Batata Wada

Batata Wada needs no introduction, its a popular roadside snack eaten all across Maharashtra. First time I must have had batata wada was during my school days in our school canteen, then it used to be a 'must have' snack during our college days. This was probably more than 15 yrs back when they used to sell batata wada for 5 bucks (those were the days!!). Our girl gang used to literally attack the college canteen, every single day- land up eating batata wada & never got bored of eating it.
The Wada is made with boiled potatoes with added spices, coated with besan & deep fried. Batata Wada  is sandwiched between soft bun which is called Wada Pav.

Batata Wada

Ingredients
For the Wada

1. 8 medium size potatoes (boiled & mashed)
2. 2 onions (finely chopped)
3. 3 green chillies(if using spicy variety)
4. 2 " ginger
5. 6 cloves of garlic
6. handful of coriander leaves (finely chopped)
7. 3 tbsp lemon juice
8. Salt as needed
9. 2 tbsp oil for tempering
10. 2 tsp mustard seeds
11. 1 pinch of turmeric
12. 1 pinch of hing  
13. 2 stems of curry leaves
14. oil for frying

For the Batter

1. 1 cup besan (gram flour)
2. 1 tsp red chilly powder 
3. 1 tsp turmeric powder
4. salt to taste
5. pinch of baking soda
6. water as needed
7. 1 tsp hot oil

Method

1. Boil the potatoes, keep them aside to cool, mash/grate the potatoes when they come to room temperature,  
2. Grind the green chillies, ginger & garlic, add this to the mashed potatoes.
3. In a pan add oil, when it becomes hot add the mustard seeds, turmeric, hing, curry leaves & onions. fry until the onions turn transparent. keep it aside to cool.
4. Add the lemon juice & chopped coriander to the mashes potatoes, the onion mixture and mix well.
5. To make the batter mix the besan, red chilly powder, turmeric, salt & baking soda & hot oil. Add water as needed. mix it with the help of a whisk. See to it that there are no lumps in the batter. The batter should be thick but not very watery. Similar to a thick dosa batter.
6. Make flat patty of the potato mixture, dip it into the batter and deep fry until golden brown. Drain excess oil on kitchen towel.
7. Serve immediately with soft buns (pav).Batata Wada can be served with tomato ketchup, garlic chutney or fried green chillies. 
   To make the fried chillies, make a slit into the chilly, fry it on the gas stove, add salt serve immediately.

Egg Roast

I remember eating the egg roast in a Keralite restaurant in Muscat, I instantly fell in love with the dish & made it at home. In the restaurant they had served full boiled eggs withing slicing them. When you are falling short of veggies at home this dish is the best option, It doesn't take much time to prepare if the boiled eggs are done.

Ingredients
4 boiled eggs
1 tsp cumin seeds
pinch of hing
½ tsp turmeric powder 
2 medium size onions (very finely chopped)
2 medium size tomato (chopped)
2 sticks of curry leaves
6 cloves of garlic (crushed)
1 tbsp red chilli powder
1 tsp jeera powder
1 tsp coriander powder
salt as per taste
coriander for garnishing
4 tbsp oil
2 tsp butter
Method
slice the eggs & lightly roast them on a low flame on butter, they should be nicely coated with butter.
In  a pan heat oil, give tadka of jeera, turmeric hing, garlic; add the curry leaves, onions. fry the onions until they turn transparent. Add the tomatoes cook until they turn soft. Add the eggs & sprinkle the masala (cumin powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder, salt) over it.
toss the eggs so that the eggs are coated with the masala.
garnish with fresh coriander. Serve immediately with roti.

Cornflakes Chivda

Recipe of crispy Cornflakes chivda for Diwali

Ingredients
½  kg cornflakes
6 tsp oil + for frying cornflakes
4 tsp turmeric powder
3 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp asafoetida
4 tbsp sesame seeds
5 tsp roasted chana dal (डाळ)
¼ cup peanuts
6 green chilies (finely chopped)
4-5 bunches curry leaves
salt for taste
sugar for taste

Method
In a kadai add oil & deep fry all the cornflakes with the help of a sieve which is used for frying. you need to add little cornflakes in it and fry in batches. remove the fried cornflakes on a newspaper or kitchen towel.

 

 Cornflakes -before frying

 

Cornflakes -After frying

Add 6 tbsp oil in a deep pot with handles on the side (preferably), fry peanuts & chana dal until golden brown, then add the green chillies & curry leaves. Now add the tumeric powder, asafoetida, sesame seeds.
Add the fried cornflakes, salt & sugar. with the help of the the handle on the side of the pot toss all the ingredients well. Don't use the spoon otherwise the cornflakes will break.
Spread the chivda on a kitchen towel to come to room temperature. Transfer it to air tight box. This chivda will stay fresh for 15 days.

Ghee (Clarified Butter)

Ghee (Clarified Butter) has always been of great importance in Indian cuisine. Not a single Indian sweet/dessert is completed without the use of ghee. It plays a major role during rituals like pooja, festivals & also offered as food for Gods. Traditionally it is made from cows milk. Ghee is used in everyday meal for making chappati's, tadka's, dosa's, Indian sweets. I've been preparing it for last 8 yrs now. After coming to muscat I started preparing it with unsalted butter (Ready-made). In India people make it from homemade butter by churning it freshly from milk cream. Its a very easy recipe which needs to be cooked carefully with lots of patience because it may get burnt easily. I am sure many of you love the fragrance of the freshly made ghee, its heavenly!
[Let me share a secret with you] I'm very particular about the look, feel, taste & aroma of ghee - It should have a peculiar golden color with a heavenly aromatic smell, & should be रवाळ  (form semolina-like granules) when cooled. I don't eat ghee if the smell, color turns me off.

Sharing my secret recipe of making "Liquid Gold" used in every Indian kitchen.

Ingredients

1. 400 gms of unsalted butter

Method

1. Make small cubes of unsalted butter. In a non stick heavy bottom sauce pan add the cubes of unsalted butter. 
2. On a medium heat melt the butter, it may splutter after a while & resemble a froth, turn down the heat to simmer until ghee separates from the froth & it will develop a brown colored crust at the bottom of the pan.
3. At this point carefully shake the pan to prevent the ghee from burning further & switch off the gas. 
4. The ghee will also have the heavenly aroma of the freshly made homemade ghee (yummm). Keep aside the ghee to cool. 
5. Strain the ghee with the fine strainer into a ghee vessel or a glass jar. ghee is best stored in a silverware but of course it is optional.
6.  ghee can be stored for a month at room temperature. I can almost smell the aromatic ghee from the picture below. (ummm slurp)

Chunda

Chunda (Sun cooked Raw Mango pickle) is a very popular Gujarati pickle eaten with thepla's. Traditionally it is cooked under the sun along with sugar as the main ingredient. Each day you need to give the mixture a good stir so that the sugar dissolves to make it to a syrup consistency. Chunda has a mix of sweet, sour and spicy flavours.

Ingredients

1 kg Raw mango 

1½  cup Sugar (I used the baking cup size measurement) (add more sugar if the sugar is less sweet)

4 tsp red chilly powder

2 tsp cumin powder

2 tsp salt

Method

Wash, clean dry & peel the raw mangoes, Grate them and keep then aside in a thali

Add sugar, red chilly powder, cumin powder & salt to it, give it a good stir with your hands and place it into a jar.

Place this jar in direct sunlight until the sugar melts and become like a syrup consistency. The raw mangoes will also turn transparent & sticky.

Don't forget to bring the jar in the house during dusk, otherwise dew drops may get collected at night and it will spoil the preserve.

When I made the chunda  the temperature was 35°C which took 4 days to sun cook the pickle.

Serve with roti, paratha's thepla's 

Note: you may store the chunda at room temperature but to be on a safer side it's better to store it in the fridge.

Paneer Kadai

This is my version of my all time favourite "Kadai Paneer"

Ingredients

1/2 kg paneer (cubed)

2 medium size onions

2 tomatos

10 cloves of garlic

1 inch ginger

15 cashewnuts

5 tsp Kitchen king masala

2 tsp cumin powder

oil

1 small onion diced

1/4 capsicum diced

salt & red chilli powder as per taste

water as required

Method

slice the onions and tomatoes, in a shallow bottom pan add oil, add cashewnuts, stir until they turn color, cook onions until transparent, add tomato and ginger-garlic.cook for 5 mins. Make a paste when the vegetables cool.

In a shallow pan add oil and fry the onions until they become transparent, stirring occassionally.

Next, add the capsicum cook until they change colour.(See below image).

 

Simultaneously, in a cooking pot add oil and cook the paste until it starts leaving oil. Add water.When the water starts boiling add the paneer, kitchen king masala, cumin powder, salt, red chilli powder.cover the pot and cook on simmer .

Add the onions and capsicum at the end and switch off the gas and stir the kadai paneer.

Serve hot

Chicken Masala

Ingredient

1 kg chicken

some turmeric to rub over the chicken

2 big onions

1 big tomato

1/2 cup dry coconut (grated)

Whole garam masala (4 cloves, 4 pepper, small piece of cinnamon, 2 cardamon, 2 tsp caraway seeds)

8-10 garlic cloves

1 inch ginger

red chilli powder as required

salt as per taste

coriander for garnishing

5 tsp ghee (clarified butter) for making the paste

3 tsp ghee for cooking

Some water for making the gravy of the chicken

Method

De skin chicken, clean it, poke the chicken with a knife and rub some turmeric over it, leave it aside for an hr. 

In a cooking pan add ghee and the whole spices saute for 10 sec, add the chopped garlic and ginger, saute for 1 min.

Now add the sliced onion, fry then until they turn brown, add the tomatoes and cook them until soft.  add the  grated coconut, red chilli powder. turn off the gas.

Blend this into a smooth paste.

Take a deep cooking pot add 3 tsp of ghee and when it becomes hot, add the paste chicken, salt, water as desired (Don't make it too watery). cook it on simmer until the chicken is tender and thoroughly cooked.

Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot.

Baked Sondesh

 

On this festival of lights my mother-in-law shared her recipe of famous Bengali sweet known as Bengali Sandesh or Sondesh,  This is an instant sondesh which can be prepared within ½ an hour if all the ingredients are readily avaible in the kitchen. This rich, creamy sondesh just melts in the mouth in the first bite. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients
1 cup paneer (grated without any lumps)
3/4th cup condensed milk
3/4th cup yogurt
½ cup sugar
saffron strands
½ tsp cardamon powder
Method
Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl and transfer it to baking tray.Sprinkle some saffron strands on the top before baking
Bake it on microwave high for 10-15 mins at 175 degrees C

Masala Dudh

Masala dudh is traditionally prepared on Kojagiri Pournima or Ashwini Pournima night where all the family/ friends get together play games and eat some chat (like bhel) or Vada Pav and the warm masala dudh as dessert. The Masala dudh is made by boiling the milk and adding the special masala full of dry fruits. This masala can be stored in the fridge in a air tight box.

Ingredients

½ ltrs full fat milk

3 tsp crushed almonds 

3 tsp crushed 

pistachios

1 tsp cardamom powder

powdered sugar as per required

few strands of saffron

Method

dissolve saffron in 3-4 tsp of milk, keep aside

In a thick sauce pan add milk & sugar, bring it to boil, stir occasionally. Add the crushed almonds, pistachios, cardamom powder and the saffron milk. 

bring the milk to boil again

Pour in glasses, Serve warm

Gulab jamun with milk powder

Gulab Jamus traditionally made from evaporated milk, I tried making them with flour and milk powder. these taste as delicious as those from mitai shop or the traditional ones. Gulab Jamuns usually made on special ocassions or on festivals but many people would agree that it doesn't need any special day or festival it can be eaten any day, any time. So next time don't panic if you don't find the instant gulab jamun packet in the grocery store near you. 
May this Dessera light up for you the Hopes of happy times & a  Dream for a year full of smiles..Happy Dessera to all !

Ingredients

1 cup milk powder

¼ 

cup all purpose flour (maida)

½

 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp unsalted butter OR white butter

¾

 cup sugar or as required

¾

 cup water

few saffron strands

sliced almonds for garnishing

1 tsp cardamom powder

Oil for deep fry

Melt sugar in water to make sugar syrup, bring it to a boil, add  cardamom powder & saffron strands to it; keep aside

Mix the milk powder, all purpose flour, baking soda, gradually add the butter as required while mixing with your fingers so that you are able to form the mixture into small balls. 

Deep fry these balls on medium heat  keep aside

Add the jamuns while still warm and keep pot covered for ten minutes

you may serve it with the syrup or without the syrup, if you are serving the gulab jamuns without the syrup garnish each jamun with a sliced almond.

can be served hot or cold

Palak Paneer (Kashmiri style)

Ingredients

1 bunch of spinach

2 onions chopped

2 tomato chopped

¼ kg cottage cheese

2tbsp garam masala

6-8 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

turmeric powder

1 tsp roasted fennel seed powder (u may add more if you like the flavour)

salt to taste

Method

Wash and boil spinach in water and allow it to cool. Squeeze out the excess water and cut it coarsely.

Dice cottage cheese into rectangular pieces and fry them till golden brown. Soak them in water so that turn soft.

Heat oil in the pan add cumin seeds, garlic & onion; when the onion starts getting transparent add tomato, after 5 minutes add chopped spinach, turmeric powder and red chili powder.

Saute and add salt & fennel seeds powder.

Drain the water from the soaked cottage cheese and add to the spinach.

Saute for sometime and serve hot.

enjoy with naan or roti

Please note: frying cottage cheese is optional, I did not fry the cottage cheese, though it turned out as tastier and yummy

Kashmiri Dum Aloo

This traditional Kashmiri delicacy rich in spicy, gravy has become one of the signature delicacies of the region and is now popular all over the world as an integral part of Indian cuisine. With aromatic spices, ginger-garlic, cashewnuts and cream which adds a richness to the recipe & the result? A wonderful treat for my famlily and friends 

Ingredients

500gms baby potatoes (boiled and de skinned)

1½ cup yogurt

1½ tsp chilli Powder

1 tsp fennel seed powder

2 tsp of garam masala powder
1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 cup onion paste

1/2 cup cashewnut paste

3 tbsp tomato puree
1½ tsp cream

Salt as per taste

Coriander for garnishing

Oil

Method

Whisk the yogurt with garam masala, red chilli powder and fennel powder.keep aside

In a thick bottom sauce pan fry onion paste, ginger garlic paste until it turns golden brown, then add the cashewnut paste, saute for 5 mins and add the tomato puree
you may fry the baby potatoes if you wish to.

Add the baby potatos, yogurt mixture and little water

After the curry starts boiling add the cream.

Add salt and garnish with coriander

Can be served with hot chapatis or rice.

Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori chicken is one of India’s most popular dishes.The word tandoori refers to any food cooked in a tandoor, which is a giant, unglazed clay oven.This dish has a nice blend of yogurt and masala blended well in the chicken when marinated & the spice mixture gives this juicy taste to the chicken.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken cut into four pieces (skin removed)

3 tbsp onion paste (1 medium size onion)

2 tsp ginger paste

3-4 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

4 tbsp curds

salt to taste

½ tbsp cinnamon powder

½ tsp cloves powder
2 tsp meat masala

for garnishing

2 sliced onions

lemon slices

Method

Clean the chicken pieces & remove skin making slashes/cuts in the chicken to the bone; coat with salt and turmeric and set it aside for 30 minutes, then rub lime juice, set aside for an hour

Mix Onion paste, Ginger, Garlic, Turmeric, Red chilli powder, coriander, cumin, curds, salt, Cinnamon and Clove powder, meat masala in a small bowl.

In a big bowl put all the chicken pieces.

Add the curd and masala mixture from the small bowl onto the chicken.

Mix well so that the chicken pieces are covered with the spices.

refrigerate the marinated chicken for 10 hours.

Preheat the oven at 220 °C.

Line up the oven tray with an aluminium sheet to avoid the juice of the meat to stick onto the oven tray.

Arrange the pieces onto the skewers leaving some space between each piece

Once the oven is ready, place the skewers on the rack inside the oven for 45 minutes.

Now keep all the chicken pieces in a plate & serve immediately with sliced onions & lemon slices.

Palak paratha

My sincere thanks to our "maharaj" (cook) for preparing this delicious paratha.

Ingredients

2 cups whole-wheat flour

1 cup palak leaves washed and finely chopped

5 tbsps oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp black sesame seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste
Method

Add the flour, chopped palak, 1 tbsp of cooking oil, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, turmeric and red chilli powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.

Add water, a little at a time to this mixture, and knead to form a medium-soft, smooth dough. Keep aside for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into small balls-sized portions and roll between your hands till they are smooth and without cracks.

Very lightly flour a rolling board and roll each ball into a circle

Heat a griddle and fry the parathas ,drizzle a bit of oil on the top and spread well over the surface of the paratha. Flip again in 30 seconds and drizzle oil on this surface too. The paratha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown.

This paratha goes well with rajma.

Rajma

Ingredients

1 cup rajma (Kidney beans)

2-3 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 large onion (grated)

3 tbsp roughly chopped tomato 

2-3 green chilli's slit

1rsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

Oil

Salt to taste

coriander for garnishing

2 tbsp dahi(should be little sour)

Method

Wash rajma throughly and then soak rajma in boiling water overnight.Add add ginger garlic paste, pressure cook rajma until tender.(5-6 whistles) (one tip: add little salt while cooking it)

grate onion, finely chop tomato and slit green chilli.

Heat oil in a pan. Add slit green chili, the grated onion and finely chopped tomato and fry on medium heat until golden brown (until the oil starts separating).

Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander & cumin powder red chili powder and salt. Mix well. Fry for 2-3 minutes.add the dahi and stir well and cook over medium heat.

Add cooked rajma (along with the water in which it was cooked), Garnish with chopped green coriander leaves

serve hot with rice or palak paratha

Hydrabadi Dum Biriyani

Ingredients
Chicken breast pieces (you can use leg pieces also)
2 cups basmati rice
2 small onions thinly sliced (fried)
Whole garam masala (cardamoms,pepper, cinnamon,cloves,star anise, cumin seeds)
2 cups thick curd
2 tsp chicken biriyani masala
1/4tsp Turmeric powder
2tsp Ginger garlic paste
A bunch coriander & mint leaves
ghee as required
Saffron strands dissolved in warm milk
Boiled egg & fried onions for garnishing
Method
Marinate the meat with curd, turmeric powder, biriyani masala, ginger garlic paste & salt.(I kept it overnight)

Heat ghee in a thick bottom pan add chicken and fry and cook meat until tender.After the meat is cooked set it aside

Add ghee, saute whole garam masala and cook rice until 90% done, add salt and little saffrom milk for colour
Remove from the flame when rice gets cooked and no moisture is left.
In a thick bottom vessel add the first layer of rice,add half of the mint leaves, coriander and fried onions, add ghee & saffron milk over it, again cover the layer of rice with the meat. over it the layer of remaining rice.Garnish with mint leaves, fried onions and coriander & saffron milk.

Cover the dish with foil& cover with heavy lid & cook on dum for 30-40 mins on medium heat. Serve with boiled egg & raita

Note: replace chicken with mutton for mutton biriyani

Rava Dhokla

Ingredients
1 cup rava.
1/2 cup curd
2 green chillies chopped
1 tsp citric acid
1/2 tsp fruit salt
1/2 cup chopped coriander chopped
1 tbs oil
Buttermilk or water as required
curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1/4 tsp hing
Method
Mix rava and curd in a mixing bowl and add water/buttermilk as required.
Then add green chillies &ginger paste, citric acid keep a side for 5 minitues, then add fruit salt in it and mix well. and pour mixture in the plate (grease plate with oil)which u want to make dhokla in.
steam it for 10 minitues. then let it cool for 10 minitues,and cut in medium size square.
In a kadai and add oil and heat it when oil is hot add musterd seed after that add hing
serve hot or warm  with ketchup and green chutney.