Aloo Palak Subji

Healthy vegetarian side dish prepared with potatoes and spinach

Ingredients:

1. Potato- 3 large
2. Onion- 1 small, thinly sliced
3. Tomato-1 medium,chopped into small pieces
4. Green chillies-2,slit
5. Spinach- 1/4 kg, chopped fine
6. Garlic- 4 pods, thinly cut
7. Red chilly powder- 1 teaspoon
8. Turmeric powder-1/4 teaspoon
9. Cumin seeds-1/4 teaspoon
10. Mustard seeds-1/2 teaspoon
11. Salt- 1-2 teaspoon
12. Curry leaves- a handful
13. Oil-1 1/2 tablespoon
14. Water- to boil potatoes

Method:

1. Cut the potatoes into chunks and pressure cook with a little salt and turmeric and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan
3. Splutter mustard seeds,cumin seeds.
4. Add onion,garlic and saute till soft.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes, green chillies till they blend well with onion.
6. Add curry leaves, red chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt,mix well.
7. Add the potatoes and mix well.
8. Add the chopped spinach and stir well 
9. Cover and cook under low heat for 5-10 minutes,stirring in between.
10. Remove from fire when the spinach is cooked
11. Serve hot

Serves as a perfect side dish for rotis/ rice. Potato lovers will love this for sure!

Aloo Gobi Dry

An apt side dish for potato lovers! Served with roti,rice.

Serves-3

Ingredients:

1. Potato-3 large(cut into chunks)
2. Cauliflower florets- 2 cups
3. Green chillies- 2,slit
4. Ginger garlic paste- 1 teaspoon
5. Cumin seeds- 1teaspoon
6. Chilly powder- 1/2 teaspoon
7. Coriander powder- 1/2 teaspoon
8. Garam masala- 1/2 teaspoon
9. Salt- 1 teaspoon
10. Curry leaves- 10 nos
11. Oil- 3 teaspoon
12. water-1/2 cup

Method:

1. Pressure cook the potato chunks with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup water for 2 whistle.
2. Drain and Keep aside.
3. Heat Oil in a pan and splutter cumin seeds when hot.
4. Add the green chillies,ginger garlic paste,saute for a while
5. Add the turmeric powder,chilly powder,coriander powder,salt,mix well and saute.
6. Add cooked potatoes,cauliflower florets,remaining water mix well
7. Cover and cook in low flame till the cauliflower is cooked
8. Add curry leaves, Cook for another min.

Aloo Gobi Dry is ready to be served. Serve with rice as a side dish or rotis as a sabji!!!

Simple Chicken Cutlet

An easy evening snack . Can be prepared in a very simple way. A best snack to serve evening tea time guests.

Makes- 20 cutlets

Ingredients:

1. Minced chicken-1/4 kg
2. Potato- 3 large
3. Onion-1/2 ,cut into small cubes
4. Green chillies- 2 ,cut into fine parts
5. Ginger- 1 inch piece cut into fine piece
6. Egg white- 1 egg
7. Bread crumbs- 1 cup
8. Salt- 2 teaspoon
9. Pepper powder- 2 teaspoon
10. Chilli powder-1/2 teaspoon
11. Turmeric powder- 1/2 teaspoon
12. water- 1/4 cup
13. Oil-1 cup

Method:

1. Boil chicken and potato with 1/2 teaspoon each salt,pepper,water for 2 whistle.
2. Cool and mash them gently.
3. Meanwhile saute all remaining ingredients in 1/2 teaspoon oil
4. Add the mashed mix and mix well
5. Cool them
6. Make small lemon sized balls and flatten them gently with fingers(be careful not to break them)
7. Beat one egg white till foamy.
8. Dip the flattened cutlet in the egg white and dip them again in bread crumbs evenly.
9. Repeat the same for the remaining balls.
10. Heat remaining oil in a pan.
11. Put the cutlets slowly into the pan for frying.Fry both sides.
12. Drain oil with an oil absorbing paper

Serve hot with tomato sauce. You can bake the cutlets instead of frying. Salt and pepper quantities can be altered according to your taste.

Chicken potato roll

A very easy and interesting snack. So simple to make and yet yummy!!! I guess lazybones will love this dish a lot.

Ingredients:

1. Long bun- 4
2. Minced chicken-1 cup
3. Potato cut into cubes- 2
4. Onion- 1/2 thinly sliced
5. Mustard seeds- 1 teaspoon
6. Salt-1 teaspoon
7. Pepper powder- 2 teaspoon
8. Water- 1/2 cup
9. Oil- 1 teaspoon

Method:

1. Pressure cook the chicken and potato with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper powder for 1 whistle.
2. Mash well the potato and chicken.
3. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds.
4. Saute onion in the oil.
5. Add the mashed mix,remaining pepper powder to the pan and mix well.
6. Stuff the split long buns with the mix.
7. Microwave for 1 min.

Serve hot with a cup of coffee. These winter days are seriously making me lazy so as to go for such simple n filling stuffs! A pretty good evening snack and also boxed lunch for kids.

Chicken Stew/ Ishtu

Chicken stew or Ishtu as its commonly called serves the best combination for Appam and Idiappam. The spicy aroma  and gravy with chicken flavour adds extra taste.

Serves-4

Ingredients:

1. Chicken- 1/2 kg, cut into small pieces
2. Potato-3 large,cut into cubes
3. Onion-2 large, thinly sliced
4. Green chillies- 3 slit into half
5. Ginger-1 inch piece,cut fine
6. Garlic- 4 pods,halved
7. Cinnamon-3 stick
8. Cardamom- 3
9. Cloves-3
10. Fennel seeds- 1 pinch
11. Pepper whole- 4-5 
12. Pepper powder-4 teaspoon
13. mustard-1 teaspoon
14. Salt-2 teaspoon
15. Curry leaves- a few
16. Coconut Milk- 1 Cup( Use coconut milk powder)
17. Water
18. Ghee- 1 teaspoon

Method:

1. Pressure cook the chicken,potatoes with 1 teaspoon each of salt , pepper powder with 1/2 cup water for 1 whistle.
2. Meanwhile, heat ghee in a pan
3. Add Cloves, cardamom,cinnamon,fennel seeds,mustard, heat till they splutter.
4. Add the sliced onions and saute them till light colour.
5. Add the cut ginger garlic and chillies and saute for a while
6. Add turmeric powder, salt,1 teaspoon pepper powder.
7. To the above add the cooked chicken and potato,add 1/2 cup water,stir well.
8. Cover and cook for 10 mins.
9. Add coconut milk and cook in low flame for 1 min.
10. Alternatively can use coconut milk powder dissolved in hot water.
11. Add the remaining pepepr powder, mix well
12. Garnish with curry leaves.

Ishtu is ready. Please check with the salt requirements, some may find it tasty with more salt and pepper. Serve them hot with appam or idiappam, also it makes a combination with porottas and rotis. Can use with rice too! Its simple. Instead of coconut milk, cow milk can also be substituted, but it's more tasty with coconut milk.Try it out, you are gonna love it!