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Friday, December 7, 2007

Shev & Chivda

So, I am back again! I know, I know...whats new? I have been like the moon these past few months...fortnightly visit ;) I have missed so much of action in the blog sphere! The fact is, I was busy job hunting and finally I found one!!:) I will be starting from Monday which means that posting a recipe frequently is going to be even more difficult henceforth. But I hope to post at least one recipe every week and try and participate in as many blog events as possible. I am really thankful to all of you for all your nice comments on my posts.
Now onto the remaining part of my diwali faral...its late but these recipes are ones that can be enjoyed any time of the year. Enjoy!

Shev

(Shev--- in the bowl on the left hand side of the plate
Chivda---in the center of the plate)
Ingredients:
5 cups Besan (Chickpea flour)
2 tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Black peppercorns
1/2 tsp Cloves
1/4 tsp Ajwain seeds
2 tsp Cayenne pepper (adjust to your spice level)
Salt to taste
Water to make the dough
Shev press or Chakli press (sorya)
Oil to fry
Method:
Grind together the peppercorns, cloves and ajwain to a powder. In a bowl mix together the besan, oil, ground spice powder, cayenne pepper and salt. Now make a dough out of this mixture with some water. Taste it and adjust the spices. Cover and let rest for 1/2 an hour. Next, heat vegetable oil in a kadhai. Take a small ball of dough and pass it through the shev/chakli press directly into the kadhai. Fry the shev till it turns golden brown. Do not wait till it turns dark brown as it keeps cooking even when removed from the oil. Repeat the process till all the dough is used up.

Chivda

Ingredients: (the quantities are approximate and can be changed as per liking)
2lb Super thin poha (Flattened rice)
7-8 Green chillies chopped
6-7 Curry leaves
2-3 tbsp Dalia split
1/4 cup Dry coconut shavings (khobra)
1/4 cup Peanuts (can use roasted or unroasted, peeled or unpeeled)
2-3 tsp Cayenne pepper
3 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Citric Acid (optional)

For the tadka:
3-4 tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Mohri (mustard seeds)
1/2 tsp Jeera (Cumin seeds)
1/2 tsp Hing powder
1 tsp Halad (Turmeric)

Method:
First get all the ingredients ready. Take a huge plate and empty the packet of pohe on it. Add salt and cayenne pepper to it. To make dry coconut shavings, just take a regular peeler and run along the edge of the coconut. Now in a big kadhai (use the biggest one you have, makes life easier), heat the oil. Once heated, fry the peanuts a little. Make sure you don't leave them in too long or else they will burn and taste bitter. Same goes for all other ingredients as well. Remove the fried peanuts and add them to the poha. Next fry the coconut shavings and add to the poha. Do the same thing with the dalia split. You can also add some cashews to the chivda. Next, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds to the oil and let them pop. Then add the hing and turmeric powder. Next, throw in the chopped chillies and fry till they become crunchy. To this add the curry leaves and fry for a minute. Now pour this tadka over the pohe. Mix together.
Now the pohe can be chewy, so to make them crunchy, just transfer them to the kadhai and keep stirring them on very low heat till they become crunchy. You can dry roast the pohe before you make the tadka but I prefer doing it this way, because I tend to burn the pohe. Another easy way to get them crunchy is to put them under the broiler for a couple of minutes, once the chivda is ready. Make sure you keep checking on them and stir them to avoid burning. Once the chivda is ready and crunchy, let it cool completely and then add the sugar and citric acid to it. Mix well. Citric acid is not a traditional addition but my hubby likes the tang it lends to the chivda and so do I. Enjoy with a cup of tea or as a snack with some curds...yum!

18 comments:

Srivalli said...

Tee...thats a great news...congrats..do try to post regularly...chida looks great....

Laavanya said...

Hey.. welcome back and congrats on the new job. Thanks for these recipes too.

Nupur said...

Congratulations on landing a job, and wishing you lots of fun and success with it!
You made shev at home??!! It looks incredible, Tee. I have got to try this sometime.

Red Chillies said...

Tee, hearty congratulations and best wishes for your new job. The sev and chivda looke awesome. The chivda is almost the way my Aaji used to make.

TBC said...

Congrats on the new job, Tee!
I had made your besan laddoos during Diwali... did not look anything like yours but the taste was superb:-)

Unknown said...

Heyy, it would be really nice if you keep posting regularly. Great recipes and a very engaging blog. I tried the Peanut chutney and it was "out of the world".

Keep up the good work and all the very best on your new job

Kribha said...

Congrats on getting a new job. Hope you enjoy it. Shev and chivda both looks great. Thanks for sharing the recipes.

Seena said...

Congrats on your new job,
good to see u back..

musical said...

Congratulations on the new job! Wish you the very best for everything!

Faral is super-good, dear! Don't worry about blogging. Get to it when you find time :).

hugs,
musical.

Neelam said...

Congrats on your new job, Tee!
Got to try both these recipes, they look great! And by the way, I made your mw besan ladoos they tasted great. thanks!

Suganya said...

I was just about to mail you. Where were you all these days?

Richa said...

congrats on the job, tee!
pan tuzhya recipes chi posting chalu thev :)
chivda...yummmm

Priyanka said...

Tee...u r amazing. you actually made sev for diwali!!! i am a sucker for sev and besanacha ladoo anytime.

Shella said...

That looks really tempting. I would love it with a cup of hot tea

Unknown said...

You have some very interesting posts on your blog

I am a freelance writer in Mumbai and currently exploring writings on Indian food blogs and different stuff that they write / discuss.

Would appreciate if you could answer the following questions for me.

1. What new flavors, recipes have you tried or noticed in the recent past?
2. What experiments have you tried? Any fusion foods?
3. Which of these have worked and why?
4. What new trends / changes do you see in everyday cooking and why?
5. What new food products would you like to buy to make everyday cooking easier and fun?

You may also mail your response to tasteofindia2008@gmail.com

Unknown said...

You have some very interesting posts on your blog

I am a freelance writer in Mumbai and currently exploring writings on Indian food blogs and different stuff that they write / discuss.

Would appreciate if you could answer the following questions for me.

1. What new flavors, recipes have you tried or noticed in the recent past?
2. What experiments have you tried? Any fusion foods?
3. Which of these have worked and why?
4. What new trends / changes do you see in everyday cooking and why?
5. What new food products would you like to buy to make everyday cooking easier and fun?

You may also mail your response to tasteofindia2008@gmail.com

Anjali Koli said...

Hey Tee that platter look divine. Congrats too!

reshma said...

heyy .... the name itself nakes u feel so nostalgic ... i rem the days when I used to pay bhatukli!! I had a whole set of all kitchen utensils.... kadhai pasun chimta, chamcha sagla kahi!! ... just rem all those days after i read ur intro to the blog!!