When I was in India, we had never used cauliflower in our cooking. If it is in restaurant too, we ate cauliflower dishes unwillingly or simply avoided. The reason for avoidance that I could remember is the fear of worms !!! But after having come to USA, being deprived of so many greens (keerai) and couple of other good vegetables available in India, I had to slowly get accustomed to including cauliflower in cooking. Hence now I am going in search of recipes to try with this vegetable.
Prep Time: 10 mins || Cook Time: 20 mins (boiling potato & cauli) + 25 mins || Serves: 3 || Category: Side-dish for roti/chappathi/phulka
Ingredients:
1. Potato - 1 big
2. Cauliflower - 12-15 florets
3. Turmeric powder - 2tsp
4. Salt - as required
5. Oil - 3 tbsp
6. Jeera (cumin seeds) - 2 tsp
7. Green chillies - 2
8. Onion - 1
9. Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
10. Tomato - 1
11. Red chilly powder - 2 tsp
12. Kashmiri chilly powder - 1 tsp (optional)
13. Garam masala - 2 tsp
14. Jeera powder - 1 tsp
15. Kasoori methi - 1 tbsp
16. Ginger - few strands (julienned)
Method:
1. Cut potato into medium sized cubes and cauliflower into bite-sized florets. Immerse cauliflower in a solution of turmeric powder, salt and water for 10 mins and then filter and wash the florets.
2. Cook potato and cauliflower for just 1 or 2 whistles with sufficient water. (I cooked in a steamer for 15-20 mins).
3. Flash fry (very quickly deep fry in hot oil) the cooked potato and cauliflower in hot oil to give a crispy outer texture. (I sauted the cooked veggie in just 2 tbsp of oil in a pan as I wanted to minimize the use of oil). In a pan add oil, 2 tsp jeera. Once they splutter, add 2 slit green chillies, finely chopped onion. When it starts to turn golden brown, add ginger garlic paste and saute for 2 mins.
4. Then add chopped tomato, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, kashmiri chilly powder, garam masala, jeera powder and mix well. Saute for 2 mins and add required water and salt. Meanwhile soak kasoori methi in water for few mins.
5. Once the onion tomato mixture turns into a gravy consistency, add the fried potato and cauliflower and toss well. Before switching off the flame, add the soaked and squeezed kasoori methi to the gravy and give a stir. Serve hot, topped with julienned ginger.
Suggestions:
- Adding Kashmiri chilly powder is optional. I have added it to give a good colour to the gravy.
- Flash frying or shallow frying the cauliflower and potato helps to maintain the texture and consistency of the vegetables. It is optional.
Tastes great with roti/phulka/poori and also as a filling for sandwich.
Its been quite a long time, since I used chickpeas for some side-dish. Wanted to make a common side-dish for the rotis for dinner & something for the jeera rice for lunch. I went in for Channa Masala, which I thought would be an apt accompaniment for both. Was slightly tempted to make Batura for the Channa instead of rotis in the evening. But "the lazy me" inside me woke up and didn't allow me to do it :P
Prep Time: 8 hrs (overnight Channa soaking time) || Cook Time: 35 mins || Serves: 3 || Category: Side-dish for chappathi/roti, Semi-dry gravy
Ingredients:
1. Chickpeas (channa / Kondai kadalai) - 150 gms
2. Oil - 1 tbsp
3. Jeera (cumin seeds) - 2 tsp
4. Onion - 1 large
5. Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
6. Green chillies - 2 (slit)
7. Turmeric powder - 2 tsp
8. Hing (asafoetida) - 2 tsp
9. Tomato - 1 big
10. Kashmiri chilli powder - 2 tsp (optional)
11. Red chilli powder - 4 tsp
12. Salt - as required
13. Cumin seeds powder - 3 tsp
14. Water from cooked channa
15. Channa masala - 1 tbsp
16. Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp (finely chopped)
Method:
1. Wash and soak channa overnight for 8-9 hours and pressure cook for about 6-8 whistles. Save the water used for cooking chickpeas for later use. In a pan, drizzle some oil & add jeera (cumin seeds) and fry them. Then add the chopped onion, green chillies, turmeric powder & ginger garlic paste. Saute the onions till they turn translucent & the raw smell of ginger garlic paste subsides.
2. Now add the chopped tomatoes, roasted cumin seeds powder, salt, red chilli powder, kashmiri chilli powder and give a stir.Cook for about 4-5 mins until the tomatoes turn mushy. Then add the water that has been saved from cooked channa & stir well. Cook for 5-6 mins.
3. Then add channa masala and cook for 2-3 mins. Add the cooked channa & mix well. Cook for about 3-4 mins and add chopped coriander leaves and switch off the flame.
Suggestions:
- Adding Kashmiri chilli powder imparts red colour to the gravy. It can also be skipped.
- If desired, after the gravy has cooled down slightly, add lemon juice for enhanced flavour.
- If channa masala is not available, it can be replaced with garam masala.
Serve hot with rotis/phulkas/batura or jeera rice...
