.....From My Palate

Ganesh Chaturthi

Bharli Vangi/Eggplant In Peanut Coconut Gravy

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Bharli Vangi is one of the traditional and classic dish in Maharashtra. Though I never attended any Maharashtrian wedding but heard that this dish is must in menu for any wedding or festive occasion, Personally i like this dish better next day,  when eggplants are all marinated in the masala and tastes awesome  with coconut y-peanut  flavor melting in mouth. The ingredients for Bharli vangi recipe are almost same for stuffed eggplant or bagare baigan but the magic wand in this recipe is Goda Masala.

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Bharli Vangi/Eggplant In Peanut Coconut Gravy
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • 8-9 Baby Eggplant
  • 2-3 tbsp. Oil
  • For Stuffing-
  • 1 cup chopped Onion
  • 2 tsp. Ginger Garlic paste
  • 1/2 Cup Dessicated Coconut
  • 1/2 Cup roasted Peanuts
  • 2 tbsp. roasted Sesame Seeds (Til)
  • 2 tsp. Red Chili Powder
  • 2 tbsp. Coriander Seeds Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Turmeric Powder
  • 1 tsp. Cumin Seeds
  • 1 tsp. Goda Masala
  • 1 tbsp. grated Jaggery
  • 1 tbsp. Tamarind Plup
  • Salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Slit the eggplants into four, lengthways keeping the stems intact.
  2. Heat little oil in a pan and saute dessicated coconut over medium heat for two minutes, stirring continuously, till the coconut turns a light golden brown.
  3. Mix peanuts, sesame seeds in the coconut mixture.
  4. Cool and grind the mixture with a little water to a coarse paste.
  5. Mix and add goda masala, coriander powder, salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, jaggery and tamarind pulp.
  6. Stuff the mixture into the eggplants.
  7. Heat the remaining oil in a deep wide pan, add cumin seeds and when they begin to splutter, add onion and ginger garlic paste.
  8. Saute onion until light brown in color.
  9. Now place the stuffed eggplants in the pan and cook for two or three minutes.
  10. Add water as needed to cook the eggplants evenly from all sides.
  11. Gently turn the eggplants once or twice in between while cooking.
  12. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat until eggplants are soft and evenly cooked.

Puran Poli

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Maharashtrian cuisine!! What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you read it? May be, spicy Vada Paav, steaming hot Paav Bhaji, Misal Paav, Ragda Patties or chatpati Bhel Puri. But the real food of this filmy state is much more than these easily available street food. Today we are talking about the most popular Puran Poli. Puran Poli is a sweet, soft and flaky flat bread that melts in the mouth with burst of sweet nutty flavors and makes every occasion sweet and auspicious with its presence.

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Puran Poli
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • For Puran-
  • 1 cup Chana Dal
  • 1 cup Jaggery (Gudh)
  • Pinch of Nutmeg powder
  • 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder
  • Few strands of Saffron
  • 1 cup Water
  • For Dough-
  • 1 cup Whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup All Purpose Flour (Maida)
  • 1 tbsp Oil
  • Salt to taste
  • (I used only whole wheat flour but adding all purpose flour makes it softer and tastier)
Instructions
Puran
  1. Wash and soak chana dal for overnite.
  2. Boil chana dal with one cup of water and saffron for 3-4 whistles.
  3. Drain and coarsely grind it.
  4. Mix chana dal, jaggery, nutmeg and cardamom powder.
  5. Cook the mixture in a nonstick pan until it thickens (spatula can stand upright in the mixture just to check it.)
  6. Keep it aside and make small balls of the mixture.
Puran Poli Dough
  1. Take maida, whole wheat flour, salt and oil. Mix it well.
  2. Add water as needed and knead it in to a soft sticky dough.
  3. Cover and leave it to rest for an hour.
Puran Poli
  1. Make a soft dough with tsp of oil.
  2. Take small ball from dough and roll like a puri.
  3. Stuff puran in to rolled puri and seal the edges nicely.
  4. Roll it evenly like stuffed paratha.
  5. Heat non stick tawa and cook puranpoli from both the sides with little ghee or oil till it gets nice golden color.
  6. Serve hot with a dollop of ghee over it.

Til Bugga/Til Khoya Ladoo

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Happy Spring to all of you! Weather is on the verge of warming up and hopefully we had the last snow of this season on that very first day of spring. Sun is going to sleep little late now and so do I. Good news is now we can go out and enjoy long walks, sit outside savor sunlight and compensate for all the vitamin D we missed in gloomy and dark winter months.

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It’s not that, I go for hibernation in winter months, my chef hat was perched on my head all the time. In fact I feel winter months are good time for baking. There are few recipes in my draft but somehow never get a chance to write and share!!
This is the recipe I made on Sakat Chauth, it’s called Tilbugga or Til Ke Ladoo.

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Til Bugga/Til Khoya Ladoo
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • 1 cup Khoya
  • 1 1/2 cups coarsely powdered roasted Sesame Seeds (Til)
  • 1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar or Boora
  • 1/2 tsp. Cardamom Powder
  • Kesar, Silvered Almonds and Pistachios for garnishing
Instructions
  1. Roast khoya on low flame till it is very light golden-yellow color.
  2. Let it cool for few minutes.
  3. Then add coarsely powdered roasted sesame seeds and cardamom powder. Mix it.
  4. Now add powdered sugar and mix well.
  5. Shape it into small balls.
  6. Garnish them with kesar or nuts of your choice.

Mango Shrikhand/Amrakhand

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Summers are in full swing now and with the warm weather outside, anything cold, creamy, sweet is blissful and divine to the palate. Desserts are the sweet endings to a meal. Sweets give the food perfect landing in the stomach with the bursting flavors lingering in the mouth for some time. For the sweet tooth like me, any meal is incomplete without dessert. People think dessert making is a tedious task but the dessert I am sharing today is unbelievably simple and perfect for summers.

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Shrikhand is a yogurt based dessert popular in Maharashtra and Gujarat. It is a sweet combination of yogurt, sugar, cardamom, and saffron. Mangoes “king of fruit” gives a fresh flavor to a already delicious sweet. It is also called Amrakhand and is a important part of any meal in western part of India.

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Mango Shrikhand/Amrakhand
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • 3 cups Hung Yogurt
  • 1 cup Mango Pulp
  • 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 1 tbsp. Saffron dissolved in milk
  • 1 tsp. Cardamom Powder
  • 1 tsp. Rose Water
  • Silvered Pistachios for garnishing
Instructions
For Hung Yogurt–
  1. Take a yogurt in a cheese cloth, gather all the ends and tie a knot on the top.
  2. Hang it with the help of a twine with the kitchen tap or the banana stand.
  3. Place a bowl under the yogurt.
  4. Hang it for 5-8 hours.
  5. Scoop the yogurt from the cloth and refrigerate it until needed.
Mango Shrikhand
  1. Mix hung yogurt, mango pulp, sugar, saffron milk and cardamom.
  2. Mix it until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
  3. Chill it in refrigerator.
  4. Serve with fresh mangoes garnished with silvered pistachios.

Makhane Ki Kheer – Navratri Special

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Happy Ramnavmi to my friends, family and fellow bloggers!

Nine forms of Shakti are worshipped during the Navaratris. The first three days of Navratri are devoted to worship of Durga, the Goddess of power. We worship her in the appearence of Durga Kumari, Ma Parvati And Ma Kali. Fourth, fifth, and sixth days are dedicated to Ma Laxmi, the Goddess of prosperity and peace. Seventh and eighth days are dedicated to Ma Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge and wisdom.

Give your body and mind a chance to
break out of a pattern and give it a new direction.
Fasting – a gift to an over-burdened
body and an over-indulged mind. – Art of living

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Today’s recipe Makhane ki Kheer is synonym to navratri in my family. Makhane ki kheer is served as dessert everyday for nine days. Makhane/lotus seeds/fox nut are highly beneficial in terms of nutritional value. These seeds are low in saturated fats, sodium and cholesterol and are good source of protein, calcium, magnesium potassium and phosphorus.

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Makhane Ki Kheer – Navratri Special
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • 4 cups Milk
  • 1 1/2 cups Makhane (Lotus Seeds)
  • 3/4 cup Sugar
  • Pinch of Jaiphal Powder (Nutmeg Powder)
  • 2 tbsp. Kishmish (Raisins)
  • 2 tbsp. Almonds, sliced
  • 2 tbsp. Dried Coconut, grated
  • 1/4 tsp. Elaichi Powder (Cardamom Powder)
  • Few strands Kesar (saffron)
  • 1 tsp. ghee
  • Sliced Pistachios for garnishing
Instructions
  1. Heat the ghee in a pan.
  2. Add makhanas and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes till they are crisp and slightly golden.
  3. Remove from the flame and crush them slightly.
  4. Heat the milk in a non-stick pan and when it comes to a boil, add the crushed makhanas.
  5. Simmer till makhanas become soft.
  6. Add sugar, nutmeg powder, cardamom powder, raisins, and half amount of almond and coconut.
  7. Add saffron and cook it till it become thick in consistency.
  8. Serve chilled garnished with pistachios and rest of the almond and coconut.

Til Ke Ladoo – Sakat Special

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Til Ke Ladoo - Sakat Special

Sakat Chauth : Mothers fast for their kids for good fortune and wealth

This day is also called Sankat Haran Chauth. Sankat means trouble, Haran means to take it off. So by keeping fast on this day all kinds of problems are removed. Today is the day when Lord Ganesh and Moon is worshiped. This day is also known as Ganesh Chauth, Mahi chauth or Tilkuta Chauth. Til Ladoos (made from sesame seeds and jaggery) are the specialty of this day which are prepared by the mothers.

Til Ke Ladoo