Chavali Usal..(Black Eyed Beans Curry)

Diwali snacks and treats were always accompanied by Chavali Usal at my grandmothers house.

My mother too followed the same tradition. There is really no significance attached to it, except that chavali usal was always served along with Kande-Pohe, Sweet Pohe and all other traditional diwali snacks.

Chavali Usal is a favorite at my house, specially loved by my husband, Salil. It can be eaten with Rice or Chapati ( Indian Bread). My friend and her family are visiting us for dinner this Saturday. With Diwali coming up next week, I thought this is the best time to actually make it and post it on my blog.

 

CHAVALI USAL (Black Eyed Bean Curry)

       Ingredients

• 2 cups Chavali (Black Eyed Beans) - Soak in warm water for 4-6 hours
• 1 medium Onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 Whole dried red chili
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• A pinch of Asafetida
• 5-6 Curry leaves
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp Goda Masala or Garam Masala
• 1 tbsp Jaggery (you can use sugar if jaggery is not available)
• Salt according to taste. ( I use about 1 1/2  tsp) 
• 2-3 tbsp Coriander leaves (Cilantro), chopped 
• 2 tbsp fresh shredded coconut

       Directions

• Soak the chavali in warm water overnight or for atleast 4-6 hours. Rinse under water a few times. Add 2 cups water and cook in the pressure cooker.
• Heat oil in a saucepan. Add mustard seeds and wait until they splutter.
• Add whole red dried chili, curry leaves, asafetida and  turmeric powder.
• Add onions and cook until they are translucent. Add chili powder and goda masala or garam masala. Then add the cooked chavali, salt and jaggery or sugar and mix well. Add some water (about 1/2-1 cup), depending upon the consistency you prefer. Let it boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add coriander leaves and shredded coconut. Serve with hot rice or chapati.

PS : You can add 1 cup coconut milk if you like instead of the shredded coconut for a gravy. You can also add one chopped tomato and 1 diced potato after adding the onions and let it cook for a while before adding the chavali.

My neice Salome, made a request for some chinese or italian recipes. My daughter, Riya makes the best Italian Shrimp ever. Its her own recipe. So next time I will see you with the recipes for Riya's Italian Shrimp, Pasta and Italian Vegetables.

Fino alla prossima volta   (Translates to 'Until next time...' in italian)

Enjoy a delicious snack of Kande-Pohe and Sweet-Pohe...

I would like to thank my husband Salil for the photography!!!

Kande-Pohe  ....is a very popular Maharashtrian breakfast and anytime snack dish served with tea or coffee. Kande means onions and Pohe means flattened rice. It is a very tasty and nutritious snack - relished by young and old alike...

My mom makes the best Kande-Pohe I have ever tasted. At my parents home Kande-Pohe was an all time favorite snack for everyone. During Diwali, at my parents home, Kande-Pohe was served along with Sweet-Pohe, Chavali Usal and various mouthwatering traditional snacks. 

Today I am going to share the recipes of Kande-Pohe and Sweet-Pohe with you.

KANDE-POHE 

       Ingredients

• 2 cups Thick Pohe (Flattened Rice)
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
• 1 small potato, cubed
• 3-4 tbsp oil 
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• A pinch turmeric powder
• A pinch  asafetida (Hing)
• 2-3 green chilies
• 5-6 curry leaves (I prefer to chop them to enhance the flavor)
• 3 tbsp coriander leaves (Cilantro), finely chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh shredded coconut
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• Salt to taste

        Method

• Wash the Pohe (Flattened Rice)  2-3 times in a colander and drain the water. Keep aside for a few minutes.
• Add some salt and sugar to the washed pohe.
• Heat 2-3 tbsp oil in a non-stick frying pan. Temper with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafetida, and turmeric powder. Add curry leaves and green chilies. Stir well. 
• Add onions and cook for a few minutes until the onions are transparent. Then add tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes. 
• Mix well and add the soaked pohe. Stir well, cover and cook on a low flame for 4-5 minutes.
• Add lemon juice and stir well.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)  and fresh shredded coconut.
• Serve hot.

PS - Two ingredients I failed to mention - Potatoes and Peas. You can add 1 small potato, cubed or/and 1/2 cup peas before adding the tomatoes. Thanks Bimba for your feedback. It is very important to me.

 SWEET POHE

       Ingredients

• 1 cup Thick Pohe (Flattened Rice)
• 1/2 cup fresh shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup grated jaggery
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 tbsp finely chopped almonds - optional 

       Method

• Wash the Pohe (Flattened Rice)  2-3 times in a colander and drain the water. Keep aside for a few minutes
• Mix fresh shredded coconut, jaggery, cardamom powder and chopped almonds in a bowl.
• Add the soaked pohe and mix well. Pour 1 tsp warm ghee if desired.

I will see you again soon with the recipe for Chavali Usal. Meanwhile enjoy Kande-Pohe and Sweet Pohe.
     

DIWALI - The Festival of Lights...and Treats..!

Diwali  - The Festival of Lights - is the biggest of all Hindu festivals  It is a 5 day festival that marks the victory of Good over Evil. Clay lamps called 'Diyas' filled with oil are lit in the streets and homes to welcome prosperity and well-being. People wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with their friends and families. The most exciting feature of this festival for me was Fireworks.

I remember my grandfather bought us lots of fireworks. My uncles, aunts, cousins all visited us starting at 8:00 am. My mother used to make Chavali (Black-eyed beans) Usal, Kande-Pohe, Sweet-Pohe, and there were many other snacks and sweets - Besan Ladoo, Sakhare che Ladoo (Laddo made with sugar and wheat flour), Balushahi, Coconut Barfi, Chivada, Chakali, Sev, and so on. One sweet I remember is Anarse and I loved it....! My great grand-mother made them, but how..? Anyone with the recipe for Anarse please step forward.

With Diwali coming up in the next few weeks, I thought it will be great to share a few of my favorite recipes.

Let me begin with sharing my family's all time favorite 'Beet-root Barfi' (Beetroot and Coconut Squares). My mother-in-law made this delicious Beet-root barfi, and the kids loved it because of the bright pink color. 

BEET-ROOT BARFI (Beet-root and Coconut Squares)

Ingredients 

2 cup Shredded Coconut

Few strings Saffron

¼ tsp Cardamom powder

1 ½ cup Sugar

1 tbsp Ghee or butter

1 medium Beetroot (boil, peel and grated) 

Preparation

Heat a heavy bottomed (flat) saucepan. Add shredded coconut, saffron, cardamom, sugar and grated beetroot. On a low flame keep stirring until all the ingredients are mixed well and the mixture becomes dry.

Grease a rolling board or flat plate with butter or ghee. Pour the mixture and spread it with rolling pin to your desired thickness. Let it cool for around 10mins. Then cut them into desired shape.

After it reaches room temperature (say after around 30mins or so), carefully remove the pieces and press the ends to the rolling board to make sure even ends. Store in a airtight container. Remains good for more than 15 days. 

Preparation time : 20-30 minutes

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So get your pots and pans ready to treat your family and friends. I will see you next time with recipes for Kande-Pohe and Sweet-Pohe.

Our Culinary Journey Starts From Here ......

A recipe always tastes better when it has a memory attached to it. Every family has some special recipes that have been handed down from one generation to the next. These recipes are special not only because they are delicious, but also because they evoke fond memories of a special holiday or a favorite relative. I remember, when asked for recipes, the older and cherished members of the family, always translated a recipe into a dash of this and a pinch of that …which is kind of hard to remember if it is not noted down.

As a child I enjoyed the delicious food cooked by my great grandmother. As we were growing up we were so taken up by our school work and other activities that I never thought that I should ask my great-grandmother how she cooked such delicious meals…I just enjoyed them….

I remember my visits to my grandparents’ home - the aroma of freshly cooked chapattis (Indian bread) with homemade ghee prepared by my great-grandmother still lingers in my memory. I always watched with awe how quickly she prepared the meals. No visitor ever left without a good meal or a delicious snack. Even the lemonade she so quickly made for a quick visitor was out of this world…and at my grand-parents home or my parents’ home there was never a day without someone stopping by for a quick hello.

When my parents visited in the summer of 2009, I was remembering those blissful childhood days and we talked about Panaji’s (my great grandmother) Tomato Barfi and no one now remembers how she used to make it…When she was alive everyone enjoyed eating the barfi and not once did we think of asking her how she makes it…She passed away in 1982, and with passing the great Tomato Barfi recipe was gone forever. And now, 27 years later, when I was harvesting tomatoes from our little vegetable garden I decided to try recreating her recipe, but, I could not, and so I came up with the idea of putting together all the good recipes made by my family which has now grown mutiple times with the addition of my husband Salil’s family, my sister, brother, cousins and their extended families…….so that our future generation would never have to say “Grandma made those delicious beetroot barfi’s.. Wish I knew how to make them?”

Being of Indian origin, most of the recipes I intend to share with you would definitely be Indian, but I enjoy experimenting with Chinese, Italian, American, Mediterranean and other cuisines too. I have a diverse group of friends and I will be honored to include their favorite recipes with their consent.

I invite you all to join me in my quest to experience and relish this warm and blissful expedition of the culinary world...I enjoy cooking but on the lighter side I wish there was a gennie to clean up afterwards.