Ratalyacha kees Waffle-Sweet Potato Hash Waffle

 


Hello Sweeties!! I have been making Sweet Potato Hash/Ratalyacha Kees for so many years, I fast for 9 days in Navratri and making Vrat or Fasting food for one person gets on my bones, so I am always looking for faster cooking processes and using Gadgets to cut my cooking time without compromising on taste and health.

The recipe for the Hash/Kees Mixture can be found here.

You will need;

2 large sweet potatoes, grated using a box grater

(**wash and dry with a dish towel before grating. It is advisable to soak the potatoes in cold water for few minutes and then brush it lightly with the potato brush and remove all the dirt hidden in the skin.)

1/2 cup roasted peanut powder

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

Oil to spray the waffle maker

Salt and Sugar to taste

 

In a bowl, Mix all of the above and keep aside. 

Heat the waffle maker and make waffles as you please. Make thick Waffles as the hash will break down after cooking.

Sabudana Wada-Real Deal--Deep Fried Sago Fritters!!!!

 Hello sweeties, as you all know there are a few of my favorite things, one is deep fried treats and another is my Bhatukli(Traditional Indian kitchen set).

Although this is not the one I grew up playing, this is close to what I had sans the stand. My mom gifted the utensils to munchkin since he loves to help cook, prep veggies, clean after the job. The stand to display was a recent purchase. You cannot beat the cuteness of such treats.

Coming back to the recipe of the day, its sabudana wadas. They are good if your are fasting or feasting. I and my boys love sabudana wadas anytime of the day or night. It has been cold and rainy April in NJ last couple of days. Such weather calls for something spicy and something fried.

You will need;
1 Cup Soaked Sago/Sabudana--Soak the sago in water for 10 mins and drain all water out and keep covered for good 5-6 hours.
1 small boiled potato mashed

2 tbspn roasted peanut powder
1 tbspn Cayenne powder 
1 tspn cumin powder
1 tspn Cumin seeds
1 tbspn Chopped Cilantro
1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste.
Water if needed to knead into  a pliable dough 

2 cups oil for frying

In a bowl combine all the ingredients and mix well. Use little water if needed to bind it into a ball. Make small balls and flatten them into discs. Keep aside after all such discs are ready.

In a wok, heat the oil, smoke it once and reduce heat to medium. Deep fry each disc till its golden brown. Enjoy these hot wadas with yogurt chutney and a spicy peanut crush.

Homemade butter--Almost homemade

Hello Dearies!!!! I am in the phase with trying old classics which were a part of my growing up back home. Homemade White Butter pr loni was a everyday thing. Store brought butter was a thing of the new fads, the homemaker was actually looked down in her skills if she brought butter from the store.

Flash forward to new age where everything was OK as who has the time in the world, and I am so busy took over age old traditions and cultures changed.

Making butter and whipping cream gave me some peace as there was more joy than effort in the process. I cranked my stand mixer and made it work for me, enjoying the end results. I emptied a quart of Heavy whipping cream in the mixer bowl and let it whip on high for 7-9 mins, till the butter solids started leaving water. 

At this point I added 5 tbspn Ice water and let the whipper go for anr 2 mins. I emptied the solid in my trusted paneer maker as in the collage, squeezed out the milk(which is like buttermilk and can be used in your cooking/kneading or baking).

And just like that my almost homemade butter was done!!!!!

Upasache Bhajani Thalipeeth

 Hello Dearies!!! Happy navratri festival to you all. Navratri days are specially fasting days, where you eat only fasting foods for 9 days and break the fast on the 10th day which is Dasserra. 

This year my health is not permitting me any fasts, but I am aiming to complete fasts on important days like the fifth day and the eight and nine day, so I made these bhajani thalipeeth today for the fifth day for my lunch. Although , I don't allow my kids to fast, they are allowed to indulge in the special foods.

You will need;
1 big boiled  and mashed potato 
Approx 1 cup  Upasachi Bhajani/ alternatively use shindaga atta/kuttu aata
2 tbspn roasted peanut powder
1 tbspn Cayenne powder 
1 tspn cumin powder
1 tspn Cumin seeds
1 tsp sugar
Chopped Cilantro
Salt to taste.
Water if needed to knead into  a pliable dough 
Oil for greasing the pan.

In a bowl combine all the ingredients and mix well. Use little water if needed to bind it into a ball. Heat the pan and spray it with a non stick spray or use oil whichever you prefer. Alternatively pat the dough ball on a ziplock bag and then cook on the heated pan. 

Press the dough ball into a flat roti and cover with a lid and cook it for about 2-3 minutes. Flip the thalipeeth and repeat the process of covering and cooking.  Enjoy as is or with any sauce/ketchup, yogurt, lime pickle or green chutney.

Homemade Khoya/Mawa from Milk powder--Easy and only 3 ingredients

Hello Dearies!!! I know you have missed me as much as I have missed being away from this space. But when things get too monotonous, I guess its best to take a break and come back refreshed. 

So here I am with a series of homemade sweets. To kick it off I am posting the recipe of the most essential ingredient in most Indian sweets, khoya, mawa or Khava.

This can be made and stored in air tight container in the fridge for 3-4 day, but this recipe measure does not make tons so make it as per the need and  use it up in the sweet.

You will need;
2 tbspn ghee-clarified butter
1/3 rd cup milk
1 cup dry non fat milk powder

In a pan on low heat; heat ghee and milk, then add the milk powder and let it cook till it starts collecting into a lump. Cook till the mixture turns into a ball. Cool  and mash the mava. Its ready for some pedas or modaks. Can it get any easier than this???

Doodhi Halwa-BottleGourd Halwa

Hello Sweeties!!!! Sorry for being MIA, but life at time takes over and you just go with its flow. To make up for that, I bring to you some sweetness and some health from my kitchen to yours. 

Make this Doodhi halwa to please some sweet craving without missing on the health. Except the vegetable, there is nothing that can be termed healthy, but who cares, as long its something sweet and something tasty.

You will need;
1 Small Bottle Gourd/Doodhi- Skin peeled and grated
Approx 2.5 cups
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbspn Ghee/clarified Butter
1.5 cups sugar
1 Tspn elaichi/Cardamom powder
Nuts to garnish

In a heavy bottom pan, heat the ghee, add the grated doodhi, cream and let cook over medium/low heat. Stir in between, keep cooking for 10-15 mins, taking care that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. 

After it gets cooked, the cream should have evaporated by now; add the sugar and the elaichi powder and let cook again till the sugar dissolves and the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. The halwa is done, garnish with nuts. I completely forgot about it, but no issues, the halwa was tasty without any. 

Desserts like gajar and doodhi halwa are marriages made in heaven when served with hot halwa and cold vanilla ice cream. Do try this combo and update me via comments or FB.

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.

Baked Wada Pav- Stuffed Baked Buns- Low Fat Version

Hello Sweeties!!! How did your TG holiday go? I am surely thankful for all my friends and family with whom I could spend each and every day of this holiday. 

Minus the crazy shopping, the holiday spirit was big in Ashland. We  put the tree and did the decorations. Also took the kids to Crayola Crayon factory and came home with bunch of crazy crayons and crafts we did there.

My kids love Wada Pav, the most famous snack of Mumbai. If America runs on Dunkin, Mumbai runs on  wada pav. But the whole mess of frying in closed house where you cannot open the windows and the smell of the frying remains in the house puts me off from making this snack which is loved by all. 

This is a short cut to making wada pav and if not entirely, it does satisfy the craving anytime of the year.

Prep Time; 10 mins to mix the dough
1 hours for the dough to rise
Makes around 30 small Buns

You will need; 

For the dough, 

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups All Purpose flour
1 Tbspn dry High active Yeast
1 Tbspn Sugar and 1/2 cup warm water to bloom the yeast
1 Tsp Dried Rosemary
1/2 tsp Dried Basil
1 Tsp Garlic powder
2-3 Tbspn Olive Oil and
Salt for taste
water as needed to make the dough 

For stuffing;
2 medium size plantains
2 small potato

pinch of Haldi/Turmeric 1 tspn cumin powder
1 tspn coriander powder

1 tbspn chopped cilantro
2-3 crushed cloves of garlic
1/2 inch ginger grated
1 Finely Diced Jalapeno Pepper

Red Dry Garlic- Chili chutney-Optional
salt to taste

Boil the plantains and the potato for 2-3 whistles and then 5 mins on low flame in a pressure cooker. In a bowl, mash the plantain and potato and mix  all the spices, jalapeno, cilantro, ginger and garlic and mix well.

In a bowl, take the dry active yeast, sugar and warm water and mix well. Keep it aside to bloom for 10 minutes. The mixture will be frothy, if the yeast is active. If the yeast is old discard the mixture and get fresh yeast. I always prefer to check the yeast then move on to the dough.

In a mixing bowl, take the flour, add the seasonings, garlic powder, rosemary, basil,  and little oil to start the mixing, as you move along making the dough, add the oil and knead into a soft dough. Cover with the plastic wrap and let it sit in  a warm place.

I preheat the oven to 200 Degree F and then shut it off. Then place the bowl with the dough to rest and rise for a good hour. I have never experienced problems with dough rising.

When the dough doubles in size, it is ready to be baked into some yummy rolls. Punch out the air from the dough and divide the dough into 30 equal balls.

Take one ball and roll a circle of about 2 inches in diameter. This is also called roti or poori; and spread  the dry garlic chutney on it( if you like.) This chutney is easily available in most Indian grocery stores. This is optional, but does give the authentic taste like back home.

Make balls of the potato mixture sand stuff the bread roti that you made and close the ends, Do as many buns as you can, I could make about 30 rolls and even bake a small loaf of bread in the dough.

 Arrange leaving space in a tray and let it rise again for another 30-45 minutes. Brush with some butter.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 for about 15-20 minutes. enjoy warm with some Broccoli soup. I served it with some Bean soup/Bean Chili (Recipe will be posted soon).

Katachi Amti- Puran Poli Chi Sobatin

Hello Dearies!! Today we Celebrate The Marathi new Year i.e. Gudi Padwa. Although Shrikhand is the  sweet many homes prepare today, lack of time and energy at times compels us to either outsource the sweet or make something else. Planning, prepping, sourcing the materials and then actually preparing takes some time.

There is no hard and fast rule that certain sweets only should be made and others cannot, however general practice prevails and people do tend to follow the age old customs.  

However, today I bring to you the most famous combo, Puran Poli and Katachi Amti. I have posted Puran Poli recipe not once but twice before. So now I will link you to Puran Poli and post the amti recipe today. Gear up as the process may look long if making the amti alone, but if making with puran poli, it's a breeze.



You will need;
2-3 cups Kat-water from the dal
** Drain the water from the cooked chana dal ( we call this water as "Kat" in Marathi; see puran recipe below)
1 tbspn Jaggery
1 tbspn Tamarind Juice/paste
**If using Tamicon Concentrate 1 Tspn is enough 
1 Tspn Red chili powder
** Adjust to your spice level. This is Medium hot 
Salt to taste

1 Tennis Ball Size Puran
** See Recipe after Masala.

Tempering; 
1 Tbspn oil
1 Tspn Mustard Seeds 
1 Tspn Cumin/Jeera
1/2 tspn hing/Aesafodita 
 5-6 Curry leaves
  
Masala;
1 Tbspn Dry Coconut powder
1 tspn Cumin seeds
1 inch Cinnamon stick
5-6 Cloves
5-6 Peppercorn

** For the Puran;
This is a Measure for making approx 20 Puran Poli, for amti you need only one tennis size ball of Puran. 
3 cups Chana Dal
2 cups Gul or Jaggery
1 cup sugar
Or Use 3.5 cups Jaggery alone

In a pressure cooker, add the washed dal and 7-8 cups water. Pressure cook for abt 7 whistles. let cool. once cool, strain the dal so that all water is separated and the dal is dry. This Water is Called KAT, and we make the katachi amti from this. Once again take the dal in a cooker and add gul /jaggery and sugar. On low heat, cook this till the mixture starts leaving sides and starts sticking to the spoon. Keep stirring this from the time you put it on heat. You will reach a point when your arms will talk to you. The mixture will look dry and The spoon if made to stand will stand on it's own....your puran is done...

Now Back to Amti;
 Take a deep pot, Add the Kat/Drained water from the cooked dal,  to this add one big tennis ball size of puran, little jaggery, little tamarind paste, red chili powder, salt and keep aside. 

In a pan, roast  the Masala Ingredients-Cumin seeds and dry coconut with cloves, peppercorns, Cinnamon stick. after the mix turns brown, grind it into powder. add this to the dal mix set aside.

In a separate wok, take the oil, when its hot, add the tempering ingredients one after the other in the same order, when the tempering is ready, add this to the dal mix, and heat till it comes to a rolling boil. Katachi Amti is done. Add water to either thin it out or leave it thick. We like it thick.

This amti/dal goes with Puran Poli as well as Plain Rice with a dollop of ghee.

Pohyacha Chivda- Desi Answer to Trail mix.

Hello Dearies!!! Its blast from the past today!! Chivda is a staple at my home most times. This is easy to make and so popular with most of my guests that if you have chivda and someone calls for in for tea, then no other snack is needed in such unprepared times.  I am keeping things short today as I am in a rush to get my day time job duties finished. Kindly excuse me for my no-show here, but I promise you that I will be back with some very new recipes and  surprises for you in the next couple of months.

You will need;
 
3 lbs Thin Rice Flakes
1 cup Peanuts Roasted
1/2 cup Cashews
1cup Raisins or Dried Cranberries
1 Cup Daliya/Toasted gram lentils
1/2 Almonds roasted-Optional
Green Chilies-- 5-6
Curry leaves about a handful
Salt Sugar, Corriander and Jeera powder and 1 Tbspn Amchur or dry mango powder- approx 1-2 tspn each.
2 Tbspn Bedekar Chivda Masala- Optional But highly recommended.
 
Tempering;
1/2 to 3/4 cup oil -
**Use your judgement. Use more if the Poha absorbs all oil in the tempering.( At times  the poha absorbs the oil, at such times you might need to make the tempering again.)
1 tbspn Mustard seeds, 
1 tbspn Cumin Seeds/Jeera, 
1 tspn Aesafodita/Hing 
1 tspn Haldi/Turmeric 

In  a wok, dry roast the rice flakes till they get roasted .. meaning if you crush a few flakes, they should form powder... this is a good sign that they are roasted well..

Now remove these roasted flakes in a tray.. let it cool...
in the same wok, heat the oil, add the mustard seeds, jeera, chopped green chillies, curry leaves, peanuts, daliya, almonds and cashews.. fry for 5 mins then add raisins/cranberries, salt and sugar... again fry for one minute.. 

lastly add the Roasted thin flakes and stir well.... add the coriander and Cumin powder, Dry mango powder, chivda masala and stir well....Njoiii this Chivda. 

To make chivda bhel, add in chopped onions and tomatoes, dash of lemon juice and shev on top.

I am sending this to JCO's Gain Popularity event. Its been awhile since I participated in any blog events. Hopefully, I might gain some popularity by sending in my entry.

Choc Cream Flower Cake

Hello Sweetbuds!!! Todays post is yet another awesome sweet cake, which I had the pleasure pf baking for our family friend who also happens to be our kind neighbor. Mr. J celebrates his birthday on Feb 29th. This year not being a leap year we celebrated it a day before.

 I was totally not prepared to bake this cake a day before when his sweet wife asked me to make him a cake. she simply asked me to bake any cake any size, with less to minimum icing. I have baked cakes for Mr. Ash's birthdays for many years now, but never done many for other guys. I was not sure what designs he would like or what his hobbies were or what flavors he liked. 

His wife also gave me no direction and left me at my free will. Her words were, "I know Ash you will do great even without my hinting you." I am so happy for her vote of confidence, yet pulling any cake off in one night is difficult for me, when I work in the day and evenings like any Mom is for kids homework and family. 

I was able to do this cake only for the free will she left me with. Her confidence shone in my efforts and I was truly happy delivering the cake the next morning to her. She gave me the excited look and said Mr.J will be surprised at the cake, and( :) no bragging,) Mr. Ash could not agree more with her.

 The Vanilla cake is from the boxed mix. I use boxed cake mix as it helps people like me who are in time crunch. There I said it. Please do not kill me for I use boxed cake mix shamelessly.

For the  Choc. icing;
3/4 cup choc chips
2 tbspn butter
2 tbspn canola oil.

In a microwave safe glass bowl, mix in the choc chips, room temperature butter and stir well, add in the oil and buzz in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir if not melted then again buzz in another 30 seconds. The icing has to be free flowing but not too liquid. One the icing is spreadable consistency, ice the cake and let cool. After its cooled, pipe the flowers using Whipped cream icing and top with choc shavings.


** Whipped Cream icing can be made by using simply Heavy Whipping Cream and Conf Sugar,

The Rec is as Follows;

1 Cup heavy Whipping Cream

1/2 Cup Conf Sugar

**One packet Instant pudding mix. OR

IF desired One Packet Unflavored Gelatin dissolved in water.

Take a bigger bowl and keep some ice cubes in that.. Over the cubes place anr bowl. Take one cup cream and add sugar and Pudding mix( if needed )... and beat with electric mixer for about 5-7 mins on medium till soft peaks are on the blade. The icing is ready. Fill in a piping bag and ice to your mercy.

I love making such cakes for my near and dear ones. Cake decorating is an art that is  slowly becoming my alternative career. I am told time and again by my friends and well wishers, that I am in a wrong profession, I should be pursuing my passion more definitely, do you my dear readers also agree to this??? Let me know in the comment box?

Fried Rice-Kids Lunch Box

Hello Sweeties!!! Are you well today? Did the kids take the lunch with them to school without any fuss? Lately this has been the story in out home, kids wake up, get ready with morning rituals and  sniff the lunch boxes to try guessing, whats for lunch?

If this has been a regular thing in your homes as well, worry no more. Moms United is there to help you. I have been experimenting in few items that are not only loved by my kids, but which are also easy to assemble in the morning rush. This is essentially as easy as giving tadka to rice and gets ready in no time.

When I was young the lunch box never changed unless it was my birthday. Taking the same old Poli Bhaji aka Roti Subji made school less appealing, seem like a drag throughout the day!! The anticipation of whats for lunch, smells of aloo parathas smeared with ghee from an old classmate's lunch box kept inviting us that we raided his tiffin box well before we were actually supposed to, Come on; who ever will pass out on an delicious piece of aloo paratha, well not me for sure. Sigh!! only if my Lunch box was  worth the wait, School might have been an interesting place to be!!!!

You will need;
1 Cup cooked White rice  
1/2 Medium Onion, Thinly Sliced  
1 Carrot-shredded
1/2 cup Cabbage shredded
5-6 Baby Corn- Sliced lengthwise
1/2 inch Ginger--finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped

Seasonings;
1 tbspon dark Soya Sauce
1 tbspn Sweet and Sour Sauce
1 tspn Maggi Noodle seasoning--Optional
* I have saved it from Maggi Instant Noodle packet  
1/2 Tspn Black Pepper  
Salt and sugar to taste 2 Tbspn Oil

 In a wok, heat oil on a high flame, add ginger and garlic.. fry for one min...then add onions., carrots and cabbage and corn. Fry till the carrots get cooked slightly. Then add the Soya sauce, Maggi Seasoning and  Black pepper, Salt and Sugar.. Stir continuously...lastly add the cooked rice.. and fry for anr couple of min's.

The rice is  ready to be served. Garnish with spring onions if kids like it. Enjoy this fried rice hot or at room temperature.

Bhajani Chakali-Maharahstrian Favourite snack.-Back to roots.

Hello Dearies!! This is an old repeated item that I made sometime back, but back then I was an amateur blogger, not that I am any different today, still the pictures are getting better, as I age into Blogging years. I am not giving links to the old post as they are really not noteworthy. 

I am thankful to all my well wishers who ping me, buzz me to suggest that I make few design changes and  refresh my page with fonts and new pictures; I appreciate all your inputs and suggestions, but I am not that techie, or just say I am technology handicapped. 

Mr. Ash got me a smart phone last summer, lets just say I am still learning to use it smartly. I am learning and trying at a much slower pace that you all want to admit to.

Bhajani Chakli is one snack that makes every maharshtrian go weak in knees. Traditional recipes, chakli machines are passed on as family heirlooms and  not tempered with. I have seen my mom make amazing chakali's since I was young. She enjoyed every step of the chakali making process. I always thought it was so easy, make atta, press in machine and fry.. whats there that's more than that. 

After landing in USA and wanting to try my hand at them, made me realize the whole process of making chakali. This soon became my, " I must try to make chakali at home" obsession.  However expert chakli making needs, the patience that a new bride lacks, the expert eye for the correct temperature of the oil and also the ease with which your wrists move while pressing the chakali's into perfect rounds.

I made them the first time with my dear friend K. We both were learning to make diwali faral on our own and that's when we decided to try our hand at this snack. My moms words were echoing in my ears, NO more than 3 rounds each chakli, I set to make them with K and we had amazing results the first time we made. 

Our Diwali was complete with the most cherished snack of all. The bhajani or the atta/flour is specially made for chakali. I get it with me every time I visit home. My mom makes it in huge  quantities to pack into smaller portions and seals the packs individually. This is moms love I guess. 

The Bhajani recipe is much guarded by my mom, but I am hoping she makes it when I visit her the next time, so I can share it with you guys. Till then make do This Recipe.


You will need;
**Will make about 50 chakali's

2 cups Store brought bhajani Flour
*I used my mommy made  bhajani
2 cups water boiling
2 tsp Red chili powder
1 tspn Haldi/Turmeric
1 tbspn- Sesame seeds
1 Tbspn Butter/Ghee
1 Tbspn Ajwain
1 tsp Jeera
Salt and sugar to taste
Approx 2 cups Oil for frying

In a pot, keep the water for boiling, when it comes to a rapid boil, add the turmeric, chili powder, sesame seeds, jeera, Ajwain, Butter, salt and sugar.. mix well, then add the flour, stir well, cover with a lid and keep aside for 15 mins. 

Once cool, knead the flour mix into a soft dough.. and use the Chakli making machine to form nice circles of abt 1-2 inch....Never more than 3 rounds as my moms says;

Heat oil in a deep Kadhai/wok, and fry these circles on medium heat. Note that the oil should be hot not smoking hot...The chakalis need to be cooked well and crispy, having the oil smoking hot will burn the chakalis and not give them a nice crunch.

I am happy to rush this to Manasi aka Cook@ Heart who is hosting a CupoNation giveaway on her space. So if you don't yet follow her like a puppy, do so now and enter yourself to the cool giveaway she is hosting.

I am also sending this to Preeti's event. Hope you all will also join in and say No to Plagiarism.