Aam ka Achaar (a trial)

With the monsoon coming we are running out on raw mangoes fast. So when I found some really firm raw mangoes on my grocery trip last weekend I picked 2 up. I had some prepared Achaar masala with me ... thanks to didi who made it for me on my last visit to her, and planned to utilise them before they go bad.

I cut up the mango into small pieces ... unfortunately could not deal with the huge seed with my flimsy knife ... so my achaar will not have any pieces I can chew on for a long time. :-(

Then I rubbed in salt into the pieces and kept them on a thick table napkin so that all the moisture is drained out. Then mixed in the masala and filled in a glass bottle.

Then I heated some mustard oil upto smoking point and let it cool completely. Added some hing into it and poured in the bottle of Achaar. The oil should cover the mangoes completely.
I have let it sit for around 5 days.

I am being showered with comments recently and am feeling good. Today Sailaja has tagged me for a Me Me.

I feel good to be in blogosphere ... and again I thank Rashmi for this. :-)

1) LAST MOVIE U SAW IN A THEATER?

I really can't remember ... it was long back .

2) WHAT BOOK ARE U READING?

Am halfway Chetan Bhagat's "The 3 mistakes of my life" and am already hating it. :p

3) FAVORITE BOARD GAME?

Scrabble
4) FAVORITE MAGAZINE?

Good Housekeeping

5) FAVORITE SMELLS?

The fragrance of wet soil after a rain, Dida's fragrance(all old people have one), the fragrance in the air when winter approaches ... lots of them

6) FAVORITE SOUNDS?

A piano's notes, the sound of a storm,when my Bapi calls out to me

7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD?

I have this strange worse kind of feeling ... no matter where I am ... when it is evening I feel like going home .. being at home (my childhood home).

8) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN U WAKE?

What to make for breakfast!

9) FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE?

None
10) FUTURE CHILD'S NAME?

I have at least 21 names in my mind ... :-))

11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—’IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’D’...

Haven't thought of it ... but maybe i'll go shopping first ...

12)DO YOU DRIVE FAST?

No. Hubby says if it were left to me, I'd drive in 3rd gear throughout.

13) DO U SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?

Nah ... never done that too.
14)STORMS–COOL OR SCARY?

Cool... cool .... cool
15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?

Never owned a car ... dad and hubby do though ;-)

16) FAVORITE DRINK?

Coconut water

17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT-IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD…

Knit more

18) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI?

No
19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE?

Black again ... my hair is turning brownish
20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS U HAVE LIVED IN?
Everywhere I have lived has been home.
21) FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?

None
22) ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?

She has some very interesting recipes in her blog ... and always leaves encouraging comments.


23) WHATS UNDER YOUR BED?

Nothing
24) WOULD U LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN??

Yes, with a little correction here and there ;-)


25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL?

Night owl

26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP?
Both
27) FAVORITE PLACE TO RELAX?
I am more relaxed when we go for weekend overnight trips to nearby coasts .

28) FAVORITE PIE?
Anything that is salty and spicy ... i don't like the sweet ones.
29) FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?
Tender coconut
30) OF ALL THE PEOPLE U HAVE TAGGED, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST?

Since this is not a competetion anyone can take their own time and answer.
31) What are five things on my to-do list for today (non-work related)?
I don't have any such deadlines ...
32) What are five snacks I enjoy?
Chire bhaja
Masla muri
Buttered Cream Cracker biscuits
Chopped apple sprinkled with chaat masala
Peanuts roasted in butter and sprinkled with pepper powder

33) What things would I do if I were a billionaire?
Buy an island in Hawai ! :-))

Thanks Sailaja !!

Since am very new to this thing I don't even know what to do other than I should tag others. Since I now know these few good people am tagging them.

I hope any goof ups will be excused. I am tagging

Rashmi of Delhibelle

Bharti of Veggie Foodist

Swati of Chatkhor
Have a great time tearing your hair out guys!!

French Toast

French Toast has always been a favourite breakfast from childhood. As almost all the ingredients are found in the kitchen anyday, this gets done real quick. Am sending this for WBB Express Breakfast being hosted by Raaga.

Need :
2 eggs
A quarter cup of cold milk
2 slices of bread (cut diagnonally to make 4 pieces)
3-4 tbsp sugar (can use honey instead too)
1 tsp vanilla essence
A little butter.

How to :

Beat the eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla essence together.

Dip the slices of bread in it and let them soak up a little.

Heat a non stick pan and spread the butter on it ( take care not to brown or burn the butter ).

Place the slices in the pan and wait till one side is brown.

Flip and cook the other side too.

Drizzle with honey and serve hot.

Recipe for AFAM Coconut

Good friend Rashmi, helpful as usual, suggested that I should send my recipes for different events. And as this recipe Sooji Monda has coconut this should qualify for AFAM Coconut hosted by Suganya.



And am sending my mondas off to AFAM.

Hope they will be liked by all.

Pithla with Bhakri

Ok ... this recipe has been in my draft for over a week now ... and I cannot ignore it any more.This is again one of my simplest recipes .... and often call it 'lazy day recipe'.

It is a staple fare of Maharastrians and is one such food that is available across the state .... and a little off the borders too .... all at a very minimal price that the common hardworking man can afford.

My introduction to this dish was in Sinhagarh ... a fort off the city ... which turns into a small green heaven during the rains. Shivering in the misty rain and fog (it gets real cold during monsoons here) and gorging on hot Pithla Bhakri is one of my most treasured memories.

It is usually eaten with Bhakri (Jowar roti) but when I was still mastering the trick of making one ... we used to have it with plain atta roti too. On a recent visit to didi(SIL)'s place I saw that she serves this with rice. Liked that too.

A simple, rustic meal for the simple soul.


Pithla

Need :

1/2 cup besan / gram flour,
A pinch of haldi / turmeric powder,
Red chilli powder,
Salt to taste,
5 cups water,
1 tsp cooking oil,
A little jeera / cumin and rai / mustard seeds for tempering,
1 chopped onion,
3-4 cloves of garlic chopped ( you can use more if you like the flavour) ,
Fresh coriander leaves,
Chopped green chillies.




How to :

Mix the haldi, red chilli, salt to the besan and add the water to make a mixture of very thin consistency.



Heat oil in a heavy bottomed kadhai.
Add the jeera and then the chopped onion,garlic and green chillies.
Fry for a little while.

Then add the besan mixture. Now leave it to cook on its own. Stir once in a while so that it does not stick to the bottom and burn ( which is why a heavy bottomed kadhai is imp).

Once the mixture starts to thicken, keep stirring so that no lumps are formed.

The whole point of making a very thin mixture is by the time the dish reaches its desired consistency ( all gooey stuff), the besan will have been completely cooked and lose its raw taste.

Remove from heat and sprinkle chopped corainder leaves. Serve hot (it won't taste good when cold) immediately with bhakris or rotis and raw onion sprinkled with salt.

Bhakri :

Knead Jowar atta with a little salt and lukewarm water (this is imp).

Make small balls and use maida / apf or rice flour to roll out bhakris. Cook them like phulkas / rotis on a tawa.

A lot of goodness around

Before jumping to any conclusions regarding my sanity let me clarify that these vegetables mean a lot to me. And that is why I have clicked them with dirt and all ... that is the soil from fields.

It was on our weekend long drive out of the city that we came across a field with the farmer and family harvesting carrots. We stopped and talked to them ... hubby was full of questions regarding crop/weather/soil/etc. etc.
These warm hearted people were only too happy to talk to us.

After showing us around their fields and home ... when we were leaving plied us with these wonderful gifts right off their field.
And our offer of paying was firmly turned down.

We were touched. And I thought I'd share these with the few blogger friends I have got now.

The whole story is here in my travel blog.

A happy day

Even before I realised it my blog is 1 month old. When I had started out it was supposed to be just a jotting down of the recipes (my first post is a classic example of this half heartedness.. and I intend to keep the post that way ;-p) that I have learnt and cook in my day to day quest for not only satisfying our hunger but also keeping our tongue and taste buds happy too.Not to mention trying to keep dish healthy too. But slowly started to visit other blogs ... and realised there was whole lot of experts out there ... not only juggling kids, jobs, kitchen ... but also coming up with swell recipes and also sharing them with everybody ... all the while having a nice word for somebody .... not to mention awards. I was overawed.

A few people visited my blog and left behind good words too. And then came this belle from delhi ... Rashmi. She not only went thru my posts patiently .. but was always sure to leave a message back ... a warm compliment, a suggestion ... or just a reply. It was getting to be a habit to check for a good line from Rashmi every morning. She has spoilt me good.

And today she has done it again. Not only has she spoken so nicely of me and my blog ( I don't doubt you at all dear girl .... but do I really deserve it) .... she has even given 2 beautiful awards to me too. :-)
My 1st award

And then another !!

I never thought I was also going to be one of those lucky ones .... Thanks a ton dear Rashmi.
Am at a loss for words now.... but there are thousands of things whizzing in mind that I want to say .... maybe later. Right now I'll just lull myself with the happy thought of good people spreading goodness in blogosphere .... and am happy to be here. :-)

Chire Bhaja / Crispy Fried Beaten Rice

This is another crispy, easy to make snack ... very low on oil .... that is associated with rainy or winter evenings ... when you are in a roomfull of boisterous cousins ... everybody talking at once .... nobody listening in particular ... or ... a few very close friends who are informal .... or just a quiet evening with your favourite book. And a steaming cup of tea ... that's all that is needed with this.

I always dry roast the Chire / Chide / Beaten rice in a heavy kadhai or wok first .... without any oil. It should be roasted till crisp .... bite into one ... and it should break immediately. That way you know the rawness is gone. If you don't do this part, you will have to deal with chewy and raw chire in your bhaja(fry).

Need :

Poha (beaten rice, the thick variety),
Thinly sliced onions,
Very thinly sliced ginger,
Very thinly sliced potato (optional),
A handful of peanuts,
1 tbsp oil,
Salt and some black pepper powder.

How to :

First dry roast the poha in a heavy bottomed kadhai ... without oil .... till the poha is crispy dry and loses its rawness.

Remove and keep aside. Heat oil and fry the onions till pink.

Add the potato slices , the ginger , peanuts and salt. Cover and cook till the potatoes are done.

Remove cover and keep frying till the whole thing is brownish and cripsy. Add the roasted poha and keep tossing (do not add any more salt after adding the poha).

Finally add the black pepper powder and remove.

Serve hot with a steaming cup of tea.

Enjoy !

Bharwa Mirchi

Bharwa mirchi is stuffed green chillies or peppers. A much loved dish in Rajasthan, this is available as a street food too ... only batter coated and deep fried.

The stuffing commonly used is of potato ... but you can use a lot of other things as well. Just make sure the stuffing is dryish in order to make the filling part easy.

I had got some lovely big sized mirchis / chillies. They were labelled as Kashmiri chillies.

And decided to make the Bharwa mirchi.


Need :

Big sized green chillies
Boiled potatoes
Red chilli / lal mirch powder
Turmeric / haldi powder
Cooking oil
A pinch of hing / asafoetida,
Laung / clove powder
Salt to taste
Dhania / coriander powder
Garam masala powder
Amchur / dried mango powder


How to :

Mash the potatoes with salt, red chilli powder, a pinch of laung powder and garam masala.
Make a slit in the chillies and stuff them with the mixture.



Heat oil.
Add hing and the chillies.
Sprinkle a little salt, cover and cook till the chillies are tender.

Remove cover.
Add haldi powder, dhania powder and red chilli powder.


Cook for sometime without cover, turning them carefully to brown all sides.
Serve hot.



This goes great on the side with rotis and dal.
Enjoy!

Pulao

This is another super fast yet easy recipe. When there is nothing in fridge and you don't feel like having heavy restraunt food this pulao comes to the rescue.

I cooked this in my heavy bottomed kadhai. Can be cooked in a pressure cooker too ... just take away from flame after 2 whistles and open immediately to avoid a sticky pulao.

Need :

1 cup rice ( washed and soaked ),
1/2 cup channa dal ( washed and soaked for half an hour ),
2 and 1/2 cups water,
whole garam masala (cloves, cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon, bay leaves),
1 tsp ghee,
1 sliced onion,
1 chopped tomato,
haldi / turmeric powder,
salt to taste, a pinch of sugar

I had one solitary capsicum ... so sliced and added it. If there are vegetables like green peas, carrots, cauliflower etc. , they can be added too.


How to :

Heat ghee in a kadhai. Add the whole garam masala and the sliced onions.

Fry for some time and add the rice , the dal and the tomato.

If there are vegetables add them now.

Add haldi powder, salt, sugar and fry for some more time.

Add water and cover and cook till rice is done.

The dal should not get sticky.

Serve hot with fresh curd and papad.

Potoler Chop (Stuffed Parwal)

 (Updated photograph)

( Cooked Soy granules can also be used as stuffing. Non-vegetarians can make with chicken/mutton kheema ).

The first time I read the recipe for homemade Kasundi on Delhibelle's post I tried it out ... I admit with apprehension.
I mean who makes kasundi at home?
I have never seen any elderly woman relative to make even once. Rather everybody has been very vague about the recipe ... how difficult it is and how you have to follow certain guidelines, etc. etc.

When I made this recipe of the instant version I was floored. It was perfect .. and was polished off in minutes. So could not post it for lack of a snap ... read evidence ;p.

Now I have made it again. I made just one mistake ... I used the bigger sized mustard seeds ... the taste was good anyway ... just a little extra tangy.

And I added 1/2 teaspoonful of sugar ... which was ok. The recipe is with its rightful owner here.

The stuffed parwals tasted too good with it. Thanks Rashmi. :-)

I have made this Kasundi many times hence. Never made a different post on it though.



 Potoler Chop

Need :

A few big sized fresh parwals / pointed gourd

Boiled potatoes,

Haldi / Turmeric powder

Red chilli powder

A pinch of garam masala

Salt to taste

Besan / Gram flour

Water - enough to make a batter

Oil for deep frying.

How to :

The stuffing :

Mash the boiled potatoes with salt, red chilli powder and garam masala.

( Alternatively this can be cooked with ginger garlic paste ... but that takes a lot of time. I kept it simple).
Yiu can add chopped peanuts and coconut to the stuffing too.

The chop :

Wash and peel the parwals.

Make a cut in them and scoop the seeds out carefully.

Stuff them with the potato stuffing and then cut the ends off (this way they don't break).

The batter :

Prepare the batter by mixing besan, a pinch of haldi powder, red chilli powder and salt and water.
 It should not be too watery ... keep it slightly thickish.


How to :

Heat enough oil in a heavy bottomed kadhai (make sure of this becoz the parwals need to be cooked too).

Dip the stuffed parwals in the batter and coat them evenly.

Deep fry them on low heat till golden brown.

Serve hot with kasundi, ketchup or chutney.
These are perfect as a side with the Khichuri or just as snacks with a hot cup of tea.
Enjoy!!

Poha

Blogging is becoming an addiction. I guess it is the little words of encouragement from people who were total strangers that has got me stuck. So I finally came upon an idea to be able to give time to cooking, clicking, uploading and to finish other jobs required to be done around to run everyday life smoothly and ... still stay sane.

Keep cooking (cannot avoid at least that ) and clicking (don't want to avoid that). Make time one day ... upload all snaps and start typing away. The result ... just like today's ... 4-5 posts at one shot. The only catch is if am not net connected my other friends scream. And if I am net connected ... I chat ...and that means again late posts. Hmm.... all is not hunky dory ... need to reorganise more.

Just this post proves it.Now who doesn't know how to make Poha. And why am I writing a poha recipe down? I don't know ... except that I just loved the way the snap came out. :p So did not even want to sprinkle grated coconut on it.

Need :

Poha (beaten rice),
Chopped green chillies,
Chopped onions,
Chopped potatoes,(can add other veggies like fresh peas,carrots,beans),
Haldi / turmeric powder,
Mustard seeds,
Curry leaves,
Cooking oil - 2 tbsp,
Groundnuts,
Half a lemon and salt to taste.

How to :

Wash the poha and drain all water. Keep aside.

Chop the vegetables ... till then the poha will be perfectly soaked.

Heat oil in a kadhai.

Add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and the green chillies.

Add the onions and fry till onion turns pink.

Add the potatoes and the groundnuts ( and other vegetables, if using).

Cover and cook till the potatoes are done.

Now add the soaked poha, haldi powder and salt.

Toss and stir well.

Add the lemon juice, toss once more and remove from stove and keep covered for some time.

Serve hot.

Masala Chicken

I love chicken ... cooked in any possible way. This time I made it a little rich as we had a guest for dinner.


Need :

Chicken (I had 5 drumsticks),
2 medium onions,
1 inch piece of ginger,
8-10 cloves of garlic,
haldi / turmeric powder,
whole garam masalas ( cloves / laung,cardamom/ elaichi , cinnamon / dalchini ,bay leaves / tej patta ),
1 tsp kasoori methi / dried and crushed fenugreek leaves,
1 teaspoon garam masala powder,
1/2 cup curd,
a little sugar, salt to taste,
cooking oil.

How to :

Clean chicken and keep aside ( I did not marinate the chicken this time).

Grind 1 onion, the ginger and garlic into a paste.

Heat oil in heavy bottomed kadhai ( I prefer the kadhai to the pressure cooker for cooking chicken).

Slice the other onion.

Add the whole garam masalas to the oil.

Then add the onions.

When they turn pink, make some place in the kadhai and add the sugar.(It helps in brinigng out a strong colour).



Now add the ground masala, haldi powder and fry well till oil leaves the sides.

Add the kasoori methi and the curd now.


Add the chicken, garam masala powder and salt and fry again for some time.



Add water and cover and cook till chicken is done.

Remove and serve hot.

Instant Laddoo with leftover rotis

I had seen Mummy (MIL) make these laddoos for our niece. She crumbles the roti by hand. Lazy me just run them in a blender ... which is actually a better idea as I realised later. This way the moistness of the rotis help to bind the laddoo well ... which is why you need less ghee than required.
Judging by the shining eyes of not only kids but also grownups at the sudden appearence of these laddoos ... I know these make for a great surprise. ;-)
I hope nobody judges me by the different sizes of the laddoos ... they turned out round .... more than enough for me. :-)

Need : 3 leftover rotis, 5-6 tbsp sugar(or as per taste), 1 tbsp ghee, 1 small green elaichi.

How to : Just run everything in a blender for a minute. Take out and shape the laddoos.

Sooji Monda

Here's my Sooji Monda finally . It is a kind of sweetmeat that is made in Orissa. It is sooji dough stuffed with sweet coconut filling and is relatively easy to make once the dough is done ... how to do it is here ... which can be stored in the fridge, covered, for quite some days.

Need : Sooji dough, coconut filling , cooking oil for deep frying.

How to : Make small balls out of the dough, using water to wet fingers so it doesn't stick, and fill them with the coconut filling ( just like stuffing for parathas) to make the mondas.

Heat enough oil in a kadhai and deep fry the mondas till golden brown.

Sooji Roti

I had set about making Sooji Monda as I had some sweet coconut filling left in the fridge. As I started making the dough another idea struck. Why not make some sooji roti too while I am at it? As it is Srivalli's Roti mela is still on. So started to make the Rotis first.

My mondas were made later ... but will have to wait for sometime to see the light of blogosphere.


Ma used to make sooji rotis for anybody who was ill. As these rotis are cooked twice over, they are very easy to digest. So are very good for people who are ill, with a troubled tummy ... or for small kids too. Recently when Papa (FIL) was here I had made these.

He had just about started to have age related trouble with his teeth ... and was able to have a smooth meal because of these rotis.
Here they go for Roti Mela.


Sooji Roti

Need : 1/2 cup sooji (rawa), 1 cup water, a pinch of salt, 1 tsp cooking oil.

How to :

Heat water in a heavy bottomed kadhai (better if it is non-stick).
Add the salt and oil.
When it starts to boil, add the sooji slowly, stirring all the while so that there are no lumps.



When dough is made take out and cool.



Take a ball from the dough and roll out a roti ( use dry maida or rice flour for smooth rolling ).



Heat a tawa and cook the roti just like any other.



Goes well with almost all types of sabzi and dals.

Updating post :

The sabzi is a typical Bengali jolkhabarer torkari ( naashte ki sabzi ). It goes very well with luchis (puris) for breakfast.

Need :

3 chopped potatoes,
1 chopped onion,
1 chopped tomato,
1 or 2 green chillies,
a little kalaunji / nigella seeds,
haldi / turmeric powder,
black pepper powder,
1 tsp cooking oil ( I used mustard oil) salt to taste and a pinch of sugar (optional).

How to :

Heat oil in a kadhai.
Add the onions and fry till they turn pink.
Sprinkle a few kalaunji and put in the green chillies.
Now add the potatoes, haldi powder and salt.
Add a little water and cover and cook till the potatoes are done.
Remove cover and add the tomatoes and a pinch of sugar and cover and cook for sometime more.

If needed add a little more water so that it does not burn.
Just before removing from heat add a little pepper powder ( u can add just a little for flavour so that the sabzi does not get too spicy for kids).

This sabzi should be a little mishy - mashy (as we say in hindi ... lipti lipti).

Enjoy! :-)

Sweet and Sour Chicken Sausage

This time I decided to do something different with the few chicken sausages lying in the freezer. Moreover I do not actually like them in a bread roll ... all soggy after being doused with ketchup, mustard and salad.I mean ... what is the point in frying them crisp and then turing them soggy.
So I cut them up into small pieces ... and then started to think. ;-)
Well ... I was hungry ... and so it had to be something that can be done fast. And the result was this.

Am also getting better with my photography. These days hubby goes about with an amused expression (don't know how long will he be able to hold on to it). It is about this new diety in our home called lord camera. And every plate that is served hot now does not reach him first... it is first offered to lord Camera .. who gobbles up the dish with super macro . And then we poor mortals get our turn to sample the food.





Need : Chicken sausages cut into cubes, onions cut into big sized cubes, chopped green chillies, chopped garlic, cooking oil, soya sauce, vinegar, salt and sugar to taste, black pepper powder.


How to : Heat some oil in a pan. Add the onions, chillies and garlic together ( this prevents the garlic from burning). Fry for some time till the onions turn pink. Then add the sausages and fry some more. Now add the soya sauce, salt (remember soya sauce has salt too ), sugar, vinegar and fry some more. Just before taking away from the heat add the pepper powder.

Aamras

Ever since I have started to blog I have been going thru a lot of other blogs ... enjoying recipes and writings, picking up certain things, learning all about events or just plain how to go about. Almost every blog has something written on Briana. Briana has been diagonised with cancer. And she is putting up a brave fight. Just look here for everything about Bri .

Learning about her has kind of shaken me.So much of difficulties, not to mention physical trauma....and so much courage.I may not know her ... but she is a person .. and needs people by her now.And so many people are rooting for her.I too felt like doing something ,however small. So took faltering steps .. visited Bee and Jai's Jugalbandi site, read up about Click and decided to send in an entry.


I maybe new here .. but one thing I have learnt ...if I need to know about something ... all I need is to ask. Delhibelle helped me with some usefull pointers and jugalbandi too replied to my queries.
Am no great photographer...but am trying. The colour for this month is Yellow .. for Bri. I decided what better than a mango. It is summer ... and the king of fruits is right here with us. Yellow at its purest form.... straight from nature....for Bri. No additives ....no other interventions.

We look forward to the torturous summers of India just to enjoy the king of fruits. Just as its colour and sweetness fill people with happiness , this Aamras is for Bri ...bright,colourful and sweet. Just as we wish all of Bri's days be filled with. And prayers for her health go with this too.
Get well soon Bri.

Aam ras : Take ripe mangoes of any variety. Peel and cut into chunks and churn in a blender.

Aloo Paratha

Hubby's colleague and our good friend Hfz came over to tea a few days back.Well ... he wanted to come for tea, but it was almost dinnertime when he reached. Still insisted that he was here for tea. I had planned aloo parathas for dinner ....so said ok. Aloo parathas go well with tea too ;-). It was very late in the night by the time dinner was over ... but since he had come for tea ... well ... tea we had. This guy is a joy for any cook ... not only does he relish food ... but also is very vocal with his feedback. If he likes something he will let u know ... if he doesn't ...he will definitely let you know. And he loved the aloo parathas (it seems he hates aloo parathas becoz most of the time they don't have enough filling ) ... and he hated the tea. :-)

As with almost every vegetarian dish that I make, I keep the filling very simple. The raw ginger and green chillies give an amazing taste to the boiled potatoes.

Am sending this to Roti Melaannounced by Cooking 4 all Seasons

I know it is a common dish ... but this is the first time am participating in an event. So am excited.


Need :

Dough made from wheat flour(not maida / refined flour) and should be kneaded very soft and pliable ,
Boiled potatoes (peeled and mashed),
Very finely sliced ginger,
Roughly chopped green chillies and coriander leaves
Salt to taste.

(Pressure cook the potatoes with a teaspoonfull of salt .... makes a difference to the taste).




How to : Mash all the ingredients together. Take a small ball of dough and fill with the potato mixture ( the filling should be double the size of the ball).Stuff in properly, taking care not to break (it won't break if the atta dough is really soft).





Roll out thick parathas.

Use dry maida instead of atta to roll out the parathas smoothly .... and use it generously.

Heat a tawa and fry the parathas with a little oil.
Serve with fresh dahi or any chutney or pickle.



Tip :
Use a hand cheese grater to grate the boiled potatoes. You will have the smoothest mashed potatoes in minutes.

If you are using a non stick tawa then smear a little ghee / butter on the parathas for frying.
You will need very little , but the aroma will be awesome.

Puli Pithe / Coconut Stuffed Rice Balls in Sweet Milk

Pooli Pithe reminds me of winter.
Cold winter mornings... or for that matter, afternoon or evenings .... there is no particular time to enjoy this sweet preparation.
We were invited to Sanju dada' s place for dinner .
They love sweets ...so decided to make pooli pithe for them.
Bhabhi said that they make something very similar ... it is called Ukdiche Modak (steamed modak).

Pooli pithe is usually longish in shape ... but since I cannot make them properly ... I resort to the round shape.


Need : 1/2 a coconut (grated), sugar, elaichi (cardamom) powder, 1 litre milk, rice flour, 1 pinch of salt, 1 tbsp ghee, 1/2 tsp baking powder, a little water and 1 tbsp cooking oil.

How to :

The Filling : Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed (or non stick) kadhai.
Add the grated coconut and around 5-6 tbsp sugar and the elaichi powder. Cook till coconut is slightly dry and sticks together.
(You can use jaggery(gur) too ..... instead of sugar for this filling.... for both flavour and colour).


The milk : Boil the milk till it is slightly thickened.
Add enough sugar to sweeten it and a little elaichi powder and boil for some more time. Keep aside.



The covering (Pulis) : Heat around half a cup of water with a pinch of salt , baking powder and 1 tbsp cooking oil. When the water starts to boil add rice flour very slowly, stirring constantly to make a soft dough.

Remove from heat and knead a little with hands to make it smooth. Use a little oil to moisten your palm.

Make small balls out of the dough. Take each ball and fill it with the coconut filling.
(Wet your hands with a little water so that the dough does not stick to them).

Bring the milk to a boil again and slowly add the poolis. Simmer for a while . Serve warm or cold.

(Now I realise I should have included a pic of the dough in making .... guess it will have to wait now for next time.)



Enjoy !! :-)