Kachi Dabeli

Dabheli! One of my most favorite street food. Living away from home during my student days I literally survived on Dabeli, Vada Pav, Ragda pattis and all sorts of (not so) junk food. There is a street in Nashik ( Sharanpur road ) which used to turn into an ultimate street side food bazaar after 6.00 in the evening. (Now they have stopped allowing vendors..:( ), bustling with activity with Carts selling everything from Bhurji pav to Indian Chinese and the oh so delicious Pista kulfi!

There were two carts which we frequented the most. A sandwich cart selling desi style grilled sandwich loaded with veggies (Boiled Potatoes, capsicum, cucumbers), Green chutney,cheese and topped with thin sev and cut onions. Ah! always so tasty and satisfying. The other was the Dabeli stall. Both these were owned by a group of Marwari brothers who knew us so well that many a times they allowed us to eat at their stalls on credit! An Amul Dabheli would cost 5 rupees. But whenever we had some extra money on hand, we loved indulging in the Rs. 7.5 Cheese Dabheli! And I remember always asking for more grated cheese on mine...

Those were the days..:)

So basically I had to had to make Dabeli to satisfy my street food cravings here in the US. And Here is the quick recipe I used:

Boil potatoes and mash them fine. Add Salt, red pepper ,finely cut cilantro and green chillies to the potatoes. Heat some oil in a kadhai and add the potato mixture and Kachi Dabeli masala to the potato mixture . I used "Rajesh Dabeli Masala" (available in larger Indian stores) . Set aside.

Cut Pavs (dinner rolls) in halves. On a girdle, heat some butter and heat the rolls till they turn brown on both sides. Apply Tamarind sauce (I used Maggi Tamarina) on one side of the pav. Fill in the potato mixture. Add some chopped onions, peanuts and pomegranate seeds. Top it all with a generous amount of grated cheese. Eat hot!

One bite, and everything came back to me- the glorious days of architecture school, the submission nightmares, late night movies, 2.00 AM bhurji pav, triples on Kinetic, chai ki tapri and yes! the twice a week Dabeli Dinners..

And the best part, I did not have to check my pockets to eat more than One.:)

Click Au Naturel : Earthly Delight

"Vakda tikda hathi pai nakha,

vedya aala re aala"

As a kid I remember my grandpa asking us to solve this riddle (in marathi), the answer to which is hidden in the riddle itself. :D. Here is my best shot at translating it in English:

"crooked n twisted,with nails on it's numerous hands and feet,
oh! fool it's here, it's here"

The answer ofcourse is Ginger

"Ala" or "Aalay" in Marathi has 2 meanings One: "(something's) here" and two: "ginger". :D

The above picture is my entry to the click it (Au Naturel) event hosted by Jugalbandi. Thanks Bee and Jai for such a wonderful event, I had fun writing this post..:D

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And here is a picture of Honey Ginger Tofu I made few weeks back taking tips from this recipe and one of those little recipe cards avalibale in the Publix vegetables section. Enjoy. :)

Home made Hummus with warm pita bread

I used This simple recipe for Hummus from Happy Foody. Tasted yummy!

Khichadi che Thalipeeth

End of a week and I came home to an empty fridge. hmm..apart from the usual drinks and preserves,the only other thing in there was a bowl full of left over moong dal Khichdi which we had the day before. I had almost made up my mind to reheat it, add some fresh tempering, and serve it with some raita, but on closer inspection, the khichadi seemed too sticky n lumpy to recook. Thats when I decided to give it a complete makeover, and was born the"Khichadi thalipeeth":). It turned out something like a cross of missi roti and thalipeeth. Delicious and satisfying.

Here is the quick recipe :

1) Knead left over khichadi with some wheat flour (atta), gram flour (besan), salt, turmeric , chiili powder and oil. For the extra zing I added some amchoor powder, ajwain and saunf to the mix.You could use any mix ox masalas. ( add water as needed)

2) Divide the dough into small balls. Roll out the balls on a plastic sheet.

3.) Heat a pan and slowly turn the thalipeeth on to the pan. Allow it to properly cook on both sides, it will turn brown and slightly crispy ( add little oil on the sides as needed).

4.) Take it off the pan and enjoy hot with dahi n chutney of your choice:)

Veggie Fajita Quesadilla with spinach and corn rice

Quick fix Mexican - My entry for the "Summer Express cooking event"


Things you will need:

Wheat/Flour Tortillas
Can of fried beans ( I used a mix of Black beans, Pinto beans and Red kidney beans)
Kraft mexican grated cheese mix
One small onion
1/2 Bell pepper
Olive oil
Butter
Black pepper
Salt

Procedure:

1.) Prepare the Fajita mix ( 5-8 minutes)

In a skillet heat 1/2 tbsp o olive oil and 1/2 tbsp of butter. Saute' onions and green bell peppers ( sliced in thin long strips). Heat until the onions become translucent. Sprinkle freshly grounded black pepper and salt. Mix well and keep aside.Meanwhile also slightly warm the beans(1-2 mins) in the microwave.

Fajita mix - saute'd onions and bell peppers

2.) Assemble the Quesadilla( 5 minutes)

heat a little butter on a flat pan. place the tortilla and heat it till it starts getting a bit crisp. sprinkle cheese generously on one half of the tortilla, then spread the beans and the fajita mix. Add some more cheese and then fold the Tortilla in half. Heat the Tortilla on both sides till the cheese melts. Place carefully in a plate and cut into wedges using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter.

Cheeeezyyy huh??

3. ) Relish the cheesy delight with a side of chips and salsa.
I also stir fried left over rice with spinach and corn to complete the meal. (8-10 mins). It took me close to 20 mins. to prepare the meal, but believe me we ate it all in less than 10!Enjoy...:)

Veggie Quesadilla and spinach fried rice