Naan

Naan is one of those recipes, which we never venture out at home. But believe me its very easy to make. For a typical naan recipe, all purpose flour/ maida is used. Which I replace with the whole wheat durum flour. And for the perfect fluffy-rising-melt in your mouth- naan, baking soda is recommended. But again I replace it with active dry yeast. Baking soda is for those special ocassion or once in a while usage…

2 cups durum whole wheat flour (if you do not get this, all purpose flour can be replaced)
1 teaspoon active dry yeast (if using baking soda, use 1/2 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon salt
Enough water to make the dough consistency
2 tablespoon of natural yoghurt (Plain curd, brought to room temperature, and beaten well)

Method
1. Add the dry yeast to a quartet cup of warm water. Let it stay aside for the yeast to do its magic. You will see froth forming on top. This will take abt 5-10 mins.
2. Take a mixing bowl. Add the flour, salt, yeast mixture, yoghurt. Use your hands to mix them well. Keep adding warm water until you get a nice dough (chapathi dough consistency). Ensure this is not too firm or too soft.
3. Cover this dough in a warm wet towel. Keep it back in the mixing bowl for it to rise. This will take about an hour or 2.
4. Once the dough is risen, knead it again and make small balls of a size of a lemon. Dust your counter top with some flour, use your rolling ping and roll out these balls into thin flat circle. Ensure this is not too thin, else your chapathi might turn out like bisuits!! 😉
5. Place a tawa, slightly oil/butter/ghee (whichever is available), and place the naan. Turn over to cook the other side. Add a little ghee for it cook and give out a nice brown colour. Repeat until all dough is turned into Naan.

Relish your naan with any of the sides.. Happy eating

Aaloo Gobi with mutter

Ok, I thought today was going to be just another day with some boring cooking… And fortunate for me, I did not even get up on time to cook! How nice is that..! 😉 So I promised my husband a piping hot lunch so that he can drop in. I decided to make Aaloo gobi mutter with Naan… So lets get started 🙂

Aaloo gobi mutter
This is a very custom version. Neither of us like too much masala in our dishes, and we like our sides to have little gravy than too dry. This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients
1. 1 big sized potato, evenly cubed. (or 2 medium sized potatoes)
2. 1/2 cup Fresh peas
3. 1 cup Cauliflower florets (medium sized)
4. 2 spoon of our usual home made sambar powder
5. 1/2 spoon of red chilli powder
6. Just a couple of pinch of cumin seeds
7. 1/2 medium sized onion finely diced
8. 1 small tomato for puree and 1/2 small tomato nicely diced
9. 1/2 inch ginger finely diced
10. 2 tablespoon of vegetable oil (I substituted half oil + half butter)
11. Salt to taste
12. A pinch of sugar (Just a pinch)
13. 1 teaspoon of garam masala

Method
1. Dice the potatoes into cubes, boil them to 3/4 with salt, peel them and keep them aside.
2. Boil 1 tomato in water, peel, blend in mixer to get the puree. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and once they splutter add the onions. Keep stirring them until they start to turn translucent.
4. Add a pinch of sugar, ginger and stir them well. Now add the sambar powder, chilli powder, salt and fry them well. If this mix is too dry to handle, add a couple of spoons of oil and fry them well.
5. Now add the chopped tomato, tomato puree to this onion mix. Stir this mixture on a medium flame. This mixture needs to be stir fried until you get to see oil separated on top. Now add some water to get a gray consistency and let it boil for couple of minutes on medium flame. Keep the pan covered with little space for vapour to escape… you know nobody likes splutters on the counter top… 🙂
6. Once you get to smell the wonderful flavours, add your boiled potatoes, cauliflower florets, fresh peas, and coat them with the masala.
7. If needed add little more water, garam masala and cover with a laddle inside. Let it simmer for couple of minutes until the running liquid actually reduces to a thick gravy consistency.

oh oh.. there you go.. wonderful yummy simple aaloo gobi mutter
But, it wasnt my husband who was lucky to have it just off the tawa, but me… myself.. He had some bagels and fruit basket brought in by his colleagues…hmmm..I would prefer this to bagels and fruits.. Anyday!! 😀

Find the naan recipe in Everyday Recipe section

Colacasia/Seppankezhangu Roast

This is one of my all time favourite. This goes wonderful with hot spicy rasam and rice. My brother just loves this, that you keep a bowl full of seppankezhangu roast, that he will finish it off in a jiffy. Ok, all the proportions that I mention is depending on how much spice we relish. You can alter it as per your taste.

This recipe serves 3

Ingredients
1. Seppankezhangu – 1/2 Kg (When you buy seppankezhangu always ensure the veggie is round evenly, does not have any dent like dark patches, and not very fresh. Sometimes fresh colacasia causes some irritation)
2. Little tamarind paste (About 3 spoons)
3. Perungayam podi (Hing)
4. Sambar podi 3 teaspoon full
5. Red chilli powder 1 teaspoon
6. Salt as per taste

For tempering:
1. Little oil
2. 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
3. 1 teaspoon split urad dal
4. 1 teaspoon

Method:
1. Wash seppankezhangu, add water till the level of veggie, some salt and pressure cook it for one whistle. Or one can even boil over kadai or electric rice cooker. It should be par-boiled (3/4th) and should not become mushy.
2. Once cooked, pour the veggie over cold water to stop any further cooking. Remove the skins, and cut them into 1inch squares each.
3. Now take a wide mouthed vessel, add the cut veggie, about 3-4 teaspoons of oil, sambar powder, hing powder, red chilli powder, salt (if required more than what was put while boiling the veggie), and the tamarind past. Mix them with your hand. Ensure you dont smash them while mixing. Its just to ensure all pieces are well coated with the masala.

4. Let is rest for about 15 mins.
5. Take a non stick pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil. Once oil is heated, add mustard seeds, urad dal for tempering.
6. Then add the veggie with masala. Ensure they stay separate in the pan while frying. Keep it on small to medium flame. Once the bottom side fries, slowly start turning the sides… Let it cook on all side evenly. If you need it crisp, add little more oil and fry more.