Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Peas and potatoes curry (Aloo Matar masala)

Potatoes and peas are such a classic combination in curries, don't you think ? I feel like I have tasted myriad versions of this combination in different curries over the years, every family seems to have quite a few variations of this combination that they make regularly. I've even made quite a few variations of this combination myself, surprisingly only a couple of the variations I make have made it into this space. This first one that I feel like I posted ages ago, which has potatoes and peas with a slightly unconventional spice mix made of quinoa, flax and sesame seeds among other things. And this second curry with gravy,  which has a more classic and conventional combination of spices that works great with any kind of flat bread or rice variety.

Recently when I was glancing through a cook book by Nita Mehta, I noticed that she had made a stir fry variation of green peas curry using tandoori masala as one of the spices. This kind of intrigued me, tandoori masala in a curry. Hmmm........... :) Since the only way to know how this would taste is to try it, I did,  and liked it a lot. Tandoori masala gives this curry a very unique and interesting flavor. I baked the potatoes instead of frying/ shallow frying to cut some calories and made this curry with some gravy. This is a simple and quick curry to make and tastes great with both rotis/ phulkas or with plain rice or flavored rice. This time I made it to go with some mushroom pulao (will post the recipe for that too soon)  and the combination was pretty good :)

Peas potato curry photo a64cc7e1-770c-4264-b22d-b70d61409135_zpsf5bc7777.jpg

Click here for a printable view of this recipe

Ingredients and Method to make peas curry
2 large onions cut fine
7 to 8 small potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes
3 medium tomatoes cut fine
4 cups frozen green peas 
2 Thai or Indian green chilies cut lengthwise (or to taste)
2 tbsp oil + a little extra to brush on the potatoes
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp finely grated ginger
1/2 tsp minced garlic
salt to taste
1/2 tsp garam masala (or to taste, can be substituted with any other curry powder )
(my recipe for homemade garam masala can be found here
1 tsp tandoori masala powder (available in most Indian grocery stores)

Pre heat oven to 425 deg F. Line a tray with parchment paper and keep aside. Place the cubed potatoes on the lined tray and brush with oil, place in oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until potatoes turn creamy golden.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add cumin seeds, when the seeds sizzle, add green chilies and stir a few times. Then add onions and saute until onions turn transparent. Add ginger and garlic and stir a few times. Then add tomatoes and cook until tomatoes turn soft and mushy.

Add garam masala and tandoori masala and stir a couple of times. Add green peas, salt to taste, water as required and allow the green peas to cook until soft.
The copyright of this content belongs to Veginspirations.com

Add the baked potatoes, add water as needed to achieve required consistency and allow to simmer for a couple of mins for the flavors to mingle.

Remove from heat and serve hot with phulkas/ rotis/ parathas/ naan/ kulcha (Indian flat bread) or on a bed of plain steamed rice or any kind of flavored rice. (This time I served this curry with mushroom pulao )

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Instant Multigrain dosai (Savory Indian crepes)

Pearl Millet which is known as bajra/ kambu in Hindi/ Tamil has numerous health benefits. Pearl Millet is a good source of protein, fiber and has many essential minerals like magnesium, phosphorous and zinc.   Studies show that magnesium is not only important for good heart health but has also proven beneficial in reducing the severity of asthma attacks, reducing blood pressure and in reducing frequency of migraine attacks.

Pearl millet is also recommended for stomach ulcer as it has alkaline properties and ulcers are often caused by excess acidity. So consuming pearl millet is supposed to help in reducing the effect of ulcers and in preventing the formation of ulcers. All kinds of  millets including pearl millet are said to help in reducing the risk of cancer. Amazing isn't it that this grain has such amazing benefits. For a while now I have been wanting to include some form of pearl millet into our regular diet.

Multigrain dosa photo 42bdb76c-2289-4ef9-b690-a4a51313074a_zps103e38ee.jpg

I decided to start with pearl millet flour with the intention of trying it out in something like thalipeeth (a flat bread from Maharashtra, a region in western India)  But before I got around to doing that I decided to use it in dosai. Dosai (Savory Indian crepe), as regular readers of this space might have already guessed is my favorite kind of food :) And I never seem to get tired of trying out different kinds of dosai, especially the instant kind that comes in so handy for weekend morning breakfasts :) This one has all the goodness of oats, finger millet (nachni/ ragi) , buckwheat and pearl millet (bajra) and the best part, you can never tell from the taste that everything in it is so super healthy. It turns out thin and with crisp edges and softness in the center. Just perfect :) Pair it with your favorite chutney/ sambar or potato masala curry and enjoy :)

 Multigrain dosa 2 photo 4ee316df-19f7-4277-925c-b69a9a915c5f_zpsa2e928c3.jpg

Click here for a printable view of this recipe

Ingredients and Method to make Instant multigrain dosai
1/2 cup buckwheat flour (kuttu ka atta)
1/2 cup oat flour (see notes)
1/4 cup rice flour (chawal ka atta/ arisi maavu)
1/4 cup millet flour (bajra/ kambu )
1/4 cup finger millet flour (nachni/ ragi)

salt to taste
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (optional)
1/2 tsp red chili powder (or to taste) (can be substituted with cayenne powder)
pinch of asafoetida (hing/ perungayam) (optional)
3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro (coriander leaves/ kothamalli) (optional but recommended)
a little sesame oil to shallow fry the dosai/ crepes

In a large bowl add all the flours and mix well. Add all the spices except cilantro and mix well again.

Add water to make a batter of pouring consistency. When adding water, add a little at a time and err on the side of a thicker batter, if needed water can be added later to adjust consistency. Finally add cilantro and mix well.
The copyright of this content belongs to Veginspirations.com

Allow this batter to "rest" for an hour or two.  This step is important because as soon as the batter is ready if you try to make dosai with it, it tends to roll a little and comes out thicker and chewier, but after an hour or two, the dosai comes out thin and crispy.

Heat a flat pan/ griddle/ tawa on medium to medium high heat. Mix batter thoroughly again, as some settling can occur for this batter. When hot,  pour a ladle of batter in the center and quickly spread into a circle. Spread very thin for a crispier dosai and a little thicker if you want a soft dosai. Add a few drops of oil around the circumference of the dosai.  When the lower side is golden brown,  flip over and cook the other side until it has small brown spots.

Remove from  heat and serve hot with chutney of choice/ sambar of choice or this potato masala curry

The balance of the batter can be stored in the refrigerator and used up in two to three days. If you plan to make this for breakfast and do not want to wait for the batter to "rest" in the morning, you can make the batter  a day ahead and stick it in the refrigerator too :) 

Notes:
If you do not have oat flour, you can just powder quick cooking oats/ 1 min oats in the spice grinder/ mixer/ blender until you have fine powder and use it in this recipe
Related Posts with Thumbnails