Sai Bhaji Ji Tikkyoon(Tikkis made from Sai Bhaji)

This is a delicious tikki made from leftover Sai Bhaji(recipe in another post).
At times i make extra Sai bhaji so i can make these tikkis as my husband is
very fond of these tikkis.

Ingredients:

2 cups Saibhaji
5 tbsps besan(chickpea flour)
1 big onion chopped
about 5 slices of bread(preferably stale)
1 tsp sambal olek or red chilli powder or as per taste (optional)
salt to taste
1 tsp amchur(dried mango powder) or juice of half a lemon
5 tbsps oil + oil for deep frying(about 2 cups)
a cup of water

Method:

Heat 5 tbsps oil in a pan and fry onions till light golden.

Now add the sambal olek,sai bhaji and the besan. Mix well.
Soak the bread in about a cup of water for a few seconds and then squeeze out
the water completely. Now break up the soaked bread and add to the pan.
Mix very well so that it is a homogenous mixture.
Add the amchur/lemon juice.

Cook on a low flame till the mixture is dry in consistency.
You can add more bread if needed.
Let it cool. Grease the palms of your hands and form small balls and flatten them.
This makes about 21/22 tikkis.

Heat oil in a deep pan to almost smoking.
Lower heat and on a medium low flame fry the tikkis till golden on
both sides. Fry in batches of 4/5.

You can also pan fry these with very little oil.
Serve hot with ketchup or chutney of your choice.




 

Mirchan Ja Pakoda (chilli pepper fritters)

 Ingredients:

25 mild green chilli peppers(or long hot peppers)
1 cup  white vinegar
3 cups water for soaking
3 cups besan(chickpea flour)
approximately 1&1/2 cups water for the batter
salt to taste
red chilli powder to taste(optional)
3 cups canola oil for frying
a pair of gloves :)

Method:

Wear gloves and wash the chillies.
Make slits in the chilli peppers.

Mix 1 cup vinegar with 3 cups water and a teaspoon of salt.
Soak the chillies in the vinegar and water for at least 24 hours. Or upto 3 days if possible.
This makes the chillies a little sour and less spicy.
If needed add a little more water to make sure chillies are completely submerged in the vinegar water.Refrigerate the chillies during the soaking process.

When ready to make the bhajiyas/pakodas, drain the chillies in a colander.
In the meantime make the batter. Put the chickpea flour in a big bowl, add salt
and red chilli powder and  1 and 1/4 cups of water and mix well. The batter should
be a little thick and not runny. If  too thick, add little more water.
Keep aside for about 15 minutes.The batter should not be lumpy after resting.

 

 

 

 Heat oil till almost smoking point in a deep pan.

 Lower heat. Very carefully take out a tablespoon of oil from the pan and add to the batter.

 Mix well. Dip about 4/5 chillies in the batter till well coated and lower carefully into the hot oil. Fry on medium heat as you want the pakodas to cook well .Turn over and fry till golden brown.

 

          

Drain on paper towels. Fry in batches of 4/5 till done.

Serve hot with chutney/ketchup.

                                                                                                                                                               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Methi Pulao(Rice cooked in a fenugreek base)

Methi Pulao is a delicious preparation of rice which can be had with
some yogurt and papad.
Here it is served as part of a  Cheti Chand celebratory meal along with
Sai Bhaji,Tairi,Yogurt,Papad and Black eye beans.

Ingredients:

1 cup basmati rice
1/2 cup methi masala(fenugreek base)
1 3/4 cup water to cook + 2 cups to soak
2 tbsps oil
1/ tsp turmeric( haldi)
salt to taste


Method:

Rinse the rice and then soak  in about 2 cups of water for about 30 minutes.
I like to wash the rice 4-5 times till the cloudiness disappears from the water.
Heat oil in a pan and add the drained rice,salt,turmeric and the masala.
Gently stir the rice for few minutes.

Now add the water and cook on medium high till all the water is absorbed.
Cover and keep on a low flame with a griddle under the pan and
cook for about 15 minutes.

Gently stir every 5 to 7 minutes.
Serve hot.
You can add your choice of vegetables if you want to have just  pulao and yogurt .
You can add cubes of potatoes,cauliflower,green beans,carrots and peas.

You can also make a fish pulao by adding small boneless,skinless,salted pieces
of any fish of you choice.(salt the fish for about 10/15 minutes before adding to rice).
The fish has to be added after the water has dried and just before you cover and cook,
and be extremely gentle when stirring the pulao.
Put the fish in between folds of rice so that the fish absorbs all the flavours.

 

Methi Masala(Fenugreek Curry Base)

This is a very versatile Curry base which can be used to cook Rice,Chicken,Potatoes,Fish,
Eggs,Paneer(Cottage Cheese).
I like to make a big batch and then freeze portions so that i can use whenever i feel like.
Methi leaves are fenugreek leaves and tend to be bitter.

The trick to reduce this bitterness is to sprinkle salt on the leaves(fresh or defrosted)
and rub the salt into the leaves and keep aside for about 15 minutes.Then rinse well
under cold water in a colander.Then use as per recipe below.


I use frozen Methi most of the time as it is convenient and fresh leaves are not always
available.If you do get fresh methi,pluck the leaves from the stems and wash well.

This is how you get the frozen methi packets.It has blocks of frozen methi in it.

I tend to use the whole pack of 12 ozs. and freeze the extra masala once it is cooked.

Ingredients:

1 pack of frozen methi -12 ozs or about 3 cups packed fresh methi  (treated as mentioned above)
6-8 medium tomatoes chopped
8-10 cloves chopped garlic
12 ozs tomato puree
3-4 serrano chillies(optional)
1 tsp red chilli powder(optional)
1 tbsp turmeric(haldi)
5 tbsps coriander powder(dhania)
6-8 tbsps canola oil
Salt to taste
Water if needed

Heat oil in a pan and add garlic.Saute till light golden.

Add all the other ingredients except water and mix well.
Cover and cook on medium high for about 12-15 minutes till oil oozes from
the sides.
Do stir every 3-4 mins so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
Add few spoons of water if needed,to stop the sticking or if too dry.
This base is now ready to be used to make your choice of vegetable or meat.
More recipes to follow on how to use this masala.

I made Methi wada as i had some wadas sitting in my fridge.
You can freeze 1/2 or 1 cup portions.
This stays well in the fridge for about 2 weeks and 3-4 months in the freezer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TAIRI (SWEET RICE SINDHI STYLE)

A traditional sweet rice recipe which is always made on the Sindhi New Year Day of Cheti Chand.

 

 

Ingredients:

1 cup basmati rice
1 tbsp +1 tsp Ghee(clarified butter)
2 cardamom pods slightly crushed(elaichi)
1/4 tsp saffron strands crushed(kesar)
2 tbsps dried coconut slices(doongi)
2 tbsps almond slivers
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups water(2 for soaking + 2 for cooking)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 tbsps raisins

Method:

Wash the rice a few times and then soak in 2  cups of water for about 1/2 an hour.
Heat 1 tsp ghee in a  pan and saute the coconut and almond till light golden.

Now take a pot and heat the 1 tbsp of ghee.Drain the rice and add the rice and cardamom
and the saffron and saute for 3 to 4 minutes.Stir the rice very gently while sauteeing as you do not want the rice grains to break.

Add the salt and 2 cups of water and cook till the water almost evaporates.
Add the raisins and fennel seeds and stir once.
Now lower the flame and keep a griddle under the pan as it helps to cook the rice
thoroughly without it getting stuck to the pan.
Cover and cook on a slow flame for about 5 minutes.

After five minutes,add the sugar and gently mix into the rice.
then add the almonds and coconut.Cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes
on a slow flame till the rice is cooked through.
Serve hot by itself or with Sai bhaji or boiled Black eye beans.


Note:If you cannot procure ghee you can use unsalted butter.




 

Sai Bhaji (Spinach cooked with split peas the sindhi way)

Today is Cheti Chand,the New Year of the Sindhis and so decided to post the recipe of Sai Bhaji(green vegetable),one of the easiest and most nutritious Sindhi dishes and among the most popular.Most sindhis will make this at least once a week along with Brown Rice/Methi Rice or Khichdi(recipes to be posted).
Along with some fried potatoes or fried taro(kachalu),some papad and yogurt it makes a delicious meal.

Ingredients:

1 bunch  fresh spinach  chopped or 1 box  frozen chopped spinach(10 oz)
2 medium onions chopped
3 large tomatoes chopped
4/5 cloves garlic chopped
1 1/2 " piece ginger chopped
3/4 cup yellow split peas-channa dal (washed and soaked in about 3 cups of water for at least a couple of hours and then drained)
Turmeric 1 tsp(haldi)
2-3 Serrano chillis or red chilli powder as per taste
Salt to taste
2 tbsps lemon juice or tamarind concentrate
2-3 tbsps canola oil(or vegetable oil)
1 cup water(approximately)

Optional ingredients:
1 carrot chopped
2 potatoes chopped
2 small indian/italian eggplants  chopped
2 tbsps chopped dill(sua)
2 tbsps chopped fenugreek leaves(methi;i use a small block of frozen methi)
1 bunch sorrel(chuka/khatta)

All the optional ingredients can be added or one can use whatever is available from that list.
If using sorrel,omit the lemon juice/tamarind.
Adding all these ingredients makes it more tasty and nutritious.
I chop all the vegetables in the chopper.

The traditional way of preparing this vegatable is to heat oil in a big pan and saute all the vegetables along with the turmeric for about 10 minutes and then add the split peas and 3 cups water and cover and cook on a medium flame for about 45 minutes till the peas are well done.Keep stirring it every 7 to 8 minutes.If the water dries up add some more.Then follow the rest of the steps as mentioned in the recipe below.

But these days with the advent of the pressure cooker it is easier and faster to cook this in the cooker.

Method:

In the pressure cooker,put the oil at the bottom and add the split peas.then add all the vegetables and the turmeric.Add the water and cover and cook under pressure for 8 to 10 whistles.
Let the pressure release on its own(about 10 minutes).
Now open the lid and add the salt.(always add salt to any dish with split peas/dried beans after cooking as adding the salt before does not let the beans/peas tenderize easily)and the lemon juice/tamarind concentrate.
Using a wooden masher,churn the vegetables till well blended.Be careful as the hot mixture tends to splash on your hands as you churn.
If too dry add a little water.It should be of a thick consistency.
If you do not have one of these mashers,you can do it with a hand blender but make sure
you do not overdo it.

Serve with rice and yogurt.

 

 

  

Mango Mousse

                    This is a very quickand delicious recipe for which the credit goes to my friend Anju.

Ingredients:

1 can of mango pulp(30 oz)
1/2 can of condensed milk(7 oz)
12 ozs Coolwhip
2 packs of Jello(1 mango/1 peach or 1 mango/1 orange.If you cannot get mango use 1 peach/1 orange)
2 cups of hot water.

Method:
Mix the 2 packages of jello in hot water and stir till the jello melts.
Refrigerate till semi set.
Now blend all ingredients together with a whisk or hand blender.
Put it in the bowl in which you want to serve.
Decorate with peices of mango or nuts or any berries.
Refrigerate for 2/4 hrs before serving.