Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Tilgul, tilgul wadi (sesame seeds and jaggery candy) –

Festival of ‘Sankranti’ is around the corner. I am posting this Sankranti special recipe :
Ingredients -
Til(sesame seeds) coursed powder – 2 bowls
(If possible use unpolished sesame seeds for this particular recipe. In Maharashtra seeds used for this recipe are called as ‘garvaraan til’ )
Jaggery (gul) – 2 bowls
Water – 2 tb-spoon
Roasted and powdered peanuts – 1 bowl
Ghee/clarified butter – 1 tb-spoon
Green cardamom -  5-6, peeled and powdered
Dry grated coconut – 2 tb-spoons or as required
Procedure –
1. Dry roast sesame seeds in a pan till they become light brown in color and grind them in a
mixer grinder. Take 2 bowls of sesame powder for this recipe.
2. Mix jaggery, 1 tb-spoon ghee and 2 tb- spoon water in a pan. Keep the pan on gas stove and turn on the heat.
3. When the jaggery starts melting and when you can see bubbles on the top, turn off the heat immediately. Add green cardamom powder.
4. Add sesame seeds powder and roasted peanuts powder and mix well.
5. Take a baking tray, or large plate and grease it with little ghee, pour the tilgul mixture, pat well and make a thick layer.
6. Pat dry grated coconut immediately on the top and let it cool down.
7. Cut the ‘wadis’ in small squares and keep in a air tight container.
8. These wadis will last at least for 15 days outside refrigerator.

Naraleebhaat (Sweet coconut rice) –

Ingredients –
 Rice – 2 bowls
(As far as possible use ‘Ambemohor’ rice)
Water – 4 bowls
Jaggery – 3 bowls
Cloves – 3-4
Green cardamom – 5-6 peeled and powdered
Ghee/clarified butter – 4 tb-spoon
Freshly grated coconut – 2 bowls

Procedure –
1. Wash the rice and keep aside for ½ an hour.
2. Heat 2 tb-spoon ghee in a thick bottom or non-stick pan.
3. Boil water in another pan.
4. Add cloves, let them splutter. Then add washed rice and sauté for a minute.
5. Add boiled water and cook the rice.
6. After the rice is done, transfer the rice from pan to the plate and let the rice cool down completely.
7.  Mix jaggery and coconut in a bowl.
7. Heat 1 Tb-spoon of ghee in a pan and add cooked rice and jaggery-coconut mixture to it. Mix well and cover the pan with lid. Let the rice cook on a medium flame for 10 minutes. Keep checking in between bottom of the pan.
8. Add green cardamom powder and 1 tb-spoon of ghee. Mix well.
9. Serve warm along with ghee on the top.
Note :
1. Generally in Maharashtra, this authentic recipe is cooked on ‘Narali Pournima’ festival.
2. If you want sweeter taste add ½ bowl of sugar after the rice is completely done but
still heat is on. Mix well and turn off the heat.

Monday, December 26, 2011

Cluster beans curry (Gavarichi bhaaji) –

Ingredients -
Cluster beans – 1/4th kg/ ½ pound approx.
Mustard seeds – 1/4th T-spoon
Asafetida – 1/4th T-spoon
Turmeric powder – ½ T-spoon
Red chili powder – 1 T-spoon or as per taste
Goda Masala – 1 T-spoon
Jaggery – 1 T-spoon
Milk – 1/4th bowl
Salt to taste
Oil for seasoning
Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing
Procedure –
1. Wash the cluster beans and cut them into 1 inch size pieces.
2. Heat the oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, asafetida and let them splutter.
3. Add turmeric powder and red chili powder, sauté for a while.
4. Then add cluster beans, milk, water, goda masala and salt to taste.
5. Cover the pan with lid and cook cluster beans for 5 minutes.
6. Add jaggery and check if the water is required.
7. After 5 minutes turn off the heat and add chopped coriander leaves.
8. Serve hot with roti or Phulka.
Note :
1. You can add crumbled paneer/cottage cheese instead of milk, if you have it at home. Paneer or milk reduces the strong taste of cluster beans.
2. If you don’t want to add to add Goda masala, you can skip this step and instead add ajwain along with mustard seeds and asafetida.
3. You can add pieces of red pumpkin or potato in this recipe. If you have any reservations regarding red pumpkin, try this recipe. Red pumkin goes well with cluster beans.

Cabbage subzi/curry (Kobichi bhaaji) –

Cabbage – medium size
Chana Dal – 3 Tb-spoon
Mustard seeds - ½ T-spoon
Turmeric  Powder –  ½ T-Spoon
Asafetida – ½ T-Spoon
Green chilies – 3-4 as per your taste
Cumin seeds powder – 1 t-spoon
(Dry roast cumin seeds till they become dark brown in color and grind them to the powder)
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
Oil for seasoning
Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing.
Procedure –
1. Soak chana dal for 3 hours. After 3 hours drain the chana dal and keep aside.
2. Shred the cabbage.
4. Chop green chilies finely or you can add green chili paste instead.
3. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seed and asafetida and let them splutter.
4. Add turmeric powder and soaked Chana Dal and mix well.
5. Add shredded cabbage and mix again.
6. Add green chilies and cumin seeds powder and mix again.
7. Add little water and cover the pan with lid.
8. Cook the subzi on medium heat for 10 minutes.
9. Add salt and sugar at this point.
10. Keep checking the water, add some more if needed. Don’t add too much water, just little at a time. It will spoil the taste otherwise.
11. Check if the dal is done and turn of the heat.
12. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with roti or Phulka.

French beans and moth bean (Shrawan ghewada ani Mataki chi bhaji) -

Ingredients –
French beans – ½ kg./1 Pound
Moth beans (Matki) – Sprouted, ½  bowl
Mustard seeds - ½ T-spoon
Cumin seeds – ½ T-spoon
Turmeric  Powder –  1 T-Spoon
Asafetida – ½ T-Spoon
Green chilies – 3, chopped
Kala Masala (Goda Masala) – 1 Tb-spoon/ to taste
Salt to taste
Oil – 1 tb-spoon for seasoning
Few coriander leaves and a tablespoon of fresh grated coconut for garnishing.
Procedure –
1. Wash French beans and cut them into small cubes.
2. Heat oil in a pan.
3. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds. Let it splatter.
4. Add asafetida and turmeric and green chilies.
5. Sauté for a minute.
6. Add French beans and sprouted moth(matki).
7. Sauté for 2 minutes.
8. Add ½ cup of water and add kala masala to it.
9. Cover the pan with lid and cook the beans.
10. Let all the water evaporates.
11. Serve hot with chopped coriander leaves and freshly grated coconut.
Note –
1. This is a dry subzi. But if you like a little gravy, you can add more water after the subzi is completely cooked. Don’t add too much water while cooking.
2. Find the recipe of kala masala in masala section.

Kolhapuri Chicken

Chicken – 1 kg./2 Pounds approximately
Curd – 1 bowl
Turmeric powder – 1/4th Tsp.
Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tb.sp.
Kolhapuri  kanda-lasun masala – 1tbsp or as per your taste
Red chili powder -  1 Tbsp (use byadagi mirchi powder or Kashmiri red chili powder for this recipe to have that wonderful  red color)
Onions – 2 sliced
Dry grated coconut – 1 bowl
Tomato - finely chopped, ½ bowl
Coriander seeds powder – 1 tb.sp.
Cumin seeds powder – ½ tb.sp.
Coconut milk – 1 bowl
Handful of coriander leaves – finely chopped
Lemon/lime juice – 1 tb.sp.
Oil – 3 tb.sp.
Salt to taste
Procedure –
1. Marinate the chicken for atleast half an hour with turmeric powder, ginger-garlic paste, kanda Lasun masala, red chili powder and curd.
2. Heat 2 tb.sp. oil in a pan and fry sliced onions will light brown. Keep them aside.
3. Roast grated coconut in the leftover oil and keep it aside.
4. Grind onion and coconut into fine paste in a mixer grinder.
5. Heat 1 tb.sp. oil in a pan and add onion and coconut paste. Sauté till it leaves oil.
6. Add chopped tomato and sauté till they become mushy and leave oil.
7. Add marinated chicken, salt, half of the chopped coriander, coriander and cumin seeds powder and sauté for 5 minutes.
8. Add 4 cups of water and let the water boil on a high flame.
9. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan with lid and cook chicken for at least 20 minutes.
10. Adjust the salt and red chili powder as per your taste.
11. Add thick coconut milk and some water as per your consistency and let the chicken boil for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat, add remaining chopped coriander leaves and lemon/lime juice.
12. Serve hot with ‘jwarichi bhakari’ (Jowar roti), bread or white rice.
Note :
 Actually Kolhapuri chicken is more spicy and hot. Kolhapuri people use oil and masala generously. This recipe is medium spicy. You can add more kanda-lasun masala and oil as per your taste. ‘Vanaspati ghee’ tastes fabulous in this chicken, though I have used oil here.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Puliogare (Tamarind Rice)

Ingredients –
Uncooked rice – 2 bowls
Urad dal – 2 tsp
Chana dal – 2 tsp
Peanuts - 2 tbsp
Mustard seed – 1tsp
Asafetida – ½ tsp
Dry masala –
Black peppercorn – 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Dry red chillies as per taste
Tamarind pulp – 4-5 tbsp
Jaggery  - as per taste
Sesame powder – 2 tbsp
Dry grated coconut – 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil
Procedure –
1. Cook the rice in 4 bowls of water and  keep aside.
2.  Dry roast black peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and red chilies in a pan and grind in mixer.
3. Take tamarind pulp, jaggery and let it melt.
4. Add sesame powder, dry coconut   and 2 t-spoon roasted garam masala in pulp.
5. Add oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, asafetida, turmeric powder, urad dal, chana dal and peanuts and sauté for 2 minutes.
6.Turn of the heat and add cooked rice, mix well and sauté for a minute.
7. Add tamarind chutney, dry masala, sesame powder and dry grated coconut and mix well.
Tip –
You can add more tamarind pulp as per your taste.

Amati (Maharastrian dal)


Ingredients -
Toor Dal – 1 ½ cup
Water – 4 ½ cup
Tumeric Powder – 1/4th tsp
Asafetida – ½ tsp
Water – for thinning dal to the desired consistency
Jaggery – 2 Tbsps or to taste
tamarind extract – 1 Tbsp or Kokum – 2-3
Goda masala – 1 Tbsp (the recipe for goda masala is given in masala section)
Salt to taste
Coriander(cilantro) – finely chopped for garnishing
For seasoning –
Oil – 2 tsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Fenugreek seeds – 1/8th tsp
Red chili powder – 1 tbsp
Curry leaves -3-4
Procedure –
1. Wash Toor Dal and add to the pressure cooker with water, asafetida and turmeric powder.
2. Pressure cook for 15 minutes, switch off the stove and allow pressure to go down.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add fenugreek seeds and let them splutter.
4. Add mustard seeds and let them crackle.
5. Then add Asafetida and red chili powder and roast for a minute.
6. Add curry leaves and then add dal.
7. Add water for thinning the dal and let the dal boil for 5 minutes.
8. Start adding other ingredients one by one. Add salt, goda masala, jaggery and tamarind.
9. Turn of the heat and add chopped cilantro (coriander).

Note :
This is the basic Amati usually cooked in Maharashrian houses. You can add chopped onions to this recipe. If you want to add, add them just after the seasoning. Sauté the onions till they become light brown in color. This amti is called as ‘Kandyachi Amati’.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Gujrati Dal

Ingredients –
Toor Dal – 1 ½ cup
Water – 4 ½ cup
Salt to taste
Tumeric Powder – 1/4th tsp
Water – for thinning dal to the desired consistency
Green Chilies – 2 or to taste, finely chopped
Ginger paste – 1 tsp
Tomato – 1, finely chopped
Jaggery – 3 Tbsp or to taste
Kokum – 2-3
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 2 tsp
Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Garam masala – 1 tsp
Lemon juice – 1 Tbsp or to taste
Coriander(cilantro) – finely chopped for garnishing
For seasoning –
Ghee – 3 tsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Fenugreek seeds – 1/8th tsp
Asafetida – 1/4th tsp
Dried red chili – 1, cut into 2-3 pieces
Curry leaves
Procedure –
1. Wash Toor Dal and add to the pressure cooker with water, salt and turmeric powder.
2. Pressure cook for 15 minutes, switch off the stove and allow pressure to go down.
3. Open pressure cooker and transfer the dal into another pan.
4. Turn on the gas and start boiling dal on medium heat.
5. Add red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, kokum, green chilies, tomato, ginger, jaggery and salt.
6. Mix well and add water to the dal upto the desired consistency.
7. Allow dal to boil for 10 minutes.
8. Meanwhile heat ghee in a small pan.
9. Add fenugreek seeds and allow them to crackle.
10. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
11. Add cumin seeds and asafetida and roast for a minute.
12. Add whole dried chili and curry leaves and turn of the stove.
13. Add seasoning to the boiling dal.
14. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.
Note :
Even if this dal is a combination of sweet and sour taste, Gujrati food is little on a sweeter side. Adjust sweetness as per your taste.
You can replace the ghee with oil if you want.
Make sure that kokam is not too dry. Otherwise you need to add more lemon/lime juice.

Malvani green chicken


Ingredients –
Chicken cut into medium pieces – 1 kg.
Salt to taste
Ginger-garlic paste  - 1½ tb-sp
Pinch of turmeric powder
Lemon/lime juice - 1 tb-sp
Coconut, scraped – 3/4th cup
Oil – 4 tb-sp
Cinnamon – 1 inch stick
Black cardamoms – 2
Green cadamoms – 3
Bay leaf – 1-2
Cloves – 3-4
Cumin seeds – ½ t-sp
Onions finely chopped – 3 medium
Garam masala powder – 1 t-sp
Fresh coriander leaves – 1 tb-sp

For green masala –
Fresh coriander leaves – small bunch
Coconut – ½ cup
Ginger roughly chopped – 1 inch
Green chilies, roughly chopped - 5

Procedure –
1. Apply salt and ginger-garlic paste to the chicken pieces and set aside for half an hour.
2. Grind 3/4th cup of coconut with quarter cup of warm water and extract thick milk.
3. Grind together all ingredients of green masala to a fine paste.
4. Heat oil in a pan. Add cinnamon, black cardamom, green cardamom, bay leaf, cloves,     cumin seeds and sauté till fragrant.
5. Add onions and cook until soft and translucent.
6. Add ground green masala paste and sauté on low flame for 3-4 minutes, until masala leaves the oil.
7. Add chicken pieces and mix well. Continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes.
8. Add half cup of water, adjust salt and cook until chicken is done.
9. Add coconut milk and garam masala powder.
10. Mix well and let it boil.
11. Turn off the gas and garnish with coriander leaves.
Note :
Care has to be taken that chicken should be well cooked before adding coconut milk.
You can skip coconut milk if you want. But coconut is a eseential component while cooking konkani food.

Bhindi Fry

This is a very famous maharashtrian recipe and one of my favorites. Whenever we go to our farm, cooks there always prepare the same recipe I have given below and it tastes fabulous. Try to use iron kadhai for this recipe if you have one in your kitchen. It will taste more delicious.
Bhindi(Okra) – 1 pound
Garlic cloves – 3-4
Mustard seeds - ½ T-spoon
Turmeric  Powder –  ½ T-Spoon
Asafetida – ½ T-Spoon
Red chili powder – 1 T-spoon or to taste
Oil for seasoning                                                                                 
Roasted and Crushed peanuts – 2 tb-spoons
Few cilantro leaves for garnishing
Procedure –
Wash okra very well under cold running water.
Spread okra on a towel and let them dry.
Chop okra in small cubes and chop garlic in small pieces.
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
Let the seeds crackle. Then add asafetida.
Afterwards add garlic and sauté garlic pieces till it becomes light brown in color.
Add turmeric and red chili powder in pan and sauté for a minute.
Add cubed okra and fry on medium heat.
Let the okra cook on medium heat. Make sure that won’t burn.
After okra is cooked, reduce the heat on low and add crushed peanuts. Sauté  for 2 minutes.
Turn off the heat and add chopped cilantro.
Serve hot with roti.
Note :
‘Crushed peanuts’ is something sparingly used in Maharashtrian kitchen. Roast the peanuts on a medium-high flame till they become dark brown in color. Let the peanuts cool down completely and then grind them in a mixer.  Grind then coarsely otherwise peanuts will start loosing oil.
This okra should not be covered with a lid while cooking.
If you like sour taste, you can add dried kokam or lemon juice to the recipe.

Moong Dal Halwa

Ingredients -
Moong dal/split green gram – 1 bowl
Ghee – ¾ bowl
Sugar – 2 bowls
Milk – 2 bowls
Mawa – 250 gms
Few Saffron strands
Cardamom powder to taste
Almonds and pistachio for garnishing
Procedure –
1.  Soak moong dal for 5 hours. Drain water from the dal after 5 hours and grind it in a mixer grinder. If are having any trouble while grinding add little water.
2. Heat ghee in a pan and add to it ground moong dal.
3. Roast the moong dal on a medium flame till it becomes golden brown in color. Keep stirring continuously.
4.  After the ghee started loosing moong dal, add milk and cover the pan with lid. Let the dal cook on a medium flame.
5. After the dal is completely cooked add mawa and roast for 5 minutes. Keep stirring.
6. Add sugar and roast again for 5 minutes or till the ghee start loosing. Moong dal halawa must get light brown color.
7. Add saffron and cardamom powder and mix well.
8. Garnish with almond and pistachio and serve hot.
Note :
Moong Dal halwa is a rajasthani delicacy. This halwa will be enough for 4 people.
If you don’t have mawa at hand, add 4 bowls of hot milk, instead of 2, little at a time and stir continuously.



Goda Masala (Maharashtrian masala)


Ingredients –
Coriander seeds – 250 grams
Cumin seeds – 1/4th bowl
Cloves – 5 grams
Cinnamon – 10 grams
Black cardamom – 10 grams
Bay leaf – 5-6
Dagadphool – 5 grams
Nagkeshar – 5 grams
Badal/star anis – 5 grams
Dry red chilies – 50 grams
Sesame seeds – 50 grams
Grated Dry coconut  - ½ bowl
Asafetida – 10 grams
Turmeric powder – 1 t-sp
Oil – 1/4th bowl
Salt – 1 tb-sp

Procedure -
1.  Clean coriander seeds.
2. Heat oil in pan. Add one by one cloves, cinnamon, black cardamom, dagadphool, nagkeshar, star anis, bay leaf. (Don’t add them together. Each spice needs it’s own time to fry.) Take them out and keep aside.
3. In the same oil add cumin seeds, roast them very well. In a mixing bowl add all the spices and turmeric powder, asafetida  before all the spices cool down completely.
4. Add red chilies in the remaining oil and roast them very well. Drizzle some salt on the chilies.
5.  Add grated coconut in a pan and roast brown.
6. Add sesame seeds in the same pan and roast light brown.
7. Add remaining oil in a pan and roast coriander seeds till they become light brown in color. Keep gas on low to medium flame while roasting.
8. Firstly grind all fried spices in a mixer grinder. Take them out.
9. Then add red chilies and salt mixture in grinder and grind to the fine powder.
10. Then add coriander seeds and grind to the fine powder.
11. Mix all the ground spices together and grind them. 
12. Grind sesame seeds and coconut one by one and add them into the spices mixture.
13. Mix all the spices very.
14. Store masala in air tight glass container.
Note :
    You can add 1/4th bowl black sesame seeds or Karale along with regular while sesame seeds. Tastes good.

Kolhapuri Kanda Lasoon Masala –


We are going to make this masala in 2 steps. First step is making of garam masala from the whole spices and then add remaining ingredients for making complete kanda lasun masala.
Step 1 -
making of garam masala -
Ingredients for garam masala –
coriander seeds – 2 bowls
Black peppercorn  – 1 tb. Sp.
Cloves – 1 tb.sp.
Cinnamon – 8-10 pieces/1 tb.sp. small pieces
Black cumin seeds( Shahijeera) – 1 tb.sp.
Cumin seeds – 4 tb.sp.
Turmeric powder - 2 tsp.
Black cardamom – 5
Green cardamom – 10
Mace - 3
Dagalphool – 2 Tb.sp.
Nagkeshar -  1 Tb.sp.
Badal/chakriphool /star anis– 1 Tb.sp.
Asafetida powder – 2 Tb.sp.
(if you have whole asafetida use 50 grams. Fry the stone very well before grinding)
Nutmeg – ½ (its better to use whole nutmeg than readymade nutmeg powder)
Fennel seeds( sanf/badishep) – 1 tb.sp.
¼ bowl or little less oil.
Procedure –
1. Heat 2 tb.spoon oil in a pan.
(If you are using stone of asafetida fry the stone in the oil and keep aside. )
2. If needed add more oil. But 2 tb.spoon oil is more than enough to coat all the spices while roasting.
Don’t make the oil too hot otherwise masala will get burnt.
3. Add whole garam masala one by one with the sequence given below –
Cinnamon sticks, Coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black cumin seeds, black peppercorn, cloves, black cardamom, green cardamom,  dagadphool, nagkeshar, star anis, mace, fennel seeds, turmeric powder, asafetida,  nutmeg (grate nutmeg at this point)
4. Roast on medium heat for 2 minutes and then turn off the heat.
5. Let the spices cool down completely and then grind in a mixer.
6. Store in a air tight container.

Step 2 - 
making of Kanda-lasun masala –
Ingredients –
3 hemispheres of dry coconut – grated
Sliced onions – 4 large size
Sesame seeds – 3/4th  bowl or 1 wati ( for correct measurement 1 wati = 1 tbsp less for 3/4th bowl)
Poppy seeds – 1 tb.sp.
Garlic cloves – 3/4th bowl or 1 wati
Salt – ½ bowl
Red chili powder – 2 bowls
Garam masala powder – 2 wati or 1 and ½ bowls
Oil – 2 bowls
Procedure –
1. Dry roast sesame seeds and poppy seeds one by one.
2. In the same pan add 2 tb.sp. oil. Roast grated dry coconut till it turns brown in color. Take the coconut out and keep aside.
3. In the same pan add remaining oil and fry sliced onions till they turn brown. Take the onion out and keep aside.
4. In the same pan add red chili powder (no need to add additional oil) and roast for few minutes.
5. Add half the salt and poppy seeds in mixer grinder and grind it.
6. Take out poppy seeds powder and add sesame seeds. Powder the sesame seeds and keep it aside.
7. Add roasted coconut and grind to the fine paste and keep it aside.
8. Add remaining salt and garlic to the mixer grinder and grind into a fine paste.  (If you need for grinding garlic, you can add red chili powder to it) Keep the garlic paste aside.
9. Add fried onion and grind it to vey fine paste.
10. In a big mixing bowl mix all the ingredients together. If you feel that this masala is little dry, add some hot oil as per your taste and choice.
11. Grind this masala again in batches and mix it very well using your hands.
12. Store the masala in a air tight glass container in a cool and dry place. This will last for 2 months outside fridge.
If you would like to store for a longer time then you should keep it in deep freezer.