Spring onion besan pancakes

Pudla/Dhirde


Pudlas in Gujarati or dhirde in Marathi is a quick and simple snack. It can be made as a snack or even as a light dinner. There are days when you are just too tired to cook anything elaborate. At that time pudlas are a convenient option.

There are quite a few kinds of Pudlas using different ingredients and different flours. I like the spring onion ones. So here is the recipe for it. It tastes fabulous when served with ketchup.

Ingredients:
2 cups gram flour (besan)
Spring onions one bunch
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp dhaniajeera powder (optional)
Asafoetida 1 pinch
Oil
Salt (to taste)

Process:
Mix all the ingredients together. Add water little by little to avoid lumps and make a thick batter like pancakes. Keep this aside for an hour or so. Smear a little oil on a heated tava. Pour out a large spoonful of batter on the tava and spread it with the back of a spoon. Let it cook. When done turn and cook the other side. Remove when crisp. Serve hot with ketchup.

Sabudana Khichdi

Sabudanyachi khichdi

This is a typical maharashtrian dish and is made by almost every week and definetly on fasting days as it gives you all the required nutrition.

For the inexperienced hand making sabudana khichadi may sometimes end up as a gooey mess that stubbornly sticks to the kadhai/wok. The trick is to get the sabudana non-sticky and non-soggy. So, here is my sure fire recipe.







Ingredients:

1 cup sabudana/sago
1/2 cup Ground roasted peanut powder (keep it a bit rough)
1 medium potato
Thinly sliced 1-2 Green chillies (+/- to taste)
1 tsp Cumin seeds
3-4 tbsp Oil.
Salt to taste
Sugar
Cilantro to garnish
Lime juice

Process:

Wash the sago 2-3 times. Drain water completely. Cover and keep. Soak sago for at least 6-8 hours. Sprinkle a little water and mix it well at regular intervals. This ensures that the sago does not become over moist/lump...especially the ones bought in grocery stores in America tend to become soggy if kept soaked in water for a long time. After 6 hours, the sago should appear clear, translucent, swelled up and separate pearls.

Roast peanuts, peel off skin, and ground it into a coarse powder.

Heat about 2 tbsp oil in a kadhai/wok. Add the cumin, green chillies, and curry leaves. Then add thinly sliced potato and cook till tender. Add the sago and mix. Cover and cook for around 5 mins. After you remove the cover, you will notice that the colour and texture of the sago has changed and it is now a bit transparent. Once you see this, DO NOT cover to cook as it will make it sticky.

Drizzle about 2 tbsp of oil around the kadhai/wok. Add salt and sugar and mix well.

Cook for another 5-7 mins. Garnish with cilantro. Add a little lime juice.

Serve with a coconut cilantro chutney or plain yogurt.