Khatkhate

This a mixed vegetable recipe. The vegetables used are all root vegetables. Carbohydrate rich vegetables are balanced with toor dal which adds proteins in the vegetable. Once done it is topped with coconut oil which completes the requirement of fat. This makes it a complete meal. Other ingredients like kokum, red chillies, coriander seeds are added to enhance the taste along with salt and jaggery. The peculiar taste of  तिरफळे makes the dish extraordinary and special.

Ingredients

Pumpkin
elephant yam
raw banana
potato
sweet potato
colcasia corms
french beans ( cut into half)
ridge gourd ( scrape the ridges and cut into pieces)

Take all vegetables in small quantities. ( You can adjust the quantity according to the availability) Wash and make medium size pieces.

1/4 cup toor dal ( pressure cooked)

1/4 cup freshly grated coconut
3-4 dry red chillies
2 tbl sp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

 5-6 तिरफळे (crushed)

3-4 kokum/tamarind paste
salt and jaggery to taste
2 tsp coconut oil for topping.

Method

Cook all vegetables ( except pumpkin) in a thick bottomed pan with little water. Cover the pan.
Cook on slow flame till vegetables are half cooked. Add pumpkin and cook further till done.
Add cooked dal and mix well.
Add turmeric powder.
Grind coriander seeds,coconut and red chillies and add the paste in it.

 Add crushed तिरफळे

Add salt and jaggery to taste.
Add tamarind paste/ kokum.
Cook for a boil and turn the heat off.
Top with coconut oil.
Serve as a main dish or side.

Kandamool or rushichi bhajee

 ऋषी पंचमीची भाजी
This veggie is the combination of variety of vegetables such as sweet potato,elephant yam,raw banana, colcasia corms, red pumpkin, green peas, bhendi,corn cobs, ridge gourd, colcasia leaves, lal math and stalks of lal math. The main ingredient being colcasia leaves. Sourness to the veggie comes with ambadi (hog plums), sweetness is added by banana and sweet potatoes. Green chillies are added for the spicy taste.

Ingredients
wash and soak all vegetables in salty water. Then cut them in medium size pieces without peeling the skin except raw banana and elephant yam.

1 cup cut pieces each of
 pumpkin/ लाल भोपळI

 cucumber / काकडी

snake gourd/ पडवळ

ridge gourd /शिराळ
raw banana /कच्चे केळ

अरवी /अळकुडी/अळवाच्या मुन्डल्या

elephant yam /सुरण

 sweet potato /रताळ

shravan bhendi/ seven ridged okra/lady's finger / श्रावण भेंडी

 green peas /हिरवा वाटाणा  

2-3 corn cobs preferably white ( make 3-4 pieces of each and pressure cook with little salt)
3-4 ambadi (peel the skin)
2-3 tbl sp of grated coconut

lal math with it's stalk.(wash thoroughly and cleanly. Peel the outer skin and make pieces of 2 inches)
2-3 bunches of colcasia leaves ( approx. 15-20 leaves) Wipe the leaves with damp cloth and cut the stalks and peel the skin. Wrap the stalks in the leaves and cut them not too finely.(These leaves make the gravy or pulp of the vegetable.)

For tempering
1 tbl sp of ghee
4-5 green chillies (slit)

Accompaniment
fresh curd

Heat a table spoon of ghee and add  slit green chillies.
Add all the vegetable pieces.
Add cut leafy vegetables over it.
Sprinkle some water if it is too dry.
Cover with lid with water in it. Cook on low flame.
Check in between. Once the quantity reduces and leafy vegetables change its color, add ambadi and little grated coconut.
Add salt to taste.
Mix well. Add cooked pieces of corn cobs.
Serve warm with fresh curd.

Rice porridge

This खीर or porridge is made for the नैवेद्य on the second day/ rishipanchmi on the arrival of Lord Ganesh.
Use of flavored rice like Basmati, Ambemohor enhances the taste and gives aroma to the dish.

It's very simple to prepare. Thanks to the pressure cooker!!!

1/2 cup rice-Wash and drain rice for 10-15 minutes.
Pressure cook with 1 cup water and 1 cup milk ( to make it more creamy, use full cream milk)for 10-15 minutes.
Mash the cooked rice with a ladle. Alternatively you can grind coarsely the drained rice before cooking. This is done to make the porridge more smooth.
Transfer the contents in a pan and add sugar as per your taste. Add more milk to adjust the consistency.
Cook for 5-8 minutes ( till it blends well) on low flame while stirring continuously.
Add blanched almonds,saffron and cardamom powder.
Serve cool or warm.

हरितालिका पूजा

Ganapati Bappa Moraya

गणपती बाप्पा मोरया .... happy ganesh chaturthi

PatoLya

    हळदीच्या  पानातल्या पातोळया   (Stuffed pancakes steamed in  turmeric leaf)

 Turmeric or हळद /हल्दी  (Curcuma longa) is a herbaceous perennial plant from the Ginger family. Turmeric powder is made by boiling and drying fresh rhizomes of the plant by a lengthy process.
These leaves have a peculiar fragrance which gives a specific taste to the recipe.
Generally the fresh rhizomes are sown in the middle of May or before the monsoon begins, and you get these fresh leaves till monsoon is over. Then slowly the leaves turn yellow and you get the fresh turmeric rhizomes in the soil again which can be stored for the use in the following season.

Today is हरितालिका तृतीया, which is also called as 'TEEJ' in other states of India. The previous day of Lord Ganesha's arrival or Ganesh chaturthi. Goddess Parvati is offered this नैवेद्य .

Ingredients

5-6 fresh turmeric leaves

For the cover
1/2 cup rice flour
water to make a thick paste of the flour
a pinch of salt

For the stuffing
1/2 cup jaggery (grated)
1- 1 1/2 cup grated coconut
1-2 cardamoms(powdered)

Method
Heat the jaggery in a pan till it softens a little. Mix in the  grated coconut. Cook by stirring continuously on a low or medium low flame till it becomes dry so that it can be spread with a spoon ( not too dry).  You can add grated coconut if required to adjust the consistency. Let it cool.
Take rice flour in a bowl and slowly add water to make a thick smooth paste. Add salt to taste.
Apply little oil on the surface of each leaf.
Spread the rice paste over the leaf evenly with the spoon.
Spread the thin layer of the stuffing only on the half portion of the leaf as shown above.
Fold the leaf in half and press gently to close the sides.
Cook in a pressure pan/cooker without whistle/weight for 15-20 minutes.
Serve with sajook toop or ghee.

Gakar (Crispy wheat bread)

Yesterday while surfing the channels on television, I saw a program 'Khadyabhramanti' on E tv marathi. Mrs. Kalpana Zokarkar from Indore was singing in her sweet voice. In the same show she taught this recipe from Indore, a traditional one.

I just tried it in the evening and it tasted really nice. She used coarse wheat flour (जाडसर गव्हाचे पीठ ) I used regular wheat flour instead but it worked well.

Ingredients
1 cup wheat flour
1/2 tsp ajwain

1/2 tsp roasted तीळ /sesame seeds
salt to taste
2 tsp oil
1/4 tsp soda-bi-carb
2 tsp ghee/toop/clarified butter


For the dip
1/2 cup curd
2-3 green chillies (roasted directly on the gas stove and then cut)
salt and sugar(optional) to taste
oil, mustard seeds and asafoetida for the tempering

Method
Make a dough mixing all the ingredients using water. Don't make it too soft. Keep it covered for fifteen minutes.

Make small lemon sized portions out of it. Make a flat tikki by gently pressing between the palms. Make an impression with the thumb in the middle of the tikki( just like पेढा)
Heat ghee in the non-stick flat pan or tawa.
Arrange the tikkis on it.
Cover with lid and cook for 8-10 minutes on low flame.
Turn the sides and cook for 2-3 minutes more

For the dip, mix curd, salt and sugar. Add chilli pieces. Heat oil in an iron ladle or pali. Add the tempering and pour it on the curd mixture. Mix well and serve with hot tikkis.