Matki pulao Moth beans rice

Matki Pulao…. one of the rare pulaos which I saw in a marathi cookery show.. The taste of the pulao was just heavenly.Give a twist to your usual pulao/biryani by adding chick peas. Legumes are not only rich in protein, but also high in fiber. Matki pulao is mild, aromatic and full of flavor!

The pulao has to be made with basmati rice and ghee or else something will be a little amiss if you do not use basmati rice and ghee. Hmm frankly speaking, its a little time consuming process to make this pulao. But I bet you would not regret the time spent. Trust me, it tastes simply fantastic.

 You can use fresh matki or sprouted matki  or even use leftover matki for this pulao.








Ingredients:
1.5 cup cups sprouted matki 
2 cup rice 
1 tsp ginger garlic paste 
½ cup curd 
2 onions  sliced
1 small potato cubes
 1 tomato 
1 or 2 green chilies slit
1 tsp kasoori methi
few strands of saffron 
2 tbsp warm milk  
1 tsp red chilli powder 
 ½ cup chopped coriander and mint leaves 
salt 
water  4 cups

Garam Masala to be ground in mixer
½ tsp  caraway seeds (shahjeera) 
1 black cardamom ( badi elaichi)
 2/3 small green cardamom  (elaichi)
 1/2 strands of mace  (javitri)
 2 tsp badishep (fennel seeds)
 2 cloves 
1 inch cinnamon

Tempering

2 tbsp ghee 
1/2 tsp black jeera (shahijeera)
 1 bay leaf 
2 cloves 
1 black cardamom
 1/2 inch cinnamon


Method:

1. Wash basmati rice till water is clear  & keep it soaked in water for atleast 30 minutes .Drain & keep aside.



2.Soak the matki overnight & sprout them or you can even soak them for minimum 2 hours  in water .

3.Chop  onions, tomatoes, chillies, coriander and mint leaves and keep aside.

4.Smoothen the curd and keep aside. Soak the saffron in warm milk. Grind all ingredients under garam masala to fine powder in mixie.


5.In a kadhai heat the ghee and splutter the caraway seeds. Next add  whole garam masala –  bayleaf ,cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves.Fry the whole garam masala for few seconds and then add the onions. & fry till it is golden brown.


Now add the ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell of the ginger-garlic disappears.  Add the chopped tomatoes & green chillies.Add red chilli powder ,garam masala powder prepared in step 4



6.Saute for a minute  and add. the basmati rice. Mix well and saute the entire mixture for a minute. Add the curd, saffron-milk mixture and boiled matki, coriander and mint leaves,kasoori methi with 1.5 cups of water .



7.Season with salt and allow the rice  to cook on medium flame. Once water gets absorbed cover with lid & cook till done.



8.Serve hot with raita, pickle, papad or any veg salad.  I had served with pickle papad,spinach pakoda & masala chaas.

Kaleji masala hyderabadi style | Liver Masala

Kaleji masala is quite a popular dish in dhabas and restaurants especially to have with drinks. A mixture of spices and liver together combined and nicely coated to make a nice dry dish.
Liver especially the Goat’s liver is considered to be a good source of Vitamin A and a good remedy for night blindness but for those with cholesterol should reduce liver consumption as its high in cholesterol. As liver is bitter in flavor soak the liver pieces in milk for 30 mins to remove the bitterness.

While cooking the liver you need to be careful that it should not be over cooked  or else it turns hard
Slow cooking and Sauteing / bhunofying gives the dishes a real good taste which is missing in the pressure cooked food. The liver gets cooked in its own juices and the ingredients are added one by one while sauteing. 

I have even posted maharashtrian style  kaleji fry recipe which you can check out here

Ingredients

Goat kaleji / liver 400 gms 
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1  tbsp lime juice
Onion 2 sliced finely 
Tomato 1 small 
Yogurt 4-5 tbsps 
Green chillies 2-3 (you can add more if you like ) 
Ginger  1 tbsp grated 
Garlic 1 tbsp crushed 
Black pepper corns 1 tsp 
Bay leaves  1-2 
Cinnamon stick  1 piece 
Black cardamom  1 
Cloves  4-5
Coriander leaves  handful 
Mint leaves  few 
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp 
Coriander powder  1 tsp
Red chilli powder  1/4 tsp (or more ) 
hyderabadi Garam masala powder 1 tsp 
Kasoori methi 1 tsp 
Desi ghee  1/4 cup (you can use oil if you like )
Salt to taste 

Garnishing. 
Coriander leaves ,Slit green chillies and ginger juliennes ...



Method: 
1. Wash the liver and cut into cubes. Marinate it with ginger garlic paste and lemon juice
2. In a pan heat the ghee and add the whole spices mentioned - pepper corns, cloves, black cardamom, cinnamon stick and bay leaves. 
3. after 3 minutes when spices arre fragrant ,add the sliced onions, and saute until light brown. 
4. Add the ginger, garlic and green chillies and reduce the flame.
5. Now add the liver cubes and keep frying on a low flame without covering the pan. 
6. Add the spice powders except garam masala, which you will add at the end. 
7.  Now add the tomato pieces and continue cooking and stirring on low flame until you see the tomatoes are well blended.
8. Now add the whisked yogurt and mint leaves and coriander leaves. Mix well and cook until the yogurt is absorbed and the ghee / oil starts separating. 9. Now is the time to add the salt, kasoori methi  and garam masala powder. Stir well and let it cook for a minute.   liver is ready to be served.
9.Garnish with coriander leaves ,ginger juliennes and slit green chillies. -

Coconut chutney |Naralachi chutney marathi style

Normally i make pudina or cilantrio chutney for veg sandwiches .but recently I tasted a sandwich made using this chutney at my mausis place and I asked her the recipe instantly .last weekend i made a sandwich using this coconut chutney for breakfast

This is made using freshly grated coconut ,with spicyness from green chillies ,sourness from tamarind /lemon juice & sweetness from either sugar or jaggery,addition of 

lets go to the recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup grated fresh coconut
2 -3  Green chilies
1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped
half inch ginger
2 garlic cloves
pinch tamarind / 1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp jaggery/ sugar
1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp sugar

Method:

1) Roast cumin for a minute over medium heat..

2) Grind fresh coconut, green chilies, cilantro, cumin, tamarind/lemon juice,jaggery/sugar, salt together. If you want thin consistency, add little water and grind again

Tips
1. Can add 1 tbsp yoghurt instead of lemon juice to above chutney

Spring Onion Missi Roti

At times when i am bored to cook a full meal I try to combine veggies & flour & try to make paratha/roti .
One such interesting and healthy recipe is spring onion missi roti.

I have already posted plain missi roti recipe on my blog.Missi roti is an Indian bread made with a combination of wheat flour and gram flour(besan) and seasoned with spices.
Addition of palak (spinach) leaves makes this recipe more healthy .

Missi roti is an unleavened bread from Rajasthan, the city famous for deserts & palaces. Missi roti is made with whole wheat flour and chickpea flour spiced with chillies, onions  and red chilli powder. Optional additions are carom seeds (ajwain) and cumin seeds (jeera). It is believed that they help in preventing gas formation after consumption of ‘chickpea’.



Served with a dollop of butter and accompanied with any Indian vegetable or lentil dish, missi rotis are an excellent way of sprucing up the proteins in your diet. Missi Roti can be served for breakfast with curd or pickle

It can be eaten with a dry or wet subzi , thick dal fry  or even by itself! 
Because of the combination of 3 dif

todays recipe I have used spring onions /hara pyaz / paticha kanda instead of normal purple onion which gives it a unique flavour


 Onion provides that inimitable crunch and slight sweetness that lends to a perfect balance in the flavour of the roti. 

So go ahead, enjoy your methi missi ki roti!

Ingredients
1 cup besan (bengal gram flour)
3/4 cup plain flour (maida)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta)
2-3 finely chopped spring onions (use both onion greens and white as well)
1 1/2 tsp finely chopped green chillies
1 teaspoon chaat masala powder
1/2 teaspoon degi mirch/red chilli powder
pinch hing(asafoetida)
1/2 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves 
2 tbsp kasuri methi 
1 tbsp ghee
salt to taste
whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta) for rolling
ghee for cooking
butter to serve




Method:

1.Combine all the ingredients into a deep bowl and knead into soft dough using enough warm water.




2.Divide the dough into 16 equal portions and roll out each portion into a thin circle of about 125 mm. (5") diameter with the help of a little whole wheat flour for rolling.



3.Meanwhile heat the Griddle(Tawa/Flat cast Iron skillet) on a medium high heat.

4.Roll them into small balls, Taking one small ball at a time flatten it  with a rolling pin , dust the flattened dough with flour on both sides and start rolling them again into a nice round chappati.




5.Put this flattened rolled out roti on the hot skillet, cook for about few minutes on both the sides.

6.Next hold the roti directly on gas flame & let it cook till you see brown spots appearing on roti .take care not to burn them.


7. Flip it on both the sides to get it evenly cooked, apply butter/ghee on both the sides, until it is lovely golden brown in colour, that means it is done.

8.Serve it with butter/Ghee, pickle ,chutney and dal makhani / rajma / chole.

Palak thepla recipe

Thepla is a favorite gujarati snack bread. Theplas are an inherent part of gujarati meals, and are used for regular meals, travelling and for picnics! eaten with curds and chunda, theplas can be enjoyed hot or otherwise. 


Sometimes whole jeera or til can be added to enhance the flavour of theplas. You can even add other ingredients like palak and doodhi to this recipe, to add more variety to your menu. 


Visit a gujarati house, you will find theplas. You can eat it just without any accompaniment, giving you the satisfaction that you have actually had sopalakng substantial to eat.
Serve it for breakfast, in a lunch box or to children as a snack.

todays recipe is about palak theplas

Ingredients:-

1 cup Wheat Flour
1 tbsp besan (chickpea flour)
2 crushed Green Chillies
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Haldi (turmeric) 
1 tbsp Ginger & Garlic paste
1 tsp Ajwain (carom seeds) / 1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
1 pinch Hing 
3/4 cup Palak (spinach) Leaves 
1 tsp Coriander powder 
1 tsp Cumin Seeds powder
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup dahi (curd)
Salt to taste 
Oil as needed 

Method :

1.Clean palak bunch & pluck palak leaves. Immerse them in salt water for 10 minutes.Wash the leaves carefully 3-4 times in water & drain the leaves.

Crush the green chillies in a mixie

2.Chop palak leaves coarsely & add salt ,red chilli ,cumin coriander powder,turmeric ,sugar,ginger garlic paste & keep aside for  10 minutes.
3.Mix wheat flour,ajwain / cumin seeds  & besan in a flat  bowl. 
4.Mix the palak leaves  kept aside in step 2 along with besan & wheat flour. 


5.Add 1 tsp oil and knead it. Dont add water while kneading as palak leaves will ooze out some water . Add little water only if required.Let it stay for 15 minutes. 



6.Then make even size small balls of the dough. 
7.Roll them separately with a rolling pin into a round shape. 
8.Heat the griddle and roast each of the rolled out theplas one by one. 


9.First roast one side,turn it upside down. 
10.Then put 1/2 tsp oil on the turned side and again it upside down. 
11.Repeat the same with the other side. 
12.When evenly roasted remove it from griddle. 
13.Repeat this for all the balls. 
14.Serve them hot with butter or  mango pickle /garlic-chutney or curd.

Alternative Additions
Instead of palak leaves add ½ cup grated doodhi/grated bottle gourd to make Doodhi theplas. This has to be cooked on medium heat.

Serving Suggestions
Serve it as a snack with tea or coffee.
Serve for breakfast with chevdo and some pickle
Last but the least, serve it with a subzi of your choice

Tirangi modak |tricolour fried (tallele) crisp modak for ganesh chaturthi |panchkhadya modak

Presenting another variation of fried modak ----> TIRANGI CRISPY MODAK  or TRICOLOUR  FRIED MODAK (FRIED DUMPLINGS WITH COCONUT & SUGAR FILLING)

I have used red and green food colour & used maida to make these modaks instead of wheat flour.I have used maharashtrian prasad khirapat or panchkhadya as a filling or stuffing in this modak ,for panch khadya recipe pls click here

A modak (Devnagari:मोदक) is a sweet dumpling popular in Western an.d South India. It is called "modak" in Marathi and Konkani, "modhaka" in Kannada, "modhaka" or "kozhakkattai" in Tamil, and "kudumu" in Telugu.

 


The sweet filling is made of fresh coconut and jaggery while the shell is of rice flour. The dumpling can be fried or steamed.

 Modak has a special importance in the worship of the Hindu elephant god, Ganesh. Modak is believed to be his favorite food and hence is also known as modakapriya. Ganesh worship ceremony (puja) sometimes concludes with an offering of modaks to the deity.

INGREDIENTS


COVER

2 cup all purpose flour (Maida)

1/2 cup semolina (rava /sooji)

salt pinch

FILLING

2 cup desicated coconut
1-2 tsp roasted poppy seeds khas khas
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp elaichi (cardamom ) powder
4-5 powdered dry dates (kharik)
pinch saffron
1 tbsp  roasted dryfruits  (almond,cashew,pista)
1 tsp ghee



METHOD

1.Soak semolina in equal quantity of water for 15 minutes.Mix soaked semolina with maida  flour add salt & knead to a medium consistency dough (neither too hard not too soft). Keep covered under damp cloth for 15-20 minutes.

 

2.Mix coconut & powdered sugar in a bowl & add 1 tsp of milk & keep aside for 10 minutes.Add 1 tsp ghee in a kadhai  add roasted poppy seeds .Next add desicated coconut & sugar mixture & stir on a low flame till the mixture turns golden brown

3 Modak making is an art and needs lots of patience and practice.







4.Divide the dough into three equal sized portions.now mix green food colour with one part & pink colour with other part.See Tip 4
keep them covered under damp cloth.now make small equal number of balls from white pink & green dough.

 
5. now take   white pink & green  coloured balls & place adjacent to each other .now press them with your palms to ensure that no space remains in between three balls & the result will look like a three petal flower as shown below.
 Simply roll out the tricolour ball into a 2-3 inch diameter thin circle with help of a rolling pin. the diameter of circle will depend on the size of the individual ball




 
6.Spoon some stuffing at the center of the bowl.













7.Make small pinches side by side all along the outer surface of the bowl.







8.Gather the periphery at the top and join to form a peak.




The pleated shape looks like a whole garlic.

10.Remove excess part of the peak & make it pointed as shown in below  picture.



 

11.Heat oil in a frying pan & fry the modak in batches till golden brown on a medium flame.






12 serve 21 modaks as a neivadyam to lord ganesha
 

Tip


1. While frying the modaks in oil place the tip of modak pointing downwards & base should be on top. once the tip turns golden brown flip the modak  so that the base goes in downward directionThis will allow the tip of modak to get fried uniformly.

2.You can even use wheatflour instead of maida for cover

3 can use wet coconut jaggery stuffing as we make for ukadiche modak

4 For uniform  mixing of green /red colour with maida add colour to respective maida dough & then just pulse it once or twice in mixer .

PanchKhadya recipe |panchkhadya khirapat easy recipe for ganpati prasad

Think of Maharashtra, and you are instantly reminded of  celebrating the Ganesha Chaturthi with great pomp.

Lord Ganesha is specially fond of `modak', `puran poli', `panch khadya' (dry fruits) and `kheer' made on this occasion.

I'm sharing the recipe of  panchkhadya khirapat, the favourite prasad or naivedya offered to Lord Ganesha.

 khirapat or panchkhadya  is made from minimum 5 ingredients therefore the name. normally it has ingrediensts starting with marathi letter kh  namely khobra ,khadi sakhar,khismis ,khas khas ,kharik but you add fry fruits  of your choice or even golden raisins (manuka)
i had even added a pinch of saffron - kesar to ake this prasad shahi means royal

When you are in a hurry and you need to prepare a prashad this is the best thing to do. Within 5 to 10 min you can make the prasad and be ready for the Ganpati Aarti.
 Panchkhadya modak which consists of dry dates(kharik)  raisins, cashewnuts, powdered sugar and khobra

Ingredients
 1 cup dry coconut grated (sukha khobra)
 2 tbsp poppy seeds
 4-5 almonds +4-5 cashew + 4-5 pista
 4-5 dry date  (kharik )
 4-5 tsp rock sugar  (khadisakhar - you can use regular sugar too)
1 tsp elaichi powder

pinch saffron (kesar)

 Method


1. Dry roast the coconut until it is golden brown. keep aside to cool. crush it slightly with hands



2. Dry roast the poppy seeds, after it comes to room temperature grate it in mixer to make coarse powder.

3.remove seeds from kharik , dry roast slightly & make  a coarse powder.

4 also dry roast dry fruits slightly & make  a coarse powder



5.pound rock sugar /normal sugar coarsely in mixer

 6.mix dry fruit powder, dry dates powder &  coarsely grinded sugar as needed to the dry coconut & poppy seeds powder. your khirapat is ready



Tip
1.roast above ingredients on low heat take care not to burn them


 

Ukadiche Modak | Maharashtrian ganesh chaturthi special modak | Coconut jaggery stuffing Steamed dumpling

A modak (Devnagari:मोदक) is a sweet dumpling popular in Western and South India. It is called "modak" in Marathi and Konkani, "modhaka" in Kannada, "modhaka" or "kozhakkattai" in Tamil, and "kudumu" in Telugu.

The sweet filling is made of fresh coconut and jaggery while the shell is of rice flour. The dumpling can be fried or steamed. The steamed version is eaten hot with ghee.

Modak has a special importance in the worship of the Hindu elephant god, Ganesh.

Modak is believed to be his favorite food and hence is also known as modakapriya. Ganesh worship ceremony (puja) sometimes concludes with an offering of modaks to the deity.

In MUMBAI modaks are even made on the occasion of angariki chaturthi 

Ukadiche Modak (Steamed dumplings stuffed with sweet mixture of coconut-jaggery)

INGREDIENTS

For the stuffing:

• 2 cups shredded fresh coconut,
• 1 cup jaggery, (or a little more to adjust the sweetness if the jaggery is not sweet enough)
• 1 teaspoon roasted poppy seeds,
• 1 teaspoon rice flour,
• 3-4 cardamoms.

For the cover (Ukad):

• 1 1/2 cup rice flour,
• 1 1/2 cup water,
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ghee,
• 1/2 teaspoon oil,
• a pinch of salt

METHOD

1. To make the filling, combine coconut and jaggery and heat over medium heat. Keep stirring for 15 minutes until jaggery is completely melted and the mixture is moist.
2. Add cardamom powder, roasted poppy seeds and 1 teaspoon rice flour to it. and cook for a minute. Avoid overcooking else the mixture starts drying out. This is called the stuffing for Modaks. Now turn off the heat and let the mixture cool.
3. Next step is to make the cover. The dough for the cover is called Ukad in Marathi. For this, boil 1 1/2 cup of water. As water starts bubbling, turn the heat to low, add ghee, oil, salt and quickly add rice flour. Stir well. Cover for 2 minutes. Remove the lid and mix properly. Turn off the heat.
4. Turn out the mixture into a deep dish/plate. Knead it properly while hot. Keep pressing the mixture with the bottom of a flat bowl to knead it. This releases the lumps easily as well as keeps your hands from burning. This mixture should be sticky to your hands. Gather into a soft pliable dough.
5. Modak making is a little tricky and needs lots of patience and practice. Here is how you work on it:
   1. Divide the dough into equal sized balls.
   2. While working on one ball, keep the rests covered under a damp cloth. Take one ball and make an impression in the middle with your thumb to make it look like a small cup.
   3. With the thumb still inside and rest of the fingers pointing downwards along the outer side of the cup, gradually shape it into a bowl, alternately rotating between your thumb and the rest of the fingers until it is nice and thin. You may dip your fingers in water and oil to make the rotating easier. (Alternatively, skip this step and simply roll out the ball into a 3 inch diameter circle, hold it in your hand to form a bowl)
   4. Spoon some stuffing at the center of the bowl.
   5. Dip thumb and index finger in water and make small pinches side by side all along the outer surface of the bowl.
   6. Gather the periphery at the top and join to form a peak. The pleated shape looks like a whole garlic.
   7. Trim off the excess part of the peak. Seal cracks (if any) with some dough.
6. Similarly, shape rest of the balls. Dip the bottom of each modak into water (This helps to lift them out easily as they are done) and arrange them in a modak steamer. Or if steamer is not available, heat some water in a big vessel. Spread a damp cloth in a sifter and arrange all modaks on it. Place the sifter in the vessel with a stand/small pot half filled with water under it and cover with a lid. Else, you can also use pressure cooker (without whistle) for steaming. Steam for 20 minutes or until the cover is cooked through.
Modaks are to be served fresh with ghee on top. (Don't forget to offer Modaks to Lord Ganesh before you eat :- ))

TIPS

1) Sieve the rice flour twice to avoid getting cracks in the modak. 
2) Add 1 tsp milk to the water for making cover. This helps modak retain their white color.
 3) Add nuts (in crushed form) of your choice in the filling.
4) Store leftover dumplings for not more than 2-3 days in the fridge; steam again just before serving.

Besan modak |ganesh chaturthi special recipe

Modak has a special importance in the worship of the Lord Ganesha.

Modak is believed to be his favourite food and hence is also known as modakapriya. Ganesh worship ceremony (puja) sometimes concludes with an offering of modaks to the deity.

todays modak is made from besan /gram flour hence known as besan modak .

this is my moms recipe.every year she makes these besan modaks during ganpati festival.



Ingredients

 2 cups coarse gram flour (also known as besan for laddus which is coarse),
 1 1/2 cups ground sugar (increase the amount if the sugar is less sweet),
 3/4 cup melted ghee (clarified butter).
 2 tbsp milk,
 cardamom powder,
 raisins, almonds, pistachios - any nuts of your choice



Method

 1.Roast gram flour in ghee over medium heat until aroma comes and it turns light red.
 Microwave Method: Mix together gram flour and ghee in a microwave deep dish. Put it in the microwave. Keep an eye on it and stir frequently to keep the mixture from burning.

 When the mixture turns light brown (approx. 10 minutes), remove. Microwave method is faster than the regular one.

 2.The mixture is lumpy at this stage. Sprinkle milk over the roasted mixture.It sizzles and looks thick and foamy. Turn the heat off and stir the mixture.

 3.Add sugar once the mixture is warm. Mix and knead it well with hands. Add cardamom powder and nuts.

 4.Grease the modak moulds with ghee

5..place few almond/pista /cashew  shavings on both sides of mould as seen below so that when you remove modaks from mould  they will be visible on exterior portion of modaks.

6. Fill the moulds with besan mixture batter .



7.Remove modak gently from mould & place in  a plate & serve as a neivadya to ganpati or else you can enjoy it as a sweet dish





Tips:-

1. U can make besan  laddos from above mixture  . If the mixture appears dry and you have difficulty rolling the laddus, use some more ghee.
2. Saute the besan in low flame ONLY. It will take a lot of time but do not increase the flame as it will becoe brown but not roast properly
3.  While doing this if your mixture looks liquidy, do not worry. It will cool down and become good for you to mould.
4. Use coarse besan rather than the fine besan we get in super market.
5. If the mixture is dry while roasting, you can add more ghee