I am aware of certain dishes when it comes to maharashtrian cuisine as both my mother and mother in law grew up in maharashtra during their formative years. But I havent ventured much into this regional cooking except for koshimbirs, pithlay and zunka…

Well, I decided to try this restaurant special Vegetable Kolhapuri and of course Koshimbir , which I think is a soul satisfying relish! My entry to Nupur’s RCI – Maharashtrian cuisine, Originally concieved by Lakshmi of Veggie Cuisine

For the Vegetable Kolhapuri

Ingredients:
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1/2 cup of Beans
1/2 cup of cauliflower florets
1/2 cup of carrots
1/2 cup of peas
3 tomatoes finely chopped
1 medium sized onion finely chopped

For the Paste:
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1/4 cup dessicated coconuted(unsweetened)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 table spoon khus khus ( poppy seeds)
1 teaspoon ginger paste
3 red chillies

For the popu/tadka/seasoning
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1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon hing

Method:
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1.Do the popu, tadka /seasoning by adding oil in a skillet and adding mustard and cumin seeds. Once the pop, add the onions and saute until pink.

2. Boil the vegetables and keep aside , dry roast the poppy seeds and add the sesame seeds and grind all the ingredients to a paste. The poppy seeds should be ground first and then the remain ingredients should be added, else the poppy seeds wont crush properly.

3.Once the onions turn pink, add the paste and the diced tomatoes and cook until done or the oil separates. Add all the vegetables and cook until they blend well. remove and serve hot with rotis.

Koshimbir:
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Koshimbirs are the soul satisfying relishes according to me, I can just eat them as a main course and be done with it. I did not make the traditional peanut koshimbir but instead opted for the yogurt one.

I added carrots instead of tomatoes and of course onions were always there.

Take 2 cups of curd and whisk until there are no lumps, add 1/2 cup of finely diced onions and 1/2 cup of finely chopped or grated carrot , salt to taste.

For the tadka, add oil in a vessel, half a teaspoon of mustard seeds, a pinch of hing and also cayenne pepper. Once done, slowly add to the curd mixture and lo! the koshimbir is done.

According to me Hyderabad is one of India’s finest cities where cultures mix and blend wonderfully. Hyderabad a cosmopolitan city on fast track somehow still retains its leisure. I can still recollect Laad bazaar in my mind’s eye where pearls, the famous hyderabadi glass and stone bangles, the smells of attar and of course Madina hotel which was opened in 1947. Those days we would go shopping for clothes and other goodies near the madina hotel, eat the hyderabadi qabooli with mirchi ka salan and of course the famous sweet double ka meeta and come home happy with bagfuls of goodies and the purse still half full.

Hyderabadi Qabooli is made as dum ka biryani is made, but there are no vegetables used and instead chana dal is used.Onions are used for garnish though.

Ingredients :
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1 cup of uncooked basmati rice
1/3 cup of chana dal
1 tsp of finely chopped ginger
1/2 teaspoon og garlic
1 medium sized onion finely chopped
A pinch of turmeric
3 tablespoons of yogurt
1 green chilli finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon of chilli powder
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon of milk
1/2 teaspoon of garam masala
A few sprigs of cilantro
Mint leaves for garnish
Oil, Salt to taste.

Method :
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1. Pick the chana dal. soak in water for at least half hour and cook until the grains are tender and whole
2. Cook the basmati rice in the microwave for 2o minutes or in a rice cooker by adding a pinch of salt and oil so that the grains seperate.
3. In a wok , heat oil and saute the onions until brown and keep aside
4. In the same oil, saute garlic and ginger for a minute and add 1 tablespoon of yogurt first until the water is evaporated, keep adding one tablespoon at a time and add green chilies, garam masala, chili powder,salt to taste, cooked chana dal and saute until the dal is coated with the masala.
5. In a large oven proof baking dish , first layer the rice and then pour this mixture and then again cover with another layer of rice and pour milk and lemon juice.
6. garnish with mint and cilantro and cover first with an aluminium foil and then with the baking dish cover .
7. Pre-heat the oven to 375F and bake the rice and mixture for 15 minutes and the dum qabooli is ready.
8. remove the cover and garnish with the brown onions and serve with your choice of raita or Mirchi Ka salan , the best combination you can ever eat!

Mirchi Ka salan with Bell Peppers :

Well, it was ok to give it a shot with sweet bell peppers . There are 2 reasons I would go for this, I love the combination of sweet and sesame and secondly, it looks beautiful. its not at all hot and spicy. Its a mildly sweet dish.

Ingredients :
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3 bell peppers
1 cup roasted and ground sesame seeds
1 tablespoon of roasted and coarsely ground peanuts
1 tablespoon of dessicated coconut
1 medium sized finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon of dhaniya powder
1 tablespoon tamarind juice
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1/4 teaspoon of turmeric
Oil, salt to taste

For the tadka/popu/seasoning
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1 teaspoon of Kalonji( nigella seeds)

1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds

Method :
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1. De seed the bell peppers and chop into medium sized chunks, heat oil in a wok and fry until crisp and done .
2. In a wok, heat the oil again and add the nigella and cumin seeds and then add the onions and fry until translucent.
3. Add the bell peppers and then add the sesame peanut and the coconut powder, mix well.
4. Add a cup of water, red chili powder, salt to taste and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. Add the tamarind extract and simmer for another 5 minutes
6 . Remove from heat and serve hot.

Saboot or whole masoor dal doesnt look as pretty as split masoor dal, instead it looks a muddy brown but tastes super yummy as the split dal. I turned to trying the saboot masoor because of the nutritional value . An Iron and protein rich dal which is on my most often cooked list. The best part is it can be eaten with both rice and roti and goes well with brown basmati rice. What more can I ask for??

Ingredients:
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1 cup whole masoor dal
1 chopped onion
1 chopped tomato
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
1/2 inch cinnamon stick
1 cardamom
1 clove
1 teaspoon of dhania and jeera powder
Oil, salt to taste

All you need to do is take the masoor dal and 3 cups of water, a pinch of turmeric in a pressure cooker and cook until 2 whistles and remove from heat. Just after the dal is done, in a wok , heat oil and add the cumin seeds and all the Khara Masala (whole spices) and saute for a minute. Add the chopped onions, ginger, garlic paste and cook until golden brown and then add the tomatoes , dhania , jeera powder and cook till the oil separates. Add the cooked dal and simmer for 5 minutes until the flavors blend and serve with hot phulkas or rice.

Vankaya Mudda kura is the simplest of all curries that I can think of. Hassle free and one doesnt have to work towards keep the vankaya intact , in fact it has to be a paste. Comfort food as far as it concerns me and K’s least favourite vegetable. My parents ensured that Vankaya was not on the menu for our wedding. He gave in to eat it because it his mother’s most often cooked and favourite vegetable. My mother’s favourite too,’Cos its the easiest!

Ingredients:
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6 purple indian brinjals
1×1 inch ginger piece
3 green chillies
A pinch of turmeric
A pinch of asafoetida
A teaspoon of tamarind extract
Coriander sprigs for garnish
Oil, Salt to taste

For the Popu:
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2 teaspoons of Chana dal
1 teaspoon of Urad dal
1 dry red chili
I teaspoon of mustard seeds
A few curry leaves

Heat oil in a skillet and do the popu by adding chana dal. urad dal, red chili, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Once the mustard sizzles, add the asafoetida and turmeric and and then add the longitudinally cut brinjal pieces.Always preserve the cut brinjal in water and add a pinch of salt. This stops the brinjal from turning black and bitter.Add required salt to the brinjals in the skillet. Then crush the green chilies and ginger in a mortar and add to the brinjals and cook covered for 10-12 minutes. Stir once and add the tamarind extract ,cook for another 5 minutes. The brinjals should become pasty. Remove from heat once done and then garnish with coriander sprigs and serve with rice.

This is a famous Coastal andhra dish and mostly a must on the menu during auspicious occasions. Its made mostly during weddings. Though , I don’t belong to coastal andhra, but this dish is a must in my family and was on my wedding menu for three meals.

The Jackfruit that is used here is young and unripe and there are special knives to scrape the fruit and and the result is “pottu” which looks like shredded cabbage. A young jackfruit is taken , the skin peeled off and then by rubbing your hands and the knife with oil and turmeric and slowly cut and shredded. This is a tedious process but the best curry is produced by following this method.

This is my entry to Nupur’s A-Z Indian vegetables, P, RCI -Andhra Cuisine for Latha’s Masala Magic and Jugalbandi’s Jihva for Ingredients- Jackfruit.

I was lucky to get the canned green jackfruit available in southeast Asian store here and so , I didnt have to go through the tedious process of shredding it.

I bought a can , drained the water and i minced it in the food processor adding a little oil and a pinch of turmeric, so that my hands don’t get sticky while I’m removing the minced jackfruit and mixing with a little more turmeric.

Ingredients:
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1 can of young green jackfruit minced in the food processor
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 red chili
1 tablespoon of tamarind extract
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
A pinch of asafoetida
3 green chillies

For the Popu:
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1 tablespoon of chana dal
1 teaspoon of mustard seeds
1 teaspoon of urad dal
2 dry red chilies
A few curry leaves

In a pressure cooker, take the jackfruit and enough water to cover it and cook until just one whistle. (I use a hawkins pressure cooker). Let it cool and drain off the water and also squeeze water from the jackfruit. It should be dry. This curry tastes best when dry. Alternatively, if you don’t like the pungent smell, you can soak it in buttermilk instead of water and pressure cook it. This is will get rid of the smell.

Heat oil in a skillet and do the popu/tadka seasoning by adding the chana dal , urad dal, mustard seeds, red chilies. Once the mustard seeds pop , add the curry leaves and the green chillies and then add then add the tamarind extract. Let it simmer until the raw smell of tamarind wears off. Then add the asafoetida and then add the minced, cooked jackfruit and salt. Saute for a while until the water evaporates . Meanwhile in a mortar , grind the mustard seeds and the dry chili adding a little water making it a thick paste. Do not add too much water and make it a loose paste. Add a 2-3 drops of oil and mix well and leave the paste for 5 minutes.

Once the jackfruit blends well with the tamarind and other spices , remove from heat and let it cool for sometime. Once the curry is warm, add the mustard paste , mix and cover immediately with the lid. They say that the mustard paste if added when the curry is hot doesn’t mix well with the jackfruit . Its best to eat this curry 4-5 hours after you cook it as it gives a wonderful taste!