Karanji

For filling:
Ghee - 2 tsp
Fresh grated coconut - 3 cups, packed tightly
Sugar - 2 cups, add a little more if you like it sweet
Milk - 1/2 cup
Cardamom Powder - 1/2 tsp

For dough:
Fine Semolina / Rava - 3/4 cup
Maida / Flour - 3/4 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup to 1 cup
Ghee / Clarified Butter - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt - a pinch

Kanda Batata Poha

Poha - 2 small cups
Sweet Onion - 1 medium size, finely chopped
Boiled Potato - 1, cut into small cubes
Olive Oil - 2 tbsp.
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Tender Curry Leaves - a couple of small sprigs
Green Chilies - 3, finely chopped
Roasted Peanuts - a handful
Turmeric
Salt
Raw Sugar - 1 tbsp
Lemon - 1
Cilantro - handful, chopped


Place the poha/flattened rice in a large sieve and under running water for a few minutes till it softens a little (or soak it in water for a few minutes).  Drain and keep aside. Mix with salt, sugar, lemon juice and turmeric.

Add a tbsp. of oil, mustard and cumin seeds. Then add the curry leaves, chopped green chilies and onion. Cook till the onion begins to caramelize. Add the boiled cubed potato and roasted peanuts and cook for a couple of minutes more.


Now add the poha and and mix everything well. Lower the flame to medium and keep covered for a couple of minutes.


Sprinkle chopped cilantro and serve hot.

Masale Bhaat

Cooked Rice - about a cup
Oil - 2 tbsp
Black Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaf - a few
Hing / Asafoetida - a pinch
Mixed Vegetables - tonsil (ivy gourd), eggplant, carrots, capsicum - cut into 2 inch longish thin pieces
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Salt
Goda Masala / Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Roasted Cashewnuts - a handful

Heat oil and add the mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves.

Add the chopped vegetables and turmeric and salt and mix well. Cook on high heat for a few minutes. Then add the good masala and cover tightly and cook till the vegetables are almost done. In between, remove cover and toss the vegetables. If required add a sprinkle of water so that the vegetables do not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Remove cover, mix in the roasted cashew nuts and add the cooked rice, Mix well and cook for a few minutes more. Remove from heat, let it sit under cover for 5 minutes and then serve hot.

Fresh Green Peas & Potato Curry, Maharashtrian Style

Shelled fresh Green Peas - about a cup and half (from about one and a half lbs green peas with shells)
Yukon Gold Potato - 2 chopped into small pieces
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp.
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing / Asafoetida - a pinch
Green chili - 2 finely chopped
Fresh Cilantro leaves - about 3 tbsp. chopped for tempering + some more for garnishing
Yellow Onion - 1/2 chopped
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Coriander powder or Curry Powder - 2 tsp
Salt
Water - 2 to 3 cups


Heat a pan. Add olive oil, mustard seeds, hing, green chili and 3 tbsp. chopped cilantro (do not skip tempering with cilantro, this gives a unique taste to the curry). Add the chopped onion mix well, reduce the heat and cover the pan tightly. Cook for ten minutes, checking the onion a few times in between. Don't caramelise the onion, it should remain white but soft.


Once the onion is soft, increase heat and add the chopped potato, fresh green peas, dry spices salt and about 2 cups of water. Mix well, cover the pan, reduce the heat slightly and cook for about 20 minutes.


When the potato is done and the fresh peas are slightly soft and the gravy is thick, add some chopped cilantro. Serve hot with steamed brown rice.

Puran Poli

Chana dal - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups

All purpose Flour / Maida - 1 cup
Ata / Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup
Salt - a couple of pinches
Peanut Oil - 3 tbsp
Warm Water - 1 cup

Gur / Jaggery - 3/4 cup
Nutmeg - 2 pinch
Cardamom - a pinch

Ghee / Clarified butter

Soak the chana dal in plenty of water for a few hours or preferably overnight. Drain, add fresh water and cook the dal till done. You can cook it in a pressure cooker or in the rice cooker. Once the dal is cooked, strain any remaining water, mash the dal well and keep the cooked dal aside.

Mix flour, whole wheat flour and salt together. Add 2 tbsp of peanut oil and mix well with the flour. Now slowly add a cup of warm water and knead the dough. The dough should be loose and soft. Cover it with a damp cloth and keep aside for an hour.

Add 3/4th cup jaggery to a pan and begin to heat the pan. Once the jaggery starts to melt, add the cooked chana dal. Mix together well and continue to cook till liquid is evaporated and the mixture becomes thick and starts to leave the sides of the pan. Add nutmeg and cardamom powder. Cool the puran and pass it through a mincer to make it soft and lump free. This step of passing through mincer is optional but it results in soft puran polis.

Now take a tbsp of oil and knead the dough again. Take a small ball of dough and roll it like a small puri. take a small ball of the puran, stuff it in the rolled puri, seal the edges and squeeze out the excess dough.

Lightly dust the rolling pin with flour and roll the poli in circular direction like a roti. Roast on a medium high hot skillet on both sides till it gets golden spots. Once the puran police is almost done, quickly apply ghee on both sides and immediately remove from heat. Serve hot with a dollop of ghee over it.

Steamed Modak

Rice Flour - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Salt - a pinch

For filling :
Fresh Coconut - 1, grated
Gur / Jaggery - around 1/2 cup, depending on how sweet you want
Poppy Seeds - 1 tsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Water - 1 tbsp

Roast the poppy seeds in a heavy bottomed pan for a couple of minutes. Add jaggery and a tbsp of water and let it melt.

Now add the grated coconut and 1 tbsp of ghee and cook on medium low till the mixture comes together, around 10 to 15 minutes. Check for sweetness and add more jaggery if required.

Remove from heat and cool the filling.

Bring 2 cups of water to boil. Add salt and 2 tbsp of ghee. Add the rice powder and mix well. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate. Immediately knead to make a soft ball. Do not let the mix cool down.

Make small balls, flatten them, fill about a tbsp of coconut filling and close the cover and shape them.

Steam in a steamer / rice cooker for 15 minutes.

Serve immediately with dollops of ghee on top.

Phodni Bhaat

Leftover rice - 2 cups
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp.
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing / Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaf - a few
Onion - 1/4 cup, chopped
Green Chili - 2, finely chopped
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Tomato - 1, grated
Roasted Peanuts - a handful
Salt
Cilantro - a handful (optional)

Fluff the leftover rice and keep aside.

Heat a heavy bottomed pan. Add oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing and curry leaf.

Now add the chopped onion and green chili and cook till it becomes soft.

Add the grated tomato and turmeric and cook for a few minutes more.

Now add the rice, salt and peanuts and mix everything well. Cover and cook for a few minutes more.

Sprinkle chopped cilantro and serve hot.

Nachni Bhakri / Ragi Roti / Finger Millet Flatbread

Ragi / Finger Millet Flour - 3 small cups + some more for rolling the bhakris
Water - 21/2 cups
(Do not use salt)
A few drops of oil
Makes around 11 bhakris

Bring the water to a boil. Place the four in a wide vessel. Add 2 cups of the boiling water to the flour, reserving the rest amd immediately start mixing it with a wooden spoon.

After a few minutes when the dough has cooled slightly, start kneading it directly with your hands. Sprinkle a little more water if needed to make a soft dough. Wash your hands, apply a few drops of oil to your fingers and knead again.

Heat a skillet on medium high. Out of the dough, make 11 small balls. Take a plastic cling wrap and sprinkle some ragi flour on it. Place one ball of the dough, sprinkle some more flour on it and cover it with another plastic cling wrap. Using a rolling pin, roll the ball gently into a flat bread.

Place it on the hot skillet and sprinkle a few drops of warm water on it. After cooking for a minute or so, flip the bhakri and cook on the other side for another minute.

Then remove the hot bhakri and place it on a wire rack and cook it directly over the gas flame for a few minutes on both sides till they get large brown spots.

Repeat with the rest of the dough and serve the bhakris hot. We had ours with crunchy sliced red onion, dal and baby eggplant curry.

Adapted from http://tongueticklers.com/2010/09/nachni-chi-bhakri-ragi-roti-finger/

Sending this recipe to the following event hosted by http://ticklingpalates.blogspot.com/2012/07/announcing-lets-cook-17-breads.html

Pithla

Chickpea Flour / Besan - 1/2 cup
Water - 3 cups
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing / Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Curry Leaves - 5
Green Chili - 3, finely chopped
Garlic - 3 cloves, minced
Shallots - 2, finely chopped
Kokum / Tamarind - 1 tsp (mix with a little water to take out the extract and throw away the pulp)
Salt
Cilantro - a handful, chopped, for garnishing

Mix the besan with water and whisk well to form a smooth lump free mixture.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds. Once they begin to pop, add cumin seeds, hing, curry leaves, green chilies and garlic. Saute for a few seconds.

Now add the chopped onion and cook till the onion begins to caramelise.

Add the besan water mixture and whisk continuously so that it doesn't form into lumps. Add salt and kokum / tamarind extract and cook for a few minutes more till the besan is completely cooked and the desired consistency is reached. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately with nachni bhakri.

Jowar Bhakri / Rustic Sorghum Flat Bread

Jowar / Sorghum Flour - 2 cups
Water - 2 cups
Salt - a pinch
Dry Jowar flour for rolling

Place the jowas flour in a big vessel. Bring the water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt to the water and immediately pour the boiling water over the jowar flour. With a wooden spoon mix the flour with the water till it forms a dough and cools down slightly. Now place the dough on a wooden board and knead with your hand to make the dough pliant. Make around 8 small balls of the dough.

Heat a cast iron griddle. Place a ball of flour in between two large plastic cling wraps and using a rolling pin, make a round shape. Use a little dry flour if required. Carefully remove the top plastic cling, invert the bhakri on the palm and then remove the other plastic wrap. Immediately place on the hot griddle.

While the bottom of the bhakri is cooking, sprinkle 2 tsp water on the top of the bhakri so that the inside of the bhakris get cooked in the hot steam. When the bottom of the bhakri gets slight brown spots, turn it and cook on the other side till brown spots appear. Then remove the hot bhakri and place it on a wire rack and cook it directly over the gas flame for a few minutes on both sides till they get large brown spots.

Serve immediately while it is still hot with yellow split peas dal and spicy potato curry.

Batata Kanda Rassa / Potato Curry - Maharashtrian Style

Red Potatoes - 4, medium sized
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing / Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Curry Leaves - 5
Red Onion - 1 small, finely sliced (sliced, not chopped)
Garlic Cloves - 4, grated
Green Chili - 2, chopped
Tomato - 1, grated
Ginger - 1/2 inch, grated
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp
Roasted Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Salt
Water - 2 cups

Boil the potatoes till soft and completely cooked. Break the boiled potatoes coarsely with a fork. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds. Once they start popping, add cumin seeds and hing. Add the minced garlic, curry leaves, chopped green chili and thinly sliced red onion. Saute till the onion gets soft and gets slightly brown.

Now add the grated tomato, grated ginger, turmeric powder, red chili powder, roasted coriander powder. Cook on slow fire till the mixture gets pulpy and releases oil.

Add the coarsely mashed potato and salt. If you want the rassa to be really hot, you can add a few more green chilies now. Mix well with all the spices. Add 2 cups of water and bring to boil. Cook for a few  minutes more till the gravy reaches desired consistency. Goes well with puris, theplas, parathas.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Peanut Stew

Sweet Potatoes - 2 big ( Here I used locally grown white sweet potatoes)
Olive Oil - 1 tsp
Water - 1 cup

For Peanut Stew :
Unsalted Peanut Butter - 3 tbsp
Ginger - 1 inch, minced
Garlic - 5 fat cloves, minced
Water - 3 cups
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing / Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Curry leaves - 1
Green chilies - 3, finely chopped
Turmeric - a pinch
Salt
Preheat oven to 400F. Cut each sweet potato into 2 pieces from the middle, lengthwise. Apply olive oil all over. Place on a foil wrapped baking sheet. Add a cup of water to the baking sheet. Roast in the oven for around 45 minutes or till they are soft and fully cooked.

Heat oil in a cast iron pan. Add mustard seeds. Once they start popping, add cumin seeds, asafoetida, green chilies and curry leaves. Saute for a few seconds.

Then add the ginger and garlic paste and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the peanut butter, salt and turmeric and mix well with the spices till it becomes a paste.

Add about 3 cups of water and bring it to boil. Cook for about 5 minutes till the desired consistency is reached. The gravy should not be too thick, the consistency should be like soup. Serve hot with roasted sweet potatoes.

Rajgira Puri / Deep fried Indian bread, gluten free

Rajgira / Amaranth Flour - 2 cups
If you want the puris to be crispy, add a tbsp of brown rice flour
Salt - 2 pinches
Warm Water - 1 cup (may require less or a little more)
Oil - 1 tsp
Peanut oil for deep frying

Mix rajgira flour with salt. Slowly add warm water and make a soft dough.

Knead the dough well. When the dough forms a round ball, add 1 tsp oil and knead for a minute more. Cover with a damp cloth and keep aside for 10 minutes.

Heat peanut oil in a wok / kadai over medium high heat.

Remove the damp cloth and knead the dough once. Make small balls of the dough. Place each ball between two oiled plastic sheets and using a rolling pin roll into small round shape.

Deep fry on both sides till golden brown. Remove on paper towel to soak excess oil. Serve with your favourite vegetable curry.

Capsicum Zunka / Bell Pepper with roasted chickpea powder

Green Bell Pepper - 2 small, cut into small cubes
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida / Hing - a pinch
Green Chili - 2, finely chopped
Yellow Onion - 1 small, chopped
Salt
Turmeric - a pinch
Paprika - 1/2 tsp
Spicy Chickpea Powder - 1 tbsp

Heat oil in a skillet. Add the mustard seeds and once they begin to splutter add the hing, green chili and chopped onion. Saute till the onion gets soft.

Add the chopped bell pepper, salt and turmeric. Mix well. Cover and cook on low fire for around 7 minutes till the capsicum is cooked.

Add the spicy chickpea powder and paprika. Cook for a few minutes more till the spices mix together.

Serve hot with steamed brown rice.

Peanut Chutney

Adapted from http://onehotstove.blogspot.com/2008/02/shengdana-chutney.html

Roasted Peanuts - 3 tbsp
Peanut Oil - 1/2 tsp
Sesame Seeds - 1 tbsp
Dessicated Coconut - 1 tbsp
Dried Red Chili - 2
Curry leaves - 5
Garlic cloves - 3, grated
Roasted Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Salt
Tamarind - 1 tsp, soak in 1 tbsp warm water for 30 minutes and discard the pulp
Jaggery - 1 tsp, grated

Heat a cast iron pan with half tsp oil. Add sesame seeds, coconut, red chili, curry leaves and garlic. Roast on low flame until all the ingredients are crisp and fragrant. Remove and cool.

Put the mixture along with salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to make a coarse paste.

Add peanuts, tamarind extract, jaggery and pulse a couple of times more until oil starts coming out of peanuts and the chutney clumps starts to clump together.

Remove and store in an airtight container. The chutney tastes great with zucchini pancakes or khichdi.

Stuffed Okra / Bharleli Bhendi

Adapted from http://www.sailusfood.com/2011/08/18/bhindi-sambhariya-gujarati-style-stuffed-okra/

Fresh and tender Okra - 30 small
Peanut Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing / Asafoetida - a pinch
Red Onion - 1/2, thinly sliced (optional)
Curry Leaves - 10

For stuffing:
Roasted Peanuts - 3 tbsp
Fresh / Dessicated Coconut - 1 tbsp
Sesame Seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Roasted Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - a pinch
Jaggery - 2 tsp, grated
Cilantro - a handful, finely chopped
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Aamchur / Dried Mango Powder - 1 tsp
Paprika - 1/2 tsp
Green Chili - 2
Ginger - 1 inch, grated
Peanut Oil - 1/2 tbsp
Salt

Wash the okra well and dry completely.

Coarsely grind the peanut and coconut together. Keep aside in a bowl.

Mix ginger, green chili, salt and half tbsp oil and  make a paste in the grinder. Add to the bowl.

Add sesame seeds, roasted cumin coriander powder, garam masala powder, jaggery, turmeric, paprika, aamchur, chopped cilantro to the rest of the ingredients in the bowl. Mix well. The mixture should not be too dry and should be be slightly wet.

Take each okra, make a slit lengthwise and stuff half tbsp of mixture into it. Stuff all the okras and keep aside.

Heat oil in a flat skillet. Add mustard seeds. Once the seeds start popping, add hing, curry leaves and sliced onion.

Immediately add the stuffed okras one by one in a single layer. Cook on low flame without lid.  Turn the okras once or twice for even cooking on all sides.

Once the okras get soft and turn brownish, remove from heat and serve warm.

Chutney Sandwich

Mint leaves - 1 cup, loosely packed
Cilantro = 1/2 bunch, chopped
Green Chilli - 2, finely chopped
Garlic Cloves - 1, grated
Ginger - 1/2 tsp, grated
Fresh Coconut - 2 tsp, grated
Lemon Juice / Tamarind Extract - 1 tsp
Jaggery - 1 tsp, grated
Salt - a pinch
Olive Oil - 1 tsp (optional)

Mix all the above together and make a smooth paste in the grinder / blender.

Whole Grain Bread - 4 slices
Cheese / Butter
Sliced Cucumbers, tomato, onion, boiled potato - optional

Cut the edges of the bread and slice them into triangles. Spread some soft cheese or butter on each slices and then spread a tsp of the chutney. Put a few slices of cucumber / tomato / boiled potato on a slice of bread and place another slice of bread over it to make a sandwich.

If desired the sandwich can be lightly toasted in a cast iron pan with some butter/olive oil.

Garlic Peanut Chutney

A staple at my Maharashtrian in-law's home. A tsp of this chutney is always served on the plate at lunch. It adds a magical spicy taste to simple rice, dal and vegetables. Any curry which tastes bland tastes so much better with a pinch of this chutney

Garlic Cloves - 1/2 cup
Roasted Peanuts - 1/4 cup
Sesame Seeds - 1 tbsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cayenne Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Salt
Peanut Oil - 1 tsp

Mix all the above except the peanut oil and pulse a few times.

Heat oil in a pan and saute the mixture over low heat for around 10 minutes.

Once the garlic starts getting light brown and slightly crispy, remove from heat. Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a week.

Basundi

My hubby's favourite dessert. Because it requires high fat content whole milk and also processed white sugar, it make it rarely ..... probably once a year during the festivals. It is also very time consuming ... short cut can be used by substituting half and half and heavy cream for the milk but the result is not the same. The taste and creaminess which comes from reducing the milk on slow fire is different from what we get using store bought heavy cream.

Whole Milk - 1/2 gallon (I used Homestead Creamery Cream on Top Whole Milk)
Saffron - a pinch (optional)
Sugar - 1 cup
Charoli / Chironji Seeds - 1 tsp
Raisins - a handful

Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy bottomed pan. If using saffron, add it to the milk.

Lower the heat and simmer for around 2 hours. Using a metal whisk, stir the milk frequently so that it doesnt burn.

Once the milk gets very thick and reduces to 1/4th of the original quantity, basundi is ready. Remove from heat, mix in raisins and charoli and chill. Serve cold.
Note : The condensed milk thickens further when it cools down.

Maharashtrian Poha with Flattened Red Rice

Flattened Red Rice - 1 cup, I used Amma's Kitchen Kerala Aval

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Green Chillies - 3, finely chopped
Curry Leaves - 10
Yellow Onion - 1/2, finely chopped
Ginger - 1/2 inch, grated
Potato - 1 (optional), boiled and cut into tiny cubes
Turmeric - a pinch
Salt
Lemon Juice - juice of 1 big lemon
Raw Sugar - 1 tsp
Roasted Peanuts - a handful
Cilantro - a handful, chopped

Wash the poha in plenty of warm water twice. Drain well and add salt, sugar and juice of half lemon. Mix well and keep aside for 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a cast iron pan. Temper with mustard seeds, cumin seeds and green chillies.

Add the chopped onion, grated ginger and curry leaves and cook till the onion gets soft.

If using potato, add chopped potato, turmeric and salt. Mix well. Cook or a couple of minutes.

Add the flattened rice and peanuts and mix well. Lower the flame and cover and cook for a few minutes.

Remove from heat, add lemon juice and garnish with cilantro and serve hot.