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Cereal chivda

Cereal chivda or corn flakes chivda is a healthy alternative to deep fried namkeen available in the market. At times we all want to munch on crispy, crunchy, salty snacks but are afraid of putting on weight or their adverse effects on health. So, this is my kind of guilt free snacking. Try it!

Recipe of healthy cereal chivda

150 gms murmura (kurmura/ mamra/ puffed rice/ moodhi)

50 gms bhuna chana (roasted chickpeas)

50 gms peanuts (moongphali)

Few curry leaves

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

2 tsp salt or to taste

75 gms corn flakes or rice flakes (unflavored)

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

2 tbsp oil

1. Heat oil in a big kadhai/wok. Add mustard seeds and when they pop, add curry leaves and cook till they crisp out.

2. Add peanuts and bhuna chana. Roast till they change color but don’t burn them.

3. Add salt, turmeric and red chilli powders. Cook for few seconds.

4. Add murmura and corn flakes. Mix them really well and on medium heat, keep mixing them for 2-3 minutes till murmura turns crisp. Turn off the heat.

5. Let the cereal chivda cool down completely before storing it in an airtight container.

Note- You can use Kellogg’s corn flakes or rice flakes or any other unflavored variety.
Earlier I also blogged about poha chivda, another guilt free snack. You can also check it out.

Tikhat mithachi puri

Tikhat mithachi puri is a marathi name meaning hot and savory puri/ poori. There are some variations in the common North Indian puri. You can have this tikhat mithachi puri with pickle as an evening snack or a Sunday Brunch.

Recipe of tikhat mithachi puri

1 cup atta (whole wheat flour)

3 tbsp sooji (semolina/rava)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

3/4 tsp red chilli powder (cayenne pepper)

1 tbsp oil + for deep frying

1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)

1. Mix salt in flour. Add sooji, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, ajwain and 1 tbsp oil. Mix well with your hands.

2. Add water little by little and knead the flour into stiff dough. Set aside for 20 minutes.

3. Take a lemon size ball from the dough and roll out on a lightly oiled surface into a 3-4 inch round poori.

4. Heat oil in a kadhai/wok and when it’s sufficiently hot, turn the heat to medium. Deep fry puris in the hot oil till puffed up and golden brown from both sides.

5. Drain on an absorbent paper and serve tikhat mithachi puri hot with some pickle.

Misal pav is a famous street food of Maharashtra. Cooked sprouted dals also called ‘usal’ is served with chopped onion, sev, farsan on top of it along with pav bread is called misal pav or missal pav. It’s a very tasty food and if you don’t add sev or farsan over it, it’s a low calorie, healthy food.

Recipe of misal pav

2 cups sprouted moong dal (green gram) and moth dal (matki/ brown gram)

2 onions- chopped

2 green chillies- slit

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1/2 cup farsan

Coriander leaves- chopped

1/2 tsp rai (small mustard seeds)

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp cumin powder

Few curry leaves

1 tbsp oil

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

Lemon juice

Lemon cut into slices

6-8 pav

1. Heat oil in a pan and add rai. When it splutters, add hing. Add curry leaves and half of the chopped onions. Sauté till onion turn light pink.

2. Add ginger-garlic paste and green chillies. Saute for 1 minute.

3. Add sprouted dals. Add coriander, turmeric, red chilli and cumin powders. Mix well.

4. Add 3 cups of water and salt. Bring it to boil.

5. Add garam masala and cook covered for 10-12 minutes.

6. To serve the misal pav, place ladleful of cooked dal or usal in a bowl. Sprinkle remaining onion, farsan over the dal. Pour lemon juice and coriander leaves over it.

7. Serve it with pav and lemon slices.

Ragda patties

Ragda patties are a famous chaat item of Mumbai. It is known as aloo tikki ki chaat in Northern India. In one of my earlier blog posts, I have given the recipe of preparing aloo tikki or patties and now have given its link below. You can also put chopped onion and green coriander leaves over the ragda patties.

Recipe of ragda patties (pattice)

Ingredients of ragda

1 cup safed matar (dry white peas/ white watana)

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

Salt to taste

Recipe of aloo tikki (patties)

Rest of the ingredients

1 tsp chaat masala

Green chutney

Sweet tamarind (imli) chutney

Beaten curd

1. To prepare ragda, wash and soak white peas overnight or for at least 6 hours. Drain.

2. Place soaked white matar along with water, salt, turmeric powder and hing. Pressure cook peas till soft. Mash them a little. Keep ragda warm.

3. Prepare aloo tikki or patties as given.

4. Place pattice in a plate and place warm ragda over it.

5. Spoon green chutney, sweet tamarind chutney and curd over the ragda pattice. Sprinkle chaat masala over it. Serve ragda patties hot and immediately.

Sabudana vada

Sabudana vada is mainly eaten during fasting period especially Navratri fasts (vrat). They are so delicious that I sometimes make them with our evening tea. Some vrat ka khana are so tasty that everyone wants to eat them fasting or non- fasting. Sabudana vada is more popular in Maharashtra. If you observe fast during Navratri or Ekadashi, you can check out recipes in ‘Fasting food’ category in my blog.

Recipe of sabudana vada/ sago patties

1 cup sabudana (sago/ saboodana/ tapioca)

1/2 cup peanuts- dry roasted and coarsely grinded

2 potatoes- boiled, peeled and mashed

3-4 green chillies- chopped

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves (cilantro) - chopped

Oil to shallow fry

1. Wash sabudana in a colander or a strainer. Drain. Soak sabudana in that much water in which it is ‘just immersed’ and no more. Let it soak for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

2. Mix well all the above ingredients in a bowl except oil.

3. Wet your hands and take tennis ball size balls from the sabudana mixture. Flatten them to form patties.

4. Heat oil in a flat, wide pan and shallow fry these patties or wada in it till golden from both sides. Drain using a slotted spoon, on an absorbent paper. Shallow fry vadas in batches. Serve sabudana vada hot.

Bombay bread sandwich

As the name suggests, Bombay bread sandwich is popular in Bombay now called Mumbai. This sandwich is also sold by street vendors in Bombay. It’s a spicy sandwich and healthy one at that. You can skip the butter if want, it still tastes delicious. I have also tried its toasted version but personally I prefer it untoasted and preferences vary, of course.

Recipe of (Mumbai) Bombay bread sandwich

Serves 2

4 slices of bread

1 boiled potato- cut into roundels

Few slices of onion, tomato and cucumber

Butter- as needed

Green (dhania pudina) chutney- as needed

1. Remove edges of bread slices.

2. Take 1 slice of bread and butter it. Spread green chutney over the butter.

3. Place potato roundels over it. Arrange cucumber, onion and tomato slices on it.

4. Take another bread slice and apply butter on it. Apply chutney over the butter.

5. Now, place this 2nd bread slice above the 1st, chutney side down. Similarly make other sandwich with rest of the slices. Serve this sandwich as it is or lightly toast it.

poha chivda

Poha chivda or chivda or chidwa is a snack made in many parts of India but it’s very popular in Maharashtra. You need a thin variety of poha for this healthy snack. It’s an anytime snack or namkeen. You can also have it as a tea time munchie without bothering about the calories as it is not fried and does not use too much oil. You can store the chivda in an airtight container as it remains fresh for about a month.

Recipe of poha chivda/ chidwa

6 cups thin poha (beaten rice/ flattened rice)

2 tsp mustard seeds

4 tbsp peanuts

4 tbsp dalia (roasted chana dal)

3 tbsp oil

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

7-8 curry leaves

Green chillies (finely chopped) or red chilli powder

1. Put poha in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 2 minutes uncovered, stirring after 1 minute. Check if the poha has become crisp, if not cook for 1 more minute.

2. In a mortar using pestle, grind the salt into thin powder.

3. Heat oil in a kadhai/wok. Add mustard seeds. When they pop, add green chillies and curry leaves. Cook for a minute.

4. Add peanuts and dalia. When they turn somewhat brown, add turmeric powder and salt.

5. Add poha and mix quickly. Keep mixing it for 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat.

6. Cool the chivda and store in an airtight container.

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.

sabudana thalipeeth

Sabudana thalipeeth or sago chappati is a delicious fasting food which you should not miss out on. You can also have it for a breakfast or snack item whether you are fasting or not. If you like sabudana just the way I do, you can check out other sago dishes in Fasting foods category especially sabudana khichdi which also comes from Maharashtrian cuisine.

Recipe of sabudana thalipeeth

1 cup Sabudana (sago) - soaked

2-3 green chillies- chopped

2 medium potatoes- boiled, peeled and mashed

Salt to taste

1/2 cup dry roasted and grinded peanuts

Coriander leaves (cilantro) - chopped

Ghee (clarified butter) or oil to shallow fry

Sago dough

1. Mix together all the ingredients except oil or ghee.

2. Divide the dough into tennis size balls.

3. Grease a thick plastic sheet or polythene and place the ball at its center. Pat with moistened fingers to form a thick round. Make small holes in it.

3. Heat a tava (griddle) and grease it with ghee. Gently and carefully turn the thalipeeth onto the tava and peel the plastic off.

4. Put ghee in the holes. Cover the thalipeeth with a plate or a lid and turn the heat to medium. Cook it for 1-2 minutes.

5. Remove the plate and gently turn over. Cook it for another minute or two. Cook till sabudana thalipeeth is golden brown from both sides. Serve sago rotti hot.

sabudana thalipeeth

Pav- bhaji

Pav- bhaji or pao- bhajee is a popular Indian street food which originated from Mumbai but is now eaten all over India and also outside India. Pav means bread and bhaji is a term used for vegetable and curry dish. You can add other veggies like turnip, carrots to bhaji to make it healthier. Although lots of butter is added to bhajee, I have reduced it in my recipe keeping in mind, the calories. You can add more butter if you like it richer. The pau bhaji masala used in this recipe is a special blend of spices. You can get it from any Indian grocery store.

Recipe of pav bhaji

3 medium potatoes
½ small cauliflower
1 medium capsicum
¼ cup shelled green peas
2 medium onions- minced
4 medium tomatoes- pureed
3 green chillies- crushed
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp oil + 1 tbsp butter
Salt to taste
2 tsp Pav bhaji masala
1 tbsp tomato sauce
Butter to toast the pav
8 pav buns
Chopped onion and coriander leaves to garnish
2 lemons- cut into wedges

1. Put roughly chopped potato pieces in a food processor to get very small pieces. Do the same with cauliflower. Deseed and chop capsicum finely.

2. Place potato, cauliflower, capsicum and green peas in a pressure cooker with ½ cup water and salt. Let 1 whistle come, then simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Open the cooker when pressure drops and mash the boiled veggies with the potato masher.

3. Heat oil and butter in a non- stick pan and add minced onion and green chillies. Sauté till light golden.

4. Add ginger- garlic paste and sauté for 1 minute. Add Pao- bhajee masala and cook on medium heat for 1 minute.

5. Add tomato puree and tomato sauce. Cook on medium heat for few minutes stirring constantly.

6. Now add mashed vegetables and cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes stirring in between. Turn off heat and garnish with chopped onion and coriander leaves.

7. Slice each pav bun horizontally into 2 and toast in butter and a little pav bhaji masala. Toast on both sides on a griddle (tava) till crisp and golden.

8. Serve pav with bhaji and lemon wedges. Serve hot.

This is a popular Maharashtrian dish which you can make as Sunday breakfast or brunch. I am sure your kids will love it.