Recipe for Chiwda - a dry roasted snack using beaten rice

A Marathi friend sent a box of delicious spicy chiwda last week and that’s what motivated me to try this amazing snack. I was unsure as to how authentic my chiwda would taste while I thought of trying it out. I googled for some recipes but I realised none of the recipes are the same so I thought of giving it a try in my way and yea no regrets about the taste.

So this recipe is what I did and will note what I could add or modify in my next trial.

Ingredients

Thin beaten rice (paper poha) – 500 gms

Cashew nuts – ½ cup

Peanuts – 1 cup

Roasted gram dal – ½ cup

Sliced garlic – 2 tbsp.

Curry leaves – 1 cup packed (yes!!)

Asafoetida – 2 big pinches

Sesame seeds – ½ cup

Salt

Powdered sugar

Red chillies

Coriander seeds – 1 tspn

Turmeric powder - ½ tsp.

Oil – ½ cup

Method

• Take a huge kadai and dry roast the poha (beaten rice) for about 10-15 mins ( when you snap it should break).
• Take another kadai and pour in the oil and heat up.
• Fry the cashew nuts, peanuts, garlic and curry leaves and keep aside.
• In the remaining oil fry the sesame seeds, red chillies, asafoetida, turmeric powder, coriander seeds and pour in this seasoning over the roasted poha along with the fried cashew nuts, peanuts, garlic slices and curry leaves.
• Add salt and powdered sugar and mix the whole mixture thoroughly until all the flavours and ingredients gets mixed up well.

Note: Fry finely chopped green chillies if you want to make it spicy

This is specially made for a guilt free evening snack for me and my selves (actually)...Lol

Try and let me know

Thank you!

Chaithanya

Wholewheat mini cupcakes sweetened with jaggery syrup

That day I was feeling  low for a reason and was craving to do something new or different and that usually gives me a high. So that day I just picked up my mini cupcakes pan and kept out all the staples for cake baking. After couple of hours while I was making dinner for the family I got into mixing the batter and then this recipe evolved.  Husband dear had just got back from the office and he loved the aroma filled in our home :)

Following is the recipe

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour -1.5 cups

Eggs – 3 no.s

Butter – 2/3 cup

Jaggery syrup – ¾ cup (refer notes)

Vanilla essence – 1 tsp.

Baking powder – 1 tsp.

Method

• Take a huge mixing bowl and throw in the softened butter, crack the 3 eggs, sieve in the flour and the baking powder, pour in the jaggery syrup, drop in the vanilla essence and mix well using a whisk until all the ingredients have just come together. Yes, you read it right. That’s exactly what I did.  Don’t over whisk. 
• Once the ingredients have come together gently scoop out the batter into the cupcake moulds and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when pierced.

Note: Jaggery syrup is made by melting one kg of jaggery with one cup of water, sieve and  and measure ¾ cup from it for this recipe. You can store the remaining syrup in the refrigerator and stays good for weeks.

I used coarse chakki ground atta for this recipe.

Thanks and regards

Chaithanya

Methi capsicum masala reccipe

Another weekend comes up and thought of going out for lunch but was looking difficult due to kids’ classes. Also there was hardly any vegetables at home except for some basic stuffs. Hence thought of putting a meal of jeera rice, dal, eggs and a capsicum curry.

This capsicum curry has a nice flavourful base and is different from the usual curry base I do. Though I served it with jeera rice hubby dear is of the opinion that it will go well with rotis and parathas.

Anyway let me share the recipe.

Ingredients

Onion - 1 , roughly chopped

Tomatoes - 2, roughly chopped

Green chilli – 1/2

Ginger – 1 inch

Garlic – 2-3 cloves

Cashew nuts - 1 tbsp.

Peanuts – 1 tbspn

Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp

Kashmiri chillies – 2 whole ones (you can more if you want more colour)

Jeera – ½ tspn

Methi leaves – ½ cup (fresh leaves)

Capsicum – 2 medium ( chopped into cubes)

Turmeric powder – ½ tspn

Salt

Water - One cup

Method

• Keep a thick bottom kadai on stove and add oil, add the cashews, peanuts, coriander seeds, tomato, onion,  ginger, garlic,  green chillies and whole kashmiri chillies and sauté for a while, you can sauté it together until everything just wilt away and no need to brown it. Remove the contents to a mixer jar and let it cool.
• Make a paste of the mixture in the mixer.
• Keep the kadai on the stove again and add oil/butter/ghee
• Add jeera and once it splutters add the chopped capsicum. Sauté it for a while and then add the methi leaves (you could chop it if you want) and followed by the ground masala.
• Add turmeric powder, salt and required amount of water and bring the curry to a boil.
• Garnish with a pinch of garam masala or you could add whole spices in at any stage of cooking the curry
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Tips and notes: You may increase the number of kashmiri chillies for colour and heat.

You may also increase or decrease the level of water and adjust the consistency of the curry.

Thanks and regards

Chaithanya

Tutti frutti and coconut flakes bread recipe

Love baking bread these days and today a jar of tutti frutti and a jar of coconut flakes tempted me to bake this bread. I used whole wheat flour for this bread.

Initially I used to find it difficult to bake bread using just whole wheat but now have got the hang of it! And doesn’t get terrified for not using maida. The trick is you have to make sure that the dough is wet enough. As I have always said in my previous bread posts the bread dough should be wet enough to get a softer bread. As a secret I would also say don't blindly follow the recipe but follow your instincts.

I have a reason to say this, as even the texture of the flour changes from packets, brands, batches and so on.

So don’t worries if your dough happens to be mushy...be happy that you get softer dough provided you have good quality yeast to react with

Was doubtful whether to blog this crazy recipe but when husband returned from office he was gobbling it one by one along with tea and that made me decide, yes i should blog this recipe .. lol 

Now onto the recipe

Ingredients

Whole wheat four - 2 cups

Yeast - 1tspn

Olive oil - 2-3 tbsp.

Sugar - 1tbspn

Salt - 1 tsp.

Water – 1.5 cups

Tutti Frutti -1/2 cup to 1 cup (I have used 1 cup)

Coconut flakes - 1/2 cup to 1 cup (I have used 1 cup)

Method

• Take a huge mixing bowl and sift in the flour, add the yeast, sugar and knead using water. You could use your hands, fork or dough hook attachment of the egg beater for kneading the dough. Then add the salt and add the olive oil little by little and knead for about 10 minutes.  This dough will be quite watery, but worry not!
• Close the bowl with a lid or a towel and leave it to rise for about 0ne hour. You will see the dough has doubled in size. AT this stage add the tutti frutti and coconut flakes and mix it gently into the dough. Take a pan and spread out the dough evenly ( I use a silicon sheet ot spread out the dough) and press out using olive oil smeared palm.
• Preat heat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes and meantime the dough will rise.
• Once the oven is hot, place the tray in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes until the top turns brown and you hear a hollow sound once you knock the bread.
• Remove the bread and let it cool on a wire rack.
• Slice the bread once the bread cools down.

Bake and enjoy with a nice cup of tea or coffee

Thanks 

Chaithanya

Raw cashew curry recipe

Last week just happened to drop in one of the Mangalore stores in the city. They usually store and sell goodies which are popular in the Konkan belt. This store serves buns, goli bajji, pathrode etc. So while we were browsing through the snacks, sweets and savouries we spotted a pack of raw cashews. I have heard about raw cashew curry from a class mate of mine during my college years. Asked few tips from the store keeper as to how to wash and clean those cashews. Further I checked with my friend for the recipe. She was delighted to know that I still remember the curry after so many years. I happened to find a recipe on the internet too. But thought of going ahead with my friend’s recipe.

Hence the recipe follows

Ingredients

Raw cashew – 200 gm

Shallots – 1 cup (3/4 cup +1/4 cup)

Ginger – 1 inch

Grated coconut – 1 cup

Curry leaves

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp.

Coriander powder – 3 tsp.

Chilli powder – 1 tsp.

Fenugreek seeds – ¼ tsp.

Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp.

Fennel seeds – ¼ tsp.

For seasoning

Shallots

Mustard

Red chillies

Curry eaves

Method

• The raw cashews will have a brown outer skin, so soak these cashews in hot water and after sometime peel off the skin, wash it thoroughly a couple of times and keep aside.
• Now take a kadai or a thick bottom vessel, add few spoons of oil. When the oil is hot add chopped ginger, ¾ cup ofshallots and curry leaves and sauté until the shallots turns to a pale colour. Add the grated coconut and all the spices and keep stirring until the mixture turns dark brown in colour. Please be careful not to burn the mixture at this stage.
• Transfer this mixture into a grinder and once cooled grind the mixture to a fine paste adding required amount of water.
• Now take a thick bottom vessel and pour this mixture into it and add sufficient water to adjust the consistency of the gravy. Add the washed raw cashews at this stage and also add salt.
• Let it come to boil and let the cashews cook for about 15- 20 mins.
• Once done remove from the stove.
• Now take another pan and keep it on the stove and add oil, splutter mustard seeds, dried red chillies, curry leaves and ¼ cup of finely chopped shallots. Pour it over the curry and it’s done.
• This curry can be served with rice, chappathi, appams etc

Note: you could also do the seasoning first as then pour the gravy paste and cashews and cook.