PARANTHE WALI DRIVE

When you have a name like Ahuja No.1, do we need to say more? This dhaba can easily be spotted on your left when you reach Murthal, on Delhi Karnal Highway. The journey itself, could prove to be one of the fun ways to spend a day if you want to go for a long drive and end it with some good food.

The moment you enter Murthal, a number of Dhaba’s welcome you. There’s Gulshan’s Dhaba, Pehelwan’s Dhaba, Jhilmil, Sukhdev apart from the one I am talking about here. We chose Ahuja No.1 because the crowd seemed better here. They have a separate sitting area for the families too.

Had it been located in Delhi, Ahuja No. 1’s paranthes would definitely given the Paranthe Wali Gali a run for its money. Firstly, because unlike the paranthas served at Paranthe Wali Gali none of the paranthas are deep fried. They are all made in the tandoor.

There is a whole list of paranthas to choose from, some of which are listed below –

Aloo Parantha – The classic mashed potato stuffed parantha sprinkled with red chilli powder.

Aloo Piyaaj Parantha – Same as above except that you will bite into crunchy pieces of onion every now and then.

Pudina Parantha – This is a type of lachha parantha peppered with mint. It looks quite different from the other parathas and is best savoured when hot.

Gobi Parantha – Cauliflower chopped into tiny bits and stuffed inside a usual parantha. Tastes quite nice and different.

Mooli Parantha – This is the only form in which I find radishes tolerable and quite tasty actually.

All the paranthas are served with panchranga pickle, sirce wala pyaaj, and huge dollops of white cow butter which is amazingly yum. Team it with Dal Fry or Dal Makhani and your day is made. Curd could also be a god option.

It is best not to think of calories that day. Have your fill and then head out for a stroll in the nearby fields. You can always hit the gym later.

Quite funnily these dhabas have started serving noodles and burgers too. I just hope people stop demanding noodles at such places and let authentic food survive.

EASY PEASY THREE COURSE MEAL

This is a continuation of my post on my other blog Santa Comes With A Cake. I intended this three course meal to be pan Asian but because of paucity of time had to make improvise. Again not everything has been cooked by me like the Marble Cake and the Shami Kababs.

The Menu

Starters – Spicy Prawn Schezwan & Mutton Shami Kabab

Appetizer –Thai Noodle Soup

Entrée- Chilli Chicken and Chicken Sausages fried Rice

Dessert – Marble Cake in Chocolate Sauce

So let’s start where it starts, that is the starters. I brought a packet of ready to cook  Mutton Shami Kababs from Green Chick. However, had I made it, this is how I would have done it.

Mutton Shami Kabab

Preparation Time – 45 mins

Difficulty Level – Difficult

Mix 200 gms minced mutton with chana dal soaked in water for half an hour. To this mixture add garam masala like cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves, a cup of warm water and salt to taste. Cook till dry. Remove from heat and add chopped ginger, chopped garlic, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, peppercorns, coriander powder and cumin powder. Grind to a fine paste and knead well. Divide the mutton mixture into lemon-sized balls, flatten each ball in the palm of your hand. Shape into kababs and dip in a beaten egg. Heat a tawa and shallow fry the kababs on both sides till golden.

Ideally Shami Kababs should be served hot with chopped onions and green chutney. But since

 I didn't have either of them, I grated mozzarella cheese on top of the kababs. The combination 

turned out to be pretty decent.

Next on the list is Spicy Prawn Schezwan. This was the first time I was making this dish 

and it turned to be surprisingly good. And considering the fact that it needed minimum effort,

 I was really happy with the outcome.

Spicy Prawn Schezwan

Preparation Time – 15 mins

Difficulty Level – Super Easy

Take 200 gms of cleaned and deveined prawns in a bowl and mix it with 3 tsps of Ching’s Schezwan Sauce,  2tsps of white sesame seeds, chopped green chillies and salt. The prawns could be the frozen ones or fresh. After half an hour, heat oil in a pan and break 3-4 dry red chilies in it. Add lots of chopped garlic 

and one onion to it. Saute till golden and then add the marinated prawns to it.

 Fry till the prawns become tender. Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve hot.

My appetizer was a Thai Noodle Soup. Again, I was making it for the first time. I realised that 

I had added too much of noodles to it and the soup was less. Another thing to keep in mind 

while making this dish is that it is better to add the noodles just before you are serving the soup, 

else the noodles tend to soak up the soup.

Thai Noodle Soup

Preparation Time – 30 mins

Difficulty Level – Easy

Boil Ching’s noodles in hot water for 2 mins leaving it Al dente. Run it under cold water and drain. Chop lots of juliennes of carrots, capsicums, onions along with peas, slit green chillies and spring onions. 

Fry 1 tsp of ginger garlic paste in a little olive oil. Stir fry the vegetables with salt and black pepper. Add some prawns tossed in salt and olive oil to the vegetables along with some mixed Thai herbs to it. 

Then mix 5 tsps of coconut milk in a cup of normal water. Add this to the vegetable and bring to boil. Cover and sim for 5 mins. Add the noodles and garnish with chopped coriander and sprind onions.

Next on the list is Chicken Sausages Fried Rice. This is something I thought of in the last minute. If you do not want to serve plain rice or want to avoid making a dal on any other day this recipe could come handy. It just needs three pieces of sausages.

Chicken Sausages Fried Rice

Preparation Time – 15 mins

Difficulty Level – Easy

Wash and soak rice for 5 mins. Drain it properly. Chop sausages in half cm wide pieces. Finely chop french beans, carrots and onions. Also keep a handful of peas ready and slit green chillies. In a pressure cooker add some vegetable oil. Fry the sausages till golden brown, then add the chopped vegetables, green chillies and peas. To this add 3 tsps of Ching’s Miracle Masala. Once the vegetables are done add the drained rice to it and fry for another 5 mins while continuously stirring it. Lastly add salt, pepper, aajinomoto, water, and pressure cook till two whistles. 

Next in line is the very popular and my personal favourite Chilly Chicken. This version of the recipe is easy to make and tastes as good as those served at eateries. I have used chicken wings for the recipe however, you can give it a shot with boneless chicken as well.

Chilli Chicken

Preparation Time – 45 mins

Difficulty Level – Easy

Marinate the chicken in 4 tsps of soy sauce, 2 tsps of all purpose flour, 2 tsps of cornflour, salt and pepper. Chop capsicums, tomatoes, onions, green chillies, ginger and garlic separately. In a pan add 2 cups of water with 4 tsps of Ching’s Chilly Chicken masala and bring to boil. I like a thicker gravy so, I have added more of the masala. Fry the chicken in olive oil and keep aside to cool down. In the same oil add few dry red chillies followed by the chopped vegetables. Add salt and stir fry for 2 mins. Then add the gravy mixture to it. Bring to boil. Finally add the fried chicken and cover for some time.