Tondali Rassa Bhaji ~ Ivy Gourds Curry

Tondali Rassa Bhaji has mild spicy and nutty taste, goes well with roti.

Ingredients:

• Ivy gourds (tondli/ tindora)- 250 gm
• Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
• Asafoetida (hing)- ¼ tsp
• Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
• Home made masala- 3 tsp or (1 ½ tsp Red chilli powder + 2 tsp Goda masala)
• Peanuts, roasted & peeled-  2 tbsp
• Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
• Oil- 3 to 4 tbsp
• Salt- as per taste
• Fresh coriander, finely chopped- 2tbsp

Method: 

• Wash and wipe tondali. Cut the ends of ivy guards. Cut in the middle, make 4 to 6 parts lengthwise. 
• Grind peanut and cumin seeds with some water into fine paste.
• Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan or wok and add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds crackle, add asafoetida and tondali.
• Add turmeric powder and masala or chili powder. Sauté on a low heat for few seconds. 
• Cover and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes, while stirring occasionally. 
• Add salt, ground paste and some water to adjust consistency as per personal choice. Mix well and cover and cook on a low heat for 4-5 minutes or till tondli cooked, while stirring occasionally. 
• Add  goda masala, (jaggery, tamarind pulp if using) and some water if needed.
• Mix well and continue to simmer this curry for another 2 minutes. 
• Garnish with chopped coriander.  Serve hot with chapati/roti.

Tips:

• You can add to this curry 1 tsp tamarind pulp and ½ tsp jaggery. I also made as this, both are equally good in taste. 
• You can use fresh coconut paste instead of peanuts paste.
• Personally, I think that onion, ginger, garlic not goes well with any type of tondali curry.

Chinese Pakoda

Chinese Pakoda is an Indo-Chinese fusion snack born in Mumbai. This is very popular as Mumbai street food. We can see chinese pakoda's stalls in everywhere, these roadside pakodas are very unhealthy and unhygienic. Instead of buying them, you can make easily at home. They will be tasty and hygienic.You can serv this to your kids guilt-free.

Ingredients:

• Cabbage, finely chopped- 2 cups
• Spring onion- ½ cup (you can omit spring onion, as street hawkers are  not using) 
• Maida / Refined flour-  approx 1 ½ cup
• Corn Flour/Starch- 2 tbsp
• Ginger- 1 inch
• Garlic- 8 to 10 cloves
• Green chillies, chopped- 2
• Black pepper powder- ½ tsp (optional)
• Red chilli powder- 1 tsp or to taste
• Salt- to taste
• Baking soda- 1 pinch
• Red food colour- 1 pinch or 1-2 drops (optional)
• Oil for frying- as required
• Chopped spring onion green, Cabbage and Fried noodles- as required for garnishing

Ingredients:

• Coarsely crush or grind ginger, garlic and green chilli without water.
• Combine chopped cabbage, spring onion, ground mixture, black pepper powder, red chilli powder and salt in a bowl and keep a side for 5 minutes. Cabbage will release water.
• Now add maida, corn flour, baking soda and food colour. Just sprinkle little water, if required. Mix well. The batter should be thick, otherwise pakodas will not become crispy. 
• Meanwhile heat a sufficient oil in a kadhai. Drop small portion of batter and fry till crisp. Take them out on tissue paper
• Garnish with fried noodles, chopped spring onion and cabbage. Serve hot with schezwan chutney/sauce.

Ravyachi Kheer (Semolina Pudding)

Ravyachi Kheer is a Maharashtrian sweet dish made from semolina (rava). It is made using semolina,ghee, milk and sugar. This very tasty. quick and easy to make.

Ingredients:

• Semolina/sooji/rava- 2 tbsp
• Pure ghee- 2 tsp
• Milk- 2 cups
• Sugar- 3 tbsp or to taste
• Chironji/Charoli-  1 tbsp
• Cardamom/elayachi powder- ¼ tsp

Method:

• Heat ghee in a pan. Add rava and fry on a low heat for 4-5 minutes until light golden color.
• Meanwhile boil milk on other side. Add milk and chironji mix well. Stir continuously. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Add sugar and elayachi powder. Gently stir well for another 4-5 minutes on low heat. Make sure that lumps are not formed in kheer. 
• Serv hot. This kheer goes well with puri. 

Upasachi Kadhi /Vratki Kadhi

Upavasachi kadhi is normaly served with vari/samo rice. But it goes with any other dish.

Ingredients: 

• Fresh and thick buttermilk- 2 cups 
• Ginger, chopped- 1 inch piece 
• Green chillies, chopped- 2 to 3 
• Fresh coconut, scrapped- 2 tbsp 
• Pure ghee - 1 tbsp 
• Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
• Sugar- a pinch or to taste 
• Salt- to taste 

Method:

• Grind coconut, chilli and ginger without water if possible.
• Heat ghee in a kadhai. Add cumin seeds. When the splattering starts, add ground mixture. Saute for few seconds on low heat.
• Add Buttermilk in a kadhai. Add salt, sugar and start stirring on low-med heat.
• Do not boil much more, it becomes curdle or splits up.
• Switch off the gas when you see bubbles on sides of kadhai.
• Serve hot with vari/sama rice.

Tips:

• If buttermilk is not available, Combine 1 cup of sour curd and approx 1 cup of water, bit together. 
• If you like little bit thick kadhi, you can use Singhara/Shingada flour. Combine 1 tbsp  sighara flour and little buttermilk in a bowl and whisk together till become smooth paste. Mix this paste with buttermilk and make a kadhi
• You can use chopped fresh coriander for this kadhi if you eat coriander for fast.

उपवासाची कढी 

साहित्य:

• ताज आणि घट्ट ताक - २ कप 
• आलं, चिरून - १ इंचाचा तुकडा 
• हिरव्या मिरच्या- २ ते ३
• ओले खोबरे, खोवुन- २ टेबलस्पून 
• साजूक तूप-  १ टेबलस्पून 
• जिरे- १ टीस्पून 
• साखर- चिमूटभर किंवा आवडीप्रमाणे 
• मीठ- चवीनुसार 

कृती:

• मिरच्या, आलं आणि खोबरे शक्यतो पाणी न वापरता किंवा जरासं पाणी घेऊन वाटून घ्या. 
• कढईत तूप गरम करून जिरे टाका, जिरे तडतडले की मिरची-खोबऱ्याचे वाटण घालून जरासं परता. 
• त्यात ताक, मीठ व साखर घाला. मंद आचेवर कढईच्या बाजूला बुडबुडे दिसेपर्यन्त गरम करा. 
• उकळू नका. सतत ढवळत रहा.  
• वरीचा भात किंवा उपवासाच्या थालीपीठासोबत गरमागरम वाढा. 

टीप:

• ताक उपलब्ध नसेल तर १कप दह्यात साधारण १ ते दीड कप पाणी घालून चांगलं घुसळून ताक बनवा. 
• कधी घट्ट हवी असेल तर ताकाला १ चमचा शिंघाडा पीठ लावा. 
• उपासाला चालत असेल तर कोथिंबीर चिरून कढीत घाला. 

     

    

Bakar Bhaji ~ Spicy Pumkin Curry

Bhakar Bhaji means spicy pumkin curry. This pumkin curry has wonderful colour, texture and taste. You would love this curry even you don't ever like pumkin. This type of curry is mainly made in Vidarbha (a region of Maharastra) for feast of festivals and marrige ceremony.

Ingredients:

• Pumkin- 250 gm
• Dry coconut, grated- 1 tbsp
• Poppy seeds- 1 tsp
• Sesame seeds- 1 tbsp
• Goda masala- ½ tsp
• Red chili powder- 1 tsp or to taste
• Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
• Tamarind pulp- 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1 tsp 
• Salt- to taste,
• Jaggery-  ¼ tsp 
• Asafoetida/hing-  ¼ tsp 
• Oil- 3 to 4 tbsp
• Fresh coriander for garnishing, finely chopped- a handful 

Method:

• Peel and cut pumkin into cubes. 
  
• Dry roast sesame seeds, dry coconut, poppy seeds together in the kadai. When they become crisp and light brown, remove. 
  
• Grind coarsaly together coconut, poppy seeds, sesame seeds.
• Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, turmeric powder and hing. Saute for a second.
• Then add chopped pumpkin and mix well. 
  
• Add chilli powder and saute a while. 
  
• Add ½ cup water and salt. Cover and let cook until pumpkin is tender. Do not overcook.
  
• Add ground powder, goda masala, tamarind pulp, jaggery and mix well. Add some water if needed. Cover and cook on low heat. 
• After 2 minutes, turn the heat off. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. 
  
• Serve hot with chapati or dal-rice.

Tips: 

• Pumpkin should not be fully ripe, it’s little bit raw. Pumpkin should not be whitish yellow or should not be orange. 
• You can add ½ tsp garlic paste in this curry while tempering.

Suran/Jimikand Kebab ~ Yam/Elephant Foot Cutlets

Yam or Elephant Foot is known as Suran or Jimikand in India. This Tuber is a tasty and nutritious vegetable. We can use in many things like curry, stirfry and kebab.
During the Shravan, a holy month,  we do not eat non-vegetarian food. Suran is good  substitute to non-veg food. It's taste is satisfied our taste buds !
Chef Jategaonkar had shown a Chicken Kebab recipe in one TV show. So I decided to make this recipe with suran.
So here is recipe....

Imp Notes: 

• Sometimes Yam/Suran may be itchy. Rub oil on your palms while handling suran. 
• Use any souring agent while cooking to remove the itchiness of suran.

Ingredients:

• Suran /Yam- 500 gm (I got approx 2 cups mash from this.)
• Beresta (crispy fried onions used for biryani)- ½ cup
• Bengal gram flour (besan)- 2 tbsp (I roast besan slightly.)
• Garam masala powder- ½ tsp
• Chilli powder- ½ tsp
• Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
• Asafoetida (Hing)- ¼ tsp 
• Salt- to taste
• Oil- as required

Green Paste:- Grind coarsaly without water. 

• Green chili- 4
• Ginger- ½ inch piece
• Garlic- 3 to 4 cloves
• Cumin seeds- ½ tsp
• Coriander leaves, chopped- 2 tbsp

Method:

• Peel, wash suran and cut in cube.
• Boil in water with pinch of salt and 2-3 kokum or 1 inch tamarind piece. Use any souring agent to remove the itchiness of suran.
• Make sure that suran is properly cooked. Let it cool.
• Mash or grate suran cubes. You can use food-processor. 
• Combine mashed suran, besan, ried onion, green paste, garam masala, chilli 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 little oil. Shallow fry on low heat till crisp and golden brown. (You can deep fry also, but they absorb too much oil.) 
• Serve hot with mint chutney. 

Tip:
Beresta means....slice the onion and deep fry till they become crisp and golden brown.

Pangi / Pange

Pangi or Pange means rice flat bread which is wrapped and cooked in banana leaf. This is one more our Konkan special recipe. The banana leaves give a wonderful flavor to this bread.
This is made by different ways....
1. Sweet Pangi - is made with ripe banana or cucumber. (I have given this recipe here.)
2. Savory Pangi- which is made with green chili, cumin seeds, coriander leaves etc.
3. Plain Pangi- which is served with curry or chutney as a roti.

As our family tradition, we are made this in ganesh festival especially on the day when Gauri Mata arrives.

Ingredients:

• Rice flour- ½ cup
• Fine semolina/ barik rava- 1 tbsp
• Jaggery- ¼  cup or as your likes
• Nutmeg powder- a pinch
• Ripe bananas- 2 
• Pure ghee- 1 tbsp
• Salt- a small pinch
• Banana leaves- for wrapping 

Method:

• Grate jaggery and dissolve in very little water.
• Mash the bananas well.
• Combine banana mash, nutmeg powder, salt, rava and rice flour. Mix well.
• Add jaggery water and knead well. Use water if needed. The dough should not be too thick or too loose.  
  
• Add ghee and knead again. Rest this dough for 30 minutes.
• Knead dough again and divide into 3 parts.
• Heat a griddle/tawa or pan.
• Take one banana leaf. Using wet hand, spread the dough into a circle using your fingers. The disc should be even and not too thick. You can make more thin. 
  
• Fold the leaf and make a parcel.  
  
• Shift the parcel on the preheated tawa. Cover with a lid. 
  
• Let it cook on medium flame for about 2-3 minutes or till the banana leaf underneath appears roasted/burnt.
• Flip the banana leaves parcel using a tong and cook on the other side. Then carefully put out the pangi from the banana leaf.
  
• Serve hot with pure ghee and milk.

पानगे/पानगी

कोकणात पानगे/पानगी आणि पातोळे हे दोन पदार्थ केले जातात. हे दोन्ही पदार्थ पूर्णपणे वेगळे आहेत. पानगे सुद्धा वेगवेगळ्या प्रकारे केले जातात.
एक प्रकार म्हणजे केळ किंवा काकडी वापरून बनवलेले गोड पानगे, दुसरा प्रकार म्हणजे  जिरे, मिरची, आलं चे वाटण लावून बनवलेले तिखट पानगे आणि तिसरा प्रकार म्हणजे भाकरीप्रमाणे  ना गोड ना तिखट, चटणी किंव्हा कुठल्याही रश्यासोबत खायचे.
आज मी त्यातला गोड प्रकार दाखवणार आहे. गौरीचे आगमन झाल्यावर त्या संध्याकाळी नैवेद्यात हे पानगे आमच्याकडे बनवतात.  
केळीच्या पानात भाजल्याने पानग्यांना एक छान सुवास येतो.

साहित्य:

• तांदूळ पीठ- १/२  कप
• रवा- १ टेबलस्पून
• गुळ- १/४  कप किंवा आवडीप्रमाणे कमीजास्त
• जायफळ पूड- चिमूटभर
• पिकलेली केळी- २
• मीठ- एक छोटी चिमूटभर
• साजूक तूप- १ टेबलस्पून
• केळीची पाने- गुंडाळण्यासाठी

कृती:

• गुळ हाताने मोडून किंवा किसून घ्या.  आणि अगदी थोड्याश्या पाण्यात विरघळून घ्या.
• केळ कुस्करून घ्या.
• त्यात रवा, तांदुळाचे पीठ , मीठ घालून व्यवस्थित कालवून घ्या.  
• नंतर त्यात गुळाचे पाणी टाकून मळून घ्या. तूप टाकून पुन्हा मळून घ्या. कणिक फार घट्टही नको आणि सैलही.
• अर्धा तास हे कणिक झाकून ठेवा.
• अर्ध्या तासानंतर पुन्हा मळून त्याचे ३ ते ४ गोळे करा.
• पाण्याचा हात लावून केळीच्या पानावर भाकरीप्रमाणे थापून घ्या. खुप जाड थापू नका. (माझ्या सासूबाई फार पातळ थापत नाहीत पण तुम्ही आमच्या पानगीपेक्षा पातळ थापले तरी चालेल.)
• पानगा थापून झाला कि पण दुमडून त्याचे पाकीट बनवावे.
• हे पाकीट गरम तव्यावर झाकण ठेवून २-३ मिनिटे भाजून घ्यावे.
• नंतर दुसऱ्या बाजूने २-३ मिनिटे भाजून घ्यावे. केल्याचा 
• भाजून झाल्यावर पानातून हलकेच सोडवावे.
• गरम गरम पानगे साजूक तूप आणि दुधाबरोबर खायला द्यावेत.  

टीप: आम्ही एकदा तांदुळाच्या पीठाऐवजी गव्हाचे पीठ आणि चिमूटभर बेकिंग पावडर वापरून पानगे केले होते. छान झाले होते.  

Ghosale /Gilka Bharit

Green Sponge Gourd is known as Ghosale or Gilka in Maharastra. 
I didn't like ever 'Ghosale' as bhaji. But our Khandeshi neighbour Mrs. Sarode taught this bharit to my mother, and I love it.
You also try once, I am sure, you will also like it.

Ghosale / Green Sponge Gourd :

Ingredients:

• Ghosale / Gilaka / Green Sponge Gourd- 3
• Onion, finely chopped- 1 cup 
• Coriander leaves, finely chopped- a handful
• Green chilies, cut- 3 to 4
• Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
• Asafoetida ( Hing)- ½ tsp
• Oil- 2 to 3 tbsp
• Salt- to taste
• Jaggery- 1 tsp or to taste
• Tamarind- a small lemon sized ball or Tamarind thick pulp- 2 tbsp

Method:

• Wash and scrap off gourds. Do not peel. You can use without scrapping also.  
  
• Cut into thin slices. 
  
• Take heavy bottom pan or wok. I use iron deep tava which is used for bhakari.
• Heat oil in a pan/tava or kadhai and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add chillies, turmeric powder and hing. Saute a while.
• Add chopped gourds and saute. 
  
• Add salt, mix well and cook until they become very soft and will look like mashed. 
  
• Transper this mash in a bowl. Let it cooled.  
• Combine cooked mash, chopped onion, chopped coriander and tamarind pulp+jaggery ( Dissolve jaggery in tamarind pulp). Add tamarind pulp as needed or your personal choise.
  
• Serv with hot roti or bhakari.  
  

Kakadiche Thalipeeth / Tavsoli ~ Cocumber Pancake

Kakadiche Thalipeeth / Tavsoli is mainly made in Konkan and Goa. Traditionaly rice flour+semolina is used for this thalipeeth. But here I used Bhajni/Roasted multi-grain flour. 
This type of thalipeeth / Tavsoli is made from big cucumber known as Tavas, Tavshe or Tavsal. This thalipeeth is made as sweet also. This big cucumber is available only in monsoon.

Tavas, Tavshe or Tavsal:

Ingredients:

• Cucumber, grated- approx 1 ½ cup from 1 cucumber
• Bhajni/Roasted multi-grain flour- approx 1 cup (as needed)
• Green chillies, chopped or crushed- 4 to 5
• Garlic- 5 to 6
• Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
• Fresh coriander, finely chopped- a handful
• Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
• Hing- ¼ tsp
• Sesame seeds- 1 tbsp (optional)
• Salt- to taste
• Oil for frying- as required

Method:

• Peel and grate cucumber. Squeeze grated cucumber. Do not throw this cucumber juice, use as needed.
• Griend green chillies, garlic, cumin seeds and coriander coarsaly. Do not use water for griending if possible.
• Combine bhajani flour, grated cucumber, coarsaly ground green masala, sesame seeds, turmeric powder, hing and salt. 
  
• Mix well. Do not use water for kneading, use cucumber juice as needed. Kned well. This is loose dough. Divide into 4-5 parts. 
  
• Drizzle little oil over griddle/tava. Take 1 part of dough and place it in the centre of the pan. Spread the dough into a circle using your fingers. The disc should be even and not too thick. 
  
• Place this tava on high flame. Spoon some oil along the sides of the dodak and center hole. Cover with a lid and turn the flame to medium. 
• Remove after a minute or when the top appears dry. Turn over and fry on the other side. 
• Serve hot with tomato ketchup or curd/yogert.

Tips:

• You can use rice flour+ fine semolina to make this thalipeeth.
• You can make sweet version of this thalipeeth. Use 2-3 tbsp jagerry and pinch of nutmeg powder. Omit chili, garlic, coriander leaves and cumin seeds. Use rice flour+semolina instead of bhajani flour.

Nutmeg Fruit Pickle

Nutmeg available in Konkan belt in large amount in monsoon. The nutmeg fruits are very sour, so we are made pickle from these fruits. This is a not my innovation recipe, this is a traditional recipe. Even I have heard that pickle is made in Kerala also. 
Here is the simple recipe.....

Introduction: 

Nutmeg/Jayfal Tree and Fruit -

You can see here, Nutmeg fruits (whitish coloured), Jaypatri or Mace (Redish coloured) and Jayfal or Nutmeg. This fruits arrive in monsoon. 

These are nutmeg seeds. Actual nutmeg is inside the seeds. 

Ingredients:

• Nutmeg fruits- 12 
• Maharashtrian style mango pickle masala- 100 gm
• Asafoetida (hing)-½ tsp
• Turmeric powder (haldi)- 1 tsp
• Oil- approx 1 cup
• Salt- 5 tsp or to taste

Method:

• Clean, cut and remove the inner seed. Cut fruits (fleshy whitish part) into small pieces. 
  
• Rub salt and turmric powder on these pieces. Use cyramic, glass or plastic bowl. Keep this overnight. At morning, discard water/juices if any. Spread this pieces on cotton cloth and dry them under fan.    
• In a big bowl combine nutmeg pieces, pickle masala and 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. Make sure that floate some oil on pickle.
• Marinate/keep this pickle for approx 15 days. Store in clean and dry glass container. You may refrigerate it. (Pickle stay fresh for long time in refrigerator.)

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 salt. 
• You can add more oil. Never add raw oil directly in the pickle. 

जायफळाचे लोणचे 

आमच्याकडे चौल-अलिबाग व मुरुड भागात खूप जायफळ पिकतात. पावसाळ्यात हि फळे मिळतात. हि जायफळाची फळे चवीला खूप आंबट असतात. त्यामुळे आमच्याकडे त्याचे लोणचे करण्याची पद्धत आहे. जायफळाची गोडसर चव लोणच्यात अजिबात जाणवत नाही. मुरल्यानंतरही साल थोडीशी कडक राहते. 
जायफळाची फळे मधोमध  कापून घेतली असता त्यातून बी निघते. बी वरील लाल आवरण म्हणजे जायपत्री. बीचे काळे कडक आवरण फोडले असता त्यातून जायफळ निघते. हि जी पांढरट फळे दिसत आहेत त्यापासूनच मुरंबा आणि लोणचे बनवतात. पावसाळ्यात हि फळे येऊन लागतात. काही ठिकाणी त्याचे सरबतही बनवतात.

साहित्य:

• जायफळाची फळे  - १२
• घरगुती किंवा तयार लोणचे मसाला- १०० ग्रॅम  ( मी केप्रचा कैरी लोणचे मसाला वापरला)
• हळद- १ टीस्पून 
• हिंग- १/२  टीस्पून 
• तेल- अंदाजे १ कप (२ वाट्या)
• मीठ- ५  टीस्पून किंवा चवीनुसार 

कृती:

• जायफळ धुवून आणि कोरडी करून घ्यावीत. मध्ये चीर देऊन त्यातील आतील बी व जायपत्री काढावी. बाहेरील फळाच्या भागाचे तुकडे करू घ्यावेत.  
• जायफळाच्या तुकडयांना मीठ व हळद लावून रात्रभर ठेवा. शक्यतो चिनी मातीचे  किंवा काचेचे किंवा प्लास्टिकचे  वाडगे/बरणी वापरा. 
• सकाळी त्याला जे थोडेसे पाणी सुटते, ते पूर्णपणे काढून टाका. सुती  कपड्यावर पसरवून  थोड्या वेळासाठी पंख्याखाली ठेवा.  
• नंतर जायफळाचे तुकडे आणि मसाला एकत्र करा.   
• तेल वाफ/धूर येईपर्यंत गरम करावे. गॅस बंद करून तेल जरा थंड झाल्यावरत्यात हिंग घालून फोडणी तयार करावी. जळवून देऊ नये. तेल थंड झाल्यावर ही फोडणी लोणच्यावर घालून निट मिक्स करावे. 
• स्वच्छ, सुक्या व हवाबंद काचेच्या बरणीत भरून ठेवावे. लोणचे बरणीत भरल्यावर वर तेलाचा थर हवा नाहीतर बुरशी येते. (तेल कमी पडल्यास तेल वाढवावे. कच्चे तेल लोणच्यात कधीही घालू नये. तेल गरम करून थंड झाल्यावरच लोणच्यात टाकावे.) अंदाजे १० ते १५ दिवसात लोणचे मुरते. लोणचे मुरल्यावर फ्रिझमध्ये ठेवलेत तर जास्त काळ टिकेल.