Dassera pics n Mohan thal-Gramflour Fudge

Sorry friends haven't posted  any recipes since the last week.Did cook a lot but couldn't blog as had a super  busy week with Navratri,Dassera,pooja,havan at home and if that wasn't enough our town hosted their annual Diwali function last  week and my kids  had participated in a dance for that.So in between school, dance practices,dress rehearsals and temple visits I was also allocated by the choreographer the task  of buying thirty yards of fabric and cutting 16 skirts ,scarves and dupattas out of them which were then stitched into dance costumes by the moms .Believe me I haven't cut so much as  a handkerchief in my life so with this enormous task on hand had a really busy time juggling several things at once..Everything turned out great in the end.The costumes and the kids in them looked oh so cute,the dance went off well,managed to clean and prepare the home before the pooja and havan and could also visit the temple for a couple of nights on Navratri and  the Ram -Leela and Raavan dahan on Dassera.Here are some pics below as well as a recipe for Mohan -thal a fudge made out of gramflour. 

Mohan thal

A delicious ancient recipe made out of gram flour which stays good even without refrigeration.Gram flour when roasted in ghee emits a delicious nutty aroma and taste. 

Ingredients:

250 gms gram flour/besan (you can use mohan thal flour which is also gram flour but coarser in texture if you find it or regular gram flour is fine)

200 gms ghee

300 gms  sugar

 2 tbsp ghee 

2 tbsp milk

pinch of saffron

few slivered almonds

1 tsp cardamom pwdr

1/4 tsp nutmeg pwdr

Directions :

Take the gram flour in a dish .Add the 2 tbsp warm milk and 2 tbsp warm ghee to it .Mix  the flour well and leave aside for 5 mins. Seive it through a thin seive .The consistency of the seived flour will be like semolina/rava .

Heat the ghee in a non-stick pan. Add the seived flour to it and roast stirring constantly till the flour changes color to a light brown and emits a lovely nutty aroma.Once it cools adds the cardamom and nutmeg opwders to it.

In another vessel,make the sugar syrup by adding equal quantity of water to the sugar and boiling it together to a one thread consistency.Add a pinch of saffron to it while it boils.One both cool mix them well..grease a steel thali and spread the mixture evenly on it. Decorate with slivered almonds. .Once cool cut into rectangles.

Mohan thal

Dassera pooja and havan at home

38 ft Raavan effigy




Ram Leela- US style

 

add warm milk annd ghee to the gram flour  

seive through a fine seive

measure all ingredients

roast in ghee to a light golden brown

remove on a greased plate

making saffron flavored sugar syrup

Stuffed Eggplant and Potatoes-Gujarati style

Another simple yet delicious Gujarati vegetarian dish known locally as "Aakhu Shaak" literally meaning whole vegetables..Takes only around 25 mins to prepare from start to finish.

Ingredients : 6-8 small eggplants

6-8 small whole potatoes or halved big ones

3 tbsp Olive oil

Stuffing :

1 cup fresh green peas

1  tomato finely chopped

1 small bunch spring  onion finely chopped

1/4 th cup chopped coriander leaves

2 green chillies finely chopped

4-5 green garlic chives chopped

2 cloves of garlic grated

1/2 inch ginger grated

1/4 th tsp turmeric pwdr

1/4th tsp chili pwdr

1/2 tsp coriander pwdr

1/4th tsp cumin pwdr

juice of 1/2 lime

salt n pepper to taste

Directions : Slit the eggplants and potatoes in the center but not all the way through (see pic below)  .

In a bowl mix well all the ingredients listed under 'Stuffing'.Stuff the eggplants and potatoes with the stuffing .Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan .Place the stuffed eggplants and potatoes stuffed side up .Spread out the remaining stuffing around them. Add 1/2 cup water and gently stir around the stuffed vegetables.Cover and cook till potatoes are tender.Garnish with chopped coriander.Serve hot with chapatis.

Stuffing



This recipe is being sent to Flavors of Gujarat event

Check the link below for a CSN giveaway at
Smita's Blog


http://littlefoodjunction.blogspot.com/2010/09/giveaway.html

Yogurt based Sweet n Spicy Okra Curry- Gujarati bhinda ane dahi ni kadhi

http://happyhealthyfuncooking.blogspot.com/2010/08/ongoing-events-csn-giveaways.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FsxFKK+%28Happy%2CHealthy%2CFun+Cooking%29http://simplysensationalfood.blogspot.com/2010/08/announcing-event-flavours-of-gujarat.html

Gujarati Kadhi

Okra Kadhi with corn khichdi

Another classic time tested Gujarati dish from my mom's kitchen !!I absolutely love this kadhi which has a sweet ,sour and spicy  flavor .It is super simple to prepare , takes less than 10 mins from start to finish but tastes like you worked  hours making it. I love it hot with Corn Khichdi and pickle on  days when I eat and cook only vegetarian or when I'm running late but still want a delicious home cooked hot meal!.The same kadhi can be made plain without the okra/ladyfingers.
If you are making it for the first time prepare a small quantity as shown  below and strictly follow directions for a very authentic flavor and texture.Gujarati kadhis are  sweeter and thinner than the North Indian ones .



Ingredients:

3/4th  cup yogurt(dahi)
3/4th  cup water
1 tbsp besan(chickpea flour)

8-10 whole baby okra/ladyfingers[crisp pan fried seperately with a lilttle salt and pepper]
1 finely chopped small green chili

1/4th inch grated ginger

1 tbsp sugar

salt to taste

coriander leaves(cilantro)

                                                              Spices tempered in hot ghee

Tempering spices ( Tadka/baghaar/chauk ):
2 tsp pure ghee(clarified butter)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
4 fresh curry leaves
1/2  whole dry red chili without seeds

less than a pinch of Asafoetida(hing)

Important notes: Heat the kadhi on a LOW flame all the time stirring occasionally to prevent the curds and whey from seperating.Keep all the tempering spices ready   because you have to add them quickly one after the other .They should swell up and lightly brown but not burn If they burn the yogurt will pick up the burnt flavors and not taste good.

Asafoetida(hing) is extremely pungent and can quickly overpower a dish so be very careful while adding it especially to a yogurt dish.The slightest pinch is enough for the quantity below otherwise you can omit it.


Directions :

Whisk the yogurt and besan (chickpea flour) with a fork in a steel pot till no lumps remain .Add the whole okra,chopped chili,grated ginger,sugar,salt and water and mix well.Simmer on a LOW  flame stirring till it comes to a boil.

Pour the hot ghee and spices over the hot kadhi

In another  small tempering bowl, heat the ghee.To the hot ghee add the mustard seeds,cumin seeds,dry red chili,hing and curry leaves in that order.Let the spices crackle and swell but not burn for  around 10-15 secs .Add the hot temepered ghee and spices  to the  kadhi mixture .Mix well ,simmer for 30 seconds on the lowest heat .Turn off the heat and add chopped coriander leaves.Serve hot with Corn Khichdi (recipe to be posted soon)

This recipe is being sent to Flavors of Gujarat -event

This recipe is being sent to Divya's -Show me your curry Event

This recipe also goes to Kiran's veggie/fruit a month -Okra

Fennel flavored Chickpeas and Bottle Gourd Curry-(Gujarati dudhi-chana nu shaak)

http://priyaeasyntastyrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/07/announcing-cooking-with-seeds-fennel.html


http://www.nithubala.com/2010/08/250th-post-cwf-lb-chickpeas-event.html

The predominantly  vegetarian Gujarati cuisine caters to all the five tastes (sweet,sour,bitter,salty and pungent )

The addition of  all five flavors together in a dish wakes up even the most mundane of vegetables and makes them taste exotic .This is my mom's recipe for making bottle gourd (also known as dudhi/lauki/ghiya etc in Indian languages) and chickpeas

It's a very rustic almost ethnic dish but power packed with flavors and my kitchen is smelling awesome with the sweet heady liquorice aroma of tempered  fennel seeds.The chickpeas add a hearty robust bite and the fennel seeds  lighten up the dish  to such an extent that you won't feel heavy after eating it.

You must definitely try this dish atleast once to understand why I'm raving so much about it !!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium bottle gourd /dudhi peeled ( about two cups when cubed)

1 15oz (425 g)can of organic tender cooked garbanzo beans /chickpeas

Note : If using dry chickpeas ,soak them overnight in water and boil them till  tender but not mushy

1 large tomato

1 small red onion

1/4th inch grated fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic freshly grated

1 tsp brown sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

Tempering spices :

1 tsp Paanch Puran

[Paanch Puran is a mix  five whole spices namely cumin,mustard,nigella(kalonji/onion seed),methi and fennel (saunf) mixed together in equal proportions ]

1 tsp  fennel seeds

1 whole dry red chilli

Ground spices

1/2 tsp turmeric pwdr

1 tsp coriander pwdr

1/2 tsp chili pwdr

1/2 tsp cumin pwdr

1/2 tsp pepper pwdr

1 tsp chana masala pwdr (I like MDH) 

Directions :

Heat oil in a deep pan. Add the paanch puran to the hot oil ,the dry red whole chili  and fennel seeds and toast for 10 secs.Add the sliced onion and stir till transluscent.Add the grated ginger garlic paste and stir .Add the chopped tomatoes and ground spices : turmeric,chili,coriander,cumin ,chana masala pwdr ,  salt and pepper.Stir fry and cook till the oil seperates from the  mixture.

Add the chopped dudhi and mix well.Cook covered for around 5-7 mins. Add the brown sugar  and the whole can of chickpeas with 1 cup water  ,mix well cover and cook for 15 mins or till the dudhi is tender but not mushy.Add the lemon juice .

Serve hot with chapatis or white rice.

Add caption

Tempering fennel and paanch puran spices

This recipe is being sent to Flavors of Gujarat -event

Sweet Potato and Pistachio pudding

Sweet potatoes(Yam) are extremely nutritious ,very rich in complex carbs and vitamins .
Here's a very simple and delicious recipe which  my mom used to make .If the sweet potato is already baked this dish takes only 5-7 mins to make.I normally bake the sweet potato and refridgerate the night before as it saves time in the morning to make it for breakfast.

Note: While choosing sweet potatoes look for well rounded ones which are heavier for their size. It also is a good idea to choose organic ones as roots tend to absorb all the pesticides and chemicals from the soil that they grow in.

Ingredients:


1 large sweet potato (baked in microwave at the 'bake potato ' setting or boiled )
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 tbsp sugar or as per taste
2 tbsp ground pistachios
pinch saffron
pinch nutmeg pwdr
seeds of 3 green cardamoms

Directions:
Peel the baked sweet potato and mash smooth..Heat the milk with saffron and sugar  .Heat ghee in a non-stick pan.Add the mashed sweet potato and stir fry for a minute.Add the hot milk  containing the saffron and sugar to it.Add the ground pistachios and nutmeg pwdr .Stir till the milk absorbs and blends well.Crush the cardamom seeds and add to it .Serve hot.

Baingan ka Bharta-Smoked mashed Eggplant curry(dry)

Ingredients:

3 tbsp Olive oil
1 large eggplant
1 medium red onion finely sliced
1 medium tomato chopped
1 green chili deseeded and finely chopped (add 2 or more if you like it hot)
1/2 inch ginger grated
2 cloves garlic grated
1/2 tsp red chili pwdr
1/2 tsp turmeric pwdr
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp coriander pwdr
1/2 tsp pepper pwdr
2 tbsp whipped plain yogurt (dahi)
Salt to taste
Cilantro to garnish

Directions :
Make tiny holes all over  the eggplant with a fork .Rub it all over with olive oil.Roast it on the cooking range turning it occasionally till the outer skin is charred and the eggplant is tender. You can alternately bake  it in the oven at 400 F for 30 mins or for a very authentic smoky flavor grill it on a charcoal grill .Let it cool ,then peel the skin , mash the eggplant and keep aside.

Method for  roasting  eggplant 

Heat oil in a pan .Add cumin seeds,when they brown add the onions and saute till they are transluscent.Add the grated ginger and garlic.Stir for 30 seconds. Add the chopped tomato,green chili  , powdered  spices and salt and cook on a medium flame till oil seperates from the mixture.

Add the mashed eggplant ,stir in the yogurt.Mix well and cook on a low flame for 5 mins. Garnish with coriander leaves..Serve with chapatis.

Spicy Fish Fry

1 lb fish of choice ( I have used Pompano here which is very similar to Pomfrets but is a native of Florida)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour or rava(semoliona)
Oil for frying


For the dry spice rub :
1 tsp chili pwdr ( use Paprika if you don't want it hot)
1/2 tsp turmeric pwdr
1 tsp coriander pwdr
1/2 tsp cumin pwdr
1/2 tsp garlic pwdr
1/2 tsp pepper pwdr
Salt to taste
Juice of 1/2 a lime

 In a plate mix together all the dry rub ingredients .In another plate spread out the flour or semolina.

Wash and pat dry the fish pieces. Coat them evenly with the spice rub first and then coat evenly with the flour.The flour prevents the spices from splattering and burning in the oil and keeps the fish well coated.

Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the fish 3 mins on each side. Sprinkle with lime juice and serve  hot.

Tadka dal (Split lentils tempered with whole spices)

Dals  are a staple in Indian everyday meals .They are normally eaten as a side dish with rice and chapatis

and any main veg or non-veg dish of choice.There are various methods of making dals .This is one of them.

 

Note : Tempering  (Tadka) is a technique in which whole spices are flash fried in hot oil or ghee to release their flavors  .They are then added to the dal.The oil has to be hot before you add the spices .If you add the
 spices to cold oil and then heat both  together they will not give the desired effect

Ingredients :

1 cup toor dal

1 small red onion sliced

1 medium tomato chopped

1/2 inch ginger grated

1 whole green chili slit

1/2 tsp turmeric pwdr

1/2 tsp pepper pwdr

1 tsp coriander pwdr

5-6 curry leaves

Tempering spices :

1 tsp cumin seeds

1tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp white urad dal
3-4 cloves

Directions :
Wash and boil the dal with turmeric and salt till it is soft .Mash and keep aside.
In a seperate pot ,heat oil add mustard seeds,cumin seeds,cloves and urad dal to it.They'll immediately swell and crackle and turn light brown in around 10 seconds .Add curry leaves,whole green chili , onion and salt to taste .Cook till onion is transluscent .Add grated ginger and saute for 30 secs .Add the chopped tomato, coriander pwdr and pepper pwdr.Saute for 5 more mins then add the dal to this mixture.Add 1/2 cup water if it's too thick .Simmer on a medium flame for 2-3 mins .Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve with rice and other main dishes of your choice.

Badam aur Sooji ka Halwa (Almond and Semolina pudding)

Ingredients :
3 tbsp ghee(clarified butter)
1 cup Semolina (sooji /cream of wheat)
1/4th cup coarse ground almonds
(Run 20-25 almonds through a food processor for 30 seconds)
1 1/2  cups milk
1 cup water.
3 tbsp sugar or as per taste
seeds of 3 green cardamoms
pinch of saffron

Heat the ghee in a non stick pot .Add the semolina to it and dry roast on a medium flame till the semolina is  light brown and gives off a nutty aroma.Add the almond powder and sugar and mix well for 30 seconds.
Soak the saffron in 1/2 cup milk and microwave for 30 secs to release color and flavor .Add 1 cup milk,1 cup water and 1/2 cup saffron soaked milk .Add the liquids slowly 1 cup at a time and stir quickly to prevent lumps. Keep stirring till the mixture leaves the sides and bottom of the pan and comes together in a big lump.
Garnish with slivered almonds and crushed cardamom seeds.Serve warm.

Note : Add the almond powder only after roasting the semolina as nuts tend to burn quickly and on the contraryy roast the semolina well or it won't absord the milk properly.
.

Potato and Cheese Parathas (Stuffed Indian flatbreads)

This is my mom's recipe for making aloo(potato )and cheese parathas.Grew up eating them for breakfast and now love making them for my kids.As much as you may be tempted to add more masalas(spices) try to keep it limited to the ingredients listed below  for a very authentic flavor. 

For the dough:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2  tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup water (approximately)

For the stuffing :
2 large Ruset potatoes (baked or boiled  and mashed)
2 Swiss cream cheese wedges(like Laughing Cow) or( Amul cheese like my mom used to use)

1 tsp Chaat masala(like MDH)

1/4 th cup chopped cilantro or parsley
1/2 tsp garlic pwdr
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper pwdr

5-6 mint leaves chopped

1 green chili (deseeded and finely chopped )

1 tbsp lemon juice

In a bowl mix together all the stuffing ingredients and keep aside.

To make the dough ,add salt and olive oil to the wheat flour and mix it well. Slowly add water ,a quarter cup at a time and keep kneading the dough till it comes together in one big round lump.Add more water if too dry and sprinkle more flour if too sticky .when it's finally kneaded well ,it should form a big lump and come off easily from the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl and not stick to your fingers .Add 1 tbsp of olive oil and knead  it well and keep aside.You can alternating knead the dough in a food processor.


Take a tennis ball size  of dough and roll it out in a circle.Place a dollop of the mashed potato and cheese stuffing  on one end of the circle as shown in the pic .Roll up the dough towards you to form a roll.Lift it up carefully and tuck the two open ends one on top and another below and shape into a pattie as show above.Sprinkle flour on the rolling board and gently roll out the paratha in to a circle again.Patch up any open sides gently.

Note : There are many ways of stuffing a flatbread but I find my mom's the easiest .

Heat oil in a skillet or tawa .Sprinkle olive oil and when the skillet is hot Gently place the paratha on it and cook on a low-medium flame til it is brown on both sides Around 2 mins each side flipping it over and brushing it with oil during the porcess.Serve hot with yogurt ,butter and pickles.

Cinnamon Raisin French Toast

1 loaf (8-10 slices)of cinnamon raisin bread
1/2 cup whole milk
1 egg
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg pwdr
3 tbsp clarified butter
pinch of saffron

Directions: In a bowl beat together milk,sugar,egg ,saffron and nutmeg.heat the butter in a non-stick frying pan. Dip the bread slices one at a time in the custard ,gently dripping out excess liquid. Pan fry 2 mins on each side or till golden brown.(you can make an eggless version by omitting the egg.)

Five lentil Khichdi

Khichdi is a one pot meal of rice ,dals(split lentils) and vegetables all cooked together to an almost mushy consistency.It is an excellent  all in one meal and goes well with yogurt(dahi),papad,pickles and chutneys.
Normally only turdal is used but I have used 5 different dals to raise it's nutritional ,taste and texture level.

1 tsp clarified butter ghee(can substitute with olive oil)
1 tsp cumin seeds
3-4 peppercorns
2-3 cloves
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp turmeric

1 cup basmati rice
1/4th cup tur dal
1/4th cup red masoor dal
1/4th cup whole green mung
1/4th cup yellow mung dal
1/4th cup chana dal
1 cubed potato
1 cubed carrot
1/4th cup sweet corn
1/2 cup green peas
salt to taste

Mix all the dals and rice together,rinse and drain to remove starch and keep aside.In a pressure cooker or heavy bottomed pan ,heat the ghee or oil .Add the whole spices to the hot oil.They'll immediately sizzle and start browning.Add the dal and rice mixture and the carrots,peas ,corn and potatoes .Add salt and turmeric and mix it all well.Add 5 cups water and pressure cook for 10 mins or cover and cook on a low meduim flame for 45 mins.Enjoy with yogurt,papad and pickles.

Chicken Jalfrezi (Chicken stir fried with bellpeppers and baby corn)

 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed
1 red bell pepper cubed
1 green bell pepper cubed
1 can whole  baby corn (drained and rinsed)
1 medium red onion  cubed
3 tbsp tomato sauce
1 green chili deseeded and finely chopped(optional)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 inch ginger grated
2 cloves garlic grated


Spices:
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric pwdr
1/2 tsp cumin pwdr
1/2 tsp pepper pwdr
1 tsp paprika pwdr
1tsp corainder pwdr
1/2 tsp tawa fry masala(like MDH)
Salt to taste

Directions:

In a mixing bowl  mix chicken with salt ,pepper,cumin,corianderand paprika pwdrs.Keep aside.Heat oil in a non-stick wok.Add cumin seeds.As they turn a light brown add the chopped red onion .After 3mins add the grated ginger and garlic and saute for 30 secs. Add the tomato sauce ,green chili and Tawa fry masala and stir fry  on a low flame till oil seperates from the mixture. Add the marinated chicken and bell peppers and cook till chicken is cooked  stirring at regular  intervals.Add the baby corn towards the last 5-7 mins. Serve with naan or rice.This is a dry chicken dish .Add 1/2 water while adding chicken if you like a gravy dish.