Bajra flour 2 cups, Wheat flour 1 cup, Rava 1/4 cup, Curd 1/2 cup, Red chilli powder 2 tsp, Turmeric powder 1 tsp, Cumin seeds 1 tsp, Til (sesame seeds) 2 tsp, Salt to taste, Oil 3 tsp + fryin.

 

 

Mix together all the ingredients and knead the dough.If needed add a little water. (Make the dough a bit harder than the chapati flour)

Keep it aside for about 1-2 hrs.

Lightly knead it once more. Make small balls and roll out like small puris. (In the traditional method of making Bajra vadas ,the dough is soft and the dough balls are patted with the hand to make a small patty. This is a bit different method)

Heat oil in the frying pan and fry the vadas.

The Bajra vadas can be served hot or cold.

The Bajra vadas made in this way can stay fresh without freezing for 4-5 days. (The ones with ginger and green chilly paste do not stay for so many days, hence red chilli powder is used here.)

Serve hot with green chutney,pickle or cold with hot tea.

 

2 Cups besan, 3/4 lb Potatoes, 2 tbsp Grated coconut, 4 Onions, chopped finely,4 Green chillies, 4 Cloves garlic, Sugar to taste, Juice of one lime, A few sprigs coriander leaves-chopped, 1 tsp Mustard seeds, A small piece ginger, 1 tsp Turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder, 1 tsp Cumin seeds, A pinch of baking soda, Oil for deep frying, Water as required, Salt to taste.

 

 

Cook potatoes into the Pressure cooker until soft. Peel and mash them, keep aside. Grind green chillies, garlic and ginger together to make a fine paste. Combine this paste, potato, onions, coriander leaves, sugar, lime juice and salt, mix well. Take a pan and heat a little oil and fry mustard seeds and curry leaves until the mustard crackles.

Remove it from the heat and add it to the potato mixture. Take another bowl and combine besan, salt, cumin seeds, red chilli powder, baking soda, coconut, turmeric powder and little water in it, to make a thick batter. Add a tsp of hot oil to the batter. Make small balls from the potato mixture. Dip each ball in the batter and deep fry until golden brown. Serve hot batata vada with chutney or tomato sauce.

Bhajias are a hot favourite in monsoon and can be made from a vide ranging choice of vegetables. The batter is made from Besan with salt, chilli powder, asafetida, little turmeric and a pinch of soda-bi-carb.

B A T A T A B H A J I A S (snack) :

Method :

Peel the potatoes and cut them diametrically in 2 mm slices. Soak them in water for a few minutes remove from water, allow the water to drain. Dip the potato wafers one by one batter and deep fry.

G R E E N C H I L L I E S B H A J I A S (snack) :

Method :

Take long chillies which are not very hot variety. Slit it remove the seeds. Make a batter of besan with salt, asafetida and a pinch of soda-bi-carb and keep the batter thick. Dip the chillies in the batter. Do not stuff but some batter should go into the slit oil deep fry.   
For other varieties, you can use cabbage, palak, arvi leaves. The leaves should be finely chopped. Mix besan and other masala, add required quantity of water. Do not make a loose batter. Deep fry the bhajias.
   
For onion bhajias. Cut onions into long strips and mix besan and the masala. Do not soak the entire quantity at one time because the mixture will tend to become loose and the bhajias also will not remain crisp, so as you make the bhajias add besan.

Ingredients:

300 gms - chana dal, 20 - green chilies, 3 - medium sized onions (finely chopped), 1 ½ tsp - ginger garlic paste, 3 tbsp - coriander leaves (finely chopped), 1 ½ tsp - cumin seeds, 2 tsp - red chili powder,
oil for deep frying, salt to taste.

 

Soak the chana dal in water for 2-3 hours. Grind the green chilies to a paste. Grind the dal without any water.

Mix into it the green chilies, onions, ginger-garlic paste, coriander leaves, cumin seeds, red chili powder and salt to taste. Take a portion of the dal on the palm of your hand and flatten slightly to make a wada.

Deep fry this wada on a medium flame in hot oil.

Serve hot with green chutne.

Ingredients:

300 gms Moong Dal, 25 gms Chopped Coriander, 5 gms Cumin Seeds, 1 Star anise, 8 - 9 Green Chillies chopped, 50 gms Onions, Salt to taste, Oil to fry.

 

 

Soak the moong dal in water for a couple of hours. Grind it properly to form a smooth paste. Blend it with chopped onions, chillies, corainder and cumin seed.

Check the salt seasoning and deep fry till golden in color.

Serve with green chutney.
 

Ingredients:

3 cups Rice, 1 cup Urad Dal, ½ cup Sour Curd, 2 tbsp Green Chili-Ginger Paste, ½ tsp Sodium Bicarbonate, ¼ tsp Asafoetida, 1 tbsp Black Pepper Powder, 1 cup Coconut (Grated), 1 cup Coriander Leaves (chopped), 3 tbsp Oil, Salt to taste.

 

 

Soak the rice and dal separately for 4-6 hrs in plenty of water. Afterwards, grind them together. Add curd and hot water to the dal-rice mixture to get a thick batter like consistency. Allow it to ferment for at least 6 to 7 hours. Add sodium bicarbonate, asafoetida, chili-ginger paste and salt to the dhokla batter and mix well.

Smear a bit of oil on a tray and pour the batter to fill upto half the height of tray. Sprinkle a little black pepper powder on top. Steam for about 10 minutes and then cut into square/ diamond shaped pieces. For tempering (tadka), heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and add mustard seeds to it. When seeds start spluttering, pour the tempering on the dhokla pieces.

Garnish the dhokla with grated coconut and coriander leaves.

Khatta Dhokla is ready to eat. Serve with green chutney.

Ingredients:

wheat flour 250 gms, Ajawine crushed  1 tea-spoon, Whole jeera 1 tea spoon, black pepper crushed 1 teaspoon, salt to taste, oil.

 

 

Make dough of whet flour adding  salt , oil and ajawine whole jera crushed black pepper.

Dont make it loose ( leave for  half an hour )

Make small puris. Deep fry. Take out in dish.

let it get cool. You can store in a jar

Enjoy Farsi puri with  a cup of tea.

Ingredients:

500 gms besan, 1 tsp papad khar, 1½ level tsp salt, 2 pinches asafoetida, 1 tsp coarsely powdered black pepper, 1 tsp ajwain, 8 tbsp oil, oil for deep frying

For the ganthia chutney

1½ teacups sliced green papaya, 1½ teacups slit green chillies, 3 tbsp oil, ½ tsp mustard seeds, a pinch asafoetida, 3 tbsp besan

salt to taste.

 

Heat 1 teacup of water in a vessel, put the papad khar and salt and boil until the solids dissolve.

Sieve the besan and put the asafoetida, pepper powder, ajwain and oil.
Rub the oil into the besan thoroughly.

Put the salt solution and a little extra water to make a soft dough.
With the help of a ganthia jhara (special perforated ladle), press a little batter at a time into the hot oil and deep fry for 1 minute.

Repeat the same procedure for the rest of the batter.

Ready to serve hot with ganthia chutney.

For the ganthia chutney

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a vessel and sauté the mustard seeds. Put the asafoetida, papaya and green chillies, ¾ teacup of water and salt.

Cook for 2 minutes. Apply the remaining oil to the gram flour and rub properly. Spread this besan on the papaya and green chillies mixture.Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Mix properly.

Ready to serve.

 

250 Gms. Fenugreek leaves, 150 Gms. Of Besan (Kadalai Maavu), 100 Gms. of Coarse wheat flour, three spoons of chiilli and ginger paste, Coarsely powdered Dhania and Black pepper, quarter cup. This should be very coarse.
 
One spoon of Fruit salt, Salt to taste, Sugar to taste, One spoon of Asafoetida, Three spoonfuls of Sour curds, Oil for frying.

 

Mix the flours and all the ingredients in a pan and add three spoons of oil. mix the ingredients in flour very well. Taste the mixture for salt and hotness. If you need to add chillies or salt, Add now. Add small quantity of water and start making the dough go on adding little quantities of water till you get a soft consistency of workable dough. Make small round balls of the dough and deep fry in a kadai on a medium flame.

 

If you like Vendhaiyum,  you can add Fenugreek leaves to the above dough and make vendhaiyum Gota. These are very delicious . Other variation is using only kadalai Maavu. You may avoid using wheat flour and use only Kadalai Maavu.In such a case, use a little more of saapadu soda along with fruit salt as Kadalai maavu alone tends to harden and does not give soft Gotas.

 

Gota ready to serve.

 

 

Ingredients:

1 Cup tinned lentils, 2 tbsp Flour, 4 tbsp Butter, 2 Onions, 1 Pint of vegetable stock, Herbs of choice, Small garlic clove (optional), 1 Potato, mashed, Salt and black pepper to taste.

 

 

Wash the lentils. Melt butter in a frying pan. Fry chopped onions. Remove them from the pan when they turn brown. Put flour into the pan and add stock. Now boil it.

Mix together garlic, herbs and seasoning properly. Place lentils and onions into an oven proof dish. Pour some of the sauce from the frying pan. Cover it with the mashed potato.

Bake it for about 1 hour at 200 degrees centigrade.

Serve with remaining sauce.

Leelva Ni  kachoris are a famous gujarati snack savoured by people throughout the country. The small golden balls filled with Tuvar (Lilva) mixture are very tasty and can serve as perfect appetizers or a snack for a pot-luck party. You can even use moong dal for the filling to create a variation of the recipe. Both the versions promise to be instant hits! One of my aunts used to make them so good I could easily gobble 8-10 kachoris and yet feel the urge to grab more!! So try this authentic gujarati "Lilva ni Kachori", and I've showed you how to bake them rather than deep fry which makes it tasty and healthy at the same time!

Ingredients

For the kachori

3 cups all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour(the latter is healthier but a little compromise on taste ), 2 tbsp semolina (fine rava), 1 cup warm melted ghee (clarified butter), salt - to taste, hot water - to knead the dough, oil for frying kachoris

For the filling

2 cups Lilva (Green Tuver)- only the pods (they are like peas, but smaller)
(you can also use the frozen Tuvar available in indian stores, just thaw it before use.), 2 tspn cumin seeds (jeera), 1 tspn carom seeds (ajwain), 1/2 tspn asafoetida (hing), 1 tspn turmeric powder (haldi), 1 tspn red chilli powder, 2 tbsp green chilli-ginger paste, 2 tspn sugar, salt and lemon juice - to taste.

 

For the kachori, mix the salt, semolina and flour together and add the warm ghee to it. Mix well so that the entire flour is oiled and forms crumbles. Now knead the dough (not too thin or soft, just pliable enough) using warm water into a firm dough. The warm water and rava will help make the crust more crispier. Cover with a wet cloth and leave aside for 10-15 mins.

Take the tuvar seeds/pods and crush them with 2 tbsp water in the blender to form a semi-smooth paste. Now take a saucepan, add 2 tbsp oil to it, then add the cumin, carrom seeds, and asafoetida. When seeds splutter, add the tuvar/lilva to this. Season with green chilli-ginger paste, salt, lemon juice, sugar and the spices. Remove from flame once the mixture is well-cooked and keep aside.

Now divide the dough into small portions, and roll into a small circle. put a large spoonful of the filling into the center, then fold the dough over the filling to form a ball and seal the edges with a peak at the top (as shown in the pic) You can grease your palms a little and roll the ball between them to form an even ball if that's easier. Repeat for all the kachoris.

Deep Fry: Now heat oil in a wok and deep fry 3-4 kachoris at a time over medium-to high heat till they are golden brown in color. Serve hot with Green Chutney or Tamarind chutney.

Baked: Alternately, you can preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then place the kachoris on a large oven tray. Space them at least half inch apart and apply light margarine to them with a brush. Now bake them for 10-15 mins, then turn them over so the other areas can receive heat as well, and bake again for 10 mins, or till the surface becomes light brown in color.

Of course, the fried version is much tastier than the baked one, but if healthy is more important to you than tasty, you know what to choose!

Ingredients

2 cups Corn - frozen corn works too, 1 Jalapeño, ginger - crushed
handful of coriander leaves- chopped, Jeera seeda, asafoetida, oil - to temper, 1 cup Milk - diluted with some water, Salt, and lemon juice to season.

 

 

Heat some oil in a pan. Add Jeera seeds and the asafoetida. When they turn red, add the corn. Stir for a bit and cover the pan. Alternatively, you can crush the corn in a blender if you don't like it whole. Just be sure to defrost the corn first, if using the frozen kind. I didn't crush the corn completely, I like some whole corn pieces in this. After 8-10 minutes, add the jalapenos and ginger. Add the milk now, along with the spices. Turn the heat down to medium and let the corn turn really soft. If it seems too dry, you can add some water or milk. Adding milk brings out a really nice flavor. Add some lemon juice towards the end to really give it a kick..... and garnish with coriander leaves. Enjoy with a cup of tea.

Heat some oil in a pan. Add Jeera seeds and the asafoetida. When they turn red, add the corn. Stir for a bit and cover the pan. Alternatively, you can crush the corn in a blender if you don't like it whole. Just be sure to defrost the corn first, if using the frozen kind. I didn't crush the corn completely, I like some whole corn pieces in this. After 8-10 minutes, add the jalapenos and ginger. Add the milk now, along with the spices. Turn the heat down to medium and let the corn turn really soft. If it seems too dry, you can add some water or milk. Adding milk brings out a really nice flavor. Add some lemon juice towards the end to really give it a kick..... and garnish with coriander leaves. Enjoy with a cup of tea.

Ingredients:

1 Cup gram flour, 3/4 Cup wheat flour, 3/4 Cup bajra flour, 1 tsp Cumin seed powder,
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder, 6 Crushed green chilli, 2 Inch ginger, crushed 1 tsp Ajwain, 1 Pinch asafoetida, 6 tbsp Oil, 3 tbsp Grated coconut, 3 tbsp Chopped coriander, Salt to taste, Sugar to taste, 6 Cloves garlic (optional).

 

Combine bajra flour, wheat flour, gram flour, salt and sugar in a big bowl. Add cumin seed powder, turmeric powder, crushed green chillies, crushed garlic, and crushed ginger. Mix properly and knead lightly. Shape into long thin rolls with your fingers. Steam for half an hour or until cooked. Heat oil, add ajwain seeds and asafoetida. Add muthia and fry until brown.

 

Garnish muthias with grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves.

 

18 arbi leaves, 2 1/2 C besan, 2 t ground dry red chiles (more or less to taste; I used more), 1 t turmeric, 3 t sugar or gur, salt to taste

3 T oil, 1/2 C tamarind paste/extract, 3 t ginger paste, water, 1 bunch of coriander leaves, finely chopped.

 

Trim stems from arbi leaves, wash well and pat dry. Carefully slice off the thick center rib of each leaf, taking care that you don’t split them in the process (it happens though- hide these in the middle of the rolls; know one will be the wiser). Place each leaf on a board and gently roll it over with a rolling pin, again being careful not to split the leaves.

Divide the leaves by similar size into groups of three.

Mix the besan, ground chiles, turmeric, sugar and salt. Add the oil and mix well by hand until the mixture resembles crumbs.

Add the tamarind paste, ginger paste and enough water to form a thick, but easily spreadable paste (like peanut butter or yoghurt cheese). Add the coriander leaves and mix well. Check for salt.

Taking the groups of leaves in turn, ribbed sides facing up, spread the paste thinly( if you think of it more as an adhesive than a substantial filling, you’ll do fine…in fact, you should be able to adhere them securely to the walls of your kitchen, should you be so moved…) on each of them, placing the next leaf on top of the previous one before spreading the next layer of paste. So, you will have the following configuration: leaf, paste, leaf, paste, leaf, paste. When three have been layered and pasted, and with the tip of the leaves toward you, fold 1-2″ of the  sides toward the center, and then roll firmly starting from the leaf tips to the stem end. Secure the rolls with cotton string (if you wish, or just place it seam-side down) and place in the container of a steaming apparatus. Steam for 40 minutes. Allow the rolls to cool before handling.
 

Now, take each roll, remove the string, and slice crossways carefully, using a sharp knife, into 1/3-1/2″ slices. These may be eaten just as they are with relishes, but most often they are finished with a tempering, such as the following, or deep-fried.

For the tempering:

3 T oil (if you would like to drizzle or toss them with oil, then use this amount, if you would like to shallow-fry them, use 5-6 T, adding more if necessary), 2 t mustard seeds, 2 t cumin seeds, 2 t sesame seeds, 2 pinches of asafoetida/ hing.

 

Heat oil over med-low heat, add mustard, cumin and sesame seeds; when the mustard seeds splutter, add the hing, swirl and then pour over the sliced rolls. Toss gently to coat if you wish.

If you would like to shallow-fry these, then place a cover on the pan when the seeds begin to splutter and allow them to finish. Remove from heat, and then remove the fried seeds with a spoon. Set these aside. Return the oil to heat and fry the slices on each side until golden brown, adding a little more oil if necessary.

In either case, Spread grated coconut on them and serve them.

Ingredients:

1 cup Besan (Chickpea flour), 2 tbsp Rava (Sooji), 1/2 tsp Citric acid crystals (Indian store carries it) or use Eno Fruit salt, 1 tbsp Ginger and green chilli paste, Salt - to taste, 2 tbsp Sugar, 2 tsp Baking soda.

For the garnish

2 tbsp Oil, 2 tsp Mustard seeds (rai), a pinch of Hing, 2-3 Green chillies - chopped finely,3 tbsp Coriander - chopped, 2 tbsp Grated coconut (optional), 1 cup Water, 1 cup Sev, 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds.

 

Mix all the ingredients except the baking soda. Add about 3/4 cup of water. The batter should be about the consistancy of dosa batter. Add little more water if required.

Apply some oil to a deep, flat bottomed stainless steel vessel (like a cake pan) that fits into your pressure cooker. Pour some water into the cooker and let it boil up. Once the water boils, add the baking soda to the batter and whip it up. You should see it froth up. Pour it into the prepared vessel to half the height, leaving ample space for the khaman to rise up and expand. If you are going to do this in batches, add the baking soda to the divided batter each time before steaming rather than adding it to the whole mixture. This ensures that the khaman will become soft and fluffy. Place it into the cooker and let it steam for about 10 minutes. Do not put the whistle on the cooker (just like idlis)

Now for the good part! You can even do the above process in a microwave, but khaman tends to become too dry and rubbery if you keep it out long (2-3 hrs). So this method should be used only if you want to eat it up as soon as you prepare it. Use a microwave-safe container, grease it with oil, add the baking soda to the batter and half-fill the container. Microwave for 4-5 minutes. Remove and sprinkle some water on the khaman to make it soft.

After steaming or microwaving, insert a knife or toothpick in the center and make sure it comes out clean. Let the khaman cool down and then transfer it to a plate and cut it into large squares. For the garnish, heat up some oil and add mustard seeds. After they splutter, add hing and chillies and then pour it over the prepared khaman. Top it with cilantro and grated coconut and serve hot with Green chutney.

Ingredients:

4 cups dried green peas (green vatana), 4 tbsp tamarind paste, 3 tsp cumin seeds, 3 tsp mustard seeds, 2 green chillies - chopped, 2 tsp turmeric powder, salt - to taste, 3 tbsp sugar (or jaggery), 2 tbsp lemon juice (optional, add to taste), 2 tbsp red chilli powder, 2 tsp garam masala powder, 3 tbsp oil, 1/2 cup chopped coriander.

Additional

1 cup coriander - chopped, 1/2 cup onions - chopped, 2 cups thick Sev (you can find it easily at an Indian store), Red Garlic chutney - to taste, Green Coriander chutney - to taste, Date-Tamarind sweet chutney - to taste.

 

 

Soak the dried green peas in water overnight or at least for 4-5 hours. Then pressure cook them upto 3-4 whistles so they are well-cooked, almost mashed.

Now take a pan, add the oil to it, then the cumin and mustard seeds. When they start spluttering, add the green chillies, saute for a minute, then add the boiled peas to this. Add the tamarind paste and sufficient amount of water to make it like a gravy. Most of the water will evaporate later, so don't worry if the curry looks thin initially. Now add all the dry spice powders, salt, lemon juice and sugar. Let this boil on medium flame for some time. Adjust seasoning to your taste, then finally add the chopped cilantro (reserve the other for the garnish). Remove from flame and set aside.

Meanwhile, make all your chutneys in advance, or get the ready-made ones from the store. For chutney recipes, see Date-Tamarind chutney and Green Chutney. Now take the gravy in a bowl or plate, add all 3 chutneys according to your taste. Add some sev on the top to add the crunch, and top it off with chopped onions and coriander. Serve hot Sev Usal  with bread pieces sauteed in ghee or butter.

 

 

Ingredients :

Papad : ½ kg, Small potatoes : 250 grams, Carrots : 2 medium sized, Ratalu(round) : ½ kg., Tuver dana : 100 grams, Coarse Wheat flour : 2 tablespoons, Seasame Seed : 2 tablespoons, Ajwain : 2 tablespoons, Small brinjal : 250 grams, Sweet Potato : 100 grams.optional •Raw bananas : 3, Green Peas : 100 grams, Methi bhaji : 200 grams, Oil : 200 grams, Asafoetida : ½ tsp .

For Masala :

Green chillies: 15-20 grams. Ginger : 50 grams. Garlic: 50 grams. Coriander leaves : 250 grams. Coconut : medium sized.

 

Take fresh papdi(small sized with 3 seeds), remove the threads open up half to check no insects are there. The papdi should be tender. Remove the skins of the papdi that is not tender. Oak in water for 15-20 minutes and then remove in a big thali.
   
Prepare the paste with all the above masala with salt. Keep aside 1 cup full of coriander leaves and grated coconut for dressing. Keep aside 1 tablespoon of ground masala paste for the methi muthia.
   
Add 2 tablespoons of chilli powder, haldi and dhana-jeera powder to the masala and mix well adding abit of oil and keep aside.
   
Wash and scrape the carrots, cut into 1” long pieces and keep with the papdi.Wash brinjals and slit them so as to make 4 divisions. Skin the Ratalu & sweet potato and cut big pieces like potatoes. Lastly skin the potatoes wash and slit them to make 4 divisions. Do not make pieces fill the masala in the cuts.(potatoes should not be soaked for long in water, otherwise while filling the masala it would break into pieces), after all the potatoes have been filled, similarly fill all the brinjals. Mix the rest of the masala to the vegetables set aside including sweet potato, Ratalu, raw bananas cut with skin 2” pieces and papdi etc and leave aside for 10-15 minutes.
   
Take a heavy bottomed large vessel and put approx. 200 grams of oil and put to heat. Add ajwain and till seeds and then some asafetida, when the sesame seeds crackle first make a layer of papdi, then make a layer of potatoes, brinjal, ratalu and on the top make another layer of papdi and other vegetables, Cover the vessel and put some water on the lid, allow to cook on high flame for 10 minutes and then on moderate flame. After 15 minutes mix the contents. This should be done carefully so that the vegetables do not get smashed.
   
As the vegetables are being cooked, cut the methi bhaji. Mix the masala chilli powder, turmeric powder, dhana, jeera powder sugar, salt as required, a pinch of soda bicard, 2 tablespoons oil, wheat atta(corarsely ground) to 4 tablespoons and mix well. Add little water to make a soft dough, Make small balls and deep fry till golden brown. The dough should be semi solid – so that the muthias will be soft. Fry all the balls and set aside.
   
When the papdi cooked and other vegetables are cooked mix the muthias in the Oondhiyu you may add 2 tablespoons of sugar. By now all the water part must be dried so add some oil. The oil that has been used to fry the muthias may by utilized. Cook on slow fire for about 15 minutes. Sprinkle plenty of coriander and grated coconut also garlic leaves may be finely cut and sprinkled.