Aloo Sandwich Toast\ Spicy Potato Grill

It was my sisters birthday celebrations and I wanted to prepare some special dish that she really craves for. Finally I decided on her all time favourite - Aloo Toast. My mom used to make this when we were kids and it used to taste really awesome. I tried on similar lines and it came out very similar to her version.

Here is a very simple recipe of Aloo Toast. All you need is a sandwich maker or a grill. Since it came out really awesome, I though of posting it on my blog.

Procedure:

Preparing the Aloo Sabji

Ingriedients:
4 boiled potatoes
1 Onion - chopped
Ginger garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - half teaspoon
Cumin seeds\ Jeera - half teaspoon
Turmeric powder\ Haldi - half teaspoon
2 Green chillies - vertically slit
Hing\ Asoefatida - half teaspoon
Karipatta - 5-6 leaves
Salt
Corainder leaves

Procedure:
1. Take a kadhai. Add 2 tablespoon oil. Add mustard. Once it splutters, add jeera.
2. Next add hing, green chillies and karipatta.
3. Then add chopped onions and a pinch of salt. Fry till the onions are golden brown.
4. Next add turmeric powder add ginger garlic paste. and finally add the mashed pototoes. Mix well.
5. Add salt as per taste. Let it cook for 5 minutes.
6. Garnish it with chopped corainder leaves.


Preparing the Coriander chutney:
Refer to below link
Corainder Chutney


Preparing the Aloo Toast

Ingriedients:
Aloo Sabji
Corainder chutney
1 packet slice bread
Butter
Ghee - for greasing the toaster

Procedure:
1. Keep the sandwich maker ready. Grease it with ghee. This is needed so that the toast does not stick to the toaster.
2. In a plate, arrange 2 slices of bread. Spread the prepared aloo sabji on both of them evenly.
3. Take another 2 slices of bread. Apply butter on it evenly and then apply the chutney.
4. Place these 2 slices of bread on the other slices with aloo sabji.
5. Place them on the sanchwich maker and toast it.
6. Similarly continue with other bread slices.
7. Simultaneously prepare the sandwich to be toasted when the previous ones are getting toasted.

Serve it hot with tomato ketchup.

Shepuchi Bhaji\ Sabsige Soppu\ Dill leaves Sabji

Dill is basically a aromatic herb which is native to Mediterranean and East European regions. But it is also commanly found in Goa, Maharastra and Karnataka.

It has immense health benefits. It contains many anti-oxidants, vitamins like niacin, pyridoxine  and dietary fibers, which help to control blood cholesterol levels. Dill is a good source of minerals like copper, potassium, calcium, manganese, iron, and magnesium. It helps in the secretion of bile and digestive juices, which further aid easy digestion. It helps stimulates the appetite as well. It is rich in calcium, which lowers the bone loss. This herb is fortifying in nature, by virtue of which it provides considerable strength to the body. And many more to pen down.

I usually do not prepare this vegetable. But after learning about all the health benefits, I could not resist a try. I cooked the shepu leaves along with moong dal on the recommendation of my friend, and it came out really awesome. Here is the simple recipe of Shepuchi bhaji.

Ingriedients:
Shepu\ Dill leaves - 1 bunch
Yellow Moong dal - half cup
1 onion - finely chopped
Mustard seeds - half teaspoon
Jeera\ Cumin seeds - half teaspoon
Garam masala - half teaspoon
Haldi\ Turmeric powder - half teaspoon
Chilli powder - half teaspoon
Hing\ Asaefatida
Salt
Water
Oil

Procedure:
1. Wash the moong dal.
2. Clean and chop the dill leaves.
3. In a pressure cooker, boil the dill leaves togather with the moong dal for 2-3 whistles. Also add half cup water while boiling
4. Next take a pan, add 2 tablespoon oil, add mustard. Once it splutters, add jeera and hing.
5. Add the chopped onions and let t cook till the onions turn golden brown.
6. Add half teaspoon each of turmeric powder, garam masala and chilli powder.
7. Add the boiled tur dal togather with the dill leaves.
8. Mix well and add appropriate salt.
9. Let it cook for 5 minutes.

The delicious Shepuchi bhaji is ready.

Serve it hot with rice or roti.

Tips:
1. You also also use tur\ arhar dal instead of moong dal. In that case, soak it for around 1 hour before pressure cooking it.

Lauki Ka Kofta\ Bottle Gourd Kofta Curry

Lauki or Bottle gourd has many names in local dialects like dhudhi, calabash, hulu, etc. Lauki ki sabji is generally disliked by many people.

But lauki provides ample of health benefits. It is rich in vitamin B and C. It also contains minerals like sodium, iron, etc. It is good for the heart and the liver. It helps in digestion. And there are many more.

Due to all these health benefits we cannot skip it from our diet. One way of consuming lauki is by extracting its juice which tastes awesome. Another way is by preparing the delicious lauki ka kofta, which will be liked by everyone from your house.

Below is the recipe of delicious Lauki ka Kofta

Ingredients:
Lauki/ Bottle gourd - 1 small
Onions - 1
Tomatoes - 2
Ginger 

Garlic
Jeera\ cumin seeds - half teaspoon
Mustard seeds - half teaspoon
Besan\ Gram flour - 4 tablespoon
Hing\ asaefatida - 1 teaspoon
Chilli powder - 3 teaspoon
Turmeric powder\ haldi - 1 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder -half teaspoon
Cumin\ Jeera powder - half teaspoon
Ajwain\ Carom seeds - 1 teaspoon
Coarinder leaves - finely chopped

Procedure:
Preparing Gravy
1. Grind the onions, tomatoes, ginger and garlic to a paste using a mixer.
2. Take a kadhai, add 1 tablespoon oil. Add mustard and wait till it splutters.
3. Next add the jeera.
4. Next add the hing and the ground onion tomato paste and fry it for till the raw taste of onion  dissapears.
5. Next add 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon chilli powder, 1 teaspoon garam masala, half teaspoon corainder powder, half teaspoon jeera powder and mix well.
6. Finally add 2 cups of water and let it cook for 10 minutes. Also add sufficient salt.
7. Gravy is ready. Keep it aside.

Preparing Lauki dumplings (Kofta)
1. Peel the skin of the lauki and grate it. Add some salt and keep it aside for 5 minutes.
2. Next squeeze the water of lauki by pressing in between your palms.
3. Do not discard the water, you can drink it. It is very healthy.
4. Squeeze the water from lauki in 2-3 rounds till the time all the water is drained off.
5. Take a mixing bowl, add the lauki, besan, 2 teaspoon chilli powder, 1 teaspoon ajwain  and salt and mix well.
6. Heat oil for deep frying. Once the oil is hot at 1 teaspoon oil to this prepared mix.
7. Using a spoon, leave the lauki besan mix prepared in the kadhi to prepare the lauki pakodas or dumplings.
8. Once done, take it on a tissue and keep it aside. You can enjoy some of these for starters.

Preparing Lauki Kofta curry
1. Add the lauki dumplings to the prepared gravy.
2. Garnish it with chopped corainder leaves.

Serve it with Roti or Rice.

Tips:
1. Drink the lauki juice or water drained from grated lauki immediately after extracting it as if kept for a longer time, it can cause stomach upset.

2. Adjust the water added to the gravy as per your needed consistency.
3. If you have a Oxy Fryer, you can prepare the lauki dumplings in that with low or no oil. I usually prepare the kofta in the oxy fryer. Trust me, the taste is just the same as the deep fried version.
4. Immediately cook the peeled or grated lauki. If kept for a longer time, can cause stomach upset. If lauki is a bigger one, I usually prepare lauki ka halwa of the remaining lauki. For halwa recipe, click Lauki Halwa

Vegetable Thalipeeth

This is another healthier variation to the delicious thalipeeth. Adding boiled veggies to the thalipeeth not only increases its nutrition value, but also its taste.

Ingriedients
Wheat flour - 4 cups
1 onions - finely chopped
2 green chillies - finely chopped
2 cups boiled vegetables - like potatoes, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes
Coriander leaves - finaly chopped
Ajwain - 1 teaspoon
Salt
Water
Oil

Procedure
1. Mash the boiled vegetables with your hand or with the help of masher and keep it aside.
2. In a bowl, add the chopped onions, finely chopped green chillies, wheat flour,chopped corainder leaves, mashed vegetables, ajwain and salt. Mix well.
3. Add water and prepare a dough. Also add little oil while preparing the dough.
4. Make small round balls of the dough.
5. Next take a pan and add a pinch of oil. place one round ball on the pan. and pat it with your hand till it becomes round and thin.
6. Make a small hole at the centre and pour little oil in it. Also add oil from all sides.
7. Fry on a median flame without covering the pan by a lid. After 3-4 mins, turn the thalipeeth other way round, still maintaining the medium flame. Fry for another 3 minutes. Thalipeeth is ready to be served.

Serve hot with pickle and curd.

Tips:
1. In case you are not comfortable patting the thalipeeth with your hands directly on the hot tawa, you can take a clean plastic and pat it on that. Once it is done, place it on the tawa and fry it as mentioned in the steps 6 and 7.
2.The dough should be a little sticky to get a perfect thalipeeth. In that case, dip your finger in oil while patting it on the tawa (or the plastic) to avois sticking to your hand.