Pav Bhaji

I was thinking of "Chaats" and my mouth started watering.Ummmmm...gosh!

Mumbai - the city never sleeps....I have fond memories associated with this place.In Bandra (Hill Road to be precise)there is this place called "Elco"...I guess they make the best Paani Puris and Pav Bhajis.I remember being charged Rs 56 ($1.12)for 6 Pani Puris...which is actually expensive as per Indian standards, coz you get Pani Puris for Rs 10 ($0.20)too.Though its expensive, its worth tasting it.The Paani...ie., the liquid was cold...thats how an authentic Pani Puri should be.

The other best thing to try is the "Pav Bhaji".It is the quintessential street food.
Imagine butter toasted bun along with mashed vegetables with good amount of spices....with alot of flavouring agents....sounds yummy right?????

There are different kind of Pav Bhaji...the one without Onion & garlic is the Jain Pav Bhaji,Sada Pav Bhaji is without butter,Kada Pav Bhaji is without mashing vegetables.This one is the Mumbaiya Pav Bhaji by Sanjeev Kapoor...he comes up lovely recipes.Long back,I had seen this in Television in India ...here it is for all...


Ingredients :

Butter - 1 tbsp for the Bhaji and good amount for toasting the Pav
Pav - as required (I dont get Pav here, so I used Hamburger buns)
Onions - finely chopped - 2-3 medium sized
Tomatoes - finely chopped - 3 medium sized
Tomato Puree - 1/2 cup
Ginger Green Chilli Paste - 2 tsp
Peas - 1/4 cup ( I use frozen peas as it is easy to cook)
Capsicum - finely chopped - 1/2 cup
Potato - 1 cup (boiled and mashed)
Cauliflower - 1/4 cup grated
Coriander leaves - for garnishing
Pav Bhaji Masala - 1 3/4 tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4tsp
Lemon - 1 (cut into cubes)
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1tbsp
Salt - As per taste

Masher - An equipment used to mash the veggies (Available in plastic,steel,wood).

Method -

1.Heat a mixture of Oil and butter in a Kadai.Add the chopped Onions and Ginger green chilli paste and saute till the Onions turn pink.
2.Add Tomatoes and cook till you get a gravy consistency.
3.Add Cauliflower and Peas.Let it cook for few minutes and then add the Pav Bhaji Masala,Tomato Puree,Red Chilli Powder & Turmeric Powder.
4.Mix the above well and leave it for a minute or two.Add Potatoes,Capsicum and li'l water (around 1/2 cup) and allow it to cook.Use the masher( this is used to mash veggies)and mash the vegetables.Don't overdo it.
5.Add salt, add more water if needed.It should end up to a thick gravy.
6.Once done garnish with coriander leaves

For the Pav

Slice the Pav/Hamburger buns horizontaly, apply butter on both the sides and toast it on a Tawa (pan).

Squeeze lemon on the Bhaji and serve it with the Pav and chopped Onions.




I used the Pav Bhaji masala which was readily available at the Indian Stores.Instead of using all the Veggies, few selected ones make alot of difference.Also, instead of Mashing the boiled Potatoes, grating them is definetly better.Ensure you don't overdo with the masher. The Capsicum is added in the last so that it remains a l'il crunchy.

In Mumbai, to make it spicy l'il bit of Red Chilli Powder is sprinkled inside the Pav and then toasted.Its yummmmmmy!!!!!

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Dabeli

Long back, I was in Mumbai on an official visit.At about 1 in the morning,a friend of mine picked up Dabeli's from the cafeteria.....it looked like Vada Pav to me....I din't even know what "Dabeli"was.I saw the cafeteria guy make it in front of me and got a hang of the recipe.Jes to check on it, i spoke to my friend's mom who shared her method. I also found an interesting version of the same in Tarla Dalal's site....I tried her recipe with a l'il bit of addition and deletion which is mentioned below.

After coming here, I started cooking alot.I guess thats one good time pass too.
All of a sudden, I decided to make this to please my husband:-P.They say "The best way to get into a man's heart is through his stomach"...and I think I already made my way:-)


Ingredients:-

Dabeli Masala

Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Dhania(coriander seeds)- 1/2 tsp
Red Chillies - 3
Cinnamon - 1 an inch length
Cloves - 1

Roast the above in a dry Kadai and grind it to a fine powder.

Filling

Potato - 1 large (Boiled and mashed )
Dabeli Masala - 1 tbsp
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Cilantro/Coriander leaves - li'l
Tamarin & Dates chutney (Imly & Khajur chutney)- 1tbsp
Asafoetida -a pinch
Oil - 3 tbsp
Salt - as per the taste

1.Heat oil in a kadai.Add cumin seeds,Asafoetida,Potato & Dabeli Masala.
2.Saute well.Add salt & 1/4th cup water
3.Add the Tamarin & Dates Chutney,mix well and switch of the flame.
4.Add Cilantro/ Coriander leaves too.

Also required -

Hamburger buns/Pavs - 4
Oil/Butter - 2tbsp

Onions - 1 cup finely chopped
Sev - 1 cup
Roasted peanuts - 1/2 cup
Cilantro/Coriander leaves - for garnishing
Pomegranate seeds - 1/4cup
Garlic Chutney - 1 tbsp
Tamarin & Dates chutney (Imly & Khajur chutney) - 2 tbsp

Keep all the above ingredients ready

1. Slice the Pav/hamburger buns into half(Similar to Pav Bhaji's Pav),apply butter on both sides and toast it on a pan.
2. On the lower half of the Bun/Pav, place one spoon full of the filling,peanuts,Onions,Pomogranate,Tamarin Chutney,garlic chutney,Cilantro/coriander leaves.Close it with the other half Pav/Bun.This would look like a sandwich.
6.Sprinkle Sev on the top and sides.



Hot Dabeli is ready to eat.Its definetly a sweetish dish.I have never found this anywhere else other than Mumbai:-) I am not quite happy with the pic,will change once I take a better one.

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Onion Tomato Chutney

There are thousands of Chutneys that one can think of.A fresh Chutney is customarily ground fresh on grinding stone.It is usually eaten in small amounts to add a flavor and to accent a meal.They are incredibly versatile...they go well with Idlies,Dosas,Rotis,Bread ....Tortilla Chips/Nachos too.

The easiest one is the Coconut chutney which is a speciality by itself in South India.Chutney made of Mint leaves with tint of spices and chili is the Pudina/Mint Chutney.The one with Cilantro/Coriander leaves is the Dhaniya Chutney.Using garlic pods...garlic chutney can be made.Each one is a li'l different from the other.

To go with Dosas the best one is the Onion Tomato Chutney.

Ingredients :-

Onion - 1 large chopped(Here the Onions, I get are really too huge, its equivalent to two medium sized Onions)
Tomato - 2-3 nos chopped
Red Chillies - 5
Green Chillies - 1
Urad Dal - 1 tbsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Asafoetida/hing - a pinch
Salt - as per taste

Method :-

1.Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a Kadai, saute the Urad Dal,Red Chillies and hing until the Dal turns brown.
2.Remove it and set it aside.In the same Kadai with the remaining oil toss the onions, when they turn pink add the tomatoes.Cook it well.Add salt.
3.Grind the above along with the roasted Dal to a fine paste.



Note - This chutney tastes better with Dosas more than Idlies.Some also do the seasoning using mustard seeds and curry leaves.

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Pesarattu Dosa

I called home this morning and my Mom told me that she had made Pesarattu Dosa and my mouth started watering.God....its been really long...I miss Idly and Dosa.

When I went to New York, I enjoyed eating in Saravana Bhavan...I relished the south Indian breakfast there.We ended up eating only South Indian food, each n every day we were there.I remember few restaurants....Madras Cafe,Banana Leaf,Tamilnadu Bhavan etc.

Well coming to this...i quickly got the recipe from my mom and made this today.Here it is.

Ingredients:-

Moong Dal(Green Gram Split) - 1 1/2 cups
Raw Rice - 1/4 cup
Red Chillies - 5
Green Chillies - 2
Curry Leaves - few
Salt - as per taste

Method -

1.Soak Moong Dal and Rice for an hour.Grind it along with both the chillies to a fine batter.Add li'l water while grinding.
2.Add Salt and curry leaves.
3.Make Dosas using this batter.



Note - Some people add small onions while grinding it.I din't have them hence made it plain. This one is really easy, unlike the regular Dosas the ingredients dont have to be soaked for long hours.

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Chole Masala/Chana Masala

You call it the Chole, chana masala, chickpeas curry,masaledar chole or watever...this one is definetly a lip smacking dish enjoyed by everyone.This one is my husband's fav too and he likes it with hot Puris instead of Rotis.I made this yesterday and here is the recipe.

Ingredients :

Kabuli Channa/Chickpeas/Garbenzos - 1 cup - Soak it overnight
Red Chilli powder - 1tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chole Masala - 1 - 1/2 tbsp (You can use the powders which are readily available in the market either MDH/Everest/Badshaah)
Kitchen king masala - 1/2 tbsp(this is actually not added in the original recipe, but I add this as it gives a nice flavour)
Bay leaf - 1
Cinnamon - one small
Jeera - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - for garnishing
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - as per taste

For the paste -

Onions - 2 large chopped
Garlic - 1 or 2 pods (here the garlic pods are way to large so 2 does good, in India we get small ones so 5-6 pods can be used)
Ginger - 1/2 tsp chopped
Green chilles - 6

Grind the above into a fine paste.

Tomatoes - 3 nos - Grind it separately into a fine paste

Method -

1.Boil (Pressure cook) the soaked Chick peas along with one half of an Onion
2.In a kadai, heat oil.When its hot add Jeera,Bay leaf & Cinnamon.
3.Add the 1st paste (the one with the Onions) and saute it until the oil leaves the sides.
4.Add the tomato paste and all the powders and saute till it gets cooked.
5.Now add the boiled Chickpeas and mix well.Also, add salt and li'l water and allow it to boil.
7. Once it becomes thick, garnish with coriander leaves and serve it hot with Rotis/Puris



Note - Remove the Bayleaf and Cinnamon once it gets thick.Few also add tea bags while cooking the Chickpeas, this makes the gravy look darker.

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Thogayal

Thogayal's are nothing but a spicy "chutney" kinda stuff which are often mixed with rice and eaten.My fav is the "Peerkangai" (Ridge guard) thogayal.

Ingredients:

Ridgeguard - 1 (peel the thick skin and chop it into cubes)
Tomatoes - 1 chopped
Red Chillies - 7-8(increase the number as per spice level)
Asafoetida - a pinch
Urad Dal - 2 tbsp
Tamarin water - 2 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp

Method -

1.In a kadai, heat 1/2 tsp oil and saute the Urad dal,red chillies and hing/asafoetida till the dal turns brown.
2.Once done keep it aside and in the same kadai add 1/2 tsp oil and saute the Ridge Guard.Once it gets tender, add the tomatoes and saute till it gets cooked.
3.Coarsely grind the Ridgeguard and the dal together along with salt and tamarin water



In the above recipe, tomatoes can be avoided.I like it to be tangy so I use tomatoes.

Similarly "Thengai Thogayal" ie. coconut thogayal can be made by using Coconut.(No tomatoes for this).The inside seeds of Snakeguard can be used to make thogayal too.The recipe is same as Ridgeguard thogayal's recipe

For Parpu thogayal (Dal thogayal) use a handful of Toor Dal instead of the vegetables.No tomatoes or Urad dal for this.Jes saute the toor dal in oil along with red chillies and hing and coarsely grind it.

All the above thogayals shud be eaten with hot rice and ghee

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Vathakozhumbu

Today I din't feel like cooking anything complex.Wanted to make something easy and simple and what can be more simple than "Vathalkozhumbu". I had few Okra's/Lady's finger and made this yummy dish.

The taste of this recipe completely depends on the Sambhar powder used.

Ingredients:

Tamarin - one big lemon size soaked in water and then extracted
Vegatable - (Okra/Onion is commonly used)- 1/2cup(chopped 1 inch)
Sesame Oil - 2tbsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp for seasoning
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4tsp
Curry leaves - few
Sambhar Powder - 1tbsp
Asafoetida/hing - a pinch
Salt - as per taste

Method -

1.In a kadai,heat oil and do the seasoning using mustard seeds,fenugreek seeds,curry leaves and asafoetida.
2.Add the chopped vegetable and saute it for a while.
3.Add the tamarin extract, sambhar powder,turmeric powder & salt
4.Allow it to boil till it gets thick.




Note - The key to this recipe is how well and how long the tamarin water is allowed to boil. Instead of vegetables, we can add "Appalams" (the ones which are fried).The raw appalams are broken into pieces and sauted jes like the way vegetables are done.A good amount of hing/asafoetida adds a great flavour to the dish.This is supposed to be spicy and to be eaten with hot rice.Instead of ghee try using sesame oil in the rice.Generally at home, this recipe is made oily which means add a lot of sesame oil, I try avoiding it.

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