JALEBI

JALEBI

Jhepli, jilapi, jilapir Pak, jilafi, julbiya, jeri, murabbak, kudlinka ,jalbalika, chasvalika, jaleba, jhalebiya, jaleba, jilbi, jalebi and jilebi these all are the names of One of the most popular sweet of India"Jilebi". It changes its name as per the region But the truth is it's actual origin is not India , it's birth history is  full of complexity so much  twisted just like electric connection of Delhi .

In third century Queen of Donobiya ji pamiran   had set twin cities named as "Halabiya" and "Jhalabiya " ,and as per history of 'Jilebi' it has a very close relation with the name of this two twin cities a well-known chef of desert was fond of making innovation in sweet dish or deserts, once he added whipped eggs in fermented all purpose flour (maida) and fried  it in hot clarified butter in a nice netted round ball shapes and topped it with honey and garnished with dry fruits this sweet dish was loved by everyone and he named it as 'Jhalabiya' with his own city name Jhalabiya. here  was the invention started of Jilebi.

In 13th century the recipe book written by Nalaraj Has the evidence of the recipe of Jilebi, same evidence of Jilebi recipe is found in Mohammed Hasan's an Irani chefs recipe book "Pakkhana".

       In 15th century a book written by Jinasur a Jain writer  has a story of rich man's family function he has given a lavish treat in which he has specifically described jilebi but it has been named as "Kudalinka".

            After some years Jilebi has been found in Sanskrit as 'sudha kudlinka'.  Sudharas one of the sweet dish which has been linked with this recipe is made with simple sugar syrup which is mixed with lemon juice. In Ramjaan Sudha Ras was used to be distributed in  poor people.

History shows that Persian merchants while  trading with India  brought 'Jilebi' in India same as they brought Gulab jamun,they invaded in India through sea routes and settled on the ports of Mumbai and Gujarat. This was the first step of Jilebi in India and it became very popular in Maharashtra and Gujarat .In Gujarat Jilebi was complimented with fafada and in Maharashtra a combination of Jilebi, Matta and Masalebhat was famous.Then Jilebi travelled to south of India and it got a new name as 'Imarti' ,which is made with dehusked blackgram pulses. But as per history Mughals brought Imarti in India.

Jilebi is famous in North ,south, East and west ,it changed its shape and colour and taste as per eating habits of the particular region. in Delhi Jilebi is made in a thick and big spiral shape , and in Maharashtra it is made in a delicate  spiral shape in a medium size and orange in colour outer covering is crispy and  soft juicy inside it is fully filled with sugar syrup added with cardamom and lemon juice it's so tempting that we couldn't resist eating second one as soon as we finish first.In some regions it's colour changes from orange to yellow or saffron, as they added saffron in sugar syrup the colour and taste both changes.

     Decade passed and the lifestyle of people have changed now they have started consuming less sugar , buffet system have been started and so our  "Jilebi" has also changed its shape from bigger to smaller in size which is called as "Disco jilebi " and in Pune it is famous as "Dollar Jilebi".

         Here in Delhi they started a new trend by serving rabdi (condensed milk or thickened milk) with Jilebi and in some places Jilebi has been served with creamycurd. In traditional way of making Jilebi fermented all purpose flour is used, but many of the new chefs started innovations and some of them tried making Jilebi with khoya(thickened milk),potato and some made it with cooked rice which is called as 'Bhatkamjilebi'.In eastside of Maharashtra this Bhatkam Jilebi is very popular. Special fasting Jilebi has also been Invented  which is made with Ararot powder. Jilebi is not only popular in India it is world famous now Syria, Turkistan, Greece, Iran, Egypt, Tunisia, syprus,  Morocco, yaman , Pakistan , Bangladesh are all in love with Jilebi.

            In my childhood we use to visit our grandparents in Navratri, there was a tradition in which toddler girls (kumarika) were specially invited for lunch and jilebi and creamycurd was served as special sweet dish .Few years back in Vishnuji ki rasoi we tried to make Jilebi in jaggery syrup and we used wheat flour in the place of all purpose flour and this invention was happily accepted and loved by our customers. This invention gave us a thought procedure that sugar was actually invented after jaggery so in early days Jilebi must have been prepared using jaggery syrup or honey or sugarcane juice.

There is a small tip for our readers those who love to make Jilebi in clarified butter please note that take small amount of clarified butter in flat pan and fry Jilebi into small batches change the clarified butter after some batch are fried, because after some batch clarified butter gets burnt and it adds it's burnt flavour to Jilebi. I love Jilebi which is made in Nasik by "Dudha Halwai" this Jilebi is fried in vanaspati butter.

            This is the journey of Jilebi and it is going to travel far more years to come and going to bring more and more innovative ideas.

GULABJAMUN

          

         

         Gulabjamun is the only sweetdish which is very well known and a popular dish all over India It is prepared in almost all function ,celebration and part. Gulab jamun is the shaan of all Indian bigfat weddings too ,but do you know this recipe has travelled miles from faraway countries. I know its very interesting and you all want to know its origin, so fastened your seat belts and come with me on a rollercoaster ride to know the journey of our own Gulab jamun to India . Most of the times we name a recipe by the key ingredients which we use while preparing the same, Gulab in hindi or marathi means rose but in Gulabjamun recipe there is absolutely no rose present in any form but still it is called as Gulabjamun. Then why do they call as Gulabjamun? actually its origin is based on a persian recipe named as Bamieh (persian doughnut dipped in sweet rosewater),in this recipe they use to make a dough of all purpose flour and milk powder deep fry them or bake it and then dip them in sweet rosewater syrup or saffron syrup. Bamieh was brought to India by Mughals and then it was named as Gulabjamun. Bamieh recipe travelled to India from persia but went through many changes in it, at first they boiled the milk till it solidifies and added rose petals into it same like "Kalakand" after that they tried making round balls of it and was bifurcated into spicy Gulabjamun and sweet Gulabjamun recipe. Then they tried one more recipe they boiled the milk till it solidifies and added rose petals grind the mixture then added cornstarch or all purpose flour then make round balls of the dough and deep fry them in clarrified butter and soak the fried balls into sugar syrup for 5 to 6 hours and serve them . 

           When Mughal empire was ruling India, Mughal emperor Shahjahan's use to organise a special dinner party called "Dawat" in which the vegetarian delegates were served with this special recipies in their respect and to make them feel rich. this was a special recipe of pulav (rice dish)and curry in which they used to add gulabjam deep fried into it. Once a big Dawat was organised by Shahjahaan for the Nizam of Hyderabad ,the preparation for this Dawat was going on and the head 'khansama' means the head cook kept this fried gulbjam in a big plate and by mistake the "chasnikaar" a desert making cook put this gulabjamuns in his sugarsyrup after they realise their mistake they removed the gulabjam and tasted the taste was superb. The Nizam wanted to taste a sweetdish before the dawat and the khansama was ready with his new invented dish. He gracefully presented his new sweetdish garnished with chopped rosepetals and presented in front of the nizam king. The Nizam was so delighted with this dish and he said "gazab ki cheez hai? Swad mein gulab aur Dikhti toh jamun jaise." Means he praised the recipe and said it tastes rose and it looks like blackberry, and at the same time the khansama named the recipe as 'Gulabjamun'. Once the Gulabjamun was invented the khansama started research on this recipe he removed rose from the recipe and tried adding kewda, saffron and cardamom and to look it appealing hi garnished it with silver work or golden work and topped it with finely sliced green pistachio and some strips of saffron which made it look very rich, and with so much of richness it straightly entered into the list of the best and rich deserts in the world. The invention didn't stopped here it was just the beginning, kalajamun was the new variation invented in the list of Gulabjamun Kalajamun was big round shape ball slightly black in colour which was dipped in sugar syrup and then strained it from the syrup and rolled in desiccated Coconut. The size of kalajamun was big so while frying the centre of the jamun was not getting properly cooked so the cook studied and he came with this mind blowing idea he inserted a sugarball in the centre of the kalajamun while rolling it in round ball shape, So that while frying because of outer heat the sugarball started dissolving and the centre of the jamun automatically get sweetened. Then they started adding saffron colour with the sugar ball so when we cut the jamun the centre of it was saffron colour. To bring that black colour of the outer covering it was fried on low flame in clarified butter or oil for a longer period ,but because of more of frying the solidified milk started getting burnt flavour. so the bengali cook started adding paneer to the solidified milk dough. They mixed both khawa and paneer in equal quantity and add a little bit of tapioca powder for binding the dough and then they make big round balls from that dough and deep fry them in oil or clarified butter and keep them aside after for 5 to 7 minutes and they they add the fried balls in the sugar syrup. The scientific reason behind this process was the fried jamun if directly added to sugar syrup after frying soaks the syrup immediately and it squeezes in size and the jamun gets harder the same thing happens with the gulabjamun. While deep frying Gulabjamun we have to keep the temperature of oil or clarified butter on medium flame and continuosly roll them up and down in the oil ,so that they fry from all sides and it doesn't burn and it gives beautiful golden brown colour to each and every jamun equally. In Nepal Gulabjamun's are known as "Lalmohan".  

        

            Gulabjamun is a favourite desert of India but it is very famous in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Dubai, Nepal, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, fizi, Africa, Malaya, Peninsula, Trinidad, carabian country and Jamaica. Gulabjun is famous as South asian desert or sweet. Today we get readymade mix packets of Gulabjamun in the market evrywhere which makes easy for everyone to make Gulabjamun at home easily. Today hot Gulabjamun is served with vanilla ice cream in many parties and functions.a new recipe is in demand these days in which while preparing cake Gulabjamun are placed in the centre and the cake is baked so that while cutting the cake its a surprise package of soft melting Gulabjamun inside it. Here we complete our journey of Gulabjamun to India. writing this article i felt like i have eaten 15 to 20 Gulabjamun today hope you all enjoy this journey and may Gulabjamun live forever to sweetened your life .

Gourmet Chef Vishnu Manohar

MANGO

            Today we will study about the king of fruits and the national fruit of India the one and only the favourite of all  age groups ie Mango .Mango is mostly found on the Konkan belts so it is called Konkan cha Raja means Konkan's king .Mango has been called as Amrut fruit also. Its a seasonal fruit and we get it from Month of April till mid of June. It needs hot humid climatical conditions and sandy soil this type of climate is found in India so we get the most of the portion of harvest of mango in India .Till date there is no fix evidence of the beginning of this fruit but looking into the history of 250 to 300 years this tree may be  from south and south west regions of India. Their are many varieties of mango like Alphanso which is commonly called as Hapus in India, Payri, Totapuri, Kesar, Fernandez, Raywal, Maniknbhat, Neelam, Mankur, Ghonta, and many more. Ripe mango juice contains vitamin A and C in maximum quantity which is  good medicine on skin disease.

            South Asia is harvesting mangoes from thousands of year. Mango is the National fruit of India and Pakistan, Mango tree is a National tree of Bangladesh and National Symbol of Philippines. In India and South Asia cultural importance has been given to Mango,

Small branches of mango trees has been used in many rituals of Indian Hindu communities  of India .

            Variety of mango fruit depends upon the climatical condition of the region , as per the region its  soil the taste differs it has its own unique taste. Mango tree grows upto 40 feet, its leaves are 4 to 5 inches long. In spring season the tree starts getting small red leaves and then they grow into long dark green colour, the tree starts flowering and this flowers are called as "Ambyacha Mohar" or "Amramanjiri" in Marathi.

            Mango is eaten in different style as per its shape and size we can enjoy the fruit in many ways as per our comfort and style its realy divine. Gavti Amba is a one type of mango variety which can be enjoyed by sucking the juice of it directly using your mouth for that first we have to press the mango from all sides carefully so that it doesn't opens up from any side we have to open the cap of the mango and it is situated on the top of it where it is attached to the stem. At end of the cap and the stem a white juice is present which should be removed first and then enjoy the fruit .

If we gulp the white juice which is present in the opening of mango it destroys the taste buds of our tongue it is dangerous to gulp that juice because its reaction can make us ill as well as we can get pimples on our face.

            Langda, Neelam and Totapuri are the varieties of mangoes which has to be eaten before they get fully riped. Some of the Magoes get riped their juice is eaten with adding clarified butter and black pepper it enhances its taste.

            When India was ruled by British they have named mango as bathroom fruit because while eating mango we spoil our hands mouth dress so they use to eat mangoes in bathroom.

Each and every fruit or vegetable they have there own gender but in case of mango when it is in raw form it is known as "Kairy" in Marathi which is feminine name but as soon as it is ripe it changes its gender in masculine name as "Amba" in Marathi means mango .and it changes its characteristics also ie when it is eaten  raw it gives us  soothing effect to our body as well as it is a acid neutralizer and when it is eaten ripe it increases metabolism of our body, those who have heat problems they should eat mango in limited proportion.

         In early days mango yeild was limited as soon as its demand in market increased rapidly people started plantations of mango trees  .many different kind of mango recipes were invented in early days and now we have a wide range of mango recipes which are prepared in all household.

          First we will study raw mango recipes, raw mangoes contains potassium, tartaric, citric, and malic acid so we can preserve raw mango recipes for a year and more. Recipes like pickle,panha(a type of juice),,salads are made from mixing cucumber and raw mangoes or bengal gram dal and raw mango which is called as Pachdi, Chunda, Takku, Methamba, Ambyacha Khula, Kairi Sauce, Raw mango Juice, Chutney, Kairas, "Amboshi "this is made by peeling and chopping raw mango and then they are sundried Amboshi is later used in many curries, vegetables ,fish recipes to enhance the recipe by the sour taste. In north India powder of Amboshi is well known as Amchur and is used in mostly each and every recipe they cook , in Gujarat it is well known as Amboliya. many more recipes are cooked with raw mangoes many Goan or South Indian recipes they add raw mango in curries and vegetables .raw mango Murabba is a medicinal dish which increases blood in body

            Now we will study some interesting recipes from ripe mangoes, Aamras is the all time favourite recipe of all ages, we can enjoy this recipe as a sweet desert in all the celebration or function in the season of April to June. A big business has been put up in all Konkan areas, where mango yeild is in ample form they boil the mango juice adding sugar and preservatives and pack them so that we can store it for a year and enjoy the fruit the whole year. Aamras-Poli, Amba Barfi, Aamras Dhokla, Aamras Shevya, Aamrasatil Shevya, Ambyache Paysam, Ambyache Sasam, Ambyache Human means tampered mango curry, mango cake and many more.

            Once while traveling by road in south India in the farm of mangoes i found some people cooking interesting thing from mango on wood fire,  with my food enthusiasm i went their to check. They were cooking mango pulp in big vessels on wood fire they added jaggery and sugar to it then spread the cooked batter on  bamboo structure for sundry as soon as it dries  they put one more layer of batter for sundry ,This procedure goes on till  1inch broad layer is obtained and its length is upto 1 kilometer ,this is then cut into square shapes and send to market for sell it is very well known as "Aampapad" in the market, and has a popular demand .It can be stored for a year. Now days big factories has been set for the same where they are prepared with utmost hygiene.

                  One more  famous ice cream made from mango  which is worldwide popular is known as Mastani  And we get it in Pune in Maharashtra.

           Seeing the popularity of mango i also invented a new dish which is known as Cheese mango bite i would like to share the recipe with you.

            Ingredients for the same are Mango diskined and cut in square cubes, cheese grated 1cup add 1/2 cup of milk mix and cook it in double boiler , bread crumbs 1 cup and cornstarch 1 spoon mix well and keep aside, oil for frying sate sticks or toothpicks. Method skew the mango cubes in sate sticks dip them in the cheese batter roll them in crumbs freeze them for an hour and deep fry them on medium heat take it out immediately and serve them hot.

IDLI

Wherever we travel in India and now abroad too the only breakfast which gives you homely feel  is the one and only "Idli" , favourite of all ages from babies to older ones everyone is in love with it .

            Today we will dig into its origin, I know everyone must be eager to know its history... so lets go and learn something interesting stories about our all time favourite foodlady "Idli".

            Idli has the oldest Origin,  in the period of 800 to 1200  century it has been noted in many Granthas  like Mansolas, nalpakshasthra  khadyagranth .we all have that prediction  about idli as a south indian food but we have studied that it has its origin from other places too .

            In early century in arab countries a dish similar to idli named as" riceball" which was served with chutney can be find out in historical books. 

            A big historian k .Acharya says Indonesia must be  the origin of  Idli,as per his study recipies made by fermenting ingredients is an old method of Indonesia. In the 800 to 1200 century many cook of Indian kings had gone to Indonesia and from there only they brought the recipe of Idli with them.but many historian are against this study .

Nalraja the writer of An old recipe book 'Nalpakdarpan' which is written in sanskrit has evidents of Idli in it, but it was called as 'Idrika'.

            While studying  Kannada sahitya in 920 century idli was called as 'Idlige' and in lokopkara granth which is written by chamundaray.  he has mentioned that black lentil was soaked in curd and then grind with adding the same curd water in it and used to steam them which is also called as Idli.

            In Manasalos granth they have mentioned that idli is made with Dehusked blacklentil ,in this procedure the lentil is soaked then grinded then spread in a flat plate and kept for fermentation, then they are steamed in small round bowls closed with wet cloth .while serving they were garnished with hot clarrified butter blackpepper powder and asafotida.

            Many experiments were done in India to get Idli recipe  they tried with coconut water ,coconut milk ,Tadi nira (palmwine),and finally we got Idli  .after many years many lookalike recipies were also invented like appam,idiappam,appe then after sometime Nirdosa ,dosa were also invented

In Tamil nadu a word "itta-avi" which means a recipe in which the batter is spread into a flat plate and steamed, if we join this two words 'ittavi 'word is born and after a period it is pronounced as 'ittvi ' and after a period   idli was a newborn name for the same.

            In early days Gujarat has also a recipe named 'Idra' was prepared which was same like Idli.

            This recipe is prepared with rice flour batter which is spread into flat plates and steamed then garnished with tampered mustardseeds , asafetida and then they were cut in square shapes and served and this recipe is still been cooked in gujarat homes till date. but now it is named as white or pandhra dhokla.

            One more historian claims that assam and Meghalaya which are popular for bamboo.
            They Cook a unique dish and the process was really different ,an  old bamboo tree flowers after 60 years of his age and this flowers polangrains are  black seeds and were like rice only. they use to soak this rice then grind it and pour the batter into bamboo and steam it and serve it with chutney .

            On the beaches of Kerala a recipe named 'Putta'

            Is very popular, this recipe is  made by soaking the rice in palmwine with freshly grated coconut this batter is poured into pipe like bowls and steamed and served hot with chickpea thick curry or vegetable stew and Papad ,this recipe is very popular in sinhali region.Idli is very popular in Sri lanka too.But now Idli is  totally named and  popular as south indian breakfast dish in all over the world. 

Variety of chutneys and sambhar are served with Idli, Idli really compliments well with any kind of chutney. Pud chutney is one kind of chutney which is made by combination of many spices and pulses and lentils which are dry roast and then grind into powdered chutney.

            Alamm pachdi, sintakai pachdi, variety of coconut chutney are served with Idli. sambhara is one of the most complimenting dish served with idli it is prepared with combination of many types of vegetables ,pulses ,coconut gravy and tampered with mustard seeds asafetida curry leaves fenugreek seeds, Their is a historic importance for sambhara .once when Sambhaji Maharaj visited Karnataka and he had split gram dal curry that is popularly known as waran in Maharashtra with idli and he just loved the combination, after that incident it got so popular that they named it Sambhara after the name of Sambhaji Maharaja .Many of them says that in sambhar 12 different ingredients are used so it is named as 'Samabhar'  means equal amount of all ingredients.

            As per region and its climatically conditions differ many of the regions where black lentil was very heavy to digest , people replaced it with split green gram .And in many places they started making idli with only rice, now  idli is made with wheat semolina also.

In my home we have started making different type of idli and i would love to share my recipe with you all so that you can try something new for breakfast and the recipe is.......

 3 cups of dosa rice,2cups of flattened rice that is poha and cream 1 cup or homemade butter1 cup  grinded and fermented and then steamed .this recipe of idli is so tasty that it doesn't need any chutney or Sambhar to compliment it .

Here you have the history of Idli its as long as it is older than 1000 years .

Credits : Mangesh, Gaurav Duvedi & Prajakta Shahapurkar

CHEF VISHNU MANOHAR

SAOJI FOOD FROM CENTRAL INDIA

Saoji Food from Central India

Many of today’s popular dishes of Vidharbha, its quintessential cuisine, find their roots in the peculiar lifestyle of the people inhabiting the land in antiquated times. The cuisine was intrinsically linked to the habits, customs and mores of the people who lived in what is called this Varhad region. Apropos, the endemic gastronomic fare ahs come be known as Varadhi food. Although over the centuries the local people’s lifestyle changed, many of these gastronomic delights have not only survived, but have found a refreshing resurgence in today’s cyber era.

            The name Varhad itself has sprung from the early ions of mythical lore. The great epics like Ramayana. Rikvidhas and other of Indian culture have referred to this region as Vardath and Varadh Berar. The region has always has a distinct identity and has retained it till date, although Vidarbha does not enjoy the status of a distinct separate state. Nestling the eastern part of Maharashtra, Vidarbha consist of eleven district, Bhandara, Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, Wardha, Yevatmal, Buldhana, Akola Amravati, Gondia, Wasim and Nagpur.

            From times immemorial farming has been the main occupation of the region’s people. The important crops grown here are Cotton, Jowar, Tur and Rice. In the antiquated days, only the male members of the family were supposed to work of farms. While the men drove bullocks carts and plowed the land, the ladies of the house were tied to their household duties.

            One of the most important of these was cooking for the family. Unaware of the world and the happenings outside, these womenfolk pottered around in their kitchens, talked about food, discussed and passed on various dishes to others and experimental with innumerable varieties.

            At the same time, although a sizable population of the region was in involved in farming, other communities preferred different vocations like spinning and yarning. Almost these, a separate community called “Saoji” emerged, a community with distinct business and gastronomic tastes. Their cuisine peppered with liberal does of chilies and chilly powder, became very popular in the region. Over the centuries, “Saoji” food has not only retained its sting and popularity, but has found a resurgence and wide spread appeal. Nary a suburb in Nagpur city without a “Saoji” joint is the eloquent testimonial to this fact.

            Here I take great pleasure in presenting some of these very original Vidarbha and Saoji food recipes.

Saoji Rassa (Gravy)

Ingredients:- paste of onion 200 gms, liquid of ginger-garlic 1 katori, red chilli 8-10, aniseeds 1 t spoon, cardamom (black) 4-5, cloves 2 t spoons, mace powder 1 t spoon, black pepper 2 t spoons, caraway seeds 2 t spoons, coriander seeds 5 t spoons, poppy seeds ¼ katori, jawar flour 5 t spoons, ground nut oil ½ katori, coconut oil ½ katori, chilli powder 2 t spoons, bay leave 4-5, turmeric 1 t spoons, salt as per the taste.

Procedure:- roast all the spices except onion and garlic, till they turn bit dark, soak in hot water. Boil it in water for 10 minutes; make a paste out of it. Heat pan, add oil, then liquid of ginger-garlic. After it is cooked add onion paste, grinded masala & bay leaves. Add little water, boil it till oil gets separates. Add turmeric, chilli powder and coconut oil. Decorate it with chopped coriander.

Note:-Mix jowar flour in water, add it in the end.

Add/mix 1 katori water to the paste of garlic, strain out the water.

Mutton Curry with Savaji Rassa (Gravy)

Ingredients:- Fresh red meat 1 kg, Savaji gravy 4 katories, paste of ginger-garlic-coriander-green chilli 4 t spoons, curds (sour) 2 katories, khada masala 1 t spoons, kasoori methi 1 t spoon, coriander seeds 1 t spoons.

Procedure:- Marinate, thoroughly cleaned red meat with paste of all spices, green chilli & curds for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Cook it without adding extra water. Add Savaji gravy, then kasoori methi. Allow it to cook for 5-7 minutes. Add chopped coriander to it, serve it hot.

Susan

Procedure:- Make a hard dough of 1 kg refined wheat flour. Wash it under running water after 10 minutes. The starch will be washed away because of this. The remaining substance is called ‘gluten’ It will be approximately 200 to 250 gms. This does not dissolve in water. Boil some with little salt in it. Cook this substance in it for about 5-7 minutes. Drain out water & cut it into pieces, it is called ‘susan’ (It can be stored in refrigerator for 5-6 days) Add 2 katories of savaji gravy in 200 gm Susan. Heat it. You may fry ‘Susan’ before adding the gravy. Put chopped coriander leaves & serve it hot, here are have some more preparation in Savaji style.

Dal Kanda

This dish is a traditional dish, which is prepared on the previous night of wedding in Savaji community.

Ingredients:- Soaked chana dal 2 katories, Finely chopped onion 2 katories, poppy seeds (roasted grinded) 2 t spoons, ginger-garlic paste 4 t spoons, cumin seeds, coriander seeds powder 2 t spoons, kala masala (vidarbha style) 1 t spoon, green chilli (pounded) 1 t spoon, chilli powder-turmeric-salt as per the taste, mustard seeds & asafoetida for tempering

Procedure:- soak chana dal for 2-3 hours. Heat oil, temper it with mustard seeds, asafoetida, pounded green chilli, garlic. Add onion, sauté it well. Add soaked chana dal, salt & some water. Cook it till dal gets tender (do not till it gets mashed.) Gradually add cumin seeds, coriander seeds powder, poppy seeds powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder & ginger. Add little water & sauté it, Lastly add garam masala, chopped coriander, serve it with lambi roti or bhakri.

Note:-In this dish we have more oil & chilli powder than the other dishes.

Lambi Roti – this is very common in Vidarbha. Take dough of wheat flour, thump it again & again to have gluten formed in it, then shape it in chapatti with hands, roast it on the earthen pot this is kept upside down.

Gavara Teekha (spicy cluster beans)

This is a different, but extra hot/spicy dish. Beans are not cut, but kept as it is. Usually people make faces when dish of cluster beans is served, but this dish you all will relish.

Ingredients:- Cluster beans 200 gms (remove the thread), finely chppoed onion 1 katori, ginger-garlic paste 2 t spoons, cumin seeds 1 t spoon, coriander seeds powder 1 t spoon, turmeric-cilly powder as per the taste, garam masala 1 t spoon, salt as per the taste, roasted & grinded poppy seeds 2 t spoons, roasted & grinded groundnut 2 t spoons, mustard seeds 1 t spoon, asafoetida ½ t spoon, oil ½ katori

Procedure:- heat some water in a pan, add turmeric powder, salt & boil cluster beans along with it. Heat oil temper it with mustard seeds, add garlic, onion sauté it thoroughly. Add turmeric powder, cumin seeds, coriander seeds powder, ginger, little water & salt as per the taste. Add the pods, garam masala, coriander to it. Serve it with hot bhakri.

Khaskhashichi Bhaji (Poppy seeds Bhaji)

Ingredients:- Soaked poppy seeds 2 katories, grated onion ½ katori, turmeric powder as per the taste, chilli powder as per the taste asafoetida ½ t spoon, oil 4 t spoons, coriander 1 t spoon, cloves 2-3, cumin seed 1 t spoon, coriander seeds powder 1 t spoon, bay leaves 2-3, kala masala (vidarbha style) ½ t spoon

Procedure:- Heat oil in pan. Add clove, bay leaves to it. Then add garlic paste, grated onion, sauté it. Make a paste of soaked poppy seeds. Add it to the onion, when it turns golden brown cook it, till oil separates. Add the remaining spices, ginger, salt as per the taste and little water. Saute it for a while. Serve it with chapatti. This dish is of different taste.

Varhadi Rassa or Gravy

The north-east past of Maharashtra belonged to central province. Area from Buldhana district to Bhandara district (total 8 districts) is known as Varhad or Vidarbha. This province is famous for spicy & sumptuous food. The dishes prepared here, have more oil & chilli powder. People use groundnut oil or linseed oil for cooking. I am going to give you some dishes prepared suing this gravy, before that let’s see how to make gravy first.

Ingredients:- Ginger-garlic paste ½ katori, paste of raw onion 1 katori, paste of green chilli 4-5 t spoons, tamarind pulp ½ katori, jaggery as per the taste, roasted dry coconut ½ katori, roasted poppy seeds ¼ katori, roasted sesame ½ katori, fenugreek seeds 1 t spoon, turmeric powder ½ t spoon, chilli powder as per the taste. Powder of roasted coriander seeds 5 t spoons, cumin seeds powder 5 t spoons, garam masala 2 t spoons, bay leave 4-5 asafoetida ½ t spoon, oil 1 katori.

Procedure:- Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, garlic, and onion paste. Sauté it till it turns golden brown. Add some water then bay leaves & remaining ingredient. Sauté it, add appropriate quantity of water to the masala, sauté it till oil separates. Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, ginger, jaggery & salt as per the taste.

Kohlyachi (white pumpkin) gakhar Bhaji

Ingredients:- Ash gourd ½ kg, coriander ½ katori, varhadi gravy 2 katories, garam masala 1 t spoon, salt as per the taste, mustard seeds 1 t spoon, asafoetida ¼ t spoon, oil for tempering, curry leaves, roasted piyal 5  t spoons

Procedure:- Chop white pumpkin along with its skin. Heat oil in a pan. Temper with mustard seeds, asafoetida, add pieces of white pumpkin, curry leaves & salt as per the taste. Add varhadi gravy & piyal. Cook it on a low flame. Add garam masala. Allow to get it cooked with steam. Add chopped coriander. Serve it with hot chapatti

Note:-the vegetable used is basically a mild one so make this dish little spicy.

Masalyachi Wangi (Masala Brinjal)

Ingredients:- Brinjals ½ kg, salt as per the taste, turmeric powder ¼ t spoons, oil 1 t spoon, varhadi rassa 2 katories,

Procedure:- Cut two brinjals in the centre & dip in the water in which turmeric powder and salt is mixed. Take Varhadi rassa in a pan, add the brinjals & salt as per the taste let it get cooked. Serve it with hot phulkas.

Patal (Liquid) Bhaji in Varhadi Style

In this preparation mainly spinach is used at with the combination of fenugreek or colocassia & Aambat Chuka. This is a preparation with a different taste than the other taste.

Ingredients:- Spinach (finely chopped) 2 katories, fenugreek or colocassia ½ katori, Aambat chukka ½ katori, slice of radish ½ katori, green chilli (chopped) 2 t spoons, ginger-garlic paste 2 t spoons, turmeric powder-chilli powder as per the taste, fenugreek seeds ½ t spoon, dry coconut slices 2/3 t spoon, soaked ground nut 2 t spoons, soaked chana dal ½ katori, asafoetida ½ t spoon, cumin seeds powder 1 t spoon, coriander seeds powder 1 t spoon, chana dal flour ½ katori

Procedure:- cook ground nut & chana dal together in a pan. Heat some oil, add mustard seeds, asafoetida, garlic cooked ground nut and chana dal, curry leaves, coconut 7 radish slices, turmeric powder, chilli powder, fenugreek seeds. Sauté it well. Add chopped spinach and fenugreen, sauté it thoroughly. Add water as per the requirement, allow it boil for a while add paste of chana dal flour to thicken the dish. Add salt, tamarind pulp, jaggery as per the taste, boil it. Heat the remaining oil, temper it with mustard seeds, asafoetida & finely chopped garlic. Pour/add this to the prepared dish, before serving.

Patodi Rassa

Patodi is known as ‘patwadi’. This dish I tasted first in the area of Yevtmal, later I realized that this rassa is prepared all over Vidarbha. This rassa is very easy to prepare, but if it is extra hot & spicy, it tastes great!

Ingredients:- Varhadi gravy 2 katories (we are not going to use tamarind pulp & jaggery in this rassa. This rassa tastes good in savaji gravy also), chana dal flour 1 katori, grated dry coconut 2 t spoons, turmeric powder ½ t spoon, chilli & salt as per the taste, oil 2 t spoons, mustard seeds 1 t spoon, asafoetida ¼ t spoon.

Procedure:- heat some oil, temper it with mustard seeds, add asafoetida, turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt & 1 katori water. Add besan (chana dal flour), keep stirring the mixture. Cook it well. As it thickens a little, add coriander to it. Pour it in a tray, spread layer of the grated coconut all over the tray. Cut into pieces, once it is cooled down. While serving it add little water & salt as per the taste in Varhadi rassa, now add ready Patodi to it, get it boiled.

Lavat

This dish is prepared in a unique way to go with it’s unique name. usually it is prepared in winter season, as ‘Seeds’ from fresh pods of Tur dal are used.

Ingredients:- paste of fresh pods of tur dal 1 katori, turmeric powder-chilli powder as per the taste oil 4 t spoons, cumin seeds powder 1 t spoon, coriander seeds powder 1 t spoon, ginger-garlic paste 2 t spoons, roasted- grinded poppy seeds 2 t spoons, mustard seeds 1 t spoon, asafoetida ¼ t spoon, salt as per the taste

Procedure:- heat oil in pan, temper it with mustard seeds, add asafoetida, 1 t spoon, ginger-garlic paste, sauté it. Add finely chopped onion (1 katori). As the onion turns golden, add cumin seeds, coriander seeds powder, turmeric powder, salt, roasted powder poppy seeds. Sauté it, add 2 glasses of water, bring it to boil/ Add salt as per the taste.

            Add 1 t spoon ginger-garlic paste in the paste of tur seeds of fresh tur pods. Add salt as per the taste, 1 t spoon, finely chopped coriander mix it well. Make small balls out of this mixture and add them into the boiling water (all the masalas are mixed in the water) Allow it to cook for 8-10 minutes. Decorate with coriander serve it with chapatti.

Varhadi Tiger Prawns

Ingredients:- Tiger prawns with shell (from river water) 15-20, garam masala 2 t spoons, varhadi rassa 1 t spoon, tamarind pulp 4 t spoons, turmeric powder ½ t spoon, salt as per the taste.

Procedure:- Clean the tiger prawns. Apply turmeric powder, tamarind pulp & salt to it. Keep it for half an hour. Drain out the water. Add varhadi gravy & cook it. Add garam masala. Garnish it with coriander before serving.

Note:-tiger prawns with shell or without the shell can be used to prepare this dish.

Stuffed tender guard

This is basically from Vidarbha, its a heavy dish but it tastes delicious.

Ingredients:- tender ash guard (small size) of 3-4 cm diameter approximately, khoa ½ katori, roasted-powdered poppy seeds 1 t spoon, ginger-garlic paste 3 t spoons, green chilli paste as per the taste, cashew nut pieces 4-5. raisins 4-5, lemon juice 2 t spoons, salt-sugar as per the taste, oil for frying, paste of raw onion 1 katori, coriander-ginger-fresh coriander (grated) 1 katori

Procedure:- cut the tender ash guard gently. Scoop out the kernel. Apply salt, lemon juice from inside. Mix fresh coconut, ginger] garlic, green chilli, cashew nut, raisins, khoa, salt, sugar together. Stuff the tender coconut with this masala. Seal it with dough. Keep such stuffed tender ash guard and a lid to fit it properly, ready. You may use a tooth pick to fix the lid. Heat oil, add onion paste & coriander powder to it. Fry these stuffed ash guard on a low flame, place it on sieve to drain out oil.