Aam shorshe bori diye Pui shaaker data

When I asked on my facebook page yesterday as to what recipe would my readers like to see on the blog next, most answered "Niramish".
Or vegetarian.
I was a little surprised ... but happy.
Especially when Jhimly said "... your niramish are lip smacking."
Bengali cuisine has lots of vegetarian dishes, but making a vegetarian dish tasty is a little challenging.
And especially since I use very little masalas, I am very glad that people like my vegetarian recipes too.

The last week was a little nerve wracking for me.
B was away on work and I had much plans on how I will be using this free time ... making a long list of pending works, some stitching to catch up on, some non vegetarian recipes to be cooked and photographed, catch a few movies, have long baths, read, sleep,
load the dish washer exactly as I wanted to ... with nobody to correct me or rearrange it  .....  and so on.
Basically, to relax, do nothing and watch the days go by in slo mo.

But easier said than done. Given it is the worrier me.
Staying with a person, who works from home and is around you 24 / 7 has its own implications.
In ways one cannot even start to imagine.
One day into being alone and I got into the lazy mode. While that was my intention all along, not cooking at all or not making the bed or not doing the laundry and definitely not eating was never a part of my plans.
One more day and I got into the anxiety mode.
Double locked the doors and the balcony and stayed up like an owl the whole night.
On any other night, I would have happily settled down with a book.
Or let Jagjit Singh take over.
But not this time.

Even the littlest of sounds made me anxious.
I kept the lights as well as the tv running all through the nights.
And never slept a wink.
I even tried to calm myself down with some Phuchka for dinner a couple of nights.
Did not work much, I must say.
As for the rest of the days and nights ... I might as well not say anything at all.

But I did cook some dishes that I had in mind for long, to make posts.
Since I did not have to take care of a vegetarian meal too, I rustled them up,
clicked and then ate them as my lunch or brunch ... when I had thoughtful friends who had
come over to give me company.

But since my readers wanted niramish or vegetarian,  I am posting this vegetarian Bengali recipe first.

I have used the leaves and the stems of the Pui that I had planted last year.
With summer making its approach, this dish has a touch of raw mangoes too.
A few boris thrown in and it makes for a perfect accompaniment to your vegetarian summer lunch.

Need :

Pui / Malabar spinach leaves and stems - washed and chopped , around 250 gms
Raw mango pieces - depending on the level of tartness you like 
Bori / dried lentil dumplings - 6 to 7 pieces
Mustard seeds - 2 tbsp, soaked for around 3 hours ( I use a mix of black and yellow seeds )
Green chillies - 3
Nigella seeds / Kalo jeere / Kalaunji - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Mustard oil - 1 tbsp
Potato - 1 medium, sliced
Onion - 1 medium, sliced
Salt - to taste

How to :

In a mixer, make a paste of the raw mango + mustard seeds + 2 green chillies.
Odiyas would add garlic, which I sometimes do too. But not this time.
You can try if you want to, though.

 Heat a heavy kadahi / wok.

Add the mustard oil and heat it well.

Add the boris and fry on low heat till golden brown.
Remove and keep aside.

In the same oil, add the kalo jeere + broken green chilli.

Next, add the onions and fry on low heat for a minute.

Then add the potatoes and the turmeric powder and cover and cook till the potatoes are almost done.

Remove cover and add the chopped  pui leaves + stems.

Give a good mix cover and cook for around 5 minutes.

When the leaves are cooked, add the mustard paste + salt + the fried bori.

Cover and cook till everything comes together  and is done.

Remove cover and raise heat till all water dries up.
Remember to keep stirring.

Remove from heat and keep it covered for a minute.

 Serve hot with rice.
This pairs very well with Tauker dal, bhaat and Ucche bhaja on the side to make that perfectly light, summer lunch.
On non vegetarian days, you can add the Maacher bhorta or makha on the side too.

Enjoy!!

Bori diye Palong shaak bhaja / Stir fried Spinach with lentil dumplings

And Bappa is gone.
As I sit and type this post, I can see the Visharjan processions slowly moving down the road, one by one.
The air reverberates with the rhythmic beats of the drums, all over. Somewhere the Aarti is being played, signalling the start of Bappa's journey. The roads are covered with pink and red gulal.
People dressed up in traditional attires ... men in white kurtas and ladies in sarees ... accompany the vehicle carrying Lord Ganesh, dancing along.
I watch, quietly bidding Bappa adieu.
Ten days gone in a flash.

This year, the rain gods have played spoilsport. So Ganeshotsav was a slightly subdued affair.
I had a guest at home; so hardly noticed the festive days going by.
Going down to the aarti inside our society complex was by itself a task this time.

Today there is a little calm in the house.
Guest gone. Routine back.
Rains back, after a respite of two wee days.

These days I am on a mission of cleaning up all pending photographs and making posts of them.
Some of them are as old as two years back.
Or more.
I want to be done with them before I forget the actual recipe.
Thank god my recipes do not have much ingredients or complex processes ... so far I have been in stream all along.

These photographs of the Palong shaak with Bori have been in my folder for too long.
After selecting the few photos, they sat in my drafts again ... I think for around a month or so.
Hence I'll finish with these first.
I'm short of time today. So it will be a short write and an even shorter recipe.

Growing up I got to eat a good variety of leafy vegetables or shaaks.
But the only leafy vegetables that we get here are the palak or spinach, the methi or fenugreek leaves, some Amaranth and the dill.
That's all I guess.
So, after using the palak in gravies, dals and chorchoris, I sometimes make a bhaja or a stir fry out of it.
Some chopped onions for sweetness, as the palak is slightly salty on its own, some chopped garlic for flavour and some fried and crushed Boris thrown in, it turns into the perfect shaak bhaja to go on the side of with a little gorom bhaat or steamed rice.

Need :

Palong shaak / Palak / Spinach -  (washed well and chopped) 1 coffee mug ful
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Garlic - 3 big sized cloves, chopped
Haldi / Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp 
Whole red chilles - 1, broken
Boris - 6 to 8 pieces
Mustard oil or any cooking oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar - a pinch

How to :

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a kadahi or pan.
Let in the Bori s and stir fry on low heat till they turn brown.
Remove and keep aside.

Add 1 tbsp of oil to the same kadahi.
Add the whole red chillies and the onion.
Fry till onion turns translucent and the raw smell is gone.
Now add the chopped garlic and fry well.

Add the chopped palak, haldi, salt and sugar.
Stir well and cover.
Cook for around 5 minutes.
Remove cover and give a good stir.
Cook uncovered till all moisture disappears.
Crush the fried bori s lightly by hand and add to the palak.
Give a good stir.
Remove from heat.
Simple, wholesome shaak bhaja is ready.

 

Serve hot.
Goes great with steamed rice and some dal.
You can eat it with rotis too.

Enjoy!

Kanji Vada

 

 The first time I had Kanji vada was in Jaipur, on a cold winter afternoon in the middle of a Diwali week.
They are sold on hand carts ... big sized mud pots filled with the fermented, tart water and big sized and very soft lentil dumplings or vadas in it.
I did not like the taste ... found the taste close to something rotten ... and promptly rejected it.
The Rajasthani man was not amused and insisted that the properly made ones are really tasty.

And so on the next Holi, I was introduced properly to the perfect, home made Kanji ... this time made by sis-in-law at her home.
I'm not too fond of sour things ... but liked the taste this time.
It was fermented just right and had that light tartness .. not too sour , not too salty.
The vadas were fresh and perfectly soft ... not falling into pieces like they have reached a state of  'too much of fermentation'.
I loved it this time.

In the intial years of my marraige I never made this. But later I started to make it once every year.
But not in winter. I used to make it in October. The intensity of the sun was just right to ferment the water in just a couple of days.
This time however I made this in December and it came out perfect. 

My Rajasthani in-laws do not add anything to the kanji other than just the vadas.
Sis-in-law uses the black carrots that she gets abundantly in Delhi during winter. I used some plain carrots.
I used Urad dal and also added some fresh chillies and sliced ginger for some taste.
With the intense sun on my balcony, it took just 4 days for the Kanji to ferment.
I sunned it under direct sunlight on the balcony for 4 days and then kept it in the light sunlight on my dining table for the next 5 days that it lasted for.

On my dining table these days .... 

Need :

Ample sunlight
Urad dal - 1 cup, washed and soaked overnight
Carrots - sliced into thin pieces
Ginger - sliced into thin pieces
Fresh chillies
Mustard powder - 3 tbsp
Black salt - 2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Water - around 8 coffee cups
Oil - to deep fry

How to :

Make a paste of the soaked dal with some salt.
Heat enough oil and  deep fry small balls of the dal paste.
Take a clean bottle ... I have given the full picture of the bottle I have used to give an idea.
Pour in the water and rest of the ingredients.
Add the vadas too.
Close lid.

Sun it for 3-4 days in direct sunlight, with the lid slightly open.
Do remember to bring it inside before evening sets in.
After that it is ready to consume ... but do check for the level of tartness.
If you feel like, you can sun it for a couple more days too ... depending on the intensity of the sunlight that you get in your part of the world. 

Serve cool. 
The carrots and the ginger soak up the flavours and taste great!
Enjoy!!

Ramrochak Tarkari / A simple prasad made of Moong dal vadas

Rath yatra is on.

On Jyestha Purnima or Snan purnima, Lord Jagannath, along with Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra are brought out on the snan mandap and there, they take a good, long bath.
Before that, for 21 days, they have indulged in various water sports and other activities in the Narendra pokhari/pond, including an evening cruise, every evening.

On Snan purnima, one hundred and eight pots of water, which is brought from the sacred well of Goddess Shitala, and has sandalwood paste mixed in, is poured on them. After that they don the Ganesha vesha and are offered bhog. Then they return to the sanctum sanctorum.
And promptly fall ill.
No wonder here ... anybody would ... if 108 potsful of water were poured on them.

So the gods fall ill and retire into the confines of the mandir for a good fifteen days. They are looked after by the Daitas/sevakas  and fed plain, boiled  food during this time.
After fifteen days, they feel better but not too great. So they decide to take a small vacation and go visit their Mausi/Aunt at Gundicha mandir.
This travel, or yatra, from the holy abode to the mausi mandir, in which the vehicle is a rath, is called the Rath yatra.
There are numerous stories associated with Rath yatra, each one more interesting than the other.

For us children, Rath yatra was a time of fun.
And fear.
The fear part first.

This festival falls during the monsoons. While the wind howled and it rained cats and dogs and elephants outside, we kids suffered from a deep fear, that started much before the monsoons started.
Since it was the perfect time for infections to spread ... and stay ... the whole adult world would deem it upon themselves to protect us ... the young. Our small town would be teeming with uncounted number of people coming from far and near ... bringing with them as many viruses and diseases.
So ... the children needed to be kept safe. And how?
The only answer was vaccination.

Every single day at school was a nightmare ... yes, in broad daylight.
Every kid was haunted by that  known fear  ... every moment spent in agony ... dreading that single circular that the office help would bring to the class. And the Sister present would read it out.
"Vaccinations will be done tomorrow. The Doctor will be present in the infirmary from 9:00 am. Class teachers are requested to see that the children get the shots and maintain discipline while standing in the waiting line."
Or something like that.
To us, it sounded more like a death knell.

On the day of the vaccinations, there would be a mad scramble for red pens. Somehow, we believed that that one single dot of red on our shirt sleeves will convince our Sisters that we have already got the shot.
And should be sent home immediately. Which was unlikely as the gate keepers, on that single day, would assume that they are mightier than all asuras put together. Nobody could pass through the gates until the school bus leaves.

For me, it was doubly painful.
Since Ranga kaku/uncle is a doctor, it was his job of vaccinating the whole family. Posted elsewhere, he would come down for a few days every year during Rath yatra.
And it was this visit that we dreaded. Every morning the whole brood would sit down for breakfast with our small hearts going pit pat, pit pat. And quietly eat, almost holding our breath ... stealing glances at Dadu from under quiet, bent heads. If he finishes breakfast and gets up, we all heave a sigh of relief.
No news! Saved for one more day!
Till the day Dadu declares kaku's homecoming news.

On day one, the children get the shots.
Day two and three ... gap. The children would fall ill, fever, cranky, etc.
The adults, especially the moms would be needed around them.
So the women ... not all but half the number, got vaccinated on day four. And some of the male members too. Again a gap of two days. And then the rest of the lot.
Finally the helping hands, the cook, the gardener, etc.

What miserable days they used to be!

But a week later, all would be forgotten and the fun part started.
 Rath yatra!
Mela hopping, visiting the mandirs, climbing up on the raths to offer puja ... everything was so much fun.
Every evening we children would get loaded into the family cars ... Dadu seriously objected to letting loose the cars amongst the uncouth crowds, but had no option ... and with a couple of adults accompanying us, would walk down the big road where the mela/fair is held.
Stalls upon stalls would be set up in rows. All kinds of noises filled the air ... a child beating a just bought, new drum ... whistles, songs playing on the loud speaker somewhere, announcements in between ... of a child lost, a purse found.
The sound of bells, drums , knaasor and chanting from the main mandir along with kirtans and a whoop of "Hari Bol!!!" once in a while.
A balloon bursts somewhere. A group of giggling girls. A bunch of young boys, dapper in their new clothes, walking around with an air of confidence ... they are no less good looking that the prevalent hindi movie's hero.

Rath yatra meant good food too!
All kinds of Oriya pitha preparations ... especially those favourite to Lord Jagannath, would be prepared by our cook. On some days, usually Tuesdays, prasad would be ordered from the Radhamohan mandir and that would be our lunch.
Jagannath's prasad means a whole range of dishes.
Arisa pitha is common.

So is the Poda pitha, the Lord's favourite, a must ... and is usually prepared on the first day of Rath yatra.

I made this Ramrochak Tarkari to celebrate Rath yatra memories.... and some childhood memories too.

This is not a part of  Baripada Jagannath temple prasad ... as it's is mistakenly thought of. It is a prasad of the Radhamohan mandir on Bada bazaar road.

It has potatoes as an ingredient, which is a prohibited ingredient for Jagannath temple prasad.

Need :

For the vadas :

Spilt green Moong dal - 1 cup (washed and soaked overnight)
Whole jeera/cumin - 1/2 tsp
Fresh green chillies - 2 ( more if you like it spicy)
Salt - to taste
Oil to deep fry

For the tarkari/curry :

Ghee - 1 tbsp, 1 tbsp for adding fresh
Whole jeera/cumin - 1 tsp
Whole red chillies - 2
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Haldi/turmeric powder
Salt - to taste
Roasted jeera powder - 1 tbsp
Potato - 1, peeled and cubed
Brinjal - 1, cubed


How to :
The moong dal vadas/ boras :

Grind everything, except the oil, to a coarse paste.
Heat oil. Sccop out small vadas and deep fry.
Remove and keep aside.

The tarkari :

Heat ghee in a kadahi. Add jeera + whole red chillies + ginger paste.
Stir a little and add the potatoes and brinjals.
Add haldi, salt and water.
Cover and cook till the vegetables are done.
(They should be overdone, actually, and the curry should be slightly mushy ... I was in a hurry, so my curry stayed soupy and the vegetables, just done. )
After the vegetables are done, add the vadas and cover and simmer for 5 more minutes.
Check water ... the vadas will soak up a lot of water ... so add accordingly.

Remove cover and add ghee and roasted jeera powder.
Cover and simmer for some more time.
Remove from heat, cover and let it stand for some time. The vadas will soak up the flavours meanwhile.

 Enjoy this simple dish on the side with this dryish khichdi.
Paired with some papad, makes for a wonderfully perfect monsoon meal!
And ... in case you are wondering ... no ... I'm not from Puri. :-)

May Lord Jagannath bless you with peace, happiness and goodwill!

Mushur daler borar jhol / Fried lentil balls in a light gravy

 "Dekho, dekho, woh aadmi kuch bhi nahi pehan ke scooter chala raha hai!!!!"

 Bhaiya, Bhabhi and their young son, were visiting us for a week. And we were doing everything we do when the family is together. Talk, laugh, gossip and eat out a lot.
I did cook at home ... but only breakfast. :-)

They are easy going people. We would go out everyday, scour the city the whole day and came back late, tired to the bones.
Visiting new places, restaurants, shops, parks ... we just didn't get enough of everything.
Then sit up and chat into the night ... with a round of coffee every other hour ... taking turns to make it.
Finally, at dawn, Bhaiya would  insist that we have the morning tea too ... which he would make ... and then catch some sleep, which would be for only a few hours.
And we were ready to face another day.

After three whole days of eating out, shopping and more eating, we went for our road trip to Pondicherry. It was fun. Chatting, laughing, singing together, munching on snacks, peppered with the young boy's one line interludes ... it was a great drive.
But when Bhabhi fell ill, it gave a different twist to our vacation. But things smoothened out and all was well.

It was on one of our drives to the city that we heard young R exclaim that the guy in front of us was riding a scooter, wearing nothing!
Where?! where?! All of us looked out ... right, left, straight ... but couldn't see a man without clothes.
And riding a scooter!
He pointed out to a man riding a little ahead of us.
He seemed fully clothed. A helmet on his head, a checked half shirt and ... yes, we spied a full bare leg from thigh down! Riding on in a steady speed ... oblivious to everything.
"Sacchhi ... kuch bhi nahi pehna!"

A little later, we saw the rest of his attire ...  a white cloth,  like the dhoti ... around his waist. It was flapping in the wind, baring his legs to above the knee ... and hence was not visible.
Unfortunately, the young boy from up North saw the bare leg first. A lecture on the lungi, the mundu etc. followed. His first visit to the South, we realised a lot of things ... and not only the  food ... were new to him. :-)

 Another shock that he got was at the Chidambaram temple near Pondicherry ... where men have to remove their upper body clothing to be able to get a darshan.
But that's another story. :-)

The Mushur dal or the Red lentils are a part of any Bengali meal. The light dal goes great with rice to make a simple meal ... and is also the perfect foil to any other spicy non veg dish on the side.
At times, they are soaked, ground to a paste and deep fried to make these boras or fried dumplings.
Add a little chopped onion and green chillies, these crunchies are perfect with a meal of khichudi or plain steamed rice and dal.
Or as a snack with some chutney or the good old tomato ketchup.

I made a simple, very light jhol using them ... on one of those days when the fridge was bare and there were  no fresh vegetables at home, to whip up a meal with.
The jhol is very light, almost like a thin soup and has very simple flavours ... another easy dish from my kitchen.
When boiled for a long time, it picks up the flavours of the jeera, tomatoes and the red chilli powder ... as do the potatoes too.
And after the boras have soaked long enough, you can find the roasted jeera powder's flavour in them too.
All in all, this simple, purely vegetarian and jhol will taste simple but will be very flavourful too.

This can be made with left over boras / vadas / pakodas too.

For the Boras :
Need :

Mushur dal / Red lentils - soaked for around 2 hrs and ground to a paste
Chopped onions
Chopped green chillies
Chopped ginger
Salt
Oil for deep frying

How to:
Mix everything together. Scoop out small balls and deep fry in heated oil.

For the jhol/ gravy :

Need :

Potatoes - cut into small pieces
Ginger paste
Onions - chopped
Tomatoes - chopped
Jeera/ Cumin seeds
Haldi / Turmeric powder
Red chilli powder
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste
Roasted jeera powder
Oil - around 1 tbsp
Water

How to :

Heat oil. Add the jeera.
When it starts to splutter, add the onions and fry only for a while. Do not brown them.
Now add the potatoes and fry again on high heat.
Add the ginger paste, haldi powder, red chilli powder and salt.
 Add enough water to cover the potatoes.
Cover and cook till the potatoes are done.
Remove cover and check if there is enough water. Else add more water and check ... if needed add a little more salt.
Add the tomatoes now and cover again.
When it comes to a boil again and the tomatoes are done, add the dal boras/ fried lentil balls, the roasted jeera powder and a pinch of sugar.
Cover and simmer for a while.
The boras will soak up a lot of water ... so keep adding accordingly. And keep checking for salt when you add water.
When you get a jhol of your desired consistency and amount, raise the heat and give a final boil.
Remove and keep covered for a while.

Serve hot.
This goes great with rotis or parathas.
Enjoy!

PS:  Bong Mom makes a wonderful jhaal with these boras ... check it out here.

Biri Bora / Biri Bada / Lentil Fritters

Ok ... after that hard hitting post am back to normal. Those of you who have stuck by Kichu Khon for some time now would know that am not into tough talking much ... but one can take only so much. Hence that post came to be.
Back to routine.

It rained all last night. I sat up a long while ... listening to the rain and to some of my favorite ghazals ... chatting up a good friend ... with the sniffles and a little fever it feels good to have a friend talk to. She makes the right noises of sympathy ... felt good. :-)

The day is very cloudy. Fog. Light rain. Cold breeze. Boring afternoon.
A whole bunch of work pending. The weekend looming. Don't feel like doing anything. Step out into the balcony.

Far on the hills it is raining. Can see a light drizzle there ... slowly making its way here.

Two kingfishers, caught up with chasing each other on high speed ... fly into a building ... realising at the last moment .... give out a long screech of surprise and alarm ... and dive away.

Down in the narrow lane a young boy cycling in rounds ... very slowly.
Round and round and round.
Quiet afternoon.
Light spray of rain.
Boy still engrossed in cycling ... round and round and round.
I watch.

Mr. Shalik flies in ... swoops down on my railing. Sees me standing.
Glowers.
Waits. He has to go up to his nest to check on the babies ... who have start chirping loudly as soon as they sense his presence.

I do not move.
Boy still going round and round and round.
Disgusted ... Mr. Shalik leaves.

Boy tires.
Leans against a wall ... with bicycle ... deep in thought.

Mrs. Shalik comes. A huge insect struggling in her mouth.
Screeches at me through closed beak. Nah ... these birds have no manners.

I step away. No point in depriving the kiddos from food.

Come over and start to think of writing a post. Hmm ... nothing interesting to write.
Let me move on to my recipe.

These deep fried pakodas / vadas are made from the Urad dal. Only, they are much smaller and irregular in shape than the usual Medu Vadas / Urad dal vadas.

This is the way they are made in Orissa. Come evening, the street sides would fill with hand pushed temporary stalls selling all kinds of hot deep fried delicacies ... among which will be the Biri Bora ( Urad dal vada / Biuli Daler Bora ).

This is one of the many street foods that we never miss on our trips home ... almost every evening standing on the streets in the evening breeze ... not having the patience to wait till it cools ... biting into a piping hot bora ... and then opening the mouth with "oooh" "haaah" ... to cool it. :-)
Bliss.

I love the small pieces of fried onions and green chilies that come with every bite.

Fuss free ... not too many ingredients ... quick to make ... great to snack on.
Especially on rainy evenings.

Need :

Urad dal - soaked overnight and ground into a paste
Thinly sliced onions
Chopped green chillies
Chopped coconut pieces ( optional ... if you have it or like it, then use )
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry ( preferably mustard oil )


How to :

Mix everything well ... except the oil.

Heat oil in a deep kadahi.

Gently let in small balls of the dal paste.

Deep fry till golden brown.

Serve hot.

These vadas are great to munch on as is ... but you can have them with any chutney or sauce of your choice. And a hot cup of tea.

And oh ... if you have any left overs ... which I very much doubt you will ... do try mashing them up roughly with some chopped onions, green chillies, salt and a little mustard oil ... and have it cold ... with very hot rice or curd rice.
Too good!


Have a great weekend all !

Yes ... Bori / Badi / Vadi / Lentil Dumplings can be made ... without the sun .... in an Oven !!

When I posted how to make Sun Dried Bori / Badi / Bodi / Vadi / Mungaudi / Lentil Dumplings at home, I got an overwhelming response. What I had done on a whim was appreciated by so many people! Those sun dried boris / bodi / badi last me a good part of the year ... at least till I make them again.

But a lot of people mentioned that they do not get enough sun in the parts of the world they stay ... and dear Yasmeen of Health Nut asked if we can bake them.

The idea stayed at the back of my mind ... but I was waiting for the rains ... a perfect excuse to try making them in an oven. After all, whoever thought of making bori during the monsoons? The elders of the family would just laugh the idea away.

But I decided to give it a try. Thanks to blogging we get to share such wonderful ideas!



Recently the only two dals being used in my home are the toor dal and the masoor dal. So everytime I reached beyond the urad dal bottle to get either of the two, the urad would give me a forlon ... and sometimes a withering ... look.

I was wondering how to use it up without making vadas or idlis or dosas when one day I noticed my Boris are over ... except for a few crumbs lying at the bottom of the bottle.

That's when I decided I'll make them ..... in the oven this time. :-)

And it worked! I actually made these in the oven! I found absolutely no difference between these and the sun dried ones. They were equally crisp and very, very good. :-)

You can make boris / bodi / vadi without the sun! Yay!!



Need : Urad dal , grated ginger, a pinch of salt, a little cooking oil, oven / baking tray.

A variety of spices like jeera/cumin, crushed black pepper, fresh coriander leaves, red chilli powder, etc. can also be added to the basic dal mixture to get spicy bori / vadi / badi / bodi.

How to : Wash the dal and soak it overnight.

Grind it into a paste with very little water.

Add the grated ginger and salt to it and mix very well. 

Beat it well with your fingers till the batter is light and fluffy. 

Apply cooking oil on a baking tray evenly.

Scoop out very small ball of the dal mixture with your hand and place it on the plate.

Repeat till the plate is full ... do remember to leave a little gap between two boris / badis / bodi.



Place the tray in the oven and bake at the lowest temperature ... between 25 - 40 degrees ... will depend on your kind of oven ... for around 4 to 5 hours. The time will vary for different ovens and also the consistency of the paste. 

Do keep checking on them at times.
They should not turn brown. 

When done they'll come out loose when you shake the tray. 
Cool well before storing ... or frying. 

These boris will be slightly robust and very good for adding to curries as they retain their shape in the gravy. 

If your batter is really fluffy, then they can be enjoyed fried too ... as bhaja bori. 



Done! 

My camera and I went bonkers trying to adjust with the sun playing hide and seek.
I'll post better snaps when I make another batch.



So all you folks ... who have been missing out on boris / badis / bodi and its recipes ... go ahead and give this a try.

Enjoy!!


Here are a few recipes where you can enjoy your Bori in : -

Lau Bori

Shukto

Aloo Bori

Aloo Borir jhaal

Laal shaak bhaja

Aloo Bori / Potatoes & Sun Dried Lentil Dumplings

After storing away the Boris / Bodi / Badis / vadi that I made, I had forgotten all about them in the fast flying days. Until hubby wanted aloo borir tarkari one day. Waited till the weekend ... I usually run out of all vegetables by weekends .... and made it. So here is another simple dish from my kitchen ... the Aloo Borir / Aloo Bodir tarkari.

But before that let me introduce our new guest. After a batch of guests left around a couple of months back, I had the guestroom and its bath cleaned out and left the window in the bath open to air it. And forgot all about it.

It seems a certain Mr. & Mrs. Pigeon were on the lookout for a cozy place to settle down and zeroed in on my bath ... maybe they loved the empty rack that came as amenity.

And after a while, along came little Baby Pigeon. So right now the members of this happy family are my house guests.

I just pray I do not have any long term guests until Baby learns to fly and leaves home. :-)


Coming back to my simple dish, this does not take much time. If you want more gravy, just add enough water and adjust the seasonings.

BTW I have already posted a recipe with boris / bodi / badis and Lauki / Bottle gourd here.

Need : Aloo / potatoes cut into cubes, bori / badi, sliced onion, chopped tomatoes, jeera/ cumin, haldi / turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt and sugar to taste, a little cooking oil, a little water.

How to : Heat a little oil and lightly fry the boris / badis and keep aside.

Heat a little more oil and add the jeera / cumin. Then add the sliced onion and fry for some time.
Now add the potatoes and fry well.

Add haldi / turmeric , red chilli powder, salt and a little water. Cover and cook till the potatoes are done.

Remove cover and add the tomatoes.

Cover and cook till the tomatoes are done.

Now add the boris/badis/bodi and adjust water.

Cover and let it simmer for some more time. It should be slighlty mushy with all the flavours blended well.

Serve hot with rotis / parathas / puris.

Bori / Wadi / Mungaudi / Sundried Lentil Dumplings

( If you do not get enough sun in your part of the world, you can stll make them.
Check out my post on how to make them in the oven. ) 

Even though we use Bori / Bodi / vadi in a lot of dishes, we usually tend to buy them. Of course I am not talking of the days back home, where winter noons would see an array of boris / bodi being dried out in the sunlight .... by our cooks and other helping hands. These little things have to be dried in the soft sun .... so they dry slowly .... and stay brittle and crispy when fried. . If dried under a strong sun, they tend to turn very hard.
I am proud to say that amongst us cousins in my generation, I am the only one who has treaded this path .... and successfully too. :-)

I am refering them as Mungaudis because the name is familiar to a lot of people. Of course they are usually made from the Moong/Mung dal .... but I used the Urad dal for these.

Need :

Urad / Moong dal, grated ginger, a pinch of salt, a little cooking oil, flat plates .... and of course a place where you get ample sunlight.

How to :

 Wash the dal and soak it overnight. Grind it into a paste with very little water.
Add the grated ginger and salt to it and mix very well.
A variety of spices like cumin / black pepper / fresh coriander leaves etc can also be added to the basic dal mixture. This way you can get a variety of different flavoured Boris / Bodi / vadis.
Apply cooking oil on a flat plate.

Scoop out very small ball of the dal mixture and place it on the plate.

Sun dry the boris / bodi for a few days. Do not try to pick them. They will come out on their own when done.

Here are a couple of photographs of the bodis that I made from Masoor dal / Mushurir dal.

Kichu Khonn's Mushur daler bori

 A close up shot. Don't miss the perfect peaks.
I'm sure Thamma would approve. :-) 

Up close ... the perfect peaks. 

They can be fried in a little oil and had on the side with rice and dal. Or they can be used to make some simple dishes.

Give these a try and enjoy your very own home made boris.
 And if you do not have enough sun in your part of the world, worry not.
Just hop over to my post on How to make Boris in the oven!!


Here are a few recipes where you can enjoy your Bori in : -

Lau Bori

Shukto

Aloo Bori

Aloo Borir jhaal

Laal shaak bhaja

Lau Bori or Bodi / Lauki & Bottle Gourd with Sun dried Lentil Dumplings

Even though I make lauki in a number of ways, I like this version for two reasons.
First, it is purely veggie and hubby likes it.
Second, it is made the Bengali way ... read ... it has the flavour of Paanch Phoron ( a mix of equal quantities of methi, mustard, jeera, saunf and kalaunji seeds) and also the boris / bodi / vadi.

Bori / Bodi / Vadi is nothing but sun dried lentil dumplings ... that are called Mungaudi in Hindi ... the name coz they are made usually from moong dal.

While peeling the Lau / lauki / gourd, if you keep the peels a little thick you can make a fry from them .... the Lau Khosa Bhaja. :-)

This dish is easy and fast to make ... and has a distinct flavour that goes great with steamed rice and dal.

Need : Lauki cut into small pieces, chopped onion, paanch phoron, chopped tomatoes, whole green chillies, tumeric powder, dried lentil dumplings / bori or bodi or vadi , grated ginger, sugar and salt to taste and a little cooking oil.

How to : Heat a little oil. Fry the bori / bodi / vadi / mungaudis till they turn brown in colour. Keep aside.

Heat a little more oil in the same pan. Add the paanch phoron and the green chillies.
Then add the onions and fry for some time.
Add the lauki and stir. Add tumeric, salt and a little sugar. Cover and cook for some time.

Remove cover and add the tomatoes , the fried bori / bodi / vadi and the grated ginger. Cover and cook till lauki is done.
Serve hot.


Non veggies can add shrimp or medium sized prawns to this dish instead of the bori.