Helloooooooo everybody out there. Yes, yes...I know this space has been stagnant for quite some time now. But I have been super busy these couple of months. We visited India almost after 3.5 years. I was very excited about the trip and spent most of my time in shopping for family and friends. We had a great time at home except for the heat. It was unbearable and we had to spend our days sitting in coolers and air conditioners. The main attraction of the trip were "Mangoes", to be specific "Hapoos Amba". We had missed that so much in U.S all these years and that was a perfect season to consume them. I don't remember a single day spent without eating "Amba" or "Aamras".
Anyways, so back to this post. After returning from India I was engaged in setting up our new apartment. So, now you know, these last few months were full of packing, unpacking, moving and repacking. But now that I have settled completely I am back to the blogging world which I have missed so closely.
I am back with this one pot dish which is called Chakolya or Phal Varan in Marathi. It is also popularly known as Daal Dhokli in Gujrati. It's one of my favourites when hubby does not have to take lunch. Ofcourse, its far better than making Maggie. This dish has to be eaten hot, right from the stove. It's basically small dumplings of atta or dough cooked in dal/varan/lentil soup. To make this you would need the following -
For the dhokli
1) 1/2 cup wheat flour
2) 1/2 tspn turmeric and chilli powder each
3) salt to taste
4) Oil and Water
For the Dal
1) 1 cup cooked toovar dal
2) 1/2 tspn mustard seeds, cumind seeds each
3) a pinch of asafoetida
4) 1/2 tspn turmeric powder
5) 1 tspn red chilli powder or according to taste. (I used kolhapuri masala)
6) 3-4 curry leaves
7) 1 tspn ginger/garlic paste
8) 1 small onion chopped
9) Oil for tempering
10) Salt to taste
11) 3 cups Water
Method -
1) Knead together all the ingredients for the dough and keep it aside covered for some time.
2) During this time make the dal. Heat oil in a kadhai and do the tempering. Add the mustard seeds. Once they crackle add the cumin seeds.
3) Add asafoetida and turmeric powder. Stir and add in the curry leaves.
4) Now add onions and saute for few minutes.
5) Add ginger/garlic paste and saute for some more time.
6) Now add the cooked dal and water and mix well.
7) Add salt and red chilli powder/Kolhapuri Masala and bring it to a boil.
8) Till the dal is boiling take a fairly large ball of dough. Larger than chapati/roti ball and roll it like chapati.
9) Now with a knife cut the rolled dough ball horizontally and vertically making small square shaped pieces.
10) Add these pieces or dumpling in the boiling dal. Cover it and let it cook for sometime.
You will notice that the dumplings become larger than their original size after they are cooked.
Your daal dhokli is ready. Take out in a bowl and serve. To make it more flavourful add 1 tspn of ghee and Enjoy!!!
This dish is so heartfilling and tasty. You can make the dal as your taste. You can add any other masala to it but make sure it is on a liquidy side because the dhokli/dumplings are enlarged once they are cooked.
Now, sit back and Enjoy this steaming hot dish.
Thalipeet Pizza is a fusion dish i tried out this weekend. It's very nutritious and healthy. Thalipeeth is a type of savoury pancake popular in Western Maharashtra, India. It is a very popular Maharashtrian dish.
Its dough is prepared from a special flour called "Bhajni" which is very nutritious. Bhajni is made of different types of grains like wheat, rice, ragi, millet and also some dals like black gram, bengal gram along with spices are roasted and grinded into flour.
The Bhajni is kneaded with a tbsp of hot oil and water. Taking a golf size portion of the kneaded bhajni pat it on a hot tava. Poke few holes in it and drop in little oil through the holes. Cook it from both the sides.
In India, this bhajni is prepared at home and is also available in the market.
I made Thalipeeth Pizza. It was full of nutrients and we could eat not more than 1 pizza. The Thalipeeth was made as described above. If you do not have "Bhajni" you can add a couple of tbspn of all the flours available in your pantry like wheat flour, jowar flour, rice flour, millet or ragi flour and besan. Add some spices according to your taste and knead it and then pat it directly on a tava. I will show you how to make the pizza sabji. Here's what you gonna need -
Ingredients -
1) 1 medum onion sliced in large chunks
2) 1 medium tomato sliced in big pieces
3) 1 cup green, yellow and red bell peppers sliced lengthwise
4) 1/4 cup corn
5) 1/4 cup paneer cut in cubes
6) 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
7) 2-3 dry red chillies
8) 1 tbsp red chilli powder
9) Mozarella cheese for garnishing
10) Salt to taste and Oil
Method -
1) Heat oil in a skillet and add cumin seeds.
2) Once they splutter and red chillies.
3) Add onions and saute till they turn light pink.
4) Add tomatoes and saute for a minute.
5) Add the bell peppers, corn and paneer. Mix well and saute for a couple of minutes.
6) Add red chilli powder and salt. Mix well. Cover and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Do not over cook the veggies.
7) Now, heat oil in a tava. Take a small portion of thalipeeth bhajni and pat it to a circle on the tava. Cover and let it cook from one side.
8) Turn it over and spread the veggie mixture on the other side. Garnish it with cheese. Cover and let it cook till the cheese melts.
9) Serve hot with some ketchup.
Enjoy!!!.
Black chana is a North Indian dish. This can be a great side dish if you make it dry or a one pot meal if you make a curry. I made curry yesterday. Tasted great, very easy and a quick one to make. Its dry version is also served in many temples as "prasad". There are many ways of making this. Here is my version. You would need -
Ingredients -
1) 1/2 cup black chana soaked overnight or 6 hours maximum
2) 1 medium onion
3) 2 tsp sesame seeds
4) 1 tsp poppy seeds (khaskhas)
5) 3-4 tbsp dry coconut
6) 1/4 tsp mustard seeds, asafoetida and turmeric powder for seasoning
7) 1 tsp red chilli powder
8) Oil and Salt to taste
9) A bunch of chopped cilantro for garnishing
Method -
1) Soak the black chana overnight and pressure cook it for 3-4 whistles.
2) Grind together the onions, seasame seeds, coconut and poppy seeds to a fine paste with very little water.
3) Heat oil in a kadhai and do the seasoning.
4) Add the grinded paste to it and saute till the oil leaves.
5) Add red chilli powder and saute for some more time. At this point add little water so that the dry powder will not burn.
6) Add in the chana and water as much consistency you need. Add salt. Mix well and let it boil for sometime.
7) Garnish it with cilantro and Serve hot.
Serve it with chapatis or rice.
I had called my friends for a small party at home some time back. Had made this pasta that day. Everybody liked this Indian style Pasta and one of my friend asked me to blog it. I had made it this weekend and I am sure you all would love it. It has the flavours of Indian spices and gives it a whole new taste. We both love this. My Father-in-law also loved it. I made this many times when he was here. Here's what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 2 cups Pasta any type (I used Barilla brand's macaroni)
2) 1 medium onion chopped in big chunks
3) 1 green and red bell pepper chopped
4) 1 cup spinach finely choped
5) 3 tbsp soya sauce (optional)
6) 3 tbsp tomato sauce
7) 1 tsp mustard seeds
8) 3-4 green chillie finely chopped
9) 2-3 cloves garlic finely chopped
10) 1 sprig of curry leaves
11)1 tbsp red chilli flakes
12)1 tbsp black pepper
13)A bunch of cilantro finely chopped
14)Salt to taste
15)Oil
16)Shredded cheese of your choice
Method -
1) Cook the Pasta "al dente" according to the cooking instructions.
2) Heat oil in a skillet and add the mustard seeds. Once they crackle add the curry leaves and garlic and saute for 30 secs.
3) Add onions and green chillies. Saute for a few seconds and immediately add the bell peppers, black pepper and red chilli flakes. Mix well.
4) Add in the sauces, spinach, cilantro and salt at this time. Saute for some more time. The veggies should not be overcooked. They tastes great when they are crunchy.
5) Add the cooked pasta and mix well.
6) Sprinkle as much cheese over it and mix it well.
Serve!!! This also tastes great when it is served cold.
I was talking with my grandmom a few days back. She was telling me that she made cabbage vadis today. Ohhh!!! How much I miss her delicious and flavourful food. Had not eaten these vadis in years. All the spices with the chickpea flour gives a whole different taste to the cabbage. Infact adds a lot more flavour to it. I had some leftover cabbage in the refrigerator. This suddenly striked me and I decided to give it a try. They were awesome. We loved it. I was snacking on it the whole day. I bet you can't eat just one. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup cabbage shredded
2) 5-6 tbsp Besan/Chickpea flour
3) 1 tbsp cumin-coriander powder
4) 1 tsp red chilli powder
5) 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
6) 1 tsp sesame seeds
7) A bunch of freshly chopped cilantro
8) 1 tsp Oil
9) Salt to taste
10) Besan/Chickpea flour as much required
Method -
1) Mix the shredded cabbage with all the powders, besan, salt and oil with just a few spoons of water. Add the besan as much required to hold the cabbage and form a soft dough.
2) Now grease a plate or a container with oil and keep the dough over it. Steam this in the pressure cooker for 10-15 minutes just like idlis. Let the pressure cool down.
3) Remove and cut the dough into small pieces and shallow fry each piece.
You can serve it with ketchup, chutney or just eat it like that.
Enjoy!!!
Wishing you all a Happy Makar Sankranti!!!
Makar Sankranti is the most auspicious day for the Hindus and is celebrated all over the country. Every hindu religion has a different name for it. It is called as Uttarayan in Gujrat and Rajasthan, Lohri in Nothern India, Pongal in Southern India and Makar Sankranti in Maharashtra. It is the only Hindu festival that falls on the same day every year, the 14th of January.
In Maharashtra, on this day people exchange multi coloured tilguls made from til(sesame) and til laddoos made from til and jaggery. Gul polis are also made on this day. While exchanging tilguls as a token of goodwill people greet each other by saying "Tilgul Ghya goaD goaD Bola" meaning accept these tilguls and speak sweet words. The whole idea behind this is to forget the past hostilities and ill feelings and be good friends.
This is a special day especially for women when married women are invited for a get-together called "Haldi Kunku" and are given gifts. Typically women wear black sarees on this day.
I made til ladoos today. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup jaggery
2) 3/4 cup sesame seeds
3) 3 tbsp grated dry coconut
4) 2 tbsp roasted peanuts
5) 2 tbsp ghee
Method -
1) Dry roast the sesame seeds and give a quick pulse in the mixer. Keep aside.
2) To it add the coconut powder and peanuts.
3) Take crushed jaggery in the mixer and grind it giving 3-4 pulses.
4) Add all the other ingredients in the mixer and give it a mix till it is mixed alltogether.
5) Remove and make small laddoos.
Wishing Everyone a Very Happy and Prosperous New 2010!!!
May this New Year brings you lots of Happiness, Love, Joy...
Good Health....Great Friends....
Good Luck....& Great Things!!!
Happy Cooking & Happy Eating!!!
I had never tried Chinese cooking yet. This was my first attempt using Vinegar and Soysauce. I realised its so easy and quick. Just stir fry the veggies a bit, do not ovecook them, mix in the sauces and its ready. We bid 2009 a farewell with some Chinese food. I made some Hot and Sour Cabbage and Fried Rice.
Hot and Sour Cabbage -
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup thinly shredded cabbage lengthwise
2) 1/2 cup carrots shredded lengthwise
3) 1 capsicum chopped vertically
4) 3-4 green chillies chopped
5) 3 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
6) 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
7) 2 tsp Vinegar
8) 3 tbsp cornflour dissolved in water
9) Salt and Black Pepper to taste
10)2 sprigs of Spring Onion chopped finely
11)Oil
Method -
1) Heat oil in a non stick skillet and add the carrots. Stir fry them on high flame.
2) Add the cabbage, capsicum and green chillies. Mix well and keep stirring them. Cook the veggies on high flame and for a very short time so that they the veggies does not loose the nutrients in them.
3) Add salt and black pepper and stir. Turn off the flame.
4) Now, heat another non-stick pan and add the tomato sauce, say sauce and the cornflour mixture and give it a quick stir. Turn off the flame. It will thicken and form a paste. Add this to the veggies and mix well.
My veggies are a little overcooked. It was a bit mushy but tasted great.
Chinese Fried Rice -
Ingredients -
1) 2 cups cooked rice
2) 1 small onion chopped finely
3) 1 cup Carrots + Green Beans finely chopped
4) 2 tbsp soy sauce
5) Salt to taste
6) Oil
Method -
1) Heat oil in a wide skillet and saute the onions till translucent.
2) Add the veggies and stir fry them for 2 minutes on a high flame. Do not overcook them.
3) Add rice, salt and soy sauce to it. Mix well. Turn off the flame.
4) Garnish it with the spring Onions.
Serve hot with Hot & Sour Cabbage.
Enjoy!!!
I am glad, I have posted 15 new recipes and stood up to my resolution of posting 1 new recipe everyday. Although i could not post everyday but i did complete the 15 recipes countdown. Now, its another New Year and ofcourse there would be new resolutions.
WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!!
Dal Makhani is a North Indian dish served mostly in Indian restaurants. It is made up of whole urad dal and kidney beans so it is rich in proteins. Now, this is a simpler and a healthier version of Dal Makhani using less oil. I am sure you all would love it. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup whole urad dal
2) 2 tbsp kidney beans
3) 4-5 Green chillies
4) 1 medium onion finely chopped
5) 1 tomato finely chopped
6) 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste
7) 1 tbsp Cumin-Coriander powder
8) 1 tsp Garam Masala
9) 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
10)Red Chilli powder to taste
11)2 tbsp Yogurt well beaten
12)1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
13)Oil
14)Salt to taste
15)Cilantro chopped for garnishing
Method -
1) Soak the dals overnight in about 3 cups of water.
2) To the dals add, onions, garam masala, green chillies, turmeric powder, cumin-coriander powder, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder and salt. Pressure cook the dals until 3-4 whistles. Turn off the flame and let the pressure release on its own.
3) Open the cooker and stir the dals. Check whether they are porperly cooked. Now, put it one low flame and bring it to a boil.
4) Add the yogurt and mix well. Allow it to cook of low flame.
5) In a small skillet heat 1 tbsp oil and add the cumin seeds.
6) Once they crackle add the tomatoes and saute them a little. Do not overcook them.
7) Mix them in the dal.
8) Garnish it with cilantro and serve hot.
Serve with hot chapatis or rice. Enjoy!!
Methiche Mutke can be a nice tea time snack. Its very easy and quick to make with very few ingredients. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 2 cups methi(Fenugreek) washed and chopped finely
2) 3 cups Coarse Wheat Flour
3) 1 tbspn garlic-green chillies paste
4) 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
5) 1 tbsp sesame seeds
6) Salt to taste
7) 2-3 tbspn Oil
8) 2 tsp water
Method -
1) Mix all the ingredients together and knead them to form a dough with very less water.
2) Apply little oil on your palms and make small mutkes with the dough. Roll a small amount of dough in your palm and then make it flat like a pattice oval shaped. Repeat with the remaining dough.
3) Heat little oil in a pan and shallow them from both the sides.
4) Serve hot.
You can also bake them. The first time I made these, I had baked them in the oven and they were perfect. By shallow frying it, it needs to be cooked a little more from the inside. These were a little half cooked. Also, you need a little more oil than it is needed for baking.
Bake them at around 200 degrees F for about 15 to 20 minutes from both the sides.
I made this as a dessert on Christmas Eve. It tasted great and its so easy to make. It can also be made as a make ahead desert. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 2 cups milk (I used 2% but would work best if use whole milk)
2) 5 tbsp Rose Syrup (Easily available in any Indian stores)
3) 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
4) 1/2 tsp Basil seeds or Tukmaria (Bought from Indian stores)
5) A handful of store bought Falooda Sev
6) a pinch of cardamom powder
7) Sliced pistachios for garnishing
8) Any flavoured icecream - Vanilla, Strawberry, Kesar Pista. I used a Falooda flavoured icecream
Method -
1) Soak the basil seeds in water for about half an hour. The longer the better.
2) Boil around 2 cups of water in a skillet. Add the Falooda sev and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Strain it.
3) Boil 2 cups of milk in a skillet. Once the milk is boiled add the rose syrup, cardamom powder, Falooda sev and sugar. Mix it well and refrigerate for around 3 hours.
4) While serving, add around 1 cup of Icecream in the milk and mix it well. Let it melt. At this time also add the basil seeds.
5) In the serving glass, add 2 scoops of icecream and pour the milk over it filling the glass. Garnish with sliced pistachios.
Dig in it and Enjoy!!
I saw this recipe on an Indian cookery show. I knew spinach with mushrooms is a great combination and decided to give it a try. They were quick and tasted great.
Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup spinach chopped finely
2) 1 cup boiled mushrooms
3) 1 cup wheat flour
4) 1 cup besan.chick pea flour
5) 1 cup peanut powder
6) 1 tspn ginger-garlic-green chillies paste
7) Salt to taste
8) Lemon juice
9) 2 tspn water
10)Oil for frying
11)1 tspn rice flour
12)1 tspn rava/sooji/semolina
Method -
1) Take all the ingredients in a mixing bowl except oil, rava and rice flour and knead them into a dough.
2) Use very little water to mix these as the mushrooms and spinach itself loose some water.
3) Take a small portion of the dough (a size smaller than a golf ball) and make round tikkis. Repeat this with the remaining dough.
4) Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non stick pan.
5) In the meantime mix the rice flour and rava together. Coat the tikkis in this mixture and shallow fry them from both the sides.
6) Garnish it with shredded coconut and cilantro. Serve it eith ketchup or chutney.
Spring Onion Koshimbir sounded quite unusual to me when i first heard it from my mom-in-law. I had never tasted or heard of it before. She made it once when she was here and i fell in love with it. Well, the whole idea behind it is to include lots of salads in your meals everyday. This can be a great option. I loved it. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup spring onions
2) 1 tbspn peanut powder
3) 1/4 tspn mustard seeds
4) 2-3 green chillies slitted and chopped lengthwise
5) a pinch of asafoetida
6) Salt to taste
7) Oil
Method -
1) Wash the spring onions nicely and chop them finely. Include the onions also.
2) Heat 1 tspn oil in a skillet and add the mustard seeds.
3) Once they crackle add asafoetida and green chillies.
4) Once the seasoning is done pour it over the chopped onions.
5) Add peanut powder and salt.
6) Mix well.
Eat Healthy. Be Healthy.
6) Pour a spoonful of batter. Do not cover the pan. After a couple of minutes flip the appes and cook them from the other side. 
7) They are ready. Serve hot with any type of chutney. I served them with tomato chutney. 
They are very easy and quick. If you have guests coming in the evening, you can soak the dals in the morning and grind them when you want to make them. 
