Dahi bade

Summer in marwar is very harsh.It becomes difficult to eat even when you are hungry.all one wants is cold water....But if some one offers a plate of dahi bade with ice cold yogurt and some sweet chatani nobody refuses. Here is the recipe for Dahi bade.

                                       



Ingredients
One cup white urad dal   ( cup with a volume of 250ml)
two table spoon yellow mung dal
750gms fresh yogurt
oil for frying
For garnishing
roasted and powdered cummin seeds
red chilli powder
dried and powdered mint leaves
Ingredients for Sweet chutney
25 gms 
25 gms jaggery grated
salt,red chilli powder  1/2 teaspoon each.
a pinch of garam masala(   optional  if you like it spicey ) and a pinch of ginger 

powder.
two table spoon of raisins and pieces of  dates each.
Making chutney
Soak the tamarind in water for 30 minutes.Then squeeze the pulp .Now in a pan add pulp ,jaggery,and salt and chilli powder.Put it on the stove and stir.After  it starts boiling add raisins and dates switch off the burner after two three minutes.Let it cool.
                               
Making batter and frying vada
Soak the both dal in water for three hours .
Now   drain the excess water.
Grind  it to  make batter taking care that it should not be too fine and too coarse.

                                           
The consistency should be thicker than the pakora paste.Add  1/2 spoon of salt to it and stir it with a ladle swiftly to make the dough fluffy.This will trap air in between the batter which in turn help bada to become soft.
In a pan put oil and start frying vadas .For droping the paste in oil I recommend  use of  a  wet tablespoon .This will prevent the batter to stick on the spoon and will help the batter to slide smmothly in the oil

Keep a bowl of water handy to dip the spoon in water after one or two droppings.This will keep the spoon
clean and will make it easy to drop the paste smoothly in oil.

Fry the vadas till these are golden brown.

                                            fried vada

Now soak these vadas in a bowl of warm water for ten minutes.
In a bowl add one cup of water  and mix with 1/4 cup of yogurt.stirr well.Now take out the soaked vadas out of water and press these gently between your palm and put in the bowl of yogurt water.Let these vadas soak in yogurt water for 30 minutes .  You will see badas have soaked all the water .
Remaining yogurt should be stirred and add three teaspoons of sugar .Beat the yogurt and keep it in fridge.
Serving
In a plate put two badas and add sweet yogurt.Now pour two teaspoon of chutney.Then garnish it with chilli powder and cummin powder and mint powder.
Tips
1.Always use fresh yogurt.
2.Serving of this dish is also  important.The plate should look tempting.So use your art in garnishing the dish with three different color of spices viz Red (chilli powder),Brown(roasted cumin powder),green(dried mint leaves powder).
As summer is approaching enjoy your home made dahi bade.

Lauki/Ghiya/Dudhi ke Kofte ki Sabji

Lauki or the white gourd is a very easy to digest vegetable.It is rich in vitamin B and C. We can cook it as a simple sabji.It can be mixed with yogurt to make raita.Lauki halwa is also very tasty and is easy to make.But this kofte ki sabji is really very yummy.
This dish can be prepared in two steps

                                            Grated Lauki

1   making of koftas

2   Preparing gravy

Ingredients required:-
One lauki of medium size
one cup besan
ginger and green coriander leaves

salt
red chilli powder
dhania powder
turmeric powder
one cup yogurt
two medium size tomatoes
oil to fry
        Making koftas

                          Grated lauki+Besan+Spices                  

                                                           Kofta Dough ready to fry

Peel and grate the lauki
Cut tomatoes in half inch pieces .
Cut two green chillies in pieces
mix  the besan and 1/2 teaspoon  each of  salt, red chilli powder,cummin seeds to grated lauki.and stir well.No water is required as the juice released from lauki will hold besan.
In a kadahi put oil and fry small balls of this paste which has a consistency of pakora.on a medium heat.Take the balls out when these are golden brown.Koftas are ready.

Turn off the burner .

Ready to take the plunge

Making gravy  
Make tomato puree in a grinder by adding diced tomatoes and a piece of ginger and pieces of green  chillies.
In the remaining oil put one teaspoon of salt,chilli powder,dhania powder,and 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
 powder, a pinch of hing powder and  pour tomato puree.Stir for a minute and then  add yogurt. Now mix well with a spoon and stirr. When this mixture starts leaving oil  then add two cups of hot water. Let it boil and add fried koftas .Let it cook for three minutes .Switch off the flame and cover the pan.After five minutes open and garnish with finely chopped coriander,green chillies and ginger finely chopped.  Sabzi is ready to serve.It can be served with hot paratha, roti or rice.

Tips

After adding salt to grated lauki do not keep the mixture for long.This will make lauki to release it's moisture content and  it will change the consistency of dough.

Oondhiyun

This particular dish is very popular Gujarati delicacy of winter. As all winter vegetables are used in it has become a favorite dish outside Gujarat also.
Traditionally it was cooked in a sealed earthen pot by putting the pot into a pit in the ground which was having burning charcoal in it .It used to take hours for vegetables to be cooked .This recipe is about cooking on the gas stove.

                                             Oondhiyu
Ingredients:
Vegetables

2 medium size potato diced.
4 small green brinjals (known as Surati baingan) cut into 1" pieces
1/2 cup  Papadi beans or any green beans like french beans cut into 1" pieces
1 cup florets of 1" pieces of cauliflower
1 cup fresh green peas.
1 cup diced carrots
one raw banana peeled and diced in 1" pieces.
1 medium size sweet potato peeled and diced
1/2 cup desiccated fresh coconut
1 Lemon
 1/2 cup fresh chopped coriander leaves

For Muthiyas
1 cup besan
1 cup fresh finely chopped methi leaves
Spices
Salt,
turmeric powder,
coriander powder,
red chilli powder.
A pinch of asafateida.
oil for frying

                                           Methi Muthiya


Making muthiya

In besan add salt chilli powder,cummin seeds,a pinch of hing powder,two table spoon oil and mix well. Add methi and a two three spoons of water to make a dough of roti consistency.make small balls of it and deep fry in oil.These are called muthiya.

Wash and cut all vegetables.

Put a pan on stove and  pour four tablespoon of oil and a pinch of hing.

Put all the vegetables and add salt,chilli powder,turmeric powder.Stirr well and add one cup of water and cover with a lid.

Let the vegetables cook for next 10 minutes.

Now add muthias let it cook for 3 or 4 minutes.Add one table spoon of sugar and squeez half lemon.

Switch off the stove and garnish it with grated coconut and finely chopped coriender leaves.

Serve it with hot roti or paratha or rice.