Aloo Bonda / Potato Fritters, in Ableskiver Pan

Yukon Gold Potatoes - 4, medium sized
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - 5
Hing / Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Green Chili - 4, finely chopped
Garlic - 4 cloves - finely minced
Yellow Onion - a small, finely chopped (optional)
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Salt
Besan / Chickpea Flour - 1 cup
Baking Soda - one pinch
Water - 1/2 cup
Oil for cooking the bondas

Boil the potatoes till they are fork tender. Mash the hot boiled potatoes coarsely and keep aside.

Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds.

Once the seeds begin to pop, add the hing, curry leaves, green chilies and onion (if using). Saute till the onions are transparent. Add the minced garlic and saute for a few seconds more.

Now add the boiled potato, salt and turmeric. Mix well. Sprinkle a little water, if required.

Cook for a few minutes. Keep aside to cool down. Remove and discard the curry leaves. Once cooled, make small balls of the mixture.

Mix besan, baking soda and water to make a thick batter. The batter should be thicker than pancake batter and should coat the potato balls thickly.

Heat a cast iron ableskiver pan (the pan should be well heated to avoid the bondas from sticking). Add half a tsp of oil in each slot.

Dip each potato ball in the besan batter place in the slots. Drizzle a few drops of oil if required. Cook till the bottom side becomes golden brown. Flip over and add half a tsp of oil and cook till the other side becomes golden brown.

Remove and serve hot with your favourite chutney.

My Lunch - Spinach, Salmon and Blueberry Sauce

Sauteed Baby Spinach with Garlic, Grilled Salmon with Rosemary and Thyme & Blueberry Sauce

Kala Jamun / Kalo Jaam

Homemade Mawa / Dried Milk Mawa - 4 cups
Milk - optional (required only if using dried milk mawa)
Maida / APF - 1/2 cup
Baking Soda - 1 big pinch
Sugar - 2 tsp
Ghee / Clarified Butter - 1 tsp

For Sugar Syrup:
Sugar - 2 cups
Water - 2/3rd cup
Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp

Oil for deep frying the kala jamuns

For making sugar syrup, add the sugar to the water and bring it to boil. As soon as the syrup reaches 1 thread consistency, remove from add. Add the cardamom powder, mix well and keep aside.

The ratio to mawa and maida is 8:1. If using dried milk mawa, add baking soda to the maida and mix well. Then add this to the dried milk mawa. Sprinkle milk and knead with gentle hands to make a soft dough. Cover the dough with a wet cloth for a few minutes. (If using homemade mawa, keep the mawa in the refrigerator for a few hours to remove excess wetness. Crumble to mawa to a fine mixture. Mix baking soda to the maida. Add this to the mawa and mix well to form a smooth dough).

Take about 3 tbsp of dough and mix it with sugar. Make tiny balls of this dough and keep aside.

Remove the wet cloth and knead the dough slightly. Apply a little ghee to your palms.Take 2 tsp of the dough, stuff with the sugar mixture and make a small smooth ball. Make balls of the entire mixture similarly.

Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai / wok. The oil should be on medium heat and not too high. Add a few of the jamuns and fry on slow fire till they become very dark brown almost black on all sides. The jamuns should be fried on low heat otherwise the outside would get black and burnt and inside would not cook. They should get caramelised on slow heat.

When the jamuns are almost black, remove them from heat, place in a paper towel for a minute and soak in the thick sugar syrup. Similarly fry the rest of the balls in batches.

Soak the jamuns for a few hours or preferably overnight. Serve at room temperature or slightly warmed.

Kala Chana Chaat / Black Chickpeas Spicy Salad

Kala Chana / Black Chickpeas - 1 cup, boiled till soft
Cucumber - 1/2 cup, finely chopped
Red Onion - 1/2 cup, finely chopped
Boiled Potato - 1/2 cup, chopped (optional)
Tomato - 1/2 cup, chopped
Green Chili - 2, finely chopped
Cilantro - a handful, chopped
Mint - a few leaves, chopped
Lemon Juice - 2 tsp
Black Salt
Chaat Masala / Aamchur / Dried Mango Powder - 1 tsp
Tamarind Chutney - 2 tbsp
Roasted Peanuts - a handul
Shev / Gramflour Noodles - 1/2 cup

Mix cooked kala chana, cucumber, onion, tomato, potato (if using), green chili, cilantro, mint, black salt, lemon juice, chaat masala together.

Add tamarind chutney on top, sprinkle roasted peanuts and shev and serve immediately.

My Lunch - Stuffed Capsicum, Hummus, Broccoli

Capsicum stuffed with Quinoa and Mushrooms, Hummus, Sauteed Broccoli

Raw Jackfruit Curry / Echore'r Dalna

Small Green Jackfruit - 1.5lbs
Russet Potato - 1 (medium sized), cut into small cubes
Red Onion - 1 big, chopped
Tomato - 1 big, chopped
Ginger - 1 inch, grated
Green Chili - 3, chopped
Oil - 3 tbsp
Bay leaf - 2
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon - Two 1 inch sticks
Cloves - 8
Raw Sugar - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Roasted Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Ghee / Clarified Butter - 2 tsp
Salt
Water - 3 cups

Peel the jackfruit and cut into small cubes along with the seeds. Remove the outer skin of the seeds and discard. Wash the cubed pieces well and leave aside in a colander to drain.

Heat 2 tsp oil in a big wok/kadai. Add the chopped jackfruit and sprinkle some turmeric and red chili powder. Cook on medium high heat for a few minutes. Remove and add the cubed potatoes. Cook for a few minutes and remove.

Add a tbsp of oil to the wok. Let the oil heat up. Add a tsp of sugar and bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and cumin seeds. Now add the chopped onion and ginger and cook on medium heat till the onion becomes soft.

Add chopped tomato and cook till it becomes pulpy. Now add the lightly fried jackfruit and potatoes and turmeric, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and a little garam masala. Mix well with the spices and cook on high flame for a few minutes.

Now add 3 cups of water and cover and cook on medium low till the jackfruit and the seeds are soft and cooked. Add salt and mix well.

Add 2 tsp of ghee and sprinkle some garam masala on top. Serve hot with steamed brown rice and dal.

Grated Green Papaya Stir Fry

Green Papaya - 1 small
Oil - 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Bay Leaf - 1
Green Chili - 4, thinly chopped
Ginger - 1 inch piece, grated
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Salt
Raw Sugar - 1 tsp
Bori / Dried Lentil dumplings - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 2 tsp (optional)

Heat a tbsp of oil in a sauté pan. Add the boris and cook stirring continuously. Cook till they are golden brown and crunchy. Using a mortar, using the boris coarsely and cook for a minute more and keep aside.

Peel the papaya and discard the seeds. Grate it using a box grater.

Heat a large pan and add oil. immediately add the cumin seeds. Once they start sizzling, add the grated ginger, green chili and the bay leaf. Cook for a couple of minutes.

Then add the grated papaya and turmeric. Mix well and cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir a couple of times in between. Remove the cover and add the salt and sugar and a little ghee and cook uncovered for a couple of minutes more. Add the crushed bori's and mix. Remove from heat and keep covered for sometime. Serve hot.

Kucho Nimki

APF / Maida - 2 cups
Rock Salt - 1/4 tsp
Sea Salt - 1/4 tsp
Coarsely Ground Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Nigella Seeds / Koalojeera - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Water
Peanut Oil for deep frying

Mix flour, salt, black pepper and nigella seeds together. Add 2 tbsp. oil and mix with fingers till the flour resembles bread crumbs.

Add water slowly to make a stiff but pliable dough. Cover with a wet cloth for a few minutes.

Heat the oil on medium heat for deep frying. Take a golf ball size of dough and roll it into a thin roundel. Using a sharp knife, poke all over the roundel and cut into thin diamond shaped pieces. Fry in batches till golden brown.

Cool and store in an airtight container.