Til Pitha-A Sesame Pancake

Alike other Indian regions, North-eastern part of our country also has its own culinary heritage. The cuisines which are available in this virgin domain of India reflects its own culture.


Heralded as “the land of seven sisters and one brother”, north-eastern part of India comprises of eight wonderful states. Assam being the political epicentre of the region, is the most popular state. Famed as “the gateway to north-east India”, Assam is a land of vast tea estates, bamboo forests and one-horned rhino.

Apart from its natural treasures, Assam also has its own list of unique cuisines which includes both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Along with these veg and non-veg recipes, the state also has no dearth of Pithas, a special kind of pancakes, prepared mostly during the Bihu festival.

There are several varieties of Pithas which are very common in every Assamese household. These are mostly prepared of Bora chawl (a special kind of sticky rice). One such Pitha (Pancake) is Til Pitha or Sesame Pancake.

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Cuisines of Tamil Nadu

Cuisines of Tamil Nadu predominantly includes vegetarian dishes characterized by various ingredients such as rice, legumes and lentils, with added flavors of curry leaves, tamarind, coriander, ginger, garlic, chili pepper, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, cumin, nutmeg, coconut and rose water. It also provides various non-vegetarian scrumptious food items prepared from mutton, chicken and many varieties of sea food. Cuisines are mostly fat free and avoid spicy garam masala. Meals are served in a very traditional style on the banana leaves and is eaten without using any cutleries.

Rice

Rice forms the basic meal in south India. It is served with variety of vegetable dishes such as sambar, dry curry and many more.

Dosa
Dosa is a famous south Indian cuisine, gaining popularity in north India. It is a crepe prepared from rice and black lentils served with sambar, coconut chutney. Non-vegetarians can include chicken or mutton curry to enhance the taste of Dosa.

Uppuma
Uppuma is prepared from semolina, cooked in oil with mustard, pepper, cummin seed and dry lentils.

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Paneer Kalia

Where the spicy 'Macher kalia' tempts the people of non-vegetarian diet a lot, 'Paneer kalia', a mouth watering Bengali cuisine satisfies the tasting buds of vegetarian people.

Paneer Kalia is a wonderful curry which will surely bring variations into your daily meal. The sumptuous cuisine was first the innovative recipe of Bengali households and now with each passing day, it has gained popularity in the restaurants and various food courts also.

Nowadays, along with its non-vegetarian counterpart 'Macher kalia', 'Paneer kalia' is also became very famous in wedding receptions as well as birthday parties. Get ready to cook it in your own kitchen and serve hot with rice and chapaties.

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Puran Poli

Puran Poli or Puranachi Poli is a special sweet dish, which is generally associated with Maharashtrian festivals and religious ceremonies. The dish is also prepared in southern India, but with different nomenclature: Holige in Karnataka and Bobbattu in Andhra Pradesh.

It looks similar to a chapati but the main soul of the dish is its stuffing which is a merger of spicy ingredients. The dish tastes best when served hot and with ghee or butter. The sweet flavor of the dish comes from jaggery, which is included in the stuffing. But, some people substitute it with powdered sugar, which makes the dish crunchy.

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Gajar Ka Halwa

Come freezy winds of December and the fragrance of pure ghee dominated Gajar ka Halwa just fills our mind with the dark red images of the sweet savoring and tempts our mouth to just fill it with the right stuff that its craving for. So, if it is not really the time of the carrots and you are still enjoying a summer vacation, then get ready with the right recipe and whet your kitchen bar to prepare this delicious dish that you will only get to relish in India.

Ingredients

Carrots: 1 kg
Milk: 1 ltr
Sugar: 300 gms
Pure Ghee: 4 serving spoons
Almonds: 25 gms
Cashew Nuts:25 gms
Cardamom Powder: ½ teaspoon
Khoya: 250 gm

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Steamed Hilsa-a relishing Bengali Cuisine

Apart from its rich culture and art, West Bengal is also famed around the globe for its aroma of mouth watering cuisines. West Bengal is the destination for the foodies.

Bengalies are true food lovers as well as very good chefs. Whenever you will visit a typical Bengali household than you will get to witness, how Bengali's are fond of their cuisines. Being a Bengali, me to is no different.

Apart from the love and affection of parents, another most important thing which I am missing desperately is the Bengali fish curry. Cuisines made of fresh water fishes are an indispensable part of a Bengali meal, whether be it a normal day or any occasion. Spicy fish delicacies are cooked in such way that they always complements various kinds of rice dishes. They are prepared in a most nutritious and delicious way.

One of the most popular fish dish of every Bengali kitchen is Steamed Hilsa or Bhapa hilish. It is very simple in preparation, yet very tasty.

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Prepare Your Own Crispy Mysore Masala Dosa

Though Dosas, idlis and vadas are known as the signature goodies of south India, Mysore Dosa comes specially from the state of Karnataka. Mysore Dosa is unlike the plain, rava, set, onion or ragi dosas in nothing but its taste. There is just a slight variation in its preparation, that makes it so lip smacking and delicious, than the otherwise regular Dosas.

By the way, anyone who thinks that he has to go all the way to this southern state to find his love-the genuine Masala Dosa, then you got to give your steps a halt and return back home, straight to the kitchen because here I am revealing the recipe of the dish to you. So enjoy cooking, wrapping and eating...all within the comforts of your home. Here it goes...

Dosa Batter:

The primary preparation needed for making any dosa, is its batter. The main ingrediants for any kind of dosa remain the same, but the add ons vary with the kind of dosa you are making. Same is in the case of Mysore Masala Dosa, as these little variations only do all the magic to the look and taste of the dish.

There is a sign of caution too. You must keep the proportion of ingredients right, otherwise it may effect the taste, crispyness and stickyness of your dosa. These ingredients needed are:

Rice: 1 ½ cup
Urad dal: 1 ¼ cups
(soaked overnight)
Idli rice: 1 ½ cup
Toor Dal: 3 tbsp
Moong Dal: 1 tbsp
Methi Seeds: 1 tbsp
Semolina:3 tbsp
Salt: to taste

First soak rice and idli rice along with moong dal, toor dal and methi seeds in a bowl for around 8 hours and blend it. Now blend the soaked urad dal too. Mix the two batters, along with semolina and leave the mixture for around 10-12 hours for fermentation. Add salt to taste and your batter is ready to spread and bake on the non-stick pan.

Dosa Filling:

Dosa filling is the main deciding factor of the nomenclature that your dosa assumes. If the fillings are just fried onion shreds, then your dosa would be called onion dosa, if your dosa had paneer fillings, it would be aptly named paneer dosa. So, right now for the Mysore Masala Dosa we are going to prepare a spicy and tangy blend of ingredients which are:

Boiled potatoes: 4
Sliced onion: 3
Sliced Tomatoes: 2
Oil: as required
Mustard seeds: 1 tbsp
Curry Leaves: 8-10
Garlic: 4 pieces
Shredded ginger: 1 tbsp
Green Chillies: 2
Turmeric: 1 tbsp
Salt: to taste
Lemon juice: 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves: for garnishing

After you have accumulated all the ingredients, put on a pan or a kadai and heat it. Flow in some oil and as soon as the oil heats up, put mustard seed and wait till they stop their crackling sound. Now add onion slices and fry them until golden brown. Next, add the ginger and garlic. Just as you see that your ginger and garlic are ready for the next ingredient, add the sliced tomatoes and mashed potatoes, along with salt and turmeric. Add some water and lemon juice for the potatoes to absorb and cover the pan. After all the liquid is absorbed, and the mixture is quite moist and shiny, put in the coriander leaves and remove from heat. Your stuffing is ready.

Sweet Tomato Chutney:

For the add ons to the dosa you need tomato chutney. The ingredients are:

Blended tomatoes: 4
Tamarind water: 2 tbsp
tomato ketchup: 2 tbsp
Sugar: 3 tbsp
Salt: a pinch

Heat a vessel. Put blended tomatoes into it till it starts boiling. Now, add the tomato ketchup, salt and sugar. Stir well till sugar dissolves. Simmer the heat and put the tamarind water. Remove from heat.

Red Hot Chilly Sauce:

Red Bell Peppers: 2
Red Chillies: 3
(soaked in water)
Garlic: 6 pieces
Salt: to taste

Cut the bell peppers and blend along with salt, red chillies and garlic. If you want more spicy chutney, you can use more red chillies that are pre-soaked in water. Your sauce is ready.

Let's Put It All Together:

Take a non-stick pan and heat it till its moderate hot, just perfect for the dosa. Now, sprinkle some oil to grease the vessel a bit. Pour in the batter using a ladle and spread it making rounds with the ladle till the batter takes a thin and round shape. Now, add drops of butter or oil to the dosa and let it cook till the the mix seems to take a dry look. Add the spicey sauce and leave it for some time. Now, pour 2 tbsp of tomato chutney and potato filling. Now, add a vegetable filling of grated carrots and cabbage sprinkled with lemon juice, salt and chaat masala. Fold the dosa once from the side and serve it on a dish along with green chutney. Get a sumptuous Karnataka dish all set to be savored, at your home miles away from the origin place of the dish.

-Shikha Priyadarshini

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MUMBAIYA MASALA!

Let me introduce you to the den of the bollywood brigade... Mumbai. Gosh! That has been a common introduction. OK, then let me introduce you to the financial capital of India, where millions of bucks are made and millions lost in a jiffy. Naah...that sounds cliche. So hear this, welcome to the the land of delicious vada paos and mouth watering bhel puri. Ab aya na mazaa? :)

Hotels would be ok, restaurants would be fine, but what's special if you see the same items on the menu card that you've been tasting all your life. Yes, that is why I'm going to take you for a stroll down the beaches and streets of Mumbai to savor the specialties of the tinsel town.

Let's start our journey by tasting the Mumbaiya Masala of Chowpaati Beach. I knew you would start humming 'chowpaati jayenge, bhelpuri khayenge', so you know now that we are here to eat the delicious bhelpuri which is a tantalizing fusion of puffed rice, gram flour threads, peanuts, tomatoes, onions topped with mint chutney, lemon juice and coriander leaves. Mmmmm...what a delicious start.

To satiate the already aggrevated craving for more tangy food, we take you to Hill Road in Bandra, where the 'oh so famous' stalls are ready with tasty delights. Run towards pani puri, that has soul quenching qualities, but don't stop till your soul asks to! These pani puris are small dough balls which are filled with a medley of potatoes, coriander leaves, tamarind sauce and sprouts which is served with tangy mint water filled into the balls. What a superb invention this one is, that just does magic when it explodes with flavors in our cute little mouths. I didn't imagine that pani puri could fit in my mouth...alas!It did.

Hey! Now lets check out the famous trademark food of Mumbai, Pavbhaji. At Kailash Parbat, one of the famous food chains of Mumbai, a plate of buns, toasted with butter is served with a mix of blended vegetables which are fried with spices and butter. That was quite a stomach filling combination but it was yum. Wow, yet another delight before I am off for some' break into fast'. Ragda-pattice, potato toasts, I always heard about it in movies and tele-serials. Quite a celebrity dish..hmm!

It's time for dinner and we hear hungry call...yeah we now head towards Shivaji Park in Dadar, where we will taste the Mumbaiya invention Frankie, angrezi naam lagta hai! Frankies are saucy minced chicken portions that are filled in rolled parathas. In each bite you will feel a rich spicy concoction of meat with sumptuous vinegar attacks in between.

Too filled to ask for more but I can't just resist a sweet teaser. Just at one corner I can see the ice golaas in the making :)! The vendor is crushing ice and giving it the ice-cream form on a stick. But, the most tantalizing was the last part, when he dipped the snowy preparation into an amalgamation of vibrant colored syrups. I could feel the magic in my mouth from a distance which was such that i would have to shout to make the vendor hear my voice. Can you imagine that?!

I pity the calorie-conscious, the hygiene maniac and the oh-so-posh kind of people. Guys, please spare yourself atleast for your craving souls, even if you do it just for a change. These street platters will make you dream of chowpati even in the middle of the night. Hungry, wotsay?

-by Shikha Priyadarshini

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SARSON KA SAAG

Ingredients:
• 1 kg Mustard Green (sarson finely chopped)
• 1/4 kg Spinach Finely chopped
• 1 cup Water
• 2 Red chilies
• 4 Garlic cloves (minced)
• 2 cm piece Ginger (minced)
• 2 tbsp Gram flour
• 1 tbsp Butter
• 2 Green chilies (minced)
• Ghee
• Salt to taste

How to make Sarson Ka Sag:
• Boil sarson and spinach in 1 cup of water until cooked.
• Drain excess water and mash the vegetables. Keep aside.
• Heat about 4 tbsp of ghee in a pan.
• Add green chillies, garlic, ginger and broken red chillies.
• Saute the spices till brown.
• Now add the mashed vegetables and salt.
• Make paste of the gram flour with a little water.
• Add it to the above mixture.
• Cook for about half an hour.
• Top with 1 tbsp of butter.
• Serve with makkai ki roti.

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How to Make Dhokhla?

Dhokla is a very popular Gujarati dish. It is very easy to prepare. Here is Dhokla recipe.

Ingredients:

* 1 cup of rice
* ¼ cup of black gram skinless (urad dal)
* ¼ cup of yogurt
* 1 ½ cup of warm water
* Salt to taste
* 1 one-inch piece ginger
* 4 green chillies
* ½ tsp of soda bi-carbonate (baking soda)
* 1 tbsp of lemon juice
* 2 tbsp of oil
* 2 tbsp of coriander leaves

Method:

* Roast the rice and the dal on medium heat for four to five minutes. Allow it to cool and then grind into a semi-coarse powder.
* Put the powder in a bowl. Add yoghurt (little sour) and warm water into the bowl. Mix thoroughly so that no lumps are formed and the batter is of pouring consistency.
* Add salt and let it ferment for eight to ten hours. Make a paste of ginger and green chillies. Once fermented, mix the ginger, green chilli paste with the batter. Grease the dhokla platter or a thali. Boil water in the steamer/boiler.
* Pour half of the batter in another vessel. In a small bowl, add one-fourth-tspn soda bi-carbonate, half tspn oil and half tspn lemon juice. Add this to the batter and mix well. Repeat this for the remaining batter just before putting it in the steamer.
* Pour this onto the greased platter and keep it in the steamer to steam for eight to ten minutes. Check with a knife. If the knife comes out clean, it is cooked.
* Sprinkle some finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with green chutney.

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