SUGAR CANE JUICE

If you read my other blog you will find a post  HERE where I write about my trip to Mahabaleshwar, If you have been reading my blog right from the beginning you will know that I love to visit markets or places where they either sell or make things to eat or drink...

I was passing by this market at place in a small village called MANGAON whenever I see vendors selling what they produce or when I see someone making something associated with day to day life , I just cannot stop myself from wanting to buy something from them or just watch them work...

So while driving by ,that day I saw this lady selling freshly squeezed sugar cane juice and I made my hubby stop the car so that we could drink a glass and also see how she did this...

You can find the benefits of  sugarcane juice HERE .

I do not say that its very hygienic to drink from such places ,but if you take care to see that the juice is freshly squeezed (right in front of you ), the glass is clean and try not to add the ice, I feel that it is safe enough to consume .

On a hot day in India, there’s no better way to quench your thirst than drinking Sugar Cane juice. 

The sugar cane stalks are harvested and then pressed to create the sweet sugary taste, and you’ll find this favorite refreshment being served in outdoor stands across the country.

The benefits of drinking this juice are many although its better to be avoided by the diabetics for its high sugar content...

The sugar cane juicer has been used for centuries to press the sugarcane stalk and extract the plant's naturally sweet juice for consumption and/or the production of sugar, cane syrup or molasses. Since sugar cane juice is a very sweet unrefined carbohydrate, it has become one of the more popular vegetable juice drinks in today's health conscious world. Sugar cane juice is not only delightful to the palate; it is good for you too. Many nutritionists believe the organic juice extracted from the sugarcane plant provides healthy qualities from boosting an individual's immune response to disease to soothing an upset digestive tract. 

You can have this golden yellow juice with a little lemon juice and a little ginger . It can also be had with lemon and rock salt or just on its own...

Here is a link where you can read about its benefits...

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Typical Daily food...

 

This is very typical plate that you will find whenever there is fish on the menu

On the plate there is

surmai or king fish fry

dal or ambat varan

matki usal

methi bhaji

DAHI WADA

CURD is one versatile dish which can be used for so many dishes it is high in proteins and hence a must for all of us.. Dahi wada is an item which is commonly made in many homes and one of my favorites .. It can be served as a side dish and also as a evening tea item...

I love to have the wadas which are the lentil or dal deep fried dumplings with loads and loads of curds so in my plate you will find it with more amount of curds than the dumplings...

Here is the recipe DAHI VADA 

INGREDIENTS

For the wadas:

2 cups udad dal soaked for about 7-8 hours
salt to taste

For the Dahi:

Take 2 cups of dahi or curds and churn a little till all lumps are broken don’t overdo it.
Add sandwich masala or chat masala which contains black salt, cumin, salt etc
you can add 1 tbsp ginger-chili paste (this is optional)

Coriander finely chopped for garnishing
Chilli powder for garnishing.

METHOD

Grind the udad dal to a fine and thick paste, do not add too much water.
Add salt to it
Deep fry the wadas i.e. dip your finger in a bowl of water and pick up the batter and drop in the hot oil very carefully alternatively you can dip a big spoon in water and then pick up a little batter and drop it in the hot oil…
After they are fried just put them in a bowl of warm water and let them stay there till they are served.
Mix all the ingredients of the dahi or the yoghurt together.
While serving, remove the wada from the warm water and squeeze it lightly.
Take a bowl arrange the dahi wadas in it and then the spiced yoghurt is poured over it.
Garnish it with coriander, chilli powder and sandwich masala

SPICY FISH CURRY

When fish curry is made at home , we have a specific combination or ingredients which go into the coconut gravy for a particular fish.. you cannot make the prawn curry ingredient for the king fish curry or the vice versa...

So when you see that I have made a curry, know that its specifically made for that particular fish so the curries are fish oriented .. sometimes the same gravy can be used for one another type of fish but that's all no more...


Today I am giving you the recipe of a favorite of mine and that's the hot and spicy mackerel fish curry... I love to have it with rice (that's normal in a goan household) but I love it with roti too.. It should be had hot i.e off the stove with nice basmati rice ...you can have a goan papad with it too as an accomplishment...or a side...

INGREDIENTS

1 cup freshly grated coconut

 3 bedgi chilies which give a red ( i.e. orange with haldi ) colour to the curry and spicy

 One inch ginger piece

 Haldi powder ½ tsp

 A small ball tamarind and salt to taste.

A berry called “teffal” is added at the end to give the required specific  flavor to the dish. (I think it’s from the schezwan pepper family)

Mackerels are washed , cleaned and cut into convenient pieces.

METHOD:
In a pan add about ½ cup of water and cook one green chili and a small piece of ginger which is lightly crushed

Grind together coconut, red chilies, turmeric powder, tamarind and ginger.
Put it in a pan and dilute it with water till the required consistency.
Add salt, crushed teffal fruit and cook till mixture boils.
Add the mackerel pieces and cook till the fish is cooked, which takes about 5 mins.
you can adjust  the taste by adding a little tamarind juice if it’s too hot .

I hope you enjoy the curry . Teffal is a very important ingredient in this dish for the flavour it gives which is quite strong so I recommend if you try it for the first time you can leave it out (it tastes great even without it..) ..secondly you might find it very commonly so its better to try this dish without it...