Batatyachi Bhaaji

Presenting the most simple and adorable Maharashtrian bhaaji (sabji) for RCI Maharashtrian Cuisine-Batatyachi bhaaji aka Potato Sabji. This too falls in the dry sabjis category of Maharashtrian food and can be sub classified as paratleli bhaaji. (stir fry vegetables)

Most people (of my generation) know this as the picnic food! :) Potato Bhaaji is quick and simple to prepare and a favorite among kids who usually hate eating other vegetables. Puri-Batatyachi Bhaaji used to be my tiffin for picnics for many years in school. It’s probably the first sabji that I learnt to cook and hence my favorite :)

If you cook the potatoes for long time without stirring, a brownish crisp coating forms over the potatoes at the base. In Marathi, this is called “kharpus bhaajna/karapna”, a typical stage of frying between proper frying/roasting and burning. If I have enough time for cooking, I purposely try to attain this stage to eat the crispy part just because I love its taste. The crispy part is called “kharad” and is mostly associated with Khichdi (Rice cooked with moong dal) and dry stir fry sabjis!

This bhaaji does not contain Onion, Ginger or Garlic. Hence it remains good (and even smells good) for long time even in hot weather conditions and is the perfect picnic food!

Batatyachi Bhaaji

What you need:

3 big Potatoes, boiled
1-2 tsp Sugar (preferably powdered)
Salt to taste
2 strands of Curry leaves
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
½ tsp Turmeric
3-4 Green Chillies, chopped
4-5 strands of Corriander
2 tbsp Oil

How to proceed:

1) Dice the boiled potatoes
2) Sprinkle sugar and salt (as required) over the potatoes and mix well so that the potato cubes are coated with sugar and salt. Leave aside for 5 mins
3) Heat oil in a skillet. Add curry leaves and mustard seeds
4) When the mustard seeds start spluttering, add chopped chillies and turmeric powder
5) Now add the potatoes and mix well
6) Cover and cook for 5-10 mins. Keep stirring at intervals
7) Garnish with corriander and serve wth puris/chapattis

Stuffed Okra/Bharli Bhendi

A Maharashtrian meal consists of atleast one sukki bhaaji (dry sabji). Dry sabjis can be categorised as bharli bhaaji(stuffed vegetables), paratleli bhaaji(stir fry), usal etc. Dry sabjis are usually served hot with rotis/phulkas/chapatis or are served as accompaniment to dal-rice. These sabjis alongwith rotis are good tiffin foods since they are easy to carry without much of a mess!

Bharli bhaaji aka stuffed vegetables consists of vegetables stuffed with spice mixes and then fried/roasted/cooked in small quantities of oil. Most common stuffed vegetables are: bharli vangi (stuffed eggplants), bharli dhobli (stuffed capsicum), bharla dodka (stuffed ridgegourd) and my favourite bharli bhendi (stuffed okra). Here's assal marathi bharli bharli bhendi for RCI Maharashtrian Cuisine!

Stuffed Okra/Bharli Bhendi

What you need:

400 gm Bhindi/Okra/Ladies finger- preferably long ones
1/3 cup Grated Dry Cocunut
½ cup Groundnut Powder (groundnuts roasted and pounded)
2 tsp Cumin Powder
2 tsp Corriander Powder
2 tsp Garam Masala
3 tsp Red Chilli Powder
Salt to taste
Oil

How to proceed:

1) Wash and pat dry okra/bhindi
2) Cut the heads and tails of okras/bhindi
3) Cut each okra/bhindi in 2-3 pieces of approx 1 inch
4) Cut each piece along the length, halfway deep [Take care not to cut in 2 pieces lengthwise]
5) Lightly roast the grated coconut till light brown
6) Put in a blender and pound to a powder. To this, add all other ingredients (except oil and okra/bhindi). This is the stuffing/saran.
7) Fill the stuffing/saran in the okra/bhindi pieces. If extra stuffing/saran is left, keep it aside
8) Heat 2-3 tbsp oil in the cooking pan
9) Add the extra stuffing/saran to oil (if left)
10) Now add the stuffed/bharli okra/bhindi in the skillet
11) Roast well and cover
12) Cook covered and stir at intervals till cooked.
13) (Optionally) Garnish with yoghurt or a dash of lemon. Serve with hot rotis/chapattis/phulkas/parathas.

This is also my entry for Nupur's "S of Indian Vegetables" and Cook Sister's WTSIM

Sabudana Kheer

Most Maharashtrians are God fearing people. Or the better way to put it.. They truly believe in God!! Even I do. :) Fasting is one favoutrite "activity" of many Maharashtrians. Fasting is accompanied by visits to temples and lots of Puja Paath(worshiping). People fast atleast once a month on every chaturti or ekadashi or some specific day of the week for a specific diety (Specific dieties are associated with specific days.. Monday for Shivji.. Tuesday for Ganpati… and so on). Some people fast 4-5 days a week.. Strange but true! Fasting can be the regular upwaas (eat fasting food one time), kadak upwaas (no eating) or nirjala upwaas. (neither eating nor drinking.) Fasting is considered to be one way of pleasing god.. The other reason for fasting is the wide array of fasting foods. :D Fasting food includes preparation from sabudana (sago, tapoica), varaiche tandhul (some specific rice), batata (potaoes), shengdana (groundnuts), milk products and all types of fruits including dry fruits. Hence many people who are against fasting are never against fasting food! :)

Sabudana Kheer is a kheer (payasam/pudding) prepared from sago, milk, sugar and nuts. This was the best Maharashtrian food to start with for RCI Maharashtrian Cuisine. Normally the tapoica that we get in India is big but I get the small one in Indian stores here. The only difference is the resting time for sago. If you have big tapoica, wash it, drain water and rest aside for 5-6 hrs/overnight. If you have the small one, wash, drain and rest for 15-20 mins. I prepared the kheer with small tapoica and no nuts! (calorie conscious ;)) Here goes the recipe..

Sabudana Kheer

What you need:

1 cup Sabudana/Sago/Tapoica
2 cups Milk
1 cup Sugar(according to taste)
1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder
A pinch of Nutmeg Powder
3-4 strands Saffron(optional)
Dry Fruits(cashews, almonds,walnuts,raisins)

How to proceed:

1) Wash sago. Drain and set aside.
2) Put milk to boil in a vessel.
3) When milk boils, add sabudana and heat till sago is cooked and can be easily pressed between fingers.
4) Now add sugar and mix well till the sugar dissolves completely.
5) Add saffron, cardamom powder and nutmeg powder.
6) Garnish with fried nuts(optional) and serve hot.

* The kheer with big sabudana tastes better than the kheer with small ones.
* This recipe makes thick kheer. If you wish to make it thin, take 1 & 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup water.

This is also my entry for Nupur's "S of Indian Vegetables."

Mahinabhar Maharashtrian Swaipak!

(Literal Translation: Maharashtrian cooking for a month!)

Regional Cuisines of India (RCI) is an event started by Lakshmik to feature cuisines from various states of India. Every month an Indian state is selected and bloggers are invited to try and post recipes for delicacies related to that state. This month is aapla “Maharashtra” :) and the RCI-Maharashtra is hosted by the versatile Nupur. Could there be a better opportunity for me to post most of the traditional Maharashtrian dishes that I know??? Conclusion: For a month from now, all my posts will be dedicated to Maharashtrian food! I’ll try to make these dishes in total Maharashtrian style, meaning everything original, no extra additions or modifications! Also expect Maharashtrian food as my entries for any other blog events in June :)

I am a proper Maharashtrian.. I am born in Nashik, brought up in Pune, aajol (grandmom’s place) is Dhule and my sasar (sasural/in laws) is near Solapur. Now don’t expect that I am an expert at cooking various dishes from each region. :D In Maharashtra, some ingredients and food qualities are typical to some region, but the well known dishes are prepared in same style in each region! The coastal regions of Maharashtra, called the Konkan area is famous for the sea food (esp fish), rice and coconut preparations. The Bombay side for junk food- chaats and snacks at chaupati.. Pune is famous for sweets from Chitale Bandhu and Lakshminarayan Chiwda.. and “Khawaiye Puneri” for their regular restaurant visits ;) Kolhapur is famous for their spicy Kolhapuri non veg dishes.. Nagpur for Varhadi non veg dishes and ofcourse the Haldiram products! :) These products helped me survive initially when I came here.:D And last, but not the least, Alphanso Mangoes from Ratnagiri and Konkan.. Yet to come here :(

Maharashtra is famous for its Ganesh Festival.. It is celebrated in Aug – Sept and lasts for 10 days.. The other important festivals celebrated in Maharashtra are Makar Sankranti, Holi and Diwali. Since festivals and foods go hand in hand, different festive foods are typicaaly associated with each festival. :) When it comes to food, (seriously) Maharashtrians are famous for “fasting/upwaas”.. On important fasting days like Mahashivratri, the fasting foods are feasts.. The fasting/upwaas food usually consists of sago, warai tandool(some type of rice), milk products, potatoes, dry fruits, groundnuts and fruits. If these are the pros of fasting, who won’t fast!! :D Normally a Maharashtrian meal consists of bread (poli/bhakri), a dry vegetable, a gravy vegetable, and rice and dal.. Chutneys, papads or pickles for accompaniment and desserts for some special occasions..

Maharashtra earns its economy mostly from the agriculture sector. Most people in Khandesh, Solapur and Vidharbha are farmers cultivating sugarcane, cotton, bajra, jowar, wheat, pulses, groundnuts and fruits like bananas, grapes and oranges. The booming IT industry is the other major economic sector. The state has a rich history of the Peshwas and the great Maratha warrior Shivaji in its name. The various forts and historic buildings in Maharashtra are an example of great architecture. There are about 175 forts in Maharashtra, the major ones being Murud Janjira, Pratapgad, Raigad, Rajgad, Sinhgad, Shivneri, Sindhudurg and Torna.

Coming to the major cities in Maharashtra and their attractions.. Bombay, the capital city, famous for the Bollywood film industry.. Pune, also called as “Oxford of East” for its reputed colleges and universities, is also famous for the booming software industry.. Nagpur, following the footsteps of Pune in IT industry, is known as the second capital of Maharashtra, is famous for its Orange cultivation.. Kolhapur, for its Mahalakshmi Temple and the world famous Kolhapuri chappals.. Heard lately that they were exported to Brussels and are sold at 100 euros a pair!! :O Nashik, the temple town, also has a mention in Ramayana.. Solapur, for its Solapuri chadar and the Siddheshwar temple.. Aurangabad, for the beautiful Ajanta Ellora caves and the mini Taj Mahal-“Biwi ka Makbara” and also the Himru shawls.. Not to forget the hill stations of Matheran and Mahabaleshwar.. And the ghats of Malshej, Lonavala and Khandala in rains.. And the beaches of Ganpatipule, Harihareshwar and Shrivardhan!

LOL, that seems too much to digest.. Seems as if I am writing an essay on “Majha Rashta- Maharashtra” :D Coming back to the topic of Maharashtrian food.. Stay tuned for a month full of Maharashtrian food! :)

Samosa

Now that my true love for chaat items is truly justified, I have the feeling that I am free to go ahead and eat more chaat items :D Waise bhi I doubt that anything in this world can stop me from eating chaat! :) So this time its the lovely Samosa. Samosa is a North Indian snack but famous all over India. Since samosas are easily available at any sweet marts or chaat joints in India, these are hardly prepared at home. Wish wish wish they were so easily available here! :( Two euros for just one cold samosa.. isn’t it better to try at home and eat as many fresh hot samosas as you wish till your stomach is full?? :) I never ever thought that 1 day I would prepare samosas at home!! I had samosas at an Indian friend’s place here, found them very easy to prepare at home and decided to try it the other day for hubby dear. Needless to say, 10 tempting hot samosas disappeared in less than 10 mins!!

Samosa is my entry for Nupur's "S of Indian Vegetables".. I know its too early for the event, but my next post will soon justify why I am in such a hurry :) Till then, enjoy these yummy hot samosas! :)

Samosa

What you need:

For the covering
2 cups Maida
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds (optional)
1 tsp Ghee
Few drops of lemon (this help to make the covering crispy)
Salt to taste

For the filling
3 Potatoes boiled and peeled
1/2 cup Peas boiled/frozen
1 tsp Ginger Paste
2-3 Chillies finely chopped
2 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
Chopped Coriander
Juice of half a lemon
Salt to taste

How to proceed:

For the covering
1) Mix all the ingredients and prepare soft dough.
2) Leave aside for an hr or two.

For the filling
1) Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds.
2) Add ginger paste, finely chopped chillies, garam masala, coriander powder and cumin powder
3) Add potato and boiled peas and mix well
4) Add salt as required
5) Squeeze juice of half a lemon , mix well and keep aside to cool

Putting it all together
1) Roll a chapatti (of size of rolling pin) using oil to roll, cut it into half, such that you have two semi circles.
2) Take one semi circle and make a cone from it. Seal the edges with water.
3) Fill in the potato filling and seal the edges with water.
4) Deep fry in hot oil and drain excess oil.
5) Serve hot with tamarind chutney or Pudina chutney

Ragda Pattice

With respect to my eating habits, I am a kid!! Its true.. I love junk food... I can stay on chaat items for my whole life.. chaat for breafast, chaat for lunch, chat for teatime and chat for dinner.. Wish wish wish I had such a lifestyle!! :) Anyways, fortunately/unfortunately, I dont find any restos/thelas/chaat joints here.. Back in my hometown Pune, there used to be many chaat joints.. the most famous was Bheleshwar near SNDT college backgate... was the local hangout with colleagues and friends! Then the famous Ganesh bhel in Kothrud area and Kalyan bhel in Bibwewadi.. Also Deepak sweets in Aundh.. And how can I forget the chaat basket at Manmeet on FC road... How I miss all the chaat items that I used to eat!!! :( Thankfully, I have started to try prepaing some of these at home.. These are hygenic (i seriously dont care which water they use for preparation at the roadside thelas!) and I even get a chance to prove their nutrition value :D Many of you guys will agree with me that chaat items are not junk food... Murmura, aalo, tamatar, pyaaj, a bit of fried shev, groundnuts... we include these items regularly in our meals! To conclude, chaats are not junk food and I should try more of these dishes at home :) So here comes Ragda Pattice!

Ragda Pattice or Ragda Patties--(whatever u call it.. I mean, however u spell it) is my entry for Nupur's "R of Indian Vegetables". Ragda pattice consists of the thick gravy prepared from white peas(I used chickpeas instead) called ragda(probably due to the process of mashing some peas to thicken the gravy) and shallow fried Potato dumplings called pattice(probably because they are patted during shallow frying).. LOL.. what a logic!!! Well well.. the try wasnt bad at all.. Here goes the recipe!

Ragda Pattice

What you need:

For Pattice
3-4 medium sized Potatoes
2 Slices of Bread
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

For Ragda
1 can (250 gm) Boiled Chickpeas
1 small Onion finely chopped
1 tsp Ginger Gralic Paste
2 tbsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Jeera Powder
Salt to taste
1 cup Water
2 tbsp Oil

For Garnish
1 Onion finely chopped
2-3 tbsp Sweet Tamarind Chutney
2-3 tsp Corriander chopped
1 tsp Red chilli powder
1 tsp Chaat Masala
Thin Sev
Yoghurt (Optional)

How to proceed:

For Ragda
1) Take oil in a skillet. Fry onion till translucent
2) Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a min or two
3) Add all the spice powders and mix well
4) Mash half chickpeas and add them to spices.
5) Add remaining half can of boiled chickpeas
6) Add water and salt and let cook for 5 mins
7) Add more water if ragda is too thick, mash more peas if too thin

For Pattice
1) Boil the potatoes in a pressure cooker (4 whistles)
2) Mash potatoes well.
3) Soak bread slices in water, extract all water and add to mashed potatoes
4) Add salt and red chilli powder and knead well
5) Form 8-10 small round balls; place each ball on palm and flatten it to make pattice
6) Shallow fry/roast each pattice on a hot tava/skillet using a tsp of Oil


Putting it all together
1) Place 2-3 patties in a plate
2) Cover the patties with hot ragda
3) Garnish with onion, corriander, a pinch of chilli powder, chaat masala, tamarind chutney and sev.

Ulli Garelu

Another recipe from Andhra which everyone adores! Wondering whats “Ulli Garelu”?? Even I would have surely not ordered this dish from the menu card in a Udupi restaurant. But if I knew what it is, there surely would have been no second thoughts! Its our own “Medu Wada” straight from Andhra and hence my entry for RCI Andhra!

Ulli Garelu aka Medu Wada is a festive food from Andhra, prepared from Black gram dal (urad dal) spiced with onion and ginger. Ulli means “Onion” and Garelu means “Wada”. These garelus are typically served with sambar and coconut chutney. But lazy Arts loves to enjoy its true flavour!! ;)

Ulli Garelu/Medu Wada

What you need:

1 cup Urad Dal (black gram dal)
1 big Onion finely chopped
2 tsp Cumin seeds
3-4 Green Chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp finely chopped Ginger
A pinch of Baking Soda
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

How to proceed:

1) Wash and soak Urad dal for 5-6 hrs
2) Remove all the excess water and convert the ural dal into a smooth thick paste using a grinder [if the batter is not thick, the wadas do not get a perfect shape]
3) Add cumin seeds, chopped onion, chillies, ginger and salt
4) Heat oil in a deep vessel.
5) Wet hands, take a spoonful of batter on the palm, form a circular shape and flatten the wada. Make a hole at the center of the wada using index finger. [This will ensure that the wada is fried evenly]
6) Slowly drop wadas in hot oil, deep fry on both sides till golden brown.
7) Serve hot with sambar or coconut chutney and enjoy! Rocks wit hot tea as well!!

Watermelon Pancakes

"Summer Fruits" is the theme for WBB#11 hosted by Padmaja. The first fruit that comes to mind thinking of summer fruits is the king of fruits-Mango! But the genuine taste of mango is best enjoyed when eaten as is! So I decided to leave the Mango all alone and move on to the next favourite summer fruit- Watermelon. (Confession: The real reason is that I didnt find Indian mangoes here:( )

Watermelon is famous as a summer fruit for its high water content. I used Watermelon to flavour up the usual pancakes that we make for breakfast. Crisp and tasty watermelon pancakes served as a tasty and appetising breakfast and different than the usual pancakes!

Watermelon Pancakes

What you need:

¼ kg Watermelon pieces (deseeded)
½ cup Plain Flour/Maida
1 Egg
4-5 tbsp Powdered Sugar
2 tbsp Milk
Oil

How to proceed:

1)Blend the watermelon pieces to juice
2)Put flour in a bowl, add sugar, egg (discard the yolk), watermelon juice and milk; mix well
3)Add more milk if required to make the batter consistent and as thick as dosa batter
4)Put oil/butter on hot girdle and pour spoonful of batter over it
5)Spread the batter in circular pattern to form thin pancakes
6)Put oil on sides/corners to make them crispy
7)When cooked on one side, flip and cook on other side.
8)Serve hot with a cuppa of tea!

Pesarattu

Thanks to RCI, I try my hand at something different than regular cooking. This month's state is my Andhra Pradesh hosted by Latha. My entry for RCI Andhra is Pesarattu.

Bloggers from Andhra, a genuine request!! Please don’t curse me for the way my Pesarattu’s turned out. I can never(seriously!!!) make a thin dosa. I tried to make it as thin as possible. This was the best I could do. I know I am supposed to make it look like a dosa, but this has turned out to be somewhere between a dosa and an uttapam. But 1 thing I am sure of is that the taste of the pesarattus is simply mind-blowing! And I'll surely keep trying and hope to improve my dosa skills!! Well, I am sure it wont take more time to improve since we just loved this dish and I'll have to prepare it more often now! :)

Pesarattus are breads prepared from whole Moong(green gram) and are normally served with Upma. While making Pesarattus(and obviously enjoying its taste simultaneously :D) they seemed so yummy and tempting that I was sure they wouldn’t remain in the plate until I prepared upma. Hence I served it with takku (raw mango chutney) and nimbu ka aachar (hot lemon pickle).

Pesarattu

What you need:

1 cup Whole Moong (Green Gram)
2-3 tsp Rice flour
4-5 Green Chillies finely chopped
2 tsp Ginger Garlic paste
Salt to taste
Oil

How to proceed:

1) Wash and soak the moong overnight
2) Drain the water and grind the moong, add water to form a paste of medium consistency
3) Add rice flour, chillies, ginger garlic paste, rice flour and salt to taste
4) Keep the mixture aside for 5-10 mins
5) On a hot girdle, put some oil and add a spoonful of batter. Spread the batter in a circular motion to form thin dosas/uttapas
6) When the pesarattu seems to be cooked on one side, add some oil on the corners to make the corners crisp.
7) Turn and shallow fry on the other side as well
8) Serve hot with chatnis or pickles.

Refreshing Kairi Panha

Kairi Panha(Green Mango Drink) is my second entry for AFAM Mango hosted by Deepa.

Panha is a drink made from raw mango. It was possibly the first mango preparation every summer at my place. Since this is my first year away from India, I am a bit late in trying out this drink! When I noticed some raw mangoes at the Indian store here in the start of May, I just brought some, called up Mom for her Panha recipe and then enjoyed sipping it in the noon after coming back tired from shopping.. Well, it refreshed me in no time.. And hence the name. :) This will also be my entry for Nupur’s “R of Indian Vegetables”

This drink is prepared using raw mangoes mixed with sugar or jaggery. The addition of fennel seeds and cardamom powder enhances the taste of this drink. A must must must try in summer time!

Kairi Panha

What you need:

1 big Raw Mango
1/4 cup Sugar – powdered
Few strands of Saffron – powdered
1 tsp Fennel Seeds – roasted and crushed
1 tsp ground Cardamon
2 cups water
A pinch of salt

How to proceed:

1) Cook the mango in a pressure cooker until soft (3-4 whistles)
2) When done, peel the mango, discard the seed and separate the pulp/flesh.
3) Remove strands if any from the pulp
4) Place the pulp in a blender; add fennel, saffron, cardamom and salt.
5) Blend well and add water
6) Add sugar and stir till it dissolves completely.
7) Adjust amount of water to have panha of desired consistency.
8) Sieve using strainer and serve cold with crushed ice.

* Sugar can be substituted by jaggery. This will make the Panha thicker.

Sukhadi

Coffee's MBP event demanded "Something Sweet" this month. I found the quickest, easiest and tastiest recipe for Sukhadi from here. Thanks Trupti for posting this wonderful gujarati sweet.. it is just awesome!

Sukhadi

What you need:

1 cup Wheat Flour
½ cup Jaggery
3/4 cup Ghee
2 tsp Cardamom powder
2 tbsp Milk

How to proceed:

1) Grease a wide flat plate with ghee and leave aside
2) Heat ghee in a pan
3) Add flour slowly to the ghee and mix well stirring continuously.
4) Roast the mixture until it turns golden brown and till it comes along together.
5) Now add jaggery, cardamom powder and milk.
6) Take off heat and put the mixture in greased plate.
7) Spread the mixture evenly when it is hot and then cut into desired shape
8) Let it cool and then separate and store in closed container

My Verdict: The sukhadis didn’t seem the same as those posted by Trupti. The originals seem to be hard like chikkis. Maybe due to the a bit of extra ghee (or some other mistake :D), the sukhadis turned out to be soft[I used "haath ka andaaz" for 3/4 cup of Ghee]. But thankfully there was no compromise on the taste :) The sukhadis just melted in the mouth and (seriously) gave the feeling of eating kaju katlis!! :)

Quenchy Melon Lemonade

Summer time.. Thirst.. Quench.. Quenchy.. Thats how I discovered the name of today's entry for "Q of Indian Vegetables" for Nupur's A-Z of Indian Vegetables :) Presenting "Quenchy Melon Lemonade" to quench your thirst this summer! :D

This beverage is made from watermelon and lemon juice. The sweet watermelon jucie and the tangy lemon juice gives this drink a distininctive taste!

Quenchy Melon Lemonade

What you need:

1/2 kg Watermelon Pieces
1/2 Lemon
4-5 tsp Sugar
Black Salt for taste2-3 Ice cubes


How to proceed:

1) Deseed the watermelon pieces and crush well in blender
2) Do *not* sieve the juice
3) Add juice of half lemon, salt and sugar to the watermelon juice
4) Serve chilled with ice cubes or crushed ice

Quick Popcorn

Today, 16th May, is LIVESTRONG Day 2007. Barbara of "winos and foodies" came up with a blog event "A taste of yellow" as a part of LIVESTRONG Day to support cancer survivors and raise awareness about cancer. Since I was too late to participate in it, I am posting a "yellow" snack to extend my support for the nobel cause.

And now, Nupur's "A-Z of Indian Vegetables" has another bouncer letter this week. The only word, starting with Q, that quickly comes to my mind is "Quick" (Thanks to Nupur for bridging the loophole, its in my mind frm past 2 weeks) :D So here goes Quick Popcorn for "Q of Indian Vegetables"..

Popcorn probably is the first word that comes to mind while watching movies(esp during the intermission). Well not just in the movie hall, even at home! Whenever there's a movie playing on the TV, my hubby demands popcorn n some soft drinks. :) Initailly we used to purchase popcorns in the store, but later realised that its easy to prepare it at home even without a popcorn maker. From then on, I have to prepare a huge stock of popcorn every weeekend... Though we find flavoured popcorn these days, I prefer the simple old-fashioned salted one! Its a handy snack at tea time as well! So this weekend rush n buy a CD of the lastest movie, try making popcorn at home, grab some soft drinks and enjoy the feel of watching the movie at the movie hall! :)

Popcorn

What you need:

1 Cup Popcorn Maize
2 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Turmeric
2 tsp Salt

Preferably a steel vessel with thin bottom and a glass lid

How to proceed:

1) Put oil in the cooking vessel
2) When hot, add turmeric and salt and mix well in oil
3) Now add Popcorn Maize and mix well so as to coat each maize grain with turmeric-salt
4) Cover and cook for 5 mins
5) The popcorns start popping. Shake the vessel at intervals to settle down the uncooked/unpopped maize
6) Enjoy the quick snack!!:)

Takku

Takku is chutney prepared from raw mango. I am a bit confused about its Maharashtrian or Gujarati roots. Now this confusion is pretty obvious since I am a Matthu and my best friend is a Gujju :) I am not sure if I have this at my place or her place.. Hence this confusion. But I am sure about one thing.. This chutney is quick n easy to prepare, tasty and can serve as an accompaniment to rotis, dosas, parathas ans bread. A must try in Kairi(raw mango) season!

This is my entry for Deepa’s AFAM Mango

Takku

What you need:

1 medium sized Kairi/Raw Mango
1 medium sized Onion
2 tsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
Pinch of Asafoetida
½ tsp Turmeric
2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste

How to proceed:

1)Grate the raw mango and keep aside
2)Peel and grate onion and mix with grated raw mango
3)Add sugar and salt to this mixture
4)Heat oil in a skillet and add mustard seeds
5)When the mustard seeds start spluttering, add asafoetida, turmeric and red chilli powder to it
6)Take the skillet off heat and add the tadka to the grated mango onion mixture
7)Mix well and serve with rotis or parathas

Pithla Bhakri

Its “Mothers Day” tomorrow.. And the first time/year that I am away from my mom on Mother’s day.. Miss ya mom.. My mom as well as my mummy (MIL) are not so choosy about food. They prefer simple home cooked food to restaurant food. In eating habits both are very similar. :) If I would have been home, I would have surely cooked a simple meal for them. I cooked Pithla Bhakri today specially to celebrate Mothers day. Happy Mothers Day Mom and Mummy!

I also take this opportunity to wish my fellow bloggers, who are proud Mothers, a very Happy Mothers Day! :)

Pithla Bhakri represents a humble meal in any Maharashtrain household. Pithla is made from besan/chickpea flour and tastes best when eaten with a bread called Bhakri which is typically prepared in Western Maharashtra using Jowar/Bajri flour. It can also be eaten with plain rice or rotis. Although Pithla Bhakri is said to be a “poor man’s meal”, it is enjoyed by one and all due to its simplicity! Loads of people visit the Sinhagad Fort in Pune just to have a feast of the Pithla Bhakri and Khekda Bhaji served there. Good old memories!! :)

This is my second entry for Nupur’s “P of Indian Vegetables” for A-Z of Indian Vegetables. The bhakris didn’t turn out as good as expected (and then I didn’t have much jowar flour left), and hence have not posted the recipe here. I’ll post it the next time when they turn out better with some good snaps. Here goes the recipe for Pithla.

Pithla

What you need:

4-5 tbsp Besan/Chickpea Flour
500 ml Water
2 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
3-4 Green Chillies
3-4 cloves Garlic
1 inch Ginger
Few strands of Corriander, chopped
Salt to taste

How to proceed:

1) Add besan to water and mix well so as to make it lump free mixture.
2) Grind chillies, ginger and garlic together
3) Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds
4) When mustard seeds start spluttering, ass the chilli ginger garlic paste and fry a min
5) Now add the besan water mixture and stir well
6) Add salt as required and keep stirring at intervals (Continuous stirring will avoid formation of lumps)
7) Cook for 5-10 mins.
8) Garnish with corriander and serve hot with bhakri, roti or rice.

I served pithla with bhakris, rice, buttermilk and spring onion…. A perfect marathi meal, ideal for a weekend, cooked for moms and gobbled by their kids ;)

Paneer Lumpia

Hush! Finally an easy letter positioned between two tricky ones. :) Coincidently this week was P week at my place with Pulao, Palak Parathe, Pav Bhaji and Pakode! All being so common, I decided to experiment something new.. thus happened Paneer Lumpia! The name of the dish talks about: Paneer- The yummy Indian cheese, Lumpia- fried Vietnamese and Indonesian pastries! I combined these to make Paneer Lumpia for “P of Indian Vegetables” for Nupur’s A-Z of Indian Vegetables. This is an Indian dish since just the preparation style and looks of Vietnamese Lumpia are used while the remaining important features.. the filling, the covering and the taste are full-to Indian! :)

Paneer Lumpia

What you need:

1/2 cup Maida
Few drops of Lemon(this makes the covering crispy)

1 cup grated Paneer
1/2 cup finely minced Cabbage
1 tsp Ginger Garlic paste
2-3 Green Chillies, minced
2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Corriander Cumin Powder
Pinch of Turmeric
1 tsp Soya Sauce
1/2 tsp Vinegar
2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup

Water
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

How to proceed:

1) Take Maida in a bowl, add one tsp oil, 2-3 drops of lemon and 1 tsp salt. Knead into a soft dough and keep aside covered
2) Add vinegar to grated paneer and leave aside for 5 mins.
3) For the filling, mix all the remaining ingredients with grated paneer (except water and oil).
4) Divide the dough into balls of 1 inch diameter; roll each ball into thin circular rotis.
5) Spread the filling across at one end, roll to over to the other end so as to cover it and seal with little water. Fold and seal the sides with water.
6) Fry on both sides and drain excess oil on paper towel.
7) Garnish with grated paneer and serve hot with tomato sauce.

* Serve as is as “Paneer Lumpia” or serve as “Paneer Spring Rolls” by cutting each in 2-3 pieces :)

Sheera

This dish is for my bhai Vish. HAPPY BIRTHDAY VISH! It was his birthday on 5th May and he just loves anything sweet. So what could be a better present from a naive chef?? :P The initial plan was to make Rawa Laddus but they didn’t turn out so well. So the last minute preparation was the most easy Maharashtrian dessert, Sheera! Now don’t get sad bhai.. will make Rawa Laddus soon and post it for u!! :) Filhaal you have to manage with just the snap and recipe until I get back to India :)

Bhai holds a very special place in my life.. In the 2-3 years that I have known him, he never got a chance to visit my place and eat something prepared by me.. But when he met my hubby before my marriage (this was even before I met my hubby.. now that’s a long story :D), he confidently told my hubby, “You are very lucky. Aarti is a very good cook.” I don’t know whether to call it "bharosa" or "fattebaaji" :P Because that was the time when all I knew of cooking was chapatti, bhakri and pithla bhaat. :) My hubby still remembers this and says that he wasn’t so wrong! Thanks Bhai for the confidence you showed in me.. Miss ya so much!

A sincere promise from my side: Next time we meet, you can demand any dish :) I’ll prepare it for you! I owe you this as a birthday present.. Btw, my bday is just 2-3 months away.. I know you dont cook anything.. and you know my address.. so………. ;)

Sheera

What you need:

1 Cup Semolina/Rawa
1 Cup Sugar
3-4 tbsp Ghee
1¾ Cups Water
1 tsp Cardamom powder
8-10 Golden Raisins
4-5 Cashews chopped
2-3 Almonds sliced

How to proceed:

1) Heat the water. Keep aside covered
2) Add ghee to frying pan. Fry cashews and raisins and keep aside
3) Now add Semolina to the ghee and roast well until you get the nice aroma of roasted semolina (Takes approx 5-6 mins).
4) At this stage, add sugar and ground cardamom.
5) Mix well for a minute and then add hot water slowly. Take care while adding water as it might bubble out.
6) Keep stirring continuously to avoid forming lumps.
7) Add the fried raisins and cashews and mix well
8) Cook covered on medium heat for 2-3 mins
9) Serve hot garnished with sliced almonds

Oolya Watanyachi Usal

O stands for “Oh my God!! Which vegetable starts with an O??” :D Maybe Onion or Okra. But these names are English versions which aren’t commonly used in India and the recipes too are very common and limited. Nupur does make us scratch our heads for her A-Z of Indian Vegetables. :) Finally I decided to go for a traditional Maharashtrian dish called “Oolya Watanyachi Usal” for “O of Indian Vegetables”. In Marathi, Oola stands for wet and Watana stands for Dry Peas. This dish is prepared from Oola watana or matar. In case Matar or frozen peas are not available, Dry Green Peas which are soaked (overnight) and boiled (1 whishtle) can be used.

Oolya Watanyachi Usal

What you need:

1 cup Matar/Frozen Peas/ Dry Green Peas
¼ Cup chopped Corriander
½ cup grated Cocunut
4-5 Green Chillies
2-3 cloves of Garlic
1 tsp grated Ginger
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
Pinch of Asafoetida
4-5 Curry Leaves
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
Pinch of Turmeric
2 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste
2 cups Water
2-3 tbsp Oil

How to proceed:

1) Put corriander, coconut, chillies, ginger and garlic in a grinder and prepare a smooth paste. Add water if required to maintain consistency. Keep this paste aside when ready. This paste is called as “watan” in Marathi named after the process of grinding it in early days.
2) Heat oil and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida
3) As mustard seeds start spluttering, add curry leaves, garam masala, cumin powder and turmeric powder.
4) A minute later, add boiled peas and fry for 2-3 mins
5) Now add the paste/watan and mix well
6) Add 1½ cup of water or more/less as desired.
7) Add sugar and salt as required
8) Let it boil and cook for 5-10 mins
9) Garnish with corriander and serve with hot rotis/ bread.

Strawberry Lassi

I had prepared this drink for hubby dear on V day this year and it was my entry for Pooja’s Valentine Day Special. Needless to say, my hubby loved it. Thanks to the summer and our love for strawberries, we prepare it every other day now. I thought of re-posting it here for fellow bloggers (and for me as well ;) ) to enjoy summer time with some chilled beverages.

Strawberry Lassi

What you need:

1/2 cup plain Yogurt
1/2 cup cold water
5-6 big fresh strawberries
4 tbsp sugar

How to proceed:

1) Wash and cut strawberries in big pieces. Grind them in a mixer with sugar.
2) Whip yogurt using a blender and add water.
3) Add the strawberry sugar mix to yogurt and mix well.
4) Served chilled with crushed ice(optional).

How about another look???