Tomato Saar (टोमेटोचे सार)

Ingredients:
3 medium sized tomatoes, cut into large pieces
1/2 inch ginger
2-3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup grated coconut
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2-3 green chillies
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp jaggery (optional)
salt as per taste
5-6 coriander leaves

Servings: 4 people

In a flat vessel, boil tomato pieces, ginger and garlic cloves. Add about 2 cups of water. Boil for about 7-8 minutes till tomatoes turn soft. Let it cool for some time.

Grind together all the ingredients along with boiled tomato, garlic and ginger. On a gas stove, simmer this mixture for 10 minutes. Add jaggery while boiling the gravy. Adjust jaggery based on the sourness of the tomatoes. Add about 1 cup of water while boiling to adjust the consistency of the gravy.

This gravy tastes very good with rice or chapati or bhakri. It also can be served as hot soup.

Roasted assorted vegetables (रोस्टेड भाज्या)

I love to roast vegetables. My new favourite way to cook veggies! Super easy, simple, healthy and very tasty dish. You can use any vegetables that you may have at home.

Ingredients:
1 sweet potato
1 medium zucchini
1-2 carrots
5-6 asparagus stalks
1 large potato
1-2 tsp olive oil
4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp Italian seasoning
salt as per taste
2 tsp pepper powder
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

Servings:
3 people

Wash all the vegetables thoroughly. Cut potato, zucchini, sweet potato into round slices about 1-1 1/2 inches thick. Cut carrots and asparagus stalks into bite sized pieces.

Preheat oven to 400 degree Fahrenheit. In a flat oven dish, line aluminium foil to roast the vegetables. You can also roast them directly on the oven plate. Mix olive oil, garlic cloves, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Now add all the vegetables into the oil mix and coat them well. Leave it aside for marination for 5-10 minutes. Pour all the vegetables in the oven dish.

Place the vegetables in the oven and roast for 30-40 minutes. After every 10-15 minutes, turn the vegetables to uniformly heat them in the oven. Once the vegetables turn slightly brown black, turn the oven off and leave it inside for additional 10 minutes to roast.

This is a great side dish with either rice or chapati.

Apple & dried cranberry chutney (सफरचंद व सुक्या क्रेनबेरीजची चटणी)

I found this recipe on this website. I modified it a bit based on what was available at home. It is very quick and easy to make recipe

Ingredients: 

2 apples (I used Fuji apples)

a fist full of dried cranberries

1 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp sesame seeds

1 1/2 tsp cumin or jeera powder

3 tsp coriander or dhaniya powder

salt as per taste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp oil

Servings: 3-4 people

Peel the apples and cut them into small cubes. In a hot frying pan or kadhai, add oil and roast sesame seeds for a minute. Next add apple cubes and stir well. Cover with a lid. After 5 minutes, add the remaining ingredients other than salt and mix well. Cover with lid and let it cook on medium flame for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, apples will become soft. Mash it lightly using spoon and stir together. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes and chutney is ready to serve. 

This chutney can be served with bread, or used as a sandwich spread.  You can also have it as a side dish with chapati.

Kale greens salad (केल ग्रीन्स सलाड)

Ingredients:
7-8 kale green leaves
mozzarella cheese, grated for garnish
a handful of mixed nuts and raisins, (optional)
a few dried cranberries
little bit of lemon juice
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp olive oil
salt
pepper

Servings: 3 people

Cut kale green leaves finely. Do not use the thick stem of the leaf. Lightly mix chopped kale leaves with olive oil, honey, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Leave it for 5-10 minutes. Just before serving the salad, add dry fruits, nuts, cranberries and grated mozzarella cheese. Gently mix all ingredients together and serve.

Cheese stuffed sweet mini Peppers (चीज स्टफ्ड भोपळी मिरची)

I had bought sweet mini peppers from the grocery store. While surfing the net for recipe ideas using sweet mini peppers, cheese stuffed mini peppers seemed very popular search result. I was trying this vegetable for the first time, so I decided to try this recipe first.

Ingredients:
8-10 sweet mini peppers
1 1/2 tbsp mozzarella cheese
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning of mixed herbs
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
little bit of lemon juice (1/4 tsp)
1 tsp pepper powder or paprika
salt optional (Keep in mind cheese contains salt already)

Servings: 3 people

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degree Celsius).  Cut the top portion off the mini peppers, take out all the seeds inside. In a bowl, crumble mozzarella cheese and add olive oil, mixed herbs, garlic cloves. Mix lightly. Sprinkle little bit of lemon juice and stir. Cheese stuffing is ready.

Fill mini peppers with cheese stuffing. Do not overstuff, since cheese will melt on heating and ooze out. Coat mini peppers lightly with very little oil. Transfer cheese stuffed mini peppers on a baking sheet or a baking tray. Cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the cheese melts. The mini peppers should feel tender and slightly blackened. 

Kale greens with besan flour (पीठ पेरून हिरव्या केलची भाजी)

I tried cooking kale greens using Maharashtrian or Marathi ways. I used besan or chickpea flour with kale greens.

Ingredients:

1 bunch Kale greens (about 10-12 leaves),

1 small onion, vertically sliced

3-4 garlic cloves, chopped finely

1/2 tsp chilly powder

1 1/2 tsp olive oil or any cooking oil

salt as per taste

1 1/2 tbsp besan or chickpea flour

Wash kale leaves thoroughly and drain the water. Cut the thick stems from the kale greens and chop the leaves into smaller chunks. 

Heat a kadhai on the gas stove. Add olive oil once the kadhai is hot. Add garlic cloves and sliced onion and saute them until onion is golden or brown. Next add kale greens and give it a good stir. Cook kale greens in 1 cup of water. Add chilly powder and cover with lid. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt and let it cook for another 10 minutes. Now sprinkle besan or chickpea flour and mix well. With closed lid, let it cook for another 5-6 minutes. 

Kale greens vegetable can be served with Chapati or with rice as a side dish. 

Cucumber Dhirde (काकडीचे धिरडे)

Ingredients:
1 cup grated cucumber,
1 cup jowar flour,
1 tbsp besan flour,
1-2 chopped green chillies,
1 tsp carom or ajjwain seeds (optional),
chopped coriander leaves (optional),
salt as per taste

Servings: 4 medium size dhirde

I used sambar cucumber for this recipe. You can use regular cucumber instead. Grate the cucumber and mix all the ingredients. Add very little water to get thick consistency (idli batter consistency).

Heat pan and apply little oil on the pan for greasing. Pour one ladle full of batter and lightly spread it in circular motion. Cover the pan with a lid and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Once the bottom side is brown and well roasted, flip the other side. Cover again with the lid. In about 2-3 minutes, the other side will be fried properly.

Dhirde is ready to serve. You can either serve it with a green chutney or curd based salad. My daughter loves it with ghee and sugar. 

Peas curry (वाटाण्याची आमटी)

This is a Goan style peas curry prepared with coconut. We call it Chanya ros (चण्या रोस) in konkani.

Ingredients:
1 cup white or green peas, soaked overnight,
1/4th cup freshly grated coconut,
1 medium sized onion,
1 tsp garam masala,
1-2 red chillies,
1 tsp coriander seeds,
1/2 tsp cumin seeds,
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2-3 dried kokam
salt as per taste
1 tsp jaggery (optional)

Servings: 3-4 people

Soak the green peas or white peas overnight. Add little bit salt and pressure cook them the next day for 3 whistles.  Heat a kadhai or cooking pan, dry roast freshly grated coconut along with onion, garam masala, chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, dried kokam and turmeric powder. Roast it well stirring for some time until a nice aroma of the masala fills the kitchen. Keep it aside for cooling.

Once the roasted masala is cooled down a bit, grind it in a mixer with little water. The paste consistency should be of a chutney. Add this paste to the boiled peas and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Adjust salt and jaggery. Mix well. Adjust the water in the curry to make it of a required consistency (not too thick, not too watery).

In a small tadka pan (tadkawati), heat 1/4 tsp ghee or oil. Season with 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, a pinch of asafoetida, 7-8 curry leaves and little bit of turmeric powder with 1-2 red chillies. Pour this seasoning over the simmering peas curry. Let it simmer for another 2-3 minutes.

Goan special peas curry is ready to serve. This curry tastes good with Goan pav or bread.

Cucumber Thalipeeth (काकडीचे थालीपीठ)

I made this thalipeeth using mixed millets. I had bought sambar cucumber to use in Sambar. Thought of making this thalipeeth with leftover cucumber.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup of jowar flour
1/2 cup pearl millet or bajra flour,
1/4 cup nachni or ragi flour,
1 cup grated sambar cucumber,
few coriander leaves chopped,
1/2 tsp chilly powder or chopped green chillies,
1/4 tsp roasted jeera,
1 tsp sesame seeds,
salt as per taste

Servings: 3 medium sized thalipeeth

Mix all the ingredients and knead into a dough. If the mixture is too dry, add little lukewarm water to knead into a smooth dough.

Divide the dough into three round balls. Using palm, press the dough into flat bread, keep turning the dough slowly while flattening to uniformly apply pressure on all sides. It should be slightly thicker than chapati.

Heat a pan on the gas stove. Once the pan is hot, place thalipeeth on it. Sprinkle some oil from the sides to roast it. Make 2-3 small holes in thalipeeth at different places to help it cook well. Keep the flame on low. After 3-4 minutes, turn the thalipeeth to roast the other side. After another 3-4 minutes, thalipeeth will be ready. Serve it hot with chutney, a dollop of butter or freshly grated coconut and curd.

Tomato Onion Salad (कांदा टोमेटोची कोशिंबीर)

Ingredients:
1 medium sized tomato
1 small onion
1/4 tsp grated ginger
1 chilly
1 tbsp roasted peanut powder (optional)
freshly grated coconut
coriander for garnish
salt as per taste
a pinch of sugar

Serving: 3 people

Finely chop tomato and onion. In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients and salad is ready to serve.

You can optionally add 1 tbsp of yogurt.

Capsicum Besan Vegetable (पीठ पेरून सिमला मिरची)

Ingredients:
1/4 kg capsicum,
1/2 onion, vertically sliced
1/2 cup chana dal  or Besan flour,
1/2 tsp garam masala (optional)

For Seasoning:
2 tsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds,
a pinch of asafoetida,
1/4 tsp turmeric powder,
2-3 green chillies, vertically sliced
salt as per taste
1 tsp of jaggery (optional)

Servings: 3 people

Cut capsicum into medium sized pieces. Discard the seeds of the capsicum. Cut onion vertically. In a hot pan, add oil. Season with mustard seeds, asafoetida, turmeric powder, green chillies. Saute onion for 2 minutes. Next add capsicum pieces. Mix well. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Add salt and jaggery (optional). Stir well and cook on low flame for another 5 minutes. Now sprinkle chana dal or Besan flour and mix well until the capsicum is uniformly coated with besan flour. If the vegetable looks very dry after adding besan flour, add about 1/2 tsp of oil to the pan.  Simmer for 8-10 minutes until the besan flour is cooked, stirring a few times in between to avoid burning the vegetable.

Serve with chapati or rice and dal as a side dish.

Bottlegourd Thalipeeth (दुधी भोपळ्याचे थालीपीठ)

Ingredients:
1 cup grated bottle gourd, peel the skin of the gourd
2 1/2 cups of assorted flours (Jowar, Bajra, Rice, Besan, Wheat, Ragi)
OR
2 1/2 cups of Thalipeeth Bhajani (readymade thalipeeth flour from the store)
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
salt as per taste
1 tbsp oil for roasting

Servings: 3 thalipeeth

Peel the bottle gourd, remove seeds if present and grate about 1 cup of gourd. In a flat plate, mix the grated bottle gourd with assorted flours or use readymade thalipeeth bhajani flour. If you are using assorted flour, you can mix jowar, bajra, rice, besan, wheat, ragi flours, all of them or whichever you have at home. The proportion of bajra, besan, rice is approximately 1/2 cup together. You can mix the remaining flours of jowar, rice, wheat, ragi in any proportion. I prefer to use less of wheat and rice since these two grains are consumed in the form of chapati or rice.

Mix all the listed ingredients except oil and knead into a dough. Add little bit water, if needed while kneading the dough. Very little water needs to be added to the dough since the bottle gourd has sufficient water content. Divide the dough into 3-4 balls.

Take a flat pan and heat it on medium flame. Using palms and a flat surface or a clean plastic sheet, lightly press the dough ball. Use little bit of oil to prevent it from sticking either to the surface or palms. Continue pressing and turning slightly each time to form a round thalipeeth. Thalipeeth is slightly thicker than chapatis.

Grease the heated pan with 1-2 drops of oil and gently transfer the thalipeeth onto the pan. Make 2-3 small holes on the thalipeeth using a spoon or a knife. Pour a few drops of oil along the surface of the thalipeeth and cover it with lid. Keep the flame on medium. After 3-4 mins, thalipeeth will be roasted on one side and the color will change to slightly brown. Flip thalipeeth to roast and cook the other side for another 5 minutes. Cover it with lid while cooking.

Serve hot thalipeeth with a dollop of home made butter. Serve plain yougurt on the side. 

Bittergourd Vegetable (कारल्याची भाजी)

Ingredients:
1/4 kg bitter gourds,
1 1/2 tsp garam masala,
1/2 tsp chili powder,
1 1/4 tsp tamarind pulp, extracted from soaked tamarind
1/4 cup peanut powder,
freshly grated coconut for garnish

For seasoning:
2 tsp oil, (a little more than regular quantity)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds,
4-5 fenugreek seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Servings:
3-4 people

Clean bitter gourds by cutting it into half and scoop the seeds out by inserting a knife in the core and turning it in circular fashion. Clean the outer skin by smoothing the rough surface. Cut bitter gourd into round 1" pieces.  Sprinkle some salt over these pieces and cover it with lid. Leave it for 20 minutes. After about 20 minutes, the bitter gourd pieces will turn soft and watery. squeeze the water out of these pieces. This takes away bitterness of the gourd to some extent.

In a kadhai, heat oil and season with mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, turmeric powder. Add bittergourd pieces to the seasoning and mix well.

Falafel (काबुली चण्याची भजी)

Falafel is a very popular Mediterranean dish. Falafel are chick pea fritters.

Ingredients:
1 cup of chickpeas (soaked overnight),
1 medium sized onion,
4-5 garlic cloves,
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, roasted
2 tsp coriander seeds, roasted
2 small red chillies or 1/2 tsp chilli powder,
salt as per taste
1 cup vegetable oil for frying

Servings: 12-15 small fritters

Soak chickpeas overnight and drain the water. Chop onion into small pieces. Mix together all ingredients and grind in a mixer to form a coarse batter. The consistency of the batter should be that of a thick chutney, it should not be runny. The batter should not be  Heat oil in a kadhai. Once the oil is hot, make small balls of the batter and drop them in the hot oil. Fry till golden brown. Serve with either coconut chutney or tomato ketchup.

Traditionally, falafel are stuffed in the pita bread pocket along with a fresh lettuce or any other green salad and chutney.

Cauliflower Carrot Vegetable (फ्लॉवर-गाजर भाजी)

Ingredients:
1 cup cauliflower florets, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup carrots, diced
little bit of ginger, julienne
1/2 tsp of cumin-coriander powder
salt as per taste
1/4 cup freshly grated coconut
1 tsp lemon juice

For seasoning:
1 1/2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
7-8 curry leaves
2 chillies, cut
1/2 tsp turmeric

Servings: 4 people

In a kadhai, heat oil for seasoning. Once the oil is heated, add mustard seeds, a pinch of asafoetida. Once the mustard seeds start spluttering, add curry leaves, chillies and turmeric. Give it a stir. Now add cauliflower florets and carrots. Mix well. Add little bit of water and cover with lid. Add salt, cumin-coriander powder, grated coconut and ginger. Let it cook on low flame for 5-10 minutes until the carrots and cauliflower is cooked. Add lemon juice once the vegetable is cooked and ready to serve.

Spinach Flatbread (पालकाची भाकरी)

I read this in a recipe book and found it very interesting. I have never tried mixing anything with jowar or any other grain flours other than wheat. It turned out to be very tasty.

Ingredients:
a small bunch of palak or spinach leaves
1 1/2 tsp roasted jeera
3-4 garlic cloves
2 green chillies
1 1/2 tbsp besan or gram flour
1 1/2 cup jowar flour or multigrain bhakri flour (mix of raagi, bajra, jowar flour)
salt as per taste

Servings:
4-5 bhakris

Wash spinach leaves thoroughly. In a pan, add spinach leaves and cook for 2-3 minutes until the leaves start wilting. Turn off the gas and let it cool for 5-10 minutes. Grind together wilted spinach leaves, green chillies, cloves, roasted jeera. In a flat plate, mix together gram flour, paste of spinach with other ingredients, salt and add bhakri flour slowly. Keep mixing and kneading. Adjust the flour or water to make a smooth dough. Divide the dough into 4-5 round balls.

Procedure to make bhakri:
Dust some flour on a ball. Using your palms and a flat surface, lightly  press the dough ball and rotate it. Sprinkle more flour if the dough is sticking to your palm or the flat surface. Keep pressing and rotating until you get a nice round chapati sized bhakri. Take a flat pan and heat it on medium flame. Using a spatula, slowly lift the bhakri and carefully place it on the pan. Turn the flame to maximum and spread some water on the top surface of the bhakri. Let it cook for 1-2 minutes, taking care not to burn the bottom surface of the bhakri. Flip the bhakri, allowing the surface on which you had spread water to cook. After a minute, take the pan off the flame using a pair of tongs and invert the bhakri and place it directly on the flame. Bhakri will begin to puff up. Turn the bhakri again and cook the other side of the bhakri. Serve hot bhakri with fresh home made butter and vegetables of your choice. Bhakri goes very well with gravy vegetables.

Ragi Sweet Porridge (नाचणीचे सत्त्व)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup ragi grains or 1/2 cup ragi flour (नाचणी)
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup jaggery, grated
a few cardamom seeds, powdered
handful of chopped dry fruit nuts like cashew, pistachios

Servings:
3 people

You can either use ragi grains or store-bought ragi flour. If you using grains, soak them in water for 2-3 hours. Next grind them in a mixer with minimum water. Extract juice out of this paste, and strain it. This is called ragi satva or extract of the ragi grain. To this add, coconut milk, jaggery and mix well.

Place this liquid on a low flame on gas stove and stir continuously. The mixture will slowly start thickening. Keep stirring continuously to avoid any lumps. After about 7-8 minutes, the mixture will be thickened and will develop a slight glaze. The mixture should be porridge thick. Turn off the gas once it is well thickened and garnish with cardamom powder and dry fruits.

Grease a flat plate with little bit of ghee. Pour the porridge while it is hot. Spread it uniformly on the plate using a spoon or a knife. Cover the plate with a lid and let it cool down for an hour. Once it is cooled down, place it in the refrigerator for further cooling. After an hour, the porridge is ready to be served. It is not very thick like a cake, but semi-fluid. Cut it into bite sized pieces and serve. 

Caramalized Fig (भाजलेले अंजीर)

I wanted to try grilling figs for a long time. I used a pan to grill the figs. This is a very simple and quick dish.

Ingredients:
4 figs, halved
little bit of honey for garnishing
little bit of cheese for garnishing

Servings: 3 people

Heat a flat pan and place halved figs on it, cut side facing the pan. After a couple of minutes, turn them to grill the other side of the figs, the skin part. Once it is well grilled from both sides, turn off the gas. Drizzle the figs with honey and serve. You can top it with blue cheese for garnish.

Dry Veg Manchurian (व्हेज मंचुरियन)

Ingredients:
For the fillets:
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 capsicum, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
3-4 green chilies
1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
salt as per taste

For the batter:
6-8 cloves of garlic
1/2 inch ginger or 1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
3 green chilies
1/4 tsp pepper powder
salt as per taste
2 tbsp all purpose flour (maida)
1 tbsp corn flour

For the seasoning:
1 1/2 tsp corn flour
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tsp oil
3-4 spring onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup capsicum, finely chopped
1/4 cup beans, cut length wise
2 tbsp tomato sauce
1 1/2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp chili sauce
1/2 tsp soy sauce
 salt as per taste

Servings: 4-5 people

Mix together all purpose flour and corn flour with very little water to form a thick batter. In a mixer, grind together ginger, garlic and green chilies. Add the ginger-garlic-chili paste to the batter along with salt, pepper powder. Mix it well into a thick batter.

In a mixer, coarsely grind capsicum, onion and capsicum. Do not make it into a fine paste, it should look like shredded veggies. Alternatively, you can finely chop all these ingredients. Mix the shredded vegetables with ginger-garlic paste and salt.

Heat oil in a kadhai. Add the vegetable fillets to the batter and deep fry till golden brown. Keep the fried fillets aside.

In a flat kadhai, heat oil and season with ginger-garlic paste. Keep the flame on high while cooking this sauce. Add spring onion and stir fry. Next add capsicum and beans and keep stirring. Add soy sauce, vinegar, chili sauce and tomato sauce. Stir well. Adjust the salt based on salt content of the soy sauce and chili sauce. Make a paste of corn flour with water and once the vegetables are half cooked, add corn flour paste to the pan. It will start thickening immediately. Stir continuously. Adjust the water in the sauce based on fried fritters. The sauce needs to be sufficient to coat the fritters. Once the sauce has thickened, add the fritters and stir well for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the gas. Garnish with chopped spring onion. Manchurian is ready to serve.

Note: You can add 1/2 cup shredded cabbage to the fillet. I did not have cabbage when I made this recipe, so I didn't add it.

Moong Sprouts Salad (मोड आलेल्या मुगाची कोशिंबीर )

I had a bowl of moong sprouts, leftover after making moong usal. I tried making Thai bean sprouts salad using these sprouts. I did not have soy sauce and palm sugar at home. I added lemon juice for some sour flavor. Next time, I will try adding soy sauce and palm sugar to make it more authentic.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of long sprouts (moong or any other beans)
1/2 cup capsicum, diced
1-2 spring onion greens, chopped
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely pounded
1/2 tsp olive oil for mixing
1/4 tsp pepper powder or chilly powder
1/2 tsp lemon juice or soy sauce

seasoning:
3-4 garlic cloves, cut finely
1/4 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp oil

Servings: 3-4 people

Lightly toss together all the ingredients, except the seasoning. In a small seasoning kadhai, heat oil and saute garlic cloves and sesame seeds. Turn off the gas and let it cool a bit. Mix the seasoning with the tossed salad. Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Next time I will try making this salad with bean sprouts and will add soy sauce and palm sugar. 

Hummus (काबुली चण्याची चटणी)

Hummus is a Mediterranean dish. It is a thick chutney made using boiled chickpeas.

Servings:
3 people

Ingredients:
1 cup of boiled chickpeas (काबुली चणे)
4-5 garlic cloves
1 tsp roasted sesame seeds
1/2 tsp chilly powder or pepper
2 tsp lemon juice
salt as per taste

In a mixer, grind the dry ingredients like sesame seeds, pepper corns, and garlic cloves together. Next add boiled chickpeas and lemon juice and salt. Grind to a coarse paste. Do not add water for grinding, use little bit of lemon juice or curd instead, just enough to grind. Serve this with pita bread or lettuce leaves.

Orange Apple Salad (सफरचंद संत्र्याची कोशिंबीर)

Servings:
4-5 people

Ingredients:
2 apples
3 oranges, peeled
Lettuce leaves
assorted dry fruits like pistachios, walnut chopped
salt as per taste

Dressing:
juice of 1 orange
1 tsp of honey or agave nectar or any other vegan honey substitute
1/2 inch of ginger piece, julienne

Cut apples into chunk sized pieces. Peel oranges, remove the pith and cut them into bite sizes. Take juice of one orange and mix it with honey and ginger. Let it simmer in a vessel for about 10 minutes until it fills your kitchen with a nice aroma and the juice becomes a bit syrupy. Let it cool for some time.

In a large bowl or salad plate, toss together orange pieces, apple pieces and assorted dry fruits. Tear lettuce into bite sized chunks and add this to the fruits. Pour cooled down salad dressing on this. Sprinkle salt as per taste. Stir lightly and carefully so as to prevent lettuce from turning soggy. You can either serve it immediately or refrigerate it and serve it chilled.

Bimbla sweet pickle (बिंबलाचे गोड लोणचे)

Bimbla is a tropical sour , tangy fruit found in konkan area. In Goa, we make curries, pickles from this fruit.

Ingredients:
12-15 Bimbla fruit, sliced (बिंबलाची फळे)
1/2 tsp chilly powder
approx 1/2 cup grated jaggery, or as per taste
1/4 tsp salt

Seasoning:
1 tbsp oil,
1/2 tsp mustard seeds (मोहरी),
a pinch of asafoetida (हिंग),
5-6 fenugreek seeds (मेथी),
8-10 curry leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Slice bimbla fruits. In a kadhai, heat oil and season with mustard seeds, asafoetida, fenugreek seeds and turmeric powder. Add sliced bimbla fruits and stir well. Cover with lid and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. The bimbla slices will turn slightly soft, change to light yellow color once it is cooked. Now add salt, chilly powder and jaggery. Mix well and let it cook. After about 8-10 minutes, the jaggery will dissolve and form into a slightly frothy syrup. Turn the stove off and allow it to cool.

Store the cooled down pickle into an air-tight container. This pickle can stay outside for 4-5 days or for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Poha Chivda (पातळ पोह्यांचा चिवडा)

Ingredients:
1/4 kg flattened rice, thin variety (पातळ पोहे)
1/2 cup roasted groundnuts
1/2 cup puffed rice (चुरमुरे)
1 1/2 tbsp of split roasted gram (डाळे)
A handful of dry coconut pieces
3-4 pieces of dried kokam, cut into pieces
salt as per taste
powdered sugar as per taste

For seasoning:
1/2 tbsp of  oil
1 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
8-10 curry leaves
1 1/2 tsp of sesame seeds (optional)
2 tsp turmeric powder
3-4 green chillies

In a large kadhai, dry roast flattened rice for about 5-10 minutes on low flame until they turn crispy. Keep it aside. Similarly dry roast puffed rice for 2-3 minutes for added crispiness. Keep it aside.  Allow these two ingredients to cool down a bit.

Add oil to the kadhai and do the regular seasoning with mustard seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves, sesame seeds and green chillies and turmeric powder in that order. Next add groundnuts and stir for a minute. Now add kokam pieces, dry coconut pieces and split roasted gram. Mix well and stir for another 5-7 minutes. Once all the ingredients are well roasted, turn off the heat. Allow the seasoning to cool down.

In a large container, mix dry roasted puffed rice, flattened rice with salt and powdered sugar. Once the seasoning has cooled down a bit, mix seasoning with puffed rice and beaten rice. Mix all the contents thoroughly and chivda is ready to serve.

Once the chivda has completely cooled down, store it in an air tight container.
This chivda stays fresh for about a month.

Solkadhi (सोलकढी)

Ingredients:
5-6 dried kokam pieces
3/4 cup freshly grated coconut
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp of carom seeds or ajwain (optional)
2-3 green chillies
a pinch of asafoetida
salt as per taste

Soak kokam pieces in about a cup of water for 2-3 hours.  Grind together coconut, garlic, green chillies, carom seeds. Add little bit of water, just enough to grind it together. Extract the juice out of this, strain it. Optionally add about 1/2 cup of water again to the mix and grind it for second round of juice. Add this juice to the water containing kokam pieces. Add asafoetida and salt. Stir well and adjust the water if you think it is too sour.

Solkadhi is a great combination with fried fish or potato and other chips. It also helps in digestion of food. Solkadhi is prepared daily for lunch along with other meal preparations in Goan houses.

Black Chickpea Salad (काळ्या छोल्यांची कोशिंबीर)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Black chickpeas, boiled,
1 medium sized tomato, diced
1 medium sized onion, chopped finely
fresh coriander for garnish

Seasoning:
salt as per taste,
ground pepper as per taste,
lemon juice

Boil the black chickpeas in a pressure cooker. Add little salt while boiling. Drain the water once the chickpeas are cooled down. Mix remaining ingredients and the salad is ready to serve.

Tip: Moong, matki and other pulses can also be used in place of black chickpeas.

Corn Upma (मक्याचा उपमा)

Ingredients:
1 cup Semolina (रवा),
1/2 cup corn,
1 onion sliced,
Grated coconut for garnish
chopped coriander leaves for garnish

For Seasoning:
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of asafoetida (हिंग)
1 tsp cumin seeds (जिरं)
5-6 Curry leaves (Optional)
2-3 green chillies, chopped
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt or as per taste
1/4 tsp sugar or as per taste

Servings: 4 people

Dry roast Rava or Semolina in a kadhai. Keep aside.  In a separate vessel, boil 1 cup of water. Keep aside. In the same pan, add vegetable oil and season it with mustard seeds, asafoetida, cumin seeds, curry leaves and green chillies. Stir for a minute. Now add sliced onion and corn. Stir for 5 minutes. Next add boiled water and salt and sugar. Let it cook for 5 minutes, until the corn is almost cooked. Now with one hand, slowly add semolina or rava, stirring continuously with the other hand to avoid formation of any lumps of semolina. Mix well and cover it with lid. After about 2-2 minutes, Upma should be ready. Add lemon juice and mix well. Garnish with freshly grated coconut and coriander leaves.

Onion Curd salad (दही कांदा कोशिंबीर )

Ingredients:
1 large onion, vertically sliced
1-2 green chillies
1/2 cup curd
freshly grated coconut (optional)
salt as per taste
sugar as per taste (optional)
coriander leaves for garnish (optional)
1/2 tbsp groundnut powder (optional)

Servings: 3 people

Cut onion vertically into thin slices. Add salt, sugar, groundnut powder and green chillies to the curd and mix well. To this mixture add sliced onion and grated coconut. Mix together. Garnish with coriander leaves.
 This salad tastes good with chapati or any bhakri - jowar, bajri, raagi etc.

Moong Dal Dosa (मूगाच्या डाळीचे डोसे)

Ingredients:

1 cup moong dal, soaked for 5-6 hours

1/2 cup buttermilk

3-4 green chillies

1 tsp jeera

4-5 garlic cloves

7-8 coriander sprigs

salt as per taste

Servings: 2 people

Drain the water from the soaked moong dal and grind it together with green chillies, jeera, garlic cloves and coriander. Add little buttermilk to grind it to a smooth paste. Add salt to the batter. The batter should be of dosa batter consistency.

Heat a frying pan and grease it well. Add about a ladle full of batter and spread it in round motion. 

This makes about 5-6 small dosas. Serve with coconut chutney or tomato sauce.

Bhogichi Bhaji (भोगीची भाजी)

 Bhogi marks the beginning of Uttarayan. It is celebrated one day before Makar Sankranti. A special vegetable preparation is made on Bhogi day. I learnt this recipe from one of my friends.

Ingredients:
1/4 kg variety of beans - Field beans (पावटा), Green peas (मटार), Valor beans (पापडी), Green chickpeas (हरभरा)
2 small brinjal, diced (वांगी)
1 large potato, diced (बटाटा)
1 carrot, diced (गाजर)
6-8 jujube berry (बोरं )

Masala:
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1/4 cup grated coconut or dried coconut
1/2 tbsp roasted groundnut powder
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsp tamarind pulp (soak tamarind for half an hour and make the pulp)
salt as per taste
jaggery as per taste
2 tsp mustard
a pinch of asafoetida
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil (A little more than usual)

Servings: 4-5 people

Dry roast sesame seeds and grated coconut. After it cools down, grind together in a mixer. Clean all the beans and wash thoroughly. In a large kadhai, heat oil and do the regular seasoning with mustard seeds, asafoedtida and turmeric powder. Now add carrots and all the beans and stir well. Let it steam for 1-2 minutes. Now add brinjal and potato and stir fry. Add sufficient water (around 1 cup) for cooking the vegetables. Along with water, add salt, jaggery, garam masala, sesame-coconut powder, groundnut powder, tamarind pulp. Adjust the water for required consistency of the gravy. It tastes good as dry vegetable as well as gravy. Cook it for 10-15 minutes until all vegetables are cooked. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve this vegetable with hot Bajri bhakri with a dollop of homemade butter.