UPVAS CHI BATATA BHAJI / POTATO SUBZI FOR UPVAS

A very tasty dry potato bhaji made during fasting or vrat for festivals such as Navratri, Ekadashi, Janmashtami or Shravan Maas upwas. I prepared this potato subzi for navratri upwas and enjoyed it with sabudana thalipeeth. This recipe is a no onion no garlic recipe and you can have it with rajgira poori / shingada poori or mild sama ke rice. During upwas or vrat we make so many different varities of dishes that we do not include in our day to day diet. On the fasting day, we take break from usual roti-sabzi, dal-chawal and make some simple and easy to digest gluten-free dishes. Potato, Peanuts, Sabudana, etc are commonly used for fasting recipes. Farali Aloo Sabzi / Dry Potato Bhaji is a simple dish prepared with very simple ingredients like cumin seeds, green chillies, roasted peanut powder and fresh coconut which are easily available in our pantry. So do try this recipe this navratri once for a change and you would love it. 

INGREDIENTD:

2-3 Boiled Potatoes, cut in to cubes

1 tablespoon Ghee / Oil

2 teaspoon Cumin Seeds

1 sprig Curry Leaves [optional]

3-4 Green Chillies

1 tablespoon Roasted and Coarsely Crushed Peanuts

A pinch of Sugar

Salt as per taste

½ Lemon Juice

1 tablespoon Grated Coconut

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Boil potatoes, peel them and cut them in to cubes. Keep aside.

STEP 2 – Heat ghee /oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and let them crackle.

STEP 3 – Add curry leaves, chopped green chillies and

add cubed potatoes in it and mix well.

STEP 4 – Cook it for 2-3 minutes on medium flame stirring occasionally.

STEP 5 – Add crushed peanuts, sugar and salt in it and give a nice mix.

STEP 6 – Add grated coconut and lemon juice and mix it well. [I don’t have coconut, so not added here in my recipe]

STEP 7 – Cook it for another 1-2 minutes while stirring once or twice.

Potato subzi is ready to serve.

Serve potato subzi garnished with chopped coriander.

Make this in Navratri fasting and let me know how you like it. I am sure you will surely going to like it.

NOTES: *You can add little water to make gravy and enjoy rassewale aloo ki subzi.

                *Be careful while tempering, take care not to burn cumin seeds.

SABUDANA THALIPEETH

This is very easy and simple traditional Maharashtrian fasting dish prepared with sabudana, potatoes and crushed peanuts. The dough looks like sabudana vada but this recipe uses less oil / ghee as it is fried on griddle. Sabudana is used especially during fasting so very popular during Navratri / Shravan and on Ekadashi days. Thalipeeth is a Marathi style multigrain flat bread and sabudana thalipeeth is a kind of flat bread which is made during fasting or for an evening snack.  Sabudana thalipeeth or sabudana roti is super awesome in taste and texture. Addition of potatoes helps to make the sago pearls get united with all other stuff. So you can imagine the dough and it’s softness. I used arrowroot flour here in my recipe, but addition of arrowroot flour is totally optional. I added it here in this recipe which helps as a binding agent in this recipe. Arrowroot flour is a starchy substance that’s extracted from the root of tropical plant known as Maranta arundinacea. Sometimes arrowrooth flour is also known as arrowroot powder or arrowroot starch and they are all the same thing. It is simply a white, powdery starch that is naturally gluten-free and grain-free. I love the crunchy and yummy taste of this flat bread which is very filling and delicious to eat.  Only take care while you pat the dough over a plastic sheet, handle it carefully. Just because they are very delicate. You can end your fasting with this sabudana thalipeeth and feel the divinity with taste. Presenting below step-by-step recipe with pictures of sabudana thalipeeth, do try it and let me know your suggestions if any below in comment box.

 INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Sabudana, soaked for 4-5 hours

2-3 Boiled Potatoes

2 tablespoon Rajgirs / Arrowrooth Flour

1/3 Cup Roasted Peanut Powder

3-4 Green Chillies, chopped

½ teaspoon Ginger [optional]

 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds

½ Lemon Juice

Rock Salt as needed

Chopped Coriander [optional]

1-2 tablespoon Ghee, for roasting thalipeeth

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Wash sabudana under running water until all powdery substance goes off and then add ½ cup water in it and leave it for 4-5 hours / overnight. [see notes]

STEP 2 – After 5 hours, sabudana should be swollen and ready. Fluff it with a fork and make sure that the sabudana is soft like cooked rice.

STEP 3 - Mix all ingredients boiled and grated potato, green chillies, chopped coriander, ginger [if adding], peanut powder, arrowrooth flour, soaked sabudana, lemon juice and salt in a mixing bowl or big plate. Mix everything together well to form a dough. 

Squeeze 1/2 lemon juice.

You can add 1 tablespoon water if needed or the mixture is too dry.

STEP 4 – Divide the dough in equal sized balls. Take some water in a bowl for preparing the thalipeeth.

STEP 5 – Take a transparent plastic sheet and keep it on the rolling board.

Wet your hands and the surface of plastic sheet.

STEP 6 – Take a ball of dough, press it

and spread it into a thin circular disc using your fingers

or you can put another plastic sheet over the dough ball and roll it with rolling pin in to a thin disc. [see notes]

STEP 7 – Heat tawa on low-medium flame. I prefer using a iron griddle instead of non-stick.

STEP 8 –Make 3-4 holes on the thalipeeth with your index finger which helps to roast the thalipeeth evenly.  [I forgot to make holes] Gently transfer the thalipeeth on the tawa.

STEP 9 – Cook it from both sides until golden in colour.

STEP 10 – Then drizzle ghee around it and on the holes. Cook from one side until it starts browning.

STEP 11 – Flip it over to the other side and again drizzle ghee and cook both sides well until golden brown.

Repeat the same with the rest of the dough and make thalipeeth likewise.

STEP 12 – Remove from griddle and ready to serve.

Enjoy this very delicious hot thalipeeth with potato subzi or shengdana amti or any chutney of your choice. Or you can simply enjoy it with yogurt.

NOTES: *It does not matter if the sabudana is a little mushy for this recipe.

                *You can do it directly on the hot tawa/ griddle.

DAL KHICHDI

The food of our childhood, our heritage, is what defines us, nourishes us and fills our heart and tummy with warmth. For any Indian, the combination of dal and rice- whether made separately or in a khichdi –is the essence of comfort food. A wholesome and nutricious meal –moong dal khichdi made from rice and moong dal which is comfort food at its best. This one-pot meal is very easy on your stomach and is perfect for all ages. You can use toor dal instead of moong dal. But to make it healthy and light, I used moong dal here in my recipe. Amongest all dals, moong dal is the easiest to digest and that’s the reason when we start solid food for kids, moong dal khichdi makes for a great choice. Few days back, I tasted it for the first time in restaurant. I loved it a lot and so want to give it a try. And here it is, hope I made justice with it. I added tempering in it to give it a rich look. But it is totally optional. Taste was awesome with or without tempering. If not adding the tempering then serve it with a dollop of pure ghee on the top. Rice and lentils serve as a good source of carbs and protein while ghee provides the much-needed macronutrients-carbs, proteins and fats.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Rice

1 Cup Moong Dal

3-4 Tomatoes, chopped

1 big Onion, sliced

20-25 Garlic Cloves, chopped finely

1” Ginger Piece, chopped

6-8 Curry Leaves

1 teaspoon + 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder

2 teaspoon Chilli Powder

1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds

1 tablespoon Oil

1 tablespoon Coriander, chopped

For tempering:

2 tablespoon Ghee

1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds

1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds

1 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder

1 sprig Curry Leaves

2-3 Dry Red Chillies

8-10 Garlic Cloves, chopped

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Wash dal and rice under running water

till water comes clean.

STEP 2 - Then add dal and rice in pressure cooker and add double i.e. 4 cups water in it and add turmeric powder in it and salt in it and mix it well.

Pressure cook it for 1 whistle.

STEP 3 – Let the pressure release naturally.

STEP 4 – Heat 1 tablespoon in a pan, crackle cumin seeds and add curry leaves, chopped onion, chopped garlic, chopped ginger and cook for 1-2 minute.

STEP 5 – Add chopped tomato, chopped coriander and cook them till mushy.[sorry don't have tomatoes, so no pic]

STEP 6 – Then add turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt in it and mix it well. Add ½ cup water in it and mix well.

STEP 7 – Now add cooked dal and rice and give a nice mix.

Add some water in it and cook for 4-5 minutes with lid.

Stir it occasionally. Taste it and add salt if needed.

For Tempering:

STEP 1 – Heat ghee in small tempering pan.

STEP 2 – Add cumin and mustard seeds in it and let them crackle.

STEP 3 – Then add dry red chillies, chopped garlic cloves, curry leaves and roast for 1 minute.

STEP 4 – Switch off the flame and add Kashmiri red chilli powder.

Pour this tempering over khichdi and mix it well and enjoy.

Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot dal khichdi with papad, raita or any pickle and enjoy.