Tag Archives: Vegetarian Friendly

Daal

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A very simple and easy word to say but if cooked with this recipe, has a lot of flavor and chatkhara in it…. This is my very own recipe which is a crowd pleaser because I work hard on my daal roti ❤ 😀 Daal roti/ daal chaawal (daal with rice) is everything; its easy, its quick, its cheap, it is a great comfort food, it is nutritious, it is high in protien, it satisfies all the desi cravings….. what else you need from daal? 😀 (It is great for weight loss as well…. if not cooked this way 😀 because I make it rich by adding butter, sometimes ghee and cream to it)

But 1 thing for sure….. This is the best recipe for daaaaaal….. you will not find another one! I sometimes pair it with chicken haandi or any vegetable curry like aloo bengan, bhindi fry, aloo katli, etc. and sometimes with keema tikkian or shaaaaami kebab, hence it is a friendly dish which can create a spicy duo with anything 😀

 Ingredients

  • 1 cup moong daal
  • 1 cup masoor daal
  • 1 cup channa daal
  • 2 chicken cubes/ 2 tbspns heapful chicken powder (OPTIONAL)
  • 1 tbspn chilli flakes & powder
  • 1 tspn turmeric

FOR TADKA

  • 2 scoops desi ghee & a splash of olive oil
  • 1 large onion (cut into thin rings)
  • 1 tomato (chopped)
  • 5 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tspn cumin seeds
  • 8 – 10 curry leaves
  • 2 desi green chillies

FOR GARNISH

  • Fresh cream
  • Green chillies
  • Chopped coriander leaves
  • Some garam masala (optional)

METHOD

  1. Combine all the lentils in a mixing bowl and wash. Soak in warm water for about 2 hours. Discard the water.
  2. In a deep cooking pan, add lentils & 6 cups of water along with salt (if you are not using chicken cubes/ chicken salt), red chilli flakes and powder & turmeric. Bring everything to a boil and cook until it reaches the consistency of daal.
  3. Remove from flame and add some chopped green chillies & coriander.
  4. In a frying pan, melt some ghee and add a splash of oil. Fry onions until they are golden and crispy and add the other ingredients given for tadka. Cook until the tomatoes are soft and add it to daal. Stir.
  5. Scoop out in the serving bowl and allow it to cool for 5 minutes. Drizzle some fresh cream/ cooking cream and garnish with leftover green chillies and coriander. Serve with boiled rice or paratha.
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Missi Roti aka Besan ki Roti

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Missi Roti is also known as Besan ki roti and it is very famous in Pakistani & Indian home cooking. Not something you will find on every restaurant’s menu like paratha or tandoori roti but at home everyone knows this. So next time someone from Pakistan tries to be a burger and say they dont know missi roti don’t believe them 😀 they all have eaten it once in their life.

Ayesha’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup wholemeal flour (aata)
  • 1 cup gram flour (besan)
  • 1 small red onion (finely chopped)
  • 4 – 5 small green chillies (finely chopped)
  • 2 tbspns chopped green coriander
  • Salt to taste
  • Red chilli flakes to taste
  • A generous pinch of carom seeds (ajwain)
  • 1 tbspn cracked coriander seeds
  • ½ tspn crushed cumin seeds
  • 1 tbspns crushed pomegranate seeds
  • Some luke warm water to knead the dough
  • Ghee/ butter/ oil for frying the roti (I prefer ghee as it smells, tastes and feels more traditional)

Method:

  1. Mix everything (except oil & water) in a mixing bowl and knead a dough by mixing in water gradually. The dough should be firm to touch and not sticky.
  2. Pour some oil over the dough and keep it aside covered with a kitchen towel for 30 minutes.
  3. Divide the dough into 4 parts and make balls. Flat those balls like a roti/ chappati by dusting some aata on it and with the help of rolling pin.
  4. Preheat the griddle/ tawa on medium heat and place one roti on it.
  5. When it starts changing its color flip the side and apply some ghee on it. Flip the side and apple some ghee on the other side and cook until the roti is light brown.
  6. Do the same with other 3 rotis and serve hot with Lassi, achar, raita, chutney or Pakistani mangoes.

Ayesha’s Kitchen

Chilli Paneer

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Tantalise your tongue with this amazing Indo-Chinese Punjabi vegetarian dish…. So easy and so so so flavorful! ❤

Ayesha’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

FOR PANEER

  • 500 gms paneer (cut into chunks)
  • 1 egg + 3 tbspns corn flour /2 tbspns flour and water batter (to fry paneer)
  • Salt
  • Red chilli powder
  • 1 tspn garlic paste
  • Oil for deep frying

FOR STIR FRY

  • 1 red onion cut into chunks
  • ½ green capsicum cut into chunks
  • ½ red capsicum cut into chunks
  • 3 small green chillies (cut into slices)
  • 2 tbspns tomato paste (not ketcup)
  • ½ cup chilli garlic sauce
  • 1 tspn ginger and garlic paste
  • 2 curry leaves chopped
  • Salt to taste
  • A generous pinch of Chinese salt/ Ajinomoto
  • 1 tspn red chilli powder
  • ½ tspn cumin seeds
  • 1 tspn coriander powder
  • A splash of lemon juice
  • 2 tbspns soy sauce
  • 2 tbspns spring onions (green part, chopped)
  • Few sprigs of fresh coriander (chopped)
  • 4- 5 tbspns oil for cooking

Method:

  • If you are pure vegetarian then make a batter of cool water and flour, add salt, red chillies and garlic paste. Apply it on the paneer chunks and fry like pakoras.
  • And if you are non-vegetarian, make a batter of egg, corn flour, salt, red chillies and garlic paste. Apply it on the paneer chunks and fry like battered fish.
  • Keep aside until further needed.
  • Heat oil in a wok and fry cumin seeds, ginger garlic paste and onion chunks for 1 minute or until they get a light colour. Add tomato paste, chilli garlic sauce and all the other seasonings, soy sauce and curry leaves and mix on high heat for a minute and reduce flame.
  • Add capsicums and green chilli and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Now add fried battered paneer and spring onion and again cook it on high flame for 1 minute adding a splash of lemon juice with constant stirring so all the sides cook equally and it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
  • Serve hot with boiled or steamed rice and sprinkle some coriander.

Potato Salad

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This recipe if for yummy, creamy, mustardy and oniony potato salad. The flavours added to this potato salad makes it comfortable with all kind of grilled meat/ BBQ or fried steaks or if you have an open salad bar for your guests, this is a great addition. Very simple and easy to follow recipe is below…..

Ayesha’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

  • 3 large potatoes (cut into big chunks)
  • Salt
  • Water

FOR DRESSING

  • 1 cup full cream sour cream
  • 2 tbspns mayonnaise
  • Some cracked black pepper
  • A pinch of chicken salt
  • A generous pinch of table salt
  • 2 green onions (green part chopped)
  • 1 tspn fresh chives (chopped)
  • A pinch of dill
  • ¼ tspn mustard powder
  • 1 tbspn mustard

Method:

  • Peel and cut potatoes into big chunks and put them in cold water with some salt. Boil until the potato is done but still in shape which is 98% done.
  • Drain the water and put the potatoes in colander to remove all the excess water and cool down.
  • In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients for dressing and whisk.
  • Add potatoes and mix gently.
  • Refrigerate for 1 hours.
  • Serve with grilled meat or schnitzels.

Makki ki Roti & Sarson da Saag

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Makki ki roti and Sasron ka saag is one of the famous dishes of Punjab and it depicts the agricultural culture of this Province, famous both in Pakistan and India. The best thing about this dish is that it is not confined or related to only one time meal, you can serve it in breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks or anytime 🙂 I didnt know how to make it first and I used to think it as a very difficult but love (for food) made it easy for me, so here is the recipe for you ….

Ayesha’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

  • 2 bunch of choy sum (Available in supermarkets or fruit and veg market easily, Australia wide) or saag (available at wyndham village fruit market in Melbourne)
  • 1 bunch spinach
  • 1 bunch fenugreek (available at fruit market)
  • 5- 10 small green chillies
  • 1 bunch fresh coriander
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • Salt to taste
  • Red chilli powder to taste
  • 1 tbspn ginger and garlic paste
  • Some green chillies to garnish
  • 2 scoops Ghee
  • 1 scoop white butter (homemade, unsalted) to serve
  • 1 medium sized onion chopped
  • Water for boiling

Method:

  • Wash and clean and cut all the greens. Wash them in open and wide container under cold water to get rid of all the sand and soil and put in a colander to drain.
  • Boil 2 litres of water in a deep pot and add the greens, garlic cloves, salt and green chillies.
  • Cook covered for 20 minutes and drain the access water. Keep the boiled greens in the colander for 15 minutes to remove all the excess water and cool down.
  • Grind it in a food processor to coarse.
  • Now if you want to use it later, you can make 2 packets and freeze for up to 60 days.
  • Or if you want to cook it straight away, melt ghee is a cooking pot and fry chopped onion until its translucent. Add ginger and garlic paste and fry until it is golden brown. Add saag puree and cook until the water evaporates and ghee starts to separate.
  • Add chopped green chillies and take it out in a dish.

Ayesha’s Kitchen

FOR MAKKI ROTI

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups makki aata (I use Grewal brand which is easily available in Melbourne)
  • Some warm water to knead the dough
  • Ghee as per use

Method:

  • Take 3 cups of makki aata in a deep bowl and gradually knead it by adding little warm water at a time.
  • The texture will look like wet or kinetic sand, not like normal flour dough.
  • Knead it for 5 minutes and keep aside for 20 – 30 minutes at room temperature.
  • The best thing about this dough is it will not stick to your hands but still grease your hands a bit just to give it an even shape. Make 3 – 4 round balls of this dough.
  • Spread some aluminum foil on your kitchen bench top (flat surface) and make round roti or chapatti on it by using your palm and fingers.
  • The roti will not be even or flat as normal roti and it will break if you make it on hand, that’s why we are using aluminum foil.
  • Heat tawa or flat pan or griddle and very carefully put the roti along with the foil on the tawa with roti facing the tawa. Gently peel off the foil. Drizzle some ghee or oil on the sides of the roti so it does not stick to the pan. After 1 minute, very carefully turn the roti with flipping spoon and apply ghee on the other side.
  • When the roti is brown and cooked, serve hot with saag and white homemade butter.

 

Shaljam Bhujya

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Shaljam Bhujya is one of the not so favorite 😀 not so famous Pakistani dish in home cooking. Kids hate it but oldies love it. My recipe is very simple, handy and easy. It is actually my grandma’s recipe. I have learnt cooking vegetables from her, she makes it mild but my recipe is hot and spicy. Give it a try!

Ayesha’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

  • 4 large turnips (peeled and cut into cubes)
  • 2 medium sized onion
  • 3 medium sized tomatoes
  • 4 green chillies
  • 1 tbspn ginger and garlic (crushed)
  • 4 tbspns olive oil
  • 1 tbspn ghee
  • 1 cup coriander (fresh, chopped)

SPICES

  • 1 chicken stock cube (Optional)
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tspn red chilli p[owder
  • 1 tspn red chilli flakes
  • 1 tspn turmeric
  • 1 tbspn crushed dried coriander (not powder)
  • 1 tspn cumin seeds
  • 1 tspn cuin powder
  • 1 tspn garam masala
  • 1 tbspn methi leaves

Method:

  • Heat oil and fry onions until they are golden and crispy. Add everything else except methi leaves, coriander, 2 green chillies and methi leaves.
  • Pressure cook on low heat for 30 minutes or until two whistles.
  • Carefully take off the lid and cook on medium heat until the moisture evaporates. Now add rest of the stuff and cook on high heat until the oil comes on the sides of the pan.
  • Serve hot with chapatti.