Batata Vada(Aalu Vada)

Batata Vada is a popular Indian vegetarian fast food in Maharashtra, India. It literally means potato fritters. The name "Batata" means potato in English. It consists of a potato mash patty coated with chick pea flour, then deep-fried and served hot with savory condiments called chutney.Serves it like a snack with tea or coffee .
Although Maharashtrian in origin, Batata Vada is gaining popularity in the rest of India as well.
The potato filling and the batter used to coat the filling are the only two components of batata vada(aalu vada).Batata vada is typically served very hot with green chillies and chutneys of various types. The most common way to eat it though is in form of Vada pav.



For the filling:
3 Boiled meshed  Potatoes
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 mustered seeds
1/2 tbs dry mango powder or lemon juice
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp finely chopped coriander  leaves
1/4 tsp finely chopped  Ginger
1-2 finely chopped green chilli
Pinch of asafoetida
Salt to taste
For the covering
1 1/2  cup Besan (Bengal Gram Flour)
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
 Pinch of Turmeric Powder
salt to taste
chopped green coriander leaves
1/4 tsp Ajwain (carom seeds)
Oil for frying.

 Method :-

Take a heated pan , put the oil ,asafoetida
 add cumin seeds , mustered seeds fennel seeds , green chilli , ginger turmeric powder . When the seeds crackle add Meshed boiled potatoes, Mix it and  cook for 4-5 min at medium flame.





Note :-  You can add  chopped onions, saute for a couple of minutes till onions are soft and light golden color.

Now add salt , red chilli powder (optional), dry mango powder , Pinch of garam masala  mix it and cook for 2-3 min

Add chopped green coriander leaves .and mix it now stuffing is ready to filling . Keep a side for cooling

Allow the potato mixture cool down and divide the mixture into 8 portions, shape into round balls and keep aside.

Now take a medium size bowl and add gram flour , salt , garam masala , ajwain ,1 Pinch Turmeric Powder
 chopped green coriander leaves ,Mix all the ingredients for the covering and add enough water to prepare a thick batter

Dip the potatoes ball   in this batter . Cover it with batter . make sure the potaoes balls  are well coated with the batter and gently drop them into hot oil.

 Fry in hot oil till it is golden in color. fry it at medium flame.Once pakoras become golden brown with the spatula take them out from the oil and place them on the plate over paper towel so that excess oil is absorbed.

Now the crispy and spicy aalu vada  is ready to eat !!!!!!
Serve hot with tamarind chutney and  green chilli chutney  or tomato chutney , or tomato sauces .

Stuffed Chilli Pakora

Easily mistaken for a deformed capsicum, the bhavnagri chilli is usually stuffed with paneer, cheese, potato or even mixed vegetables and then deep-fried. Start our  meal with this crunchy  starter.Mirchi ka pakora is a spicy delicious treat for those who enjoy the hot green chilies.  It is perfect with hot cup of tea on rainy days.  They are so many different ways to prepare these spicy pakoras if you do not like hot then use mild chilies. If you do not want to stuff the chilies then use finger chilies, just dip them in the batter and fry them, either way they are delicious.Today I am using potatoes   for stuffing , all time favorites and easy to make .Serve hot with tamarind chutney and  green chilli chutney  or tomato chutney , or tomato sauces .









Ingredients:

8 - 10 Bharawan Mirch (Pickle Green Chillies)

For the filling:
3 Boiled meshed  Potatoes
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 mustered seeds
1/2 tbs dry mango powder or lemon juice
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp finely chopped coriander  leaves
1/4 tsp finely chopped  Ginger
1-2 finely chopped green chilli

Pinch of asafoetida

Salt to taste
For the covering
1 1/2  cup Besan (Bengal Gram Flour)
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
 Pinch of Turmeric Powder
salt to taste
chopped green coriander leaves
1/4 tsp Ajwain (carom seeds)
Oil for frying

Wash, wipe and slit the chillies along the length.Now make a long cut with help of knife at upper surface  of Chillis as shown in pic .  Remove the seeds from the chillies..

Take a heated pan , put the oil ,asafoetida
,add cumin seeds , mustered seeds fennel seeds , green chilli , ginger turmeric powder . When the seeds crackle add Meshed boiled potatoes, Mix it and  cook for 4-5 min at medium flame.

 Now add salt , red chilli powder (optional), dry mango powder , Pinch of garam masala  mix it and cook for 2-3 min

Add chopped green coriander leaves .and mix it now stuffing is ready to filling . Keep a side for cooling

Now take a medium size bowl and add gram flour , salt , garam masala , ajwain ,1 Pinch Turmeric Powder
 chopped green coriander leaves ,Mix all the ingredients for the covering and add enough water to prepare a thick batter

  Now stuff the chilies, with your fingers pry open the slit of chili one at a time, take a spoon full of potatoe stuffing and stuff the pepper, spread evenly through chili, push the slit closed so that potatoes settle down inside, keep them aside. .

Dip the stuffed chillies in this batter . Cover it with batter . make sure the chilies are well coated with the batter and gently drop them into hot oil.

 fry in hot oil till it is golden in color. fry it at medium flame.Once pakoras become golden brown with the spatula take them out from the oil and place them on the plate over paper towel so that excess oil is absorbed.

Now the crispy and spicy stuffed chilli is ready to eat !!!!!!
Serve hot with tamarind chutney and  green chilli chutney  or tomato chutney , or tomato sauces . If the pakoras are too big then cut them in small pieces and serve.

Note :-To test the oil to see if it is ready, drop a little batter if it rises immediately to the
    surface and sizzles, the temperature is correct, if it get brown quickly it means it is too
    hot then turn the heat down, if it is sink to bottom and do not simmer it means it is not
    hot enough, and the pakoras will absorb too much oil and remain greasy, adjust the
    heat accordingly.

Palak Paneer

Many of the best loved vegetarian नार्थ इंडियन dishes are the ones where paneer is combined with a vegetable. Paneer is widely used and very popular in north due to the abundance of milk and milk products in the area. This combination of spinach and paneer is not only highly nutritious, but is a splendid blend of taste, texture and flavour.Palak (Spinach) has many nutrients as compare to other vegetables. It contains good amount of vitamin K and A which helps you bone up. the vegetable also provides cardiovascular protection. Cooked palak is good source of iron. So alongwith good taste of palak paneer, one can also enjoy so many good qualities of the dish. Palak paneer is considered as one of the famous north indian cusine.The paneer in this recipe has been fried to add some extra flavour. You can however add the paneer pieces without frying if required..A delicious paneer dish in spinach gravy popular in North India. Paneer fried in ghee is cooked in a spinach-tomato-cream gravy along with fried onions, green chilli, ginger, garlic and other spices. Spinach and tomatoes are cooked in boiling water (blanched) and then pureed to get the rich, smooth gravy.  Serve with roti, naan or chapathi.

Ingredients
8-10 cups chopped spinach (palak)
2  cups paneer , cut into cubes
2 tbsp fresh cream 0r full cearm milk
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves
1 tsp  garam masala (optional)
11/2 cup finely chopped onions
4 cloves chopped garlic
4-5 thin sliced ginger or grated
2-3  finely chopped green chillies
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1/2 cup fresh tomato pulp or purrey
salt to taste
kasturi methi (optional)
2 tbsp fried oinons (optional)

2 tbsp oil

* 4  bunches of spinach will approximately yield 10 cups of chopped spinach
Method

Blanch the spinach in a vesselful of boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes. at low fame
Drain, refresh with cold water and keep aside to cool for sometime.
Blend in a mixer to a smooth purée and keep aside.

Now take a heated kadai or pan put  the oil in a kadhai , add the cumin seeds and 2 cloves. When the seeds crackle add garlic, ginger, green chillies  onions and sauté on a medium flame till they turn translucent. add turmeric powder red chilli powder and sauté on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the tomato pulp and sauté till the mixture leaves oil, while stirring continuously.(you can use garam masala , i am not adding)

Add the spinach purée and 2 tbsp of water, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes.

Add the salt, and fresh cream and mix well. cook for 5-6 min at low flame.

Add the paneer, mix gently and cook on a medium flame for another  2-3 minutes.

 you can add fried sliced onion or  kasturi methi now delicious palak paneer is ready to eat!!!!!!!!!! .

Serve with roti, naan or chapathi.

Kesar Mango Shrikhand

 Shri khand is a Gujarati sweet  cuisine.. It is often served chilled as a deserts.We can chose any  flavor strawberry , pishta dried and fresh fruit such as mango are also added .A popular variation of shrikhand in Maharashtra is Amrakhand (आम्रखंड), which is shrikhand blended with mango pulp. Another variant of shrikhand, Matho , is served as a sweet dish or dessert particularly in Gujarati cuisine. The preparation method is almost the same, but some fresh fruits are always added in shrikhand.In these day shrikhand is most popular desert in all over in India .








Ingredients :-
1 kg curds (dahi)
3/4 cup  Sugar powder
1 tbsp  chopped pishta (Pistachio)
2 tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder
1 tbsp chopped almond (badam)
Few saffron (kesar)
1 tbsp milk

Method

 * Add  the saffron into the warm milk until it dissolves

Hang the curds in a muslin cloth in a cool place for approximately 4-5  hours until all the liquid has drained off.(Keep in refrigerator)

.

Add hung curds, sugar powder, mango pulp !

 Mix it with hand blender.

Now add cardamon powder, dry fruits , saffron and mix it
 Keep in refrigerator for cooling .

Serve garnished with   mango slice  and saffron!!

Dry Onion Karela

Here's an interesting way to make karela without deep-frying them. Karela onion sabzi is a simple yet delectable recipe which requires less effort and is less time consuming. Its easy and requires very few ingredients. Sure no one would really guess bitter karela taste in it! it is very good for health specially for diabetes.Bitter gourds has been shown to contribute to weight loss. Over a period of 23 weeks, those eating the diet containing bitter melon lost 7 kilos.Bitter melon comes in a variety of shapes and sizes .Bitter melon(gourd) has been found to increase insulin sensitivity. some people don't like it because of bitter taste.   If you wish to prepare this subzi for dinner, I suggest you keep the salted karela aside in the morning to ensure that all the bitterness is removed.Karela sabzi. Today i am using less oil for karela. (Easy way).


Ingredients For the karelas
6-7 bitter gourds (karela)
3 cup sliced onions(pyaz)
2-3 chopped green chilli(hari mirch)
1 tbsp chopped garli(lehsun)
1/2 tbsp chopped ginger(adrak)
1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
1 tsp cumin seeds(jeera)
1/4 tsp coriander (dhania) powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder(lal mirch)
a pinch of turmeric powder (haldi)
1/4 tsp dried mango powder (amchur)
1/4 tsp garam masala(spices powder)
2 tsp oil
salt to taste
Pinch of asofatida (hing)

Method For the karelas

Peel the karelas and cut into round slice.
Add  salt all over the karelas. Keep aside for at least 2 to 3 hours.

Squeeze out all the water, wash the karelas and keep aside.

Take a heated pan and put some oil.Now add fennel seeds, cumin seeds, asofatida.when the seeds crackle add  green chilli ,garlic, ginger and onions cook for 2 min at medium flame  .

Now add Turmeric powder or salt.mix it well and cook for 10 -15 min at low flame.

when it look like brown add coriander powder ,garam masala , red chilli powder, dry mango powder. mix it well and cook for 5-6 min at low flame .

Now add some chopped coriander leaves . You can serve it with rice dal or roti .
crispy karela is ready to eat!!!!!!!!!!!!

Singhare ka Pakora

Singhare Ke Pakore (chestnut water pako)has always been a popular dish across India. we can  Serves it like a snack with tea or coffee .  It’s prepared extensively during festivals and fasts.  Navratri or shivratri festivities are almost incomplete without making them and serving to one and all. Deemed religious in nature, it has always been among the most popular garba recipes for the people in Gujarat and Maharashtra . It is very simple and easy recipe . I am useing sliced potatoes but boil meshed potatoes can also used . Some people  uses meshed pumpkin. If you are  serving in Vrat use sendha namak(rock saltor pakistani salt) place of salt  .Sendha namak is basically a type of salt which we get from the mountains instead of sea. we use it in fasting because we get it from rocks and it is very pure in every means as it does not contains so many other chemicals and impurities whereas we get table salt from the sea which also contains lot of marine creatures at the time of extraction so it is basically not used in fast as during fast we have to eat only veg food.

Ingredients:

 1/2 cup Singhare Ka Atta (Chestnut Flour)
 2 sliced Potatoes
 3-4 chopped Green Chilies
1 tbsp chopped green coriander leaves
1/2 tsp cruised black pepper
2 cup  Water
1/2 tsp mango powder or Lemon juice
Salt to taste
 Oil for Frying

How to make Singhare Ke Pakore:

Filter the chestnut flour through a sieve.Now
mix chestnut flour,potatoes, green chilies, and salt coriander leaves,black pepper  in a bowl.

 Then gradually add water to make a smooth paste.Now add lemon juice You can add 10-12 small squares of Pumpkin(I am not using)

Take pan with heavy bottom.Put the oil and heat it at medium flame.Now take some paste in your hand and drop in heated oil gently  till they turn dark brown. at low flame

Put the pakoras on kitchen towel to drain excess oil.
 Serve hot with green chutney, ketchup or sauce.
Singhare Ke crispy  Pakore are ready to eat.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!