Okra-Fry in Cheese-Paneer Sauce

Fried Okra (Lady Fingers) in Cheese-Paneer Sause 

Type:	Vegetable in Semisolid Sauce/Gravy	Hot	For: 8 Persons	Processes: Cutting, Frying, Preparation of ‘Phodani’, Boiling, Seasoning, Mixing.
Nutritive Value:	Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats	Vitamins – “A”, “B-Plex” and “C”	Minerals (mainly Calcium)	Soluble and Non-soluble Fiber
Cooking Time:	Pre-preparation:	30 Min	Serving:	1 Min
	Preparation:	10 Min	Eating:	15 to 30 Min

Name:	Okra-Fry (Bhendi or lady Finger) in Cheese-Paneer Sauce/(Thick Garvy)
Preface:	·         Try and Taste this very delicious dish after trying (thanks for trying) our new and special dish - Okra-Fry in Mango Sauce (WOW, it was unimaginably wonderful!!). This is a dish in the same tradition, but with totally different nature and taste.  ·          Plain Okra-Fry is a popular dish and is usually found in marriage and other party menus. You must have tried that soggy, oily and brown dish that sticks in your mouth. ·         But Okra-Fry in Cheese-Paneer Sauce? WOW, it’s a totally different story. Unimaginably wonderful!!
	So, we will now prepare this new Okra-Fry in Cheese-Paneer Sauce.
Pre-preparation:	·         Except extracting pulp of mangoes Pre-preparation is same as that of 'Okra-Fry in Mango Sauce'. ·         So, please follow instructions in that Recipe. Bring One Kg. Okra. ·         Cut their stalks and give a logitudinal slit.
Preparation:	We will take 100 gm cheese (cut in small pieces - about 8 x 8mm), 100-150 gm paneer (cut in small pieces - about 10 x 10 mm), 1 kg Okras (now ready to use), 4 green chilies (with longitudinal slit), 1-2 tsf red chili powder, Ingredients of ‘Phodani’ (6 tsf edible oil, 1 tsf mustard seeds, 2 tsf cumin seeds, turmeric powder and asafetida powder) (See Post ‘Phodani’), 4 tsf ‘Desi Ghee’, 4 Cloves, 8 black peppers (coarse powder), 1" cinnamon, 2 tomatoes - finely chopped, 4 tablespoons curd (or Yogurt, or fresh cream), finely chopped coriander leaves, 1/2 teaspoon sugar and salt to taste.
Recipe:	Prepare simple 'Okra-Fry' with our method (Please see it's recipe in 'Okra-Fry in Mango Sauce') and remove from fry-pan. In the same fry-pan, in the remaining oil add 4 tsf ‘Desi Ghee’. Add 1 tsf pepper powder, cinnamon, cloves and turmeric powder.  Add finely chopped tomatoes and fry for 2 min.  Add curd and paneer pieces, some water if necessary, sugar, and salt to taste (only for sauce).   Add fried Okras and half of coriander leaves and stir carefully for 1 min till the sauce covers okra evenly. Add cheese pieces and taste it.  Adjust sourness, if necessary, by adding lemon juice and adjust other tastes. Continue boiling only for 1 more minute.   ·
Fortification:	·   This cuisine is so rich in Tastes and flavors; colors and appearance; texture and Nutritive Value that it is not necessary to fortify it. ·   For children NOT spoiled with over-pampering, you can add any amount of extra paneer or cheese.  for you and your spoiled overweight children add paneer and cheese in moderation or don't add at all (and use only plain curds. Don't use fresh cream, and Desi Ghee).  If you want, you can add some grated coconut, almonds, pistachios and cashew nuts. but instead, try adding walnuts.
Skills:	·     This exquisite and delicate dish is very simple, easy and quick to prepare. But … it is exquisite and delicate. ·     For skillful jobs of cutting okras, slitting them, preserving specific color while frying them and delicately stirring, tossing and lightly mixing them with sauce, see 'Okra-Fry in Mango Sauce'.  ·     (Color change means Loss of valuable Vitamins and Anti-Oxidants. It is ridiculous if a cuisine rich in appearance, taste, flavors and texture is poor in quality and nutritive value.)  ·     Inhaling the flavors before tasting is important. Make it your habit.  ·     Last, but not the least, tasting at various stages to adjust all tastes properly is very important.  It is a myth that just adding lots of cheese-paneer makes any dish tasty. Adding cheese-paneer is like enhancement plastic surgeries.
Presentation:	This dish with dazzling green okra in orange-yellow-white glittering sauce with dashes of red tomatoes is attractive and mouth watering in itself. You need not decorate it, except adding chopped coriander.
Serving:	Be ready with everything arranged on dining table. When this dish is ready, add remaining half of chopped coriander and serve it hot immediately and HMmmm!! Start! Now you cannot wait.
Tasting:	·     Half of the people at the dining table, who have already tasted this dish before, can’t and don’t wait. ·     Those who are going to eat this for the first time, but had already tasted 'Okra-Fry in Mango Sauce', will trust us and will be eager to taste this one also.  ·     Those who are going to eat this for the first time, haven't tasted 'Okra-Fry in Mango Sauce', but are always ready to try new things, will say – Oh … a new and novel recipe. Let’s try. ·     Those who are always reluctant to try new things, will have a feeling – Oh … what is this!? ... But if only they make up their minds and taste it … Wow!! ·     Once tasted you will definitely say, It has and it IS “Something Special”. ·     It can be eaten, as any other vegetable, with Bread, Roti, Parantha, Nan, Rice or anything. But it is good as a separate dish or as a starter also. ·     And the one who licks the last of it from the pan is really fortunate.
Afterthoughts	·     In 'Cheese-Paneer Sauce' we can add hung curd, cream-curd/yogurt or fresh cream.  We can also add cashew-almond paste. ·     We can make this sauce more or less sweet by adding more sugar, honey or fruits.  ·     In this type of Cheese-Paneer Sauce we can add fried potatoes, cauliflower, (any vegetable for that matter - even Cluster Beans - गवार, French beans or bitter-gourd - कार्ले) and fried boneless chicken or fish(pomfret, surmai, tilapia, salmon, etc.) or prawns.   ·     Try to make simple 'Okra-Fry' in our way.

Roasted Multi-grain Flour (भाजणी) Cuisines - 2 - Bajani Wadas (भाजणीचे वडे)

Bajani Wada (भाजणीचे वडे) 

Type:	Bread / Roti / Pizza / Bhakari	Hot / Cold	For: 4 Persons	Processes: Roasting, Grinding, Mixing, Kneading, Frying
Nutritive Value:	Carbohydrates, proteins, Fats		Minerals	Soluble and Non-soluble Fiber
Cooking Time:	Pre-preparation:	10 Min	Serving:	1 Min
	Preparation:	20-30 Min	Eating:	15 to 30 Min

Name:	Bajani Wada (भाजणीचे वडे)
Preface:	This is a very tasty and Nutritious cuisine, made from a Versatile Multi-Grain Flour (Bhajanu-भाजणी), that can be eaten any time in a day. But it is Fried cuisine. So, older people should eat it in moderation. Persons with diabetes, obesity, hypertension and heart disease should not eat it at all (they can ear 'Thalipeeth' instead. it is very good for growing children (especially as a tiffin) and young adults.
	So now we will prepare Bajani Wadas for 4 persons (4-5 per person)
Pre-preparation:	Preparation of Multi-Grain Flour (Bhajani-भाजणी): See the Process on this Blog.
Preparation:	We will need 4 bowls of Bhajani, (preferably home-made as per our method), finely chopped coriander, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder (or green chili paste), 4-5 teaspoons sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon jeera, 1 teaspoon ajwain (or ajowan) seeds, salt to taste, water and oil to fry. You can add ginger and/or garlic paste, black pepper powder or garam masala.
Recipe:	We will thoroughly mix 4 bowls of dry Bhajani and all other ingredients . 4 We will add water slowly to make a thick dough, knead it thoroughly and roll about 18-20 balls.  Now we will keep some oil (enough for deep-frying) for heating in a deep wok  We will flatten one ball into thick discoid shape. (Second can be flattened while frying one. Or you can take an assistant to flatten the balls or to fry them - whichever you consider unimportant. Or you can keep a person to prepare them totally. But, then what will YOU do except eating? In that case you will be totally dependent and the person preparing them - your spouse? - can deny you any single Wada.)   When the oil is optimally hot fry Wadas one by one.   (Test: Put a very small ball of dough in the oil. If it remains at the bottom, oil is not hot. If it immediately comes to surface with lots of bubbles, the oil is hot enough to fry. If there is smoke, oil is overheated and if there are flames you have lost everything. But in any case don't insert your fingers in the oil to test its hotness.)
Fortification:	Bhajani (prepared by our method) contains all available whole grains and pulses in ideal (2:1, 3:1 or 4:1) proportion. So it is already rich in carbohydrates, good quality proteins, fiber and many minerals; Roasting makes it easy to digest and frying makes it rich in fats.    We can add grated Carrot, Radish, Beetroot, Red/White Pumpkin, etc. or chopped Cabbage or any green-leafy vegetable in the dough.  Or we can eat them with any Salad.  We can use them as base and fortify them with various types of Veg or Non-veg toppings. In this way we can convert it from Two-dish-meal to One-dish-meal.
Skills:	Thorough kneading of dough is very essential.  Dough becomes loose if kept for long time. Initially, giving attention to uniform thickness is more important than the perfect round shape. It facilitates uniform frying.  Making hole at the center prevents Wada from inflating. without central hole we will get it's ballooned (inflated) version. Apply some oil or water to fingers while flattering the dough to prevent sticking of the dough to fingers. To fry anything is a very skillful (and dangerous also) job. Start (you can start with these Wadas) and practice it under guidance. Practice it (at least 1000 'Frying hours') to master it. (We provide 'Frying guidance' also.)  But frying these Wadas is not a very skillful job. Even if they remain soft, chewy, crispy or hard, they are tasty. And really it is very difficult to decide level of frying because of the blackish brown color of Bhajani. And the temptation (because of the smells) to taste them is so strong that nobody is willing to wait and achieve perfection. only see that they are not undercooked or over-fried to charcoal.
Decoration & Presentation:	It is enough to arrange them artistically (meaning what?). in any way. you can decorate them with onions, tomatoes,  carrots, beetroot, coriander, mint leaves and/or cheese.
Serving:	Serve them hot (but it is not mandatory) with (home-made, white) butter, Pickle (and/or Sauce) and a bowl of Curds or Buttermilk.
Tasting:	You probably want to eat them hot. But don't start biting immediately after frying. Mouth burns (fried things are hotter inside). But, Of course, you will remember this for life and learn, if you are wise. (It is said that wise men learn from experience - but once they are wise, they don't have to learn). Always eat these Wadas in very small portions (even though you are impatient) and chew them thoroughly. That way their taste enhances and lingers in mouth for a long time. This gives lasting satisfaction.  It is more fun to eat them slowly while chatting with friends.
Afterthoughts:	Bhalani is a very useful, nutritious and versatile flour. it should always be present in the kitchen.  We can make many tasty, easy to prepare (anybody-can-cook dishes) and nutritious cuisines (Bhakari, Thalipeeth, Wadas, Kadaboli, etc.) with this flour in very short time.  These cuisines are useful as starters, snacks, side dishes,  breakfast, one part of two-dish-meal and one-dish meal.  We can use them as base for many types of toppings. Their ballooned version (without central hole) can be used for many types of stuffings.

Roasted Multi-grain Flour (भाजणी) Cuisines - 1-Thalipeeth(थालीपीठ) Indian Bread

Thalipeeth(थालीपीठ): Indian Bread
Made from Roasted Multi-grain Flour (भाजणी)

Type:	Bread / Roti / Pizza / Bhakari	Hot	For: 2 Persons	Processes: Grinding, Mixing, kneading, Roasting.
Nutritive Value:	Carbohydrates, proteins, Fats		Minerals	Soluble and Non-soluble Fiber
Cooking Time:	Pre-preparation:	30 Min	Serving:	1 Min
	Preparation:	10 Min	Eating:	15 to 30 Min

Name:	Thalipeeth (थालीपीठ)
Preface:	Man thinks and imagines according to his basic nature. They also dream accordingly. Then they try to bring their dreams into reality and something is created. Bangali person must have dreamed that he has become soft paneer and somebody is pampering and rolling him and he is floating happily and contentedly in sugar syrup. Thus, the 'Rasgulla' must have born. It will be interesting to search the dreams of persons from different regions and to know the cuisines born out of these dreams. Similarly, Thalipeeth is a (may not be sweet but) round dream of Marathi man. Just like Marathi man, this is very simple, raw but useful. It is easy to prepare, tasty, nutritious and something one wants to eat daily.
	So, now we will prepare two Thalipeeths (for two persons).
Pre-preparation:	Prepare 'Bhajani' - roasted multi-grain flower. (For, how to prepare 'Bhajani', please see the process on this blog.) Cut onion and coriander.
Preparation:	·     We will need two bowls of homemade 'Bhajani' (prepared preferably according to our method. If not available, you can also use ready-made 'Bhajani' from market.);  half to one bowl finely cut onion; finely cut coriander,  1 teaspoon full turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon full red chilli powder (or green chili paste), 3-4 teaspoon full sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon full jeera; 1 teaspoon full ajwain (or ajowan) seeds, salt to taste, 1-2 teaspoons oil and water. If you like experimenting you can have ginger and/or garlic paste, black pepper powder, garam masala, grated coconut and grated carrot/cabbage or other vegetables.
Recipe:	Take all the ingredients (except oil and water) in a big shallow dish and mix them.  Add some fun and Kus-Khushi.  Then add some water slowly while mixing it, prepare a dough (not too loose) and knead it thoroughly.  Now make two potions of this dough and roll them into balls and keep them aside.  Spread some oil on a shallow wok and flatten the dough balls into discoid shape (just like pizza) in the shape of bhakri. Make some holes (5, 6, 7, 12 according to the size) and add some oil in them. spread a thin film of oil on the surface also and roast over medium flame.  After one side is roasted, turn it upside down and shallow roast other side also.   ·         ·
Fortification:	Thalipeeth is already very rich (in carbohydrates and Proteins) in the category of Bread/Roti/Pizza, because it is prepared from Roasted Multi-grain Flour (containing many cereals and legumes). So any type of two-dish-meal (like bread-Usal, Roti-Vegetable, Dal-Roti) becomes more enriched if we use Thalipeeth instead of bread or roti.  Roasting the grains before preparing the flour also makes it easily digestible and more tasty.    In traditional Thalipeeth only onion is used. But we can also use greated or finely chopped cabbage, cauliflower, beetroot, radish, dudhi or red pumpkin, or any green-leafy vegetable.    Thalipeeth can also be used as a Pizza base with many types of veg/non-veg toppings. Thus, in these two ways, it can be converted into one-dish-meal.
Skills:	Thorough kneading of dough is very essential. Dough becomes loose if kept for long time. Initially, giving attention to the thickness is more important than the perfect round shape. Making holes gives idea of thickness at various places. Equalize the thickness accordingly. Equal thickness all over ensures uniform roasting. Apply some oil or water to fingers while flattering the dough to prevent sticking of the dough to fingers. Loose dough is more sticky. In that case, add some dry flour and knead again.    Initially, cover it with a lid and Roast on a high flame, to preserve energy. Then remove the lid and roast on a low flame.   Roasting a Thalipeeth is not an art. Just see it is cooked and not burnt. But perfect and uniform roasting according to our taste and preference (soft, crispy, hard, over roasted, etc.) definitely requires skill. (It also depends on the ingredients of Bhajani-flour; soft or coarse grinding; looseness of dough, thickness and amount of oil used.
Presentation:	It is enough to serve it in a dish with some butter (or Ghee) and any pickle. A boul of curds is welcome.    You can decorate it with chopped tomatoes, grated carrots, coriander, mint, basil and grated cheese.
Serving:	We wanted it for two. so we will share first Thalipeeth and start eating while other is getting ready. Then we will share another.
Tasting:	Thalipeeth should be eaten in very small portions and chewed thoroughly. that way its taste is enhanced. first half should be eaten without talking. Second half becomes more interesting with chatting.
Afterthoughts:	Bhalani is a very useful, nutritious and versatile flour. it should always be present in the kitchen. We can make many tasty, easy to prepare (anybody-can-cook dishes) and nutritious cuisines (Bhakari, Thalipeeth, Wade, Kadaboli, etc.) with this flour in very short time. These cuisines are useful as starters, snacks, side dishes,  breakfast, one part of two-dish-meal and one-dish meal.