by Priyanka posted at 12:27 PM
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Olya Kandyacha patichi bhaji (Spring Onion vegetable)
Let me translate the title of this dish for you. Ola stands for wet/green/fresh, kanda means onion, pati means leaves and bhaaji means vegetable in Marathi- this spring onion vegetable is one of the most delicious preparations i have ever had.
Spring onions, also known as green onions or scallions (scallions however have a smaller bulb than spring onions) are used to make varied preparations in Indian, Chinese, Italian and American cuisines. Milder in taste than the fully developed bulbs, they are a good source of vitamins and minerals.
There are two ways of making this vegetable preparation - the pith perlela (read mixed with besan) dry version which is my MIL's way of making this dish and with which most Maharashtrians are familiar; and the non-dry-version which is my mom's way of making this dish. The one thing thats different with regards to my mom's way of cooking this dish is the addition of ajwain (being an Ayurvedic practitioner who believes in healthy eating, this preparation uses less oil and the ajwain prevents discomforts from gas caused by consumption of the dish). This vegetable can be served with tomato saar and rotis. The only con to making this dish is that it shrinks to a large extent. So initially when starting out you might think that you have a huge quantity on hand , but in the end it will only be enough to suffice.
I am describing both the ways of making this dish- you can take your pick of which one you would like to cook. I like both of them equally, however P loves only the dry version sans the ajwain. The only con to the dry version is the use of lot of oil.
The dry version
Ingredients
400 gm spring onions (scallions)
jaggery as per taste
1/2 tsp chili powder or as per your taste (a little extra salt and chili powder is required here to compensate for the addition of besan)
5 tbsp besan
salt as per taste
For tempering:
5 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
1/4 tsp chili pwder
1/3 tsp turmeric
1. Dice the spring onions - the greens and the bulb.
 2. Heat oil in a cooking pot and add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add some turmeric, asafoetida and chili powder and add the spring onions. Add salt and Cook them well.
 3. When the onions are done add the chili powder and some jaggery. Let cook for 4-5 minutes.
4. Next add in the besan and mix well. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes so that it does not stick to the bottom and burn. Let the besan turn golden brown and when its completely done, serve hot with rotis.
The non-dry version
 Serves 4
Ingredients:
400 gm spring onions (scallions)
jaggery as per taste (optional)
For tempering:
3 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
1/3 tsp ajwain/ bishop or carom seeds
1/3 tsp turmeric
1. Dice the spring onions - the greens and the bulb.
2. Heat oil in a cooking pot and add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add some turmeric, asafoetida and ajwain and add the spring onions. Cook them.
3. When the onions are done add some jaggery.
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by Priyanka posted at 6:33 PM
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I am re-posting this recipe since it was languishing unacknowledged, not submitted for any events and because i made it especially for the occassion of Holi.
Well, after having written about some scrumptous spicy Maharashtrian dishes, i decided to write about one of the original maharashtrian desserts or rather sweet dish- the puranpoli. Albeit, contrary to non-Indian cuisines, this dessert is not served at the end of the meal but as a part of the meal itself. I did not have to debate about which dessert to write about first- yes you guessed it right. The puranpoli (a sweet indian bread made from gram dal, jaggery and cardamom) is my favorite followed by ukadiche modak (fresh coconut stuffed rice flour dumplings- a favorite of Lord Ganesha) , homemade shrikhand (indian yoghurt flavored with cardamom, nuts and saffron made especially on Marathi New Year's- Gudi Padwa) and narali bhaat (sweet coconut rice). I havent tried making the latter two desserts at home, though i will in the coming weeks, since i have ample time on my hands owing to the summer break.
The name puranpoli comes from puran meaning mixture and poli meaning roti/bread in marathi. Holi is a festival of colors and different states in India celebrate Holi differently. In Maharashtra, Holi, known as Rangpanchami is celebrated by making puranpoli. I remember my mom making puranpoli on Holi , setting some puran aside for the nevedya- an offering to the Gods (which could be had later with lots of ghee). It was one of the few things that i used to miss a lot when i came to the U.S. My mom, being a mom would parcel it to me every time that she made it. But two years back, on diwali, i decided to give it a try myself, with my roomie Ashwini who is also a Maharashtrian. It took quite some effort since we did not have a blender and we did not make a whole lot- just 5-6, but they turned out pretty well. Bolstered by our previous efforts, i decided to give it a try last year on "Padwa" all by myself with some awesome tips from my mom-in-law. I made it with katachi amti and ukadlelya batatyachi bhaji (boiled potato vegetable) and was rewarded by my dear husband and his friends who lapped up the savory dish. And this year i made it again in the name of tradition and because i just love this dish so. Puranpoli is not difficult to make if you use the right quantity of ingredients and is worth all the effort that you put in. It is usually served with katachi amti, a spicy curry (my favorite) and Ukadlelya batatyachi Bhaaji (Boiled potato sabzi) or can also be had with milk, ghee and sugar (my dad's favorite). There are many variations to the puranpoli across different states of India- one amongst them being the Vedhmi- a Gujarati puranpoli made from toor dal (although i prefer the maharashtrian version). The puranpoli is very nutritious and full of proteins and condiments. It is so filling a dish in itself that you cannot have more than 4-5 puranpolis. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as i have.....
Puranpoli
 Serves 4 (around 12-14 puranpolis)
For the stuffing:
3 cups of chana dal 8-9 cups of water (you can add more water, it can be later used to make katachi amti) 15 cardamoms (powdered) 31/2 cups jaggery/ 3 cups sugar (adjust for sweetness) 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
For the cover or poli:
31/2 cups wheat flour 1/2 cup maida 3 tsp oil
1. Mix the wheat flour, maida and oil and make a slightly soft (not firm) dough out of it. If you do not prefer to add maida, you can make it up with the wheat flour. Keep aside.
2. Pressure cook the chana (gram) dal till it is completely cooked and mashed. Drain all the water from it and keep it aside for katachi amti. 3. Add jaggery pieces (if the jaggery is not too sweet you can add more as per your taste. the sugar is usually added in a 1:1 ratio to the chana dal) and cook it in the microwave (yes!!! a tip from my mom-in-law for an easier and faster version of the traditional laborious puranpoli) till it blends in and all the water evaporates. It should be solid enough to be rolled into balls. 4. Add the cardamom and nutmeg powder and roll into balls. 5. Now make small balls out of the kneaded dough, just like you make for stuffed parathas. Roll out the balls, one at a time into small circles and stuff the puran mixture in it. Enclose it and again gently start rolling out into thin rotis/parathas.(My aai's tip- you dont need to use pressure to roll out the puran poli. Use of rice flour and gently moving the rolling pin around should do the job). 5. Transfer the poli to an already heated tava/pan. Flip when you see golden-brown spots on the side being heated. After both sides are done remove from the tava and put it on a plate to cool. Serve it with lots of ghee.
P.S.-Dont get dissapointed if it breaks the first couple of times. It takes some practice to make a puranpoli without breaking it.
Can a puranpoli ever be served without being accompanied by katachi amti? I would say no. For those of you who have never heard of katachi amti (amti meaning dal/curry in marathi), it is a sweet and sour watery curry made from the leftovers of the boiled chana dal used to make puranpoli. Once you have tasted it, you will never again have a puranpoli without it.
Whatever dishes i have learnt over the years, have been inspired by someone in my life. Most of my culinary skills were honed as a teenager by my mom who is a perfectionist and an amazing cook (i should mention my dad here who always championed whatever we cooked, however bad it might have been- he was the one who taught us how to make phulka polis). However, having left home at the age of 18, i picked up a lot dishes from my friends and roomies from different parts of the country. My experiences and life as a student in the U.S. also led me to come up with easy, quick yet varied recipes to appease my taste buds. I gleaned this recipe from P's aunt, Mangala maushi, who is also a fabulous and enthusiastic cook. In the western world, very few people know of chana dal a.k.a bengal gram a.k.a Cicer arietinum. In India and other Asian countries, its used to make curries and varied other dishes. Chana dal belongs to the family of desi chana, the Indian version of Garbanzo beans/chick peas as we call them; the difference being that they are split, yellow and have much lower glycemic index, making them a favorite of diabetic people.The biggest pro- they are highly nutritious- a good source of zinc, protein and dietary fiber. I havent been able to trace the origin of the bengal gram in India, however the word chana comes from the sanskrit word "chennuka" according to this interesting article by David Mendosa.
Katachi Amti
Serves 4Ingredients:
Use the (8 cups) water drained from the boiled chana dal with some of the puran mixture from my earlier puranpoli recipe or
1/2 a cup chana dal (if making separately, boil with 8 cups of water) 1/3 tsp turmeric 1 tsp garam masala 2-3 tsp tamarind juice/ 2-3 tbsp lemon juice salt to taste 1/3 tsp chili powder jaggery/sugar as per taste 3-4 curry leaves
For the tempering:
2 tbsp oil 1 tsp mustard seeds 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 1/3 tsp turmeric 2 green chilies
cinnamon pieces
2 bay leaves
a pinch of asafoetida
For garnish:
coriander coconut (dry)
1. Take only the water from the boiled chana dal. Add salt, jaggery, chili powder, turmeric powder, tamarind juice, garam masala and curry leaves. (I usually use the garam masala my mom makes. You can either add the ready-made masala with slight variation from the taste or make a paste of 2 tsp of roasted coconut and cumin seeds, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 cloves and 1 bay leaf). You can also vary the quantity of tamarind or lemon juice and jaggery/sugar based on your health and taste needs. I myself prefer the slight sweet yet sour taste. Next, boil the dal.
2. Heat oil for tempering/phodni, add the cumin and mustard seeds. When they start crackling, add the turmeric, asafoetida, chilies, cinnamon and bay leaves and pour it over the dal. 3. Garnish with coriander and serve hot.
I served the Puranpoli and Katachi Amti with Ukadlelya Batatyachi bhaaji, Kelicha raita and Cabbage Pakoras (from Anita of A Mad Tea Party fame). The Cabbage pakoras added just the right touch to complete the meal. Thanks Anita- they turned out awesome.
The boiled potato sabzi is the only sabzi that goes well with this dish or so my family thinketh. The secret to making this sabzi perfect is to make it a little on the crispier side.
Ukadlelya Batatyachi Bhaaji
Serves 2
3 potatoes (boiled and chopped into big cubes)
coriander for garnish
salt to taste
For tempering
2-3 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/3 tsp turmeric
a pinch of asafoetida
5-6 green chilies
8-10 curry leaves
1. Boil the potatoes for two whistles in the pressure cooker. That will ensure that they dont turn mush.
2. Peel them and cube them into pieces.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and when they pop, add the turmeric, asafoetida, chilies and curry leaves. Saute for a couple of minutes and add in the potatoes.
4. Add salt, Mix well and cook for 10-15 minutes, turning over every couple of minutes till they get a little brown/ and crispy.
5. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with the puranpolis.
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by Priyanka posted at 5:05 PM
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In Marathi cuisine, there are a variety of dishes that are prepared during fast, essentially making fasting quite an impossible scenario unless you possess immense self-control. We have no problem in acknowledging that we dont. Varayache bhaat a.k.a Samo rice and Danyachi amti a.k.a Peanut Curry are two among the never ending list of dishes that can tempt you into giving up fasting. These dishes along with the upasachi batatyachi bhaaji (Potato sabzi made during fast) can be drummed up in under 30 minutes and are quite fulfilling and heavy. The only criteria to making it in under 30 min is to have roasted peanut powder on hand. If you are prone to acidity, please avoid making these dishes. For other fast-related dishes, please check out my previous post.
Varayache bhaat (In Marathi, Bhaat means Rice)
Ingredients
Serves 2
1 cup varaya (samo- can be found in Indian grocery stores)
2-3 tsp roasted peanut powder
1/4th tsp chili powder
salt to taste
For tempering
10-12 curry leaves
4 green chilies chopped
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1-1/2 tbsp ghee
1. Saute the samo rice for 2-3 min in a wok (without any oil/ghee) till it turns lightly brown.
2. Next heat ghee in a vessel, add in the cumin seeds and when they splutter, add the green chilies and curry leaves.
3. Saute for a couple of minutes and add in the samo rice and saute it too.
4. Next add salt, peanut powder (if you dont have any on hand, roast the peanuts till they turn dark brown,let cool, peel of the skin and put them through a mixer to get a fine powder) and chili powder.
5. Add 2-3 cups water and cook till the samo rice is completely soft and well-done. (add more water if needed)
Danyachi Amti (In Marathi, Dane translates into peanuts and Amti into curry)
Ingredients
Serves 2
1 cup roasted peanut powder
salt to taste
jaggery to taste
3 amsul (kokum) (if you dont have kokum on hand use lemon juice)
4-5 curry leaves
2 tsp coriander
For tempering
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 green chilies-chopped
4-5 curry leavea
1-1/2 tbsp ghee
1. Mix the peanut powder with 1-1/2 cup of water to get a nice smooth curry like consistency. If its thicker add more water.
2. Next heat ghee in a cooking pot, add the cumin sseeds and when they splutter add the chilies and curry leaves.
3. Saute for a couple of minutes and add the peanut paste mixture to it.
4. Add salt, kokum, curry leaves and let it boil.
5. Then add in the jaggery as per your taste.
6. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with the samo rice.
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by Priyanka posted at 11:44 PM
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I came back home at 11:00 last night from my shift at the hospital, tired, hungry and craving for an icecream. And not just any icecream- i was dying for some from Cold Stone Creamery- especially the At the Cocoa Banana Cabana. But then P reminded me that i wasnt getting any thinner- quite the opposite in fact. And there went my plans of spooning off some rich banana icecream topped with whipped cream, banana bites, yellow cake and chocolate down the drain ( i know- i was drooling at the thought too). My stomach growled then, reminding me that i would still have to add some fuel to sustain me through the night. There i went, digging in to the back of my fridge and came up with some healthy options- Mango juice, strawberries, and apples. A light bulb went off inside my head and instantly i thought of making a smoothie. That would also help me use up these fruits that had been relegated to the back of my fridge only because i am too lazy about eating fruits. Just the way to enjoy during the hot summer months to come.
IngredientsServes 2 2 cups mango juice (or mangoes) 1-1/2 cup strawberries (should be sweet) 1 apple 1/2 cup milk (i used 2%) crushed ice 1. Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend them thoroughly. Enjoy it chilled. 
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by Priyanka posted at 3:54 PM
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 Mujaderrah From left to right: Sweet and sour beet dip, red pepper hummus, Zuchini with pomegranate molasses, Potato salad, Lentil lemon soup, Wheat pita and Center: Muhamara
I promised in my previous post that i would post more often.However, everytime i cooked something - not that i cooked a lot of new dishes (just baingan- methi and alu-methi sabzi), i forgot to take the pictures. Plus we have been doing a lot of travelling and eating out at some really awesome places (will post about it some other time). The only part of blogging that i dislike is the write-up- one reason being i am not so good at it, second, i havent had the time-since i had to drive to miami everyday for my internship the past month (let me tell you-3 hours commute on a daily basis can kill you especially if you have to wake up at 4 in the morning and are stuck in traffic on a regular basis). I really appreciate all you guys dropping by my blog......havent had a chance to reply to your posts or visit your blog, but am picking up on it.
This past weekend, i invited a good friend of mine who recently got married, to dinner. And which cuisine was the pick of the week? Well, all of you who read Hummus in the title should have been able to guess right- it was middle eastern that i dished out. I have recently joined the public library close to my house and on my last visit, i picked up a couple of books on cuisine of the middle east- One of them is "Secrets of Healthy Middle eastern cuisine" by Sana Abourek and the other one is "A Book of Middle Eastern Food" by Claudia Roden. Both these authors have written about the middle eastern cuisine but from two different aspects. I could identify with Sana Abourek's book since it has a majority of vegetarian recipes which have been tried and tested from a healthy nutrition perspective given that the author is a nutritionist by profession. The other book by Claudia Roden is also pretty good, with more dessert and non-vegetarian recipes to choose from.
The recipes that i am writing about today are all from Abourek's book and i have not contributed in any other way than cooking these wonderful dishes. So whenever you feel like and as long as you have a good blender these dishes shouldnt take you long to cook.
Zuchini in Pomegranate molasses (Kusa Be Debs Al-Ruman)
1/2 lb zuchini
1/2 red pepper
4 tsp pomegranate molasses (heat 2 cups of pomegranate juice -store-bought, with 1/4th cup sugar and 2-3 tbsp lemon juice till it reduces to a thick syrupy consistency for approx. 1 hour- From Simply Recipes-keeps good for 3-4 weeks in the fridge)
2 small cloves garlic, finely crushed
1, Boil the zuchini till it becomes very soft. Mash it , add the finely chopped red pepper, pomegranate molasses and garlic.
Sweet and Sour Beet Dip (Shamander Bel Tahini)
 2 Beets 2 tbsp yoghurt 1 tbsp tahini paste 1 clove garlic-mashed 2-3 tbsp lemon juice salt to taste 1. Boil the beets, peel them and mash them.
2. Add the tahini paste, yoghurt and garlic and mix well.
Red Pepper Spread (Muhamara)
2 loaves of bread
1 red bell pepper
2 tsp walnuts
1-1/2 tsp cumin-coriander powder
1/2 onion
salt to taste
1/2 red chili pepper
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
1. Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend into a smooth paste.
Lentil Lemon soup (Shorbet Adas Bel Hamath)
1 cup lentils
1/2 onion- finley chopped
pepper to taste
salt to taste
1/2 lemon
4 -5 tbsp coriander
2 cloves garlic mashed
1. Boil the lentils with the onion, salt and pepper.
2. Saute the mashed garlic with half of the coriander in olive oil and when the lentils are soft and tender, add the coriander garlic mix to it.
3. Keep heating for 5- 10 more minutes, thena dd the lemon juice and serve hot garnished with the rest of the coriander.
Potato Salad (Salatat Batata)
2 potatoes- boiled
1 tomato- finely chopped
1/2 onion-finely chopped
3-4 tbsp parsely
2 tbsp lemon juice
pepper to taste
salt to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
1. Dice the potatoes into small cubes, add in the chopped tomatoes, onions, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Mix well and serve.
Roasted red pepper Hummus (Flehfleh Hummus)
1-1/2 cup canned garbanzo beans (chick peas)
1 can roasted red peppers
2 cloves garlic
salt to taste
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp tahini paste
1. Put all the ingredients in the blender and make a smooth paste. Adjust for garlic and lemon juice as per your taste.
Bulghur with lentils (Mujaderrah)
1 cup lentils
1 cup bulghur
salt to taste
1 onion- sliced
2 tsp cumin powder
1. Boil the lentils and bulghur till the are soft and well-cooked.
2. Add in the salt and cumin powder.
3. In a pan saute the onions in some olive oil till they turn completely brown.
4. Top the onions off on to the lentils and bulghur.
5. Serve with some curd or tomato salad.
For the wheat pita bread, look up my recipe on the pita bread in the previous post and substitute all-purpose flour for whole wheat.
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