Shrikhand

A little something about today’s sweet dish…..

Shrikhand is an Indian dessert made of strained yogurt. It is one of the main desserts in Maharashtrian cuisine. The yogurt is tied and hung until all the water has drained off, the result being a thick and creamy strained yogurt. Cardamom & sugar is added to it.

To make another popular dessert known as amrakhand just add mango pulp or freshly chopped mangoes to the shrikhand & adjust the sweetness & a yummy dessert is ready .Both these desserts can be eaten on their own or can be served with puris. Amrakhand is usually made in the summers in mango season when there are plenty of alphanso mangoes arround.

Ingredients

1/2 kg. curds
250 gms. sugar(as per taste)
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
few strands saffron
1/2 tbsp. pistachio,cashews, almond crushed

Procedure

1. Tie curd in a clean muslin cloth overnight (i used 1 can of biopot natural set yogurt)

2.Once the water is drained take the thick curd (chakka) into a bowl, add sugar and mix.

3. Keep aside for 25-30 minutes to allow sugar to dissolve.

4. Beat well till sugar has fully dissolved into curd.

5. Mix in cardamom powder and dissolved saffron and half nuts.

6. Chill for 1-2 hours before serving.This sweet dish goes well with puris.

Thalipeeth

It is a multi-grain mildly spiced flat bread, very nutritious & tasty.

The recipes for thalipeeth varies from kitchen to kitchen, I am giving you my away from home adopted version here.

In Maharashtra, a particular flour mixture called "bhajani" is widely used to make thalipeeth, which consists of many different types of roasted grains,spices & pulses.

Wheat, rice, corn, bajra, jowar, millet some dals like chickpeas, moong & spices like coriander seeds, are added together roasted & ground to have a typical aromatic flour. This flour is prepared in large quantities & stored & can be used as required. This same flour is also used to make bhajniche vadde.

At home thalipeeth is usually accompanied by matkich ussal, dahi(curd),loni (butter)& loncha?(pickle)!

This can be had as a main meal or as breakfast dish or just as a tea time snack on its own without any accompaniments !!In olden days this used to be a favorite travel snack as it stays good for 2-3 days.

Hope u enjoy it.

INGREDIENTS

2 Cups rice flour
1 Cup gram flour
1/4 Cup wheat flour/all purpose flour
1 & 1/2 Cup of finely chopped onions
1tsp. garlic paste
3 green chillies
1tsp. jeera
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
Cilantro/coriander (finely chopped)
Oil
Salt as required

Procedure

1. Take a large bowl, put all the above ingredients into it and mix them well.
2. While mixing, add appropriate quantity of water to form smooth and stiff dough.
3. Form small balls from this dough. Take a large cotton cloth or kerchief / thick plastic bag greased with tsp. of oil and flatten a ball on the foil to get the shape of roti with wet hand (this will avoid the dough sticking to your hand).
4. Pre-heat a non-stick pan on the stove with 1 tsp. of Oil.
5. Now place thekerchief on the pan, with the dough on the pan surface and the kerchief facing upwards.
6. Gently peelout the kerchief and let the dough to cook till it becomes light brown on both sides.
7. Repeat the same for the rest. Serve it with butter, curds & pickle.

Gajaracha halwa

Today's recipe is gajracha halwa!! As soon as you say the word you almost can visualize hindi movie mom's or heroines,telling the hero that they have made their favourite dessert!! But for me the memory which floods to my mind with gajar ka halwa is a very touchy one...
it was when i was in my last term of MBBS my marriage had been fixed !!! I had my results after my engagement but before the marriage my mother in law had come to congratulate me for passing with flying colours with home made Gajaracha halwa & gulabjamun's!!!
Both me & my parents were so touched by the gesture.....Even today whenever i make gajar ka halwa i feel very senti....& unknowingly it brings a tear or two it's sure we have a long distance chat that day!!!!
Now enough of my touchy story here's the recipe for gajar halwa from my mother in law, Hope you enjoy it the way we both have enjoyed.

Ingredients

1 kg carrots grated

1 cup cream or 1 bowl of khoya

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp cardamom powder

3 tsp raisins

15- 20 cashews

4 tsp ghee

Procedure

1. Heat ghee in a nonstick frying pan.
2. Add Grated carrots to the pan. Cover it with a lid & keep stirring in between till the carrots are cooked.
3. Now add cream, and heat for about an hour, stirring, and lowering the heat after the mixture starts boiling.
4. Cook until dry.
5. Add sugar & keep stirring & continue to cook until dry.
6. Add cashews and raisins and cardamoms; let it cool & halwa’s ready to eat

(If adding khava/ khoya once the carrots are cooked add the khoya/khava stir & mix properly cook for 1- 2 minutes add sugar & continue as above)

Mattha

Mattha or Chhach as its called in orth india is an Indian drink made from buttermilk-" taak" as we call it in marathi (usually a byproduct while making homemade butter). So we can also call it spiced buttermilk.Its a cooling drink & often served during hot summers in india.Mattha is a part of maharashtrian wedding feast along with jalebi & masale bhat!
It is a healthy drink generally served before or after a meal, though it can also be drunk with the meal, and it is thought to help with digestion.It is a home remedy for soothing an upset stomach because it has lactobacilli -friendly bacteria.

Ingredients

2 cups curd/ yogurt or 3 cups of buttermilk

1 teaspoon chilli-ginger paste

2 curry leaves

2 tablespoons sugar (as per taste)

2 tablespoons chopped coriander

Salt to taste

For the tempering

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

a pinch asafetida

2 teaspoons ghee

Procedure

1. Add the chilli-ginger paste, curry leaves, sugar and salt to the buttermilk (if using curd/yogurt add 1-2 cups of water to make instant buttermilk though it wont give the same taste something is always better than nothing!!).
2. Prepare the tempering by heating the ghee and frying the cumin and mustard seeds until they turn brown. Add the asafoetida .
3. Add the tempering to the buttermilk and stir well .
4. Sprinkle coriander on top and serve cold.

Chatpatta moong

Today I am adding a very healthy chatpatta moong recipe hope u like it & enjoy it too.

Something about sprouting first,Sprouting is the practice of soaking, beans until they germinate and begin to sprout, One of the most common sprouts we get in India is that of the moong & matki beans

Moisture, warmth, and in most cases, indirect sunlight are necessary for sprouting. Some sprouts, such as mung beans, can be grown in the dark

Sprouting increases the nutrient value, and digestibility of beans. Sprouts have the maximum amount of nutrients per calorie as compared to any other food so is supposed to be the healthiest of all. This is why many people on a low-calorie diet include sprouts in their diet.
Little time, effort & space is needed to make sprouts.

This is how I sprout my moong,

1. To sprout them, soak them in water for 7-8 hours. Drain all the water and tie them up in a muslin cloth & keep it in a warm place away from sunlight. (As done in most homes in India)
2. Another way to sprout them is to keep them in a closed casserole. Soak the beans for 12 hours and then drain the water. Now put them in the casserole and close it tightly.(I usually keep this in a oven) The sprouting time is usually 12 to 24 hours depending on the variety of beans.
   
3. Rinse the sprouted beans well to remove odour

How sprouted Beans can be Used???????
These beans can be steam cooked and used as a substitute for dal’s /channa and added to curries and sambar. There are a lot of Indian recipes which can be made using them like missal pav, mood aalelya moongachi umtti,ussal Or they can be used raw in salads, chats too. Adding sprouts to chats is the best way to feed sprouts to the kiddies.

Ingredients:

1 cup Sprouted moong

1/2 cup finely chopped onions

1/2 cup finely chopped tomatoes

1/4 cup finely chopped coriander

1/2 tsp chat masala

1/2 tsp lime juice

1/2 tsp sugar

Salt for taste

Procedure:

1. In a bowl mix sprouted moong onions, tomatoes & coriander.
2. Add chat masala, sugar ,limejuice & salt
3. Its ready to eat!this can be eaten just like that at anytime or can be served as a koshimbir in vegeterian lunches.

1. 

Dahyatle Batate/Potato in curd gravy

There are innumerable ways of cooking potatoes, right from a simple boiled potato, potato mash to jacket potatoes to our Indian potato subji in masala dosas’s & many more. Basically all I wanted to mention is that it is a versatile vegetable goes with anything & everything !!
Today I am posting a healthy nutritious yet yummy potato dish .Dahyatle Batate or Potatoes in curd gravy - potatoes cooked in mildly spiced yogurt gravy.
I really like the thick gravy texture & wonderfully sweet-spicy-tangy tastes blended together.
This goes well with rotis naans or plain white rice.

Ingredients:
3 medium potatoes boiled, peeled& cubed.
4-5 tsp curd or yogurt beaten
1/2 tsp red paprika powder (to enhance the color)
1-2 green chilies as per taste(finely chopped)
1 tsp freshly ground coriander seed powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp kasoori methi
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp gram flour
1 1/4 cup water (approximately)
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Procedure

1. Mix ginger, paprika, turmeric, chopped chilies, coriander powder & sugar in beaten curd. Mix it thoroughly & keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan, Add cumin when it splutters, add the gram flour & stir till it turns golden brown.
3. Now add the curd mixture & stir continuously on a medium flame till the mixture starts leaving oil, it takes approximately 1 minute.
4. Add some water at this stage & allow it to cook for a minute or so. Stir continuously after adding the curd or else it curdles.
5. Add the cubed potatoes& stir well.
6. Boil & let it simmer for 5-6minutes, now add the kasoori methi & salt.(always remember to add salt at last when the gravi is curd based)
7. Let it cook for a couple of minutes adjust the consistency by adding water.
8. Serve hot with chappaties and plain rice.

Aloo Tikkis

I think all of the chaat corner dishes are going to be street foods so was thinking of changing the name into streetfood corner ! Now here’s another spicy, chatpatta comforting street food “aloo tikki”.

Aloo tikki is nothing but potato cutlets which are pan fried patties ,with a crispy exterior and soft ,spicy interior . Chaatwala bhaiya’s usually serve aloo tikki with green spicy chutney, tangy tamarind (emli khajoor ) chutney sprinkled with fine sev.

Aloo Tikki can be served in a number of ways, the typical way is as said above another way is to cut the tikki’s into halves drizzle some green chutney than some emli khajoor chutney and than pour some beaten curd then sprinkle some fine save,finely chopped onion & coriander .Now that's what I would say my version of a hard to resist , mouthwatering & lip smacking aloo tikki. In some places I have even tasted aloo tikki served with channa masala that too is very fulfilling! I did try it out but liked the other one better!!

I can still remember the chaatwala bhaiya’s portable stall his style of making aloo tikki on a hot tava, the sizzling grizzling sound of the tikkis left to crisp’n up the aroma…..mmmmm yummy ! So now’s the time to make some aloo tikki’s here’s my recipe

Ingredients:

3-4 Potatoes,boiled & mashed,
1/2 cup boiled peas
1bread slices crumbled & mashed with little water
2green chillies very finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp cuminseeds coarsely crushed
1 tbsp thick emli khajoor chutney
1/2 cup coriander finely chopped
1/2 tsp of chaat masala
1/2 cup thick beaten curd/ plain yogurt
1/2 cup of finely chopped onions & corriander
Salt to taste
1 cup of bread crumbs
Oil for frying

Procedure:

1. Mix mashed bread & potatoes properly
2. Add peas,chopped green chillies, cumin powder, thick emli khajoor chutney coriander chaat masala & salt.
3. Mix thoroughly. Now make cutlets of desired size n shape
4. Coat each one of them separately in bread crumbs
5. Now shallow fry them till they are golden brown in colour & crispy.
6. Serve hot chatpatta crispy aloo tikki.
7. Cut the tikki’s into halves drizzle some green chutney than some emli khajoor chutney and than pour some beaten curd then sprinkle some fine save,finely chopped onion & coriander

Shabudana wada

Today I am posting the recipe of one of my hubby’s favorite dish- Shabudana wada it is my younger brother’s favorite too. The only difference is that as we both are staying together so my hubby enjoys shabudana wada’s often but my younger brother staying alone in a faraway country only has this dish once a year whenever he visits home for his vacation. My mom makes sure to make shabudana wada’s every Thursday (they all have a fast on Thursday) till my younger bro is there.

So a little tit- bit about shabudana first

Shabu or sabudan or sago used in Indian cooking, especially as a light-meal choice for sankasti, ekadasi & for all fasting days. Sabudana" is the Marathi word for white pearl like beads of sago. Sabudana is called "javvu arisi" in Tamil and "saggu biyyam" in Telugu.

In India especially in maharashtra shabudana is most commonly used in fasting dishes, such as shabudana khichdi ,shabudana wada , shabudana thlipeeth or even shabudana kheer. In summers I remember my mother making shabudana sandge(small wafers ) which are dried & stored & fried in oil on fasting occasions

Shabudana "pearls/grains" look like tapioca. The white pearl like beads of sago and tapioca look identical. But they are from quite different sources. Tapioca is processed from the cassava plant, while sago is obtained from the sago palm.

Here's How to soak shabudana for using in various dishes

In most of the dishes every pearl like bead of shabudana has to be separate, it's essential that you don't over-soak it, or it will turn out like a sticky gluey paste & spoil the whole dish.

Shabudana has to be washed once in cold water, then drained. Water is then poured over the sago until the water just reaches the surface of the sago, and is left, covered, for 3-4 hours. It will completely soak up all the water, double in size, and become separate fluffy & soft to touch.

Ingredients:

Sabudana (soaked in water as mentioned above) 1cup
Boiled Potatoes 1 medium
shengdaanyacha koot (roasted peanut powder) 4 tbsp
corriander chopped 1 tsp
chilies (as per taste)
Cumin 1 tsp
Sugar 1tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Procedure:

1. To make Shabudana wadas, it is really very important that the shabudana is soaked properly.
2. Mix cumin, salt, sugar, coriander, chilies & grind into a coarse paste without using water(use 1tsp of water if needed)- green paste.
3. Mash the boiled potato and add to the soaked shabudana.
4. Add roasted peanut powder, the green coarse paste and knead together gently.
5. Check for taste.
6. Now, make small round flat patties or wadas.
7. Fry in oil till golden brown.
8. Serve hot with coconut chutney.

So here's another peek at those shabuana wada's with coconut chutney!!

Prawns curry

Prawns cooked in thick and a bit spicy coconut-tomato gravy. An absolute favorite at my home, served with bhakri either tandalachi or jondhlyachi!!, plain boiled rice aani dahi kanda!!

Whenever my mom use to cook this dish, we could make out that we are having prawns curry for dinner right from our rooms …..Yeah the aroma! It just use to tickle our tastebuds & we use to be hungry before dinnertime!! My brother use to taste it even before dinner! The dish being his all time favourite .Mom use to make two types of prawns curries –I am giving one of the recipes with full details while for the other one you just need to substitute tomatoes with amsool , curry leaves, mustard & coriander seed powder & the newer version is ready

Ingredients:

1/2 kg Prawns de shelled & de veined
1 cup grated coconut
1 finely chopped onion

1/2 cup coriander finely chopped

1tsp kolhapuri kala tikhat masala

1/2 turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala

2big ripe red tomatoes chopped

1/2 tsp ginger parlic paste

Oil to cook
Salt as per taste

Procedure:

1. Mix grated coconut, tomatoes, ginger garlic paste & coriander in a blender& grind to a very smooth paste.
2. Heat oil in a pan & fry onions till they turn golden brown.
3. Add prawns and fry for 2 – 3 minutes (till the prawns become white in color, this enhances the aroma & taste of the curry).
4. Now add turmeric powder, garam masala & kolhapuri kala tikhat masala mix it well & fry it for a minute or so.
5. Now add the coconut tomato paste.
6. Finally add salt and sufficient water to make the desired consistency.
7. Cook until prawns are completely done.
8. Serve hot with bhakri & hot steaming white rice.

Baked Fish

Fish, especially saltwater fish, is high in Omega 3 fatty acids, which are heart-friendly; it has less fat content and so nutritionist recommend a regular diet of fish compared to all the other meats.

Fish can be prepared in a variety of ways, including curries, baking, frying, and grilling.

Ingredients:

2 Fresh medium sized trout’s (de scaled & cleaned)

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp ginger garlic paste

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp freshly crushed pepper

1 small potato cut into rings (medium thick)

7-8 cherry tomatoes

2tsp chopped onions

1 lemon cut into rings

2-3 strings of coriander

Salt to taste

1. Choose an appropriate size baking dish into which you can fit the trout and still have room of about half an inch around the fish.
2. Mix the ginger garlic paste, chili powder, salt & lemon juice & spread it evenly on the fish including the inside & let it marinate for 1 hour in the fridge.
3. Now arrange the fish, potato rings, cherry tomatoes, lemon rings, and onion in the baking dish.
4. Sprinkle freshly crushed pepper, coriander leaves & some salt.
5. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in a 325 degree oven until done. If not sure whether its done check it with a fork.
6. Serve Hot .Outstandingly Delicious & yet easy to make!!!

Dahi wade

''Dahi'' means yogurt in Marathi and ''wade'' means round flat dumplings made from udit dal.Combine it together & u get today's recipe the soothing dahi wade!!

Dahi wade is a very cooling dish and I usually make a lot of dahi wada's during the summer. Most of the times I make medu wade’s/ udit wade’s the previous day & dahi wade’s of the left over batter in the evenings or the next day!!
The usual menu that goes along with dahi wade’s in my kitchen is by teaming it up with something spicy either bhel or ragda puri/sev puri .This time we had medu wade & rassam in the morning & dahi wade’s for dinner a special sunday treat!!

Ingredients for the vadas
2 cups udad dal soaked for about 3-4 hours
salt to taste

Oil for frying

Procedure

1. Grind the udad dal into a fine paste, do not add too much water to it.The batter should be thick.
2. Now add salt to it &Fry the wadas
3. Put the wada’s immediately in a bowl of cold water & leave them in water for 5- 10 minutes then squeeze the water out & put them in the dahi mixture.

For the dahi mixture

Ingredients:

1 can of stirred yogurt

1/2 tsp of cumin powder

1/4tsp black salt

2tsp sugar

Salt to taste

1/2tsp red chili powder for garnishing

1/2tsp cumin powder for garnishing

Chopped coriander for garnishing (optional)

Procedure:

1. Take 2-3 cups of dahi and churn a little till all lumps are broken or best is get 1 can of stirred yogurt.
2. Add cumin powder, sugar salt & black salt to it & mix it well.
3. Now add the squeezed wade’s to this dahi mixture (wada’s should be dipped in the dahi mixture) & let it marinate in the fridge for atleast a minimum of 4 hours!
4. Ideal way to do is do this in the mornings & serve it in the evenings or for dinner during summers!

Lemon Rice

I remember the times when I was working in India, my mom used to have all food cooked and ready by the time I was home.

Well, now that I am no longer privileged to have readymade meals all cooked & served waiting for me being all grown up married & so far away from home – I always tend to cook recipes that don’t require me to chop a lot or to have a constant eye while cooking. This lemon rice is one such dish and I got this recipe from a Bachelor friend of my hubby. Its so easy all you need is some left-over cooked rice and everyday ingredients in ur kitchen. Most of us one time or the other would have made this recipe. Nothing new about it.

Here's my version of simple yet delicious Super Fast lemon rice!

Ingredients:

Juice of 1 big lemon
Cooked Rice-2cups
Oil-1 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Fresh Green Or Dry Red Chilies 2 /3
Mustard -1/2 tsp
Cumin -1/2 tsp
Curry leaves
Chopped coriander
Fresh grated coconut
Roasted groundnuts
Cashew nuts
Sugar 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add the Mustard when it starts to splutter, add the Urud Dal.
2. When the Dal turns light brown put in the cumin.
3. Now add the chilies, Curry leaves and turmeric Powder and turn off the heat completely. Immediately, add lemon juice and salt, Stir well.
4. Now mix the rice gently in the seasoning until the rice turns yellow.
5. Now add the cashews, groundnuts & stir well.
6. Mix well for equal distribution of the seasoning and garnish with chopped coriander.
7. Serve it with Papad/Chips& mango pickele, tastes yummy.
8. It’s a great dish for breakfast or a quick meal after a long day but you can carry it for ur picnics as well

Vaangya che bharit (Baingan ka bharta)/spicy baked & mashed eggplant

Today’s recipe is vaangyache bharit very popularly known as “baingan ka bharta”all over India, but more specifically in the north of India, it’s called vankaaya pachadi in Andhra ,vaangya che bharit in kolhapur & yenne badnekayi in karnataka. The flavour of the roasted brinjal/egg plant is very unique it's authentically supposed to be roasted on coal (kolsha chi chul). Out of the different varieties of brinjals , usually big round green -white brinjals are used to prepare vaangyache bharit but I make do with the big aubergines we get in the super markets. Vaangya che bharit is usually served with jowar bhakri in most of the homes in Kolhapur, but the dish goes well with bajri or rice bhakri or even naan,phulka & chapatti.




Ingredients:
1 medium Baigan (eggplant/ aubergines)
2 finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp Red chili powder
3 tsp roasted peanuts
1 tbsp Vegetable oil
2 tsp Chopped coriander
2tsp grated coconut
Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Pierce the baigan (eggplant) with a fork all around at least prick it 10- 15 times,than brush it with oil and roast it on a gas burner over medium heat or bake it oven at 450 degrees for 15- 20 minutes.
• Turn the eggplant upside down inbetween, until fully roasted.
• Prick a knife & check if it’s done once done, keep it covered under a pan or in a pan placing the lid, this will help to loosen the skin.Cool it and peel off the darkened skin.
• Mash the flesh of baigan (eggplant).
• Mix in the finely chopped onions,grated coconut & coriander.
• Add red roasted peanuts, chili powder, salt & oil.
• Mix thoroughly & vaangya che bharit is ready to eat.
  This time we had it with naan & it was superb, hope you like it too.At home the roasted peanuts are replaced with tender fresh green peas or tender fresh green chickpeas(harbaryache dane) depending on the season, but have to do with the peanuts for the timebeing :)

Ragda dahi sev puri

Time for a bit of introduction to today’s recipe – as I have described in my previous post in chat corner, chaat is really the Mumbai word for sweet n’ spicy - basically it refers to dishes where a number of chatpatta ingredients are thrown in together & are binded up with sweet n’khatti emli khajoor chutney ,chatpatta pani, crispy spicy bits like sev farsan & puri’s.
When we were staying in elgin there were no Indian stores around, we always had to travel quite a long distance to buy Indian food stuff. Perfect time for me to come up with some new experiments.
It was a long time since we had panipuri & I was desperate to have some….I had tortilla chips, chaat masala, dates & tamarind at home ,I thought of throwing in something chatpatta together so I made some emli khajoor chutney ,when I started arranging the tortilla chips in the plate it striked me that I cud use them as flat puri’s & make dahi sev puri or ragda puri & when I put up everything together I had my own version of ragda dahi sev puri! & it was an instant hit with both of us. Since then we have this atleast once a week & I am so glad we don’t have to wait for a holiday to go out to have pani puri!This is my recipe for a really mouth-watering ragda dahi sev puri .

Ingredients:
Tortilla chips / flat puris- 1 pack
1/2 cup of fine sev
1 cup of very finely chopped onions
1 cup of finely chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup of finely chopped coriander
1/2 cup of channa or potato mixture(recipe in previous chat corner posts)
1/4 cup of emli khajur chutney(recipe in previous chat corner posts)
1/4 cup of green chutney
1/2 glass of chatpatta pani(recipe in previous chat corner posts)
1/4 cup of roasted groundnuts
2tsp of tomato ketchup
2tsp of thick curd


Procedure:

• Arrange the tortillas or flat puris in a single layer.
• Spread the hot potato or channa mixture on it.
• Now sprinkle the chopped onions & tomatoes over it.
• Now drizzle it with green chutney (optional)followed by emli khajur chutney.
• Spread the curd sparsely on top of it.
• Sprinkle sev/Bombay mix & coriander
• Sprinkle some groundnuts .
• Now pour some generous amount of chatpatta pani on it.
• And its ready to eat!

Kanda Bhajji

Kanda bhajji is the most popular street food but is also found on the menu’s of most of the restaurants in Maharashtra as well as India but with different names.
It’s called bhajji in Maharashtra, pakora in north India & bonda in south India. There are many varieties in it.
Number of vegetables = Number of bhajji’s/ pakora/ bonda’s!
Aloo pakora(batata bhajji), kanda bhajji, palak pakora, egg pakora, eggplant pakora!just use your imagination be creative & you can have a platter full of variety of bhajji’s or pakora's.
Chaha aani batata bhajji is my favourite snack on a rainy day!

Rains- in India, have always meant unlimited joys to me, sparkling rainwater glazing our faces, jumping into puddles, playing in the rain, wet clothes,cold breezes …than a hot shower & then a strong desire to have something that is piping hot!! crunchy, munchy, steaming hot- chai & pakoras! With your favourite old melodies of hindi songs in the background! Oh I miss India so much .… though we get rain here all the year round its nothing compared to the romantic rains in india; )
Infact, garam garam chai & pakora is the favourite snack for many Indians & is always found in all college canteens in India. Today I am posting the recipe for kanda bhajji it's my hubby’s favourite pakora
Infact you can also serve these bhajji's /pakora's as appetizers! the important thing is to enjoy it!

Ingredients:

3 medium onions sliced thinly & lengthwise

3/4 - 1 cup chickpea flour (besan)

1/4 cup finely chopped coriander

1/2 tsp chili powder1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tsp rice flour(makes the bhajji more crispy)

salt to taste

2-3 pinches of sugar

Oil for deep-frying

Procedure:

• In a medium sized bowl mix onions & coriander .


• Sprinkle salt & sugar over it & keep aside for 10 minutes or till it starts leaving water.


• Now add chili powder, turmeric & rice flour.


• Do not add water. The water given out by the onion mixture is enough.


• Now add the besan only as much as to coat the onions.(I have just give the approximate quantity of besan that may be required) .Mix thoroughly.


• Heat oil in a pan .


• Gently drop small lumps of batter (approx.1tsp of batter) in hot oil. Be very careful when you do this!


• Deep fry on medium heat till the bhajji turns golden brown.Drain on paper towels & remove excess oil.


• Serve hot with your favourite chutney or tomato ketchup.
  

Tomato Rice

It was a very long lazing around day, shopping, visiting friends & when we were back home evening had rolled around, & I was too tired to cook anything elaborate. So thought I'll make something instant with the leftover plain rice!!

Left-over rice is always a great start to make new varieties of rice such as lemon rice, tamarind rice, curd rice or even Chinese fried rice! Another one which we both like is tomato rice.

So here’s my recipe for tangy mildly spicy tomato rice!


Ingredients:

2 cup leftover rice
1 inch piece cinnamons stick
2 cloves
2- 3 bay leaves
2 cardamoms
3-4 whole black peppers
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1tsp udit dal
1 small onion cut length wise
2 tomatoes cut length wise
1/4 tsp chili powder
2 tsp of coriander finely chopped
8-10 broken cashew nuts
2 tsp oil
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp sugar

Procedure

• Heat oil in a pan .
• Sauté cinnamons stick, cloves, cardamom, udit dal,cumin,cashews & bay leaves.
• When you get the aroma add onions, fry until they are light golden brown, add tomatoes and fry until it becomes soft.
• Now add salt sugar & chili powder & sauté it for another minute or 2.
• Add the rice & stir properly till the rice is well coated with the mixture.
• Cook with the lid for few more minutes on low heat till the moisture is absorbed.
• Once the rice is cooked, check for salt and adjust as per your taste.
• Now garnish it with coriander & its ready to eat.
  

Ravya chi kheer

I don’t really have a sweet tooth nor is my hubby keen on having sweets & desserts, but once in a while we get an urge for a traditional dessert.

Cakes, pastries, truffles, custards, tarts, paulav & other western sweets and desserts are very delicious(I like them too ; ), but the rich creamy sweetness of kheer, gulabjamuns , rasgullas ,shrikhand is altogether different, all of them bring good sweet memories of home!

Dessert as such is not an Indian concept rather we have sweet dishes! In the sense that sweets aren’t served after the end of a meal – instead they are always part of the Indian meal. (shrikhand puri, halwa puri! Kheer chapatti, puran poli ! !)
Out of the large variety of indian sweets kheer is the simplest of all
And best part of all, is that it uses ingredients that can be found in most of the Indian kitchens at any given time!
Now something about kheer- Kheer is essentially a sweet dish made from a main ingredient like rava /shevaya /rice /carrots/almonds cooked in milk and sugar; it is usually flavored with some cardamom, nutmeg & saffron. Dry fruits like- cashews, almonds, raisins are added to put that extra elegance & richness to the dish. . Best part of it for me is the aroma - warm, sweet& inviting.

I am posting a simple but very tasty , easy to cook, quick to make recipe of kheer - Since rava / suji is so easily cooked, there was no need for soaking, grinding, reducing anything.
This tastes yummy when it is warm as well as cold.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rava/ suji/ cream of wheat

1- 2tsp ghee

1 litre milk

7-8 cashews broken into pieces

7-8pistachios thinly sliced

7 -8 almonds thinly sliced

2 tsp raisins

10- 11 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder, nutmeg powder

Some saffron strands

Procedure:

• Melt ghee in pan, add rava & fry until it gives aroma (golden brown colour).
• Add milk to the rava & simmer until liquid has been reduced by 3/4 to half.
• Add sugar and cook until dissolved. Add the nuts and simmer for a few minutes. Adjust sweetness as per taste.
• Add Cardamom powder, nutmeg powder
• Remove from heat and garnish with saffron. Serve warm or cold.

Try out this and do let me know.

Misal pav

The spicy curry of sprouted beans. It’s easy to cook, nourishing & also delicious to taste! Most commonly prepared misal is made with tiny brown beans called matki or "moth", available in most of the Indian stores. Though small amounts of other sprouted beans are also added in the traditional version of misal. In this recipe I’ll be adding only the beans I had at home. I am adding a picture of matki, in its dry form & after being soaked 4-5 hours and then sprouted in a damp cloth kept in the oven(or you can place it in a warm place) overnight.

Kolhapur is very famous for misal pav; there are certain restaurants which serve just misal pav for atleast 2-3 generations now! Its also a popular street snack along with vada pav all over maharashtra. (Belive it or not I am properly from kolhapur so the recipe is of assal kolhapuri misal ! !)

I remember eating misal pav near our medical college in bavda all 14 of us, my whole batch had gone together after returning from our trip to Amboli & the small restaurant had turned into chaos we had a lot of fun chatting & eating at the same time it was a great time. Some of us our still in touch while others have dispersed but we all have this memory to share, hope at least one of them reads this & we get in touch again!

Ingredients:
2 bowls sprouted matki
1/4 bowl vatana sprouted (Peas)
1/4 bowl sprouted kidney Beans
1/4 bowl sprouted groundnuts
1/4 bowl sprouted masoor (lentils)
1 Potato peeled & cubed
1 onions finely chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1 1/2 tsp of kolhapuri kala tikhat masala
(or u can use 1/2 tsp garam masala +1tsp red chili powder + 1tsp fried onion garlic paste+1/2 tsp roasted dried coconut powder, some sesame seeds mix them together in a blender & instant kolhapuri kala masala is ready actually you can make it in large amount & store for 3-4 months)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1tsp powdered jaggery
1/2 tsp tamarind pulp
Grinded paste of4tsp coconut & 1 tomato
4-5 curry leaves
Oil for cooking
Bread
Salt as per taste

To garnish:
1 onion finely chopped
1 tomatofinely chopped
1 cup finely chopped Corainder
1 bowl farsan,shev,chivda

1/2 cup fresh coconut grated
Procedure:

• Heat oil in a large pan. Add curry leaves and onions & fry them till light golden brown.
• Now add the coconut tomato paste n sauté for a few minutes.
• Now add the turmeric powder & kolhapuri kala thikhat masala, mix it properly & sauté it for another min or two.
• Add all the sprouted beans & cubed potatoes.
• Keep stirring it, add jaggery & tamarind pulp.
• Finally add 5-6 cups of boiling water & cover with a lid til it comes to a boil.
• Now simmer till the sprouts are tender and the potatoes are cooked.
• Adjust as per your taste by adding jaggery/salt/or chili powder as needed.
• Serve steaming hot along with bread or pav.

Usually at home my mother arranges/serves the misal for all of us & so do I do it now!

• Take a ladle full of misal in a bowl, now put the chopped onions tomatoes , coriander, farsan in any order finally sprinkle some grated coconut & serve with bread/ pav & a slice of lemon.

But you can let everyone have their own misal style as per their taste, just keep the finely chopped onions, tomatoes, coriander, sev / chivda / farsan in the middle.
In kolhapur the misal is always served with an extremely spicy curry called "cutt" but I have totally omitted it as I thaught it might be too spicy for all of us!!

Chilled honey coated Galia melon

Last time I got this melon from the super stores for the first time& we both just loved it so this time I thought why not try something special with it !

But the flavor of this melon is so refreshing & wonderful in itself I didn’t have the heart to change it

So I just peeled the melon cut it into cubes drizzled it with 3 tsp of honey. Just tossed it a few times & refrigerated it for 2 hours or so. I have added a few sliced grapes, tomato peel roses & some apple shavings to decorate it. And an eye catching as well as delicious chilled honey coated Galia melon is ready!

Potato Rassam

This is my friend Anuradha's recipe who is a dentist & worked where i was doing my internship in karwar. This was an instant rassam for me which I could do it in minutes I have modified it as per our tastes (as for adding tamrind & jaggery )but the major ingredients are the same.I always made this rassam or tomato rassam whenever I came home late & had very little time to serve dinner! Soon with modifications it became our favourite rassam. After coming to UK I modified it a bit more instead of fresh chopped tomatoes I started using tomato juice!& it became much more easier & quicker to cook. Try it out you too might like it

Ingredients:

3- 4 medium sized potatoes boiled

1 cup tomato juice(i use canned one)

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

3-4 curry leaves

a pinch asoefetida

1 tsp of MTR rassam powder

1 tsp tamarind pulp

1-2tsp jaggery

2tsp grated coconut

1tsp chopped coriander leaves

2 tsp ghee

Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Mash the potatoes, add some water & make it to the consistency of loose custard (1cup of water should be sufficient).
• Heat ghee in a pan, add mustard & cumin seeds once they splutter add curry leaves & asoefetida.
• Now add the potato mash mixture, mix well & add the tomato juice.
• Add the tamarind juice,rassam powder and jaggery.Bring it to a boil
• After boiling for 5 min or so add the grated coconut.Cook for few more minutes.
• Now Sprinkle coriander on top and serve hot.

Pani Puri

The name Pani Puri literally means water in puri-round crisp puffed bread(looks just the size of table tennis ball & is hallow too) . Pani is a hindi & marathi word for water & Puri is hindi & marathi word for round crisp puffed bread ball. It doesn’t sound chatpatta, does it? But this is how it feels , when you put one pani puri in your mouth – explosion of a chatpatta spicy – crispy mouth watering delight! !

Sometimes its so spicy n crispy that your eyes water but you can’t resist the next one coming! Belive me it’s true in my case too!!!! Never met a girl who doesn’t like pani puri.

Now a bit of information about this chatpatta treat,

This is a typical street food which is very popular all over India

It’s called by different names in different parts of India, some call it Foochka & some call it, golgappa but general term used is pani puri. It comes with a bit of variation too…like in some regions they add boiled peas where as in some places they add partially mashed potato & so on

Since the round crisp puffed bread ball is served with special spiced water it‘s called as Pani Puri.

When in India I always prefer to eat pani puri at the panipuri vendors called chaatwaala bhaiya .Every city has its own popular panipuriwala bhaiya.

But since coming to UK, I started making pani puri at home, which I must say is very healthy & nutritious too!! See the ingredients & you too will belive it.

So here’s my version of healthy nutritious chatpatta panipuri

Ingredients:

A packet of "pani-puri" puris (it has about 50 puris which should be sufficient for 5 people)
For filling the puris:
1/4 cup boiled/canned black channa
1/4 cup whole boiled/canned chickpeas lightly mashed

1/4 cup moong soaked n cooked

1/4 cup sprouted moth seeds/matki
1cup very finely chopped onions

1cup very finely chopped coriander
1potato, boiled& partially mashed

1cup emli khajoor chutney(I already have posted the recipe)

1 big glass of chatpatta pani (I already have posted the recipe)

Procedure:

Now here’s how to serve

Make a small hole in the puri & fill with a little potato, finely chopped onion, coriander & 1-2 chick peas, 1-2 kala chana & 3-4 sprouts. Add a 1/2 tsp of emli kajoor chutney chutney.Arrange atleast 6-7 puri’s prepared in this way in a plate & serve with a bowl of chatpatta pani.

Just dunk the puri in the chatpatta pani & put it straight in your mouth for a burst of chatpatta mouthwatering explosion !

Chatpatta pani for panipuri

Chatpatta pani for panipuri

Ingredients:

Glass of ice cold water

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tsp sugar

1 big tsp chaat masala

Finely chopped coriander

Procedure:

• Mix all the above ingredients & stir.
• Keep stirring till the sugar is dissolved
• Chatpatta pani is ready!serve it cold with chat dishes like pani puri or ragda puri or sev puri!

Emli khajur chutney

Emli khajur chutney is the main ingredient in most of the chat dishes. Chat is adhoora without this chutney. You can make this chutney in large amounts & store it in the fridge it easily stays for a month if you don’t add any water to it & store it in a air tight container. I always do it in large amounts & use it as needed.

Ingredients:

10 Dates/ khajur soaked in hot water for 10-15 min
5-6 tsp Tamarind pulp
3 tsp grated jagerry
1tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp red chili powder
Salt for taste

Procedure:

• Mix all the above ingredients & blend them in a mixer to form a smooth paste add little water as possible make it to the consistency of custard.
• Now in a thick base nonstick pan bring it to boil & cook for 3-4 min, or till you feel that most of the water is evaporated.
• Keep stirring till it’s done.
• Cool it & store it in a airtight jar.

Dal vaang ( dal baingan )

This is my mother-in-law’s recipe to cook baingan & my hubby just loves it. So whenever we go the Indian stores I do get Indian brinjals /baingan especially for this recipe. I do make it with the big aubergines we get in the supermarkets but some how it doesn’t taste the same.

Ingredients:

250 gms brinjal/ egg plant/vaangi(cut into cubes)

1 cup of toor dal soaked for 30 min

1 onion finely chopped

2 tomatoes finely chopped

3-4 curry leaves

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp mustard

1/2 tsp jaggery

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp chili powder

3 tsp chopped coriander

3 tsp grated coconut

Salt to taste

1tsp oil

Procedure:

• Heat oil in a pan add the mustard let it splutter add cumin & curry leaves.
  
• Fry for 30 sec & add onions keep stirring till they turn golden brown.
  
• Now add the tomatoes, chili powder, turmeric powder ,salt & jaggery.
  
• Mix them properly & cook till oil starts separating now add the soaked dal & cubbed brinjal.
  
• Cook for10-15 min or till the dal & brinjal are cooked.( keep in mind that the dal should be cooked but not completely mashed)the dal should stay whole.
• Now add the coconut & coriander & daal vaang is ready to be served.

This one is simple easy& tasty!