Shakarpara/Shankarpalli - Maharashtra Special

Today's visit is to Maharashtra,a state in the Western region of India and its the second populous state. Maharashtra is a industrial state and third largest state by area,Mumbai is the state Capital.
Food culture is divided into Konkan and Varda and rice,wheat are the staple food.The Konkani dishes are mainly sea food and non veg based whereas the Varadi is a bit spicier version.
Foods such as Vada pav,Basundi,Pav bahji are some of the very popular dishes of Maharastra.
Coming to the recipe is a sweet prepared during Diwali,usually this sweet is made with all purpose flour(maida).But here I used a mixture of both all purpose and wheat flour,thats the reson the color of the sweet in a bit darker side.
This sweet needs to be fried in a low to medium flame as sugar is added in the dough,otherwise it may turn very dark without cooking.
Also I am linking the recipe to Shhh..Cooking Secretly an event started by Priya of Priya's Versatile Recipes.
Each blogger is paired up with another blogger and 2 secret ingredient is given by their partner.With those secret ingredient a dish is made and revealed on every month between 16-18,until the ingredient is secret.
This month I am paired up with well know blogger and Thali queen Manjula of Desi Fiesta.She gave me wheat flour and strawberry as my secret ingredients.I used one of my secret ingredient,with no further delay lets move on to the recipe..................................

Basic Information

Preparation time 15 minutes
Cooking Time 15-20 minutes
Makes 2 1/2 cups(approximately)


Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
All purpose flour/maida	3/4 cup
Wheat flour/gothumai maavu	3/4 cup
Sugar/sakarai	5 tbs
Ghee/nei	4 tbs
Milk/paal	1/3 cup
Salt	1/8 tsp
Oil	for frying

Method

Warm the milk and dissolve the sugar,keep it aside.Take the flour,ghee and salt in a bowl and mix it well.Now to this crumbly mixture slowly add the milk.

Form a stiff dough and let it sit for 10 minutes.Divide the dough into 2 equal portions.Roll each portion a floured surface to less than 1/4th inch thickness.With a knife or pizza cutter cut the rolled dough to a square or diamond shape.Carefully remove it and keep it on a plate.

Heat oil in a medium flame and gently drop the cut pieces.Fry it till in becomes golden and crisp.Remove it from the oil and drain it on a paper towel.

 Store in an air tight container after cooling.

Enjoy..................................................

• The shakarpara may be soft when its hot,after cooling it will be crispy.
• Do not use more than 5-6 tbs of sugar for the given measurement otherwise the color will be very darker.
• Ghee can be substituted with butter also.

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Indori Poha - Madhya Pradesh

In our Indian food Odyssey we are in Madhya Pradesh today,a Central province state situated in Central India.
This state has a nick name'Heart of India'due to its geographical location in India and its the second largest state in the country by area.
Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes are popular and street foods are very common.
Poha with jalebi is a breakfast dish  and its a popular street food combo too.
The poha is a healthy dish made along with veggies and can be topped with sev, fresh pomegranate seeds,onion and peanuts.
I adapted the recipe from here and here,as I don't have pomegranate I used the thin sev and peanuts for the topping and we had it as an evening snack. Lets.Lets move on to the recipe..................................

Basic Information

Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 10 minutes
Serves 2 (generously)

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Flattened rice/poha/aval(thick)	2 cups
Potato (diced)	1
Onion(finely chopped)	1 (medium size)
Green chilly/pachamilagai	3 (finely chopped)
Coconut(grated)	2 tsp
Peanuts/ver kadalai	2 tbs
Cashews/mundiri	2 tbs
Mustard seeds/kadugu	1 tsp
Fennel seeds/sombu	1 tsp
Salt	1-11/4 tsp
Coriander leaves	1 tbs(chopped)
Oil	1 tbs
Sugar	1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/4 tsp
Lemon juice	1 tsp

For Garnishing

Ingredient	Quantity
Coconut(grated)	1 tsp
Sev	as needed
Raisins	as needed

Method

• Soak the flattened rice/poha in water for couple of minute and drain the water and keep it aside.

• Heat pan with oil and do the tempering with mustard seeds,add in the chopped green chilly,fennel seeds and peanuts,cashews.

• Saute the onion till transparent and add in the diced potato and mix it well.

• Sprinkle a tbs of water and cook it covered till the potato cooked till soft.

• Add in the salt and turmeric powder.

• Now add the soaked and drained poha and mix it well,cook it covered in a medium flame for 2-3 minutes.

• Add the grated coconut,lemon juice and give it a mix.

• Garnish it with sev,coriander leaves and peanuts.

Enjoy...........................................................

• Garnishing is personal preference,you can use pom seeds,sev,finely chopped onion and coriander leaves.
• Do not soak the poha for a long time otherwise it may turn mushy.

An InLinkz Link-up

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Ela Ada - Kerala

After a visit to Karnataka today we are in Kerala an another South Indian state situated in Malabar Coast.This state is referred as God's Own Country.
Kerala is famous for its abundant coconut tree and other aromatic spices.
Coming to the cuisine it equally famous for both veg and non-veg recipes.
Sadya is a famous vegetarian meal served banana leaf along with sweet payasam served on auspious days such as Onam and Vishu.
Non veg recipes such as Malabar biriyani,chicken curry are equally popular in the state of Kerala.
As the state has abundance of coconut tress,it influences on their food culture and uses lot of coconut,coconut oil and milk.
Being tomorrow Vishu, and today Tamil New Year,wanted to share a popular sweet recipe,Ela Ada.This is one such easy sweet in which a sweetened coconut stuffing is covered with a rice flour dough on a banana leaf and steamed.
As I don't get banana leaf here used the parchment paper.This ela ada is offered as Prashadam in temples also.I followed the recipe from here,off to the recipe...........................................

Basic Information

Preparation time 15 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes
Makes - 6-7

Ingredients

For the Outer Covering

Ingredient	Quantity
Rice flour/arisi maavu	1 cup
Salt	1/2 tsp
Boiling water	11/4-11/2 cups
Oil	2 tsp(for greasing)

For the stuffing

Ingredient	Quantity
Coconut(grated)	3/4 cup
Jaggery/vellam	1/2 cup
Cardamom powder/ellaki	1/8 tsp

Method

Keep the jaggery in a microwave safe bowl and add around 1/4 cup of water and melt it.After melting pass through a filter to remove the scum.Now add the grated coconut and mix it well.cook it for 3 minutes in a microwave high or till it becomes thick.Now add the cardamom powder and mix it well.The stuffing is ready.

Now take the rice flour in a bowl and add in salt.To this add the boiling water and with the help of spatula mix it well.It looks crumbly and wet the hands with cold water and mix it well to a soft dough.

Take the parchment paper and apply 2-3 drops of oil and grease it,now take a small lemon size rice flour dough and spread it as shown.Keep a spoon full of stuffing in the middle of it and fold it and gently press the sides to get closed properly.

Arrange it on a idly plate.Steam it in a idly pot for 7- 10 minutes or till gets cooked.

Serve it warm.

Enjoy.................................................................

• The amount of water for the dough varies depending on the quality of the rice flour.
• The stuffing can be made in stove top also with the same procedure.

An InLinkz Link-up

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Akki Roti - Karnataka Special

Today we are moving to Karnataka,a South Indian state and the cuisine includes both vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes.
Rice is the staple food but other grains such as jowar,ragi and wheat are also commonly included in their cuisine.A typical Kannadiga oota(meal) is served on a banana leaf in a particular order.
The food culture is slightly different in North and South Karnataka.
Coming to the recipe its an instant pancake kind of breakfast dish which is extremely popular in Karnataka served along with chutney and chutney podi.I served mine with coconut chutney,coriander chutney and idly podi.Lets move on to the recipe..........................................

Basic Information

Preparation Time 15 minutes
Cooking Time 15 minutes
Makes 3

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Rice Flour/Arisi maavu	2 cups
Hot water	to knead
Onion(finely chopped)	1 (medium size)
Green chilly/pachamilagai	3 (finely chopped)
Coconut(grated)	1/4 cup
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1 tsp
Salt	1-11/4 tsp
Coriander leaves	1 tbs(chopped)
Oil	2 tbs
Ginger/inji (grated)	1/2 tsp
Carrot(grated)	1/4 cup(optional)

Method

Take the rice flour in a bowl and to this add everything except oil and mix it well.Now to this add the hot water slowly and mix it well with a wooden spatula.Form a soft dough and divide into 3 equal portions.
Now take a parchment paper or banana leaf and grease with oil.Keep one ball on the greased sheet.

Flatten it gently with the hands to 1/4 inch thick,heat a griddle and carefully flip the flatten dough to the griddle.Cook it in a medium flame for a minute and drizzle a tsp of oil.Flip it to the other side and cook it till it gets nice golden color.

Serve it warm with chutney.

Enjoy..........................................

• The dough can be directly flatten in on the griddle,as I am not comfortable I used a parchment paper.
• Here I didn't add the grated carrot,but it makes it more more healthy and colorful.
• Use boiling water to make the dough to get a nice,soft rotis.

An InLinkz Link-up

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Dhal Pitha - Jharkhand Cuisine

After visiting Jammu and Kashmir,today we are going to Jharkhand,eastern state carved out of south  Bihar in 2000.

Coming to the cuisine its almost similar to Bihar and most of dishes popular in Bihar is also popular in Jharkhand.Traditional jharkhand is equally vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian.In general the food cooked in Jharkhand is considerd to be very light and easy to digest.

Today's recipe is one such simple recipe which resembles the South Indian Purana Kozhukattai with a savory stuffing with bengal gram dhal(channa dhal).

Pitha is served mostly for dinner or breakfast along with some chutney,I adapted the recipe from here and made it according to my family taste.Isauted the ground channa dhal mixture for couple of minutes and added some grated coconut for extra taste.Now off to the recipe..........................................

Basic Information

Soaking time 2 hrs
Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 20-25 minutes
Makes 15-18

For the stuffing

Ingredient	Quantity
Bengal gram/channa dhal/ kadala paruppu	1/2 cup
Green chilly/pachamilagai	2
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1/2 tsp
Salt	1/2tsp
Oil	2 tsp + 1tsp
Coconut(grated)	1 tbs(optional)

For the Outer Covering

Ingredient	Quantity
Rice flour/arisi maavu	1 cup
Salt	1/2 tsp
Boiling water	11/2-13/4 cups

Method

Soak the channa dhal in warm water for 2 hours and grind it to a coarse paste along with green chilly,cumin seeds and salt.
Heat a pan with oil and add in the ground paste,saute it for 2 -3 minutes.Make sure it won't become very dry.Put off the flame and add the grated coconut,mix it well.The stuffing for the pitha is ready.

Now take the rice flour in a bowl,add in salt and mix it well.Now to this add the boiling water and mix well \to form a thick,soft dough.
Grease the palm with oil and take a small lemon size ball,flatten it to a disc,keep a spoonful of stuffing and close the edges by pressing.

Arrange it in a idly plate and steam it for 10-12 mins or till a tooth pick comes out clean.

Serve it warm with coriander or mint chutney.

Enjoy........................................................................

• The amount of water for the dough varies depending on the quality of the rice flour.
• In the original recipe the ground channa dhal is not sauteed.
• Addition of coconut is purely optional.
• Do not add more green chilly,I feel 2 is more than enough.

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Dum Aloo/Kashmiri Dum Aloo - Kashmir Special

Today's journey is to Jammu & Kashmir in Indian food odessey.It is located mostly in Himalayan mountains and shares a border of Himacha pradesh and Punjab.Also sahres the international border with China.

Kashmiri cuisine is based on the ancient tradition of this area.The ancient epics show that Kashmiris were heavy meat eaters,still it persists.Even Kashmiri pandits also eat meat except beef.
Wazwan,a multi course meal is prepared with art in popular in Kashmiri tradition.Kashmiri dishes are well known for its aromatic herbs and saffron.

Tea drinking is very important part of Kashmiri culture and do make both salted and sweet version of tea with saffron and green cardamom.

Coming to the recipe I made dum aloo,a popular dish in Kashmiri cuisine.There are so many versions inmaking the dum aloo,but the recipe I made is a simple version adapted from Vahrehvah.

Basic Information

Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 20-25 minutes
Serves 3

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Baby potatoes	10-12
Yogurt/thayir	3/4 cup
Coarsely ground cashews	2 tsp
Red chilly powder/milagai podi	1 tsp
Coriander powder/dhaniya podi	1 tsp
Garam maasla powder	1/4 tsp
Fennel powder/sombu podi	1 tsp
Dry ginger powder/sukku podi	1/4 tsp
Salt	1-11/4 tsp
Coriander leaves	1 tbs(chopped)
Oil	2 tbs
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1/2 tsp
Heavy cream(optional)	2 tsp(for garnish

Method

Boil the potatoes till 3/4 th done,peel the skin and prick it with a tooth pick in 4-5 places.Shallow or deep fry the potatoes till it becomes crisp and golden.(I shallow fried and used the same with the remaining oil left).Mix the spice powders in 1/2 -3/4 cup of water and keep it aside.

Heat a pan with oil and crackle the cumin seeds,add the spice mixture and allow it to boil till the raw smell goes off.

Add in the salt and the whisked yogurt and stir it continuously to avoid curdling.

Add in the fried potaoes along with 1/2 cup of water,let it simmer it for another 3-4 minutes.Finally sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves and coarsely ground cashews,put off the flame.

Garnish it with cream.

Serve it with roti,naan or rice.

Enjoy..................................................................

• If baby potatoes are not available then use the regular potatoes and cut into a slighly bigger chunk.
• The curry can be made with onion and tomato also.
• If the yogurt is too thick add little more water to adjust the consistency.
• Do not over cook the potatoes it should be 3/4 th cooked.

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Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com