Aloo Bathua - ready in a jiffy

My colleague often mentioned Bathua leaves to me. He is an excellent cook and a perfectionist in almost everything he takes up. When I found these at the local vendor, I picked them up. The vendor gave me some 5 different names for the same and bathua was the only one that got my ears pricked up.

In a recent article, The Hindu had a recipe based on Bathua leaves and I adapted the same. It was so delicious that it was gone in minutes and I could not take a photograph.

Ingredients(Serves 2 as a side dish) :

1. 1 large bunch of bathua leaves
2. 4 medium potatoes
3. 2 tsp oil
4. 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
5. 1 tsp red chilli powder
6. 1/2 tsp coriander powder
7. 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
8. A pinch of turmeric
9. Salt to taste

How I made it :

1. Boil the potatoes till 3/4 done. About 1 whistle on high and 3-4 minutes on sim in a pressure cooker.
2. Clean the bathua leaves. In a different pressure cooker, give 1 whistle on high for the leaves.
3. Cut boiled potatoes into small cubes
4. Roughly chop the boiled bathua leaves. Drain the water and reserve so that it can be used diluted for making rotis.
5. Heat oil in a pan.
6. Throw in the cumin seeds.
7. Once the cumin seeds crackle or change colour, put in the red chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder.
8. Swirl it all around for 15 seconds.
9. Throw in the chopped potato cubes.
10. Fry on sim for about 5 minutes.
11. Add the chopped bathua leaves.
12. Adjust salt. Add the garam masala.
13. Serve hot with rotis.

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Aloo Gobi Sabji

Whilst in school, I did not have to carry lunch. We were provided nutritious meals at school. When I moved to college, I had to carry my own dabba. My aunt would wake up at 5 every morning and prepare yummy dishes for the dabba. One of my favorites was this aloo gobhi sabji. My aunt would pack 2 dabbas when she made this, as my classmates would not spare me a morsel. Trust me, it was truly delicious. I had seen her making it a few times but not in entirety. Here's what I remember and how I make it.

Ingredients (serves 2) :

1. 1 medium sized cauliflower - with about 20 florets - don't split them yet.
2. 12 baby potatoes with skin on - you can use 2 medium potatoes
3. 2 large onions chopped finely
4. 1 inch piece ginger
5. 6 cloves of garlic
6. 1 green chilli
7. 1/4 capsicum chopped - optional
8. 2 large tomatoes finely chopped
9. 1/2+1/4 tsp turmeric powder
10. 3/4 tsp red chilli powder
11. 3/4 tsp coriander powder
12. 3/4 tsp cumin/jeera powder
13. 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
14. 1/4 tsp amchoor powder
15. 1 tbsp + 1 cup of oil 
16. 1tsp cumin seeds
17. Salt to taste
18. Coriander leaves to garnish

How I made it :

1. Wash and boil the potatoes in salted water. Ensure that they don't get over boiled. They need to retain their shape. One whistle on high and one on low should do.
2. In an open pot of hot boiling water, immerse the whole cauliflower upside down. Add 1/2 tsp turmeric powder. Turn off after 3 minutes and drain. Split the florets.
3. In a wok, heat 1 cup of oil. When hot, put in the potatoes. Cover and let them fry. If you have put them in with the skin, you will know when they are done based on the crumples on the skin.
4. Remove the potatoes and drain on a kitchen towel.
5. In the same oil, put the cauliflower and fry them till the edges of the florets brown. Remove and drain on kitchen towel or piece of newspaper. 
6. In another pan, heat 1 tbsp oil.
7. Put in the cumin seeds.
8. After 30 seconds, put in the onions. 
9. Mince the ginger and garlic. When the onion start to turn light golden brown, put in the ginger garlic paste. 
10. Keep frying till the onions continue to brown. You could put in some more oil from the frying if you want to. 
11. Put in the green chillies and capsicum.
12. Fry for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes.
13. Fry for 3 minutes and add all the dry powders. 
14.  Fry till fat separates. 
15. Add salt and put in the potatoes and cauliflower.
16. Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes.
17. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with rotis.

Tip :

I usually use the oil in which I've fried stuff once, to make my chapatti/roti dough. Or, I top my rotis with this oil. Sometimes, I also use it in the curries as the oil need not be heated up to smoking point for curries.

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