Sunday, August 19, 2007

The mad, mad tea party with poori-bhaji ;)

Hello everyone :). Am back again! Its been a couple of weeks since i posted anything :)). Ah! there are those days when you just feel tired.....That's when friends come into picture :). With their liveliness, they nudge you out of this tiredness, this slumber-sometimes with an invitation to A MAD TEA PARTY :)). Really, it was an invitation that i could not say no to! There she was, with enticing pictures, wielding the baton, err.....the belan, nudging everyone to get up and enjoy some poori-bhaji :). Ooh, in the last week, i have fried my pooris in two different styles and enjoyed them with three(no less!) delicious bhajis :). A clear case of going overboard? Nah! I made two different doughs-which gave me 8 or so pooris, two of which were snack time savory treats ;). Oh, and before i forget, poori bhaji (or poodi sabzi in my Majha Punjabi accent) to me is a symbol of travel time food-how can i forget the countless pooris i gobbled on Railway Stations and Bus stops on numerous occassions, or the home made poori-aloo and karelas packed for the trip :). So, here is my journey with the pooris and bhaji. Here's to the spirit of the really mad tea party, with countless varieties of poori and sabzis/sagus i have been enjoying this past week!


1. Poori with besan and ajwain with station style aloo bhaji


These pooris have whole wheat flour (3/4 cup), 2 tbsp. besan, 1/2 tsp. ajwain, a lil' bit of salt (to taste) and 1/4 tsp. sugar kneaded into a stiff dough, rolled into small discs and deep fried! Bliss :). The bhaji recipe is even simpler, almost like Anita's classic Railway Station bhaji. For this, we just microwave two potatoes for about 7 minutes, this is equivalent to boiling. Next, we splutter jeera/cumin (1 tsp.) in 1 tsp. oil, add a cpl. of pinches of strong hing/asfoetida and turmeric-then add the peeled, mashed potatoes, followed by 1 glass of water. Add salt to taste, dhania/coriander powder, bring to boil, add chopped green chillies (as much as you want) and a lil' chopped cilantro. I love the aroma of hing here, so i don't use too much cilantro. Hing is really the key spice here-for the authentic Railway Station style bhaji.

2. Same pooris (with red chilli powder added to the dough this time) with some khatte kaddu

Disclaimer: no poori pictures here, i was too hungry to take pictures ;). Really, i LOVE khatte kaddu: so here's the recipe.



We need: Halwa kaddu/pumpkin cut into big chunks (2 cups-i used banana squash for this recipe)-the chunks are put in a microwave bowl and microwaved for 10 minutes after adding 1/4 cup of water. Meanwhile, we heat oil (1 tsp.) in a wok, splutter jeera and kalonji/nigella (1/2 tsp. each), add a pinch of hing, stir in 1 tbsp. chopped ginger and saute', then add turmeric and stir. Add 1 cup of water and bring to boil-now we add the microwaved pumpkin and mix-this should be mushy now :). Add salt, red chilli powder (optional) and bring to boil. Stir in the juice of one lemon and add some chopped green chillies.

Enjoy the khatte kaddu with poori, chapati or paranthas :). Oh, and this is almost traditional style khatte kaddu, UP style :). Almost, because nigella is not common in this dish, and the real deal is chunkier. I like mine mushy :)).

3. Achaari Pooris with baingan-mushroom sabzi


The pooris here had masala from a mango pickle-you can pick any pickle and it would be equally yummy. So we roll a poori, spread the masala, bundle it up and roll again. The baingan mushroom sabzi was not made to go with pooris, but when i got back home tired, two pooris and this sabzi were there in the fridge, ready to be devoured ;). And surprisingly, they went very well together. The recipe for the sabzi will show up soon ;). and yes, achaari poori goes well with achaar too :)).

4. Cumin-rosemary tikhi pooris for tea-time


The dough here had the same proportions of whole wheat flour and besan, 1 tbsp. dried rosemary leaves, 1/2 tbsp. jeera and red chilli powder to taste-kneaded into a stiff dough, rolled into small discs and deep fried. While the poori recipes above can have an addition of milk instead of water for kneading the dough, this one needs to be crisp, so this dough uses water. Cumin and rosemary go really well together and this makes a really yummy tea time snack. These pooris are my entry for dear Sunita's spicy event Think Spice: Think Cumin.

Here's another favorite of mine: Vesan wali poori (plain poori, dipped on one side in a besan batter). There are tons of other favorite varieties of aloo-bhaji that i regularly make: my all time favorites Bangalore style potato sagu and hostel mess style sagu (with garlic and tamarind) are a cpl. of them. Boiled potatoes are ready and i will surely post the two recipes sometime soon :).


And now, time to thank the generous buddies who consider this blog worthy of the awards (blush).....our generous hostess Anita recently presented me with the "Thoughtful blogger" and "The power of schmooze" awards-this was soon followed by the "Rocking girl blogger" awards from dear buddies Sharmi and Sia :). All i can say is a huge THANK YOU, dear friends-for supporting this blog in your own special ways.....And since i love a huge number of blogs, who have inspired me with their creations and their thoughts-i pass on the best award to them all that i can: HUGS and LOVE :).

And this event, this rocking mad tea party, the poori-bhaji fiesta is being organized to celebrate the 6oth Anniversary of India's independence. I'll leave you with a couple of thoughts.....To all fellow Indian citizens: we are really lucky to be born in a free country, enjoying the independence, one of the best present our elders gave us. But lets not forget that there's a lot more to do.....also, lets for a moment, think of the first few days of our country's independence, the birth of twins.....which was marked by not hugs and handshakes, but blatant disregard for life and peace.....To everyone: The food bloggers have a unique power, to cut across cultural and regional boundaries and extend a friendly hand.....the desi food blogging community, for example, promotes regional harmony, this is what i call positive regionalism-the food blogs are vital in educating one and all about the multiple facets of Indian cuisine, with all its regional charm! You, my friend, have the power, to promote peace and love-a present this world needs desperately-and you do it so well-and that, dear friend, is the reason YOU ALL ROCK!!

Hugs, love and peace,
musical.

66 comments:

bee said...

you rock!!! and your puri fest is just awesome. that kaddu recipe has been bookmarked. it's raining crookneck squashes here. last year we got 65 pounds of banana squash. this year's sapling just curled up and died.

Nupur said...

This post is too much for me! I am going crazy trying to grab puris from the screen :D I think I would love a cumin-rosemary puri with my chai right about now!

Coffee said...

That is some puri-a-thon!! :) Your rosemary twist is awesome! :D

Anonymous said...

Awesome, Musical. So you made the kaddu bhaji! It is so good with poori - I make mine just a tad bit different. But your deconstruction of the station bhaji is almost exactly like mine.

I am beginning to get this reputation of a mooli/belan weilding avatar...! But you are right, a little indulgence now and then...is just what the doc ordered.

Glad you found the time to come to the party, friend.

TBC said...

Beautiful post! & so many different kinds of puris:-)I like the sound of achaari pooris.Great job!

Dhana said...

Musical, WHAT a befitting come back!! The puris look way too delectable!!!

Saju said...

all I can say is OMG they look so good? torture!

Santhi said...

This definitely is a Puri party...Never knew there were so many varieties...!!!! Musical, now you are inspiring people to extend the puri party ;-)

musical said...

Bee:

Thanks , dear :). OMG, 65 lbs. of banana squash, wow! i know, it just rains squashes. when i was lil' we had planted pumpkins, the toughest part was to distribute the crop anyone and everyone we knew ;).

Nupur:

Sweet revenge, eh: i was drooling on the middle-eastern platter y'day ;). If you don't feel like frying, these ingredient go really well with paranthas and bread too.


Coffee:

Puri-a-thon, he he: lets wait till Anita posts recipes from everyone :-D. That will be really fun! I love rosemary, btw :).

musical said...

Anita:

I am glad, really glad, that you liked the poori-bhaji here. After reading about the station bhaji, i really wanted to make it: had been long since i had eaten it :). I usually make bhaji with tomatoes..... Oh, an you wield the baton like a leader should :). and its only helpful to lazy people like me-really, if it were not for this event, i wouldn't have made pooris, because it wouldn't simply occur to me!! Thanks.....i owe these lovely meals to you :).

TBC:

He he, i like the name achaari poori too, its got a zing ;). Thanks dear, am glad you are enjoying this poori-fest.

Dhana:

Thanks dear, take your pick and enjoy :).

musical said...

Saju:

its all mutual, isn't it ;). i had the same OMG reaction looking at the lotus root curry-and i HAVE to make it :).

Santhi:

Ooh, extend the poori fest by all means, cuz' like Anita says, moderation is the key :). Pooris, just like paranthas are really versatile-i am looking forward to your favorites.

Tee said...

This is torture...so many mouthwatering pooris and sabzis!!!! my mouth is watering!

sra said...

Khatte kaddu is new to me - will try it soon, just bought a chunk of pumpkin today!

musical said...

Tee:

Thanks, dear! Drop by anytime, we can snack on some chai and pooris ;).

Sra:

Try the kaddus, they are really yummy-and even the name is so cute :). and thats really telepathic that you bought pumpkin today!

TNL said...

save some for me Surili...I'll be the first one to chug all these down....I like the rosemary in there...what a nice touch, I love to use rosemary in Mughali curries, it is delectable. Many hugs....will write soon!

cheers,
trupti

Mishmash ! said...

Puri Fest is going on in blogosphere !! I cannot count how many I have seen today itself !! and your station style alu bhaji looks awesome

musical said...

Trupti,

Hey, good to see you, girlie :). So you love rosemary too: sending some rosemary pooris your way, with some masala chai.....and hugs to you too, dear.

surili.


Shn:

Thanks, the bhaji does taste real good :). I agree, i have been drooling over all the yummy pooris across blogosphere!

Kamini said...

Your poories look so yummy!!!! I HAVE to try out the khatte kaddu. I have been drooling over it for 1/2 hour now just imagining the tastes on my tongue...

Unknown said...

Love your khatte kaddu recipe, have been waiting for it since you mentioned it in ANita's comments...will surely try it out...and the whole food blogging world is floating high on hot air balloon ;)

musical said...

Hey Kamini:

Thank you so much :). Yes, do try the khatte kaddu: this is something that converted me to kaddu lover ;).

musical said...

Hey Nandita:

I love that term "hot air balloon", he he. Do try the kaddus, its one easy breezy recipe :).

Roopa said...

awesome post musical! i am drolling for those puris the bhajis...yummy

sunita said...

What a puri feast indeed!!...am drooling over them...thanks for the entry...glad you could participate.

sunita said...

btw, you're really thoughtful, shmoozeable and girl, you rock :D

musical said...

Roopa:

Thanks, generous friend :).

Sunita:

Thank you too, for the wonderful words (blush) :). and your profile picture-the mirror cake is still as tempting (remember the stuffed mouth) ;).

Srivalli said...

Congrats on your awards...and your puris look very yummy...

Srivalli
www.cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com

Sharmi said...

I simply fell in love with your post. The station style bhaji, Khatte Kaddu, Achaari pooris, cumin rosemary pooris are in my list. OMG I cant get my eyes off:)

Bong Mom said...

Wow Musical...what an array of Pooris. Loved all these Poori versions, the one with the pickle masala must be to die for

You do rock dear and you are one lovely blooger. Thanks for being around always

Rachna said...

hey my god... im in a trance now and soooo hungry.... i looooove the besan wali poosri and achar poori ... wow...must be amazing

acha? hing... oh will try that next time...i usually put methade (whole methi seeds) with tomatoes for my station bhaji and love the aroma... its my fav kachori aalo recipe

i was moved when u said..."the birth of twins.....which was marked by not hugs and handshakes, but blatant disregard for life "... it hurts and pinches me... because we are one of the millions of people that were displaced from multan(pakistan)... it took two generations to achieve what my grandfather had abandoned when he fled ...from his land, his house, his property....with his wife and one year son (my dad)... its so hard to not feel bad and move on...to forgive the ppl who decided to partition India...

Richa said...

haanji, what a puri-liscious post :) station dian puri subzi di gall kuch aur e! is it me or does the train journey food always taste better heh!heh!
ajwain puri is truly bliss! cha naal puri, ade varga koi dujja combo nahi :) all these puris making me so hungry now. congrats on the awards! hugs

musical said...

Hey Srivalli:

Thanks a lot, dear :). Enjoy the pooris.

Sharmi:

Thanks ji :). The station bhaji is a must :-D. We must all collectively thank Anita for highlighting this classic :).

Sandeepa:

Achaari pooris are good, i am glad they turned out well-they sounded like a crazy idea when i set out to make them ;). and thanks dear, you rock too and so do your marvellous stories.

musical said...

Rachna:

Ooh, i use methre too sometimes in my dahi aloo recipe :). and i know what you mean.....and like countless people on both sides of the border, my Grandparents suffered through the same turmoil.....lucky they were, they survived: so i feel lucky too.....

Richa:

Thank you ji :). Haanji, poori te chah di gall hi kuchh hor e :). station di poori sabzi is ekdum mast and actually a good comfort food! garam garam poori and sabzi does take away a bit of travel stress :).

Suganya said...

You are the right guest to this "MAD Tea Party"

Latha said...

OH my what a variety of pooris! I am so hungry now, just lookign at u're post. Never made pooris with besan, will give it a shot!

Anonymous said...

Ohhh ohh...thats an awesome post dear. I had puri after a very long time at home and now looking at your post, I feel hungry for them again....

I think ajwain in puris taste heavenly. I haven't tried it anytime, but I have seen many puri recipes with it. Ajwain brings them to a whole new level. And then you have posted so many different combos. Lovey post...

musical said...

Suganya:

he he, i know-its like i was comepnsating myself for the poori-less times :-D.

Latha:

Thanks, dear. Do try pooris with besan, they are good as simple snacks and plus you are adding some protein too :).

Shilpa:

Thank you so much :). I agree, ajwain gives a yummy touch to savory stuff! and ditto for having pooris after a long time!!

Suma Gandlur said...

Congrats!!
Now you have a poori fiesta here, with some variations unknown to me, especially the achari one. I totally agree with you when it comes to poori - saagu combination. Nothing can beat it.

Mandira said...

All I see before me are just pooris in all its grandeur. I have to, no need to, make it soon, very soon!

Viji said...

Musical, the pooris are awesome. Especially the one with cumin seeds. Your write up is excellent. Enjoy reading this post. Viji

TheCooker said...

Surili...You are too much. So many puris...ek se badhkar ek.

Aruna said...

Sharmi, I like all the subjis u have in there & planning to try it too... Great Post girl!!!

TheMistressofSpices.wordpress.com

musical said...

Suma:

Thanks, dear :). Poori-sagu is the best :-D.

Mandira:

Thank you, dear. For once, we've had pooris to our heart's content. Thanks to the power of blogging :).

Viji:

Thanks :). Your warm words mean a lot.....enjoy!

musical said...

The cooker:

He he, i like that statement "too much" :-D. Thanks :).


Aruna:

Its musical here.....Sharmi blogs at Neivedyam and her Oriya thaali is hot! do check it out :).

Priyanka said...

The puris and the khatte kaddu looks very inviting musical... had never heard of the dish before... and congrats on ur award... you deserve it:)

musical said...

Hey Priyanka:

Thanks a lot :). Try the kaddus bhaji, its quite yummy (and this comes from an ex-kaddu hater!) :-D.

Pelicano said...

Very nice conclusion! And I do agree that food-bloggers are definitely a driving force in bonding people across many miles.

"...achaari poori goes well with achaar too :))..." LOL that is SO you! But, of course you know already that I'll be trying these pickle-blessed puris. :-D I bet they're good to scoop up dahi, aren't they?

musical said...

Hey Pel:

Thanks for chiming in :). yes, musical is in love with achaar! and i knew you'll surely think of making achaari pooris :-D. plain dahi would be the perfect dip!

Anonymous said...

o those poories .....awesome .....rosemary in a puri??? will definitely have to try this one

musical said...

Hey Rahin:

THanks you :). Yes, rosemary tastes very good with cumin, in any type of bread, do try it :).

Sig said...

Wow musie, designer Pooris, u have really gone all out... cumin-rosemary pooris, you have to patent those :D

musical said...

Hi Sweetie:

You are cute, yaar :). Help me patent them :-D. Make them ;).

hope you had a fantastic vacation.

hugs,
musical.

amna said...

thank u so much for dropping by :) i wish i cud also participate in this mad party.. but came to know of it a little late :(

indosungod said...

Musical I thought I'd stop by and say Hello to the Punju Mad Ahem Scientist that Sandeepa was talking about and here you are having an awesome Poori Party like no other.

Prajakta said...

The Khatte Kaddu sounds so cute a name, will love to make it sometime. And achhar puris...hmmm...muh me pani aa gaya.

Sia said...

madam scientist...i am ookmarking this complete post:)

Sia said...

oops...it was bookmark:D

J said...

What a lovely variety of pooris you have here! Bookmarking this!

musical said...

Hey Nags:

Am sure you virtually enjoyed the party though :-D. Thanks for dropping by :).

Indosungod:

He he, thanks dear :). i agree, i am a bit mad ;). Thanks buddy for this note of friendship :).

Prajakta:

We are on the same page on this one :-D. ek to kaddu (so cute), upar se katte kaddu would me super-cute :-D.

Sia:

Bookmark ka to pata nahin, cookmark this ;).

Hey Jyothsna:

Thanks buddy :).

Mansi said...

Musical, nice name!! or nickname:)

I love rosemary smell...the cumin-resemary poories sound tasty..will try them for sure

-Mansi

musical said...

Hey Mansi,

Thanks :). Do try the pooris, fellow rosemary lover :).

Foodie said...

Hi babes, loved your eggplant with Dahi the "odiya" recipe. ( I remembered Asha's post about correcting the Oriya to Odiya).
I also loved your Khatta Squash.
And the achari poori and the rosemary pooris are insanely good.
What are you upto girl. Drooling already!!
Hugs
Pintoo

musical said...

Hey Pintoo,

Thanks yaar! I know, we pronounce it as Odiya, but write as Oriya! Ah! the mysteries of English ;).

I hope i can post something for JFI-Rice by tomorrow :-D. i always wait till the last moment for events for some reason ;). How have you been doing?

hugs,
musical.

Kajal said...

I love poori but not eat much because of oil. Nice different poori with besan and ajwain style, tikki poori with red chilli powder, Achaati poori and last but not least Cumin-rosemary poori...........Thanks for sharing my dear.:)

musical said...

Thank you Kajal :). Me too, i don't fry pooris very often, so i took advantage of the occassion :).

Anonymous said...

I love puri bhaji and can eat it any time of the day or night. I liked your Khatta Squash too.

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