Home made Masala Puri / Easy Chat Recipes

I so wanted to try this for a long time now, and finally I did get to try it and it turned out to be so yum! Where on earth would I find Masala puri in US of all? like my lovely India? My favourite used to be the masala puri that was sold on a cart behind my college. Delectable is just not the word to describe it!  I thought why not share it with you guys, so you could also try at home and enjoy it! Plus its so darn easy!

Ingredients

• Puri – 10- 12
• Sweet Chutney- 1 tbsp
• Green Chutney- 1 tbsp
• Green Peas- 1 cup ( I used frozen, you could use the dry green peas, soak it over night and pressure cook it,
• Toor dal – 1 cup
• Sev – 1/4 cup
• Grated carrot – 1/2 cup
• Chopped onion – 1/2 cup
• Coriander leaves – 1 tbsp finely chopped
• Salt – to taste

To Temper and grind into a paste

• Cloves – 2
• Cinnamon – 1/2″
• Coriander seeds – 1/2 tsp ( I used dhaniya powder since I didn’t have the seeds)
• Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Peppercorns – 1/2 tsp
• Star Anise/ marathi moggu – 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder – 3/4 tsp
• Coconut – 1/2 cup
• coriander leaves- 2 tbsp

Directions

Dry roast the ingredients under to temper and grind table, except coconut, red chilli powder and coriander leaves.

Combine all of them in a blender and grind them to a fine paste.

Pressure cook toor dal until soft ( 2-3 whistles) and whisk it roughly.

 

Add salt and add the ground paste to it. Add the peas and give it a stir. Simmer it under medium heat.

Crush the puris and arrange them on a plate, pour the gravy, sprinkle green and sweet chutney, sprinkle grated carrot, onion and sev. Garnish with Coriander leaves. That’s it! Ain’t it simple? Enjoy while its hot!

Note

While dry roasting the ingredients, make sure they are done on medium flame, jeera and dhaniya gets bitter if  you over do them, which would in turn make the gravy bitter.

Using dry peas is usually recommended, but the taste doesn’t make any difference if you add frozen peas.

Sweet Chutney/ Dates chutney

How could I forget sweet chutney when I made green chutney? So I decided to try and give it a shot. Well I thought it would be quite a humonguous task, but lo, it was like fish taking to water 🙂 I also made masala puri when i made this chutney. Recipe coming soon..

Ingredients

• Jaggery – 1/2 cup
• Tamarind –  1 big lemon size
• Dates – 8-10  deseeded or you could use the seedless ones
• Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Jeera powder -1 tsp
• Salt to taste

Directions

In a sauce pan, bring one and a half cups of water to boil and add the tamarind, once the tamarind starts to soften, add the dates and cook until its slightly soft.

 

Cool the mixture and grind it to a smooth paste using very little water if required. Then strain the liquid back to the saucepan and bring it to boil again.

On medium heat stir the mixture gently and then add jaggery, red chilli powder and jeera powder until it thickens to tomato sauce consistency. Transfer the contents to a jar and keep it refrigerated.

 

 

Note

You could add brown sugar instead of jaggery, but adding jaggery definitely gives it the authentic taste.

Make sure not to add more water while grinding, it would make the sauce too watery.

Bhel Puri

I can never get bored of Bhel Puri! My all-time favourite snack. Everytime I go to any chaat centre I cannot but resist the temptation. Its like a must-have snack. I’m not so privileged in the US to have it often plus its highly unlikely to have chaat bistros here in the US. So I decided to make them at home using fresh ingredients. It is so easy to rig up a snack and have it on one of those chill evenings. Love the spice dancing on my tongue! Here you go..

Ingredients

• Puri/ puffed rice – 2 cups
• Onion- 1, finely chopped
• Tomato- 1, finely chopped
• Carrot- ½ cup, grated
• Green chutney- 2-3 tbsp (depending on the spice scale that you want)
• Sweet chutney- 1 tbsp
• Readymade mixture/ condiment (I used corn flakes mixture)- 1 cup
• Sev- 1 cup
• Pomegranate- 1/4 cup
• Chat masala- 2 tsp
• Red chilli powder- 1 tsp
• Coriander- 2 tbsp, finely chopped
• Lemon juice- 1 tsp

Take a large mixing bowl and add the puffed rice to it, then add carrots, onions, tomatoes, green chutney, sweet chutney, chat masala, red chilli powder, readymade mixture a pinch of salt and mix everything together and toss them well.

Now add the readymade mixture, sev, lemon juice and pomegranate and mix it again.

Garnish with coriander leaves, a little bit of sev and serve it before the puffed rice becomes soft.

Green Chutney

My craving for street side food was intense and uncontrollable. So I decided to make bhel puri at home one fine Sunday evening. I realized that the intense spicy flavor in bhel puri was that of green chutney that jazzes on the tongue and not any other spice apparently. It is the easiest of chutneys that I have ever made till date. Plus you could store this up to a week if you don’t add salt and preserve it. It could be used for all chats items or use it to spread on bread and make grilled sandwich!

Heavenly! Here you go..

Ingredients

Coriander/cilantro- 1 cup

Mint leaves- ½ cup

Green chillis- 8-10

Chat masala- 1 tbsp

Onion- ½ portion

Lemon- 1 tbsp

Salt- as needed

Water- as needed

Directions

Clean , de-stem and chop the coriander and pudina leaves.

Add them to a blender along with onion, green chilli, chat masala and a little bit of water and grind them.

Now add lemon to the mixture and add very little salt, since chat masala would contain quite a bit of salt in itself.

Transfer the contents to a bowl and keep it refrigerated.

Note-

Make sure not to add too much water, the chutney becomes too watery.

Spicy Aloo Paratha

All of us know the usual modus operandi of making aloo parathas, the usual stuffing et al. I decided to make it even  simpler and quicker and Lo! Eureka! It turned to be perfectly soft and incredibly tasty just like the stuffed ones! Thanks to my lovely SISTER Nayana!  She shared this idea with me!

The best part about this method is that it uses very minimal oil (unlike the ones used for the dough separately and again for making the parathas separately) it’s an absolute fat buster idea! And the bestest part is that it remains unbelievably soft even the next day! (I made them the previous night and had it the next afternoon, didn’t  even heat it or microwave it) it was WOW! plus with the stuffing you can make fresh batches of aloo parathas every time! Just like chapathi! Even better is the fact that it doesn’t make you feel heavy like the usual stuffed aloo parathas.  Go ahead try it and let me know how it turns out!

Ingredients

• Potato/ aloo- 2 boiled
• Onion- 1 finely chopped
• Ginger- 1 small piece minced
• Jeera/cumin- 1 tsp
• Garam masala- 1 tsp
• Chat masala- 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder- 1 tsp
• Salt – as needed
• Wheat flour- 1 cup
• Oil- 2-3tsp

Mash the boiled potatoes finely, add onion, ginger, jeera, garam masala powder, chat masala, red chilli powder , salt and mix them together.

Now add one portion of the mixure to a food processor/ blender/ mixi and coarsely blend them until you have a pasty consistency. ( not too smooth, not too coarse, DO NOT ADD WATER!)

Now transfer the mixture to a bowl add one cup of wheat flour to it and knead well adding a few drops of oil to the normal chapatti dough consistency (DO NOT ADD WATER).

Make small balls of the same and roll it using a rolling pin. Cook  them on the skillet drizzling a few drops of oil until the underside has brown spots for about 30 seconds, then flip and cook on the other side.

Enjoy hot with curds sprinkled with chat masala and a pinch of red chilli powder.

Note-

It is very important that the consistency of the dough is like chapathi, else it may tear or you may just not be able to roll it.

If you find the ground mixture to be a little semi-solid while making the dough, add a little bit more of the flour to get the right consistency.

The stuffing mixed with dough can be refrigerated up to 2 days. Or you could just keep the stuffing refrigerated and then mix it with the dough as and when you want to make the parathas.

Since the stuffing would anyway be pasty it mixes well with the dough, that is why I avoided adding water.

Menasina Saaru (Pepper Rasam)

Menasina Saaru (Pepper Rasam)

Menasina Saaru

As a kid I remember my gramma making this rasam  for my paternal aunt and my mom who came home for her post-natal care. It is my gramma’s signature rasam and I’m the proud inheritor of this heavenly delight! Feel so proud of the legacy!  Normally pepper rasam is watery and translucent, but this one is a smooth blend of pepper, urad dal and channa dal with a hint of milk to negate the excessive heat (that pepper is known to cause).  It is one of the easiest rasam recipes I’ve known and tried.  You could even slurp it like soup or enjoy it with rice.

Ingredients

• Pepper- 7-8 corns
• Urad dal ( uddina bele)- 1 teaspoon
• Channa Dal (kadle bele)- 1 teaspoon
• Grated coconut- ½ cup
• Ghee- 1/2 teaspoon
• Milk- ½ cup
• Salt- as per your taste

To Temper

• Ghee- 1 teaspoon
• Mustard- 1 teaspoon
• Channa dal- 1 teaspoon
• Curry leaves- 5-6

Directions

• Add ghee in a skillet and roast the pepper, urad dal and channa dal until they are slightly brown, on medium heat.
• Just when you turn off the stove ,add the grated coconut and give it a stir.
• Now grind the roasted mixture along with coconut.
• Meanwhile add a teaspoon  of ghee and temper the mustard, channa dal and curry leaves.
• Add the ground mixture and salt to this and once it starts boiling, add ½ cup of milk and let it boil for another five minutes until the liquid reaches a slightly thick consistency.
• Serve hot with rice or enjoy it as a soup.

Note

•   It is very important to maintain medium flame while making this rasam. Else it would burn all the ingredients which will turn the rasam biter.
•   Milk cannot be negated since that is the ingredient which enhances the taste of the rasam and makes it thicker.

Aloo Curry/ gravy

 

Whenever my mom concocted this delicious curry I would wonder what she’d add apart from the primary ingredient of ‘love’. Only when I desperately wanted to try this gravy did I realise  it has a different ‘masala’ that gives it a distinct taste. This simple and easy curry goes really well with chapathi, set /plain dosa and rice. I’m ever so grateful to my mom for passing on a legacy that boasts of a rich taste. While potato fulfills the carb intake, spinach fulfills the iron and vitamin quotient in this and needless to say, Onion, the king of all veggies takes care of your heart and adds to the flavor!

Ingredients

Potato- 2

Onion- 2

Fresh spinach- 1 cup

Frozen or fresh peas- ½ cup

Oil- 7-8 tablespoons

Salt- as per your preference

To be ground into a paste

Onion-  1 portion

Garlic- 1 pod (optional)

Vangibath Powder – 1 ½ to 2 tablespoon

Cinnamon- 1 small piece

Clove- 1

Ginger- 1 small piece

Khus khus/ poppy seeds- 1 tea spoon

Cilantro/ coriander leaves- ¼ cup

Grated coconut- ½ cup

To Temper

Jeera/ cumin- 1 teaspoon

Directions

Boil the potatoes and drain them. Cut them into bite size cubes.  Chop ,Wash and clean the palak/ spinach leaves.

Heat oil in a pan and add jeera, once it starts spluttering add the onions and sauté till they are translucent, now add Spinach and sauté till the leaves cook and reduce in volume ( do not add water, since the water in the spinach is sufficient to cook them).

Meanwhile grind the mixture under the ‘to be ground’ table.

Add the mixture to the sautéed onions and fry until the raw smell is gone.

Now add the boiled potatoes,  peas, salt  and cook in medium heat until all the masala blends together. Enjoy with hot phulkas or chapatti.

Note:

Vangibath powder is used in every household in Indian homes. If you use any other masala instead of vangibath powder you will not get the distinct taste that this gravy boasts of. You could also buy the MTR Vangibath powder.

You can also substitute this gravy with other vegetables like bringal or whole channa dal (kadlekaalu).

 

Vegetable Minestrone Soup

Winter has already set in and what better way to wrap ourselves in warm clothes and sip in something  piping hot and healthy? Minestrone soup is of Italian origin and  is a great combination of beans, veggies and pasta which makes for a perfect meal in itself. One bowl of soup is equal to having 2 cups of rice, so not only does it fulfill the hunger quotient but also fulfills the nutrition quotient . The best part about this soup is that you could use a combo of any 3-4 veggies that are available without having to worry about adding exotic veggies that is usually used in the soup. Originally celery and zucchini is added to the soup, since my better half dislikes them I decided not to add them.  You are definitely free to try your variation.  So dig into your bowl of soup and keep the windy winter at bay.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups  vegetable broth( you could use the one in which you boil the veggies and beans if you don’t want to buy it)
• 3tbsp  olive oil
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1 cup chikpea/ garbanzo beans, kidney beans( rajma) ( soaked for 6 hrs)
• 1 cup green beans
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1 cups cooked shell/ macaroni pasta
• 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (optional if you’re diet conscious)
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian Herbs.

Directions

Combine tomatoes, beans, carrots, bay leaves, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and cook them all until they’re done ( 2-3 whistles in the cooker). Meanwhile, bring 2 cups of water to boil in a quart pan and add the pasta shells, cook until its al dente for about 10-15 minutes in medium flame.

In another quart pan add olive oil, garlic and onion and sauté until the onions are translucent, now add the thyme, and transfer the boiled veggies and beans, pasta shells and cook for another ten minutes. Stir in salt and  pepper and garnish it with  Italian herbs .

Note:

I know olive oil is rarely used in Indian household since its a little expensive, so you could substitute it with sunflower oil and saute the onions. Olive Oil and Tomato are like the heart & soul of all the Italian dishes.

Like I mentioned you could use the broth of the cooked veggies itself, that is what I did. (smart cooking is the rule of the day) 😉

Don’t cook the pasta too much, that  would enlarge the pasta and make it gooey. It will anyway bloat in the soup once you add it.

Thai Basil Fried Rice

 

If you ever want to feel  that ‘spice’ dancing on your tongue, you should definitely soak yourself up in  Thai indulgence. I  would run miles away from anything that was even mildly spicy in my pre-nuptial days. But now that times have changed I sometimes remain stunned at myself for the amount of spicy food that I consume day by day. Thai cuisine is one thing I have really  adored and devoured at the same time. The zesty concoction of Thai spices and the sauces are definitely something that you’d date with.

Thai Basil Fried Rice was the first ever Thai food that I tried after those usual Indo-Chinese flavoured fried rice that I always did.  Well, the juicy combination of tri-coloured bell peppers, the succulent onions, the aroma of basil and the hues of all these make up for a feisty delight.

Ideally, for most Thai cuisines peanut sauce is like one of the ten commandments but I have my own variations here which retained the original flavor of Basil fried Rice. So go ahead and make your variant if you wish to.

 

Ingredients

• vegetable oil/ sunflower oil- 3 -4 tbsp
• Garlic- 6-7 minced
• 2 large carrots, julienned
• 1  onion, thinly sliced
• 1 small red pepper, seeded and thinly slied
• 1 small green pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 small yellow pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 tin Baby corn
• Green peas( frozen or fresh)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3-4 tbsp  sriracha Sambal Oelek paste
• Green chilli sauce
• Red chilli sauce
• 4 cups pre-cooked jasmine rice/ basmati rice
• 2 cups fresh thai basil, loosely chopped(I used pudina/mint for a variation)

 

Here’s a picture of the sauces that I used for your reference

 

Instructions

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok pan, add garlic and onion, stirring frequently, for 1 minute or until it becomes translucent.
2. Mix in carrots, bell peppers, baby corn and cook for 5-7 minutes until they begin to soften.
3. Add soy sauce, red chilli and green chilli sauce, sambal oelek and  sugar, give it a good stir, now add rice, Stir well to mix the rice with the sauce, then stir in green peas. Turn off heat and mix in basil.  Enjoy while its hot!

Tip: You could also use brown rice if you are health conscious and are on a diet. It tastes great with brown rice too.

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

SPAGHETTI AGLIO-OLIO

There’s something very magical about Italian food that  tickles our taste buds in a jiffy. The fresh aroma of Italian herbs and the flavor they add to Italian delights is something that is so impeccably divine.

Spaghetti Aglio –Olio is one of them. Ideally Aglio in Italian means Garlic and Olio meaning Oil. It’s a blend of olive oil with a rich garlic essence that is tossed with some aromatic seasoning and pitted black olives.

Ingredients-

Spaghetti- 200gms (I used Barilla, you can choose your brand)

3-4 tsp of olive oil

Garlic- 3-4 pods finely chopped

Capers (optional)- 8-10

Black olives sliced- 8-0

Italian seasoning herbs(usually get it as one in the departmental store) – oregano, thyme, rosemary

Grated parmesan cheese

Red Chilli Flakes- 2 tbsb

Finely chopped parsley( you could use dried parsley too)

Black  pepper powder

Salt – as per your taste.

Method-

Place some water in a 2 quart pan and bring to a slight boil, add the spaghetti and a tea spoon of salt and cook for about 10-15 minutes on high to medium flame or till its al-dente, strain it and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a pan, temper with garlic, capers and olives on medium flame. Make sure your garlic doesn’t deep fry. Now add the tempered mixture with red chilli flakes, pepper powder, Italian seasoning, salt and toss it well until all the mixture blends. Now add the parmesan cheese and chopped parsley atop the spaghetti and enjoy it while its hot.