Balti Aloo

Balti Aloo  is a delicious curry, which you can enjoy in lunch or dinner. This delicious curry is made witrh ginger garlic paste, Slices of onions and the flavor of this curry is enhance by using Nigella seeds (kalonji). I made this curry in my lunch, As I am at my mother's place,  My family enjoyed the flavor of this curry. This delicious curry is served best with paratha or with chapati.

This time we Foodiemonday bloggers decided to select Nigella seeds to use in our recipes and I have selected this Balti Aloo recipefor our bloghop event. Check out the recipe below and enjoyy!!!!!!!!!!!

Ingredients:

4-5 Sliced Potatoes
1/2 Cup Oil
1 Tbsp Ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Nigella seeds
1/2 tsp Fennel seeds
5-6 Curry leaves
2 sliced Onions
2 chopped Tomatoes
1/2 tsp Red chili powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt to taste
3-4 Green chilies
2-3 Tbsp Coriander leaves

Directions:

1. In wok,add oil, ginger garlic paste, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, nigella seeds, fennel seeds, curry leaves and saute for a minute.

2. Add onion and fry until translucent.

3. Add tomatoes, red chili powder, red chili crushed, turmeric powder and salt,mix well and cook until tomatoes are soft.

4. Now add potatoes, green chili and green coriander,cover and cook on low flame for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Garnish with green chili and coriander leaves.

Enjoyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Urad Daal Kachori

Holi is a Hindu spring festival celebrated in India, also known as the "festival of colors" or the "festival of love". The festival signifies the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring, end of winter, and for many a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair broken relationships, and is also celebrated as a thanksgiving for a good harvest. It lasts for two days starting on the Purnima (Full Moon day) falling in the Vikram Samvat Hindu Calendar month of Phalgun, which falls somewhere between the end of February and the middle of March in the Gregorian calendar. The first day is known as Holika Dahan or Chhoti Holi and the second as Rangwali Holi, Dhuleti, Dhulandi or Dhulivandan.

Holi celebrations start on the night before Holi with a Holika Dahan where people gather, do religious rituals in front of the bonfire, and pray that their internal evil be destroyed the way Holika, the sister of the demon king Hiranyakashipu, was killed in the fire. The next morning is celebrated as Rangwali Holi - a free-for-all carnival of colors, where people smear each other with colors and drench each other. Water guns and water-filled balloons are also used. Anyone and everyone is fair game.

The Holi festival has a cultural significance among various Hindu traditions of the Indian subcontinent. It is the festive day to end and rid oneself of past errors, to end conflicts by meeting others, a day to forget and forgive. People pay or forgive debts, as well as deal anew with those in their lives. Holi also marks the start of spring, for many the start of the new year, an occasion for people to enjoy the changing seasons and make new friends.  The spring season, during which the weather changes, is believed to cause viral fever and cold. The playful throwing of natural colored powders, called gulal has a medicinal significance: the colors are traditionally made of Neem, Kumkum, Haldi, Bilva, and other medicinal herbs prescribed by Āyurvedic doctors.

Many colors are obtained by mixing primary colors. Artisans produce and sell many of the colors from natural sources in dry powder form, in weeks and months preceding Holi. Some of the traditional natural plant based sources of colors are, Orange and red, Green, Blue, yellow and many . more. Although traditional Holi delicacies vary from region to region and family to family, They are like Thandai, Puran poli, Dahi Vada, Kachori, Gujiya and many more. Khasta Kachori is a North Indian Recipe. It is crispy and very good in taste. It can be made by filling potatoes or any pulses (dal) into it. You can consume the Kachori made with dal for over 3 days. This kachori is made with Urad dal Filiing. A must snack which we make at home on Holi days. My mom used to make this super tempting kachori on holi. check out the recipe below and enjoyyy the divine taste of these kachoris.

 Ingredients:

   300 gm All purpose Flour, Maida
   75gm Refined oil
   Few Lemon drops
   70 gm  Dhuli Urad Dal, soaked 
   1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
   1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
   Pinch of Asafoetida
   1/4 tsp Fennel seeds .
   1 tsp Coriander powder
   1/2 tsp chili powder
   1/2 tsp Garam Masala
   Salt by taste
   Oil  to fry

Method

1. Soak the daal in water for 2 hours. On the other hand, put salt and oil, few drops of lemon into the maida and mix well. Knead the flour with the help of water to make a smooth dough. Leave the dough for 20 minutes.

2. Normally people make the dal filling by grinding the Dal, like Grind the soaked dal in a grinder, grind them coarsely. But at my place we like whole dal granules, So I am not grinding it and using it like it is. You can Grind it coarsely and then use it.  Heat oil in a pan and put cumin seeds, coriander powder, fennel seeds, Asafoetida, into it. Roast the masala well and add ground dal to it. Mix the dal well with the other spices and roast it. Turn off the flame once the dal turns brown in color and Garam masala into the mixture. The stuffing of kachori is ready.

3. Heat in a deep pan to fry the kachori. Let the oil heat to the desired temperature. Meanwhile, make around balls of the dough. Make a small dent in one ball and stuff it with 1 tea spoon dal filler. Press the ball with hands so that the stuff settles down inside it. Now roll the stuffed ball into a flat thick disc with the help of a roller. Make sure you use less energy and roll it with light hands, else the filler will come out of the ball. Now put this kachori into the oil and fry until it gets brown in color. Take it out on a plate and make rest of the kachoris in the manner. You can easily fry 3-4 kachori at one time. The picture is given showing you the stuffed ball and rolled out ball.

Your Khasta Kachori is ready. Serve it with green coriander chutney.

Strawberry Cream Dessert

International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 worldwide, commemorating the political, social and economic achievements of women. Over the decades, the objective of Women’s Day celebration has evolved and embraced culture and ethnicity to emerge as a celebration of appreciation, respect and love towards women. Women’s Day is also celebrated in schools nowadays and also forms an integral part of the curriculum to spread the awareness of women empowerment, their roles and achievements. Being a women this time I want to celebrate this day only for me. Yes, The day I want to celebrate only for me, Not dedicating this day to anyone else but me. As a women we are dedicated to our family and always been responsible to the family. But somehow we should enjoy our self too to know what are the emotions and feelings inside us, what we want to do in our life, because everyone used to say that we have only one life, so live it fullest. We women are also one of them who must have that right to live our life the way we want. Me, as a women, as a wife, as a mother, I can say that I am doing my 100% for my family and the responsibility which I got to take care of my family, My daughter and everyone belongs to the family, is the most tough and 24*7 work. A women is a multi tasker, she can do many work in one time and though she can manage to pursue her career in a very good way. I am also working for my work, working for my family, And I am proud of myself that I can do this multitask without fail. Do respect yourself, your work, your thought, and have faith in you. If you are following these things you will be never fail.

“Whatever glory belongs to the race for a development unprecedented in history for the given length of time, a full share belongs to the womanhood of the race” – Mary McLeod Bethune

Woman – the power to create, nurture and transform! The word ‘woman’ conjures up the images of selfless love, care and affection. At the same time, women ignite the spirit of power and hope. Unfortunately, across the world, women had to fight for their independence and protection of rights. Since decades, women had struggled and are still fighting to express their right to speech, to vote, to equality, to education, to income and most importantly, to freedom.

So for this beautiful dedication of this post for me, I am serving this beautiful dessert for me on this Proud day of "International Women's day" As our Foodimonday Team decided to post the recipe for women's special. I am sweet lover, Any dessert you will ask me to have, it will be 99% I am going to have it ;) I love Strawberries and the combination of Cream and Strawberry is divine. This is the perfect and beautiful looking dessert for me and my family to enjoy. Another thing I love about this dessert is that it really highlights the flavor of the fruit. It’s 100% all-natural. No artificial colors or flavors. It’s not quite as rich as ice cream, or as sweet. Normally I make this dessert when fresh fruit is plentiful during the summer and fall.

The strawberries turn this a lovely shade of pink and looks gorgeous layered into pretty dessert glasses with strawberry sauce. I add just enough sugar to sweeten it up, plus a little pure vanilla extract. I have used fresh strawberries for this dessert, you can use Frozen too if you dont get them fresh. So enjoy this amazing dessert on this women's day and feel special. :) Check out the recipe below and Enjoyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  
Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream, chilled
2 cups fresh strawberries
1-2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a few strawberries, sliced, for garnish

Method:

1. Place chilled heavy cream in a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until light and fluffy, being careful not to overheat.

2. Set aside or chill until ready to use. (You might need to whisk it or beat it again for a few seconds if you don't use it right away and it separates.)

3. Place strawberries in a glass. Sprinkle with sugar and add vanilla extract. Mash the strawberries, leaving some larger pieces. Let stand for a few minutes.

4. Add about half of the mashed strawberries to the whipped cream, folding with a large silicone spatula. Reserve the remaining strawberries to use when serving.

5. Spoon some of the cream into four serving glasses or dishes, top with some of the remaining mashed strawberries, and another spoonful or two of the cream and a few sliced strawberries. Serve immediately, or place in fridge to chill until ready to serve.