गणपती बाप्पाच्या स्वागतासाठी सगळे उत्सुक आहेत...तेव्हा त्यांना सगळ्यात प्रिय (आणि मला सुद्द्धा ) असलेले उकडीचे मोदक कसे करतात ते आपण बघूया...साधारणतः प्रत्येक घराची हे मोदक करायची एक विशिष्ठ पद्धत असते...आणि प्रत्येक घरातली "आई" हि मास्तर शेफ असते...तरीही माझ्यासारखे "शिकाऊ" उमेदवार कोणी असतील तर त्याच्यासाठी ही रेसिपी :

साहित्य : एक वाटी स्वच्छ तांदूळ धुऊन, सावलीत वाळवून, दळून चाळलेली पिठी, एक वाटी (साखर + गूळ), एक नारळ, चार चमचे तूप, वेलची पूड, तेल, आवडत असल्यास भाजून कुटलेली अर्धी वाटी खसखस पूड.

सारण: खोवलेल्या नारळाच्या चवात साखर आणि गूळ घालून मंद आचेवर शिजत ठेवावे.

Ingredients: 1-1.5 bowls of grated fresh coconut, 2 bowls of basamati or any aromatic rice (cooked), sugar in equal amount to coconut, green elaichi (cardamom), lavang (clove)- 4-5, kesar (safron), kaju (cashew nuts), kishmish (raisins), half bowl milk (add kesar, kaju and kishmish for 10-15 minutes at least)

Procedure: Cook the entire rice by putting some ghee in it. This disallows cake formation in rice. Take a thick bottomed vessel. Add ghee and put elaichi and clove in it. Then add grated coconut and sugar and stir it until the sugar is melted.

Ingredients

• Chicken - 1 kg
• Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tbsp
• Chilly powder - 1/2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Pepper - 1/2 tsp
• Cinnamon - 1" piece
• Cardamon - 4 nos
• Cloves - 8 nos
• Saunf - 1/8 tsp
• Onion (finely sliced)-1/2
• Garlic - 1 tbsp
• Ginger(finely chopped) - 1/2 tbsp
• Salt - As reqd
• Vinegar - As reqd
• Curry leaves - A few
• Yogurt - 1/4 cup
• Oil - 3tbsp
• Ginger-Garlic paste - 1tbsp
• Shredded coconut (Wet) - 4 tbsp

Seasoning:

• Oil - 3 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 2 tbsp
• Onion (sliced as thin and long pieces along the y-axis) -

Ingredients

• Fish (Halibut) 1 lb
• Turmeric powder: 1/3 tsp
• Red chilly powder: 1 tsp
• Salt
• Garlic paste: 1 tsp
• Tamarind pulp: 1 tsp
• Fresh coconut paste or coconut milk: 2 tbs
• Oil
• Garlic pod-3-4 cloves crushed

Procedure

1. Cut hallibut into 2"x2" pieces.
2. Marinate the pieces with turmeric, chilly, salt, garlic and tamarind for 1 hr.
3. Heat oil in a pan.
4. Add crushed garlic cloves, and a pinch of asafoetida.
5. Add fish, water, coconut paste.
6. Stir lightly, taking care not to break delicate fish pieces.
7. Boil for 3-4 min. 8.

Ingredients

Masala

• Cloves - 5
• Cinnamon - 2 sticks
• Saunf - 3 tsp
• Cardamon - 3
• Fresh sliced Ginger or Ginger paste - 2 tsp
• Garlic cloves - 2 or Garlic paste - 2 tsp
• Coconut (wet and shredded) - 5 tbsp
• Green chilli - 3 (according to the spice level you desire)
• Onion (finely cut into small pieces) - 1/2

Veggies

• Onion (finely cut into small pieces) - 1
• Cauliflower - 1 1/2 cup
• Potato (cut into small cubes) - 2
• Carrot (diced) - 1 cup
• Green peas - 1 cup
• Beans - 1 cup
• Curry leaves - 4
• Mustard seeds - 1tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

All right, so I decided to post my first recipe. Hmm, lets see, I hope you folks like it. Baingan Bharta, the way my mom cooks it.

Ingredients

• 1 Baingan (Big Size)
• 4-5 Chillies
• 1 Onion
• 3 tbsp Oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp Jeera (Cumin)
• 3-4 Heaped Table Spoons Curd (Plain Yogurt)
• Coriander/ Cilantro

Procedure

1. I am assuming that you are stuck in the United States of America and do not have a Gas Stove. Pre-heat oven to 400 F.
2. Place baingan on centre rack with a tray to collect drippings in the bottom rack of oven. Cook for one hour and fifteen minutes.

Finally a Chimbori recipe for Chimbori.com. Got this from my Mami-ajji. Haven't yet tried it since I returned from India but I remember that this is exactly how our Mum used to make it.

I just could not resist posting it up even before I tried it. I will update with better proportions of ingredients once I have tried the recipe myself.

This goes out to all the people who live alone, away from India, and feel like having some tasty mutton, but dont have the time to make hirva vatap and god-knows-what-else is required for cooking mutton the traditional way.

Ingredients

• 1/2 kg mutton (or 1 pound in the US) preferably with some bones
• 1 Medium-large onion (Diced VERY finely - Please... you got to put in SOME effort!)
• 1.5 TABLEspoon Ginger-garlic paste
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 4 cloves
• 12-14 peppercorns (crushed)
• 3 pods cardamom (elaichi/velchi)
• 2 teaspoons crushed red chilli (I put in 4..

Ingredients

• 1 cup Grated Cucumber (kakdi)
• 1 cup Jaggery
• 1 tbsp Ghee
• 2 cups Rice Flour
• 6-7 nos Turmeric Leaves (Haldiche Pan)
• Salt to taste

Procedure

1. Remove excess water from grated cucumber.
2. Take a shallow bottom pan and heat ghee, add cucumber in it and stir.
3. Add jaggery and mix it well with cucumber such that jaggery melts (do not overheat jaggery).
4. Remove it from over the gas and add rice flour slowly mixing it well with the hot mixture taking care that lumps are not formed, add a pinch or two of salt to the mixture and mix well. 5.

The recipe is an authentic Parsi dish, called as " Patra ni Matchi". A fish steamed in Green Chutney.

Ingredients

For marinating the fish

• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 2 tsp coriander and cumin powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp oil
• Salt to taste.

Chutney

• 1 small coconut
• A small bunch of coriander leaves
• 2-3 curry leaves
• 6-7 green chillies (more, if you want spicy)
• 6-7 cloves of garlic
• A small piece of ginger
• Juice of 1 medium lemon
• 1 tsp sugar

Procedure

1.