Ravyache Ladoo

We have an onomatopoeic adjective to describe ravyache ladoo. We call it ravyache "bhusssss" ladoo. Probably this word came from the Marathi word - bhusbhusheet meaning crumbly. Unlike Raghavdas ladoo, these simple ladoos do not have coconut and hence, they get crumbled very easily. So they are known as "bhusssss" ladoos. I love them nevertheless.

My job was to recreate the recipe on a small or rather minuscule scale. In today's times of expanding waistlines, dietary precautions of less sugar/ghee and portion control, I make everything on a small scale. I like to make and feed traditional food to my family so when there are only 4-5 ladoos in the pantry, there is no question of overeating it. ;-)

Ravyache "bhusssss" Ladoo - (count 5)
Semolina Balls
Ingredients
1/2 cup fine rava/semolina
1/2 cup powdered sugar/peethi saakhar
2 tbsp ghee/toop/clarified butter

Garnish
2 cardamoms, peeled & freshly powdered
A pinch of nutmeg powder, preferably freshly grated
5 raisins

Method
1. Melt clarified butter in a heavy bottomed kadhai/wok. Fry raisins and set aside.
2. Add fine semolina and roast on low flame.
3. Switch off the gas. When the rawa is still warm, add sugar, raisins, cardamom and nutmeg powders.
4. Grease hands with clarified butter. Roll into ladoos of uniform shapes.

Note-
1. Do not let semolina burn. Make sure to roast on the low flame.



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Methi chi PataL Bhaaji - Fresh Fenugreek Leaves Curry

Mom's Methi chi paataL bhaaji is exactly like ALuchi paatal bhaaji. But it still tastes totally different because of the taste, aroma and flavor of the star ingredient - Methi.

Methi chi PaataL Bhaaji
Fenugreek Leaves Curry
Ingredients
1 bunch fresh fenugreek leaves, rinsed, cleaned and roughly chopped
2 tbsp raw peanuts, soaked in water for at least 2 hours
2 tbsp chana daal, soaked in water for at least 2 hours

Salt to taste
1 tsp Goda Masala
2-3 kokums, rinssed
1 tsp jaggery or to taste

Mix till no lumps
1 tbsp chickpea flour/besan
1/2 cup water

Tempering
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2-3 Green chilies, slit

Garnish
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds

Method
1. Rinse, clean fenugreek leaves. Chop the leaves roughly. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan.
3. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida, turmeric powder and green chillies.
4. As they sizzle, add drained peanuts and chana daal. Saute for 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup water. Cover and let it cook for 10 minutes.
5. Now add chopped fenugreek leaves. Add water if needed. Cover again and let it cook till soft.
6. Add goda masala, jaggery, salt and rinsed kokums. Add 1/2 cup water. Bring to boil.
7. Switch gas to low. Add chickpea flour + water mixture.
8. Simmer for 10 minutes.
9. Just before serving the curry, prepare the garnish of oil and mustard seeds. Heat oil in a small kadhai. Add mustard seeds. Let them splutter. When the curry is served in individual bowls, drizzle a spoonful  this tempered oil over the bowls.

Note -
1. Do not use dried/kasoori methi for this recipe.
2. Do not use roasted peanuts for this recipe.
3. Adjust jaggery and chilies per your own taste. But this curry is not meant to be very spicy.
4. Beasn + water mixture acts as a thickener for the curry.

Mooli ke parathe(2)

This is the traditional method of making radish flatbreads. My earlier version was a quick fix where I knead all the ingredients together.

Mooli Ke Parathe(2)
Radish Flatbread
Ingredients
For the stuffing
1 1/4 cup grated radish
2 tbsp grated onion
1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp ajwain/ajowan/owa
salt to taste
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp minced green chilies
1 tsp pomegranate seeds powder or amchoor powder
1 tbsp besan/chickpea flour

For the Dough
2 cups wheat flour
salt to taste
2 tsp oil
water as needed

Oil for roasting
flour for dredging

Method
0. Mix wheat flour and salt. Adding water as needed, knead to a smooth dough. Add oil and knead again. Cover and set aside for at least 1/2 hour.
1. Squeeze water out of grated radish and onion.
2. Mix all the remaining ingredients and set aside.
3. Make about 9 - 12 uniform balls of the dough. Make the same number of the stuffing mixture.
4. Heat tawa/pan. Roll out a disc using flour for dredging. Add the stuffing and bring the ends of the disc together to form a ball. Dredge in flour and roll into a thick paratha.
5. Roast the paratha on the hot tawa, adding oil as needed. Cook on both sides till brown spots appear.
6. Keep in an aluminum foil till all the parathas are rolled out and roasted.
7. Serve with raita and pickle of your choice.

Note
1. Do not make stuffing ready too much in advance as it will get soggy.

Bhendi Kanda - Bhendichi Bhaaji (2)

My aunt makes this delicious bhaaji, which tastes even better when onion is fried using lots of oil and the entire bhaaji is stir fried adding oil as needed. However, I try to limit our oil intake.

Bhendi Kandyachi Bhaaji
Okra with Onion
Ingredients
2 cups okra, remove both ends, halved and slit
2 cups thinly sliced onion
salt to taste
1 tbsp coriander-cumin powder
1 tbsp goda masala
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp sugar or jaggery
3 kokums, rinsed

Tempering
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp asafoetida

Method
1. Rinse and dry okra. Remove both ends. Cut into 2" pieces. Make a slit on each piece.
2. Heat oil in a nonstick or iron kadhai/wok.
3. Add asafoetida and turmeric powder. Add thinly sliced onion. Saute till onion is soft.
4. Add okra. saute for 5 minutes.
5. Add all the powders. Keep on stir frying, adding more oil if needed.
6. Keep stirring from time to time till okra is cooked.
7. Add salt, jaggery or sugar and kokums.
8. Stir well. Switch off the gas.
9. Serve with chapati.

Note
1. Add more oil if necessary.
2. Do not cover while cooking.
 

Fodniche Varan

Many times mom used to make Moogachya Daaliche Varan. I didn't care for it much because I love Toor Daal Varan. But I loved when she gave tempering/FodNi to the same Moog daal varan. I loved to slurp the thin broth.

 

FodNiche VaraN

Moong Daal Broth

Ingredients

1 cup yellow moong daal, cooked
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp asafoetida

salt to taste

2 - 4 cups water

Tempering

2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
1/2 tbsp grated ginger
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 tsp goda masala

Garnish

1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped

 

Method

1. Pressure cook moong daal adding turmeric powder, asafoetida and adequate amount of water. Mash lightly and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a saucepan. Add all the ingredients for tempering.
3. As they sizzle, add cooked daal, 2 cups water, jaggery & salt. Bring to boil.
4. When it comes to a rapid boil, lower the gas and let it simmer. Add more water if necessary.
5. Garnish with cilantro.

Note -

1. This daal is meant to have a thin consistency.
2. Note that the amount of goda masala is very less in this recipe.
 

Moog Daaliche VaraN

My mom uses different legumes, daals and beans to make delicious curries. Varan-bhaat was probably the first daal-rice combo I ever ate in my life. I always wondered why mom would even use moong daal to make varan as toor daal is the best candidate for making this simple, plain daal. Mom's explanation was that moog daal is easier to digest than toor daal and there should always be some variety.

If you are making varan for the first time, do use toor daal for authenticity.

Moogachya Daaliche Varan
मुगाच्या डाळीचे वरण
Plain & Bland Mung Daal
Ingredients
1 cup yellow moong daal, rinsed
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp asafoetida

salt to taste
1 tsp jaggery

Suggested Accompaniment
Toop/Clarified butter
Lemon Wedges
Plain Rice
Lemon Pickle
Batatyachya Kaachrya

Method
1. Pressure cook moong daal with turmeric powder, asafoetida and water.
2. Mash completely. Transfer to a saucepan.
3. Add salt and jaggery. Bring to boil.
4. Simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Serve with plain rice, ghee/toop and lemon pickle.

Note -
1. Use yellow moong daal for this recipe.





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Kadai Mushrooms

I make this curry when I am in a hurry. :-D

Kadai Mushrooms

Stir Fried Mushrooms

Ingredients

2 cups sliced button mushrooms

salt to taste

2 tsp coriander-cumin powder, preferably fresh

1 tsp Punjabi Garam Masala

1 tbsp tomato paste

 

Tempering

2 tsp oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

2 red chilies, halved (optional)

1 cup minced onion

1/2 cup minced tomato

1 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste

 

Method

1. Heat oil in a wok or kadhai.

2. Add cumin seeds and chilies - if using.

3. As they splutter, add onion and turmeric powder. Saute till onion is soft.

4. Now add ginger-garlic paste. Saute for 5 minutes.

5. Add tomatoes and saute till they are pulpy.

6.  Sprinkle some water from time to time if masala sticks to the bottom of the kadhai.

7. Add coriander-cumin powder, garam masala, paprika and tomato paste. Saute for 5 minutes.

8. Add mushrooms and salt. Saute till mushrooms is cooked.

9. Garnish with cilantro on top.

 

Note -

1. Sometimes I add bell pepper/capsicum with mushrooms.

Cheese Pav Bhaaji

 

There are just innumerable types of pavbhaji sold in Mumbai. Cheese Pavbhaji is one of them. Addition of the grated cheese on the pav bhaaji was my way of enticing Gudiya to eat her veggies!;-)

 

I have already blogged about my version of pavbhaji. I just added some grated Mozzarella cheese and served with toasted sourdough sliced bread (Snappy Sourdough, no less!;-) from Whole Foods. You can add any cheese of your choice. Growing up, I knew only "Amul" cheese and that's what gets added to the authentic Mumbai Pav Bhaaji. 

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High Fiber Appe or Idlies

I had packet of 17 beans soup mix from Trader Joes. I had tall plans to make this soup like "Daal Makhni" or "Daal Maharani". But it never happened. After keeping that packet for infinity on my pantry shelf, I finally decided to use it off at once.

If I had indeed made that soup, it would have lasted us forever. So I decided to make an idli like batter and freeze it. I remembered that Saffron Hut had posted 16 beans Adai many years ago. I decided to use her idea and made idli/appe.

High Fiber Appe
Ingredients
1 pack 17 beans & Barley soup
1 cup brown rice
1 cup urad daal

1/2 tsp asafoetida
salt to taste

Oil as needed

If making appe -
Stir in the batter
2 sprigs curry leaves
3 green chilies (or as needed) minced
2 tbsp finely minced red onion
1 tsp whole black peppercorns

Method
1. Soak beans, rice, daal overnight. Make sure it has plenty of water.
2. Drain and grind to a smooth batter adding salt and asafoetida.
3. Take out in a big container. Cover and set aside to ferment.
4. After fermenting, I keep half of the batter in a freezer safe container for later use.
5. If making appe, add the additional ingredients in the batter. Add more water if needed to adjust the consistency. Adjust salt. Heat Appe kayili/paatra/pan. Add oil and fry appe till they are browned on both the sides. Serve with chutney of your choice.
6. If making idli, grease idli pan/paatra and steam idlies. Adjust for salt and water as needed before pouring the batter. Serve idlies with chutney or sambar.

Note -
1. I used half of the batter to make idlies and the other half for making spicy appes.

Credits
http://saffronhut.blogspot.com/2006/11/more-is-more-16-bean-adai.html

17 Bean & Barley Idlies

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