Phodnicha Bhat (Maharashtrian Fried Rice)

A Popular and simple Maharashtrian recipe..."Phodnicha Bhaat". Actually it is a breakfast dish. But this dish can be served for lunch, dinner or even as a quick brunch. If you have some leftover rice, and you do not want to waste, here is an easy way to turn your plain  leftover white rice into one dish meal which has completely different flavor, taste and color within minutes.

In my childhood, this rice was frequently made. This is apparently linked to my childhood memories. I liked to eat this rice also with roasted dried fish..“bangada or vakati”. This dried fish was roasted in our backyard “chul/chulha".

Now to the recipe... 

Ingredients:

• Cooked leftover rice- 1 ½ cups
• Onion- 1 med. size
• Garlic- 5-6 cloves
• Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
• Asafetida (Hing)- ¼ tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1tsp
• Malwani masala or our homemade masala- 2 tsp (OR instead of malwani masala, you may use chilli powder + goda masala)
• Salt to taste
• Sugar- 1 tsp
• Veg. oil- 2 tbsp
• Fresh coriander-  as required, for garnishing

Method:

Separate the cooked rice granules with soft hand & add masala powder, sugar & salt. Mix well & keep aside.

Heat oil in a large pan or kadai (wok). Add mustard seeds for tempering. Let them pop. Add  garlic & sauté for a minute. Add onion & sauté till translucent.  Add hing, turmeric powder & sauté for a minute. 

Add rice, mix well & sauté for a minute. Cover & cook for 2 minutes on low flame.

Serve hot  with pickle, roasted papad. I served here fried dried stuffed chilli (sandgi mirachi). 

Notes:

• My recipe is basic and authentic. I like to make this simple way but you can do variations.
• Although traditionally this recipe was made to use the leftover rice, you can still make it using freshly cooked rice. Just ensure the cooked rice is cooled properly before making this dish. Hot rice used for this recipe would cause the rice granules to stick & become lumpy.
• You can use green chilli or dried red chilli or dried stuffed chilli (sandgi mircahi) instead of chilli powder/ masala.
• You can add groundnuts or green peas.
• You can add curry leaves in tempering.

Lal Mathachi Bhaji (Stirfry Of Amaranth/Red Leafy Vegetable)

Lal Math is a nutritive  leafy vegetable. This red leafy vegetable has a nice taste and is very rich in Iron, a mineral needed by people in all age groups. I cook it very simple & traditional way. In north India, this known as "Amaranth" leaves.   

 Ingredients:

Chopped lal math (red leafy vegetable)- 2 cups (2 bunches)Green chilles chopped in one inch pieces- 2 to 4 (as per your taste)
Chopped onion-  ½ cup

Garlic cloves, peeled & crushed- 6 (just hit once with pestle/batta)
Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
Asafetida (Hing)- 1/8  tsp

vegetable oil- 3 tbsp

Scraped fresh coconut- ¼ cup 

Salt to taste

Method:

Separate the leaves from the stem and chop the leaves and the tender stems finely.

Wash them to remove the traces of soil & drain the water.

 

Heat the oil in pan. Add the green chillies, garlic & saute.

 Add onions & fry till translucent. Add turmeric powder & hing. Sauté & mix well.

Add the lal math and salt. 

Reduce the flame & cover the pan. In a few minutes, the quantity of the vegetable would have reduced drastically and the vegetable starts sweating.

Cook for 4-5 minutes. Add scraped fresh coconut & mix well.

Serve hot as a side dish. It can be had with chapattis or bhakris, rice & dal or rice and curries.

I served here with bajara roti/bhakri.

This vegetable available in two types.

Semi red leaves: Which I used in this dish.

Fully red leaves : Shown in below...(But method of cooking is same as above.)

Tri Colour Pasta With Tri colour Bell-pepper (Tiranga Pasta)

Today is Republic Day, so I specially made this Tiranga pasta.

Happy Republic Day to all my beloved Foodie Friends...

Ingredients:

Spiral tri colour pasta- 125 gm

Minced garlic- 2 tbsp

Onion- 1 cup (cut into 1 inch cubs)

Green bell pepper (Capsicum)- ½ cup (cut into 1 inch cubs)

Yellow bell pepper- ½ cup (cut into 1 inch cubs)

Red bell pepper- ½ cup (cut into 1 inch cubs)

Mushrooms, sliced- ¼ cup

Sweet corn kernels- ¼ cup

Carrot, chopped- ¼ cup (optional)

Olive oil- 4 tbsp

Black pepper powder- 2 tsp or to taste

Grated Processed cheese- 2 cube or Parmesan cheese- ½ cup

Salt to taste

Method:

Boil water with salt and little oil. Add pasta to hot water and cook for 4-5 minutes or till al dente (cooked).

Drain pasta & wash well with cold water. Keep aside.

Heat oil in large non-stick pan. Add one by one carrot, mushroom, all bell peppers, sweet corns, garlic and onion. Sauté over medium heat.

Add salt and black pepper. Sauté for 2 minutes.

Add pasta & mix well & sauté for 2 minutes.

Spread grated cheese on pasta. Serve hot.

You can add dried mix herb as regular pasta, but I want to get specific taste of these three bell peppers. So I didn't use mix herb here.

Curry Leaves (Kadhipatta) chutney

This is a dry chutney made of kadipatta (curry leaves) and other ingredients. It is an accompaniment to a typical Indian meal of roti-subji or rice-dal or even idli- dosa.

Here's how I make it…..

Ingredients:
Curry leaves- 2 cups

Groundnut or veg oil- 2 tsp
Dry red chilies – 4 or chilli powder- 2 tsp (you can take less or more quantity of chilli as your personal taste)
Sesame seeds (Til)- 2 tbsp
Roasted & peeled peanuts- 2 tbsp
Spilt black lentils- 1 tbsp

Dried mango powder (amchur)- 1 tsp

Sugar- 1 tsp
Salt or to taste

Method:

Remove curry leaves from its stalk and rinse them clean. Wipe them dry using kitchen towel and keep them aside.
Sauté the curry leaves in oil in a wide pan till they turn crisp. This should take ab0ut 10 mins on medium to medium-low heat. Add the dry red chilies, spilt black lentils, sesame seeds and peanuts and roast another 5 mins on medium low heat. You should feel aroma. Take off heat and let it cool. Dry grind with sugar & amchur to a fine powder. Once it is all ground up, add the salt, mix well.
Store in a dry, air-tight container. It stay without fridge for about a month.

Traditionally, tamarind and jaggery used in this chutney. But I used aamchur and sugar instead of these.  

Meyo salad

Ingredients:

Shred cabbage- 1 cup

Julian capsicum- 1/2 cup

Julian carrot- 1/2 cup

Sliced onion- 1/2 cup

Sliced pickled olive- 2 tbsp

Dressing: 

Mayonnaise sauce- ¼ cup

Mustered sauce- ¼ tsp

Lime juice- 1 tsp

Salt & pepper as per taste

Vinegar in pickled olive or any vinegar- 1 tsp

Wash all vegetables & cut. Mix with dressing.

Use any vegetables as you like. I used baby (small & fresh) cabbage. It’s taste like iceberg lettuce. Because in India, lettuce is not easily available in local market.

This salad goes with anything...........like any tandoori dish, barbecue dish etc. even it's very tasty sandwich filling.

Stuffed Chilies With Mozzarella Cheese

I like cheese and I always find chance to eat it............

Ingredients:

Bhavnagari chillies- 8

Grated Mozzerella cheese- 1 cup

Dried mix herb- 2 tsp

All pupose flour (maida)- ¼ cup

Conflour- ¼ cup

Fresh breadcrums- 1 cup

Oil- as required for deep frying

Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

Wash & wipe chilies. Prepare the chilies. Make a small horizontal cut, parallel to the stem about 1 cm below it. Make a vertical slit perpendicular to the first slit to the tip of the pepper. I don’t remove the ribs & seeds. But you don't like, you cam remove the seeds & ribs. Sprinkle some salt on the peppers and keep it aside while you prepare the stuffing. Salt softens the peppers just enough to allow it to cook quicker.

Take grated cheese in a bowl, add dried mixed herbs and mix. Stuff this mixture into the chillies. Mix maida, cornstarch, salt, pepper and water to make a batter. Dip the chillies in the batter.  

Then roll in the breadcrumbs. Repeat the process to get a double coating. 

Heat sufficient oil in a deep pan till very hot and deep fry the chillies till golden brown. Drain and place on an absorbent paper. Serve hot. 

You feel crunchiness at outside & cheesy tasty inside.

Aavala (Amala/Indian gooseberry) Chutney

Aavala is a natural source of Vitamin C and helping in curing a number of diseases, it also boosts the immune system. 

It is natural remedy for acidity, gastric troubles, constipation and indigestion.

It is helpful in lowering cholesterol and blood sugar level.

They are available in winter. See...this is very simple & tasty recipe of aavala.

हि पाककृती मराठीतून वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक करा.  

Ingredients:

Aavala pieces – ½ cup
Green chili- 1 

Ginger- 1 tsp

Chopped Fresh coriander- ¼ cup

Black pepper cons- 2 (optional)

Sugar- to taste

Salt to taste

Method:

Cut & deseed the aavala. Peel & chop ginger.

Combine all ingredients and grind with little water.

You can omit the green chili, if you don’t like.

Tilgul Ladu (Sweet & Crispy Sesame Balls)

Happy Makar Sakranti !
मकर संक्रांतीच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा
तीळगूळ घ्या गोड गोड बोला !!
One of the auspicious festivals, Makar Sankranti is celebrated with whole enthusiasm all over Maharashtra. Makar Sankranti greetings are exchanged to each other with “Tilgul". People visit each other's house during Makar Sankranti and wish each other.

Ingredients:

• White (polished) sesame seeds- 500gm 
• Special jaggery- 500 gm (usually jaggery used for Tilgul is stickier than the normal jaggery and called 'chikkicha gul' in Marathi) 
• Grated dry coconut- 1 cup (approx ½ portion dry coconut / 1 vati) 
• Peanuts- 200 gm 
• Cardamom powder- 2 tsp 
• Clarrified butter (ghee/ sajuk tup)- 2 tbsp + some for greasing the hands 

Method:

• Grate dry coconut from out side first and remove its black portion. Then grate it.

• Dry roast grated coconut on low flame till light brown.

• Dry roast peanuts. Do not burn them. Remove the skins of peanuts.

• Crush them into small pieces. I use rolling pin to crush.

• Dry roast sesame seeds over low heat. Stir continuously. Roast till they turned slight golden and you felt nice aroma.

• Combine roasted sesame seeds, peanut crush, grated coconut & cardamom powder in a large size bowl or plate. Mix well.

• In a clean, heavy-bottomed wok or nonstick pan, heat 2 tbsp ghee, add jaggery over medium/ low heat.

• After some time, it starts bubbling up and changes to light red. You also feel aroma.

• Check jaggery syrup by string (tar) test. It should be appear one string. Now the syrup is ready.

• Pour above mixture immediately and mix well. This mixture is little sticky and thick.

• Put heavy griddle on low flame and keep this wok on it. This way this mixture remains hot. 
• Rub some ghee to the palm of your hands. When the mixture is still hot, take some in your palm. Roll into approx 1 inch diameter ball. Roll quickly, you can't roll easily if mixture become cold. 
• Make all the ladoos and let them cool. They turn hard and crisp. Store in an airtight container.

Tip: Don’t burn anything, because any black portion in tilgul looks ugly.

तीळगुळ

साहित्य: 

• तीळ (पॉलीशचे) - ५०० ग्रॅम 
• चिक्कीचा गूळ- ५०० ग्रॅम 
• शेंगदाणे- २०० ग्रॅम 
• सुके खोबरे- १ वाटी/ कवड 
• वेलची पूड- २ टिस्पून 
• साजूक तूप- २ टिस्पून 

कृती: 

• सुक्या खोबऱ्याच्या वाटीची बाहेरची बाजू किसून त्याचा काळा भाग काढून टाका. नंतर किसा, त्यामुळे पांढरे शुभ्र खोबरे मिळेल. मंद आचेवर नकरपवता हलकेसे भाजून घ्या. 
• शेंगदाणे भाजून, सोलून घ्या. भरड कुट करा. मी त्यासाठी लाटणे वापरते. 
• तीळ खमंग भाजून घ्यावेत. 
• तीळ, शेंगदाण्याचा कुट, खोबरे आणि वेलचीपूड परातीत एकत्र करा. चांगले मिसळून ठेऊन द्या. 
• जाड बुडाच्या कढईत किंव्हा नॉन-स्टिक पॅन मध्ये, २ टेस्पून तूप गरम करून गूळ घालावा. आच मध्यम असावी. 
• सतत ढवळत राहावे, गूळ पूर्ण पातळ झाला कि थोड्या वेळाने तो फेसाळतो. नंतर त्याला उकळी येउन रंग बदलू लागेल, साधारण लालसर होऊन गुळाचा छान वास येऊ लागेल. आच कमी असावी. 
• पाक तयार झाला आहे कि नाही हे पाहण्यासाठी गूळाचा जरासा पाक चमच्याने बाहेर काढून अंदाज घ्यावा. एकतारी पाक तयार व्हायला हवा. किंव्हा त्या पाकाची कडक गोळी झाली पाहिजे तर पाक तयार आहे असे समजावे. 
• पाक झाला की त्यात तीळ, शेंगदाण्याचा कुट, खोबरे आणि वेलचीपूड चे मिश्रण घालून निट ढवळावे, आणि गरम असतानाच लाडू वळावेत, नाहीतर लाडू वळले जात नाहीत. लाडू वळताना हाताला थोडे तूप लावावे ज्यामुळे गरम मिश्रण हाताला चिकटणार नाही. 
• मिश्रण थंड होऊ लागले तर जाड तवा गरम करा. नंतर गॅसची आच मंद करून तव्यावर मिश्रणाची कढई ठेवा. तिळगुळाचे मिश्रण सैल होऊ लागेल.  
• सर्व लाडू वळून घ्या व त्यांना थंड होऊ द्या. नंतरच हवाबंद डब्यात भरून ठेवा. 

टीप: भाजताना काहीही जळऊ नका कारण तीळगुळात जर काळा भाग असेल तर चांगला दिसत नाही.

Aalepak/ Aalyachya Vadya (Ginger Sweet Cubes)

“Aalepak” Whenever I hear the word , everytime I recall my childhood.  One hawker was calling loudly ………"Sardi khokala, zatakan mokala" means if you have cold & cough, eat Aalepak; you will get relief  quickly. Yes, that’s true, ginger is good for cough & cold.

Here is a simple recipe of my mother-in-law. See..... how perfectly she made this !!

हि पाककृती मराठीतून वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक करा.  

  

Ingredients:

• Ginger, chopped - 1 cup (approx 125 gm)
• Sugar- 2 cups
• Milk with cream (Malai/sai) - ½  cup
• Clarified butter (ghee/tup)- 1 tsp

Method:

• First clean the ginger and remove the skin. Chop & grind the ginger in a blender with little water.
• Heat a nonstick pan or kadhai, put all the ingredients together. Let the sugar melt in the ginger moisture. Keep stirring continuously on low flame till mixture becomes thick.
• Coat a plate or square tray with ghee. Put the ginger mixture on this plate and spread evenly. Cut into pieces with the help of a sharp knife.  Let them cool. Store in an airtight container.

Maharastrian Prawns Curry With Brinjal & Potato (Vang-Batata Kolambich Kalwan)

Ingredients:

• Peeled small prawns - ½ cup
• Brinjal- 1 med. size (approx 100 to 125 gm)
• Potato- 2 med size
• Finely chopped onion- ½ cup to ¾ cup
• Coconut paste- 2 to 3 tbsp
• Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
• Asafetida (Hing)- ¼ tsp
• Cinnamon stick- 1 inch 
• Homemade masala or Sunday masala or Malwani masala– 3 to 4 tsp
• Garam masala- 1 tsp
• Kokam petals – 3 to 4
• Veg. oil- 4 tbsp
• Fresh chopped coriander- 2 tbsp
• Water- As required
• Salt to taste

Method:

Peel & devein prawns. Wash properly and marinate with ½ tsp of turmeric & ¼  tsp of salt.

Peel potatoes and cut into 1 inch pieces. Cut brinjal into 1.5 inch pieces approx.

Heat 4 tbsp of oil in a large pan or kadai (wok). Add onion, cinnamon & sauté till it turn dark brown (do not burn). 

Add hing, turmeric powder & sauté for a minute. Add homemade masala or malwani masala, ginger-galic paste and coconut paste. Sauté till oil come out from this masala mixture. 

Add marinated prawns. Sauté for 1-2 minutes. 

Add water, brinjal, potato, salt & mix well.cook for 5-6 minutes. Cover & cook for 2 minutes.

Add some water & adjust consistency as per personal choice. Continue to simmer this curry for  4 to 5 minutes or until brinjal & potato cooked. 

Add kokam, garam masala & cook for 2-3 minutes . Garnish with coriander. Serve hot with chapati or bhakari or rice.

Notes:

•      Malwani masala and sunday masala is easily available in the market or in Indian stores.
• If you don’t have above mentioned homemade, Sunday or malvan masala, add (3 tsp of chili powder + 1 tsp of garam masala).
• You can use 2 tsp of tamarind pulp instead of kokam.
•  You can omit brinjal or brijal & potato both. In our Kokan, we prepare this curry with many vegetables like raw papaya, alkol / navalkol (kohlrabi), bottle gourd etc.

Stuffed Chillies With Coconut Filling (Bharlelya mirachya)

Spicy n chatpati side dish...

ही पाककृती वाचा मराठीतून ....इथे क्लिक करा.  

Ingredients:

• Bhavnagri chillies- 8 to 10
• Oil- as required for shallow frying, 2 to 3 tbsp approx
• Scraped fresh coconut- 1 cup
• Mustered seeds- 1 tbsp
• Sesame seeds – 1 tbsp
• Fenugreek seeds- 4 to 6 kernels
• Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
• Asafetida (hing)- ¼ tsp
• Sugar- ½ tsp
• Salt to taste 

Method:
Heat a pan, dry roast mustered seeds, sesame seeds & fenugreek seeds separately on low flame till u feel aroma. Crush with mortar & pestle.
Combine scraped coconut, above crush, turmeric, hing, lemon juice, sugar & salt. Mix well & keep aside.
Wash & wipe chilies. Prepare the chilies. Make a small horizontal cut, parallel to the stem about 1 cm below it. Make a vertical slit perpendicular to the first slit to the tip of the pepper. Don’t remove the ribs & seeds. Sprinkle some salt on the peppers and keep it aside while you prepare the stuffing. Salt softens the peppers just enough to allow it to cook quicker.

Heat oil in flat pan. Place all stuffed chilies in it. Cover with lid & allow cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the lid & flip it over and let it cook on the other side too till it became golden brown. Don’t cover again, otherwise they become  flabby. When both sides became golden brown, it’s ready. Serve as side dish in thali.

In authentic recipe is different to my this recipe. I used sugar & lime juice instead of jaggary & tamarind pulp. I used sesame seeds additional. Most difference is chill, I used here bhavnagari chillies which are mild. But originally used local little bit big chillies which is used for stuffing.