Foodie Workz

Oflate, I seem to have been hooked by this wonderful spice blend called the Panch Phoran. As you can see this has been used in my Bhindi Subzi recipe as well. I had this for the first time recently at my friends place and immediately took a liking to this since then. Panch Phoran also known as panch phoron, panch puran, panchpuran, punch puram, punchpuram is a classic Bengali spice blend typically consisting of five spices in equal measure. It is more Bengali and maybe also Oriya than any other region of India. The five spices that make up this wonderful blend are Fenugreek seeds(methi) Nigella seeds(kalonji or onion seeds) Cumin Seeds(jeera) Fennel Seeds(saunf) Mustard Seeds(rai) After some googling, I learnt that this is never ground or used as a powder or paste. Dry roasted panch phoran is however ground to make a powder to be sprinkled on chutneys. In this process, I also came across this lovely appetizing image of Panch Phoran Aloo that I was tempted to try it out in my ki...

Bottle gourd is one of the earliest vegetables cultivated by man, believed to be originated in Africa. Not very familiar to the western world, it is one of the favorite vegetables in Indian Cuisine. Bottle gourd or Lauki has many beneficial properties that are valued in traditional healing. It is low in fat and cholesterol but high in fiber. It is excellent for light low calorie diets, as well as for small children, people with digestive problems and diabetics. The juice of a bottle gourd is an excellent remedy for acidity, indigestion and ulcers. I started including this in my diet only when I settled in Delhi for a while after my marriage. All I would do was make a rasdar with some onions and tomatoes. But after coming to the US, I learned that lot more was possible with this vegetable like the kheer, raita and teplas. Nowadays, I make all kinds of dishes with lauki(however yet to try the kheer). Around the time I started this food blog which is now 2 months old, I got the u...

3/4 cup boiled kidney beans 3/4 cup boiled black eyed beans 2 medium potatoes 1/2 cup chopped onions 1/2 of yellow capsicum/peppers 3-4 green chillies 3 tsp grated ginger 3 big garlic cloves 3 tsp lemon juice salt to taste chopped coriander Take oil and saute the onions lightly. Add green chilli, garlic and ginger, stir for half a minute and add the the finely chopped capsicum. Add a pinch of salt for it to cook faster. Turn off once it is done and leave it to cool. Take the beans in a food processor and run it to get a coarse mixture. Add the cooled vegetables and pulse for it to process lightly and get mixed. Transfer these to a bowl of coarsely mashed potatoes. Add the necessary salt, the lemon juice and the coriander leaves to combine well into a dough. You can always check if the salt and spices are well blended by tasting a small piece. Make big lemon sized balls and shape them into round patties. I baked half of them and cooked the rest half on the stove top with a teasp...

Young and old there is nobody who does not like  Aloo Parathas.  However, I rarely make them for me and my husband(just for health reasons) while I make it quite often for my girls when they get back after school.  They prefer to have them fresh and warm from the pan.  Today, I just wanted to try a variation by adding some zucchini, carrots and a few spring onions desperately waiting to be consumed.  The white flesh of the zucchini  allows it to blend well with the potatoes and the kids do not even realize they are eating them.   1 medium size potato boiled, peeled and mashed 1/2 of a medium zucchini grated 1small carrot grated 1 green chili grated 1big clove of garlic grated 1/2 tsp of MDH brand stuffed paratha masala or garam masala 2 tbsp of chopped spring onions few sprigs of coriander leaves chopped pinch of turmeric salt to taste Take a spoon of oil and saute the chili and the garlic.  Add the carrots and let it cook with li...

I decided to make some pooris after a very long time and wanted to try out something different.  Hence, decided to use some oats and bajra flour.  In the past, I have made some masala green pooris by adding some spinach and spice to the dough while kneading.  For the first time, I added some mint leaves(the credit for the idea would however go to my cousin) just so I could use up some of the leaves from my garden. 1 cup wheat flour 1/4 cup bajra flour 1/4 cup quick oats flour salt to taste 2 handfuls of mint leaves 1/2 tsp ajwain seeds water little more than 1/2 cup Thoroughly rinse the mint leaves.  Take all the flour, ajwain and salt in a food processor and start running it.  Add the mint leaves and the water little at a time.  Run the machine till it comes together like a ball.  The consistency of the dough should be stiff so that you are able to roll it out without any flour for dredging. I was able to get 13 pooris from the above q...

300 gms zucchini 350 gms potato 2 tomatoes 1 green chili grated 1 tsp each of ginger and garlic grated 1/8 tsp of chili powder 1/2 tsp pav bhaji powder 1 tsp of salt Cut the zucchini into big cubes.  Peel and chop the potatoes slightly smaller than the zucchinis.  Grind the tomatoes with some coriander leaves and keep it aside.  Take oil in a pan, splutter the cumin seeds, followed by ginger, green chili and garlic.  Add the zucchini, potatoes, chili powder and turmeric powder.  Stir for a minute or two and add the tomato paste and about 2 cups of water.  Add the pav bhaji powder and salt and let it almost come to a boil.  Transfer this to a vessel and pressure cook this for 2 whistles or on low for 10 minutes or until you get the cooked smell of the vegetables.  After the cooking is over, remove it from the cooker and let it come to a boil again on the stove top.  Garnish with coriander leaves.  You can increase the spice acc...

Here in the US you get something like the kuzhi paniyaram pan called the filled pancake pan....these are used to make paniyaram like pancakes with fresh fruit fillings of your choice. I came across this in a cookware catalog and fancied it so much that my friend gifted it to me for my housewarming party. Since the time I got this pan, I have not only made the stuffed pancakes but made all kinds of quick paniyarams using pancake mix, paniyarams with idli, dosa and adai batters.....and low calorie bondas and koftas. Anyway, I had to get rid of this lovely pan once it started to wear out. I now have the non stick kuzhi paniyaram pan from India. The holes in this are very much smaller than the pancake pan. Nevertheless, they still give the delicious treats that we are looking for. The quick banana paniyaram is much liked by my kids that I never hesitate to make when I have ripened bananas and some store bought multigrain pancake mix. I very much like this multigrain mix from the l...