Indian States Odyssey–A recap

We walked through each state by food in the Indian States Odyssey Mega Marathon that happened during April 2014. It was so much fun and so much research and so much of learning. There were times were I thought of quitting as I could not find recipes.. But I am so glad I finished this successfully.. Here is a recap of the Mega Marathon

Andhra Pradesh – Dibba Roti

Arunachal Pradesh – Vegetarian Thupka

Assam – Mohura Pitha

Bihar – Aloo Bhujia with Kachori

Chhattisgarh – Gulgule / Gulgula

Delhi – Gajar Ka Halwa

Goa – Goan Style Paneer

Gujarat - Muthia

Haryana – Bajre Ki Khisri

Himachal Pradesh – Khatta Kaddu

Jammu and Kashmir – Aloo Anardana Paratha

Jharkhand – Jhalmuri

Karnataka – Vangi Bath

Kerala – Ada Pradhaman

Madhya Pradesh – Shikanji / Shikanjavi

Maharashtra – Bombay Halwa / Corn Flour Halwa / Karachi Halwa

Manipur – Chaak Hao Tann

Meghalaya – Spicy Asian Slaw

Mizoram – Marcha Rot

Nagaland – Pumpkin Oambal

Orissa – Lachedar Paneer

Pondicherry – Kadala Kuzhambu

Punjab – Makki Di Roti

Rajasthan – Bajra Roti

Sikkim – Vegetable Momos

Tamil Nadu – Kuthiraivali Dosai

Tripura – Panch Poran

Uttar Pradesh – Kaala Jamun / Kala Jamun

Uttaranchal – Til Ki Chutney

West Bengal – Sandesh

Hope you had fun virtually and excitement of visiting the Indian States along with me…

Sandesh / Shondesh–West Bengal

Today we are completing the 30 days Indian States Marathon. Last in the alphabetical order is West Bengal. A state which is very close to my heart. Although I have never spent a lot of time here, I was born in Calcutta (now known as Kolkatta) and I have also done my 11th Standard in there. I have also frequently visited during my holidays. A state cuisine which is very popular for its milk sweets and kachoris and street foods. Sandesh is a specialty from the state of Bengal. Sandesh is a delicacy, served as a dessert. It is made with milk and sugar as it main ingredient but it is not too sweet to give tooth ache. This recipe is not an easy one to make and needs lot of patience and stirring. Garnish with Pistachios as they look very beautiful and contrasting to the color of the sandesh. This recipe will make 20 to 24 sandesh.

MLLA–My Legume Love Affair - 71

I am so excited to be hosting the MLLA#71. MLLA is My Legume Love Affair and it was originally started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook and successfully carried on since 2008, is  now organized and supervised by Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen. It is a monthly event where all of us Food Bloggers from around the world can participate with recipes featuring “legumes”. Here are the rules for the event

1. Event runs from 1st May, 2014 – 31st, May 2014
2. Only Vegetarian dishes are allowed.
3. Only One entry per blog
4. Legumes must be the star ingredient
5. Your post should be linked to this MLLA#71 announcement page, Lisa’s ongoing MLLA event page and Susan’s page. This is Mandatory.
6. Usage of logo is optional, but appreciated as it helps to spread the word
7. Once you have posted the recipe on your blog with the above mentioned links, please send the following details via email to nivedhanams@gmail.com
7.1 Subject – MLLA#71
7.2 Dish name
7.3 Your Name and your blog name
7.4 Your location (needed for prize eligibility purpose)
7.5 Link to your dish on your blog
7.6 Attach a picture (less than 200 kb)
8. Please like me on Facebook
Susan is generously sponsoring a prize and this month it is Lace Beverage Napkins. that she will ship worldwide, at her own expense. If the random winner is a resident of the US, they will win both the Hurst Bean Prize and Susan's offering - otherwise a second draw will take place for the Hurst prize from the pool of US residents
Hurst Beans has agreed to continue as a sponsor meaning US residents have a chance to win a 6-pack assortment of products by the N.K. Hurst Company. For your dish to be included in the roundup, it must contain more than just a few tablespoons of legumes. The slight exception to this are legumes such as fenugreek or tamarind that typically are used in smaller quantities. Fresh or dried beans, lentils, pulses, and the sometimes edible pods that contain these seeds, and derivative products such as tofu or besan, along with tamarind, fenugreek, carob, and peanuts are all acceptable. The possibilities are endless. Just ensure that your shining ingredient is in fact a member of the legume family. All types of cuisines and courses are welcome, so long as the mighty legume is the key ingredient. Recipes from your archives will be accepted if reposted and updated. You may submit your recipe to other events, but please check to see if those hosts have restrictions.
Lisa is looking for guests hosts for 2014. If you are interested, please email her at legume.lisa@gmail.com.
So what are you waiting for?? Prepare yummy dishes and send it to my email ASAP and I will post the roundup in the first week of June along with the winners

Til Ki Chutney–Uttarakhand

Today we are visiting the state of Uttarakhand, previously known as Uttaranchal. Uttarakhand is a one of the newer states formed in November 2000. Uttarakhand has a big significance as two of the major Indian rivers originate here – Ganga, the Gangotri and Yamuna, the Yamunotri. Another important place in Uttarakhand are the 2 holy places – Kedarnath and Badrinath. Today’s recipe is a simple chutney and I got this recipe from here. Chutneys are a boon. They pack so much flavor, but very less work. They are beautiful accompaniment that takes the main dish to the next level.. Can you imagine dosa without chutney?? Bonda without chutney?? idli without chutney?? bajji without chutney?? With and without chutney makes a big difference to the experience of the main dish.. So here is another such chutney which is a delicious one with bajji, idli, dosa, bonda.. It also makes a great dips with chips, nachos etc.. Try this very flavorful one and you will enjoy both making and relishing it..

Kala Jamun / Kaala Jamun - Uttar Pradesh

Come and visit the state of Uttar Pradesh. Uttar means North and Pradesh means place.. So come to the state which is in the Northern part of India. Uttar Pradesh was home to the very powerful empires – Magadha, Mauryan, Gupta etc. If you read Indian history, you will surely read about Uttar Pradesh. If you read Indian Ethics, then also you will come to Uttar Pradesh which has Mathura city. If you are tourist, one of the important places – Taj Mahal is here. Also two main Indian rivers – Ganga and Yamuna join at Allahabad and then flow as Ganga further east. Coming to today’s recipe it is a delicious sweet which is so tasty and authentic. I got this recipe from a few places on Internet. Some websites tell to add sugar to the dough, some do not. I chose the option of adding the sugar to the dough as it will give a caramelized sugar taste and also helps in browning better. Make sure you have the oil on low medium or the inside will remain uncooked.

Panch Poran

Welcome to North Eastern State - Tripura. This was the most difficult state for me to as the Vegetarian options for the state were almost none. I was almost in the verge of skipping Tripura when BM group friends gave me the idea that Bengali population in the state is quite high and the Bengali cuisine is a major part of their traditional and delicious food. I did come across a few Tripura veg and meat based dishes that uses Panch Poran (a Bengali Spice mix) as the main ingredient. So here comes the recipe for the simple spice mix.

Now a small flash back - about 9 years ago. I went to US and was newly married. My husband had a stock of a spice mix (which I have never seen before) and I used it in one of the dishes (I do not remember which one) and it tasted awesome.. So I asked my husband what it is and he said he got in the Indian Grocery store. Just a spice mix and he did not mention the name. My mom and my MIL also loved this spice mix when they had used it in the subsequent years.. Now I did not know its name. The next few times I went to the grocery store, I could not find this spice mix there and also did not know what to ask the store person. I did not know its name.. Then after so many years, I knew its name was "Panch Poran". Panch means 5 and Phoran means spices in Bengali. This is a classic Bengali spice mix.