Pani Puri- Nirvana at Home

I had gone missing from blogsphere for a week simply coz I had a home full of loved ones n' was happy being busy. My mom n' my sister n' family were here with me for a vacation n' I had a great time with them....the best part about moving back to India is the amount of time I get to spend with my family. Coming back to this post. I can easily call Pani Puri my all time favourite snack....when I say all time, I really mean it....I can have it all the time/ anytime of the day n' relish it. For those who have never had it, Pani Puri is a popular street snack in India. It comprises a round, hollow puri, fried crisp and filled with a mixture of water, tamarind, chili, chaat masala, potato, onion and chickpeas. It is small enough to fit completely in one's mouth. The first time I had them was when I moved to Bangalore for my studies 10yrs back. I couldn't hold the whole puri in my mouth the first time around n' I remember thinking to myself 'how did I live to be 20 without ever tasting this?' I hunt for the best Pani Puri joint everywhere I go. In Bahrain, I had a Biharikaka who made such divine pani puri....n' he wud give me 2 extra sukka puri just to see how happy it made me, I think. ;)



I could have pani puri off the street vendor n' not think too much about it, but gone are those days....i'm more concerned about hygiene of the food n' the environment now. I don't eat pani puri or anything which uses water or fresh fruits n' veggies from a street vendor anymore. My youngest cousin,Indhu, who I love more than I can say, recently got typhoid n' was in really bad state. She was admitted in the hospital for 2weeks n' she has a small baby gal aged just over 1yr...everyone was so so worried about her. But now she is feeling better, the once healthy gal has become less than half her size, with really bad intestinal problems. I'm mentioning this in detail just so I can give out a word of caution to all who likes to eat from the streets. She caught it eating chat n' drinking some masala drink from one of the street vendors in Delhi. I also have to mention that her sis in law who ate/drank from the same place is ok. But really, the moral of the story is just that one needs to be cautious of where and what you are eating.



Koshy's Calcutta Chat on Brigade Road dishes out the best chat in town for me, including a good pani puri. But that being a little far off n' me not frequenting Brigade Road anymore meant I have to find a new source...My mom n' my sister loves pani puri too, so I decided to make it for them. My mom found it hilarious that she has to wait for me to finish taking some snaps before they could dig in....lol..;). I used ready to use small puris n' pani puri masala for the water. So here you go.



Ingredients:

1.Puri: 20nos

For the Filling:

2.Potato – 3 nos (medium-sized, boiled with salt, peeled and mashed)
3.Garlic – 2 to 3 pods (finely chopped)
4.Ginger – 1/2″ long piece (crushed/minced)
5.Coriander/Cilantro – 2tbsp (finely chopped)
6.Green Chili (optional) – 1 no (finely chopped)
7.Chili powder – 1 tsp
8.Garam Masala – 1 tsp
9.Cumin Powder – 1 tsp
10.Coriander Powder – 1/4 tsp
11.Amchur Powder/ Dry Mango Powder (optional) – 1/2 tsp
12.Salt – to taste
(add some fresh moong sprouts to get some extra flavour, I didn't have any with me so I didn't add it this time.)

For the Water:*

13. Everest Pani Puri Masala: 2tbsp
14. Lemon Juice: of half a lemon (medium size)
15. Mint Leaves: a palm full (crushed)
16. Salt: as per taste (keeping in mind that the masala already has some salt in it)
17. Green Chilli Paste: 2tsp
18. Tamarind Pulp: 2tsp
19. Dry Mango Powder: a pinch or 2
20. Water: as required (i used roughly 2cups)
21. Boondi
22. Chopped Onion

*all the ingredients mentioned under pani puri water, can be adjusted according to taste. I have mentioned how much I have used, but change it according to your taste.




Method:

Step 1: Mix all the ingredients required for the Pani Puri water n' keep it aside. If you like the water chilled, keep this mixture in the refrigerator at this point. (I don't like mine chilled so I didn't do this). Do not mix the boondi n' chopped onions at this point. You can add that on top while serving.

Step 2: Mash the boiled potatoes n' mix all the ingredients. Keep it aside.

You are actually ready to serve. Even though the list of ingredients seems long, it requires hardly any prep time. Also, if you want to serve it to guests, you can do all the preparation in advance n' make the holes in the puri n' stuff the filling in, dip it in the pani puri water n' there you have it....;) mouthful, eyeful n' wonderful....lol

Aloo Parathas- Coined by Me

I wanted to call this post...'Coin Aloo de Parantha'...but RJ says that sounds all wrong (especially coming from a mallu gal) ;)...but i liked the ring it had...:). I think any mallu worth their salt knows about 'Kerala Coin Parotta'. I really enjoy them, but I have wondered on why they are called that...they are small but definitely bigger than a coin....so why are they called 'coin parotta'? Anyone who knows the answer please let me know.

I have made Aloo Parathas only couple of times before n' they weren't all that great...I have tried different recipes but I didn't get them right. But i'm glad to say all that is ancient history. If you have had a similar experience, well try this recipe here n' you'll be thrilled with the results. I'm in love with this recipe. ;) (well...what can I say i'm almost always overjoyed by simple pleasures in life!)


My blogger friend Madhuri from Cook Curry Nook posted this recipe for Cabbage Parantha couple of days back n' again I had this desire to try it out. RJ as it is gets a little worried when I tell him I'm making an attempt at aloo parathas (you know the history!), so didn't want to scare him with more veggie options. I know Mads is a great cook, so I followed her instructions n techniques to the t, other than changing the main ingredient n changing a few measurements here n' there. It was a huge hit n' we both loved it. Couldn't take any snaps last night though.

But I had some leftover filling and made them again for lunch today, just for me. ;)
And to add a little masti, I made them small like Coin Parathas today. ;) The idea to make them small came to me when the last atta ball turned out to be really small. So here you go. You can make 10 regular sized parathas using this recipe.


Ingredients:

For the Dough:
1.Whole wheat flour – 3 cups (plus extra for dusting)
2.Salt – to taste
3.Water – as required
4.Oil – 1 tbsps

For the Stuffing:
1.Potato – 3 nos (medium-sized, boiled with salt, peeled and mashed)
2.Garlic – 2 to 3 pods (finely chopped)
3.Ginger – 1/2″ long piece (crushed/minced)
4.Coriander/Cilantro – 2tbsp (finely chopped)
5.Green Chili (optional) – 1 no (finely chopped)
6.Chili powder – 1 tsp
7.Garam Masala – 1 tsp
8.Cumin Powder – 1 tsp
9.Coriander Powder – 1/4 tsp
10.Amchur Powder/ Dry Mango Powder (optional) – 1/2 tsp
11.Salt – to taste

Method:

Step 1: Prepare a dough as you would for chapathis. Cover and set aside for atleast 15-20 minutes.

Step 2: In the meantime mix together all the ingredients for stuffing (except salt) and set aside. (Madhuri gives a tip here asking us to add the salt only at the end as you are about to roll out the parathas as it will make the studffing soggy otherwise). If you have already used salt to boil the potatoes, just be careful while adding more.

Step 3: This is best served hot so once you are ready to begin, take a small amount of the roti dough, dust with some flour and flatten with a rolling-pin. Dip your finger in oil (keep aside a small bowl of oil just for this) and spread it onto the side where you are gonna keep the filling. (this is not part of the recipe from Madhuri) Also, if you want to make coin parathas make dough ball really small or you can do the needful in step 5)

Step 4: Put a nice heaped tbsp of stuffing in the centre and draw the edges of the dough towards the centre to cover the mixture.

Step 5: Dust with more flour, and roll out to a thickness that you want for your parathas. (Madhuri says Too thick a parantha will not cook well and too thin will break/crumble easily.) If you want to make coin parathas, cut it into small round circles using a cookie cutter, I had done this only after making the parathas. But if you do it at this stage, you won't waste any dough.

Step 6: Heat a tawa and cook the parantha on a medium flame. Remembering that this takes longer to cook than chapathis.

Step 7: Increase the flame at this stage and use butter or oil to cook the parantha on both sides. Lightly press it on to the tawa on each side to cook and get a nice crispy texture on top.


Another good thing about this dish is it doesn't need a curry to be served along with this. You can serve it with some nice yogurt/curd and pickle. I whipped the curd to make it smooth and added a little salt and a little cumin powder to get the right flavour.

I'm leaving the amount of oil/butter to be used for this recipe upto you, Can't share how much I used n' but it did taste really good. :) Compared to the phulkas I make everyday this was definitely sinful. So as a sinful indulgence once in a while it is fine, but not as an everyday meal.

The below snap is of the flowers that can be found all over Bangalore now. It is from a tree close to my place. Bangalore in bloom is just so so pretty.

Dahi Aloo Curry

With summer here, i'm trying to find news ways of adding Dahi/Yogurt into our meals, other than the south Indian dish Mooru Curry (buttermilk curry)that goes really well with rice and some fried fish or meat, i haven't tried many.

I came across this recipe by Monica Bhide, an engineer turned food writer, who is the author of Modern Spice: Inspired Indian Flavors for the Contemporary Kitchen. Read more at her blog A Life Of Spice. She mentions that the key to making this curry is to watch the heat when you add the yogurt. If your pan is too hot, the yogurt will curdle. Just lower the heat, add the yogurt slowly, and you will be rewarded with a fantastic curry. It's apparently served at Tabla restaurant in New York City, a contemporary Indian-French restaurant.

Ingredients:

1. Oil: 3tbsp
2. Mustard Seeds: 1 tbsp
3. Cumin Seeds: 1 tbsp
4. Red Chili: 1no (crushed)
5. Curry Leaves: 3 sprigs
6. Turmeric Powder:1/2 tbsp
7. Ginger (fresh): 2-inch piece (peeled and minced)
8. Yellow Onion: 1 small (peeled and thinly sliced)
9. Serrano Green Chili Peppers: 2 (fresh)
10.Tomatoes: 2 Small (diced)
11.Whole Milk Yogurt: 1 liter
12.Water: 1 liter
13.Potatoes (fingerling potatoes): 10nos (boiled n' cubed)
14.Salt to taste
15.Pinch of sugar

Method:

Step 1: Heat a large stew pot over moderate heat and add the oil after the pot is hot.

Step 2: When the oil shimmers, add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds pop, add cumin, red chili and curry leaves.

Step 3: Cook for 1 minute, then add ginger and turmeric and cook for another 20 seconds.

Step 4: Add onion and green chilies and saute for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 more minutes.

Step 5: In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt and water together.

Step 6: Turn the heat to low. Let the pan cool down for about 5 minutes. Add the yogurt and water to the pot along with the potatoes. Simmer for 20 minutes stirring constantly. Be sure the heat is low or the yogurt will curdle.

Step 7: Season with salt and a pinch of sugar.

The only changes i had made to the above recipe were, I used the red Indian onions instead of yellow ones, i didn't have any fingerling potatoes, i used the regular ones and i used the regular Indian green chilies. Also, i didn't add this much water.

Urulaikizhangu Ulathiyathu/ Aloo Sabji (Kerala Style)

I have always liked potatoes and this is one of my favourite ways of eating it. I know this is an extremely simple recipe and might make some wonder why i even bothered to post it here. But then again this is meant for those who haven't tried it yet.



Urulaikizhangu Olathiyathu/ Aloo Sabji (Kerala Style)

Ingredients
Potato- 3 nos (medium size)- Sliced like french fries only not as long.
Garlic- 2 nos (crushed)
Chili Powder- 1 tsp ( less if you don't like spicy food)
Turmeric Powder- 1/4th tsp
Salt- to taste
Water- 3/4 cup ( as little as possible)
Oil- 2- 3 tsp
Curry Leaves
Mustard Seeds

Method
Step 1: In a pan boil Potato, crushed garlic, chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Please ensure that the water level is covering just 3/4th of the potato.

Step 2: Toss this once or twice while cooking it (time required won't be more than 10- 15mins.) The water needs to dry out completely. Setting it aside to cool down after is very important as the potato will not be able to retain its shape otherwise.

Step 3: In a deep wok, do a tadka of oil, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the above potato and let is cook until slightly fried.


It's really easy to make and tastes great when served with plain rice and kachiya mooru/ yellow mooru. Kachiya Mooru is very similar to the northindian Kadi. Yet another easy dish.