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Tangy Vrath (fast) Wali Gravy/Curry (Upwasachi Amti Recipe )

You can call it soup /gravy or curry…Its sweet sour spicy preparation made up of fresh coconut , peanuts & kokam /tamarind  … In the original recipe  aamsul (kokam)is used which gives sour taste (you can use tamarind in this curry in place of kokam). it is mostly used in Maharastra  Konkan and Gujrat. It is used in place of tamarind. gujrathis mostly used it in Khati Mithi Dal (tangy lentil soup) a typical Gujrathi style dal …kokam can be used in upawas  (vrath/fast)…maharashtrians use aamsul(kokam) in chutney, aamti etc ..

All vrath items r generally dry this tangy curry/gravy/amti is a nice companion to vrath foods like Sabudana khichadi, Bhagar bhat(Sama ke chawal ki khichadi),Vrath ka masala dosa etc…

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

  • ¼ cup roasted Peanuts (dane/moongfalli)
  • 1 cup  fresh grated coconut  
  • 2 green chilies or as per your taste
  • 5-6 kokam/ small lemon size tamarind ball
  • 1teaspoon Salt to taste as per your taste
  • 1 tablespoon jaggery or demerara sugar/sugarfree natura/plain white sugar 
  • 1 teaspoon oil/ghee
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds(jeera)
  • 1 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain /owa )—optional
  • Finely chopped green coriander (optional

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

If your using tamarind in place of kokam

Wash tamarind and keep it in 1 cup hot water for 15-20 minutes , when the water is cool enough ,using your hand loosen the pulp from the fibres   .. then using a colander or strainer and a spoon strain tamarind pulp from fibres into a bowl .

  1. Put grated coconut in a grinder and add 1 cup warm water , make fine paste and using colander or strainer and spoon  extract all the coconut milk from the coconut mixture,again put it in a grinder with 1 cup of warm water and again use your strainer and spoon to extract coconut milk from the coconut mixture ..
  2. Take  roasted peanut ,green chilies ,kokam or tamarind pulp and salt in a grinder and make a fine paste of it using little water
  3. Mix this peanut paste with coconut milk and add 1 cup of water in it  ..mix it nicely and keep it on low flame… stir it frequently otherwise it will cuddle …when its starts boiling remove it from the flame your tangy  upwasachi aamti/ vrath wali gravy/curry is ready for tempering
  4. Heat the oil/ghee  in a pan add cumin seeds and carom seeds (ajwain) in it let it crackle …add this tempering on the aamti (gravy/curry) …
  5. Garnish it with coriander 

[/directions]

Sabudana khichdi recipe| Sago khichdi recipe

indian tapioca recipe
sabudana khichdi

Sabudana (sago/ tapioca pearls) khichadi eaten in breakfast or snacks time even if you are not on fast /vrath.To make sabudana khichdi in pan or skillet lot of oil is required as sabudana is very sticky and the khichdi becomes mushy.now I started making it in microwave and it turns out good in very less oil and not at all mushy . I use carom seed (ajwain) and coriander leaves in sabudana khichadi but some people don’t eat carom seeds and coriander leaves in vrath, its an optional ingredient.

[box]Also check :- Vrath recipes| Upasachi recipes [/box]

Soaking time of sago / sabudana particle varies according to the type of sabudana we use . Two types of sabudana are available in market–

Instant sabudana – Smaller in size (instant word is used for them as it takes less time around 15 -20 minutes to get soaked)

Normal sabudana -which have big pearl size as compare to the instant one takes around 7-8 hours /overnight to get soak .I use the larger variety but you can try the recipe with both varieties of sabudana.The only difference will be soaking time  .

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

  • 1 cup sabudana (sago /tapioca pearl)
  • ¼ cup peanut (shengdane/ moongphalli )
  • 1 tablespoon Freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 cup diced potato(use boiled potatoes if you’re not using microwave oven for cooking sabudana)
  • 1-teaspoon sugar /sugarfree (optional,but it tastes good)
  • 2-3 green chilly or as per your taste (if you like red sabudana khichdi use 2 teaspoon red chilly powder)
  • Finely chopped coriander(cilantro) leaves(optional)
  • 1 teaspoon jeera
  • 1 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain) (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves
  • 1 teaspoon oil/ghee if you r using microwave to cook sabudhana if you r making it in pan add 1 tablespoon oil/ghee (no need to add extra oil, peanut and dry coconut already has lot of oil in it)
  • Saindha namak (rock salt) for taste if your on fast(vrath) otherwise use normal salt

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

  1. Wash sabudana with drinking water (don’t use tap water for washing sabudana as it starts soaking water when you wash it)…Wash it until water runs clear…IMG_5041IMG_5042
  2. Add 1/2 cup of drinking water in washed sabudana …it should be covered in water  …Soak it overnight or atleast  6 -7 hours otherwise it will turn sticky when you make it …IMG_5045
  3. Roast peanut in pan or microwave it for 2-3  minutes .let it cool down.IMG_5047
  4. Grind peanut into coarse powder.IMG_5050
  5. In a microwave safe bowl take diced potato and microwave it lid covered for 3 minutes if not using microwave take boiled dice potato, because to cook them in oil you need lot of oil or it will stick in pan, and it’s better to eat boiled or baked potato rather than fried ones 🙂 IMG_5052IMG_5053IMG_5064
  6. Now in a big microwave safe bowl mix soaked sabudana (sago) ,powdered peanuts  lemon juice ,rocksalt (saindhanamak), boiled or microwave baked potatoes and sugar…mix it nicely this sabudana mixture is ready for tempering now  …IMG_5065
  7. Now in a pan heat the oil/ghee ,add cumin seeds let it crackle add green chilies in it roast it and add this tempering on mixed sabudana mixture .Mix it nicely and microwave it for 4 minutes.IMG_5067IMG_5071IMG_5073IMG_5075
  8. If you r not using microwave ,make the same tampering in skillet and add sabudana mixture in it, mix it nicely and cook it covered for 2 -3 minutes ,again open the lid toss it again and cook it covered lid  for 2-3 minutes …cook it until each and every sabudana particle becomes transparent(i.e its cooked).IMG_5083IMG_5082
  9. Now garnish it with finely chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
  10. Serve sabudana hot with vrath ki nariyal chutney Upasachi amti / vrath (fast) wali gravy/curry, Vrath ka raita (Upasachi koshimbir)

[/directions]

Tips for making sabudana  khichadi

Cook sabudana properly don’t keep it white .Each and every particle of sago should become transparent, it’s the indication of sabudana is cooked.Raw sabudana is heavy to digest.easy sago / sabudana recipe in microwave

Roast peanuts nicely before making powder of it,raw peanut powder in sabudana khichdi tastes bad..

If you don’t want to add dry coconut in sabudana increase the quantity of peanuts by ½ cup.If you’re on diet don’t add peanuts, but it will make sabudana mushy  .

Vrath Ki Nariyal Moongfalli ki Chutney | Farali Chutney | Upasachi Danyachi Chutney

upwasachi chutney
vrath ki nariyal moongfalli chutney

Vrath ki Coconut chutney is the perfect companion for some vrath dishes like sabudana khichadi, Upwasach Thalipeeth (Vrath ka Multi Flour Paratha),Potato, Raw Banana Veg Kabab , vrath ka masala dosa, puttu ke ate ka chilla, sama ke chawal ka dosa , sama ke chawal ki  khichadi ,singhade ka aloo paratha etc..….in this chutney we r going to add only vrat(vratham) ingredients ….you can even eat this Coconut Chutney with Southindian foods …This coconut chutney is same like typical southindian chutney without adding curry leaves and lentils (chutney wali dal/ daliya)..I had replace some ingredients of Authentic Southindian Chutney with vrath ingredients..this coconut chutney is a good option for people who don’t like curry leaves ..If you want to give tangy gujrathi taste to this recipe you can add 1 -2 teaspoon of sugar in it at the time of grinding..Lemon juice with sugar and salt will give nice tangy taste to this chutney ..u can even use this tangy chutney in vrath wali chat 

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

  • 1/2 cup grated dry or fresh coconut
  • 2 green chilies (use it according to your taste)
  • Saindha namak (rock salt) for taste
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup peanuts (moonfalli /singhdana/dane )
  • 1 teaspoon jeera
  • 1 teaspoon oil

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

  1. Put grated coconut, green chilies, saindha namak(rock salt),lemon juice, peanuts in a blender and grind it by adding little water in it
  2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a pan add cumin seed in it let it crackle …add this tempering on chutney and serve it with any vrath recipes

[/directions]

Tips for making coconut chutney

Remove the back side of coconut and grate it …it will give nice white colour to coconut chutney

You can add green coriander if you eat coriander leaves in fast …

 

 

Baked Singhara (water chest nut) wedges in microwave (vrath recipe)

water chestnut wedges
singhara

Fresh singhara (water chest nut) comes at the start of October  and comes up to  feb –march…singhara (water chest nut) can be eaten in vrath(fast )time…at the time of navratri festival they   r available ..singhara (water chest nut) can be eaten plain boiled…my kids loves baked potato wedges..so i wanted to give it a try for baked singhara (water chest nut) wedges and it turned out really well …if you want to make it vrath recipe don’t add chat masala in place of that simply sprinkle black pepper and rock salt (saindha namak) it takes very less time to get baked in microwave ..singhara mainly content starch almost similar to that of potatoes , so it should be consumed moderately if your diabetic …avoid dry singhara flour or dry singhara if your diabetic or on weight reducing program as the carbohydrate  content is almost triple as compare to fresh singhara ….

This recipe is healthy for kids and people who want more energy and non diabetic …

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

  • 10-15 fresh singhara
  • Pinch of salt (saindha namak if you’re on fast)
  • Pinch of black pepper (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • Chat masala (optional…don’t use it if you’re on fast)

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

  1. Wash singhara nicely..Peel the skin of each singhara with the help of knifeIMG_4551IMG_5119
  2. Take peeled singhara (water chest nut )in microwave safe bowl…Add salt or saindha namak &oil in it and microwave it on high pressure for 3 -4 minutes …IMG_5121IMG_5122
  3. Sprinkle black pepper  or chat masala on it …serve hot ..water chestnut wedges

[/directions]

Makhana Recipe – Phool Makhana Kheer

navratri sweet dessert for party
phool makhana kheer

Phool Mahana kheer is very easy to make and a intresting dessert recipe .It’s one of my favorite vrath kheer recipe .Makhanas are rich in calcium ,proteins etc so it’s a healthy vrath recipe.This kheer taste so good that you can even make it when  you are not on fast.

In this kheer I add some makhanas crushed and some ½ cut makhanas.Crushed makhana give very nice thickness and texture to this kheer.

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

  • 2 cups phool  makhana
  • 1 litre whole milk
  • 1 tablespoon ghee
  • 1teaspoon cardamom powder
  • 4 tablespoon sugar or 1 tablespoon  sugarfree natura /demerara sugar
  • 2 tablespoon finely chopped dryfruits(cashewnuts ,almonds,pistachios)
  • 7-8 kesar (saffron)strands

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

  1. Heat ghee in a pan and add makhana to it ,roast it on low flame until it becomes crispy .You can also roast makhana in microwave .Rub ghee on makhana and microwave it for 1 minute ,mix it again and microwave it for another 1 minute …
  2. Take ½ of roasted makhanas and grind it  coarsely in food processor.
  3. Cut remaining makhanas into halves .
  4. Boil milk and add saffron strands and both cut &coarsely ground makhana powder to it . boil it stirring continuously for 15 – 20 minutes or until the kheer becomes thick .Add sugar/sugarfree/demerara sugar to it. Let it boil for 2 minutes and remove it from the flame.
  5. Add cardamom powder ,kesar (saffron)and dry fruits to this kheer .
  6. Refrigerate phool makhana kheer before serving it.

[/directions]

Tips for making Phool Makhana Kheer  

Stir makhana kheer continuously otherwise it will stick to the bottom and give burnt tast.

Don’t add whole makhana in kheer it will take lot of time to make this makhana soft.

 

Rava Besan ladoo | Sooji Besan Ke laddu | Ladoo recipe

semolina besan ladoo recipe
rava besan ke ladoo

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

  • 3 cups fine rava (sooji/samolina)
  • 3 cups besan
  • 4 cups sugar
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups ghee
  • 1 tablespoon cardamom  powder
  • ½ cup raisins (optional)

[/ingredients][directions title=”Directions”]

  1. Roast rava(sooji/semolina) on medium flame without ghee until it becomes very light and roasted aroma starts coming from the rava(sooji/semolina)IMG_4416
  2. Roast besan on low flame until it becomes very light and slight change in colour (roast besan very patiently otherwise it will  taste really bad)IMG_4423
  3. Add ghee in roasted besan …roast it on low flame for 3-4 minutes …IMG_4427IMG_4432
  4. Add rava(sooji/semolina)in it and mix it nicely …roast it again on low flame for 5 minutesIMG_4433
  5. Make sugar syrup with 2 string consistencyIMG_4422
  6. Add this syrup into the roasted rava (semolina/sooji)-besan ghee mixtureIMG_4435
  7. Mix it on low flame for 1 minute
  8. Remove it from flame and add cardamom powder & raisins in itIMG_4437
  9. Allow it to cool or until it becomes little hard for making ladooIMG_4440
  10. Make small ladu of this mixture IMG_4445[/directions]

Tips for making Rava (Semolina/Sooji) Besan Ladoo

If in case your ladoo mixture becomes very hard don’t get panic..take some ghee in a khadhai add 1 cup water and ½ cup sugar in it allow it to boil and add it to  hard mixture of your ladoos and mix it on low flame ..ladoo mixture will become soft Try to measure accurate quantity while making ladoo.. Ladoo mixture takes time to become hard enough to make ladoo… For more ladoo recipes checkout Dry fruits ladoo(without ghee) Atte keChurma ladoo Besan ke easy churma ladoo Easy chocolate dry fruits ladoo

Easy Rajbhog recipe

indian sweet dish rajbhog
Rajbhog

Rajbhogs are dry fruits stuffed rasgullas .This Bengali recipe is made from chenna (curdled milk). I use same techniques of how to make rasgulla to make this Rajbhog recipe very easy and quick. I make Rajbhog during Dushera festival ,Basant Panchami (as a sweet yellow color recipe)and sometimes its sunday special for my family.

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

  • 2 litre whole milk
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice(don’t use vinegar)
  • 1 ½ cup sugar
  • 8 cup water
  • 1 pinch of kesar for sugar syrup and 1 pinch of kesar (saffron)for rajbhog
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom
  • 10-15 chopped  almonds or pistachios for stuffing

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

  1. Bring milk to boil in a heavy bottom pan  .Add lemon juice to it.When milk curdles completely, remove the pan from heat .
    Whole Milk For rajbhog
    Whole Milk For rajbhog

    milk curdled with lemon juice
    milk curdled with lemon juice
  2. Then pour this curdled milk into muslin cloth or thin cloth and squueze out all the whey out of it (water remaing in curdled milk).Then wash it with plain water 2 -3 times so that the lemon juice is completely removed. Squeeze out  the muslin cloth to remove water from it .The drained crumbled cheese formed is chena  .We r going to use this chena for rajbhog  preparations
    Strain curdled milk with muslin cloth
    Strain curdled milk with muslin cloth

     

     

    Wash chenna 2-3 times with plain water
    Wash chenna 2-3 times with plain water

     

  3. Squueze muslin cloth to remove water from chenna
    Squueze muslin cloth to remove water from chenna

    Now we have to make this chena very soft.All the grainy part should become soft .

  4.  I have added this chena to food processor and within few seconds it has become very soft
    IMG_4487
    Add chenna in food processor to make it soft

     

  5. Soft chenna for rajbhog
    Soft chenna for rajbhog

    Add kesar (saffron) to this soft chenna and mix it nicely..

    IMG_4502
    Add Saffron to chenna to make rajbhog
  6.  Take a small portion of chenna  in your palm.Now flatten this chenna  and make a small circle like puri on your palm.
  7. Keep some chopped dryfruits in the centre of this circleIMG_4504
  8. Bring all the edges together , close the top and make a ball of it.IMG_4506IMG_4507
  9.  Make all small balls of chenna with dryfruits stuffing like this .IMG_4510
  10.  In a big vessel heat sugar and water and a pinch of kesar(saffron). When the sugar is dissolved and syrup comes to boil slowly add the rajbhog in it .They increase  2-3 times of its size so make sure to use big vessel to hold them easily .IMG_4509IMG_4515IMG_4517
  11.     Keep it boiling on high heat. We have taken enough water so the the syrup will not become thick due to high heat   (don’t cook it in pressure cooker you cannot check them once they r cooked )IMG_4519
  12.   Let it cook for 25 minutes or until they r cooked .Take one rajbhog out and slightly apply pressureon it , if it comes back to original shape, its cookedIMG_4522
  13.   Add cardamom powder in cooked Rajbhog  and remove it from the heat.

    indian sweet dish rajbhog
    Rajbhog
  14. Refrigerate Rajbhog   at least 5 hours before serving it .IMG_4527

[/directions]

Tips for making Rajbhog recipe easy and quick  

  1. Use food processor to make chena soft .Don’t use the old traditional method of kneading the chena it takes lot of time .
  2. Always  use whole milk for making rajbhog.
  3. Don’t use vinegar  to curdle milk  for chenna.

Phool Makhana Recipe -Roasted Makhana in microwave | Caramalised Makhana recipe

Salted makhana for snacks
Salted makhana for snacks

Phool Makhana or Makhana are called asLotus seeds or Foxnut in English .Phool makhana or Makhana are lotus seeds which are dried and popped like a popcorn . Makhana is very nutritious and has very less calories in it . its easy to digest and has lots of nutritional benefits . In india makhana is cooked in lots of ways. you can eat makhana at the time of vrath .you can use makhana to make lots of sabjis and  spicy curries  like matar makhana ,aloo makhana , paneer makhana etc and to make sweet dessert like Phool Makhana  Kheer

Roasted makhana is a  snacks recipe and very good finger food for toddlers as well as adults.Easy to make in microwave or pan.There r lots of variation of this recipes .You can eat it during your vrath(fast ). It’s a good substitute for pop corn.Personally I like it more than popcorn. Roasted makhana is a healthy snacks to munch.

I make Roasted makhana in two ways 

Caramelized makhana(vrath recipe)

Caramalised makhana for snacks
Caramalised makhana for snacks

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

  • 2 cup makhana
  • 2 teaspoon ghee/butter
  • 2 tablespoon sugar

[/ingredients]

 

[directions title=”Directions”]

  1. Take makhana in  a microwave safe bowl add ghee or butter on it mix it nicely and microwave it for 1 minute  remove it from microwave oven mix it and again microwave it for 1 minute and keep it aside…
  2. If you’re making it in pan roast it with 1 teaspoon ghee until it becomes crispy and crunchy

For caramel

  1. In a thick bottom non stick pan take 1 teaspoon ghee ,add sugar to it and  continuously stir it,  when the sugar will start becoming brown and sticky add makhana in it and mix it nicely and roast it for few second …remove it from the flame …
  2. Caramelized makhana are ready to serve

[/directions]

Plain salted butter/ghee makhana (vrath recipe)

Salted makhana for snacks
Salted makhana for snacks

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

  • 2 cup makhana
  • 1 teaspoon ghee or butter
  • common salt / Saindhanamak (rock salt for vrath)

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

  1. Mix all the in ingredients in a microwave safe broad bottom bowl …ghee should be spread nicely to each and every makhana…phool makhanabutter /ghee roasted makhanaroasted phool makhana
  2. Microwave it on high power for 1minute mix it again microwave it for 40 -50 seconds or till it becomes crispymakhana roasted in microwave
  3. If you don’t want to use microwave roast it in a pan …

[/directions]

 

 

Easy dry fruits ladoo(Navratri Vrath Recipe)

1

This dry fruits ladoos are very easy to make and are very nutritious and contains no sugar in it..its a healthy vrath recipe…

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

  • 2 Cup Deseeded Dates (khajoor)(Remove the seeds of dates and then measure it for 2 cups )
  • 1 cup coarsely grounded Dry fruits(cashew nuts,almonds,pistachios etc…)
  • ½ cup dry fig (dry anjeer) finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ghee(optional)
  • 1 teaspoon Cardamom powder

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

  1. Grind the dates coarsely  and keep it aside ….
  2. Add coarsely grounded dry fruit powder and ghee in it ..
  3. Microwave this mixture for 1 minute.. mix it ..and add finely chopped anjeer (dry fig) and make small ladoos out of this mixture…

[/directions]

also check Healthy Recipes for Navratri Vrath Festival

How to make Whole Wheat flour & Oats Cake with Orange Juice

healthy cake recipe
whole wheat flour orange cake

I always try to make different types of whole wheat flour cake , But i never tried oats cake .In this week i was planing to make orange cake as lots of orange were there in my refrigerator ,so I thought of adding oats in this cake and it turned out very soft ,light and fluffy .This recipe is not at all difficult & very less ingredients are required to make it

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

  • 2 cup whole wheat flour (gheu ka atta)
  • ½ cup white oats
  • 1 ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice add ½ teaspoon of salt immediately in it
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest (grate zest of the same oranges you used for juice)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup sugar/sugarfree natura/ demerara sugar(brown sugar)
  • ¼ cup chopped cashew nuts /almonds/  walnuts(optional)
  •  ½ cup olive oil/canola oil/ sunflower oil/rice bran oil /saffola oil

[/ingredients] [directions title=”Directions”]

  1. Measure ½ cup of white oats(oats which are used for oats porridge) and then grind it in a fine powder…IMG_4775IMG_4777IMG_4780
  2. Sieve whole wheat flour, oats flour, baking powder and baking soda together…don’t remove the bran of wheat flour and oats flourIMG_4793IMG_4794
  3. Preheat the oven  at 180 degrees Celsius…grease the Bundt pan with butter or ghee (clarified butter)and flour it ..keep aside  
  4. Mix juice ,oil and sugar together with the help of hand blender or whisker..IMG_4786IMG_4787IMG_4789IMG_4791
  5. To this juice oil sugar mixture add the sieved ingredients little by little while mixing at the same time with the help of hand blender or whisker ,make sure that there r no lumps in it …make a thick batter of it ….IMG_4795IMG_4796
  6. Now add orange zest to this thick batter and mix it with spoon..pour the batter into grease bundt pan and bake it in preheated oven at 180 degree Celsius for 40 minutes   or Bake it until the needle comes out clean.IMG_4802IMG_4806IMG_4808IMG_4813IMG_4815IMG_4819

[/directions]

Tips for Orange Juice Whole Wheat & Oats Cake

  1. Add salt to orange juice immediately after squeezing it from oranges otherwise it will give bitter taste in the cake
  2. Whole wheat oats cake taste best on second day
  3. If you want you can make this cake with all purpose flour..
  4. If you don’t want to add oats flour reduce the quantity of orange juice by ¼ cup
  5. Kids and toddlers love this cake, if your serving it to your toddler make small pieces of cake with knife (make proper small square pieces )and give them fork to eat  it… they love to eat with their own hands..It’s a nice finger food for your toddler and kids..if your making it for your toddler or kid use whole wheat flour don’t use all purpose flour
  6. Use Bundt pan or small cake mold for making this cake

[box] Also check –Whole wheat flour (atta) Carrot dates cake [/box]