Panchkadaayi

A very simple recipe usually offered as Naivedyam/Offering to God during pujas.

Ingredients:

Putani/Dalia/Roasted gram/Hurigadale - 1 cup
Sugar - 3/4 to 1 cup
Cardamom/Elaichi - 2
White Til/ White Sesame seeds - 2 tsps
Grated coconut (optional) - 2 tsps ( I did not add coconut)

Method:

- Dry roast the sesame seeds and keep aside.
- Powder the putani, sugar and elaichi seeds together in a mixie jar. Should be fine powder.
- Take out the powder in a bowl, mix with roasted sesame seeds and grated coconut. Ready to offer.

Panasa Bhakri/Jackfruit Dosa

This is a breakfast item made from jackfruit flesh/pulp. This dosa comes out best with tilvo panas (the soft slimy variety of jackfruit). This dosa is different than the regular ones in that its thick and sweet and does not really need a side/chutney. Its a common dish in konkani homes. Its very quick and easy to make provided you have jackfruit on hand.

Ingredients

Jackfruit slices (without seeds) - 1 cup
Fine Rava/Semolina - 1 cup
Fresh grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Grated Jaggery - 1/4 cup
Wheat flour - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - to fry

Method
1. Blend the jackfruit slices (flesh) and the jaggery together in a mixie.
2. To the above blended mixture, add coconut, rava, salt, wheat flour and mix well. Add water to adjust this batter to a thick consistency.
3. Let the mixture rest for about 15 mins.
4. On a heated cast iron tava with low flame, spread little oil and pour a ladle full of the batter. Spread into a thick circle. Put a few drops of oil on the top of the mixture only.
5. Once the top side looks slightly dry, turn the bhakri/dosa over and cook the other side on medium high flame for few minutes only.
6. For all remaining dosas, no need to grease tava again with oil. Directly pour and spread batter and pour few drops only on the spread batter.
7. Serve hot with ghee/chutney powder/coconut chutney. This can be eaten without a side actually and does not need anything else.

Note:
1. Both sides of the dosa should not brown too much.
2. Wheat flour can be omitted totally. Wheat flour helps bind and avoids the dosa from breaking so is used.
3. This batter should not be runny. It should be thicker than dosa batter.
4. To store jackfruit slices for a later time, boil the jackfruit slices with jaggery. To do this, you need to keep stirring, else it will stick to the bottom of the pan. Once the whole mixture boils and forms a syrupy consistency, switch off the heat. Cool this mixture and store in air tight container in freezer. Thaw when ready to use. If using this, blend the thawed mixture alone with very little jaggery only.

Chicken Curry-1

This recipe was in the drafts from a very very long time. It uses kolhapuri masala which Meera of EnjoyIndianFood had sent to me at that time :)...

Ingredients

Green Bell Peppers - 1, diced
Boneless chicken pieces - 1/2 lb.
Onions, sliced - 1 big
Tomato, pureed - 1 big
Curry leaves - 4
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Whole Garam Masala - 1 inch piece Cinnamon, 3 green Cardamoms, 2 bay leaves, 4 cloves, 5 black peppercorns
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fennel Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Fresh/Frozen grated coconut - 1 tbsp
Kolhapuri Masala - 1 1/2 tsp
Cilantro - a few sprigs, chopped
Salt -to taste
Oil

Method

- Heat oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds, fennel seeds, curry leaves and the whole garam masala. Once they sizzle, add the onions and fry till light brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell goes away.
- Add the tomato puree and fry till oil starts oozing out. Add the red chilli powder, turmeric powder, kolhapuri masala and salt and mix well.
- Add the chicken pieces, grated coconut and the bell pepper pieces and mix everything together. Add 1/2 cup of water, cover and cook on medium flame with occassional stirring till done.
- Add chopped cilantro and serve hot with rotis or rice.

Chicken Cutlets

First post after a long hiatus of not days but years :)...

Today's recipe is of Chicken Cutlets that I tried yesterday and came out pretty good, so here goes...

Ingredients

Boneless Chicken cut into small chunks - 500 gms approx.
Potatoes, boiled peeled and mashed - 3 small
Egg - 1
Cilantro - 1/2 cup
Mint - 1/4 cup or lesser if you dont like the taste
Long Green Chillies - 3 or as per taste
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 3 cloves
Red Onion chopped fine - 1 big
Fennel Seeds/Saunf - 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon Sticks - 1/2 inch
Cloves - 4
Black Pepper corns - 10-12
Jeera/Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Dhania/Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp or more
Garam Masala powder - 1 tsp
Chaat Masala (optional)- 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

Method

1. Marinate the cut chicken pieces with salt and red chilli powder for about 30 minutes. Then pressure cook this chicken with little water for 1 whistle.
2. Once cooled break/chop the chicken into smaller pieces and pulse in mixer till it gets minced. Do not use any of the water from the boiled chicken.
3. Grind the ginger, garlic, green chillies, cinnamon sticks, cloves, pepper corns, fennel seeds, a few of the coriander leaves together without adding any water.
4. Now mix the minced chicken, mashed potatoes, the ground mixture above, chopped onions, remaining cilantro, mint, garam masala, chaat masala, turmeric powder and salt and mix.
5. Add one raw egg to the above and mix well. It should be quite a dry mixture. If you feel its too sticky, add a few bread crumbs to it and mix.
6. Take a little mixture at a time, shape into cutlets, roll in the bread crumbs and deep fry in oil.
7. Serve hot with ketchup or hot sauce.

Notes: More vegetables like grated carrot, capsicum, cabbage can be added for different variations.

Bimbla Nonche/Pickle

I have a weakness for pickles, and more-so when they are home made. This pickle made out of Bimbal is one of my favourites and I love this one made by my mom. These are pictures and recipe I took when mom made it during my last visit.

The recipe involves the regular pickle seasonings, but there's something in the way each one makes them.
We use this Bimbal fruit/veggie very widely in our cooking, in gravies and pickles. Its a sour fruit and lends the tart/sour base needed in some dals and curries. Read more about Bimbal here.

The fruit has to be very firm when used for this pickle. It will not work even if it gets a little soft when making the pickle. Ofcourse, once you make the pickle, it will soften out slightly.

Ingredients

Bimbal, patted completed dry and cut into small rounds - 2 cups

Til Oil - 2 tsp+4 tsp

Red Chilli pwd - 4 tsp

Methi/Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 3 tsp

Hing - 1/4 tsp

Haldi/Turmeric pwd - 1/4 tsp

Salt - 3 tsp or as you like.

Method

- Warm 2 tsp of oil in a small pan. Add the fenugreek seeds, hing, mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the haldi, black pepper, red chilli pwd and 3 tsp salt. Take off from heat. Once this cools, grind all together in a mixie.

- Add the cut Bimbal pieces to this masala, add the other 4 tsp of oil, mix everything well and keep in airtight bottle. It will be ready to eat the next day.

Note:

- The shelf life of this pickle is very little.

- It will last a few extra days if kept in the refrigerator.
- The pickle will ooze out moisture the next day and won't be as dry as when you first mix it.

Also, check out the Bimbla Nonche recipe at Shilpa's.