Instant Kharvas

I am very fond of sweets. When we were in Girgaon, Kharvaswalla use to come from Dombivali. I still remember flavour of his two types of Kharvas - One is Ilaichi and other one Kesar flavoured.

Generally Kharvas is made from 'Cheek' or 'China Grass'. However, this recipe does not require any of these ingredients.


Ingredients :
1 Cup whole cream milk
1 Cup curd
1 cup condensed milk
1/2 cup milk powder
3-4 teaspoons sugar (optional)
Cardamom powder for garnishing

Preparation :
1. Mix milk, curd and condensed milk (I used Amul Mithai-Mate)
2. Add 1/2 cup of milk powder and sugar to it
3. Stir till milk powder and sugar is dissolved
4. Transfer it into a tray 
5. Steam the mixture for 30 minutes
6. Set it aside for cooling 
7. Sprinkle Cardamom powder over it
8. Keep it in refrigerator for 2-3 hours
9. Cut it into pieces before serving

Thai Style - Mix Veg Soup

Since long time I wanted to make some Thai cuisine. Finally during this long weekend, I decided and started with Thai Soup. I dont know how authentic Thai soup is made, but this can be termed as Thai Style as i have used vegetables like Broccoli,  Bell Peppers, Mushrooms, Lemon Grass and Coconut Milk. 

My this post goes to the event 'Winter Warmers' hosted by The Veggie Hut.

And lastly, this has won a runner-up prize in the MasterChef India 2 contest!

Ingredients :
For Stock :
4 cups water
2 green chillies
1 small onion
1 Lemon grass stalk
1 inch Ginger

For Soup
2 Cups Mix vegetables (I used Mushrooms, Broccoli, Baby Corn, Carrot, Boiled Green Peas and Bell Peppers)
4 tspns All purpose flour (Maida) or Corn flour
1/2 cup water
2 cups Coconut Milk
Salt to taste

Preparation :
1. Take all the ingredients for stock in a vessel
2. Boil it for minimum 30-40 minutes
3. Remove all the ingredients from the vessel
4. Now only green stock remains in the vessel
5. Add Carrots and baby corns and allow it to cook for 2-3  minutes
6. Now add remaining vegetables
7. Make paste of Maida and water
8. Pour paste in the stock
10. Add salt to taste
11. Allow it to cook for further 5 minutes
12. Stir continuously, so that no lumps are formed
13. At the end add coconut milk to the soup
14. Further boil it for 2-3 minutes
15. Serve hot

Five Spice Powder

While watching Masterchef India, I liked Radhicka Agrawals recipe- Sesame Crisps with Spiced Honey.  In that recipe, one of the ingredients used was Five Spice Powder.

The chef described the powder as masala having sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty taste. I tried to find our the recipe from net. Here is the recipe of 5 spice powder.

Ingredients :

4 tspns Tirphals (Schezwan Peppercorns)
2 tbsp Badishep (fennel seeds)
16 star anise (I dont know local name for this ingredient)
12 cloves (Lavang)
10 Dalchini sticks (Cinnamon)

Preparation :
1. Roast peppercorns on low flame till you get good aroma.
2. Set it aside for cooling
3. Now take balance ingredients (badishep, star anise, lavang and dalchini) in a pan
4. Roast all the ingredients till you get good aroma
5. Allow it to cool for some time
6. Take all the roasted ingredients in a mixer
7. Make fine powder

Diwali Faraal

Traditional Besan Laddus

Ingredients:
4 cups besan
2 to 2 ½ cups pure ghee
3 cups sugar power (Pithi sakhar)
1/4 cup milk
1 tspn cardamom power
Raisins and cashews for garnishing


Preparation :
Mix besan and pure ghee in a vessel
Heat it over low flame
Roast it for at least 45 min to 1 hour till you get aroma in some other room.
After roasting, add milk to the mixture
Stir the mixture and put off the flame
Allow the mixture to cool for 2-3 hours
Add cardamom powder to the mixture
Lastly, add sugar powder to the mixture
Make small balls of the mixture
Affix cashew and raisin to it.

Sending this entry to Cooking 4 all Seasons Indian Thali Mela.

Khari Puri (Tikhat Mithachi Puri)

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Ingredients :
1 cup wheat flour
1/5 cup rawa (Suji)
1/2 lemon juice
2 tspns red chilly powder
1 tspn turmeric powder
5-6 tspns seasme seeds (Til)
3-4 tspns sugar
2 tbspns pure ghee
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste

Preparation :
1. Take wheat flour, rawa, chilly powder, turmeric powder, seasme seeds and lemon juice in a bowl
2. Heat ghee in a pan
3. Add heated ghee over the flour mixture
4. Now heat water in a vessel and add sugar to it
5. Heat water till the sugar is dissolved
6. Add sugar water to the mixture
7. Knead well
8. Set it aside for half an hour
9. Take lemon sized batter
10. Roll small puris
11. Prick it with knife
12. Fry the puris on medium heat till it gets golden brown colour

Note :
The puris can be stored for 15-20 days in an air tight container

Farsi Puri

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You may include Farsi puri as one of the items in Diwali Faral. It can be made 8-10 days in advance. So I am posting this recipe.

Ingredients :
1 cup Maida
1 tbspns Rawa (Suji)
1-2 tbpn ghee
1 tspn black pepper
1 tspn cumin seeds (Jeera)
1 tspn Owa (Ajwain)
Salt to taste
Water
Oil (for frying)


Preparation :
1. Make coarse crush of black pepper, cumin seeds and owa (Ajwain)
2. Heat ghee till it melts (for mohan)
3. Mix maida and rawa in a bowl
4. Add ground masala, salt, heated ghee to it and mix well
5. Add enough quantity of water to make soft dough
6. Set aside the kneaded dough for 30 minutes
7. Take handful quantity of dough and roll a large sized roti
8. Apply some oil to the roti and also sprinkle some flour over it
9. Make roll of the roti
10. Cut it into small pieces
11. Roll small puris of the cut pieces
12. Mark 3-4 slits on the puris with the help of knife
13. Heat oil 
14. Deep fry the puris on low flame to make it crispy
15. Store it in an air-tight container

Sabudana Wada

In Girgaon, we use to relish Sabudana Wada at Prakash (Restaurant) during fasts. I challenge that you will not find that amazing taste of sabudana wadas anywhere else. I really miss those wadas. Whenever I visit Angrewadi I visit Prakash for Sabudana wada Piyush.

Generally people dont add ginger to Sabudana wadas. But believe me, it enhances the taste. Further, intead of putting roasted peanut powder, I used crush of roasted and salted peanuts  (Khare Daney). Try this once and you will find an improvement in the taste.

Ingredients: 
1 cup saboodana (Sago)
1 cup boiled and mashed potatoes
1/2 cup roasted peanuts crush
3-4 medium sized chillies
1/2 inch ginger
1 tspn cumin seeds
1 tspn lemon juice
Salt to taste
chopped corriander (optional)
Oil / Ghee to fry

Preparation :
Wash saboodana for 3-4 times
Soak it overnight
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl (except Oil)
Make small round shaped balls
Heat oil in a pan for frying
Deep fry vadas till it gets golden brown colour
Serve it with coconut chutney

Basundi

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Since past many days, I did not get time to make any recipe. Last friday, my wife and mom invited 'Savashin' for lunch and I got an opportunity to prepare something. Since I have to look after my 1 and half years old son, I decided to make this very simple yet delicious receipe i.e. Basundi.

Basundi takes lot of time to make, but the  ingredients  required are very less.

In traditional basundi, cardamom powder and charoli (Chironji) are used. But since charoli was not there, I used Milk masala.



Ingredients:
2 litres milk (with lots of cream)
1 cup sugar
2 tspns charoli
1/2 tspn cardamom powder
Other Dryfruits (Optional)

Method :
Take a clean vessel
Pour 1 tspn water in it
Pour milk into the vessel
Allow it to heat over low flame
Keep stiring it continuously
Heat the milk till it turns half of the original quantity
(At this stage milk starts changing its colour)
Add sugar to the thickened milk
After the sugar is dissolved allow it to cool
Lastly add cardamom powder and charoli
Serve chilled or hot.

Note :

1. If you have a small flat plate, you may put it inside the boiling milk, so that continuous stiring is not required.

2. You may add mini rasgullas (after squeezing out the sugar syrup) to basundi to make rasmalai.

Mango Pickle (Ambyache Lonache)

 Ingredients : 
1 Kg. raw mangoes (Makarand Ambe)
100 gm red chilly powder (Laal Tikhat)
1 cup mustard powder (Mohri powder)
2 tspoon mustard seeds (Mohri)
1/2 cup fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
2 tspns turmeric powder (Halad)
1 1/2 cup roasted salt
1 1/2 inch asafoetida  (Irani Hing)
2 cups oil + 2 tbps oil





Preparation :
Cut raw mangoes in small square blocks.
Heat 2 tbpsn oil in a pan
Now add 1/2 cup fenugreek seeds
Fry fenugreek seeds in oil for 10-15 minutes
After frying make fine powder of  fenugreek seeds
Also make fine powder of Irani Hing (Because in market we get pieces of Irani hing)

Heat 2 cups oil in a pan
Add 2 tspns mustard seeds and turmeric to it
Keep it aside for cooling

Take red chilly powder, methi powder and mustard powder in a vessel
Mix it well
Pour cool oil tempering on it and again mix it
Add raw mango pieces to the mixture
Lastly add salt (roasted) to it and mix.

Transfer the pickle into glass bottle
Pour thin layer of salt over it
Seal the lid with cotton cloth (In marathi it is called "Dadra")

Notes :
You may use readymade methi powder also instead of making it at home.
The pickle should be kept away from water as water may spoil the same.

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Cashew Usal (Kajuchi Usal)

We use to relish Kajuchi usal in Girgaon. There were 2-3 restaurants on girgaon road where we use to get Cashew Usal. 

I am not aware of the recipe of Kajuchi usal and hence I tried to make it in the manner of "Dalimbi usal". This too tastes good. But I am still in search of the authentic Kajuchi Usal recipe.

Ingredients :

1 cup raw cashews (Ole Kaju)

1/4 cup grated coconut 

1/2 inch jaggrey

2-3 tbspn oil

1 tspn of mustard seeds & cumin seeds

1/4 tspn turmeric powder

1/4 tspn red chilly powder

A pinch of asafoetida

Salt to taste

Water

Corriander for garnishing

Method :

Soak raw cashews in hot water for 15-20 min. 

Now remove the skin of cashews

Heat oil in a pan

Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, asafoetida to it.

Now add coconut, raw cashews and water to it.

Cover it with lid and let it cook for 5-6 minutes

After cooking add jaggrey, red chilly powder and salt to it.

Mix it well and cook it again for 3-4 minutes

Garnish it with corriander 

Serve hot.

Note : Since cashews are delicate, handle carefully. 

Sabudana Khichadi

Sabudana khichadi is a very very common recipe made in every Maharashtrian home during fast. In Girgaon, we use to relish Prakash's khichadi and sabudana wada and piyush during Sankashti chaturthi, our sole monthly fast. There are many ways of making sabudana khichadi, some people add red chilly powder to make it red in colour, while some people add too much sugar to make it sweet.  On one of the occasions (Chaitra Haldi Kunku), we added fried potato cubes and fried cashews to khichadi to make it "Shahi" and got compliments from everyone.

Sabudana khichadi is served with dahi in some restaurants, however it spoils its original taste. So I would suggest to have it as it is.

Here is the receipe of regular Sabudana Khichadi.

Ingredients :

1 cup sabudana (Sago)
1/2 cup roasted peanuts crush
1 potato chopped in small cubes
OR 1 boiled potato cut in small cubes
3-4 green chillies
1/2 inch ginger
1 tbspn ghee
1/2 tspn cumin seeds
1/2 lemon juice
1 tspn sugar
Salt to taste
Fresh grated coconut for garnishing

Preparation :
Take Sabudana in a vessel
Wash it for 3-4 minutes in water
Remove the excess water from sabudana
Soak it overnight.

After soaking, add peanuts crush, salt and sugar to the sabudana
Make fine ginger-chilly paste and add it to the soaked sabudana
Mix all the ingredients and keep it aside.

Heat ghee in a pan
Add cumin seeds to heated ghee
Now add potato cubes to the ghee
Cover the lid of pan to allow cooking of potatoes
After 7-8 minutes remove the lid and
(If boiled potato is used, then saute for few minutes)
Add the sabudana mixture to the pan
Stir the mixture in intervals
Turn off the flame when sabudana becomes transparent
Finally add lemon juice and
Garnish it with freshly grated coconut.

Notes :
1. Ensure that while soaking sabudana, the level of water should not be more than the level of sabudana, because that may make Khichadi sticky. The level of water should be little less than the level of soaked sabudana.
2. The potato cubes should be kept in water. This prevents the change of cut cubes into brown/black.

Stepwise Pictures :

Strawberry Lassi

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Ingredients :

2 cups plain curd
3/4 cup Sugar
1/4 tspn cardamom powder
2 tbspn strawberry crush
3-4 ice cubes
A pinch of salt

Preparation :
Take all the ingredients in mixer.
Blend it for 2 minutes
Serve chilled

Note :
1. Alternatively you may use fresh strawberries also, but in that case blend starberries and then add other ingredients.
2. Sweet lassi can be made from the above ingredients by removing strawberry crush.
3. Strawberry can be replaced with other seasonal fruits like mangoes to make Mango Lassi.

Sending to the Food Palette Series-Pink event at Torview