SOFT TIL-GUL VADI

In India, for makar sankranti festival, foods are made with sesame seeds and jaggery. Tilachi vadi or Tilgul is one of the popular sweets distributed among friends at such time.  Til [pronounced as Teel] are the sesame seeds and vadi is a type of sweet made out of these seeds, along with jaggery [gul]. Some communities in India, including mine, make these sweets today, that is, on Makar Sankranti. As the consumption of sesame seeds generates heat in the body. It is extremely ‘hot’ sweet. It is therefore, made on this day, which lies in January….. one of the winter months in India. Makar Sankranti usually falls on 14 january but when it is a leap year, it is on the 15 th January, like it is this year. In Mahrashtra, we exchange sweets made out of tilgul and wish each other “ Tilgul Ghya Ani Goad Goad Bola”. It translates in english saying, “Take Tilgul[sweets] and speak sweetly”. We also make other sweets on the day, including the delicious gul-poli.Now let’s dug in to the recipe of Tilgul Vadis. 

INGREDIENTS:
¾ Cup Til [sesame seeds]
¾ Cup Jaggery [gul]
¼ Cup roasted Peanut Powder
1 teaspoon Ghee [+ more for greasing plate/ kitchen counter]
1 teaspoon Milk
¼ teaspoon Cardamom Powder
½ tablespoon Grated Coconut, dry

METHOD:
STEP 1 – Roast til on medium flame till light golden in colour.

Transfer in a plate and let them cool to room temperature.

STEP 2 – Grease kitchen counter or a plate with ghee and sprinkle some roasted sesame seeds over it. Keep this aside.

STEP 3 – Now take half of the sesame seeds in a mixer pot and blend it to a coarse powder. Keep half of them aside.

STEP 4 – Take a thick bottomed pan, heat it and add jaggery in to it. Melt it, when it starts to boil and frothy, switch off the flame. [see notes]

STEP 5 – Add sesame seeds powder, remaining half of the sesame seeds, peanuts powder, ghee, milk and cardamom powder in it.

STEP 6 – Let it mix well to form a dough like ball.

STEP 7 – Transfer it to greased surface and spread it evenly with hands. [see notes] Here you have to work fast because once the mixture get cooled, you are not be able to spread it well.

STEP 8 – Now sprinkle desiccated coconut over it and again roll in once with a rolling pin so that coconut will stick to the mixture.

STEP 9 – Let it cool completely  After that cut it in to desired shape square / diamond and til vadi is ready to serve. 

NOTES: *When you are melting jaggery, first keep the flame high. As it starts melting, turn it to low.
              *When jaggery get melted and starts boiling, you can see bubbles on the surface with frothy texture.
              *You can use greased rolling pin for spreading the mixture evenly.

NAGPUR STYLE SAMDAR VADI / PUDACHI VADI

The authentic Nagpur style SAMBAR VADI / PUDACHI VADI is a widely popular street food. This is similar to spring roll with stuffing of coriander. Coriander is a popular Asian and Mediterranean herb which is widely used in savory dishes in almost all part of world. Coriander is known to have disease preventing and health promoting properties. In Marathi "Coriander" is known as "Sambar" and so the name originated. The other name for it is Pudachi Vadi and here as the name signifies “Pud” means folding like a pocket and “Vadi” means cubes or slice or wedges. This is a perfect evening snack and loved by all ages. You can make the coriander stuffing ahead of time, if you are planning to make it and store it in an airtight container in refrigerator.
      Here is a special savoury dish from Kitchens of Maharashtra. Crunchy and aromatic with the zesty flavour of coriander and ginger-garlic. These vadis are sure to tickle your taste buds and spark your appetite…!!! My husband is a big fan of this recipe. It is ideally served as a side dish for a meal, but can be served as a starter or enjoyed as a evening snack with a cup of tea. It can be enjoyed with sweet and green chutneys and tastes heavenly on a chilly and rainy afternoon!!!!

INGREDIENTS:
For Outer Covering:
2 Cup Besan Flour / Gram Flour
2 tablespoon Arrowroot Powder / Corn Flour
1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
¼ teaspoon Asafoetida
Salt as needed
2 tablespoon Oil for Moyan
For Stuffing:       
2 Cups chopped Coriander
2 tablespoon desiccated Coconut
1 tablespoon Ginger-Garlic Paste
2 teaspoon Khus Khus/ Poppy Seeds
1 tablespoon roasted Peanuts-Sesame Seeds Powder
1 ½ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds Powder
1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
½ teaspoon Amchur Powder
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice [optional]
1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
¼ teaspoon Asafoetida /Hing
10-15 Charoli / Chironji
8-10 Raisins /Kishmish
1 tablespoon Oil
For Paste:
1 teaspoon Kala Masala
1 teaspoon Amchur Powder
Pinch of Salt
1 tablespoon Water
Other Ingredients:
Oil for deep frying
METHOD:
Preparation:
STEP 1 - Clean and wash the coriander leaves under running tap water.

STEP 2 - Then put it on colander and drain all the excess water from it.

STEP 3 - Spread it on the kitchen towel and let it dry completely.[see notes]

STEP 4 - When the coriander is completely dry,

chop it very fine and keep aside for further use.

For Making Stuffing:
STEP 1 – Heat a pan with oil and lets crackle cumin seeds and then add asafoetida in it.

STEP 2 – Then add ginger-garlic paste and sauté well for few seconds.

STEP 3 – Add turmeric powder, cumin seed powder, coriander powder, salt and khus khus, charoli and raisins and mix well and roast it for a minute.

STEP 4 – Now add grated coconut and mix well.

STEP 5 – Next add chopped coriander in it and mix it very well. Cook it well by stirring it well.
STEP 6 – Add peanut-sesame powder and lastly sugar in it. Mix it well and cook for a minute.

STEP 7 – Your stuffing is ready. Remove the mixture in a plate and let it cool down to room temperature.

For making the outer cover:
STEP 1 – In a mixing bowl or plate, sieve besan flour and arrowroot powder and mix it very well.

STEP 2 – Then add turmeric powder, salt, asafoetida and 1 teaspoon oil and mix it really well.

STEP 3 – Add water and 

make a stiff dough with it.

STEP 4 – Finally, add the remaining oil and knead the dough and make it soft.

STEP 5 – Cover it and keep it aside for 5 minutes.
Preparing Paste:
STEP 1 – Add all ingredients in a small bowl, add water and mix it well. Reserve it for further use.

To assemble Pudachi Vadi:
STEP 1 – Pinch out small balls of ping pong balls size. Dust a rolling borad with little corn flour and start rolling.

STEP 2 – The disc should be in oval/ elongated shape and should not be very thick or thin. [see notes]

STEP 3 – Spread out a spoonful of the paste evenly over the disc.

STEP 4 – Put 1 tablespoon coriander stuffing over it in the middle as shown in the picture below.

STEP 5 – Starting from one side tightly roll over the stuffing. First flip both the sides [lengthwise] over each other and close tightly. Then flip the remaining sides as shown in the picture below.

STEP 6 – Make sure the sides are closed on all sides. Prepare all the sambar vadis and keep aisde.

STEP 7 – Heat oil in a wide kadai on medium flame.
STEP 8 – When oil is hot, slide one or two vadi in oil and deep fry them until crispy. Flip it once or twice to get a nice golden colour.

STEP 9 – Remove and keep them on kitchen towel or tissue paper to drain excess oil. Serve them hot.

Serve sambar vadi with any chutney of your choice like spicy coriander-mint chutney / sandwich chutney / tomato ketchup and a cutting chai.

NOTES:* Dry the coriander leaves completely before using for making the stuffing otherwise you will not get the crunchy texture.
             *You can roll the disc in circular shape. I made it oval in shape to make it easy to close the sides.

  

GREEN GRAM IDLI

Green Gram Idli is prepared with whole lentils and is very light and nutritious breakfast recipe. I love Idli too much and always love to experiment with idli varities. I have tried regular urad dal-rice idli, instant poha idli, oats and rava idli. Last weel, I have tried Pesera Pappu [whole moong idli] and it came out nicely and it is completely a winning dish. Green gram or whole moong is rich in fiber and potassium which helps in lower blood pressure. Idlis in my opinion is a great steamed breakfast or snack item. We love idlis as our dinner pretty often too. Generally, made with rice and urad dal, these steamed cakes tastes great with piping hot sambar and a variety of chutneys. On days when you want to make something simple yet filling and in just a teaspoon of oil, these idlis are your go to recipe. Though I have kept it pretty simple but you can make it adding pepper powder, green chilli, ginger or you can also add shredded coconut or onions. Here is the recipe for you all. 

INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup Whole Green Gram / Akhha Moong
½ Cup skinless split black gram / Urad dal
Water as needed
 Salt as per taste
Oil for greasing
METHOD:
STEP 1 – Rinse, wash

and soak the green gram overnight.

STEP 2 – In morning, rinse and soak urad dal for about 2 hours.

STEP 3 – Drain water from both.
STEP 4 – Now add green gram to a mixer pot and grind it finely.

STEP 5 – Transfer it in a mixing bowl and keep aside.

STEP 6 – Now likewise, add urad dal in mixer pot and blend it to a fine paste.

STEP 7 – Mix it to green gram paste and add salt in it and mix it very well.

Keep it in a warm place and let the batter ferment for 4-5 hours.

Add more water to adjust the consistency and mix.

STEP 8 – Add little water to idli cooker and heat it.
STEP 9 – Grease the idli plates with oil.

STEP 10 – Add some more water if needed and mix the batter well to get the desired consistency.
STEP 11 – Pour in the batter half way in each mould.

STEP 12 – Steam the idlis until they are cooked completely [for 15-17 minutes].
STEP 13 – Check it by poking a toothpick in it. If it comes clean, they are cooked completely.

STEP 14 – Once cooked, let the idlis cool for about 3-4 minutes and then unmould them. Your green gram idlis are ready to serve.

Serve piping hot green gram idlis with sambar and your favourite chutney like coconut chutney/ peanuts chuntey/ onion chutney and relish.