Semiya Kheer

'Rain rain go to Spain' or wherever - was how i greeted the rain gods early this monsoon. Come on, I didnt want to miss those evening walks with hubby and little K. Besides K was just beginning to get a hang of what dogs look like, how trees sway and how my momma drools at the sight of the cake shop...LOL

Well, eventually the rains did an about turn and mumbaites writhed like a fish out of water with daily powercuts and watercuts. My hubby used to glare at me everytime he had to bathe in cold water. Oh come on, it can't be because of me.

And yes finally the good news. It had been pouring since the last three days only for people (and news channels) to wonder whether there will be a encore of 26/7. Alas! men will be men.

This weekend, the weather had become extremely pleasant. It was raining through out and the temperature suddenly dipped. I remembered my school / college days when the only thing I loved to do when it rained was to sit by the window, put on warm clothes, sip chai and read a book. Now I had no time to stand and stare (or eat!) for we had guests over and I was busy making tea & onion bhajiyas (That's another story, another post).

Late in the evening I craved for something sweet. Kheer perhaps...warm and mildly sweet...to sit by the window, stare and eat. I chanced upon the vermicilli packet in the pantry and quickly got into the task.

Here's what you need....(serve size- 3)

Vermicilli - 50 gms

Milk - 1/2 litre

Sugar - 5 tbsps

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Cardamom powder - a pinch

Few saffron strands

Almonds, Cashews, Pistas - slivered

Fry the slivered dry fruits in ghee and set aside. Fry vermicilli in ghee till golden brown. Add milk little by little till the vermicilli is completly cooked. Switch off the gas and then add sugar. Garnish with saffron strands and dry fruits.

Few points:

1. This method is for those who love thick, creamy kheer. If you like the consistency to be more watery then you can cook the vermicilli in water and then add to the milk.

2. The reason behind adding sugar after removing the vessel from the flame is that, sometimes (in rare cases) the milk might curdle. Anyways, since the kheer will be hot, sugar will dissolve.

3. You can add more sugar as per your taste. I like my kheer to be mildly sweet.

4. You can also add raisins to the above list of dry fruits ( I am not too fond of raisins in kheer)

Misal Pav

Misal is another food on my nutritious but delicious list. Misal (again is native to Maharashtra but not as popular as Batata Vada or Pav Bhaji elsewhere) comprises of a spicy watery sprouts mixture served with farsan, dahi / curds (optional), chopped onions, lemon wedges and pav.

For a long time, I have been used to hearing two different terms for this dish - 'Usal' as well as 'Misal'. I came across people, restaurants using these terms interchangeably. So I thought this was just another case of one being a Marathi name and another probably a Hindi name. Well after all, this happens only in Mumbai. Here pyaz is kanda, lauki is called doodhi etc

Before writing this post I decided to google and fortunately came across Nupur's blog. She explains that the 'Usal' is the spicy sprouts mixture while 'Misal' is the entire dish comprising of Usal, farsan and other garnishings. There she also mentions a special chutney to add to the sprouts gravy which i am sure adds a fiery twist!

This Misal has been inspired by Kajal's 'Sev Usal'. Her pics were so good that I was tempted to try this out. She has primarly used potato & peas to prepare the watery base. However, I added a handful of sprouts to the mixture to add to the nutritional value. Rest of the steps were more or less the same. The sprouts that i used were green gram dal (moong), green chana, matki (moth), brown chana, yellow peas.

To repeat the recipe, cook potato, peas and sprouts in a pressure cooker with salt and little turmeric powder. In a pan, sizzle cumin seeds. Add ginger garlic paste. Add onions and fry till translucent. Add beetroot (This is a good idea to enhance the colour). Add tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder and cook for sometime. Thereafter add the watery sprouts mixture and cook again for few minutes. For serving, garnish with coriander leaves. Sprinkle some farsan (I used Haldiram's 'all in one' farsan). Serve with pav or bread.

If you want to taste some authentic Maharashtrain snacks in Mumbai then Hotel Prakash in Dadar is the place to be. And don't forget to check out on Piyush. It's a lassi styled drink made out of Shrikhand....mouth watering aint it?

Paneer Bhurjee

Paneer is 'Indian Cottage Cheese'. Preparing paneer is quite simple. All you need to do is curdle milk by using lemon or vinegar. Pour the contents on a fine muslin cloth and seperate the curds from the water (whey). Once you have ensured that the excess water has been drained, place a heavy weight over the cloth for around 3 to 4 hours. The paneer will be set (turn firm) and you will be able to cut it into pieces. These pieces can be used for making sabzi's etc.

Some facts about paneer (taken from wikipedia)...

A part of Mughlai cuisine, Paneer is the only type of cheese traditionally used in Indian cuisine. The ruling aristocracy in the second millennium AD was of Turkic, (Central Asian) and Persian origin and it was they who introduced paneer in India. (Seriously guys, I was unaware of this!)

Few days back, we ordered 'Paneer Bhurjee' from a local restaurant. It was awful. Bhurjee is supposed to be a very spicy mixture but this was totally bland, tasteless...

So the other day I set off to search & make the best paneer bhurjee (with an intent to send a sample to the restaurant owner :-) I came across this wonderful recipe at Bawarchi. It contained ingredients like cashews, capsicum etc which I have never tasted in this dish before.

The result was as you can see below...

Here's the recipe (taken from Saroj's cookbook at Bawarchi website)

Paneer - 250 gms (crumbled like bread crumbs)

Onions - 2 (chopped finely)

Garlic - 1/2 tsp (crushed)

Ginger - 1/2 tsp (grated)

Green Chillies - 2 (slit lengthwise)

Tomato - 1 (chopped finely)

Cashews - 5

Capsicum - 1 (slit into long thin strips)

Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp

Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Lemon Juice - 1 tsp

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Butter - 1/2 tbsp

Milk - 3 tbsp

Heat ghee in a heavy saucepan. Fry the cashews, to a golden brown. Drain, keep aside.Fry green chillies. Drain, keep aside.Fry the capsicum till tender. Drain, keep aside.Now add ginger, garlic to the ghee and fry for 2-3 seconds.Add onions and fry till pink.Add tomatoes and fry further till mushy.Add all the masala and milk and cook for 3-4 minutes.Add butter, lemon juice, sugar and paneer. Mix well. Take in a serving dish.Garnish with fried cashews, chillies and capsicums.Serve hot with naans, parathas, etc.

I did not have capsicums so didnt use it. Nevertheless the dish tasted quite yummy.

Sweet Corn Pomegranate Salad

One of the sweetest monsoon memories of my childhood was eating 'Bhutta' or Corn on the Cob. No sooner did the rain gods arrive, these bhuttawalas used to miraculously spring up in various corners, diligently fanning & roasting bhutta's. For serving, it used to be spiced up by rubbing a lemon wedge dipped into a mixture of salt & red chilli powder. I and my friends used to crowd around a small bhutta cart near my school, eating hot corn while the rains lashed all around us.

So bhutta (which really requires a strong set of jaws) used to be my staple till I was introduced to soft and fleshy sweet corn. Those days my father used to work at Nariman point which is the business district of Mumbai. He ventured into a departmental store and bought this amazing stuff (which he explained to us as 'imported' and hence the superior look & feel). I still love a bhutta occasionally but it is sweet corn which has occupied a major place in my diet.

Sweet corn or more popularly American Sweet Corn is a variant of Maize (or Indian corn) in that it has more sugar and less starch. Sweet corn is picked up when it is immature and consumed as a vegetable.

Despite the loss of Vitamin C, it is best to consume 'cooked' sweet corn as it increases its antioxidant activity. Cooked sweet corn also releases increased levels of ferulic acid which provides health benefits, such as battling cancer.

The above information has been taken from Wikipedia.

The salad above contains cooked corn and hence to deal with the loss of Vitamin C, I have added Pomegranates which also adds crunchiness. Besides the dish too looks appetizing due to variety of colours.

You will need...

Sweet Corn - 1 cup (cooked)

Pomegranate seeds - 1/2 cup

Onion - 1 (finely chopped)

Tomato - 1 (finely chopped)

Bell pepper - 1(finely chopped)

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Lemon juice - 2 tsp

Coriander leaves

Salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients together just before you serve.

If you dont have lemons you can substitute it with chaat masala. You can also add grated carrots (I didnt have one) to this salad. What you only need to do now is sit back and enjoy !

Kobrakkai Pachadi

Coconut Thogayal (which is in Tamil) is called as 'Kobrakkai Pachadi' in Telugu. This is the second Andhra food that caught my eye (rather my tongue) inspite of having tasted the same stuff at home. I later realised the difference was in using mustard seeds. While eating the pachadi, if you happen to bite into these amazing little seeds, the taste is simply awesome.

Call me a dud, but inspite of the extremely simple recipe, I could never make it as good as my mother-in-law. I must have tried making it atleast a couple of times. Either the taste wasn't right or the consistency.

Yesterday my hubby's cousin was at our place. I was hurriedly cooking when i chanced upon this newly broken coconut in the freezer, looking fresh and inviting. I just grabbed it and went chop, chop, fry, fry, grind, grind and...voila! the pachadi tasted absolutely right.

So here goes the recipe...

Coconut - 1/2 cup

Oil - 3 tbsps

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Udid (Black gram) dal - 1 tsp

Chana (Bengal gram) dal - 2 tsp

Red chillies - 2

Tamarind - a little soaked in water

Salt to taste

Chop (or grate) the coconut. Heat oil. Splutter mustard seeds. Add udid dal, chana dal, red chillies and fry.

First coarsely grind fried dal & soaked tamarind in a mixer. Grind again after adding chopped coconuts and salt.

The pachadi is made using little water. I used the water in which the tamarind was soaked to give it an extra zing. My MIL sometimes also adds very little coriander leaves to enhance the smell.

As far as the red chilli goes, one that I used was a plain one and another was 'Byadgi chilli' (which has a crumpled skin) so as to give a nice golden colour to the pachadi.

Kobrakkai pachadi can be served with rice and ghee.

Onion & Garlic Vathal kozhumbu

Vathal Kozhumbu is one of the most tangiest dishes of south india. It is basically a thick tamarind gravy with vathals of choice.

Vathal (or Vatral) comprises of sun dried stuff...the most common one's used in this dish being sundakkai and manathakkali (Sorry, I don't know the english names for these).

There are many of versions of this kozhumbu.

1. A typical brahmin style of vathal kozhumbu involves only vathal and no onion or garlic.

2. There is one that spices things up by addition of onion and garlic. You can also use shallots instead of onions.

3. Some prepare vegetable vathal kozhumbu where veggies like okhra etc are used.

4. My mom used to prepare 'Appalam vathal kozhumbu' where pieces of appalam (rice papad) were fried and then the tamarind extract was added. However I felt that the very USP of appalam 'its crunchiness' was destroyed in this version.

Personally I find the onion-garlic version absolutely yum. So here goes the recipe...

Ingredients (Serve size -2) :

Tamarind - Little more than lemon sized soaked in water

Gingelly / Sesame Oil - 4 tbsps

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Udid (Black gram) dal - 1/2 tsp

Chana (Bengal Gram) dal - 1/2 tsp

Methi (Fenugreek) seeds - 1/4 tsp

Hing (Asafoetida)

Red Chillies - 2

Curry leaves - One sprig

Onion - 1 (cut length wise)

Garlic - 3 to 4 cloves

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Sambhar powder - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Jaggery - 2 tsps

Rice flour (Optional) - Dissolved in water for thickening

Extract juice from soaked tamarind (Atleast 3 cups). Set aside.

In a pan, heat gingelly oil. Splutter mustard seeds. Add hing, udid dal, chana dal, methi seeds, red chillies, garlic and curry leaves.

Thereafter add onion and saute till it turns translucent. Add turmeric, red chilli powder, sambhar powder and coriander powder.

Add the tamarind pulp. Let it simmer till the raw flavour of the tamarind goes off. Add jaggery (Some people dont use jaggery, however i feel that jaggery compliments the tanginess of the dish).

If you want the kozhumbu to be like a paste, you can add dissolved rice flour to thicken it. Alternatively you can keep simmering it till it thickens (I found this the best way to have thick kozhumbu however the quantity can reduce)

Traditionally this dish is prepared in lots of gingelly oil. My mother infact adds some gingelly oil over the kozhumbu once its done so that it gives off a nice aroma.

Vathal kozhumbu tastes best with steaming hot rice, potato fry / brinjal fry and appalams.

Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji literally means 'bread curry'. This native dish of Maharashtra is something that every Mumbaite will swear by. It is found in every nook and corner of the city...in roadside stalls, restaurants, eateries etc. All you need is to stand near a vendor preparing one...the spicy aroma that wafts through the air will make your mouth go slurrpp!

The curry comprises of common vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes, bell pepper, green peas, carrots, beans, cauliflower, cabbage etc that are mashed and blended with spices. So this is a perfect recipe for a fussy toddler who sulks at the sight of veggies. For those who like to know there veggies apart, there is a variation called 'Khada Pav Bhaji' where the vegetables are not mashed.

Lets get into the recipe first. Later shall share some history about this dish.

Ingredients (Serve size: 2)

Potato - 1 medium sized, diced

Beans - 1 cup finely chopped

Green peas - 1 cup shelled

Carrots - 2 cubed

Cauliflower - 2 cups florets

Cabbage - 2 cups finely shredded

Capsicum (Bell pepper) - 1 medium sized, finely chopped

Onion - 2 medium sized, finely chopped

Garlic - 2 cloves finely chopped

Tomatoes - 2 blended in a liquidiser

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Pav bhaji masala - 1 tsp (I use the 'Badshah' brand. 'Everest' is also good)

Pav

For garnishing:

Finely chopped onion

Finely chopped coriander leaves

Sliced tomatoes

Lemon wedges

Pressure cook all the vegetables (except bell pepper) for 5 to 6 whistles with a pinch of turmeric. Once done, mash them with the help of a ladle.

Meanwhile coarsely grind onions, garlic and little of chopped bellpepper. Heat oil in a pan. Saute the onion-garlic-bell pepper mixture till it turns translucent. Add remaining bellpepper.

Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt to taste. Saute for a few seconds before adding pav bhaji masala powder.

Add the tomato juice. Cook for few seconds before adding mashed vegetables. Then cook again till the all veggies & spices blend well and you can smell that familiar aroma.

To serve, heat a pan. Melt some butter and slightly roast cut pav on both sides. To make the pav spicy you can add some pav bhaji masala to the butter before frying the pav.

Garnish the bhaji with coriander leaves. Serve the dish with bhaji, pav, chopped onions, sliced tomatoes and lemon wedges.

Some points to note:

1. Primarily the bhaji or curry is potato based. However i have reduced the quantity of potato and increased other veggies to up the nutritional content.

2. Since my little niece was going to eat this too, i have not made it too spicy. The street side versions are quite spicy. You can increase the quantity of pav bhaji masala as per your requirement.

3. Pav bhaji masala typically comprises of spices like dry mango, red chillies, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cardamon, black pepper, black salt, cloves etc all of which are ground into a fine powder. If you dont have pav bhaji masala you substitute it with garam masala.

4. You can prepare other interesting variations of this dish like Cheese pav bhaji (served with grated cheese), Paneer pav bhaji (served with grated paneer), Dry fruit pav bhaji (with a generous sprinkling of dry fruits) or Khada pav bhaji.

5. This dish is traditionally served with pav or more commonly called laadi pav. These are available in all bakeries in mumbai. If you dont find one you can substitute it with bread.

6. The dish is usually served with lots of butter (read cholestrol, if you care) on steaming hot bhaji.

Coming to the origin of pav bhaji, I found some interesting facts from Wikipedia. Here is it.

The origin of this dish is traced to the heyday of the textile mills in Mumbai. The mill workers used to have a short break for lunch. A full lunch which was not rushed probably needed more time than what was available. A light lunch was also preferred given that physical work followed immediately. A vendor understood this and came up with this dish using items or parts of them available on the menu. The role of roti or rice was taken up by pav and the curries that usually go with Indian bread or rice were amalgamated into just one spicy concoction-the 'bhaji'. Initially, it remained the food of the mill-workers. The dish eventually found its way into restaurants and spreading over Central Mumbai and other areas.

Well, isnt this the one that is so delicious, nutritious and can be prepared in a jiffy. So next time your toddler makes a face at veggies, think pav bhaji !

Tomato Pappu

My hubby hails from Andhra Pradesh. Tomato pappu (which means dal in telugu) was something that i took instant liking to. Here's the simple recipe for a tasty dish...

Toor dal - 1 cup
Tomatoes - 3 (big size)
Turmeric - a pinch
Tamarind - lemon sized
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

For seasoning:

Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds, Udid (Black gram) dal, Chana (Bengal gram) dal - each 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves
Red chilli - 1

Wash and soak the dal in about 3 cups of water. Cut the tomatoes into medium sized pieces and add it to the soaked dal. Add a pinch of turmeric. Pressure cook the above (3 to 4 whistles).

Soak the tamarind in 1/2 cup water and remove pulp.

Once the dal-tomato mixture is cooked, add tamarind pulp, chilli powder, salt (to taste) and cook in the stove for around 5 to 7 minutes.

For seasoning, heat oil. Add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add the dals, red chilli and curry leaves. Season the dal and garnish with coriander leaves.

This tastes best with hot steamed white rice and a dollop of ghee.

Doodhi Halwa

I am a halwa buff. Carrot halwa, doodhi (bottle gourd) halwa, moong dal halwa...name it and i love it. However never attempted to make them myself. I have always liked it the way my mum made . Today i decided to try my hand at it.

So here's the doodhi halwa...which i managed to make in about 20 minutes. I took about 1/2 a doodhi (medium sized) to make a cup of halwa (since i was preparing it for the first time... decided to keep the portions small)

Ingredients:

Doodhi (Bottle gourd)
Ghee (Clarified butter) - 4 tsps
Milk - 1/4 litre
Sugar - 5 tsp (can vary as per your requirement)
Rose essence
Cashews

Remove seeds and grate doodhi. Melt ghee in a pan. Add the grated doodhi and saute till it turns translucent.

Add a little milk. Let it cook till the milk gets absorbed. Then add some more milk. Let it cook for some time again. Then add all the milk and let it cook till the entire mixture blends in a smooth consistency. (This process of adding milk little by little is to make it more creamy).

Then add sugar and cook for some more time till it blends into one smooth mixture. Top it off with a drop of rose essence and season it with chopped cashews fried in ghee.

I did not add any food colour though you can add some green food colouring to make it look authentic.