Gojjavalakki for janmashtami

Wish you all a very happy Janmashtami. Today I bring to you a simple yet delicious dish called Gojjavalakki. As Poha is believed to be Lord Krishna's favorite,  This dish is more or less compulsory for Janmashtami.

Gojjavalakki is nothing but beaten rice which is soaked in tamarind pulp and is spiced with rasam powder. It is sweet, tangy, spicy and crunchy at the same time. This is one of those dishes that can be had either for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Just pair this with a bowl of yogurt and you will have complete and filling meal ready in minutes. 

Gojjavalakki recipe:

Preparation time: 10min+soaking time

Cooking time: 15min

Serves-4

Ingredients:

Beaten rice or Poha- 1-1/2 cups

Ghee- 1 tsp

Tamarind- 1 lime sized, soaked in water for 15min

Jaggery- 1 small lime sized

Salt- to taste

Oil- 2tbsp

Mustard- 1tsp

Peanuts- a handful

curry leaves- 8-10

hing- a pinch

Rasam powder- 1tbsp, store brought or home made

Black sesame seeds- 1tsp

Grated dry coconut- 3 tbsp

Method:

• Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan and roast the Poha till crisp and set aside to cool.
• Pulse the poha in a blender for 5-6 times or till the Poha is coarsely powdered. 
• Transfer the poha to a sieve and wash under running water for a couple of times and keep aside.
• Roast the sesame seeds and the dry coconut separately and allow them to cool.
• Mix the sesame seeds and coconut together and grind to a fine powder and keep aside.
• Extract the tamarind pulp from the soaked tamarind and add to the soaked poha. Add the salt and jaggery and mix well.

• Heat oil in a wok and add the mustard seeds. Once they crackle, add the peanuts and fry till they turn brown. 
• Add the curry leaves and hing and fry for a minute more.
• Stir in the poha-tamarind mixture and rasam powder, mix well and allow the mixture to simmer for 2min
• Add the sesame-coconut powder and mix well. Adjust the seasoning and serve hot.

Macaroni with a Pav bhaji twist

"I want red Pasta!!" Purvi declared one day. Purvi has the habit of recognizing food by it's colours. For instance, she likes white idlies (the ones made with rice and lentils), but she wouldn't prefer brown idlies (rava or semolina idlies). Purvi loves red pasta (the ones with tomatoes in it) but then again, she doesn't like pasta with spinach (read green pasta). Off late, I have even come to notice that she prefers food with Indian flavors. Like she loves anything with Rasam powder, garam masala and Pav bhaji masala. So keeping all of Purvi's preferences in mind, I created this Pasta dish.

This is an extremely simple dish to put together. It uses some everyday ingredients that is easily available in the pantry. And tastes absolutely delicious even without the cheese. This is one of those pasta dishes that makes a great lunch box treat as well. Give this a try. I am sure you will fall in love this as much as Purvi did.

Macaroni with Pav bhaji twist recipe:

Preparation time: 15min

Cooking time- 10min

Serves- 4

Ingredients

Macaroni- 1-1/2 cups

oil or butter- 2 tbsp

Bell pepper- 1med, cubed

onion- 1 med sized, chopped fine

Ginger-Garlic paste- 1tsp

Tomatoes- 2 large, blanched and pureed

Turmeric- 1/4tsp

Salt- to taste

Sugar- 1tsp

Freshly ground Pepper- 1/4tsp

Pav bhaji masala- 1/2 to1tsp

coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

• Cook macaroni according package instructions and keep aside
• Heat oil or butter in a thick bottomed pan. Add the cubed bell pepper fry for a minute and keep aside.
• In the same pan, add the chopped onions and fry till they turn pink. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for two to three mins till the raw smell goes.
• Add the pureed tomatoes, turmeric, salt, pepper and sugar and sauté for 3-4min more.
• Stir in the cooked macaroni, cubed bell peppers and Pav bhaji masala and mix well.
• Adjust the seasoning. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Orange raisin wheat germ muffins

A few days back, we had been on a road trip to Makindu. Makindu is a small town that is located between Nairobi-Mombasa highway. We were there to attend the akhand paath ( continuous recitation of the holy text) at an old but beautiful Gurdwara. It was an amazing road trip. With S's maternal uncle & aunt for company and some breath taking views to drink in, the journey though short was a memorable one. 

If the journey was good, the destination was exceptional. Since, I had never visited a Gurdwara before, the whole experience of the akhand paath had a calming effect on me. But what fascinated me most was the langar (the kitchen or canteen in the Gurdwara). I was surprised to see people of all religions and cultures making the prashad (offering). Some had even volunteered to clean the dishes. Watching people of all cultures come together for the service of God and humanity was indeed a humbling experience.

Now coming to these muffins, I had made these muffins for the rod trip. Since we had to make an early start and barely had time for breakfast or coffee, I decided to pack these muffins and some coffee for the onward journey.

These muffins are filled with wholesome goodness of wheat germ, whole wheat, oranges and apples so they make a perfect treat for breakfast, or as that in between meal snack or for a tiny tot's lunch box. Hence, I must say that these muffins simply rock

The recipe for these muffins was adapted from myrecipes.com. I made quite a few changes to make it eggless but despite all the changes these muffins were as healthy and as tasty as ever.

Orange raisin wheat germ muffins

Preparation time: 25min

Baking time- 20-25min

Makes- approximately a dozen muffins

Ingredients:

All pulse flour or maida- 1cup

Whole wheat pastry flour- 1/2 cup

Wheat germ- 1/2 cup, lightly toasted

Baking powder- 1 tsp

Baking soda- 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon powder- 1/2tsp

Nutmeg powder- 1/8 tsp

Salt-1/4 tsp

Brown sugar- 1/2 cup

Canola oil- 1/4cup

Freshly squeezed Orange juice- 1/2 cup

Unsweetened apple sauce -1/2cup

Orange zest- 1tspn

Dark raisins- 1/2cup

Method:

• Combine the all purpose flour,whole wheaastry flour,baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well and sift twice.
• In another large bowl,combine and the oil, sugar,orange juice, apple sauce and, orange zest and  beat well till airy.
• Combine the the wet ingredients with the dry. Stir intheorsnge zest and the raisins and stir until just combined. Do not over mix.
• Spoon the batter into greased muffin pan and bakeinthepreheated oven for 20-25mins or till a skewer inserted comes out clean.
• Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5min before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Note:

• The raisins can be replaced with dried cranberries
• Dust the raisins with 1/2 tsp of flour to prevent them from sink.
• The wheat germ can be replaced with oats.
• the whole wheat flour can be replaced with all purpose flour to make it lighter.