Tarri poha

Tarri poha

Tarri poha is a classic street food that is popular across all parts  of maharashtra especially in Nagpur.A plate of piping hot poha is one comfort food that is healthy too.I have tasted this dish in pune.

Tarri poha is the poha which is served with tarri which is thin spicy gravy made from chickpeas(green,white or brown chickpeas as per your choice).In my recipe i have used white variety of chickpeas(kabuli chana) as i love them.This dish can be one of the best option for breakfast.


         Ingredients to prepare poha

• 2 cup thick flattened rice
• 1 medium sized onion(chopped)
• 2Green chillies(chopped)
• 1 Potato cubes
• 1 tbsp Oil
• 1 tbsp Mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp Cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp Hing 
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves(handful for garnishing)
• Grated coconut(optional for garnishing)

          
          Ingredients to prepare chickpea curry (tarri)

• 1 and 1/2 cup dried white chickpeas,soaked overnight
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 medium sized onion(chopped)
• 1 tomato(chopped)
• Few curry leaves
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 cup water
• Coriander leaves(handful)

          To garnish tarri poha

• Coriander leaves(optional) 
• Chopped onion(Optional)
• Lemon juice
• Sev

          
         Method of preparation of poha 

• Heat oil in a  wok on medium flame.
• Add mustard, cumin seeds and hing. 
• Add the onion & green chillies, saute till the onion becomes translucent. (You can brown it also if you want)
• Add turmeric powder and salt. Mix well.
• Once it starts splutter, add potatoes.
• Cover the lid and let it fry till potatoes are cooked.
• Take flattened rice in a bowl,add water and soak them
• Drain the water immediately. 
• Now add this soaked flattened rice in the wok.
• Saute the poha for 5 mins on medium flame. 
• Garnish the poha with grated coconut and coriander leaves

          
         Method of preparation of tarri (chickpea curry)

• Wash the soaked chickpeas and cook them till they are soft.
• Heat oil in a wok. Add mustard & cumin seeds.
• Once it starts spluttering, add the curry leaves, chopped onion & saute till the onion turns golden brown.
• Add the garlic-ginger paste & saute till the raw aroma goes away.
• Add the turmeric powder & red chilli powder. 
• Add chopped tomato,saute till it melts.
• Add garam masala.
• Add salt to taste and add the cooked chickpeas.
• Add one cup water & let it boil for 5-10 mins.
• Tarri is ready let it cool down a bit before plating .

         
         Final step for plating tarri poha

• Place the poha on the plate. 
• Pour the curry(tarri)over the poha slowly.
• Garnish with some sev, chopped onion and coriander leaves.
• You can add lemon juice, if you want.
• Serve hot.

         Happy cooking !
     

Homemade sweetened condensed milk

                                                 
There are few super ingredients in cooking that can be used in making so many varieties of dishes.One of such great super ingredient is sweetened condensed milk sold under different commercial names such as Milkmaid or Mithai mate in India.This one ingredient can be used in making so many different types of dessert dishes,cakes, puddings,ice creams, indian sweets etc.Even i like to have this sweetened condensed milk with chapati or fulka for breakfast as it tastes yummy !

Although condensed milk is easily available in market these days it is always advisable to make your own version at home and store it for later purpose.The ready made condensed milk comes with preservatives which is not always good for health,and then its so easy to make this at home with just 3 ingredients.  Condensed milk made at home is much cheaper compared to ready made version.

For this recipe of condensed milk I have used full fat milk.Also I have added a pinch of baking soda.Baking soda will thickens the condense milk and also keep it stay fresh for longer.Though the process is very simple you have to have patience to keep on stirring the mixture.

Once made, store in a clean jar with a tight fitting lid in the refrigerator for up to one week or in the freezer for up to three months.If frozen, just thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then shake vigorously in an airtight container with lid on or pour into a larger container and whisk until smooth and consistent throughout.Do try this once and let me know your comments.


         Ingredients

• Fresh milk (full fat) - 1/2 litre ( 2.5 cups)
• Sugar - 1/2 cup ( 100 gms)
• Baking soda - 1/4 th tsp

          Yields around 1/2 cup

          Method of preparation

• Take the fresh milk in a pan.
• When it comes to boil and rises to the top,simmer the flame and add the sugar and baking soda.
• Stir well and allow it to boil till the milk reduces to 1/3 rd of its original quantity.
• Keep the flame medium and stir every now n then to avoid charring.
• Once the milk becomes slightly thick,take a drop of milk and check it between your thumb and index finger.
• If the milk is sticky,thick and if it forms a half thread,it is done.
• Switch off the flame.Do not leave the milk to boil & reduce completely because it will become too thick like a cream once when it cools down.
• So switch off as soon as it reduces to 1/3 rd even if it is slightly watery.Refrigerate and use whenever needed.

          Happy Cooking !

Carrot curd raita/ Carrot pachdi

                                                                                   

Carrot raita/Carrot pachdi

Carrot raitha/Pachdi  is a great way to include raw carrots in our diet and also can be prepared in a few minutes.Carrot adds crunch plus lovely orange color to this raita along with little sweetness. It is very quick to make and goes very well with parathas,rotis or even biryani.

Pachdi can be considered as synonym of raita.Pachadis are tongue-tickling accompaniments, the preparation involves combining curds with veggies and/or spices and tempering it with mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves.Pachdi is very common in south indian cuisine.This raita is easy and can be made using few ingredients easily available in our kitchen.


         Ingredients

• Chilled Curd/Yogurt – 1 cup
• Carrot grated – 3/4 cup
• Coriander leaves – few leaves finely chopped(optional)
• Chat Masala powder – 1/4 tsp
• Cumin powder- 1/4 tsp
• Salt – to taste

          Serves 2-3 people

         For tempering

• Oil – 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Urad Dal – 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds– 1/2 tsp
• Green Chillies – 1 chopped
• Few karipatta leaves
• Hing – a small pinch

         Method of preparation

• Wash, peel the skin and grate the carrot. 
• Take curd in a mixing bowl and beat it nicely, add grated carrot to it and mix well.
• Now prepare tempering. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds,cumin seeds,udad dal,hing,karipatta and chopped chillies.Once it splutters, Saute for a minute and remove from flame.
• Pour the tempering into the carrot curd mixture along with required salt, chat masala and cumin powder.Mix well and garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve chilled.

          Note

• Carrot should be fresh for raita.
• I have not added sugar in this recipe but if you want you can add as per your taste.
• As this recipe involves curd it can not be stored at room temperature for long time.You can keep leftover raita in fridge.

          Happy Cooking !

Rava besan laddu

My husband is fond of laddus that's how by making laddus again and again i have practiced the art of making ladoo.Though the laddo making process looks very simple but practically it's not simple as the recipe involves sugar syrup preparation(ek tari paak).I feel there is no shortcut while making laddu,you have to be attentive always.I have prepared rava ladoo as well as besan ladoo seperately but this time prepared the fusion of rava besan laddu,which has combined flavor of both. Following the exact proportion of ingredients is also important for the best outcome.You can also try other laddu preparations by me like Raghavdas laddu.


         Ingredients

• 1 cup Semolina/ Sooji/ Rava (fine quality)
• 1/2 cup Besan
• 4 tbsp Ghee 
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
• Cashewnuts pieces(handful)

         (Serves: 12-14 medium sized laddu)

          Method of preparation

• Dry roast Semolina over medium heat. Roast until it gets nice pinkish color and aroma. Another thing to remember is to stir continuously with spatula. If you roast over high heat, semolina will change the color in short time.However it will have raw taste.
• After roasting semolina, transfer it to another plate.In that same pan, add some ghee, add besan and roast until you sense nice aroma of besan. Roast over medium heat and keep stirring. Add cashewnuts to the besan.
• In another heavy bottom pan,add 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water.Make one string consistency sugar syrup. To make that, turn on the heat and stir until sugar dissolves in water. After couple of minutes water will start boiling. 
• First sugar syrup will become frothy on the surface, and in one minute froth will disappear. At that time turn off the heat and add sugar syrup into mixture of semolina and besan. 
• Stir the mixture nicely until Rava-besan mixture absorbs maximum sugar syrup.let it cool down for a while then apply ghee to your hands and make laddus.

          
          Note

• Sugar syrup should be of perfect consistency. If sugar syrup become a little thick than required consistency, rava-besan mixture becomes dry,in this situation you can add little milk and make laddus.
• Shelf life of laddu is around one week,as the place where i stay is bit colder but If the weather is hot and humid, put them into airtight container and refrigerate.

       
          Happy Cooking !

Corn Pulao

                    

 

Corn Pulao

Corn Pulao is my personal favorite.This pulao is very easy to prepare and tastes great.I love one pot meals very much as it is so easy to prepare and is a complete meal by itself. This is one of the most simplest pulao recipe.This is great dish for small get-togethers and parties.Kids will love it for sure. It also makes a perfect lunch box recipe.

This rice  dish is quick to make with all the ingredients easily available.This pulao can be served with curd raita or some veg  gravy dish.Normally while making pulav people usually cook veggies along with rice but i don't like it this way as i feel the rice preparation becomes little sticky in this method. 

I am from goa and in goa the traditional method of cooking rice is by filteration method i.e by draining excess water in which rice is cooked.My way of cooking the pula0 is in two parts first prepare rice with dry masala  and then in the second part saute the veggies for pulao,finally mix them together.I feel cooking in this way makes restaurant style pulao.I inherited this method from my mother,you can try this style and give me your feedback. 

        
        Ingredients

• Basmati rice (1 cup)
• Onion (1/2  cup chopped)
• Corn kernels (3/4 cup)
• Ginger garlic paste ( 1-2 tablespoons)
• Green chilli (1 finely chopped)
• Garam masala powder( 1/2 tsp)
• Chilli powder (1/2 tsp)
• Oil (2-3 tablespoons)
• Cumin seeds (1 tsp)
• Bay leaf ( 1)
• Cardamom big (1)
• Water(As per requirement)
• Salt(As per taste)
• Lemon juice (2-3 tablespoons)
• Black Pepper whole (5-6)
• Cinnamon( Small piece)
• Cloves(2-3)
• Coriander leaves(handful for garnishing)
• Carrot Chopped (optional) 

          
       Method of preparation

• Wash and soak basmati rice for 1 hour.Drain the water completely.
• In a big pan take water almost half the pan and let it boil nicely,once the water starts boiling add rice into it and stir once or twice so that it doesn't get stuck to the bottom.
• Also in the boiling water add salt as per taste,1 tablespoon of oil,Cumin seeds,cloves,pepper,bayleaf,cinnamon,cardamom,Lemon juice( 1 tablespoon)
• Keep on stirring in between and let it boil on medium flame.It will take around 15-20 minutes to cook the rice.
• In between take a rice grain and press it between your fingers and check if it's done.When we cook rice for pulav it should be 3/4 th cooked. 
• Once rice is 3/4 done switch off the flame and drain all the water and then let it rest for a while.
• In another frying pan take some oil and in that put chopped green chillies and saute.Then gradually add the ginger galic paste and saute. Next is add chopped onion and fry till it's translucent.
• Then add corn kernels and saute,add little water if required. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of lemon juice,Garam masala,Red chilli powder,salt,chopped carrot and saute for around 5-7 minutes.
• Once this is done,add  cooked rice to this.Mix gently and nicely.Cook for 2-3 minutes more on low flame so that the masala gets incorporated well with the rice,add chopped coriander to garnish and then serve hot.

           

        Notes

• Corn kernels should be fresh for best taste.
• Instead of lemon juice you can also use chopped tomatoes and saute them while cooking corn.
• You can also use this procedure to make corn pulav from leftover rice.
• If you want to make it less spicy you can skip garam masala and chili powder.
• Veggies like capsicum can also be added as per personal choice.

            

          Happy Cooking !

Banana stem stir fry(Vazhaithandu Poriyal)

     
   

The stem of the banana plant is widely used in south India which is called as Vazhaithandu.Most of the people will be unaware that banana stem is in fact edible.It has been used for a long time in Asian cuisine,especially South Indian for making soup,salad,raita and other form of curries.It is well known for its numerous health benefits and it’s highly fibrous nature.Some of the important health benefits are

• An excellent cure for Kidney stones
• Good for weight loss.
• Good for diabetic people.
• High in fibre content.
• Good in some of the stomach ailments like acidity, constipation etc.

The common recipe made using banana stem is 'vazhathandu poriyal' a dry side dish where coconut and spices like mustard, jeera etc are tempered in oil, and then freshly chopped veggies are tossed in and sautéed until cooked.The best part of a poriyal is that the tempering and spices are mild and the real flavor of the veggies is left to shine through.

Banana stem (we use only central round part) 

Banana stem is extremely high in fiber content and good for your tummy. The only hard part with this recipe is cleaning and prepping the banana stem. Once you get that done, this poriyal doesn’t take you more than 10 to 15 minutes from start to finish.I got to know about this banana stem dish from my patient cum friend Nandini who is native from kerala.Last Sunday when I had been to local vegetable market I found fresh banana stem and thought of trying the recipe,which turned out to be really delicious.

      Ingredients (serves around 3-4)

• Onion - 1/4 cup (finely chopped)
• Salt - 1/4 tsp (adjust per taste)
• Banana stem - 2 Cups (cleaned and finely chopped)
• Turmeric - 1/8 tsp
• Freshly Grated coconut - 1/4 Cup

Ingredients for seasoning

       
        For tempering

• Chopped garlic (2-3 bulbs)
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Hing – 1/8 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Urad Dal – 1/2 tsp
• Jeera - 1/2 tsp
• Dry Red Chili - 1
• Green chili - 1 (slit)
• Curry leaves (4-5)      

                                                                                                                                                                               

Slit and Remove outer hard part

Inner soft part used for making dish

  

Inner soft part cut into discs

                               
        How to clean the banana stem

• The banana stem is usually available in 8 to 10 inches long sizes. The outer fibrous layers have to be removed.
• Lay old newspapers on the kitchen platform before starting to cut this vegetable.
• Wear an apron as this leaves stains that cannot be removed.
• Remove the outer porous layers. Sometimes you may have to discard two to three layers until you reach the hard and firm inner layer.
• Take a wide bowl and fill it with water, add the curd into this and mix and keep aside. Now you have a cylindrical inner stem, cut this into discs and put them inside the curd-water.
• After the entire stem is cut into round discs, take 2 to 3 discs and stack them on a chopping board and cut them into small pieces.
• Put the pieces back into the curd-water. Drain this water while making the dish.                                                                                                                                 

  

  Discs are then chopped and soaked in water

        Method of preparation

• Heat a pan with oil.Once the oil is hot enough add all the ingredients given in tempering one by one. Saute until the urad dal turns golden brown.
• Add the onion to the pan along with the salt and sauté until the onion turns translucent.
• Now, add the banana stem and saute for 30 secs. Add the turmeric powder, grated coconut and mix well and cook covered in medium flame for about 10-15 mins or until the banana stem is cooked nicely.
• Serve hot as a side dish with rice.

        Note

• Banana stem will appear hard because of high fiber content, but will cook quickly. You do not need to add additional water for cooking but you can add very little water if required.
• Cut banana stem into thin slices. If long, thread like fibers are seen between the slices, wind them round your forefinger and discard. Very tender stems do not have these fibers.

      

        Happy cooking !

Sweet potato gulab jamun

Gulab jamuns is the classic indian dessert which is very famous and enjoyed by all in celebration meals.Gulab means rose and jamun means berry.Gulab jamuns are berry shaped balls dipped in rose flavored sugar syrup. Traditionally they were prepared using khoya at home which was tedious process but now a day people make gulab jamuns using readymade packets. Gulab jamuns made from sweet potato is almost similar to traditional sweet from Bengal called as mishit aloo'r pantua.

For dussehra this year I wanted to try some out of the box dessert recipe.While searching for recipes on the internet I found these one.Sweet potatoes are also easily available in this season. I had tasted many other recipes using sweet potato prepared by mom like chips or sweet potato karanji (nevri) but never tried jamun recipe.This recipe is made with fewer ingredients and easy to prepare. The taste of this jamuns is nowhere near jamuns made with khoya but their taste was different and good with soft texture.

                                                       

Sweet potato before cooking

        Ingredients

• Sweet Potatoes - 2 cup mashed
• All Purpose Flour / Maida - 2 tblspn
• Salt - a pinch
• Baking soda- a pinch
• Oil or Ghee for deep frying
• (Makes around 20 jamuns)
• For Syrup
• Sugar - 2 cup
• Water - 1 cup
• Cardamom Pods - 2 crushed

Sweet potato after cooking

        Method of preparation

• Take sweet potatoes clean them,cut them into half.In a pan take water and let them cook until they are soft.
• Poke the sweet potato using fork to check whether they are fully cooked. Then drain the excess water.
• Now once they are cooled down peel and mash the sweet potatoes nicely.
• Now measure 2 cup of mashed sweet potatoes in a bowl.
• Then add salt,all purpose flour and baking soda in the flour. Knead to make smooth dough.
• Now take small portion of the dough, and roll it into a smooth ball. Now set this ball aside.
• Take sugar and water in a sauce pan, heat and bring it to a boil, boil it for around 10 minutes, it will get thick in this time. Let it cool down to room temperature.Add crushed cardamom powder to the sugar syrup.
• Now heat oil for deep frying, drop jamuns in hot oil and fry on a medium heat till golden. Keep mixing this for even coloring.
• Now drain them and add to the syrup immediately. Let them soak for around one hour.Serve cold.

                                                                                   

Kneading the dough

                                                        

Make round balls for frying

        Note

• Mashing the sweet potatoes is the main step, you can mash them using hand or grate them using a fine grater.
• Add little maida if your mix is sticky, adding too much maida may turn out in making hard jamuns .
• You can enhance the taste of jamuns by adding rose water and saffron to the sugar syrup but it’s optional.

                                                                             

Fried balls ready to soak in sugar syrup

                             

        Happy cooking!