Last week I made Dahi aloo recipe ( Dahi wale aloo/ dahi aloo ki sabzi) as side dish for Kuttu ki puri. In North India, people make dahi wale aloo during fast/Vrat for roti or poori. Dahi aloo is a yogurt based/curd based dish in which boiled potatoes are cooked with spices. It is most popular in Rajasthan. I could relate its taste to Dahi kadhi. I followed this recipe from Maayeka. We liked it with kuttu atta poori. This Dahi aloo sabzi goes well with Rajgira poori and Sabudana thalipeeth too.
Kuttu ki puri recipe (Buckwheat flour poori) with step by step pictures - After a long time I am sharing a poori variety in my space. When I was browsing for North Indian puri recipes, I came across this kuttu ki puri ( Kuttu atta in Hindi, Buckwheat flour in English) under Navratri Vrat ka khana recipes. Actually the term, Kuttu atta was very new to me. When I browsed for its health benefits, I was amazed to know it.
Buckwheat is a very healthy grain that is rich in protein, fiber, good for weight loss, increases good cholesterol, detoxifies body, keeps the tummy full for long time and much more. So buckwheat flour recipes are ideal food for fasting. But I read that buckwheat flour increases heat of the body. So its advised to consume it along with curd based side dishes. So I made this puri for our Sunday breakfast along with no onion no garlic dahi aloo as side dish. Puri came out well.
Though it was not so tasty like our regular wheat flour poori, it was good to eat. Its taste and color reminded finger millet poori to me. We had a satisfaction of having a healthy food even though its a deep fried stuff. Kids don’t like this poori. So to make them eat, you can either add equal quantity of plain wheat flour & buckwheat flour or more wheat flour and make it more tasty. I don’t think Kuttu atta is not easily available all the places. So you can buy it online from Big basket, Amazon as I did. Ok, Lets see how to make kuttu atta ki poori recipe with step by step pictures.
Take kuttu atta/buckwheat flour in a wide bowl/plate.
Pressure cook potato till soft, peel the skin and mash it.
Add the mashed potato, pepper powder, salt, sooji and ghee to the flour.
Mix well.Add water gradually and make smooth dough.
Roll thick poori and set aside.
Heat oil and deep fry the poori on both sides.
Remove and serve hot with dahi aloo or any side dish.
Kuttu ki puri recipe - Step by step photos
Wash and pressure cook a big potato.Peel the skin and mash it very well. There should not be any small pieces.
In a wide bowl, take the kuttu atta, pepper powder, salt, mashed potato, sooji and ghee. Mix till crumbly. Potato should spread well with the flour.
Add water gradually and make a thick, tight, non-sticky dough. Knead with your hands for 5 minutes.
Cover and let it rest for 5 minutes. Take a ball sized dough, dust in buckwheat flour and roll small, thick poori.
Heat oil to deep fry. Check the oil temperature by dropping a pinch of dough. If it rises to the top immediately, oil heat is just right. No problem if the oil starts to smoke slightly.
Now lower the flame and drop the puri. When it starts to rise, press with a ladle and it will puff up slightly. Flip it and cook the other side till golden and crispy. Remove & drain in a tissue paper. Serve with curd based dishes like raita, dahi aloo, dahi arbi etc.
Notes
You can make this poori adding equal quantity of buckwheat flour & plain wheat flour.
Adding sooji helps to keep the poori crispy.
Ghee & potato helps to make the puri soft.
This poori puffs up only when you roll it thick and oil should be slightly smoky hot.
Last year during Diwali, I tried this easy kalakand recipe using paneer and condensed milk ( Milk Maid) by watching YouTube video. Kalakand recipe is nothing but a rich milk cake. It is one of the popular desserts in West Bengal, Rajasthan, Delhi and some places in North India. Traditionally it is prepared by boiling and thickening milk with sugar. It takes hours to prepare.
This easy and instant kalakand recipe calls for just 3 ingredients namely Paneer/Chenna, Condensed milk and cardamom powder. For variations, it can be prepared with ricotta cheese instead of paneer and rose water or kewra essence can be added instead of cardamom powder. It can be prepared so easily and quickly. Its ideal for beginners. In North India, I heard people make Kalakand for Janmashtami as it is a milk based sweet. So I thought of sharing this easy and instant kalakand recipe for this Gokulashtami. Do try this easy, Instant Kalakand recipe using condensed milk and store bought paneer. Lets see how to make it with step by step photos.
Kalakand recipe with condensed milk
Easy, instant kalakand recipe with condensed milk / milk maid
Paneer / Indian Cottage Cheese - 1 cup ( I used Milky mist brand)
Milk maid or Amul condensed milk - 200 ml tin
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Butter or ghee - 1 tsp
HOW TO MAKE KALAKAND
Crumble or grate the paneer.
In a kadai, heat 1 tsp ghee and add the condensed milk. Mix well.
Add grated paneer, cardamom powder and mix well.
When the mixture thickens and leaves the sides of pan, switch off flame.
Transfer to a greased or butter paper lined bowl. Refrigerate for an hour. Cut into pieces.
Garnish with chopped nuts. Serve !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Take the store bought paneer and grate it. Measure 1 cup from it ( loosely packed) and keep aside.Line a pan with butter paper or grease it well with ghee and set aside.
Heat ghee in a non-stick kadai and add the condensed milk. Mix well in very low flame.
Add grated paneer, cardamom powder or rose water and mix well. Paneer absorbs condensed milk and it will thicken initially. But if you keep mixing in low flame, mixture will become loose and watery.
Keep the flame medium and stir well. After 3 to 4 minutes, it will start to thicken and leave the sides of pan. Mix for a minute. You will see the mixture becoming grainy and thick. Switch off the flame and remove the pan immediately.
Pour it to the butter paper lined pan for 2 inch thickness. Level it and refrigerate it for 1 to 2 hours till its well set. Garnish with chopped nuts and stud it well. Cut into pieces and serve chilled for best taste.
Enjoy !
Note
You can add some sugar ( say 1tbsp) if you feel sweet is less.
Fresh chena tastes the best. But I used store bought paneer.
If you mix for long time, kalakand may become chewy.So remove at the right time.
If you are not able to cut into pieces, refrigerate for more time.
You will not believe if I say this is the first time I am trying North Indian style Chana masala recipe using a pressure cooker. Usually I make South Indian hotel style chana kurma for chapathi. Even though I have tasted chana masala ( Kabuli chana curry) in Punjabi and other North Indian restaurants, I haven’t tried at home.
Recently my friend Shalini was suggesting me to try this easy chana masala recipe using Everest Chana masala/Chole masala spice mix powder. She told me to follow the recipe given on the pack. As I had already tried Chole recipe using homemade chole masala powder in my Punjabi thali post, I wanted to find the taste of chana masala using store bought powder.So I tried Chana bhatura for our weekend breakfast. I prepared few poori as well. We all loved its taste and I prepared again for their lunch box too.
Actually I wanted to post both Chana masala and bhatura recipes today but bhatura din’t come out so well as expected. I will try to make a perfect bhatura recipe and share it soon. So today I am sharing this easy, one pot chana masala gravy using a pressure cooker. If you have homemade or store bought chana masala powder and cooked chickpea in hand, making this recipe is a breeze. This is a perfect bachelor style recipe.
As a disclaimer, I would like to mention that this is not the authentic chana masala recipe or restaurant style one. This is just a simple, no grind version that would help working women, busy housewives and bachelors to make a quick side dish for chapathi, poori and bhatura. If you like, you can have it mixed with rice as well.
Lets see how to make easy chana masala at home with step by step photos and video.
Finally, do check out my Kabuli biryani recipe ( chana dal biryani) and chana sundal recipes if interested !
Chana masala recipe - Easy chana masala in a pressure cooker
Easy chana masala/chole masala recipe in a pressure cooker using storebought chana masala spice mix powder.
Kabuli chana/ white chickpeas - 3/4 cup ( soaked for 8 hours)
Cooking oil + ghee - 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp
Big onion - 1 no ( finely chopped)
Ripe tomato - 3 nos ( finely chopped)
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Dhania powder - 1 tsp
Chana masala powder - 2 tsp ( I have tried Everest & MDH brand, Both are good)
Green chilli - 1 no
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Chat masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Kasoori methi - 1/2 tsp ( crushed)
Coriander leaves - to garnish
HOW TO MAKE CHANA MASALA IN A PRESSURE COOKER - METHOD
Wash and soak white chickpeas/kabuli chana in water for 8 hours or overnight. It gets doubled after soaking. Pressure cook in low flame for 3 whistles adding required salt and water. Take 1/4 cup cooked chana and mash it well. Set aside. Heat oil + ghee in a pressure cooker. Saute finely chopped onion, slit green chilli and thinly sliced ginger. Saute for a minute. Add finely chopped tomato and salt ,saute until mushy.
Now add the red chilli powder, dhania powder, chana masala powder. Mix well. Add 1 cup of water, 1/4 cup mashed chana, 1 cup cooked chana and mix well. Note that you can also add uncooked chana directly after soaking but chana won;t cook soft.In that case, you should add a big pinch of baking soda in the gravy.
Pressure cook in low flame for 2 whistles.Remove the lid after steam is released. Add chat masala powder, crushed kasoori methi. Mix well.Garnish with coriander leaves if you like.
Mix well and serve with poori, chapathi or bhatura ! Enjoy !
Note
Adjust the quantity of spice powders as per your taste.
You can add the spice powders after sauting onion, then add tomatoes. This was given in the Everest pack.But I added the masala powders after adding tomato.
If you want to replace chana masala powder, add 1 tsp garam masala powder + 1/2 tsp aamchur powder.
Try this easy, one pot chana masala for poori/bhatura or Chapathi !
I have never heard about khoya kaju gravy until my reader friend Dheepika requested me to try this recipe after having in an Indian restaurant. When she told me about this recipe, I browsed and shared the recipe links from 2 different websites to her. She went through them and told me about the color & texture of the gravy along with a picture of one she had in the restaurant.When I browsed for the recipe, I found khoya kaju gravy tastes sweets with mild spices basically.But Dheepika told the restaurant people made it red in color by adding red chilli powder as they asked for a spicy version. Based on her inputs, I followed the recipe of white based khoya kaju curry from spice up the curryand I used red chilli powder in place of green chillies.I tried it yesterday for our dinner.After tasting this, Sendhil told Khoya kaju curry would be white in color in most of the hotels. Some people may add food color to present it red in color, he added. Whatever it is, gravy came out delicious and very flavorful.We loved it with roti. Thanks to you Dheepika for making me try this restaurant style gravy. Soon I will try to share the recipe of khoya kaju white gravy. Though this gravy is very high in calories with full of ghee, cashews and khoya, everyone must give a try at home as it tastes so good & delicious . We can indulge in these type of gravies at least once in a while for celebrations and occasions.So friends, do try it and share your feedback with me .Lets see how to make this restaurant style khoya kaju gravy with step by step pictures and video !
Khoya Kaju Gravy Recipe
Khoya kaju gravy recipe - Side dish for roti, naan, kulcha
In a wide bowl, take the chopped onion, cashews, pepper corns, cinnamon, cloves along with water. Boil and cook for 5 minutes till onion turns soft. Grind everything to a smooth paste and keep aside.
Heat oil + ghee in a good non-stick pan and roast the cashews till golden.Remove in a plate. In the remaining oil+ghee, saute bay leaf and add the ground onion paste. This paste gets stuck to the bottom easily as it has cashews.So keep the flame very low and mix it till thick. Scrape the bottom and sides if needed and mix well.
Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, salt, sugar, cardamom powder and garam masala powder. Mix for a minute in low flame. Then add curd and mix well. Add 1 cup of water and boil the gravy till oil starts to float on top.
Lastly add the crumbled khoya and mix well. Gravy look orange in color. Add the roasted cashews,mix well and switch off the flame. Then add crushed kasoori methi, fresh cream and mix well. Serve with roti, naan or kulcha !
Enjoy !
Note
Reduce the quantity of red chilli powder if you want mildly spiced gravy.
Skip red chilli powder, dhania powder, garam masala powder and add green chillies while boiling onions to make a white based gravy.
You can add more khoya if you want more creamy gravy.
Adding kasoori methi is optional. But it adds flavor.
Try this yummy, creamy, rich & delicious Khoya kaju gravy at home !
Dum Aloo or Aloo dum is a potato based gravy which is very popular in Kashmir. I browed few recipes and found deep fried small potato /Baby potato is used in this dish. Authentic Kashmiri dum aloo is prepared without onion and tomato. Curd & Kashmiri red chilli are the most important ingredients for the base of gravy apart from spice powders. So the recipe I have shared here is not the authentic one.
Recently I tasted Dum aloo for the first time in my friend Megha’s house birthday party. I loved its taste and got the recipe from her. Based on her recipe, I browsed and found this Punjabi style dum aloo in Spice up the curry. After going through rave reviews from the readers comments, I tried this recipe confidently. Yes, it came out finger licking good with a nice flavor. It tastes similar to restaurant style gravies.
In this method, baby potato is sautéed in less oil instead of deep frying to reduce the calories. Still it tasted great. Sendhil liked it very much. Raksha has gone to Salem ( to my in-laws house) for vacation. I must prepare this for her as soon as she comes to Bangalore. I am sure she will love it. Try this for your kids birthday parties. They will like it for sure. Lets see how to make Dum aloo at home with step by step pictures and a video !
Dum aloo recipe - Restaurant style Dum aloo recipe
How to make restaurant style Punjabi dum aloo recipe at home
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp ( Kashmiri chilli powder)
Dhania powder - 2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Crushed Kasoori methi - 1.5 tsp
Fresh curd – 1to 2 tbsp
Fresh cream - 1 tbsp ( I used Amul fresh cream)
To grind
Cooking oil - 2 tbsp
Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
Cloves - 2 nos
Cardamom - 2 nos ( small)
Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Green chilli - 1 no
Big onion - 1 no
Tomato - 2 nos
Cashew nuts or almonds – 6 to 10 nos
Ginger&Garlic paste – 1/2 to 1 tsp
Coriander leaves – to garnish ( I din’t use it)
HOW TO MAKE DUM ALOO
Wash and pressure cook baby potato in a cooker adding 2 cups of water. Cook for 2-3 whistles in low flame. It takes 15 minutes. In the mean time, lets prepare the masala for gravy.
Heat 1 tbsp cooking oil in a kadai. Saute cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, fennel seeds and green chilli for a minute. Add chopped onions and saute till transparent. Add ginger, garlic paste and saute for a minute.
Add chopped tomato, salt and saute till tomato turns pulpy. Add cashews, mix once and switch off the flame. Let the mixture cool down. Grind to a smooth paste adding enough water. Set aside.
Take the pressure cooked potato. Drain the excess water and peel the potato skin. Keep in a plate. Prick all over the potato with a fork. Heat 2 tbsp cooking oil in a kadai. Shallow fry the potato till it turns golden in color and looks roasted. Remove in a plate.
In the remaining oil, splutter cumin seeds. Add ground tomato paste and saute for a minute. Add red chilli powder, dhania powder, sugar, garam masala powder and curd. Saute for a minute. Gravy will become thick and leaves the sides of pan. Add 1/2 to 1 cup water, mix well and check for taste. Add salt if needed.
Cover cook and boil till oil floats on top. Open the lid, mix the gravy and add 1/2 cup more water if needed. Now add the baby potato and mix well. Add fresh cream, crushed kasoori methi and mix well. Boil for a minute. Add water to adjust consistency. Garnish with coriander leaves. This gravy thickens when it cools down. So add more water whenever needed. Boil and serve hot with roti !
Enjoy !
Note
Add more red chilli powder if you want spicy gravy.
Originally baby potato should be deep fried in oil. But I shallow fried it to reduce the calorie.
You can use butter instead of cooking oil.
Adding fresh cream is optional. Skip if you don’t have it. But adding cream makes the gravy rich.
This gravy tastes the best if you give a standing time of 1 to 2 hours after preparation. So if you are making for birthday parties, make it in advance and reheat it adding some water.
Try this yummy, creamy dum aloo recipe at home & enjoy with chapathi/Naan/Kulcha !
. We can indulge in these type of gravies at least once in a while for celebrations and occasions.So friends, do try it and share your feedback with me 
.Lets see how to make this restaurant style khoya kaju gravy with step by step pictures and video !
