Puri Chole

Hi Guys!! In addition to our North Indian Food category, I am going to talk about the recipe of “Puri Chole”, which is combination of Puri (a fried, Puffed Flat Indian bread) with Chole (Curry of Chickpea). Chole is one of the most popular dish of Punjab, Haryana & Delhi & it is well served either with Puri or Bhature (Fried Bread). Before talking about the recipe, let me brief some health benefit of Chickpea… Chickpeas are extremely low in fat and rich in dietary fiber with high mineral contents. I prefer to eat Puri with Chole. Here is the recipe in case you would like to try…

Ingredients (For Puri):

·         Wheat Flour – 3 Cups

·         Carrom Seeds (Ajwain) – ½ tsp

·         Salt as per taste

·         Water – 1 Cup/ As per Requirement

·         Cooking Oil -  2 cup (For Frying Puri)

Ingredients (For Chole):

·         Chole (Chickpea) – 2 Cup

·         Onion – 2 (Medium)

·         Ginger Paste – 1 tbsp

·         Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp

·         Green Chilly – 1

·         Tomato  Puree– 3-4 (Medium)

·         Bay Leaf (Tejpatta) – 1

·         Cinnamon Stick (Dalchini) – 1

·         Roasted Cumin Powder – ½ tsp

·         Red Chili Powder – 1 tsp

·         Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp

·         Chole Masala – 1 ½  tsp

·         Salt as per taste

·         Cooking Oil – 2-3 tbsp

·         Ginger  and Green Chilly Juliens – For Garnishing

Tips:

After boiling Chole, don’t throw the water.

Preparing Method (For Chole):

Ø  Soak Chole for overnight with sufficient water.

Ø  Boil Chole in a Pressure Cooker till 4-5 whistles.

Ø  Cut Onion in diced shape.

Ø  Grind Onion and Green chilly to make a fine paste.

Ø  Heat Oil in a Pan; add Bay Leaf; Cinnamon Stick and sauté for 5 sec in medium flame.

Ø  Add Onion-Green Chili Paste and fry till it turns light brown.

Ø  Add Garlic Paste; Ginger Paste and cook till its raw smell goes off.

Ø  Add Tomato Puree and cook till the mixture gets separated from Oil.

Ø  Now add Cumin Powder; Red Chili Powder; Chole Masala; Salt and sauté for 5 mins.

Ø  Add boiled Chole and sauté for 5-7 mins by covering the lid.

Ø  Add boiled water of Chole and cook for 10 mins till the gravy gets thicker.

Ø  Now the dish is ready. Finally, Garnish “Chole” with Ginger and Green Chilly Juliens.

Preparation Method (For Puri):

Ø  Take a bowl and add Wheat flour; Ajwain; Salt and mix well.

Ø  Prepare dough by adding water and make small balls out of the dough and keep aside.

Ø  Take a Rolling Pin and roll it like small Roti. Ensure that the Puri should not be thin like Roti.

Ø  Heat 2 Cups of Oil in a frying Pan and fry all the Puri’s till golden brown.

Ø  Now the “Puri” is ready. Serve it hot.

Chole is well served with Puri, Bhature and Steamed Rice.

Kadhi Pakoda

Hi Guys!! In addition to our North-Indian dish category, I will talk about today a famous Punjabi dish called “Kadhi Pakoda”. Kadhi is basically blend of Curd/Yogurt, Gram flour gravy with Vegetable Pakodas dipped in.  This is a very healthy and delicious dish. Since Curd is one of the main ingredient, it tastes little Sour. As you know that Curd is an excellent source of protein, calcium, riboflavin and vitamin B6 and regular consumption of curd can help us strengthening the immune system. Preparation of this dish is different from place to place as per the taste of each region. I cook it little different than the normal procedure. Here is the recipe in case you like to try…

Ingredients:

·         Yogurt (Dahi) – 1 Cup

·         Gram Flour (Besan) – 2 Cup

·         Turmeric Powder- 1 tsp

·         Onion (Finely Chopped) – 1(Medium)

·         Onion (Sliced) – 2(Medium)

·         Red Chilly Powder – 1 tsp

·         Mustard Seeds (Sarson) – ½ tsp

·         Cumin Seeds (Jeera) – ½ tsp

·         Fenugreek Seeds (Methi) – ½ tsp

·         Fennel Seeds (Saunf) – ½ tsp

·         Red Chilly (Whole) – 2

·         Cumin Powder- ½ tsp

·         Curry Leaves – 6-7

·         Salt as per taste

·         Cooking Oil – ½ Cup

Preparation Method:

For Pakoda or Dumplings

Ø  Take 1½ cups of Gram flour in a bowl; add Salt; ½ tsp Turmeric Powder; Red Chilly Powder; Cumin Powder; Chopped Onion and add Water and mix well. Make balls of the mixture for Pakodas.

Ø  Heat Oil in a frying Pan and fry the balls till they turn golden brown. Drain excess Oil and keep aside.

For Kadhi Sauce

Ø  In a bowl beat the Curd well and mix Gram flour; add Water; Salt; ½ tsp Turmeric Powder; 2 tbsp of Gram flour and blend thoroughly so that there are no lumps formed. Keep aside.

Ø  Take a heavy bottom Pan; place the Curd mixture in it and cook for 15 mins in medium flame and then set the simmer to cook slowly.

Ø  Now add the fried Pakodas in the Curd mixture and cook for another 5-7 mins and keep aside.

For Tadka

Ø  Take a frying Pan and add Mustard Seeds; Cumin Seeds; Fenugreek Seeds; Fennel Seeds and fry for 5 sec.

Ø  Add Red Chilly; Curry Leaves and fry for 5 Secs.

Ø  Add Sliced Onion and fry for 3 mins. Now Tadka is ready.

Ø  Add this Tadka  in the Kadhi mixture and mix well.

Ø   Now the “Kadhi  Pakoda” is ready.

Kadhi Pakoda is well served with Steamed Rice and Roti.