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Showing posts with label regional specialties. Show all posts
Showing posts with label regional specialties. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Kamal Kakdi ke Kofte ( Vegan Side Dish )

First the promise. For the longest time, I have have been bombarding you all with dishes made with 'Lotus Stem'. No prizes for guessing that it is my current obsession/fixation/or whatever you choose to call it. But I swear upon all my years of cumulative culinary experience that this the last one I will be posting. That is at least for another month or two.

Ok. Now coming back to the recipe, it is yet another delicious preparation that goes rather well with rotis or even pulao. Unlike the melt in the mouth koftas that one is accustomed to, this one is quite a mouthful. But that does not mean that it is anything less delicious. When combined with the sweet, tangy and mildly spicy gravy, it is a most welcome change.

Read on for the recipe -


















Preparation Time - 40 mins

Ingredients -


  • 100 gm Lotus stem
  • 1 small potato
  • 3 tbsp besan
  • 1/2 tsp GG paste
  • 1/2 tsp red chili powder
  • salt to taste
  • Fortune Vivo oil for deep frying
For the gravy -

  • 1 large onion
  • 2 large tomatoes
  • 1 tsp GG paste
  • 2-3 cloves
  • 1 green cardamom
  • 1/2 inch cinnamon
  • 2 dry red chili
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • salt to taste
  • kasuri methi
  • 2 tsp oil
  • 4-5 cashews
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • cilantro for garnishing


Preparation - Wash, peel and chop the lotus stem into 2-3 inch long pieces. Transfer to a pressure cooker along with 2 cups water and a little salt. Cook for 3 whistles.

Chop the potato into very small pieces. Or even better, grate it.

Keep aside till steam is released. Take out the lotus stem and transfer to a mixing bowl.

Mash it up. Add chopped/grated potato, besan, GG paste, chili powder and salt to the mixing bowl. Mix and bring everything together. Take small portions of it and shape into small lemon sized balls.

Cooking - Heat sufficient oil in a wok. Add 4-5 koftas at a time and fry to an even brown color . Remove and drain it on paper towels.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a nonstick pan. Add the whole spices and fry till aromatic.

Add the chopped onions and fry till translucent. Put in the GG paste and cook till raw smell goes away.

Finally add the chopped tomatoes and cook till mushy.

Add the kasuri methi and broken cashew to the wok and switch off the flame. Once it cools down, blend into a smooth puree.

Heat 1 tsp oil in the same pan. Add the cumin seeds and allow to splutter.

Add the puree along with 1 1/2 cups water, sugar and salt to taste. Bring to a boil and then let it simmer for 5-7 mins.

Once it reaches the right consistency, add the koftas and switch off the flame.

Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot/warm.
















For more 'Kamal Kakdi/Lotus Root' recipes , click HERE.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

PLACEofORIGIN.in - Discoveries and Reminiscences

My day starts with it. But my rendezvous with 'Tea' does not end at that. I usually have a couple of cups throughout the day interspersed with a caffeine shot or two for that extra kick. As a Mom of a hyperactive four year old boy I need all of it and even more to keep me going throughout the day. And since these brews are such an integral part of my daily routine, I prefer nothing but the best that I can procure at my convenience. To be honest, I do not have the energy to drive half-way across the town to some quaint little shop selling gourmet/connoisseur teas. Nor do I believe in pleading with a relative to bring back a few kilos of tea from a trip to the North-East. Not my cup of tea as I would put it. Pardon the expression, but that is how I am.

With PLACEofORIGIN.in I have finally discovered that now I can have my tea and drink it too ! It is just the right website for people like me and everybody else who covet the good things in life. It could be something that one has grown up with or discovered in the course of one's travels. But with 'PLACEofORIGIN.in' one is guaranteed an encore of the flavor experience without ever resorting to substitutes or inferior replacements. As the products are curated from the very source producers, rest assured that you are getting the best of it.

That brings me back to my favorite cuppa. Given the wonderful benefits of green tea, which include fat burning and lowering cancer risk, I am quite particular about the brand (preferably organic) that I pick. And with this website, I am ensured a steady supply of my favorite brew. Plus with the numerous options that are available, there is always that additional benefit of having the freedom to switch between multiple blends and flavors. Green tea flavors like Saffron-Kahwa, Himalayan Tulsi-Rhododendron and Berry Blush are virtually impossible to procure from supermarkets or even other online sources.

Image courtesy : www.placeoforigin.in























Coffee connoisseurs can get their pick from the multiple options available on the website. The names of all the various blends in stock read like a dream. Rain Song Dark Roast, The Deep Bliss Blend and The Sunkissed Blend are enough to make me feel caffeine deprived. Don't you agree ?



But the best part is that they also sell those yummy snacks that go really well with your chosen brew. The website stocks the Shrewsbury biscuits and Chitale Bandhu Bhakarwadi from Pune, Almond House Bisticks from Hyderabad and the most decadent stuff from Moshes and Sleight of Hand from Mumbai. But these are just the ones that I am partial to. Foodies can look forward to savoring stuff from across the length and breadth of the county. Bakes, sweets and savories from places like Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Indore and many other cities are waiting to be grabbed. In short, if there is a city marked on your foodie roadmap, the guys behind 'PLACEofORIGIN.in' might just beat you in the race to get there.



















Still on the same page ? Then, go ahead and try it !

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