Tag Archives: Peas

Ghugni | Bengali Matar Ghugni | Peas curry/chaat

April 11, 2023 Healthy Cooking with Mitha Leave a comment

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Chaat of any kind has been my favorite since a child, may it be the eating waala spicy, tangy chaats or the talking waala chatting. 😂😂 In fact talking my heart out while eating chaats with my loved ones is my dream kind of outing. During my college days, me, my brother and parents used to go out to eat chaats on Saturday evenings. It used to be so much fun and I still cherish those memories. ❤️

Now, whenever we go out and there are chaats available, my first order would definitely be atleast one among the various chaats in their menu. 😍 Karnataka style Masala Puri is my favorite among all chaats followed by Dahi Puri.

Bengalis make a similar chaat like our masala puri with peas, which can be had as a curry too. I had shared it in my old blog and I am happy to share it here too. This Chaat is very flavorful and so easy to make that you will be tempted to try it as soon as possible.

Hope you all will try it for your next evening snack and enjoy it with your cup of tea or coffee. Enjoy cooking and eating with your loved ones. It is these moments that we remember all our life. Happy and healthy cooking ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 Cup dried Green peas/ white peas

1 Tbsp Oil

2 tsp Ghee

1 Bay leaf

2 Cloves

1 inch Cinnamon stick

1 Cardamom pod

2 Dried Red chillies

1 inch Ginger, grated

2 Green chillies, finely chopped

1 medium sized Onion, thinly sliced

1 medium sized Tomato, diced

1 medium sized Potato, peeled and diced

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Cumin powder

2 tsp Coriander powder

2 tsp Red chilli powder or to taste

3 Tbsp finely chopped Coriander leaves

1 green chilli and few finely chopped onion pieces, for garnish

Salt to taste

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash well and soak the dried peas in enough water overnight or for atleast 8 hours.

2. Drain the water completely and wash again. Add the peas to a pressure cooker with fresh water to the level of about 2 cm above the peas level. Pressure cook till soft. Take care to not overcook it.

In my electric stove top, I keep on high flame for 10 mins and it gets very soft.

3. Now heat oil + ghee in a pan. Add bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, red chillies, ginger and green chillies. Let it cook for few seconds.

4. Now add sliced onion and fry till it turns translucent. Add potatoes and fry in the oil for few seconds.

5. Add tomatoes and mix well. Let it turn soft.

6. In a small bowl, add turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder. Add about 2 to 3 Tbsp water and make a smooth paste with it mixing well with a spoon.

7. Add this to the pan and mix well stirring continually for few minutes till the powders cook.

8. Add the cooked green peas along with salt. Also add water if needed to get the desired consistentency. I prefer it thick, so don’t add much water. Cover and cook for about 10 mins on medium flame till the gravy thickens.

9. Remove from flame. When serving, garnish with chopped onions, green chillies and coriander leaves.

Notes:

* You can use dried Green or white peas to make Ghugni. Frozen or fresh ones will not give the same taste.

* Do soak the peas for atleast 8 hours so that it gets digested well by the body.

* Don’t overcook the peas that it gets mashed. We need it go be soft yet retain it’s structure.

* You can enjoy Ghugni as a Chaat or like a curry with rice or chapati.

* For Ghugni Chaat, you can make additions like tamarind chutney/ coriander leaves- mint chutney and sev or bhujiya as topping but I love it just as it is.

* The gravy can be thick or thin like how you prefer but Ghugni is usually had thick.

* With leftover Ghugni, I add paneer cubes to make it Matar Paneer. Tastes so yum too. 😍

My favorite Chaat recipes:

* Masala Puri Chaat

* Bhel Puri Chaat

* Sprouted Moong Chaat

* Paneer Pav Bhaji

Snacks

Poha Vegetable cutlet | easy cutlet recipe

April 10, 2021 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 1 Comment

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I have had a weakness for cutlets all my life. 😁 My mother who will be reading this would add, “Not only cutlets but all bakery foods, which is why I had decided to get you married off to a bakery owner. 😅😅”. That brings a wide grin on my face as I realize how true is that! I love bakery snacks a lot but still, cutlets definitely hold a special place in my heart (read : missing native : missing cutlets from Hotel Diana, Udupi). ❤️

Hotel Diana in Udupi is very famous for their cutlets and those must be the first ones I ever tasted too, as a child. I still remember the swirling walkway leading to the restaurant where we used to go, specially after picking Amma, whose office was next door. My order would be Puri bhaji and Cutlets (about 25 years later, my order in any south Indian restaurant is still the same, if they have both in the menu. #puribhajicutletfanforever 😂😂). The cutlets would be so crispy and dipping them with the green chutney- ketchup combo would be a bite into heaven for the little foodie Mitha. 😍

Amma saw that gleam in my eyes while enjoying the cutlets and after that, whenever she had any party in her office, be it in Udupi or Kochi, all cutlets would come packed safely for me, without her taking even a bite of it. That’s a mother’s love and I used to wonder how she could do it. But now, after being a mother myself, I really understand her. ❤️

My Annama (grandmother) used to make beetroot cutlets as evening snack and I used to sit like a cat next to fish, ardently waiting for the cutlets to come out of the frying pan. 😍 I still have the flavours of her cutlets in my taste buds. ❤️

But even though I am such a huge cutlet lover, it is honestly such a shame that I never attempted to make them at home. Always thought it was too much work. How amazed I was to find these poha cutlets on Instagram reels, made by so many food bloggers. It looked so easy and delicious that I had to try it out.

Truly, it comes out too delicious for words. A must try recipe for sure. By using poha, you can reduce potatoes in the cutlets and it becomes quite filling too. This cutlet is very soft and flavourful on the inside but crispy on the outside.

I am so happy that I have learnt to make a good cutlet. Will definitely be making often for sure. Hope you all try and love it. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { Makes 12 cutlets }

1 Cup thick Poha/ flattened rice/ Aval

1 Cup Mashed potatoes (2 medium sized potatoes)

1/4 Cup grated Carrot

3 Tbsp Green Peas

3 Tbsp Sweetcorn

2 Tbsp Capsicum, finely chopped

2 Tbsp Coriander leaves, finely chopped

1/4 tsp Turmeric or Haldi powder

1/2 tsp Cumin powder

1 tsp Red chilli powder

Salt to taste

While making cutlets:

2 Tbsp Corn flour

About 1/2 Cup Bread crumbs

Oil as required to shallow fry

Step by step recipe:

1. Get ready all the veggies required for the cutlet. Boil two potatoes, peel skin and mash it. Keep in a bowl. Steam peas and corn. Keep aside. Grate carrots, finely chop capsicum and coriander leaves.

2. Now wash the thick Poha well and soak in water for about 5 mins. Drain water completely and mash the poha with your hands.

3. Now add the mashed potatoes, steamed peas and corn, grated carrots, finely chopped capsicum and coriander leaves along with turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and salt to it.

4. Mix well to form a even thick mixture.

5. Now make corn flour slurry by mixing 2 Tbsp corn flour with about 2 to 3 tbsp water. It’s should neither be very thick nor thin. Also keep bread crumbs in another bowl. Take a mixture in your palm and shape into cutlets as shown.

6. Dip in the corn flour slurry and roll in bread crumbs. Keep aside in a plate. Repeat the same with all cutlets.

7. Now heat little oil in a pan. Place each of the cutlets gently and fry on medium flame.

8. Flip to the opposite side and shallow fry till both sides turn golden brown in colour.

6. Serve hot with chutney and ketchup.

Notes:

* These cutlets taste heavenly with this Coriander leaves Chutney and tomato ketchup combination.

* I use thick Poha for this recipe. If using thin Poha, then no need to soak the poha, just washing and mashing will make it soft.

* 1 Cup mashed poha and 1 Cup mashed potatoes gives it the correct binding. If still you are unable to bind the cutlets due to the potatoes being moist, just add little bread crumbs to the mixture and you will be able to shape the cutlets well.

* Peas, corn and capsicum gives the cutlets a good bite and increases the health quotient too. But if you don’t have any one of these, you can skip.

* You can also add chopped green chillies to the mixture if desired.

* Bread crumbs in the coating makes the cutlets very crispy. So please do use it. I freeze my bread crumbs as it lasts well for many months that way.

* Shallow fry them on medium flame such that the cutlets get the beautiful golden brown colour.

Chaat street, Curry house, Snacks

Masala Puri chaat

August 12, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 4 Comments

It is my son’s second birthday today (August 12th) and we are celebrating it since 10th. 10th because it was my husband’s off day from work (we did a small celebration at home), 11th as it was Janmashtami and I love dressing him up as Krishna. He is our little Kishan Kanhaiyya who brought flood along with him during the Kerala floods in August 2018.

I remember those scary days every year and pray that no one has to go through it again. But yes, God has been really kind upon us and we survived the days well.

My parents shifted back to our native Udupi in Karnataka after that as they wanted to be closer to their siblings and the days in Cochin are a beautiful memory to cherish.

One among the food memory from Cochin is piping hot masala puri that we used to enjoy from a small chaat stall behind the Ernakulam Shiva temple. Me and Amma used to sit in our car (as I was very shy to eat in front of other people 😁) and my dad and brother used to bring them to us. The flavours of the masala puri is still in my taste buds. So so delicious. I have never eaten a tastier masala puri than that.

But I am glad after many trials, my version of masala puri does taste almost same to that. I make it during special days and since it was my son’s birthday, I made it for our evening special snack and we all enjoyed it. Hope you all try and enjoy too. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients: {Makes about 4 plates}

For the curry:

1 Cup dry Green peas (soak overnight)

1 medium sized Potato

1 medium sized Tomato

1 tsp Garam masala powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

1 Tbsp Oil

To grind:

1 medium sized Onion

3 Green chillies

1/2 inch Ginger piece

1/2 Cup Coriander leaves

1/4 Cup Mint leaves

For garnish: finely chopped Onion, tomatoes and coriander leaves as desired

For assembling the chaat: {In one plate}

3 to 4 Puris, 3 ladles of the curry, 1 Tbsp Date Tamarind chutney, Green chutney if desired, finely chopped onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves and bhujiya or Sev.

Step by step recipe:

1. Pressure cook the soaked green peas (soak for atleast 8 hours) along with potato and turmeric powder till it turns soft.

Note: It takes 4 whistles at high flame in my electric stovetop.

2. Mash lightly and keep aside.

3. Take all ingredients to grind in a mixer jar.

4. Grind with little water to a smooth paste. Keep aside.

5. Heat oil in a pan and fry finely chopped tomatoes till it cooks.

6. Add the ground masala paste and cook till it reduces and leaves the sides of the pan. Add garam masala powder and salt.

7. Add the cooked and mashed peas and potatoes.

8. Now cook till it thickens and turns into a gravy like below. Remove from flame.

9. For making masala puris, take puris in a plate and break into pieces.

10. Now add two to three ladles of the curry, top with date-tamarind chutney, onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves and bhujiya. Serve hot.

Notes:

* You can also make green chutney for a spicier masala Puri. Since I make it for my kids, I skip and make the curry mildly spicy for them to enjoy.

* For the green chutney, just grind green chillies with coriander leaves, mint, salt and little water to a smooth paste.

* I also use Mother’s recipe date tamarind chutney. If you don’t have it, just grind dates with tamarind and salt with little water to a smooth paste. That’s your sweet chutney.

* For the puris, I have bought these ready to be fried puris long back (more than 2 years actually) and still they are good. I just microwave it on high for 1 minute and they are ready. No need to deep fry at all.

* The curry can be used as an accompaniment to rotis and rice meals. If you add paneer to it, it becomes matar paneer. I do the same when I have leftover curry.

* You can grind tomatoes if you don’t like tomatoes as it is in the gravy.

Curry house

Mushroom Aloo masala

August 4, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha Leave a comment

Mushrooms are a regular in our grocery list even though I am not a huge fan of it. My husband absolutely loves it and I have learnt to adjust to it even though I have to make a face when I see it come home {Sorry Mr Mushroom 😁).

So I try to hide it in lipsmacking gravies so that I “manage” to eat it. One of them is Mushroom Chettinad and it does turn out very restaurant like. Another one is this Mushroom Aloo masala as named by me 😄.

Mushroom Aloo masala is a perfect combination of mushrooms (which I don’t like, hubby loves) and potato (which I love, hubby hates). So I enjoy the potatoes in the gravy and serve him all the mushroom pieces in it 🤣. How’s the idea??

I also add peas to the gravy for some colour and great bite. Hope you all try and love it too. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

250 g Button mushrooms, quartered

1 medium sized Potato, peeled and cubed

1/2 Cup frozen Green peas

1 Tbsp Ghee

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1 Bay leaf

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Red chilli powder

2 tsp Sabzi masala or any garam masala of your choice

Coriander leaves for garnish

Salt to taste

To grind:

1/2 inch Ginger

1 medium sized Onion

1 large sized Tomato

2 Cloves

1/2 inch Cinnamon stick

1 Elaichi or Cardamom

Step by step recipe:

1. Grind the ingredients mentioned in “to grind” to a smooth paste adding water as required. Keep it aside.

2. Heat ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds and bay leaf. Let the seeds change colour. Add the ground paste.

3. Allow it to cook on medium flame for about 10 mins till it changes colour and leaves the sides of the pan. Add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and sabzi masala.