Aloo Pyaz ki Subzi (Potato and Onion curry)

This Rajasthani delicacy is quite time consuming to make an exceptionally heavy on the tummy. But tastes divine with hot rotis. I'm not going with the original version but using my edited version that is simpler to make.

You need:

1. Potatoes - 2 large
2. Onions - 6-7 small onions and 2 medium onions
3. Tomatoes - 3-4
4. Garlic - 10-15 cloves (you can use less if you want less garlicky flavor)
5. Ginger - 1" piece
6. Green chillies - 1
7. Curd - 1 cup (preferably sour)
8. Black Cardamom (badi ilaichi) - 1
9. Cinnamon (Dalchini) - 1 stick
10. Peppercorns (kali mirch) - 2-3 corns
11. Cloves (laung) - 2-3
12. Salt - to taste
13. Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
14. Coriander powder - 2 tsp
15. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
16. Garam masala - 2 tsp
17. cumin seeds - 1 tsp
18. Asafoetida (hing) - 1 pinch
19. Oil to fry
20. Fresh coriander to garnish

How to:

1. Remove the peel of small onions and make a slit lengthwise
2. Peel potatoes and chop lengthwise in to thick slices (like french fries)
3. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the small onions and potatoes. Keep aside
4. Make fine paste of the medium onions, tomatoes, green chillies, garlic, and ginger in a mixer.
5. Heat 6 tbsp of oil in a pan. Add asafoetida and cumin seeds and temper
6. Add the tomato-onion paste. Cover and cook well for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally and add water if needed
7. Tie the cardamom, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns and cloves in a muslin cloth and add to the pan
8. Mix the remaining spices in the curd. Add this to the pan and mix well.
9. Cover and cook for another 30 minutes till the oil leaves sides. Stir occasionally and add water when needed.
10. Remove the muslin cloth of spices.
11. Add the fried potatoes and onions and cook for another 15-20 minutes.
12. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot with rotis.

Palak Tamatar ki sabzi - Spinach and tomato curry

Coming home after a hectic day and cooking can be quite a pain sometimes. So I mostly try quick fix stuff. This one cooks in a jiffy and is doable for the health buffs too. Just moderate the oil - 'cause I don't.

You need:

• 1 large bowl of washed and chopped spinach
• 1 large tomato - diced
• 1 large onion - finely chopped
• salt to taste
• red chilly powder - 1 tsp (if you like it spicy make it 1 1/2 tsp)
• turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• coriander powder - 1 tsp
• cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• asafoetida - 1 pinch
• Oil - 1 1/2 Tb sp (you can use lesser if you want)

How to:

• Heat oil in a pan. Add asafoetida and temper the cumin seeds
• Add onions and sautee till translucent
• Add chopped spinach and tomato and stir well
• Add all the spices - cover and cook till the spinach and tomatoes are soft and the curry leaves oil at the side. Stir occasionally to avoid it sticking to the pan
• Ready to eat - yummy with hot paranthas