chat masala

Hara Bhara Kabab

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Hara bhara kababIt has been quite some time since my last post. How you guys doing? Sorry folks, I don’t get time to post regularly like before. It is summer break here in the US and school year starting back home. Different parts of the world and different routines πŸ™‚ Coming back to the recipe for today, I have posted a snack food for a change. It is really healthy and you would be surprised, especially children if they come to know about the ingredients. It is called as the Hara Bhara Kabab.

Hara bhara kababKabab in general refers to a variety of snack foods cooked mostly in skewers and made of meat. It originated in the Mediterranean and is widely popular all over the world. India too has its own share of kabab varieties. Since more than half the population is vegetarian and us being the innovators :), we have vegetarian kabab varieties. Hara Bhara Kabab is one such variety made using spinach and peas. I came across this recipe a while ago and have made it quite a few times since then. It is one of my favorite snacks and my HB loves it too.

Hara bhara kababThe main ingredients of Hara Bhara Kababs are, as mentioned earlier, spinach and peas. These are very easy to make and uses minimal ingredients. Hara Bhara Kababs can either be pan fried or baked in the oven. I am yet to try the latter and so the cooking method followed in this recipe is pan frying. Having hot Hara Bhara Kababs with ketchup in the evenings is one way to experience culinary nirvana :). Try it out and enjoy!

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Hara Bhara Kabab
Recipe type: Snack
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • Spinach – 2 cups
  • Potato, medium – 1
  • Green Peas, boiled – 2 tbsp
  • Green chilli – 2 nos
  • Ginger – small piece
  • Chat masala – 1 tsp
  • Amchur powder – ΒΎ tsp
  • Gram flour – 1 ΒΌ tbsp.
  • Salt as required
  • Oil – to smear around kababs
Instructions
  1. Pressure cook the potato for 2 whistles.
  3. Blanch the spinach in boiling water for a minute or two without covering and strain and wash them immediately with cold water – to retain the color. Completely drain the water and keep it aside.
  5. Grind the spinach along with green chilli, ginger and boiled green peas (I used frozen) and grind them to coarse paste without adding any water.
  6. Meanwhile drain and peel the potato.
  7. Add the peeled potatoes to the spinach puree and mash it together.
  9. Add amchur powder, chat masala, salt and gram flour. Mix well and make tikki shapes.
  11. Cook it in the flat pan drizzling very little oil. Cook for a few minutes. Flip and cook until golden brown on both sides. Enjoy the yummy hara bhara kabab with ketchup! 
Notes
1.Do not add too much gram flour. It might change the flavor.
2.Don’t overcook the potatoes.
3.Kabab has to be like cotton soft when cut. That’s the right texture.

Hara bhara kababΒ Hara bhara kabab

Mooli Ka Paratha

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Mooli Ka ParathaParatha is a bread variety made from leavened wheat flour and is the staple food in northern parts of India. There are so many varieties of parathas like Aloo paratha, Kashmiri paratha, Paneer paratha etc. Today’s recipe is one such variety called the Mooli Ka Paratha, a stuffed paratha variety made from Mooli. Mooli is the hindi word for radish. I have heard about Mooli ka paratha before but have never tried it until recently. Thanks to my dear friend for introducing me to this dish.

Mooli Ka ParathaMooli Ka ParathaRadish or Mooli is a root vegetable and you must have seen it as an ingredient in another south Indian culinary delight called as the Sambar. Mooli ka paratha, though is a common dish prepared at homes, it is rarely seen in a restaurant menu. As with other stuffed parathas that I had mentioned above, Mooli ka paratha too can be had as is without a side dish and if you really must have something with it then Raita is the one to go for, especially cucumber raita. I have provided the recipe for that as well here πŸ™‚Mooli Ka Paratha

Mooli Ka ParathaMooli ka Paratha is a summertime dish because of the rich water content in radish and is healthy as well. For the stuffing, you can either use the radish as is or sautΓ© them and then use it. Either way, it tastes good. The next time you want to have paratha for lunch or dinner, do try this variety and I promise that you will not be disappointed πŸ™‚

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Mooli Ka Paratha
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6 parathas
 
Ingredients
for the stuffing:
  • Radish, grated – 4 cups
  • Ajwain – ΒΌ tsp
  • Green chilli, finely chopped – 3 nos
  • Cilantro, finely chopped – 3 nos
  • Cumin powder – Β½ tsp
  • Red chilli powder – Β½ to ΒΎ tsp
  • Garama masala – ΒΌ tsp
  • Chat masala – ΒΌ tsp
  • Salt
for the dough
  • Wheat flour – 2 cups
  • Salt as required
  • Oil – 2 tsp
for raitha:
  • Grated persian cucumber, small – 1 no
  • Grated carrot, small – 1 no
  • Green chili, finely chopped – 1 no
  • Salt as required
  • Yogurt – Β½ cup
  • Chat masala – a generous pinch
Instructions
  1. Grate the radish and transfer to a bowl. Set aside for 30 minutes and squeeze all the juice completely. Finely chop green chilli and cilantro.
  3. Add all the above ingredients to the grated radish and mix well. You can use this as a stuffing.
  5. Or saute them without squeezing the radish juice until raw smell disappears and all the water dries out and use that as a stuffing.
  7. Add oil, salt and squeezed radish juice with enough water (if needed) to the flour and make a dough. Leave it for 15 to 30 minutes.
  9. Divide the dough to equal sized balls.Heat the flat pan to make parathas.
  10. Dust a ball into the dry flour and roll them to circle. Repeat the same and make a equal sized circle.
  12. Place the stuffing in the middle of a rolled dough.
  14. Cover with the another rolled circle.
  16. Now carefully roll the paratha to desired size and repeat the same for the remaining dough.
  18. Cook the paratha on a hot tawa for couple of minutes on one side until brown spots appear.
  20. Flip the paratha, spread ghee on top of cooked side and cook for another couple of minutes until the dark spots appear on other side. Smear enough ghee if needed.
  22. Serve the hot moolika paratha with cucumber raitha and pickle. Enjoy! πŸ™‚
To make cucumber raitha:
  1. Add little water and salt to the yogurt and mix well.
  2. Add the grated cucumber, carrot and green chilli. Mix well and sprinkle chat masala on top before serving.

Mooli Ka Paratha

CHICKEN TIKKA

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Chicken Tikka Chicken Tikka is a popular north Indian dish made of small pieces of boneless chicken. The work Tikka means pieces (in Hindi). The peparation method for making chicken tikka is unique in the sense that the chicken pieces are baked in a clay oven called Tandoor. Given that we can’t have tandoors at home (atleast most of us, including me :)), conventional oven is a good alternative. It still tastes great baking the chicken tikka in an oven. Chicken Tikka Chicken Tikka is also the base for another popular dish called the Chicken Tikka masala, a tasty gravy. One of the main pain points for making chicken tikka masala, apart from the Tandoor is the moisture content in the chicken. Make sure to remove all moisture from the chicken tikka and the marinating ingredients as well. I usually marinate the chicken overnight which given the chicken tikka a nice flavor given that the masala gets absorbed by the chicken through the night. Chicken Tikka Chicken tikka is very popular in overseas Indian restaurants and as far I have seen, it is one of the most popular indian dishes among foreigners (along with naan). Also, given its dual benefit of having it as a dry item as well as a gravy (chicken tikka masala), it is one of the go-to dishes in functions like weddings, get-togethers and also in hotel buffets. Chicken Tikka Hot Chicken Tikka with a squeeze of lemon juice and coriander chutney tastes like heaven and can make anyone drool just by a glimpse of it. Here is the recipe to this wonderful dish. Let me know your thoughts and comments on your experience with Chicken tikka!

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CHICKEN TIKKA
Recipe type: Lunch
Cuisine: Indian
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 3
 
Ingredients
Marinade #1 :
  • Chicken thighs – 800 grms
  • Ginger & garlic paste – ½ tbs
  • Kashmiri red chilli powder – 1 tbs
  • Salt – a pinch
  • Lemon juice – 1 tbs
Marinade #2:
  • Gram flour – 2 tbs
  • Kashmiri chilli powder – ½ tsp
  • Ginger & garlic paste – 1 tbs ( squeeze all the moisture )
  • Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
  • Salt – 1 tsp
  • Garam masala – ½ tsp
  • Cardamom powder – a pinch
  • Dry Fenugreek leaves / Kasthuri methi – 1 /2 tbs
  • Oil – 2 tbs
  • Yogurt – 3 /4 cup (extract all the moisture with the help of muslin/cheese cloth)
  • Onion – 1 (cut into cubes)
  • Tomato – 1 (cut into cubes)
  • Bell pepper – 1 (cut into cubes)
Chat masala mix:
  • Chat masala – 1 tbs
  • Dry mint leaves – 1 tbs (crushed)
Instructions
  1. Wash and cut the chicken pieces into small tikka (uniform) size cubes. (smaller sizes are just good). Pat it dry with the clean tissue.
  2. Marinate the chicken given under marination #1 and leave for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
  3. Now cook the gram flour in a wide pan with a tbs of oil (in a medium flame). Keep stirring the gram flour for a couple of minutes and switch off the flame.
  4. Mix the ingredients given under marination #2 and check the salt and spices.
  5. Now mix marination #1 and #2 all together and leave it for at least 3 hours or refrigerate overnight.
  6. Soak the wooden skewers in water for 20 minutes (So that it don’t get burnt while you put it in the oven). While skewers are soaking, bring chicken to room temperature
  7. Preheat the oven to 450Β°F or max and put in in boiler mode.
  8. Brush a broiler pan lightly with oil.
  9. Divide chicken among skewers (about 4 cubes per skewer) followed by a piece each of onion, bell pepper and tomato cube in between the chicken cubes, leaving an ⅛-inch space between cubes.
  10. Repeat the step on each skewers. Brush oil on top of the chicken and arrange skewers across pan. The chicken is now skewered and ready to be grilled.
  11. Place the pan inside the oven and cook for 20 minutes. (checking between 8 to 10 minutes)
  12. Remove the pan, turn over the skewer and brush the chicken cubes with little oil on top.
  13. Now remove the rack from the oven and place it one layer up (closer to the filament), place the pan on the rack and broil for another 5 minute or until browned in spots.
  14. The nice and juicy chicken tikka is now ready.
  15. Mix chat masala and dry mint leaves and make a powder.
  16. Sprinkle little bit of the chat masala mix and lime juice on top of the kabab.
  17. Chicken tikka can be eaten with green coriander chutney served with onion rings and lemon,

Chicken Tikka