Aaloo Gobhi

This is my hubby's creation. Nothing great, it's the regular sabji fare, but whenever I attempt to make it, following exactly what he does, I end up getting a nearly overcooked, nearly soggy aaloo gobhi, nowhere near to his bright, perfectly cooked sabji. Here you go -

Ingredients -
1 midsized gobhi - cleaned, washed, cut into florets
2 aaloo- washed and cut into bite size pieces
a handful of fresh green peas (optional)
2 green chillis, an inch piece of ginger - chopped finely
3 tsp jeera (he puts so much of it, I can call this one -jeera-aaloo-gobhi)
1 tsp heeng powder, 1 tsp haldi
1 tsp garam masala, salt as per taste
chopped green dhania (optional)

1 tbsp sarso oil

Method -
1. Heat oil in a kadhai. For sarso oil, it is essential to have it heated properly, else the end product will have a strange smell.
2. Add jeera, heeng, haldi and let it sizzle for a minute.
3. Add chopped chillis and ginger, let it sizzle for another 2 mins.
4. Add the aaloo, gobhi and matar, sprinkle salt, mix and cover.
5. Let this cook covered for 7-8 minutes, open and check if cooked. It normally cooks in 7 to 8 minutes, you can cover and cook for 3 more minutes, but there is a risk of overcooking the gobhi.

6. Add the garam masala, mix.
7. Serve with chopped green dhania sprinkled.
Loads of jeera gives this sabji a great flavor - don't hesitate to put in the quantity mentioned :)

Black masoor daal

Here's black/kali/chilke waali masoor daal, a variant I cook on weekdays for dinner, along with a sabji and roti.

Ingredients
Half cup chilke waali/kali/black masoor
1 medium sized onion - chopped
1 medium sized tomato -chopepd
1 tspn each - jeera, rai, heeng, haldi
2 green chillis, half inch ginger, 3 cloves of garlic - chopped to small pieces or crushed
1 tsp oil
salt - as per taste
garam masala (optional), chopped fresh green dhania (optional), half a lemon (optional)

Method
1. In a pressure cooker pan, Wash the masoor daal, add 1 cup water. Pressure cook for 30 minutes
r 5 to 6 whistles. This one takes nearly twice the time yellow/toor daal takes to cook.
2. Heat oil in a kadhai.
3. When hot, add jeera, rai, heeng, green chilli, ginger, garlic and let all of this sizzle for
2 minutes.
3. Add onions and let them cook till they turn pink.
3. Add the tomatoes and let them cook, for 5 minutes. Keep stirring, lest they stick to the
bottom of the pan.
4. Once the tomatoes have turned mushy and soft, add the pressure cooked daal, water, salt, garam masala and mix.
5. Let this boil till you get the desired consistency.
6. Sprinkle green dhania and squeeze in the lemon.
Enjoy with hot rotis.

Pav Bhaji

Here is another weekend brunch, simple, quick and a delight. This used to be on the menu every time we had a birthday party at our home, it's easy to make and serve for a big gathering. One thing - this recipe is courtesy Everest Pav Bhaji masala, I follow the instructions exactly as mentioned on its pack, only vary the quantities.

Ingredients -
1 midsized cauliflower
2 potatoes - boiled and mashed
1 green capsicums
half cup shelled fresh green peas
2 onions - chopped to small pieces
3 tomatoes - chopped to small pieces
4 cloves of garlic - chopped or crushed
a bunch of fresh green coriander leaves - washed and chopped
1 tbsp butter/oil
butter - as much as you like :)
salt - as per taste, 3 tspn - Everest pav bhaji masala. 2 tspn - red chilli powder

Method
1. Heat butter/oil in a kadhai.
2. Add the crushed garlic and after a minute, add the chopped onions.
3. While the onions are getting cooked, add chopped and roughly cut cauliflower, capsicum and
green peas with some water in a pressure cooker and boil till 2 whistles.
4. When the onions turn soft and pinkish, add tomatoes, salt, pav bhaji masala and red chilli
powder. Let this mixture cook for 5 to 7 minutes - till tomatoes turn soft and mushy.
5. Add the boiled, mashed potatoes and boiled, mashed other veggies.
6. Add another dollop of butter, simmer for 5 more minutes. Add water if you want to, but we do not want a runny consistency.
7. Taste and add more salt, red chilli powder if you want to.
The bhaji is ready. Heat pav with buttered sides on tawa, serve with hot bhaaji. The bhaaji can
be garnished with chopped onions, coriander leaves and a dash of nimbu.
Note - The bhaaji is a very versatile , you can skip the potatoes if you want to and boil and
add carrots instead.