Bread Poha

I love making leftover recipes. That's when creativity is best put to use, and it's fun when hubby enjoys the final product not knowing what's gone inside as ingredients ;) Like making parathas of leftover daal, or adding palak to it and giving tadka to make it daal palak, or mixing leftover aloo sabzi with a new fresh vegetable, or making tadka rice with leftover rice!!! It's always a new better dish that comes out of the leftover than throwing it away. Just the same, when you are done with eating bread as toast, with omelettes, in sandwiches and it becomes 3-4 day old or is excess lying in the refrigerator, this recipe comes as a best option.

Some people even call it bread upma and add vegetables (carrots, beans, corn etc) as used in the regular Upma. Some add potatoes (as used in poha) but i always make it with only onions and tomatoes. There are even different ways of cutting/chopping the bread. At times, i remove the sides or i use them and chop the bread in small pieces, and sometimes i absolutely chop it like a loose powder (always by hand). The choice is yours.

So this makes for a perfect breakfast recipe or a tiffin recipe. You can have it as it is or alongwith some chutney or pickle or even dahi(curd). I prefer having it as it is with my morning cup of coffee.

Ingredients:

Bread slices - 6 to 8

Onion - 1 (finely chopped)

Tomato - 1(finely chopped) Addition of more tomatoes will make the dish soggy, so stick to less tomatoes as possible.

Green chilli - 1 big finely chopped

Oil - 2 tsp

Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (adjust according to taste)

Corriander  powder - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - 2 tsp

Curry leaves - a few (optional)

Corriander leaves - chopped (to garnish)

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Lemon juice - on top (optional)

Recipe:

Chop the bread pieces or crush them roughly with hand.

Heat oil in a kadhai/pan. Add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add asafoetida and cumin seeds. Then add the curry leaves and onions.

Fry onions till transluscent. Don't over fry and burn them. Then add the green chillies and saute for about a minute.

Add in the tomatoes and cook uncovered till the tomatoes turn soft (not like a paste, but just soft). Keep stirring in between. Add some salt, so that it cooks faster.

Then add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder and corriander powder.

Saute till all the spices mix well with the onions and tomatoes. Now add in the bread, and mix it all well. I normally keep mixing and cook for about 3-4 minutes uncovered, but you can cover it too (though there might be a chance of the dish becoming soggy, but if you like it that way and are in a hurry, cover for about 2 minutes or so).

Adjust salt. Mix it corriander leaves and sprinkle some lemon juice on top (just before serving) for that tangy flavour.

Delicious and quick breakfast recipe is ready :)

Happy Cooking :)

Dudhi Halwa : Akshay Tritiya special

Dudhi, Lauki or Bottle Gourd is one vegetable that has to be cooked with special care, as it doesn't taste delicious when cooked in a simplistic way. So you always add to add some flavours and spice to it to enjoy it's taste. Whenever i buy Dudhi ( for all it's nutritional and medicinal benefits, i don't like to skip buying this vegetable at all ), i either make dudhi kofta curry or dudhi halwa. Recently my Mother-in-law told me one terrific way to make an instant ( and delicious ) dudhi sabzi along with moong daal, i will surely post that recipe soon! But meanwhile, since it's Akshay Tritiya tomorrow, i decided to post some sweet for this auspiscious day!!

Akshay Tritiya is believed to have been the day when Lord Ganesha and Ved Vyas began to write the great "Mahabharata". It is a very holy and auspicious day. For us, Akshay tritiya as kids meant eating sweets, going to temple and putting Rangoli at the door. This day is also associated with buying gold, as Akshay means Infinite ( something which never recedes ). So some charity done on this day surely gets you blessings, and good luck. New ventures started on this day brings in prosperity. So here's wishing you all a Happy Akshay Tritiya and loads of happiness!!!

( Pic taken from Google Images )

Ingredients :

Dudhi - 1 medium sized ( Make sure you always buy Dudhi which is long and elongated and raw without any stains )

Milk - 1 to 1 and 1/4 cup 

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Khoya - 3/4 cup ( I love khoya, and it's taste in the halwa. If you are not a Khoya fan, then add about 1/2 cup. You can skip this completely too and add milkmaid instead of Khoya or readymade pedhas/barfis )

Sugar - 1/2 cup ( we like it little less sweet, adjust according to taste)

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Cashews - for garnishing

Raisins - for garnishing

Recipe :

Wash the Dudhi and remove it's skin. Grate it. Let it stand for 2-3 minutes. Now remove water from the Dudhi completely.

Heat Ghee in a Kadhai and saute the grated Dudhi in it for about 3-4 minutes on medium flame. 

Now add Milk, mix it well and cook covered till Dudhi is well cooked. Keep stirring in between so it doesn't stick to the kadhai. If you find it too dry, add little milk extra.

Now add the Khoya ( separate/mash it with hands ), mix it well so that no lumps are formed. Cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Lastly add the sugar, cardamom powder and cashews. Cook till the sugar melts and the mixtures starts forming a ball like halwa.

Serve hot or cold as preffered. Also tastes great with vanilla ice cream if you want to create a fusion dish!

Happy Cooking :)

Kaala Masala

The Maratha Touch : Indian recipes are incomplete without spices. I remember, when my friend from San Francisco visited me, she was impressed to see how we stack all out spices and especially the "Masala box" which consists of the basic everyday essentials of Rai ( Mustard seeds), Jeera ( cumin seeds ), Corriander powder, red chilli powder, Garam masala, Turmeric and hing (Asafoetida ). For everyday curries, the Garam Masala suffices, but if you are making something special or regional, then adding that "Secret ingredient" is a must! Whenever i visit Mumbai, or my mother visits me, a bag full of local spices is always packed along! The same way, my husband being a Maratha, my Mother-in-law always gets me the Kaala Masala or the Khandeshi Masala which is traditional masala made in Vidarba ( Their home-town).

Kaala Masala has a distinct flavour and aroma, and is best used for non-vegetarian cooking or dishes-to-be-made spicy! The spicy-affair is not as you feel when you taste red chilli powder, but this one actually lingers on your tongue/throat-like an after-taste effect!
Kaala Masala, as the name suggests is dark brown in colour. It gets it's colour with the roast of dry coconut and the spices such as cinnamon, cardamon, black peppers etc. I tasted this the first time after marraige when hubby's aunt had prepared Baingan Masala, and it tasted so heavenly that i got some masala home from her :)
Since then, it is a must-have in my kitchen !!! You can make this in bulk and store in air-tight container... it lasts for more than a year!!!

Ingredients :

Dry coconut - 100 gms

Turmeric powder - 7 tbsp ( I find it difficult to grind whole turmeric in mixer, grinding them in a flour mill is the best option. But if you want to try , you can use about 50 gms of whole turmeric )

Cinnamon - 25 gms

Cloves - 25 gms

Green cardamom - 10 gms

Badi Elaichi ( Brown Cardamom) - 25 gms

Corriander seeds - 250 gms ( This is the most essential ingredient )

Dry red Chillies - 100 gms

Black Pepper - 25 gms

Shahi Jeera ( Caraway seeds ) - 25 gms 
Jeera ( Normal ) - 25 gms

Asafoetida - Around 4 tsp ( Again i find grinding asafoetida in mixer difficult, so i best use the powder form )

Dagad phool - 50 gms

Nutmeg - 1 tbsp ( powdered )

Bay leaf - 50 gms

Javitri ( Mace ) - 25 gms

Sunth ( Dry Ginger ) - 25 gms ( powdered )

Oil - a little 

Recipe :

1. Dry roast the red chillies ( without stems ) for about 7-8 mins and grind it to a powder. Keep aside.

2. Grate the dry coconut and roast it in a pan till it starts leaving aroma and becomes brown in colour. Let it cool. Set aside

3. Put a little oil ( Shouldn't be sticky and oily, just enough to roast the spices ) in pan each time and dry roast all the dry spices separately and set them aside to cool ( except the powder forms, just the whole spices )

4. When cool, grind all the ingredients together to make a smooth powder. Now add the turmeric powder and asafoetida. Grind again.

5. Now add the red chilli powder grinded before. Give a spin again.

6. Now slowly add the roasted dry coconut little by little, grinding in between, to make a smooth powder. Make sure to mix it well occassinally, so the down portion doesn't become a sticky paste. It should be a smooth fine powder.

7. Let it stand for a minute. Remove from the grinder and let it cool.

Ahhh... The Aroma is Divine !!! isn't it? Now make some yummyliscious curries with this Masala and let us know how it tasted :))

Happy Cooking :)

Gajar ka Halwa : Bollywood special

I'm sure every Bollywood movie fan would know this dish!!!! For those, not aware, "Gajar ka Halwa" was a popular dish made by all Bollywood mothers for their sons and apparently, all the Heroes' favourite dish was the same :)))) "Maa ke haath ka Gajar halwa" ( the carrot pudding made by mother ) or "Beta, maine gajar ka halwa banaya hai.. tujhe pasand hai na?" ( Son, i have made your favourite dish of carrot pudding ) were some of the very common dialogues in Bollywood Films in 70's or 80's. 

Gradually , with time, "Maa" became "Mom" and there is no more "Gajar ka halwa" that i remember seeing in any film recently. Nevertheless, Gajar ka halwa is a dessert relished by us all at any given point of time !

Gajar Halwa basically got introduced during the Mughal period and is associated with state of Punjab in India and Pakistan and is also known as "Punjabi Gajrela" or "Gajar ka Gajrela" in the northern parts of India. In earlier days, it was made by using carrots, pumpkins, potatoes, zucchini and snake squash. This halwa is especially cooked and served hot in winter days, as carrots are cheaper during that time and of good quality too. Cooked on festivals like Diwali, Holi or any special occassion, this dish tastes good even when served chilled. It usually lasts for a long period when kept in refrigerator or at room temperature in winters.

Recently a friend asked me to post recipe of homemade Gajar Halwa with some twist. Normally, this halwa is made with milk, sugar, carrots, nuts and dry fruits. I really scratched my brains, to make this recipe into something exciting and new. Did some R n D, cooked with a few changes here and there and here is the result :

I love replacing sugar with jaggery. Not many would like the taste and would prefer the traditional taste of adding sugar to the halwa but trying this in small quantity is no harm. Also, i used rich whole milk instead of skimmed milk. I used the traditional khoya, but you can also use condensed milk. The twist was : a few saffron strands dipped in rose water!!!! Not only does it add taste to the recipe, but also the aroma is breathtaking :)) And yes, don't think of calories while making or eating this recipe. Use Ghee as much is needed. There is no "short-cut" or " fat-cutting" there ! The halwa tastes yummy only when the carrots are saute'd well in ghee. 

Another twist was to add " Rabdi ice cream" on top!!! It just couldn't get better. We get ready  made Rabdi ice cream here. You can make Rabdi at home or buy ready made and top it on halwa. Or you can even freeze the Rabdi in kulfi or ice cream moulds and use it for topping.

Ingredients :

Carrots : 2 cups (Wash, peel and grate them )

Jaggery - 3/4 cup ( if using powdered sugar, use the same amount or according to taste)

Desi ghee - 4-5 tsp

Full cream milk - 3 cups

Khoya - 3/4 cup ( Use 1/2 cup or even less if using condensed milk or 3 tbsp of powdered milk. Some even add paneer instead of khoya for a different taste)

Saffron strands - a few

Rose water - just to dip the saffron strands in

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Raisins - a few ( You can even add cashews or any other mixed nuts of your choice. You can even add dates)

Recipe :

Always use a wide flat pan or kadhai to make carrot halwa as it promises even cooking. 

You can also make this in a pressure cooker vessel. 

Dip the saffron strands in rose water and keep aside.

Heat ghee in a pan and add grated carrots and saute for 8-10 mins. Keep stirring it in between. This prevents burning of the carrots.

Add the milk, raisins and cardamom powder and cook till all the milk is absorbed by the carrots and the mixture turns into thick consistency. This is when the carrots are cooked. It will take about 20-25 minutes. Cook on low flame and let it take its own time.

Add the jaggery or powdered sugar and cook for another 5 mins.

Remove from heat.

Lastly, add the khoya and saffron with rose water and mix well.

If the mixture is watery, cook for another 5-10 minutes till it becomes dry.

Serve with a scoop of Rabdi ice cream or Rabdi.

Happy Cooking :)

Peanut Ladoo : From Guddu :)

The word "Ladoo" reminds me of one of my Rakhi brothers who calls me "Guddu". I think he named me that from the word "Gudiya". So here's a sweet recipe for my sweet brother Prashant Batar :)

Ladoos or Laddus are all-time sweet that you can make and store in your kitchen. You dont need a special reason ( a festival or an occassion )to make one. Normally, all ladoos have ghee as an ingredient, so storing them for a minimum of 1 week is not an issue too. We have already made Coconut ladoos... Today we will make these melt-in-the-mouth Peanut ladoos. We maharashtrians call it "Shengdanyache ladoo" ( Sheng-dana is peanut in marathi language). They are also called "Shing na ladoo" in gujrathi. I normally make them and store them in an air tight container ( need not refrigerate) and is a part of my husband's snack-box every alternate day !! An easy-healthy recipe for his sweet tooth!!! 

Peanuts offer a variety of health benefits. They are a very good source of monosaturated fats, which is good for a healthy heart. They also contain Vitamin E, proteins and recently i read, that Peanuts not only contain oleic acid, a healthy fat found in Olive oil, but they are also rich in antioxidants. 
I love making recipes with Peanuts and they are an essential bit in my monthly grocery list. They can be eaten as whole, crushed, powdered, boiled, roasted...In any form they taste great!!

Peanuts can be made into chutneys, a sandwich filling in the form of Peanut Butter, or even into daal. Yes, my mother makes this yummyliscious Peanut daal that one has during Fasting. Peanut is one of the ingredients that is allowed to eat when one fasts, along with fruits, milk, sweet potatoes etc etc. We kids never fasted but used to love eating all the "fast-food " ( food allowed during fasting ) that was cooked at home. I am surely going to take the recipe of Peanut Daal from my mother and post it soon. Crushed peanuts are also made into chikkis and cookies. Ground peanut powder is used in various dishes like sabudana khichdi, some vadas or even curries or sabzis to get thicker consistency and a different taste. I even like to add roasted peanuts to breakfast recipes like upma and poha ! And how can we forget the peanut chaat with lemon juice and our favourite "Pepper"!!!! Yummm...

Peanut Ladoos can be made in different ways. You can add jaggery or powdered sugar. I always add and prefer jaggery over sugar, for the health benefits and also for the taste. You can add nuts or dry fruits according to your choice, either sliced or even powdered. You can even add cardamom powder or dry ginger powder or keep them plain and simple without much additions. They taste delicious either ways.

Ingredients :

Peanut powder - 1 cup. (Dry roast peanuts till light brown, remove their skin and then grind it to a powder in mixer. Make sure you grind it slowly and check in between, otherwise it starts oozing oil and powder turns sticky. You can make ladoos even with the sticky mixture, but a coarse powder tastes better than the sticky one )

Jaggery - 3/4 cup. (If you are adding powdered sugar, add 1/2 cup or according to taste. The powdered sugar has to be little coarse and not too smooth.)

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Almonds - 4-5 sliced into thin strips ( you can even add cashews or nuts of your choice)

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp ( optional)

Recipe :

Mix Peanut powder with jaggery or powdered sugar well.

Add sliced almonds. Keep some aside for garnishing ladoos on top.

Add the cardamom powder and 1 tbsp ghee.

Mix the mixture well and then add the other 1 tbsp ghee. The mixture is ready.

Roll into small round balls ( apply little ghee on hand or palm if needed ) and garnish with almond on top.

Happy Cooking :)

Coconut ladoos

"The best thing about having a sister is having a best friend forever". I love this quote and by God's grace, i have been blessed by some of the very sweet sisters as cousins. They have been there with me through thick and thin and they always lend a silent support in everything i do. Just when i started this food blog, i really got some encouraging statements by one of my little sister and another sent me a list of recipes to try out ! One such sister is Mrinalini Kulkarni ( we call her Mona tai - Tai in Marathi language means elder sister).

Monatai and me have grown up together. We used to eat in one plate, wore each other's clothes, shared all the deepest secrets and yet, given each other the space we needed individually. She is married to a loving husband and has 2 beautiful children now. Just a few days back, i had mentioned her about me having 1/2 a tin of condensed milk ( the other 1/2 i had used in making kheer) and what do i do with it, when she gave me this easy quick recipe of coconut ladoos. So this one's dedicated to Monatai.

Coconut ladoos is a melt in your mouth recipe that you can make for special occassions like Ganesh Chaturthi, Navratri or any festival. Now that Diwali is coming, i thought to post this recipe. Its a good substitute to the besan and rava ladoos that are normally made in every home ( though they taste yummy too!!! ). Try this 4-ingredient recipe and your ladoos are ready in no time !!! :)

Ingredients :

Condensed milk ( Milkmaid ) - 1/2 tin

Dessicated coconut - 2 cups ( you get readymade packets in market)

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp ( optional )

Pistachios - Chopped lengthwise ( to garnish )

Recipe :

Heat a pan and mix condensed milk with 1 n 1/2 cup of dessicated coconut ( keep the half cup aside ) and keep stirring it on low flame. The mixture will start leaving the sides of pan.

Add cardamom powder. 

Remove from heat and let it cool.

Take the remaining dessicated coconut in a plate. Roll small ladoos of the mixture into this coconut. If the mixture is sticking to your hand, apply little oil on palm.

Garnish with pistachios.

Happy cooking :)