Annapurna: July 2022

Monday, 4 July 2022

Tondali Masale Bhat

Tondali Masale Bhat is a flavorful and aromatic spiced Ivy gourd rice dish from the Maharashtrian Cuisine. Typically served during wedding meals, in Vidarbha and Marathwada regions of Maharashtra, Tondali Bhat is spicy rice preparation. Here i have shared an easy to follow , quick one-pot version which uses homemade Masala (spice blend) . Tondali Masale Bhat is Onion-garlic free, vegan and gluten-free.

What is Masale Bhat ?

Masale Bhat is a spicy aromatic traditional Maharashtrian rice preparation . It is a one-pot meal with a perfect blend of rice and vegetables with spices. Masale bhat is on the Maharashtrian wedding menu for sure. In today's version we are using tonadli (Ivy Gourd) as a star ingredient, hence the name of the dish. Whole spices are dry roasted and ground to make the masala (spice blend) for the masale bhat which makes the dish aromatic and flavorful. Tondali Masale Bhat is onion-garlic free which makes it an ideal offering to the deity (Naivedhyam) during festivals and special occasions.

Dietary Notes: Tondali Masale Bhat is

Spicy rice dish from Maharashtrian Cuisine
Vegetarian one-pot meal
Vegan and Gluten-free
Onion-garlic free

A little about Maharashtrian Cuisine:

Maharashtrian cuisine is the cuisine of the Marathi people from the Indian state of Maharashtra. We Maharashtrians are big time foodies and take pride in our cultural diversity. Maharashtra can never disappoint you, when it comes to food. From Lip smacking snacks like Vada-Paav, Missal, Paav-Bhaji, Kande Pohe, to delectable sweets like Ukadiche Modak, Puran-Poli, Basundi, Shrikhand, Maharashtra has a lot to offer to food lovers.

Maharashtrian cuisine comprises of a variety of mild to very spicy tongue tickling dishes. The food is tempting and delicious and makes use of aromatic and flavorful ingredients. Peanuts and sesame seeds are widely used in curries and chutneys. Garlic and chilies are liberally used in many of the dishes which give a characteristic zesty and spicy taste to the food. Maharashtrian snacks and street food is very popular across India.

Short Video of Tondali Bhat

Related Event : Maharashtrian Cuisine @ Shhhhhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge

This Tondali Masale Bhat is featured in our gourmet Facebook group, Shhhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge , where in a group of talented food bloggers share their culinary skills every month depending upon a pre-determined theme. Participating members are divided into pairs and exchange set of secret ingredients among themselves and prepare a dish related to the theme of that particular month using the set of ingredients provided by their partners as key ingredients. The dish is prepared and only the pic of the dish is circulated in the group and other members of the group who are not aware of the secret ingredients have to guess those ingredients, just by looking at the pic of that dish. The correct indredients and the dish is revealed at the end of the month. The theme for June 2022 was proposed by yours truly as Maharashtrian Cuisine . My partner for the theme was Radha Rajgopalan who gave me Black cardamom and Caraway seeds as my secret ingredients and i prepared this flavorful Tondali Bhat using the set of ingredients. In return , I gave her Garbanzo flour and asafoetida and she made a flavorful Garbanzo flour Pithala using that set of ingredients. Do check out her space for many delicious recipes.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients for Masala (spice blend) of Masale Bhat:

2 tablespoon Coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4-5 black pepper corn
4-5 cloves
1 black cardamom
1 inch cinnamon stick
1/4 cup desiccated coconut / dry grated coconut
2 dried red chilies
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Ingredients for Tondali Masale Bhat:

1 cup Basmati rice
100 grams Ivy Gourd (Tondali)
2-3 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon green chili ginger paste
2 tablespoon of masale bhat masala
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds (Shah Jeera)
1 tablespoon tamarind jaggery chutney
Small bunch of fresh coriander leaves
Fresh scrapped coconut for garnishing
Salt to taste

Method:

Dry roast the spices listed under Masala for masale bhat one by one on low to medium flame for 2-3 minutes. Allow it to cool down completely and then make a coarse powder using grinder jar. Our aromatic and flavorful spice blend for Masale Bhat is ready. It can be stored for about a month on refrigeration in an air-tight container.
Rinse 1 cup Basmati rice and soak in enough drinking water for 15-20 minutes.
Wash, pat dry and chop the top and bottom part of the ivy gourd and then slice it longitudinally.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker on low to medium flame. Add bay leaf followed by caraway seeds. Once the spices sizzle, tip in the green chili ginger paste and fry for about 30 seconds.
Next, add the sliced ivy gourd and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
Now add our rinsed, soaked and drained rice and give a good stir.
Add 2 tablespoon of ready spice blend (masala for masale bhat), turmeric powder and salt to taste.
Stir fry the rice with spice blend for a minute or so before adding water.
Add 2.5 cups of boiling water and stir it well.
Next, add tamarind and jaggery chutney and finely chopped fresh coriander.
Stir well and close the lid of the pressure cooker and pressure cook the rice for 2 whistles on medium flame.
Open the lid of the cooker once the pressure has released. Fluff the rice gently with fork.
Garnish with freshly scrapped coconut and coriander leaves.
Our flavorful and aromatic Tondali Masale Bhat is ready to serve !
Serve it hot with Sol Kadhi or Mattha.

Would love to hear from you !

I hope you would love trying out this healthy aromatic and spicy Tondali Masale Bhat. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with us in the form of likes and comments in the section below this post.

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See you soon with yet another healthy and delicious creation from my Kitchen. Until then Stay safe and eat right !

Happy Cooking !

Happy Eating !

Regards

Poonam Bachhav

Related Post:

Maharashtrian Thali

Maharashtrian Goda Masala
Bharli Wangi
Matkichi Rassa Bhaji
Maharashtrian Kanda Khobra Watan
Bhogichi Bhaji
Maharashtrian Waran Bhaat
Missal Paav
Puran Poli

Saturday, 2 July 2022

Besan Bread Toast

Besan Bread Toast is a healthy and delicious savory snacks and breakfast recipe. Made with healthy goodness of chickpea flour and loads of veggies, this toast is easy to make and ready under 20 minutes. I have used whole wheat (Atta) bread to make this toast which makes it guilt-free. This besan bread toast is made on a tawa or skillet and does not require grill or sandwich maker. You can pack these besan bread toast in kids lunch box or serve them as breakfast or tea-time snacks.

Schools and Colleges have started working offline after a really long time and while kids, parents and teachers, all are super excited, mommies are busy figuring out what to pack in lunch box. I am here with a super easy and quick lunch box recipe that is both healthy and delicious. Besan Bread Toast or besan tawa toast. You might like checking out Priya's Pressure Cooker Sweet corn Pulao which is also a quic, healthy and delightful lunch box option.

Short Video for Besan Bread Toast

What goes into my version of Besan Bread Toast / The ingredients:

Besan / Chickpea flour : Makes the toast protein rich and provides a base for the toast and holds the veggie toppings very well.
Bread: I have used 100% Atta (whole wheat bread) to make it healthy. You may use multigrain bread as well.
Veggies : I have used onions, carrots, bell pepper, tomatoes and coriander. You may use veggies of your choice.
Spices : This toast uses very little basic spices like turmeric powder, red chili powder, carom seeds, black pepper corn. I have not used green chilies as i made these toast for my son.
Cheese: I have grated cheese on the ready toast and sprinkled little oregano and chili flakes to make it all the more delightful.
Oil: Very little oil is required to shallow fry the toast.

Ingredients for Besan Bread Toast:

1 Cup Chickpea Flour / Besan
4 bread slices
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
1 onion finely chopped
1 tomato finely chopped
1 bell pepper deseeded and finely chopped
1 small carrot , grated
1-2 tablespoon oil
1/4 cup grated cheese (optional
Chili flakes and oregano for garnishing

Method:

In a mixing bowl, sift Besan.
Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt and carom seeds to it.
Adding little water at a time make a lump free batter of it.
In another mixing bowl add all the chopped veggies. Season them with salt and black pepper .
Dip 1 bread slice to the prepared chickpea flour batter and allow it to coat from boat sides.
Immediately transfer it to greased and heated skillet, as the bread may turn soggy and tear, if you keep it in the batter for longer time.
Add 1-2 tsp of veggies on the besan coated bread slice and spread the veggies evenly on the slice. Press it gently, so that the veggies adhere to the slice and does not come out while flipping the toast.
Drizzle little oil from the sides of the bread slice and cover cook it for a minute or so on low to medium flame.
Gently flip the toast and cook the other side as well .
Make all the besan bread toast similarly.
Cut the toast into desired shape and size.
Garnish it with grated cheese, organo and chili flakes if you wish to.
The toast tastes great on its own, though you can serve it with ketchup or dip of your choice.

Dietary Notes: The Besan Bread Toast is

Vegetarian snack
Healthy lunch box option for kids
Vegan, if you skip the cheese
Made with 100 % Atta (whole wheat bread)
Quick and easy to make
Makes a delicious finger food for toddlers