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This is a traditional Maharashtrian (Konkan) recipe. I learnt it from my mother, she is an awesome cook and just like her other recipes, this recipe too is out of the world. I have been eating this delicious preparation since my childhood and even today whenever I visit her, I ask her to prepare this for me. A quick and finger-licking recipe.

Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
500 gms prawns or shrimps; peeled and deveined,
1 onion; diced,
1/2 cup dessicated coconut,
6 cloves of garlic; crushed,
1/4 tsp turmeric powder,
1 tsp red chilli powder,
Salt to taste,
Oil for frying,
Water,
Chopped coriander leaves to garnish.

Method:
Dry roast the coconut till it turns brown stirring occasionally (do not burn) and grind with little water to a paste.
Meanwhile heat oil in a kadhai (wok), add garlic and roast it till it turns light brown. Then add onion and saute till onion becomes transparent. Then add turmeric and red chilli powder and cook for a minute. Now add the ground coconut paste, stir well, cover and cook for 2 minutes. Uncover, add the prawns, mix, add water to form gravy and again cover with the lid. Pour some water on the lid. Cook on medium-high flame for 5-6 minutes or till prawns are cooked. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve with chapatis (Indian bread).

I prepared this pulao for Diwali and it turned out awesome. It is a very simple and quick recipe of pulao with minimal spices but tastes really good.

Ingredients:
1 cup basmati rice,
2 small onions; halved and thinly sliced,
2 small carrots; diced into 1″ long pieces,
1 cup shelled green peas,
3-4 bay leaves (tejpatta),
4-5 cloves (laung),
8-10 peppercorns (kalimirch),
2-3 cinnamon (dalchini) sticks,
4 green cardamom (chhoti elaichi)
1/2 tsp caraway seeds (shahjeera),
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera),
Salt to taste,
2 1/2 cups water,
3-4 tbsp ghee (homemade butter).

Method:
Wash the rice and set it aside till you prepare the vegetables.
Melt ghee in a large deep pan or a pressure cooker/pan on medium flame. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon and fry for 30 seconds. Now add shahjeera, jeera, onion and saute till it turns transparent (not brown). Then add carrots and green peas. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then uncover, add washed rice, mix well. Add water (2 1/2 cups if you are cooking in an open pan or 2 cups in a pressure cooker/pan) and salt, stir well and cover and cook (for open pan; cook for around 15-20 minutes by stirring at intervals or pressure cook upto 2 whistles). Serve hot with dum aloo, kofta curry, any vegetable curry or dal tadka.

This recipe for stuffed paratha is my innovation; with a mixture of Punjabi and Maharashtrian flavor; tried, tested and loved by my family and friends. A healthy and complete food that could be served as breakfast or even as a meal. Ideal food for kids. Hope you all like it.

Ingredients:
For the paratha-
1 huge bunch of methi leaves; washed and finely chopped,
Wheat as required,
1/2 tsp turmeric powder,
2 tsp red chilli powder,
1 tsp dhania-jeera (coriander-cumin) powder,
1 tbsp garlic paste,
1/2 cup yogurt,
Salt to taste.

For the stuffing-
500gms paneer; crumbled,
2 onions,
2-3 green chillies,
Salt to taste,
Oil for tempering.

Other-
Chat masala,
Butter/oil for frying.

Method:
Mix together the ingredients for paratha and knead a tight dough. Add little water only if required. Set it aside for at least 30-40 minutes.
Meanwhile to prepare the stuffing, grind together onions and green chillies till fine. Then heat little oil in a kadhai (wok) and add ground onion and chilli and roast till onion changes it color. Then add the crumbled paneer, salt and cook on low flame till all the moisture has dried up. Keep stirring occasionally so that it doesnt turn brown and stick to the bottom of the kadhai. When the stuffing is ready and dry, remove from flame and let it cool.
Make small balls (little bigger than a lemon), dust with flour and roll into small puris (circles). Stuff in a spoonful of paneer filling and bring together the edges of the puri to meet and seal well. Again dust with flour and roll into parathas.
Heat a tava (griddle) and place a paratha on it. Pour a spoonful of oil on the sides of the paratha and over it, spread and roast the paratha from both sides till crisp and nice golden brown in color. Similarly prepare all the stuffed parathas. Sprinkle chat masala over it and serve with butter, yogurt, pickle, chutney or ketchup.

Ingredients:
1 cup finely chopped methi (fenugreek) leaves,
1 cup wheat flour,
2 tbsp gramflour (besan),
1 onion; grated,
1 green chilli; deseeded and finely chopped,
1/4 tsp turmeric powder,
1/2 tsp red chilli powder,
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste,
1/4 cup white til (sesame seeds),
Salt to taste,
Oil for kneading and frying,
Water.

Method:
In a large mixing bowl, combine washed and chopped methi leaves, onion, green chilli, flours, turmeric and red chilli powder, salt, 1 tbsp oil and mix well. Now slowly add water (little at a time) and knead a dough. Set it aside for 15 minutes. Then make medium potato size balls, roll a small round, using rolling pin and flour for dusting. Apply little oil or ghee and fold it into semi-circle. Then again apply some oil and fold into triangle. Dust with flour and start rolling. Now sprinkle some sesame seeds on the board and some on the top portion of the paratha, press with your fingers and roll into a paratha.
Heat a griddle, grease with some oil, place the rolled paratha, put some oil from its sides. Let the paratha cook well from both sides similarly and then serve hot with yogurt, butter or ketchup.

Ingredients:
1/2 kg brinjals,
2-3 cloves of garlic; crushed,
2″ piece ginger; crushed
1/2 tsp rai (mustard seeds),
1/2 tsp jeera (cumin seeds),
1 tsp methi (fenugreek) seeds,
2 tsp turmeric powder,
2 tsp red chilli powder,
1 1/2 cup sugar,
1 1/2 cup refined vegetable oil,
1/2 cup vinegar,
2 tbsp salt.

Method:
Soak together chilli powder, turmeric powder, jeera, mustard seeds, garlic and ginger in vinegar for an hour. Then grind this to a paste. Heat oil in a pan and saute this ground paste on low flame for two minutes. Then add sugar, salt and mix well, add the brinjal and cook on low flame. Do not cover or add water, since this pickle needs to be preserved there should not be any water content. When brinjal has cooked, let it cool and preserve in dry bottle. Add some oil on the top of the pickle if you want to store this for a longer time. You can also serve this pickle as a vegetable, but in that case use less oil.