Coconut Chikki

As the winter sets in, we use lot of jaggery at home. So many delicious goodies made of jaggery. With iron and vitamin C, jaggery has qualities to keep the body warm. Mom would encourage us to have lot of ghee and gud during winters. Don't forget the gud, ghee and bajra rotla... It is the ultimate winter food for Gujaratis.

With Makar Sankranti time when we make lots of chikkis and brittles at home, Gud/jaggery is the important ingredient. Filled with nutritional values and benefits, jaggery is a must to use in every home. Every culture has their way of using jaggery... in tea, in chikki, in gujarati dal, puran poli, in masala gud from north and many more.

I was just watching one of Rujuta Diwekar's live video of Facebook where she explains how ghee and gud and important for our body specially during winter, and this recipe is a good example to incorporate these main ingredients in day-to-day life. I love her logical explanations just like what our parents told us and our ancestors did. This chikki can be a wonderful snack or dessert after a meal.

While it is chikki time, and remembering all the chikki flavors from Lanavala, I tried to make coconut chikki. Here is the recipe...simple, easy, and quick.

Ingredients
1 cup finely chopped jaggery
1 cup dessicated coconut
2 tsp. ghee

• In a heavy bottom pan, dry roast coconut for 1-2 minutes. Remove in a plate.
• Heat ghee and finely chopped or powdered jaggery in a pan. Let it melt completely. Check for hard ball consistency. Since I use organic powdered jaggery. Melting gud/jaggery is enough. I do not have to heat it a lot. If you are using very soft jaggery, you will have to stir it slightly longer after melting it to form a hard and crisp chikki.
• Add roasted coconut and stir well to mix.
• Remove in a greased pan and pat chikki tightly with a flat side of a greased bowl.
• Cut into pieces while still warm.
• Cool and remove the pieces from the tray. 
• Store in a container and enjoy!

  Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

In a heavy bottom pan, dry roast coconut for 1-2 minutes. Remove in a plate.

Heat ghee and finely chopped or powdered jaggery in a pan. Let it melt completely. Check for hard ball consistency. Since I use organic powdered jaggery. Melting gud is enough. I do not have to heat it a lot. If you are using very soft jaggery, you will have to stir it slightly longer after melting it to form a hard and crisp chikki.

Add roasted coconut and stir well to mix.

Remove in a greased pan and pat chikki tightly with a flat side of a greased bowl.

Cut into pieces while still warm.

Cool and remove the pieces from the tray.

Enjoy!!

Moth Chawal

Publishing a recipe after a long time...yes, you guessed it right, summer break has ended and new school year has started in full swing. Back to School night is over this means I do have some time now to do what I love! I do have a backlog of recipes to post which I will do it soon. :)

Summer was exciting, and while I got a chance to be with friends and socialize, I also had a chance to learn something new and exciting. It all started with an idea...an invitation for a Delhi style chai party from a friend, SM. It was NOT a CHAI PARTY... it was indulging in delicious food. Not just regular food but authentic, traditional, and flavorful Delhi style food served on Delhi style beautiful props. Flavorful, chatpata Gol Gappas set up on a Thela or four wheel cart just like it would be in India and SM and her mom (I will refer her as Auntiji), who was visiting her from Delhi, would make fresh Gol Gappas and serve for all you can eat. I cannot express the fun of the live Gol Gappa counter. Thank you so much SM and Auntiji! I would have just loved to end the chai party here, but that was not the case. There was more food and now chai party turned into dinner. Chole & Kulche,  Dahi Bhalle, gourmet sandwiches, and something very new to me was Moth Chawal. A simple dish which was flavorful and super delicious. Although each and every food item was delicious, Moth Chawal stole my heart. It was a new concept and was very innovative. I could have never imagined Moth to be so tasty. We all expressed our wish to get the recipe from Auntiji. That is when I thought she could be a guest blogger on my page. It would be my pleasure to learn a simple but yet a North Indian specialty and take pictures if Auntiji could make it live. It was my wish, and SM and Auntiji made it happen. I was so happy to be invited over and I reached there with my camera :) I can't thank you both enough!

The experience was just phenomenal! Not just the recipe, but I got to know so much more about the North Indian culture and food. Moth Chawal is a simple layered dish made with Moth or Matki and rice. Moth lentils are cooked with spices to form a gravy. This gravy is then layered with cooked rice, a special spice mix for tangy flavor, chopped onions, and to top it with crisp papdi or puris. It is the combination of flavors, textures, and I would totally categorize it as one of the healthy, protein rich dishes for vegetarians. If you have read my earlier posts you would know what it means. Lentils together with rice make complete proteins for vegetarians. Auntiji said that this simple but yet healthy recipe was made for breakfast or brunch. In the olden days when weddings were elaborate and everything was prepped at home, this recipe was a healthy breakfast for the guests and other family members. That totally makes sense, serving something that is delicious as well as healthy so that everyone is ready to do all the running around and preparing for the wedding ceremonies and fun. It is now one of the popular street foods for commuters and people on the go.

Here is the entire recipe with pictures made in SM's kitchen. Thank you so much Auntiji for such an insightful and delicious recipe, and also for delicious Aam Panna we had while chitchatting. :)

Ingredients

1 cup moth/matki
2-3  tbsp. oil
2-3 medium tomatoes.
1/4 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. red chili powder

1/2 cup rice
2 cups water
1 tsp salt.

For special spice mix
3 tbsp amchoor /dry mango powder
1 tbsp Degi mirch /red chili powder
1 tbsp dhania powder /coriander powder
1 tsp. jeera seeds /cumin seeds
1 tbsp garam masala / spice mix
1/2 tsp. Ajwain/carrom seeds
Mix all the above ingredients and powder it well.

For Garnishing:
1 tbsp. tamarind pulp dissolved in 1/2 cup water
1 cup chopped onions
Crisp papdi or puris
Juice of one lemon

To make moth gravy:

• Wash and soak moth/matki in 2 cups of water for an hour or two.
• Chop tomatoes into quarters and  puree them well. Keep it aside.
• Heat oil in pressure cooker. Add cumin powder and then pureed tomatoes. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
• Add soaked moth beans to sauteing tomato puree. Mix well
• Add salt and chili powder. Mix well.
• Cover the pressure cooker and cook til you hear around 2 whistles. Moth beans do not take very long time to cook. Turn off the heat and let the pressure cool before opening the pressure cooker. 
• Open the pressure cooker and mix cooked moth well.

Meanwhile get the rice prepped.

• Heat 2 cups of water and bring it to boil. Add salt to boiling water.
• Add 1/2 cup washed rice to boiling water and cook for 10-15 minutes or till done.
• Strain the water and keep rice aside in a bowl.

 Get this ready

• Soak 2 tbsp. tamarind in water or mix 1 tbsp. tamarind pulp in water and keep it aside.
• Finely chop onions for garnishing.
• Special spice mix.

To serve use a wide serving bowl or something like a deep dish platter.

• Spread rice evenly into the serving platter or a bowl.
• Sprinkle around 1 tbsp. special spice mix over the rice and squeeze a juice of 1/2 lemon.
• Evenly spread cooked moth gravy over rice.
• Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of special spice mix and evenly spread 1-2 tbsp. tamarind dissolved in water.
• Evenly spread chopped onions and sprinkle some special spice mix again and squeeze fresh lemon.
• Top it off with broken/crush pieces of papdi/puri for crunch. (you could add papdi just before serving so that it would remain crisp)
• Serve and enjoy!

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

I was able to take pictures while Auntiji prepared and talked about this recipe.

Wash and soak moth in 2 cups of water for an hour or two.

Chop tomatoes into quarters and  puree them well. Keep it aside.

Heat oil in pressure cooker. Add cumin powder and then pureed tomatoes. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add soaked moth beans to sauteing tomato puree. Mix well

Add salt and chili powder. Mix well.

Cover the pressure cooker and cook til you hear around 2 whistles. Moth beans do not take very long time to cook. Turn off the heat and let the pressure cool before opening the pressure cooker. 

Open the pressure cooker and mix cooked moth well.

1 tbsp. tamarind pulp dissolved in 1/2 cup water or 2 tbsp. tamarind soaked in 1/2 cup water.

Heat 2 cups of water and bring it to boil. Add salt to boiling water.

Add 1/2 cup washed rice to boiling water and cook for 10-15 minutes or till done.

Strain the water and keep rice aside in a bowl.

To serve use a wide serving bowl.

Spread rice evenly into the serving platter or a bowl.

Sprinkle around 1 tbsp. special spice mix over the rice and squeeze a juice of 1/2 lemon.

Evenly spread cooked moth gravy over rice.

Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of special spice mix and evenly spread 1-2 tbsp. tamarind dissolved in water.

Evenly spread chopped onions and sprinkle some special spice mix again and squeeze fresh lemon.

Top it off with broken/crush pieces of papdi/puri for crunch. (you could add papdi just before serving so that it would remain crisp)

Serve and enjoy!

Auntiji with one of her best recipes. I am so looking forward to learning more authentic recipes from her. Thank you so much!

The pictures of the final dish were taken in SM's beautiful backyard with beautiful flowers around.

SM's passion of gardening and caring for her veggies and plants is seen everywhere!

Enjoy this delicious comfort food!

Rajma Tikki

Oh it was so much fun to create something new for dinner! A meal that is nutritious, delicious, and protein rich, with traditional flavors, but still presented differently. While I had soaked some rajma to make north Indian style rajma masala to go with rice, I ended up turning the same rajma and rice dish into these little cutlets or tikkis.

I know people do make rajma kababs...never made those but would love to some day. Maybe I did the same in this recipe...made rajma kababs while adding some cooked rice as a binder. Grains and lentils compliment each other well to make a complete protein meal. I have explained about complete proteins in one of my earlier recipes. Keeping this concept in mind rajma & rice tikkis were made. Of course, you could add bread, or breadcrumbs, or sooji/rawa/semolina as a binder too. These are so easy to make, and I would say that it makes a great picnic, travel, or school lunch meal. For vegetarians who wish to increase the protein intake for breakfasts, this recipe is perfect for a tasty, healthy, and quick breakfast with everything prepped ahead of time or a day before.

Ingredients (makes8-10 tikkis)
1/2 cup rajma
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
2-3 clove garlic
1/4 inch ginger
1-2 green chilies
1-2 tbsp. rajma masala (I like MDH rajma masala)
1 tsp. salt
1tbsp. red chili powder
Ghee or oil for shallow frying.

• Soak 1/2 cup rajma in 2 cups of water for 6 hours or overnight. 
• Pressure cook till you hear 4-5 whistles of for 45 minutes. Turn of the heat and let the pressure cooker cool. 
• Remove water from rajma.
• In a food processor of chopper add onions, garlic, ginger, and green chilies and mince them finely. 
• Add boiled rajma and grind it well to form a rough paste. (do not over grind and make it smooth).
• Add cooked rice, rajma masala, salt, red chili powder and grind them again till it is mixed.
• Try to form tikkis or cutlets. You should not need any binder. If it seems dry, add 2-3 tbsp. water and grind it again and make tikkis. 
• Shallow fry using oil or ghee. I used ghee to fry tikkis as rajma and rice goes really well with the flavor and aroma of ghee.
• Serve tikkis with sliced onions and chutney.

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

Soak 1/2 cup rajma in 2 cups of water for 6 hours or overnight.

In a food processor of chopper add onions, garlic, ginger, and green chilies and mince them finely. 

Pressure cook till you hear 4-5 whistles of for 45 minutes. Turn of the heat and let the pressure cooker cool.

Add boiled rajma and grind it well to form a rough paste. (do not over grind and make it smooth).

Add cooked rice, rajma masala, salt, red chili powder and grind them again till it is mixed.

Try to form tikkis or cutlets. You should not need any binder. If it seems dry, add 2-3 tbsp. water and grind it again and make tikkis. 

Shallow fry using oil or ghee. I used ghee to fry tikkis as rajma and rice goes really well with the flavor and aroma of ghee.

My spriralizer to make spiral onions to serve these tikkis.

Serve tikkis with onions and chutney.

Yummylicious!!!