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

Aloo Paratha(Stuffed potato paratha) with Tomato chutney & Grapes Juice

Ingredients:
1 cup wheat flour
2 potato boiled and peeled
½ tsp Cumin powder,
½ tsp chaat masala ,(or dry mango powder and pinch of crushed black pepper)
½ tsp redchilli powder,
Salt to taste,
½ tsp lemon juice,
Sugar to taste (optional)
Oil for shallow fry

Method:
Boil the potato until they are soft and tender. Remove sking , and mash them , mix in cumin powder ,chaat masala ,redchilli powder, lemon juice and salt in it. Keep this aside.
Knead the dough , using sufficient water and salt added to it, when done apply some oil to it, this will make it smooth. Knead it soft enough like we make for roti/paratha. Make lemon sized balls of it and roll out into a small round shape of it. Place spoonful of potato stuffing in the middle and cover it from side as shown in figure here. Now again slowly with care roll out to small sized round of about 3-4 inch diameter.

On a hot tawa place it, and let the first side cook in slow heat until it is half cooked. Turn the side and let the other side also get half cooked.
Now turn the paratha again and apply some oil from the side of Partha to the side below, this will give it chance to get puffed from side and center too. Turn the side again and do the same for another side too. Cook until golden brown on both sides and serve hot with anything you like. It goes well with a cup full of curd or green coriander chutney.

I had this in brunch this Saturday accompanied with quick Tomato chutney. Which hardly take 3-4 minutes to prepare it.
Here the method to make it.

Ingredients :
2-3 medium sized tomato finely chopped,
3-4 dry red chillies,
6-7 curry leaves,
½ tsp red chilli powder,
Salt to taste,
A pinch of asfoetida,
1 tsp oil.

Method:
In a pan heat the oil. When little hot ,add curry leaves , asafoetida powder and red chillies to it. Just in a while add chopped tomatoes too.
Cook it on a high flame, cover with lid for 1-2 minutes, then stirring occasionally cook it until all the water part of it evaporates and oil starts separating from tomato pieces, it will form a thick gravy like consistence, add red chilli powder and salt to it, serve with anything you like.

This is what we had in brunch this Saturday. Normally we take bread , toast or other light snack item with milk in the morning. I prefer to have meal on time , on week ends so normally we get lunch ready by 12.30 -1 p.m on weekends.

Just few days ago Deepak was recalling his college days when he was staying in hostel and they were getting Aloo paratha in the Sunday breakfast there , he was just telling me that it was the only reason he got up early on Sundays that time. Though I know he likes aloo paratha , I didn’t know he loves it this much ! (I made aloo paratha so many times before this , but that is for the evenings when we don’t want to have heavy dinner and for him it goes nice with plain curd. Also that time I made it different way by adding coriander leaves, green chillies and other spices to it .this time as for brunch I have added all the ready dry powdered spices ,to make it quickly. )

Now when it came to make something to make him happy I thought to make it. I know he loves spicy tomato chutney made this way, so got the perfect idea of brunch for last weekend. Accompanying this dish was fresh juice of green grapes. It was a perfect dish- tasty aloo paratha with spicy tomato chutney and soothing juice. :)

He was more than happy to see this surprise from me, as he was not aware with what’s going on in the kitchen and was busy with a phone call, when I presented the whole dish in front of him, he just stare with happiness on his face with a broad smile : )) . And still keep on reminding me that he liked my idea of brunch that day very much.
Still some more dishes from me to share with you all with some memories to cherish with that, are coming their way, till then stay tuned and keep cooking: D .
(Hubby didn’t know till then that I have announced any such theme for Valentine’s day , now when he know this, he keeps on asking me what I am going to make for surprise lunch for him : )) ) .
Check out my entries for Little chef in Kitchen and Monthly Mingle - here.

Ghaaroda-My Diwali treat(my submission for VCC Q3 2006)

On this Diwali I decided to make something special for our guests and ourselves. As it is my common experience that on diwali normally when we visit our friends and relatives, we are welcomed by offering some sweet, which is either brought from market stores or made at home. And normally when we visit 2-3 friends we will be fed up by sweets, even though D likes sweets much, he never likes to have these much sweet items to swallow on the same day.... :) .So I decided to make Ghaaroda too along with some Mithai for all who are visiting us, as it will be change for them too from regular sweet items, and as it can be prepared within 2-3 mins each, I also can spare much time for them to spend with. Also I thought that a hot served item will delight them in these little cool days here.

Ingredients:

1 cup rice -cooked ( I use Basmati rice)
1 1/2 cup Besan(chana dal / chick peas flour)
2 meduim sized onion chopped
1 medium sized capsicum chopped
1 /2 cup coriender leaves chopped
2-3 green chilli chopped finely ,
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Ajwain(carom)
salt to taste
(sugar if one likes it of sweet in taste)

Method:
First get besan in a bowl and then add water to make medium- thick paste of it. Next add cooked rice to it and then all the ingredients to it one by one and mix them well. Finally add red chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt in it(also little add sugar if u like sweet taste basically i don’t add sugar normally ). Make sure that the whole of it should not be much thin or thick. It should be of medium thickness.(just as shown above)Now take a flat frying pan and put little oil on it. spread the raw material on it with the help of a big spoon . thickness should be 1/4 inch or little less than it . Spread it to make round shape & Let it cook on one side on slow heat . Apply little oil from side and Turn the side when it turns to golden brown in color.(as shown in pic), if needed spread little oil more from the side of it. (normally I don't need this, so I don't spread oil for second time, still it is cooking well, so why to use excessive oil :) ) Repeat the same process for other side.

When cooked on both sides, took off from stove, and serve hot with green chutney or tomato chutney or sauce. One can use this material for 1-2 days when stored in refrigerator. Just get it out before 5-10 mins . As it contains "Ajwain" it is good for health too, specially in these festival days when our tummy is loaded with sweet items :))

This is my entry for VCC Q3 2006 held by VKN.