Kadhi Pakoda

I simply love Kadhi be it plain or with pakoda it just tastes yummy with rice or with hot phulkas. Maharashtrian kadhi is very different as we add coconut to it and it tastes yummy. But today I will post an North Indian type of kadhi with pakoda and it tasted delicious with rice and brinjal bhaji.


Kadhi ingredients:
curd - 1 cup
gram flour - 2 to 3 tbs
red chilli powder - 1tsp
turmeric - 1/2 tsp
ginger - 1" finely chopped
red chilli -  2 to 3 small round type
sugar - 1/2 tsp
salt - to taste
fresh coriander - handful
asafoetida - a pinch
fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
curry leaves - 1 spring

Pakoda ingredients:
Onion - 1 medium sized sliced
green chilli - 1 finely chopped
curry leaves - 5 to 8 leaves roughly chopped
dhaniya jeera powder - 1 tsp
red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
turmeric - 1/4 tsp
salt - to taste
gram flour - 1 cup
oil - deep frying

Method for pakoda:
Take a bowl add onions and salt press the onions with your palm for 2 minutes it will leave some water now add the remaining ingredients except for oil and mix it properly there is no need to add water but if you still require then add little water. Heat oil in a kadhai and deep fry the pakodas on medium flame until brown. Keep aside on a kitchen towel.

Method for kadhi:
In a bowl whisk curd along with gram flour, red chilli powder, turmeric and little water.
Heat oil in a kadhai temper mustard seeds, jeera, ginger,asafoetida, fenugreek,curry leaves and whole red chilli now reduce the flame and  pour the whisked yoghurt to the temper add water and continue stirring just to avoid lumps add sugar and season with salt. Let the kadhi lightly boil for a few minutes garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Add the pakodas just 10minutes before serving the kadhi.

Kokam Kadhi (Sol Kadhi)

Summers are on the way and we need to soothe ourselves with some refreshing. Love to have Kokam Kadhi with rice Woww its an amazing combination and I would definately recommend it to all..In my previous post I have shared a detailed info on Kokam as its very good for us, specially the ones who suffer from acidity ( Pitta ).This particular Kadhi is very good in summers. You can have it even after lunch or a heavy dinner, its very good for digestion.

Some information on Kokam.


Garcinia indica, a plant in the mangosteen family (Clusiaceae), commonly known askokum, is a fruit-bearing tree that has culinary, pharmaceutical, and industrial uses.

Culinary uses

The dried skin of kokum fruits

The outer cover of fruit is dried in the sun to get aamsul or kokam. It is used as a slightly sour spice in recipes from Maharashtra. Kokum yields a peculiar flavour and blackish red colour. It is a preferred substitute for tamarind in curries and other dishes from the Konkanregion. It is also used in cuisine from Gujarat, where it is frequently used to add flavor and tartness to dal (lentil soup) for flavor balance, and parts of South India.

The vessel on the left contains syrup which is obtained from the vessel containing kokum rinds, on the right. The syrup is used to make kokum sherbet

Kokum squash or kokum concentrate is used in preparing a drink (sherbet) which is bright red in colour. Kokum sherbet improves digestion and cools the body during summers.

Further, the extract/ concentrate of this fruit is called aagal in Konkani and Marathi. It is to added during the preparation of solkadhi, along with coconut milk.

Kokam Kadhi Or Sol Kadhi ( Maharashtrian recepi )

Ingredients:

10 to 12  Kokams
2 1/2 cups of fresh grated coconut (You can use frozen coconut after letting it come to normal temperature)
1 tspn cumin seeds (jeera)
2 Green chillies
1 to 2 piece of Ginger
1 tspn sugar
salt as per your taste
coriander for garnishing

Method:
First of all soak the Kokams in luke warm water for 30min. Do not throw the soaked water. Now except of coriander mix all the above ingredients with water & grind it to a smooth paste. If its too dry add little water to it. Once done take a juice strainer add the above mixture to it little by little. You will get the coarse of coconut just press it with both palms so that the remaining juice is also extracted. Throw away the remaning coarse. Once done garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves keep in the fridge for 30min have it after ur lunch or dinner or with steamed rice and chicken curry. It tastes amazingly good.

I hope you like it.

Sending it to Srav's http://sravscc.blogspot.com/2012/06/announcing-cooking-concepts-11-splash.html

Drumstick Dal (Shevgyanchya shenganchi amti)

Shevgyanchya shenganchi amti (drumstikc dal) is one of the famous maharashtrian recipe. This dal should be eaten hot hot with rice and ghee. In south drumstick and its leaves are one of the vital ingredients used for the daily cooking.

But there is another traditional use of Drumsticks that not a lot of people know of - water purification.

What do we do when we get murky water from taps, we generally boil it, sediment the larger particles and then filter the water using some cloth. This is how it is done in most lower class and even in some middle class homes. However, this wastes lot of cooking gas which is a privilege in most Indian homes. Our ancestors had a simple solution to the problem of water filtration - adding a little bit of powder obtained from drumstick seeds. In a matter of minutes, the drumstick particles binds to the dirt and sediment the dirt down. This process also reduces the bacterial load by 90.00% to 99.99% 

Here goes the recipe.
Ingredient
Drumstick - 1 or 2 drumsticks cleaned, peeled and chopped in 2" pieces
arhar dal (tuvar dal) - 1 cup
tomato - 1 chopped

green chilli - 1 or 2 slit
red chilli powder - 1 tsp
turmeric - 1/2 tsp
dhaniya jeera powder - 1 tsp
asafoetida - a pinch

ghee - 1 tsp

Goda masala (optional) - 1 tbs
water - if required

salt - to taste

For tempering
Ghee - 1 tbs
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
curry leaves - 1 spring
asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
garlic -  4 to 5 flakes crushed with cover


Garnishing 
Fresh chopped coriander - handful


Method
Boil the tuvar dal along with turmeric, green chillis, salt, asafoetida until the dal is well cooked.

Once dal is done heat ghee in a kadhai, add mustard, jeera, asafoetida, curry leaves and garlic now immediately pour the dal over the tempering and close the lid. This step allows the aroma to stay within.Now add the red chilli powder, dhania jeera powder, tomatoes, goda masala and mix it properly. I have a dal ghotni in my house which was given by my MIL it becomes very handy and mixes the dal properly. Add water if the dal is too thick along with the drumsticks and salt if required. Let it boil on medium flame. Once the drumstick turn soft add the coriander and serve with hot rice and ghee.