Why Do Indians Love Ragda Chaat?

This is a North Indian vegetarian delicacy. Best eaten on its own or with a spicy potato patty. Dried White peas are also referred to as Safed matar or Vatana in some parts of India. I like to eat it with bread and lots of butter. A variety of Indian snack items are referred to as chaat, which includes samosas, aloo tikkis, paani puri, dahi badas and ragda patty. I am sure I have missed a couple in the rainbow of chaat items. These Chaat items are accompanied by lemon and fresh mint chutney, tamarind chutney and flavoured yogurt. Why Do Indians Love Ragda Chaat? It is spicy, it is tangy with crisps sprinkled on top, need I say more? Well, you have to try this ragda to really know why.

Ragda

Serves 4

Ingredients

Dried White Peas (Safed Matar/ Vatana) 1 cup (or 2 cans, processed)

Salt to taste

Unsalted, clarified Butter (Ghee) 1 tablespoon

Asafoetida (Hing) ¼ teaspoon

Cumin (Jeera) 1 teaspoon

Ginger (Adrak) ½ inch piece, grated

Coriander Powder (Dhaniya powder) 1 teaspoon

Red Chilli Powder (lal Mirch Powder) ½ teaspoon

Garam Masala Powder 1 teaspoon

Dried Mango Powder (Amchur) 1 ½ teaspoon

For Garnish:

Green chilli 2, chopped

Coriander leaves a few, chopped

Dried Crispy Savoury (Papdi or Pani Puri Puris)

Lemon 1, cut into wedges

Method:

Soak the dried white peas five hours or overnight.

Boil them in 2 ½ cups of water and some salt. You can pressure cook them for two whistles or in a deep pan on medium heat for thirty minutes covered with a lid.

If you are using the processed canned white peas, you can use them directly.

In a pan, heat the clarified butter (Ghee), add in cumin and asafoetida. Once the cumin turns a shade darker in colour, add in the grated ginger and stir.

Drain out the excess water from the boiled white peas and add in the peas and stir. Save the cooking liquid to use it later.

Add in salt, coriander powder, red chilli powder and stir. Add in ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Cook on medium heat for three to five minutes.

Now, add in garam masala powder and dried mango powder and stir. Add in a little cooking liquid if the white peas seem too dry. Simmer for two minutes, stir and turn off the heat.

Garnish with crushed puris or papdis with green Chilli and coriander leaves. Squeeze a wedge of lemon on top. Serve Hot.

How To Make Roti? Step By Step Procedure To Make Phulka, Paratha and Chapatti

How To Knead the Dough?

For 10 Rotis

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour 2 cups

Water 1 1/4 Cup

Salt 1/2 teaspoon

Vegetable Oil 1 teaspoon

Method:

Take two cups of whole wheat flour in a flat, deep plate.

Make a well in the middle and add salt.

Add all the water in the well.

Sprinkle oil and Knead the Dough. Round it up.

Let the Dough rest for thirty minutes.

Divide the Dough into ten equal portions.

Round it up into the size of lemons.

How To Make a Phulka?

You Will Need 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour For Dusting

Flatten the Dough.

Roll it out evenly on all sides. Make a Circle the Size of your Palm. Dust away the excess flour.

Cook it on a Flat griddle till it gets little dark browns spots.

Cook it Directly over the Flame.

How To Make a Paratha?

You Will Need 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour For Dusting

2 teaspoons Vegetable Oil Or Butter to Cook Each of the Parathas

Roll it evenly on all sides into a triangle. Dust the excess the flour off.

Cook it on both sides with some oil on a flat griddle. Allow it to cook on both sides. Cook on medium flame until crisp. 

How To Make A Chapatti?

You Will Need 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour for Dusting

1 teaspoon vegetable oil to cook each of the Chapattis,

Roll it evenly into a large and thin circle. Dust off the excess flour.

Cook with a little oil on a griddle on low heat. Let it brown slightly on both sides. Chapatti should be soft. Do not Shallow fry until crisp.

How To Make Aloo Ki Tehri? Baby Steps To Make Indian Style Potato and Pea Rice

This is an exclusive if you can read, you can cook section. If you have never cooked before, you can still directly read up the step by step procedure given in this section and cook up some simple and delicious Indian Dishes. Indian cooking has never been simpler, so, go ahead cook to impress.

Aloo Tehri

Serves – 2

Ingredients

Basmati Rice (long grain) 1 cup

Unsalted, Clarified Butter (Ghee) 1 tablespoon

Cumin (Jeera) ½ teaspoon

Onion (Pyaz), large 1

Potato (Aloo), large 1

Green Peas (Hari Matar), shelled ¼ cup

Turmeric Powder (Haldi) ½ teaspoon

Salt to taste (This can be tricky but ½ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon is usually used depending on your preference)

Coriander Powder (Dhaniya Powder) ½ teaspoon

Red Chilli Powder (Lal Mirch Powder) ¼ teaspoon

Garam Masala Powder ½ teaspoon

Still Water 2 cups

Method:

Wash and soak the rice in two cups of water.

Meanwhile, with the help of a knife cut the onion into half. Remove the eye and tail of the onion. Peel out the outermost layer of the onion, wash and cut both halves into even size slices.

With the help of a peeler, peel out the outer brown covering of the potato. With a sharp knife, cut the potato into half. Cut each half into half lengthwise and cut it into six pieces. Keep the cut potato in a bowl full of water to prevent it from changing colour.

Wash the green peas and set aside.

Take a pan big enough to hold at least thrice the quantity of rice given in the recipe.

Heat clarified butter (ghee) in this pan. Once the butter melts, add in the cumin. Cook the cumin on medium heat until it turns a shade darker.

Once the cumin changes colour, add in the onion slices to the pan. Stir and cook the onion slices until they become tender and turn translucent. Keep stirring.

Now, drain out the excess water from the bowl full of cut up potato and add in the potatoes to the pan. Stir.

Similarly, drain out the excess water from the peas and add it into the pan. Stir.

Add in the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and salt and continue to stir. Cook on medium heat for three minutes. Keep stirring.

Now, add in two cups of water to the pan. Give it a stir and cover the pan with a lid. Turn the heat to low.

Allow the rice to cook for five minutes. Open the lid and give it a stir.

Allow the rice to cook for another three to four minutes and turn off the heat. Keep the lid on and allow the rice to cook in its own steam.

Open the lid after two minutes and serve hot with some butter and plain yogurt.

Note: You can also add in Cauliflower into this preparation. Cut it into florets and toss it in along with the potato during the preparation. 

Fasting

As some of you may have know, my country has been going through a struggle against corruption. I have joined in the relay fast for a few days to support Anna Hazare, the man behind this Indian Revolution. I support fasting for the country, it feels great to be a part of the change in my country. I will struggle for as long as I can.

What is fasting?
To abstain from eating and drinking for two consecutive meals or more.

In the meanwhile, there is an upside to fasting. I don't feel hungry during the protest since I am busy protesting. There are some other advantages to occasional fasting.

It helps cleanse you body of metabolic wastes and toxins.

It helps in natural healing for several health disorders by strengthening the immune system and natural defenses.

It helps self discipline and self control. 

A Simply Lazy Sunday Roast And Another One; The Greedy Sunday Roast

Sunday is a great day, to catch up with some friends, grab a couple of chilled beers and chat up over lunch. Yet, who wants to cook an extravagant meal, when you just want to sit back, eat and be lazy? For those lazy days and many more, when you want to eat good, home cooked food with minimum effort. Simply roast a chicken like I did this weekend. Prepare the chicken on Saturday night right before you go to bed. The prep won’t take you more than five minutes, so prep the chicken and keep it overnight for the flavours to soak in.  Blow of some steam, sit back and have a delicious homemade roast on Sunday.

Simply Lazy Sunday Roast – Serves 4

Ingredients

Chicken, Whole with the Skin 1 to 1.5 kg Chicken (Use a Small Chicken)             

Salt 3 times the regular amount of salt you use. I used a little over 3 teaspoon for 1kg Chicken

Carom Seeds (Ajwain) 2 teaspoons (Use Thyme if Carom Seeds are unavailable)

Garlic, peeled 5 to 6 cloves, crushed and minced

Black Pepper, freshly ground 3 teaspoons (to form a crust)

Olive Oil 3 tablespoons

Butter 4 tablespoons (It’s a Sunday Treat after all)

Potato 2 large, halved

Peas  ½ cup

Carrot 1, halved

Method:

Preheat the oven at 180 degree Celsius.

Wash and clean the chicken. Leave the skin on.

Rub lots of salt on the skin.

 If you are letting it stand for less than three hours make gashes on the drumstick, thigh and breast with the tip of a sharp knife. This helps the flavours soak in better. Baste more frequently to prevent the juices from drying out.

Rub in the Caroms seeds, minced garlic on the roast.

Rub the freshly ground black pepper on the skin to form like a crust on top.

Tip: Do not use Black Pepper powder packs from the store, these are fine and tend to char easily over the roast.

Sprinkle a little olive oil and top it by spreading a tablespoon of butter.

Place the Roast in a baking or oven-proof dish. I did not have a roasting dish, so I used a round aluminium cake tin to place my chicken to reserve the dripping and juices from the chicken to baste it later on. The chicken should fit in the dish to hold it in shape.

Let it stand for three hours or just rub the herbs on Saturday night and just it stand overnight like I do.

Pop the chicken to roast in the oven at 180 degree Celsius for 35 for 40 minutes.

Baste it once by brushing it with its drippings after about twenty minutes of popping it into the oven.

At the same time, pop in the potato, carrot and peas on the side, to roast with the chicken.

Pull the chicken out after forty minutes, Cut up the joints and serve them with the potatoes, carrot, peas and the juices on the side.

A Greedy Sunday Roast – Serves 4

Ingredients

Chicken, Whole with the Skin 1 to 1.5 kg Chicken (Use a Small Chicken)             

Salt 3 times the regular amount of salt you use. I used a little over 3 teaspoon for 1kg Chicken

Red Chilli Flakes 1 teaspoon

Ginger, peeled and grated  3 teaspoons (fresh)

Honey 4 tablespoons

Olive Oil 3 tablespoons

Lemon, juice 1

Potato 2 large, halved

Peas  ½ cup

Carrot 1, halved

Method:

Preheat the oven at 180 degree Celsius.

Wash and clean the chicken. Leave the skin on.

Rub lots of salt on the skin.

 If you are letting it stand for less than three hours make gashes on the drumstick, thigh and breast with the tip of a sharp knife. This helps the flavours soak in better. Baste more frequently to prevent the juices from drying out.

Rub in the red chilli flakes and grated ginger on the roast.

Rub the honey on the skin.

Sprinkle a little olive oil.

Place the Roast in a baking or oven-proof dish. I did not have a roasting dish, so I used a round aluminium cake tin to place my chicken to reserve the dripping and juices from the chicken to baste it later on. The chicken should fit in the dish to hold it in shape.

Let it stand for three hours or just rub the herbs on Saturday night and just it stand overnight like I do.

Pop the chicken to roast in the oven at 180 degree Celsius for 35 for 40 minutes.

Baste it once by brushing it with its drippings after about twenty minutes of popping it into the oven.

At the same time, pop in the potato, carrot and peas on the side, to roast with the chicken.

Pull the chicken out after forty minutes and squeeze lemon juice on top of it.

 Cut up the joints and serve them with the potatoes, carrot, peas and the juices on the side.

Simple, Subtle, Homemade Fish Curry; Macher Jhol

This is the simplest form of Bengali fish curry which can be made with any fresh water fish. It is frequently prepared in Bengali homes. Rohu is a fresh water fish that is cut into to Bengali style pieces which means the slices of the round fish are halved. In most Bengali fish curry recipes, the fish is first cleaned and then turmeric and salt are rubbed on to it. This process is necessary since turmeric has antiseptic properties and it nullifies the affect of impurities clinging on to the fish. Salt is for seasoning and a preservative, to keep the freashness intact.

Macher Jhol

Bengali Fish Curry – Serves 2

Ingredients

Rohu  4 to 5 pieces (400g)

Cauliflower (Phool Gobi) ½ cup, cut into florets

Potato (Aloo) ½ cup, cut into quarters

Turmeric (Haldi) ½ + ½ teaspoon

Salt (Namak) to taste

Tomato Puree (Pisaa Tamatar) ½ cup

Green Chilli (hari mirch) 1

Ginger (Adrak) ½ inch piece

Onion Seeds (Kalonji) ½ teaspoon

Mustard seeds (Rai) ½ teaspoon

Cumin (Jeera) ½ teaspoon

Mustard Oil (sarson ka tel) 1 tablespoon

Method:

Rub turmeric and salt to Bengali style, cut pieces of Rohu. Keep it aside.

Heat mustard oil in a pan, once it starts smoking, shallow fry the fish. Remove the fish and set aside.

In the same pan, shallow fry the cauliflower and potato with some turmeric and set aside.

Make a fine paste with tomato puree, ginger, green chilli, onion seeds, cumin, mustard seeds.

In a pan, add in the tomato paste and cook for five minutes on medium heat. The tomato puree should be fully cooked and the mixture should leave the sides and separate from the oil after five minutes.

Now, add in the cauliflower and the potato, stir and cook for three minutes on medium flame. Keep stirring.

Finally add in the fish that was shallow fried and kept aside earlier.

Add in ¾ cup water and allow the fish to simmer on low heat for five minutes, until the fish turns white and 

starts separating from the bone.

Be careful while stirring the curry, so that the pieces of fish do not break. Cook for another two or three minutes on low flame. Turn off the heat.

Serve hot with luchis or steamed rice.

My Big Fat Vegetarian Burger; Eight Layers of Happiness

Cheese + Rosti + Lettuce and Tomato + Veggie Patty + Orange Burger Sauce + Onion Rings + pickled cucumber +Cabbage with Orange Burger Sauce in a Toasted Sesame Bun = Eight Fold Happiness

More about the Secrets of this Veggie Burger . Know more about all the cravings and temptations that led to this Massive mountain of happiness.

I was so confused before I started making this burger. There were fireworks of flavours running in my mind and the more I thought about it, the more stuff I wanted to put in it. Finally I brought it down to the basics and a few more layers, which absolutely must be there. I have put in all of this in the burgers, but if you like you can skip a few. So, let me go layer wise.

For One Burger

Layer One

Processed Cheese Slices (Cheddar),  2 slices

Put the cheese slices on the halves of the Sesame Bun before toasting them.

Layer Two

Iceberg Lettuce, shredded 1 cup

Tomato, slices  2

Put the lettuce over the cheese on the halves of the buns. Put a tomato slice on each both halves of the buns.

Layer Three

Rosti

How to make a Rosti?

Old Potato, Starchy    2, large

Salt  to taste

Black Pepper Powder  to taste

Vegetable oil   2 tablespoon

In a deep pan, fill it up with water. Peel the potatoes and add them to the water. Partially boil the potatoes.

Grate the potatoes, season with salt and pepper. Mix well.

Heat oil in a pan, add the potatoes in the form of a pancake like small discs.

Press the potatoes together and toast them to a crispy texture on one side.

With a flat spoon, turn and cook it until crisp on the other.

If the potato is not starchy and does not bind, you can mix in an egg or corn-flour soaked in water to hold the potato together.

This crispy Rosti is then placed over the tomato.

Layer Four

Vegetarian Patty

Potato, boiled and mashed ½ cup

Corn Kernels, boiled and mashed 3 tablespoons

Green Peas, boiled and mashed 3 tablespoons

Processed Cheese, grated   2 tablespoons

Salt to taste

Black Pepper Powder   to taste

Refined Flour (seasoned with salt)   ¼  cup

Corn-flour 2 tablespoon

Breadcrumbs   ½ cup

Vegetable Oil for frying

Method:

In a bowl, mix in mashed potato, mashed corn kernels and mashed green peas along with salt and pepper. Mash them together and mix well.

Add in the grated cheese, mash and mix properly into the potato mixture.

If the mixture is too sticky add in a little refined flour. 

Smear oil in your palm and round up the mixture, and then flatten it with your palm. The size of the patty should be exactly equal to the size of the halved bun in diameter. Refrigerate for five minutes.

Dust the patty in refined flour.

Mix the corn-flour in two tablespoons of water. Dip the patty in the corn-flour and then roll it in breadcrumbs.

In a deep pan, heat the oil for frying. Once the oil is hot, add in the patty to the hot oil. Deep fry the patty until golden brown.

Remove the patty and keep it on a paper towel to soak up the excess oil. Plcae with some burger sauce over the rosti.

Layer Five

Burger Sauce

Tomato Ketchup 3 tablespoon

Mayonnaise 2 tablespoon

Garlic powder / garlic, minced 1 teaspoon

Onion dehydrated/ White onion, minced 2 teaspoons

Vinegar 2 teaspoons

Sugar 1 teaspoon

Method:

In a bowl, mix in the ketchup, mayonnaise, garlic, onion, vinegar and sugar. The burger sauce is ready.

Put a tablespoon full of the burger sauce on top of the patty and spread it evenly. (You can also add in a tablespoon of cream to make the burger sauce rich in taste)

Layer Six

Coleslaw

Cabbage, shredded ½ cup

Burger Sauce 1 tablespoon

Method:

Squeeze out the excess water from the cabbage. Mix the shredded cabbage and burger sauce in a bowl.

Place the coleslaw on the patty.

Layer Seven

Caramelised Onion Rings

Onion, peeled 1, large (Do not half the onion)

Salt to taste

Sugar 1 teaspoon

Vegetable oil 1 teapoon

Method:

Cut onion slices in the form of thin rings. Separate the rings.

Sprinkle salt and sugar over the onion and let it stand for five minutes.

Heat oil in a pan and add the onion rings. Toss the onion rings and allow them to turn caramel brown.

Add the onion rings on top of the coleslaw.

Layer Eight

Gherkins or Pickled Cucumber  4 slices

Method:

If gherkins slices are unavailable. Use pickled cucumber.

For pickled cucumber, peel cucumber and remove the marrow.

Cut 1 ½ inch lengthwise slices of the cucumber. Soak them in Vinegar salt and sugar for athree to four hours.

Add these on top of the onion rings

To finish, keep the other half of the toasted sesame bun with cheese on top of the eight layers of the burger.

Secure with the kelp of a wooden satay stick or a long toothpick and serve with chips.