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.

Week #37 Baked Veg or Veg AuGratin

We have 2 winners this week!!Priya Anandprasad and Smita Sundar! You got it right! Its one of my hubby's fav dishes. When we make it at home, its surely healthier as I am sure I use just half the butter and cheese.

Ingredients
Veggies- 2 cups cut into bite size pieces ( onions,carrots,potatoes,green beans and cauliflower)
garlic- minced 1 tablespoon
Butter- 3.5 tablespoons
Flour- 2 tablespoons
Milk- 3 cups
Cooked pasta- 2 cups( Macaroni,penne,rigatoni)
Dried oregano,thyme- 1 teaspoon each
Cheese- 1 cup or as needed
Panko breadcrumbs- 1 cup or as needed
salt and pepper as needed

Method:
Preheat Oven to 450 degrees F.
Add 1 tablespoon butter in heated wok and saute the veggies and garlic in butter and reduce heat. Close the pan and let the veggies team and cook. Keep it aside. In the same wok add remaining butter and flour. We are creating a roux for the white sauce. Fr the flour on low heat for 3-4 minute until it starts to slightly brown. It will be all crumbly. Now add milk slowly and use a whisk vigorously to combine them all. Completely add the milk and add oregano and thyme and salt and pepper as needed. Make sure to not overdo the salt as there is salt in the cheese you will add later. Once this mixture comes to a boil, it will start to thicken. Switch off and keep aside.The white sauce is now ready. Now to assemble the dish.
Take a casserole dish and slightly rub with butter. Add some white sauce in the bottom, then fill with pasta, then veggies and sprinkle some cheese. Repeat this until the top finishign with cheese and then combine breadcrums with some oil or butter and salt and pepper. Spread the breadcrumbs on the top throughout and put in oven for 15 minute or until the top if browned. Serve with a side salad. Enjoy!

Week #36 My latest creation Idfu :)

I attended anutrition seminar a few months and was shocked at what is termed starch in this country. Chick Peas or Channa is regarded a starch here, whereas in India everyone talks about how much protein it has. All the dals that are supposed to contain protein has a lot of carbohydrates too. So, I wanted to add some real protein to our Idli ( steamed rice cakes) and so here is IDFU (Idli+Tofu). I had two fussy eaters try this out and I got great reviews from them both. So,let me know what you all think!

Ingredients:
Extra firm tofu-diced- 1/2 cup
onions,carrots,broccoli,cauliflower diced- 1/3 cup
oil- 1 tablespoon
salt and pepper to taste
Idli flour- 1 1/3 cup
Idli steaming vessels

Method:
Saute tofu in non stick pan and allow it to brown. Add salt and pepper and then add onions followed by veggies. Saute them all
until cooked. Set aside and add idli flour in a greased plate or in the usual idli plates. Add 1 teaspoon of veggies or more if using greased plate. Steam them for 10 min on medium heat and serve with your favourite chutney or sambar! Enjoy!

Week #35- Protein packed payyasam

This week, we have 2 winners,Bhuvi Sringari and Siva. Well done guys!
I just wanted to add some oomph to the traditional payasam or kheer recipe. I cut back on the sugar and added some
really awesome ingredients. I added Flax meal, chia seeds, cranberries, sunflower seeeds, pecans and almonds. The result
was a very healthy payasam that turned out to be a great breakfast!! If you dont have chia seeds or flax meal or seeds, you can do without.

Ingredients
Vermicelli- 1 cup
ghee- 1 tablespoon
sugar- 2 tablespoons
chia seeds,sunflower seeds, cranberries, almonds,pecans,flax seeds or meal-2 tablespoons each
milk- 3 cups

Method- Toast the vermicelli in ghee until it turns brown. Allow to cool first. Boil the milk,add the sugar and
reduce flame. Add the vermicelli and boil for 10 minutes until the vermicelli is cooked. Add rest of the ingredients and
mix well. Enjoy!