October, 2017 - Vinaya's Culinary Delights

Ragi Bhakri Recipe

Posted on October 19, 2017November 13, 2017 by vinaya

Ragi, Nachani or Finger millet is a nutritious protein and calcium packed option for breakfast. It is the first solid food fed to infants by most Indians living in South of India. Sprouted, the nutritional value increases manifold and is a complete food when accompanied by vegetables.

Ingredients :

100 gms Ragi flour
50gms rice flour
50gms wheat flour
2 large onions
6 green chillies
Coriander leaves
A few mint leaves
1 tsp of jeera/cumin
3 tbsps grated coconut
Salt
Ghee/clarified butter

Method :

Mix the ragi, rice and wheat flours. Crush the green chillies and grated coconut coarsely. Chop the onions, coriander and mint leaves fine. Add everything to the flour along with the jeera and salt. Crumble it and then prepare a dough that can be patted onto the tava/skillet by adding a little water at a time. Take a big ball of dough and pat it on the skillet. Drizzle with ghee and roast on both sides till they are crisp and done. Enjoy with homemade butter or any vegetable of your choice.

Spicy Tukdi/ Shankarpali Recipe

Posted on October 18, 2017November 13, 2017 by vinaya

Spicy Shankarpali or as the Konkani community calls it Teek tukdi is a popular savoury which is prepared not only during Diwali but also during summer vacations when the children clamour for munchies. Easy to make and delicious too, it can be made using green chillies or with chilly powder.

Ingredients :

125gms wheat flour
125gms maida/all purpose flour
8 green chillies
A Rajma sized piece of hing
3sprigs of curry leaves
Salt
2 tbsps oil
Oil for frying

Method :
Sieve the wheat flour and the all purpose flour together. Grind the green chillies and hing. Add a little water to it and strain it. Keep it aside. Heat 2tbsps of oil to smoking point and drop it into the flour. Crumble the mixture. Chop the curry leaves fine. Add the strained chilly hing water, salt and the chopped curry leaves into the flour. Adding a little water at a time bind a stiff dough as for pooris. Keep aside for ten minutes. Knead well and make balls. Roll out the balls thinly into six inch diameter chapatis. Cut into diamonds. Heat oil. Drop in the tukdi and fry over a medium flame till they are crisp and take on a golden brown hue.

Rava Ladoo Recipe

Posted on October 18, 2017November 13, 2017 by vinaya

Rava or semolina Ladoo is a traditional sweet prepared during Diwali. It can be made either with or without the addition of coconut and milk. Here I have shared an easy one without coconut or milk as the taste of the Ladoo without the addition of these two ingredients remains intact.

Ingredients :

1.5 cups of Rava/semolina
3/4 cup powdered sugar
6 Cardamoms powdered
1/4 cup ghee
Kishmish/raisins as required.

Method :
Roast the Rava in 2tsps of ghee on a low flame till it gives its aroma. Roast the raisins in a tsp of ghee and tip it into the roasted rava. Allow to cool thoroughly. Powder the Cardamom. Warm the ghee slightly. Once the mixture is cooled add the warm ghee, sugar, cardamom powder and the raisins and mix thoroughly. Take tiny portions of the mixture and roll into balls.

Karachi Halwa Recipe

Posted on October 17, 2017November 13, 2017 by vinaya

Karachi Halwa is one of the easiest to make and tasty too. I have added a dash of lemon to it to add that tang!!

Ingredients :

1 cup custard powder
2.5 cups sugar
4 cups water
A large pinch of saffron
A fistful of cashew bits
Juice of half a lemon
3 tbsps ghee

Method :

Roast the cashew bits in a tsp of ghee/clarified butter. Keep them aside. Tip in the sugar, water and the custard powder into a non stick pan. Add lemon juice to it. Take care to see that the mixture is free from lumps. Add the saffron and keep stirring it on a medium flame. At one point the mixture starts thickening. Lower the flame and add the ghee and the roasted cashew bits and stir till it leaves the side of the pan. Pour it into a pre greased plate. Allow to cool thoroughly. Cut into desired shape.

Poori Bhaji Recipe

Posted on October 16, 2017October 8, 2018 by vinaya

One of the most favourite of Indian foods, Poori bhaji is enjoyed any time of the day, as it is not only filling, but is also delicious. Poori is Indian bread which is deep fried and is popularly accompanied either by a potato Bhaji or Shrikhand.

Ingredients :

Bhaji

6 potatoes pressure cooked, deskinned and chopped
4 onions sliced
2 inch piece of ginger grated
8 green chillies chopped fine
A pinch of turmeric
1tsp jeera
2 tomatoes chopped
Coriander leaves
5 tbsps oil

Method :
Heat the oil. Add the jeera and after it splutters add the green chillies, ginger and onions. Roast till translucent. Add turmeric. Toss. Add the tomatoes. Roast till mushy. Drop in the potatoes, two glasses of water, salt and boil well. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Poori

250gms wheat flour
2tsps oil
Salt
Water enough to bind a stiff dough.
Oil for frying

Take half a glass of water in a vessel. Add the salt and the wheat flour. Mix well. Add the oil and knead the dough for a few minutes. The dough should be really stiff. Keep aside for about ten minutes. Make balls of the dough. Roll them out into three inch diameter sized pooris. Heat oil. Deep fry to a golden brown.

Assamese Dal Recipe

Posted on October 16, 2017November 13, 2017 by vinaya

Each region in India has it’s own unique way of making Dal. Posting an Assamese Dal today dear friends. Though the Assamese use mustard oil for their cooking, I have used ghee/clarified butter to season the Dal as not only the family, but I myself find the odour of the oil too strong to my liking.

Ingredients :

100 gms Arhar dal/pigeon peaa
50 gms moong dal/yellow gram dal
4 tbsps finely chopped onions
5 green chillies
A large pinch of Fennel seeds
1 tsp sugar
Salt
A pinch of turmeric
2 tbsps ghee/clarified butter
Juice of half a lemon
Coriander leaves

Method :
Pressure cook both the dals together with the green chillies and fennel powder. Churn and add the turmeric powder, sugar and salt. Heat the ghee. Add the onions and roast to a golden brown. Drop the seasoning into the Dal and and boil well. Switch off. Add the lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves.

Onion Uthappa Recipe

Posted on October 16, 2017November 18, 2020 by vinaya

Uthappa or Oothappam is a fermented pancake of rice and urad dal. Sprinkled with onion and coriander leaves and spiced with green chillies and ginger it can be enjoyed with chutney, Sambhar or even home made butter.

Ingredients:

250 gms urad dal
600 gms rice
Salt.
4 onions
18 green chillies
3 inch piece of ginger
Coriander leaves.
Ghee/clarified butter or oil for roasting.

Method :

Wash and soak both rice and urad dal separately for 5 hours. Grind the urad dal in the wet grinder non stop for half an hour adding water at regular intervals. Grind the rice in the mixer to a rava like consistency.
Mix both the urad and rice batters, add salt and allow to ferment overnight or for 10 -12 hours.

Grind the ginger and green chillies coarsely and add to the batter. Mix well. Chop the onions and coriander leaves fine. Pour a ladleful of batter on a hot tava/skillet and sprinkle the onions and chopped coriander leaves over it. Drizzle with oil or Ghee and roast on both sides.

Note:

The proportion of urad dal and rice is if you are using the wet grinder to grind the urad dal. If using the mixer the proportion is 250 gms of urad dal and 400 gms of rice.

Kaju katli/Cashewnut Burfi Recipe

Posted on October 16, 2017November 4, 2020 by vinaya

Kaju Katli or Cashewnut Burfi is one of the most loved Indian sweets. Rich and delicious, it is the most preferred sweet on any occasion.

Ingredients :

250 gms of cashew
150 gms of sugar
7 tbsps of water
2 tbsps of ghee
A pinch of saffron

Method:
Powder the cashewnuts finely. Heat the water and sugar in a thick bottomed pan. When the sugar has dissolved add the cashewnut powder and saffron and keep stirring till the whole mixture starts coming together. Add the ghee and remove the whole lump onto a plate. Allow to cool till you can handle it. Knead it well and place the lump on a greased plate. Place a butter paper over the lump and flatten it with a rolling pin to desired thickness say about 5 mm. ( I prefer mine thick) Remove the butter paper and allow the rolled Kaju katli mixture to cool thoroughly. Once it has cooled, cut the kaju katli into square or diamond shapes. Store in an air tight container.

For more vegetarian recipes please join Vegetarian Culinary Delights by Vinaya on Fb.

Ajwain Water Recipe

Posted on October 16, 2017November 13, 2017 by vinaya

Ajwain or Carom seeds are a good digestive and used widely in Indian cooking. Expecting and lactating mothers are also given ajwain water to prevent flatulence and feeling of fullness.

Ingredients:

1tsp ajwain
1 litre of water
A pinch of salt

Method :

Boil a tsp of ajwain in 1 litre of water. Reduce it to 750 ml. Add a pinch of salt. Strain and serve.

Spicy Phenori Recipe

Posted on October 15, 2017November 13, 2017 by vinaya

Spicy Phenori is a crunchy munchy snack which goes by other names too depending on the region where it comes from. Thin chapatis are rolled out of a dough to which spice is added. The thinner the chapati, the crisper the Phenori.

Ingredients :

250 gms all purpose flour/maida
8 green chillies
5sprigs of curry leaves
A Rajma sized piece of hing /asafoetida
Salt
2 tsps oil
Slurry of 2 tbsp oil and 1tbsp of maida.

Method :

Grind the green chillies and asafoetida to a smooth paste. Tip it into a vessel. Chop the curry leaves fine and add them too. Add the oil, flour and salt and crumble it well. Add enough water to bind a stiff dough. Keep it aside for about half an hour. Make 10 balls out of the dough. Roll out five of them as thinly as possible. Place a chapati on the board. Apply the slurry thinly all over the chapati and place another chapati on top, a little away from the edge of the first chapati. Continue applying the slurry and placing the chapati in the same manner. After placing the fifth one, roll it tightly into a log and cut into pellets. Dust the pellets with maida and roll them out gently. Finish of thus with the remaining dough. Heat oil, and deep fry the Phenori on a slow flame to a crisp and rich golden brown.