Mix Vegetable Curry ala Jameela

Ever since I have started blogging ,I feel that I have developed some kind of hunting qualities :D as I continuously hunt for good recipes to share with my blog readers be it on TV, magazine , in a dinner party ,at friend’s home .. the quest is always on .
My friend Jamila ,brought this mix vegetable curry the other day .. it was like a rainbow of veggies.. every imaginable vegetable was there .I was really spectacle of the taste but one bite into the dish and wow .. my mouth burst with rainbow of flavors .. tangy , mildly spicy and so very yummy .. by the second bite .. I knew that my quest  has been ended .. so here it is Mix vegetables the way my friend Jamila makes .Try it and i am so very sure that you will like it too.



What You Need :

Vegetables:

• Potatoes : 200 gms
• Carrots :  200 gms  
• Capsicum : 200gm
• Egg plant : 200 gm
• Zucchini :  200gm
• cauliflower : 200 gm
• Onion : 150 gms
• Tomato : 150 gms

Wash,peel ,slice ,dice or cube all the vegetables and deep fry them till they lose their crispness and get a bit tender.Put them in a sieve and let  the oil drip(drain). ( see the picture above )

Masala :

• Water : 1 glass
• Chicken Cube : 2
• Tomato ketchup : 1/2 cup
• Salt: 1/2 tsp ( as per taste)
• Chili Powder : 1/2 tsp ( as per taste)
• Whole Coriander : 1 tbsp ( crushed)
• National Sabzi Masala : 1 tbsp ( optional)

How To :

1. Boil water in a wide pan ,add in 2 chicken cubes ,1/2 cup ketchup and let simmer till the cube dissolved in water. ( pic 1a & 1b)
2. Add in the fried vegetables , salt , chili and sabzi masala (if using ). ( pic - 2)
3. Mix in gently and let cook on medium flame till the veggies become tender and well coated with the masala and the oil starts to ooze out. ( pic - 3)
4. Mix vegetable is ready . Serve with fresh tandoori bread, lassi or cold drink of your choice and a generous helping of butter !  ( pic –4 )

Notes:

• Sabzi masala is optional but I do recommend it for extra tastes and aroma .

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Moong Daal Palak

Spinach ( palak) is not only supper rich in iron ( remember Popeye eating palak and getting extra strong ),but supper versatile too.There are a large number of recipes to enjoy palak from creamy soup to yummy combos with veggies,daals ,meat and chicken.

Although thanks to freezers palak is available year round now but fresh palak taste absolute divine despite the fact that weeding,cleaning,washing ,chopping and boiling palak is quite a task.

Since winter is the best time to enjoy the freshest palak here is Moong daal palak which is one of the many yummy ways you can have this iron rich and healthy vegetable as the two perfectly compliment each other.



What You Need:

• Moong Daal : 1 cup ( wash and soak in water for at least an hour)

• Palak : 2 cups ( boiled)

• Onion : 1 medium ( chopped finely)

• Tomato: 2 small ( chopped finely)

• Salt: 1 tsp ( up to taste)

• Red Chili: 1 tsp ( up to your tolerance level)

• Turmeric : 1/4 tsp

• GG paste: 1 tbsp

• Water: 1.5 cup ( more if you want it a bit mushy)

• Oil: 1/2 cup

How To:

• Heat oil in a pan and sauté onions till golden brown. ( pic - 1 )
• Add in GG paste along with all the dry masala,cook for a minute. ( pic - 2 ) 
• Throw in tomatoes and cook till they turn mushy and you end up with a clingy gravy with the oil floating. ( pic - 3a and 3b )
• Add in the boiled palak ( pic - 4 )and sauté till the water dries out. ( pic - 5 )
• Finally add soaked daal and two cups of water.Mix well and let the water boil. ( pic - 6)
• As soon as the water start boiling ,lower the heat to medium ,cover and let cook till the water dries out.At this point the daal should be tender enough to eat and you should be able to see the oil oozing around. ( pic - 7 )
• Moong Daal palak is ready.
• Serve with plain boiled rice or buttered chapatti , a simple onion – tomato salad and raita. Enjoy!

Notes:
1. We like our Moong daal palak a bit mushy as you can see from the picture.. if you like it that way just increase the amount of water say 2 cups instead of 1.5.

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Chatpatay Aloo

If Mango is the king of fruits then to me potato is the king of vegetables.Potato is undoubtedly the most loved vegetable on earth.The reason is its versatility.The humble potato can be cooked into countless yumlicious dishes.Fried,boiled,roasted,baked,creamed,buttered or mashed ..it always tingle your taste buds.Despite being delicious Potato is an excellent source of carbohydrates, the body's best energy source.Potato is fat free, cholesterol free, sodium free and saturated fat free. It is high in Vitamin C and potassium and is a great source of Vitamin B6 and dietary fiber.Tasty and full of important nutrients …. no wonder Potato is the darling of all !!

The chatpatay Aloo I am posting today are not only tasty but also hassle free .Don’t you just love when all you have to do is throw all the ingredients in the pot,cover let cook for about 30 minutes and voila ! dinner is ready … chatpatay Aloo is that type of dish.. In my home we usually eat this with pori or parathas in breakfast or just plain as chat but it tastes equally good with roti or Naan as well.




 What you need :

• Potatoes : 250 gms ( peeled and sliced uniformly)
• Onion : 1 medium ( finally chopped)
• Tomato : 1 medium ( chopped )
• Green chili : 3 -  4 ( finely chopped – up to your tolerance level)
• Turmeric : 1/4 tsp
• Salt : 3/4 to 1 tsp ( up to taste)
• Tamarind pulp : 1 tbsp
• Curry leaf : 3 – 4
• oil : 1/2 cup

How to :

1. Heat oil in a non stick pan … add curry leaf and let sizzle for a minute.
2. Throw in all the ingredients ( potatoes.tomato,onion,chili,turmeric,salt and tamarind pulp).stir to mix well.
3. Cover the pan and let cook  for about 25 to 30 minutes on gentle heat till the potatoes are done.
4. Adjust seasoning .
5. Chatpatay Aloo are ready to serve .

Notes :

• You can use juice of one lemon instead of tamarind pulp.Use tamarind or lemon juice as per your taste.
• Omit curry leaf if you don’t have any at hand .
• Do not add any water because potatoes will be done in the water released by tomato and onion.
• These aloo make excellent sandwich filling . 
• For Bahraini  readers ..since the tamarind is ready salted here .. Go easy on salt .. check the seasoning after adding the Imli Pulp to avoid saltiness.
  

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Achari Gobhi

I personally believe that achar  ( pickle ) can perk up any bland dish and for that reason it is a staple food in almost every household.Nothing can beat the combo of a ladle or two of daal on a hot steamy plate of rice with achar , and simple tomato onion salad …ahh pure bliss !!

There are several varieties of achar available but that was not enough for the achar lovers like me so they mix and match recipes using achari masala to satisfy their ‘ achari tooth “.

Achari gobhi is one of the many ways you can use achari Masala to get the familiar achari taste.All I can say about achari gobhi is that it is not only supper yummy but supper easy and fast to cook dish that is a regular in our home. 


What you need :

• Phol Gobhi ( cauliflower ) : 1 kg ( cut into medium size florets)
• Achari Masala : 1 tbsp
• salt : 1 tsp ( up to taste)
• Red chili : 1 tsp ( up to your tolerance level )
• Turmeric : 1/4 tsp 
• Lemon juice : 2 tbsp (  juice of one lemon is enough )
  
• Oil : 1/2 cup
• Water : 1 glass

Achari Masala :

• kalounji ( carway seed) : 1/2 tsp
• Sabout zeera ( whole cumin ) : 1/2 tsp
• Saunf (Aniseed) : 1/2 tsp
• Rai ( Mustard seed ) : 1/2 tsp
• Meethi dana ( Fenugreek whole) : 1/2 tsp
  

Mix all the above listed whole masals.  It will make around a tablespoon or so . This is the standard masala used for pickling in Pakistan.





How To :

1. Heat oil in a wide bottom pan .
2. Add the Achari masala ( pic – 1 ) and let it sizzle for a minute. You will definitely smell the familiar achari aroma at this point. ( pic – 2 )
3. Throw in the Phol gobhi and sauté for a minute. ( pic – 3 )
4. Add in the salt ,chili and turmeric powders and continue sautéing for another minute coating the gobhi well with the masala. ( pic – 4 )
5. Pour in the glass of water and lemon juice, stir once lightly and then cover and cook on medium heat till the water dries up and you end up with tender  achari masala coated gobhi florets. ( pic - 5 )
6. Achari Gobhi is ready ( pic – 6 ) . Serve with buttered roti or naan.

Notes :

• Since there is just salt and chili as masala .. keep checking the seasoning and adjust it accordingly to avoid a bland outcome.
• A glass of water is enough for cooked through gobhi ..but that also depends on the heat and pan you are using so work out that to avoid mushy gobhi.
• Do not stir the gobhi after adding water because doing so will break the florets and in that case you may end with achari qeema :)
• Go easy on Meethi Dana ..sometime it turns bitter.To avoid this instead of 1/2 tsp take 1/4 tsp of Meethi Dana.
  

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Aloo Maythi

Come winter and once a month the weekend activities change  into this at Naseeb’s household..

1. Visit to the local Central Market early in the morning.
2. Coming home with bundles and bags full of all kind of greens found on earth. ( spinach , Fresh fenugreek , Mustard greens etc.)
3. Picking , weeding and cleaning the greens bought .
4. Cutting the greens .
5. Boiling , and freezing the cut greens .

Since we are only three people ( me , mom and dad ) ..cutting greens is a family affair …
My Abbo jee picks the greens after weeding .. makes little bundles of them … My mom and I cut them the finest possible .. then the greens go into the washing session … (the longest and the most tiresome stage ) till they are absolutely dirt and sand free… in the end comes the boiling and freezing part done by yours truly.This whole process takes almost a day ( depends how much greens you have bought ) .. but it gives you many hassle free cooking days later where you can “ mix and match ” the greens with your choice of vegetable,meat or daal .

Sounds easy .. not really if you have quality controller like my mom .I better not say any thing further .. hope you can imagine the rest :)

Here is the first green encounter of this winter .

 What you need :

• Aloo ( potatoes ) : 500 gms ( peeled and quartered )
• Maythi ( fenugreek leaves ) : 250 gms ( boiled )
• Onions : 2 medium ( chopped finely )
• Tomatoes : 2 medium ( chopped finely )
• GG paste : 1 tbsp
• salt : 1 tsp ( up to taste )
• Red chili : 1 tsp ( up to your tolerance level )
• Turmeric : 1/4 tsp
• Oil : 1/2 cup

How to :

1. Heat oil and sauté onions till light brown. ( pic – 2 )
2. Add in the dry masala and GG paste . ( pic - 3 )
3. After sautéing for about two minutes .. throw in chopped tomatoes. (  pic – 4 ) and cook till you get a smooth masala paste .( pic – 5 )
4. Add Maythi and cook for about five minutes. ( pic – 6 )
5. Lastly add in Potatoes  ( pic – 7)  . Stir , cover and let cook on medium flame till potatoes get tender and oil floats on top. ( pic – 8 )
6. Aloo Maythi is ready . Serve with chapatti or Parathas and raita.
   

Notes :

• If you want to use  fresh maythi ..the quantity should be 1 kg ... as maythi shrinks a lot after boiling and one kg will aprox. make 250 gms ( more or less ) of boiled maythi.
• Defrost the frozem maythi on counter Top for about 2 hours or use the defrost option in the microwave.
• Aloo Maythi makes an excellent breakfast with fresh Parathas or poories .
  

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Light Masala Okra

Bright green okra, pronounced OH-kruh, also known as Lady’s finger is a slender, ridged and tapered pod.It comes in varying shades of green, (there is also a new red variety).
Okra is a good source of dietary fiber, and is fat-free.It also provides a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A and B plus contains magnesium, potassium and calcium.  Okra is slimy ,slippery and sticky - it is supposed to be that way. okra fans  like me especially love this vegetable's slippery culinary personality.
Here is one of the countless tasty ways of  preparing okra which is a favourite in my home.



What you need:

• Okra : 500 gms
• Onion : 2 small or 1 big ( finely chopped )
• Tomato: 1 ( big  - finely chopped)
• Green chili : 5 ( the big sweet ones – cut into 1 inch pieces)
• GG paste : 1 tablespoon
• Salt : 1/2 tea spoon ( or up to taste)
• Red chili : 1/2 tea spoon ( or up to taste)
• Turmeric ( haldi ): 3/4 teaspoon
• Oil : 1/2 cup

How to do it :

1. Wash and cut okra into 1 inch pieces.
2. Heat oil in a pan .Add in chopped onions and cook till they are light golden brown .
3. Add GG paste, salt , chili and turmeric.
4. Stir for a minute and then add in the chopped tomato.cook till tomato gets soft and oil starts to ooze out.
5. Now add okra and green chili , stir for a minute … cover the pan , lower the flame and cook on gentle heat till okra is no longer raw (for about 20 minutes or so ..depends on your pan and stove so keep checking in between because over cooked okra does not look or taste good  )
6. Light Masala Okra is ready … Serve with Lightly buttered roti,naan or paratha.
   

Notes :

• Most people do not eat okra because of its sliminess .. To address that I cut okra into desired pieces and keep it in the fridge (covered by cling film) 24 hours before cooking.Doing so greatly reduces the sliminess of okra.
• If you can not find long green chilies … then use 2 –3 capsicums instead.
• Okra is usually available year round with a peak season during the summer months but it can be kept frozen for up to 12 months.I do my grocery shopping every fortnight .. and sometimes cut Okra into medium size pieces and freeze it in zip – lock bag to use later ( if I am not planning to use it right away).To use I defrost Okra on counter top for about two hours.Freezing okra also reduces the sliminess . 
  

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Baigan Ka Bharta

What you will need:

• Brinjal : 500 grams ( half kg )
• onions : 2 medium ( chopped finely )
• Tomato : 250 grams ( chopped finely)
• Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp
• Red Chili powder : 1 tsp ( or up to taste )
• Salt : 1 tsp ( or up to taste )
• Tamarind pulp : 1 tbsp ( or up to taste )
• Ginger + garlic paste : 1 tbsp
• Green Bell pepper : 1 ( diced )
• Spring Onions : 1/2 cup ( chopped finely )
• Oil : 1/2 cup
• Green Coriander : 2 tbsp ( chopped finely )

How to do it :

1. Wash brinjals and fire roast them directly until they are slightly charred and become soft and mushy.
2. Remove the skin and stem of brinjals .. and mash the pulp..keep aside.
3. Heat oil add onions and fry till light golden brown.
4. Add ginger garlic paste and fry a little.
5. Add tomatoes along with all the spices.Let it cook until almost all the water evaporates .
6. Now add brinjal and tamarind pulp and let it cook till oil starts to ooze out.
7. Add spring onion and green pepper at this point.
8. Close the lid and let it cook on slow flame till the pepper gets tender.
9. Check seasonings , sprinkle with green coriander and serve with hot Nan or chapatti.

Notes :

• Fire roasting will impart the BBQ flavor which makes this bharta extra tasty.
• Instead of tamarind pulp you can add lemon juice .
• To make the dish more colorful and appealing you can use red or yellow bell pepper instead of green.
• Butter Nan or chapatti for more taste.

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