Jeevika says, “I think Punjabis don't eat to live but live to eat. Whenever it rains and Virenji is at home he asks me to make aloo tikki for him. Then he makes me sit with him and we enjoy the tikkis over chai with a long chit-chat session. Gajar ka halwa is another dish which
Virenji loves. Once I moulded the halwa into a heart shape and he loved it. Today, I m going to share the
recipes of both these dishes which I think are the perfect ingredients to enjoy the
monsoons too. ”
Aaloo Tikki:Ingredients: 4 medium potatoes, boiled and mash, 2 tbsp corn flour, salt to taste, chili powder to taste, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp garam masala.
Filling: 1/3 cup channa dal, cooked and drained, 1/2 tsp crushed cumin seeds, 2 green chilies or 1/8 tsp chili powder, 1/2" ginger, minced, salt to taste, 1/2 tsp each of chaat masala and garam masala and 1 tbsp minced cilantro.
Method: For potato cutlets, mash all the ingredients above until you get a smooth stiff dough. Keep it aside. To make filling; soak channa dal for 1 hour,and cook with water until soft but not completely mashed. Drain the water. Heat 1/2 tbsp oil, add cumin seeds, chopped green chilies or chilli powder, ginger, and salt. Add dal and all the other filling ingredients. Take off the heat and cool. Take a ball of the mashed potato and make a shallow cup. Add 1 tbsp of filling in the center and seal well to form a ball. Flatten slightly to make thick cutlets. Heat about 2-3" of oil in a pan for deep frying or shallow frying up to 375 F, add 2-3 tikkis carefully at a time in the oil and fry until golden brown and crisp on both sides.Drain well on paper towel. Serve with sweet tamarind and hot Mint chutney.
Gajar Ka Halwa:Ingredients: 4 medium (fresh and young) Carrots,washed and cubed, 1/2 beet peeled and cubed, 1/4 cup (or to your taste) Brown sugar, 1tbsp Cream or milk, pinch of salt and 1 tsp Cornstarch, 1/2 tsp Cardamom pd. Almonds for garnish. 2 tbsp unsalted butter.
Method: Blend all the above except Almonds, cardamom pd and butter to a coarse paste. Melt butter in a heavy bottomed wide pan and add the ground mixture. Cook on medium heat until soft and almost dry. Stir often to prevent sticking. Sprinkle Cardamom pd and mix well. Fill it in a heart shaped mold and chill in the fridge until firm. Garnish with Almonds and serve at room temperature.
Few other Punjabi dishes which I enjoy making are- Rajma-Chawal, Paneer pasanda, Kadhi Pakoda, Makki ki roti/ sarson da saag and Palak Paneer.
Jeevika adds, "Also I love the Punjabi recipes shared right from the MasterChef India kitchen. Langarwali Dal, Amritsari Kulcha, Rajma Tikki, Chicken Kofta with Makhni Gravy, Spicy Slinach with Lacy Parantha are a few of them worth trying."
Do try these
recipes and spread the goodness around. Also let us know which of the above
dishes you and your loved ones enjoyed the most.
Until then happy cooking!
