Sev Puri

Sev Puri is my another favourite chaat. Every bhelpuriwalla gives his unique taste to Sev puri. In Girgaon, there were 2 bhelpuriwallas who use to make awesome sev-puris, one at Sikka Nagar and the other one was located exactly on the opposite street near Kanyashalla. Taste of both the sev-puris were different, but both were equally tasty.

Many people still get confused between sev puri and dahi batata puri..Sev puri (also known as Sev batata puri) as the name indicates is sev topped on puris along with potatoes and chutneys and important thing is - curd is NOT used in Sev puri.

Ingredients :
20-25 Puris (flat puris)
1 cup bhelpuri sev (nylon sev)
1-2 medium sized potatoes (boiled and mashed)
1 medium sized onion (finely chopped)
1-2 tspoons finely chopped raw mango
¼ cup finely chopped corriander
Green chutney (mint – corriander chutney)
Red chutney (red chilly – garlic chutney)
Sweet chutney (Tamarind, dates & jaggery chutney)
Chaat masala
salt to taste

Preparation :
Arrange the puris in a flat plate.
On each puri set some mashed boiled potatoes and finely chopped onion
Sprinkle some salt over it.
Now pour green chutney, red chutney and sweet chutney.on it.
Now generously sprinkle sev on the puris.
Sprinkle some chaat masala on the sev.
At the end, garnish the puris with chopped coriander and pieces of raw mangoes.

Note : In case of non-availability of raw mangoes, use ½ lemon juice.

Basic chutneys for chaat

Generally three chutneys are used while preparing any chaat. i.e. red chutney (red chilly and garlic chutney), green chutney (corriander and mint chutney) and sweet chutney (dates, tamarind and jaggery chutney). You may store these chutneys in refrigerator for 4-5 days before the chaat program at your home.

RED CHUTNEY
Ingredients :
12-15 red chilies
10-12 garlic flakes
salt to taste
water

Preparation :
Soak red chillies in water for 2 hours.
Grind together all ingredients with little water
Consistency should be medium.

GREEN CHUTNEY
Ingredients :
1/2 bunch of green corriander
10-12 stands of mint leaves
4-5 green chillies
5-6 garlic flakes
1/2 tsp of jeera
salt to taste
water

Preparation :
Grind together all ingredients with little water
Consistency should be medium.

SWEET CHUTNEY
Ingredients :
Lemon sized ball of tamarind
9-10 seedless date pieces
Medium piece of jaggery.
A pinch of salt
water

Preparation :
Boil together tamarind, dates and jaggery in little water and extract pulp.
Consistency should be kept medium.

Dahi Batata Puri

Chaat is a broad term and it encompasses many dishes like Bhel, Pani Puri, Dahi Batata Puri, Ragda Pattice, Sev Puri. In Girgaon (Charni Road), there is famous Chaat-walla at Tarabaug (2 min walking distance from charni road station & my Hinduja college). All the chaat items served by him are mouth-watering. You will also love his masala puri, which he gives after you make payment. There is also a little khao galli near Madhavashram Lane which is not so famous. However, the Dahi Batata Puri and pani puri, you get is amazing.

Dahi Batata Puri comes 5 – 6 puris per plate.The ingredients used are similar to Sev Batata Puri. However, the basic difference between these two chaats is the shape of puris. The puris used for Dahi Batata puri are puffy while for Sev puri the puris are flat. Also, curd / yogut is not used in Sev Puri, which is one of the major ingredient used in Dahi Batata Puri.

Ingredients :
1 packet puffed puris (used for pani-puri) (1 packet contain 50 puris)
3-4 medium sized boiled potatoes
1 finely chopped onion
½ cup boiled sprouted moong
Dhana-jeera powder
Chaat masala
Chilly powder
Green chutney (mint – corriander chutney)
Red chutney (red chilly – garlic chutney)
Sweet chutney (Tamarind, dates & jaggery chutney)
Finely chopped corriander
2 cups thick curd
1 cup fine sev (bhelpuri sev)
2 tspn Sugar
salt to taste

Preparation :
Mash the boiled potatoes after removing the outer skin.
Sprinkle red chilly powder and salt over the potatoes.

Beat the curd to remove its lumps.
Add sugar and salt to the curd.

For Dahi Batata Puri:
With the help of thumb, make a hole in the centre of the puffed puri.
Arrange 5 to 6 puris in a plate.
Stuff mashed potato, onion and boiled moong in each puri.
Now pour red chutney, green chutney and sweet chutney in the puri.
Now sprinkle chaat masala and dhana jeera powder over the puris.
After that pour beaten curd over the puris
Lastly garnish it with sev and corriander.
Serve immediately otherwise it will become soggy

Note :
1. Some people also make Dahi batata puri with “Ragda”.
2. Filing of soaked and drained “boondi” along with potato and moong also enhances the taste

Vegetable Idli

Vegetable Idli is a very common recipe. Only variation made here is adding chopped vegetables in the batter, which will enhance the taste of our regular Idli.

The vegetables I have used are uncooked, however, you may saute the vegetables in oil before adding it to the batter. Further, ingredients like grated coconut, mushrooms, green-peas could also be added to this recipe. Further, chutney ingredients like ginger-garlic paste, mint leaves etc. could also be added to make it more spicy.

Sending this event to My innovative kitchens -"Twist The Traditional - IDLI"

Ingredients
3 cups rice
1 cup split bengal gram (Urid Dal)
2 cups of finely chopped mix vegetables
(Carrot, Capcisum, sweet corn, etc.)
1 tablespoon chopped corriander
1- 2 finely chopped green chillies
Oil for greasing
2 teaspoons fruit salt (Eno)
Salt to taste

Preparation:
Soak rice and urid dal roughly for about 4 to five hours.
Wash and drain the excess water.
Grind the rice and urid dal together in mixer.
Transfer the mixture in a bowl
Allow it to ferment overnight
Adjust the batter to medium consistency.
Add finely chopped vegetables, corriander, green chillies and fruit salt to the mixture.
Grease idli mould (Idli patra) with oil and pour the mixture into it.
Steam the idlies for fifteen to twenty minutes.
Once the Idlies are cooked, keep the mould aside for few minutes to cool down.
Gently take out the idlis from the mould.
Serve hot.

Pani Puri

Rarely you will find a person who doesn’t like Pani Puri. This is an all-time favourite chaat item of everyone. Our trip to chowpatty would be incomplete without Pani-puri. It is also known as "Golgappa" in North and "Poochka" in East.

Stuffing of pani-puri could be either made up of potatoes, moong, boondi or ragda or combination of any of these. The taste of pani can be enhanced by serving it chilled.

Further, puris can be made at home also, but it makes the task a bit difficult. Hence, puris should be bought readymade.

Ingredients :
Pani-puri Puris (A pack containing 50-100 puris)
Dates-tamarind chutney
1 cup boiled moong
1 cup soaked and drained boondi (optional)
2-3 boiled potatoes cut into small pieces & slightly mashed

For pani
3-4 tspn Pani-puri masala (Readymade dry masala)
½ cup chopped mint leaves
½ cup chopped coriander
3-4 green chillies
1/2 tspn black salt
1 tspn cumin seeds (Jeera)
1-1 ½ tspn dry mango powder (Amchur powder)
1 to 1 ½ litre water
Salt to taste

Preparation :
For Pani
Make smooth paste of mint leaves, corriander, green chillies, cumin seeds in mixer-grinder.
Take water in a vessel and add paste, pani-puri masala, black salt, amchur powder and salt to it.
Keep the pani in freeze for cooling.



While Serving
Make a small hole in the centre of each puri
Fill the puri with small quantity of mashed potatoes, moong and boondi.
Add some dates-tamarind chuty into the puri
Lastly dip the filled puri in pani and serve it.

Saanza (Vegetable Saanza)

Upma is originated from south and in most of the Udipi restaurants, we get south Indian Upma for breakfast. In Maharashtra, upma is prepared in a bit different manner and is called “Saanza”.
Saanza is a yellow coloured upma. Turmeric is used as in ingredient while preparing Saanza which is not used in Upma. Generally, there are two type of Saanzas – viz Plain Saanza (Tikhat Mithacha Saanza) and vegetable Saanza. Plain Saanza is made without vegetables while in vegetable Saanza, onion, potatoes, cauliflower, green-peas, etc. is used. Also, instead of lime juice, butter-milk is used which gives it a unique taste.

Here is the recipe of vegetable Saanza.




Ingredients :
2 cup coarse rawa (Semolina)
3 cups water
1 cup butter-milk
2-3 finely chopped onions
1 chopped potato
1 chopped tomato
1/2 chopped carrot
¼ cup green peas
¼ cup peanuts
2-3 finely chopped green chillies
8-10 curry leaves
1 tspn mustard seeds (Mohri / Rai)
½ tspn cumin seeds (Jeera)
½ tspn turmeric powder
Pinch of asafaetida (Hing)
1-2 tspn sugar
Salt to taste

For garnishing :
Finely chopped coriander
Grated fresh coconut
Yellow Sev

Preparation :
Roast Semonina on a low flame till you get aroma at a distance and keep it aside.
Take water in a vessel and keep it for boiling
Add green peas to the boiling water

Add oil to the kadai for heating.
When oil is hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafaetida, curry leaves, peanuts and green chillies.
Add finely chopped onion to the above mixture
Fry till it turns light pink
Now add potato, tomato & carrot.
Cover the mixture with lid and let it cook.
Add turmeric powder and salt to the mixture.
Transfer roasted semolina to the kadai
Saute the mixture for 3-4 minutes
Now add boiling water and butter-milk to the mixture
Mix the mixture gently
Immediately close it with lid and let it cook.
After 10-15 minutes pour sugar on the mixture
Again mix the mixture

At the time of serving add grated coconut, yellow sev and coriander to it.

Note :
Lime juice may be used instead of butter-milk, but in traditional Saanza, butter-milk it used.
You may also add vegetables like French beans, cauliflower etc.

Saanza (Tikhat Mithacha Saanza)

As compared to vegetable Saanza, this is very simple to prepare. The method of preparation is similar to that of vegetable Saanza. The only difference is, no vegetables are used to make this.



Ingredients :
2 cup coarse rawa (Semolina)
3 cups water
1 cup butter-milk
2-3 finely chopped green chillies
¼ cup peanuts
8-10 curry leaves
1 tspn mustard seeds (Mohri / Rai)
½ tspn cumin seeds (Jeera)
½ tspn turmeric powder
Pinch of asafaetida (Hing)
1-2 tspn sugar
Salt to taste

For garnishing :
Finely chopped coriander
Grated fresh coconut
Yellow Sev

Preparation :
Roast Semonina on a low flame till you get aroma at a distance and keep it aside.
Take water in a vessel and keep it for boiling

Add oil to the kadai for heating.
When oil is hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafaetida, turmeric powder, curry leaves, peanuts and green chillies.
Transfer roasted semolina to the kadai
Saute the mixture for 7-8 minutes
Add salt to the mixture.
Now add boiling water and butter-milk to the mixture
Mix the mixture gently
Immediately close it with lid and let it cook.
After 10-15 minutes pour sugar on the mixture
Again mix the mixture

At the time of serving add grated coconut, yellow sev and coriander to it.

Khamang Kakdi

Khamang Kakdi is a popular Maharashtrian salad (koshimbir) with cucumber (kakdi) and roasted and grounded peanut (danyache kut) being the main ingredients.
Just to give you a background, in Maharashtrian cuisine salads are mainly of two types, one with roasted and grounded peanut and the second one with a tempering (tadka) and without peanut crush. In the second one, curd is the main ingredient of the salad. Cucumber salad with roasted and grounded peanut is called Khamang Kakdi and the one with a tempering (tadka) and without peanut crush is called Kakdichi Koshimbir.
Khamang Kakdi is served as side dish popularly known as Daavi baju or an item that is kept on the left side in the plate (a place meant for salads and starters). This salad can also eaten on the fast days (with certain modifications) and tastes delicious with Sabudana Khichadi.

Ingredients :
5-6 cucumbers
½ cup roasted peanut crush (Danyache kut)
1-2 green chillies (finely chopped)
¼ cup grated coconut (fresh)
¼ cup coriander (finely chopped)
½ lemon juice
1 tspn sugar
salt to taste

For tempering:
3-4 tspns oil (or pure ghee)
1 tspn cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tspn mustard seeds
¼ tspn asafaetida
7-8 curry leaves (optional)

Preparation :
Peel cucumber and chop it finely
Keep it aside for 15-20 minutes and remove the excess water (optional)
Add roasted peanut crush, coconut, coriander, salt and sugar and mix it well.
Add lemon juice to it.
For tempering :
Heat oil or pure ghee in a pan
After heating add rest of the ingredients to oil
Pour the tadka on Khamang kakdi and serve.
Notes :
1. If you are making it for fast, then mustard seeds, curry leaves, coriander etc. should not be used.
2. Chopped green chillies can be added in tempering also

I am sending this recipe for the event - Gayatri's Walk Through Memory Lane hosted by Rasi of Vegetarian Food and Me 

Chatka

Chatka is an easy-to-make Maharashtrian side dish. Chatka in Marathi means 'burn'. That should already give you an idea about this recipe. This recipe is just right for spice lovers and will set your taste buds on fire.

Statutory warning: Make sure that you serve/eat only a small teaspoon of this dish.

Ingredients :
1 cup chana dal (Harbhara dal)
4-5 Garlic cloves
4-5 Green chillies
1 Cup curd
Corriander

For tempering :
4-5 Tspn oil
8-10 methi seeds
Mustard seeds
Asafaetida (Hing)
Turmeric Powder
Curry leaves
Dry Red Chillies (optional)

Preparation :
Soak chana dal in water for 3 – 4 hours.
Take soaked dal, Garlic, green chillies in a grinder
Grind it coarsely
Add curd and salt to it.

For tempering :
Heat oil in a pan
Add all the ingredients for tempering to the oil

Pour the tempering on Chatka
Garnish it with corriander

Modak (Ukadiche modak)

Modak is a popular Maharashtrian sweet that appeals to people of all ages. This sweet is made especially on Ganesh Chaturthi and is Lord Ganpati's favorite. A naivedya (special offering) of 21 modaks is offered to Lord Ganpati on auspicious days. Making Modak is quite a skillful task and it requires a lot of practice and not many are expert in this. After years of practice, people can make Modaks of perfect size, shape and thickness.

I happen to be born on Anant Chaturdashi, which is a very auspicious day of Lord Ganpati. On this day, we take blessings from Lord Ganpati. We make modaks, have a pooja (holy ritual) and then offer 21 modaks as Naivedya on that day.

Below, I am sharing the recipe of preparing Modak. I have given appropriate pictures so that it would make it easier to understand.

Inredients :
For the filling : (Saaran)
1 cups grated coconut
¾ cups jaggrey (grated) (Gul)
1 tspn cardamom powder
1 tspn ghee (Sajuk Tup)


For the cover :
2 cups rice flour
2 cups water
2 tspns oil
Salt to enhance taste


Preparation :
Fililng :
Mix jaggery and grated coconut and keep the mixture aside for ½ hour.
Heat the pan and add 1 tspn of ghee.
Add the jaggery and coconut mixture to the pan.
Cook the mixture on medium heat for 10 minutes.
After the filling is ready, keep it aside for cooling down.


Covering :
Boil water in a vessel and add oil and pinch of salt to it
Add rice flour to the boiling water and switch off the heat.
Keep the mixture stirring continuously. Ensure that there are no lumps formed in the mixture.
Now knead the mixture well into a soft dough while it is hot.
While kneading the dough, grease your palms with oil and water to prevent dough from sticking to your hands.
The dough is called Ukad in Marathi


To make modak :
Grease your plams with oil and water.
Take small portion of dough (a bit larger than a lemon) and make a small ball.
With the help of thumb make a deep hole into the ball in order to give it a shape of a hollow cup. Make sure that you do not make a hole in the dough. There should be a base to the cup shape.
Press the cup such that it becomes bigger and bigger. The cup should be larger in height than in the width (or spread).
Once you have made a medium to thick (not very thin) cup, add the filling to the hollow cup such that it fills ¾ of the cup.
Now pinch the cup on the sides to make small plates on the edges of the cup. Make at least 5 to 7 plates.
Once the plates are made, bring together all the plates to form a tip. Use circular motion of the hand while doing this. Once the tip is formed, seal it.
Keep the modak in a clean wet cloth to prevent it from drying


Now heat 6-7 cups of water in a steamer and set it to boil.
Keep modak in the boiler plate and prick the tip with the help of a tooth-pick. This helps steam to pass in the filling and to cook the Modak completely. Pricking also prevents breaking of modak in the steamer.
Steam it for 15 minutes
Serve it with pure ghee.


Tip : Khaskhas and dryfruits may also be added to the filling.


Stepwise Pictures :

Linking this to the event Traditional recipies @Jiya's masterminded by Pari 

Garlic Chutney (Lasniche Tikhat)

Garlic chutney is commonly known as “Lasniche Tikhat”. You may find that even though there is “Tikhat” or “Chutney” in the name, the recipe is not that spicy. The reason being, in Brahmin community the cuisine is sweet or less spicy.

This is the basic recipe of Galic chutney. Some people also add roasted peanuts crush (Danyache kut), seasme seeds, curry leaves, tamrind etc. which makes it more tastier.

We do not roast the ingredients before grinding it, but still it can be preserved for 15-20 days without refrigeration. However, if the ingredients are roasted before grinding, the chutney can be preserved for 6-8 months


Ingredients :

1 Dried coconut
6-8 Garlic cloves
1-2 Tspns chilly powder
1-2 Aamsul pieces (dried kokam)
Salt to taste
















Preparation :
Grate the coconut finely.
Take all the ingredients in grinder and grind it finely

You may add raw oil at the time of serving.

Potato Wada (Batata Wada)

Potato wada, commonly known as batata wada is my all time favourite snack. Whenever potato bhaji is left over, we use to add ginger-garlic-chilly paste to it and make batata wadas out of the leftover bhaji. There are many ways to prepare it. In North, people add saunf to it, while in some southern parts Urad Dal or Onion are added while making the filling of wadas.

We too make it in a slightly different manner. First we prepare dry potato bhaji and add spices to make it more tasty for wadas. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

For filling

6-7 Boiled potatoes

2-3 Tspns ginger garlic paste

1-2 Tspns crushed green chilles paste

1 Tspn lemon juice

1/2 Cup finely chopped corriander

1-2 Table spoons oil

Mustard seeds

Asafoetida (hing)

Turmeric powder

Curry leaves

Sugar (optional)

Salt

For Batter

1 cup Gram flour (besan)

1/4 Tspn chilli powder

Asafoetida (hing)

Turmeric powder

1 Tablespoon oil

A pinch of soda (optional)

Water

Salt

Preparation :

For filling

Peel the potatoes and cut it into small pieces to make dry potato sabzi.

Take a Kadai and heat oil. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves and turmeric powder to the hot oil

Now add chopped potatoes and cook it for 5-10 minutes.(As we fry for dry potato sabzi)

Now add salt, finely chopped corriander and let the mixture cool for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes apply green chilly paste and ginger garlic paste to the potato mixture.

Also add lemon juice and sugar and adjust the spice / salt as required.

After the mixture is ready, make small lemon sized balls and keep it aside.

For Batter

Take besan in a bowl.

Add chilly powder, asafoetida, turmeric powder, soda and salt to the besan.

Now add water to it to make medium consistent batter.

At the end, add 1-2 teaspoons of hot oil to the batter (Mohan)

Now heat oil in a kadai.

Dip the potato balls in the batter and add it to the hot oil.

Deep fry till it gets golden brownish colour.

Serve it with spicy garlic chutney

Achari Paneer

During this ganpati festival, there was Recipe contest in my Complex. The theme given was any recipe made by using "Paneer". I tried for some creative recipes, but could not manage due to shortage of time. Then suddenly I remember that very often we have "Achari Khichadi" for dinner. So with the help of pickle, I tried to create some new recipe.

In this recipe, there is addition of "Achar" or mango pickle to the regular gravy. But still the taste is amazing.

Ingredients :

1/2 Kg. Paneer

3-4 Onions

2-3 tomatoes / Tomato puree

2 tspns ginger-garlic paste
1 tspn red chilly powder
2-3 tspns Mango pickle
1 tspn garam masala powder
4-5 spoons Oil
Corriander
Salt to taste


Preparation :
Cut paneer into small cubes and fry till it becomes golden.
Heat oil in a pan.
Add chopped onions to the oil and fry till it becomes transparent.
After that chopped tomatoes / tomato puree to it.
Stir the mixture for 10 minutes
Switch off the gas and keep it aside for cooling.

After cooling add Mango pickle to the mixture and grind the mixture finely.

Now head 1-2 tspn oil in a pan and add Ginger Garlic paste, Garam Masala, Red Chilly Powder to it.
After that add the mixture of onions, tomatoes and pickle to it.
Stir it for 5 minutes
Now put fried paneer pieces into the gravy and let it cook for 5 minutes.
In the end salt and finely chopped corriander

Tip : Garnish it with grated cheese or paneer.