Bhojan Bites

Ingredients Chana daal 1/2 cup Urad daal, de-husked - 1/4 cup Horse gram - 2 tbsp (optional) Curry leaves - 1/2 cup Red whole chilli pepper, dry - 3-4 Cumin seeds - 2 tbsp Sesame seeds - 2 tbsp Coconut - 2-3 tbsp Corriander seeds - 1 tbsp Tamarind, dry - small ball size Garlic - 3-4 cloves Asafetediea - 1/4 tsp Sesame seed oil - 1 tbsp Salt - to taste Method Dry roast daals (lentils), whole spice, curry leaves, chili peppers separately. Roast garlic in sesame oil. Mix all the ingredients and let it cool before you grind into a fine powder. Adjust salt and store in air tight conatiner. I make a huge batch and freeze it. Use it to make fry idli

Ingredients  Curdle Milk  Milk - 1 cup Vinegar or lemon juice - 1.5 tbsp Liquid Ingredients Milk - 1/2 cup Oil - 1/2 cup Vanilla - 1/2 tsp Sugar - 1 cup  Dry Ingredients All purpose flour - 1.5 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder - 1/4 cup Milk powder - 2 tbsp Salt - 1/4 tsp Baking powder - 1 tsp Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp Topping - chopped mix nuts  Method Add vinegar/ lemon juice to 1 cup of milk and keep aside and let it curdle  Sift all dry ingredients and keep it aside Add all the ingredients listed under wet ingredients to curdled milk and mix well Add dry ingredients to above liquid mix and mix gently Follow cut and fold method to mix Transfer the batter to the greased baking tin and garnish with topping  Bake at 350 in a greased pan for 30 minutes or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. 

Ingredients  Raw papaya - 1 lb (450 g) Food colors - 4 drops each (red, green, yellow)  Sugar syrup Water - 4 cups Sugar - 2 cups  Vanilla essence - 1 tsp Method Peel raw papaya and dice into very small cubes  Steam the cubes for 5 minutes and keep it aside Now cook  sugar syrup for 20 minutes on high heat  Next add steamed papaya and cook on high meat till the mixture starts drying out.  Add vanilla essence and mix well. Create three portions of the above cooked papaya- sugar mix in a three separate bowl. Add 4 drops of each bowl.  Mix well and spread it on a plate and sun dry for few days OR spread in a baking tray and dry in oven at 180F for few hours  Store dry tutti frutti in refrigerator or freezer. 

Ingredients  Wet Ingredients Yogurt - 1 cup  Sugar - 3/4 cup  Vanilla essence - 1/4 tsp Oil - 1/4 cup  Dry Ingredients Whole wheat flour or All purpose flour - 1cup  Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Baking powder - 3/4 tsp Cardamom powder (Optional) - 1/2 tsp Tutti- Frutti (Optional) - 1/2 cup  Method Whisk together liquid ingredients  Next add all the dry ingredients and fold in gently Add tutti-frutti Don't overmix. Just cut and fold several times  Transfer the batter to a greased baking tin. Bake at 350 in a greased pan for 30 minutes or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

  Ingredients  Peanuts - 1.5 cups Water - 3/4 cup Salt - 3/4 tsp Seasoning / Tadka Urad daal - 1tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp  Hing (asafetida) - few dashes Curry leaves - 3-4  Red chili, dry, whole - 2-3  Ginger - 1 inch , chopped Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp  Coconut, shredded - 3 tbsp  Method Soak peanuts for 1 hour and pressure cook with salt 2-3 whistles Release water and drain water Prepare tadka/ seasoning by heating oil and adding mustard seeds followed by urad dal, hing, ginger, red chili and curry leaves. Add boiled peanuts and coconut.  Mix well.  Add more salt to adjust the taste. Enjoy it as a snack.

This is Kathiyawadi Gujarati dish which goes very well with Bjari ka Rotlla (millet flat bread). However I do not have bajri ka rotla ready all the time so I enjoy with regular wheat flour roti.  Ingredients  Yogurt - Thick - 2 cups  Garlic cloves - 2 Onion, half - sliced (optional) Water - 2 tbsp to make spice paste Vegetable oil  Cumin seeds - 1 tsp  Hing (asafetida) - few dashes Salt to taste  Spice mix Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp Roasted cumin seed powder - 1/2 tsp  Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp  Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp Method First step is to strain the yogurt to get thick yogurt  Mix all the dry spices with water to make a paste  Add hing followed by chopped garlic and sliced onions Next add spice paste and cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add thick yogurt.  Mix gently and now add salt to taste.  Pair this side dish with bajri rotla (bajra ki roti) or just with anything. 

  This is my utmost favorite dish which I love to eat on the ninth day of Navratri with puri and halwa.  Ingredients  Kaala Chana - 3/4 cup  Corridor powder - 1 tsp  Dry mango powder  - 1 tsp  Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp  Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp  Cooking oil - 2 tbsp Hing (asafetida) - 1/4 tsp  Cumin seeds - 1tsp  Ginger, sliced  - 1 tbsp  Cilantro - for garnishing (optional) Salt - to taste Method Soak in water over night and pressure cook chana with few tsp of ghee and salt for 5-6 whistles.   Once pressure cooked, release the pressure and strain chana and keep it aside. Next make paste of dry spices with 1 tbsp water. making paste with water ensures that the the spices will not burn on cooking. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, heeng and sliced ginger and cook. Now add water soaked spices and cook till oil is released.  Once oil is released,  mix boiled chana , add more salt to adjust the taste an...