PURANPOLI

RAVA LADOO - Its quite nutty and healthy too

Entire credit for this Laddoo goes to my Mother and SIL. They just wanted to make this laddoo very healthy and fulfilling. We (females) work day and night to feed our family. Toys with different ideas to make fulfilling breakfast , lunches and dinners . But dont you think there has to be something which is handy enough for us to eat so that we can go on and on and on... This laddoo is perfect . One laddoo with a cup of milk/coffee or tea as per your preference is enough to kickstart the day . Here is the recipe :-
INGREDIENTS :-
Semolina :- 1/2 kg
Ghee :- As per requirement
Cashews & Almond :- 1 cup (Coarsley ground)
Raisins :- 1/2 -1/4 cup as per liking
Roasted fenugreek seeds :- 1/2 teaspoon (Depending upon taste u can reduce or increase)
Eddible gum :- 1 teaspoon
Powdered Sugar :- As per taste
Cardamom Powder :- 1 teaspoon
RECIPE :-

• Roast the semolina in ghee till it emits the flavour.
• Roast the eddible gum in ghee till it puff up. Then grind it properly .Grind the fenugreek seeds.
• Mix the semolina, powdered sugar , grounded fenugreek seeds, almond and cashew powder, cardamom powder and raisins thouroughly.
• Now slowly add the ghee (clarified butter) till all the material comes together for binding.
• Bind the laddo and shape them in round.

Here is your healthy , tasty and nutty laddoos are ready to be finished. This laddoos are also good for snacks for children.

MODAK - BUT THIS TIME ITS FRIED

As I have already mentioned on my blog that Lord Ganesha is my favourite God and we do Puja on Sankashti Chaturthi every month and offer HIM piping hot Steamed Modak . For past few such chaturthi's my steamed modak were not turning the way it has to be , thanks to the store brought rice flour . Last Chaturthi I decided to prepare fried Modak. We thought even Bappa needs some change in taste. (Bappa or we ? Anyways) . So I logged on to my favorute marathi site Marathiworld.com to find a recipe. The site is in marathi. So those who can not read the same in marathi , following is the translation :-

Fried Modak:
INGREDIENTS :
Grated Coconut :- 2 cup
Jaggery :- 1 cup
Cardamom Powder :- 1 tsp
Maida :- 1 cup
Semolina ;- 1 cup
Pinch of salt
Hot Oil :- 2-3 tsp
Cashew Nuts :- Optional (Since I belong to konkan , i always have a good supply of cashews so i keep using the same in many of the recipes in which it will add flaour to it)
For Frying :-
Oil or Vanaspati or Ghee
Recipe:-

• Mix the jaggery , a bit if ghee (clarified butter) and scrapped coconut in thick bottomed pan till the mixture is uniform and has no lumps of jaggery.
• Mix Semolina , salt and Maida thouroughly and add 3 tspn very hot oil to it and mix well . Knead the flour , preferable in milk or water and cover and keep it aside for an hour.Knead the flour well and make small puris.
• Take the puris on your palm and put the filling on it and bring together the ends in form of plates and form a tip and seal the same. Repeat the procedure for rest of dough balls.(Cover all the modaks with wet cloth to avoid drying resulting in cracking)
• Fry all the Modaks in oil or ghee or Vanaspati till light golden.

Modaks were really good and tasted amazing. A must try for those who are not lucky enough with Steamed Modak.

YELLOW BUTTER CAKE

One such Sunday evening , wanted to prepare something for snacks and what is better than a coffee cake. I have already had Yellow butter cake in mind which I had seen on one of my favorite baking site "Joy of Baking" . This is kinda a easy fix cake . I skipped the chocolate frosting. Earlier I had prepared this cake with frosting and my husband was of opinion that cakes for snacks shall be without frosting so this time i had avoided the frosting. And to my utter surprise this cake was really a winner as Tea time cake. I took half of all the portions from initial recipe and prepared the cake in loaf tin . Both of us finished the cake in no time . Deifinitely need a try.

MASALE BHATH - A QUICK FIX & GREATER SATISFACTION..

Sometimes when i get bored of eating plain rice and daal. A quick fix pulav or masale bhat is on my list to do. This is not a authentic recipe for Masale bhat but as per my convenience and taste .

INGREDIENTS :

Ambe Mohar rice/ Basmati rice :- 1 cup

Tendli :- 10-12 (each cut into 4)

Brinjal :- 1 finely cut

Onion :- 3 big size (2 finely chopped and 1 finely cut)

Green Chillies :- 4-5 chopped

Goda Masala :- 2 tablespoon (I used Bedekar Goda Masala)

Salt :- As per taste

Cashews :- Optional

Black pepper :- 6-7

Cloves :- 4-5

Cinnamon :- 1 small stick

Bay leaf :- 1 2

RECIPE :-

• Wash and drain the rice and keep it aside for 1 hr.
• Chop the 2 onion and chillies finely.
• Heat the sufficient oil or ghee in thick bottomed pan. Add Black pepper, cloves , cinnamon stcik and bay leave. Then add onion and chilli and suate till the onion turned transluscent.
• Add Tendli, brinjal and cashwes and fry thourughly.
• Then add 3/4th Goda masala and stir fry again for 1 mins.
• Then add rice and mix it properly and add 2 cups water. Add salt as per taste and remaining goda masala .Somebody has mentioned to me that adding goda masala after adding water gives the aroma of Masala to rice. Keep it covered till done. Reduce the heat to simmer . Towards the end place it on a hot griddle till properly cooked.
• Fry the finely cut one onion on oil till golden brown and crisp. I prefer to serve the masale bhath with fried onion (Biryani style) and coriander leaves and scrapped coconut.

Hot masale bhath is ready to serve with some hot curry.

KANDA BHAJI - KHEKADA BHAJI - ITS RAINY SEASON

This year rain played a good hide and seek in Western Maharashtra. When it was raining cats and dogs in Malvan(Incidently my father happened to be in Malvan and had to cancel his plan to come to pune twice thanks to incessant rains ) , we were praying for good rain in Pune. Fortunately I stay in PCMC area where there was no water shortage but those who staying in pune suffered very badly beacuase of poor water supply. The vegetable rates just touched the sky. Amidst all these things finally rain god showed his mercy and it started raining. When its raining , for me better way to express my feelings of happiness is preparing something which will go with the mood. and what's better than garamagaram KANDA BHAJJI and hot piping CHAI. Sitting in the terrace and enjoying the rain. It's just heaven on earth. Watching the rain embracing earth with such passion. It's highly romantic. That's all rainy season is all about. Those who are from Pune can definitely understand and agree that the most romantic idea in rainy season to go to Sinhgad and have Kandabhajji. Its amazing and truly romantic!!!!! But whats life without little romance in it.
RECIPE:-
INGREDIENTS :-
Onions :- 2-3 (Can increased depeding upon the quantity required)
Green Chillies :- 2-3 finey chopped (If you want a spicy kick can increase 2 more)
Bengal Gram Flour:- As per required quanity
Ajwain :- 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander ;- a bunch
Turmeric Powder :- 1/2 teaspoon
Salt :- As per taste
Oil :- To fry and little for batter
RECIPE :-

• Chop the onion . Chop the green chillies finely and coriander. Add salt, turmeric powder and Ajwain to it. Let it stand for sometime.
• Due to addition of salt to onion , onion leaves enough water. To this only add bengal gram floor .Do not add extra water and 2 teaspoon hot oil. It gives a crunch. Some people prefer to add pinch of soda bi carb to it. But i avoid the same.
• Now heat the oil well and put the small dumplings of batter in oil and fry till golden brown and enough crunchy.
• Place on abosorbent paper to drain the excess oil. Serve hot with tomato sauce and piping hot tea.

Enjoy the monsoon with KANDA BHAJJI .......

TANDLACHE WADE - ACCOMPANIMENT TO SAGUTI (CHICKEN GRAVY)

"Chicken curry" and "Vade" is a special Malavani dish. Mostly "Vade" is a accompaniment for Chicken gravies . Every year on 7th June , if it is a day when we eat nonvegetarian food , the chicken gravies (Rassa and Sukka Chicken) are prepared to celebrate the "MIRAG". "MIRAG" is the starting of the Monsoon. It's a heaven on earth to eat the piping hot Chicken gravy and garamagaram TANDALACHE VADE. Simply mindblowing!!!!!
I ll post the Chicken Rassa recipe some other time. But here , is the recipe for Tandlache wade which is also called Kombdi Wade.
INSTRUCTIONs:-
Wash & soak the Ukada rice in water for 2-3 hrs. Then dry the rice in sun . Grind it.
RECIPE :-

• Mix the rice flour and wheat flour in 3:1 proportion.
• Add salt to eat as per taste.
• Knead it with sufficient water and oil and cover it with dampen cloth and leave it for 1 hr.
• Knead it again and divide the dough into equal sized balls.
• Apply little water to your palm and press the dough with ur right palm on the kitchen surface.
• Deep fry in hot oil.
• Garamagaram Vade are ready to savour with Chicken curry.

These Vades can also be used as accompaniment for "Kalya Watanyachi Usal"(Black Peas Curry)