Potato and peas curry  / Aaloo Matar curry

This quantity of "Potato pea curry" is sufficient for six adults.

Ingredients:

1.  600 grams or six medium potatoes scrubbed and cleaned

2.  300 grams peas ( I have used frozen here , but you could use fresh if available )

3.  Four medium onions

4.   Five medium tomatoes

5.   One tablespoon ginger garlic paste

6.   Two teaspoons coriander powder

7.   ½ teaspoon turmeric powder

8.   One level teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder

9.   500 ml water

10.          Salt to taste or about two level teaspoons

11.          5-7 tablespoons refined oil

12.           A few spices like a teaspoon cumin seeds , one inch cinnamon stick , a few cloves and two badi elaichi / black cardamom

13.          Fresh coriander leaves to garnish

14.          ¼ teaspoon garam masala

Method:

1.  Warm the oil in a pressure cooker and add the mixed spices .

2.  While the spices change the colour in about a minute , puree the onions with a little water.

3.  Add the onion puree into the pressure cooker and stir fry till the onion turn brown and begin to leave oil on the sides.

4.   Puree the tomatoes along with the ginger garlic paste in the meanwhile and add to the onion mixture.

5.   Stir fry on medium flame till the mixture begins to leave oil on the sides.

6.  Add the coriander powder , turmeric and the kashmiri red chilli powder, give a stir for about a minute.

7.  Tumble in the chopped potatoes and toss them and stir fry along with the masala paste for about 5-7 minutes. If you are using fresh peas , then you could add them along with the potatoes and stir fry.

8.  Add 500 ml of water and the frozen peas.

9.  Cover the pressure cooker and give atleast 2-3 whistles till the potatoes are done. Season with salt.

10.          Garnish with coriander leaves and sprinkle the garam masala.

curries· peas· potato

Potato and peas curry  / Aaloo Matar curry

This quantity of "Potato pea curry" is sufficient for six adults.

Ingredients:

1.  600 grams or six medium potatoes scrubbed and cleaned

2.  300 grams peas ( I have used frozen here , but you could use fresh if available )

3.  Four medium onions

4.   Five medium tomatoes

5.   One tablespoon ginger garlic paste

6.   Two teaspoons coriander powder

7.   ½ teaspoon turmeric powder

8.   One level teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder

9.   500 ml water

10.          Salt to taste or about two level teaspoons

11.          5-7 tablespoons refined oil

12.           A few spices like a teaspoon cumin seeds , one inch cinnamon stick , a few cloves and two badi elaichi / black cardamom

13.          Fresh coriander leaves to garnish

14.          ¼ teaspoon garam masala

Method:

1.  Warm the oil in a pressure cooker and add the mixed spices .

2.  While the spices change the colour in about a minute , puree the onions with a little water.

3.  Add the onion puree into the pressure cooker and stir fry till the onion turn brown and begin to leave oil on the sides.

4.   Puree the tomatoes along with the ginger garlic paste in the meanwhile and add to the onion mixture.

5.   Stir fry on medium flame till the mixture begins to leave oil on the sides.

6.  Add the coriander powder , turmeric and the kashmiri red chilli powder, give a stir for about a minute.

7.  Tumble in the chopped potatoes and toss them and stir fry along with the masala paste for about 5-7 minutes. If you are using fresh peas , then you could add them along with the potatoes and stir fry.

8.  Add 500 ml of water and the frozen peas.

9.  Cover the pressure cooker and give atleast 2-3 whistles till the potatoes are done. Season with salt.

10.          Garnish with coriander leaves and sprinkle the garam masala.

Malai kofta / cottage cheese dumplings in cashew curry

Malai Koftas are cotton soft and delicious cottage cheese dumplings in a creamy cashew gravy. There are as many different methods of preparing malai koftas but over the years I have realized that this method is by far the easiest way of preparing "Malai Koftas" if not the best one.

Ingredients for Malai Kofta:

1.   300 grams paneer / cottage cheese

2.   300 grams boiled potatoes

3.   Two level tablespoons cornflour

4.    50 grams cashews

5.    500 ml milk

6.    150 ml water

7.     Oil for deep frying

8.     Bread crumbs to coat

9.     1 level teaspoon red chilli powder

10.    Salt to taste
11. two generous pinches of green cardamon powder

Method for Malai Kofta:

1.   Crumble the cottage cheese / paneer and mash it well using the pressure of the hands so that it turns into a soft and sticky dough.

2.  Mash the potatoes with a fork when slightly warm and eventually with the hands into a soft sticky dough.

3.   Combine the two and add cornflour to bind them well.

4.   Makea litlle bigger than walnut sized balls and fill in a few raisins in the center ( this is optional , you could keep the balls just plain as well).

5.   Roll them on fine bread crumbs and deep fry on high flame  till golden brown, in batches for about a minute.

6.   For the gravy of the Malai Kofta , finely chop a medium onion and shallow fry on medium flame in 2-3 tablespoons of oil till they turn pink. Add ¾ th or one teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder , give a stir for a few seconds and then turn the gas off.

7.  Grind the cashews with about half the milk till there are no grains left.

8.   Mix with the rest of the milk and add another 150 ml of water in case you are using full fat milk.

9.   Pour the cashew milk  mixture into the pan , keep the flame on medium , give a stir and as soon as the milk begins to boil on the sides of the pan , turn the gas off and then season with salt.

10.    Place the koftas in a flat dish and just before serving warm up the gravy on medium flame and pour over the koftas. sprinkle the green cardamon powder over the "malai koftas".

It will seem at first that the gravy is too much but in a few minutes , the koftas absorb the gravy. It is best to serve the Malai Koftas immediately , but incase you have to serve later, it is best to just reheat in the microwave as the Malai koftas might start crumbling in case you turn them into another vessel to reheat.

Best if accompanied by a spicy gravy dish ( either mutton curry or any vegetarian dish) and a crispy stir fried vegetable and eaten with hot pooris or plain paranthas.

cottage cheese· curries· potato· sabzeez and side dishes

Malai kofta / cottage cheese dumplings in cashew curry

Malai Koftas are cotton soft and delicious cottage cheese dumplings in a creamy cashew gravy. There are as many different methods of preparing malai koftas but over the years I have realized that this method is by far the easiest way of preparing "Malai Koftas" if not the best one.

Ingredients for Malai Kofta:

1.   300 grams paneer / cottage cheese

2.   300 grams boiled potatoes

3.   Two level tablespoons cornflour

4.    50 grams cashews

5.    500 ml milk

6.    150 ml water

7.     Oil for deep frying

8.     Bread crumbs to coat

9.     1 level teaspoon red chilli powder

10.    Salt to taste
11. two generous pinches of green cardamon powder

Method for Malai Kofta:

1.   Crumble the cottage cheese / paneer and mash it well using the pressure of the hands so that it turns into a soft and sticky dough.

2.  Mash the potatoes with a fork when slightly warm and eventually with the hands into a soft sticky dough.

3.   Combine the two and add cornflour to bind them well.

4.   Makea litlle bigger than walnut sized balls and fill in a few raisins in the center ( this is optional , you could keep the balls just plain as well).

5.   Roll them on fine bread crumbs and deep fry on high flame  till golden brown, in batches for about a minute.

6.   For the gravy of the Malai Kofta , finely chop a medium onion and shallow fry on medium flame in 2-3 tablespoons of oil till they turn pink. Add ¾ th or one teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder , give a stir for a few seconds and then turn the gas off.

7.  Grind the cashews with about half the milk till there are no grains left.

8.   Mix with the rest of the milk and add another 150 ml of water in case you are using full fat milk.

9.   Pour the cashew milk  mixture into the pan , keep the flame on medium , give a stir and as soon as the milk begins to boil on the sides of the pan , turn the gas off and then season with salt.

10.    Place the koftas in a flat dish and just before serving warm up the gravy on medium flame and pour over the koftas. sprinkle the green cardamon powder over the "malai koftas".

It will seem at first that the gravy is too much but in a few minutes , the koftas absorb the gravy. It is best to serve the Malai Koftas immediately , but incase you have to serve later, it is best to just reheat in the microwave as the Malai koftas might start crumbling in case you turn them into another vessel to reheat.

Best if accompanied by a spicy gravy dish ( either mutton curry or any vegetarian dish) and a crispy stir fried vegetable and eaten with hot pooris or plain paranthas.

Potato bell pepper stir fry with coconut

A few basic ingredients tumbled in together and given a quick stir and just a green chilli to spice it all up with salt as a seasoning , and there we have a delicious vegetable preparation to eat with rice and dal or even with dosas or the ever favourite roti or pao.

       The curry leaves and the mustard seeds give such a beautiful coating to the tossed potato and bell pepper and if that wasn’t enough , there we have a few tablespoons of freshly grated coconut to add some mild flavor and enhance the taste.

If the above few lines have tantalized and tickled your taste buds, here is the simple recipe for you to make it right away at your very own kitchen.

Ingredients:

1.   One heaped cup of cubed potato

2.   ¾ cup of cubed green bell pepper

3.   One green chilli chopped fine

4.   ½ teaspoon mustard seeds

5.    A few fresh curry leaves

6.    Salt to taste or about half a teaspoon

7.   3 tablespoons freshly grated coconut

8.   Two tablespoons refined oil ( I used ground nut oil)

Method:

1.   Take oil in a pan and warm it on medium heat , add the mustard seeds and the moment they begin to splutter , add the curry leaves followed by the green chilli.

2.   Tumble in the cubed potato and sprinkle some water and give a good toss.

3.   Cover and let the potatoes cook , stirring in between and if you feel that the potatoes are sticking to the pan then add a few tablespoons of water.

4.   When the potaoes are cooked , that you could check by slicing through a cube with the spatula , tumble in the capsicum and stir fry for about 3-5 minutes  without covering till the bell pepper / capsicum is cooked but still crunchy and green.

5.   Add the grated coconut and season with salt and stir fry for 3- 5 minutes. Care is to be taken to stop the cooking if you feel that the coconut is changing the colour. The coconut should remain whitish and crunchy. The entire cooking is done on medium flame.

  

bell pepper· coconut· potato· sabzeez and side dishes· south Indian food· stir fry

Potato bell pepper stir fry with coconut

A few basic ingredients tumbled in together and given a quick stir and just a green chilli to spice it all up with salt as a seasoning , and there we have a delicious vegetable preparation to eat with rice and dal or even with dosas or the ever favourite roti or pao.

       The curry leaves and the mustard seeds give such a beautiful coating to the tossed potato and bell pepper and if that wasn’t enough , there we have a few tablespoons of freshly grated coconut to add some mild flavor and enhance the taste.

If the above few lines have tantalized and tickled your taste buds, here is the simple recipe for you to make it right away at your very own kitchen.

Ingredients:

1.   One heaped cup of cubed potato

2.   ¾ cup of cubed green bell pepper

3.   One green chilli chopped fine

4.   ½ teaspoon mustard seeds

5.    A few fresh curry leaves

6.    Salt to taste or about half a teaspoon

7.   3 tablespoons freshly grated coconut

8.   Two tablespoons refined oil ( I used ground nut oil)

Method:

1.   Take oil in a pan and warm it on medium heat , add the mustard seeds and the moment they begin to splutter , add the curry leaves followed by the green chilli.

2.   Tumble in the cubed potato and sprinkle some water and give a good toss.

3.   Cover and let the potatoes cook , stirring in between and if you feel that the potatoes are sticking to the pan then add a few tablespoons of water.

4.   When the potaoes are cooked , that you could check by slicing through a cube with the spatula , tumble in the capsicum and stir fry for about 3-5 minutes  without covering till the bell pepper / capsicum is cooked but still crunchy and green.

5.   Add the grated coconut and season with salt and stir fry for 3- 5 minutes. Care is to be taken to stop the cooking if you feel that the coconut is changing the colour. The coconut should remain whitish and crunchy. The entire cooking is done on medium flame.

  

Avial

If you have not read my post on “prawn curry “ being a pure vegetarian , you will not understand a Punjabis reverence for coconut oil . Besides the story there , there is another reason why I began to appreciate the contribution of coconut in enhancing the flavours of the vegetables.

        We spent about an year in the Andaman and Nicobar islands and there the vegetables are shipped from the mainland , so not only are they expensive but also not so easy to get in plenty, and above all they are not as juicy and fresh because of the long journey they have done from the mainland to this island.

      I used to eat fish back then so we did enjoy a lot of fish curries and fish pakoras and lobsters and all the stuff but there are times when even a pure non vegetarian craves for colourful and palatable veggies.

      Somehow the vegetable preparations  did not appeal to my pernickety nature and since my kids were small and naturally fussy eaters it was quite a challenge to make them eat anything at all.

       It was then that I began the use of coconut as often as possible in most vegetable  preparations whether they were dry or with a bit of a curry.

      There is an excellent and simplest way to have raw papaya with coconut and it was a hit with my family.I would soon be putting it on the blog.

       Luckily for me coconut was one thing which obviously was in abundance and I have yet to taste a sweeter and more delicious coconut than what you get in the Andamans.  And there were these two trees right in front of our house and I got about a hundred something from them and I distributed them generously besides keeping lots for myself.

I still remember that I had a hand coconut grater and in one go I grated 17 coconuts and about seventy in three days. I froze them for future use and used them liberally in all recipes.

   So that is my story behind  my extensive use of coconuts and making South Indian dishes with the same . Lets get on with the recipe of Avial , which can be altered to whatever vegetables you like and skip the ones you dont as long as you use the vegetables which are firm like carrots , yam etc.

                        

Ingredients:

1.   One cup sliced thick and one inch long potatoes

2.   One cup beans sliced long

3.   One cup sliced  carrots

4.   One cup peas

5.   Half a cup thick yogurt

6.   Half a teaspoon turmeric powder

7.   One teaspoon salt or to taste

8.   One green chilli slit

9.   Coconut oil

10.   One cup grated coconut

11.  A few curry leaves

12.  Half a teaspoon cumin seeds

13.  One green chilli or to taste

14.  Half a cup of water

 Method:

1.   Place the chopped vegetables in a pot and add turmeric powder, the sliced green chilli and half a cup of water.

2.   Cover and let cook on medium flame till completlety cooked , toss the vegetables in between so that they cook evenly.

3.   Meanwhile place the coconut , cumin seeds and the green chilli with about four tablespoons of water  and just give one blitz, do not over grind, the coconut is not to become a paste, the whole idea is to just give one quick mix to the ingredients.

4.   When the vegetables are completetly done , add the coconut mixture, give one stir and turn the gas off.

5.   Add the curd , another stir followed by the salt.

6.   You could pour the coconut oil now or just before serving .

7.   Tastes great just by itself with plain boiled rice or with accompaniments of your choice.

beans· carrots· coconut· coconut milk· coconut oil· peas· potato· south Indian food· vegetables

Avial

If you have not read my post on “prawn curry “ being a pure vegetarian , you will not understand a Punjabis reverence for coconut oil . Besides the story there , there is another reason why I began to appreciate the contribution of coconut in enhancing the flavours of the vegetables.

        We spent about an year in the Andaman and Nicobar islands and there the vegetables are shipped from the mainland , so not only are they expensive but also not so easy to get in plenty, and above all they are not as juicy and fresh because of the long journey they have done from the mainland to this island.

      I used to eat fish back then so we did enjoy a lot of fish curries and fish pakoras and lobsters and all the stuff but there are times when even a pure non vegetarian craves for colourful and palatable veggies.

      Somehow the vegetable preparations  did not appeal to my pernickety nature and since my kids were small and naturally fussy eaters it was quite a challenge to make them eat anything at all.

       It was then that I began the use of coconut as often as possible in most vegetable  preparations whether they were dry or with a bit of a curry.

      There is an excellent and simplest way to have raw papaya with coconut and it was a hit with my family.I would soon be putting it on the blog.

       Luckily for me coconut was one thing which obviously was in abundance and I have yet to taste a sweeter and more delicious coconut than what you get in the Andamans.  And there were these two trees right in front of our house and I got about a hundred something from them and I distributed them generously besides keeping lots for myself.

I still remember that I had a hand coconut grater and in one go I grated 17 coconuts and about seventy in three days. I froze them for future use and used them liberally in all recipes.

   So that is my story behind  my extensive use of coconuts and making South Indian dishes with the same . Lets get on with the recipe of Avial , which can be altered to whatever vegetables you like and skip the ones you dont as long as you use the vegetables which are firm like carrots , yam etc.

                        

Ingredients:

1.   One cup sliced thick and one inch long potatoes

2.   One cup beans sliced long

3.   One cup sliced  carrots

4.   One cup peas

5.   Half a cup thick yogurt

6.   Half a teaspoon turmeric powder

7.   One teaspoon salt or to taste

8.   One green chilli slit

9.   Coconut oil

10.   One cup grated coconut

11.  A few curry leaves

12.  Half a teaspoon cumin seeds

13.  One green chilli or to taste

14.  Half a cup of water

 Method:

1.   Place the chopped vegetables in a pot and add turmeric powder, the sliced green chilli and half a cup of water.

2.   Cover and let cook on medium flame till completlety cooked , toss the vegetables in between so that they cook evenly.

3.   Meanwhile place the coconut , cumin seeds and the green chilli with about four tablespoons of water  and just give one blitz, do not over grind, the coconut is not to become a paste, the whole idea is to just give one quick mix to the ingredients.

4.   When the vegetables are completetly done , add the coconut mixture, give one stir and turn the gas off.

5.   Add the curd , another stir followed by the salt.

6.   You could pour the coconut oil now or just before serving .

7.   Tastes great just by itself with plain boiled rice or with accompaniments of your choice.