Aamti

During our recent trip to Mumbai, we had the opportunity to taste some authentic Maharastrian dishes. Since I grew up in Mumbai, I am quite fond of their cuisine and while there, I also bought their famous “goda masala” from one of the popular masala shops. For those of you who are not familiar with this masala, it is a special blend of spices, very aromatic, dark brown in colour and gives that special taste to the dish when added. Different regions in Maharashtra have their own version of goda masala. And “Aamti” is incomplete without the goda masala. This dish is a regular fare in most Maharashtrian  homes. In short, I can say with conviction that what “Dalitoy” is to konkanis, “Aamti” is to maharashtrians.

Well, armed with this masala, I started my search for some Maharashtrian recipes from my collection. I found four varieties but chose “Aamti” as I already had boiled toor dal (the main ingredient in this recipe) in the refrigerator and this halved the cooking time to just 10 mins. When it was finally done, I was very happy with result and so was my spouse. Try it out and see it for yourself.

Ingredients:

Toor Dal / Split Pigeon Pea	1 cup
Kokum or Tamarind pulp	3-4 pcs of kokum / 1-2 tsps of tamarind pulp
Jaggery powder	1 tbsp
Green chilies (slit)	2
Goda Masala	2 tsps
Freshly Grated coconut	2 tbsps
Salt	As per taste
Ingredients for tempering:
Oil	1tbsp
Mustard seeds	1 tsp
Hing/asafoetida	A pinch
Curry leaves	1 sprig
For Garnish:
Coriander leaves (chopped)	2 tbsps

Method:

1. Wash and cook the toor dal/split pigeon pea in pressure cooker for 12 mins. Then mash the cooked dal well and keep it aside.
2. If using kokum, soak the pieces in water for about 15 mins. 
3. Heat a saucepan. Add oil and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds starts spluttering, lower the flame, add hing/asafoetida and curry leaves. Saute it for awhile.
4. Next add the mashed dal with a little water, slit green chilies, salt, jaggery powder, goda masala, freshly grated coconut, kokum water/tamarind pulp. Mix well.
5. Finally add more water for desired thickens. Give it a stir and allow it to boil for a few minutes and then switch off the flame.
6. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Preparation time: 15 mins

Cooking time : 20 mins

Serves : 3

Note:

• This is generally eaten with rice. Tastes good with rotis/chapattis too.
• Goda masala is available in super markets under different brand names.
• Aamti can also be prepared from Moong dal (split green gram) or Masoor dal (split lentil) too.

Mint Pulao

Mint Pulao needs no introduction. It is an aromatic dish and easy to prepare too.  I had half a bunch of mint which I needed to use before it started losing its freshness. This time I prepared it with a slight variation and hence did not get the green colour that is generally associated with this pulao. But the taste was not compromised.

It so happened that my friend and her spouse paid us a surprise visit while I just finished preparing the pulao. They had a taste of this served with Rajma masala. I was pleased to know that they thoroughly enjoyed it.

Ingredients:

Rice	1 cup
Mint leaves	1 cup
Curds	1 cup
Water	2 cups
Ginger	1 inch pc.
Green chilies	1-2 or as per taste
Salt	As per taste
Seasoning ingredients
Oil	1 tbsp
Tejpatta	1
Cloves	2-3
Cinnamon	1 inch pc
Star Anise	1
Cardamom (green)	1 or 2
Black (big) Cardamom	1

Method:

1. Wash the rice and soak it for about an hour.
2. In the meantime, roughly chop green chilies, ginger and mint leaves.
3. Whip the curds well and keep it aside.
4. Heat oil in a pan. Add to it all the ingredients mentioned under “seasoning ingredients”.
5. Keeping the flame low, add chopped ginger, green chilies and chopped mint leaves. Saute it for a while till the mint leaves wilt.
6. Add the whipped curds. Mix well.
7. Finally, add water and salt. Stir well and increase the flame. Allow it to boil. Then lower the flame and cover it with a lid. Let it cook for about 15-20 mins or till done. Remove from flame.
8. Serve hot.

Preparation : 15 mins

Cooking Time : 20 mins

Serves : 2-3 persons

Note:

• I used Sona Masoori Rice. You can use Basmati or any rice of your choice.
• Instead of chopping ginger, green chilies and mint leaves, you can grind these three ingredients to a fine paste and use it in the recipe.
• Left over rice can also be used to prepare this pulao.

Dill & Spinach Curry

After having our fill of  yummy puddings, cakes and chocolates, I thought it would be a good idea to start the new year with some healthy and tasty recipes.

Leafy vegetables are now available in plenty. Dill is an aromatic leafy vegetable and when combined with spinach, it gives a very pleasant aroma to the dish. The more dill you add in combination of spinach, the more pronounced will be its aromatic flovour.  It depends on your "Dil" (heart) too! If "Dil Maange" more you can add more!. So the choice is yours. Do it with "Dill Se" !

In Hindi. Dill is known as Suwa and in Marathi "Shepu".

 Ingredients:

Moong Dal (Split Green gram)	1 cup
Spinach	2 bunches
Dill	1 small bunch
Onion	1 medium
Ginger	1” piece
Tomatoes	2
Salt	To taste
Seasoning ingredients
Oil	2-3 tsps
Mustard seeds	1 tsp
Chillies (green or red)	1-2

 

 Method:

1. Soak Split Green Gram (Moong Dal) for about an hour and then cook it with very little water.
2. Clean and wash Dill and Spinach separately. Chop them and cook them with little water for a few minutes or just blanch them to retain its green colour.
3. Chop tomatoes and onions and slit green or red (fresh) chilles.
4. Heat a pan. Add the seasoning ingredients. Fry till the mustard seeds pop.
5. Add chopped onion and tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes are soft and forms a paste. Add chopped ginger.
6. Next add the cooked moong dal and mix well. 
7. Finally add the cooked dill, spinach and salt. Give it a good stir and remove from flame.

 Note:

• This dish can be served with rice or chappatis.
• It is advisable to use slit red chillies instead of green chillies as these can be seen and removed easily or else you may end up with a burning tongue!

See here for more info on Dill:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dill

To know the indian names of Dill see here:

http://www.indianspices.com/html/s0626dil.htm

Oregano / "Sambharbalipaan"

Family functions and other commitments prevented me from posting on my blog. In the meantime, I also noticed that my tiny garden in the balcony was getting neglected so much so that some of the plants were growing out of control and one of it was the Oregano or “Sambharpali Paan” (in Konkani language).

Thus started my spade work! Gardening is hard work but very satisfying in the sense that you can actually see them grow ( from a tiny delicate plant to a sturdy one) and bloom.

Oregano is a medicinal herb and in our native village ( Udupi and Mangalore, Karnataka) this herb is grown in almost every house and is generally used for relieving coughs and cold especially for very young children. Its leaves have a distinct flavour.

I also learnt that it has several health benefits and is used in several countries in different ways. Of course we all know that it is used in Pizzas.

It’s easy to grow and can be grown from cuttings as I have done. It also does not need much looking after. It is growing happily in my pot in the balcony.
The leaves are very thick and juicy and only these are used for salads and some recipes.

Watch out for my next post on the recipe.




Source
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregano
http://gardening.about.com/od/plantprofil2/p/Oregano.htm

The following link will give you some of the Indian names of this herb http://www.indianspices.com/html/s0625oregano.htm