Potato Sabji- The Evergreen Favourite

Ingredients:

3/4 kg potato,

10 tsp oil,

5 cardamoms,

2" cinnamon,

2- 3 cloves,

5 tomatoes,

4 onions,

1" ginger,

4- 6 garlic flakes,

1/2 tsp turmeric,

1/2 tsp amchur ( dry mango powder),

3/4 tsp red chilli powder,

1 tsp garam masala,

1- 2 tsp dhania ( coriander seeds) powder,

3/4 cup water,

salt to taste,

finely chopped coriander.

Method:

Peel and cut the potatoes in cubes about 1" each. Boil the potatoes in a pressure cooker, and give one whistle. Drain the water and let it cool for a while. 

In a frying pan, heat 6 tbsps of oil, and add the boiled potatoes to it. bring it to a mild roast, so that the potatoes are a little crisp. keep it aside. 

Puree the tomatoes, and onions each separately. Also grind the ginger and garlic into a coarse mixture.

Heat 4 tsps of oil in a kadai, and add cardamom, cinnamon and cloves and fry for a few seconds.

Add the ginger and garlic mixture. Fry for a minute.

Then, add the pureed onions, and fry it till it turns light brown. 

Add turmeric, amchur, chilli powder, garam masala, salt, and dhania powder, and fry till the masala mixes evenly.

Add pureed tomatoes, and cook till dry. And keep frying it for about 5 minutes till the oil separates.

Add the potatoes, and 3/4 cups of water, and bring it to a boil. Stir well and switch off the flame.

Garnish with coriander and serve with chapathi.

Ghee Rice- Soft and Tempting

Ingredients:
5 tsp oil,
1/2 cup ghee,
2" cinnamon,
1 tbsp saunf,
1 tsp cloves,
5 tsp ginger- garlic paste,
3 cups basmathi rice, soaked in water for 10 minutes,
3 or 4 tsp green chilli sauce,
salt to taste,
4 1/2 cups of water,
5 or 6 cashews,
1 tbsp raisins.


Method:
Heat oil and ghee in a kadai.
Add cinnamon, saunf and cloves. Fry for 1 minute.
Add ginger- garlic paste and stir so that there are no lumps. Fry till the paste turns slightly golden brown.
Add washed basmathi rice after draining the water.
Add green chilli sauce and salt. Mix well and fry with the rice for a few seconds.
Switch off the gas, and add the contents to an electric cooker. Add water and let it cook fully.


Garnishing:
Heat ghee in a pan. Add the broken cashews and raisins. Wait till the cashews turn slightly golden brown. 
Add it to the cooked rice and serve hot.

Tahiree- A Vegetable Masala Rice

Ingredients:
4 tbsp oil,
1 tsp saunf,
1" cinnamon,
4 tsp ginger- garlic paste ( i usually add a lot of garlic in my cooking u can reduce it a little though :) ),
4 finely chopped onion,
4 finely chopped tomatoes,
3 cups assorted vegetables diced ( carrot, beans, peas, potato, etc),
1 tsp garam masala,
1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 
1/2 tsp turmeric, 
salt to taste,
3 cups- basmathi rice soaked in water for at least ten minutes,
finely chopped coriander,
1 tsp of lime juice.


Method:
Heat oil in the pressure cooker, add cinnamon and saunf, stir for 1 min. 
Add onions and fry till it becomes golden brown, and add ginger- garlic paste. Fry for 1 minute. 
Add tomatoes. Cook till it is soft. 

Add all vegetables garam masala, chilli powder, salt and turmeric. 
Fry till the masala and the vegetables mix evenly. This may take about 1 minute.

Add soaked rice after draining the water and mix well for 1 minute. 
Add 4 1/2 cups of water, in the pressure cooker. 
Wait for three whistles and it will be done. 


Garnish:
Garnish with finely chopped coriander, and a dash of lime juice (optional).


This rice can be served either with Plain Raitha or Onion Raitha.


Plain raitha:

Ingredients:
1 cup curd,
a pinch of chaat masala,
a pinch of amchur ( dry mango powder),
salt to taste,
finely chooped coriander,
and a little bit of sugar. (optional)


Method:
Whisk the curd well, so that it becomes soft without any lumps.
Add all other ingredients, and garnish with coriander.


Serve hot.

My Experiments With Food

My love for food, has been there ever since I can remember. Right from a very young age, I have not only been interested in eating good food, but also trying to figure out what makes it so tasty. That very quest dragged me into the kitchen. Coming from an Indian Family, there has never been a shortage in the variety of food being cooked. I also have a tendency to eat a lot and eat it really fast ( typical Indian way of eating food), something my mother always criticizes about.With just one bite of any food, I can point out what is missing or what is extra in it. This made me take that little step into the kitchen.

I love to eat good food, and so it was only a matter of time before I started to cook good food. I started off with doing simple kitchen work like washing the dishes, and just serving food. But I was not very much interested in these little works. I was always waiting to take on the main job. And I finally started my cooking journey with simple dishes like Maggi noodles, chutneys, dosa, etc.

Good food always had something to do with good looking food. So I started to cook the slightly complicated dishes, which looked more beautiful. And I also got really bored of instant cooking, which is not real cooking at all. I love to cut vegetables, which again form an important place in making food look good. I also have this love for garnishing whatever I made with colourful ingredients, which leads to tasty Indian food, with attractive aroma, and beautiful garnishing.

So welcome to my blog, and enjoy the beautiful journey through Indian cooking, as I take my first steps into my experiments with food.