Ghattas to be added to curried vegetables

Makes 16 ghattas.
These add to the diversity of flavor in a vegetable curry like undhiyu.

Ingredients

• 2 cups besan (chick pea flour)
• 2 tspn ajwain 
• 1 tspn finely chopped garlic
• 1 tspn finely chopped ginger
• 1 cup finely chopped green vegetables (fenugreek or spinach)
• salt to taste

Preparation

1. Mix the ingredients with water to make a batter.

Instructions

1. Heat the oil. 
2. Deep-fry 1 tbspn of batter at a time. 

Serving

1. Serve as a snack, or add to a vegetable curry to add flavor.

Undhiyu-inspired shaak

24 cups of undhiyu-inspired shaak

It is not always possible to make the traditional undhiyu at short notice, but vegetables in the refrigerator can be used to make a recipe similar to undhiyu.

Ingredients

• 6 small potatos
• 2 large carrots
• 2 cups pigeon peas
• 12 brinjals cooked as
• 2 medium white onions
• 1 large red onion 
• 8 ghattas  
• 4 cups cilantro chatni
• 2 tbspn vegetable oil
• 1 tbspn ajwain
• 2 tspn coriander powder 
• 2 tspn cumin powder
• 1 tspn turmeric powder 

Preparation

1. Prepare the spicy brinjals.
2. Steam potatos in a pressure cooker, and cut into 1 inch cubes.
3. Add 2 cups of water to the pigeon peas and cook in a microwave.
4. Slice carrots in 1-inch thick cross-sections, and cook in microwave with 2 cups of water for 6 minutes.
5. Prepare 4 cups of cilantro chatni. 
6. Deep-fry 8 ghattas in vegetable oil, and keep aside. 

Instructions

1. Heat the oil, and add ajwain. 
2. Place pigeon peas. 
3. Place potatos, carrots and slitted brinjals on top. 
4. Sprinkle the spice powders on top.
5. Cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes. 
6. Add ghattas to the pan. 
7. Add cilantro chatni and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.
8. Take off the heat.

Garnishing

1. Serve with cilantro chatni as a side. 
2. Sprinkle sev on top before serving.

Serving

1. Serve hot with puri or paratha.

Slitted spicy baingan (brinjals) in a microwave

Slitted spicy baingan can be made in the microwave. This recipe is for 18 brinjals.

Ingredients

• 1 tspn finely chopped ginger
• 1 tspn finely chopped garlic
• 2 tspn coriander powder
• 2 tspn 
• 1 tspn turmeric powder
• 2 tspn salt
• ½ tspn citric acid
• 1 tspn sugar 
• 18 brinjals

For tempering

• 1 tspn mustard seeds
• 1 tspn sesame seeds
• 2 tbspn oil

For garnishing

• ½ cup finely chopped cilantro
• ½ cup finely grated coconut

Preparation

1. Mix the ingredients in a bowl. 
2. Slit the brinjals vertically from one end without cutting them in two halfs. And make another vertical cut from the other end, at right angles to the first cut.
3. Stuff the brinjals with spice mix.
4. In a glass bowl, add the ingredients for tempering.
5. Place brinjals.
6. Sprinkle the remaining spice mix in the bowl.
7. Cover the bowl.
8. Cook in a microwave for 3 minutes. 
9. Take the bowl out, and turn the brinjals.
10. Repeat steps 8 and 9 three times. 
11. Keep aside.

Instructions

1. Heat the oil, and stir the onions on medium-high heat till they are pink.
2. Add the peppers and powdered spices and stir till the oil separates from the onions. 
3. Add grated ginger and grated garlic and saute for another minute.
4. Add cashew paste and stir well. - optional
5. Add salt to taste. 
6. Add chopped tomatoes, and stir for two minutes. - optional
7. Add the chopped spinach and stir on low-medium heat for another two minutes. 

Garnishing

1. Sprinkle grated coconut and finely chopped cilantro. 

Serving

1. Serve hot with any flat bread - nan, roti or paratha hot from the pan.

Besan ke Laddoo / Magas laadoo

Makes 24 besan laddoos

Ingredients

• 3 cups besan
• 1-1/2 cup ghee
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup pistachios, chopped
• 1/2 cup cardamom, crushed
• 1 tbspn ghee
• 1 tbspn milk

Preparation (15 minutes)

1. Chop pistachios and crush cardamom.
2. Mix the 1/4 cup ghee and 1/4 cup milk and heat at medium-high heat for 2 minutes.  
3. Add the ghee-milk mixture to the besan and mix well.
4. Set aside a metal or glass plate.

Cooking (30 minutes)

1. In a non-stick pan, heat the ghee. 
2. Add besan and stir on medium heat for 15 minutes till the flour is cooked and fragrant.
3. Take off the heat and add cardamom and sugar and continue to stir till the sugar melts. 
4. Grease palms with ghee and form 1-1/2 inch laddoos.

Serving

1. Use as naivadyam, or serve as dessert.

5-bean dal

Makes 16 cups of dal


Ingredients

• 6 tbspn vegetable oil
• 2 medium onion, chopped
• 4 medium Thai peppers, finely chopped
• 2 tspn coriander powder 
• 2 tspn cumin powder
• 2 tspn turmeric powder 
• 6 cloves garlic, grated
• 2 tbspn ginger, grated
• 6 cloves
• 6 peppercorns
• 4 medium tomato, chopped
• 1 cup rajma (kidney beans)
• 1 cup udad (black grams) 
• 1 cup chhole (chick peas) 
• 1 cup chane (bengal grams) 
• 1 cup black beans 
• 1 cup cilantro, finely chopped   

Preparation (4 hours)

1. Grate garlic, ginger.
2. Cut peppers, and chop onions and tomatoes into 1-1/2 inch cubes. 
3. Soak the 5 dal in lukewarm water for 4 hours. 

Cooking (60 minutes)

1. Steam the soaked dal with 8 cups of water and salt for 20 minutes in a pressure cooker. 
2. Heat the oil in a pan, and stir the onions on medium-high heat till they are pink.
3. Add the peppers and powdered spices and stir till the oil separates from the onions. 
4. Add grated ginger and grated garlic and saute for another minute.
5. Add the steamed dal.
6. Add salt to taste.  
7. Stir for 15 minutes.
8. Add chopped tomatoes, and stir for ten minutes on medium-high heat.
9. Add ten cups of water and bring to a boil.
10. Take the pan off the heat.   

Garnishing

1. Sprinkle cilantro on top.

Serving

1. Serve hot with steamed Basmati rice.