Ragda Patties

It's been a while since I made ragda patties. Last time, my friend, Maryum, asked me for the recipe and I completely forgot to send it to her. My aplogies, Maryum. Today's post is for you.  Hope you like it. :)

Ragda Patties (pronounced pattice) is a popular snack from Mumbai. The first time I had it was on my birthday, four years ago when I was visiting Mumbai for my cousin's engagement. It is super super yummy and easy to make. There are many ways to make it. Here is my take on the dish...

Ingredients:

For Ragda

4 cups of dried white peas or chickpeas 

2 tbsp oil

2 black cardamoms 

2 cloves

2 pieces of dried red chilies, broken in half

1 bay leaf

6 peppercorns

1 tsp cumin seeds

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 roma tomatoes, pureed

1 Serrano pepper, finely chopped

A pinch of asafoetida (hing)

3 tbsp chana masala 

3 tbsp garam masala

1 tbsp paprika

2 tbsp dried mango powder (aamchur)

Salt to taste

For Patties (or Pattice)

3 large potatoes

1 tbsp garam masala

2 tbsp chaat masala

1 tbsp dried mango powder

1 tsp red chili flakes

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup of cilantro leaves, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

For Green Chutney

1/4 cup mint leaves

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

1 tsp pomegranate seeds powder

2 Serrano peppers (or more if you want it to be really spicy)

1/2 cup yogurt

Salt to taste

For garnish

Onions, finely chopped

Cilantro leaves, chopped

Aloo bhujia (A crisp snack, available in any Indian store)

Green chutney 
Chaat Masala

Method:

1. Boil the chickpeas. I actually didn't soak them overnight and pressure cooked them for half an hour on medium heat. It worked just fine. I guess soaking them overnight would make it cook faster but if you forgot, it's still okay :)

2. While the chickpeas are boiling, cook the gravy. In a pan, heat oil and add cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, dried red chilies and bay leaf. Then add a pinch of asafoetida.

3. Cook for a few seconds, making sure not to burn any of the spices. Add ginger, garlic and Serrano pepper. Cook for a few seconds.

4. Add onions and cook until it turns transparent. Then add garam masala, chana masala, dried mango powder and salt.

5. Now add the pureed tomatoes.

6. Mix the puree with the onions and cook for 5-10 minutes on medium heat. The oil will eventually begin to separate.

7. By the time the gravy is properly cooked, it would've reduced. Once the gravy is done, add it  to the chickpeas with paprika and your ragda is ready. Remember, don't make the ragda too soupy. We're not going to eat it with rice so make sure it is a thick gravy. Simmer the ragda for as long as it takes to reach desired consistency.

8. While the ragda simmers, boil potatoes and mash them. Add garam masala, dried mango powder, chaat masala, red chili flakes, garlic powder, corn starch, salt and pepper. Mix everything. You may add a pepper to this but I think it gets too spicy so I didn't add it. It does add a nicer flavor to the mix though.

9. Add cilantro leaves and mix.

10. Create 3 inch round balls. Press them between your palms to make them slightly flat so they can be shallow fried easily. Take a look at the picture below for a better idea. These are called "tikkis" or "pattice" in this case. You should be able to yield at least ten tikkis if not more.

11. Heat some oil in a pan for shallow frying. Usually people use vegetable oil and cover the bottom of the pan. I use 3 tbsp of olive oil because I don't like the idea of it being cooked in too much oil.

12. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Keep checking the sides to make sure they don't burn.

13. Once they are cooked, put them on a plate covered with tissue paper and let the oil drain out.

14. Make the green chutney. This is the simplest to make. Add at the ingredients in a blender and blend away. Add water accordingly for desired consistency and taste check for salt. If it's too spicy for you, add more yogurt. You kind of have to taste check throughout to make sure it tastes just right for you.

15. Plating: This is an important step because you have to make sure it is plated correctly to enjoy the yumminess of it. On a dinner plate, place the patties. I plated this for my husband, so I put four. I put just two for myself because I knew I wouldn't be able to eat more than two. So this depends on how hungry you are. 

16. Add the ragda over the patties.

17. Now pour some chutney over it. Most people would put a sweet date and tamarind chutney over this as well. I didn't because I already put dried mango powder in the ragda. I didn't need it to be more sour. You may add some if you like. 

18. Sprinkle chopped onions and cilantro.

19. Sprinkle aloo bhujia. If you don't have aloo bhujia, don't worry. It'll still taste pretty good without it :)

20. Sprinkle some chaat masala over all this and it's ready to be served :)

Enjoy a Mumbai-roadside chaat experience at home. We love it!

I hope you liked it, too, Maryum. If you end up making it, let me know how it went :)

Loads of love

x 

Canyonlands National Park -- Island in the Sky

So after we got done checking out Arches National Park, we still had some time left before heading back home. We decided to visit Canyonlands National Park. It's like 30-40 minutes away from Arches. What we didn't realize was that this park is divided into four districts: the Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze, and the rivers themselves. Unfortunately, the three districts have three different entrances and are not interconnected. There are two paved entrances into Canyonlands: Highway 313 leads to the Island in the Sky, while Highway 211 leads to the Needles. Roads to the Maze are a mix of graded dirt and 4WD. These roads can become inaccessible when wet.

Canyonlands National Park is open 24 hours a day, all year long. The entrance fees are the same as Arches National Park - $10 per vehicle for 7 days.

This park looks like a smaller version of the Grand Canyon. Of course the name suggests the same - "Canyonlands"... The Island in the Sky district is a broad tableland to the north of the park between Colorado and Green river with many overlooks from the White Rim, a sandstone bench 1,200 feet below the Island, and the rivers, which are another 1,000 feet  below the White Rim. 

Hikers, mountain bikers, backpackers, and four-wheelers all enjoy traveling in the rugged trails within the park. Rafters and kayakers float in the Green River and Colorado River above the junction of the two rivers.

We had about two hours to spend here so we asked someone at the visitor center what would be the best things to see and do here. He suggested that we should go see the Mesa Arch first. It was a short hike to the arch with breathtaking views of the canyon as a backdrop. 

Us under the Mesa Arch

Then there were three other view points called Buck Canyon Overlook, White Rim Overlook  and Grand View Point Overlook.

Buck Canyon Overlook

The entire park is like a half an hour drive to all the view points. There are lots of trails to do here. We just did one hike to the Mesa Arch, visited all the view points and then left. I would consider checking out the Needles the next time around. I've heard it's really nice.

Grand View Point Overlook

I think it was a nice and short trip. It gives you little feeling of being in the Grand Canyon. It's not as "grand" but enough. I would suggest stopping by here and doing a few hikes. We didn't get a chance to do much here but if you have more time, you should definitely go around. There is a point here where it looks like it was hit by an asteroid. I think we missed that spot. Scientists are still debating about how that place came to be the way it is. It's amazing what nature does and places like these are living examples. 

Have a nice day!

x

Arches National Park, Moab

Over the weekend, Ankit and I traveled to Moab to visit Arches National Park. It was about a 4 hours drive from South Ogden (where we live). We left at 6 in the morning. 

Arches National Park is situated in Eastern Utah and preserves about 2000 natural sandstone arches. The park lies on an underground salt bed. It is said that some 300 million  years ago, the sea flowed through this region and evaporated over time. Now there is a whole scientific explanation over how the arches were formed which I can't explain. If you're really interested, open up wikipedia or just go to Arches National Park. There is a very informative video at the visitor's center which explains it all. 

Ankit at the park entrance

Arches National Park is open 24 hours, seven days a week, all year round.  

The entrance fees are cheaper than it is in most national parks. Getting the annual pass was the best thing we did because there are sooo many parks in and around Utah. There are a bunch of parks in just Moab.

Park Avenue View Point

Many of the rocks form to make faces. Really cool.

How cool is that?

Me at Park Avenue

Ankit at Balanced Rock

The Balanced Rock has a short and easy trail which takes you around the rock. 

North Window

Here is the first arch we hiked to. You can do a Windows loop trail and get a close view of the North, South and Turret Arches. 

Ankit sitting under the arch

After this, we decided to do a trail to the world-famous Delicate Arch. Delicate Arch happens to have become the unofficial symbol of Utah. If you ever come to Utah, you'll see that the number plates on the cars here have a picture of the Delicate Arch. It is rated the most beautiful arch in the world. The trail took us about 2.5 hours round trip because we stopped a lot to take pictures. It is absolutely beautiful. And once you reach the arch, it'll make your trip worthwhile. I suggest everyone who visits Arches to do this trail for sure.

Ankit and I stopped half way to take a break and enjoy the scenery

It is super windy up here and the sun is hot. Remember to take at least a gallon of water per person because this is the desert after all. Keep your throat from being parched and stay hydrated throughout the trip. Bring a sunscreen. I'm brown enough and still got tanned even though I put sunscreen (30 SPF). So if you have sensitive skin, I'd recommend you bring the 50 SPF. 

Delicate Arch

There it is. It is huge and looks very grand. It is totally worth all the effort to come up here and the backdrop is absolutely beautiful. 

Ankit and I under the Delicate Arch

There are so many more beautiful Arches in this park. This was the main, long trail that Ankit and I chose to do. The sole of my shoe slid out after I hiked back down from here. It gets pretty steep on the way back down. I saw many people hiking in sandals, too. I thought that was very brave of them (lol). But it's not a hard trail; lots of little kids were doing it, too. 

Sand Dune Arch

While we were visiting, we stayed a night at the Super 8 motel. The room was cheap and one of the few which were available. Book in advance unlike us, who booked a night before leaving. Super 8 did impress us though. 

Check the room out.

We've  stayed at Super 8 before, but this was by far the nicest Super 8 motels we've stayed at. 

For $79, we got this room with flat screen TV (with HBO), very comfortable beds with clean sheets, microwave, fridge, coffee maker (with coffee, tea, sugar and creamer), lots of towels and a bathtub (with hot shower). There is a pool and hot tub in the motel, too, along with complimentary breakfast. The price would be a lot lot cheaper had we booked in advance. This place is just five minutes from the park and a really nice place to stay. Don't believe in those snobby reviews you read about this place on websites. To those who thought this place was dirty or stinky-- What more were you expecting for such a low price? Chill and be happy.

There are lots of places to eat. If you are looking online to find a place to eat, don't bother. Just drive down and you'll see lots of places which aren't even listed online. It's a nice, little touristy town which looks very pretty at night. We took a stroll around the town after dinner and it was beautiful. 

If you live in Utah, I'd suggest you get out this weekend. The weather is just perfect for hiking right now. Going a little later in the year might be too hot to visit. I'm sure it gets as nice as this time in September and October as well. 

Have a great day :)

x

Gujiya -- Sweet Coconut Pierogies

For Holi, I made Gujiyas. As mentioned in my earlier post about Holi, making and distributing gujiyas is a Holi tradition and true to the culture, I made gujiyas at home and distributed them. Since this was my first time, I made just eight gujiyas but they turned out to taste quite nice. So here is my recipe -- a mix of recipes from my Mother-in-Law, my Mum and stuff I made up along the way :p

Ingredients:

For dough

2 cups of all-purpose flour (maida)

1/4 cup of gram flour (besan)

3 tbsp ghee (or unsalted butter)

Water for kneading 

For filling

2 cups of sweetened coconut flakes (If you don't have the sweet ones, use whichever available)

1 tbsp ghee

10 cashew nuts, finely chopped

10 almonds, finely chopped

3/4 cup raisins

Pinch of nutmeg powder

1/2 tsp green cardamom powder

Pinch of ginger powder

Pinch of cinnamon powder 

1 cup powdered sugar (If you don't have the sweet coconut flakes, you'll need to add another cup of sugar. Taste check and add accordingly.)

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Method:

1. In a bowl, add the flours, rub in the ghee and slowly add water to knead into a stiff dough. Cover it with a moist cloth and set aside.

2. Chop up your almonds and nuts. I had serious issues with chopping the almonds so I roughly chopped them like in the picture below. It worked just fine. However, I would suggest, you blanch the almonds, peel them and then chop them. It'll just be easier. But if you don't have them ready, chopping them up the way I did is fine, too.

3. Now if you have cardamom powder, great. If not, you can grind the seeds with a mortar and pestle, too. I like them ground that way because I feel it gives out a better flavor.

4. Once you have your ingredients for the filling ready, go ahead and cook it. Sweetened coconut flakes can be easily found in any Walmart. But if you don't have those at hand, you can use the unsweetened ones. Just remember to add more sugar to it.

5. In a pan, heat some ghee.

6. Add the almonds and cashews. Fry for a minute, then add the coconut flakes. Mix well.

7. Cook this mix for 2-3 minutes and then add nutmeg powder, powdered sugar, ginger powder, cinnamon powder, cardamom powder and cream. It should look like a nice and sticky mixture like in the picture below.

8. Cook for 6-7 minutes. Once you feel it tastes good and is cooked enough, turn off the heat and add raisins. Mix them well. They will become moist and soft when mixed into the hot filling. Let it sit aside to cool.

9. While the filling is cooling, make little 2 inch balls with the dough.

10. Use a rolling pin to roll them out into 4-5 inch discs. Rub some water with your fingers on the edge of the disc. This helps the dough to stick better when folded. 

11. Put some filling on one side of the dough. The more filling the better but you sort of have to make sure there isn't too much of it because the dough will break when you try to fold it. This is where you guess and figure it out. This part is the most time-consuming of the entire process. Once you figure this part out, the rest will be quick and easy.

You can also make this process waaay easier if you can find a gujiya mould. For people who live outside India, it's the same as a pierogi dumpling mould (available on Amazon).

12. Now fold over from one end and seal. I used the twisty method to seal it but you can seal them in any way that seems convenient and easy to you. The key is to make sure the filling inside is secure. If it hasn't been sealed properly, the gujiya will open up when you try to fry it. It's not as hard as it may seem. A lot of people told me it's hard but it's really not once you begin to do it. None of my gujiyas opened up when I fried them. If I can do it, so can you!

13. In a frying pan, heat oil. Once the oil is hot, put the gujiya in and fry until it's golden brown on both sides.

14. Place the fried gujiyas on a plate covered with tissue papers and let them cool. Once they are all cooled, gujiyas are ready to serve :)

Enjoy your festival :)

Happy Holi.