This is one of the my mom's go to vegetable curry's cook. Growing up it was either okra with potatoes or it was this spinach curry. It requires few ingredients but it is hearty and satisfying. It can be paired with kichdi (with papadum) and roti.

Ingredients:

4 bunches of spinach

4 tomatoes

2 onions

7 garlic clove

2 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 tsp cumin 

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp tomato paste

1 tsp lemon juice

salt to taste

Method:

To start boil tomatoes, and then peel skin off and roughly cut into medium size pieces. Add tomatoes and garlic cloves in a food processor and make it into a puree.

On a high heat add oil, and then fenugreek seeds and cumin. After couple of minutes add finely chopped onion and turn the heat to medium/low.

Once the onions are translucent add the tomato-garlic puree, turmeric, and salt. Let the mixture cook for few minutes and then add tomato paste, lemon juice, and spinach. Cook for another 15 minutes (approximately) until the spinach is cooked properly.

Curry Veggie

8:26:00 PM

One of my favorite dish made by my nanima (grandmother) is kachori. It is her signature dish, and since I started on this journey I knew I had to learn it.

Few days ago I was feeling confident in my cooking (which is rare) and decided to give it a try. I called up my nanima and got the recipe and gave it a go. I am impressed with how well it turned out, although not as good as my nanima’s but pretty close. Without further ado...here it is.

Makes: ~ 18

Ingredients:
Dough:

1.5 cup All Purpose flour
3 tbsp butter
1/5 tsp baking powder
Salt to taste


Stuffing:

2 cups Mixed Vegetable
2 potatoes
1/2 cup chana Daal
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp cumin-coriander powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Dahi Bara Chaat seasoning (available in Indian Store)
1 tbsp Oil


Method:

Dough:

In a pan, mix All Purpose Flour, butter, baking powder, and salt, Refrigerate for half hour.

Stuffing:

Boil mixed vegetables, potatoes, and chaana dal. Strain and set aside.

On medium heat, in a pan add oil, followed by mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start to splatter, turn off the heat. Then add ginger-garlic paste, and rest of the dry ingredients as well as boiled ingredients and mix well. Add salt to taste.

Once the mixture has cooled down, make small size balls and set them aside in the refrigerator.

Take the dough, knead it well and divide it up in small balls to match the number of mix vegetable balls. Then roll the dough into neat circles and then place the ball of mix vegetables in the middle and neatly fold the dough around.


Fry on medium heat until golden brown.


Serve with coconut-cilantro chutney.

Veggie

3:37:00 PM

Okra (bhinda) are one of my favorite vegetables. My Mom often makes them with potatoes as a side dish for the main course. I only like them as a semi dried dish, but not as a curry. I have yet to taste okra curry that I like. This recipe is courtesy of my mother, and this is her "go to" okra and potatoes recipe which she serves with the main dish of kichdi and khadhi.

Prep time: <15 minutes
Cook time: < 15 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients: 

1 lbs Okra
3 potatoes
1 large tomato 
1/2 tsp onion seeds
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ginger & garlic paste
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 tsp tomato puree
1 tsp coriander-cumin powder
4 tbsp oil 
Oil (enough to fry okra & fries)
salt to taste

Method:

Wash the okras, and dry them on a towel (tip: never wash okra once they are cut-- otherwise they will become slimy). Then cut off the tip and slit them lengthwise. Wash and peel the potatoes, and cut them into long thin slices  (similar to french fries). Soak the potatoes in cool salted water and set it aside. Heat oil on high, and add the okras. Once they are semi crispy, remove and set it aside (cook time for the okras is less than five minutes.  You don't want to over cook the okras). In the same oil, add the potatoes and fry them to a crisp. Once done, remove and set it aside.

Chop the tomato roughly and run it through the food processor until liquidized.

In a pot add oil (4 tbsp), once the oil is hot add cumin, and onion seeds. Once they start spluttering reduce the heat to medium and add ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, tomato puree, coriander-cumin powder, and tomato sauce. Let the the mixture saute for few minutes until it thickens.  Then add okras, potatoes, and add salt to taste. Mix the ingredients well, and let it cook for a couple of minutes. 

Side Dish Veggie

9:08:00 PM

It is becoming increasingly difficult to think of something to cook for dinner everyday. As I am trying to cut down on meat consumption (my goal is to alternate-2 days of veggie, one day of meat) it is even harder to come up with vegetarian dishes/meals. Of course, there are plenty of dishes out of there, but very few I can actually cook with limited culinary skills, especially after my few 'fails' for the past couple I am treading the water carefully. 

Over the weekend as I was deciding what to make, I Googled "veggie dishes" and came across suggestions to make patties. I did not have all the ingredients to "follow" a specific recipe, therefore I made own version of veggie patties. 

These were simple and easy to make, there was no fuss involved. These veggie patties would make great appetizers (smaller portion) or afternoon snacks. 

Ingredients: (makes 12 patties)

15 oz of Garbanzo beans
4.5 cups of mixed veggies
3 eggs
breadcrumbs
1 tsp ginger & garlic paste
1 1/3 garam masala tbsp
1/3 cup cilantro
1/2 tsp black pepper 
Salt
Oil Olive

Method

First, boil veggies (add the garbanzo beans when the water starts boiling). After straining, move the veggie in a large bowl and roughly mash. Add the ingredients:1 lightly beaten egg, 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs, ginger garlic, garam masala, cilantro, and salt. Mix well and let it sit for few minutes.

Form the mixture into patties.  Whisk 2 eggs in a bowl, and in a separate plate pour a layer of breadcrumbs. Dip the patties in eggs, covering both sides, and then coat both sides with breadcrumbs, and fry until golden brown.

Veggie

9:30:00 PM