Besanwali bhindi

          Besanwali bhindi has quite a few culinary interpretations. It could be gram flour-coated okra crisp fried or sautéed, spices could vary, and so on. This one here uses my mother's special spice mix that she prepares for a capsicum curry.

BESANWALI BHINDI

Ingredients :
Okra/Ladiesfinger/Bhindi (chopped into 1 cm long pieces) - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds (sarson) - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder (haldi ) - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Gram flour (Besan) - 1.5 tbsps

Spice mix :
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds (Methi) - 1 tsp
Dry red chilies - 2 medium

Method :

1. Dry roast the spice mix ingredients, let cool and coarsely grind in a mixer.

2. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and let crackle. Add jeera and once it crackles as well follow it up with the cut okra and haldi. Mix well and let cook (uncovered) till about half done.

3. Add salt at this stage and let cook some more. Meanwhile dry roast the gram flour/Besan on low flame till it lets out an aroma. Take care not to over-roast it. Keep aside.

4. When the okra is 3/4th done, add the ground spices and mix well. Let cook while stirring occasionally for about 7-8 minutes more. Finally add the roasted besan, mix and let cook for just 2 minutes more. Remove and serve hot with desired accompaniment.

Ribbon Sev(Ribbon Pakoda)

      Another one of my Diwali favourites is the Ribbon Sev or Ribbon Pakoda as we call it!! Again, a simple preparation, the key is to get the dough right..

RIBBON SEV

Ingredients : (Makes about 250gms of Sev)

Bengal gram flour (Besan) - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
Clarified butter (Ghee) - 2 tsps

Method :

1. Sieve together Besan, rice flour and chili powder into a clean and dry bowl.

2. Dissolve the salt in a little water, take care to add a little first, lest it becomes too salty.

3. Add ghee, salt dissolved in water and knead into a soft dough using enough water. 



4. Heat oil over medium heat for frying. Stuff a little dough into a murukku or sev press with the Flat sev plate fitted in. 



5. Place a large flat slotted ladle on a plate and squeeze out a portion of the dough on to it. Make any shape you desire. Dip the ladle into the hot oil and let slide out. Fry on low to medium heat till light golden brown. Remove to drain excess oil. Once cooled to room temperature store in an air-tight container.

Crispy Bitter Gourd

Crisp fried Bitter gourd is quite a popular accompaniment and cuts away from the normal curry preparations using this Oh-so-healthy vegetable!! But then what's life without a little indulgence??

CRISPY FRIED BITTER GOURD

Ingredients :

Bitter gourd (Karela) - 3, medium (de-seeded)
Bengal gram flour (Besan) - 2 tbsps
Salt to taste
Red Chili powder - 1 tsp
Asafoetida powder (Hing) - 1/4 tsp
Coriander (dhaniya) powder - 1 tbsp
Oil for frying

Method :

1. Slice the bitter gourd into thin round slices. Soak in a mix of tamarind juice and salt for about 10 minutes. This will mitigate its bitterness.

2. Rinse the karela slices in clean water and add to a bowl.

3. Now add the gram flour, salt, chili powder, hing and dhaniya powder. Mix gently and let rest for about 10 minutes.

4. Heat oil in a shallow pan on medium heat. Drop in the karela slices carefully a little at a time. Deep fry till golden brown. Else you can also toss the slices in a little oil and microwave till crisp, which would be a much healthier option.
Serve as desired.

Crisp Okra(Bhindi)

A vegetable that is popular with young and old alike...there are many ways of preparing a bhindi subzi (curry), from the simple one using just salt, turmeric powder and chili powder to the more elaborate stuffed versions.
Here is a semi-fried variation...

                                                                  CRISP BHINDI

Ingredients :

Bhindi - 250 gms
Besan - 2 tbsp
Corn starch - 1 tbsp
Dhaniya pwd - 1 tbsp
Chili Pwd - 2 tsp
Garam masala - 1.5 tsps
Salt to taste
Oil - for shallow frying

Method :

1. Wash, dry and de-stem bhindi and cut them lengthwise.

2. In a bowl, add the bhindi, besan, corn starch, chili pwd, garam masala and dhaniya pwd. Mix lightly and leave for about 1/2 hour.

3. Heat oil for shallow frying. Add salt to the bhindi and mix again.

4. Shallow fry the bhindi few pieces at a time till golden brown. Drain excess oil and serve.

Multi-grain Thalipeeth

Thalipeeth is a famous Maharashtrian dish typically made of three flours, whole wheat, millet and bengal gram flour or besan.

I've attempted a healthy and green twist to this versatile and healthy preparation ....

                                                   MULTI-GRAIN THALIPEETH

Ingredients :

Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
Besan (Bengal gram flour) - 1 cup
Bajra/Jowar flour - 1cup
Soya flour - 1cup
Rice flour - 1 cup
Rajgira Flour - 1 cup
Maida - 1/4 cup
Jeera - 2 tsps
Dhaniya-curry leaves chutney - as required (Click link for chutney recipe)
Salt to taste
Whisked curds - 1 cup
Water - as required

Method : 
1. Add all the flours and pinch salt to a clean bowl and mix well with hands. If possible, sift them together on to a large plate to allow them to mix well together.

2. Add the jeera and green chutney and mix again. You can add as much chutney as desired, based on the spice and flavour you need.

3. Now gradually add the curds and keep kneading the flours into a tight but soft dough. Add water only if required. Drizzle a little oil on to your hand and coat the dough with it. Cover and let rest for about 5-7 minutes.

4. Take 2 clean plastic sheets. Give the dough a rough kneading but do not knead too much. Divide into equal sized portions and keep aside.

5. Heat a tawa on medium heat. Place one dough round in between the plastic sheets on a counter and either press evenly into a pancake using your hands or use a rolling pin if it's easier. It's OK for the edges to be uneven.

6. Cook the thalipeeth on the tawa using oil/ghee till golden brown on both sides. Use a flat ladle to press down and let cook evenly.
Serve hot with pickle / chutney and curds.

Milk Burfi/Cake

 This is a simple and mouth-watering burfi that my mother has been preparing for every Diwali till date. Here how it is made :

MILK BURFI

Ingredients :

Besan (gram/chickpea flour) - 1 cup
Milk powder - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 2.5 cups
Ghee (Clarified Butter) - 1.5 cups
Water - 1 cup

Method :

1. Heat ghee lightly in a pan. Remove from fire.

2. Now add the gram flour (besan) and stir well ensuring no lumps are formed. Let cool.

3. When cool, add the milk powder and stir well. Keep aside

4. Now let's prepare the sugar syrup. Add the sugar to 1 cup water and boil. The consistency should be such that a pearl can be formed when a drop is spilled on a flat surface. In other words, the syrup should not be in a fluid state when dropped on to a flat surface.

5. Once you reach this consistency, reduce the flame and add the flour mix. Stir well till the mixture starts to thicken. Remove from fire.

6. Pour into a greased tray and let cool, not too much but just about hard which makes it easier to cut. 
Cut into desired shapes and serve.