Kolar Boda

Had big plans for making something using raw bananas for JFI Banana this month, but didnt get time to find any.. So settled down for a bengali snack- Kolar Boda (meaning Banana Wadas).. My dear Bengali friend S enlightened me with this recipe.. Its my last minute entry for JFI-Banana, hosted by Mandira of Ahaar..

Kolar Boda

Makes:

5-6 small

Preparation Time:

10 mins

What you need:

1 ripe Banana
2 tbsp Plain Flour
1-2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Fennel Seeds(Saunf)
1 tsp grated Cocunut

Oil for Frying

How to proceed:

1) Mash bananas with hand and add remaining ingredients to it (except oil)
2) Deep fry in hot oil on both sides till golden brown..
3) Enjoy sweet pakodas/wadas as a snack!

I prepared this using the overripe banana that was lying around for 4-5 days... Though black on the outside, it was perfectly in good condition to mash n make bodas!

Chitranna

Chitranna is a very famous South Indian rice dish from Banglore.. We had a South Indian friend in college who used to bring this rich rice dish in her tiffin.. We used to love it and she used to just hand over her tiffin to us(which was twice a week) when it was Chitranna.. She said it was a very common item at her home and she had been eating it since childhood and so was bored to eat the same thing again and again :D We shameless people didnt even care to ask her the recipe, and would just ask to bring it more often..

And now time comes that you have to cook things yourself, I have learnt to cook some dishes from other regions as well.. And since my husband encourages me by eating everything without complaining (does he have any other option?? ;) ), I keep trying things.. When it comes to inviting friends for dinner, one rice dish is a must.. And when the same friends are invited more often, the menu should not be repeated. (Both of us agree on this rule!) That is how I learnt to make Chitranna, the flavourful lemon rice from the Karnataka Cuisine! The crispy dals, the munchy nuts and the zest of lemon have made this dish one of our favourite rice dish. Chitranna goes over to Sharmi for "JFI-Rice" and Asha for "RCI-Karnataka Cuisine"

Chitranna

reparation Time:

30 mins

Serves:

3-4

What you need:

2 cups Basmati Rice
5-6 Curry Leaves
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Chana Dal
1 tbsp Urad Dal
1 tbsp Moong Dal
2 Onions, sliced
4 Green Chillies, chopped
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1 tbsp Roasted Peanuts
5-6 Cashews
Juice of 1 Lemon
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Oil

How to proceed:

1) Cook Basmati rice in water until just done and then drain excess water..
2) Spread in a wide pan to cool
3) Heat oil, fry peanuts and cashews and keep aside
4) To remaining oil, add curry leaves, mustard seeds and cumin seeds
5) When they start spluttering, add all 3 dals and fry until they turn golden
6) Add chilies and sliced onions and cook for a min
7) Add turmeric, salt, nuts and cashews
8) Now add rice and mix well
9) Squeeze juice of lemon over rice,mix well and turn off gas!

Serve hot wit tomato rasam or raitas..

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!

Zhanzhanit Thecha

Zhanzhanit- meaning extra spicy in marathi is an exclusive word used for chilli preparations , mostly the ones that are so hot that it makes one cry while eating. :D Thecha is a chutney prepared from green chillies for which this adjective suits perfectly! Thecha is called so due to its process of preparation. Deep roasted green chillies and garlic are pounded (called "thechana" in marathi) to make this chutney.. This goes for Nupur's "Z of Indian Vegetables" and "JFI for August-Chillies" hosted by Nandita!

Thecha

Preparation Time:

15 mins

What you need:

10-12 Green chillies
5-6 cloves of Garlic
2 tbsp roasted Peanuts
Salt
Oil

How to proceed:

1) Remove the heads of chillies.
2) In a skillet, take 1/2 tsp Oil, and add chillies and garlic to it
3) Roast them uniformly on all sides till you see brown black spots over them
4) When done, pound these alongwith peanuts and salt as required using a mortar pestle (mixie will do, but mortar pestle works best)
5) Add a bit of oil while serving, and some salt(this will reduce the spiciness a bit).
6) Serve with bhakris!

Thecha can be stored for 4-5 days in fridge.

Vangi Bhaat

Rice is an important part of Maharashtrian meal.. Most common rice dishes being varan bhaat(dal rice), khichdi, dahi bhaat(yoghurt rice), vangi bhaat(eggplant rice), masale bhaat etc. Here's Vangi Bhaat for "RCI Maharashtrian Cuisine", "V of Indian Vegetables" and "JFI Eggplant"!

Vangi Bhaat

What you need:

2 cups Basmati Rcie
3-4 small Brinjals, cut into long pieces
2 Potatoes, cubed (optional)
1 Onion sliced

2-3 Cinnamon Sticks
10-12 Black Peppers
4-5 Cloves
2 Bay Leaves
3-4 Cardamoms

1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Goda Masala
1-2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Turmeric

Water
Salt
Oil

How to proceed:


1) Wash and soak rice in water for 15 mins
2) Cook rice and remove water from it. Each rice grain should be separate and intact!3) Spread rice and leave aside to cool
4) Cut brinjals and potatoes and soak in water
5) Heat 3-4 tbsp oil in a pan, add whole masala ingredients to it
6) When the whole spices are done, add Cumin Seeds
7) Add Onions and saute for a min
8) Now add goda masala, red chilli powder and turmeric and mix
9) Add diced Eggplants and Potatoes and mix well to coat the spices well
10) Add a cup of Water and add some salt
11) Cook covered for some time till eggplants and potatoes are cooked
12) Now add rice, mix well using a fork (to prevent rice from breaking)
13) Mix well and cook for 2-3 mins

* I served the Vangi Bhaat with Dahi Chutney (Shengdana Chutney added to Yoghurt)

Vangyacha Bharit/ Baingan Bharta

Vangi/Brinjal/Eggplant/Aubergines.. what ever you call it, was one thing I never liked until I ate Vangyacha Bharit/Baingan Bharta/ Mashed smoked eggplant! Though Maharashtrians love eggplants (vanga –batata being one favourite sabji in marriages), this is probably the only dish that I prepare using eggplants. The difference between other eggplant preparations and bharit is that the eggplants are directly cooked for other sabjis while eggplants are baked first and then mashed and cooked. This is simple once you smoke/bake the eggplants properly. I finally got Maharashtrian Goda Masala from home (through a friend). I tried preparing some but my chotusa mixie didn’t help me much! The recipe asks for 1 tsp Goda Masala. If you don’t have any, replace it by 1 tsp Corriander Powder, 1 tsp Garam Masala and ½ tsp Cumin Powder.

This dish is my entry for RCI Maharashtrian Cuisine, V of Indian Vegetables and JFI-Eggplant!

Vangyacha bharit is served as a dry sabji. It is usually not prepared in meals prepared to end/break fasts.(upwaas) I served Vangyacha Bharit and Pithla with bajrichi bhakri.. Both when served with bhakri make the two best Maharashtrian combo meals!

Vangyacha Bharit

What you need:

2 long (preferably thin) Brinjals/Eggplants
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
A pinch of Asafoetida
2 Green chillies, chopped

2 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 medium Onion, chopped
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Goda Masala
½ tsp Turmeric
2-3 tbsp roasted Peanut Powder

2 tbsp Corriander chopped
Salt
Oil

How to proceed:

1) Apply oil on brinjals and bake/roast it on the gas.
2) Constantly keep rotating it to bake it evenly on all sides.
3) Insert a knife to check if its cooked till center
4) Now keep these baked brinjals in a plate and cover it for 30-40 mins
5) Now you can easily peel off the brinjal skin
6) Remove the skin and the head/cap of brinjal, mash the pulp with hands/masher (alternatively put it blender to mash it evenly) and put it aside. Discard the water that accumulates at sides of the vessel due to covering hot brinjals. Also discard the uncooked part and part with seeds.
7) Heat 1-2 tbsp Oil in a pan, add mustard and cumin seeds and asafeotida.
8) When mustard seeds start spluttering, add chopped chillies, garlic and onion
9) Saute for a min or two and then add chilli powder, goda masala and turmeric
10) Now add mashed brinjal and mix well
11) Cook covered for some time. Add peanut powder and salt as desired
12) Serve hot with phulkas or bhakris.