Pani Puri ~ The Pop Indian Sreet Food

If there is a competition to eat Pani Puri, I am confident I would beat any of of the self assured obliging contenders! So powerful is the love which permeates beyond words, expressions and emotions. Pani-Puri is the popular Indian street food. This spicy, tangy treat is known as Golguppe in Hindi, Pucchka in Bengali. The taste and flavour vary in heat, tang-ness as one moves to different parts of India. There are also some popular chaat vendors which get outrageous number of visitors not because of the jazzy names and showy seating areas which they promise, but purely for the taste which no other vendor can neither promise nor deliver. Some really famous ones which I can say I have proudly visited are - Elco Arcade, Bandra - Mumbai and Madhavan Park, Jayanagar - Bangalore. The one in Elco Arcade also serves Pani Puri with mineral water on demand to serve the taste buds of noveau rich and hygiene conscious crowd.

The "Puri" in question here is the humble spherical delicate pastry spheres made of Semolina and Flour. The "Pani" which is spicy, tangy and sweet water concocted with various herbs and condiments only to compel you to beg for more of this great street food. One look at any Chaat cart would compel you to retrace your steps back home, but hold on! That's the beauty of Chaat! You got to eat the flour shells filled with tangy syrup right from the Chaat cart, these tiny speherical Puris get stuffed one by one with boiled Mung, spices Potato bits, yoghurt for that extra kick of tang, Sev to add the extra crisp. After all the additions of various knick-knacks, the Chaat bhayya will ask you - Teekha ya Meetha? This simply means spicy or sweet in Hindi. Give your prized choice and pop comes the Puri in the leafy container handed over to you. Explosion of flavours in your mouth satiating the meanest taste buds. You convince your palate to stop with one and you just cannot!

In India, although we had the liberty to eat out from the chaat stalls more often that not, Mom would make them at home in leisure. Her version easily beats the road side ones - I have to confess. Yet, busy lives, hectic jobs, meeting a bunch of friends - a chaat session was warranted. In US, I have to travel couple of miles to eat chaat battling wind chill and occasional snow; I am well off trying my experiments in my humble kitchen and get the experience of eating these yummy Puris to my hearts content if time's not a constraint. I follow my Mom's recipe since it is quite simple and can be planned well ahead of time. She adds plenty of ice cubes to the Pani, which makes it even more appealing and fresh. I follow the same notes that she followed and the final taste has never disappointed me. If lazy, use Puri and Sweet chutney available at Indian grocers.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Processing time: 10 minutes
Serves: 2

Ingredients:
Pani -
Coriander leaves (packed) - 1 cup
Mint leaves (packed) - 1/2 cup
Amchur powder - 1/3 teaspoon
Chaat Masala - 1 and 1/2 tablespoon
Red Chilli powder - 1/3 teaspoon
Lime juice - 2 tablespoon
Salt

Puri -
Sooji - 1/2 cup
Maida - as per the dough requirement
Salt
Oil

Sweet Chutney -
Dates (pitted) - 8-10
Jaggery - 2 tablespoon
Cumin powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Black salt (kala namak) - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt

For Serving:
Sev - 5-8 tablespoon
Yoghurt - 2-3 tablespoon
Boiled Mung beans - 3-4 tablespoon
Onions (chopped) - 1-4 tablespoon
Potatoes (diced into small cubes) - 1/2 cup

Method:
For the Pani - Grind coriander leaves, mint leaves with 1/2 cup of water. Do not add too much water as it needs to be concentrated in nature. Once done, add Amchur powder and Chaat Masala. Adjust spice level and salt. Add lime juice is required. Once done, add ice cubes and refrigerate till serving.
For the Puri - Take 1/2 cup of Sooji in a mixing bowl. Add enough water & salt to submerge the flour, keep adding the flour till the dough forms a soft pliable consistency which is easy enough to handle. Make small Puris and fry in batches of 8-10 until golden and crisp. Store in an air tight container.
For Sweet Chutney - Grind all the ingredients to a thick paste. Store in refrigerator, use as required.
For Potatoes - Mash and mix with red chilli powder and salt. Keep aside.
For Assembly - Pat the lighter side of Puri to make a dent. Stuff with potatoes, onions, sev, yoghurt (optional) and add Sweet chutney. Add enough Pani and plonk it in your mouth. Enjoy the savoury snack.

Spicy Red Hot Garlic Chutney (Losney Tikshe Sukki Chutney Pitti/ Tikhat Chutney Pood)

I have been making this Spicy Red Hot Garlic Chutney at home for long. In Konkani Pitti stands for powder, Tikshe stands for Spicy. In Marathi, this powder is known as Tikhat Chutney Pood atleast that's what it was known as in my house. This easily beats the store bought ones hands down (the $3.00 ones). I use this Spicy Red Hot Garlic Chutney powder for Dosa, Idli and Vada-Pav. This spicy treat specially complements Vada-Pav.

I realised that if fresh or frozen coconut is used, the shelf life is quite less than a week but the taste is very nice, after a week or so they emit a strange smell and are unedible. This one made with Dry Coconut powder is fresh for 1-3 weeks and can be made in smaller batches and refrigerated for daily use with a longer shelf life.

Preparation time: 2 minutes

Processing time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
Coconut powder - 1/2 cup
Tamarind pulp (separated in raw form) - 1/2 teaspoon
Garlic (shredded to tiny bits) - 4 Jumbo pods ~ 1 and 1/2 tablespoon approx.

Red Chilli powder - 1 tablespoon
Salt - As per taste

Method:
Grind the coconut powder, red chilli powder and garlic pods along with little salt to a coarse powder (do not add any water). Store in an air tight container and refrigerate, use as per requirement.

Corn Bhel

Bright yellow hued Corn Cobs are in season. We both love this easy evening tea time snack - Corn Bhel. This was the popular to-die-for tea time snack prepared by Mom to feed a mighty gang of all kids, my friends, their friends, friends of friends, occasional visitors et al. Indeed, a kid friendly recipe.

This is a simple recipe with loads of nutrition, high in fibre and with Sev and Coriander leaves, the street food version of Bhel is born.

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

Sweet Corn (frozen or fresh) - 2 cups

Onions (minced) - 1/2 cup

Tomatoes (minced) - 1/2 cup

Ginger paste - 1/2 teaspoon

Garlic paste - 1/2 teaspoon

Green Chillie (minced) - 1 teaspoon

Red Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt

Ghee/ Oil

Water

For Garnish -

Coriander leaves (minced) - 3-4 strands

Sev

Method:

Thaw the Corn at room temperature and microwave for 2 minutes till the corn kibbles are partially cooked. Heat oil/ghee in a deep dish, heavy bottomed pan. Add Onions, Green chillies and saute well. Add chopped Tomatoes and Ginger-Garlic paste as well. Add the spice powders and adjust salt level. Once the masala is completely cooked, add Corn and mix well. Cook and simmer for 5 more minutes and turn off the flame.

Plating: Take a ladle full of this cooked mixture on a plate, garnish with thin Sev and Coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Masala Puri

Masala Puri ~ the simple tea time snack and a chaat loved by millions. The very thought of Masala Puri takes me back to the Indian market scene where you will find arrays of street food carts, wafting with sweet, spicy aromas. You will also spot some vendors peacefully mashing up the peas to make them more tasty and thereby get the perfect Ragda. Ask for one plate, the skilled Chaatwaala will wriggle his hands through zillion of ingredients and present you with a plate pleasing to the eye and the palate. Don't waste a moment here, just spoon in and chomp away! All of this for a tiny sum of Rs. 7/- certainly makes me want more of the warmest, tastiest lip-smacking delicious street food.

I had my eye on Krishnaveni's Ruchi Ruchi Adige recipe from a long time. The recipe looked very tempting and reminded me of Bangalore chaat thelas lining up various nooks and corners. I omitted some thickening ingredients, added some spices to elevate the aroma. Thanks Krishnaveni for taking me down the memory lane. I was happy I could recreate the same flavours and aromas in my cosy little kitchen. I specially loved the addition of Bay leaves and spices which offer a unique aroma. We loved this version of Masala Puri. It is easy to make, with simple and easily accessible ingredients from your pantry.

Since this recipe is wiping off considerable amount of my pantry items, off they go for Nupur's BB4 event.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Ruchi Ruchi Adige

Cooking time: 30 minutes (includes pressure cooking time)

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

For the soupy curry -

Whole Yellow Peas - 1 cup

Toor Dal (boiled and mashed) - 3 tablespoon

Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup

Cloves - 2-3

Cinnamon (Flat Indian variety) - 1" stick

Whole Black Pepper corns - 3-5

Bay lead (small sized) - 2

Mace (Javithri) - 1 teaspoon

Onions (chopped) - 1/2 cup

Ginger paste - 1 tablespoon

Garlic paste - 1 tablespoon

Red Chilli powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Salt

Water

For Garnish -

Sweet Chutney - 10 Dates + Jaggery (1/2 tbl spoon) + Cumin powder

+ red chilli powder + salt

Onions (minced) - 1/2 cup

Tomatoes (minced) - 1/2 cup

Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup

Lime juice - 2 teaspoon

Chaat Masala - 1/2 teaspoon

Red Chilli powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Sev (Nylon or thin variety)

Poori (Store bought - I used Garvi Gujarat multipurpose Poori's)

Method:

1. Wash and soak the whole peas for 3-4 hours in warm water. Pressure cook the peas for 2-3 whistles. Don't overcook as they should have the bite sized flavour. Keep aside 1 and 1/2 cup of boiled peas and separate the 1/2 cup and keep aside.

2. In a pan, saute the whole spices and dry roast for 2 minutes. Allow to cool and keep aside. In the same pan, add few spoons of ghee/ oil and saute chopped onions, ginger and garlic. Allow to cool.

3. In a blender, blend the following ingredients: 1 and 1/2 cup of whole yellow peas, coriander leaves, bay leaf (1), spices which are dry roasted: cloves, cinnamon, mace, black pepper corns. Also add cooked Toor Dal, Turmeric powder, Red Chilli powder, salt and water as desired. Blend to a thick paste.

4. Transfer this paste to a deep dish pan and bring to boil, make it brothy - not too thick nor too thin. Add the other single bay leaf. Adjust water, salt and spice levels. Turn off flame and keep aside.

5. Plating - Crush few Poori's on the plate, add the boiled Peas, pour the curry. Sprinkle Chaat Masala powder & Red chilli powder, add sweet chutney, garnish with onions and tomatoes which are minced. Sprinkle lime juice, top up with some Sev; crush a poori and sprinkle over chaat and finally sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves. Serve piping hot and enjoy!

Potato Patties (Aloo Tikki)

A fairly simple recipe for a very easy ~ Aloo Tikki. A bag of Potatoes needed immediate attention. I vehemently decided to make Tikki's out of them. Easy to make Starter, tastes better when fried in Ghee. A few details got me thinking. Potato's composition includes 92% carbohydrates and is a rich source of Manganese, Potassium and Vitamin B6. Good to satiate the Carbohydrate cravings when your diet needs one. In North India, Aloo Tikki is a very popular festival food and is made during Vrat or Upaas e.g Karva Chauth. My friend from Delhi adores when the Tikki's come pipping hot on a platter as an offering partaken by the individual who has fasted for a long day, symbolising the end of fast.

I found a heap of simple and nutritious Potato based recipes on NY Times, click here to view them. This misconstrued vegetable can be used in many a dishes for thickness, taste and variety.

Preparation time ~ 20 minutes

Cooking time ~ 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Potatoes (boiled and mashed) - 3 cups

Corn Flour - 2 tablespoon

White bread chunks (eliminate the brown sides) - 1/3 cup

Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Garam Masala powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Green Chillies (optional) - 1 teaspoon

Salt

Oil/ Ghee

Suggested Garnish: Mint Chutney or Tamarind Chutney

Method:

Boil and mash Potatoes. In a frying pan, heat few teaspoons of Ghee, fry the chopped green chillies. Add the Potato mixture, Corn Flour, White Bread chunks and Spice powders. Mix well and make palm sized Tikki's. In the same frying pan, fry the Tikki's with Ghee till the surface area of the Tikki's get a mild browned look and are completely cooked. Serve hot or warm as a snack. Garnish with Tamarind Chutney or Mint Chutney.

Vada Pav ~ The Pop Mumbai Street Food

Who does not like Vada Pav? I am yet to come across one who could say 'no' to this delicious humble Indian Burger unless some dietary restriction prevents them from saying so. The humble seasoned Potato Patty deep fried in Gramflour ~ Besan and wrapped in a Pav ~ The Indian version of double decker daily bread, with some spicy dry red colored chutney interspersed between the buns; throw in a deep fried salt wrapped green chilli and chow chow away to glory. I picked my mom's recipe which has no ginger-garlic and modified it a little to suit a spicy palate with some extra's and more crispness.

The best Vada-Pav I've had was at Bandra, Mumbai where an aunty serves home made Vada Pav outside her door step. She sits on a rickety wooden chair perched outside the door with a huge tray with Vada's on one side, a heap of Laadi Pav on another and a tiny mountain of some spicy red coconut chutney or Tikhat Chutney Pood along with. On another corner would be the green chillies deep fried which is given along with the entire loot. So, post the order she curls up all of them in a newspaper, ties them with a cloth string with a professional expertise and hands over the warm potli with a smile. Whenever I visit Mumbai, I make sure I hunt down this aunty after going through the various narrow bylanes just to eat this warm snack.

Khao Galli, Mumbai, a street dedicated entirely to 'FOOD' located near Marine Lines is another place which is a favorite food spot of mine. You will spot different street-food treats adorning the sides of the pavement. The efficiency is uber cool and your dish gets ready on demand within 2-3 minutes approximately. The person serving you suggests to have it with Cut Chai ~ a simple cardamom flavoured tea with some cream or malai dunked on top for extra flavour. The plate looks colorful with the reddish brown Patty peeping in from the Pav with bright colors of red coarse chutney bursting out. He also gives you a nice green chilli deep fried and wrapped in salt. It certainly makes me a happy soul for the entire day!

The best way to enjoy a Vada-Pav is certainly to discover a local vendor selling Vada-Pav. You can spot the vendors in most of the places in Mumbai - near the local train station, market places and if nothing works out, take time to go to a restaurant and order for one without further ado. Both of us yearn for Street Food and we make sure we make Vada-Pav's very often. That's the beauty of this humble snack which costs a tiny little sum of Rs.5/- and gives lots of happiness and soul-satisfaction in return.

Cooking time - 10 minutes
Preparation time - 40 minutes
Yield - 6-8 Vada Pav's

Ingredients:
Vada: Patty -
Potatoes (boiled and mashed) - 4 cups
Onions - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/3 teaspoon
Green Chilli paste - 1 teaspoon or 2-3 Green chillies chopped (fry them in little oil prior to be added)
Ginger paste - 1 teaspoon
Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon

Vada Seasoning -
Curry leaves (chopped into bits) - 3-4
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil - For seasoning

Vada Coating Batter -
Gramflour or Besan - 3/4 cup
Boiled Toor Dal - 2 teaspoon (for crispness)
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Rice flour - 1/2 teaspoon
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Garam Masala powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Hot oil - 1 teaspoon
Water - For batter consistency
Oil - For deep frying

Spicy Red Coconut Chutney or Tikhat Chutney Pood
Coconut powder - 1/2 cup
Tamarind pulp (separated in raw form) - 1/2 teaspoon
Garlic (shredded to tiny bits) - 1 teaspoon
Salt - As per taste

6-8 Green Chillies - Deep fried & dunked in some salt

Indian Pav - 6-8 or Hamburger Buns - 6-8

Method:
Boil and mash the Potatoes and keep them aside. Mix in Turmeric powder, Ginger-Garlic paste, chopped Coriander leaves and add salt as per taste, keep aside. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and once they begin to pop, add curry leaves which are chopped into bits. Add Onions and saute a little. Pour this seasoning on the Vada and mix well. If adding Green chillies not as a paste, make sure you saute them in little oil before adding to tone down the heat. Make small Vada's ~ round shaped of Ladoo size out of the mixture and keep them aside.

Make a thick batter of Besan along with baking soda, red chilli powder, garam masala powder and rice flour. Rice flour makes the Vada crisp. The thicker the batter, the better would the coating cling to the Vada. Heat the oil for deep frying the Vada, take a teaspoon of oil and pour into the batter. Mix well and deep fry the vada's individually after dipping them in the coating batter. Deep fry evenly till they turn golden brown and transfer to kitchen tissue to absorb excess oil. Deep fry green chillies, stir them in some salt, transfer to kitchen tissue and set aside.

Grind the coconut powder, red chilli powder and garlic along with little salt to a coarse powder. Store in an air tight container and refrigerate, use as per requirement.

While serving, plonk open the Burger or Paav, pour some generous amount of Red Chutney. Tuck the Vada in, pour some on top. Close the Vada and enjoy with a deep fried green chilli - a bounty full of flavour in your mouth.

Ragda Patties ~ A Mumbai Street Food: Potato Patty in Spiced Soupy Curry

Ragda Patties is a favorite amongst most of my family members. Although I must admit I learnt making all the chaats, pani-puris very recently. Mom knows that I love Chaat and Street Food. She learnt this from a Mumbai based friend of hers. Her recipe is very much detailed, covers all the tastes and flavours and has some modification made to suit our tastes. She also replaced Vataana curry or White Vataana curry with Northern Beans or Tingalore curry seasoned with garlic. Mine is fairly simple and I tailor made this recipe to suit my palate and pantry.

Mom makes Ragda Patties which comprises of Ragda which she makes out of Northern Beans also called as Tingalore Thoi in Konkani. The Pattice is the usual Potato, boiled and minced to form a Patty shaped and seasoned with Cumin seeds. She makes Red Chutney, which is chutney made of Garlic, Red Chillies, Coconut shavings, Tamarind and salt. Her Green Chutney, was very similar to Thecha (a chutney made with kitchen handy herbs, stored in fridge for usage suited for a week's cooking), which she used to make and preserve in the fridge for a week or so. Thecha is a ground paste made of green chillies, coriander leaves, garlic, ginger and salt. She learnt making Thecha from one of our Mumbai based friends who was a pro in terms of Mumbai style Marathi cooking. Mom used to add a spoon of Thecha to any curry, bhaaji or pulao's for the extra zing and flavour. Last was the Brown chutney made of Dates and Tamarind. Add some zero number "Sev" on top of it. I do not the reason but this type of Sev gives much better flavour than any other Sev. This Sev is available in India at Farsaan stores or Mithai shops. Some chaat masala, a dash of lime juice, sprinkle some finely chopped onions and cilantro and you are set to eat the most mix-and-match flavoured chaat of Mumbai.

My favorite Chaat waala, the cart street vendor in Goa was with the name Kanhayaa Laalji; Kanhayaa Ji knew my taste so well that he used to always add "zyaada" Teekhi chutney, "medium" Meethi chutney, "kam" Haree chutney. No one can match his accuracy and precision when it comes to various Chaats.


My approach was very simple:
Ragda: Mashed Vataana curry seasoned with spice powders and tangy elements
Patties: Potatoes boiled and mashed with turmeric and salt; seasoned with Cumin seeds.
Meethi Chutney: Sweet chutney, I had a store bought jar pleading to be used. Its made of Tamarind, Date and Cumin eeds.
Garnishing: Chaat Masala, finely chopped onions and cilantro.

Happy Karva Chauth to all my friends! I fasted and then feasted away to glory with some gifts added to my kitty! In North India, Aloo Tikki is a popular item on Karva Chauth day. So I added some zing to it to make Ragada Patties in a true blue Mumbai style!!

Recipe has been tailor made from my Mom's recipe.
Serves ~ 2 individuals
Preparation time ~ 1 hour

Ingredients:
For Potato Patties -
Potatoes - 3 large ones
Cornflour - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 2 pinches
Oil - For frying
Salt

For Ragda : White Vataana curry -
Vataana ~ Whole Yellow Peas - 1 cup (boiled and mashed)
Cumin powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Tamarind juice - 3 tablespoon
Jaggery - 1 teaspoon
Salt

For Meethi Chutney -
Date (soaked in warm water) - 6-8
Tamarind (soaked in warm water) - 2 teaspoon lumps
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt
Note: Grind the above to a fine paste with little or no water.

For Garnishing -
Chaat Masala - 1/3 teaspoon
Finely chopped Onions - 4 teaspoon
Finely chopped Cilantro - 2 teaspoon
Zero number "Sev" (optional) - 2-3 tablespoon
Yogurt (optional) - 1 tablespoon

Method:
For the Patties, make lesser than palm sized Patties out of Boiled Potatoes, Corn flour, Turmeric powder, Cumin seeds mashed together and pan-fried in oil till get a brown crispy core on either sides.

For the Ragda curry, boil and mash Vataana lightly. Bring to boil on a stove. Add all the spice powders and jaggery. Stir well. Adjust the salt and spice. Bring to boil and set aside.

While serving, place couple of Patties, pour a ladel full of curry on top of it. Add the Mithi chutney. Garnish with onions and cilantro. Sprinkle some chaat masala and you are set.

Suggestions: The curry and patties should be piping hot for this street food to be enjoyed. You could also add Green and Red chutney for additional flavour. Sometimes bread is combined with the Poatoes for additional binding. I simply chose to use Potatoes instead.

New York Kati Roll Company: A Narrative

Any time we embark on a travel journey, the first thing I fancy about is what will I be eating? It took me a while to accept that being in a different country, I will not be at the liberty of sampling food which have a home style flavour. However after some time now; albeit after a long hiatus of cribs, acceptance and complaints I have become more open-minded to world cuisines and look to sample all of them. I enjoy Spanish Tapas, Mexican Qesadillas, Turkish Dolmas, Japanese Sushi and Kimchi sauce, New York Falafel Sandwiches, Chinese Bubble Tea with the same passion and zest as I love food from Konkan and other regional geographies of India. I think we all take our time and space to adapt to a new a new environment and dwell into the quagmires of the pleasure and displeasures it brings along.

Apart from Konkani, another regional cuisine which I have been fascinated with is Bengali cuisine. The dominant reason being the ample doses of stories about Bengal which I have been fed upon by my father since I was toddler barely learning the ABC's. My father holds a philosophy which is so dear to his heart and I feel a strong desire to relinquish and demystify it on this blog. He always felt and still feels that Konkanis have a closer association with Bengal region because we had our habitat on the banks of Saraswati river in Bengal region. Later owing to migration, all Konkanis migrated to the Konkan region now. Quite ironical though some of closest friends are from Bengal region. I also found quite a lot of similarities between lot of Konkani and Bengali dishes. Begun ar Karela Bhaaja, Shukto, Paanta Bhaat, Aam Tok, Aloo Chorchori, Payesh to name a few.

I am also quite to open to experimenting now and like to sample and relish cuisines from different regions without any bias of taste. I was citing once to P that I am big fan of Kati Rolls and want to try and make it some day. He informed me about this quaint place in Greenwich village (Near McDougal street), New York called The Kati Roll Company. You can also check their site here. Most of our friends love this place and they say that this comes closes to Indian flavours and I think I agree with that. When we visited this place last time around, I was simply blown over by the taste of their rolls. Simple. Tasty. Biteful of flavours. One of its kind.

The place welcomes you with an array of Posters from Bollywood. I clicked some snaps and posting them without permission (the flash plonked on couple of pictures, forgot to turn off the flash - you see my food was inviting me and I was greedy, but is still worth a post and all that I have). What caught my eye was their unique menu. Its funny and creative come to think of it. The place is run by Bengali speaking individuals and you can get your Kati custom made to suit your taste buds. I sampled Egg Roll and Paneer Roll. Though I must say I prefer their Egg rolls and Paneer rolls to Chicken and Shaami rolls. The taste was nice, cheesy, well cooked roti and the succulent filling added to the charm (I took a bite from P's). We both loved the place. Its quite close to New York University owing to which the place attracts lot of student population as well.

One gets a very nostalgic feel when you sit on the sturdy wooden bench, admire the Bollywood poster and Shammi Kapoor smiling at you at Kati Roll Company. What better ending than a happy tummy and mouthful of Indian flavours.

Corn in Butter and Spices (Masala Bhutta)

The Harvest Season is in the air. Red and Crimson hued Pumpkins ready for a carve, Trick-o-treats, cute figurines stacked with hay, Corn-on-the-cob. Harvest season has a beauty and charm of its own. During this season I tend to think about the farmers, the hard work, the love of labor which finally fructifies into golden wheat, shining sturdy corn-on-the-cob, plump pumpkins. Ever since I started growing my own kitchen garden I realise growing vegetables is tough, not-so-easy and requires great deal of patience and love. I have begun to respect what I eat all the more.
In India, I yearn for a an easy-going countryside ride of the Paddy fields, Coconut trees swaying around with the breeze trying to blow their tendrils and weak leaves away. You can see beds of grass neatly plonked into the soil with water holding and clogging the entire muddy patch. I can imagine the sheer joy a farmer gets when he sees his hard work and labor growing into a nice crop which can in turn feed his family and progeny. Come to think of it, its the only source of income for a Farmer and the harvest season better be good. I added a shot taken near our place - the Green rushes battling against the fence, quite symbolic of the toil and labor of the Farmers. Does not do justice to their repertoire of work, however is my tiny way of paying homage to the numerous tillers and ploughers who give away the sweat, hard work for the fruits, vegetables which we finally get to buy from the Grocery store and Farmer's market.

I bought Corn-on-the-cob last week, $1.00 for around 4 of them. Yes, I clinched a deal. This amazing quick snack of Corn treated with salt, red chilli powder and lime juice (except for the butter, lol). The taste is heavenly and leaves you with a lip smacking feeling at the end. Masala Bhutta is very popular street food in Malls, Streets et al in India. The vendor would have his rickety cart laden with all the goodies. 1 minute and the vendor would quickly swish through all the ingredients, dump the spicy mix with hot corn and hand it over in a cute paper cup with an even cuter spoon. Tempting! Need I say more! Bon Appetite!

Serves: 2 individuals

Ingredients:
Frozen Corn - 2 cups
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Butter - 1/3 stick (salted)
Lime Juice - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - As per taste
Pepper powder (optional) - 1/2 teaspoon

Method:
Thaw the corn in microwave for 2-4 minutes or simply remove from fridge and keep it out for 1/2 hour. Melt butter in saucepan, add the corn, mix in all the ingredients except for the lime juice. Give a good toss. Transfer to your favorite serving bowl, add a dash of lime juice and chew on the buttery goody.

Paav Bhaaji

The "affable couplet" dish which defines the length and breadth of Mumbai - Paav Bhaaji and Vadaa Paav. Both are my personal favorites street snacks while in Mumbai or any where else in the world. The city of dreams as they say. I first sampled Paav Bhaaji, this delicious potpourri of flavours when Mom made it. If I distinctly remember well I was in 7th grade then. The house was full of vegetable cooked aroma and once she added the spices you could sense the delicate flavours of cooked vegetables wafting all around the Kitchen. Food is not just about Food as you see, its about memories, delicate ones, strong ones, irresistible ones, the pleasant ones and the not-so-pleasant ones as well.

As a growing teenager, I asked Mom tugging along to her gown, "Why is the kitchen smelling so nice?"
Mom smiled and hugged me and said, "Because I am making Paav Bhaaji".

This simple sentence is etched in my memory. Yesterday I relived that thought once again and smiled because I could tell Mom that my kitchen is also full of wonderful aroma. Quite a simple statement so to say; no jazz no hotch-potch. So how does Paav Bhaji taste you ask me. Well its like a party in your mouth. Well thats what Washington Post has to say about it. Zillion vegetables mashed to perfection, the more they mix the more better the flavour. Paav Bhaaji is a combination of vegetables mashed together. Bhaaji is mashed vegetables bathed in butter and selected spices of choice slathered with butter, onions, coriander and a dash of lime. The Paav is the Laadi Paav or layers of bread which you found in a bakery is South India. Most fast food joints in India serve this favorite dish of Mumbai on streets. One huge shallow pan and plenty of delicious vegetables thrown in. Very buttery, cooked vegetable flavour to it, with a little bit of tang for that extra zest.

Many use Paav Bhaaji Masala for that extra flavour including my Mom, Sister, Aunts and Granny. I realised that its quite easy to make it at home. The dominant factors of Masala being Coriander and Red Chilli which offer the color and flavour to this dish. I made my own masala and it came out much better than I expected it to be. So apart from the post I will also add the recipe for Masala which can be made at home. Best part is the spices are the ones you would find in your rack. Its that easy. Best recommended would be Everest Paav Bhaaji Masala or MDH Paav Bhaaji Masala or Baadshah Paav Bhaaji Masala available at India grocery store.

Last did I say my Mom makes amazing Paav Bhaaji :)

Happy Dussehra to all my Indian friends!!

G'Mar Chatima Tova to all my American-Jewish friends (Festival Greetings for Yom Kippur)!

Recipe: My Mom's recipe with few changes

Serves ~ 8-10 servings of Paav Bhaaji

Ingredients:

For the Bhaaji:
Potatoes - 3
Cauliflower (florets) - 3-4 cups
Capsicum (chopped into small pieces) - 1
Beetroot - 2 small sized ~ Strange, but adds color to your dish, add if desired
Beans - 3-5 strings (optional) ~ Add if desired
Tomatoes - 3 (blanched in warm water)
Ginger Garlic paste - 2 teaspoon
Butter (salted) - 1 half stick
Salt - As per taste

For the Masala:
Coriander seeds - 2 teaspoon
Red Chillies - 4-6
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Whole Black Pepper corns - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cloves - 3-4 ~ adds sharpness
Cardamom - seeds of 2 pods ~ adds aroma, add little if desired
Nutmeg powder (optional) - 1/4 teaspoon ~ Gives a sharp taste, add if desired
Grind all the above to a powder and store in an air tight container. Use 1 tablespoon each time for 4-6 servings.
** Adjust the spices as per taste, if you need more sharpness, add more or else tone it down **

For Paav:
Laadi Paav ~ 16 Paavs or Hamburger Buns ~ 16 Hamburger Bun slices
(For US: Try Hamburger Buns - they are soft and chewy; India: You will find it at local bakery shop or Poder as we fondly called them in Goa)

For Garnishing:
Lime cubes - 6-8
Coriander leaves (chopped - 6-8 sprigs
Onions (chopped finely- use tiny ones if you can, they taste better - can be found at Farmer's market) - 2-4
Butter (1 stick: salted) - melted

Method:
Boil Potatoes, Beetroot, Cauliflower in a pressure cooker for 20 minutes. Makes yor job easy.
Take a deep dish thick bottomed saucepan, the bigger the better. Heat half of the half stick. Allow to melt. Fry Capsicum pieces in this. Allow to wither and cook. Add rest of the boiled vegetables, ginger-garlic paste. Saute well. The vegetables should mesh well and should be a combined consistency. Add half of the half stick butter now. Add Paav Bhaaji masala and blanched tomatoes. (You could mash them lightly with a masher. There is a special Paav Bhaaji masher which you get in India; I have one here which I use frequently. It eases the mashing process). Allow to cool. Keep stirring. Add water and salt. The mash would keep blobbing up and spurting, so be careful lest you hurt yourself. Bring to boil. Keep on low flame for 10 minutes and turn off the flame. This whole process took me around 45 minutes.

Next on another pan, slather butter on both the sides of Burger buns. Fry till they brown on even sides. Keep aside.

While serving, take a bowl full of Bhaaji, add some chopped onions, coriander and gentle squeeze of one cube of lime juice. Add a blob of butter. Serve with Paav and enjoy your vegetable fare bathed in butter packed with zillions of flavours.

Suggestions: Drain vegetables immediately off water once you boil them in pressure cooker. If retained longer they tend to absorb water and this spoils the flavour.

Bhel-Puri

Bhel-Puri is one of our favorite evening tea-time snacks. Cannot emphasise on how much both of us love chats, pani puri, masala puri, jhal moori. Its nice because Bhel-Puri has a distinct flavour of its own and has crunch, sweetness, spice, tanginess and all the goodness of the world. I usually prefer having all the chutneys done and ready and use them as and when we require. We are regular Chat, Pani-Puri and Bhel-Puri eaters. I feel this is the quickest, fastest and easiest snack to make provided your pantry is well stocked and has everything required. My favorite chat items are:

# Sev Puri - My favorite place to eat would be at Panjim and Mapusa, Goa from the local cart sellers. You would find plenty around Miramar Beach, Panjim - Goa.

# Pani-Puri - My favorite place to eat would be at Karthik's, Bangalore. They serve the most tastiest Pani-Puri's I have eaten + at Elco Arcade, Bandra (West). Elco's Pani-Puri also serves the Puri's with chilled Mineral water :)

# Bhel Puri - My favorite place to eat would be at Goregaon (West) market and at Khao Galli near Zaaveri Bazaar - Mumbai.

# Masala Puri - My favorite place to eat would be at Ratbeeri, Udupi sold by a lone chat seller in that area. His stall is perched in a cosy corner neat Woodlands Hotel, Udupi.

Mom makes Pani-Puri's Puri which is almost 200 of them in a row at home. I happily sit in the kitchen and keep munching these crispy lovely puri's. I have the recipe will make some time soon.

Recipe adapted from my mom's style of Bhel-Puri with few changes

Serves ~ 4 individuals

Ingredients:

Puffed Rice - 4-5 cups

Sev - 1 cup

Paapdi and Gaathiya mix - 1 cup

Cashewnuts (chopped) - 1/3 cup

Tomatoes (chopped) - 1

Onions (finely chopped) - 1

Potatoes (boiled and diced) - 2

Lime Juice - 2 teaspoon

Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Chat Masala - 1/2 teaspoon

Coriander leaves - for garnishing - 4 sprigs (chopped)

Salt to taste

For Green Chutney:

Coriander leaves - 8 springs (chopped)

Green Chillies - 2

Mint leaves (optional) - 3-4 sprigs (chopped)

Grind these to a fine paste.

For Imli-Khajoor-Gur Chutney:

Tamarind juice - 1/3 cup

Jaggery - 1 tablespoon

Cumin seeds powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Dates juice - 6-7 teaspoon

Mix all to form a fine paste

Method:

Take a large mixing bowl and mix in the dry ingredients first - Puffed Rice, Paapdi, Gaathiya, Sev. Add in the chutneys both green and brown and all the powders. Add the tomatoes, potatoes and onions. Toss well. The Puffed Rice should be crisp and nice. It adds to the flavour (you could microwave it for 20 seconds for extra crispness). Garnish with Paapdi and Coriander leaves. Serve with Cardamom Tea.

New York Bits and Bites: Street Food - A Narrative

I had heard so much about New York, thanks to the infectious influence of long hours of Bollywood movies and song sequences. During my first trip to this city, I must confess I was smitten by the beauty and totally bowled over! Enchanted was the word.

Sky-kissing tall skyscrapers, illuminated and gigantic Empire State, Statue of Liberty at Liberty Island, Ellis Island, busy volley of Subways arriving and departing, Yellow cabs, Streets and Avenues which forms a quintessential part of the unique geography, Chrysler building, Yankee stadium for sports aficionado, Broadway musical, Rockefeller centre, Brooklyn Bridge, Wall Street, MET Museum, MoMA Museum, Wall Street: Bull, Staten Island ferry. I have already become a big fan of this unique city. Its truly a melting pot offering something for everyone.

One of my Indian friend tells me that New York is like Mumbai. Well me thinks yes and no as well. Yes, because the city has same infectious energy, extremely raring-to-go spirit. No, because its still different in lot of ways. My friends had told me that NY is famous for its street food. I was on my pursuit of sampling some delicacies which I had heard were quite famous here. The first thing which catches your sight would be the numerous rickety Carts selling Sandwiches, Bagels, Hot Dogs, Pretzels, Falafels. Given a chance I would personally prefer eating from the Cart vendors as the food is economical, tasty and packs in flavours of NY city to the brim. My personal favorite would be these 4 goodies which I found irresistible. You just cannot seem to get enough of it.


1. Pretzel: A bread pastry which finds its roots in Germany; has the shape of a three looped knot resembles a braid knot as well. Its slightly salty but can keep you going without any hunger pangs for next couple of hours especially if you are hopping around the city and soaking in some local flavours, all for $2.50. (Thanks to the Cart owner for allowing me to picture the Pretzel).

2. Egg and Cheese Sandwich: My top favorite - Slice of fried eggs topped with a slice of cheese and some spices all packed in delicately grilled sandwich bread. I can have this tasty sandwich at any time of the day. The best ones I have tasted are available at Newark Penn Station Food kiosks. Since I picked my Sandwich from Au Bon Pain, a famous breakfast joint in NYC, they offered to prepare a butter-on-both-sides Bagel with stuffed Cheese and Eggs, well fried, all for $5.00, include some freshly brewed Latte with cream as well.

3. Cheese Cake: Supposedly NY is famous for this. Not a street food but can be found at prominent pastry shops in NY city. I sampled mine at Junior's near Times Square. The flavour was tangy, cheesy, creamy and out of the world. Most of the pastry shops have a Cheesecake to offer. The ones at Junior's have more than 3- plus varieties of these and high chances are, that you would go greedy with the delights; Think this was for around $5.00 a pastry (don't recall quite well, but was wuite affordable and worth every dime you spend).

4. Falafel Sandwiches: I loved the Falafel sandwich you get at Allan's near Broadway (quite close to the Wall Street Bull - on the same street). He customises your taste, spice. "Some more spice" I raved. I regret I could not get a picture nevertheless the taste is one of its kind and closest to the Middle-Eastern flavours of Falafel. The chickpea Pakoras were fried to perfection and nestled cosily in Pita Pockets with ample helpings of spicy sauce which was oraneg and red in color. All this for $4.00; Enjoy your hearty meal!

Misal Chaat: Bombay Style

What do you do when you have a packet of Tostitos staring at you in face? Well, you simply innovate!! After coming to US, I have learnt the importance of mixing and blending different ingredients from different parts of the world to create a simple "POTPOURRI DISH". P gave me a feedback the other day: "You tend to go by the book. Get creative!".

Guess the words stuck to me like a bee sting and I was donning many a hats to decipher the right blend of creative elements for creating something new. Yes! I found my creative enlightment. I decided to make Misal: Bombay Style with Tostillos as the Puri base. I had pretty much everything else stacked in the fridge so thought preparing this would not be a hassle: Vatana (White), Tostitos, Coriander leaves, Onions, Papadi, Chaat Masala, Lime, Spices, Ginger-garlic. I was set to surprise myself. Do not know. But no harm in giving a shot.

Misal was a introduced to me a in a different package, thanks to Maa who is extremely dextrous and surprises me all the time! Unlike the Misal-Pav combination which is what the Mumbaikaars proudly devour, she simply used to make this soupy curry ooozing with spicy flavour and oodles of sizzling vegetables cooked to perfection. I know that Misal Paav is eaten in a different fashion and many would opine that this is not authentic. In Mumbai, Misal-Paav is served as street food. Boiled Vataana is treated with Goda Masala and seasoning, served with chopped onions, coriander and Paav. This is the way Misal Chaat is made at home and I have grown eating this flavour, hence close to my heart.

Recipe Source: Mom
Serves: 4-5 individuals

Ingredients:

Misal curry -
Vatana (White) - 2 Cups (soaked overnight)
Water - For curry consistency
Ginger - 2"piece
Garlic - 6-8 flakes
Cloves - 4-6 sticks
Onions (chopped) - 1 Cup
Cinnamon - 1 stick
Pepper corns (black) - 5-6 seeds
White Til/ Sesame seeds (optional) - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 2 teaspoons
Coriander seeds - 4 teaspoons
Turmeric powder - 1/10 teaspoons

For garnishing -

Tostitos - 3/4th pack (regular flavour)
Onions - 1 Cup (chopped finely)
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup or 6-8 sprigs chopped
Lemon/ Lime juice - 6 teaspoon
Chaat Masala - 1 teaspoon
Paapadi/ Gaaathia/ Muthia/ Sev: Basically Farsaan mix you get in store - 5 cups
Tamarind-Date Chutney - 6 tablespoons: Soak 6 Dates and 1" lump of tamarind and grind to paste with water, salt and cumin powder.

Method:
Misal curry -
Soak Vataana overnight. Boil next day in pressure cooker. Mash lightly for flavours to blend in. Set aside. Roast all the spices in the curry lightly and grind them alongwith chopped onions. Add this gravy mix to the peas and bring to boil. Add turmeric and set aside.

While serving, take a deep dish bowl and serve the Tostitos first, press them gently and pour a ladle of Misal curry. Garnish further with Tamarind-Date chutney. Spread over ample helpings of Paapadi, Onions, Coriander leaves, Chaat Masala and Lime juice. Serve hot as an evening snack.