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

BhopaLyache Gharage

 Pumpkin purees

Lal bhopaLa as we call it, Pumpkin is rich in beta carotene, low in fat & calories. It contains 90%  of water.
  I prefer to make these purees in winter as they are deep fried. BhopaLyachi bhajee or bhopalyache bhareet are not that  popular as these purees are.

Ingredients
1 cup grated pumpkin
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cup grated jaggery
1/2 cup grated coconut
1/4 cup rice flour
1 cup wheat flour
salt to taste
oil for frying


Method

• Wash the pumpkin. Remove the seeds. Grate the pumpkin such that skin remains.( you can make chutney of the skin)
• In a pan heat a tsp of oil and add grated coconut,grated pumpkin and  turmeric powder. Cover with lid and let it cook on low flame for 2 minutes.
• Add jaggery and salt. Mix well. Let the jaggery melt and mix in. Switch off the gas.
• Add both the flours and mix with a spoon thoroughly when the mixture is hot. (Add wheat flour if required to adjust the consistency).Cover and keep aside till it cools.
• Knead the mixture to make a dough. Apply oil on palms to make it easy.
• Make small balls out of the dough. Pat each ball on a plastic sheet and spread with fingers to make a puree or vada.
• Deep fry in oil.

Note
There is no water added in this so these purees or gharage last for 3-4 days.If the dough is prepared in advance (i.e a day before)then gharge become soft.

pineapple shira/ananasacha shira

Ingredients
2 -3 tsp ghee/clarified butter
1 cup rawa/semolina
1/2 cup pineapple pieces
2 1/2  cup  water
3/4 cup sugar
a pinch of salt


Garnishing
3-4 almonds(blanched and chopped)
raisins and saffron

Method

• Dissolve saffron sticks in a tsp of warm milk.
• Boil water with pineapple pieces,salt and sugar.
• Heat ghee in a pan and roast rawa/semolina till light golden brown.
• Add only pineapple pieces from the boiling water in the rawa and mix well and roast the mixture little more.
• When done add boiling water, chopped almonds and cover with lid on medium flame for 2-3 minutes (till all the water gets soaked in)
• Garnish with raisins and saffron with milk.

Ukadiche Modak

Ukadiche Modak
         sweet dumplings

The favorite dish/dessert/sweet of Lord Ganapati. Generally made on Ganesh Chaturthi or Sankashtee.

Ingredients

For the cover
1 cup rice flour
1 cup water
1 tsp oil
a pinch of salt

For the stuffing
1 cup freshly  grated coconut
1/2 cup grated jaggery
1/2 tsp cardamom powder/nutmeg powder
1/2 dry roasted sesame seeds/poppy seeds (optional)

Method

• Mix grated coconut with jaggery in a pan and stir on medium flame. When jaggery dissolves and mixed well with coconut, take of the heat. Add cardamom powder/nutmeg powder.
• Let it cool.
• Boil water with salt and oil in it.
• Lower the flame and add rice flour. Stir well with back of the spoon or knife.
• Cover with lid for a minute.
• Take off the heat. Let it remain covered for 2-3 minutes.
• Transfer the contents in a shallow plate/paraat. Knead the dough when warm.
• Dip your palm in water if necessary( if the dough is hot & sticking to your palm.)
• At the end apply a drop of oil on your palm and make medium size smooth balls out of it.
• Make a deep katori/bowl out of each ball ( taking one at a tome)
• Fill the stuffing with a spoon. Try to pinch  plates (with a thumb,index and middle finger)to see  the video 'how to do it' click here
• Close the ball by enclosing all the plates together.
• Do the same procedure with all balls.
• Place all Modaks/dumplings in a colander or container on a sheet of banana leaf or a leaf of turmeric.
• Steam Modaks in a steamer or pressure cooker ( without whistle)for 10-12 minutes.
• Let them cool.
• Serve with  sajuk tup/clarified butter.

Note
Banana or turmeric leaf is not available every time ,everywhere so you can use thin plastic sheet or cling film (purpose is to provide non-stick base for the modaks while steaming.)

Lapshichya rawyachi kheer

Lapshi rawa/Daliya Porridge

Cereals are rich source of vitamins & minerals. They are the major part of our diet.When refined, cereals lose the nutrients. Refining of cereals lowers down the nutritional value. Therefore brown rice is healthier than all purpose flour/maida.
Porridge is made out of cereals. Semolina/rawa is a coarse form of wheat. Semolina/Rawa which we use for making porridge/shira when roasted in ghee gets easily cooked in milk or water.
In case of daliya or lapshi rawa(thick semolina hence more fiber), time required is more. To save time I roast it in little ghee/butter and warm water and cook it in the pressure cooker before hand. Things become very simple thereafter.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Daliya/Lapashi rawa
1 tsp ghee/butter
2 1/2 cup milk
1 cup sugar ( as per taste)
1/2 cup freshly grated coconut(optional)
4-5 almonds(blanched,peeled & sliced)
1 cardamom powder or whole(optional)
2 tsp charoLi/chironji
pinch of saffron

Method

• Roast daliya(thick semolina) in ghee till it changes its color slightly. Add (1 cup warm water + 1 cup warm milk) in it. Add grated coconut (optional).Cook it in a pressure cooker.
• Transfer the contents in a thick bottom pan and add milk,sugar. Mix well to remove the  lumps if any.
• Add almond slices, cardamom, charoLi/chironji
• Bring it to boil. Adjust the consistency by adding warm milk if required. Add saffron.(dissolve in a tsp of warm milk)
• Serve warm or cold.

Shengdana laDoo/laddoo

Whenever I make sabudana khichdi, shengdana/peanut ladoo has to follow. Whatever  extra shengdana  koot (crushed peanuts) remains, it turns into ladoo.  I intentionally roast some extra peanuts as Dee loves it...:)

Ingredients (makes 2)
1/2 cup Shendana koot (crushed roasted peanuts)
1/4 cup jaggery ( as per taste)
1-2 tsp ghee/sajuk toop/clarified butter ( to knead the ladoo)
1/4 tsp  sunth powder/dry ginger powder ( as per taste)


Method
Mix all the ingredients together to knead a ball or ladoo. It's so easy.

Note
Addition of dry ginger powder gives a slight spicy taste and is also good for digestion.

SurnoLya

(buttermilk pancakes)This recipe is from the book 'Saraswat swayampak' by ShaliniNadkarni.

Ingredients

1 cup rice
1 cup butter milk(sour)
1 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 fist beaten rice/poha
1/2-1 cup freshly grated coconut
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
jaggery as per taste( buttermilk is sour so to compensate the taste add accordingly)
salt to taste

Method

• Wash rice and soak in buttermilk with fenugreek seeds in it for 4-5 hours
• Grind in fine paste thereafter with  beaten rice, grated coconut,  turmeric powder, jaggery and salt .
• Keep covered for 10 hours.
• Pour a ladleful of a mixture on a hot beedacha tawa/griddle/non-stick pan on a medium flame. Spread with the ladle. cover with a lid for a minute.Do not turn,it is done from one side only. And it's done. Serve with sajook toop

Note
Care is to be taken to keep the covered vessel in a warm place (in the pressure cooker ) if it is  very cold outside. Or keep the mixture in an air tight container sothat it easily ferments.
I soak the ingredients in the evening about 5 or 5.30, grind it at night at around 10 and in the morning it becomes FAST to prepare the break-fast.

Ravyacha Cake/Eggless semolina cake

This is the traditional eggless cake. It's anytime cake as the ingredients are always there in the pantry. Need no special equipments and can be made easily on gas.





Ingredients
1 cup rawa/semolina
1 cup sugar
1 cup curd/dahi
1 cup milk
1 table sp ghee/clarified butter
1 tsp baking soda
2-3 drops of rose essence
a pinch of salt
raisins,charoli/chironji,chopped almonds


Method

• Grease the cake pan/aluminum baking pot/ non-stick pan with little ghee/clarified butter.
• In another pan mix all ingredients in order and stir with spoon to mix well. Cover the pan and keep aside for five minutes.
• Transfer the contents to a greased cake pan.
• Switch on the gas on medium flame and keep the cake pan on it.Cover with lid.Let it cook on high to medium flame for 10-12 minutes and then simmer the flame and let it cook for further 5-7 minutes.
• When done, check by pricking knife in the cake(it should come out clean)
• Let it cool. Transfer it on the plate and cut into pieces.
  
  
  
  
  

Note
When half done I put sand on a  hot griddle and shift the cake pan over it to spread the heat evenly.

Kayrolya

(wheat flour banana pancakes)

We call it kayrolya.I have given the sweet version here as I love it. To make the kayrolya/pancakes little spicy, Mom used to add chopped green chilies and salt in the batter without the jaggery of course.They are so soft, just dissolve in your mouth.To make them crisp,just put for some more time on the griddle on low flame.

Ingredients

1 cup milk
4-5 tsp wheat flour
1 tsp rice flour
1/2 ripe banana(mashed)(optional)
jaggery/sugar as per taste
a pinch of salt

Method

• Mix in the wheat flour in milk. Mix well so no lumps remain in it. Add rice flour and stir well.
• Make a smooth paste and adjust the consistency by adding water if required.
• Add the grated jaggery and mix well to dissolve it completely in it. Add salt.
• Heat the non-stick pan and pour 2-3 tsp of mixture to make a  pancake. (spread if required)
• Cover with lid.Cook on medium flame with both sides golden brown.

Note

• For a change in taste add 1/2 mashed ripe banana in the batter. Adjust the amount of jaggery according to the taste as addition of mashed banana would make the batter slightly sweet.
• Better if you use whole milk otherwise add a tsp of ghee in the batter to make the pancake soft.
• I purposely avoided adding baking powder or soda bi carb to retain the nutrients in the dish.

NaraLachya rasatalya Shevaya

(Rice flour noodles in coconut milk)

Ingredients

For Shevaya
1 cup rice flour
1 cup water
1 tsp oil
salt to taste

For coconut milk
1 cup freshly grated coconut
 jaggery ( as per taste)
 a pinch cardamom or nutmeg powder (optional)


Method
Grind grated coconut,cardamom/numeg powder in a mixer. Strain the coconut milk in a bowl, mix in the grated jaggery so that it gets dissolved in it.

Boil water in a saucepan. (add salt abd oil while heating)
Simmer the gas and add rice flour in parts.
Mix well and cover the pan. keep the flame low.
Let it cook for 1-2 minutes.turn off the gas. Let it remain covered for 2 minutes.
Transfer the contents in a shallow dish. Knead the flour into a soft dough. ( dip palms in water while kneading)
Make 3-4  balls out of the dough and press each one in your fist to make a 'mutka'.
Heat a saucepan with sufficient water in it. Add mutkas as water starts boiling. All will immerse in it.
As water boils, mutkas get cooked and float on water.
Grease the  shevecha sacha/press with oil.Put 2 mutkas in it while they are warm. ( as per the availability of space) Press the handle  to make shevaya.
Dip the shevaya in coconut milk and jaggery mixture while serving.

Note
I use 1/2 coconut milk and half milk combi
Ready-made coconut milk can also be an option

Bharali RajeLi

Rajeli banana or plantain is yellow in color, slightly bigger than normal banana( king size) hence the name (Raja=king) When ripe only then it gives a sweet taste. When raw it is used to make fried chips or wafers.
bharali rajeLi is a sweet dish but I make it slight spicy by adding green chili and cumin seeds.

Ingredients
2-3 ripe RajeLi ( outer skin should turn black; though it is black from outside,from inside it is firm)

2-3 tsp ghee

To be ground

1/2 cup freshly grated coconut

1/4 cup sugar (as per taste)
2 green chilies
1 tsp cumin seeds
a pinch of saindhav/black salt/salt

Method

• Peel off the banana. Make 3-4 pieces according to the size.Give four cuts to each piece so that you can stuff the mixture in it.
• Grind all the other ingredients.
• Stuff the mixture into the pieces.
• Heat ghee in the non-stick pan. Arrange the pieces upside(open side)down. Cover the pan.
• Cook for 5-7 minutes. Check in between. Turn  the sides when golden brown.
  
• Serve warm or cold with sajuk tup.

Note
cashew nuts and raisins with cardamom is added in purely sweet version.

Goad Shira

 
GoaD Shira
We savor this dish in the canteen of Shree Shantadurga Temple,kavlem Goa. My daughters love the taste too much. I make it at home but there is something special in the atmosphere at Shantadurga devsthan that enhances the taste.

Ingredients
1 cup Semolina/rawa(jada)
3/4 Sugar
2 cups water + 1/2 cup milk
2 tsp ghee/cow ghee
2-3 cloves(lavang)
a pinch of saffron/keshar (better if dissolved in milk)
few drops of orange color(optional)



Garnishing
5-6 sliced almonds
 8-10 raisins




Method

• Heat 1-2 tsp ghee in the pan   add  rawa .Roast till it changes its color and  transfer it in a bowl.keep aside.
• In the same pan add remaining ghee and add cloves.
• Pour hot water + milk . Add a pinch of salt. Add sugar. stir well.Let it boil. Simmer the flame.Add saffron + milk. Add color (optional)
• Add roasted rawa/semolina in parts while stirring the mixture.
• Cover the pan till all the water is soaked.
• Add garnishing & stir well .

RataLyacha kees (sweet)

This is the sweet version of sweet potato.Again an Upwas dish.

Ingredients
1 medium size sweet potato
Sugar according to taste ( I take half the measure of the slices)
a pinch of salt
2-3 tsp ghee


Method

• Wash the sweet potatoes neatly. Slice them in thin medium pieces.
• Sprinkle some water if they are too dry
• Heat ghee in a pan.
• Add slices and cover the pan. keep the flame medium.
• open the lid after 3-4 minutes and add sugar. Mix well and cover for a minute so the sugar gets mixed.
• Add salt  & mix well and Take off the heat.
• Serve hot or cold.

KeLyache Aappe

This is a typical sweet of Karnataka. Slightly over-riped bananas can be used to make this dish. All the ingredients are easily found in the kitchen so it's really any time preparation.




Aappe
Banana-semolina sweet buns



Ingredients

1 ripe banana
1/4 cup (as per your taste)jaggery(guL)
1/4 cup grated coconut
semolina ( as required)

4-5 cashew nuts/ charoli /roasted ground nuts
4-5 Small pieces of fresh coconut(optional)
1 tsp cardamom powder(optional)

Method

1. Mash the banana.
2. Add jaggery,coconut and mix well.
3. Add semolina spoon by spoon to get the desired consistency.(dropping   consistency like idli batter or a cake mixture)
4. Add cashew nut  pieces and cardamom powder. mix well
5. Heat the appe patra on gas on medium flame
6. Grease the appe patra with ghee and pour the batter in each section by spoon
7. Add little ghee on the sides of the batter and cover with lid.
8. After 2-3 minutes turn the appe with the help of spoon and fork
9. Grease  with little more ghee.
10.When the other side is golden brown take it out and serve hot with shuddha toop.

Prasadacha Shira

Satyanaran Poojecha Shira

Ingredients
Semolina/rawa
Sugar
Milk
ghee/cow ghee

All the four quantities are taken in equal proportion. ( 1 cup each)
1 banana (ripe and mashed well)

Garnishing
5-6 sliced almonds
 8-10 raisins
1 velchee/elaichi(cardamom) powder



Method
1.Heat the ghee in the pan and roast the rawa/semolina till it changes its color and gives the roasted aroma
2. Stir in the mashed banana. Continue to saute the mixture till banana merges well with rawa.
3.Pour hot milk slowly and stir well.Cover the pan. Let it cook till all milk is soaked.
4. Mix the sugar and cover it for 2 minutes.
5.Add garnishing & stir well .


Note

Variation can be done using barik(fine) rawa (fine semolina) or lapshi rawa(gavhacha rawa).
You can replace sugar with  gud/guL /jaggery
You can add nutmeg powder instead of cardamom. Saffron can also be added.
For prasad its only milk but I add little water in  the  milk to make the recipe soft.
Ordinarily I use half milk and half water. Also half the quantity of ghee is sufficient then.

Moong dal shira

Satyanarayan Pooja is very popular in India and so the prasadacha shira  is the combination of wheat semolina, banana etc. whereas moong dal shira is prepared with moong dal or yellow split peas which are very high in protein content.

Moogachya DaLicha Shira
   Yellow split peas sweet


Ingredients
1 cup moog dal(soaked in sufficient water for 3-4 hours)
1/2 -3/4 cup ghee (as per your taste)
1 cup milk +1 cup water (hot)
3/4 cup sugar
1 pinch of salt

Garnishing
7-8  almonds (blanched and peeled and sliced)
saffron or keshar (sticks soaked in  1-2 tsp of milk)

1 tsp cardamom powder(optional)
raisins as required




Method
1.Drain  the soaked moog dal and grind it in a mixer. (don't add additional water)
2.Heat heavy bottomed pan. Add half the ghee.
3.Add moog dal paste. Saute fry in ghee. Add remaining  ghee and saute till the dal changes its colour to golden brown.(it takes little patience)
4.Stir in hot milk and water slowly. Stir well. Cover the pan for 4-5 minutes.
5.Mix sugar and salt.
6.Add garnishing
8.Serve warm with some more ghee(optional)


Note
It's a heavy dish and preferably eaten all by itself.
I made it all natural but you can add lemon food color to enhance its appearance.