DAL PAKWAN

Dal Pakwan is a Sindhi recipe which is quite filling.  Hence it is served as BRUNCH mostly.  I happened to taste this dish in a wedding and was fascinated by the taste of this dish.  The dal being hot with raw onions and sweet and green chutneys on top with quite a large amount of chopped coriander on top of it is mouth watering.

Since then I wanted to make this and post it on my blog but somehow I could not do it.  Last week I was having some time so decided to make this dish.  It is easy to make as we can make the Pakwan and keep ready in a day or two in advance and make the dal subsequently.  This is what exactly I did.

Now Let us look at the recipe without wasting much time .

Junglee rolls

Junglee rolls is very easy to make if you have dosa/idli batter with you.  left over batter can also be used.
what you need is grated veggies viz. carrots, beetroot, cabbage, chopped onions, sweet corns and coriander leaves and little chaat masala and chutney.  A healthy and diet friendly.  If you are not worried about your health, you can garnish with some grated cheese too.

Normally, kids do not eat all the vegetables.  By adding vegetables in these kind of dishes, we can make them to eat.  They will definitely enjoy.

RAW BANANA VADA(NON FRIED)

Raw bananas are available always.  This vegetable can be used for making various subzis, chips and ripen, eat as fruit.  All the parts of  Banana Plants are used for cooking or for other purpose. Instead of potato, you can make use of banana.

I have prepared this vada so many times but could not post it.  Today being a holiday, want to make something hot for the breakfast hence I made this non fried vada as I had time to make it.

You have to cook the same in a non stick tava in low flame for 5-6 minutes.  Though you will not get the taste of deep fried vadas, since it is very healthy (non fried), you can once in a while enjoy this food too.

Though the potata vada is served with dry lasoon chutney or green and sweet chutney, Since I prefer to have brown bread than the PAV, we enjoyed it along with the brown bread.  

Let us look at the recipe now:

Watch video on you tube

SWEET TAMARIND CURRY, CHINCH CURRY, KODUKAPULI CURRY

Locally known as Chinch, it is called Guamachil, Manila Tamarind, Kodukkai Puli/Kodi-kai-puli, Sweet Tamarind, Thai-Sweet Tamarind, Madras Thorn, Monkey Pod, Jungle Jilebi, Bilayati Imli, Seema Chintakayalu (Foreign Tamarind), Kona Puliyankai (Twisted Tamarind).

It is not so - common fruit in market.  Is often sold by vendors going around  streets and in front of school, or in the prime markets where the local vendors sell it.

During our school days, we have seen it hanging on the tree which was looking so beautiful but never ventured to find out what exactly it is.  \

Recently, when I went to Jambli Naka, I happened to see this and checked with the lady who was selling this what is the use of it.  She said it is just to be eaten like that.  I bought it only  for Rs.10/- since I never tasted it.  I opened the pods and found some whitish thick pulp in it with black seeds.  The seeds had the resemblance of the normal tamarind seeds.

The pods contain a thick, sweetish, acidic pulp that is eaten raw or made into a drink similar to lemonade.  The plants can be seen on highways and plenty near Powai lake route.

When I get something new, if it is edible, I always try some cuisines with it.  I made salad, a curry with radish and a drink out of it. shall upload one by one.

BUN DOSA

Dosa is  made for breakfast by every one.  It is a very simple and tasty dish served along with sambhar or chutney or milagai podi.

There are varieties of dosas which can be made with and without urid dal.  Here another version of dosa without urid dal.  This recipe is shared by my dearest  friend Mrs. Sandhya Phadnis, who is also a very good cook and enjoys sharing her recipes and brings a lot to eat for the whole office.

Urid dal is not advisable to those who are having gas problems this was advised to me by an Ayurvedic doctor.  Hence I also prefer to make dosas without urid dal as far as possible.

Bun dosa with tomato and cherry chutney

ROTI SEV PURI

I have already posted sev puri.  Now I am presenting the roti sev puri.  this is made with left over roti, tasty and healthy too. what you need is the left over rotis, chutneys, chopped tomatoes, onion and nylon sev. your roti sev puri is ready.  I have also posted masala roti.  You can view the videos in You Tube of these.

SEV PURI. DAHI PURI

I have already posted the mouth watering Bhel puri.  Now is the time to post Sev Puri.  Sev puri can be made as dahi sev puri. you have to add only dahi in the sev puri.  chaat item, any one will enjoy any time especially when you can make it at home why not taste it whenever you want provided you keep all the ingredients in your store room.

AMLA SHEPU SUBZI

Amla and shepoo both are having medicinal values and good for health.  Both are good for diabetic people.  Having calcium in it, good for bones, helps in digestion.  dill leaves helps in curing the gas problems.

We must add both these main ingredients in our daily diet atleast 3-4 days in a week.  Since amla has got a different kind of taste, and dill leaves are having a peculiar taste, both blended together makes a very nice subzi and can be served as a side dish.

JACKFRUIT SEED CUTLET

 

Season of Jackfruit will get over once the monsoon starts.  After the rain, it will not be as tasty as the one we get during the summer.  Now grab the opportunity to make the seasonal dishes before the monsoon starts.

Today, I prepared jack fruit seed cutlets which was very tasty.  The seeds are naturally sweet little bit and the cutlet was awesome.  We can use the seeds for making chips  (jack fruit seed  chips) and subzi too.  I had some seeds with me which I used for making the cutlet.

Let us look at the recipe now:   watch youtube:  jack fruit seed cutlet

KODUKAPULI PICKLE, MANILA TAMARIND PICKLE, SWEET TAMARIND PICKLE

Here I am with another recipe of Kodukapuli.  This is the season of pickles and people make varieties of pickles in the summer season.   Though sweet tamarind has got a bland taste, with tamarind pulp, chilli powder and jaggery, this pickle tastes awesome.

Kodukapuli pickle

enjoy the kodukapuli curry and kodukapuli chutney, thogayal too

PALAK VADA

Palak vada or spinach vada or keerai vada is made with the urid dal batter and the palak nicely chopped and added to it.  If you want, can add bits of coconut, chopped green chillies, curry leaves etc.  You will need medu vada batter for this.

You can serve it with chutney, sambar, rasam  and sauce too.  Normally palak and curd goes well hence you can serve it as dahi vada too with sweet and green chutney.  Add some chopped onions, becomes masala vada.

Any kind of vada you serve hot with chutney, sambar, rasam etc. is welcomed in our house.  Another method of making it is that you can mix the spinach with dal vada  (parippu vada) mix.

Palak vada

KAIRI KI PARATHA

Kairi ki paratha  ( video  you tube) one of my colleague made and brought for lunch.  We used to sit together for lunch and share our dishes.  She had used the kacha pakka mango which is neither sour nor sweet.   It was a very simple preparation and tastes good.

Before this, I had made the same with raw mango which was sour and with the ripe mango and video had also made.  Since my children did not like it, I did not post it.   Since the season is on, I thought of sharing the recipe with you all.

Whenever I try a new dish, I make it with less quantity only and the measurement is given according to that.  You can increase the quantity according to your requirement if you liked the dish.

Let us look at the recipe now:

GRILLED MANGO CHUTNEY l CHUTTA MANGA CHUTNEY l MANGO CHUTNEY

During Mango Season, i.e. summer, you get lot of  Raw Mangoes.  We make pickle, Ada Mangai, Aam ka Panha, Use it for making Amchur Powder i.e. Dry Mango Powder etc. Another interesting recipe is Panha Thandai.

Here I prepared slightly different manner.  I grilled the same, removed the pulp.  Similarly, grill the Green chilli also.  If you wish you can use red chilli too but while grilling be careful.

BER CHUTNEY

Ber or Bhor it is known as is a sweet and sour fruit which is available in Indian market during the period November to March. 

It brings back the childhood memory as we used to go to pluck this near the Krishnan temple at Pallanchathanur where my  grandfather used to stay.  During vacation,  we used to go there and our time pass is this among other mischievous activities. It is a nutrient fruit with antioxidant properties and stimulates your immune system.  It is also rich in Vitamin C, B vitamins, calcium, iron, and phosphorous. These nutrients will keep your skin healthy, and your scalp and hair in good  condition. 

Traditionally in India, the fruit is dried in the sun and the hard nuts are removed. Then, it is pounded with tamarind, red chillies, salt and jaggery.  In some parts of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, fresh whole ripe fruit is crushed with the above ingredients and dried under the sun to make cakes called ilanthai vadai or regi vadiyalu ) (Telugu).  This vadai I happened to taste when I went to Marudamalai in Coimbatore.  I was fascinated with the shape and colour of this and the fact that never tasted before, I purchased it for tasting.  I really liked it.

Various shapes and colours of ber is available in the market now.  I happened to see the green big ones looks like green tomato and tastes bit like a green  apple.  I purchased the same and cut it for tasting.  I felt the mild sweetness in it and thought of biting a green apple.  I made chutney, subzi and molagootal/kootu out of this and was excellent though you will not be able to identify the taste separately as you will feel that you have made it with the chow chow.  

Let us look at the recipe now and giving below a little brief about the fruit:

VARI TANDULACHI UPMA, CHAMA ARI UPMA, SANWA UPMA, UPWAS KA UPMA

Upma is normally made with suji (semolina) or lapsi or rice rava.  It can be made plain or with some vegetables but for upwas, these items are not used by some people.  Most of the  people use Vari Tandul, Chama arisi, sama chaval, sanva it is known as.  Since just plain upma will not be much tastier, i have used ratalu along with it.  Let us see the recipe now.

PUMPKIN LEAVES PATRA

We make Patra with aloo leaves also known as Colacasia leaves, arbi leaves etc.  In Malayalam, we call it as Chembu Elai.  With this leaves, we make pulikootu, masiyal etc.

Patra is a Gujarati snack item made with this leaves and is quite tasty.  However, it is popular in Maharashtra also known as Alu Vadi.  it is made with spicy besan batter and tossed with sesame seeds and mustard seeds.   We can either deep fry or tava fry and serve it as it is or with chutneys, sauce etc.

Similarly, I tried the patra with Pumpkin leaves and turned out very nicely though it was my first attempt to make this today.

Most of the people are not aware that the pumpkin leaves are edible and can make various dishes out of it because it is not easily available in cities.  These are available in villages and village people make various dishes out of this and also with payar leaves (chowli leaves).  

 This snack can be served at any time.  After steaming, cool it and keep it in fridge,  you can use it within 2 days.  It remains in fridge for a week but I prefer to finish it off as soon as it is made.

Now let us look at the recipe :

MASALA ROTI (BEST OUT OF WASTE)

Normal masala papad is enjoyed by everyone. But for health conscious people, it is little bit alarming as it is a fried item.  Masala  Roti  is  made out of left over roti is not only good for health but also healthy for everyone for munching over a cup of tea, before lunch, dinner as a starter.  

This is the contribution of my daughter Aishwarya.

RASWALA KHAMAN DHOKLA ll RASWALA DHOKLA ll RASWALA HOW TO PREPARE RASWALA DHOKLA ll HOW TO PREPARE RASWALA KHAMAN DHOKLA ll RASAVINSUVAI

Dhokla is a vegetarian food item that is found mainly in the Indian state of Gujarat and parts of adjacent states. It is made with a fermented batter derived from rice and split chickpeas. Dhokla can be eaten for breakfast, as a main course, as a side dish, or as a snack with  Green and Sweet Chutney.

I happened to taste the Raswala Khaman which I liked very much and tried at home.  The result is YUMMY.

Let us look at the recipe now:

Video:

NARALACHI MODAK, VELLA KOZHUKKATTAI,

To welcome the Lord Ganesha, Vignahartha, I have already posted two to three varieites of savory version of modaks.  Now is the turn to post a sweet variety which in every household we make it for varalakshmy vratham, pooja too.

Sweet varieties are prepared with whole green gram, chana dal, coconut, seasame seed and the variety is endless.

Naralachi modak, vella kozhukkattai

HORSEGRAM SHARBAT

Today I had cooked the kulith sprouts for making pani poori.  Instead of the normal ragda or moong sprouts or white watana, I tried the kulith sprouts and it tasted good.

After cooking the sprouts, I had 1/4 cup of stock of the same which I did not want to throw away.  So I made sharbat out of it and it tasted good.

Since the summer is on and it is very hot, this drinks is quite good for health.

Horsegram is or kulith or muthira it is called, is  rich in B-complex vitamins,  proteine and  highly nutritious. 
It is  commonly prescribed in ayurvedic medicine for conditions like difficult breathing, cough, gastric problems, ulcers, worm infections and excessive perspiration. Some alternative medicine experts even consider horse gram as a good remedy to control joints pain. It can be also used as a natural health tonic.    It tones up the digestive system and prevents acidity and flatulence. 
People suffering from spleen enlargement, colic and weak liver can also benefit from this plants medicinal properties. People with kidney stones, hypertension, gall stones also benefit from its intake.   


  Let us have a look at the recipe now

 

HORSEGRAM SHARBAT