Mashed Potato and Steamed Vegetables

I would volunteer to help my Mother in the kitchen, when it came to peeling the potato skins. Somehow the curry planned for the whole family would end up on ration at dinner time. My father would say, "You should have made some more." But the truth was, I used to help myself to boiled potatoes while on work!

Every time I peel potatoes, I remember this and wonder how my mother never figured it out. Even now I have fetish for boiled potatoes.
I cooked this mashed potato for my kids.

4 Large Idaho Potatoes
2" Butter
4 tsp Cheese
2 cups Half-Half or Milk
1/2 tsp Basil
1/4 tsp Pepper Powder
1/4 tsp Red Chili Flakes

For Steamed Vegetables
15 - 20 Beans
3 Carrots
1 cup Peas
1 cup Sweet Corn


Boil potatoes with enough salt till they are very soft in a pressure cooker of micro oven.

Do not let the potatoes become too cold or, heat the mash after doing it as warm potatoe mash absorbs all the items evenly.

Peel the skin and mash them using a ..... to a soft paste. Add butter, cheese, basil, chili flakes, pepper and half-half and mix thoroughly, add luke warm water as required till a nice (not too thick) consistency is formed. Taste for salt and adjust seasoning to suit you.

For Steamed vegetables, cut the vegetables to a desired shape, bite size or long.

In a skillet, bring 2 cups of water to boil, add salt, 1" butter or 2 tsp oil, turmeric and then add the vegetables. Cover the lid and cook on medium flame till the vegetables are soft. Drain the water.

Serve the vegetables with mashed potato when warm.

Pav Bhaji

3 Potatoes
2 Carrots
1/2 Medium Cabbage
6 - 8 Florets of Cauliflower
2 hand full Beans
2 cups Peas
1 cup Chickpeas - Kabuli chenna
3 Onions
4 Tomatoes or 1 Small can diced Tomatoes
2 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
4 Green Chilies
3 tsp Pav-Bhaji Masala
1 tsp Amchur Powder
1 tsp Cumin-Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp Red Chili Flakes

Peel and cut potatoes and carrots. Cut all the other vegetables.

Place vegetables in this order in a vessel that can be placed in a pressure cooker.
Potatoes, carrots, chick peas, beans, peas, cabbage and on the top cauliflower.
Add enough salt and water and cook in a pressure cooker longer time so the vegetables are all very soft.

Drain the vegetables (do not throw the water away) and using a masher, mash them well so all the vegetables become an even paste. (It is difficult to mash the vegetables with the water.)

In a low bottom non stick pan, take 4 tsp of oil and fry green chilies and onions till they caramelize. Then add the cut tomatoes or tomato paste and cook till done. Then add the mashed vegetables. Add 3 tsp of Pav-bhaji masala, 1 tsp amchur, 1 tsp cumin-coriander powder, 1/2 tsp red chili flakes, turmeric, salt and 2" butter. Add the drained water and bring to a boil, mixing well. Add more water if the bhaji is getting thick.

Check for salt and adjust seasonings accordingly. Garnish with chopped raw onions, coriander and lemon juice.

Serve with toasted bread, pav or any kind of bread or dinner rolls.

Place between bread as a sandwich.

Vegetable Soup

3 Potatoes
2 Carrots
4 Tomatoes or 1 small can dices Tomatoes
2 Onions
8 - 10 Green Beans
1 Celery Stick
½ tsp Red Chili Powder
1 tsp Mixed Nuts Powder (from my previous blog)
1 cup Half-Half
Parmesan Cheese

Peel and cut potatoes and carrots. Chop beans, celery stick, onions and tomatoes.
Mix them all in a vessel add salt, turmeric and pressure cook them with plenty of water till they are soft.

Remove let cool and grind them in a mixer jar to nice smooth consistency. Use a drainer and filter the puree, keep aside.

In a Crock pot add 2” butter and the above made puree, add chili powder, mixed nuts powder, half-half and bring to a boil. More water can be added to get a good soupy consistency. Taste for salt and adjust seasonings.

Garnish with shredded cheese. Serve warm.

This is a healthy soup and can be had with bread sticks or toast.

KidneyBeans Chili

2 cans Red Kidney Beans
1 cup Zucchini - Optional
1 cup Yellow Squash - Optional
1 cup Carrot - Optional
1 can diced Tomatoes (preferably organic)
2 Onions
3 – 4 Garlic Pods
Coriander
1” Ginger
½ tsp Cumin – Coriander Powder
½ tsp Red Chili Powder
½ tsp Garam Masala
½ tsp Oregano
½ tsp Basil
Cheddar Cheese or Pepper Jack
Jalapenos or Banana Peppers - Optional
Olive oil - optional


Drain and wash Kidney beans. Chop zucchini, squash and carrot into small cubes. Chop onions, ginger and garlic.

Take 2 tsp of olive oil (optional) in a Crock pot and saute onions, garlic and ginger. When onion caramelizes add cumin-coriander powder, oregano, basil, red chili powder, garam masala and mix well.

Then add all the chopped vegetables, salt and turmeric and cook till the vegetables are soft.

Then add tomatoes, coriander and bring to a boil and add beans, a cup of water and cook in medium heat with the lid on, stirring frequently. Taste for salt and adjust seasonings.

Sprinkle grated cheddar cheese on the hot pot and it will melt slowly. Serve it hot.

This dish is good for cold evenings. It is a heavy snack with corn or tortilla chips. It can be made spicier by adding jalapenos or banana peppers on the cheese.

Instant Noodles with Vegetables

Maggie or Instant Noodles are always kid’s favorites. This is just a spin on it.

For 1 pack instant noodles:

1/2 Onion
1/2 cup Mixed Vegetables (frozen or fresh)
Carrot, Beans, Peas, Corn

Take 2 tsp of oil in a skillet, when warm add chopped onions and fry till they are translucent. Then add mixed vegetables, salt and cook till the vegetables are soft and done.

Mix noodles, masala, water in a bowl and cook in micro oven for 5 minutes. Then add the sautéed vegetables to the bowl, mix and cook in micro oven for another 1 - 2 minutes.

Water from the noodles can be drained and added to the skillet to make a dry variety of noodles.

This is quick lunch box item. Pack in thermos to keep it warm for lunch time.

Vegetable Dumplings

2 Potatoes
1 cup shredded Cabbage
1 cup cut/ chopped Beans
1 cup grated Carrots
1 cup Peas
1 tsp grated Ginger
1 tsp chopped Garlic
1 tsp chopped Green Chilies (optional)
1 cup grated Cheese

For the covering:
1 scoop Corn flour
1 scoop Maida - all purpose flour

Boil and peel potatoes. Grate or mash them. Cut all the vegetables as thin as possible. Semi boil all the other vegetables with salt in micro oven for a few minutes till the rawness of the vegetable is lost. Drain the water. (Don’t throw it: can be made into vegetable soup)

Mix all the vegetables in a bowl, add salt, red chili powder (optional), chilies ginger, garlic and then add grated cheese. Use wet hands and make nice dough in the consistency of puri dough. Use very less water. Potato as a base will absorb all the other vegetables.

I am giving an estimate for the vegetables, use as you like.

Make small lemon sized balls or get creative with shape and keep side. Your little helpers can chip in now!

In a bowl mix corn flour and maida with salt and water. Make a thick semi liquid batter.

Heat oil in a kadai (I personally prefer a traditional concave shape kadai for maximum usage of space with less oil) and never let the oil be screaming hot! It burns the first batch.

Dip each vegetable ball in the batter and drop it gently in the oil. Keep turning back and forth so it will not burn. Have the flame in low/medium as the dumplings get cooked evenly inside and outside.

Once they all turn golden yellow, it’s time to remove from the oil. Place them on paper towels so the excess oil is absorbed.

Serve with warm cheese dip (melted cheese) or ketchup.

Spinach Pakodi

1 bunch Spinach
4 Green Chilies (optional)
Ginger-Garlic-Chili paste
2 scoops Besan -Senaga pindi
3/4 scoop Rice Flour
Few Curry Leaves
Cashews

Chop spinach and add chili-ginger-garlic paste, curry leaves and salt.
Then add besan, rice flour and cashews and mix thoroughly with as less water as possible. Chopped green chilies can be added for spicy lovers!

Heat oil in a kadai (I personally prefer a traditional concave shape kadai for maximum usage of space with less oil) and never let the oil be screaming hot! It burns the first batch.

Drop a spoon of hot oil in the mixture; this will make the fried item light. A pinch of cooking or baking soda can also be used.

Pick a hand full of batter in the hand and gently drop in smaller amounts in the oil. Keep turning back and forth so it will not burn.

Once they all turn golden yellow, it’s time to remove from the oil. Place them on paper towels so the excess oil is absorbed.

Serve with ketchup or chutney. This is a good fried snack for kids.