Asha's Lahori Chole

So named, because this recipe is courtesy Asha. She had used fennel powder in this Chole recipe and that caught my interest. I haven't yet seen any "Chole" dish that uses powdered fennel. True to her words, this dish was remarkable - so much so that K wanted third and fourth helpings :). Thanks Asha, for this wonderful recipe.
I did not have ginger and cardamom, but nevertheless, the taste was spectacular. The tangy Pomegranate powder complimented the fresh, minty taste of the fennel.

1 cup dry garbanzo beans, soaked overnight in warm water. Drain and keep aside
2 medium beefsteak tomatoes, chopped
1 potato, peeled and cubed
2 red onions, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp freshly ground fennel powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 1/2 tsp anar dana (pomegranate) powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil
Chopped coriander leaves, to garnish

Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add the onions. Cook till the onions begin to turn brown. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the chopped tomato + turmeric powder + red chilli powder + salt and cook till the tomato is cooked and oil separates.
Now add the garbanzo beans + cubed potato + 1 1/2 cup water. Cook till 3 whistles. Remove from heat and keep aside.
When the cooker has cooled, remove cover and with the back of a wooden spatula, mash a handful of the garbanzo beans. Add the anar dana powder + fennel powder + garam masala powder. Mix well and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with Naan and Raita. Enjoy !!

Spaghetti with Meatballs

I love pasta. In fact I have yet to meet someone who doesn't like pasta. As students, both K and I lived on pasta a couple of days a week. It was an inexpensive and filling meal. One of our all time favorites is Spaghetti with Meatballs. This is a simple recipe, but full of flavor. I did used ground turkey and Prego's Tomato-Mushroom sauce for this. With K helping me, this meal took about 30 minutes from start to finish. Rachel Ray, here I come :) :)

Meatballs
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
10-12 mint leaves, chopped
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup cheese, grated
1/4 tsp ground pepper
Salt to taste

Mix all the above ingredients. Pre-heat the oven at 400 F. Lightly spray a baking tray. Make medium sized balls with the ground turkey mix, and bake for 15-20 minutes (depending upon your oven). Once done, remove from oven and keep aside.

Whole grain spaghetti (about 1 generous handful)
1 jar Pasta sauce of your choice
Salt to taste
Chopped coriander leaves and grated cheese for garnish

Cook spaghetti al dente according to directions on the package. Keep aside 3 ladleful of the pasta water, drain the spaghetti and keep aside.
In a deep bottomed pan, heat the pasta sauce. Add the reserved pasta liquid. Gently add the meatballs and let simmer on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the spaghetti, mix well. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves, grated cheese alongwith a slice of garlic bread. Enjoy !!

Simply Red - Tomato Curry

This recipe is from Dad - my father in law. He is truly a foodie. He enjoys not only eating good food, but also cooking. What I like best about his cooking is the use of minimal ingredients and is big on flavor. Thanks to him, I have learnt some Mangalorean recipes and manage to surprise K once in a while :)
Ripe, juicy tomatoes, a few curry leaves, browned onions and green chillies - they all come together in this immensely satisfying and comforting curry. RP of the wonderful My Workshop is hosting the JFI for this month which is tomatoes. This is my contribution for this fun event.

Lunch today : Garlic Naan, Baked Potato, Tomato Curry

8 large tomatoes, slice into 8 pieces each and remove the skin
2 medium onions sliced and brown in oil
3-4 green chillies, sliced
6-7 curry leaves
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Oil

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till brown. Add the curry leaves and sliced green chillies. Cook for a minute, then add the sliced tomatoes, chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt. Mix well, cover and let cook till the tomotoes begin to break down. Add one cup water and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are cooked and the gravy is thick. Serve hot with Roti /Paratha. Enjoy !!

Tomato Chutney

I love tomatoes in any form - stuffed tomato, raw in salads, soup, chutney ... This tomato chutney is a staple in my house. The smoky taste of the tomatoes, coupled with the slightly sharp mustard oil ... it is a dance session for the tastebuds.
2 juicy beefsteak tomatoes
1/4 red onion, chopped fine
1 green chilli, finely chopped
Salt to taste
1 tsp mustard oil

Wash the tomatoes and pat dry. Lightly coat the tomatoes with a couple of drops od mustard oil. Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a pan, place the tomatoes, cover and cook on medium low heat till the tomaotes are cooked, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
In a bowl, add the chopped onion, chilli and salt. Add the cooked tomatoes and using a potato masher, mash to pulp. Add 1/2 tsp mustard oil and mix well. Serve as an accompaniment with Rice / Paratha. Enjoy !

Southern Delights : Idli & Tomato-Mint Chutney

K has been under the weather for the last couple of days and I wanted to do something special for him to make him feel better. "Why not make idlis", I decided - it would be a change from eating cereal and milk for breakfast. I am generally not this adventurous regarding breakfast on weekdays ... The smile that lit K's face more than made up for everything :)

1 cup urad dal, picked and washed
2 cups idli rice, picked and washed
1 tsp methi (fenugreek) seeds
Salt to taste

Soak the rice and the urad dal in warm water separately. Add 1/2 tsp of methi seeds each with the rice and dal. In a food processor, grind the rice-methi seeds to a paste - the consistency should be like Rava/Semolina.
Grind the Urad dal to a smooth paste. Mix both the batters together in a large bowl and keep overnight to ferment. You know that the batter has fermented if the next day, the volume of the batter has doubled.
(Tip : When the weather is cold I generally put the batter mix in the oven and keep the oven light on. The heat from the lamp helps in the fermentation.)
Add salt to the batter and mix well. Lightly grease the idli molds and put the batter till 3/4 of the mold is covered. In a dutch oven heat about 1 glass of water. When it begins to boil, add the idli molds, cover and steam for about 15-20 minutes. (When you insert a toothpick, it should come out clean). Remove from heat, uncover and let sit for about 5 minutes. Using a butter knife, remove the idlis from the mold and serve hot with Chutney / Sambhar. Enjoy !!

Tomato-Mint Chutney ( Recipe courtesy Mythreyee)
4 tomatoes, chopped fine
10-12 mint leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp Urad dal
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
A pinch of Hing
Salt to taste
Oil
Heat Oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds. When the mustard begins to splutter, add the cumin seeds and Urad dal. Then add the chopped tomatoes. When the tomato is half cooked add the mint leaves, turmeric powder, chilli powder, Hing and salt. Cook till the tomatoes are cooked.
Remove from heat and cool. Grind to a smooth paste without any water. Serve with Idlis. Enjoy !!

Tamatar Rajma : Kidney Beans in Tomato Gravy

This is K's version of Rajma. He loves Kidney beans and last night he hustled up a great dinner consisting of Matar Pulao (Peas Pulao), Rajma and Potato fry. What I liked about this dish was the creamy taste and texture without the use of cream / milk / almond paste / cashew paste. This is my entry for Pooja's Vegetable of the Week : Tomato

2 cans kidney beans
2 medium onions
2 tomatoes, chopped fine
4-5 cloves garlic
1" ginger
2 whole dry Kashmiri chilli / red chilli
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
Chopped coriander leaves to garnish
Salt to taste
Oil

Grind the onion, garlic cloves and ginger to a paste. heat oil in a pan and add this paste. Cook till it turns light brown. Now add the chopped tomatoes, whole chillies, chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt. Cook till oil separates and the tomato is well cooked.
Drain and rinse the beans. Add to the tomato paste and cook for a minute or two. Add water and bring to boil. Lower heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with Rice.

Roast Mahi-Mahi with Potatoes and Tomatoes : Hout Bi Batata Wa Tamatem

Among the many gifts that Santa Claus :) gave me this year, one was this wonderful cookbook "Arabesque" by Claudia Roden.
This cookbook gives a little history of the food of Morocco, Turkey and Lebanon. It was interesting to find so many spices and vegetables that are used in the Indian sub-continent. If you enjoy Mediterranean food and want to try some simple yet delightful dishes, I highly recommend this book.
Baked potatoes and tomatoes along with the succulent Mahi Mahi make it a hearty dish and the garlic and coriander add that extra zing. I made a couple of modifications to the recipe in terms of quantity, but have stayed true to all the ingredients mentioned. I have the pleasure of presenting to you "Roast Mahi-Mahi with Potatoes & Tomatoes".

2 Mahi Mahi fillets ( you can use Cod, Bream, Haddock, Turbot)
Salt
For the Marinade (Chermoula)
1/2 cup chopped coriander
2 garlic cloves crushed
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar

4 medium sized potatoes
3 medium tomatoes
Olive oil to drizzle

Slash the skin of the fish, a couple of places across the thickest part. Sprinkle salt and keep aside. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade and marinate the fish in half of the marinade for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven. Clean the potatoes. Peel the skin (optional) and cut into 1/4" discs. Clean the tomatoes and cut into 1/3" discs. Brush the bottom of a baking dish with olive oil and place the potato and tomato slices. Drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle salt. Mix well. Put the dish in the oven and cook on 475 F for 50 minutes or till the potatoes are tender. While cooking, turn them over once so that the potato slices are evenly cooked.
Take the dish out and place the fish fillets on top of the potato and tomato, skin side up. Bake for 10-12 minutes till the fish is cooked through. Just before serving, pour the remaining marinade over the fish. Enjoy !!

Our dinner : Pupusa with Mahi-Mahi

Stuffed Tomato

I was excited when Pooja announced that the "Vegetable for the Week" was the Tomato. So many dishes came to mind that I had some difficulty trying to decide which to make. In the end, I settled upon this simple, yet delightful creation. This dish was among the first couple of recipes that I learnt from Ma when I began cooking.

2 firm Tomatoes (I used beefsteak tomatoes)
1 large potato, boiled and mashed
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp amchoor (dried Mango Powder)
1/2 tsp coriander powder
Salt to taste
Olive oil to drizzle
1 tsp breadcrumbs
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Cut the tomatoes about 1" from the top and reserve the cap. Remove the pulp of the tomato and keep aside in a bowl.
Add the potato to it and mix well. Now add all the ingredients except bread crumbs and olive oil and mix well.
Preheat the oven. Take a generous amount of the potato mixture and fill the tomato shells with it. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on it and then put the tomato cap. Drizzle some olive oil on the tomatoes and bake at 450 F for about 20 minutes. Serve hot as a side dish. Enjoy !

Tamatar (Tomato) Pulao

What is red and green and tastes great - could be a lot of things but in my case, it was the wonderful Tomato Pulao that K cooked for dinner. This is a simple recipe but has loads of flavor. If you like Tomatoes, then this is the recipe for you.


1 cup Basmati rice, washed and soaked in water
3 tomatoes
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 cup peas
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
Salt to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

Make a puree of the tomatoes (adding water, if necessary) to make about 2 1/2 cups puree. Drain the rice and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add the onions. When the onions are caramelized, add the bay leaves, cloves, peas, green bell peppers and salt. Cook for a minute and then add the rice. Mix gently and cook for a minute.
Add the tomato puree and salt. Mix well gently, cover the pan and cook on medium low heat till the rice is cooked and water has been absorbed. Fluff gently with fork and serve hot with raita. Enjoy !!

Tomato Chutney

This recipe is courtesy Mythreyee of Try This Recipe. I had made it last week and K had loved this Chutney, so much so that he requested it today morning at Breakfast. I was out of Mint, but the Chutney was awesome even without it.

5 tomatoes, chopped fine

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp Urad dal

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

A pinch of Hing

Salt to taste

Oil

Heat Oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds. When the mustard begins to splutter, add the cumin seeds and Urad dal. Then add the chopped tomatoes. When the tomato is half cooked add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, Hing and salt. Cook till the tomatoes are cooked.

Remove from heat and cool. Grind to a smooth paste without any water. Serve with Dosa or Parathas. Enjoy !!