Chausela/ rice flour poori.

Chattisgarh is known as the rice bowl of India hence most of the Chattisgarhi cuisine makes use of rice . Chausela is one such dish which can be made for breakfast or as a snack . It can be served with a spicy chutney or a curry of choice.

Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour

Salt

1/4 tsp cumin seeds.

Oil to fry.

Method:

Boil about one cup of water . Keep aside. In a bowl tip in the rice flour, salt and cumin seeds. Add half cup of the boiling water and carefully mix it with a spoon . Cover and rest it for five minutes. Add the remaining water only if needed and knead a smooth but tight dough. Pinch out small balls and roll into pooris. Heat oil in a pan. Drop in the poori and fry till they fluff up. Serve it with chutney or curry of your choice.

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Copyright © 2023 by Vinaya Prabhu. All rights reserved.

Shogo Shabril.

Shogo Shabril is simply a filling wrapped in mashed potato or what could also be termed as a stuffed patty. Mince meat is the stuffing preferred for Shogo Shabril. This is the vegetarian version of Tibetan Shogo Shabril with peas and spices.

Ingredients:

3 large potatoes, boiled and mashed

1 cup Bread crumbs

1 cup fresh green peas boiled

1 small onion chopped fine

3 garlic pods, minced

1 inch sized piece of ginger minced

1/4 cup spring onion chopped fine

1/4 teaspoon pepper powder

1/4 teaspoon Sichuan pepper

Salt

Method:

Heat a tbsp of oil and roast the onion, garlic and ginger till the onions turn translucent and the ginger garlic gives out its aroma .
Add peas and season with Sichuan pepper, pepper powder and salt. Mix thoroughly.
Add the chopped spring onions. Mix well. Keep aside.
Knead the mashed potatoes with about half a cup of breadcrumbs and salt into a soft dough.
Take a portion of the potato dough, flatten and place a spoonful of the filling in the centre. Bring the edges of the dough together to form a cylindrical shape. Roll these over breadcrumbs and keep aside.
Deep fry all shapes in hot oil till golden brown on all sides.
Serve Shogo Shabril with tomato ketchup.

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Copyright © 2023 by Vinaya Prabhu. All rights reserved.

Beetroot pockets.

Pretty looking beetroot pockets to make the children eat their veggies without a murmur. These are nothing but Momos or dim sums with beetroot puree added to the dough. The easiest and regular way of stuffing momos is by rolling out a poori, placing the filling in the centre, folding the dough into pleats and shaping it into a pouch.

Peel and chop a beetroot. Puree it and sieve it. Add it to the dough while kneading it.. the recipe link below gives you the exact measurements to make the dough and the filling.

https://vinayasculinarydelights.com/dim-sums-or-momos/

To shape pockets:

Roll out the poori. Place the filling in the centre. Pleat one half of the poori and press it tightly on the unpleated side. Bring the two ends together and press them on the centre of the dim sum to form a pocket. Similarly finish off with the remaining dough. Steam them in the manner mentioned in the recipe link given above.

Copyright © 2022 by Vinaya Prabhu. All rights reserved.

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Dahi Begun/ Aubergine in Curds Recipe

Dahi Begun is a Bengali preparation and can be enjoyed with both Rice or Roti. I picked this recipe from a friend Nidhi Ark in the food groups that I manage of Facebook. It is a very simple and easy dish and delicious as well. I have tweaked it a bit to suit our taste. Ingredients : 5 medium sized Brinjals/Aubergine cut lengthwise 1/4 tsp Haldi/ Turmeric powder 1 cup curds whisked well 1 tsp Jeera /Cumin seeds 1 dry red chilly 1 Bay leaf 3 tbsps Oil A pinch of Hing/Asafoetida 1/4 tsp Garam masala 1 inch piece ginger grated 1/4 tsp Chilly powder 3 green chillies slit Salt 1 tsp sugar Coriander leaves for garnish Method: Marinate the sliced Brinjal with Haldi and salt for about ten minutes. Heat oil in a pan and roast them to a golden brown. Drain and keep aside. In the same oil add the Jeera , Hing, Dry red chilly and Bay leaf. Saute for a minute and then drop in the grated ginger and slit green chillies. Saute for a minute again and drop in a glass of water. Bring to a boil. Add the curds, red chilly powder, sugar and Garam masala. Adjust salt. Stir continuously on a gentle flame till it starts boiling. Drop in the roasted Brinjal. Cover and cook for a minute. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot. Copyright © 2020 by Vinaya Prabhu. All rights reserved.

Aloo Pitika /Mashed Potato Recipe

Aloo Pitika is an Assamese preparation which is eaten with rice gruel. It is similar to the Potato Gozzu prepared in Mangalore. The only difference is that raw mustard oil is drizzled over the mashed potatoes. Since we do not use mustard oil, I made do with coconut oil.

Ingredients :

3 large potatoes

1 large onion

2 green chillies

Juice of lemon

Salt

1 tbsp Coconut oil or oil of choice

Method :

Pressure cook potatoes. Deskin and mash them well. Add finely chopped onions crushed green chillies, salt and lemon juice as per taste. Finally drizzle with coconut oil and mix thoroughly. Serve as side dish with rice or Roti.

Copyright © 2020 by Vinaya Prabhu. All rights reserved.

Chana Kanghou/ Black Chickpeas Chaat Manipur style Recipe

Chana Kanghou can be served as an evening snack with tea or also served with Tan Ngang or a Poori made of Maida. The garnish of finely chopped raw onions, green chilly and coriander leaves one’s mouth watering!!

Ingredients :

  • 125 gms Chana/ Black Chickpeas
  • 1 tomato chopped
  • 1 large onion chopped fine
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • 3 flakes of garlic grated
  • 1 green chilly chopped fine
  • A large pinch of Turmeric powder
  • 1/4 tsp Garam masala
  • Salt
  • 2 tbsps oil
  • 1 green chilly
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • Coriander leaves

Method :

Wash and soak the black Chickpeas overnight. Pressure cook and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and add the Bay leaf. Tip in the onion, garlic and tomato. Sautée till the tomatoes become mushy. Add turmeric and Garam masala powders. Toss. Drop in the cooked Chickpeas salt and the water left over in which the Chickpeas were cooked. Boil till all the water evaporates. Before serving, garnish with finely chopped onions, Coriander leaves and a green chilly.

Copyright © 2018 by Vinaya Prabhu. All rights reserved.

Kobi lei Thongba/ Manipur style Cauliflower and Potato Subzi Recipe

What Panch phoran is to the Bengali, Maru Marang is to the Manipuri. The addition of this combination of spices lends this dish its unique flavour. This Subzi goes well with both Rice and Roti.

Ingredients :

Maru Marang :

  • 1 tbsp Coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds
  • 7 Pepper corns

Dry grind the above to a fine powder.

Vegetables and other Ingredients :

  • 14 florettes of Cauliflower
  • 1 large potato deskinned and cubed
  • 1 large onion sliced
  • 7 flakes garlic grated
  • 2 inch piece of ginger grated
  • 1 tbsp Maru Marang spice
  • 3 tbsps oil
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • 2 tsps chilly powder
  • 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
  • Salt

Method:

Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Drop in the Bay leaf. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and salt and roast till the onions are translucent and the raw smell of the ginger garlic is gone. Add the Maru Marang spice, chilly, turmeric powders and toss. Tip in the Cauliflower florettes and potatoes. Mix thoroughly. Pour in two glasses of water ( 500ml) cover and cook to one whistle. Serve hot with Rice or Roti.

Copyright © 2018 by Vinaya Prabhu. All rights reserved.

Chahou Kheer/ Manipur style kheer recipe

Chahou Kheer is usually made from black rice and the ultimate result is a beautiful lavender coloured kheer. I used the regular Basmathi rice to make it because of the unavailability of Black rice. It is almost similar to the kheer made in South India. The only difference is the addition of coconut, either grated or in slivers.

Ingredients :

  • 1.5 litres Milk
  • 250 gms sugar
  • 100 gms Basmathi rice
  • 10 pods Cardamom
  • 10 cashewnuts halved
  • 25 kishmish/ Black raisins
  • 3 tbsps grated coconut
  • 1 tbsp Ghee/clarified butter

Method :

Wash the rice and tip it into the pressure cooker along with the milk and sugar. After one whistle, lower heat and allow to cook for 20 minutes. Allow the pressure cooker to cool thoroughly before opening the lid. Powder the Cardamom. Tip it into the kheer. Heat Ghee in a pan. Add the cashewnuts and Kishmish and roast to a golden yellow. Drop it into the kheer along with the grated coconut and allow to boil for a minute, cover and keep aside for half an hour for the flavours to infuse before serving.

Copyright © 2018 by Vinaya Prabhu. All rights reserved.

Karotkhabi Khangau/ Bittergourd and Potato Manipur style Recipe

This use of potato and onions in this recipe helps in toning down the bitterness of Bittergourd. Though the original recipe does not use any souring agent I have drizzled some lime juice to balance the bitter taste. This is another subzi that goes well with both Rice and Roti.

Ingredients :

  • 1 medium sized Bittergourd sliced into roundels
  • 1 large potato deskinned and sliced
  • 1 large onion chopped fine
  • 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp Chilly powder
  • 1 green chilly
  • 2 tbsps oil
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • Juice of one lemon

Method:

Heat oil in a pan. Drop in the cumin seeds. After they splutter add the Bittergourd roundels and salt. Roast on a gentle flame till half done. Drop in the onions and green chilly and roast till the, onions, are translucent. Add the potato, turmeric and chilly powder. Toss. Sprinkle a little water and cover and cook till done. Drizzle with lemon juice and serve hot.

Copyright © 2018 by Vinaya Prabhu. All rights reserved.

Mairen Saag/ Pumpkin Curry Manipur style Recipe

This delicious Pumpkin subzi from the state of Manipur in India can be enjoyed with both hot rice or Roti. I enjoyed making a meal of it as I am partial to Pumpkin. I added a dash of sugar to enhance the taste! Delish!

Ingredients :

  • 250 gms Pumpkin deskinned and cubed
  • 1 large onion sliced
  • 2 Byadgi Chillies broken
  • 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
  • 2 tbsps Coriander powder
  • 2 tbsps oil
  • 1 tsp Nigella seeds
  • Salt
  • 1tsp sugar
  • Coriander leaves

Method :

Heat oil in a pan. Drop in the Nigella seeds and after they splutter add the broken red chillies. Toss. Drop in the onions and salt and roast till translucent. Add the turmeric and coriander powders. Toss. Drop in the pumpkin pieces, sugar and cover and cook on a slow flame till done. Sprinkle a little water in case it sticks to the bottom of the pan. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Copyright © 2018 by Vinaya Prabhu. All rights reserved.