Summer is here!!!!!
So here is one perfect refreshing summer drink recipe for you :)
In Maharashtra we prepare a cool drink called "Kairiche Panhe" or "Kairi Panha".  It's made of Kairi (Raw Mango) and it has sweet tangy flavor.  It is believed that drinking of raw Mango juice reduces your body heat and helps keeping you away from the summer heat.
Raw Mangoes are usually available in March and April. You can easily store thick Raw Mango pulp in the fridge for a month.  So you can use anytime to make "Kairiche Panhe"


Ingredients:

2 Raw Mangoes
Sugar/ Jaggery
1/2 tablespoon Cardamom powder
Pinch of Saffron
Salt as per your taste
Few Mint leaves for Garnish
Chat Masala to taste (Optional)


Method:

Wash the Mangoes. Peel off the skin and boil the mangoes till they turn soft.
It will take 10 to 15 min to cook properly.  Once Mangoes cooked, turn off the heat and let the mangoes cool completely.

Remove the Mango seed and separate the pulp.  Take the twice amount of Sugar/Jaggery of Mango pulp.  Blend the pulp well with Sugar/ Jaggery till it becomes a smooth thick paste.
Transfer the paste in a bowl.  Add Cardamom Powder, Saffron and stir it well.
For final serving take a glass, add 2 or 3 tablespoon thick Mango pulp.

Add Cold water with some ice cubes. Add pinch of salt. You can add Chat masala if you want.  Stir well and serve chilled. Garnish with some Mint leaves.

Pallavi Mane

Zunka is a very popular traditional Maharashtrian dish. Zunka is a dry version of "Pithala".
This dish is a very simple and easy to make.  Gram Flour (Besan) is the main ingredient in this dish. It is saute in oil with onion, Masala and other few ingredients.  Zunka goes very well with Bhakri (Jawar Roti) and it is also referred as Zunka Bhakar.

Ingredients : 
6 - 8 tablespoon Oil
1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoon ginger, garlic, green chili paste
2 Onions, Chopped
1/2  teaspoon Turmeric
1 tablespoon red chili powder
1 1/2 Cup Gram Flour
1/2 Cup water
Salt to taste
Fresh Coriander

Method :

Heat oil in a Kadhai/Pan.  Add Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds, Ginger + Garlic + Green Chili paste.
Add Chopped onion and fry for 2 -3 minutes.
After that add Gram Flour and roast it for another 2 - 3 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup water. Add salt as per the test and cover it.  Let it cook for 6 - 8 minutes on medium heat.
After 6 - 8 minutes, turn off the heat and sprinkle some fresh coriander.
Serve hot Zunka with Bhakri.

Pallavi Mane

Misal Pav is very popular spicy Maharashtrian CHAT dish. This dish mainly consists of spicy curry usually made of sprouted moth beans, commonly known as Matki and Chiwda mixture (Farsan/Sev).

The final dish is topped with Chiwda mixture, chopped onion, lemon and chopped Coriander.  It is usually served with butter toasted Bread or Pav.
There are different version of Misal Pav such as Kolhapuri Misal, Nashik Misal, Puneri Misal etc.

Ingredient 

For Curry :

6 - 8 tablespoons Oil
2 Cups Sprouted Matki (Moth Beans)
1 large onion
2 Tomatoes
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
2 1/2 tablespoon Kolhapuri Masala (Substitute = 2 tablespoons Red chili powder + 1/2 tablespoon Garam masala + 1/2 tablespoon Coriander powder)
1/2 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder (Optional)
Salt to taste.

For Final Serving :

Farsan/ Sev
Chopped onion
Lemon
Coriander
4 - 6 Pav/Bread

Method :

Heat oil in the pan, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves.  Add chopped onion and turmeric.  Saute this mixture together for 3 - 4 minutes.
Add ginger garlic paste and sprouted Matki.  Saute the mixture for another 3 - 4 minutes, so sprouted Matki will roast properly.
Now add Kolhapuri masala and tomatoes, saute it till the mixture becomes soft.
After that add 2 - 3 cups water.  Add salt as per your taste and cover it.
Let it cook for another 10 - 15 minutes. Finally, add some fresh Coriander.

Take curry in a bowl and add Farsan into that.  Serve it with butter toasted Pav/ Bread and slice of lemon.  Garnish with some chopped onion and fresh Coriander.

Pallavi Mane

Bharli Shimla Mirchi is a spicy side dish. In this recipe, Capsicum or green bell peppers are stuffed with roasted peanut crush and spices. There are many variations of making the stuffing and even with different ingredients. This one is my mom's recipe.

Ingredients :

4 - 5 small capsicum/ Green bell Pepper
1 Medium Chopped Onion

For Filling :

1/2 Cup roasted Peanut crush
2 tablespoons Red chili powder
1/2 tablespoon Garam Masala
1/2 tablespoon Coriander powder
Salt to taste

For Tadka :

4 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
6 - 8 Curry leaves
1 tablespoon Ginger Garlic paste
Fresh Coriander

 Method :

Cut the tops off the capsicums and remove the seeds.  Rinse them and keep aside.
Now for filling take a bowl and add 1/2 cup peanut crush, 2 tablespoon red chili powder,  1/2  tablespoon Garam masala, 1/2 tablespoon Coriander Powder and salt as per your taste.
Take the Capsicums and stuff the mixture inside.

Heat oil in a Kadhai/pan, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, Curry leaves, some Coriander leaves, turmeric powder and saute it.
Now add chopped onion and saute it till they become brown, add ginger garlic paste, saute it for another 1 or 2 minutes. You can add leftover stuffing in the pan.

Add stuffed Capsicums in the Kadhai, add 1/2 cup water and cover it. Let it cook for 10 minutes. After 10 Minutes remove the lid and turn the capsicums. Let it cook for another 10 minutes.
If you feel the capsicum is dry you can add water as per your need.

 Turn off the heat, add fresh coriander. Serve with Roti/Chapati or Rice.

Pallavi Mane

Katachi Amti is a spicy curry made using leftover water from boiled Chana dal used for making Puran Poli. You can separately boil Chana dal if you are just making Katachi Amti.


Ingredients For Dal :

1/2 Cup Chana Dal
3 Cup water

 Ingredients For Amti/Curry Masala Paste :  

4 tablespoons dry shredded Coconut
1 tablespoon shredded Ginger
1 tablespoon shredded Garlic
1/4 Cup fresh Coriander

Ingredients For Tadka :

3 tablespoons Oil
1 tablespoon Jeera/Cumin seeds
1 tablespoon Mustard seeds
2 Bay Leaves
6 - 8 Curry Leaves
3 tablespoons Kolhapuri Tikhat Masala
(You can use 1 and half tablespoon Red Chilli Powder + 1 tablespoon Garam Masala as a substitute)
Salt to taste.


Method :

Boil the Chana Dal or  Cook Chana dal in pressure cooker.  After Dal is cooked, strain all water from dal and mash the leftover dal so you can use that in the curry.

Grind the Coconut, Ginger, Garlic and fresh Coriander together.
Now heat oil in a pan. Add Curry leaves, Bay leaves, Cumin seeds, Mustard seeds and saute it together.  Add masala paste and Kolhapuri tikhat masala,  saute that mixture for 3 - 4 Minutes.
Finally, add the smashed dal and water. Let it boil for 10 more minutes. Sprinkle some fresh Coriander.

Serve it with Puran Poli. It tastes best with Rice too.

Pallavi Mane