Khajoor Satori (Stuffed Khajoor Paratha)

Healthy twist to traditional dessert

Satori is a traditional Maharashtrian dessert prepared with khoya, coconut and suji stuffed in a poori made with maida. I have given a healthy twist to this traditional sweet dish by adding khajoor (dates), poppy seeds, sesame seeds and dried coconut stuffing inside a puri made with mainly whole wheat flour and some maida. Instead of deep frying, I lightly roasted them with ghee. The result was delicious yet healthy khajoor satori !

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup maida
1/2 cup warm milk
2 teaspoon oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup ghee 

For stuffing
1 cup chopped dated
1/4 cup dried grated coconut
2 teaspoon sesame seeds
3 teaspoon poppy seeds

Method

Stuffing -

1. Chop pitted dates as small as possible.
2. Roast sesame seeds in a small frying pan until they become lightly brown. Keep aside and let them cool
3. In the same pan, heat 1/2 table spoon of ghee and roast poppy seeds for 3-4 minutes on low flame. Once done, keep them aside and let them cool.
4. Again add 1/2 teaspoon oil and roast the grated coconut until the color changes to light brown. Coconut gets browned quickly so keep an eye on it and stir constantly. Let it cool down. Crush the roasted coconut with hands or in a grinder.
5. Then add 2-3 tablespoon of ghee and roast chopped dates for 5 minutes. The dates become tender, now mix all above ingredients. Mix well for 2-3 minutes. You can make this stuffing well in advance and it can also be preserved in an airtight jar for few months.

Dough -

1. When you are ready to roll the satoris, mix whole wheat flour, maida and a pinch of salt.
2. Heat the oil and mix it in the flour. This hot oil is also know as “mohan”, it helps the mixture to become lighter and fluffier.
3. Stir in warm milk and knead the dough for a few minutes to make smooth and firm dough. Keep it aside for half an hour.

Satori / Stuffed paratha -

1. Divide the dough and stuffing in 5 equal sized balls. Stuffing balls can be larger than dough balls.
2. Roll a dough ball to make around 3 inch diameter circle, put a stuffing ball and seal all sides as we do in any stuffed paratha. Roll it to make a think puri (around 5 inch diameter puri).
3. Repeat this for all 5 parts.
4. Heat a medium size skillet and add 1 teaspoon of ghee. Place a satori over the skillet. After few seconds, flip the satori and lightly press the puffed areas. Flip it couple of times. It will develop golden-brown spots. Take it out on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb extra ghee. Repeat it for other satoris.

Satoris can be enjoyed warm or cold. Enjoy these healthy khajoor satoris!

मटारची उसळ / Mattarchi Usal – Greenpeas in Green Curry

Luscious green curry sure to seduce your taste buds!

It was a small get-together at our place and my mom had made “Mattarchi Usal”. I still relish those moments, the taste is still live in my memory. After a long time I tried to recreate it with slightly different ingredients. It’s very easy to make and doesn’t require any special ingredients. I am sure you will enjoy it as much I did.

Ingredients

2 cup peas (shelled)
3/4 cup fresh coconut, grated
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 bunch fresh coriander, chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp ginger, grated
8-10 curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric (optional)
1/2 tsp hing
2 dry red chillies/ or chilly powder as per taste
salt as per taste
1/2 tbsp coriander powder or 1/4 tsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp oil
1 cup water
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
1-2 star anis (optional)

Method -

Make a fine paste with coconut, cilantro, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, ginger and garlic. Add some water if required.

In a cooking pot, heat oil. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and hing. Add turmeric powder if you like. Add curry leaves and red chillies cut into halves. Fry for another minute. Now add the green paste and let it cook until the paste starts leaving oil. Add salt as per taste. Also add star anis. Now add green peas and some water to maintain the desired consistency for the curry. Let the peas cook for 5-10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and sugar.

Serve with hot bread slices or rotis. Enjoy!

Side Note

Traditionally the green paste is made using heavy stone grinder and it’s called “Watan वाटण” in Marathi. Needless to mention, it tastes wonderful and also makes the dish very aromatic.

http://www.fotopedia.com/items/everlasting-rXz8uvQVpnU

Sending this to ‘Flavors of Maharashtra‘ event hosted by SeduceYourTasteBuds and Simply.Food

 

Chocolate Brownies

Rich, Cakey, Chocolatey Goodness!

I bet you are smiling already.

This is one thing I have found hard to resist. Even though they are easy to make at home, next time I would rather buy them by the piece just to keep my weight loss goal on track. I found couple of recipes with slight variations in amount of chocolate, cocoa powder and eggs used. The one I used came from my colleague’s mom. She has been baking these brownies for last 50 years, how wonderful is that! I think i did a good justice to her recipe and made them more special by baking them on Valentine’s day.

Yields – 16 big pieces
Ingredients

5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick)unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 tb spoon cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Equipment : 9inch Square Baking pan

Method -
Preheat the oven to 350F /180 C. Line the baking tray with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, melt the chocolate and the butter over simmering water. Set it aside.
Remove from the heat and stir in cocoa powder and sugar.
Next whisk in vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time; beating well after each egg addition. Finally fold in the flour and salt, making sure you don’t over mix the batter. Add in chocolate chips and walnuts. You will notice that the metled chocolate becomes hard to work with once eggs and flour are added, but that’s okay.

Transfer this mixture to the baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Pull out and let them cool for at least 40 minuts on a wire rack to get well defined pieces. Well, I dugged in immediately, nothing tastes better than warm chocolate brownie on a perfect rainy evening!

The Secret -
The time you take out the brownies out of the oven is very crucial. A few minutes could turn rich moist brownies into hard ones. Test with a toothpick or a skewer inserted into the middle, it should come out sticky with a little batter and a moist clumps clinging to it. If it comes out clean, you have overbaked them.

Sending this to Rasi’s I am the Star

बीटाची कोशिंबीर Beetachi koshimbir (Beet Salad)

Sweet, salty, tangy, crunchy beet salad 

Beets are highly nutritious and calorie friendly root vegetables. They are a unique source of phytonutrients called betalains which provide antioxiadant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification support. These betalains undergo a steady loss as cooking time increases, so make sure you keep steaming time for beets under 15 minutes. Reference – whfoods.com

This is a simple, easy to make, yet a tasty recipe from my mom.

Ingredients

2 cups shredded steamed beet (around 2 medium beets)
1/4 cup ground roasted peanuts
1/4 tsp fennel seeds (optional See Notes below)
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp तिळाची चटणी or 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
1/4 cup finely chopped tomato (optional)
2-3 chopped green chilies
3-4 curry leaves
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp hing
1 tsp oil
salt to taste

Wash and peel beets and cut them into halves. I usually steam beets along with rice in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles. It takes around 10-12 minutes if you are using a steamer.
Once they are cooked properly, transfer them into a pot containing ice water before you start gratin;. so that they cool down quickly.

Add chopped tomato, roasted peanut powder (roughly grounded), sesame seeds, fennel seeds lemon juice and salt and mix well.

Heat oil in a small tadka pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds when oil becomes hot. Add hing powder, chopped green chilies and curry leaves. Transfer this seasoned oil to the bowl containing beets and mix well.

Notes -

You can substitue lemon juice with yogurt if you like, but make sure it brings enough tanginess to the dish.

Beets contain lot of natural sugar, so don’t add sugar until you taste it.

Roughly grounded peanuts add a nice crunch. I also like to use pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds instead of peanuts.

I love fennel seeds in such recipes, but they are completely optional.

Sesame seeds are also optional, they don’t add any taste but make the dish healthier with good fats. You can also try flaxseed powder instead.

Since beet juice can stain your skin, wearing kitchen gloves is a good idea when handling beets. If your hands become stained during the cleaning and cooking process, simply rub some lemon juice on them to remove the stain.

Hope you will enjoy it!

Sending this to ‘Flavors of Maharashtra‘ event hosted by SeduceYourTasteBuds and Simply.Food 

Palak Methi na Muthiya

“They look green, so they must be healthy!”

I must admit, I love Gujarati Farsan. Khaman, dhokala, shev-khamni, khandvi, locho, muthiya, mathiya, handva …. so much variety and so yummy!

Muthiyas caught my attention because these can be made healthier as compared to other fried items. They get the name from the way they are made using feasts. Muthiyas can be made with different vegetables. Here is my version of spinach and fenugreek muthiya. They taste slightly bitter and I think that’s the best part. My neighbor once said “they look green, so they must be healthy!”.

Ingredients -

2 cups spinach leaves, finely chopped
1 cup fenugreek leaves, rough chopped
1 tbsp ginger paste
4-5 green chiliis finely chopped
3-4 tbsp besan
1 tbsp semolina (rava)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
For seasoning -
2 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds ( rai / sarson)
1 tsp sesame seeds (til)
1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)

Method -

Wash and rinse spinach and fenugreek leaves, leave them in a colander to be completely drained.

In a mixing bowl, mix everything together to prepare dough. Start with few tsp of water and add floor or water as needed. You can also use whole wheat floor together with besan. The stickiness of the dough should be similar to roti dough. Make cylindrical shaped rolls. Cut them into pieces if your steamer pan is smaller.

I used a colander over simmering water to steam the dumplings, but you can use any steamer you like. Grease it with some ghee or oil and steam these dumplings until toothpick comes out clean. It takes about 20 – 25 minutes but also depends on the size.

Once done, let them cool for 10 minutes before you cut them into smaller pieces.

In a frying pan, prepare tadka with cumin seeds, mustard seeds and sesame seeds. Add the muthiyas and mix. Remove them in a minute or so. Sprinkle some roasted fennel seeds on top. Serve them with ketchup or green and tamarind chutney.

Side Note –

Fennel seeds are not at all traditional to any Muthiya recipe, but I love the byte with fennel seeds.

Spinach Pancakes

Hearty and Healthy twist to traditional pancakes

Pancakes are not known for their health benefits. But just imagine a light fluffy pancake topped with butter, maple syrup, some whipped cream and fresh berries. I cannot deprive myself from this pleasure. But today I decided to go on healthier way and prepared savory pancakes.

I substituted sugar with salt and red chili powder, stirred in some veggies like spinach, tomato and red onion with some dhana-jeera powder and some fennel seeds and ajwain seeds for the extra kick. The result? Outstandingly tasty and healthy pancakes – made from scratch using whole wheat flour and some homemade “bhajani” flour!

1/2 pound chopped spinach
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 egg
1 cup low-fat milk or buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon dhana-jeera powder
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon ajwain seeds
oil as needed
optional ingredients:
1 small tomato, finely chopped
1/2 small red onion or scallions, finely chopped.

Method -
Finely chop spinach leaves, a small tomato and a red onion.

Add dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix. Whisk an egg in a separate bowl. Add milk and all dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth batter forms. Then stir in all veggies. The batter should be spoonable but not pourable. Adjust the consistency by adding either spoonful of water or flour as needed.
Heat a skillet over medium-high flame, add little oil or use non-stick oil spray.

Place a ladle full of batter on the skillet and spread it into a pancake. Cook until the wet side of pancake bubbles. Flip and cook the other side for another 2-3 minutes until brown.

These savory pancakes are packed with flavor, good amount of Iron, Calcium, Vitamin A and fibre.

Bon Apetite!

Blackberry Smoothie

Nutritious yet delicious delight

The easiest way to enjoy fresh blackberries is to have thick creamy blackberry smoothie. Add fresh washed blackberries with thick greek yogurt, honey and some milk and give it a quick whisk in a blender. Nothing can be more filling than a glass of sweet creamy blackberry smoothie loaded with antioxidants.

Blackberry Benefits -
1. Blackberries are one of the top ten foods containing antioxidants. The anthocyanin, the antioxidants give blackberries their deep purple color help in memory retention and prevent the risk of hypertension.
2. Blackberries are packed with polyphenols helping to prevent cancer and heart disease.
3. Blackberries are said to strengthen blood vessels, help fight heart disease
4. The high tannin content of blackberries help tighten tissue, relieve intestinal inflammation, and help reduce hemorrhoids and stomach disorders.
5. The high fiber content of blackberries help reduce risk of intestinal disease and the risk of developing diabetes.

Potato Sabji with South Indian flavors

Quick and Easy with flavors you don’t want to miss!

Urad daal and curry leaves are very prominent in South Indian preparation. The two ingredients add distinct aromas making any dish instantly tempting.

Cooking time - 15 min Prep time - 15 mins
Ingredients -
3 large potatoes, washed; peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped (I do it without onion)
1 tsp urad daal
1 tsp channa daal (optional)
1 tsp ginger, finely grated
for tadka -
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seed
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
6-8 curry leaves, roughly chopped
5 dried red chillies, roughly chopped
3-4 tb poon oil
2 tsp salt or to taste
shredded coconut and chopped cilantro for garnish

A frying pan works better than a deep pan or kadhai due to larger surface area.

Prepare tadka in a pan over medium flame. Add urad daal and chana daal to tadka. Let the daal turn golden brown. Next goes red chilies and finely chopped onion, ginger and turmeric powder. Sauteé the onion for another 7-8 minutes. It’s time for curry leaves, let them fry for a minute and then add chopped potatoes. Sprinkle some salt. Mix well and let it cook for 4-5 minutes with lid on. Remove the cover and let them cook further.

Garnish with fresh coconut and chopped coriander leaves.

Tip -

The subji tastes better if potatoes become slightly crispy. Once potatoes become tender, remove the cover and let them cook further for a two – three minutes. This way potatoes don’t become soggy.

पालकाची ताकातली भाजी (Palakachi patal bhaji)

Spinach goodness with Garlic tadka in one pot dish 

This is yet another Maharashtrian classic recipe. Spinach cooked with buttermilk and besan (chick pea flour), ginger and green chilis, chana daal and peanuts for added crunch; topped with garlic tadka; you cannot go wrong with this one. I  enjoy it with rice, bhakri or even like soup. It’s quick and delicious.

Ingredients

a bunch of spinach - washed and chopped
1-2 tea spoon grated ginger
1/2 cup yogurt or buttermilk
4-5 tea spoons besan (chana daal flour)
3-4 tea spoon chana dal
3-4 tb spoon peanuts (ground nuts)
4-5 green chillies - chopped.
3-4 aamsul / or 1/2 tea spoon tamarind paste
1 tea spoon sugar
For tadka -
mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing, turmeric curry leaves, garlic, green chillies 
and oil/ghee
salt to taste

Soak chana daal and peanuts in water for an hour so that they cook faster. It’s better to use non-roasted peanuts as they absorb water nicely and taste better when cooked.
Get water boiling, add chopped spinach leaves, peanuts and chana daal and grated ginger and aamsul. Use just enough water to immerse spinach. Let the spinach and daal cook for 5-7 minutes. In another bowl, whisk yogurt and besan and add it to the cooked spinach, let it simmer for another 3-4 minutes. I like to add one/two chillies while the spinach is cooking and rest I use in tadka.

Nest step is to prepare tadka and add it to the cooked spinach. I prefer Ghee to oil for this dish. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and if you like, add a few coriander seeds. Once they start splattering, add hing and turmeric powder and then garlic and green chillies and curry leaves. Add this seasoned ghee/oil to the spinach mixture. Add salt and little bit sugar. The “patal bhaji” is ready.

A little bit of sugar nicely compliments the tangy touch added by aamsul. The garlic tadka makes this simple dish out-of-this world! i

A Quick Note -
To maintain the nutritional value of spinach, it’s important not to overcook the tender leaves. Add spinach after daal and peanuts are cooked, spinach takes hardly 2-3 minutes of cooking time.

Sending this to ‘Flavors of Maharashtra‘ event hosted by SeduceYourTasteBuds and Simply.Food 

Masala Khakra

A very easy-to-assemble dish, goes well with any potluck menu or as a quick appetizer for your Indian party. Make it byte sized and enjoy at your next cocktail party.

masala khakra

It’s very easy but very tempting -

A good packet of Khakra - my favorite is Deep Khakra
finely chopped tomato
finely chopped onion
finely chopped cilanto
chaat masala
red chili powder
salt
lime juice 

Chop onion, tomato and cilantro and mis together chaat masala, red chili powder and salt and some lime juice. Make sure you spread this masala on the khakra just before serving to avoid soggy khakras. Deep packet comes with a special masala an that works very well with this dish.