Varada's Kitchen and Garden

Sprouted beans are considered healthier than regular beans as they are more bio available. Sprouts can be eaten raw in salads but this Maharashtrian recipe is very popular in my house. It is a simple preparation and cooks up quickly. We had this usal for dinner with poli but it tastes really good with yogurt and rice too. This is one of my childhood favorites and because it is a recipe with very few ingredients the proportions of the sweet, sour and savory need to be just right. Make sure you adjust them as per your taste. You will need (4 servings) 2 cup dry mung beans 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. mustard seeds 1/4 tsp. asafoetda 1 tsp. turmeric powder 1 tsp. garam masala or coriander/cumin powder 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper 1 tsp. sugar 1 tsp. amchur powder or lemon juice 1 tsp. red chilli powder or to taste salt to taste Soak the mung overnight. In the morning wrap the mung in a wet cloth and leave it aside for a day. In summer you could drain the water and leave th

Masale bhaat is a special preparation with spices and vegetables. It reminds me of weddings as it is usually served as the first course in weddings. I made this rice when my daughter was visiting and she made several trips to the kitchen to find out what was cooking. It takes a while to get this done but the end result is so worth it. Several years back we stopped buying white rice. Today, I cook with every type of rice but white. I considered making an exception for this post but then decided against it. Once you make the switch, white rice tastes like junk food. I stuck with the brown rice and I am glad I did. You will need 1 cup rice (preferably basmati) 2 small potatoes, diced in cubes 1/2 cup green peas 1/2 cauliflower florets 1 Serrano pepper, deseeded and diced fine 10-15 peanuts 1 tsp. garam masala 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper powder All of the spice blend given below salt to taste For the spice blend 2 tsp. coriander seeds 1 tsp. cumin seeds 3 cloves 1/2 inch

Pachadi is a salad made from fresh fruits and vegetables. On the Maharashtrian thali it is placed just south of the wedge of lemon. It is usually an alternative to koshimbir (another type of salad) but for very special occasions can be made in addition to koshimbir. If you are interested in Koshimbir you will find the post here . Pachadi can be made with a lot of different vegetables. Most vegetables that can be consumed raw are candidates. Today I made a sampler with 7 different vegetables and one fruit. I used, carrots, cucumber, tomato, turnip, radish, cauliflower and the fruit guava. You have to ensure the produce is fresh and of good quality as it is eaten raw. Pachadi is flavored with with a variety of mix-ins. Some that I used are shredded coconut, ground roasted peanuts. finely diced cilantro, de-seeded Serrano pepper crushed in salt, soaked and ground chana dal (bengal gram) and soaked and roasted urad dal (black gram). In addition salt, sugar, lemon juice or amchur

With the arrival of spring the vegetable market is transformed with fresh bright colored vegetables. For me, the fresh local vegetables are always a delight. I always find myself buying lots of vegetables and figuring out different ways to use them up. Ratatouille is one such recipe and though it can be time consuming the flavors in the final result are amazing. There are a lot of variations of this recipe and I tweaked it to suite our taste. I used red bell pepper instead of green. Also eggplant is one of the vegetables used in the preparation of Ratatouille. However, I am not a fan of eggplant so I skipped it. You will need (6 servings) 5 small zucchini (I used organic so I could keep the peel) 2 tbsp. olive oil 2 red bell peppers 1 yellow onion 2 cloves garlic 5 small tomatoes a handful cilantro (you can use parsley) 1 tbsp. basil salt to taste Wash and clean all the vegetables. Cut the zucchini along the long edge. Heat the oil in a pan and place a single layer of

Socca is a French crepe made with chickpea flour. I found this very interesting because it is so similar to the Maharashtrian dhirdi . The big difference is that this crepe is cooked under the broiler as opposed to the stove top. The thickness of the crepe can vary and I tried different thickness. We liked the medium thickness better than the thin crepes. I sourced the flour from Whole Foods and bought just enough for a very small batch. I used thyme and oregano along with some paprika to spice it up. The web is flooded with a lot versions of the recipe so not sure which is the original. I referred to this one and this one. You will need (3 crepes) 1 cup chickpea/garbanzo flour 1 tsp. oregano 1 ts. thyme paprika to taste salt to taste 1 cup water 1 tsp. olive oil In a bowl add all the dry ingredients along with the water. Whisk to make a batter. Keep it aside for 30-45 minutes. Place an iron skillet on the top rack of the oven and switch on the broiler. Once the

Potatoes are a huge favorite in my house. My daughter loves them in all shapes and form so I am always trying out new things to do with potatoes. This one is a French classic and popular as street food. It has three main ingredients, potatoes, garlic and fat. I used olive oil as the fat. The recipe I used as a guide is here . I made these as a backup side when I was experimenting with another recipe. I knew my daughter would love these and she was visiting from college. Not only did she love it, she asked if there was more that she could take with her to her dorm. I actually made a second batch so she could have some to take with her. You will need (for 2 servings) 2 medium potatoes 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 clove garlic 1/4 onion 2-3 springs cilantro (you could use parsley) salt to taste Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut into thin circles or semi-circles. Heat oil in a pan and add the sliced potatoes. Sprinkle salt to taste. Cook until tender. In the meantime, peel and crush th

This recipe is an easy and quick. A sweet and sour salad made with ripe bananas and yogurt. It adds a unique flavor to the meal and is served as a side to the poli/flatbread. If you are looking for something to round out the menu, this is perfect. There is no real recipe here, just a bunch of ingredients thrown together. Bananas and yogurt are usually found in the house. And the sweet and sour taste is a welcome change. The first time I made this my daughter said she would pass on it. I insisted she try it, which she did. And she had seconds. Banana and yogurt do not do much to add color but the combination is big on flavor. You will need (4 servings) 2 ripe bananas 1/2 cup yogurt 1 tsp. sugar salt to taste Mash the bananas. You may also slice them if you prefer. Combine with all the other ingredients. Do not make ahead of time. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Dashmi is a variation of the everyday poli or bhakri. The dough is mixed with milk instead of water. The resultant bread is super soft and tastes great. To make this vegan I used soymilk. I made this as a special treat when my daughter was visiting from college. If you make bhakri instead of poli, you can do the same with the bhakri flour. Just mix the dough using milk instead of water. The real challenge here is to roll out perfect circles of dough after you have folded it into a triangular shape. It takes practice and the initial trials can resemble shapes of countries on the map. But if you stick to it you will get a hang of how to roll out perfect circles. You will need (15 dashmi) 3 cups whole wheat flour 1 1/2 cups warm soymilk (approximately) 1 tbsp. oil Place the wheat flour in a bowl. Using milk as needed bind the flour into a soft dough. Add a little milk at a time, you may not need all the milk. When done pour a teaspoon of the oil over the palm of you hand

A long time ago I bookmarked the recipe for cinnamon rolls. Instead I tried this beautiful bread . Last week I finally decided to make the cinnamon rolls. I am very happy with the proportion of sugar in this recipe and will be making this one again. My original plan was to make the cinnamon rolls. Then I saw this video and really liked what she did there. So I made knots instead of rolls. It does not change the taste just the presentation. You will need (for 6 small buns) 2.75 tbsp. butter 1/2 cup milk 1 cup + 2 tbsp. flour a pinch salt 1 1/2 tsp. yeast 2 tbsp. sugar 1/2 tsp. cardamom powder For the filling 2.5 tbsp. butter 2.5 tbsp. sugar 1/4 tsp. cinnamon powder sugar pearls milk to brush the top or use an egg diluted with a little water In a large bowl melt the butter and the milk. Sift in the flour and salt. Add the yeast, sugar and the cardamom powder. Mix into a soft sticky dough. Work the dough kneading it until it is soft and elastic. Cover and keep asid