Bakar Bhaji

Bakar Bhaji Recipe is a mild spicy, tangy curry made from chunks of pumpkin with the skin on. It goes well with chapati or curd rice. Bakar bhaji is made in Vidarbha (eastern region of Maharashtra) during festivals. So, if you are looking to make something new with Pumpkin, then do give this a try. Grateful to my mother-in law for teaching & sharing this family favorite recipe with me, its one of my favorite now :-) Thanks Aie

Ingredients

1/2 kg Pumpkin , chopped with skin intact

2 tbsp Poppy seeds

2 tbsp charoli (Chironji nuts)

2 tbsp Sesame seeds

1/4 cup freshly grated Coconut

4 tsp cooking Oil 

8 Curry leaves

2 Dry Red Chillies

1/2 tablespoon Methi Seeds

1 teaspoon Mustard seeds

1 pinch Asafoetida

2 teaspoons Turmeric powder

1-1/2 tablespoons Tamarind Paste

2 teaspoons Red Chilli powder

Salt , to taste

2 tablespoons Maharashtrian Goda Masala

1/2 teaspoon Jaggery

1/2 cup Water

Coriander Leaves , chopped, for garnishing

Method

1. To prepare the bakar bhaji dry roast the poppy seeds, sesame seeds, fresh coconut & charoli all separately. Grind them into a coarse powder in mixer grinder. Keep aside.
2. Wash the pumpkin thoroughly & cut the pumpkin with the skin into chunks of roughly 1 inch cubes. You can use the pumpkin with yellow & green skin, as it is very tasty and fits perfectly for this recipe 
3. In a kadai, heat oil on medium heat and once it is hot enough, add fenugreek seeds. Once they splutter, add mustard seeds, hing & turmeric powder.
4. Add the curry leaves immediately & red chillies. Give it a quick stir and add the chunks of pumpkin.
5. Add the red chilli powder, jaggery, salt, goda masala, powder of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dry coconut & chironji & add the tamarind pulp. Add about 1/2 cup water & give it a quick stir & cover the vessel for the pumpkins to cook, the pumpkins doesn't take much time to cook. 
6. The Bhakar bhaji shouldn't be too watery. garnish with coriander leaves and serve.
7. Bakar bhaji is best served with poori's or plain roti/chappati

Chincha- Gul Amti

Chincha Gul Amti

The humble चिंच-गुळा ची आमटी. 

Sweet & sour toor dal cooked with tamarind & jaggery.  Every family has its own variation of making this Amti, I like the amti thick, sweet in taste. Mom adds red chilli powder to this amti & make it slightly watery. Some people add fresh coconut too, but since my husband & kids don’t like it I never add it, but it definitely gives a good flavour and taste. This is my most favourite dal & if you ask me I’ll prefer this one to Goda masala amti, anytime any day. Here the recipe 

1 cup toor dal( cooked & mashed)

2 tbsp tamarind pulp

2 tbs jaggery

4tsp ghee

2-3 green chilies roughly chopped

Few leaves of curry leaves

1 tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp hing 

1 cup water

Lots of chopped coriander for garnishing 

Salt as per taste

Method 

Soak the toor dal for 1 hour before cooking, add turmeric &hing while cooking. Mash the cooked toor dal before using. 

In a heavy bottom pot add ghee, give tadka of mustard seeds after the seeds crackle, add turmeric hing curry leaves & green chillies. Add the toor dal & stir. Add the salt, jaggery, tamarind pulp, and 1 cup water. The amti shouldn’t be very thin make it thick. Adjust the sourness and sweet flavour accordingly to your liking. Bring the amti to a boil. Add lots of chopped coriander leaves serve with hot rice with a dollop of ghee.

Matki chi usal

Ingredients 

1. 1 cup(steel katori) matki (moth beans)
2. 1 small finely chopped onion
3. 1 small finely chopped tomato 
4. 1 green chili (add more if you wish to make the curry more spicy)
5. Few curry leaves 
6. 1 tbsp oil for tadka
7. ½ tsp mustard seeds 
8. ½ tsp turmeric powder
9. 1 tbsp cumin powder
10. ½ tbsp coriander powder
11. Pinch of hing
12. Salt for taste
13. 1 small piece of jaggery 
14. 2-3 Kokum or lime juice as required
15. 2 cups of water for making curry
16. Chopped coriander for garnishing 
17. Grated coconut for garnishing

Method 

1. Take 1 cup of moth beans, wash them under running water, drain the water & soak them overnight or more than 8hrs in boiling water, drain the water next day, spread the beans on a kitchen towel to dry, when the beans are dried completely add them in a maslin cloth and tie them loosely to make sprouts. This may take another 7-8 hrs.  Once the sprouts appear, add them to a vessel & pressure cook for 3 whistles.
2. In a deep bottom pan, add oil, once the oil has heated, add mustard seeds, turmeric, hing, curry leaves & green chilies, give it a quick stir, add the finely chopped onions & fry until they turn transparent, add the tomatoes & fry  them until oil is separated from the vegetables, add the cumin & coriander powder. 
3. Now add the cooked moth beans, salt, kokum, jaggery, water & bring the curry to a boil. 
4. Serve hot with chopped coriander & grated coconut
5. I make the usul dry but if you wish to make it watery or semi dry add water accordingly & adjust the spices too.

Satori

My mami shared her "best kept secret" recipe of Satori- A rich delicacy made from Khoya. Satori has a distinctive texture, flavor &richness. Thank you Mami for the detailed recipe.

Ingredients
for the filling 
2 cups Khoya
1 tbsp poppy seeds**
1 tbsp dry dates powder (Kharik pud)
1 cup powdered sugar or according to sweetness of the sugar

1 tbsp ghee
milk if needed 
for the Cover
1½ cups Maida
½ cup semolina
2 tbsp Besan
2 tbsp hot ghee (Called Mohan in marathi)
Method

1.  Make a thick dough from maida, semolina & besan. keep aside for
   ½ hr. in the mean while you can make the stuffing.
2. In a shallow pan add ghee and fry the khoya until it starts getting leaving ghee on the sides, this may take around 5-8 minutes. Stir it continuously as the khoya may burn very easily. keep aside to cool.
3. Add some more ghee and fry the poppy seeds, dry dates powder one after the other. keep the poppy seeds & dry dates powder separately.
4. after the poppy seeds cool down grind them into powder.
5. Mix the khoya, dry dates powder, poppy seeds & the powdered sugar and make the filing for making the Satori. grind the mixture to make a homogeneous mixture. If the filling is too dry add some milk (may be 2-4 tbsp or as needed to make it moist)
6. Make a small ball from the dough, roll it to make a small puri and stuff the stuffing inside the puri, just the way you would make a stuffed paratha or Puranpoli
7. Using a rolling pin roll the Satori into a thick chappati of 1" thickness & 5" in diameter.
8. On a medium flame, fry the satori from both the sides, using ghee. The satori should puff up, when you fry them.
9. Keep the satori to cool on a kitchen towel, you can store them upto 7-10 days in a air tight box.

This is the picture I sent to my mami after the satoris were made. 

**Note: 

1. I replaced poppy seeds with almond powder as poppy seeds are banned in gulf.
2. Quantity of sugar may vary according to its sweetness.

Amrakhanda

Amrakhanda is one of my favourite Maharashtrian dessert, which is a "must-made" dessert during summers when fresh magoes are avaible in the market. Amrakhanda is a variation of shrikhanda which is blended with fresh mango pulp. The procedure of making Amrakhanda is same like that of shrikhanda only differene being mango pulp is added to it. 

Ingredients

1. 2 kg curds
2. 500 gms sugar (use as per the sweetness of the sugar)
3. 1½ tsp cardamom powder (crushed with sugar)
4. few strands saffron (dissolved in milk)
5. fresh mango pulp made from 4 (preferably Alphonso's)

Method

1. Tie the curd in a clean muslin cloth overnight or more than 6 hrs until all the water gets drained.
2. In a bowl, add the hung curd, add sugar & mix, keep aside for 25-30 minutes to allow sugar to dissolve. you may use a hand mixer for dissolving the sugar.
3. Add saffron into 3 tbsp milk for 5 minutes.
4. Mix in cardamom powder and dissolved saffron
5. Make fresh mango pulp in a mixer, Add the mango pulp to the hung curd. Mix well.
6. Chill for 1-2 hours before serving.
7. Enjoy with Puri's.
8. This quantity is enough for a family with 4 adults & 2 toddlers
   
   Recipe of Amarakhanda in Punekar.in http://www.thepunekar.com/amrakhanda-recipe-for-gudi-padva/2014/03/ 

Saffron Milk Masala

Prepared the 'Saffron Milk Masala' for Kojagiri Pournima

Ingredients
3 tbsp pistachio
3 tbsp almonds
4 Cardamom pods
2 tsp sugar to grind the cardamom
a few strands of saffron.
Method 
Grind the pistachio & almonds separately into coarsely ground powder
grind the cardamom along with the sugar (I use the cardamom cover too). 
Mix all the ingredients & add saffron strands
Store this Saffron Masala for adding in Milk
P.S : Add sugar as reguired, while preparing the milk as there is no sugar in the "Saffron Milk Masala'

 

Khirapat Panchakhadya

Our beloved God, Lord Ganesha arrives in a week's time. I'm sharing the recipe of खिरापत पंचखाद्य, the favourite prasad offered to Lord Ganesha. खिरापत is made from 5 ingredients therefore the name. 

Ingredients

1. 1 cup dry coconut
2. 6 tbsp poppy seeds
3. 5 tbsp almond powder
4. 5 tbsp dry date powder (kharik powder)
5. sugar as needed

Method

1. Dry roast the coconut until it leaves a sweet aroma. keep aside to cool. Dry roast the poppy seeds, after it comes to room temperature grate it in mixer to make powder.
2. mix almond powder, dry dates powder & sugar as needed to the dry coconut & poppy seeds powder. Store in a air tight container.

more recipes for Ganesh chaturthi
Ukadiche modak
Dry Fruit Modaks

Batata cha kiss

Ingredients
½  kg potato (grated)
½  cup roasted groundnut powder (Danyacha kut)

2 tbsp ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
Salt as needed
4-5 green chillies (chopped)
chopped coriander leaves as needed
Method
Wash, peel & grate the potato. In a pan add the ghee, add the cumin seeds, let it splutter then add the green chillies & grated potato. Stir for a minute. Add salt.
Cover the pan and cook until the potatoes become soft. Add the roasted groundnut powder. garnish with coriander & serve immediately.

Please note- peeling the potato is optional you may grate the potato with the skin on but wash the potatoes before using them to remove all the mud.

More recipes for (Upavas)Fast

SabudanaKhichadi

 Sabudana Vada

 Spiced Buttermilk

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.

Kothimbir Vadi

Kothimbir Vadi (Savory coriander cake) is a popular Maharashtrian snack, made from fresh coriander leaves & besan (chickpea flour) which is served as a side dish during meals. It is also a perfect tea time snack.

Ingredients

1 big bunch of coriander leaves, washed and finely chopped

1½ cup besan

4 tbsp rice flour

ginger-garlic & green chilli paste 3 tsp (use 5 green chilli's, 4 garlic cloves & 1 inch ginger)

½  tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp sesame seeds

a pinch of hing

juice of 1 lemon

1/4 tsp baking soda

salt to taste

oil for shallow frying
2 tsp oil
water for mixing the ingredients 
Tomato ketchup for serving

Method:

Grease a flat bottom vessel with oil. you can use dhokla patra (i used the cheesecake spring foam pan)

In a separate bowl mix all the ingredients with enough water to make a thick batter.
Pour the batter into the greased pan, steam cook for 30 minutes in  a pressure cooker without the whistle. insert a toothpick or a knife, if it comes out clean the kothimbir vadi is done. Keep aside to cool

unmould and cut into pieces.

before serving, heat oil in a pan & shallow fry the vadis on medium heat till crisp & they change their color to brown.

Serve hot with a tomato ketchup.

Sabudana Vada

Sabudana wada- Delicious snack eaten during fast, mostly popular as a road side snack. Sabudana Wada has a crunchy coating which melt in the mouth & leaves you craving for more. It can be eaten with a simple yoghurt dip. It goes well with a hot cup of tea.
Sabudana Wada is traditionally made during fasts like Ashadi Ekadashi or Shivratree. Elders in the family often used to follow these fast and me including all my cousins used to gorge on the delicacies made on that special day. I've grown up eating these wada's not only during fast but also during the rainy season sitting in the balcony looking at the rains with a hot cup of tea, chatting with my dear friends, cousins & family. These wada's brings back my memories of my P.G. days when my non- marathi friends used to call up mom and ask her to make her special treat while we completed our projects, feasting on the wada's.
 

Ingredients

1. 1 cup Sabudana (sago)
2. drinking water to soak sabudana.
3. ½ cup roasted peanut powder (Danyacha kut) 
4. 6 finely chopped green chillies
5. 1 big potato (boiled & mashed)
6. ½ tea spoon sugar
7. juice of lemon juice as required
8. Salt for taste 
9.  chopped coriander
10. curd if the mixture becomes too dry.
11. oil for frying

Method

1. Soak the sabudana in  drinking water for 1 hr, water level should be just above the sabudana. After 1 hr press sabudana and see if it has become soft. if not keep it in water for another ½ hr. otherwise drain excess water by transferring it into a strainer. leave aside for 2 hrs or overnight if you want to make it the next day. 
2. In a wide plate mix all the ingredients- the soaked sabudana, along with mashed potato, roasted groundnut powder, chopped green chillies, coriander, juice of a lemon, salt & sugar. 
3. make lemon size balls and flatten them to make vadas by help of your palm, if the mixture is too sticky to make vada's wet your palms.
4. heat oil in a deep kadai and fry the vada's on medium heat until they turn golden brown. remove on a tissue for excess oil to soak.Serve with jeera curd.

Ingredients for Jeera curd

1. curd 2 small bowls
2. ghee 2 tsp
3. jeera ½ tsp
4. 1 very finely chopped green chilli
5. sugar and salt as per taste
6. coriander for garnishing

Method

1. Add jeera & finely chopped chilli to hot ghee, add this to curd and mix well.
2. Add salt and sugar and garnish with coriander.

Note: Over the years, I have noticed each company's sabudana takes different time to soak. One trick for soaking sabudana is when you buy the sabudana from the shop soak a tablespoon of sabudana and note the amount of time it takes to become soft. It may differ from the regular brand you always use. 

Other Recipes for fast

Sabudana Khichadi 

Batata Cha Kiss

 Spiced Buttermilk -मठ्ठा

Spiced Buttermilk

Spicy Buttermilk commonly called as मठ्ठा in Marathi is a summer coolant and good for digestion. One will commonly see it being served at Maharashtrian weddings or thali as a welcome drink. This was one was the few recipes which I cooked as a small kid. My mum used to supervise my sister and me when we made the seasoning.

Ingredients

4 cups of buttermilk (should be watery)

1 tsp cumin seeds

pinch of turmeric powder

pinch of asafoetida

2 stems of coriander leaves chopped

½ green chilli finely chopped

1 tsp clarified butter (ghee)

salt as per need

Method

In a serving bowl add the buttermilk, for the seasoning add the clarified butter in a small pan add the cumin seeds after they splutter add the green chilli, pinch of asafoetida & turmeric powder. Add this to the buttermilk when hot. Mix the coriander leaves & salt

Serve chilled. 

Gulab Jamus in milkpowder

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. 

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

Matar chi usal

This recipes brings back memories as a kid when my mother used to make "matar chi usal" with bread as a main course for lunch or dinner. Come winters & "matar chi usal" becomes the hot favourite dish among most of the foodies. Here's my simple,easy, quick recipe for your dinner party this weekend.

Ingredients

1/2 kgs peas (shelled)

1/2 cup freshly scraped coconut

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 bunch fresh coriander

4 cloves of garlic
1 inch ginger

8-10 curry leaves

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric & hing

2 dry red chillies/ or chilly powder as per taste

salt as per taste

1/2 tbsp coriander powder

2 tsp oil

2 cups water

Method

Make a paste of coconut, fresh coriander, cumin seeds, ginger, garlic.

In a cooking pot add oil when it becomes hot add the red chillies, curry leaves, mustard seeds, the above green paste, turmeric, hing, cook until the paste starts leaving oil. now add the peas & water, coriander powder, salt.
Cook until the peas are soft and tender. Add more water if the gravy becomes too thick

Server hot with bread.

Puneri Misal Pav

This popular breakfast dish eaten in Pune needs no introduction. Misal is a "absolute feast" for your  taste buds. People in Pune flock at the favourite misal joints on weekends to enjoy their spicy snack, it is usually eaten with bread or pav! Please feel free to change the amount of spices in this recipe as per your liking.The one mentioned below makes the Misal & tarri medium spicy, but if you want the real "spice kick" add more spices.Here's my recipe of Puneri Misal

Ingredients

For Usal

1 cup-Matki (Moth beans)
½ cup mix beans (green moong, white peas, Bengal gram)

1 small chopped tomato 

1 small chopped onion

cumin powder as per taste
Red chilly powder as per taste
Salt to tasteoil

½ tsp cumin seeds  &mustard seeds

½ tsp turmeric powder

pinch of Asafoetida powder

few curry leaves

Method

Soak the matki and the other beans in boiling hot water for 10hrs, drain the water and tie these beans in a soft cloth for sprouts to emerge. this will take around 6-8 hrs more. after the sprouts emerge pressure cook them, keep aside

In a pan add oil, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, turmeric powder & asafoetida, add curry leaves after they splutter, add onion and tomato.when onion and tomato are cooked add the beans along with the water.this usal  should not be very watery.

Add red chilli powder, jeera powder & salt as per taste. the usal should be mild as we will be using the spicy tarri while serving the misal.

Usal

for tarri or spicy gravy

small piece of ginger (roughly chopped)

1 whole garlic (roughly chopped)

½ dry coconut grated

1 small onion & tomato roughly chopped

5 tsp oil

whole garam masala (small piece of cinnamon, 3 cloves, 3 peppers, 1 Cardamom, 1 tsp Caraway Seeds)

red chilli paste as per taste

Salt as per taste

Method

Add  little oil into a pot, when heated, fry the whole garam masala, chopped ginger/garlic, grated coconut. fry until coconut turns brownish. Now fry the onion and tomato.when onions are well cooked turn off the flame and keep aside to cool. After it cools make a fine paste. add the remaining oil to the pot and when its hot add the red chilli paste. this will give the red colour to the tarri.add the paste and add about 3 cups of hot water & let it boil.Now add salt as per taste.

Tarri

for Garnishing

zero no shev

Pohe chivda (click here for recipe)

laxminarayan chivda or farsan (optional)

finely chopped onions, tomato & boiled potatoes

bread slice or pav

coriander

Pohe Chivda, Laxminarayan Chivda & Potatoes

Tomatoes, Onion and Zero no Shev

How to serve misal?

As the name suggest misal means mixture. this is how I would recommend but you can serve it as you like each of the ingredients.

In a bowl add the chivda / laxminarayan chivda or farsan, then potatoes, onions, tomato, now add the usal and tarri as per liking, garnish with zero no shev, coriender.Enjoy with a slice of bread or pav. 

or you can arrange the ingredients as shown in the picture below and ask your guest to serve as per their liking.

Some people also eat misal with curd.