Vada Pav

 So, the Bombay Pav, Sukka Lasun Chutney & Batata Vada came together and formed this heavenly dish called 'Vada Pav'. Any person from Bombay / Mumbai will know what this yummy street food is. Its like the fast food of Mumbai............ like a desi burger 😀

To assemble the Vada Pav we just need a few things. 

We had a besan paste made for covering the potato mixture in this recipe. We use the leftover paste to make the chura (crumble). Add 2 crushed gralic cloves and some chilli powder to the paste and drip drops into the hot oil. Fry till its nice and crispy. Drain it onto a paper towel and let it cool. Pulse it a couple time in the mixer. Chura is ready. 

Take green chilis - i generally get the medium hot ones from the Indian store. Make a small slit in the middle. Fry it in the hot oil - be very very careful. Just 2 minutes and its done. Drain it on a paper towel and sprinkle salt.

Take the Pav and slit in the middle. Put some butter on the pav and then sprinkle the sukka lasun chutney. Put a vada on it and smoosh lightly with the top of the pav. Savor with Chura and Friend Green Chilli.
You can use the green mint and coriander chutney as well as the date and tamarind chutney too inside the pav before adding the vada.

Batata Vada (Potato Vada)

This weekend we saw the worst noreaster in our 15 years in New Jersey. It was snowing from Sunday afternoon unto Tuesday afternoon. Snow snow everywhere just reminded me of the Mumbai rains. Ofcorse fried pakodas with chai is what comes to mind. But, we went a step ahead and made batata vadas and then some vada pav. 

Snow day spent well in the warm kitchen cookign this up and then sitting and savoring it with a hot cup of elachi chai (cardamom flavored brewed Indian tea)

Ingredients

For Potato Mixture

6 to 7 medium golden potatoes

1/4 cup crushed garlic

2 green chilis finely chopped - add more or less as per your spice tolerance=

10 to 12 curry leaves - torn to pieces

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

a pinch of hing/asafoetida

1/2 teaspoon tumeric powder

2 to 3 TBS oil

salt to taste

For the covering

2 cups besan (bengal gram flour)

1/2 cup rice flour

1/2 teaspoon ajwain (carrom seeds)

pinch of hing/asafoetida

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon eno fruit salt

water to make a paste

oil for frying vadas

Method

For Potato Mixture

Boil potatoes in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles. Once they are cooled down, peel and mash them with your hands. You should get about 3 to 3 1/2 cups roughly smashed potatoes. In a karahi, add oil. When it heats up, add the mustard seeds and let them crackle. Then add the crushed garlic and bring the heat to a medium. Mix well. Add the green chilis & curry leaves. Add tumeric powder and some salt. Mix well. Get it off the heat. To this add the smashed potatoes and mix everything well. Check to see the salt - add a little more if needed. Make golf size round balls and set them in a plate. I got about 16 portions from the mixture.

For Vadas

Mix the besan, rice flour, asafoetida, salt, tumeric powder and lightly crushed ajwain in a bowl. To this add water little by little to get a nice thinck lump free mixture. It needs to be a nice thick mixture that lines the back of a spoon very smoothly. Take a wok and add oil to it. I generally use peanut oil for frying, you could use any oil with a high smoking point. Heat the oil on medium flame.While the oil is heating, add the eno fruit salt to the besan mixture and mix well. The mixture will swell up and its fine. When the oil is heated, add a drop of the besan mixture to check if it floats to the surface, if yes then the oil is reay to fry the vadas. Carefully take a portion of the potato mixture and roll it in the besan mixture and cover it all over. Carefully put it into the hot oil. It will bubble up and immediately float to the suface. If you have a big wok, you can fry 3 to 4 vadas at one time. Use a slotted sppon to turn the vada around. When the outer covering turns a golden color, take it out on a plate lined with kitchen towels. It takes about 7 to 8 minutes to get the vadas ready. Vadas are ready to be savored as it is, with read chutney or green chutney or imli chutney. You could also make vada Pavs.

Rustic Chicken Curry from the Ghaat village of Maharashtra (Ghati Masala Chicken)

The villages in the mountain areas of Maharashtra are called "Ghaats" and the people who reside here are called "Ghaatis" - it is not an offensive term if used in the right sense. Well........ I do not want to get into the lingo debate here - just trying to clarify why the name for the dish.
This is a rustic dish prepared by the villages of the Ghaat areas of Maharastra and hence the name. My grandma used to cook this and thats how I know of it. We love the aroma and the rustic taste. It is a great accompaniment with jowar/bajra/rice bhakris or even with the humble rice.

Ingredients

2 pounds chicken (I used boneless skinless thigh meat) cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons yogurt
2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
1 medium red onion
1 medium tomato
7 garlic cloves
5 dried kashmiri chilis (add more if you want it hot)
2 tablespoon dried coconut slices (kopra)
2 teaspoons sesame seeds (til)
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
2 green cardamoms
4 cloves
1 inch cinnamon stick
1/8 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi dane)
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
small piece of mace
2 tablespoons coconut oil
salt to taste

Method

Marinate the chicken pieces in turmeric, salt, yogurt and ginger garlic paste and let it sit for atleast half an hour.
n the meantime - on an open flame (I did it on my gas stove) - roast the whole onion (with the outer cover peeled off) till you get a nice char on the outside. Do the same with the tomato and the garlic. Take a pair of tongs and get a char on the red chilis, just 5 seconds on an open flame. Put all these charred items into a blender and let it cool.
In a karahi, dry roast the dry coconut slices till they turn a nice brow color. Add this to the stuff in the blender. Now dry roast the sesame seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, cardamoms, cloves, fenugreek seeds, cinnamon, peppercorns and mace for about 30 seconds to a minute till you get a nice fragrance - be careful not to burn the spices. Add this to the blender too.
Once the stuff inside the blender has cooled  bit, add some water and blend to a coarse paste. You can make it into a fine paste if you like it that way.
In a karahi, add the coconut oil and the blended paste and 1 cup of water and bring it to a boil. Once the mixture boils - lover the heat a little and add the chicken pieces, add salt to taste. Cover and cook for about 20 to 25 minute till the chicken is cooked through.
Serve it with Chappatis, or Bakri of your choice of even with rice.

Ananas Bhat (Pineapple Rice)

I love pineapples. There is something about the aroma of this fruit that takes you to a tropical paradise. The sweet and sour notes that tingle your tastebuds and the pale yellow color. Well, I am sure you know that I am a huge pineapple fan.

The other day I had purchased this beautiful huge pineapple from the super-market. Nicely cored and cut into pieces, I savored this yummy fruit continuously for 2 days. My husband is allergic to pineapples and my kiddo is not a fan I guess.

The cut pineapple pieces were just lying in my fridge and I was wondering what to do with them. And, it dawned on me - why not make ananas bhat. My mom had made this once and I had loved it a lot. 

Ingredients

1 cup basmati rice
2 cups pineapple juice (I used fresh juice)
1 cup chopped pineapple pieces
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamoms
6 cloves
1/4 cup ghee (clarified butter)
1/4 cup of coconut powder (unsweetened)
3/4 cup sugar - if you want it a little more sweeter, you can add 1 cup sugar too
2 tablespoons milk masala
    you can use chopped nuts of your choice too
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder
4 to 5 drops of yellow food color (optional)
few strands of saffron (optional)

Method

Wash the basmati rice well and let it soak in water for about an hour. In a saucepan, add half of the ghee. When it heats up, add the cloves, cinnamon and cardamom and let it infuse the ghee and bring the heat to medium low. Drain the rice and add it to the infused ghee and mix well. Add the pineapple juice, food color and saffron and cover and let it cook on medium low flame untill the rice is nice and fluffy - this will take about half hour. Fluff the cooked rice with a fork and add the pineapple pieces, coconut powder, sugar, milk masala (or chopped nuts), cardamom powder, nutmeg powder and the remaining ghee and mix well. Cover and let it cook on medium low flame for about 15 more minutes.
Savor it warm or at room temperature.

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Mirchicha Thecha / Kharda (Long hot peppers and Cilantro spread)

Kharda or Mirchicha Thecha - Mom used to make this stuff on a regular basis back home. We loved to spread this on toast with some butter or a slice of cheese and it would be yummy breakfast. We also used it as an accompaniment with plain dal and rice or curd and rice instead of pickle. It also serves as a spicy chutney with parathas or chappati.

Mom had made this at our home here too when we had found those super hot long chillies at the local Asian store. My husband loved it so much that it has become a regular stuff at our place now. This stays for over a fortnight in an dry jar inside the refrigerator. 

The other day we had gone to the Indian store to get the regular rice, dal, masalas etc. I found these beautiful green garlic also called as garlic chives and thought of making this kharda using the green garlic instead of the regular garlic and the taste is just different and nice from the regular kharda

Ingredients

15 long hot peppers (chillies) - cut into 1 inch pieces
you can use jalapenos too - bring the count down to 10 if using jalapenos
1 cup green garlic - chopped OR 1/2 cup of normal garlic sliced
1 cup fresh coriander/cilantro - chopped (use the leaves as well as the stalks)
1/2 cup oil
1 teaspoon salt (you can add more according to your taste)

Method

In a karahi add the oil and let it heat untill its comes to being smoking hot. Reduce the heat to a medium high and add the chillies, garlic and cilantro and cover. After 2 minutes, open the lid and mix everything well. We want all traces of water to be evaporated from the chillies, garlic and the cilantro - this would take about 15 minutes. Add salt and mix well. Get it off the heat and let it cool.
Add this mixture into a dry blender and blend into a smooth mixture or pulse it to get a chunky mixture - as per your preference.
Store in a dry and airtight glass or plastic jar and refrigerate.

Gul Poli

The very first Hindu festival in January is Sankranti - also called Pongal, Lohri, Bihu and many other names in various regions around India and also in South East Asia. 

For me Sankranti is always associated with sesame seeds and jaggery - called til & gul respectively in Marathi. The aroma of toasted sesame seeds and then those yummy laddoos.

My Mom always made this gul poli on that day - ofcosre along with various other goodies.

I had to make these gul polis this year. I could not call mom to ask for the recipe as it was pretty late in the night for them and I knew they would be asleep. So, I used my sense of smell and taste and tried to use the proportions just like you would for puran poli and made these polis. They did not turn out like the ones made by mom - but, they were still good. 

Ingredients

For the filling
1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup peanuts
1 tablespoon poppy seeds (khuskhus)
2 tablespoons gram flour (besan)
2 cups jaggery
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For Dough
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
water to knead

Method

Toast the sesame seeds on medium flame untill you get a nice roasted aroma. Remove on a plate and let it cool. Now toast the peanuts untill you get a nice toasted aroma. Remove any skin on them and let them cool on a plate. Dry roast the gram flour and the poppy seeds for a couple of minutes - be careful not to burn the gram flour. Grind the peanuts, sesame seeds, gram flour and poppy seeds to a fine powder/paste - no need to add water, the oil from the peanuts and the sesame will give it a pasty texture. Remove it into a mixing bowl and add the jaggery and the cardamom powder and nut met powder and mix well. Make about 10 equal sized balls from this mixture.
Mix wheat flour, all purpose flour and salt to taste. Heat the oil in a pan and add it to the flour mixture and carefully mix the oil with the flour - this can be done with a spoon - be careful as the oil i shot. Now add water - start with half a cup of water and knead the flour into a dough. Add more water if required. Consistency of dough should be soft like a regular chapati dough.  Cover the dough with a damp cloth/kitchen tissue and let it sit for 30 minutes. After it has rested, make 10 equal sized balls of the dough and keep aside.

Take one of flour dough rolls and apply dry wheat flour (so that it does not stick to the rolling pin) and roll out into a round about 2 inches in diameter. Add a part of the stuffing to this rolled dough and bring together all the edges so as to cover the filling. press this lightly so that the stuffing goes to all the ends. Now dip it in the dry wheat flour and roll lightly just like a stuffed paratha/chappati - about 6 inches in diameter. Roast on a skillet on medium heat by adding a bit of ghee - turning it a couple of times. The poli is ready when it had nice golden spots on both sides.
Serve this gul poli warm or cold with or without ghee.

Mooli Bhaji (with besan)

This is a classic peeth perun bhaji as they call it in Maharastrian cuisine. It simply means vegetables cooked and then smeared with besan/chickpea flour and steamed again.

We make this with capsicum, cauliflower, spring onions and even drumsticks.

Love to eat these bhajis with chappatis with yogurt and slices of cucumber and carrots.

Ingredients

4 medium sized radish / mooli with lots of leaves
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin/jeera
1 whole dried red chilli
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida/hing
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon dhania jeera powder
4 tablespoons besan/chickpea flour
1 teaspoon jaggery
2 tablespoons oil
salt to taste

Method

Wash the radish very well. Cube the radish into small bite size cubes and keep aside. Trim the leaves and chop them fine.
In a karahi add 1 tablespoon of oil. When it gets hot add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then add the cumin and the chilli and let it sizzle for 30 seconds. Now add the cubes radish and the leaves and cover and let it steam on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Remove the lid and add turmeric powder, chilli powder, dhania jeera powder, jaggery and salt and mix well. If there is any water, let it all evaporate. Now add the besan and 1 tablespoon oil and mix well till all the radish cubes and the leaves are coated with besan. Cover and steam it on medium low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes to get the besan cooked.
serve with chappatis, yogurt and cucumber/carrot slices.

Surlichi Vadi / Khandvi

Ingredients

1 cup besan/bengal gram glour/chickpea flour
1 cup yogurt
2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida/hing
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
5-6 curry leaves
1 green chilli chopped
2 tablespoons chopped coriander/cilantro
2 tablespoons oil

Method

Prepare a clean surface for spreading the gram flour mixture - something like a cookie sheet (I used my huge glass cutting board and a cookie sheet) big enough to spread a wide spread of mixture. If you have a granite counter top thats the most ideal as you will be able to spread the entire batch of mixture on it and get this done in one go. I had to make 2 rounds to finish making my khandvi on a cookie sheet and a huge glass cutting board.
Whisk the yogurt, water and gram flour. Add asafoetida, turmeric powder and salt. Whisk until well blended. Transfer the mixture into a non stick pan and heat on medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent the formation of lumps. The mixture will slowly begin to thicken. After about  15 minutes of stirring, taste to see if the gram flour is cooked or yet smells raw - if its raw cook for another 5 minutes or so. To check if its the right consistecy - take a small teaspoon of the mixture and spread it on a flat plate - let it cool and if it easily rolls when you try to then the batter is perfect.
Spread the hot mixture on the prepared surface with a flat spatula and spread it as thinly as possible. Allow it to cool a little and settle down. Once it is cooled, take a knife and cut long strips about 1 inch apart. Roll these pieces into a khandvi and take them out on a serving platter.
If you are doing this in batches - keep the remaining mixture warm over the stove at very very low heat over by placing the non-stick pan over a tawa.
Heat oil in a karahi -add mustard seeds and when they splutter add the cumin seeds and sesame seeds and then add the chopped chilli and curry leaves. Sprinkle the seasoning over the khandvi and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Alu (Batata) Ras Bhaji & Puri

For Bhaji

Ingredients

2 medium sized potatoes - cut into bite size pieces

1 medium onion - finely chopped

2 dried red chillies

1 tomato - chopped OR 4 kokums

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

a pinch of asafoetida

2 tablespoons oil

4 cups water

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon dhania jeera powder

salt to taste

chopped cilantro for garnish

Method

In a saucepan add oil - when it heats up, add the mustard seeds. When they crackle add the cumin seeds and the dried red chillies. Add the chopped onions and fry till they turn transparent. Then add the tomatoes OR the kokum and add 2 cups of water. Add turmeric, chilli powder, dhania jeera powder, garam masala powder and mix well. Add the chopped potatoes and salt to taste. Close the lid and let the mixture boil. Once it boils - lower the heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes or till the potatoes are cooked. Add more water if required - this water tastes good with the puris. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with puris.

For Puri

Ingredients

1 cup wheat flour

4 teaspoons oil

pinch of salt

water to knead into a hard dough

oil for deep frying

Method

Once the puri dough s knead - let it rest for 15 minutes. Make small round balls and roll into small tortillas - about 4 inches diameter. Deep fry in hot oil till they turn a golden color. A good puri will fluff up.

Fish Bhujne (onion based green gravy)

Ingredients

2 to 3 middle portion fillets of Solomon (you can use tilapia or flounder too). In India my mom made this curry with sardines or bombay duck2 to 3 onions finely chopped
1 teaspoon garam masala
3 to 4 tablespoons oil
salt as per taste

grind to paste10 to 12 cloves of garlic
4 green chillies (alter it as per needed - add if you want it more spicy or less if you want it less spicy)1 cup coriander
1 inch ginger


Method
Cut the fish into 1 inch pieces and marinate in some salt and 2 teaspoons of vinegar. Let it stand for about half an hour.
In a karahi add the oil and when it gets hot, add the finely chopped onions to it. Fry the onions till they become golden brown. To this add the ground masala mixture. Let it cook till all water is evaporated and the masala leaves the sides of the karahi. Be careful as this mixture tends to bubble and can splutter around. Add a cup of water to this mixture and then add the garam masala and salt (remember that salt is added to the fish which is marinating too), so add salt accordingly. Add the fish and mix well and with a light hand. Cook it on low medium flame till the fish is cooked. Do not stir it often, as fish is very soft and can get powdered easily.
Serve it hot with chappatis or Naan.

Bharli Wangi (Stuffed Brinjals)

Ingredients

12 small brinjals - ones that can be put as a whole in the gravy
2 onions finely chopped
2 tomatoes finely chopped
7 cloves of garlic crushed
2 teaspoons chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons dhania jeera powder
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
chopped coriander
2 teaspoons ground jaggery
1/4 cup groundnuts (roasted & coarsely ground)
salt to taste
8 to 10 teaspoons of oil


Method

In a mixing bowl, add the chopped onions, tomatoes, garlic, chopped coriander, chilli powder, turmeric powder, dhania jeera powder, garam masala, jaggery and salt. Mix well with hand and crush the mixture with hand so that all the water separates from the onions and the tomatoes.

To get the brinjals ready - wash them well, and make a cross cut on the brinjal on the side away from the stem. Fill the brinjals with the onion and tomato mixture and let it sit in the remaining mixture for 15 to 20 minutes.

In a kadhai, add the oil. When the oil is hot add the brinjals one by one. Be very careful as the oil will splutter. Put any leftover masala from the mixing bowl into the kadhai. Cover and cook the brinjals on a medium flame. Once brinjals are cooked, add the groundnut powder and mix well.

Serve with chapatis or jowar rotis

If you want to make it a combination of brinjals & potatoes, then substitute 6 brinjals with 6 small potatoes