Pechi Bhaja/Bara - Shredded Coconut and Chickpea Flour Cutlets

PECHI Bhaja - This recipe was passed on to my mother by her mother- in- law. It is mostly made in Berhampur; southern part of Odisha. It is usually served as a side dish along with Rice and lentil curry. Sharing this easy dish with all of you. I have been wanting to do this for a long time ....today I finally get to share it. I have not used any measurement for this hence will try to be as precise as possible with respect to the quantity of the ingredients used.

Ingredients required:

Ingredients Required	Quantity
Shredded Coconut	1 Cup
Chickpea Flour (Besan)	Just enough to bind
Onion Small (1)	Chopped fine
Green chillies (2)	Chopped fine
Turmeric Powder	½ teaspoon
Salt	To taste
Water	Just enough to bind

Method Of Preparation:

• In a bowl add all the above ingredients except water
• Add water little at a time until it binds and is good enough to make patty like shape. 
• Now take a frying pan , just grease the pan and place the patty. Cook the same on low flame

• Cook both sides until you get the desired color as given below.
  
• These cutlets are now ready to be served.

Enjoy cooking!!!!!

Finger Millet Flour (Ragi) and Whole Wheat Flour (Atta) Cake!!!!!! Eggless; Butterless and Sugarless.......

Having tried my hands on different types of cake; I can proudly say that this one was one of the best experiment I have done so far. Needless to say it is definitely healthy. Indulgence in something sweet not really an issue any more.

Let's begin with the ingredients first:

Ingredients	Quantity
Whole Wheat Flour	1 cup
Ragi Flour/Finger Millet*	½ cup
Yogurt	¾ cup
Vegetable oil	½ cup
Jaggery (grated/Powdered)	½ cup
Milk	¼ cup
Honey	½ cup
Baking Soda	1 +1/4 tsp
Chocolate Syrup	3 tbsp
Vanilla Essence	1 tsp

*Tips

1) If you dry roast the finger millet flour for 2 to 4 minutes, the texture of the cake comes out even better

2) In the end if the batter for some reason is thick then chilled water can be added to make it smooth. Pls do not add hot water as it will make the batter sticky.

3) Since the jaggery I had was too hard, I boil  the required quantity of milk (mentioned in the ingredients) and then added the jaggery to it. It melts in the milk and once it comes to room temperature it can be used for making the batter

Method Of Preparation:

• Preheat Oven at 350 Degree F
• In a bowl add all the dry ingredients and then add all the liquid ingredients to it one by one; in the end add milk and vanilla to it until the batter becomes smooth
• The batter consistency should be little thin
• Pour the batter in the cake pan and let it bake for 25-30 minutes
• Insert a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. If it does the cake is ready to be served

Enjoy Baking!!!!!

Eggless Cocoa Banana Cake!!!!

Banana's are part of my every grocery shopping. There are times when my family is unable to consume this fruit as it is. Banana is a nutritious fruit hence tried making cake when it is more ripe. This is an extremely easy and quick recipe. It needs to be consumed in 2 days as it will not last long like other cakes. Let's get started with the ingredients:

 Ingredients Required:

Ingredients	Quantity
Maida/All Purpose Flour	1 cup
Rava/ Semolina fine	½ cup
Ripe Banana	1
Cocoa Powder	2 tbsp
Milk	1 cup
Brown Sugar	¾ cup
Baking Powder	1 tsp
Butter	½ Stick  or 4 tablespoon
Dryfruits	For garnishing
Salt	A pinch

Method of Preparation:

• First in a deep bowl add all the dry ingredients and mix it well.
• Now add all the wet ingredients milk, butter ( bring it to room temperature before mixing) and in the end add mashed banana. The batter is slightly thin in consistency.
• Grease the pan with 1/2 tsp oil and place it in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes 
• Take the baking pan out and pour the above batter in it
• Bake the same at 350 degree F for about 25 to 30 minutes
• Insert a toothpick to see if it comes out clean, when it does the cake is ready to be consumed
• Allow it to cool down and then it is ready to be served
• Have it with evening tea /coffee or have it as it is.

Enjoy Cooking!!!!

Raw Banana/Plantain Cutlets

Today I am sharing a very simple yet tasty recipe made of plantain. This is usually served as a side dish. The same used for making kofta curry ( fried or steamed dumplings cooked in  gravy) too. It is usually served with rice however it can be had as it is.

Ingredients Required:

Ingredients	Quantity
Raw Banana/ Plantain	1
Bread slices	2
Chopped Onions	¼ cup
Chopped Green Chillies	2
Chat Masala	½ tsp
Lime juice	½ tsp
Chopped Coriander	1 tbsp
Salt	To taste
Oil	For frying

Method of Preparation:

•  Cut the banana into two pieces and boil it thoroughly. You may either pressure cook it or boil the same in a pan. To make sure it's boiled; insert a knife into it, if it comes out clean its cooked well
• Add two slices of bread, sprinkle some water to the bread
• Add all the remaining ingredients to it except oil and mash them well together
• Give them small round shape ( as shown in the picture); you should be able to make 6 cutlets from the above mentioned quantity
•  Now spray some oil to the frying pan or griddle, once its warm enough; place these cutlets and let it become dark brown in color. Turn sides and let it cook until the desired color comes
• These cutlets are not for deep frying and needs to be cooked on medium heat.

Cutlets are now ready to be served :-)

Enjoy Cooking!!!!!

Coconut Rava Laddu (ladoo)

Coconut Rava Laddu is usually made for festivals especially for Diwali ( Festival of lights celebrated across India). I used to think this is really tedious to make however I was so wrong; this is perhaps one of the most easy dessert to make.......it is effortless and consumes very less time. Let's get to the ingredients and the process of making these laddu's.

Ingredients	Quantity
Rava/ Semolina (Fine)	2 cups
Ghee/ Clarified Butter	1/2 cup
Shredded Coconut	1 ½ cups
Sugar	2 cups
Evaporated Milk	5 Fluid oz can  or 147 ml
Cardamom Powder	½ tsp
Dry Fruits Crushed*	2 tbsp

*Note: I have used 1 tbsp each of almonds and cashew nuts
Method Of Preparation:

• Pour ghee into a non stick pan; once it's warm enough add semolina and keep stirring until you get nice aroma from it
• Now add shredded coconut and sugar to it; cook for about 3 to 4 minutes on low heat. Make sure it does not burn
• Remove pan from the stove and add the cardamom powder, crushed dry fruits and evaporated milk to it. Keep stirring until the evaporated milk gets absorbed .
• To make round balls wet both your hands in cold water; now take a small portion of the mixture and slowly bind it and give the required shape
• This should give you close to about 30 laddu's however the same would depend based on size you desire to make
• Let the laddu's cool down completely before these can be stored in jars or in ziplock bags

Enjoy Cooking!!!!!

Janhi - Aloo Posto Curry/ Ridge Gourd and Potatoes cooked with Poppy Seeds

Janhi Aloo Posto is one of my favorite; this is again a very popular dish made in Odisha. There is a variation in way this is made in different places however one thing I can promise is that this a real simple and lip smacking dish. Usually this is served with steamed rice and dal.

Poppy seed is an oilseed obtained from the opium poppy. The tiny kidney-shaped seeds have been harvested from dried seed pods by various civilizations for thousands of years. - Wikipedia

Presenting to you the ingredients required.

A fine paste of poppy seeds makes a big difference to the taste. It should look and feel like cashew nut paste.

Ingredients Required:

Ingredients	Quantity
Ridge Gourd (Fresh)	1 large, cubed
Potato	1 medium, cubed
Poppy Seeds Paste	6 tbsp
Green chilli	2, slit
Onion (Optional- I have not used it in this recipe)	1 small, chopped
Mustard seeds or Kalonji (Kalonji is preferable)	½ tsp
Oil	1 tbsp
Salt	To taste

Turmeric is not added to this recipe however if you are uncomfortable with the same you may add a pinch.

Method of Preparation:

• Dry roast poppy seeds for about 3- 4 minutes on very low heat. Rinse the same in water and drain it to remove impurities. Once it cools down make a fine paste of the same and keep aside.
• In a pan, add oil and when the same is warm put mustard seeds
• Add onions and stir until it becomes translucent
• Now add potatoes and ridge gourd, stir occasionally. Add salt and allow the same to cook. Do cover it with lid. Mkae sure the water from the vegetables evaporates
• Once the vegetables are cooked add green chillies; now you may add poppy seed paste, mix well and cook it further for about 1-2 minutes only and keep it covered
• Janhi Aloo posto is now ready to be served. Have it with rice and dal.

Note: To make a fine paste of poppy seeds; soak poppy seeds( 1/3 cup) in cold water for a minute and place it in the microwave oven then take it out and strain it. Again add some water and place it the microwave for a minute. Let it cool down and then make a fine paste of the same in the mixer

For whatever reason if you do not find fresh ridge gourd you may use potatoes only however increase the quantity of potatoes.

Enjoy cooking!!!!!

Dalma ( An Odia Dish - Split Pigeon Pea Cooked With Specific Vegetables Only)

Today I decided to write about "Dalma" a very popular dish from Odisha. This is mostly cooked on Mondays and Thursdays- strictly vegetarian days:-) ; It's a very nutritious dish loaded with vegetables.

The vegetables are cut into medium size pieces; as demonstrated below:

We can use a variety of vegetables here like potatoes, raw papaya, eggplant, raw plantain, carrots, pointed gourd (Parval), pumpkin, eddoe (Arbi), drumsticks. I have used whatever was available here at my local store however you may be use all the above vegetables if the same is available at your local store. Now lets get started with the ingredients:

Ingredients	Quantity
Split Pigeon Peas/ Toor Dal	¾ Cup
Brinjal/Eggplant	4- 5 pieces
Pointed Gourd (Parval)	5- 6 pieces
Raw Plantain	1 whole, cubed
Raw Papaya	4-5 pieces
Potato	1 medium, cubed
Carrots	7-8 pieces*
Turmeric Powder	½ tsp
Ghee	1 tbsp
Bay Leaf	1
Dry roast Cumin and red Chilli powder	½ tbsp
Salt	To taste
Panch Phoron	1 tsp

* I have used baby carrots here however regular is a better option. The same can be cubed or diced and used.

Method of Preparation:

• In a pressure cooker first add split pigeon peas and 2 cups of water. Allow one whistle.
• Now add all the vegetables and let it cook. One more whistle will let the vegetables cook and it intact too. Make sure the vegetables are not over cooked as it will spoil the taste completely. The above picture should give you a brief idea as to how it looks once its boiled
• Now take a wok, once it is warm enough add 1 tbsp ghee, bay leaf, Panch Phoron and turmeric to it.
• When the panch phoron starts spurting add the lentil and vegetables which are already boiled. Add salt to taste
• Let it boil for 2-3 minutes and then garnish it with dry roast cumin and red chilli powder
• To make it more rich you may add about 1/2 tsp of ghee on the top
• "Dalma" is now ready to be served with white rice

Enjoy cooking!!!!!

Sukhila Jeera Lanka Gunda / Dry Roast Cumin Seeds & Whole Red Chilli Powder

This particular powder comes very handy when done in advance, stored in larger quantity in air tight bottles.

I am sharing this as I will be using the same in some authentic Odia dishes and it can also be used in a variety of chat dishes too.

To make this powder you will need about 1/2 cup of cumin seeds and 7-8 whole red chilies, dry roast them on low to medium heat and stir at regular intervals. Keep doing the same until it becomes medium brown

(do not burn it ) in color and a strong aroma comes from it. Once done keep it aside and allow it to cool completely. 

grind the same coarse and store it in an air tight container.

Your dry roast cumin seeds and whole red chilli powder is ready !!!!!!

Enjoy garnishing this with your choice of chat or any other dish :-)

Mansa Tarkari (An authentic Odia Dish) / Mutton Curry or Goat Meat Curry!!!!!

Mansa Tarkari or Mutton Curry is loved by people from all across Odisha. I have mastered this dish only because my hubby is a big fan of "Mansa Tarkari". It is a dish popularly made on Sundays or when you have your closest relatives and friends at home. In Odisha usually the male member of the house would go to market early to get their hands on the best meat available in the shop. Mutton is expensive hence is also considered a status symbol; people invariably remember about a marriage if mutton curry was served as one of the dish. When you know that guests are coming to your place, during their stay one day is definitely reserved for making mutton curry.
It is imperative to know that mutton is red meat hence consuming this in large quantity is definitely not healthy however in moderation everything is believed to be good.
Now without any further delay let's get started :-)

Ingredients Required:

Ingredients	Quantity
Mutton/ Goat Meat	500 grams
Onion	1 Large        ( ½ chopped fine + ½ Onion paste)
Yogurt	2 tbsp
Ginger paste	1 tbsp
Garlic paste	1 tbsp
Bay leaf	1
Cinnamon stick	1 inch
Turmeric Powder	½ tsp + ½ tsp
Chilli Powder	1 tsp
Cumin Powder	1 tsp
Coriander Powder	1 tsp
Nutmeg Powder	½ tsp
Garam Masala Powder	½ tsp
Cardamom green	2
Mustard Oil*	4 tbsp
Coriander Fresh	For garnishing

*If you are not comfortable using mustard oil you may use vegetable or canola oil.
Useful Tip: 
1) If for some reason the store bought is not tender you can add 2 tbsp full grated raw papaya while cooking to make the meat softer
2) If you want to add potatoes to the curry, you may cut the same into big cubes and add it to the curry before closing to cooker.

Marination Process:

Add yogurt, turmeric and salt to the meat; mix thoroughly and set it aside for good 3- 4 hours.

Method of Preparation:

• In a pressure pan cooker add oil, once it is warm enough add bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cardamom
• Now add chopped onions to it and fry until it becomes light brown in color. You can now add ginger and garlic paste to it and saute it until oil separates from the masala/paste completely
• Add all the dry powder and mix it really well
• We can add the marinated meat to it and saute it really well at regular intervals for 3-5 minutes at low to medium heat
• Now add 2 cups of water to it ( you may reduce or increase the quantity of water depending on the consistency of gravy you want)
• Now cover the cooker; cook it on low to medium heat and allow 2 whistles for the meat to cook completely
• Allow atleast 30 minutes before you can remove the mutton curry from the cooker into a serving bowl and garnish the same with fresh coriander
• Now the Mutton curry is ready to be devour :-)

Enjoy cooking!!!!