aloo bhaji (batata bhaji)

mood: vituperative
listening to: blut aus nord :: epitome xvi/epitome xvii

after an eight month lag that is attributed to laziness, i'm posting a recipe from my childhood. this was such a great dish growing up and there were so many different ways to make it and all kinds of vegetables that could be added to it. i made an aloo gobi last year which had cauliflower added and this time i added some peas to add some color. it's very easy to make and to adapt to your own taste and you can eat it with naan, tortillas or just plain rice.

Ingredients: 2 tbsp. of olive oil 1 medium onion, diced 1 tsp. of asafoetida 1 tbsp. of ground cumin 1 tsp. of turmeric 1 tbsp. of salt

1 tbsp. of amchoor (dried mango) powder 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 tbsp. of ground coriander 1 tsp. of mustard seeds 2 cups of frozen peas 1 tbsp. of gochugaru (korean red chili powder)

Preparation:
- heat oil in large skillet
- on medium heat, add mustard seeds and asafoetida and let simmer for 1 minute
- add in onion and stir until the onion becomes translucent
- add in turmeric, cumin, coriander, amchoor and mix for another minute
- add in potatoes and salt and stir then cover for 5-10 minutes
- add in gochugaru and peas and stir, then cover again for 5 minutes
- keep stirring until potatoes become slightly soft

the ingredients in the recipe are enough for 4 people.

aloo gobi

mood: chimerical
listening to: high on fire :: serums of liao/fertile green

happy 2012! i just noticed that that's what i lead off my last posting with, so i guess i'm doing better than last year! i finally feel comfortable posting this dish which i've been working on in some form or another for the past few months. for all of you who keep asking for some indian recipes, i'm obliging once again and i'll say that this is the first of many that will be appearing here, cause i finally feel comfortable cooking my heritage food. this is a simple healthy dish and is full on vegetarian, which is pretty standard for the majority of dishes from my parent's home state.

Ingredients: 3 tbsp canola oil 2 pinches of asafoetida 1 pinch of mustard seeds 1 pinch of cumin seeds 1 small onion, diced 2 thai chilis, sliced 1/2 tsp of ginger paste 2 tsps of ground coriander 1/2 tsp of chili powder

2 pinches of paprika 1/2 tsp of turmeric 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp of garam masala 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into small florets 1/2 tsp of garlic paste salt (seasoned to taste)

Preparation:
- in large pot, heat 3 tbsp of canola oil on medium-high. add in mustard and cumin seed and asafoetida and heat until seeds begin to pop.
- stir in onion and heat until slightly brown.
- reduce heat to medium and add in thai chilis and ginger paste and fry for 1 minute.
- add in paprika, turmeric, garam masala, chili powder, cayenne pepper and ground coriander and stir till you can smell the aroma.
- add in potatoes, stir and then cover for 5-10 minutes.
- add in cauliflower and salt and cover for another 15 minutes.
- continue to stir until slightly brown and potatoes and cauliflower is tender.

serve with rice and naan or tortilla.

aloo poha

i haven't been slacking... rather attempting to perfect this dish. indian food has always been a challenge, as i'm extremely picky when it comes to spices and trying to get the measurements right. finally, after 2 weeks... i have it where i want it.

aloo poha (pronounced ah-loo po-hay) is a flattened rice dish with potatoes. i did some research and for those of you who don't know hindu mythology, poha is the favorite food of lord krishna. i don't want to go into the story, but you can google it.

mommy and daddy used to make this all the time growing up and to this day, it's just as good now as it was back then. it's normally made for weekend brunch. time to save up your cash as a trip to the indian grocery store will be in order to procure a lot of these ingredients, but it's totally worth it!

Ingredients:
2 cups thick poha (flattened rice flakes)
1 large potato
1/2 onion
3 dried red chili peppers
cilantro
1 clove garlic
yellow mustard seed
black peppercorns
cumin powder
fennel seed
ground coriander
garam masala
turmeric
urad dal
hing (asafoetida)
salt
canola oil

Preparation:
- soak and drain thick poha for 10-15 mins
- finely chop onion, cut pototo in cubes, and cut cilantro
- put canola oil in a pot and heat on medium heat
- add mustard seed and dal and cover; when mustard seeds pop, add in peppercorns, hing, stir for a minute
- add garlic, onion, potato, cilantro, coriander, cumin, fennel seed, dried chili peppers, garam masala and cook until light brown
- with heat on low, add poha, 1/4 turmeric and mix thoroughly; add salt for taste or garlic salt

this dish can be eaten as it is or you could try what my cousin and i do: add buttermilk and crushed papadam. add this if you want to eat it like this guy!