Mayuri And Ma's Cookbook

Diwali 2011

2011-12-23T11:20:00.006-05:00

We celebrated Diwali 2011 is the traditional Goan way. Only thing is it took me 2 months to update the diwali post ;-)

Prepared 5 kinds of poha, { mainly, batat fauv(potato poha), roosatlye fauv (coconut milk poha with a touch of turmeric leaf which travelled all the way from Goa), doodhatlye fauv (milk poha), kalaylae fauv (simple sweet poha), gavthi fauv (sweet brown rice poha) }, chanyachi usal and sasaav.

Also sweet shankarpali, thinkat (spicy) shankarpali, cholafali, cornmeal ladoo, wheat flour ladoo and the typical goan moothli(mixture of chana dal, moong, jaggery).

Kokan Dudhi Bhaaji/ Bottle Gourd Stir Fry(Goan Style).

2011-06-22T10:02:00.000-04:00

Bottle gourd is called Kokan dudhi in Goa. My mom made kheer of it as well as this simple everyday stir fry(goan style) with the addition of chana dal.

Ingredients

3 cups, Kokan dudhi, peeled and chopped,

3 tbsp chana dal, washed and soaked in 5 tbsp water for 15 minutes,

1 tsp oil,

1 tsp mustard seeds,

1 green chilly , slit,

1/2 medium onion, chopped,

2 tbsp grated, coconut,

1/2 tsp turmeric powder,

pinch of sugar/jaggery,

salt to taste,

3/4 cup water.

Method

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat.

Add mustard seeds and when they splutter add onion, green chilly and the drained, soaked chana dal.

Next add the dudhi and mix.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix.

Cover with a lid and let cook on medium low heat till the vegetable and dal is cooked to fork tender.

Turn off the heat and serve.

Note

Can substitute any kind of dal for the channa dal.

Neerphanaschi Bhaaji / Breadfruit Side Dish.

2011-03-16T14:44:00.000-04:00

Neerphanas is a vegetable loved by my whole family. Most households in Goa will have this tree in their backyard. The size of the fruit/vegetable ranges between a grapefruit to a huge honeydew melon. The fruit is plucked when raw and vibrant green on the outside. The outer skin is peeled,the inside core is discarded and just the tender ivory colored inside flesh is used just like for a pineapple.

Neerphanas or breadfruit is used to make bhaaji/side dish or semolina coated shallow fry or bhaji's/pakodas or added to korma/gravy.

I get very fresh vibrant green breadfruits here so shallow fried one half and made side dish of the other half with the 'goan trinity' (onion/green chilly/coconut) combination.

When cooked with a sprinkle of water to make this side dish, the neerphanas gets cooked to a silky buttery texture.

Ingredients

2 cups neerphanas/breadfruit, peeled, cored and chopped into pieces,

1 tsp oil,

1 tsp mustard seeds,

1/2 medium onion, chopped,

1 green chilly, chopped into 2 pieces,

2 tbsp grated coconut,

1 tsp salt,

3/4 cup water.

Method.

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat.
Add mustard seeds and when they splutter add the onion and green chilly.
Fry for a few minutes then add the chopped neerphanas, salt and coconut and stir again.
Add the water, mix and cover with lid and cook on low flame till the vegetable is fork tender and cooked through.

Grandmother's Birthday and KaLyacho Halwo / Sweetened Bananas.

2011-01-20T09:36:00.005-05:00

Today is my Dear Aayi's 87th Birthday(my maternal grandmother whom we lovingly call Aayi).

Wish I could give her a big hug on this special day and wish her a Very Happy Birthday but I had to make do by speaking with her over the phone and wishing her.

She is getting frail and weak as the days are going by but without any doubt she is strong at heart, still managing to go for her morning walks. She is a soft spoken lady, very broad minded and modern in her thoughts, always open to new ideas, not the typical old fashioned grandmother at all. I really respect and admire her. After my Ma passed away she has been my pillar of strength and source of inspiration in life. Aayi is an excellent cook and whipped up authentic goan food for us when we were young. Due to her frail health she no longer cooks so often now but no doubt about it that she makes the best mouth watering fish curry ever, all my uncles and aunts n cousins agree with me on this note. Time and again I call her up to refer to some of the authentic goan recipes that were long lost and forgotten.

I see my Ma in Aayi(she is my mom's mother) and I cherish the few moments that I get to talk to her over the phone from across the world.

Happy Birthday Aayi !!

Today's halwa is for my Dear Aayi.

One gets many varieties of bananas in India. In Goa we get a special variety of bananas called mandoli kaLyi, the taste is very sweet and aromatic. They are mostly eaten ripe or cooked into a halwa.
Now, this is not a typical mushed up dry halwa loaded with sugar as the name suggests but rather delicate banana slices floating in lots of mildly sweetened cardamom flavored sugar syrup and ready in a jiffy.
Ma made this very often as we liked to have it for breakfast along with bread or chappati.
Here I have used plantains as they are almost similar in taste.

Ingredients
3 plantains, almost ripe and yellow, firm to touch,
1 cup sugar,
3 cups water,
2 tsp ghee/clarified butter,
1 tsp elaichi/cardamom powder.

Method.

Peel and slice the plantains into 1/2 cm thick slices.
Heat a pan on medium heat and add the ghee.
Add the sliced plantains to the pan and stir very gently a couple of times(1-2 minutes) taking care not to break the banana slices.
Add water and sugar and cardamom powder and let it come to a boil.
Once the bananas change color, switch the heat off and take the pan off the heat to stop the bananas from cooking further and turning to a mush.
Serve warm or cold with bread, chappati or puri.

Note.
This is best eaten freshly prepared or at the most on the same day as reheating the halwa will make the bananas mushy.
Best eaten with a bread/pav to soak up the banana flavoured juices.
Adjust the quantity of sugar as to your liking but the halwa should not be extra sweet but just lightly sweet with the dominant banana flavour.

Bhenyachi Bhaaji / Okra cooked in Goan style.

2010-12-09T09:38:00.001-05:00

Okra/bhindi is called as bhenyae in Goan konkani. I love okra a lot in any form so it always makes an appearance in my kitchen at least once every 15 days. And fortunately my husband and both kids love it too. They specially like it cooked in this simple manner.
Bhenyachi bhaaji is a very simple dish prepared with the Goan trinity of "onion, coconut and green chilly" and of course the okra itself. The flavouring imparted to the vegetable comes from the humble onion and coconut with a touch of spice from the green chilly and a tangy punch from the kokum.
Again, this is a fat free recipe as there is no use of any oil. My Mom used oil sparingly in her cooking.
This is one of the many ways my Mom prepared okra.
Also this is the way bhenyaae /okra is prepared in most households in Goa.

Ingredients.
3 cups chopped okra/bhindi/bhenyae,
1 medium onion, chopped,
2 green chillies, slit,
2 tbsp grated coconut,
8 pieces of kokum/sola,
salt to taste,
pinch of sugar.

Method.

Put all the ingredients in a pan along with a few tsps of water and cook on medium to medium low heat with lid half covered till the okra is cooked.(covering the pan completely makes the okra slimly)
Stir the ingredients in the pan not with a spoon but just shake the pan and toss the ingredients inside the pan, that way the cooked okras will not break.

Note
Adding kokum stops the okra from getting slimy when cooked.
Also the kokum adds a unique tangy flavour to the okra.
You can add tomato if you do not have kokum but the flavour will be slightly different.

Baked Cheese Crackers

2010-09-09T14:04:00.002-04:00

Cheese crackers are an all time favorite not only with kids but grown ups too.

I make these very often for my kids as these crackers are very cheesy and crispy with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. You cannot stop with popping just one in your mouth.......they are very addictive.

Ingredients

1 and 3/4 cup all purpose flour,

1/2 cup butter, room temperature,

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese,

1/2 tsp salt,

1 tsp sugar,

1 tsp paprika,

1 tsp baking powder,

few sprinkles of water to make dough.

Method.

Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and make a soft dough. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325 F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Roll the dough to 1/2 cm thickness and then score to get shapes or can use spritz cookie press to get the rippled effect crackers or can use the star plate of the chakli maker to get star shaped crackers.
Put on the tray and bake for 20-25 minutes, do not allow to burn.
The crackers will just turn mildly golden brown.
Cool and store in an air-tight container.

Note.

Add any chopped herbs or any other spices like cumin seeds or black pepper to make fancy grown up version.

These crackers do not expand when baked so when arranging them on the tray no need of spacing them.

Doodhi Bhaaji / Pumkin Stir Fry.

2010-09-01T10:30:00.002-04:00

Pumpkin takes the top spot on my list of favorite vegetables, I like it in any form, any day. This is one of the ways Ma prepared doodhi bhaaji, in its most simplest form with the 'Goan Trinity' of onion, green chilly and coconut. Goan tirphal also called sichuan pepper is used for this dish and this pepper gives the humble pumpkin a unique flavor, kicks it up a notch and takes it to a totally different level.

Ingredients.

4 cups chopped pumpkin(yellow or butternut),

1/2 onion, chopped,

1-2 green chillies chopped,

3 tbsp grated coconut,

10 tirphal pieces/sichuan pepper (optional),

salt to taste,

few tsp of water.

Method.

Wash and rinse the tirphal, discard the black seed inside it, it is not edible.
Crush the the pepper slightly but do not powder it.
Mix all ingredients in a pan, cover and cook on low flame till the pumpkin is tender.

Note.

Discard the tirphal when serving the vegetable, the pepper is not edible.

As with most of the other vegetable dishes, Ma never used oil to cook this dish too.

The tirphal imparts a distinct flavor to the humble pumpkin.

Dangar / Seafood(clams/oysters/shrimp) Cutlets

2010-07-30T10:24:00.002-04:00

Last few weeks have been very hectic as we were busy packing and moving from west coast to east coast of Canada to a new city. Just settling down in our new home here in Toronto.

Today I am posting a recipe for seafood cutlets called as Dangar in konkani.
Dangar is nothing but a simple seafood cutlet mainly using shell fish like clams(tisryo/khube) or oysters(kaalva) or shrimp.

I make these oyster dangar quite often specially when I have guests over for dinner.
I get huuuuuuuuuge oysters(palm size) here in Canada or I just chop them into small pieces and then use them.

Ingredients
1 cup chopped oysters,
1/2 onion chopped fine,
1 medium sized tomato , chopped fine,
1-2 green chillies, chopped fine,
6-7 tbsp chickpea flour/besan
4 tbsp rava,
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves,
2 tbsp grated coconut,
salt to taste,
1/2 tsp turmeric powder/haldi powder,
1/2 tsp garam masala.
oil for shallow frying.

Method.

Mix all the ingredients except the oil.

Heat a skillet on medium high heat and drizzle a tea spoon of oil, not too much.

Pour 2 tbsp of batter and spread slightly to make a small pancake like round shape.

Fill the skillet with these cutlets (according to how many you can fit on the pan).

Drizzle a couple of teas spoons of oil around the cutlets.

After 4 minutes use a spatula to flip the cutlet on the other side.

Cook for 2 minutes, then take off heat.

Dangar ready to be dunked in ketchup or to accompany a typical Goan meal of rice, dal/fish curry.

Note.

Adjust the besan and rava to get the desired consistency. Omit rava for a gluten free version.

Add more green chillies for a fiery version.

Once the ingredients are mixed together, prepare and fry the cutlets immediately or else the whole mixture turns into a pulp as the tomatoes and onions release water.

Besan Badam Ladoo / Chickpea Flour Almond Sweetballs.

2010-07-06T12:30:00.004-04:00

We Indians prepare an array of sweets and circular ladoos make it to the top list. There are soooooooo many varieties of ladoos one can prepare. The basic method of preparation is pretty simple -- heat ghee-roast flour(any)-take off heat-add sugar/cardamom powder/chopped nuts-mix-cool slightly and then rolls into 1-2 inch diameter balls..........voila, ladoos all ready to be devoured.
Besan Ladoo is a favorite in my house, my hubby n kids love it but I cannot say the same for myself though. I am more of a rava coconut, motichoor, wheatflour ladoos kind of a person, I prefer these ladoos over besan ones any day :-)
But I do make besan ladoos very often to satisfy my family's love for these yellow golden sweet morsels.
My kids are very fussy when it comes to eating nuts in ladoos, so to get them to eat the healthy nuts I thought why not disguise the nut in a powder form and add to the ladoo.
The verdict is..........my kids ate the ladoos without a fuss or complain about nuts and the almond powder did not overpower the besan flavor of the final product.

Ingredients
2 cups besan/chickpea flour,
1/2 cup ghee,
1 and 3/4 cup fine sugar(adjust sugar according to taste),
1/2 cup ground almond/badam powder,
1 tsp cardamom powder/elaichi powder,
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg/jaiphal powder,
pinch cinnamon powder/tikhi powder.

Method.

Heat ghee in a pan and roast besan on low flame till the raw smell disappears and nice aroma starts developing to the besan, about 25-30 minutes.
Add the ground almonds during the last 10 minutes and let the whole mixture roast well for 10 minutes.
Keep stirring during the whole process or else the mixture will burn. (The color of the besan should be a dark yellow and now brown)
Switch the heat off and add fine sugar, cardamom powder, grated nutmeg and cinnamon powder.
Mix well and keep aside for about 8-10 minutes.
When cool enough to handle with bare hands take 2 tbsp of the mixture at a time and press and squeeze and roll into 2 inch diameter balls.
The above quantity yielded 30 ladoos(medium sized).

Note.

Add some chopped nuts and raisins if desired. I did not add any nuts as I added ground almonds to the mixture.

Can grind the sugar to fine powder and then add to the ladoo mixture, I prefer a crunch to the ladoo so I added fine sugar that we get here, (the texture of the sugar is like chiroti rava).

Adjust the sugar according to your taste. I added slightly less sugar as I do not like ladoos too overly sweet. But the usual formula says equal parts flour and sugar.

Tavsali / Goan Style Cucumber Cake

2010-06-15T23:20:00.008-04:00

Tavsali is a healthy, egg less, low fat (or fat free if ghee is omitted) Goan Style Cucumber Cake.
I love the beautiful green specks of grated cucumber (skin n all)distributed all over the light brown colored cake.
Tavsali is prepared using cucumber/kakdi that are called "taushe" in konkani.

I remember my mom had made this cake for me when she had come to the US to help me during my first pregnancy.

My grandma and mom used to prepare this cake without any oven. A tava or thick bottomed skillet was kept on a stove, then the cake pan was kept over the skillet. Next a lid was kept on the cake pan and the lid was covered with a layer of hot coals. Thus creating an oven kind of condition for the cake to "bake".

This cake can be prepared in 2 ways either using rava/semolina or using goan rice powder, each gives a different taste and texture to the end result.

Goan rice is called "ukade tandol" or rosematta rice in US & Canada. The rice is dry roasted then ground to a fine powder and used instead of rava.

The tavsali made using the ukade tandol powder tastes better then the rava one but still both are equally delicious.

This is a simple egg less cake not overly sweet with dominant flavours of cucumber, coconut, cumin and peanuts.

No, it is not a typo, indeed jeera/ cumin seeds are used to make this sweet. In fact many Goan konkani sweets are flavoured with jeera powder like tavsali, poss, and some varieties of kheers.

Ingredients

2 cups grated cucumber/kakdi,

1 and 1/2 cups grated jaggery or brown sugar,

1 and 1/4 cup rava/suji/cream of wheat/semolina,

1 cup grated coconut,

2 tsp jeera /cumin seeds (unroasted and ground to a fine powder),

4 tbsp chopped roasted peanuts,

2 tbsp chopped raisins,

1/2 tsp cardamom powder/ elaichi,

2 tbsp sesame seeds,

pinch of salt.

Method.

Roast rava (dry or in 1 tsp butter/ghee) and cool.
Mix all the rest of the ingredients and pour the batter in a 8 x 8inch baking pan.
Preheat oven to 350 F and bake the cake in the oven for 30 minutes till cooked through.(prick a toothpick in the cake and check to see if it comes out clean).
Broil the cake for 5 minutes so that the top also gets a nice golden color.
Take out of the oven cool, cut and serve.

Note.

I sometimes add 2 tbsp oats flour and 2 tbsp flax seed meal to the batter for additional nutrition.

Usually this cake is prepared the previous night and the flavors allowed to blend well and it is served for breakfast the next day.

This cake can be refrigerated for up to a week. To serve just reheat in the microwave for a minute or 2 and enjoy warm cucumber cake.

Add almonds & cashew nuts if desired.

Rajma Tikki / Red Kidney Beans Cutlet

2010-05-10T12:05:00.001-04:00

Rajma tikki is one easy scrumptious snack to make as long as u have some cooked beans on hand. I usually make these for after school snack for my son, specially on cold winter days.
Nothing like a protein loaded, warm tikki/cutlet dunked in ketchup or chutney.

Ingredients

1 cup cooked rajma,

2 bread slices,

1 tbsp ginger, minced,

1 tbsp garlic, minced,

1 tsp amchur powder,

1/2 tsp turmeric powder/haldi,

1 tsp garam masala,

3 tbsp chopped parsley or coriander leaves,

salt to taste.

Method.

In a food processor add bread slices and make bread crumbs, add rajma and pulse a few more times, than add the rest of the ingredients and pulse again.
Take out in a bowl.
Make small balls and flatten slightly to make discs or long strips.
Shallow fry in a hot skillet using little oil on medium heat.

Note.

Add minced green chilly for a more spicy tasting cutlet.

Happy Mother's Day !!

2010-05-09T16:45:00.001-04:00

Happy Mother's day to all mom's out there.

I am a mom of two lovely kids, so being a mother myself, now I understand all the things my mother did for me.
I am truly grateful and thankful to my mom for everything she did for me n more.
Mother's Day is a very emotional day for me coz 4 years ago I lost my Ma (just 2 days before mother's day). An even after 4 years I have still not been able to accept my loss.
So every year when Mother's Day is round the corner, I feel very happy seeing the excitement in my kids eyes for their mom(me), but at the same time I feel very sad that my mom is not around for me to show her how much I care about her.
Every time my kids surround me and hug me, I just feel that wish I could do one thing and that is to give my mom a nice big hug too..........just to show her how much I love and appreciate her.

I miss my mom everyday specially living in a foreign country on the other side of the world away from my homeland. But I miss her the most on Mother's Day.
One thing is surely true though that no one can replace a mom's love and affection.

So, Ma, wherever you are and if you are seeing me then, I just want to say "Thank you for everything"

Cornmeal Idli(Gluten Free) / Steamed Cornmeal Circles.

2010-05-08T10:35:00.001-04:00

Again these cornmeal idlis were born out of necessity to make quick idlis without using rava/semolina.

As semolina/rava idlis are quick to make but they are made of wheat(my daughter is allergic to wheat), so to eliminate wheat from the recipe I replaced the semolina/rava with fine cornmeal but otherwise just followed the rava idli recipe.

There, I created a new quick recipe to cater to my daughters need for gluten free and my crunch for time.

I liked the beautiful natural yellow hue of these idlis, without any addition of turmeric powder/haldi powder.

These Idlis can be enjoyed by all and is not limited to just for people with gluten allergy only.

Sabudana Vada/Appe (Gluten Free, Fat Free) / Tapioca Puffs.

2010-05-06T09:56:00.004-04:00

In this part of the world, we are still getting our share of snow :-(
I wanted to make something hot n crunchy for my son for after school snack, but was not at all inclined towards a deep fried snack.

Had just made a batch of boiled potatoes, so what better way to use boiled potatoes for snack other then make tikkis or sabudana vadas, I opted for the latter :-)

I made sabudana vada but in an Appe pan/ Aeblevisker pan. They turned out pretty good, crispy on the outside and soft n mushy on the inside.

My Appe pan is non stick so I made them without a drop of oil, they are totally fat free :-)

Enjoy these guilt free vadas !!

Ingredients

3/4 cup sago,(washed and soaked in water enough to cover the sago for 1 hour then drain any water, I used mini sago pearls called as sago seeds, the size of mustard seeds),

3/4 cup potatoes, boiled and mashed,

2 tbsp chopped roasted peanuts,

3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves,

1 green chilly minced,

2 tsp lemon juice,

1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera,

Method.

Mix all the ingredients.
Heat Appe pan(pan has many indents/depression similar to muffin pan) on medium heat.
Make small balls of the dough and put in each indent of the appe pan.
Let cook for 3 minutes then turn, so that it cooks on the other side.
The other side will cook quicker, so cook may be 2 minutes on the other side.
I got 18 Appe Sabudana Vadas from the quantity of ingredients mentioned above.
Enjoy with whipped sweet yogurt, chutney or ketchup.

Note.

Can add a few drops of oil while cooking.

If you prefer a darker shade of browning for the vadas, cook a few minutes more on each side, but take care that they do not burn. I prefer mine just golden brown.

They were perfect snacks for my kids.

Frozen Ginger Garlic Paste.

2010-05-05T09:00:00.003-04:00

I know I freeze a lot of things, but I tend to look for short cuts as much as possible in cooking without compromising the taste, texture and looks of anything, specially with 2 toddlers around me all the time.
I use a lot of ginger-garlic paste in my cooking but I do not have the patience to make the paste everyday.
I tried making the paste and keeping in the refrigerator, but felt that it smelt weird after a few days and also changed color which was not at all appetizing.
So now I make the ginger-garlic paste, put the paste in ice cube trays and freeze them , then just take the cubes and keep them in a zip lock bag and back in the freezer they go.
The frozen cubes retain the original color and the flavor too.
Any time I need a tbsp of ginger-garlic paste I just take out 1 cube and add to my cooking.

I also make ginger-garlic-green chilly paste in the same manner and freeze them as cubes.

Kalae Kappa/Phodi / Shallow Fried Raw Plantain Slices.

2010-05-04T09:24:00.004-04:00

Shallow fried plantain slices are prepared in the same way as is potato slices and pumpkin slices.

These shallow fried slices are crunchy on the outside and moist n juicy on the inside, just perfect to devour with simple rice and dal.

Peel the green skin of the plantain, but do not take all the skin off, leave some on.( You can see a layer of the peel on the slices in the picture). Slice into 3/4 cm thick circles.

The rest of the ingredients and method is same as for shallow fried potato slices.

These require sprinkling of water just like potato slices to cook them all the way through.

Cornmeal Dhokla(Gluten Free) / Steamed Cornmeal Squares.

2010-05-03T09:00:00.002-04:00

As my daughter is allergic to wheat I have learnt to adapt many recipes and make them gluten free without changing the taste n texture of the dishes.
I make this cornmeal dhokla quite often instead of rava dhokla. It has the same texture as rava dhokla only it is gluten free.
Allergic to wheat or not, this cornmeal dhokla is liked by all.

Just replace cornmeal for semolina and use the rest of the same ingredients and same procedure to prepare as rava dhokla.

Sometimes I add grated carrot/cucumber / zucchini or green peas / corn thus giving it a slight twist.

Doodhi Kappa/Phodi / Shallow Fried Pumkin slices.

2010-05-02T10:45:00.005-04:00

In Goa Monday is a vegetarian day, and a vegetarian meal is prepared, which is usually made up of rice, dal, a vegetable and shallow fried phodis made of any vegetable like potato, pumpkin(doodhi), raw plantain banana, eggplant(vaangi), bread fruit(neer phanas), elephant yam(suran), taro root(Maadi),bittermelon(kaarle) to name a few.

Doodhi / Pumpkin is one of my favourite vegetable( actually I like all vegetables, so all veges come in my fav category :) ). Shallow fried pumpkin slices is an all time favourite in our house after the ultimate shallow fried potato slices.

The ingredients and method to prepare this is the same as Batatachi Phodi / Fried Potato Slices just substitute pumpkin for potatoes.
Another thing to note is that pumpkin cooks quicker than potatoes so these slices will be done faster than potato slices.
Any vegetable can be shallow fried in a similar manner.

Simple Bok Choy Bhaaji / Stir Fry.

2010-05-01T09:55:00.000-04:00

I like any leafy vegetable, I buy any fresh greens that I can lay my hands on in a Chinese store and cook it just as Ma cooked any greens.

I walk in my mother's footsteps for this matter, she used to cook any kind of vegetables she could lay her hands on too.

Most of the leafy greens I cook is in a similar manner as Ma did with the "Goan trinity" of onion, green chilly and grated coconut. Adding any dal to it is optional , but it definitely enhances the taste and stretches the prepared dish a bit.

Another thing to note about simple goan vegetable stir fry is that there is absolutely no use of oil ( at least in my house). So basically it is fat free dish, now doesn't that sound good !!!!

This bok choy stir fry is prepared in the same way as the ghosali bhaaji / ridge gourd stir fry.

Ingredients
2 tbsp chana dal, washed and soaked in 2 tbsp water for 15 minutes(optional ),
4-5 cups chopped, bok choy,
1/2 onion, chopped,
1-2 green chilly, chopped,
3 tbsp grated coconut,
salt to taste,
pinch of sugar.

Method.

Put all the ingredients in a pan.
Cover with a lid and cook on medium low heat till the vegetable and the dal is tender.
Add some extra water if the water dries up and the vegetable n dal is not cooked.

Note
Can use either chana dal or moong dal or omit it totally.

Sakhar Bhaat / Sweetened Rice

2010-04-30T22:05:00.002-04:00

Sakhar Bhaat is one of the easiest n simplest sweet to make.

Cloves is the prominent spice n flavouring agent in this Goan sweet.

Ingredients

1/2 cup rice, washed and drained for 20 minutes,

1 tsp ghee,

1 tsp raisins,

2 tsp chopped cashew nuts,

1 tsp powdered cardamom,

5 cloves,

pinch of nutmeg,

pinch of saffron soaked in a tsp of milk or some orange color,

3/4 cup sugar,

2 and 3/4 cup water.

Method.

Heat ghee in a pan on medium heat.
Add the cloves and rice, saute till the rice is nice n toasty.
Add the raisins and cashew nuts and saute a minute more.
Add hot water , cover and cook till the rice is cooked/done.
Add the cardamom, nutmeg, sugar, saffron milk or color and mix well (but very gently or else the grains of rice will break and become a mush).

Note.

Let the rice cook fully as the rice does not cook anymore once the sugar is added.

Ghosali Bhaaji / Ridgegourd Stir fry.

2010-04-29T23:30:00.001-04:00

Ridge gourd is called " Ghosali " in konkani.

This is one of my favourite vegetables. It is a simple preparation with the "Goan trinity" of onion, green chilly and coconut. ( Yeah, I thought just as Cajun/Creole cooking has the trinity of onion , pepper and celery in all its dishes, the same way Goan cooking in my family also uses the 3 essential ingredients of onion, green chilly and coconut in everyday dishes, so I thought why not call it the "Goan trinity" ) :)
Ma cooked most of the vegetables without any oil. There were only selected vegetables for which she used the oil tempering(phodni).
No oil is used for this dish so it is practically fat free cooking !!

Peeled Ridge gourd (ghosali)

Ingredients

2 medium sized ridge gourd(ghosali),

2 tbsp moong dal,(optional),

1/2 onion , chopped,

1 green chilly, chopped,

2 tbsp grated coconut,

salt to taste,

pinch of sugar,

2 tbsp water.

Method.

Peel the skin of the ridge gourd and chop it.
Wash moong dal and soak in 2 tbsp water for 5 minutes.
Put soaked dal along with water in a pan , add the rest of the ingredients.
Cover and keep the pan on medium low heat.
Stir after 5 minutes. Cook till the dal n the vegetable is tender.

Note.

Can use either moong dal or chana dal.

Use the ridge gourd peels to make chutney or thepla.

Ruby Red Strawberry Jam.

2010-04-28T10:29:00.002-04:00

I used Ma's technique to make the pineapple jam. So now as strawberries are in season I thought of making strawberry jam. It turned out awesome. I specially liked the vibrant ruby red color of the jam.

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 cup strawberry pulp,

1 and 1/4 cup sugar,

2 tbsp lemon juice,

4 cloves,

2 pieces cinnamon sticks.

Method.

Put the strawberry pulp in a pan and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.
Then add the sugar and spices and cook for 15 minutes.
Finally add the lemon juice and cook 5 minutes more.
Take the pan off heat and let cool.
Pour in a glass jar.

Note

This jam stays fresh at room temperature. The jam will thicken slightly after cooling.

Can omit the spices but I like the aroma of the spices and I feel it enhances the flavor of the jam.

Increase or decrease the amount of sugar according to the sweetness of the strawberries.

Make any fruit jam using the same method and proportion.

I added 1/4 tsp red chilly powder during the last minute, as I like my jam a little sweet, a little spicy, a little tart, more like murabba taste.

Shrikhand / Sweetened Yogurt.

2010-04-27T11:50:00.001-04:00

Although Shrikhand is not a typical Goan sweet Ma made Shrikhand very often and it was a regular fare at my parents place.
It is a no cook dessert that is ideally eaten with puri. But we used to have it for breakfast with chappati. I know what a nice way it was to start the day with heavenly creamy shrikhand !!

Ingredients

2 cups yogurt,

3/4 cup powdered sugar,

1/2 tsp powdered cardamom,

pinch of kesar/saffron soaked in 1 tsp warm milk,

some chopped nuts(optional).

Method.

Place a strainer in a bowl, line it with a cheesecloth. Put the yogurt in it and keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
You should get about 1 cup of hung yogurt.
Add the sugar, soaked saffron in milk and mix well.
Sprinkle nuts on top and refrigerate.
Serve chilled and enjoy with puri or chappati !!

Note.

The more longer you drain the yogurt the more thick and creamy it will become.

Can add 1 tbsp sour cream to get the same texture and taste as authentic shrikhand.

Mix some mango pulp in the shrikhand to get Aamrakhand(Mango flavoured shrikhand).

Event Participation.

This is my entry to Indrani's Summer Foods And Drinks Event.

And Srivalli's Thanda Mela.

Gluten Free, Egg Free Fluffy Pancakes.

2010-04-23T10:50:00.003-04:00

What do you do when one child has wheat allergy and the other child is demanding to eat pancakes.....well, u go and buy gluten free pancake mix from the store(which is pretty expensive and require the use of eggs or egg replacer) or else you come up with a gluten free, egg free pancake mix at home.
My daughter gets her wheat allergies on and off so I came up with this pancake recipe. These are egg less pancakes too as for some time she was allergic to eggs too.
Usually gluten free pancakes require the use of guar gum or xanthum gum, but in this recipe I have not used any of those ingredients and yet not compromised on the taste or texture of the pancakes.
These pancakes have the same texture, look and taste as the regular pancakes. My both kids(6 and almost 3 years old) nor my hubby could tell the difference in the pancakes. They devoured them as regular pancakes :)
Thus I accomplished my mission of satisfying my sons demand for pancakes and also my daughters need of eating gluten free, egg free pancakes :)
The ingredients list is long but it is worth a try.

Ingredients
4 tbsp rice flour,
2 tbsp moong flour,
2 tbsp urad flour,
2 tbsp cornmeal,
1/4 tsp baking powder,
1/4 tsp baking soda,
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder,
1 tbsp sugar,
2 tbsp yogurt,
water or milk to make the batter.

Method.

Mix all the ingredients.
Heat a pan on medium heat.
Pour 1/4 of the batter in the pan and let bubbles appear on the batter.
Flip the pancake and let it cook on the other side for a minute.
Repeat process till you finish the batter.
Enjoy with maple syrup or fruit syrup.

Note

This quantity of batter yielded 4 medium sized pancakes. Can double the recipe.

Or else you can mix the dry ingredients in a big batch and store like I do and when you want to make pancakes just take the required quantity of the dry mix, add the wet ingredients and the batter is ready in a jiffy.

I used milk to make this batter.

Can use butter milk instead of milk to get buttermilk pancakes.

I use the same batter to make pancake puffs with success.

Can add one or more of the following to the batter for a variation - banana, blueberries, chopped strawberries, chocolate chips, chopped walnuts,chopped almonds, raisins, etc.

Crunchy Banana Chips

2010-04-21T13:04:00.005-04:00

I have never in my life made banana chips at home but surely eaten a cartload or should I say truck load of them :)

Today I thought of making them at home. Had a plantain banana that I purchased from the grocery store a couple of days ago.

The chips came out pretty good and they were very easy to make. I had never made them at home with the fear of sprinkling water in hot oil. But today I overcame that fear !!

My son (who loves banana chips) tasted these chips(actually finished all the chips making many rounds in the kitchen and grabbing some chips on the way each time) and said they get 5 star(his grading goes from 1-5), and that next time I need to buy more bananas and make lots more chips :) so that he can take them for snack time in school. When my kiddo says that I should pack certain food next time for his school lunch or snack I know that it has met his approval. My 6 year old son is quite a foodie, guess he gets it from his mom ;)

Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients

1 plantain banana(raw),

1/2 cup water,

1/4 tsp turmeric powder,

salt to taste,

oil for deep frying(preferably coconut oil).

Method.

Peel the banana, wash and soak in water for about 1/2 hour.

Mix water, salt, turmeric powder and keep aside.

Heat oil. Drain the bananas and wipe dry with paper towel.

Slice the bananas into thin slices (using a mandoline) directly in the hot oil. Or else you can use a knife and make thin slices on a chopping board and then slide them into the hot oil.

When they are 3/4 cooked, sprinkle a tsp of the water solution on the bananas in the oil.

Hold a splatter screen over the oil after you sprinkle a tsp of the water solution.

BE VERY CAREFUL !!

The oil splutters in all directions.

Take off the screen and mix the chips.

Drain the chips onto a paper towel to absorb the access oil.

Proceed with the rest of the banana to make the chips.

There you go yummy crunchy banana chips ready to munch on !!

Note

Season the chips with red chilly powder,crushed peppercorn or any other masala blend for a variation after draining from the oil. I preferred them plain with salt only.

Frying the chips in coconut oil gives it the authentic taste.

Next time I will soak the raw bananas in water mixed with turmeric powder to get a more darker shade of yellow colored chips.

Pancake Puffs

2010-04-20T00:57:00.006-04:00

Ever since I bought the Appe/Appam pan from India, I have made full use of it by making pancake puffs, idli batter appe, savoury appe using pancake batter, etc in it.
In konkani(Goa) the appe/appam are called "Ellappe" will post the Goan Ellappe recipe soon.

These delicate golden brown spongy balls cooked in the Appe pan are a treat not only for kids but for grown ups too ;) My kids love any variety of appe but their favourite are these dainty pancake puffs.

Ingredients

Pancake batter

Method

Heat the Appe pan on medium heat.

Pour a spoon full of the pancake batter in the indents of the pan.

Let cook for a couple of minutes then flip to the other side and let cook for a minute on the other side.

Take out of the pan.

Enjoy sprinkled with icing sugar or drenched in maple syrup.

Note

Sometimes I make savoury puffs using same pancake batter but add whatever seasoning I want like, chopped onion,grated carrots, minced green chilly, chopped coriander leaves , etc.

I have a nonstick Appe pan, so I do not use any oil to grease the indents of the pan.

Storing Curry Leaves/Kadipatta Leaves

2010-04-17T16:38:00.005-04:00

Curry leaves or karpilachi pana as it is called in konkani has a special place in every Indian kitchen.
In Goa one does not have to scratch ones head to come up with ways n means to store these leaves for many days because the plant itself grows in the backyard.

The ladies of the house usually just pluck the fresh leaves before starting their cooking for the day.

But when you live abroad one has to make do with the store bought curry leaves and specially if you are like me living in a place that has winter for the major part of the year, you need to store those for a long time coz how many times can you make a trip to an Indian store that too when there is a winter storm in the forecast.

Once my mom had sun dried the leaves from her backyard and got them for me when she visited me in the USA.

The other day I opened one packet of leaves that I had bought from the store but in a hurry I left the packet open in the fridge, the poor leaves just dried in the cold air of the refrigerator and got crisp.

Well, that worked for me coz I thought why not freeze the leaves, and yes that worked very fine.

I separated the leaves from the stems, washed them, wiped them dry and spread them on the tray. Popped the tray in the freezer for a couple of hours and then voila they were all frozen, put the frozen leaves in a zip lock bag(any container) and stuffed it in the freezer again.

The color has mellowed down slightly (but it is not black ) and the leaves still smell fresh when u tear them. Frozen leaves do not get crispy, they remain soft.

Have been having these frozen leaves in the fridge for over a month now.

I prefer the freezer method of preserving the curry leaves.

Usually cooks just put the whole curry leaves in the dish and while eating the leaf is discarded.

The curry leaf has lot of health benefits so to get us to eat the leaf Ma used to snip the leaves with a knife or scissors and then add the shreds to the dals or other dishes that way we used to eat it along with the rest of the food.

I follow in my Ma's footsteps in this regards, and add shreds of kadipatta whenever I use it. This way I get my kids n hubby to eat the leaves too ;) and the food looks pretty too with the shreds of kadipatta leaves in it.

Avocado Bread Rolls / Avocado Laadi Pav.

2010-03-26T16:07:00.002-04:00

I had a whole bagful of avocados laying on my kitchen counter. So came up with these delicious bread rolls and they turned out really good, crusty on the outside and soft and puffy on the inside, will be making it more often as I can sneak some healthy avocado in my kids food.

My kids gobbled the warm bread rolls slathered with butter :)

The bread rolls got a beautiful tinge of green from the avocado and yet the avocado taste was not overpowering at all.

A keeper recipe for sure !!

Ingredients.

2 cups all purpose flour,

2 tbsp potato flour(optional),

2 tbsp oats flour(optional),

1 tsp yeast,

2 tbsp sugar,

1 tsp salt,

1 avocado, mashed,

1/2 to 3/4 cup warm water or milk to make dough.

Method.

In a bowl mix the flours, salt, sugar, yeast and mashed avocado well.
Add warm water or milk and make soft dough.
Cover and keep aside for a couple of hours till it doubles in size.
Punch the dough and make round balls, I made 9 small balls.
Lay them 1 inch apart on a baking sheet.
Cover and keep aside for 30 minutes till they rise.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Uncover and place the tray in the oven and bake for 25 -30 minutes till the rolls are golden brown in color and they sound hollow when tapped.
Take out of the oven and brush with 1 tbsp oil(optional) and enjoy warm bread rolls.

Note.

I sprinkled sesame seeds, black poppy seeds and kalonji seeds(nigella seeds) on 3 rolls for a variation.

Can add chopped herbs to get herbed rolls. Or add chopped pista, flax seeds or some spices to get a savoury bread.

Place this dough in a loaf pan to get a bread loaf.

Next time will substitute part of all purpose flour with whole wheat flour.

When I made a second batch I added flax seed powder too.

Tandlachi Bhakar / Goan Rice Flour Flatbread.

2010-03-15T14:04:00.007-04:00

Today is my Pappa's Birthday.

Tandlachi bhakar is my Pappa's favourite dish and every year my Ma would make tandlachi bhakar for breakfast for my Pappa's B'day and their Wedding Anniversay.

As Ma is not here with us to make this I just wish that today I could be in Goa and I could prepare this tandlachi bhakar for my Pappa for breakfast(sigh).

When one stays overseas,on the other side of the world, this is the major disadvantage, one cannot go and be with one's parents in joy or sorrow as and when we feel like :(

Like my Pappa I too like this bhakar very much so I tend to make it sometimes, I could munch on these all day long :)

I used to make it a lot specially when my daughter was allergic to wheat and could not eat chappati. My daughter was allergic to wheat, eggs and soy so, I used to make everything gluten free and egg free from breads to cakes to pancakes to....u name it and I used to make it, well that's another story to dwell upon some other time.

Back to tandlachi bhakar which is nothing but humble rice flour flat bread made the Goan way !!

Ma made different kinds of bhakars,like rava,wheat,nachni,etc but this one was a regular fare at my parents place.

Ma had many banana trees in her backyard and so she used fresh banana leaves for a lot of things from roasting fish(bangda) in charcoal to lining the bhakar's while roasting them on the griddle. Oh ...those bananas leaves impart an out of this world aroma to the humble bhakar.

There are 2 ways of making the bhakar either

1)add warm water in the flour and mix or

2)boil the water and then add the flour to the boiling water.

The latter produces more softer bhakar.

And there are 4 ways of flattening out the balls of dough,

1) dip fingers in water and place the dough on the hot tava and quickly spread it out using your wet fingers,

2) take the washed banana leaf and lay it flat on the counter and then flatten the dough ball using fingers dipped in water and then gently lift the banana leaf along with the flattened bhakar and keep it on the griddle along with the leaf,

3) roll the ball sandwiched between thick plastic bags(like Ziploc) or foil.

4) dip a cheesecloth in water and rinse and lay on counter, then spread the ball of dough using fingers dipped in water, then flip the bhakar on to the hot tava and take/peel off the wet cheesecloth,

I like the banana leaves method but as I do not get fresh banana leaves here in Canada and I do not like the frozen ones, I prefer the third method.

Pappa, A Very Happy B'day To You & this bhakar is for you all the way from Canada !!

Ingredients

1 cup rice flour,

1 cup water,

salt to taste,

pinch of sugar or jaggery,

1-2 green chilly , chopped fine,

1/4 onion , chopped fine,

4 tbsp grated coconut,

1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves(optional).

Method.

Heat water in a pan. When boiling add salt,and the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Take off the heat and let rest for few minutes till cool enough to handle. Knead the dough for a few minutes to make it smooth.
Meanwhile heat a tava or griddle on medium heat.
Make 2 balls of the dough.
Take a piece of foil and put the ball on it and put another piece of foil over it and then roll using rolling pin to make 3/4 cm in thickness(thick like a paratha).
Lift the foil along with the bhakar and then flip the bhakar on the hot tava, foil side up, take off the foil and reuse to roll the next bhakar.
Cover with a lid and let the bhakar cook for few minutes on one side, then using a spatula flip it on the other side and let cook till few brown spots appear and it puffs up like a roti.
Take off the heat and apply a little oil or ghee and enjoy with dry khobra(coconut) chutney as in the picture.
I prefer mine plain or dunked in hot tea !!!!!!! And so do my kids :)

Note

Sometimes Ma used to add dill leaves(shepo leaves) or grated cucumber to the dough.

I add chopped spinach leaves or grated butternut squash or zucchini to the dough for a change and extra nutrition for my kids.

1 cup yields 2 bhakars, you can double or triple the quantity as required.

Ma usually served it with green chutney or the Goan (khobarya chi chutney)dry coconut chutney as I have shown in the picture.

Update.

When my Dad read this post he reminded me that my mom also made this bhakar by soaking rice for few hours, then grinding it to a thick paste and then cooking it on a slow flame till it comes together into a ball. Add the rest of the ingredients (seasoning ) and then make the bhakars.

But that is a lengthy process so I think I will stick to the rice flour for now.

Chora Dal Dhokla / Split Cow Peas Steamed Squares.

2010-02-22T10:35:00.003-05:00

I have a big container full of chora dal that I bought from the Indian store mistaking it for urad dal :(
So now I have to come up with ways and means to finish it off in recipes that my kids will eat and enjoy too.
I thought one way is to make dhokla coz my kids love dhokla and next means is to make dosa and idlis coz again my kids love dosas and idlis :)
I usually like to add rava and besan to any kind of dhokla that I make, love the texture that rava gives to dhoklas.

Ingredients.

1 cup Chora dal / split cow peas,

2 tbsp besan/chickpea flour,

4 tbsp rava/semolina,

2 tsp sugar,

1 tsp salt,

1/2 tsp haldi/turmeric powder,

1 tsp ginger green chilly paste,

2 tsp oil,

1 tsp Eno fruit salt,

3 tbsp yogurt.

Tempering.

1 tbsp oil,

1 tsp mustard seeds,

1 tsp sesame seeds/til,

Chopped coriander leaves for garnish.

Method.

Soak dal in water for 4 hours.
Drain and grind to a fine paste in blender using the yogurt..
In a bowl mix the besan, rava, sugar, salt, turmeric, ginger green chilly paste and then add the chora dal paste and mix well. Add the oil and mix again.
Add water (if required)to get the consistency of dhokla batter.
Meanwhile get steamer and 2 plates ready.
Add Eno to the batter, mix till frothy , immediately pour in the plates and steam on high for 15 minutes.
Let cool for 5 minutes. Heat tempering ingredients and pour over the steamed dhokla.
Sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves.
Cut into desired shapes and serve with chutney or ketchup.

Note.

This quantity yielded 2 steamed plates (8 inches in diameter). Can half the quantity or steam in batches.

I used half batch to make ragi dhokla.

Add more ginger green chilly paste if you want a more spicy dhokla.

Omit the turmeric powder to get a white dhokla.

Can heat oil and then add to the batter or can add room temperature oil to the batter, both work fine.

Kaarle Bhaaji / Simple Bitter Gourd Stir Fry

2010-02-16T10:18:00.002-05:00

Karela is called "kaarley" in konkani. And I am a big fan of karela. I simply love the vegetable in any form.
This is a simple stir fry for everyday meals.

Marinating the karela in tamarind is Ma's tip for reducing the bitterness in karela.
She made karela kappa(fry) and karela bhaaji with tomatoes and potatoes, but she never squeezed the juice out of the karela. She always marinated the cut karela in tamarind pulp for at least 1/2 hour.

Ingredients
2 cups chopped karela(thinly sliced),
1 medium onion sliced,
1 tbsp tamarind pulp,
salt to taste,
1/2 tsp turmeric powder,
1/2 tsp red chilly powder,
pinch of sugar,
2 tsp oil.

Method

Apply tamarind to the karela and keep aside for 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan on medium heat.
Add chopped onions and fry till tender and translucent.
Add the marinated karela and fry till karela is cooked.
Add the salt, chilly powder ,turmeric powder and sugar and stir till everything is mixed well.
There you go the dish is ready to be savoured with chapati or rice and simple dal.

Note.

Increase the red chilly powder if you want more spicy. I personally prefer to taste some of the bitterness in the karela.

If you don't have tamarind then use lemon or lime juice.

Add chopped garlic and ginger for a variation.

Masala Idli / Spiced Steamed Cakes

2010-02-08T10:15:00.000-05:00

Made these masala idlis using rava idli batter.

Ingredients

Rava idli batter,

Tempering

1 tbsp oil,

1/2 tsp mustard seeds,

1/2 tsp cumin seeds,

1 tsp pepper corn powder,

1/2 tsp grated ginger,

1 tbsp cashew nuts(broken into pieces),

pinch of hing,

5-8 curry leaves.

1 tsp Eno powder.

Method.

Heat oil, add all the tempering ingredients(except the Eno & batter).
Add this tempering to the batter. Mix well.
Keep a steamer and idli stand ready to steam.
Add Eno to the batter, mix well and pour into greased idli molds and steam on high for 15 minutes.
Take the idli molds out of the steamer and let cool for 5 minutes.
Then unmold and enjoy with chutney or sambhar.

Note

Can add grated carrots or peas to the batter.

Ragi(Nachni) Dhokla / Steamed Finger Millet Squares.

2010-01-30T17:45:00.006-05:00

I usually make nachni satva(ragi pudding), but this time wanted to make something different.
Dhokla sounded like a good idea. Turned out very nice and nutritious.

Ingredients

1 cup dhokla batter,

4 tbsp ragi flour/finger millet flour,

1 tsp Eno fruit salt.

Tempering/Phodni.

1 tbsp oil,

1/2 tsp mustard seeds,

1/2 tsp sesame seeds.

1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves for garnish.

Method.

Dry roast the ragi flour on medium heat for few minutes till the raw smell goes away.
Cool, then add to dhokla batter and mix well, add eno fruit salt, mix well and immediately pour in a greased 8 inch plate and steam for about 20 minutes.
Cool 10 minutes and cut into squares.
Heat the oil for tempering, when hot add sesame seeds and mustard seeds and when they splutter pour this tempering on the cooled dhokla.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve with chutney or ketchup.

Note

Use any dhokla batter of your choice.

Chop left over dhoklas to make dhokla fry just like idli fry.

Event Participation.

This is my entry to JFI-Ragi hosted by Madhuram at EgglessCooking. An event started by Indira at Mahanandi.

Peanut Besan Ladoo/Peanut Chickpea Sweet Balls.

2010-01-26T15:42:00.002-05:00

Ma had made peanut ladoos a few times for us. I remember her roasting and grinding the peanuts , she did not add besan but I added it as I was not sure if my kids would eat just peanut ladoos. I do not have her recipe but wanted to make the ladoos. And I had a lot of peanut butter to finish off so decided to make these, they turned out awesome and quick too.

HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY with Peanut Besan Ladoos.

Ingredients.

1 cup besan(chickpea flour),

1 tbsp oil,

1 cup icing sugar,

1/2 cup regular fine sugar,

1 tsp cardamom powder,

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder,

3/4 cup peanut butter,

raisins to garnish.

Method.

Roast besan with oil on low flame till well cooked and raw smell goes away.
Take the pan off heat, add peanut butter and mix well when warm.
Then add the 2 kinds of sugars and cardamom and cinnamon powder and mix well.
Take 1-2 tbsp of mixture at a time in hands add a raisin and roll tightly into a ball.
Makes 20 small or 10 medium sized ladoos

Note.

Add nuts if you like.

I used crunchy peanut butter so did not add any nuts.

Can also use almond butter to make these ladoos.

Double Methi Thepla/Flatbread

2010-01-18T10:40:00.000-05:00

I like methi in any form. So when I picked out this recipe I thought of adding fresh and dry kasoori methi both to make the theplas. And the cinnamon gives it a slight twist in taste.

Ingredients

1 and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour,

2 tbsp chickpea flour(besan),

2 tsp oil,

1/2 tsp ajwain,

1/2 tsp turmeric powder,

1 tsp red chilly powder,

1/2 tsp dhania powder,

salt to taste,

4 tbsp chopped fresh methi leaves(fenugreek leaves),

1 tbsp dry kasoori methi, crushed,

pinch of cinnamon,

3 tbsp yogurt,

water to make the dough.

Method.

In a bowl mix the wheat flour, besan, ajwain, turmeric, chilly powder, dhania powder, cinnamon, dry methi, fresh methi leaves to make a soft dough.
Leave aside for 15 minutes.
Divide the dough into balls and roll each into a thin roti.
Heat a pan on medium high heat and put one thepla on the pan when it is almost cooked, flip it on the other side and when you see bubbles then flip it again and press so that it puffs ups.
Take it off the heat and apply ghee or oil to it.
Roast the rest of the theplas in a similar manner.
Enjoy with a bowl of yogurt or steaming hot dal or pickle.

Note.

I usually apply the ghee after I roast the theplas but you can apply while on the pan too.

Can also add a tbsp of sesame seeds if you like.

Home Baked Pizza & Bread.

2010-01-11T17:50:00.001-05:00

I made some bread dough by mixing flour, yeast, sugar, salt, oil and water. I am not a baker who measures so just eye balled all the ingredients.

Bread
This bread reminded me of the "kunyachi pooli" (whole wheat flour and wheat bran bread) that my Pappa used to bring from a bakery called Cafe Central in Panajim, Goa. This bread used to be very dense and it was usually made only in the evenings. So my Pappa used to get this bread on his way home from work and we used to enjoy it slathered with butter and dunked in tea, (Yaa, I like my breads buttered and dunked in hot tea).
The bread that I baked was almost similar but next time I will make it of all whole wheat flour rather then half whole wheat and half all purpose flour.
Baked this bread at 450F for about 15 minutes.

Pizza with pineapple and black olives toppings.
Made this pizza for my kids. Used some of the above same dough, some pizza sauce(ready made), mozzarella cheese, black olives and chopped pineapples. Baked at 450F for 15 minutes.

Rava Idli/Steamed Wheatlets Circles.

2010-01-05T21:20:00.001-05:00

I had jotted down in my dairy a few recipes for rava idli and decided to try my hand at it. But I made a few changes and additions.

I did not roast the rava and also I added a tbsp each of rice flour , udit flour and moong flour and ENO fruit salt.
The idlies came out very spongy and awesome.
Here is the recipe for rava idli with a twist.

Ingredients.
1 cup rava/wheatlets,
1 cup yogurt,
1 tbsp rice flour(optional),
1 tbsp udit flour(optional),
1 tbsp moong flour(optional),
1 tsp sugar,
1/2 tsp salt,
1 tsp eno,
hot water to make batter.

Method.

Mix rava, rice flour, udit flour, moong flour, salt, sugar. Add yogurt and mix well. Add some hot water to make a idly batter consistency.
Grease idly moulds and heat water for steaming.
Add Eno, mix well till frothy and immediately pour in the idly moulds and steam for 15 minutes.
Makes 12 spongy idlies.

Note.
I made masala idli using same batter.

Vaal Papdi Bhaaji/French Beans Stir Fry.

2009-11-29T17:23:00.000-05:00

This is my 50th post on the blog.

And I would like to post this simple French Beans Stir Fry which is my Pappa's favourite bhaaji.

This vegetable was a regular item and was cooked at least once a week at my parents place. I guess this shows how much my Pappa likes the vegetable.

Usually in Goan kitchen one adds mustard seeds and cumin seeds for the tempering, but somehow I do not know why but Ma only added mustard seeds for this bhaaji. May be my Pappa liked it this way.

And also the vaal papdi was always just cut into pieces about 1 and 1/2 inches in length. My Pappa liked chunkier vegetables then finely chopped or minced, he said that the nutrients of the vegetables is retained when kept chunkier. Also this vegetable was always made nice and crispy. Of course according to his age now Pappa prefers fulled cooked vegetables. :)

Ingredients

2 cups french beans chopped,

1/2 onion chopped,

1 or 2 green chillies chopped or slit,

1 tsp oil,

1 tsp mustard seeds,

salt to taste,

pinch of sugar,

1/2 tsp turmeric powder.

Method.

Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the chopped onion and green chilly, cook for few minutes then add the cut beans, salt, sugar, turmeric powder and a sprinkle of water and mix well.
Cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat to low and cook on low flame till the beans are cooked but not mushy.

Note

Cut beans to whatever size you prefer.

Add grated coconut if you like.

Mixed Dal Dosa/ Mixed lentil Crepes.

2009-11-28T11:20:00.002-05:00

Mixed Dal Dosa served with Aam ras and mixed vegetable Stir fry.

Ingredients.

3/4 cup udit dal,

1/2 cup mung dal,

1/4 cup channa dal

1 tsp methi seeds,

salt,

pinch of sugar,

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves,

1 tsp red chilly powder,

1/2 tsp turmeric powder.

Oil to grease and drizzle on pan.

Method.

Wash and soak dals and methi seeds for 4-5 hours. Drain and grind to a fine paste. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. (Pancake like batter.)
Heat non stick pan and grease it slightly with 1/2 tsp of oil.
Then pour 1/4 cup of batter and spread around thin like for a dosa .
Let cook for a minute and drizzle some oil on the dosa and on the sides, then flip to other side with a spatula and let cook on other side for few minutes.
Serve hot with chutney or ketchup or any vegetables side dish.

Note.
This is the best way for young kids to eat any kind of dals without a fuss.
Drizzling the oil on the dosa makes the dosa crispy.
This is a nice recipe to use up any small amounts of dals that you have in the pantry.
Can vary the amounts of dals.

More Cakes

2009-11-27T15:07:00.000-05:00

I used the same Butter-less cake batter to make all the below different cakes.

Chocolate Vanilla stripped cake.

Clock wise - Plain cake, Cranberry and nuts cake bars, Lemon poppy seeds cake, Walnut cake.

Butter-less Vanilla Cake.

2009-11-26T15:26:00.000-05:00

I love baking a lot. And I am always on the look out for recipes that do not use much butter for baking.
Now a days I rarely bake cakes with butter. I try to use olive oil for baking whenever possible.
This is one cake that I bake very often. It is so moist and rich, tastes almost like a pound cake without any butter.

Ingredients.
2 eggs,
3/4 cup sugar,
1/2 cup oil(olive or vegetable oil),
1/2 cup milk,
1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour,
1/2 tbsp baking powder,
1 tbsp vanilla.

Method.

Beat eggs well. Add sugar to eggs and beat well.
Next add oil and milk and beat well.
In another bowl mix flour and baking powder.
Gradually keep adding a tbsp at a time of flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix, till all the flour is used and everything is well incorporated.Finally add the vanilla and mix.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease and flour a loaf pan(8x4) or a 7 inch round pan.
Pour the batter in the pan and bake for about 50-55 minutes, till cake is done.
To test for doneness insert a toothpick in the centre of the cake and see.
When done take out of oven and cool for 15 minutes and then invert the cake out of the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
Frost if desired. We prefer ours plain.

Note.
Can double the recipe and bake in a Bundt pan.
Add 2 tbsp cocoa powder to the above batter to make chocolate cake.
Add chopped nuts or raisins if desired.
If eaten the same day the cake is usually crusty and a bit dry but if eaten the next day it becomes very soft and moist.
Can substitute any other liquid(orange juice/coffee/wine) for the milk.

Guilt-Free Bhaji(pakoda) Triangles/Chickpea Flour Triangles.

2009-11-16T17:07:00.000-05:00

I know the name kind of makes u think what in the world is she talking about..................Bhaji(pakoda) and guilt-free???????

Well, the other day I felt like eating bhaji but did not want to indulge in the oily stuff, so thought ok, let me try this method.

And guess what it did work !!!!!!!!!!!! Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now there is no stopping me from enjoying these bhaji's any time of the day.

Ingredients

5 tbsp chickpea flour(besan),

1 tsp rice flour,

1/2 tsp ajwain seeds,

1/4 tsp turmeric powder,

1/2 tsp salt,

1 green chilly , chopped fine,

1/4 cup chopped onion,

1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves.

2 tsp oil.

Method.

Mix all ingredients except oil in a bowl, add few tbsp of water to make bhajiya batter.
Heat 1 tsp oil in a 8 inch non stick pan on medium heat.
Pour all the batter in the hot pan and spread(like a thick dosa).
Let cook few minutes, take a spatula and flip the bhaji pancake.
Drizzle 1 tsp oil on the edges of the circle and let cook on other side for 1-2 minutes.
Turn off heat. Take the bhaji pancake off the pan and cut into triangles or squares and enjoy with some ketchup or chutney and a hot cup of tea.

Note

The rice flour makes the bhajiya crispy.

Increase green chilly to make more spicy.

This batter was sufficient to make one 8 inch circle.

These need to be eaten crispy hot or else they get soft.

Bhindi Bhaaji/Okra Stir Fry.

2009-11-07T21:13:00.000-05:00

Bhindi is called " Bhene " in konkani. Ma made this bhenyachi bhaaji often, only she did not add amchur powder, she would sometimes add a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice.

Ingredients

3 cups bhindi, cut in a slant or angle,

1 onion, chopped,

1 tomato, diced,

5 cloves garlic, chopped fine,

1/2 tsp turmeric powder(haldi),

1 tsp garam masala,

1/2 tsp dry mango powder(amchur)/ 2 tsp lemon juice,

2 tbsp oil,

1tsp jeera(cumin),

1 tsp mustard seeds(rai),

salt to taste.

Method

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat.
When hot add the jeera and mustard seeds, when they splutter add the chopped onion and saute well.
Next add the tomato and bhindi and mix well.
Add the rest of the ingredients, sprinkle a few teaspoons of water and reduce heat to low and allow the bhindi to cook till tender but not mushy.
Sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves if desired for garnish.

Note

Can cut the bhindi in any desired shape, the end result and taste is the same.

Sometimes Ma made it using green chillies and omitted the garam masala.

Also at times she would add some fresh grated coconut to it.

My Blog Is Mentioned In Femina.

2009-11-04T10:49:00.002-05:00

First of all I would like to thanks Rashmi Deshpande, who was kind enough to mention my blog in the October issue of Femina(dated 21st October).

My blog is mentioned in the article "20 things we think every woman ought to know" by Rashmi Deshpande, it is mentioned in the sub link number 5 - Basic Cooking(page number 204).

For a novice blogger like me who just started my blog recently it is really a matter of joy to be mentioned in a prestigious magazine like FEMINA.

I also thank the blogger who informed me about this news. If it was not for her I would never have known this.

My Papa ran all over town(Panaji,Goa) to glance through the issues of Femina (September and October) as we did not know which issue it was mentioned in.

My Papa finally managed to get a copy from a library and emailed me the scanned copy of the magazine on my Bday, and that was one of the best Bday presents I ever got.

My cousin K bought the magazine and emailed me several scanned copies so that I could upload a copy on my blog. Thanks K. I owe you one. ;)

I wish my mother was here today so I could share this joy with her.

I started this food blog in remembrance of her, I am sure she must be looking over me at this moment.

Thanks Ma for everything...............

Tomato Onion Bhaaji

2009-11-04T09:43:00.000-05:00

Our meal of paneer bhaaji, masoor thondak, tomato bhaji and chappati.

This tomato bhaaji is a typical goan dish eaten with chappatis or bread(pao - this is in konkani for bread rolls) in the morning for breakfast.

My mom used to make this very often.

Ingredients

1 onion, diced,

7-8 tomatoes , diced,

1 green chilly, chopped fine,

3 cloves garlic, minced or sliced,

2 tsp oil,

1 tsp mustard seeds,

1 tsp cumin seeds,

pinch of hing,

2 tbsp grated coconut,

3 tsp goan garam masala or any garam masala,

1/2 tsp turmeric powder,

1 tbsp sugar,

salt to taste.

chopped coriander leaves for garnish.

Method

Heat oil in a pan, add the hing, mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

When they splutter add the chopped onions, garlic and green chilly and fry till the onion in translucent and cooked.

Next add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, garam masala, salt, sugar and grated coconut and mix well.

Let cook for few minutes uncovered(if you cover there will be lot of liquid in the dish).

Add chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with bread or chappati.

Note.

I prefer mine with bread as the bread soaks up the juicy liquid.

Can add chopped or whole cashew nuts.

Add more green chillies for spicier version. I tend to make mine less spicy because of my kids.

Paneer Bhaaji / Cheese Stir Fry.

2009-11-03T22:37:00.000-05:00

My son simply loves paneer. Every time I make this recipe he will say "mom did u make cheese bhaaji". He calls paneer as cheese, which technically speaking is right.
I do make paneer pulao, paneer makhni, palak paneer, etc, but my son loves this simple paneer bhaaji the most. So this bhaaji is a regular fare at our house.

Ingredients.
2 cups diced paneer(cheese),
1/2 medium onion , diced,
1/2 cup diced bell pepper,
2 tsp oil,
1/2 tsp mustard seeds,
1/2 tsp cumin seeds,
1-2 tsp garam masala,
1/2 tsp turmeric powder,
salt to taste,
2 tsp dry kasoori methi leaves, crushed,fenugreek leaves),
1 tbsp lemon juice.
Coriander leaves to garnish.

Method.

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat.
Add the mustard and cumin seeds and when they splutter add the onions.
Cook till onions are translucent.
Next add the bell pepper, garam masala, turmeric, salt and mix well.
Add the chopped paneer and mix till everything is coated well with the spices.
Finally add the crushed methi leaves and lemon juice, mix, cover and keep for few minutes on slow fire.
Turn off heat and add chopped coriander leaves for garnish.

Note.
Add any colored bell pepper.
Add red chilly powder to make more spicy.

Participation.
This post is off to JFI-Paneer hosted by Trupti, an event started by Indira of Mahanandi.

Masoor Thondak / Masoor Curry.

2009-11-03T14:27:00.000-05:00

I am a pressure cooker "freak" or "fan" whatever you may call it, I make anything from pulao to biryani to dals and beans, to chicken in the pressure cooker.

My favourite is my mom's Instant Chicken , cooked in the pressure cooker of course.

I have not yet experimented with seafood in the pressure cooker till now though, may be one day I might venture in that direction too........

I make most of my beans and channa in the pressure cooker, as that is the best shortcut when you want to have food on the table quickly and you have 2 toddlers around you all the time.
This recipe falls in one of those categories where I "dump" everything in the pressure cooker and pressure cooker for a couple of whistles and voila quick gravy with beans is ready to devour with simple hot phulkas/rotis(flat bread) or rice.

Anyways here is the recipe for the Masoor Thondak.

Ingredients.

1 cup masoor washed and soaked in water for about 20 minutes.

1 tsp oil,

1 tsp cumin seeds,

pinch of hing,

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine,

2 tbsp grated ginger,

2 tomatoes, chopped,

1/2 tsp turmeric powder,

2 tsp Everyday masala,

1 green chilly, slit,

salt to taste,

1/2 tsp sugar.

chopped coriander leaves for garnish.

Method.

Heat oil in the pressure cooker, add the hing and cumin seeds and when they splutter add the chopped onions , garlic, ginger and mix well.
Next add the drained masoor and the turmeric, everyday masala, salt and sugar.
Mix well till everything is coated with the masala.
Add about 1 and 1/2 cups of water and put the pressure cooker lid on with the whistle and pressure cook on medium high heat for 2-3 whistles.
When you open the cooker adjust the amount of gravy consistency as you desire.
Add chopped coriander leaves for garnish.
There you go quick masoor thondak ready to eat.

Note

Can make any kind of beans, channa, lentils in this way.

Substitute any kind of garam masala of your choice for the everyday garam masala.

Add some more green chillies or red chilly powder if you like more spicy.

Batata Simla Mirch Bhaaji/ Potato And Bell Pepper Stir Fry.

2009-11-01T11:00:00.000-05:00

Ingredients

2 cups chopped potatoes,

2 cups chopped bell pepper, any color,

2 tsp oil,

1 tsp mustard seeds,

1 tsp cumin seeds,

1/2 tsp turmeric powder,

1 tsp garam masala,

1 tsp lemon juice,

salt to taste.

chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Method

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat.
Add mustard and cumin seeds, when they splutter, add the potatoes and stir well.
Add the turmeric powder, garam masala and salt, mix well.
Sprinkle a few teaspoons of water.
Cover with a lid,reduce heat to very low and let the potatoes cook till tender.
Add the chopped bell pepper and mix and cover again and let the pepper cook.
Finally add the lemon juice, mix and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Note.

I used mixed bell pepper(yellow, orange,red and green).

Aloo Paratha/Potato Stuffed Flatbread.

2009-10-31T19:45:00.001-04:00

Aloo paratha, with some yogurt and pickle, ummm....... who can decline an offer of such a combo. At least I cannot. Made this for dinner the other day, my kids enjoyed it very much.

Ingredients.
For covering
1 and 1/2 cups whole wheat flour,
1/2 tsp salt,
2 tsp oil,
water to make dough.

For filling,
3 potatoes cooked, peeled and mashed,
1/2 tsp cumin powder(jeera ),
1/2 tsp coriander powder(dhania),
1/2 tsp dry mango powder(amchur),
1 tsp turmeric powder(haldi),
1 tsp white pepper powder,
salt to taste.

extra ghee or oil to apply on the cooked paratha.

Method.

Take whole wheat flour in a bowl, add salt and the oil to it. Slowly add water and make a soft pliable dough. Keep aside covered for about 20 minutes.
Mix all filling ingredients.
Make lemon sized balls of the dough(about 8). Divide the filling also into 8 portions.
Roll out the dough into a circle about 4 inches in diameter, spread one portion of the filling on one side of the circle and cover to make semi circle, press the edges to seal ,dredge in flour and roll out into a thin paratha.
Heat a tava or non stick pan on medium high heat and roast the paratha for about 2-3 minute on each side till it is cooked.
Take it off the pan and apply oil or ghee on both sides.
Cook the rest in same manner.
Serve with yogurt and pickles.

Note.
I know this is not the authentic way to make and roll a paratha, but this method works fine for me without the stuffing coming out. The authentic method of making a circle of 3 inches in diameter and then putting stuffing and covering the stuffing and then making a ball and trying to roll it flat into a paratha is a disaster for me :(
Even though I fold it in a semi circle I still almost manage to roll it out to an almost circle paratha :)
I picked this knack of making circles from my mom :)

Parsi Fish Sauce/Fish in Egg Sauce.

2009-10-30T11:00:00.000-04:00

I came across this recipe in my mom's (one of the many) magazine cuttings(mostly Femina/Woman's Era/Eve's Weekly).

I have about 20lbs of paper (which I got from India), of recipe cuttings and recipe diaries and cookbooks collection that belonged to my Ma with me. These are my most priced possession in remembrance of my mother.

Now back to the recipe, to be more precise I found it in the 1978 Aug-Sep issue of Femina. It has a whole parsi menu for a meal. I decided to make this Parsi Fish Sauce.

I wasn't sure about the egg vinegar mixture and then not boiling it but it tasted wonderful, slightly tangy, slightly spicy. This recipe is definitely a keeper recipe.

Ingredients.

2 fish fillets cut in to pieces,

marinate fish for 1 hour in the following.

1/2 tsp cumin powder,

1 tsp red chilly powder,

1 tsp paprika(for color),

salt to taste,

1 tsp cumin seeds,

1 medium onion chopped,

3 green chillies,

2 cloves garlic minced,

2 tbsp flour,

2 eggs,

1/3 cup white vinegar,

2 tsp sugar,

salt to taste.

5 tbsp chopped coriander leaves.

4 tbsp oil.

Method

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, chopped onion, green chilly, garlic and fry well till cooked but not brown,
Add flour and cook for few more minutes till raw smell of flour goes away.
Then add 1/2 cup water and then add the marinated fish.
When the fish is cooked reduce heat to very low.
In the meanwhile beat eggs and mix vinegar and sugar in egg mixture and mix well.
Slowly add the egg mixture to the fish mixture on the stove.
DO NOT STIR.
Hold and lift the vessel and swirl the ingredients in the pan gently.
Cook for few minutes, do not boil or else the gravy will curdle.
When the sauce is thick take off heat and add chopped coriander leaves.
Serve with steaming rice.

Note.

The only changes I made in this recipe is the addition of cumin powder to the fish as in another Indian cookbook that I have it mentioned cumin powder and not cumin seeds, so I added both cumin seeds as well as cumin powder.

The second change is I added 1 tsp of paprika for color as the red chilly that I have does not give any color to the dish, so the paprika enhanced the color of the dish.

The recipe called for crispy fried onions along with coriander leaves for garnish, but I did not have crispy fried onions so just omitted it, but the dish tasted good anyways.

I reduced the recipe to 1/3rd of the original recipe.

This quantity that I made serves 2-3 people.

I used Sole(Lefoo in konkani) fillets, original recipe used pomfret.

You can add more green chillies or red chilly powder to make more spicy.

Participation.
This post is off to Meera's RCI - Parsi Cuisine started by Laxmi of Veggie Cuisine.

Everyday Garam Masala

2009-10-29T10:06:00.000-04:00

One day I came up with this concoction to add sufficient flavour but not overpowering taste of spices to the dishes that I make.
I have been making this masala and using a few teaspoons for any kind of lentils(masoor or moong) or channa(vatana or Kabuli channa). This gives the lentils and channa dish a beautiful fragrance of spices without the heat.

Ingredients.

2 tbsp coriander seeds,(kotfiryo),

1 and 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds,(jeerae),

2 tbsp black pepper(miri),

1 tbsp black cardamom,(masala velchi),

1 tbsp cinnamon (thikhi).

Method

Dry roast all ingredients individually and then grind fine in a coffee grinder.

Store in a dry clean bottle and use as required.

Note

The words in the brackets are the konkani pronunciation of the spices.

This amount is just enough to use a couple of times. It tastes best when fresh as does any kind of ground dry masala.

Increase the amount of black pepper to make it more spicy.

I have used this masala for the Masoor Thondak/Semi-Dry Masoor Curry.

Participation.

This is off to Priya's Think Spice - Coriander Seeds started by Sunita of Sunita's World.

Broccoli Salad/Broccoli In Yogurt Dressing.

2009-10-28T12:00:00.000-04:00

This raita I made using only grated broccoli stems. This was not so much like raita but rather more like a coleslaw. I used less yogurt for this salad but same list of ingredients as below Broccoli Carrot Raita.

Broccoli Carrot Raita

2009-10-28T11:00:00.000-04:00

I never throw the broccoli stems away, this time I thought of making raita of it bcoz it tastes nice and crunchy.

My son gobbled 2 bowls of this with his chicken burgers.

Ingredients

1 broccoli stem grated,

1 carrot grated,

1/2 cup yogurt,

2 tbsp sour cream,

1/2 tsp cumin powder,

salt to taste,

1 tbsp sugar,

pinch of red chilly powder,

1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves.

Method.

Mix yogurt, sour cream, salt, sugar, red chilly powder, cumin powder, and coriander leaves.
Add the grated carrots and grated broccoli stems.
Serve cold.

Note

Can omit sour cream and use only yogurt.

Once I used only grated broccoli stems. You can mix and match any vegetables.

Add chopped mint leaves for a change.

Quick Rajma "Baked" Beans.

2009-10-27T11:23:00.001-04:00

"Baked" beans is a regular fare in our family, my son and myself love it very much.

I make baked beans using different kinds of beans each time, today I decided to use Rajma.

The major differentiating factor in this recipe is that I do not "bake" my baked beans but rather pressure cook them. I guess this recipe should be called "Pressure Cooked Baked Beans". :)

This is not an original recipe, I prepare it to suit the taste buds in our family.

Ingredients

3/4 cup rajma soaked in water over night,

1/2 cup barbecue sauce,

1/2 cup molasses,
2 tbsp tomato sauce or ketchup,

1/4 onion, chopped fine,

salt to taste,

1/4 tsp white pepper,

1 tsp mustard,

2 tsp oil.

Method

Heat the pressure cooker on medium high heat and add 2 tsp oil.
Add the rest of the ingredients and water to cover the rajma. The water should be about 1 inch above the rajma, approximately 1 and 1/2 cups water. Mix well.
Put the lid on with the whistle and pressure cook for 5-6 whistles.
Once you open the cooker and if it has to much liquid then cook a few minutes uncovered till you get the desired consistency.
There you go , pressure cooked "baked" beans ready to enjoy along with grilled chicken or fish and a salad.

Note

Make it as spicy as you like. I made my mild bcoz of my kids.

Can omit onions and mustard.

Event Participation.

This post is my first entry to JFI-Rajma hosted by Divya , an event started by Indira of Mahanandi

Instant Rava Dhokla/Steamed Semolina Squares.

2009-10-27T00:40:00.000-04:00

Dhokla is one of my favourite snacks. I make different kinds of dhoklas.This one is a very easy dhokla recipe that does not require any soaking or grinding or fermentation and can be enjoyed any time of the day or year. And quick to make as starter for parties.

Ingredients.

1 cup semolina(rava),

1 tbsp chickpea flour(besan),

1 cup yogurt,

1 tsp lemon juice,

2 tbsp sugar,

2 tbsp oil,

salt to taste,

1 tsp turmeric powder(haldi),

1 tsp eno fruit salt or baking soda(soda bi carbonate),

warm water to make batter consistency.

For tadka/tempering.

2 tbsp oil,

1 tsp fine mustard seeds(rai),

1 tsp sesame seeds,(til),

For garnish.

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves for garnish.
2 tbsp grated coconut(optional).

Method.

Mix semolina, besan, yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric powder, sugar salt, and add warm water to this to make a batter. Consistency should be like pancake/ dosa batter.
Heat a large pan with water, put steamer insert.
Take a deep tray or thali/plate that fits in the large pan, about 8-9 inches in diameter, apply little oil to the plate and keep it in the steamer insert.
Put the Eno fruit salt in the batter and beat well till frothy for a minute and immediately pour in the greased plate.
Cover the large pan with a lid and let steam on high for about 10-15 minutes.
To check for doneness insert a toothpick in the centre of the dhokla.
Take the plate out of the steamer and let cool slightly for 5-8 minutes and cut into squares or diamond shapes.
Heat the oil for the tempering in a small pan , add the mustard seeds, sesame seeds and when they splutter pour this tempering all over the dhokla.
Sprinkle with shopped coriander leaves and grated coconut(optional).
Serve with ketchup or chutney of your choice.

Note.
You can add 1 tsp of green chilly ginger paste but I prefer the dhokla without the ginger chilly paste.
Also can saute a couple of green chillies in some oil till they get blisters and change color and accompany this with the dhokla.

Some Savouries From India

2009-10-26T12:41:00.000-04:00

My Papa send these two from Goa ---Famous Zantye's Cashews and Spicy Palak(Spinach) Shev.

These other Goodies my hubby got from Mumbai.

Nylon Shev and South Indian Sarkaraupperi (deep-fried raw bananas, dipped in a jaggery syrup and then dusted with dried ginger.)

Dry Cocktail Samosi, Banana Wafer/Chips, Bhakarwadi.

Crab Apple Tree in My Backyard.

2009-10-25T18:08:00.000-04:00

This is the crab apple tree in my backyard. This year the yield was less compared to last year where the tree was loaded with bright scarlet crab apples.
It has blossoms of white flowers in spring and then these apples start off the size of olives, from green to light pinkish to bright scarlet red. They are very tart and are usually used to make jelly(tedious process).
I make crab apple sasav (goan dish) and also throw a couple in dal , it gives a nice tangy flavour to the dal.

Some Goodies From India

2009-10-25T11:43:00.000-04:00

My hubby had been on a short trip to India. So I asked him to bring a whole list of goodies from India, mostly savouries and sweets. Here are some of them.

Ice Halwa(the flat squares), Pista Elaichi(cardamom) flavour(white) and Pineapple flavour(Yellow)

And Sutar Feni (white threads) and Soan papdi(yellow squares).

Savoury pictures in next post.

Cocktail Samosa

2009-10-24T23:29:00.001-04:00

I made these dainty cocktail samosas using a tiny samosa mould.

What I liked best was that each and every samosa was of the same size and that made the platter of samosas look very elegant.

I used the usual potato filling, may be next time I will try different filling for the cocktail samosa.

My kids were very excited and happy to hold and eat the tiny samosas that were the perfect size for their tiny hands and fingers.

Poss/ Steamed Milk Sweet.

2009-10-21T12:55:00.000-04:00

The other day I prepared the famous Bengali delicacy Bappa Doi(baked yogurt).When I tasted it I though ummmmm...... this is similar in texture to Poss and if I add some more ingredients I would probably get the same taste as Poss.

Poss is a delicacy in Goa that is prepared using cows colostrum milk.

This dessert is not too sweet.

I called up my Aayi(maternal grandmother) and Mami (aunt) and got the list of additional ingredients that was added to the milk to make poss.

Well, I tried it and voila, it tasted same as the Poss that I ate in Goa only thing was there was no need of the colostrum milk. I could enjoy this delicacy any time of the year without the need for colostrum milk.

Ingredients.

1 and 1/2 cup yogurt,

3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk,

1/2 cup regular milk or coconut milk or combo of both,

1/2 tsp cardamom powder,

2 tbsp fine coconut powder/ coconut milk,

1/2 tsp ground cumin powder( do not roast ),

1/2 tsp turmeric powder.

Method.

Put the yogurt in a cheese cloth and hang to drain for 4-5 hours.
Mix the drained yogurt, condensed milk, regular milk well.
Add the cardamom powder, cumin powder, coconut powder and turmeric powder and mix well.
Pour in a vessel that fits in the pressure cooker(I used a 6 inch glass vessel) and put a lid on the glass vessel.
Put some water in the pressure cooker, invert a small plate in the pressure cooker and then put the glass vessel over the plate.
Put the lid on the pressure cooker and pressure cook for 5-6 whistles.
Serve warm or chilled.

Note.

I noticed that with 2-3 whistles the poss was slightly runny, whereas with 5-6 whistles it was very nice and firm.

Can substitute 1/2 cup coconut milk for the regular milk.

Make in individual containers or ramekins if you like.

If the poss is eaten chilled the next day then it tastes better and juicy and firm.

HAPPY DIPAWALI AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR TO ALL.

2009-10-16T20:39:00.000-04:00

My Diwali Faral/Thali for the year 2009
This is what we had for diwali this year. Usually I make at least 5 kinds of sweets and 5 savouries, 5 kinds of fav(pohe), yellow vatana usal and ambade/mango sasav, but as this year my hubby was out of town so made just a few goodies.
I made batat fav(batata pohe/yellow ones), doodhatle fav(milk pohe), chiroti, shankarpali, khobarachi kappa(coconut barfi) , and in the centre a couple of dates. My mom always kept dates in the diwali faral plates, I have no idea why.

Lilies from my garden.

2009-10-08T00:40:00.000-04:00

Cherry Tomatoes from my garden.

2009-10-07T00:32:00.001-04:00

Cherry Tomato Salad

I made this Cherry tomato salad using the tomatoes form my backyard. I just cut the tomatoes into 2 pieces and sprinkled a little bit of salt, sugar, pepper powder, lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves.

Voila, a fresh yummy salad ready to devour

Batatachi kappa/phodi topped with boondi raita.

2009-10-04T19:50:00.000-04:00

A fancy appetizer if you may say so, fried potato slices topped with a dollop of thick boondi raita and a spring of coriander leaves.

Add mint or pudina leaves in place of coriander leaves.

Add a dollop of sour cream or any kind of thick chutney in place of the raita.

Get creative with the toppings and enjoy.

Batatachi Kappa/ Batatachi Phodi /Fried potato slices.

2009-10-04T01:15:00.000-04:00

Batatachi kappa with rice and dal , umm umm good. Nothing can be more simple and satisfying.

Ingredients.

2 potatoes, peeled washed and sliced into 1/2 cm thickness,

1 tsp salt,

1 tsp red chilly powder,

1 tsp turmeric powder,

1 tbsp lemon juice (traditionally soak kokum in water and use that tart juice),

semolina(rava) for coating the potato slices,

oil for frying.

Method.

Mix all the spices with lemon juice and apply to potato slices.

Heat a non stick pan on medium heat and drizzle 2 tsp oil on it and take one potato slice dip it in the semolina on all sides and keep it on the hot pan, repeat for other slices of potato in same manner.
Drizzle another 2 tsp oil on the potato slices and the turn the slices on the other side, then sprinkle a few tablespoons of water on the potatoes and immediately cover with a pan, reduce heat to low and let the potato slices cook till tender.
To test prick a fork in the slices of the potatoes.
Then take the cover off and increase heat to medium and let the slices crisp up, again turn and let crisp on the other side. Serve hot or room temperature.

Note.

Use similar method to fry pumpkin slices, brinjal slices, okra.

Friends visiting and 3 dishes.

2009-10-02T23:51:00.000-04:00

My Husband's friend S and his wife B came to our place all the way from US. I had never met them before so I was on my toes not sure how they would be. They are very down to earth , homely kind of people. My kids enjoyed playing with them. My husband and his friend met after almost 9 - 10 years.

Well, I felt very comfortable with them and so did they.

We planned to go to Banff here in Alberta, so B said she will make biryani, dry chicken, and a shrimp dish too.

Let me say this, B is an excellent cook.

The biryani was soooooo good we did not get to take any pics, but I managed to take the pics of the chicken and shrimp dish prepared by her before we gobbled that too.

Sukho Galmo ( Dry small shrimp dish)

2009-09-05T11:15:00.000-04:00

I like seafood but am not much of a galmo fan, but my husband likes fish a lot so made this for him.

Ingredients.

2 cups Galmo (dry small shrimp), washed and rinsed twice with water,

1 medium onion, chopped fine,

1 tomato, chopped into 1 inch pieces,

2 new potatoes, chopped into 1 inch pieces,

1/2 tsp turmeric powder,

1 tbsp paprika,

5 tbsp coconut milk,

2 tbsp garam masala,

5-6 pieces of sola (kokum),

1 tsp salt,

1 tbsp oil.

Method.

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat add the chopped onions and potatoes and stir fry till they are well coated with the oil.
Next add the salt, turmeric powder, paprika, garam masala and a couple of tbsp of water.
Reduce heat to low , cover the pan and let the potatoes cook til tender.
Then add the washed galmo(dry shrimp), chopped tomato, sola(kokum) and the coconut milk. Adjust water for the consistency.
Cover again and cook till everything is well cooked and blended.
Serve with hot steamed rice and may be a simple bhaji like beans bhaji.

Note.

I got galmo (dry small shrimp ) from a Chinese store.

This is not a traditional goan recipe but sometimes I cook fresh shrimp in this manner too, so well decided to make the galmo in that manner.

I get my stock of kokum when I visit goa, India.

My Kitchen Garden Produce.

2009-09-04T14:10:00.000-04:00

Loads of baby red potatoes, odd shaped zucchinis and fresh mint from my kitchen garden.

French Beans Bhaji.

2009-09-04T11:15:00.000-04:00

Simple beans bhaji with new potatoes from my kitchen garden.

Ingredients.

1 lb/ 500gms french beans, chopped into 1 cm pieces,

1/2 small onion, chopped,

2 small new potatoes, diced, (I used potatoes from my kitchen garden),

1/2 tsp turmeric powder,

1/2 tsp garam masala(mild),

2 tbsp grated coconut.

1 tbsp oil,

1/2tsp mustard seeds,

1/2 tsp cumin seeds,

1 tsp salt.

Method.

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add the mustard and cumin seeds and let them splutter, then add onion and diced potato and the salt.
Mix well and add few tbsps of water, cover the pan and reduce heat to low and let the potato cook slightly.
Next add the chopped french beans and the rest of the ingredients.
Cover and let the beans and the potato cook till tender.

Note.

I added dry coconut to the bhaji. I usually add dry coconut for bhajis and let it cook with the vegetable so that way the dry coconut gets moisture and flavour from the vegetables and the spices.

Dahi Kadhi.

2009-09-03T11:15:00.000-04:00

This kadhi is made in Gujarat / Rajasthan/ Punjab and may be some other states of India too.

I love the Gujarati version of slightly sweet dahi kadhi very much.

Ingredients.

2 cups plain yogurt,

2 cups water,

2 tbsp chickpea flour(besan),

2 tbsp sugar,

1tsp salt,

1/2 tsp turmeric powder,

1 tbsp minced ginger,

1 green chilly, minced,

For the Tadka(tempering).

2 tbsp oil,

1 tsp mustard seeds,

1 tsp cumin seeds,

4 cloves,

1 inch piece of cinnamon,

pinch of hing,

3 dry red chillies,

7-8 kadipatta leaves(curry leaves),

cilantro for garnish.

Method.

Mix yogurt, water, besan, sugar, salt, minced ginger, minced green chilly, and turmeric powder till everything is well mixed and there are no lumps.
Pour this mixture in a pan and keep the flame on medium heat, keep stirring till there is a rolling boil in the mixture.
Then reduce heat to low and cook for 15-18 minutes , stirring all the while.
Heat oil in another pan on medium heat and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing, cloves, cinnamon, curry leaves, dry red chilly.
When the seeds start to splutter pour it in the yogurt besan mixture, stir well and cook for another 5-8 minutes till the kadhi gets a smooth velvety look.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with rice.

Note.

Can make white kadhi by simply omitting the turmeric powder.

Can add any pakoda, vegetables or boondi to the kadhi.

The key step for this kadhi is to pour the yogurt-besan mixture into a pan and then heat the pan and then later add the oil-spices tempering. This way there is no chance for the buttermilk mixture to curdle. And the dahi kadhi gets a velvety smooth taste and look to it.

I have noticed that if you make the tempering first and then add the buttermilk-besan mixture into the hot pan there are chances that it might curdle.

Ma's Birthday / Ma's Vanilla Cake.

2009-09-02T11:30:00.000-04:00

Today is Ma's birthday, she would have turned 63 years old today.

Ma always made cakes for our birthdays and I always helped her in the mixing when she made the cakes. When I was old enough to bake I started baking the cake by myself for Ma's birthday and that made her really happy and proud that I could bake too.

We did not have a oven, so Ma kept a thick ( kayl/thick kadahi )pan on the gas stove, then she kept the baking pan with the batter on the very hot tava and then she finally covered it with a very wide deep vessel(toop) and reduced the heat to medium and baked the cake till done, usually about 35-40 minutes.

This cake is for you Ma if you are seeing over me.

This is Ma's recipe of simple vanilla cake.

Ingredients.

3 eggs,

2 and 1/2 cups of all purpose flour,

2 cups sugar,

1/2 cup butter, room temperature,

1 tsp baking powder,

1/2 tsp baking soda,

1 tsp vanilla essence.

3/4-1 cup milk or more( to get cake batter consistency)

Method.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a bowl mix flour, baking powder and baking soda, keep aside.

In another bowl beat eggs for 2 minutes with an electric beater, then add soft butter and beat for another 2 minutes.

Next add the sugar and beat till everything is well incorporated.

Gradually add the flour mixture 1 tbsp at a time, till all the flour mixture is used up.

Finally add the vanilla essence and mix well.

Grease and flour a deep 10 inch baking pan(round or square). Pour the batter into the pan and bake in oven for 45-50 minutes. test by pricking a clean toothpick into the cake, if the toothpick comes out clean then the cake is done, if there is some sticky batter on the toothpick then allow cake to bake for some more minutes.

Once cake is done, take it out of the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

Run a knife around the edge of the cake pan.

Then take cake out of pan and cool on wire rack till cooled completely.

Eat plain or apply frosting of your choice.

Note.

I baked this cake in a 10 inch spring form pan.

Ma always said add the essence last as that way the cake gets more essence flavour. So I always follow that tip for any cake that I bake, no matter when the recipe says to add the essence. :)

Can add 2 tbsp cocoa powder to make chocolate cake.

Also add any kind of chopped nuts or tutti frutti to cake to make a variation.

Ma usually added cream( in place of the milk) that we get in India after we heat the milk.

I decided to add milk instead.

Daat Polae(thick dosa) with chutney and potato bhaji.

2009-08-31T12:06:00.000-04:00

In konkani we say polae for dosa and daat means thick.Daat polae or thick dosa with coconut chutney and potato bhaji. Scrumptious meal thats what my 5 year old son said when he saw what was for breakfast that day.
I am not much of a chutney or bhaji with polae person, I like mine plain dunked in chai(tea) as all the holes get soaked in tea and ummm... that's a totally different taste.

My Aayi(maternal grandma) makes the best polae in the whole wide world. When she makes them there are tiny holes(due to fermentation) all over the polae. Usually she serves it with channa ros.

When Ma made polae she never ever added udit dal, it was just rice and methi seeds along with sometimes a handful of cooked rice or soaked poha. So the polaes were always snowy white in color. Ma served the polae with coconut chutney.
Since coming to Canada I have missed the polae made by Aayi and Ma.

I do not have either of their recipe so I came up with my own proportions to make these dosa.

Ingredients.
4 cups raw rice,
1 cup udit dal(split black lentil),
1 tbsp methi seeds,
1 cup cooked rice or soaked poha.
1 and 1/2 tsp salt and pinch of sugar.

Method.

Wash and soak rice, dal and the methi seeds in water separately for 5-6 hours.
Put soaked rice and cooked rice /soaked poha in a blender and grind to a fine paste, pour in a vessel big enough to allow fermentation.
Next grind the soaked udit dal and methi seeds till you get a fine paste.
Pour into the vessel containing the ground rice, add salt and sugar and mix well with a whisk.
Cover and let ferment overnight or for 8-10 hours in a warm place.
Next day the batter will be fermented and bubbly.
Heat a 8 inch non stick tava on medium heat, add 1/2 tsp of oil, use a paper towel and spread the oil and pour 3/4 cup of the batter on the tava, spread to make a circle, cover with lid and let cook for 2 minutes, then take off the cover and using a spatula flip the pola(dosa) over so that it cooks on the other side for another minute so that the other side gets cooked too.
If using non stick pan there is no need of adding more oil to the pan. Prepare the rest of the polae in similar manner. Serve hot with chutney and potato bhaji.

Note.
Traditionally in goa we use cast iron tava(bhidyacho tavo), but here I use non stick tava.
Whisk makes the mixing of the batter easy and even.
I use the same proportion to make thin polae or crispy masala dosa and idlis too.
Vary the amount of batter poured on the tava to get thin, thick or very thick dosa.

************************************************************************************

Green Chutney.

Ingredients.
1 cup coconut,
1 green chilly(more if you like spicy),
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves,
1 tsp grated ginger,
1/2 tsp sugar,
salt to taste,
2 tbsp lemon juice,
water to puree the chutney.

Method.

Put all ingredients in a blender and puree to a fine paste adding water as required.
Serve with dosa.

Cranberry Chicken

2009-08-30T13:33:00.000-04:00

I simply like cranberry chutney/sauce with roasted chicken or turkey. I made loads of the cranberry sauce and stocked it in my refrigerator, so decided to make use of it by adding it to chicken and giving it some twist. My kids loved the dish a lot.

Ingredients.

2 cups chicken, cut into pieces,

1 onion, chopped,

1 tomato chopped fine,

2 tbsp cranberry chutney/sauce,

2 tbsp tomato ketchup,

1 tsp garam masala,

1 tbsp ginger-garlic-green chilly paste(g-g-g paste),

1/2 tsp turmeric powder,

2 tsp paprika,

1 tsp salt,

1 tbsp oil.

2 tbsp chopped cilantro for garnish.

Method.

Apply g-g-g paste to chicken keep aside for 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes till onion is translucent. Next add tomato and cook till tomato is soft.

Then add all other ingredients except chicken. Mix well till all the ingredients are well blended. Finally add the chicken and mix well, cover and allow the chicken to cook till tender. Sprinkle chopped cilantro and mix well.

Serve with hot steamed rice and enjoy.

Note.

Add some more chilly powder or slit green chillies for a spicier version.

Doodh Pedas

2009-08-25T17:41:00.001-04:00

I make microwave pedas using condensed milk or the stove top method using paneer. Today I decided to make the pedas using paneer.

Ingredients.

1 and 1/2 cup paneer(boil 5 cups of milk, curdle and strain it),

3/4 cup milk powder,

3/4 cup milk,

1/2 cup plus 1tbsp sugar,

2 tbsp butter/ghee,

1/2 tsp cardamom powder,

slivered almonds /any nuts,

strands of saffron for garnish.

Method.

Heat butter in a pan on medium heat, when melted add the paneer, milk powder and milk.

Keep stirring on medium heat for about 18-20 minutes till the paneer mixture forms a lump and leaves the sides of the pan.

Add the sugar and cardamom powder (the mixture will become watery again) and stir for about 10-12 minutes till the mixture again becomes a big lump and leaves the sides of the pan.

Take off heat and let cool slightly, divide into 20-25 portions and roll into balls, press each ball slightly to flatten like a peda and stick a few strands of saffron and some slivered almonds on the top.

Note.

I pressed the peda mixture into molds that I got from India and that explains the flower shaped pedas.

Can substitute drained ricotta cheese for paneer.

Snap Peas Bhaji

2009-08-24T18:51:00.000-04:00

I was very excited to get these snap peas and couple of pods of green peas from my garden. Just made a simple stir fry dish out of it.

Ingredients.

2 cups chopped snap peas,

1/2 onion, chopped ,

1 tomato, chopped,

1/2 tsp cumin seeds,

pinch of sugar,

1 tsp salt,

1 tbsp oil,

2 tbsp grated coconut,

1/2 tsp turmeric powder,

1/2 tsp garam masala (optional),

2 tbsp green peas.

Method.

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat and add cumin seeds. Then add the chopped onion and fry till onion is cooked, then add the tomato and fry again for few minutes.
Next add the chopped snap peas and green peas, stir again.
Finally add the salt, sugar, turmeric powder, garam masala and the coconut.
Mix well and add few tbsp of water and cover the pan with a lid. Reduce the heat to very low and allow the vegetables to cook till tender.

Note

You can just stir fry and keep the snap peas crunchy if you like or cook till very soft and tender.

Vegetables from my kitchen garden

2009-08-24T10:47:00.000-04:00

Yellow beans, green peas, snap peas & zucchini.

Snap Peas.

Coriander leaves.

Radish leaves.

Modak for Ganesh Chaturthi.

2009-08-23T20:42:00.000-04:00

HAPPY GANESH CHATURTHI TO ALL.

Cornflour Delight

2009-08-22T22:03:00.000-04:00

Nothing can be more simpler than this delight.

It is very quick and easy to prepare and elegant enough to serve guests. I like the one made with coconut milk and cashew pieces added to it.

This recipe is very dear to me and one of my all time favourite sweets. Very dear bcoz it was one of the last sweets I ate made by my Ma before she passed away.

Ingredients

1 cup cornflour/corn starch,

1 cup sugar,

6 cups water/coconut milk/milk,

1/2 tsp cardamom powder or any essence,

slivered almonds or any kind of nuts for garnish,

food color(optional).

Method.

Mix cornflour, sugar, water in a pan and keep on medium low heat. Keep stirring frequently till it becomes very thick paste( about 8-10 minutes)
Take the pan off the heat, add cardamom powder or essence (mix food color if adding) and pour into a 8in x 8in pan and smoothen the top with the back of a spoon.
Garnish with slivered almonds. Cool completely and cut into desired shapes.
Serve room temperature or refrigerate and serve cold.

Note

Add any variety of liquids mentioned or a combo of the liquids.

You just need your imagination to make different creations from this one basic recipe.

Today I made it two toned, I poured half of the cornflour paste in the tray then added 2 drops red food coloring and mixed the remainder of the paste and that gave me pink layer, which I poured over the white layer.

Ma sometimes made it three colored, she added soaked haleem seeds in between the two colored layers.

Tiny Samosa Bites

2009-08-10T17:55:00.000-04:00

My 5 year old son simply loved these bites and has requested that I pack these for his school lunch when he starts grade 1 in the fall.

Ingredients

4 sheets phyllo pastry,

2 cups filling, vegetable or chicken,

oil to brush the pastry,

1tsp cornflour mixed with 1tbsp water.

Oil for deep frying.

Method

Take one of the phyllo sheet and lay it flat on a board. Brush it with oil using pastry brush, fold in half.
Cut 4 long strips of the sheet. Take 1 strip and put 1tbsp of filling mixture on one end, then flip the corner end over filling to make triangle, keep flipping and making triangle of the sheet till the end then apply cornflour paste on the edge and stick the edge over the triangle.
Keep covered under a moist towel. Make the rest of the samosas in similar way.
Heat the oil, and deep fry the samosas in batches till brown and crispy.
Serve with chutney or ketchup.
Makes 16 tiny samosas.

Note

I used potato filling to make these samosas, but you can use whatever filling you like or have on hand.

For a healthier version you can bake them in the oven at 350F for 20-30 minutes. Just for a change I wanted the fried goodies :D

Coconut Mawa Barfi.

2009-08-10T10:28:00.000-04:00

August 5th was Raksha Bandhan and Narali Poornima so I made this Coconut Mawa barfi. My 2 year old daughter gobbled a couple of the barfi pieces before even tying the rakhi to her brother's hand. :)

Ingredients

1 cup mawa,

1 cup fine ground dry coconut,

1/2 cup fine rava,

1 cup sugar,

1 tsp cardamom powder,

slivered almonds.

Method

Heat a pan on medium heat and roast rava.
Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on slow flame till it becomes a soft dough and leaves the sides of the pan.
Grease a tray (8inch x8inch) with a tsp of ghee and pour the coconut mixture in the tray and spread to form a neat layer.
Arrange the slivered almonds on the top and press them slightly into the coconut layer.
Keep in refrigerator for a couple of hours and then cut into desired shape and size.

Note:

For 1 cup mawa, I boiled 5 cups of milk and added 2-3 tbsp yogurt, allowed the curdled milk to boil for few minutes so that the channa(soft paneer) is nice and firm. Then strained the channa through a fine seive and rinsed with cold water. I got 1 cup of home made mawa.

Instead of mawa or channa you can use 1 cup strained ricotta cheese.

Besan-Rava Ladoo

2009-07-31T18:27:00.000-04:00

I was invited to a friends house, and decided to make these ladoos to take to their house. They turned out very delicious.

Ingredients

1 cup besan,

1/4 cup fine rava,

1/2 cup dessicated coconut(dry), grind fine in coffee grinder

1/2 cup ghee,

1 cup sugar,

1 tsp cardamom powder,

1/4 tsp nutmeg powder,

raisins

Method

Heat ghee in a pan on low heat, add rava and roast till slightly roasted and brown, then add besan and roast well till nice aroma comes of the besan, about 15-20 minutes. Take off heat add fine ground coconut, sugar, elaichi powder, nutmeg powder and mix well,
Let cool slightly , enough to handle with your bare hands.
Take 2 tbsp of the roasted mixture in your hands and shape to make balls add a raisin to each ball while rolling.
Makes 18 balls.

Moolichi Bhaji

2009-07-31T18:23:00.000-04:00

Mooli (Radish)leaves from my kitchen garden.

Moolichi Bhaji with rice, dal and mushroomchi bhaji.

This is one of the simple ways moolichi bhaji is prepared in Goa.

Ingredients
1 bunch mooli leaves, chopped( I took the leaves from my garden),

1/2 chopped onion, 1 green chilly,

2 tbsp grated coconut,

2 tbsp yellow mung dal, washed and soaked in 5tbsp water for 10 minutes.

Method

Heat pan on medium heat add soaked dal with 1/4th cup water , add chopped onion and cook till dal is slightly cooked
Then add chopped green chilly and chopped mooli leaves, coconut, salt to taste and pinch of sugar.
Cover with lid and let cook till dal and leaves are cooked and all water is evaporated.

Note:

Can add any kind of dal like toor, masoor, chana, etc.

When ma would make this bhaji she would add some coconut oil at the end that would give it a distinct flavor. But usually her cooking had hardly or no oil at all.

In our home we always had home made coconut oil bottles stocked up so it was always used for cooking and especially added to certain vegetables at the end of cooking.

Green Peas Rice

2009-07-20T15:53:00.001-04:00

Green Peas Rice with Instant Chicken.

Ingredients

1 cup rice,

2 cups( 500 ml) water,

2 tbsp oil,

5 peppercorns,

1 black cardamom,

1 piece cinnamon,

1/2 cup green peas,

1/2 tsp shahjeera,

pinch sugar, salt to taste,

1 tsp lemon juice.

Method

Heat oil in a pan, add sabut(whole) masala then add rice. stir well till rice is toasty, then add green peas, hot water, sugar, salt, lemon juice and let it boil.
Once the water is boiling reduce heat to low and cover partially and let cook till rice is cooked and all water is evaporated.
Let rest for 10 minutes then open the cover, fluff the rice with a fork and serve with the Instant chicken or chicken of your choice.

Note

Ma never added cloves to make any kind of pulao or biryani or savory rice dishes coz she said that cloves in rice made her associate it to saakhar bhat(sweet rice)(recipe to follow soon )

So sometimes I add cloves at other times I do not, so adding cloves is optional

Either ways this rice definitely tastes nice.

Instant Chicken

2009-07-20T15:36:00.000-04:00

This is comfort food for me, ma made this chicken very often when she was in a hurry as this chicken is made in the pressure cooker.

My Papa, brother and me enjoyed it a lot coz it was so yummy it did not matter to us that it was not made with lot of toil and energy. Ma always made green peas rice to accompany this chicken.

I make this instant chicken a lot as my family loves it too.

My 2 year old daughter enjoys it a lot as I make it very mild and using chicken wings as she likes to hold the wing and eat it rather then boneless chicken :D

Ingredients.

1 lb chicken( I used wings),

Marinate chicken for 15 -20 minutes in

2 tbsp ginger-garlic-green chilly-coriander leaves paste,

salt.

1 tbsp oil,

2 cups finely chopped onions,

1 tomato chopped fine,

4 cloves,

1 black cardamom,

5 black peppercorns,

1 inch piece cinnamon,

1-2 green chillies(slit),

1 tbsp grated ginger,

1 tsp turmeric powder,

1 tbsp paprika,

1 tbsp crushed kasoori methi.

Method

Heat 1 tbsp oil in pressure cooker, add onions and cook till transparent, add chopped tomatoes, ginger, turmeric, paprika, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, peppercorns, slit green chillies, and cook till blended well,
Add marinated chicken and stir till the masala is coated to the chicken. Add the crushed kasoori methi and stir well.
Put the pressure cooker lid on with the whistle( no need to add any water, the tomato and chicken release their own water ) and turn the heat to high, let 3-4 whistles come, take off heat and let cool.
Serve with plain rice or green peas rice(recipe coming soon).

Note:

Can add more green chillies to make more spicy. The amount of chilly that I used was just right for my 2 year old daughter to enjoy :)

Ananas Jam / Pineapple Jam

2009-07-17T17:27:00.000-04:00

Let me start my first recipe post with sweet pineapple jam.
Ma made many different kinds of jams, but mango jam was my favourite. Here in Canada we do not get the mangoes that are used to make jam so I tried making pineapple jam.
I had never tried my hand at making jam but since I came to Canada I have not eaten the home made jam and craved for it, so used my Ma’s formula to make the jam.
My friends love this pineapple jam and ask for the recipe every time I serve it to them.

Ingredients.
2 cups (500 ml)crushed pineapple,
1 and 3/4 cups sugar,
½ tsp cardamom powder,
4 cloves,
Pinch of paprika,
1 tsp lemon juice.

Method.
Mix all ingredients in a small sauce pan and keep on medium flame.

Cook uncovered, stirring frequently till all water is evaporated and the jam is thick but not solid.
The jam will thicken after cooling completely.
Cool completely, fill in jars and enjoy with toast.

Note:
Crushed Pineapple gives the jam a nice texture.

Ma always added a small amount of paprika or chilli powder in the jam, so the jam was not too sweet but hand a slight tinge of the pepper. This jam is not too spicy as is murrabba but I would say it is a sister recipe of it :)

I used regular 1 cup =250ml measure, thanks K for reminding me to mention what cup size I am using for the recipe :)

Ma's Recipes

2009-07-17T17:17:00.002-04:00

In this blog I will post my recipes and my Ma's recipes, who was an excellent cook as is my Aayi (maternal grandmother).
Ma and Aayi are my inspirations for my adventures in cooking.

Ma passed away 3 years ago at the age of 59, she was just 4 months short of her 60th birthday.

When Ma passed away she left a deep void in me that can never be filled or explained but she left her treasure of recipes and sweet memories with me. Her recipes linger in my mind and my kitchen.

I learned my culinary skills from her and have her vast recipe collection that she wrote down in her diaries, but there are many recipes that I never got a chance to get from her. And sometimes I wish she was here so I could just talk to her.

Going through her dairies to sort out recipes is very emotional for me as every page I turn I can feel and sense her. But I need to do this for her and myself.
She always wanted me to do something in the culinary world so I guess this is the closest that I can get for now by creating a food blog and sharing ma’s and my recipes of Goan, Indian and World Cuisine.

Ma cooked a variety of foods, she was really good at making pickles, jams, baking cakes, etc and I am proud to say that I have picked up that knack for cooking from my Ma. She cooked with every single piece of food and never wasted anything, in fact she had many trash to treasure recipes which I will try to post soon.

Ma was an all rounder, she completed her Bachelors in Economics after her marriage to my Papa and having a baby boy(my brother), she was a self taught tailor(she could stitch clothes, knit, do embriodery) and an excellent cook, u name it and she could do it that was her way of thinking.

Ma was my best friend to whom I could open out my heart to, I miss that part as now I have no one to open out my heart to. I miss you Ma.

Tribute to Ma.

2009-04-28T14:57:00.000-04:00

This is my first post in the blog world.
This blog is a tribute for my Ma(mother) from whom I learnt the art of cooking.