Chaat Mela #3 - Pav Bhaji

My taste and likes for dishes keeps changing. Kind of fickle minded about dishes that I really like. Yesterday I would have said some dish as my most favorite, but today I would call another as the best and tomorrow it would be something entirely different. Chaaa.. isn't that human tendency and right to like different things each day!! :) After all life gives million choices atleast when it comes to food and why not fall for all of them someday or the other!!!

Out of the million choices that we are given, Pav-bhaji recently stole my heart and I'm totally in love with it :) Its definitely not a new invention or a recent one either but its just that I have grown up only now to like spicy and tangy food :P

Hot Chips in Pondy bazaar is one place where Pav-bhaji is at its best :) The chef there starts making it only at 5PM and the sound of him mashing the vegetables with two knives on the skillet would just ring the bell in my tummy everytime I pass by that place. Totally irresistible taste and I care a damn about the amount of butter he uses. After all its pure indulgence and no once can stop me from melting for it :)

Yummmmmmmm. My home made version is quite similar to the one I fell for and its me who made it, so there is no choice than loving it :P

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 4
Carrot - 3
Peas - 1/2 cup
Beans - 100 gms
Onions - 2
Tomatoes - 4
Capsicum(Bell pepper) - 1
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Garlic - 6 flakes
Green chillies - 2
Chilly powder - for taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Pav bhaji masala powder - 2 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt - for taste
Butter/oil - 50 gms

Method:

Dice carrot and beans into small cubes. Pressure cook the diced carrot, beans, potatoes and peas.

Peel the cooked potatoes and mash them.

Chop onions, capsicum and tomatoes finely.

Grind green chillies, ginger and garlic together into a paste.

Take a shallow pan and add the butter, once it melts season with cumin seeds. Now add chopped onions and fry till golden brown. Add the ground paste and fry for few mins. Mix finely chopped tomatoes and fry until they form a gravy.

Now add the cooked vegetables, mashed potatoes, diced capsicum along with chilly powder, pav bhaji masala, turmeric powder, sugar and salt. Add enough water to make gravy and mix well. Allow it to boil for few mins.

Pav bhaji masala is ready.

To Serve:

Cut the pav buns horizontally. Apply butter generously on top and inside the slit and roast on hot skillet until slightly brown.

Serve it with bhaji, finely chopped onions and a slice of lime :)

Enjoy making and happy eating :)

Tips:

You can also add cooked cauliflower to the bhaji.

You can use a masher or a laddle to mash the bhaji finely while it is getting cooked. I skipped this step since I like my bhaji a little chunky.

Pav-bhaji masala powder is readily available in store under many brands like Everest etc. But if you dont find one, you can replace it with gharam masala.

You can use this bhaji as a side dish for roti.

Written by: Nithya
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World Cup Special - Chak De India :)

Good Luck India :)

It has been a long and refreshing season for cricket lovers all over the world. Fantastic matches and awesome milestones from every team. Hard work from all side and loads of luck to many. But we Indians are super proud of our boys lead by Dhoni who have elevated us with victories one after another :)

Chak De India :)

There has been mixed emotions in each match that India played. The team never failed to keep us at the edge of the seats. Disappointed us in few, made us sigh with relief in few others and felt proud for the rest.

Sachin the little master has impressed us with his treat many a times and dint fail to do it this season too :)

Centuries and fifties... Hanging on the ground when we needed him.. dismissing himself on the name of fair play.. Oh my God!! have you taken the next avatar in his form?!!! :) :) :)

Proud of you for dear Sachin :) We bow down to you :) and owe you the world cup :)

Being an ardent cricket lover, I have been totally involved and excited this whole season :) After all, with so much love for cricket I wanted to dedicate a post for it and here it goes.

On the occasion of the final match today between India and Sri Lanka at Mumbai, I would like to dedicate the trophy that is going to be ours in few hours from now virtually for my team in Blue :)

Hugs to team India :)

Go India Go!!! :)

Written by: Nithya
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Chaat Mela # 2 - Crispy Corn & Cup Corn

Crispy corn and cup corn popped up instantly in my mind when I was trying to recollect all my favorite chaats.

Cup corn has been a recent entry to the road side stall chaats and most of you would have tasted and fallen in love with its taste. The simplicity of the dish is a special attraction to me. Ever since I found the secret behind the taste, I have been repeating it every time I buy corn :)

I have had Crispy corn as a starter in Mainland China restaurant, but the style of the dish can easily fall under chaat category also. I was totally bowled out by the idea when I had it for the first time itself and tried to formulate it myself at home and succeeded in making it as well. Yahooooo :)

Now these two styles of chaat have become my family favorites and especially the crispy corn is my grandma's favorite since she found it easier to chew :)

Crispy Corn

Ingredients:

Sweet corn cobs - 2

Corn flour - 2 tblsp

Rice flour - 1 tblsp

Chilly powder - 1 tsp

Salt - for taste

Oil - for frying

Tomato - 1

Onion - 1

Coriander leaves

Lemon juice - 2 tsp

Chaat masala - 1 tsp

Method:

Pressure cook the corn cobs for about 5 long whistles in salt water.

Remove the cobs from water and shred the corn kernels and collect them on a flat plate.

Mix corn flour, rice flour, chilly powder and some salt together and sprinkle this mixture on the shredded corn kernels. Spray few drops of water and mix them nicely with your hand so that the corn kernels are coated nicely with the powders.

Heat oil in a wok and deep fry the corn kernels in medium flame until golden color. The corn kernels would become really crisp.

Once fried, collect them on a tissue to remove excess oil.

They might have got grouped together while frying, separate them using your hands.

Chop onion, tomato and coriander leaves finely.

Now mix the chopped vegetables and the fried corn in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt, chaat masala and lemon extract and mix well.

Serve immediately :)

Enjoy the crispy, tangy and yummy corn chaat :)

Tips:

Do not add more than few drops of water while mixing in the rice and corn flour to the corn kernels. More water would cause you trouble while deep frying.

Serve it as soon as it is done. Eating it crisp is the punch of the dish.

You can use canned sweet corn as well.

Sweet corn is the best choice for these two chaats than the normal corns.

Cup Corn

Ingredients:

Corn cob - 1

Olive oil / butter / ghee - 1 tsp

Mixed herbs - 1 tsp

Salt - for taste

Method:

Pressure cook the corn cob in salt water for 5 whistles.

Remove the cobs from water and shred the corn kernels and collect them in a microwave safe bowl.

Add the butter, mixed herbs and salt to it and mix well.

Microwave at high for 30 seconds and serve it hot :)

Simple cup corn is ready to eat :)

Tips:

Mixed herbs are easily available in supermarkets. There are a wide choice of brands as well.

You can use the herbs of your choice to make different flavors of cup corn.

You can mix in spices like pepper or chilly powder to the cooked corn kernels too.

Written by: Nithya
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Chaat Mela #1 - Pani Puri

All Indians would be familiar with the term Chaat and are mostly big time fans of chaat as well :)

Chaat is basically a plate of savory snack served mostly on the roadside stalls or carts in India. This style of food originated in Northern states of India and spread across covering the entire country now :)

I am so inclined towards chaat items and can afford to break my diet plans for them anytime. Most of the time I step out of home for some shopping, I end up snacking on some roadside chaat :)

Hence 4th Sense Cooking would celebrate the love for Chaat in the next few posts calling it Chaat Mela :)

Pani puri takes the first place in the list of chaats and I can easily call it the King of Chaats :)

Pani puri is also called as Gol Gappa, Pani Ke Bataashe or Gup Chup. Its a very popular snack comprising of a hollow puri, fried crisp and filled with various mixtures and finally dipped in flavored water.

I am going to give me quick version of pani puri here with store bought puri and Pani puri masala for the pani.

Recipe for Mint chutney

Ingredients:

Mint leaves(pudina) - 1 bunch
Green chillies - 2
Ginger - 1/4 inch piece
Salt - for taste

Method:

Clean and wash the mint leaves. Grind mint leaves, green chillies, ginger and salt together to make the mint chutney.

You can store this for upto ten days in the refrigerator and use them.

Recipe for Sweet chutney:

Ingredients:

Dates - 10
Tamarind paste - 1/2 cup
Jaggery - 1 tblsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Salt - a pinch
Asafoetida - a pinch

Method:

Soak the dates in warm water for one hour.

Grind the dates, tamarind paste and jaggery together in the mixie until smooth.

Take a pan and add just a spoon of oil and crackle cumin seeds. Add the ground paste and a little water and cook this on medium flame for a while. Add a pinch of salt and asafoetida and mix well. Switch off once the chutney is slightly thick and sticky.

Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate.

Method to make pani:

I bought ready made pani puri powder by Everest brand and diluted 5 tblsp of powder for 2 cups of water to make pani.

I used store bought puri too :P I was a little lazy you see ;) I wanted everything to be ready in a jiffy. So choose to buy them :)

Recipe to make Pani Puri:

Ingredients:

Puri - 10
Pani - 2 cups
Onion - 1
Potatoes - 3
Chilly powder - for taste
Salt - for taste
Sprouted green gram - 1/2 cup
Mint chutney
Sweet chutney
Bhujia(oma podi) - 1/2 cup

Method:

Cook the potatoes and smash them. Mix a tsp of chilly powder and required salt to the mashed potatoes.

Chop onion finely and keep it aside.

Now to assemble the puri, break open a hole on one side of the puri and drop a tsp of mashed potato. Follow it by a tsp of chopped onion, then a tsp of sprouted green gram, then mint chutney and sweet chutney. Finally top it with some bhujia and serve them with a cup of prepared pani. :)

Pour a tblsp of pani into the filled puri and gobble them into your mouth :)

Mmmmmyummmmyummm pani puri is ready :) Enjoy making and enjoy eating as well :)

Tips:

Check both the sides of the puri and choose the weakest side of the puri to break open a hole. This will help to keep the pani inside the puri till you gobble them.

If you want to make these for a party, you can mix the mint chutney and sweet chutney to the pani itself and get all the puris filled with the rest of the ingredients and set it ready before you serve. Avoiding the wet ingredients(Mint and sweet chutney) in the puri will keep the puri crisp until it is served.

If you happen to find a lot of broken puris or puris with lots of holes, just crush them and put them in a bowl with all the other ingredients and enjoy eating a mixed chaat :)

Written by: Nithya
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Omam / Carom Seeds/ Ajwain Rice - A healthy meal

I have been indulging on a lot of fatty and junk food lately ;) After all it was a birthday month at home with me and sis celebrating our birthdays ;) with loads of cakes and icecreams etc..

So just wanted a break from sinful food and get into a health conscious meal at-least for a day and so made this rice today ;)

Omam(Tamil) which is called as Ajwain in hindi and Carom seeds or Bishop's weed in English is a healthy spicy that helps a lot for digestion.

So this aromatic rice is for sure going to be a treat to the tongue and nose and also help you deal with your digestion issues. :)

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup rice(cooked)
Omam/Ajwain/Carom seeds - 1 tblsp
Garlic - 10 pods
Marinated chillies(Moar milagai) - 4
Salt - for taste
Ghee

Method:

Cook rice and separate the grains by adding some ghee to it.

Take a tsp of ghee in a pan and fry the garlic pods for few mins and collect them on a plate.

In the same pan, add the omam and marinated chillies and fry for two mins. Now add the fried garlic to the pan along with the cooked rice and salt. Saute for a while till everything gets mixed and salt is evenly spread.

Serve it hot with potato chips.

Yummy and super healthy Omam rice is ready to eat. :)

Happy making :)

Find recipe for Moar milagai(Marinated chillies) over here.

Tips:

Since omam has a different flavor its best to make this rice with normal cooking rice than using basmathi. Basmathi would over take the flavor of omam which wouldn't be really good.

Eat the marinated chillies along with the rice. They are extremely tasty and not too spicy :)

Written by: Nithya
Send in your queries by clicking here.