MyMusingsSangSpeak- Pet Puja- Rice Dhokla

Rice Dhokla

Rice Dhokla is much like the famous idli, except that curd is used here for fermentation. It has a distinct, slightly sour flavour because of the curd. I like this dhokla better than the besan (gram flour) dhokla. This dhokla is available at many outlets in Pune. I tried making it at home after reading it on the internet only recently and it turned out really yummy. You may use whole rice or idli rawa, whichever is readily available for this recipe.

Ingredients

Rice/Idli Rawa – 2 cups

Urad Daal (Split Black Gram without skin) – ¼ cup

Tuvar/Arhar Daal (Split Pigeon Peas) – 1 teaspoon

Chana Daal (Bengal Gram) – 1 teaspoon

Moong Daal (Green Gram split without skin) – 1 taespoon

Fenugreek seeds – ½ teaspoon

Water – As per requirement

Curds – 1 big cup

Salt – As per requirement

Soda Bi Carb – ½ teaspoon

Green Chillies – 2 nos

Ginger – 1inch piece

Oil – 2 tablespoons

Sesame seeds – 2 tablespoons

Mustard seeds – 1½ teaspoons

Asafoetida – A small pinch

Red chilly powder – ¼ teaspoon

Method

Wash and soak rice/idli rawa in water for 3 hours. Wash and soak all the daals together for 3 hours. After 3 hours, drain water from soaked rice and daals. Grind the soaked daals along with ginger and green chillies to a coarse paste, add curds if required and set aside. Grind the soaked rice/ idli rawa also coarsely with curds and add to the daal mixture. Mix well and set aside for fermentation for about 6-7 hours.

For cooking rice dhokla, take a flat-bottomed vessel and grease with oil. Add salt and soda bi carb to the rice dhokla mixture and mix well for about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the greased vessel and steam cook for about 12-15 minutes in a pressure cooker without the whistle.

For tempering, heat oil, and add asafoetida and mustard seeds, once the mustard seeds splutter, add sesame seeds and remove from fire. Pour this on the cooked rice dhokla. Sprinkle red chilly powder on top. Rice Dhokla is ready to be served. Serve rice dhokla with chutney of your choice.
I made chutney with fresh cocnut, roasted groundnuts and roasted, puffed chutney daal.

Note- Preparation time is about 10 hours and cooking time is 25-30 minutes. 

MyMusingsSangSpeak- Pet Puja - Paatal Poha Chiwda (Rice Flakes Mixture Snack)

Paatal Pohyacha Chiwda (Rice Flake Savoury Mixture Snack)

Paatal Pohyacha Chiwda is a light, crispy, tasty snack that can be prepared very easily. You require thin rice flakes/puffed rice for this recipe, but, if these are not readily available, then one can use the normal poha too. With normal poha, the roasting time may increase. This snack uses very little oil; hence it is healthy in that respect.

This dish was never made by my mother. It was made by my aunt, and I liked it so I learnt to make it.

Ingredients

Paatal Poha (Thin rice flakes) – ½ kg

Groundnuts – 200 gms

Dry coconut (Thinly sliced) – 2 tablespoons

Cashews (broken) – 2 tablespoons

Chutney Daal – 2 tablespoons

Sesame seeds – 2 tablespoons

Mustard Seeds – 1 teaspoon

Cumin Seeds – 1 teaspoon

Curry Leaves – 15-20

Green Chillies (finely chopped) – 3-4 nos

Garlic (finely chopped) – 1½ teaspoon

Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon

Oil – ½ cup

Salt – To taste

Asafoetida – A generous pinch

Method

Fry the groundnuts and set aside. Dry roast the rice flakes on medium flame till they become crisp and a light cream colour, add few drops of oil in between while dry roasting. Add salt, turmeric powder and fried groundnuts and switch off the heat.

For tempering take another utensil. Heat oil and fry cashews pieces, chutney daal, and sliced dry coconut very lightly and add to the rice flakes mixture. Fry the finely chopped garlic till it turns crisp and brown and add to the rice flakes. Add asafoetida, chopped green chillies, mustard and cumin seeds and allow the chillies to become crisp. Add this tempered oil to the rice flakes mixture along with the sesame seeds and mix well. Lightly roast the rice flakes mixture on low flame for about 8-10 minutes, till it becomes crispy by stirring continuously so that all ingredients mix well and the salt gets distributed evenly also. 

While serving, you may add finely chopped onion and fresh coriander.

Note - Similar savoury snack can be made with cornflakes or wheat flakes or any other puffed grains.

MyMusingsSangSpeak- Pet Puja - Dadpe Pohe

Dadpe Pohe (Soaked and Pressed Rice Flakes Snack)

Dadpe Pohe is a delicious, lip smacking recipe of uncooked, soaked and pressed poha with lots of fresh vegetables. Dadpe means pressed, and in this recipe,the poha is soaked and pressed for a while and used uncooked.  It is a nice summery treat, very easy to prepare too. Generally, thin puffed rice flakes are used for this recipe. In case, thin variety is unavailable, one can make use of the normal variety too, only soaking and pressing time would increase in that case.

It is poha (puffed rice) soaked in coconut water/curds or a mix of both, and finely chopped onions, tomatoes, grated fresh coconut, carrot and cucumber, salt, sugar, lime to taste n for tempering oil, curry leaves, green chillies, mustard seeds n asafoetida, for garnish -fried groundnuts, chopped coriander.
This dish was never made at my home, I had it at my college-mate's home and I got this recipe from his mother as I had really liked the taste.

Ingredients

Thin Poha/Rice Flakes – 2 cups

Curds/Yoghurt – 1 to 1½ cups

Onion – 1 large (finely chopped)

Tomato – 1 medium (finely chopped)

Grated Fresh Coconut – 2 tablespoons

Salt – As per taste

Sugar - 1½ - 2 teaspoons

Lemon juice – 2 teaspoons

Fresh coriander – 2 tablespoons (Finely Chopped)

Fried Groundnuts – 2 tablespoons

Oil – 2 tablespoons

Asafoetida – 1 pinch

Mustard Seeds – 1 teaspoon

Curry Leaves – 14-15

Green Chillies – 2-3 nos

Cumin Seeds (optional) – ½ teaspoon

Carrot – 2 tablespoons (grated)

Cucumber – 2 tablespoons (grated)

Method

Clean the Poha/rice flakes well by straining through a strainer. Add curds, salt, sugar, lemon juice to the poha and keep it pressed for about half hour in a vessel by covering with a plate with weight placed on it. Add finely chopped onion, tomato, grated coconut, fried groundnuts, chopped coriander leaves, optional vegetables like grated carrot and cucumber and mix well.

For tempering, heat oil in a vessel. Add mustard and cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves, chopped green chillies, allow the mustard to splutter well and add to the prepared poha mixture. Give a good stir so that the tempering mixes well with the poha mixture. Dadpe Pohe are ready to be served.  

MyMusingsSangSpeak- Pet Puja - Mango Sheera

Mango Sheera

Mango Sheera is a delicacy, it is Suji Halwa with mango. In Maharashtra, mango is eaten in different forms like Aamras, Aamrakhand and so on. In some places in the state, Aamras is eaten in combination with rice, kurdai, puranpoli, sheera (suji halwa) and shevaya (semiyaan) etc. In coastal areas, vegetarian mango cake is made with semolina and mango pulp. I tried out Mango Sheera recently and it turned out really yummy. I used Alphonso mango, one may use any other variety too.

Ingredients

Rawa (Suji/Semolina) – 1½ cups

Ghee – ½ cup

Milk – 2 ½ cups

Sugar – 1 cup +1 tablespoon

Mango Pulp – 1 cup

Cardamom Powder – ¼ teaspoon

Saffron – 10-12 strands

Dryfruits (Cashews, Almonds, Raisins) - Optional

Method

Heat ghee in a hard-bottomed pan and add suji to it. Keep roasting the Suji on medium heat till it turns to a nice golden-brown colour. Warm the milk and add to this mixture, be careful while adding as the suji mixture tends to splutter. Stir well, the suji milk mixture will come together, then add sugar to this mix. Mix well and cover with a lid and allow to cook for about 5 minutes on medium flame. Add mango pulp and cook for 4-5 minutes more. Add cardamom powder and crushed saffron. Garnish with dry fruits. Serve hot.

MyMusingsSangSpeak- Pet Puja - Pineapple Sheera

Pineapple Sheera (Suji Halwa with Pineapple)

Pineapple Sheera is a dessert, Suji Halwa with Pineapple, sheera with a difference. I recently tried out this combination and it tastes really delicious. Fresh pineapple lends a lovely flavour to the normal Suji Halwa. It is easy to make too. It is a nutritious dish, especially for growing children.

Ingredients

Rawa (Suji/Semolina) – 1½ cups

Ghee – ½ cup

Milk – 2 ½ cups

Sugar – 1 cup +1 tablespoon

Pineapple (fresh, coarsely crushed in mixer) – ¾ cup

Cardamom Powder – ¼ teaspoon

Dryfruits (Cashews, Almonds, Raisins) - Optional

Method

Take a hard-bottomed pan and heat the ghee and add suji to it. Keep roasting the suji on medium heat till it turns to a nice golden-brown colour. Warm the milk and add to this mixture, be careful while adding as the suji mixture tends to splutter. Stir well, the suji milk mixture will come together, then add sugar to this mix. Mix well and cover with a lid and allow to cook for about 5 minutes. Add the crushed pineapple and cook for 4-5 minutes more. Add cardamom powder. Garnish with dry fruits. Serve hot.

MyMusingsSangSpeak- Pet Puja - Kelyacha Sheera

Kelyacha Sheera (Banana Suji Halwa)

Kelyacha Sheera is a typical Maharashtrian recipe, it is Suji Halwa with banana. I have already mentioned in my recipe of Suji Halwa or Sheera as in Marathi, that this dish is considered to be sacred and offered to God as Naivedyam, especially for the SatyaNarayan Puja and further is distributed as Prasaad. My mother used to make really amazing Kelyacha Sheera, by roasting the Suji (Semolina) along with bananas in pure ghee to a lovely golden brown. Even while writing, I am transported to the rich aroma of this lovely dish.
In childhood, this Prasaad of Kelyacha Sheera was a delicacy worth all the wait. It would be served very beautifully in banana leaf. Roasting with immense patience is the key to this wonderful recipe.

Ingredients

Rawa (Suji/Semolina) – 1½ cup

Pure Ghee – ½ cup

Banana (ripe) – 1 large

Milk – 2½ cups

Sugar – 1 cup or a little more

Cardamom Powder – ½ teaspoon

Dry fruits (Cashew, Almonds, Raisins) - Optional

Method

Take a hard-bottomed pan and heat the ghee and add suji to it. Keep roasting the Suji on medium heat till it turns to a light brown colour. Mash the banana and add to the roasted suji and keep stirring and roasting till the mixture turns a deep golden brown. Warm the milk and add to this mixture, be careful while adding as the suji mixture tends to splutter. Stir well, the suji milk mixture will come together, then add sugar to this mix. Mix well and cover with a lid and allow to cook for about 5 minutes. Add cardamom powder. Garnish with dry fruits and serve hot.

Note - Preparation and cooking time is about 30-40 minutes.