Dhokla

A nutritious and traditional snack from Gujarat.

Ingredients: 

Gram flour / besan  – 2 cup

Water – 1 cup

Lemon juice   - 1 tsp

Ginger – Chilli paste – 1 tsp

Eno fruit salt – 2 tsp / 1 pkt.

Salt - as per taste

Turmeric – ½ tsp.

Garnishing :

Fresh Coriander

Grated Coconut (optional)

Tempering / Thadka :

Oil - 2 tbs

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp.

Curry leaves -

Asafetida – ¼ tsp

Oil (for greasing) – 1 tsp.

Method :

Mix Gram flour, Lemon juice, Ginger-Chilli paste, Turmeric and Salt with water except Eno Fruit Salt making a smooth and thick batter of dosa consistency.  

Add Eno Fruit Salt and mix well adding few drops of water and let this stay for a minute and when the mixture rises, pour it into a greased thali or a cooker vessel and steam for about 15 minutes. Let it stand for 5 minutes.

Remove from the steamer cut into diamond shape.

Prepare a tempering by heating oil, add mustard, when it starts crackling add asafetida and curry leaves.  With the help of a spoon pour this thadka evenly all over the dhokla. 

Garnish with fresh coriander and grated coconut (optional).

Serve with Green Chutney or my son’s favourite Ketchup.

Things to be taken care :

Keep the steamer hot while adding Eno Fruit salt into the batter.

There should be enough space in thali or cooker vessel (vertically) for dhokla to rise while steaming.

Ukadiche Modak / Modhaka

Ukadiche Modak means steamed Modak in Marathi.  I tried my hands on preparing Modak - one of the favourite dish of Lord Ganesha.  It is said he loves to eat sweets. 'Modak' is the most famous and most typical food preparation of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in the state of Maharashtra.  The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chathurthi is considered incomplete without offering Modak (called as Modaka in Kannada) to the Lord.   There are two ways of preparing Modak one is frying and other is steaming, this is the steamed.

Ingredients:

For the covering:

1 cup Rice Flour

1 cup Water

1 tsp Ghee

A pinch of Salt

For the filling:

1 cup Coconut, shredded

½ cup Jaggery, grated

1 tsp Cardamom Powder

*Extra ghee while making the covering.

Method :

For the filling :

Add jaggery and coconut in a heavy bottom pan and cook on medium flame, stirring in between till jaggery and coconut mixture becomes homogenous.  Add powdered cardamom just before removing from fire. Keep this mixture aside for cooling.

For the covering :

Take 1 cup of water in a pan and boil it add salt and ghee.  Once it boils add rice flour while stirring the mixture in other hand (you can take somebody’s help if required).   Take care no lumps should be formed. Immediately cover properly for 2-3 minutes so it cooks in its own steam. Remove the dough and knead it well with hand or press it with the bottom of any bowl while its still hot so that all lumps are removed.   Divide the dough into small balls.  Pat the ball slowly with the help of fingers of one hand keeping the ball on other hand in such a way that it takes the shape of a small cup (smear the palm with little ghee or water to keep the dough moist), now fill ¾th part of this cup with the coconut filling, make a pleats of the edges of the cups and gather all the pleats together to the top.  Repeat the same procedure for balance dough. Take care the modaks should not be left out as it will get dry, keep it covered with wet cloth.  Place this modak in the idli vessel or cooker (without whistle) for steaming approximately 15 minutes.

Serve hot with ghee. Yummy………

Things to be taken care:

Rice powder prepared at home is better, for this rice should be washed and soaked in water for 1 hour.  Dried well and then grinded to fine powder.  This gives nice white colour plus texture to the modak.

Sieve the rice flour well, atleast twice before the preparation for covering.

Use freshly scrapped coconut.

Keep the gas in sim while adding rice flour.

The dough should be neither too sticky nor too dry.

Deep the base of the modak in water and place it on wet cloth or banana leaf in steamer.

Modak can also be kept on turmeric leaves in the steamer; it will enhance the flavour of the modak.

Dry fruits, food colour, kesar can be added for tastes and colour.

Pancha Kajjaya / Panchakajjaya / Sihi Avallakki

Pancha Kajjaya is a speciality of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka This naivedhya (an offering to God) is a favourite of God Ganesha and a must for Gana Homa i.e. Ganesha Pooja.  This panchakajjaya is prepared as prasadha or an offering in Tulsi pooja also.  Sugarcane pcs. are required to be added in this panchakajjaya for Tulsi Pooja. This prasadha is prepared for other pooja’s also.   Pancha means five and Kajjaya means sweets, a naivedhya which is prepared with five ingredients i.e. Beaten Rice, Coconut, Jaggery, Black Sesame seed and ghee are most important one and rest are optional. A very easy to make recipe…

Ingredients:

Paper Beaten Rice (Avallakki / Bajil) – 1 Kg.

Coconut – 3 Nos.

Jaggery / Bella – 850 gms.

Black Sesame seed / Yellu / Kapu yedme – 100 gms.

Ghee / Thupa – 50 gms.

Cardamom – 10 Nos.

Puffed paddy powder (Aralu hudi)/ Podhol pudi / Rajgira – 100 gms. (optional)

Sugar cane / Kabbu / Karmbu pcs. – 100 gms. (optional)

Method:

Clean and sieve beaten rice well so that any powder or dust is removed.

Clean and roast black sesame seed till you get a nice aroma.

Powder cardamom, grate coconut and jaggery.

Take a deep vessel; add coconut, jaggery, cardamom, ghee and mix well till jaggery melts a little add beaten rice and mix well till all beaten rice are well mixed with jaggery and coconut. Add sugar cane pcs. and mix again.

The offering is ready.

Things to be taken care:

Can increase the quantity of coconut, it gives further smooth texture to beaten rice.

Always use black sesame seeds for extra aroma and flavour.

Either or both sugarcane or puffed paddy powder can be excluded.  

This can be kept for 3-4 days in fridge.

Corn Pulao / Jola Pulao

Corn pulao one of the easiest and can be prepared in no time. It is a tastier and healthiest too, low in saturated fat, no cholesterol, low in sodium, high in dietary fiber, high in magnesium, high in phosphorus, high in thiamin, high in vitamin C (refer http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-corn-sweet-yellow-i11167). Kids just loves it.

Ingredients :

Basmati Rice / sona masoori – 2 cups
Corn kernels (Fresh / frozen) – 1 cups
Onion – 2 medium size
Bay leaf - 2
Oil – 3 tbsp
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon – 1 inch
Star anise / dagad phool – ½
Green chillies – 2 (as per taste)
Coriander leaves – ½ cup
Ginger - Garlic paste – 2 tsp
Garam masala – ½ tsp.
Salt – as per taste

Method :

Wash rice, drain out the water and let it remain in colander. Wash corn and drain out the water. Boil 4 cups of water and keep aside.

Take a cooker (I prepared it in a cooker this can be cooked in any well covered pot) add oil, when oil heats up add bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, add thinly sliced onions and saute till it turns transparent add chillis and ginger - garlic paste, sauté till raw smell disappears.

Add corn and fry for a minute, add rice and fry till water disappears taking care rice doesn’t breaks. Add little less than 4 cup hot water, add garam masala and salt and stir carefully. Cover the cooker and let it cook till 2 whistles.

Open the cooker after 15 minutes, toss the rice with fork. Garnish with coriander and serve with raita, pickle or plain.

Things to be taken care :

There is no need of cooking corn separately or frying it much. Corn tastes better when cooked less.