Tomato Basil Creamy Soup

When we think of soups only one thing comes to mind and that is comfort food. Preparing soup, at home helps us control the amount of salt, needed.
Weather here is cloudy and perfect for a warm cup of home made tomato soup, cooked  with basil ,garlic and seasoning.  Basil ,also known as sweet basil, is a common herb that has very aromatic leaves ,belongs to the mint family and is great addition to  Italian Mediterranean dishes. Whenever possible, I prefer cooking with  fresh herbs.
I also like to prepare home made stock, veg/chicken, and store it for later use, in preparing gravies or other soups. 

Ingredients
2 pounds plum tomatoes chopped in cubes
1 small red onion chopped finely
3 to 4 Basil leaves chopped finely
1 tspn freshly minced garlic
salt to taste
2 tspn black pepper
1 tspn sugar 
1 cup or 250 ml chicken or veg stock 
1/2 cup Half n half 
 For croutons, take 3 to 4 slices of bread cut in cubes, lay on baking tray, drizzle with  1 tspn olive oil , salt, black pepper and  bake  for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees , till they turn golden brown croutons. Keep aside.
2 tsp Vegetable Oil/Olive oil

                                                                            

Ripe Tomatoes 

Baked in Oven 

Sauté` onions, garlic

Add in tomatoes and basil leaves 

Tomato Basil Soup

Method:
1. Heat 2 tspn vegetable/olive oil in a medium pot ,add in onions and freshly minced garlic, sauté for 4 to 5 minutes till onions get translucent.
2. Chop tomatoes into cubes, and bake them in oven at 350 degrees, for about 20 minutes and then add to the soup, to get a smoky taste in the soup.
3. Add in basil and baked tomatoes,and the seasoning. Next add in stock and cover to cook for another 10 to 15 minutes.
3.Check for salt, if less add 1/2 tspn more,add in 1 tspn sugar and 1/2 cup cream. Take off the burner and allow mixture to come to room temperature.Using a hand blender mix the soup roughly for 2 to 3 minutes , not making it too smooth.

This tomato soup is served hot and its texture is thick and hearty. Pour hot soup into a soup bowl and garnish with prepared croutons.

Vegetable Soup stock
To prepare Vegetarian soup stock ( Stores well in freezer for later use) Vegetable soup stock Recipe
Ingredients
2 medium carrot,potato, chopped into 1 inch cubes
1 red onion cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tomatoes cubed 1 inch
2 tspn salt
1/4  tspn black peppercorns
1 stalk celery chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic minced
1 inch fresh ginger chopped


Method:
1.In a medium sized heavy bottomed pan, heat 2 tspn oil,add in peppercorns, sauté` onions, garlic, ginger for about 2 to 3 minutes,add in carrots,potato, celery, allow to cook for another few  minutes. 
2. Add  6 glasses of water ,bring to a boil, allow to continue to cook for another 30 to 40 minutes and as it cools ,  Blend the mixture in a blender and sieve through a strainer, the soup stock is now ready . A perfect base for using to make soup or gravies, also stock made at home is better in taste and lower in sodium content.

Ready stock can be stored in plastic container for more than a month in the freezer of the refrigerator. Remember to defrost the stock  before using for soups or gravies.

Dudhee Halwa

Bottle gourd is a vegetable, you can prepare it like a vegetable or made a sweet dish from this vegetable, surprised, yes and it tastes delicious and retains the flavour of the vegetable, and is very cooling for your system,  so if some body has the complain of stomach acidity, this is the vegetable you should be eating often.

Bottle gourd is called Lauki , Dudhee in Hindi, and Lauki halwa , is a dessert that is absolutely mouth watering ,prepared by cooking  grated lauki (Bottle gourd) with milk, sugar, nuts and saffron and small cardamom, that gives it this delicious aroma.

 After savory dishes I decided to make this sweet dish, very much a favorite of my husband. 

                                                    

Boil  Milk and  Bottle gourd

Adding sugar 

Almost done !

Dudhee Halwa 

Ingredients
500 gm Bottle gourd, wash, peeled and shredded will give approximately 2 cups of shredded Bottle gourd
1/4 cup chopped nuts  almonds, walnuts, pistachio (all unsalted)
1 cup milk
1/4 cup half-and-half
2 tspn  powdered small cardamom
1 cup sugar, can add little more like 1/2 cup more for sweeter taste
2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter) available in Indian stores


Method
1.Wash and grate Bottle gourd, can keep the skin on.
Heat a medium non stick pot, add 2 tablespoon ghee, add in 1 tspn powdered cardamom, and all the grated bottle gourd, stir for 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Next, add in milk and half n half, cover and allow to boil over medium heat, stirring from time to time , making sure it doesn't burn to the bottom of the cooking pot.
3. After the milk has evaporated and the bottle gourd seems softened and  cooked, remove lid and add in the powdered nuts, and saffron. Continue cooking, next add in sugar ,carefully keep stirring, mixture will be hot and may bubble, keep cooking till sugar gets well incorporated, and  once the ghee (clarified butter) begin's to appear on the sides of the cooking pot.Serve it  garnished with your favourite nuts and small cardamom.

Kala Chana Curry

Kala chana or black chick peas, is an Indian curry dish. These  nutritious legumes are packed with nutritional protein.They can be cooked out of a can or soaked overnight. If you plan to use the can beans ,try to use the less salt ones as the salted ones are too high in sodium.
1 cup of cooked chana gives 15 gm protein and 13 gm of fibre, these chana's and other types of beans, legumes, vegetables, nuts are all excellent source of fibre.
 These can be prepared dry or with a curry, the recipe below is the Indian curry Kala chana, that is a famous dish in Northern part of India.

Ingredients
500 gm uncooked chana
2 cups water to soak chana overnight
4 cups water to pressure cook soaked chana
1/2 cup ready curry paste (recipe available in Flavors of India book) or instead use grated onion, and tomato as shown below
1 medium size red onion grated
1 medium size tomato pureed
2 to 3 cloves
1 inch stick cinnamon
1 small bay leaf
1/4 tspn cumin seeds
1 tspn turmeric
1 tspn red chilli powder
2 tspn salt or as per taste
1 tspn ginger ,garlic paste
3 to 4 green chillies
1 tspn grated ginger
Vegetable Oil

Kala Chana 

Method 1.Rinse and soak the channa  overnight. Next day pressure cook the chana's in 2 cup of water. Add 1 tspn salt, 1 tspn grated ginger. Pressure cook for about 20 to 30 minutes, later check to see if the chana are cooked properly, strain and keep aside.
2.In a pan heat oil,add cumin seeds, cloves,bay leaf,cinnamon stick and add ginger garlic paste and green chillies .
3.Add in  onions, allow to turn golden in colour, add in tomatoes and stir together allowing the tomatoes to soften and add in salt, red chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, mix to form a curry paste.
4.Next add in the strained chana  to prepared curry and after stirring for about 3 to 4 minutes, add in 1 cup water and cook covered on low to medium heat another about 10 minutes. serve hot with rice or roti.

Quinoa salad

Quinoa is a seed, that has grown in popularity because of its high protein and nutritional value. It comes in different colours like white, black and red, though the white variety is more liked and easier to cook. Also the white quinoa has a nutty flavour and fluffs well after it is cooked. Quinoa can be prepared easily and takes only about 20 minutes of cooking time, you can have quinoa as salad , or have it like rice, you can use quinoa to prepare sweet dishes.

1 cup cooked quinoa has 8 gm protein and 5 gm fibre,also quinoa is good for lowering cholesterol and it is gluten free food. 

Ingredients 

1 cup quinoa uncooked

2 cups water

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tspn salt

1 tspn black pepper
2 tspn lemon juice freshly squeezed 

1 tsp sunflower seeds

1/4 cup chopped cucumber

1/4 cup chopped tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped red onions

1 tsp

freshly chopped coriander leaves
1/4 cup yellow or white corn
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper 

Quinoa Salad 

 Method

1.Wash the Quinoa grains , to remove any little bitterness. Boil in a sauce pan with 2 cups water over low heat, with 1/2 tspn salt for about 20 minutes , till all water is soaked and quinoa is cooked. Cover for 5 minutes , and then using a fork lightly fluff the cooked quinoa. Keep aside.

2. In a separate bowl, prepare a dressing by mixing together, olive  oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and you can use secret ingredient, I like to use fat free  Italian vinaigrette, as it has vinegar and garlic that adds flavour , but if for some reason you don't use it its fine , just use some garlic powder instead and balsamic vinegar , 1 tspn , whisk together to make a dressing to pour over cooked quinoa.

3.In a serving bowl, add in quinoa, add all chopped vegetables and nuts, fruits, and pour the prepared dressing and mix together , garnish with cilantro leaves and serve as a refreshing salad. Its perfect for a family or for a having with friends at a get together. 

Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate mousse, a light fluffy dessert,  perfect for entertaining guest and the presentation makes them happy and for chocolate lovers, its hard to resist the indulgence of this light ,fluffy smooth textured dessert.

Ingredients
8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1 tspn butter
1/4 cup fresh raspberries for garnish
3/4 cup heavy Whipping  cream
1/4 cup sugar 
1/4 Vanilla extract
1 tspn Fine sugar
4 Eggs , separate the yolks from whites.

Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Mousse

Method
1. Using a medium size heat proof bowl, over simmering water (double broiler) melt the chocolate chips and butter, over little heat, stirring well till  chocolate appears melted well and smooth.
2. Remove from heat and add in egg yolks one by one carefully incorporating into the melted chocolate, add in 1/4 tspn vanilla extract.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites to form peaks,adding in 1/4 cup sugar and continue to whisk till  peaks are formed.
4. Gently add in  whisked egg whites into the chocolate mixture.Next  beat the whipping cream with 1 tspn sugar till it gets thickened and forms peak, now gently fold in the whipping cream into the chocolate mixture.
5. Fill the cups (ramekins) about 3/4 th with the  ready chocolate mixture , cover each cup and refrigerate for couple of hours. Serve garnished with dollop of whipped cream , chocolate shavings, or fresh raspberries.

Home made Pizza

All kids love pizza, and at my home we believe there's no pizza like home made pizza. I have previously made home made pizza sauce that my kids absolutely love to have by spoon too:))
Recipe below is for a semi home pizza made with store bought dough, it saves time . Now you can use store bought sauce or look at my blog recipe of home made sauce , making pizza at home is not only delicious but totally worth it as all can get together in the preparation fun , and get to add toppings that we love. Kids can get involved in the making , so lots of fun for them too:))

Ingredients
1 pack ready dough
 1 cup store bought or home made marinara sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2  tspn salt 
1cup thinly sliced bell peppers
1/2 cup thinly sliced tomatoes
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onions
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese or Parmesan cheese
2 to 3 fresh cloves of finely minced garlic
1tspn chilly flakes
1tspn freshly chopped rosemary herb or 1 tspn store bought Italian seasoning herb mix
2 tbsp butter


                                               

     

Ingredients 

Home made pizza sauce 

Ingredients 

Making pizza  from dough

Pizza ready to bake

Pizza

Method
1 Heat butter in a sauce pan, add in crushed garlic. Cook for a minute or two, next add in fresh or store bought herbs , close burner. Keep aside.
2. Divide the dough into equal proportion and form each divided dough into medium sized ball.   Sprinkle little flour on a board, so that dough won't stick to the board. Work with each divided ball sized dough , one at a time .Place dough on board and using the palms of your hand gently pat dough,to flatten it using circular motion. , simultaneously work with your hands to kind of stretch the dough , like a rubber , as you try to make an oval or circular shape pizza  , pressing with your fingers ,note that it should be evenly uniform and  1/2 inch or less in thickness and approx 8 to 10 inches diameter. You can also use a rolling pin instead.
3.Using a baking sheet, sprinkle few drops olive oil to grease the baking sheet and place the flattened pizza onto the baking sheet. Adjust the shape, if required.
 Sprinkle each pizza with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle little salt over it.
Now comes the fun part, where kids can take turns too:) for the toppings
4.For  garlic lovers use the  prepared garlic herb butter as first topping that you can brush right onto the surface pizza , using a pastry brush. 
5.Next add a layer of marinara sauce and top with shredded cheese, sliced bell peppers and tomatoes and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes at 375 degrees and until the crust appears golden brown. Enjoy with friends and family or a treat just for your self.
Different toppings like mushrooms,pineapple little cubes,spinach,grilled  chicken pieces, mango pieces,  can be used to create a pizza of your choice.

Chicken breast with creamy mustard sauce

I wanted to try out some new chicken dish, so when I came across this recipe I knew we would like it , it's chicken breast cooked in a creamy  mustard sauce and broccoli on the side.

Let's begin by getting these ingredients.

Ingredients
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
Salt to taste
2 tspn crushed black pepper
1 tspn chilli flakes for heat
2 tspn Olive oil
2 tspn Butter
1/4 cup white wine  ( used in the sauce) If you don't like wine just omit it.
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tspn coarse mustard
1/2 tspn  Dijon mustard sauce
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1  pack frozen broccoli

                                                 

Ingredients

Preparing mustard sauce

Cooked chicken in Mustard creamy sauce

Cooking chicken

Mustard chicken

Method
1.Wash and clean chicken breast, approx 4 medium sized chicken breast come in a pack .  Using a skillet knife , place your palm lightly on chicken breast in the middle and carefully using the knife divide each chicken breast into  2 halves , continue with the remaining chicken breast and you will have approximately 8  thinner chicken breast .
Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of each chicken breast , keep aside for about 10 minutes.

2. Heat  a tspn  each of  butter and oil in a skillet, add the seasoned chicken breast and cook on both sides for approximately 5 minutes each side, till they appear golden brown in colour. Continue till all the chicken breast are done. Remove and keep aside.
For the sauce
3. In the same skillet  put 2 tspn butter ( perfect for getting colour) add 1 tspn.  olive oil if needed and add crushed garlic, sauté for a minute. Next add in 1/4 cup white wine, careful while adding wine as it can flare up so reduce heat. Next add in chilly flakes for some heat and add both mustards in the skillet. Continue cooking ,stir  in heavy cream and add chicken stock and this brings the creamy sauce together.
 4. Add in cooked chicken and cover to cook for about 10 minutes . Plate this dish with 2 chicken breast placed on palate , with some hot creamy sauce on top, yummy :) and on the side add steamed broccoli . Dinner is served.
If you are using frozen broccoli, microwave for  2 to 3  minutes. Heat skillet, add 1 tsp butter, add broccoli  , sauté for a minute's add in 2 tsp  whipping cream,salt to taste , black pepper  to make the broccoli creamy (optional)  or just enjoy steamed broccoli is good too.

Goodness of Oats

Oats are type of  grains that have lot of nutritional value and are eaten as porridge, also one can use oats to make cereal bars , or even make oatmeal cookies. I like to have a warm cup of freshly made oatmeal with brown sugar, and nuts. It is the ultimate comforting food in the morning.Oats have number of good benefits , they are high in fibre, also they help lower the cholesterol levels, and maintain good health.

Basic recipe below  to prepare Oats and start your morning with a cup of warm oats :) with nuts or fresh berries... perfect beginning to the day. You can also make the oats ahead to save time. Enjoy a cup of oats with fresh fruits, nuts, honey. Also some people eat them the savoury way, like prepare oats initially cooking it with water , after they are cooked add in your choice of savoury ingredients, like cheddar, and spices.

Adding brown sugar and nuts to cooked oats

Ingredients
 2 cups old fashioned  rolled oats
1 cup water
1 cup 1 % milk
2 tspn brown sugar
1/4 cup mixed nuts
1 tspn fresh berries (optional)

1. Prepare the oats using 1 cup water ,cook together in medium sauce pan for about  10 minutes covered with a lid, on medium heat. Check to see if  oats have cooked and softened.
2. Add in 1 cup milk, stir in brown sugar and after adding nuts cover the lid again for another 5 minutes to allow the nuts to cook in the steam.
Ready to serve, put into a bowl and enjoy with fresh berries or extra nuts, or adding little more milk, which ever way you like it .

Stuffed Pastry shells

When you make starters using pastry shells  appetizer's get the winning look and bright smiles of guest who wonder how much effort you took to prepare all this, but trust me by using pastry shells and dough your work time gets reduced in almost half.
Using a pastry puff dough or pastry puff shells is the smartest way to make home made starters that not only look classy but also keep the guest's surprised and wow your hard work!!
There are many options for filling's that can be  used to fill these shell's  like for vegetarians one can use a mixture of goat cheese ,herbs and topped with sliced tomatoes. Another one you do is  stuff  shells with a mushroom and cheese mix , or even spinach with potatoes mixture, try olives in the recipe ,possibilities are endless , you can do sweet fillings like pecans with berries for a sweet fill , just be creative , use your own combination. For now  I tried out bell peppers chopped finely with garlic and onions, cooked in a sauce and sprinkled with cheese,   follow this recipe and you are sure  to impress your guests.

Ingredients
1 pack frozen pastry shells contains about 24 pastry shells
1 medium sized onion diced
1 cup chopped bell pepper , colourful mini bell peppers are great to use :)
2 to 3 cloves of garlic minced
1/4 cup finely chopped mushroom (optional)
1 tspn chilli garlic sauce (store bought)
2 tblsp   tomato ketchup
salt  to taste
2 tblsp vegetable Oil

Mini delights

Ready to Bake 

Veggie delights 

Method;
1.Heat a  medium sized skillet with 2 tblsp  oil, add in garlic and onions, allowing  onions to brown a little , n add in bell peppers, continue cooking another 3 to 5 minutes, till bell peppers soften.
2.Now add in spices and sauces and mix together, close burner and filling mixture is ready. How easy is that :)
3. Preheat oven to 350 F , arrange pastry puff shells, on baking tray and carefully with a teaspoon fill ea h pastry shell , about  half way with the prepared mixture, sprinkle shredded cheese, I prefer mozzarella , but you can use a cheese of your choice.
4 . Bake these shells for approximately 10 minutes and  remove and Serve warm. 

Protein packed bars

We all like to eat things that  give us  energy we need , but many times we forget that its important to balance  the proportion  of carbohydrates, proteins and fibre which together can give us  the health benefits of what we are eating . It is exactly what this recipe does and this recipe I got from my uncle.
These bars have used whey powder as the main ingredient, whey is full protein. You can add what ever nuts, you like to this recipe. I like home made bars because you can make them fresh and also we know what we add in them, and make them to our liking.
It is very economical too as these bars are expensive to buy.


Ingredients:
1 cup Rolled oats its important to use the right kind of ingredient to get optimal results, so use steel cut or rolled oats.
1/4 cup Whey powder , this is available in health food or grocery store too. It is the protein content
1/4 cup mixed nuts
1/4 cup flax seeds for the fibre
1/4 cup  golden raisin
1/2 cup skim milk or Almond milk is good too.
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup peanut butter 

Ingredients

Soaked Oats

Mixture 

Ready mixture in foil

Ready protein bars

Protein bars 

Method:
1.Soak rolled oats in 1/2 cup water ,overnight or for at least 6 to 8 hours.
Next day, add skim milk to the soaked oats, and microwave for  2 to 3 minutes, till the appear soft. Next follow step 3.
This will make the bars  soft and chewy, if you want the uncooked type go to step 2 directly.
2. In a medium bowl add in almond/skim milk, add whey powder ,stir with a spoon and add in oats, honey,nuts and  flax seeds, and peanut butter. Stir this mixture together and pour into a flat container, lined with parchment or silver foil and refrigerate overnight or 4 to 6 hours. Remove from foil and cut into bars.
3. Add in whey powder,nuts, and honey. Mix in flax seeds and raisins and mix  it all together, store in a container. Have a tablespoon full of this mixture  and get protein and  energy before   your workouts. You can form them into bars or  round balls.
Whey is nothing else but liquid that is obtained from curdling milk, It  is complete protein, like meat ,eggs ,dairy , and vegetables.

Chocolate chip cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are a favorite of many of us and when they are home made they get even better.
This recipe is from the original basic recipe by Nestle for making chocolate chip cookies, with a slight variation, that we have omitted nuts and used semisweet chocolate morsels, that is the main ingredient of a chocolate chip cookie.
Another advantage of making these cookies at home is the whole house gets perfumed with the fragrance of chocolate and you know they are ready . My daughter makes the best Chocolate cakes and cookies, they are so good, that there aren't any left overs :)))
So dig in the recipe and make some of these for your self and for your loved ones and watch their smiles light up..

 Ingredients
2 cups All purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 sticks butter
1 tspn vanilla essence
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 tspn whole milk
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups semi sweet chocolate morsels(I like to use Toll house Nestle brand)

Chocolate chip cookies 

Home baked cookies

Method.
Pre heat oven to 375 degrees F and grease and line with parchment paper the cookie sheet.
1. In a mixing bowl , cream the butter and sugars together , using a wooden spoon or electric  hand mixer until smooth. Next add in the eggs, one by one and continue to mix to incorporate the eggs.
2. Combine sieved flour , salt and baking powder and ad this to the creamed mixture gradually. Add in 1 tblsp warmed  milk and vanilla essence.
Next stir in the chocolate morsels. Using a spoonful drop little rounds of dough onto un greased cookie sheet, making sure to keep an inch of distance between them. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until they appear crisp on the edges and slight golden colour.
After they are done remove from oven and allow to cool on the wire rack or on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes. Chocolate chip cookies go great with milk or just by themselves.

French crepes

When we think of France it just captures our imagination and makes  us imagine of petite beautiful things, well crepes is also among those things. They not only are great to look at but are great tasting and a treat for our taste buds!!
The other day we got this treat from our sweetie pie daughter who made them at home and what a pretty display that I just couldn't resist sharing this  recipe and pictures of these crepes and its perfect for a holiday morning breakfast or brunch, also as a desert.
Crepes are like very thin pancakes and made from flour batter, that has flour, milk, eggs and we like to add vanilla essence . Crepes are eaten sweet or savoury.
This recipe are sweet crepes. 

Ingredients 

1 cup Flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4  tspn vanilla essence
1 tspn sugar
1/4 tspn salt
1 tbsp white butter melted
1 cup blueberries
1 cup strawberries or raspberries
1/2 cup jelly of your choice
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup store bought whipped cream

Method

1.In  a medium bowl milk together, flour, with salt, gradually add in the eggs and  milk.
Next add sugar ,salt and vanilla essence,continue to mix to form a smooth batter.
Finally add in  melted butter and stir together.
2.Heat a flat 8 inch non stick griddle over medium heat. Pour 1/4 th of batter into the pan tilting to  to cover the base of the pan. Cook for 2 minutes and flip once until it turns golden.Repeat with remaining batter till all crepes are ready.
For filling , you can fill with ingredients of your choice, like some like nutella spread onto  warm crepes and some like jelly spread Add berries and whipped cream. Enjoy the smoothness of crepes and the goodness of fruits to make it the perfect sweet treat.

                                                                           

                                                                     

                                                                                

Batter

Making Individual crepes  

 Crepes 

French Crepes

Paani Poori Chaat

Paani  poori is a popular chaat (snack food) . Paani is a Hindi word for water and poori is the term used for little round discs of Indian dough deep fried. Also known as gol gappas, they are sure to win the interests of your friends and guests , and will have them wanting for some more:)))

Ingredients (This quantity is for good for 5 to 6 persons)

3 bunches of fresh mint leaves

2 bunches of fresh coriander leaves 

2 inch fresh ginger

2 tspn salt

2 tspn Black salt (also called Kala Namak)
1 tsp Chaat masala powder 

3 to 4 small green chillies 

2 tspn cumin seeds 
1 lemon 

4 to 5 cups  cold water

1/4 cup tamarind paste  
2 tbsp sugar 
2 pack of store bought ready pooris

                                                     

Grind in the mixer

Strain the ready paani 

Paani poori

Method (preparing paani poori water)

1.Clean the leaves of mint and coriander and wash thoroughly  to remove any  dirt from  leaves.

2.Using a blender, grind the leaves, together with cumin seeds, chopped ginger, green chillies, lemon juice, salt, tamarind paste and 3 to 4 cups of cold water. Next, add black salt and chaat powder and check for taste. Keep this mixture back in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. After that , strain the water and taste for salt, and if it is less add some black salt or chaat masala. This is the paani poor water,s tore it back in the refrigerator for about 2 to 3 hours and enjoy with store bought pooris and potato mixture.

For Potato filling

2 medium size potatoes boiled and peeled

1 cup Tamarind chutney ( ready available in Indian store) or you can look up my blog for a recipe of home made tamarind chutney.

Method 
1. Boil the potatoes fully, cool them and peel the skin of the potatoes, mix them with 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp chaat powder, 1/4 tsp red chilli powder and keep aside.

Assembling the dish 

1. Pooris are very delicate and crisp, using a spoon, crack the top of the poori to make a little opening. Now fill each  poori with like 1/4 tsp  potato filling. To this stir and add in paani poori water and then about 1/4 tsp tamarind chutney (for the sweetness) Continue the same way , with the other pooris and serve immediately.

Other fillings:
If you don't fancy potatoes you can alternately add sprouted moong, or boiled garbanzo beans, instead.