Ganpati Bappa Moraya!

Yesterday was Ganesh Chaturthi, the auspicious day when Lord Ganesha comes to our home and showers His love & blessings upon us! Everyone is happy, excited, ecstatic to greet their favorite God. Nobody is left out of the fervor and festivities. And I mean NOBODY!
That includes Rain God too. It was raining the whole day yesterday, as if the rains were washing and cleaning everything to welcome Ganpati Bappa.
I was sitting in my balcony watching the rains and sipping tea and observing things in general, around. That's when I noticed two young girls on the road, one carrying an idol of Ganpati Bappa and the other with puja ingredients in her hand. Another woman behind them was carrying some decoration items. The glee and excitement on their face was visible even from my 3rd floor balcony.
I was just observing them when I noticed that they turned towards a construction site opposite to my house. Wondering where they were headed, I continued watching them. They headed to one of those temporary houses, made of tin sheets, that belonged to the site workers. One of the girls went inside and brought aarti thali to welcome the Lord of Wisdom in their house. I was overwhelmed at how peacefully the festivities had graced a temporary house amidst all the dhol-tasha & DJ banging for Bappa's arrival.
Maybe next year, those girls won't be here. They might be at another construction site with their families and the 'temporary houses'. But I'm sure the Lord will grace their homes with the same fervor and gaiety.
May Ganpati Bappa shower His blessings on everyone.
Ganpati Bappa Moraya!

Image source: Google

Tricolor

As our 71st Independence Day nears, I start getting the patriotic vibes. These vibes reached my kitchen and I made a tricolor salad using simple ingredients available in my kitchen.

Here I have used grated carrot, onion & coriander.
Share your tricolor foods too...
Happy Independence Day! 

Kothimbir wadi

In winter, when kothimbir (dhaniya/ sambhar/ coriander) is available in ample, we often make pudachi wadi in Vidarbha. But here in Pune side, I came to know of a different version of kothimbir wadi. I hadn't tasted it until my sister's MIL made it for my baby shower. And OMG! I loved it...
Yesterday I got a fresh bunch of coriander for 10 Rs and immediately decided to give it a go.

Clean a bunch of fresh and green coriander leaves. Wash well so as to remove all the dirt in it. Spread the washed leaves on a thin cotton cloth to dry.
After it dries well, chop the coriander finely. Take the chopped coriander in a bowl, add salt, red chilly powder, turmeric powder, coriander & cumin powder, white sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon oil and a little bit of sugar. Add all the ingredients as per your taste, mix well and keep the mixture aside for 15 minutes.
Now, you will find that the mixture has become wet. We will now add besan (gram flour) to this accordingly, adding only a bit of water if needed. Roll it into a tight dough, oiling your hands.
In the pressure cooker, keep water for boiling. The water should not be less, or else the cooker bottom will burn. Take a utensil that fits in the cooker and grease it with oil. Put the coriander rolls in this utensil & put it inside the cooker. Put on the lid of the pressure cooker without the whistle and let it steam for 20 minutes.
Let the rolls cool down & then cut it into thin slices. Now deep fry or shallow fry these slices as per your liking. You can also have the steamed wadis if you are counting the calories.
Enjoy hot, crispy, fried kothimbir wadis with ketchup!

Mysore Bonda

Ab ke sawan aise barase....
When it's raining outside and you are sitting in the house admiring the nature, you most certainly wish to relish crispy kanda bhajji (onion pakoda) with hot tea/coffee. This is a must have menu in most households during monsoons.
But why make the same pakodas every time. Let there be variety. Of course, there are lots of varieties in those too. Like, you can use potato, cauliflower, mixed veggies instead of only onion. I tried something which does not use besan, and also no need for veggies (that means no chopping... yayyyy!). 

The recipe for crispy Mysore bonda follows...

Take a cup of maida, 3/4th cup rice flour, 1/2 cup curd, 2 green chillies chopped finely, a small spoonful of grated ginger, chopped coriander leaves, salt (as per taste), cumin seeds 1 teaspoon & half a teaspoon of baking soda. Mix all these ingredients together and keep aside for half hour. Add a little water if the mixture is too dry, but don't make it too thin. After half hour, deep fry small balls of this mixture till golden & crispy.
Enjoy hot lip-smacking Mysore bondas with sauce or coconut chutney!

Chaha... Chai... Tea

Trrrringgg.....
The mobile alarm rings. I switch it off and laze around for few minutes. Then get up and pin up my hair with a clutcher, drink a glassful of water, put my feet in slippers and head straight to the fridge! No, no, I'm not that hungry... I open the fridge and take out the milk, ginger and lemon grass, put it on the kitchen counter. That's how my day begins!
As soon as I get up, the first thought is to have Tea! I cannot think of my day starting without the 'amrut-tulya' beverage. Even the WhatsApp day starts with loads of tea cups pouring in good morning messages.
So, the making of this drink is not everyone's cup of tea! It's an art. You need to put your heart and soul into making it. It needs perfectly boiled water, perfect combination of ingredients and perfect time. It shouldn't be over-boiled nor less boiled. And how do you attain this perfection? Practice! Practice and the love for tea will help you reach Nirvana!
Here's my recipe for 2 cupfuls of hot, steaming tea for a great start to your day.
Take a cup of water in a pan and keep it for boiling. Grate 2 teaspoons of ginger in that water. Cut 2 sprigs of lemon grass in small pieces and add to the boiling water. Now add sugar, as per your liking for sweetness. I have sugarless tea. As the sugar dissolves, put 2-3 tsps of tea powder and let it boil. Let it boil till the aroma engulfs you, and you start feeling the warmth of the tea inside you.
Now is the time to put in milk. Put milk only till you get the desired color of the tea. Let it simmer for 10 seconds. And voila! Your tea is ready.
Strain and pour it in cups. Enjoy this steaming cup (cup only, no mugs... Mugs are for coffee) of tea with your favorite person, in your favorite place, listening to your favorite music or reading your favorite column in newspaper!
Have a happy Tea...

Varan fal

Many times I don’t feel like cooking sabji and making rotis for dinner. So it’s a one-dish-meal time! There are many options like dal-khichdi, thalipith, besan & rice, etc. (details about them later).

But honestly, my favorite is piping hot varan fal. Its variations are also known by the names ‘dal dhokli’ or ‘chakulya’. I had also heard someone term it as Indian pasta. 

As for the recipe, it is as easy as can be (for me, as no chopping of veggies). 

Take a bowlful of wheat flour, add salt to taste, spoonful of oil and a pinch of ajwain. Knead soft dough adding water as needed. Cover and keep aside.

Cook one bowl of tur daal in enough water till soft. Mash it with the back of a ladle. 

In a pan heat oil. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then toss in chopped green chillies and 2 sprigs of curry leaves. If you like the flavor of garlic, you can add 3-4 crushed cloves. After the garlic turns golden, put in the mashed daal and stir well. Add salt, red chilly powder and garam masala and water. Let it boil. 

Meanwhile, take the kneaded dough and make small balls out of it. Now flatten the balls on your palms and make a hole in the center using a finger (shaped like a doughnut). Gently put all the ‘fal’ in the boiling daal. Let it cook well. Check if the fal are done by breaking it with a spoon. If dough does not stick to the spoon, and the fal breaks easily, consider it done. 

Sprinkle coriander leaves on it and switch off the gas. 

Your steaming hot varan fal are ready. Drizzle a spoonful of home-made ghee on a plate of varan fals while serving. 

Ohh it’s so mouth-watering that I can hear my tummy rumble even as I’m writing about it. Gotta go and make it now!

Kande pohe

We all are familiar with the typical traditional Maharashtrian breakfast of 'kande pohe'. It’s a regular in most Marathi homes. It is also an integral part of the match-making process! When the (would-be) groom’s side go to meet the bride’s side, they are usually welcomed with chaha & pohe. 

Though the basic ingredients that go into making pohe are common, there are many variations in the recipe. Also, the accompaniments or garnishing vary from region to region. In Vidarbha, pohe are served with chana ’tarri’ atop it; while the people of Kokan garnish it with lots of fresh grated coconut. Pohe topped with a generous amount of sev are specialty of Indore. 

To make pohe, clean 2 bowlfuls of thick pohe and wash and keep aside to drain. Chop onion, potato (you can also add peas, carrot, cauliflower, etc.) and green chillies. In a pan, add oil. Add mustard seeds and jeera. After it splutters, add a good amount of curry leaves and finely chopped green chillies and sauté a little. Add peanuts (if you like), onion and potatoes and cook till the onion turns transparent and potato is cooked. Now add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and a little salt. Mix well. Toss in the soaked pohe and put salt as per taste and a pinch of sugar. Let it be done well. Finally, squeeze the juice of half a lemon on it and turn off the gas. 

Garnish with lots of chopped coriander leaves and grated coconut. 

Relish it hot along with a cup of tea. 

Poha Laddoo

This is a very simple and nutritious recipe which will be loved by one and all. The ingredients are readily available in our kitchen. It takes hardly 15-20 minutes to make these scrumptious laddoos.

So here I give you Poha Laddoo recipe.

Ingredients:

• Poha (thick) – 1 cup
•  Jaggery (grated) – 1/3 cup
•   Cashew nuts – 8-10
•  Almonds – 8-10
•  Green cardamom – 2 pods
• Milk – 1 tablespoon
•  Ghee – 2 tbsps

Recipe:

• Firstly, dry roast the poha in a pan, till it becomes crisp.
•  Roast the almonds, cashews and cardamom in little ghee and keep aside.
• In the mixer pot, add the roasted poha, nuts and jaggery and grind till the mixture gets crumbly texture.
• Sprinkle a spoonful of milk in the above mixture and add 2 tbsps of ghee.
•  Make small laddoos out of this. If the mixture is dry, sprinkle more milk as needed. 
• Your crispy and yummy laddoos, packed with nutrition are ready.

The kids love it due to its crunch 
And the moms are happy with it's powerpacked punch!!