Khandvi

Ingredients:
3/4 cup besan (Bengal gram flour)
2 1/4 cups thin buttermilk
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)
4 green chillies
12 mm. (1/2") piece ginger (adrak)
salt to taste
For garnish
3 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds ( rai / sarson)
2 pinches of asafoetida (hing)
3 tbsp chopped corriander (dhania)
3 tbsp grated fresh coconut

Method:

1. Make a paste of the green chillies and ginger.
2. Mix the gram flour, buttermilk, turmeric powder, asafoetida, green chilli paste and salt very well.
3. Heat the mixture and keep stirring constantly.
4. When very thick, test by spreading a little paste on a plate. If after about 1 minute, the mixture can be rolled and lifted, it is ready for spreading.
5. When ready, spread the mixture thinly (with the help of the back of a spoon) on any working surface.
6. Cool and cut in about 50 mm. (2") strips.
7. Roll up the strips (like small Swiss rolls) and arrange on a plate.
8. Heat the oil in a vessel and fry the mustard seeds.
9. When the seeds start popping, remove from the fire, add the asafoetida and pour over the arranged rolls.
10. Garnish with the chopped coriander and grated coconut and serve.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:
Garlic,
ginger,
Brown Mushrooms with big umbrellas
pesto sauce
onion
green/ red capsicum
corn
spinach
Paneer

Method:
Saute grated garlic ginger, finely chopped onion,and finely chopped mushroom stems, pesto sauce, green/red capsicum, corn and spinach. and let is cook.

Stuff the above mixture in the mushroom caps and bake it in the oven(400 degrees) for 20 mins.

Garnish it with paneer.

Maharashtrian Sabudana Khicdi

Ingredients

1 cup Sabudana soaked for few hours with limited water.

1 big Potato

1/3 cup tbsp roasted coarsely crushed Groundnut

4 Green chillies,slit

1/4 sp red chilly powder

1 tsp Ginger,grated(optional)

2-3 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves

2-3 tbsp grated fresh Coconut,for garnish

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tsp Cumin seeds

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Oil


Method:

1. Roast ground nut and coarsely crush it.
2. Heat some oil and add cumin seeds, finely chopped potatoes, lil salt and green chillies and let potatoes cook.
3. Add ginger paste
4. Mix soaked Sabudana with coarsed groundnut, salt and red chilly powder.
5. Add this mixed Sabudana mixture in the pan and mix well on low flame.Stir it continuously until you see some of the Sabudana crystals turning transparent.Cover it and cook for 3-4 mins,this way they will get cooked uniformly with the steam.
6. Serve with fresh coarse coconut and lemon juice.

Upma

Quinoa pullav

Mughalai Dum Biryani

Ingredients to cook rice

2 cups long grain basmati rice
2 tablespoons salt

1. Wash and drain the rice. Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. When the water boils, add the rice, salt . Stir gently. When the water boils again, reduce heat to low. Simmer the rice, uncovered for about 8 minutes, or till the rice is about 3/4th cooked.

The grains must be swollen, but they must still be a little chewy. If the rice is crunchy it needs to cook more. If the rice is soft, you have over cooked it.

Drain the rice in colander. Gently wash it in cold water. Let it drain well. Then spread the rice out on a large platter to cool completely.


Ingredients for the masala
1 tablespoon cashewnuts
½ tablespoon khus khus (white poppy seeds)
1 tablespoon fresh grated coconut
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 small onions grated (about ½ cup when grated)
½ bay leaf
1 thin piece of cinnamon
4 cloves
2 cardamom pods
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
2 medium tomatoes, pureed in a blender
½ cup full fat yogurt
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoons chili powder
¼ teaspoon cumin powder

Following vegetables boiled to be half cooked and crunchy

½ cup fresh beans, chopped
½ cup green peas
1 cup carrot, chopped into small cubes
1 cup cauliflower cut into small florets (about 12 small florets)


For layering
½ cup chopped cilantro leaves
½ cup chopped mint leaves
½ teaspoon saffron dissolved in ½ cup warm milk
3 table spoon Lemon juice
A pinch Red orange color

Method:-

1. Grind the cashew, khus khus and coconut into a smooth paste, using as little water as possible. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add grated onions, and cook on low heat till the onions are brown
3. To the onions, add the bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Crank up the heat to medium and stir for about 1 minute or till fragrant.
4. Add the ginger and garlic pastes. Stir and let it cook for about 30 seconds.
5. Add the coconut, khus khus, cashew paste. Stir another 30 seconds.
6. Add pureed tomatoes and cook for about 4 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.

7. Add yogurt and mix well. Moving the skillet away from the heat when adding yogurt will prevent it from curdling.
8. Return the skillet to the stove. Turn heat to low, and add garam masala, chili powder, and cumin powder. Stir for 1 minute.
9. Now add the reserved vegetables and salt. Cook for 10 minutes or till the vegetables are almost done. Add ½ cup water, and simmer another 3-5 minutes.

10. Taste the gravy and adjust salt if needed. Remember: this gravy will be spicy, but when you add the rice to it later, everything will balance out.

Layering
1. Now you are ready to layer the biryani. Take a large sauce pan. Lightly oil the inside.
2. Layer everything in this order – half the rice, half the chopped cilantro, half the chopped mint, all the vegetables and gravy, remaining half of the rice, saffron dissolved in milk, remaining half the cilantro and mint. 

3. Take red-orange color and dissolve it in lemon juice and sprinkle it over the top layer as shown

Layer everything as above in a deep saucepan. Cover tightly with a lid, and set it on the stove top. Cook on low heat for about 10-15 minutes or till the rice is cooked through but not mushy.

Before you serve top it with fried onions and fried cahew-nuts. Slightly more brown than what I have done.

Baingan ki sabji (Maharashtrian style)

3-4 Brinjals

1 cup roasted peanut powder

2tbsp roasted dry coconut

2tbsp coriander leaves

1tssp garlic paste

1tsp ginger paste

1tsp garam masala

1 onion chopped

1 tsp red chilli powder

2tbsp oil

1tsp mustard seeds

1tsp turmeric powder

a pinch asafoetida

salt as per taste

Method

1. Roast the peanuts and make a powder of it.

2. Roast grated dry coconut in a pan till light brown.

3. Fry chopped onions till brown. 

4. In a blender add coriander leaves, garlic paste, ginger paste, garam masala, cooled dry coconut and onion, red chilli powder and blend together to form a paste.

5. Mix this paste in the roasted peanut powder and add salt according to taste.

6. Slit the brinjals into four parts. Make sure not to cut them through and try to keep the stem.

7. Wash these into salt water. Then fill the peanut masala into it. Keep the left over masala for gravy.

8. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Once they crackle add turmeric powder and asafoetida.

9. Put the masala and saute it.  Also add the stuffed eggplant and saute together until it leaves a little oil on the side.

10. Add water approx 1/2 cup and pressure cook till the brinjals get soft. (around 2-3 whistles)

11. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with Maharashtrian style Bhakri or hot Gujrati Chapaati.