The soaring onion prices have surely got many of us worried. Well, we have a  solution for this .Its time to worry less and enjoy some delicious recipes no pyaaza as in recipes which do not require any onions .

 

Recipe 1

Rohu/Rui/Bengal carp steamed in Mustard and Coriander paste

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This amazing recipe is passed on from one generation to another in my family. A lot of people, have asked me why do I have such a fondness for the simple Indian carp/ Rui maach. And today, I want to answer one and all why I feel the humble Rui is as much a great fish for consumption as is the jazzy cousin Ilish/hilsa.

Recipe – 

Take 5 PC’s of Rui maach, and marinate it for 30 mins or more in a mix of salt and turmeric.

  • Masala mix-
    Start with 2 hot green chilly and a bunch of coriander. Grind it to paste.
  • Now add 2.5 TSP of mustard powder, and let it bloom.
  • Meanwhile soak 2 TSP of poppy seeds in hot water and keep it ready for mixing.
  • Combine all of the above ingredients in a mixie jar, and grind it into a fine paste.
  • Add water, salt and a pinch of turmeric. Mix well
  • Add 2 TSP of curd and process it again.
    The masala mix is ready.

  • Now in a large bowl, which can be used inside a steamer, pour in a tbsp of cold pressed mustard oil. Smear it around the bottom.
  • Now place the fishes in a neat fashion.
  • Pour in the masala mix.
  • Rub it on both sides of the fish. Top each fish with a slit green chilly.
  • To seal the flavour, pour in more mustard oil on top. Take the pains of evenly distributing it on all pieces of fish.
  • Cover with a tight fitting lid, and put it on the steam for 20 mins.
    Yummy and healthy Rui Bhanpe is ready

Recipe 2

3 RECIPES TOGETHER- Veg Bengali Thali

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Thali is am Indian concept of food. Typically every part of India has a distinctive style of presenting it thali. Today I have put out my vegetable laden thali that my family and I enjoy a lot during these months of great pollution.
Jhakia seeds that I use in one of my dishes are optional, but a great addition. It doesn’t have any strong flavours, but the crunchy seeds from the hills of Gharwal are really a delightful addition to the overall texture of the dish.

 Recipe – 

Mishti Kumro chechki 

1. Heat a tbsp of mustard oil to a good smoking point.
2. Temper a red dry chilly, until it turns brown.
3. Add ½ TSP of kalonji /kala jeera/ Nigella seeds
4. Optional but highly recommended – add ½ TSP of jhakia seeds. It gives a beautiful crunchy taste to the dish. Read more on this in the blog post.
5. Once the flavours of the masala wafts out, put in  500 GM’s of Ripe pumpkin cut in long fine strips.
6. Mix well, and let it cook on low flame, but uncovered.
7. Do remember to stir it every now and then.
8. Adjust salt and put in a green chilly to get a beautiful fresh aroma.
9. Sprinkle on some finely cut fresh coriander and serve hot.

Kalo Jeere diye jhinge alu 

1. Heat a tbsp of mustard oil to a good smoking point.
2. Temper a red dry chilly, until it turns brown.
3. Add ½ TSP of kalonji /kala jeera/ Nigella seeds
4. Once the aroma releases out, add in some cubed raw Potatoes. Stir and cook for a minute in the hot oil.
5. Add salt and haldi, stir well and cook for a minute longer, covered.
6. Now add cubed ridge gourd, and stir well.
7. Cover and cook until the potatoes absorb all water released from the gourd, and become soft.
8. Garnish it with fresh cut coriander leaves and a slit green chilly.

Radhuni diye daal

1. Heat 2 tbsp of mustard oil to a good smoking point.
2. Temper a red dry chilly, until it turns brown.
3. Add ½ TSP of Radhuni /celery seeds.
4. Once the Masala becomes fragrant, and attains a deep dark brown colour, add ½ TSP haldi mixed with a tsp of water and slit green chilly.
5. Stir and add 6 tbsp of boiled fmasoor dal/red split lentils.
6. Boil the dal in the tempered spices for a couple of minutes before adding in some green chillies slit and corriander leaves For flavour and garnish.
7. Give it a final simmering time of a minute before serving it hot with plait white rice and simple vegetable curries!

 

 

Recipes by  Antara Roy 

 
A Restaurateur | a Food Writer |a Certified Chocolatier | a Recipe Developer | a Gardener | a Mother and Wife| the Anaaj waali ma’am

 

Recipe 3

Methi Muthiya

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Methi Muthiyas are steamed or fried dumplings made from wheat flour and besan. You can make it with bajara atta and jowar atta also. Muthiyas is a delicious snack that can be served hot or cold. You can temper the Muthiyas and have it with coriander chutney, tomato ketchup or simply over an Indian Masala Chay. 

The steamed Muthiya can be added to any vegetable dish for varied texture and taste. 

Hailing from Jain family, I know plenty of recipes without onion, garlic or root vegetables. 

Here is my mom’s original recipe of Methi Muthiya. You can replace methi  by lauki, spinach leaves or leftover rice as well. It would just taste amazing. 

 Ingredients :

  • 2 cups of methi leaves  (washed and chopped )
  • ¼ cup besan
  • ¼ cup wheat flour
  • 1 tbsp semolina (rava )
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tbsp sugar or as per your taste
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 2 tbsp ginger-green chili paste
  • 2 tsp red chili powder (Option)
  • 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tbsp plain yogurt
  • Water as required (to make a dough)
  • Water for steaming

For tempering :

  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 tbsp mustard oil
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • Pinch of hing
  • 2 whole red chilies
  • Some curry leaves

For garnishing :

  • Coriander leaves, freshly grated coconut

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Method:

  1. Add salt to methi leaves and keep it aside for 15 min.
  2. Squeeze out all the water from the methi leaves and add all the ingredients one by one and make a smooth dough.
  3. Make a sausage shape long rolls and put it on the greased plate.
  4. Steam these rolls for 15-20 minutes.
  5. Once cool down, slice the muthiyas.
  6. You can eat them with achar masala added with sesame oil or you can temper them as per taste. 
  7. Garnish with coriander leaves and freshly grated coconut. 

Recipe by  Shailee Mayur Shah

Shailee discovered her passion for cooking while raising her kids in Japan and discovering the love of feeding them her handmade delicacies. The journey continued as she shifted back to Gurgaon a decade ago and started sharing the food of India with many Japanese home makers living in Gurgaon. Her classes have been running for last eight years and have been attended by more than five hundred expats… Her passion in recreating desi swaad has inspired her to start her Gujarati healthy snacks preparations and the same is enjoyed widely.
 

Recipe 4

Jhulelal Bowl(Sindhi Kadi)

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The ultimate Sindhi meal
Rice, Sindhi Kadhi , Air fried patata (potato) tuk’s and one shiny ,soft motichoor boondi laddoo!

We saw these glistening laddoos in a shop and they were begging for kadhi to be made !! 

Sindhi Kadi

Ingredients:

  • One cup tuvar dal washed well
  • Tamarind about ¼ cup washed & soaked in water
  • 6 tomatoes soaked in hot water
  • Veggies- 4 potatoes , quartered with skin on
  • 2 large carrots sliced in thickish round
  • Bhind( lady finger)i-qty as desired-washed well
  • Gwar(cluster beans ) –a handful – washed well
  • Singhi( drumsticks) washed and cut to desired length
  • Corn on the cob – Bhutta- boiled and cut
  • Curry leaves and slit green chillies
  • A kettle of hot water

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Method:
Pressure cook the tuvar dal with haldi & salt for at least four whistles. When cool whisk nicely.remove skin from tomatoes and blend into a puree.
In a large pan put about 2 tbsp oil add a spoon of methi seeds and 2 tsp full jeera.When the seeds splutter add washed curry leaves and slit green chillies.
Mix for ½ a minute and add the dal. Add about a cup of water. To this add the potatoes and carrots. Once the dal starts boiling reduce heat to medium, so that it is a t a constant simmer but bubbling too.
Add the tamarind water .and keep boiling . After 10 mins of boiling add the pureed tomatoes.
While the kadhi is boiling you must keep stirring .Continue adding some hot water if it thickens too much.
Keep boiling for at least 20 minutes. Now add the bhindi ( full) ,gwar ,bhutta and singhi.
Continue boiling for at least 15 more minutes. Adjust salt to taste and the thickness. If required add some red chilly powder .
Ideally the kadhi must be on boil until you serve it.

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Aloo ( potato) Tuk – Accompaniment for Sindhi kadi

Normally these guys are double deep fried – I made them in the air fryer.Cut the potatoes into roundels – coat with oil and salt fry in air fryer until half done. Then smash them to flatten them further and the re ” fry ” them. Sprinkle with black pepper powder, amchur( raw mango powder ) and red chilli powder.

 

 

Recipe by 

Upasana Mahtani Luthra

 
Director PR,Events & Book Club at GurgaonMoms
 

 

Recipe 5

Jangli Maas with Khoba Roti

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Jangli Maas ( made with just 5 ingredients) and Khoba Roti   ( Call of my Rajputi Genes)
 
Ingredients
  • 1/2 kg Mutton ( make sure to get some charbi wale pieces )
  • 5 -6 spoon  Ghee
  • 10-12 whole cloves Garlic crushed ( I do it on silbatta)
  • 15-20 ( Whole ) Dry Red mathaniya  Chillies
  • Fresh coriander for garnishing ( optional )
  • Salt to taste
Method
1. Heat ghee in heavy bottom pan.
2. Add crushed garlic cloves and dry red chillies ( keep 2-3 chillies aside and later crush it fine and sprinkle once you add mutton )and fry for a few seconds.
3. Add mutton, and fry on high heat for 3-4 minutes.
4. Cover the pan and simmer on low , add salt to taste after mutton is half done
5. Cook for 45-50 minutes or until mutton is cooked.( only slow cooking )
6. Keep adding water if required  while cooking.   Once the mutton is done bhuno (saute)again on high flame for few minutes
7. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot with any Indian bread ( goes really well with khoba roti , bajre ki roti )
 
Khoba roti –
 
  1. Make a dough with  wheat ,  bajra flour with bit of salt , fennel and cumin seeds , bit of chilly flakes ( optional )
  2. Make thick roti and pinch to with hands to make design .
  3. Seko it nicely from both the sides and then rub generous amount of ghee on side with design
 
P.S if you are a vegetarian try making it with mushrooms , jackfruit or even paneer ) 
 

 

Recipe 6

Masala Egg

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Ingredients – 
  • 4 eggs
  • Hing powder – a pinch
  • Mustard seeds
  • Cumin seeds
  • Curry leaves – few leaves
  • Turmeric powder – 1/3 teaspoon
  • Chilli powder – 1/2 teaspoon ( as per taste )
  • Salt to taste
  • Grated ginger
 
Method – 
Hard boil eggs , cut into half , keep aside.
In a pan heat mustard oil , add hing,cumin, mustard seeds , curry leaves .
Let it splutter add jeera powder , turmeric , red chilli powder , grated ginger , salt to taste and  then add the eggs putting the flame on high ( lay the cut yolks side on masala )
Turn off the gas in 30 secs .
 
Carefully place egg in plate and pour over any remaining tadka from pan.
 
PS: if you are vegetarian, you can use Paneer instead of Eggs 
 
 

Recipe by 

Nancy Singh

Stay at home mompreneur whose love for food is known by family and friend.   She calls herself a foodie with pride and loves creating and recreating delicacies .  Although , she does cook food from all over the world but Indian Cuisine definitely has her heart . With a strong flavour profile and plethora of regional delicacies to experiment with
 

 

Recipe 7

Methi Tamatar

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Ingredients
  • Methi leaves finely chopped – 1 bunch
  • 3 medium size tomatoes in cube shape
  • 1tsp mustard seeds , jeera , turmeric powder,
  • Coriander powder
  • Red chilli powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 1tsp oil/ghee

Method 

Take a pan , add oil / ghee , as it gets hot add Mustard Seed and jeera let them crackle .Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder and add Methi leaves . Saute for a mintue add tomatoes , cook till tomatoes get soft .
Add 1tsp of jaggery (optional)
Salt to taste .
Serve hot with roti/paratha.

 

Recipe 8

Tandul ki Dhokali

(Winter special leafy vegetable regional dish of Maharastra requires no onion no garlic)

Ingredients – 
  • 1 bunch – Chowli leaves / Tandul leaves / cow pea leaves
  • 1 cup bajra atta
  • 1 tsp of wheat atta
  • Oil/Ghee
  • Mustard Seeds
  • Cumin seeds
  • Pinch of hing
  • Turmeric powder
  • Coriander powder
  • Red chilli powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 cups Water
 
Method – 
1)Wash the green leaves and finely chop them .
2) Take a kadhai, add hing , Mustard and cumin seeds let them crackle.
3) Add 1tsp of turmeric powder, coriander powder, Red chilli powder, add chopped fresh cow pea / Chowli/ tandul ki bhaji
4) Saute for 2 to 3 mins

5) Add 2 cups of water let it boil for 5mins , 6) Add salt to taste .

How to make dhokali

Take bajra atta , add 1tsp of wheat atta, turmeric , coriander powder, red chilli Powder , pinch of hing , 1tsp oil , little salt and knead a soft dough using little water at a time.
Rest the dough for 5mins
Make small lemon size balls and using fingers make round dhoklis , make hole at the center of each dhoklis using finger ( video attached)

Once all dhokali are made add them one by one in boiling curry of cow peas leaves , cover cook on slow for 15 mins and serve hot with Ghee and  lemon juice .

 
 

Recipe by 

Dharini Jain

Dharini loves cooking and is a teacher to Korean expats. She relishes regional dishes and takes pride in preserving family recipes.