Baby Red-potatoes and Pearl-onion Butter Masala

 

One of the items on my to-do list for this week's Fall break was to whip up a New recipe and write it up on the blog site (http://www.thesizzlingpan.com/). Mission accomplished! 😊 Made this super delicious creamy curry with 'Butter masala/Makhani sauce' and Red baby potatoes and tiny pearl onions. 

For quite sometime, I had wanted to make this curry with baby potatoes and pearl onions. I remember my mom making similar curry back in Pune when I was a kid, though she made it with different style of curry. This kind of creamy sauce works great for this curry and made an extra special lunch treat for everyone served along with Parathas and Ghee Jeera rice.

Recipe:

10-12 baby red potatoes, washed

1 cup pearl onions (I used frozen pearl onions)

Butter masala /Makhani sauce:

2 medium onions sliced

2 medium tomatoes chopped

3 cloves garlic

1tsp grated ginger

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tsp Ghee/ Butter

2 tsp MDH Shahi Paneer masala

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp sugar

Cumin, cinnamon stick, Big Elaichi, Kasoori Methi, salt, oil

1) Saute the sliced onion till golden with little oil, Add tomatoes and saute till cooked and slightly browned. When cooled, make into paste with little water, ginger and garlic.

2) Saute the above masala with cumin, cinnamon, elaichi, Shahi paneer masala, red chili powder for few mins till thick on some oil.  Add the milk and cream. Mix and cook further for few mins. Add salt, sugar and crushed kasoori methi. Finish by topping with ghee/ butter.

3) Pierce the baby potatoes on all sides with a knife. Put the baby potatoes in a microwave safe bowl with some water. Microwave for 3 mins to cook partially.

4) Saute the partially cooked potatoes with some oil/ butter. Add the pearl onions and saute gently (make sure they don't break)

5) Add the Butter masala/ Makhani sauce to these sauteed potatoes and pearl onions. Add little water/milk and boil for few mins till potatoes cook fully, but not mushy. Check with inserting a knife to check the 'done-ness' of the potatoes. Finish with more butter/ ghee and kasoori methi.

6) Serve hot along with Naan/ Chapati/Parathas and Ghee Jeera Rice. Enjoy! 😋

Brown Rice- Spicy Green Chili and Onion "Appe"

It's weekend and have promised myself to write a blog post at least every week or two.
Since a long time, I had been wanting this 'Appe' pan, and finally I have it!!!

 Now, there might be many "Appe' batter recipes...but I remember the ones my mom made when I was little. She used the plain 'Idli' batter and added onions,green chilies and cilantro to the batter.I did just the same!! I used brown rice to make a healthier version.

Ingredients:
1.5 Cups brown rice
0.5 Cup white rice
1 cup Urad daal
salt

1 Finely chopped Onion
2 -4 green chilies finely chopped
1tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp cumin

Method:
1) Soak brown rice, white rice and daal separately for 5-6 hrs. Grind them into a fine paste and mix.
2) Let the batter ferment overnight.
3) Brush the Appe pan with oil and keep on the hot stove.
4) Add the chopped onion,green chilies, cilantro,salt and cumin to the batter.
5) Add 2tsp batter to the appe pan and cook with lid on for 2-3 mins.Turn the appe gently with a wooden dowel/ spoon.
6) Add a few drops oil. Let it cook for 1-2 mins till golden brown.

7) Serve  hot with your favorite chutney and sambar!

"Chatpata Chaat'- Bhel

What foods do you miss most...living away from your home country???
For me...its mostly the street foods....Bhel, Pani poori, Dabeli, Chana Choor,SPDP(Sev Potato Dahi Poori) etc etc.Not that we cannot make them here in USA....but the ease of stopping at one of the stalls, telling the vendor -how 'spicy' or 'sweet' you want your dish, the dish being made in front of you, chaating- gossiping with your buddies, savoring the tangy-spicy-sweet mouthwatering chaat.....ufff even the 'thought' makes me nostalgic and my mouth water!!!
Once,I was telling my colleague at Cornell  'How I miss Indian food'.He was surprised, he said.....but there are so many Indian restaurants here..why don't you eat there! I told him....they do not have 'all' the foods we get in India....and ofcourse the 'taste' is not as authentic. He asked me to describe some dish which I miss the most.I tried describing to him..'Bhel'...Puffed rice mixed with savory snack mixture, raw onions, tomatoes, Tamarind chutney.. etc etc He seemed confused....couldn't really 'get' what I  really miss????
I can totally understand....he hadn't tasted the addictive tangy-sweet-spicy taste of Bhel ...how would he know..what I really miss???
When I was reading 'Namesake' by Jhumpa Lahiri....a book about an 'immigrant' family......there, the couple migrates to US (may be in 1970's..don't exactly remember when) The lady is 'Bengali'. After coming to USA, she misses ofcourse her homeland, her friends and family....but also the 'food'. She becomes really homesick and tries making 'Bhel' with Rice Krispie cereal !!!!! How cool was that! Because those days finding 'puffed rice and indian grocery' wasn't as easy as it is now! So....we are amongst the lucky ones!!! We atleast can find what we need to make our favorite dish here in US of A!

Here is the recipe for 'Bhel':

Ingredients:
2 cups Puffed rice ( I haven't tried using Rice krispie cereal yet!!) Make sure its crispy.
1Cup Savory 'Hot Punjabi Mix' Farsan
1/2 cup thin Sev
1 onion  finely chopped
2 tomatoes finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tbsp roasted peanuts
1 tbsp raw mango chopped (if you like the tang)
Flat pooris if you want to make 'Bhel Poori'. I sometimes use 'Pringles' !!!

For Chutney:
1 tbsp Tamarind extract
1/4 cup grated jaggery
1/2tsp cumin-corainder powder
1/2tsp chili powder
1/4tsp chaat masala
salt
1/2cup water
Mix everything in the water and make Tangy-sweet- spicy chutney.This chutney is pretty watery.

For extra spice:
Crush green chilies and garlic together into fine paste. Add to bhel as needed.

Mixing bhel:
1) Mix together the puffed rice, farsan, half of the sev, onion, tomatoes, peanuts, mango etc.
2) Add the tamarind chutney to make the bhel 'wet' but not soggy.
3) Garnish with remaining sev, cilantro, pooris/ pringles etc
4) Serve immediately!

Enjoy the blissfull combination of various textures and tastes all packed in one mouthwatering dish!

"Everyday Cooking"- Chicken Jalfrezi

How many different ways are there to cook Chicken??? 100....1000's....probably yes! Chicken is like blank paper...it will take up any color (flavor  here) you cook it in. It goes well in very spicy Thai dishes,as well as milder tasting chinese dishes. You can make Spicy as well as mild Indian curries with it.Use it in soups and salads. You can fry it,boil it, roast it, saute it, shred it....It will take up any flavor.
One thing I haven't tasted and probably never want to is...Chicken dessert!
Oh wait....who would make that? I know..they make 'Turkey Ice-cream...yes you read right..TURKEY ICECREAM..in the 'Iron Chef ' competitions on food network! Who would want to eat that????
Not me atleast!!!!!!!
Anyways....
After 2 weeks of not buying chicken...because of the movie we watched (Food Inc) about slaughtering and mass production of meat.....this week....I went back to buying chicken.....
I made this Chicken Jalfrezi with boneless chicken that I had purchased. 'Chicken Jalfrezi' is a dish with thick sauce and veggies like Onion,Green pepper and tomatoes'.The spicyness can differ from mild tasting to spicy.

Ingredients:
1lb Boneless chicken tenders
1 onion finely chopped
1 onion cut into bite size pieces
1/4 cup crushed tomatoes
1-2 fresh tomatoes cut into bite size pieces
1 green pepper cut into bite size pieces
1/4 cup Spring onion/green onions
1/2tsp Garam masala
1/2tsp Cumin-coriander powder
1/2tsp cumin
1/4tsp chili powder
1/2tsp ginger garlic paste
1/4tsp turmeric
1/8tsp black pepper
Cilantro for garnishing
Salt
oil

Method:
1) Cut the boneless chicken into bite size pieces.Marinate with ginger-garlic paste, salt and turmeric.Leave for 1/2 hr.
2) Heat 1/2tsp oil on high flame.Add the bite size cut veggies.Fry for couple mins.The veggies should remain crisp.Remove the veggies in a plate.Sprinkle 1-2 pinches salt and pepper.
2) Heat 1/2tsp oil again in the same pan.Add the marinated chicken pieces.Fry till golden brown.Remove in a plate.
3) Heat 1/2tsp oil, add cumin, finely chopped onion and fry. Add the crushed tomatoes,fry till the onion and tomatoes come together.Add the remaining spicesand salt,little water and let it boil. The curry is pretty thick.
4) Add back the chicken, cook for 2-3 mins.Add back the veggies and cook for 1-2 mins.Turn off the heat.
5) Add cut spring onions, cilantro for garnishing.
6) Enjoy warm with Chapati/ Naan/ Rice.


Tips:
1) Cashews and raisins can be added to give a 'special' touch to the dish.