Shevayi / Rice Noodles in sweet coconut milk.

Shevayi is the most popular dessert after Ukdiche Modak in coastal Maharashtra. Simple rice noodles bathing in sweetened coconut milk is pure indulgence. My husband’s Nani’s house being in Alibaug… this is one of his favorite dessert. Hence cracked the recipe to Pamper my hubster.

Ingredients: (serves 8)

Coconut 1, rice flour 2 cups, ghee a tabsp, salt to taste, jaggery 1/2 cup, cardamom powder 1tsp.

Method:

Coconut milk –

Grate 1coconut, add 1/2cups of water, add the jaggery and blend it through. Sieve the milk by pressing the coconut mixture through the sieve. This is the first extract. Repeat the same process to get another extract. Keep it in the fridge.

Rice Noodles –

Boil 4cups of water, add ghee and season it with salt, bring it to a boil. Add the rice flour and mix it with a spatula. Cover it and keep it at rest for half an hour. After cooled knead the rice flour into a smooth dough. Make cylindrical shape and transfer into the noodles maker( the same Machine used for making shev/ chakli). Make small batches of thin rice noodles and place them in a steamer. Steam it for 5 mins.

OR

Another method of making noodles is after kneading the steamed rice flour into a dough, make small balls (lemon size). In a pot boil water and immerse the rice flour balls, boil it till it floats. Strain it. Then transfer into the Noodle maker and make thin noodles. Pour sweetened coconut milk over the noodles and serve.

Serving – place the noodles in a shallow bowl and pour the sweet coconut milk over it. Garnish with a pinch of cardamom powder.

Enjoy the heavenly गोड शेवया !

N.

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Nalli Nihari

Nalli Nihari is a spicy slow cooked stew of lamb shanks. An authentic Mughlai delicacy has originated in India. Traditionally it is cooked in very low heat preferably on a sigdi overnight and relished in the morning for breakfast. This dish is known for it’s spiciness and distinct taste.

So here is my take on the famous Nalli Nihari…

Ingredients :

Lamb shanks 1 kg, ghee 7tabsp, ginger garlic paste 3tabsp, thick curds 2 cup, chilli powder 2 tabsp, turmeric powder 1tsp, coriander cumin powder 2tabsp, Nihari masala 4tabsp, salt to taste, fried onions 1 1/2 cups, bay leaves 2/3, wheat flour 2 heaped tabsp.

Nihari Masala –

Dried chillies 5, ballnchillies 8, fennel seeds 2tabsp, cloves 1tabsp, cardamom 12, mace 1 blade, nutmeg powder 1/2tsp, cinnamon 2inches, chana dal 2tabsp, star anise 1, peppercones 10, poppy seeds 2tsp.

Roast the above ingredients on low heat till they turn slight brown and grind it into fine powder.

Method:

Marinate the meat/shanks with ginger garlic paste and curds and keep it aside for an hour. Heat ghee and tamper bay leaves and ball chillies. Add the marinated shanks and pan roast non high flame till they turn slightly brown. Add the dry spices – chilli powder, turmeric, coriander cumin powder, Nihari Masala. Blend in with the meat and stir fry till the oil separates. Add a litre of water. Add fried onions. Season it with salt. Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat to very low. Slow cook for at least 3 hours stirring occasionally. Mix the wheat flour with a little water to make a slurry and add to thicken the curry. The meat should fall off the bone.

(My twist – separate the cooked meat in a serving dish, run a hand blender in the curry and strain it for a smooth stew)

Garnish with a strand of coriander. Serve hot with Naan.

 

N.

Ghee Roast Chicken

Ghee Roast Chicken is one of my favorite. Spicy and rich semi dry chicken pan roasted is an all time favorite during the meet ups. Sharing this recipe and hitting the 250th mark of recipe on my blog.

Ingredients:

Chicken legs and breast cut into medium pieces 1kg, ginger garlic paste 2 tabsp. whole garam masala (cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds, pepper, cardamom, star anise and mace 2/3 each ) fried onions 1cup, dry coconut 1/2cup, bay leaves 2/3. Dried red chilli 2/3. Ghee 5/6 tabsp, salt to taste. Turmeric 1tsp, coriander cumin powder 2tsp, chat masala 1tsp, jaggery or palm sugar 1tabsp, red chilli powder 2/3 tsp. Oil 2tabsp. Curry leaves and coriander leaves for garnish.

Method:

Heat oil in a wok tamper it with whole garam masala, coconut and half cup fried onions. Roast till brown and after it cools grind it into paste.

Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan and tamper it with bay leaves and chillies. Add chicken on high flame and roast it till golden. Add the masala paste, ginger garlic paste, dry spices – turmeric, chilli powder, coriander cumin powder and fried onions. Blend in with the chicken. Add a cup of water. Season it with salt and palm sugar. Cover it and lower the heat. Cook till it becomes tender. If watery turn the heat high and let it dry. Garnish with chat masala, fried curry leaves and chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot.

N.

Kaju Katli

With the upcoming ebook on the “Mithais of India” by the FBAI…I got inspired to post this recipe. My daughters favorite Mithai – Kaju Katli. It’s one of the easiest and quickest Mithai one can make at home. I avoid the market one simply because I am not a fan of the silver (so called) paper they garnish on the Mithai. Instead I just sprinkle the magic dust ( what I call ) that is the edible glitter which I use for cakes. So here is my take on Kaju Katli.

Ingredients:

Cashew nuts 300 grms, milk powder 50 grms, sugar 220 grm, water 1 1/4 cups, ghee 1 tabsp, cardamom powder 1/2 tsp. Edible glitter optional.

Method:

Make a very fine powder of cashew nuts. Make sure to pulse the grinder otherwise the cashews tend to clump up. Sieve the powder in a bowl. Now add the milk powder and cardamom powder ( we want a very subtle flavour so do not use too much of it). Mix well. The mixture becomes light and fluffy.

In a heavy bottom flat pan boil the water and sugar to make 2 strings syrup. Keep a close watch as we do not want raw or over heated syrup. Stop as soon as you see 2 strings between yours fingers when you test the consistency. Shut the heat. Now add the cashew mix powder and stir well. Leave it for half an hour in the hot pan. Transfer the mix of cashews and sugar on a thick food grade plastic sheet. And knead till it has no cracks. The dough should be smooth. Using a rolling pin and a top cover of plastic roll the Kaju dough in a rectangular shape. The thickness shouldn’t be too thin nor too thick. 1/2 a centimeter. Apply ghee and sprinkle the edible glitter. Leave it to set for a couple of hours. Cut into diamond shape.

Enjoy the barfi/ Kaju Katli.

N.

Pasta in minutes

When one says pasta…you quickly get the cheesy overload of pasta in your mind. Pasta can be healthy if we make it in the marinara sauce. Also by using the whole wheat instead of the Refined Flour one….the guilt is much less. A quick and super easy pasta, in which I cooked the whole wheat spaghetti in the sauce itself instead of boiling it separately and then draining off the water. This particular recipe is kids friendly, my 12 year old daughter does all by herself too. Reaction to this pasta after devouring it by my elder daughter, “This pasta is so much like the one I had in Italy!” (Happy to hear that) So..here is my take on healthy pasta in minutes.

Ingredients: (serves 5)

Spaghetti 1 box std size. Tomatoes 1kg, basil leaves 1cup, olive oil 6/7 tabsp, garlic finely chopped 6-7, tomato puree 2 cups, tomato ketchup 1cup, chicken cube (taste maker) 3packs, salt as per the taste, crushed pepper 2tsp, parmesan cheese 1-2 cup grated.

Method:

Chop tomatoes roughly. Tear basil. Chop garlic. Heat oil in a broad deep pan and infuse it with garlic and basil. Stir for 2 mins and add tomatoes. Saute for 5 to 7 mind. Add puree and ketchup. Add approximately 750ml water. Let the marinara sauce cook fo few minutes. Season it will salt. Now break the spaghetti and add it to the marinara sauce. Stir a few time and make sure the spaghetti doesn’t stick to the bottom nor it over cooks. Remove it off the heat when it is almost cooked but not fully..al dente!

Time to serve….with a pair of tongs make the spagetti swirl on the plate, add the sauce over it, drizzle some parmesan cheese and a few drops of extra virgin olive oil.

Enjoy the wholesome goodness of Pasta.

N.

Farcha

Farcha is the Parsi style fried chicken. Sweetish, mild flavors of spices… the chicken is gently coated in egg and deep fried. Tender juicy chicken on the inside with a slight crunch of egg on the outside is just a heavenly feel. So..here is my take on Chicken Farcha.

I

ngredients:

Chicken drumsticks 12, ginger garlic paste 1tabsp, turmeric 1/2tsp, coriander cumin powder 1tsp, red chilli powder 2/3tsp, garam masala 1tsp, cardamom and nutmeg powder 1/4th tsp each, sugar 2tabsp, tomato ketchup 2tabsp, chat masala 1tsp, salt to taste and oil for deep frying. Eggs 3. Bread crumbs/ Toast powder 2/3cups.

Method:

In a heavy bottom pan (I use the AMC) marinate the chicken with the dry spices – turmeric, chilli, coriander, cumin, garam masala, chat masala, salt and sugar. Add the ginger garlic paste and ketchup. Coat the chicken and cook on low heat till tender but firm. Takes around 15 mins. If the chicken too watery, dry it on high heat for 3/4mins. Now add the cardamom and nutmeg powder. After it cools, cover it with bread crumbs or toast powder by patting it properly. Keep it in the fridge for a couple of hours. Heat oil in a wok on medium heat. In a mixing bowl beat the eggs and dip the chicken into the beaten eggs. Roll it in the egg bath and deep fry till golden.

Enjoy the goodness of Golden crispy yet juicy chicken…drums of heaven.

N.

Kulcha

Kulcha is a stuffed flat bread. The stuffing can be anything, vegetarian options like paneer, potatoes, cabbage the list is endless. The non vegetarian options can be mince, finely chopped chicken or even shredded tandoori. This is not roasted by flipping like the regular parartha, kulcha is roasted on the flame directly after being stuck on to the griddle. My take on this North Indian delicacy is I use clay griddle. The taste that the kulchas inherit is the beautiful, mild mud aroma, as though it is cooked in the clay tandoor. So here is the recipe.

Ingredients : (makes 12/14)

Cover- Refined flour 4 cups, salt to taste, curd 1/2cup, sugar 1tsp. Oild 3/4 tabsp.

Stuffing- Paneer (cottage cheese) 250 grms, boiled potatoes 7/8 small ones, salt to taste, sugar 2tsp, chopped green chillies 2/3, chopped coriander leaves handful, Cumin powder 2tsp, red chilli powder 1tsp, crushed coriander seeds 1 tsp, chat masala 2 tsp. Black sesame seeds and Butter for garnish.

Method:

Take a mixing bowl and add salt, sugar, curd and oil to the refined flour. Knead it into a firm but not very tight dough. Keep it for rest.

In the meantime prepare the stuffing. Grate paneer, potatoes. Add the coriander, chilli’s, red chilli powder, cumin powder, salt sugar, chat masala and crushed coriander. Divide into equal portions making lemon size balls. Take the dough and divide that too into small ball size balls. Roll a little with black sesame seeds, now place the stuffing on the rolled dough and bring the dough together covering the stuffing firmly. Roll with the help of a rolling pin and dust some maida (Refined flour) to make flat bread. Heat the clay griddle. Now apply some water on the rolled kulcha and Pat it on the water side on the hot grilled. Let it cook on one side for 2/3 mins. Now turn the griddle on the flame roasting the kulcha till it fluffs up into a beautiful golden color. Pat some butter and serve hot.

Enjoy with some curd or just as it is.

N.