Moong Dal Khichadi

Moong dal khichdi is very popular as a comfort food. It is a best option when you are sick, especially if you are down with a fever or stomach ache. When you are in haste or tired. Because it is a light, healthy, easy and quick recipe. This is a good combination of a cereal and a pulse which is suitable for your baby, so it is ideal baby food.

ही पाककृती वाचा मराठीतून......

Ingredients:
Spilt green gram (Moong dal)- ¼ cup
Any type of rice- - ½ cup
Cumin seeds- ½ tsp 
Asafetida Powder (Hing)- ¼ tsp 
Black peppercorns- 2 to 4 (optional)

Turmeric Powder- ½ tsp

Clarrified butter (Desi Ghee)- 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Water- 3 to 4 cups (I used here 3 cups water, depends upon how much soft and thin you want)

Method:

Wash properly and soak the dal, rice in 3 cups of water together.

Heat a pressure cooker, add ghee, cumin seeds and peppercorns and saute for few seconds. Add hing, turmeric, dal and rice with water and salt.

Pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles. When it is done, remove the peppercorn. Just whisk gently.  Serve hot with lime and lots of ghee ;) .

Method 2:

If you don't want that much soft, then add only 1 ½ cups water. Do not whisk. Serve hot with ghee, papad and pickle or kadhi.

Green Coconut Chutney (Maharashtrian Style Coconut Chutney)

 This beautiful fresh green Chutney is fragrant and makes a great accompaniment for breads of all kinds. This is Maharashtrian style coconut chutney.

.

ही पाककृती वाचा मराठीतून ........

Ingredients:

Fresh scraped or grated coconut- 1 to 1 ¼ cup (1 med size)

Garlic- 6 cloves

Fresh coriander leaves, chopped- a handful

Green chillies - 3 to 5 (as per your taste)

Fresh curry leaves- 1 stem 

Sugar- ½ tsp

Salt to taste
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Water- approx ½ cup 

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Asafetida (Hing) - ¼ tsp

Oil- 1 tbsp

Use fresh ingredients, do not use frozen.

Method 1:

Grind the grated coconut, green chillies, coriander leaves, garlic, 7-8 curry leaves, cumin seeds, sugar and salt, into a paste by adding about half a cup of water. 

Method 2:

Grind the grated coconut, green chillies, coriander leaves, 7-8 curry leaves, sugar and salt, into a paste by adding about half a cup of water. 

Heat a in a small pan or tadaka pan. Add the cumin seeds, hing and let them splutter. Add 5-6 curry leaves and toss them about for few seconds. Remove from heat and add in chutney. 

Method 3:

Grind the grated coconut, green chillies, coriander leaves, garlic, 7-8 curry leaves, cumin seeds, sugar and salt, into a paste by adding about half a cup of water. 

Heat a in a small pan or tadaka pan. Add the mustard seeds, hing and let them splutter. Add 5-6 curry leaves and toss them about for few seconds. Remove from heat and add this tadaka in chutney. 

Serve Green coconut chutney with dosa, idli, medu-vada, uthappa, pakoda, paratha, batata-vada, ghavan etc or even in a Maharastrian thali/meal as side.

When you are serving this chutney with meal or Maharastrian snacks like batata-vada, keep it thick. Grind with little water. Don't add tadaka.

Variations:

# You can add lemon juice of half lemon for tangy taste.

# You can add ¼ cup of yogurt (curd) instead of lemon juice. 
    Just add 2 chilies more to balance spiciness .

# You can use coconut water instead of water for twist in taste. 

Ridge Gourd (Turai) Peels Stir-fry ~ Shiralyachya Salanchi Chuteny Kinva Bhaji

Ridge Gourd is a Indian vegetable, mostly available in monsoon. Ridge Gourd  is also known as Shirali, Dodaka, Turai, Chinese Okra. This gourd has tough skin. When we prepare this vegetable to cook, we remove this skin. But skin is also useful to making another dish, how?........... Read this recipe. This is our traditional recipe. This skin has lots of fiber and iron contains. So don't waste it.

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

Ingredients:

• Ridge Gourd - 250 gm (we are useing only peels)
• Chopped onion-  1 cup
• Green Chilli, cut- 3 to 4
• Garlic, bruised- 6 cloves
• Mustard seeds -  1 tsp
• Asafetida (Hing) - ¼ tsp
• Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
• Salt- to taste
• Oil- 3 tbsp
• Scraped fresh coconut-  ¼ cup 

Method:
Wash and peel the ridge gourds.  This recipe required only peels. 

Add 1 tsp of salt and mix. Now crush these peels using mortar-pestle (Khal-batta).
It will leave water. Squeeze and drain the water. Put this crush in bowl and add water.  Squeeze again and drain the water to remove the extra salt . 

Heat oil in a pan.  If possible, use iron deep griddle (bhakari tava) or kadhai. Add mustard seeds. When the splattering starts, add pieces of chilies, garlic and onion, sauté till translucent.  

Add turmeric, hing and sauté for a minute. Add squeezed crush and salt & mix well. Sprinkle some water. Cover & cook for 10-15 minutes or till cooked on simmer. Stir occasionally.

Garnish and mix scrapped coconut in it. 

Serve hot with chapati, bhakari or dal-rice or as side dish in a meal.

Shiralyachi Bhaji ~ Turai-Aaloo Sabji / Ridge Gourd & Potato Curry: for recipe plz click here.

Healthy Heart Oats Dumplings

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

Ingredients:

• Quick Oats - 1 Cup 
• Water - 3/4 Cup
• Onion, finely chopped - 2 tbsp
• Ginger, minced- 1 tbsp
• Carrot, finely chopped - 2 tbsp
• Green Peas - 2 tbsp
• Capsicum, finely chopped - 1 tbsp
• Green chilies, minced - 4 no.
• Scrapped fresh coconut - 2 tbsp (optional)
• Coriander leaves,finely chopped   – 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Hing (Asafetida) – ¼ tsp
• Olive oil - 3 tsp
• Salt – to taste

Method:

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, when they splits, add onion, ginger, green chilies, turmeric, hing, carrot, peas, capsicum and salt. Sauté  for 2 minutes. 
Then add water and bring it to a boil, simmer the flame and add oats to it and mix well, if it is too dry then sprinkle little water. Make sure the measurement of water is less than oats; otherwise it will become too sticky.

After a minute the oats will be cooked and become sticky in consistency. Put off the flame, add, grated coconut and coriander to it, mix well and allow it to cool.

Make equal sized small balls out of the mixture. 

Steam cook for 4 to 5 minutes or boil in microwave-proof steamer in microwave oven for 3 minutes.

Healthy and tasty oats dumplings ready to be served hot with tomato ketchup or any chutney.

Kokani Thin Mutton Curry

All non vegetarian lovers' delight, the Kokani mutton curry has the perfect blend of spices, onion-coconut paste. Enjoy this soupy spicy hot curry.........

Ingredients:

Mutton, washed and cubed- 1 kg

Turmeric powder- 1 tsp

Asafetida (Hing) - ½ tsp

Ginger- garlic paste- 4 tsp (use homemade paste, ready-made paste contains vinegar)

Onion,chopped- 1 large size (around ¾  cup)

Homemade Masala/ Malwani masala/ Sunday Masala- 5 to 8 tsp (as per your taste, I use 6 tsp)

Potato- 2 medium size (optional)

Bay leaf- 4 to 5

Cinnamon stick- 2 inch piece 

Black pepper corns- 6

Oil- 6 tbsp

For coconut paste-

Oil- 2 tsp 

Chopped onion- ¼ cup

Grated fresh coconut or dry coconut-  ¾ cup to 1 cup 

Poppy seeds (Khaskhas)-  ½ tsp
Black pepper corns- 2
Mace (Javitri)- 1 small
Coriander seeds- ½ tsp
Cumin seeds- ½ tsp
Fennel seeds- ½ tsp

Star anise-1

Cloves- 3

Black cardamoms (Badi elayachi)- 1

Green chillies- 1 or 2

Fresh coriander leaves- a handful or ¼ cup

Heat oil in a pan, add all dry spices and chopped onion, saute for 2 minutes. Add grated coconut, saute until brown in color. Let this mixture cool, grind with chilli, coriander and some water into fine paste. 

Method :

Marinate the mutton with ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, hing and salt for minimum 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in big pan or wok, add bay leafs, pepper corns, cinnamon and onion, saute till translucent. 

Add the marinated mutton and saute on high flame for 5 minutes.

Cut potatoes into two half and add in mutton.

Add some water. Cover the wok with s.s. plate. Pour some water on a plate. Cook mutton for 15-20 minutes on medium heat. This yellow curry is also very testy. 

You can have this yellow cury as "Mutton clear soup".........

Now add homemade masala or malwani masala and above mentioned coconut paste. Add some required water to adjust consistency of curry. Cover and cook on low to med heat for 45 to 60 minutes or till cooked. Stir occasionally. 

Check the salt and consistency of curry. If necessary, add some hot water. Add the same water which we pour on plate. This is a thin curry. Boil curry for 3-4 minutes. 

Serve hot with rice, chapati, bhakari, aamboli or vade.

You can cook this mutton in pressure cooker also. But it tastes better in slow cook method. You can prepare chicken curry (Kombadi rassa) with same ingredients and method. But remember that chicken need less time to cook.

कोकणी स्टाईल मटण रस्सा

साहित्य:

मटण - १ किलो

बटाटे- २ मध्यम आकाराचे 

आल-लसुण पेस्ट - ४ टीस्पून 

कांदा, चिरुन- १ मोठा 

हळद- १ टीस्पून 

हिंग- १/२ टीस्पून 

घरगुती मसाला किंव्हा मालवणी मसाला - ५ ते ८ टीस्पून  (आवडीनूसार कमी जास्त वापरा, मी ६ टीस्पून वापरला आहे ) 

तेल- ६ टे.स्पून 

दालचिनी- २ इंचाचा तुकडा 

काळी मिरी - ६

तमालपत्र- ६

मीठ - चवीनुसार 

वाटण-

तेल- २ टीस्पून 

खवलेल ओल  खोबर - ३/४ कप ते १ कप 

कांदा, चिरुन- १/४ कप 

लवंगा- ३
जिरे- १/२ टीस्पून 
मसाला वेलची- १

धणे- १/२ टीस्पून 

बडीशेप- १/२ टीस्पून 

खसखस- १/२ टीस्पून 

काळी मिरी- २

बाद्यान - १

जायपत्री- १ छोटी 

कोथिंबिर- १/४ कप किंव्हा मुठभर 

हिरवी मिरची- १ किंव्हा २

तेलावर सर्व खडे मसाले आणि कांदा टाकून १ मिनिट परतवा. त्यात खोबर टाकून खमंग भाजून घ्या. थंड झाल्यावर मिरची, कोथिंबीर आणि थोड पाणी टाकून बारीक वाटून घ्या.

कृती:
मटण स्वच्छ धुउन आणि कापून घ्या. मटणाला हळद, हिंग, आल-लसूण पेस्ट आणि मीठ लाऊन व्यवस्थित चोळा. कमीतकमी अर्धा तास मुरत ठेवा. 

कढई मध्ये तेल गरम करुन त्यात कांदा आणि वर दिलेले खडे गरम मसाले गुलाबी होइस तो पर्यंत परता. 

आता मटन घालुन चांगले ५ मिनिटे मोठ्या आचेवर खमंग परता. 

त्यात पाणी व एका बटाट्याचे दोन तुकडे या प्रमाणे तुकडे करून टाका. झाकणावर पाणी ठेऊन मध्यम आचेवर १५- २० मिनिटे शिजू द्या. 

मग मसाला आणि वाटण टाकून व्यवस्थित हलून घ्या. ४५ ते ६० मिनिट मंद आचेवर झाकण लाऊन शिजवुन घ्या.

मधेमधे हलवत रहा.  हा रस्सा पातळ असतो तेव्हा जरुरीनुसार गरम पाणी टाका. झाकानावरचे टाकले तरी चालेल. ४-५ मिनिटे अजुन शिजवा. चव घेऊन मिठाचे प्रमाण पहा. 

गरमागरम भात, भाकरी, आंबोळी किंव्हा वड्यासोबत वाढा. 

हे मटन कुकरमध्ये पण शिजवता येईल. पण बाहेर केलेल्या मटणाची चव काही न्यारीच असते. 

ह्या पद्धतीने कोंबडी पण शिजवता येईल. पण लक्ष्यात ठेवा, कोंबडी शिजायला कमी वेळ लागतो. 

Kokani Vade (Kombadi Vade/Malwani Vade)

These vade are a type of puri made from mix flours served with Kokani style chicken curry or mutton curry or black peas curry.
These vade is the part very famous combo dish "Kombadi Vade". Literally translate to chicken curry and multi-grains puri. This combo dish-"Kombadi Vade" is popular like "Rajama chawal" or "Chole bhature".
These vade are not made in only Malwan, they are made in entire Kokan region. But they are famous as "Malwani Vade"

Preparation of the "Vade" flour :

Ingredients:

• Rice- 1 kg [use mostly unpolished thick in size (not a long) rice which is used for bhakari/roti]
• Bengal gram split (chana dal)- 100 gm
• Black gram split (urad dal)- 50 gm
• Coriander seeds- 1 tbsp
• Cumin seeds- 1 tbsp
• Fennel seeds (badishep)- 1 tbsp
• Fenugreek seed (methi dana)- ½ tsp

Method:

• Wash rice, drain and dry in sun on a clean cotton cloth. Do not wash splits and other ingredients. Thus vade become soft and more tasty. But it is not very necessary to wash rice. It could go. In rainy season , we could not sundry rice. So do not wash, use as it is.
• Grind together in flour mill. Grind coarsely not too much fine. Vade flour is ready. Store it in a airtight container. Actually make flour fresh and use fresh flour better taste.

Notes:
If flour mill is not easily accessible or if you are living in a big city or outside of India, then these are the alternative methods, you can go for:

• Combine all flours (rice, bengal gram split, black gram split) and powder spices. 
• If black gram flour, fennel powder and fenugreek powder are not available, one more option is here: Soak black gram split, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds for minimum 2 hours. Grind together with spices like onion-green chili etc. This paste add in rice flour and gram flour Mix well and knead into a firm dough. 

Now come to main recipe.....

Ingredients:

• Vade flour- 3 cups 
• Onion- 1 large size
• Green chili- 2 to 3 (optional)
• Fresh coriander leaves- a handful (optional)
• Ginger- half inch piece (optional)
• Garlic-5 to 6 cloves (optional) 
• Salt to taste 
• Turmeric powder- 1 tsp 
• Oil to deep fry

Method:

• Put onion, green chilli, garlic, ginger, coriander in a mixer and some water. Grind together into paste. (Some people make this vade plain, but we use some spices like chilli, ginger-garlic, coriander. So you can omit this. But onion is must.)
• Take the vade flour in a big thali or bowl. Add salt, turmeric powder and above paste. Mix well. 
• Add enough warm water and knead into a firm dough like chapati/ roti. (The dough become loose due to fermentation.) 
• Cover and keep in warm place for whole night. 
  
• Make lemon sized balls. Take a piece of wet cotton cloth or plastic paper. If you are using a plastic paper, then grease it slightly with oil.
• Place the dough ball over it and lightly tap-press and spread with the fingertips to a puri. 
  
• Heat sufficient oil in a kadai/ wok. To check if oil is hot enough place a small piece of dough in oil and dough shpuld float to the top right away.
• Place the vada in the kadai, it should puff right away.
• Deep-fry the vade on medium heat till golden brown from both sides. (Some people do not fry properly, these vade look yellow and taste not good, raw/uncooked. ) 
  
• Drain and place on paper. 
  
• Serve hot with spicy chicken curry or mutton curry.

कोकणी वडे (कोंबडी वडे / मालवणी वडे)

पूर्वतयारी-(वड्यासाठी पीठ बनवणे ):
साहित्य:

• जाडा तांदूळ-१ किलो
• चणा डाळ - १०० ग्रॅम
• उडीद डाळ - ५० ग्रॅम
• धणे - १ टेबलस्पून
• जीरे -  १ टेबलस्पून
• बडीशेप-  १ टेबलस्पून
• मेथी दाणे - १/२ टीस्पून

कृती:
तांदूळ स्वच्छ  धुवा. निथळून सुती कापडावर पसरऊन वाळउन घ्या. डाळी व इतर पदार्थ धुउन घ्यायची गरज नाही. तांदूळ धुतल्यामुळे वडे मऊ व हलके होतात.
पण पावसामुळे किंव्हा घाई असेल तर तांदूळ नाही धुतले तरी चालतील.
वरील सर्व पदार्थ एकत्र करून गिरणीतून भरड दळून आणावे. पीठ हवाबंद डब्यात ठेवावे. खरतरं जेंव्हा वडे  करायचे असतील तेंव्हाच पीठ दळून आणावे. ताज्या पिठाचेच वाडे चांगले लागतात.

जर तुम्ही परदेशात राहत असाल किंव्हा तुमच्या आसपास गिरणी नसेल तर सुद्धा काही पर्याय आहेत. त्यांचा जरूर वापर करा.
१. सर्व पीठ आणि धने पूड वै. सर्व बाजारात उपलब्ध असतात. ते सर्व एकत्र करून वापरता येइल.
२. २ कप तांदळाचे पीठ, अर्धा कप बेसन, २ चमचे बारीक रवा आणि ६ उडदाचे पापड भिजऊन वाटून पीठ भिजवता  येईल.
३. उडदाची डाळ, मेथी दाणे, बडीशेप हे किमान २ तास भिजवायचे आणि आलं-लसूण-कांदा-मिरची सोबत वाटून तांदळाचे पीठ, बेसन, जरासा बारीक रवा यात एकत्र करून पीठ मळता येईल.

आता पाहू या पाककृतीचा मुख्य भाग…… 
साहित्य:

• वड्याच पीठ - ३ कप
• कांदा- १ मोठा
• हिरवी मिरची- २ ते ३
• कोथिंबीर - मुठभर
• आलं - १/२ इंच
• लसूण - ५ ते ६ पाकळ्या
• हळद- १/२ टीस्पून
• मीठ- चवीनुसार (मीठ जपून घाला, लक्षात ठेवा की हे वडे रश्यासोबत खायचे आहेत.)  
• तेल- तळण्यासाठी आवश्यकतेनुसार 

कृती:

• कांदा, मिरची, आल, लसूण, मिरची हे  सगळ वाटून घ्या. (काही लोकं आल- मिरची वै. वापरत नाहीत पण कांदा जरूर घालावा. कांद्यामुळे चांगली चव येतेच शिवाय पीठ आंबून येण्यास मदत होते.)
• एका परातीत वड्याचे पीठ, हळद, मीठ आणि गरम पाणी टाकून चपातीच्या कणकेप्रमाणे घट्ट मळून घ्या. (पीठ घट्टच मळायला हवे, आंबवल्यावर ते सैल होते.) 
• रात्रभर उबदार जागेत झाकून ठेवा.
• सकाळी पीठ फुगून येईल. छान मऊ  झालेलं असेल.
• एक भिजलेला सुती कपड्याचा तुकडा पोळपाटावर पसरून लिंबाएवढ्या आकाराचे पीठाचे गोळे करून वडे थापून घ्या. तेल गरम करून मध्यम आचेवर वडे  व्यवस्थित तळून घ्या. वडे  छान  फुगतात. (पीठ खूपच मऊ होऊन वडे थापता येत नसतील तर थोडे सुके पीठ घालुन मळून घ्या.)  
• काही लोक वडे पिवळे दिसायला हवेत म्हणून व्यवस्थित तळत नाहीत, पण असे वडे कच्चट लागतात .
• मग वाट कसली पाहताय ……… हे गरमागरम वडे गरम झणझणीत कोंबडीच्या किंवा मटणाच्या रश्यासोबत वाढा. शाकाहारी लोकांनी अजिबात निराश व्हायला नको, काळ्या वाटाण्याच्या किंवा हरभऱ्याच्या रश्यासोबत वडे खा.  

टीप: माझ्या सासूबाई रात्री पीठ मळल्यावर मध्यभागी वाटी ठेवून जळता निखारा त्यात ठेवतात. वरून जरासं तेल टाकून ते पीठ १५ मिनिटे झाकून ठेवतात. चवीत थोडा फरक पडतो. पण असं नाही केलं तरी चालेल. 

For recipe, plz clock on the link-

• Malwani Chicken Curry (Kombadi Rassa): http://purvasfoodfunda.blogspot.in/2014/07/malwani-kombadi-rassa-malwani-chicken.html
• Kokani Mutton Curry: http://purvasfoodfunda.blogspot.in/2013/08/kokani-thin-mutton-curry.html
• Sol Kadhi : http://purvasfoodfunda.blogspot.in/2014/07/sol-kadhi-flavored-kokam-coconut-milk.html