Sweet Idli

India is such a vast country both geographically and gastronomically. Sometimes you will be surprised to see some dishes which are eaten across two ends of the country with same love. Recently I had same experience while eating breakfast of Idlis. We are now so used to eating Idli-Sambhar and chutney, that we might not think about any other combination. In Orissa, people used to eat sweet Idlis for breakfast without any need for chutney or sambhar. These idlis are prepared in similar fashion like normal idlis.

All you need is to idli batter (2 cup rice + 1 cup urad dal soaked for 6-8 hrs and grounded to paste). Make sure the batter is fermentated for 6-8 hrs (or overnight). Add salt to taste. For the sweet filling, mix grated coconut and jaggery in equal proportion (adjust amount of jaggery depending on your sweet tooth). Now pour the idli batter in the idli moulds. You can add the filling on the batter or you can have layers like batter then filling and then again batter. Steam the idlies for 10-15 min.

You can eat these idlis as it is for breakfast.

Or if you want to serve some special sweet then, you can prepare sweet idlis in coin form and serve with chilled rabadi.

Nadia chakuli/ Coconut dosa

Before marriage I used to think dosa is mainly south indian breakfast. But different versions of dosas are available across  India, like Maharashtrian Dhirade or Oriya style peetha/chakuli. This dosa is prepared with coconut and rice. So don't keep batter for too long. The ingredients are very simple. Soak 2 cup rice for 5-6 hours. Separately soak 1/4 cup urad daal for same time. Grind rice and urad dal separately into smooth paste. Mix both tastes together. then add 1-1.5 cups of grated coconut and grind for couple of minutes. Keep it in fridge for later use or you can use it immediately. We generally have this dosa with potato fry. But sambhar or any chutney will also work as side dish.

Ghuguni/ White chana in gravey

If you go on Bhubaneshwar- Puri highway, you have to try the small eatery places which serves typical Oriya food. One such dish we tried there was Ghuguni with puri for breakfast. Ghuguni is a delightful curry which yiu can eat with puri, paratha, idli, dosa; basically everything.

Today we had it for breakfast with paratha. So immediately I planned on sharing the receipe

• Boil one cup of white chana/peas with 1 tsp turmeric powder and salt to taste. If you like potato, then you can boil 1 big size potato with chana. You need to cook for atleast 3-4 whistles if using pressure cooker.
• Heat 2-3 tbsp of mustard oil. You can use any regular cooking oil if you don't have mustard oil.
• Add 1tsp sugar in the oil. Let it caramalize a bit.
• Next add 1/2 medium size chopped onion and fry till they turn golden brown.
• Add 1 tsp of red chilli powder, 1 tsp of ginger garlic paste and cook for couple of minutes.
• Chop up 1/2 medium size tomoto and add to the masala and cook for 2 more minutes.
• Next add the cooked chana and potato (cut in cubes).
• Add water and cook for 10 min on sim.
• When serving, add some chana curry in a bowl. Add some raw chopped onion, chopped green chillies, date-tamarind chutney and some sev.

Simple food for the soul

Thanks to Mejwani paripurna kitchen's call for interesting recipes on their Facebook page, I got motivation to finally update my blog with my cooking experiments. Now I'm on extended maternity leave which I'm fully utilizing for trying out different recipes which I had bookmarked long ago. I also have some paper clippings from Loksatta's Sunday supplement.Food critic and researcher Mohsina Mukadam and Dietitian Dr. Anuradha Sovani used to write articles related to different food culture.I think it was 6-7 years or may be even before that. Finally now I got time to try these recipes.

Before my leave I was very much keen on preparing recipes which don't use many ingredients and are not very time consuming for preparation/cooking. Following 3 recipes fall under this category. First 2 are traditional Oriya recipes. Third one is prepared at my in-laws house but I don't think its traditional recipe.

Saag with badi

1 bunch red saag (lal maath) or bathuva (chandan batava)
8-10 badis (these are made from urad dal. Similar to saandage)
2-3 cloves garlic chopped
1-2 green chillies
1 tsp paanch foran (equal mix of cumin, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, kalongi and saunf)
3 tsp oil
salt to taste

Thoroughly wash the leafy vegetables and drain water completely. Chop finely.
Heat oil in pan. Fry badis till golden brown and keep aside. In remaining oil prepare tadka with paanch foran, green chili and garlic.

Add chopped saag and crushed baadi. Cover and cook for 7-8 min. Add salt and again cook for a min or so.
You can eat this with roti or rice.

Jahni poshto

1 Jahni/Dodaka/Ridge guard cut into small cubes
2 medium size potatoes cut into small cubes

1 medium size onion finely chopped
3-4 green chillies
1 tsp paanch foran
3-4 green chillies
4-5 tsp poshto/khaskhas
3-4 tsp oil
salt to taste

Cut ridge guard and potatoes in small cubes. Finely chop onions. Vertically slit 2 chillies. Now heat oil in pan. Once heated add paanch foran, chillies, onions. Fry till
onion is slightly brown.Next add ridge guard and potatoes. Add water and cover to cook. Grind khaskhas to fine powder. Then add green chillies and grind along with khaskhas powder. Once potatoes are almost cooked, add this khaskhas - green chillies powder. Cover the pan again and cook till this masala is cooked well.

This is a great side dish with daal-chawal

Dal tadka with scrambled egg

This is a great dish to eat with phulaka specially on Sunday night as its very easy to cook. Also the ingredients used are very simple. Use of scrambled egg is purely
optional. This tadka tastes equally good without egg.

1 cup black urad (soak for 5-6 hrs)
1 medium onion chopped
3-4 green chillies
1" ginger finely diced
2 eggs (optional)
salt to taste
1/2 tbsp turmeric powder.
1 tsp oil

Pressure cook pre-soaked urad. You may need 4-5 whistles to properly cook dal. You may add salt and turmeric powder while cooking dal or you can add later.
Now in a pan heat oil.Fry ginger till it gives out nice aroma.Next add green chillies and onion. Cook onion till its slightly brown.If turmeric powder was not added
earlier, add now. In this tadka add boiled taal. Let it simmer till it reaches required consistency. Add salt if not added earlier.Cover the pan and switch off gas.
Prepare scrambled egg with just salt as seasoning. While serving dal, place some scrambled eggs on top.

Simply Fry: Pumpkin flower Bhajji

On my first visit to Rourkela, first time in my life I saw pumpkin flower. It is very delicate flower and can't be transportaed over long distances. I think that's the reason I had not seen this flower in Mumbai. Its used for bhajji,subzi etc.

Ingredients:

- 10-15 pumpkin flowers (kakharu phool) cut off stem and remove pollen from flower
- 1/2cup besan+ 1/2cup rice flour (or 1 cup besan)
- 1tbls ajwain or cummin seeds
- 1tbls kasoori methi
- 1tbls chilli powder
- 1tbls turmeric powder
- 1/2tbls eno
- salt to taste
- 1tbs oil
- 1/3-1/2 cup water
- oil to fy

1. Mix all dry ingredients well. Add little water at a time to make thick consistency batter.
2. Fry oil in kadhai for fry. Once its hot add pumpkin flower in batter and fry one by one. This bhajji is prepared and fryed similar to potato bhajji.
3. Serve hot and eat with tomato ketchup or any chutney

Simple delights of life : Dalma

Few simple things can give you so much pleasure. One recipe I learned after my marriage is a very simple daal. On weekdays when you want quick and healthy meal, this daal can make your life easier. It has daal, vegetables so its complete meal with rice. If you want you can serve mashed potatoes or any simple dry subzi with it.
This daal needs very few ingredients
1 cup moong daal
1 cup vegetables (like pumpkin,plantain,brinjal,drumsticks,beans etc.)
1 tbs paanchfodan(equal mix of mustard seeds,cumin seeds,kalonji,fenugreek seeds,saunf)
2 tbls oil
1 tbs turmeric powder
2 red chillies
Salt to taste
1/2 tbs Cumin powder + red chilli powder for final touch

1.Dry roast the daal lightly
2.In pressure cooker add daal,vegetables, turmeric powder,salt with enough water. Cook till daal and vegetables are well done.
3.In a kadhai, heat oil. Add paanchfodan,red chillies and let it splutter.
3.Then pour cooked vegetables and daal.Add some water to adjust thickness.
4.Boil for 3-4 min.Switch off heat and finish with cumin powder+red chilli powder.
5. Serve with rice

Today's special: Aloo Badi in Mustard gravy

After marrying into Oriya family, I ate food cooked in mustard oil or mustard gravy. Initially I was very hesitant about taste, smell everything. But now I'm not only used to it, but I've started preparing Corissa special food and I like it.
Today first time I tried Aloo Badi Jhol.
Badi is my favourite ingredient. Its nothing but dried balls of grounded daal(I think Urad dal) which is fried as & when required.Badi can be used in different subzi's. It adds a nice crunchiness.
There is one more ingredient used in Oriya/Bengali kitchen, i.e. Paanch phutan. Its simple mix of few spices like fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, kalonji and saunf. This adds taste to vegetables specially dry vegetables.
So now lets start with receipe. We'll need following ingredients

3-4 potatos,slieced vertically (or any shape you like).
1 small onion chopped
handful of badis. If badi is not available you can use "Saandge" or just add some more vegetables.
1 tbl sp paanch fotan
2 chillies
1-2 tbl sp oil
For Gravy
5-6 tbl sp mustard seeds
3-4 chillies
3-4 garlic cloves

Start with gravey preparation. First dry grind mustard seeds. Then add garlic & chillies and fine grind it adding little water.
Fry badi in oil and keep aside.
Heat some oil in kadai and add panch fotan, chopped onion and cillies. Fry onion till it turns slightly brown.Now add potatos,badi and fry for some more time. Now add some water and let the poptatoes cook. When potatoes are almost cooked add mustard paste, salt and some more water. Cook for some more time.
This will be thin type gravey (hence called Jhol).

This goes good with rice. Try it.