Shrikhand Puri Recipe

Shrikhand Puri

Maharashtrian Dish

For 2 People

Ingredients:
125 gram Chakka (From Yogurt) (approx 1 and 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup granulated Sugar (100 to 150 Gram)
1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder
1/2 tsp Charoli (chironji), 1 tbsp Pistachio slices, 1 tbsp Almond slices for
garnishing.
3 ft X 3 ft Muslin Cloth
Puran Yantra I used (Fine mesh skimmer)

Method:
1) Place Chakka into a bowl add powdered sugar. Mix well.
i) Puran Yantra
If you have Puran Yantra, add this mixture to it and blend nicely.
ii) Skimmer
Put 2 to 3 tbsp mixture into skimmer. prass with spoon and let the Chakka
mixture pass through the fine mesh. It will help to break all the lumps and make
Chakka mixture smooth.
2) Add Cardamom Powder, Charoli, Pistachio slices, Almond slices. Mix well.

Chill and serve with Puri

Notes:
1) Adjust the sugar according to your taste.
2) Add pinch of Saffron color to give nice yellow taste. Or add 3 to 4 strands
of saffron for nice flavor and color.
3) Good Shrikhand is all about texture. Smoother the texture, better it will
taste. Shrikhand should not have any granularity. If you feel granules in
shrikhand, you need to use mesh skimmer again.
4) If you are preparing Chakka at home, make sure to use good quality organic
yogurt. And remove water completely from it

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How to Make Chakka from Yogurt Recipe

Chakka = (Pressed Yogurt or Yogurt cheese)

Ingredients:
3 cups homemade creamy yogurt or Organic Plain Yogurt (I used Stoneyfield Lowfat
yogurt)
3 ft x 3 ft Muslin Cloth or Cheese cloth

Method:
Pour the yogurt in the middle of muslin cloth. Gather the edges of the muslin
cloth and tie a knot, hanging the tied edges from the kitchen sink, and let the
liquid from the yogurt drain in the sink. Hang for 8 hours to drain the water.
squeeze with spoon occasionally to drain out the water. After draining all the
water, you will get around 1 and 1/4 cup Chakka (125 gram) (pressed yogurt).

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Puri Recipe

Serves: approx 20 Puris

Ingredients:
1 cup Wheat Flour
1 tbsp Chickpea flour
1 tbsp Semolina
1/2 tsp Salt or to taste
1 tbsp Oil
Oil for deep frying
You will also need a clean damp cloth to cover the dough.

Method:
1) In a mixing bowl, add wheat flour, chickpea flour, Semolina and salt to
taste. Mix. Into a small saucepan Heat 1 tbsp Oil. Make it very hot and pour it
on flour mixture, wait for 2 minutes.
2) Add water and knead a pretty hard dough. Dough should not be too hard or too
soft. Cover the dough and let it sit for 10 minutes.
3) After 10 minutes, knead the dough nicely. Make equal balls, each should be of
2 cm in diameter. You can make bigger sized balls if you feel, but make sure all
balls should be equal in size.
4) Heat Oil for frying puries over medium flame. meantime, start rolling puris.
Puris should not be too thick or thin. Thickness should be approx 1 mm. roll out
puris into round shape, as much as you can and cover with damp cloth.
5) Once oil is hot, add puris and deep fry them until golden brown and puffed nicely.

 

Puran Poli

Ingredients for Puran
3 cups Chana Dal
1 ½ cups Grated Jaggery
1 ½ cups of sugar
1 tsp Nutemeg powder (Jaiphal)
3 cups water

Method
1) Clean & wash Chana Dal, keep aside for an hour, add 3 cups of water & pressure cook till 3-4 whistles blow off, on medium heat.
2) Drain excess water; transfer the cooked Dal into a big thick bottom pan.
3) Add sugar & Jaggery and mix thoroughly.
4) Cook till the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan. Stir for 2-3 minutes on a low. Remove from heat.
5) Add jaiphal powder and mix well.
6) Grind with the help of a machine, which is specially designed for grinding Puran or use a grinder.
7) Keep aside for cooling; stir occasionally to let out steam. Do not cover.
8) Divide into 20 portions

Ingredients for Poli
1 ½ cups Wheat flour
½ cup Maida (refined flour)
Pinch of salt
½ cup oil
½ cup rice flour for rolling Puran Poli
Water

Method
1) Sieve maida, wheat flour and salt; add water as required for kneading the dough, add oil & knead again. Keep aside for an hour. Divide into 20 balls.
2) Use rice flour to sprinkle on the ball and roll out a 2-3 inch diameter disc of each wheat ball, stuff Puran portion into the disc and close the mouth of the disc.
3) With the help of rice four, roll out 8-9 inch diameter Puran-poli.
4) Heat a non-stick Tawa, place Puran Poli over it, and roast it till it turns pinkish/ golden.
5) Turn over and roast the other side till it turns golden.
6) Serve hot with desi pure ghee.

 

Mumbai’s Own Hamburger – Vada pav

Vada Pav(Batata Vada) : The desi version of the burger , Mumbai’s  own Hamburger

Vada pav is typically served with a Chutney (sauce) which is commonly made out of shredded coconut “meat”, tamarind  pulp, and garlic.

Vada pav (Marathi): वड़ा पाव) , sometimes spelled wada pav, is a popular vegetarian Fast food  dish native to the Indian state of Maharashtra. It consists of a batata Vada sandwiched between two slices of a pav. The compound word batata vada refers In ( Marathi)  to a Vada made out of batata, the latter referring to a potato. Pav refers to Bread (or bun).  Several chains of fast food outlets in India specialise in vada pav including a rapidly growing chain called Jumbo King Vada Pav. Vada Pav is also known as ‘wad pav’ in rural Maharashtra. It is also commonly addressed as ‘Garibon Ki Pav Bhaji’ (poor people’s pave bhaji).

History  not confirmed thou -. The Vaidya family began selling vada pavs from a handcart at Dadar railway station way back in 1966  or 1971– perhaps the first time the popular snack was dished out. Vada pav appears to be some kind of derivative obtained while making stuff by smashing potatoes…not

The vada pav marries a spiced potato patty – the vada – with a white-bread bun – the pav. But it also binds together Mumbai. Cheap and served outdoors, the sandwich brings laborers, office stiffs, and students elbow-to-elbow around the stalls. Even the making of vada pav is an act of local love. Also termed as the poor mans food.

They are variety of vada pav like the

Cheese Vada Pav – a perfect blend of cheddar cheese and spicy hot vadas makes it a hit amongst the youth and kids.  besides a rich slice of cheese, it is served with sweet & dry chutney and fried green chilies. 

Schezwan Vada Pav – schezwan vada pav is a combination of spicy chinese sauce with hot delicious vadas. this product is served only with schezwan sauce & no other accompaniments.

Jumbo Vada Pav : They offer you a Vada Pav 1.5 times the normal size at a 10 % higher price.

How to make a Vada Pav.

Stuffing for Vada: ( something similar to batata Bhaji
3 cups boiled, peeled and mashed potatoes (that is about 4 big potatoes)
1/2 tea spn cumin seeds
1/2 tea spn mustard seeds
4-5 curry leaves
1/2 tea spn ginger garlic paste
2 green chilies
3-4 strands coriander leaves
1/2 cup chopped onion
A pinch turmeric
Oil
Salt

Method:
Heat a little oil and add mustard, cumin seeds. When it starts popping, add curry leaves, green chilies, ginger garlic paste, onions and fry till onions turn translucent. Add the potatoes, turmeric, salt and mix well. If there are any big pieces of potatoes, add a little water and close and cook for few minutes, then mash and mixed well.
Add chopped coriander leaves and mix. Let it cool a bit.

Coating:
1/2 cup gram flour (besan)
1 tbl spn rice flour (added for crispiness)
1/2 tea spn chili powder
Salt

Method:
Mix all the above ingredients with water to make a smooth paste. As soon as water it added to the flours, it starts becoming lumps, so mix it with hand to remove lumps or use a egg whisk. Do not make it too thin, the coating does not hold on to the stuffing it is too thin.

Making vadas:
Heat oil for deep frying.
Make a ping-pong ball sized round from the stuffing. Dip the ball into the coating batter and deep fry in hot oil. Take out on a paper towel.

Making Green chutney:
9-10 strands coriander leaves
Few mint leaves (optional, I didn’t use it)
3 green chilies
1″ piece ginger (optional)
Salt

Method:
Grind all to a smooth paste. Do not make too watery.

Making Red chutney:
1 cup dried coconut (or dessicated coconut)
2 tbl spns chili powder
1 tea spn chopped garlic
1/4 tea spn tamarind extract or 1-2 pieces of tamarind (optional, added for tanginess)
Salt

Method:
Dry roast coconut and tamarind till it turns slightly brownish. Grind together with all other ingredients. This is dry powder, so do not add water. It can be stored in air tight containers for about a month.

Making Sweet chutney :
5-6 dates(khajoor)
1/2 tea spn tamarind extract or about 4-5 pieces of tamarind
1/2 tea spn jaggery(optional, added only if sweetness of dates is not enough)
Salt

Method:
Soak dates in warm water for about 30mins. Take out seeds (better yet, use seedless dates). Grind with all other ingredients.

The Final Touch.

Take a Pav (Pav – Mumbai style bread or bun), you will get it in any grocery, and those outside India can use bread( but don’t know if it taste the same). Cut open the pav  horizontally, taking care one end is still connected. Apply  chutneys to pav as desired

Nutrition Facts

Batata Vada (Fried Potato With Bun)

1. Servings: 1 cup

Calories	295	Sodium	0 mg
Total Fat	9 g	Potassium	0 mg
Saturated	0 g	Total Carbs	0 g
Polyunsaturated	0 g	Dietary Fiber	0 g
Monounsaturated	0 g	Sugars	0 g
Trans	0 g	Protein	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Vitamin A	0%	Calcium	0%
Vitamin C	0%	Iron	0%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs

Want to burn these 295 calories?

You burn the equivalent amount of calories by following activities:

Walking (5.5 Km/Hour) 68.1 Min

Jogging (8 Km/Hour) 31.8 Min

Climbing Stairs 24.6 Min

Table Tennis 62.8 Min

Swimming (freestyle – moderate) 26.6 Min.

So come to Maharashtra or Mumbai and eat the best vada pav in the world. And you will be surprised how a Road side small stall makes the best/ Tasty Vada pav

1, Excellent vada pav available from the canteen of Parle tilak vidayala (PTV) and outside in the evening – Hanuman Road, Vile parle East. Mumbai.

2, Opposite Mithibai college. They also make good cheese grilled sandwiches.

3, Ashok Wada Pav Stall, Off Cadel Road, Kirti College Lane, Prabhadevi, Mumbai, Landmark: Opposite Dadar Paschim Apartments, Prabhadevi, Road side stall.

4, CTO vadapavwala – Situated across the Bombay High Court near the Central Telegraph Office facing Hutatma Chowk , this joint is always crowded with students and office goers. A piping hot vada pav      will cost you Rs 4.The Ghati masala in the vada pav adds to the flavour making it spicy. Also you can have fried chillies complimentary with the vada pav.

5, Jumbo Vada pav, A-43, Virwani Industrial Estate, 1^st Floor, Near Western Express Highway, Goregaon (East), Mumbai – 400 063.  http://www.jumboking.co.in/Menu.html

 

Oats – Indian Style

Spicy Oats (Kande Pohe Style)

Oats (oatmeal) tastes great when cooked with traditional Indian kande pohe style.

Recipe:

Sprinkle water on oats and soak 1 cup oats (I usually buy Quaker brand – old fashioned oats) and keep aside. Don’t add too much water. Adding to much water will make it sticky.
Finely chop 2 medium size onion, 4 green chillies, one garlic clove and coriander. Keep it aside.

Add 2 tsp of oil or ghee to a hot pan, add mustard, jeera, pinch of hing and curry leaves(kadipatta). Add chopped chillies. Fry for a minute. Add chopped onion and garlic. Saute for few minutes.

Add Oats, salt as per taste, half spoon turmeric powder. Mix well and cover with the lid. Allow to cook on low flame for about 5 to 8 minutes or until the oats are soft and cooked.

Now remove the lid and add chopped coriander and lemon juice. Serve the oats pohe warm. Add shev or pickle for spicy oats.

Note: Oats are heavier than pohe, one plate will make you feel full.