Dabeli (Masala Dabeli)

Dabeli

This is a very simple recipe to make at home. Also you can eat something very tasty & differnt from your daily routine food. This dish is very famous in Pune (Maharashtra state)

Lot of people must be wondering what does dabeli means. How does it look?In simple words it is a kind of vegetarian burger. In western part of India it is also known as Double roti.

Whenever you have guests next time instead of regular onion bajji or salsa chips try this as a starter. Guests will be amazed and I am 100% sure they will ask you the recipe.

You can make dabeli masala at home if you don't find in indian store. Here is the way to make the dabeli masala -

Dabeli Masala :
1tbsp of Coriander seeds
1/2 tsp of Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
2 Red chilies (U can reduce as per the spice level)
1/2 inch cinnamon Stick
2 cloves
Roast the above ingredients and make it like a powder in a blender. Keep it aside this is used in the filling.

Dabeli Filling Ingredients:
4 to 5 potatoes
1 capsicum
1 to 2 carrots
1 greenchili
(Boil and mash above vegetables.)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed (jeera)
1 pinch asafetida powder (hing)
1/4 spoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons oil
salt as per your taste
butter or oil (for cooking)

Garnishing:
1 onion, chopped
handful raisins
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander
1/2 cup sev or nylon sev
6 tablespoons khajur imli ki chutney ( I use it readymade from indian store "Deep brand")
1/2 cup fresh pomegranate (Optional)
15 small hamburger buns

Method:

1. Heat a pan. Once the pan is hot add oil, cumin seeds, hing,turmeric powder.
2. Once the cumin seeds are turned golden add the Dabeli Masala.
3. Add the mashed vegetables, chooped coriander,raisins,roasted peanuts and salt.
4. Keep it for 5-6 mts until the stuffing thickens.
5. Now take a pav/bun spread the butter on top of it and roast it on your flat pan (tava).
6. Spread khajur imli chutney on pav as per your taste.
7. Spread your vegetable filling and put some sev, 5-6 peanuts & chopped onions on it.


8. You can roast your both pav with filling inside on pan one more time.
9. Serve hot to your guest or treat yourself with yummy snack.

These are very tasty and it fills your stomach. Nice snack for the evening/morning/afternoon.

Pav Bhaji (Masala Pav Bhaji)

Pav Bhaji :

Ingredients-
Potatoes - 5 medium size (boiled and peeled)
tomatoes (diced) - 2-3 cups
Capsicum - 2
Green peas (frozen) -1 cup
Cabbage 1/2 cup
cauliflower- 1/2 cup
carrot - 1 or 2
onions - 1
some chopped garlic
Fresh coriander leaves - handful
green chillies - 2
ginger- 1 inch
Red chilli pwd - 1tsp
garam masala - 1 tsp
paav bhaji masala - 1 tbsp
half a lemon juice
Salt to taste
for garnishing - onions and coriander finely chopped
butter
1 pack ham burger buns, or paav

Method:
1.Firstly cut all the vegetables in big pieces and boil them in a pressure cooker.
2.Mash these vegetables with hand blender or an aunthentic vegetable masher.
3.In a pan put some butter, add the garlic and chopped onions and sautee till slightly pink in colour.
4.Add the garam masala and chilli powder and sautee till u get a nice aroma.
5.Add the diced tomatoes and cook till they r tender.
6.Add the paav bhaji masala.(I use "Everest" paav bhaji masala from the indian store ) sautee the tomatoes well.
7.Add the vegetable mixture to it & mix it well till the mixture thickens.
8.add salt (according to taste)
9.let it boil and tighten a bit.
10.Add butter to it as per your taste and mix it well.
11.Once you remove it from gas pour in juice of half a lemon for that extra taste.
12.Your paav bhaji is ready.

For Pav:
1. Apply butter to your pav.2. Roast your pav until they turn golden brown.

Serving:
Serve your Pav and Bhaji together with onion, cilantro & lemon juice garnished on the bhaji. Enjoy your dish with your loved ones. :)

Dal Dhokli with Spinach

Ingredients:
For the Dal...
1 cup toor dal (split yellow lentils)
2 tbsp roasted peanuts
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
5-6 curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
pinch of asafoetida
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder (cayenne pepper)
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp tamarind taste
1 tbsp jaggery (unrefined cane sugar)
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

For the Dhokli (dumplings)

2/3 cup atta (fine whole-wheat flour)
1 + 1/2 cup packed fresh spinach leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste

Method:

1. Soak the toor dal in hot water for 15-30 minutes. Rinse several times, then cook in a pressure cooker or on the stove-top until tender. Set aside.
2. Dough for the dumplings: Finely chop the spinach. Add the rest of the ingredients for the dumplings and knead together to make a firm dough. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and set aside.
3. Making the dal: Heat oil in a large saucepan. Temper with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida and stir for a few seconds. Add onion and stir until onion is translucent. Add ingredients from turmeric to garam masala and stir for a few seconds.
4. Stir in the tomato, cooked dal, tamarind paste, jaggery and salt and bring the dal to a boil. Taste and adjust for balance of sweet, salty and sour. Keep the dal simmering.
5. Now, make the dhoklis. Divide the dough into four parts. Using some extra flour, roll out each part as thinly as possible, then cut into diamond shapes, or any shapes you like. Add the dough shapes to the boiling dal and cook them for 5-8 minutes, or until the dough is tender and cooked through.
6. Let the dal-dhokli rest for 5 minutes, then serve the stew piping hot, drizzled with ghee (clarified butter).

Puri and Potato Bhaji

Puri and potato bhaji

Recipe for Puri
Ingredients:
2 cups atta (Indian-style whole-wheat flour)
1 heaped tbsp semolina (rava)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oil
oil for deep frying

Method:
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Add warm water little by little to make a smooth but *firm* dough (firmer than regular roti dough). Let the dough relax for 30 minutes under a barely-damp towel in the covered bowl. Then take about a tablespoon of dough at a time, roll it into a thin circle (using some more atta to help in the rolling process), and deep fry for a few seconds on each side until the puri is puffed and golden. Drain well on some paper towels and serve hot.

Recipe for the potato bhaji (serves 2-3)
Ingredients:
3 large or 4 medium potatoes
1 onion, sliced
2 chillies, chopped fine
5-6 curry leaves
pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
1 tsp oil
1 wedge of lemon
2 tbsp cilantro, minced

Method:
1. Boil the potatoes. When they are cool enough to handle, peel them and chop into cubes.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Temper with cumin and mustard seeds.
3. Add the onion, chillies, asafoetida and curry leaves and saute till onions are lightly browned.
4. Add the salt and turmeric powder and stir to mix.
5. Add the potato cubes and stir well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle with lemon juice and cilantro. Serve with puris.

Check my other delicious recipes - Thalipeeth , Sago Khichdi (Shabudana) , Puri Bhaji , Onion Pakodas , Kothimbir Vadi , Yummy Appey (Rice Cake) , Idli-Sambar

Onion Bhaje - Pakodas

Ingredients needed:

2 medium onions
1 cup chickpea flour (besan)
1/4 cup minced cilantro
3-4 minced green chillies
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp coriander powder
salt to taste
Oil for deep-frying

Method:

1. Peel the onions, halve them and slice them thinly (using a mandoline if you own one, or a sharp knife).
2. Mix salt into the onions and leave them for 10 minutes. This softens the onions and brings out their juices.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients (except oil) into the onions, add a little water to make a thick batter.
4. Heat the oil and add teaspoons of batter into the oil, fry till bhajjis are golden. Drain on paper towels.

Serve hot with tamarind chutney or mint chutney or even ketchup!

Kothimbir Vadi

Kothimbir Vadi, a savory cilantro cake which is first steamed and then fried until crisp. This is a quintissential Marathi dish, and I so wanted to try making it myself! I am happy to report that is very easy to make and turns out very tasty indeed. Cilantro is my favorite herb and this dish really showcases cilantro instead of giving it the seemingly superfluous role of a garnish. Kothimbir vadi can be served as a snack with any chutney but I really love eating it as a side dish with dal and rice.

The one special equipment you need to make this dish is a steamer. If you own a pressure cooker, it was be used without the "weight" to steam this vadi. I chose to fashion a steamer from a pot of boiling water with a steel sieve fitted into it and the vessel placed on the sieve and covered

The steamed vadi is perfectly fine for eating on its own (a very tasty and healthy snack indeed). Of course it tastes even better when fried and crispy :) Alternatively, if you would like something in between, make a "tadka" of oil, mustard and cumin seeds and pour over slices of steamed vadi.

Kothimbir Vadi(serves 4-6)

Ingredients:
2 cups packed cilantro leaves, chopped fine
1 cup chickpea flour/besan
1 tbsp. rice flour
1/4 cup mixed flours (ragi or millet flour/ atta or wheat flour/ any other you have on hand)
4 green chillies, minced fine
1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp. sesame seeds
1 tsp. poppy seeds
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. turmeric
pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp. garam masala
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sugar
salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:
1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, except for the oil.
2. Add enough water to make a thick batter and stir well to remove all lumps.
3. Grease a flat vessel. Pour the batter into the vessel.
4. Steam for about 30 minutes till a skewer inserted in the middle comes clean.

Yummy Appey (Puffy Rice Cake)

List of Ingredients:
1 1/2 C rava/ sooji/ semolina
2 T chana dal
1 C plain yogurt (low-fat OK, tangy yogurt works best)
Baking soda
Non-stick oil spray

Flavorings:
2-3 T minced onion
1 heaped t minced ginger
2-3 green chillies, minced (or to taste)
2-3 T minced cilantro
salt to taste

Method:
1. Soak the chana dal in a small bowl of water for 30-60 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix the rava and yogurt, along with enough water to make a thick batter, and cover and leave aside for 30-60 minutes.
3. Make the batter: Add soaked chana dal to yogurt-rava mixture, then add all the flavoring ingredients and salt to taste, and add enough water to make a batter that is a little thicker than pancake batter.
4. Spray the appey molds with non-stick spray, then heat them on the stove.
5. Take a third of the batter into another bowl, add 1 t baking soda to it, mix gently until bubbles form, then ladle the batter into each of the hot molds.
6. Cover the pan for a couple of minutes. Once the underside is done, use the tool to flip each appam over:
7. Once both sides are cooked and crispy, remove the appey from the molds. Make more appey using the same method- adding baking soda at the last minute before cooking.
8. We served the appey with fresh coconut chutney and eggplant sambar for a delicious savory breakfast.

Idli-Sambar

For the Idlis Ingredients:
1 cup urad dal
2 cups idli rava (coarsely ground rice)salt to taste
Non-stick spray (such as "Pam") for greasing molds

Method:
1. Soak urad dal overnight in warm water. Grind it to a fine paste.
2. Soak idli rava for 30 minutes in warm water.
3. Mix the soaked idli rava and ground urad dal in a bowl, cover and leave overnight to ferment. 4. Once the batter is doubled in volume, use it right away or place it in the refrigerator until needed.
5. To make idlis, spray the molds with non-stick spray (or brush with oil). Add salt to the idli batter, mix lightly and scoop into the molds (half-full).
6. Steam for 10-15 minutes till a knife inserted into the idli comes clean.

SambarIngredients:
1 cup toor dal (split yellow peas), cooked
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
5-6 fresh curry leavespinch of asafoetida
1/2 small onion, minced
2 cups mixed diced veggies of your choice (I used eggplant, peas, carrot, cauliflower)
1 tsp tamarind paste1 tbsp sambar powder (available in stores)
2 tbsp cilantro, minced

Method:
1. Make a "tadka" by heating oil and adding cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida.
2. Add onion, turmeric, salt, chilli powder and saute for a minute.
3. Add veggies and saute for a minute.
4. Add enough water to cover the veggies, tamarind paste, sambar powder and let the veggies simmer till just tender (5-7 minutes).
5. Add cooked dal, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Garnish with cilantro.

Thalipeeth

Ingredients:

Total 2 cups flour mixture
-1/2 cup besan (chickpea flour)
-1/2 cup rice flour
-1/2 cup atta (whole-wheat flour)
-1/2 cup ragi (millet) flour
2 tbsp rava (cream of wheat)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2 tbsp minced onion
4-5 green chillies, minced
2 tbsp cilantro, minced
salt to taste
vegetable oil for cooking

Method:

Mix all the ingredients (except oil) together to make a soft pliable dough.

1.The dough is fairly sticky and the traditional way is to use your hands to pat it into a pancake before cooking it.

2. A thick plastic bag rubbed with some oil is ideal as a work surface.

3.Oil the bag, then oil your hands lightly and place a golf-ball sized ball of dough on the plastic. Use the tips of your hands to pat the dough into a flat shape.

4.Make a few small holes in the pancake (while cooking, you can slip drops of oil into these holes to cook the thalipeeth more evenly).

5.Heat 1 tsp oil in a non-stick pan.

6.Gently turn the plastic sheet upside down and ease off the thalipeeth onto the pan.

7.Use a small spoon to place tiny drops of oil into the holes in the thalipeeth.

8.Cook till browned and crispy on both sides.

9.The traditional way to serve thalipeeth is with green chutney and either some plain yogurt or a dollop of butter.

Sago Khichdi (Shabudana)

Sago Khichdi (Shabudana)

Almost every culture has some days when a "fast" is observed...a days when the intake of regular food and drink is restricted, a day of religious observence and prayer. When I was growing up, there were several days of the year which were thus observed. Luckily for us, the rules were rather relaxed: although a great many everyday foods like rice, onion, turmeric were forbidden, there was an equal number of foods that were "allowed" and they made for many delicious dishes indeed. We kids certainly ended up eating twice as much on "fast" days ;Sago (called sabudana in the local language), or the pearls of the sago palm, is one food that is eaten on these fast days. I'm not religious at all but I love eating preparations of sago and often make sago khichdi for breakfast any old day of the year.

Looks pretty innocent, but its very easy to mess up sago preparations! All recipes call for soaking the sago to rehydrate it and if this is not done right, you end up with a gummy disaster. In addition, the sago is tasteless almost and needs careful seasoning. Making sago khichdi is an art and I would love to share a couple of tips I have learnt.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup Roasted peanuts (powdered)
Handful Cilantro
1 tspoon Geera (Cumin seeds)
1 cup Sago
Oil/Ghee
1 Potato peeled
Lemon
2-3 Green Chili

Method:
1.Soak 1 cup of sago by placing it in a bowl, then rinsing once with water, then adding enough water to just cover the sago in the bowl. Cover and leave overnight. This results in perfectly fluffed sago.

2.Season the fluffed sago by adding 3/4 cup coarsely powdered roasted peanuts, salt to taste and 2 tbsp sugar. I know thats a lot of sugar .

3.Saute a tsp of cumin seeds in a pan containing {1 tbsp oil + 1 tbsp ghee...or just 2 tbsp oil}.

4.Add 3-4 slit green chillies and one diced potato.

5.Cover and cook till potatoes are tender.

6.Then add the seasoned sago and saute for 5-7 minutes, cover and cook for another couple of minutes and taste for seasoning.

7.Finally, garnish with minced cilantro and sprintz on some lemon juice and you are done! This is fast food in more ways than one!