Spiced Puff Rice / Charmuri Upkari / Khara Mandakki

Spiced Puff Rice

This is a jhatpat snack which needs minimal ingredients and can be prepared in 10 mins. A popular street food snack to munch on and loved by all age groups :)

Ingredients :

Puff rice - 1 cup
Oil (preferably coconut oil) - 1.5 tbsp
Medium Onion chopped finely - 1
Tomato (medium) chopped - 1
Corriander leaves - for garnishing
Lime juice - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala (optional) - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 3/4 tsp
Salt

Method :

In a bowl add oil, onion, tomatoes, chilli powder, garam masala and salt. Mix well.

Add lime juice and corriander leaves to this mixture.

Now add puff rice and mix so that the masala coats well to the puff rice. Your snack is ready to be served :) :)

Khaman Dhokla

Khaman Dhokla

Ingredients :

Besan / Chickpea flour - 1 cup
Curd - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 2
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Sugar - 1tsp
Eno fruit salt - 1 tsp (as needed)
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Turmeric  - small pinch
Corriander leaves - 2 tbsp
Coconut grated - 2-3 tbsp

To temper :

Oil - 1tsp
Mustard - 3/4 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/8 tsp                            

Method :

Grind together green chillies and ginger with little water (Use water mentioned in Ingredients section. Do not add extra water).

In a bowl add besan, curd, water, green chilli+ginger paste, sugar, salt, lemon juice and turmeric and mix well. Keep this mixture aside for 10-15 mins.

Take a flat bottomed vessel and grease it generously with oil.

Mix eno salt to the mixture at the time you are going to steam. Make sure to mix well.

Steam this mixture for 10-12 mins. I used pressure cooker to steam this mixture without pressure valve. Insert knife to check if it's done. It should come out clean. Keep for 5 mins to cool and invert it on a plate and cut into desired shape.

Temper with the items under "To temper" and spread it over the pieces. Garnish with coconut and corriander leaves.



P.S : If eno fruit salt is not there add 1/2 tsp cooking soda to the mixture. 

Steamed rice dumplings (Undi)

Undi

Ingredients :

Rice rawa - 3/4 cup

Fresh coconut - 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 2tsp

Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp

Ghee - 1.5 tbsp

Urad dal - 1tbsp

Salt

Method :

In a pan add rice rawa and coconut and add water just to cover this mixture. Add salt to the mixture and keep it for 30mins. After 30 mins add tadka of mustard+ fenugreek seeds + urad dal in ghee. 

Boil the above mixture and saute until this mixture turns into solid mass.  Dip hands in water, take some mixture  and make balls out of it.

Steam these balls for 25 mins and undis are ready to eat..

Urad dal Bondas / Biscuit Ambado / Uddina Vadas

Biscuit Ambado

Ingredients :

Urad dal - 1/2 cup + 1tbsp

Ginger - 1 tbsp

Green chillies - 2 

Curry leaves - chopped few

Salt

Oil for frying

Method :

Soak urad dal for 3 hrs and drain it. Grind this mixture with minimal water. Batter should be thicker than idly batter. 

Add salt ginger chopped chilles and curry leaves to this and mix it with hands. Keep mixing the mixture until it turns fluffy like when u drop little batter in water it should float and not sink. 

Heat oil and when its hot dip ur hand in water and take some batter in your palm and form round shaped balls and drop it in oil. Fry until the ambados become brown. Biscuit ambados are ready to eat.

Okra curry (Benda songa)

Ingredients :

Ladies finger – 8-10 

Onions – 2 chopped lengthwise

Tomato (medium sized)  - 1

Garlic – 5-6 (chopped finely)

Spices :

Chilly powder – 1.5 tsp

Corriander powder – 1 tsp

Asafoetida (Hing) – 1/2 tsp

Garam masala – 1tsp

Tadka :

Finely chopped onions – 1/2

Oil

Method :

Wash the ladies finger and cut them into quarter inch pieces.

In a kadai add onions and saute until golden brown.  Add chilli powder as required and saute of a min. Now add one medium sized chopped tomato and saute it till the tomatoes turn mushy.

Add chopped ladies finger saute for a while.  Add water + salt for the mixture. Add corriander powder, chopped garlic,  asafoetida, garam masala and bring it to boil untill ladies finger is cooked.

For the tadka add finely chopped onions to oil and fry until they are brown and add it to the above mixture and boil it for 2 mins. 

Masala Puri Chat

Masala Puri

For the masala gravy :

Dried green peas - 3/4 cup

Onion - 1 medium size

Tomato -1 medium size

Green chillies- 2 medium size

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Garlic - 4 cloves

Salt needed

Oil - 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp

Chilli powder - 1-2 tsp

Coriander powder -2 tsp

Cumin powder/jeera powder - 1/2 tsp

Kitchen King masala -1 1/2 tsp

For seasoning :

Oil - 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 3/4 tsp 

Corriander leaves for garnishing

Method :

Wash and soak peas overnight or for 5-6 hours in enough water. Pressure cook with a pinch of turmeric powder, salt needed, 1 crushed garlic and 1/2 tsp chilli powder until soft. Leave it to cool. Grind half of the cooked peas to a coarse paste and keep it aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add finely chopped onions, garlic and ginger. Saute until onions turn light brown. You can add a little salt to quicken up the process. Saute continuously for even browning. Add green chillies and saute for a few more seconds. Add tomatoes and cook until tomatoes become mushy. Switch off the flame and allow it to cool. Grind it to a fine paste and keep it ready.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, when it splutters, add paste 2 (onion tomato mixture) and saute nicely for 2-3 minutes. Add all the spice powders (turmeric + chilli + corriander + cumin +kitchen king masala) and saute for a few more minutes. 

Add onion tomato paste made earlier and saute for a few seconds. Then add the rest of the cooked peas along with water. You can add 1-1 1/2 more cup of water, salt needed and cook on low flame for 5 minutes. 

The ragda should be a little watery. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Green chutney :

Coriander leaves - 2 cups (tightly packed)

Mint leaves - 1 cup (tightly packed)

Ginger - a small bit

Green chillies -2-3

Lemons juice - Juice of half a lemon

Sugar - 1/4 -1/2 tsp

Salt

Method :

Grind together all the ingredients mentioned under green chutney (except lemon) to a fine paste using very minimal water. Squeeze lemon juice over the paste to retain the green colour of chutney.

Sweet chutney :

Jaggery - 1/4 cup

Tamarind - 1/4 cup (50 grams)

Dates - 8-10

Red chilli powder -1/2

Roasted Cumin/ jeera powder -1/4 tsp

Dry ginger powder -1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Method :

Soak tamarind in warm water for 20 minutes. Dissolve jaggery in little water and filter it to remove its impurities. Remove the seed from the dates or use seedless variety. 

In a pan boil together jaggery, tamarind and dates with just enough water. Add salt, chilli powder, jeera powder and dry ginger powder.Simmer and cook till it reaches a saucy consistency. Mash it well with a potato masher. 

Allow it to cool, strain it using a soup strainer, pressing it well with a ladle to extract as much pulp as you can. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This chutney can also be freezed for 15-20 days.

Assembling masala puri chat :

Crush 7-8 pooris on a plate.

Pour 2-3 ladles of piping hot ragda over the puri. 

Sprinkle chat masala, chilli powder and cumin powder. 

Drizzle a little green chutney and sweet chutney over it. You can add the chutneys depending on your taste. 

Sprinkle a generous amount of finely chopped onions. 

Top it with finely chopped coriander leaves, sev and enjoy it piping hot 

Moogadali Usli

Moongdali Usli

Ingredients :

Moongdal - 3/4 cup
Green chillies - 2 (slit lengthwise)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 spring
Oil - 1.5 tsp
Ginger - 1.5 tsp finely chopped
Fresh coconut - 3 tbsp
Water for boiling

Procedure :

Wash the moongdal with running water.

In a kadai heat oil and add mustard seeds and green chillies.

When mustard seeds splitters add curry leaves and saute it.

Add washed moongdal, salt. Add water just to cover the moongdal. Don't add too much water else the final outcome will be mushy.

When the moongdal is half cooked add coconut and ginger and cook until the moongdal is cooked.

Moongdal usli is ready to be served :)

Moongdal Chaklis / Moogadali Chakkuli

Moongdal Chaklis

Ingredients :

All purpose flour / Maida – 1.5 cups

Split skinless greegram / Moongdal – 1/2 cup

Red chilli powder – To taste

Black (or white) sesame seeds – 1tsp

Cumin seeds / Jeera – 1tsp

Salt – To taste

Oil – For deep frying

Procedure :

Take all purpose flour in a cotton cloth and tie it tightly so that it is closed from all sides.

Now steam the all purpose flour or maida (in cloth) for 15 minutes.

Once done allow it to cool for few minutes. It looks like a solid mass which can be broken with bare hands after steaming.

Once the flour is warm, it becomes easy to handle. Start breaking the lumps using your hand (because once it cools down completely, it hardens and hence more effort is required to break the lumps).

Then sieve it to get a lump free flour. Set it aside.

Now wash the moongdal and cook it in a pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles so that it turns mushy (don't add too much water). Once cooked transfer it to a bowl and mix it.

Then add red chilli powder, cumin seeds, sesame seeds and salt.

Finally add the prepared all purpose flour (maida) to this mixture. Mix it well without adding water to get a non sticky, soft dough.

Now keep the oil for heating on a medium-high. Now take the chakli making press. I used the mould plate having one hole.

Now divide the dough into two parts. Keep one part of the mixture closed (to avoid drying) and the other part in the mould. Now start rotating it in clockwise direction and make small/big chakli (the free end of the chakli should be sealed. otherwise there are chances of  it opening up).

You can make chaklis on a parchment paper or banana leaf (as required for one batch. Don't make too much of them in advance. It will dry and fall apart while frying). I made 4-5 per batch . 

Then transfer it to hot oil carefully. 

Fry them evenly on both sides, until they turn light brown (another indication of the end point is the bubbles stop forming). Take it out and drain the excess oil on a paper towel.

Moogadali Chakkuli is ready!!

Allow it to cool then the store them in an air tight container.

Jeera Gobhi

Jeera Gobhi

Ingredients :

Gobi florets washed – 1 cup

To Temper :

Green chillies chopped  - 2

Curry leaves – 1 spring
Asafoetida pdr(hing) –  1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds (jeera) – 1.5 tsps
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
Oil – 1tbsp

Chopped coriander leaves
Lime juice – 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method :

Boil the gobi florets with little water for 5-7 mins. You can microwave the gobi florets too.

In a kadai take oil and put all the ingredients mentioned under To temper one by one and add the boiled gobi, salt to taste and saute for 5 mins.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and a dash of lime juice.