So today, finally we decided to reach a mid-ground, and I could make the most delicious and tasty dal dhokli for me, and Tuna Patties and a side salad for Mitul. Hence, both of us were super happy to feast on our individual favorite foods!
Being a Gujarati, Mitul hates Dal Dhokli! It is one of the best Gujarati inventions! And being a Maharashtra, I can’t stand the smell of fish! And I don’t hear the end of that.
So today, finally we decided to reach a mid-ground, and I could make the most delicious and tasty dal dhokli for me, and Tuna Patties and a side salad for Mitul. Hence, both of us were super happy to feast on our individual favorite foods! Since I have decided to make all steamed dishes / snacks this week, I have been looking for interesting recipes in every possible book I have and even asking my mum-in-aw for her opinion. She always cuts out interesting recipe articles from newspapers for me to try them out as and when.
One of those cut outs had this recipe, and trust me, more than finding it interesting, I found the name so amusing that I had to try making it! And to my surprise, it turned out ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS! I have never had this before and now I think it is going to be a permanently stocked up dish in my fridge. A new addition to my all time favorites. And it definitely couldn’t get healthier than this! I always thought that Khaman and Dhokla were the same, infact that they were called yellow dhokla and white! Till my mum-in-law actually made both of them for me to TASTE the difference.
But after tasting the regular dhokla, I am more than happy to announce my new found love for it, THAN khaman! The white dhokla tastes absolutely gorgeous! Almost similar to idlis but with an awesome punch from ginger – green chillies and the sprinkled pepper. The taste of steamed pepper on this dhokla is so divine! Hands down, an all time favourite Guajarati snack! Especially, with a nice big mug of chai and this for a snack, I think I can make dinner of out this! Since I finally decided to make all '''Steamed'' dishes this week, how could I not start with Khaman! One of the easiest, quickest and definitely TASTIEST Indian snacks ever.
Being a Maharashtrian, all these years I have always thought that khaman and dhokla are the same thing, but no, they definitely are not! I have been corrected by very reliable sources (my mum in law!) To be honest, I am not a big fan of biscuits or cookies. But that all changed during my cabin crew days. On all the flights to the U.S, for a snack with tea or coffee, we had to bake choco-chip cookies on board. The dough didn't come in any branded pack, so I always thought that the catering department actually made them from scratch. One of the days when I bumped into a friend who worked in catering department, I couldn’t stop myself from asking him if the cookie dough was branded or made by the department. And it turned out to be Nestlé cookie dough! As soon as I landed back at base, googled the recipe for cookies and also went and bought the Nestlé Tollhouse cookie dough. Made two batches of the cookies to see if I could create the same taste. And to my amazement, I did!! Ever since, I have been baking these so often, as they make a perfect breakfast with a nice glass of cold milk. A very simple and a quick recipe, with mouth-watering results! A definitely must-try. This is, hands down one of my all time favourite snacks! I have read and seen so many posts about the amazing monsoon rains in India, that I couldn’t help but think of a nice cup of masala chai and what better snack with it than Bhakarwadis.
Though, no one can beat Chitale's Bhakarwadis, I really wanted to give them a try, and also make them in a healthier way. This recipe does call for a bit of efforts, but the results are absolutely rewarding! I really enjoyed making this, and even more, feasting on it with a nice cup of masala chai. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! This one has a very special place in my heart, and brings back a flood of childhood memories.
My gammy lives in Nipani (a tiny place right on the border between Maharashtra and Karnataka). It is infact a very tiny place, and one can literally walk the whole city in a day (circumference and through). Since I have been born (my sister was 5 then), every school break / her summer vacation, we have been spending a good long 2 months with our grand-parents. My grandfather would always take us to the small market area, which had all possible stalls in one location ; vegetables, clothes, shoes, libraries. You name it and you can find it there. It was a major market area for the city, all located in one place. To be honest, I hadn't planned on making this specifically. But day before yesterday when I had made अळू chi bhaji or Alu Chi Bhaji, I wasn't sure if the leaves would turn out to be edible. And after the sabji turning out to be absolutely delicious, I was glad I had not used 2 leaves so that I could try making अळू वडी (Alu Vadi / Alu fritters). Yesterday, one of my friends posted on facebook about the downpour in Mumbai and hence she made a typical maharashtrian dal-rice. That gave me a quick idea and an impulse to have that for dinner today along with अळू वडी which is a classic combination!
One of the main reasons for my Sunday Blues (for us in the Middle East, Sunday being the first working day) is not only getting up early in the morning after having a great weekend, but also deciding what to make for breakfast and lunch. On Sundays, I always end up making a breakfast - cum - lunch quick meals to get on with the rest of the day's work.
One of such quick recipes is Upma with vegetables. Another dish I can have for all 3 meals! Simple, and yet so soo delicious! But be careful, it is known to give acidity, hence has to be accompanied by yogurt and a side salad.
My mom makes this the best, and this is 90% her recipe with a few editions of mine. It has always and will always be one of my most favourite dishes. Very mild, yet flavoursome. More than for any other reason, I would always look forward to my grammy's fasting days just to feast on this. And especially when topped with some lemon juice, it is absolutely heavenly! Some Maharashtrians even garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and grated coconut, but I prefer it simple and just by itself. I am sure a lot of South-Indians would disagree with me, but since childhood, I have always known them as Appams.
My mom has always made the best idli / dosa batter. When we were growing up, almost every alternate weekend would be an idli - dosa breakfast-cum-lunch massive meal. She would always make the batter in larger quantities, so the left over batter could be used to make other variations. This is one of her creations. We have always loved it! And because of its tiny size, its even easier to get a quick bite and get back to work. In my school days, we would always have a long break and a short break. Whenever I had appams for my short break quick bites, I would never even get to see my lunch box opening! My friends loved it so much that it was like the appams had wings and they flew out of my lunch box, without me even getting a whiff of it! This is one of my all time favourites! Hope you like them as much too. Bon Appétit One of my childhood favourites! Simple, quick and delicious as ever with a little maharashtrian touch to it.
The typical rava dosa recipe makes the dosas very thin and crisp, but this recipe, keeps them a little thicker and fuller to taste. This recipe doesn't use maida or rice flour to bind the batter, instead uses gram flour, or besan, giving it a much softer texture than a traditional rava dosa. In comparison to the traditional recipe, this also uses curd to give it a slight sour after taste (similar to a fermented dosa batter). Rava Dosa, is an instant dosa that doesn't need any fermenting, and hence is a much quicker fix than the fermented-batter dosa. The batter is spread onto a hot pan; by pouring it over the pan. (Unlike other dosas where a ladle is used to spread it on the pan) It's cooked until it becomes crispy, and served along with chutney. ohh, what should I say about this! The look I have on my face, feels like I am romancing the Pani Puri!!...
Its one of the most delicious Indian snacks, and seriously, whoever invented it, God Bless them! Anytime of the day, with any variations, at any place, this dish will keep you drooling for a long long time! These puris are made of semolina and a bit of refined flour, but in Pune, we even get moong dal pani puris which 'literally' melt in your mouth! I am still trying to get my hands on that yummy recipe! and as soon as I do, I will definitely post it... On New years eve, I had made Ragda Pattis, an absolutely delicious maharashtrian dish, for all my friends. And I had majorly misjudged the proportion of boiled potatoes, and had a lot of them left over.
What better than to quickly make tikkis out of them and have it just like that, or as a sandwich filling. Definitely turned out very delicious and is a quick fix. For something that I love and relish so much, very weirdly I don't remember when our love-affair stared first! One of my all time favourites, and not exaggerating, but I can have this for all three meals a day x 365! What a gorgeous invention! Especially when they are steamed and then slightly sautéed, so the base becomes nice a crispy, and most of the dumpling remains steamed. They taste even better when they are dipped in chilli-soya sauce and a garlic chilli dip. Bon Appétit I wish I could have a proper tandoor at home! (home is a flat right now) A stunning combination of curd and spices make it a perfect marinade. To give it a richer taste, while the chicken is getting baked / roasted. it should be brushed with ghee / oil. In spite of baking it in an oven, I have tried my best to do justice to this lip-smacking delicious dish. An all time favourite, especially with a nice chilled glass of beer. Tastes very very delicious when accompanied with sliced onions and lemon. Bon Appétit The all too famous Bhakri Pizza!
Every vacation, as soon as we land in Ahmedabad, we hire a taxi from the airport, first to go straight to the Law Garden Kiosks to feast on this delight. It is one of the most famous foods invented by the Gujaratis, and very rightfully so. A bite of this and you would never want to have the same old oily, thick based pizzas. Definitely a must try! If you haven't tried making any snacks with the split moong dal (with the husk on) then this recipe is the one you should start with.
A delicious simple, quick and a very healthy recipe. One of my ALLL time favourites!
Makes a fantastic meal, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. There are a lot of variation to this, and every household has their own recipe, but the one I love the most is the simplest recipe that one of my Punjabi flat-mates used to make. Definitely give this recipe a try. My mum-in-law always likes to keep interesting recipe cut-outs for me to try them as and when I can.
This was one that caught my eye. Not only is it a much healthier option, but also a much tastier one. We tried out one with some homemade chicken tikka and the other one with veg toppings, and it turned out to be SIMPLY DELICIOUS! This had been one my childhood favourites!
Simple and quick fritters. Make a great accompaniment to simple dal rice. During my cabin crew days, I would operate a lot of flights to London Heathrow, and our hotel was located very close to the airport, quite a distance away from the city.
The best part about this hotel was the breakfast buffet. I have traveled a lot and stayed in a lot of different hotels, but I have never enjoyed breakfast as much as I did in the London hotel. Absolutely divine! Especially the hash brown potatoes. Amazingly soft on the inside, a nice crunch on the outside. After trying my hand at a few recipes and variations, I finally found the recipe that is as close to the hash browns as the ones I used to feast on in London. Hope you like it as much too. I have been out of Pune for almost 8 years now, and whenever I go back, it's hardly for 3 - 4 days at a time, hence I don't get time to explore and experiment new and old restaurants as much as I used to.
During my college days, in Camp Area, there used to be a small kiosk with about 10 chairs outside, near Sohrab Hall which would sell only parathas. Be it morning, noon, night or even midnight, that place would always be packed with people, waiting to dine in and take away. They had about 40 different parathas on their menu, but the best was always Muli Paratha. Tried to remember the taste n make one at home, and luckily it turned out JUST like theirs! An amazing recipe. And a definite must try! In our old residential complex, diagonally opposite to our house, a Malayalam family used to live there. Their youngest daughter got married in Kakinada, a coastal town. We all were invited for the wedding there. My sister and I were super excited as it meant we would be traveling in the train for a long time and as the wedding was in the wee hours of the morning, we could sleep late!
After the wedding, we were invited by the groom's family for a meal at their place. His mother made some amazingly delicious dishes for all of us! Pesarattu was one of them. I was too small them to bother asking the name, instead happily feasted on them so much, that I remembered the taste 17 years later! Luckily the recipe turned out pretty simple and I could make an awesome batch of the dosas to treat my friends with. A definite must try! |
|