Leaves of Radish- A Rustic Stir Fry

Snowy white, fresh radishes are in season and the vegetable markets are full of them. Set in piles, these radishes resemble little white mountains from the front. Go around the back of these mountains and you will see little green mountains made of lush, crisp radish leaves.

I find myself a bit different from most people I know, in terms of a taste palette. A good kind of different. I grew up in a household where kids weren't allowed the privilege of moody meals. Not that I made a fuss, it wouldn't have made a difference if I did, except when sick. And today I am thankful that I didn't grow up to be a picky eater; I dread the scenario where I would have missed many brilliant flavors.

My region of India is known for its production of rice. We are big time rice eaters, as is apparent from my love for rice. But what many people do not know about Chhattisgarh is that it is also home to numerous varieties of green leafy vegetables. I know most of them and yet come across many new leaves that I haven't heard of before and don't know how to cook. The ones I know about is because I come from an old line of dwellers of the state and have spent my entire life being fed humble, rustic editions of these green delights that are the recipes of my grandma, now 90.

Living in a town or state doesn't mean that one will know all about its cultures and traditions and secret recipes. But I pity those who don't try to learn and remain ignorant. I used to be very surprised when I was young that many of my friends didn't know about most of the recipes I so fondly adored. I learned later it was because their moms had come from different cultures and so they didn't know the magic of those recipes. But then, my mom came from an altogether different lifestyle too, and I am glad that she adapted to her new surroundings. She learned all that my grandmother taught her in the kitchen and also mixed her own style to it. It is so endearing to watch my mom ask my grandmother for instructions for some old recipe even today. My upbringing matters to me. I do not want any part of my culture, however small, to slip into oblivion. I may not be able to help every cause, but I will do what I can and this recipe here is one such effort.

I picked the leaves of radish for this post today for two main reasons. One, radish is in season, and two, it is available everywhere in India and elsewhere so you cannot nag me about availability. It is rather a very humble recipe but since radish leaves are usually thrown away, the fact that it is a recipe dedicated to the leaves makes it interesting and different.

The flavor profile of radish leaves isn't much different from that of the radish itself, sharp and tangy, slightly bitter too. The leaves are coarse and cannot be used in in a salad or in a sandwich as such. I do however hope that this recipe will multi task as a stuffing for parathas and sandwiches. I enjoyed it today with my staple diet, chapati and dal and of course rice. Every time I have something like this, it gets me in a similar mood as today and I feel proud of my rustic-chic palette that I acquired from my home and from living in different cities in the country. But most of all I think it was possible only because I am open to various flavors without bias and prejudice. Everything I can eat, I will eat and I will remember.

Besan wali Pyaz

Certain recipes taunt us from the memory . They sit there and laugh at us while we rack our brains to find something new to eat. They secretly smirk at our good natured foolhardiness and wait patiently until we realise that an old recipe, like an ancient artefact dug out of ruins, becomes new when pulled out from the deep recesses of memory.

I am mulling over this today because this recipe here was one such smirking little snob until I decided to bring it out in the open for everyone to see and put an end to its enigmatic condescension.

LOL! Looks like I have stretched my metaphor too far. Let's talk like normal people would about their food.

This recipe here today is a very simple process of caramelising onions with chickpea flour and spices. It is a recipe I think I prepared after 3 years, hence the ancient artefact metaphor. It used to be my favorite "go to" recipe when I was short on time, vegetables and energy. It is actually a preparation from my mom's kitchen. I used to love having it for lunch in school. Granted, it's a comparatively dry preparation and didn't really sit well with only parathas in the tiffin, but the heart wants what the heart wants, or in this case, the tongue.

I cannot recall what triggered me to take up this recipe today, nevertheless, God bless it! Today's meal with this Besan wali Pyaz not only broke a rut but also brought a refreshing bout of happy memories.

You will enjoy this most with hot, buttered chapatis and a good dal like this Yellow Dal Fry.
I like it with rice too. And at times I have also used it as a filling for grilled sandwiches and stuffed parathas. It never disappoints.

Ingredients:

Onions- 2 cups, sliced
Besan (Chickpea flour)- 1 cup
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Red chilly powder- 1 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 tbsp
Garam masala powder- 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil- 1/4 cup

Recipe:

Dry roast chickpea flour. Set aside. 

Heat oil in a pan.

Add mustard seeds.

When spluttered, add onions and little salt.

Cook covered on low flame until transparent and soft.

Now add roasted chickpea flour and all powdered spices.

Mix well and cook for another 5-7 minutes.

Serve hot.

Spring Onions with Split Bengal Gram

This Spring Onions with Split Bengal Gram recipe is one of those rustic recipes that you grow up eating and the kind you miss when when you move out of your home. There are recipes that are local to a region and community which are not heard of by others. This is one of such recipes. Certain combinations of ingredients in a dish would become your favorite, if only you knew about them. This is one of those combinations. I am only aware of this recipe because my mother makes it and she came to know it after she got married from my grandmother.

Hearing "spring onions" one thinks of garnishing, salads and soups or Chinese recipes such as spring onion rolls. A spring onion curry doesn't cut the list. A spring onion curry with Bengal grams is not even far fetched. But the concept of it so humble and delicious that it needs to be out there in the world for every one to know for themselves. 

Kurkuri Bhindi

This bhindi recipe is one of the many reasons to fawn over it. Kurkuri Bhindi aka Indian Fried Okra is the holy grail of all bhindi recipes. It is super crispy and crunchy, which is why "kurkuri".

It so happened that one of the fellow home cooks on Instagram posted a picture of these mouthwatering, thin, crispy strips of bhindi last night. You can check out his version and mine here and here. A want arose and from there this post wrote itself. This is one of the recipes I had been wanting to post forever and seeing that picture then gave me the push I needed to go ahead and do it.

Think of this okra as potato chips. No matter how hard you try, you can't stop at one. I had a hard time keeping my paws off it as I was clicking pictures for the post. It was made all the more difficult that these looked so great on camera. I wonder if that's how photographers feel about models!

This recipe one of those recipes you should keep in your bag of handy, easy, quick recipes. You will be using it all the time as sides and snacks.

Garlic Spinach with Tomatoes

Garlic, good! Spinach, good! Tomatoes, good! Throw them together in a pan, even better.

Hi all. With today's post I am beginning a series of posts we'll be calling "Three Ingredient Thursdays". These posts will use only three major ingredients and will be easy to prepare. These will be great for quick fix, flavorful meals.

Today's recipe is Garlic Spinach with Tomatoes. The name says it all and it is as easy as that. This recipe can be prepared in just minutes and serves as a great side dish or a full meal if you are on the lookout for healthier meal options. It is very light and fresh and smells great.

Spinach season has just begun and I had a whole kilo of incredibly fresh baby spinach with me. I couldn't resist going for this recipe for my lunch today. Well, that and because I didn't really want to have what was cooked for lunch today. I am not a picky eater, but sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants, or doesn't, in this case. So as lunch was being served, I washed some of the baby spinach, chopped some garlic and tomatoes and was on the table with my dish even before everyone started eating.

Falahari Jeera Aaloo

The festive season in India has officially begun with the onset of Navratri. On this occasion, a few of my friends have asked for Navratri special recipes and this is a very simple recipe that can be had when observing fast. This is my mom's recipe and it is one of those recipes that strengthen my belief that the simplest flavors can work wonders. I understand that the funda behind observing a fast is learning to live simply and not give into temptations. But then, one has to eat at least once. This simple recipe is filling and and can be whipped up in easily in large batches to be taken to a group gatherings during the Navratris.

It helps to keep boiled potatoes handy during Navratris as it can be used in other recipes such as Sabudana Wada, Sabudana Khichdi etc.

I will be adding more Navratri special recipes. I had not planned posting Navratri special recipes so it will be one at a time. But they will be easy and my friends will have plenty of time to prepare.

Happy Navratris everyone.

Side note: I did not use any haldi in this recipe and yet the potatoes look fairly yellow. That's because the potatoes I used were slightly yellow on their own owing to seasonal availability.

Ingredients:

Boiled potatoes- 2 large

Green chillies- 3 nos (adjust)

Curry leaves- about 20-25 nos.

Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

Red chilly powder- <1/4 tsp (optional)

Rock salt to taste

Oil- 1 tbsp

Recipe:

Peel and cut boiled potatoes into big pieces. Potatoes that are not too soft (after boiling) work best for this recipe.

Cut green chillies into 1/2" pieces.

Heat oil in a pan.

When heated, temper with cumin seeds, curry leaves and green chillies.

If using, add red chilly powder at this point.

Add potatoes. Add Salt.

Sauté for 3-5 minutes with only occasional stirring.

These potatoes taste best when allowed to develop a slightly crispy crust while sautéing. This can be achieved by not stirring potatoes too frequently and letting them stick to the pan but taking care they don't burn.

Palak Paneer

When you are bored of eating the same vegetables everyday and want to have something that is rich yet light and easy to cook, Palak Paneer is your rescue. I love to make Palak Paneer for lunch/brunch on Sundays. It offers a simple, non-time consuming, tasty way to to incorporate healthy greens in your diet and have a wonderful meal.

It is even better when prepared out of the blue on a weekday. The surprised smiles of your loved ones is worth more than the effort you put. I made it today for lunch and the aroma tempted me so much that I almost gave up photographing it for the post. Somehow, I controlled my temptations and was able to click a few good pictures before running back to the kitchen to serve it for lunch.

Palak Paneer is probably the paneer recipe I like best; and for reasons more than one.
The ease- all you need to do is steam and purée spinach. That's probably the most time taking (read-which isn't really time taking) task in the whole recipe.
The flavor- mild and rich flavors of ginger, garlic, minimal spices and spinach..
The texture- buttery and smooth. The curry just melts in mouth.
The paneer- you can opt to either shallow fry or deep fry paneer or use it as it is; tastes superb any way.

Sweet Corn Curry

Have you ever been confused whether it's a Saturday or a Sunday over an extended weekend? It happened to me today. Throughout the day I kept thinking that it was a Saturday and was relaxed until an hour ago when I suddenly realized that today in fact is a Sunday. This made me all jumpy because I was so late in going about preparing my post for today's recipe as I am supposed to post one with sweet corn every Sunday of this month, sweet corn being the ingredient of the month on my blog.

This sudden realisation made me so anxious that I just could not decide what I wanted to post today. I kept oscillating between a soup and a curry. And there was nobody at home to choose one of the two fingers and help me decide. I mean where is everyone when you need them? Isn't that just the way it is always? So I decided to help myself. I wrote soup on one piece of paper and curry on another and picked one. The decision had been made. I was going to make a soup. And I thought, "Oh, to hell with it! I am going to make a curry." See. So easy to decide.

Sindhi Kadhi

Today’s recipe in the Featured Recipes on Friendship Week series is hot and spicy Sindhi Kadhi. This traditional Sindhi dish is a favorite of most and it deserves all the attention. I learned this recipe from my dearest friend Anisha’s mom and aunty and I had so much fun in the kitchen today. I always have fun with aunty. She found time to accommodate me even though she was swamped with work at home today. Aunty is one of my friends’ moms who I visit even when my friend isn’t around.

Aviyal

 "I am sorry for the things I said when I was hungry." That absolutely sums up my friend whose mom's Aviyal recipe I am sharing today in the Featured Recipes on Friendship Week series.  There are many upsides of having a South Indian friend one of them being able to move away from idli-dosa-sambhar in the name of South Indian cuisine. There's appam, rassam, pachdi and all sorts of rice dishes and many more. South Indians have a boatload of rice dishes and for me that's another upside of having Jyotsana as a friend. She is my eternal companion in ricevangilism (yes, that's totally a thing!). But more on that later.

Today's recipe Aviyal, is a pretty easy and adaptable recipe. The flavors are beautiful and it is perfect for summer meals.

Himachali Chana aur Aloo Madra

I am so glad to be able to share this Himachali Chana and Aloo Madra recipe on my blog today because a year ago I did not even know of any recipe by this name, that is before I became friends with my fair, slim mountain-girl room mate who shares the same interests as me, cooking and eating.

Funny thing, this former roommate of mine has the same name as me with just a little difference in the spelling. I am Apurva, she is Apoorva.

Spicy Pan Fried Brinjal

                                                                  
Picture this. Your mom is away and has left you in charge of 'her' kitchen for lunch. You let out a whistle and say to yourself, "Let's prepare something that will blow everyone's mind today!" You open the fridge to check out what's available and WHOA! The vegetable tray is empty except for a few tomatoes and boring brinjals. Now you feel sad about spending so much air whistling and wish you got it back somehow. A few dejected moments later you straighten up and give yourself a pep talk about how this is one of the testing times and blah blah and reluctantly set about preparing brinjals with a long face. A few minutes later, while carrying out other monotonous work in the kitchen, your mind wanders to a Ted  Talk you watched earlier that morning about never giving up and decide to apply it to your present situation. 

Spicy Pan Fried Brinjal

With that in mind, I decided to give brinjals a new flavor and texture and ended up with this recipe. I was skeptical at first but the dish turned out to be  a delight. My star ingredient in this recipe is clove. It adds flavor and heat simultaneously to this recipe. Another flavor enhancer that I have used is fenugreek seeds.

I am sure this recipe is going to be a frequently prepared one at my home. Hope you all like it too.

Raw Banana Curry

I am sure not a lot of people are familiar with this use of raw bananas. To those, I want to say, "you are in for   a delight!" And those who are familiar know what I am talking about.

There are numerous health benefits of eating raw bananas as they hide within them a wealth of nutrients. But I am not going to get into those here. I am going to focus on taste. This curry is one of my favorites for 2 reasons. First, it is a welcome change in taste to the everyday vegetables that sometimes bore me to death. Second, it is such a darling when it comes to washing, peeling and cutting. Yeah! I can be lazy sometimes.

Raw Banana Curry

I also posted a Raw Banana Chips recipe a while back. Check it out too while you are here.

So the next time you see raw bananas in the market, grab a few and try out these recipes. I am sure you will always be looking for raw bananas in the market after that.

Sukhi Masala Arbi

We all trust our moms, don't we? But what if one day when you are grown up and your grandmom tells you that your mom used to make you eat something in the name of something else when you were a kid? Yep! My mom used to pass off Arbi (Taro root) as potatoes to me all the time. When confronted, my mom said that she only did that because I was a fussy eater and wanted potatoes for every meal. Well, O.K. mom, but I still don't think it was fair. Poor me. God knows how much arbi I ate in the name of potatoes. I wish I was a smarter kid to see through her trick. That's the past and now I am not a kid and she cannot pull off such tricks on me anymore and I will eat only what I like, which is pretty much everything these days. Yeah, the exclusive potato days are over.

Talking about arbi now, it is a very healthy, fibrous vegetable that is tasty and easy to cook. In this post I will be sharing a recipe for dry arbi, but it is equally delicious cooked in yogurt gravy. I will also share with you my nani's recipe for arbi kebabs very soon.

Sukhi Masala Arbi

In my opinion, the star ingredient of this recipe is 'dried mango powder'. It adds a subtle sour flavor to our dish and sort of gives it a finish. So make sure you don't skip on it.

A quick tip before we begin: Arbi can get very sticky while cooking. So you want to avoid water as much as you can if you are going for a dry version. What I do is that I wash arbi a couple of hours ahead of cooking so it is dried thoroughly before peeling and cutting.

Ingredients:

Arbi- 1/2 kg
Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
Dried red chilly- 1 nos
Turmeric powder- 1/2- 3/4 tsp
Coriander powder- 2-3 tsp
Garam masala powder- 3/4 tsp
Red chilly powder- 1-2 tsp (adjust to taste)
Dried Mango powder- 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil- 3-4 tbsp

Sukhi Masala Arbi

Recipe:

Peel and cut arbi lengthwise in about 1/4 inch thick pieces. The point is, don't slice them too thin. Think fries!

Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds. Break dried red chilly in half and add.

When tempered, add arbi and give a stir to coat with oil.

Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes on low flame with occasional stirring.

Add all powdered spices except mango powder.

Mix well, cover and let cook for another 5-10 minutes with spices.

Turn off the flame.

Now add dried mango powder and mix well.

Serve hot with naan/ parathas or have it as it is!

Taro root recipe

Stay tuned for Arbi Kebab and many more recipes or follow by email or add me on Google +

Masala Stuffed Okra

If someone asked me to write an essay on Okra on a silly dare, I would secretly thank my stars and gladly indulge whilst only pretending to ridicule the challenge so people don't think I am some crazy Okraphiliac (I wonder if that's a thing). I would probably begin with, "Fair Okra! I loveth thee so.." (Studying literarure is really getting into my head) and go on to include the names of countless friends who equally love Okra (aka other probable Okraphiliacs) and end with thanking the Lord for making Okra available almost through out the year so we don't have to pine away in separation!

Ok! I agree! Fair amount of exaggeration involved. But in my defence, I was trying to make a point.

Truly, Okra/ Lady's Finger/ Bhindi is a much loved vegetable of most Indians (few who do not like it, I do not know how they live with themselves). It is prepared in a variety of manners, stir fry with onions, curried, fried or stuffed like this recipe here in this post. 

Masala Stuffed Okra

I especially like these stuffed Okra. My roommate in Gurgaon would always keep asking me to prepare this at least once a week. Yea! We love it!

So let's get on with the recipe, shall we?

Ingredients:

1/2 kg okra

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp red chilly powder

3-4 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp amchur (dried mango) powder

1 tsp anardana (pomegranate seed) powder

salt to taste

Oil

Recipe:

Wash and dry okra thoroughly. Try to use smaller sized Okra for this recipe.

Make a deep slit along the length of each okra with a knife.

Mix all powdered ingredients and salt together.

Stuff okra with this powder mix.

Heat enough oil in pan. Add stuffed okra to the pan and mix to coat evenly with oil.

Cook uncovered on medium flame for 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally. The okra will start turning darker in color as it cooks.

Serve as side dish with chapatis or parathas.

                                        

Gatte ki Sabzi

Gatte ki sabzi is one of those recipes you think would be complicated, but trust me, it's not! I had assumed the same before I took to cooking.
I am posting a simple recipe and I have used curd, you will find other recipes that do not. I like to use curd in this recipe as it balances the flavors and makes the gravy richer. This dish is my all time favorite and makes a complete meal with just chapatis and rice and a green salad on the side, if you like.

Gatte Ki Sabzi

Ingredients:
Besan (chick pea flour)- 1 cup
Baking soda- a pinch
Asafoetida- one big pinch
Bay leaf- 2 nos
Cumin seeds- 1/4 tsp
Red Chilly powder- 1 + 1/2 tsp
Coriander power- 3 tsp
Garam masala powder- 1 + 1/2 tsp
Turmeic powder- 1/2 tsp
Curd- 4-5 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil
Water

Recipe:

Sieve besan, add little salt, 1/2 tsp red chilly powder, 1/2 tsp garam masala powder, baking soda, 1 tbsp oil and knead a dough using water.

Roll small sections of dough using your palms into about 4-5" long, 1" thick cylindrical pieces.

Heat water in a pan sufficient to immerse the pieces. When water starts to boil, put in the pieces, cover and let cook.

After 3-4 minutes, uncover and check if the cooking is complete. To check, prick a piece with the tip of a knife. If the tip comes out clean with no dough sticking on it, the cooking is complete. If not, cook for another few minutes.

Drain and save the water.

Once the pieces are cooled down, cut each into smaller pieces (gatte) about 1/2" thick.

Take powdered spices in a bowl and make a slurry using water. This is done to save spices from getting burned while cooking.

In another pan, heat 2-3 tbsp oil.

When heated, add bay leaf, asafeotida and cumin seeds.

Add the slurry. Let spices cook on low flame for about two minutes.

Beat curd and add. Mix well.

Let cook on low flame for another two minutes.

Add water saved after boiling. (You can more fresh water depending on the thickness of gravy you desire.)

When it starts to boil, add gatte.

Add salt and mix.

Cover and cook on low flame, bring to a boil.

Cook further till you achieve the desired thickness of gravy.

Serve hot.

Tips:

1. Do not worry if you see boils formed on the besan pieces while cooking in water.
2. Grease your palms with little oil to avoid dough sticking to your hands while rolling out the pieces.
3. Do not cook on high flame.

Garlic Soya Chunks

The other night I suddenly wanted to eat soya chunks (weird, I know!) right before dinner was about to be served. Usually I like to make soya chunks curry or soya masala which is a bit time consuming. So I came up with this simple, quick recipe and just like that it became my new favorite. Here's the recipe. Hope you all like it too.

Garlic Soya Chunks

Ingredients:
Soya Chunks, boiled - 1 cup
Onion, finely chopped - 1 medium
Garlic, finely chopped - 3-4 nos
Tomato ketchup - 3-4 tbsp
Red chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Black pepper powder
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves to garnish

Recipe:
Boil soya chunks with little salt, drain and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan.

Add onions. Fry until translucent, about 1 minute.

Add garlic. Fry until fragrant, less than a minute.

Add tomato ketchup, red chilly powder,salt and a pinch of black pepper powder. Cook for a minute.

Add soya chunks. Mix well to coat.

Let cook for about 2 minutes.

Garnish with coriander.

Serve hot.

Beans and Paneer in Coconut Curry

If you are looking to digress from the everyday curries and try out something different, this is the recipe for you. The rich coconut flavor is a refreshing change in taste while the paneer and beans add up to the health quotient.

Beans and Paneer in Coconut Curry

Ingredients:

Beans - 15-20 nos, cut into 3 inch pieces

Paneer - 200 gm, cubed

Tomato - 3 medium sized, quartered, then halved

Coconut - 1 cup, grated

Green chilly - 1 nos, slit

Red chilly powder- 1/4 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Recipe:

Heat oil in a pan.

Add beans. Fry for a minute.

Add tomatoes, paneer, coconut and green chilly. Mix well. Cover and cook for 2 minutes.

Add about 1 cup water. Add red chilly powder and salt. Stir.

Bring to boil on low flame. Let cook until desired thickness of curry is achieved.

Best served hot with chapatis and jeera rice.

Tamatar Mirch ki Kadhi

Sometimes the simplest combination of ingredients bring out flavors that you can't resist. This is one of such recipes. Just the thought of this curry makes me drool. I made this for my roommates once and they were all over it. However, I must give a you a heads up that this kadhi is HOT! So if you are not up for too much spice, cut down the no. of chillies to what suits you. But do give this recipe a chance. It won't disappoint you.

Tamatar Mirch ki Kadhi

Ingredients:

4-5 medium tomatoes

8-10 green chillies

1 cup curd

3 tbsp gram flour (besan)

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

Salt to taste

3 tbsp oil

2 cups water

Recipe:

Wash tomatoes and chop roughly.

Slit chillies lengthwise.

Heat oil in a pan. 

When heated enough add mustard seeds and let them crackle.

Add chopped tomatoes and chillies in the pan and mix to coat with oil.

Cover and cook on simmer until tomatoes become soft and mushy, about 6-8 minutes.

Meanwhile take a bowl and mix curd, gram flour, salt and water. Avoid forming lumps.

When tomatoes are cooked, add turmeric and coriander powder and cook for a minute.

Now add curd mixture in the pan slowly with continuous stirring.

Check for consistency and adjust with water as required.

Cover and cook and bring to a boil. Let it boil for about 5 minutes to make sure the the flour doesn't taste raw.

Your kadhi is ready. Serve hot with chapatis or rice.

Aaloo Matar Curry

This is one of my go-to recipes when I am in a hurry yet don't want to compromise on the taste. There could be a number of ways to make aaloo matar but this is probably one of the easiest ones with the simplest ingredients and cooks in almost no time and effort.

Aaloo Matar Curry

Ingredients:
4 boiled potatoes medium size
1 cup peas
2 big ripe tomatoes pureed
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp red chilly powder
3/4 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
Oil
Salt
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Recipe:
Peel the potatoes and break into pieces. Do not mash. Keep aside.

Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan.

Add the cumin and mustard seeds and let them splutter.

Put in the pureed tomatoes and stir. Cook on simmer until the oil starts leaving the sides of the pan, about 3-4 minutes.

Add all the powdered spices and cook for another minute.

Add the peas and potatoes in the pan and mix well.

Add 2 cups water and stir well. Add salt and stir.

Cook covered for about 6-8 minutes.

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with puris or chapatis. I love it with jeera rice.

Tips:
1. Cook longer to thicken the curry.
2. Add a pinch of kasuri methi for a variation.