Makki ki Roti with Sarson ka Saag

I never had sarson ka saag until my marriage. It is only after a year and half of my marriage, i first tasted this amazing dish at a relative's marriage.This is a must have in winters. It is prepared all over Punjab, Haryana atleast once a week. I never saw sarson/mustard greens or should i say i never knew how it looked even if it was in front of me. But my MIL showed me and taught me how to cook this. Since mustard greens has a bitter taste, usually spinach or bathua is added to balance the flavors. I was able to get my hand on spinach hence used it. Even you dont stay in North, I think you should try this recipe atleast once as the combination of Mustard greens and Maize is awesome. So here is the recipe.... Happy cooking...

Ingredients:

For sarson ka saag:

Mustard leaves - 2 bunches
Spinach/Bathua - 1 bunch
Ginger - 1 tbsp(grated)
Onion - 1 medium
Tomato - 1
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

For makki ki roti:

Maize flour/Makki ka atta - 2 cups
Warm water as required
Salt to taste

Method:

For sarson ka saag:

Wash mustard & spinach leaves, remove leaves from stems. Chop them.

Pressure cook mustard & spinach leaves up to 5-6 whistle(for about 25 - 30 minutes) .

Once the steam is released, grind the mixture to a puree(not a fine one though, let the mixture be little coarse).

 In the meantime, chop tomatoes, ginger and onion( i did it in food processor).

Heat a kadhai and add ghee. Now add cumin seeds, once they splutter, add the chopped tomato mixture. Cook till oil leaves the end. Now add red chilli powder and cook for another minute.

Now add mustard and spinach mixture. Mix well. Add salt to taste.  Cook for 8 - 10 minutes on low flame. You can add water if required but saag should not be runny though. 

Garnish with a dollop of butter(mine got melted though) and ginger julienne, sarson ka saag is ready to serve.

Wash mustard & spinach leaves, remove leaves from stems. Chop them.
Pressure cook mustard & spinach leaves up to 5-6 whistle(for about 25 - 30 minutes) .
Once the steam is released, grind the mixture to a puree(not a fine one though, let the mixture be little coarse). In the meantime, chop tomatoes, ginger and onion( i did it in food processor). Heat a kadhai and add ghee. Now add cumin seeds, once they splutter, add the chopped tomato mixture. Cook till oil leaves the end. Now add red chilli powder and cook for another minute. Now add mustard and spinach mixture. Mix well. Add salt to taste.  Cook for 8 - 10 minutes on low flame. You can add water if required but saag should not be runny though. 
Garnish with a dollop of butter and ginger julienne, sarson ka saag is ready to serve.

For makki ki roti:

Take maize flour in a bowl. Make a soft dough with warm water, knead for a few minutes. Make sure you knead it thoroughly otherwise you wont get soft rotis. Knead for atleast 5 - 10 minutes.

Divide dough into equal-sized balls. Lightly flour a rolling surface & roll each ball into a circle with your palm. If you are able to make it with rolling pin, then nothing like it however i was able to do with my hands.

Now heat tava/griddle & place roti very carefully on it. Flip & cook on both the sides till you see red-brown marks & get that distinct aroma(u get pop corn aroma).

Serve hot makki ki roti glazed with piece of jaggery & piping hot sarson ka saag. 


Take maize flour in a bowl. Make a soft dough with warm water, knead for a few minutes. Make sure you knead it thoroughly otherwise you wont get soft rotis. Knead for atleast 5 - 10 minutes. Divide dough into equal-sized balls. Lightly flour a rolling surface & roll each ball into a circle with your palm. If you are able to make it with rolling pin, then nothing like it however i was able to do with my hands. Now heat tava/griddle & place roti very carefully on it. Flip & cook on both the sides till you see red-brown marks & get that distinct aroma(i got pop corn smell). Serve hot makki ki roti glazed with piece of jaggery & piping hot sarson ka saag. 

Note:

• While making rotis, make sure you knead the flour as and when you are making them otherwise you won't get it soft.
• You can also add a bit of jaggery while making Sarson ka saag as it can give a well rounded taste because of bitterness in mustard greens. 
• Also you can add garlic and asafoetida in the the tempering( since it is not used in my MIL's place we did not add it).  

This recipe is off to CC Challenge # 5 Week 1



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Gajar ka Halwa

This is the season for fresh vegetables. Carrots is one such vegetable that you find in abundance this season. I learnt this recipe from my MIL. I did not knew the difference between Delhi Gajar and English carrots. I thought they were same. It is only after marriage that i came to know the difference. This is one easy and yet tasty and a traditional dessert. Usually served with ice cream. The hard part of this is grating the carrots but if you have food processor this halwa can be made in half hour to 45 minutes. You can add more sugar if you like it sweet coz I like it little less sweet. Also I used plain khoya. So do try this one, I bet this is really easy... Here is the recipe... happy cooking...

Ingredients:

Carrots - 1 kg( peeled and grated)
Khoya(plain) - 250 gms
Sugar - 8 tbsp
Dry fruits - for garnish

Method:

Wash and peel carrots. Add grated carrots in a pressure cooker. Cook for about 15 minutes on medium flame. Turn off flame and let the steam release on its own

Transfer the content to a kadhai and let it cook for about 10 minutes.

Once the water in the carrots are all evaporated, add khoya and sugar.  Add chopped dry fruits and cook until khoya leaves ghee.

Wash and peel carrots. Add grated carrots in a pressure cooker. Cook for about 15 minutes on medium flame. Turn off flame and let the steam release on its own. Transfer the content to a kadhai and let it cook for about 10 minutes. Once the water in the carrots are all evaporated, add khoya and sugar.  Add chopped dry fruits and cook until khoya leaves ghee. Serve hot. 

Hariyali Subzi | Vegetables in Spinach Gravy

Happy Pongal to all... Hope you are all having a great time. After baking a lot last month, I am cooking a lot of healthy food. So sharing one such recipe which is a complete power packed meal in itself. Simple yet delicious and packed with goodness. So without wasting any more time, lets get into the recipe... Happy cooking...

Ingredients:

Mixed vegetables - (I used carrots, cauliflower, beans, potatoes)
Spinach Puree - 1 cup
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Star Anise - 1
Cardamom - 2 pods
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Garam Masala - 1 tbsp
Cashewnuts - 8 - 10
Almonds - 5 - 6
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:

Par boil all the mixed vegetables and keep aside.

Blend cashewnuts and almonds to a fine paste and keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadhai. Once hot add cumin seeds, star anise and cardamom. 

Add chopped onions and saute for a minute. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for couple of minutes.

Now add chopped tomatoes.

Once they are cooked, add red chilli powder.

After half a minute, add par boiled vegetables. Mix well. Cook for atleast 2 minutes.

 Then add spinach puree and garam masala. Add salt to taste.

Finally add cashewnut and almond paste and cook for about 5 minutes.

Par boil all the mixed vegetables and keep aside.
Blend cashewnuts and almonds to a fine paste and keep aside.
Heat oil in a kadhai. Once hot add cumin seeds, star anise and cardamom. Add chopped onions and saute for a minute. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for couple of minutes. Now add chopped tomatoes. Once they are cooked, add red chilli powder. After half a minute, add par boiled vegetables. Mix well. Cook for atleast 2 minutes. Then add spinach puree and garam masala. Add salt to taste. Finally add cashewnut and almond paste and cook for about 5 minutes. Serve hot with phulkas or rice. 

Paneer Mushroom Masala

Its my first post this year and first for PPCS in 2014. I made this for a family dinner of ours with friends. It was a great hit. It is simple yet different. There are a lot of healthy recipes coming this year... So hopefully I will be writing more posts soon... till then Happy cooking and lets take a look at the recipe.

Ingredients:

Paneer - 200 gms
Capsicum - 1
Mushroom - 8 - 10
Tomatoes - 2
Onion - 1
Coconut - 50 gms
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Kasuri Methi - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves for garnish

Method:

Heat a kadhai and add oil. Now saute chopped capsicum, paneer and mushroom separately and keep aside. 

Grind tomatoes, onion and coconut to a fine paste.

Now heat the remaining oil in kadhai. Add the ground paste and let it gently simmer for about 5-8 minutes. 

Now add all the dry masalas and mix well. Let it cook for about a couple of minutes. 

Now add all the sauteed capsicum, paneer and mushroom. Cook for about a minute. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with roti or rice. 

Heat a kadhai and add oil. Now saute chopped capsicum, paneer and mushroom separately and keep aside. Grind tomatoes, onion and coconut to a fine paste. Now heat the remaining oil in kadhai. Add the ground paste and let it gently simmer for about 5-8 minutes. Now add all the dry masalas and mix well. Let it cook for about a couple of minutes. Now add all the sauteed capsicum, paneer and mushroom. Cook for about a minute. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with roti or rice. 

Sweet n Sour Black Gram Curry | Mahni

I am a regular reader of GoodFood magazine. It has such an amazing collection of really good and easy recipes. This month there was an article of dishes from Kangra region(Himachal Praesh). The recipes were amazing, I have tried a couple of them and they were amazing. Here I am sharing one such recipe which is very easy and tasty. So here is the recipe... Happy cooking...

Ingredients:

Black gram - 2 cups(soaked overnight)
Dried mango power - 1 tbsp
Rice powder - 1 tbsp
Jaggery - 1 inch piece
Green Chillies - 2
Sweet Aniseed/ Saunf - 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp
Cloves - 4
Oil - 2 tbsp
Water - as required
Salt to taste

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and add sweet aniseed, cloves. Add black gram and cook for 5 - 6 minutes.

Now add dried mango powder and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Mix rice powder with water in a bowl and mix this to the black gram. Make sure no lumps are formed. Stir until it comes to a boil and the curry begins to thicken.

Add the jaggery, green chillies and about 1 cup of water. Cook for 10 - 12 minutes on low flame. Season to taste and serve hot.

Heat oil in a pan and add sweet aniseed, cloves. Add black gram and cook for 5 - 6 minutes. Now add dried mango powder and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Mix rice powder with water in a bowl and mix this to the black gram. Make sure no lumps are formed. Stir until it comes to a boil and the curry begins to thicken. Add the jaggery, green chillies and about 1 cup of water. Cook for 10 - 12 minutes on low flame. Season to taste and serve hot.

This recipe is off to CCC December

Radish Paratha | Mooli Paratha

Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays and gearing in to welcome new year. I enjoyed this Christmas by making awesome Christmas Plum Cake... Everybody enjoyed the cake.. will post the recipe soon but for now posting another paratha recipe. This after many trials got it right. Because of its high water content, it is difficult to make paratha with radish. So sauteing it for couple of minutes on medium flame and then making parathas is perfect way to make them... So here goes the recipe... Happy cooking...

Ingredients:

For the stuffing:

Radish - 1 (grated)
Green chilli - 1
Ginger - 1 tbsp (grated)
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Carrom seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

For the dough:

Whole wheat powder - 2 cups + for dusting
Salt to taste
Water as required
Oil/butter/ghee for greasing

Method:

Heat a kadhai and add oil. Once hot, add cumin seeds, grated ginger, chopped green chillies, carrom seeds. Saute for a minute.

Now add grated radish, red chilli powder, salt. Mix well and saute for about 2 minutes and remove from heat. Keep aside to cool down. 

Flat the dough a little and put the stuffing in it and close and seal the edges.

Dust some flour and roll out into chapati.

 

Heat a tawa and cook paratha until done on both sides with ghee/oil/butter. Remove. Serve hot with butter or curd.

Add the ingredients for the dough and mix well to form a dough. Rest it for about 15 minutes. Divide the dough into 5 - 6 equal sized balls. 
Heat a kadhai and add oil. Once hot, add cumin seeds, grated ginger, chopped green chillies, carrom seeds. Saute for a minute. Now add grated radish, red chilli powder, salt. Mix well and saute for about 2 minutes and remove from heat. Keep aside to cool down. 
Flat the dough a little and put the stuffing in it and close and seal the edges. Dust some flour and roll out into chapati. Heat a tawa and cook paratha until done on both sides with ghee/oil/butter. Remove. Serve hot with butter or curd.