Whole Wheat Veg Momo

Sinking your pearly whites into a momo is a great treat, especially to a foodie. Even though it is a common street food, probably nobody thinks twice before reaching out for a plateful of these hot and steaming momo's. Of course, we assure ourselves with the fact that as these are steamed, they are obviously a healthy choice.
And, then soon the plate is licked clean and in some time the guilt trip starts, for the momo's were made from maida or all purpose flour :(, which is not very healthy.

Switch to whole wheat flour and bid farewell to the guilt train. Wheat flour is a much healthier option, with it's own set of benefits as well. Wheat, vegetables and steam - all healthy and tastes similar to it's maida counterparts.

Although, these momo's are a slightly tanned cousins of the maida one's.

INGREDIENTS

For the Dough

• 1 Cup Whole Wheat (Atta)
• Luke Warm Water
• A pinch of salt

For the Filling

• 1 Cup of Finely Chopped Vegetables including carrot, cabbage, onion, capsicum, beans (as per availability)
• 2-3 Sprigs Coriander Leaves
• 1 Tspn Garam Masala
• 1 Tspn Cumin Seeds
• 1/2 Tspn Chilly Powder (optional)
• 1 Tbspn Butter, melted 
• 1 Tspn Ginger Paste
• Salt, as per taste

METHOD

• Make a dough with the whole wheat with luke warm water. Cover and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
• Chop all the veggies finely and add all the other 'filling' ingredients. Mix well.
• Pinch out 1/3rd" balls and roll into circlular shapes. Use flour for dusting.
• Lay it on your palm and place a spoonful of the stuffing. Lightly fold. Fold and pinch the edges to seal.Repeat the process with the rest of the dough and filling.
• Boil water in a steamer. Grease the container with oil and place the momo. Place inside the steamer and let it cook for about 10-12 minutes.
• Healthy and tasty whole wheat veg momo's!! Red Momo Chutney goes well as an accompaniment.

Palak Kadhi

Healthy and yummy - Palak Kadhi !!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Bunch Palak Leaves/ Spinach
• 2-3 Green Chillies or as per taste
• 2-3 Sprigs of Curry Leaf
• 1 Tspn Coriander Seeds, crushed
• 1 Tspn Mustard Seeds
• 1 Tspn Cumin Seeds
• Chilli Powder, as per taste
• 1 Cup Sour Curd
• 1 Cup Besan/ Gram Flour
• Pinch of hing/ asafoetida
• 2 Tspn Ghee
• 1 Dry Red Chilli

METHOD

• Rinse and chop the palak leaves. Heat a pan and add about a tbspn of oil. Fry the chopped palak till soft and well cooked.
• In another container, add the curd and besan. Whisk till smooth. Add salt and turmeric along with water to obtain a thin consistency.
• Heat a pan, add ghee. When ghee gets heated up, add the mustard seeds and dry red chilli. Cumin seeds are to be added next, after the mustard seeds start crackling. Add hing, chilli powder, turmeric, salt and curry leaves. Saute for around 30 seconds.
• Pour the besan and curd solution. Let it come to a boil, then let it simmer. Keep stirring, lest it gets stuck to the bottom. Frothing shall be observed when this mixture is being cooked. This froth disappears after a while, indicating that the besan is now cooked.
• Add the cooked palak leaves and simmer for another 5-6 minutes. Keep stirring in between.
• And, palak kadhi is ready. Goes best with plain rice.

Coconut Chutney

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 Cup Coconut, grated
• 1 Tbspn Curd
• 2-3 Green Chilly
• 1 Tbspn Lemon Juice
• Salt, as per taste

 For tempering (optional)

• Oil 
• 1 Dry Red Chilly 
• 1 Tspn Mustard Seeds
• 2-3 Curry Leaves

METHOD

• Blend coconut, curd and green chilly to a coarse paste. The green chilly brings out the pastel greenish colour in the chutney.
• Add lemon juice and salt. Mix well. 
• Heat oil in a pan. Add dry red chilli, mustard seeds and curry leaves. When they start crackling, pour the tempering over the chutney and mix well.
• An excellent accompaniment for upma, idli and dosa's.

Lasooni Dal

Dal with a garlicky kick !!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 Cup Toor Dal/ Arhar Dal
• 1/2 Cup Massor Dal/ Red Lentils
• 2 Medium Sized Onion, chopped
• 3 Tbspn Garlic, chopped
• 1 Tomato, chopped
• 1 Green Chilly
• 1 Tbspn Panch Phootan
• 1 Sprig Coriander Leaves

METHOD

• Boil the lentils with salt, turmeric and chopped tomato in a pressure cooker, for around 3 whistles or till soft.
• Heat oil in a pan and add panch phootan. When it starts crackling, add the sliced onions and garlic. Saute till they start to brown. 
• Add the boiled dal and let it come to a boil. Switch off flame.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Garlic Butter Naan

Once again this particular restaurant found me loitering in its parking lot - pondering whether to step in and get hold of a couple of those yummy tandoori naans, which would be an excellent accompaniment to the leftover shahi paneer ( from the day's lunch) or simply to get back home and make-do with plain chapati.

As it happens, the taste and feel of the naan made in a restaurant tandoor is unbeatable. The heat produced in a tandoor is around 450C which results in the soft golden brown tinged naan.
In comparison, the ovens at home can attain a maximum of 230C only !!

Nevertheless, the little chef in me along with my oven, have tried to replicate it as much as possible !! And, yes it did turn out well, taste and texture wise, albeit the final color was slightly less golden brownish (refer pic :( ).

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Cup All Purpose Flour or Maida
• 2 Tbspn Garlic, chopped
• 1/2 Cup Warm Water or as per requirement
• 1 Tspn Active Yeast 
• 1 Tbspn Sugar
• 2-3 Sprigs Coriander Leaves
• 2 Tbspn Milk
• 1 Tbspn Oil
• 1 Tspn Kalonji or Nigella Seeds
• Butter
• Salt, as per taste

 METHOD

• Add the yeast to the warm water along with the sugar, salt (as per taste) and a tbspn of maida. Mix. Cover with a lid and let it rest for about 15 minutes. The yeast will rise up.
• Add this yeast mix to the flour. Add oil, kalonji and milk. Knead to a soft dough. Add water if necessary.
• Smear oil on this dough and cover with a moist cloth. Let it rest for about an hour.
• Knead again. Pinch out small portions and flatten them. Place the chopped garlic and coriander. Dust with maida and roll out into 1/2 cm thick discs.
• Grease a pan and place the raw naan. Toss in to a preheated oven of 230C (or the max attainable temperature). Cook for around 10 minutes or till brown spots start appearing. Flip and repeat the other side for another minute. 
• Take it out of the oven and grease the browned surface generously with butter. 
• Goes great with any gravy rich dish :D !

Add the yeast to the warm water .

Add the yeast to the warm water along with the sugar, salt (as per taste) and a tbspn of maida. Mix. Cover with a lid and let it rest for about 15 minutes. The yeast will rise up.

Add oil, kalonji.

Add milk.

Knead to a soft dough. Add water if necessary

Smear oil on this dough and cover with a moist cloth. Let it rest for about an hour.

Knead again. Pinch out small portions and flatten them. Place the chopped garlic and coriander. Dust with maida and roll out into 1/2 cm thick discs

Grease a pan and place the raw naan. Toss in to a preheated oven of 230C (or the max attainable temperature). Cook for around 10 minutes or till brown spots start appearing. Flip and repeat the other side for another minute.

Take it out of the oven and grease the browned surface generously with butter. A rich gravy goes well with it !!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheese Spinach Corn Sandwich

Not being a very big fan of restaurant food, meals at my place usually spring out from our kitchen.
The peeling, chopping, sauteing followed by all the emanating flavors, tingle up the olfactory nerves which in turn set the taste buds drooling. Ahh! The process itself acts like an appetizer :D - till the table is set and food is served :D !

It was one of those days when due to unavoidable circumstances the day goes by and in comes lunch/dinner hour... and what follows is - Mr.Tummy takes complete control !
After a day spent in packing followed by an hour's drive, I found myself hungry and parched at the airport. Over an hour left for check-in, I decided to grab a breath before boarding. Lugging my suitcase, I reached over to the nearest coffee shop in sight - the famous Coffee Cafe Day or better known as CCD.

Settled in the outdoor seating area, for the first time since the past 10 hours, I took an extra long and relaxed whiff of fresh air. I was comfortable.
Within the next few minutes, I was served my order - Cold Coffee (hoping it would refresh) and a Spinach N Corn Cheese Sandwich ( hunger reliever, I hoped) . I sunk my fangs in, whilst advising my taste bulb to fuse off, for I had no expectation whatsoever.

For all I knew, it was surely my day, at least as far as this sandwich was concerned - it turned out to be amazing !! Maybe the relaxed ambience added to the taste, perhaps it was the hunger or could be the tiredness - whatever it was, it left my gustatory cells yearning for more.
I am certain, time permitting, who knows, probably I would be wolfing down a second one too :D.

And, the journey saw an impatient passenger, eager to get down, eager to get home and eager to make her own version of a healthy Spinach N Corn Cheese Sandwich !

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Bunch Spinach Leaves/ Palak
• 3 Tbspn Corn Kernels
• 1 Tbspn Garlic, minced
• 1 Medium Onion, minced
• A dash of Nutmeg
• Butter
• Bread Slices
• Salt, as per taste
• Cheese, Mozarella or Cheddar, as per requirement

METHOD

• Boil the corn kernels. Strain out the water and keep aside.
• Blanch the spinach, i.e. put the leaves in boiling water for about a minute and then transfer into cold water. Then strain out the water. Blend the leaves into a coarse puree.
• Heat butter in a pan. Add minced garlic and onion. Add salt and saute.
• As it starts browning, add the pureed spinach and mix well. Saute till almost 50% moisture is evaporated.
• Add the corn kernels. Mix well and saute till the mix is almost dry. Switch off flame.
• Spread butter on bread slices.
• Apply a thick layer of the spinach corn mix. Sprinkle cheese on top. Add a dash of nutmeg.
• Grill the slices for around a couple of minutes or till the cheese melts.
• Let it cool. And, now you can sink your pearly whites too.

Boil the corn kernels

Blanch the spinach

Heat butter in a pan. Add minced garlic and onion. Add salt and saute.

As it starts browning, add the pureed spinach and mix well.

As it starts browning, add the pureed spinach and mix well.

Spread butter on bread slices.

Apply a thick layer of the spinach corn mix. 

Sprinkle cheese on top. 

Add a dash of nutmeg.
Grill the slices for around a couple of minutes or till the cheese melts.

Momo

Believed to have a Nepalese ancestry, Momo or Dumpling have become quite a craze among foodies world wide. Certainly gained popularity as an Indian street snack !

INGREDIENTS

For the Dough

• 1 Cup All-purpose Flour/ Maida
• A pinch of Baking Powder
• A pinch of salt

For the Filling

• 1 Cup of Finely Chopped Vegetables including carrot, cabbage, onion, capsicum, beans (as per availability)
• 2-3 Sprigs Coriander Leaves
• 1 Tspn Garam Masala
• 1 Tspn Cumin Seeds
• 1/2 Tspn Chilly Powder (optional)
• 1 Tbspn Butter, melted 
• 1 Tspn Ginger Paste
• Salt, as per taste

METHOD

• Mix all the dough ingredients. Add required amount of water and knead to make a hard dough. Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• Chop all the veggies finely and add all the other 'filling' ingredients. Mix well.
• Pinch out 1/3rd" balls and roll into circlular shapes. Use maida for dusting.
• Lay it on your palm and place a spoonful of the stuffing. Lightly fold. Fold and pinch the edges to seal.Repeat the process with the rest of the dough and filling.
• Boil water in a steamer. Grease the container with oil and place the momo. Place inside the steamer and let it cook for about 10-12 minutes.
• Yum yum yummy veg momo's are ready to be devoured !!

Chop all the veggies finely and add all the other 'filling' ingredients.

Mix well.

 

Pinch out 1/3rd" balls and roll into circlular shapes. Use maida for dusting.
Lay it on your palm and place a spoonful of the stuffing. Lightly fold. Fold and pinch the edges to seal.Repeat the process with the rest of the dough and filling.

Yum yum yummy veg momo's !!

Tips:

• Prepare the filling mixture just before rolling out the momo's. Else, it might start letting out moisture which in turn will make the momo soggy.
• Make sure to seal the edges well by pressing them with two fingers, otherwise it might open up while cooking.
• Idli steamer can also be used ,instead of a specialized momo steamer.

 

Momo Chutney

A serving of steaming hot momo's is incomplete in itself, without the - Momo Red Chilly Chutney !!
Easy and spicy !

 INGREDIENTS

• 1 Tomato
• 3-4 Red Chilly, increase as per taste
• 1 Tbspn Sugar or as per taste
• Salt, as per taste 

METHOD

• Chop the tomato into 4 pieces.
• Boil the tomato pieces along with the dry red chilly for about 10 -12 minutes. Let it cool.
• Strain out all the water. Blend the tomato and red chill, with sugar and salt. Blend to a smooth paste.
• Transfer to a container, dip your momo's and chomp away :D .

Ambula Rai

Dried mango soaking in a mustardy-curd gravy. Ahh! the delectable taste of this authentic Odiya side dish, stands second to none.

Super easy and super tasty !
Made without any hint of onion and garlic, this dish sure makes it to the Puja-day menu :D.

INGREDIENTS

• 4-6 Ambula/ Dried Mango
• 1/2 Cup Curd 
• 1/4 Cup Coconut, grated
• 1 Tspn Mustard Paste
• 1-2 Green Chilly, increase as per taste
• 1 Sprig Coriander Leaves
• 1 Sprig Curry Leaves
• 1 Tbspn Ghee (or cooking oil)
• 1 Tspn Panch Phootan
• 1 Tspn Roasted Cumin-Red Chilly Powder
• A pinch of Hing/ Asafoetida
• 1-2 Dry Red Chilly
• 2 Tbspn Sugar
• Salt, as per taste

 METHOD

• Soak the ambula pieces in water for a couple of hours.
• Blend the coconut to a fine paste.
• In a container, add the coconut paste, mustard paste, curd, sugar, salt, finely chopped green chillies, chopped coriander and roasted cumin-chilly powder. Add the pre-soaked ambula pieces (discard the water in which the ambula was soaking in). Mix well. Check the seasoning and adjust.
• Heat ghee in a pan and add panch phootan. When it starts spluttering add the dry red chilly, hing and curry leaves. Saute for half a minute and then pour this tempering into the gravy. Mix well. 
• Lay out a plate and serve the day's menu along with 'The Day's Special' - Ambula Rai ;P !!