Handwa or savory lentil flour cake recipe

Traditionally, Handwa is made in a special cooker (which looks somewhat like bundt pan) directly on flame of a stove and it tastes yummm. when eaten with kaccha oil . Handwa can also be made directly on pan. It is called Dangela! They are delicious too but require too much oil. I cook Handwa in oven to restrict the usage of oil.  Handwa is like a complete healthy meal.

 My husband is not a fan of ghia/dudhi/bottleguard and so I use this vegetable in Handwa. You can use Ghia and/or cabbage and/or zucchini when making handwa. 

Handwa flour basically is made with lentils like arhar dal, urad dal, chana dal and rice flour. 

Handwa provides vitamins, carbohydrates, protein, and fat as well which is more or less what a complete meal should provide with spices to aid digestion.

3 cups - Handwa flour or Dhokla flour (Easily available in Indian grocery store)
1 1/2 cup- Yogurt/curd
1 1/2 tbs -Ginger paste
1 tbs- Green chilli paste/Spicy serrano pepper paste (add 2 tablespoons if you like it spicy)
1 1/2 cup-Zucchini/bottleguard
2 tsp Sesame seeds
1 tbs Sugar
Salt
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Soda bicarb
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1 tbs Coriander paste (optional; I like coriander a lot so I put it in almost all savory recipes)
Water if needed


For tempering:

Sesame seeds
Mustard seeds
curry leaves
3 tbs oil
1/2  tsp Asafoetida (Don't worry if you do not have it, just opt out)

Method:

Beat the yogurt adding little water into a paste.
Add the Handwa flour and mix well to a consistency of paste. Add water if needed.
Keep it overnight/8-12 hours to ferment.
Add all the above ingredients to it leaving the ones for tempering.
Preheat the oven to 350 F (you can also cook it in a pan)
Grease the bundt pan and pour the mixture in it.
Heat oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds and let them pop. Add asafoetida, sesame seeds, curry leaves. Roast them for 1 minute.
Spread this on the mixture in bundt.
Bake it in oven for 40-45 minutes.

Cut it and serve.

Whole wheat flour nankhatai

I remember, as a kid I could not hide my excitement when one of my aunt, who was my mom's friend, visited us. I would bug mom and ask when was that aunt visiting because yeah...she would bring sweets, especially nankhatais whenever she came home. Mom's generally don't allow kids to eat a lot of sweets and my mom was no exception. Now, that I am old enough now to decide for myself, I do sometimes relish home-made nankhatais. I used to make them with all-purpose flour and they came out delicious. But after having a daughter, I limited my all-purpose flour usage and have started making nankhatais using whole-wheat flour/chapati flour. 

Whole wheat flour/chapati flour - 1 cup
Unsalted butter/ghee                 - 1 stick or 1/2 cup
Baking powder                         - 1/2 tsp
Baking soda                              - pinch
Salt                                            - 1/4 tsp
Powdered sugar                         - 1/2 cup or granulated sugar+1tsp starch
Cardamom powder                    - 1/2 tsp
Pistachios/Almonds/Cashews     - Coarsely crushed

Method:
Preheat the oven to 325 F.
Combine whole wheat flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl.
Beat the butter and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
Add salt, cardamom powder and mix it well.
Add flour and mix it well.
Let it rest for 15 minutes
Divide the dough into 18-20 equal balls.
Then flatten them a little bit by tapping.
Arrange them in a baking tray. Garnish with pistachios or cashews or almonds to your liking.
Bake them for 12-15 minutes.
Cool them on a wire rack.
Store these eggless biscuits/nankhatais in an air-tight container.

Coriander chilli chutney

Ingredients

1 bunch of coriander
2 serrano peppers
2 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste

Method

1. Grind all the above ingredients to a fine paste.
2. Refrigerate it. This coriander chutney stays good for one week.
3. Use this coriander chutney on chaats, salads, or with fried appetizers

PS: Add mint to this recipe to make Mint coriander chutney.

Sweet-tangy tamarind chutney recipe

Ingredients

Tamarind pulp - 1/2 cup
Jaggery/molasses - 1 cup
Salt
Black salt (optional) pinch
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
water 1/2 cup

Method

In a pan boil tamarind pulp, water, and jaggery together to desired consistency.
Add salt, chilli powder.
Let it cool and store in refrigerator
It stays good for about a month.
Use this tamarind chutney for chaats and salads.

Indian appetizer recipe with mexican twist

Cold evening, spicy snacks, and masala chai..ummmm...It's always a challenge to think about new snacks everyday. This one is my favorite; it's easy and saves time and effort when entertaining guests. This recipe is a great hit with my family and friends. It reminds me of pani-poori but really easy to make.

Appetizer

Typically, this appetizer is known as sev-batata puri in India. This popular road-side food is made with all-purpose flour puri. Believe me, it tastes yummy. But, we are going to use multi-grain tostitos to make it a little bit healthier.

Ingredients:

Multigrain Tostitos
Coriander chutney
Tamarind or date chutney
Potato- Boiled and mashed
Salt
Black salt (optional)
Roasted coriander powder (optional)
Coriander, washed and chopped for garnishing
Thin sev for garnishing (optional)

Method:

Add salt to mashed potato.
Arrange Tostitos in a plate.
Put a spoonful of mashed potato in the tostitos. (Add black salt and coriander powder to this mixture)
Add the chutneys.
Garnish with coriander and thin sev and serve.

Tips:
1. If you boil the potatoes in microwave, add a little water to it as potatoes become very dry when cooked in microwave.
2. Keep the coriander chutney a little bit runny.

Easy authentic Coconut burfi/naral wadi recipe

Ingredients:

Fresh grated coconut - 1 cup
Sugar                        - 1 cup
Milk                         - 1 cup
Cardomom powder  -2 tsp
Saffron                     - 5 strands (optional)
Pistachios or almonds to garnish


Method:

1. Put a pan on medium heat.
2. Add milk, sugar, and coconut. Add saffron (optional)
3. Keep on stirring frequently so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
4. Let it cook until it starts leaving the sides of the pan. The mixture will turn golden.
5. Add elaichi powder.
6. Coat a dish with butter or ghee.
7. Pour the mixutre and dab it flat with a spoon. Garnish with almonds or pistachios. Cut into desired shapes and let it cool.
8. Remove the burfis and relish these coconut burfis.

Stage one

                                                                       When done

                         

Butternut squash soup-infant food recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups- peeled and de-seeded cubes of butternut squash
1/2 cup - diced carrots
1 tsp butter
Salt
Cream (optional)
3-4 Basil leaves (optional)
4 cups water

Method:

1. Put a soup pan on low heat.
2. Add butter
3. Add squash and carrots. Stir for few seconds
4. Add water. Cover with a lid.
5. Let it boil on medium heat for 20 minutes.
6. Add basil leaves and let it boil for another 5 minutes.
7. Add salt.
8. Remove from heat and blend it with a hand mixie or a food processor.
9. Serve warm (garnish with cream).

Variation: You can add onions in the butter before adding squash and carrots.