Gul Poli

Come January it is time for "Sankranti" or "Pongal" the northward journey of the sun, basically the harvest season.

 Different regions of our country celebrate it differently. Here in Goa now that the days are longer women go around celebrating "Haldi Kum Kum" bedecked in beautiful saris, jewellery visiting each others homes.

 This also the only time traditionally you can wear black, in Maharshtra, the newly wed bride is presented with black sari and is decked with jewellery made from tiny til balls called til gul.  You go round saying,"Til Gul Ghaya , Good good bola" i.e. eat til and jaggery, speak sweetly reminding us on the basic necessity of society.

You make Til/ Sesame seed  Chiki, Ladoos, basically I feel that this being the cold season your body needs high fat and oil seeds so what best way to eat high calorie foods.

This is also the season for Gul Poli or Belad Holgi, again my favourite sweet ( I generally eat any kind of sweet);) and thankfully one that at least  that one of my daughters eats.

Now a days I get my Bela or Gul or jaggery ready made from Pune so things are a lot simpler for my Poli ki Bai (one of the things that absolutely defeats me is making chapatti or poli of any form so I necessarily depend on my Bai).

I have given the recipe for making the Gul which was dictated by my husband's Maushi, Kusum Maushi an excellent cook !

All the cup measures here are of a wati/ katori/ batla what we traditionally use for serving daal.

Method:

For the Gul:

1 kg jaggery (cut in to small pieces)

1 cup   about (150) ml + some more say a tblspn + ¼ cup oil

1 cup roasted and ground Til/sesame seeds

½ cup dry coconut roasted and ground

1 cup besan /kadli hit/Chana daal atta

Method:

Gul for Gul Poli or the Bela

1.       Roast besan with a little oil on low flame. The besan has to be roasted till it changes colour and is reddish and it gives a nice aroma. Keep aside.

2.       Take one ladle oil and add all the jaggery. Melt all the jaggery on low flame. Moment the jaggery melts remove the pan from the flame .Please take care that the jaggery does not boil.

3.       Add 1 cup oil, besan/kadli hit/chana daal atta, til powder and stir well till well mixed.

4.       This is your Gul for Gul poli.  When done correctly you jaggery will be soft and malleable, if not please bring out the good old   pestle and pound it till it becomes soft.

For the Poli or Holgi:

Traditionally the mix is

3 cups Maida

1 cup whole wheat flour

½ cup hot oil (Mohan)

Salt

Mix all the ingredients to soft dough between poori and chapatti atta.

But this time my SIL told me to mix

1 cup wheat flour

1 tblspn of rava/sooji

Salt

To a soft parthas dough and work in about 3 tblspn of oil as we do for chapatti dough. Let the dough rest for about ½ an hour.

Method:

1.       To make the Holgi take 2 small balls of dough and 1 ball of the gul.

2.       Make small round chapattis about the size of a pani puri. Put one ball of the gul flattened on one of the chapatti cover with the other. Seal the edges.

3.        Roll out to a small chapatti.

4.       Roast on the tava both sides.

5.       Please be careful as hot jaggery burns very badly. Cool them spread out.

6.       These are not soft  but like roasted papad.

7.       These keep for a  2-3 days .

Mushroom Tonak

"Tonak" is  a gravy dish very popular here in Goa. You generally eat Tonak in the night with the delicious "pao", "poli" or "uno" brought from the "Poder" who comes honking on his cycle with a bamboo basket of his wares covered and still hot from the oven, when you buy it. If the tonak is left over have it in the morning for you breakfast again with the hot breads supplied by the "Poder".

I have made mushroom tonak but it is made out of  a variety of legumes right from dried peas, alsande or black eyed beans, whole masoor only soak them.

Tonak is, I have been told by my neighbour, a corrupted form of the word "Tondak lav pak" literally something to apply for the mouth.

Ingredients:

 1 ½ cups freshly grated coconut

1 onion chopped, lengthwise

6 cloves garlic

1-2 onions, chopped fine

200 grams of mushroom, chopped

A small ball of tamarind

Oil

Salt

Haldi/turmeric

a few springs of coriander

For the masala:

1 tsp coriander seeds

¼ tsp jeera

¼ tsp bedishep

½ tsp khus khus

3-4 red chillies

1 inch piece of cinnamon

4 cloves

4-5 black pepper

1 petal of star aniseed/dagad phool

A small piece of jaiphal/ nutmeg

Method:

1.       In a tsp of oil fry the red chillies, keep aside. Fry the other ingredients for the masala individually add oil if necessary. Keep aside.

2.        In the same pan fry the coconut,  onion chopped lengthwise and garlic, on low flame till the coconut is reddish brown in colour, use oil if needed. Cool.

3.       Grind to a fine paste the fried masala and coconut mixture with the tamarind and coriander.

4.       In another pan with another tsp or two of oil fry the onions till soft then add the chopped mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms till done adding water if needed.

5.       Add the ground masala paste, turmeric, salt.

H6.     Serve hot.

Here i have mixed tonak  with tomatoes chopped fine because I like the colour of tomatoes.

Kothimbir Vadi

Suddenly today morning I decided to make "KOTHIMBIR WADI" since I love coriander in any form I am quite surprised I don't make it often. The entire process of making the vadi to frying them took 30 to 45 minutes simple and fast. There are no proportions the quantities suggested are not measured you can adjust all the ingredients as per your taste.

Ingredients:

¼ cup oil

10-15 cloves of garlic, crushed

A big handful of coriander after chopping about 1 cup

½ cup water

¼ cup besan/kadli hit/chana daal atta

Salt

¼ tsp haldi/turmeric

1 tsp chilli powder  

 Method:

1.       Mix the besan/kadli hit/chana daal atta, haldi/turmeric and chilli powder with a little water to form a paste with no lumps.

2.       Grease a plate with oil and grease a base of a flat bowl. Keep aside

3.       Heat ½ the oil and fry the garlic till reddish.

4.       Next add the coriander and fry till the coriander wilts a little.

5.       Pour a little water in the pan and add the salt.

6.       Add the besan/kadli hit/chana daal atta paste stirring with one hand as you add the paste with the other.

7.       Cook till the mixture dries up and forms a lump in the centre of the pan. (I prefer to add a blob of the mixture on the plate and flatten it, after it cools a little the vadi if done it comes off the plate easily).

8.       When this is done transfer all the mixture to the greased plate and pat the mix with the bowl's base. Use some oil on the base if needed.

9.       Cool the mixture. Cut in pieces.

10.   Now comes the most difficult decision and the use of the rest of the oil. To fry the pieces in oil or not…. To be or not to be.

11.   If to finally decide to fry the pieces shallow fry them on a non stick pan. And watch them diappear.

(no subject)

Happy Holidays and may the best be yet to come!!!!


Here's to 2011!!!!!!!


Ten Great Tips For 2011


1. Stay out of trouble.


2. Aim for greater heights.


3. Stay focused on your job.


4. Exercise to maintain good health.


5. Practice team work.


6. Rely on your trusted partner to watch your back. Take your time trusting others.


7. Save for rainy days.


8. Rest and relax


9. Always take time to smile.


AND


10.. Realize that nothing is impossible.




THE SENILITY PRAYER :
Grant me the senility to forget the people
I never liked anyway,
The good fortune to run into the ones I do, and
The eyesight to tell the difference.


Now, . .you are supposed to share this with a bunch of your friends.




And remember this:
"You don't stop laughing because you grow old,




You grow old because you stop laughing!!!"