Thursday, October 24, 2013

Aloo Kathi Roll

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This month has kept us happily busy. The weather cooled off quite a bit, a sure relief from the scorching heat. We thoroughly enjoy this change and try to get outside as much as we can.

 
All "friendly" with the pony.. 




 


The following weekend i enjoyed myself at the navratri celebrations.Oh it was so much fun dancing with all my dear friends some of whom i met after several months.It was a treat to watch the crowd all dressed up in the traditional finery. 











Last week we enjoyed a pleasant change from our usual dinner menu- Kati rolls. I made a simple filling of potato and crunchy green beans stuffed inside a whole wheat roti. To assemble i used a simple chutney made with mint-green chilli, some cheese and crunchy onions. These were devoured at dinner time and the leftovers were packed into lunch boxes.


Aloo Kati Rolls

For the rotis:-
2 C whole wheat flour (atta)
1 C  all-puprose flout (maida)
1 tbsp oil
  • Knead the above into a soft dough. Roll in oil and set aside for 30mins at least.
  • Roll into rotis. Make sure these are not very thin else they will tear. Do not overcook them or make them crispy else you will have trouble rolling them

For the pudina chutney :-
1 bunch of mint
5-6 tbsp of shredded coconut
2-3 green chillies
1 clove of garlic
  • Blend the above into a paste with some water. The paste should not be watery. Mint is salty so be careful when you salt or you might want to skip it.

For the potato filling :
4-5 potatoes boiled and diced
20 green beans washed and chopped
1 tsp of mustard 
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp your favorite garam masla or chat masala or mixture of cumin and coriander powder in equal parts.
salt to taste
3-4 tbsp oil
  • Over medium heat combine the oil, mustard, cumin seeds. Once they splutter add the green beans.
  • Add 2-3 tbsp water and cover and cook the green beans until tender.
  • Add the potatoes and the spices. Salt to taste and mix everything well. Set aside.

For assembly :-
1C mozarella cheese
1C onion cut into spirals

  • Spread the mint chutney over the roti. Add one tablespoon of the filling.Top with cheese and onions.
  • Fold like a burrito.
  • Add some cheese at the end of roll and place that side down on a hot tawa. The heat will cause the cheese to melt sealing the eddge of the roll. 
  • Press down until roll is crisp on both sides.
  • Serve warm with minty yogurt dip.

For the Minty Yogurt dip :
Mix 1 tsp of the mint chutney into 1C yogurt and mix.





Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Some health gyan and Aloo Gobi Rasedar

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Last month in a fit of impulsive shopping I ordered these books from Amazon.


These books have busted most of my beliefs about good health and living. A few pounds have cropped up after Ojas was born but more than losing weight I wanted to really focus on staying fit and energized. After all caring for 2 active kids is no small task.
As the books suggested I made some basic changing to my eating habits
  • Waking up to a fruit. Mostly a banana or a pear and some soaked almonds and raisins. I have them the first 10 mins of waking up at around 6:30AM. After an hour or so I have 1 or 2 slices of whole grain toast with a boiled egg white. I have my beloved cup of tea at around 9:30AM after I drop Aamod to school. On the first day it was a bit odd to eat a banana at 6:30AM  but soon its become an habit. This keeps me energized during the busy morning hours.
  • I have my lunch anytime before 1pm and its usually roti-sabzi-dal after which I take my calcium supplements. Ok now the thing that I loved about the book. The book does not tell you to eat SALADs. An active mom like me cannot survive on SALADS!.
  • In-between at around 3pm or so I have a tall glass of buttermilk from homemade yogurt. If I need to be out in evenings I usually have a smoothie or I have 1/2 toasts with a cup of milk.
  • I wrap up my dinner by 7pm that is usually rice/roti with sabzi and dal. This way I can happily focus on serving dinner to the rest of the team. A hungry mom is never a happy mom you see.
  • I sleep by 10-10:15 AM. And yes no TV after 8PM. I usually read some book or read something online and sleep.
  •  I try to exercise at least 3 times a week for not more than 60 mins.  
What effect this is having on me ??
For one my blood sugars are being relatively stable. How I know that ?? No 4pm craving for crunchies or munchies. I craved a cup of coffee or tea in the afternoons at 4pm. But I do not miss that anymore. No growly stomach at 10AM and 10PM. I have the energy I need during the active morning and evening hours. After a long day I often complained of aching calves. The calcium supplements have taken care of that. I feel that it surely is being better absorbed. I had trouble falling asleep but now I fall sleep within 10 min after laying down and get up on my own without an alarm.

So much to share the health gyan that I acquired in past month. There is more but I will tell you and when I try it out.

Now onto some yummy curry :-
Aloo-gobi rasedar is my homely cauliflower curry. Its a watery curry to be had with some fresh rotis or steaming rice.


Aloo Gobi Rasedar
( Inspired from this recipe on TongueTicklers )

1C cauliflower florets
1 potota cubed
1/2 C frozen or fresh peas

2 tsp chilli powder
1tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 medium sized onion chopped
1 tomato chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp chopped ginger

1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp. of  gul (jaggery)
cilantro to garnish

  • Combine the ginger, garlic, onion, tomato in a food processor to make a course paste.
  • Over medium heat add the cumin seeds and then quickly add the above paste. Saute till fragrant and onion is soft.
  • Add the spices.Saute till oil separates. Add a teaspoon of water if mixture is too dry.
  • Then add the vegetables - cauliflower, peas, and the potatoes. Mix well and add boiling water to cover the vegetables.
  • Lower the heat to medium and cook till vegetables are tender. Add salt and jaggery to taste and adjust consistency. of curry.
  • Serve warm.


You can add shredded coconut, peanut powder to made a richer gravy. We prefer to have it simple though.