Amritsari Aloo Kulcha

As soon as Srivalli announced the dish for the May 2014 edition of Indian Cooking Challenge, I planned on taking part this month after a really long time.

I was happy to make this for my family. I approached my friend and neighbor, Pooja, who hails from Amritsar, to get an authentic version of these Kulchas. I followed some of the tips from her and we thoroughly loved them.

Adapted from The Hindu.
Ingredients - 

All Purpose Flour or Maida / Wheat Flour 2 cups (I used 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup of Maida)
Baking powder 1 tsp
Baking soda 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Sugar 1 tsp
Oil 3 tbsp
Curd/ Yogurt 1/4 cup
Warm Milk 1/4 cup
For the filling -
Potatoes, boiled and mashed 1 cup
Green chilies, finely chopped  as needed 
Onions, finely chopped 1/2 cup
Red chili powder 1/2 tsp or as needed
Cumin powder 1 tsp
Chat Masala 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves, finely chopped few


Amritsari Aloo Kulcha

Method Of Preparation -
To prepare the filling - 
Mix all the ingredients listed under 'For the filling' and set aside.

To Prepare the dough - 
Mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, oil, yogurt and mix well. Add milk gradually until the dough is soft and pliable.

Cover and set aside.

To make the Aloo Kulchas -
Make equal portions of the dough. In each portion of the dough, fill in the potato masala and seal the edges and roll out into a thick roti.

Put the oven in the Broil mode and place 2-3 (depending on the size of the baking tray) in a foil lined baking tray. Roll the remaining portions of dough and keep them ready for the subsequent batches.

Broil it for under 2 minutes under close watch, pull out from the oven, flip it to the other side and broil for a few seconds taking care not to burn the kulchas.

Remove from the baking tray, apply some butter and serve it with any curry of your choice. It is typically served with Chole/Chana Masala. I also served it with Mutter Paneer.

Preparation Time 15 min + Resting time 30-45 min + Baking Time 25 min
Makes 8-10

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Posted by Harini R on Sunday, June 15, 2014

Oats-Vegetable Soup

For Day 3, Week 2 of BM #41, here is a very simple and no-nonsense kind of a soup which is very filling and comforting as well. So 'O' for Oats-Vegetable Soup. 

If you have noticed, all three of them (K for Kanchipuram Idli, V for Vegetable Jalfrezi, and 'O' for Oats-Vegetable Soup) are cooked in three different ways. The Idlis are steamed, the Jalfrezi is cooked on Stove Top and the Soup is made in the Microwave!

Originally I planned to make this soup for my dinner as I was more or less sure that they would make faces if I tell them about oats in soup. So I didn't want to offer the soup to the rest of the family. But just because the kids and the husband were looking on, I decided that I should let them taste a sip each. One sip led to another and ironically I was just left with a few sips for myself in the end!!

I have since made this soup regularly and trust me it is addictive if you can tolerate oats. In fact my husband who is an anti-Oats person didn't mind them at all in this soup!

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Vegetable Jalfrezi

For Day 2, Week 2 of BM #41, Here is a simple Vegetable Jalfrezi for 'V' made using a ready made sauce. This sauce is available in grocery stores in our neighborhood (Patak's Hot and Spicy Jalfrezi Simmer sauce).

I rely on this when I have to make for a huge party and am short of time and help. It turns out awesome and is easy to manage on short notice!

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Kanchipuram Idli

For Week 2, I have chosen to go with the recipes starting with the letters K, V and O. So K for Kanchipuram Idli it is for Day 1 of this edition of BM #41. 

These interesting idlis were in my to-do list or a long time now. I got the final push when a few fellow marathoners posted this as part of the Mega Marathon. 

We thoroughly enjoyed these idlis and I shall update the pictures when I make these next. For some quirky reason, I prefer making idlis in the traditional idli mould rather than in the plate idli fashion.

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Grilled Vegetables

For Day 3, Week 1 of BM #41, here is our family favorite which we look forward to every summer. 

Enjoying these grilled veggies add an extra oomph factor for a a delightful picnic! Last camping season, one of our friends got some marinated veggies. We grilled them as a group and thoroughly enjoyed munching on them sitting in front of the campfire!

The pictures in this post are from the summer of 2013 and the grill is my husband's forte :).

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Vegetable Kabab

For Day 2 Week 1 of BM #41, here is another versatile snack very well suited for picnics. 

These bite sized kababs can also be grilled or cooked on a griddle. I was thinking that this would be a great idea for a camping trip where we can carry an electric griddle or a portable grill and enjoy making and eating these in the wilderness!! 

Of course the material can be prepared before hand and carried in an ice box. The combinations of ingredients can be varied as per availability/requirement/preference.

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Savory Crackers

Welcome to the 41st edition of Blogging Marathon. For the first week I have chosen to present some options for a picnic hamper. Be it a day picnic, a backyard picnic or an overnight camping trip into the wilderness, it is sometimes a challenge to pack some sustenance. It always helps to have some choices ready. Don't you agree?

It is such a pleasure to see smiles all around and kids having fun out in the great weather we have right now! With just a wee bit of planning we can make that experience a much more pleasurable one.

I thought a bowl of Butter Cookies, a bowl of these Savory Crackers, a bowl of Watermelon and some coconut water would provide some enjoyable sustenance to my kids to have a picnic in our backyard with their friends on a sunny afternoon! 

Recipe Source - Amma (My mom)
Ingredients - 

Whole Wheat Flour 1 cup
All Purpose Flour / Maida 1 cup
Baking Powder 1/4 tsp
Milk Powder 2 Tbsp
Sugar powdered 1 Tbsp
Butter/ Olive Oil 2 Tbsp
Salt, Red Chilli Powder as needed 
Ajwain / Vamu 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida couple pinches
Cumin seeds / Jeera 1 tsp
Peanuts, roasted, coarsely crushed 1/4 cup (Optional)
Sesame Seeds 2 tsp (Optional)


Savory Crackers

Method Of Preparation -

Mix all the ingredients well and add warm water to knead a soft dough.

Make about 8-10 manageable portions of the dough. Roll out each portion of the dough into a thin circle, cut into desired shapes. Poke each of them with a fork so that they don't puff out while baking. Continue with the rest of the dough - rolling, cutting out shapes.

Preheat the oven to 375 °F.

Place each of the cut out shape on a parchment paper lined baking tray, about 1/2 an inch apart.

Bake in the middle rack of a preheated oven for about 12-14 min and flip all of them. Bake for about 5 more minutes until they are all evenly browned.

Remove and let them cool on a wired rack. 

Store them in an air tight container and carry it on a picnic!

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 41.

Preparation Time 20 min + baking Time 15-17 min
Makes 3 cups

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Mixed Vegetable Kurma with Roti


For Day 3 Week 4 of BM #40, here is another lunch box favorite of my older one. 

This kurma is something I prepared for a variation and tried to make it a little rich with the cashew paste and paneer. But the majority at home voted for this version to become the de facto standard :).

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Vegan Savory French Toast

For Day 2 week 4 of BM #40, here is another healthy option to pack for your picky eater. My older one instantly loved the flavors but my little one was a little hesitant to take it to school though she did try out a couple bites at home. Her diplomatic comment was, 'Amma, It is nice but I don't want it for lunch'. :)
Next time I plan to try out more 'challenging' veggies like spinach and methi!

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Paneer-Vegetable Pulao

Is there a super mom somewhere on this planet who doesn't have to think too much about packing lunch box for her kid(s)? Yes, there is. In my dreams, of course!! :) For me to satisfy the lunch box needs/fancies of my kids and balance with nutrition is a herculean task. 

If your thoughts run along mine, then watch out this space or the next 3 days as I have taken up the theme of "Kid's Delight - Lunch box Menu" as part of BM #40 week 4.

For Day 1 here is a healthy version of Pulao which my older one took to school. I should have told her to heat up her pulao at school (They have microwaves in their lunch room) which I regretfully forgot and so she complained that the paneer didn't taste 'normal'. But anyway that is a lesson for the next time. But she had a repeat of the same pulao at home and was satisfied.

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Posted by Harini R on Saturday, May 24, 2014

Eggless Mango Mug Cake

This was a long pending mug cake which I could finally make a few weeks back and the kids literally fought over these. I had to prepare these cakes twice on the same day to resolve their conflict!

The only down side of these microwave mug cakes that they get dried out and harden as they cool down. So these are best consumed while still warm. Check these for Day 3 Week 3 of BM #40.

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Mango-Coconut Scones

If you are a regular reader of this space, you probably know that my family loves scones and I love to bake them as they have less sugar and lesser fat than most sweetmeats.

Here is another version this time with the tropical ingredients of mango and coconut. The coconut milk is a surprise addition which makes all the difference. This is part of Day 2 Week 3 of BM #40.

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Mango Oatmeal

Today, we start Week 3 of BM#40. I have chosen to blog under the theme 'Mango Mania'. With the mango season upon us, I am sure we can all enjoy some interesting Mango delights.

I am enjoying this delightful mango oatmeal once a week for my breakfast. You can too..

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Makhana Peas Curry

Here is another rich gravy from the northern states of India. I wasn't able to narrow this dish down to a particular state. So decided that this could be classified generally under North Indian Rich Gravies. 

Check out this delicious gravy for Day 3, Week 2 of BM #40.

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Posted by Harini R on Monday, May 12, 2014

 Bendakaya Majjiga Pulusu ~ Bhendi Kadhi

For Day 2 Week 2 of BM #40, here is a dish from Andhra Pradesh. My mom makes this pretty often and we grew up eating this once every month or so (or when there was a surplus of buttermilk at home). I had so forgotten about this until I ate this at my friend's place. I realized that I had virtually forgotten how Bhendi/Okra tastes in kadhi.

I asked my friend for the recipe and pestered her to tell me if there is any secret ingredient in there. She smiled and said that bhendi is the secret ingredient :). Trust me this combo never fails to please your tongue and tummies too.

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Posted by Harini R on Sunday, May 11, 2014

Aloo Matar

We, BMers put in a lot of effort to showcase some authentic Indian food from various states in India last month. In our efforts, we realized that there were many which needed the spot light. So here is another opportunity to make use of as part of BM #40. I have chosen to showcase some unused posts of last month for Week 2.

This was in my drafts for quite some time but the pictures went missing at the time. So I had to post Missi Roti instead. I realized that the pictures were there in the folder all the time and I happened to conveniently overlook them. 

Needless to say, this was a delightful addition to our dining table and the kids loved it.

So Aloo Matar it is for Day 1 ..

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Posted by Harini R on Saturday, May 10, 2014

Appletini

Today I showcase another mocktail which is simple and refreshing. The absence of alcohol in this drink makes it suitable to the kids as well.

Hope the refreshing mocktails presented in this series will keep you cool this summer. Chill out with this Appletini as part of Day 3 Week 1 of BM #40.

Ingredients - 

Apple Juice 1 cup
Club Soda 1/2 cup or as needed
Lemon Juice 1 Tbsp or as needed
Sugar Syrup 1 Tbsp or as needed
Sugar to rim the glass


Appletini

Method Of Preparation -


In a shaker, mix the apple juice, lemon juice and sugar syrup along with crushed ice.

Rim a glass with sugar (Wet the rim of the glass and dip in a plate of sugar). Pour the juice and club soda. Drop a couple of ice cubes if needed.

Serve with apple slices.

Preparation Time 5 min
Serves 2

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Posted by Harini R on Monday, May 5, 2014

Pineapple Orange Punch

Here is another delightful punch for BM #40 week 1 day 2. This is a great alternative to yesterday's mocktail with soda. I loved this punch better with the crunchy pistachio from the kulfi. Next time (which is as soon as next week) I would try this out with as many juices as I can manage and use mango without fail.

So for today, let us enjoy the punch!

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Posted by Harini R on Sunday, May 4, 2014

Pineapple-Orange Mocktail

Welcome to BM #40! After a whirlwind tour of 30 Indian states and union territories, we BMers are back to the relaxed routine of 3 posts a week. This week I shall showcase some mocktails which have been approved at home.

Feel free to alter the ingredients depending on the sweetness of oranges/pineapple used. I am sure store bought juices can be substituted in which case the sugar can be ignored.

Try this out on a hot summer day (for which we are still waiting!) and enjoy!!


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Posted by Harini R on Saturday, May 3, 2014

We, a group of 'crazy' bloggers have successfully completed this journey across India stopping by at these 30 states and union territories, going through the history and their culinary diversities and learning so much at the same time. Many a time, it was a history lesson, a geography lesson and most importantly it was a nostalgic trip down the memory lane.

Here are the showcased recipes for a quick look all at one place. Hope you all have enjoyed the journey as much as we have.

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Posted by Harini R on Friday, May 2, 2014
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