Malai Kofta

A royal,delicious and a very famous menu in every restaurant. These succulent juicy kofta immersed in rich creamy gravy is sure to leave your mouth watering. Malai means cream, in other words richness or royal. This combines everything that is rich like cashews, fresh cream and paneer as main ingredients.You can make this either as a white gravy completely by ignoring tomatoes as well.However, I have used tomatoes as I had some fresh tomatoes in stock with me. Either way, this will taste awesome. This is a mildly sweet gravy very similar to paneer butter masala.This goes very well with Butter Naan or any other Indian Breads. Learn to make this simple easy recipe at home without much fuss.

Ingredients

Base Onion Tomato Gravy

1. Onions - 3(Big)
2. Banglore Tomatoes - 2 (Big)
3. Cashew Nuts - 12-15
4. Poppy seeds/Khus Khus - 2 tbsp
5. Green Chili - 2 small or 1 big
6. Water - 2 cups

Kofta

1. Paneer - 200 gms (Grated)
2. Raisins - 2 tbsp
3. Cashews - 2 tbsp (chopped)
4. Potato - 3 big(boiled, peeled and smashed)
5. Needed Salt
6. Corn flour - 2 tbsp (for binding)
7. Maida/All purpose flour - Dusting
8. Oil for deep frying

Other Ingredients

1. Butter - 2 tbsp
2. Bay leaf - 1
3. Green Cardamon - 2
4. Cloves - 2
5. Pepper powder - 1 tsp
6. Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
7. Coriander powder - 1 tsp
8. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
9. Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Needed salt
11. Sugar - 3 tsp
12. Fresh Cream - 2 tbsp
13. Kasuri Methi (crushed) - 1 tsp

Method

Gravy Preparation

1. Boil all ingredients under "Gravy" for about 5 mins. The skin of tomatoes come off. Once the contents are cooled, blanch the tomatoes. ( see more on blanching tomatoes).

                              

2. Grind the contents to a smooth paste.

3. Heat butter in a pan, add bay leaf, cloves and cardamom and saute well.

4. Add ginger garlic paste and saute well for the raw flavor to go off.

5. Add the ground gravy mixture to the pan and saute well.

                             

6. Add all the powders mentioned in other ingredients and needed salt to saute well.

7. Cover the lid and allow it to simmer for 10 mins.

8. After 10 mins, the gravy would have cooked well and the raw taste would have gone completely.

9. Mix well and add needed water (if gravy has become too thick).

10. Add sugar and fresh cream and give it a good stir.

11. Add some crushed kasuri Methi and switch off the flame.

Kofta preparation

1. Mix mashed aloo,grated paneer and corn flour together. Combine well so that the contents mix homogeneously.

                              

2. Add green chili, cashew bites and raisins and combine well as shown in the pic.

3. Form cylindrical shape koftas with hand and dust them evenly in maida flour. The koftas should be uniformly coated well with flour.

                                 

4. Deep fry them in hot oil till the koftas turn golden brown. ensure the flame is medium so that the koftas do not turn black immediately.

5. Keep the koftas aside.   

                       

Assembling

1. On a plate, gently pour a ladle of the creamy gravy. Place the koftas above it.

2. Garnish with beaten fresh cream and serve them hot with Butter Naan or any other Indian Breads.

Notes,Tips & Add-On's

1. Presence of cashew makes the gravy thick. You can adjust water accordingly to make it  a creamy consistency.Make sure you don't add much.
2. Dusting the koftas helps in uniform covering of koftas. While frying, it gives uniform coloring.

Aloo Capsicum Masala

Aloo or potato and capsicum is a common vegetable in every household. Aloo being the king of vegetables always makes a great choice for any gravy. This is also a commonly available gravy at any restaurant or dhaba. Let's see the preparation of this gravy.

Serves:4

Ingredients

1. Potatoes - 2 Big
2. Capsicum / Bell Pepper(Green/Yellow/Red) - 1 big or 2 small
3. Medium size tomatoes- 4
4. Almonds (Blanched)/ Cashews - 7
5. Big Onions -2 
6. Mustard Oil or any cooking oil - 3 tbsp
7. Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
8. Ginger garlic paste- 2 tbsp
9. Red chili powder- 2 tsp
10. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
11. Coriander powder- 2 tsp
12. Garam Masala powder- 2 tsp
13. Whisked thick Curd - 3 tbsp
14. Fresh Cream - 2 tbsp (Optional)
15. Cinnamon stick-1 piece
16. cloves-3
17. Bay Leaf - 1
18. Kasuri methi crushed- 1 tbsp
19. Coriander leaves - few for garnishing

Method

1. Boil the potatoes separately in a pressure cooker with pinch of salt.

2. In a separate pan, add oil and saute capsicum for 2 mins with a dash of salt and keep it aside.

3. Grind onion and ginger garlic paste together. In a pan, heat oil. Add cumin seeds,bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cloves and saute on a medium flame.

4. After cumin seeds crackle, add the onion + ginger garlic paste and saute well until the paste turns to golden brown color. The raw flavour of onion ginger garlic paste should completely go off.

5. Grind the tomatoes and (almonds/cashews) together and add it to the above pan.

6. Add turmeric, red chili, coriander powder and needed salt to the above pan, mix well and cover the pan and cook for about 5 mins.

7. Now add the whisked curd and garam masala and mix gently. Add the cooked potatoes and fried capsicum to the above gravy mixture. Allow it to simmer on low flame for another
5 mins.

8. Add some fresh cream and simmer for 2 mins.

9. Add crushed kasuri methi.

10. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with any Indian Breads.

Notes,Tips & Add-on's

1. If you are using cashews, soak them in warm water for 15 mins before grinding it. This ensures a smooth paste is formed.
2. You can either use almond or cashew, this is added to enhance the flavor,richness and provide a creamy texture to the gravy.
3. Fresh cream is added to balance the tanginess of tomato and curd and also to give a creamy taste and thickness.

Spiced Cajun Potato Wedges

If you want to make an easy crispy quick bites for your guest, this is an apt choice. Potato wedges are a frequent menu in any of the Italian restaurants or pizza corners.This is an easy quick and simple recipe and can be made in no time. If you are planning for a quick and interesting starter, check out this recipe right away.
There are 2 methods listed here in the below post, one is baked method which consumes less oil. The other one is deep fry method. The deep fry method is a fool proof method and you get nice crispy potato wedges in a jiffy. People who don't have oven can use this method.The disadvantage is that it consumes more oil. On the other hand, baked wedges consumes less oil, but crispiness depends on each oven settings.Do try out both the methods and adopt whichever is convenient for you:):)

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1. Non starchy Potatoes-3 medium sized
2. Red Chili Flakes-1 tsp
3. Mixed Italian Seasoning -1 tsp
4. Pepper powder-1 tsp
5. Garlic-5 pods (minced finely)
6. Oil-3 tbsp (Olive oil or any other cooking Oil) - If used in oven
7. Cornflour - 2 tbsp (required if deep frying method used)
8. All purpose flour - 2 tbsp (required if deep frying method used)
9. Oil for deep frying
10. Salt to taste

Method 1- Bake using Convection Mode Oven

1. Wash the potatoes thoroughly.Cut them into wedges as shown in the picture without peeling the skin.

2. Par boil the chopped potatoes wedges in water for 2-3 mins with some salt.

3. Strain them,pat them with a dry towel and place them in a bowl.

5. Take oil in a bowl. Add the red chili flakes,pepper,salt, minced garlic,seasoning to the oil and mix well. Now, marinate the potato wedges with this mixture such that the potato wedges are covered nicely with the marination.

6. Spread these wedges on an oven safe tray.

7. Pre-Heat the oven for 200 degrees C.

8. Once the pre heat temperature is reached,place the tray inside the oven and bake them for 20-25 mins until the edges turn golden and crispy.

9. Once they are baked,pat them with dry tissue to remove excess oil.

10. Serve the hot potato wedges with sauce or any other Cheesy dip.

Notes,Tips & Add-On's

1. Boiling the potatoes initially helps in reducing the baking time and also makes the wedges crispier.
2. Since, we use baking technique, this consumes less oil.
3. Pre heat temperature varies from oven to oven.Hence,you need to study your oven settings.

Method 2 - Deep Fry Method

1. Wash the potatoes thoroughly.Cut them into wedges as shown in the picture without peeling the skin.

2. Par boil the chopped potatoes wedges in water for 2-3 mins with some salt in hot water.

3. Strain them,pat them with a dry towel

4. Take a mixing bowl, add cornflour, flour,salt , pepper,chili flakes,garlic pods and seasoning. Mix well.

5. Take a zip lock cover, add the above mixture and the par boiled wedges to it and shake well. Ensure the wedges are coated well with the mixture.

6. Freeze the zip lock for an hour.

7. After an hour,heat oil, when the oil is nice hot, add the frozen wedges one by one until they are fried completely and turn into nice golden brown color.

8. The wedges are nice crispy outside and soft inside. Serve them with hot piping sauce.

Notes,Tips & Add-On's

1. Since we are adding frozen potato wedges into oil, the oil might splutter. So exercise caution while frying.
2. Ensure the oil is hot before frying, else the wedges might absorb too much oil and may not turn crispy.
3. Adjust the heat of the oil as we do not want the potato wedges to be burnt either.

Aloo Paratha

The king of parathas would definitely be Aloo paratha.Our tummy gets full just by having two masala parathas.This is a delicious recipe from Punjabi cuisine.This can be very easily made at home.I used to order aloo paratha every now and then from Hot Chips.However, After I learnt to make it, I never order it from hotels.The best time to have parathas is breakfast.Yes the ghee and aloo that goes into making these parathas needs to get digested na!!!:P However,often I make this only for dinner just to feast on delicious parathas when I return home with great hunger.

Serves:8 - 10 parathas

Ingredients

Dough Ingredients 

1. Wheat Flour/Atta-2 cups 
2. Turmeric Powder-1 tsp 
3. Red Chili Powder-1 tsp 
4. Warm water as needed for kneading 
5. Oil as needed for kneading 
6. Salt to taste 
7. Ghee/ Oil for roasting parathas

Masala Stuffing Ingredients

1. Potato-3 to 4 Medium sized(Boiled) 
2. cumin seeds/jeera - 2 tsp
3. Green Chili-1 big (finely chopped) 
4. Onion-1 medium sized(finely chopped) 
5. Coriander-Fistful(finely chopped) 
6. Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder- 1 tsp 
7. Garam Masala Powder-1 tsp
8. Coriander powder - 1 tsp
9. Chat masala powder - 1 tsp
10. Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
11. Oil-2-3 tsp 
12. Salt to taste

Method

1. Mix wheat flour and all the powder mentioned under dough ingredients along with salt well.

2. Knead the dough well using water and oil as needed.

3. Smash the boiled potatoes nicely. In a pan, heat oil and add cumin seeds. Once cumin crackles,add onions,green chili and ginger garlic paste. Saute until onions become transparent.

4. Add the smashed potatoes,needed salt, all the powders and mix nicely on a medium flame for 5 mins. Add some chopped coriander and give it a final mixing.The Aloo stuffing is now ready.Keep it aside and allow it to cool.

5. Make balls from the dough and roll it on a roller pin into flat round sheets.

6. Make balls out of the masala stuffing.Place it on the rolled wheat sheets.Cover the stuffing with the sheets as shown in the picture.

7. Dust little flour and roll it into medium size.

8. Heat some ghee on a pan, fry the rolled parathas in the pan using ghee. When one side of the paratha becomes golden brown, flip it and cook the other side.

9. Serve the parathas hot with raitha or Curd.

Notes,Tips & Add-On's

1. Make sure you don't stuff too much masala that you find it difficult to roll.The masala may squeeze out. So take a small ball of masala stuffing depending on how big you want the parathas to be.
2. Make sure, the dough is not too sticky and soft while kneading. It has to have a perfect brown no sticky texture.
3. Don't dust too much that your parathas become hard on the surface.Dust only as needed.

Aloo Masal

This is one of the most delicious side dish from south India and the best pair of poori.I don't think there is anyone who hates poori masala.I used to love the poori masala that is being served at Hotel Saravan Bhavan.It is one of the major menu item in any south indian restaurant predominantly had for breakfast.It is a very easy recipe that can be made in a jiffy.Now lets see,how to prepare this yummy aloo masala that goes well with Poori.

Serves:3

Ingredients

1. Potato - 4 nos (Medium/Large sized)
2. Onion - 2 medium sized(chopped)
3. Green chillies - 2 nos(chopped)
4. Ginger – 1 inch piece (Chopped)
5. Lemon - 1/2
6. Asafoetida- generous pinch
7. Turmeric powder - generous pinch *This gives the nice yellow colour for the dish.
8. Gram flour – 2 tsp
9. Salt to taste
10. Water - as needed to boil
11. Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
12. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
13. Cumin seeds/Jeera-1 tsp
14. Urad dal - 1 tsp
15. Chana dal/Kadala paruppu - 1 tsp
16. Coriander leaves for garnishing
17. Curry leaves - 4

Method

1. Pressure cook the potatoes for 3-4 whistles so that it is cooked well.

2. Once the potatoes are cooked,remove the outer skin and smash the potatoes.

3. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard and cumin seeds. Once the mustard and jeera crackles, add urad dal,channa dal and asafoetida.

4. Add onions,ginger,curry leaves and chili and saute till the onions turn transparent.

5. Add about 1/2 cup water to allow the onions to be boiled nicely.

6. Now add the smashed potatoes to the above combo.

7. Add turmeric powder and salt and mix nicely.

8. Mix gram flour with 1/4 cup of water(This varies based on the consistency required) and pour it to the aloo mixture.

9. Please follow the above process on low flame.The aloo will slowly start to thicken. When the required consistency is reached,remove the aloo masal from flame.

10. Squeeze a tsp of lemon to it.

11. Garnish with Coriander leaves and serve hot with fluffy yummy  Pooris:)

Notes,Tips & Add-On's

1. Don't smash the potato too much.Leave few small chunks of potato so that you can munch on it while eating. 
2. You can also use small pieces of carrot and green peas as add-on's. 
3. Goes well with Pooris.Check out GB's Poori recipe here.