Modak

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to all my readers. Since childhood I have grownup-hearing loads of stories about Lord Ganesh and his favourite Modak. And theres no doubt why Lord Ganesha loves Modak so much and so do all the kids and even me too.  

Modak is sweet dumpling, which can be made with rice flour, wheat flour or all-purpose flour. It can be steamed or deep-fried. In our side in Goa modak is mostly deep-fried.

By practice only we can make better pleats or fluted shape on modaks. Here I have tried my best to show you how to give a shape, but still again even im learning to give a perfect shape.

Ingredients:-

For Outter covering of Modak:

2 ½ cups whole-wheat flour

Salt as per taste

Water to knead the dough

Oil (Optional. I didn’t use it)

For Stuffing:

2½ cup freshly grated coconut

1 1/2 cup grated jaggery (adjust sweetness as per ones sweet tooth)

5 -6 Green cardamoms powdered

Few raisins and broken pieces of cashewnuts

1 tblpsn Khuskhus (Optional)

Method:

1. Take kneading bowl add wheat flour and salt as per the taste and knead till it becomes soft smooth dough. (Dough should be soft like of chapathi dough). Cover the dough and let it rest for 15 - 20 mins. 

2. In another bowl take freshly grated coconut to which add jaggery, cardamom powder, raisins and broken pieces of cashew nuts. Mix it well.

Preparing and Shaping of modaks:

1.    Divide the dough into 4 equal sized balls. Take one dough ball and press it in between the palms to flatten it a bit and coat it nicely with wheat flour.

2.    Place it on a roti making board and roll with the help of rolling pin into a big round chapathi/ shape.

3.    Take a small sharp edge bowl or anything that has its edges sharp and is in circle shape.

4.    Place the sharp edge circle on the rolled out big chapathi and make impression of it by giving slight pressure so that we can remove those small disc later from the big chapathi.

5.    Remove those small disc and keep them in a plate. You will need such 21 small discs if you need to show naivediya to Lord Ganesha.

6.    Gently take one of the disc on your palm. Add the filling in the centre and start pinching the edges of the disc one by one. (This comes by practice, keep doing it, you might not get perfect pleates but you will feel proud that atleast you managed to try to get the shape of modaks). The more you pinch the edges the more pleates you are making for your modak.

7.    Now try bringing the pinched edges all together slowly slowly and taper it at the top. Seal the top of the modak propely or else there are chance of opening while frying them.

8.    Place it on a plate and continue the same process with the rest of the disc. Keep them always covered to prevent them from drying.

9.    Heat the oil in a kadai and deep fry those modaks on medium temperature till they turn nice golden brown in color.

10.  Drain them on kitchen paper napkins and they are ready to serve.

NOTE:

• Do not let the modaks get dried while you are shaping the other disc into modaks.
• They should be fried immediately or make them in small batches to prevent them from getting dried.
• Seal the modaks properly. If theres any opening  all the filling from inside will start coming out which will spoil the oil while frying.

Manga Kichadi

This one of the most easiest and quick recipes to make. And a quick sprout for the taste buds too.

Ingredients:

1small Green Mango Peeled and diced

Half a cup freshly grated coconut

1-2 nos. Green Chilly

4-5 tblpsn Yoghurt

Salt as per the taste

For Tempering:

2 tblspn Oil/ Coconut oil

1tspn Mustard seeds

3-4nos. Dry red chilly

Few fresh Curry leaves

4 -5 nos. Small onions/ shallots

Method:

  1.   Wash and peel the green mango and dice into small cubes.

  2.   Now grind it with freshly grated coconut, green chilly and salt to a fine paste. Adding very little water while grinding.

  3.   Beat the yoghurt and mix it with the mango grounded paste.

  4.   Heat oil in a tadka pan add mustard seeds, let them splutter. Now add dry red chilly, curry leaves and sliced small onions. Fry them till onions turns golden in color.

  5.   Pour this seasoning over the kichadi and mix it gently.

  6.   Our Green mango kichadi is teady to serve.

NOTE:

• You can always increase or decrease the amount of green chillies as per your spice level.

Beetroot Pachadi

It was my first Onam as a Malayali and my hubby dear showed me this recipe on Onam. I personally don’t like to eat vegetables like beetroot, carrot, etc. But these Keralaites seriously have an interesting ways to eat their veggies. I just loved this veggie side dish curry, which can be enjoyed with rice and lentil curry (Varan). So heres the pachadi recipe in our style hope you all also enjoy having it as much as I did.

Ingredients:

1 big sized Beetroot

4-5 nos. Green Chillies

1/4^th cup water

1 cup Yoghurt

Salt as per the taste

For Tempering:

2 tblspn Oil/ Coconut oil

1tspn Mustard seeds

1/4^th tspn Fenugreek seeds/ Ulva
3-4 nos. dry red chilly

Few fresh Curry leaves

4 -5 nos. Small onions/ shallots

Method:

  1.   Grate the beetroot. In a pan add the grated beetroot and cook it along with slit green chillies, salt and water till beetroot gets cooked. Max 10mins.

  2.   Blend yoghurt and lower the flame. Beetroot should not be boiling at this point; it should be simmering slowly, while adding the yoghurt, or the curd will start cuddling. Mix it well and let it cook on low flame.

  3.   Heat oil in a tadka pan add mustard seeds, let them splutter. Now add fenugreek seeds, dry red chilly, curry leaves and sliced small onions. Fry them till onions turns golden in color.

  4.   Pour this seasoning over the curry and mix it gently.

  5.   Our beetroot pachadi is ready to serve with steamed rice, pickle and papad.

NOTE:

• Always while adding the yoghurt to any curry, reduce the flame to low. The curry should not be boiling or it will start to cuddle. Also do not boil the curry after adding the yoghurt.
• You can always increase the amount of green chillies, if you like it spicy.

Beans Thoran

Here comes my 3^rd Thoran recipe. You can make thoran of anything from beetroot, carrot, mushrooms, cucumber, bitter gourd, et. Will try to include all these recipes here.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of Fresh beans / Long beans

8 -10 small onions/ shallots

2 -3 Green chillies

1/4tspn Turmeric powder

1/4tspn Black pepper powder

1/4^th cup freshly grated coconut

1/4cup water

Salt as per taste

For Tempering:

2tblpsn Coconut oil/ Vegetable oil

1/2tspn Mustad seeds

Few curry leaves

Method:

  1.   Wash the beans under running water and chop the beans finely.

  2.   Clean and wash small onions (shallots) and slice them into 3/4 pieces. Chop the green chillies and keep them aside. 

  3.   Take a pan add the chopped beans, onions, green chillies, turmeric powder, black pepper powder with water and salt to taste. Put on the gas with pan lid closed. We just need to steam the beans don’t cook them fully.

  4.   Once the beans are steamed and water is dried. Move them aside to the sides of the pan from the centre to make place for tempering.

  5.   Pour coconut oil in the centre. Once the oil is hot add mustard seeds, when they start to splutter add curry leaves and mix it well with the beans.

  6.   Sprinkle freshly grated coconut on the beans and mix it well. Cook it for few more minutes.

 7. Its now ready to serve with rice and curry.

NOTE:

•         Chopping of beans finely helps them to steam fast.
•        Tempering can be given in separate pan too.
•         Green Chillies can be added as per ones taste.