Anda Curry

(Spicy egg curry)

There are so many versions of anda curry that I have tried, but this one is obviously my favorite. For one time, I agree there cant be a 'perfect' anda curry recipe and everyone has their own version, but well if you are trying it for the first time or want to try a different recipe, trust this one that I developed!

You will need: (serves 3-4)

6 eggs, hard boiled and peeled (to get perfectly boiled eggs heat eggs and water let them boil for 11 minutes (count 11 minutes after water starts boiling)) 
2 onions, peeled and halved
1 large tomato, chopped
2 heaped tbsps grated dry coconut
1 tbsp corriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 small piece of ginger
3-4 garlic cloves
3-4 dried red chillies soaked in warm water for 15-20 minutes
1 tsp Red masala (malvani masala)
1 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp oil
hot water
salt

1. lightly brush oil on the onions and roast them on direct flame (as shown in the picture)
2. on a small pan, toast the coriander seeds followed by cumin seeds, and transfer on a dry plate
3. toast grated dry coconut on the same hot pan
4. Once the toasted things cool down, transfer the to the grinder bowl along with the roasted onions, soaked red chillies, ginger, garlic and tomato
5. Grind everything to a fine paste. Add a little water from the soaked chillies, if needed.
6. In a frying pan, take the oil and heat it
7. Add the ground 'masala' to the oil and fry. There has to be enough oil, for the masala to get the right flavor. If 2 tbsp doesnt seem enough, add more. 
8. Once the ground mixture cooks, gives off a nice aroma and leaves oil on the sides, add red chili powder, salt, turmeric and malwani (red) masala

9. Peel and slit the boild eggs as shown in the picture (OR you could cut them in half or quarters, just know that the yolk will dissolve in the curry, if you do so)
10. Once the ground mixture gives off a cooked, fried aroma, add some hot water (hot water just blends better instantly in curries..) and mix well, till you get a smooth homogenous curry.
11. add the eggs and boil till the curry leaves oil on top.
12. Garnish with cilantro and a dash of lime
13. Serve with pav (bread), chapati or bhakri :)

Varyache Tandul Danyachi Aamti

(cooked samo seeds with a spicy-sweet peanut curry)

Another favorite from the apawas (fasting) menu. My aji's patent recipe! The good thing about this dish is its one of the healthier 'fasting' dishes. I satisfy my hunger for sabudanyachi khichadi with this :P Samo seeds (varaiche tandul) are healthy and the curry has yogurt and peanuts! not bad, eh?!

You will need: (serves 2)

for the rice:
samo seeds, washed 1/2 cup
hot water 1.5 cups
1/2 tsp ghee
salt

For the aamti (curry):
1/2 cup peanut powder (roasted and crushed, without skin)
yogurt 1/2 (mixed with a cup of water) cup OR buttermilk 1 cup
1 tsp ghee/ oil
2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
cumin seeds
2-3 dried amsul (dried garcinia indica/ kokum) or tamarind
salt, sugar

1. in a large saucepan, sauté the samo seeds on ghee and add hot water and salt.
2. Cover and cook for 5-10 minutes on low flame, check every once in a while

3. In another pan, heat the ghee and add cumin seeds and green chillies.
4. To this add the amsul (If using tamarind instead of amsul, add it later)
5. add peanut powder to this and fry for a minute, till the peanut powder takes a nice golden hue and gives off the perfect aroma!
6. Once this happens, add the yogurt-water mixture
7. Add more water as required, the peanut powder will thicken the curry as it boils.
8. Add samt and sugar according to taste (this is supped to be sweet and spicy!) (If adding tamarind, add iot at this point)
9. Let the curry boil thoroughly
10. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro

Kande Pohe

(Flattened rice breakfast snack)

"Seriously you are writing a blog post on 'kande pohe'??" my mom asked me :P But trust me its the simple common things that need to be perfect, because you have to eat those a lot!!

This is probably the most common breakfast dish in western India. Its the dish that a girl makes for her prospective groom, when he come to 'see' her for the first time in traditional indian arranged marriages! Whenever I made good Kande Pohe my Panji (great grand mom) cried, thinking how lucky my husband would be :P Such is the power of perfectly made Kande pohe..  Obviously it has gotten a lot of attention in pop culture too! theres even a song about it!

So, if you want to impress prospective spouses (;P) or great grand moms or anyone for that matter! heres the perfect recipe..

You will need:



1 cup thick flattened rice (pohe), wash for a few seconds under running water, then strain on a sieve for at least 10 minutes. This is the most crucial part. the rice should be soft and completely hydrated but not mushy and watery.
1 small onion, chopped square, medium cut
1 small potato (optional) thick small slices
4-5 curry leaves
2 green chillies, small pieces
a small piece of ginger
mustard
1 tbsp oil
turmeric
asafetida (hing) (a lil more than usual)
salt
sugar
fresh chopped cilantro
lime

1. Add salt, sugar, lime juice and turmeric over the drained flattened rice (pohe)
2. Heat oil in a pan, add mustardand hing to hot oil, after the mustard crackles, add chillies and curry leaves
3. Add the chooped onion and potato, and let it cook, covered for a few minutes.
4. Once the potatoes and onions are cooked, add the seasoned flattened rice.
5. Mix, the turmeric will mix with the oil and goive a nice color.
6. add a dash of finely grated fresh ginger (optional)
7. Cover and let cook for just about a minute.
8. Remove lid and add finely chopped fresh cilantro

Kairicha Panha

(cardamon and saffron flavored raw-mango drink)

Theres many ways this drink is made with jaggery, sometimes with uncooked raw mangoes, etc. One of my friend's mom made this awwessommmee version with raw uncooked mango, but sigh, me or noone else I know can manage to make it taste the same as hers.., so this one gotta be my favorite kind! The recipe is a modified version of Aruna kaku's recipe(my sweet neighbor). The perfect refreshing welcome drink for  summer :)

Its the easiest thing to make on the earth, but trust me it wont go unappreciated! in fact people will treat it like you made the most complicated thing ever :P



straight to the recipe:

You will need:

2 raw mangoes
Pressure cooker
2 cups sugar (fine/powdered)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cardamon powder
saffron few strands,slightly toasted and crushed (this way the flavor is stronger)

ya.. thats it!

1. Place the raw mangoes in a pressure pan/cooker, put water till the mangoes are half submerged
2. cook under pressure (3-4 whistles)
3. Wait till they cool down, then peel
4. Remove the pulp, and measure it (you will get about 1 cup from 2 large mangoes)
5. add double the amount of powdered sugar (e.g. 2 cups sugar for 1 cup of raw rmango pulp)
6. You may have to add more or less sugar (sometimes upto 4 times!! ) depending on how sour the raw mangoes are.
7. add the salt, cardamon powder and saffron.
8. Fill in an air tight jar and keep overnight.
9. It should be like a sweet jam the next day, if not, adjust the amount of sugar. (In fact, this can be used as a kairi jam too, tastes like moramba!)
10. To prepare the drink- mix a big spoonful of this mix add water and ice and enjoy!!!

How about adding a dash of tequila and making Panha Margarita???!! Maybe save a little pulp+sugar mixture without the saffron and cardamon, and make raw mango margaritas! Dont forget the salt on the rim ;)