Potato Soup

Potato Soup

Fall is slowly turning into winter and there is a definite chill in the evening air. Potato soup is great comfort soup on such nights. I tried it out this past weekend and it turned out great. Definitely try it in the winters!

Ingredients:

• 1 full head of garlic
• 2 Tblsp Olive Oil
• 8 medium red Potatoes
• 2-3 sprigs of green onions
• 1/4 Cup diced Celery
• 1.5 Cups chopped Cauliflower florets
• 8 Cups vegetable broth
• 1/3 Cup unsalted Cashews
• 1/4 Turmeric powder
• 1 Tblsp lemon juice
• 1 Cup baby spinach cut into ribbons

Using a garlic press, crush all the cloves of a single garlic and roast the mix in a few drops of olive oil till it starts to turns brown. Keep this aside. Now peel the potatoes and dice them into medium chunks. Wash these under cold water to remove some starch.

Now, take a large pot (this is what you'll be cooking the soup in) and heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Olive oil has a very low smoking point so make sure your heat is not high. Add the celery and most of the spring onions - you want to keep some greens for garnishing. Saute for 5 minutes and as the vegetables begin to get translucent, add 1 Tsp salt. Now, add the potatoes, cauliflower, the garlic pulp roasted in the beginning and pour 7 cups of the broth in the pot. Mix well and increase the heat to high.

Once the mix starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes. By now the potatoes and cauliflower should be tender enough to be poked by a fork.  Once you get to this point, remove the soup from heat - this helps in preventing starch build up. Stir in the cashews and turmeric powder and mix well.

Finally, you will need to blend the soup in a food processor or a blender. Use the remaining broth to assist with this. The result should be smooth and creamy and you may need to work this part in batches. Pour the soup back to the pot, add the lemon juice and warm over low heat. Stir in the spinach and heat for a minute or so for the leaves to wilt before turning the heat off.

Garnish with the green onions or chives and serve piping hot. A new favorite for the cold evenings!

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.

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.

Samosas

I was in a cooking mood this weekend. I'd found a great cook book at the library the week before, and I thought of making Samosas a shot... yeah, Samosas!!

I think they turned out pretty well...


Spicy:

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1.5 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp ground anise
• A pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup cold water
• 2 cups vegetable shortening to fry the samosas

Filling for samosas:

• 6 Medium potatoes, boiled and cut into small pieces or broken into coarse chunks
• 1 Large onion, very finely chopped
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste (use a bit of each if paste is unavailable)
• 1 cup peas (if frozen, wash them with warm water and ensure that they are soft)
• 1 tsp red pepper
• 2 tblsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 2 cups chopped coriander / cilantro
• 1 tblsp salt

Take a large plastic bowl (like a popcorn bowl) to make the dough. Mix the flour, anise, cumin and salt. Add the shortening, and rub into the flour mixture until little granules are formed. Add the water, a little at a time, until a stiff dough is made. I think it should take somewhere from 1/3 to half a cup. Knead well for a few minutes, and then refrigerate for an hour. While you wait, you can work on the filling. This is really very simple. Simply mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, so that they stick together like a dough. Make sure that the filling is absolutely dry. This very important: if the filling is not dry, the liquid can make it very hard to deal the samosa.

Now to actually make the samosas...
Divide the ball of dough into 10 pieces of approximately the same size. Take one of these pieces and roll them into a small ball, as you would for making a chapati. Now flatten the ball. Using a rolling pin, roll out a flat round shape of about 7" diameter. The thickness should be as thin as possible, but don't go overboard with it, else wrapping the samosa becomes a problem.

Using a pizza cutter, cut the rolled out circle in the middle, to cut the shape into two equal halves. Each half shall create one samosa. Take a tblsp full of the mixture and place it in the middle of one of the halves as shown in the picture below.

Before you proceed, take a cup of water. dip you index finger, and run it around the edges of the entire shape, to dampen the edges. Now, take the right most edge, lift it, and bring the dough layer towards the left such that it covers the filling on the right. Repeat the procedure for the left hand side, and ensure that the top portion is nearly or completely sealed.

Moisten the base of the triangle; fold up at the edge and the top. Press down well with a fork or your fingers to completely seal it. This is imperative so that the shortening does not seep in during the frying, and the filing does not spill out.

Repeat this procedure, and you should have around 20 samosas ready for frying.

Frying:

Heat the two cups of vegetable shortening in a wok / kadai.
I am sure the shortening could easily be substituted with refined oil, but the shortening is healthier, and gives the samosa a lighter feel & taste. Matter of personal preference.

Reduce to medium high heat.

When the shortening has been on medium high for about 5 minutes, drop a pinch a dough in it. If the dough rises at once, the shortening is ready.

Now deep fry the samosas, frying on one side until it is golden brown, and then turning it over. When done, place the samosas onto a stack of 3-4 paper towels. This helps soak the excess oil.


Serve samosas hot or hot with ketchup or chutney.
Hope you enjoy them!!!

Breaded Potato cutlet

Ingredients:

• 4 medium size boiled red potatoes
• 1 teaspoon jeera
• 1 teaspoon ajwain
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 tablespoon oil
• Some slices of bread
• Oil for deep frying

Start off with heating the oil in a kadai (small wok). Add jeera and ajwain to it. Cut the potatoes into small cubes, while the jeera & ajwain start to crackle. Add the potatoes to the kadai, and sprinkle the salt, red chilli and turmeric powder over the mixture. Mix well. its fine if the potatoes get a bit mashed up. Keep this mixture aside. Start heating the oil for deep frying. Meanwhile, take a slice of bread, and lightly dip in water. Immediately squeeze the slice between your palms to make sure the water is out. The bread slice shall get soggy the first couple of times you try it, so perhaps you are better off just applying the water lightly to the slice. If the bread is too dry however, the cutlet ends up tasting like breadcrumbs! Take a tablespoon of the potato mix and place it in the middle of the bread slice. Pull the corners of the bread slice together to enclose the potato mix in the breading. Give it any shape you want. Repeat and form many such cutlets.


When the oil is hot enough to fry, dip in a cutlet carefully into the oil and fry till your desired crispness is achieved.



Serve with tomato ketchup or coriander chutney.

Tip: Cutting off the edges from the bread gives you a better presentation in the end, but if you keep them, shaping the cutlets is easier.

Vada Pav

OK, so I took a big leap in cooking: I made Vada pav today!!! Vada Pav is to Mumbai, what Pizza is to Italy. Naturally, the Pav is not available here, so I got the makeshift Hamburger buns instead. Here are how the vada's turned out ...

It turned out really well, and undoubtedly it has been my best effort yet - first time right :)


Spicy:

Ingredients:

• 2 boiled potatoes
• 1/4 cup Gram flour (besan)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger paste
• 2 green chillies
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 4 - 5 curry leaves
• Frying oil
• Pinch of baking soda
• Hamburger buns (Pav substitute)

Take gram flour in a bowl and add some water to it. Start with 1/2 cup of water and stir. Add water in small measures, and continue to stir, until the batter is just right. It should not be towards the dripping side, neither should it resemble a paste. Remember: this shall serve as the frying batter. Add two pinches of salt, and a pinch of baking soda to the batter. Keep the batter aside.

Mash the potatoes.

Grind the green chillies to a paste, and mix it with the garlic and ginger paste. (I already had green chilli paste, so I just mixed all the three pastes in a spoon) Add this paste and 1 teaspoon salt to the potatoes, and mix these ingredients. This step needs to be thorough, because you run a chance of having parts with too much garlic or ginger.

Now, in an open flat pan, heat 2 table spoons of oil on medium flame. I use corn oil for frying, and all cooking purposes, I think it tastes better than vegetable / canola oil. Add mustard seeds and curry leaves in the pan. When the mustard leaves begin to splutter, add the turmeric powder, and mix well. Wait half a minute, and take the pan off the heat. Add the mashed potatoes to the pan, and mix everything well. Put the mixture in a bowl, and mix it again using your hands.

If you ever attended a true Bombay school, you should smell the vadas already!

Heat some oil in a deep bottom pan. Ensure you have enough oil for deep frying. Heat the Oil on medium-high.

Make small balls from this potato mixture, dip them in the gram flour batter and add them to the oil, after ensuring that the oil is hot enough. To ensure that the oil is hot enough, add a drop or two of the batter to the oil. It should immediately rise up, frying.

Keep turning the vada around at regular intervals, making sure all sides are being fried.

Fry until the vada becomes golden brown. Take the vada out, and lay them on a newspaper or paper napkins to absorb the oil. That's it, your vadas are ready!!!!

If you do not access to pav, use hamburger buns.