Amritsari Kulche Chole

Flavourful, spicy chole from Amritsar served with buttery soft  aloo kulcha.

Ingredients:
For chole:

• 2 cups white chickpeas soaked overnight
• Salt to taste
• 2 tea bags
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 2 tsp dry mango powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp carom seeds
• A pinch of asafoetida
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1-2 chopped green chillies
• 1 onions (paste)
• 2 tomatoes (pureed)
• 2 tomatoes (roughly sliced)
• 2 medium sized  boiled potatoes
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 3-4 tbsp oil

Dry spice mix:

• 11/2 tsp cumin seeds
•  5-6 cloves
• 10-15 black pepper corns
• 1 no. mace
• 2 black cardamom 
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 dry red chillies

For garnishing:

• Chopped coriander leaves
• Choppoed green chillies( optional)

Directions:

• Dry roast the spices mentioned under dry spice and grind to a fine powder and keep aside.
• Peel potatoes and cut them into big chunks and deep fry till crispy, keep aside.
• Boil chickpeas in a pressure cooker with 3 cups of water put tea bags and salt, cook till tender. Discard tea bags after opening the pressure cooker. Save the water for later use. keep aside.
• In a wok heat oil, add asafoetida, carom seeds and bay leaves, saute it for few seconds then add onion paste and cook till it changes the colour to light brown, next add tomato puree and cook till oil separates.
• Add boiled chickpeas, chilli powder, ground spices, dry mango powder, half of the reserved water, mix well and cook for 5-7 minutes.
• Put tomato slices and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Add fried potato chunks, sprinkle lemon juice and stir well.
• Garnish with coriander leaves, ginger juliennes and some chopped green chilli.
• Serve hot.

(I prefer the texture of chole little dry, but you can increase the amount of water in the gravy)

Aloo Kulcha
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup curd
• water as required

For stuffing:

• 2 boiled potatoes:
• 2 chopped green chillies
• Some chopped coriander leaves
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp Dry mango powder
• 1 tsp chaat masala
• Red chilli powder to taste

For topping:

• Chopped coriander leaves
• Nigella seeds

Directions:

• In a mixing bowl add both flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar and whisk well. Make a well in the center, add oil, curd and water and knead into a soft pliable dough.
• Cover the dough with a wet muslin cloth, and keep it aside for 2 hours.
• Mix together all the ingredients mentioned under stuffing and divide into 4 equal portions.
• Take an orange sized ball from the dough and roll into a roti. Place one portion of the stuffing in the centre of the roti.
•  Bring together all the sides in the centre and seal tightly and roll into a medium thick roti on a clean surface dusted with flour
• Top it with some chopped coriander leaves and nigella seeds.
• Apply some water on the top of the kulcha and put it on a tawa from the wet side so it sticks to the tawa.
• Cook on medium flame, when the kulcha starts to puff on the top turn the tawa upside down and cook kulcha on direct flame from the top side.
• When cooked put a dollop of butter and serve hot.

Soya chaap stuffed potatoes

I'm  back to my kitchen after a small  fun filled vacation and to start with I decided to make these quick and easy baked potatoes stuffed with soya chaap enriched with proteins for my potato lover son :P, It turned out quite appetizing and my family loved it :) I had shared one more version of baked potatoes sometime back and they were a big hit :)

Ingredients:

• 6-7 medium sized potatoes
• 150 gms frozen soya chaap
• 100 gms crumbled cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup hung curd
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Few mint leaves to garnish
• 1-2 tbsp herbed garlic butter

Preparation time:15-20 minutes + 2 hours
Cooking time: 45-50 minutes
Yields: 6-7 servings
Kitchen equipments required: scooper, mixing bowls and spoons, kitchen knife, cutting/chopping board, saucepan

Directions:

• Wash potatoes and pat dry, cut thin slices from both the ends of each potato.
• Boil potatoes in a saucepan for 10-12 minutes till they are partially cooked.
• Scoop out the centre to make a cavity in each potato keeping the base intact.( keep aside the trimmings for later use)
• Thaw soya chaap and chop finely.
• In a mixing bowl add hung curd, ginger garlic paste, dry powdered spices, lemon juice and give them a good mix.
• Add chopped soya chaap, crumbled cheese, mashed potato trimmings to the marinade, keep in ion for at least 2 hours.
• Fill the potato cavity with the marinated soya chaap mixture.
• Brush the outside of potatoes with garlic herbed butter.
• Pre heat the oven for 10 minutes at 200 degree C.
• Arrange the stuffed potatoes in a baking tray and bake for 35-40 minutes or till crisp.
• Garnish with mint leaves and serve with your favourite dip or sauce.
  

Layered Aam panna and Kala khatta granita

For those, who were the 90's kids this would be a breeze of nostalgic summer afternoons, Remember chuski or gola sold by thella wala? It used to take hours sometimes to convince mom to let us have those colourful snow sticks painted in vibrant sweet syrups and dripping all over us. The taste is still in my memories and hence today, played with the ingredients and some favourite flavours of childhood to prepare a layered Aam panna and kala khatta Granita.

Aam panna granita:
Ingredients:

• 3-4 Raw mangoes 
• 2-3 tsp roasted cumin powder
• 2 tsp black salt 
• Back pepper powder to taste
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup Sugar or to taste
• 15-20 crushed mint leaves
• 2 cups water

Kitchen equipments required: pressure cooker, sauce pan, mixing spoons, cling wrap, 2 deep baking dish and a fork
Yields: 5 servings.

Directions:

• Wash mangoes and pressure cook till 2-3 whistles.
• Remove the peel and take out the pulp
• In a saucepan add water, mango pulp and cook along with sugar and spices for 5-6 minutes.
• Add mint leaves and switch off the flame.
• Let the mixture cool. (This is the basic aam panna recipe)

For Granita:

• Pour aam panna into a deep baking pan. Freeze for 1-2 hours, scrap the icy edges with a fork and bring them to the centre, cover the pan with a cling wrap and return to the freezer.
• Repeat the process 3-4 times after every 30 minutes or until it is completely scrapped.
• Scrap granita once again before the final serving.

For the kala khatta layer I have used 2 packs of ready to drink Paper Boat Jamun kala khatta juice.
(For kala khatta Granita follow the same procedure as we did for aam panna granita)

Assembling:

• Take a serving glass, jar ( or a disposible cup if you want to enjoy it as a chuski). Spoon a layer of aam panna granita and then kala khatta granita, repeat twice and put the serving jars or glass in freezer for an hour.
• Garnish with some fresh mint leaves.
• Serve chilled.

Dhaniya masala chole with Tawa naan

Happiness lies in cooking your family's favourite food, Dhaniye masala chole was one of  the first recipes I ever cooked. I'm a determined eater and creator of this Punjabi curry. I remember my brother asking to save some for his next day's office dabba <3 and mom dad enjoying the food with sweet smiles on their face. Being a Pujabi kitchen Chole bhature, chawal, naan, paratha, is a frequent affair at my house just like any other punjabi household. This chole preparation is cooked in a fresh coriander based gravy along with various spices giving it a fresh and subtle flavours.

Dhaniye Masala Chole:
Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg chickpeas(soaked overnight)
• 1 tea bag
• 3 medium sized onions (paste)
• 4-5 big tomatoes (pureed)
• 1 tbsp green chilli, ginger garlic paste
• 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves paste
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 black cardamom
• 1 bay leaf
• 2-3 cloves
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 5-6 black peppercorns
• A pinch of asafoetida
• 1/2 tsp degi mirch powder(red chilli powder)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 2 tsp dry roasted cumin seeds
• Salt to taste
• 3-4 tbsp tamarind paste
• 4-5 tbsp oil
• 1/2 cup water

For garnishing:

• Onion rings
• Coriander leaves
• Small cubes of fried cottage cheese
  

Directions:

• Boil chickpeas in a pressure cooker adding salt and a tea bag in a pressure cooker till tender( this generally takes 6-7 whistles on medium flame)  discard the tea bag, crush roasted cumin seeds in a mortar and pestle and add in the boiled chickpeas, keep aside.
• In a wok heat oil add add asafoetida, cumin seeds, after the seeds splutter add rest of the whole spices and saute for a minute.
• Next add green chilli and ginger garlic paste, saute for a minute.
• Add onion paste and cook till golden brown.
• When onions are cooked add tomato puree and coriander leaves paste and cook till oil separates from the sides.
• Next add all the dry spice powders and cook again for a minute.
• Add boiled chickpeas, tamarind paste and water and let the mixture boil for 10-12 minutes.( adjust the seasonings if required)
• Garnish with onion rings, cottage cheese and coriander leaves.
• Serve hot with naan, paratha, kulcha or rice.
  

Tawa Naan:
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup curd
• water as required
  

Directions:

• In a mixing bowl add both flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar and whisk well. Make a well in the center, add oil, curd and water and knead into a soft pliable dough.
• Cover the dough with a wet muslin cloth and keep it aside for 2 hours.
• Take an orange sized ball from the dough and roll into an elongated shape on a clean surface dusted with flour, apply some water on the top of the naan and put it on a tawa from the wet side so it sticks to the tawa.
• Cook on medium flame, when the naan starts to puff on the top turn the tawa upside down and cook naan on direct flame from the top side.
• When cooked put a dollop of butter and serve hot
  

Enjoy Dhabba style food at home :)

Kahwa Mint Ice lollies

The Sun scorches all day long.. and the heat wears me out.. my family and I always want something cool and healthy...

Not to forget my kiddo loves popsicles, I was awarded with super chef title from him for the Caramel mochasicles I made for him ....so this time I combined exotic flavours of kahwa with some summery mint to make some healthy and delicious Kahwa ice lollies! They are refreshing and just what u need to beat the heat! The Kahwa truffles I made some time back were super hit at my home. Here's one more experiment from kahwa tea leaves coming from my kitchen!!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 3/4 tsp kashmiri kahwa tea (or green tea leaves)
• 1/4 tsp green cardamom powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/4 tsp dry ginger powder
• 10-12 saffron strands( dissolved in 2-3 tbsp water)
• Few dried rose petals (optional)
• Few fresh mint leaves
• Sugar to taste
• A handful of chopped almonds

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5-7 minutes
Total time: 4-5 hours
Yields: 6 ice lollies
Kitchen Equipments required: Saucepan, a mixing spoon, popsicle moulds

Directions:

• Boil water in a saucepan along with powdered spices.
• Pour this boiled water over the tea leaves, add rose petals and mint leaves, let it stand for 10-12 minutes to steep the flavours.
• Add saffron water and chopped almonds.
• Stir in some sugar, and let it cool.
• Pour the tea in the popsicle moulds and transfer the moulds to freezer for about an hour, take out the moulds and insert sticks in the centre, cover and put the moulds back to freezer for at least 4-5 hours.
• For demoulding, run hot water over the mould and carefully take out the popsicles.
• Serve chilled.

Peach & Apple Iced green tea

Kick start your day with this refreshing Iced green tea infused with peaches and apples and flavoured with ginger juice.......

Green tea is made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis. It is loaded with antioxidants and nutrients and dietary fibre that are helpful in curing many ailments.

Adding fresh fruits to it enhances its taste and nutrient value of the tea.
I have shared Earl grey & rose iced tea and Orange spiced iced tea some time back with you.

This time it is cold brewed refreshing fresh fruit infused iced green tea to beat the heat!!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups cold water
• 3  bags green tea
• 1  bag black tea
• 3 medium sized peaches sliced
• 1 big apple sliced
• 1/2 tbsp ginger juice
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Honey as per taste
• Ice cubes
  

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Total time : 8 hours refrigeration plus 30 minutes
Yields : 4 servings

Directions:

• Add 4 cups of filtered cold water in a pitcher, drop tea bags cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Slightly mash the fruits using a spoon or muddler 
• Add fruits and ginger juice into the brewed tea and let it rest for 30-40 minutes.
• Fill the glasses with ice cubes and pour the tea over the ice.
• Stir in some honey and lemon juice.
• Serve chilled.

Guest blog : Knowing Chilli

Much delighted to share a guest blog from "Innovative Head Chef" YUM Restaurants International Rahul Shrivastava.

Multi Cusine Specialist chef is an IHM Chandigarh pass out.

Sharing his insights on uses and varieties of chillies in different civilisations

Chillies are an integral part of any civilisation. In fact the usage of the chillies make the cultures different from one another.  Also one can easily seen differentiation in the local tradition in the methodology the way these are used. 

Indians are very quickly educating their plates with foreign tastes and flavours. They have that new purchasing power and have robust stomach lining unlike the Europeans. They fear and stop at nothing. Its time now to educate ourself with the Arsenal of Chillies!!

Primarily we can divide the entire planet as for the usage of Chillies on and further build out know how in return

America and Latin American: 

The prime use of the chillies are in marinades and rubs and also combined with the fruits and vegetables to make main course and snack preparations in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico. In fact Mexico is known for the use of various types of Chilies and the Birthplace of the one of the most Fiery chilli in the world called - Habanero. Another important chilli is Chipotle is now being even welcomed in India which has sweet and smoky notes. 

European: 

Too much of black pepper can be extremely dangerous for this population. They have sweeter roasts and use their spices in moderation compared to American counterparts. They like to use their Cayenne pepper in Hungry and Portugal and Peperoncino in Italy and Sardinia. France uses more of white pepper and pink pepper. But all of this is used for the moderation and giving little Zing to their dishes and never to gasp for water to quench a fire with that.

Asian (India, South East Asia and Japan): 

They are one of the masters of using their spices and Chillies in various permutation and combination as these fall in the tropical climate range. Malay and Indonesians use their chillis to create fabulous dishes like Rendang and Thailand uses to enrich their Thai Curriers. Indians on the other hand create Sambhar and entire North Indian flair. Japan has Wasabi as a robust spice cum Chilli accompaniment to Sushi and Sashimis. 

Middle Eastern: 

Make use of red chilli powder to adorn the Hummus and Babaganoj. They have succulent kebabs and flavorsome rice preparations which are famous all over the world. No authentic Shavarma can be made without the use of chilli paste. 

Others: Australia and New Zealand: 

Aboriginals and people of Australian origin use their spice in moderation as their European friends use, in fact they also love the sweeter spice mixes from Tuscany Italy and Modern Eurasian blends. 

Over all I would like to conclude that Best of the Chefs around the world would swear on the fresh use of the Spices in and around a plate to create a plethora of fantastic dishes.