Non-Fried Dahi Wada (Dahi Bhalla)

I bought a new non-stick appam patra (Appam Mold) last week and to say that I have been using it non-stop will be a serious understatement. I have made sweet appam by the dozens for the first time ever and  impressed my family, but the really really impressive bit came when I made wadas for my dahi wada dish in my appam mold. Yesss ! Wadas in made in appam style. Frankly though I cannot take the credit for this idea. It was my Aai who came up with this idea a couple of years back and always told me to do the same to make dahi wadas oil free. Many of you might also be doing it the same way but when I told my friends what I done , it was a completely novel idea to them and they loved it, not to mention they loved the Dahi Wadas too. It was their praise that prompted me to immediately blog about them. 

The entire process of making the wadas is just the same as you would for the fried version. Even the ingredients are absolutely the same. Only while preparing the wadas instead of deep frying the batter, pour spoonfuls into the appam mould. Now because I wanted them to taste just as good as the fried ones I put a few drops of oil on each wada (and I seriously mean a few drops) Cook on moderate heat for 4 to 5 mins on either side and pop them out.

Ingredients for the wadas:

3 cups urid dal (Split black lentils) soaked overnight or for 5 to 6 hrs

1 cup fresh grated coconut,

10-12 chillies,

3 tblspns cumin

2 to 3 tspns sugar

salt to taste.

Ingredients for the yogurt mix:

1 litre and a little more thick whole milk yogurt,

sugar to slightly sweeten the yogurt,

3 tspns of ginger  and chilly paste,

1 tspn cumin and coriander powder each

salt to taste

Ingredients for the tempering:

3 tblspns of oil,

2 tspns mustard

10 to 12 curry leaves finely chopped

1/2 tspn asafoetida (hing)

Method:

Soak the urid dal overnight or at least for 5 to 6 hrs,

•Grind the soaked urid dal finely along with the grated coconut, chillies , cumin, salt and sugar . While grinding the dal add water in small quantities only as much as needed to aid the process of grinding.

•Keep aside for a little while.

•Prepare the yogurt by whipping the yogurt to a smooth consistency.

•Add some milk to the yogurt to give it the consistency of a thick pouring sauce. Mix in the sugar ,salt and ginger, cumin and coriander powders and the ginger-chilly paste.

•Before cooking the wadas keep a large pan of lukewarm water at hand . Add to the water a little yogurt and mix it well . This water is used to soak the cooked wadas .

•Drop tblspnfuls of wada batter into the the mold and cook  on a very moderate heat turning them over once.

•After cooking  the first batch let them cool . After they have cooled pop them into the lukewarm water and let them soak in the water for a while until they become slightly soggy

•Repeat this process with all the wadas, putting them in water only after they have cooled slightly

•Note: if hot wadas are put in cold water they remain hard at the centre, so let them cool slightly first.

•When all the wadas have been put in the water squeeze out the water from each wada by pressing it gently between your palms and place them flat one next to the other in your serving dish.

•Pour over the prepared yogurt evenly over all the wadas

•Prepare the seasoning by adding the mustard seeds to hot oil. When they begin to splutter add the hing and the curry leaves and switch off the gas.

•Spoon this seasoning over the dahi wadas carefully . Sprinkle some chilly powder over the finished dish and garnish with coriander . Let your guest help themselves to the date and tamarind sauce

•Also offer your guests extra cumin and coriander and chilly powder .

This makes a wonderful side dish during a meal or a main snack at tea time and now you can enjoy these in unlimited quantities as they are NOT FRIED . YEHHHHHH!!!!!

Harry Potter and Yummy Rawa Idlis and Dhoklas

One weekend can be so different from another. Last weekend was simply horrible, we had a power failure for 20 hours , yes that's right 20 hours, my maid did not turn up for two consecutive days without any prior notice . Yes I have to admit , that in spite of having done all my washing up and laundry and vacuuming myself for last 6 years , I am now already used to the luxury of having a daily maid come in and do all that for me and although I don't have a major panic attack if she doesn't turn up I do get a bit irritated no doubt. And to top it all the hattrick was completed by no water supply. Aaghhhh !!! But I some how managed to keep my calm and keep things going.

But this weekend has been a delight so far. Saturday started late and that is very late. After a quick trip to my son's school to complete some scholarship formalities we had a leisurely brunch of idlis and dosas washed down with cups of hot filter coffee and aromatic ginger tea at a nearby restaurant. Afternoon was spent helping D with his homework and preparing a bit for his forthcoming unit test (surprisingly it went very well with D co-operating to the T). But the best bit came in the evening which we spent with Harry Potter. Reading this you might think that I am a big Harry Potter fan ,but believe me you couldn't be further from the truth. I am probably the biggest Harry Potter non-fan ever , so much so that I am always teasing hubby and son that I am going to start a Non Harry Potter fan club etc etc. So the funniest thing is I have not watched any of the Harry Potter movies nor have I read any of the books other than 1/2 of  the first one but today I watched the last one Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. That too in 3D in a cinema hall .Can you beat that?  And I quite enjoyed it. My friends laughed at me saying that I am probably the first person who has started enjoying Harry Potter in the reverse order. Come to think of it I am kind of toying with the idea of reading Harry Potter :)) Lets see how long my interest in HP lasts.

Anyway speaking of brunches and idlis reminds me that I too made some idlis last week. These were simple Rawa Idlis which I sometimes serve as Idlis and sometimes as Dhokla. They taste just as awesome either way.

When made as Idlis I just put a couple of vegetables like grated carrots and maybe peas in them and sometimes even cashews and as dhokla I just add loads of fresh coriander and green chillies. They are perfect to take on picnics or as a healthy afterschool snack. Here's how I make them:

Ingredients:

1 cup coarse Rawa (ordinary Semolina, not Idli rawa)

1 cup water

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup grated carrots

1/4 cup par boiled peas (or frozen ones which are already par boiled)

1/4 cup urid Dal  which have been soaked it water for 1/2 an hour (split black lentils)

handful of chopped cashews

2 green chillies very finely chopped

Some chopped coriander

1 tspn Eno Fruit Salt

1 tspn sugar

Salt to taste

Method:

Mix all the above ingredients keeping the soda-bi-carb for the last.

The mixture should have the same consistency as ordinary idli batter.

If you find it too thick just add some more water.

Give it a taste once you have mixed it and adjust the seasoning accordingly. 

It does not need any resting time.

Just leave it aside until you oil the Idli moulds and then you can immediately steam them.

Serve hot with coconut chutney or ketchup. 

On other occasions make the batter with finely chopped green chillies and plenty of fresh coriander and steam the batter as dhoklas like in the pic below

Serve the Dhoklas with the traditional tempering of hot oil , mustard, asafoetida and curry leaves. Put dollops of hot and sweet ketchup on top of each piece to make it pretty and also easy to eat.

Crispy Vegetarian Spring Rolls (A real Treat)

Let me begin this post by wishing all my Indian readers  A VERY HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY. I started the day by explaining to my eight year old (who has lived in UK since he was 2 ) why this day is celebrated in India as Independence Day and how we used to go to school  very early in the morning to hoist our tri-colour. Explaining it to him also made me remember things about our history  that I had not thought about for a long time, and that was good. We fnished our mother-son talk by me reading to him part of the book Great Freedom Fighters of India in the Amar Chitra Katha  Series.We read about Lokmanya Tilak and although he listened to it like any other story I enjoyed answering all his questions . It's a great series by Amar Chitra Katha which makes everything so enjoyable for a young children to read understand, rather than just read about history only from a textbook. I definitely recommend it.


 Secondly I would  like to say a big Thank-You to each and everyone of my reader who has visited by blog regularly inspite of my very irregular and sometimes none at all posting. You readers have been so good , not only visiting my blog but also dedicating posts to me and giving me credit for inspiring you to cook and think about cooking in a different light. Gosh thanks a ton for all that love and appreciation. It has also motivated me to take that effort again to start posting again.


So here's what I have today. It's the summer holidays going on currently in England and as I work in a school I too get to enjoy 6 weeks of summer holidays. I have recently come back from my holiday in Italy and now is the time to catch up with everything pending like deep cleaning the house, cooking something different other that the daily fare, spending time with my son watching DVDs together  and going out for a Pizza with him and of course catching up with friends and a bit of entertaining.


Last week I had a friend over for lunch and  I made these veg spring rolls which we all loved. Vegetarian because at present we are not eating any non-vegetarian food as it is the month of Shrawan which is a auspicious month in the Hindu calender. And although I am not a very staunchly religious person I do like to follow certain practices only because they teach you self control. Particularly in  the west where restaurant menus are  so dominated by chicken , pork and beef . (Although I draw the line at chicken and fish and would never ever dream of eating pork or beef. )  So no non-veg food for a month at least and for 4 months (the entire Chaturmaas  till after Diwali)  if I can manage it. Not so difficult is it? And the one ingredient I love and always rely on to  make my veg dishes perk up is Paneer.:)) Yes gorgeous , delicious, creamy full fat paneer. It never let's me down. That's what I used here too.


So what you need  for 16 to 18 spring rolls is:


Ready made store-bought spring roll wrappers (available in Indian or Chinese grocery stores)  OR  Sheets of Filo Pastry (available in all big food stores)
Note: If you do get the special spring roll wrapper they are already in the correct square shape and size, so that one wrapper makes one roll, but if you are using filo then you will need to cut out the sheets into approx 5" X 5"  squares. Also remember to keep the pastry or wrappers covered with a damp tea towel as they dry out very easily.


For the filling:
1 cup each of finely chopped or grated of the following veggies
carrots, beans, spring onions, cabbage ,coriander
1 cup of frozen or fresh corn kernels
1 cup of green peas
1 cup finely diced paneer,
1 cup boiled noodles (optional)
1/2 cup finely diced chestnut mushrooms (optional)
1 red chilly finely diced
1 tblspn chinese soy sauce
1 tblspn sweet chilly sauce
1 tblspn chinese five spice
1 tspn hot chilly powder
1 tspn of garlic paste, 1 tspn of ginger paste
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking


Method:
Heat 3 to 4 tblspns of oil in a wide pan or wok
Add the garlic and ginger paste and fry on low heat for few minutes
Add all the other veggies and mushrooms and stir them all frequently
Add the five spice, chilly powder, salt soy suace and sweet chilly and cover and cook until vegetables are cooked but still have a bite in them.
Lastly add the boiled noodles and paneer, give it all a good stir ,
Give it a taste and adjust all the seasoning according to your taste
Let this filling cool completely before you start making the rolls


Making the rolls:


Lay out a wrapper on dry surface with one corner towards you. Place a large tblspnful of filling near the corner .
Now roll that corner over the filling twice. Next fold inwards the the two side corners so your roll will be closed from the sides. Roll up the rest of the wrapper  up to the  corner away from you . Apply a bit of water to this corner so that it sticks firmly to the roll.
Do all the rolls in the same way. make these in advance at least a few hours before you want to fry them, so that they have a chance to seal well.
Fry in hot oil and drain over kitchen papers
Serve with sweet chilly sauce, schezuan sauce or any othet sauce of your choice.
Make loads of these if you are entertaining as it is very likely that they will be the star attraction particularly when your friend know that you made them at home:))

S.P.D.P

Have you heard of the abbreviation S.P.D.P before? Well if you are from Pune or have lived in Pune for a while you are sure to know what I am talking about. It's the most popular dish in the most popular cafe in Pune. The dish is Sev Potato Dahi Puri , a tantalising combo of crisp puris filled with boiled potato, beaten yogurt, sweet and sour tamarind chutney, hot chilly and mint sauce, finely chopped onions and tomatoes all topped with more yogurt and crispy sev. In short it is heavenly.

The cafe is of course Vaishali on Ferguson College Road . For those of you who don't know Pune so well Vaishali is the most popular hangout for people of all ages in Pune. Mostly frequented by college going teenagers, it is also a favourite with ladies who come there in groups maybe for theie kitty parties or just to catch up on the latest with their friends , with people who come there for steaming hot idlis and delicious coffee after a session of tennis or badminton in the morning , and of course with pensioners who come there to relax and enjoy the youthful atmosphere . It is considered a great achievement to get a table in Vaishali as soon as you get there. Normally you need to wait at least 10 to 15 mins unless you are fortunate to know a waiter there who will be kind to procure a table for you at once.

So coming back to S.P.D.P it is a dish I have eaten umpteen times at Vaishali and have of course replicated it at home on many occasions too. I made it a few days back and could barely spare a few puris to take a picture of the dish. In my family we are notorious for devouring all kinds of chaat items in a matter of minutes

Making this in the UK requires a bit of planning as the puris are available only at the Indian grocers (you can make them at home but I find that a bit tedious ) and you must have plenty of coriander ,mint and chillies at hand not to mention tamarind and palm sugar or demerara sugar for the chutney .

So you need:
1box of Pani Puris or flat Puris (whichever you prefer, it is easier with the pani puris as they are puffed and therefore easier to fill )
2 large potatoes boiled and coarsely mashed,
3 to 4 cups of sprouted moong beans (this is optional but I recommend it , soak green moong lentils one day earlier and then wrap them up the next morning in a thin cloth till they sprout )
1 large onion finely chopped,
1 large tomato finely chopped,
Sweet and sour tamarind chutney (recipe given below)
Chilly and mint sauce (recipe below)
2 cups beaten yogurt (add a little sugar and salt to this)
Chilly powder to sprinkle on top
Chaat masala to sprinkle on top (available at Indian stores)
Fine Sev (available at Indian stores)
Fresh coriander for garnishing

Whew!! thats quite a list.

Prepare ahead:
Tamarind Sauce or chutney
Boil a handful of tamarind fruit in water till the tamarind goes all soft and pulpy, let it cool a bit, then check to see that there are no seeds in the pulp, remove seeds if you find any. Strain this boiled tamarind so that you have a smooth pulp left ,
Add double the quantity of palmsugar (jaggery) to the pulp, 1 tspn chilly powder, 1 tspn salt, 1/2 tspn each of cumin and coriander powder and blend it all together in a blender. Give it a taste and adjust seasoning. If you find it too sour add more jaggery and blend again.
Your tamarind sauce is ready

For the mint and chilly sauce:
Blend together a handful of mint leaves, 3 green chillies, and a handful of coriander with 2 to 3 tspns of lemon juice and a tspn og salt. Add a little amount of water while blending but keep it to a minimum as we do not want a very runny sauce.

Now the assembling:
To serve place 6 puris on a plate. Make a hole on the top of each one them to put in the different fillings.
First put in the boiled potato bits, then come the sprouted moong beans, now the onion and tomato, , next add the yogurt and the two sauces, and finally top it all with plenty of sev, another lashing of yogurt and season with chaat masala ,chilly powder and salt. Garnish with corainder and serve.

Don't get discouraged by all the prepping that is involved. The final product is worth every bit of effort it takes

Wishing You All A Very Bright And Sparkling Diwali

Hello people! I hope you all have a fabulous and fun-filled Diwali .

Finally it took a big event like Diwali to get my blog out of hibernation. It's been a whole month since I blogged. That must be my longest ever no-particular-reason break I have taken. But no more. I am very much back. Last whole week I have been practically tied to the kitchen counter concoting all different kinds of Diwali snacks and although it's been a bit tiring I have enjoyed every moment of it. It's really only once a year that I devote so much of my time to the kitchen and so it's really welcome. I love the challenge and am thrilled when the end products turn out well. Seeing friends and family members eat the treats and rave about them is priceless. And I am very lucky to have friends who are very generous with their compliments.I feel so happy to recieve the compliments that I can hardly eat any of the snacks myself. I am completely filled with joy at just seeing people enjoy the food that I have worked so hard to make.

Karanjis made with fresh coconut filling

Now every year it is my ambition to make one such thing for Diwali that I have not cooked ever before. Mind you it doesn't always get achieved, but it is something I hope to do every year. This year I had my heart set on Bakarwadi. For those of you who are not familiar with it , it is the snack that you see on the left in first pic above. It's a savoury snack which is a speciality of Pune my hometown. I don't think there exists a single soul in Pune who has not eaten Bakarwadi. It is something we Puneites adore and are very proud of. Visitors from other cities always have the Bakarwadi at the top of their shopping list to take back home . Its popularity has even taken it to the US . Unfortunately I have not yet seen it anywhere in the UK markets and it is something we get to eat only when a friend goes on a visit to India and gets back some for all of us here.

So I thought it would be nice if I could make some at home. And so I tried. Verdict? They turned out quite nice and went much beyond my expectations. The taste mind you was not exactly the same as the shop variety but hey it was my first attempt and I am sure they will turn out better with every attempt.

Here's how I made them. I followed the recipe from a Marathi Cookbook called Swayampak by Sindhutai Sathe. The recipe although not difficult has several components and so many ingredients which need to be combined.

Ingredients:

For the outer cover:

3 Cups plain flour, 2-3 drops orange food colour (I did not have this so did not put any), 4 tblspns very hot oil, 1/2 tspn salt, 1 tspn red chilly powder, water to form a dough.

For the Filling (which is called Bakar):

3 tblspns toasted poppy seeds, 3 tblspns toasted sesame seeds, 1 cup roasted dessicated coconut, 1/2 cup finely chopped coriander, 1 tblspn grated onion (squeeze out all the onion juice completely ) 1 tblspn lemon juice, 3 tblspn sugar, 1 cup fine sev.

Seasoning:

3 tspn red chilly powder, 6 cloves of garlic finely crushed , 1 inch garlic finely crushed, 8 to 10 leaves of fresh mint, salt to taste.

Spices:

1 tblspn coriander powder, 1 tblspn cumin powder.

Method:

Combine all the above components in a dry grinder and grind them coarsely. Give it a taste and adjust seasoning. The taste should be a combo of sweet, sour ,salty and spicy.

Mix all the ingredients for the outer cover and form a moderately stiff dough. The hot oil in the dough makes the rolls crisp on frying. Make dough balls the size of a golf ball . Taking one dough ball at a time roll out into a thin roti and spread the filling to cover the entire roti. Then roll up tightly like a cigar. Hold the roll vertically in your palms and press it gently to elongate it further. Place it back on the platform and cut into one inch pieces.

Similarly make all the wadis and then deep fry them slowly at a moderate heat. Frying them at a moderate heat in important to make them crisp.

Try them .

Other Diwali treats on Food -n-More are:

Coconut Laddoos

Jhatpat Chiwda

Chitale Bandhu Mithaiwale in Pune have been the pioneers in making the most delicious Bakarwadis for decades now . To see some mouth-watering sweets and snacks and a clip of how Bakarwadi is commercially made click here.

***WISH YOU ALL ONCE AGAIN A VERY GRAND DIWALI ***

Hot Crispy Spicy Samosas (Just the thing for a rainy day)

Just the thing to eat on a rainy day. That's what came to my mind when I made these. Crispy and spicy they are the kind of food that everyone fantasizes about on a wet rainy day, don't we? . So for a perfect ,almost Utopian afternoon indulge yourself with these samosas , make yourself a hot cup of alyacha chahaa (ginger tea) to go with them , settle down near a window where you can see the rain pouring outside with a book by your favourite author and sink into complete bliss. Wow!! Wouldn't we all just love that!
Well to bring this into reality you have to first start making the samosas at least. Right? Well here goes then.

I made these with Filo Pastry and that made my task oh so easy. I used Filo for the first time and was not sure how exactly to go about it but the instructions on the pack were so clear with such good illustrations that it was a breeze.

For the Filling I used:
3 cups frozen green peas (I thawed them in the microwave before cooking them)
1 onion chopped finely
1 cup dessicated coconut
Paste of 5 to 6 green chillies,
1 tblspn minced garlic
1/2 tblspn minced ginger
1 tblspn garam masala
1 tspn red chiily powder
1 tspn coriander powder
1 tspn cumin powder
1 tblspn whole cumin
1/2 tspn hing (asafoetida)
1 tblspn sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Oil for cooking
salt to taste

Method:
Before starting the actual cooking I put half the peas in a dry grinder and coarsely ground them while leaving the other half of the peas whole. This lends a nice texture to the filling.

1. In a heavy bottom pan heat 2 tblspns of oil and add the whole cumin first. After a few seconds add the hing followed by the chopped onion. Fry the onion lightly . Doesn't have to be browned.
2. Next add all the spice powders and the green chilly paste and fry further for about half a minute.
3. Now add the green peas (crushed and whole), coconut ,salt ,sugar and lemon juice. Give it all a good stir. Add a little water to the mixture and cover and cook until the peas are completely cooked. Keep adding small amounts of water intermittently if the mixture becomes too dry.
4. Give it a taste and adjust all the seasoning as necessary. Let the filing cool completely before assembling the samosas.

Assembling the samosas:
Now the Filo pastry that I bought was the frozen kind and came in a pack of 6 sheets placed one on top of the other. I left the pastry in the fridge overnight to defrost and then at room temp for 1/2 an hour before using it. I cut all 6 sheets at once into 4 long strips each measuring about 2 inches in width. So I made 24 samosas from one pack.

Place a tablespoonful of the filling at one end of a strip and pull the left corner of the sheet diagonally to the right so that it forms the first triangle . Keep rolling the samosa further in the same way maintaining the triangle shape.
Apply a few drops of water to the last bit of the sheet to seal the samosa tightly. Assemble all the samosas in the same way while keeping the ones already done covered so that the pastry does not dry out.

Fry the samosas in hot oil at moderate to high heat and serve with a combo of mint chutney and hot and sweet tomato sauce. These go very well together.

Mini Egg Rolls (Perfect for the school lunch box)

It's been quite a few months since I shared any lunch box ideas so when I made these mini egg rolls for my son I knew they would make an appearance on my blog. But what put me into action sooner was my 6 year old . He had the egg rolls at school and liked them so much that when I asked him if he had enjoyed his lunch ,he said" Aai they were so good , you must put them on your blog".

So here they are. Basically a sandwich but put together in a more interesting way. I occasionally buy these cute little wholewheat rolls in a pack of 6 from M&S. They are healthy no doubt as they are not only wholewheat but also seeded and secondly just the correct size for little hands to hold. Plus they appeal tremendously to children as avery welcome change from the normal sandwich.



Though my son is very comfortable with most foods it is my constant endevour to get more and more veggies into him. So to make the rolls healthier I had a handful of chopped frozen veggies to the egg mixture. I also made mini omelets the same size as the rolls so they sanwiched perfectly in between .One large egg makes 3 mini omelets.
Let me tell you these rolls went down a treat.

Here's in short what I did:
For the omelets:
1 large egg,
a handful of chopped mixed veggies (carrots, sweetcorn, peas and beans)
1 tblspn grated cheese
salt to taste,
and I used a pinch of chilly powder rather than pepper because I feel that makes an omelet tastier.

Method:
Beat all the ingredients together and cook small omelets rather than one large one.
Butter the rolls and warm them a little
Sandwich one omelet in each roll, top with a dollop of ketchup and they are ready to be packed. Pack each individual roll in grease proof paper so they don't come apart.

Try it out and tell me if your child liked the idea.

Chicken Frankie (Dadar Shivaji Park style)

All those who have eaten a Chicken Frankie at the Tibbs outlet at Shivaji Park Dadar in Mumbai will agree with me when I say that the frankie you get there is surpassed by none. It's spicy ,hot ,tangy and the outer roll is filled with the most delicious and tender spicy chicken. If you have just spent a whole morning shopping in Dadar, and are looking for some great tasting food to replenish your energy conserves so that you can shop some more later then this is the place to head for. After reading this you might be under the impression that I am a regular there, but the fact is that I have frequented that place only twice in my life, but the taste was so awesome that every time I think of Frankies that's the only place I remember.

So some days back when I made these at home I tried my level best to replicate the taste and must say I did succeed to some extent. After all some things always taste best when eaten at the road side. I am sure you all agree.

But here's how I went about it:

To make about 6 frankies you will need:

250 gms boneless chicken cut into bite size pieces,

puree of 2 tomatoes,

1 onion finely chopped,

4 to 5 cloves of garlic crushed,

1 inch piece of ginger finely grated,

1.5 tspn amchoor powder (dry mango powder)

1 tspn chilly powder, (more if you want it hotter)

1 tspn garam masala,

1/2 tspn coriander powder,

1/2 tspn cumin powder,

3 to 4 tblspns fresh coriander chopped

1 tblspn fresh mint coarsely chopped

2 to 3 tblspns oil

salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a saute pan and fry the garlic ginger for a minute,

2. Add to that the chopped onion and fry further till onion is golden,

3. Next add the tomato puree and all the spice powders except for the amchoor ( chilly, cumin , coriander and garam masala) ,

4. Now cook on a moderate flame till the tomato is thoroughly cooked and as lost some of its moisture,

5. Add the chicken pieces at this stage and cook further adding a little amount of water if needed . We want a moist filling for the frankie but not a runny one (Chicken will take about 4 to 5 minutes to cook. Don't overcook as the chicken will go dry and rubbery),

6. Once the chicken is cooked add the amchoor, fresh coriander, mint and salt and give it a stir. Give it a taste and set aside.

For the outer Roll:

You need:

1 cup wholemeal flour and 1 cup plain flour (maida)

1 tspn salt

1 tblspn oil

Mix all the above ingredients into a soft dough.

This dough will make about 6 large wraps or chapatis

Roll out the wraps one at a time and half roast them.

When all the wraps are cooked keep them covered till you need them. Also keep at hand 2 eggs .

For the salad stuffing:

1 onion thinly sliced,

1 cup cabbage thinly sliced,

1 cup shredded lettuce,

2 tspns lemon juice,

1/2 tspn chilly powder,

a pinch of salt

Now to assemble the frankie:

1. Break one egg into a bowl and lightly beat it. Heat the tawa (flat pan) and spray a little oil on it . Place one wrap on the hot tawa and brush it generously with some egg . Flip the wrap onto the other side and let the egg cook well. This will form a delicious egg coating on the inside of the wrap.

2. Remove the wrap from the tawa. In the centre of the wrap place 2 tblspns of the chicken stuffing and some of the raw salad stuffing. Dot it with any spicy sauce of your choice and roll it up into a fabulous frankie.

3 Repeat the procedure with all the other wraps..

That's it. You can now dig in. Just make plenty of wraps and filling as everyone is going to ask for seconds and thirds and maybe even fourths.

Enjoy!

It is Kobichi Wadi !

Nupur's guess was the first and it hit the nail on the head. It is Kobichi Wadi or Steamed Cabbage and chickpea cakes if I may call it that in english. Many of you did guess that it had something to do with besan or chickpea flour. I really enjoyed the game.

For the recipe its almost the same as that of kothimbir wadi which I have already posted. But I'll share it with you again .

Ingredients:

4 cups chopped fresh coriander,

1 cup besan (chickpea flour)

1/2 cup wholewheat flour ,

1/2 cup semolina,

1.5 tspn chilli powder,

1 tspn salt ,

1/2 tspn turmeric powder,

1 tspn sesame seeds,

1 tspn powdered fennel seeds (saunf) ,

1/2 tspn sugar,

2 tblspn oil

Procedure :

Mix all the above ingredients and form a dough by adding very little water at a time ,

If you find the mixture too sticky just oil your palms well and then handle the dough,

.

You can divide the dough into 2 or 3 portions,

.

Shape them into elongated logs and place them in an oiled steel vessel . (Imp Tip: Just in case you add too much water and you cannot form elongated logs simply turn out the batter into an oiled steel vessel ,one in which you normally cook dal or rice in the cooker and spread it out evenly),

.

Pressure cook this mixture for the same duration as you would for dal and rice,

.

Let the cooker cool down a bit and then open it,

.

Also let the steamed dough cool,

.

After it has cooled completely cut it into slices as thick or thin as you want,

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Heat some oil on a tawa(griddle) and shallow fry these pieces (Wadis).

If you are on a diet eat these wadis without shallow frying them and only steamed. They can be eaten as a snack with tea or as part of an entire meal.

Suralichi Wadi (As traditional as it gets)

This one is completely dedicated to my mother. An hour back I had no idea how to prepare these wadis. One phone call back home and lo and behold my dish is prepared ,served and ready to eat. And its all thanks to that one superwoman ,my Aai. I had all kinds of apprehensions in my mind about this dish. I have eaten it umpteen times made by her at home but never dared to make it myself ,but today in a matter of minutes she had me convinced that I could make it and also gave me the perfect recipe there and then. She assured me again and again that it was not as difficult as it seems and I must give it a try. She had more confidence in my cooking skills that I had myself.

So I tied my apron and started off with still some doubts at the back of my mind. I followed the steps meticulously and to my absolute delight I could do it. You are simply amazing Aai !! Had you not encouraged me I would never have made them.

Now a little about the dish. Its a traditional maharashtrian snack which was initially mostly made at home but has now found its way on restaurant menus and is also a popular item at weddings and other dos. Those who have eaten it will vouch for its delicious taste and texture. Its healthy too as the main ingredients are steamed.

Now lets get down to the recipe:

Ingredients:

For the outer roll:

1 cup chick pea flour (besan),

1.5 tspn plain flour,

1 cup buttermilk,

1 cup water,

6 to 7 cloves garlic,

3 green chillies,

1 tspn salt,

1/4 tspn turmeric powder

For the filling:

3/4 cup grated fresh coconut,

3/4 cup fresh coriander finely chopped,

1tspn powdered sugar,

salt to taste

For the tempering:

3 tblspns oil,

1 tspn mustard seeds,

1/2 tspn asafoetida,

7 to 8 curry leaves

Procedure :

1. In a grinder crush the garlic ,chillies and salt together.

2. In a mixing bowl mix the besan,plain flour, water ,buttermilk, and the crushed garlic-chilli paste very well. Give it a taste to check if you need more salt or chilly.

3. Strain this mixture as we need a smooth batter .

4. Cook the batter in a pressure cooker for upto 3 whistles or for as long as it takes you to cook rice and dal in your pressure cooker.(Every pressure cooker differs a bit here and there)

5. In the meanwhile prepare the filling by mixing the grated coconut and coriander, sugar and salt and keep ready. Also keep 5 steel or melamine plates at hand to spread the batter.

6. To the cooked batter add about 3 tblspns of hot water to loosen it up a bit and give it a brisk stir.

7 Immediately while the batter it still hot start spreading it evenly onto the plates like shown in the pic below. Keep your strokes in one direction only to get it evenly done. This needs to be done very fast.

8.After finishing all the batter mark out rows with a knife or a pizza cutter,

9.Now spread the coconut filling on the batter on the marked rows .

10.And now comes the best part. Start rolling the wadis like shown in the pic below. They roll beautifully. Please do not oil the plates initially. Place all the wadis vertically close to each other in a container.

11.For the tempering heat the oil in a small wok or kadhai.

12.Add the mustard ,asafoetida and curry leaves.

13.Spoon the tempering into each of the vertically placed wadis.

To serve garnish them with some of the coconut and coriander mixture and spoon any left tempering all over.

So what do you think? Are you game?

This is also my entry to Nupur's event RCI Maharashtrian cuisine.