Cauliflower masala curry/Phula Kobi aloo Tarkari

Some things remain fresh in our memories forever,specially the sight and smell of fragrant ,spicy desi curries ...a trip down memory lane.A wave of nostalgia swept over me as I scurried around the house doing everyday errands while the aroma of cauliflower potato curry on the stove, simmering away to glory wafted in the house.

Nostalgia is such a cozy feeling, so I try to revisit my food memories by cooking my Aai' s( maternal grandmother) signature dishes.None of my curries are as good as hers,I lack the patience with which she kept on sautéing the masala till the raw smell would go away and the masala would look a beautiful dark red colour .The love and fondness with which she cooked each and every dish made it more tasty and appealing.Miss her presence around me and this is how I ward off the empty feeling..by cooking dishes in her style..those smells take me back to her kitchen where I would keep on jabbering to her non stop as she whipped up fragrant ,mouthwatering array of dishes.

Food is an indispensable part of our Odiya culture.Odiyas are fond of eating and can spend the whole day in the kitchen cooking .And my Aai was one of those who would be in the kitchen whole day dishing out authentic ,delectable creations with her love and warmth.

This Phula Kobi Aloo Jhola is her style and recipe though she always used masalas fresh ,roasted and grounded that moment and that made her curries more aromatic in comparison to our off the
shelves masalas.Could not learn her garam masala recipe when she was with us ...so my curries do lack her signature touch.

In this curry the cauliflower and potato is pan fried  in mustard oil till half cooked and then added to the cooked masalas.In this curry hot water is added for the gravy.The other alternative which is called a Phula Kobi Aloo Kasaa is cooked without the addition of water and cook the veggies with the masalas and they are a great combo with Puris and Parathas.

You require
01 medium sized Cauliflower ,cut into medium florets
02 medium sized Potatoes,cubed according to the size of the florets
02 onions,grated or pureed or chopped fine
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
02 tomatoes,chopped
02 green chillies,chopped or slit
3-4 green cardamoms
2 inch cinnamon
3-4 cloves
1-2 bay leaves
01 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2-3 tbsp mustard oil
1 tsp Garam Masala powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp Sugar
1 C hot water
Coriander leaves to garnish
Salt to taste

Method

• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok till smoking point ,then add the cauliflower florets and cubed potatoes,pan fry till little brown spots appear on them and they are half cooked and keep aside.
• In the same wok heat the mustard oil the same way,add sugar,add cumin seeds ,bay leaves and the spices or khada garam masalas,add the onion when the spices start spluttering.
• Add the ginger garlic paste and the chillies when the onions are light brown and keep on frying till the raw smell goes off ,add the turmeric powder and the tomatoes and sauté till the masala starts leaving the sides.
• Now add the half cooked veggies and cook for 5 more minutes,stirring in between.
• Add the hot water and salt and cover the curry and let it simmer in medium flame for 7-10 minutes.
• Check the veggies ,if it's cooked to satisfaction then sprinkle the garam masala and cinnamon powder,give one good boil and switch off the flame.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy with hot steaming rice and dal.

Methi Paneer Malai/Cottage cheese in fenugreek and cream curry

Paneer or cottage Cheese is a staple Indian food that Indian households cannot do without in their meals, a substitute for meat for the die hard vegetarians.Its our favourite Indian Cheese made by curdling fresh  milk in vinegar,lemon juice ,curd or any other food acids.

And in East India paneer is the ubiquitous Chenna ,all sweet dishes in Odisha,Bengal and Assam are made from Paneer.Chenna is a crumbly and moist form of Paneer.Its an ultimate favourite in North India and made with butter or spinach,or peas or stuffed in parathas ,infact innumerable spicy,delicious varieties of paneer dishes.

And cheers to our own desi cheese, it's a hot favourite of my kids. Infact I feel they should wear a " I love Paneer" badge on them.They love Paneer in any form whether it's a paratha or a sandwich stuffing or a curry or a pulao or the easy peasy Paneer Bhurjee .

My today's post Methi Paneer Malai is actually adapted from the recipe Methi mutter malai,chunks of Paneer in a creamy fenugreek based Curry .Compliments well with Rotis,Parathas or Naan.Yummy is the word you would utter after a spoonful of this rich tasty combo.The garnish of fresh cream makes
it tempting and gives a nice touch of subtelty to this delicious paneer dish.

You require

For the Masala paste
2 medium sized onions ,chopped
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste/ ginger and garlic chopped according to 1 tbsp paste
1 big tomato,chopped
2 tbsp chopped cashews,soaked in water
1 green chilli,chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp oil

For the gravy
250 gms Paneer,diced according to the size you want
2 C fresh Fenugreek/ Methi leaves
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam Masala powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chilli powder/1/2 tsp if you want less spicy.
1/4 C cream,whisked
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp dry fenugreek leaves for garnish
1 C hot water
2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Method

• Wash the fenugreek leaves,chop it and add 1/2 tsp  salt,keep it aside for 15 mins and then squeeze out the water.This helps in removing the bitterness from the leaves.
• Take 1 tbsp oil in a pan,add cumin seeds and when it splutters add the chopped onion,fry till transparent.
• Add the ginger garlic and green chillies,chopped or paste,fry till the raw smell goes away.
• Now add the chopped tomato and sauté till the masala starts leaving the sides of the pan.
• Remove from fire and let it cool a little,once warm grind the masala in a mixer with the soaked and drained cashews and a little water added to it.
• In the same pan take 2 tbsp oil and once heated add the chopped and squeezed fenugreek leaves and fry on a low medium flame till they lessen in quantity.
• Add the ground masala paste,the coriander,turmeric and chilli powder to it and sauté till For 6-7 minutes and oil starts releasing.
• Add the hot water,give a nice boil to the methi gravy and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes.
• Now add the whisked cream,paneer,garam masala and the sugar,mix well and switch of the flame.Garnish with dried fenugreek leaves.
• Serve hot with Rotis or Naan and enjoy the rich flavourful curry.

Fried Eggplant roundels/Baigana Bhajaa

With the festival season in full swing all Indian kitchens are busy churning out new delicacies every day.Odiya delicacies dominate my kitchen on festivals and holidays.With sweets and delectable desserts in abundance everywhere the craving for simple, comfort food rises.

Last week during the Durga Puja I was into lot of traditional cooking and had made these golden fried eggplant slices with some Mung Dal Khichdi.These eggplant fry is called Baigana Bhaja in Odisha.The eggplant is cut into half inch roundels ,marinated in turmeric,salt and chilli powder and deep fried or shallow fried in mustard oil .

Bhaja in Odiya means fry and it's an integral part of a traditional Oriya meal.Its an accompaniment with rice,dal and curries.Have seen cooks deep frying the roundels in marriages and functions but I prefer to shallow fry in a wok with 2-3 tbsp of Mustard oil which imparts a unique flavour to the dishes.

You Require
2 round variety eggplants / brinjals
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp salt or according to taste
3-4 tbsp mustard oil for shallow frying

Method

• Wash and wipe dry the eggplants ,cut into 1/2 inch thick roundels.
• Marinate with the turmeric,chilli powder and salt.
• Smear it uniformly on the slices and keep it marinated for 15 mins.
• Heat the mustard oil in a wok till smoke emanates from it .
• Lessen the heat and fry the marinated slices in batches of 2 or 3 in a medium flame.
• Cook both the sides till nice and brown.
• Serve with a proper Oriya meal or with just plain ghee smeared Khichdi .

Divinely nostalgic!

Tomato Khajur Khatta...Tomatoes and dates sweet chutney

The festive, celebratory mood in my house is still on. Delicacies being churned out in my favourite haunt is being gobbled up by the chipmunks before they can be clicked for my blog. Durga Puja will culminate in a day but celebrations will continue till the Festival of Lights, Diwali ...stretched till the magical, joyful Christmas and finally coming to an abrupt halt after the New Year leaving us a little sad and forlorn .

Last few days there has been an honest and deliberate attempt from my side to make a traditional lunch at home.Food is a great way to keep ourselves closer to our roots, traditions and our culture. What we eat, how we prepare it,how we serve it and how we eat it is all related to our cultural inheritance.

And this sweet chutney made from tomatoes ,jaggery and dates is one of the delicious,authentic and simple dishes of Odisha mostly served with rice and accompaniments or with a khichadi and its a hit with puri and curry too.It's common in every household and is served in every marriage,festival or a function, a ubiquitous accompaniment.A sweet as well as tangy chutney is a hit in our household
too.This is one of the dishes whose memory, taste and smell evokes lovely pangs of nostalgia This chutney can be bottled and refrigerated for 7-8 days.

Pancha Phutana

The quintessential Pancha phutana or the five spice mix is used in this Khatta.Its a mix of equal amount of cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds,fennel seeds and onion seeds .This spice mix is an important ingredient in an Odiya Kitchen.

You Require
5-6 medium Tomatoes,chopped
3-4 tbsp grated Jaggery
1 tsp pancha phutana
1 tsp grated Ginger
2 dry red chillies
1 tsp roasted cumin and chilli powder(Bhajaa  jeera Lanka powder)
1 tbsp Mustard oil
Salt to taste or 1/2 tsp
5-6 de seeded dates
Few raisins(optional)

Method

• Heat the mustard oil to smoking point in a wok and lessen the heat.
• Add panchaphutana and red chillies and when it splutters add the tomatoes and ginger...cover and cook till the tomatoes are slushy and nearly cooked.At this point 1/2 C hot water can be added.
• Add the salt and jaggery and the dates ,raisins and cook till the jaggery melts and the chutney attains a nice red colour.Sugar can be used instead of jaggery but jaggery gives a nice colour to the chutney.
• Lastly add the Jeera Lanka powder and switch off after one boil.
• Serve with Rice, Puris or Parathas.

Janhi Aloo Posto....Ridge gourd and potatoes cooked with Poppy seed paste

A Oriya recipe finally! The recipe was sitting in my drafts for a long time and I just kept postponing it.Janhi aloo posto is one of my favourites ,the recipe posted here is straight from my mom's kitchen.This curry is a regular side dish in lunch during the summers at my mom's place.Most of the poppy seed based curries are eaten with rice in Orissa as rice is the staple diet here.Till  date I don't enjoy this with Rotis or Chapatis.

Janhi or better known as Ridge gourd in English or Turai in Hindi is cooked with diced potatoes in posto bata or poppy seed  paste or khus khus in hindi.The poppy seeds impart a rich creamy texture to the curry.The ubiquitous Posto or poppy seeds is a very common ingredient in a Oriya kitchen.It is normally ground on a shila bata or a grinding stone which is  a rare thing in modern kitchens now.The paste can be made in a mixer grinder also.

The Ridge gourd is a summer vegetable,with lot of minerals and with absolutely no fat content.It is mostly considered bland and not relished by many.

The mustard oil with its sharp taste and aroma gives a distinct flavour to the curry.In Orissa most of the curries are mustard oil based,even the pakoras or gram flour dumplings are also deep fried in mustard oil.

You Need

Ridge Gourd  - 3 long peeled and diced into 1" pcs

Potatoes      - 2 medium size diced into 1" pcs

Kalonji or nigella seeds ( kala jeera in oriya) - 1/2 tsp

Mustard oil   - 2 tbsp

Turmeric     -1/2 tsp 

salt to taste

Water      - 1cup

 To be ground into a paste

Poppy seeds or posto -3 tbsp

Garlic        -4-5 flakes

Green chilly- 2 long (if you like your curry spicy)

Method

1. Take 3 tbsp mustard oil in a wok and heat it till smoking point.
2. Add the kalonji,let it splutter, then add the diced potatoes ,keep it on medium flame while stirring.
3. When the potatoes are little cooked add the diced janhi or ridge gourd ,turmeric and salt.
4. Stir  it ,cover and cook till the curry is nearly cooked.
5. Add the posto bata or poppy seed paste to the curry,the posto can be ground in a mixer grinder with garlic and chilly,the poppy seeds can be soaked in little milk for 15 mins before grinding.
6. Add the water,stir and let the veggies simmer with the paste till it is semi dry which takes nearly 5-7 mins.

Serve with Rice and  Dal and enjoy!

Okras in tomato mustard gravy .... Bhendi besara khatta

I normally prepare oriya meals when there is plenty of time at hand and the meal can be savoured with leisure and nostalgic memories.Every bite transports me back in time ,the delicate flavours tingling my tastebuds and reminding me of home.There is already a list of sweets and savouries ready in my mind to be hogged once I go back home.My Bappa's (father) constant leg pulling that I come from a drought stricken land doesn't at all deter me from my voracious gorging :)
The month of march just flew past and suddenly I realised that I didn't post a single oriya recipe.So here I am with my humble dish......a simple curry devoid of any frills and fuss but amazingly tasty.Bhendi Besara Khatta is Okras cooked in mustard and tomato gravy.Besara is a genre of oriya curry where mustard paste is the main ingredient.The tomato in the gravy imparts the required sourness and that's why the term Khatta meaning sour.This is my Bappa's favourite and I grew up eating and cooking this authentic delicacy.
The other ingredient which lends an unique flavour to the curry is Pancha Phutana.....a mix of cumin ,mustard, aniseed, fenugreek and nigella seeds and which literally means five spices.Oriya and Bengali cuisine is incomplete without the ubiquitous tempering of pancha phutana or panch phoran.

 Pancha Phutana

The actual flavour of the mustard paste gets enhanced when it is grinded on a Shila Bataa ,a flattened ,pitted stone on which the spices are ground with a smaller stone.Every oriya kitchen possesses the shila bataa and each and every spice and masala is ground to perfection and that too patiently!Lot of people complain about the mustard paste turning bitter if ground in a mixer and fortunatelyI have never faced this problem though mine gets ground in a coffee grinder.
You Need:
1 pkt frozen okraas or 250 gms fresh ones
1 tomato( sour variety) or equivalent amt of tomato paste
1-2 tbsp whisked curd
3 tsp mustard seeds
2 green chillies
2-3 flakes garlic
1 tsp pancha phutana(mix of cumin,mustard,aniseed,fenugreek,nigella seeds)
5-6 curry leaves
1 tbsp chopped coriander
2 tbsp mustard oil
1 cup water
1/2 tsp turmeric pwdr
salt to taste
Method:
1.Make a paste out of the mustard seeds,green chillies and garlic with little water.You can add the tomato in the mixer after the paste is half made.
2.Cut the okraas into 1" pieces.
3.Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and half cook the okra and keep it aside.
4.Heat 1 tbsp oil in the same pan and add the pancha phutana and curry leaves,add the ground paste after the tempering starts spluttering.Add the turmeric.
5.Cook the paste for 3-4 mins and then add the okras and water.Add the salt.
6.Cook the okras in the gravy till fully cooked ,lastly add the curd,give one boil and switch off the heat and garnish with coriander leaves.Serve with steamed rice.


P.S You can add more water if you want a thin consistency and remember to use a tomato of sour variety as its a sour dish.I used a tinned one,so the vinegar in it imparted a nice amount of sourness.Tomato can be put while cooking the paste if you like slushy chunks in the gravy.
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Paneer Bhurji

Once I had this huge amount of crumbled paneer and out of sheer laziness I didn’t want to make something sweet giving an excuse to myself that it’s unhealthy. Koftas did come to my mind but it just needed too much of work, so I decided to make bhurji out of it though I didn’t have the recipe. Whatever little I knew of cooking that time I just went by my instincts and prepared it and it tasted yum. To this date I don’t use any other recipe while preparing this dish.:) I would love to share this simple yet tasty recipe with you all.

To make Paneer bhurji you need:

1 lt milk made into Paneer
1 medium sized onion chopped
1 medium sized tomato chopped
1 small capsicum chopped
¼ cup green peas (fresh or frozen)
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp whole jeera or cumin seeds
½ tsp turmeric pwdr
½ tsp kasoori methi or dried fenugreek
1 tsp coriander pwdr
1 tsp garam masala pwdr
1 tsp chilli pwdr or to taste
¾ tsp amchur or dry mango pwdr
salt to taste
2-3 tsp oil
chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

1. Heat 2 tsp oil in a non sick pan. Add the cumin seeds, cook till it turns golden.
2. Add the chopped onions and the kasuri methi, sauté till it turns pink in colour.
3. Add the ginger garlic paste, fry for ½ a minute.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric pwdr, and the chilli pwdr. Stir fry till the oil separates from the paste.
5. Now add the crumbled paneer and mix well. Cook for 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally.
6. Lastly add the coriander, garam masala and amchur pwdr and let it cook for 2 minutes.
7. Add the salt, mix well and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with parathas.

I use the left over paneer bhurji as filling in a grilled or toasted sandwich for breakfast or as a filling in a Frankie for my little one’s lunch box. From my experiences I have learnt that it is not necessary to follow the measures and ingredients of a recipe religiously. It is totally upto you to omit and substitute ingredients according to your taste and balance the flavours.

Paneer is called cottage cheese and is widely used in Indian cuisine. Its a healthy protein rich food. To prepare paneer lemon juice or vinegar or citric acid crystals is added to boiling hot milk to separate the curds from the whey. The curds are then drained in a cloth and excess water is pressed out. Tofu can be substituted for paneer as tofu has a similar texture and consistency.