Hi friends,

The best way to spend a relaxing monsoon weekend at home, is with a book & piping hot bhajias or puris or batata vadas or samosas, do'nt you think? Since the next weekend is approaching, I thought I'll post a recipe for pudina puris. While on the subject, some quick recipes for gravy, which if made in sufficient quantity at the weekend & stored in the fridge, can last you for a week & allow you an extra 15 minutes of sleep time in the early rainy mornings. It is also very convenient to toss in chopped veggies/green peas/paneer/soaked pulses along with the gravy in a cooker at the end of a tiring day. Have it with boiled rice & dal/chapatis/jeera rice.... I promise you it wo'nt take up more than 10 minutes to rustle up this meal. I followed this routine for lunch & dinner when I had a 
7 am to 10 pm routine of travel & office work. Lunch & dinner were cooked before & after. Of course the chapatis will have to be made in the morning & will take extra time or can be home delivered from a restaurant. Bread is an option I am personally not comfortable with.

But first the pudina puris.

Ingredients: 

2 cups maida (or 1 cup maida+1cup wheat flour)

Half cup pudina leaves

Half cup coriander leaves

1 tsp jeera (whole)

2 green chillies

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp sugar

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Method: Pound or grind the mint leaves, chillies, jeera, sugar together. Add this & salt & lemon juice to maida & knead into a firm dough, adding water as required. Make puris & fry. Serve hot.

And now the gravies:

i) Brown gravy : Can be used for sabzis - cauliflower, green peas masala, mixed veg (steam or cook these & then add gravy), chhole, rajma (boil), egg curry, chicken/mutton curry.

Ingredients:

1 large onion

3-4 garlic flakes

1 inch piece ginger

2 green chillies

2 large tomatoes

Half cup chopped coriander

1 tsp cumin/jeera powder

1 tsp coriander/dhaniya powder

One third tsp turmeric/haldi powder

Half tsp chilly powder

Half tsp (dalchini-lavang-badi elaichi-chhoti elaichi) garam masala powder i.e. (cinnamon-cloves-cardamom)

2 dried cinnamon leaves/tej patta

Salt to taste

3 tbsp oil

1 tbsp ghee

Method: Grind together onion, garlic, ginger, green chillies, tomatoes. Heat oil. Add this mix along with haldi, jeera, dhaniya, chilly powders, tej patta, salt & stir fry till dark brown. Add a little water. Saute for 5 min. Add more water, cover & bring to a boil. Add garam masala powder & ghee. Stir in & cover. Put off gas. Sprinkle chopped fresh coriander before serving.

This gravy, without adding water, can be stored for a fortnight in the fridge. 

ii) White gravy : For methi malai matar, paneer matar, veg korma etc. Steam cook veggies then add gravy.

Ingredients:

5-6 kajus

8-10 badam

1 cup milk

Half tsp jeera powder

Half tsp kitchen king masala

Half tsp garam masala

1 green chilly

Half cup coriander leaves (optional)

2 tbsp ghee

1 tbsp butter

Method: Grind kaju, badam, green chilly, coriander together, Add one third milk & make a paste. Melt ghee, add the paste, masalas, milk & butter & cook covered for 2 min.

iii) Quick gravy: Can be used for mixed veggies, paneer butter masala (add sugar & 2 tbsp hommade tomato puree), mushroom - corn curry, egg curry etc.

One large onion chopped into four pieces

4-5 flakes garlic

1 inch piece ginger

2-3 green chillies

2 large tomatoes chopped into fours

3-4 cashews/kajus

1 inch jeera

1 inch cinnamon/dalchini

3-4 cloves/lavang

1 cardamom/badi elaichi

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp butter

Method : Heat oil, add jeera, add everything except butter. Stir fry in pan/kadai on full flame till onions become translucent. Put off gas. Cool. Grind-blend in mixer to a thick smooth paste. Put in pan/kadai. Add butter. 

Ps. If you are in a hurry, remove the contents to a steel bowl. Place this in a larger bowl containing ice cubes & keep these under a fan.

Baby corn & paneer sabzi:

Ingredients: 

12 baby corns, cut into 4 lengthwise

2 cups paneer cubes

1 tsp Paste of 1 green chilly + ginger

3 spring onions chopped - white portion separately

1 capsicum

2 large tomatoes pureed

2 tbsp coriander chopped

One fourth tsp jeera

Half tsp asafoetida /hing

One fourth tsp turmeric/haldi powder

One fourth tsp chilly powder

2 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

Method: Heat oil, add jeera, hing. Add green chilly paste, spring onion whites & capsicum & saute for 2 minutes. Add baby corn, turmeric & chilly powders, tomato puree, salt & saute on low flame for 5 min. until corn is cooked. Add paneer & spring onion greens & coriander. Mix well & serve with chapatis.

Boiled potatoes, shelled green peas, baby corn, paneer, boiled pulses, moong sprouts, shelled fresh rajma if kept in fridge, can come in handy for a quick meal or snack.

More next time!