Masala Pav / Masala Buns

Masala Pav

Pav Bhaji is one of the most famous quick eats from Mumbai streets. You would think making fast food faster would not be possible - but trust Mumbaikars to come up with unique ideas! This take on Masala Pav is an ode to the famous Pav Bhaji with unparalleled simplicity and flavor. It is the perfect 4pm snack with a hot cup of tea!

Ingredients:

• 4 Pav (you can use hard rolls or water rolls from the Deli)
• 2 Tblsp butter
• 1 Tblsp garlic paste (or 3 cloves garlic)
• 2 fresh tomatoes
• 1 large onion
• 1/2 large green pepper (capsicum)
• 2 Tsp salt
• 1.5 Tblsp Pav Bhaji masala
• 1.5 Tsp red chilli powder
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup cilantro chopped

First, chop the onions, green pepper and tomatoes fine.

Put a large saucepan or griddle (tava) on medium heat and add 1 Tblsp on butter to it. As the butter melts, rotate the saucepan slowly so that the butter covers the entire base. Add the garlic paste to this and saute it until it starts to turn brown. If you're using fresh garlic cloves, crush them fine before you add them to the butter. Using fresh garlic is always better - the paste has vinegar based preservatives which can sometimes play into the food flavor but for this recipe you're fine either way.

Add the onions to the pan and saute them well. As they start to get translucent, add the peppers and cook for 3 minutes before adding the tomatoes.

Cook the mixture for 3-5 more minutes. Now add, salt, chilli powder, the pav bhaji masala and the water to the mixture and mix well. If you have a potato masher handy, use it to mash the mixture. It should start to look like pav bhaji. :)

Add the lemon juice, mix well and move the mixture to one side of the pan. Now, add 1/4 Tblsp butter on the empty side on the pan. Slice one of buns in half (like a burger) and cook the buns in this butter on both slides.

For the assembly, add the mixture on both sides of the bun, adding some cilantro on the bottom half. Add the top part back on, smear more mixture on the outer side as well, garnishing with cilantro. Enjoy!

Chinese Bhel

Chinese Bhel

"Bhel" is the quintessential snack from Mumbai, perhaps second only to Samosas in terms of global fame. Chinese Bhel is something born on the streets on Mumbai; It is a perfect marriage of Indian and Chinese cuisine with fried crispy noodles substituting puffed rice in the Bhel with some other variations thrown in.

This is a simple recipe to follow and I am certain it is a snack you'll want to make over and over! Here is what you will need (ingredients to serve 2-3)

• 1 slab of raw vegetarian hakka noodles (100-150 grams)
• Oil to fry
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1/2 Green Bell Pepper thinly sliced
• 1/2 Red Bell Pepper thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup Cabbage shredded
• 1/2 cup Carrots shredded
• 2.5 Tblsp Tomato ketchup
• 1.5 Tblsp red Chilli sauce (or Sriracha sauce)
• 1.5 Tblsp Vinegar
• 1.5 Tblsp Soy sauce
• 0.5 Tsp Salt
• 3-4 springs of Spring Onion

For the noodles, you can use any store bought noodles pack that you would use for lo-mein. Soak the noodles in cold water for 30 to 45 minutes. Noodles will be one slab at first and that is fine - they will be easier to maneuver after the soak.  In the meantime, slice the vegetables as shown below.

You can prepare the sauce as well - in a bowl, add the tomato ketchup, chilli sauce, vinegar and soy sauce together and mix well. That's it - keep this aside.

At this time, you can begin frying the noodles. Drain all the water from the noodles and work with your fingers to untangle them as much as possible. I have found that this helps the frying process. Even though the noodles are wet, you should not have to worry about oil splatters. Drop the noodles into oil at med-high heat and fry for a good 3-4 minutes. If you take them out any earlier, the noddles come out soggy.This can be a little tricky since the noodles won't brown either. Test this out with a small batch first until you have a hang of it.

In a pan, heat 2 Tblsp of oil. Add crushed garlic and fry for 30 seconds. Add the vegetables and fry for 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat. You will want the vegetables to get cooked but not too soggy. If you feel the vegetables are burning due to lack of oil, cover the pan and let the vegetables cook for 30 seconds.

Once the vegetables are cooked, add the sauce and mix well. Add the salt - go  easy on the salt since the sauce has a high salt context already. Add some spring onion (keep some for garnishing) and finally, add the crisp noodles. Toss the mixture well and garnish with green onions.

That's it - Enjoy!

Quinoa Chickpea Stir Fry

Quinoa Chickpea Stir Fry

Quinoa seems to be the "in" food nowadays! And for good reason too: 1 Cup (170 g) of Quinoa provides 24 g of protein, 12 g of fiber and is very rich in specific minerals. The other thing a lot of folks don't know is that it technically isn't even a cereal grain - it is actually a seed. You see a lot of Quinoa reference in hip health blogs and magazines. Here is an easy recipe to get you started if you buy some Quinoa from the grocery store.(You can even get it from Walmart of Sam's Club)

I found this recipe on Yummly.

• 3 Tblsp Olive Oil
• 3-4 cloves Garlic
• 1 Tsp Ginger chopped fine
• 1 green chilly chopped fine
• 2 Tsp Red Chilli powder
• 2 Tsp Cumin powder
• 2 Tsp Garam masala
• 1/4 Tsp red pepper flakes
• A pinch of black pepper
• 1 medium onion sliced thin
• 1 red bell pepper sliced thin
• 4 Cups cooked Quinoa
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 can tomatoes 
• 3 Cups baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 Tsp Salt

Heat the olive oil on medium low in a wok or large pan. Add the spices and let them simmer for 2-3 minutes. Turn the heat down if they start to burn. Then, add the onion and raise the heat to medium. 

Now, cook stirring frequently for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and peppers and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Then add the quinoa and stir fry for another minute.

Add the chickpeas and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes. Finally, stir in the tomatoes, fold in the spinach and the salt and stir fry, stirring frequently for another 2 minutes. I like to puree out the tomatoes in a blender, even if they're out of a can. If you're using fresh, use 2 medium tomatoes. Using canned ones like zesty jalapeno add a nice kick sometimes.

Vegetable Cutlet

Vegetable Cutlets

Vegetable cutlets are a classic and quintessential snack that you can find all over India. Anushka and I have nostalgia of vegetable cutlets served in long distance trains early morning! Since I made the green chutney a few days ago, I thought taking a shot at these would a good idea. Its really simple and this makes for a super tea time snack.

This is what you will need:

• 3 medium potatoes
• 1 medium sized carrot
• 5-6 strings of green beans
• 1 Tblsp sweet corn kernels
• 1 Tblsp peas
• 2 Tblsp coriander leaves chopped fine
• 2 green chillies chopped fine
• 1 Tsp freshly grated ginger
• 2 Tsp salt
• 1 Tsp red chilli powder
• 1 Tsp coriander powder
• 1 Tsp garam masala
• 1 Tsp dried mango powder (aamchoor)
• 1 Cup all purpose flour (maida)
• 3 slices of bread
• Oil for frying

The first thing to understand is that unlike tikkis, potatoes are not the star of this dish, the vegetables are. 3 potatoes may seem less but all they're doing is being a binding agent to the cutlet, so that's all you should need. Boil these potatoes, let them cool down and then peel and mash them.

Next, wash and chop the carrots and beans into fine bits and then steam them with the peas and corn. If you haven't steamed vegetables before, here is how to do it: Fill a deep vessel such as a pressure cooker with about 2-3 inches of water and put it on the stove to boil. Take a a metal strainer or a heat resistant colander with the vegetables in it and place it on top of the vessel, so that the vegetables are not touching the water. Cover the vessel with a lid in a manner so that only some steam is allowed to escape.. I'd say you want to let this steam for about 10 minutes. A good test is picking off a piece of carrot an biting through it. You don't want it too raw, neither do you want it mushy.

Once the vegetables are steamed, put them on a dry cloth napkin and squeeze the water from them. Don't worry about mincing peas or corn but don't be too hard on the squeeze. If required pat this mixture with a paper napkin.

Next, take the mashed potatoes in a wide prep bowl and add the vegetables, coriander, green chilies, ginger and spices.

Time to get he hands dirty: mix all of these well and create a ball of the overall mixture. Now oil your hands well and take about 2 Tblsp of the mixture and roll it into a small ball and then flatten it. The oil makes this process easier and the cutlets are less likely to break. You should be able to prepare about 10 cutlets - keep them aside.

At this point the major prep work is done. Now we have to work on the outer coating - the batter that is. First off, continually add water to the flour until you achieve a nice thick consistency. If this is too flid, then the batter will just slip off the cutlet before the flying begins. Substituting maida by rice flour  is an interesting touch here - the rice flour makes the exterior more crisp. Second, take the 3 slices of bread, tear them into 3-4 chunks and thrown them into the grinder to get fine breadcrumbs. We're ready.

Heat the oil - you want the oil to be on high heat else the cutlets will begin to crumble as soon as you dip them in the oil. Here is how you want to proceed - dip the cutlet in the batter, then quickly lather it with the breadcrumbs. This is how it should look before being thrown into the oil.

That's it, fry these until golden brown and serve the cutlets hot with chutney or sauce and piping hot tea.

Coriander Mint Chutney

So this is simple recipe for the evergreen (pun intended) coriander mint chutney. This is an absolute must in the fridge for the occasional (or hopefully more frequent) times when fried delicacies come out of the kitchen - this goes great with almost snack, even meals.

Here is what you need:

•  3 Cups coriander / cilantro leaves
• 1 Cup mint leaves
• 2 green chilies
• 1 medium red onion
• 1 medium tomato
• 1.5 Tsp salt
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/4 Tblsp sugar

I am kind of uncertain of the ratio between the leaves and this is important because if you ad too many mint leaves, the chutney can get too bitter - mint can add an unwanted sharp tinge. If you don't have mint leaves, just the coriander chutney is nice too, but the mint is extra nice. This is how the ratio looked like on the chopping board - mint leaves on the left, coriander on the right.

You will need a kitchen mixer-grinder for this. Chop the leaves a bit and do the same with the tomato and the onion. Throw them into the grinder and give it a whirl until you get a nice consistent paste. Now add the sugar, salt and lemon juice. I added this in the grinder itself and gave it another quick run to make sure everything was mixed nicely. 

That's it - I'd recommend frying some onion pakodas to enjoy this with.

Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji needs no introduction. If bhatura chana is Punjab's contribution to Indian fast food, then Pav Bhaji is definitely Mumbai's choice offer. Wikipedia interestingly traces the origins of Pav Bhaji as follows: "The origin of this dish is traced to the heyday of the textile mills in Mumbai. The mill workers used to have lunch breaks too short for a full meal, and a light lunch was preferred to a heavy one, as the employees had to return to physical labor after lunch. A vendor created this dish using items or parts of other dishes available on the menu. Roti or rice was replaced with pav and the curries that usually go with Indian bread or rice were amalgamated into just one spicy concoction-the 'bhaji'"

Today, Pav Bhaji is regarded as a staple at any Mumbai fast food joint. Try it and you will know why this is an instant classic.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium Potatoes peeled and diced
• 1/2 Cauliflower diced
• 3 Carrots peeled and chopped
• 1 Capsicum chopped
• 1 Cup fresh green beans chopped
• 1/2 Cup frozen peas
• 8 roma tomatoes pureed
• 1 medium Onion chopped fine
• 2 cloves Garlic minced
• 3 Tsp Salt
• 1 Tblsp Oil
• 1/2 stick salted Butter
• 6 Tblsp pav Bhaji masala
• 2 Cups water

First, add all the vegetables - except the onions, garlic and tomatoes - into a pressure cooker with 2 Tsp salt and 2 Cups water. Cook on high until the first whistle and then bring down the heat to medium low. Let the vegetables cook for another 15 minutes. After that, turn off the heat and keep the cooker aside for the steam to release. Once you can open the cooker, mash the vegetables well.

On a separate stove top, heat the oil in a saucepan. Throw in the garlic and the onions, and fry them until the onions have turned transparent. Add the tomato puree and 1 Tsp salt to this pan and cook on medium heat, until you see the mixture releasing oil on the sides.

Finally, add the tomatoes to the mashed vegetables and mix well. Add the pav bhaji masala and the butter to this mixture and blend them well. That's it, just garnish the bhaji with some cilantro and you're good to go.

Although you can substitute the pav with a burger bun, I find the water rolls or french hamburger buns are a very close substitute. You can find them at your local grocery store's bakery section

Carrot & Peas medley

Carrot & Peas medley

First thing first, this recipe comes from the wifey - rest assured it won't be the last one and pretty soon she will take this over. A nice entree that's not too heavy or spicy, this is best enjoyed on those days when you just want a light meal without much ado.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium carrots peeled and diced
• 1.5 Cups frozen peas
• 1 Tsp salt
• 1/2 Tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 Tsp cumin seeds
• 1 Tsp garam masala
• 1/2 Tsp dried mango powder (Aamchoor powder)
• 1/2 Cup water
• 2 Tblsp Oil

This is fairly simple - start with heating the oil in a plan and add the cumin seeds to it. Once the seeds begin to crackle, add the turmeric and stir the mix. Now add the veggies, add salt and mix well. You don't need to fry this mixture a whole lot. Just add the water, cover the pan and cook on medium heat for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. You know the medley is well cooked when the carrot is tender to bite.

Once done, add the garam masala and the dried mango powder and mix the spices in well. Cook for a couple more minutes and turn the heat off. Done - you're all set. Serve with chapatis and curd.

Toor (Arhar) daal / Yellow lentils

This daal / lentils is known by various names - Toor daal, Tuvar daal, Arhar daal or simply yellow lentils. The yellow lentils part can be confusing because I know of at least 2 more types of lentils that are of very similar color, yet very different in taste and preparation. In any case, while most lentils usually carry an earthy flavor, this recipe makes this daal carry unusual tones of tang and sweetness making it delectable.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Toor daal
• 3 Cups water
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1 tblsp tamarind paste
• 1/4 Tsp turmeric powder
• 1.5 Tsp salt
• 2 tblsp Oil
• 1/2 Tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 Tsp mustard seeds
• 5-6 curry leaves
• A pinch of asafetida (hing)
• 1 dried whole red chilli
• 1/4 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 Tsp sugar

Wash the daal well twice and put it in the pressure cooker with 3 cups water, salt and the turmeric powder. Stir well and pressure cook on medium high heat for up to the first whistle and then turn off the heat. You want to allow the pressure cooker to release the steam on its own, so just set it aside for about 15 minutes.

Dice the tomatoes and puree them. Making a puree is optional - I just don't like tomatoes pieces in the daal personally. Now, In a small saucepan heat 1Tsp of oil and add the tomatoes to it. Cook them on medium heat, stirring occasionally. you want to cook them until you see oil oozing from the sides - that when they are done. That is step 2 complete.

For step 3, you basically want to just mix the tamarind paste, sugar and 2 Tblsp of water in a cup. As long as you have clean hands, you can use your fingers to do this. Just ensure that the paste is converted into a brown liquid with clean consistency. Step 3 - complete.

By now, the cooker should have released the steam. Open it and place the open cooker on medium-low heat, stirring the daal well. Cook for about 5 minutes - if you feel the water is less, add some more. Add the tomatoes and the tamarind juice from steps 2 and 3 above to the daal and mix them in. Cook for a couple more minutes, while you complete the last step - step 4.

In step 4, we can reuse the pan we used for the tomatoes. Heat the remaining 1 Tblsp oil in the pan and add the mustard seeds to it. Once they begin to splutter add the cumin seeds as well. Once those start to crackle, add the curry leaves, red chilli, asafetida and red chilli powder and fry for about 30 seconds. Then quickly add this to the daal in the cooker. Once again mix well, and cook the daal for another few minutes. The daal should have the desired consistency and taste by now. Adjust water or salt as desired at this time.

That's it. Serve hot over rice or with chapati.

Jeera Aaloo

Jeera Aaloo is one of our all time favorite comfort food choices served with lentils and rice. Jeera aaloo is translates to cumin spiced potatoes in English. Remember, cumin seeds are known for their digestive properties, so this is always a good pick for a light dinner.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium red potatoes - boiled
• 2 Tsp cumin seeds
• 1 green chilli chopped fine
• 2 Tblsp corn oil (vegetable oil will do)
• 1 Tsp garam masala
• 1 Tsp cumin powder
• 1 Tsp salt
• 1/4 Tsp red chilli powder
• 3-4 sprigs of cilantro for garnishing

All right, so we begin with chopping the potatoes into small chunks. Keep these aside. Now heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds to it. Once the seeds begin to splutter, add the green chilli to the pan and fry for about 30 seconds. Then, add the garam masala and cumin powder to this mix and mix well. Cook this on low-medium heat for another 30 seconds.

Add the potatoes, salt and the red chilli powder to the pan, stir well to coat the potatoes evenly with the spices and cook uncovered for 5 minutes on medium heat. Once cooked turn the heat off, and sprinkle the cilantro on top. Serve either with chapati or with daal / rice.

Chana chaat / Chickpea Salad

Here is a recipe for a tangy chickpea salad that is sure to arouse your taste buds. Its an easy make and my usual contribution to potlucks at work in the US. Chickpeas are also known as Garbanzo beans, and are ready available in cans at the grocery store.

You will need MDH Chunky Chaat masala from the Indian grocery store for this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 Can of chickpeas / Garbanzo beans
• 1/2 onion finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes finely chopped
• 1 small cucumber chopped
• 1 Potato chopped into small chunks
• 1 Tsp salt
• 1/2 Tsp red chilli powder
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1.5 Tsp MDH Chunky Chaat masala
• 5-6 springs of coriander / cilantro chopped fine

There isn't a lot to the actual recipe. Wash the chickpeas from the can and put them into a salad bowl. Throw all the other ingredients and the spices in and mix well. Squeeze in the lemon over the mix and sprinkle the cilantro over the preparation and mix well again.

Refrigerate and take out 10 minutes before serving. Basically, serve it cool, not chilled.

Vegetable Vermicelli

Vegetable Vermicelli for Breakfast

Here is another quick way of whipping up a tasty vermicelli dish for breakfast or tea. Its really simple, requires minimal ingredients and time.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup vermicelli or Bambino noodles
• 1 Cup water
• 1/2 Cup of mixed vegetables (Carrots, peas, corn, beans - avoid onions here)
• 1/2 Tsp salt
• 1/2 Tsp red chilli pepper
• 1 Tsp mustard seeds
• 4-5 Curry leaves
• 1 Tblsp Oil

Heat the oil on medium heat and add the mustard seeds to it. As the seeds begin to splutter, throw in the curry leaves and fry for about 30 seconds. Now add the vermicelli to the pan, and mix well. Fry this for about a minute or until the vermicelli turns golden brown.

Add the veggies, water and spices to the mix and stir well. Cover and cook on low-medium heat for about 5 minutes. That's it - its ready to eat!

Vermicelli Upma

Saturday breakfast yesterday was vermicelli upma, south Indian style. Turned out fairly decent :)

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups vermicelli / bambino  (Indian store)
• 3 Cups water
• 1 small onion cut into thin long slits
• 2 Green chillies chopped fine
• 1 Tblsp Mustard seeds
• 1 Tblsp Chana daal
• 1 Tblsp Urad daal
• 2 Tblsp cashew pieces
• 7-8 Curry leaves
• 2 Tblsp Oil
• 2 Tsp salt

I usually buy pre-roasted bambino from the Indian store - this is already golden brown when you buy it. If that isn't available, roast the 2 cups of bambino in a tblsp of oil for a couple of minutes on medium high heat until it turns a nice brown color. Remove and keep aside.

To formally begin, heat the oil in an open saucepan and add the mustard seeds to it. Once the seeds start to sputter, bring the heat down to medium and add the curry leaves, cashew pieces and the lentils. Fry these for a bit until the cashews and the lentils begin to turn golden. Now, add the chillies and the onions to the pan and saute for a few more minutes until the onions turn translucent or light brown.

Initial ingredients being sauteed

Once that happens, add the water and salt to the pan and bring the mixture to a boil. You can taste the water at this time to see if the salt is appropriate. As the water begins to boil, ad the vermicelli and mix all the ingredients in the pan well.

Nearly done

Bring the heat down to medium low, cover the pan and wait for about 10 minutes. Once the water has evaporated, the upma is ready to be served. Best served with a piping hot cup of tea!

Pithla

Decided to try something new tonight. I looked around the internet for something fresh and exciting and came across this recipe for Pithla. "Pithla Bhakri" is the staple food of rural Maharashtra, and a comfort street food in the lanes of Mumbai. Here is the recipe I used ..

Ingredients:

• 6 Tblsp besan (chickpea flour)
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes diced fine
• 6 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 2 green chillies finely chopped
• 6-7 curry leaves
• 2 Tbsp Oil
• 1.5 Tsp salt
• 1/2 Tsp mustard seeds
• 12 Tsp cumin seeds
• 2 Tsp coriander powder
• 1 Tsp red chilli powder
• 1/4 Tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 Tsp Asafoetida 
• 1/4 Cup chopped coriander / cilantro
• 1 Tblsp lemon juice
• 2 Cups water

First heat 1 Tblsp of oil in a flat plan - remember you have 2 Tblsp of Oil, we're just using 1 Tblsp right now. Once the oil is heated, add the besan (flour) and roast this on medium heat. Keep stirring constantly until you can smell the aroma. This should take about 2 minutes. At this point, turn off the heat and transfer the besan to a bowl. If the flour looks granulated, run your fingers thru it and ensure that the granules are minimal.

In the same bowl, heat the other 1 tblsp of oil and add the mustard seeds. Once they begin to splutter, add the cumin seeds. When they begin to crackle, add the curry leaves, green chillies, asafoetida, garlic and onion. Mix well, and heat this until the onions are translucent. Now, bring the heat to medium-low and add the Coriander powder, Red Chilli Powder and Turmeric Powder. Mix this well and cook for 1 minute. Add the besan to this mix, and cook for a further 2 minutes. Then, add the tomatoes, cilantro and the water stirring constantly. Add the water in incremental quantities, making sure there are no lumps. Finally, add the salt and the lemon juice, and turn up the heat back to high-medium, allowing the curry to come to a boil. Simmer for about 1 minute after that and turn off the heat. The pithla should get thicker and consistent by now.

Serve hot with chapati or bhakri.

Dal Palak (Lentils with Spinach)

This is a very tasty way to get your proteins, iron and fiber all in one dish! Goes well with plain white rice or Chapati (Indian Bread).

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Toor Dal (lentils made from Split pigeon peas) - get this from the local Indian store
• 1 small Onion chopped fine
• 1 large Tomato chopped into small pieces
• 1 bunch of Spinach ( 2 handfuls of frozen spinach will do)
• 2 cloves of finely chopped Garlic
• 4 Cups water
• 1/2 Tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 & 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1 pinch of Asofoetida
• 2 Tblsp Oil
• A few Curry leaves
• 1 Tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 Tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 Tsp Red Chilli powder
• 1/4 Tsp Tamarind paste
• 1 Tblsp Kastoori Methi - Optional
• 1 Tsp dried Red Chilli flakes - Optional

To begin with, wash and soak the Toor Daal for half an hour. Washing the lentils allows for letting any dirt or hollow lentils float to on top and discarding them. Discard the water, and pressure-cook it with fresh water, Turmeric Powder and the chopped tomatoes.

Cook for 2 whistles and then turn the heat off. Like the black eyed peas, I usually cook lentils in a pressure cooker. Cooking in an open pan will do as well, but it'll take a lot of time.

Meanwhile, we can start working on the "tadka". "Tadka" is a kind of garnish usually prepared in ghee or oil and added at the end of the cooking. In an open pan, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. once they start popping, add the cumin seeds. Keep the heat at medium and add the following ingredients - Asofoetida, Dry Red Chili, Methi Leaves, Curry Leaves, Garlic and Onions. Mix well and cook until the onions turn light golden. Now add the spinach and mix well again.

Cook for 2 minutes and then add this mixture to the dal. Keep the dal on medium to low heat.

Add the salt, red chilli powder and the tamarind paste to the lentils and mix well. You can adjust the water (for consistency) and salt at this point. Give the dal a boil, and then turn the stove off. Serve hot.

Rongi (Black Eyed Peas)

Black eyed peas are a good source of iron and magnesium. Here's a recipe to make a well spiced and delicious meal out of it. Serve it with white rice.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Black Eyed Peas
• 3 Cups water
• 2 Tsp salt
• 2 Tomatoes
• 1 Tblsp oil
• 1 Tsp cumin seeds
• 1 Tsp red pepper powder
• 1 Tsp coriander powder
• 1 Tsp Garam masala (optional - can be obtained from the local Indian store)

I usually cook this in a pressure cooker. Cooking in an open pan will do as well, but it'll take a lot of time, unless you're using canned Black Eyed Peas.

First, wash the black eyed peas well and add them to the cooker along with the water and 1.5 Tsp salt. Stir this a couple of times. Close the pressure cooker and turn up the heat. Cook for 2 whistles and then turn the heat off, and wait for the pressure to release. Make sure th

e peas feel well cooked - cook for another whistle if required. Once done, the peas should look somewhat like this

Cut the tomatoes into small pieces and keep aside. Alternatively, you can also throw these in the chopper and blend them into a chunky paste. In a separate small skillet, heat the Oil on medium and add the cumin seeds to it. Once the seeds begin to splutter, add the remaining salt (0.5 Tsp) and all the other spices along with the tomatoes to the skillet. Mix well and continue to heat until the oil separates. this should look like this

Add this tomato gravy to the black eyed peas in the cooker and mix well. Cook on medium heat for about 2 minutes more. Enjoy.

Aaloo Gobi (Spiced Cauliflower-Potato Entree)

Aaloo Gobi is a simple recipe that I have mastered over time...it is a north Indian dish that comprises of Cauliflower and potato and brings a nice bit of spice to the table.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 small Cauliflower cut down into small florets
• 1 medium potato cut into small cubes
• 1.5 Tblsp Corn Oil (can use vegetable Oil)
• 1 Tblsp cumin seeds
• 1 Tsp ginger paste
• 1 Tsp salt
• 1/2 Tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 Tsp Red pepper powder
• 2 Tsp Coriander powder
• 1 pinch Black pepper powder
• 1 pinch Garam Masala (option for adding spice to the dish)
• 1/2 Cup water
• Cilantro for garnishing

Heat the oil in a pan on medium high heat and add cumin seeds to it. Once the seeds begin to sizzle, add the ginger paste as well. If the paste is too thick, mix in a spoon of water before adding to the oil. After about 30 seconds, add the cauliflower and potatoes to the pan. Add the salt, turmeric, red pepper and coriander powder and mix well. Fry for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, add half a cup of water to the mixture.

Mix all the ingredients well once again, and cover the pan. bring the heat down to medium, and cook for about 5 minutes or till the water has evaporated. Once books, turn the heat off and garnish with chopped cilantro.