Green Thalipeeth

A multigrain, multi pulse delicacy eaten for breakfast or as  an evening snack. A dish very typical to Maharashtra and Karnataka. Can be made in many different ways, this is my version of it. I have used a lot of spinach, fenugreek, coriander, cucumber and chinese cabbage.

Ingredients

2 cups of bhajni peeth  (available in grocery stores or could be home made too)
1/2 a cup finely chopped spinach
1/2 a cup finely chopped fenugreek
1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves
1/4 cup red cabbage finely chopped
1/2 a cucumber grated
1/2 tspn coriander powder
1/2 tspn cumin powder
A pinch of asafoetida
Salt as required
Chilli powder

In  broad vessel take all the above ingredients mix well, add water only if required to make a dough. Once ready make equal sized balls, grease a pan spread the dough with your hands, make holes in it, drizzle oil in each hole, cook covered to a golden colour on both the sides. Serve with yogurt, thecha, sauce or any dip. 

                                                                 
                                                                      Sambar Masala

This particular masala is used for making the authentic sambar. Credit for this one goes to my mother. I remember as a youngster how this would be made in a huge vessel and served with steaming hot super soft idlis, a blob of white butter fresh, home made, inviting us all to jump into the bowl!! The sambar and the idlis would disappear in no time, relished by all. And as i always say, gone is my mother and the taste is gone with her. I do try my best at making it but it's not the same. Sharing with you all my recipe.

First you need to pressure cook 1 cup of pigeon pea lentil with your choice of vegetables and a pinch of asafoetida, a pinch of turmeric powder, a few curry leaves. This makes the base curry aromatic.

Ingredients
1 big onion chopped
1 tomato chopped
fresh coriander for garnishing

Ingredients to be ground to a paste

Roasted in very little oil
1/2 tspn of split black gram lentil, bengal gram lentil
1/2 a tspn of cumin and coriander seed
5 black pepper corns
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 inch of ginger
2 cloves
1 small ball of tamarind
4 dry red chillies
1/4 tspn of fenugreek seeds
1 marathi moggu
1/4 cup of freshly scraped coconut

Method

in a deep bottomed vessel take oil, temper with mustard seeds, turmeric powder and asafoetida, add the chopped onion saute till golden brown, add the ground paste and the tomato, salt to taste, cook for a while till the tomato becomes mushy, add the cooked lentil, adjust the consistency to you taste, give it a boil and serve with freshly chopped coriander as a garnish. 

                                                     
                                                           Raw Banana And Fenugreek

An innovative recipe made on an impulse.  Experi-mental brain at  work once more!! Tasted awesome with chapati and can be a side too for curry rice and curd rice.

Ingredients

3 raw bananas
1 bunch of fresh fenugreek
Salt to taste
Chilli powder to taste
Dry mango powder or a squeeze of lime
Fresh coriander  and freshly grated coconut for garnishing

Method

First peel and chop the bananas into medium sized long pieces. Take coconut oil in a pan and saute the pieces with salt and chilli powder as shown in the above picture and keep ready.

Now in the same pan take a some coconut oil and make a tempering of mustard seeds, turmeric powder and asafoetida. Add the chopped fenugreek leaves, let them cook well, add salt to taste just enough for the fenugreek leaves, add the ready banana pieces, mix well and squeeze lime, garnish with freshly scraped coconut and coriander. Serve with chapati, curd rice or curry rice.

                                              Indian Flat Bread made With Mustard Cress

Indian Flat Bread, our own desi paratha. This again is a dish made on an impulse when I saw a lot of lovely green fresh mustard cress looking at me swaying away in my tiny balcony. This year too as it is the practice in my house every year, the preparations for the Ganesh festival were taking place. First comes the process of placing the order for the idol. We noticed the new concept of the Tree Ganesha and decided on having the same one for this year, different as well as eco friendly. You get the idol of your choice sitting in the middle of  a longish pot filled with mud, you keep the same and worship the Lord. After the pooja on the last day you don't need to go for immersion, you need to keep putting water on the idol everyday, the idol will slowly melt and merge in the pot. You can grow plants too of your choice in the same pot. The mustard I used has grown in the pot too. I called it the holy mustard. Used the same to make my parathas.

Ingredients
2 cups of whole wheat flour
2 cups of home grown mustard cress, washed and chopped
1 cup of fresh green coriander chopped
1 tspn of cumin powder
1 tspn of dry mango powder
1 tspn of crushed pepper
1 tspn of crushed ginger
2 tspns of crushed green chilli
1 spoon of roughly crushed carom seeds
a pinch of turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Method
In a big plate, we call it paraat in Marathi, usually used for mixing dough. Take a ll the above ingredients and mix them well, by doing this you get an idea of how much moisture the leaves are releasing. Once done you get a clue of how much water to add for making a dough. Once done with the dough cover at let, it rest for about fifteen minutes. Divide the dough in equal small sized balls, roll out and roast on a pan with little oil on both the sides as shown in the picture. You will enjoy the pungent taste that the mustard gives out. Eat with mirchi thecha, pickle, sauce, fried chillies, curd, or as it is.

                                                           
                                                                Power Packed Chutney

Sides in an Indian meal are an essential part of a fully loaded balanced daily platter of food. They can be anything from a pickle to a rice crispy to a salad to a fritter!! The one I am sharing today is a tasty chutney packed with health and nutrition. The basic ingredient being flax seed which helps control cholesterol, diabetes, weight and many other health issues. Next come the curry leaves awesome flavour and good for the hair. Coconut and sesame seeds for the nutty taste. Peanuts for  the protein content, warmth and energy in this chilly weather. Mangosteen or kokum which has many health benefits like it is a cooler and a antihistaminic. Can be eaten with chapati, bread, curry rice and curd rice. How can you miss out on the amazing heat giving chillies? Using here the red dry variety.
You need to roast each ingredient separately.

Ingredients
1 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup dry coconut
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup peanuts
6 dry red chillies
4 dry mangosteens (Kokum or Amsol)
Leaves from two sprigs of curry leaves
Salt to taste

Method
Roast all ingredients separately in a weee bit of oil except the peanuts. Use the ones which are already roasted and peeled. Grind all ingredients to a nice semi fine powder. Store in a bottle and keep in a cool place. If you made a big quantity store in the refrigerator for better shelf life.

                                                             
                                                                Raw Tomato Chutney

The lovely green raw tomatoes in the market are so tempting and eye pleasing that I have bought them many tomes this season and made chutney.

This particular time I made some  experi -mental additions which made it awesomely tasty. Sharing the recipe with all of you.

4 raw tomatoes roughly chopped
4 dates soaked for 2 hours
2 tspns of tamarind washed and drained, use the pieces of tamarind while grinding the chutney
1/4 cup white sesame seeds
1/4 cup roasted peeled peanuts
4 green chillies
Salt to taste
2 tspns of grated jaggery

In a pan take little oil, first add the chillies and saute them, next add the sesame seeds, now the tomatoes, let the mixture become a mushy one, add the peanuts and roast a wee bit since they are already roasted.

Grind all this with the rest of the ingredients into a not too smooth chutney. It is ready to savour with phulkas, spread it on bread, as an accompaniment with curd rice and as a basic side with any meal.

                                                                       
                                                                  Idli Omelette Pizza

It's breakfast time and nothing of the same mundane stuff interests me to get up and make it!! With a lot of boredom I look at a few idlis and some eggs and ..........my mind gets into the experi -mental mode!! Another successful invention test, like the Masterchefs..hehe... where I tested the result on myself and came out happy, yeah... so here's for you another story of fusion cuisine.

Ingredients

3 eggs beaten with salt pepper, a few drops of milk, mixed with it is half an onion finely chopped, a few sprigs of fresh coriander, 3 finely chopped green chillies.

3 idlis cut into two half discs or else a whole idli would be too thick. Dip these in the omelette mix for about half an hour to let them soak up all the goodness of the egg and the spices. 

Method

Now in a pan take some amul light butter and pick up each idli piece and keep it gently, spread all the pieces in this way, and now pour all the mixture on top to cover the idlis. Cook till done, flip and cook till done to a crisp golden colour. Finally grate half a cube of amul cheese, cover for a bit, the cheese melts and the dish is ready!!