Instant Dhokla

Whole of September I was busy with the Food Blogging Marathon hosted by Srivalli of http://spicingyourlife.blogspot.in  It was great fun. As I was cooking and photographing the recipes  It gave me many ideas to improve my blogging.  

So to follow through and not to keep my blog without new post for days on end I decided to document my everyday interesting recipes that I make for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I belong to a Maharashtrian Brahman community which is known as 'Chitpavan' or also known as KOBRA for Koknasth Brahman. So most of my regular food is based on their food habits. 

But our family has members from all communities and states of India. Not only my generation or the new generation but also the earlier generation. So little little things from different cuisines have crept in our daily food. My parents were all for trying out new food from wherever we travelled and we did travel a lot during our school vacations.  

As it is  for the last 35 years, since I married, I live in a small rural, tribal town on the border of two states. So a mix of both states is but natural. I am vegetarian by birth and continue to be so. But I cook non vegetarian food as other members of my family like to eat non vegetarian food.

In this segment you will find some very tried and tested traditional recipes and some recipes that are different than their original version.

The first recipe is Instant Dhokla or Steamed Savoury Squares



I had got this recipe from my friend who made it using rawa/sooji/semolina as the main ingredient. I liked the idea and so started doing it often and substituting  rawa with other available flours I had in my pantry. One big hit was using the Aamboli Flour. Aamboli is a type of Dosa. The flour is made of washed/soaked dried rice to which some urad dal is added along with methi/fenugreek seeds. The flour is mixed 10 to 12 hours before making Aamboli. You will find the recipe for Aamboli flour.


Ingredients:
1 cup Aamboli flour *
1/2 cup rawa/sooji/semolin or idli rawa
1/2 cup sour buttermilk or 1/4 cup sour curds/yougurt/dahi mixed with 1/4 cup water
1 tsp fresh ground ginger and green chilly paste
1 sachet or 15 gms or 1 tblsp eno or any other fruit salt
Salt to taste
oil for greasing the thali/baking tray


For tempering:
1 tblsp oil
1 tsp  till / seasame seeds
1 tsp alshi / flax seeds
1/4 thsp rai / mustard seeds
1/4 tsp jeera / cumin seeds
5 to 6 methi seeds / fenugreek seeds
a pinch of hing / asefotida
a few curry leaves cut finely

Method:

Mix Amboli flour and rawa, add salt and slowly add the buttermilk to make a lump free and smooth batter. 
Add more water if necessary to make it to idli batter consistency or thick coating consistency. 
Add ginger chilly paste and keep aside for 10 minutes. 
In the mean time prepare the steamer or keep a big vessel with water to boil and put a greased thali (a plate with an inch high edge) or a baking tray in it. 
Now sprinkle the Eno/fruitsalt over the batter and stir gently to mix well. 
Do not beat the batter but use cut and fold method. 
You will see the batter becoming bubbly and light. 
Pour in to the prepared hot thali/baking tray. 
Cover and steam for 20 to 30 minutes. 
Remove and let cool for two minutes.

Prepare tempering by putting  oil in the tempering pan or a small vessel, when hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, seaseme seeds, fenugreek seeds and flax seeds and let splutter. Switch off heat and add asefotida and curry leaves and pour over the steamed batter. Spread evenly with a spatula and cut into squares or diamonds and serve with chutney of your liking. 















To make it more interesting and healthy you can add 1/4 cup sweet corn kernels/sprouts/green peas/grated carrots or any chopped greens like spinach or methi leaves to the batter before adding the fruit salt.

This is a quick and healthy snack to be had anytime of the day. 

* to make Amboli flour
Wash and soak 1 kg rice and 100 gms urad dal  and 50 gms methi / fenugreek seeds let dry for 8 to 10 hours or till completely dry. Ground it to a coarse rawa/semolina/sooji like texture. Use as required. 

Ukdiche Modak

Ukdiche Modak

Food Blogging Marathon from 2/9/2013 to 30/9/2013. 

Each day a new alphabet. 4 categories. 

Regional Food, 

Baked Dishes, 

International Flavors / Fusion flavors, 

Street Food / Condiments / Misc / Recipe less Posts on Food

I was very tempted to post this on Ganesh Chaturthi with a different name but somehow it did not feel right. Our family Ganapati is the main home where my husband's cousin and his family live. For one and half day's celebration we are there the whole time. Now all the children have flown the coop and it is just us oldies who celebrate, but when everyone was there or was able to come it use to be great. The older generation was there to guide us and 3 generations of guests would be there for the pooja and prasad which is the afternoon meal.
Modak and at least two other sweets is a must. The vegetables too are the same that are used for 'Naivaidya'. 
This is how the Ukdiche Modak are done.
To make the Ukad for the outer covering:
 Rice is the only important ingredient in this.  We use a local variety called 'kasbai'. But any which is sticky is fine. Now a days even Basmati is used.

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo rice
Soak the rice in water for 1/2 an hour and then drain and let dry in shade for a day or two. It should be absolutely dry. The grind it at home or get it done in the flour mill. See to it that it is pure rice flour and not mixed with some other grain. Now to make Ukad
1+ 1/4 cup rice flour
1/2 tsp salt
1+1/2 cups water
1 tsp oil
extra oil for kneading
Keep the water to boil in a thick bottom pan or non stick pan. Add salt and 1 tsp oil and bring it to a rolling boil. lower the heat and while stirring the water add the rice flour in a steady trickle and once all rice flour is gone give a good stir and cover and cook for 10 minutes on low flame. remove lid and give it a good stir. If it has all come together it is done. If not sprinkle some water and cover and cook further for 5 to 8 minutes. Remove in a steel plate to knead. as soon as you can handle it start kneading while still hot. Be careful. Do not burn yourself. If you can't handle the warm dough use a small vessel or back of a katori/steel cup to press and knead the dough. Kneading is very very important. It should become pliable and soft and smooth as you knead. Use oiled palms. Once done keep the dough (Ukad) under a wet muslin cloth or a clean kitchen towel. Now break off a lemon size ball of Ukad and flatten it in the palms of your hands to make a flat disc. Make pleats around the disc and fill about 1 tblsp of the coconut filling and close the open pleated edge by bringing together all the pleats and pinching and making a point at the top. remove excess ukad. In this much amount you should get 21 Modaks. 





To make the coconut filling:
1 big fresh coconut, grated or scraped
Jaggery equal amount of coconut by volume
1 tsp nutmeg powder
1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Mix everything together and keep aside for 10 minutes. In a heavy bottom pan or a non stick pan heat the coconut mixture stirring all the time till jaggery is dissolved and there are no traces of any liquid. Do not over cook or it will become hard. It takes about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool and use to fill the Modaks.
Once you have enough modaks done heat water in the lower half of the a double boiler or modak patra and keep the modaks in single layer in the lined upper basket of the double boiler. Line it with banana leaves. 


Close the vessel and steam Modaks for 15 to 20 minutes or till translucent. 















Let cool and remove to be served with home made ghee.

This is the way the Naivaidya is offered. Each thing has a sequence on how and where to put on the thali.

Traditionally Banana leaf is used But we put it vertical with the narrow part away from you. Salt is never offered with this. It is served after one starts the meal. 

                       

 Decorated Ganapati with offerings in the front. This is a permanent place. The peacocks are done in glazed tiles and are more than 75 years old. The wooden frame is hand carved. 

 The true Naivaidya of Modaks in the special silver vessel for this purpose. 

This is my 6th recipe in regional category

I tried loading a video I had shot while making these modaks but could not upload. Will try again and hope this time it will upload. 

Jackfruit Steamed Cakes

 Jackfruit Steamed  Cakes

Food Blogging Marathon from 2/9/2013 to 30/9/2013. Each day a new alphabet. 4 categories. 

Regional Food, 

Baked Dishes, 

International Flavors / Fusion flavors, 

Street Food / Condiments / Misc / Recipe less Posts on Food

This is little known sweet snack. It is typically made where Jackfurit is in plenty and like by all. Jackfruit is a fruit which when ripe gives a sweet smell so strong that it is not like by many but in its raw or tender form the same fruit is used as a vegetables to make delicious curry/cutlets and a few other recipes. My aunt (my mother's sister) who lived in a small coastal town in Maharashtra's Konkan region used to make these as a treat for us, when we visited her during our summer holidays. It is made with the Barka or soft/juicy variety of Jackfruit.  She used to steam in small vatis/katoris. With idlli steamers and idilli stands being available everywhere during late 1960s my mother started using these to make these treats in our home. These are called 'SANDANA' in Marathi. 

Ingredients:

1 cup ripe Jackfruit pulp (blend deseeded ripe jackfruit in a blender 

                                          with a little milk to get one cup pulp)

1/4 cup jagery or as needed

1/4 cup grated fresh coconut

1 cup rice rawa or regular rawa/sooji/semolina 

1 pinch of nutmeg/jaiphal powder

1 tsp baking powder

a pinch of salt

Milk/water as required.

1/4 cup broken cashew pieces (optional)

To serve:

Ghee 

Coconut milk

Jagery

Cardamom or nutmeg powder (optional)

Mix coconut milk and jagery together till jagery is dissolved. add cardamom or nutmeg powder if using. 

Method:

Mix the jackfruit pulp and the rawa. Add about 2 cups of water or milk while stirring so the batter will be smooth. Add jagery grated coconut, nutmeg, salt and broken cashew pieces and stir to mix well. The batter should have the same consistency that of idili batter. Leave aside for 15 minutes. Now add the baking powder and mix well. Pour spoon full of the batter in the  idili mold and steam like idlis for 15 to 20 minutes. 

It can be done in Microwave oven too. I did mine in microwave for 3 minutes. 

If you do not have idlli molds it can be steamed in a thali and cut into squares.

Serve hot or cold with coconut milk and ghee. 

This is my 4th in recipe in miscellaneous category.

Logo courtesy : Preeti