Monday, October 30, 2006

Pivli Dal

Picture added on 9 th Oct 08

This Dal is made by Koli people on Mon, Tue, Thu, or Sat. depending on which day they choose to abstain from Non veg. Can you imagine Kolis not eating fish on all those days? Neverrrrrrrrr. So on a chosen day the menu of the day would be Pivli Dal and Lasnachi chutney with Dhaan and fried papad and lonche. Eating Dal even for a single meal is a big pain for Kolis. There is a myth that if one eats Dal for dinner one will get a stomach ache. They simply don't like veg much. Hence you will notice that the Dal is made more in Non-veg style never plain. It has a yellow color after cooking hence the name Pivli dal actually it greenish yellow.

It was a surprise to find this Dal in Kerala. We had checked into a hotel in Periyar after a 4 hr drive from Munnar. My Dad was craving for Dal-n-rice. We ordered and were surprised to get the Dal made in this style with fried Rice papads, pickle etc. Ate our fill and snored away into the sultry afternoon. Even the surroundings there were like we were in a orchad in Alibag, Maharashtra. We travel to explore unkown lands yet the heart always goes back to our roots.

Ingredients
1 cup Tur Dal
1 potato cut into 4 parts
1 table spoon Moong Dal (yellow)
1/2 teaspoon Mustard
2-3 pods garlic
1-2 red chilies
salt to taste
3 cups water
2 teaspoon oil

Masala:
3 inch piece coconut
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 handful coriander leaves
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 green chillies

Lets start with making the masala. Grind together all item into a paste and keep aside.

Method 1: with uncooked Dals and potato
In a small pressure cooker heat oil and splutter mustard seeds. Mash the garlic pods a bit and and to the phodni (seasoning) in the oil and the red chili.Fry a bit to make garlic soft. Then add the masala and stir 2 -3 times. Last add the 2 Dals, potato, salt and water. Close the lid and pressure cook as you normally do. After the whistles, put of the gas and let it cool. When you open the cooker just mix well take care not to mash the potatoes. The Dal is ready eat with rice. The Potato pieces have to be large and they taste amazing when cooked in this dal.

Method 2:with cooked Dals/potato

Heat oil, splutter mustard. Fry the garlic and the red chili. Add cooked Dals and boiled potato. Boil for 5 mins. Add masala, salt and boil for 10 mins. This is more authentic way.

Friday, October 27, 2006

Amboshiche Lonche

Normally a pickle is never made at home in Koli families. But this one is an exception and a speciality. Koli's being from the konkan and Mangoes being available in plenty we understand this recipe being specific to this area. Amboshi as you know from my earliesh post is Amchur ie. sun dried Raw mango slices. This pickle lasts well and tastes completely different from your regular mango pickle.

Ingredients

1 cup amboshi
1 cup jaggery
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup oil

First steam the amboshi to make it soft in a pressure cooker. It should not be dipped in water else it will give a pulp. The steamed amboshi should be strained to remove any excess water. Let the amboshi cool off completely.

Heat a pan pour about a tablespoon of oil and add the jaggery to it. Keep stirring till it melts and turns golden. Then add the amboshi and salt to it and mix well.

Heat the rest of the oil separately and pour over the pickle while still hot.

Let it cool for a day. After 24 hrs store in a bottle. This pickle last for years.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Valachi Khichadi



Hi friends! I am back from my Diwali break. I was excited to read your comments. Thanks for writting. I will reply one by one.

Well to begin with today's recipe is not a Koli recipe. It is more of a Kayasth recipe. I love this rice recipe for the unique taste quite different than your regular pulao.

Ingredients
1 cup raw rice
1 cup sprouted val
1/2 teaspoon garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
2 green chillies split
1 onion chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon red chilly powder
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups water
some chopped cilantro and fresh shredded coconut for garnishing
2 tomatoes chopped (optional)

Sprouting Val:
This requires 3 days. First soak 1/4 cup val in water for 1 day. At night tie the soaked val in a muslin cloth to sprout. Sprinkle water just to wet the pouch of val so the sprouts grow well thru the second day. On the third day the sprouts are ready for further processing.

Now Boil some water in a pan and put the val sprouts in it. This will loosen the skin, deskin the sprouts to get the yellowish sprouts. Keeps the sprouts aside.

Main procedure:
Now heat a small cooker add oil and fry the onions. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry. Add the rest of the ingredients and last the washed rice and sprouts. Add 2 cups water. After 2 whistles put of the gas. Open after the steam has subsided. Stir lightly so that the rice grains are not mashed. While serving garnish with some chopped cilantro and fresh shredded coconut. Enjoy the smells and flavours!

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Titillations Coming Soon

Veg
Valacha varan
Kairichi Aamti
Pithachi bore
Ukadiche modak
Kejyarcha lonche
God Ghari
Chavlya-Batayachi Bhaji
Lasnachi chutney
Chaoolachi pheni
Methiche ladoo
Khandavi
Kardache lonche
Shraddhachi kheer
Shev Chiwada
Barshyache Chane
Khobryachi Chikki

Non-Veg
Suke Sodyacha Kanji
Tallela Bombil
Mutton
Isavanachi Bhaji
Basic Kanji
Basic Talleli Tukdi
Basic Bhuzna
Kolim
Suke Bombil Batatyache Kanji
Kata Pisaryache kanji
Tavyarche Khare
Talleli Mushi
Paktache kanji

Happy Diwali to all fellow bloggers!

Lal Dal


This Dal is a quick yummy recipe made on days when there isn't good fish catch in koli families. In my home it is made when we eat too much at odd times other than meal timmings and during festivals when we want a simple meal after all the hogging of sweets or have a craving for some comfort food. It gets its name from the masoor dal used to make it.

Ingredients

1/2 cup of Masoor Dal (Lal Dal)
1 medium onion halved and sliced
2 pieces of Amboshi (Sundried mango slices)/ kokum/ tomatoes
2 green chillies
1/4 teaspoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 handful chopped green coriander
few curry leaves
1 pinch hing
1/2 teaspoon Koli masala (optional)
5-6 small white onions peeled but whole
2 cups water
1 table spoon oil
salt to taste

Soak Lal (Masoor) Dal for half an hour. In a vessel add oil splutter mustard seeds add hing, curry leaves and chopped onion fry till onion is translucent. Add the rest of the spices except amboshi. Add soaked masoor dal stir a bit and then add all the water. Add the peeled whole white onion into the dal.  Cook till almost done with lid on. Then add amboshi/ kokum/ tomatoes and salt and cook on slow for 5 mins till amboshi/ tomatoes are soft and the sour flavor is mixed with the dal. Kokum can also be used but remember these two have complete distinct flavors. The Dal when done should be nice and smooth and really thick in consistency. Add chopped coriander to garnish. Have this dal with steaming hot rice. The dal should be thick enough to just sit on the rice waiting to be mixed with the hand and fingers to be licked while eating. Yummmmmy.


Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Moongori

Moongori/ Moongavri is not my favorite but has many crazy fans the type who like slurpy sweets and old world charms like my Dad. It is pleasant childhood memories for people of his generation who grew up in the village and came to mumbai for holidays and later Mumbai became their life.
This is a wedding sweet and is made on the day after the wedding when the newly married are brought to the brides home for a ritual called "Drushta kadhne" that is to save them from evil eye. People believed those who attended the wedding would be gushhing about the newly weds and how lucky they were so there needed to be a ritual to protect them from getting bad luck. This sweet is part of the lunch following the "Drushta kadhne" and it is usually smeared over everyones face more than it gets eaten. So we always hide if we happen to attended this ritual but most of the time end up in the washroom cleaning up ourselves. This sweet is also offered as Naivedya on many ocassions.



Ingredients
1/ cup rice flour
1/2 cup water
2 table spoon ghee
1/cup jaggery
1 fresh coconut

Preparation:

Stage 1
Boil the water and mix rice flour and make Ukad like we did for the rice roti. Knead the dough and make marble sized balls smaller the better and keep aside.


Stage 2
Grate the coconut and grind with a little water in the mixie. Squeeze out the milk and keep aside. Use the coconut cake again and grind with more water and squeeze out more milk. Keep the second milk in a separate pan. Try to extract coconut milk the third time. The third milk can be kept in the same pan containing second extract.




Stage 3
Heat a big pot on medium. Add the ghee and pour the second and third extract milk in it. Reduce heat and simmer the coconut milk along with jaggery. After the jaggery is dissolved add the marbles you made in stage 1 to the boiling liquid. Boil for 5 mins. Then add the first extract and boil for another 10 mins. Take care not to keep heat on high as coconut milk might split as we have used jaggery. The sweet should be boiled down to a slurpy thickness of choice.

Remove from heat and serve warm. Mongoori or Moongavri is ready to eat. BTW my Mom's maternal uncle had a surname Moongavri and everyone teased Mom about it when she was a kid :)

Badampak er Shengdanepak



Kiran Desai wins a Booker for The Inheritance of Loss the news flashed on the TV. I had never heard of her before but a closer look at the TV screen and I mumbled I guess she is Anita Desai's daughter. Yes google confirmed it. In many ways I learnt Kiran is chip of the old block and has gone ahead and achieved what her mother just missed. Anita Desai is one writer I loved as a child. I loved Indian English novels more than Shakespeare-Agatha Christie as they had alien settings. Other thing is I became famous in my class VIII as someone having a native place called Thal pronounced as Thul near Alibag across the Mumbai harbour. Anita Desai had set her novel "The Village by the sea" in Thul. She has gone with the pronounciation to spell it in the novel. I was the first one to read this book as soon as it was added to the school library. Then I wrote a review of it in the school magazine and was famous overnight. All the girls would dreamily ask me "Oh is Thul so beautiful? Lets go there for the annual picnic." The novel has an undertone of sadness as Hari the protogonist struggles in life along with with his sister Lila. However that seemed far away for the elite class in my school. To them it was romantic to be poor and struggling and that was a sure shot attraction. I gave my expert comment too in my review I remember about the cover of the book. Lila if she is a fisherman's daughter would never cover her head with a cloth. That girl looks like she is from a village in Gujarath or Rajasthan! Inspite of the incorrect minor details "The Village by the Sea" is eloquent about Thal and a must read. Its a book close to my heart.


So today I am going to give a recipe of a sweet called Badampak that is uniquely Thal. I haven't heard of this one anywhere else. There are two Grocer's families which make it really well in the village. Though it is called badampak it is actually a shengadanepak. May be in the old days people used badam but now they use shengdane. I am going to make this sweet to make my Diwali unique though it is not a traditional Diwali sweet.



Ingredients

1 cup peanuts

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

4-6 cardamoms ground

Soak peanuts in water overnight after washing them thoroughly. Next morning grind them to coarse powder and keep aside.


Next prepare the pak or the sugar syrup in a vessel. The sugar is boiled with 1/2 cup water. The syrup is ready if it has achieved one string consistency. To check this dip your thumb in the syrup and hold it between the second finger. It should have a sticky string between the thumb and finger.


Now mix the soaked peanut powder in the syrup and stir. Add the powdered cardamom into the mix and stir. Pour it out in a greased tray. The layer should be about an inch thick. Let it cool and then cut while still warm into daimond shapes. But eat them after a day for best taste.

(Added  the new picture today on 14th April 2012, have made it for the blogger friend Pradnya of Evolving Taste, Harini of Tongue Ticklers and Saee of My Jhola.)

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Ghari




It is a doughnut made from rice flour with a unique method of preparation. Ghari is a wedding preparation. It is served as wedding breakfast with Chavlya-batatyachi (Black-Eye Peas and potato) bhaji and Kolim (baby shrimps).
Since this is a wedding item it has a lot of rituals associated with it. It would begin with washing and drying the rice to be used for the Ghari by a group of women who would sing songs of the young bride or groom describing their beauty and the emotion they are going through on the threshold of marriage. The group would start from the wedding home to the village well or sometimes the sea to wash the rice. The quatities would be something like 30 kgs of rice for the entire village's requirement of Ghari. Yes the entire village would be invited for the wedding. It would begin with doing a small puja and breaking a coconut. This necessarily would be done by a Saubhagyavati (a married women whose husband is alive). After washing it would be dried on the plastic sheets or mats borrowed from the entire neighbourhood else how would one dry 30 kgs of rice in one go. This drying was done on the seashore where normally fish is dried in large open spaces specially held for business use.
After drying the rice would be taken to the local flour mill. A little aarti would be done for the mill hand who would grind the rice offer him a coconut. Tease him a bit by smearing a little turmeric paste on his face.
The above would be done a few days before the wedding. The eve before the wedding all the women of the village gathered to help in making the dough. It would begin with boiling huge vessels of water on wood fired make shift stoves made from bricks just like the construction workers do in India. Here only expert women were allowed. Then in the boiling water the rice flour would be added to make the Ukad as it is called. Then this huge amount of cooked flour would be poured out on large mats to cool a bit and the lesser skilled women would seat around the mountain of dough to knead it. Me as a little girl and other brats would pester Mom and the other aunts to give a us little dough to play with to make our own tiny gharis.
The next step is done by the most skilled women. One of my far way aunt called Manu Kaki would be invited to do this work by the whole village. She did it just right. Villagers said she was respected for her skill if somebody else did it the batch failed and no one would want to take that risk at a wedding.
To begin with Manu Kaki would take a huge Tapela (flat bottomed Aluminium vessel) clean it thoroughly apply oil to it. Then put the dough in such a way as to line up the walls and bottom. She would leave a little well in the center. Now this is the interesting part. She would add red hot charchoal in the well of dough. Seal the well with more dough and then cover tightly with a lid. This vessel would then be taken to a prohibitted area to leave it for frementation all night. We kids were warned not to dare to go near the pots else "phatke bastil" (you will get a whack).
The whole thing about Ghari is so interesting it makes me nostalgic even the weddings in my village have gone glitzy now they don't happen like this any more.
To move on, the morning of the wedding few women would rise early to make the breakfast. The dough checked, charcoal removed from the centre, first the palms are wet with water and a small part of the dough would be taken in the palms and shaped like a doughnut or medu vada and deep fried in huge oil kadai on medium heat till golden. The first batch of Ghari's were made by a Old lady in our village who was believed to have supernatural intervention. I knew though even as a kid she some how had the capacity to stand the heat of oil. She would dip her hands in the boiling hot oil to removed the fried gharis and the first batch were put on a patravli (plate made from leaves) and offered to the family God as naivedya. I can actually sense your eyes popping out at this but I have witnessed this myself. Then other women would take turns to fry till all the gharis were done as it is not possible for one single women to do all the frying.
Here I am giving the method Mom followed to make ghari for a small family.
Ingredients
1 cup rice
1 cup water
Oil to fry
Preparation:
Wash rice 2 day before you want to make ghari and dry it in the sun or shade does not matter. The rice is tested by chewing a few grains it should be nice and crumbly. Then grind the rice in dry grinder to a fine powder like any other flour/atta.
Now heat 1 cup water in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the rice flour and mix using a rolling pin. Remove from heat and take out the ukad (cooked dough) on a flat board and knead well if required dip your hand in water to make it softer. This dough should be slightly harder than the chapathi dough. Now put in in a vessel and create a well in the dough. Now next heat half a cup of oil till it starts smoking and pour into the well in the dough. Seal the well with more kneaded dough and close the vessel with a tight lid. Keep the vessel in a dark dry place for fermenting all night.
Next morning remove the lid the dough should smell only slightly sour due to fermentation but not too much. Pour out the excess oil from the center. Then dip your palm in water and shape the doughnuts like medu vada with the hole in the centre. Fry them in oil on medium heat till golden. Check the first one by breaking it into two if the inside is cooked properly if not then slow down the heat a bit. The Ghari should be hard on the outside and soft on the inside. It can be had with any gravy or dip. One thing to remember no salt should be added to Ghari dough it is traditionally bland in taste.

Monday, October 16, 2006

Chavalachi Roti

The wood fired stove is called chool.



Chavlachi Roti (Koli) or Tandlachi bhakri (Marathi) is the humble Rice flour bread. Its a staple in Koli families in the villages. Mornings begin with this roti made fresh and the previous night's fish curry for breakfast. Yes it may sound strange to begin the day with Non-veg for some but that is tradition in Koli families in the villages and not half baked Koli like me who were brought up on maska pao and Khari-butterrrrr. This lingo will sound fimiliar to South Mumbaities :).

Back to the roti, in Koli families the menu for the day goes like this on most.

Breakfast: Chavlachi roti- ratcha kanji (last nights curry)
Lunch: Fresh kanji- Dhan (cooked rice)-taleli tukdi (fried fish)
Dinner: Roti ni Kanji ( Roti and curry)

No fancy BF or snacks in between just good old staple food.

Kolis are a very hard working lot and take their business seriouly so no fuss food. Koli women are a fiery lot and have been working along with the men in the businesses. They have divided duties. Fishing on the boat is a guys job while selling and drying fish is a woman's job. The women are tough negotiators in business and do retail as well as bulk business themselves with
agents who are always men. The concept of a working woman is as old and stone age in my community. Koli women especially the Nakhwin ( Lady Business head) does not cook herself she would generally have domestic help to make rotis for the entire family and staff. The Kanji would be made by the eldest lady in the family like mother or Maa-inlaw. Festival food would be ordered at the Goldsmiths or Brahmin's home who's wife was considered a Sugran (super cook). Yet whenever she cooked herself it was to die for and simply different.

Ingredients

1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup water

Boil the water in a pan and as its boiling slowly add the rice flour into it and stir with a rolling pin. Remove from heat now knead the flour properly. The more you knead the roti will be easier to make. If too hard dip your hand in water and knead to make it like regular chapati dough.

Now this is a tough one and a test for a Koli bride-to-be. Rotya yetan? the bride-to-be is asked which means do you now how to make roti? So lets begin, first sprinkle some water on a plate and wet it evenly by moving your palm over the plate this action is like your wiping the plate. Then take a small ball from the dough you kneaded. Then flatten the ball into a roti. Keep the plate surface wet and keep moving the roti in circular dirrection just like you would beat a roti on dry flour. If the roti is sticking to the plate keep wetting the plate with water intermottently. When the roti is big like a chapati hold part of the roti on the left palm and part in the plate and with the right palm beat the edge and keep moving the roti in circular fashion. Keep wetting the plate with little water. The roti should be thin. Traditionally the roti is shaped in flat iron tava which you might have seen at pav-bahji stalls. This tava is the cold tava. After shapping it is roasted on a terracotta tava heated with wood fired stoves. These two things give the special taste that is so wonderful. However don't sulk its good enough to roast the roti on any kind of tava. Remember when you are roasting the roti. The smooth surface stays on the top and rough surface should face the hot tava. Again sprinkle water on the roti and spread it around in a circular movement. This is done so that the roti should puff up when the other side is roasted. After the steam has subsided lift the roti and turn it over to roast the second side. Make sure the edges are roasted well too. Then turn it over to the first side again and put a flat spoon under it so that it does not stick to the tava. It should puff up nicely. A good roti is roasted on high heat and it should have one thick side and one paper thin side. Rice roti is a cultured palate stuff so some might not like it. This roti goes with any spicy curry.

Friday, October 13, 2006

Roasted Chillies in Curd

This one is a simple yet flavourful dip for fried items like masala puris, thalipith etc. It is served in Dadar's Prakash eatery with thalipith and I cannot imagine thalipith being eaten with anything but this dip and Loni (homemade butter).

Prakash is the cheapest and the best homestyle maharashtrian eatery in Dadar, Mumbai. So many times after a crazy day of retail therapy in this shopping district of Mumbai we have gone to Prakash for a pigout. Just keep 100 Rs. at hand and eat all that you want. So begin with Piyush-batavada-thalipith-masale bhat-tea. Prakash has a small menu but very authentically maharashtrian. For people new to Mumbai when you land here go around the corner of Balasaheb Thakare's Sena Bhavan and find Prakash. It used to be the blue marquee with silver letters. I guess with so much about Prakash I will be giving my recipes of Prakash's menu, how about that?

Ingredients

1 cup curd
2 green chillies
1 pinch asoefotida
1/2 teaspoon oil
salt to taste

First slit the 2 chillies then hold them in a tong and roast on the gas directly till burnished but not too much chared . In a small bowl mash the roasted chillies along with curds and salt. Now in a small pan heat 1/2 teaspoon oil and add pinch asoefotida and put off the heat. Sprinkle some water this will cool the oil and will allow the seasoning to release full flavor and when curd is added it still remains smooth. Now mix in the chillies-curd mix into it. This time I'll try it with a paratha.

PS: dtd 26 Oct 06 While googling I saw this menu card. I am very sure it is Prakash's Menu card, I just knew it too well. Read the blog and lo! it was.

Upavasa chi Chutney

I learnt this chutney from my friend, Shailesh's wife Manisha. Last Shivratri we fasted together. Thats when she made it. The curd gave a twist to the regular chutney. We cannot add cilantro on Upavas (fast) days as it is not used in such recipes. I do not like the white colored chutneys I like chutneys to be bright colored and interesting but this one is different and I liked it.

Ingredients

1 cup grated fresh coconut
1 tablespoon roasted groundnuts
1 tablespoon curds
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 green chilli

Grind all the the ingredients together to make the chutney.
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Thursday, October 12, 2006

Date-n-Fig Toffee.

This is my Kaki's recipe for people with a sweet tooth but calorie aware. She herself must pop a sweet in the mouth after dinner else its not complete. This is a completely sugar free sweet full of natural sweetness and so easy to make.

Ingredients


1 cup chopped black plump seedless dates
1/4 cup chopped dry figs
1/4 cup cashew nut granules
2 teaspoons ghee

First of all we have to mash the figs and dates with a pestle to make it easy to heat but this is not a must. Then in a heavy bottom pan heat the ghee and add the mashed figs and dates heat the mix till it starts leaving the sides of the pan. Take care not to burn the mix so keep mixing. Now remove the mix from the stove and pour it out on a board. Mash it again using a rolling pin and mix thoroughly as if you are making the dough for chapati/roti. Add the cashew nut granules. If granules are not available readily just coarse grind in a mixie to make them. Mix thoroughly once more. Roll the mix on the board to give you toffee of the shape you like. Coat with some more cashew nut granules. To add the professional touch wrap them in colorful cellophane paper or foil. These last almost for a year in the fridge if one allows to but you know these things will be gobbled up as soon as possible.

Tallele Vale Sode

Stir fried fresh prawns


I was born into a Koli joint family, fishing business, 20 odd members and 25 staff members (they too were part of our family that's how the fishing business is run) et al. Majority of us turned vegetarian later. So for the last 20 years I've been a veggie. However I have seen friends devouring the koli cuisine we made for them at our home. Non- veg cooking happened in our backgarden. We being new converts to vegetarianism maintained separate vessels and stove for non-veg cooking to show our veggie snobbishness ;). However due to its distinct nature once in a while will share some Koli recipes here. Now you will say it is prawns which is Kolbi but why am I calling it Sode. So here is some gyan on Koli dailect Kolbi (prawns) and kolbi once deshelled in called Sode and Vale means fresh/wet.

Ingredients
1 cup minced kolbi (deshelled prawns)
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
2-3 kokum (Garcinia indica)
1 teaspoon Koli masala OR (1/2 teaspoon garam masala+1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder)
1 green chilli coarse chopped
1 table spoon oil
salt to taste

This is a devils recipe if you eat it just once with the authentic taste you will put it in 'to die for foods list'. Another thing is this dish has to be really hot and your nose should water while eating else it's not the real stuff. Alright some of you may just go up in fire so tone it down to your capacity.

To begin with this is a tava dish preferably iron tava as it gives the extra burnished color to the dish. So put the tava on the gas and heat oil. Add the onions fry them still golden brown. Then add the minced kolbi stir fry for just 5 mins. Then add the cilantro, chillies, masala and kokum. Do not add water to this dish the ingredients taste good when cooked in its own juices and do not need to cook them too long. Add salt and mix properly just before removing from the gas. Total cooking time must not exceed 10 mins if preparation is done in advance this is important else sode becomes rubbery.

This goes well with rice and roti both. It is so versatile that I have used it as stuffing for samosas, parathas or even sandwiches. My friends have enjoyed it. Hope you enjoy it too!

Funny thing is I have never tasted my own Non-veg cooking as I started it only after I turned veggie. But what I cooked was from those wonderful memories of Tallele sode and Tandalachi roti in Alibag my native place where I enjoyed eating Non-Veg as a kid. I do not enjoy it any more though but want you people to get the experience of ethnic cuisine.

Mast Ladoo

Here is a recipe of ladoo I arrived at when I saw that during Diwali when we make besan ladoo and rava ladoo the besan ladoos get over faster than the rava ladoos. At home some like besan for the aroma and flavor other hate it because it stick to the roof of the mouth. Rava ladoos don't taste as good as besan says my kid cousin. So thought of concocting something that takes care of every ones likes and I don't have waste the leftover rava ladoos. Lets call them Mast ladoo as it too good ladoos :)




Ingredients
1 cup rava
1 cup chickpea flour (besan/ Kadle pudi)
1 cup powder sugar
1 cup ghee
1\4 teaspoon elaichi powder
cashew nuts and raisin for decoration

In a heavy bottom pan add the ghee and heat. Then add the chickpea flour and fry it till golden color. Do not leave it unattended else it will burn. Keep stiring then add rava and roast till you get a nice smell of roasted rava and besan. Taste to check that besan is cooked properly should not give raw taste else it will make ladoos bitter and spoil the stomach too.

Remove from gas and add powder sugar in the roasted rava-besan mix. Stir and homogenize it then let it stand till cool.

The ladoo mix should be still warm enough to shape into ladoos add elaichi powder and mix again. Take a handful of mix and shape ladoos and decorate with 1 cashew nut and 1 raisin. Give the finish to the ladoo such that the cashew nut should cradle the raisin like the moon and star.
Pop one ladoo in your mouth and mail me about how it tastes.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Rumble Tumble on Toast!

I was a poor veggie eater as a kid so Dad created this fab recipe which looked good and tasted amazing and went well will ketchup. Who doesn't like ketchup as a kid! These open sandwiches were many a times our sunday breakfast. Living in Mumbai most people give their breakfast a miss but on Sundays we always looked forward to the leisurely breakfast when we were allowed to sit with our plate in front of the TV to watch the Tom and Jerry Or Spiderman shows that Doordarshan aired in the late 70's at 9.00 am. Those childhood sundays are memorable and we were never confused about what to watch on TV as we did not have the numerous channels we have now it was only Doordarshan. Sunday and the idiot box was our idea of a weekend morning. The paneer in the recipe kept us energetic till the late Sunday lunch that Mom/ Dad slogged over and it was always elaborate as it is the peacetime in most Mumbai households more on that in the future.

Yeah and what got me excited to eat these sandwiches was the name Dad coined for it.....Rumble Tumble on Toast!
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Ingredients
50 gm paneer
1 carrot grated
2 chopped chillies
1 handful chopped cilantro
1 finely chopped tomato
1 onion (optional)
1 table spoon chopped french beans
6 slices of bread
salt to taste

Crumble the paneer in a bowl by rubbing paneer pieces between the palms of your hand. Add the carrots, chillies, cilantro, beans, tomato and salt and mix well and keep aside. Lay out the bread slices in a greased baking tray. One can butter the slices but that is optional even plain tastes good and is healthier option. Now put little mix on each slice top it up with onions. At home if this dish is made as breakfast we skip the onions but we like it with them in the evening. Now grill the open sandwiches for 15 mins or untill the onions are browned by putting the tray itself in the oven. Watch out for the slices they should not get chared.

Monday, October 09, 2006

Dry Fruit Kheer


Ingredients
50 gms cashew nuts
25 gms pistachio
25 gms dried figs (anjeer)
2 pinches saffron
250 ml whole milk
50 gms granular sugar (OR sugar substitute like Equal as per taste)
4 cardamom

Cut the fig roundels into four quarters and keep aside. Powder the sugar, cashew nuts, cardamom and pistachio and 1 pinch of saffron in a grinder. Now in a saucepan mix the powder with the cold milk so that it becomes homogenous. Add the second pinch of saffaron and the quartered figs and boil it. Reduce it to the consistency you like. Here they like it a bit slurpy.

My first offering is to Ganapati Bappa. This kheer was created during one of the festivals when we ran out of ideas for a new Naivedya.

Made this again on 8th Oct 2010 with date, dried figs, cashews, pistachios, almonds soaked everything in a glass of milk and sugar. Blended together and served in the bowl. Sprinkled some pumkin seeds over it.

Yours lovingly


Om Namoji Aadya ~~~

Shri Ganeshaya Namaha~~~~

I would read the food blogs on the net and enjoy them. So here I am blogging about food. I started cooking pretty early at may be 15 years. Initially it was just basic meals. It is strange many girls learn cooking from their mother but I got the passion for cooking from my father. Baba is a fab cook. We have enjoyed the meals passionately cooked by him on Sundays when he would take over the kitchen and give Aai a holiday. Ek junoon sa hai logo ko khila ne ka and to watch the smiles light up their face. This spark keeps me on my toes to look out for great recipes. I don't claim the recipes I will share here are all mine but the loving touch is mine for sure. Infact love is the mandatory ingredient in all my recipes with a pinch of salt ha ha ha :) !

Today to begin with I will start with a sweet as is the tradition in our Hindu custom.

Suggestions are welcome!

Monday, October 02, 2006

Tips

Keep them handy. These will be useful for Process, Product improvement.

Me Pun Koli

If you are from the Koli community pl. comment here. I would love to know my own people are reading my blog. You can make requests and tell me what you would like to read here. Come on lets make it interractive. Feel proud you are Koli!

Dal Bhaaji etc

This place reflects how much I absorb from other cultures other than Koli. Yet it lists only the curries and accompaniments here.


Product Review

You will find reviews of products I have tried out here.


Sunday, October 01, 2006

Morning Glory

This is the Breakfast Menu section.

My Kitchen Lab

This section lists my experiments with truth did I say...... I mean in the kitchen. These are recipes I tried out sometimes from other blogs or when the chemist in me came alive.



Slim N Trim

Hummm..... If you are visiting this page I must say you are counting your calories. So Cheers!

Doughs

This is the Dough factory and Bread basket.

Glossary

English - Marathi/ Indian

  1. rice flakes - pohe/ avalakki
  2. peanuts - shengdane
  3. roasted and split chickpeas - phutane/ dahale
  4. grated desicated coconut - sukhe khobare
  5. mustard seeds - rai/ sasve kallu
  6. asoefotida - hing
  7. red chilli powder - mirchi pood
  8. tamarind - chincha
  9. molasses - jaggery/ gul
  10. curry leaves - kadi patta
  11. coriander leaves/ cilantro - kothimbir
  12. chickpea flour - besan/ Kadle pudi
  13. Sundried mango slices - Amboshi/ Amchur
  14. Field Beans - Val / Avare
  15. Cooked Rice - Dhaan
  16. Garlic- Lasun/ Lasan
  17. Yellow lentils - Toor/Tuvar/Arhar/Tur dal
  18. Green lentils- Moong/ Mug/ Moog
  19. Garcinia indica- Kokum/Sola
  20. Brinjals/ aubergines- Vangi/ baingan/ Ringana
  21. Yellow lentil Legumes - Toorichya shenga
  22. Nigella seed - Kalonji
  23. Split Black lentils- Urad dal dehusked
  24. Unsweetened condensed milk cake- Khava/ Khoya

Koli Style

Here you will find the true taste of Thal. Through the recipes I want to share with you my bond with my roots as a Koli.

When I was 8 yrs Dad moved our family outside the community in Colaba to Fort an area predominantly of Gujarathi and Parsis. Many goodthings happened with that decision. Yet my holidays in Thal and visits to my grand parents home in Colaba Koliwada in Mumbai were enough to make me appreciate my Koli community. This section is dedicated to the entire Koli Samaj.



Versatile Rice

Rice endless rice. Lets see how many recipes we can list here.



Sweet Tooth

Don't salivate while you browse here, you are ofcourse is the Desserts section. I'm ashamed I'm partial to this section.



On Trail