Instant Pohe Chivda

Instant Chivda is a very simple Maharashtrian snacks recipe. I planned to make a video of my recipes, since it's festival season I thought of starting with a simple festive recipe which could be useful for people. The things that came immediately into my mind was Chivda. As we already know there are various ways of preparing chivda, a savory snack ex: using flattened rice, murmura, bundi / sev mixture, sabudana chivda to name few. I have already posted the recipe for Pohe Chivda earlier that was using thin poha. This recipe is using the same poha that we use for making kanda pohe and can be prepared easily with all the available ingredients in your kitchen.

Gajarachi Bhaji / Carrot Sabzi

This is an easy stir fry side dish can be served along with Roti / Rice. I had lots of carrots in my fridge and you must have observed my blog is filled with carrot recipes :) I usually prepare this sabzi for my kids lunch box. It's a quick option on busy weekdays lunch box menu, you need not have to preboil anything. You just need to chop the carrots finely. Again this is the recipe I learned from my sister, she is "Annapoorna" :). Give her any ingredients she will prepare a dish out of it. If she would knew the technology, definitely would be a star by now in this "online" culinary world! 

Palak Poori / Palak Puri / Spinach Poori

We have already seen a recipe for Poori bhaji, there is slight difference in this recipe. Adding spinach will make it more healthier. Ususally poori is prepared with the combination of wheat flour and multi purpose flour. But I have used multi grain flour here and that's why you can see the color difference.. You can use wheat flour alone. I had to blanch palak before using.

Kande Pohe / Kanda Poha Recipe

Poha/flattened rice is most commonly used in Maharashtra for preparing kanda pohe / chivda. Kanda pohe is the most famous easiest Maharashtrian breakfast/ snacks recipe, the thing that can be prepared in less time.Lets go through the procedure.

Carrot Cucumber Sandwich

There are various ways where we can prepare sandwich by adding any of the veggies. If you are looking for an alternative to potato, you can prepare this sandwich. This sandwich I learned from my sister. You can prepare this using the vegetables that we commonly have in our kitchen. I have used Carrot, Cucumber and Cabbage.

Instant Carrot Dosa

Carrot is the healthiest vegetable, can be used in varieties of dishes like dosa, paratha, sabzi, salad, rice, kheer etc.. given a tadka to the grated carrots can make it a quick koshimbhir. I use carrots in as many possible dishes like adding it to normal chapati, raw carrots salad, koshimbhir, dosa etc.. Here I am going to explain the easier way of preparing instant dosa using carrots. This can be a quick breakfast option on a lazy weekend morning. You need a nonstick pan for this.

Methi Thepla

Methi Thepla is a typical Gujarati dish served for the breakfast. These are chapatis/paratha made with the fenugreek leaves. Along with the wheat flour they usually use Gram flour even though it's not compulsory, Gram flour is one thing you can say is always a must in Gujarati dishes. There are many ways of preparing thepla. Even though raw fenugreek is mixed with the flour, I usually fry the fenugreek prepare a sabzi out of it so that all the bitterness of fenugreek is reduced and then mix it with the flour. I have already posted the recipe for Palak thepla, this recipe is similar to it. You can also view some of other methi recipes

Methi Dal Recipe

Methi Paratha

Methi Pulao

Aloo Methi Paratha

Modak Recipe

Ganapati Bappa Morya!!! When it's Ganesh Chaturthi festival we will surely not forget about one of the most favorite dish of our own Ganesha :) There are various ways a Modak can be prepared, steamed, fried, chocolate, khava,with coconut stuffing, with Puran stuffing etc.. The one I am listing here is the basic form which can be prepared using coconut filling with vary less number of ingredients available easily at home.

Batatyachi Bhaji / Potato Stir Fry

Batata - Potato stir fry is one quick side dish option for which you can go for when you hardly have any vegetables left in your refrigerator. You need not have to boil the potato unlike we do for the Poori potato sabzi. It's just to chop the potato into small sized slices so that it gets cooked fast, add the required amount of red chilli powder, add the roasted groundnut powder (Shengadanyach koot -  a must ingredient for Maharashtrian dish ;)) and give a stir. Cook it well with the closed lid and server it hot with Chapati/roti.

Misal Pav Recipe

Misal Pav is most famous Maharashtrian dish - a street food. 'Misal' means mixture in Marathi and pav is the bun / bread roll which is served along with the mixture. Misal is a spicy curry which is generally prepared using sprouts and served with Farsan (a snack made from besan) / sev topping along with finely chopped onion, coriander and a lemon slice. Misal Pav is usually served as a breakfast dish but is all-time available in most of the Maharashtrian hotels and can be served as lunch time menu, evening snack. There are various kinds of Misal pav available  which are usually named based on the locality they are served  (for ex: Nashik Misal, Kolhapuri Misal, Puneri Misal etc..) and the taste slightly varies based on the spices used in the particular region. You can say 'Kolhapuri Misal' to be one of the spiciest. 

    In Bangalore it's very difficult to find the Farsan that we usually get in Maharashtra, so I usually get the Farsan from my native and sometimes my dad sends it via parcel. Just today morning I got a parcel of Farsan mixture, bun pav, sev and he had reminded me yesterday to soak the Matki which I could use it for preparing Misal today ; That's so kind of him. I am really blessed to have such caring parents! 

I prepare this recipe in very simple way. It's easy and quick. Let's go through the procedure.

Raw Mango Rice

Mango Rice! I never had it before. It's only after coming to Bangalore I came to know about Mango rice from one of my neighbor who is from near by place. Whenever we meet we usually discuss about food. I like to collect information about many traditional recipes from her, so I keep asking her about the recipes and she explains me very well. In some ways I like the south Karnataka food, they use coconut & tamarind in almost recipes. The "Gojju" is very common here, mix it with rice and serve it. I have learned to prepare capsicum gojju, puliyogare, coconut rice, mango rice all from her. For Puliyogare I have already shared the recipe in the initial days. When it's mango season lets go through the mango rice recipe procedure first.

Jwaricha Aambil / Ambali Recipe

How can we end this summer without posting about Aambil recipe. I know this summer is soon ending, I would like to post about one of the traditional and my most favorite drink from Maharashtra / northern part of Karnataka. Jwaricha Aambil / Ambali (in Kannada) is a traditional drink prepared from Jowar flour, it is usually prepared in the summer and you can call it as a "Farmer's Soup"!. Aambil has got sour taste, this can also be preapred from finger millet flour which is genrally called as "Ragi Amabli".When I was small kid I remember we used to go to our farm for the lunch during summer holidays and my mom used to pack all the food in which Aambil was must in the menu. I know it's sad to say that all our traditional food is being replaced by the western food, but it is in our hands to keep our culture and pass the legacy onto our future generation. Lets quickly go through the recipe.

Sakhar Amba / Mango jam

When summer  is here how can you forget Mango! I know mango is one such fruit for which we will be waiting through out the year. Mango is no matter raw / ripe it is always liked by everyone :). It can be used  in either form to prepare many recipes. Here is one recipe from my Mom's list which I learned  recently prepared using raw mangoes. Sakhar Amba / Gulamba  - sakhar means sugar and amba means mango in marathi similarly gul means jaggery. so it's basically sweetened mango. Mango is cooked with sugar and you can also call it a "Desi jam" :). olden days people used to prepare this during summer and use it through out the year. This recipe once prepared can be stored in air tight containers for months together. It's a combination of sweet and sour taste.This can be served along with chapati, paratha, dosa, bread etc..  We will go throught the recipe quickly!

Instant Ragi Dosa Recipe

I have already shared different varieties of dosa recipes like tomato, wheat, spinach, rava, wheat Dosa etc.. Ragi / finger millet dosa is also a instant and quick option for the lazy weekend breakfast. The procedure is  almost similar to wheat dosa / rava dosa ,you need not have to soak the batter overnight. You will get good texture for dosas if you use non stick pan, the gas should be set on high flame and pour the batter. Or else you can cut half the onion , apply oil on the pan and rub the pan surface with the onion.

Palak Paratha / Spinach Paratha Recipe

Palak/Spinach is very common easily available green vegetable and can be used in many ways in our cuisine in many forms like rice, salad, paratha, side dish, soup, dal etc.. I have already shared the recipe for Palak Thepla where I cook the spinach before adding it to the flour while preparing dough. Whilst this paratha can be prepared with minimal ingredients on a busy day in a less time. As I say always, if you are mastered in rolling the chapatis you can make paratha out fo anything! Lets go though the procedure.

Sabudana Kheer

Sabudana Kheer is a simple rich dessert which requires less time for the preparation provided you already have the soaked the sago/sabudana :) During fasting days we find various ways to fill our stomach and try finding various options in the so called fasting food and end up eating more :) So for such  experiments Sabudana Kheer is an option for people who have sugar cravings. I added color to the kheer you can skip if you do not like.

Dill Leaves Pulav

Dill Leaves called as Shepu in Marathi and Sabbasige soppu in Kannada is a simple with a decent fragrance leafy vegetable available through out the year. The most common form of using this vegetable in Indian cuisine is a quick stir fry served along with Roti/Chapati. The stir fry sabzi can be prepared with any of the dals like moong dal / toor dal by soaking it for required time. I usually make Pulav on the weekends as a Brunch since we wake up very late :) This will be a mix of almost all the vegetables that I find in my kitchen! Methi Pulav is the regular one for which I have already shared the details. I do not find much difference in the procedures for preparing any vegetable Pulav. It can be almost same, but you should be sure of the quantity of spices or the salt to be added :) Here is the procedure that I follow to prepared Dill leaves Pulav.