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Matar ghugni

There are types of ghugni like chana (chickpea) ghugni and matar ghugni. Earlier I made a blogpost of chana ghugni. This is my version of matar ghoogni. For those of you who don’t know about it, it’s a favorite evening snack in Bengal, Bihar, Assam and Orissa. Ghugni is also a chaat item in Eastern India.

Recipe of matar ghugni

2 cups matar (green peas)

1 onion- chopped

1 tomato- diced

1 inch ginger- grated

1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp black pepper powder

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp oil

1. Heat oil in a kadhai/wok or a pan. Add fennel seeds and after few seconds add onion.

2. Fry onion till light pink. Add ginger and all the spices and salt. Fry for 2 minutes.

3. Add tomato and cook till tomato pulp out and softens.

4. Add matar and give it a mix. Cook stirring till matar begins to shine.

5. Lower heat, sprinkle some water and cook covered till matar is tender.

6. Uncover and increase heat so that all moisture evaporates. Turn off heat, add lime juice and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve matar ghoogni hot with either puri or luchi. You can even enjoy a bowlful as a snack.

Healthy Bytes (Nutrition Info.) - Matar or green peas are a good source of vitamin K thus they are important in maintaining bone health. Matar support energy producing systems of the body thus help you if are often sluggish and fatigued.

Ghugni

Ghugni is a Bengali version of chole or ragda. Here I have used chickpeas but green peas or matar is also used for making ghugni. In Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and Assam, ghugni is usually eaten as an evening snack. It is also a popular chaat and street food.

Recipe of ghugni/ ghoogni

1 cup kabuli chana (chickpeas/ garbanzo beans)

1 onion- chopped

1 tomato- chopped

1 bay leaf (tej patta)

1 black cardamom

1 green cardamom

2-3 cloves (laung)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1 1/2 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

1 onion- cut into rings for garnish

1. Soak the kabuli chana overnight. Drain.

2. Pressure cook chana with water for 25-30 minutes.

3. Heat oil in a kadhai/ wok. Add bay leaf, cloves, cumin seeds and cardamoms. Let them splutter.

4. Add onion and sauté till light brown.

5. Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for 1 minute.

6. Add tomato and rest of the spices and salt. Cook till oil begins to separate.

7. Crush a handful of chana and add along with rest of the boiled chana.

8. Boil on a high heat for 3-4 minutes. Lower heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Cook till you get the desired gravy consistency.

10. Garnish with onion rings and serve ghugni hot with either roti, luchi, poori or rice.

Vada pav

Vada pav is a famous Maharashtrian street food. It’s an Indian version of burger. Call it batata vada or bonda, it is finger licking good. Earlier vada pav was a favorite street food of a Mumbaikar, now it is eaten all over India.

Recipe of vada pav

Vada

4 big potatoes- boiled, peeled and mashed

3-4 green chillies- chopped

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Juice of a lemon

Fresh coriander leaves- chopped

Batter

1/2 cup besan (gram flour/ chickpea flour)

1 tbsp rice flour (chawal ka atta)

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp soda bicarbonate

1 tbsp oil

Oil to deep fry

5 pav or any soft, unsweetened bun

Sweet tamarind chutney (Imli chutney)

Mint coriander chutney (dhania pudina chutney)

1. In a bowl, mix potatoes with rest of the ingredients of vada. Mix well using your hands.

2. Make ping pong sized balls from this mixture.

3. In another bowl, mix all the ingredients of batter. Add water little by little, mixing with other hand, to make a thick, smooth, lump free batter.

4. In a kadhai/ wok, heat oil for deep frying. Dip potato balls in the batter so that they are well coated with the batter. Shake off excess batter.

5. Turn the heat to medium. Put these balls in the oil. Do not overcrowd the kadhai. Fry vadas from both sides by turning. Fry vada till golden brown.

6. Drain on an absorbent paper.

7. Warm the pav or bun. Slit the pav such that it is connected at the base and not separated into 2 parts.

8. Spread sweet tamarind chutney on one side and green coriander chutney on the other side of inside portion of pav.

9. Place vada inside the pav and flatten the vada a little. Similarly make other vada pav with rest of the vada and pav. Serve hot.

shakarkandi ki chaat

If you don’t want to grill shakarkandi, you can just boil it till tender and prepare shakarkandi ki chaat by mixing the given ingredients to it. It’s really a mouth watering chaat and sweet potato is in season now. So, enjoy!

Recipe of shakarkandi ki chaat

1/2 kg shakarkandi (sweet potato)

1 tsp chaat masala

Black salt to taste

Lemon juice to taste

1. Wash shakarkand and pat dry. Smear some oil on shakarkandi. Pressure cook shakarkandi to 1 whistle.

2. Peel and cube shakarkandi. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil. Grease it. Place shakarkandi cubes on tray.

3. Grill them in a preheated oven till edges of shakarkandi becomes brownish.

4. Take out in a bowl and add black salt, chaat masala and lemon juice. Mix well and serve hot. You can also garnish shakarkandi chaat with coriander leaves.

Bhatura

This recipe of bhatura is made without yeast. Those of you, who are making the bhatura for the first time, may find it difficult to roll out the bhatura as the dough sticks. So, an easy way out is to roll out between greased plastic sheets or a polythene bag teared into 2 halves and oiled. Keep one part on the rolling platform, place the dough ball on it and cover with the second half. Roll out and remove from the plastic sheet and fry. Bhatura tastes best with chole or chana masala.

Recipe of bhatura/ bhature

2 cups maida (all purpose flour)

3/4 cup curd (yogurt/ dahi)

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

Oil to deep fry

dough after rising

1. Sieve flour (maida). Mix salt and baking powder to maida.

2. Mix yogurt and sugar in another bowl. Add this to maida.

3. Add lukewarm warm water to knead the flour into smooth, soft dough.

4. Keep the dough in a warm place for 3 hours so that the dough rises.

5. Heat oil in a kadhai/ wok. While the oil is heating, take a ball from the dough and flatten between your oiled palms. Roll out this ball on an oiled surface using rolling pin (belan) into a 5 inch round.

6. Place the bhatura in the hot oil. Press with a slotted spoon (pauni/ chhari), it will puff up. Turn over and fry form other side also. Deep fry this round or bhatura in the hot oil till golden brown from both sides. Drain on an absorbent paper using the same slotted spoon. Similarly make other bhature from rest of the dough.

7. You can also roll out the bhatura in an oval shape. Serve hot bhature with chole and sliced onion sprinkled with salt and lemon juice.

chole bhature

Dahi pakora

Dahi pakora is very similar to dahi bhalla. While dahi bhalla is made with urad dal (split black gram), dahi pakora or dahi pakori is made with moong dal. You can also pour sweet tamarind chutney over them if you like. It is quicker to make than bhallas but taste excellent.

Recipe of dahi pakora

1 cup dhuli moong dal (skinless split green gram)

2 cups dahi (curds/ yogurt) – well beaten and chilled

1 tsp chironji (optional)

2-3 green chillies- chopped

A pinch of hing (asafoetida) - dissolved in 1 tsp water

1/2 tsp salt

Black salt to taste

1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp red chilli powder (cayenne pepper)

1 tsp roasted cumin seeds (bhuna jeera)

1/2 inch piece ginger- grated

Chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) – for garnishing

Oil to deep fry

1. Soak moong dal for 2-3 hours. Drain and grind along with 1/2 tsp salt, ginger and hing. Add green chillies and chironji to the grinded dal. Beat well.

2. Heat oil in a kadhai (Indian wok). Drop a small portion of the batter, if it sizzles and comes to the surface, your oil is hot enough. Turn the heat to medium.

3. Drop portions of batter by a spoon or your hands in the hot oil. Fry from both sides by turning over till golden brown. Drain the pakodas.

4. Soak these pakoras in water for 15 minutes. Take them out and press gently between your palms to squeeze out excess water.

5. Add black salt and sugar to the curd and mix. Add pakoris to the dahi. Add roasted cumin seeds, red chilli powder. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve chilled.

aloo ki tikki

Aloo ki tikki is one of the most popular chaat and street food of Northern India. It is served drizzled with cilantro chutney, tamarind chutney and beaten yogurt. Aloo tikki is also served as tikki chole chaat when it is with white chickpeas (kabuli chana). Potato patties shallow fried to golden makes for a delicious snack.

Recipe of aloo tikki

6-8 medium aloo (potato) - boiled, peeled

1 green chilli- chopped

Chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)

2 tbsp bread crumbs

Salt to taste

1 inch piece ginger- grated

1/2 tsp amchoor (dried mango powder)

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

Oil to shallow fry

1. Mash the potatoes well or you can grate them. Mix all the ingredients except oil and make smooth potato dough.

2. Make small balls from the aloo dough and flatten them between your palms to make round patties or tikkis.

3. Heat a non- stick flat pan or a tawa (griddle) and drizzle oil on it. Place the tikkis on it and shallow fry till golden brown. Then turn over and cook from other side also. Place as many tikkis on the pan or tava as their surface area allows and you can manage easily. Serve hot with coriander chutney or tamarind chutney.

Vegetable pakora

Vegetable pakora along with hot tea was our rainy day treat today. As soon as I spotted dark clouds in the sky, I started mixing my batter as I knew that demand for pakoras will soon be there and how right I was!

Recipe of mixed vegetable pakora (bhajia)

1 cup besan (gram flour)

3/4 cup water

1 tsp salt

1 potato- peeled and cut into round thin slices

2 onions- chopped or cut into rings

1 small cauliflower- cut into florets

1/2 tsp red chilli powder or 2 green chillies- chopped

3/4 tsp pav bhaji masala

Oil to deep fry

1. Pass the besan through a sieve so that there are no lumps. Add salt, red chilli powder or green chillies and pav bhaji masala.

2. Slowly add water to the besan mixing by other hand so as to prevent lumps formation. Beat the batter well (you can use a blender) so as to incorporate air and pakodas turn out fluffier.

3. Heat oil in a kadhai (heavy bottomed vessel) and when the oil is hot enough, turn the heat to medium- high. Dip the vegetables in the batter and gently drop in the hot oil. Fry from both sides till pakoras turn golden brown. Drain by using a slotted spoon (pauni/ chhari) on an absorbent paper. Fry in batches. Serve hot vegetable fritters with coriander chutney or tamarind chutney or tomato ketchup.

dahi bhalla

Dahi bhalla is a popular chaat item in India which is available at many street vendors. In South India, it is known as dahi vada. Dahi bhalle is made at most North Indian parties and wedding buffets. Dahi bhalle is black gram balls or dumplings in spiced yogurt with Indian sauces poured over it.

Recipe of dahi bhalla or dahi vada

1 1/2 cup dhuli urad dal (split black gram skinless)

6-7 cups dahi (curds/ yogurt) - chilled

1 tsp roasted cumin powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

Sweet tamarind (imli) chutney- to taste

1 tbsp raisins (kishmish)

A pinch of hing (asafoetida) - dissolved in 1 tsp water

1/2 tsp salt

Black salt (kala namak) - to taste

Fresh coriander leaves

Oil to deep fry

1. Soak urad dal overnight, drain. Grind to a coarse paste by adding minimum amount of water. Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, raisins and hing to this paste. Beat well to incorporate air in the batter so that bhallas are fluffy.

2. Heat oil in a kadhai. When the oil is sufficiently hot, turn the heat to medium. Bhallas are fried on a medium heat. If you fry them on a high heat, they will remain uncooked at the center. Drop tablespoons of batter by a tablespoon or wet hands into the hot oil. Fry till vadas are golden brown. Drain on an absorbent paper. These are now called vadas or bhallas.

3. Take water (at room temperature) in a bowl and soak bhallas in it for 4-5 minutes. Squeeze vadas gently to drain out excess water.

4. Whisk curd adding black salt or ordinary salt. Whisk till smooth.

5. Place bhallas on a flat dish and cover them with curd. Pour sweet tamarind chutney on them and sprinkle 1/2 tsp red chilli powder and roasted cumin powder. Serve chilled.

dahi bhalle

Moong dal pakora

In the evenings when you crave something deep fried along with your hot cuppa chai, these moong pakoras serve as a satisfying snack. They are also a popular North Indian street food. Street vendors serve them with green chutney and grated mooli (radish).

Recipe of moong dal pakora

1 cup dhuli moong dal (skinless split green gram)

2-3 green chillies- chopped finely

1 inch piece ginger- grated

Salt to taste

Oil to deep fry

1. Wash and soak moong dal for 2 hours. Drain and grind to a smooth paste along with rest of the ingredients except oil. Beat well. This is an important step to make fluffy pakoras (fritters) since air is incorporated in the batter while beating.

2. Heat oil in a karahi (heavy bottomed vessel). To check if it’s sufficiently hot, drop a small portion of batter in the oil. If it sizzles and comes to the surface, your oil is ready. Turn the heat to medium.

3. Drop small portions of batter in the oil by a teaspoon or with your hand. Fry from both sides till the pakodas turn golden brown. Drain on an absorbent paper. Serve mung pakoras hot with green (dhaniya pudina) chutney or tomato sauce.