by Priyanka posted at 1:06 AM
Delicious
0
Sindhi style Baingan subzi Its hard to believe that someone could hate eggplants, right? But there are such people in the world and they happen to be a couple of my very good friends. On occassions when i had them over for dinner or lunch, i had to cook some other vegetable or i would get a "Ringan (eggplants are called ringan in gujarati) nu shaak hoy tu hoon nathi khavani/khavano...... translated from gujarati as ..... If its eggplants, i am not eating" response. This presented a dilemma for me in the U.S. because eggplants are one of the most easily available veggies out here. Then i found a secret recipe..... from my friend Priya B. Priya comes from a Sindhi family, and is a great cook. Once when i went to her place for a sleepover, she cooked this amazing baingan sabzi, sindhi style ofcourse, which can tempt even a hardcore eggplant hater to convert and give it a try. And after that...... well you guessed it.... they cant stop licking their fingers. Believe me, i have already tried it and with successful results, meaning i can cook baingan anytime i want. All Sindhi recipes use a lot of dhana-jeeru a.k.a cumin-coriander powder. Serves 6 Ingredients 4 eggplants (i used the long slender ones) 2 big potatoes 4 tomatoes (or 1 can tomato sauce/puree) 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste 4 green chilies 1 tsp cumin seeds 1/3 tsp turmeric 2 tsp cumin-coriander powder 1/2 tsp chili powder salt to taste 2 tbs coriander for garnish 1. Dice the potatoes and eggplants into small (cubes) pieces. Puree the 4 tomatoes. Cut the chilies into small pieces and make a paste of garlic (1 clove- optional) and ginger (1 inch piece). 2. Heat oil in a cooking pan and add some cumin seeds to it. When they turn brown, add the green chilies and turneric. Stir and add the potatoes and eggplants. 3. Next add the tomato puree, salt, chili powder and cumin-coriander powder. Cook for 5-10 minutes and then add the garlic-ginger paste and cook till the eggplants and potatoes are cooked and slightly mashed. 4. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with rotis.  I am sending this baingan sabzi over to Sangeeta of Ghar Ka Khana for this month's JFI: Eggplant. The Jihva for Ingredients was originally started by Indira of Mahanandi.
by Priyanka posted at 12:39 AM
Delicious
0
Dahi batata sev puri and Pani puri Would you believe me if i told you that i have never had pani puri made by street vendors in India??? Well, you should. My mom is not a great fan of eating outside. So she used to come up with different tasty dishes which would be devoured in minutes. One of them is my mom's palak panner and the other one is pani puri. After the dishes that i made over the last two weeks, a light, quick and easy meal was the respite that i was looking for. And none better than some chatpata chaat and pani puri to do the job. You can also try making these puris at home (its on my to-do list), but since time was a priority, i got the ready made ones from the indian store. A peep into my pantry and refrigerator provided the rest of the ingredients and voila..... we enjoyed the comforts of chatpata chaat and pani puri chowpatti style. Pani puriIngredients1 pack ready made puris 2 boiled potatoes, finely diced 1 cup boiled desi chana Tamarind chutney ( or you can soak tamarind and dates and pass them through a sieve, add some salt and jaggery to taste) For pani: 10-12 mint leaves 1 cup coriander 5 green chilies 1 inch piece of ginger salt to taste 1 tsp cumin powder pepper to taste sanchal (black salt) to taste 3 tbs lime juice or as per taste 1. Grind the mint leaves, coriander and chilies in a blender and add 3-4 cups of water. Add the salt, cumin powder, pepper (use cautiously according to your spice level), black salt and lime juice. 2 Slightly mash the boiled potatoes and desi chana, add salt and chili powder to taste and stuff the puris with it. Add some tamarind sauce and dip into the pani and relish it. Dahi sev batata puriIngredients2 boiled potatoes 1 finely diced red onion 1 pack puris 1 cup sev 1 cup yoghurt (blended with a dash of salt and sugar) coriander for garnish tamarind chutney green chutney Green chutney recipe 1 cup coriander 4 green chilies 1 piece ginger 1 clove garlic (optional) salt to taste Grind all the above mentioned ingredients in a mixer and add salt. Add water to make it semi-thick. 1. Stuff the puris with the mashed potatoes (add salt and a little chili powder to the potatoes). 2. Add a little bit of the sev, tamarind chutney, green chutney, yoghurt and onions. Garnish with coriander.
Read more!
by Priyanka posted at 12:15 AM
Delicious
0
Vaatli dal
As i mentioned in a previous post- this was to be my entry for V of Indian veggies at the lovely Nupur's, but i soaked the dal a couple of hours too late. Vaatli dal and ambedal are cousins and the recipes differ slightly. Made from bengal gram/ chana dal, this dish is highly nutritious and a favorite of mine. According to my aai, this dry dal preparation is usually served with some cool refreshing panha. Serves 2 Ingredients1 cup chana dal 2 tsp lemon juice 3 tbs coconut (shredded) 2 tbs coriander salt and sugar to taste To be ground into paste:5-6 green chilies 1/2 inch piece of ginger For tempering:6-7 curry leaves 1 tsp mustard seeds 1/3 tsp turmeric a pinch of asafoetida 1. Soak the chana dal atleast 5 hours prior to making the dish. Semi-crush the dal. 2. Separately grind the chilies and ginger into a fine paste. Add it to the crushed dal. 3. Heat oil in a cooking pan, add the mustard seeds and when they pop, add the turmeric, asafoetida and curry leaves. 4. Add the chana dal, mix and cook for 5-10 minutes while stirring once in a while. Add salt, sugar and lemon juice. 5. Serve hot garnished with coconut, and coriander.
Read more!
by Priyanka posted at 10:32 PM
Delicious
0
Mousse au Chocolat- a-la- Orange The week that i visited Sharmi's blog Neivedyam and came to know that she was hosting A Fruit a Month (AFAM) event and that the designated fruit of the month was the Citrusy Orange: i had an inspiration about what recipe to make out of it. And the source of my inspiration........ none other than Starbucks.......yes. You see i had just sampled the new Orange Mocha Frappucino the other day and the taste had lingered on. As a result, my mind was already doing the cartwheels. And lo and behold.... i thougt of making the sinfully tempting Chocolate and Orange mousse.
To my understanding mousse is a French dessert and my first memories of making a mousse date back 7-8 years ago using a Milkmaid recipe with a lot of help from my sister- it turned out awesome. It was one of our first few successes. Its been a long time, for after that attempt, i never again made a mousse until today. While making this mousse i drew upon my previous memories and had the pleasure of enjoying a truly melt-in-your-mouth kind of dessert. And even if i say so myself- it turned out oh-so-absolutely-lipsmackingly delicious.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 medium navel orange
3 Hersheys semi-sweet dark chocolate(4.5 oz) 3 tbs sugar 1/2 pint whipping cream 2 tbs butter 3-1/2 tbs corn starch powder 1-1/2 tsp orange peel pieces 2-4 pieces of orange (for decoration)
  1. Grate the skin of the orange to get the orange peel, carefully avoiding the inner white portion. Peel off the skin from the orange pieces and keep 1 slice aside. Blend the rest of the pieces in a mixer, strain (without the pulp) to get the juice with as less of the fiber as possible and add 2 tbs of sugar or as per your taste. 2. In a cooking pot (in which you have never cooked an Indian vegetable or curry), melt 2 tbs of butter, add the corn starch powder and mix well, avoiding any lumps. 3. Pour in the oranges juice and on a low heat, keep stirring it while adding the chopped dark chocolate pieces for 3-4 minutes. Set aside 4-5 pieces of the chocolate for the garnish. 4. Now add in the 1 piece of orange that you had previously set aside and the orange peel. Stir on a low heat for 2-3 minutes. Turn of the gas and let the mixture cool. Put it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes if you like to bring it to the temperature equal to that of the whipped cream. 5. In another bowl, whip the whipping cream into soft peaks ( the credit for whipping it goes to P, since i dont own a high speed blender, he whipped it for me by hand) and fold in the chocolate-orange mixture. Pour into martini glasses and put it in the refrigerator. 6. Serve chilled garnished with chocolate shavings and orange pieces.
Read more!
by Priyanka posted at 3:02 PM
Delicious
0
Quick and Easy Eggless Tiramisu I had my first taste of Tiramisu at a local food joint called Rasranjan Food Court in my home town in India some 8-9 years back. Since alcohol is banned in my state by law and since most people are vegetarian, the tiramisu that i had was eggless and devoid of alcohol in any form. And yet i could never forget the taste of this wonderful "pick me up" dessert. I would keep going back for more whenever i went back home for the holidays. Then P introduced me to Tiramisu at the Cheesecake Factory and i fell in love with it some more. So when Jennifer of DomesticGoddess asked us to delve into our inner cravings and come up with a dessert we craved the most for this month's SugarHighFridays (SHF), i forgot all about my resolution to keep away from tempting, sinful, fattening food and dished out this scrumptious Italian dessert. While looking for a recipe, i stumbled upon this oh-so-wonderful site dedicated to tiramisu lovers http://www.heavenlytiramisu.com/recipes.htm I tried two different versions - one with the mascarpone cheese and one without it. And i must say, that albeit the tiramisu sans the mascarpone tasted pretty good, the mascarpone version tasted even better-heavenly actually. Without further ado, here's the recipe for the tiramisu that i made using mascarpone cheese. Serves 6 Ingredients 16 oz mascarpone cheese (you will find this at your local grocery store- i found it at Albertson's) 2-3 tbs rum extract/rum/ kahlua or any coffee liquor 6-8 tbs sugar 3 oz heavy cream 6 oz of strong brewed coffee (i got a tall cup from Starbucks) Unsweetened cocoa 40 ladyfinger biscuits (or 1 pack) dark chocolate shavings 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
     1. Beat the mascarpone cheese and the cream together in a high speed blender till it becomes of a spreadable consistency. Since i dont own a blender currently and got tired of beating it by hand, i got P to do it for me. Add 2 tbs of rum extract (i didnt want to spend money on liquor which no one would drink, so i got a cheaper substitute from the grocery store), 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and 5-6 tbs of sugar and mix well. 2. Add 1 tbs rum and 1 tbs sugar to the already cooled coffee. 3. Dip the ladyfinger biscuits very lightly (or it will turn soggy) in the coffee and place them in a baking tray. 4. Spread the mascarpone cheese on it. Again make another layer of coffee dipped ladyfinger biscuits and spread the rest of the mascarpone cheese on it. 5. Place it in the refrigerator to cool. Remove half an hour before serving and sprinkle some unsweetened cocoa powder and dark chocolate shavings and................ just dig in.
by Priyanka posted at 12:18 PM
Delicious
0
 Tamatyacha saar- tondlichi bhaji- kairichi chutney-poli-bhaat
a.k.a Spicy tomato soup- gherkin vegetables- raw mango chutney-indian bread-rice OK, i didnt go all out to prepare this meal. Its a meal that you can put together for everyday lunch or dinner. And its another simple, fulfilling square meal that will make your palate hungry for more. P loves all the dishes that i cook- but he loves the everyday humble fare more than anything else- the reason being he had been living a bachelor life away from home for the past 9 years. So on weekdays since we have busy schedules, i usually cook the simple everyday meal consisting of poli (which means roti in marathi)-rice-dal (curry)- bhaji (a.k.a vegetable preparation in marathi) and a koshimbir/chutney (salad)- a complete meal in itself- full of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. Last week i made tondlichi bhaji, kairichi chutney and tamatyacha saar (please refer to my previous recipe) to accompany poli and bhaat and this will be one of my entries to the RCI: Maharashtrian cuisine hosted by Nupur of OneHotStove, in the continuing series started Lakshmi of VeggieCuisine. Tondlichi bhaji Serves 4
Ingredients 500 gms tondli 1-1/2 tbs dhana jeeru powder (cumin and coriander seed powder) 1/2 tsp red chili powder 2 tbs coriander for garnish salt to taste For tempering 1 tsp mustard seeds 1/3 tsp turmeric powder a pinch of asafoetida (hing) 2 tbs oil 1.Dice the tondli vertically into long thin pieces. 2. Heat 2 tbs of oil and add mustard seeds to it. When they pop, add the turmeric and asafoetida and the tondli. Add salt and mix well. Cover and let cook. 3. When the tondli is completely done, add the dhana jeeru and chili powder and serve hot with rotis. Kairichi chutney Ingredients 1 raw mango (kacchi kairi) 8-10 mint leaves 1/2 cup coriander leaves 1 tsp roasted cumin powder 4-5 green chilies salt to taste jaggery to taste 1. Finely dice the raw mango, add the rest of the ingredients except the cumin powder and salt. Add a little water and put it through a mixer. Blend it to a pulp consistency and add the cumin powder and salt.
by Priyanka posted at 10:37 AM
Delicious
0
Hats off to all you bloggers out there who work and manage families, and yet find the time to cook creative, mouthwatering dishes and blog about it. More kudos to those who organise and host blogging events. I have been doing my summer internship for this past month and at the end of the day- i am so drained that i barely manage to cook. This is the reason for my blogging hiatus for the past two weeks. This recipe for Ukadiche Modak was supposed to be my entry for U of Indian vegetables at Nupur's of OneHotStove. Its not a vegetable preparation but a sweet dish that is my second most favorite. I did make the dish last Saturday but just couldnt drum up enough energy to turn on my laptop and post a blog on it. So this will be my entry for (Regional cuisine of India) RCI: Maharashtrian Cuisine being hosted by Nupur, and originally started by Lakshmi of VeggieCuisine. Ukadiche Modak are basically Sweetened coconut stuffed rice dumplings- a very traditional Marathi sweet dish that is usually made as an offering to Lord Ganesha. These modaks are generally accompanied by Ambedal or Vatli dal (this was to be my entry for the V of Indian veggies at Nupur's but once again i missed the deadline) - a spicy and sour chana dal preparation also prepared as an offering to Lord Ganesha. The word Ukadiche means steamed in Marathi. So basically these rice dumplings are steamed and eaten with loads of ghee. Yes- calorie conscious people can just forget about it. The ukadhiche modak are difficult to make- the recipe is meant for experienced cooks. Or rather for people who are not ready to give up on it so easily (i had a longing for the modaks and was missing my mom). So, i decided to give it a try and here goes the recipe.  Servings: Makes 7 modaks For the stuffing: 1-1/2 cup of freshly grated coconut 4-5 crushed almonds 3-4 strands of saffron 1/2 tsp cardamom powder jaggery or sugar to taste 2 tbs ghee For the dough: 1 cup rice flour (fresh flour is the best) 3 tbs maida 2 tbs ghee 1. Heat 2 tbs of ghee in a cooking pan and add the freshly grated coconut to it. Saute it till it starts turning golden brown and releases the smell of being roasted in ghee. Add the almonds, saffron and cardamom powder to it. Add either jaggery or sugar as per your taste (i made it with jaggery- traditionally its made with jaggery too and tastes a 100 times better than sugar) and mix it very well. Set aside to cool. 2. Heat 1/2 cup water and add ghee to it. Separately mix the rice flour and maida and add this mixture to the hot water and mix it properly so that there are no lumps and steam it for 2 minutes. 3. The maida is added to impart stickiness to the dough so that it can be moulded and does not break. If the rice flour is not fresh it will crack and break and you wont be able to stuff it. 4. Remove from the stove and while the mixture is still hot make small balls out of it and with hand pat it into small thin round shapes (Use ghee to roll out or the dough will stick to your hands). Place the coconut mixture in it and try to mould it into the shape of a garlic bulb while closing it. 5. Steam the modaks for 10 minutes like you would steam a plate of dhoklas and serve with ghee. And the verdict: Taste wise the modaks were awesome. However since i couldnt find any fresh rice flour (in India you can easily lay your hands on freshly ground flours at a flour mill), i used the one that i found at the local store. As a result- the dough kept cracking when i tried to mould it. So i couldnt pat out the rice flour balls into very thin layers. Probably the only picture that i managed to take after i made the modaks doesnt do justice to it. We gobbled some up as soon as i had offered neivedya to Lord Ganesha. May be the next time i make it i will take pictures of the entire process of making it along the way and post it on the blog. Also, as my mom suggested the next time i will just dry some rice and grind it in my mixer to get some freshly ground rice flour.
Read more!
by Priyanka posted at 11:05 PM
Delicious
0
 KAHWA AND MOONG DAL AND PANEER CHILASIndian food is known for its spicy flavors, so when Trupti of TheSpiceWhoLovedMe announced the theme for this month's Weekend Breakfast Blogging (WBB), started by Nandita of Saffron Trail, i was flooded with ideas. Ultimately, i decided on two breakfast dishes- one a drink and the other a sumptous breakfast for the weekend. I have to confess- despite being in the U.S. of A, i am neither a coffee nor a tea lover. I usually start my day off with a glassful of whole milk (no skim milk for me)- with either Nesquick or Bournvita in it. That lasts me till i have my lunch. However the theme for this month's WBB immediately conjured up the image of the flavorful Kahwa loaded with spices. The reason- my memories of our family trip to Kashmir when i was 4 years old (you see, my family is fond of travelling and we have almost toured all of the Indian states). Yes, i dont remember a lot- but i do have some cherished memories of falling off the horse tons of times to scare me forever, of being bundled up under warm clothes by my parents, of lotuses blooming in the Dal lake, of the beautiful rides in the Shikara (houseboats), of the 12 year old Ruksana who earned her living by ferrying people in her Shikara and whose picture we still have in our family album, of the Char Chinar gardens, and last but not the least- of my younger sister Anki making a fuss about not putting on a sweater because she couldnt show off her frilly frocks. Another memory that jogs my mind is of a former Kashmiri neighbor of mine who used to make refreshing Kahwa. But i digress. Getting back to the kahwa recipe, the version that i made tastes a little different from the ones i have had before and have been adapted from the following websites: http://inpraiseofsardines.typepad.com/blogs/2005/12/in_praise_of_ka_3.html http://madteaparty.wordpress.com/2007/05/21/kahva-no-ordinary-cup-of-tea-and-a-quiz/ Kahwa is a Kashmiri tea made from green tea leaves, with cardamom, saffron, honey, almonds and cinnamon as its ingredients. Kashmiris usually make Kahwa in special vessels called Samovars. The other version of the Kashmiri tea called Sheer Chai has milk, poppy seeds and baking soda along with the aforementioned ingredients. Usually, Kahwa and Sheer chai are served with freshly baked 'Telavoer', 'Katalama', 'Kuelcha', Choechi', 'Girda' or 'Bagirkhani'- small round Indian breads made from either wheat or maida and flavored with sesame, aniseed, cardamom or poppy seeds. The lingering salty taste of the Kahwa that i had as a child is in contrast to the one that i made (i probably had the Sheer chai sans the milk). My neighbor used to make Kahwa with a premade kahwa mix or tea powder with the leaves and spices mixed in it. However, since i couldnt avail myself of all the ingredients, i used the ones at hand and had the pleasure of being transported back in time to the beautiful valley of Kashmir among the snow covered mountains. Kahwa Serves 2 Ingredients: 2 cups water 1 stick cinnamon (or cinnamon powder) 1/2 tsp cardamom powder 4 almonds (semi-crushed) 2 cardamoms honey to taste 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp Green tea powder a pinch of saffron   1. Boil 2 cups of water in a vessel and add the cinnamon and cardamom powder to it. (i used the cinnamon stick since i didnt have the powdered version. Let the flavors seep in and boil till you can smell the aroma of the cinnamon and cardamom. 2. Add the green tea powder and turn off the gas. Let the concoction sit for 2-3 minutes. (Dont overboil or add more green tea as it will taste bitter). Remove from the gas and drain into cups with a cardamom pod and crushed almonds in it. (traditionally the kahwa is not draind- instead of green tea powder- fresh or dried green tea leaves are used). I used the green tea (made in Sri Lanka) available at the local indian grocery store. 3. Add honey and/or sugar according to taste (i added part sugar and part honey). In a mortar, crush the saffron with some sugar and add it to the tea. Last year when i went back for my wedding to India, my mom made these delicious, fulfilling, nutritious and proteinaceous chilas sans the fat. I once again decided to borrow this recipe from my aai (she saw it on some cooking show on T.V., so cant give due credit) and dished up these easy to make chilas as I had invited a friend's fiance for breakfast this weekend (since A's currently in India enjoying the comforts of her mom's cooking). Moong Dal Chilas (pancakes) with Paneer and Potato stuffing  Serves 5 (Makes 12 chilas) Ingredients 2 cups split green moong dal salt to taste 1/2 tsp cumin powder To be crushed into paste 6-7 green chilies 1 inch piece of ginger For the stuffing: 100 gms paneer (1 cup) 2 small potatoes finely diced coriander chat masala Accompaniments: sweet chutney yoghurt- mint and coriander chutney ketchup 1. Soak the moong dal 4-5 hours prior to making the chilas. Crush the dal in a mixer (albeit not completely) and add the salt, cumin powder and green chili-ginger paste to it. 2. For the stuffing, grate the paneer and dice the boiled potatoes into small pieces. Sprinkle some chat masala and coriander. 3. Either make sweet chutney with tamarind, dates and jaggery or use the ready made tamarind sauce available in the market. For the green chutney, crush 4-5 mint leaves, half a cup coriander, 3 green chilies, add salt and blend it with 3 tablespoons of yoghurt. Since i didnt have any mint leaves in the pantry, i used the ready made version of the Swad Mint-coriander chutney as a substitute. 4. Heat up a pan, and lightly grease it with some oil ( no more than 1/2 tsp) and pour the moong dal batter onto it. Spread around to make small round pancakes and let it cook. Flip over the other side when you see brown spots. 5. Remove from the stove and serve with the stuffing and the chutneys. 
Variations:- you can substitute the paneer and the potatoes with boiled cauliflower, carrots and peas or any other vegetables of your choice.
by Priyanka posted at 10:14 PM
Delicious
0
 From left to right: lasun chutney, jhunka, pithla and in center- juwar bhakri
 Jhunka- Bhakar- Pithla- Lasun chutney- MatthaWhen Nupur of OneHotStove announced that she was guest hosting RCI: Maharashtrian Cuisine, originally concieved by Lakshmi of VeggieCuisine, i was overjoyed. I had a list of recipes that i wanted to make. But i knew for sure what recipe i wanted to contribute first- the humble, yet tasty meal made in most Maharashtrian households- the famous jhunka-bhakar.
Since i have started blogging and participating in recipe events- i eagerly look forward to making and learning about new dishes. So, armed with the recipe, courtesy of my aai once again, i rolled up my sleeves to put forth my culinary skills to test. Halfway through making the jhunka, i realised that the jhunka is a drier version of the pithla (i had never seen, eaten or made jhunka before) and that it wouldn't suffice two very hungry souls for the leisurely weekend lunch. So to complement the juwar bhakari (Indian bread made of juwar flour), i decided to make some pithla and some lasun chutney (garlic chutney) as an accompaniment. The jhunka and pithla are similar in preparation in that they dont require a lot of different ingredients. Both have a base of gram/chick pea flour- the only difference being that pithla is more liquidy while jhunka is a dry preparation and can be made using different vegetables too. I made the original jhunka without any veggies added to it.
Jhunka
Serves 2
Ingredients:
31/2 tbs gram flour
salt to taste
1/3 tsp chili powder
To be ground into a paste:
4-5 green chillies
1 inch piece of ginger
2 cloves garlic
For Tempering:
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/3 tsp turmeric
a pinch of asafoetida
2 diced small onions (red ones preferably)
1/3 tsp chili powder
For garnish:
coriander
1. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a cooking pot. Add mustard seeds. When they start crackling, add turmeric, asafoetida and the onions. Saute them till they turn translucent, add some chili powder. 2. In a separate vessel, mix the gram flour, salt, chili powder, green chili-garlic-ginger paste and add some water to make a thick paste. 3. Add this mixture to the sauted onions and cook it for 5-10 minutes. 4. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with juwar or bajarichi bhakri, thecha (chili) or lasun chutney, and gul-tup (jaggery-ghee)or vangi batatyachi bhaji (eggplant-potato vegetable).
Pithla
There are two versions to the pithla. This is my favorite one (the one with all the lumps in it). I will post the recipe for the second version the next time i make it. And here it goes:
Serves 2
Ingredients:
6-7 tbs gram flour
2 cups water
salt to taste
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp shredded coconut (dry or fresh)
For tempering:
2 tsp oil
1/3 tsp turmeric
a pinch of asafoetida
3/4th tsp chili powder
1. Heat oil in a pan and add some mustard seeds to it. When they pop, add the turmeric, asafoetida and chili powder. 2. To this tempering, add the 2 cups of water, salt and the cumin and coconut powder. Bring this mixture to a boil. 3. As soon as it starts boiling, add the gram flour in small quantities and stir the mixture. Do not try to break the lumps. Cover the pan and let it cook for 10-12 minutes. 4. Serve hot garnished with coriander with bhakri, poli (roti/chapatis) or rice.
Lasun chutney
Serves 2
Ingredients:
8-10 cloves of garlic
1-2 tsp roasted cumin powder
1/2 tsp chili powder (use lightly if you dont prefer it hot)
salt to taste
1. Roast the cumin seeds and slightly crush or powder them. In a mortar and pestle or in a grinder, finely grind the cumin and garlic together and add the chili powder and salt and mix it well.
P.S.- you can vary the quantity of chili powder as per your taste.
Juwar Bhakri
Serves 2 (makes 4 bhakris)
Ingredients:
300- 400 gm juwar flour
salt to taste
1. Make a soft but firm dough by mixing the juwar flour and salt with some warm water. 2. Make big balls out of the dough and knead it for a long time ( according to my aai- the secret to making wonderful bhakris). Roll the ball of dough in the juwar flour and pat it with your hand into a round even flat shape (try making small bhakris so that they dont break). Keep touching it up lightly with water so that it doesnt dry up or break. (A fresh flour is always the best) 3. Gently remove and place the bhakri on a heated tava (pan) and cook till you see brown spots. Lightly touch up with water and cook it on the other side till it develops brown spots too. 4. Remove and serve hot with ghee.
P.S.- Variations- You can make a bhakri similarly out of bajra flour or by mixing juwar and bajra flour.
To finish off such a sumptous meal, i decided to serve some Mattha (spicy buttermilk)
Serves 2
Ingredients:
6-8 tbs yoghurt
2 cups of water
or 2 cups buttermilk
salt to taste
sugar to taste
3 tsp coriander
To be ground into paste:
3 green chilies
1/2 inch piece of ginger
1. Mix the green chili-ginger paste with the buttermilk and add the salt, sugar and coriander to it. 2. Serve chilled.
The final outcome of all the effort that i put in was worth the wait. We relished the meal and finished it off with some cold buttermilk- a perfect meal for a wonderful relaxing weekend.
Read more!
by Priyanka posted at 3:07 PM
Delicious
0
I had been racking my brains over what dish to make, came up with varied ideas but ultimately, because of lack of time ended up making the simple, but tasty Thalipeeth- the wholesome Maharashtrian one meal dish. The thalipeeth is very nutritious, filling, quick and easy to make. It is basically a bread/bhakri made out of 6-7 different ingredients which are roasted and grounded to make what is known as the Bhajani. This mixture of different flours and pulses such as wheat, juwar, bajra, chana dal, rice and millet is commonly available in India. To this mixture, you add some green chillies, diced onions, chilli, turmeric and coriander-cumin powder, and there you have the recipe for the thalipeeth. Traditionally the thalipeeth is served with some home-made butter (called "loni" in marathi) or plain curd. P loves thalipeeth so much that i had my cousin get me some bhajani the last time that he went to India. So here's my entry for Nupur's A-Z of Indian vegetables.
Serves 2 (makes 4 thalipeeths)
Ingredients:
500 gm bhajani flour
2 small red onions
5-6 green chillies
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander cumin powder
a pinch of turmeric
a pinch of sugar
salt as per taste
3 tsp coriander
1. Mix all the ingredients together and make a firm dough out of it. Keep it aside for 15-20 minutes.
2. Wet your palms with some oil or water and on a plastic sheet, start patting the small balls of dough into a round and even flat shape. Make a couple of holes in it so that it will help cook the thalipeeth better.
3. Heat a pan and grease it with some oil. Place the thalipeeth in the pan and apply some more oil to the holes and on the sides and cook it on both sides till you see brown spots.
4. Remove and serve with some butter.
Read more!
|
