Layered Parotta with Aloo Gobi

Layered Parotta

I like long car journey's, ... becoz we get to stop at Dhabas for lunch and dinners :)
I enjoy Dhaba food, esp, sitting on the cots and having garma garam food and lassi :), and one of my favorite is the parotta, which is served with some gravy or dal.
Once me and my mom, observed the way the cook at the dhaba, works on the dough and tried at home, but it was never a success.
Recently I have come across this blog here, which showed the step by step process. This has come out very well, just like the parottas, made by a profi.

Parotta:
Ingredients:
Maida: 2 cups
Sugar: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Luke warm water: as needed
Oil: while kneading(1Tbsp) and while rolling(as needed).
Eggs: 1 (optional)

How I did it:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a big bowl and add eggs(if using).
2. Knead to form soft dough adding sufficient water and oil.
3. Cover with a wet muslin cloth and keep it aside for 1 hr.
4. Divide the dough into equal portions of size of a small.
5. Take a portion and apply some oil on it.
6. On a flat platform apply some oil and roll out the portion to the maximum, as thin as possible and do not worry about the shape.
7. Now fold it, just like making pleats of a saree, and roll it spirally.
8. Repeat this step for all the portions.
9. Heat the tawa, and roll out each portion in the shape of a roti and fry on hot tawa on both side, applying little ghee or oil.
10. Serve Hot!

Parotta, served with AlooGobi

Aloo Gobi:
Ingredients:
Aloo: 4 big, chopped
Gobi: 1 medium, chopped into medium florets
Onions: 2
Ginger Garlic paste: 1 Tbsp
Garam Masala: 1 tsp
Green Chillies: 4, slit length wise (adjust accordingly)
Haldi: 1/2 tsp
Salt : to taste
Corriander: 1 small bunch, chopped
For Tadka:
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Dry Red Chillies: 2
Oil: 2 Tbsp

Method:

1. Heat oil in a kadai, and add the ingredients for Tadka.
2. Add Onions and green chillies, and fry till golden.
3. Add ginger garlic paste and haldi and fry for few more mins.
4. Now add aloo and gobi and salt and cook covered for 10 mins.
5. Add Garam Masala, and cook for few more mins till done.
6. Garnish with corriander and serve hot!

AlooGobi with Parotta

And the Verdict:
It is long, time consuming process, but the end result is very satisfying... its worth all the hardwork done :)

Saffron Rice

Apart from Jeera Rice, Saffron Rice or Kesar Chawal goes well with the wide variety of spicy Indian dishes. It is also very appealing to the eye, with its pleasant color.
As someone rightly said "White rice is nice, but yellow saffron rice is stunning".

Saffron Rice

There have been many versions of Saffron Rice, from the day Think Spice... Think Saffron was announced :) And now this is the time for my version :)

Ingredients:
Basmati rice: 1 cup
Water: 2 cups
Saffron: 1/2 tsp
Cloves: 4 - 5
Cardamom: 2
Cumin: 1 tsp
Cashews: 1 Tbsp
Salt: to taste
Milk: 2 Tbsp
Curry Leaves: a few
Ghee: 1 Tbsp
Edible Saffron Color or Turmeric : a pinch (optional)

How I did it:

1. Steep Saffron in warm milk for a few mins.
2. Cook rice with water, cardamom, cloves, salt. Add even the saffron and milk and turmeric or color(if using).
3. Take ghee in a small kadai and add cashews after golden, add jeera and curry leaves.
4. Add this to the cooked rice.
5. Serve hot!

Saffron Rice

And the Verdict:
It is a nice substitute for the routine jeera rice or ghee rice. Saffron adds the rich flavor and color.
I served this with butter chicken, and it was a nice combination!!

Saffron Rice with Butter Chicken

Food Event:
This is my entry for the Think Spice : Saffron event being hosted by dear Sunita of Sunita's World.

Butter Chicken / Chicken Makhani

One of my colleague/friend from Prague, visited us for dinner yesterday, and I had to prepare something which is mild, with less spices, as suitable to his taste buds!
Then the dish which came into mind was Butter Chicken... it is so mild and tasty at the same time. One advantage in this recipe is that, it can be made as mild or as spicy as one wishes without altering the actual taste.
This dish is among the best known Indian foods all over the world.

Butter Chicken/Chicken Makhani

I have adapted this recipe from chef Sanjeev Kapoor's popular food show "Khana Khazana" on Zee TV :) From the time I was little young, I used to sit in front of TV, by the time the program starts, with a pen and paper and note down the ingredients and method carefully :) I really like the way he makes the show and recipes interesting!!

Ingredients:
Chicken, boneless: 800 gms
Kashmiri red chilli powder: 1 tsp, adjust accordingly
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
Salt: to taste
For Makhani gravy
Ginger Garlic paste: 1 Tbsp
Green chillies: 2, chopped, adjust accordingly
Butter: 3 Tbsp
Green cardamoms: 2-3
Cloves: 4-5
Cinnamon: 1 inch stick
Tomato puree: 400 gms
Red chilli powder: 1 Tbsp, adjust accordingly
Garam masala powder: 1/2 tsp
Salt: to taste
Honey: 2 Tbsp
Kasoori methi: 1/2 tsp
Fresh cream: 1 cup
Red Food Color: a pinch
For Marination
Ginger Garlic Paste: 1 Tbsp
Yogurt: 1 cup
Kashmiri red chilli powder: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Lemon juice: 2 tbsps
Garam masala powder: 1/2 tsp
Butter: 2 tbsps

How I did it:

1. Apply a mixture of red chilli powder, lemon juice and salt to the chicken and leave aside for half an hour.
2. Hang yogurt in a muslin cloth for fifteen to twenty minutes to remove extra water.
3. To this add red chilli powder, salt, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, garam masala powder and butter.
4. Apply this marinade to the chicken pieces and refrigerate for three to four hours.
5. Put the chicken onto a skewer and cook in a preheated oven at 200°C for ten to twelve minutes or until almost done.
6. Remove and keep aside, for further use.
7. Heat butter in a pan. Add green cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon.
8. Saute for two minutes, add ginger-garlic paste and chopped green chillies.
9. Cook for two minutes. Add tomato puree, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, salt, red food color and one cup of water.
10. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes.
11. Add honey and powdered kasoori methi.
12. Add cooked tandoori chicken pieces.
13. Simmer for five minutes and then add fresh cream.
14. Serve hot with Naan, Parantha or Steamed Rice.
    

Butter Chicken/Chicken Makhani

And the Verdict:
My guest was all pleased, and he loved the chicken. It was mild and tasty and finger licking :)

Please DO take a moment to read the following :

Feed A Hungry Child - Donate Smiles:


Feed A Hungry Child is a non-profit organization formed by V.K. Narayanan of My Dhaba. This is a mission to come together and fight against Poverty and Hunger. Visit this page to learn more.

What is it All About :

feedahungrychild.org is a not-for-profit charitable organization formed in a collaborative effort of the like-minded people from all around the world. It aims to replace the empty plates of the underprivileged children and replace them with ones of food. While FAHC addresses the holistic needs of each children it supports, it believes illiteracy, malnutrition, and other concerns can only be addressed when hunger is appeased.

Immediate Mission:

* Join the fight against global poverty.
* Help feed hungry children one by one.

Larger Vision: feeahungrychild.org aims to improve the lives of a good many underprivileged children in their efforts to support themselves, their families, and their communities by giving them the chance for better food, better education, better healthcare, and other welfare.

How can I help? With the help of volunteers, FAHC has begun its support to a pilot batch of 14 children and their families since April 2007 out of which 8 children are girls. Please see the event report for details. This year we are also fundraising to support more children, so would be extremely grateful of any help or contributions you can give to FAHC. Funds from FAHC programs go directly to the children and their families. We do not have any paid employees or any other direct administrative expenses.

This year FAHC is also fund raising to support more children by “Donate Smiles” drive and the goal is to raise $3,360 by October 23, 2007.

If you want to make a one time donation, click on the ChipIn widget below to donate securely via PayPal online. You can win some fabulous prizes for the donations equal to or more than $25.
More info on prizes click here

So Chip In and Spread Smiles!!!

Updated on 25th October:

A big Thanks to every who participated in this noble cause, and gave donations generously!!! I congratulate all the volunteers who encouraged this act and who sponsored the gifts.

Please click here to know about the results and the winners!

I once again Thank everyone who made this a big success!!

Pickled Deviled Eggs and "Egg Mice"!!!

Pickled Deviled Eggs and "Egg Mice"

When dear fellow bloggers Jai and Bee announced the new event "CLICK", I was very much excited. But the theme, i.e., EGGS made me think!! How can one get a creative idea out of eggs? An egg is an egg, white and oval, in what ever angle you try to take a picture of it :)
When I asked a dear friend of mine for an idea, the answer was, "I can't think of anything except boiling it and cutting into half and swallowing :)"

Hmmm... tough, it was for me, becoz I am not good with camera, and I was whiling away the time drooling over the lovely entries sent by my fellow bloggers here.

When I put on the thinking cap, many ideas flashed... and I decided to go with this - Pickled Deviled Eggs!!!

Pickled Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:
Hard Boiled Eggs: 4, peeled
Beetroot and Red Cabbage: 1 cup each, chopped
Water: 2 + 2 cups
Vinegar: 1/4 + 1/4 cup
Cloves: 5 + 5
Cinnamon: 1 inch
Salt: 2 + 2 tsp
For Deviled Eggs:
Mayonnaise: 2 Tbsp
Dijon Mustard: 1 Tbsp
Pepper ans Salt: to taste

Pickled Deviled Eggs and "Egg Mice"

How I did it:

1. Boil the Beets and Cabbage in separate vessels, with all the ingredients.
2. Simmer for 30 mins.
3. Sieve them into 2 dry jars, and let them cool.
4. Now add 2 eggs in each jar, cover and leave it in the fridge overnight.
5. You get pink eggs (from beets) and blue eggs (from cabbage).
6. For the Deviled eggs:
7. Cut the eggs into half and scoop out the yolks.
8. Mash the yolks with a fork or spoon, add Mayonnaise, Mustard, Pepper and salt and whisk till smooth.
9. Fill the eggs with this and serve.

To Make Egg Mice:

1. Take a peeled hard boiled egg and cut off a thin slice from one side.
2. Cut out 2 "V" shapes for "Ears" from that slice.
3. Make a cut on the top to insert the ears.
4. Draw the eyes with tomato ketchup and the whiskers with mustard and pierce a clove at the back for the tail.

Pickled Deviled Eggs and "Egg Mice"

And the Verdict:
The platter looked so attractive and colorful. It is even ideal as a center piece on a dining table during dinners or parties.
Kids will with no doubt enjoy these!!

Food Event:
This is my entry for the CLICK event being hosted by dear Jai and Bee of Jugalbandi.