Chatpate Aaloo Matar / Spicy Tangy Potato Peas

Ingredients:

Baby potatoes          -10-12 or 5 big size potatoes cut into cubes

Green peas (matar)  - 1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen

Onion                      - 1 chopped very fine

Tomato                   - 2 big chopped or pureed

Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tblspoon

Mustard seeds         - 1 tspoon

Asafetida                - a pinch (Hing)

Curry Leaves          - 8-10

Green Chilies          - 4 slit and cut into big pieces

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tspoon

Coriander Powder - 1 tspoon

Amchoor                - 1 tspoon

Garam Masala         - 1/2 tspoon

Salt                         - to taste

Oil                          - 1 tblspoon or your choice

Fresh Coriander - finely chopped for garnish

Method:

Wash and boil baby potatoes. Cut them into two. 

Wash and par boil the green peas as well.

Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. 

Add the mustard seeds, green chillies and hing. 

Now add onion and ginger/garlic paste. Cook for 2 minutes until translucent.

Now add tomato puree to it. mix well.

Now add all dry masalas including salt to it, with a sprinkle of 2 tblspoon water and cook it with a lid on for 5 minutes.

Now add peas, mix well. Now add baby potatoes and mix very well to coat the masalas.

Cover the lid and let it cook for 5 more minutes in a low heat, so that we do not burn the masalas.

Mix it well before taking it out on the serving plate.

Garnish with fresh chopped coriander.

This dish is very good as a side dish for your Lunch or Dinner menu.

Matar Mushroom Pulao

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice                               - 1-1/2 cup
Musroom /Khubh                        - 1 cup chopped
Green Peas/Matar                        - 1 cup washed
Onion                                           - 1 medium size cut in juliene
Tomato Puree                               - 3 tblspoon
Green Chili                                   - 2 chopped
Ginger Paste                                 - 1/2 tspoon
Garlic Paste                                  - 1 tspoon
Hing                                             - 1 pinch
Cumin Seeds                                - 1/2 tspoon
Black Cardamom                         - 1
Bay leaf/Tej Patta                        - 1
Cloves/ Laung                             - 2-3
Black pepper/Kali Mirch            - 4-5
Whole Coriander                        - 5-10 seeds
Cinnamon Stick/Dalchini           - 1 inch small stick
Mace/Javitri                               - one cover
Vegetable oil                              - 2 tblspoon
Salt                                             - to taste
Garam Masala                            - 1/2 tspoon
Amchoor                                    - 1/2 tspoon
Kasuri Methi                              - 1 tblspoon (optional, my kids dont like it)
Fresh Coriander leaves              - 2 tblspoon chopped well
Water as required                      - it varies according to the brand of rice.

Method:

Clean, wash and soak the rice for 15 mins.
Meanwhile wash and chop the mushrooms and slice the onions.
In a pressure cooker, heat oil.  Add the whole spices along with cumin and hing, and fry till they become fragrant for about 2 seconds.
Add the onions and saute them till translucent.
Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute till the raw smell of the paste goes away. Now add the chopped green chilies.
Now add the tomato puree,salt, garam masala and amchoor mix well. Add the kasoori methi if you are using it.
Now add the green peas then add the mushrooms.
Saute for 8-10 minutes till the mushrooms are starting to shrink. Keep on stirring in between.
Add the soaked rice. Mix the rice for 1-2 minutes on a low flame with gentle hands.
Add the water. I keep the water over rice for just a first phalanx of my fingre.
Pressure cook the rice for 1 whistle and as soon as the next whistle starts to come switch off the flame. With this trick your rice will be cooked and will not be sticky.
When the pressure settles down on its own, remove the lid and gently fluff the rice.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve matar mushroom pulao with mix salad.
You could also serve variety of Raita with the Pulao.

Methi Matar Malai

Ingredients:

Fresh Fenugreek/Methi                - 2 cups
Fresh Green Peas                        - 1 cup
Full Cream /Malai                         - 2 tblspoon
Onion                                            - 1 medium chopped
Garlic                                            - 5-6 cloves finely chopped
Ginger                                           - 1/2 inch grated
Green Chillies                               - 1 tblspoon finely chopped
Cumin Seeds                                - 1/2 tspoon
Asafetida                                      - a pinch
Turmeric powder                          - 1/2 tspoon
Coriander powder                        - 1 tspoon
Garam Masala                             - 1/2 tspoon
Amchoor Powder                         - 1/2 tspoon
Mustard Oil                                  - 1 tblspoon

Method:

Wash and finely chop the Methi, keep it aside in a bowl.
Heat mustard oil in a heavy bottom iron Kadhai or Pan.
When oil is warm put cumin and asafetida into it.
once cumin start to splutter add chilli, garlic and ginger. roast them untill golden brown, now add the onion.
Once added the onion cook it until onion is translucent.
Now add the dry spices, turmeric, coriander, amchoor, garam masala and mix well with onion mix.
After 1 minute of mixing, add the green peas. Mix it well again for 5 minutes.
Now add methi into the pan and mix well.
Now cover it with the lid and cook it untill the water methi leaves is gone and peas are cooked.
Once peas are cooked turn off the flame.
Now add the Malai into the pan and mix well.
Your Methi Matar Malai is ready to eat for your Lunch or Dinner. Serve it with Daal and Paratha of your choice.

Aloo Matar Samosa

Ingredients:

For crust:
Maida / All Purpose flour                  -1 cup
Sooji (fine semolina)                         -1 tbspoon
Salt                                                     -1/4 tspoon
Oil                                                      -2 tbspoons
Lukewarm water                                -1/3 cup


For filling:
Green peas                                         -2 cups boiled (I used Frozen peas)
Potato                                                 -2 cups boiled and mashed roughly
Oil                                                      -2 tablespoons
Coriander powder (dhania)                -3 tspoons
Red chili powder (Lal Mirchi)          -1 tspoon
Mango powder (amchoor)                 -1 tspoon
Garam masala                                    -1/4 tspoon
Salt                                                     -adjust to your taste

Method:

For Dough:
First Mix flour, sooji, salt, oil and water together to make soft dough. Knead the dough to make it smooth and pliable.Cover the dough and let it sit least 15 minutes.


To Make Filling:
Squeeze the excess water from boiled peas, and pat dry. Mix Potato mash and peas together.
Mix all the dry ingredients coriander, chili powder, garam masala, mango powder and salt to potato and pea mix.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
Put the potato and peas mix, stir fry and keep mashing, stir fry until no moisture is left, but do not make it very mushy. This should take about 10 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let the filling cool to the room temperature.


Method to Make samosas:
Knead the dough again for a minute. Divide the dough into 10-12 equal parts and roll into balls.
Roll each ball about 4 inch diameter and cut each circle in half.

Take one semicircle and wet the sides lightly all around and fold it into a cone shape.

Pinch the side of this cone so that it is completely sealed.
Fill the cone with about 1 teaspoon of filling. Press this filling down lightly.

Close the top of the cone to form a triangular shape, pinching the top edge to seal it completely.

Continue filling the rest of the samosas.

Heat about 2 inches of oil in a Karahi on medium heat.
To check if oil is hot enough place a small piece of dough in oil and dough should sizzle and come to the surface slowly.
Put 4-5 samosas in the karahi at a time, they should not overlap.
After samosas are floating on top of the oil turn them slowly. Fry the samosas until the samosas are golden color on all sides. This should take about 6-7 minutes.
If you use a high heat, the samosa crust will be cooked from outside but inside the crust will be raw and not cook properly.
Put the Samosas out over paper towel to absorb extra oil. Samosas are ready.
Serve them with Green Chutney and Tomato Chutney.