February 28, 2008

ALOO-GAJAR REZALA, RAJGARO-ALOO POORIS, SWEET POTATO FOSTER ON CHOCOLATE Crêpe!

Aloo-Gajar Rezala and Rajgaro-Aloo Pooris are my two contributions to Supriya from "Monsoon Spice" blog's event. As a part of celebrating the "International Year of Potato" in 2008, she is hosting a "Ode to Potato" event this month.Thanks for hosting Sia!:)
The potato originated in the area of Peru and Bolivia, now there are thousands of varieties grown all over the World. In recent years, China has become the world's largest potato producer, followed by India.The potato is also popularly associated with Idaho in US. Potatoes are rich in Vitamin C, Potassium and also high in Carbohydrates, not exactly a "diet" food. Regular potatoes turned green are said to be toxic, so we are better off avoiding those! (Info from WIKI)

Potato-Carrot-Mushroom Rezala with Rajgaro-Potato Poori:
Rezala is a "shahi" (royal) dish originated in Bengal in India and in Bangladesh as well. Rezala is usually made with Chicken, Mutton and is always a non-veg dish. Well....who says you "always" have to follow the rules, right? :D

I added Potatoes, chunky sweet Carrots and whole Button Mushrooms to the same Rezala gravy as in the recipe from one of the cookbook I have! It tastes fabulous and smells like royal dish with the addition of Rose water or can use Kewra(Camphor) water as well. A wonderful Sunday lunch for us served with Rajgaro pooris, cucumber slices,red onion rings and tomato slices with a slice of Lemon on the side which I forgot to add in the photo! :)

Aloo-Gajar Rezala:

To make Rezala, you need:
Vegetables:
2 large Yukon Gold or any firm waxy Potatoes, peeled, cooked and cut into large chunks, 2 sweet Carrots, cut into large rounds, Microwave with little water until halfway cooked, drain, about 10-15 small round Mushrooms, cook a little in the MW, drain the water. Mix these 3 and keep aside.
Season with:
2 tbsp Butter ad 1 tbsp oil,
2 Bay leaves.
Grind these to paste:
1 large onion, finely minced or coarsely ground separately,
2 large Garlic and 1" Ginger, ground to paste together.
Powder these:
1 black Cardamom (badi elachi) or 2 green Cardamoms, use only the seeds,
1 small piece of Mace,
1 tsp roasted Cumin seeds powder,
1 tsp roasted Coriander seeds powder,
3 cloves,
1" Cinnamon, (Dalchini),
pinch of Saffron strands,
1 tsp mild Kashmiri or any bright red chilli powder.
For fragrant sauce:
4 tbsp Yogurt or Sour Cream
1 tsp Paprika for color,
Salt,
1/2 to 1 cup water,
1-2 tsp Sugar.
1/2 tsp Rose water or Kewra (Camphor) water.
2 tbsp Walnuts or Almonds, ground separately to a smooth paste with 2-3 tbsp milk or cream.

How to:
1. Heat butter and oil in a deep wide dish, add bay leaves. Pour in ground or minced onion, 1/2 tsp salt, fry for 3 mins, just until it becomes truculent but not brown.
2. Add ground ginger and garlic paste, stir fry for 2 mins, until raw smell of ginger disappears.
3. Now, add 1 tbsp cold water to cool the sauce, add in sour cream or yogurt 1 tbsp at time, stir until sauce thickens and oil shows on top. Add paprika, chilli pd, mix.
4. Add the veggies, 1/2 cup or more water, let it simmer. Add Powdered masala, Rose or Kewra water, enough salt, sugar, let it simmer gently.
5. when you get delcious aroma and you can see the sauce thicken slightly, turn down the heat.
6. Add Walnut or Almond paste, mix well with sauce. Simmer for 5 mins. Make sure veggies are cooked and then take off the heat. Garnishing with Cilantro is optional.
Tastes best the next day and that beautiful color comes mainly from the Paprika. Balance the sweet, sour and heat by adjusting the spices. Serve with Parathas, Pulao, Baturas or Pooris. I added Rose water. At first, dish does smell like Rose or flowery but after sometime it disappears as you cook and you are left with a very subtle flavor and aroma. That's what makes this dish wonderfully "shahi"! :)

Rajgaro-Aloo Pooris:
When I made Thalipeeth at Aroma with Rajgaro/Rajgiri flour, Smita told me that Rajgaro flour is made of Amaranth grains. Rajgaro flour is easily available in Indian stores or here at Amazon. Vimmi suggested that I could also make Pooris with this flour and mashed aloo as her mom makes them in India. So here is how I made these delicious Rajgaro pooris. I added some plain flour too so it's easy for me roll them out. They tastes wonderful and soft. My thanks to Vimmi and Smita!:)

To make these you need:
1. Mix and knead 1 cup Rajgaro flour, 1 cooked and mashed Potato or 1/2 cup Potato flakes softened with hot water, 1/4 cup plain flour and 1 tsp salt to a firm dough. Cover and rest for 15 mins.
2. Heat oil to deep fry the Pooris. Make small golf ball sized rounds out of the dough, roll out to 4" circles and deep fry until they are puffed and golden both sides. Drain on paper towels.
3. Serve with Aloo-Gajar Rezala. These pooris are very soft and do not absorb much oil and tastes wonderful. Hope you try.
Note: If you don't have Rajgaro flour, skip it and use whole wheat flour to replace.

Here are some more spuddy posts:
Potatoes Galore!
Aloo Batura
Latke
Potato-Sour Cream soup

Dessert anyone? :)


I am sending Sweet Potato Foster dessert served with Chocolate Crepe and Vanilla Ice Cream as my second entry to Dhivya K from "Culinary Bazaar" blog. My first entry I sent to her was Rosti for the "Potato Feast" event. Enjoy this too DK!:)


Sweet potato Foster with Vanilla Ice cream piled up on Chocolate crêpe:

Banana Foster is a typical New Orleans and Caribbean dessert, in which Rum is added and set on fire! (Flambe`) I used Sweet potato instead of Bananas and didn't really Flambe` to save my eyebrows!:D
This dessert is always served hot on cold Vanilla Ice cream but I made a few Chocolate crêpes to serve on, which are thin French pancakes. You can see my well used French crêpe pan in the collage. I bought this in World Market and pan is made in France, specially used to make these crêpes!:)



To make sweet Potato Foster:

You need: 2 tbsp Butter, 1/4 cup Brown sugar, 2 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed to 1" piece, 2 tbsp Rum, 1 tsp sweet Cinnamon pd or Vanilla essence.
Scoops of Vanilla Ice Creme and few Chocolate crêpes to serve on.
How to: 1. Heat butter in a non-stick pan. Add sugar, sweet potatoes and stir until it cooked but mashed.
2. Add Rum, let it cook for a minute and add essence or cinnamon pd, mix and keep aside.
To make crêpes: 1. Whisk 1/2 cup plain flour, 1 egg (optional), 2 tbsp good quality Cocoa pd, 2 tbsp powdered sugar, 2 tsp melted butter, enough milk to make a thinnish batter, 1/2 tsp Vanilla essence well and let it rest for 5 mins.
2. Heat the crêpe pan or any non-stick pan, spray no-stick oil. Pour a ladle full of batter in the middle, pick up pan and swirl to spread the batter to circle quickly, cook and flip.
3. When both sides are cooked, fold into triangles, place them on a plate.
To assemble the dessert:
1. Place a Chocolate crêpe on a serving plate, top with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream and top that with warm or hot sweet Potato Foster.
2. Dust with Cocoa powder and serve immediately! YUM!

**********************************************************************************************************

Awards time again!!:)


Recently, I was bestowed with "Excellent blog" and "Nice matters" (you can see the other logos on my side bar) awards by Pravs, Daagh, Kribha, Cham, Bharathy, Pragyan, Sig, Maya, Mona, Dhivya K, Dhivya Vikram,Purnima and Meera. Gattina gave me the "friends for forever" ball last week as well. Hope I didn't forget anybody else who awarded me, remind me if I did. Thank you so much girls, I appreciate it. Being a fellow blogger along with you all is a privilege to me, thanks again!:)


I know most of the bloggers I know have these awards already and it's very very hard for me to choose a few since you all have excellent blogs! I would like to pass the "Excellent Blog" award to sra, Indosungod, Sig, Gattina and shn. Although these girls and their excellent blogs don't need my award to be shining stars on their own, I appreciate your loyal support to me and my blogs as well! Thanks buddies, hugs to you. Be proud and stay proud!:))

Book I read:

"Video" by Meera Nair.
It's her debut book with ten short stories, a beautifully written, very humorous err...hilarious stories. First story is too funny to review it here, you need to read the book. (Okay, a sneak peek: Naseer visits his cousin Khaleel and watches a "forbidden movie accidentally" and Rashida, his wife is very angry at his request and all that entails which involves neighborhood women too eventually! ;P)
Hope you read it, does have pretty good stories.

I didn't have time to watch any movies this week though, been Spring cleaning the house a bit early! My allergy season is almost here too!! AHH! :D

Srivalli's Potato Kurma:
Even my kids loved this yummy vegetarian side dish! They do love potatoes but not the spicy gravy usually, but they enjoyed this Kurma. It tasted even better the next day with Parathas, has a great flavor of fennel seeds. Thanks for the recipe Sri!:))


Have a great weekend folks!:)

124 comments:

indosungod said...

Trust you to come with special dishes with Potatoes and you did. They look tasty and delicious. Have not heard of 'Rajgaro flour' but the poories need to be grabbed - wish I had that long hands to reach NC :)

Congratulations on the awards Asha you richly deserve them and thanks for the award bestowed on yours truly.

FH said...

Thanks girl, try Rajgaro flour, it's very tasty, nutritious and makes very tender Pooris. Enjoy the award Indo, you truly deserve it. Hugs to you my friend!:))

AnuSriram said...

Wonderful, yummy, delicious recipe asha... Looks tempting....
Congratulations on your awards... You deserve them...

Kamini said...

I was having withdrawal symptoms not checking all the blogs including my own.... Came in for a quick fix and see your potato feast. Great job as usual.. the puris look so eatable straight off the screen.

sunita said...

Asha, I'm literally drooling over those puris and the rezala..the colour's superb..and yes, you don't need to go by the book at all times :-D

Purnima said...

What a spread..all look delicious! I hv the ingr. needed for aloo-gajar-mushroom rezala..tks for sharing..maybe tonight I shall make it and let it sit until tomorrow!!
Great post!! Tks for sharing! Congrats for awards, but you are leagues ahead, ur blog belittles them!

Sreelu said...

Asha, poori with mashed aloo I got to try it.congrats on all your awards you rock

TBC said...

I like the idea of chocolate crepes.:-)

Seema said...

Lovely dishes....Rajgaro flour is new to me - will look in my Indian store. Aloo Gajar sabji looks delicious.. i have not had my BF yet & am hungry.. wish you were my neighbour :-)

Congrats on the award.. You are an amazing person & fabulous cook too !! Always look forward to your posts.

Sagari said...

your crepes are making me so hungryyyyy I JUST LOVE THEM

Finla said...

Wow asha the potto dish looks so delicious i've bookmarked it for making them. I have never made potato with curds in it. The sauce looks so creamy and delicious.
How come you come out with such delicious looking dishes.
Congrats with the award.

Sia said...

am i happy or what!!!! thank you so much for the most unique potato dishes ashakka:) with that royal dish u surely made me feel royal :) i am bookmarking this recipe and gonna try them on weekend.
rajgaro flour is totally new to me. i am not surprised to see it in ur blog:) and u very well deserve all the awards. u r simply amazing!
got ur mesg yesterday and ur entries just now. will reply pretty soon. still at office :D yeah yeah... my boss is super cool, remember? ;)
any plans for the weekend? we r planning to have very lazy one:)
have a wonderful weekend. hugs to u:)

FH said...

Thank you, thank you,thank you girls!:))

F, did you see the links there for more Potato dishes at FH? It has a Potato-Sour cream soup, you will love it. Try!:))

You are welcome Sia, glad you liked them,I am happy too. Rezala was wonderful, we loved it. Rajgaro pooris are so tender, you wouldn't believe!:)
No special plans for the weekend, got to clean the house bit by bit for Spring and also get Trisha driving for more practice! She is going for a permanent D License in Summer!:)

Rachna said...

wow i love the pooris, i didnt know many dishes with rajgro flour, its going to br great during navratri!! hey i really wanna read 'video' , thanks for the book recommendations... the little peak into the book is wats tempting me to read it :)

Richa said...

lemme' check real quick, do i hv ur address on me???
i'm driving there right this moment for that gorgeous puri & rezala!!!!!
seriously, it is just toooo tempting :)
looking at the ing i thot it might be a kashmiri dish, but then many regions hv this combo i guess.
lovely.

FH said...

You can make Thalipeeth and Bhakris/Rotlos too, check for two more recipes with Rajgaro at Aroma, I love the taste, this was new to me too!:)

Richa, Mughal "shahi" people were almost everywhere in India, it's not surprising Rezala belongs to Kashmir as well or Pakistan too!:D

Mishmash ! said...

Pooris sound quite interesting......and the dessert, oh myy...i never even thought about such a thing :)
Thanks for sending the 'excellent ' on my way :) Hugs :)

Shn

Uma said...

Great entries for the events Asha! Congrats on the awards too! Time for celebration!

Laavanya said...

You must be the only person who made and sent in different potato dishes to the 2 events by Sia and DK! :) Rezala is such a fancy name. That is one potatoey post but super yummy.. Pooris look great but the crepe has all my attention. Yummy.
Congratulations on your awards Asha!! :)

FH said...

shn, enjoy the award. Kerala has become my second home since I started reading your beautiful posts. Thanks for that!:))

Uma and Laavanya, thanks girls, did my best for both of them!:)

Mythreyee said...

Aloo gajar combo sounds wonderful. The poories with Rajgaro flour looks fantastic. Thanks for the information about the flour. It's definitely a potato feast. Thanks Asha.

Finla said...

Yeah just looked to the soup, looks good, well in my place both of them like creamy food, so will try the soup.

Anonymous said...

lovely!! i want a second serving of dessert please!! all those flavours
yummy!!

Srivalli said...

wow..all the dishes look great..am sure you must've enjoyed it so much...glad you tried and your kids liked my kurma..it gives me immense pleasure knowing that!..thats my most fav dish as you must know!..congrats on the awards.....yours is no doubt an excellent blog!..

ChrisB said...

Asha that award is well deserved. Your blog is excellent and your recipes are always wonderful.

Bhavana Rao said...

Hi Asha, I`ve been one of those silent visitors to your website. Its wonderful. I was trying to find the source of rajgaro atta... and what a surprise.. its the seeds of dantin sappu!! I`m from B`lore and I dont think anyone in the south uses it. only in north India for Vrats. It is also known to be very good for allergic bronchitis or rhinitis as it has heating property.

Cham said...

Potato & aloo are killer :) Puris looks awsome.... U ve room for dessert too :)

Cham said...

Ha ha , i forgot to congrats u which u deserve :)

FH said...

Thanks F, Arundati, Sri, Cham and Chris!:)

Bhavna, so nice to meet you. Bengaluru hudugina?:)
Naanu ide firstu use madiddu dantina soppu hittu, tumba ruciyagutte aloo jote mix madidre, try madi!
Hope to see you again!:)

Manju said...

congrats on the award!!! n the fare you have lined up...wowo..arent they lipsmackin' n mouthwatering good!!

Mansi said...

man, where do you get all these ingredients from girl??!

loved the dessert:) yeah I know, I'm the sweet-queen:)D

Vanamala Hebbar said...

Hi asha

congrats on the award!!

amazing dishes!!!
I will try rajgaro poori's

Suganya said...

Rezala does sound royal. All the spices and the creamy sauce. I got to bookmark this.

Pooja said...

Rezala and Pooori looks yummmmmmmm.... , Now am eating properly before visitgin your blog Asha :D . otherwise everytime you made me feel hungry :)).
Rajgaro puri with aloo, thats such a wonderful twist to our normal rajgaro puri . wonderful entry for DK and Sia.
thanks a lot for sharing, posting my potato entries with flat bread tomo .
Stay tuned...

Mallika said...

Hey, thanks for the tip on the potato event! Love the idea of a vegetarian rezala. It is actually a Muslim dish that I had the privilege of seeing a very experienced chef make this time in Kolkata. Your recipe is spot on!!

Jaya M said...

first congrats on your awards..
truly deserving one ...

Rezala is new to me ,but the gravy looks so rich and elegant ...
I bet the chocolate crepes will be an instant hit with kids ...
hugs and smiles
jaya

FH said...

Jaya , Mallika thanks!:)

Mallika, Rezala is Mughlai dish indeed!:)

Namratha said...

Oh those crepes look delicious Asha, love the aloo dishes too...new ones...yummy! :)

Namratha said...

Oh and congrats on the awards dear, forgot to mention in a hurry :D

Annu said...

Amazing asha! Poori's are awesome.Thanks for execellent side dish,will try this,not try will do it:)).Rajgaro flour sounds new to me,will try for that.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations for the awards Ashaji.

Wow, what an amazing veg spread ! I am going to try all of them since my kids love potatoes. Is rajgaro same as rajgira flour ?

FH said...

Try it Annu!:)

NZ, yes, it is same as Rajgaro flour, pack spells differently sometimes!:)

vimmi said...

Hi Ashaji,
As usual you have outdone yourself. Both dishes look so yummy. And the puris look too good. Aren't they soft, just melt in the mouth.

My mom (not MIL) made these during Navratri. She would fast for 9 days and hence had to make some thing to eat. Rajgiri is considered a fasting food. She also made the same with Kuttu ka aata, I dont know what that is called here.

vimmi said...

Oh ,
And hearty congratulations. Your blog is beyond excellent.

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha,
the potato recipes looks mouthwatering.
in between tried ur pineapple lemonade and my husband and son loved it.
thanks

shalini

Anonymous said...

hey congrats on your awards.i like ur blog very much.

Anonymous said...

hey congrats on your awards.i like ur blog very much.

Rajesh &Shankari said...

Asha, your Rajma was a super hit. It was absolutely fab..I will send you the pic. I making the wheat bread today that you had posted lasted

Bhavana Rao said...

bengaluru hudugi in houston, in the midst of applying for residency. love to cook :)will try it over the weekend!

DK said...

When u said dessert with sweet potato, manu recipes went through my mind. But a small voice at the back of my head told me - "naah! U know asha! she will surprise you...chuck your silly recipes out the window". Now seeing this I got to give it to that small voice! This dessert is mind blowing..I am running out of "appetising" words so I am going to invent few next time I come here!

ummmm!scrummilicious! there u go :) ( scrummy + delicious! ) next time will be more innovative i promise :)

Thanks asha ..tight hugs to you

Keshi said...

o I luuuuurve anything Potatoish!

Keshi.

Meera said...

I read about Rezala recently in the book Bengali cooking. but very innovative way of making veg Rezala. Loved your entire spread. Rajgaro or Rajgira as we call in Marathi is used extensively in all upwas/fasting/farali dishes in Maharashtra.
Congrats on your awards, my friend. You deserve all of them and many many more.

Sig said...

Rezala is always made with non-veg huh? Stick to the tradition, girl... :) I can easily make this recipe non-veg I guess... Those pooris are gorgeous...

congrats on the awards...how many do you have now? :D And thanks for thinking of me... :)

EC said...

All the dishes look tempting as usual...especially aloo puris..feel like taking out that plate from ur blog...Congrats on the award...I feel you are the best blogger among the food blogging community and each one of us would want to pass every award we get to you first, but then we wouldnt be following ur footsteps of appreciating and encouraging other bloggers...

DEEPA said...

Congrats on the Asha ji ..You really deserve it ..I have never heard of Rajgaro flour ...You are simply an excellent cook ..Wish i could stay next to your house ....Thanks for sharing the excellent recipe ....

Unknown said...

hi!! everytime i come to your blog..my mouth is literally open..with AWE.such nice recipes...rajgoro flour is new to me and i dont htink i will get this in Moscow :(and yes congrats for the award.

Jayashree said...

Like the puris...the rezala looks a lot like veggie kurma...but the recipe is very different. Thx.

Seena said...

Absolutely Royal!
Now potato flood is everywhere, and me too have drafted one puri with it.. :D
Enjoy weekend.. and congrats on the awards!

Lavanya Raj said...

i like those potato poori's and the sweet one.

I wonder how come you were able to rock with such nice idea's and it also have turned out well..
hugs to you.

Raks said...

Poories look lovely asha! Wow you sure are having a lot of awards and congrats over all of them!
Have a great weekend Asha!

I saw in one of your older posts--your car looks majestic,great;)

FH said...

Thank you all, I appreciate your comments!:)

Enjoy the award Sig, you absolutely deserve it. And also you can also Lamb, Mutton or Chicken to this REzala masala, I kept the same masala but added veggies just for Sia!:)

Vimmi, oops! I thought it's your MIL, changed it already. Yeah, it's very very fluffy and so soft!! Thanks you for suggesting!:)

Bhavna, good luck!:)

DK, glad you liked it. I thought I would make a unique one for ya!:))

Daily Meals said...

Wow Asha! All the dishes look delicious...love the cute pooris...Congrats for the awards...

Kalai said...

Congrats on the awards, Ashakka! Wonderful potato dishes. I've never heard of rajgaro flour, but sounds like something new for me to explore! Have a wonderful weekend! :)

Shilpa said...

Excellent spread Asha. I will try this soon after I get over cold/fever attack. I love those puris and Rezela.

Deepa Kuber said...

hey Asha u r d 1st person to comment on my blog.thanks!!! i havent developed my blog completely, but if u like my recipes, u can add a link.

sra said...

Hi Asha, late here due to work. Crazy days now and ahead. Thanks for the award, Will cherish it.

FH said...

Take care Shilpa, nasty Flu this year! Hugs to you!:)

Anjali, I have already added you, hope to see you here every week too!:)

sra, I know, I read in your blog. Take it easy and come back when you can, no worries. Just wanted to let you know about the award. Hugs, have a safe trip!:)

Cynthia said...

Asha dearest, I am so hungry looking at your spread. I think I'd like to try making the aloo pooris

Prema Sundar said...

Have seen this rajgaro flour in indian stores ... but have not tried any recipe with it. pooris look lovely and so the aloo gajar razela.. U know Asha i always love ur presentation of dishes..
Congrats on the awards.. do i need to say that u deserve them..everyone knows u do.

FH said...

Good to see you Cythia. Hope you do try the Pooris, you can skip the Rajgaro and use just wheat flour too!:)

Thanks Prema. Rajgaro is very tasty, you will have add some wheat or plain flour to it, so you can roll well. Try Rajgaro once!:)

Have a great weekend both of you!:)

Pravs said...

reading about rajgaro flour, i want to try it.So many unknown things out there..thanks to blog world to know unknown ingredients. Nice dishes. Congrats on the awards !

USHA said...

Hi Ashaji,

Asusal yor are rocking with delivious recipes....Just visited to say hi, as its been long time.

I'm doing better now than before...takecare.Bye/

Anonymous said...

yumm! I love the look of those pooris Asha! the rezala also looks good...all aloo post :-)
Congrats on the awards!

amna said...

That's a lot of aloo out there :) especially love the dessert! bookmarked!! :)

Menu Today said...

Hi Asha,

Excellent Potato feast!!!!

I make stuffed Potato Puris, your version looks simple and easy to make. Thanks.

Vegetable dish looks really rich. Best combination for puris.

SweetPotato dish looks nice.

Thanks for sharing all these recipes Asha!!!
Have a Nice day:-)

J said...

I've always given the rajgaro flour a skip, must try that if it makes pooris soft. Congrats on the awards!:)

Viji said...

Nice post as usual Asha. Viji

Bharathy said...

Rajgiro flour is new to me...Got introduced to the sweet dish Kajal cooked up for 'Arusuvai'..Next I learning abt here,Asha..Thnx for the infos! ;)
Love allll the wonderful innovative dishes here,Asha..
Enjoy your well deserved awards!:)

Susan said...

The rezala (and everything else for that matter) looks fantastic, all the different layers of spices, pastes and flavors. I wasn't aware that kewra is camphor, unless I am thinking what Americans commonly think of as camphor, somewhat medicinal, often used w/ menthol. I do have a bottle of kewra water (screw pine); it makes my cupboard smell heavenly.

FH said...

Hi Susan, Kewra=Camphor or extract from Pandanus flowers. Kewra/Kewda is a Hindi word for pure Camphor. Camphor in it's pure form, not mixed with anything else is used in Aurveda medicine in India and also as an offering in the temples. They light a small piece of Camphor as a Pooja aarti(don't know the English word!) to God and also added a pinch in sweet Banana prasad they make to give it to the devotees.
Kewra water(edible Camphor water) is available in Indian or middle eastern stores (amazon too I think) and used not more than 1/4 tsp (very strong aroma) in the Mughlai shahi dishes as a aromatic which smells wonderful.
DO NOT use any other type of Camphor (the one you have is not the same) in the dishes unless label says it's edible. I used Rose water here which was yummy. Hope you try!:)

musical said...

Ashakka, sorry for being so late! Love the rezala and very innovative pooris you made. The rose water must have given it a royal touch indeed, looks really royal :). Total aloo fiesta, this one :). Who can say no to potatoes :-D.

He he, your no flambe` foster recipe sounds good :). And chocolate crepes, yummy!

Congratulations on the awards, Ashakka! Your really deserve them all.

Have a wonderful weekend,
musical.

So So Simple said...

Asha

Congratulations on yet another award. Nice to see all your hard work aknowledged

Cheers

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha, spring cleaning here too and school-play week (would you believe it's 1 am and my 'baby girl' is *still* out with the cast)! So I am late getting around, this week. All the potato dishes look scrumptious -- I love the rezala, that is new to me. And sweet potatos foster is inspired! I don't love sweet potatoes, but cooked that way on the yummy choc. crepe, I bet they're great! Have a good non-sneezing Sunday :)

Raaga said...

Can I come over Ashakka... if I want such a spread, I have to make it myself :-)

COngrats on your awards... always well deserved :-)

Gattina Cheung said...

my dearest Asha, thank you very much for the award! It is one of the most honorable moment esp this award is given by excellent blogger like you! *big hug*
Back to your dishes... once again, my jaw dropping! Rose water, and mushroom replacing meat... you are genius!
I have said this already, but really want to say it again... you should have a cookbook published!

FH said...

Thanks Musie, Raaga, Gilly, Gattina and Linda!:)

Linda, my allergy season lasts from Mid March to mid June, scary!We got the big trees trimmed, so I might survive relatively well this Spring!;D
Have fun and enjoy M's talent. One more year to be near her, then college!!:)

Gattina, enjoy your award, you deserve it. Hugs !:)

Annu said...

I have tagged you for a meme. Please visit my blog for details.

Thanks,

Uma.

Annu said...

Hello Asha,

I have tagged you for a meme. Please visit my blog for details.

Thanks,
Annu

Anonymous said...

have never heard of rajgaro flour,is it some sort of health flour? but the puris look yum:) me too have the crepe pan but yet to use it for i dont know how to season it!! btw is kewra = camphor? what we call pachai karpooram in tamil used in sweets?
paati

FH said...

Hi Annu, just saw it, thanks girl!:)

Paati, Rajgaro flour is Amaranth plant flour(read the link), it's easily available in Indian stores. It's also called Rajgiri too.
Yes, it's the same Panch Karpoora but edible liquid kind you get in Indian or middle eastern stores. Kewra water is a thin solution of karpoora, which has strong aroma, used in small quantity in Mughlai dishes. Try and get it, dish with it really smells like restaurant food!:)

KonkaniBlogger said...

Asha, as usual lovely spread :)!! Was waiting to see ur bengal cuisine menu. Looks so good..Have u tried the rajgira ladoos in maharashtra ?? The name reminded me of them ..Congrats on your very well deserved awards and enjoy them :)..

SMN said...

Ashakka u have always managed to bring out a new and innovative dishes from each ingredients.. very nice ashakka..
Congarts on your award and u truely deserve it...

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

Never heard of Rajgaro flour but it sounds good. I do make pooris by mashing cooked potatoes and adding it to the dough and I know they taste heavenly, so these have to be good.
have to say, again, that I don't know how you manage so much cooking, pictures,posting and everything else.
Congrats, too.

Susan said...

Thanks, Asha, for the kewra info. I just double-checked the label on my bottle. It says it's to be used as a flavoring compound, but not to directly consume. There will be no drinking it straight from the bottle. Not that I would, but good to know.

FH said...

Thanks Maya, smn, Aparna, glad you liked it!:)

Susan, just found out! Amazon is selling Kewra water used for cooking for about $10!! I ordered one, looking forward to cook more with it!:))

Maya, Sandeepa has not announced it yet or may be I missed RCI Bengali announcement, got to check today!:)

Vani said...

Hi Ashamma! Nice recipes here! I'd not heard of Rajgaro flour. Looks like something new to try for me.

The last post I saw from you (before I left for India) said you were blocking comments. Glad to see you opened it up again, Asha but don't feel obliged to reply to them. Also very glad to note you have been reading books too. You found the balance then! Wonderful to see that.

India trip went well. M had a blast with all the love & attention from everybody. When I get some time I will post about it (hopefully soon). Take care now, Ash! ~Hugs~

FH said...

Vani, so good to see you. Yeah, I have changed the way I blog now. I opened the comments again 2 weeks after and made some new year's resolutions. So far I have been keeping them. I reply only if some have questions or to say hi to friends like you here. Reading books, enjoying free time too!
Looking forward to all the yummy recipes from home!:)
M looks grown up now!:D

Lisa Johnson said...

Happy Monday Asha! I hope you had a good weekend. This dessert looks so good! I'm glad you saved your eyebrows though. ; )

And I'm going to look for the "Video" at the library. Thanks!

Unknown said...

Hi Asha..
Please check out my blog for a surprise..You might have already received this award..But I felt I must pass this onto you because you have always encouraged me in blogging by sending ur valuable comments to each dish I post..thanks a lot Asha..

Kajal@aapplemint said...

Asha u and only u can come up with such fantastic food, post after post ! love the potato puri ... never made these before , and its a must try for me. Wow ... ode to potatoes ... i just bought a bag of potatoes in the evening , i'm tempted to make your rezela aloo.

Shionge said...

I must confess Asha...I dropped by to have some 'food' coz I am hungry kekekek...

I love potatoes :D

Kalpana said...

Congrats! You deserve it. Your recipes look great.........

FH said...

Thanks girls!:)

Dhivya, I will check, thanks!:)

Deepa Kuber said...

hey thanks asha,but ur pics are better!! u must be a pro.. hey i have a Questn. if i link some1 else pic to my blog, doesnt that person mind? do i need to take his/her permission? i'm jus asking cos i have no idea abt all dis.

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha!
Thank you so much, I like potato.
You have always interesting idea,
I'll be try to add Rose water too.

krystyna

Ps.
I write as an anonymous bcs I forget to register, and I have problem with open your wonderful, great blog. Soooo long.

FH said...

Anjali, you can link the url with the recipe you tried from other blogs with your own photo but you can't take the others photo at all unless the blogger says it's okay.
It's our own photo we work hard for. So it is wrong to take other's pictures and post in our blog unless they send it you as in when you are hosting a event etc.
You can link our blog, our recipe with url and your own photos but can't post our photos in your blog. That's how it works. Hope it helps!:)

Deepa Kuber said...

yes, dats wat i wondered. just wanted to make sure.. thanks neways..that answers my questn. dats very sweet of u to explain it 2 me so clearly! where r u from originally? my birth place is hubli.

FH said...

Anjali, glad you asked, new bloggers do get confused!:))
I was born in Belur but grew up in Mysore, Hassan, B'lore, Hubli, Belgaum and Tumkur! Hahaha!
My dad is from near Mysore, mom from around Hassan and husband is from Sakeleshpura.
I went to High school in Lamington girls High in Hubli, dad was a judge there for 2 yrs. Loved Hubli and Belgaum. Read this post!:)

http://aromahope.blogspot.com/2008/02/
thalipeeth-protein-packed-breakfast.html

bird's eye view said...

This sounds like a yummy dish - something I'll have to try soon. how do you always come up with such new and interesting sounding dishes?

I've never heard of rajgaro flour. But I used to work in a French creperie after school and learnt to flambe pretty well...Must put those skills to use again some day.

FH said...

Oh, you know the real deal of Crepe making! :))
Flambe, I tried with few tbsps of Rum but didn't work, then I got scared that it would blow up in my face, so gave up!:D
Hope you do and give us photos and some tips for perfect Flambe girl!:)

Suganya said...

OMG!.....Excellent set of potato recipes..... Loved them all...

Deepa Kuber said...

OMG!! so many places..amazing! so u must be different versions of kannada.
i have seen all ur blogs.. aroma too.. i loved it..
did u see my 2nd blog? its www.recipehut.weebly.com
u can also see my paintings(with name "Diya" on them:dats my nick name) on that blog.but i still have to write so many thgs in that blog.

FH said...

Thanks Sukanya and Anjali, glad you liked them girls. Enjoy!:)

Anjali, I will check the other one too. Yeah, I can speak in many Kannada dialects too! Haha!:)

Deepa Kuber said...

hey check out my new recipe "paratha with rice flour stuffing".its 5th from top. i tried it few days ago. its yummy!

Dalicia said...

congrats again! you do have an excellent blog :)

how interesting sweet potato on chocolate crepe.oh yummm

Swati said...

I wonder why my comments did not get posted ..
Anyways, Asha I really liked your lemon tea biscuits too..The comments are not there too :(
I really like the puris and will surely give it a try soon.
Congrats on the award and it is a very well deserved one..!!!There is so so much to learn from you!!

KF said...

Yummyyyyyyy!!Loved all the dishes and congrats on the awards...You truly deserve it.

FH said...

Thank you Dalicia, Swati, KF. Glad you liked these. Hope you try!:))

Anonymous said...

heellooo, now isn't that a friendly hello?!!! :)

how are you doing? i'll be making your bread from previous post this weekend.

FH said...

Hey dear girl, how are you? Long time no see!!:))
I know you are busy. Good to see you though. I am keeping busy myself too, will be off blogging for a month from March 20th to April, going to the beach! Can't wait.
You just missed my new post, got another bread but with eggs, you wouldn't try. Enjoy and tell me how the bread turned for you. Good luck.
I am going to get Arusuvai pack from Mandira this week, will cook and post at Aroma before I go!:)
Hello to Latha from me, hugs to you.

Archana Doshi said...

COngratualtions!!A lovely round of recipes. esp ending with a dessert. Absolutely craving some, but holding on to any sweet temptations for another couple of months! Those puri's are very very inviting!

Anonymous said...

Everything looks great, but your idea to make a sweet potato foster is truly inspired. That's culinary innovation at its best!

Sagari said...

Absolutely delecious ashaji ,just love everythingggggg

FH said...

Archana, thanks. Sweet Potato is naturally sweet, so you don't need to add much sugar at all!Even I don't like too much sugar in my dessert:))

Thanks Manju, hope you try girl!:))

Sagari, Rezala is really fragrant and flavorful, give it a try!:)