Dahi Aloo (Baby Potatoes in a Tangy Creamy Curd Gravy)....comforting ain't it !!

"Comfort food is absolutely moving upscale."
~ Danny Meyer

The world has seen a lot in the last few months. Failed banks, frozen lending, bankruptcies...a stock market like a weary phoenix, rising from its ashes then plummeting again. In turbulent times like these, don't we all need a little comfort food?!

Comfort food, as it turns out, is a global phenomenon. A case in point-- When I am asked what is the one thing that I would want to eat to make me feel really comfortable and soothe my ruffled seams; without batting an eyelid I say Kadhi-Chawal ( Mildly spiced creamy chickpea-flour based curd gravy tempered with mustard and curry leaves, accompanied by plain steamed rice).

**For a variation of the 'kadhi' see this.

And what makes it comfort food?
It's our soul food and I think these are the kinds of food you hanker for. Something that you've had as a child, as a baby. Something that goes down easily. Something that will always be true.

We all have memories of a very special dish that we ate when we were kids. Every time we eat it we feel safe and warm. We are back home. Actually, we don't even have to eat it - just smelling it triggers happy feelings. It then, not just remains food-- it's the taste, the smells, the memories of home!

Studies suggest that comfort food applies the brakes on a key element of chronic stress.

Stress or no stress, at some point in our lives we all crave comfort food. Each kitchen has its own story to tell and its own set of comfort foods. Be it the country side or the huge mansions, the city or the hamlets....all have their fair share of foods/Sunday meals that bind a family together.

I remember how after a really l-o-n-g time when I was returning home from Florida, I called up mom from the New York airport only to request her to prepare my favourite kadhi-chawal, and nothing else but that. It wasn't that I had any issues with food in U.S. Infact it was only here, that I first did try Thai and Mexican. The best pizzas were at my office cafeteria...forget Dominos' or Pizzahut! Mac n cheese ...aah!

Applebees' and Red Lobster are still my reigning favourites when it comes to fun-food. Ybor street dotted with its varied cusine houses, lured me to try the Middle-east and Lebanese dishes too. Yes, I was in a cultural melting pot but oh! how I missed home food. (By home food I don't mean the stuff that Indian restuarants' in foreign land, dish out claiming to be Indian.)

However something is amiss at times....and you CRAVE it badly! Thats' soul food...a.k.a. comfort food...mom's cooking!

The dish I talk about here is only second to my all time favourite Indian Comfort Foods.

Its Dahi Aloo. Dahi= curd, Aloo= potatoes, in Hindi.

Dahi Aloo (Baby Potatoes in a Tangy Creamy Curd Gravy):

Ingredients-

250 gms baby potatoes,boiled and chopped in halves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2-3 curry leaves
1 whole dried red chilli
1/2 tsp aesofoetida
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp ground coriander seeds/coriander powder
1 cup curd, beaten
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 cup water or less (depending on the consistency of the gravy)
salt to taste

Method-

In a wok, heat oil. Add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Once they splutter, add the whole red chilli and ginger-garlic paste. Add the boiled potatoes. Mix carefully.

Now add the turmeric powder, coriander powder and aesofoetida. Stir. Take care not to break the already soft potatoes.

Add the beaten curd and mix thorougly. Finally add water and stir. Season.

Cover and simmer for a minute, on medium flame.

Serve hot with steamed rice or parathas/chapatis.

Malaai ki Subz ....from my Mom.

“ A good cook is one who not only makes great food, but makes food taste great with what is available at hand.”
-- My late Nani ji

(the greatest cook I have known from close quarters, followed closely by mum)

That’s my maternal grand ma for you. I have discussed at length about her in few of my earlier posts, like this one.
She was the first one who instilled in me the desire to enter the kitchen and cook up delicacies in a jiffy with local stuff, food that enticed all the senses of sight, sound, smell, taste and feel.

We talk about plating dishes now, but she had taught her daughter and grand-daughter about presentation a long time ago. You would want to eat all that she dished out.

My mother being her direct descendant has inculcated the same skills and has obviously (like all future generations) has improved upon them. This is one such dish—
Malaai ki Subz.

I don’t know how many of you out there, collect the malaai (cream) of milk; like my mom I have been in the habit of collecting the milk’s cream/malaai.
It serves two purposes…
1) this makes the milk you drink comparatively less in fats.
2) also, you don’t have to but tetra packs of fresh cream , when you have it in your fridge at all times.

Like most of my dishes this one too has a story. It was when I was in standard eleventh (I guess), when in my ever varying tween moods I had given impromptu invitations to two of my buddies for lunch, without even informing my mum( read designated chef).

Anyways I did surprise my mum with my two friends. I didn’t have to tell her that they would be staying for lunch, for in my home it was a given that guests would be fed as if there was a gala party. So while mum had made lunch only for me, she had to check the pantry and the fridge to come up with something quick for all of us hungry souls.

It was then that this subzi was born. It was made with malaai/ milk cream and some aromatic Indian spices. And with a few veggies thrown in, the malaai was well disguised (urrgghh ! how we hated malaai back then), and the dish lip smackingly good.

I made this dish today, for lunch, as I wanted something tasty yet simple with no elaborate preparations. After which I called mom to tell her that she has taught me so much while not actually saying a word. Thanks Maa!!




Malaai ki Subz
Ingredients-
4 tbsp malaai/milk cream
a pinch of cumin
2 tbsp chopped onion
1 medium sized potato, boiled and cubed
2 tbsp chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp carrot, diced
2 tbsp frozen peas
1 tbsp green bell-pepper/capsicum, diced
½ tsp ginger-garlic paste
a pinch of garam masala ( an indian spice mix)
½ tsp chopped green chillies
1 tsp cooking oil
salt to taste

Method-
In a wok, heat oil, and add cumin seeds. Once they splutter add the chopped onions and sweat them a little.
Now add the tomatoes, carrots, capsicum, peas and chillies . Add the ginger-garlic paste and garam masala. Add salt as desired. Cook covered for half a minute, stirring occasionally.
Finally add the boiled potatoes and milk cream. Stir well.
Serve hot with parathas/ chapattis.

I share this with Mahimaa for her 15 minutes cooking event, and with EC for her WYF Quick Meal event.

Pop-In Pakodas

"There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you.... In spring,
summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the
winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor
belonging to yourself."

I love the winters...the season when I can wear my warm fuzzy ping-pong shoes and cuddle up in a blanket with a book...all by myself. And oh it wouldn't hurt if mom would make me some of my favourite dal pakodas (lentil snacks) with a mug of hot chocolate/milk. (I don't have too much of a fascination for tea.)



But then reality strikes,I'm not staying with my mother these days..(d-e-e-p sigh!) ; so I had to get my butt up and make this comfort food for myself (and hubby...that goes without saying, isn't it?!).

I made my urad dal pakodas and yes hot chocolate was made by DH. :)



Pop-In (Urad Dal) Pakodas

Ingredients-
1/2 cup urad dal/split black gram , soaked over night
2 tbsp green coriander leaves, finely chopped
4 tbsp bengal gram flour/chick pea flour
1 tsp carom seeds/ajwain
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste
4-5 tbsp of water, to make the batter

oil to fry


Method-
Grind coarsely the half cup of split black gram/urad dal, in a mixer.
Now in a bowl, mix all the ingredients (except the oil) and form a thick batter.
Heat oil in a wok on medium flame.
While the oil is heating,wet your hands and make tiny balls out of this batter, and keep.
(Size depends on your choice...I personally think tiny snacks are great.)
Deep fry these tiny balls, batch by batch.
Serve hot with chutney of your choice/ketchup.



Tip: Wet your hands often, when making this pakoda, for ease with the batter.

NOTE: The split black gram if consumed in excess can induce flatulence, to prevent this carom seeds are used in this dish, apart from the earthy flavour it lends to the dish. Carom seeds are also known to help purify blood impurities.




These pakodas fill the winter eves with coziness, at Trupti's Recipe Center
and Raaga's Singing Chef Think Spice event.

I also share this with Happy Cook (My Kitchen Treasures) for her Home Made Christmas Gifts event. You can see other great ideas here.

And ofcourse it goes to SriLekha (of Me and My Kitchen) for her EFM-Savouries event this month.

Cooking with Alicia & Annie--Banana Brownies

Knock! Knock!

Who's there?

Banana.

Banana who?

Banana split, so ice creamed.

Silly qoute...I know but kids are legally allowed to be silly. :-p This was what we cousins created/played with words when young, which I believe is way beyond the legacy of children today...atleast thats what I would like to think (sigh...!)

Bananas are so versatile. Almost anything and everything can have bananas in it...the fruit never gets wasted..just over ripe! Sweet or savoury , bananas' are a child's delight and a mother's worry eased, as it packs the nutrition required for growing children.

My hubby and I, together had made this Banana Brownie, sometime back, but didn't have the time then to post.(I can't recall ..what kept me away then.)

Here is the Banana Brownie recipe.

This is another great recipie from Annie's Candy and Fudge recipies.

It goes to Cooking with Alicia & Annie's Dec. Blog event.

Banana Brownies

Ingredients-

1 packet fudge brownie mix (any brand would do)

1/2 cup or less, lukewarm water

1/2 cup oil

1 egg

1/2 cup (1 med.) mashed ripe banana

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

For Topping-

1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding

1 cup dairy sour cream

3/4 cup milk

Method-

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13 x 9 inch pan.

In large bowl combine brownie mix, water, oil and egg; beat 50 strokes by hand. Stir in mashed banana and
chocolate chips. Spread in greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 28 to 35 minutes.

DO NOT OVERBAKE.

Cool completely.

Topping is optional-

In medium bowl, combine topping
ingredients; beat 1 minute or until thickened. Spread over cooled brownies.

Garnish with banana slices dipped in lemon juices, if desired. Cut into bars.
Store in refrigerator.

In our efforts to control the waistline factor, we skipped the topping. ;D

I share this with JZ of Tasty Treats , who is hosting her very first event- Santa's Holiday Challenge.

Also, this goes out to Susan (of Food Blogga) for her Eat Christmas Cookies event. You can see a variety of other christmas goodies here.