Halwa Poori Choley

For those of you who have never heard of this combination, let me tell you this Pakistani breakfast meal is perfect. And it need not be just breakfast, because I had this today for breakfast, lunch and tea time snack...and I am not tired of it yet :)
Nada loves blog surfing. She has her list of blog faves which she visits regularly. Fauzia's is her latest addition. Fauzia is not really a blog...at least not until recently. 2 ladies sharing the same first name, Fauzia, joined hands to create a Facebook page dedicated to their cooking. They add photos of food prepared by their fans too. About a week back, they opened up their blog here so non Facebook users can also visit them.

Nada read about halwa poori choley from Fauzia and has been asking me to prepare them ever since. Today I decided to surprise her. I woke up early in the morning around 6 o clock. Breakfast was ready by 8(yes,I am a very slow cook) and I am so glad I prepared this. I had doubled the recipe and thus had enough for lunch too :)
I think the best way to make this is to first knead the poori dough. While it is resting, prepare the choley. While the choley is cooking, fry the pooris. Lastly, prepare the halwa. Or tell your mother "It is time for breakfast. Can you prepare the halwa for me while I fry these pooris?" :P

For halwa:
recipe from my friend, Shireen


1 cup semolina
1/4 cup ghee
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups boiling water
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
pinch of saffron, soaked in 1/4 cup cold milk

• Roast semolina in a saucepan till you get a nice aroma and they brown slightly. Keep stirring to prevent it from burning
• Add ghee and sugar. Stir until well mixed.
• Add the water. It might look like you ave too much of water in there, but there is nothing to worry. The semolina will soak up all he water. You don't want kids around at this point as the water tends to bubble up and can burn.
• Add cardamom and saffron milk. Mix well. Cover.
• Once the halwa is cooked, switch off flame and leave it covered for 5 minutes.

For pooris:
recipe adapted from Fauzia
makes 15-18 pooris, depending upon size of pooris

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup atta
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp yoghurt
3 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
pinch of baking powder
warm water for kneading
oil for deep frying

• Sift all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Add the yoghurt and oil. Mix. Add water, little at a time, and knead well. 
• Cover the kneaded dough and keep it aside for 20 minutes.
• Make lime sized balls, the smaller the easier to puff. Roll them on a floured, just a little thicker than chapathis.
• Heat oil. Keep it on medium flame. If the oil is too hot, the outsides might burn will the insides of the poori might remain undercooked. If the oil is not hot, the pooris will soak up too much of oil.
• Put a pori into the oil and immediately splash hot water on the poori. If it does not puff completely, turn it and press the unpuffed area slightly with a slotted spoon. 
• Once the poori has become brown on either sides, remove the poori and drain it on a paper towel. Repeat with the remaining pooris.
• If you have someone to help you, one person can roll the poori and the other person can fry the pooris at the same time. Mom helped me out here.

For choley:

Recipe adapted from Fauzia

4 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 spring curry leaves
1/4 tsp garlic paste or 1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp grated raw mango or 1 tsp amchoor powder
1 big tomato, chopped
1 green chilli, cut lengthwise
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups cooked chickpeas
2 potatoes, cut into cubes
1 tsp roasted cumin seed powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
lemon juice, if required
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tbsp chopped mint leaves

• Heat oil. Add cumin and mustard seeds.
• When they splutter, add curry leaves, garlic,mango and tomatoes. Sprinkle salt. 
• When the tomatoes are cooked, add turmeric, cumin and chilli powders, tomato paste and green chilli. Mix well.
• Add chickpeas and potatoes, along with 1 cup water. Cover and simmer till the potatoes are cooked. 
• Check the taste and adjust seasoning. Add lemon juice, salt or chilli powder as required.
• Switch off flame. Add chopped leaves.Serve hot.

Ghati Paneer

Woah! Finally exams are over and I can return to blogging with a fresh start. I have so much to blog about. But lets begin with this scrumptious paneer recipe.

I stumbled upon this recipe by Sanjeev Kapoor about 2 years back. It sounded so delicious, I prepared it on the same day. I clearly remember that day. I and Nada had a holiday. As usual she "pleaded" me to prepare something and after a lot of "No, I'm feeling lazy today"s, I decided to prepare this. Though the recipe seemed like a time consuming one, it came together in a jiffy. I quickly finished the photography session and then we decided that we would wait for our younger siblings to return from school before having our lunch. But waiting for two hours was not an easy thing, at least not with this ghati paneer. We ended up finishing up more than half of the curry before the kids came home. I could only be thankful that the elders in my house are not fond of paneer.

This curry is packed with flavors due to the goda masala, a spice mix prepared in Maharashtra. The goda masala recipe that I have included here is not the authentic version(sorry Maharashtrians, I could not find the ingredients) but it worked perfectly for me.

Ghati Paneer:

200 gms paneer, cut into 1/2" cubes
2 large potatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes
4 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon cumin seed
2 dried red chillies, broken into half
2 large onions, chopped
2 tsp garlic paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
2 large tomatoes, chopped
salt, to taste
1 tablespoon red chilly powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons goda masala(recipe included)
2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

• Heat oil and deep fry patatoes till golden. Keep aside.
• Heat four tablespoons oil in a kadhai.
• Add onions. Sauté on medium heat.
• When onions have browned add ginger and garlic pastes. Sauté for about half a minute.
• Add tomatoes and salt. Lower the flame and cover the pan. Let the tomatoes cook for 4-5 minutes.
• Add all the dry powders. Mix well.
• Cover and cook for about six minutes or till oil separates.
• Add the potatoes, paneer and coriander leaves. 
• Mix, being careful not to break the brittle paneer.
• Serve hot with parathas or chappatis. I had it with some lemon rice. 

Goda Masala:

1 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
2 1/2 tsp white sesame seeds
1/2 tsp cloves
a small piece of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon green cardamom
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon oil

• Heat oil and roast the spices till they turn dark in color. Keep stirring to avoid burning the spices.
• Cool the spices and then grind them to a fine powder.