Chivda

Diwali is a time of lights and of course, foods..mainly sweets. Kanole ( कानोले ), Anarse (अनारसे ),..all mouth watering sweet treats. 
To balance these there are spicy treats of Chakli (चकली ) and  Chivda (चिवडा ).

 Here is a recipe for Chivda. Traditionally we use flattened  rice or Pohe (पोहे ).  While visiting my daughter I saw she had a toasted puffed rice cereal ( which I never did see her eat..so I thought why not make Chivda with this ) which worked equally well.

"Chivda" Recipe

Ingredients:

1 box of Trader Joe's Toasted puffed rice cereal or Pohe which is flattened rice.

Olive oil or Canola oil
100-150 gm Peanuts - raw, unsalted and cleaned.
100 gms Golden raisins
100 - 150 gms Cashews - roasted , preferably unsalted. Lightly salted will do.
3-5 Green chillies. chopped. About 0.5 cm in length.
10-12 cloves of garlic finely julienned.
10-12 curry leaves.
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Asafoedita.
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 - 3/4 tsp  sugar

Method.
To a pan, add about 2 tbs of oil. Once the oil is hot add the peanuts and fry till they start to become slightly golden brown. Remove and put on paper towel to drain the oil.
Next add the cashews to the oil and fry till slightly golden brown. Remove.
Alternately you can roast these in an oven.
Next add the green chillies. You will see them blister and change colour. Remove from pan at that point, Do not char.
Next saute the Garlic till golden brown and crisp. Remove.
Lastly fry the raisins. They will puff up and the skin starts to turn whitish opaque. Remove from pan. I fry these last because anything that is fried in the same oil after the raisins ends up tasting sweet.
It is important to fry each of these separately as each of these require different frying times. If you notice the oil getting cloudy or brown, change the oil or else the oil will discolour whatever you fry in it.
If you use Pohe. Roast ( no oil) these slowly on medium heat. They become crisp.

The next step.

In deep bottomed vessel ( should be able to fit the whole box of rice puffs) add a couple of tbs of oil. Once hot add the asafoedita, curry leaves and turmeric. They should splutter.Turn the heat down to low.  Then quickly add all the fried nuts, chillies and garlic and stir. Add some salt and sugar, mix well. Add the toasted rice puff cereal or pohe and mix well all on low heat. The cereal should get a little warm. Turn the heat off and let cool. Enjoy.
To store : let cool before putting in an airtight container.

Kanole

Diwali is the most important and widely celebrated festival in the Hindu Calender. Preparations for Diwali start almost a month ahead. Different foods are prepared specially for this time. Some are sweet, some are savoury. “Kanole (कानोले ), Laddoo (लाडू ), Chakli (चकली ), Shankarpali (शंकरपाळी ), Anarse (अनारसे ), Chivda (चिवडा )” usually are made at home. Nowadays these are also available in stores. Nothing is better than home-made. This holds true especially for Kanole.

Of these sweets “Kanole” is considered not only special for this festival but is also auspicious.
Making these is a labour of love and skill. They have to be light and the shell has to separate out in layers.
In the old days they used to say that if you dropped a silver rupee ( in the olden days there used to be a rupee made of actual silver) in a “dabba” (steel container) filled with Kanole…you should be able to hear the rupee ring as it hits the bottom. For the younger generation, what it means is that the kanole are so delicate that the rupee literally cuts through them unimpeded as it hits the bottom.

Here’s the recipe for this delicious treat.



Kanole.

1 vaati = ¾ cup= 200cc (approx)

Ingredients:
For Dough

Semolina - fine (Rava - रवा) 3/4 cup , (1 vaati - वाटी, about 200cc volume)

Milk and water mixed about 100 cc (1/2 vaati)
Ghee 4-6 tbs

For "Saaran" ( cannot come up with English equivalent)
Ghee
Cornflour

For Filling
Dried shredded powdered coconut - 1 vaati
Sugar- Fine powdered, sifted.
2 tbs White Poppy seeds
¼ tsp Cardamom powder
¼ tsp Nutmeg powder
Chapati (whole wheat) flour 2 tbs
Ghee

Procedure:
For filling
In a little ghee saute the chapati ( wheat)flour till the colour changes to a pinkish hue. Do not brown. As it cooks it gives off a very pleasant aroma.
In a pan roast the coconut till golden brown. Set aside.
Roast the poppy seeds. Again , they should be a little pinkish. Not brown. Watch carefully.
In a grinder dry grind the coconut and poppy seeds. (after cooling and each separately). Set aside.
Combine poppy seeds, coconut, add the sauteed wheat flour. Add equal quantity of sugar (or according to taste). It is OK to make it a little extra sweet since the sweetness reduces a bit after frying. Add nutmeg and cardamom powder.
Can store in an airtight container.

For the dough
Make a dough with the Semolina, and the milk and water. Can add a pinch of salt to taste. (If you cannot find fine semolina, grind the semolina finer before using it). Cover with a moist kitchen cloth and set this aside for 4-6 hours.
Rub this dough with ghee..generously. For the next step you need a strong base and something heavy like a stone pestle ( Varvanta - paata - Traditionally an implement made of stone ).
On the base keep the dough and pound it with the pestle. If it tears, add more ghee, roll it into a ball and pound flat. Keep doing this till the dough is soft and pliable. Takes about 30 minutes or so. Roll it back into a ball and keep aside under a moist kitchen cloth.

For the Saran
On large plate spread 2 tbs or so of ghee solids. With your fingers flattened to the plate rub it on the plate while spreading it from one end of the plate to another. Keep doing this till the ghee feels smooth and you cannot feel the grainy texture. This incorporates air in to the ghee and its texture changes. To this softened ghee ( looks like softened butter), slowly add cornflour little by little till you get a soft paste. (Consistency of sour cream).
Keep aside under a moist kitchen towel.

Now comes the tricky part. I suggest you have a nice cup of tea, put your feet up before embarking on the next phase.

Take the dough and divide it into 4 parts . Roll each part out to about 0.25 cm thick. With your finger push the dough down to make little troughs in the dough( not holes) close together.
Spread enough ‘saran’ to fill these dents and a thin layer over the dough. Now lift up one side and start rolling it to make a tight roll. Use cornflour so that your hands and the dough don't stick to the base / board. With your hands slowly roll this “roll” on the board lengthening it as you do so. Don't roll it back and forth. Go in one direction only. It should stretch out to almost double its length. Do this with the remaining dough as well.
Now twist off about an inch of the roll (do not cut). Hold both the ends of the little piece and with a twisting motion press it to form a little flattened piece of dough.



Keep doing this. Make sure you keep all the dough covered with a moist cloth at all times.
Once you are done with this step get together a few things.

A rolling pin, a base to roll on. A Ravioli or pastry cutter..’Katni’ . A bowl with equal parts of water and milk ( about ¼ - ½ the bowl.) for sealing the rim of the Kanole.. Cornflour and moist towels.
Roll out each small piece of dough. to form a circle. Roll from the center to the edges, not back and forth. Place the edge of your palm along one semicircle as a guide, place about a tsp or so of the filling on this circle.

Moisten the rim with the water/milk mixture (lightly) and fold over the bottom edge and close it to form a crescent shaped form. Press the edges together firmly with your finger tips pointing away from the center.


With the pastry cutter cut out the excess edge.





This is what a filled “kanola” looks like.
Keep doing this for all the dough. Again...make sure that you place all these under a moist cloth till you are ready to fry them.

In a deep “kadai” or saucepan, heat up ghee ( be generous- if you are counting calories, this is not the dish for you). The vessel has to be deep so that the Kanole do not touch the bottom.
Once the oil is heated fry each one separately or at the most 2 at a time ( requires patience. if you overcrowd it the temperature drops and they don't cook as well). Flip once. They are done when the layers start to separate.

If the filling leaks out in to the ghee strain the ghee and use it . If you leave it in the ghee it will discolour the rest of the “Kanole”. Don’t be lazy about this step. This will yield about 18- 20 medium sized Kanole.

Place the fried Kanole on a sieve and let drain. Once cool, enjoy!!

I usually make the filling a day before. The next morning I knead the dough and keep aside. In the 4- 6 hours it is kept aside, I make the saran and get the rest of the stuff ready. You can add saffron to the dough when you pound it to give it a little colour. I don’t add artificial food colouring for different colours as I don’t believe in it.

Total time: about 8 hours + (counts the time the dough rests. The + depends on how many you make and the time it takes to fry them.)

After all this is over, it is nearly time for dinner. At our house it has always been Chinese take-out. Don’t know how that came about but the kids loved the combination.

Gokulashtami

Gokulashtami (Lord Krishna's Birthday) is celebrated by everyone all over India. In our family, some women fast for the whole day and break the fast after midnight. (Lord Krishna's Birth time).
Different types of sweets are made for this day. Our family always makes a kheer from shelled wheat.

Shelled wheat is easily available in the stores today, but, I would always remove the shell of the wheat at home, which was a long process. Every year, my mother and I would shell it together and share the shelled wheat as well.

Kids also love this kheer.
It is made in a large quantity and can be eaten over a few days.
I would like to share the recipe for this kheer.

"Gavachi Kheer"  (Kheer made with shelled wheat)

Shelled wheat – 1 cup

Jaggery – 2 cups

Milk -  4 cups

Nutmeg powder – ½ tsp

Velchi powder – ½ tsp

Ghee (Clarified butter) -  ¼ tbs

In a pot, heat ghee. Add wheat and lightly saute it in the ghee for a couple of minutes on a low flame.

Add water and cook till the wheat cooks completely till it is soft.

Add jaggery,  nutmeg, cardamom powder and stir till it thickens.

Let the mixture cool till it reaches room temperature and then add milk (also at room temperature) slowly till you get the consistency that you prefer.
Constantly stir the mixture as you add the milk.

Heat the mixture again on a low flame till it reaches a boiling point and then turn the heat off.

It is now ready to eat.

Enjoy!!

Narali Bhaat

Today is Narali Punima and it is celebrated all over India and each one makes their own special coconut dish. 

Traditionally I make Narali Bhaat which is made with coconut milk and rice. 

The whole meal is similar to the meals made on shravan Fridays, but the sweet dish served is Narali Bhaat.

Recipe :

Ingredients :

Coconut Milk                             2 cups

Basmati Rice (washed)               1 cup

Jaggery        (grated)                 1 ½ cups

Cardamom                                 ½ tsp

Nutmeg Powder                         1 pinch

Raisins                                       ¼ cup

Almonds (peeled and sliced)        ¼ cup

Ghee (clarified butter)               1 tbsp

Procedure :

Add ghee to a heated pan and add rice and sauté it over a low flame for a couple of minutes. Add coconut milk and fully cook the rice in it. Add more coconut milk if needed to fully cook the rice. All different varieties of rice require different amounts of milk to cook.

Once the rice is cooked, take out in a big plate, spread it and let it cool.

In another pot take the grated jaggery and stir it till it becomes a smooth paste. Once it reaches a boil, take  some in a spoon and pour a drop of the paste in a bowl of water. If the drop is hard when removed from the water, the paste (paak) is ready to use. In Marathi that is called a pakka paak.

Lower the flame and add the rice to this paak. Stir for couple of minutes and add almonds, raisins and cardamom powder. You may add other dry fruits like pistachio and cashew.

Stir this all in the rice for couple of minutes and cover it and let it steam.

The rice is ready to eat!!

Enjoy!!

Moong Birdha

It’s been a couple of days since I added another blog, but I would like to add the recipe of Moong/Mung Birdha which we made on Monday, which is one of the dishes made for Shravani Somvar.

Ideally I make vaalacha birdha but I haven’t been able to find good vaal in the Indian Grocery stores in the US.

 Moong is a very nutritious bean.  There are 3 main forms of moong found in stores. One is the whole moong (unpeeled), two, the split moong (unpeeled) and the third is the split (peeled) one.

Each one is cooked in a different way, example, if you make spinach vegetable, add soaked (for an hour) split moong, a one inch stick of cinnamon and cook till the dal is fully cooked.

It is healthy, tastes good and the kids love it with white rice and ghee. 

Usually, the first solid food given to infants consists of moong (split – peeled) and rice. The split moong beans are first washed, dried and then lightly roasted on a pan.

They are then ground in a food processor and stored.

You can use a spoon full a day. Cook it well in some water till it forms a nice paste.

But I digress. Getting back to our birdha, I use whole moong, soak it in water for 4-5 hours.

Drain the water and let them sprout overnight.

Once they sprout, soak them in water for about an hour so that the peels loosen up.

After peeling, they are ready to use. I have a picture of the peeled moong along with the birdha.

Recipe :

Ingredients:

Moong Dal (sprouted and peeled)                   1 cup

Onion (chopped fine)                                    ½ cup

Asafetida                                                     1 pinch

Mustard Seeds                                              ½ tspn

Jeera                                                          ½ tspn

Jeera Powder                                              ¼ tspn

Turmeric  Powder                                        ½ tspn

Chili Powder                                               1 tspn

Coconut Milk                                               ¼ cup

Kokum                                                        4 -5 nos

Sugar to taste

Garlic Paste                                                ½ tspn

Green chili                                                 1 no.

Coriander Leaves

Coriander Powder                                       ½ tspn

Fennel Powder                                            ¼ tspn        

Oil                                                             2 tbspn

Water                                                        2 cups

Procedure:

Add oil to the heated pan. Add Asafetida, Mustard Seeds, Jeera and Turmeric powder. Then, add the moong and onion together and stir lightly. Add the water, Chili powder and salt.

Let the water reach a boil. Add jeera powder, coriander powder, fennel powder and garlic paste.

Let it cook till the moong is soft.

Add Kokum, sugar and coconut milk and let it boil for couple of minutes.

Finally add coriander Leaves and green chili as garnish.

Enjoy!!

Shrimp Fry

Sunday!!  The kids look forward to this day where they get a break from all the sweets and I make a non-vegetarian dish.  Usually it is either fish or shrimp.

We get a variety of shrimp including a dried version called ‘sode’. In Mumbai, we get fresh shrimp from the local City Light market and sode from the coastal region  of Maharashtra ( Konkan). The good thing about buying shrimp at the local market, you can get the fresh shrimp peeled.  

Sea food reminds me of some great times with friends and relatives. Whenever we have guests, they usually ask me to make an appetizer with sode, shrimp, kadya (dried Bombay Duck/ "Bombil" – it’s a fish commonly found in the Indian Ocean) or stuffed pomfret.

Today I added a lot of recipes to my journal. Some of sode, fish and shrimp.

Even the Khichdi that we made on Saturday, can be made with adding sode and a homemade ground garam masala. It tastes awesome!

Today, I would like to share the Shrimp fry recipe with you.

I always use fresh ground garlic, the bottled one does not give the same taste. The same is true for tamarind paste, always use fresh. Soak the tamarind in water and extract the paste from it. The store bought paste has more color and gives a slight bitter taste.
Sea food tastes best with fresh ingredients.

Shrimp Fry :

Ingredients:

Shrimp( Peeled and deveined)    2 pounds

Oil                                            2 tbsn                                                          

Turmeric Powder                       1 tspn

Chilli Powder                             2 tspn

Salt to taste

Garlic Paste( fresh)                   1 tbspn

Fresh garlic cloves                     

(with inner most peel intact)      5 small ones

Tamarind Paste (fresh)              ½ cup

Coriander powder                      ½ tspn

Garam Masala                           1 tspn

Water                                       ¼ cup

Procedure:

Marinate the shrimp for an hour with turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander  powder, salt, tamarind paste and garlic paste.

Heat the oil in a pan. Crush the garlic cloves and add them to the pan.

Once the garlic is slightly brown, add the shrimp.

Stir the shrimp till it starts to leave a little water.

Add the water and cook the shrimp.

Once the water has evaporated add the garam masala.

Stir the shrimp for a couple of minutes.

Add chopped coriander leaves to garnish.

Enjoy!!

Khichdi

 Friday was a beautiful day here in Naperville; we took the kids to the pool and spent a long time at the pool with some friends. I was wondering if we would get time to make the Saandanya, but it went really fast and they came out really good and tasty.

I did update the blog with a picture of the Saandanya.

I really liked the rice rava (Cream of Rice) we bought here at an Indian Grocery store. The coconut milk was from an Asian store and that too was very nice and thick.

It made me realize that with all these ingredients available in the stores, prepping and cooking takes less time and the food still tastes just as good.

Traditionally, I extract the coconut milk myself which usually takes a couple of hours.

I first grate the fresh coconut, grind it in a food processor and then extract the milk.

Today is Shravani Shanivar(Saturday).

Some people fast on Shravani Shanivar.

The meal to "break the fast" consists of a rice dish cooked along with a lentil (toor dal) which together is called Khichdi. The vegetable is "Maath" (a leafy vegetable) and the sweet on the left side is a bit of jaggery.

Coconut milk or tup (clarified butter) is poured on the Khichdi.

I would like to share the recipe of Khichdi :

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice           1  cup

Toor Dal (unoily)     ½ cup

Onion chopped       ¼ cup

Pearl Onions           5 (peeled and whole)

Asafoetida              ¼ tspn

Turmeric Powder     ¼ tspn

Water                    2 ½ cups

Salt to taste

Procedure:

In a pot add the water, dal, asafetida and turmeric powder.

Let it cook till the dal is half cooked.

Add the Rice, chopped onion, pearl onions and salt to the dal and cook it till the rice is cooked.

Cover and keep for about 10minutes.

Serve with Coconut milk or tup along with the khichdi.

It is simple to make and just as tasty!!

Enjoy!!

Saandanya

Yesterday, Naagpanchmi was a busy, but fun day. The most amusing part was seeing my grandchildren anxiously waiting for the “shenga” to be done. It feels good to carry on the traditions and to see them enjoy the shengas just as much.

Today, on August 5th, there are 2 occasions.

One, being a Friday it has its own special importance and the other being Shila Saptami.

Every Friday, Goddess Jivati is worshiped, and a special sweet called Aarti is made which is given to all the children in the house.

The foods made for Jivati are Maath (a leafy vegetable), Vaalacha Birdha, Aarti (made with wheat flour and Jaggery), varan(lentil) on rice and mango pickle.

You cannot taste any of the sweets while making them, but have to wait till it is all done and it is first offered to God.

I feel that children develop a lot of patience in this process. It is very hard not to snack or taste anything when it is being prepared and while the aroma of the sweets spreads through the entire house!!

Some people fast for both the occasions.

The foods made for Shila Saptami are Taro Leave roll (alu vadi), Maath (a leafy vegetable), Vaalacha Birdha, saandanya, varan on rice, yogurt on rice and mango pickle.

The famous “Saandanya” is a sweet made from Rice Rava (Cream of Rice), Coconut milk and Sugar.

Traditionally, even the Rice Rava (Cream of Rice) was made at home. The rice was washed and dried. Once it was dried, it was ground in a stone grinder or later in a food processor.

I would like to share this recipe with you today:

Saandanya

Ingredients :

Rice Rava (Cream of Wheat)         1 cup

Coconut Milk                     1 cup

Cardamom Powder             1 pinch

Sugar                               ½ cup

Saffron (optional)               1 pinch

Procedure:

Take 2 tspn of Rava and add about 2 tspn of water and cook it to make a fine paste and keep it aside.

Lightly Roast the rest of the Rava in a pan till it warms up. Remove the pan from the heat.

Add the paste made earlier, mix it evenly, cover the pan and leave it aside for 15-20 mins.

Then add Coconut milk, sugar and cardamom powder, mix it well and let it soak for an hour.

Take a flat plate with a rim and grease it with some tup ( clarified butter) , pour the mixture in it and steam it.

Once it is cooked, make cuts to form diamond shaped Saandanya. Let it cool.

Remove the diamond-shaped Saandanya.

A few colored ones are made by adding saffron along with the coconut milk.

Enjoy!!

Ukdichya Shenga

Marathi Festive Recipes

For several years now my daughters have asked me to gather all my recipes and make a journal for them. I kept putting it off thinking that they know most of them, especially the ones they love. They keep reminding me that they want all of them, not just their favorites. So, here I am jotting them down in a journal and taking it a step further..., yes, I decided to enter the internet age to blog the good times we had while making these exquisite foods and savoring  them as soon as they were ready! What better beginning than the auspicious month of Shravan!

Shravan Mahina (Month)

Shravan is one of the most auspicious months of  the Hindu calendar. (The Hindu calendar is lunar based). It usually falls in the month of August, during which, a number of poojas ( worship to God) are performed and various sweets are made as per the occasion.

Each day of the weeks holds its own importance.

Beginning with Monday, a different type of Birdha (a curry made from sprouted and peeled lentils) is made for each Monday.

The different Birdhas are made from various lentils or beans, either Kadve Val, moong dal, blackeyed beans , Urad or Vadi cha Saambhar.

(Ingredients and proportions are different for each Birdha depending on the lentil or bean).

Some people fast on “Shravani Somvaar”.

Eating fresh and dried fruits (but no melons or papaya) and a few underground roots (potatoes, tapioca and sweet potatoes) is permitted.

It is traditional to “break” the fast before sunset.

 Certain rules are observed for this meal.

It has to be served in a plate with all food items placed in a certain order only.

Salad ( koshimbir ) and mango pickle, papad/papdya ( on top center).

Bhaaji ( non- bitter vegetable) on the right side.

Birdha near the vegetable.

Some sweet (shira – made with cream of wheat) on the left side of the salad.
At the bottom center position is a molded rice mound with “varan” and “tup”.

After the meal a pan vida ( masala paan).

Summer Products made for Shravan during the months of May and June.

Mango products – pickle, raitae, moramba,

Papdya – Sago

Papad – urad

Every Tuesday a Gauri pooja (manglagauri) is performed.

Today is Naagpanchmi. On this day an offering is made to the “naag” (the king of snakes, the cobra). 

Snake charmers are seen on streets and some people will offer milk to the naag.

In most homes, a picture of a “naag” (image1)  is drawn on a Chaurang ( a small decorated wooden platform) and then milk, Bael leaves, Rough Chaff Tree leaves and “durva” (specific type of grass shoots) and grains are offered to the naag.

The food offering is as follows :

Vaalacha Birdha, aalu chya paanachi bhaaji (taro leaves cooked with vaal), ukdichya shenga filled with coconut chav, varan(lentils) and bhaat.

The meal is arranged in the same order on a plate as previously described for “Shravani Somvaar”, but here the bhaaji is Taro vegetable, the birdha has to be vaalacha and sweet is ukdichya shenga.

One of the recipes I would like to share with you is the ‘ukdichya shenga’:

“Ukdichya shenga” are steamed, half moon shaped rice dumplings with a sweet coconut filling.

Recipe :

Filling:

Ingredients :

Grated fresh coconut – 1 cup

Jaggery – ½ cup
Cardamom Powder – ¼ tsp

Salt – 1 pinch ( optional)

Ghee – ½ tsp

For the rice dumpling:

Rice Flour – 1 cup

Boiling water – 3/4 cup

Oil – 1 tbsp (to knead the dough)

Procedure:

First make the filling for the shengaa.  In a small pot heat the ghee and jaggery just enough to melt it. Add coconut, cardamom powder and salt to that.
Stir continuously till it reaches a boiling point. Turn the heat off, as you do not want to harden the mixture.

For the dumpling, boil water and add rice flour to that.

Give a quick stir and shut off the heat. Cover and keep it for 10 minutes.
Remove the mixture from the pot and knead it with a little water and oil to form the dough.
Take a small portion of it (one inch ball) and mould it into a round flat shape (approx. 2 ½ inch dia.).
Put the filling in the center and close it to make a half moon shape.

Use water as glue and press down the edges.
Steam these shengaa for about 10 mins.
They are ready to eat!!

Hope you enjoy this one sweet which is one of our favorites!!

This image represented a naag :