Falafel Wraps

Falafel Wraps in Marathi

Time: 15 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:
4 Pita breads - Click here for the recipe
8 Falafel - Click here for the recipe
1/2 cup Tzatziki Sauce - Click here for the recipe
For salad:
1/2 cup Cucumber, peeled and cut into small dices
1/4 cup Tomato, medium cubes
3 tbsp Red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp Parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
1 small green chili, finely chopped
Salt to taste
1/4 cup Lettuce leaves, cut into strips


Method:
1) To make salad, mix all the ingredients given under salad label.
2) Warm the pita breads. Put two falafel on each pita bread. Add 2 to 3 tbsp salad and drizzle some tzatziki sauce.
Prepare a wrap and serve immediately.

Garlic Sev

Garlic sev in Marathi

Time: 30 to 40 minutes

Ingredients:
2.5 cups Besan (Approx 325 Grams)
1/2 cup Oil
1/4 cup garlic paste
1/2 cup water
2 tsp green chili paste (Tip)
1 tsp Carom Seeds
1/2 tsp white pepper powder
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method:
1) Mix besan, white pepper powder and salt to taste. Sieve these three ingredients.
2) Heat 1/2 cup oil till smoking point. Add it to besan mixture. Mix with spoon.
3) Heat a tawa and turn off the heat. Lightly toast carom seeds. crush and make coarse powder.
4) Take 1/2 cup hot water. Add green chili paste, crushed carom seeds, and garlic paste. Mix well. Crush garlic and carom seeds with hands. This helps to infuse more flavor to the water. Strain and save the water.
5) Use this water to prepare sev batter. Add little water at a time. Mix it in besan well. Sev batter should be thick and sticky.
6) Grease sev presser from the inside with some oil. Pour Batter in Sev presser.
7) Heat oil in kadai. Press the sev pressing machine clockwise in circular motion. and keep coming in to form smaller circles and finish off when you come to center. Try to keep a single layer for even frying. Do not overlap, otherwise some parts will remain uncooked.
8) Fry over medium high heat. Flip to other side once one side becomes little firm. Do not fry until color changes to brown. It will taste bitter. Place on a paper towel to remove excessive oil. Let it cool down. Crush gently with hands to make Shev.

Tips:
1) Green chili paste can be substituted with red chili powder. However, Sev color becomes reddish due to red chili powder.
2) Quantity of water may vary by few tbsp. Hence add little water at a time. Mix and add if more required.
3) We are not mixing green chili paste, crushed carom seeds, and garlic paste to the flour because they can create problem while pressing sev. Small particles of garlic and carom seeds can get stuck in sev presser and block the flow. Therefore, we have flavors of garlic and carom seeds in water.

Cluster beans with pumpkin

Gavar Bhopla Bhaji in Marathi

Time: Preparation: 15 to 20 minutes | Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2 to 3

Ingredients:
1/4 kg Gawar (Cluster beans)
for tempering:- 1 tbsp oil, 10 to 12 Fenugreek seeds, 2 pinches mustard seeds, 1 pinch cumin seeds, 2 pinches hing (Asafoetida), 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp red chili powder
1/2 cup Pumpkin, peeled and diced
2 to 3 tbsp fresh coconut
1 tbsp peanuts powder
2 tsp jaggery
1/2 tsp Goda masala (Maharashtrian masala)
salt to taste

Method:
1) Wash gawar thoroughly. Pat dry with towel. Remove ends and strings (if any) of each gawar. Then pluck and make 1 inch pieces.
2) Steam cook broken gawar into a pressure cooker. Do not add water. (Add 1 inch level water at the bottom of cooker, take a steel container which fits inside the cooker. Put the broken gawar into it. and do not add water to this container.) Pressure cook upto 2 whistles, then turn of heat and wait for 10 minutes.
3) Heat oil into a wok or any pan. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing and turmeric. Then add pumpkin cubes. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, till pumpkin is half done. Add steam cooked gawar and mix.
4) Add red chili powder, goda masala, coconut, peanuts powder, and little salt. Mix nicely, cover and cook for couple of minutes. Then add jaggery and mix well. Cook for couple minutes more.
This sabzi tastes nice with chapati or white rice and dal.

Tips:
1) Pumpkin may be substituted by boiled potato. Put the boiled potato in the refrigerator for little while. After preparing tadka, add potato and pressure cooked gawar beans together.
2) Potato can be substituted by black peas. Soak the peas for atleast 7 to 8 hours in the water. Then pressure cook and use in the vegetable.
3) This sabzi can be prepare completely in the pressure cooker. Take a small pressure cooker. Prepare tempering according to the above method. Then add raw broken gawar and potato cubes (or soaked peas). Also add other ingredients and little water. Pressure cook upto 2 to 3 whistles. After 10 minutes open the cooker and boil for couple of minutes.

Ghavan ghatale

Ghavan Ghatle in Marathi



Recipe of Ghavan



8 to 9 medium ghavan

Time: Preparation- 5 minutes | Cooking- 20 to 25 minutes



Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour

2 cups milk/ water

pinch of salt

Ghee to cook ghavan



Method:

1) Mix rice flour, milk and salt into a bowl. Mix well and make the batter lump-free.

2) Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Once pan is hot, drizzle few drops of ghee and a spread ladleful of the batter. Cover the pan and let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip to the other side. Again, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes. If you feel its not cooked completely, then cook some more time.

Serve hot with Ghatle (Sweetened coconut milk preparation)



1) Add couple tbsp of jaggery, if you like sweet version of ghavan



=========================



Recipe of Ghatle



Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 1.5 cups (enough for 3 to 4 persons)



Ingredients:

1.5 cup coconut milk (I used canned one)

1 tbsp rice flour

2-3 pinches of cardamom powder

Jaggery to taste (I had used around 2 tbsp)



Method:

1) Mix coconut milk, rice flour, cardamom powder and jaggery.

2) Put the mixture into a small saucepan. Cook it over low heat till mixture thickens. Stir while cooking to prevent lumps.

Serve with ghavan.



Tips:

1) Roasted cashew and pistachio pieces can be added.

2) Adjust the amount of jaggery according to your taste.

Garlic peanuts Chutney

Garlic Chutney in Marathi

Time: 10 minutes
Yield: approx 1/2 cup

Ingredients:
10 big Garlic cloves OR 1 medium bulb of garlic
Salt to taste (I used approx 1/2 tsp)
4 to 5 tbsp roasted peanuts powder (coarse) (Shengdanyacha bharadsar koot)
1/2 tsp amchoor powder
1 tsp red chili powder
2 tbsp oil

Method:
1) Peel garlic and chop roughly. Keep mortar and pastel ready. Add 1 tsp red chili powder into the mortar.
2) Heat oil in a tadka pan. Add garlic and saute until garlic turns golden brown. Pour this hot garlic and oil over red chili powder (into mortar) and stir with spoon. (Tip 1)
3) Now add salt, peanuts powder, and amchoor powder to the mortar. Crush nicely until well blended.
Serve with paratha, dosa, or as a condiment along with the meal.

Tips:
1) If you add red chili powder to the hot oil, it may burn the chili powder. The tadka pan is also hot which keeps the oil temp. high.

Fruit Salad

Fruit Salad in Marathi

Time: 20 to 25 minutes
Serves: 4 to 5 persons

Ingredients:
1 medium banana
1 medium apple
1 medium orange
1/2 cup grapes
1/2 cup papaya, small cubes
Dry Fruits: - 2 tbsp sliced almonds, 1 tbsp sliced pistachio, 2 tbsp golden raisins, 1 tbsp cashews
1/2 cup condensed milk
1/2 cup milk

Method:
1) Preparation
Grapes: Use whole grapes. If the size is big, cut them into two halves. Also, use seedless grapes.
Orange: Peel the orange. Separate the wedges. Now remove skin and take out the fleshy part.
Papaya: Peel the papaya. remove seeds. Chop the papaya into medium cubes.
Banana: Peel the banana and make medium cubes.
Apple: Always cut the apple when you are ready to mix all the ingredients. Cut the apple, deseed and make small cubes.

Mix all the fruits. Add condensed milk and plain milk. [Amount of milk may vary. So first, add 1/4 cup of milk and 1/4 cup of condensed milk. Taste the fruit salad. If it is sweet enough then only add plain milk, if required.]
Add dry fruits, save some for garnishing.
Chill the fruit salad and serve as a dessert.

Tips:
1) You may add your choice of fruits like Chickoo, Pomegranate kernels, strawberries, Alfonso mango etc. [use any sweet or sweet and sour tasted fruits]

Harabhara kabab

Hara Bhara Kabab in Marathi

10 to 12 medium kababs
Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
15 to 20 spinach leaves
2 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed
3/4 cup green peas, boiled
2-3 green chilies, finely chopped
2 tbsp corn flour
1/2 tsp ginger, grated
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp amchoor (dry mango powder)
salt to taste
oil for deep frying
8 to 10 Cashew-nuts

Method:
1) Blanch the spinach leaves - boil around 2 cups of water. Once water starts boiling, add spinach leaves. Stir for couple of minutes. Then drain hot water and immediately immerse spinach leaves into cold water.
2) Slightly squeeze out water from spinach. Add green peas, spinach and green chilies to a blender. Blend coarsely. Do not add water.
3) Transfer blended peas and spinach to a mixing bowl. Add ginger, mashed potatoes, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, amchoor and salt. Also add corn flour and mix nicely.
4) Grease your palms lightly. Divide the mixture into equal small portions and make smooth surfaced balls. Press slightly to flatten a little. Gently press a cashew-nut at one side. Deep fry over medium-high heat until pinkish.
Serve with Tomato ketchup, green chutney or tamarind chutney.

Tips:
1) Mash the potato without any lumps.
2) To make the mixture dry, squeeze the spinach well. Also drain the peas properly before adding to the blender. The kababs wont form well if the mixture is wet and ultimately more corn flour will require. This will ruin the taste.
3) To make kababs very green, add a small pinch of edible green color.

Gawarichi bhaji

Gavar Bhaji in Marathi

Time: Preparation: 15 to 20 minutes | Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 2 to 3

Ingredients:
1/4 kg Gawar (Cluster beans)
for tempering:- 1 tbsp oil, 2 pinches mustard seeds, 1 pinch cumin seeds, 2 pinches hing (Asafoetida), 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp red chili powder
1 small potato, peeled and cubed
2 to 3 tbsp fresh coconut
1 tbsp peanuts powder
2 tsp jaggery
1/2 tsp Goda masala (Maharashtrian masala)
salt to taste

Method:
1) Wash gawar thoroughly. Pat dry with towel. Remove ends and strings (if any) of each gawar. Then pluck and make 1 inch pieces.
2) Steam cook broken gawar into a pressure cooker. Do not add water. (Add 1 inch level water at the bottom of cooker, take a steel container which fits inside the cooker. Put the broken gawar into it. and do not add water to this container.) Pressure cook upto 2 whistles, then turn of heat and wait for 10 minutes.
3) Heat oil into a wok or any pan. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing and turmeric. Then add potato cubes. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, till potato is half done. Add steam cooked gawar and mix.
4) Add red chili powder, goda masala, coconut, peanuts powder, and little salt. Mix nicely, cover and cook for couple of minutes. Then add jaggery and mix well. Cook for couple minutes more.
This sabzi tastes nice with chapati or white rice and dal.

Tips:
1) Instead of raw potato, boiled potato can also be used. Put the boiled potato in the refrigerator for little while. Add the boiled potato and steam cooked gawar together into tempering.
2) Potato can be substituted by black peas. Soak the peas for atleast 7 to 8 hours in the water. Then pressure cook and use in the vegetable.
3) This sabzi can be prepare completely in the pressure cooker. Take a small pressure cooker. Prepare tempering according to the above method. Then add raw broken gawar and potato cubes (or soaked peas). Also add other ingredients and little water. Pressure cook upto 2 to 3 whistles. After 10 minutes open the cooker and boil for couple of minutes.

Hakka Noodles

Hakka Noodles in Marathi

Time:30 minutes
serves: 2 persons

Ingredients:
2 Noodle cakes (approx 50 gram each)
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
5 big garlic pods
1/2 inch ginger
1 tbsp red chili sauce (I used Maggi masala chili sauce)
1 tbsp tomato paste
salt to taste
1/2 tsp vinegar
Vegetables: Bell pepper, Carrot, cabbage, mushroom, green onion - thin slices
(total vegetables should be 1/3rd of cooked noodles)
2 to 3 tbsp green onion, finely chopped

Method:
1) Boil around 6 cups of water. Add 1 tbsp salt and Noodles. Keep ready a container filled with cold water. Once noodles are almost done (90%), drain the water and immerse the noodles into cold water. Drain the cold water just before sauteing vegetables.
2) Prepare a fine paste of ginger + garlic + red chili sauce + tomato paste.
3) Heat oil into a wok. Add the paste of ginger+garlic+red chili sauce+tomato paste. saute for few seconds.
4) Add vegetables and saute for 10 to12 seconds over high heat. Add drained noodles and soy sauce. Mix nicely. At the end add vinegar and salt (if required). Garnish with green onion
Serve hot.

Rava Idli

Rava Idli in Marathi

Yield: around 15 to 18 medium Idlis
Time: 35 to 40 minutes (Prep time - 15 mins + steaming time - 20 to 25 mins)

Ingredients:
1 cup Rava /Semolina (Coarse quality)
1 tsp Oil, pinch of mustard seeds, pinch of asafoetida (hing), 1/2 tsp urad dal, 1/2 to 1 tsp chana dal, 4 to 5 curry leaves
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/2 cup sour plain yogurt, well beaten
1/2 cup water
salt to taste
1 tsp Eno fruit salt (Eno Soda) - original flavor (do not use flavors like cherry, lemon)

Method:
1) Heat oil in the pan. Add mustard seeds and hing. Immediately add chana dal. Let the chana dal turn pink. Then add urad dal and saute for few seconds. Add curry leaves and ginger. Now add Rava and roast for couple of minutes over medium heat.
2) Transfer roasted rava into a deep bowl. In other bowl mix beaten yogurt and water well. when rava becomes warm, add yogurt+water mixture to it and blend well (tip 2). Add salt and mix. Let it stand for 10 minutes. Consistency should be like usual Idli batter, not too thick or thin.
3) Pour about 2 to 2.5 cups of water into the Idli cooker. Put it on the stove over high heat. Light grease the Idli stand (molds) with little oil (tip 3). Add Eno salt to the batter and mix in one direction. Spoon the batter into Idli molds.
4) Once water starts boiling, put the Idli stand inside the cooker (important tip 4). Close cooker with the lid. Steam the idlis for 12 to 15 minutes. After 12-15 minutes, turn off the heat and wait for 7-8 minutes before opening the cooker.
Remove idlis with sharp edged spoon (Do not use knife, it will break the idlis)

Tips:
1) Some variations can be done in the above recipe. Vegetables like carrot, peas, cabbage can be added to the idli batter. Just put small quantity of grated carrot and 2-3 peas into idli molds and then spoon the batter over it. Another idea is you may add the vegetables to idli batter.Though, it changes the color of Idlis.
2) If you have roasted the rava a little longer, it will soak more water. So, you may need to add little more water to adjust the consistency.
3) If you have small Idli stand (8 to 12 medium molds), Do not add Eno soda into whole batter. Divide it into 2 equal portions. Add 1/2 tsp of soda into one portion. Make idlis as per above instructions. Now add remaining 1/2 tsp soda into second prortion of batter and make idlis with the same directions.
4) If using normal pressure cooker, remove the weight (Pressure whistle) and then before steaming idlis.

Gulpoli

Gulpoli in Marathi

Time: around 2 hours
Yield: approx 25 gulpoli

Ingredients:
Stuffing
1/2 kg Jaggery
1 cup Besan flour (Chickpea flour/ Gram flour)
1/2 cup Oil
2 halves of dry coconut
3/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup poppy seeds
1/2 cup peanuts
Cover
1 and 1/2 cup maida
3/4 cup wheat flour
2 tbsp oil
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp besan (Optional)

Method:
1) Grate the dry coconut. Dry roast till golden brown. Gently crush with hands. We need around 1/2 to 3/4 cup of crushed coconut. If it is less, then grate some more coconut. Roast and crush it.
2) Dry roast sesame seeds, poppy seeds separately, till golden brown. Grind to a fine powder.
3) Dry roast peanuts. Remove the peels and grind the peanuts to a fine powder.
4) Heat a pan. Add 1/2 cup oil. Add 1 cup besan flour and roast till, you sense nice aroma and color changes til golden.
5) Grate the jaggery to a fine powder. Add all the roasted items to the grated jaggery. Knead to a semi-stiff dough.
6) Mix maida, wheat flour, salt and besan. Heat 2 tbsp oil to the smoke point. Add it to the flour mixture. Make a medium consistency dough by adding water. Use little oil if required. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
7) Divide the stuffing into 23 to 25 equal balls.
8) For the cover, we will need two equal dough balls for 1 stuffing ball. Therefore, the 2 dough balls should be slightly smaller than stuffing ball.
9) Sandwich the stuffing ball between two dough balls. Seal the edges. Use dry flour and roll it to a thin roti. While rolling, do not flip the sides.
10) Roast over medium-high heated tawa. Roast both the sides. Put it on a paper towel. Stack them into Chapati Container after cools off.
Gulpoli can be served warm or cold. It tastes delicious either way. Do not forget to put a dollop of desi ghee.
Gulpoli stays fresh for 8 to 10 days at room temp. Hence, you can stack some extra gulpoli and enjoy them for few more days.

Tips:
1) The proportion of the flours can be changed according to your preference. If you want firm and little crispy gulpoli, then use only maida and add hot oil. If you want soft gulpoli, then use wheat flour and do not use hot oil, use room temp. oil.

Homemade Garlic Bread

Garlic Bread in Marathi

Serves: 10 pieces
Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 ft french bread loaf
Kosher salt / normal salt to taste
2 to 3 pinches of dry herbs (I used Rosemary and Oregano)
Butter spread:
4 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, minced

Method:
1) Preheat the oven at 400 F.
2) Cut the bread loaf horizontally into two halves.
3) To make garlic butter spread, melt butter in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds. Do not let it boil. It won't taste good. Then add olive oil and minced garlic to the melted butter and mix nicely.
If you don't have microwave, use the stove-top. Heat a small saucepan, add olive oil and make it warm. Turn off the heat. Add butter and minced garlic and mix well.
4) Spread the garlic butter on the inside (white) area of cut bread and also on the two vertical sides. Crush the herbs and sprinkle all over it. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes or until the edges get lightly brown. Sprinkle salt to taste.
Take a cutting board. Put the baked bread, buttered side down and slice it with a sharp knife. Serve hot with tomato pasta sauce.

Tips:
1) You can slice the bread into strips before applying the spread. However, you will need to make extra garlic butter spread to apply on the two vertical sides of each slice. Also, it will taste too much buttery.

Layered Chapati Ghadichya Polya

Ghadichya Polya in Marathi

Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 5 to 6 chapatis



Ingredients:
Dough made of 1 cup Chapati atta (Divided into 5 to 6 equal portions)
Little oil or ghee
1/2 cup dry chapati atta

Method:
1) Heat the tawa and then put the flame over medium high heat.
2) Take one portion of the dough. Dust it with dry flour. Roll it into 4 inches circle. Spread little oil with hand or with the spoon. Sprinkle little dry flour over it.
3) Fold the circle into half. Apply some oil and sprinkle little flour. Again fold and make a triangle.
4) Dust it with flour and start rolling from one of the angles. Roll nicely and turn the triangle into a circle.
5) Place it on the heated tawa. Turn the one side immediately after 5 to 6 seconds. Roast the other side until brown spot appears. Flip the side and roast it nicely.
Once both sides are cooked, remove from the tawa. Apply little oil or ghee. Serve hot or put it into insulated Chapati container (to keep chapati warm and soft)

Tips:
1) To save the time, do not heat the tawa in the beginning. First, follow step number 2 and 3. Keep all the triangles ready. Then heat tawa, roll one triangle into chapati and roast.

Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamun In Marathi

Approx 15 to 18 medium Gulabjamun
Time: approx 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients:
250 gram Khoya (Use special Gulabjamun Khoya)
Sugar Syrup::::
1 and 1/2 cup sugar
1 and 1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
Other ingredients::::
Oil of Ghee to deep fry Gulabjamun
1 tbsp Maida (All purpose flour)
Milk as needed (You will need very little, may be few tsps)
Pinch of Baking Soda

Method:
1) Grate the khoya. Sprinkle all purpose flour and baking soda over grated khoya. Mix. Drizzle little milk and knead to medium consistency dough. Use very little ghee if needed. Cover the dough with a damp clean cloth.
2) Make one thread consistency sugar syrup. To make it, mix sugar and water in a deep medium pan. Boil and make one thread consistency syrup. While sugar syrup is getting ready, divide the dough into equal small balls (1 and 1/2 cm to 2 cm). Give them a smooth round shape. There should not be any cracks on the surface.
3) Heat the oil over high heat and them turn the heat to medium low. Oil temperature is a very important while frying the gulabjamun balls. To check the temperature, drop one ball in the heated oil. If it floats immediately on the oil surface and start browning, the oil is hot. So wait for couple of minutes to get the right oil temperature.
If the dough ball sits at the bottom of kadai for few seconds and rises slowly, this is the right temperature. Then, you can drop multiple jamun balls into the oil. Turn and roll them with slotted spoon to get same color at all sides. Fry them into batches. Cook them until they become reddish brown in color. Remove the first batch of fried jamun out of the oil and let them rest for couple of minutes. Then put them into hot sugar syrup. Repeat the same process for other jamun balls. One thing to remember that sugar syrup should not be boiling hot or warm. It should be in the middle.
Let the jamun soak into the sugar syrup for atleast 5 to 6 hours. For better results, soak them overnight.

Tips:
1) Some people like a nice aroma of rose to the Jamun. For that, add 1 or 2 drops of rose essence in the sugar syrup.
2) You can give little twist to the traditional recipe. While make balls out of dough, place a small piece of dry fruit (cashew, pistachio), small piece of rock sugar or a seed of cardamom in the center of the ball. Then fry them normally.
3) You can replace all purpose flour with Araroot powder or corn flour.
4) Oil temperature is very important while frying the Gulabjamun. If the oil is too hot, jamun will get reddish color immediately. however inside, they will remain uncooked. Therefore adjust the oil temperature first.
5) Sugar syrup should be one thread consistency. Thick sugar syrup is hard to absorb into the gulabjamun.

Gulpapdi Laddu

Gulpapdi Laddu in Marathi

Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 5 to 8 medium laddu

Ingredients:
1 cup Wheat flour
1/2 to 3/4 cup pure Ghee
1/2 to 3/4 cup grated Jaggery
1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder

Method:
1) Heat ghee into a pan. Add wheat flour and roast over medium heat until you sense nice aroma. It will take about 6 to 7 minutes. Stir continuously.
2) Once wheat flour is roasted nicely, lower the heat, add jaggery and cardamom powder. Mix nicely until jaggery mingles nicely.
3) Make laddus when mixture is hot.

Note:
1) To make these laddus more healthy, Add 1 tbsp dry-dates powder, 1 tbsp almond powder, 1 tbsp roasted dry coconut (grated) along with jaggery. If you are going to add all these ingredients, increase the amount of ghee by a little.