So you are hungry.....!!!!!

So you are hungry....... and theres not much option that you have...... all you need is a couple of slices of brown bread.... you can make some delicious sandwitches from whatever is locked up in that fridge of yours..... :) ........ many people store milk cream/malai to later make it into ghee..... whip some malai, apply on the bread slices, sprinkle some sugar (be generous) ........ put another slice on top and bite into a yummy malai sandwitch...... if you are one of those who are more fond of salt than of sugar, go right ahead and instead of sugar, sprinkle some salt and pepper.... add few cucumber slices and youll have a yummy summary cucumber malai sandwitch....... another fun option is malai on one slice and a teaspoonfull of chilli tomato sauce....... the malai softens the flavour os the chilli sauce and this sandwitch will melt in your mouth....... left over chicken....... vegetables......... chopped onion tomato green chilli and grated cheese....... these are some other options that can be stuffed between two slices and eaten as a snack...... have you ever tried cheese and onion sandwitch? finely chopped onion, grated cheese, salt and freshly ground pepper..... tastes best when toasted.....heres another one... chopped boiled eggs,a teaspoon of cream and some grated cheese, with some salt and pepper...... they are all simply yummm........ People... have any more ideas???

Secret to good adrakh ki chai

I am sure most of the chai drinkers just love adrakh ki chai...... I get to have the best of it at my own house...... My Ma makes it the best........ the tea which I would make would never turn out to be as good as hers until one day I decided to observe how does she stir up a wonderful cup of ginger tea...... I discovered that the secret is a generous helping of a giner pod which is crushed and put into the tea whole...( do not squeeze the juice out and put)..... secondly, she leaves the chai to simmer on a low flame for almost five minutes.... till a layer forms on the top of boiling tea...... another indicator to look out for is the aroma.... after 5 minutes of boiling you will get the characteristic smell of ginger tea..(make sure ginger doesnt smell raw)....... strain it out....... nothing like a cup of hot ginger tea on my terrace with my eyes on the drifting large clouds, after a long day at office...... cheers.... :)

Curd Pohe

Curd Pohe is another popular Maharashtrian breakfast........ I got a chance to taste it while staying at my friend Amitas place in Mumbai...... Amita, I miss the days when I would sit together with you guys early in the morning... looking at the sunrise and waking Mumbai life.... and sipping on to hot chai flavoured with lemon grass plucked from your pots.... :)

Curd Pohe is delicious, healthy and gets digested easily..... and its really simple to make....... wash 2 cups of pohe and keep aside..... take around 250 gms of thick curd and churn it to make it thin.... if you feel that the consistency is thick, add some milk..... the curd should be of the consistency of milk shake.... add a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar powder to the curd.... mix and keep it aside....

In a tadka bowl heat some refined oil... add musturd seeds, lil jeera, curry leaves and dried stuffed chillies(they are called Sandki Mirchi in Maharashtra and are easily available in the market, in Hyderabad they are called curd chillies and are available anywhere)...... when the seasoning is ready add it to the curd and mix well....... add the soaked pohe in the end and mix well...... let it stand in fridge for 5-6 minutes so that the pohe absorbs the curd and the flavours of tadka...... if you leave it inside for longer the pohe will absorb a lot of moisture from the mixture, in that case add a little water/milk to bring it to a desired consistency...... I prefer water..... it is desirable that you consume it immediately, because the pohe will keep on soaking moisture and will become extremely soft..... you dont want to be eating dahi pohe khichdi!

Amita.... my roommates in Mumbai had become a fan of this dish and there was a time when I had seen my flatmate eating curd pohe for 5 consecutive days!...... Thanks a lot for introducing this delicious breakfast to me :)

Phodnichi Poli

Phodnichi Poli is a popular Maharashtriyan breakfast........ I heard about it first from my dear friend Amita Gadre.... I had forgotten about it till one day I realized that I have 8 left over rotis, that was when I first decided to try this preparation... it turned out so well that it has become one of my comfort foods..... nothing better than a plate of hot steaming phodnichi poli with adrakh ki chai when I come back from office.....

A little explanation of the name..... Rotis are called Poli in Maharashtra and seasoning is popularly called 'phodan' in hindi....... so Iam guessing that phodnichi poli would mean seasoned rotis...... Amita, need help :)

Crumble the rotis in a plate and mix salt and a little red chilli powder... In a pan heat a little refined oil, add musturd seeds, curry leaves and slit chillies, fry them till done and add the rotis...... mix the rotis with the seasoning and saute till rotis become soft and you feel they have absorbed the flavours of the seasoning...

I like my phodnichi poli simple... with minimal seasoning..... one can add peanuts, a littlt chane ki daal and urad ki daal into the seasoning...... a little white til would also enhance the flavour....

I feel that the secret to good cooking is to keep the preparation simple and uncomplicated..... so that the flavours of the base ingredient emerge through the masalas and the seasoning....

People... try this when you have left over rotis..... I bet you will get addicted .... :)

People...... do look forward to recipes of phodni chi poli... and curd pohe....... two sumptuous Maharashrtian recipes from my dear friend Amita.....

Bake a delicious banana walnut cake!

How to bake a yummy banana walnut cake?

 

1) Take 2 cups maida, sift it with 2 tsp of baking powder. Keep aside.

 

2) Beat 4 eggs till they are fluffy, add one + three fourth cups of sugar to the eggs, blend till creamy

 

3) Add a cup of melted butter to the egg and sugar mixture. (Best is to use milk cream/ malai)

 

4) Take the mixture out from the blender in a big mixing bowl

 

5) Blend 2 bananas with half a cup of milk in the blender

 

6) Add small quantity of maida and baking powder mixture to the egg, cream and sugar mixture and mix(gently)

 

7) Keep adding maida in small quantities and mixing, this avoids lumps.... dont mix it too hard... do this by hand and not by a blender.

 

8) In the end gently fold in banana and milk mixture

 

9) Toss in half a cup of coarsely chopped walnuts.... dont make them fine.. they taste heavenly melting in the mouth! :) .... stir the mixture gently, with oodles of love!

 

10) Grease a baking dish...add the mixture, let it bake on 180 degree farenhite for 1 hour and 15 mins.. (ull hav to figure out the temp and timing for a microwave, i have a traditional oven)

 

11) The wait will be worth it... allow it to cool and then cut it...GORGE ON!

 

Leme know how it turns out... :)