MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja- Sambar Powder

Sambar Powder Recipe

Ingredients:

Red Chillies -50 gms

Coriander Seeds- 4 Tablespoons (tbsp)

Cumin- 2 tbsp

Turmeric Powder- 1 Teaspoon (tsp)

Fenugreek Seeds- 1 tsp

Tur(Arhar Dal) – 2 tbsp

Urad Dal- 2 tbsp

Chana Dal- 2 tbsp

Black Pepper- 1 tbsp

Asafoetida- ½ tsp

Optionals- dry coconut powder- 1 tsp, dry curry leaves- 1 tsp, cloves – ½ tsp

Method:

Dry roast all the ingredients lightly one by one except asafoetida and then grind all together to a powder. It can be stored for up to one year.

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja- Sambar

Sambar Recipe

Ingredients:

Arhar Dal- 1 cup

Vegetables- Onion, Tomato, Red Pumpkin, Bottle Gourd(Dudhi), Brinjal, French Beans, Carrot, Lady’s finger, Drumstick( You can use all in combo or whatever available)

Sambhar Powder – 2 teaspoon

Turmeric Powder- ½ teaspoon

Jeera Powder- ½ teaspoon

Coriander seed Powder- ½ teaspoon

Tamarind pulp- 2 teaspoon

Jaggery- 1 n ½ teaspoon

Salt- to taste

Oil, Mustard seeds, Whole Red Chillies, Curry Leaves for tempering

Asafoetida- a pinch

Water- Approx 1 litre or more

 Method:

Wash arhar dal and pressure cook with turmeric, cumin, coriander, pinch of asafoetida, salt and enough water. Stir the daal well after it is cooked to form a homogenous mixture.

Heat oil in a pan and temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves n whole red chillies. Add onion to it and stir, then add all veggies, stir, add tomatoes, give a good stir, add the sambar powder and add enough water to let the veggies cook. Once veggies are cooked, add the cooked dal, tamarind pulp and jaggery and bring to a boil.

Sambar is an accompaniment with south indian staple like dosa, idli, wada, uttappa. It tastes good with upma and  plain rice as well.

Servings: Serves 4-5 persons

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Upma

Pet Puja 

Upma

Ingredients:

Sooji (semolina/rawa) 1 cup

Onion- 1 (chopped)

Curry leaves - 10-12

Dry red chillies -  4

Urad dal - 1 teaspoon

Mustard seeds -  ¼ teaspoon

Cumin(jeera) -  ¼ teaspoon

Asafoetida(hing) - a pinch 

2 tbsp cashew pieces(optional)

Salt- as per taste

Sugar - as per taste,

Ginger¼ - teaspoon finely chopped

Garnish - Grated fresh coconut + chopped coriander leaves

Oil 3-4 teaspoons for tempering

 2 teaspoons pure ghee(optional)

4 cups water

Method:

Lightly dry roast sooji n keep aside. Heat 4 cups of water in a utensil and set aside, the water should be hot, ready for using in the upma. Heat oil in a kadhai or pan, add the urad dal, stir for a minute, then add red chilly, asafoetida, curry leaves, mustard, jeera, chopped onion and stir fry for about 2-4 mins, add cashews and again stir fry. Now, add the roasted sooji and roast for 1-2 mins. Then, add the hot water, if you want a soft upma, add all the water and if you wish to have a drier consistency add less water. Be careful while adding water as the suji will splutter.  To this add salt, sugar, ginger and cover with a lid and let it cook for 4-5 mins on low heat. Keep stirring occasionally. Finally add ghee, and garnish with fresh grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves. You may also add some shev as topping.

Variations:

The above upma is of lightly raosted sooji, there is another version in which the sooji is roasted to a nice golden brown and you may add little chopped tomato too.

Another version of upma is that in which you may add all finely chopped veggies like cauliflower, carrot, French beans and green peas too.

  

Serve Upma with curds or coconut chutney or sambar or a slice of lemon

Servings - Serves 4 people

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja- Dosa, Uttapa, Chutney, Subji

Pet Puja- South Indian Staple

Dosa-

Ingredients-

Rice -3 cups, Urad Dal( Split Black Gram)-1 cup, ½ teaspoon(tsp) Methi (Fenugreek) seeds, ½ tsp Arhar or Tur or Tuvar(Split Red Gram) dal, water, salt

Method-

Wash and rinse rice, methi n arhar dal and keep it to soak in water. Similarly, wash and rinse urad dal and soak separately. Let the rice n dal soak separately for about 3-4 hrs. Then remove water and grind rice with fenugreek n arhar with little water at a time to a fine granular paste. Afterwards, grind the urad dal similarly. Mix both pastes in a large utensil and cover with lid and allow to ferment. Fermentation will depend on temperature. If it is summertime, then 7-8 hours overnight fermentation is okay for

the mixture to rise. During winters, fermentation will take longer (tip- cover the utensil with a warm blanket to maintain temperature).

To make dosa, you take the required batter and add salt to taste and leave for half hour for salt to react with batter.

Preparation of  tawa or pan- Heat the tawa or pan, grease it, reduce the flame and sprinkle with water( take a whole onion which is sliced towards the free end and fix it to a fork from other tip, dip the cut surface of onion in oil and grease the tawa with this onion). Now take batter in spoon and spread, you can sprinkle oil on the Dosa and let it cook, the dosa will leave the tawa and then you can turn and cook.

For Uttapam- you put batter and allow it to be thicker than dosa and top it with finely chopped onions, coriander leaves and green chillies. Uttapam tastes good with butter. A variation of uttapam would be topping of finely chopped veggies like french beans, carrots, capsicums etc.

Aloo Subji

Ingredients-

Boiled potatoes- 5-6, medium onions- 2, oil for tempering, dried red chillies 2-3, curry patta, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, salt, coriander leaves for garnishing optional

Method-

Peel and chop the boiled potatoes, chop the onions, heat oil in an pan and temper with mustard, cumin, red chillies, curry patta, the add the onions, fry for about 3-4 mins and then add the potatoes along with turmeric powder and salt. Add little water, cover with lid and cook over reduced flame for 4-5 mins

This is the masala for the masala dosa.

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients-

One cup fresh grated coconut, one tsp chutney dal, one tsp raosted groundnuts, one inch ginger piece, one green chilly, water, salt, oil, curry leaves, mustard seeds

Method-

Grind coconut, chutney dal, groundnuts, ginger, salt together to make a fine paste, add water as per required consistency. Remove in a bowl. Heat little oil and temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves, add this tempering to the chutney.

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja- Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji:

Pav Bhaji is a much loved Indian street food, hot favourite with majority people all across the country. Many people debate about the nutritional value of this dish as it is laden with butter and the vegetables are overcooked. Despite all criticisms, this dish is soul food and there are die hard Pav Bhaji fans that will vouch for it with all their hearts n souls. I am giving my version of Pav Bhaji where I use my homemade garam masala.

Ingredients:

Onions- 2 large

Potatoes- 2-3 large

Tomatoes- 2 large

French Beans- 100 gms

Carrots- 100 gms

Cauliflower- 100 gms

Greeen Peas- 100 gms

Ginger Garlic Paste- 2 tablespoons

Butter- 100- 150 gms

Oil- 2-3 tablespoons

Salt- as per taste

Red Chilly Powder- 1 teaspoon

Garam Masala/ Redaymade PavBhaji Masala - 1½ teaspoon

Water- 2- 3 cups

Lemons- as per taste

Coriander n finely chopped onion for garnish

Method:

Chop all vegetables finely. Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onions and sauté well till they become light brown, then add tomatoes, ginger garlic paste and chopped potoatoes. Stir well, cover with lid for 4-5 minutes and cook on low heat. Then add the rest of the chopped vegetables, stir well, add garam masala, red chilly powder, salt and water. Cover with a lid and let it cook for about 10 minutes, then add butter and again cook for 5 minutes. Now, take the pan off heat and mash well with a masher. Serve the pav bhaji topped with finely chopped onion+coriander, butter and a slice of lemon along with buttered Pav.

Variations for cooking Pav Bhaji- You may boil potatoes and then add them so that it becomes more homogenous.

In addition, if you like you may add other veggies like brinjals, capsicums, this is optional.

Servings: Serves 4 to 5 people

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Methi Paratha

Pet Puja- Methi(Fenugreek) Paratha

   Methi Paratha

Ingredients:

Methi(Fenugreek) leaves with tender stalks- 1 cup

Wheat Flour- 1½ - 2 cups wheat flour

Besan(gram flour)- 2 tablespoons

Milk- Approx ½ cup or little more

Red Chilly Powder- ½ teaspoon

Turmeric Powder- ½ teaspoon

Cumin Powder- ½ teaspoon

Coriander Powder- ½ teaspoon

Crushed Garlic- ½ teaspoon

Salt – as per taste

Oil – 2 teaspoons

Pure Ghee

Method:

Wash methi leaves and mix all masala powders, salt, crushed garlic well with the leaves. Then add both wheat flour and besan and mix well. Now add milk to form smooth dough and finally add oil and knead well. Cover the dough and let it rest for about half hour. Then roll parathas and cook on medium heat on tawa, add ghee while cooking.

Serve with curds, butter and groundnut chutney or accompaniment of your choice.

Above, you can see the accompaniments as cauliflower subji and sheera.

Servings- Serves 4-5 people

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Sheera(Suji ka Halwa)

Pet Puja - Sheera

Sheera

Sheera is loved by almost one and all. It is a must sweet dish in Maharashtrian household and is essentially cooked as Prasaad for Satyanarayan Mahapuja. My mother dished out the best Sheera ever. Everytime I cook sheera, I am reminded of my mother.

Every household will have its own way of making this savoury dish. Some use water, some may add ripe banana to the suji while roasting and some may use milk. Following is my method of making it. Hope you all enjoy it too.

Ingredients:

Suji/Rawa/Semolina: 1 katori or cup

Ghee: 1/4^th katori

Sugar: 1 katori

Milk: 3 katori

Kaju tukda : 2 teaspoon (optional)

Kishmish: 2 teaspoon (optional)

Cardamom powder: ½ teaspoon

Method:

Heat ghee in a pan and roast suji in the ghee on medium heat till it turns a golden brown. Then add kaju-kishmish and roast for another minute. Now add warm milk to this and stir for 2 minutes. Please be careful while adding milk as the mixture tends to bubble, spill n splutter, so do this with utmost care. Then add sugar, stir well and cover and let it cook for 3 minutes. Remove cover, stir well and add cardamom powder. Turn off the heat and sheera is ready to serve.

Servings- Serves 4-5 people

MyMusingsSangSpeak - Pet Puja- Paalak Murg( Spinach Chicken)

Paalak Chicken

Ingredients:

Chicken- 600 gms with bones
Onions(medium)- 3
Ginger garlic coriander paste- 2 teaspoons
Green chillies- 2
Spinach Puree- One and half cup
Turmeric powder- Half teaspoon
Garam Masala- One teaspoon
Oil- 3 tablespoons
Water- One cup
Salt- To taste

Method:

Make a fine paste of onions. Take oil in a pan and fry the onion paste well, then add chicken and stir well for about 4 minutes. Then add ginger garlic coriander paste, finely chopped green chillies, turmeric powder, salt and stir well. Add water and cover with lid and let the chicken cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat. Now add the garam masala and spinach puree and cook for 5 minutes. Paalak Chicken is ready to serve and can be served with roti or rice.

Servings- Serves 4 people

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja- Green Chutney for Sandwiches

Green Chutney

This green chutney is made from all fresh ingredients and tastes very good as sandwich spread. The hard core Puneites will be able to relate this taste to that of the chutney in  the most familiar and famed Marzorin sandwiches. Even I had always tried to peep in the Marzorin kitchen to find the secret of this chutney. They had these nauwari(9 yard sari) clad women grinding huge amounts of this chutney on flat grinding stones and am sure that this was the secret. My recipe is quite close to the chutney as found in the vegetable sandwiches of Marzorin. 

I used to pack these vegetable sandwiches for my husband when we were posted in Delhi. His colleague would literally pounce and run away with the tiffin. The colleague's wife took the recipe from me and later complained that it did not turn out to be as tasty, she had the grouse that I had not disclosed some secret ingredient to her. Friends, I have experimented a lot to arrive at this particular recipe. It is a lot like my mother used to make. The tatses might be varying due to variations in adding salt, sugar, lemon juice or green chillies. My mother loved spice so she added more of chillies. I like sweet sour taste, so I add combo of sugar and lemon juice. The Marzorin chutney is a more sweeter version. You can suit your taste buds and make variations too.

Ingredients:
Fresh coconut grated- One cup
Coriander sprigs- 10-12
Garlic- 7-8 cloves
Green chillies- 1 or 2 as per taste
Lime juice - 1 teaspoon
Salt- To taste
Sugar- To taste
Water - 50 ml

Method:
Grind all the ingredients in chutney jar to a fine consistency.
The green chutney can be used in sandwiches as well as an accompaniment with fried snacks.