Tadka khichdi | Spiced khichdi | Tempered khichdi

Learn how to make this spicy khichdi. You can replace ghee with coconut oil for the vegan version of this dish. You'll not be disappointed for sure. Just try once :)

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 45 mins
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
Rice: 2 cups, refer notes
Green gram dal | Hesru kaalu | Hara moong: 3/4 cup
Split moong dal | Hesru bele | Yellow moong: 1/4 cup
Water: 6 cups
Salt: As needed
Hot water: About 1/2 cup, optional

For the spicy tempering:
Oil: 2 tsp, any oil of your choice
Ghee | Clarified Butter: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds | Saasive: 1 tsp
Cumin seeds | Jeerige: 1/2 tsp
Cloves: 4 nos
Curry leaves: 5-6nos, torn
Finely chopped garlic: 1 tbsp
Green chilies: 4 nos, chopped
Grated ginger: 1 tbsp
Red chili powder: 1/2 tsp
Garam masala: 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp

Method:

Wash the rice, green gram and yellow moong thoroughly.
Add the water and pressure cook the rice and lentils together for 3-4 whistles.Allow the cooker to cool for 15 mins.
Once the rice is cool, open the lid and mash the cooked rice mixture gently.

Heat oil and ghee in a small wok. Keep the heat to a medium.
When oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and cloves. When seeds crackle, add the curry leaves.

Follow it by garlic. When garlic is golden brown, add the chopped green chilies, ginger paste and saute.

Turn off the heat of the tempering and allow it to cool for a minute. Add the turmeric powder, red chili powder and garam masala to the not so hot oil.

Add the tempering to the cooked rice and lentil mixture. Add the salt and hot water (if needed).
Mix well and let the khichdi cook again on a medium heat for about 5-7 mins.

Serve the khichdi hot with a side dish of your choice. We like to eat our khichdi with kadhi, begun bhaja, salad or plain yogurt.

Notes:

• You can use any rice of your choice. I have used basmati rice (long grain white rice), sona masoori rice (small grain white rice), and brown rice.
• If you add the dry spice powders to very hot oil, the powders get burnt and that is not what we want. We want to infuse the flavors into the oil without burning the spice powders.

Tawa Pulao Recipe: Mumbai Street Food

I have never lived in Mumbai before & tawa pulao is not one of  the things I craved to eat during my visits to India. For me, tawa pulao is a dish cooked at home. I never got a chance to eat them in food joints or restaurants. I learnt this from a Maharastrian friend of mine & have been cooking this from many years!

The twist to this pulao is the addition of Pav Bhaji masala which adds a zing to it & makes it flavorful.Also, this is one of the better options to utilize the left over rice. Isn't it a 2-in-1 bonanza?


Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins (excluding the rice cooking time)

Ingredients: (Serves: 2-3)
Cooked rice: 3 cups
Oil: 1-2 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1/4 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste: 1/2 tsp
Tomato: 1 no, medium sized (finely chopped)
Onion: 1 tbsp, finely chopped
Bell pepper: 1 tbsp, finely chopped
Finely chopped veggies: 2 tbsp ( I have used french beans & carrots)
Frozen peas: 1 tsp, optional
Pav bhaji masala: 1 tsp
Red chilli paste or powder: 1/2 tsp, adjust accordingly
Salt: As needed

For the garnish:
Coriander leaves: 1 tbsp
Lemon juice: 1 tsp, optional



Method:
Heat oil in a broad pan.
** I used tawa/griddle to show that tawa pulao is actually made on a griddle/tawa.
When oil is hot, throw in the cumin seeds. When cumin seeds turn brown, add the onions.

Saute until the onion turns translucent. Add the ginger garlic paste & saute again. Cook the ginger garlic paste for a couple of mins or until the raw smell disappears.
Follow it by bell peppers & saute again.
Add the finely chopped veggies & cook it on a medium heat until the vegetables are almost cooked.

Add the finely chopped tomatoes & cook until the tomatoes are soft & slightly mushy.
Throw in the frozen peas,  pav bhaji masala, red chilli paste or powder, salt & give it a mix.
Finally add the cooked rice, and mix well. Let the rice heat up for a couple of mins.

Garnish the rice with coriander leaves & lemon juice. Mix well before serving.


Notes:

• If you are using left over rice, break the rice gently & try to keep the grains separate. Mushy or over cooked rice will spoil the pulao.
• You could add precooked vegetables too. 

Avalakki Oggarane | Batata Poha | Avalakki uppittu | Seasoned Rice flakes : Without onion & garlic

After all the festive cooking, I wanted to make something simple for the next couple of days. Hence, made this avalakki oggarane for brunch. Avalakki oggarane is a very simple, yet filling breakfast item that can be cooked in 20 mins.

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
Thick rice flakes | Gatti avalakki | Thick poha: 3 cups
Boiled Potato: 1, medium sized
Diced bell pepper: 1/4th cup (I have used red bell peppers)
Frozen corn: a fistful, refer notes
Green chillies: 3-4 nos, sliced
Curry leaves: 4-6 nos, torn
Oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Urad dal | Skinned black gram dal: 1 tsp
Peanuts: 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder: 1/8 tsp
Salt: As needed
Sugar: 2 tsp, optional
Lemon juice: 2 tsp

Method:
Dice the boiled potato & keep aside. Thaw the frozen corn kernels.
Wash the rice flakes thoroughly. Add the washed rice flakes to a colander & let the rice flakes sit in the colander for about 5 mins. The rice flakes will absorb water & become soft.

Meantime, heat oil in a broad kadai/pan. When oil is hot, throw in the mustard & cumin seeds. When seeds turn golden brown, add the urad dal & peanuts. Cook till the peanuts turn golden brown.

Add the sliced green chillies, curry leaves & saute till the curry leaves wilt. Add the diced bell pepper. Cook till the bell peppers are soft & yet firm.

Throw in the corn kernels, diced potato & turmeric. Mix well. Cook for a minute.

Add the soaked rice flakes to the tempering. Throw in the salt, sugar & mix well.

Cook the rice flakes on a medium heat for 2-4 mins.
Add the lemon juice. Mix well & turn off the heat.

Serve the seasoned rice flakes (avalakki oggarane) hot or warm. It tastes great either ways.

Notes:

• You could replace frozen corn kernels with frozen sweet peas or frozen green peas too. 
• Fresh corn kernels could be added as well. Make sure to cook the fresh corn kernels before adding it to the tempering. 
• This is a very basic avalakki oggarane or batata poha recipe. You could add or omit vegetables as per your choice. 
• One more variation is making the avalakki oggarane with onion. Onion adds the crunch & a different flavor to the poha. 

Vada Pav or Wada Pav : The Indian burger

What do you crave during cool & rainy days? For me, it's deep fried street chaat. It could be a plate of hot masala puri or some bhajiyas (fritters). When we talk of street foods, who do you think can resist street foods? There is not much fun when you eat the street food or chat at the airconditioned restaurants.(Raste pe chaat khane ki maza hi kuch aur hain na!). I can see many nodding heads :D But when you are away from all those pleasures of life, there is only option left. Make them at your home & relish.

Wada Pav is a famous street food of Mumbai. After pav bhaji, this is the most appreciated Mumbai street food at my home. Vada Pav does take more time, but if you plan in advance & then cook, it'll not be tiresome.

Preparation Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 15-20 mins
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

For the batata vada (stuffed potato fritters)
For the stuffing:
Boiled Russet potatoes: 3 nos, large (refer notes below)
Green chilli paste: 2 tsp
Grated garlic: 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder: a big pinch
Oil: 1 tbsp
Salt: As needed
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida: a big pinch
Finely chopped coriander leaves: 2 tbsp
Lemon juice: 2 tsp

For the batter:
Besan/Kadle hittu/ Gram flour: 1 cup
Rice flour: 2-3 tbsp, optional but recommended
Salt: As needed
Chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder: a big pinch
Baking soda: a pinch
Water: As needed

Enough oil for deep frying the batata vada (stuffed potato fritters)

For the dry coconut chutney: 
Dry coconut: 1/2 cup
Red chilli powder : 2 tsp or about 8-10 dry red chillies
Salt: As needed

For assembling the burger | vada pav:
Pav or dinner rolls or burger buns: About 9-10
Dry coconut chutney: 2 tsp on each bun
Green chutney: 1 tsp on each bun, optional
Batata vada : 1-2 nos for each bun.

Method:
For the dry coconut chutney:
Blend together the dry coconut, chilli powder & salt in a blender until it is a coarse powder. Keep it aside.

For the batata vada:
Peel the skin of the potatoes & mash them roughly.
Heat oil in a broad pan. When oil is hot, add the cumin seeds. When cumin seeds turn golden brown, throw in the chilli paste & grated garlic. When garlic gets cooked, add the turmeric powder, mashed potatoes, salt & mix well. Add in the coriander leaves & lemon juice. Turn off the heat.
Mix & mash the cooked potato again.
Make lime sized balls from the potato mixture & keep it aside.

For the batter:
In a bowl, add the gram flour, rice flour, baking soda, salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder & mix well.

Add little water at a time to the gram flour mixture and prepare a batter. The consistency of the batter should be like a pancake batter or a thick milkshake.
Heat enough oil for deep frying the batata vada. When oil is hot, dip the potato balls in the gram flour batter & slide the raw batata vada in the hot oil.

Deep fry on both the sides until the vada turns golden brown. Remove the vada using a slotted spoon & drain it on a paper towel.

Arranging the vada pav:
Slice or cut the pav or burger bun in half.

Spread about 2 tsp of dry coconut chutney on one half of the burger bun.

**If needed, spread a teaspoon of green chutney on the other half of the bun. (I don't do this as we do not want the green chutney to over power the dry coconut chutney)
Place the hot batata vada on the dry chutney powder.

Cover it with the other slice.
Dig in!!

Notes:

• Use any potatoes of your choice.
• Vada pav is supposed to be garlicky & spicy. So, ensure to make the batata vada spicy & garlicky. 
• Make the dry coconut chutney spicy too. You could serve the vada pav with a slightly roasted green chilli too. 
• Ensure to serve the batata vada hot.  

PS: I'm sending this to Pari's event 'Only' Sandwiches, Burgers & Panini hosted by myself :)

Along with this, I have two other entries too.

Here they are:
Baby corn-bell pepper grilled sandwich
Grilled tomato cheese sandwich.

Pav bhaji dosa : Mumbai Street Food

This is a very interesting blend of South Indian & Mumbai Street food. Whenever I plan to make pav bhaji, I make the extra bhaji & will always make the pav bhaji dosa the next day. 

Preparation Time: 20 mins

Cooking Time: 1 hour, including bhaji preparation

Ingredients:

For the bhaji:

Potatoes: 2 nos, medium sized
Cauliflower: 1 small
Green peas: A fistful
Carrot: 1 small
Tomato puree: About 2 to 2.5 cups
Onion: 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Capsicum: 2-3 tbsp, finely chopped
Ginger garlic paste: 1.5 tsp
Green chillies: 2 nos, finely chopped
Chilli powder: 1 to 1.5 tsp
Pav bhaji masala: 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder: a big pinch
Oil: 1 tbsp
Butter: 1 tbsp
Salt: According to tasteCoriander leaves: 3 tbsp, finely chopped
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp

For the dosa:

Fermented dosa batter: 3 cups (refer the recipe here) 

Salt: As needed

For the garnish:

Finely chopped onions

Diced capsicum

Finely chopped coriander leaves

Method:

For the bhaji: (Bhaji preparation with step-by-step pictures can be found here)

• Roughly chop the potatoes, cauliflower, & carrot. Add half a cup of water & 1/2 tsp of salt to the potatoes, cauliflower, carrot and peas. Pressure cook the veggies for 2 whistles.
• Meantime, take a broad pan. Heat oil in the pan. When the oil is hot, throw in the capsicum & saute for a minute.
• Add the onions & saute until the onions are soft.
• Add the ginger-garlic paste, green chillies & saute till the raw smell of the paste is gone (about a couple of minutes).
• Add the tomato puree, turmeric, salt & red chilli powder. Allow it to boil for about 5 minutes on medium heat. The mixture starts spluttering, so keep a lid 3/4th covered.
• Meantime, thoroughly mash the vegetables cooked in the pressure cooker.
• Add the mashed vegetables, pav bhaji masala, half a cup of water & continue mashing, cooking & stirring it. The mixture keeps spluttering all over. So, it is better you handle it with a mitt.
• Add the butter & keep mashing the mixture.
• Finally add coriander leaves, lemon juice & mash it for another couple of minutes.

Making the dosa:

Add the salt to the batter (if not already added!) & mix well.

Heat a griddle/tava. When tava is hot enough, sprinkle couple of drops of oil & clean it with a tissue (Skip this if using non-stick tava).

Pour a ladle full of batter to the center of the griddle. Spread it in circular motion, clockwise.

Sprinkle few drops of oil & cook it covered on a medium heat. 

Pour a ladle full of bhaji to the center of the dosa.

 

Spread the bhaji evenly on the dosa.

Let it cook for 5-10 secs.

Sprinkle finely chopped onions, capsicum & coriander leaves.

Fold in the dosa.

Dig in hot with a chutney/dip of your choice.

Notes:

For tips about the bhaji preparation, refer here.

Pav Bhaji: A Mumbai Street Food with step-by-step photos

I have memories of my teenage days attached with this dish. No, I was neither born & brought up in Mumbai nor spent even a month in Mumbai. To set the record straight, I have not even tasted Pav Bhaji on the streets of Mumbai!

During my high school & Pre University days, I and my cousins used to eat masala puri, paani puri, pav bhaji at my town. I did not know how authentic it used to be but honestly never bothered about it! One blue moon day when I went to grocery shopping with my father, I noticed pav bhaji masala. I persuaded my father to buy it for me. He double checked the ingredients (as my mom, grandmom, father are " no" to garlic too!) & finally bought it for me. So, pav bhaji might be my first experiment in the kitchen during my late high school days (of course after maggi!).

I used to follow the pav bhaji recipe as found on the side of pav bhaji masala packet. Later, I started fine tuning it according to our tastes. I have been making pav bhaji from almost 15 years now. Now, I feel I can make a decent pav bhaji. I am still not sure whether it is an authentic recipe or not :)

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 45 mins

Ingredients: (Serves 5-6)
For the bhaji:
Potatoes: 2 nos, medium sized
Cauliflower: 250 gms
Green peas: A fistful
Carrot: 1 small
Tomato puree: About 2 to 2.5 cups
Onion: 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Capsicum: 2-3 tbsp, finely chopped
Ginger garlic paste: 1.5 tsp
Green chillies: 2 nos, finely chopped
Chilli powder: 1 to 1.5 tsp
Pav bhaji masala: 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder: a big pinch
Oil: 1 tbsp
Butter: 1 tbsp
Salt: According to taste

For the garnish:
Coriander leaves: 3 tbsp, finely chopped
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp

For serving:
Pav/Dinner rolls: 12-16 nos
Lemon wedges
Finely chopped onion
a blob of butter
coriander leaves

Method
For the bhaji:
Roughly chop the potatoes, cauliflower, & carrot. Add half a cup of water & 1/2 tsp of salt to the potatoes, cauliflower, carrot and peas. Pressure cook the veggies for 2 whistles.
Meantime, take a broad pan. Heat oil in the pan. When the oil is hot, throw in the capsicum & saute for a minute.

Add the onions & saute until the onions are soft.

Add the ginger-garlic paste, green chillies & saute till the raw smell of the paste is gone (about a couple of minutes).

Add the tomato puree, turmeric, salt & red chilli powder. Allow it to boil for about 5 minutes on medium heat. The mixture starts spluttering, so keep a lid 3/4th covered.

Meantime, thoroughly mash the vegetables cooked in the pressure cooker.

Add the mashed vegetables, pav bhaji masala, half a cup of water & continue mashing, cooking & stirring it. The mixture keeps spluttering all over. So, it is better you handle it with a mitt.

Add the butter & keep mashing the mixture.

Finally add coriander leaves, lemon juice & mash it for another couple of minutes.

Heating the pav/dinner rolls:
Cut the pav in half.
Add a teaspoon of butter onto a griddle. Srinkle some pav bhaji masala, coriander leaves on the butter.
Place the pav on the butter & let it get roasted for 30 secs. Flip the pav & roast the other side too.

Serving:
Pour around 1/4th cup or more of bhaji on a plate. Sprinkle coriander leaves on the bhaji. A blob of butter on the bhaji.
Put around a tablespoon or more of finely chopped onion onto the serving plate. Place a lemon wedge.
Finally add the buttered & hot pav to the plate & dig in!

Notes:

• One should not be able to find the vegetables that go in the bhaji. It needs to be thoroughly mashed. 
• Be ready to clean the kitchen counter after the bhaji is done, since the bhaji splutters a lot. Be careful while mashing the bhaji too.
• The bhaji needs to be spicy, tangy & buttery!
• I have not added any food color to this. So, this is the color you get after cooking the bhaji :)