Beetachi Koshimbir / Pachedi (Maharastrian Beetroot Raita/Salad )

A healthy, yogurt base Indian salad goes well with anything.

ही पाककृती  मराठीतून वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक करा.   

Ingredients:

• Beetroot – 1 med. size (approx. 1 cup)
• Yogurt/Curd- 1 cup (some less or more as your personal choice.)
• Green chili- 2
• Chopped fresh coriander- 2 tbsp
• Roasted peanuts- ¼ cup (or more as your like)
• Sugar- 1 pinch (optional)
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash, peel and grate the beetroot. Cut chilies into enough small pieces that you can remove later. Finely chop coriander. Peel & crush roasted peanuts coarsely. Bit the curd.
• Combine grated beetroot, chillies, coriander, peanut crush, curd, sugar & salt in a bowl. Mix well. Pachedi is ready. Serve with any type of pulao/birayani.
• You may make pachedi as same method with carrot, radish & cucumber individually. 
• But remember one thing …. when you are going to use cucumber. Don’t grate it, it discharge water, because of that ruined the dish. Cut cucumber into very small pieces.

Eggless Banana Loaf Cake (Banana Bread)

When children come home from school, they are very hungry. At that time they should eat healthy food like this. It's really easy and quick to make. 

Ingredients:

Plain/ all purpose flour (maida)- ½ cup

Wheat Flour- ½ cup

Banana (over ripe )- 1 

Almonds and walnuts, chopped- 1 tbsp

Black Raisins (Dry grapes)- 1 tbsp

Milk- ¼ cup

Baking powder- ½ tsp

Baking Soda- ½ tsp

Sugar-  ½ cup

Vegetable Oil- ¼ cup

Nutmeg powder-  ¼ tsp or Vanilla essence- ½ tsp

Salt- a pinch 

Method:

Mix maida, baking powder, soda and sieve them together.

In a mixing bowl, mash the banana well. Add oil, sugar & nutmeg powder. Mix well until everything comes together.

Add the dry ingredients & mix gently with a spatula. Add black raisins, almonds and walnuts into the batter and mix gently. Just fold all ingredients in one direction.

Now put the batter in greased and dusted baking tin.

Bake for 20 to 30 min at 180 °C in a preheated oven.

Check with a knief by from centre ,if kniefe comes out clean then cake is baked, if not then give it some more time. 

When baked , let it cool and then remove from tin as if you remove it hot then it will not come out whole.

Note : If the cake batter looks dry, add in 1-2 tbsp of milk.

Cheesy Masala Pav

Masala pav is a tangy street food, which is available in Mumbai.  This is a my version of "masala pav". Actually it is a one kind of open sandwich... which you can make for evening snacks.

Ingredients:
Pav buns- 4
Onion, chopped- ½ cup
Tomato, chopped- ½ cup
Capsicum, chopped- ½ cup
Garlic cloves, minced- 4
Jalapeno pepper or green chilli, finely chopped- 1 tsp
Olives, chopped- 1 tbsp
Basil leaves, chopped- 4
Dried oregano- ½ tsp
Olive oil- 1 tbsp
Salt and pepper- to taste
Process or cheddar cheese- as required
Butter- 2 tsp
Tomato ketchup- for serving


Method:

Heat oil in a pan, add garlic and onion. Saute till the onions turn translucent. 
Add capsicum, jalapeno or chili, saute for a minute.
Add tomato, salt, crushed black pepper, oregano and saute for 2 minutes. Masala is ready.

Heat butter on a tava (griddle), add ¼ th of the prepared masala and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds.

Slit pav buns vertically, cut and place them on the masala. Grill these pav on a medium flame for a few seconds.

Spread the remaining masala evenly over these pav and grate the cheese over them.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Varicha Bhat (Spicy Samo Rice) & Shengdaanyachi Aamti (Peanut Curry)

Ekadashi Special Fasting Recipe.......less oily and more nutritious. 

हि पाककृती मराठीतून वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक करा.  


Varicha Bhat (Spicy Samo Rice)

Ingredients:

• Vari/Bhagar(Morayo or Samo seeds)- 1 cup
• Water- 2 ½ cups
• Cumin Seeds- ½ tsp
• Green chilli- 1
• Scrapped fresh coconut- 2 tbsp (optional)
• Peanut oil or clarified butter- 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Dry roast vari till turns light brown. 
• Heat peanut oil or clarified butter in pan. Add cumin seeds & scrapped coconut. Sauté for 1 minute. 
• Add vari, salt & mix well. Add 2 ¼ of hot water & mix well. 
• Cover and cook on low heat for 5 to 7 minutes or till all the water is absorbed & vari become soft like rice.
• Serve hot with ‘Shengdanyachi Amati’ & yogurt.
• Eat as it is with only yogurt, it’s also tasty.
• It goes very well with Upavasachi kadhi, Upvasachi Batata Bhaji and Coconut Chutney also.

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Shengdaanyachi Aamti (Peanut Curry)

Ingredients:

• Roasted, peeled & unsalted peanuts- 1 cup
• Potatoes- 2 med. size
• Chili powder- 1 to 2 tsp (as per personal like)
• Cumin Seeds- 1 tsp
• Black peppercorns- 2
• Clarified Butter (Ghee) or oil- 1 tbsp
• Water-2 ½ cups or little more
• Jaggery – a pinch (optional)

Method:

• Grind peanuts & cumin seeds with some water into fine paste. Peel, wash & cut potato into small pieces.
• Heat oil in wok, add black peppercorns, chilli powder & potato. Sauté for 2 minutes. 
• Add some water & cook for 5 minutes. 
• Add peanut pest, water & salt. Cover & cook for 5 minutes. 
• Check the consistency of curry, if necessary then add water. Cook till potato cooks.

Dudhi (Bottle Gourd) Paratha

Dudhi/Lauki is a healthy vegetable which many do not like. My kids also do not eat it's curry. But paratha is not only healthy but tasty too. It can be eaten at the time of breakfast, lunch or dinner.
It tastes great when eaten with curry, subzi, curd, pickle, chutney or tomato ketchup.

ही पाककृती मराठीतून वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक करा. 

Yield : 16 parathas

Ingredients:

• Bottle gourd (lauki /dudhi), peeled & grated- 2 ½ cups
• Wheat flour- 3 cups
• Gram flour (besan)- 4 tsp 
• Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
• Asafoetida (Hing) - ¼ tsp
• Sesame seeds (Til)- 2 tsp
• Red chilli powder or green chilli crush- 2 tsp or as per your taste
• Cumin seeds powder (jeera powder)- 1 tsp
• Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp
• Chopped coriander leaves- ¼ cup
• Oil for kneding - 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying- as required

Method:
Peel and grate the dudhi. Squeeze lightly but do not throw it's juce.
Combine grated dudhi, turmeric powder, hing, ginger-garlic paste and gram flour. Microwave for 3 minutes.
Or heat 2 tsp oil in a pan, add grated dudhi, termeric powder, hing and ginger garlic paste and saute for few minutes. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes on simmer. Add gram flour, mix well and swich off the gas.

Add coriander, chilli powder or crush, sesame seeds, cumin seeds powder and salt.

Now add wheat flour to it. Knead it to a dough of rolling consistency. Add more wheat flour if required. Divide the dough into equal portion.

  

Take one portion of the dough, roll out each portion into a small circle's.
Use plastic sheet/paper to roll. Using plastic paper, you can roll the paratha without using extra flour. When you are roasting paratha, it will required less oil this way.

Heat a tava (griddle) and roast each paratha (circle) using a little oil, till it turns golden brown in colour on both the sides.

Serve hot with green tomato chutney or chunda or tomato ketchup or curd or any Indian pickle.

Snake Gourd Seeds Chutney

Usually we discard snake gourd seeds. But here is my version of south Indian influences chutney made by snake gourd seeds. It is good variation for typical coconut chutney.

ही पाककृती वाचा  मराठीतून ……इथे क्लिक करा. 


Ingredients:

• Snake Gourd seeds and pulp- ½ cup
• Green chilies- 2 to 3
• Mustard Seeds- ½ tsp 
• Cumin Seeds- ¼ tsp
• Fenugreek Seeds- 2-3 kernels (optional)
• Turmeric Powder- ¼ tsp
• Asafoetida (Hing)- a pinch
• Oil- 1 tbsp
• Tamarind- marble sized ball (or 2 tsp of pulp)
• Jaggery, grated- 1 tsp or as to taste
• Fresh coriander, chopped- 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste 

Method:
Soak the tamarind in water and set aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds; when they sputters, add hing, cumin seeds, chilies fenugreek seeds and turmeric powder. Add turmeric powder, snake gourd seeds and salt. Saute on simmer for 3-4 minutes. Let it cool.

Add fresh coriander, tamarind pulp,jaggery and grind it. 

Serve with dosa, neer dosa (ghavan), idali or any south-Indian snack. 

Masala Dudh (Maharastrian Style Flavored Milk)

Masala dudh is specially made for Kojagiri Pournima. Kojagiri Purnima or the full moon day in Ashwin month is celebrated in Maharashtra. But I think it is not necessary that we make masala dudh for only Kojagiri pournima. We can served in other functions also like Satyanarayan puja, Haladi-kunku or other religious functions Even can served on kid's birthday party or any gathering like Diwali party......

Ingredients:

• Milk - 1 liter (Use full fat milk for better result)
• Sugar - 5 to 6 tbsp (or according to your taste)
• Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
• Nutmeg powder - 1 tsp 
• Almonds - 15
• Pistachio - 15 
• Cashew nuts- 6 
• Charoli (chironji) - 1 tsp
• Saffron threads - 1 tsp
• Mix nuts flex- 1 tsp

Method:

• Dry roast almond, cashew nuts and pistachio little. Crush coarsely with using mortar and 
• pestle. You may use grinder. But I like this coarse texture, you feel in your mouth.
• Combine milk, saffron, sugar, cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, charoli and dry fruit 
• mixture in a heavy bottom or nonstick deep pan . 
• Boil milk on low flame for about 20 to 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Milk should reduce 
• a little. Garnish with mix nuts flex and saffron.
• Serve hot or cold as per your like. But usually it is served hot.

मसाला दुध

साहित्य: 

• दूध - १ लिटर (शक्यतो म्हैशीचे दुध वापरा)
• साखर - ५ ते ६ टेबलस्पून (किंवा आपल्या आवडीनुसार)
• वेलची पूड- १ टिस्पून
• जायफळ पूड - १ टिस्पून
• बदाम - १५
• पिस्ता - १५
• काजू - ६
• चारोळी - १ टिस्पून
• केशर - १ टिस्पून
• बदाम, पिस्ता व काजू यांच्या पातळ चकत्या - १ टिस्पून (सजावटीसाठी )

कृती: 

• बदाम, काजू आणि पिस्ता थोडे भाजून घ्यावेत. खलबत्त्यात किंव्हा मिक्सरवर भरडसर कुटावेत.
• (एकदम बारीक पूड पण करू शकता पण मला असे तोंडात बारीक बारीक तुकडे आलेले आवडतात.)
• एका जाड बुडाच्या पातेल्यात दूध, केशर, साखर, वेलची पावडर, जायफळ पावडर, चारोळी आणि कुटलेल्या सुकामेव्याची भरड एकत्र करा
• सुमारे २० ते ३० मिनीटे मंद आचेवर दूध उकळा. मधेमधे नीट ढवळावे . दूध थोडे आटले पाहिजे
• आपल्या आवडीनुसार गरम किंवा थंड सर्व्ह करावे. पण सहसा गरमच प्यायले जाते.

Diwali Wishes with Delicious Savory and Sweet Goodies

On this festival of lights, may the glow of joys.
Prosperity and happiness, illuminate your days in the year ahead.
HAPPY DIWALI ....!!!

Diwali Special Recipes: To read the recipe, plz click on recipe name. 
 पुढील रेसिपी वाचण्यासाठी जी रेसिपी वाचायची आहे त्यावर क्लिक करा.

• Multigrain chakali / Bhajanichya Chakalya / Murukku भाजणीच्या चकल्या
• Mathari मठरी /तिखट पुऱ्या
• Moongke Healthy Laddu (Poustik Mugache Ladu) मुगाचे पौष्टिक लाडू
• Chivada चिवडा
• Besan Ladoo बेसन लाडू
• Churama Ladoo चुरमा लाडू
• Rava-Coconut Ladoo पाकातले रवा-खोबरे लाडू
• Shankarpali शंकरपाळी
• Beet-Coconut Burfi बीट-खोबरं वडी
• Khari Shankarpali ~ Namak Pare खारी शंकरपाळी
• Khajur Wadi ~ Date Fudge खजूर वडी
• Sukya Khobaryachi Karanji ~ Maharashtrian Style Gujia सुक्या खोबऱ्याच्या करंज्या