Happy Diwali and Prosporous New year to all

Wishing you and your family a very happy and prosperous Diwali.
With the hope that you attain success and bliss with every light that is lit on the day of Diwali.


New year wishes to all who are celebrating their new year on 29th .
May the year ahead brings lots of rays of Hope, glow of Success and sparkle of Happiness, treasure of Knowledge.

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I - day 2008 Roundup

I tried to make it possible to post it earlier but for one or more reason can't do it. And there was a time when I thought its too late to publish, so convincing my mind to do it at least , I recalled - Better late than never.
With my head over the heels, I was tightly busy with all possible things you can imagine. I am thankful to all of you who cared to inquired about my well being , well I was not sick except one virus attack- rather I was just busy doing other things for my professional life. A warm big hug to all of you sweet hearts there.
without much talks here is the round up of Independence day 2008.

	Name: Mythreyee Blog name: Paajaka recipes Dish name: Neem flower rice
	Name : EC Blog Name: Simple Indian cooking Dish name : Carrot Raita
	Name: Dershana Blog : The Footloose Chef Name of the recipe : Tricolour Raita
	Name : SriLekha Blog Name : Me and My Kitchen Recipe Name : Cabbage Beans Carrot Poriyal
	Name: Yasmeen Blog name :Healthnut-Are you eating nature's best? Dish Name :Lunch in Patriotic Colors :Saffron Spinach Rice with Mango Parfait
	Name: Nags Blog name: Edible Garden Dish Name: Carrot Rice
	Name: Sweatha Blog Name: TastyCurryLeaf Dish Name: Crostata
	name: Sia Blog Name: Monsoon Spice Dish name: Sweet Chilli-Lime Tofu with Wok steamed Spinach & Quinoa
	Name: Alka Blog name:Sindhirasoi Dish Name :Naariyal ji mithai
	My Name : Lakshmi Name of the blog : Cooking Station Name of the Dish: Kesar mango kulfi
	Name : Indrani Blog Name: Appyayan Dish name : Tri-Color Chinese stir-fry vegetable
	Name- Jaya Blog name – Spice and Curry Recipe Name- Kancha Peinper chutney (Green Papaya Chutney)
	Name: Cham Blog Name Spice club Dish name: Fresh cowpeas salad
	My name: Uma Blog Name: Telugu Ruchi Dish Name : Lemon and Rice
	Name : Priya Blog Name: Live 2 cook Dish Name: Thatte Idly (P.S.- Don't miss the read the post about her Grand parents )
	Name: Sukanya Blog Name : Sukanya's Musings Dish Name : TIRANGA CAKE
	Name : DK Blog Name : Culinary Bazaar Dish Name : Carrot Halwa
	Name : Vani Blog Name : Illatharasi Dish Name : Mini Idlies
	Name: Sia blog name: Monsoon Spice Dish name: Caarot, Beans & Channa Dal Palya
	Name: Purva Desai Blog name: Purva's Daawat Dish name: Tiranga Juice
	Name :rekha Blog name: plantainleaf(andhra recipes) Dish name: carrot and spinach soup
	Name-Sunita Blog name : Sunita's world Dish name: Couscous, vegetable and feta salad
	Name: Usha Blog Name: my spicy Kitchen Dish Name: Carrot Pachadi
	Name:Karuna Blog name: My love for food Dish Name : Bengali sandesh
	Name:-Sireesha Blog Name:- Mom's Recipies Picture :- Tulip Farm
	Name: Veena Blog Name: Honey & butter Post name: Happy Independence Day
	Name: Veena Blog Name: Honey & butter Dish name: Frozen Vegetable Dosa
	name:Alka keswani Blog name:sindhi rasoi Recipe name:Bhee ji tikki(lotus stem or kamalkakdi stuffed with coriander garlic mixture)
	Blog name:Homecooked Name of the dish: Matar Paneer
	name: notyet100 Blog name: asankhana Entry : Heena art for the colour saffron
	Name: notyet100 Blog name: asankhana Dish Name :mango kulfi with cranberries
	Name: notyet100 Blog name: asankhana Dish Name: badam milk with melon seeds
	Name: notyet100 Blog name: asankhana Dish Name :Jalebi with rabadi
	Name-Renuka Blog Name:fusion Dish-Jalebhi
	Name - Sumarajesh Blog name - suma's cuisine. Entry : colored ice cube
	Name: Renuka Blog name : FUSION PDish Name: Tricolour Dosa Cassatta
	Name : SriLekha Blog name: Me and My Kitchen Dish Name : Sago Vadagam
	Name: Padma Blog name: me and my kitchen Dish Name: Tri colored salad
	Name: Bhagyashri Blog name: taste buds Dish Name: paneer tikka masala
	Blog: Jugalbandi Bloggers: Bee and Jai Dish Name : Vegan Peach Tartlets with Almond and Pineapple Sage
	Blogger: Mythreyee Blog name: Paajaka recipes Dish name: Beans carrot palya
	Name: Divya Vikram blog name: Divya dil se Dish Name: Semiya Upma
	Name - Sukanya Ramkumar Blog name:hot and sweet bowl Dish Name- Indian Flag Cookies
	Name:Medhaa Blog Name: Cook With Love Dish Name: Tiranga rice
	Name:Meera Blog Name: Enjoy Indian food Dish Name: Kobichi Bhaaji
	Name: Mansi Desai Blog name: Fun and Food Recipe: Kesar Badam Burfi
	Name: Ramya Bala Blog name :ramya cooks Dish/post name: dil hai Hindustani Hearts
	NAme :Viji Blog Name: V cuisine Dish Name: Sevai Idlis (if you are unable to see the post contact viji at viji.jeyakumar@gmail.com for allowing access or recipe)
	Name: Srimathi Blog Name: Few Minute wonders Post Title : American Treat for English Retreat
	Name: Rashmi Blog Name: delhi belle Post Name : Happy Independence day
	Name: Rashmi Blog Name: delhi belle Post Name : Matar Paneer Tak-A-Tak
	Name: Pooja Blog Name : My Creative Ideas Dish Name: Bhindi do pyaaza
	Name: Pooja Blog Name : My Creative Ideas Dish Name: Aloo bhindi, Gajar Halwa and Indian radish(Mooli) In a fullfledge dish
	Name: Pooja Blog Name : My Creative Ideas Dish Name: Carrot and coriander Uttapa
	Name: Pooja Blog Name : My Creative Ideas Dish Name: Mango Pulp
	Name:Sireesha Blog Name:Aabharan Post name:Saffron,White,Green accessories

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Happy 61st Independence day to my Indian Buddies...

Have a very Happy 61st Independence day to all my Indian buddies .

Take some time to respect the nation and culture we belongs to. From the bottom of my heart I salute those who took steps to bring freedom to India and helped it to preserve the rich culture we belongs to.

(image source- Unknown)

Here are some more entry for Theme - Independence day.

Bhindi Do pyaaza is the a dish name which you may find in some Indian restaurants serving Punjabi food. Although , one of my Punjabi friend thinks that they don't make it at all :D . Well there are many confusions about Punjabi food we find in restaurant menu and the things they really eat in Punjab.
I dont know if its really "punjabi" dish or not, what I know is I just love the combo of Bhindi with Onion . And One such day I made it using my own Imagination with the ingredients I like. I used white onion to make this so that it can go prefect with the theme- Independence day . Here is how I make it .
Ingredients :
2 medioum sized onion
1 pound Okra (Bhindi) - the tender the better .
2 tsp oil,
1 tsp mustard seeds ,
1 tsp cumin seeds,
a pinch of asafoetida,
pinch of turmeric ,
1/2 tsp of red chilli powder.
salt to taste
Method :
Wash the okra , and cut in to 1 inch or little bigger size .
Cut the onion into long slices , not too thin.
Next in a pan heat the oil , add mustard seeds and cumin seeds, when they start spulttering add asafoetida powder and little bit of turmeric powder to it and then immediately add cut okra to it.
The purpose of adding turmeric powder to it first is to preserve the green color of okra, cooking it without adding turmeric powder will give dull green color to okra when you cook it. so rather than adding it after okra is cooked add it first.
cook okra on medium heat, and when it is half cooked (i.e - not sticky) add sliced onion to it. Mix it well and cookt it together on medium heat . cover it with lid, stir occasionally and cook till okra is fully cooked, by that time onion will be tender but not fully cooked. Giving very nice aroma of its cooking. add some red chilli powder n salt to it. Mix it together cook for one more minute and remove from heat serve hot.
Makes a wonderful and quick curry to enjoy any day.

Some more entry from me for this theme-

~A full fledge Indian thali~
Okra with Potato curry, Green peas pickle , Gujarati Kadhi with a pinch of turmeric added to it. With Gajar ka Halwa(carrot halwa), Phulka roti, Papad and beat root and white radish salad on side.
I made this dish without any idea for this event, later on find that it has all 3 colors suitable to event so just clicked it n thought to post it for the theme - I Day.
Also its very rare when I make such full fledge Dish for meal now a days :D .

Carrot and coriander Uttapam -another entry for I day.

P.S.- As my sister is visiting us (yet another excuse for lazy me :D ) , I am busy roaming around with them (and having a hell of wonderful time together with them and niece too :) ) .
It may take some time for me to post the round up.
If you have anything yet left to send for the theme- Independence day you can send it by the end of 15th August 2008 . But no late than that.Please follow the rules carefully when you send it .

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Mango pulp - Theme of the week Saffron white n Orange

Although I am not a sweet lover, I always loved sweet mangoes, specially the one which we get in season , ripe and firm , not too sweet (yeah you heard it correct- not too sweet ) and full of flesh .

Ever since my childhood I like little sour and sweet mangoes. Ripe and firm , not too sweet and full of flesh . All sweet is somewhat detesting for me.


But the one with little sour along with its original sweetness is really my weakness.
While in India it was easy to get my choice of mangoes and enjoy it throughout the summer , its not possible here.Sometimes you get good mangoes and sometimes you don't.
But till then I never got my taste in Mangoes here :( . It was just a month ago that I happen to get mangoes which tasted just like the way I love them .I immediately went to the store next day and got another box to make pulp out of it and kept it frozen to enjoy any day :D .

I used to make pulp and keep it frozen when I was in India too, but here I literally took care to do not waste a single drop of pulp :O .

Wash the mangoes peel the skin of it and then roughly cut the mango into large pieces. Using mixture make the pulp of it without adding a single drop of water or anything else.
Pour it in a clean air tight container, tightly close the lid and keep it in freezer. I normally keep some of the curd container washed and dried -ready to store such things for frizzing . I find it best for this specially as its long enough to store pulp of more than 10 mangoes in it and do not occupy much space of freezer.



While using first keep the container out of freezer for 30 minutes, and scoop out the amount of the pulp you need in a separate vessel.
Close the lid of container and put the rest back to freezer .
Now you wont need to rely on those smelly ready made pulp available in market when you feel like eating mangoes. Do you also store mangoes the same way ? it would be interesting to know your way of storing Mango


This light Saffron colored mango pulp goes as my own entry to Theme of the week -Saffron, white and green.
(click on logo for more details, check for more ideas here and here )
stay tuned for Bhindi do Pyaaza and some more for theme of this week :) .

So what are you making with tri colors to celebrate our Independence day with ?

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Vegetable of the Week -Bottle Gourd Round Up

Bottle gourd round up.

55+ delicious dishes…

12 such dishes which you might have never heard of it .

Above all do u know that bottle gourd can make a wonderful one dish dinners too?
We have 8 to cherish :) .

Good chance to start eating this humble veggie and for its lovers nice recipe to enjoy your love for bottle gourd :D .

Dear friends Pratibha and Jigyasa reminded me of how much Ramdevbaba emphasis on eating bottle gourd in all possible way. Check out what I recently came through, this article, it says bottle gourd's price has shot up from Rs 4 to Rs 15 a kg.

I couldn’t control my laugh after reading it . Before its prices start rising here too get some now, keep some stored and enjoy your favorite dishes from below…. And when you are done checking round up don’t forget to vote for you favorite entries in all 3 categories.

Use the poll widget in the sidebar .

Bottle gourd as Soup & Starter

	Bottle gourd Bajji by Rekha
	Lauki bites by Madhavi
	Bottle gourd Rajgara paratha Canape by Pooja( It's me :$ )

Bottle gourd as Side dish / accompaniments

	Dudhichi Kosimbir By Sheetal
	Bottle gourd Raita by Trupti
	bottle gourd chutney by Divya
	Lauki Raita By bhawana
	Sorakaya Pachadi / Bottle Gourd Chutney by Usha
	Sora appalu by Vijaya

Bottle gourd as Main Course

	Sorakaya Pulusu Kura / Sweet and Sour Bottle Gourd In Spicy Tamarind Sauce By Kalva
	Sorakaya Masala by Rekha
	Dhapalam by Asha
	Sorakkai Spicy curry by Radhika
	Lauki Kofta by Sheetal
	Yerinja Kootu By Priya
	Bharwan Lauki By Sia
	Bottle Gourd Koottu by Shriya
	Aal kai Gatte- Bottle Gourd Dumplings by Manisha soni
	Potatoes in bottle gourd gravy by Madhavi
	Sorrakai curry by Srilekha
	Bottle gourd kootu bu Kamalika
	Jeera kaddoo by Medhaa
	Bharwa lauki by Medhaa
	Dudhi masala subji(Maharashtrian style) by Trupti
	Dudhi muth nu shaak by Meera
	Bottle gourd Bajji by Rekha
	Rassedaar Lauki by Nidhi
	Bottle gourd Porucha kozhambu by Srimathi
	Calabash (Sorakkai) curry by Vani
	Bottle Gourd Kurma (Chettinad Style) by Srivalli
	Daal Lauki By Priti
	Lauki ki Sabzi by Priya
	Thoom tamate mein kadhoo(bottlegourd in garlic tomato gravy) by Alka
	Sorakaya kootu by Rekha
	Arachuvitta Surakkai Kulambu(Bottle gourd in Rich Coconut Sauce) by Ramya
	Sorekayi hesaru bele sihi kootu by Mythreyee
	Bottle-Gourd Curry with Peanut-Sesame Powder by Sailaja
	Kadhoo jha kofta by Alka
	Doodhi Mung by Jan
	Bottle Gourd Stew/Sorakaya Pulusu by Pallavi
	Bottle gourd with mix beans by Pooja( me again :D )

Bottle gourd as Sweet dish

	Lauki kheer by Notyet100
	Bottle gourd Payasam by Ramya
	Dudhi Halwa By Meera
	Sorakaya Payasam by Suma
	Doodhi Halwa by Sheetal
	Bottle Gourd Pudding by Pallavi
	Lauki Kheer by Sowmya

Bottle gourd as One dish dinner

	Lauki pancakes by Sheetal
	Vegetable Khichadi by Kalva
	Bottle gourd Wrap by Divya
	Lauki in Pita pockets by Geeta
	Lauki Roti by Shifa
	Bottle Gourd Paratha by Sowmya
	Bottle gourd Dosa(Sorrakaya Attu) by Sailaja
	Haandvoh by Me

Hope you had fun checking the round up .

Send in your entries for tri colored theme soon. Just 8 days are left . For more details click on the logo in the left side bar or check it here.

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Theme of the Week is -

Once again I am back with Theme of the week - Independence day. With the sincere hope that it will bring peace and prosperity to India . May my beloved Martubhumi - India get all the things written in the national Song (not National Anthem) -"Vande Mataram" and God save her from all the man made and natural disasters.


Here are the rules to participate in this event:

1.
Cook anything with 3 colors of flag of India. (Orange , White and Green – you can cook dish finally resulting in any of these 3 colors / any single color / all of 3 , slight variation in color of final dish is perfectly OK :) .

2.
Create anything having combination of 3 colors. i.e. you can just catch a picture of array of vegetables/birds/flowers / anything having these 3 colors.

3.
Share anything you know/like to share about Indian history / freedom fighters / how your forefathers contributed to bring Independence to India . It can be some stories you heard from your grandparents or the connection/knowledge they had of freedom fighters.

4.
For all non-blogger, if you wish to participate you can directly send your entries with all the write up and picture to me in email, along with your name and brief introduction . just be ready to compose your email and send the entries to me with proper details and name :) .

5.
Your entries should reach me on or before 15th August 2008. Link your entries to this post, and if possible use the logo above . Send your entries to blogpooja@gmail.com along with the subject line as "Theme-Independence day 2008", along with the dish/post name , your name, URL and Picture .


Put your thinking cap on and come up with something creative. Have fun cooking colorful dishes and God bless India.

For more ideas about this event check it out here and here. For any confusion or queries reach to me on email.


( P.S. - I am sorry for delay in the round up of Vow- Bottle gourd, I hope to publish it within a day or two. Thank you for your patience and support :D . )

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Happy Guru Purnima

गुरु ब्रह्मा गुरु विष्णु
गुरु देवो महेश्वरः
गुरु सक्षात परमब्रह्म
तस्मै श्री गुरु देवो नमः

Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu
Guru deva Maheshwara
Guru sakshat param Brahma
Tasmai sri gurabe namah

Meaning : 

Guru is Brahma- the Creator.
Guru is Vishnu- the Preserver.
Guru is Shiva -the Transformer.
Guru is verily the visible Supreme Being.
I bow to that Guru.

Spare few minutes out of your busy day to remember those legends, who played a vital role to shape up your life and make you what you are today.

Happy Guru Purnima dear buddies.

( Thank you Dear Sia for advance birthday wishes.
Thank you Trupti and DB for birthday wishes that were actually in advance - my B'date is today not 17th he he he . Although Wishes are never late or early they are just WISHES :) . )

Btw, Did u check my recent post ?

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Bottle gourd Rajgara paratha Canapé .

This is one starter item made using Bottle gourd and rajgara flour. Rajgara flour is normally we use as staple food for the days when we observe fasts. At my mom’s place certain religious days like Shivaratri, Ramnavami and Janmashthami are the days for fast . I used to observe fast before marriage just for the fun of eating those yummy food which mom used to make for those fasting days and believe me it was not a break for stomach , as it should be, rather we were eating double than normal having variety of different meal that day. Well, after marriage I never thought about that to keep fast for religious purpose, but some how after we came to USA the with the generous idea of keeping our traditional things alive , I bought some rajgara flour for Ramnavami .And the whole matter ended when the other day on call I was announcing proudly to Mom that this year I am going to observe fast on Ramnavami .

As she told me that it was 2 days before that ,the whole matter ended as big nice joke for all others family members , with some poor consolation from D that no matter what my intention was good .

And since that day the rajgara flour I bought was waiting in my pantry to see when the day will be fortunate enough for it , to have my touch :D . And that lucky day arrived when I saw Tarla dalal’s recipe for Rajgara paratha canapé and it reminded me of this flour . Also it uses bottle gourd, so what else can be the perfect time for me to post this !!!

I made it, I loved it for its taste and I loved it more as it was simple to make, I love it even better as it makes a wonderful appetizer dish . And I love this recipe coz it was nice way to use my bought rajgara flour, which otherwise might be resting in a my pantry corner ignored for years to come :D.

Here is my little variation to the original recipe .

Ingredients :

For Paratha canapés
½ rajgara flour (also known as rajgira flour- available in any Indian grocery store)
¼ cup grated bottle gourd
1-2 tsp oil
Little oil for cooking
Salt to tast
Pinch of turmeric powder
½ tsp red chilli powder or green chilli paste

For potato subzi :

1 medium potato
½ tsp cumin seeds,
Pinch of turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp oil

1 tsp shredded coconut for garnishing
Green chutney for garnishing

For recipe of green chutney click here.

Method :

To make dough for paratha , first squeeze the juice from shredded bottle gourd and keep it aside . Mix the shredded bottle gourd, salt, red chilli powder or green chilli paste and turmeric powder and with rajgara flour and knead the dough. Try making not so soft dough of that, if needed add little bottle gourd juice to it to knead dough .

If its your first time kneading rajgara flour , remember it will get too soft even if you add little water to it . keep on adding little bottle gourd juice just enough to knead the dough . also keep little rajgara flour aside for powdering when rolling the paratha and for safely in case your dough gets too soft you can add some more flour on it to make it perfect .

When almost done add 1-2 tsp oil and mix it well that will make dough smooth. Make big lemon sized ball from it and roll out into big chapati like , cut them in 1.5 -2 inch diameter circle or in any shape you like with cookie cutter.

Heat a nonstick pan and cook this on both the sides brushing very little oil to it. cook n low to medium heat till it is brown on both sides.

Keep it aside and make potato subji next. Cut potato in to small cubes .Heating 1 tsp oil add cumin seeds to it , when they start crackling add potato cubes , salt and a pinch of turmeric powder to it.

When done place the round parathas in a serving dish, top each one with a spoon full of potato cubes and on top of that add little green chutney. Garnish with shredded coconut and serve.

This dish taste as good as it looks and as Tarla dalal says it’s the best way to make kids eat healthy veggie like bottle gourd.

Along with this paratha , Lauki thepla, and haandvoh are such dishes with bottle gourd which any bottle gourd hater will love to eat .

Check out my another dish with Bottle gourd – “ Lauki-chanadal “ - a traditional Gujarati way to cook lauki .

This goes as my another entry for VoW- Bottle Gourd.

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Bottle gourd with bean sprouts

This is one of the accidentally innovated recipe in my kitchen. One lazy day I found few mix sprouts and a quarter of bottle gourd resting in a corner of my fridge. And thinking to make a quick curry. I tried cooking them together as bottle gourd alone was not enough to serve us. Let me first share the recipe before I get on to other topics to bore you with :D . People say I am a chatterbox. (Believe me I am like that only with the people I like ). Fortunately blogger has introduced to many loving people, whom I feel exactly like me , and which really makes me feel better to share everything with them . Now a days blogging is not just a hobby , but a place where I can share many thing and feel relaxed by doing so : ) . Thank you all of you around here who really makes my day in many ways. Now back to recipe first.... I call it "bottlegourd with Beans " . Couldn't find any good name , if you have any nice name in mind for this dish , share it here and reserve this dish by your name :) .

Ingredients:

2 cups Bottle gourd
½ cup Mix beans ( soaked over night and if possible sprouted ) .
1 tsp garam masala( use less if powder is too strong )
½ tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp mustard seeds,
1 tsp cumin seeds,
A pinch of asafoetida
Few curry leaves washed and then dried.
Salt to taste
1-2 tsp oil .
Coriander leaves to garnish.

Recipe :

Peel and wash bottle gourd, cut in to small ½ inch cubes and keep it aside. Keep the sprouts/ soaked mix beans on hand.

In a pan heat the oil, when oil is hot add first mustard seeds ,when they start spluttering add cumin seeds and asafoetida along with curry leaves to it.

Then add beans to it , add turmeric powder , and chopped bottle gourd to ti. Mix all well and cook it on medium heat .

If it looks too dry, sprinkle 1-2 tsp water over it to avoid sticking it at bottom .

Normally almost when half cooked bottle gourd juices is enough to cook the curry thoroughly . If needed add ¼ cup of water when it is half cooked and cover it with lid. Stirring occasionally , let all cook together till all the extra water burns.

When almost cooked add garam masala and then salt to it. Mix well.

Check with beans if it is cooked well by its softness. Bottle gourd cooks faster than beans . When cooked. Remove from heat, Garnish with coriander leaves & serve hot with paratha or roti . Makes a wonderful nutritious meal any day.

Due to its bland taste many people don’t like bottle gourd much and D is one of them . If you are also one of such people who knows the benefits of eating bottle gourd but still don’t like to eat due to its bland taste try this recipe . You might like it. Or with any recipe of bottle gourd , make it with the flavor you like . i.e. I know D loves home made garam masala in any curry , I tried making bottle gourd with that and he eat it with satisfaction, without uttering a word about the bland taste of it :D . Garam masala, curry leaves and then finally fresh coriander leaves are all enough to make this curry very aromatic and appetizing. Also beans cook better with bottle gourd juice while cooking, rather than with plain water.

Once liked by both of us, this ready in a jiffy curry is now a regular dish in our kitchen :) .

Note: The deadline for VoW-bottle gourd is extended by 2 more days. i.e. the last day to send entries is now 17th July. If you have anything in already your blog with bottle gourd , or planning to send it then do it soon . No entries late than 17th midnight will be considered as a part of this event. I normally try to include all the entries I can, and the reason to extend the deadline is one of that. So hopefully now there will be no one left with missed deadline feeling for VoW-BottleGourd .

Take care buddies and stay tuned ... Have few more dishes to post with BG tomorrow :) .

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Haandvoh-Mom's recipe

Haandavoh is a popular Gujarati dish. Here the recipe of how my mom makes it.

Traditionally it is cooked from the same flour we use for Dhokla and allowed to ferment the same way. How ever the further steps are different for ingredients and cooking process which makes both of them too different in their final taste . Definitely both of them makes a very healthy dish

Ingredients :
Haandva flour – 2 cups
1.5 cup of sour buttermilk. Normally I make it one day earlier and keep it out of fridge for a day that will make it more sour specially in summer days.
2 cups fresh shredded bottle gourd
3 tsp chili garlic paste
1 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2-3 tsp Shredded jaggery (optional)
Salt to taste
2 tsp oil
1 tsp soda bi carb/ Eno fruit salt
Coriander leaves and sesame seeds to garnish

Process:

Soak haandvoh flour using sour buttermilk . Do not make the mixture too thick or thin , add buttermilk slowly to make thick idli batter like consistency . keep it overnight and let it ferment. You can choose to put it in sunlight if soaking it in the morning and cooking it in the evening. My mom in India do so , which gives the best result in its fermentation.

while cooking haandavoh add fresh peeled and shredded bottle gourd , chili garlic paste , red chili powder , turmeric powder, jaggery(optional) , salt and eno to that. If you don’t have eno fruit salt at home use edible soda(sodium bi carbonate) instead, however eno gives better result with this recipe.

Mix all the ingredients well and Grease a round baking plate with little oil and pour the mixture slowly in it. mean while preheat oven to 350-375 F . Garnish the mixture with generous amount of Sesame seeds and coriander leaves.

Bake this for 10-15 minutes at tempt 350 F . When the upper layer of this turns little solid , take it out and brush little oil over it. This will help the surface of it to cook well without breaking . cook at he same temperature for another 15 minutes and remove from oven . check if it is cooked well from inside inserting a knife in middle of it. if the surface of knife comes out clean consider it cooked. Else bake it for another 10 minutes or so.

Let it cool a little and cut it into pieces to serve.

Traditionally my Mom makes a chutney using homemade curd to serve this with this.

To make yogurt(dahi) chutney –

Take half cup yogurt, add little water to it. Along with that add a tsp of cumin-coriander seeds powder , 1 tsp red chili powder and salt and sugar(optional) to it. Whisk it to smooth and serve chilled .

For me this yogurt chutney is so attached with memories of haandavoh that I just cant eat it without this chutney .

Although It goes well with coriander chutney , tomato sauce or idli podi too . We add little oil with idli podi to serve this with.

This makes a perfect brunch or a very healthy meal any day.

I intentionally keep little bit of this batter saved to cherish myself wit ha hot fulfilling breakfast on the next day. Just spread it in little circles and putting little oil on side cook till brown. makes a wonderful savory pancakes :D.

Tips–

Adding a generous amount of shredded bottle gourd makes it not only healthy but it helps to make haandvoh spongy too. You can add shredded carrot too .

Use round baking tray instead of square if you have one, that helps it to cook it faster and evenly.

In case you don't get good fermentation for it even after soaking for more than 8 hours then also don't worry :D , follow the procedure as mentioned here ,you can still cook it well :~ . The only difference is that it will be little less sour in the final taste.

Adjust the time of cooking according to the oven you have, keep monitoring to bake a perfect one, and don’t forget to brush little oil on top once it is half cooked.

Haandvoh flour is available almost in all big Indian stores , If you don’t have haandvoh flour ready made available use this process –

Take rice ( use any variety) and bengal gram(chana dal) in the portions of 3:1 . And Grind them together to make coarse powder like form. Remember it should not be too smooth like the flour we use for chapatis.

I have changed the process of making it traditionally, a little to make it suitable to bake in oven. Traditionally haandvoh is cooked on gas stove using the method Kajal has shown on her post a little ago. (oh… Kajal is back on her blog with new post :) )

This goes as my entry to VoW- Bottle gourd this month. Other dishes are yet to come with bottle gourd stay tuned and keep sending your entries now just 6 days are left to send your entries. For details check here or click on the logo in the right sidebar.

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