Kachchi Dabeli

Kachchi Dabeli :

(All ingredients are underlined)

Mash 4 medium size boiled potatoes. To it add, 1 finely chopped onion, 1 tbsp ginger paste, 1 tbsp garlic paste, and 2 green chilies finely crushed. Also add 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp amchur powder (dry mango powder), 1/2 tsp black pepper powder, 1/2 tsp Maharashtrian Goda masala, and salt to taste. Add 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds (If not available, you can add salted or spicy peanuts). Mix everything well.

                                 For the mixture above, you will need about 5 pavs (bread rolls used for pav bhaji). Cut one pav in half. To one part, spread some tamarind/date sweet chutney. On it evenly spread about 3-4 tbsp of the potato mixture that was prepared. Cover with the other half of the pav and roast on a griddle on both sides. Serve warm.

Champakali, Decorative namak para

Champakali (Decorative namak para)

(All ingredients are underlined)

Mix 2 cups maida (all purpose flour), 5 tsp oil, 1 tbsp kalaunji (black cumin), and salt to taste. Use water to knead into a dough. The dough should not be too soft but also not too hard and dry. Divide into small 1 & 1/2 inch balls. Take one and roll between your palms and flatten. Roll into small thin pooris. Now make slits with a knife and roll as shown in the video below. Repeat for all dough parts. Now deep fry in oil on a low to medium flame till a light pinkish color is achieved.

Metkut ( Dry lentil powder seasoning for rice)

Metkut ( Dry lentil powder, seasoning for rice)

( All ingredients are underlined)

2 & 1/2 cups chana dal, 3/4 cup rice, 3/4 cup urad dal, 7-8 cardamoms, 2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp asfoetida, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp sonth (dried ginger), 15-20 black pepper corns, 2-3 pieces of cinnamon each about 1" long, 1-2 cloves. Roast each of the above ingredients separately till you get a nice aroma and a light pink color. Now grind in a mixer into a very fine powder. Mix well with very soft rice, add some ghee and salt to taste, and serve hot. Metkut can also be mixed with some yogurt and eaten with chapati.

Matarchya karanjya/ Green pea gujiya

Matarchya karanjya/ Green Peas Gujiya (Makes 55-60 Gujiyas)

(All ingredients are underlined)

                                  Grind 6 cups of green peas into a coarse mixture. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan and add 2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp hing, and 1 tsp turmeric powder. Add 6 tbsp sesame seeds and stir till golden brown. Add 3 boiled potatoes cut into small pieces. Now also add the ground peas. Mix well and add salt and green chili paste as per taste. Add 3 tsp amchur (dry mango powder). Mix well, simmer gas, and let cook for about 10 minutes, mixing occasionally, till the peas are soft and cooked. Now turn off the gas. 

                                   For the outer covering, mix 3 cups wheat flour, 1/2 cup besan (chick pea flour), 1/2 cup rice flour, and 1 tsp turmeric powder. Heat 4 tbsp oil and add to it. Use water to knead into dough, that is not too soft.

                                   Divide the dough into small 1" pieces, roll them between your palms to make balls, and flatten them. Take one piece and roll into a puri. Add about 1 & 1/2 tsp of the pea mixture to the puri, fold into a semicircle and close the edges by pressing firmly. Trim the edges with a trimmer or fold. Repeat for all the dough balls. Deep fry all gujiyas in oil till golden brown. 

                                     

Gulachi poli

Gulachi poli

(All ingredients are underlined)

Mix 3 cups of wheat flour, 1 cup maida (all purpose flour), and 1 cup besan. Add 1/4th cup heated oil and 1 tsp ghee (clarified butter) to it. Add water to knead into dough, not very soft but not too dry as well (just like puri dough). Get 2 cups of grated jaggery and to it add 1 tbsp roasted poppy seeds and 1 tsp cardomom powder. Roast besan in a pan with 1/4 th cup oil, till it turns brownish pink. Instead of besan, you can add 1 cup powdered dalia(roasted split chana dal). Add this to the jaggery and knead nicely to get the consistency same as that of the dough. You can use more oil to knead and make it softer. Now make 1 & 1/2 inch balls with the dough as well as the jaggery. Place one jaggery ball between 2 balls of dough and close the edge leaving little gaps in between. Roll it into a thin circle and roast it on a flat griddle (tawa) on both sides. Repeat for all the jaggery and dough balls. Gulachi Poli is ready to serve. Serve it with solidified ghee.

Sweet Lemon Pickle

Sweet Lemon Pickle

(All ingredients are underlined)

Get 12 (if small in size) or 6 (if big in size) lemons. Wash them and dry them completely. Cut them into square 1" pieces. Divide the cut pieces into 5 equal parts. Get salt equal in quantity to one of the 5 parts and add to the lemon pieces. Mix well and store in a container for 5-6 days. After 5-6 days, the lemon pieces get nicely marinated in salt. In a vessel, take 3 cups sugar and add water till the sugar is completely soaked. Bring it to boil, stirring continuously. Simmer the gas to a medium flame and let it boil for about 5-6 minutes. Test the sugar solution occasionally by taking one or two drops in a plate and trying to roll them between fingers to form a small ball. When this happens, the sugar solution is ready. Turn off the gas and add the marinated lemon pieces to it. Also add red chili powder to taste. Bring it to boil once again. Sweet Lemon Pickle is ready and it stays good for more than a year.