You say Po-Tayto, I say Po-Tah-To

Now how wrong can one go with potatoes? Need to create illusion of quantity? Ta Da, Potatoes! Need to get some cheer to greens? Ta Da, Potatoes! Need to add to the sin content of food? Ta Da, Potatoes again! Very fun and ever versatile, the aloo adds much cheer to any meal.

But potato in a mithai? Yes yes, it is possible now. And what is more it is a hybrid version of a Gulab Jamun and a Modak. Suitably curious? Here is the recipe.

Potatoes and Coconut Stuffed Jamun
To make 12 pieces

Ingredients
For the base
Potatoes – 250 grams (approximately 3 of them)
Maida – 1 tablespoon
Ghee – 1 tablespoon

For the filling
Grated Coconut – ½ cup
Sugar – ¼ cup
Dryfruits (cashewnut, raisins, dates) – chopped ½ a cup
Cardamom powder aka Elaichi

For the syrup
Sugar – ¾ cup
Kesar (Saffron)
Cardamom powder (Elaichi)

Oil for frying

Method
Boil the potatoes and mash well. Knead with maida and ghee and keep the prepared dough in the fridge (placed inside a foil) for 15 minutes.

For the filling, cook the grated coconut sugar and dry fruits. Add the cardamom flavour and mix well. Cook till the sugar has melted completely.

Now take the potato dough and make equal sized balls out of it and fill with the coconut mixture. After stuffing roll these into cylindrical shape (like the long Gulab Jamun) and deep fry till it becomes golden brown (what else!)

Make the sugar syrup and add the flavouring into it (elaichi and kesar), dip each of the fried jamuns in the sugar syrup for about 2 minutes or so. Remove and place it on serving plate and to add some more colour and sin, garnish with dry-fruits.

Word of Caution: this is not a sweet that you can keep for too long. So make sure to not make too many of them for you would need to consume them quickly. Alternatively, hunt for those sneakers and hit the treadmill!

Green Day!

Somehow the concept of green vegetables while is good rationally, doesn’t make the taste buds go, ‘Mmmmmmm’. Well something like that at any rate. So it was interesting how on a mundane Monday afternoon (with all of us in throes of self piteous pathos like situation) the boss woman same up with this concoction and told us, ‘Dhania Subzi’! And we were all like, huh! Dhania the garnishing thing?? And an entire subzi out of it?? *Shudder* As we ate that with suspicious look, a mouthful is all that it took to convert us.

Here is it, slightly modified (by the Mom, who else) and just as good!

Capsicum, Dhaniya and Besan Curry

Ingredients
- 1 cup - finely chopped capsicum
- 1 cup – finely chopped coriander
- 1 cup – finely chopped spring onion
- ½ cup – Besan
- Cummin seeds
- Turmeric powder
- Hing powder
- Red chilli powder
- Oil to cook
- Salt to taste

Method
Roast the besan for a few minutes, keep it aside.

Take some oil in the pan, add the cumin seeds. Add the coriander first and sauté for about a minute, then add the capsicum and spring onions and turmeric powder. Also add hing, chilli powder and salt according to taste. When the vegetables are semi-cooked, add the besan and sprinkle some water and let it cook for 2-3 minutes.

Serve with phulkas or with rice and dal if the sensibilities like that better! :)

They say...

Food is the elixir of life.

Or wait, they don't say that perhaps. But it wouldn't be too wrong really. Imagine life without food. Without good food.

And imagine mom's without great cooking skills? Do they even exist?!

After many years of eating, one thought that there must be a way to preserve some of the food moments of ones life - food anecdotes, how food saved our lives, food music and of course recipes.

Like they also say, love and food ought to be shared.

Let the good times roll!!!