PITHALA BHAKRI

It's time to be a bit of Maharashtrian.. I learnt this from my friends in Pune and it's one my favourite dishes when it comes to Maharashtrian Cooking.

Ingredients for PITHALA

Gram Flour - 1 cup
Salt to taste
Turmeric
Onions - 2 finely chopped
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Green Chillies - 3 chopped
Coriander leaves for garnish
Lemon juice - 1 lemon
Water - 3 to 4 cups ( depending on the consistency of the PITHALA)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Oil/ghee 1 tbsp

Ingredients for Bhakri
Jowar Flour - 1 cup
Wheat flour - 1 cup
Salt to taste
Water to knead the dough


Tempering/LAAL GHEE

Ghee - 1 tbsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Method

1. Heat oil in a Kadai, add Mustard seeds and Jeera to it. Add ginger garlic paste, green chillies and onions and saute on a high flame.
2. In a Bowl, Add gram flour turmeric powder, salt and water to make a dilute flour mix without lumps
3. Add this to mix to Sauteed onions and keep stirring constantly till it thickens and cooks. The consistency should be like a melted butter
4. Add Coriander leaves and Lemon Juice and remove from the flame. Your PITHALA is ready
5. For Bhakri, khead the ingredients with warm water till the dough is soft
6. Rest the dough for 10 mins and roll it and grill on Tawa with little oil to cook and then grill it on Gas flame directly to give smoky taste
7. To temper PITHALA, heat ghee in a Kadai and add Jeera and Kashmiri red chilli powder to it after turning off the heat.. 
8. To serve, add PITHALA on the plate, top it with the tempering and serve with hot Bhakri

Carrot Kurma

Ever since I had Kurma Parotta in Chennai Hotel Saravana Bhavan, I always wanted to try it.. Here's my take on South Indian Style Carrot Kurma.

Ingredients
Carrots - 4 to 5 (finely chopped)
French Beans - 5 to 6 (finely chopped)
Potato - 2 (finely chopped)
Onion - 2 (finely chopped)
Green Chilli - 1slit into two
Ginger - 1/2inch (finely chopped)
Garlic - 3 pods (finely chopped)
Curry leaves - 1sprig
Cinnamon sticks - 2 inches (broken into two)
Bay leaves - 1 (optional)
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Salt to Taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

To Soak and Grind
Cashews - 6 to 7
Poppy seeds - 1.5 tsp
Coconut - 1/3 cup

Method

1. Heat oil in a 2 or 3 liter cooker, add Mustard seeds, curry leaves, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, garam masala powder
2. Wait for a minute, add Chopped garlic, ginger, onions and tomatoes
3. Saute for 2 minutes, add turmeric powder and chopped carrots, beans and potatoes
4. Add red chilli powder and salt to taste
5. Add water till the level veggies are immersed in water
6. Grind the ones mentioned in "To Soak and Grind" after soaking for 30 mins into a fine paste
7. Cook for just one whistle and allow it to release naturally
8 B t back to heat and add the ground paste and just simmer for 2mins
9. Serve hot with chapati, Parotta, idly, Idiyappam, or even hot rice

Tips to note:
1. You may also add other whole spices like black and green cardamom, cloves etc and reduce garam masala
2. You may add other veggies like peas, cauliflower, capsicum to make to more nutritious and colourful

Mor Kozhambhu and Paruppu Osili

Here's to the lunch menu..

I made Mor Kozhambhu and Paruppu Osili.. Only with 1 Potato and 3 Onions.

Paruppu Osili

Ingredients
3 Medium Onions - finely chopped
Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - 1 generous pinch
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

To soak (1 hr) and grind
Channa Dal - 1/2 cup
Dry red chilli - 2

Method:
1. Coarsely Grind the ingredients given in "To soak and grind" with salt to taste
2. Heat Kadai with Oil, add Mustard seeds, Curry Leaves and asafoetida. 
4. Stir for 2 mins, add the coarsely ground mix leaving just 1 tbsp behind.
5. Add turmeric powder and keep stirring till the mix cooks well and water is absorbed
6. Add Onions and keep sauteing till onions are cooked well

Potato Mor Kozhambhu

Ingredients
1 Potato - cut into cubes
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1 generous pinch
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Water as required

To Grind
Coarsely Ground mix of Channa - 1 tbsp (from above recipe)
Fresh coconut - 1 tbsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Green chilli - 2 small ones
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Sour Curd - 3 tbsp

Method
1. Heat oil in Kadai, Add Mustard seeds, Jeera, asafoetida and Curry Leaves. 
2.  Now add diced potatoes and turmeric powder, cover it and cook till potatoes soften
3. Grind finely all the ingredients given under "To Grind"
4. Add salt to taste and then add the ground mix to the Kadai
5. Add water as needed. Let it simmer and cook for 5 mins
6. Serve with Hot rice and Parrupu Osili😋😋

Brunch Menu - Variety Rice Platter

As the prices of Onions are rising, I thought of making Variety Rice Platter which has no onion but tastes very good.. it is a perfect menu for Kanupodi (day after Pongal) when all variety rice is made.

The Variety Rice Platter includes:

1. Lemon Rice
2. Coconut Rice
3. Pudina Rice
4. Curd Rice
5. Raw Banana Chips

Brunch Menu - North Indian Thali (Simple)

Hi.. I am going to put up few Brunch Menu to make on Weekends or special days like Birthday or Festivals.

Last Sunday I made North Indian Thali... which consisted of

1. Bhindi Masala

2. Lasooni Dhuli Moong Dal

3. Boondi Raita

4. Phulkas

5. Rice

6. Mirchi ka Achar