Monday, July 30, 2012

Green Garlic Chutney (लसणाच्या पातीची चटणी)

Green garlic leaves and garlic pods – 1 bunch

Green chilies – 4-5

Chopped coriander – ½ bowl

Raw peanuts – 1/4th bowl

Salt to taste

Peanut oil – 1 tb-spoon

Procedure –

1.  Finely chop green garlic leaves and tender garlic.

2. Add chopped garlic, green chilies, coriander, peanuts and salt in a mixer grinder and make a fine paste.

3. While serving the chutney add raw peanut oil, mix and serve with Bhakari or chapatti.

Note :

If you don’t like the flavor of raw oil, you can add warm oil.

This chutney also goes well with bread, specially white bread.

Chutney Powder

Chana dal – 1 cup
Urad dal – 3/4th cup
Curry leaves - handful
Dry red chilies – 10 or to taste
Peppercorns – 8-10
Cumin seeds – 1 tablespoon
Sesame seeds – 1 tablespoon
Asafetida – 1 t-spoon
Tamarind paste – 3 tablespoons/ to the taste
Jaggery – 2 tablespoon or to taste
Sugar – 1 t-spoon
Salt to taste
Oil for roasting.
Procedure –
1. Heat oil in a pan.
2.   Add urad dal, then chana dal, then red chilies, peppercorns, cumin seeds. Lastly add sesame seeds and asafetida. Roast for a while and turn of the heat.
3.   Add tamarind, jaggery, sugar and salt and grind everything together in a grinder. Mix well and store in a air tight container.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Khaman and Sev Khamani


Khaman is the most popular Gujarati snack. This moist and delicious savory cake is a must for a Gujarati feast but don’t get it confused with Dhokla. Generally people call it Khaman Dhokala, but they are completely two different preparations. And yes pre-planning is needed for this traditional and tasty khaman.

Sev khamani is also a popular snack and most probably invented from the Khaman itself. Another tasty recipe, with ginger-garlic flavor and served with chutney.

For Khaman you need -

Ingredients:

1. Chana Daal – 1 cup

2. Urad Daal – 1 Tb-spoon

3. Yogurt – 1/3rd cup

4. Water – 1/4th cup

5. Chickpea Flour (Besan) – 1 Tb-spoon

6. Salt – 2 t-spoon

7. Turmeric Powder – 1/8 t-spoon

8. Asafoetida – 1/8 t-spoon

9. Green Chili Paste – to taste

10. Minced Ginger – 2 t-spoon

11. Oil – 2 Tb-spoon

12. Lemon/Lime Juice – 1 Tb-spoon

13. Fruit salt/Eno – 1 t-spoon

Seasoning:

1. Oil – 2 Tb-spoon

2. Mustard Seeds – 1 t-spoon

3. Asafetida – 1/8 t-spoon

4. Green Chilies – to taste, slit

5. Water – 6 Tb-spoon

6. Sugar – 1 Tb-spoon

7. Lemon/Lime Juice – 1 Tb-spoon

Garnishing –

Chopped cilantro/coriander

Shredded fresh Coconut

Method:

1. Combine Chana and Urad Daals, wash well and soak in water overnight (at least 8 hrs).

2. Drain out water and add daals to food processor or mixer blender. Add Yogurt and grind daals by using 1/4th cup of water.

3. Take out the mixture into a bowl and add Chickpea Flour, Salt, Turmeric Powder, asafetida. Mix well, cover and keep in warm place overnight to ferment.

4. Once fermented, add Green Chili Paste, Ginger, Oil and Lemon/Lime Juice. Mix well.

5. Grease a steel dish with a high rim and place it empty in a pot with 1 inch water

for steaming. Use another bowl at the bottom of the pot to prop up the dish out of

the water. Cover pot and allow the water to come to a boil. You can use pressure cooker without whistle.

6. When the water starts to steam, add fruit salt to the batter and mix well in one direction. Remove the empty dish from the pot and pour in batter. After adding fruit salt, you have to really fast in this step.

7. Place dish back into the pot, cover and steam for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove Khaman from the pot and leave on counter to cool for 10-15 minutes.

8. Meanwhile heat Oil in a small pan. Add Mustard Seeds and allow them to crackle. Add Asafetida and Slit Green Chilies. Cook for 1-2 minutes, turn off stove and sprinkle a little salt. Keep aside. If you like you can add a tablespoon of sesame seeds also in the same oil, but before adding the chilies.

9. In a small bowl, mix 6 Tbsp Water, 1 Tbsp Sugar and 1 Tbsp Lemon/Lime Juice.

Keep aside.

10. Grease a sharp knife and cut Khaman into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Remove and arrange pieces on a platter. Mix Water/Sugar/Lemon solution with Green Chili Seasoning and mix well.

11. Drizzle the mixture over the Khaman pieces and allow them to absorb all of the liquid.

12. Garnish with chopped Cilantro Leaves and grated Coconut.

13. Serve with Mint and Tamarind Chutney.

Note :

For variation and nice look you can use the mini idli pot and steam small idlies the same way you cool khaman. Add seasoning on the idlies and serve small khaman idlies. No need of cutting them. Good for the parties.



For sev Khamani you need -

Ingredients:

1. Khaman – 20 pieces (without any seasoning)

2. Oil – 1 tb-spoon

3. Finely chopped garlic– 2 tb-spoons

4. A pinch of asafetida (hing)

5. Green chilies – chopped, as per taste.

6. Pomegranate seeds – ½ cup

7. Chopped cilantro/coriander – 2 tb-spoons

8. Shredded coconut – 2 tb-spoons

8. Fine sev – 1/4th cup

Procedure:

1. Crumble the khaman in a bowl and keep aside. If needed strain them into a strainer for fine powder without lumps.

2. Heat the oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds. When the seeds crackle, add chopped garlic and asafetida and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds till the garlic become light brown in color.

3. Add green chilies to taste and turn off the heat.

4. Add crumbled khaman and mix well. Take out the mixture in a serving bowl. Garnish with fine sev, coconut, cilantro and pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.

5. Serve mint and tamarind chutneys with this sev khamani.

Note :

1. You can skip pomegranate seeds if you don’t like them in this particular dish. But pomegranate seeds give nice crunch.

2. Traditionally garlic is necessary for this sev khamani, though not for khaman itself.