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!!