Tawa roasted gobhi

Nowadays I have been obsessed with tawa cooking. I am absolutely loving the charred flavour that it imparts to the dish. Also, it is so much healthier than deep frying. So, I am hoping to include a lot of tawa recipes in my life pretty soon.

Getting ready :

Cauliflower florets - 1 bowl
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Tandoori masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Hung curd/Curd - 2 tbsps
Coriander leaves or kasuri methi to garnish
Salt to taste

Oil as required

Lighting the stove :

Break the Cauliflower into 1 medium bowl of smaller florets.
Boil the cauliflower florets with water and salt on medium heat for 5 mins. It should not be completely soft, but it should be cooked. 
Now, take the cauliflower in a bowl and add 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 1/2 tsp Chilli powder, 1/2 tsp tandoori masala powder, salt(to taste), 1/2 tsp pepper powder, 2 tbsp hung curd (i used normal curd as i didn't have hung curd at that time). Marinate for 15-20 mins in refrigerator.
Now heat some oil on a tawa and add the marinated cauliflower to it. Cook on low to medium heat (yes, this is necessary, medium heat makes sure it is charred well, but not burnt) for about 10 mins.
Sprinkle coriander leaves or kasuri methi on top and serve.

It is a pretty quick method and acts as a great side dish. I added it to a masala gravy which made it almost like a tikka masala. If I do that again, I will share that recipe. For now, keep healthy with this.

Step by step pics will be uploaded on request 


Source : Basic idea from Life with spices. Love her LCHF diet recipes

Kadi Pakoda

                         This food had been a simple favourite of Hubbo when I was in my vacation period(meaning at my native). He kept telling me that he liked this new dish. Initially, I was quite reluctant due to previous experiences with kadi pakoda but finally, I decided that I had to give it a try and it was worth it. It is  an extremely simple recipe and takes minimum time. My brother-in-law even asked me for this recipe so that he can cook it sometime. Here you go...
                        

Ingredients:

Onion- 1 large
Besan(Gram flour) - 1/2 cup
Ginger - 2 tbsps (crushed)
Green chillies- 2 (chopped)
Kasoori methi- 2-3 tbsps
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds- 1 tsp
Curd- 2 cups
Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
Dry red chillies- 2
Baking soda- A pinch
Hing- A pinch
Chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
Salt- As required
Oil- As required
Coriander leaves- For garnishing


Lighting the stove:

First, finely chop onion.  Mix salt, green chillies, half of crushed ginger, 2 tbps kasoori methi, 1/2 cup of besan, baking soda, 1 tbsp of oil  and some water with the onions. The batter should have a consistency of dosa batter.

Drop the batter into medium hot oil and fry till they are golden brown. ( You can use these pakodas a it is also. They make a great snack. I always get tempted to finish them off before I can make the curry ;))

Now, mix 1/2 tsp of salt, curd, turmeric powder and 2-3 tbsps of besan with waterand make slightly thin gravy.

Heat oil in a kardhai, add cumin and fenugreek seeds and let them crackle.

Now, add hing, crushed ginger and dry red chillies and fry forabout 5-10 seconds.

Pour all the mixed gravy(with curd) earlier and let it boil for 2 minutes. 

Add little red chilli powder and some kasoori methi now. 

Finally, add the fried pakodas(fritters) and boil for 1 min.  

Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and remove from heat. 

Parwal Subzi

                                      Parwal or pointed gourd has always been my favourite. Though it is not much available in Bangalore, I try to get it from some place or the other.
                                    I have tried many recipes for this but had not been able to get a hold of it yet. It always turned out under-boiled or dry or watery, except one recipe that my Mom makes which is too oily, hence, I don't make it often. But, this is perfect. I learnt it from my sister-in-law when we visited her recently, though her version was too healthy with minimum oil and no curry powder or chilli powder. I just modified it to suit my taste.



What we need:

Parwal- 250 gms
Potatoes- 2 medium
Onion- 1 large or 2 medium
Tomatoes- 2 small or 1 medium
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tbsp
Oil
Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
Salt-To taste
Coriander powder or curry powder- 1.5 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp



Lighting The Stove: 


Scratch the parwals(don't peel completely), just rub out the outer dark green layer. U can do this with a peeler or knife, and then wash them and cut the two ends.

Cut into thin slices. Cut potatoes also in same style(long and medium thin).

Heat oil in a kardhai, add the parwals and potatoes, salt and turmeric powder. Mix well and let it fry for 1 min.

Then, add half a cup of water and cover it. This helps to boil the parwals perfectly.

Keep stirring in between and cook till done.

Heat 3 tbsp of oil, add the sliced onions and fry till golden. ( Can use any oil, mustard oil gives better flavour)

Add 1 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste. Mix well and fry for 1 more min.

Add coriander powder and chilli powder, mix well and add tomatoes.

Mix nicely, add 1/4 cup of water and cook till tomatoes turn mushy.

Add all the fried vegetables and mix well with the masala. At this point, u can take it out and serve or u can do what I did.

Add half a cup of water and cook covered for 2 min.

Finally, sprinkle chopped corainder leaves and garam masala. It's ready to serve.

Very simple, but tasty curry. Tastes best with chapati, paratha or rice. Worth cooking again and again for daily food.