Rawa Laddoos

Rawa Laddoos(Makes 35-40 laddoos)

(All ingredients are underlined)

1. In a pan, heat 1 & 1/2 cup ghee(clarified butter) and roast 4 cups of Rawa/ Sooji in it till you get a nice aroma and the sooji turns pinkish.

2. Add 2 cups freshly grated coconut and roast for again for 3-4 minutes. Pour out the roasted sooji in a plate and keep aside.

Roasted sooji with coconut

3. In the same pan, take 3 & 1/2 cup sugar and add water till it is completely soaked. Bring it to boil. Keep boiling. In about 2-3 minutes, take a small drop of this sugar solution and try stretching it between your thumb and a finger tip. Continue boiling till it stretches into a firm string. When this happens, turn off the gas and add the roasted sooji to it. 

4. Mix well and keep aside to cool. After every 1/2 hour, keep turning the mixture. It will take at least 2-3 hours for it to become dry. Break the lumps and knead with hands till the sooji becomes soft enough to roll into Laddoos . 

5. Add some cardamom powder and roll into balls (about 1 &1/2" small balls). Stick one raisin on each Laddoo as you roll it.

Adai (Lentil pancakes)

Adai (Lentil pancakes)(for 6 people)

                                     

(All ingredients are underlined)

1 Cup rice, 1/2 cup urad dal, 1/2 cup moong dal, 1/2 cup chana dal, 1 tbsp each of black eye beans, whole green moong, whole masoor, chick peas, kala chana (you can add any other  whole lentils like rajma, vatana/white chickpeas, moth/matki, etc). Soak all the above ingredients in water for 5-6 hours. Grind into a coarse batter by adding water as required. Add 1" ginger, 4-5 garlic cloves, 5-6 green chilies, when grinding. Add salt to taste. Add 1 finely chopped onion. You can add more water to attain a consistency slightly thicker than a dosa batter. 

Pour about 3 tbsp of the batter on a pre heated tawa(griddle) and spread slightly into a circle. Cover with a lid for about 2 minutes on a medium flame, till cooked. Now flip and let the other side be done. Serve Adai hot, with spicy Coriander chutney. 

Dalia (Split Chickpeas) Chutney

Dalia (Split Chickpeas) Chutney

(All ingredients are underlined)

1/2 cup Dalia, 1/2" ginger, 1 garlic clove, 3-4 green chilies, 10-12 curry leaves (you can add more if you like the flavor), 1/2 tsp cumin seeds. Add water as needed and grind all the above in a grinder keeping it coarse. You can add more water later to get a desired consistency. You can also grind without any water and store it dry for 2-3 days. Water can be added when required. This chutney tastes great with Idlis or any kind of Dosas.

Coriander Chutney

Coriander Chutney :

(All ingredients are underlined)

1 cup thoroughly washed coriander/cilantro, 7-8 fresh green chilies, 1tbsp lemon juice, 1 big size garlic clove, salt to taste, and 1 tbsp sev (gram flour fritters) or potato chips. To all the above ingredients, add water and grind. the quantity of water can be as per liking, to get the desired consistency. This chutney can be used for making 'bhel', wada-pav', 'misal' or similar snacks. It also tastes good as an accompaniment for any kind of 'paratha'

Chakli

Chakli (Makes about 30-35 Chaklis)

(All ingredients are underlined)

Keep 2 cups of water in a vessel to boil. Add 3 tsp oil, 1 tsp sesame seeds, red chili powder to taste (about 1 & 1/2 tsp), 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, salt to taste (about 1 & 1/2 tsp). Once the water starts boiling, turn off the gas and add 2 cups of chakli bhajani (special flour mixture used to make chaklis), and mix well. Cover for 15-20 minutes. Then nicely knead the dough. Use the chakli dispenser to make spiral shape chaklis on a parchment paper or a plastic bag. Fry all chaklis in oil, till you get a golden color. The oil should be at the right temperature. If it is not hot enough, the chaklis can melt and break when frying. If it is too hot, chaklis will be done too fast and might be left soft on the inside. 

Kala Masala (Goda Masala)

Kala Masala (Goda Masala)

(All ingredients are underlined)

500 Grams( 2 cups) coriander seeds, 200 grams (1 & 1/4 cup) cumin seeds, 10 grams ( 1tsp) each of cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, shahajeera, asfoetida, bay leaves, badee ilaaychee ( big spicy cardamom), nutmeg, black pepper, mustard seeds, poppy seeds, curry leaves, turmeric, dry grated coconut. Roast all the above ingredients individually in little oil and grind into a fine mixture. Add salt and red chili powder to taste when grinding.

This masala is commonly used in many recipes of Maharashtra.