Gatte ki Sabzi (gram flour dumplings in a spicy sauce)

This is a traditional rajasthani dish prepared in a variety of ways. You can alter it to make multiple versions and i've added optional ingredients for your convenience.
For the gatte (dumplings) you need:

• Besan (gram flour) - 1 1/2 cup


• Oil - 3 tbsp


• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp


• Heeng (asafoetida) - 1 pinch


• Red chilly powder - 1 tsp (alter as per taste)


• Salt to taste


• 2 peppercorns, 2 cloves - thickly crushed

For the gravy you need:

• Curd - 1/2 cup


• 2 onions - finely chopped (optional)


• 4 cloves of garlic - crushed (optional)


• Ginger - 1" piece julienned


• 2 green chillies - finely chopped


• Red chilly powder - 1 tsp


• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp


• Coriander powder - 2 tbsp


• salt to taste


• Oil/ghee - 3 tbsp

How to: Dumplings

Put all ingredients for the dumplings in a bowl and knead into a dough that shapes well. Add little water to knead it as required.
Once the dough is ready shape it like sausages. This will make around 4-5 sausages.
Heat 4 cups of water in a pan. Once it boils add the dumplings to it and boil for 10 minutes or till cooked.
Drain out the water (save it for the gravy) and let the dumplings cool
Cut into 1/2 inch long pieces once cool

How to: gravy
Heat the oil/ghee in a pan and saute onions till translucent. Add the ginger, garlic and green chilly and cook for 2 minutes.

Add red chilly powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt in the curd and mix well. Add this paste to the cooking onions and stir well till the oil leaves sides.

Add the dumplings and 3 cups of the saved water to this gravy and cook till it attains a thick consistency.

Ready to eat with hot rotis :)

Alu Matar Dry

Boiled potatoes - 4
Peas - 1 cup
Oil - 2 tbsp
Asafoetida (heeng) – 1 pinch optional
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Red chilly pd - 1 tsp
salt - to taste
Chopped green chilly - 2
Dry Mango Powder (amchur) – optional - 1 tsp

Temper asafoetida and cumin seeds in hot oil. Add peas and cook till soft. Cube the boiled potatoes and mix all the masala with the potatoes except amchur. Add these masala potatoes to the peas and cook till oil slightly leaves sides. Add amchur and mix well.

Dahi Vada

This is a tasty and healthy accompaniment to meals and quite easy to make :)

You need:
urad dal - 1 cup
salt - to taste
Thick curd - 4 cups
Buttermilk - optional - 2 cups
Oil for frying

To garnish
Sweet and sour tamarind chutney
Green coriander chutney
Fresh coriander leaves
red chilly pwder
roasted cumin powder
salt

How to:
Soak urad dal in water 2 hours in advance. Drain the water and grind the dal to a thick paste adding minimal water. Beat this paste with your hands till fluffy.

Heat oil in a pan. Add salt to the dal paste. Fry the dal paste as small round balls (vada) in the hot oil till golden brown. Remove from flame and dip in a bowl of buttermilk. If you don't have buttermilk, dip the vada in warm water.

Once the vada is thouroughly soaked, press it to remove excess water/ buttermilk.

To serve, keep 2 vadas in a bowl, top it generously with thick curd. Garnish with all the garnish ingredients listed above.

Quick fix sandwich

This is a variant of a snack that my roomie used to make for us... and I love it! Easy no nonsense healthy snack.. sometimes good enough for lunch :)

You need:

• 4 Slices of brown bread


• 2 thin slices of fresh paneer (cottage cheese) slightly smaller than the bread slices. Make sure the paneer is fresh and elastic and does not crumble


• 4 tbsp of thick dahi (curd)


• 1 green chilly - finely chopped (optional)


• 1 cup of finely chopped capsicum, onion and tomato


• red chilly powder - 1 tsp


• mustard powder - 1 tsp (alternatively use mustard sauce)


• salt to taste


• Butter to toast

How to:

• Put the curd, red chilly powder, mustard powder, salt in a small plate with edges and mix well.


• Marinate the vegetables and paneer in this mix for 30 minutes


• Take a slice of bread and place the marinated paneer on it. Add some vegetables from the marinate and cover with the second slice. Press lightly to seal it


• Heat a griddle and add some butter. Place the sandwich on the griddle and toast till golden brown. Turn to the other side and toast again.


• Repeat with the other 2 slices and the leftover mixture


• Serve hot with ketchup

Vegetable Pulao

This is again a quick fix recipe when i am in no mood to spend a long time in the kitchen and yet crave a spicy full meal. For accompaniments you may have raita, pickel or just plain curd... or maybe eat it as is. This is a spicy version so mellow down according to your taste.
You will need:

• 2 cups basmati rice (Long grained, fragrant rice)


• 4 cups of water for cooking


• 1 cup mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, cauliflower, beans, potatoes) - dice where required


• 2 medium onions - finely chopped


• 2 green chillies - finely chopped


• 4-5 cashew nuts


• 2 tbsp ghee/oil


• 1 tsp cumin seeds


• 1 tsp mustard seeds


• 1 tsp red chilly powder


• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder


• 2 tbsp coriander powder


• 1 tbsp garam masala


• salt to taste


• juice of 1 lemon


• fresh coriander to garnish

How to:

• Wash the rice and keep aside.


• In a pressure cooker heat the oil/ghee and temper the cumin and mustard seeds.


• Add the cashew nuts and cook till slightly brown


• Add the onions and stir fry till golden brown


• Add all the vegetables and spice and stir well


• Add the rice and all the spices and mix well.


• Add the water for cooking, stir once and close the lid


• On a high flame, cook till one whistle and remove from flame


• Open the cooker only once all the steam has escaped. Add the juice of lime and mix well. Serve garnished with coriander leaves.

Bedvi Pudi

This is again a traditional rajasthani dish and superbly tasty. Its good as a snack, breakfast or a main meal. Best served with a potato curry though pickle and chutneys work equally well. I love to munch a couple with my cup of tea.

You need:
Urad dal (yellow lentils) - 1 cup
Wheat flour - approximately 2 cups
red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 1/2 or 2 tsp
Mota masala (optional) - this is a traditional rajasthani masala made with roughly ground fennel seeds, dry ginger, cloves, peppercorns and coriander seeds)
Oil - 2 tbsp for the dough and more to fry

How to:
Soak the urad dal 2 hours in advance. Drain excess water from the dal after 2 hours and grind to a very rough paste (2 turns in the mixer should be enough). Add all the spices and 2 tbsp oil to this lentil paste and mix well. Slowly add the wheat flour and knead the dough till it is slightly tight and has stopped sticking to your hand.

Heat the oil in a deep pan. Roll out the dough in small puris (1 cm thick rounds of dough) with a rolling pin. Fry in hot oil till nicely brown and crisp.

Serve hot.

Kele ki chaat

This is a simple yummy sweet and sour concoction of ripe bananas. Easy to whip up and awesomely tasty.

You need:
Ripe bananas - 2
Salt - 1/4 tsp or to taste
Powdered sugar - 1 tbsp
Juice of 1 lemon
red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp

How to:

Chop the banans in to rounds. Add the remaining ingredients and toss well. Ready to eat :)

Serve immidiately else the bananas will turn soggy.