Mirchi Thecha

How I have been longing for a paata varvanta! Finally today I have what I have wanted for a really really long time. I know, it seems a little odd, that in the age of fast mixies and food processors, I am regressing into an era where masalas were ground on a stone. But having made this thecha on the stone, believe me, the difference is huge!

It does take longer to make it, and it definitely leaves you with hands burning for hours afterwards, and I sure do know why the mixies and food processors became such a rage, but the taste! Only a true foodie will know what I mean. I am more than willing to go that extra mile to make sure that my family gets only the best that I can offer. Even if it means I can't rub my eyes for some time.

Ingredients

• 7 to 8 green chillies (or more or less depending upon how hot you like it)
• 10 to 12 garlic pods
• 1 cup fresh coriander leaves
• 1 tsp rock salt

Wash the green chillies and keep the stalks. Roast the green chillies directly on a flame till black spots appear evenly on the skins. Remove the stalks and keep them aside.

Roast the garlic pods directly on the flame. This you can do by pricking the garlic pods with a fork and holding the fork over the flame. Let brown spots appear on the pods, then remove them aside.

Wash the coriander thoroughly. Grind them all together along with a little rock salt. Don't use too much water or the taste gets literally... watered down ;-)

The best result is by using the grinding stone. I ate two full jowar rotis with only the thecha! I can't stop gushing, but it was really worth it.

Happy Cooking!

Banana appe

Appés are small round fritters that are deep fried in a special tawa. This tawa has small depressions in it in which you can fry individual appés, this is what gives it their characteristic shape. I bought the appé tawa which I was coveting since a long time, just never got around to actually buying it. Finally the day I made it, they were all gone in just a couple of minutes.

Not just are they lusciously soft, but they carry that distinctly different sweetness of jaggery and banana. They taste best when eaten hot.

If you don't have the appé tawa, do not fret. Just deep fry it in the regular manner, just like you would do for bhajiyas.

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked rice
• 1/2 cup maida
• 1 banana
• 3/4th cup grated jaggery
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• oil for frying.

 Wash the rice thoroughly and soak it in sufficient quantity of water for two hours. After two hours drain the water completely.

Grind the rice with banana, jaggery and cardamom powder. Use very little water, but grind it as fine as possible.

To the ground mixture, add the maida and mix well. Pour a little oil in each well of the appé tawa. Spoon out the mixture into each well. Fill up only 3/4th of the well. (If you are using a regular wok, you don't have to worry about this. Just spoon out a portion into the oil)

Fry on both sides till golden brown.

Serve hot!

Happy Cooking!

Channa daal vada

I made this recipe some time ago, whilst in my search for new and healthy (and may I add, quick) breakfast recipes. Unfortunately I didn't click any pictures.

Ingredients

• 1 cup channa dal 
• 1 inch piece of ginger
• 3 to 4 green chillies
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• a pinch of  asafoetida (hing)
• salt to taste
• Oil for deep frying

Soak the chana daal for two hours. Grind the chana daal along with all the other ingredients and very little water. Do not grind to a fine paste, leave it a little gritty.

Heat the oil in a deep wok, and once it is sufficiently hot, add the ground mixture a little at a time. Fry till they turn evenly golden brown.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup or green chutney.

Happy Cooking!

Khandvi

A Gujarati breakfast or snack recipe, a supreme favorite and one which I thought was exceedingly difficult to make. I was surprised at its simplicity, once I got over my phobia of making it. I  did land up with a mess, and knowing the mechanics of the recipe now, I know I will succeed in reducing the mess in future. That sentence holds a hope of tomorrow, for I know for sure that this is not the last time I have made this recipe.

It needs the very basic few ingredients, which are found in every Indian household. It took me less than fifteen minutes to make these khandvis from the start to finish. I am going to recommend this recipe to everyone, because it is confounding, how you can take the same basic ingredients as for kadhi, gatte, or a variety of recipes and just alter the proportions a little bit to have an entirely new recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 cup besan (gram flour)
• 1 cup curd (dahi)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
• water as required
• salt to taste

For tempering

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 3 green chillies chopped
• 10 to 12 curry leaves

Mix the curd,  besan, salt, hing, and turmeric and stir well to remove any lumps. Add water little by little till it comes to a dropping consistency. Pour in a deep kadhai and heat it over high flame till the mixture becomes thick and begins to leave the sides of the kadhai. Stir continuously. Once it begins leaving the sides of the kadhai, remove it from heat.

Pour it immediately on the back of a smooth steel plate. Smoothen it out with a spatula or a flat knife, into an evenly thin layer. You don't get it exactly right the first time around, so don't worry about the look.

Allow the layer to cool for two to three minutes. Now cut it into strips with a knife. Begin rolling from one end and slowly roll it all the way. If it is turning out to be a thick roll, divide the strips into two and then roll.

Heat the oil in a kadhai, and add the mustard seeds, chillies and curry leaves. Pour this tempering over the khandvi and serve hot with garma garam chai.

Happy cooking!