My First Recipe

Welcome to Bhaatukli!
'Bhaatukli' in Marathi is the word for small kitchen utensils and accessories that little girls use to play 'house'. My love for cooking started with bhaatukli and hence the name. I was always whipping up some tasty dish in my pretend kitchen with my bhaatukli. Growing up, my mom encouraged my sister and me to learn to cook and thanks to her , today, we both love creating and trying out different recipes. On Bhaatukli i would like to share recipes that i have been eating as a child and those that i have attempted in the past 2 & 1/2 yrs of my marriage. i am always on the lookout for new recipes and my mom as well as my mother-in-law are a never ending source for lip-smacking delicacies. I also spend a lot of time surfing the net to search for different recipes and while doing so i stumbled upon Nupur's 'One Hot Stove'. I was really impressed and inspired by her blog and read it regularly since. My sister told me about Indira's 'Mahanandi' and i was hooked on to reading her blog as well. These two blogs have really inspired me but the real credit goes to my husband for pushing me to start sharing my recipes.
So ....Bon Appetit!!!

My first recipe is a very simple maharashtrian recipe. I thought of penning it down after reading about Nupur's 'K of Indian Vegetables". The first recipe that popped into my mind was kadhi-khichadi. This combo is a favourite in my house when we are in a mood for something quick and light. This dish is especially apt for those gloomy winter nights...a bowl of piping hot kadhi and a serving of khichadi with a dollop of homemade ghee can put you right back on track.
Kadhi is made from buttermilk and is a hassle free recipe that can be enjoyed with khichadi, which is basically a type of rice, or chapatis. But the problem was that there was no vegetable included in this recipe. So i thought of a variation of kadhi which includes spinach.This will also be my recipe for JFI_WBB -green leafy vegetables event.

Recipe for Spinach Kadhi ( taakatli bhaaji)
Ingredients : serves 2
Chopped spinach leaves (fresh or frozen) 1 cup
Buttermilk 1 cup
Besan (chana dal flour) 2 tbsp
Kadhi patta leaves(curry leaves) 2 -3
Peanuts (optional) 1 tbsp
Dry red chillies /green chillies 2-3
Garlic cloves 3
Mustard seeds 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds 1 tbsp
Sugar 1 tsp
Oil
Hing powder
Cayenne pepper ( if not using green chillies) 1 tbsp
Salt
Method :
Take the buttermilk in a bowl. Add sugar and salt according to taste. If the buttermilk is too sour , increase the sugar quantity.Take 2 garlic cloves, chop them finely and add to the buttermilk. Now take the besan and mix it with a little bit of water to make a smooth paste and add it to the buttermilk. Stir well.
In a saucepan/ kadhai , heat about a 1/4 tsp of oil. Once it is ready add just about 1/4 tsp of mustard and cumin seeds. The remaining seeds are used later to prepare separate tadka for the kadhi. Once the mustard and cumin seeds start to splutter, add a little bit of hing (asafeotida) powder and then the kadhi patta leaves.Fry for a minute. At this point add green chillies if using them,otherwise add the peanuts.Then add the chopped spinach and a little bit of water. Let the spinach cook.Once it is cooked and all the water has evaporated add the buttermilk to it. Add cayenne pepper, salt if needed and let it come to a boil.Once the kadhi comes to a boil turn of the heat. If the kadhi becomes too thick , add a little bit of water.
In a separate small kadhai , heat about 1/2 tbsp of oil for the tadka. Add the remaining mustard and cumin seeds.Chop the remaining garlic clove into small pieces and add to the tadka. Next add the dried red chillies and fry for a minute. If using green chillies, omit the red chillies in the tadka. Once the garlic cloves turn golden brown turn off the heat and pour this tadka over the kadhi. Serve hot with khichadi , plain rice or chapatis.

Tip: To enhance the colour of the garlic pieces in the tadka sprinkle a little bit of cayenne pepper on them.