Roma's Space

Chole Masala

This is one tasty and filling curry that can be had with anything right from samosas, tikkis and chaats to meals with rotis and rice. I usually make this when I have guests over.

Although you get chole in most restaurants today there is nothing to beat the taste that you get at home. Once you finish making it enter your kitchen after an hour and you can catch the aroma still lingering around.

Ingredients :

• 1 cup of Chole
• 3 tomatoes
• 2 onions
• 10 garlic cloves
• A small piece of ginger
• 1 green chilly
• A small piece of Dal chini
• Few pieces of Laung
• Few pieces of Choti elaichi
• 2 teaspoons of dhania powder
• 1 teaspoon of haldi powder

Procedure :

1. Soak chole overnight. Boil and cook well with about 4-5 whistles.
2. Grind onions , Ginger-garlic-green chillies, Tomatoes, each separately.
3. Roast Dal chini, Laung, Choti elaichi and grind in mortar pestle.
4. Heat oil. Fry onion paste. When little more than half cooked add Ginger-garlic-green chillies paste and cook till brown. Add haldi powder, dhania powder, salt and cook for few more minutes.
5. Now add tomato paste and continue to cook till paste leaves fat from the sides.
6. Finally add the roasted ground masala and cook well. Add chole and cook till the curry comes together.

Alu Methi Kadhi

There is a sweet history behind this recipe. It dates back to Feb, 2005 . One fine night when I walked into the kitchen there was nothing but a cup of curds and some methi leaves in the fridge. Potatoes are usually always there at home and I needed a curry that goes with rice. Thats how alu methi kadhi was created. Now its my husband’s favorite dish and is made regularly at home.

Ingredients :

• 1 cup curd
• 3 tablespoons besan
• 1 large potato
• 2 cups methi leaves (stems removed well)
• 1 teaspoon Rai (Big)
• Few Red Chilly flakes
• 2-3 teaspoons of vinegar
• Pinch of Hing
• Pinch of haldi powder
• Few curry leaves
• Finely chopped Coriander leaves

Procedure :

1. Boil Potatoes and chopped Methi leaves. You can microwave them in water for 10 minutes to speed up the process.
2. Blend the following ingredients in a mixie jar with 2-3 cups of water:

• Curd
• Hing
• Salt
• Besan
• Haldi

1. Heat oil. Add rai, red chilly flakes, curry leaves and fry for a minute.
2. Now add the curd mixture and let it boil till the raw smell of besan goes away.
3. Strain the potatoes and methi leaves and mix them into the curry. Bring to boil.
4. Once done, add vinegar and turn off the heat. Garnish with finely chopped Coriander leaves.
5. Serve hot with plain rice.

White Pumpkin Curry

Ingredients :

• 10 medium sized pieces of white pumpkin
• 3 small red chilly flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• Few pieces of fresh coconut
• 3 tablespoons of raw rice
• 2 teaspoons of coconut oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Rai (Big)
• Curry leaves
• 1 cup curds

Procedure :

1. Grind coconut, red chillies and raw rice in the blender with some water.
2. Boil the pumpkin pieces in a vessel with 4 cups of water and haldi powder till the water quantity reduces to half.
3. Once pumpkins are done add the coconut paste and continue to cook for 5 more minutes.
4. Turn off the heat and let pumpkins cool. Add curds and stir well.
5. Heat coconut oil and add rai, curry leaves for the tempering. Mix this into the pumpkin curry.
6. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with plain rice.

Please NOTE :

Adding curds to the curry when its hot can make it split. In this curry, we don’t want that to happen. You can heat the curry once its completely done and serve hot with rice.

Ghatte ki sabzi

This is a special dish made by Rajasthanis. The desert land has minimal supply of fresh fruits and vegetables leading to people finding other ways to prepare their curries. Ghatte ki sabzi is one such exotic invention of the Rajasthanis. It is a unique dish in which the dryness of the besan is complemented by the moisture in the yoghurt. This is truly one of my favorites!

Procedure to make Ghatte

 

Ingredients :

• 2 cups of Besan
• 2 tablespoons ghee
• 1/2 teaspoon jeera
• 1/4 teaspoon ajwain
• Pinch of hing
• 1/2 teaspoon red chilly powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dhania powder
• 2 cups curd
• 1/2 teaspoon rai (Big)
• Dhania leaves (for Garnish)

Procedure :

1. Keep 2 tablespoons of Besan aside. Knead remaining Besan into a stiff dough with salt, ghee, jeera, ajwain and some water.
2. Grease a tray and spread out the dough on it. Grease the upper surface with ghee and carefully roll it up. Let it rest for a while.
3. Place the besan rolls into boiling water for about 5-7 mins.
4. Take out the rolls into a sieve and allow them to cool. Cut the roll into round pieces. These pieces are called Ghatte.
5. Take curds separately in a bowl. Mix into it 2 tablespoons of besan, dhania powder, haldi powder and salt.
6. Heat oil in a kadai. Add Rai, Hing and red chilly powder. To this tempering add the previously prepared Ghatte and fry for a short while.
7. Now pour the curds mixture into the ghatte and cook for about 5-7 mins, till the Besan smells done.
8. Garnish with dhania leaves and serve hot with rotis.

Please NOTE :
Care needs to be taken while adding salt to the curds mixture as Ghatte already contain salt.

Tangy Mixed Vegetable Curry (Sindhi Kadhi)

This hot and sour vegetable curry is a rare combination of being delicious, nutritious and easy to make, all at the same time. Excellent to be eaten on those cold wintry days when you want something hot without having to wait too much to get it. This is commonly known as ‘Sindhi kadhi’. Unlike other ‘Kadhis’ this does not have curd in it.

Ingredients :

• 5 Beans
• 1 Carrot
• 1 Drumstick
• 5 Cauliflower florets
• 1 Potato
• 1 Tablespoon Gram Flour
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 2  red chillies
• Pinch of hing
• Few curry leaves
• 1 cup tamarind juice
• Pinch of Turmeric/Haldi powder

Procedure :

1. Chop carrot, beans, potato and drumsticks into finger like pieces.
2. Mix the gram flour into tamarind juice and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add mustard seeds, red chillies, hing and curry leaves. Mix in beans, carrot, drumsticks, cauliflower florets and potato pieces.
4. Finally add tamarind paste and turmeric powder. Close the cooker and allow it to whistle twice (ensure it doesnt get mashed).
5. Once done, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with plain rice.