You Had Me At Samosa

The samosa casserole has been calling my name for a while. This week I finally got around to making it.
While the idea of a samosa filling topped by a whole wheat crust was absolutely appealing, the combination of spices and the way they are used, not so much.
Fortunately for me, I found this recipe for aloo phoolkopur samosas. Now this was more like it!

Our dinner yesterday: Bengali-ishtyle Potato-Cauliflower Samosa Casserole.
I followed the recipe for the samosa stuffing closely, just decreased the amount of potatoes and added in more vegetables (carrots, handful of chopped spinach, and corn).

The proof of the casserole was in the absence of any leftovers. The accompanying photo, as usual, does no justice to the dish.

This Pac-Man like casserole goes to Nupur's Blog Bites where the theme this time is one dish meals.

If you have any questions or comments, please write to me the.best.cooker@gmail.com.Thanks for stopping by.

Fry Me A River: Wada-Pav

I just couldn't think of a title for this post. But when one of the kids started a rare whine-fest '....you promised you would fry something today etc. etc.' I had the title (lame as it may be).

Had we gone to Pune this year, we'd be enjoying a wada-pav right this minute.
Our favourite wada-pav comes from two small no-name places: one close to the Best Western Pride Hotel and the other at the intersection of Senapati Bapat Road and the road leading to Patrakar Nagar.
Much as we enjoy the wada-pav from these places, we cannot bear to eat them there.
Something about that ambiance and the sanitary conditions gets in the way. We enjoy them better in the comfort of our home.

This time I used AdhiPotoba's recipe ; which frankly is not too different from mine.

A must-have with wada-pav is lashni-chi chutney (dry garlic chutney) much like Nupur's.
This will tide me over till my next visit to Punya Nagari.

This wada-pav is crossing the pond as my entry to MBP:Street Food, hosted this month by Sia.

Kolhapuri Flower-Batata Rassa

When looking for recipes to use the masala that Nupur sent, my stack of Saptahik Sakal came through in a big way. Though I found several recipes for Kolhapuri food there, most of them were either for non-vegeterian food or they didn't involve using any pre-made masala.

Finally I settled on making a rassa. Any vegetable preparation with gravy is categorised as a rassa (ras/ rus = juice). The usual suspects in a rassa are caulifower, potatoes, and green peas. Sometimes a tomato puts in an appearance.

One common thread I noticed in the recipes for the non-vegeterian dishes was that the masala was added to sauteed onions and then ground to a paste (kalwan). This paste was the main seasoning.
If the masala was aromatic to begin with, the kalwan was even more so.
Taste wise it packed a major punch. None of those delicate, subtle or barely-there flavours.
The masala that was stuck to the sides of the mixer bowl was carefully collected, spread over a slice of bread and one squirt of lemon later I was in sandwich heaven.

Kolhapuri Flower-Batata Rassa

Ingredients
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 medium sized potato, cubed
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp Kolhapuri masala
4-5 stalks of cilantro, chopped
salt, to taste

Method
Heat 1 tbsp oil and saute 3/4th of the onions till brown.
Add the masala and cook slightly (just under a minute). Do not add any water.
Grind the onion-masala mixture (kalwan).
Heat the remaining oil and saute the onions that were set aside.
Add the kalwan and cook for about 1-2 minutes, stiring constantly. If the kalwan sticks to the pan, add a bit of water. The colour reduces a bit on cooking.
Add about a cup of warm water, salt, and the vegetables.
Cover and cook for 7-8 minutes (or less if you like the vegetables to retain a crunch).
Adjust the salt.
Enjoy with bhaat (rice), bhakri, or ghadi-chi poli.

Adding links to the chain
Being a part of the Arusuvai Friendship Chain (US edition) has been a lot of fun. The most satisfying aspect of blogging is getting to know like minded food bloggers (snobs and all).
I'd like to pass on Aurusuvai mystery packages to the following bloggers who continue to inspire with their fresh take on food, their writing, and their breathtaking photographs:
Food For Thought and Evolving Tastes.

When the Bay Area Indian food bloggers get together was announced, I heard from several non-bloggers who were interested in meeting the people behind the blogs. As it was a strictly bloggers-only event, I had to turn down these requests. But if they'd like to receive an Arusuvai package from me, please send me an email (the.best.cooker@gmail.com).

Wild Arugula-Batata Bhaaji

Wild arugula has a much stronger flavour than regular arugula.
Regular arugula is pretty bitter to begin with and even for most adults, it is an acquired taste.
In other words, there was no way the kids would've eaten it as-is.
To reduce the bitterness I combined equal parts of spinach and wild arugula to make this bhaaji.
It was delicious!
The bitterness was noted, acknowledged, and (surprisingly) appreciated by all.
I'm definitely going to make this again, and again....

The potatoes play a supporting role in this dish, the wild arugula is the real star.

Ingredients
2 cups wild arugula, washed & chopped
2 cups spinach, washed & chopped
10-15 small potatoes (Halve the smaller ones and quarter the slightly larger ones)
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
4-5 heads of spring onions (or 1 small onion), thinly sliced
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste (optional)
1 jalapeno, minced
salt, to taste
lemon juice

Method
Heat oil, add the mustard seeds and when they start spluttering add the jalapeno and onions.
Saute on low heat till the onions start browning.
Add the ginger-garlic paste, if using.
Add the potatoes and give them a good stir.
Put the lid on and let them cook. If they start to stick to the pan, add a bit of water.
When the potatoes are almost cooked, add the wild arugula, spinach, salt, and the lime juice. Stir well.
Continue cooking till the arugula and spinach wilt.
Adjust the salt as required.

Serve with phulkas/ rotis/chapatis/pita or rice.

This is my entry for Nupur's A-Z of Indian Vegetables food blog event.

(Stuffed) Peppers

Growing up, we found bell peppers 'funny'. They are called by such hilarious names: bhongi mirchi, dhabbi mirchi, dhabboo mirchi and even simla mirchi. I can understand the bhongi, dhabbi, and dhabboo part. They all refer to the size and shape: knobby-chubby- tubby.
Why simla mirchi, I don't know.

This version of stuffed peppers is a departure from the way they are usually made. I wanted to use ginger and garlic but the kasuri methi was a last minute addition. The methi added a wonderful dimension of flavour and left me pleased with myself!



Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients
4 Bell Peppers, tops removed and each pepper cut vertically into two
1/2 cup chopped veggies like carrots, bell peppers, or peas (optional, only for extra colour)
1 large potato, boiled and grated (or mashed)
1-2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 (generous) pinch kasuri methi
salt, to taste
1 tbsp oil + extra to coat the peppers inside out
Cilantro, for garnishing

Method
Preheat oven to 350F.
Line a baking sheet with foil.
Oil the peppers lightly and place them on the sheet, cut side down.
Bake for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling.
Heat oil in a wok (kadhai) and add the ginger-garlic paste.
If the paste sticks to the wok, add a little water.
Add the kasuri methi and fry for about a minute.
Add the potatoes, salt, and the veggies (if using).
Mix well and turn off the heat.

Stuff the peppers with the filling, place them on the baking sheet and bake again for 15-20 minutes, depending on how soft you want the peppers to be. I baked for 15 minutes, as I wanted them on the crunchy side.
Sprinkle with cilantro.
Enjoy!

Before serving, I further cut each pepper piece in half.
We had the peppers with rice, but they will also go well with rotis/ parathas.
Before dinner, I noticed small hands sneakily stuffing a stuft pepper in their small mouths. So they are sure to make good appetizers. Especially since they taste just as good at room temperature.

The peppers are on their way to Nupur for her A-Z of Indian Vegetables series.