Patal pohe chivda (Flattened rice chivda)–

Ingredients –

Thin Poha (flattened rice) – 4 cups

Roasted chana daal – 4 Tb-spoons

Raw Peanuts -1/4^th bowl or as per taste

Dry coconut's thin pieces – 1/4^th bowl or as per taste (you can skip these if you wish)

Coriander powder – 1 Tb-spoon

Roasted cumin powder – ½ Tb-spoon

Red chilli powder – 1 T-spoon

Powdered sugar and salt as per taste

For seasoning –

 Oil – ½ cup

Mustard seeds – 1 T-Spoon

Asafoetida – 1 T-spoon

Curry leaves – 2 springs

Green chillies as per taste (in ½ inch length)

Turmeric powder – 1 T-spoon

Garnishing –

Fried cashews

Procedure –

1.  Sun dry poha for a whole day or alternately heat in microwave oven for 3 minutes. Stirring after 1 minute.

2. Heat oil in a pan. Add peanuts and fry them for a minute. Take the peanuts out.

3. Add cashews in the pan and fry them for ½ minute and take it out.

4. In the same oil add mustard seeds and asafoetida. Let them splutter. Then add curry leaves and green chillies and turmeric powder. Add red chilli powder as per your taste.

5.  Add roasted chana dal and stir for a minute. Turn off the heat.

6. Add the seasoning, fried peanuts and fried cashews along with powdered sugar, salt, coriander seeds powder, cumin seeds powder to roasted poha. Mix well by hand.

7. Store in a air tight container or zip lock bags. It does not need to refrigerate.

Handvo –

This one is all time favourite Gujrati snack, especially tea time snack. It is a savoury and spicy Indian cake made with mix dals, rice and vegetables. Handvo traditionally cook into a special Handvo pot. However these pots are not available in everyone's kitchen and further it requires more oil than we require in this particular recipe. Baking in oven is good option.

Ingredients:

Long Grain Rice – 1 cup

Channa Daal – ¼ cup

Toor Daal – ¼ cup

Urad Daal – 1 Tb-spoon

Yogurt – ½ cup

Green Chilies – 1 t-spoon or to taste

Ginger Paste – 2 tsp

Garlic Paste- 2 tsp (approx 3 large cloves)

Bottlegourd/Doodhi – 1 and ½ cup, shredded and packed

Salt – 2 tsp or to taste

Ajwain/carom seeds – 1/2 tsp

Sugar – 2 tsp

Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp

Eno Fruit Salt – 1 tsp

Sesame Seeds – 2 Tbsp

Oil – 3 Tbsp (divided)

Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp

Asafetida (Hing) – 1/4 tsp

Red Chili Powder – 1/2 tsp

Curry Leaves – few

Method:

1. Wash Rice and all Daals and soak them overnight (for at least 7 hours)

2. Drain water from Rice and Daal and coarsely grind them in a mixer grinder with Yogurt (if possible, do not add any additional water while grinding).

3. Take a large bowl, add rice and dal mixture and add ginger, garlic and green chilies paste, Salt, Sugar, ajwain/carom seeds, turmeric powder and bottle gourd, doodhi/Lauki. Mix well.

4. Heat 1 tb-spoon oil. Add Curry Leaves and Red Chili Powder. Add this seasoning to the above batter and mix well.

5. Cover and let this batter rest for 6-7 hours or overnight.

6. Add Eno Fruit Salt and mix well to make the batter foamy.

7. Pour the batter into greased cake pan/muffin pan.

8. Sprinkle Sesame Seeds over the top of the batter.

9. Heat remaining 2 tb-spoons of oil in a small pan.

10. Add Mustard Seeds and let them splutter. Switch off stove.

11. Add Asafoetida to the oil.

12. Drizzle this oil seasoning over the top of the sesame seeds.

13. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350F (180C) for 40 minutes.

14. Remove foil and broil on High for approx 10 minutes until a light golden crust forms.

15. Let the handvo rest for 10-15 minutes before eating.

16. Serve warm with green pudina chutney, tamarind chutney or sauce or just eat as it is.

Note:

You can bake this in independent muffin treys. It looks good and you can serve it in your kitty party as a Indian savory muffins.

Seasoned Roties (फोडणीची पोळी) -

Today, though Wednesday feeling quite tired. Finally decided to cook my favourite snack from leftover Roties. 'Fodnichi Poli'. Seasoned Roties.

Rotis – 4

Finely chopped onion – 1

Roasted peanuts – 1/4^th bowl

Curry leaves – 5-6

For seasoning –

Oil – 1 tb-spoon

Mustard Seeds – 1/4^th T-spoon

Cumin seeds – 1/4^th T-spoon

Asafoetida – 1/4^th T-spoon

Turmeric Powder – ½ T-spoon

Red Chilli powder – ½ T-spoon or as per taste

Sugar – as per taste

Salt – as per taste

Procedure –

1. Crush Roties by hand.
2. Heat oil in a pan.
3. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida one after another and let them splutter.
4. Then add roasted peanuts and sauté for a minute.
5. Add curry leaves and chopped onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes till it gets golden brown colour.
6. Add turmeric power and red chilli powder.
7. Add sugar, salt and then crushed roties. Saute for a minute. Cover the pan let it cook for 5 minutes. If Roties are too dry, sprinkle water before covering the pan with lid.
8. Sprinkle chopped coriander if you desire and serve hot.

Dhebra

 

One more tasty Gujrati snack. Specially good to eat during winters.

Ingredients -

Bajra flour( millet flour) – 1 ½ bowl

Wheat flour – 1 ½  bowl

Fenugreek leaves – 2 bowls

green garlic along with leaves – 1 small bunch

Green chili paste – as per taste

Jaggery – 1 T-spoon

Sesame seeds – 1 Tb-spoon

Curd – 1 bowl (more if required)

Turmeric powder – 1/4^th T-spoon

Salt to taste

Oil for dough and for roasting.

(Green garlic is optional. If you don't have green garlic with you, then add 4-5 garlic cloves. )

Procedure –

1. Knead bajra flour , wheat flour and chana flour well adding salt to taste.

2. Roughly chop fenugreek leaves and green garlic.

3. Add fenugreek leaves and green garlic in the dry flours along with green chili paste, jaggery, sesame seeds, turmeric powder and curd and knead well. If needed add little water and form a medium dough.

4. Heat tava or frying pan. Take golf size ball dough in your palm. Roll dhebra in a round shape. Don't try to roll it too thin. 

5. Roast dhebra on a low heat from both sides. Drizzle some more oil while roasting.

Note:

1. You can add green onions also in dhebra.
2. You can make little smaller size dhebra and deep fry them in kadai.

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.

Methi-kelu na gota/bhaji (methi-banana pakoda) –

This is the first Gujarati recipe I prepared with the help of my mother-in-law and one of my husband’s favorite.

Methi leaves – 1 bunch

Ripe babana – 1

Besan/chickpea flour – 1 bowl (as needed)

Black pepper – 6-7, coarsely ground

Coriander seeds – 1 t-spoon, coarsely ground

Cumin seeds powder – ½ t-spoon

Red chili powder – 1 t-spoon

Turmeric powder – ½ t-spoon

Asafetida – 1/4^th t-spoon

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

1 tb-spoon hot oil for gota

Procedure –

1. Knead methi, separate methi leaves and wash well. Roughly chop the leaves.

2. Mash banana. Add methi leaves, all powdered spices, coarsely ground black peppercorns and coriander seeds and salt. Mix all the ingredients and keep aside for 15-20 minutes.

3. Heat oil in pan. Add hot oil to the batter and mix well.

4. Deep fry small pakodas/gota on a medium heat. This gota will take more time to cook than other pakodas.

5. Serve hot with green chutney or tomato ketchup.

Note:

You can add more black pepper if you like the flavor and hotness. Methi and banana is a unique combination and tastes delicious. Because of ripe banana, soda-bi- carbonate or fruit salt is not at all needed. Black pepper has to be roughly grounded, do not powder the black peppercorns.

Ragada Patties/pattice –

Ingredients –

For ragada you need -

Dried white peas/white vatana – 1 cup

Chopped coriander – 1/4^th bowl

Tamarind pulp – 1 t-spoon

Jaggery – 1 tb-spoon or to taste

Goda masala/kaala masala – 1 t-spoon

Red chili powder – 2 t-spoons or to state

Turmeric powder – 1/4^th t-spoon

Ginger paste – 1 t-spoon

Garlic paste – 1 t-spoon

Garam masala – ½ t-spoon

Oil – 1 tb-spoon

Mustard seeds – 1/8^th t-spoon

Asafetida – a pinch

Salt to taste

For aloo tikkies/patties –

Boiled potatoes – 4 medium size

Ginger paste – ½ tspoon

Garlic paste – 1 t-spoon

Green chili paste – 1 and ½ t-spoon

Salt to taste

Oil for shallow frying

For serving –

Onion – 2, finely chopped

Chopped coriander – ½ bowl

Lime/lemon juice – 2 tb-spoons

Fine sev – 1/4^th bowl

Tamarind chutney

Pudina/mint chutney

Procedure –

Ragda -

1. Wash vatana and soak in lukewarm water for 6-8 hours.

2. After 8 hours add turmeric powder, asafetida and salt and cook vatana for 15 minutes in a pressure cooker.

3. Heat oil in pan. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for 5 minutes.

4. Add cooked ragada, kaala masala/goda masala, red chili powder, garam masala, tamarind pulp and jaggery. Boil for 5 minutes, add chopped coriander, mix well and turn off the heat. Ragada is ready.

Patties/pattice –

Mash boiled potatoes. Mix in ginger, garlic, green chili paste, salt and lime/lemon juice. Form patties and shallow fry on hot tava from both the sides.

Serving -

Place 2 patties in a plate. Pour hot ragada on it. Spread finely chopped onion, chopped coriander, sev, tamarind chutney and little mint chutney.

Note :

1. At the time of serving patties and ragada should be hot.

2. If you don’t like mint flavor, you can use coriander chutney instead.

3. If kaala masala/goda masala is not ready, replace it with garam masala and make a powder of seasame seeds and dry grated coconut and add into ragada. This will also taste good.

Dal Dhokali –

In Gujarati homes ‘Dal Dhokali’ is a very popular snack or a one dish meal. I am Maharashtrian and married in a Gujrati family. In Maharashtra we have similar form of Dal Dhokali, which is called ‘Varan Phala’. Little different in taste but very similar to this recipe. I will post Marathi version of Dal Dhokali sometime soon.

Ingredients –

Split pigeon pea (toor dal/arhar dal) – 3/4^th cup

Whole wheat flour (atta) – 3/4^th cup

Bengal gram flour (besan) – 2 tb-spoons

Garlic – 3-4 cloves, crushed

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder – 1/2 t-spoon for dal + 1/4^th t-spoon for dough

Red chili powder – 1 t-spoon for dal + 1 t-spoon dough

Asafetida – 1/4^th t-spoon

Oil – 1 tb-spoon for tadaka + 1 tb-spoon for dough

Mustard seeds – 1/8^th t-spoon

Khada masala – 1 bay leaf, 3 cloves, 1” cinnamon

Cumin seeds powder – ½ t-spoon

Coriander seeds powder – 1 t-spoon

Jaggery to taste

Kokam petals – 3-4

Serving –

Chopped coriander leaves

Ghee for serving

Finely chopped onion

Procedure –

1. Soak toor dal in two cups of water for half an hour. Mix wheat flour, gram flour, red chili powder, turmeric powder, crushed garlic, oil and water to knead into a hard dough.

2. Boil dal in 1 ½ cup of water with turmeric powder in a pressure cooker.

3. Roll out thick rotis of the dough and cut into diamonds. Set aside.

4. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, asafetida and khada masala, sauté for a minute. Add cooked toor dal, red chili powder, coriander-cumin seeds powder, jaggery, salt and kokam petals. Add water and start boiling dal.

5. When jaggery has dissolved, add dough diamonds and allow to cook on medium flame. Stir occasionally so that dough diamonds do not stick to the bottom of the pan. Cook till dough diamonds are fully cooked.

6. Garnish dal dhokli with coriander leaves, ghee and if you like, chopped onion and serve hot.

Note:

Dal should be little watery because dough and toor dal tends to absorb more and more water. Add salt accordingly.

Patwadya (पाटवड्या)

Ingredients:

Bengal gram/chana dal flour/besan - 1 cup

Sour butter milk – 3/4^th bowl

Water – 1 bowl

Oil – 1/4^th bowl

Dry grated coconut – 2 tb-spoons

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder – 1/4^th t-spoon

Red chili powder – 3 t-spoons

Chopped coriander leaves – 1/4^th bowl

Method :

1. Mix flour, salt, red chili powder, buttermilk and water together by hand. Heat oil in a

pan. Add mustard seeds, asafetida and turmeric powder and add prepared mixture to it.

Cook on a low-medium flame stirring continuously for 2-3 minutes.

2. Cover the pan with lid and cook on low-medium flame for 5 minutes more. Grease a

deep thali/tray and pour the batter in it. (The depth should be about 1 1/2 cms max).

3. Spread dry grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves on top and let the mixture

cool down completely.

4. Cut squares by using knife and serve as a tea time snack.

Note :

If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use water instead. But buttermilk will give a nice

taste.

This a traditional tea time snack. In Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, these patwadis are

used for making curry or subzi also. I will post the recipe of patwadi curry soon.

millet flour pancakes (ज्वारीचे थालीपीठ)

Ingredients:
Jowar Flour (millet flour) – 2 cups

Wheat Flour – 1/4^th cup

Gram Flour/besan – 1 tb-spoon

Garlic – 3-4 cloves, grated

Onion – 1 medium, finely chopped

Handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped

Cumin seeds powder – ½ t-spoon

Coriander seeds powder -1 t-spoon

Red Chilli Powder – 1 tb-spoon

Turmeric Powder – 1/4^th t-spoon

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

For serving –

Dollop of homemade unsalted white butter(Loni) or salted butter or curd.

Procedure –

1. Mix all the ingredients except oil and knead it into stiff dough using water. The dough should be more smooth than chapatti dough. Keep this dough aside for 10-15 minutes covered with plate. Again knead the dough and make tennis ball sized balls.
2. Take a clean plastic sheet and grease its one side with some oil.
Flatten one ball in the palm of your hand and place it in the center of the sheet. Pat the ball with palm and the fingers. If the dough is too sticky, dip fingers in water to make the patting easier. Keep flattening in circular motion to make a round flat disc but make sure that the thalipeeth has even thickness. Make five holes with your finger, one in the center and four around which will help to cook the thalipeeth evenly.

3. Heat the tava, add little oil in the center and gently remove thalipeeth from plastic sheet and place it on tava. Apply little oil in the five holes and cover the tava with lid. Let the thalipeeth cook for 3-4 minutes on medium heat. Open the lid let the thalipeeth release the steam and afterwards cook the other side until it turns crisp.

4. Serve thalipeeth hot with homemade butter, curd or pickle.

Variations -

You can add methi (fenugreek leaves) or spinach leaves or any vegetable along with onions or without onions. It will increase the nutrition value and taste. If you want more crispy and crunchy thalipeeth with authentic flavor add more oil and roast thalipeeth on a iron griddle/tava. Let me tell you, Thalipeeth on iron tava tastes awesome, non-stick pan can never beat that taste.

Flatten rice in coconut milk (कोळाचे पोहे)

Ingredients –

Thick poha (jad pohe) – 2 bowls

Thick coconut milk – 2 bowls

Jaggery – 1 bowl

Tamarind pulp – 3 tb-spoon

Green chilies – 5-6, finely chopped

Salt

Chopped coriander leaves

Cumin seeds – 1 t-spoon

Asafetida – 1/4^th t-spoon

Oil – 1 tb-spoon

Procedure –

1. Mix coconut milk, tamarind pulp, jaggery and salt together. Taste the mixture, if required adjust jaggery, tamarind according to your taste. It has to be sweet and sour to taste.

2. Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, asafetida and green chilies. Let them splutter and add the tadaka in our prepared mixture.

3. While serving ‘pohe’, take pohe in a bowl, add out coconut-jaggery mixture as required. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and serve.

Note :

Coconut milk has to be thick. Even while extracting the pulp from tamarind, don’t use too much water. Add green chili sparingly, because together with Pohe, it's going to reduce the hotness.