Sabudana khichdi / Sago khichdi

As kids, we looked forward to days when Mom and aunts would fast. It would mean a treat for us too as differeent delicacies were made. The star attraction for me would be the sabudana khichdi. Who would mind fasting if one could feast on things like these!
I don't fast as often as my Mom did so I had to find other reasons to make this khichdi. I didn't have to hunt too much. Everyone at home loves this dish and so when we are bored of regular roti-sabzi routine, I go for this. Maharashtrians make it for breakfast and Indoris are certified devotees of this dish.

Here is how to go about it.  

Serves: 2 or 2.5                                    

Ingredients:
Sabudana : 300 gms
Potatoes: 2 medium, cubed finely
Roasted, skinned peanuts : a handful or 2 handfuls, ground roughly
Green chillies: 2-3, chopped
Coriander: a generous handful
Lemon: 1 medium
Jeera: 2 teaspoons
Normal salt or sendha namak: according to taste
Sugar: 1 teaspoon
Black pepper: a couple of pinches
Oil or ghee: 4 tablespoons
Optional : Fresh pomegranate seeds

Way to go:
1. Wash sabudana and soak for 5-6 hours. The pearly whites should be underwater when you soak.
2. Heat oil or ghee and add jeera. Add potatoes.
3. Crush peanuts slightly. When potatoes are almost done, add chillies and peanuts.
4. Put soaked sabudana, rock salt and pepper powder and sugar. Mix well taking care that the pearls don't get crushed. Cover and cook for a couple of minutes on low flame.
5. Sprinkle a little water if it looks dry.  Cover and cook again for a couple of minutes. The end result should be a moist but not sticky khichdi.
6. Garnish with coriander and pomegranate seeds. Add lime juice and mix well. Serve piping hot.
7. Some people also garnish it with grated coconut or potato sev falahari mix. I like the original taste so much that I don't want to mask it with sev.

Tips:
The most tricky part of this khichdi for me was to soak it correctly. There have been times when sabudana was not properly soaked and khichdi turned out to be chewy. To avoid this, soak sabudana in adequate water - sabudana should be just submerged. After a couple of hours, turn the pearls and sprinkle more water if it has dried up.

Pindkhajoor ka doodh/ Date flavored milk

This is one of those delicacies from childhood, which bring back a cavalcade of memories. 'Pindkhajoor ka doodh' is a very, very, very simple recipe. (Have I emphasised the simple part enough?) Literally a child's play. On top of it, the taste is so heavenly, you can't thank your stars enough to have discovered such a dessert!

Mummy used to make this on cold, wintry, Rajasthani nights. Dinner would be over, me and Bhaiyya would have finished our homework and would be getting ready for bed when Mummy would bring in this steaming delight. We would tuck ourselves in a thick rajai and relish the creamy, brownish, sweet milk and scoop up tender dates. Soon enough, the bowl would be smacked clean....did I mention that the last sip was the best? Nectar of nectars is the only word I can come up with to describe the taste of the last sip. Winters were brrrrrrrrr.... but such a treat made them worthwhile. Thanks, Mom for making our winter memories warm and sweet with those bowlfuls of 'pindkhajoor ka doodh'. 

Here's the recipe:

Serves : 2 greedy people or 3 not-so-greedy ones:

Ingredients: 

Milk: 3/4 litres
Dates : 5-6
Sugar: 1 tablespoon or according to taste


Way to go:

1. Wash dates thoroughly. Pat them dry. Discard stones and slice the flesh vertically.
2. Put milk on boil in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Add dates and let the mix simmer on low flame for 20-25 minutes.
3. Add sugar.
4. Transfer in a bowl. Take along a spoon. Get inside a rajai and gorge on it!

Tips:

1. It is a totally flexible recipe. You can add more or less dates. If you want thicker consistency of milk, take more milk and simmer for longer.
2. If you are happy with natural sweetness of dates, discard sugar altogether. I love it with sugar though.
3. After putting a spoonful in your mouth, close your eyes. Instant nirvana!

If you try this recipe and like it, please leave a comment.

Kachche kele ke kofte/ Raw banana balls

Raw bananas are packed with dietary fibre and are rich in manganese and potassium. I like to incorporate them in my cooking and this is one nice snack which caters to my sinful side. I also like recipes which replace the omnipresent potato from snacks. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against potatoes - I just love them, but change is good, right? 

Served with a green chutney, these koftas are a delight and I was doubly happy when my 2 year old gobbled them up. Trust me, that's a huge compliment :)

Ingredients:

Raw bananas - 2 big ones

Mint leaves - a fistful 

Coriander leaves - a few

Green chillies -  2-3 or more according to taste, finely chopped 

Salt and black salt - according to taste

Chilly powder - 1 tsp

Jeera powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Fennel seeds-1 tsp

Dry mango powder (amchur) or amla powder - 2 tsp. ( I try using amla powder as it is healthier than amchur)

Oil for frying

Way to go:

1. Cut bananas into half. Pressure cook in a little water. Make sure that they don't get overcooked or mushy. But don't undercook them either. I figured out that 2 whistles in a pressure cooker would be optimal. 

2. Let them cool. Peel. 

3. Mash them well with hand or a masher. Add all the spices. 

                                        

4. Mix well and make round balls. Put them in the fridge or freezer for a while. 

5. Heat oil. Test the temperature by dropping a little lump of this mix. If it dances in oil, it's ready.

6. Fry all the koftas till they are crispy and golden brown. Don't forget to put them on brown paper or paper napkin to absorb some of the oil. Serve hot with ketchup or a green chutney. 

I got this lovely spoon from my Mom. She got a set for herself but as it happens with Mom's stuff, you can just grab things you like!"A pinch of patience" isn't enough for me - I want oodles of it when cooking!

Tips:

1. If you feel that the mix has become too mushy or if koftas break during frying, add gram flour and mix it nicely again.

2. Keeping koftas in fridge before frying helps making them firm and easier to fry. 

3. You can also shape this mix as patties/cutlets and shallow fry in a pan. 

Kathirikai kadyal / Brinjal sambar/ Eggplant sambar

A Tamilian friend of mine treated me to soft fluffy idlis and instead of the usual sambar or chutney, she served them with this kadyal. When she gave me the recipe, I was delighted as it is simple and delicious. Thanks to you for this, Kalpana!

Ingredients: 
Toor daal: 2 tablespoons
Tomato: 1 medium
Onion: 1 medium
Brinjal: 1 medium
Garlic cloves: 4-5

For seasoning: 
Oil: 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon
Urad daal: 1 teaspoon
Green chilly: 1 big
Curry leaves: 5-8

Way to go: 
1. Soak daal in half a cup of water for about half an hour.
2. Roughly chop brinjal, tomato and onion.
3. Add all the ingredients in a cooker along with half a cup of water( use the water in which daal was soaked). Let the cooker whistle twice.
4. Cool down and puree. The consistency should be medium thick. It should be thicker than the ususal sambar.
5. Now season and serve hot with idlis.

Bhutte ke pakore/ Corn pakoras

August is my favorite month. Not because it happens to be my birthday month, but mainly because it's choc- a- bloc with festivals. Raksha bandhan, teej, hariyali amavasya, janmashtami, Independence Day and after coming to South India Varamahalaksmhi and Gauri-Ganesh. In Rajasthan, monsoon starts in July and is at its peak in August. The brown landscape turns refreshing green and is a popular time for picnics. It is also a time for nature's bounty in form of  bhutte or corn and rainy days provide a perfect backdrop for hot seasonal delicacies like bhutte ka kis, bhutte ke pakore or simply sika hua bhutta! Oh, it's making my mouth water now so let's make some pakoras.

Makes:15 medium sized pakoras

Ingredients:

1 medium sized corn cob
Akha dhaniya / whole coriander seeds 

3 chopped green chillies

A pinch of red chilly powder Chopped coriander

Besan / gram flour - approx 4 tbsp
Salt to taste
Garam masala
Oil for frying

Way to go:
1.Take out corn kernels from the cob. Run them lightly in a food processor so that they get a rough texture. Don't make a paste. It's alright to have a few whole corn kernels too. I love it when the whole kernels crunch in my mouth!
2. Add besan to the crushed kernels, one spoonful at a time. This batter is made without adding any water as the moisture from corn would provide enough water. Add all other ingredients.
3. Heat oil and when the oil is medium hot, make pakoras by adding a dollop of this mix in oil.
4. Sometimes, whole kernels can burst out and hurt you. Be careful and  if you have protective cooking goggles, now is the time to take them out:)
5. Serve and eat hot with any yummy chutney of your choice. Green chutneys are my personal favorites.

Kachche kele ka nashta/ Raw banana snack

My Mom is an enthusiastic learner. She is quite adventurous when it comes to trying out new dishes.

I have inherited that trait from her. She ate this snack at a friend's place and since then it has become a regular at her place. I also love it and try to make it at least once a month. It is specially yummy in monsoons. A hot cup of tea and piping hot banana snack is a lovely way to enjoy rains. Recently, a couple of friends tried it at my place and went gaga over it. So here's the recipe.

Serves: 2 hungry souls or 4 not-so-hungry ones

Ingredients:

Raw bananas - 2

Onions-2

Tomatoes- 3-4

Ginger-garlic paste - 1-2 teaspoon

Green chillies -1

Grated coconut - 2 tablespoon

Chopped coriander leaves - for garnishing

Lemon juice- 1 teaspoon

Roasted sesame seeds- 1 tablespoon

Oil - 2 tablespoons ( you can also make it in 1 tbsp. you can add a little water towards the end.)\

Garam masala- a pinch
Salt - to taste

Way to Go:

1. Peel bananas. Cut slices of medium thickness.

2. Chop onions and tomatoes. I use food processor to chop them roughly.

3. Heat oil. Add cumin seeds. When they crackle, add onions and saute'. Add ginger garlic paste. If you don't have the paste, chop 6 cloves of garlic finely and grate1 inch piece of ginger. Add chopped green chillies.

4. After the onions start browning, add tomatoes. 

5. When the mix starts leaving oil, add banana slices and salt. Cover and let it cook. Bananas won't take much time to cook. Keep checking. When they turn soft, switch off the flame. 

6. Add lemon juice and garam masala.

7. Garnish with grated coconut, chopped coriander and sesame seeds. 

8. Enjoy while piping hot.

Keri ka Achar/ Raw Mango Temporary Pickle

This is one of those absolutely muaah recipes which are fast to make and excellent to eat.

An Andhraite friend of mine introduced me to this temporary pickle which is made as an accompaniment to rice dishes like pongal. It will go fabulously well with parathas and chapatis too. The day I made it for the first time, I ended up eating spoonfuls of it, without any accompaniment!

Recently, a couple of friends had it at my place and were head over heels in love with this. So be prepared, it's going to be yummy........

Ingredients:

Keri or Raw Mangoes - 2 mid sized 

Bydagi red chillies - 12-13

Methi (fenugreek) seeds - 1 teaspoon

Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tsp each for sautéing and for seasoning
For Seasoning : Asafoetida, mustard seeds, chana dal, curry leaves.

Way to Go:

1. Wash keris well. Dry them thoroughly. Grate them without peeling. Then run in a mixie for a second. ( I skipped this step).

2. Sauté chillies and methi seeds together in 1 tsp  of oil for 1 minute on a slow flame. Grind them.

3. Mix this masala and salt with grated keris. 

4. Now heat one tsp of oil. When warm, add heeng, mustard, chana daal and curry leaves.

5. Add this tadka to the grated keris and mix well. 

This is best eaten fresh but can be refrigerated for 4-5 days. 

Enjoy!