invaded India on sixteenth century. Mohammad Akbar, Jahangir, Shahjahan are some of the famous Mughal emperors who ruled over India and Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Jama Masjid are some of the finest example of Mughal Architecture. They brought exotic spices, dried fruit and nuts and new cooking methods to India.
Mughlai cuisine consists of the dishes that were prepared in the kitchens of the royal Mughal Emperors. The cuisine is strongly influenced byPersian and Turkic cuisines of Central Asia.This cuisine dominates in the northern part of India and has strong influences of Muslim Cooking. 'Mughlai' dishes as they are called have lots of milk and cream with whole spices to make a rich and spicy meal. Mughlai food is quite spicy and has a very unique aroma. Mughlai cuisine includes many famous dishes such as Kormas, Kebab, Kofta, Pasanda and Biryani, Jalfrezi, raan (roast lamb) and pulao.The rich preparation of Mughlai food consisting of flavored sauces and butter based curries is so tempting that food lovers are bound to crave for more and more food. 
  I also love the richness of Mughlai cuisine and tried some of them in my kitchen. I'll share a simple but aromatic Mughlai Potato dish today, which is just lip-smacking. This can satisfy your crave for resturant style food at your home within 30 minutes...try it out

Mughlai Potato...........................

Ingredients :

Small baby potatoes/new potatoes
Green peas : 1/2 cup
Onion : 2 (medium-grated)
Fresh root ginger : 1" (grated)
Garlic : 3 cloves
Green chillies : 1 or 2 (as per your tolerance level)
Dahi/Yoghurt : 2/3 cup
Poppy seeds : 2-3 tsp.
Green cardamoms : 2
Cloves : 4
Turmeric powder : 2 tsp.
Coriander powder : 1 tsp.
Cumin powder : 1 tsp.
Chilli powder : 1-2 tsp. (as per your tolerance level)
Sugar : 1 tsp.
Salt to taste
Oil/ghee: 3 tblsp.
Cream : 2 tblsp.(optional)
Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

• Wash and peel the potatoes, prick them allover using a toothpick or cocktail stick. Sprinkle a pinch of turmeric and little salt over them and keep aside for 10-15 minutes.
• Spice preperation : Grind cloves, cardamoms, poppy seed, chillies, ginger and garlic to a fine paste using very little water.
• Heat oil in a pan, fry potatoes from all sides until lightly browned, remove and keep aside. Marinate potatoes with curd/yoghurt, above paste and salt. Keep aside for at least 45-60 mins. (frying potato is optional, but I prefer to do it)
• In the same oil, add grated onion and fry until it is browned, then add cumin, coriander, chilli and turmeric powder. Add 2-3 tblsp water to avoid the spices to burn. Fry the spices with onion for 2-3 minutes or until oil seperates.
• Add marinated potato mixture in that and fry for another 3-4 minutes. Then add enough water to cook potatoes. Season with salt, simmer the heat and let it cook covered until potatoes are tender, not over cooked. Add peas now, mix well.
• Add cream, sugar and salt, if needed. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until peas are tender.
• Your mughlai potato is ready to serve, garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot.

Enjoy this rich, aromatic curry with Biriyani, Pulao, or any kind of Indian bread, like naan, paratha, Kulcha etc.....

Stuffed Bell Peppers in Peanut-Sesame Sauce

Want to color your life healthy? Then eat bright colour fruit and vegetable.  
Brightly colored bell peppers, are rich sources of some of the best nutrients available. Bell peppers, also known as sweet peppersor capsicum, are like the Christmas ornaments of the vegetable world since they are beautifully shaped, glossy in appearance and come in a variety of vivid colors such as green, red, yellow, orange, even in purple, brown and black. Bell peppers are not 'hot' like other peppers. They contain a recessive gene that eliminates capsaicin, the compound responsible for the 'hotness' found in other peppers.

Health Benefits of bell peppers/capsicum : 

Brightly colored bell peppers, whether green, red, orange or yellow, are rich sources of some of the best nutrients available. To start, peppers are excellent sources of vitamin C and vitamin A (through its concentration of carotenoids such as beta-carotene), two very powerful antioxidants. These antioxidants work together to effectively neutralize free radicals, which can travel through the body causing huge amounts of damage to cells. Free radicals are major players in the build up of cholesterol in the arteries that leads to atherosclerosis and heart disease, the nerve and blood vessel damage seen in diabetes, the cloudy lenses of cataracts, the joint pain and damage seen in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and the wheezing and airway tightening of asthma. By providing these two potent free radical destroyers, bell peppers may help prevent or reduce some of the symptoms of these conditions by shutting down the source of the problem. So it creates Protection against Free Radicals, Cardiovascular Disease, Promote Optimal Health, Promote Lung Health, Protection against Rheumatoid Arthritis and Better Eyesight...

Vitamin A & C content in red, green and yellow bell pepper(in 1/2 cup, chopped):

RED PEPPER :          Vitamin A  45%,     Vitamin C 240%
YELLOW PEPPER :  Vitamin A 2%,        Vitamin C 230%
GREEN PEPPER :     Vitamin A  4%,       Vitamin C 60%

Now, you already know what my recipe contains today....Yes, yes, Bell peppers, I just love to add them in our diet..Because of their hollow appearance, we love to stuff bell peppers. Almost every cuisine has their own stuffed bell pepper recipes. With Rice, meat, lentils, vegetables, nuts and cheese and so many more things are used to stuff the bell peppers. I love to stuff bell peppers with potatoes. Normally, I just stuff peppers and brown them and serve them with pulao or other things. Few days back, while I was browsing thru Indira's Blog, Mahanandi, I found her stuffed bell pepper recipe and she made a peanut-sesame seed sauce with it. After seeing that colorful sauce I had to try it and I made and served my guests. They were spellbound. It was worth all the effort, it's such an unique recipe, thanks, Indira for sharing the recipe.

Stuffed bell peppers in peanut-sesame sauce

BTW, The stuffing recipe is mine. Let's move on to the recipe, it's going to be big...couldn't take a good pic, sorry , had no time..

Ingredients : 

Bell peppers(any color) : as needed( try to get smaller sized capsicums, bigger one doesn't look good for this curry)
For stuffing --------
Potato : 3 (big)
Green peas: 1/2 a cup
Onion : 1(chopped)
Ginger-garlic paste :L 1 tblsp.
Tomato : 1(small-chopped)
Green chilli : 2(finely chopped)
Cumin seeds : 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder: 2 tsp.
Red chilli powder : 1-2 tsp.
Cumin-coriander powder : 2tsp.
Roasted peanut (raw peanuts roast and ground) : 1/2 cup (not totally powdered, but ground into very small chunks)
Fresh coriander leaves : a bunch(chopped)

For peanut-sesame sauce : 

Sesame seed : 1/4 cup
Raw Peanuts : 1/4 cup
Cloves : 2-3
Cinnmon : 2(1" pieces)
Jaggery powder : 1 tblsp.
Tamarind juice : 1 tblsp.
Salt to taste

Oil : 4-5 tblsp.

Method : 

• Pick small sized capsicums. Wash and trim the top off, remove the seeds and membrane and make a hollow space. Dip in a bowl of salted water for 10-12 minutes.
• Boil the potatoes, mash and keep aside.
• For stuffing, take a pan, heat 1 tblsp. oil, add cumin seeds. Then add chopped onions, ginger-garlic paste, green chillies and tomatoes. Saute for a while, add all powdered spices, thena add mashed potaoes, green peas and mix well. Stir for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and add roasted peanuts. Mix well, add chopped coriander leaves, mix well with the potaoes and remove from heat. Your stuffing is ready.
• Fill bell peppers with the potato stuffing to the top. Take a big and wide frying pan, add 2 tblsp. of oil, place bell peppers neatly in a circle. Cook them covered on medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Turn them to sides in between, so they could get brown from all sides. Caution : Be careful while handing these beauties, as they are tend to break if overcooked. Just cook them until they are browned and tender to touch. Mine has also become little overcooked.

• Meantime, roast peanuts and sesame seed for the sauce. Take them in a grinder with all the other ingredients. Grind them to a smooth paste.

• Heat 2 tblsp. oil in another big and wide frying pan. Add the peanut-sesame sauce and about 2/3 cup of water. Mix well. Simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add salt and a bit of sugar to adjust your taste. Place browned capsicums directly from the other pan to this pan of cooked sauce very carefully, put little sauce over the bell peppers. Cook covered for another 8-10 minutes in medium heat.

Serve hot or in room temperature with rice, chapati, naan or with any Indian bread...I know, it's a labory, time consuming dish, but when you taste it, you will feel it's worth the effort...enjoy these beauties.....................

Sending this royal and festive dish to Sudeshna of Cook Like a Bong ,

who is celebrating upcoming Durga Puja with Durga Puja Food Festival....send her your festive recipe,too, friends......................deadline 22nd September,'09
And to EC of Simple Indian Food for her Festive Treat event

Sorshe Bhetki (Fish in mustard seed gravy)

Bengalis has a special love for mustard, not only mustard oil is most preferred cooking oil, but also seeds and paste are widely used in bengali cooking. Not only fishes, vegetables and even egg are also cooked with mustard paste and why it shouldn't be, Mustard is referred as one of the World's healthiest spices, which has numerous properties beneficial for health.

Mustard seed :
Research shows that mustard seeds have Phytonutrient Compounds that is protective against Gastrointestinal Cancer. Mustard seeds emerged from our food ranking system as a very good source of Selenium, a nutrient which has been shown to help reduce the severity of asthma, decrease some of the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, and help prevent cancer. They also qualified as a good source of magnesium. Like selenium, Magnesium has been shown to help reduce the severity of asthma, to lower high blood pressure, to restore normal sleep patterns in women having difficulty with the symptoms of menopause, to reduce the frequency of migraine attacks, and to prevent heart attack in patients suffering from atherosclerosis or diabetic heart disease.
Mustard seeds also qualified as a very good source of omega-3 fatty acids as well as a good source of iron, calcium, zinc, manganese, magnesium, protein, niacin and dietary fiber. (Information source : WHF foods)

Mustard Oil :
Mustard oil has the lowest amount of saturated fat(only 1%) and quite a good amount of monounsaturated fat(76%), the most desirable fat in our diet because it helps to decrease the LDL (bad) cholesterol in the blood and helps to increase the HDL (good) cholesterol. Good sources of monounsaturated fat are macadamia nut oil, olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, and most nuts. Visit this page for more information on which oil is good for you.
Today I'll share Bengali's all-time favorite and one traditional fish recipe, which is Sorshe Mach(Mustard is sorshe in bengali). I made it with Seabass fillets, which is very close to Bhetki fish(or Koral in Bangladeshi fish store) and another advantage of seabass is it has less bones, who has difficulty eating fish because of bones, they should try this fish. It is very sweet in taste and has no odour(fish smell). Can be substituted with Red Snapper. This recipe taste great when made with carp like Rohu or Hilsa.



Ingredients :
Bhetki (seabass or red snapper) fillets : 4-5 pieces
Onion(medium) : 1 (chopped)
Mustard seed(sorshe) : 2 tblsp.
Black cumin seed(kalo jeera/kalonji) : 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric powder : 3 tsp.
Chilli powder : 1/2 - 1 tsp.
Green chillies : 2 for grinding+1(slitted)
Mustard oil : 2 tblsp. for cooking + 1 tsp. for garnishing
(Mustard oil enhances the taste of mustard seed paste)
Any other oil : 2 tblsp. for frying
Salt to taste
Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing(chopped)

Method :

• Wash fish pieces, pat dry. Rub with 1 tsp. turmeric powder and 2 pinches of salt on fish pieces. If possible, keep them aside for 5-30 minutes.
• Preperations : Prepare mustard seed paste, by grinding mustard seed with a pinch of salt and 2 green chillies. ( while grinding, mustard seed tend to taste bitter, salt prevents that. so don't forget to add salt while grinding) Grind as fine as possible. Make a paste of rest of the turmeric and chilli powder in 3-4 tblsp. water.
  
• In a pan, heat oil, fry the fish pieces until brown on both sides on medium flame. Keep them aside.
• Take another pan for cooking(never use the same oil where you fried fish, as the oil gets black because of turmeric.). Heat Mustard oil, when the oil is really hot and the smoke comes out, lower the flame and temper with kalonji, then add chopped onions. Fry till light brown.
• Then add turmeric-chilli powder paste and fry for 1 min. then add mustard seed paste. Fry for 2 min. Add 1/2 cup water and bring to boil. Add salt, slitted green chillies and fried fish pieces. Cover the lid and cook for 5 minutes.
• When gravy thickens to a desired consistency, add 1 tsp. mustard oil and coriander leaves. Remove from heat and serve hot with rice.

This traditional bnegali fish recipe is off to
my event Spotlight : Fish
Check out my Pomfret fish curry recipe.

My 100th post : Lau chingri ( shrimp/prawn with white gourd)

Hi friends!! I'm back from my break. I missed blogging and peeking to other blogs to see what they are creating in their kitchen. Thanks friends for all of your wishes, my kids are fine now and recovering slowly. My toddlers suffered the most, after 6 days with viral fever, they've lost their appetite and energy. Now it's another hard job to bring back their appetite.

My last post was my 100th post, which I didn't really notice. So I want to celebrate my achievement of reaching first 100 post with this post. And let me thank my blog followers, readers, visitors from around the world, because of whom this blog is still running. Not to mention all the wonderful blogs around me gives lots of inspiration too. So pl. do continue visit my blog and encourage and support me. I thought, why not I post a delicacy for this memorable post from my native cuisine, Bengali cuisine which I feature mainly in my blog. OK, I'll share today a delicacy with shrimp and white gourd, i.e.,
LAU CHINGRI, lau is white/bottle gourd in bengali and chingri is shrimp or prawn
Bengalis love all kinds of fish, but they adore seafish especially Shrimp/Prawn. Lots of our fish delicacies are with shrimp. It is because shrimp makes any dish much tastier when cooked alone or with anything, like with vegetables or with rice like in Pulao or biriyani..

This green bottle gourd is widely used in bengali households during summer. It's a very low caloric vegetable and because of its high
water(96.1%) contain, has a cooling affect, is light on the stomach and aids digestion. It is high in Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Zinc, Thiamin, Iron, Magnesium and Manganese. This dish can be substituted with other vegetables like radish or green papaya, too. Use any sizes of shrimp, from small to medium. So now to the recipe....



Ingredients :
Lau/lauki/white/bottle gourd : 1(medium)
Shrimp(small/medium) : 14-15 pieces
Tomato : 1(small-chopped)
Ginger : 1"(grated)
Green chillies : 2(slitted)
For tempering :
Bay Leaf : 1
Cinnamon stick : 2 (small)
Jeera/Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp.
Spices :
Turmeric powder : 2 tsp.
Red chilli powder : 1/2 tsp or adjust to your test.
(I prefer to make this dish and also taste at its best with only green chillies, but can be combined both or even with only RC powder)
Jeera/cumin seed powder : 1/2 tsp.
Salt to taste
Sugar : a pinch
Oil : 2-3 tblsp.

Method :

• Wash and marinate shrimp pieces with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder. Keep them aside for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cut peel lau/lauki and chop in very small pieces. Large chunks won't taste great in this dish. So take your time and chop finely.
  
• Heat 1 tblsp. oil in a pan, shallow fry the shrimps lightly on both sides in medium flame. DO NOT fry longer than 2 minutes on both sides. Keep them aside. Do not make the curry in the same oil where you fried the fish.
  
• Take another pan, heat rest of the oil, temper with the ingredients. When cumin seeds start to splutter, add finely chopped tomatoes and slitted green chillies. Saute for a minute until tomatoes get pulpy, then add chopped lauki or gourd. Gourd can release some water, so wait until all water evaporates.
  
• Then add salt, all powdered spices and grated ginger. Stir to mix everything evenly. Add fried shrimp pieces and coat well with the spices. Add little water, about 1/2 a cup, as lau cooks real fast and it also releases water while cooking. Then cover the lid and let it cook in medium flame.
  
• Open the lid and check time to time and give it a stir. When water almost dries up and vegetables are well-cooked and kind of mushy, add a pinch of sugar, adjust seasoning. Dry up all the moisture stirring continuously. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Enjoy with hot hot rice and dal.................it's just a real comfort food
This authentic bengali food delicacy will be a part of my event Spotlight:Fish, which going to end on 31st August,'09....friends, waiting for your enthusiastic participation from my fellow foodie bloggers

Check out other recipes with Shrimp/Prawn
1. Chingri mach bhape(Steamed shrimp in mustard sauce)
2. Potato & Shrimp fry 

 

Masala Brinjal ( Spicy eggplant curry)

Brinjal or eggplant or Begun in Bengali is a very low calorie fruit but used as a vegetable. It is high in water content and excellent source of Folic acid and Potassium. It helps to block the formation of free radicals and is very common vegetable in Indian households. I've tried this recipe from an Indian recipe site but lost the link. It's a keeper recipe, I'm telling you. Goes very well as a side dish with chapati, Paratha or even rice, too.


Ingredients :
Long/oval Purple Bringal : 2
Onion(medium) : 1 (chopped)
Ginger-garlic paste : 1 tblsp.
Tomato(medium) : 1(chopped)
Green Chilli : 1
Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp.
Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric powder : 2 tsp.
Red chilli powder : 1 or 2 tsp. (+ or - accr. to you)
Coriander powder : 2 tsp.
Cashewnut : 7-8
Dessicated or fresh cocconut : 1/2 cup
Oil : 3 tblsp.
Salt to taste
Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

Method :

• Cut the brinjals in medium chunks. Add salt and keep aside. Make a paste of cashewnuts, green chilli and coconut. Set aside.
• In a pan, add 1-2 tblsp. of oil, fry brinjal pieces until lightly browned. Sqeeze out as much oil possible and keep them aside.
• In same oil, add rest of the oil, temper with mustard and cumin seeds. When they start to crackle, add chopped onions, fry till they get soft and lightly browned. Add ginger-garlic paste and stir for 2-3 minutes.
• In a cup, mix all the powdered spices with 3 tblsp. of water and a pinch of salt. Add this mixture to the pan. Cook till 2-3 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and mix well. Saute until tomatoes softens and oil seperates.
  
• Now add coconut-cashewnut paste and mix well with the spice paste. Stir for 2 minutes, then add fried brinjal pieces. Mix well and add about 1/2 cup of water. Season with salt, but in small amount, not the whole as it's a dry gravy dish, so add rest of the salt when you have your desired gravy. Cover the lid. It will take about 5-7 minutes as brinjal cook real fast.
  
• When gravy thickens, check the seasoning, take the pan out of the heat. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot..................
  

Sending this yummy side dish which goes very well
with any Indian bread to Viki's Kitchen who is hosting an event named "Side dish for chapathi"

Classic Mac n Cheese w/vegetables(stove top version)

SAY CHEEEEEEEEEEESE TO THE HEALTH OF IT!!
Cheese's high nutritional value and its beneficial roles in health make this food an important dairy food to include in a healthful diet. Cheese contains a high concentration of essential nutrients, in particular high quality protein and calcium, as well as other nutrients such as phosphorus, zinc, vitamin A, riboflavin, and vitamin B12.
In addition to its nutritional contribution to the diet, cheese has several health attributes. Certain cheeses such as Cheddar, Swiss, blue, Monterey Jack, and process American cheese, among others, have been demonstrated to reduce the risk of dental caries. Consuming cheese may stimulate the flow of saliva, which has caries reducing properties. Milk proteins in cheese have been demonstrated to neutralize plaque acids through their buffering capacity.To help reduce tooth decay, health professionals recommend eating cheese immediately after meals, or as a between-meal snack. other health benfits includes improving bone health, reducing high blood pressure and managing weight.
Many cheeses, particularly aged cheeses such as Cheddar and Swiss, contain little or no lactose. For this reason, cheese is an important source of calcium and many other nutrients found in milk for lactose intolerant peoples. (facts source: National dairy council of America)
So give your family their daily servings of cheese. As cheese is also high in sodium and saturated fat, consume low fat cheese and always low sodium content cheese. AND Moderation is the Key.....you can enjoy everything but in moderate quantity.
I'll share with you a good way to serve kids Cheese....Kids' favorite Classic
Macaroni & Cheese or Mac' N Cheese with vegetable(stove top version-no eggs)
(the touch-up of garlic, hot sauce and mustard take this supreme comfort food into another level)


Ingredients :
Elbow Macaroni : 1 pack
Carrot : 2(cubed)
Corn : 1/2 cup
Flour : 2 tblsp.
Milk : 2/3 cup
Cheddar cheese(I used white cheddar) : 1 cup(shredded)
Butter : 2 tblsp.
Garlic : 4 pods(chopped finely)
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Hot sauce like Tabasco: 2 tsp. (as per taste)
Dijon Mustard : 1 tblsp. (optional)

Method :

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook macaroni or any kind of swirly pasta until done, not mushy but little softer than we do for other pasta dishes. Drain and keep aside.
  
• In a large pan, melt butter, add cubed carrots, fry until done, add corn, fry adding little salt. Keep aside. In the same pan, add chopped garlic, stir fry for a minute or two, then add flour, mix in the butter. Then pour the milk over. Let it cook for 2 minutes.
• Then add shredded cheese and combine with the milk. Over low heat continue to stir for 3 minutes until sauce thickened. Now add drained pasta and cooked vegetables. Combine with the sauce. Add hot sauce according to your tolerance(if cooking for kids, omit hot sauce), mustard, salt and pepper according to your taste.
  

This nutritious creamy dish can make any kid
(even adults) happy with no failure. So sending this to CFK:Healthy Lunch-boxes, where Neha of Tasty Recipes is the host for this month, event started by Sharmi of Neivedyam

Pindi Chana(Chickpeas in Rawalpindi Style)

Pindi chana, a chick pea dish originated in the Punjab province of recent day Pakistan(in the city of Rawalpindi), is very different from the usual chana masala, which is I think native of Indian side of Punjab, city of Amritsar. It doesn't have the usual onion-ginger-garlic-tomato gravy base. But this dish got a super tangy distinctive flavour from Anar dana(pomegranate seed) and Amchur (dry mango) powder. It is another way different from usual, is in the colour of the dish. It gets blackish colour using tea bags while cooking the chick peas. I got this recipe from my 5 years old pressure cooker recipe booklet....never thought of trying this recipe...I was also bored with the usual chana masala, so thought to try this out...and oh boy, what I was missing!! If you are also bored with your chana masala, try this out..............won't regret!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Ingredients :
Chickpeas(garbanzo beans) : 2 cups
Pomegranate seeds : 2 tblsp.(easily available in Indian stores)
Cumin seeds : 11/2 tblsp.
Cardamom : 3-4
Cinnamon : 2-3 sticks (1")
Cloves : 5-6
Turmeric powder : 1 tsp.
Coriander powder : 3 tsp.
Black pepper powder : 2 tsp. (as per taste)
Garam masala powder : 2 tsp. (available in Indian stores)
Amchur(dry mango) powder : 2 tblsp.
Green chillies : 3-4(slitted)
Ginger : 1" ( cut into thin strips)
Oil : 2 tblsp. + 1 tblsp. Ghee(clarified butter)
Onion(medium) : 1(sliced or cut into rings for decoration)
Lemon : 1 ( cut into wedges)
Tea(black) bag : 1

Method :

• Soak chick peas overnight or in hot water for 4 hours. Then in a pressure cooker, put soaked chick peas, enough water, salt, tea bagcardamoms, cinnamon and cloves and cook until done but not too soft. Allow to cool and then discard tea bag and whole spices. Keep aside.
  
• In the meantime, take a pan/tawa, roast together pomegranate and cumin seeds in medium flame. When you get the aroma, transfer them to a coffee grinder and grind to a powder.
• Open the cooker, drain off the excess liquid and reserve for later use. Now add all the spices to boiled chick peas in teh same cooker/pan - pomegranate-cumin, mango powder, turmeric, coriander, garam masala, freshly ground pepper. Mix till chickpeas are nicely coated with spices. Sprinkle ginger and chillies on top.
• In another small pan, heat oil and ghee until smoky and pour evenly over chickpeas. Mix thoroughly and add reserved cooking liquid. Place pan/cooker on medium flame, adjust seasoning and cook till liquid dries up and oil shows seperately, stirring occasionally OR you can keep little gravy nicely coated with chick peas(as I did, I wanted to have it with naan, so kept a semi-dry gravy)
• Place chickpeas on serving dish, garnish with onion rings and lemon wedges.
  

Goes very well with any Indian bread like paratha, naan, chapati or with plain rice/jeera rice. I served it with Punjabi Kulche(stuffed naan)... and it was yummmmyyyyyyyyyy
Sending this yummy chick pea dish to MLLA:13, an event created by Susan of Well-seasoned cook and this month hosted by Sunshinemom of Toungue Ticklers...

Kadhai Paneer

Kadhai paneer, one of the popular dish of paneer from the state of punjab, India, where Paneer or Indian cottage cheese and bell peppers are the main ingredients, which is flavoured with kasuri methi(dried fenugreek leaves), ginger-garlic and a blend of light Indian spices makes it a mouth-watering dish. It can be a perfect accompaniment to bread or rice, which will make you satisfied at the end of your meal.


Note : Paneer is available in all Indian stores, can be made at home, too. Check here. So without any more delay................
let's check the ingredients :
Paneer : 1 and 1/2 cup (cut in 1" cube like pieces)
Green Capsicum/bell pepper : 1 (deseed and cut into big chunks)
Onion : 1(medium-cut into big chunks)
Tomato Puree : 2/3 cup
Ginger-garlic paste : 1 tblsp.
Green Chilli : 1 (chopped)
Turmeric powder : 2 tsp.
Cumin powder : 1 tsp.
Coriander powder : 1 tsp.
Red chilli powder : 1 tsp. or to taste
Kasuri Methi : 1 tsp.
Sugar : 1 tsp.
Salt to taste
Oil : 3-4 tblsp.
Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

Method :

• Heat 2 tblsp. Oil in a pan, shallow fry the paneer cubes until light brown on both sides. Take out from the pan and drop them in a bowl of hot water for 10-15 minutes. This will keep them soft.
  
• In the same pan, heat rest of the oil, add sliced onions and a pinch of sugar and saute till onions turn transculent. Add bell peppers and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add gren chillies and ginger-garlic paste, saute again for a minute or two in low flame.
• Then add powdered spices, dissolving them together in 4 tblsp. of water. Mix well with onion-ginger-garlic paste. Fry the masala paste for 2-3 minutes until oil seperates and coats onions and peppers nicely.
• Add tomato puree, kasuri methi and paneer cubes. Mix well everything. you can add little water(1/2 a cup), depending on how much gravy you want. Add salt to taste. Cover the lid and simmer for 8-10 minutes until peppers are cooked and paneer cubes softens and there should be enough gravy left to coat paneer and peppers well. Note: it's a dry gravy dish.
  
• Check the seasoning and serve garnishing with fresh coriander leaves. Enjoy with hot chapati, paratha or any Indian flat bread, even with rice.
  

Sending this yummy paneer and bell pepper recipe to
AFAM : Bell Pepper, hosted by The most active
blogger I know, Priya of Priya's easy & tasty
recipes this month, event started by Maheswari
of Beyond The usual

Sweet Potato & Prawn Pulao

That day, I wasn't in a mood to make any elaborate lunch for me and for my daughter after school lunch. I wanted to make something one-pot meal. Then the thing clicked on my mind was prawn which we all love. So I made this prawn pulao. To make it little more wholesome and healthier, I added sweet potato in it. We all know the health benefits of this superfood(yes, sweet potato is considered as a superfood). So, I try to add this vege almost daily somehow in my diet. It blended so well in this pulao....it added nutrients and texture and colour...just loved it. It took me only 1/2 an hour to finish making my lunch. I was happy and the lunch was also satisfying...........


Ingredients :
Prawn or big shrimp : 15-20 pcs.
Basmati rice : 11/2 cup
Sweet potato : 1 cup (cubed and boiled)
Onions(sliced, long) : 1 (big)
Ginger-garlic paste : 2 tblsp.
Garlic(minced) : 2 cloves
Tomato : 1 (medium)
Green or red chilli(sliced lengthwise) : 2
Turmeric powder : 1 tsp.
Cumin powder : 1 tsp.
Coriander powder : 1 tsp.
Red chilli powder : 1 tsp.
Sugar : 1 tsp.
Black pepper powder : 2 stp.
Coconut milk : 1/3 cup
Bay leaves : 2
Cardamom : 4
Cloves : 4
Cinnamon : 1 stick (1")
Salt to taste
Oil : 2 tblsp.
Cashewnuts and raisins : 1/2 cup

Method :

• Marinate shrimp or prawn withlittle turmeric and salt. Keep it aside for 10-15 minutes. Wash the rice. In a big pan, bowl water to cook the rice. When it start boiling, add coconut milk, 1 bay leaf, 2 cardamoms, 2 cloves, 1 tsp. of salt and the rice. Cook until rice is 3/4 done. Drain and keep the rice aside.
• In a frying pan, fry shrimp or prawn light brown(about 2-3 minutes on each sides) on both sides. keep them aside. Boil sweet potatoes until tender.
• In another pan, heat oil. Add rest of cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon stick and bay leaf. When they start to change colour and leaves aroma, add minced garlic. Stir for 1/2 a minute, add sliced onions, green chillies and sugar. Now add cashewnuts and raisins. Fry with onions.
  
• Fry until onions turn brown, add ginger-garlic paste and tomatoes. Stir until tomatoes turn pulpy, add all the powdered spices and little salt. Stir fry till oil seperates spices. Now add fried prawns and sweet potatoes. Coat spices well with prawn and potatoes.
  
• Now add rice and mix well with the spice paste stirring continuously for 4-5 minutes in medium heat. Season with salt and black pepper.
  
• Prawn pulao is ready to serve....off course enjoy it hot.........serve with plain raita and tomato-cucumber salad
  

This nutritious rice is going to Monthly Mingle#33-Ravishing Rice, hosted this time by Nags of Edible garden, event started by Meeta of What's for lunch Honey?

A complete meal with beetroot chapati(beetroot flat bread)

The Indian flat bread which is popularly known as chapati, is made out of Atta or whole wheat flour, is made by grinding the whole wheat kernel which is full of bran and germ. It is a daily food item in every Indian household like mine. This time to make it more healthier, I made my chapati dough with grated beetroot. We all know the health benefits of beetroot. Beetroot are an excellent source of folic acid and a very good source of manganese, potassium and fiber.
There are many methods of making this chapati. Some does it with boiled beetroot, too. But I think using fresh beetroot in chapati dough is much healthier option as it will retain all the valuable nutrients in it. I made it more healthier not frying it like a paratha but just brushing up a little oil. And the end result, a soft, red colored delicious chapati which you can just eat itself. I served it with simple chana dal and beet-gajar-er charchari(beet-carrot fry) from Sandeepa.



Ingredients :
Whole wheat flour/Atta : 3 cups, plus a little extra for dusting
Beetroot : 2 (small)
Black cumin seed(kalonji) : 1 tsp.
Salt : 1 tsp.
Black pepper/red chilli powder : 1 tsp.
Butter : 1" cube/ Oil : 1 tblsp.
Lukewarm water : as needed to bind the flour
Oil : for brushing

Method :

• Grate beetroot finely. Take the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add salt, kalonji, black pepper. mix them well and then rub in the butter or oil finely. Add the grated beetroot. Squeeze out the juice from the beetroot before adding it and add the juice in the flour. Mix everything together.
• Now add lukewarm water little at a time and mix until you have a soft dough. Transfer to aflat surface and knead well until the dough is smooth and pilable. Cover it with a damp cloth and allow to rest for 20-30 minutes.
• Make small balls out of the dough. Flatten each ball by pressing them between your palms and keep on a flat surface. Dust with little flour and roll it out to an 7 in. diameter circle.
• Preheat a tawa/griddle or a wide frying pan over medium heat and place the rolled out breat on it. Cook for 30 sec. and turn it over. Now brush the top surface with little oil. Turn it over again and brush the other side with oil. Cook until browned on both sides.

For Chana Dal with green peas, you need :
Chana dal : 1 cup
Green peas : 1/3 cup
dry red chilli : 1
Bay leaf : 1
Cardamom : 2
Cloves : 2
Cumin seed(jeera) : 1 tsp.
Green chilli : 1 (chopped)
Dessicated coconut : 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder : 1 tsp.
Red chilli powder : 1 tsp.(optional)
Sugar : 1 tsp.
salt to taste
Oil : 2 tblsp.

Method :

• Soak chana dal in hot water for 4 hours. Pressure cook it until soft. Add 1/2 cup warm water(This is a semi-liquid dal, so don't add much water-adjust with your quantity) to the dal and add little salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and 1 tsp of sugar in the dal and cook for 2-3 min. in the cooker. Set aside.
  
• Heat oil in a pan, when hot but not smoking, add dry red chilli, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin seeds. When they turn brown, add green chilli and coconut, stir for a minute, then add the cooked dal. Lastly add gren peas. In Medium heat, let it cook for 2-3 minutes. Adjust the salt and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

For Beet-gajar-er charchari recipe, click here. I added a potato too to increase the quantity, tasted great with beetroot chapati. Thanks Sandeepa for sharing the recipe.
Sending this yummilicious red(my favorite food color) thali to Curry Leaf who is hosting FIC:Favorite this month, event started by Sunshinemom of Tongue Ticklers.

Aloo Potoler Tarkari(Potato-parwal Curry)

Parwal or Parval , a vegetable belonging to the same family as squashes and cucumbers, also known as pointed Gourd or Potol (in Bengali). Coloquially, in India, it is often called as green potato. It is a popular vegetable in India, especially Northern and eastern India. Especially, bengalis are very fond of this vegetable. It's a summer vegetable. It is a good source of carbohydrates, vitamin A, and vitamin C. It also contains major nutrients and trace elements (magnesium, potassium, copper, sulphur, and chlorine) which are needed in small quantities, beneficial for human physiology.
The vegetable looks like tiny cucumbers, skin is little harder than cucumber, with tapering ends and it has faint, lighter green lines along it's length.
From the Ayurvedic point of view, parwal is a tridoshic vegetable, which is excellent for balancing all five fundamental elements. It is extremely easy to digest and it assimilates easily into your physiology.


Parwal or Potol is one of my favorite vegetable and today, I'll share with you bengali way of making Potato-Parwal Curry or Aloo potoler Tarkari..It is a very simple recipe, without much spices and goes well with rice and chapati


Ingredients :
Parwal/Potol : 10-12 nos.
Potato : 2-3 (medium)
Ginger paste : 1 tbsp.
Green chilli : 1 or 2(grated)
Tomato : 1 (medium)
Turmeric powder : 2 tsp.
Cumin powder : 2 tsp.
Coriander powder : 2 tsp.
Red chilli powder : 1 tsp.(optional)
Cumin seeds : 2 tsp.
Bay leaf : 1
Cardamom : 2-3
Cloves : 2-3
Cinnmaon : 1(1") stick
Oil : 3 tbsp.
Salt to taste
Garam Masala Powder : 1 tsp. (dry grind 1-2 of each cinnamon, cardamom & cloves in coffee mill)
Fresh Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method :

• Wash each parwal. First, trim the edges and then peel the skin every 1/2" inch apart(as shown in the picture). Then cut in round shape or lengthwise. Cut the potatoes in medium size pieces in shape same as parwals.

• Heat 3 tbsp. oil in a pan, fry parwal and potatoes one after another sprinkling little salt until light brown. Keep aside.
• In the same oil, temper with bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon & cloves. As soon as they change their colour, add cumin seeds, stir for a minute, then add ginger-green chilli paste. Stir for a minute, when you smell the ginger flavour, add tomatoes.
  
• Stir and mix well with ginger paste. When tomatoes turn soft, add powder spices mixed with 3 tbsp. water. Mix well and wait until oil seperates. Add fried vegetables and salt. Coat them well with the spices.
  
• Add enough water (about 1 and 1/2 cup) to cook the veges. Parwal cooks fast. It cooks even faster than potatoes. Cover the lid and let it cook in medium flame. Remove from heat when veges are cooked and the gravy is slightly thick.
• Sprinkle garam masala powder, mix well with curry. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Sending my favorite side dish to WYF : Side Dish Event @ Simple Indian Food - An Easy Cooking Blog

Bengali New Year with Pomfret Fish Curry

Tomorrow, the 15 th of April marks the 1st day of Bengali New Year 1416. First day of the month, Baisakh, which is popularly known as "POILA BAISAKH", where poila means the very first. It is very important yet another eventful day of the year, which Bengal celebrates with lots of excitement and zest and welcomes the new year with lots of enthusiasm. One important event of the day is "Phabhat Pheries" or early morning processions where men and women sing "Rabindra Sangeet" and other regional folk songs where men are dressed in traditional Dhuti-Punjabi and women are dressed in white Sari with red border. Lots of people also visit temples to start the new year with god's blessings. Moreover, Baishakh is one of the important month for the Bengalis as it marks the beginning of the crop cycle in Bengal.
Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and Lord Ganesh are worshipped on the Bengali New Year day. It's an auspicious day for traders and businessmen. Traders perform the "halkhata" ceremony that means shopkeepers, businessmen and traders close their old accounts and open a new one. All shops are decorated with flowers and Sola decorations and also stringed fresh lemons and chillies hanging in front of shops. This is to ward off the evil eye. People visit their favorite shop during the day to wish them luck for the year ahead and traders welcome customers on this day with sweets and a bengali new year calendar.
People wear new clothes to celebrate this joyous occassion. Lots of cultural programmes are also held on this day. In West Bengal, Shantiniketan (Rabindranath Tagore's Viswa Bharati University) celebrates Poila Boisakh in a grand way involving many cultural programmes. No occassion is complete without good food. All favorite delicacies are prepared that day at home even restaurants fill their menu card with only traditional bengali delicacies for that day. Exchanging of gifts, typical plush Bengali lunch, the pungent smell of new dress epitomizes the Bengali New Year as one of the most significant event of the year.
The first day of this calendar is celebrated as the traditional New Year in various parts of South Asia, including Bengal, Kerala, Manipur, Nepal, Sri lanka, Bangladesh , Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Tripura. It is also celebrated as the traditional New Year across Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand. A happy and healthy new year wish from me to all the peoples from these countries.

A hearty new year wish to all my visitors
Happy New year 1416(as bengali calendar)

For this occassion, I will share a bengali recipe, no not any sweet but an authentic Fish recipe........................

Pomfret Fish Curry

Ingredients :

Pomfret fish : 1 (cut in medium pieces)
Potato : 1(medium)(optional)
Ginger-garlic paste : 2 tsp.
Tomato : 1 (medium)
Green chilli : 1 or 2(Slitted)
Bay leaves : 2
Cumin Seeds : 1 tsp.
Mustard Seeds : 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder : 3 tsp.
Chilli powder : 1 or 2 tsp.
Cumin powder : 1 tsp.
Coriander powder : 1 tsp.
Oil : 2 tbsp.(for cooking) & some for frying fish (preferably Mustard Oil)
Salt to taste
Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

Method :

• If you got a small pomfret, then leave it as it is. if you have a bigger one, then make medium size pieces. Smear them with little turmeric and salt and keep aside for at least half an hour. If using potatoes, cut the potatoes lengthwise as in the picture.
  
• Heat 3 tbsp. oil in a pan and fry the fish pieces until light brown on both sides. Do not overfry pomfret. Keep aside. Tips : Do not cook the curry in the same oil where you've fried the fish, as it turns the curry look darker.
• Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a pan, fry the potato pieces with little turmeric and salt. In the same oil, temper with bay leaves, cumin and mustard seeds and slitted greeen chillies. When the seeds change colour and start to splutter, add ginger-garlic paste and tomatoes. Stir for a while until tomatoes soften a little, then add all the powdered spices with 2 tbsp. of water and mix well with the tomato paste.
  
• Cook the spice paste stirring continuously until oil seperates the masala paste, add the fried potatoes this time and mix well with paste. Add enough water to make the curry about 1 big cup. Season with salt and in medium flame let it cook. When potatoes are half done, add the fish pieces in the curry and close the vessel with a lid. (If you aren't using potatoes, them lower the quantity of water to half)
• Take the pan off the heat when potatoes are done and you have your desired thickness of curry. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.......

Serve with plain white rice off course hot, hot........................enjoy

Chatpata Chicken

My last recipe of Chicken was Jhatpat Chicken(easy breezy chicken curry), and today's chicken recipe is Chatpata Chicken. Last weekend I was in mood for something chatpata means something lip-smackingly tangy for our dinner as it was raining outside heavily. So while I was browsing through my favorite cooking site, India's Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor's Site, I found this chicken recipe, which I thought can satisfy my cravings. So I followed the recipe exactly as it was and I was absolutely right...........It is very unique chicken recipe..has tangy flavour of mango powder(Amchur powder) and lemon and the spices are also something different which I havn't tried before...........Thanks a lot, Mr. Kapoor, for such nice recipe...loved a lot..I'm posting this recipe for everyone to try out................


Ingredients :

Whole Chicken : 500 gms (cut into pieces)
Dry mango powder(Amchur) : 2 tsp.
Lemon juice : 1 tblsp.(tablespoon)
Onions : 2 (medium, sliced)
Ginger-garlic paste : 2 tblsp.
Tomato paste or puree : 1/2 cup
Yoghurt : 2 tblsp.
Onion seeds(kalonji/kala jeera) : 2 tsp.
Cumin seeds : 2 tsp.
Mustard seeds : 1 tsp.
Fennel Seeds(Saunf/mouri) : 2 tsp.
Turmeric powder : 1 tsp.
Red chilli powder : 2 tblsp. or to as per your taste
Coriander powder : 2 tblsp.
Vinegar : 1 tsp.
salt to taste
Oil : 2 tblsp.
Fresh coriander leaves (chopped)

Method :

• Cut the chicken in medium size pieces. Wash and drain water well. Apply amchur powder, lemon juice and salt to the chicken pieces and set aside for at least 1/2 an hour or more. You can use chicken drumsticks, too.
  
• Slightly roast cumin, onion seed, mustard and fennel seed in dry pan and gring into a fine powder.
• Heat oil in a pan, add sliced onion, saute until golden brown in color, then add ginger-garlic paste, stir for a minute or two, then add tomato paste. Mix well with the paste, then add turmeric, chilli, coriander powder. Cook masala until oil starts seperating.
• Then add marinated chicken, saute for 3-4 minutes, mix well with the spice paste. Then add rest of the ingredients, i.e. yoghurt, vinegar, roasted spice powder, chopped coriander leaves. Mix well with the chicken, add little water about 1/2 cup , adjust the salt. Let it cook in medium flame until chicken is cooked.
  
• Remove from heat and serve hot with any Indian bread like naan, chapati, paratha or plain rice even goes well with pulao. And a simple salad to go with it.
  

Radhaballavi/Dal Puri - a pure bengali delicacy

Today, I'll share with you all another delicacy of Bengali cuisine..........
Radhaballavi, another name is Dal puri. It is stuffed deep fried bread. It is stuffed with lentil and little spices. It is a must on the menu of every ceremonies such as marrieges, birthdays etc. The name of this puffed bread is very special, as it is associated with Lord Krishna and Radha. I don't know the reason behind that. If anyone has any idea, I am very curious no know. Few other food items are also named after Lord Krishna, like one kind of rice is called Govinda(another name of Lord Krishna) Bhog.

Anyway, Radhaballavi or Dal puri goes well with Cholar Dal(chana dal) or Aloor dom or any kind of aloor tarkari(potato gravy). Originally it is made of white flour. But I made it with wheat flour or it can be made with white and wheat flour mixed together.

Ingredients

For the outer crust :

Wheat Flour : 3 cups
Oil or ghee : 2 tsp.
A pinch of salt
Water to knead

For the filling :

Chana dal/bengal gram(cholar dal) : 1 cup
Red chilli powder : 2 tsp.
Cumin powder : 1 tsp.
Roasted Cumin seed powder : 2 tsp. (dry roast the seeds and crush them with a rolling pin)
Salt to taste
Oil : 1 tsp.

Enough oil to deep fry the puris/radha ballavis

Method :

• Soak the dal/lentil overnight or 4-5 hours in hot water. Grind the dal/lentil to a fine paste in a food processor with minimum water.
• Take a pan, heat 1 tsp. oil, add the lentil to the pan. Add other spices and mix well with the lentil. Stir until all the water evaporates. Take it out of heat and let it cool. Your filling is ready.
  
• Meantime, Add ghee and salt in the flour and mix, then add water gradually. The dough shouldn't be too soft and soggy. Knead the dough until it doesn't stick to your finger. Keep it aside for half an hour. Break the dough into lime size balls.
  
• Take a ball, flatten a bit, then place little filling(about one big spoonful) in the center.
  

• Carefully seal from all sides and make a ball again.
  

• Now take one stuffed ball and flatten the ball 3-4 inch wide pressing very gently. Take care not to break the outer cover. The filling should not come out of it.

• Heat enough oil (the oil should be piping hot) to deep fry, carefully immerse each rolled out balls into the oil. Gently press the sides with a spatula to puff them out. When one side is puffed, flip to the other side. Fry till slightly browned and take it out with a spatula which has holes in it to drain the excess oil from the puri.

It tastes absolutely divine like it's name when hot. Once I tried with left-over Ghugni(Dried peas curry) for filling, it was delicious.

Sending this to Laurie of Mediterranean Cooking in ALaska,
who is hosting MLLA9 this Month,
Susan of Well-seasoned Cook is the creator of MLLA(My legume love affair).

Sajne Data O Aloo Posto (Drumstick N Potato in poppy seed paste)

Sajne Data, in Bengali is popularly known as drumstick all over India. The reason they got the name may be they do resemble the musical drumstick. It is exceptionally nutritious vegetable tree. Considered one of the World's most useful trees, as almost every part of this tree can be used for food, or has some other benfinicial medicinal property.

The fruit of this tree, i.e. Drumsticks is widely used in Indian and other Asian countries. 

Drumsticks are green hard skinned, stick like vegetable. Even though, the skin looks hard from 

outside, surprisingly it is very soft and fleshy inside. It's a very easy to cook vegetable. The 

triangular pea sized seeds are surrounded by soft white flesh inside. If you want to get

the real taste of drumstick, you have to chew the sticks. It taste very sweet.

Drumstick & the seeds

I was just surprised when I saw this in Wiki, "The leaves are highly nutritious, being a significant source of beta-carotene, Vitamin C, protein, iron and potassium. The leaves are cooked and used like spinach. In addition to being used fresh as a substitute for spinach, its leaves are commonly dried and crushed into a powder, and used in soups and sauces. Murungakai as it is locally known in Tamil Nadu and Kerala is used in Siddha medicine. Its leaves are full of medicinal properties. The tree is a good source for calcium and phosphorus. In Siddha medicine, the drumstick seeds are used as a sexual virility drug for treating erectile dysfunction in men and also in women for prolonging sexual activity. Moringa leaves contain more Vitamin A than carrots, more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach, more Vitamin C than oranges, and more potassium than bananas." The flowers whih is known as "Sajne Ful" in Bengal, also cooked as a delicacy, especially early spring. Another popular delicacy with drumstick is "Sajne Data O Aloo Posto" (drumstick & potato in poppy seed paste), which I am going to share with you today........try & you won't regret it..It's just a simple pleasure............

Ingredients :

Drumstick : few sticks

Potato : 1 or 2

Poppy seeds : 2 tblsp.(tablespoon)

Turmeric powder : 2 tsp.

Green chilli/red chilli powder : 2

Salt to taste

Oil : 2 tblsp.

Method :

• Peeling drumstick is an art. You should know before you think of cooking drumstick. Cut one side of the drumstick at least ½ inch from the side. Then with sharp knife peel the skin little by little from all sides and make about 2 inch pieces.
• Cut the potatoes in medium size. Make a paste of poppy seeds and green chillies in dry grinder(coffee grinder). If you can't tolerate green chillies, use little red chilli powder.
• Heat oil in a pan. Now add potatoes and drumsticks on oil. Fry them for few minutes with a pinch of salt. Add turmeric powder and poppy seed paste. Pour 2 tblsp. Water and mix the paste well with the vegetables. Stir for 3-4 minutes.
• Then pour enough water to cook the veges. If you peel properly, drumstick cooks very quick. Just add enough water to cook the potatoes. Adjust the salt and when all moisture evaporates and veges are done, take it out of stove.
• You can make it dry or semi-thick gravy, as you like. In any form, it’s just delicious with hot plain rice....just simple pleasure of life

Tips : Do not overcook drumstick and don't stir too often, as drumstick can break very easily.