Beetroot Puri

Whenever I want my kids to eat vegetables, and take a break from meat, then I make something different with it and they eat it without complaining. Today was Red Puri. The red color of the poori is from beet root. I make Beet root Roti but this time it is Poori and I learned the trick to make is nice and puffy and stay that way until broken :) . So everyone was mighty happy.

Red Puri (Fried Indian wheat bread withe beet root dough)

Beet root puri

Ingredients:

1. I can beet root slices, half of the liquid drained and ground to a paste
2. 4 cups whole wheat flour
3. 1 teaspoon salt
4. 1 teaspoon ghee
5. 2 tablespoons sooji

Mix all the ingredients together and add little water if needed and form a dough. Knead it for 5 minutes. 

Divide the dough into 12 parts and roll it on a clean surface into 5-6 inches disk. Heat oil in a pan and add a small piece of dough to it, if it sinks the oil is cold. When it floats nicely, add the puri and fry for 1 minute and flip it, flip it again and flip it again...3 to 4 minutes per poori should be enough. Drain it and enjoy with Mixed veg curry

Aloo palak paneer

Cholay

Also try Green poori

Mixed green puri with potato cannelloni bean curry

I have a colleague from central India and she makes some amazing puri and roti. Always so soft and delicious at lunch time.

      The other day she got some spinach puri for lunch and they were pretty yummy. So took a chance to make them on my husband's bday.

Mixed green puri ( deep fried wheat bread with mixed greens)

Ingredients:

1. 3 cups wheat flour

2. 1 cup packed mixed green from a can of mixed greens

3.1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt

4. 1/2 tablespoon +oil for deep frying

Grind the mixed greens to a smooth paste. Add salt and the paste to the flor and 1/2 tablespoon oil and form into dough. Add little water at a time and make it into dough. Let it rest for 10-20 minutes.

Divide into 12-15 parts and roll into 4-6 inch diameter disks and deep fry. Enjoy

Potato and cannelloni bean curry

Ingredients

0. 1 medium small onion chopped fine

1. 2 medium large potatoes peeled and cubed small

2. 1 cup canned cannelloni beans

3. 1 tablespoon oil

4. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, fennel seeds, methi seeds, salt, chili power , turmeric.

In a pan heat the oil and add cumin, fennel and methi seeds and let them splutter...1-2 minutes. Add onions and fry for 5-7 minutes. Add potatoes and all the other ingredients except beans. Add a cup of water and cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Add beans and mix well. Add some water if neede. Cover and cook for 10 more minutes. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy with puri

Cholay Bature

I started with a plan to make Poori or Puri with Chana Masala. I always thought Batura was just a massive Puri. But its not and today I made Cholay bature and I am so happy with the result. And my whole family enjoyed it as a cold night's dinner. And its not that difficult to make. So here you have it. Enjoy

Cholay Bature (Deep fried flour bread with chickpea curry)

Cholay Bature with onions

Batura (Indian deep fried flat bread made of Flour and potato)
Ingredients:

1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 2 medium sized potatoes boiled, peeled and grated (2 cups grated potato)
3. 1 teaspoon salt
4. 1 tablespoon oil
5. Oil for deep frying

Let the boiled potatoes cool and grate them. Mix the flour with salt, 1 tbsp oil and the grated potatoes. Mix till it forms a smooth dough. Don't use any water. Cover with a wet paper towel and set aside for 15 minutes. Divide into 6-8 equal parts and roll into a tortilla with a rollling pin by adding some flour on the surface.
Heat oil in a pan and add a little flour. If it comes up add the batura and when it comes up keep pouring hot oil on top ot it. Turn it and repeat till you start getting dark brown spots on the batura. Drain on a paper towel and serve hot with the Choley

Cholay (Chick pea curry with spices)

Punjabi Choley

Ingredients:

1. 1 can chickpeas washed and drained
2. 1 tablespoon oil
3. 1/2 cup finely chopped red onions
4. 1 large tomato chopped fine
5. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, cumin, dried mango powder (aamchur powder), garam masala, ginger-garlic paste
6. Corainder for garnishing

In a pan heat the oil and add the cumin and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the onions and fry till they start getting a little browned. Add all the ingredients of number 5. Fry for a minute. Add tomatoes and cover and cook till they become pulpy. Add the chickpeas and a cup of water, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Mash a few chicke peas. garnish with cilantro and serve with batura and thinly sliced onions

Poori with Aalu palak paneer

Its been ages that I made poori or Puri-the deep fried bread from India. Whenever I made poori before I always made it with Aalu Chooley (Potatoes with Chick Peas) but today I am in no mood for chickpeas. And I have Paneer at hand.
                   So...I started my search for Paneer recipes and I found the same old, same old recipes ever where aka palak paneer, mutter paneer, butter paneer and all. I am soooooooo bored with these recipes. So I kind of combined two recipes and came up with my own paneer recipe and let me tell you, it was finger licking good. Even my 10 month old little guy liked it.

Poori (Deep fried Indian wheat bread)

Puri

Ingredients:

1. 3 cups wheat flower
2. 3/4-1 teaspoon salt
3. water for making dough
4. Oil for deep frying

Sift the flour with salt and mix it into dough with water a little at a time. Add a tablespoon of oil to it, mix well and set aside for 30 minutes. Divide the dough into about 12 equal parts. If you have poori maker or a tortilla maker make pooris in them or roll it the old fashoned way into puris the size of your palm, roughly 6-7 inches in diameter.
                 Heat the oil in a pan and deep fry the pooris one at a time till golden brown. Serve immediately with your favourite potato curry or the Aalu Palak Paneer

Aalu Palak Paneer (Potatos and Cottage Cheese in a Spinach gravy)

Aalu palak paneer

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups 1 cm cubes of paneer
2. 1 medium large potato cubed to the same size as paneer
3. 1/2 cup frozen spinach thawed
4. 1 medium tomato chopped
5. 1 green chilly
6. 1 medium onion chopped
7. 1/4 cup milk
8. 1/2-3/4 teaspoon each of salt, chilly powder, turmeric
9. 1 inch ginger peeled
10. 3 tablespoons oil divided

Here is how to make Fresh Paneer
Microwave on high the potatos, covered for 3 minutes and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons oil and fry the paneer pieces till they start changing color. Drain and set aside. Add the potato pieces to the pan and fry till they get a nice golden crust, drain and set aside. Grind the onion along with ginger and green chilly. Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the onion paste till it starts to become brown. In the mean while grind the spinach, tomato to paste and set aside. When the onion paste become brown add the spinach paste and stir to combine and fry for 5-7 minutes. Add all the rest of the ingredients, add 1/2 cup of water, stir to combine and simmer on a low flame for 10 minutes. Stir ocassionally. Serve hot or at room temparature with Poori or Roti or rice