Phodnichi Bread and Poli/Poli ani bread cha Khuskara/Tadka Roti-bread/

Hello Sweeties!!!! Ever Faced a situation when you have leftovers that no one wants to eat in its original form. I usually don't have any roti's as leftovers, but this was one such day, that I had few roti's and no subji.

This recipe is made in most maharshtrians homes. My mom made it often to send as school snack or on Sunday mornings. This was an easy way to finish leftover roti's or bread at times. We all loved it so much that at times, she even made fresh roti's to make this khuskara or phodnichi poli.

You will need;  
2 Cups Leftover Phulka/Roti/ Crumbs
1/2 Cup bread-- crumbed (Do not use bread crumbs)
** powdered using a food processor or use your hands to crumb.
 1/2 cup Roasted Peanut powder
1 Small Onion-Diced  
1/2 big Tomato-Diced
Salt and Sugar to taste  
Cilantro to garnish

Tempering;  
1 tbspn Oil 1 tspn Ghee/Clarified Butter
1 heaped tspn jeera/cumin seeds
1 tspn Mustard seeds
2 small chillies- chopped
5-6 Curry leaves
1/2 Tsp Hing/Aesofodita
1 tspn Haldi/Turmeric
1 tspn Red Chilli Powder

In a wok, take the oil and ghee and add rest of the items from the tempering list. Let it sizzle. Then add the onion and tomato,  and fry till oil separates the sides. 

Then add little water( Only if needed) and cook the onion-tomato masala  for about 1 minute, add the salt and sugar, lastly add the roti and bread crumbs and the peanut powder;  stir well, reduce heat to low and cover and let cook for 2-3 mins. Take care that the crumbs do not stick to the pan. Garnish with Cilantro before serving.

I am sending this to Gayatri's WTML event.

Instant Qunioa and Pumpkin Handvo

Hello Sweeties!!!! I am too late to do any recap for year 2013 and its almost end of the first month o year 2014. I meant to be regular in posting new recipes, but whatever I made is alreayd on the blog. 

We Maharashtrians celebrate the festival of Sankrant in January. I have so far made Sesame fudge/ Tilgul mau wadya and gul poli twice so far. They get over at the speed of the lightening I feel. So anytime I expect someone coming over, I have to make it again.



Overindulging in such sweets has started making me feel guilty. So to overcome that, I also made this savory Handvo but in  a cake form. I had to finish  a big chunk of red pumpkin, but if you want to save the trouble of pureeing pumpkin, use the canned version, works equally fine. 

You will need;  1 cup cooked Quinoa
**To cook Quinoa, wash the grains in 4-5 changes of water, this will help remove the bitterness, alternatively soak in water, but I find the washing better in removing the bitterness. then double amount of water cook just like rice for 10-15 mins. cool and then fluff, its ready to use.
1/2 cup Coarse sooji/rava
1/2 cup Yogurt
2 cups Pumpkin Puree
1/2 cup Besan/Chick pea flour
1/2 tsp Citric Acid
1 tsp Green chili paste
1 tsp Ginger grated
1 tsp Red chili/cayenne Powder
1 tspn Cumin powder
1 tspn Corriander powder
1 tbspn Flax seeds
 1 tbspn ENO fruit salt Salt to taste  

Tempering; 3 Tbspn Oil
1 tbspn Mustard seeds
1 tbspn Cumin/Jeera seeds
3 Tbspn sesame seeds
5-7 curry leaves
1 tspn aesofodita/hing
1 tspn Haldi/Turmeric
In a wok, mix the rava/sooji and the cooked quinoa, add in the besan and all the dry ingredients and spices, salt, citric acid red chili and flax seeds, mix well and then add the yogurt and the pumpkin puree and mix well. We need a flowing consistency, so adjust water. I did not need any, as I used little to puree the pumpkin. Stir well and last lastly prepare the tempering. 

In a wok, take the oil, when it smokes, reduce the heat and add the tempering ingredients in the similar order. Pour half of the tempering into the batter, stir well and add the ENO fruit salt and stir once. 

Lastly  prepare the pans for baking. Oil spray two pans and pour the mixture and add the rest of the tempering over the batter and bake in a pre heated oven at 375 degree for 30-40 minutes. Enjoy this healthy snack with a cup of chai or just as is.

Cardamom Walnut Tuti Fruti Cake

Hello Sweeties!!!!I am lagging behind in posting, but new year started on a rough patch health wise. It is getting back on track so hoping now on, I don't disappoint you all.

Today I bring to you a very simple yet rich cake. This cake I made  a couple of times since the year started and it gets vanished  before I can find a box to store it. Make it to believe it.

You will need;
1 1/2 cups All Purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup oil (vegetable, canola or extra light olive oil)
1/2 cup buttermilk 
1 Tbspn Cardamom Powder
1 cup Tuti Fruiti and walnuts dusted with all purpose flour
1/2 tspn Salt
 

Preheat oven to 350*F. In a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir together with whisk, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add eggs and beat 10-20 seconds. Add sugar and continue to beat on medium speed about 30 seconds. Add vanilla and oil, beat. 

 

Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add about half of the flour mixture. Add half of the buttermilk, then the rest of the flour and the rest of the buttermilk. Beat until just combined. Scrap down the side of the bowl. Fold in the flour dusted nuts and tuti fruit and fold.

 

Grease a cake pan with some oil and dust the flour or line a parchment paper. Pour the cake batter in the well greased pan and bake in a pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes.

 Once cool cut into slices and its ready to eat. The cake develops overnight, so if you can wait; wait for a day or so to indulge.

Veggie Chilla Toast- Besan Chilla Toast

Hello Sweeties!!!! Happy New Year to you and yours!!!!New Year has arrived with much hope and encouragement. Along with the promise of better year it brought along with it a nor'easter, a snow storm, that dumped around 8-10 inches snow over NJ.

When it snows, we make soup and sandwich in Ashland. But the cold and below freezing temperatures made it very difficult to step into the kitchen and cook a decent meal.

I made these Besan chilla toasts as they are easy to make and give you guilt free pleasures of having something fried and yet staying healthy as it is no fried version of bhaji's or bread pakodas. I also served it along with Tomato Soup. (recipe coming up shortly.)

You will need;
Makes about 5-6 toasts;
5-6 Bread slices-- We use whole wheat soft bread
1 cup besan/Chick peas flour
1 tbspn Rice flour
1 small onion chopped finely
1/2 tsp Turmeric/ Haldi
1 tspn red Cayenne Pepper powder
1 tspn Cumin powder
1 tspn Coriander powder
1/2 inch ginger grated
2 cloves garlic mashed and chopped fine
1 tbspn chopped cilantro
1/2 tspn lemon juice
Salt to taste
Water to thin out the besan paste
Oil or spray to fry the toasts

In a bowl, take the flour and add the rest of the ingredients like spices, cilantro, onion, salt and little water and thin out the paste. The paste should be thin enough for the bread slices to absorb and yet not get soggy.

Heat a pan over medium heat, spray with oil, and soak the bread in the besan paste and  immediately fry it the oiled pan. Cover and let cook for 2 min, flip and do the same on the other side.

Uncover and let fr for 2-3 mins on both sides to get crisp. The besan chilla toast is ready to be enjoyed with Tea or soup.