Ragda Patties

Ragda Patties is a chaat recipe. It is served with aloo tikkis, curried dried yellow peas, topped with the onion, chutneys, sev, crushed puris and chopped cilantro. I tried this recipe the past weekend and used Tarla Dalal's recipe but changed the ingredients as per my taste.

Ingredients:

For the Ragda:
Dried yellow peas - 1 cup soaked overnight
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Corriander chutney - 2-4 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Tamarind date chutney - 4 tbsp
Tamarind paste - 1 tsp
Brown sugar/jaggery - 2 tsp
Ginger grated - 1/2 inch
Black salt - 1/2 tsp
Mint leaves chopped - 2 tsp
Cumin & Corriander powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Aloo Tikkis:

Potatoes - 4 big
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Cilantro chopped - 4 tsp
Juice of 1/2 lime
Salt to taste
Oil - to shallow fry

To serve:
Green chutney
Tamarind Date chutney
Sev - 1 cup
Chopped onions - 1
Crushed papdis - 1 cup

For the ragdas:
1. Pressure cook the soaked peas with 3 cups of water for 4 whistles.
2. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, green chutney,garam masala powder, tamarind date chutney, tamarind paste, brown sugar, grated ginger grated, black salt, chopped mint leaves, cumin powder, corriander powder, and salt. Add 3 cups of water and simmer in a crock pot for 2 hours in low heat.

For the Aloo Tikkis:
1. Boil the potatoes and mash.
2. Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, chopped cilantro, lime juice and salt to taste.
3. Divide into 12 equal portions and flatten the ball to make a patty.
4. Shallow fry on a non stick skillet with a few drops of oil till brown and crisp.

To Serve:
1. Pace the aloo tikki on plate and pour ragda over.
2. Top with chutneys, onions, sev, crushed puris and serve.

Beets Pulav

I tried beets pulav for Valentines Day. This is a colorful dish as the beets give a pinkish color. The sweet taste of beets and the mild spices blend in to make it very flavorful.

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Extra virgin olive oil - 1tblsp
Beets - 1 chopped
Mixed vegetables of your choice- 1/2 cup chopped
Tomato - 1 medium
Green chillies - 2 slit lengthwise
Cilantro - 2 tbsp chopped
Mint - 2 tbsp chopped
Salt - to taste
Juice of half lime
Whole spices - 2 cloves, 2 cardamom, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 inch cinnamon
Water to cook - 2 cups
Cashew nuts - few to garnish

Method:
1. In a medium skillet, heat the oil. Over medium heat, sauté the whole spices, green chilies for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the beets; mixed vegetables, tomato, cover and sauté 5 minutes.
3. Add basmati rice, salt, chopped mint, and cilantro and water.
4. Bake at 350 degree F for 45 minutes in a oven safe dish or alternatively cook on stove till done.
5. Add lime juice and garnish with chopped cilantro and cashew nuts