Nutty Hash Browns or Batatyacha Kees?

Batatyacha Kees is a classic Maharashtrian farali or upwas dish. It can be cooked even more quickly if you discover a packet of frozen hash browns in your freezer. Yes, I checked the date. It wasn't ancient, so it wasn't really an archaeological find from my freezer but just a forgotten packet screaming to be used up!!:-D

Batatyacha Kees

Seasoned Hash Browns

Ingredients

1 packet (16 oz) hash browns, frozen

salt to taste

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, crushed
1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed


Tempering
2 tsp oil or ghee
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 green chili, minced or chopped
1 tsp ginger, minced or grated


Garnish
1 tbsp cilantro/coriander leaves (optional)
1 tbsp fresh coconut


Suggested accompaniment
Sweetened yogurt (plain yogurt + sugar + salt)
or
plain yogurt
or
Upwasachi chutney (Recipe coming soon)


Method
1. Heat oil or ghee in a nonstick wok.

2. Add all the ingredients for tempering. As the cumin seeds sizzle, add frozen hash browns.

3. Keep the gas high. Using the wooden spoon, try to break the frozen hash browns. Stir till they appear to be thawed.

4. Now stir in peanut powder, salt and sugar. Saute for 1 minute. Drizzle 1 tbsp water. Cover and let it cook for 5 minutes or till it is heated through.

5. Stir in lemon juice. Cook for 2 more minutes. Switch off the gas. Cover and let it stand for 5 minutes.

6. Garnish with coconut & cilantro - if using


Note -
1. I used Whole Foods brand of hash browns which was nothing but grated potatoes, lumped together due to freezing. It didn't have any salt so I had to add the salt. Check for the list of ingredients on the hash browns packet to make sure if it has salt or not. Adjust salt accordingly.

2. You can also use grated, peeled raw potatoes and follow the above recipe. In that case, you may have to keep a lid with water on top to cook the potatoes.

3. While sauteing the grated potatoes or hash browns, make sure that the potato strands are not broken or mashed.

4. Use a wide nonstick wok so the frozen hash browns are kept in a single layer, which will be easier to thaw.

Asparagus Talasani

While browsing through my favorite Cooking Light/my recipes website, I came across the recipe for Asparagus Talasani. The word "Talasani" haunted me as that's something my grandmom used to make often. but the use of Asparagus was just amazing. The recipe was contributed by Ms. Abhaya Kalgutkar. I bookmarked the recipe. Later, Maya told me that she tried that recipe twice and was very happy with the result. That inspired me to try it myself. As I was chopping the asparagus, I thought of making "garlic fanna/seasoning" talasani instead of the method described in the original recipe. So here it goes!!

Asparagus Talasani

Asparagus Stir Fry
Ingredients
1 bunch asparagus, chopped slant like french cut
salt to taste

Tempering
2 tsp canola oil
2-3 drops of coconut oil (optional)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 byadgi chilies, halved
7 cloves of garlic, sliced

Garnish
1 tbsp fresh coconut

Method
1. Heat oil in a nonstick wok. Add the ingredients for tempering. Saute till the garlic is golden brown.

2. Now add asparagus. Saute on a medium flame. Add few sprinkles of water if needed.

3. Saute till asparagus is cooked per desired crunchiness or mushiness!

4. Add salt to taste and coconut.

5. Stir well.


Note -
1. I like to serve this stir fry little on the crunchy side.
2. Tastes delicious of its own. You can also serve it as side dish with rice & dalitauy
3. The use of coconut oil is for those like me, who refer the coconut oil flavor as a nostalgic aroma and not as a weird smell!!
:-D
4. While chopping aspragus, get rid of the lower portion as it tends to be very rough. You will realize it while chopping.

Credits
Abhaya Kalgutkar, contributor to Sunset

Happy New Year!!

नविन वर्षांच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा

Happy New Year

The above "Gudhi" is made by the talented children at "Avhan Palak Sangh". Thanks dear children, for brightening our new year with your creativity and art. May God bless you.

Happy Gudhi Padva - Gudhi Padva is the new year celebrated by Maharashtrians by hoisting "Gudhi" near the house. The same day is celebrated in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh as Ugadhi and also by Sindhis as Cheti Chand as mentioned in the above link.

Gudhi is a bamboo stick on which a festive cloth & copper kalasha/pot is kept. It is decorated with flowers - mostly marigolds. The main door is decorated with marigold flowers and mango leaves - Toran. A festive lunch is made to mark the new year. Mostly, my mom makes Shrikhand on this day. The legend has it that this was the day, Ram returned Ayodhya after His exile for 14 years. So people of Ayodhya celebrated this day by hoisting Gudhis to welcome thier favorite God.

Takka PoLay

These poLay are the savory variation of SurnoLi.

Takka PoLay

Ingredients

1 cup rice

1 cup sour buttermilk

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

salt to taste

Method

1. Soak rice and fenugreek seeds in the sour buttermilk for 6 hours.

2. Grind to a smooth paste. Add salt. Mix well.

3. Cover and keep it for fermenting for 10 - 12 hours in a warm place.

4. Grease a pan or tawa.

5. When it is hot, pour a ladleful of fermented batter.

6. If it is nicely fermented, it will have many holes.

7.  Cover and let it cook.

8. Serve hot pancakes with chutney of your choice.

Note -

1. The above proportion will give about 10 pancakes

2. Do not flip these pancakes.

3. Try to make these pancakes in summer when weather helps to ferment the batter. Otherwise, try using a pinch of baking powder.

Methi Na Dhebra

Many friends ask me about the difference between methi dhebra and methi thepla. Well, as per my family, dhebra has more bajra flour where as thepla has more wheat flour. Dhebra is more like a patties where as thepla is more like a paratha. Dhebra is shallow or deep fried where as Thepla is roasted like paratha, adding little oil. Dhebra is patted to make a thick, small disc, where as thepla is rolled into a thin, bigger disc with a belan/rolling pin/lataNe. Both taste delicious and both are considered as a travel-foods as they have a good shelf life.

Methi Na Dhebra - (Count 15 - 20)

Methi-Bajra Patties

Ingredients

1 cup bajri flour/bajra loat/millet flour

2 tbsp besan

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp chili powder (optional)

2 tbsp sesame seeds

salt to taste

1 cup fresh methi leaves, roughly chopped

1/4 cup plain yogurt

Grind to a paste

3-4 cloves of fresh garlic with greens

1/2" ginger

1 green chili

Oil for shallow or deep frying

Method

1. Grind green paste & keep aside.

2. Mix flours, and all the remaining ingredients except oil & yogurt. Add spoonful of yogurt at a time.

3. Knead to a dough using yogurt gingerly.

4. Take out small balls.

5. If shallow frying:-

Heat a frying pan or tawa. Press the balls directly on the pan to form a small but thick disc. Adding oil as required, let it brown on both the sides. Drain on the paper towel.

6. If deep frying:-

Heat oil in a wok or kadai. Using a saran wrap, press a ball of dough between two sheets of saran wrap to form a thick disc. Deep fry till it is nicely browned on both sides.

7. Serve with plain yogurt & chutney or ketchup.

Note-

1. I shallow fried above dhebras.

2. If fresh garlic is not available, use regular garlic cloves.

3. The amount of fresh methi leaves/fenugreek can be varied. I love to have more methi in the dhebras. You can use less per your taste.

This post is my entry to Lakshmi's Meals on Wheels event.

************************************************************************************

Our little baker has something to share with you all! :-D

T is for Turtle Bread

(Thanks Purnima for suggesting to link Gudiya's post!)

Broken Wheat Idli

Way back in June2008, I blogged about Muradleli chutney & promised to blog about the accompaniment of Broken Wheat idlis, but I completely forgot about it. This draft was ready but didn't make it so far. Anyway, with JFI -Wheat, I thought, it's a good idea to finally publish it.

My mom makes idlis with roasted wheat rawa without using rice or idli rawa. That was the inspiration behind this idli. I thought, what if I use broken wheat instead of wheat rawa? I followed the rest of her method for idlis.

Broken Wheat Idli

Ingredients

1 cup urad daal, soaked overnight

1 cup broken wheat

salt to taste

oil for greasing

Method

1. Soak urad daal overnight. Next morning, grind it with little water. Stir in salt. Cover and let it ferment in a warm place for about 6-8 hours.

2. When you are ready to make idlis, roast broken wheat on a low flame. Let it cool down a bit and then add it to the fermented batter. Adjust water to make idli batter consistency.

3. Grease the idli stand. Add the batter and steam idlis in a pressure cooker, idli steamer or peddavaN.

4. Serve hot idlis with chutney of your choice.

Note -

1. You can add 1/4 tsp methi or fenugreek seeds while soaking the urad daal.

2. Use broken wheat of finer grain consistency

3. This idli is little chewy. If you want, you can add double amount of hot water in the broken wheat and keep aside covered. When the wheat has absorbed water, you can add it to the fermented batter.

This post is my contribution to JFI - Wheat at Roma's Space.

JFI is started by Indira of Mahanandi.

Uma's Upma with puffed wheat for MBP -Snacks

Original Recipe by - Uma

Original Recipe Link -http://teluguruchi.blogspot.com/2008/04/puffed-rice-murmura-upma.html

My Modifications -

Instead of puffed rice, I used puffed wheat. I followed the rest of Uma's recipe.

This post is my entry to MBP : Snacks at Ashwini's Spicy Cuisine.

MBP event is started by Coffee of The Spice Cafe.

MW Rawa Idli for MW-Savouries

Microwave Rawa Idli - Makes 10 - 12 count

Ingredients

1 cup Rawa/sooji/semolina

You will also need,
1 tbsp fresh coconut
1 tbsp cilantro/coriander leaves, chopped
1/4 - 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup plain yogurt + 1 cup water
salt to taste
1/2 tsp sugar (optional)

Tempering

2 tsp oil or ghee/clarified butter

1 red chili, broken

4 curry leaves, torn

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp urad daal

1/4 tsp asafoetida

1 green chili, chopped (optional)

1/2 tsp grated ginger (optional)

Garnish

10 - 12 cashew halves

Method

1. Pour rawa/semolina/sooji in a microwaveable saucepan or pie plate. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave again for 30 seconds. Take out. Keep aside.

2. Add oil or ghee in a microwaveable casserole dish. Microwave for 30 seconds.

3. Add all the ingredients for tempering. Microwave for 1 minute. Take out. Stir and microwave again for 30 seconds till urad daal turns reddish. Do not let it brown. If you require more cooking time, increment in 30 seconds intervals.

4. Take out. Mix roasted rawa. Let it cool down.

5. Whisk yogurt, water, sugar if using & salt. Pour it over the rawa mixture. Stir well so there are no lumps and the mixture resembles the idli batter. Cover and keep aside for at least 1 hour.

6. After an hour, add baking soda. Grease the microwave-friendly ramekins such as pyrex. Place a cashew nut in the ramekin and then pour the batter in each ramekin. Make it about 1/4th filled.

7. Microwave 1 ramekin at a time for 1 minute. Let it stand for 1 minute.

8. Take out. Let it cool down for a minute before gently lifting the idlis with a butter knife.

9. I served it with Vanamala's pudi chutney.

Note -

1. Before roasting rawa, make sure the container you are using for roasting is completely free of moisture.

2. When I placed a cashew nut in each ramekin before adding the batter, I was hoping that the cashew nut would be studded when the idlies are taken out. Unfortunately, the cashews were sunk deep down the idlis. So I have just placed cashewnuts for garnish in the above picture.

3. Microwave cooking time varies from microwave to microwave. You may need to use your own judgement while cooking.

This post is my entry to Priya's Microwave Savoury Snacks at Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes.

MEC event is started by Srivalli of Cooking for All Seasons.

Jeer-Mirya Kadhi

There are many different coconut based hot & cold kadhis in the Konkani cuisine which are traditionally served with plain rice and preferably with a fried fish. Among all these kadhis, I love Soul Kadhi the most, but to my surprise, others love jeer mirya kadhi even a tad bit more than Soul Kadhi. How can you love it more than Soul Kadhi, Mom?

Jeer-Mirya Kadhi
Cumin-Black Pepper Curry
Ingredients
1/2 cup fresh coconut
4-5 byadgi chilies
9 black peppercorns
1 tsp cumin seeds
salt
1 tsp tamarind pulp
1 cup water

Tempering 1
1 tsp coconut oil
2 cloves of garlic, slivered

or

Tempering 2
1 tsp coconut oil

Method
1. Roast black peppercorns and cumin seeds till you get a nice aroma.
2. Roast byadgi chilies adding a few drops of oil - preferably coconut oil.
3. Grind coconut, roasted spices, byadgi chilies, tamarind pulp, salt.
4. Add water and bring to a gentle boil. Do not over boil.
5. Take off the gas.
6. In another small saucepan, heat coconut oil or ghee. Add garlic slivers.
7. As the garlic cloves change the color, pour the sizzling oil over the kadhi. Cover with the lid immediately. If using tempering 2, as the kadhi boils, just drizzle the coconut oil. Do not use garlic seasoning.
8. Serve with plain rice and fried fish.

Note -
1. While roasting the spices, roast them on a low flame. Do not let them burn.


This post is my contribution to Think Spice - Think Peppercorn at Divya's Dil Se.
Think Spice event is started by Sunita of Sunita's world.

Maya's Microwave Dhokla for MBP - Snacks

Original Recipe By - Maya

Original Recipe Link -http://konkanworld.blogspot.com/2008/09/instant-microwave-dhokla.html


I loved the idea of making instant microwave dhokla. Maya has explained all the steps quite well. So I didn't make any changes. Just followed her instructions.


This post is my entry to MBP : Snacks at Ashwini's Spicy Cuisine.
MBP event is started by Coffee of The Spice Cafe.

Lucknowi Chaat

When Lavi announced RCI - Lucknow, I knew what I was making. I recently made this Lucknowi chaat from Suvir Saran's wonderful book - Indian Home Cooking. I have tweaked the recipe to suit our low fat lifestyle. This Lucknowi chaat reminded me of Dahi puri or Dahi batata puri of Mumbai. But chaat whether it is from Lucknow or Mumbai, is always a hit, right?

HAPPY HOLI!!

Lucknowi Chaat
Recipe inspired by Suvir Saran's Indian Home Cooking
Ingredients

For potato-beans mixture
2 potatoes, boiled, peeled, chopped
1 can garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
1 green chili, chopped
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp chaat masala
salt to taste

For Puris
12 small multi-grain pita breads
cooking spray
salt to taste
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp roasted cumin powder

For yogurt
1 cup yogurt
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste

You will also need,
1 recipe multipurpose chaat chutney
or
1 recipe green chutney
1 recipe sweet-sour chutney
1 recipe red chutney

Garnish
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
A generous pinch of chaat masala
A generous pinch of chili powder

Method
1. Arrange small pita breads on a baking tray. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray cooking oil on the pita breads. Sprinkle salt, chili powder and cumin powder. Bake for about 12 minutes. This step is inspired by Cooking Light's version of spicy baked pita breads. Take out toasted pita breads and let them cool down.
2. In a plate, arrange pita chips. Add potato-beans mixture on top.
3. Drizzle chutneys on top.
4. Add yogurt mixture on top.
5. Again drizzle chutneys as needed.
6. Sprinkle chaat masala, chili powder and chopped cilantro.
7. Serve immediately.

Note -
1. The recipe calls for deep-fried tortilla chips. You can also use puris if you like.

Credits
Suvir Saran
&
Cooking Light, Nov 2008

This post is my contribution to RCI : Lucknow at Lavi'sHomecook Recipes.
RCI event is started by Lakshmi of VeggieCuisine.

Purnima's Lettuce Sandwich for MBP:Snacks

Original Recipe By - Purnima

Original Recipe Link -

http://fantasycookblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/quickie-breakfast-3-min-garlic-bread-mw.html

My Modifications -

This is really a wonderful recipe and as I was telling Purnima, the lettuce in my crisper has got better job than just wilting away. I love to make variations to the original recipe by spreading hummus or tzatziki sauce, or sometimes, I toast the bread too. Very simple & quick snack. Thanks, Purnima.

This post is my entry to MBP : Snacks at Ashwini's Spicy Cuisine.
MBP event is started by Coffee of The Spice Cafe.

Surmai KaLputi - King Fish Curry

Sunday meal!!

Surmai Chi KaLputi

King Fish Curry

Ingredients

Marinate -

6 surmai/king fish steaks (small size)

salt to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp chili powder or malvani masala

Grind

1/2 cup fresh coconut

7 black peppercorns

4 red, dry chilies

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp tamarind pulp

Soak in 1/4 cup water

7 tirphals - seeds removed

Tempering

2 tsp oil

1 small onion

Garnish

few drops of coconut oil (optional)

Method

1. Marinate surmai steaks with salt, turmeric powder and chili powder or malvani masala. Set aside in the refriegetarot till ready to use.

2. After the masala is ground to a fine paste, add tirphal along with water and quickly grind once. Tirphals should not be ground finely. So this step should take place very quickly.

3. Heat oil. Add onion. Saute till onion is soft. Carefully add masala with 1 cup water.

4. Add marianted steaks. Adjust for salt.

5. When the curry comes to a rapid boil, add coconut oil - if using.

Note -

1. Tirphals are not meant to be eaten. Discard them.

2. The consistency of this curry needs to be on the thicker side.

From Old Friends & New - Karnataka Special

Archy's Elekasu Rotti

As soon as Archy posted about this cabbage roti, I knew I have to try it. So here it is. Yummo!! It reminded me of my grandmom's sanna pollo. Thanks, Archy for sharing this wonderful recipe!!

Asha's Idli-Hurikadale Chutney-Eruli sambar

Seriously, I kept drooling at Asha's beautiful platter of Idli-sambar-chutney. Finally, told myself that I need to make it. Well, after many escapades, I cooked above platter which was no way even close to her original platter. Thanks so much, Asha for wonderful recipes.

Asha's Cabbage Pallya

Cabbage is one of the staples in my vegetable crisper. I keep looking for new recipes. Asha's recipe was simple and awesome!! I also added some carrots. Thanks, Asha for sharing a wonderful recipe!

Vanamala's Pudi Chutney

I have eaten this chutney before. So when I found the recipe at Vanamala's blog, I tried it immediately. It was superb!! Thanks, Vanamala!

Shilpa's potato sandwich Idli

I had leftover idli batter and some leftover potato bhaji. I combined both per Shilpa's instuctions to get wonderful sandwich idlis. Thanks, Shilpa!

Ramya's Masala Puri
I thought it's a cross between ragda patties and sev puri. but still differently delicious!!! Thanks for sharing, Ramya!! It was a hit.

Ramya's Thondekaya Kadale Palya
It was a deja-vu!! I have definitely eaten this but don't remember where!! It could be at Ram Nayak's Udipi restaurant. I replaced garbanzo beans by black chana and followed Ramya's instructions. Thanks so much for sharing, Ramya!

Namratha's Akki Roti/Eruli Roti

My akki rotis are nowhere as beautiful as made by Namratha. But they were delicious. I will work on making round akki rotis, & then replace the above picture, ok?:-D Thanks, Namratha!

Kolumbi che Bhujne - Prawns Stir Fry

A simple stir fry that tastes delicious especially with chapati.

Kolumbi che BhujNe
Prawns curry
Ingredients
1 lb shrimp/prawns, peeled & deveined
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp malvani masala
1/2 tsp salt

Grind to paste
1" ginger
2 garlic cloves
1 or 2 green chilies (adjust per your preference)

Tempering
1 tbsp oil
2 onions, chopped finely
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely

Also,
3-4 kokums, rinsed
salt
1/4 cup cilantro/coriander leaves, chopped
2 tbsp fresh coconut

Method
1. Marinate cleaned shrimp/prawns with turmeric powder, salt, malvani masala and ground ginger-garlic-chili paste. Set aside for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.

2. Heat oil in a saucepan or kadai. Add chopped onions & garlic. Saute till the onion gets soft. Do not let it burn.

3. Now add the marinated shrimp/prawns and 2 tbsp water. Adjust salt. Add kokums.

4. Saute till the shrimp/prawns are cooked and masala clings to them.

5. Stir in cilantro and coconut. Saute for 2 more minutes. Switch off the gas.

6. Serve along with chapatis or rice bhakri.

Note -
1. If you do not have malvani masala, use chili powder & a generous pinch of garam masala.

2. Chopped onions approximately measure about 1 cup. As onion sizes differ from place to place, I thought chopped onions is a better measure than just mentioning 2 onions!:-D

Dahyatli Kakdi - Cucumber Yogurt Salad

This is one of the innumerable ways of making cucumber & yogurt salad - the one that my mom makes it.

Dahyatli Kakdi

Cucumber - Yogurt Salad

Ingredients

1 big cucumber or 3-4 small cucumbers, peeled & grated
1/2" ginger, peeled & grated
1 cup plain yogurt (I used organic fat-free)
1 tsp sugar (optional)
1 green chili, chopped
1/2 tsp mustard seeds powder (preferably freshly ground)

Method
1. Squeeze out moisture from the cucumber.
2. Mix all the ingredients.
3. Chill & serve


Note-
1. If desired, you can add tempering of oil, mustard seeds & asafoetida. I didn't add any.

This post is my contribution to AFAM - Cucumber at Neha's Easy N Tasty recipes.

AFAM event is started by Maheshwari of Beyond the Usual.

Vatana ni Bhakri

I have started my pantry cleaning. I discovered about 1 cup sorghum/jowar flour. I decided to make these green peas bhakris that I learnt from my MIL.

Vatana Ni Bhakri - About 15
Green Peas Flatbread
Ingredients
1 cup jowar flour/jwari/jondhala/sorghum flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp besan/chickpea flour
2 tbsp flax seeds ground, (optional)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander-cumin seed powder
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp oil for moaN or mohan

Grind to a fine paste
2 cups fresh or frozen green peas
3-4 garlic cloves along with garlic greens
2 tbsp cilantro
1 green chili

Also,
oil for roasting
rice flour or wheat flour for dredging

Method
1. Grind all the ingredients to a fine paste. Set aside.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together. Make a well in the center. Add ground peas mixture.
3. Slowly start kneading to get a dough. Do not add any water. Stir in 1 tsp oil. and knead again.
4. Make balls and roll out into flat breads using flour for dredging.
5. Roast on a hot frying pan or tawa adding oil as needed, till brown spots appear on both sides.
6. Store the bhakris in a clean kitchen napkin or aluminum foil till ready to use.
7. Serve with pickle and/or raita.

Note -
1. If using frozen green peas, make sure they are thawed and moisture is completely drained off.
2. If you do not have garlic greens, use regular garlic cloves of equal amount.
3. In case, if the green peas mixture makes the dough too soft, add some more wheat flour. I didn't need more than mentioned above. But thought of sharing this precautionary tip anyway.
4. You can make the same flatbread using only wheat flour instead of jowar flour.

Moogachi Hirwi Amti - Moong Green Curry

Moogachi Hirwi Amti

Ingredients

2 cups moong/moog/mag/mung beans sprouts

salt to taste

1 tsp grated jaggery

1/2 cup coconut milk (optional)

Grind to a fine paste

1/2 cup fresh coconut

2-3 green chilies

3/4 cup cilantro/coriander leaves

1" ginger

1 tsp coriander seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp tamarind pulp

Tempering

1 tsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp asafoetida

1 sprig curry leaves, torn

Method

1. Add 1 cup water to the moong sprouts and bring to boil. Switch the gas to low. Let it cook partially covered. Check from time to time and add more water if needed.

2. Grind masala to a fine paste.

3. Add ground paste to the cooked moong sprouts. Add 1 1/2 cup water. Bring to boil.

4. Switch the gas to low. Add salt, jaggery & coconut milk - if using. Let it simmer gently.

5. Meanwhile, heat oil in a small saucepan. Add tempering ingredients. As they splutter, pour the oil over the simmering curry. Switch off the gas. Cover immediately.

Note -

1. The pressure cooker can also be used to cook the mung sprouts. But take care not to make them too mushy and the sprouts should not be broken.

2. A spoonful of cashew nuts &/or fresh coconut slices (called khobryachya kaataLya) can also be added. Cook them along with the mung beans.

3.Instead of tamarind, kokum can be used. If using kokum, rinse 2-3 kokums and add to the boiling curry & do not use tamarind while griding.

Tallelya Phansachi Bhaji - Jackfruit Stir Fry

I have already blogged about Fanasachi Thech Bhaji. Today's recipe is "TaLlelya FaNsachi Bhaji" which means fried jackfruit stir fry. I have reduced the amount of oil & coconut.


TaLlelya PhaNasachi Bhaaji
Fried Jackfruit Stir-Fry
Ingredients
1 can (10 oz) raw jackfruit
1/2 cup kala vatana/black peas sprouts, pressure cooked

Salt to taste
2 tsp jaggery

1 green chili, slit


Grind to a smooth paste
1/4 cup fresh coconut
1 tbsp coriander seeds
4-5 black peppercorns
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
4 dry, red byadgi chilies (use more or less per your taste)
2 tsp tamarind pulp


Tempering
2 tsp oil
2 tbsp chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, slivered

Method
1. Drain & rinse jackfruit pieces from the can. Drain & cut into bite sized pieces. Set aside.
2. Pressure cook kala vatana sprouts and keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a saucepan. Add onion and garlic. Saute till they are soft. Now add drained jackfruit pieces. Saute till they are nicely browned. Add green chili & cooked kala vatana and saute for a minute.
4. Now add ground masala, 1/2 cup water, salt & jaggery. Bring to boil.
5. Simmer till all the water is evaporated.


Note -
1. Traditionally, the raw jackfruit pieces are deep fried before adding to the curry.
2. I have drastically reduced the amount of oil & coconut.


This post is my entry to AFAM - Jackfruit at Lakshmi's Taste of Mysore.
AFAM event is started by Maheshwari of Beyond the Usual.

Rose Shrikhand

There are many different types and brands of ready-made shrikhands available in Mumbai. There is Amul, VarNa, Mahanand, Chitale bandhu, Parsi Dairy and Aarey. Aarey used to be my favorite because it was the only shrikhand on earth I had seen with a pinkish hue. Of course, I never bothered to decipher the recipe then, but I thought of making it today using Dabur Rose Syrup. & as I guessed it, Gudiya just loved that pink shrikhand!!:-D


Shrikhand is made with drained yogurt cheese called "Chakka" in Marathi. You can use a clean muslin cloth, add plain yogurt, tie overnight so all the liquid is drained off. This yogurt cheese/chakka is now ready for making shrikhand. Instead of muslin cloth, you can use 4-5 heavy duty coffee filters lined up on a colander to drain the liquid off the yogurt. You could also use a ready-made Greek yogurt which is nothing but yogurt cheese. If you are in Mumbai, ready-made chakka is readily available. If you are in US, you could use sour cream. My best friend, Rakhee shared this trick of sour cream with me in my early days in US. It was quick & simple.


Rose Shrikhand
Ingredients
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream (light or reduced fat)
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar (per taste)
1 tsp Dabur Rose Syrup
1 - 2 cardamoms, peeled & crushed


Garnish
2-3 raw, unsalted pistachio slivers
1 charoli


Method
1. Mix all the ingredients
2. Garnish with pistachio and charoli.


Note
1. Instead of sour cream in the above recipe, you can use Greek yogurt as I used here or make from scratch using plain yogurt as I did here.
2. Dabur rose syrup has sugar in it. Adjust sugar accordingly.

This post is my contribution to Priya's celebration of the color - Pink.

FIC event is started by Sunshinemom of The TongueTicklers.