MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Kolhapuri Aamti

Kolhapuri Aamti

The Kolhapuri Aamti is a recipe which is very close to my heart and associated with childhood memories. I spent a good amount of my childhood in Kolhapur and every die-hard Kolhapuri can relate to fascination of this special recipe which is utmost basic and simple, yet, divinely tasty.

As Kolhapur is famous for wrestling, wrestlers and milk diet, there was no place for tea at all in the earlier days. If you happened to visit anybody’s house or vice versa, you would always be asked by the lady of the house “Khatos ka Baba thodasa Bhaat Samabara” (Will you eat some rice daal?). Daal and rice were always a staple here and readily available in every household and the taste of this awesome combination lingers on till date.

The Daal is made with Kolhapuri Kaala Masala which lends that unique flavour to it. The spiciness of the daal would be reduced by adding milk cream and you need to taste this combination of rice, daal and milk cream to experience this exceptional dish. Kolhapur area is famous for various strains of indigenous rice too, so, maybe the rice also added to that special taste.

I am giving the recipe of my version of Kolhapuri Aamti, it does not match the greatness of my grandmother’s recipe though; it was a class apart altogether.

Ingredients

Tur Daal/Arhar Daal/Pigeon Peas (split, without cover) – 1 large katori or you can take a combination of half of Tur/Arhar Daal and half of yellow moong daal (split green gram)

Water – Approximately 1 litre

Salt- As per taste

Turmeric Powder – Half taespoon

Cumin Powder- Half Teaspoon

Asafoetida – ¼ teaspoon

Oil- 2 tablespoons

Curry Leaves – 10-12

Mustard Seeds (Badi or Moti  Rai)– 1 teaspoon

Garlic – 10-12 cloves

Dry Coconut (grated) – 1 tablespoon

Kolhapuri Kaala Masala/Kanda Lasun Masala – 1½ teaspoon

Method

Wash the daal well and add water, turmeric powder, salt, cumin powder, asafoetida and cook in pressure cooker on medium flame till 3 whistles are done. Once, the pressure is released, churn the daal mixture well to form a homogenous mixture. For tempering, heat oil in a utensil, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, crushed garlic and dry coconut and Kolhapuri Kaala Masala. Remove from fire and transfer this tempering to the plain daal. Bring to a boil. Serve hot with roti or rice, topped with ghee.

Note – Cooking time is approximately 45 minutes and this quantity should be enough for 4/5 persons.

Daal (pulses) is the most essential component of Indian diet. Daal is significant source providing proteins and different parts of the country, varieties of various Daals are prepared in different ways. In Maharashtra, Tur Daal (Arhar Daal, Pigeon Pea) is used primarily for daily use. It can be made into a plain, bland recipe with turmeric, asafoetida and cumin or it can be tempered with different ingredients like curry leaves, garlic, garlic ginger, green chilly, red chilly, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, masalas, curry powders and one can add tomatoes, coriander leaves, jaggery etc to enhance the taste.

Phodni/Tadka means tempering and Waran is plain Daal, a basic bland recipe with just turmeric, salt, little cumin powder and asafoetida. 

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Phodniche Waran (Tadkawali Arhar ki Daal)

Phodniche Waran (Tadkawali Arhar ki Daal)

Daal (pulse) is the most essential component of Indian diet. Daal is significant source providing proteins and in different parts of the country, varieties of various Daals are prepared in different ways. In Maharashtra, Tur Daal (Arhar Daal, Pigeon Pea) is used primarily for daily use. It can be made into a plain, bland recipe with turmeric, asafoetida and cumin or it can be tempered with different ingredients like curry leaves, garlic, garlic ginger, green chilly, red chilly, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, masalas, curry powders and one can add tomatoes, coriander leaves, jaggery etc to enhance the taste.

Phodni/Tadka means tempering and Waran is plain Daal, a basic bland recipe with just turmeric, salt, little cumin powder and asafoetida.

Ingredients

Tur Daal/Arhar Daal/Pigeon Peas (split, without cover) – 1 large katori or you can take a combination of half of Tur/Arhar Daal and half of yellow moong daal (split green gram)

Water – Approximately 1 litre

Salt- As per taste

Turmeric Powder – Half taespoon

Cumin Powder- Half Teaspoon

Asafoetida – ¼ teaspoon

Oil- 2 tablespoons

Curry Leaves – 10-12

Mustard Seeds (Badi or Moti  Rai)– 1 teaspoon

Til (Sesame seeds) – ½ teaspoon

Garlic – 10-12 cloves

Tomatoes- 1 medium sized

Coriander leaves – 2 tablespoons

Green Chilly – 1 large 

Method

Wash the daal well and add water, turmeric powder, salt, cumin powder, asafoetida and cook in pressure cooker on medium flame till 3 whistles are done. Once, the pressure is released, churn the daal mixture well to form a homogenous mixture. For tempering, heat oil in a utensil, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, chopped green chilly, crushed garlic and sesame seeds. Remove from fire and transfer this tempering to the plain daal. Add chopped tomatoes and coriander leaves and bring to a boil. Serve hot with roti or rice, topped with ghee.

Note – Cooking time is approximately 45 minutes and this quantity should be enough for 4 persons.

In Maharashtra, there is another variation of this recipe and that is the Aambat God Phodniche Waran (Sweet Sour Tempered daal), wherein Kokum (Mangosteen/Garcinia indica) and Jaggery are added for sweet sour flavouring.

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja - Daal Wange (Daal Baingan/ Brinjal Daal)

Daal Wange (Daal Baingan/ Brinjal Daal)

Daal Wange is my maternal Grandma’s recipe and it has a special taste. My Grandma (Ajji) made this delectable recipe and I am reminded of her whenever I make it. The recipe is of brinjal cooked with daal. My grandmother used more of homemade garam masala in her recipes and this gave unique tatse to her preparations. Daal Wange tastes good with parathas as well as rice.

Ingredients

Arhar (Tur or Tuvar) Daal - 1½ cup

Brinjals- 2 nos medium sized

Onions - 2 nos medium sized

Cumin Powder - ½ teaspoon

Turmeric powder - ½ teaspoon

Aasafoetida - A pinch

Dried red chillies - 3 nos

Corinader seeds - ¼ teaspoon

Mustard seeds - ½ teaspoon

Garlic - 10- 12 cloves

Dry coconut - 1 inch piece

Curry leaves - 10-12 nos

Garam Masala - 1 teaspoon

Water - Approx 1½ litre or slightly more

Oil - 2 tablespoons

Salt - As per taste

Fresh coriander - 3-4 sprigs

Method

Wash the daal and cook in a pressure cooker along with 750 ml water, turmeric powder, cumin powder, asafetida and salt. Cook for about 15 minutes and remove from fire and set aside. Wash and slice brinjals lengthwise and keep in water so that it does turn brown. Peel and slice onions. Wash and chop coriander leaves. Pound the garlic and dry coconut together coarsely and set aside. Take a pan and heat oil in it. Add mustard seeds, coriander seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves. Let all splutter, then add onions and stir fry for about 4-5 minutes. Add brinjal pieces and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Now add garam masala and about 2 cups water and allow the brinjals to cook. Cover with a lid if required. Once the brinjals soften, add the cooked daal, pounded garlic and dry coconut and cook for further 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from fire and add chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot and add pure ghee on top if you like. 

Note - Preparation time is approximately 45-50 minutes and this quantity should be enough for 4-5 persons. 

MyMusingsSangSpeak-Pet Puja -Moong Daal with Mooli

Moong Daal with Mooli

Ingredients:

Moong Daal Dhuli (split green gram) – 1 cup

Radish (mooli) – 100 gms(peeled and diced)

Water – 5 cups

Turmeric Powder – ½ teaspoon

Cumin Powder - ½ teaspoon

Asafoetida – A pinch

Salt- As per taste

Oil/Ghee – 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon

Garlic- 1 teaspoon (crushed)

Green chillies – 2 nos

Curry Leaves – 10-12 nos

Coriander leaves chopped – 2 tbsp

Method:

Wash moong daal well and mix it with about 4 cups of water, turmeric, cumin powder, asafoetida and salt. Add radish pieces and pressure cook the daal (minimum 2-3 whistles). Once you remove the pressure, check the consistency of the daal, if you find it to be thick, you can add boiled water to it. For tempering (tadka), heat oil and add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start spluttering add curry leaves, chopped green chillies and crushed garlic. Remove from fire, add this tadka to the cooked daal and boil the daal for about 2 – 3 minutes so that it takes the flavouring of the tempering. Finally add chopped coriander leaves and the daal is ready to be served.

Note – Many people do not like radish (mooli) because of its strong aroma. As a child, even I never relished radish much, but, I can guarantee that this mooli wali daal does taste good.