Kala Channa & Soya Chunks sabzi

Cooking Time Required: 12-15 mins
Cost of Preparation: 15-18 rupees

Ingredients: Kala channa ( 1 cup ), onion ( 1 no., small ), green chilli ( 1-2 nos
), Nutrela soya chunks ( 1 cup ), cumin powder ( 1/4 tsp), chaana masala powder ( 1/4 tsp ),
garam masala ( a pinch), coriander powder ( 1/4 tsp ), turmeric ( 2 pinch ), salt, oil ( 1 1/2 tsp ), pancha phutana ( 1/5 tsp), coriander leaves for garnish ( optional ).

Preparation: Soak the kala channa overnight. The soya chunks can also be soaked
overnight else 2-3 hours also suffice.

Cooking: Wash and add the kala channa & soyabean chunks to a pressure cooker with a
little salt and turmeric. Add 1 cup of water. Cook for 2-3 whistles. Drain away excess water.

Heat oil in a wok. Add the pancha-phutana, followed by the chopped onion and green
chillies. Fry till the onions turn translucent.

Add the boiled channa and soya-chunks along with the cumin powder, coriander powder and channa masala .Stir fry for 3-4 mins.

Add 1/2 cups of water and boil for 5 mins or till most of the water evaporates. Remove from the stove.

Serve with white rice / rotis.

Cheesy Dip

Ingredients: Cheese spread ( 1 tbs ), thick sour curd ( 2 tbs ), garlic & pepper tabasco sauce ( 2/3 tsp ), lime juice ( 1/3 tsp), garlic flakes ( 2 nos ), salt.

Prepartion: Crush the garlic flakes and add to the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.

Serve with Nancho/Salsa Chips/samosa.

Note: Keep refrigerated and use with 1-2 days.

Paneer Kaliyan

Cooking Time Required: 15 mins
Cost of Preparation: 20-25 rupees

Ingredients: Paneer cubes ( 200 gm), fennel seeds ( 2 tsp ), cumin seeds ( 1 tsp), soonth/dry ginger powder ( 2 nos ), garam masala (2 pinch), coriander powder ( 2 pinch), red chilli powder ( 1/2 tsp ), turmeric ( 1/4 tsp), salt, ghee ( 1 tsp ), milk ( 1 cup).

Preparation: Grind the coconut into a fine powder without adding any water and keep aside.

Cooking: Heat the ghee in a pan. Add the paneer pieces and fry till slightly golden on all sides.

Boil water in a saucepan with 1/2 tsp salt. Add the fried paneer and boil for 3-4 mins for softening.

AT the same time, combine the remaining spices except for garam masala with 1 cup of water in another wok and bring to a boil. Boil for 4 mins.

Remove the paneer pieces from the salt water and add to the boiling spices mixture. Add mil and garam masala. Boil for another 5 mins.

Remove from pan and serve hot.


Note: This recipe is adapted from Tarla Dalal's cookbook. Made a few changes to suit my palate.

Reposting: Bharwa Shimla Mirch

Cooking Time Required: 25-30 mins
Cost of Preparation: 35-40 mins

Ingredients: Capsicum ( medium sized, 2 nos ), fresh green peas ( 1/2 cup ), potato ( 1 no., large ), onion ( 1 no., small ), paneer cubes ( 1/2 cup ), ginger garlic paste ( 1 tsp ), chilli powder (1/3 tsp ), cumin powder ( 1/5 tsp ), coriander powder ( 1/5 tsp ), garam masala ( a pinch ), fennel seeds ( 1/4 tsp ), turmeric ( 1/5 tsp ), salt, oil for cooking.

Cooking: Boil the potato and keep aside to cool down.

Cut the onions into small pieces . Crumble the paneer cubes.

Cut off the top of the capsicum. Remove the seeds and the inner pith.

Heat oil in a wok. Add fennel seeds . Follow with the onion pieces. Fry till translucent. Add ginger garlic paste. Fry till the raw smell goes off.

Add the green peas, crumbled paneer, corinader powder, cumin powder , turmeric, chilli powder and salt.

Cook till the stuffing starts leaving the sides of the wok. Sprinkle garam masala and mix well. Keep aside to cool down a bit.

Stuff the capsicum to the maximum capacity.
















Slice into two.
















Heat 3-4 tsp oil in a wok. Place the sliced capsicum and fry on both sides. Cover with a lid for faster cooking with lesser oil.

Serve as a snack or a starter.

Note: Do not go overboard with any of the aromatic spices ( coriander/cumin/garam masala ) if you want to retain the distinctive taste of capsicum.

For preparing Bharwa Shimla Mirch without onion and garlic:

Replace the ginger-garlic paste with grated ginger and the onion can be replaced with finely shredded cabbage. To retain the richness of the dish, one can add fried cashews and raisins to the stuffing.

Shimla mirch



Sending this wonderful recipe to Vatsala's LGSS event( http://showandtell-vatsala.blogspot.com/ ):

Cookies Stuffed Paratha (meetha parata)

Cooking Time Required: 15 mins
Cost of Preparation: 20-25 Rupees


Ingredients:

For Paratha: Wheat flour ( 1 1/2 cups ), ghee ( 1 tsp ), ripe banana ( one half ), salt ( a pinch), water to knead the ingredients into a soft dough.

For Stuffing: Crumbled chocolate-chips cookies ( 3-4 nos), sugar ( 3 tsp).















Ghee to fry the parathas.


Preparation: Mix all the ingredients for the paratha togather along with a little warm water. Keep aside for 10 mins covered with a warm moist cloth.















Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Roll out the balls into small roties ( more like a puri )and keep aside.

Spread the crumbled cookie and sugar over one roti and close by putting another roti over it.















Roll the sides or press a little to close the parathas.

Repeat for the second paratha.

Cooking: Heat 1 tsp of ghee on the pan. Add the parathas and cook on each sides for 2mins each.

Serve hot.

Quick capsicum stir-fry

Cooking time Required: 5-8 mins
Cost of Preparation: 15-20 rupees

Ingredients: Capsicum ( 1 no, large), garlic flakes ( 2-3 nos ), mustard-poppy-garlic paste ( cooked, 1 tsp), green chillis ( 1-2 nos ), oil( 1 1/2 tsp ), salt , turmeric ( a pinch ).

Preparation: Cut the capsicum into even sized pieces. Remove the seeds.


Cooking: Heat the oil in a pan. Add the chopped green chillis and garlic flakes. Stir fry for 30 secs.

Follow with the cooked mustard-poppy-garlic paste. Add the capsicum pieces along with a pinch of turmeric and salt to taste.

Stir fry for 5-6 mins or cover with a lid to get it done faster. Stir fry is ready to eat.


Note: I had made Gota Bhendi Bhaja ( Stuffed Okra ) the previous day and was having the cooked mustard-poppy-garlic paste sitting in the fridge . While rummaging through the fridge contents the next morning, i decided to use it with capsicum ( the lone veggie in my stock along wth a half slice of tomato and a limp bunch of greens ) for a quick stir fry.

Packed it with white rice and had a lovely lunch.

Fiery Red Chicken Curry

Cooking time required: 30 mins
Cost of preparation: 110-120 rupees

Ingredients:

For marinate: Chicken pieces(500 gms), ginger garlic paste (1 tsp), mustard oil ( 1
tsp), yogurt ( 1 tbs), salt, turmeric.

For the gravy: Potato (1 large), Onion( 1 large), tomato( 2 nos, medium), cumin seeds (1/2 tsp), coriander seeds( 1tsp), cinnamon ( 1 inch ), green cardamom (2 pods ), star anise ( 1 no ), javitri/mace ( 1 flower), cloves ( 3-4 nos), bay leaf ( 2 nos), whole red chillis ( 4-5 nos ), sunflower oil ( 4 tps), mustard oil( 2 tsp), Kashmiri lal chilli powder (1 tsp), ginger garlic paste (1 tbs), turmeric (1 tsp ), salt ( to taste ).

For tempering: Cumin seeds ( 1/3 tsp), fennel seeds ( 1/3 tsp).

Pre-cooking: Marinate chicken pieces with ginger-garlic, yogurt, turmeric, salt and
mustard oil. Set aside for 1 hour.

Cooking: Cut the onion and tomato into two halves. Transfer to a pressure cooker with a little water and boil for 3 whistles . Allow to cool down .Drain away the excess water and mash the onion and tomato. Do not throw this water.

Cut the potato into 4 pieces , fry for 3-4 mins and keep aside.

Heat a pan. Add cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamon, cinnamon, mace and star anise. Dry roast for about 2 mins. Grind into a fine powder in a mixer grinder.

Heat the sunflower oil in a pressure cooker. Add cumin, fennel seeds, bay leaves and red chillis followed by the mashed onion and tomato. Cook for 3 mins.

Add the ginger garlic paste and salt. Fry the paste for about 5 mins.

Add the marinated chicken pieces along with the roasted spices and kashmiri lal mirch powder and cook for 10-15 mins with the lid open. Keep stirring in between.

Add potato pieces, 2 cups hot/warm water, salt if required and allow for 1 whistle.

Keep aside till steam is released. The chicken should be just tender and not overdone. If it is still not done, cook for another whistle.

Serve with white rice .

Note: Use spicy whole red chillis for making the curry really hot and Kashmiri lal mirchi to give it a lovely red color.

Rui Kalia ( Rohu Kalia )

Cooking Time Required : 25-30 mins
Cost of preparation: 70-75 rupees

Ingredients: Rohu pieces ( 6 nos, medium sized ), tomato ( 2 nos, medium ), potato ( 1 no, large ), grated ginger ( 1 tsp ), garlic flakes ( 4 nos ), onion ( 1 large ), green cardamon ( 2 nos ), bay leaf ( 2 nos), cumin seeds ( 1/2 tsp), coriander powder ( 1 tsp), cumin powder ( 1/2 tsp), green chilli ( 5 nos), turmeric (1/4 tsp), mustard oil ( 6-7 tsp ), curd/yogurt/dahi ( 2 tbs ), salt.

Preparation: Marinate the fish with salt and turmeric for about 5 minutes.

Peel and cut the potato into 4 halves. Chop the onion and tomato into large chunks. Deseed the tomato.

Cooking: Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan. Add the chopped onion and garlic flakes. When the onion starts turning translucent, add the tomatoes. Stir fry for 3 mins.

Grind the above ingredients into a smooth paste.

Heat a non-stick pan . Add 3 tsp of oil. Add the fish pieces and fry them on both sides till reddish. Remove and keep aside.

Heat the remaining oil in a wok. Add chopped potato and fry till golden. Remove and
keep aside.

Add the chopped green chilli, bay leaf, cardamom and cumin seeds. Add the
onion-garlic-tomato paste to the spluttering seeds along with a little turmeric and
salt .

Stir fry till oil separates out. ( Note: when using less oil, this does not happen. So one can check for the change in color of the ingredients being cooked.)

Mix the coriander powder , cumin powder, grated ginger and yogurt with a little water.

Add to wok and keep stirring for 4-5 mins.

Add another cup or two of water . Bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and simmer till
almost done.

Add the fish at this stage. And cook of 5 mins till the potatoes are done and the gravy is quite thick. Remove from the stove.

















Serve hot with white rice and dal.
















Note: The major difference between the Oriya maccha jholo and Rui Kalia is that fish is boiled in the gravy for a longer time in the former case. Thus both the fish and gravy imbibe each others' flavours. The gravy is somewhat thinner and the fish turns soft whereas it remains crispy for a Kalia.

Special Thanks to Sandeepa of 'BongCookBook' . This recipe is adapted from her
preparation Macher Kalia or one more Fish Curry

Manda Pitha ( also known as Modak in Maharashtra)

Cooking Time Required: 1 hour
Cost of Preparation: 60-70 Rupees


Ingredients: Broken Basmati rice ( 1 1/2 cups ), milk ( 2 cups ), water ( 2 cups ), pepper powder ( 1/5 tsp ), cardamon powder ( 1/4 tsp ), salt ( 1/4 tsp or to taste).

For the pura : Coconut ( finely grated, 1 no ), small lumps of jaggery ( 6-7 tsp ), raisins ( 1/2 cup ), ghee ( 1 tbsp ).

Preparation: Soak the rice for 10-15 mins. Wash and drain all the water ( Use a colander, do not dry under the fan or the sun ). Put in a grinder and grind into a fine powder.











































Grate the coconut or grind the pieces in a mixer-grinder.

Cooking: Bring the milk and water to boil. Add salt, cardamon and pepper powder. Add the rice flour in small batches and mix continuously so that no lumps are formed.

Stir the mixture on a low flame for about 15 minutes till it takes on a softer consistency than the dough used for making rotis . Switch off the flame at this stage.

Allow the dough to cool down a few degrees till it is tolerable. Rub ghee all over your hands and knead the dough for 5 mins to make it smoother.





























Heat a pan. Add ghee followed by the raisins and stir fry for 1 minute. Add grated coconut and jaggery at this stage. Fry for 5-6 minutes and remove from the stove.















Rub some more oil over your hands. Break small balls out of the dough. Flatten out and put some of the coconut stuffing on it. Close and mould into balls.



























Boil water in a idli maker. Spread some banana leaves over the idli plates. Put the balls over it. Close the lid and steam 20 mins. Allow to stand with lid covered for 5 mins.





























Take out of the idli vessel and serve hot.

Note: When adding the rice flour to milk and water, pass it through a seive to avoid any lumps.

Also try to make the balls when the dough is hot else it loses its elasticity.

Mudhi Ghanta ( Fish Head cooked with Lentil and select Vegetables )

Much before chicken became the meat of choice (though convenience is more appropriate word), fish was a regular feature in most Odia housholds. Except for the Sundays which were reserved for mutton, non-vegetarian preparations consisted of a variety of fish recipes. While fish is mostly cooked on it's own, the fish head is often prepared with lentils and/or select vegetables. Maccha Ghanta, Maccha Mahura and Mudhi Ghanta are example of such dishes.

Mudhi Ghanta used to a regular at weddings in the coastal districts of Odisha much like the Potolo Rasa, Aau/Ambada Khatta, Nadia Raee and Chenna Tarkari.

Read on for the recipe -

Cooking Time Required : 35 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Channa dal, 
• 1 large tomato 
• 1 medium potato (cut into cubes)
• 1/2 cup pumpkin cubes 
• 2-3 potolo/pointed gourd ( peel and cut each into 3 pieces )
• 1 fried fish head 
• 1 fried fish tail (optional)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/3 tsp cumin seeds
• salt to taste
• 5-6 tsp mustard oil ( can use any vegetable oil )

For the masala paste -

• 1 medium onion
• 1 inch ginger
• 7-8 garlic cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 2 green cardamom,
• 2-3 cloves
• 2 nos bay leaf, 
• 2-3 dry red chilli 

Preparation: Wash and soak the channa dal for 2-3 hours.

Grind the onion, ginger and garlic along with the spices (except bay leaf) into a smooth paste.

Cooking: Cook the soaked channa dal with a little water, salt and turmeric in a pressure cooker for 1-2 whistles. Keep aside till steam escapes.

Heat 2 tsp oil in the wok. Add the potato, pumpkin and pointed gourd. Sprinkle some salt. Fry for 4-5 mins.

Transfer the fried vegetables into the pressure cooker. Cook for 1 whistle on a high flame along with dal. Keep aside.

Add another teaspoon of oil to the same wok. Add the fish and crush it with a spatula. Fry on medium high till it turns reddish. Remove and keep aside.

Heat remaining oil in the wok. Add the cumin seeds and bay leaf.

Allow seeds to crackle and then add a little turmeric ( for color ). Take care not to burn it.

Add the masala paste. Cook the masala for 5-6 mins till raw smell goes away.

Add the chopped tomato and cook for another 5 mins for it to soften. Add the boiled channa dal and veggies. Mix well and cook for 3 mins.

Add 1/2-1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Add more salt if required. Simmer for 5-6 mins or till you get the desired consistency.

Finally add the fried and crushed fish pieces . Mix well and remove from the flame.

Serve hot with dal-rice/rotis.

Poda Pitha And Ratha Jatra (The famous Chariot Festival of Puri)

Ratha Jatra also known as the Chariot festival or Car festival, is one of the most important festivals in Orissa and also a major tourist attraction. This festival is celebrated in honour of Lord Jaganaath who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Every year in the month of Asada, the Chariots of the Lord Jaganath accompained with those of his siblings, Lord Balabhadra & Goddess Subhadra roll from Srimandira to Gundicha temple, the abode of his Mausi maa ( Mother's sister ). The sight of the sea of humanity which follows the Gods during this journey is a truely overwhelming experience.















The majestic sandalwood chariots take more than two months to prepare and are built newly every year. The chariots also have very interesting names :
Nandighosa - Lord Jaganath's chariot
Taladhwaja - Lord Balabharda's chariot
Darpadalan - Lord subhadra's chariot.

Important rituals on this day are :
Pahandi - the Lords are carried from the temple to the chariots in a grand procession; and
Chera pahanra - the chariots of the Lords are swept by the incumbent King of Puri with a broom which has a few gold strands in it.

The chariots are pulled by the eager followers who believe it be aspicious. The journey takes about midday to evening. In case the Lords are not able to complete the journey on the same day, they resume the remaining jouney on the next day.

The Lords stay at Gundicha temple for 7 days and return to Shri mandira in a similar procession which is called the Bahuda or Ulta Ratha Jatra.

During their stay at the Mausi Maa Mandira, various edibles are offered to the Lords as prasad. SOme of them are Khaee, Khira Kadali, Gajja, Pheni, Poda pitha, Manda pitha, Enduri pitha, Arissa pitha and Karaka pitha.

Ratha jatra is also celebrated at the ISKON temples and by the oriya community settled in various parts of India and abroad.

Catch the live action in Hyderabad @ Jaganath Temple, Banjara Hills or @ ISKON temple, Secundrabad.

Jai Jaganath!!!