Baked Karanji, a healthier take on deep fried heaven!

'Karanji' is a traditional Maharashtrian sweet prepared during the festival of Diwali. This dessert has soft sweet coconut warmly wrapped with crunchy pastry.

There are two reasons why Baked 'karanji' are a blessing during Diwali. Firstly, they are a lot healthier than the traditional fried version and secondly they save a lot of time. You don't have to fry them one or two at a time, all of them get baked together! With so much to do during Diwali, a healthier sweet which saves time is always a win-win.

Similar versions of the 'Karanji' called 'Gujiya','Ghugra', 'Kajjikayalu', 'Karchikkai' and many more are prepared all over India. The fillings keep changing with changing regions, but the basic concept remains the same.
Today's recipe is a healthier take on the Maharashtrian version of the 'Karanji'. You can use my recipe or your family's recipe for the filling. But I have narrowed down on the outer cover recipe after trying a couple of online recipes last Diwali. So just go with it! Also, if you have a better version with you, please feel free to share it with all of us.

Before we start, I should mention that Baking the 'karanjis' does not make this dessert calorie free, so maintain caution while indulging in this addictive dessert!

Level: Medium
Serves: 15 - 16 medium sized karanjis
Source: Madhura and Sudha Kulkarni's Microwave cookery guide

Ingredients:
For Cover:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tblsp tuup/clarified butter
2 tsp cornflour
Pinch of salt
Cold milk for kneading, as required

For Filling:
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 tsp semolina, any variety
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
Nuts and raisins, optional

Method:
Cover:
Step 1 - In a bowl, mix together the cornflour, tuup and salt till it forms a smooth creamy paste. Do not rush here. Do this for at least a couple of minutes.

Step 2 - Add the all purpose flour and mix well with your fingers, till it resembles bread crumbs.

Step 3 - Add cold milk a couple of tablespoons at a time and knead it to form a dough. The dough should be a little stiffer than your regular chapati dough. But don't lose your head over the consistency here. Just make sure it isin't too soft. Keep covered for 15 mins.

Filling:
Step 1 - Dry roast the poppy seeds, till they slightly change color. Keep aside to cool.

Step 2 - In the same pan, dry roast the semolina till it slightly changes color. Keep aside to cool.

Step 3 - In a large bowl, mix together the coconut, powdered sugar, cardamom powder, nuts and raisins if you are using and the cooled roasted poppy seeds and semolina.

Assembly:
Step 1- Divide the dough into 1/2 inch round balls. Roll out the dough balls into thin discs. Use some dry all purpose flour, if the dough is sticking to the rolling board.

Step 2 - Place a tablespoon of the filling in the center of the rolled out disc. Apply milk on half of the border. This will act as a glu to hold the shape in place. Carefully flip one end of the disc onto the other to form a half moon shape. Press the joint well. Cut off the corners with a Karanji cutter or a pizza cutter for a perfect finish.

Step 3 - Place the prepared 'karanjis' on a foil lined baking tray and place it in the refrigerator for 30 mins.

Step 4 - Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Bake the 'karanjis' for 7 - 8 mins or till they are golden brown. Keep a watchful eye here as every oven works differently and you do not want to end up with burnt karanjis.

We are done!

Hope you enjoy these 'karanjis' as much as we do!

Happy Diwali Everyone!

Bhajaniche Thalipeeth (Multigrain Flatbread)

'Thalipeeth' is a spicy, flavorful multigrain flatbread very popular in Maharashtra. Usually accompanied with a huge dollop of 'loni' or yogurt, I am yet to come across anyone who doesn't fall in love with this dish.

Every family has it's own secret recipe for the Bhajani (spiced multigrain flour) which is used to make these flatbreads. A combination of spices, lentils and grains are first roasted on low heat and then ground to a fine powder. This flour is then kneaded along with onions, green chillies and some more spices to form 'Thalipeeth'.

The main thing to remember before you make 'thalipeeth' is that, due to the lack of gluten in the dough, you will have to pat the dough into shape with your fingers as you will not be able to roll it out into discs. This will be a little more time consuming than your regular roti making, but it is going to be so sooo worth it. Trust me on this one!

I usually use the 'K-Pra' or 'Bedekar' thalipeeth flour which we get very easily in the Indian grocery stores around the place we stay. But if you don't find one around your home, do email me and I will be more than happy to share my familiy's thalipeeth bhajani recipe with you.

So let us get started..

Level: Medium
Serves: 8 - 10 medium thalipeeth
Source: Aai (Vandana Thakur)

Ingredients:
2 cups thalipeeth bhajani (any kind. I used 'K-Pra')
2 tsp oil
Water for kneading, as required
1 tsp yogurt
1/2 tsp goda masala (optional)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 stalks of spring onion greens, finely chopped
2 - 3 green chillies, finely chopped
1/2 cup coriander leaves, finely chopped
Salt to taste (I din't use any as my Thalipeeth bhajani had salt added in it)
Aluminium foil/Parchment paper
Oil for pan frying

Method:
Step 1 - Place the thalipeeth bhajani in a large plate or pot. Add 2 tsp oil and mix well. Add the yogurt, goda masala (if using), onions, spring onion greens, green chillies and coriander leaves. If your bhajani does not have salt added to it, do add some at this point. Mix well using your hands or a spoon.

Step 2 - Knead the flour into a soft dough with water. Use water sparingly. The dough is not going to be elastic like your regular chapati dough. Due to this, it may not form into a ball. To check if your dough is ready, gather a large lump of dough in your palms and press it lightly. If it holds shape, you are done.

Step 3 - Place a parchment paper or an aluminium foil over your rolling board. Pour a few drops of oil onto the sheet and spread it around. This will ensure that the thalipeeth does not stick. At the same time, start heating a pan on medium heat to roast the thalipeeth.

Step 4 - Grease your hand with a little oil. Take a fairly large sized dough (around 3 tbslp) and roll it into a smooth ball in your palms. Place the ball onto your well greased rolling board. Grease your fingers with a little oil and start lightly pressing the dough into a disc. This will be really easy as the dough would be very soft. You might notice that the corners keep cracking. Don't fuss over it. The dough is very forgiving. Just patch the cracks into place. If you think your hands have started sticking to the dough, grease it again with some more oil. Try your best to flatten the thalipeeth evenly. Flatter the disc, crispier the thalipeeth. Once done, form a small hole in the center of your thalipeeth.

Step 5 - Lightly pick up the parchment paper or foil you are using and carefully flip the flatbread onto your palm. Slowly place the thalipeeth from your palm onto the hot pan. Pour a tsp of oil around the corners of the thalipeeth. Pour some oil into the hole created in the center. This will help cook and crisp the thalipeeth well. If you want your thalipeeth very crisp, you can poke 2 - 3 holes around the thalipeeth and pour oil in all the holes.

Step 6 - Once the sides of the thalipeeth turn deep brown, pour a tsp of oil over the thalipeeth and slowly flip it to let the other side cook well. Cook till both the sides, turn to a deep brown color. Do not keep flipping the thalipeeth around too many times. You could end up breaking it in the process.

Serve hot with some 'Loni' or some yogurt. Being a garlic lover, I prefer eating my thalipeeth with some spicy garlic chutney.
You can indulge in these for breakfast or as a meal. If you are in a fancy mood like I was when I made these, you can cut them into quarters using a sharp pizza cutter and serve them to your guests as appetizers!

Enjoy!

Tips:
Once you buy your thalipeeth bhajani, do read the ingredient list on your box. Some flours have salt and red chilly powder added before hand. This should help you make proper decisions regarding adding spices and green chillies.

Do grease your parchment paper/aluminium foil well before you start pressing the dough into shape. It has to come off it when you are done.

If you have fresh homemade flour, you can dip your hands in water and flatten the dough into discs, but I have not had a great experience with store bought flours and water. Due to this, I grease my hands with oil to flatten the dough into shape.
You should try using water on your first thalipeeth and check if it works for you.

Bharli Keli for Gokulashtami (Stuffed Bananas)

'Gokulashtami' or 'Krishna Janmashtami' is an annual commemoration of the birth of the Hindu deity Krishna - the eight avatar of Lord Vishnu.

Hindus celebrate this festival by fasting and staying up until midnight, the time when Krishna is believed to have been born. Images of Krishna's infancy are placed in swings and cradles in temples and homes. At midnight, devotees gather around for devotional songs, dance and exchange gifts. Some temples also conduct reading of the Hindu religious scripture - 'Bhagavad Gita'.

The legend behind Krishna's birth: Mathura (present day Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh) was the capital of the 'Yadavas', to which Krishna's parents Vasudev and Devaki belonged. King Kansa (Devaki's brother) had ascended the throne by imprisoning his father. Afraid of the prophecy that predicted his death at the hands of Devaki's eight son; Kansa had the couple locked into a prison cell. After Kansa killed the first six children, and Devaki's apparent miscarriage of the seventh, Krishna was born. 

Since Vasudev knew Krishna's life was in danger, he was secretly taken out of the prison cell to be raised by his foster parents -Yasoda and Nanda in Gokul (also in present day Mathura district).

'Gokulashtami' is celebrated all over India and every place has it's own unique way of celebration. Let me share with you how it is celebrated in Maharashtra. 

Popularly known as 'Dahi Handi', this festival is celebrated with enormous zeal and enthusiasm. The 'handi' or clay pot filled with buttermilk is positioned at a convenient height prior to the event. A human pyramid is formed and the topmost person tries to break the 'handi' by hitting it with a blunt object (mostly coconut). When that happens, the buttermilk is spilled over the entire group, symbolizing their achievement through unity. 

Moving on to star of this post. The delicacy prepared at my husband's place on this day is 'Bharli Keli' or Stuffed Bananas. My FIL celebrates his birthday on 'Gokulashtami' and this is his favorite dessert. So it is a birthday tradition to prepare this dish for him. And as it is his 60th birthday this year, I shall be making this dish at my home too, to make us feel a part of the celebration with him. 

Particular type of bananas known as 'Rajali Keli' are used for this recipe. They are found only for a month or so in India. I am not going to find these where I stay, so I use regular bananas and it works quite well.

Wish we were together today. Happy 60th Birthday Pappa! 

This one is only for you.

Level: Medium

Serves: 3 - 4 people (1/2 banana per person)

Source: Nita Pradhan (MIL)

Ingredients:
3 firm bananas (pref. Rajali Keli, I used regular variety)
1/4 tsp ghee
4 tblsp fresh grated coconut (I used frozen)
2 tblsp jaggery, grated
2 pinch cardamom powder
1 pinch nutmeg powder (optional)
1/2 cup coconut milk (I used Maggi coconut powder)

Method:
Step 1 - Let us get our filling ready. Heat 1/4 tsp ghee in a pot. When it melts, add the coconut and jaggery and saute it till the jaggery melts. Turn off heat immediately and transfer the contents into a bowl to cool down. Add the cardamom powder and nutmeg powder when the mixture warms down. Mix well with a spoon. Keep aside.

Step 2 - While the coconut jaggery mixture cools down, let us prep our bananas. Peel off the outer cover and carve out the banana carefully in the middle to make it resemble a boat as shown below. Make sure you handle the bananas as delicately as possible. Even a little bit of pressure could break it. Also, we need a cavity to hold our filling. Do not dig too deep.

Step 3 - Stuff all the bananas with the cooled coconut jaggery mixture from Step 1.

Step 4 - Heat a flat pan on low heat. Carefully place the stuffed bananas one beside the other. Spoon out the leftover filling around the bananas in the pan. Carefully pour in the coconut milk. Do not pour it on the bananas. The filling will fall out. Cover and let it cook for 2 minutes on each side till the banana is cooked through and it turns slightly brown.
 - Carefully flip the bananas. Using 2 spoons to flip each banana works best for me.
If you get hold of 'Rajali Keli', you will have to cook each side for 5 - 10 mins as this variety of bananas are firmer in texture and thus hold shape beautifully for this dish.

Serve hot or cold. It tastes delicious either way!
If only this dish looked as good as it tastes!
The nuts and saffron are only for decoration. They are not usually added in the dessert. 

Veg. Frankie

A sizzling, spicy, tangy, cheesy wrap. 'Frankie' is a well loved roadside snack!
If you have grown up in Mumbai, a 'Tibbs Frankie' stall would get back fond memories with friends. The enticing aroma around this food stall just commands your brain to walk towards it. Biting into a HOT frankie and cursing yourself for not having the patience to let it cool down a little, sure has happened more than a few times to most of us!

Did you know frankie has an interesting history? Well, I sure din't. And guess what...it is quite a story. In the year 1967, Mr. Amarjit Tibb on returning back from England has a stopover in Beirut. Here he tried the Pita Bread wrap and this fascinated him. Upon his return, he kept innovating this dish to suit an Indian palette. After a years worth of research along with his wife they hit upon the perfect concoction. Once the Indianised wrap was a hit with his family and friends, they introduced it to the Mumbai markets. The rest is history.

Today I am sharing a Potato filled frankie recipe with you. The most popular pick for vegetarians. My husband thinks it tastes quite similar to the one you get on Mumbai streets but with less grease and ignoring the sorrow on his face while mentioning less grease, I take that as a compliment.
As far as I am concerned, I cannot make myself choose a potato frankie when chicken/mutton frankie is listed just below it! So even though I enjoyed this frankie a lot I can never be absolutely sure if it tastes like the ones you get on Mumbai streets. Nevertheless, I can guarantee this would make a great wrap!

Level: Medium
Serves: 4 people
(Makes 5 - 6 medium sized wraps)

Ingredients:
Cover:
Ready to cook flour tortillas/rotis (or any flat bread)
1/4 tsp butter per bread

Potato Filling:
4 medium potatoes
1/4 tsp turmeric
1.5 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 green chillies, finely chopped
2.5 tblsp frankie masala/kathi roll masala
2 tsp dry mango powder (amchur)
1 tsp chaat masala
Few sprigs of coriander
3 tsp cornflour or as needed
Salt to taste
Oil for pan frying

Onion Mixture:
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3/4 tsp red chilly powder
1/2 tsp chaat masala
Pinch of salt

Tangy Sauce:
1.5 tsp dry mango powder (amchur)
1/2 tsp red chilly powder
1/2 tsp garam masala (any mixed spice)
1/4 tsp chaat masala
Salt to taste
1/2 cup water or as required

Chilli Vinegar:
2 chillies, finely chopped
3 tblsp vinegar

Cheese (optional)

Method:
Step 1 - Let us get our chilli vinegar ready. Quite self explanatory. Mix chopped chillies and vinegar together. Keep aside.

Step 2 - Let us get our Tangy sauce ready. Mix all the spice powders mentioned under the tangy sauce tab in the ingredients above with water. Beat well till the mixture is lump free. Add water till the consistency is very liquidy. Keep aside. Over time, this paste will keep thickening. So remember to adjust the consistency with water right before you use it. A thick paste can be too overpowering.

Step 3 - Moving on to the onion mixture. In a bowl, mix the onions, red chilly powder, chaat masala and salt well. Once well coated, keep aside. Add very little salt here. Remember the chaat masala already has salt in it.

Step 4 - Getting to the star of the show - our potato filing. In a large bowl, mash the potatoes well. Add the turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, green chillies, coriander, frankie masala, dry mango powder, chaat masala and salt. Knead well and adjust the taste to your preference. If the potato mixture is too pasty, add cornflour till it is possible to form shapes with the filing. Oil your palms and shape the potato into elongated patties.

Step 5 - Pour a few tblsp of oil in a flat pan. When it heats up, place the patties on the pan and fry them till the bottoms turn brown. Pour a few drops of oil on the top and gently flip the patties. Fry the other side till it browns. Do not over handle the patties. This will ensure even browning and less breakage. Once done, drain them onto a paper towel.

Step 6 - Let us assemble the frankie now. Keep the flame on medium to low heat for the entire process. Get all our ready ingredients closer to your pan.

1) In a flat pan, heat a 1/4 tsp of butter (or more) and place your uncooked roti on it. Once you notice light brown spots on the bottom, flip the roti.

2) Without wasting time, place your potato patty in the center of your roti.

3) Add some of your onion mixture all over the patty.

4) Pour some tangy sauce over the onions.

5) Pour a little chilli vinegar over the sauce. Make sure you drop a few chillies on it for that extra kick.

6) Sprinkle some grated cheese over it.

Roll it up and pierce a toothpick to keep the wrap in place, if it doesn't behave!

Indulge immediately. It does get soggy if you let it sit for too long.

Hope you enjoy this one!

Tips:
You can get Frankie masala in your Indian store. If this is missing, Kathi Roll masala works well.

You can make your own bread at home, but readymade works best for me. Rolling a highly elastic all purpose flour dough makes me an unhappy cook!

You can saute the onions a little while making your onion mixture, but we like the sharpness of a raw onion when we bite into a soft potato filled wrap. So we leave it as it is.

Source: History of frankie - Click here!

Street Style Maggi Noodles!

Our 'Bakasoor Kitchen' is celebrating 100,000 page views! Yay!

Let me take a moment and thank all my readers for taking time out to read my ramblings. Your emails and comments make me feel really special. This little hobby of mine, which started off as a means to stay sane while going through a tough time in my life, has given me so much more than what I hoped for. Oh I could go on and on... but let us cut the drama and put on our aprons, as that is what this blog is all about. 

Snapping back into the food world, does watching rain make you hungry? I sure crave something warm and soupy on rainy days. I always want to head back home, drag my chair to a large window, wrap myself in a large blanket and slurp on some warm comfort food. There is something really peaceful, cleansing and comforting in watching and hearing heavy rainfall. No. 1 reason of getting home sick in June. Well my folks are reading my blog these days so let's make it No. 2 reason for getting home sick...
California rains suck! They are over even before you notice that it was raining. So a quick rain, calls for a super quick comfort snack and maggi noodles has quick and comfort written all over it. So let us jazz up these noodles a little and rush to watch the rainfall.

Level: Easy
Serves: 2 people (1 noodle cake per person)

Ingredients:
2 packets maggi (I use masala flavor)
3 cups water
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 small tomato, roughly chopped
2 tblsp green peas
3/4 tsp red chilly powder/2 green chillies
1/8 tsp salt or to taste
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garam masala (any mixed spice will work) - optional
1/2 tsp chaat masala
1 tblsp coriander leaves, roughly chopped
2 tsp oil

Method:
Step 1 - Microwave cook the green peas in a small bowl with 1 tblsp water for 2 mins or till the peas are cooked. Keep aside.

Step 2 - Heat oil in a small pan. When the oil heats up add the onions and saute till they turn transparent. This should take just 2 mins.

Step 3 - Add the tomatoes, red chilly powder/green chillies, salt, pepper and garam masala. Mix well and cook till the tomatoes soften up. Turn off the heat. Add coriander leaves, mix well and keep aside.

Step 4 - In another pot, heat 3 cups of water and add in the maggi tastemaker sachets that come along with the maggi cakes. Once the water boils, add in the noodles and cook till they are done and the water is soaked up. Do not dry out the maggi too much.

Step 5 - Mix the peas from step 1 and the onion-tomato mixture from Step 3 into the cooked noodles. Sprinkle chaat masala over it and serve immediately.

Maggi is best enjoyed hot or warm. It gets too glu-like once you let it sit. So cook only when you are ready to eat.

Enjoy and thank you all once again for all your support. 

Oatmeal Cookies

If you are one who stares at the jar of oatmeal, wondering how to make yourself like it, you are in for a treat. This is by far the most convenient and tasty way of introducing oats in your diet.
These cookies are crisp and soft and nutty and crunchy all at the same time. A flavor explosion in your mouth! The huge amount of oats in each cookie, makes it a great grab and go breakfast or snack bar. Perfect for those busy mornings or when you are stuck in traffic with a growling tummy dying to get home to food!

You can load these cookies with your favorite ingredients. If you plan to eat these for breakfast or as a healthy snack, add your favorite nuts and dry fruits. If you plan to replace your dessert cravings with these, throw in some chocolate chips along with the nuts...just let your imagination go wild!

An important detail to remember - You need to use Old Fashioned Oats/ Rolled Oats for this recipe and not the instant variety. Although they are quite interchangeable, you will need the thickness of the rolled oats to get the perfect texture in this recipe.

Getting back to the recipe...

Serves: 24 medium-large size cookies
Level: Easy
Source: JoyOfBaking

Ingredients:
3 cups old fashioned oats
3/4 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup nuts (I used pecans)
1/2 cup dry fruit (I used raisins)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used bittersweet and white mixed together)

Method:
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 350 deg F (177 deg C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Step 2 - Mix together the plain flour, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon until they are well combined. Keep aside.

Step 3 - In a bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar until creamy and smooth. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat well to combine.

Step 4 - Combine the flour mixture from Step 2 into the butter mixture from Step 3. Beat well till combined.

Step 5 - Stir in the nuts, oats, dry fruits and chocolate chips. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to combine all the ingredients well.

Step 6 - With a large spoon, plop fairly large blobs of batter (1/4 cup each) onto your lined baking sheet. Space the cookies about 2 inches from each other, giving them room to expand while baking. Then wet your fingers with water and roughly shape the cookies into rounds that are 1/2 an inch thick. Bake for 18 - 20 mins or until golden around the edges. Once done, transfer them to a cooling rack and let them cool completely, before transferring them to an air tight container.

Sit back with a glass of milk or some coffee and indulge!
Perfect!

Tips:
We need 2 cups of your favorite addition in this recipe. You can use all nuts or all raisins or all chocolate chips or any other ingredient for that matter. Just make your favorite combinations to enjoy these cookies.

You can use salted butter for this recipe. Just skip the additional salt.

Baking time could vary depending on the oven sizes. So do keep an eye on these.

The original recipe calls for baking for 12 - 15 mins. But I prefer my cookie bottoms a little brown and crisp. Hence the 18 - 20 min baking time.

Kheema Pattice (Turkey Patty)

These melt in the mouth pattice are everybody's favorite. Originally these pattice are made with minced goat meat at our home. As goat meat is not readily available around where I live, I have replaced it with minced turkey meat. Turkey being a healthier option than goat meat, is an added bonus.

These kheema pattice are my mother in law's specialty.  I still remember the first time she made them for me. I was in meat heaven! So moist and juicy and flavorful..I just could not have enough. Even today, inspite of learning how to make these, my MIL always makes these for me when either of us visit each other.

Just wanted to let you know a few tricks involved in making the perfect pattice, before we head to the recipe. The thumb rule to moist and juicy pattice is minimum handling. When we are mixing everything together you cannot knead the mixture like you do with your bread dough. The mixture needs to be handled with total baby love! Over handling the mixture leads to tough pattice.
Secondly, you can replace the turkey meat with any other minced meat except chicken. Using chicken compromises too much on the taste. This of course, is my personal opinion. I know people who enjoy chicken pattice made this way. I just fail to get along with these people. Don't be one of those. :)

I usually prefer rolling the pattice in bread crumbs before shallow frying them in oil. But traditionally fine semolina was used. So you can try both the options and decide what you enjoy more.

Now let us get to the recipe.

Level: Medium
Serves: 15 - 18 medium sized pattice
Source: MIL (Nita Pradhan)

Ingredients:
1 lb minced meat (I use turkey meat)

Marination:
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp red chilly powder
1.5 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp garam masala (any kind)
Salt to taste

Pattice ingredients:
4 tsp oil
1/2 inch cinnamon stick
2 cloves
2 pinches asafoetida
1/2 cup chopped onions
3 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed
1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
3 slices sandwich bread (white or wheat)
Salt to taste

For rolling:
1 egg, lightly beaten
Breadcrumbs/semolina for coating

Method:
Step 1 - Place the minced meat in a large bowl. Add the turmeric powder, red chilly powder, ginger garlic paste, garam masala and salt from the marination list. Lightly mix all the ingredients till the minced meat is coated well. Refrigerate for minimum 30 mins to an hour. Do not over knead here. Over kneading makes though pattice.

Step 2 - In a pressure pan, heat 2 tsp oil. Add the cinnamon sticks, cloves and asafoetida. Immediately add the onions and stir fry till they turn light brown.

Step 3 - Add the marinated minced meat from Step 1. Saute till the minced meat loses it's pink raw color and turns whitish. Add water till the meat is just under water and pressure cook for 2 whistles or till your meat is thoroughly cooked.

Step 4 - Once the pressure pan opens on it's own without any resistance, you might find the mixture a little watery. Cook the meat mixture again on high flame till it is absolutely dry. Adjust salt once the mixture dries up. Leave aside to cool down.

Step 5 - While the meat mixture cools down, take 3/4 cup of water. Add in 1/4 tsp of salt and mix well till it completely dissolves in the water. Soak each bread slice in this water for just a couple of seconds, take them out and squeeze out the excess water. Place the wet squeezed bread into a large bowl. This along with the potatoes will help in binding our pattice together.

Step 6 - In the same large bowl, place the mashed potatoes, 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste and cooled meat mixture from Step 4. Mix very lightly till the mixture is well combined. Taste the mixture and adjust the salt to your liking. Again, do not over handle the batter.

Step 7 - Take a tablespoon of batter in between your palms and roll the mixture lightly into any shape that you desire.

Step 8 - Let us get to the frying now. Beat the egg lightly in a bowl. Keep aside. Take a flat plate and spread out some breadcrumbs for coating.

Step 9 - Place a frying pan on heat and pour enough oil to shallow fry these beauties. The pattice should not drown in the oil, just the bases should be in contact with oil. We are not deep frying here. How do you know the oil is ready? Just drop in a few breadcrumbs in the hot oil. If they sizzle, you are ready.

Step 10 - Take each piece of pattice, first dip them in the beaten egg from both sides. Pick them up and place them in the bread crumbs. Roll these pattice well in the crumbs and place them lightly in the hot oil. Fry for just a couple of  minutes on each side as we have to just brown the breadcrumbs. We do not need to cook the pattice again. And we are done.

Serve hot with some ketchup or chilly sauce. Sit back with a glass of wine in one hand, a pattice in another and welcome yourself into my MEAT HEAVEN!

Tips:
You can roll these pattice and keep them in the refrigerator for a day or two. On  the day you plan to indulge, just fry and serve.

You can also freeze the rolled pattice and store them in the freezer for almost 2 to 3 weeks. Just thaw and fry when you need them.

Going Green with Palak Sev (Spinach Sev)

Once you realize how easy it is to make Sev, you are bound to go crazy! This year we decided to try out Spinach Sev for Diwali. Initially, I was a little worried that the dough would not retain it's lush green color post frying. But they did retain their color and how! 

I needed these sev to be spicy as they had to perfectly compliment the sweet ladoos that are made for Diwali. So I added some ginger and green chillies to the batter too. All in all, these turned out very interesting. 

Your chakli press has 2 discs for making sev. Thicker sev and thinner sev, as shown below. Just remember that if you are using the thinner sev disc, try and avoid whole spices as it is difficult to press the sev out of the chakli press and the spices get clogged inside the contraption.

Now let's get started.

Level: Easy
Serves: 8 - 10 people

Ingredients:
2 cups chickpea flour
10 tblsp rice flour
2 cups packed palak/spinach
2 inch ginger, finely chopped
8 green chillies, finely chopped
5 tblsp cilantro, roughly chopped
1.5 tsp turmeric powder
1 tblsp red chilly powder
1 tsp black pepper powder
1 tblsp carom seeds/ajwain, coarsely crushed
1 tblsp cumin seeds/jeera, coarsely crushed
1/4 tsp asafoetida
Salt to taste (I used 2 tsp)
2 tsp clarified butter (ghee) / oil (I used oil)
Warm Water as required
Oil for deep frying
Thin sev disc

Method:
Step 1 - Heat 5 to 6 cups of water. When it comes to a boil, dunk in the the spinach and boil it for 1 min. Take them out and immediately wash it with cold water. This process retains the green color of spinach.

Step 2 - In a mixer bowl, blend the spinach, ginger, green chillies and cilantro to a fine paste. Strain this mixture and keep aside.

Step 3 - Take a flat large pan and fill it with an inch of oil. Start heating it on medium high heat.

Step 4 - In a large bowl, measure out the chickpea flour, rice flour, red chilly powder, black pepper powder, crushed carom seeds, crushed cumin seeds, asafoetida and salt. Mix it with a spoon or with your hand till everything is incorporated well.

Step 5 - Add in the clarified butter or oil and mix the ingredients well. It should have a crumbly texture, which indicates that you have mixed all ingredients well with the grease. 

Step 6 - Now slowly add in the spinach puree from Step 2 and start kneading it into a dough, similar to a chapati dough. Use a little warm water if you have to. The final dough should be of a soft texture. Check for salt. If you need to add more salt, don't just sprinkle it into the dough. Mix the salt in a tsp of water, heat the water in the microwave for a few seconds. Mix till the salt dissolves well. Add to the dough and knead well again.

Step 7- Spray the interiors and the rod of the chakli press with some oil spray or just smear some oil with your hand to make sure the dough comes out well and does not stick to the surface.

Step 8 - Divide the dough into 2 parts, mould it into a cylindrical shape and push the dough into the chakli press. Close the contraption in place. The remaining dough needs to be oiled and covered well. We dont want the dough to form scales on the top while it rests.

Step 9 - Let us check the oil now. By now it should be perfectly hot. Take out a pinch of dough from our resting dough and add it to the oil. It should immediately come up and start sizzling. This indicates the oil is ready. Now take the chakli press and start rotating the rod till it starts squeezing the dough out. Holding the press above the hot oil, quickly squeeze out the dough. Keep moving your hand around so the pan is full of sev.

Step 10 - Let the sev fry for 5 - 10 seconds. With the help of tongs, turn the sev over carefully. Fry for another 10 - 12 seconds. Remove off the pan and place on a tissue lined tray. Start next batch. Make sure you do not brown the sev too much.

Step 11 - When the sev has cooled down, just slightly crush them down with the palms of your hand on the tray, so they break down. You can crush them as small or as long as you like them. Store them in an air tight container and gobble away.

Hope you enjoy munching on these.

For more Diwali recipes, don't forget to check out the Diwali Faraal tab on your right.

Tips:
Make sure you are careful when you push down the sev into the hot oil. You dont want the chakli press to fall into the hot oil and splash oil all over you. To avoid this, before you start frying, make sure your hands or the chakli press is not oily.

Use a flat pan to fry these, so you can fry a large batch at one time.

When the dough touches the oil, there will be a lot of bubbles. Slowly the bubbles will start disappearing. This is the indication of the sev being cooked. Don't wait too long for the sev to change color here. They might end up burning.

When I was frying the sev, I did not pile them a lot as my pan was very flat. Due to this my cooking time was just a few seconds. If you have a deeper pan, and can pile your sev together into a heap, don't forget to  increase your frying time.

Rava Besan Ladoo

Ladoos (Sweet Indian Rounds) are an integral part of Diwali celebrations at Indian homes. Though Indian cuisine boasts of making ladoos out of a variety of ingredients, Diwali celebrations mostly involve Besan Ladoos (chickpea flour ladoos), Rava Ladoos (semolina ladoos) or a combination of both these ingredients Rava Besan Ladoos (chickpea flour and semolina ladoos).

My personal favorite ladoos are Rava Besan Ladoos. I think they just have the perfect texture which takes me to 'Ladoo heaven'! Not too soft like Besan Ladoos and not too gritty like Rava Ladoos. Now that does not mean I am not a fan of the other ladoos. I just have a soft corner for these cuties. 

Everyone at our home likes simple ladoos. No fancy nuts or raisins in them. Maybe because that is how we remember eating them as kids when our ajjis made them. But you are free to add cashewnuts, almonds and raisins to this recipe. Just remember to toast the nuts well before adding them.

Now let us get to making these ladoos.

Serves: 20 medium ladoos

Level: Medium 

Ingredients:

2 cups semolina/rava (fine)

1 cup chickpea flour/besan

6 tblsp ghee

2 cups + 2 tblsp sugar

1 cup water

3/4 tsp cardamom powder

2 pinch saffron strands

pinch of salt

Method:

Step 1 - In a heavy bottom pan, roast the semolina well on medium heat stirring continuously. Roast till it smells awesome and turns brownish. Keep aside to cool.

Step 2 - In the same pan, heat the ghee and roast the chickpea flour on medium heat till it turns golden brown in color. This mixture will not be dry like the semolina. It will form a paste. Take the pan off heat. Add the roasted semolina from Step 1 and mix well. Keep aside till we work with our sugar syrup.

Step 3 - In another pot, add the sugar and water. Start boiling on medium heat. Initially the syrup will foam up a lot. Keep boiling it for 5 mins. Till then you should see clear liquid bubbling. After 5 mins of rapid boiling, start testing the syrup. Dip a steel spoon into the syrup and stir it around well. Take out the spoon and swipe your index finger on the back of your spoon to test the syrup. Now touch your thumb to your index finger and gently pull the two fingers a little apart. A single thread should form in between these fingers. Keep joining and releasing these 2 fingers a couple of times rapidly. If you see a single thread form each time, you are done. Usually this should be achieved in 2 to 3 mins from your first boil.

Step 4 - Pour this sugar syrup into the dry mixture from Step 2. Mix well with a spoon. Make sure there are no lumps. Cover it and let this mixture rest till it cools down, absorbs all the syrup and thickens enough to form a ball. 

If you make this on a warm day, the mixture could take 4 to 5 hours to cool down and thicken up. On the other hand, if you make this on a cold day it could take just 30 mins. So do keep an eye on it. Once you realize that you are able to press the mixture together, you are good to go.

Step 5 - When the mixture is still a little warm, add a pinch of salt, the cardamom powder and the saffron strands. Mix well. Let the mixture cool completely.

Step 6 - Take a heaped tblsp of mixture into your hand and just press it together till it holds shape. Once you have the mixture clumped up well, roll them in the center of both your palms till it forms a smooth ball. Do not apply pressure while rolling as this might break the ladoos. Also, when you start rolling you might realize that the mixture is not looking as smooth as a ladoo. Do not worry. Keep rolling it into a round shape with minimum pressure. The heat in your palms will mold it into a smooth ball. 

If you are uncomfortable while rolling the mixture as it sticks a lot to your hand, you can apply some ghee on your palms before you start rolling.

We are done! Enjoy these any time of the day!

Hope you enjoy these ladoos as much as we do.

Tips:

Even though it is true that the sugar syrup consistency is key to making ladoos, do not let that scare you. Try to get the one string consistency as correct as you can. This does take time. 

Just remember that if you under cook the syrup, all that will happen is your ladoos will be soft and will not hold shape. They are not going to taste bad.  And if you notice that you have boiled the sugar a little too long and now see 2 strings instead of 1 between your thumb and index finger, you have gone a little too far and you might not be able to roll out the ladoos well. When this happens, just put the ready warm mixture into a greased plate, cut them into squares or diamonds before they completely cool off and make Rava Besan Wadi (Bars) instead of round ladoos. 

The sugar testing process has to be done by testing the syrup when it is hot. When you touch your steel spoon to test the syrup, do not try to take a lot of it on your finger. Do understand that it is boiling sugar that you are handling. Also, just a tiny amount is necessary to test the consistency. When I was new to making ladoos (I am fairly new even now), I was paranoid about touching the syrup. So I always kept a bowl of cold water right next to me in case I burn myself. It is only after a few tries that you realize that such small quantities don't really burn you.

If you want to add nuts to this recipe, toast them well and add them at step 2 when you mix the roasted semolina and chickpea flour.

If you want to add raisins, add them when you start molding the ladoos in Step 6. You need not fry or roast these.

Quick Poha Chivda (Flattened Rice Snack)

With Diwali around the corner, the "faraal" (festive snacks) making has started at my home. The easiest and  most common snack prepared is "Poha Chivda". The recipe which I am sharing with you is a regular at Maharashtrian homes during Diwali.

Before we get to the recipe, I would like to mention that a lot of tips have been provided below the recipe to change the flavoring of the chivda to your liking. Do go through them to tweak the chivda as per your preference.

Let me also go through certain important tips before we start cooking:
When it comes to flattened rice, your supermarket may carry 3 different varieties: Thick Poha, Thin Poha and Nylon Poha. For this chivda recipe I would recommend the thin variety of poha.

I generally make my chivda with less oil. My measure is :
4 cups of flattened rice needs 2 tblsp oil. 

The most common problem new cooks face while making chivda is guessing the salt content. Though this is a personal preference for everyone, I have a fixed measure for that too.
4 cups of flattened rice needs 3/4 tsp ground salt. 
Do keep in mind that this is our personal preference. You can work around this figure to get your flavors right where you want.
You noticed I mentioned 'Ground' salt? It is nothing fancy! I just put some salt in a mortal pestle and grind it till it is powdered down well. This prevents the salt from settling to the bottom of your pan or the box where you store this chivda. Also, powdered salt perfectly coats the flattened rice and there is no residue at the bottom that makes your last batch of chivda too salty to consume.

I generally dry roast the nuts before adding them to the chivda when I make it at my home just as a regular snack. But when it is prepared during Diwali time, the nuts are shallow fried in oil.
Afterall Diwali is about (over) indulging. Isin't it!

And last but not the least, like most of the snack recipes, you will need to have all ingredients prepped and ready before you get to making the chivda.

Moving to the recipe..

Level: Easy
Serves: 8 heaped cups of chivda

(Chivda with onions, cilantro and a squeeze of lime)

Ingredients:
8 cups of thin poha/flattened rice
3/4 cup raw peanuts
1/2 cup roasted chana dal
12 garlic pods, thinly sliced
4 tblsp oil + oil for shallow frying nuts and garlic
1 tsp mustard seeds
3/4 tsp asafoetida/hing
3/4 tsp turmeric powder
15 green chillies, wiped dry and finely chopped
15 -18 curry leaves, wiped dry
Salt to taste, powdered in a mortar and pestle

Method:
Step 1 - In a small pot, heat 4 tblsp oil. When the oil is hot, add the raw peanuts and fry till they turn light brown. Drain onto a paper towel. Next add the roasted chana dal and fry till they turn light brown too. Drain these onto the paper towel. In the same oil, add the garlic and fry it on a high flame till they turn brown. Drain these onto the paper towel too. Keep aside. Discard remaining oil.

Step 2 - Let us roast the flattened rice. Take 4 cups of flattened rice in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave cook on high power for 1 minute. Take out the bowl, stir the flattened rice around with a spoon and microwave cook again for 1 more minute. Keep aside. Repeat the steps with the next 4 cups of rice. You will notice that the puffed rice curls up a little, looks brittle and is crisp when it cools down.

Step 3 - In a huge pot, heat 4 tblsp oil. Add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add the asafoetida and curry leaves. Stir for a couple of seconds. Add the green chillies and saute them for a minute or two till the chillies turn brown.

Step 4 - Add the turmeric powder and immediately add all the fried nuts and garlic from step 1. Stir for a few seconds. Add the ground salt and mix well. Immediately add the roasted flattened rice and saute well till the oil coats each and every ingredient. Roast for 4 to 5 mins on medium heat.

The chivda will be crisp as soon as it cools down. Store it in an air tight container and indulge!

Tips:
Unlike my folks at home, a lot of Indians enjoy their chivda a little sweet. 2 ingredients can help you with this. Raisins and Sugar. If you plan to add some raisins, make sure you fry them well in Step 1. If you plan to use sugar, you will have to powder it in a mortal pestle like we did for the salt and add it right at the end after your chivda cools down a little. If you add sugar when the chivda is hot, the sugar will caramelize and you will not get your desired texture and taste.

You can add dry coconut flakes in this chivda too. Like raisins, you will have to fry them till they are light brown in Step 1.

You need to remember that whenever you are using garlic in your chivda, it is the last ingredient that you will fry. While frying, as we are using less oil, garlic tends to cling to your spoon and become sticky. You may not be able to fry anything else after you fry garlic.

If you do not own a microwave oven, you can roast the flattened rice in a flat pan on medium to low heat stirring continuously. This process would take upto 12 - 15 mins. Do not rush.

A lot of Indian stores have 'Chivda Masala' available. You can substitute this spice mix instead of turmeric in this recipe.

If you are not comfortable adding green chillies into the chivda, you can substitute it with red chilly powder. Just add it immediately after the turmeric. Make sure you do not let it burn.

Roasted chana dal is readily available in the market. If you do not have it, just skip it. Do not roast the regular chana dal you have at home. It does not mimic the store bought version.

We enjoy this chivda with some chopped onions, lots of cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Perfect with our evening tea or coffee.

If you have any further questions or if I have missed any points, please feel free to drop me your queries in the comment box below. I will try my best to answer them.

HAPPY DIWALI EVERYONE!

Instant Oats Lapsi Idlis (Oats & Cracked Wheat Idlis)

Oatmeal is thought to be one of the few foods that can actually help lower cholesterol. This is because oatmeal contains soluble fiber, which is thought to decrease the amount of cholesterol absorbed by the intestines. Oats gain part of their distinctive flavor from the roasting process that they undergo after being harvested and cleaned. Although oats are then hulled, this process does not strip away their bran and germ allowing them to retain a concentrated source of their fiber and nutrients.
Cracked wheat is made by cutting or crushing whole raw wheat berries (kernels) into small pieces. It has all the benefits of wheat flour and since it contains the outer bran and germ of the wheat, it provides some additional benefits as well.

Inspite of understanding the importance of these super grains, Indian cuisine rarely gets them included in our diets. Oats are quite restricted to porridge that you have for breakfast which is not really enjoyed by most. It is just about gulping it down for the day as it helps lower cholesterol. Let me help you include some of these super grains in your diet.
Let us kick off with - Oats Cracked Wheat Idlis. Now don't expect these idlis to mimic the taste of regular rice idlis, mostly because they are not! But trust me, they are a great snack and just like our regular idlis they go really well with piping hot sambar and chutneys. No fermentation time required is always a huge bonus. You can make these anytime you feel like having some.

Serves: 20 medium idlis
Level: Easy
Source: Instant Oats Idlis - Sharmis Passion

Ingredients:
1 cup instant oats (I used Quaker)
1/2 cup cracked wheat (daliya/lapsi)
1/2 cup yogurt
1 medium carrot, grated
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 green chillies, finely chopped
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp asafoetida
4 tsp coriander leaves
1/2 tsp baking soda
Water as required
Oil spray (to grease the idli plates)

Method:
Step 1 - Dry roast the instant oats till they let out a nutty aroma and slightly turn brownish. This should take around 3-4 mins only. Cool and grind. Dry roast the cracked wheat for 4 -5 mins. Set aside.

Step 2 - In a pan, heat 2 teaspoon of oil. Add mustard seeds, let them pop. Add the asafoetida, green chillies and grated carrots. Saute for 3 - 4 mins till the carrots get slightly soft. Add the coriander leaves. Mix well. Keep aside to cool. We do not want to cook down the carrots a lot as they will be steaming with out batter soon.

Step 3 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the roasted ground oats, the roasted cracked wheat, yogurt, sauteed carrots, salt, and baking soda. Mix well and add water till you get a thick lump free batter. Batter consistency should be similar to idli batter.

Step 4 - Grease the idli plates with oil. Pour the prepared batter till each mould is 80% full. Steam for 15 - 18 mins or until done.

Serve hot with some piping hot sambar and chutney of your choice.

Tips:
Do not skip the baking soda. This will be the ingredient that makes your idlis fluffy.

You can add any veggies of your choice instead of carrots and indulge in these healthy idlis.

You can just grate and add your veggies, instead of sauteing them if you are in a hurry. They will get cooked while steaming.

How to steam idlis in an idli steamer/pressure cooker?
Step 1 - Grease the idli moulds with oil. I use an oil spray. I also spray the bottom of the mould, so the batter from the bottom stacks do not stick to the base of the top plate.

Step 2 - Fill each idli mould with the prepared batter. If the batter is too thin, it will seep out of the tiny holes the idli moulds have. So be careful while adding water if you are not used to the process.

Step 3 - Take your idli steamer and add water to it. The water should be at such a level that your lowest idli plate should not be immersed in water. You do not want to boil the batter. You need to steam it.
Until you get used to it, every time you add water, place your idli plate in your steamer and pick it up to make sure no water touched it's bottom. Also, do not be too paranoid and add very little water. You will be boiling water for almost 15 - 18 mins for every set. You do not want the water to completely evaporate. This will burn the base of your steamer. After adding water, cover the steamer with a lid and let the water boil.

Step 4 - Once the water boils, carefully place the idli stands into the steamer. The placement of these stands is also crucial. You will notice that your idli stand has idli moulds and 2-3 holes between each mould. Stack in such a way that moulds do not get stacked on top of each other. They should alternate each other (Holes over moulds). Idlis need space to plump up.

Step 5 - After 15 mins, carefully open the steamer. Using oven mits, remove the idli plates and let them rest for 2 - 3 mins. Run a knife around the edges and remove the idlis with the help of a spoon onto your serving dishes.

Step 6 - Every time you steam a set, you will need to add water into your steamer and repeat the process.

You can also steam the idlis in a pressure cooker. You need to place the idli stand on a grid or a steel rack, so the stand would not touch the water. Also while steaming do not keep the whistle or pressure on. Steam each set for 10 - 12 mins.

Masala Papad (No fry)

Masala Papad does not need an introduction. They are everybody's favorite at an Indian restaurant. A perfect snack to munch on, till your food arrives.
Masala papads are generally deep fried and then topped with onion and tomatoes. The health conscious roast these papads before topping them. Though healthy, topping roasted papad with onions and tomatoes makes it soggy and chewy almost instantly.

So why not find a mid way?! The technique I use to make these masala papads, will fool your tastebuds into believing that they are fried. All the taste and very little calories, I think this recipe is a keeper!

A few tips before we go ahead. You can use your favorite flavor of papad for this recipe. Just remember to cut down on the spice if you plan to use black pepper or green chilli papads.
Some recipes call for a squeeze of lemon juice in the end. But I avoid this as the Chaat Masala takes care of the tangy flavor and the addition of lemon juice often softens the papad really fast.

Serves: 6 papads
Level: Easy

Ingredients:
6 papads (I used green chilli papads)
1/2 onion
1 tomato
3 tblsp fresh coriander leaves
2 green chillies
Red chilly powder, as required
Chaat masala, as required
Black pepper powder, as required
Fine sev as required (optional)
Oil Spray/2 tsp oil

Method:
Step 1 - Let us get everything ready and arranged onto a plate. We cannot waste time once our papads are ready. Chop the onion finely. Cut the tomato into half, scoop out and discard the liquid with a spoon and finely chop it. Finely chop the green chillies and coriander leaves. Keep aside.

Step 2 - Spray oil onto your raw papad on both the sides and microwave cook for 50 - 55 seconds. Do not let it burn. If you do not have an oil spray, smear oil on the papad using a brush/spoon dipped into oil. Every microwave is different. So keep an eye on your first papad to decide how long each piece takes to cook in your microwave.

Step 3 - Place the papad on your serving dish. Scatter some onions, tomatoes and green chillies if using. Do not overload the papad. Sprinkle some red chilly powder, black pepper powder and chaat masala. Scatter some fresh coriander leaves and some sev if you plan to use any.

Serve immediately with some cold beer or any drink of your choice.

Tips:
Do not sprinkle salt on the papad. The salt in the chaat masala and the salt already present in the raw papad, takes care of the flavor. Moreover addition of salt could result in the onion oozing out it's water. We do not want that.

Generally 2 or 3 fully prepared masala papads are kept on top of each other. You can do that too. But do not make a tower out of this.

After reading my post, if you still think you want to fry the papad or you do not own a microwave, make sure you fry the papad in a flat pan. This will make sure that the papad does not twist and turn into a roll while frying.

Chicken Ghee Roast (Mangalorian)

I did not know about this fantastic Mangalorian preparation until I joined a few Food Groups. The dish was posted on one of the forums and I drooled! I had guests coming over that night. There was an immediate change of menu and this was going to be the 'Star' at my party that night. 

'Ghee Roast' is said to be native to coastal Karnataka and apparently originated in Kundapur (near Udupi).
If you read the recipe you will realise that the ingredients are going to create something amazing. Chicken roasted in ghee (clarified butter) with a perfect combination of spicy and tart ingredients. The bright red color just adds to the beauty of this dish. Once I was done cooking, I had to hide it from myself in the refrigerator. It was just too tempting!

Now, you could make this dish healthy by reducing the quantity of ghee, but I think it will miss that distinct aroma and flavor which roasting in ghee gives it. I would suggest indulging in this heavenly delicacy only occasionally.
This preparation is supposed to be really dry and not with a little gravy like I have made it. But I needed this dish to go well with the soft dosas I was going to prepare. So a little gravy worked great for us.
The bright color of this dish is because of the 'Byadgi chillies' I have used. These chillies give more color than spice.

Am sure by now, you all are looking forward to skipping right to the recipe instead of reading what I have to say. So without further delay, let me get to the recipe.

Level: Easy
Serves: 5 to 6 people
Adapted from: Cherie's Stolen Recipes, RuchikRandhap

Ingredients:
2 pounds chicken (bone-in, cut into medium pieces)

Marinade:
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup + 2 tblsp yogurt
3/4 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste

5 - 6 tblsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 tsp sugar
10 - 15 curry leaves
20 dry red chillied (8 - 10 if you have the spicy variety at home)
15 black peppercorns
1 tblsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
10 - 12 garlic flakes
1 tsp tamarind paste (or to taste)
Coriander to decorate

Method:
Step 1 - We have to thicken the yogurt a little. Tie yogurt in a muslin cloth and let it hang for 30 mins or like me just plop the yogurt in a large fine strainer and let it drain for an hour.

Step 2 - Wash the chicken well and pat dry. Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl and apply it well to the chicken pieces. Make sure the marinade coats all the chicken pieces well. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (Overnight works best).

Step 3 - Let us make the masala. Heat a medium sized pan on medium low heat. Dry roast the red chillies. Let them change their color slightly. Make sure you do not burn these. Burnt chillies will totally spoil your dish as this is our star ingredient. Remove them onto a plate. Now add the peppercorns, coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Dry roast them till coriander seeds turn brownish and it gives out a great roasted aroma. Remove these onto the plate too.

Step 4 - In a mixer bowl, blend together the roasted spices, garlic cloves and tamarind with as little water as possible to form a thick paste. Use less tamarind if you are not sure how sour your brand is. We can always adjust it later in the preparation. Keep aside.

Step 5 - Take a wide heavy bottomed pot. Heat the clarified butter. When the butter is hot, add in the marinated chicken and stir it for a good 8 - 10 mins on medium or medium high heat. Cook the chicken till it is almost done (90%). Transfer the chicken pieces onto a plate. Do not pour out the ghee. We will use it in our cooking ahead.

Step 6 - In the same pan add the ground masala paste from step 4 and saute it for 6 - 7 mins on medium heat till the raw smell of the spices vanishes and oil starts to leave the sides of the pot.

Step 7 - Add the cooked chicken pieces back into the pot. Add a little water (1/4 cup) if the entire mixture is too dry and is sticking to the pot. Cook well together on medium heat, stirring occassionally till the mixture gets as dry as you would like and coats the chicken pieces well. Add sugar and mix lightly.

Garnish with curry leaves and coriander leaves.
This tastes best when served hot with some Neer Dosas, but I do not have a grinder that behaves! So we settle for some nice soft thin dosas made from the ready made batter we get from our Indian Stores. You can serve these with plain steamed rice or hot chapatis too. Heaven!

Happy Drooling Everyone!

Potato Sesame Toast (Instant)

Having grown up in India, it is not rare for us to crave street-side food now and then. This was one such day. But I did not want to spend a lot of time making paav bhaji or ragda pattice or chutneys. Neither did I want to fry anything. I needed something super quick!
While digging through my pantry, I saw a box of instant mashed potatoes. I thought, why not try to re-create something street-food-like out of this! I could just adjust the water content to make it thicker. And then when I started thinking about potato snacks, I thought about 'Masala Toast'! Safest option where the consistency of the mixture prepared would not really make or break the dish.
Then just 10 mins later when the entire mixture was ready, I decided to beautify it with some toasty sesame seeds on top. And they were as cute and as tasty as they can be!

This dish makes a great party starter, especially if you have kids attenting it. It makes a quick breakfast dish or something awesome to indulge with tea or coffee in the evening. We even enjoy these as a full meal!

Hope you enjoy this super quick dish as much as we did!

Level: Easy
Serves: 12 discs

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small tomato, finely chopped
1.5 cups instant mashed potato powder/flakes
0.75 cups water
Oil
3/4 tsp mustard seeds
2 pinches asafoetida
5 to 6 curry leaves, finely chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilly powder or as per taste
3/4 tsp ginger garlic paste
3/4 tsp chaat masala
4 to 5 tsp fresh coriander leaves
2 tblsp sesame seeds
Salt to taste
Cheese, optional
Red chilli flakes, optional

Method:
Step 1 - In a small pot, heat 2 tblsp oil. Add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the asafoetida and the curry leaves. Saute for a few seconds.

Step 2 - Add turmeric powder. Stir and immediately add the onions. Do not let the turmeric burn. Saute till the onions turn light brown. Add the ginger garlic paste. Saute for 2 to 3 mins till you get rid of the raw smell of ginger and garlic.

Step 3 - Add the chopped tomatoes and red chilly powder. Saute for 2 mins. Add salt. Saute for 2 more mins till the tomatoes are soft and almost mushed up.

Step 4 - Add the mashed potato powder or flakes. Mix well. Let the onion, tomato mixture coat the flakes. This should take just a minute. Add water slowly. Stirring continuously.

Step 5 - Sprinkle the chaat masala and coriander leaves. Stir for a few seconds. Let this mixture cool.

Step 6 - Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Take a small pan. Add the sesame seeds and dry roast them till they slightly change color. Keep aside.

Step 7 - Separate the english muffins into 2 discs. Smear the potato mixture on top. Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds on top. Slightly press the sesame seeds into the potato. Bake in your preheated oven for 20 mins, till the base is crispy brown. Sprinkle some cheese and red chilly flakes on top if you would enjoy that.

Serve hot with some ketchup or chutneys if you like!

Tips:
You get English Muffins in the bread section in your supermarket. You may also find them in the cooler section, where they sell yogurt and butter.
But if you don't get hold of some, any kind of bread would work.

You will get the mashed potato flakes or powder in the aisle where you get boxed pancake or waffle mix.
It does not matter if you get hold of flakes or powder. You will anyway end up with a mashed mixture.
Every brand of mashed potato flakes needs a different quantity of water. So you might need to adjust the water a little. Keep adding it slowly, so you have control on how soft or thick you need your mixture to be.

Once I realized the convenience of the instant mashed potato flakes, I tried it for making potato bhaji for my dosas, to increase the quantity of my paav bhaji, when I had unexpected guests and also to make dabeli. It worked well on all three counts. YEY!

Enjoy!

Sabudana Khichdi (Spicy Tapioca)

Sabudana Khichdi is a favorite Maharashtrian breakfast dish. It is generally made while fasting on 'Sankashti Chaturthi'.
'Sankashti Chaturthi' is the 4th day of the waning lunar phase after full moon. If this Chaturthi falls on a Tuesday it is called 'Angaraki Chaturthi'. On this day, devotees observe strict fast. They break their fast at night after having the auspicious sighting of the moon preceeded by prayers to Lord Ganpati. Devotees believe their wishes would be fulfilled if they pray on this day. Also 'Sankashti' means deliverance during troubled times.

Getting back to the awesomeness..
This dish has suffered a great deal of bad publicity! Every generation has stories of how they messed up this dish when they were younger. I sincerely hope this post, will give your more confidence in preparing this delicacy.
I believe there are 2 most important steps in this preparation, which need special attention.
First and the most critical part is the soaking process. This is what makes or breaks this dish.
Second, is the quantity of oil used in this dish, which decides if this dish will clump up into a huge mass and get chewy or be perfectly soft and delicious!

Now with these 2 super handy tips, let us get making some Sabudana Khichdi

Level: Easy
Serves: 4 to 6 people

Ingredients:
2 cups sabudana (small white tapioca pearls)
1 medium potato, chopped
2.5 tblsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 pinches asafoetida
3 - 4 green chillies, finely chopped OR1.5 tsp red chilly powder
1/2 cup roasted crushed peanuts
8 - 10 curry leaves
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp sugar
5 tblsp coriander leaves, finely chopped

Method:
Step 1 - Take the sabudana in a large bowl. Wash it under running water. Handle gently while washing. Do not rub the sabudana roughly. This might destroy the pearls. Soak them till the water is 1/4 inch above the sabudana. That is all. Cover the vessel and keep aside for 4 to 5 hrs.

Step 2 - Lightly fluff the sabudana which will be stuck to each other with a fork to separate all the pearls. Add the roasted crushed peanuts, salt, sugar and coriander leaves. Add the red chilly powder if you plan to use it instead of the green chillies. Mix well with a spoon. Taste a few of the pearls and adjust the salt as per your preference. This is how your khichdi will finally look. So adjust the peanuts and coriander too, if you think you would enjoy some more. Keep aside.

Step 3 - In a large wok, heat the 2.5 tblsp oil on a medium high flame. When the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds. When they dance around and turn brown, add the asafoetida, curry leaves and green chillies. Stir for a few seconds till the green chillies slightly brown at the corners.

Step 4 - Add the potatoes and sprinkle 2 pinches of salt over them. (Remember we have added salt to the sabudana mixture in Step 2. So no not over do the salt here.). Cover and cook till the potatoes are almost done. Stir occassionally.

Step 5 - Add the sabudana mixture from Step 2. Mix well for a good 4 to 5 mins. Reduce heat to medium. Cover the wok with a lid and let it cook for 3 to 4 mins. Stir occassionally.

We are done!

Serve hot with some yogurt. As a kid, I used to have it sprinkled with some sugar on top. I know..WEIRD!
Sabudana Khichdi goes well with a pipping hot cup of Indian Tea by it's side.

Enjoy!

Tips:
How do I roast peanuts?
Take a wide pan, heat it on medium flame. Add the raw peanuts. Stir it continuously till the peanuts turn brownish. Do not roast them on a high flame as this might burn the peanuts. Cool this down and roughly grind them in a blender till they are crushed.
Sometime, I enjoy large pieces of peanuts in my khichdi, so I just pop the roasted cooled peanuts in a zip lock bag and hit them or roll them with a rolling pin.
(And before you ask, I do not de-skin the peanuts once they cool. Too much mess and once they are all ground, it really doesn't matter.)

If while cooking, you notice that the sabudana seems too dry, sprinkle or spray a little water on it and continue cooking. Do not over do this, you don't want your khichdi to clump up.

Once you soak your sabudana, it might seem like the water was absorbed quickly and your sabudana looks too dry. Hold yourself back. Do not be tempted to add more water. Excess water makes the khichdi chewy.

Happy cooking everyone!

Submitting this recipe to the Bon Vivant Moments #3 on Sumee's Culinary Bites.