Lentil Roti / Dhal Roti (Indian flat bread made with lentils and spices)

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I have had this posting of lentil roti ready to post for more than a week now and for some reason or the other have not been able to post the same.Finally today I decided that I would not procrastinate further and would post this recipe immediately.

This lentil roti is a regular in my kitchen and is simple and easy to make,very tasty and packed with nutrition and an excellent source of protein too.Being a vegetarian I look to include more protein in my diet and I find that this is a good way to incorporate a little extra protein in a simple way.

The flavors in this roti are not overwhelming, so this roti works well in combination with all the usual gravy curries and raitas.

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Ingredients and method to make the Lentil Roti
2 and 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup thick, cooked, mashed and cooled lentil paste (dhal paste) (see notes)
1/4 tsp dry mango powder (amchur powder)
1 tsp carom seeds (ajwain/omam)
1/2 tsp garam masala (can be substituted with any other curry powder)
You can find my garam masala recipe here
salt to taste
1/2 tsp red chili powder (or to taste) (can be substituted with cayenne powder)
small pinch of turmeric(optional)
a little extra flour for dusting
a little oil or clarified butter/ghee to cook the roti (use oil to make a vegan version)

In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients (that is, whole wheat flour, carom seeds and all the spices) and mix well. Keep aside.
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Add thick, cooked and mashed lentil paste to the flour mixture and  knead slowly. Add water only if and as needed to knead to a soft and non sticky dough.

Keep dough covered and allow to "rest " for at least 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into lemon sized balls and with the help of a little flour, roll out into as thin or thick circles as you like.

Heat a flat pan/ tawa/griddle and cook the roti  until it has golden brown spots on each side, applying a little oil/ghee on each side (use oil for a vegan version)

Serve hot with raita or curry of choice.

Notes:
For the lentil paste, soak either 1 kind of lentil or a combination of lentils for about 30 minutes or so. Pressure cook, or cook on stove top adding just enough water as required until it is soft and mushy. Mash the cooked lentils thoroughly and keep aside to cool. Add to the flour mixture above and knead. I usually use a combination of  split mung bean lentil (mung/moong dhal), split pigeon peas lentil (tur dhal) and split chick pea lentil (chana dhal) for this roti. If using chick pea lentil and soaking and cooking along with the other lentils, chick pea lentil does not mash thoroughly and can sometimes have a bite, I like it this way, but if you do not avoid this lentil and use any other lentil in its place.

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Low fat Apple Bread

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Since I had a couple of apples and couple of single serves of danon yogurts which needed to be consumed asap,I had this idea of trying to make an apple bread with yogurt in it.I looked around for a recipe in all the usual places, and though I found plenty of good recipes for apple bread,I could not find any with yogurt or vanilla yogurt in it.

Bolstered by my recent success with the cumin cookie I was feeling very creative and gutsy in my kitchen.I decided to take a few basic ideas from some recipes and try altering it with some of my own ideas and crossed my fingers that the final product will be at the very least edible.

When the bread was ready I gingerly removed it from the oven and was happy that it looked fine and that the bread did not cave in or crumble.After cooling and slicing it I cautiously tried popping a small piece of bread in my mouth and was extremely surprised.The bread had turned out wonderfully spongy and moist and tasted yummy.Since I completely eliminated butter and eggs for this recipe and used very little oil,this bread is lower in fat content too.


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Ingredients and method to make the Apple bread
2 cups of peeled,cored and diced apple ( I used 2 medium gala apples)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used unbleached apf)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar (see notes)
1/2 cup plain yogurt  or vanilla flavored yogurt (see notes)
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract (see notes)
1tbsp corn starch mixed with 3 tbsp of water (in lieu of 1 egg) (corn starch is called corn flour in India)

Preheat oven at 350 deg F. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Add yogurt,the corn starch mixed with water,the oil and mix well.
Add apple pieces and vanilla extract and mix well
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Pour into a greased bread pan and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Notes:
If you use vanilla flavored yogurt, you might want to reduce the vanilla extract to just 1/2 tsp since the yogurt will have some flavoring too. Also if the vanilla yogurt is quite sweet  and you like your bread mildly sweet you may want to reduce the quantity of sugar slightly (by a few tbsp)

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Mildly spicy cumin cookie

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All the cookie recipes that I go through seem to require butter,sugar and eggs.Even if I use substitutes for eggs and reduce the quantity of butter there does not seem much one can do about the sugar,I have in the past reduced the sugar and included honey in some recipes but have yet to achieve a winning combination with these two that tastes yummy.If I so much as look at sugar,I am terrified that my workout of that day and the next two days will all go waste.Since I am one of those persons who loves sweets and have never seen a cookie I did not like,I try and avoid the temptation by not having them anywhere in my vicinity as much as possible.

I searched through the internet for spicy cookies and did not land any recipes that matched the vague description of the cookie forming in my mind.Finally I decided to brave it out and try my own recipe.I tried it in a small quantity for the first batch and was ready to write off the quantity of flour I used as an experiment gone wrong if required.Boy was I wrong,this turned out to be just right with the right amount of flavors and spices and the right crunch too.I simply loved this one and did not have to think twice about the second batch.This is an excellent tea time snack.

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Ingredients and method to make the Spicy Cumin Cookie

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp chili powder (or according to taste)
3 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
3 tbsp oil.
1/4 cup milk


Preheat oven to 350 deg F

In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients,then add the oil,ghee and milk.

Knead to make a dough that is not too sticky.Add a few drops of water only if required.

Roll out the dough using a rolling pin and cut into desired shape or just make small lime sized balls and flatten it a little I made one batch of each.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the cut or flattened cookies on it and bake for about 25 minutes or until pale golden brown

Cool and store in an airtight container.

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Peanut Chutney

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Peanuts are versatile ingredients,that go from making a good snack like the masala peanuts to being used as a topping to enhance flavors as while making the capsicum aloo sabzi and also in making tasty chutneys that work very well when paired along with items like dosa's,idli,upma etc.They are said to be an excellant source of monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fat which are very essential for a healthy heart.You can get the entire article on the health benefits of peanuts here.

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Ingredients and Method to make peanut chutney
1/2 cup peanuts dry roasted
1 small onion
1/2 inch ginger
3 tsp grated coconut
3 tsp sesame seeds
5 small green chillies (or according to taste)
salt to taste
4 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds (for tempering)
1 tsp udad dhal (split black gram lentil) (for tempering)

Heat half the oil,add the sesame seeds,when it starts to splutter add the onion and the ginger

Saute the onion until transparent.Add the grated coconut and the green chillies and saute for about a minute.
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Keep aside until cool.

Grind the sauteed onions and the dry roasted peanuts until smooth.Add water to achieve required consistency.Add salt to taste

Heat balance half of the oil,add the mustard seeds when they begin to splutter add the udad dhal and saute for about a minute until the dhal is golden brown.Remove and pour this on the peanut chutney,mix well and serve.

Notes:This chutney tastes best fresh or within a day or two if refrigerated.

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Sesame sweet roti

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Most sweets offer two choices, indulge your sweet tooth and antagonize your weighing scale which retaliates by showing numbers you do not want to see in the morning or give up sweets and antagonize your sweet tooth.The Sesame sweet Roti is a good way to indulge the sweet tooth without too many calories since it uses jaggery which I believe is better alternative to sugar or other processed sweeteners.

The second and the more important reason for making this dish for me was an article I read about the health benefits of sesame.Who knew that the sesame has such a lot of health benefits.It seems among various health benefits sesame helps in lowering cholesterol and blood pressure,it also helps prevent and reduce migraines and helps protect the body from free radicals.
You can find the entire article on the health benefits of sesame here.



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Ingredients and method to make the Sesame sweet roti.
For the filling
1/2 cup sesame seeds (washed,drained and dry roasted)
1/2 cup jaggery

For the dough
1 cup wheat flour
 a pinch of salt
2 tsp of oil (optional but recommended) 
Sufficient water to make the dough
A little ghee or oil to cook the roti's

1.Powder the roasted sesame and the jaggery to a texture resembling bread crumbs in the blender.Keep aside
2.Mix wheat flour and salt well, then make a soft pliable non sticky dough with the wheat flour adding water as required and the oil if using,  and keep covered for at least 30 minutes
3.Make lemon sized balls and roll out into a small circle.
4.Place about 1 1/2 tbsp of the powdered mixture in the center of the rolled out dough and fold the ends of the dough over the mixture pressing it gently to seal it.
5.Roll out this dough again into a slightly thick pancake sized circle with a light hand.
6.Heat tawa/griddle and place the roti on it and cook each side applying a little oil or ghee. Serve hot as a snack or a side dish.

Yields approx 10

Notes :
While roasting the sesame,remember to keep a lid handy and the stove on medium or medium high as the sesame seeds tend to pop and jump out.
The sesame jaggery mixture can be made ahead and kept in a cool dry airtight container.
A variation on the dough could be 1/2 cup all purpose flour (maida ) and 1/2 cup wheat flour  

This is my second entry to the Roti mela hosted by SrivalliThis is my entry to Puran poli and Sweet Chapathis/Rotis hosted by Mythreyee

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Vegetable Corn chowder with a hint of spice.

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There was this can of cream style corn in my pantry patiently waiting for me to finally make the corn chowder that I have been wanting to make with it for a long long time now.Finally taking pity on the lone can of corn,I decided to make the long awaited chowder.After the usual search through recipes to come up with one that seems to be THE ONE, I finally decided to take some ideas from the recipes that I went through and using a few of my own I worked out this final recipe to make the chowder.

It worked out very well,was light,nutritious and tasty with just the right amount of spice and it was very simple and quick to make.This recipe also eliminated the calories from the cream that most recipes required by using milk instead.This ones definitely a keeper as far as I am concerned and I plan to make this one again.

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Ingredients and method to make the vegetable corn chowder.

1 15 oz can of cream style corn
1 cup finely cut carrots
1 cup finely cut celery
1 cup finely cut green onions(spring onions)
1 cup of water (or a bit more depending on the consistency you seek)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp green chili paste ( Optional)
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste

1.Heat oil in a large pan,put in the green onions,celery and carrots.Saute for about a minute.

2.Close pan with a lid and on a low flame let the vegetables cook a little until slightly soft.

3.Add the chili paste,the corn ,water and salt.

4.Simmer together for a few minutes.

5.Add the milk in the end and serve hot.

Serves approximately about 2-3.

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Mixed Vegetable Sambar

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Sambar is a lentil based dish made with split red gram lentil with vegetables and tamarind.It is a staple in most homes in South India and there are many many variations of this dish.Simply put there is no strict way that this dish needs to be made.This tangy and delicious side dish works well when served with rice or savory pancakes or it can be had as a soup by itself.

I tried this particular variation of sambar recently and loved it.The major change from the past was actually a minor one and that was the inclusion of the methi seeds ( fenugreek seeds).That one ingredient seemed to make a lot of difference and provided a subtle flavor that enhanced the taste of this dish enormously.

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Ingredients and Method to make the sambar

1 tbsp channa dhal (yellow split chick pea)
1 tsp methi seeds ( fenugreek seeds)
1 tsp dhania seeds (coriander seeds)
1/4 tsp jeera
4 red chillies (or according to taste)
Tamarind size of gooseberry
3/4 cup of Tur dhal (Red gram lentils)
1 large onion cut into small pieces
1 cup of assorted vegetables cut into small pieces ( I use carrots,peas and beans)
1 1/2 tsp of sambar powder (or according to taste)
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1 stalk of curry leaves ( optional)
salt to taste
2 tsp of oil
cilantro for garnish.

1.Dry roast the ingredients from 1 to 5 separately until each of them are golden brown.In case of the red chillies until they grow darker red.Keep aside to cool.

2.Once the roasted ingredients are cool,grind this into a fine powder.

3.Soak the tamarind in water for a minimum of about 20 minutes.

4.Cook the tur dhal in a pressure cooker until soft.

5.Extract/press out all the juice/pulp out of the tamarind and throw away the fiber and seeds and keep the juice/pulp aside.

6.Heat oil,add the mustard seeds,when the mustard seeds splutter,add the curry leaves.

7.Add the onion and saute until transparent.Add the rest of the vegetables,the salt and the sambar powder and saute for a minute.

8.Add the tamarind juice and boil until the vegetables are fully cooked.

9.Mash the cooked tur dhal and add to the boiled tamarind juice.

10.Add the ground powder made of the roasted ingredients.Break out any lumps if formed.

11.Adjust water to achieve required consistency.Let it all boil for a minute or two.

Garnish with cilantro.

Serve hot with rice and dry curry of choice or with dosa/idli/vadai.Serves about 3-4

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Onion Tomato Chutney

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I am sure a lot of you already know that tomato is a fruit not a vegetable but did you also know that the tomato is the world's most popular fruit.

I must say I agree, what would we do without tomatoes......can you imagine pizza without the sauce ,fries without ketchup well........you get the idea. Tomatoes are truly indispensable in my kitchen,no matter which cuisine I make,tomatoes seem to be an integral part of a lot of dishes.Here is another wonderful recipe using tomatoes for a simple,quick and tasty chutney that works very well with idlis or dosas.

 

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Ingredients and method to make the onion tomato chutney

1 tbsp chana dhal (yellow split chick peas)
1 tbsp udad dhal (split or whole black gram beans)
1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
1/2 inch ginger cut into small pieces
4 red chillies ( or according to taste)
2 medium sized onions cut into small pieces
2 large tomatoes cut into small pieces
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp sugar (optional)

1.Dry roast the chana dhal and the udad dhal until both are golden.Remove from pan and soak in water for about 1 hour.

2.Heat oil,add the jeera seeds when it splutters add the onion and saute until transparent

3.Add the ginger and the chillies and saute for a minute.Add the tomatoes and cook until soft.

4.Cool this and puree along with the soaked dhals until smooth.

5.Add salt and sugar and mix well.

Serve with hot idlis (steamed savory cakes)  or dosas/ adai (savory Indian crepes) or use as a dip for raw veggies.

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Carrot Roti

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Roti /Chapatti's are an absolute necessity for me,I can live without stuff like rice but if I do not have chapatti's for any length of time I really miss it.There is something so appealing about the humble plain chapatti ( which I make phulka style) and having it with a piece of jaggery.The jaggery of course should be the soft variety and when rolled within a small piece of chapatti it is really yummy.This was the treat that I used to have most days after returning from school and after having all the requisite veggies with my chapatti's that my mother made sure I had, I used to save up the last piece of chapatti and have that with jaggery and used to savor that at the end of my meal.

In the past I used to make plain roti's most of the times,now though I try and make roti's with vegetable stuffing or with the vegetable mixed right into the dough as a way to increase the comsumption of veggies since it is really difficult to incorporate the required amount of veggies we really need on a daily basis.So this carrot roti is one such way I have devised to make the already nutritious roti more nutritious and tasty.

An interesting fact about carrots.

Recently I read this interesting fact about carrots that unlike a lot of other vegetables which are better when eaten raw,carrots are the only vegetable that are better when cooked.This is because raw carrots have tough cellular walls, the body is able to convert less than 25 per cent of their beta carotene into vitamin A. Cooking, however, partially dissolves cellulose-thickened cell walls, freeing up nutrients by breaking down the cell membranes.Cooked carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A,a good source of potassium and contains vitamin B6,copper,folic acid and magnesium.The high level of beta carotene is very important and gives carrots their distinctive orange color

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Ingredients and method to make the carrot roti.

1/2 of a medium onion or 1 very small onion
3/4 cup of carrots cut into small pieces
1 inch piece of ginger cut into pieces
2 tsp oil
1 1/2 cup wheat flour
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp chili powder
salt to taste
A little oil or ghee to cook the chapatti's/roti's

1.Heat oil in a pan,put in the onions and ginger and saute until onions are transparent

2.Add the carrots and a little salt and a little water and cook until the carrots are soft.

3.Cool this and puree in a blender until smooth.This yields about 1 cup of pureed mixture.

4.In a large pan put in the wheat flour.Add to this cumin seeds,chili powder and salt.

5.Add the pureed onion carrot ginger mixture to it.Without adding water initially mix in the puree into the dough and gather together to make a soft pliable dough.

6.If required add very little water and mix to form soft dough.Keep the dough covered for at least 15 minutes.

7.Make lemon sized balls from the dough and roll it out.

8.Heat a skillet /griddle and cook the chapatti on each side applying a little oil or ghee.

Serve hot with either gravy curry or dhal.

Yields approximately 15 medium sized chapatti's

This is my entry for the Roti Mela hosted by Srivalli.

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A big THANKS for the Nice Matters and the Good Chat Blog Awards.

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The other day I received the most wonderful surprise when Skribles informed me that I was being awarded the Nice Matters and the Good Chat Blog Awards.It was completely unexpected and I would like to thank Skribles for the awards.

I understand that the Nice Matters award is for bloggers who are a positive influence on the blogging world.What wonderful encouragement for me.These are my first ones and I am going to enjoy displaying them right here.I have been blogging for just about a month at this point and these awards really made my day.Thanks again.



I would in turn like to award these to

Mahimaa of http://spicesetc.blogspot.com/

Dhivya of http://culinarybazaar.blogspot.com/

The Nice Matters Award for Richa (as you already have the Good Chat Blog Award)

Richa of http://asdearassalt.blogspot.com/

The Good Chat Blog Award for Sowmya(as you already have the Nice Matters Award)

Sowmya of http://creativesaga.blogspot.com/

Congrats to all of you.

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Nankhatai-Cardamom flavored Indian style cookies

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Nankhatai, a kind of cookie made in India is available in most bakeries there. There are many versions of these cookies, some with just all purpose flour, some with chick pea flour and some with semolina flour or a combination of the three ingredients. Most of these cookies are typically flavored with cardamom, sometimes saffron and some versions have pistachios, almonds, etc.
If you do not want to go to the bakery, there were vendors (whom we referred to as the khari wala) who used to arrive at our doorstep about once every fortnight with a bag full of goodies like nankhatai or khari (puffed Indian savory biscuits) which are considered perfect snacks to go with tea :)  When these vendors arrived at our doorstep with their goodies, there were times when I ended up buying the stuff even though I was planning to resist :) What can I say, I have always been such a sucker for sweets and sweet treats :) Anyway for a while now I have been wanting to try and make a batch of these cookies at home, somehow I never got around to making them .......that is until now:) This is a simple, basic version of nankhatai, very quick and easy to make and it tastes perfect to go with either Indian chai tea or coffee or even as an anytime snack :)

 

Click here for a printable view of this recipe Ingredients and method to make Nankhatai
1 cup all purpose flour (maida)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
6 tbsp butter softened
1/2 tsp powdered cardamom (5 green cardamom seeds powdered)
a small pinch saffron (optional)
4 tbsp cold milk

1.Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Line a cookie sheet/ tray with parchment paper and keep aside.

2.Cream butter and sugar together.

3. In a small bowl mix together all purpose flour, cardamom seed powder and baking powder and keep aside. Add this flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar slowly and mix well.

4.Add the milk one tablespoon at a time mixing well in between, knead gently with fingers to form a dough. Divide dough into equally small lemon sized ball, flatten gently and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper about an inch or two apart.

5.Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes or so until lower side is golden and the upper side is creamy golden.
Remove, cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Yields approx 18 cookies.

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Baked Potato Wedges

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French fries and other high calorie food like fries are the first casualties of counting calories.The downside to being careful with my diet is that even occasionally having stuff like fries makes me very guilty.So for some time now I have been experimenting with making baked spicy wedges as an healthier alternative whenever the yearning for fries hits me and my family.This was the motivation that resulted in the creation of this recipe for spicy potato wedges.

The first time I made this, I could not believe that baking it could still make the potato this crispy and tasty.It turned out really nicely.I have since refined the recipe I started out with and made a few changes.The sesame seeds also add some crunch to it that makes it quite interesting.



And here is a close up of the wedge......

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Ingredients and method for Baked Spicy Potato Wedges.

2 large white potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp chili powder (or to taste) (can be substituted with cayenne)
1/4 tsp cumin powder (jeera powder)
1/4 tsp coriander powder (dhania powder)
1 tsp salt ( or according to taste)
2 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (optional)

1.Preheat oven to 450 deg F. Pre line a baking sheet/ tray with parchment paper or foil and keep aside.

2.Cut each potato in half vertically.Cut each half into wedges of desired thickness. I got about 5 to 6 wedges from each half.

3.Mix all the spices,the sesame seeds and the olive oil together in a medium sized bowl, or alternatively just mix together the spices in olive oil and leave out the sesame seeds to be sprinkled later.

4.Dip in each wedge into the spices until fully coated, or brush on the spice mixture on each wedge evenly  and place pre lined baking sheet covered.Place all the wedges close to each other but taking care not to overlap any of the pieces. Sprinkle sesame seeds on the wedges (if you haven't mixed the sesame seeds with the spices)

5.Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes first. Then remove the tray and turn over each wedge and bake again for another 15 minutes.
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Serve hot with some ketchup as a side to veggie burger or just as a snack.

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More than just colorful

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Capsicum Carrot Rice is a colorful mixed vegetable rice that I find not only visually appealing but also very tasty.This is a subtly flavored rice that works very well as a replacement for pulao when entertaining or just for the family too.

This is a recipe that I have tweaked and changed and reworked many many times over the past couple of years.I have added and subtracted all kinds of ingredients to this dish but this final version of the recipe is the way I like it the most.

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Ingredients and method to make the Capsicum Carrot Rice.

1 1/2 cup long grained rice (like Basmati)(I use 1 3/4 cup of water to cook this rice)
1 medium sized onion cut fine
3 carrots grated ( or cut very fine)
2 green bell peppers (cut into small pieces)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 1/2 tsp vangi bhath masala ( I use the MTR brand)
1/4 tsp chili powder
tamarind size of very small lime
salt to taste
3 tsp coconut scrapings (optional)
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp channa dhal ( for tempering)
1 tsp mustard seeds (for tempering)


1.Cook the rice in the cooker.Cook until done but do not over cook, each grain of the rice should be separate.

2.Soak the tamarind in warm water for about 15 minutes.Press out all the pulp/juice from the tamarind and discard the fiber and seeds.This yields about 1 cup of tamarind juice.

3.Heat oil in a large pan and put in the channa dhal and the mustard seeds.Once the mustard seeds have spluttered and the dhal is slightly golden brown add in the sliced onions.

4.Saute the onions until transparent,then add in the carrots and the green bell pepper.Saute for a minute.

5.Add in the turmeric powder,vangi bhath masala and the salt.Add the tamarind juice and boil in an open pan.

6.By the time the water from the juice is evaporated the green bell pepper and carrots would be cooked.

7.Gently add in the rice at this stage and mix it in carefully.

8.Garnish with the coconut scrapings and cilantro.

Serve hot with raita or gravy side dish.Serves about 4.

This is my entry to the Mixed Rice event hosted by EC

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Potato with bell pepper curry ~ Potato capsicum masala ~ Aloo simla mirch subzi

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It was just one of those days,the vegetable drawer in the refrigerator looked spacious as it rarely does,all the ideas for dinner running through my head also required a run to the grocery store and dinner time was approaching rapidly.Finally in a desperate bid to find something interesting to make I dug through my pantry and found some potatoes.

Yea !! potatoes are always a huge hit in my home and the good thing about them are they are so versatile and can be paired with a lot of different veggies for quick tasty side dishes and they can always be depended upon in a pinch.

This curry is very well liked by all my cousins and friends who have tasted it. I find it a great filling in a sandwich or in a wrap and also great to go with roti's

 


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Ingredients and method to make the Green bell pepper & potato side dish (capsicum aloo sabzi)

1 large onion cut finely.
3 potatoes sliced long or cubed
3 large green bell peppers (capsicum/koda molagai) deseeded,  halved and sliced long or cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large tomato cut finely
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chili powder (or to taste)
1/4 tsp ground ginger powder
1/4 tsp ground coriander (dhania powder)
1/4 tsp cumin powder (jeera powder)
3-4 tsp ground roasted peanut powder
salt to taste.
chopped cilantro (coriander leaves) for garnish.

1.Heat the oil in a pan,put in the cumin seeds.

2.Add the sliced onions and saute until transparent,add the tomatoes and saute for a few minutes till soft.

3.Add the turmeric powder,chili powder,dhania powder and ground ginger powder and mix well

4.Add the potatoes and bell peppers, salt to taste, sprinkle a little water and cook until potatoes are soft.
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5.Sprinkle the roasted peanut powder.

Garnish with cilantro.Serve hot with Roti/chapatti (Indian Flat Bread).

Serves approx 3-4.

Notes:
If you like your curry to have more gravy you can add a little more water and cook until the vegetables are soft. Because of the potatoes the gravy thickens a little and it tastes very good with most types of Indian flat bread or even a side dish for plain steamed rice

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