Mysore Pak

Last week was a start of a new phase in my life.. Its feels good to get back to student life :) Was dead busy throughout the week.. Early morning cooking, then full day college, then come back and cook again, then an hour infront of the TV and then the cozy bed waiting for me to just lie on and put me to sleep at that instant :D Did not get a chance to blog anything or visit my blogger friends.. This phase is gonna last long but I have decided not to give up blogging.. This was my only passion for last few months and I cannot abandon for some other priorities.. Blogging will remain a weekend chore and I'll make it a point to post atleast one recipe every weekend and visit my dear blogger friends during this time.. I apologize in advance if I'll not be able to participate in all events that keep rocking the food blog world... But will surely not miss the round-ups! :)

Mysore Pak is a famous sweet from the Karnataka Cuisine.. As the name suggests, this sweet comes from Mysore, acity in Karnataka famous for its palace. beautiful handicrafts and lovely silk sarees.. Mysore Pak is probably one of the easiest sweet which calls for minimal ingredients and is ready in no time... This is my second entry for Asha's RCI Karnataka Cuisine!

Mysore Pak

Preparation Time:

15-20 mins

Makes:

10-12 pieces

What you need:

1 cup Besan/Chickpea Flour (sieved)
3/4 cup Ghee
3/4 cup Sugar
1 cup Water
1/4 tsp Cardamom Powder

How to proceed:

1) Heat 1 cup of Water and add sugar to it.
2) Bring to boil till sugar syrup is formed (one string consistency test)
3) Now add ghee and cardamom powder
4) Mix well and slowly add besan..
5) Stir continuously while adding besan to avoid forming any lumps
6) Stir and cook till the mixture stops sticking to sides of vessel and ghee starts coming out from the sides
7) Remove from heat and pour in a flat plate greased with ghee and spread evenly.
8) After 5 mins, cut into desired shape and leave aside to cool for another hour..
9) Enjoy the yummy melt-in-the-mouth sweets.. These can be stored for 3-4 days!

Belgian Waffles

Glenna's theme for Weekend Breakfast Blogging (WBB#14)-"Ethnic Dishes with a Twist!" really inspired me to try my hand at making waffles at home! Staying in Belgium for past 10 months, I had to post something local to this place... I have been eating waffles regularly at a joint which boasts of "The Best Waffles in the World".. I always wonder how he can proclaim without having tasted waffles at all other places in the world ;) When it comes to food, Belgians are proud of their waffles, chocolates and frites- the thing we call "frech fries" were actually invented in Belgium.. Other than crossiants, pastries, chocolate bread or toasted bread with jam/cheese etc., a typical(traditional) Belgian breakfast consists of waffles topped with hot chocolate or whipped cream, served with fruits and juices or coffee.. Thanks to my allery towards breakfast, I enjoyed this "belgian breakfast" yesterday for lunch! :D Waffles with strawberry jam, fruits and juices...

Belgian Waffles

Preparation Time:

20 mins (if 4 waffles at a time)

Makes:

8 waffles of the size above

What you need:

1 cup All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
2 tbsp Sugar
2 tbsp Butter, melted
1 tsp Oil
1 cup Milk
2 eggs, beaten
Pinch of Salt

* Waffle maker

How to proceed:

1) Combine all the ingredients, mix well and keep aside for 4-5 mins
2) Pre-heat the waffle maker according to instructions.. If you dont have a waffle maker, go over to some friend who has one.. I did the same thing :D
3) Put batter on the hot waffle tray and close it
4) Bake for about 2 mins (Till waffles turn golden brown)
5) Serve hot or store it and heat in microwave before serving!


* Usually served with hot chocolate, whipped cream topped with fruits.

Pa Thong Ko [Thai Donuts]

Glenna is hosting the Weekend Breakfast Blogging(WBB) event this month and has come up with a lovely theme- Ethnic Dishes with a Twist! She wanted "a dish from a culture, country, or ethnicity other than your own".. In my opinion, nothing can beat the Indain breakfast with a wide variety of dishes like Pohe, Upma, Thalippeth, Idli, Dosa, Vada Sambar, Puri Bhaaji etc..... A coward that I am when it comes to trying dishes from cuisines other than Indian, google was the only thing that could help..My fear is not due to the taste but because I dont eat meat and am allergic to eggs, pineapples and several other things :( Finally I settled down for an easy Thai breakfast dish called "Pa Thong Ko" literally meaning salted donuts which I followed from here. A lovely crispy dish, which would go best with hot cocoa or chocolate but I enjoyed with coffee.. Btw, I am not a breakfast person.. I am allergic to that too. :( I get a nauseatic feeling if i eat something early moning.. So its just an apple/juice at 10 am and then directly shortcut lunch.. But a lavish tea biscuit session at 4 and then proper dinner.. So these coffee and donuts served as my 4 pm breakfast yesterday :) Tastes much like Indian namkeen.. Why shouldnt? Afterall whats the difference between burger and vada pav?? :D

Pa Thong Ko

Preparation Time:

30 mins (4 hrs for dough)

Makes:

10-12 Donuts

What you need:

1 cup All Purpose Flour (Maida)
1/3 cup Water
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
2-3 drope of Lemon
1 tsp Oil
Oil for frying

How to proceed:

1) Mix all the ingredients and make a stiff dough
2) Place dough in a bowl,cover with a thin damp cloth and leave aside for 3-4 hrs
3) Knead the dough and make 2 equal parts
4) Place oil in a wok for frying
5) Shape them long like sausages
6) Roll to a long strip 4-5 cm wide
7) Cut into 5-6 equal rectangular parts widthwise
8) For each part, cut 2 cms from each side in the middle, leaving them joint in the middle and pull each of the 4 parts aside to make an X shape
9) Deep fry in oil till they turns golden brown

* Tastes best when dipped for a minute in hot chocolate!

Murukku

Murukku is to the Tamil Cuisine as Chakli is to Maharashtrians.. Well, same item but different names.. Also the procedure being a bit different.. I have to agree that chakli needs lots efforts and murukku is the easier version.. Last Diwali I was able to make all Maharashtrian snacks, except chakli and shev.. The only reason being that I didnt have the chakli press.. Mom finally sent it to me last month and from then my husband is pestering me to make chaklis, his favourite snack! But soon I realised that I cannot prepare Bhajani, the flour used for chakli here as there as no flour mills :D So I had to settle down with murukkus.. These taste equally great and I am satisfied to find an easier option to chaklis.. Now chaklis will only be prepared if I get readymade bhajani flour from India :)

Since Rice flour is the main ingredient in Murukkus, they will go to Sharmi for JFI-Rice. Now that it comes to RICE, before going for the recipe, someone please help me solve my query.. Is it healthy to eat rice regularly?? I have always heard that eating rice makes you fat.. Rice being the staple diet of South Indians, I always wonder how they tend to be so slim when they eat rice twice a day.. Also I read somewhere that eating rice during lunch (before 3 pm) is absolutely fine but should be avoided for dinner.. That ultimately means that rice can be eaten only on weekends since we have shortcut lunches and lavish dinners at my place.. Experts and dieticiens, please educate me :)

Murukku

Preparation time:

40-45 mins

Makes:

12-15 Murukkus

What you need:

2 cups Rice Flour
1/4 cup Besan
1/4 cup Urad Dal Flour
2 tbsp Sesame Seeds
1 tbsp Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Ajwain Seeds
1-2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
Salt to taste
A pinch of Asafoetida
1/8 tsp Sodium Bicarb
2 tbsp Hot Oil
Oil to Fry
*Chakli Press

How to proceed:

1) Sieve and mix all the flours
2) Add all the remaining ingredients except oil
3) Pour the hot oil over this and mix well with a spoon
4) Now add water and knead to a stiff dough
5) Place oil to heat for frying chaklis
6) According to quantity allowed by the chakli press, divide the dough into parts
7) Roll each part in a cylindrical shape and put it inside the chakli press
8) Squeeze spiral murukkus in a plate or a plastic sheet
9) Slide 2-3 murukkus in hot oil and fry them on medium heat till they turn golden brown.
10) Drain on kitchen towels and cool before you pop them into your mouth :)
11) Can be stored for 15-20 days in an air tight container.. Serves as a great snack wit hot tea!

* Take care not to hastily fry on high heat.. The murukkus will not get cooked from inside and will not be crispy

* I didnt have Urad dal flour.. So I just soaked Urad dal fro 2 hours and then prepared a paste in the mixer and added this to the other flours while making the dough!

Methi Paratha

Here's another paratha for RCI Punjabi Cuisine, the Methi Paratha! Methi(Fenugreek) is one sabji I strongly hate.. Its the same with most of the leafy vegetables :( But this is the only way used to eat Methi, in form of parathas.. Hence mom used to regularly make them for breakfasts or tiffins.. Methi paratha differs from other parathas since this does not need any stuffing. In methi parathas that I make, the methi is usually mixed alongwith the dough. Hence its easy to make this since its just the work of rolling it. As methi is directly added to the flour while making dough, the methi is neither cooked nor boiled. Hence, the vitamins (or whatever :D) provided by methi are totally preserved! So here's totally nutritious Methi Paratha for you!

Methi Paratha

Makes:

7-8 Parathas

What you need:

1 bunch Methi(Fenugreek)- picked and finely chopped
2 cups Wheat flour
2-3 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Corriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Ajwain
1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
2 tbsp Yoghurt
1 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste
Oil

How to proceed:

1)Mix all ingredients and knead to a soft dough
2)Keep aside for 30 mins
3)Divide dough into 7-8 equal sized parts and form round balls
4)Roll each ball to thin parathas
5)Bake using oil/butter
6)Serve hot with Yoghurt or pickles!

Bhatura

Punjabi food is my second favourite after Maharashtrian Food.. So now a month of Punjabi food is gonna be fun after a month of Matthu food :) Thanks to my maternal surname(Mahajan), people consider me to be a Punjabi.. Thanks to my looks (?) gujjus start talking to me in Gujrati :D Few more call me Kashmiri (???????) and a very very few call me Maharashtrian! :D Things are bit better now when people dont get confused with my looks as my only identity here in Pardes is an "Indian" :)

Punjabi food is very famous in all nooks n corners of India. Be it in posh restaurant in cities or on the roadside Dhabasa on highways.. There is always a rush of people wanting to please their appetite with the "rich" Punjabi food :) Since I am not a figure conscious person, I am an absolute fan of Punjabi food... The oh so rich Paneer items and the array of Parathas with a generous topping of ghee and makkhan.. Ufff... Whats the use of fasting today if I keep thinking of such things!!

Bhatura,a (fried) bread native to Punjab, is my first entry for RCI Punjabi Cuisine hosted by the lovely Richa.. Bhatura is usually served with spicy gravies but makes a perfect jodi with masaledaar chole.. Bhaturas seem to consume and retain less oil than Puris and hence I make them often! Easy to make with some preparation in advance, they are also more filling than puris or rotis.. 2-3 bhaturas make a good midday meal..

Bhatura

Makes:

7-8 Bhaturas

What you need:

1 cup Plain Flour (Maida)
1 tbsp Semolina
2 tbsp Sour Yoghurt
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Powder
Oil for frying

How to proceed:

1) Mix all ingredients with 1 tsp Oil and knead to a stiff dough.
2) Cover and keep aside for 4-5 hrs
3) Divide into small balls and roll bhaturas to desired size.
4) Deep fry on both sides
5) Drain excess oil on tissues and serve hot puffed bhaturas with spicy Punjabi Sabjis!

Orange Burfi

Sharmi of Naivedyam is hosting AFAM this month. I was thinking of going for some cool summer drinks when Orange was announced for AFAM this month.. But then I didnt want to disturb the sweet n sour taste of orange by mixing it wit some other fruit for beverages.. Hence I decided to go for Orange Burfi. The Maharashtrian cit of Nagpur is famous for its Orange cultivation.. The "Santra Burfi/Orange Fudge" from Nagpur is very famous. We used to be lucky everytime two of my Nagpuri team mates went back home :) Orange Barfi was "default" sweet that they had to bring along! I made these burfis a bit less sweet coz I found sweet oranges here. I also tried some laddus with this mixture (from the disformed mixture left out after separarting good-looking n in-shape barfis!) Enjoy the yummilicious sweet! :)

Orange Burfi

What you need:

2 Oranges
1 cup Plain Flour(Maida)
1+1/4 cup Sugar
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Ghee
4-5 saffron strands
Fried dry fruits (optional)

How to proceed:

1) Heat ghee in a pan and add plain flour to it
2) Fry till golden brown, stirring at intervals.. Now take off from gas and keep aside.
3) Peel oranges, remove seeds and transparent skin from each slice to get just the orange pulp
4) Heat milk, add sugar and orange pulp to it.
5) Keep stirring continuously till the mixture becomes sticky.. this might take 15-20 mins.
6) Now add the plain flour mixture to it and mix well
7) Add saffron and dry fruits if desired.
8) Cook till ghee separates from the mixture
9) Now place the mixture in a greased vessel and let cool
10) Cut into desired shapes and enjoy yummy orange burfi!

This was the first time I made something decorative/creative.. Flowers using the Orange skin/peel.. So just coundnt control myself from taking more snaps :)

I also made some laddus from the mixture that was left after making barfis!

Dhokla Sandwitch

Coffee's MBP gives me a chance to write about recipes tried from fellow bloggers. The theme for this month's MBP is "Going Lite".. I was an absolute fan of Richa's Nylon Khaman Dhokla Sandwitch when I first saw it at the round-up of Nupur's "N of Indian Vegetables!" So when coffee announced the theme "Going Lite" for this month's MBP, this was the best dish to fit into the theme.. Light on calories n light in weight as well ;) :D But surely high on nutrition!

I used Richa's recipe from here. The only change was that I used 1/2 tsp sodium bicarb and 1/2 tsp Salt instead of Eno fruit salt. And obviously left aside the cocunut part for garnishing as I am not a great fan of cocunut. And yes, I didnt have a Dhokla Steamer like the one Richa has.. Alternatively, I used my Idli Steamer.. So, I have Dhokla Idli Sandwitch now :D

My Verdict : Easy and quick recipe to please guests that show up on short notice.. It took me less than 30 mins to prepare one batch of these.. The spicy green chutney on one side and the sweet n sour lime sugar mix on the other side makes the dhoklas ever more tasty and appealing.. A keeper recipe!

Besan Laadu

In Maharashtra, the last important festival of the year is Diwali! Diwali comes sometime in October- November and usually lasts for 5 days. These 5 days bring lots of joy and happiness and are a perfect time to visit near and dear ones! Diwali is the festival of lights and the festival of yummy foods n snacks. :D It is celebrated with a lot of crackers and lots of sweets!

Talking more about the 5 days of Diwali.. The first day is Vasubaras, where cows and calves are worshipped. The second day is Dhantrayodashi, where people worship their important business/work related documents. Also books are worshipped as part of Saraswati Puja- for the goddess of wisdom. The third day is LaxmiPujan, the day when goddess Lakshmi is worshipped. Since money is considered equivalent to goddess Lakshmi, people worship money and gold and other precious things! The fourth day is Bali Pratipada or Diwali Padwa, the day of victory of god over evils.. This is the day when married women butter their husbands, pray for them and then get expensive gifts and jewellery! The last day is Bhaubeej (Bhaiduuj) which is celebrated to respect the brother sister relationship.. The sisters get gifts from their bros on this day.. My bro calls this day as “Sister’s Day 2”, “Sister’s Day 1” being “Raksha Bandhan” and always questions me why it’s always me who gets the gifts n not vice versa. :D

On the morning of Lakshmi Pujan, people wake up early and have a bath with scented utana (special powder made from chandan and other herbs) before sunset. Women draw beautiful rangolis infront of their house and light diyas. Children wear new clothes and burst crackers. Around breakfast time, all family members gather together and feast on all delicacies prepared for Diwali :)

Talking of foods, other than readymade mithais, the ladies prepare an array of sweets and snacks at home. The most common Maharashtrian Diwali snacks include the chamchamit Chiwda, crispy Chaklis, spicy Shev and Kadbole and namkeen Shankarpale. The sweets include various Laadu- Rawa Laadu, Besan Laadu, Dry fruits Ladoos Chirote, Anarse(fried stuff prepared from Rice Flour), Karanji(fried stuff with coconut filling) and sweet Shankarpale! In continuity to my last three posts for festive foods, the sequence of some of the festive foods for RCI Maharashtrian Cuisine comes to an end with the Besan Laadu for Diwali, a sweet/laddus prepared from Gram Flour! Happy Diwali in advance ;)

Besan Laadu

What you need:

2 cups Besan (Gram Flour)
1 cup Ghee
1 cup Sugar, powdered
2 tsp Cardamom Powder
Dry fruits- Golden Raisins, Almonds, Cashews (if desired)

How to proceed:

1) Sieve gram flour
2) Roast Gram flour in ghee till the typical odour of gram flour goes off
3) Continue roasting till it starts becoming reddish and then leave aside to cool for some time
4) When it cools, the besan is in form of lumps. Break these lumps using your hands. If this becomes too hard, heat it for some time
5) Now add sugar and mix well.
6) Add dry fruits and cardamom powder
7) Taking some mixture in your hands, roll into ladoos. If its too hard to roll (if ladoos easily break off), add some more ghee.
8) Store in an air tight container and enjoy for next few days ;)

Kanda Bhaji/Khekda Bhaji

Now now.. non veggies.. I am sorry to disappoint you.. this is not a dish with crabs.. don’t expect that from a vegetarian cook :) These are bhajis made from onions, Kanda bhaji, for RCI Maharashtrian cuisine.

Kanda bhaji needs no occasion.. lunch, midday snacks, dinner, weddings, or rainy days.. You just cant forget this :) These are cruchy dumplings prepared using besan and onion. More about the name.. There’s a historic fort in Pune, Maharashtra called Sinhagad fort.. It is a major tourist attraction and is famous mostly for the Khekda bhaji, Pithla Bhakri and Taak served there. Once I got a chance to ask this lady why its called so… She explained me that when they make these bhajis the onions take whatever shape they want which mostly resemble like a khekda (crab) as the thin onion slices come out from sides seem to be the crab’s foot and claws. The other reason that she told me was that these are as cruchy as fried crabs :D But this did not stop me from eating Khekda bhaji.. Something like “Listen to everything, but ignore the unwanted information”:D Sorry seafood lovers.. but I really cant stand these creatures.. and secondly I feel why be so selfish and kill these poor creatures.. just my views.. no offense meant!

Kanda bhaji is mostly enjoyed on a rainy day at a roadside thela with a cutting chai and some friends to chat with. In Pune, there was one such thela on JM road, opposite to the Z-bridge, which used to be a favorite joint on a rainy day.. Hot bhajis just made the day so refreshing and enjoyable.. Yesterday it was raining heavily here and so we had to stay home full day.. Its usually very depressing to stay home on a weekend and just stare at the rain[u guessed it right.. no one allows me to go out and get wet in the rains!] But a plate of hot kanda bhaji with a cup of tea just got the mood back to normal... Before I bug u more wit my love for it, here’s a plate of Kanda bhaji for you guys.. enjoy! :)

Kanda Bhaji

What you need:

1 cup Besan
2 small Onions, thinly sliced
2-3 tsp Red Chilli Powder
½ tsp Turmeric
2 tsp Ova (Ajwain seeds)
¼ tsp Baking Soda
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
Water

How to proceed:

1) Mix all the ingredients except oil and sliced Onions
2) Add enough water to make consistency of idli batter
3) Heat oil in a kadhai/pan
4) Add sliced onion to this batter in batches (don’t add all at once else onions will leave some water and the batter will become free flowing!)
5) Make bhajis such that onion slices are coated with the batter and there seem equal amount of batter and onion
6) Deep fry in oil and drain excess oil using paper tissues
7) Serve hot with tomato sauce or with a hot cuppa on a rainy day!! :)

Other than the usual spices- red chilli powder and turmeric, the uncommon spice used is Ajwain seeds. More than in cooking, I know Ajwain seeds for its medicinal values-as a home remedy for stomach ache, indigestion and throat problems. Well all goody goody about this spice just bcoz this recipe also goes for WBB#12 Spice it up! Btw, just add more red chilli powder to really “Spice it up!” ;)

Jwarichi Bhakri

Make way for the humble bread from Maharashtra- Bhakri. Making bhakri is an art and needs lot of practice and patience to attain perfection. People in Maharashtra, especially the grannies, still believe that if a girl knows how to make bhakris, then she can learn to cook all other things. Though this seems an exaggeration, its not such a difficult task!

Bhakris are made from different flours in different parts of Mahrashtra. Mostly Jowar(called Jwari in Marathi) flour and Maize flour in Solapur side, Rice flour in Konkan area, Bajri and Nachni flour in Khandesh and Vidharbha etc. Bhakri used to be the staple food in some areas of Maharashtra, but things have changed over time and there are few households (mostly in rural areas) where bhakris are prepared regularly. A personal opinion: Bhakris take a lot of time and hence cooking chapattis seems easier and convenient. It took me nearly 1.5 hrs to cook 7 bhakris :( thanks to my electric hot plate!

Bhakris are typically prepared on a special type of tawa/ hot girdle prepared from iron/aluminium. It’s a bit deep and circular and hence gives the bhakris a good shape when they puff up. The bhakris are baked on tawa first and then transferred directly on gas to make them puff. I am not lucky to have puffed bhakris here, but am glad that I find bhakri flour here :)

I prepared Jwarichi Bhakri yesterday evening and am posting it here for RCI Maharashtrian Cuisine! I am also posting some tips and preparation method from my mom who makes awesome bhakris. On my next trip to India, I’ll make sure to take a video of full procedure of a perfect bhakri preparation and post it!

Jwarichi Bhakri

What you need:

1 cup Jowar Flour (for 2 bhakris)
Warm Water

How to proceed:

1) Take a cup of flour and add warm water to it
2) Knead well to soft and pliable dough.
3) To test softness, press the dough gently with a finger. This should leave an impression on the dough. [If it leaves a hole, then dough is too soft]
4) If the dough is not kneaded well, the bhakris will develop cracks at corners.
5) Divide this dough in 2-3 parts
6) Heat the tava
7) Apply little water to both palms and put a part of dough in between palms and shape well to a ball and then flatten it.
8) Now spread dry flour in a large flat plate (normally a vessel called “parat” is used for this process) and put the falttened dough onto it.
9) Apply flour on one palm and using this palm, gently press the dough to flatten it
10) While flattening the dough, move it in circular pattern to ensure that bhakri does not stick to the plate
11) When the bhakri is flattened and ready, flip and lift it on both palms and place the bahkri on tawa [The side that was flattened should be baked first]
12) Now lower the heat and take some water in hand. Apply water over the full surface of upper side of bhakri.
13) Now raise the heat to normal. When this water starts drying, flip the bhakri to cook the other side
14) When the bhakri starts becoming brownish on the other side, remove from tawa from gas and directly put the bhakri on gas
15) If you are lucky, the bhakri will puff well. On gas, cook both sides till they get dark brownish stains.
16) Take off the heat and place tawa back on gas. If the sides of bhakris seem uncooked, cook the sides on tawa.
17) Hush.. Bhaikri taiyar! (ready to eat) :)

Tips for good bhakris:

* The flour should not be very fine, but a bit coarse
* Use luke warm water for kneading
* Knead knead knead
* Knead the flour in batches for 2-3 bhakris, not all the flour at one time

Ukadiche Modak

After Gulpoli and Puranpoli for Makar Sankranti and Holi respectively, its time for the biggest festival celebrated in Maharashtra, the Ganesh Utsav/ Ganesh Festival.. Lord Ganesh/Ganpati being the favourite god of all Maharashtrians, this festival is celebrated on account of His birthday. :D It comes sometime in Septemer, on the day of Vinayak Chaturti [4th day of the month of Bhadrapad] and lasts for 10 days, ending on the day of Ananth Chaturdarshi.. On the first day of this festival, people bring home Ganesh idols made from clay. For the next 10 days, the idol is worshipped- Puja, Aarti and then Naivedya/Prasad. :) The last day is the day of “Visarjan” when the idol is immersed in water saying “Ganpati Bappa Moraya, Pudchya Warshi Laukar ya!” (Come soon next year!) Some people do the Visarjan after 11/2, 2, 5 or 7 days.

Here are some artistic pictures of Ganesh representing His different names. These pictures came through a forwarded mail with the title “Akshar Ganesh” and were so artistic that I thought of sharing it with you people! Open in new window to view original size!

Ganesh Festival celebrations were limited to homes until Lokmanya Tilak, a freedom fighter from Maharashtra, started this festival as “Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav”(public Ganesh Festival) in the pre-independence period in Pune, with the motive of getting people together and celebrating the festival which provided an easy opportunity for the freedom fighters to convey their ideas about independence to the public. Till date, people from Pune and from other cities in Maharashtra celebrate this festival with full josh! There are big Ganesh idols at every nook and corner by small and large societies/ mandals. The Ganesh festival from Pune and Mumbai are very famous and people come down from nearby places to watch the last day procession (called “Visarjan Miravnuk”) which sometimes lasts for 30-32 hrs. A large amount of money is spent on sets and decorations for the 10 day celebrations as well as for the procession.

Coming to the important part of the festival.. yes obviously the feasts :) Ganesh festival is incomplete without the naivedya of Ganesha’s favourite food-the modaks.. Modaks are prepared in different ways, some can be the stuffed ones and some can be the ones made from khava/mava. The stuffed ones can be normal fried modaks or the steamed ukadiche modak. The khava modaks are just khava put in moulds and comes in various flavours like amba modak, pista modak etc. At our place, mom makes the fried modaks which I’ll post some other time. Today I’ll be posting Ukadiche Modak for "RCI Maharashtrian Cuisine".

Since these were never prepared at my place, I used to eat them like a “havrat”(greedy) whenever I got a chance to :) Especially at my workplace, where a big ukadicha modak used to be a sweet dish once every 2-3 months. We generally used to have team lunch and on such days, there would be 4-5 modaks infront of me, generously given up by calorie conscious and non-sweet eating colleagues! :) My love for sweets and chaats is well known by most of my friends :) Since I fast on chaturtis, I decided to try these as Naivedya for last week’s chaturti. I followed the recipe mostly from Mumbai Masala. This seemed to be one risky recipe to try hence started with small amounts :D The modaks turned out very well.. heavenly taste!! I am sure Lord Ganesh wud have been happy with the naivedya ;) the only problem was that the covering turned out a bit thick than expected. The covering seemed more than the filling. The covering wasn’t getting rolled properly and was breaking so often hence had to make it thick. And the shapes of just 2 modaks seemed perfectly like modak.. Hence it’s just these 2 modaks for you guys.. enjoy!! :)

Ukadiche Modak

What you need:

For the covering:
½ cup Rice Flour
½ cup Water
2 tsp Ghee
A pinch of Salt

For the filling:
1 cup Coconut, shredded
½ cup Jaggery, grated
1 tsp Poppy Seeds, roasted
1 tsp Cardamom Powder

How to proceed:

For the filling:
1) Heat a pan and put jaggery in it
2) When jaggery starts melting, add 1 tsp Ghee and coconut to it
3) Mix well and cook on medium heat for 5-6 mins
4) Add cardamom powder and roasted poppy seeds
5) Filling is ready, keep aside to cool

For the covering:
1) Boil ½ cup water, add ghee to it
2) Add rice flour to boiling water and miz well stirring continuously
3) Add salt, mix well and cook covered for 2-3 mins
4) Remove from heat and knead well into a soft flour when its hot
This dough is called Ukad and hence the name!

Putting it all together:
1) Divide the dough into small balls
2) Roll each ball to size of puris
3) Place this on the palm and add some filling to it
4) Bring together the ends in form of plates and form a tip and seal
5) Repeat the procedure for rest of the modaks
6) Put these modaks in a steamer/cooker (do not put weight/whistle) and steam for 15-20 mins. The abobe ingredients make 7-8 modaks
7) Serve hot modaks with Ghee… aahh.. they just melt in the mouth.. Oops.. did we forget to offer the naivedya/Prasad?? ;)

This is also my entry for WTSIM-Stuffed Dumplings... I hope the modaks qualify the deadly tests ;)

Amrakhand Puri

.. coz special occasions need something special!!

Today is a special date 05/06/07.. a special day for me.. and hence posting a special Maharashtrian combo of Amrakhand Puri for RCI Maharashtrian Cuisine!

Amrakhand is a very popular dessert from Maharashtra.. also known as mango flavoured Shrikhand.. The most common brands in Pune for Amrakhand are Chitale Bandhu, Amul, Warana and now Aarti's ;) Thanks to these people, my mother never happened to prepare it at home.. And so this was my first trial at it.. and its really a very very easy task(preparing) and later very very yummy and easy task (finishing off! :D).. Being a milk product, it can also be eaten on fasting days.. Needs some preparation though.. but all the efforts are paid off once you have the first spoonful!! :)

Amrakhand is a popular dessert for Maharashtrian wedding, others being jilebi, bundi laddu, gulabjamun etc.. It can be eaten alone, but then you tend to eat very little. Maharashtrians serve it with hot puffed puris! I served it with simple Puris and batatyachi bhaaji!

Amrakhand Puri

What you need:

500 gm Full Yoghurt

200 gm Kesar Mango Pulp

1 cup Powdered Sugar

1 tsp Powdered Cardamom

1/2 tsp Nutmeg Powder

8-10 strands of Kesar

How to proceed:

1) Place the yoghurt in a thin cloth/odhani and tie it

2) Hang it for 5-6 hours till all water from Yoghurt drains off

3) If there is still some water, place it under something heavy to drain excess water

4) Now remove the yoghurt and add sugar to it and mix well in a large bowl

5) Add cardamom powder, nutmeg powder and kesar to it

6) Finally add mango pulp and mix well

7) Keep to cool in the refridgerator

8) Remove 5-10 mins before serving.

9) Enjoy Amrakhand with hot puris!

To make the most simple Maharashtrian Puris: Add a tsp of turmeric, salt and oil to wheat flour and knead to soft dough. Roll into puris and fry in oil.

GulPoli

This was my first recipe on net, at the time when I didn’t have my own blog. It was my entry for My Dhaba’s FAHC Campaign. Since this is one of the well-known festival foods in Maharashtra, I decided to post it here for RCI-Maharashtrian Cuisine.

Makar Sankranti is the first important festival in Maharashtra wrt to English calender, and is celebrated on 14th January every year. Its an occasion to visit near and dear ones and distribute tilgul saying "Tilgul ghya, god god bola" (take tilgul(sweet) and talk sweet! :D) Makar Sankranti is a special festival for newly wed girls as well. On the first Makar Sankranti after marriage, the girl comes back to her parents place and is presented with various ornaments made from halwa/white tilgul called "halwyache dagine". Ladies also get a chance to wear black sarees on this day which is usually considered unauspicious on other good occasions/festivities.

Since Makar Sankranti falls during mid winter in India, the food prepared for this festival is such that it keeps the body warm and gives high energy. Hence til (sesame seeds) and gul (jaggery) are basically used in the preparation of sweets for this festival. Gulpoli is a traditional dish prepared on this day in Maharashtra as an offering to God. Other festives include tilache ladu(sesame balls), tilachi wadi (sesame squares), murmura ladu(mamra/rice flakes balls) etc. These sweet and crisp breads taste better when eaten on the second day.

GulPoli

What you need:

For the dough:
1/2 cup Plain flour(Maida)
1/2 cup Wheat flour (Atta)
2 tbsp cooking oil
Luke warm water
A pinch of salt

For the filling:
1 and 1/2 cup Jaggery
4 tsp Sesame seeds
2 tsp Poppy seeds
3-4 tsp Gram flour
1 tsp Cardamom powder
1 tsp Nutmeg powder
4-5 Cashewnuts
1-2 Almonds

How to proceed:

For the dough:
1) Sieve the flours so as to avoid lumps
2) Mix the flours. Prepare a hollow space in the center to put oil.
3) Heat oil and add it to the flour.
4) Mix hot oil with flour using a spoon.
5) Add a pinch of salt.
6) Add luke warm water and make a soft dough.
7) Leave aside covered by wet cloth for 2 hrs.

For the filling:
1) If the jaggery is soft, break it in small lumps by hand. If hard, just grate it.
2) Roast poppy seeds, sesame seeds and gram flour separately.
3) Grind poppy seeds, sesame seeds, cashews and almonds together to a smooth paste.
4) Mix Jaggery, gram flour, ground paste, cardamom powder and nutmeg powder.
5) Make 4-5 small balls about one inch diameter for filling.

Putting it all together:
1) Knead the dough well. Make 4-5 equal parts of dough
2) Roll the dough on rolling board till it becomes 3-4 inch in diamater.
3) Place a ball of filling in the center and close it by getting the edges together at top. Take care not to let the filling come out.
4) With the use of flour, just press the dough by both palms so as to equally spread the filling inside towards the edges as well.
5) Using flour, roll it to nearly 7-8 inches in diameter.
6) Heat the frying pan and put some ghee.
7) Roast the gulpoli on the frying pan on both sides using ghee till it turns brownish.
8) Serve hot with ghee or eat crispy gulpoli later.

Mind a look at the entire stock??

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!

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!! :)