Puran Poli recipe|Batata Vada recipe|Vada Pav recipe|Dhuska Recipe|Paan Kulfi recipe

Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahan

Zara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan

Kahin building kahin traame, kahin motor kahin mill

Milta hai yahan sab kuchh ik milta nahin dil...

(Bole toh,jhakkaas...Thought provoking lines from one of the famous old Hindi movie C.I.D)

Well,ye dil wil pyaar vyaar Apun kya janoon re,jaanoo toh bass itna ki food ko apna manoo re...

Food can be nutritious and less disastrous when compared to anything less .That's why I am a huge foodie. I can totally count on foods and I became a passionate food blogger to jot down my edible journey here.

I am so glad that we have so many countries,states,towns etc as we have the golden opportunity in this world to try varieties of food in this human birth.As they say,"Variety is indeed the spice of life ! "

Being a food blogger and vlogger is helping me to explore at least all the recipes around the world .It is like an edible travel to different parts of the world for free .

Today,I am gonna share a few of my favourite Mumbai recipes that represents the Mumbai's culinary soul .

My memories connected to Mumbai is a little sour and a little sweet.Still,I love Mumbai ! 

Mumbai earlier popularly known as Bombay is known as the commercial capital of India and has famously gained the tag line ,"The city that never sleeps" and "The city of dreams" .The name Mumbai is derived from the famous deity of the Mumbaikars called "The Mumba Devi/aai (meaning mother in the local language) " and is an amalgamation of seven islands.

Mumbai is a place where the stars,slums/homeless ,thugs and locals co-exist and cohabit unanimously and happily battling their own ups and downs.The local attractions,finger licking foods ,cultural festivals,streets bustling with people ,skyscrapers,job opportunities,non-stop transportation facilities and people with big heart to say the least , makes the crowded Mumbai one of the most well-liked place in India.

I visited Mumbai to meet our friend and for consulting doctors for some health issues .From taxi drivers to auto drivers to street hawkers to doctors and locals,all were very friendly towards us.Memorable hotel stays,delicious foods ,beautiful places to visit especially the dargah / mosque for the first time,street-mall shopping made my stay in Mumbai cherishable forever .

The health issues and complications I was facing was little disappointing but the content yet hopeful people living in slums and homeless people on streets were like a Divine's way of reminding me just like my mother would always say,count your blessings and be grateful to almighty for what you have.Compare to people who are less fortunate than us then you will realize how blessed and lucky you are .And that's what made me adore Mumbai the most ! 

So,here I am gonna share a few of my favourite popular staple dishes of Mumbaikars that I ate in Mumbai and are loved worldwide.

By the by,DISCLAIMER: Reader/Veiwer discretion is advised as these names of recipes made me giggle and laugh and I couldn't resist myself from noting all these recipes in my blog and sharing with all foodies out there with a harmless laugh(provided you get my humor).NO OFFENSE TO ANYONE !!! ...Guess what all recipes nowadays are having double meanings .Bheedu...Tension nahi lene ka ...Kisi ka waat nahi lagane ka..samjhey kya ?

Toh ho jaaye shuru ..ek kalti lene ka aur ye recipes try karne ka.....

Here's to my popular Marathi recipes :

Puran Poli

Puran Poli  is one of the most sought after dish of Maharashtra . As per Wikipedia,Puran Poli is a sweetened flatbread   a.k.a. vedmi (વેડમી)in Gujarati, bobbatlu or baksham or oliga in Telugu, Andhra Pradesh , holige (ಹೋಳಿಗೆ) (mainly in North Karnataka) in Kannada and obbattu (ಒಬ್ಬಟ್ಟು) ( in South Karnataka), payasaboli or simply boli (ബോളി) in Malayalam and Tamil ,bhakshalu or pole or polae in Telugu, Telangana and ubbatti or simply poli in Konkani.

The stuffing makes the difference in each of the sweetened flatbread recipes made in all these places mentioned above.In Marathi,the local language of Mumbai ,Puran is called the stuffing and Poli is called the outer covering of the flatbread.

Puran Poli is one of the most famous dish prepared by Maharashtrians during festivals and celebration.Puran Poli recipe is made with a stuffing of crushed lentils with some special spices and filled inside a flatbread made out of all-purpose flour and/or wheat flour .Puran Poli is very flexible to prepare at home and can be made in various creative ways .

For me Puran Poli is a greasy affair !

The first time I made this Puran poli recipe was for my doter when she was a toddler as I found this recipe to be very healthy .As simple as this Puran Poli recipe looks,it is not that easy to make.It can be complicated to prepare puran poli at home if it is not followed step by step as mentioned below.

This is how I make Puran Poli recipe at home 

Puran Poli recipe

Ingredients

To pressure cook

Bengal Gram Dal/Chana Dal - 1 cup

Water as needed - 3 cups approx

Turmeric powder 1/4th Tsp

Salt a pinch or two

Jaggery,chopped or powder 1- 1 1/2 cups 

Cardamom powder 1 Tsp

Fennel seeds/powder - 1 Tsp

To make Poli

All Purpose flour/Maida 1 Cup

Whole Wheat flour 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder 1 Tsp

Butter (optional) 1 Tbsp

Water+milk mixture as needed

Ghee as needed

salt to taste

Oil as needed

How to make homemade Puran Poli recipe

1. For preparing the Puran poli filling : Soak the lentils in water for about 1 -2 hour approx until they become tad soft to touch and the size increases .This is one of the most crucial stage for making the filling properly as this lentil takes time to cook properly or get softened up.
2. Then wash the soaked lentils,drain the water and transfer everything mentioned under "To pressure cook" into a pressure cooker with 1-2 inch of  water covering everything.
3. Wait for the first whistle on high flame.Then reduce the flame and wait for 3-4 whistles on medium flame.
4. Put off the cooking gas.Wait for the air pressure to release by itself and then gently remove the whistle and open the lid of the cooker carefully.
5. There will be little water left.Wait if it is too hot or either drain the water and mash everything into a soft lentil paste or transfer everything onto a pan .
6. Add little ghee on a pan and add the spices one by one and saute it and then add the jaggery and the mashed lentils or the lentils as it is with water into the pan.
7. Saute everything until the jaggery melts and the water dries up.
8. Then when everything accumulates to the center,turn off the cooking gas .
9. Allow it to cool off a bit.
10. Then mash everything into a smooth paste using a potato masher or in a mixer grinder.It is very necessary to make it a very smooth paste ,otherwise it will be difficult to make the Puran Poli properly as the filling may leak out and /or will be bumpy and torn and in an improper shape.
11. You should be able to make balls out of the filling then the stuffing is of the correct consistency.
12. Transfer all these filling into another container and keep it covered.
13. I personally put these stuffing in to the fridge .It helps in making the stuffing more pliable and in proper consistency.
14. Meanwhile,to make the Poli ,the dough,add the flour into a wide container or a wide bowl,turmeric powder,butter,little salt and mix well.
15. Luke warm the mixture of milk and water a bit and add the liquid into the dough little by little and start to knead little by little so that you don't add too much water and then it will be very difficult to make the dough properly.Lukewarm water+milk mixture helps in making the dough soft.
16. Knead it into a semi-soft dough,cover it with a damp cloth or a plastic wrap or with a tight lid or the dough will dry up and it will ruin the shape and texture of the poli .
17. Keep it aside for an hour.I keep it in the fridge .
18. After an hour ,smear hands or add a teaspoon of ghee and knead once again into a soft dough.
19. Heat a pan/tawa.Keep the flame low but ready for making poli.
20. Smear little oil on to the rolling disc and the rolling pin .This helps me to avoid using the flour powder for dusting and making the Puran Poli aptly .
21. Make small golf sized ball out of the dough and roll it using the rolling pin into a small puri shape like a mini tortilla and then make a small ball out of the sweet stuffing and place it in the center.Then as shown in the video ,try to cover it from all sides of the dough ball like a potli or dumpling .
22. Then roll the ball using the rolling pin gently without using any flour which will give the perfect texture for the right puran poli or if you find it difficult to roll it ,smear it with some dusting flour on the side to roll it into a roti shape/tortilla shape.
23. Try your best to keep the stuffing not leaking out a lot.The edges should be thinner too.The more greasy is the rolling pin or rolling disc and the dough ball ,more easier it is to roll it into a roti or tortilla shape properly and it adds to the taste.
24. Spray oil or smear little ghee onto the pan.Transfer the puran poli onto the pan and let it cook down a bit on low flame.When the bubbles appear on the top,smear more ghee or butter or oil and flip to cook the other side well.
25. When both sides are lightly brown,transfer the Puran Poli onto the plate.
26. Repeat the same with all other dough balls.
27. That's it Puran Poli is ready to eat.
28. Enjoy it as it is or with the famous Amti or more ghee.

NOTES:

• You can also use toor dal/Pigeon peas which can be cooked directly without soaking but it cooks fast comparatively to the chana dal.
• The addition of fennel seeds or powder makes it taste amazing.You can also add 1/2 tsp of ginger powder and nutmeg powder for a different taste.
• The all-purpose flour makes the Puran Poli more tasty in texture than simply using the whole wheat flour.Hence I have used both.
• After making the filling,insert a spoon into the mixture if it stands up right, then we have reached the right consistency and make balls to make sure if it holds the shape .
• For the perfect texture of Puran Poli add ghee/butter/oil from time to time as required as mentioned above.The grease helps in rolling properly ,keeping the filling inside and making it soft and delish to eat.
• You can simply use the warm water to make the dough soft ,I added little bit of milk into the water to make the dough more softer and yummy.
• Its very necessary to make the stuffing as soft as possible making sure all the lentils are well-cooked and soft to eat or it will pop out while rolling and would burn while cooking the roti.

That's it Puran Poli is ready to serve !Puran Poli is a healthy and a filling recipe .Good for toddlers to all ages as it can be made healthy with innovative ideas.

Batata Vada |Alu Vada|Alu Bonda

Batata Vada a.k.a Alu Vada /Alu Bonda/Potato Bonda is one of the most comfort food available 24/7 especially in the state of Maharashtra .This potato chickpea fritter  is a quite popular street food in Mumbai as it is the most delicious snack equally liked by the locals to the celebrities.Hence August 23rd is celebrated as the world Vada Pav day in Mumbai.

Alu Bonda is made with chickpea flour batter and a spicy potato filling.Alu means Potato and Bonda means snack.Though these batata vada looks extra tasty when it is sold by a Tapri/street hawker,these vada pav recipe can be easily prepared at home without any special ingredients.

This Batata vada is best served with the signature green chutney and the garlic chutney and I am so surprised like how this garlic chutney is made with the leftover fried chickpea batter in the pan after frying the bondas .What a great way of reusing the choora/leftover fried chickpea batter into something palatable  -great idea to make such a chutney. Otherwise I used to to throw all those fried chickpea batter away.

As mentioned in the timeosIndia.com article , once the famous cricketer Mr.Vinod Kambli presented 35 vada pavs to the Master blaster ,the iconic Mr.Sachin Tendulkar when he broke Mr.Sunil Gavaskar's 34-century test record in March 2006.Haila !

Ye baat hai,to chalo apun dikhathi hai how I make quick and easy Alu Bonda recipe at home

Batata Vada|Alu Vada|Alu Bonda|Vada Pav

Ingredients

For making the chickpea batter

Chickpea flour/Besan - 2 cups

Rice flour 1 Tbsp (optional to make it crispy,I didn't add )

Turmeric powder 1-2 Tsp

Red chili powder 1 Tsp

Salt to taste

Baking powder 1 Tsp

Water as required 

To grind the paste for bonda

Green chillies - 2-4 Nos.

Ginger-garlic paste - 2 Tsps

Cilantro leaves,a few

Cumin seeds 1 Tsp

Coriander seeds 1 Tsp

For making the filling

Potato,medium size - 4-5 Nos.

Water as needed

Oil 1-2 Tbsps

Mustard seeds 1 tsp

Cumin seeds 1 Tsp

Asafoetida a pinch

Curry leaves a few

Cilantro leaves a few

Lemon juice

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Salt to taste

For making Green chutney

Cilantro leaves handful

Mint leaves 2-3 Nos

Green chillies 2-3 Nos.

Ginger-garlic paste 1/2 Tsp

Cumin seeds 1/2 Tsp

Dry coconut as needed 

Peanut 1 Tbsp

Yogurt/Curd 1 Tbsp

Salt to taste

Water as needed

For making the garlic chutney

Leftover choora/chickpea fried leftover pieces handful

Dry Red chillies 1-2 Nos

Garlic ,medium size- 2-3 Nos

Peanut 1 tsp

Dry coconut 1-2 Nos

Tamarind marble sized

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Whole Green chillies as needed for garnishing

Pav/mini buns/Dinner Rolls as needed

Butter

How to make Alu Bonda recipe at home street style

1. First make a THICK batter using all the ingredients mentioned under the "for making the batter" above.Make sure the batter is lumpfree and smooth not runny and thick for coating.Keep it aside for a few minutes.I keep the bonda batter in the fridge to fasten the process to make the batter thick and of right coating consistency.
2. Pressure cook the potatoes in a pressure cooker with enough water covering them for 2-3 whistles until cooked.Do not over-cook the potatoes for longer or it will become too soft .
3. Turn off the cooking gas.Once it is safe to remove the whistle,open the lid and remove just the cooked potatoes and transfer into a bowl.
4. Remove the skins and mash the potato using hand or a potato masher and keep them aside.Make it as soft as possible.
5. Meanwhile grind all ingredients mentioned above under the green chutney to make the green chutney for the vada pav.Keep it aside.
6. Now to make the potato stuffing ,start by grinding all ingredients mentioned above to make the paste for bonda .
7. Heat a pan with oil and splutter mustard seeds.
8. Lower the flame,add the cumin seeds,curry leaves,cilantro leaves,asafoetida and the above prepared ground paste and saute well.
9. Then add the mashed potato mixture ,turmeric powder and salt to taste.
10. Keep the flame low.
11. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying.Keep the flame low.
12. Continue with the bonda mixture in step 9 and mix everything well for a minute or two until all liquid evaporates.
13. Add lemon juice and mix well.I omitted this time.
14. The vada/bonda filling is ready.Keep it aside in a different bowl to cool it off a bit .
15. I usually keep this Bonda stuffing in my the fridge just to make sure it becomes more flavorful and thick enough to shape the bonda properly.
16. Then I keep the batter and the bonda filling outside for a few minutes before deep frying.
17. Whip the batter once again .
18. Pour little batter into the deep frying oil to ensure if the oil is indeed ready for deep frying.If the batter springs to the top then the oil is ready or wait for the batter to sprung to the top.The right consistency of oil for deep frying is very necessary to make the right texture of the bonda.If the oil is ready,lower the flame.
19. Then make small balls out of the bonda mixture and  dip each balls into the batter and cover it as much as possible.If needed use a spoon to do so.The thick yet coating consistency batter will make the perfect Alu Bonda.
20. Shake off the extra batter and then put the batter covered bonda into the oil for frying.
21. Fry every Bonda one by one without over crowding the pan.
22. Make sure all sides are cooked and turns golden brown and crispy.
23. Remove all the Vada/Bonda one by one and place them all onto the paper towel to drain any excess oil.
24. There will be many leftover choora/fried chickpea batter left in the oil after deep frying the Batata vada or put some batter into the oil and remove the lightly fried batter,it doesn't have to be crispy .
25. Then make the garlic chutney for the Batata vada by first frying the garlic and red chillies in this oil lightly and then grind with all other ingredients mentioned under "for making the red chutney".This chutney will look coarse in texture while the green chutney will be slightly runny.
26. Fry a few whole green chillies and keep them aside.
27. That's it Batata Vada/Alu Vada/Alu Bonda/Vada Pav are ready to serve.
28. Serve the Mumbai style Batata Vada with the green and the red chutney/garlic chutney.
29. Bite the fried green chillies in between .
30. Tasty!!
31. Turn this batata vada into a vada pav by smearing little butter , green chutney and red chutney on the pav/dinner rolls/buns and place a Batata Vada in between .
32. Place the fried green chilli in between.Throw in a few cilantro leaves,lemon juice and onion slices as needed to make it a sandwich .
33. Enjoy the adorable Alu Bonda!!

The good thing about Batata Vada is that you can turn a snack into a meal like a sandwich by stuffing the vada or bonda into buns or dinner rolls.Then Alu Bonda is so filling and enough !

Reminds me of my 4th Std. friend in school/a Malayali batchmate named Aapsara who loved this bonda like crazy.Now I know why !

That's how you can taste Mumbai by sheerly enjoying Alu Bonda ! Amazing indeed !

I've also made other famous Mumbai hit recipes long time ago like

Sabudana Khichdi recipe

Modak recipe

Falooda recipe

Last but not the least,like they say,"All is well,that ends well !" a twist to the theme ,like a light to the end of the tunnel ,concluding the blogpost with one of my famous recipe from Jharkhand ,Dhuska.

Dhuska

Dhuska is a well-known deep fried snack eaten all over the Jharkhand,North India.Well,I was raised in Bihar which is known as Jharkhand now.So,this is one of the famous delicacy of Jharkhandi cuisine.

‘Kos kos pe badle paani, chaar kos pe vaani‘, it’s an old Bhojpuri/Bihari local language saying meaning whether we are at our home town or thousands of miles away, there is something about our mother tongue and the languages we were born around that it never loses its appeal.

Well,this is also one of my way of thanking the place I was raised in, to introduce me to all the delicious North Indian recipes which I can't get enough of . My edible memoir !

When I was little I thought this dish was some kind of different variation of a puri recipe .Recently I came across this recipe when I was trying out to prepare all these above North Indian recipes at home .

Not to mention ,the name (meaning D-hus(Partner)-Ka) made me smile with love and taste, lip smacking !

Toh chalo hamre gharma,dikhathey hai hum kaise banathey hai Dhuska...

So,this is how I make Dhuska recipe 

Dhuska recipe

Ingredients

Rice (I used Sona Masoori) 1 cup

Bengal Gram/Chana Dal  1/2 cup

Black lentil/Urad Dal 1/4th Cup

Water1/2 cup or as needed

For grinding paste

Green Chillies 2-3 Nos.

Ginger 1 Tsp

Cumin seeds 1 Tsp

Turmeric powder 1 Tsp

Salt to taste

Asafoetida a Pinch

Carom seeds/Ajwain - 1/4th Tsp

Peppercorns/ Powder 1/4th Tsp

Oil for deep frying

How to make Dhuska at home

1. Soak rice and all lentils in sufficient water for 3-4 hours.
2. Then wash them all ,drain the water out.
3. Grind everything with water enough to make it a thick batter of pouring consistency something like the idli batter.
4. Keep it aside for 1-4 hrs for fermentation depending upon the room temperature.Warmer the temperature,keep the batter aside for an hour ,otherwise keep the batter for 1-4 hours .
5. To speed up the cooking process, add the baking soda or eno a teaspoon and mix well,then fermentation process can be avoided.If using Eno use it immediately .
6. Then grind everything else mentioned above to make a paste and add it to the batter or even can be grinded with the batter.The former is preferred.
7. Mix into the batter and whip well.
8. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying.Add a pinch of batter when it springs to the top make dhuska.
9. Then pour a ladle full of batter into the oil .The top of the dhuska will swell ,then flip it back to fry all sides on medium-high flame.
10. Fry until it looks crispy yet soft and donot fry for long or it will become stiff.
11. Repeat without over crowding the pan for frying.
12. Remove all Dhuska one by one onto the paper towel for draining extra oil.
13. Enjoy it as soon as possible for the best taste or store them in a casserole.
14. Enjoy it as it is or with pickle or any curry
15. That's it Dhuska is ready !

Least and the last ,I realized something sweet is missing in these recipes.So,having a sweet tooth,I made a quick and easy Paan Kulfi .Paan a.k.a. Betel nuts in English wrapped in a betel leaves with lots of dry fruits etc is one of the famous natural mouth freshner in India .Some people get so addicted to Paan that they don't even care if it spoiled their teeth or health.It makes me lol when I see people eating betel/paan and a red liquid oozing out as if there mouth is filled with blood.

I love those sweet paans .So,I bought these Paan masala long time ago because I always wanted to make Paan ice cream at home .So,here I am with a Paan Kulfi with a few simple ingredients easily available at home .This kulfi is not for people who can't stand sweet ,it is that creamy and like a cold candy or a cold melting mouth freshner .

Paan Kulfi

Ingredients

Whole Milk 4 cups

Sugar 1/4th cup

Cardamom seeds

Paan (Betel) masala to taste

Ice cream moulds

How to make Paan Kulfi at home

1. Heat milk in a preferably non-stick pan.
2. Powder cardamom seeds and the pan masala into fine powder.
3. When milk comes to boil,add the ground powder and stir well.
4. Reduce the flame and let it simmer down and become half the quantity of milk.
5. Keep stirring in between.
6. The milk will become thick and creamy.
7. Turn off the cooking gas and let it cool down.
8. Then either drain the liquid mixture or pour directly the liquid mixture into the ice cream moulds.
9. Refrigerate the ice cream moulds for 8-12 hours or until set.
10. Then remove the ice cream mould and keep it aside for a few seconds.Keep an eye.
11. Then try to remove the set ice cream from the mould.If it doesn't come out easily,run it under the water a bit and check.
12. Donot keep out for long or the ice cream will melt fast.
13. That's it quick and easy paan (Betel) kulfi is ready to serve.
14. Enjoy it cold .

So,these were a few North Indian recipes I was experimenting recently ,the secret behind my increasing waist and more .So how can I stop myself from jotting down all these voluptuous recipes in my blog .Pls feel free to put your evil eye on my weight gain only :D

I agree with Giada De Laurentiis - "Food brings people together on many different levels. It's nourishment of the soul and body; it's truly love." 

Like Pat Conroy said ,“A recipe is a story that ends with a good meal.”

So,I hope all foodies out there would give all my recipes a try and enjoy a good meal my way .

Food and life are not perfect ...Like every food every life matters (especially without any harm) ..All educated people will agree with me right ? -#AaajKaPravachanFreeHaiNoFees :P

Achcha toh ham kalti marthey hai meaning good bye/Adios/Alvida/Ciao/Namaste for now

Hey,phir milenge chalthey chalthey

Rest bheja(brain) fry in next !

See you all soon till then stay safe and take extra care (SERIOUSLY) !

LOVE and LIGHT !

My God/Divine is bright !