Sabudana Khichidi

Sabudana Khichidi
Sabudana khichidi is one of my fav things to eat...ever. It is quite easy to make but the main thing is that the sabudana itself has to be of good quality. If the sabudana doesnot soak through properly, then the resultant khichidi is very hard to eat. Soak it more, and the khihidi turns a soggy mess. My mom used to make this khichidi whenever she used to fasts. makes sense eating this during fasting, being rich in carbohydrates and everything...I learned how to make the right khichidi from my MIL. Personally, I think she still makes the better khichidi.:)
Recipe:
1 cup sabudana, soaked in water overnight. make sure that you wash the saubadana first and the water is just one layer more than the sabudana. cover the sabudana while soaking.
1/2 cup roasted, coarsely ground peanuts
1 potato boiled and chopped in medium-size chunks
3 minced green chillies
salt to taste
sugar to taste
2 tsp cumin seeds
3 tsp oil
2 tsp clarified butter
chopped cilantro for garnishing
Procedure:
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan, when hot add cumin seeds. Add the potato chunks and green chillies. Then add the roasted peanuts and then the soaked sabudana. Saute the sabudana on medium-low flame. Keep on doing it till the sabudana is transperant and soft to touch. Donot cover while cooking.
After the khichidi is cooked, garnish with cilantro and add clarified butter for extra flavor. Traditionally, this khichidi is prepared in clarified butter, but cooking in oil cuts down the extra calories.
Serve this khichidi when hot and with a side of yogurt. Some peopl like wedge of lime and grated coconut with this. The above quantity serves 2 people.
Enjoy
Dipti!

Stuffed Eggplant

Eggplants with dried shrimp

Eggplant stuffed with dried prawns, onions and spices

Yum yum yum. This is my mom's speciality. I remember when as a kid I used to wait for my mom to make this absolutely delicious recipe of eggpplants stuffed with dried shrimps and potatoes. Alternately, this recipe can be made with roasted peanuts. S has an aversion to eggplants but I make sure to add lots of potatoes and he loves it. My little duckie loves to eat this too though he is not fond of the dried shrimps in it. And me, I love the entire thing. So it just works well for the three of us.

Recipe:

4 small eggplants, washed and cut at the top into slits.

2 large potatoes cut into 1/4" rounds

2 medium onions, minced

1 handful dried shrimp, soaked in water and marinated w/ 1/2 tsp red chilli, 1/4 tsp tumeric powder, salt to taste and some tamrind pulp and paste made of 2 cloves garlic, 1/2" ginger, 2 green chillies and some chopped cilantro.

1 cup masala powder of dried dessicated coconut and fried onions

salt to taste

1 tsp garam masala

little sugar to taste
4 tsp + 2 tsp oil for cooking

Preparation:

Heat a heavt bottom pan with 2 tsp oil. When hot, add a pinch of asafoetida to it. Then add the marinated shrimp to it and roast till cooked. When cold, add onions, coconut masala powder, garam masala powder, salt and sugar and mix well. Stuff the eggplants with this mix. Heat the pan again with 4 tsp oil and when hot gently lower the eggplants into it along with the potato rounds and the leftover mixture. Cover and let it cook on low flame. When cooked, serve hot with chappatis and rice and varan.

Enjoy

Dipti!!

I know this recipe seems a little lengthy, but its definetley worth it.

Simple Moong Dal

Aromatic Moong Dal

I remember my mom making this dal whenever we used to get bored of veggies. This protein rich dal is very easy to make but is flavorful and easy to digest. I remember when I had my baby, my mom used to make this dal atleast thrice a week. The recipe I have below is an exact version of my mother's. I usually make this dal when my refrigerator is low on veggies, am too bored to run to the grocery store and whenever we are expecting or had a heavy lunch/dinner.

Recipe:
1/2 cup moong dal
1 small onion minced
1 sprig curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp roasted corriander powder
1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
1/4 tsp tumeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
pinch of garam masala
salt to taste
sugar to taste
cilantro for garnish
2 tsp oil to cook
Preparation:

Soak moong dal in warm water for atleast 2 hrs. Drain and keep it. Heat a kadai and warm up the oil in it. Once hot, add mustard seeds. When they start sputtering add cumin seeds and the curry leaves. Add onion and let it cook. Then add ginger-garlic paste, tumeric, red chilli powder, corriander and cumin powder. Stir fry for 1 min and add the soaked dal. Stir fry again for 1 min and let the spices mix with it properly. Then add 1 cup water, cover and cook till the dal is well done. Lower the flame to mediu-low so that it doesnt get burned. Adjust the quantity of water according to your needs, but traditionally, this dal is not runny. After the dal is cooked, add garam masla powder, salt and little sugar to taste. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve it with hot chappatis and ghee.
Enjoy
Dipti

Stir fried Swiss Chard

Stir Fried Red Swiss Chard

Coming to the US, I have made peace with my heart, mind and stomach that not all Indian vegetables will be available here but that I should make do with the locally available produce and use them as much as possible. Growing up, I used to eat lots of greens or rather my mom used to make me eat them, but in all fairness, they were delicious. One day while yapping to my friends about the dearth of "Indian" greens over here, someone mentioned Red Swiss Chard which is similar to a type of green leafy vegetable we get in Indian. So I drove to my farmers market, got me someof those colorful looking leaves and planned out the menu for lunch. They tasted somewhat similar to the bhaajii I used to eat in India but needed more onion and garlic. I liked it. S hates greens as it is. Duckie was suspicious but ate some of it. The verdict..??? This is now a regular at my house for lunch.:))

Recipe:
1 bunch of swiss chard
4 cloves of garlic- i love garlic
1/2 onion
2 tsp oil
pinch of asafoetida
salt to taste
sugar to taste
note: I rarely ever add any spices in greens. I love them simple, stir fried with onions and garlic.
Preparation:
Heat oil in a pan, add asafoetida when hot. Then add garlic and brown it a little. Then add onion and let it cook completely. Then add the swiss chard leaves and cook them till wilted and they lose the bitter taste. Add salt and sugar according to taste. This type of grrens doesnot handle reheating very well. So make this just before eating and serve hot with a side of yogurt, chappati or rice.
Enjoy
Dipti

Grated Potatoes (batatacha kiss)

Grated Potatoes with a dollop of Yogurt..

The Potato Mix
My mom usually made this great grated potatoes whenever she was fasting. This dish is a good source of carbohydrates, proteins and everything in between. Add a healthy serving of yogurt and you have a complete meal. The only hitch is that you actually have to spend a good amount of time grating potatoes. I alternate my hands while grating:) I love this dish because even though it has very few basic and simple ingredients, it is very filling and tastes great.

Recipe:

2 medium washed potatoes, grated, and squeezed to removed extra water

2 TBS roasted peanuts, coarsely ground

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp oil

2 green chillies finely minced

salt to taste

sugar to taste

chopped cilantro for garnishing

side of yogurt

Heat a heavy bottom pot and add oil to it. When hot, add cumin seeds and then green chillies. Then add the grated potatoes and roasted peanuts and mix well. Cover and let the potatoes cook. You will know the potatoes are cooked when the pot starts steaming. Donot add any water for cooking. Add salt and sugar according to your taste. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with a side of yogurt.

Sometimes, this recipe is made with clarified butter, but I use oil just to reduce the fat. Make sure that the potatoes are cooked completely before eating otherwise they just taste weird.

Enjoy

Dipti!

Sheera

Sweet Sheera- an all time favorite
Now here when I say all time favorite, I dont mean mine. I mean favorite for people in general like my husband who would devor it gladly anytime of the day: breakfast, snakcs, lunch or dinner. Sheera is made from sooji also known as wheat creamlets. This sheera is also prepared duirng any auspicious occasions or even whenever we have a simple puja at our home. Personally, I am not a big fan of sheera, but when S proclaimed his love for this simple dessert, I decided to give it a try. I usually have this after my meals, as a dessert. I kow people who would gladly have this for a main course.
Recipe:
1 cup sooji
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 tsps milk masala (crushed powder of almonds, cashew, pistachios, cardmoms and saffron)
1/2 cup clarified butter (ghee), more if you are not watching your weight.
pinch of salt (to bring out the sweetness)
1 heavy bottom pot just so that sooji doesnt get burned while roasting
Preparation:
Heat the pot and keep it on medium-low flame. Add the sooji to this and start roasting slowly. add clarified butter slowly. Sooji should be medium brown and soon you will be able to smell the it. Take care not to burn this. Then in a separate container mix the milk and water together and microwave on high for 2 min. Add the hot milk to the roasted sooji immediately and carefully and add the pinch of salt too. Mix well. Lower the flame to "low" and cover the pot. Check after sometime to see if the sooji is cooking properly. you can check by pressing some between your fingers to see if is cooked properly. When cooked completely, add sugar and milk masala to it. Mix well and cover it. Let it steam twice and serve hot.
SOme poeple like it cold, some hot while some at room temperature
Some add fruits like pineapple, banana and mango while adding sugar. Lessen the quantity of sugar accordingly.
When heating it the next day, add some milk and microwave it.
Enjoy
Dipti

Cucumber Raita

Green Cucumber Raita
This is my fav raita. Very easy to make. And because of cucumbers it has a great cooling effect. A perfect summer side dish. I usually make this as a side dish with biryanis or any similar spicy main course.
Recipe:
1 large cucumber, peeled and diced
1 TBS roasted peanut powder
salt to taste
sugar to taste
1/2 lime juice
1 tsp grated coconut
2-3 green chillies, minced
handful of chopped cilantro for garnishing
for tempering:
2 tsp oil
pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp cumin seeds
Preparation:
Peel and dice the cucumber. Add all the ingredients and mix well. Heat a small pot for tempering. Add oil and when hot add asafoetida and cumin seeds. When they start sizzling, turn off the gas and pour the tempering over the mixed cucmber raita. Mix the raita well and serve chilled.
There is another method where you can omit the grated coconut and add 2 TBS of yogurt. Add more sugar then and omit the lime juice completly. That too taste great with biryanis.
Enjoy
Dipti

Spicy Coconut and Garlic Chutney

Spicy Coconut and Garlic Chutney
This is one of the most common and versatile chutneys found in maharashtrian households. This chutney tastes best with vada pav, bhajis (fritters) or any other fried snakcs. This chutney at the same time can add spice to any boring meals. I remember eating this chutney by the spoonfuls with most of the meals when I was young. This chutney can be made in bulk and stored in an airtight container for upto 2 weeks.
Recipe:
1 cup dry dessicated coconut
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste
sugar to taste
Mix all the ingredients together and dry run them through the blender, making sure that they get mixed well. Store in an airtight container for peruse.
There are various variations of this chutney. Some add ingredients like white sesame seeds or black ajwain seeds or roasted corriander seeds or even oil. Whenever I am making fresh chutney for vada pavs, I usually drizzle 1 tsp of oil in which the vadas have already been fried. It just gives it a different taste and binds up all the ingredients together.
Enjoy
Dipti