Bhendi chi bhaji/ Lady's finger bhaji/ Bendekaai palya ~~Maharashtrian recipes

Spices and flavors combined together to make a delectable and spicy bhaji that tastes heavenly with every bite, Bhendi chi bhaji is rich and delicious particularly when served with Bhakris.

Continuing with the Maharashtrian recipes, Bhendi chi bhaji and Bharli bhendi are the most made maharashtrian bhendi recipes. Bharli bhendi looks quite a bit of time to prepare compared to Bhendi bhaji and hence I cooked it when I made dinner last night. We usually have dinner by 8 so my evenings are a little hectic. So I chose Bhendi bhaji over Bharli bhendi and it's simple, easy and delicious.

Lady's finger is one of my favorite veggies since I have a lot of childhood memories attached to it. I still remember my mom sticking the chopped top of lady's finger on her nose and acting a clown to make my little brother and I laugh. My brother and I used to stick those tips all over our face and walk around the house teasing each other while mom fried the chopped lady's finger for sambar. Oh the sambar! mom makes the best lady's finger sambar for which she makes her own sambar masala. Nostalgic about good old days..

Anyway, as much as I love making lady's finger sambar, I wanted to try maharashrian style Bhendi palya/bhaji from quite some time. If this vegetable can taste so good with only few of the spices added in sambar, I wanted to see how it would taste with this whole variety of spices that has been added to goda masala. Believe me when I say it tasted wonderfully delicious! I got this recipe from Maharashtrian recipes online and have followed it exactly how it is..

Nutritional Information  (Approx) (per serving)
Energy	96		Calories
Fat	6.6		%
Carbohydrates	7.9		%
Dietary Fiber	3.2		%
Sodium	6.3		mg
Vitamin A	4.7		%
Vitamin C	25.5		%
Calcium	7.4		%
Iron	2.7		%
Protein	3.8		Grams
Sugar	2.3		Grams

Ingredients
Lady's finger/Okra	500 grams
Onion chopped	1
Peanuts	1/4 cup
Oil	1 tablespoon divided
Mustard seeds	1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds	1/2 teaspoon
Garlic pods crushed	4
Curry leaves	a handful
Turmeric powder	1/2 teaspoon
Goda Masala	1 tablespoon
Salt	to taste
Amchur powder	1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder	1 teaspoon
Chilli powder	1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida	a pinch

Dry roast peanuts for about 5-6 minutes under low flame and let it cool completely. Once cooled, grind them to a coarse powder.

Wash the lady's fingers well, wipe them with a dry cloth and cut them to pieces.

Heat half tablespoon of oil in a kadai and add fry the lady's fingers till they turn soft. let the pieces be soft and cooked but not mushy.

In the same kadai, heat the rest of the oil and add mustard seeds. Once they start to splutter, add cumin seeds, Asafoetida. curry leaves and garlic.Fry for a minute and then add onion and turmeric powder.

Fry till onion turns translucent. Then add the cut lady's finger and mix well. Fry for few minutes and then add Goda masala, chilli powder, Amchur powder, coriander powder and salt. Mix well.

Add peanut powder, fry for another minute and remove from flame. Serve hot.

Mixed nuts chikki/ Mixed nuts brittle ~~ Holi recipes

An all time favorite of all age groups, these chikkis or candies can rival the taste of chocolates and are a perfect healthy treat for kids. A twist to the regular peanut chikkis by adding mixed nuts is just what you will need when you are craving for a nutritious sweet snack.

Chikkis are Indian brittles but sugar is replaced by jaggery in the Indian version. It is hard to stop eating peanut chikkis once you taste them and are my all time favorite snack from childhood. My mom used to prepare a huge box of chikkis from jaggery that we got from our hometown also called as Joni bella. The taste is unbelievably addictive and chikkis are the one thing that I can eat any time, any date irrespective of the diet I am in the middle of!  Though I can make peanut chikkis at home now, I don't because I have never come out with the chikkis that taste as good as store bought or mom-made. 

Last time when my mom told me that my dad has been craving for chocolates, I quickly got to making sugar-free Dry fruits and mixed nuts Burfi and decided to make some chikkis as well. Since I don't like my home-made peanut chikkis, I decided to make mixed nuts chikkis. I had to dry roast n powder/pulse the nuts for burfis anyway.

Chikkis are also made with sugar that is caramelized and you can taste the difference. I love the jaggery ones and they are a good option health wise too. So, here is an easy and fail-safe recipe for Mixed nuts chikkis that you will fall in love with, in your first bite!

Nutritional Information  (Approx) (per serving)
Energy	92.7		Calories
Fat	6.2		%
Carbohydrates	8.3		%
Dietary Fiber	1.7		%
Sodium	1		mg
Vitamin A	0.6		%
Vitamin C	0.4		%
Calcium	2.2		%
Iron	3.6		%
Protein	2.7		Grams
Sugar	4.6		Grams

Ingredients
Walnuts	100 grams
Cashew nuts	50 grams
Almonds	100 grams
Pistachios	100 grams
Flax seeds	100 grams
Cardamom powder	1/2 teaspoon
Ghee/Clarified butter	1 teaspoon
Jaggery grated	1 & 1/2 cups

Dry roast Almonds in a pan under low flame till they turn crisp.Let them cool completely and grind into a coarse powder.
Dry roast all the remaining nuts together till they turn crisp for about 5-6 minutes under low flame. Remove from flame and let them cool completely.
Dry roast flax seeds covered in a pan since they pop. Once they turn a little dark, remove from flame and let it cool. Grind the roasted flax seeds to a coarse powder.

Mix all the ground nuts and set them aside while you prepare the jaggery. Grate jaggery and keep it ready.
In a kadai, melt ghee and add jaggery. Keep the flame under low and keep stirring. Once the mixture turns to One-string consistency {Take the mixture in a spoon and take it with your forefinger. a single thread is formed (and does not break) when your forefinger and your thumb are pulled apart gently.}
Add the nuts mixture, cardamom powder and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes and remove from flame.

Grease a plate with little ghee or oil. Spread the mixture quickly and using a rolling pin, gently roll on the mixture and let it cool down completely.
Mark and cut when it is still warm and it will be easy to remove the pieces once cooled down completely.

* You can replace jaggery with sugar and the quantity is same.
* You can also add peanuts (dry roasted and skin peeled) and Grated dry coconut. 

Dry fruits and mixed nuts Burfi/ Dry fruits and mixed nuts fudge (Sugar-free)~~Holi recipes

A sugar-free, highly nutritious and filling, tasty and colorful, addictive and delicious, these dry fruits and mixed nuts Burfis are a healthy dessert and a guilt-free snack. These nutritious Dry fruits and mixed nuts Burfis are a delightful treat for your little kiddos since these burfis give the goodness of all nuts and flax seeds.

As usual, I was thinking of making a sugar-free yet a healthy dessert for Holi. Every time I prepare a sugar-free dessert, I am encouraged by my DH and dad. My dad being diabetic particulary loves chocolates and he always tries to sneak few chocolates in his pocket like a naughty kid. So, I try to find new ways to make his desserts sugar free. Lately, he has been buying a lot of peanut chikkis and my mum told me about it. So, I made nuts burfi without sugar but fig and dates added for sweetness for my dad.

These burfis are made of Dates, Figs, Cashew nuts, walnuts, Almonds, pistachios and flax seeds bound together by just a tablespoon of ghee. It has the goodness of all the nuts and is rich in iron. Since a mixture of nuts is added to this burfi, the health benefits are numerous. Even though this dessert does not have added sugar, I have added just enough ghee to bind it all together. You can skip the ghee part and add Khoya instead, though that will change the taste altogether and will have lower shelf life. Apart from the mixed nuts, you can also add grated dry coconut, sesame seeds and poppy seeds.

My DH and I have a special liking for dates and my first option when it comes to dessert is a dish made of dates. It has been years since I started to curb my sweet tooth with dates as snack. I also try to make it a little more interesting by adding it to bread or cake. You can check these totally-sugar-free recipes which have helped me overcome my all time sugar cravings. This practice of replacing sugar to dates has helped me with weight loss and better health  to a huge extent. Anyway, here are few sugar free recipes to check if you would like:

Date Rolls
Dates and Nuts Loaf
Dates and Semolina Halwa

Nutritional Information  (Approx) (per serving)
Energy	109.6		Calories
Fat	5.5		%
Carbohydrates	15.6		%
Dietary Fiber	2.8		%
Sodium	1.7		mg
Vitamin A	0.1		%
Vitamin C	0.3		%
Calcium	3.1		%
Iron	3.8		%
Protein	2.4		Grams
Sugar	11.2		Grams

Ingredients
Dates	500 grams
Dry figs	250 grams
Walnuts	150 grams
Cashew nuts	50 grams
Almonds	150 grams
Pistachios	150 grams
Flax seeds	100 grams
Cardamom powder	1/2 teaspoon
Grated nutmeg	1/2 teaspoon
Ghee/Clarified butter	1 tablespoon divided

Grease a plate and keep it aside. Heat a kadai and dry roast almonds till they feel crisp, for about 5-6 minutes. Let it aside to cool.
Once the almonds are cooled completely, ground them to a coarse powder. Meanwhile, heat a pan and dry roast flax seeds under low flame. You will have to cover the pan since the flax seeds starts to pop once the heat turns up.
Once the flax seeds starts to give out it's aroma, remove from flame and let it cool.

Meanwhile, Dry roast all the remaining nuts together till they turn crisp and let them aside to cool completely.
Grind the flax seeds into fine powder. Now, you can either chop the nuts to your desired size or you can pulse them all together into tiny uneven pieces. I have done the latter. Mix Almond powder, flax seeds powder and remaining nuts.
Chop the figs and dates. Heat a kadai, fry the dates with half a tablespoon of ghee till the dates look a little puffed. Transfer the dates to a plate and set it aside to cool.

Fry chopped figs with half tablespoon ghee till they look a little puffed up. Let them cool completely. Now, grind together dates and figs WITHOUT water. The mixture should be coarse and it is alright if few dates are whole. Heat the same used kadai, add ground paste, nutmeg and cardamom powder and mix well.

Cook the dates mixture for a minute till the mixture gets a little warm. Add dry ingredients to the dates and fig mixture and mix well. Remove from flame.
Smear some ghee or oil to you hands and knead the mixture into a dough when the mixture is still warm. Place the dough in the greased plate and press them with your palm. Cut and let the mixture cool in refrigerator for at least an hour. Cut into the mixture again before removing the burfis from the plate. Serve and enjoy!

* You can play with the quantity of nuts added but it works better if the quantity of fig and dates are not reduced.
* I have pulsed the nuts in my blender twice to make them into coarse pieces and powder. You can chop the nuts if you want.

Bharli vangi/ Stuffed brinjal curry/ Bharleli Vangi/ Bharva Baingan ~~Maharashtrian recipes

A delicious, authentic Maharashtrian curry dish of stuffed brinjals with a combination of  spices, peanuts, sesame and coconut, Bharli Vangi is a great accompaniment for the delectable Jwarichi Bhakri or Jowar roti.

This post is a part of Culinary hoppers blog hop for the month of March. Being hubby's favorite, Jowar roti and Bharli vangi became my obvious choice. Also, I have taken the recipe from MAHARASHTRIAN RECIPES ONLINE. I have never liked brinjals and eggplants much, yet this dish is an exception. This spicy curry leaves you wanting for more and makes you love those brinjals just a little bit more. After preparing Bharli Vangi, even though I got a thumbs up from my DH, I was doubtful since this is the first time I made a dish with brinjals and was surprised with the taste of this dish. A burst of so many flavors, softness of the coconut-sesame mixture, flavor of peanuts, crunch from brinjals, a spicy blast of chilli and aroma of those spices makes this dish an amazing and exotic dish.

The brinjals stuffed with the masala absorbs all the flavors and gives a beautiful crunch to your mouthful. This curry is usually an accompaniment for Jowar Roti or white rice and Dal. The consistency of this curry also differs as per one's liking. We love curries a little thin so what I have prepared here is quite thin in consistency.

Also, to cook this dish, you will need Maharashtrain Kanda lasun Masala and Goda Masala though some people add only Goda Masala. Sometimes, cooked potatoes are also added to the curry. Since the chilli powder is also added with Maharashtrain Kanda lasun Masala and Goda Masala, the dish is very spicy but you can play with the quantity of these masalas to get the spiciness you would prefer.  Also, you can add coconut that is fresh or dry but they say the dry one will taste much better.

The ingredients required to make this dish are few and you can prepare it in not more than 30 minutes yet tastes fabulous when served with rotis.

Nutritional Information  (Approx) (per serving)
Energy	132		Calories
Fat	10.3		%
Carbohydrates	9		%
Dietary Fiber	3.4		%
Sodium	5.3		mg
Vitamin A	3.1		%
Vitamin C	6.1		%
Calcium	3.6		%
Iron	5		%
Protein	3.7		Grams
Sugar	0.6		Grams

Ingredients
Sesame seeds	2 tablespoons
Garlic pods	4
Dry coconut	2 tablespoons
Cumin seeds	2 teaspoons + 1 teaspoon
Coriander leaves	a handful
Brinjals (small)	4 to 5
Oil	2 tablespoons divided
Onion	1 large
Tomato	1 large
Kanda lasun Masala	1 teaspoon
Goda Masala	1 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Turmeric powder	1/2 teaspoon
Roasted peanut powder	1/2 cup
Jaggery grated	1 teaspoon
Water	as needed

Grind together Sesame seeds, dry coconut, coriander leaves, cumin seeds and garlic to a smooth paste. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds.
Once it starts to splutter, add chopped onions. Fry till they get translucent. Add tomatoes and cook till it turns soft and mushy.

Add the ground mixture and mix well. Let it cook till the raw smell goes away completely.
Add Goda Masala, jaggery and Kanda lasun Masala and cook for 2 minutes. Then add turmeric powder, peanut powder and salt. Mix, let it cook for 2 more minutes and remove from flame.

Wash and pat dry the brinjals. Remove the stem and not the green part. then slit them as shown in the picture 1.
Stuff the slit brinjals with the mixture. Make sure you open every slit and stuff the filling.
Add 2 cups of water or as per your requirement to the remaining stuffing and bring it to boil.

In a different Kadai, heat oil and add some cumin seeds. You can also add hing. Once the cumin seeds starts to slutter, place the stuffed brinjals carefully and fry till the skin of brinjals look soft.
Add the boiling water-stuffing mixture and check for seasoning. Cook it covered till brinjals are completely cooked.Serve hot with Rotis or Rice+Dal.

* Since the consistency of my curry is thin, I have directly added water to the left over stuffing. If you want thick and dry curry, fry the leftover stuffing till they leave out oil and then add brinjals.
* Adding cumin the second time is optional. Also, you can add hing which will give a nice aroma and taste.
* You can increase or decrease the proportion of coconut, sesame seeds and peanut powder as per your taste and liking consistency.

Do check these amazing posts of Maharashtrian dishes from my fellow Culinary hoppers:

Shubha's 

http://www.shubhaskitchen.com/2016/03/bhajaniche-thalipeeth-spiced-multigrain.html

http://www.shubhaskitchen.com/2016/03/kulith-pithale-kulith-pitla-horsegram.html

http://www.shubhaskitchen.com/2016/03/piyush.html

Vani's 

http://marudhuskitchen.com/www/recipe-batata-wada-maharashtrianvadaaloo-bonda/

Anu's

http://easybitesonline.com/shengdanyachi-amti-recipe-peanut-stew-maharashritain-cuisine/

http://easybitesonline.com/varaicha-bhat-recipe-singlepot-varai-sama-barnyard-millet-rice/

Piyali's 

http://mytrystwithfoodandtravel.blogspot.in/2016/03/zunka-bhakar-recipe-jhunka-recipe-bajra.html

http://mytrystwithfoodandtravel.blogspot.in/2016/03/matki-chi-usal-recipe-moth-bean-sprouts.html

Jayashree's 

http://www.evergreendishes.com/2016/03/16/kothimbir-vadi/

http://www.evergreendishes.com/2016/03/15/mumbai-pav-bhaji/

Swathi's

http://www.letscookhealthytonight.com/maharashtrian-green-peas-curry/

http://www.letscookhealthytonight.com/tomato-rice/

Shobana's

http://shobasdelight.blogspot.in/2016/03/kolhapuri-thecha-lal-mirch-thecha.html

Parvathy's

http://crackleandtemper.ca/recipe/sol-kadhi-kokum-kadhi-blog-hop-with-culinary-hoppers-maharashtrian-theme/

Padma's

http://www.masalakorb.com/maharashtrian-bhakarwadi-recipe-holi-recipes/

http://www.masalakorb.com/sabudana-vada-recipe-low-oil-sago-vada/%EF%BB%BF

Jwarichi Bhakri/ Jolada rotti/ Jowar ki roti ~~Maharashtrian recipes

Jowar roti also called as Jwarichi bhakri in Maharashtra and Jolada rotti in Karnataka is a humble, authentic, healthy and gluten-free flat bread made of Sorghum/Jowar flour.

Making this roti in large quantity requires skill, energy and patience. These rotis are a part of regular meal in North Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh and they pat the rotis with their hands. Nalini aunty, our neighbor in mom's place is from Dharwad and they make and sell homemade Bhakris. She prepares the rotis with such grace and ease that it is a pleasant sight to watch her pat perfect round rotis in minutes. I have acquired this recipe from her and it is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. All my rotis puffed up beautifully and tasted perfect with Bharli Vangi(Stuffed brinjal), thanks to her.

This post is a part of Culinary Hoppers blog hop for the month of March and theme is Maharashtrian dishes. Since hot Jowar Bhakris and Bharli vangi (stuffed eggplant curry) are my DH's favorite, I chose these dishes. The traditional way of making Jowar Bhakris/Jwarichi bhakri is cooking the flour with salt in boiling water and patting them with hands into rotis once cooled down. I found the recipe I got from aunty is way easier than the traditional way. Also, I learnt the patting technique from the video in madhurasrecipe.com

Jowar contains no gluten and it is very hard to get rotis without breaking while making them for the first time. I had more than few failures before and was able to make rotis once I learnt how to roll them without breaking. The rice flour has been added to the dough to bind the mixture. You can skip it if you wish but it really helps if you are trying Jwarichi bhakri for the first time.

Nutritional Information  (Approx) (per serving)
Energy	138		Calories
Fat	1.1		%
Carbohydrates	29		%
Dietary Fiber	3.1		%
Sodium	0.1		mg
Vitamin A	0		%
Vitamin C	0		%
Calcium	0		%
Iron	8.1		%
Protein	4.3		Grams
Sugar	0		Grams

Ingredients
Jowar flour / Sorghum flour	2 cups + more
Rice flour	2 tablespoons
Salt	1/2 teaspoon
Water	as needed

Boil some water in a pot. Mix Jowar/Sorghum flour, rice flour and salt.
Add the boiling water little by little and mix the dry ingredients with a spoon. Once the dough seems moist enough, knead the dough with your hands.
If the dough is too hot, let it cool to the temperature that you can handle. If you the dough seems too damp, add a little more flour and knead.

Knead the dough for about 6-7 minutes till the surface of the dough looks smooth and is not sticky anymore.
If you are making the bhakris right away, divide the dough into small parts and roll them to a round ball.
Dust the surface with some flour where you are going to tap the dough. Take a ball of dough, flatten it with your palms.

Place the flattened dough on the dusted surface and start patting with your right palm and try to fix the cracked sides with the left. It feels a little difficult at first but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy.
Heat a tawa or dosa pan, place the patted dough on the pan (tapped side down).
Let it cook for a minute while you pat the roti with a rounded wet cloth so that the roti cooks well and doesn't turn dry.

Flip the roti and cook for another minute. Place the roti directly on the stove flame, make sure the flame is medium-high. If there are no cracks, the roti will puff up beautifully.
Serve hot with a curry/gravy, a raw onion and some fried green chillis.

* Adding boiling water is a must. You can let the dough cool to warn before kneading the dough.
* You can increase the flame to high and cook the roti on tawa itself if you are making rotis on electric stove. They will still puff up.

Do check these amazing posts of Maharashtrian dishes from my fellow Culinary hoppers:

Shubha's 

http://www.shubhaskitchen.com/2016/03/bhajaniche-thalipeeth-spiced-multigrain.html

http://www.shubhaskitchen.com/2016/03/kulith-pithale-kulith-pitla-horsegram.html

http://www.shubhaskitchen.com/2016/03/piyush.html

Vani's 

http://marudhuskitchen.com/www/recipe-batata-wada-maharashtrianvadaaloo-bonda/

Anu's

http://easybitesonline.com/shengdanyachi-amti-recipe-peanut-stew-maharashritain-cuisine/

http://easybitesonline.com/varaicha-bhat-recipe-singlepot-varai-sama-barnyard-millet-rice/

Piyali's 

http://mytrystwithfoodandtravel.blogspot.in/2016/03/zunka-bhakar-recipe-jhunka-recipe-bajra.html

http://mytrystwithfoodandtravel.blogspot.in/2016/03/matki-chi-usal-recipe-moth-bean-sprouts.html

Jayashree's 

http://www.evergreendishes.com/2016/03/16/kothimbir-vadi/

http://www.evergreendishes.com/2016/03/15/mumbai-pav-bhaji/

Swathi's

http://www.letscookhealthytonight.com/maharashtrian-green-peas-curry/

http://www.letscookhealthytonight.com/tomato-rice/

Shobana's

http://shobasdelight.blogspot.in/2016/03/kolhapuri-thecha-lal-mirch-thecha.html

Parvathy's

http://crackleandtemper.ca/recipe/sol-kadhi-kokum-kadhi-blog-hop-with-culinary-hoppers-maharashtrian-theme/

Padma's

http://www.masalakorb.com/maharashtrian-bhakarwadi-recipe-holi-recipes/

http://www.masalakorb.com/sabudana-vada-recipe-low-oil-sago-vada/%EF%BB%BF

Goda Masala ~~ Maharashtrian recipes

Goda masala is a special fragrant spice blend which is used in most of the Maharashtrian dishes. Similar to the garam masala, goda masala gives a unique flavor to the dishes.

While choosing "Bharli vangi" for our blog hop this month, I was hoping I could prepare the dish quickly and make the post ready well before the day of blog hop. But, the authentic Bharli vangi requires adding Goda masala as well as Kanda Lasun masala/ Lal tikhat. When I went through the recipes for both Goda masala and Lal tikhat, I fell in love with the choice of those spices and combination of flavors. So, decided to make both Lal tikhat and Goda masala at home to get that perfect taste of Bharli vangi.

There a few variations to this masala. Some people don't add copra/dry coconut and the proportions of spices also vary. I have added coconut to mine and the taste is simply superb. Since Goda masala is added in almost all Maharashtrian dishes, it is made in large quantity once a year in every Maharashtrian household. While preparing this powder, my house was filled with the sweet aroma of these spices. It is really worth making this powder. Also, if you cannot get hold of Nagkesar, you can skip adding it. You will get all the other spices in any supermarket.

I have followed the recipe from vegrecipesofindia.com but I could not get my hands on Nigella seeds. I have added everything else in the ingredients list.

Ingredients
Dry coconut/Copra chopped	1 cup
Sesame seeds	4 tablespoons
Coriander seeds	3/4 cup
Red chillies	12 nos
Bay leaves	3
Cinnamon	a stick
Cloves	1 tablespoon
Cardamom	1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds	4 tablespoons
Dagad phool	2 tablespoons
Nagkesar	2 tablespoons
Star Anise	3
Salt	1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder	1 teaspoon
Hing	1 tablespoon
Black peppercorns	2 tablespoons
Oil	as needed

Dry roast dry coconut and sesame seeds one by one till they turn golden brown. Let them cool completely.

Fry all the other ingredients one by one except turmeric powder and salt with oil. Let them cool completely.

Grind them as fine as possible and store in an airtight container. The powder can be stored in refrigerator for months.

* Make sure you let the ingredients cool completely before grinding.
* You can use only a little bit of oil to fry the ingredients.
* Also, make sure to fry/roast the ingredients one by one and not all together.

Beauty tip from the Kitchen - 3

A home remedy for pimple scars and burn marks

A simple and home made remedy for pimple and burn marks which has been used from ages and is even a part of ayurvedic medicines.

Mix a tsp of Milk cream with 1/4 tsp of pure turmeric powder and make a paste. Apply it on the skin where there is a pimple/pimple scar/burn mark and wash it after an hour.

Do this for a month for smooth and glowing clear skin.

Kanda Lasun masala/Kaandha Lasun masala/Lal tikhat ~~Maharashtrian recipes

An authentic spicy blend of sun-dried red chillies, garlic and onion with coconut and other spices, Kanda Lasun masala or Kaandha Lasun masala is a must for making a lot of Kolhapuri dishes.

The Culinary blog hoppers blog hop theme for this month is Maharashtrian dishes and I am honest when I say I was pretty intrigued with this cuisine. I browsed through the kolhapuri recipes and came across a variety of spice blends that are necessary to make the dishes. The cuisine is rich, authentic and very interesting with the large variety of spices, chillies and masalas. I had heard from my husband who visits Pune one a month for work reasons saying, the Maharashtrian cuisine is very tasty and actually tastier than most of the other cuisines he has tasted.

Now, I don't agree with everything hubby says (!!) but I had to agree with this one since he has been to quite a lot of countries and has visited most of the places in India. He particularly requested for Bharli Vangi and Jwarichi Bhakri when i spoke about our theme. I was still thinking of checking out other dishes but my darling hubby even bought a few large aubergines and a large pack of small Brinjals. So, I knew I did not have a choice.

Nagkesar and Javithri

Yet again, I was thinking what to do about this complicated Kanda Lasun masala that is necessary for my Brinjal curry. With a toddler walking unsteadily all over the place and bumping her head 10 times a day, I was absolutely clueless about the masala. Exactly 2 days before the day my mum fell ill, I was able to cook everything that I wanted to for the blog hop and was pleased with the results. I was showered with praises and even a compliment saying the curry tasted exactly how he wanted! I was glad I made justice to the dishes. I could leave to my mom's place peacefully.

I know that was a long silly story but I had to pen down all this to encourage myself to try more new cuisines. With this post, I want to thank my Blog hop friends "The Culinary Hoppers" for letting me be a part of this group. I have certainly learnt a lot from these talented cooks. Do check out their blogs, they are excellent and so very creative.

Evergreendishes by Jayashee

My tryst with food and travel by Piyali

Marudhus kitchen by Vani

Masalakorb by Padma

Shoba's delight by Shobana

Easybites online by Anu

Let's cook healthy tonight by Swati

Crackle and Temper by Parvathy

Meri Rasoi by Shubha

Thanks girls, I love you all!

I have taken the recipe from MAHARASHTRIAN RECIPES ONLINE and I was able to follow the steps pretty easily. I got my hands on all spices except Halkund and I have replaced it with turmeric powder. The taste of this powder is amazing and you can use it for a lot of dishes.

Ingredients
Red chillies	a handful
Byadgi red chillies	100 grams
Dry coconut/copra chopped	100 grams
Onions	4 large
Garlic peeled	50 grams
Ginger chopped	4 to 5 cubes
Oil	200 ml divided
Coarse salt	250 grams
To dry roast
Cumin seeds	50 grams
Coriander seeds	50 grams
Sesame seeds	50 grams
Bay leaves	5
Roast in oil
Black peppercorns	1 tablespoon
Cloves	1 tablespoon
Cinnamon	1 tablespoon
Cardamom	1 tablespoon
Star Anise	1 tablespoon
Nag kesar	1 tablespoon
Ram phool	1 tablespoon
Raw asafoetida	2 rocks
Turmeric powder	1 tablespoon
Javitri	1 tablespoon
Black cumin	1 tablespoon

* Please excuse the clumsy pics. While cooking, I had to run around my toddler who finds every tiny bit on the floor interesting and tasty! 

Dry red chillies and salt in sunlight till they turn crisp and crunchy. With this heat in bangalore, I had them ready in a day!
Slice the onions into thin pieces. Heat 100 grams of oil and add onions. Simmer the flame and fry them till they are caramelized well.

Onions will turn golden brown once caramelized. Remove from flame and let it aside to cool.
Meanwhile, dry roast the spices under "To dry roast" in the order mentioned.
Also, fry the spices under "Roast in oil" with generous amount of oil and let it cool completely. Also roast the chopped copra with oil till they turn brown. Let all the ingredients cool completely.

Once cooled, grind the onion with it's oil into smooth paste. Make sure you do not add water while grinding.
Also make a paste of ginger and garlic. You can add salt while grinding but do not add water.
Grind chillies and salt together in a dry jar. then grind the copra to a smooth powder.Once all the ingredients are powdered, mix them all in a clean dry bowl. divide into small parts and blend in a blender to mix them well.
Store in an airtight container.

* The powder will be damp no matter how less oil you try to use. But make sure you do use the minimum quantity required else the powder will spoil soon.
* I have used both byadgi and red chilli since my DH loves spicy food. You can exclude either of them as per your spice reqirement.
* I was lucky to find all the spices needed since my mum also keeps a stock of spices. But I am sure you can find almost all these spices in supermarkets.
* I forgot to dry roast black cumin and roasted it with oil by mistake.
* I have decreased the quantity of salt since I am sure I will forget to add less salt to dishes while adding this masala. You can adjust the amount of salt as per your taste.