THE KITCHEN AFFAIRE

Another of my favorite punjabi dish (curry). Chole Batura was a "sure to order" item for all of my restaurant visits in India. And of course, Mummy made really yummy Chole Batura once in a while too, mostly when we had guests coming over. In fact, I was so in love with Chole that I used to have it along with the Kerala special "Puttu". :D Another time when I had yummy unforgettable Chole experience was at one of my closest friend, Nidhi's (Punjabi) place. It had that special Punjabi touch to it. :) Ingredients Kabuli Channa/Garbanzo Beans – 2 C Water – 8 cups Black Cardamom – 1 Bay Leaf – 1 Cinnamon Stick – 1″ Pc Salt – to taste Oil – 1.5 T Asafoetida – a pinch Tomatoes(Chopped) – 2 Anardana – 1/2 t Red Chili Powder – 1/2 t Dry Mango Powder (Amchur) – 1/2 t Method Soak Channa overnight. Move Channas along with the soaked water into the pressure cooker. To this, add cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom & Salt. Cook this mix in ...

Ingredients Chickpeas - 1 C Onion - 1 C Cilantro - 2 T Salt - 1 t Dried hot red pepper - 1/2 - 1 t Breadcrumbs - 1/4 C Pepper - 1/2 t Garlic - 3 cloves Cumin - 1 t Chick pea stock (from soaking the chickpeas) - 1 T Baking powder - 1 t Oil for frying Method Soak chickpeas overnight in a large bowl with enough water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Save 2 T of the stock and drain rest. Add chickpeas to a blender/mixer. Add cilantro, salt, red pepper, chick pea stock, garlic, pepper, breadcrumbs and cumin to it. Process the mix until they blend well but not pureed. Sprinkle in the baking powder and mix well. Transfer this into a bowl and refrigerate for 3/4 hours. Form the mixture into 12 patties. Fry in hot oil, turning frequently until they turn a dark brown and crisp.

Ranch, Thousand Island and Garlic Sauce are few among the many popular dips that I have tried and loved. But the only problem with these dips is that they are made up of creamy fatty products. This restrains me from feasting on them. And thus starts my hunt for healthy dips. :D My first stop was at Soma's eCurry. And I have to say the Tomato Lentil dip tasted great. Thank you Soma for this easy and tasty recipe. Ingredients Chana dal- 1/2 C Tomato- 3 Garlic- 2-3 Cloves Oil- 1 T Red dry chili pepper crushed- 1 T Salt Black pepper- 1 /2 t Curry Leaves- few leaves Lemon juice- 1 t Method Heat 1/2 t oil in a frypan and lightly roast the lentils till they are golden and just starting to have spots on them. Set aside. Heat 1/2 t oil in a frypan. Add garlic and dry red chili and let them heat up together. If you are going to roast/broil the tomatoes in the oven, half the tomatoes and drizzle this oil on the tomatoes and broil/roast till the tomatoes are c...

Olive Garden is one of our regular eatouts and "Fettucini Alfredo" is an all time favorite. Even before we start the main course, me and my hubby eagerly await their yummy Italian breadsticks which is served with olive oil. It lets out an aroma which is truly mouthwatering. :) I cannot resist trying this recipe. Thank you very much to dearest Soma of eCurry. With your perfect recipe I could bake my favorite Italian breadsticks at home. Woww. :)  Gosh!! Let me hurry up & pen the recipe for you guys and then grab those warm breadsticks here! :D Ingredients Active dry yeast- 1.5 t All-purpose flour- 2 C Unsalted butter- 2 T Olive oil - 1 t Warm water Sugar- 1 T Salt- 1 t Garlic powder- 2 t Dried herbs- 1 t For Coating Butter or Olive oil- 2 T Salt Garlic powder- 1/2 t Dried herbs- 1/2 t Method Take 1/4 C warm water in a bowl and mix half the sugar, yeast and set aside until foamy(about 5 minutes). Mix flour, butter, olive oil, g...

Every evening I sit & wonder, "what do I make today?". Soon, I reach for the laptop and start browsing for something "new"! :) Thats how I got this yummy & easy Sindhi snack from Alka's Sindhi Rasoi. Thank you Alka. :) I learnt that Took Patata (Double fried potato) is generally served with Kadhi Chawal but is also enjoyed as an evening snack. So, here I am starting off with the recipe. :) Ingredients Potatoes: 3 Salt Turmeric powder: 1/4 t Coriander powder: 1/2 t Red chilly powder: 1/4 t Amchoor powder(Dry mango powder): 1/4 t Oil for frying Method Peel the potatoes and slice them into four. Slit them(not too deep) in criss- cross pattern. Sprinkle salt over the slit potatoes and keep aside for 2 mins. Wash them with some water and pat dry. Heat oil  in a pan and gently slide the potatoes into the oil. Fry on high flame for a min. Lower heat, cover the pan with a lid and continue cooking the potatoes till well cooked. ...

Ingredients Wheat - 3 C Salt - To taste Water- 1 C (Using yoghurt or milk will give you softer chappathis) Method Add salt to wheat. Pour water little by little into the mix. Use water only as needed (Do not let the dough become watery) Knead till it turns into a soft dough. Divide the dough into golf sized balls. Roll the ball between your palms till they are smooth and without cracks. Powder the ball with little wheat. Roll the chappathi till it is very thin. Heat a pan on a medium flame and put the chappathi on the pan. Once you start seeing bumps raised on the chappathi turn it using a spatula. Continue the same process for the other side too. The chappathi is ready once you see light brown bumps on its surface. Serve with a yummy curry.

The worst part of going on a diet is to avoid Potatoes! Potatoes = Carbs!!! Imagine the odds when it is one of your favorites!! I forget all about Carbs and weight when I dig into this simple and yummy sabji or the dry fry potato. You can try this on one of those days when you are not in a great mood for elaborate cooking and want to wind up quick. I bet, you will love it. Ingredients 3 medium Potatoes 2 T Oil, 2 pinch Mustard seeds 1/4 t Cumin Seeds 1/8 t Asafoetida 1/4 t Turmeric Powder, 1/2 t Urad Dal (optional) 1/2 t Ginger paste 4 green chilies or to taste, slit lengthwise 4-5 curry leaves 1/4 C Cilantro, finely chopped Salt to taste 1 t lemon juice (optional) 2 T Cilantro for garnishing Method Boil and peel potatoes, make small cubes (2 cm). Heat oil in a nonstick pan or Kadai. Add mustard seeds, allow to crackle. Add Cumin, Asafoetida, Turmeric powder, and Urad dal. Once urad dal becomes little golden in color, add ginger paste, green chil...

"Gobi" is one word (among a hundred others) my friends use to make fun of me as it is similar to my first name "Gopika"! :D Well, I loveeee Gobi. The best among it being Gobi Manchurian. This is a Punjabi style Gobi with a little gravy. Tastes awesome with all Indian breads. Cauliflower is a very nutritious vegetable which contains Vitamin C and folate. Here is an easy way to eat healthy and tasty.  :) Ingredients Cauliflower florets - 2 C Oil - 2 T Kasoori Methi - 1 T Poppy seeds, grind with 1 T  water - 1 T Green chilies - 1-2 Turmeric powder- 1/2 t Chilli powder - 1 t Coriander powder - 1 t Cumin powder - 1/2 t Ginger garlic paste - 3 T Onion, finely chopped - 1 Tomato, finely chopped - 1 Yogurt - 3/4 C Milk/Cream - 1/2 C Salt - to taste Cilantro for Garnishing Method Wash Cauliflower florets with water. Boil water (enough to soak the florets) and soak the cauliflower in it till they cook 3/4. Heat oil in a non-...

This is one recipe, which my hubby and me don’t agree upon equally! I just love it while he says it is just ok. But I do make this when we have some guests coming over who I know love it.  :D  Sweet na?  ;) Mommy makes it for a lot of our dinner parties and everybody loves her Caramel Custard. My special thank you to Smitha (Saffron Apron) for this recipe. We love it & all of you will too. Ingredients For caramel: 1/3 C sugar 1 t water For custard: 3-1/2 C of warm whole milk 4 eggs 2 C sugar 2 t vanilla extract Method Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a saucepan, melt 1/3 C of sugar along with 1 T of water in a pan. Stir until the sugar turns into a golden syrup (caramel). Quickly pour it into the oven bowl and swish it around before it crystalizes. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with the sugar till the sugar dissolves. Add 1 C of the warm milk, and stir well. Add rest of the milk, vanilla essence and mix very well. Pour this mix ...