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Quick
and Easy Mini Meals
Having growing up in Bombay I saw the transition of families as
they became more busy and adopted more and more mini-meals from the local Maharashrrian
Cuisine. The following meals became a natural in many homes even though these
families came from other parts of India. If you are familiar with cous cous you will
see a slight resemblence in Poha, Sago and Upma with cous cous. Served with yogurt
or coconut or peanut chutney they can make complete meals.
Our store carries the Indian Pressed instant rice flakes called Poha,
Semolina, the Sago or tapico and rice flour which are needed to make these mini-meals. |
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Rice
Pancakes - Tandoolache ghavan (rice
flour pancakes)
Ingredients:
2 cups rice flour,
1 small onion,
4 green chilies,
cumin seeds,
salt to taste,
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Method:
1.1. Soak rice flour in water or buttermilk. The batter should be
of spreadable consistency, but should not be too thick or too dilute.
2. Chop onion into thin vertical pieces. Chop green chilies.
3. Add onion pieces, chilies, cumin seeds and salt to the batter and mix.
4. Heat a griddle.
6. Once the griddle is hot enough, reduce the heat and grease it with 2 tsp oil.
7. Now quickly spread the batter over the griddle. Make it even and as thin as possible.
8. Once the bottom side is golden brown, flip and cook the top.
9. Remove and top with ghee. Serve hot with coconut chutney.
Variation: For a different flavor, add crushed garlic cloves and chopped coriander
leaves.
Instead of rice flour, take 2 cups rice, soak it for 5-6 hours. Drain the water and grind
it into a fine paste.
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| AKaande Pohe
Ingredients:
2 cup Pohe (Flaked, beaten
rice),
1 small onion,
1 potato,
3-4 green chilies,
1 teaspoon lemon juice,
2-3 teaspoon sugar,
salt to taste,
1 tbspoon oil,
2 teaspoon mustard seeds,
1 teaspoon asafoetida,
2 teaspoon turmeric powder,
coconut and coriander leaves for garnishing. |
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Method:
1. Soak Pohe in water.
Drain water and keep it aside for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Now rub some salt, sugar and lemon juice to it.
3. Chop green chilies, onion and potatoes.
4. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add asafoetida,turmeric
powder, onion pieces, potato pieces and green chilies.
5. When potatoes turn tender, add pohe and stir.
6. Cover and cook for sometime. Remove the lid, stir and again allow it to cook for 2
minutes.
7. Garnish with coconut and coriander leaves. Serve hot.
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| USabudana khichdi
Ingredients:
2 cup sago,
1 potato,
3-4 green chilies,
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional),
1 small piece ginger (optional),
1/2 cup peanut powder,
2-3 teaspoon sugar,
salt to taste,
1 tbspoon oil,
2 teaspoon cumin seeds,
coconut and coriander leaves for garnishing. |
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Method:
11. Soak sago in water. Drain the water and keep it aside for half
an hour to one hour.
2. Now add peanut powder, salt, sugar and lemon juice and mix
3. Cut green chilies into small pieces and grate ginger.
4. Heat oil or ghee in a pan.
6. Add cumin seeds, potato pieces and chilies.
7. As soon as potatoes are tender, add sago and stir.
8. Cook uncovered for sometime and keep mixing so that sago will not stick to the bottom.
9. Garnish with coconut and coriander leaves. Serve hot.
Tip: As mentioned above in step 2, add all the ingredients to the soaked sago before
cooking.
While making khichdi, do not cover the pan, else it will turn into an elastic ball.
Khichdi tastes excellent if tossed continuously while cooking.
Variation: Try something different, yet tasty by adding grated boiled potato instead of
the chopped one.
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| Upma
Ingredients:
1 cup semolina
2 cups water
3-4 cashews broken
1 teaspoon Urad dal (optional)
1\4 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon oil
2 green chilies diced
Small piece of ginger chopped thin
Half a dozen curry leaves (optional)
3\4 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetables like carrots, peas, cauliflower beans in bite size and slightly steamed
in the microwave or pan
1 chopped onion
1 tablespoon of salt free butter or Ghee
Lime juice, salt to taste |
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Method:
1. Heat the oil in a suace pan. Add chena
dal, urad dal, mustard seeds and heat on a low fire. When the dals become light brown and
the mustard seeds crack up, add the green chilis, ginger, onion and curry leaves.
2. When the onions are cooked soft, add peas and carrots. Saute for 1 minuite
3. Add 2 cups of water and salt. When water starts boiling add one cup of
cream of wheat continuously stirring. Then add one table spoon of butter.
3. Reduce the heat and cook till it becomes a soft pudding. Remove from fire
and keep it for 5 minutes. Add lime juice and salt to taste
4. Serve with tomato/ginger chutney or any other chutney or pickle.
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| Khara
Rava Bombay Style
Ingredients:
1 cup(s) semolina (or cream of wheat)
1 medium onion(s) sliced finely
4 tablespoons ghee
(clarified butter) / butter
1 teaspoon(s) each of mustard and cumin seeds
1 teaspoon(s) ginger chopped
2 green chilli(es) slit / chopped
2 tablespoon(s) grated coconut if available
4 curry leaves
2 cup(s) water
salt to taste
fried cashewnuts and finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish
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Method:
1
- Heat half of the ghee (clarified butter) in a pan. Fry semolina, stirring continuously,
to a golden color on medium / low level for about 2 minute(s). Keep aside.
- Heat the remaining ghee (clarified butter) in a pan. Toss in the mustard seeds followed
by the cumin seeds and fry till the seeds splutter fully. Add the onion(s), ginger, green
chilli(es) and stir fry on medium level for about 3 minutes or till the onions are
transparent and soft.
- Mix in the semolina, curry leaves and salt. Add water to this and mix well. Cover and
cook on low heat for about 3 minutes or till the mixture is almost dry.
Garnish with fried cashewnuts, grated coconut and finely chopped coriander leaves
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| UPav Bhaaji
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped cauliflower,
1/2 cup chopped french beans,
1/2 cup green peas,
1/2 cup finely chopped capsicum (green peppers),
3 potatoes,
4 medium sized tomatoes,
2 medium sized finely chopped onions,
4 teaspoon Pav bhaaji masala,
chili powder
4-5 garlic cloves,
1 small piece ginger,
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (optional),
chopped coriander leaves,
salt to taste,
Pav (a kind of bun, In India, it is known as Pav. Choose proper buns, do not buy the sweet
ones),
1 pack salted butter (Amul butter is recommended) |
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| ATUKULA UPMA Method :
Peel and chop potato into thin half
inch pieces. Clean flattened rice and sprinkle ½ a cup of water over it and mix. Keep it
aside. Heat oil in a wok and prepare the seasoning. Add chopped potatoes and fry for 1
minute. Add onions, slit green chilis, curry leaves and fry till onions turn pink in
color. Add salt, turmeric powder and mix. Add the beaten rice and mix well. Cover the wok
and cook on a low flame till the contents become hot. Add lemon juice and coriander
leaves. It is best eaten hot.
- 2 cups beaten rice (Atukulu)
- 1 potato
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 tomato chopped
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 3 slit green chilis
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
- Few curry leaves
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- 3 tbsp oil
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp cumin
- 1 red chili broken into bits.
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Method:
1. Boil potatoes and mash them. Boil all the
chopped vegetables and 1 tomato.
2. Mash or grind boiled vegetables to form a pulp.
3. Purée remaining 3 tomatoes with some chili powder.
4. Now crush ginger-garlic and boil them in a water. Squeeze the ginger and garlic. Only
the stock will be used in bhaaji.
5. In a pan melt 2 tbspoon butter. Add cumin seeds (this is optional), half of the chopped
onions. Sauté for a minute and add boiled vegetables.
6. Allow to cook. Now add mashed potatoes, puréed tomatoes and the ginger-garlic stock.
Alternately keep adding some butter.
7. Dissolve pav bhaaji masala and chili powder in water and add this water to the bhaaji
to get a nice red color. Cook till the bhaaji gets little thick. Add chopped coriander
leaves. The bhaaji is ready now.
8. Give slits to the buns keeping the base intact. On a flat frying pan, melt some butter.
Arrange all the buns on the pan. Roast both the sides as well as the inner surfaces of
buns on the butter.
9. Serve pav and hot bhaaji with chopped onions and a piece of lemon.
10. Masala onion: Heat some butter, add a pinch of pav bhaaji masala and salt. Put
the chopped onions, lemon juice and mix. Serve this masala onion with pav bhaaji.
Tip: Use butter generously while preparaing pav bhaaji.
Light roast the buns. Let them remain buttery and soft.
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