GMT: Dhaba Style chicken curry

by

Dhaba style Chicken curry

When my dad was doing his Air Warfare Staff College in US in 1989, there were a lot of social get togethers organized for spouses to interact with each other. One of the get togethers was a potluck to which my mom brought an Indian flavored chicken curry. Coincidentally a lady from Pakistan also brought a chicken curry to the gathering. When my mom recounts this incident she remembers the Pakistani lady’s chicken as being absolutely delicious and thought the lady’s dish to be better than her own. She remembers a lot of people coming to her and complimenting on how flavorful her dish was. My mom believes the people complimenting her thought she was the one who brought the chicken dish which actually the Pakistani lady brought. My mom still thinks that was one of the best chicken curry she ever tasted and since then she has wanted to make something similar.

When she was visiting us in Dallas, she thought of looking for a recipe similar to the one the Pakistani lady had cooked. She found one online, which sounded good and the recipe that I am sharing today is adapted from that. She thinks this was the closest she has come to replicating the flavors of the chicken curry she had almost 24 years back.

The reason I have called this dhaba style chicken curry is that its a no frills recipe and the taste is very similar to what you get in dhabas (roadside eateries) in India. We indians love our dhaba food and this chicken curry is quite similar to the one we get in punjabi dhabas. Using freshly ground whole spices always makes indian dishes more flavorful. Ground spices tend to lose their flavor, so wherever possible do try to just grind as much as you would require for one dish, instead of grinding in bulk and keeping them for weeks.

Dhaba Style Chicken Curry | The Novice Housewife

Read More →

GMT: “Dahi Bhallas/Vada” Lentil dumplings in yogurt

by

Soft and fluffy Dahi Bhallas dunked in yogurt and topped with chutneys. Tips and techniques to get super fluffy and light dahi bhallas. 

Super soft dahi bhallas

 

When my dad was posted to Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, we got acquainted with this amazing family, who coincidentally shared the same surname as ours. The daughter, Pallavi, became a close friend of mine in spite of the age difference we shared. I was in college during my dad’s tenure in Jaisalmer but whenever I visited, she and I would get together and although there wasn’t much to do in the city, my stay was always memorable. Her parents too would make sure that I had a good stay while I was visiting mom and dad.

Pallavi’s mom, Swati aunty, used to make the most amazing Dahi bhallas- light and airy bhallas that melt in your mouth. The first time I ate them I chowed down 4-5 in one sitting and got a to-go box of more back home with me. My mom took the recipe from aunty when we left Jaisalmer because all of us agreed that they were the best bhallas we had ever eaten.While my mom made an honest effort later to make them and they always turned out good, they were never like aunty’s. Aunty maintained the secret to the light and fluffy vadas lay in beating the heck out of the batter, but I think she just had magic in her hands.

Dahi Bhallas | The Novice Housewife

As mentioned in a previous post, my mom is in town visiting, which means I am getting some respite from cooking. The other day she made dahi bhallas, her quick channa masala and bhaturas. I could not be more grateful for that meal. It was so good, and the bhallas actually turned out exactly the way Swati aunty made them- soft and airy. Today I am sharing her recipe for dahi bhallas/ vadas.

Dahi bhalla is a popular indian dish made with deep fried lentil dumplings (bhallas or vadas) that are served in yogurt (dahi) and topped with roasted cumin powder, red chilli powder, date-tamarind chutney and/or mint chutney.

Generally these vadas or bhallas as we call them are made from urad dal/ split black lentils. In UP though they sometimes make vadas from moong dal. While dahi bhalla/dahi vada is a popular way to have these urad dal dumplings, in south India, another popular way to serve the vadas is with sambhar or some use them to make bonda soup.

The recipe listed below makes quite a few vadas, and generally my mom freezes extra vadas. I took her suggestion and kept 10 vadas to serve immediately and the rest I wrapped in ziploc bags with 8 each in a single bag. I froze three such ziploc bags. If you choose to freeze the extra vadas, when you are ready to use them for dahi bhallas, just defrost the vadas for a bit and then let them soak in boiled water for 15-20 minutes, before using them to make dahi bhalla.

Read More →

Palak Paneer : Garam Masala Tuesdays

by

Palak Paneer | The Novice Housewife
My mom is in town, which means I get the pleasure of eating home cooked meals made by someone else for a change. Yay for me! My mom doesn’t cook as often as she did earlier, but she is an awesome cook and anything cooked by her is always a treat. Thanks to her and her interest in cooking, my brother and I were exposed to different cuisines very early on in life. She is the reason for my love affair with food, and for that I will always be grateful.

Today for GMT, I am sharing her recipe for palak paneer- a spinach based curry with indian cheese cubes. While it is best to separately cook each element in the recipe since it helps to bring out more flavors, it is easier and quicker to just grind the ingredients together and then cook the mixture. It still tastes great, so if you are short on time  or want to spend less time in the kitchen and more time with friends and family, this recipe works very well.

I made the paneer fresh at home but you can use store-bought paneer which is easily available at any indian grocery store.

This post would have gone up earlier in the day today but with mom around and my cousin, who was also here for a week, and who left today, time just flew and writing the post got delayed. I am a little sleepy now, so I will keep this post short and jump straight to the recipe.

Read More →