Kala Masala [ Maharashtrian Recipe ]

       Kala Masala :

This is a typically maharashtrian masala and is so named because of its dark colour.

Ingredients :

• Coriander seeds - 3 cups
• Dry coconut pieces - 3 / 4 cup
• Seasame seeds - 1 / 4 cup
• Cumin seeds - 2 table spoon
• Asafoetida - 1 / 4 tsp
• Caraway seeds - 3 tsps [ shahjeera ]
• Cloves - 5 to 6
• Cinnamon - 4 to 5 pieces
• Bay leaves - 5
• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 / 2 cup
• Salt - as required
• Oil - to saute above ingredients

Method :

Dry roast seasame seeds,saute the asafoetida and remove. In the same kadai add little oil, saute coconut pieces till lightly change in colour. Then remove.saute the rest of the ingredients separately. First grind seasame, coconut and asafoetida separately and then other ingredients. Mix all the powders and turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Store the masala in a jar with an air-tight lid.

[ if this masala is required to be kept for several months, speard a little salt on top of the masala before closing the lid.]

Banana Chips

Ingredients :

• Raw banana - 2
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 4 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Oil -  for frying

Method :

Peel outer skin and cut banana into four lenth wise and then cut into thin slices. Mix salt, turmeric with the pieces and marinate for 1 / 2 an hour. Then heat oil in a frying pan, and deep fry one hand full of banana pieces each time. do not over fry. When it turns golden, remove and drain excess oil. Store it in a air- tight container.

Rawa Laddu

Ingredients :

• Bombay rawa - 2 cups [ heaped ]
• Sugar - 2 cups [ level ]
• Finely cut cashewnuts - 1 tbl.sp.
• Cardamom powder - little
• Fresh ghee - enough to make laddus

Method :

First dry roast rawa in a kadai without discolouring it. Then powder sugar in a mixie, add  rawa in that mixie and powder the rawa along with sugar.
Take it out from the mixie and pour it in a broad vessel. Add fried cashewnuts, cardamom powder and mix well. Then heat ghee in medium flame till it melts. Pour it over the powdered ingredients and mix with a ladle. When the mixture becomes luke warm make laddus [ form balls ] using hands.

Note :

For making larger quantity of laddus, mix roasted rawa and crystal sugar together. Send it to a mill for powdering. Store in a dry container. Take required quantity and mix with melted ghee. Make laddus whenever required.

Peas Gobhi in Gravy

Ingredients :

• Big potatoes - 3
• Cauli flower - 1 medium [ make into flowerettes ]
• Fresh peas - 1 / 2 cup  [ shelled ]
• Jaggery - 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Oil - 3 table spoon

For wet grinding :

• Onion - 3 to 4 [ peeled and cut into pieces ]
• Ginger - small piece
• Green chillies - 3
• Tamarind paste - 1 / 2 tsp
• Cardamom - 2 to 3
• Cinnamon - 1 / 2 inch piece
• Cloves - 2 to 3
• Big tomatoes - 2

For seasoning :

• Oil - 3 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 / 2 tsp

Method :

  Peel the potatoes, and cut into 8 pieces. In a frying pan add 2 cup water to the potato pieces and boil till 3 / 4 cooked. When the water is completely absorbed, add 2 table spoon oil, add cauliflower, peas and fry adding just enough salt. [ little ] When the potatoes are well roasted and the vegetables are tender, remove from the gas and keep separately. Grind all the ingredients together for wet grinding to a fine paste, adding tomatoes at the end. Then heat oil in a kadai, add cuminseeds. When it splutters, add ground masala. Add salt, turmeric, chilli powder and jaggery. Add the boiled and fried vegetables and mix well. Boil well, till the gravy gets a binding with the required thickness.
When the gravy gets ready remove from the gas. Serve hot with any pulao rice, puree, paratha or roti.

Baked Vegetables

Ingredients :

• Carrot - 100 gms
• Beans - 100 gms
• Cabbage - 200 gms
• Peas - 50 gms
• Cauliflower - small one
• Onion - 1 medium size
• Capsicum - 1 [ small ]
• Potato - 1
• Grated cheese - 2 tbl. sps.
• Aji-no-moto - 1 / 4 tsp

To make white sauce :

• Butter - 2 tbl. sps.
• Corn flour or maida - 1 tbl. sps.
• Milk - 1 cup
• Black pepper powder - as required
• Salt - to taste

Method :

For white sauce :
Melt butter in a sauce pan on low flame, add cornflour stirring constantly add milk little at that time.Stir constantly to avoid lumps. When sauce become thick remove from the gas, add salt, pepper, little sugar and aji-no-moto. Mix well and keep aside.
Then cut all the vegetables finely and steam in pressure cooker with out adding  water. Cut onions and capsicum in to long pieces. Take a baking dish, put the steamed vegetables in it. Pour the white sauce to cover that, garnish on top with cut onion and capsicum. Sprinkle grated cheese on top and bake in hot oven till the cheese turns into light brown in colour [ approximately ] 20 minutes. Serve hot with tomato sauce and chilli sauce.

This not dish. Serve hot as it is with sauce sprinkled over it. Even children will like it well.

Fresh Peas Subji

Ingredients :

• Fresh peas - 1 cup [ shelled ]
• Onions - 2 to 3 big
• Tomatoes - 3 [ medium sized ]
• Tamarind paste - 1 / 2 tsp
• Jaggery - required
• Salt - as required

Fry in oil :

• Dhania - 1 tbl. sp.
• Cumin seeds - 1 / 2 tsp
• Pepper - 4 to 5
• Red chillies - 6 to 8

 [ fry all these in a tsp of oil and grind with 1 / 2 cup of scraped fresh coconut. ]

Method :

Cut onions and tomatoes into 1 inch pieces.  Then heat 3 table spoons of oil in pressure pan, or in cooker body itself and add cumin seeds. When it splutters, add onions and fry till it become translucent. Mix peas and fry for a minute, then add ground masala. Fry for a few more minutes. Add tamarind paste, salt, jaggery, cut tomatoes with enough water and cover with lid. Reduce the flame. Cook for 10 minutes or keep till 2 whistle comes. Dry peas also can be substituted here, which is soaked 7 hours previously. In that case cook for few more minutes. It goes well with rice flour chappathis and maida chappathis.

Vegetable Kurma

 Ingredients :

• Potatoes - 3 [ cut into  cubes ]
• Carrots - 3 [ cut into cubes ]
• Tinda - 2 [ peeled and cut into cubes ]
• Tomatoes - 2
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Onions - 2 to 3
• Raisins - 1 tbl. sps.
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
•  Salt - asrequired
• Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 / 2 tsp
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Oil - 3 tbl. sps.
• Coriander leaves - little

Method :

Mix the vegetables together, adding salt, turmeric, and required water. Boiled them till it become soft. Drain the excess water and keep aside. Then heat 3 tbsps oil in a deep pan. Add cumin seeds. When they pop, add onions, ginger garlic paste. Fry till it  change in to brown colour. Then add turmeric, chilli powder, raisins and boiled vegetables. Check salt and  add salt, sugar and garam masala powder and 2 cups of water and cook till the vegestables mix well and the gravy becomes little thick. Garnish with coriandre leaves and serve with puris and rotis.
Addition of coconut paste add into kurma in south. Addition of rich nuts paste add into kurma in north.