Kolkata Street Food: Alu Batte

Alu Batte is a simple and easy side dish made with mashed potatoes. It goes very well with Rice and Dal.

Ingredients:

1. Potatoes - 3 medium sized
2. Mustard oil - 2 tbsp
3. Salt to taste
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Note:

• I used pressure cooker to cook potatoes, but be careful to not over cook them
• Starchy potatoes will be better for Alu Batte

Method:

1. Peel and potatoes with salt until they are soft.
2. Mash the cooked potatoes roughly, we are NOT looking for a paste consistency
3. Heat oil in a kadai
4. Add turmeric, and chilli powder and give a stir
5. Add potatoes to the above and mix well and switch off the heat

Serve hot Alu Batte with Rice and Dal

Aloo Gobi/Potato and Cauliflower masala

 

Ingredients:

1. Potato, cubes - 1.5 cups
2. Cauliflower / gobi, small florets - 2 cups
3. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
4. Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Coriander powder - 1.5 tsp
6. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
7. Coriander leaves, chopped - 1/2 cup
8. Tomato, ripe and chopped -1/2 cup
9. Oil - 2.5 tbs
10. Ginger, minced - 1 tsp
11. Garlic, minced - 1tsp
12. Salt to taste
13. Garam masala - 1 tsp
14. Green chilli -3

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan
2. Add cumin seeds and let it splutter
3. Add green chillies, ginger and garlic and sauté for 30 sec
4. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander powder and give a toss
5. Add tomato and sauté till tomato is soft
6. Add potatoes and cauliflower and sauté it
7. Add salt , close the lid and cook till potatoes are soft( no need to add water to cook potatoes and cauliflower )
8. Once the potatoes are cooked we'll add garam masala and coriander leaves and mix well
9. Switch off the flame and serve hot aloo gobi with roti or rice. 

Stuffed Bun

Here is my first attempt to make stuffed bun. It is an easy to make snack or breakfast or even serve as dinner !

Ingredients:

For stuffing:

1. Potatoes, cooked - 1 big
2. Paneer - 1 cup
3. Onion, chopped - 1 medium
4. Ginger, chopped - 1 tsp
5. Garlic , chopped - 1 tsp
6. Green chilli - 1 or 2
7. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
8. Oil - 1 tbs
9. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
10. Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
11. Coriander leaves, chopped -1 tbs
12. Salt to taste

For bun

1. Wheat flour - 2 cups
2. Instant yeast - 1.5 tsp
3. Salt to taste
4. Italian herbs - 1tsp( optional)
5. Sugar - 1 tsp
6. Milk, warm - 1/2 cup
7. Baking powder -1 tsp
8. Olive oil/ coconut oil - 2 tbs
9. Chia seeds - 1 tsp (optional)

Method:

For stuffing:

1. Heat oil in a pan
2. Splutter cumin seeds
3. Sauté ginger, garlic, green chilli and onion in it
4. Add turmeric powder and give a toss
5. Mash potatoes and paneer
6. Once onion is translucent, add mashed potatoes and paneer and mix well
7. Add garam masala and coriander leaves to the above and switch off the flame
8. Once stuffing is in room temp make balls out of it using your palm

Note: The stuffing should be dry otherwise bun will be soggy
The above recipe for the stuffing is not much spicy, For a more spicy stuffing you may use the Cutlet Recipe mix for stuffing.

 

For bun:

1. Mix yeast in warm milk along with sugar for 5 to 10 min until you see some froth on top
2. Mix flour, salt, baking powder and herbs well
3. Knead the dough by adding milk and oil to the flour mixture
4. Keep dough in a bowl. Cling wrap the bowl and keep for 30 min for the dough to rise
5. Preheat the oven to 150degree Celsius 
6. Knead the dough again to release the air
7. Make balls out of dough and flatten it using your palm
8. Like stuffed parathas, keep a stuffing masala ball in to the flattened dough and close it properly
9. Brush the stuffed bun with oil and keep for 5 minutes
10. Brush with milk and sprinkle some chia seeds on it
11. Bake the bun for 20 to 25 minutes 
12. Once baked, move the buns to a wire rack for cooling

Note:
The buns can be served warm 

It can be stored in fridge for 1-2 days

Creamy Celery Soup

Ingredients:

1. Celery sticks, chopped - 3
2. Potato - 1
3. Ginger chopped- 1 tsp
4. Greek yogurt - 3 tbs
5. Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Cook celery sticks , ginger and potato well. I used pressure cooker for it
2. Once cool, Purée the above with yogurt and salt 
3. Add water to get the right consistency. 
4. Strain the soup through a sieve if you don't want get fiber from celery when u have the soup
5. Sprinkle some pepper and serve the creamy soup chilled or warm. 

Dahi aloo gobhi masala / potato cauliflower masala with yogurt

This is a recipe which was put together 2 days back in an evening for next days lunch. My usual curry to go with chapathi has onion in it.  But I couldn't find any good onion on that day, so was forced to come up with a new recipe with 3-4 shallots I had in my kitchen along with other veggies. After tasting the curry my mom commented that it tastes very nice. So I thought I should add the recipe in my blog.

Here goes the recipe. 

Ingredients:

1. Cauliflower florets - 2 cups
2. Potato cubes - 2 cups
3. Shallots, sliced - 4 medium size
4. Green chilli - 1
5. Ginger chopped - 1 tbs
6. Garlic chopped - 1 tbs
7. Coriander powder - 2 tsp
8. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
9. Chaat masala - 1 tsp
10. Mustard - 1 tsp
11. Oil - 2 tbs
12. Creamy yogurt - 3tbs (I used Greek style yogurt which is packed with protein and is very creamy and thick)
13. Curry leaves - few
14. Salt - to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a pan and splitter mustard and curry leaves in it
2. Add ingredients from 3 to 6 and sauté for 2-3 minutes until the raw smell is gone
3. Add potato and washed cauliflower and sauté for 2-3 minutes more
4. Add ingredients from 7 to 9 and sauté again
5. Sprinkle some water and close the lid to cook the vegetables. 
6. Once the vegetables are almost cooked, Reduce the flame to minimum, then add the creamy yogurt and mix well
7. Cook for 5 more minutes and switch off the flame. 

The curry is ready to be served.  It goes well with rotis and rice. 

Potato Cheese Puff

Ingredients

• 1 boiled and mashed potato
• 2 tbs shredded carrot
• 1 tbs chopped celery
• 1 chopped green chilli
• 2 tbs coriander leaves
• 1 tbs oil
• 1 tbs butter
• 2 tbs chopped onion
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 3-4 tbs shredded cheese
• pepper to taste
• salt to taste
• 1.5 cups wheat flour/plain flour
• oil to fry

Procedure

• Make a dough with flour, salt and water and keep aside.
• Saute onion, garlic, carrot, celery and green chilli (remove the seeds before using).
• Mix the above with mashed potato.
• Add salt and pepper according to taste and mix butter, coriander leaves and cheese with it.
• Make small balls of dough and roll it into small round sheets.(as if for poori)
• Spoon the filling on each sheet and fold it to form half circle.
• Seal the edges well so that the fillings won't come out on frying. You can use fork to give the design on the edges :)
• Fry the puff in hot oil.