Kabab or Kebab has a nice ring to it, it brings a smile on my face whenever someone utters that word. My mind starts getting images of get-togethers, fun with friends, with some beer or wine in the vicinity(yaasss),  jamming sessions, or a fancy restaurant, sometimes dhaba style restaurants too :) etc. etc. So in short, this dish brings happiness to me. It is served as an appetizer mostly during parties and get together's!
Of course, one shouldn't stop at that,  make it at home, in your kitchen whenever you feel like :)
I call it a 'Happy Side Dish'

It is a cloudy rainy day today in my town and I was craving for some chatpata (spicy peppery) snack. Had some minced chicken in the fridge, thought of making these chapli kebabs. Very easy to make, use the spices on hand, make patties and fry it in the oil!

Zunka Bhakar immediately puts you in the rustic mode- a very traditional rural soul food preparation- no nonsense, nothing fancy, screams out less is more and very comforting food combo from the states of Maharashtra, upper Karnataka and Goa. I simply love this food and even today enjoy relishing it in the dhabas while travelling!

Zunka is a simple preparation of besan (gram dal flour) and onion with few other ingredients. Dry version is often called Zunka and thinner version (patal) is called Pitla. I usually tend to keep my Zunka little thinner so that I can enjoy it with my rice too. The taste is super awesome and when you serve it with Jowar Bhakri(Jolad roti)- it's like having a food orgasm, no kidding :P
Simplicity at its best- hold perfectly apt for this Zunka Bhakar combo!


 Jowar or Sorghum bhakar or bhakri (flat bread) is not very easy to make. Wait don't panic or scroll down :)... Perfect way of making it comes only with the practice. Originally it is rolled out into a flat roundel using just the palms of your hands by tapping it on the ball of dough to make a bhakri. But I am not still there :) I use my rolling pin to roll it out and am happy with the results so far. Very healthy stuff and a good change from my regular phulkas and chapatis.

I have a very fond memory of this zunka bhakar from my childhood days. I had gone visiting my uncle in summer vacation to Mumbai and we were out doing some site seeing under the scorching sun. Me and my cousins were so hungry that day that we turned into mean little winners, our uncle took all the cousins to a dhaba kind of place where they served their speciality zunka bhakar and few other items. He ordered zunka bhakar for everyone without even asking us what we wanted and I still remember the way we hogged it all. Hunger, sun, tiredness and YUM SOUL food- calls for nothing less than but magical happiness!:) We literally licked our plates off :) and that memory is still so fresh on my mind.


Let us take a look at the recipe of Zunka Bhakar or Pitla:

Zunka (Pitla)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup gram flour (besan)
• 2-3 cups water
• 2-3 green chillies slit
• 1 small onion chopped
• 10 curry leaves
• pinch asafoetida (hing)
• 2-3 pods of garlic chopped
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• salt at per taste
• handful of chopped cilantro for garnish
• 2-3 tbsp oil

Preparation:

• First take the besan (gram flour) and add little water to make a smooth paste and keep aside.
• In a pan heat some oil. Add mustard seeds and jeera, as it splutters add chopped garlic, curry leaves, green chillies and saute quickly for few secs.
• Add the chopped onions and saute till translucent. Add turmeric, salt and mix everything.
• Once done add the besan paste prepared previously into the pan. Add about 2 cups of water ( if you want it dry add less water). Stir everything together.
• Cook for about 5 minutes, till all the water evaporates and a thick yellow somewhat paste like residue is left, adjust quantity of water as per your preference.
• Garnish with cilantro, chopped onion and serve hot with Jowar Bhakri or any kind of Roti.

Jowar Bhakri (Jolad Rotti)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Jowar flour (Sorghum flour)
• 1 tbsp rice flour
• 1/4-1/2 approx (water)
• 1/2 tsp oil
• salt to taste

Preparation:

• Take jowar flour, rice flour in a wide mouth mixing bowl or deep plate, to that add salt to taste.
• Boil water on the stove with oil and slowly add this hot water into the flour mixture while you keep mixing it with a wooden ladle. Stop pouring water once you see a nice soft dough is formed.
• Keep aside for the dough to cool down, say 10 minutes.
• Once the dough cools a bit, start to knead it and continue to knead for at least 5 minutes. Give a nice massage to the dough as you knead it with the palm. It should be a soft dough. For best results gather all the dough and press it using palms of your hand.
• Take a small portion from the dough and form a ball shape, keep it on a wax paper dust some flour and roll it out neatly and gently using a rolling pin. Don't put too much pressure as it will break. You can try patting it with your palms and flattening the ball into a round shaped roti. ( I usually pat it till its like 3 inches in diameter and then roll out with a rolling pin)
• Doesn't matter if it the shape is not a perfect circle. :)
• Heat a skillet or tawa, place bhakri, the side on which we applied dry flour it should face upward.
• As soon as you place bhakri, apply water on the top of bhakri and spread water evenly all over bhakri. (I use a paper towel, soak in water and spread the water evenly over the bhakri)
• Roast it just till the time water starts to evaporate from the top side of the bhakri.
• Now flip the bhakri and cook from other side for a couple of minutes more. At this point of time you can increase the gas heat.
• Now take the skillet away from the gas, lift the bhakri using tongs and roast it on direct gas heat from both the sides. ( you skip this step if not comfortable, just roast on the tawa on both sides)
• Serve hot with a dollop of ghee/butter over it and your favorite vegetable Zunka or Non-Veg curry.

besan (gram dal/garbanzo flour)

We are going through a history where the world is witnessing a pandemic episode of Covid-19.  As the world reels in the #StayAtHome concept lots of new ideas are popping up on internet to keep oneself busy and sane. One of them being Baking YES... Baking Breads, Cakes, Muffins, Brownies, Pastries is at its peak and is being enjoyed thoroughly across the globe as we silently fight against the Virus and pray that it dies down.


Irish Soda Bread



I venture into baking once in a while. This time it was so tempting for me to just  not to ignore the call of baking a bread. But sigh!! I had to be patient as I did not have yeast in my pantry. Going to grocery stores at the drop of the hat is a big NO NO now, to add to it I kept forgetting to add that ingredient on my list of next home delivered order.

So I was left with no option but to look for something that used no Yeast. Something that was quick, simple and no fermentation recipe for my bread as I craved to make one!

And voila came across Irish Soda Bread in a 5 year old magazine which I was browsing while having my tea.
As befitting many of the best breads in the world – Irish Soda Bread is a traditional Irish speciality- it was made with only the most basic of ingredients: flour, baking soda (used as a leavening agent instead of yeast), soured milk to moisten and activate the soda, and salt.
Irish Soda bread remains an international favorite.  Before baking, a cross was cut on the top with a knife, to ward off the devil and protect the household. 
Something about it, when you mark that X just before the bread goes in the oven, makes you smile and you know it will come out right :)





You are going to love it I promise.

Made this in like 50 mins [included baking time] and it was ready to be relished with your butter/jam/marmalade.....

Here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup +2 tbsp - all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsp regular rolled oats
• 1/2 tsp baking pwd
• 3/4 tsp baking soda ( preferably fresh)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp cold u salted butter cut in small cubes
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp orange zest ( optional)
• 1/2 cup nuts or dried currents or cranberry
  

Preparation:

Moth Bean seeds are a good source of proteins and other essential minerals and vitamins.
It can make an excellent protein supplement to Vegetarian diet. Maximum benefits can be reaped when it is soaked and sprouted. The coconut base thin spicy curry has all the masala ingredients that provides adequate minerals and nutrients to our body. If we use the oil sparingly (if you are making this dish often) it will prove to be a more healthier dish.

Getting back to blogging after a short break, feels so good to be back in my comfort zone :)
It was Monday, Presidents day a long weekend in USA. Had a busy rest of the weekend having too much fun! Thought of lazying around while cleaning up the house and at sharp 11:08am had a craving to eat pav bhaji after my eyes wandered on the potato bag in the pantry :) Got lucky as I had all the ingredients in the fridge except pav (Indian bread). After begging for 5 minutes to my Pati-dev who thinks weekends are his right to be a couch potato, sent him off to the store to get the pav while I geared myself to make some YUMM-O street food.


This dish is a big hit at my house and relished amongst my friends. I got this recipe from a Juhu beach vendor in Mumbai on Youtube some years back. Can't go wrong, right? I have customized the recipe just a little bit as per my convenience. I was actually surprised to see couple of ingredients that went into it like kasoori methi and hing. Well, it only adds more great flavors to say the least.

Another huge USP of this dish, can add as many variety of vegetables you want and kids will not even know :) because potatoes overpowers the rest of the clan :)- So yes, Moms can go YAY!!










Pav Bhaji was invented as a midnight dish by street food vendors, made with all the leftover vegetables from the day, mashed up together, with loads of added spice, and butter. Bhaji is the Marathi word for a vegetable dish, and pav probably comes from the Portuguese word for bread.

All I can say is try it and see if you like it.

Ingredients:

For the Bhaji:

• 2 big potatoes boiled, peeled and mashed lightly
• 4-5 ripe tomatoes chopped ( if not sour enough, add extra tbsp of tomato paste)
• 1 capsicum chopped
• 10 flowerets of cauliflower (roughly chopped)
• 1 small carrot chopped (optional)
• 1/2 cup peas boiled
• 1 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chili pwd (to give more color than spiciness)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/4th tsp turmeric pwd
• 1- 2 tbsp pav bhaji masala (everest or mtr)
• handful chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 tbsp fenugreek leaves
• pinch asafetida 
• 2 tbsp of oil
• food color orange 1 pinch ( if you want that gorgeous color :))

To Fry the Pav:

• Butter
• Cilantro leaves
• Prepared Pav Bhaji

Garnish Ingredients:

• Chopped onion
• Sev
• Lemon pieces
• Dallop of butter on it

6 Pav (store bought for now)
Minimum 2 Pav each person to relish all that goodness of buttery bhaji :)


Preparation:

• In a non stick pan, heat oil, add capsicum, cauliflower, (carrots if using it) and quickly saute it for 2 to 3 minutes. 
• Add ginger garlic paste and let it cook for little bit more till the raw smell goes away. Add asafetida, kasoori methi and cook for a minute.
• Now add chopped tomatoes and saute it for couple of minutes. You can add 1 tbsp butter now and let it cook till you see some oil coming out from the corners. Stir in between.
• Add masalas - turmeric pwd, chilli pwd and pav bhaji masala, salt mix everything together quickly. 
• Add boiled potatoes and with a masher, start mashing everything together. Add water little by little till you get the consistency of thickness/thinness you want. It is always semi thick. Potatoes basically absorb water. 
• Taste it and see if it needs adjustment, if your tomatoes are not sour enough, add lemon juice.
• Add food color if you want.
• Let it cook on sim flame for about 7-8 minutes. Keep stirring in between and add water as you like. Add another tbsp of butter :)
• Garnish it with Cilantro and switch off the gas.

How to fry the Pav just before serving:

• Cut the Pav in the centre and semi open it.
• On a frying pan, add butter, as it sizzles add bhaji, cilantro and place the pav face down and cook for few sec. Drizzle some butter or oil on top and serve hot.

How to Serve Pav Bhaji:
Serve good amount of bhaji in a compartmented plate, chopped onion, cilantro and lemon slices on one end, you can add onions, sev and butter on top of the hot bhaji, and masala fresh pav on the other side.

Trust me, eating is much easier than writing how to serve Pav Bhaji :):) (joke)

If you are street food junkie, you may also like
Missal Pav,  Baked Potatoes Wedges,  Mumbai's special Masala Sandwich

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

Health Benefits:

Due to the increased interest in foods that are low-carb or low-glycemic index, the potato has unjustly earned a bad reputation. Potatoes consumed in simple roasted, grilled, boiled, steamed manner with little or no oil/butter is very healthy and nutritious for health.
It is loaded with calcium, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, iron that helps in having strong bones.
It has vitamin B6 which supports heart health.
Choline is a very important and versatile nutrient in potatoes that helps with sleep, muscle movement, learning and memory.

 Chakli (also known as chakkuli or chakali) is a very staple savory tea time snack found in most of the Indian households. When it comes to making chakli, there are numerous recipes out there. Previously I updated my blog with a recipe that called for crunchy chakli and this recipe calls for a more softer and crunchy chaklis. This is our home recipe. You gotta try it to believe it :)

My favorite kind is soft and crunchy chakli mixed with lots of spice. But now I appreciate less spicy kind too :) Ingredient phutani(dalia) that is used in this recipe is delicious in taste, nutritious and can be digested easily. It is commonly mixed with sugar and distributed to the devotees in temples as God's offering.
Getting the spirals right(it is a big deal:)) while you press on the dough using a chakli press maker, surely gives you a kick and cheap thrills :) If it won't come out neatly (or breaks) please don't overreact like a hindi serial mother-in-law hehe... absolutely don't worry, I do have few tips up my sleeve which is mentioned in the notes below.



The first time you make it right, that moment, that satisfaction, that simple pleasures of life are not to be forgotten! :) (at least in my case) I cannot thank the techno-era we live in where I can simply share my kitchen achievements/stories, mishaps, success any darn thing with my mom, sister or a friend instantly.

Let us take a look at the Chakli recipe,

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice flour 
• 1/4th cup roasted gram dal (also known as dalia, phutani) 
• 1 tsp chilly powder, (more if you like spicy) 
• 1/2 tsp turmeric (haldi) 
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) 
• 2 tsp sesame seeds (til) 
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder (dhania pwd) 
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder 
• 2-3 tbsp butter at room temperature 
• salt as per taste 
• 1/2 - 3/4th cup approx. water (to knead the dough) 
• oil to fry 

Preparation:

• Mix all the above ingredients except water and mix everything with your fingers. 
• Then slowly add water little by little and make a chapati/roti like dough. Keep aside for 20-30 min, covered.
• Take some portion of the chakli dough, knead it some more and place it in the chakli press, start making spirals on a newspaper sheet or wax paper. 
• Heat oil in a kadai, once the oil is hot bring the flame to med. Slowly slide the chaklis in the kadai using piece of wax paper or slide it on plain spatula and transfer slowly in the hot oil and fry nicely till it is brown on all sides on med-low flame. 
• Take it out and place on the paper towel to absorb the extra oil. Nice soft and mild crispy chaklis are ready. 
• Let it cool down completely before you store it in an airtight container.