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Thursday, April 5, 2007

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.


15 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey this dish looks too tasty and easy to prepare, I'm gonna try it out today it self. And yes, how about that rice dish you mentioned - Khichadi? Can you add a receipe for that too?
-Thx

Vani said...

I love this dish - Patal Bhaji..:)

Unknown said...

Hi Tee,

You picked a real cute name for your blog! Your spinach kadhi looks yummy. My mom used to make this exact same bhaaji which I had quite forgotten about. Thanks for reminding me....will definitely make this :)

~Swati

Richa said...

hey good start with palak kadhi!
bhaatukli reminded me of all those summers i spent cooking the make-believe dishes.
thanks

Indian Food Rocks said...

Bhaatukli! What a great name for your blog! Bhaatukli is pure nostalgia!!

Welcome to the world of blogging! Taakathli bhaji sound yummy! Perfect for the brrr weather we're having!

Tee said...

Thanks a lot for all the encouragement and compliments! This gives me motivation to post my next recipe soon...

Linda said...

Hi Tee,

I love anything with spinach -- your "first recipe" sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing and welcome to the fun of blogging :)

Indira said...

Thanks for your kind words about Mahanandi Tee.

Love this entry and thanks for participating in JFI-WBB:Greens event.

Suganya said...

This is a nice recipe....Different recipe... i realy want to give it a try...

musical said...

Tee, thats so sweet. even i posted a palak-kadhi for JFI greens! its so exciting to see that i what i actually prepared as a chance dish is actually a real traditional dish! Wow! Love it, love it, love it.

radha said...

I saw your kala masala recipe can you please share some recipes with that masala.
thanks

Ranjini said...

I tried at home. too gud!!!

Thnks for a healthy recipe!

Anonymous said...

Hello,

I am hungry, my fiancee is in Exeter. I have spinach. I also have a old copy of Ruchira which is actually my mothers property. But as I am so lazy, I found your blog on the search and I am going to cook....palakchi takatli bhaaji...thanks a lot. I shall survive.

Excellent blog btw. The name reminded me of my younger sisters who used to play Bhatukli!!! Ahh memories.

JumpinJude said...

I just made your taakatli bhaaji this past weekend, and it was fantastic! My husband especially enjoyed the peanuts - he told me they were not optional to him, LOL! Thanks for such an enjoyable recipe.

Simplyfood said...

Beautiful dish looks delicious.My 1st visit here.You have anice space do drop by simply food sometime.