Aloo Gobi gosh ka salan

Aloo means potato, gobi means cauliflower, gosh means meat and salan means curry. This is a very simple and easy to make curry. Many varieties of curries, fritters (pakodas) are made using cauliflower. 

Ingredients for cauliflower-lamb-potato curry:

Chopped white cauliflower 1 bowl

potato meat cauliflower curry

Lamb small pieces or meat mince 2 cups.

Potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces.

Red chili powder 3 tsps.

Turmeric powder1 tsp.

Ginger-garlic pastes ½ tsp.

Salt to taste

Oil ½ cup

Chopped onion 1 cup

Chopped green chilies 2 tsps.

Chopped coriander ½ cup

Preparation of Cauliflower-lamb-potato curry:

• Heat oil in a pan fry onions,
• Add meat, red chili powder, turmeric, ginger-garlic paste, salt.
• Fry till the water of the meat is absorbed
• Add water and cook until the meat becomes soft
• Now add chopped cauliflower, potato and green chilies.
• Add water and let it cook till potato and cauliflower becomes soft.
• Add coriander.
• Cook till the water is absorbed.
• Serve this simple curry with chapattis, phulkas, rice, puri etc.

Masala Vada with chickpeas

This masala vada one of indian fritters is very famous in India. This is one of the street food of India. some times we prepare this crispy masala vadas in our home and here goes the recipe...

masala vada

Ingredients for masala vada:

Split chickpeas (Chana dal) 1 ½ cup.

Green Chilies - finely cut4-6

Curry Leaves ½ cup.

Onion - finely chopped ½ cup

Ginger-garlic pastes ½ tsp.

Coriander leaves chopped ½ cup

Red Chili powder ½ tsp.

Turmeric powder ½ tsp.

Salt to taste

baking soda 1/2 tsp. 
rice flour 2 tsp.

Oil for deep fry

Preparation of Masala Vada:

• Wash and soak chana daal in enough water for about 4-5 hours.
• Drain the water completely and keep 2 tbsp. chana dal aside.
• Grind together red chilies, curry leaves, chana dal. 
• Make a thick coarse paste. Do not add any water. don't make smooth paste.
• Transfer to a bowl chana dal (2 tbsps. which we have kept aside earlier), chopped onion, finely cut green chilies, all other ingredients. Do not add any water.
• Mix well with your right hand. the batter should be like the above image....

• Heat oil in deep wide pan/kadai.
• Mix paste thoroughly and check for taste. Add more salt-chilies if necessary.
• Make lemon size balls with this chana mixture and on wet palm pat them into small patties keeping the center thick and tapering towards the end with approximately 2 inch diameter.
• Once the oil is heated nicely drop these chana patties into it and deep fry them. Fry first one side then the other till golden brown.
• Add about 4-5 depending on the size of the pan at the same time.
• Remove from oil, when done and place on tissue paper to remove excess oil.
• Serve these hot vada with any type of chutney or sauce or ketch up.

Gulab jamun

Gulab jamun is a dessert often eaten at festivals or major celebrations such as marriages, Diwali (the Indian festival of light) and the Muslim celebrations of Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. There are various types of gulab jamun and every variety has a distinct taste and appearance.

Ingredients for making gulab jamun:

Gulab jamun mix 1 packet
Whole milk just enough to make the dough

For the Sugar Syrup
2 cups Sugar
1 cup water
Oil for frying

Preparation of gulab jamun:

• You can buy a ready-made instant gulab jamun mix. 
• Just takeout the powdered min into a plate, 
• mix a little bit of milk to make a thick dough, make small balls(very smallballs because balls will become big when added to sugar syrup).
• fry in oil don't fry in ghee.
• Heat the oil on high and then lower the heat to medium. Slip in the balls into the hot oil from the side of the pan, one by one.
• They will sink to the bottom of the pan, but do not try to move them. Instead, gently shake the pan to keep the balls from browning on just one side. 
• After about 5 mins, the balls will rise to the surface. The Gulab Jamuns should rise slowly to the top if the temperature is just right.
• If the temperature of the oil is too high then the gulab jamuns will tend to break. So adjust the temperature to ensure that the gulab jamuns do not break or cook too quickly.
• The balls must be fried very slowly under medium temperatures. 
• This will ensure complete cooking from inside and even browning.

Sugar Syrup:

• The syrup should be made earlier and kept warm. 
• To make the hot sugar syrup add mix the 2 cups of sugar to 1 cup of water. Add 4-5 cardamom pods, slightly crushed and a few strands of "Kesar". 
• Mix with a spoon and then heat at medium heat for 5-10 minutes until sugar is all dissolved in water. Do not overheat, that will caramelize the sugar.
• Transfer this hot syrup into a serving dish. Keep warm on stove.
• Add the fried gulab jamuns directly into the warm syrup. 
• Leave gulab jamun balls in sugar syrup overnight for best results. 
• They can be served warm or at room temperature with any ice cream.

Indian savoury doughnut/vada

Vigna mungo, known as urad, urad dal, black matpe bean, black gram, black lentil [not to be confused with the much smaller true black lentil]. The product sold as "white lentil" is the same lentil with the black skin removed.

Vada is a traditional South Indian food known from antiquity. Although they are commonly prepared at home, Vadas are as well a typical street food in India. They are usually a morning food, but in street stalls and in railway stations, as well as inside the Indian Railways, they are available as a snack all through the day.

This is never the main course and is had as a light snack or on the side of another dish and usually not separately as a meal. Vadas are preferably eaten freshly fried, while still hot and crunchy and is served with a variety of dips ranging from Sambar (rasam) to chutney to curd.

Ingredients for making vada:

Urad Dal (black gram skin removed) 2 cups.
Onion finely chopped 1
Ginger-garlic paste 1 tsp.

Green Chilies finely chopped 2-3
Salt to taste

Baking Soda ¼ tsp.

Curry leaves chopped 2tsp.

Preparation of vada:

• Wash and soak dal (overnight).
• Grind them coarsely in a blender, like a thick paste.
• Now add onions, ginger, green chilies, curry leaves, salt and baking powder and mix well and set aside for 5 minutes.
• Heat oil in a pan or kadhai.
• Deep fry a spoonful of batter till golden.
• Serve with chutney as a breakfast or sambar or rasam as a meal.

Note: try out making Vadas like a donut/disc shape, but this is very difficult and very tricky. No problem if you can’t make it into disk shape let it be in any shape its taste doesn’t change.

Puri Recipe

Puri means “Fried, Puffed Whole Wheat Flat Breads”. Puri is most commonly served at breakfast in India. It is also served at special or ceremonial functions, along with other vegetarian food. Puri can be served with halva, korma , Chana masala, dal, potato based curries, shrikhand. In some parts of India, puri is also served with a mixed vegetable dish, and a dessert prepared with rice, milk and sugar. Sev-puri is an Indian snack offered by street vendors who serve chat. Puri will be available almost in every Indian restaurant.

Ingredients for puri:

Indian whole wheat flour 2 cups.

Vegetable oil for deep frying.

Salt to taste

Water as required.

Preparation of puri:

• Slowly add about 3/4 cups warm water, just enough to form a firm dough, and knead till smooth.
• Cover, let rest at least ½ hour, and knead again briefly.
• If resting more than 1 hour, punch and knead dough again before rolling out.
• Divide into small balls about ball size, and roll out into 6" rounds on an oiled board.
• Heat vegetable oil in a deep pan.
• Fry the puri one at a time, holding them under the oil on the first side until they puff.
• Turn and fry till light brown.
• Take it into a plate, repeat this for making rest of the puri.
• Serve as soon as possible; these breads are not as good later.
• serve it with any Indian curry.