Monday, February 15, 2010

Lauki Kofta


Ajoy just loves lauki kofta so much so that he asks ma to make it every time we go to pune. Till last year, that did work out especially since we visited pune atleast each month. But after coming to Redmond, one thing I am sure Ajoy and me too missed was Ma's special Kofta. So this time when we were in india we did ask her to make it quite frequently but the recipe is so good that eating it once in a year doesn't satisfy the taste buds. So after I got the recipe from her, today I made it on valentine's day. Guess my gift to Ajoy :)

Lauki Kofta
Ingredients
3 Cup Bottle Gourd
1 Cup Carrot
1.5 Cup Besan
3 Spoon Corn Flour
2 Onion
2 Tomato
2 Cup Curd
4 Spoon Sugar
1/2 Spoon Chaat Masala
1/2 Spoon Jeera
1.5 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
1/2 Spoon Turmeric Powder
1 Spoon Corriander Powder
1 Spoon Jeera Powder
1 Green Chilli
1/4 Cup Cashews
1/4 Cup Raisins
Oil
Salt to taste

Method
  • Grate bottle gourd and carrot and mix well
  • Heat oil and add in jeera. Let it sputter
  • Add in grated bottle gourd and carrot and mix well.
  • Cook well stirring occasionally till the mixture dries up completely. Keep aside to cool down.
  • Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onion. Fry till translucent and keep aside.
  • In a mixie add tomatoes, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, jeera powder, corriander powder and salt. Grind well.
  • Add in cooked onion and grind to smooth paste. Keep aside
  • In the bottle gourd and carrot mixture, add besan, corn flour make soft dough
  • Prepare small balls with cashews, raisins and green chilli pieces in the center of them.
  • Fry the koftas in oil to brown color and keep aside.
  • In a pan add the grinded paste, 3 cups of water and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes till gravy attains consistency.
  • Add in koftas and simmer for another few minutes. Take of the heat
  • In a bowl, mix in curd, sugar and chaat masala.
  • While serving koftas, add in the kofta with the gravy, add curd and then garnish with grated carrot and some cashew pieces and raisins

Notes
Instead of carrot you can use raw banana as well.

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Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Paneerbhara Kabab


Today when I opened fridge, found that I have around 2 liters of milk and it is getting expired tomorrow. Gave a lot of thought on what I should be using it before I loose it. Last few times I had been making sweets but this time I wanted to make something spicy and that is when I came up this.

Paneerbhara Kabab
Ingredients
2 Liter Milk
5 Spoon Vinegar
1 Cup Corriander Leaves
2 Spoon Pudina Leaves
5-6 Green Chillies
2 Bread Slices
1/2 Spoon Chaat Masala
Salt
Oil

Method
  • Boil Milk in a thick pan
  • Mix a cup of water with vinegar and add it to the milk to separate whey from it.
  • Strain it and wash it with cold water.
  • Hang it in a dry cloth for around half an hour to remove as much as water as possible
  • Preheat oven to 350F/180C
  • Bake bread slices for 5 minutes at 350F/180C, Flip the sides and bake for another 5 minutes
  • In a mixie, grind the bread to breadcrums. Save aside
  • Grind corriander leaves, pudina leaves and green chillies to fine paste without using water.
  • In a plate mix the paneer that was hanging, the above green paste and salt
  • Make small lemon sized balls and roll them in bread crums
  • Heat oil and fry the balls in it over medium-high heat.
  • Sprinkle chaat masala and serve with ketchup

Notes
If you want you can make it with grated paneer instead, but it tasted awesome with this fresh made paneer and the softness inside the crispy covering was delicious.
For the corriander-pudina-green chillies paste I didnt use any water. The water that was on leaves after washing them was good enough.

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Sunday, February 7, 2010

Vegetables Stir Fry


I had been having lots of vegetables in the freeze for quite some time. So today when we planned for quick lunch before heading out to cycling, how to quick something nice and yet something quick. Indo-chinese being my favorite cuisine I came up with this.

Vegetables Stir Fry
Ingredients
Handful of Ladies Fingers
Handful of Eggplant pieces
Handful of Cabbage
1 Cup Beans
1 Onion
1 Pepper
2 Spring-onions
6 Garlic Cloves
1 Spoon Garlic Paste
1/4 Spoon Ginger Paste
1/2 Lemon
5 Spoon Soya Sauce
1 Spoon Ketchup
2 Spoon Corn Flour
Salt
Oil

Method
  • Fry Ladies fingers in the oil and keep aside
  • In a pan heat oil and add onions. Fry them till translucent
  • Add in garlic cloves, chopped to fine pieces, eggplant pieces, beans, Pepper chopped, cabbage and cook them with constant stirring till the vegetables are cooked well.
  • Add in fried ladies fingers, garlic and ginger paste and Lemon juice and stir again
  • Add ketchup and soya sauce and stir for couple of minutes
  • Mix corn flour with 6 cup of water and add in the vegetables. Cook till gravy thickens
  • Add in salt and spring onions and stir for a minute. Serve with rice or noodles

Notes
To give it a little tangy taste, I used lemon but if you are not big on tangerines then you can just skip it. You cna also substitute lemon by a spoonful of Vinegar if you don't have lemon in stock.
I also wished I had some baby-corns and brocollies to add the taste, but never mind, there is always next time :)

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