Masale Bhaat and bhopli mirchi chi peeth perun bhaaji/Capsicum with cabbage and shallot fry

 RCI Maharastra, food of maharastra has bought back childhood memories though we spent hardly 2 years of our stay in Pune. I loved the climate the place for its simplicity and homely neighbours. The food loved for hot sabudana vadas, chats bhel puri, various kinds of wadis, polis . I can still remember the unique taste of bhel puri was hot and spicy but the flavors were excellent. The ganesh Utsav is a big bang for the 10 days rejoicing playing music and dance with the local community gathering was loads of fun from installing the madal to decorating, distributing sweets to the last day immersing the Ganesh idol in the near by river .  

Here I tried two simple dishes which were unique in taste. I loved the taste of both the dishes. My pressure pan never gave good result as my baingan were mushy. When I make vangi bhath with Baingan i usally cook rice seperately. Next time i will opt for cooking seperately with my old way . The brinjals i used were thai brinjals which take longer time to cook than the purple ones.

                                                     Masale Bhaat                                                        

All you need:
gherkins - 1 cup
peas - 1 cup
Brinjals - 1 cup
goda masala - 2 tsp ( thanks Tee)

turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
rice - 1.5 cups sokaed for half an hour
curry leaves - 1 sprig
whole garam masala
cinamon sticks - 2
cardamom - 2
cloves - 4
bay leaves - 2

Dry roast
1/2 cup coconut,
dry chillies - 4-5

Method:

• Heat oil in a kadai/pressure pan add whole garam masala fry until masala are plump add curry leaves
• Fry gherkins for a few minutes add peas and brinjals fry for a few minutes
• Add rice and fry for another 2 minutes. Add boiled water 1.5 times rice. Let it boil add the goda masala and roasted masala
• Add sugar and salt simmer until rice is cooked.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and fried cashews

Capsicum Cabbage with shallot fry

 

All you need
1 cup capsicums
1 cup cabbage
1 cup Shallots
1cup chick pea flour / gram flour (besan)
1 tbsp peanuts powdered coarsely
4 tsp chilli powder,
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
salt,
sugar (optional) to taste
cilantro/coriander leaves
1/2 tsp asafoetida
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp oil

Method:

• Wash the peppers,cabagge, shallots. Pat dry with a kitchen towel.
• Chop peppers and cabbage 1/2 inch square pieces.
• Dry roast gram flour until aromatic 
• In a bowl, combine gram flour, chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric, salt and sugar. Do not add water.
• Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida and the remaining turmeric powder.
• Add peppers, capsicums, shallots and fry till they are half tender.
• Add gram flour and mix well until all the pieces are well coated with the flour. Fry for sometime over medium heat.
•  Keep tossing the bhaaji until crisp and golden. Toss in peanut powder and fry for a minute.

Garnish with cilantro/coriander leaves and serve hot with chapati.

The bhajji was delicious, the flavour of gram flour was not strong but was crisp and nice combo to the bhajji.

Recipesource: mumbai-masala.com

These are my contribution for Nupur from OnehotStoves RCI for maharastra  and Sangeeta from Ghar ka khana’s  JFI Brinjal

ಚೌ ಚೌ ಭಾತ್/Chow Chow Bhath

Sorry for a my disappearance for a while i am back, thanks a lot for checking on me . Well what is the name of this dish Chow chow bhath? Are you all wondering what is this or did I make a mistake typing it no no its right here let me come to the recipe later….Now I just want to close my eyes  and remember those wonderfull memories morning call with the melodious Suprabhata and bells ringing from the distant temple at the same time Darshinis in bangalore wake up ah the dangling of the steel plates and cups the aroma of hot coffee, the flavours overflowing from the outlets mainly hot iddlis vada sambhar, the different variety of dosas, chowchow bhath/kara bhath.  ondu coffee haku illi ondu masale illi, iddli vada sambhar I am being nostalgic as writing this with wonderfull snapshots revolving around me.  Coming  to the recipe i just love be it iddili vada or chow chow bhath or masala dosa, only the name sounds very different. This is the plate chow chow bhath served in most of the Bangalore Darshinis with one cup of uppuma/uppittu and another cup of rava kesari bhath. Isn’t it a simple dish with a lovely name……..This is my entry for Nandita from Saffron Trail’s Breakfast series Spice it up WBB#12 hosted by Trupti from The Spice Who Loved Me

Kara bhath/Uppittu(the yellow cup)

Rava/semolina - 1 cup

onions - sliced thinly

tomato - 1

green chillies - 2 slit

ginger - slit thinly 1tsp

curry leaves - 1 sprig

salt and sugar to taste

mustard seeds - 1 tsp

channa dhal/urad dhall - 1tsp

asafoteida - 1/8 tsp

turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

chilli powder (optional)

mixed vegetables cut into small chunks (optional)

Method:

• Dry roast Rava in 1 tsp oil/ghee until light golden color and keep aside.

• In a kadai prepare tempering with channa dhall , mustard, hing , curry leaves.

• Fry chillies, ginger and onions until onions are translucent. fry veges for 2 minutes(optional).

• Add tomatoes and turmeric powder fry until tomato is half cooked.

• Add 1.5 to 2 times water allow it to boil. Add salt and sugar(optional) .

•  Sim the fire now add the fried rava and stir well. Mix and steam until rava gets cooked.

•  Garnish with grated coconut and coriander leaves. 

Rava kesari bhath(the orange cup)

Rava/semolina - 1 cup

ghee - 4 tbsp

sugar - 1 cup ( or less for low sugar)

salt - 1/8 tsp

saffron strands - 10

orange color (optional)

cashews and raisins - 10 fried in ghee

cardamom powder - 1 tsp

water and milk half and half (1.5cups)

Method:

• Fry cashews and rasins and keep aside.

• Take ghee in a pan and roast rava with saffron strands until a nice aroma spreads.

• Add water +milk and salt to cook the rava well. Now Check the rava, it should be cooked very well.

• Once the water is absorbed add sugar and let it boil  until ghee floats on top. If very less ghee is used you cannot see the ghee float.

• mix in cardamom powder and let it cool. Garnish with fried cashews and raisins.

Notes: Add 1 tsp of ghee to flavour the uppuma just before serving. soak channa dhall for 10 mins before using for tempering to get soft dhalls. Add tsp of chilli powder/ pulav masala/Vangi bhath masala for flavoured uppuma. Water measurement varies for different Rava. Normally medium sized semolina takes around 1.5 times water if granules are bigger it takes around 2 times of rava.

Oatmeal Nankatai/Cookies

 Oatmeal has made its way to most of our kitchens with the different health benefits it provides. Though I have been buying oats for long time still I could not possibly make it a very likable to my kids. One way I discovered from Nandita’s post to cook oats the Indian way which worked well and liking possibility changed from 15% to 75% … so this was a good sign. Getting a liking to eat oats is not quite easy as for us as it has a very stale taste and after cooking makes it a little sticky. Few years ago when my hubby asked me to take it to office and use as a health drink I could never get used to the taste of the instant cereals. After travelling overseas a few times I realised everywhere I went I found Oatmeal porridge to be very comfort food and started liking it similar to having rice porridge on the breakfast table. I am still discovering different ways of cooking it to include in our day to day life.  These cookies are one such snack loved by my kids.

Coming to the recipe this is a very simple nankatai which I substituted half oats and whole wheat flour.

All you need:
1/2 cup butter/ghee/magarine
quick cooking oats 1/2 cup
whole wheat flour 1/2 cup
Semolina/suji rava 2 tbsp
sugar powder 1 cup ( used twice than normal)
cardamom powder - 1 tsp
baking powder - 1 tsp
milk few drops to bind
salt to taste

Method: Cream sugar and butter until fluffy. Mix dry ingredients in a seperate bowl. Add dry ingredients to the sugar butter mixture.Combine well until you have a texture to form into lemon sized balls flatten it. If the mixture is too dry add few drops of milk. Do not add too much milk as it will turn to cake texture rather than a nankatai. Bake for 10-15 min at 200 C. The cookies were tasty and crisp outter edges. You can bake for few more minutes for more crisper cookies. You can add choclate chips/raisins/nuts/desicatted coconut to make it more delicious.

ಹೀರೆಕಾಯಿ ಬಜ್ಜಿ/Ridge Gourd Chutney

Past week was a Flu galore at home. One after the other falling sick in a row hope mine is the last attack lucky my daughter has escaped so far. Even with the flu is there a way to get out of cooking or eating no way!. For me whether it is fever flu or cold while hot saaru(rasams) and soups provide me a healing affect but I can never be without eating pachadi/raita/yogurt/gojju. Yeah it is true, until a few years ago I would never touch anything cold during the time of cold like be it yogurt/raitas but now it has changed may be due the weather here in Singapore it makes you eat something cool. This in one such pachadi or you can call it Baji/chutney with slight ting of yogurt goes very well with rice. Sorry buddies my photos are as gloomy as I am, with a little thought whether to post or not finally I agreed with my heart after all this is for my buddies so here it is .

All you need:
4 medium Ridge gourd peeled
onion -1 chopped finely
grated coconut - 4 tbsp
yogurt - 2-3 tbsp
salt and jaggery for taste
green chillies - 2 - 3
methi/fenugreek seeds - 1/8 tsp
Hing - 1/8 tsp
oil to fry - few drops just enough to fry
raw Jeera seeds - 1 tsp

Method: Cut and boil ridge gourd with salt and water. While boiling fry in oil roughly cut chillies, hing and methi seeds. Grind the masala with coconut and jeera seeds. Make sure you do not use additional water while grinding use the water that is left in the boiling of the gourds. Once the coconut is in paste form add the boiled ridge gourd pieces corsely just one blend for 2 secs. Carefull while grinding as it may splash in case the gourds are not cooled enough. Now add onions, salt, jaggery and yogurt for enough sourness as required. Serve with rice.

Note: Make use of very tender Ridge gourds. The texture of this chutney is semi course not very watery nor very thick. You can add more yogurt to make raita. The sweetness of the ridge gourd with flavour of raw jeera and chillies makes it very unique.