Nachni Ambat Satva

S turned three months last saturday and I having been thinking of all the possible foods I can introduce to him as he grows older.As a child I remember drinking Nachni (ragi ) satva or porridge. It was a must on my grandma's menu for us due to its nutritional values.We literally grew up drinking it twice a day. Soaked Ragi is crushed in a mixer and the milk is extracted. The ragi milk is cooked stirring continously and finally sugar and  cow's milk are added to make a soup like consistency This satva is also made into a thick pudding like consistency however I need to take some tutorials from my grandmom before trying it out alone.Mom makes a sweet Bhakri(Bread) mixing ragi flour with grated coconut and  jaggery.
During  pregnancy I had strict instructions to include Nachni in my diet. I dont like sweet and we dont get ragi here I complained. I was sent a packet of ragi flour and a spicy recipe from home.Well I did have this at least twice a week then and it can serve as a healthy breakfast food.Its realtively simple and quick to cook.

I used

2 tbs of ragi flour
2 finely chopped green chillies.
1/4 tsp grated ginger
1/2 cup yogurt.
Cilantro to garnish
salt to taste

Add the ragi flour to 1 cup water and make a smooth paste.Add the ginger and green chillies,cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring continuously.Its very important to stir continuously or it will form lumps.Add water if need to make the consistency of thick soup. Lower from flame and add the yogurt add salt and garnish with Cilantro.I didnt have it today so I didnt. This recipe is my contribution to JFI – Ragi/Finger Millet  event hosted by Madhuram.

No two opinions about the nutrituous ragi and I do add a spoon or two of its flour  in the rotis, bhakris  or sometimes even in gravies as a thickening agent along with cornflour.

Tofu shashlik

V and I celebrated our third  wedding anniversary last week. This one was our first with our little bundle. This recipe was a part of our anniversary dinner.I saw this recipe in a popular zee marathi show " Amhi saare khawayye". Its a quick and easy recipe. This recipe is my entry to  My Legume Affair 19 helping hosted by Simple Indian food which was initated by Susan of  The Well seasoned Cook

here goes the recipe:

Tofu : small cubes
Paprika (red, green yellow) : 2 cm squares
Onion: 2cm squares

Toothpicks/ satesticks.

for the sauce:
1tbs honey, 1 tbs chilliflakes, 1tbs ketchup, 1tbs chilli sauce, 1/2 tsp pepper powder, 1/4 tsp mixed italian herbs, 1tbs olive oil and 8-10 finaly chopped cloves of garlic and salt to taste. Mix well to make the sauce.

Lightly fry the tofu. Arrange the tofu, paprika and onion on the toothpicks and  overlay with the sauce. Grill for 3-5 minutes or  lightly fry on the griddle with little oil.The yummy snack is devoured as soon as its served. The Mommy in me feels bad and I am waiting  for my little S to start eating, my hubby jokingly says " Are u not happy with one guinea pig !!!!! "

Paneer Butter Masala

  Mild gravies are something I relish and mild gravies with paneer are simply irrestible.While searching for one such recipe I happened to stumble on Prema's blog and borrowed this yummy recipe from here. I followed the recipe except for using fried paneer which gives it a unique taste.This is the link to the recipe.
http://premascookbook.blogspot.com/2008/09/paneer-butter-masala.html#links

Dahi Wada

   Managing things at home with little kiddo around is a challenge, I am going through currently. My little one needs my attention all the time. Its an awesome feeling to have a wee little admirer but frankly speaking its difficult  to manage . So these days I prefer recipes I can make in advance. Dahi wada is one of them. I love stuffed variety but havent found time to make that one recently.

Dahi wada

These need to go into the wada

Urad dal :1/2 cup soaked in water and then ground to a coarse paste.
Ginger-greenchili- jeera paste-1 tablespoon
Finely chopped corriander
salt.
One can also add a pinch of  baking powder.
Mix the above well  make small round balls and deep fry it in oil.

Soak the wada in cold butter milk ( Taak in marathi)  or dilute yogurt and refrigerate. The wadas should be left in the buttermilk  untill it is well absorbed.

For the dahi

Whip the Dahi with sugar  and salt ( as per taste) .The dahi should be thick, sweet and chilled.

When serving top with wadas with Dahi and garnish with pepper, red chilli powder, corriander.

Rice Muthia

Rice Muthia

In typically Maharashtrian homes the left over rice is modified to make fodni cha bhat. Mummy made spicy fodni cha bhat is something I still relish. However, Personifying Rice, I am sure hes bored of the fodni.

Muthia is a Guajarati speciality, dumplings made from chickpea flour/ Besan, however besan sometimes is difficult to digest. Here I basically substituted the besan by rice and modified muthias according  to my liking and availablity. Here we dont find Methi/ fenugreek easily so I use Spinach or corriander which are equally good to taste as the traditional methi muthias.

I used:
2 cups left over rice.
2 tbsp Chickpea flour/ besan to bind
1 tsp greenchilli, ginger, cumin seed paste
½ cup Methi or Palak or Corriander
½ tsp cumin-corriander powder
½ turmeric powder
½ red chili powder
Curd to bind
1 tsp oil

For tempering
2-3 tbsp Oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp jeera / cumin seeds
¼ tsp asafoetida
½ tsp seasame seeds

Garnish
Corriander

What to do
Mix all ingredients well and make dough. Shape them into small kababs. Microwave for about 3 minutes on high or alternatively u can steam them in a cooker without the whistle for about 10-15 minutes.

Place in plate and add the ingredients for tempering to the hot oil and pour over the muthias and garnish with coriander.
These will make u a lovely tea time snack or starter.

Surali Wadi / Khandwi

This is the recipe I get kudos for. Though I never got through this recipe easily. I have dumped loads of the batter into the dustbin quietly, before mom came from office when experiments failed. However as perseverance is always rewarded my khandvis never fail… Touch wood!!!

I evidently remember making this recipe for my friend Supriya, her little bundle was soon to arrive and she desired to eat Khandvi. I can imagine how it feels and the desire to be cared for surges, specially being away from home. Whenever I make khandwi I always remember Supriya and her little bundle Sarthak.

What you need:

Chickpea flour/ Besan-1 cup
Plain flour/Maida-1tsp
Sour curd/ tak-3/4 cup
Water -2 cups
Green chilies+ ginger paste-1tsp
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

Oil for greasing and tempering
Mustard seeds: 1/4 tsp
Asafetida
Salt to taste

For Garnish
Grated coconut
Corriander

The Method:

Mix the Besan, Maida, green chili-ginger paste, water and sour curd, turmeric powder and salt .check that no lumps are formed .Add the mix into a thick bottomed pan and keep stirring. When the dough becomes thick reduce the flame and cover the pan for some time. It’s very important to stir the mixture completely so that no lumps are formed.

Mean while keep a greased plate ready .Now comes the trickiest part. How do u know the mixture is cooked? The mixture should have a glossy look and should fall of the spoon in a single thick string.
Using a spatula pour the mixture on the flat surface may be greased plate or the kitchen table itself and spread it in a thin layer. Cut into thin strips and roll them to make Khandwi.

Put the rolls in a serving dish and add the tempering of mustard seeds, asafetida. Garnish with scraped coconut, corriander and serve.

Dal Dhokli

Its September and already quite windy and cold. The weather fluctuates and often it’s a task to keep in good spirits in such gloomy weather.V and I prefer to have a bowl of hot steamy soup in the evenings. My soup vocab has expanded considerably due to this new chore. However I wanted something that would be filling, in liquid consistency. Browsing for such a recipe Tarla Dalal’s recipe for Dal dhokli caught my interest and was a grand success and and is a complete meal as well.

Ingredients:

For the Dhokli:

Wheat flour 1 cup
Red chilli powder ½ tsp
Turmeric powder ½ tsp
Asafoetida ½ tsp
Carom seeds ¼ tsp
Salt to taste and Oil
Spinach/Methi / coriander finely chopped: optional


For the Dal:

Toor Dal: 2 cups
Ginger: ½ tsp grated
Green chilles: 4 slited
Tomatoes: 1 finely chopped
Peanuts: 2 teaspoons
Lemon juice: 2 tsp
Jaggery: 3-4 tsp
Turmeric: ½ tsp
Red chilli powder: ½ tsp
Coccum :2-4 pieces
Salt to taste

For the tempering:

Rai/mustard seeds: ¼ tsp
Jeera/ cumin seeds: ¼ tsp
Fenugreek seeds: a few
Curry leaves: approximately
Cloves, cinnamon,boriya mirchi: 2 each
Bay leaf: 1
Asafoetida: ¼ tsp
Ghee: 2 tablespoons
Oil: 1 tablespoon

What to do:

Dhoklis: Mix the ingredients and make dough like for chapatti. You can add finely chopped methi/ palak or corriander to the dough if you like. Roll into circles like chapatti and just put on a hot girdle for a few seconds. Cut into square shaped pieces. The slight warming of the chapattis is important so the dhoklis do not stick in the stew.

The Dal: cook the toor dal and add finely chopped ginger, tomatoes, greenchilles, peanuts, coccum. Add the red chili powder, turmeric powder. Boil the dal well. Add the tempering and tamarind pulp and lemon juice. Add the salt and jaggery.

How to serve:
When the dal is boiling hot add the dhokli and cook for 2-3 minutes. Garnish with coriander and add ghee while serving. One can also add finely chopped banana.