Alu Paratha(potato-stuffed flatbread)

This is also another favourite in my house and easy to make. It can be served with some spicy vegetable curry or with simple pickle and plain curd(yoghurt). It can be served as a breakfast or as a main dish with lunch or dinner. I love the ease of making this dish. Whenever there is some free space in the pressure cooker (which I use everyday to cook our meals) , I boil a few potatoes in it. I store them in the fridge and use them over the next 2-3 days to make sabji or paratha, or bonda(vada), raita etc.

FOR ALU PARATHA : Ingredienats: For stuffing:

Potatoes : 4-6 boiled and mashed finely or grated.

green chillies - 2-3 finely chopped or 1/2 tsp green chilli paste.

red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp.(optional)

Ginger paste - 1/4 tsp.

Salt - 1 tsp.

For dough :

whole wheat flour - 2 cups.

salt - 1/2 teaspoon

oil - 2-3 teaspoons

water to make dough. - as needed.

Mix all together and form a dough as for chapati.

Method : Mix together all the ingredients for stuffing. Divide into lemon sized balls. Also make smaller balls with the dough. Roll the dough a little. Put the potato stuffing in the middle. Close to form a round. Roll with the help of flour. Heat pan/tava/girdle. Place the rolled paratha on it . Add a tspfull oil. Let cook till golden brown on both sides. Serve hot with butter/ghee, pickle, curd. So yummy! Make a lot of them and share.

A snack- Huli Avalakki(Sour puffed rice)

Huli Avalakki. - (Spicy and sour puffed rice)
Today I made Huli avalakki ( sour puffed rice preparation) . It is an item which is a favourite with everybody. The other day my neighbour first asked the receiepe and then requested me go to her house to show her how to cook it. They were expecting some guests(her cousins from US) and she wanted to make that to take that to KRS as a snack for their picnic.

So here it is :Huli avalakki ( sour puffed rice preparation)Ingredients:

Puffed rice (finely ground to powder) -1cup

tamarind (squeezed into pulp)

Salt to tasteOil - 3tbsp

Jaggery - Grated -2 tbsp

Water – 1 cup

Curry powder – 1tea spoon.

Method : - Mix together tamarind pulp, salt, curry powder, jaggery in ½ cup water. Add puffed rice powder to it. Mix well. Add a little more water if necessary. Keep aside for 15-20 minutes.In a pan heat oil. Add mustard seed, cumin seeds, asafetida (hing), turmeric powder, curry leaves, ground nut, chana dal (split gram), urad dal (split black gram). Fry a little. Do not let the dal turn black.Add the puffed rice mixture. Mix well. Cover and cook on slow flame for 5 minutes. Add grated coconut, chopped coriander. Mix well. Serve decorated with grated coconut and coriander.

A favourite meal :Chapati and Alu raita.

How to make Chapati  - Indian everyday flat bread: 

 

Ingredients for chapati: 

• whole wheat flour- 2 cups+ some for applying while rolling. 
• salt - 1 teaspoon 
• oil - 2 teaspoon+ some more. 
• water for mixing dough. 

 Making chapati

 

Making chapati dough

 

1. Mix the flour, salt, 2 teaspoon oil. 
2. Add water and make into a soft dough. 
3. Knead well and keep aside for half an hour.

Rolling chapatis

1. After half an hour, knead the dough some more and make into large lemon size balls. 
2. Using a rolling pin, flatten the ball into three inch diameter round. 
3. Apply a little oil. Fold into half, apply a little oil, fold again. 
4. Sprinkle a little dry flour and roll into a round of about 5-6 inch diameter. 

 Cooking chapati

1. Heat a girdle/ tava/ skillet / frypan on medium heat.
2. When it is hot, place the rolled chapati on it. 
3. When the top starts to bubble up, turn and cook on the other side for a few seconds. 
4. Turn again and the chapati will puff up. We cook the chapati till it has brown spots on both sides. 
5. Remove from fire. 

 

Apply a spoonfull of ghee(clarified butter) and put in a closed container. Serve hot with any spicy vegetable curry. Potatos go well with chapati.

 

 How to make aloo raita

 

For Alu Raita : ingredients. : 

 

• boiled and roughly mashed potatoes - 2-3
• 2 cups curd(plain yoghurt)
• salt - according to taste.
• oil - two teaspoons.
• mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• cumin seeds -1/4 teaspoon
• asafoetida - a pinch
• Chopped fresh coriander / dhania leaves - 1 tbsp
  

 

To make tadka / tempering for aloo raita

 

• Heat oil, add mustard and cumin seed. 
• when they start spluttering, add asafoetida, curry leaves. 
• Remove from fire. Tempering / tadka is ready

Mixing aloo raitha

 

1. Mix together mashed potatoes, salt, curd.
2. Add cooled tadka to the potato mixture. 
3. Serve with chapatis or paranthas.

My cooking experience

I have been cooking for many years. And now I want to write about what I cook and eat. Slowly I will add the dishes that I cook everyday, my family's favourites and some are my own favourites. I like to experiment with food and I am going to write about that too. 

 

The successes and the disasters in cooking experiences. It will be a record about my own recipes. Better than any other cookery book written by someone else. Don't you agree? You are welcome to use them and please let me know what you think about them. Any variations that you make, or any other feedback.

 

When I got married, my husband was used to only eating a particular kind of food, whereas I liked to experiment.

 

' Hope we have some bananas at home. We can have them just in case' . He would say whenever I said that I was experimenting something new. But now he is enthusiastic when I say I am trying something new and offers to help me with cutting vegetables etc.

So let's get in to my kitchen.