Tawa Pulao

 Tawa Pulao is a popular spicy Indian street food in Mumbai. It's a quick and simple recipe made with cooked rice and vegetables and seasoned with Pav Bhaji masala.

Ingredients

• Basmati rice - 1 cup
• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• Onion - 1, medium sized
• Tomato - 2, medium sized
• Green bell pepper - 1
• Boiled potato - 2, cubed
• Green peas - 1/2 cup
• Chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Garam masala - 1 tsp
• Pav Bhaji masala - 1 tbsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
• Salt - as required
• Coriander leaves - to garnish
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Butter - 2 tbsp

     For chilli garlic paste

• Kashmiri red chillies - 6, deseeded
• Garlic cloves - 5

Method

1. Soak the red chillies for about an hour and grind along with garlic cloves into a smooth paste. Chilli garlic paste is ready.
2. Soak the rice for about 30 minutes.
3. Par boil the rice with turmeric powder and salt, strain and keep aside.
4. Heat oil in a wide pan and add finely chopped onion. Saute well until the onions become translucent.
5. Add chilli garlic paste and saute till oil separates from its sides.
6. Add chilli powder, garam masala and pav bhaji masala. Mix well.
7. Now add chopped tomatoes and cook till they are mashed well.
8. Then add bell pepper, boiled potatoes, green peas and salt. Mix well and cook for 5-6 minutes.
9. Add the cooked rice and mix gently.
10. Adjust salt to taste, add lemon juice and butter, mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes.
11. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with raita and papad.

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Aloo Capsicum Sabzi|Potato Capsicum Curry

Aloo capsicum curry is a simple North Indian dry curry that goes perfectly as a side dish for both chapati and rice. Potato and capsicum is an awesome veg combo loved by many.

Ingredients

• Potatoes - 4, medium sized
• Capsicum - 1, large sized
• Onion - 1, medium sized
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Coriander leaves - to garnish

     To grind

• Tomatoes - 2, medium sized
• Dry coriander seeds - 1 tsp
• Green Chillies - 1

Method

1. Boil the potatoes for 15-20 minutes. Peel the skin, cut into cubes and keep aside.
2. Grind tomatoes, green chillies and dry coriander seeds together into puree and keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds.
4. Add onion and fry until light brown.
5. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for 1-2 minutes in low-medium heat.
6. Add turmeric powder, cumin powder and garam masala. Mix well.
7. Now add tomato puree and salt and cook till the oil oozes out of the mixture.
8. Then add cubed potatoes and capsicum and mix well.
9. Add 1/4 cup of water and cook covered in medium heat until done. The consistency of the gravy should be thick.
10. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with chapati or rice.

Notes

- Don't pressure cook the potatoes as it gets mushy while cooking the gravy.

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Aloo Poha|Urulaikizhangu Aval Upma

Aloo Poha is a quick, easy and healthy North Indian breakfast dish or snack. It is light, easy to digest and good for diabetes. Eating poha regularly can prevent iron deficiency or anaemia.

Aloo Poha

Ingredients

• Thick flattened rice/Poha - 1 cup
• Onion - 1, big sized
• Potato - 1 cup, chopped into small cubes
• Ginger - 1 tsp, grated
• Green chilies - 1, sliced lengthwise
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
• Roasted peanuts - 2 tbsp
• Coriander leaves - To garnish
• Salt - as required

     For the seasoning

• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - few

Method

1. Take poha in a strainer/colander and wash in running water until the poha absorbs enough water and becomes soft. Don't wash it too much or else it becomes mushy.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
3. Once the mustard seeds start to splutter, add urad dal and curry leaves.
4. When the dal turns light brown, add ginger, roasted peanuts, chopped onions and green chillies. Fry till the onions turn transparent.
5. Add turmeric powder, chopped potatoes and salt and mix well. Cook the potatoes till they are soft.
6. Add the poha and mix gently. Adjust salt to taste. Cook for 2 -3 minutes in low flame.
7. Add lemon juice and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Tips

- Adding lemon juice to the poha helps in better absorption of iron.

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Aloo Methi ki Sabzi

Aloo Methi is a simple and quick North Indian dish prepared with potatoes, fenugreek leaves and spices. This is a dry version and can be served as a side dish for chapathi or rice.

Fenugreek leaves are strongly aromatic and flavorful. It has excellent medicinal properties and should be used as part of your daily diet.

        

Ingredients

• Potatoes - 4 medium sized
• Methi leaves - 2 cups
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilies - 3 broken in 2 pieces
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
• Asafoetida/Hing - a pinch
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - 2 tbsp

Method

1. Cube the potatoes and chop the methi leaves finely.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds.
3. When the cumin seeds crackle add hing and red chilies followed by turmeric powder and coriander powder.
4. Sauté for few seconds and add cubed potatoes and chopped methi leaves. Mix well and cook covered. If it turns dry just add little water.
5. Adjust salt to taste and when it's done add amchur powder and mix well. Turn off the stove and is ready to serve.

Tips

- You can also substitute 1/2 cup of dry methi leaves for 2 cups of fresh leaves.

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Aloo Palak Curry

Aloo Palak curry is made from pureed spinach and potatoes. The health benefits of spinach are numerous and consuming potatoes everyday can lower high blood pressure without resulting in an increase in weight. The calcium and vitamins in spinach combined with the dietary potassium in potatoes makes this dish healthy pick in your food menu.

Ingredients

• Spinach - 2 bunch
• Potatoes - 2, medium sized
• Onion - 1
• Tomatoes - 3, medium sized
• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander powder - 2 tbsp
• Cumin powder - 1 tsp
• Garam masala - 1 tsp
• Cinnamon - 1 inch
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• Oil - 3 tsp
• Salt - To taste

Method

1. Pressure cook potatoes till soft, but not mushy. Peel the skin and cut into big pieces. Keep aside.
2. Remove the stems from the spinach and add to the boiling water. Cook for 3-4 minutes, cool it and grind it to a paste. Reserve the water for gravy.
3. In a pan, add 1 tsp of oil and add cinnamon, chopped onions. Add chopped tomatoes when the onion turns slightly pink. Don't overcook. Cool the mixture and grind it to a paste.
4. Add 2 tsp of oil in a pan and add onion tomato paste and salt.
5. Add ginger garlic paste and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala and cook till the oil begins to separate.
7. Add spinach puree and mix well.
8. Add potatoes and the reserved water and simmer for 10 minutes so that the potato absorbs the gravy.
9. Serve hot with any Indian bread.

Tips

- This recipe seems to take longer time but if the first 3 steps are paralleled, it will not take more than 30 minutes.

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