First of all this is not my experiment but its my mom's expertee. When everybody asks me about garam masala I use to tell that its my mom's speciality. So now that I am in pune I actually got the chance to see how this is prepared and wrote the recipe. Obviously this needs more patience than what one thinks of and quite lengthy process but the result i guarantee to be awesome :) So here is the recipe for for all interested parties :)


Ingredients
500g Corriander Seeds
50g Cumin Seeds
50g Fennel Seeds or Saunf
40g Poppy Seeds
20g Bay Leaves
10g Star Anise
10g Black Cardamom
10g Mace or Jayapatri
10g Naak Kesar
10g Cinnamon
10g Black Pepper
10g Cloves
5g Turmeric Stick
1/2 Nutmeg
1cm Asafoetida Block
20g Stone Flower or Dagad Phool
20g Caraway Seeds or Shahi Jeera
Oil

Method

• Heat Pan and add 1/2 Spoon of oil. Roast Jayapatri in this oil on low flame till reddish in color. Transfer to the mixie.
• In same pan add 2 drops of oil and Naak Kesar. Roast it for around 3 min on low flame till it becomes little bigger. Transfer to mixie.
• In same pan add 2 drops of oil and roast Stone Flower in it on low flame for around 3 minutes. Transfer it to the mixie
• Add 2 drops on oil in the same pan and roast Cloves on low flame for 3-4 minutes till they get little bigger. Transfer to the mixie.
• Add 2 drops of oil in same pan and roast black pepper on low flame for around 4 minutes. Transfer to the mixie
• In same pan add 2 more drops of oil and roast cinnamons on low flame till they turn dark brown in colour. Transfer to the mixie
• Add 2 drops of oil and roast Saunf on low flame till it becomes light brown in color. Transfer to the mixie.
• Break nutmeg into small pieces and roast it on low flame for 2 minutes in same pan with 1 drop of oil. Transfer it to the mixie
• Break Asafoetida block into small pieces and roast it on low flame in the same pan with 1 drop of oil till it turns white in color. Transfer it to the mixie
• Break Turmeric stick into the small pieces and roast it on low flame in 1 drop of oil till reddish in color. Transfer to the mixie.
• In same pan roast the bay leaves on low flame in 2 drop oil for 3 minutes. Transfer the contents to the mixie
• Roast Star Anise on low flame with 2 drop of oil for 2 minutes and transfer to the mixie.
• Roast Black Cardamom with 2 drop of oil on low flame till it turns little bigger and dark brown in color. Transfer to the mixe.
• In same pan roast the Jeera with 1 drop of oil on medium flame till it turns brown in color. Transfer the contents to the mixie.
• Roast Shahi Jeera on low flame with 1 drop of oil for around 2 minutes. Transfer it to the mixie
• Roast the Poppy Seeds with 1 drop of oil for 1 minute on low flame. Transfer to the mixie
• Grind all the contents transferred till now to fine powder.
• Sieve the powder and transfer the non so fine powder to the mixie
• Grind again and sieve the contents. transfer the contents which didnot pass through sieve into mixie.
• Roast half of the Corriander seeds with 2 spoon of oil on medium flame. When the seeds start spluttering turn the flame to low and roast for another minute. Transfer the half of them to mixie and Grind
• Sieve the masala again and transfer the not so fine contents to the mixie.
• Add remaining of roasted corriander seeds to mixie and again grind.
• Sieve the contents through and again grind the not so fine contents. Sieve again. Transfer the contents that did not get sieved into the mixie
• Roast remaining corriander seeds in 2 drops of oil on medium flame till they splutter. Turn the flame to low and roast for another minute. Transfer half of them to the mixie and Grind.
• Sieve the masala again and transfer the not so fine contents to the mixie.
• Add remaining of roasted corriander seeds to mixie and again grind.
• Sieve the contents through and again grind the not so fine contents. Sieve again.
• Mix well all the sieved contents and masala is ready.

Notes
Use exact given qunatities of oil for the best results as if you exceed oil quantity it becomes difficult to grind the spices.
Also Fry the spices in same order for the best results as this is the oder that maximises the aroma and will retain it in the masala.
You can use the Not sieved through contents in the non veg gravies or when you would be grinding masala with wet contents.
The above ingredients make around 3/4Kg of masala

I read about this special chutney for the medu wada in the cookery book that I have and tried this. It tastes amazing with the wada obviously not as nice as sambar (wada sambar being my favourite). But I was in kind of wrapping up mode that time and hence didnt want to prepare sambar so this chutney made nice alternative.


Ingredients
1/2 Coconut
1/4 Cup Chana Daal
6 Green Chillies
1 Bunch Corriander
1/2 Cup Curd
1/2 Spoon Mustard
1/2 Spoon Udid Daal
A pinch of Asafoetida
1 Spoon of Oil
Salt to taste

Method

• Grate coconut and grind it in mixie with green chillies, corriander leaves, chana daal(one used in chivadas) and salt.
• In this mixture mix curd
• In a small pan heat the oil and let mustard and udid daal splutter in it. Also add Asafoetida.
• Mix this oil into the chutney and serve.

Notes
I used coconut water itself while grinding coconut so that it tastes nice and i dont need to add sugar.
You can also add Red Chillies into the oil for even better taste but i didnt have it so had to skip that.

Medu wada is my all time favourite and if you know that guests are coming in the evening even by afternoon this is something you can try. This time I really managed to get real crisp and nice medu wada with little help from the book.


Ingredients
2 Cup Udid Daal
2 Green Chillies
4 Spoon Coconut Pieces
1 Onion
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Wash and soak the udid daal for around 5-6 hours.
• Once daal is soaked enough, remove the excess water and grind to fine paste.
• Add Salt, finely chopped green chillies, finely chopped onion and coconut pieces and mix well.
• Heat oil in a pan and fry the wadas on low flame.

Notes
Fry the wadas immediately after grinding the daal so that wadas are not oily.
When you put the wada in the hot oil it should float instantly, otherwise add little water to the mixture and loosen the mixture and mix really well.
One can also add little ginger but i prefer non gingery flavour for the wadas.

Its been long time since ajoy had been asking me to prepare mutton biryani. But mutton is not my liking and hence I had been conviniently ignoring it. Then it was that fine day that I wished his grant :) and prepared it. It turned out quite well.


Ingredients
3 Cup Rice
1/2 Kg Mutton Pieces
7 Onions
2 Tomatoes
2 Potatoes
1/2 Cup Curd
1/4 Cup Milk
A Handful of Cashews
5 Almonds
1 Ginger Stick
10-15 Garlic Cloves
1 Spoon Garam Masala
2 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
A Pinch of Turmeric Powder
1 Spoon Corriander Seeds
1 Spoon Poppy Seeds
1.5 Spoon Black Pepper
1/2 Spoon Jeera
1 Spoon Saunf
1 Spoon Dry Coconut
8 Cloves
5 Cinnamon
2 Bay Leaves
5-6 Cardamom
A Pinch of Saffron
1/2 Cup Ghee
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Grind ginger and garlic to paste and keep aside.
• Wash mutton and add curd, turmeric powder, 1 spoon of red chilli powder, half of garlic ginger paste. Mix well and store it in the fridge for atleast 8 hours
• Next Day, Wash the rice and keep it in warm water for half an hour. Remove the excess water and keep aside
• Boil potatoes side by side, cut them in circular pieces and keep aside.
• Warm the milk and mix safron in it and keep aside.
• Chop around 3 onions into fine pieces and keep aside.
• In a pan heat around a spoon of oil and add the chopped onions. Cook till golden brown and keep aside.
• In same pan, heat another spoon of oil and add Jeera, 3 sticks of cinnamon, 5 cloves, 1 spoon of black pepper, corriander seeds, dry coconut, saunf, poppy seeds and remaining spoon of red chilli powder.
• Once the aroma starts coming out of this mixture, add the chopped golden brown mixture of onions in it.
• Add remaining ginger garlic paste to it and mix well and keep aside.
• Grind almonds, the cashews(8-10) that were kept aside and the above fried masala with little water to form paste. Keep aside
• Cut the 4 onions into thin slices and fry it in the ghee and keep aside.
• Keep aside around 8-10 cashews and fry remaining and keep aside.
• Keep aside around a spoon of ghee and transfer remaining ghee to the pressure cooker
• Add the masala paste that we kept aside to this ghee and fry till ghee separates from the paste.
• Add mutton pieces that were kept for marination in this with the marination leftover as well. Cook till ghee separates.
• Puree the tomato in the mixer and add it to this cooking mutton.
• Add around 1/4 cup of water and salt to taste and then cook the mixture on pressure.
• When complete pressure builds up, turn the flame to minimum flame and cook for another 10 minutes. And then remove the pressure cooker from the flame and keep aside to cool down.
• In the mean time, Boil around 10 cups of water and add salt to taste, rice and cook till rice is almost done.
• Remove the excess water from the rice and spread it in the plate to let it cool down.
• In a small pan heat a spoon of ghee(that was kept aside) and add remaining 3 cloves, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1/2 spoon black pepper, bay leaves, cardamom. Fry till aroma comes and mix it with the rice and keep aside.
• Now transfer the cooked mutton from pressure cooker to the pan and cook on high flame till it is dry.
• Transfer the excess ghee from this cooked mixture that is now separated into small cup and keep aside.
• Take a pressure cooker(which has good height), Grease it with ghee and arrange the potato discs onto the bottom to cover the bottom completely
• Spread a layer of 1/3 of rice followed by 1/2 of cooked mutton, 1/3 of fried onions, 1/3 of fried cashews.
• Then add next layer of 1/3 rice, followed by another layer of remaining cooked mutton, 1/3 of fried onions, 1/3 of fried cashews
• Layer remaining rice on the top, followed by remaining onions and cashews.
• With the back side of the cooking spoon make 5-6 wholes in this layer biryani till bottom
• Spread the ghee separated out from cooked mutton stored earlier evenly over here. Also spread the milk-safron mixture evenly.
• Close the cooker with the lid, heat tawa and put this cooker on top of it. Cook on low flame for 15 minutes
• Serve hot :)

Notes
While serving, insert the spoon till bottom and get all layers in each servings to get the best taste for the serving :)

Since I was small, My Dad always tells mom that in his company canteen he gets amazing Kadhi Bhaji(Curry Pakoda). And there use to always an attempt from mom to get the same taste and even then dad would be more inclined towards his canteen bhaji. So as kids we normally had this item almost twice a week or so giving another reason that this type of curry wont give cough unlike butter milk. So when I thought of preparing this, I decided to use Green vegetable for pakodas for more nutrition value of the curry. And here I got amazing item in my favourite list.


Ingredients
3 Cup Palak Pakodas
6 Cup Butter Milk
A Pinch of Turmeric Powder
1/4 Spoon of Mustard
A Pinch of Asafoetida
3 Spoon Sugar
1 Spoon Ghee
Salt to taste

Method

• In the butter milk, mix sugar and salt to taste and keep aside.
• Heat the ghee in a small pan and let the mustard splutter in it.
• Add Asafoetida, turmeric powder and take off from the flame
• In the buttermilk add this ghee mixture and mix well.
• While serving, add the pakodas to the above curry and serve.

Notes
You can additionally add Curry leaves in the ghee to give it that flavour but I perferred not to so that I can relish palak and the curry taste rather than the curry taste only.

It been more than a month since I prepared this but due to all sort of logistic issues in moving out of hyderabad I got little busy and couldnt post the recipe even though I had clicked the photos. So today I am going to post all 5 recipes that were pending. New ones will come as and when I try them :)


Ingredients
1 Bunch of Palak
1/2 Cup Bason
1/2 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
1/4 Spoon Turmeric Powder
A Pinch of Jeera Powder
1/2 Spoon Corriander Powder
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Wash Palak leaves and keep aside.
• Mix bason, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, jeera powder, corriander powder and salt to taste with water to form a paste
• Heat oil in a pan
• When its slightly warm, add a spoon of oil into the bason paste.
• When oil is hot, dip the two palak leaves at a time in the bason paste and add it into the pan and fry the pakoda on the golden colour
• Repeat for remaining leaves

Notes
I used smalled leaves of palak and the pakodas turned out amazing. Especially the palak was crisp and tasty because of its freshness and tenderness.
Also I dipped two palak leaves at a time so that the pakoda has its taste and still not too much of spinach which wont get crisp.

I never imagined that egg roll can mean so much to bengalis :) Recently when I went to Puja Pandals, I saw most people at roll stand than in pandals :) Earlier ajoy use to ask me for egg roll and I use to thing he would love parathas more than egg roll. Probably you can say I didnt understand the roll importance :) But after attending puja this year, the first thing I had made my mind to surprise some day with rolls. So today for breakfast when I had almost nothing left at home I prepared this and he indeed was pleasantly surprised :)


Ingredients
3 Spoon Heaps of Maida
1 Spoon Heaps of Wheat Flour
3 Eggs
1 Onion
2 Green Chillies
Hot and sweet Tomato Ketchup
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Mix maida and wheat flour with salt to taste and little oil and knead the dough. Keep aside for atleast half an hour
• In a small pan, add little oil around half spoon or little less and heat it.
• Add sliced onions and green chillies to it and cook them till onions lose their rawness and look light brown. Keep aside
• Make 3 balls out of the dough and roll them thin one by one.
• Heat tawa and transfer the rolled roti on to the tawa. Put little oil from sides
• When one side is almost done flip the roti and let the other side cook for a while.
• Break the egg directly onto the cooking roti and spread it all over the roti and let it cook for a minute or so.
• Flip it, add oil from sides and cook from the egged side till egg is cooked completely.
• On a plate keep a kitchen towel such that it covers the 2/3rd of the plate.
• Transfer the cooked egg roti on to this plate. Egg side on top.
• Spread the 1/3rd mixture of cooked onion and chilli in the middle as one line. Add single ketchup line to taste.
• Now roll the egg roti into the egg roll with the kitchen towel and close the napkin from the bottom.
• Repeat same process for remaining two rolls.

Notes
I didnt use complete wheat flour for roti as otherwise you tend to get wheat flour taste in the roll which I dont like in the roll. I didnt use complete maida because otherwise after cooking the rotis tend to get too hard. Hence this combination.
While rolling the roti, the best way to get perfect roll is to first put one side over the other such that mixture is covered and is tightly filled in from one side. and then roll it into the roll from same side.

Lot of friends had been asking for easy breakfast recipies.. I mean some simple yet tasty day today breakfast recipies. So here I am posting recipe for simple yet delicious maharashtrian breakfast/snacks.. This item is so common that whenever people get unexpected guest or there is "Ladaki Dikhana" program at ones place this is must :)


Ingredients
2 Cup Pohe
1/2 Cup Muttor
1 Onion
A pinch of Turmeric Powder
1/4 Spoon Mustard
1/4 Spoon Jeera
4 Green Chillies
4 Spoon Grated fresh Coconut
4 Spoon Corriander leaves
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Wash the pohes and drain out excess water. Keep aside.
• Heat oil and let mustard and jeera splutter in it
• Add chopped green chillies and fry for a minute
• Add onions and cook them till they are translucent
• Add turmeric powder and cook for a minute
• Add washed poha and muttor in it adn mix well.
• Cover it and cook for couple of minute
• Open the lid, mix well, add salt to taste and again cover and cook covered for 3-4 minutes on low flame.
• Garnish with grated coconut and finely chopped corriander leaves and serve

Notes
Washing pohes and keep aside at first is important. It gives enough time for pohas to soak in the washed water to become soft. If you find your pohas are not enough soft just sprinkly little water before covering and cooking. But I never needed this if I washed them at first place. Dont forget to remove excess water. Washed water is just enough for them to be perfect soft.
Instead of muttor you can add groundnuts in the oil before adding pohas and fry them well. These are also tastier and ajoy's favourite. But authentic pohas are with muttor :) and I love them that way.
You can also add 1/2 cup potato cubes in oil and cook them before adding Pohas to it to get Kanda(Onion) Batata(Potato) Pohe :)

I had been thinking of preparing cup cakes since I prepared muffins. But its only today I actually materialised the thoughts into the action :) :) So here is cherry - cashew cup cake recipy for you all.


Ingredients
2 Cup Canned Cherries
1 Cup Canned Cherry Syroup
1 Cup Castor Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Butter
2 Cup Maida
2.25 Spoon Baking Powder
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Cashews

Method

• Blend butter, castor sugar and eggs well.
• Sieve Maida and Baking Powder together
• Add it to the sugar-egg-butter mixture and blend it till it just folds in
• Remove the seeds from the cherries
• Add deseeded cherries, cherry syroup and milk to the mixture and blend till mixture folds in well and cherries are half crushed
• Add Cashew pieces
• Prehead Oven at 200C
• Grease the Cup Cake Pans
• Fill in the cups with batter about 2/3rd
• Bake it at 200C for about 20 minutes

Notes
Cherry Syroup and Blended Cherry gives it amazing Taste of fresh cherries :) You can add Almonds or Walnuts as well apart from cashews. I wanted to add them but didnt have them available that time hence added just cashews
Also I used Salted butter hence didnt mix salt with the maida, if you are using unsalted butter, add salt to taste to the maida while sieving

I love chinese and its been ages since I had it outside. Yeah we had gone for it couple of weeks back but whatever we had ordered wasnt upto the mark and hence didnot count :) Hence yesterday I thought lets give it a shot at home. I have earlier tried these stuff at home as well, but then the taste wasnt authentic. But yesterday I can say I mastered it. So here is the recipe for you.


Ingredients
400gm Paneer
1 Onion
6 Chillies
15 Garlic Cloves
A Pinch of Black Pepper Powder
2 Spoon Dark Soy Sauce
1 Spoon Tomato Ketchup
1 Spoon Corn Flour
2-3 Strands of Spring Onion
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Cut the paneer into medium sized cubes and fry them in oil over medium heat till light gold in color. Keep aside
• In same oil fry onions till translucent.
• Add chopped chillies and garlic and cook till fragranant
• Add black pepper powder and Soy sauce and cook for a minute
• Add paneer cubes and tomato ketchup. Cook for 2-3 minutes
• Mix corn flour in a cup of water and add it to the paneer mixture.
• Add more water if needed and cook the paneer with closed lid for 3 minutes.
• Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve

Notes
Chop the green chillies in slanted fashion for this so that you get the same look and feel that you see in restaurants.
Do not fry paneer till its completely crispy from outside. You want to keep it as soft as possible and yet fry it so that it gets the proper texture.
Also if you are looking for it as starter which is dry, add little less water and cook for some more time if required so that the final result is dry :)

In Chinese I love Soft noodles. But, I havent yet been able to prepare them of the level of nice chinese restaurant. So most of the time I end up preparing fried rice instead. So here is recipy for the veg fried rice.


Ingredients
2 Cup Rice
1 Onion
1 Cup Cabbage Shredded
1/2 Cup Carrot Shredded
1/2 Cup Muttor
A pinch of Black Pepper Powder
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Cook rice and keep aside
• Heat oil and add chopped onion and shredded carrots. Saute till onions are translucent
• Add and cook till cabbage is done
• Add muttor, black pepper powder and salt and cook for another minute
• Add cooked rice and mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes

Notes
Adding carrot at start makes sure that carrot is cooked well as it will take longest time to cook.

Whenever we get bottle gourd, ajoy has this demand of Koftas and so yesterday was the day when I obliged and made it for him. Here is the recipe.


Ingredients
4 Cup Grated Bottle Gourd
1.5 Cup Bason
2 Tomatoes
1 Onion
1/2 Spoon Garlic Paste
1 Spoon Jeera
1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
1/4 Spoon Turmeric Powder
1/4 Spoon Garam Masala
1/4 Spoon Aamchur Powder
1/4 Spoon Corriander Powder
Corriander Leaves for garnishing
Salt to taste

Method

• Apply salt to the grated bottle gourd and keep aside for few minutes.
• Squize out water from the bottle gourd and mix bason, 1/2 spoon jeera, 1/2 spoon red chilli powder, garam masala, aamchur powder
• Prepare lemon sized ball out of this mixture and deep fry them in oil over low-medium heat. Keep aside
• Heat little oil in a pan and let the jeera splutter.
• Add the finelly chopped onion and garlic paste and cook till golden brown
• Add turmeric powder, remaining red chilli powder, corriander powder and salt
• Add tomatoes and cook well. Add water and bring to boil. Once the tomatoes are cooked well keep the mixture aside to cool down a bit
• Put the mixture into the mixie and grind to fine paste
• In a pan add this grinded mixture, enough water to make running gravy and koftas and bring to boil
• Garnish with corriander leaves and serve

Notes
I tried to keep the kofta spicy and gravy very less spicy so that one can enjoy koftas rather than gravy. You can vary it to your taste though

Since long time ajoy had been asking for bhendi deep fry. Not the vegetable and now he took one more step ahead to get the bhendi that was tender and nice when he was suppose to go and get Curry Leaves :) So I thought lets grant his wish but instead of just frying bhendi pieces lets give it some extra taste by stuffing it. And here is what i came up with and it was lovely.


Ingredients
1/4 Kg Bhendi(Lady's Finger)
1 Tomato
1 Onion
1/2 Spoon Garlic Paste
1/4 Spoon Turmeric Powder
1/2 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
1/2 Spoon Jeera
1/4 Spoon Corriander Powder
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Wash bhendis and pat dry by tissue.
• Remove the head and tail for the bhendis and give them a slits.
• Apply salt and keep aside.
• In a pan heat little oil and let jeera splutter in it
• Add grated onion to this and cook till onion turns golden in colour
• Add garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, corriander powder to it and stir well.
• Add grated tomato to this and salt to taste and cook for 4-5 minutes till mixture is cooked well. Keep aside for cooling down
• Stuff this little mixture to bhendis one by one
• Heat oil in a pan and fry the stuffed bhendis on medium heat.

Notes
Giving slits that do not slit the ends is the best way so that while frying bhendi doesnt open up.
For best results, fry only from the opposite side of stuffing and also arrange the bhendis in a row so that they dont turn the direction while frying. Once the side is cooked completely, just turn them for a minute max and take out to the tissue.

This one is prepared using the remaining water from the daal that is used to cook the Puran and puran itself. The aamati is sweet and sour in taste and goes amazingly well with the puran poli.


Ingredients
2 Cup Water from Cooked Chana Daal
1/2 Cup Puran
1/2 Cup Jaggery
2 Spoon Tamarind
1 Spoon Corriander Seeds
1 Spoon Jeera
1/2 Spoon Mustard
1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
4 Spoon Grated Coconut
15 Curry Leaves
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Soak tamarind in a cup of water and keep aside.
• Heat a spoonfull of the oil and add corriander seeds and jeera.
• Add grated coconut and fry the mixture till golden in colour.
• In a mixie, add this coconut mixture along with tamarind. And grind to smooth paste. Keep aside
• Heat another half spoon of oil and let mustard splutter in it.
• Add curry leaves and fry for a minute
• Add the tamarind - coconut paste and fry for another minute
• Add the red chilli powder and saute for another minute.
• Add daal water, puran and jaggery. If needed add more water if it lookss thick.
• Add salt to taste and bring it to boil. Serve the sweet and sour curry with puran polis

Notes
You can use normal water if you do not have cooked daal water left over.
For preparing puran refer to Puran Poli recipe.

In our house puran poli without Ras is "Not" Puran Poli. So I cannot imagine eating puran poli without Ras and enjoying it as much as I do with it. So here is the recipe for you.


Ingredients
4 Cup Grated Coconut
1.5 Cup Jaggery
Salt to taste

Method

• Preapre the coconut milk out of the grated coconut by grinding it in mixie with enough water and squizzing juice out of it. Repeat on same coconut for 3 times to get complete juice out of it.
• Stir in the jaggery and salt to this milk till its completely dissolved. Ras is ready to serve

Notes
Its best to prepare this fresh, the quantity I mentioned is enough for puran polis that will be made out of the given quantity in Puran Polis recipe. So adjust your quantity accordinly.

I always loved the puran poli my mom made. Some people prepare it as paratha and I always have the urge to tell these people that puran poli and puran paratha are two different things and Poli as name suggest should be thing and soft. I got the recipy for this one from mom and tried it earlier this year. I could get the taste, but not the thinness and softness the way mom can. So few months back when I was in pune, I learnt the tactics to get the right puran poli and here i am sharing it especially for dasara. Wishing you all Happy Dasara.


Ingredients
4 Cup Chana Daal
3 Cup Jaggery
2 Cup Wheat Flour
1 Spoon Maida
1 Cup Rice Powder
1/2 Cup Oil

Method

• Mix maida and wheat flour and make the very loose dough out of it.
• Put the dough in the steel vessel and press in using fingers to make valleys and hills (:) I love to do this)
• Pour in the oil so that all valleys are filled in with the oil. Keep aside for atleast couple of hours
• Cook chana daal in pressure cooker
• Remove the excess water and put it into pan. (The excess water is used for preparing Katachi Aamati)
• Add jaggery to the pan and cook till mixture is thick
• Strain the mixture through Puran Yantra. Keep it aside to cool down
• While Making puran polis, Heat the tawa on low flame
• Make the puran ball of twice the lemon size.
• Take dough of lemon size and stretch it so that its big enough to cover the puran ball. Close the puran ball with this dough
• Press the ball with palms to flatten it. The elastic cover if goes outwards, press it back inwards gently.
• Apply generous quantity of rice floor on to the rolling plate. Dip the ball into the rice flour and and start rolling the poli.
• Intermittently keep checking that the poli is not sticking to the rolling plate and apply rice floor now and then.
• Rolling should be done very softly and always in outward direction.
• Cook the poli on the tawa over low flame. Cook the one side completely and then turn over and cook the other side. Again turn over, fold it and serve

Notes
The elasticity of the dough helps in making puran poli's cover softer and thinner so make sure the dough is very loose and was let to mix properly by keeping aside for enough time.
While rolling puran poli, start with smaller one, try it out and then gradually increase the size till you are confident. Use generous amount of rice powder initially which later you can reduce to amount you are comfortable with.
While checking if poli is stuck to the rolling plate, put the palm with fingers wide open and tilt the plate to get the poli on your palm. Same while transfering it to tawa. Never try to pick with just fingers, its a delicate afair.
If you see that there is lot of dough on sides of poli, it means you used more than needed dough, so reduce the quantity next time. The best quantity is half or little less of puran.
rolling only in outward direction helps in spreading puran outwards and thus uniform thickness as well as the cover of the puran wont break.
Also the last but not least tip, its very difficult and tidious process, so dont be disheartened if you dont get the BEST results at first attempt you will start getting better. I have tried to point out all minute details my mom told me, so I hope that will help.

Ajoy has got muffin tray this time from US and so I was in search of nice muffin recipe. I had peanut butter at home which I had kept it for some experiment. I thought lets try this out on muffin. So instead of using normal butter I used peanut butter and got nice peanut flavoured muffins with choco chips :)


Ingredients
1 Cup Peanut Butter
1 Cup Choco-chips
2 Cup Maida
1 Spoon Vanilla
1.5 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1.5 Spoon Baking Powder
1/2 Spoon Eating Soda
1/2 Cup Milk

Method

• Mix peanut butter, eggs, suagar and vanilla in a bowl
• Sieve Maida, baking powder, eating soda together around 3-4 times
• Add maida and milk slowly to the butter-egg mixture with constant stirring
• Stir in the Choco Chips
• Preheat oven at 200C
• Grease the muffin tray and add the muffin mixture to it to full the cups 2/3rd.
• Bake at 200C in oven for 15 minutes

Notes
Here I donot get the choco chips and hence I buy cadboury dairy milk and cut it into medium sized pieces.
Also I thought that if I would have used the half and half of butter and peanut butter the peanutty flavour would have been milder. So I am going to try that out next time. Will post update after the trial

I was looking for variations in paneer and came across Paneer Pasanda Recipe on youtube. I really liked the way the dish was done, especially paneer stuffing and hence I came up with this one after few alterations to the recipe.


Ingredients
400gm Paneer
2 Spoon Raisins
1/4 Cup Corriander Leaves
2 Green Chillies
1/2 Spoon Maida
1/2 Spoon Corn Flour
2 Tomatoes
1/2 Spoon Jeera
1/4 Spoon Mustard
1/2 Spoon Turmeric Powder
1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
1/2 Spoon Garam Masala
1/4 Spoon Jeera Powder
1/4 Spoon Corriander Powder
1/2 Spoon Kasuri Methi
1 Cup Cream
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Cut the paneer into triangle shaped pieces - medium sized
• Grate 3 pieces and rest keep aside
• With the grated paneer mix, finely chopped corriander, finely chopped green chillies and raisins. Keep aside
• For the other traingle shaped pieces, slit the paneer from diagonal side such that it gives little butter fly shape when slightly opened
• Fill-in the stuffing of -paneer and raisins that we kept aside.
• Mix maida, corn flour and water in a bowl to form paste
• Dip the stuffed paneer pieces in this mixture and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan and fry the stuffed paneer pieces in a pan over medium flame to light brown colour. Keep aside
• In same oil, let the mustard and jeera splutter.
• Add finely chopped tomatoes to this
• Add red chilli powder, jeera powder, corriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala to this and cook till tomatoes are completely done.
• After the above mixture cools down, add kasuri methi and grind it in mixie to get smooth paste with fine particles of black mustard, jeera and kauri methi visible.
• In same pan add this paste and enough water and the fried stuffed paneer. Bring it to boil
• Add the salt and cream to this and cook for another minute or two.

Notes
I didnt cook kasuri methi before gridning, and kept its quantity little higher which gave the gravy very unique taste.

This is something similar to earlier posted bread roll but little different in shape and mixture and hence thought of posting it.


Ingredients
8 Bread Slices
1 Potato
1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
1/2 Spoon Jeera Powder
1/2 Spoon Corriander Powder
1/2 Spoon Aamchur Powder
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Grate the potato and soak it in the water
• Drain the water and mix add red chilli powder, jeera powder, corriander powder, aamchur powder and salt to it
• Remove edges of bread and keep aside
• Take a bread sice and just put the bread in water for a split of second.
• Press the bread with both hands and remove the water
• Fill in the potato mixture in this and close the edges giving it sandwitch shape
• Fry it in oil over medium flame till brown on both sides.
• Repeat for all remaining bread slices.

Notes
Do not over dip the bread slice in the water or you wont be able to retain the shape as bread will soak all water and it will become very soggy.

Last week when we went to Ohris for dinner - Bengali Food festival, there I had this and it was so soft that, ajoy and me, we both thought it was more like french fries. So Weekend when I prepared light food, I decided to give this a try. Output was amazing.


Ingredients
2 Potatoes
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Grate the potatoes
• Wash the grated potatoes and spread it on the tissue paper to remove the water
• Heat oil and fry the the grated potatoes on medium low flame till golden brown in colour
• Sprinkle salt to taste and serve

Notes
To get crispy bhaja you have to be patient and fry it slowly on medium low flame
Even after removing from oil it becomes little darker after some time. So do not over fry it.
Also putting the grated potatoes in the water immediately will help in retaining their color.

This is another dish to make ajoy eat palak apart from palak puri. I make it frequently but never thought of posting the recipe. But this time since ajoy suggested of same, I am posting it here.


Ingredients
2 Spinach
200gm Paneer
2 Tomatoes
5 Spoon Cream
1/4 Spoon Corn Flour
1/2 Spoon Garlic Paste
1/4 Spoon Ginger Paste
1/4 Spoon Jeera
1/4 Spoon Turmeric Powder
1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
1/2 Spoon Jeera Powder
1/2 Spoon Corriander Powder
1/4 Spoon Kasuri Methi
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Boil around 4-5 cups of water and keep spinach leaves in it for couple of minutes.
• Drain the water and grind the leaves in mixie and keep aside.
• Heat little oil in a pan and let jeera splutter in it.
• Add ginger and galic paste, turmeric powder followed by finely chopped tomatoes
• Saute for a while and add red chilli powder, corriander powder, jeera powder and kasuri methi
• Cook on low flame till tomatoes are completely done.
• Grind this tomatoe gravy along with palak paste prepared earlier adding enough water.
• Boil this mixture and add the paneer cubes in it. Cook till paneer is completely cooked.
• Add cream to this mixture.
• Mix corn flour with 4 spoon of water and add it to the boiling palak paneer and its ready to serve

Notes
Adding cream and corn flour gives the thickness to the gravy. I didnt add only cream because then there wont be palak taste left in the gravy and only corn flour because then it would turn gravy very bland. Adding both gives the right flavour and thickness to the gravy

This is one of my favourite in the restaurants, Standard recipy, less spicy and yet delicious.. I had tried this a month back and it turned out amazing, but had not been keeping enough enegry to take up pics and post recipies, so when yesterday when I prepared this, I thought of posting this here.


Ingredients
300gm Boneless Chicken
2 Tomatoes
1 Onion
1.5 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
2 Spoon Corriander Powder
1 Spoon Kasuri Methi
1 Spoon Jeera
1/2 Spoon Garlic Paste
1/2 Spoon Ginger Paste
A pinch of Orange Red Color
1/2 Spoon Sugar
1/4 Spoon Tomato Ketchup
1 Cup Cream
4 Spoon Butter
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Cut the chicken into rectangular pieces
• Marinate them with salt, 1 spoon red chilli powder, 1 spoon corriander powder, 1/4 spoon garlic paste and 1/4 spoon ginger paste
• Heat oil and fry the chicken pieces for 4-5 minutes. Keep them aside
• In same oil, add jeera and let it splutter.
• Add chopped onion, kasuri methi and remaining garlic paste, ginger paste, red chilli powder, corriander powder to this.
• Add water and let it boil.
• Add the finely chopped tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are completely done
• Grind this to paste in the mixer and keep aside
• In a pan, heat butter and add this paste and salt to it
• Mix 1/2 cup of water and orange color and add it to the gravy.
• Add sugar, ketchup and fried chicken pieces and bring to boil
• Switch the flame to low and add cream and cook for 4-5 minutes

Notes
While adding the cream dont forget to switch the flame to low as otherwise it wont mix properly

This was the quick and tasty pulav I cooked for Ajoy on saturday, when we were out of stock for all vegetables


Ingredients
2 Cup Prawns
2 Cup Rice
2 Onions
2 Spoon Cashews
1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
1/4 Spoon Turmeric Powder
1/2 Spoon Garam Masala
1/4 Spoon Corriander Powder
1/4 Spoon Cinnamon Powder
1/4 Spoon Cloves Powder
1/2 Spoon Garlic Paste
Salt to taste
Ghee
Oil

Method

• Marinate the prawns with the red chilli powder and salt to taste. Keep aside for half an hour
• Cook Rice and keep aside
• Heat the Oil and fry the prawns and keep aside
• In Same Oil fry chopped onions and cashews
• Add Garlic Paste and fried prawns in it and cook for a while
• Add turmeric powder, garam masala, corriander powder, cinnamon powder, cloves powder and salt to taste. Cook till prawns are completely done
• Add the cooked rice and salt in this
• Add the ghee from side and mix well. Cook for couple of minutes

Notes
I used around a spoonful of the oil for frying prawns and onions etc. and then around 2 spoons of ghee for the perfect flavour. Oil was exactly sufficient to cook prawns and ghee to mix rice with the prawns.

This is another quick and yet interesting dish that I tried on friday for dinner. The dish turned out nice and we enjoyed it over breakfast too :)


Ingredients
200gm Paneer
1/4 Cup Curd
1/2 Cup Pudina Leaves
1/4 Cup Corriander Leaves
1/4 Spoon Ginger Paste
1/4 Spoon Garlic Paste
4 Green Chillies
Butter
Salt to taste

Method

• Cut the panneer into cubes
• Grind pudina leaves, corriander leaves, ginger paste, garlic paste and green chillies with salt in the mixer to fine paste
• Mix this with the curd
• Marinate the paneer with this mixture and keep in fridge for half an hour
• Preheat the microwave to 250C
• Butter the baking tray and spread the paneer cubes over the pan
• Bake the paneer on 200C for 5 minutes
• Flip the paneer to cook on the other side and bake again on 200c for 5 min

Notes
These tastes amazing for dinner. For breakfast it was good but not as good as for dinner. So if you find that you have extra paneer cubes left then save them in fridge and bake whenever required.

With ajoy being back, I wanted to prepare something nice for him for breakfast, yet something that is quick. Then this recipe which my mom had told me came to my mind.


Ingredients
3 Cup Corn
1.5 Cup Rawa
4 Green Chillies
1/4 Spoon Ginger Paste
1/2 Cup Corriander leaves
1/4 Spoon Eating Soda
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Grind the corns and green chillies in the mixer to form fine paste
• Mix corn paste, rawa, ginger paste, finely chopped corriander leaves and salt to taste
• Add eating soda and little water if required to make the paste consistent
• Heat the aappe pan and sprinkle little oil
• Add the corn mixture to this and cook on medium flame from both sides

Notes
The paste should be consistent like the idly paste to get the best results.

Yesterday, while surfing through channels I came across this recipe and I instantly decided to try it out. The ingredients appealed me :) and I had them almost all available at home :)


Ingredients
2 Cup Seedless Dates
1 Cup Cashews
1 Cup Almonds
1 Cup Grated Dry Coconut
1 Spoon Poppy Seeds
1 Spoon Ghee

Method

• In a pan heat the ghee and add dates
• Let the dates cook with constant stirring. Keep aside for cooling
• Grind cashews and almonds separately and keep aside
• Grind the cooked date mixture to form fine paste
• Mix date paste, almond powder, cashew powder, grated dry coconut and poppy seeds
• Form lemon sized balls out of this mixture.

Notes
The recipe is simple and fast one. Nice item for prasad

Today I got an opportunity to experiment on different people and in different location :) Different people being mom and dad and different location is Pune, their place. I have come here for few days and taken over cooking so today for breakfast i just tried this quick and yet tasty item.


Ingredients
12 Bread Slices
2 Cup Grated Paneer
4 Green Chillies
Handful of Corriander Leaves
1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
1/2 Spoon Jeera Powder
1/2 Spoon Corriander Powder
1/4 Spoon Amchur Powder
Salt to taste
Butter

Method

• Mix paneer, finely chopped green chillies, red chilli powder, finely chopped corriander leaves, jeera powder, corriander powder, amchur powder and salt to taste
• Butter one bread slice and keep the buttered side facing plate
• Spread the paneer mixture on top of this bread slice
• Put the other bread slice on top of it and butter the slice again
• Grill the sandwitch and serve hot
• Prepare remaining sandwitches following the same method

Notes
Buttering the slice before putting the mixture helps in not spreading the mixture while transfering to griller

I have been stocking eggs for a while now. So for a while i was thinking of recipies that i could try and then thought let me cook something which is a meal in itself so that i dont have to cook anything else :) Here is the recipe..


Ingredients6 Eggs
1.5 Cup Rice
1 Onion
2 Spoon Cashews
2 Tomatoes
1/4 Cup Pudina Leaves
1/2 Cup Corriander Leaves
1/4 Spoon Ginger Paste
1/4 Spoon Garlic Paste
2-3 Green Chillies
1/4 Spoon Garam Masala
1/4 Spoon Jeera Powder
1/4 Spoon Corriander Powder
1/4 Spoon Cinnamon Powder
2 Pinch of Cardamom Powder
2 Pinch of Cloves Powder
A Pinch of Nutmeg Powder
A Pinch of Turmeric Powder
1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
5-6 Cloves
5-6 Cardamoms
1 Cinnamon Stick
Salt to taste
Oil
Ghee

Method

• Soak rice in the water and keep aside
• Hard boil 3 eggs and cut them into halves and keep aside
• Heat oil and fry the slices of onions in it and keep aside.
• In same oil, fry the cashew nuts and keep aside
• Again in same oil, fry the halved hard boiled eggs and keep aside
• In same oil, add the remaining 3 eggs
• Keep stirring conitnuously, and cook till the eggs form flakes and oil separates out
• Add turmeric powder, a pinch of cardamom powder, cloves powder, nutmeg powder, half of cinnamon powder, red chilli powder, salt to taste and stir well. Keep aside
• In a pan heat oil and add finely chopped tomatoes and cook them till they are almost done.
• Add pudina leaves and all the corriander leaves except a spoon of them
• Add the garam masala, finely chopped green chillies, jeera powder, corriander powder, ginger paste, garlic paste, a pinch of cardamom powder, a pinch of cloves powder and remaining cinnamon powder
• Stir well and cook till compeltely done and keep aside
• Cook rice in same water till almost done and keep aside
• Heat ghee and add cinnamon stick pieces, cloves, cardamom
• Add this mixture to the rice
• Now grease the cooker or the pot that can go in cooker with ghee
• Add half of rice
• Mix tomato-masala and egg masala and layer it on top of rice
• Layer the remaining rice over this
• Spread onions and cashews on top of this
• Cook it till rice is compeltely done
• While serving mix this rice and fried egg pieces and serve

Notes
I layered the biryani in a pot and cooked it in cooker putting very little water and without a whistle. This helped in non sticky - non burnt biryani
If you are planning to layer the biryani in cooker itself you might want to use the trick of layering boiled potatoes so that biryani doesnt get burnt. More details in Chicken Biryani Recipe

I have been tagged by Hunterwala. Actually its been a while since I have been tagged, and I thought I will post this one that night itself but somehow missed it and Piyush has beaten me in this :(

Last movie seen in a theatre?
Jaane Tu Ya Jaane na. Ajoy not here so not watching many movies these days.

What book are you reading?
Readers Digest

Favorite board game
Fussball

Favorite magazine
Readers Digest

Favorite smells
That of earth when it rains

Favorite sound
Ringtone of my old Moto Razr

Worst feeling in the world
While seeing off the near and dear ones

What is the first thing you think of when you wake up?
Am I late :)

Favorite fast food place
Subway

Future child's name
Not yet thought :)

Finish this statement. "If I had a lot of money I'd..."
Travel all around the world

Do you drive fast?
Not at all

Do you sleep with a stuffed animal
No, but I have the softtoy hanging above my bed.

Favorite Drink
Cane Juice

Do you eat the stem of broccoli?
No, I dont eat broccoli itself :)

Storms - Cool or Scary?
Cool since I havent experienced any :)

If you could dye your hair any color, what would be your choice?
Brown

Name all the different cities/towns you have lived in:
Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Plantation(Florida)

Favorite sports to watch
None, would rather prefer participating in it

One nice thing about the person who sent this to you
He is fun to be with

What's under your bed?
Nothing :)

Would you like to be born as yourself again?
Yes

Morning person or night owl?
Both

Over easy or sunny side up?
Easy

Favorite place to relax
At my mom's place in pune

Favorite pie
Choco Fudge

Favorite ice cream flavor
Custard Apple but only from Sujata Icecreams from Pune

You pass this tag to:
Arati, Atul, Naveen, Nitin, Sameer

Of all the people you tagged this to, who’s most likely to respond first?
Atul

I am delighted to receive another award - Wylde Women Award :) My second award, quite fast and keeping me in happy and award hangover mode :) Thanks to Kitchen Flavours of Yummy Food who has passed on this to me.

The purpose of the Award is to send love and acknowledgement to women who brighten your day, teach you new things and live their lives fully with generosity and joy.

The rules and other details about the award present on the blogsite.

I would like to pass on this award to:

• Diksha
• Nivedita

Congratulations girls and enjoy it :)

This item was something I tasted in bangalore. It was so common there for bfast or weddings. This item was must in the menu.. I didnt eat that much when I was there because it either use to be too sweet or not much of pineapple taste. This week when I got nice riped pineapple, i thought of trying this. And the result was wonderfully tasty and sweet enough for my tooth


Ingredients
1.5 Cup Pineapple Pieces
1 Cup Rawa
8 Spoon Sugar
2 Spoon Ghee
2 Spoon Cashews
2 Spoon Raisins
2 Pinch Saffron
2 Spoon Milk

Method

• Warm the milk and mix safron in it. Keep aside.
• Boil 4 cups of water in a pan
• Add pineapple pieces to it and let them cook on the medium flame
• Parallely heat the ghee in the another pan
• Fry the cashews and keep aside
• Add rawa to the ghee and fry it with constant stirring till it turns light brown
• When the pineapple is cooked, add the (only) pineapple pieces to the rawa and keep stirring
• In the remaining water from the cooked pineapple add 2 spoons of sugar and boil it
• Add this boiling water to rawa pineapple mixture and cook with constant stirring
• When the sheera thickens, add sugar, safron milk, raisins and cashews and stir well till it thickens

Notes
Fry rawa and cashews on lowest possible flame so that you dont end up burning them.
Adjust the sugar quantity according to your taste, but this was the best taste i got with 8 spoons of sugar, the pineapply - sweet one.

Since I was small I use to prepare this and we loved watching saturday and sunday evening movies on DD while munching these.. Back then I wasnt so good at understanding the cooking techniques so many times they would be soft instead of crispy nuts. After a while the failure rates increased and i left the job of preparing these. But last week I just thought of preparing with my newly developed senses of cooking and results turned out really nice. And above all the results are consistent.. I did try them quite a few times after that to verify :)


Ingredients
2 Cup Groundnuts
2 Spoon Salt

Method

• Roast the ground nuts till they are completely done.
• Mix salt with a cup of water
• Put the groundnuts in the sieve and run them through the salted water
• Remove the excess water
• Quickly put the groundnuts back in the hot pan and roast on high flame with constant mixing till they are completely dry

Notes
The process of running the salty water through hot and roasted groundnut should be done quickly so that the nuts dont soak the water.

This weekend when Seema arrived, I planned to try this cake on her and ended up baking this for her and her inlaws :) Thankfully it turned out good and was so nice that it got over in just one serving :)


Ingredients
2 Cup Seedless Dates
1 Cup Walnut pieces
1.5 Cup Maida
1 Cup Butter
1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1/4 Spoon Lemon Juice
1/2 Spoon Baking Powder
1/4 Spoon Eating Soda

Method

• Wash the dates and chop them into small pieces
• Mix dates, walnuts, 1/4 spoon baking powder, eating soda and 4 spoon of water. Keep it overnight
• Next day morning, beat the butter and sugar together
• Beat the egg in separate bowl
• Mix little egg, litte maida and little dates and walnuts mixture at a time. Continue till all maida, eggs and date-walnut mixture is completely mixed into the butter-sugar mixture
• Mix the lemon juice and 1/4 spoon baking powder
• Mix it with the cake batter.
• Heat the oven to 200C
• Prepare the pan for baking the cake by coating it with butter, puting a butter paper of the size of the bottom of the vessel on it and applying butter again to the paper. Pour the cake batter in the pan
• Bake the cake in microwave + convection mode at 180W and 180C for 30 minutes

Notes
The batter was little thick so I added around 3-4 spoons of warm water in the batter just before pouring it into the pan

Ajoy and myself we both love jelly a lot. There was time when I use to prepare it almost daily. It felt so good to eat it in the hot summer days. But last week i had this great idea of having layers and i experimented it and it turned out really nice. But I prepared it in one big steel bowl so could not take any snap. So yesterday I tried it again and put it in to small round icecream cups. And here is the output, attractive, tasty and simple to prepare nice dessert :)


Ingredients
1 Cherry Flavour Jelly Mix
1 Pineapple Flavoured Jelly Mix
1 Litre Water

Method

• Boil the 500ml of water and mix it with cherry flavoured Jelly mix
• Set it into ice cream cups but filling only half the size.
• Now boil remaining water and mix the pineapple jelly mix
• Set it on top of cherry flavoured jelly in the ice-cream cups filling them completely.
• Refrigerate it once completely set
• Serve in the cup as it is or cut them into shapes and serve.

Notes
The cherry flavoured jelly should be completely set before pouring the pinaepple jelly mix.
Also while pouring pineapple mixture on top of cherry jelly, one needs to be very very careful as otherwise portion of red jelly might come out and mix in pineapple jelly. So pour it slowly so that it flowes over cherry jelly without any damage.
I had prepared the strawberry and orange layed jelly earlier but i think this looks and tastes best. You can try other options that you like. You can add mode layers as well.
I used Weikfield Jelly Mix to get prepare the jelly and custard, if you use different brand the recipe for jelly might be different.

In hyderabad, there is restaurant called chutneys. They serve wide varieties of chutneys along with the main menu. So thats where I had this chutney and decided to prepare this simple chutney with my dosa.


Ingredients
1/2 Coconut
1.5 Spoon Sugar
Salt to taste

Method

• Grate the coconut
• Grind the coconut, sugar and salt mixing with little water to get sweet chutney

Notes
Do not grate the coconut fully, otherwise the chutney will turn brown.

I always wanted to get the perfect, crisp dosa. Then I read up few books and got this recipy. The result was amazing, so much so good that I ate 5 dosas for dinner when I was planning to skip the dinner at all :)


Ingredients
3 Cup Idly Rawa
1 Cup Udid Daal
1/2 Cup Mung Daal
1/2 Cup Tur Daal
1 Spoon Fenugreek Seeds
1/4 Cup Oil
Salt to taste
Ghee

Method

• Soak idly rawa, udid daal, mung daal, tur daal and fenugreek seeds separately for atleast 8 hours
• Remove the water from everything except fenugreek seeds
• Mix fenugreek seeds and Udid daal and grind to get fine paste
• Grind idly rawa, mung daal and tur daal to fine paste each separately
• Mix all the grinded pastes
• Keep it overnight in a warm place
• In the morning, mix oil and salt well
• Heat the tawa, then on the minimum temperature, sprinkle the salt water over the tawa and wipe the tawa with cloth
• Put around 1/4 cup of mixture on the tawa in the middle
• Quickly dip one cup in the salty water and spread the dosa from inwards to outwards with circular motion
• Put little ghee from all sides and let the dosa cook on minimum temperature
• Serve hot with chutney and/or sambhar

Notes
The Batter should be thinly grinded and properly fermented to get the dosa thin and crispy. You can use trick mentioned in : Aappe Recipy to ferment the batter in the winter days
While spreading dosa, you should be pressing the cup a little to make a thin spread

This weekend when I went Anghethi, I saw chefs preparing kababs there and couldnt resist myself. And then i worked hard to go to grocerry shop and get the paneer, prepare this kabab.


Ingredients
200gm Paneer Slab
2 Tomatoes
1 Capsicum
1/2 Cup Curd
1/4 Spoon Ginger Paste
1/4 Spoon Garlic Paste
1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
1 Spoon Jeera Powder
1 Spoon Chaat Masala
2 Spoon Tandoori Masala
Salt to taste
Butter

Method

• Cut the paneer to get the cubes
• Mix curd, ginger paste, garlic paste, red chilli powder, jeera powder, chaat masala, tandoori masala and salt to taste to form the marination
• Marrinate the paneer cubes with this mixture and keep it in fridge for couple of hours
• Cut the tomato and capsicum - remove the inner items and cut them to get the rectangular shapes
• Sprinkle salt and little chaat masala on them
• On a grilling stick arrange the capsicum pieces, paneer pieces and tomato pieces
• Melt the butter and pour it over these pieces all over
• Grill them till golden brown, I had to do it for around 30 min

Notes
Grilled one tastes nice but somewhere I read about frying the panner, capsicum and tomatoes separately and then arranging them on a tooth pin. People who donot have grilling option in microwave can try. I am going to try this too.
Also the aunty downstairs - our landlady, puts the Charcols in the earthen vessels and cook the kababs over it. I am going to try this as well because whatever aunty made tasted more aunthentic than this grilling thing.

When it was time to send the Cake to ajoy, I thought its been almost 2 months i havent experimented on him :) So this is an apportunity and i grabbed it to prepare this simple and sweet cake


Ingredients
1/2 Cup Butter
1 Cup Castor Sugar
1 Cup Maida
1/2 Spoon Baking Powder
1/2 Cup Sweet Cherries
1/2 Spoon Icing Sugar
1 Egg

Method

• Wash the cherries in the water so that all the sweet sugar syrup goes away
• Dry them and sprinkle 1/2 spoon of maida on them and keep aside
• Mix Butter and castor sugar till it dissolves well
• Sieve Maida and baking powder 4-5 times
• Beat the egg and keep aside
• In the mixture of butter and castor sugar, mix the little maida-baking powder mixture and little eggs. Keep doing till all ingredients mix well
• Mix in cherries lightly.
• Prepare the pan for baking the cake by coating it with butter, puting a butter paper of the size of the bottom of the vessel on it and applying butter again to the paper
• Heat the oven to 200C
• Bake the cake in microwave + convection mode at 180W and 180C for 15 minutes
• Let the cake cool down for 10 min or so and then sprinkle icing sugar on it
• Cool the cake completly and serve the slices

Notes
If the cake batter looks thick, add warm water to make it thinner.

It was raining heavily over weekend and I couldnt resist the temptation to have hot bhajis while its raining. But the only sad part of it was when I actually started eating them, the rain had stopped for a while.


Ingredients
2 Onions
4 Spoon Bason
5 Spoon Corriander Leaves
1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
1/4 Spoon Corriander Powder
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Chop the onions into thin slices
• Apply Salt and Keep it for a while
• After 5-10 minutes, it will be watery and soft, add bason, red chilli powder, finely chopped corriander leaves, corriander powder and a spoon of hot oil.
• Make paste out of it by adding little water if needed
• Heat oil and fry small portions of this mixture to golden brown colour

Notes
Bhajis are called Crab Style (खेकडा भजी) because it takes shapes because of onion slices.
Keeping the salted onions for a while helps using the water that comes because of salt. Otherwise the paste might get thinner.

I had first had it at my uncles place and I loved it. So asked mom to prepare it, she has tried this vegetable so quite a few times and she has never succeeded. I guess this is the only thing my mom couldn't get it right. When I moved to Bangalore, and for few days when I was staying with my cousin Sangeeta tai, they prepared it once. That's when I learnt how to clean it, prepare it from her and her mother in law. So here is the recipe for you.


Ingredients
1 Banana Flower
1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
1/4 Spoon Garam Masala
1/4 Spoon Jaggery
1/4 Spoon Mustards
1/4 Spoon Corriander Powder
1/4 Spoon Jeera Powder
A pinch of Asafoetida
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Cleanup the banana flower
• Cook finely chopped flower in the cooker for 2-3 whistles
• Remove the water and keep it aside
• Heat oil in a pan and let the mustard sputter in it
• Add asafoetida and cooked banana flower
• Add the red chilli powder, garam masala, corriander powder, jeera powder, jaggery and salt
• Let it cook for couple of minutes

Notes
The most important part of this vegetable is to clean the flowers, you need to open the covers and clean the flowers. I have uploaded image which shows exactly what needs to be removed. When the flowers become too small to open up, you can just use them just like that. Keep it soaked in water and throw this water while cutting it

Earlier I have posted Quick Bharata recipy. This one tastes completely different from that one and has taste of Bharata that most of restaurants serve.


Ingredients
2 Big Brinjals
2 Tomatoes
1 Onion
3-4 Cloves of Garlic
1/4 Spoon Garlic paste
1/4 Spoon Turmeric powder
1 Spoon Red chilli powder
1/4 Spoon Garam Masala
1/4 Spoon Corriander Powder
A Pinch of Jeera Powder
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Roast the Brinjal, Remove the cover and mash it to form fine paste
• In a pan heat oil and add finely chopped onions
• Once they are done, add garlic cloves, garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala, corrainder powder and jeera powder.
• Mix the finely chopped tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are smashed and form the gravy
• Mix the smashed brinjal paste and salt to this and again cook for couple of minutes. The bharata is ready to serve

Notes
This bharata has little tangy and spicy taste, the garlic cloves and garlic paste gives it unique and nice flavour.

When I wanted to try a different kind of bhaji, I came up with this. I had read something similar in news paper couple of months back. Since that time I wanted to try something like this. The outcome was quite nice.


Ingredients
3 Cup Corn
1/4 Spoon Ginger Paste
2 Green Chillies
1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
4 Spoon Bason
1/4 Spoon Corriander Powder
1 Spoon Dry Mango(Amchur) Powder
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Grind the 2.5 cups of corns, ginger paste and green chillies in the mixer to form coarse paste.
• Mix remaining corns, red chilli powder, corriander powder, dry mango powder, bason and salt to taste.
• Mix 1 spoon of hot oil and water to form thick paste
• Prepare balls out of this mixture and fry in oil till golden brown

Notes
Corn is sweet so ginger, green chillies and red chilli powder give it enough spiciness.
You can add 3-4 spoon of corriander leaves also for better taste

I have received a "Blogging with Purpose" Award from Diksha.. Thanks a lot Diksha for passing this award to me. Being bollywood buff, I would like to give/write my speech for the award here.

First of all I would like to thank my husband - Ajoy. He has encouraged me in many ways.. Sometimes verbally.. sometime critically and most of the time eating whatever I gave him :) Be it then hard rock cakes that were a beiginning of cake baking. Or be it by giving my recipies unique looks like Sinking Titanic. He had been there all the time and I really owe him for this award.

The next thank you is obviously for my mom whom i have called at random times with queries like how to cook Jackfruit vegetable or asking her to write a few tricky recipies for me like samosas. She has also given me few nice recipe magzines that help in coming up with new dishes.

I would also like to friends who have helped me with some special recipies like Methi Malai Muttor or be it gifting recipie books during my wedding.

Thank you all for the encouragement and help.

I would like to pass on this award to :

• Sameer
• Aditya
• Ajit
• Milind
• Arun

Congratulations to all of you for the well deserved award.

After long time I am posting a recipe.. Last few weeks I was out of action.. But yep I had prepared few items I wanted to post but didnt have enough energy to do so.. Anyways will prepare those item sometime later and post them.. No worries..
Today when I was late, I wanted to cook something quick, yet that will suffice my hunger so here is what I cooked.. This is inspired by the dosas mom use to make when I was small..


Ingredients
1 Cucumber
1 Cup Rice Powder
3-4 Green Chillies
1 spoon Jeera
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Grate the cucumber
• Mix the cucumber, rice powder, finely chopped green chillies, jeera and salt to taste.
• Make batter out of this mixture with flowing consistency using water
• Heat the tawa and spread oil
• Spread the batter and cook on medium flame till the side is done
• Flip it and cook on the otherside and then serve

Notes
Use nonstick tawa for better result, as the rice powder dosa becomes quite sticky.
Sometimes I also add a spoon or two of rawa to make it little less sticky.
This tastes best with the coconut green chutney but if you dont have enough time to prepare this it even goes with pickle

When I was small, Dad use to take me to walk from FC Road to Laxmi-road every thursday. I use to love those walks just because at the end of walk on Laxmi-road in Janata Dugdha Mandir he use to give me 'Piyush' for drink. I love this drink so much so that whenever I go to pune I end up drinking this too much :) Then last couple of years back mom started preparing this at home with exact taste and bhooom.. Yesterday I wanted to do same thing and here I got it.


Ingredients
5 Cup Curd
1 Lemon
8 Spoon Sugar
A Pinch of Nutmeg powder
A Pinch of Lemon Yellow Colour
Salt to taste

Method

• Mix curd, sugar, nutmeg powder, salt, lemon yello colour and lemon juice
• Mix around 2-3 cups of water to get the flowing consitency for the mixture
• Beat this mixture for a while till sugar mixes completely
• Serve chilled

Notes
Use thick milk to prepare the curd, and don't make curd sour. The lemon gives the enough sourness for the perfect taste.
PS: Sometimes because of lemon's bitterness this turns out little bitter, So today, I tried using 1/2 spoon of vinegar instead and it gave amazing effect, no bitterness at all and perfect taste.

I love this all time snacks and when I saw the packet in the Grocerry Store I thought of trying this at home. And Then realised its so easy and quick to prepare. You must try this out.


Ingredients
1 Cup Mung Daal
A pinch of Eating Soda
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Wash the mung daal and soak it in 4-5 cup of water with eating soda
• Keep it overnight
• In the morning wash the mung daal again and drain it over a cotton cloth
• Heat the oil in a pan
• Fry the mung daal in it over medium heat and again drain the oil from the mung daal on the paper napkin
• Mix salt to taste and serve when it comes to normal temperature

Notes
I fried the mung daal keeping the stainless steel strainer in the oil and putting mung daal in it. That helped me in easy picking of the mung daal, otherwise it gets little difficult to get the mung daal out of oil.
When the mung daal is put into the oil, there would be lot of big bubbles coming out from the oil. Gradually these bubble will reduce in size. When they are almost on zero size mung daal is ready to be removed from the oil.

This one is maharashtrian dish, special in any wedding or any other function. The best part of the dish is its simplicity and easy preparation.


Ingredients
1 cup Basamati Rice
1/4 cup Curd
1/2 cup Gherkins
1/2 Potato
1/4 cup Muttor
1/2 cup Corriander leaves
1/2 cup grated Coconut
1/2 spoon Red chilli powder
1/2 spoon Garam Masala
8-9 Cashews
A pinch of Cardamom powder
2 Cloves
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 Bay Leaf
1/4 spoon Mustard Seeds
A pinch of Asafoetida
1 spoon Ghee
Salt to taste

Method

• Wash basamati rice and let the water strain properly
• Add red chilli powder, garam masala, cardamom powder, curd to this rice and keep aside for 10 minutes
• In a cooker, heat the ghee and let the mustards sputter in it
• Add asafoetida, bay leaf, cloves, Cinnamon stick and cashews and fry for a minute or two
• Add the sliced gherkins and cubed potatoes and fry for another couple of minutes
• Add the basamati rice, muttor and salt in it and fry for another couple of minutes
• Add 2 cup of water and put a lid and let it cook with 4 whistles.
• Before serving garnish with coconut, corriander leaves and ghee

Notes
You can use even gobi or bringal instead of potato or gherkins.
Coconut and corriander garnishing gives it really different flavour than the normal pulav

The first time I had prepared this, I had messed up with the dish, then I did little R&D and found out where I went wrong. After that when I tried this on weekend, It came out well.


Ingredients
1 Liter Milk
2 Spoon White Vinegar
2.5 Cup Sugar
2 drops of Rose essence

Method

• Heat milk in a vessel
• Mix the white vinegar in a spoon of water and keep ready
• When milk starts boiling, add 1/2 spoon vinegar-water mixture
• Keep flame on high and stir the milk continuously
• Add remaining mixture too 1/2 spoon at a time
• When last dose of the vinegar-water mixture is added the milk will cuddle completely to form very soft paneer.
• Immediately take out from the heat and strain the water
• Run through the cold water so that vinegar smell and colour goes away
• Put it in a cloth and remove all excess water from paneer using this cloth
• Mean while, In a cooker, mix sugar and 6 cups of water and heat on high flame
• Knead the paneer to form soft dough. It takes around 2-5 minutes of effort to actually get the soft nice dough
• Prepare 10 small balls out of it
• By this time the sugar-water syrup will be boiling. Add the balls in it and boil for 5 minutes
• Put a lid on the cooker (without whistle) and boil for another 5 minutes
• Add 1/4 cup of water in the syrup and again boil for 5 minutes without lid
• Let the mixture cool down, do not keep a lid till it cools down
• Add rose essence and refrigerate it

Notes
When the balls are added to the sugar syrup they should float otherwise they are not kneaded well.
Also knead the mixture when it is little warm only to get softer balls.