Samosa Recipe

For the pastry:
    2 cups flour
    1/2 tsp. salt
    4 Tbsp. oil
    4 Tbsp. water

For the stuffing:
    4-5 medium potatoes, boiled in their jackets and allowed to cool
    4 Tbsp. oil
    1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
    1 cup (175 g) shelled peas
    1 Tbsp. finely grated peeled fresh ginger
    1 fresh hot green chili, finely chopped
    3 Tbsp. very finely chopped fresh green coriander (cilantro)
    3 Tbsp. water
    1 1/2 tsp. salt
    1 tsp. ground coriander seeds
    1 tsp. garam masala
    1 tsp. ground roasted cumin seeds
    1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
    2 Tbsp. lemon juice
    oil for deep frying

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl.  Add the 4 tablespoons on oil and rub it in with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.  Slowly add about 4 tablespoons water -- or a tiny bit more -- and gather the dough into a stiff ball.

Empty the ball out on to clean work surface.  Knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until it is smooth.  Make a ball.  Rub the ball with about 1/4 teaspoon oil and slip it into a plastic bag.  Set aside for 30 minutes or longer.

Make the stuffing.  Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1/4 inch dice. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a large frying pan over a medium flame. When hot, put in the onion.    Stir and fry until brown at the edges. Add the peas, ginger, green chili, fresh coriander (cilantro), and 3 tablespoons water.  Cover, lower heat and simmer until peas are cooked.  Stir every now and then and add a little more water if the frying pan seems to dry out.

Add the diced potatoes, salt, coriander seeds, garam masala, roasted cumin, cayenne, and lemon juice.  Stir to mix.  Cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring gently as you do so.  Check balance of salt and lemon juice.  You may want more of both.    Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool.

Knead the pastry dough again and divide it into eight balls.  Keep 7 covered while you work with the eight.  Roll this ball out into a 7 inch (18 cm) round.  Cut it into half with a sharp, pointed knife. Pick up one half and form a cone, making a 1/4 inch wide (5 mm), overlapping seam.  Glue this seam together with a little water.    Fill the cone with about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the potato mixture.  Close the top of the cone by sticking the open edges together with a little water.  Again, your seam should be about 1/4 inch (5 mm) wide.  Press the top seam down with the prongs of a fork or flute it with your fingers.  Make 7 more samosas.

Heat about 1 1/2 to 2 inches (4-5 cm) of oil for deep frying over a medium-low flame.    You may use a small, deep, frying pan for this or an Indian wok.  When the oil is medium hot, put in as many samosas as the pan will hold in a single layer.    Fry slowly, turning the samosas frequently until they are golden brown and crisp.  Drain on paper towel and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Cuisine in Maharashtra...Travel to India

The saying 'Anna he poornabrahma' aptly summarises what Maharashtrians feel about the food they cook. They consider 'anna', or food, equal to 'Brahma', or the creator of the universe. Food is God, to be worshipped. Little wonder that Maharashtrian cuisine not only fills the stomach, but also fills the soul - with content! 

The cuisine of Maharashtra is largely influenced by the landscape, the people and the crops grown in various regions. It is not only memorable for its subtle variety and strong flavours, but also because of the legendary hospitality of Maharashtrians. in affluent homes, feasts often start at mid-day and end when the sun turns towards the western horizon.
The people are known for the aesthetic presentation of food, which adds extra allure to the feasts. For instance, in formal meals, it is a practice to sing sacred verses to dedicate the meal to God. The guests sit on floor rugs or red wooden seats and eat from silver or metal thalis and bowls placed on a raised 'chowrang', or a short decorative table. Rangolis or auspicious patterns of coloured powder are drawn around the thali or the chowrang. 

To avoid mixing flavours, each guest is given a bowl of saffron scented water to dip the fingers in before starting on the next course. There is a specific order of serving of savouries and sweets, curries and rice or rotis, and a person who does not know this is not considered to be well trained in the art of hospitality. Agarbattis spread fragrance everywhere and the host believes the satisfaction of his guests to be his true joy. 

Cuisine of Gujarat(India)

While Gujarat has a long coastline and an almost endless supply of fish and shellfish, strict Jainism in the past and orthodox Hinduism today have encouraged the widespread adoption of a vegetarian diet. The Gujarati food is mostly vegetarian. The dishes of Gujarat are not very spicy and sweet than those of the neighboring states. The Gujarati cuisine is delightfully delicious with a combination of leafy vegetables and pulses subtly flavoured with spices to the accompaniment of rice and a variety of breads. The typical Gujarati meal is served traditionally on large silver or stainless steel platters or thali that consists of one variety of dal, Kadhi-a curd preparation, two to three vegetables, wide variety of

beans and pulses, salad savories, sweets, puri or chappati, rice, coconut, chutneys, pickles, papad  and sweetened yoghurt. There are slight differences in the modes of preparation and eating habits in the main three geographical regions of Kutch, Saurashtra (kathiawad) and Surat. Some of the popular dishes of Gujarat are 'Khaman Dhokla', a salty steamed cake, 'Oondhiya' a vegetarian dish with potato, brinjal, green beans and other vegetables cooked in an earthenware pot in the fire, 'Khichdi' a mixture of lentil and rice, 'Kadhi' a savoury yoghurt curry with chopped vegetables and variety of spices, 'Debra' flour mixed with spinach and yoghurt etc. Surat Paunk is made with tender kernels of millet, sugar balls, savoury twists and garlic chutney. Gujarati 'farsans' or crunchy fried snacks like Chakli, Sev Ganthia prepared from chick-pea and wheat flour is a speciality of the state. Eating freshly prepared vegetable snacks from street vendors is popular. Sweets and desserts like Doodh Pak, Gharis, Nankhatais etc. are also delicious. Surat is known for the gharis made with butter, dried fruits and thickened milk and rich halwa. In contrast to the majority of Hindus who are pure vegetarians, the Bohras, a community of Muslim traders, are famous for their beef preparations and a variety of soups.

You can experience all these constituents of the vegetarian Gujarati meal by having a Thali at Vishala, about 5 kms. from Ahmedabad. It is a restaurant and part of a complex is described as a Gujarati village with a small museum, local crafts and performing arts. In the village complex, you can also see the craftsmen weaving and making earthen pots, the puppet show, and dances. The food is served on platters of leaves stitched together that includes various vegetables, pulses, salads, chutneys, yoghurt, rice and wide variety of breads made of millet and other flours. In the end the buttermilk and rich homemade ice-creams are served. Besides Vishala, there are various other good restaurants in Ahmedabad which offers the Gujarati food. Chinese

and Continental cuisine are also available in major hotels.

Chana Chaat in a Papadum Bowl

Chana Chaat in a Papadum Bowl
Serves 4
Vegetarian, vegan if you skip the yogurt

• 2 T. tamarind concentrate
• 2 T. boiling water
• 1 t. agar-agar powder
• 2 t. sugar
• 1 black pepper (or other flavor) papadum, cut into 4 wedges
• 2 c. cooked and cooled (or opened, rinsed, and drained) chickpeas
• 2 T. chaat masala (or mix your own)
• 1/2 c. high quality yogurt
• 1 t. mild chili powder
• sprigs of cilantro
• 4 pieces of crystallized ginger, sliced thin

1. Stir together the tamarind concentrate, boiling water, agar-agar powder, and sugar. Taste and add more sugar if needed. Cool in refrigerator. When gelled, whisk vigorously to make a viscous liquid.
2. Working one piece at a time, put a papadum on top of a small ramekin and place in a toaster oven. Toast for a few minutes until golden brown and blistering, occasionally and carefully applying slight pressure to form a bowl shape. Remove from oven and leave in ramekin for a few minutes to cool.
3. Mix chickpeas with the chaat masala. You could also add diced cucumbers, potatoes, or onions.
4. To serve, put a few drops of tamarind sauce on the plate with a medicine dropper, place a few slices of the ginger, add the papadum bowl and top with 1/4 of the chickpeas, 2 T. of yogurt, and a bit of the chili powder and cilantro.

Raj kachori

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups rava • 2 tbsp Maida • 4 Potatoes • 1 Cup curd • 1/2 Cup soaked chana • 10 Papadi • 1 tsp Roasted cumin powder • 1 tsp Red chilli powder • 5 tbsps Tamarind chutney • 1/2 Cup sev

How to make Raj Kachori:

• Boil potatoes and cut it into cubes. • Boil the soaked channa • Mix rava, maida, salt and red chilli powder well. • Prepare dough. • Roll out into rotis of equal size. • Deep fry it. • Make a hole in the centre fried kachoris. • Fill with cubed potatoes, chana, papdi and curd. • Spread red chilli powder, cumin seed powder, tamarind chutney and green chutney. • Put sev on it. • Raj Kachori is ready.