Bharwan Tamatar and an Award

After making the yummy “Stuffed Capsicum Gravy” I wanted to try Stuffed tomatoes also called the “Bharwan Tamatar”.Generally they are made without any gravy,but with the gravy they taste a lot better.Jes the gravy with plain rice or hot phulkas is soooo perfect!

Tomatoes are fruits or vegetables???? Well this was always a matter of discussion.Tomatoes are technically fruits but used as vegetables. While browsing i read that in 1887,the confusion on Tomato being a Fruit or Vegetable reached the Supreme court.And the ruling was-Its a vegetable,so legally it seems Tomato is not a fruit

I personally like it a lot coz of the taste it adds to any dish. It can be used to make a simple curry,act as a base for many dishes and not to forget its tangy taste is jes so heavenly! They are delicious as well as nutritious too.I agree with what Laurie Colwin had said about Tomatoes – “A world without tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins.”

Ingredients:

Tomatoes – 6 – 8 nos

For the filling:

Potatoes – 2 (boiled and mashed)
Paneer – ¼ cup
Peas – ¼ cup(optional)
Green Chillies – 3 (finely crushed)
Amchur Powder – 1/2tsp
Garam Masala – ¼ tsp(optional)
Salt – as per taste

For the Gravy:

Onion – 1
Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Chili powder – 1tsp
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Coriander powder – ½ tsp
Cumin podwer – ½ tsp
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Kitchen King Masala – 1 tsp
Cream – 1 cup
Cilantro/Coriander leaves – for garnishing
Oil – 2 tsp
Salt – to taste

Method:

1.Slice the head of the tomato and scoop out the pulp. The pulp can be used for the gravy.
2.Mix all the filling ingredients(as mentioned above) and stuff it in the tomatoes.Rub li’l oil around the tomatoes.
3.Bake at 300F for about 15-20min or until cooked. Allow it to cool.

4.For the gravy,Blanch onion and grind it to a fine paste.Also,grind the tomato pulp separately
5.Heat oil in a Pan,add Ginger garlic paste,cumin seeds, when it splutters add onion paste,sauté until the oil leaves the sides.
6.Pour the tomato paste along with all the powders.
7.To get the gravy consistency, add water as per your requirement.Once cooked add the cream and switch if the flame after 5 mins.
8.Just before serving, place the tomatoes in a serving bowl,pour the gravy on top of it and garnish with cilantro.

I also used Paneer for garnishing.

Cashewnut powder can also be added to the gravy to give a richer taste.Initially, I had planned to send this for CLICK RED hosted by Jugalbandhi,but I don’t think this would fit into that category, coz once the tomatoes are baked their color changes.

However,this was made specially for my husband so it goes for Just For you event hosted by Alka of Sindhirasoi.

Vidhas of Appetizing Recipes has passed this “Lemonade Award” to me.Thank you so much.You are the first one to give me an award…i am thrilled.Thanks again:)

I would love to pass this onto new and old fellow bloggers:) Sowmya,Sriharivatsan,Varsha,Gita,Cham,Rak’s Kitchen,Vijaya of Daily Meals,Anudivya and to Lubna who has been the most helpful blogger!

Stuffed Capsicum Gravy

It is the cold time of the year.I’ve always waited for it and now that am witnessing it I feel why the “hell”???.Winter is jes not about snowfall; it’s much more than that. Its white and white everywhere which makes it beautiful but darn painful. Driving gets difficult, I don’t get to go out as often as I used to,severe cold & so on.Today is the worst day,the coldest winter where in temperature dropped to -21 F ie.,-26 C. Huh, we went out for Dinner and in spite of the layers and layers of clothes it was terrible.

Winter is the time for comfort ,for good food and warmth,for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire;it’s the time for home – Edith Sitwell.

And to enjoy the comforts of good food we hosted a Dinner and laid a feast to few very good friends. I tried out “Stuffed Capsicum Gravy” for the first time and it was surely a “hit”.It ended up a l’il spicy but then I toned the spice down by adding cream and it made the dish all the more rich,creamy and tasty!

Ingredients :-

For the stuffing:

Capsicum – 3 (smaller the better)
Potato – 2 boiled and mashed
Frozen Peas – ¼ cup(optional) – cook as per instructions
Chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Cumin/Jeera powder – 1 tsp
Oil – 1 tsp
Salt – as per taste

Gravy:

Onion – 1 (finely chopped)
Tomato – 5 (pureed)
Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Cumin/Jeera seeds – 1 tsp
Kitchen King Masala – 2 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1tsp
Kasoori Methi – 2 tbsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Chilli Powder – 2 tsp
Cream – ½ cup
Cashewnut Powder – 2 tbsp
Crumbled Paneer – for garnishing(optional)
Cilantro/coriander leaves – for garnishing
Salt – as per taste

Method:

1.Mix all the stuffing ingredients except for the Capsicum and set aside.
2.Cut the Capsicum into two halves, deseed and cut the stalk .Stuff the above Potato mixture inside the capsicum.
3.Apply oil around it and bake it for 250F until it gets soft (You’ll see the wrinkles).Let it cool.It took me about 25 mins,am sure the timings completely depends on each oven used so it may vary.

4.Heat oil in a kadai,temper jeera,once it starts crackling add ginger garlic paste, onions and sauté until translucent.
5.Add the Tomato paste,salt,chilli powder,turmeric powder,coriander and jeera powder. Add water (1 ½ – 2 cups).
6.Onc e the raw smell disappears add Kitchen King Masala,Cashewnut powder and Kasoori Methi.
7.Stir well,add cream and switch of the flame.You’ll end up with a tangy thick gravy.

Before serving,place the Stuffed Capsicum in the serving bowl and pour the gravy on top of it.Garnish with cilantro and crumbled Paneer.

The Capsicum’s that I used were large so i had to cut the halves again,the smaller the better. Depending on the requirement,use more Bell Peppers/Capsicum.I wanted to make it rich,hence added Paneer and cashewnut powder,these can be avoided too.Also, more water can be added to get the gravy consistency.

Matar Paneer

Flavour/Flavor is determined by taste and smell.One main ingredient that gives flavor to my cooking is the “Kitchen King Masala”, this gives an extra zing to all my north Indian recipes.I would call it my secret ingredient too….Shhhh!

Not many use this in their cooking,I got to know about this thru my husband’s Aunt.She had invited us home for dinner,we feasted on Cutlet,Bisibelebath,Poori,Dum Aloo(this one was a lil different,as the tomato base was cleary seen and made it very tangy) and so on…Oops not to forget the yummy desert – Aam Ras.She actually mentioned abt Kitchen King Masala to me and that’s how I even got to know about it.

This powder contains cumin seeds,Pepper,Coriander seeds,Chillies,Turmeric,Garlic,Dry ginger,Cardamom,Fenugreek,Poppyseed,Clove,Nutmeg,Asafoetida,Dry Fenugreek leaves(Kasuri Methi) etc…..Isn’t this enuf to be a good ingredient? While the usual Garam Masala does have a few ingredients mentioned above but not all.So the “Kitchen King Masala” is definetly the “King” of all masalas:-P

In one of my earlier posts, I had mentioned about some easy North Indian recipes. Another one to the list would be “Matar Paneer”. I had a lot of Frozen Peas & Paneer lying in the refrigerator for long and I kept thinking as to what to make using them. I was in a mood of easy cooking and started off…

Ingredients :

Frozen Peas – 1 ½ cup
Paneer – 1 cup (cut into cubes)
Red Onion – 1(finely chopped)
Tomatoes – 3(pureed)
Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Green chillies – 2-3 chopped & crushed-(Optional)
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Oil – 2 tsp
Kitchen King Masala – 1 tbsp
Garam Masala – 1 tsp(optional)
Turmeric Powder – 1/2tsp
Red Chilli powder – 1tsp(increase as per individuals spice levels)
Cilantro – for garnishing
Salt – as per taste

Method:-

1.Heat oil in a Kadai, add cumin seeds ,Ginger garlic paste,Green Chillies(optional) &Onion. Saute till the Onions turn translucent.
2.Add the tomato puree ,Turmeric Powder,Red Chilli powder and cook till you see the oil disappearing from the sides.
3.Now add the Frozen Peas and little water to let it cook.Cover it with a lid.
4.Once done,add Kitchen King Masala and Garam Masala(optional).Saute for about 5-7mins
5.In the end, add the Paneer ,mix gently.Close the lid for few minutes and garnish with Cilantro. This goes well with any Indian Bread/Rice.

I grinded the green chilles along with the Tomato Puree,as it is better to grind than to crush.Not many use Green chillies in Aloo Matar as Red Chilli powder does the job.I have also seen people adding both the masalas(kitchen king & garam masala) so I’ve mentioned it above too.

Aloo Mattar

A very simple and a classic North Indian dish. It is pretty easy to make and it adds zing to any meal.Today at school there was a function so called the “ Mela”. We were asked to get some home-made food which was later sold at the Mela to raise funds (i guess).I had made Til Aloo curry.There were too many Chole’s and Aloo Matar.I guess these are very commonly made for any Potlucks/Dinners.I had made this a week back and here is the recipe.

Ingredients :
Potato – 2 medium sized
Frozen Peas – ½ cup
Oil – 1 tbsp
Onion – 1
Tomatoes – 2
Green chillies – 2
Garam Masala – 1tsp
Cumin seeds – 1tsp
Kitchen King Masala – ½ tsp (Optional)
Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
Ginger Garlic paste – 1tsp
Cilantro – for garnishing
Salt – to taste

Method –
1.Cook the Potatoes till 3/4th done(Meaning not fully boiled, as we have to cook this again with the gravy). Peel and cut it into cubes (1“ inch).
2.Puree the Onions, Tomatoes and Green chillies together.
3.Heat oil in a kadai, add Cumin seeds.Add the pureed Onion Tomato paste and sauté till you see the oil separating from the sides.
4.Add Turmeric powder,Red chilli powder, chopped Potatoes and l’il water(1/2 cup) to cook the Potatoes. Do not overcook the Potatoes.
5.Once done, add the Frozen Peas,Salt and Garam Masala.Allow it to cook until the gravy thickens.
6.Garnish with Cilantro and serve hot along with Rotis,Naans,Pita Bread or Rice.

Instead of the Puree, you can finely chop the Onions and Tomatoes. Bay leaf can also be added in the beginning and removed before serving, this gives an added flavor.I remember one of my neighbor (In Inida) using coconut for this recipe, guess that’s the South Indianised version. I’ve added Kitchen king masala too.I use this in most of my cooking, I simply love the extra taste it adds to the food.

Green Onion Curry

Green Onions or Scallions…also has the name spring onions are used in Salads,Soups and Chinese Cuisine. They can be eaten raw , but you can also grill or sauté them. My mom used to make this stuff and served it with Rotis. In India it looked a l’il different….at the end of the bunch small flowers were found,probably that’s the reason they were also called as “Vengaya Poo” meaning Onion flowers in Tamil. I picked up three bunches couple days back and used it yesterday……….ofcourse the one we get here are without the flowers.

I was thinking about my brother while making this….as he used to like this curry too…..Gosh…. I miss him loads.

It’s a very simple curry and it hardly takes time. Adding peanuts was the only variation/addition to the original recipe.

Ingredients:-
Green Onions – 3 bunches
Red Chilli powder – 1tsp
Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
Urad Dal – ½ tsp
Peanuts – 2 tbsp roasted & crushed(coarse)
Salt – as per taste

Method –
1.Heat Oil in a Pan, add mustard seeds and Urad dal.
2.Add the chopped Green Onions , Turmeric Powder, Red Chilli powder and salt. Saute well.
3.When it becomes soft , add the Crushed peanuts , Sauté for a min and switch of the flame
Serve the above with hot Rotis.

For the peanuts – In a kadai, roast the peanuts till they turn brown, remove skin and crush it. I used the mixer and coarsely grinded the peanuts.

Also,once the onions get cooked the quantity reduces.Three bunches is good enuf for only one person.

Chole Masala/Chana Masala

You call it the Chole, chana masala, chickpeas curry,masaledar chole or watever…this one is definetly a lip smacking dish enjoyed by everyone.This one is my husband’s fav too and he likes it with hot Puris instead of Rotis.I made this yesterday and here is the recipe.

Ingredients :

Kabuli Channa/Chickpeas/Garbenzos – 1 cup – Soak it overnight
Red Chilli powder – 1tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Chole Masala – 1 – 1/2 tbsp (You can use the powders which are readily available in the market either MDH/Everest/Badshaah)
Kitchen king masala – 1/2 tbsp(this is actually not added in the original recipe, but I add this as it gives a nice flavour)
Bay leaf – 1
Cinnamon – one small
Jeera – 1 tsp
Coriander leaves – for garnishing
Oil – 1 tbsp
Salt – as per taste

For the paste –

Onions – 2 large chopped
Garlic – 1 or 2 pods (here the garlic pods are way to large so 2 does good, in India we get small ones so 5-6 pods can be used)
Ginger – 1/2 tsp chopped
Green chilles – 6

Grind the above into a fine paste.

Tomatoes – 3 nos – Grind it separately into a fine paste

Method –

1.Boil (Pressure cook) the soaked Chick peas along with one half of an Onion
2.In a kadai, heat oil.When its hot add Jeera,Bay leaf & Cinnamon.
3.Add the 1st paste (the one with the Onions) and saute it until the oil leaves the sides.
4.Add the tomato paste and all the powders and saute till it gets cooked.
5.Now add the boiled Chickpeas and mix well.Also, add salt and li’l water and allow it to boil.
7. Once it becomes thick, garnish with coriander leaves and serve it hot with Rotis/Puris

Note – Remove the Bayleaf and Cinnamon once it gets thick.Few also add tea bags while cooking the Chickpeas, this makes the gravy look darker.

Dal Tadka

In India, i used to have the Dal only with rotis, some how the concept of Dal Chawal never amused me.My husband loves the Dal I make and he likes it more with rice. I have my own variation and it gets better and better everytime I make.

Dal Tadka

Ingredients :

Moong Dal – 1 cup
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Tomato – 1 or 2
Salt – to taste
Lemon – 1/2 of a lime
Coriander – for garnishing
Ghee – 2 tsp

Seasoning-
Mustard – 1/2tsp
Jeera – 1/2 tsp
Green chilli – 4 finely chopped
Red chilli – 2
Curry leaves – a few
Asafoetida(hing) – a pinch

1.Boil Moong dal along with the tomato and turmeric powder in a pressure cooker.
2.Remove the boiled tomato,peel skin, mash it and keep it aside.
3.In a Kadai, add ghee.Once hot, add the seasoning ingredients.Add the cooked dal and salt,mix well.Bring it to boil for few mintues till the dal becomes thick.Add the mashed tomato too.
4.Once the dal turns thick, sprinke lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves.

Dal Tadka is ready to serve.This one is a very simple Dal and doesnt take a long time.By just adding Palak to the same recipe you end up with Dal Palak.

P.S – Ensure that the lemon juice is added just before serving, sometimes it gets a li’l bitter.

Bell Pepper Gravy

Ahhh…atlast i found sometime for my blogs.I’ve been procastinating for a while now.My husband forced me to get onto my hobbies and here i am.Not sure how much i will blog…but here it goes.

This ones is my all time fav recipe and this has made me quite popular amongst my friends circle.Any potluck/dinner… people request me to make this side dish.

Ingredients:

Bell Peppers (mix of all colors- chopped into big pieces(an inch length)) – 3
Onion – 1 (chopped into big pieces)
Cashewnut powder – 2tbsp
Oil – For seasoning
Jeera- 1/4tsp
Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/3tsp
Salt – as per taste
Coriander leaves – for garnishing

1. Take oil in a kadai, add jeera and then the Onions.Saute the onions till it turns pink.
2.Add the Bell Peppers,turmeric powder,chilli powder,salt and mix well.
3.Cook the vegetable in low flame till it becomes soft.
4.Finally add the cashewnut powder and switch off the flame.
5.Garnish with coriander leaves and serve it with hot rotis/phulkas.

The gravy looks very colorful and is delicious.

P.S – If needed you can add garam masala and kasoori methi too.It gives the recipe a north indian touch.

Bhindi Masala

Bhindi/Okra/Lady’s finger – 1/2 kg – Cut into pieces (an inch length)
Onions – 1 large (thinly sliced)
Tomato – 2 – (thin sliced)
Pudina/Mint leaves – 1/4cup
Coriander leaves – 1 cup
Ginger – small one, about an inch
Garlic – 2-3 cloves
Green Chillies – 5
Red Chilli pwder – 1tsp
Turmeric Powder – 1tsp
Asafoetida powder /hing- li’l
Oil- 2 tbl sp
salt – to taste

1.Coarsely grind Pudina, Coriander, Chillies,Ginger & Garlic together.
2.In a kadai, add oil (1tbsp)and saute the bhindi until soft and keep it separately
3.Again in the kadai, add oil(1tbsp),asafoetida powder,sliced Onions.Saute them well.Once the Onions turn brown, add tomatoes and saute them again.
4.Add turmeric and chilli powder and salt.
5.To the above mixture add the bhindi and mix well. Allow it to cook for few mins until done.
6. Serve hot with Roti.

Til Aloo Curry

This one is one of my fav one.Its easy to make and the ingredients used are simple ones.

Aloo – 2 large boiled and cut into cubes
Jeera – 1/4 tsp
White Til – 1-2 tsp
Red Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – few
Oil – 1 tb sp
Lemon juice – 1/2 tsp
Dhaniya & Jeera powder – 1tsp
turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves – for garnishing
salt to taste

1. Mix Aloo, along with all the powders.
2.In a kadai, heat oil.Add jeera, til and curry leaves.Ensure that the til turns brown.
3. Add aloo and close the lid for few mins.sprinkle lemon juice.
4.Once done, garnish coriander leaves

Actually, i tried adding kasuri methi after cooking and it was delicious. Its jes optional.