Stuffed Masala Potatoes.
The monsoon is unto us, and thats the time when we have lazy afternoons and busy evenings, and our taste birds start tingling more than they should be. Of course, we can conjure up any recipe under the sun, but who has the time! Here’s a good monsoon recipe comprising og potatoes and some masalas that are always available in the kitchen.
Ingredients:
* 1/2 Kilo potatoes cut into two and notched
* 1 teaspoon chili
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
* 2 teaspoons coriander
How to cook:
Mix the masalas well and stuff them into the notches. Make sure that you do not apply too much pressure, or else the potatoes will break at the notches. Then, pour the pan in the oil and let it simmer. Once the oil simmers, put the potatoes face up and keep for a good ten minutes. After ten minutes, tilt the potatoes and check if the lower side is cooked. You can do this by pinching it with a knife and checking for softness.If the softness is okay, tilt all of the potatoes and let them fry for another five minutes. Remember that this is the masala side and too much frying will burn the masalas and therefore the potatoes. The dish is ready after a while.
Chana Masala Recipe
If you are feeling bored with the usual gravy for your rish and chapati dishes, you can try out the Chana Masala. This is the typical brown chana and is better than the white chana for numerous reasons. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients for Grinding:
* Five Red Chillies
* 1 Piece Cinammon
* 4 Medium Onions (cut and diced)
* 30 Pepper corns
* 4 Green Chillies
* 1 Garlic Pod
* 1 inch of ginger
* 3 teaspoons coriander seeds
* 3/4 teapsoon jeera
* 10-15 sticks of green coriander leaves
* 1/2 teaspoon of tamarind pulp
* 2 Small Cardamon
Ingredients for Frying:
* 2 Bay leaf
* 2 tomatoes (puree)
* 2 onions (separate requirement from grinding)
* 1/2 teaspoon
* Salt as per taste
Preparation:
Wash the chanas and soak them overnight. Boil the chanas for ten to fifteen minutes in a pressure cooker. Grind all the masalas required for grinding till they achieve a soft texture. Put five tablespoons of oil in a open pan and let it simmer. When the oil starts crackling, add the bay leaf and corianter and the two onions. When the onions become light brown in color, add the ground masala to the pan. Fry the masala, until it loses oil at the ends. Once this is achieved, add the tomato puree to the pan. Now, add the boiled chanas to the pan. Add the salt and turmeric to the dish and stir it well for five to ten minutes. You can add water according to the amount of gravy that you want. Cover the pan and cook for a few more minutes.
Fried Stuff Brinjal with Masala
It’s the monsoon season here and brinjals are available aplenty. The problem is that most youngsters do not like brinjals, and they soon get bored of that baingan bharta, so what can be done? Here’s a recipe that will keep brinjal on the menu for a while more than it would be:
Ingredients
1/4 Kg small size of brinjals
1 and a 1/2 coriander seeds
4 red chillies
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4th sppoon cumin seeds
1/4th teaspoon tamarind pulp
1/4th teaspoon turmeric powder
4 garlic cloves
1/4th fresh coconut cut into slim pieces
1 onion diced
How to Prepare:
Cut the coconut into small horizontal pieces. Dice the onions into small pieces. Fry the onion and coconut seperately, and fry mustard, chillies and garlic cloves. Grate this together and add the turmeric and salt. Once you get this grated, take the brinjals and make cuts to them. Stuff this masala into the cuts. Heat the pan with oil, and when it gets simmering hot, fry the brinjals. Add some salt to the brinjals during the cooking process, as the salt that is added to the masala will not be sufficient for the entire dish.
This dish can be had with rice, chapati or bread.