Kaleji rogan josh aur Hara Roti

Kaleji or goat liver is very high in iron content .  It has been recommended to me a number of times but after my pregnancy I had to take it more seriously.  I was a regular Red Cross blood donor but after I had my baby I could no longer donate blood.
When you go to donate blood for Red Cross they first check your blood for iron content and if it is less than a certain level they won't let you donate.  After I had my baby...after 1 yr and 2 and 3 yrs also my iron level wouldn't even register on their scale 😢
Anyway, if you are not a vegetarian and your iron levels are low do include liver in your diet and here is a yummy recipe

Kaleji Rogan Josh ( goat liver in tangy spicy gravy)

Kaleji Rogan Josh

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb lamb liver (kaleji)
2. 1 medium onion chopped fine
3. 3 medium tomatoes
4. 1 tablespoon oil
5. 2 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon stick, 2 bay leaves, 1 cardamom
6. 1 teaspoon each of cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli powder
7. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, salt
8. 1 heaped teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
9. 1/2 cup plain yogurt well beaten

In a pan heat the oil and add the spices and fry for a minute. Add onions and fry till they start becoming brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add the kaleji and fry covered for 20 minutes. Add some oil if it starts to stick. Grind the tomatoes to a fine paste and add it to the pan and cover and cook for 10 more minutes. Stir well. Reduce the heat to low and add yogurt and stir well. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Enjoy with plain or green (Hara) roti or Beet Roti 

Hara Roti (Indian wheat bread with Spinach)

Spinach roti

Ingredients:

1. 4 cups wheat flour
2. 1 cup canned spinach ground to paste
3. 1/2 cup milk
4. Water as needed
5. 3/4 teaspoon salt
6. Oil for frying roti

Mix the flour with salt and spinach paste and water. Add water little by little until the dough comes together. Set aside for 20 minutes. Divide the dough into 10-12 parts and flatten each piece on a clean countertop with the rolling pin with some flour. Heat a griddle and fry the roti till dark brown spots start appearing. Add 1/2 teaspoon of oil on each side and fry for 30 more seconds and serve with Kaleji Rogan Josh 

Kheema Paratha

So, after I made the kheema fry and made it into samosas, I has some left-over kheema fry. So I decided to make Kheema parathas, which I have been thinking of making fr a long time.
             Some time ago there used to be an Arabic teacher in our local mosque used to live all by himself. He once gave me about 2 lbs of ground chicken and asked me to make a whole batch of these stuffed paraths for him. So that he can heat and eat later. Man...it took me 4 hrs and I did make so many for him and in the process. had no time to make dinner for my own family. We ate out.
                Anyway, long story short I have been thinking of making these parathas since then and now came the chance. And YES, they were super delicious. Me and my kids just gobbled them up.

Kheema Paratha (Meat stuffed Indian bread)

Kheema Paratha

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup Kheema fry
2. 1/2 cup boiled, peeled and mashed potato
3. 1 teaspoon salt divided
4. Oil for frying parathas+1 teaspoons 
5. 11/2 cup wheat flour
6. water for making dough

Mix the ground meat fry, with 1/2 teaspoon salt and mashed potato and may be some finely chopped cilantro and 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped ginger if desired. And set aside.

Mix the wheat flour with salt and enough water to make into dough. Rub a little oil in your palm and roll the ball of dough so that oil is applied all over it. Set aside for 20 minutes. 

Divide the dough into 6 parts and the filling into 6 parts. Roll each part into 4 inch disk, add filling and make it into a ball again. set aside until you finish the rest.

Heat a griddle and roll one of the stuffed balls into 6 inch disks. Fry on each side until it turns golden brown with dark spots here and there. Enjoy as is or with ginger pickle 

Palak Paneer Paratha with Tamatar ka Sallan

The other day I wanted to make Palak Paneer and Roti but I thought instead of making them as usual I will make something special. And I made the Palak Paneer Paratha and I am so proud of it, cause each and every paratha puffed up so well. m...m...m...for the sight, for the soul and for the stomach.
            You can just serve this paratha as is with butter on top of it but I made a simple curry with tomatoes. So here is the recipe

Palak Paneer Paratha (Indian Spinach wheat bread, stuffed with Cottage Cheese)

Palak paneer Paratha

Ingredients:

1. 3 cups wheat flour
2. 1 packed cup frozen chopped spinach
3. Oil or butter for frying the paratha
4. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
5. 1 teaspoon salt
6. extra flour for rolling paratha

For the stuffing:

1. 1-2 cups grated paneer
2. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, chilly powder, amchur powder
3. 1 teaspoon each of madras garam masala

Combine all the ingredients of stuffing and set aside

In a pressure cooker cook the spinach along with the turmeric with a little water for 2 whistles. Let it cool and grind to a smooth paste.

Mix the spinach paste with the wheat flour and salt and add some water if the dough is very tough. Apply a little oil to you palm and roll the dough ball and cover and set aside for 15-20 minutes

Make about 9 parts of the dough and the same with paneer. Roll a little bit and put one part stuffing and close it like a dumping. Set aside till you finish making all the other parathas

Add some flour again on the surface and roll the paratha. Heat a griddle and fry the paratha turning occasionally till dark spots start appearing. Drizzle some oil or butter and flip once. Serve hot

Tamatar Ka Sallan (Simple tomato curry)

Tomato curry

Ingredients:

1. 3 big tomatoes sliced
2. 1 medium small sliced onions
3. 1 or 2 green chillies slit
4. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, chilly powder, turmeric
5. 1/2 tablespoon oil

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions till tender. Add the green chillies and tomatoes and stir. Add the rest of the ingredients, 1/2 cup water and cover and cook till the tomatoes become juicy and pulpy. Simmer till you get the required consistency of the gravy. Serve with paratha or any other Indian bread

Also at another time I served this Palak Paneer Paratha with Ginger Chutney 

Cabbage Poriyal with Plain Roti

Somtimes you just have to make something so very simple and quick so as to make your life a little easier. This particular dish is one such dishes which is a very simple and a stand-by for me because it is such a no brainer and cabbage is one of those vegetables' which is always there in my fridge waiting for me.
        You can make your life much more easier by serving it with white rice and Khatti Dal or Sambar. As per me I am just serving it with Plain Roti. You can also make Roghni Roti or Kalonji Roti -Variations of the Roti

Cabbage Poriyal (Simple cabbage stir fry)

Cabbage Poriyal

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 head of a medium green cabbage (about 3 cups) shredded
2. 2 tablespoons oil
3. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, mustard seeds, urad dal, turmeric, salt
4. 3 dried red chillies broken
5. few curry leaves

In a pan heat the oil and fry the cumin, urad dal and mustard seeds for 2 minutes. Add dried chillies and curry leaves and fry for a couple of more minutes. Add the cabbage and stir to combine. Add salt and turmeric and cover and cook till cabbage becomes tender. About 15 minutes. garnish with cilantro and serve with Roti

Roti (Plain Indian Wheat Bread)

Plain Roti

Ingredients:

1. 3 cups of whole or regular wheat flour +Extra for rolling the roti
2. Water for making in dough
3. 1/2-2/3 teaspoon salt
4. 1 teaspoon oil  + Oil for frying roti

Sift the flour with salt and add water to the flour a little at a time until the dough comes together. Apply one teaspoon of oil to the palm of your hand and roll the roll with your palm so that the oil coats the dough. Cover and set aside for 20 minutes
        Divided the dough into 6-8 parts. Clean your counter top and sprinkle some flour and start rolling one part of dough into tortilla. Add more flour if the dough starts to stick. Heat a griddle and fry the roti 1 minute at a time till drak spots start appering. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon of oil on each side and fry for a couple of more minutes. Serve hot

Kalonji Roti, Khatta Aalu Chana Masala, Cauliflower Special

Its roti time again. I never made roti this frequently before, but since my little darling likes it and eats it without any fuss, I am making it more frequently these days
               And sometimes plain ol' roti becomes just that-PLAIN and OLD. So I try to make variations of it and today I made Kalonji Roti (Kalonji are nothing but seeds of Onion) . Looks like I was mistaken. Kalonji are seeds of the plant Nigella sativa and they are a little spicy. But I really like thier flavor in the roti. And here is one more dish I made with kalonji- Aalu Posto

Kalonji Roti (Indian bread with seeds of Nigella Saliva plant)

Kalonji Roti

Ingredients:

1. 3 cups whole wheat flour
2. 1 heaped teaspoon Kalonji
3. 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt
4. 1 tablespoon mustard oil (or use any other oil)
5. Oil for frying roti
6. Extra flour for making roti

Mix the salt and Kalonji with the flour and add enough water to the flour so as to make dough. Apply the mustard oil to the palm of your hand and roll the dough to apply oil to it. Set it aside covered for 20 minutes.
Divide the dough into 6-8 equal parts and put some flour on a clean counter and take one piece of dough and roll it into tortillas or roti by adding extra dough if it is sticking to the surface or the rolling pin.
Heat the griddle and fry the roti by flipping it every couple of minutes till dark spot appear. Drizzle 1/2-1/3 teaspoon oil on both side and fry for a couple of more minutes on each side. Serve

Khatta Aalu Chana Masala (Sour potato and garbanzo curry)

Khatta Aalu chana Masala

Ingredients:

1. 1 can chickpeas (garbanzo) drained (14 oz can)
2. 2 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
3. 1 medium onion sliced
4. 2 tablespoons oil
5. 1/2 cup juice from small lime sized tamarind
6. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, chilly powder, turmeric
7. 2 green chillies slit

In a pressure cooked heat oil and fry the onions till they become translucent. Add green chillies and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for two whistles. After the steam escapes open the cooker and simmer till the gravy becomes thick. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with Kalonji roti or Roghni Roti

Cauliflower Special (Stir fried Cauliflower with Cashew)

Cauliflower special

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium small head of cauliflower or about 4 cups cauliflower florets in small sizes
2. 2 tablespoons oil
3. 1 tablespoon chopped cashew
4. 1 small or 3/4 cup sliced red onion
5. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, mustard seeds, turmeric, salt
6. 1 green chilly chopped
7. few red chillies broken

In a pan heat the oil and fry the cumin and mustard seeds for a couple of minutes. Add cashew and fry for a couple of minutes more. Add red and green chillies and fry for 2 more minutes. Add onions and fry covered till they become translucent. Add cauliflower and a tablespoon of oil and cover and cook till they become tender. About 15 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients stir to combine and cook for 5 more minutes. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy with Roti or rice