Healthy ladu

These laddus are very simple to make and very healthy, an ideal snack for anyone! There is no need to make a sugar syrup (pak), so anyone can make them.

Ingredients

• Roasted unpolished sesame seeds (til): 1 cup
• Roasted peanuts: 3/4 cup
• Roasted flax seed powder (javas/alsi): 1/2 cup
• Roasted dry coconut: 1/2 cup
• Finely chopped jaggery or jaggery powder: 1/2 cup
• Desi ghee: 1 tsp
• Black raisins: 1/2 cup
• Elaichi powder (green cardamom): 1 tsp
• Sunth (dry ginger) powder: 1 tsp (optional)

Method

1. Put all the ingredients except the black raisins in a mixer jar and grind to a coarse powder.
2. Add the raisins and shape the mixture into laddus.

Enjoy these soft, tasty and easy laddus.

Chinch gulachi amti

A sweet and sour chinch gulachi amti made with toor dal (split pigeon peas), tamarind and jaggery!

Ingredients

• Cooked toor dal (arhar): 1 cup
• Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
• Goda masala: 1 tsp
• Freshly scraped coconut: 1/4 cup
• Salt: 1/2 tsp, or to taste
• Jaggery: 2 tsp
• Tamarind pulp: 2 tsp
• Vegetable oil: 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
• Hing (asafoetida): 1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves: 7–8
• Water: 1 cup, or as needed
• Chopped coriander, for garnishing

Method

1. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan or kadhai.
2. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Then add the hing and turmeric powder.
3. Add the curry leaves.
4. Add a little water to the well-cooked toor dal and whisk it into a smooth mixture.
5. Add this dal to the pan. Add the jaggery, tamarind pulp, salt and red chilli powder.
6. Add the goda masala and coconut. Mix and let it cook.
7. Add the water. Let the dal come to a boil on medium heat, then lower the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
8. This dal should not be as thick as dal fry.

Garnish with coriander leaves. Enjoy this tasty amti with hot rice or phulka.

Gulachi poli

A favourite Maharashtrian treat: khamang gulachi poli, a flatbread stuffed with jaggery, sesame and besan!

Ingredients for the filling

• Grated gul (jaggery): 2 cups (about 1 kg)
• Roasted sesame seeds: 1/2 cup
• Roasted besan: 1/2 cup
• Roasted dry coconut: 1/4 cup
• Roasted khaskhas (poppy seeds): 1/4 cup
• Desi ghee: 4 tbsp
• Elaichi (cardamom) or jaiphal (nutmeg) powder: 1 tsp

Method for the filling

1. Grate the jaggery and set it aside.
2. Dry roast the sesame seeds, coconut and poppy seeds separately.
3. Roast the besan with some desi ghee.
4. Meanwhile, grind the roasted sesame seeds, coconut and poppy seeds with the elaichi powder.
5. Add this mixture and the besan to the grated jaggery.
6. Knead the mixture until it becomes smooth and soft, adding ghee while kneading.

Ingredients for the outer cover

• Atta (wheat flour): 3 cups
• Oil: 5 tsp
• Salt: a pinch
• Water: 3/4 cup, or as needed

Method for the polis

1. Mix all the outer cover ingredients and make a smooth dough, like chapati dough.
2. Make 60 equal lemon-sized balls. This makes about 30–32 gul polis, depending on the size. You can make them any size you like.
3. Take 2 dough balls and roll each one out to the size of a puri. Take a portion of the gul filling of about the same size and roll it out to puri size too.
4. Place the gul filling between the 2 puris and press the edges so the filling is packed in well. Then roll the poli out to a larger size.
5. Trim the edges with a pizza cutter.
6. Roast the poli on both sides on a non-stick pan.

Enjoy this delicious gul poli with dollops of ghee. These polis are very convenient to carry while travelling and last about 15 days.

Matar (fresh green peas ) paratha

Matar paratha is a tasty and healthy flatbread made with fresh green peas mixed right into the dough.

Ingredients

• Fresh green peas: 2 cups
• Boiled and mashed potato: 1/4 cup
• Garlic paste: 1 tsp
• Ginger paste: 1 tsp
• Green chilli paste: 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
• Coriander powder: 1 tsp
• Cumin powder: 1 tsp
• Garam masala: 1 tsp
• Sesame seeds: 3 tsp
• Salt: 2 tsp, or to taste
• Sugar: 1/2 tsp
• Lemon juice: 2 tsp
• Chopped coriander: 1/2 cup
• Atta (wheat flour): 2 cups, or as needed
• Oil: 5 tbsp

Method

1. Pressure cook the green peas with a little salt for 1 whistle.
2. Let them cool, then grind them coarsely or mash them. Add the mashed potato.
3. Add all the remaining ingredients except the atta and oil.
4. Mix well, then add the atta. Add the oil little by little.
5. Knead well. Divide the dough into 6–8 balls and roll them out into parathas.
6. Cook each paratha on a heavy griddle with a little oil until nicely browned.

Enjoy this tasty and healthy paratha with pickle, chutney or yogurt!

Fresh green garlic chutney

Fresh green garlic is easy to find in winter. Try this tasty chutney!

Ingredients

• Green garlic, washed and chopped: 1 cup
• Freshly grated coconut: 3/4 cup
• Chopped coriander: 1/2 cup
• Curry leaves: 7–8
• Green chillies: 1 or 2, or to taste
• Salt: 1 tsp, or to taste
• Sugar: 1/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
• Lemon juice: 2 tsp

Method

1. Grind all the ingredients coarsely in a mixer jar.
2. Transfer the chutney to a bowl.

Enjoy this tasty chutney with phulka, bhakri or even idli.

Daliyachi (cracked wheat ) idli

Soft and healthy daliya (cracked wheat) idlis, served with fresh green garlic chutney!

Ingredients

• Daliya (cracked wheat): 2 cups
• Urad dal (black gram): 1 cup
• Pohe (beaten rice): 1/2 cup
• Rajgira (amaranth seeds): 1/2 cup (optional, but very healthy)
• Methi (fenugreek seeds): 1/4 tbsp
• A pinch of baking soda (optional)
• Salt: as needed

Ingredients for the tempering (optional)

• Oil: 2 tbsp
• Rai (mustard seeds): 1 tbsp
• Jeera (cumin seeds)
• Hing (asafoetida): 1/2 tbsp
• Curry leaves: 8–10

Method

1. Soak the daliya and rajgira seeds for 2 hours, and the urad dal for 4–5 hours, in separate bowls.
2. Soak the pohe in just enough water in another bowl for 15 minutes before grinding.
3. After 4 hours, drain the soaking water, but do not throw it away. Use it for grinding.
4. Grind all the ingredients to a very smooth batter.
5. Pour the batter into a vessel and mix it thoroughly.
6. Leave the batter overnight to ferment. Use a large bowl, otherwise the batter will overflow as it ferments.
7. Add salt to taste and mix the batter gently.
8. For the tempering, heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing and curry leaves. Let it cool for a while, then add it to the idli batter. The tempering is optional; I make plain idlis.
9. Grease the idli moulds and pour in the batter.
10. Steam the idlis in a pressure cooker (without the weight) or in a steamer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve the steaming hot idlis with tomato chutney, coconut chutney, green chutney and sambar.

Upasache ( fast ) Thalipith

Crispy and tasty upvasache thalipeeth, made with flours that are suitable for fasting days.

Ingredients

• Rajgira (amaranth) flour: 3/4 cup
• Sabudana (sago/tapioca) flour: 1/2 cup
• Vari (barnyard millet) flour: 1/4 cup
• Mashed potato: 1/2 cup
• Fresh coconut: 1/2 cup (frozen coconut can be used)
• Roasted peanut powder: 1/2 cup
• Plain yogurt (dahi): 2 tsp
• Salt: 1 tsp, or to taste
• Crushed green chilli: 1 tsp, or to taste
• Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
• Whole cumin seeds: 2 tsp
• Chopped coriander: a handful
• Desi ghee: 4 tsp

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients and make a nice dough.
2. Heat a non-stick tawa on the stove and add a little ghee.
3. Pat out a thalipeeth on the tawa as shown in the picture, and spread a little ghee on it.
4. Cook until the underside is brown, then flip and cook the other side until brown.

The delicious, crispy thalipeeth is ready. Enjoy it with yogurt and chutney.

Double beans sabji ( curry )

A tasty Maharashtrian-style curry made with double beans, potato, coconut and goda masala.

Ingredients

• Peeled double beans: 1 cup
• Boiled potato: 1 medium, cut into cubes
• Chopped onion: 1/2 cup
• Chopped tomato: 1/4 cup
• Garlic paste: 2 tsp
• Chilli paste: 1 tsp
• Ginger paste: 1 tsp
• Fresh coconut: 3/4 cup
• Salt: 1 tsp, or to taste
• Jaggery (gul): 1 tsp
• Oil: 2 tsp
• Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
• Goda masala: 1 tsp
• Hing (asafoetida): 1/2 tsp
• Water: 2 cups, or as needed
• Finely chopped coriander: a handful

Preparing the double beans

Soak the dry double beans overnight in plenty of water. The next morning, drain the water and peel off the skins; they come off very easily.

Method

1. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan.
2. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Then add the hing and turmeric powder.
3. Add the garlic, chilli and ginger pastes. Add the onion and tomato and sauté until soft.
4. Add the potato and double beans.
5. Add the water and mix well. Cover the pan and cook until the double beans are done.
6. Add the jaggery, red chilli powder, goda masala and salt. Cover the pan for 2 minutes. Add a little water if needed, but do not overcook.
7. Add 1/4 cup of the fresh coconut as it is, and grind the remaining 1/2 cup in a mixer with 1/4 cup of water and add it too. Add the chopped coriander (keep some aside for garnishing). Mix and cook uncovered for 2–3 minutes.

Enjoy this tasty curry with hot phulkas.

Home made white butter, Desi ghee ( clarified butter ) & yogurt

Homemade white butter from homemade cream, flavourful desi ghee, and how to set yogurt at home. These are very simple methods!

Homemade white butter and desi ghee

1. Boil full-fat milk, let it cool and keep it in the refrigerator. A thick layer of cream (malai) will form on top.
2. Every day, I collect the cream from my 2 litres of milk and store it in the fridge.
3. When you have collected enough cream (from about 6 litres of milk), add 2 tsp of yogurt or 1/4 cup of buttermilk to it. Leave it overnight. By morning, the cream will have set like yogurt.
4. Churn it with a hand whisk or a wooden ravi. I prefer to use my wooden whisk. In about 5 minutes, butter will separate from the cream.
5. Add cold water and gather the butter. I get about 1/2 kg of butter from this much cream. You can use this tasty butter as it is, or make ghee from it.
6. To make ghee, put the butter in a heavy-bottomed pan on low heat. In about 15 minutes, you will have lovely, aromatic ghee.

The liquid left behind after taking out the butter is buttermilk. It is very healthy and tastes delicious.

Homemade yogurt (dahi)

1. Take about 1/2 litre of warm milk in a pot.
2. Add 1 tsp of yogurt and mix well.
3. Keep the pot in a warm place. In Mumbai, I get thick yogurt in 3–4 hours. Adjust the amount of yogurt you add depending on the season and where you live.

This way, you can make butter, ghee, yogurt and buttermilk all at home: pure and healthy.

Ragi Halwa ( sheera )

This winter, try this healthy ragi and suji sheera!

Ingredients

• Ragi flour: 1 cup
• Suji (semolina): 1/2 cup
• Jaggery: 1 cup
• Milk: 1 cup
• Water: 1 1/2 cups
• Sliced banana: 1/2 cup (optional)
• Elaichi (green cardamom) powder: 1/2 tsp
• Jaiphal (nutmeg) powder: 1/2 tsp
• Golden raisins: 4 tsp
• Desi ghee: 4 tbsp
• Coarse almond powder: 2 tsp
• Cashews, for decoration
• A small pinch of salt

Method

1. Heat 3 tbsp of desi ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan or kadhai.
2. When the ghee melts, add the ragi flour and suji and roast well until they turn reddish brown. You will know it is ready from the heavenly aroma. Add the sliced banana and mix, keeping a few slices aside for decoration.
3. On another burner, boil the milk and water with the jaggery, jaiphal powder and elaichi powder.
4. The milk may curdle, but that doesn't matter. Add this mixture to the ragi and suji.
5. Mix well and cover the pan. Cook on low heat until all the liquid is absorbed.
6. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of ghee, mix well again and turn off the heat. Add the almond powder.
7. Keep it covered for 5 minutes.
8. Garnish with cashews and banana slices, and enjoy!

Baked matar ( fresh green peas ) karanji

It is fresh green pea season here in India! I tried a baked version of matar karanji, and it turned out very well.

Ingredients for the outer cover

• Whole wheat flour: 1 cup
• All-purpose flour (maida): 1 cup
• Baking powder: 1 tsp
• Salt: 1/2 tsp
• Vegetable oil: 4 tsp
• Warm water: 1 cup, or as needed
• Corn flour: 4 tbsp
• Desi ghee or butter: 4 tbsp

Ingredients for the stuffing

• Boiled and coarsely ground fresh green peas: 2 cups (frozen peas can be used)
• Mashed potato: 1/2 cup
• Freshly grated coconut: 1/2 cup (frozen coconut can be used)
• Green chilli paste: 1 tsp
• Garlic paste: 1 tsp
• Ginger paste: 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala: 1 tsp
• Salt: 1 tsp, or to taste
• Vegetable oil: 2 tsp
• Roasted cumin powder: 1/2 tsp
• Lemon juice: 1 tsp

Making the stuffing

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the chilli, garlic and ginger pastes one by one and roast well. Add the boiled, crushed peas and mashed potato. Add the salt, cumin powder, garam masala and lemon juice, and mix well. The mixture should be dry. Set it aside to cool.

Making the outer cover

1. In a large bowl, mix the wheat flour, maida, salt and baking powder. Add the oil, then add water to make a medium-soft, smooth dough. Cover it and let it rest for 2 hours.
2. Put the corn flour in a wide, deep vessel (a parat is best, if you have one). Add the melted ghee and mix thoroughly with your hand until you get a smooth, creamy texture. Add more ghee if needed; it should be like cream.
3. After 2 hours, roll out 3 thick, chapati-like bases. Spread the corn flour and ghee mixture on each base.
4. Stack and roll up all three tightly, then cut into pieces according to the size of karanji you want.
5. Roll out each piece with a rolling pin, fill it with the stuffing and shape into a karanji.
6. Bake the karanjis at 180°C for 10–15 minutes.

These karanjis are not crispy; they are soft, but taste delicious. Enjoy the hot stuffed karanjis with tomato ketchup or chutney.