Bhakarwadi

One of my favourite snacks...typically Maharashtrian and a great blend of flavours.

Some random cookery show on a Kannada channel showed the recipe last afternoon. The list of ingredients that goes into the stuffing is endless! And by the time I could make note, they moved on to a new recipe :(

So much for being ambitious and wanted to try making the wadis at home. Am going to stick to the expert-made ones available in Prashant.

Layered Krackjack Pudding

I remember first eating this when i was about 3 or 4 years old made by one aunt of mine. Then Amma used to make it quite often. After 22 years, for the first time, I tried it and it turned out just the way I've always known it to be :D Thanks Maa for the Telephonic support!!!! (bear hug)

What you need:
- 1 litre of fresh milk
- 4 tbsp custard powder (vanilla flavour)
- 6-8 tbsp sugar
- 2 packets krackjack biscuits. You can use any biscuits you like!
- A deep bowl for setting the pudding
- a refrigerator
and of course hungry people who are watching you make it and can't wait to eat it!!! :D


In a bowl, add 4 tbsp custard powder, sugar and add enough milk to make it into a thin paste. Ensure that there are no lumps. Boil 1 litre of milk in a deep vessel and as the milk starts to boil, add the custard-sugar-milk paste (acc. to my mom's instructions: pour the mixture into the boiling milk with your left hand while continuously stirring the milk with your right to ensure that it gets mixed well and there are no lumps.) Then bring to a boil, still continuing to stir. Set the custard to cool. Once completely cooled, take a deep dry bowl and pour a 1 inch layer of custard as the base layer. The arrange whole biscuits on the first layer of custard. the continue to alternate with layers of custard and biscuits. Ensure that the final, topmost layer has custard (I don't know why, but this is as per instructions in krackjack-pudding-expert mom).

Keep the bowl in the freezer for exactly 10 minutes and then move it into the refrigerator till it sets completely. You can garnish with dry fruits / cherries or powdered biscuit / jam / cream...just about anything you like.

Serve (small portions) cold. Small portions just so that it doesn't get polished off instantly and you can slyly have a midnight helping when no one else is watching ;)

Carrot Halwa

Yes...i gave in to my craving and indulged in some delicious piping hot carrot halwa. It took me about half an hour to make it and less than 5 minutes to finish off what I'd made!! :D Try it out..it's much simpler than you think.

Ingredients

• 1 kg carrots - peeled and grated
• Milk - just enough to cook the carrots in
• 2.5 cups of sugar (Again, you may decide the quantity depending on how sweet you'd like it to be)
• 2 tsp ghee
• Cashews and raisins

Pressure cook the grated carrots in the milk for 3 whistles. Transfer the cooked carrots into a deep vessel, add sugar and keep stirring continuously till the sugar melts and any additional milk is absorbed by the carrots. The halwal should become thick. Roast the cashews and raisins in ghee and use it as garnish.

Then, buy a tub of vanilla ice cream and treat yourself to some steaming hot halwa with vanilla ice cream! :)

Yummy food am craving for

Some things that have been on my 'Dying to Eat' list for a while now

- Carrot Halwa (have made up my mind to make this at home tonight but the one I ate in a dhaba in Haryana is the best Carrot halwa I've ever tasted!0

- Bisi Bele Bath made by dear mother-in-law
- Chilli Cheese Toast (as chilli-ee as it can get!)
- Poha Samosa - something I've eaten at only one place in Bombay.
- Rajma Chawal
- Hakka Noodles the way mom makes it
- Cauliflower Subzi with Aloo, Tomato and Green Peas. Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
- KrackJack Pudding
- Sattii made Pasta with his special sauce
- Baingan ka bhartha
- Sweet Potato Chat (a Delhi speciality)
- Delicious stuffed paranthas from Paranthe wali gali or that dhaba in Haryana where they add in heaps of butter with every paratha!
- Garlic Pickle
- Thick creamy curd with sugar
- Mixed Dal curry
- Etc Etc Etc Etc Etc Etc :D

Drumstick Gravy - a variation

Tried this last night. It was different from the usual one because we'd run out of onions at home!

What I used:
- 3 Drumsticks cut into 1 inch long pieces
- 2 Potatoes diced into 1 inch cubes
- 2 or 3 Tomatoes
- grated coconut 1 cup
- 1 tsp rasam powder
- an inch of ginger
- Jaggery
- Salt to taste
- Seasoning

Pressure cook the drumsticks and potatoes for 4-5 minutes. In the meanwhile grind together the tomatoes, grated coconut, rasam powder, jaggery and ginger and keep aside. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and prepare the seasoning (mustard seeds, jeera, curry leaves and a pinch of hing). Add the tomato paste and the cooked drumsticks and potatoes, salt to taste and mix well. Bring to 1 or 2 boils and serve hot with rice or rotis.

Gongura Dal

Gongura (Sorrel leaves) comes in two varieties, green stemmed leaf and red stemmed. The red stemmed variety is more sour than the green stemmed variety. Gongura is popular in the state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a very rich source of Iron, vitamins, folic acid and anti-oxidants and is highly recommended for diabetes and heart patients to maintain their diet.

Last night I tried a hybrid version of the Gongura Pappu (dal) with my grand mom's recipe. The quantities used here make a dal that serves 6 people. Adjust quantities according to the number of people you are making it for.

- Gongura leaves 3 cups (chopped and thoroughly cleaned)
- 1.5 small cups chana dal and 1/2 cup toor dal (soaked in hot water for 30 mins before cooking)
- 3 slit green chillies
- 2 tomatoes (finely chopped)
- 3 onions (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp sambhar powder
- Seasoning (mustard, jeera, turmeric, curry leaves)
- 1 tsp sugar
- salt to taste

Pressure cook the soaked dal and gongura leaves with a little salt for 5-8 minutes, drain out all the water and set aside. In the meanwhile, heat oil in a deep pan, add the mustard seeds. once it stops spluttering, add jeera, haldi and the slit green chillies. Saute the onions till they turn transparent. Then add the chopped tomatoes and allow to cook for a while. Once completely cooked, add the gongura dal and mix well. Add the red chilli powder, sambhar powder, some more salt, sugar and mix well. Bring to a boil and cover it with a lid to trap the flavours.As it is a thick dal, can be had with phulkas / rotis or even hot rice.

Thanks for the recipe ajji!!!

Drumstick Gravy (Nuggekayi Gojju)

This one's from Deepti's family. Again simple, quick and easy to make.What also helps is that Drumsticks are a great source of Iron and the tender ones are especially succulent.

Ingredients:

4 Tender drumsticks cut into inch long pieces and pressure cooked
3 Thinly sliced onions
2 tsp Red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 cup grated fresh coconut
1 small cup Tamarind water (soak tamarind in a cup of water and squeeze till the ater becomes a thick sauce. Dispose the tamarind)
1 inch cube of Jaggery
Curry leaves
Seasoning (jeera, mustard seeds and hing)
Salt to taste

Heat about 2 tsp oil in a deep pan and add mustard seeds. Once they stop crackling, add jeera, hing and turmeric powder. Add the sliced onions and saute till cooked. In the meanwhile you cna grind together the grated coconut and red chilli powder to make a chutney. Once the onions are cooked, add the red chilli powder chutney to it. Add tamarind water, jaggery cooked drumsticks and curry leaves. bring it to a boil and keep stirring continuously. Add salt to taste and mix well.

This goes well with both phulkas and rice.