Owyachya paananchi bhaji/pakoda

There are enormous uses of owa/ajwain. Ajwain is used for culinary purpose as a spice, as well as for the medicinal purpose.

Owyachya paananchi bhaji/pakoda

5-6 Owyachi pane/ajwain leaves

Make a thick paste
2-3 tsp chickpea flour/besan
1/2 tsp rice flour
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
salt to taste
water as required

Oil for frying

Method

• Heat the oil inthe kadhai.
• Make a paste of all ingredients. Add a tsp of hot oil in it. 
• Dip the leaves in the paste. 
• Deep fry till golden brown in the oil.

garlic leaves

colocasia-2

colocasia leaves

turmeric

Masalyache pohe

This is another way to prepare daDape pohe....

Ingredients (for two)
2 cups jade pohe/thick  beaten rice( actually the measure is -1 fistful for 1 person)
1/2 cup Onion(chopped)-optional
1-2 tsp jaggery

To be ground in paste
1/4 cup freshly grated coconut
3-4 dry red chilies
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp tamarind paste
salt as per taste

Tempering
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida

Method

• Wash the poha with water. Drain the water and spread it on a plate. 
• Mix chopped onion.(optional)
• Grind coconut, coriander seeds,cumin seeds, red chilies,tamarind,salt without water. 
• Apply the ground paste and jaggery to the poha. 
• Heat oil in an iron ladle (paLi). Add mustard seeds. As they crackle add asafoetida and turn off the gas.
• Mix the contents with the poha. 
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and freshly grated coconut.

Palak Paneer

Rujuta Diwekar,in her book 'Don't lose your mind, lose your weight' suggests to add a milk product like paneer to your dinner which gives you a needed dose of tryptophan( an amino acid which helps to induce sleep). When consumed with a whole grain like wheat, jowar, bajra or nachni will lead to a restful sleep.
I made palak-paneer with chapati for today's dinner.

Ingredients
1 cup palak puree*
1-2 green chilies
2 garlic cloves
5-6 paneer cubes(if frozen soak them in hot water for 10-15 minutes)

salt to taste
1 tsp lemon juice
*1 bunch of palak/spinach ( take only leaves and stems,if tender)

Blanching- Boil 4-5 cups of water with a tsp of salt. Add washed spinach leaves with tender stems in it. Let the leaves be in it  for a minute. Transfer the leaves in a pan with 2-3cups of tap water. After a minute drain all the water and blend the leaves with green chilies and garlic cloves  in a blender to make a palak puree.


Tempering
1 tsp ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 garlic cloves (peeled and chopped)

Method

• Heat ghee in a kadhai and add cumin seeds. As it crackles add chopped garlic. 
• Add spinach puree. Add some water to adjust the consistency. 
• Add paneer cubes and bring it to boil. 
• Add salt and sugar to taste.

Vangyache bhareet

 Ingredients
1 big eggplant(bharatache vange)(approx.200-225gms)
 1cup curd( slightly sour)
salt and sugar to taste
 1/2 cup chopped onion
 1 tbl sp freshly grated coconut
 1-2 green chili
 2 tsp chopped coriander leaves


Tempering (optional)
oil
mustard seeds
asafoetida

Method

• Wash the eggplant and wipe it dry. Grease it with oil. Roast it well from all sides on the gas.
• Once it gets roasted completely,put off the gas. Keep the roasted eggplant in a plate and cover with a lid. (with this it becomes easy to peel off the skin)
• After it cools, take the skin off,remove the stem. Check if the eggplant is steamed properly.
• Mash the steamed eggplant.
• Grind coarsely coconut,green chili, salt and sugar to taste.
• Mix in the ground paste with it. Add curd,chopped onion and mix well.
• Add chopped coriander leaves.
• Heat oil in an iron ladle(paLi) and add all tempering ingredients and mix the contents in it.

Tasty pasta

Dee surprised me today with this pasta treat....

Gujrati khichdi with kadhi

Panchvati Gaurav near Bombay hospital(now also at Korum, thane, Thakker at Dadisheth agyari lane, kalbadevi,  Rajdhani at Churni Road station or at Nirmal lifestyle,Mulund are the favorite restaurants where we eat Gujju style food sometimes( say once in 3-4 months)
Those are Thali type restaurants where variety of vegetables ( 4-5 ,though in small portions),curries,buttermilk, papad, dhokla, samosa etc etc is served with 3-4 types of sweets.That day we had a craving for kadhi & khichdi(of Gujju style) . I googled & I got the recipe on  http://enjoyindianfood.blogspot.com/
Immediately I made the kadhi and khichdi which tasted so awesome that all was finished within no time. I could only take the snap of the portion which was left for me :(

Here's the link for kadhi http://enjoyindianfood.blogspot.com/2008/05/gujarati-kadhi.html
and this is for khichdi http://enjoyindianfood.blogspot.com/2010/06/dheeli-khichdi-gujarati-khichdi-2.html

Masoorchi aamti

Masoor i.e brown lentil comes in two types, the regular one is slightly brownish but the beLgavi masoor is smaller than the regular one and skin is peach colored. It gets easily cooked (no need to pressure cook). In Mumbai we get it  from some selected stores like Sarvodaya,Dadar or opposite Saraswat Colony, Mahim and that too in particular season(from March to May) . Generally I store it to use till the next season.  The preparation of both is the same but instead of beLgavi masoor I used the regular one as this time I ran out of stock.

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup masoor
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 green chili
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

To be roasted in oil
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
2 cloves

1/2 inch cinnamon

3-4 peppercorns
1/2 cup sliced onion
1/4 cup freshly grated coconut

To be ground in paste
all roasted masala
1 tsp tamarind paste
1 tsp chili powder(or dhane-mirchi masala)as per taste

Tempering
1 tsp oil
2-3 garlic cloves(crushed)

Method

• Wash the masoor. Pressure cook masoor.chopped onion,turmeric powder and green chili with a cup of water in a pressure cooker.
• Roast all masala in a tsp of oil.
• Grind the roasted masala with tamarind and chili powder in a grinder.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add crushed garlic cloves. Fry on medium flame till they become light brown.
• Add cooked masoor mixture. Add 1/2 cup of hot water and stir.
• Add ground paste in it. Mix well. Add hot water ( if required)to adjust the consistency.
• Add salt to taste. Stir well and turn off the gas after a minute.
• Garnish with chopped coriander.

curry leaves/kadipatta

Patichya kandyachi peeth perun bhaji

                                                                

A veggie of spring onion

In taste it is mild. It can also be used raw in salads. To make a dry veggie gram or chickpea flour is used whereas to make it slightly moist, soaked bengal gram /chana dal is used.

Ingredients
4-5 spring onions
chickpea flour as required( approx. 2-3 tsp for this)
1/2-1 tsp chili powder
salt & sugar(optional) to taste


 Tempering
1-2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp turmeric powder


Method

• Remove the dry skin on the onions if any. Cut the root part. Wash the leaves and pat dry.
• Separate the leaves part from the onion with knife.
• Chop the onions and leaves separately.
• Heat the oil in the kadhai. Add the tempering ingredients. As the mustard seeds stop crackling add chopped onions and then chopped leaves and cover. keep the flame low.
• After a minute take off the cover and mix well. Add chili powder, salt and  a pinch of sugar if you like. Stir well. Sprinkle chickpea flour with a spoon in parts. Mix and then add another spoon to get the idea of the quantity required to determine the dryness of the veggie.
• Cover with lid  for a minute to blend the veggie.Switch off the gas.
  
  Note
  This veggie requires a tsp of oil more than the regular one as there is no water added in it. Moisture is only from the onion.The quantity of the chickpea flour should be optimum so that the veggie does not become too dry.
  
  same method is used to make methichi(fenugreek leaves) peeth peroon bhajee
  

miniature roses

Owa/ajwain

Ghevdyachi bhaji

Ghevda-batata bhaji
Ghevada is also called as papdi or walpapdi. In the month of 'shravan' the variety is called as shravan ghevda.

Ingredients
 150-200  gms Ghevada ( wash and cut ends to remove threads and then torn into 1 inch pieces)
1 small potato( cut into cubes)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp kaLa masala
jaggery and salt to taste

Tempering
1 tsp oil
 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida
 a pinch of ajwain/owa
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Garnishing
1 tsp freshly grated coconut.

 

Method

•  Heat oil in a kadhai. Add all tempering ingredients one by one. As the mustard seeds crackle add potato cubes,chili powder and ghevada.
• Sprinkle some water over it if it is too dry.Cover with water on the lid.Lower the flame and let it cook for 5-7 minutes.
• Check(with fork)if the potato is cooked.Add kaLa masala.Ghevada also changes its color when cooked. Check if cooked properly. ( If not cover the kadhai for 2-3 minutes more and then add kaLa masala.)
• Add jaggery and salt as per taste.
• Garnish with freshly grated coconut.

Note
Instead of kaLa masala you can add coarsely ground coconut with little onion and 2-3 pepper corns. No need to add ajwain/owa then.

Dhondus

cucumber cake

The green cucumber called 'Tavas' is used to make this 'dhoundus'. This is generally harvested in the month of August/September or 'Shrawan'. This is very popular in Goa and Konkan.

Ingredients
1 cup grated cucumber with its juice(without skin)
1 cup water
1 cup grated jaggery
1 cup freshly grated coconut
4-5 chopped cashew nuts
1 cup rawa/semolina(preferably of rice)
1 tsp ghee
pinch of salt

Method

• Mix grated cucumber,water,jaggery,coconut,cashews and pinch of salt in a pan. Switch on the gas and let all jaggery dissolve and blend in the mixture.
• Simultaneously heat ghee in another pan and roast rawa till it turns golden brown.
• Mix the roasted rawa in the hot cucumber mixture and mix well. Cover with lid and let it cook on low flame.
• Once the water gets absorbed transfer the contents into a greased tin.
• Put on the gas on medium flame. Heat the griddle. Keep the greased tin covered on the griddle. Check after 5 minutes with a knife. (It should come out clean)

Note
If turmeric leaf is available. put it on the top of the mixture while baking the tin. The aroma of the leaf blends well with dhondus

Happy New Year !!!

Bye Bye 2010

             

HAPPY NEW YEAR

The story of 'why I started blogging' is hidden in the following story.

             Kareena kapoor's film Tashan released in 2008. Everybody started talking about the zero figure of kareena...her dietitian ...kareena's eating habits blah.. blah.. blah. On FM radios, on TV channels,Youtube videos and on news papers, almost everywhere the name RUJUTA DIWEKAR was making news. I also got familiar with the name but was not that much keen on reading the articles or listening to the discussions on Radio. But I knew the name and her profession.

          Somewhere in October 2009, I  accidentally came across Rujuta's book- 'Don't lose your mind,lose your weight'. Accidentally meaning I had no intention to get that from the library. I was looking for some other book and I just got hold of this one. Somehow after a glance I felt, I should go through it.

          I started reading the book on my way home and  got fully engrossed in it. I really liked her approach of writing. I finished reading the book on the very night and  started following some of her guidelines from the very next day. Till today my whole family is following it.

A little about Rujuta's book.....
    The book describes the daily routine of eating patterns, good & bad habits, myths and misconceptions about eating, diet etc. The right time to eat right food. Do's & Dont's . Many options for in between meals. Key to keep your body and mind healthy. To achieve this you don't have to go out of the way, just listen to the signals given by your body & follow some discipline.
          The book had a long lasting impact on my lifestyle. It changed my routine completely.
I have to go to the roots, to explain you from where it started....
         We, in our family, were not that bad as far as eating habits were concerned but something was going wrong. As if something was missing. Everybody's health was ok ok but once in two months a visit to the family doctor for cough/cold, throat infection was unavoidable. Though I was trying to manage with healthy and nutritious food, I was not satisfied with the result.
Morning schedule was....

        I used to get up in the morning at 6:45 and start preparing for the 'dabba' after drinking a cup of coffee, (without eating anything). My husband and daughter would also sip a cup of coffee with biscuits or bread while reading the newspaper. I would finish my kitchen chore at around 9:30 and used to get so  exhausted that lead to a cuppa more. Sometimes I used to feel fatigued and drowsy.

Now it has changed to......
       We start with eating a fruit in the morning. Morning breakfast would follow after half an hour.  I never woke up to coffee & never experienced any fatigue.

         I start preparing for the tiffin with fresh mind and healthy body. Surprisingly all my work gets over before 9 o'clock.( as the individual meal  size is reduced and no. of meals is increased. )
  Evening schedule was like....
         I used to make some snack for the evening at about 7. We all would eat that till 7:30 and then I would start my dinner preparation. Dinner would consist of chapati, bhaji ( morning leftover),rice and curry ( made in the evening), fresh salad. Sometimes a sweet/dessert (twice a week)

Now it has changed to....   
        I stopped preparing snack at 7, instead I serve dinner at 7 P.M consisting of fresh rice preparation( brown/white) or bhakaree & fresh bhajee or salad/sprouts, etc.

          This worked out so well that for the whole year we did not visit the family doctor for any illness. TOUCHWOOD!!

        The importance of eating homemade food, healthy food was realized to me only after reading Rujuta's book. It was not that I was not knowing it. Everybody knows it as it was taught in our schools. But we forget it comfortably over the period of time or you can say we get tempted to junk food.
      I thought of writing a blog of my daily preparations of break-fast,lunch and dinner so that the young generation  who gets more tempted to junk food will get  some idea about the healthy recipes which will help them change their lifestyle.
      I really feel that everybody  should read this book to clear the misconceptions and know the facts about eating right.

         Rujuta has a blog http://rujutadiwekar.blogspot.com/   as Rujuta's gyan and she also tweets on twitter http://twitter.com/RujutaDiwekar  Her  short and sweet articles in Out look India are worth reading http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?267385 

      Many of her fans including me are awaiting her second book release !!! There is no doubt that this will also break the previous record of her own.

Welcome 2011



Start this new year with the resolution to eat healthy & be fit.
'Health is Wealth' is so much true.