Dosa/idli batter

The basic dosa batter is a combination of udid dal and rice in 1:3 proportion.
Wash and soak udid dal and rice in separate containers for 6-8 hours. Use enough water for soaking so as to submerge the contents.
Soaking 1 tsp of fenugreek seeds/methi with above ingredients enhances the taste and helps in fermentation as well.
Adding a fistful of soaked toordal to above ingredients make dosas crispy.

Grind the soaked dal and rice in a grinder in a fine paste. Mix the pastes in a container and keep covered for half an hour. Add salt to taste and make dosas on a non-stick griddle or b

For making idlis same ingredients  but are taken  in 1:2 proportion. Soak for 6-8 hours and grind in a grinder finely. Mix the pastes  in a large container ( as the volume increases after fermentation) well and cover tightly with lid. Keep in a warm place for 8-10 hours. Add salt to taste. Place a spoonful of mixture in each portion of idli stand and steam the idlis.

Mukhshuddhi

मुखशुद्धि /सुपारी

To help digestion we normally eat fennel seeds after lunch/dinner. Ginger,ajwain also help in digestion. Following contents of सुपारी are combined in appropriate proportion to help the body assimilate the food and also satisfy your taste buds.

Ingredients

Fennel seeds -50 gm

                                                                       Dhanadal/धनाडाळ-50 gm

Ajwain/ओवा-25 gm

                                                 Indian  Liquorice root powder /ज्येष्ठिमध-25 gm





Dry ginger powder /सुंठ पावडर-25 gm

                                                         Cloves/लवंगा-4       Cardamom/वेलची-2

                                                  



 Black salt/सेंधव-as per taste/चवी प्रमाणे

Method

• Dry roast fennel seeds, ajwain and dhanadal separately. Let it cool.
• Grind with all other ingredients in a grinder.
• Store in a dry container.

Souring agents and salts

Generally lemon is squeezed on the ready dish/recipe like kande pohe,Upma

Chopped tomato is used while cooking the recipe and mostly stir fried with chopped onion. Also added in pieces in curries or sambhar.







Curd or butter milk is combined with flour and added
to curries.








Kokum/aamsule are used to make solkadhi . They are added in vegetables like okra/bhendi as well as in curries and pithale (kulith/horse gram).

                                       Black salt powder/saindhav

roasted chana and puffed rice

                                        pandhapoori DaLe (DaL)डालं





चुरमुरे/Kurmure/murmura/puffed rice

poha/beaten rice

 

PataL Pohe (thin rice flakes)used for preparing daDape pohe

 

JaDe Pohe(thick riceflakes) -used for preparing kande pohe

Dhane-mirchi masala

Coriander seeds-chili powder masala
Day-to-day vegetables can be made tasty with this home made masala. This is a combination of some of the garam masala ingredients(coriander seeds being the major part) with chili powder.
The authentic way of preparing the chili powder/ masala is sun drying the dry red chilies (byadgi and sankeshwari in proportion according to taste).Roasting all garam masala (coriander seeds,cloves,cinnamon,peppercorns etc). Grinding all together and storing in dry container.
I have found a balanced way out. I dry roast all the garam masala at home and grind it in a mixer and mix it with ready made chili powder after sifting it. That becomes very easy and the tedious procedure is avoided as well.
My Mom mostly used goDa/kaLa masala . She followed 'Ruchira' for many recipes as my father was a vegetarian. He liked simple and non-spicy cuisine. This dhaNe-mirchi masala is the one I learnt after marriage as it is used in almost all veggie and curry preparation. A slight zest of garam masala with chili tastes better than plain chili powder. Try it!!











1/2 kg or 500 gm chili powder
125gm coriander seeds
cloves,peppercorns,cinnamon in small proportion approx.  1 tsp each is sufficient.



Method

• Dry roast all garam masala separately. Let it cool. Grind it in a grinder. sieve and grind the remainder again.
• Repeat the procedure if required.
• Mix it well with the chili powder.
• Store in a dry container in a dry place.
• Use it in making curries and vegetables instead of chili powder to have a different taste.

lentils

Barik chawli (used to make Usal or curry)

                                                                                 Masoor(for curry)

Moog( for mooga gathi, Usal, etc)

                                                  Saalwali Moog DaL( for khichdi, panki, etc)

Moog DaL     (khichdi,kheer,panki ladoo etc)                                                               

    Masoor DaL(for sambhar, dal tadka, curry etc)

      

 ChaNa DaL( for aamba DaL, kothimbir wadi, puran poLi, curry, in veggies)







                                     MaTki (for UsaL, MisaL,..)

   Toor DaL ( for varaN, curry...)

                    UDid DaL( for doda, idli, meduwada...)

                                                

KaLa WaTaNa( for curry, UsaL..)

                                                   Pandhara WaTaNa( for ragda, UsaL...)









Mixed pulses ( for usaL.)

Dry red chilies

Guntur chili is the hottest dry red chili. Slightly darker in color than Sankeshwari which is also equally hot.

Kashmiri chili is the mildest of all and mainly used to give red color to the recipe.








Bor mirchi as the name suggests, it looks  like a bor(ber in hindi), it is hot and mainly used in Gujrati recipes.

flax seeds

Flax seeds or ALshi in Marathi are rich in omega 3 fatty acids. My mom used to give 'aLshicha kadha' ( decoction of flax seeds) as the remedy on cough to her grand children. A tea spoon of roasted flax seeds eaten after lunch daily gives us the quota of essential fatty acids.

Homemade Chyawanprash (simple version)

Chyawanaprash,as said in wiki, is an ancient ayurvedic tonic, widely used in India.It consists of many herbs which help the body to rejuvenate and to improve the immunity system. The main ingredient is amla/aawaLa/Indian gooseberry,which is the rich source of  vitamin C.
I got the recipe of chyawanprash when I was doing a course in the extra-mural department in Mumbai University. One of the batch-mates, Mrs. Madhura Bapat who every year makes this at home shared the recipe with us.
You can get these powders at any aayurvedic stores in Mumbai. There is one 'Patwardhan Bros.' on Ranade road, Dadar.' Gora gandhi' the famous ayurvedic store at Sat-rasta(Jacob circle). There is one at Gokhale road ,Thane(w).

Ingredients
1 1/2 kg BIG Aawala/amla/Indian gooseberry
1 1/2 kg Sugar
1/4 kg honey
1/2 kg homemade butter

All powders of
50gm cardamom
25gm triphala
25 gm GuLvelsatva
25 gm Vanshalochan
25 gm ginger
20 gm pimpli
10gms bay leaves
10 gm nutmeg
10gm pepper
5gm PrawaLbhasma
5 gm Mrigashruga bhasma
5gm Nagkeshar

Method

• Wash the aawala and pat dry. Prick holes with pointed stainless steel fork in awalas.
• Pressure cook aawalas in a stainless steel container for 15 minutes.
• Let the content cool down.
• Separate the seeds from each and every aawala. Make a smooth paste of seedless aawala pieces.
• In  a big thick bottom stainless steel container melt homemade butter and add sugar in it. Stir well.
• Add aawala paste and let it cook on medium -low flame. Cook till the mixture becomes thick. ( there should not remain any moisture in the mixture )
• Meanwhile mix all the powders ( sieve if required) with the honey.
• When the aawala mixture is done, let it cool.
• Add honey and powder mixture in it. Stir well.
• Transfer the contents in a glass bottle.
  
  
  
  

Saat Dhaan Flour

Saat dhaan (seven cereals flour)

The good old days of preparing bhakari for the dinner are over now at least in cities. We say that young generation is deprived of fiber rich food, iron,calcium and so on n so forth.. . The natural fiber we get from husk of cereals  is rarely present rather absent  in ready made aatta what most of us bring for whatever reason.

One of my friends 'Varsha' who's originally from Konkan is an expert in making bhakaris. Once I visited her place and she served me delicious garamagaram bhakari with lasoon chatani and jhunka. When I asked she revealed me this 'saat dhaan bhakari ' recipe and so the secret of her good health. She shared her secret with me  and so am I.

I make it a practice to prepare this saat dhaan bhakri twice a week for dinner and thalipith (of the same flour) once a week for the break-fast.

The flour  preparation is really easy ( no need to roast etc. as in case of bhajani)

the proportion is

rice,jawari,bajari and nachni are taken in equal proportion say1 kg each

then makka,rajgira and jaun each are taken  in 1/4 of it i.e. 250 gm. each.

All are ground together and the flour made is not too fine like wheat flour but slightly coarse like bhajani.