Drumstick Flowers Cutlets ~ Shevagyachya Fulanche Vade

Drumstick Flowers Cutlets is a unique but authentic recipe from Konkan. They are edible and taste like mushrooms or meaty. These are also used to make curry, chutney, dal and dosa.

My aaji/granny used to make these vade. Because we children didn't eat drumstick flower curry and she was very insistent that we had to eat all kind of seasonal vegetables. Drumstick flowers prevent frequent infections of the throat, chest and skin.

Drumstick Flowers:

Ingredients:

• Drumstick flowers, roughly chopped- 1 cup
• Scraped coconut- 2 tbsp
• Onion, finely chopped- ½ cup
• Bengal gram flour (besan)- 2 to 2½ tbsp (I roast besan slightly.)
• Rice flour- 1 tsp
• Tamarind thick pulp- ¼ tsp (optional)
• Roasted cumin powder- ½ tsp
• Coriander powder- ¼ tsp
• Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
• Asafoetida (Hing)- ¼ tsp 
• Green chili-coriander leaves paste- 2 tsp
• Salt- to taste
• Oil- as required

Method:

• Wash the flowers and drain.
• Combine drumstick flowers, onion, coconut, chili-coriander paste, tamarind paste, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, hing and salt to taste in a bowl and mix well. 
  
• Divide into lemon sized balls. Shape them into flat patties. 
• Heat a pan, sprinkle oil. Roast on low heat till crisp and golden brown. (You can deep fry also, but they absorb too much oil.) 
• Serve hot with tamarind chutney and coriander chutney. 

Notes:

• Select fresh and unwilted flowers. They should be whole and not broken.
• You can store drumstick flowers in refrigerator. Wrap in damp cloth or air-tight container  for upto 3-4 days.
• You can use red chilli powder and chopped coriander instead of green chili-coriander paste.

Drumstick Tree (Shevaga/Shekat):

Vegetable Cutlets

Vegetable Cutlet is simple, easy, delicious and healthy nutritious snack. Indian spices make this cutlet very tasty. 

Ingredients:

• Carrot, peeled and grated- 3 (1 cup)
• Beetroot, peeled and grated- 1 (1 cup)
• Green peas/matar- 1½ cup
• French beans- 100 gm (1 cup) 
• Cabbage- 250 gm (2 cups)
• Cauliflower- 150 gm (1 cup)
• Capsicum, finely chopped- 1 ( ½ cup)
• Potatoes, boiled- 3 med
• Ginger, chopped- 1 inch piece 
• Garlic- 8
• Green chilies- 2
• Fresh coriander leaves, chopped- a handful
• Garam masala- 2 tsp (I prefer Everest super garam masala)
• Red chili powder- 1 ½ tsp or to taste
• Chat masala- 1 tsp
• Salt- to taste
• Bread slices, crumbled- 5 to 6
• Fine Semolina (Rava)-  as required
• Oil- as required

Method:

• Boil potatoes and green peas. Peel and mash or grate potatoes. Remove water from boiled matar if any and mash. (I use microwave for this, because without water we can boil potatoes.)
• Crumb or grind bread slices in the grinder.
• Grind or crush ginger, garlic, chillies and coriander leaves without water.
• Peel, wash and grate carrots and beetroot.
• Wash and grate or finely chop cabbage, cauliflower and french beans. You can use food processor. 
• In microproof large sized bowl, put grated beetroot and microwave for 2 minutes on high.
• Put grated carrot in same bowl and microwave for 2 minutes on high.
• Put chopped beans in same bowl and microwave for 2 minutes on high.
• Put grated carrot in same bowl and microwave for 2 minutes on high.
• Put grated cabbage in same bowl and microwave for 2 minutes on high.
• Put chopped capsicum in same bowl and microwave for 1 minute on high.
• Put mashed potatoes and peas into this bowl.
• Add ginger-garlic-chilli paste/crush into this bowl.
• Add chili powder, garam masala, chat masala, salt and bread crumbs.
• Mix well and knead this dough. Divide into lemon sized balls. If you have difficulty then add more bread crumbs to give the dough some firmness.
• Shape them into flat patties. 
• Heat a pan, sprinkle oil. Coat each cutlet with rava and roast on the pan till crisp and golden brown. You can deep fry also and you can use dry bread crumbs for coating instead of rava.
• Serve hot with tomato ketchup and mint chutney. It can be used inside a burger bun as a patty.

Tips:

• If you don't have microwave oven, boil the vegetables in minimum water. Because if water content remain in boiled veggies, cutlet become soggy.
• You can use any vegetables which are available and your choice.
• Adjust spices as your taste.
• You can store this dough in deep freezer for 1 month. Keep in a airtight container.

Palak Raita ~ Spinach Salad

Palak Raita is very healthy. It’s full of iron, calcium, proteins and fiber. Bowl of this salad/raita fulfills your appetite.

Ingredients:

• Fresh and tender spinach leaves, shredded or finely chopped- ½ cup
• Green chilies, chopped- 1 tsp or Red chilli powder- ½ tsp
• Dates, chopped- 3 to 4
• Roasted almonds, finely chopped- 2 tbsp
• Curd (plain yogert)- ¾ cup
• Chat masala- ½ tsp
• Salt or black salt- to taste

Method:

• Wash spinach leaves. (Don’t use big, thick, rough leaves. Don't use steams.) 
• Remove the seeds of dates and cut them into small pieces.
• Chop or crush coarsely almonds. 
• Combine curd, chili powder, chat masala and salt in a bowl. Bit well.
• Add almonds, dates and chopped spinach. Mix well. 
• Eat it as raita in a meal or in a snack.

Tips:

• If you don't like raw spinach, use blanched spinach.
• You can use green chilli instead of chili powder. (Cut chilies into enough small pieces that you can remove later. If you like to eat spicy, use chili crush.)
• You can use roasted cumin powder instead of chat masala.
• You can add tadaka in this raita
• You can add black pepper.

Kothimbir Vadi : Method 2 ~ Coriander & Chickpea Fritters

Kothimbir Vadi is all time favorite tea time snack of Maharashtrians. I have posted earlier another recipe of "Kothimbir Vadi". This recipe is totally different from this. This recipe is mostly followed by Brahmin community and restaurants.

Ingredients:

• Coriander leaves, roughly chopped- 1 med size bunch (approx. 2½ to 3 cups)
• Bengal gram flour / Chickpea flour (besan)- 2 cups
• Rice flour- 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
• Chili powder- ½ tsp
• Cumin powder- 1 tsp
• Salt- to taste
• Water- 4 cups
• Asafoetida (hing)- ½ tsp
• Green chili paste/crush- 2 to 3 tsp
• Ginger~garlic paste- 2 tsp
• Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
• Sesame seeds (Til)- 2 tbsp
• Poppy seeds (khakhas)- 1 tsp (optional)
• Oil to fry- as required + 2 tbsp

Method:

• Separate out coriander leaves from it stem. You may use tender and small stems. Then wash coriander leaves very and drain off all excess water from that. Chop them nicely.
• Combine besan, rice flour, turmeric powder, chili powder, cumin powder and salt and mix well. Then gradually add water and keep stirring. Keep the batter lumps free. Set it aside.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a nonstick pan. Add cumin seeds, hing and saute. Then add ginger-garlic paste, green chilly paste and saute. Add sesame seeds, khaskhas and saute a while.
• Add the chopped coriander and pinch of salt. Saute for a minute. Then cover and cook for 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile grease to a plate with a some height or dhokala plate or baking square dish with oil.
• Then add the gram flour batter and keep stirring continuously. Cook on low to med heat. Ensure that no lumps are formed. Stir until mixture becomes thick.
• Mixture should become nicely thick. It will take approx 7-8 minutes. Batter will be separeted from pan side. Turn off the heat. 
  
• Put the mixture in the plate and spread the mixture evenly, pat with spoon and bowl/katori and make even layer. Set it aside for cooling for an hour. 
  
• Then cut into square shapes or shape of your choice. 
  
• Heat oil in the kadhai and deep fry the vadis on medium flame till they are crispy and golden brown. 
• Serve them hot with green chutney and date-tamarind chutney and peanut chutney or tomato ketchup. Everything goes well with this vadi.

Notes:

• Maintain the right consistency of batter while cooking. 
• You can shallow fry these vadies, but deep fried is more tasty. 
• You can bake them. Brush little oil on vadies and arrange them in a baking tray. Bake them on approx 150 C. It may take around 7 to 8 minutes. Flip the sides occasionally.

Amala Pickle ~ Aavala Lonache

Avala is loadeed with vitamin C. Fresh avalas are available in the winter and they can be preserved in several ways like candid avala, avala supari and pickle etc. This pickle is healthy as well as tickle your taste buds.

Ingredients:

• Amla/Avala (Indian gooseberries)- 250 gram
• Maharashtrian style mango pickle masala- 4 to 5 tbsp
• Asafoetida (hing)-¼ tsp
• Turmeric powder (haldi)- ½ tsp
• Oil- 8 tbsp
• Salt- 3 tsp or to taste

Method:

• Wash avala fruits and keep them on jali plate or starainer on a pressure cooker-separator(vessel).  
  
               
• Take 1 whistle. (The avalas should be cooked through, but not too soft that they will become mushy.) You can also use a steamer to cook the avlas. Again the avlas should not be directly exposed to the water. Let them cool. 
• Now avala can easily remove seeds but retain its shape and form, using your fingers. Separate out the slices of the amla. You can keep as it is or cut into small pieces. 
  
• In a big bowl combine avala, pickle masala, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well with soft hand.
• Heat oil till it smokes. Switch off the gas. When oil become little bit cool then add hing, otherwise hing will burn. 
• When oil come to room temperature, add this oil in pickle mixture bowl and mix well.
• Transfer the pickle in to clean, sterilize, dry and airtight glass jar.
• I use less oil for pickle. So keep this pickle in the freeze after 4-5 days. (Pickle with less oil will stay fresh for long time in refrigerator.)
• Marinate/keep this pickle for approx 6 to 8 days. 
• This pickle goes well with Paratha or Da-rice or Khichadi.

Tips:

• If you dont have your own homemade pickle masala. Use ready made masala. I prefer K-pra or Pravin mango pickle masala. 
• According to your taste you can add more masala or salt. 
• You can add more oil. Never add raw oil directly in the pickle.