Warqi Paratha/Lucknowi Warqi Paratha

Indian cuisine shares varieties of parathas, these Indian flatbreads have their own place in many thalis or in everyone's meals. Parathas are the most popular unleavened breads in India. And parathas are prepared with whole wheat dough.This dough when rolled out either thick, thin or stuffed, which is later cooked in hot tawa makes this parathas. Parathas are eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner depending upon how they are served with a side dish or simply with spiced curd. You might have noticed that am running a month of blogging marathon with A-Z International flatbreads. And my post for today's blogging marathon goes for our own Indian flatbread. Since today's flatbreads calls for the alphabetic letter 'W', i grabbed an Awadhi flatbread aka Warqi Paratha. Awadhi cuisine is a cuisine of Lucknow city and this city is known of its Nawabi foods. Awadhi cuisine is quite a rich cuisine and this cuisine involves many rich ingredients like paneer, malai, mutton and spices like cardamom and saffron in most of their dishes. Awadhi spread consists of elaborated dishes like kebabs, kormas, biryanis, kulchas, sheermal,zarda, roomali rotis and warqi parathas.

Dal Lucknowi/Lucknowi Dal/Awadhi Dal

I was looking for a different dal dish for this week's blogging marathon. You might have noticed that am running this week's blogging marathon with Dazzling dals as theme. After a delectable Dhaba style dal fry, my post for this week's theme goes for an another interesting, easy breezy and definitely a comforting dal dish from Awadh cuisine. Google master took me to Chef Sanjeev Kapoor's Site where i crossed this delicious dal. This dal calls for easy ingredients with usual cooking process, but the interesting addition in this dal is Milk. Yes you heard it rite, milk is used in this dal dish. Adding milk in a dal is completely new for a South Indian like me. Even i was bit skeptical about this addition, but trust me i was completely wrong.

Baked Aloo Naan/Baked Potato Stuffed Naan

Naan is one of the popular yeasted flat bread usually prepared in tandoor stove, but trust me you can make them very well at home either by baking through oven or simply in a tawa. You can prepare naan either with yeast or else simply with baking soda and baking powder if you dont tolerated yeasted dough. However the choice is yours and you can make your naan at home easily just with simple basic ingredients. Earlier before starting my blog, i usually buy Naans from an Indian store, then a friend of mine was kind enough to share the tips for making naan at home since ever i tried my first naan at home i never bought them from stores. Nothing can beat the homemade na. After two months break to Blogging Marathon, today am running with other marathoners my first week of 38th blogging marathon.

Am very happy to join the gang after a small break, my theme for this week's blogging marathon is going to be different naans. Obviously i'll be sharing three different naans and today's naan recipe goes for potato masala stuffing and baking.Stay tuned for the next two more Naan recipe am gonna share in my space.

Shah Jeera Naan (without yeast)

I tried the naan without yeast from Rak's Kitchen..u can find her naan recipe without yeast here..This naan is simple and without yeast..its tastes prefect as we do naan with yeast, thanks a lot Rajeswari for introducing this naan without yeast..The procedure of making naan without yeast is same as we do with yeast, but i have added a tablespoon of caraway seeds, slightly pounded with mortar and pestle to bring out the aroma of caraway seeds which make out this naan more tasty and flavourful..This yeastless naan with caraway seeds goes to Think Spice - Think Caraway Seeds guest hosted by Sathya of Appetite Treats...

2+1/2cups All purpose flour

1/2cup Curd

1tsp Baking powder

1tsp Baking soda

1cup Luke warm Milk

1/4cup Butter

1+1/2tbsp Caraway Seeds

1tsp Sugar

Salt

Pound the caraway seeds coarsely...Sieve maida, baking powder, baking soda together and take the flour in a bowl, pour the milk, curd, salt, pounded caraway seeds and sugar..mix everything and turn as soft dough.. arrange the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with a towel....keep aside for 3hours in a warm place, after 3 hours knead the dough and make out 10-12 even balls...dust the balls generously and roll the dough as naans..

Heat a thick bottomed tawa, apply water on one side of the naan, drop the watered side to the tawa and cook in simmer with lid closed, once they get cooked turn the tawa upside down and cook the otherside on direct flame till they get cooked...

Apply the butter on both sides and serve hot!!!

Butter Naan

Naan is a round flatbread made of white flour.Naan resembles pita bread and,naan is cooked in a tandoor, or clay oven, from which tandoori cooking takes its name.Modern recipes sometimes substitute baking powder for the yeast. Milk or yoghurt may also be used to give greater volume and thickness to the naan. Typically, the naan will be served hot and brushed with ghee or butter. It can be used to scoop other foods, or served stuffed with a filling: for example, keema naan is stuffed with a minced meat mixture. Another variation is peshwari or peshawari naan, Peshawari naan and Kashmiri naan are filled with a mixture of nuts and raisins; aloo naan is stuffed with potatoes.Typical naan recipe involves mixing white flour with salt, a yeast culture, and enough yogurt to make a smooth, elastic dough. The dough is kneaded for a few minutes, then set aside to rise for a few hours. Once risen, the dough is divided into balls, which are flattened and cooked.Butter naan is one of my favourite, its was about a week i tried butter naan at home n cooked them in oven instead of stove top..as this butter naan suites prefectly for RCI-Lucknow guest hosted by Lavi of Home cook's Recipes, am sending this butter naan to the event started by Lakshmi...

4cups All purpose flour
2tsp Yeast
1/4cup Luke Warm water
1/4cup Luke Warm milk
2tbsp Butter (melted)
1/4cup Yoghurt
1tsp Sugar
Salt
Few tsps Butter

Add the yeast,luke warm water, luke warm milk with sugar n salt, keep aside let them stand for 15 minutes..now add the yeast mixture, all purpose flour, yoghurt and melted butter together, knead everything as stiff dough... if needed, can add water to knead..

After 2 hours the dough would have doubled their volume, knead again in a floured board until they turns soft..Preheat the over to 425F... make 8-10 large lemon sized balls n roll it out with the help of rolling pin... Place the rolled naans over a baking sheet and bake for 10-15minutes or until the top turn slightly brown...

Brush the cooked naans with butter once its comes out of the oven..

Serve with any choice of vegetables or curries..enjoy !!

Stuffed Aloo Kulchas

Kulcha is a typical north indian bread usually eaten with choles..they are prepared with maida flour . Flour dough, mashed potatoes, onion and lots of spices are rolled into a flat round bread and baked in an earthen clay oven until golden brown. When baked, it is rubbed with butter and then eaten with spicy chole...Since a long, i was craving for this kulchas which i had long back in India, even its easy to prepare i never tried it here at home, this time i want to prepare absolutely for RCI-Lucknow guest hosted by Lavi by Home Cook's Recipes, event started by Lakshmi. I didnt prepared completely this kulchas with maida flour, i mixed both maida flour and wheat flour to make this delicious kulchas n stuffed it with simple potato filling, and cooked in pan until they get well cooked instead of oven which replace the Indian clay ovens..

Kulcha Dough:
2+1/2cups Wheat flour
1cup Maida flour
3/4cup Luke warm milk
1/4cup Curd
1+1/2tsp Yeast
1tbsp Sugar
1tsp Baking powder
2tbsp Butter
Salt

Add the yeast, lukewarm milk, sugar n salt in a cup,mix well n let it stand for 15 minutes, until they turns foamy..now mix everything in a large bowl as stiff dough n keep aside with a lid, place the large bowl in a warm place n let it stand for two hours, until the dough double their volume..

Potato Masala:
3nos Potatoes(cooked n smashed)
1no Onion (chopped)
2nos Green chillies(chopped)
1/2tsp Cumin seeds
2tbsp Coriander leaves
1tsp Lime juice
Salt

Take the smashed potatoes in a large vessel, add the chopped onion, green chillies, cumin seeds, coriander leaves, lime juice and salt n mix everything well with ur hands..make small balls out of this masala n keep aside..

Stuffed Aloo Kulchas:
Knead the doubled dough until it turns soft, make 13-15 lemon sized balls out of the dough,dust the balls with maida flour and roll it as small circles, place the potato masala..cover the dough well else the potato masala will squeeze out while rolling again..roll the potato stuffed dough with rolling pins...heat a hot tawa/pan, drizzle few drops of oil or ghee n cook the stuffed kulchas until they get well cooked..

Serve hot with spicy chole!

Lucknowi Koftas

Luknowi Koftas!! potato spinach balls served with rich creamy gravy..i crossed this recipe while googling n got hooked with this kofta curry.. i went through the recipe which seems quite a long, anyhow i want to make these koftas for sterday dinner, the ingredients list seems really very long, but the preparation took really very less time than an hour..These delicious koftas with rich creamy gravy tastes divine n everyone at home loved the lucknowi kofta curry much..i didnt stop having the fried koftas as they tasted soo delicious..They suits prefectly with Parathas...This is my 2nd entry to RCI-Lucknow guest hosted by Lavi of Home Cook's Recipes, event started by Lakshmi ..

For Koftas:
5nos Potatoes( Boiled n mashed)
1 Cup Spinach (chopped)
1/2Cup Fenugreek leaves(chopped)
1/2Cup Corianderleaves(chopped)
Salt to taste
1tsp Lime juice
1/2cup Besan (Gram flour)
1/4tsp Red chilli powder
Oil for frying

For Gravy:
2nos Onions( finely chopped)
1noTomato(large, pureed)
1 cup Plain yogurt (dahi)
1 cup Milk
1/4cup Cream
1/2tsp Turmeric powder
2 tsp Coriander powder
1/2tsp Sugar
Salt
1/4tsp Garam masala powder
4 tbsp Oil

Grind to paste:
10nos Almonds
2tbsp Poppy Seeds
1tbsp Ginger pieces
5nos Garlic cloves
3nos Green chillies

For Koftas: Mix all the ingredients of koftas together and divide into equal portions and shape into balls deep-fry till golden in colour. Drain the excess of oil in an absorbent paper and keep aside.

For Gravy: Heat the oil in a pan , fry the chopped onions until they turns golden brown, add the grounded ingrediens n stir fry for few minutes.. add now the turmeric powder, coriander powder, sugar n salt again stir fry for few seconds. Add now the tomato puree n cook everything on high heat, stir continously until the oil begins to separate..

Now add the yoghurt, milk and cream n stir continously till the oil begins to separate, add a cup of water n bring to boil, simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until the gravy turns as desire.

Just before eating, place the fried koftas in a serving dish and pour the hot gravy over and serve immediately garnished with garam masala powder and chopped coriander.

Kesari Kheer

Lucknow!! wish i could visit this place while my next visit to India.. i certainly fallen in love with Lucknowi cuisine when i went for searching delicious dishes for RCI-Lucknow guest hosted by Lavi of  Home Cook's Recipe's, event started by Lakshmi...Lucknow is the captial of Uttar Pradesh..Nawabs of Lucknows are well known for their slow cooking ( dum style) may be my next cooking venture might be a dum style rice dish who knows,I crossed this kesari kheer while browsing through a link Lavi have listed in her post..once i start reading the ingredients, immediately i want to try them..This Kesari Kheer needs just simple ingredients n they tastes delicious..This kheer is definitely gone to be a keeper for us..

3Cups Whole Milk
1/4cup Sugar
1/4cup Rice
1/2cup Condensed Milk
1/4tsp Nutmeg powder
15nos Almonds (chopped as pieces)
10nos Pistachios(chopped as pieces)
4nos Green Cardamoms (powdered)
1/2 tsp Saffron threads (soaked in little warm milk)

Wash and soak rice in 1/2 cup of water for 1 hour. Cook the rice in the same water until the rice is fully cooked, add milk to the cooked rice. when the milk starts boiling, simmer and leave the kheer to cook till the milk starts thickening, stirring occassionally. Mash the rice a liitle, add sugar and condensed milk.Add almond pieces, pistachios pieces and saffron. Boil the mixture one more time. Remove from flame, add cardamom powder and nutmeg powder.

Serve chilled r hot as per ur preference!!