Garlic Coconut Chutney

This is a chutney that is an absolute must with Batata Vada or Vada Pav to get the authentic taste of the dish.  It is a perfect side to any Indian meal and has a slight pungent taste from the garlic. This is made mainly with two ingredients, viz. garlic and coconut but with a couple of added spices, this packs a ton of flavor.

Whenever I eat batata vada with this chutney, it takes me to childhood memories. We used to take trips during summer vacations, and many of those used to be between Pune and Mumbai. We used to take the train and the highlight of the train journey for me was the delicacies we would be able to eat on the way. My parents did not encourage eating street food and used to prefer home made food. Since, this was  one of the rare times we got to eat these foods, I used to look forward to it eagerly. The train used to stop at Karjat station for just a few minutes. This was famous for the batata vadas that one could buy at the station and the taste was just amazing. During that brief halt, my dad used to get off the train and buy vada pav, which used to be served with a generous amount of this chutney mixed with bits of the fried vada batter. These few moments filled with excitement and thrill as the train stop was literally just a few minutes and many a times it used to start moving without my dad in sight. Every time my heart would be pounding with worry that he had been left behind. And I still remember the sense of relief when I used to see him walking with the packed of the vadas in his hand. At that age, I didn't like the vada pav combination and used to enjoy the vadas with this chutney.

It has been decades since I made that journey, but that taste lingers on and whenever I make batata vadas, whether there is pav or not, this chutney always accompanies it, helping me rejoice in my nostalgia.

Ingredients
1/4 cup garlic cloves
3/4-1 cup dessicated coconut, shredded/grated
salt to taste
red chilli powder to taste, I added 1/2 tsp
1/2 tsp sugar

Method
Cut the garlic cloves into smaller pieces for ease of grinding. Then put all the ingredients in the blender and using the pulse function, grind this to make a finer consistency. Do not add water and do not make a paste. Open the mixer every few pulses and scrape it down and mix up the chutney. The coconut threads should still show a little and the garlic gets a pasty texture. You can over blend in the mixer, but it will still taste great.

The best texture or consistency is obtained by mixing it using a mortar and pestle, which is how I made it this time. I make it both ways depending on how much time I have.

Store this in an airtight container, in the fridge and it will last you over a month.

Tips
The garlic has a pungent smell, so be careful of how much chilli powder you add. You can always add more and mix it into the chutney after it has been ground. The scraping and mixing of the chutney while in the mixer, will prevent the coconut from getting pasty and releasing oil.

Papaya Halwa/ Papaya Pudding

The first and only time I had papaya halwa was when I was probably 5 or 6 years old. And I still remember the beautiful golden color of the preparation. In fact, some of my food memories are so strong that I try to recreate the recipe by remembering the various flavors that I experienced while eating it. Well, for this recipe I didn't have to take that effort, but just picked up the phone and called mom. That took us down memory lane. My mom reminded me that we had planted several, almost six or eight papaya trees in the garden. And we used to get a lot of fruit.  There was a school nearby and young kids used to pick papayas from the trees on their way home and at other times a group of monkeys used to come and pick the delicious produce. Of course the most delicious ones would be the ones pecked by the birds. There was plenty of fruit for everyone. My mom used to make another preparation using raw papayas which she grated and it was a cumin flavored spicy version. That is a recipe for another post, but lets get on with this one.

For papaya halwa, you need a semi-ripe papaya. It should be a firm papaya, with light golden color on the skin and when it is cut open, it should be yellow in color and not white. A raw papaya with green skin and white flesh will not work. Neither will a completely soft, sweet papaya which is ready to cut and eat work. It must be semi-ripe. So choose carefully. The result has a gorgeous golden color and a delicious taste and it can be cooked to a firmer texture and cut into pieces or left soft and eaten with a spoon. I made this in the pressure cooker and hence was able to cook it in minimal ghee and sugar. A  more traditional method of cooking in the open pan will require a little more ghee.

Ingredients
1 semi-ripe papaya,  yellow in color but extremely firm, grated (measure this). I had 4 cups of grated papaya
2 cups (Half the volume of the grated raw papaya), fresh or frozen finely grated coconut
3-4 tbsp (1/4 cup)  cup ghee/clarified butter (you will need at least 1/2 cup if cooked via traditional method)
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/8 cup raisins - soak this in a little water (optional - I did not add)
sliced almonds/ cashews (optional - I did not add)
1/4-1/2 cup of water
2 cups sugar (to taste, if needed add more)

Method
Peel and deseed and clean the center of the papaya. Then grate it and measure the grated papaya. Then measure out fresh grated coconut. It should be half in volume compared to the papaya.

Instant Pot
In the Instant Pot liner, add 1/4 cup water and 1 tbsp of ghee. Then add half the grated papaya to cover the entire base of the cooker. Then spread a tbsp of ghee on top of this layer. Then add the rest of the grated papay in a layer and spread a tbsp of ghee on top of this layer. Add another 1/4 cup of water. Then add the grated coconut on top of the papaya layer. Then close the lid with vent sealed. Cook on manual mode for 8 mins. Then let it stay in warm mode for 2-3 minutes and then release the pressure. Check if the papaya is cooked. If not, cook it for a couple minutes more till the papaya is softened. If needed, add a little more water to build up pressure. 

Once the papaya is softened, stir the mixtures a little to displace the layer touching the base (so that it doesn't burn) and then add the sugar in a layer on top of the papaya coconut mixture. Again close the lid and cook it on manual mode for 2-3 minutes. Let it stay in warm mode for 5 minutes and then release the pressure and open the cooker. Add the cardamom powder and if using add the slices of almonds and raisins. Mix it well and then switch to saute mode. Cook, stirring occasionally till the water has evaporated and it has reached a pudding like consistency. It will take a few minutes. Add a tbsp of ghee at the end and mix it well to give a rich taste. 

Stovetop Pressure Cooker
You can use the same method in the stove top pressure cooker. Make sure to keep an eye on the time and the whistles to make sure that the papaya doesn't burn. Serve warm or cold.

Traditional method

Add ghee to a large saucepan, which can hold all the ingredients. You will need to add at least 1/2 cup of ghee instead of 1/4 tbsp to make sure that the papaya doesn't get stuck. Add the papaya to the ghee and cook it, covering the pan to trap the steam and stir occasionally till the papaya is softened. Then add the grated coconut and the sugar. Stir it and mix well. The sugar will melt and form a syrup. Keep stirring the mixture till it starts to thicken. Add the cardamom powder, raisins and almonds and stir. Cook till you have the desired consistency.  This method may also need a little more sugar. Taste it and adjust the amount of sugar.  

Tips

If you want, you can cook it further and thicken it. Then you can pour it into a greased plate, let it cool and cut it into pieces. The semi-raw papaya doesn't have a very high water content, so when cooking it in the pressure cooker or Instant Pot make sure to add adequate liquid to build up the pressure. 

Dal Makhani, dhaba style

Dal makhani is a rich lentil preparation. There are many recipes out there made with whole masoor as well as whole urad dal. Here is the recipe to make dal makhani using whole masoor - Dal Makhani recipe. The following recipe is a creamier version which is made using whole black urad dal.

There are many roadside small restaurants that produce delicious food called "dhaba". We used to always get an order of dal makhani with naan from there. And I remember the cook adding an entire slab of butter to just our portion of the dal that he was finishing before packing it off.  Of course it had a delicious creamy and smoky flavor. This version is a creamy version using a much lower fat alternative. The technique to provide it a smoky flavor that is usually found in the "dhaba" version is also provided. This technique can be used to add a smoky flavor to dal fry or any other curry preparation as well.

I have provided multiple methods starting with a traditional method to make it sauteeing onions and tomatoes before adding the dal. Also included are almost hand free methods which can me made in the stove top pressure cooker or the Instant Pot or an equivalent electric cooker.

Ingredients
2 cups whole urad dal
4 cups water + little more
1 tsp cumin/jeera
1 tbsp ghee
1-2 green chillies, optional, to taste
1 large onion, finely sliced, approximately 3/4 cup
1 tomato, deseeded and finely chopped, 1/3 cup
1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped or grated
1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped or grated
1 tsp kasuri methi
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp hing powder
salt to taste
red chilli powder, to taste
1 cup milk
1 piece of charcoal, optional
1/8 tsp of ghee or oil, optional

Method
Wash the urad dal thoroughly and soak it in water for at least an hour.

Traditional recipe

In a pressure cooker, add the ghee and jeera. Once the jeera starts crackling, add the hing, green chilli, ginger, garlic and onion. Cook till the onion is lightly browned and then add the tomatoes and cook this till softened and starting to brown. Add the turmeric, chilli powder, kasuri methi and cook for a minute. Then add the soaked urad dal and water. Add salt, stir and close the lid of the cooker and cook for 8-10 whistles. Then let the pressure drop as it cools down. Once the pressure has dropped, open the lid and add the milk and bring it back up to a boil. Then follow the instructions below to give it the dhaba flavor provided in the "Adding the dhaba flavor" section.

Minimal intervention/work method

Traditional Pressure Cooker
In your pressure add the ghee and 2tbsp of water, so the base of the cooker is covered with either ghee or water to create a layer. Sprinkle cumin seeds on the ghee. Then mix the ginger and garlic with the sliced onions and spread this out in a single even layer in the cooker. Sprinkle the hing powder on this and add the green chilli as well to this layer. Cook this on high for 3 whistles. Release the pressure from the cooker. Open it, and you will find that the lower layer of the onion has been caramelized. Mix this well and then add the tomatoes in a heap or layer on top of the onions. Then add the spices, so that they are on top of a layer of tomatoes or onions and not touching the bottom of the vessel. This is to ensure that the spices don't burn. Add the turmeric, red chilli powder if using, kasuri methi and put the lid back on. Cook this on high heat till you get two whistles. Release the pressure. The tomato will be cooked and will have released water. Now turn on the heat, and keeping the cooker open, cook for 2-3 minutes stirring a few times till the water evaporates and you get a nicely browned gravy. Now, turn off the heat. Spread this gravy into an even layer. Drain the urad dal water, and discard the water. Add the soaked and drained urad dal to the cooker. Then pour in the four cups of water. Close the lid of the cooker and cook it on high heat for about 10 minutes (you will get 8-10 whistles). Let the pressure settle naturally, don't release it manually. Open the cooker and the dal will be creamy and soft. If you want it to be softer in consistency, add a little more water and pressure cook for 5 more minutes. After opening the cooker, once the cooker naturally depressurizes, add the milk and stir it well and heat the dal till it starts to boil, keeping the lid of the cooker open.  Then turn off heat. Do not pressure cook after adding the milk.

Instant Pot
In your Instant Pot liner pot, add the ghee and 1-2 tbsp of water, so the base of the cooker is covered with either ghee or water to create a layer. Sprinkle cumin seeds on the ghee. Then mix the ginger and garlic with the sliced onions and spread this out in a single even layer in the cooker. Sprinkle the hing powder on this and add the green chilli as well to this layer. Cook this in the Instant Pot for 5 minutes on manual mode. Release the pressure from the cooker. Open it, and you will find that the lower layer of the onion has been caramelized. Mix this well and then add the tomatoes in a heap or layer on top of the onions. Then add the spices, so that they are on top of a layer of tomatoes or onions and not touching the bottom of the vessel. This is to ensure that the spices don't burn. Add the turmeric, red chilli powder if using, kasuri methi and put the lid back on. Cook this for 3 minutes on manual mode. Release pressure. The tomato will be cooked and will have released water. Now turn on the saute mode in the Instant Pot and cook 2-3 minutes stirring a few times till the water evaporates and you get a nicely browned gravy. Now, turn off the saute mode. Spread this gravy into an even layer. Drain the urad dal water, and discard the water. Add the soaked and drained urad dal to the cooker. Then pour in the four cups of water. Close the lid of the cooker and put it in beans mode which defaults to 30 minutes. You can also cook it in manual mode for 15 minutes. Let the pressure settle, don't release it. Open the cooker and the dal will be creamy and soft. If you want it to be softer in consistency, add a little more water and pressure cook for 5 minutes more in the manual mode After opening the cooker, once the cooker naturally depressurizes, add the milk and stir it well and heat the dal on saute mode, till it starts to boil and  then turn off heat.

Adding the dhaba flavor
Now to give it the dhaba flavor. Place a small steel bowl in the center of the dal. Using a pair of tongs, hold the charcoal and smoke it on the burner flame or on a candle (this takes longer but if you have an electric stove, this is your option). Once it starts to smoke, place it in the steel bowl afloat the dal and sprinkle a few drops of ghee or oil on it. Then place a lid to cover the pot and entrap the smoke inside. Keep it for 2-5 minutes depending on the intensity of the smoky flavor that you are looking for.  Serve hot with rice.

Tips
If you don't have whole urad, you can also use split black urad dal or even masoor dal. Don't use the one where the black peel has been taken off the dal. 

Gulab Jamun using Mava/Khoya

We love gulab jamun! I have made them from readymade mixes and tried the milk powder based recipes, and we enjoy them all, but I always wanted to try out a recipe using mava/khoya. I could imagine what a rich taste that would have. I make mava/khoya at home from ricotta cheese during the festival season and this time I froze some to use later to make gulab jamun. I had called some friends over for dinner and it seemed to be a perfect time to try this out as a dessert.

The gulab jamuns turned out very good. The best compliment was that everyone ate seconds and some even eat thirds and they were all gone by the next day. They were soft, infused with syrup and they melted in the mouth. I also had a few learnings while making it. It is easier to fry these in oil as the temperature of ghee is tougher to maintain. Fry the gulab jamun at a consistent medium high temperature else the soft dough can disintegrate in the oil. That is the main difference between mava and milk powder gulab jamun. The milk powder ones must be fried at a medium low temperature for the jamuns to get cooked well. Also, remember that these will absorb the syrup and swell up to one and a half to two times the fried size, so roll the gulab jamuns accordingly. Try frying one gulab jamun to ensure that it doesn't melt in the oil and then fry the rest in batches.

Here is the recipe to make mava/khoya at home - Mava/Khoya/Kava recipe

Ingredients
3 cups sugar
2.5 cups water
few saffron strands
¼ tsp cardamom powder
1.5 cup mava/khoya grated
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp fine rava
oil to deep fry the gulab jamun

Method
Put sugar and water in a deep and broad saucepan and heat it. Stir so that the sugar doesn’t caramelize. Once the sugar dissolves and water starts boiling, let it boil for a few minutes and turn off the heat when it starts looking syrupy. It doesn’t need to be thickened to get any threads. Add saffron and cardamom powder. Stir well. Keep this warm syrup ready for the gulab jamuns.

Knead the mava thoroughly. Add the all purpose flour, rava and baking soda and mix this thoroughly with the mava so that it is well dispersed. Knead this into a dough. Then make small 1 inch diameter balls of the mava mixture. Make sure to keep the dough and the balls with a damp cloth or paper towel, so that they do not dry. If you find the dough cracking, then add a few drops of milk at a time into the mava mixture and knead it till smooth. Make sure the gulab jamun balls are smooth and do not have any cracks. Once a large batch is ready, heat the oil. To test if the oil is hot enough, drop in a little dough and if it comes up immediately, then the oil is hot. Keep it on medium high heat and then add the gulab jamun balls. Add as many as the pan can accommodate. They will start coming up immediately. Cook them till they are nicely browned on all sides. Be careful while frying and turn them just a couple of times using a slotted spoon. If you over handle them, they may break. Once browned, remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel for a couple of minutes. Then put them into the warm syrup. They will float. As they get heavier and soak up the syrup they will sink a little.

Tips
These are delicate and if the temperature of the oil is low and they don’t get cooked quickly, the gulab jamun balls will start breaking up and separating up. Before you add all the gulab jamun balls in the oil, test with one to see if it fries up without breaking. If it breaks, then adjust the temperature and try again. It it still breaks then add a tbsp of maida rava mixture (without baking powder) to the dough and knead it again and then make the balls.

Bottle Gourd/ Dudhi Halwa/ Lauki Halwa - Instant Pot version

I got my Instant Pot a couple of years ago and use it on a daily basis, but these days I have started using it to save time, reduce the amount of fat in the recipe and to do a lot of precooking which takes a lot of time the traditional way. I am starting a separate section of recipes that can be cooked in the pressure cooker to reduce the amount of time needed to spend on the recipe. I will keep updating the techniques as I experiment and find more shortcuts.

One of the recipes that takes a lot of time on the stove top is bottle gourd/dudhi/lauki halwa. Since this is a very water vegetable, it takes a  lot of sauteing to get it cooked and the water evaporated. This method also requires more ghee to sautee it to get a nice cooked flavor before you can add milk to it. If the ghee is less or if the lauki is not well cooked, the halwa may not turn out that tasty. The 30-40 minutes traditional cooking (on low heat to avoid burning) and monitoring is reduced to about 15 minutes hands free process when using the pressure cooker. 

For reference: Here is link to the traditional Dudhi halwa recipe.

Ingredients
2 dudhi/lauki/bottle gourd (had about 3.75 cups), peeled and grated 
1/2 cup liquid from the dudhi/lauki
4 tbsp (1/4 cup)  cup ghee/clarified butter
1.5 cups whole milk
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/8 cup raisins - soak this in a little water
sliced almonds/ cashews 
1 cup sugar (to taste)
Ricotta cheese/ khava - optional

Method
Peel and grate the lauki/dudhi. Keep it aside for 10 mins. It will release a lot of water. Place this grated gourd in a large sieve and drain the grated dudhi and press it to make it a little dry. It doesn't need to be squeezed dry. The intent is to reduce the liquid so that there will be less to evaporate later. Save the liquid. 
In the Instant Pot liner, add 1/4 cup of the saved dudhi liquid and 1/4 tbsp of ghee. Then add a layer of half of the grated dudhi. Then spread a tbsp of ghee on top of this layer. Then add the rest of the grated dudhi in a layer and spread a tbsp of ghee on top of this layer. Add another 1/4 cup of liquid and then close the lid with vent sealed. Cook on manual mode for 5 mins. Then let it stay in warm mode for 2-3 minutes and then release the pressure. Stir it well. The layer touching the bottom may be lightly browned. It will also release some liquid. At this stage if the dudhi is not cooked (it may need more time if it is old) then put it back on manual for a couple more minutes.

Now, switch to the saute mode and let the water evaporate, stirring occasionally so that it doesn't get caught at the bottom and start browning. Then add the milk and stir and cook the dudhi in it, till it evaporates. The milk curdles a bit and the solids are left behind to give a rich mava/khoya flavor. Add mava/khoya if using at this stage. If using ricotta cheese, add it before adding the milk and cook it a little. Then add the sugar. It will melt making the mixture liquid again. Again cook this till the water evaporates. 
Add the last tbsp ghee to give it a rich flavor. Then add the cardamom, raisin and almonds and stir. The halwa is cooked. I prefer to let it cook further so that it caramelizes as I like this flavor better. To do that keep cooking it till it starts to get golden brown. Serve warm or cold.

Tips
You need not squeeze out the liquid, but if you don't then it takes much longer to cook the water out before adding the milk. 

Tea Rusk

Everyone in our family loves rusk/tea rusk. The kids love to dunk it in their milk and we love it with our tea. As a result we can easily go through a newly opened packet in less than a week. The difficulty is that the closest store that sells these crackers is about 10 miles away and now along my daily routes. So, most of the times we are out of this at home and it becomes a rare treat. I had been thinking about making this at home and thought that it would be similar to making croutons at home. So, one evening I tried it and it worked beautifully. I would recommend using a French bread to get the store like effect. You can also use a baguette for smaller size crackers. Now I make this at least once a week and there is always a stock of low calorie crackers in the snack closet for anytime snacking. 

Ingredients
French bread loaf or baguette 

3-4 tbsp unsalted butter

2-3 tbsp sugar (optional), caster/fine if possible

Method

Remove the bread from its packaging and let it stay on your kitchen countertop or table for a few hours or a day. The purpose is to make it drier so that it is easy to slice. If possible keep it on a cooling rack for better air circulation. Then use a serrated knife and slice the bread into slices that are of about ½ to 3/4^th of an inch. Use a sawing motion to slice the bread, so that it doesn’t get squished.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan or the microwave. Use a brush and brush on the melted butter on both sides of the bread slice. If using sugar, sprinkle it lightly onto both sides. 

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place a cooling rack on a cookie sheet. Then line up the bread slices on the rack. Place in the oven for about 15-20 mins till the toast starts to get a nice golden brown. Remove from oven and let it cool completely. Store in an airtight box.  

Tips
If using the microwave, heat the butter in a deep enough bowl, so it doesn’t boil over. Also, heat the butter in intervals of 10-20 seconds till the butter melts. You can line the cookie sheet with a silpat or parchment paper for easy cleanup. If using a baguette, the bread will brown in 12-15 mins.