Varan Bhat

This is very simple yet tasty delicacy from Maharashtra.

Ingredients :

Rice - 1 Cup

Tuvar Dal - 3/4 Cup

Turmeric powder - 1/4 Tsp

Salt - 1 Tsp

Sugar or Jaggery - 2 Tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch 

Ghee (Clarified butter) - 1 Tbsp 

Method:

1) Wash rice, put 2 cup of water and pressure cook.

2) Wash tuvar dal, put 1 1/2 cup of water, turmeric powder, jaggery and asafoetida and pressure cook for 20 min or up to 3 whistles.

3) Transfer cooked dal in a saucepan, add salt little water to get your desired consistency and let it boil on medium flame .

4) Take cooked rice in a plate or bowl, add hot dal and ghee on it and serve with a lemon wedge.
   

Varan Bhat

Chana Dal Vada/ Split Chickpea Fritters

Chana Dal Vada

Ingredients:

Chana Dal/Split Chickpea  - 1 Cup

Green Chili - 4 or to taste

Curry Leaves - 10

Salt - to taste

Lemon Juice - 1/2 Tbsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 Tsp

Coriander Seeds - 2 Tsp

Oil - To deep fry

Method:

1) Soak chana dal in water for 4 hrs.

2) Rinse it and grind coarsely. Add green chili, curry leaves, cumin seeds and coriander seeds while grinding.

3) Add salt and lemon juice to mixture and mix well. If mixture is too thick add little water.

4) Heat oil in wok and drop vada mixture by spoon in oil, deep fry vada on medium-high heat till golden brown in color.

5) Serve hot with coriander chutney.

Split Chickpea Fritters

Ghee Using Butter

Ghee Using Butter

Ghee is clarified butter. It is also knows as butter oil.

Ingredients:

Unsalted Butter - 1 kg (2 Lb)

I used Sam's club unsalted butter.

Method:

1) Ghee using butter is very simple and there is no recipe. Just take out butter from box and put it in a saucepan with thick bottom. Heat it on low medium flame till you get butter oil and fats separated.

Refer following images and video. 

Video Link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGU36OM9P-Q

2) Once ghee is done let it cool for 10-15 min. and then sieve it to remove fats.

3) Ghee is ready.Store it and enjoy.

Haliv Ladoo

Aliv Ladoo

Ingredients:

Haliv/Garden Cress Seeds - 1/2 Cup

Milk/Coconut Water - 1 1/4 Cup

Jaggery - 1 Cup Firmly Packed

Fresh Grated Coconut - 1 Cup

Cashews - 10

Almonds - 10

Cardamom Powder - 1/4 Tsp

Ghee - 1 Tsp

Method:

1) Soak aliv in milk or coconut water for 2 hrs.

2) Chop cashews and almonds and keep aside.

3) Add ghee and fresh coconut and fry on medium heat for 2-3 min.

4) Add soaked aliv and jaggery and fry the mixture till it comes together and leaves sides of pan.

5) Add nuts and cardamom powder and mix well.

6) Let the mixture cool down.

7) Roll ladoo of your desired size and enjoy. I rolled of bite size.

Halim Laddu

Chana Chaat

Ingredients:

Black Chana - 1/2 Cup

Onion - 1 (Medium) Finely Chopped

Tomato - 1 (Big) Finely Chopped

Cucumber - 2 Tbsp Finely Chopped

Raw Mango - 2 Tbsp Finely Chopped (Optional) 

Green Chili - 2 Finely Chopped

Lemon Juice - 2 Tsp

Chat Masala - 1/2 Tsp

Red Chili Powder - 1/4 Tsp

Sugar - 1 Tsp

Salt - to taste

Fresh Cilantro - a few to garnish

Method:

1) Wash and soak black chana for 6 hrs or overnight.

2) Add 1 tsp of salt and pressure cook chana for 10 min. or until nicely cooked.

3) Strain off excess water from chana. 

4) Take chana in bowl and add onion, tomato, green chili, cucumber and raw mango.

5) Add red chili powder, salt, sugar and chat masala.

6) Add lemon juice and mix well.

7) Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve.

Chana Chat

Eggless Walnut Chocochip Muffins

Walnut ChocoChip Muffin

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour - 1 3/4 Cup

Baking Powder - 1 1 /2 Tbsp

Salt - 1/4 Tsp

Butter - 1/4 Cup

Light Brown Sugar - 1/2 Cup Firmly packed

Sugar - 1/2 Cup

Milk - 1 Cup

Pure Vanilla Extract - 2 Tsp

Chopped Walnuts - 1 1/2 Cup

Chocolate Chips - 3/4 Cup

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 350° F.

2) In a bowl mix flour, baking powder and salt.

3) In another bowl take butter, sugar, milk and vanilla extract and beat it.

4) Add this butter mixture in flour mixture and mix it.

5) Add chopped walnuts and chocolate chips and mix lightly.

6) Put paper liners to muffin pan and put the batter. 

7) Bake in preheated oven for 16-20 mins or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

8) Let it cool for 15 min and then serve.

Walnut ChocoChip Muffin

Peanut Chutney

Peanut Chutney

Ingredients:

Roasted Peanut (Shengdana) - 1 Cup 

Green Chili - 2-4 to taste

Garlic Cloves - 4

Cumin seeds - 1/2 Tsp

Oil - 1 Tsp

Salt - to taste

Method:

1) Heat wok and add oil in to it.

2) Add cumin seeds and let it crackle.

3) Add green chili and garlic cloves and fry for a min.

4) Put all ingredients to grinder and grind roughly.

5) Serve with roti or bhakri.