by Priyanka posted at 3:25 PM
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This dish, so simple yet delicious has always presented a challenge to me. The reason: My aai makes such awesome Fadani Khichdi (Khichdi made of cracked wheat, lentils and vegetables)- yeah- thats what its called in gujarati- that i have never been able to replicate it. It never comes out the same as my mom. Since I was kind of afraid of botching it up, I kept thinking about other options with "W". But my heart and my palate were reluctant to try or taste anything else. So finally, i called up my mom, took down the recipe verbatim, donned the apron and gave it another try.
Fadani khichdi is very nutritious and the ultimate comfort food. Here's what you need for the recipe
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 cup cracked wheat/ fada (you can find this at any Indian store)
1/2 cup split green moong dal
1-1/2 cup chopped veggies of your choice (carrots, peas, cauliflower, potatoes)
1 small onion diced
1 tsp garam masala
1/3 tsp chili powder
salt to taste
To be ground into a paste
4 green chilies
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 inch piece of ginger
For tempering:
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/3 tsp turmeric
a pinch of asafoetida
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
A closer look at how the cracked wheat looks like:
1. Wash and soak the cracked wheat and moong dal for 1/2 an hour before cooking.
2. Heat oil in a cooker, add the mustard seeds and when they crackle, add the ingredients for tempering. 3. Add the cracked wheat and saute it for 5-7 minutes till it turns golden brown and then add all the veggies and the onion and saute it till 5-10 minutes. 4. Add the ground paste, garam masala and salt. 5. Add 1 cup of water and let it cook for another 10 minutes. 6. Add the moong dal and 3-1/2 more cups of water (the cracked wheat swells a lot, so you need lots of water) and cook it for 3 whistles. The consistency should be semi-solid (simply put it will be a "lachko" or "sarsarit" khichdi). At this point turn off the gas and let it cool for 15 minutes. This is what a semi-solid khichdi should look like.
7. Serve hot garnished with coriander and a dollop of ghee or with any raita or yoghurt.
 After i tasted the first morsel, i started jumping with joy- my fadani khichdi had turned out quite like my mom's. I served my khichdi with mattha.
I am sending this Khichdi over to Nupur of OneHotStove for the A-Z of Indian Vegetables.
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by Priyanka posted at 1:57 PM
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After a week long break, i am back with some really tasty dishes. While browsing through Sharmi's blog Neivedyam today, i came across two recipes- Mango Pulihara (Mango rice with spices) and Aam ras mamidi charu (Mango rasam) which she made for Ugadi feast (Ugadi is celebrated as New year in Andhra Pradesh). And i immediately decided to try these recipes out since i already had 2 raw mangoes lying in my refrigerator. That being said, i have followed Sharmi's recipes to a T since i know little about Andhra cuisine. Here go the recipes for both the dishes.
Mango Pulihara
Serves 4 Ingredients 1 cup grated raw mango 2 cups cooked rice salt to taste For tempering 2 tsp oil 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 1/2 tsp black whole urad dal 1/2 tsp chana dal 1/3 tsp turmeric 8-10 curry leaves 2 tsp peanuts 2 tsp cashews 2 tsp raisins 1 tsp finely chopped ginger 1 tbs finely chopped green chillies
1. Heat oil in a cooking pan. Add the mustard, urad dal, chana dal and peanuts and saute them till they turn golden brown. 2. Now add the turmeric, ginger, green chilies, cashews, raisins and curry leaves and saute them for 3-4 minutes. 3. Add the grated unripe mango and mix in finely. 4. Add the cooked rice and salt amd mix well. Let cook for 5-10 minutes. 5. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with the mango rasam or eat it plain.
Mango Rasam 
Serves 4 Ingredients 1 raw mango seed 3 cups water salt to taste 1/3 tsp turmeric 1 tsp rasam powder For tempering 1 tbs ghee 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 1/2 tsp cumin seeds a pinch of asafoetida 5-7 curry leaves
1. In a pan, heat the 3 cups of water with the raw mango seed (As per Sharmi's recipe, i used the left over seed from the pulihara). Add salt, turmeric and rasam powder to it and let it boil till the mango seed looks cooked. 2. Now temper it with the mustard, cumin seeds and curry leaves. 3. Garnish with corainder and serve hot. And the verdict: It was simply awesome. I dont have words to describe how tasty these two dishes were, especially the mango pulihara.
I am always wonderstruck by the creativity of fellow bloggers. Just reading these blogs, learning new things daily, sharing stuff brightens up my day. I look forward to the food events and new recipes, small tips and a better way of making a dish. From now on i will be posting and categorising recipes from fellow bloggers that i want to try out on my blog. Instead of bookmarking recipes from other bloggers, i have decided to just list them down here so that i have all recipes in one place whenever i want to go back and refer them. I will constantly keep updating them too. Here's a list of some other recipes that i am dying to try out from Sharmi's blog. Sharmi's posts are informative and the dishes very creative and well-presented. Sharmi recently guest-hosted A Fruit A Month (AFAM): Orange and i am dying to try out these recipes too. Appetisers
Breakfast/ Snacks
Chutneys
Main Course
Desserts
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by Priyanka posted at 1:06 AM
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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 12:18 PM
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 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 10:14 PM
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 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.
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by Priyanka posted at 3:07 PM
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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.
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by Priyanka posted at 10:15 PM
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I'm going to break away from the Chinese cuisine series to contribute my entry to the A-Z Indian vegetable series hosted by Nupur of OneHotStove. Loaded with some creative mojo, I decided to try my hand at a new recipe. The recipe has been inspired from one of my mom's recipe, albeit with tons of variations.
The original recipe used raw mango and Tandaljo (Amaranth leaves). My attempts to find tandaljo in US have thus far been futile. So i decided to substitute it with "shepu" a.k.a dill, but i couldnt find any fresh dill at the grocery store. Back to the drawing board, I finally decided to use spinach as part of the recipe. A few helpful hints from my friend and fellow blogger, Suchi of Jalepenos, and the recipe came to life. The dish is tangy in taste and you can try different variations with Dill, Colocasia leaves and Seaweed. Without further ado, here's the recipe:
Serves 2 Preparation time: 20 min
Cooking time- 30 min
Ingredients:
1 raw mango
10 oz (300 gm) baby spinach
Jaggery to taste
1/3 tsp chili powder
1/3 tsp dhana jeeru powder
1/3 tsp garam masala
6 tbs chana dal
To be ground into paste:
2 green chilies
1/2” ginger piece
For tempering:
2 tsp ghee
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
2 whole kashmiri red chilies
2 fresh red chilies
1/3 tsp turmeric
A pinch of asafoetida
1. Wash and finely chop the spinach (you can use baby spinach). Peel and chop the raw mango into fine pieces.
2. Heat ghee for tempering and add the mustard and cumin seeds. When they pop add the condiments, turmeric and asafoetida.
3. Add the green chili-ginger paste and sauté it for 2 minutes.
4. Then add the chana dal and some water and cook till its almost but not completely done.
5. Add the finely chopped spinach and raw mango pieces.Make sure not to use up the entire mango or it will make the dish sour (leave out 1/3rd of the mango pieces). You can use the left over mango in dal or chutney preparations. Add a little water (1/2 a cup) and salt and let it cook.
6. When its cooked, add the chili powder, dhana jeeru and garam masala and cook for some more time. Add jaggery as per taste (you might have to add more or less depending on how sour the raw mangoes are).
7. Serve hot with rotis or rice.
 P.S.- The credit for the editing and the pictures goes to P.
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by Priyanka posted at 5:32 PM
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Masale bhaat
Continuing with the Maharashtrian cuisine, here's the very traditional masale bhaat with veggies and coconut, courtesy of my mom. It is usually served with mattha (spicy buttermilk), tomato saar, kadhi (buttermilk curry thickened with gram flour and tempered with spices), or rassa bhaji (potato-tomato vegetable curry). Bhaat (rice) is an integral part of Maharashtrian food as is coconut. Depending on the region, you come from, the diet and use of spices varies. I remember how as a child, i used to hate anything with khobra (coconut) and kothimbir (coriander) in it. But these days, i hardly ever make a dish without the garnish. It gives a special flavor to the dish. Writing this recipe brings back fond memories of my early years in the U.S. I often visited a friend of my dad's, Ramesh uncle, in NY during weekends and holidays. He has an extended family of relatives and close knit family running business together- a very happy, wonderful family who never made me feel like an outsider. I still remember the first time i made masale bhaat and mattha for 20 people, afraid i would botch up. You see, i had never cooked for so many people and in someone else's kitchen too.They relished it the very first time and thereafter whenever i visited them, they would ask me to cook the same again. Whenever i make masale bhaat, i reminisce about the good old days and the fun that i had at their place.
I chanced upon this interesting information on the internet while researching about the gherkins. Gherkins, an integral part of masale bhaat were found in the Himalayas and first cultivated in India, from where its use spread to the other continents. Gherkins belong to the Cucurbitaceae family of gourds, squashes, cucumbers, pumpkin and melon to name a few. In the western world, a different larger variety is pickled to be relished with sandwiches.
Serves 4
Ingredients: 2 cups of basmati rice
1 cup gherkins -sliced (tondli, tindora)
1 cup potatoes (cubed)
1/2 cup curd
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
3 cardamoms
salt and sugar to taste
For the tempering:
4 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp ghee
6-7 diced cashews
10-15 raisins (optional)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
a pinch of asafoetida
For garnish:
1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
1/2 cup fresh coriander
1. Wash the basmati rice and mix it with 1/2 a cup of curd, chili powder, garam masala, salt, sugar and cardamom. Marinate it for 20-30 min.
2. Heat up ghee in a pressure cooker or a cooking pot. Add mustard seeds, and when they pop, add turmeric and asafoetida, cloves, bay leaf and cinnamon. Fry for a minute and then add cashews and raisins (i personally love raisins a lot, but you can omit it if you dont like it).
3. Add the gherkins and potatoes, saute for 2-3 minutes, add just a pinch of salt and then add the marinated rice mixture.
4. Add 4 cups of water (for every 1 cup of rice add double the amount of water) and cook it upto 2 whistles.
5. Garnish it with fresh coriander and coconut (a must for the masale bhaat- you cant omit it or you wont be able to enjoy the real flavor)
by Priyanka posted at 2:13 PM
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After debating for long, I decided to post some authentic recipes from the land of Maharashtra. Afterall, have to pay homage to my ancestral roots- the people and the land I come from.
Hope you enjoy this recipe and the blog!!! Your suggestions and comments are welcome.
Tomato saar
Being a student of science, I know the importance of tomatoes. Tomatoes a.k.a Solanum lycopersicum are the richest source of lycopenes- biflavanoids (which give the tomatoes their red color). Lycopenes act as antioxidants and thus help prevent cancer. Tomatoes, indeed are also a good source of vitamin C, magnesium, niacin, iron, potassium, phosphorus, riboflavin, sodium and thiamine.
Although research shows that tomatoes originated in South America, specifically Peru, and then made their way to Mexico, Spain, Europe, Asia and then U.S., they are an integral part of a lot of cuisines- be it Italian (Pasta and Pizza sauces), Mexican (salsa), Indian or American. Tomatoes were not an integral part of Indian cuisine before the Portugese and the Spaniards came to India in search of spices and gold and introduced them into the Indian cuisine.
This spicy, sweet and tangy curry made with tomatoes, coconut, jaggery and indian spices is just the one to open up your taste buds and goes very well with plain rice or masale bhaat (a spicy marathi rice dish). It can simply be savored as a soup too. This recipe, that has been handed down to me by my mom, is a slight variation from some others. Some Maharashtrians and Konkanis use coconut milk whereas some South Indians use sambhar powder.
Serves 4 Ingredients:
5 large sized tomatoes
4 tsp fresh grated coconut (you can also use dry shredded coconut)
Salt to taste
Jaggery/ sugar
1 cinnamom stick
1 clove buds curry leaves
To be ground into paste: 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) 2 cloves of garlic (optional) 4 green chilies
For tempering: 2 tbsp oil/ghee
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
curry leaves 1/2 tsp turmeric
a pinch of asafoetida (hing) 1 bay leaf 1 stick of cinnamon stick 1 clove bud
1. Boil the tomatoes and peel off their skin. Pass them through a seive or process them in a blender.
2. Make a paste of the chilies and cumin (i usually dont add garlic, but if you like it can add it to your recipe- thats another variation) and add it to the tomato puree and heat up the saar.
3. Add the salt, grated coconut, cinnamon, clove buds, curry leaves and jaggery* (should be added at last to help the spices blend into the curry) and bring the curry to a boil.
4. Heat up the oil/ ghee and add the cumin seeds.When they crackle, add the turmeric, asafoetida, spices and pour it over the curry.
5. Garnish with coriander and serve hot.
*I prefer jaggery over sugar healthwise and also for the taste.
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