Peanut- Jaggery ladoo

First made for Janmashtami, this is an easy 2 ingredient recipe that came out really well.

1 cup peanut

1/3 cup jaggery

On a low flame, roast the peanuts till crunchy. Once absolutely crunchy (test one to check), let it cool then remove the skin. 

Add peanuts and jaggery in a grinder jar and pulse till ground to a coarse consistency- a little oil will release and it will become a mass. [do not grind for long stretches or too much oil will be released and you will not be able to make ladoos].

Take it out of the grinder, and shape into ladoos.

It can be stored outside, but will actually get consumed very fast. 

Ragi korakattai

I'm trying to mix up the cereals in our diet, and my new favourite is ragi flour. These steamed dumplings are similar to the savoury korakattai made with rice flour, and I absolutely love them because they can be rustled up in a jiffy and taste really good. 

I use only half the indicated quantity of jaggery, but this is the original recipe. 

1 cup ragi flour

1/2 cup grated coconut 

1/2 cup grated jaggery

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

A pinch of salt

3 tbsp water

Method:

Mix the dry ingredients together (keeping aside 1 tbsp coconut), add water gradually to make a firm dough. 

Roll into lemon sized balls and press into an oval shape. 

Steam in a steaming plate or an idli maker for 10 minutes. 

Garnish with coconut and sugar before serving. 

Oil free karela

Karela always uses a lot of oil, so when I saw a version of karela which didn't use any oil, I was tempted to try it out. It tasted really good, though the kids refused to eat it on principle. 

250 gms karela

2 tbsp salt

For stuffing:

2 tbsp besan 

2 tbsp grated coconut

1 tsp jaggery, grated

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp amchur powder

1/2 tsp haldi powder

1/2 tsp rock salt/ regular salt

Method:

Scrape the skin off the karela, make a longitudinal slit and remove the seeds. Coat with the salt and keep aside for 15 minutes. Squeeze the karela slightly, and scrape off the salt. 

Mix the ingredients listed under 'for stuffing' well, and stuff into the karela. If there is a bit left over, rub it on the outer surface. 

Place the stuffed karela carefully on a steaming plate, making sure the slit end is facing upwards. Steam for 10 minutes till done. 

Ragi puttu

XI recently bought a packet of ragi flour, and have been sold on the cereal so much, I've been using it everywhere. This is a recipe I found online, and since it has two other ingredients that I love, I decided to try it out for lunch. Definitely something I will make again.

 1/2 cup ragi flour

A pinch of salt

2-3 tbsp jaggery, rated

2-3 tbsp grated coconut for garnish

1/2 tsp ghee

Method:

Take ragi flour and salt in a soft cotton cloth, fold it with the flour inside and steam for 10-12 minutes or until you get a nice aroma of steamed ragi flour.

Spread the steamed ragi, add 4 tbsp water, 1 tbsp at a time, and mix well. There should be no lumps. 

Put the dough in a cloth, and steam for 10 minutes in an idli maker. 

Break it into a powder, add jaggery and coconut, mix well and serve. 

Missal pav

Living in Maharashtra, it was only a matter of time before our love affair with misal started. Normally, we buy it, but when I saw a packet of mixed beans at the grocer, I decided to try making it myself. It turned out really good, and the kids enjoyed it because I could control the spices. 

3 1/2 cups mixed sprouts*

1 large potato cut into small pieces

1 large onion chopped fine

1 green chilli chopped fine

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1/2 tsp haldi powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp dhania powder

1 tsp jeera powder

1 1/2 tbsp godh masala

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp jeera

1 sprig curry leaves

1 marble sized ball of tamarind

1 tbsp jaggery

1 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

Wash the sprouts well, and pressure cook with potatoes, 1/4 tsp haldi powder and sufficient water to cover the sprouts. I reduced the flame after the first whistle and cooked for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, soak the tamarind in hot water for 20 minutes, squeeze out the pulp and keep aside. 

Heat the oil. Add mustard seeds, and when they stop spluttering, add jeera and saute till it releases its fragrance. 

Add chopped onions and curry leaves. Sauté till transparent. 

Add ginger garlic paste and green chillies and sauté till onions are well browned. 

Add the spices, and mix well. Add tamarind paste, and sauté till the raw smell of tamarind goes away. 

Add the drained sprouts and potatoes to the masala, stir and add 1 cup water. 

Add salt and jaggery, mix well, and cook with regular stirring for 10 minutes

Serve with pav, mixed farsan, finely chopped onions and a wedge of lime. 

* half a cup of mixed beans soaked overnight and sprouted for 1 1/2 days 

Nachani Ladoo

I was having lunch with a colleague and she told me about the various flours that are used in traditional Maharashtrian cooking. Ragi or nachani flour is apparently very high in calcium, and iron, and I was tempted to try out this simple recipe as soon as I heard about it. I loved it, but next time, I think I will go easy on the sesame seeds- it might just taste better without it.

1 cups ragi flour
¼ cup sesame seeds
¼ cup peanuts
¼ cup coconut
1/4 cup jaggery
2 tbsp ghee

Method:
Heat 1 tbsp ghee and fry the flour till you get a nice aroma of ragi. Set this aside to cool.
Dry roast peanuts, cool, remove the skin.
Dry roast sesame seeds, cool.
In a blender, powder together peanuts, sesame seeds and coconut.
Add the jaggery, and powder it well.
Add the flour and ghee, and mix well in the blender till the oil oozes from the mix.
Make balls while the mix is still warm. If needed add melted warm ghee and make balls.

Chicken in peanut sauce

The hubby was home for the weekend after nearly a month, and the only way we know how to celebrate is by cooking something good. So I pulled out a recipe that I had liked a couple of weeks back, and adapted it slightly to suit our taste. I could have tripped on the peanut sauce- it was that good. Going to make it again soon.

1 kg curry cut chicken
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lime juice

For the marinade:

4 tbsp roasted peanuts
1 tbsp olive oil
1 inch ginger
2 green chillies
8  pods garlic
1 tsp haldi powder

2 tbsp jaggery*

2 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp coriander stalks
Salt to taste.

Method:

Blend all the ingredients listed under marinade into a fine paste. Add water if required.
Marinate the chicken pcs and keep in the fridge a few hours or overnight.
Heat a little oil in a pan and add the mixture.
Cook on medium heat stirring off and on.
Keep covered for a while.
Sprinkle lemon juice, and serve with rotis.

*- the recipe called for honey, but I substituted with jaggary.

Aam Panna, with jaggary

My mother used to make Aam Panna when I was a child, and I have strong views on what it should taste like and do not like deviating from my norm. But when I saw a recipe for a version which used jaggary instead of sugar, I wanted to try it out. The mix of spices gives it medicinal properties too, but me being me, I will only have it if it tastes good, and it does.

1 raw mango
1/3 cup jaggery
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp saunf/ fennel seeds
1/2 tsp ajwain/ carom seeds
1 green cardamons
Rock salt to taste

Method:
Peel the green mango, slice it into pieces. Cover with water, and boil for 10 minutes till soft.
Meanwhile, dry roast jeera, saunf, ajwain till well roasted, but not burnt. Dry grind and keep aside.
Powder the cardamons and keep aside.
Blend the cooked mango pieces (with the water), and jaggery till well mixed.
Add rock salt and powdered spices.
Store.

To serve, add 1 part of squash to 4 parts water, mix well and serve. You can also use soda instead of water.

Meethi chawal

Both the Tamil and the Punjabi New Years fell today, and though I had to go to work, I intended coming home early. I let the cook take an evening off, but then got delayed at office. Not wanting to order out, I make this "meethi chawal" from Himachal. The jaggery I used was very light in colour, so the dish didn't photograph well, but it tasted much nicer than it looked.
I may not make it again (because I like Shakarai Pongal much more than I did this one), but I know I am going to replicate it with poha soon.

1 cup rice
3 tbsp cashew nuts
3 tbsp raisins
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup jaggery
1 stick cinnamon
3 green cardamom
1 tsp saunf
3 tbsp ghee
 
Method:
Soak the rice half an hour, strain the water, add fresh water, and boil till 70% coked. Use a sieve to strain out the starchy water, rinse with cold water and keep aside.
Heat 1 cup water, add fennel seeds, cardamoms and cinnamon, and allow it to come to a boil. Turn off the flame and keep aside for a few minutes for the flavours to seep in. Add grated jaggery, and stir till it mixes completely (heat the water, if required)
Heat the ghee, and saute the dry fruits and the shredded coconut, till slightly browned.
Add the jaggery water, and cooked rice to the dried fruits and mix well. Cover it with a lid and let the rice cook for 10-15 minutes on low heat (if you feel the rice is sticking to the pan, add a little more water)
Garnish with dry fruits and serve

Tilkut- til gud ladoo

Til-gud khaya, god god bola./ Have tilkut ladoos, and say only sweet things all year.
The traditional greeting on Sankranti, in my adopted state involves one of my favourite sweets. One that I have never even attempted making, because I saw no need to. Today, however, I felt like making it, and after finding that most recipes were pretty similar, picked one at random and went ahead and made it. The trick, of course, is in finding the 'end point', which I got surprisingly easily today.

1 cup sesame seeds
2/3 cup jaggary
1/3 cup water
2 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp cashenuts

Method:
Roast the sesame seeds in a pan on low heat till they are golden brown in colour. Keep aside.
Heat the water, add the jaggery, and simmer over low heat till it starts caramelizing and forms a ball when you add a drop of syrup in cold water. This should take 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Add the sesame seeds, broken cashewnuts and ghee, and mix thoroughly.
Let the mixture cool down a bit, then take one tablespoon of mixture in your palm and pat into a round shape.
Make all the ladoos while the mixture is still warm, and leave it to set.

Kovil Sakkarai Pongal

We have an optional holiday today, and I was in two minds whether to take a day off or not. One of the strongest things in favour of me taking a day off was that I could then make Shakarai Pongal as I had done the previous two years. The recipe I follow is my mother's, and it cannot be whipped up in a hurry. But a little bit of searching led me to a couple of recipes for "Kovil Sakkarai Pongal", which seemed much easier. I adapted them to my taste, and did come out really well. (That I ended up taking a day off is a different story altogether).

1/2 cup raw rice

3 tbsp moong dal

1/2 cup jaggery

2 1/2 cups water

3 tbsp ghee

A pinch of salt

Cashews

Raisin

Cardamon powder

Nutmeg powder

 

Method

Heat 1 tbsp ghee, and roast the moong dal till brown.

Add washed rice, salt and water, and pressure cook till the rice gets really mushy. Mash it well.

Powder jaggery, and dissolve it in just enough water to make a syrup (gently heat the water to make it dissolve).
Remove any impurities that may be floating on the surface, and add to the mashed rice. Mix well. Stir in 1 tbsp ghee, and cook on very low flame for 5 minutes.
Seperately, heat the ghee, roast cashewnuts till golden, then add raisins. Once it fluffs up, turn off flame, and keep aside.
Add nuts and cardamon powder and nutmeg powder. Mix well and serve.

Gobi-gajar-shalgam achar

One of my most vivid memories of the first week as a new bride in my marital home is of breakfast. Thankfully, those were the days before size zero brides, and I had no qualms about wolfing down steaming hot stuffed paratas with gobi-gajar-shalgam achar. Seeing their "Madrasi" bride tuck into the typically Punjabi breakfast must also have reassured my in-laws about my ability to fit into a new culture.
Unfortunately, however, that was the first and last time I got to eat gobi-gajar-shalgam achar. My mother-in-law didn't make it herself, and the stuff you got at restaurants was at best a poor attempt at replicating the classic dish.
This winter, I was determined to attempt the recipe myself, and before I could change my mind, bought the ingredients, and even cut the vegetables and kept them to dry. It was easier than I expected, and I wonder why I never attempted it all this while.

1 Kg vegetables (a mix of cauliflower florets, carrot slices, turnip cubes)
65 gms mustard seeds
65 gms salt
150 gms jaggery
150 gms mustard oil
150 gms vinegar
5 tsp Garam masala
100 gms ginger-garlic paste
25 gms red chili pwdr

Method:
Cut the vegetables, and leave them out to dry for 6 hours (I put them in a preheated oven with the heat off).
Heat the mustard oil, let the mustard seeds splutter.
Add the vegetables, fry the vegetables lightly and keep aside.
In the same oil, add ginger-garlic paste, and saute till the raw taste goes.
Meanwhile, heat the vinegar in a pan, add the jaggery, and stir on a low heat till the jaggery dissolves completely. Turn off the fire, and let it cool down.
Mix all the ingredients, including the dry masala. Pour into a sterilized jar, cover the mouth with a piece of cloth, and keep in the sun for a week.

Sweet and Spicy Dry Chicken

Dinner today was a mishmash of everyone's request. I wanted something spicy, but Thing Two insisted he needed sugar to kill the spice. The Hubby and Thing One both wanted chicken- preferably dry. There was also the slight problem of having to work with the ingredients that were available in the kitchen/ kitchen garden, since I didn't want to go out in the cold. And it had to be something easy.

I browsed the internet for recipes, and tried to decide between two recipes that I liked. Unfortunately, I got the two mixed up, and the recipe I finally made was something all my own (with some jaggery thrown in to keep Thing Two happy). The result- Fantastic Chicken, they all said, before finishing it all off!

1 curry cut Chicken

For Marinating:

1 tbsp Chilli powder

2 tbp dhania powder

2 tbsp Garam Masala Powder

1 tsp haldi powder

Salt to taste

For Masala:

Oil - 3 tblspn

1 tsp Saunf

3 large onions, chopped Onion

2 green chilli Green

3 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste

2 tbsp Jaggery

2 tbsp Lemon Juice

1 sprig curry leaves

Method:

Marinate chicken and leave it for 30 mins.

Heat oil, add saunf and wait till it finishes spluttering.

Add onions and green chilli, and saute till it turns light golden.

Add ginger garlic paste, and curry leaves and fry till the onion is well browned. Make sure the onion is golden, because that what gives good colour to the curry.

Add the marinated chicken and jaggery and mix well.

Cover with a tight lid and cook on a very low flame for 30 mins to 40 mins stirring in between.

Now open the lid and increase the heat. Dry up the chicken, this will make the masala stick to the chicken and get fried.

Add lemon juice, mix well and serve.

Khatta meetha Chilli Achar

One of my  collegues brought this absolutely yummy khatta meetha chilli achar to work, which I couldn't have enough of. Unfortunately, someone had gifted the pickle to her, and she had no way of getting me the recipe. I browsed the internet till I found something that seemed like what I was looking for, and I tried it at once. It isn't quite what I had, but is lovely all the same, and I will definitely make it again.

15 green chillis, cut into inch long pieces
1 tbsp dried ginger powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp dhania powder
100 gms jaggary
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup mustard oil

Method:
Heat the oil, and saute the green chillis till soft
Add salt, chilli powder, dhania powder, ginger powder and fry for a few mins
Add jaggary and mix well till it melts (keep the flame low to ensure it doesn't burn)
Add vinegar and stir.
Turn off the heat, and mix the rest of the oil (pre-heated).
Store in a dry jar, and keep it in the sun for 4-5 days before using.

Maharashtrian inspired hot and sweet drumsticks

I've had two drumsticks sitting in my fridge for almost a week. I'm not sure why I bought them, but I know that once it got home, I couldn't think of anything I wanted to make with them, and they languished. I finally invented this recipe to put the drumsticks out of their misery, and it actually turned out pretty good!

2 drumsticks

1/2 onion, chopped fine

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tsp mustard oil

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp Maharashtrian godh masala powder

1 tsp jaggery

Salt to taste

1 tbsp black sesame seeds

Method:
Cut the drumsticks into 2 inch long pieces, and boil in water (with a bit of salt), for 5 minutes.
Heat the oil, saute the onion pieces till it turns transparent, then add ginger-garlic paste, and fry a bit more. Add drumsticks along with some of the water it was cooked in and mix well.
Add chilli powder, godh masala powder, jaggery and salt and mix well.
Cover, and let the curry bubble for 3 minutes or so. Uncover, and boil off the water, if required.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Til karanji

When we were discussing kozakattai and modak in office, someone mentioned til modak. Since I love the combination of jaggery and til, I wanted to try it out. But what I eventually ended up making was til karanji, which was really nice too.

1/2 cup wholewheat flour
1 tsp ghee
pinch of salt
Water to make batter

4 tbsp sesame seeds/ til
4 tbsp grated jaggery

Oil for deep or shallow frying

Method:
Knead the flour with salt, ghee and sufficient water to make the dough. Cover with a wet cloth and keep aside
Divide the dough into 8 parts, and roll each into a circle.
Mix the grated jaggary and til seeds, and divide it equally between the rolled out dough
Fold in half, seal the edges and either deep fry or shallow fry*.

* - if you increase the amount of ghee in the dough, you can also bake it

Kozakottai

The first time I made kozakottai, it came out really well. The next time, it was an unmitigated disaster. So it was with trepidation that I even took on the challenge this year. As it is, I was slightly rushed because I had to go to work in the morning, but once I started grating the coconut everything fell into place.
I followed a slightly different recipe this time, and it came out really well.

1 cup rice flour
1.5 cups water
¼ tsp oil or ghee
a pinch of salt

For the inner sweet filling:

1 cup fresh grated coconut
¾ cup powdered or grated jaggery (slightly less would be better)
3 to 4 cardamoms, powdered in a mortar-pestle, about ¼ tsp cardamom powder
a pinch of nutmeg powder or grated numeg
½ tsp poppy seeds
½ tsp ghee or oil

Method:
For the filling:
Heat ghee in a pan. add poppy seeds, cardamom powder and nutmeg powder. saute for a minute.
Add grated fresh coconut and powdered/grated jaggery, mix well and cook this coconut-jaggery mixture on a low flame. Keep stirring till the jaggery melts, but do not overcook, because it will then harden. Keep this coconut-jaggery filling aside.

Making the outer cover:Heat the water, with salt and oil, and let it come to a boil.
Reduce the flame and add the rice flour gradually. quickly stir and mix the flour with the water. Keep stirring till all the rice flour is mixed with the water.
Switch off the flame. remove the pan from the stove top and then cover this pan with a lid for 4 to 5 minutes. Knead the dough well for a few minutes.
Make small balls from the dough, so they are smooth in appearance and don't have any cracks.
Grease the steamer well.
Take a ball and flatten it with your fingers to a round disc or a shallow bowl shape. you can apply ghee/oil in your palms, while flattening. Place the filling in the centre
Press the edges together and shape into the traditional shape. Place on the steamer and repeat with the other balls.
Place the steamer on the water, cover, and let it steam for 10 to 15 minutes till done

Sukhdi- a Sweet from Gujarat

The moment I saw this recipe, I wanted to try it out. And the first thing I did after reaching home was to measure out the atta and make it. I had halved the quantities because I wasn't sure how it would be, but now I wish I had doubled them  instead.

1 cup wheat flour
2-3 tbsp Ghee
1/2 cup grated jaggery

Method:

In deep bottomed pan heat the ghee. Add the wheat flour and roast it till pink in colour or till it leaves its aroma.

Remove the pan from the stove and immediately add jaggery and keep folding it in the wheat mixture to melt and blend well.
Once the jaggery has blended well in the wheat flour empty the contents into a greased thali.
With the help of a steel bowl, using its bottom, press the mixture and level it uniformly, then cut into diamond shaped pieces and allow it to cool

Bell Peppers in Sweet-Sour Peanut Sauce

I bought a couple of bell peppers a few days back (literally a couple- one red, one yellow), intending to try out a bell peppers in peanut gravy that I had found. Unfortunately, however, I wasn't able to locate the recipe again, so mixed and matched a few recipes to come up with this dish. It tastes really good with rotis, and is a good dish to have in the repertoire for a time when you want to serve something other than paneer to guests.

1 bell pepper (or 1/2 and 1/2 as I used)
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup of peanuts, skins removed
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 lime sized ball of tamarind
2 tbsps of jaggery
2 cloves
1-inch cinnamon stick
1 tsp cumin (jeera)
Salt to taste.
Cooking oil

Method:
Grind the peanuts, jaggery and tamarind together to get a smooth paste
Heat the oil, temper the jeera, and when it stops spluttering add the whole garam masala and onions. When the onions start to turn transparent, add the chopped bell peppers, and saute for a minute.
Add the peanut paste, about 1/2 cup water, and salt, and mix well. Cook for about 10 minutes.
Tastes excellent with rotis.

Mango juice with subja seeds

My new found love is subja seeds, and I have been dreaming of drinks that use it. This was something that I concocted to use up the mangoes that had gone beyond their "eat by" date. Could have made a milkshake, but this was more fun.

2 mangoes, peeled and chopped into pieces
4 cups chilled water
2 tsp subja seeds
1 tbsp organic jaggary
1 tbsp lime juice


Method:
Soak the subja seeds in about 1 cup water for 30 minutes.
Puree the mangoes, add water, jaggary and lime juice and blend well.
Add subja seeds, and mix well.
Serve chilled, with additional ice, if required.