Dadpe Pohe (pressed rice with onion,tomato & spices)

Ingredients:

Pressed rice(poha) 1 cup, Onion 1,

Tomato 1, Fresh Grated Coconut 1/2 cup,

Red Chilli Powder 1 Tb, Cumin Coriander Powder 2 tsp,

Turmeric Powder 1/2 tsp, Goda Masala Powder 1 tsp,

Chopped Coriander Leaves 2 Tb, Salt/Sugar to taste

Mustard Seeds 1 tsp, Asafoetida a pinch

Method:

Finely chop onion and tomato. Mix together onion, tomato, coconut, chopped coriander, masalas(except red chilli powder) and salt and sugar. Now add the poha(pressed rice) and mix well.

In a small fry pan, add oil. Add mustard seeds and asafoetida and when it crackles add red chilli powder and pour this over the poha mixture. Cover for a few minutes and serve.

Carrot & Raisin Salad

Ingredients:


Carrots 250 gm, Raisins 100 gm,

Honey 6 Tb, Lemon Juice 1 Tb

Method:

Grate carrots. Soak the raisins in warm water for 1/2 hour and then drain them. Mix the carrots and raisins and add the honey-lemon dressing. Serve immediately.

Honey-Lemon Dressing:

Mix together honey and lemon juice. Adjust the amount of honey according to the tartness of the lemon juice.

Puri Bhaji

Puri pic courtsey Russell Bassman

Ingredients:


For Puris:
Whole wheat flour 4 cups, Oil 1/2 cup,
Salt to taste, Sugar a pinch, Water as needed


For Potato Bhaji:
Potatoes 250 gm, Chopped Onions 2 medium,
Chopped Tomato 1 large, Ginger Garlic Paste 1 Tb,
Red Chilli Powder 1 tsp, Turmeric Powder 1/4 tsp,
Cumin Coriander Powder 1 tsp, Garam Masala Powder a pinch,
Salt to taste, Sugar a pinch, Chopped Coriander Leaves 1 Tb, Oil as required


Method:

Puris:
Sieve flour. Add water, salt and sugar and prepare a medium stiff dough, taking care to knead well. Set aside for half an hour. Now knead again with a little(1/2 tsp) oil till soft and devide into even-sized balls. Roll-out into 0.2 cm thickness and deep fry in fat or oil. When puffed up turn over and fry till lightly brown on both sides. Drain on paper napkins to remove excess fat.

Potato Bhaji 1:
Boil potatoes till done. Remove skin and break into pieces using your fingers (a little mashed potato is fine). In a pan, heat oil. Add chopped onions and saute till translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and saute till brown. Now add tomato and fry till soft. Now add the masalas and saute till oil leaves the sides. Now add the potatoes and mix well. Add water, salt and sugar as required and cook on low flame for 10 minutes. The consistancy should be thick, not runny. Add chopped coriander and remove.

Potato Bhaji 2 :
Boil 250 gm Potatoes.Cut into bite-sized pieces. Add salt and sugar to taste and mix well.
In 1 tsp oil, add 1 tsp mustard seeds, a pinch of asafoetida and turmeric and a few curry leaves. Add 2 green chillies cut into 1/2" pieces and saute. Now add the potatoes, mix well. Cover and cook on low flame for 3-5 minutes. Serve hot with puris.

Mulghapodi/Milagapodi(Spicy Dry Lentil Chutney)

This is a special chutney from South India. this is a home made chutney available through-out the region. It is used as an accompaniment with idlis, dosas, with rice or roti. Small idlis called bullet idlis are tossed in a mixture of coconut oil and this chutney and are taken while travelling, as they are easier to carry and eat. 'Mulgha' means chilli and 'Podi' means dust.

Ingredients:

Urad Dal(Split Skinned Black Lentils) 1 cup,
Chana Dal(Gram Dal) 1 cup,
Dried Red Chillies(whole) 1/4 cup,
Methi Seeds(Fenugreek Seeds) a pinch,
Asafoetida 1/2 tsp, Sesame Oil 1 tsp,
Black Mustard Seeds 1/2 tsp,
salt to taste

Method:

In a pan, heat oil. Add Mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, chillies and the lentils, in that order. Roast them till they release their aroma. Cool down completely. Add asafoetida and salt to taste. Make a fine powder.

P.S. to know more about the lentils used or their substitutes, click on the owrd lentils.

Malvani Masala(Typical Masala From The Malvan Region Of Maharashtra)

Ingredients:


Dried Red Chillies 1 kg, Coriander Seeds 1/2 kg,

Cloves 20gm, black Peppercorns 50gm,

Fennel Seeds 100 gm, Cumin Seeds 25 gm,

Shahi Jeera(Black Cumin Seeds) 25 gm,

Masala ilaichi(Black/Brown Cardmom) 50 gm,

Cinnamon Sticks 50 gm, Dagad Phool 50 gm,

Nag Kesar 25 gm, Black Mustard Seeds 25 gm,

Dried Turmeric Root 25 gm, Badal Phool 10 gm,

Whole Asafoetida Stones 25 gm, Nutmeg 2 Whole,

Method:

Break the turmeric,asafoetida and nutmeg. Other than red chillies, coriander seeds and nutmeg, saute all the other ingredients in a litle
oil individually. Lastly saute the chillies and coriander seeds and them make a fine powder of all the ingredients together. Will keep in an air-tight container for a year.

Dal Fry (Spicy Yellow Lentils)

Ingredients:


Tur Dal(Yellow Lentils) 150 gm, Onion 1 large ,

Tomato 2, Green Capsicum 1, Green Chili 2,

Ginger Garlic Paste 1 Tb, Cumin Seeds 1 tsp,

Turmeric Powder 1/2 tsp, Red Chilli Powder 1 tsp,

Cumin Coriander Powder 1 tsp, Garam Masala Powder 1/4 tsp,

Oil or Ghee 1 Tb, Chopped Coriander Leaves 1 Tb

Method:

Wash and drain dal, add the green chilli and turmeric and cook till done. Remove dal and mash it well. Chop the onion, capsicum and tomato.
In a pan, heat oil and add cumin seeds. When the seeds crackle, add the chopped onion and saute till translucent. Now add chopped capsicum and saute, then add ginger garlic paste and fry till brown. Now add the tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are soft. Now add the mashed dal along with the remaining powdered masalas ans cook for 5 minutes. Now remove from heat and garnish with chopped coriander.

P.S. Adding 1/2 a tsp of lime juice gives the dal an extra zing.

Chhole a la Amol (chick peas a la Amol)

Ingredients:


Kabuli Chana(chick peas or garbanzo beans) 250 gm,

Onions 2 large, Tomatoes 2 large,

Ginger 2", Garlic Flakes 6-8,Cumin Seeds 1 Tb,

Chopped Coriander Leaves 2 Tb,Red Chilli Powder 1 Tb,

Garam Masala Powder 1 tsp,Oil 2 Tb,

Curd 2 Tb, Salt to taste


Method:


Soak the chick peas overnight, in plenty of water. In the morning, drain them, add salt and water and cook till done. Make a paste of onions, coriander, ginger, garlic, cumin and red chilli. Puree the tomatoes.
In a heavy-bottomed pan add oil. When the oil is hot add the paste and fry till oil leaves the sides. Now add the tomato puree and cook for 5 more minutes. Add the cooked peas along with beaten curd. Adjust the seasoning and reduce till the gravy is a little dry and coats the peas, remove from heat. In a small frypan, add oil. When the oil is smoking hot, add garam masala powder and pour over the peas. Serve hot with a bread of your choice.

Low Fat/ Low Spice Recipes

[1] Red Pumpkin Dry Bhaji

Ingredients:


Red Pumpkin 500 gm, Mustard Seeds 1 tsp,

Cumin Seeds 1 tsp, Asafoetida a pinch,

Curry Leaves 4-5, Turmeric Powder 1/2 tsp,

Red Chilli Powder 1 tsp, Goda Masala Powder 2-3 tsp,

Salt to taste, Grated Fresh Coconut 2 Tb,

Chopped Coriander Leaves 2 Tb, Oil 1 tsp

Method:

Cut pumpkin into 1/2" pieces. In a pan, add oil and when it's hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves, turmeric powder in the order they are written. Now add the pumpkin pieces and saute them for awhile. Now add red chilli and goda masala powder ans salt and mix well. Now add water if necessary and cover and cook on low heat for 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and garnish with coconut and chopped coriander.

P.S. The recipe for goda masala is given in the blog elsewhere.

[2] Green Peas and Tomato Dry Bhaji

Ingredients:

Green Peas 200 gm, Tomato 1 no,

Mustard Seeds 1 tsp,Cumin Seeds 1 tsp,

Asafoetida a pinch,Curry Leaves 4-5,

Turmeric Powder 1/2 tsp,Red Chilli Powder 1 tsp,

Goda Masala Powder 2-3 tsp,Salt to taste,

Grated Fresh Coconut 2 Tb,Chopped Coriander Leaves 2 Tb,

Oil 1 tsp, Green Chilli 1(optional)

Method:
Finely chop the tomato. In oil, add the ingredients as above. If you want more spice add the chilli as well. Now add the green peas and tomato and saute. Now add the powdered masalas and salt. Add sugar to balance the acidity of the tomato. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes on low heat. Remove and garnish with coconut and chopped coriander.