My Experiments with Rasoi

Methi Pudas

2006-03-17T21:39:00.000-05:00

Hmm, thats what its called in Gujarati, I guess a good English translation could be Fenugreek Pancakes. This is my brother's favorite little dish. I, personally am not a huge fan of methi but this is a very common snack in our house. Sometimes, ma just makes it for dinner and we have it with ketchup and spicy coriander chutney.

I do not have the picture uploaded but I promise it shall be up sometime soon.

Ingredients: ( I have no idea what exact quantities to use because ma usually always plays it by the ear and just measures stuff....I guess it comes with experience...I too am usually able to get the quantities right)

Equal parts wheat flour, chickpea flour/besan, and rice flour - 1/4 or slightly more of each cup will do. We just want to make sure that we do not use so much flour that we dont see the methi :P
A bunch of methi/fenugreek leaves
A few cloves of garlic - minced
Green chili and ginger paste : 1-2 tsp
Water
Salt- swad anusaar ( I love it when they say that on Hindi Cookery Shows)
Oil

Method:
1)Mix all ingredients in a bowl and add water last.
2)Mix it well and make sure the flour does not form clumps.
3)Break all clumps. I do this by hand but if you have a hand device that whisks, that would be great! Me and ma are just used to the old way.
4)Add enough water to make a thin soupy/pancaky paste - one that you can easily pour with a ladle.
5)Heat a pan. I usually let the pan heat while I am the mixture, that way I have a nice hot tawa to cook on.
6)Spread the mixture onto the pan with a ladle/tbsp. Gently make circles with the back of the ladle/tbsp and spread it on the pan like a dosa.
7)You can make it as thick or as thin as you want. My preference: slightly thin.
8)When one side is cooked, flip it and spread some oil or butter on the top. Flip the other side when its cooked and do the same. You can also cover to help it cook faster.
Methi pudaa tyaar!

Variations: Because as a child.... well and even now, I usually whine about methi pudas mom sometimes added onions to it. You do not have to use a mixture of all three flours..only besan or only wheat flour will also do. rice flour is skippable if you dont have any.

Try it with all kinds of chutneys!

Published in the Garvi Gujarat category.

Cinnamon Toast

2006-02-24T00:54:00.000-05:00

If I ever learnt any recipes from my as white as can be roommate, it has to be this one and French toast! This is so simple that I cannot believe I had never had it before she made cinnamon toast for breakfast once. Delicious and quick.

And fatty! SLurp!

Ingredients:

3/4 - 1 tbsp butter
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 slice of bread

Method:

1) Melt the butter in a deep dish
2) Add sugar and cinnamon and mix real well
3) Dip bread into this and coat both sides with the mixture
4) Bake bread on the oven at 350C for 5 minutes or toast it on the stove

Variations: Depending on how light or heavy you want it, you can vary the sugar, cinnamon, and butter quantities. technically, sugar and cinnamon should be in equal amounts but if you do not want it overtly sweet, reduce the sugar. Instead of dippin the bread, you can also spread the mixture over the bread if you chose not to melt it.

Fast and sweet!

Published in the Chatpati Chutneys and Snacks category.

Kheer

2006-02-19T20:06:00.000-05:00

Kheer. Just the word reminds us of the last time we had one and for me, it has been a very very long time. So today mom and I were just arguing about what to make for dinner and going over all kinds of dishes when out of the blue I said, "Mom, how come you never make kheer anymore."
Mom: "Do you wanna eat it today?"
"You'll make it?"
Mom: "you are leaving tomorrow, so let me make it today itself"
Aaah mom! Sometimes I like living away from home, coz everytime I am home, she makes sure that the menu contains dishes that I love. And ofcourse, to everybody else's dismay, I love what everyone else in the family doesnt like as much :) My little brother is always whining about how she never makes anything HE likes to which she always says, "well you don't live away from home do ya?" :-D

So here is the recipe of Kheer the way my mom makes it, and the way I learnt from her :) Mothers are the greatest!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup rice (wash and soak for about half an hour)
a little more than 1/2 a gallon of milk
2 tbsp ghee
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp elaichi/cardamom
slivered almonds (optional)
cut cashews (optional)
a few strands of kesar
some dried raisins (optional)

Method:
1) Heat the ghee in a heavy bottomed pan and add the rice to it.
2) Gently roast rice just for a few seconds
3) Add the milk to it and cook it at medium heat till the rice is done. It is okay for the milk to boil a little but make sure the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan
4) Once the rice has puffed up and is tender and cooked, add the sugar, elaichi, almonds, cashews, and kesar
5) Stir for about 10-15 minutes for the flavors to catch on.
6) Garnish with a few strands of kesar

Serve warm, cold, or any way you want! Chilled is best.

Variations: Lots! You can pretty much customize your kheer any way you want! You can skip all the other dry fruits and just add almonds! A popular fav in my family is adding pistachios to the kheer. Any amount of dry fruits can be added to it as well. There are several people who also add bread to it! Don't ask me why or what it tastes like coz I haven't had the guts to try that till now! Someday!

I like my kheer chilled! Makes for great dessert and is a surefire heart-winner.

Published in the Dessers, Drink, Sweets category.

Ghee

2006-02-17T23:52:00.000-05:00

Ever since I have understood cooking, I have seen my mom make ghee at home. I do not remember anybody ever buying ghee for our home kitchen. When we were in India, ma used to make it with malai scraped off the milk. It was pretty complicated and I am yet to master that method. However, after moving to the US, she uses unsalted butter. Ricky, you mentioned ghee in one of your comments and that you had no means of getting it. Here is a recipe to make ghee! I also searched a bunch of recipes online and they are pretty close to how my ma makes it.

Ingredients:
Unsalted butter and a heavy bottomed pan

Method:
1) Add butter to the pan and bring it to a boil at medium to high heat.
2) Then turn the heat on low and leave the butter on till it starts forming a foam like top layer. do not stir too often but make sure it does not stick to the bottom as well.
3) After a while, when ghee is almost done little light brown solid butter masses will start forming at the bottom. I call these ghee residue. B
4) A nutty ghee-like aroma can also be noticed and at this time a second layer of foam should have also formed.
5) Take the foam layer of lightly without getting too much of the ghee off.
6) Drain the ghee in a bottle with a cloth or strainer to separate the residue from the ghee.
7) Store in a container at room temperature

Making ghee for the first time can be tricky. My first time wasn't that great, but slowly you get the hang of it when you start recognizing the aroma and knowing its ready! Its full blown fat but it sure is yummy!

Published in the All Else category.

Masala Puri

2006-02-17T23:27:00.000-05:00

This is a very common, quick snack in our home. Ma makes it and just puts them in a box and ofcourse they disappear as quickly as they were made.

Ingredients:

1 cup atta (wheat flour)
1 table spoon oil
3-4 tsps chilli powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 -11/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp ground cumin
4-5 tsps ajwain (carom)
salt to taste
water to knead dough

kadhai and oil to fry puris in.

Method:

1) Mix all ingredients and knead in a dough. Not too stiff and not too soft. Just soft enough to squeeze it with your finger and stiff enough to not let it stick to your finger.
2) Heat oil in a pan at medium to low heat for frying.
3) Roll out little round puris.
4) Fry at medium to high heat.
5) Done!

Yes its that easy.

Variations: When you roll out the puris, you can make tiny slits in the rolled out dough with a knife. This will give it a crispy chip-like texture. The more slits you make, the crispier it turns out. The soft texture puris can be matched up with pickles, onions, and even subzis while the crispier version can be munched anytime, anywhere!

Published in the Garvi Gujarat and Chatpati Chutneys and Snacks category.

Sheero or Sooji Ka Halwa

2006-01-10T21:48:00.000-05:00

This is an all time favourite of mine. Mom makes it all the time in pure ghee and I remember having this at kathas back home that all the gujju ladies made. Mumma always made the sheera darker than the one I used to have at kathas but then I realized why! It tastes sooo much better coz its cooked better! And also, mumma doesnt just use all milk. Okay okay so without much ado, here it is......the age old sheera or sooji ka halwa.

Ingredients:
1 cup rawa/sooji
1 cup ghee
1 cup sugar
1 or 2 cups milk depending on the consistency you want
a few dried grapes ?kishmish?
a few pieces of cashews
or any other dry fruits you would like to add
three or four strands of kesar/saffron (optional)

Method:
1) Take ghee in a pan, warm it up a little and roast the sooji on it till it is slightly brown while stirring consistently!
2) Add the dry fruits, kesar, and roast just for 30 more seconds and add milk to it.
3)Stir the mixture in a circular motion till the sooji has puffed up and seems fuller from the addition of milk.
4) Stir a little more till it has reached the required consistency.
5) Serve hot!

Variations: You can add a little bit of water if you do not want all that milk in it. Also, any kinds of dry fruits or decorations are fair game to suit your taste! The consistency can be varied too!

Note: Make sure you roast the sooji long enough so that it is not undercooked. Also, make sure there are no clumps when you add milk. A good way to avoid it is to constantly keep stirring while slowly adding the milk in parts!

Published in the Desserts, Drinks, and Sweets category.

Corn Snack

2005-12-22T12:32:00.000-05:00

I discovered loads of new foods and snacks on this past trip to India and one of them is the infamous corn in a cup! Served hot in many flavours that include chinese, chilli, garam masala, and chaat, this is a quick and easy snack that can be savored at home too! First time I had mine was at a mall in Bangalore. Loved it! And then had it in Bandra and various places in Mumbai. After coming back home, I decided to grab a can of corn at the grocery store and decided to make it at home - makes great college food!

Ingredients: (for a one time snack)
Half a can of corn - approx 8-10 oz
1-2 sp chilli powder
1-2 sp garam masala
1-2 sp chaat masala
1/2 sp black pepper powder
Salt to taste
Some oil or butter ( whichever you prefer)
Coriander to garnish
Finely diced onions (optional)

Method:
1)Take the oil - a very little amount in a pan.
2) Add all the ingredients except corn to it.
3)Sautee the onions for a little while. If you want to retain the crunchy taste of onions, dont sautee for too long
4) Add the corn and mix it in and heat it for a minute at high heat.
5) Add coriander to garnish if you wish.
Serve hot with bread or just have it by itself!

Variations: You can skip the garam masala and just add the peppers and chaat masala or vice versa! There any number of variation you can add to this! If you can get your hands on some chinese masala, add that to. This makes a great starter or just a plain snack when you are really hungry!

Note: You want this dish to be a dry snack. Make sure you do not add water from the can or it will turn out to be soggy.

Published in the Chatpati Chutneys and Snacks category.

Chai

2005-12-21T16:20:00.000-05:00

From the Chai Tea Lattes of Starbuckss to the hot cuppa tea that every Indian household savours each morning, this little hot drink is a hot-favourite of mine. Why the recipe? Believe it or not, as easy as it sounds, each household has their own little variation of tea. It took me quite a while to get the right ratios and make a good cup of tea and my roomie does not get to drink tea when she is at home without me! So here roomie, this one is dedicated to ya! The way I drink my cuppa tea!

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup milk
2-3 teaspns tea
3-4 teaspns sugar
1-2 teaspn tea masala (found usually at grocery stores) - not necessary but adds that spicy kick to the tea
A little grated ginger
Tea leaves if you can get any add an amazing taste!

Method:
1) Take the water in a pan, add tea, sugar, tea masala, and the ginger and bring to a boil
2) Add milk to this mixture once the water has boiled for a minute or so
3)Bring to a boil!
4) Serve hot with virtually anything!

Variations: You can make all kinds variations to this drink! Cinnamon, ginger, less water, more milk, cream, whipped cream, icecream, anything! I like a little more milk in mine so I use 1 1/2 cup milk instead of one.

Tips: To make what is called the "kadak" chai, increase the amount of tea and bring the final mixture to a boil several times. For parents and elders with diabetes, add less sugar. For lactose intolerants - no milk!

The English might have given us the plain black liquid tea, but we sure have added our spices and made it a part of our daily lives! Chilled with whipped cream or a hot cup with paranthas, tea is a must make!

Published in the Desserts, Drinks, and Sweets and Snacks categories.

Gatta-Nu-Shaak

2005-12-21T14:50:00.000-05:00

I came across this delicacy for the first time at a family get together. There is a very popular, Gujarati snacks restaurant - Swati in Mumbai at Tardeo. Gatta-nu-shaak or gatte ki sabzi with satpadi roti is one of their most popular dishes! This delicacy is made up of besan rolls (gatta) in a curd gravy.

Ingredients:

For gattas -
2 cups gram flour (besan)
3-4 tbsp red chilli powder
2 tbsp dhania powder
1/2-1 tbsp turmeric powder (haldi)
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil - preferably peanut oil

For the gravy -
2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter?)
A few cumin (jeera) seeds
2 cups curd/yogurt
3-4 tbsp red chilli powder
2 tbsp dhania powder
1 tbsp jeera powder
1/2-1 tbsp turmeric powder (haldi)
dried chili if available
fresh coriander (green dhania)
Salt to taste

To make gattas:
Before kneeding the dough, take a heavy bottomed pan and leave water to boil.
1) Take besan, oil, red chilli powder, dhania powder, haldi, and salt in a bowl.
2) Use a little bit of water to kneed dough.
3) The dough should be slightly stiff. If it is too stiff, the besan will take longer to cook and if it is too soft, the besan might be soggy later.
4) Roll the dough in round elongated pieces - shape them like spring rolls
5) Add these rolls to boiling water and boil for about 5-7 minutes. Actually, boil till the rolls rise up to the surface and show some bubbling. To test if they are cooked, take one roll out and cut a tiny peice. If this peice is more dark colored from within than light yellow color then if it not done! The idea is to boil these rolls so that they dont feel "kaccha" in the dish.
6) Once the rolls are cooked, place them on a dish and cut them into tiny round pieces.
7) Make sure to set aside the remaining water for the gravy!

To make the gravy:

1) Take a pan, add ghee and jeera seeds and heat the mixture till the seeds are brown.
2)Add the rest of the ingredients including the curd and stir for half a minute.
3)Now add the gattas and the remaining water from boiling the gattas to this mixture.
4) Bring to a boil
5) Cover and simmer for 5-7 minutes or until the gravy has reached the desired consistency (a nice thick consistency is best)
6) Add fresh coriander to garnish and serve hot with rotis or rice!

Important note: Make sure you use ghee and not oil in the gravy because a great part of the taste in the shaak comes from it! If you want to make a punjabish version you can add garlic and garam masala, but I think the gujju essence comes from not adding these.

Variations:
Some people like to add methi leaves to the gatta dough.
You can also add tomatoes or onions to the gravy if desired.

Published in the Garvi Gujarat category.

All Else

2005-12-21T12:35:00.001-05:00

Ghee - clarified butter. A key ingredient in Indian cooking.

Kaush Nu Rasodu

2005-12-21T12:35:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my kitchen! "Rasodu" is the gujarati word for kitchen/rasoi! All dishes published here will be the ones I actually make in my kitchen! Try at your own risk ;)

Actually, my main objective is to try out new dishes as and when I get time and publish them for record and others to see! Another goal is to get Gujju khana out there! There are so many yummy tasty gujju dishes that are just not out there and it would be so awesome if everyone got to try these. Now granted my culinary skills are very limited, but through searches and combining different recipes, believe it or not, I sometimes do churn out decent food. So here goes... Bon Apetit!

Soups and Rotis

2005-12-21T12:34:00.000-05:00

Bharatiya Cuisine - Varities of Apna Des

2005-12-21T12:33:00.000-05:00

Chatpati Chutneys and Snacks

2005-12-21T12:32:00.002-05:00

Chatpati chutneys and snacks made in my kitchen go here.

Chai -Tea! Great accompaniment to snacks :-)

Corn Snack - A chatpata quick and easy corn snack with minimum ingredients!

Masala Puri - Spicy breadlets ;)

Cinnamon toast - great for breakfast!

Desserts, Drinks, Sweets

2005-12-21T12:32:00.001-05:00

This category is made of desserts of every kinds, drinks - hot and cold, and sweets that I might manage to make in my kitchen!

Chai - Does this one need a description? ;)=
Sheera/Sooji ka Halwa - A sweet dish!
Kheer - rice pudding, my personal favourite!

International Fare

2005-12-21T12:32:00.000-05:00

Garvi Gujarat

2005-12-21T12:31:00.000-05:00

This category contains Gujarati dishes passed down the generations in my family or those that I have come across at weddings, family get-togethers, or at other people's houses.

Gatta-nu-shaak - Besan rolls in a curd gravy.

Masala Puri - spicy breadlets ;)

Methi Pudas - fenugreek pancakes