Week #51 Indian pizza- Palak Paneer Pizza

There is an awesome pizza parlor in Santa Clara,CA that serves the most delectable Indian pizzas. The best part of the menu were Bollywood movie names for pizzas Like Sholay for- chole pizza or Saagar for a Saag(Spinach in Hindi) pizza. The taste was absolutely amazing and it adds some oomph to regular pizza.

Palak Paneer pizza is so easy, and so are other options too. You can surely make chicken tikka pizza by using left over curry from a restuarant and turning it into a exciting pizza option. Kids maybe more keen to eat this rather than the usual fare.

Palak Paneer pizza
Ingredients :
3 cups- cooked spinach, drained
garlic and ginger- 2 tablespoons minced
onions- 1/3 cup minced
garam masala powder- 1 tablespoon
tomatoes- minced - 1/4 cup
green chillies- 1 tablespoon
paneer- 1/4 cup cubed
cream- 1/8 cup
salt as needed
Oil/butter- 2 tablespoons
1 pizza base( The base we get here is uncooked)

Method:
Preheat Oven to 450 degrees.Pour oil in wok and saute ginger/garlic and onions for 2-3 minutes. Add garam masala powder, green chillies and tomatoes. Saute for 3-4 more minutes and add salt as needed. Add spinach and mix and combine and cook for another 3 minutes. Grind everything together and taste for seasoning. Add cream and let it heat for abt 2 minutes and then add the paneer. Now the palak paneer is ready. Make sure this is not too soggy. Take pizza base and heat it in oven for 3 minutes, so it starts to cook before u spread the palak paneer.Take base out of oven and Then spread the palak on top and bake for 13-18 minutes or until the sides are brown. Enjoy! You can sprinkle some mozareela cheese on top as well as cilantro. Here is a phto of paneer/chicken tikka pizza as well which can be made from curry that you already made. Enjoy!

Week #50 is a Thai fav Papaya Pok Pok

The name itself derives from using amortar and pestle to make this salad and hence Papaya Pok Pok. I had this dish when I was playing a tour event in a 5 star hotel in Pattaya. It was sour and spicy all at the same time and Thai chillies are really a different level of heat. You couldnt not eat this salad plain and it has to be eaten alongwith some fragrant Jasmine rice to cut down the heat. But it was so tasty and just a great low fat alternative. The traditonal dish contains dried shrimp and fish sauce, but I tweaked it a bit to remove those and added some of my own ingredients to add some ooopmh.

Ingredients :
Shredded papaya- 2 cups
Raw Mango shredded- 1 cup
Carrot shredded 1/2 cup
roasted peanuts crushed- 1/2 cup
lime juice- 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons
thai red chillies- minced- 1 tablespoon
soy sauce- 1 tablespoon
sugar- 1/2 tablespoon
Chinese long beans- cut into finger like pieces-handful
garlic- minced 1 tablespoon
cherry tomatoes- halved 1/4 cup

Method- Take a mortar and pestle and add papaya and crushed for a few minutes. Add Mango,carrots,long beans and cherry tomatoes and continue the "Pok POk". Add lime juice,garlic soy sauce, thai chillies and sugar. Mix well and add crushed peanuts generously on top and enjoy!!!!

Week #49 Scrambled Eggs with Cumin and Ginger- Akoori

I am going to dedicate this Parsi inspired Scrambled Egg recipe to my good friend and super journalist Gulu Ezekiel. I know Gulu from long time ago when he was at NDTV and I am sure he will have some cool memories to add to this.
I had this dish only a couple of years ago in a restaurant in Pune, Maharashtra.
Here is a little bi of history from the Parsi community who were origially from Iran. Their unique culture and food is so full of life and vibrant.
Parsi /ˈpɑrsiː/ (or Parsee) is one of two Zoroastrian communities (the other being Iranis) primarily located in South Asia. According to the Qissa-i Sanjan, Parsis migrated from Greater Iran to Gujarat and Sindh between the 8th and 10th century CE to avoid the persecution of Zoroastrians by Muslim invaders who conquered Iran.

At the time of the Muslim conquest of Persia, the dominant religion of the region (which was ruled by the Sasanian Empire) was Zoroastrianism. Iranians rebelled against Arab invaders for almost 200 years; in Iran this period is now known as the "Two Centuries of Silence" or "Period of Silence".[12] During this time many Iranians who are now called Parsi rejected both options and instead chose to take refuge by fleeing from Iran to India.
The word پارسیان "Parsi" in the Persian language literally means Persian.[14] Persian is the official language of modern Iran, which was formerly known as Persia, and the Persian language's endonym is Farsi, a variation of the word Parsi.
Here is my recipe for Akoori. The usual scrambled eggs or Indian Bhurji is made even more delicious by addign ginger and cumin powder.

Ingredients :

Onions- minced 1/4 cup
tomatoes- minced 1/4 cup
ginger - minced 1 teaspoon
cumin powder- 1 teaspoon
turmeric- 1/2 teaspoon
green chillies minced- 1 teaspoon
chilli powder- 1 teaspoon
cilantro- 1 tablespoon
milk 1/4 cup
eggs- 4
ghee- 1 tablespoon
salt- as needed
pepper- 1 teaspoon

Method :
Break eggs in a bowl and add the milk and salt. Whisk them together and add chilli powder. Heat ghee in a non stick pan and add onions. Once they turn slightly brown, add the green chillies, turmeric powder and ginger and saute for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cumin powder and some salt as needed. Cook this for abt 2 minutes Add the egg mixture and cook in low to medium flame for abt 5 minutes. You dont want the eggs to totally dry out. Then finish up with chopped cilantro and black pepper and serve with toast! Enjoy!!

Dumplings- Indian style on #week 48

Dumplings exist in almost every cuisine and though there are so many different variations, this recipe is very special. One of the reasons is that it is not exactly a dish you can make everyday. It takes some time and effort to bring this together. So, its usually for semi-special occasions.. This kofta or dumpling is made from bottle gourd that is grated and mixed with spices and fried. Then it is dunked in some spicy onion gravy...

Lauki Ki Kofta
Grated Bottle gourd- 1.5 cups
Ginger- - grated- 1 tablespoon
chilli powder- as needed
salt as needed
turmeric powder- 1 tblspoon
Besan- 3/4 cup
Oil for frying

Mix the above ingredients and make small balls and deep fry. Make a small batch and taste before frying them all, so
you can adjust the seasonings if needed. Drain in paper towels.



For the curry :
Onions - 2 sliced
Tomatoes- 2
garlic and ginger- 2 tablespoons chopped
Kasmiri Chilli powder- 1 teaspoon
Green chillies- as needed.
Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder,garam masala powder and chilli powder-1 tablespoon each
Cilantro andoil as needed


Grind the above together in a mixer. Add 3 tablespoonsoil in a wok and add cumin seeds. When they turn black, add the ground paste and saute for about 6-8 minutes for medium to high flame until oil separates from the masala. Now add the powders and salt and add 1/2 cup water and cook on medium flame for another 6-8 minutes. Add cilantro and the Kofta balls in the curry and enjoy with hot rotis or rice.

Eggplant Extravaganza- continuation Week #47

Bhaingan Bhartha- A beautiful melange of roasted broiled eggplant with spices and vegetables is how I would describe this dish. I like all my dishes rustic and slightly crunchy with the veggies. In retaurants, they might sometimes compeltely mush up the veggies too, but I like to see the veggies that go into the dish.

The most important part in these dishes is the roasting and broiling the eggplants. Those who have gas can keep the gas on low to medium flame and roast their eggplants till the skin is scarred and its cooked through and through on the inside. This might take about 30=40 minutes and is fairly laborious as you have to keep an eye on it the whole time. Since I dont have a gas stove, I broil the eggplants in the oven for about 30 minutes, but I keep turning them every 7-8 minutes till they r slightly burnt on the outside. Then I cut the eggplants halfwise and bake them for about 1 hr in 400F oven. These times may vary depending ont he size of the egplants. In India, they tend to be smaller and cook faster. Here it US, they are fairly big, so it takes time. One thing abt eggplant is, they hae to be super well done. After they have cooled, scrape the flesh away from the skins and set aside

Ingredients :
Cooked eggplant pulp: 2 cups
Onions- 1 cup minced
Garlic, ginger- 1/4 cup each
green and red bell pepper- 1/2 cup
green peas-1/2 cup
tomatoes- 3/4 cup diced
garam masala powder and coriander powder- 1 tablespoon each
Green chillies- minced 1 tabelspoon
red chilli powder- 1 tablespoon
Dried fenugreek leaves- Optional (1 tablespoon)
Oil- 1/2 cup
Cilantro- 1/2 cup
lemon or lime juice- 1/4 cup
turmeric powder- 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds- 1 tablespoon
salt- as needed

Method:
Heat 1/4 cup oil in a wok. add cumin seeds and let crackle. Add the onions, garlic and ginger and saute for 4-5 minutes. Add turmeric powder and the green/red pepper and peas and keep cooking in high heat for 2-3 more minutes. Now add tomatoes,green chillies, coriander powder, and garam masala and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add the eggplant pulp and cook still on high heat for another 7-8 minutes. Add the remaining oil and thefenugreek leaves, cilantro and lime juice. Mix well and switch off the heat. Enjoy with hot rotis or naan!

Eggplant Extravaganza! Week #46

This week on Week #46 and next week's #47 I am combining 2 dishes with one main ingredient: Eggplant. The prepping for these dishes are almost the same, so it makes sense to make an appetizer and a main dish with Eggplant. I have to be honest, it isnt one of my favorite vegetables. Eggplant is one of those things, you either love it or hate it. But both these dishes have found a way into my kitchen and my palate.... so its that good :)
The process is slightly long, but well worth it.

The 2 dishes I am making are Baba Ganouj and Baingan Bharta. Baba Ganouj is a popular Middle Eastern dip that has some sesame paste called Tahini in it while the Bahrta is a sumptous and very earthy side dish from the North India. Baba Ganouj is something I just experimented and there are many many versions of this dish. The Bhartha recipe with follow this one!
Prepping :

The most important part in these dishes is the roasting and broiling the eggplants. Those who have gas can keep the gas on low to medium flame and roast their eggplants till the skin is scarred and its cooked through and through on the inside. This might take about 30=40 minutes and is fairly laborious as you have to keep an eye on it the whole time. Since I dont have a gas stove, I broil the eggplants in the oven for about 30 minutes, but I keep turning them every 7-8 minutes till they r slightly burnt on the outside. Then I cut the eggplants halfwise and bake them for about 1 hr in 400F oven. These times may vary depending ont he size of the egplants. In India, they tend to be smaller and cook faster. Here it US, they are fairly big, so it takes time. One thing abt eggplant is, they hae to be super well done. After they have cooled, scrape the flesh away from the skins and set aside.

Baba Ganouj :
Ingredients :
Lemon juice- 1/4 cup
salt and pepper to taste-
minced garlic- 1 teaspoon
tahini-1.5 teaspoons
parsley- minced 1 tablespoon
paprika and cumin powder- 1 teaspoon each
Extra Virgin Olive oil- 1/2 cup

Using a hand blender- mush up the eggplant pulp, add the rest fo the ingedients except the Olive oil and paprika. Keeping a fork in hand, add the Olive Oil and keep mixing. Top it with Paprika and enjoy with Pita bread or pita chips!

Week #45 Wild mushroom orzo pilaf

Orzo is actually a kind of pasta ,but when cooked, it resembles long grai rice. But the taste is surely more on the lines of pasta, so its an interesting ingredient to cook with. That alongwith the porcini, shitake and crimini mushrooms give this dish a unique and distinct flavor. I topped it off with some goat cheese crumbles that gives it a tart and creamy flavor...

Ingredients :
Orzo- 2 cups cooked as per package instructions
Crimini mushrooms- 1/2 cup sliced
dried porcini and shitake- washed and soaked in hot water for 30 min
garlic- 1 tablespoon minced
shallots- 3 tablespoons minced
parsley- 2 tablespoons minced
butter- 2 tablespooons
goat cheese crumbles-3 tablespoons
Extra virgin olive oil- 2 tablespoons
salt and pepper as needed

Method:
Melt the butter in a pan. Add garlic and the shallots and let it slightly brown. Then add crimini mushrooms, salt and let cook. Take the soaked porcini and shitakes. Dont throw away the soaking liquid-that has a lot of flavor.Cut the dried porcini and shitake into smaller bits and add to the pan and cook on high heat for abt 3-4 minutes. Add the soaked liquid a bit at a time until all the mushrooms are well cooked. Now add the orzo and mix well. Add more salt and pepper as needed. Finally add the parsley and goat cheese crumbles and mix well. Add olive oil to top off and enjoy!

Week #44- Thanksgiving special -Cranberry Chutney

Here in the US, Thanksgiving is a major holiday with tons of food and a big family gathering. Traditional food at this event is a huge turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce. Cranberries are very sour berries which have to be cooked to be eaten. Since it is so sour, it makes for a very good pickle or chutney. So, here is my version of cranberry chutney with tons of garlic, green chillies and brown sugar!


Ingredients :
cranberries fresh or frozen- 3 lbs
1 cup- green chillies (medium heat)
1/2 cup- garlic peeled
1/2 cup- red chilli powder
salt- 3/4 cup or as needed
Brown sugar or jaggery- 1/2 cup
asafoetida- 1 teaspoon
gingelly oil- 2 cups
dry red chillies- 10

Method:
Add 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Add dry red chillies and after 1 min, add garlic, green chillies and cranberries. Add 1/2 cup of salt and cook on high flame for about 10 minutes. The cranberries will start to break down, get mushy and start to wither. Reduce to low flame and cook another 5-10 minutes. Switch off flame and let it cool. Grind the mixture in mixer and until well blended. Heat the same pan and add 1 cup of oil. Add the cranberry mixture, chilli powder and the brown sugar. Add remaining salt and cook them together for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. if cranberries are very sour, you can add some more brown sugar that will neutralize the sourness. Add asafoetida and finish off with some more oil on top. Enjoy with rice, bread or naan. This also makes a great Christmas gift when packed in a nice glass mason jar.

Week 43 is a 2 minute crowd pleaser!

This is the easiest appetizer and is such a crowd pleaser. The few ingredients needed here are usually available in your pantry.

Ingredients :
Cheddar,mozarella, pepper jack grated- in any combination- 1.5 cups
tortilla chips- 3 cups
pickled jalapeno slices - 1/3 cup
diced red onions- 1/3 cup
cilantro- 2 tablespoons
cooked minced meat or vegetarian crumbles- 1/2 cup
1 can pinto beans ( in sauce would be ideal)

Method:
Turn oven to broil. Take an oven safe tray and scatter the tortilla chips in single layer. take a few tablespoons of the meat/veggie crumbles and add over the chips. Then add about 3 tablespoons of the pinto beans, even if there is a bit of liquid on the chips, it is good because it adds so much flavor. Now add jalapeno and onions all over the chips. Make sure every chips has a bit of all the ingredients. Lastly add the cheese and cilantro. Bake in oven for 2 minutes until cheese is melted! Its that simple! Enjoy!

Photos will follow!

Week 42 # This is better than Bukhara's claim :)

This week is all about comfort food. Fall is here and temperatures are dropping and there is nothing better than a healthy yet fulfilling bowl of hot comfort food. I have a little story to go with it. A few years ago, my husband and I were in New Delhi and decided to visit one of the most critically acclaimed restaurants in Delhi, The Bukhara. One of my cousins, Shiva was probably secretly laughing behind me when I told him that I am going there. It was indeed super touristy of us to even go there, but heck this was one of those things that are on everyone's bucket list.
Sanjeev oredered some kababs and I ordered Dal Makhani which was one of their signature dishes, they claimed. It was also the only dish that was less than a 1000 Rs (abt$20). They give u this bib and make a big hoopla and one of the waiters explained to me how they had cooked this dal for several hours alongwith secret spices. It seemed to justify why such a small dish of Dal was this expensive. Anyhoo,my opinion of that Dal Makhani was ok, just like any other Dal in any Dhaba New Delhi.

I wanted to replicate this at home and Voila- I have made this many times and everytime it comes out brilliant. Its so simple because the creaminess of this partticular lentil when cooked blends everything together to create magic!!!

Urad Dhal- 1.5 cups soaked overnight
Kidney beans- 1/2 cup soaked overnight
minced garlic/ginger- 3 tablespoons each
Onions minced- 1/2 cup
green chillies- minced 2 tablespoons
tomatoes cut fine- 3/4 cup
chilli powder- 1 tablespoon
Butter- 2 tablespoons
Cilantro for garnish

Method :
Pressure cook Urad dhal and kidney beans together with 1 spoons red chilli powder for about 2-3 whistles. You never want to overcook as there will be more cooking later. Make sure the Kidney beans or Rajma is cooked through. Heat 1.5 tablespoons butter in a flat bottomed vessel. Add onions, garlic and ginger and saute for about 4-5 minutes on medium to high heat. Add the green chillies, tomatoes and remaining red chilly powder and salt. Saute for 2-3 more minutes. Now add the cooked dhals and salt. Add some water and mush the dhal with the back of your spoon or laddle.. Allow these to simmer together and flavors combine for about 10-15 minutes. Finish by adding remaining butter and chopped cilantro. Trist me - this is divine!

Week #41 Moroccan Tagine with Root Vegetables

Cant believe its been 41 weeks already with this blog!Next few weeks will be Fall inspired recipes.Here in the US, pumpkin is big at this time, but so are root vegetables like turnips and squashes of different kinds.
Tagine is actually a kind of special vessel designed to make this dish. This pot usually has the stew simmering in the bottom while the steam and aroma from the stew cooks the couscous on top of this dish. Usually its meat thats cooked in the stew below, but here I have attempted a Vegetable Tagine.This is Morocco's most famous dish and I had this dish in Paris which has a big North African population. I dont have this vessel, and I know it will never taste like they do it, but its a humble attempt at one of my favorite dishes.

Ingredients :
1 bunch- spinach
chickpeas- cooked- 3/4 cup
garlic- minced 1 tablespoon
turnips,zucchini,squash, potatoes, carrots 2.5 cups- cut into cubes
onions- 1 cup
parsley-1/2 cup
Good quality olive oil- 2 tablespoons
paprika- 1-2 tablespoons
Tomato sauce- 1 cup
chilli flakes- as needed
couscous- 2 cups

Method:
Boil 2 cups water. Add 1 teapsoon salt and olive oil. Put couscous in the boiling water and stir. Remove from heat, covera nd let it rest for 5 minutes and then fluff with fork. Couscous is ready. You can use veggie or chicken broth for more flavor.
Heat olive oil in medium to big pan. Add garlic and then onions and saute for 3 minutes. Add the turnips,carrots, potaoes and stir. Add salt and sprinkle water and reduce heat. Cover and cook for about 8-10 minutes until cooked. Then add spinach and chick peas. Add the tomato sauce, paprika and parsley and let it come to a slow boil. Add chilli flakes and finish it with a good round of olive oil around the pot. Serve hot with couscous and enjoy!

Week #40 is Tiramisu-

For those who havent had Tiramisu, I will tell you is one unique dessert because its amazing how the alcohol, eggs, cocoa, coffee and cream combine for this ultimate treat. I had this first when I was staying with a Swedish family in Luxembour. For those of who who ahve read my book, I didnt have the best of times living there, but one thing that the landlady made that was simply outstanding was the tiramisu. She used spinge cake instead of Italian ladyfingers, but result was just as good. She saved me some many times and that was probably one of the ver few kind gestures I remember of her.
I just use rum instead of marsala wine and make a zabaglione which is a must for this ( yolk custard).If you dont get mascarpone cheese, plain cream cheese should work too. My hubby loves it and i made it for his birthday last week.

Ingredients -
7 egg yolks
Sugar 3/4 cup
rum - 3/4 cup
cocoa- 2 tablespoons
Thick coffee liquid- 1 cup
milk chocolate shavings- 2 tablespoons
vanilla essence- 1 tablespoon
ladies fingers or sponge cake-5-6 cups
mascarpone- 10 ounces at room temperature
cream- 1 cup

Method:

Zabaglione: Put a pot of simmerign water. Water should not be boiling and heat should be low. Take egg yolks and sugar in a bigger bowl and place on top of simmering water. Take an electric beater and beat it till it doubles in volume and changes color. Add vanila essence, 2 tablespoons rum and keep beating for 1-2 minutes more. Remove from heat and add the mascarpone and combine properly. The zabaglione is now ready.
In a cool vessel, beat cream till it forms stiff peaks.


Now add the rest of the rum to the thick coffee and mix. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the cocoa to this and dunk the sponge cake or ladyfinger and place them in a long dish. Slather the zabaglione on top of the ladygingers or cake. add the cream on top of that and use a strainer and sprinkle cocoa on top of the cream. Repeat theis entire process one more time. Then add the chocolate shavings. Close this with foil and refridegerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
Enjoy!!

Week #39 Nasi Goreng- Indonesian Fried Rice

This week we have Siva, a winner 3 times!! No competition for him this time...
When I started playing pro tournaments, Dad and I traveled to Bandung, Indonesia and Solo, Indonesia to play 2 pro circuit events. These were the lowest tier of events, but at that time there were no pro women tournaments in India. Both these places were small towns with really nothing going on. The TV was all in Bahasa, the local language and in general, these events were surely not easy or fun. The 2 dishes that we got used to in Indonesia were Nasi Goreng and Bami Goreng, Fried Rice and Noodles. Since we ate eggs, this was our staple during our two weeks there.
Nowadays in Asian markets, you get Nasi Goreng mix packets just like Thai Green or Thai Red Curry packets. Its actually very easy to assemble, but quite unique in taste. Its served with scrambled omlette and cucumbers and tomatoes. Its a good rice dish thats a abit out of the ordinary. The easiest way I would describe it is its in between biriyani and fried rice.

Ingredients :
1 packet Nasi Goreng mix
cooked chicken, shrimp or tofu ( as needed)
Cooked rice- 3 cups
eggs- beaten - 4
cucumbers and tomatoes- diced- 3 tablespoons
oil- 3 tablespoons
shallots, garlic- minced- 1 tablespoon
chilli paste- 1/2 teaspoon or as needed
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Take a non stick wok and add 2 tablespoons oil. Add beaten aggs and let it cook without touching it. Flip it over after 2 minutes and add salt and pepper. Once egg is done, take it out and let it rest. Add the rest fo the oil and saute the shallots and garlic. Add the cooked shrimp, chicken or tofu and saute for 2-3 minutes minutes with chilli paste. Switch off heat and in the same wok, add rice and nasi goreng mix and mix thoroughly. Cut strips of egg and garnish with Cucumbers and tomatoes. Enjoy.

Week #38 Potato & peas pockets with chickpeas stew aka Samosa with punjabi chole

I have the say this is my first attempt at this dish at home. It's just so easy to just go and buy this dish outside, but the potato filling is usually never the way we want it to be. My hubby and I like the potato filling to be quite spicy, and the other fixings make it much better at home. Its not that difficult, though it takes a bit of time....But its totally worth it as you can see from the pictures. I paired this with some cooling Mojitos and it made for a nice weekend relaxed meal.

Ingredients :
Chickpeas stew or Chole
Chickpeas- 1.5 cups soaked overnight and pressure cooked with 1 teabag
Tomato puree- 4 tablespoons
ginger garlic paste- 2 tablespoons
Garam masala- 5 tablespoons
Coriander powder- 5 tablespoons
Red Chilly powder- 1 tablespoon or as needed
Cumin seeds- 1 tablespoon
Samosas
Potatoes bolied and mashed- 1.5 cups
Green Peas- 1/2 cup boiled
Red Chilly powder- 1 tablespoon or as needed
Green chillies- minced 2 tablespoons
Cumin seeds- 1 tablespoon
Salt- as needed
All purpose flour- 2 cups
ghee or oil- 1 tablespoon
Oil- for frying
Condiments :Cilantro or coariander leaves or green chutney, tamarind chutney, sev

Method:
Pour ghee on the allpurpose flour and combine. Then add salt and -3 tablespoons cold water and start kneading it. Add little water if needed and keep kneading till it forms a ball. Knead it for 3-4 minutes more and cover and let it rest until we complete everything else.
We will make the chole first-
Take a pan and heat 3 tablespoons oil and cumin seeds. Once it starts splutering, add tomato puree and cook for 3 minutes, then add ginger-garlic paste. keep cooking for 3-4 more minutes until oil separates. Now add garam masala powder,salt, chilli powder,coriander powder and cook for 1 minute. Add the cooked chickpeas and 1/2 cup water and allow them to simmer for about3 minutes. Chole is done...
Take a smaller wok and heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add cumin seeds and when it splutters, add the green chillies and peas and then garam masala. cook for 1 minute and add salt, chilly powder as needed and 1 spoon coriander powder. Now add the smashed potaoes and combine. Taste and add salt if needed.
Preheat oil for frying samosas.Take the dough and make small balls from it.Take a rolling pin and start rolling it out.Roll it out just like a roti or chappati about 3 inch diameter. Cut it into half and fill the potato and seal the edges with little water or just seal the edges with a fork.Basically you are making a pocket. I didnt use water, just made sure they r sealed properly.
Deep fry the samosas in oil and drain in paper towels.
Assembly can be two different ways. My hubby likes the samosas all broken up and the chole all over and sev on top with all the chutneys. Here is a pic
I prefer it this way, but either way...its pretty awesome- Enjoy

Easy home made Mojitos :
Mint leaves- 10-15 leaves
Sugar- 4 tablespoons
Soda- 2 bottles
Fresh Lime 4-5
Rum- 1/2 cup
Ice -
Take a glass. Squeeze fresh lime juice with its pulp and add 2 -3 tablespoons sugar. Add mint leaves and mush the ingredients together. Add ice and about 3 tabelspoons rum. Add soda and serve. At home, we never have sugar cane or cane syrup handy, and this is just simple and good enough. You can completely avoid the rum if you want to make it alcohol less.