MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja- Garam Masala

Garam Masala

“No Life Without Spice” holds cent percent true for all us spicy Indians. No Spice No Life- Masaale ke bina Jeena bhi koi Jeena Hai? We can hardly swallow our food without our much loved ingredient- the spice. My romance with masala started long ago right in my childhood in Kolhapur where I spent my initial years. Kolhapur can be called the hotbed of masala making. Kolhapuri Kala Masala is world famous. I remember how much excitement was generated when the household set out to make masala. The whole family was involved at some point or the other- choosing and buying the best spices, cleaning of grinding stones, preparation of jars for storage, drying the spices in the sun, roasting of spices, the heady fragrances, pounding and grinding and all fanfare. I can go on and on. The magic spell of spices has been cast on us forever.

The Bollywood Movies will also not sell if they do not have the appropriate “Masala”. One lovely movie Mirch Masala is based on spices, worth a watch. Another good one is The Mistress of Spices, totally based on magic of spices. Do listen to the song “Teri Aankhein Garam Masala” as I give you my Garam Masala recipe.

This recipe is an amalgamation of my grandmothers’ recipes, both, paternal and maternal. Do not worry if you are unable to get dagadphool and nagkesar. The masala will still taste as good.

I use this masala for all my vegetables and meat dishes too. It is a multipurpose spice powder.

Ingredients:

Cumin- 100 gms

Coriander Seeds- 100 gms

 Black Cardamom (Badi Elaichi) – 40 gms

Cinamon- 40 gms

Cloves- 40 gms

Black Pepper- 25 gms

Green Cardamom- 20 gms

Bay Leaves- 10 gms

Mace – 10 gms

Nutmeg- 1 no

Dry ginger- 10 gms

Caraway Seeds (Shahi Jeera)- 10 gms

Star Anise ( Masala/Chakri Phool)- 10 gms

Lichen (dagad phool/ kalpasi)- 10 gms

Nagkesar- 10 gms

Sesame Seeds- 75 gms

Poppy Seeds- 75 gms

Method:

Dry roast all the ingredients lightly one by one separately. Keep the roasted poppy seeds and sesame seeds separately. Grind the rest of the ingredients in a dry grinder to a fine powder. Grind the sesame and poppy seeds separately in the chutney jar as they tend to get oily. Finally mix all together and grind well to form a fine powder. Now sieve the garam masala powder through a suji sieve. Store it in a clean air tight jar.

This garam masala stays on for a year plus. 

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja- Gajar Halwa

Gajar ka Halwa

Winters and Gajar Halwa go hand in hand, how true is it? I am sure you all are going to agree that the winter season seems complete only after eating the most sought after Gajar ka Halwa, “sabka pasndeeda”.  Home made gajar halwa is a treat for one and all and the one made by Mom is heavenly. Here is my recipe of the Gajar ka Halwa, hope you all enjoy it. Some effort is required for this lip smacking dish, but, I can guarantee that the effort is worth.

Ingredients:

Carrots- 1 kg

Ghee- 3 tablespoons

Sugar- 300-350 gms

Cream- 200-250 gms

Cardamom Powder (optional) - ½ teaspoon

Cashews, Almonds and kismis for decoration

Method:

Peel the carrots, remove the core and grate. Heat ghee in a pan and add grated carrots and keep frying till the juice of the carrot dries up, then add cream and keep stirring till the mixture becomes dry. Finally add sugar and keep stirring till the mixture leaves the sides of the utensil and ghee separates out. The halwa is ready, remove from heat and add cardamom powder, almonds, cashews and kismis.

Variations- You can use milk instead of cream if you wish to have a low fat version of gajar halwa. Khoya can also be used in place of cream to get a richer n more flavoursome gajar ka halwa. You may use sweetened condensed milk as well, sugar will have to be adjusted accordingly then.

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja- Gobhi Subji

Gobhi(Cauliflower) ki Subji

This gobhi subji/bhaji is most easy to make and you are sure to love its simplistic flavour.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower- approx 350- 400 gms, chopped in long pieces

Onions (medium sized) - 2 nos chopped lengthwise

Tomatoes (medium sized) - 2 nos, sliced lengthwise

Oil- 2-3 tablespoons

Turmeric Powder- ½ teaspoon

Red Chilly Powder- 1 teaspoon

Salt- As per taste

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and add onions. Fry the onions till light golden brown, then add cauliflower pieces and stir well. Now add tomatoes and give a good stir. Add turmeric powder, salt and stir well. Cover with a lid and cook for about 4-5 minutes on low flame. Add chilly powder and mix well and cover with lid again for a minute and the gobhi subji is ready to serve. It tastes good with chapatti/roti.

Servings: Serves 3- 4 persons approx

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja- Tricoloured Omlette

Tricoloured Omlette

Omlette- the essential breakfast of majority, made in variety of ways, with varied ingredients. My mother made it with finely chopped onions, coriander leaves, green chillies, turmeric and salt. My husband likes his omlette with only coriander leaves, red chilly powder, turmeric and salt. I like all types of omlettes and when I come across a thela (roadside cart) selling omlette, the wafting aroma of omlette transports me to a heavenly trance. I am sure many of you'll must have experienced it too. Need I elaborate more on omlette, come, let me give you the recipe of my tricoloured omlette.

Ingredients

Eggs - 2 nos

Red Bell Peppe r- 20 gms finely chopped

Yellow Bell Pepper - 20 gms finely chopped

Green Capsicum - 20 gms finely chopped

Sauteed Mushrooms – Optional, about 10-15 gms

Cheese (optional) - 15 gms

Salt – As per taste

Black Pepper Powder – As per Taste

Oil – 2 tablespoons

Method:

Whisk the eggs along with the chopped bell peppers, mushrooms, salt and black pepper. Heat oil in a frying pan and pour the egg mixture and top with cheese, cover the pan for 2 minutes and cook on medium heat. Then turn the omlette and allow to cook for 2 minutes. Tricoloured omlette is ready to be served.

Servings: Serves single person.

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja- Vegetable Soup

Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

Cauliflower florets – 50 gms

Carrots- 50 gms

French Beans- 50 gms

Cabbage- 50 gms

Baby Corn- 25 gms

Sweet corn- 50 gms

Water- Approx 1200 ml

Salt- As per taste

Black Pepper Powder- As per taste

Cornflour- One and half tablespoon

Cream (Optional)

Method:

Chop all vegetables finely except sweet corn. Take all vegetables in a big utensil along with water and bring to a boil. Boil for about 5 minutes, if you enjoy crunchy veggies, then do not overcook. Add salt, black pepper and reduce heat. Make a paste of water and cornflour and add gradually to the vegetable soup. Add cream while serving.

Serving: Serves approx 5 persons

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja- Poha

Pet Puja- Poha

Pohe, Poha or KandePohe( traditional Maharashtrian snack)- you just can’t have enough of this lip-smacking, delicious dish. Kande Pohe is something with which every Maharashtrian household can relate and holds a very special place in the matrimonial affair. It is a must have dish, an essential, when a boy goes to see a girl at the girl’s place (Dakhavinyacha Karyakram). Nowadays, of course things have changed, but Kande Pohe still rule all over Maharashtra and other parts of the country as a hot favourite snack. There is a lovely song “Ayushya He Chuli Varlya Kadhaitale Kande Pohe” by Sunidhi Chauhan from the marathi film “Sanai Choughade”.

Poha( flattened puffed rice) holds special place in Indian Mythology as well and is signified as a gift of true and eternal bond of friendship between Krishna and Sudama.

Poha is of many varieties, it varies as per the variety of rice and also thickness. You can use any variety available, only the time required for soaking will differ as per thickness. If it is ultra thin, you will require to just wash and use immediately. If Poha is thick, then soaking time will be more.
Poha is prepared in many ways in different states across the country with slight variations in tempering and toppings.

The best Poha I had in my life was in Kolhapur and it will always remind me of my grandmother. Here comes my recipe of Poha for you all. Hope you will enjoy it.

Ingredients:

Poha (Puffed Rice) - 2 cups

Onion- 1 large (chopped)

Potato (optional) - 1 small (chopped)

Cumin- ½ teaspoon

Mustard seeds- ½ teaspoon

Groundnuts (optional) - 2 tablespoons

Curry Leaves- 1-2 sprigs

Green Chillies- 4

Grated coconut – For garnishing

Coriander- For garnishing

Oil- 3 tablespoons

Salt- As per taste

Sugar- As per taste

Turmeric powder- ½ teaspoon

Lemon juice- 1 teaspoon

Asafoetida( Hing)- a pinch

Method:

Wash the poha and soak for about 20-25 minutes with just enough water. Once the poha is well soaked, add salt sugar, turmeric powder, lemon juice to it and mix well. Now heat oil in a pan and fry the groundnuts and remove the groundnuts on the soaked poha. To the remaining oil, add tempering of asafoetida, curry leaves, cumin, mustard, chopped chillies and stir well, then add pototo and onion and stir till they turn a light brown. Now add soaked Poha, stir well and cover for 3-4 minutes and let it cook on medium flame. Finally, add the garnishing of grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves.

Serve poha with a slice of lemon or bowl of curd. You may top the Poha with shev (bhujia) also.

 Note -  Preparation time is approximately 30 minutes. You may add seasonal fresh vegetables like green peas or fresh chanas (whole Bengal Gram) for variation.Finely chopped carrots can also be added. For garnish, you may add pomegranate seeds.
There is one more style of making Poha, that is Dadpe Pohe, wherein the Poha is soaked in coconut water or curds and the tempering is just added to the soaked Poaha.
Similarly, sweet Poha is also made by soaking Poha in coconut water and adding jaggery n fresh grated coconut.

Serving: Serves aprrox 4 people