Mitha Khechudi

A typical festive day in Odisha and this rice dish usually makes its way through to lunch. Without any requirement for onion and garlic, it has established itself as a perfect puja day recipe !

Mom's Recipe, packed with proteins, carbohydrates & nostalgia -

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Cup Basmati Rice
• 1/4 Cup Mung Dal/ Moong Dal/ Green Gram
• 8-10 Cashew
• 8-10 Raisins
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1" Cinnamon/ Dalchini
• 2-3 Green Cardamom
• 1 Black Cardamom
• 4-5 Cloves
• 4-5 Whole Black Pepper
• 1 Tbspn Sugar
• 1 Tspn Turmeric Powder
• Ghee
• Salt, as per taste

METHOD

• Rinse and soak the rice and mung dal for about 30 minutes.
• Heat about a couple of tbspns of ghee in a pan. Add the dry spices, cashews and raisins. Saute for about a couple of minutes or till the flavors start emanating and cashews start browning. 
• Drain the water from the rice and mung dal. Add the rice along with the dal. Saute till they start to get a brownish color. Add salt, sugar, turmeric and water (2 and 1/2 Cup - water should be double the rice and mung quantity). Mix well and cook on the lowest flame.
• Stir occasionally to prevent the contents from sticking to the base of the pan. Add more water if necessary, for rice to get cooked.
• Serve this khechudi warm, with any Dal dish.

Rinse and soak the rice and mung dal for about 30 minutes.

The dry spices, cashews and raisins.

Heat about a couple of tbspns of ghee in a pan. Add the dry spices, cashews and raisins. Saute for about a couple of minutes or till the flavors start emanating.
Drain the water from the rice and mung dal. Add the rice along with the dal. Saute till they start to get a brownish colour.

Add salt, sugar, turmeric and water (2 and 1/2 Cup - water should be double the rice and mung quantity). Mix well and cook on the lowest flame.
Stir occasionally to prevent the contents from sticking to the base of the pan. Add more water if necessary, for rice to get cooked.

And, relish !!

Mix Veg Curry

Mix Veg Curry - Chapati's best friend ! :D
They go so well together, that I could not resist forcing them to be each others best buddies. A typical busy weekday morning and this is our go-to combo - Chapati and mix veg curry, the best friend's.

Easy to prepare and healthy, this dish does not require much attention and can be made while multi-tasking.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Medium Potato, diced
• 1/2 Cup Cauliflower Florets
• 1/2 Cup French Beans, chopped
• 1/2 Cup Carrots, diced
• 1/2 Cup Green Peas
• 1/2 Cup Green Onions, sliced (optional)
• 1 Medium Onion, sliced
• 2 Medium Tomato, chopped
• 1 Tspn Ginger Paste
• 1 Tspn Garlic Paste
• 1-2 Green Chilly, sliced
• 1 Tspn Cumin Seeds
• 1 Tspn Turmeric Powder
• 2 Tspn Garam Masala
• 2-3 Sprigs of Coriander, chopped
• Salt, as per taste

METHOD

• Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and as they crackle add the onion slices. Saute for a minute and add the ginger and garlic paste. Saute till raw flavor vanishes.
• Add the chopped and diced vegetables with turmeric and salt. Mix well and cook till veggies are almost 80% cooked. Cover with a lid. Stir occasionally. 
• Add chopped tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are soft and pulpy. Add garam masala. Mix well.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve !

Saute onion slices.

Add ginger garlic paste.

Add veggies, turmeric and salt.

Cook covered till all veggies are 80% cooked.

Add tomatoes and cook till pulpy.

Add garam masala.

Relish !!

Tomato Pasta

Usually made from durum wheat flour, Pasta is a staple food of Italian cuisine. Traditionally, it used to be made manually with small machines but with the advent of advanced machinery, this process has been shared by industries as well.


Depending on the shape and sauce used, pasta has grown into a large family with a lot many relatives - the fresh ones and the dried ones, the straight ones and the twisty ones, the curly ones and the angel hair ones, the long ones and the minute ones, then there are the ones with pesto while the others with cheese and so on :D :D !!
Here's a recipe for a short one with tomato sauce -

INGREDIENTS

• 1 and 1/2 Cup Pasta
• 6-7 Ripe & Red Tomatoes
• 5-6 Garlic Cloves, minced
• Freshly Ground Pepper
• Parmesan Cheese (optional)
• Basil Leaves (optional)
• Olive Oil
• Salt, as per taste 

METHOD

• Boil the raw pasta in hot water till al-dente*. Rinse in cold water. Strain the water. Keep aside.
• Blanch* the tomatoes in hot water. Remove the peel. Puree the now blanched and peeled tomatoes to a semi smooth paste.
• Heat about a couple of tbspn of olive oil in a pan. Add the minced garlic and saute for about a minute. Add the pureed tomatoes. Cook till almost 80% of the moisture content evaporates.
• Add freshly ground pepper. Mix well.
• Add the cooked pasta and mix well. Cook for about another couple of minutes.
• Serve this Italian dish hot and relish :D !! Some grated parmesan cheese and basil leaves on it for an enhanced taste :D.

*
Al-dente - Cooked just right for the bite! Neither crunchy nor soft, yet firm.
Blanch - Make small slits on the peel. Boil in hot water for a minute. Transfer immediately to normal water. The peel will come out easily.

Pumpkin Soup with Phool Makhana

Creamy Pumpkin Soup with all the goodness of Lotus Seeds - for a refreshing and calm after-effect !

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Cup Pumpkin, peeled and chopped
• 1 Medium Tomato
• 1 Medium Onion, chopped
• 5-6 Lotus Seeds (Phool Makhana)
• 1 Tspn Pepper, ground
• 1/2 Tspn Oregano Seasoning (optional)
• Butter
• Salt, as per taste

 METHOD

• Pressure cook the pumpkin, whole tomato, onion and lotus seeds, with about a cup of water and salt. The veggies should be soft and well-cooked.
• Let it cool. 
• Blend the veggies and lotus seeds to a fine paste. Do not discard the water.
• Melt butter in a pan, add the freshly ground pepper. Saute for about half a minute. 
• Add the blend veggies along with the water. Stir well and let it come to a boil.
• Simmer for about 5 minutes. Add water as per consistency requirement.
• And, get ready for to soothe yourself !!

Tips:
Remove tomato peel before blending the veggies.

Tomato Dal

The tad bit extra tomatoes added to this already tasty lentil, not only gives it a lovely orange-ish  color but also a wonderful taste. Tomato Dal and plain rice combo is a favorite among many, including mine :D :D.
Can be slurrped away as a soup too ;) !!

Both Toor Dal as well as tomatoes are packed with nutritional values, thereby making it a very healthy dish. This lentil has a high content of folic acid while tomatoes are rich in Vitamins B6, A, C, K, thiamine, potassium, magnesium as well as antioxidants.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Cup Toor Dal
• 3 Medium Tomatoes
• 1 Medium Onion
• 1 Tspn Ginger Garlic Paste
• 1-2 Green Chilly
• 1 Dry Red Chilly
• A pinch of Hing/ Asafoetida
• 1 Tspn Mustard Seeds
• 1 Tspn Cumin Seeds
• 1 Tspn Turmeric Powder
• Salt, as per taste

METHOD

• Rinse the toor dal. Add salt and turmeric to the dal. Boil it in a pressure cooker for 4 whistles or till dal is soft and well cooked. Add enough water so that the dal is completely immersed.
• Heat a pan and add a couple of tbspn of oil. Add mustard seeds and as they start to crackle, add dry red chilly, cumin seeds and asafoetida.
• Add chopped onions and saute till transparent. Add ginger garlic paste. Saute till raw flavour vanishes.
• Add finely chopped tomatoes, green chilly, turmeric and salt. Fry till tomatoes are pulpy and well cooked.
• Add the previously boiled toor dal. Mix well. Let it come to a boil. Add water if it becomes too thick.
• Simmer for about 5 minutes. The final consistency should be medium, neither too thick nor too thin.
• Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with a plain or jeera rice.

 Boil toor dal, in a pressure cooker for 4 whistles or till well cooked and soft.

In another pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chilly and asafoetida.

And, relish this yummy Dal with plain or jeera rice.

Chakuli Pitha

A typical festive morning in Odisha is sure to catch a glimpse of this crepe. Most of the times as an offering (bhog) to the deities before the family sits down for a meal of 'chakuli pitha'.
Made from a combination of lentils and rice, it sure makes a wholesome plate. Moreover, almost any and every curry goes well with it.

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Cup Urad Dal(skinless)
• 2 Cups Rice
• A few Methi/ Fenugreek seeds
• Salt, as per taste
• Oil for greasing tawa

METHOD

• Rinse the urad dal, rice and methi seeds well. Soak it for a couple of hours.
• Rinse well again and blend to a smooth paste. The final consistency should not be too thick nor too thin. Cover with a lid and let it rest for another 6 hours.
• Add salt and mix well. If required, add a little water to obtain right consistency.
• Heat a tawa. Grease it with oil.
• Take a ladle full of batter and pour in the center of the tawa. Move the ladle in concentric circles outwards so as to obtain a circular shape.
• Cook on high. The sides of the chakuli will start leaving the tawa soon. Insert a flat ladle under the chakuli and flip it so as to cook the other side. Lower the flame.
• And, chakuli pitha is ready :D !!

Tips :
Methi Seeds give fluffiness to the chakuli pitha.
Traditionally, a brinjal stalk or coconut stalk is used to grease oil on the tawa. It is dipped in oil and smeared on the tawa.

Soak urad dal (skinless), rice and methi seeds.

Blend o a smooth paste and let it rest for at least 6 hours. It should ferment and swell up.

Add water (if required only) and salt. Mix well.

Heat a tawa and grease with oil. Traditionally greased with a brinjal stalk dipped in oil.

Pour a ladle full of batter and move the ladle in outward concentric circles to obtain a circular shape.

Flip and cook both sides.

Relish !!

Alu Paratha

Alu Paratha - One of the most demanded Paratha, irrespective of location and age :D :D !!

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 - 2 Cups Wheat Flour /Atta
• 2-3 Medium Potatoes
• 1 Medium Onion
• 1 Tspn Ajwain/ Carom Seeds
• 1/2" Ginger 
• 1-2 Green Chilly, or as per taste
• 2-3 Sprigs Coriander Leaves
• 2-3 Sprigs Pudina Leaves
• 1 Tspn Chat Masala
• Salt, as per taste
• Ghee (optional)

METHOD

• Peel and boil the potatoes, till soft.
• Chop the green chilly, onion, coriander and mint leaves finely.
• In a mixing bowl, add the flour and all the other ingredients (except ghee). Knead and make a soft dough. Add very little water if dough is too dry. Cover and let it sit for 15minutes.
• Pinch out 1" dia balls out of the dough and roll into chapati shapes. Heat a tawa and cook this chapati on both sides. Cook on one side till small brownish spots appear, then flip and repeat. 
• Apply ghee on the paratha while it is cooking on the tawa. Press on the paratha with a spatula for the heat to seep in well.
• And, alu paratha's are ready!! Goes very well with curd as well as tomato ketchup.

Baigana Alu Besara

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Medium Sized Brinjals/ Baigan/ Eggplant
• 1 Medium Potato
• 1 Medium Onion
• 1 Medium Tomato
• 1" Ginger
• 4-5 Garlic Cloves
• 1 Green Chilly
• 1 Tspn Mustard Seeds
• 1 Tspn Cumin Seeds
• 1 Tspn Panch Phootan
• 1 Dry Red Chilly
• 1 Tspn Turmeric Powder
• 1 Ambula/ Dried Mango (optional)
• 5-6 Fried Badi (optional) 
• Mustard Oil, for tempering
• Salt, as per taste

METHOD

• Blend tomato, ginger, garlic, green chilly, mustard seeds and cumin seeds to a fine paste.
• Chop the potato and brinjal length wise.
• Add the veggies along with the mustard-cumin paste, ambula, turmeric, salt and a cup of water to a pressure cooker. Let it cook for a maximum of 2 whistles or till potatoes are soft.
• In another container, heat a couple of tbspn of mustard oil. Add panch phootan. Saute and add finely chopped onions. Fry till onions turn brownish. 
• Add the contents of the pressure cooker, mix well and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Add the fried badi's.
• Serve hot with plain rice.

 Blend tomato, garlic, ginger, green chilly, mustard seeds and cumin seeds...

 ... to a fine paste.

 Chop the brinjal and potato, length wise.

 Add the chopped veggies, masala paste, turmeric and salt to a pressure cooker.

 Pressure cook.

 In another container, heat mustard oil. Add dry red chilly and panch phootan.

 Add finely chopped onion and saute till brownish.

 Add the pressure cooked veggies and simmer for a couple of minutes. Add fried badi and it's ready to be served !!


Tips :
Make the brinjal slice bigger than the potato slices. This is to ensure that the brinjal retains its shape as they cook faster than potatoes.

Malpua

Malpua - One of the chappan (56) bhog which is offered to Lord Jagannatha everyday and to us (the mere mortals :P !!) during the festivals, especially Janmashtami.
Soft in the middle, crunchy on the sides, this dessert has several variations when it comes to its ingredients and preparation methodology... yet, all conclude with a delectable dish enjoyed and craved by one and all.

And I assure, you can't stop with just one. It is just so tempting.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Cup Maida/ All Purpose Flour (instead wheat flour can be used too)
• 3 Tbspn Jaggery (or sugar), or as per taste
• 2 Tbspn Whole Milk
• 1 Tspn Fennel Seeds
• 1 Tspn Cardamom Powder
• Oil for deep frying

METHOD

• Mix all the ingredients together to make a smooth batter. It should be runny, yet neither be too thick nor too thin.
• Let the batter rest for a couple of hours.
• Heat oil for deep frying. With the help of a ladle or spoon, pour the batter into the oil. Start pouring in the center and make concentric layers around it. The center should be the thickest.
• Fry on low. Flip when one side is well fried and golden brownish. Repeat with the other side.
• Take it out of the oil and remove excess oil by keeping it on a kitchen towel.
• Place on a serving plate and drizzle rabdi, malai or condensed milk on it. Garnish with fennel seeds and sliced almonds and pistachios.
• Relish !!

Add maida, cardamom powder and fennel seeds.

Add jaggery.

Heat/microwave the jaggery with a little water, to ease in mixing.

Add jaggery solution.

Whole milk

Add whole milk.

Mix everything well. Add water if necessary. Consistency should be neither thick nor too thin.

Let the batter rest for a couple of hours.

After a couple of hours... Heat oil for deep frying. Drop a ladle full of batter in concentric circles.

Drain excess oil and place on kitchen towel.

Drizzle rabdi or malai or condensed milk and garnish with fennel seeds and sliced almonds. And, now relish :D !