Savory Bites

Sev Usal

A new post....spicy, tangy and sweet Sev Usal!

Recently I tried Sev Usal ,which was very spicy and tangy and just perfect to make you fall in love with it.

They had used lot of chutneys too as add-on's for the usal...like sweet chutney,green chili chutney plus some more like sweet dahi,which were 'OK' to go with this usal but adding them made the usal taste more like a chaat than usal for me.

I had heard from a friend that famous sev usal in India is from Vadodara. I have not tasted it though but will definitely try it whenever I will get a chance and share that recipe too!

I love to try variety of usal/misal for breakfast,as they are easy to make plus healthy and will give you a feel of not missing the street food which we all crave for!

I had previously shared few recipe's of usal/misal.

Here you go:Vatana Usal , Misal Pav. Try these too.

Also have this with Pav/Bread...Try my recipe of Goan Pav which goes very well with this dish.

I am sharing this recipe of sev usal which is a simplified version of the usal I tasted,which is super easy to make,as its a pressure cooker recipe so no-hassles and/or roasting masala/grinding issues and yummy to have!
Try this :)

Sev Usal, Usal Misal, Breakfast, Vegetarian, Maharashtrian Breakfast, vadodara sev usal, gujarati sev usal

Sev Usal

by September-8-2016

Ingredients

For Usal:
1/2 Cup White Peas(Dried)/Vatane
4 Tablespoons Oil
1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1/2 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
1/2 Teaspoon Asafoetida
1 Small Onion,finely chopped
1 Small Tomato, finely chopped
Salt as per need
1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Coriander Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Cumin Powder
1 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon Usal /Misal/Sev Bhaji/Powder of(Fennel seeds,cloves,cinnamon stick) Powder
Gooseberry Size Jaggery
4 Tablespoons Tamarind Pulp
For Garnish:
A small Bowl full Thick Sev/Ganthiya Sev
1 Medium Onion Chopped
1 Medium Tomato Chopped
2 Sprigs Cilantro Chopped

Instructions

First,wash and soak the peas overnight.

Next day,in the pressure cooker,add oil.

When its hot,add mustard seeds,cumin seeds,asafoetida.

When it splutters,add onion and tomato.

Mix well.

Add salt and all powders mentioned.

Add tamarind pulp and jaggery.

Mix well.

Add little water and pressure cook for 10- 15 minutes on medium flame or till done.

For serving,in a bowl,add the vatana usal,add chopped onion,tomato,lots of sev/ganthiya and cilantro.

Enjoy with Pav.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 25 mins Yield: 4 Servings

Tips:

Adjust the spices as per your tolerance level.
Some varieties of sev bhaji includes adding ragda to this. You can try that also.
If you do not have Usal/Misal/Sev Bhaji masala then simply powder some Fennel seeds,cinnamon and cloves and add. It will be tasty too.

Enjoy!!

6:17 PM
2 Comments

Khaja

baklava

A new post for the festive season...most yummy and crunchy sweet and my family's favorite...Khaja!

What's Khaja??? Well, here is an excerpt from Wiki: " Khajas is a baklava-like dessert, and is prepared and sold in Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh.^[2]^[3] Khajas of the Silao and Rajgir are known for their puffiness. Where as khaja of Puri is too famous. At first, the butter is of wheat flour, mawa and oil. It is then deep fried until crisp. Then a sugar syrup is made which is known as "Paga". The crisp croissants are then soaked in the sugar syrup until they absorb the sugar syrup. Khaja of Kakinada, a coastal town of Andhra Pradesh, is dry from outside and full of sugar syrup from inside and is juicy.".

Well,we prepare this in Goa too.We buy or make at home for Ganesh and Diwali festivals.

Since Ganesh Churthi is round the corner, I am making all Ganesh Chaturthi sweets and so this time I made this yummy and crunchy Khaja which was almost over immediately after I clicked :D

This recipe will never disappoint you as it's a tried ans tested recipe for a long time.

We make lots of sweets for Ganesh..I have also shared my recipe of Pista Khova Modak, Bhakkam Peda,Goan Doodh Peda,Besan Ladoo...try these too!

Try this recipe and take blessings from Ganesh! Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to All!! Have a blessed festival!

Khaja

by September-2-2016

Ingredients

1 & 1/2 Cup Maida / All Purpose Flour
Salt a pinch
2 Teaspoons Ghee
2 Tablespoons Rava / Sooji
Water to knead the dough
For Syrup:
2 Cups Water
1 & 1/4th Cup Sugar
For the Paste:
2 Teaspoons Maida/ All Purpose Flour
4 Teaspoons Ghee
Extra Maida for dusting
Oil / ghee to deep fry

Instructions

First,in a mixing bowl,add all the ingredients mentioned to make dough.
Slowly add the water and make a soft dough.
Knead the dough for 5 Minutes.
Cover the dough with cling wrap or damp cloth.

Let this dough rest for 1 hour.

Again knead it for 5 minutes.

In a bowl,mix the maida and ghee and make a smooth paste.

On the kitchen counter,sprinkle little flour.

Pinch a dough ball and roll it thin on the counter.

Make 3 thin roti like this.

Apply this maida and ghee mixture on first roti.

Keep the second on top of this.

Apply the maida mixture again.

Keep the third roti on top.

Roll this into a log.

I made 6 roti out of this dough and 2 logs.

Now with a knife cut the log diagonally.

Now take each piece and press it lightly on your palm.

Heat oil/ ghee.

When its hot,deep fry all the khaja on low flame till golden brown and crisp.

Drain on a kitchen paper.

Meanwhile make the sugar syrup.

In a sauce pan,add the water and sugar and let it boil.

After first boil,reduce the flame to low .

Keep it on low flame entire process when you make the khaja and fry them.

The sugar syrup should be thick and warm.

After frying immediately drop the khaja in sugar syrup and let it soak in warm syrup for 5 minutes.

Drain these and arrange on plate.

Once cooled,enjoy these crispy khaja!

Details

Prep time: 1 hour 20 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 1 hour 35 mins Yield: 20

Tips:

Make the dough soft.Softer than chapati dough.
No need to knead the dough for long.
Do not make the maida paste liquidy. If you happen to add more ghee in it then adjust by slightly adding maida.
Always fry these on low flame. Do not fry on high or medium flame to get faster they will not be right.

Some more pics for your eyes :)

Here is the pic of other sweets I made..

Enjoy!

8:47 PM
2 Comments

Dill Cutlets (Shepu Cutlets)

Cutlets

7:38 PM
0 Comments

Pista Khoya Modak

Festive Sweet

A new post for the festive season...Pista Khoa/Khoya Modak!

We are currently in the religious month of Hindu Calendar,"Shravana" and this is considered the month of all fasts,festivals and numerous celebrations.
After this month ends then we celebrate the most awaited festival of the year...that is Ganesh Chaturthi!

Every year people celebrate this festival as per traditions and customs followed by individual family rituals. Everyone has their own family traditions of celebrating this festival, and this is the only festival when the entire family gets together and enjoy.
As we all know,modak is the best offering to Lord Ganesh,so I tried to make a new recipe of modak for the festival.

I made these modak as a sweet for Raksha Bandhan celebration! You can try them for chaturthi and enjoy.
Try this recipe of Pista Khoya Modak,they are super easy and tasty. Ready in no time and will impress everyone for sure!

Pista Khoya Modak

by August-19-2016

Ingredients

1 Cup Khoa / Khoya / Mawa, Grated
12 Pistachios
4 Tablespoons Milk
1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cardamom,ground
a pinch Green Color (optional)
1 Modak Mould
as per need Ghee / Clarified butter

Instructions

In a ceramic/nonstick pan,add grated khoya.
On low heat keep stirring it.
In a mixer grinder make a coarse paste of pistachios with milk.
Add the paste to this khoya.
Mix well and keep stirring on low flame till the mixture starts releasing ghee and starts to form a dough.
Switch of the gas.
Add the cardamom powder,sugar and green color.
Mix softly with hands for a minute or two till the mixture forms a nice dough.
Apply little ghee to your plams and to the modak moulds from inside.
Stuff sufficient quantity in each half of modak mould.
Close the mould tightly.
Open the mould and take out the modak.
Enjoy these this festive season!

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 5 mins Total time: 15 mins Yield: 8

Tips:

You can make Peda from the same dough instead of Modak.
Try adding flavors like Mango,Almond,Kesar or Elaichi.
You can refrigerate these modaks for a week and consume.

Enjoy!!

11:15 AM
0 Comments

Vegetable Chinese Samosa

Chinese

A new post after a little more wait for you all !...this time it is superb crispy and tasty snack for tea time...its Vegetable Chinese Samosa!
Well,many of you will think "samosa's and that too chinese???" "what a weird combo"...but NO...it's awesome and surprisingly lip-smacking good!

I have this love for indo-chinese dishes a lot and so I keep making some or the other at home.
I wanted to have the vegetable spring rolls for a long time but I was running short of pastry sheets or spring roll sheets and did not have any intensions of making them! So thought of making a samosa or a bonda out of the similar filling.
Tried a crispy version of samosa and surprisingly it was delicious with the noodle and vegetable filling and a combination of these with sauces was amazing.
Enjoyed them with a hot cup of tea....as I am tea lover but love coffee too but only at midnight! :D

Try them and enjoy!

Vegetable Chinese Samosa

by August-12-2016

Ingredients

100 Grams Vegetable Hakka Noodles
1 Tablespoon Garlic and Ginger,minced
Vegetables as per choice:
1/4th Cup Cabbage,sliced
1/4th Cup Green Bell Pepper,sliced
2 Tablespoons Button Mushrooms,chopped
2 Sprigs Spring Onion / Scallions,chopped
1/4th Cup Carrot,sliced
Salt as per need
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
1 & 1/2 Tablespoon Tomato Ketchup
1 Teaspoon Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon White Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Red Chili Sauce
1 Teaspoon Green Chili Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Chili-Garlic Sauce
2 Tablespoons Oil to shallow fry the stuffing
For the cover:
8 Pastry Sheets/ Spring Roll Sheets
OR
1 Cup All Purpose Flour / Maida
2 Tablespoons Rava / Semolina
Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
Oil to deep fry

Instructions

Firstly,cook the noodles as per packet instructions.
Keep them aside.
Make the dough for the cover and keep aside or use ready made sheets.
For dough,in a mixing bowl,combine all the ingredients mentioned under "For Cover".
Make a tight dough.
Cover with a cling wrap or damp cloth and keep aside.
In a shallow pan,add little oil.
When its hot,add minced garlic and ginger.
Fry for a while till it will leave a nice aroma.
Now add all the veggies.
Add salt,sugar.
Add all the sauces mentioned.
MIx well and cook on high flame.
They are done when they ooze nice aroma and burnt flavor from vegetables.
Make sure you dont burn them.
Now bring the flame back to low,add noodles.
Toss them well so that the entire vegetable mixture is coated well on the noodles.
Now make the samosa and stuff them.
Heat oil to deep fry.
When hot,slowly drop samosas in oil and fry till golden and crisp.
Enjoy with chutney or sauce and tea!

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 40 mins Yield: 8

Tips;

I could make 8 large / big samosas of this stuffing and the dough plus a little more of 3 Tablespoons of stuffing was left. So adjust accordingly.
I am not sharing step wise pictures for this recipe as it was done in a hurry so missed out on lot of clicks. Pardon me for that!
These samosas taste yummm when consumed immediately.
Fry them on low flame. This will yield very crisp samosa.
I have few more samosa recipes shared on mywebsite here. Check them too: Mushroom Samosa and Potato stuffed Samosa