Golden Fried Prawns

250 gms prawns ( the larger the better), 6 tbsps flour, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp baking powder , ½ cup water

In a bowl mix flour , baking powder and salt. Gradually mix in the water . The mixture should be of a thick flowing consistency. Mix the prawns in the batter and leave it for 1 hour. Deep fry in hot oil  over medium heat., till they are light brown in colour or till crisp. Serve with chilli sauce.

The same batter can be used for prawns, crab, lobsters, boneless fish. or if vegetarian for Paneer, Turai (Zuccini)  or brinjals (aubergine) .

Vatana Ussal

2 cups green peas, 1 tbsp oil, 2 green chillies, ½ inch ginger chopped finely, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 pinch asafoetida, 2 tbsp chopped green coriander leaves.1/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds crushed or ¼ tsp mustard paste.2 tbsp grated/ dessicated coconut.

Heat oil, when hot add mustard seeds, asafoetida, green chillies, and ginger. Add in peas and ¼ cup water.Mix well , add salt to taste , cover and cook till peas are tender. Add mustard paste/ seeds and stri till the liquid dries completely. Garnish with green coriander and coconut.

Couscous Upma

Couscous is a popular snack served up by the Berber tribe of the High Atlas Mountains.It is a hardy , yet a very versatile food.It is traditionally made of wheat and needs to be steamed. HHowever the couscous now freely available is a quick cook version and needs to be simply soaked in hot water in the proportion indicated on the pack.t is also available in versions made of pearl millet ( bajra),rice or corn.

Once the Couscous is prepared by soaking in hot water ( usually 1 1/2 times the dry couscous), it is ready to be used. It can be served alon with meat or vegetable curries, in salads or on its own. Here I have attempted to indianize it. It can be sustituted in savoury recipes needing Sooji or semolina.

1 cup couscous prepared as per instructions on packet.
2 tsp oil, ¼ tsp mustard seeds, 5 curry leaves, 1 small onion chopped, mixed vegetables chopped , salt to taste.
Heat oil, add mustard seeds till they sputter, add curry leaves, saute chopped onion till its soft and transluscent. As soon as they onions start browning , add vegetables. Add salt , cover and cook till vegetables are soft. Add the couscous, check salt. Sprinkle a little water and mix well. Cover and cook for 2 mins. Garnish with coriander and serve.

American Chop Suey

While Chop Suey is the mnemonic for Chinese cooking , the American Chop Suey is a concoction made up by the Americans. When the railroad tracks were being laid in San Francisco, the chinese migrant cooks served up a chopsuey made with vegetables, beans , chicken/pork and noodles. The Americans, used to eating every thing with ketchup, would add ketchup to this chopsuey. This was hence known as the American Chop Suey.

American Chop Suey
¼ cup each of julienned carrots, capsicum, mushrooms, spring onions, cabbage
4 tbsp bean sprouts,
2 tbsp oil, 200 ml tomato puree, 4 tbsp tomato ketchup, 1 tbsp soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste,
2 tbsp corn starch blended with water
fresh cut noodles, deep fried.
Heat oil, stir fry all the veggies for 2 mins, Mis tomato puree, ketchup , soy sauce, salt , pepper and add to the veggies. As soon as the mixture bubbles, add the cornflour till sauce thickens.
In a dish place fried noodles, serve veggies over it . Top with a fried egg.

For a non vegetarian version , you can add thinly sliced marinated chicken ( for 200 gms chicken beat 1 egg and 2 tbsp cornflour and salt pepper to taste. Keep covered for 10 minutes and strir fry.)or mince or prawns. All all of it . Just stirfry the chicken / prawns before adding the vegetables. Cook till almost done, before adding the sauces.



You will find the recipe for fresh noodles in this blog.

Kuttu Khichadi

Buckwheat has been used in Indian cooking since ancient times. In India we use it mostly in flour form. Kuttu ka ataa is a staple used during fasting days. Its nutty taste and smooth texture makes it extremely versatile to fashion into pooris or parathas as well as to coat patties and pakodas. The whole grain however has been completely sidelined. The west has now brought this amazing cereal back into reckoning. Buckwheat or Kuttu contains all 8 amino acids, magnesium, iron, copper, zinc, manganes, Vitamin B, fibre, flavonoids and most important - Omega 3 oils. Its obviously a treasure chest of nutrients . Its easy to cook and very flexible. I have tried it out as cutlets, pooris and this Khichadi. Its made exactly like the sabudana khichadi.


100 gms buckwheat , 200 ml water, salt to taste. Heat water, pick and clean buckwheat and add to the boiling water.add salt. Cover and cook on low flame for 5 mins. Take off heat and cover and keep aside. Once it cools down, drain any excess water .

For Khichadi: 2 cups cooked buckwheat, 1/2 cup coarsely crushed peanuts, 2 tsp ghee, 1 tsp cumin seeds / jeera, 4-5 curry leaves, 1 green chilli finely chopped, 2 tbsp grated/ dessicated fresh coconut, 1 tsp sugar, salt to taste, chopped green coriander.

Mix the buckwheat, with salt &  sugar. Heat the ghee, add cumin , green chilli and curry leaves. Add the buckwheat mixture. stir and mix well. Add 1/2 cup water , cover and cook for 4-5 mins or till water dries out.Add peanut, coconut and coriander. Mix well and serve hot.

Chhole

Chick Pea or Channa is eaten all over India, each rehgion cooking it in its own unique style. Using local spices and eaten combined with the local staple like rice, rotis, bhaturs, parathas, pooris or even bread. It is enjoyed both by vegetarians as well as non vegetarians alike. While in the West and North it is cooked in a basic onion - tomato gravy , down south it is cooked in a typical coconut gravy. This recipe is for the North Indian preparation commonly known a Chhole or Choley.

1 cup of white chick peas/ channa soaked overnight, will yeild about 2 1/2 cups of chick peas. 2 onions chopped, 2 tomatoes - chopped, 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste, 2 tablespoon oil, 2 , 1" sticks cinnamon, 2 big black cardamoms , 4 cloves, 2 tej patta/ bay leaves, 1 tsp each of turmeric, red chilli powder, 2 tsps coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 2 tsp garam masala powder, salt to taste, green coriander leaves finely chopped.

Heat oil. Add in the cinnamon , cloves and cardamom. Add chopped onion, when light brown , add ginger garlic paste, when fragrant and brown, add tomatoes.Cook till oil separates. Mix together red chilli powder, turmeric, corainder and cumin powders , add a little water and mix into a smooth paste. Add it to the onion tomato mixture. Cook till oil separates. Add in the soaked chick peas and salt as desired. Mix well and add 2 cups water. Cook till the chick peas are tender. Reduce gravy as per requirement ( for rice keep a thin gravy , for rotis or pooris, reduce till semi liquid). Add garam masala powder and green coriander.
Serve Hot.

Vada Pav

Think of Mumbai street food and the vada pav is topmost on that list. What makes this cheap concoction of potatoes, chick pea flour and buns such a winning combination? I dont have the answer, but give me an option between a Burger and a Vada Pav, I'll take the Vada Pav anyday. Available at road corners all over Mumbai, this is truly the fastest of fast foods. Hot vadas being fried on the roadside,however unhygenic they may look, are what turns every mumbaikars head.The spicy chutney heaped onto bread torn apart to accomodate the hot vadas, done in barely 10 seconds, and you have a complete meal to go.

Vada Pav

Batata Vada

Basic recipe for Batata Vada ( Potato Patty)
4 boiled potatoes-mashed, 1 green chilli-crushed fine, 4 curry leaves,4 cloves of garlic - crushed , 1/2 tsp turmeric , chopped green coriander - 1 tbsp, 1 tsp oil, 1/4 tsp mustard seeds,salt to taste and half a lemon.
Heat oil , add mustard seeds, after they splutter, add green chilli, garlic,curry leaves and turmeric. take off heat , add chopped coriander leaves, salt and lemon juice. Mix well and divide into 8 equal size balls. Flatten slightly like a patty.

The batter
4 tbsp besan / chick pea flour, 1/4 tsp turmeric, salt to taste and hot water to make the paste.
Mix besan, turmeric and salt. adding a little hot water at a time mix the besan so as to make a smooth lumpless batter. The consistency should be that of thick custard. It should thickly coat the back of a spoon. Beat well .

Heat oil , to test the temperature of the oil, drop in a small blob of batter. It should immediately rise upto the surface of the oil . Now dip a patty in the batter and coat it well. Lower carefully into the hot oil. Repeat and add as many as will comfortably fit into the oil. Take care to not crowd them in the oil. The vadas/ patties should freely move around the oil. fry till the underside is pink, then turn and fry the other side. This time fry till golden and turn and fry the other side as well. Drain. These Vadas can be served on their own or with the pavs.
The oil will have a few beads of batter floating around. carefully drain and keep these aside as well.These beads are called boondi.

Assemble the vada pavs .
Tear open a bun/ pav so that it is still attached to each other , liberally apply the chutneys of your choice to the inside surface of the pav/ buns. Place the vada / patty in the pav and press shut with a slight pressure. Your Vada pav is ready.

Chutneys to use
Garlic Chutney : Fiery, spicy and the Vada Pavs soul mate. No real vada pav is complete without it. Not for the faint hearted though. Please use discretion while trying this chutney.
Garlic Onion Chilly Chutney: This one accompanies most snacks and chaats. Smooth , hot and viscous, this spreads easily . The spice quotient is definately lesser than the garlic chutney.
Green Coriander Chutney : Milder, but just as smooth. A worthy companion to the vada pav.
Sweet Dates Chutney: Tangy , sweet and addictive. Add this with the garlic coconut chutney and the green chutney and you have a perfect trio taste.A winning combination.
Green Coconut Chutney: Mild and nutty. This rich chutney is loved by young and old. It is a perfect accompaniment to most indian snacks and can be used on fasting days as well.

The boondi , which is a by product of frying the batter in the hot oil , can be used as a base for making a yoghurt side dish raita . Will put up the recipe for Boondi raita soon.

Tavsali

Saraswats love using fruits like vegetables and vegetables like fruit , hence this traditional dish.Tavsali or Dhondas is basically a steamed cucumber cake. In the west people relish cakes / muffins made with vegetables like carrots and zucchini. Here is our very own traditional counterpart. The cucumbers used are the large variety , the seeds to be carefully avoided.

2 cups grated cucumber/kheera/kakdi,1 and 1/2 cups grated jaggery or sugar,1 and 1/4 cup rava/sooji/semolina,1 cup dessicated or finely  grated coconut,2 green cardamoms ground,2 tbsp chopped cashews,

pinch of salt.

Roast rava (dry or in 1 tsp butter/ghee) and cool.Mix all the rest of the ingredients and beat well , pour the batter in a 8 x 8inch baking pan.Preheat oven to 350 F / and bake the cake in the oven for 30 minutes till cooked .Cool and cut into squares.Can be served hot or at room temperature.

Pineapple Saar

Summer days bring in special fruits and vegetables. Saraswats freely use these in their cooking . Raw and ripe mangoes, pineapples, jack fruits , jack fruit seeds, all of these create some exotic vegetarian treats with names like Ambe sasam, annanas sasam, ambe-annanas sasam, ansa phansa chi bhaji,etc. The end result is a refreshing , tasty and exotic dish.
Pineapple saar is a thin, light curry that can be served as a soup or a side dish with meals. Perfect for a summer's day lunch get together.

1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice, 2 cups coconut milk, 2 tsp oil, 4-5 curry leaves, 1 pinch of asafoetida, 1 green chilli slit, 1/4 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp finely grated ginger , 1 tbsp rice flour / cornflour, salt to taste.

Mix well the pineapple juice and coconut milk, make a paste with a tbsp of this mixture and rice flour / cornflour , add to the pineapple coconut mixture and mix well. Heat oil, add mustard seeds .when they splutter , add asafeotida, curry leaves, green chilli and ginger. Saute lightly , add the pineapple - coconut mixture and cook on slow heat till slightly thick. 
Serve as a soup or with rice.

Kelphoolachi Bhaji

This is one vegetable, I could never bear the smell of. It is sickly sweet and all pervading. Yet this preparation is one of my favourite exotic things to eat.My mother turns this ugly looking, smelly flower of the banana trees , into one delectable morsel. Kelphool, or Banana Blossom is actually many bunches of flowering bananas. These bunches, hidden inside layers of thick brown leaves grow to become the bananas we eat. The Banana Flower or blossom is found at the bottom of a clump of several bunches of bananas. It is a special treat in kitchen southwards of  and around Maharashtra. It is cumbersome to clean and prepare this vegetable and a huge looking blossom usually yeilds a small amount of useable vegetable. Yet it is worth the trouble ( In my case ,since someone else takes it :) )
Here is my mothers special recipe.

1 banana flower
1 cup black vatana , soaked over night
3 tblsp oil
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
a generous pinch of asafoetida
8-10 garlic smashed but not broken
1 large onion chopped fine
1/2 tsp each of turmeric powder, red chilli powder
1 tsp each of coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder
1 small lump of jaggery , size of a large marble
salt to taste
1/4 cup fresh dessicated jaggery


Pull apart the leaves and remove the small thin pods , Remove the  long stem and thin membrane , wash the pods and chop them fine .  Soak it in a mixture of 1 cup water and 1 cup buttermilk, overnight. At the same time soak 1 cup black mattar ( kala vatana). Next morning
Drain the vegetable and cook under pressure for 3 whistles. Cook the black mattar under pressure for 3 whistles.In a pan heat oil, add mustard and asfoetida. take the garlic and fry them till brown. remove, saute  onion till brown, add the cooked black mattar, garlic, turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and garam masala. cook for 2-3 minutes. Add salt and jaggery, then the cooked vegetable. stir well then cover and cook for 5 mins.Once the vegetable is dry,add dessicated fresh coconut and serve.

Best served with Roti, Phulkas or with Dal Rice.