VEG SHAMMI KABABS

Shammi kabab is a very popular Awadhi dish made from minced meat, lentils and spices. Shammi kabab is a very popular variety of kababs not only in Indian cuisin but also other south asian countries. But here is my veg version of kabab which is without meat. The kababs with meat are very succulent, tasty and melt in mouth. These vegetarian shammi kababs are not melt in mouth that much I can tell you, but they are delicious. I made these kababs with soaked black chana and few Indian  spices and herbs and pan fried these to get melt in your mouth kinda kababs. This is first time I tried shammi kabab and it was very new combo of ingredients to me, but the kabab was so flavorful and tasty. We really loved the inner part of the kabab. Veg kababs are excellent as starters and even teams up well with bread in a sandwich, with bun in burger and with pita bread too. Serve this kabab hot with onion-mint-lime salad or the mint-yogurt chutney that is ususally served with tandoori snacks. Such a healthy and versatile recipe, the options are absolutely endless. Play around with the spices and herbs and make patties as for snacks or for burgers with this.  

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup dried Black Chickpeas (kala chana)

1 medium sized onion, finely chopped or minced

1 tablespoon Mint leaves, chopped

1 tablespoon Coriander leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon Coriander powder

½ teaspoon Red Chili powder

1 Green chili, finely chopped

½ tablespoon Ginger paste

½ teaspoon Garam masala powder

2 tablespoon Gram flour (besan)

Salt as required

Oil for frying the kababs

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Soak the black chickpeas in water overnight of for 6-7 hours.

STEP 2 – Drain and pressure cook the chickpeas with enough water and salt till they are thoroughly cooked.

STEP 3 – Let the pressure settle down in the cooker. Drain the cooked chickpeas now.In a large bowl, add the chickpeas and mash them with a wooden spoon or a blender or your hands.Just make a semi coarse mixture and not too smooth.

STEP 4 – Add all the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

STEP 5 - Add chickpea flour for binding.Mix it well and form a dough.

STEP 5 – Take a small portion from the dough.

STEP 6 - Make into small round shaped kababs or patties.

STEP 7 – Shallow fry the kababs in medium hot oil till crisp and browned on both sides.

STEP 8 – You can also bake the kababs with a drizzle of oil for a healthier version.

STEP 9 – Garnish kababs with mint leaves and serve hot.

 Serve veg kababs with onion-mint salad along with slices of lime and some mint chutney.

NOTE:*You can also make the kababs with chana dal and black chickpeas. 
            When frying, for testing first fry one kabab in the oil. If it doesn’t break than you can safely fry the remaining kababs.
           If it does break, then add some more chickpea flour/besan to the mixture.

DAHIWALA BAINGAN BHARTA/ SMOKED AUBERGINES WITH YOGURT

Brinjal or Baingan or Eggplant is not everyone's favorite. But me and my husband like it in any dorm like bharta, bhrawa baingan, sliced baingan masala, etc. This is very simple, tasty, slightly spicy bharta recipe slightly different recipe than our regular one. This can be made as a accompaniment to plain white rice or chapattis. The curd in the dish helps the brinjal absorb the spices, while also lending a tangy flavor to the dish. Brinjal is very nutritious vegetable, high on magnesium and vitamins. Today's recipe is very healthy and best suited recipe for the Baingan lovers for this summer season. Dahiwala baingan ka bharta is a flavorful and easy to digest eggplant recipe. The USP of this dish is that it needs much less spices as compared to our regular baingan ka bharta recipe. So let's start with the step by step recipe of dahiwal baingan ka bharta.

INGREDIENTS:
500 gms Baigan [2 in number]
1 Cup Curd
For Tempering:
3 tablespoon Oil
1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
1/2 teaspoon Methi / Fenugreek Seeds
1/2 teaspoon Ajwain/ Carom Seeds
1 Medium Sized Oinion, Chopped
2-3 Green Chillis, Chopped
2-3 Dry Red Chillis
8-10 Curry Leaves
1/2 teaspoon Grated Ginger
2 tablespoon Coriander, Chopped finely
Salt as per your taste

METHOD:
STEP 1 - Wash the brinjal and wipe it with the kitchen towel.
STEP 2 - Brush the brinjal with oil and then keep them on a gas stove and roast from all sides until charred and cooked well.

STEP 3 - Cool them and remove the skin, mash it and let it cool for some time.

STEP 4 - Whisk the curd/ yogurt in a bowl and add salt and mix well. Keep this aside.

STEP 5 - Heat oil in a small pan.

STEP 6 - Add chopped onion, green chillis and grated ginger in it. Saute it till the raw smell vanish.

STEP 7 - Now add this to the mashed brinjal with curd and mix well.

For tempering:

STEP 1 - Heat oil in small tempering pan. Once it gets heated up add red chillis, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and carom seeds in it and let them crackle for few seconds.

STEP 2 - Add curry leaves in it. Pour this tempering over the brinjal mixture and mix properly.

STEP 3 - Garnish with chopped coriander and serve.

Serve with plain white rice, Phulka, chapatti and enjoy.

BHATURA

Bhatura is considered as one of the traditional classic dish from the Punjabi cuisine and originated in the Punjab region of Northern India and Western Pakistan. Bhaturea recipe without yeast is a soft leavened fried Indian bread made with flour, baking powder, and yogurt. When fried it puff int a fluffy, chewy, lightly browned bread which is served with the chickpea curry popularly known as Chole. Easy bhatura recipe with step by step photos. It is very simple to make at home and requires only few ingredients. It is very popular in the streets and restaurants of Punjab and Delhi. Delhi , along with a rivs taste of history, offers abundant sources for a food-lover's delight. Known for the street food culture, Delhi never disappoints when it comes to tasting exquisite delights on practically every street. This recipe takes less time unlike the bhatura version I have posted before. This recipe needs to keep the dough to leaven for about 2 hours and then begun with the frying. So while the dough is leavening you can prepare your favorite chole or chickpeas curry. The bhatura and chole share a very unique relationship in the sense that the Bhatura goes extremely well with nothing but the chole. If you order a bhatura in any Indian restaurant, you will be amazed to see the size of the bhatura, which is at least 8 inches in diameter. but at home, I prefer to make a little bigger than the size of puri. So here is the easy, quick and simple recipe of bhatura without yeast.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups Maida

¼ Cup Sooji (for crispiness)

¼ Cup Dahi

½ teaspoon Baking Powder

½ teaspoon Sugar

Salt to taste

Oil

Lukewarm Water

METHOD:

STEP 1 – In a mixing bowl, add sooji, maida, sugar, salt and baking powder.

STEP 2 – Add dahi and then add oil to the mixture and mix well.

STEP 3 – Then using lukewarm water make soft dough with it. [Not too soft and not too hard]

STEP 4 – Use little oil and cover the dough with it. Let it be kept for 2 minutes.

STEP 5 – Use a damp cloth and cover the dough with it.

Cover with a plate. Keep it on a warm place.

STEP 6 – Microwave it for 2 minutes. Keep the container in it for 2-3 minutes.[I skipped this step because I kept my dough in warm place]

STEP 7 – After 2 hours knead it again.

STEP 8 – Take small portion from the dough.

Make plain ball and then roll it on a rolling platform. Using a drop of oil.

Use a trick,  don’t pick the bhatura every time. Just change the side of your rolling platform and roll it.

STEP 9 – Heat oil, fry the bhaturas in it till crispy and fluffy.

Drain the excess oil. Ready to serve.

Serve bhatura with the Punjabi style Amritsari chole masala along some salad or raita.

NOTES: Bhaturas taste  great when they are hot, so fry them just before eating.

KAIRI CHA PANHA/ RAW MANGO SQUASH

As the heat is already catching up, we get a clear indication on summers just round the corner. As the mercury goes soaring, chilled drinks are must have and what can be better than the flavour of the season i.e. raw green mango. No prizes for guessing the recipe we are referring to which is aam panna.

This can be used as the cooler for summer season and help greatly in beating the heat in the summer. At home avoid the unhealthy cold drinks in the summer and take recourse in the bountiful blessings that mother nature gives us. 

Aam panna is slightly sour and sweet to taste with a hint of cardamom and blacksalt. You can make it with sugar or jaggery. If you do make it with sugar your aam panna is light creamish or pale in colour like mine. It prevents you from heat stroke and keeps the body cool. Raw mangoes are rich in vitamin C and iron, plus if jaggery is added then gives an iron boost. Mint, the well known mouth and breath freshner that is scientifically known as mentha. Every ingredient here plays an important contributing to the taste, flavour and texture. The raw unripe mango is tart and pulpy, the mint is usual summer favourite for the cool and the fresh, cumin makes it smoky and the salt add the flavour which can not be substituted by any other. So here is the recipe of raw mango panna or aam panna, hope you like it.

INGREDIENTS:
2-3 Green Mangoes of Sour variety
1 cup Sugar/ Jaggary (adjust according to the sourness of the mangoes)
3-4 Cardamom powder

Salt as per taste

5-6 strands of Saffron
Garnish:
A pinch of crushed black pepper on every serving
2-3 Saffron strands, Mint leaves, Ice cubes

METHOD:
STEP 1 - Wash the mangoes, cut off the top stem portion.

STEP 2 - Keep them in a pressure cooker with some water.

STEP 3 - Pressure cook till 2-3 whistles or till the mangoes are cooked completely.

STEP 4 - Cool it completely. Then remove the skin as well as the seed from mangoes. Collect the pulp in a bowl.

STEP 5 - Sieve the pulp with the strainer and collect the fine pulp in a bowl. ( This step is totally optional.)

STEP 6 - Transfer the pulp to a pan with jaggary or sugar and salt.

STEP 7 - Cook till the sugar get completely dissolved.

STEP 8 - Add cardamom powder and saffron mix in it and mix it well.

STEP 9 - This is concentrate panha.

Serving:
STEP 1 - Add 1/3 part of concentrate panha with chilled water. (adjust amount as per your palate) Stir well.
STEP 2 - Top with the crushed black pepper and saffron and garnish with some mint leaves.

STEP 3 - Store the rest of the concentrate in a glass bottle and refrigerate and use as and when required.

Notes:
        *Use sour mangoes for panha.
        *If the mangoes are not that sour, use less sugar and squeeze a lime while serving.
        *Sugar can be used in place of jaggary. (I used sugar)
        *Some variety of mangoes are very fibrous in that case strain them as that you can separate it from the pulp.
        *You can cook the mangoes in a open vessel instead of pressure cooker.
        *While cooking the mangoes use sufficient water.

METHAMBA

Methamba is a Marathi word and it is a pickle recipe which is made with raw mango/ kairi, jaggery and chilli powder and some other ingredients. Methamba is derived from words methi [fenugreek] and amba [mango].  It tastes really delicious, little sweet, sour and tangy. this recipe is easy and quick. A Maharashtrian quintessential recipe, tangy yet with a difference. In India, pickles plays a very important role in Indian foods, Indian people oftenlly makes pickles of different varieties and in huge quantity and enjoys with their everyday meals. Sometimes it is packed in tiffin boxes of small kids as their school lunch with chapattis. Even I remember those days when I used to have this pickle in my lunch box and me and my friends used to share the tiffin and enjoy the lunch. Usually pickles goes good with roti, paratha or simple dal-chawal. You can make some in advance and store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. So here we start with the easy and quick recipe of Methamba.

INGREDIENTS:

500 gms Kaccha Aam

500 gms Sugar/ Jaggery

2 teaspoon Cooking Oil

1½ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder

1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds

1½ teaspoon Methi Seeds

1½ teaspoon Sauf/ Fennel Seeds

1 pinch Cardamom Powder

1 pinch Saffron

½ teaspoon Haldi/ Turmeric Powder

Salt to taste

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Peel and slice the mango.

STEP 2 – Heat oil; add methi, sauf, mustard seeds.

STEP 3 – Add mango slices, turmeric and salt in it and mix well.

STEP 4 – Cover and cook on low heat for 5-7 minutes till semi-cooked.

STEP 5 – Add sugar/ jaggery and chilli powder and mix it. Cook on low flame for approximately 10 minutes.

STEP 6 – When gravy thickens, add saffron and cardamom powder.

STEP 7 – Store in a jar.

NOTES:* You will have to adjust the amount of jaggery and red chilli powder as per sourness of mangoes.
             *Here I used sugar for my recipe but jaggery tastes much better than sugar.
             *Keep the thickness of the pickle according to your choice.