Wheat Semia / Gova Shevai

My cousin's wife S came home with this huge bag of goodies from the Mangalore Store.  And one of them was a packet of the Wheat Semia or Gova Shevai as they are called in Konkani.   These are sun-dried wheat vermicelli.  Traditionally they were made at home.  It is a long process.  The wheat has to be soaked in water and made to a paste that is strained through a layer of muslin. This is then stirred on heat till it begins to thicken and then the semia is extruded through a semia maker.  Now, it is more a convenience food, someone else does the hard work and one just picks the dehydrated semia from the store.

The dehydrated semia has to be rehydrated by soaking in water for about 20 mins.  The strands are squeezed to remove most of the liquid. It is now ready to be cooked.

Ingredients

Rehydrated Wheat Semia - About 200 gms
Oil for seasoning - 2 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Black gram dal - 1/2 tsp
Green chilies - 2 slit
Curry leaves -f ew
Ginger - chopped 1/8 "
Asafoetida - pinch
Peas - 20 gms - optional
Carrot finely chopped or grated - 1 small - optional
Salt to taste
Fresh coconut - 2 -3 tbsp - the more the better

Take a deep pan
Heat, add the oil.
Put in the mustard, when it splutters add the asafoetida, black gram dal, curry leaves, green chilies and ginger
Add the peas and carrot.  I used frozen peas, otherwise if using fresh peas, cook them till tender beforehand
Add the rehydrated semia
Mix gently
Cover and keep over a low flame for about 5 minutes. Stir gently now and then.
Garnish with grated fresh coconut.

The dish is different from the readymade vermicelli that you get.  It is also very filling since it is with whole wheat.  The carrots and peas are optional.  It will still taste as good without them.  Try adding fried cashew to make it more delicious.

Street Food - Pav Bhaji

Street food for dinner.  At home.  When you tire of the usual rice-rasam-curry kind of meal, this is one dish that is fun to make and yum to eat.  Ideally you should have the pav - the Indian soft bun - or use any kind of bread as a substitute.  And a nice yummy curry.  Eat it hot.  And if you do not mind the calories eat it a little greasy.  It adds to the taste.  The one I had was not as greasy as I would have liked it.  But my sous-chef - La - the younger one - ensured that it was crisp and nice without the extra butter.  And she is great at chopping veggies finely. So my job in the kitchen got easier.

The ingredients are approximate -

Ingredients: (can serve 4)

Pav - 2 packs - these were very light pavs and so could be cut horizontally and we had double per pack
Butter - any amount - preferably salted butter - Amul :-)

Curry:
Potatos boiled- 3 medium -

Peel and pressure cook the other veggies in a little extra water - which can be drained and the stock can be used later
(Carrots - 2 /  Peas - 1/4 cup ) -  you can use other veggies like cauliflower, beans too

Capsicum - 1 finely diced
Onion - 2 large
Coriander - for garnishing
Lime - slice wedges
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilie powder - 2 tsp or more as per spiciness
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Ginger - garlic paste - 1 tsp
Pav bhaji masala - 1-2 tbsp ( or use any other masala that you have chole masala, chicken masala, sabji masala)
Tomato  pu·rée  - 5-6 tbsps
Oil - 2 tbsp

Keep a vegetable masher ready.

In a wok add oil.
Add one sliced onion
And the ginger - garlic paste
Then the diced capsicum.  Sau·té
And chopped boiled veggies - and keep mashing it along

Add the tomato pu·rée  

And the powders.  

At this stage taste and ensure the curry it stangy, spicy and tasty!

Keep mashing all the time.  And also keep the curry simmering.

The consistency should be kind of semi-solid so you may need to add stock/water as you go along.

On a pan put in some butter and place the pav and then toast them.  

Serve hot pav with hot curry with a sprinkling of diced onion and coriander and a blob of butter and with wedges of lime that is useful if you go a little wild with the spice.

Ragda Patties

Commonly spelt as Ragda Pattice!!.   And saw this recipe at One Hot Stove .  Tastes as good as it does at a roadside eatery.  Try it out.

First - plan the dish a day before, because you will need to soak the peas overnight, or at least for 6-8 hours.  There are three components here - Ragda, Patties, Tangy-sweet sauce.

The Ragda
Dry peas - 1 cup
Onions - 1 - dice
Ginger - garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Red chilie powder - to taste ( remember this is a spicy dish)
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Tomato Purée -  2 -3 tbsp (  you can also use tamarind paste instead)
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

Pressure cook the soaked peas till tender and soft.

Heat oil in a wok

Add the diced onion, saute for a while till transparent. Do not brown.

Add the ginger-garlic paste

The powders and salt.

Add the cooked peas and tomato purée

You can crush a few of the cooked peas and add.

Simmer.  

The ragda should be slightly runny, so add water to the required consistency

Patties

Potato - 2 - boil

Bread slices - 2 ( or use cornflour - this serves as a binder)

Salt to taste

Chilie powder - to taste

Oil for shallow frying

Mash the boiled potato

Dip the bread slices in water briefly and then crush and add to the boiled potato

Add salt and chilie powder.

Mix well.

Make into balls and flatten to make the patties

Shallow fry to a golden brown on a hot pan

Tangy sauce

Tamarind paste - 2 tbsp

Grated Jaggery - 20 gms ( or more)

Chilie powder - 1/2 tsp

Mix to form a thick sauce

( Alternately - make a date tamarind sauce or use raisins)

Serving -

There are different ways the dish is served. You can cut the patties and put into the ragda mixture

or 

Serve the patties and ragda mixture side by side

or

Place the ragda mixture in a bowl and place the patties on top

Garnish with finely chopped onions, and corriander leaves.  And add the tangy sauce.

Pani Puri ( Indian Fast Food)

Indian street food made under sterile conditions may not taste as good as the original!

Ready pani puris
Jal Jira masala  ( readymade)
Soak chick pea overnight and pressure cook till tender
Boiled potato. - mash
Green chillies ( optional ) finely diced
Onions ( optional) finely diced
Black salt/salt ( to taste)


To the mashed potato add boiled chick pea, salt, chopped coriander, onion(optional) and green chillie/chilie powder,a little lime juice and salt.

Make the jal jira water as per instructions given on pack – normally involves – dissolving the masala in cold water, add salt to taste, and if required a dash of lime.

Make a hole in the puri and fill a little of the potato-chick pea mixture and dunk in the Jal jiar water and pop in your mouth.

Enjoy.