Today’s entry to the weekly marathon is going to be a quick one – chana masala which is a staple at our home.

1. 1 cup black chana/desi chana, soaked overnight or for 6-8 hours and pressure cooked
2. 1 onion, finely chopped
3. 1 tomato, finely chopped
4. A few springs of coriander leaves, finely chopped
5. 1 tsp of rai (mustard seeds)
6. 1/2 tsp of ajwain
7. 1/2 tsp of haldi pdr (turmeric)
8. 1 tsp of freshly crushed ginger-garlic
9. 1 tsp of red chilly pdr
10. 1 tsp of garam masala
11. 1 tsp dhania pdr (coriander)
12. 1 tbsp of kasuri methi
13. 2 tbsp of oil

Heat up the oil and add mustard seeds. When they pop, add ajwain and chopped onion. Saute till slightly brown, add crushed ginger-garlic, kasuri methi and the tomatoes. Saute till tomatoes are soft and oil separates. Add the boiled chana  and adjust salt. Mix everything well and switch off the stove. Garnish with coriander.

Eat it/serve it as a snack or with hot phulkas.

————————————-

As 2009 draws to a close, I want to wish all of you a new year filled with love ,health, happiness, warmth and lots and lots of good food!!

Also, my special thanks go out to Nupur, for doing such a great job of organizing the week long marathon where all of us participants posted one recipe per day for a week. Frankly, I didn’t expect to last that long. But with a few minutes of extra effort everyday, I managed to post a new recipe everyday. I started looking forward to Nupur’s creatively written daily roundup posts  She read each and every entry daily, and posted a new recipe on top. Even a bad plumbing problem at home couldn’t stop her. Must say I have a lot of recipes from the marathon that I’ve bookmarked for trying out.

Oh and this marathon has given me a good reason to revive this blog, that has been dormant for a long time. It introduced me to some cool bloggers and got me comments!!! :) Thanks to all the fellow participants -

Anna Parabrahma: Anjali

Home Cook’s Recipes: Lavi

Food for Survival: Unpredictable

Daily Musings: Indosungod

Soup and Dessert: Radhika

Cook’s Hideout: Pavani

The Singing Chef: Raaga

Susvaad: Ramya

Blink and Miss : blinkandmiss

Malabar Spices: Mallugirl

Soulful Creations: Abbhirami

Pieces of paper, squiggly lines: Lavanya

My Foodcourt: Madhuli

Seven Spice: Sonia

Food, Travel, Books and More: Vinaya

Konkani Foodie: Ashwini

Ruchikacooks: Ruchikacook

A Homemaker’s Diary: Sayantani

Le Chaim: Mathangi

Kitchen Gossip: Kanchan

Out Of The Garden: Linda

The World according to Rujuta: Rujuta

Kiss the cook: Manasi

Asankhana: notyet100

Cooking with Koki: Koki

Siri’s Corner: Siri

Eats, Eats & Eats: Sheetal Kiran

Ruchii: Madhu

Jugalbandi: Jai & Bee

Once again, happy new year guys!!

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Yo! Today it’s gulab jamun time, my favouritest dessert of all times. One of the best gulab jamuns I’ve had was from a famous shop in the narrow streets of Jaisalmer, where I had gone on a “study tour” from college. They were huge, and cost a whopping 10 Rs per piece (this was more than a decade ago, circa 1997). Though nothing really beats my mother’s gorgeous home made gulab jamuns. She says she got the recipe from a friend’s dad who ran a professional catering business. And this recipe is the real deal. All of my extended family have been using this recipe for years and it has always given us perfect gulabjamuns that are juicy and soft (to the core). I like my gulabjamuns, both hot and cold (Ya, I’m greedy that way).

These days restaurants, shops and even at homes, people microwave the gulab jamuns to heat them up, and I absolutely HATE that. You can easily tell when a gulab jamun has been nuked, because it is sure to actually burn your tongue or at least numb it a little and ruin the experience. The core of microwaved jamuns is always unrealistically hot, which I can never be prepared for. Anyway I digress, getting back to the gorgeous gulab jamuns,

To make gulab jamuns (makes 28-30 pieces), you’ll need

1. 250 gms unsweetened mawa/khova/khoya (Buy the freshest mawa that you can get. Ask for “gulab jamun mawa” or unsweetened mawa.)
2. 62 gms of maida (Rule: 1/4 weight of mawa. I didn’t have a weigh scale so I used the cup equivalent – 1/4 cup and it was perfect)
3. 30 pieces of sakariya (opaque sugar balls often used for prasad. Please refer to the first picture below)
4. 30 pieces of elaichi seeds (You can throw the cardamom peels in your chai patti jar. Gives a nice flavour to chai)
5. 1 tsp of rose water
6. Baking soda
7. Oil for frying

For the sugar syrup

1. 500 gms of sugar (Rule: double the weight of mawa. I tried to make do by using just 2 cups, but I had less syrup and the jamuns were crowded.)
2. Water (Same volume as that of sugar. If you’re using 3 cups of sugar, use the same amount of water)

Pass the mawa through a fine sieve (the one used to sieve flour), by rubbing it on the sieve using your thumb or palm. This will remove any granules or lumps in the mawa for sure (unlike the kneading method which is vague and requires good expertise). Mix the mawa and maida and turn into a dough (no water or anything). Cover it with a damp kitchen cloth.

To make the sugar syrup, heat the water and sugar till you get a syrup of 1 string consistency. When you test a drop of syrup between your thumb and index finger, you should see a small and thin string form between your fingers, for the fraction of a second. Switch off the stove immediately. Add the rose water.

Heat the oil on low-medium flame. Pinch out a portion of the dough (I used 1/4th of the total dough at a time) from under wraps. Dip the face of your thumb in water and then in the baking soda. Your thumb will be covered with soda. Now knead the portion of the dough that you pulled out, with the soda on your thumb for a minute. Divide into 7-8 portions. Press each portion gently between your palms and make a ball. With your finger make a small dent in the ball and put one sakariya and one elaichi seed into it. Roll it back into a smooth ball, so that the sakariya and elaichi are sort of in the centre and fully covered with dough.

You need to fry these 7-8 jamuns in low-medium hot oil. To check if the temperature is right, throw a tiny piece of dough into the oil. If it floats on top immediately, the oil is too hot. At the right temperature, it should settle at the bottom and take about two seconds or so for it to float on top. Stir the oil gently with a wooden spatula and slowly add the jamuns. Keep stirring the oil with the wooden spatula, while avoiding touching the jamuns. This is so that they get evenly coloured. In about 8-10 minutes, they will get a perfect dark red colour. If they’re done too early, they’ll be uncooked inside. Drain the jamuns and dunk them into warm sugar syrup. If the syrup has turned cold, heat it on low flame to keep it warm. Lather rinse repeat for the remaining 3/4th of the dough. Keep the jamuns dunked in sugar syrup for about an hour and a half.

While the sugar syrups permeates the jamuns from the outside, our little sakariya would’ve melted and will also work its magic from the inside. This ensures that the core of the jamun too gets even sweetness. When you eat the jamun, there will be no trace of the sakariya, just sweetness and a grain of elaichi for subtle flavour.

Close your eyes and pop in a jamun. It’s sure to give you a glimpse of heaven. :)

I am sending these gulab jamuns as the 29th December entry for the one week recipe marathon from December 25th to 31st at Nupur’s One hot stove.

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Today’s entry is going to be a quick one, revived from the drafts, of an everyday dish at our home – gobhi ki subzi. I prefer stir fried dry subzi for lunch and curries for dinner. The dry subzis in Gujarat are usually made without adding any water. They’re made by just covering the kadhai with a lid. Sometimes water is poured on top of the lid so that only the water that forms by cooling the vapours is fed back to the subzi, just enough for it not to burn or get soggy by too much water.

For gobhi ki subzi (for 2 people), you’ll need -

1. 1/2 medium cauliflower, cut into medium florets
2. 1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas
3. 1 potato, peeled and cubed (optional)
4. 1 onion, chopped
5. 1 tomato, chopped
6. 1 tbsp, ginger garlic paste
7. 1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
8. 1/2 tsp haldi (turmeric powder)
9. 1 tsp garam masala (I used Everest kitchen king)
10. 1 tsp of dhania powder
11. 1 tsp of jeera powder
12. 1/2 tsp of red chilly powder or to taste
13. Salt to taste
14. 1 tbsp of oil
15. A pinch of hing
16. A handful of finely chopped coriander leaves

Heat up the oil in a kadhai. Once hot add the jeera seeds. When the jeera starts spluttering, add hing and onions. Add a pinch of salt and cook till edges of the onions start to turn brown. Add turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, green peas, cauliflower and potatoes (if using) and salt. Mix well and cover with a lid. Pour water over the lid and let it cook on low heat. If the water dries up and the vegetables are not yet cooked, pour more water on the lid. In about 15 minutes, the cauliflower and potatoes will be tender (a knife should go through easily, but it should not be limp or soggy). Then add the red chilly powder, dhania and jeera powder, garam masala and tomatoes. Cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with phulkas.

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I am a dal person. Dal fry makes a quick, humble, homely meal when served piping hot with phulkas or bhaat in a steel plate. When nostalgia hits and I crave something simple and desi to the core, I make dal fry with ghee instead of oil. The ghee makes the dal fry so fragrant and silky. Unfortunately, none of my friends or family share my love of ghee, so when I’m alone and lonely, this is one recipe I fall back on to comfort me. To make dal fry for 2 or 3 people, you’ll need

1. 1/2 cup chana dal
2. 1/2 cup moong dal
3. 2 tbsp of ghee (preferred, but can be replaced by oil)
4. 1 large onion, grated
5. 1 tomato, finely chopped
6. 3 dry red chillies
7. 1 small piece of cinnamon
8. 1/2 tsp of haldi powder (turmeric)
9. 1/2 tsp of red chilly powder
10. 1/2 tsp of dhania powder (coriander)
11. 1/2 tsp of jeera powder (cumin)
12. 1 tsp whole jeera seeds
13. 1 tbsp of freshly prepared ginger garlic paste
14. 1 pinch of hing (asafoetida)
15. Finely chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

Soak both the dals in water for 15-30 minutes, while you chop your vegetables. Pressure cook the dal with a little salt, so that it is cooked but not fully mashed up.Heat 1 tbsp ghee/oil in a skillet and saute the grated onions till slightly browned. Add in the ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander and jeera powder. Add in the tomatoes and cook till tomatoes turn soft and fat separates. Pour the cooked dal and add water if required to get the desired consistency. Taste and adjust salt. Switch off after a couple of minutes.

In another small pan, heat the remaining 1 tbsp ghee/oil. Once hot, add jeera seeds, hing, dried red chillies, cinnamon and pour it over the dal. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

I am sending this recipe to the one week recipe marathon from December 25th to 31st at Nupur’s One hot stove.

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If I may say so myself, the biryani was light, colourful and loaded with all the good stuff. I served the biryani with some onion raita and chips and it was very fulfilling. For detailed instructions to the recipe, please watch the video or logon to their website.

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I have baked these gorgeous cookies called Nan Khatai from Nupur’s Happy Burp many times and they have always turned out perfect! I didn’t let the dough rest for a few hours as the original recipe suggests without any problem.

To make nan khatai, you’ll need

1. 2 cups of maida
2. 3/4 to 1 cup of powdered sugar or bura sugar
3. 1 tsp of elaichi powder
4. Ghee or Plain butter
5. 1 tsp of baking soda

Sieve the maida, sugar and soda. Add elaichi powder and keep adding melted ghee till you have a pliable dough (i.e you are able to make golf sized balls that don’t fall apart).

Preheat the oven. Line the baking tray with butter paper and arrange the slightly flattened dough balls, 2 inches away from each other. Bake at 180 C till the bottom is slightly browned. Let it cool completely.

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To make cholafali you’ll need

1. Besan (Gram flour) – 3 cups
2. Urad dal flour – 1 1/3 cups
3. Oil for deep frying
4. Soda bicarbonate – a pinch or 1/2 tsp
4. Salt
5. Chilly powder
6. Rock salt

Add the soda and salt to half a cup of boiling water. Once the water is cool, mix both the besan and urad dal flours and knead it into a tight dough using the boiled and cooled water. You can add regular water as required to knead a tight dough. I used roughly a cup of water in all including the 1/2 cup of boiled and cooled water. Now punch and flatten the dough using a pestle. Knead it back into a ball. Punch the dough similarly for about 4-5 times and you’re good to go.

The punching process makes the dough nice and soft and is absolutely essential for that perfect thin, crisp and puffed up cholafalis. It also calls for some serious muscle power. So if you can make it a friends and family event, it is far easier. For large scale cholafali making at home, the dough used to be sandwiched between two large, clean and dry plastic sheets and kept on the floor. Then women actually walked on it and punched the dough with their heels!!!

Keep the dough wrapped under a clean cotton cloth. Pinch out lemon sized balls and roll them out as thin as you can (thinner than fulka rotis). While rolling it out, keep flipping it and dust it with urad flour as required to prevent it from sticking. Remember the thinner you roll them out the crunchier they’ll turn out to be. Since the dough is stiff, the rolling out too takes more power compared to the regular rotis prepared from soft dough. spread out an old bedsheet/saree/cotton dupatta in two layers. As you finish making the cholafali rotis, keep them covered inside the two folds of a bedsheet. Once all the rotis are rolled out, put one roti on an inverted thali and cut it into thin long strips using a knife or a pizza cutter. Deep fry in medium hot oil till they get a slight colour change. As you fry out one batch, sprinkle the masala (salt, chilly pdr, rock salt mixture) on that batch instantly. This way the masala sticks to it. While you fry the next batch, transfer the previous batch into a large container and so on.

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To make ghughra, you’ll need

For the filling
1. 3 cups of grated kopra (three kopra halves)
2. 1 cup of bura sugar or powdered sugar
3. 1 tbsp khuskhus (poppy seeds)
4. 1 1/2 tsp elaichi powder (cardamom powder)

For the crust
1. Maida
2. 1 tsp salt

Oil for deep frying

Roast the grated kopra in a thick bottomed pan for a few minutes on low to medium heat. Take it off the stove and add sugar, khus khus and elaichi powder.

Mix the maida, salt and knead it into a stiff dough. Let it rest for half an hour. Make a small puri and keep about 1 tbsp of filling on top. Fold the puri into half. Seal the semi-circular edges using a little water. Optionally, you can make a pattern on the edges as is traditional or use a fork to seal the edges.

Deep fry on low to medium heat. They stay fresh for about 10-15 days without refrigeration.

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Pesarattu is a breakfast dish from Andhra Pradesh – a healthy dosa made from whole moong and rice. I tried it out of curiousity from vahchef’s youtube channel and it has slowly and steadily making it’s way in our regular breakfast menu. I love making it when we have friends of family arriving in the morning. It is a filling breakfast perfect for occasions when you’ve not had proper dinner the night before.

To make pesarattus (for 2 hungry people), you’ll need -

1 cup whole moong (whole green gram)
1/2 cup raw rice
Ginger, grated- 1 tbsp
3 green chillies
1 large onion, chopped finely
1 tsp jeera seeds (cumin)
A few drops of oil(optional)

Soak the moong and rice together in plenty of water, overnight or for 6-8 hours. Drain out the excess water. Add 1 tsp jeera, 2 chopped green chillies, 1/2 tbsp of grated ginger, optionally 1 tbsp of chopped onions and grind in a blender to a smooth consistency.

Combine the remaining 1 tbsp grated ginger, finely chopped onions, 1 finely chopped green chilly in a cup and keep aside. Heat a non-stick tava and spread the batter to make a dosa, using a flat steel katori and spreading the batter in a spiral motion, starting from the centre. Since pesarattu batter is slightly thicker than that of the dosa, the katori helps the batter spread evenly. Sprinkle the ginger-onion-green chilly mixture that was kept aside. Once the dosa is golden brown, gently peel it off the tava and serve. Ideal accompaniments are ginger chutney or coconut chutney. Though I usually serve with my all time favourite tomato chutney.

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For years I have been in love with my mother’s aloo parathas where she used to add raw masala to it, stuff and roll them to perfection. Since last couple of years, I am drifting towards the version where the potato stuffing is cooked, even though my love for my mother’s parathas remains undiminished.

So here’s my recipe for aloo parathas (cooked stuffing version), which is based on Tarla Dalal’s aloo methi parathas and vahchef’s version.

For aloo parathas (for two people), you’ll need

For the stuffing

1. 5 medium sized potatoes, boiled and peeled
2. 1 bunch fresh methi leaves (optional), chopped
3. 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
4. 2 green chillies, minced
5. A fistful of coriander leaves, chopped
6. A pinch of turmeric powder
7. A pinch of coriander powder
8. A pinch of cumin powder
9. A little bit of red chilly powder (optional)
10. Juice of 1 lemon
11. Salt
12. Oil – 1 tbsp

For the paratha

1. Whole wheat aata
2. Water
3. Oil for kneading
4. Oil for frying the paraths

Knead the aata into a soft chapati like dough, just a little bit stiff. Let it rest.

While the dough rests, grate the boiled potatoes. This is so that there are absolutely no lumps left and there is no scope of the paratha crust breaking open. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Once it heats, add the ginger-garlic paste and fry it a little. Add the minced chillies and chopped methi leaves (if using). Stir fry for a minute or two and then add turmeric, coriander, cumin and chilly(if using) powder and a little salt. Add the chopped coriander leaves and then add the grated potatoes. Add salt, mix well and switch off the stove. Pour the lemon juice. Roll this into 7-8 balls.

Make a dough ball that is about 3/4th size of the stuffing balls. Roll out the dough into a small chapati (of the size of a puri), put the potato ball in the centre and cover it (like a potli) and seal it. Using a little flour, roll it out gently into parathas. Cook it on a tava (griddle) on both sides, like your usual parathas, using a few drops of oil.

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