Surti Locha

I had been posted in Surat for quite some time & therein I ate dhoklas,khaman,locha etc.Locha is crumbled dhokla garnished with chopped raw onions,thin sev ,chutni etal It is like dhokla bhel .

I love dhoklas.I have made dhoklas before ( recipe @ http://vasusanchayah.blogspot.in/2011/08/dhoklas.html).Today ,I made them & they did not rise.They were just like solid steamed batter cakes.So I decided to make them into locha.

Ingredients : 2 plates of dhoklas( which have not risen & hence are not fluffy ) ,1tbsp oil,1/2 tsp mustard seeds,1 green chilli -finely chopped,,a few curry leaves-chopped,1/4 tsp hing ,1/4 tsp haldi.

Garnish : Finely chopped onions,thin sev.

Method : I found that my dhoklas were not breaking with my hands- they were soft -so I broke them into 1inch chunks & put them in the mixie.I powdered the chunks.

Take oil in kadhai.Put on the gas.Put mustard seeds in the oil.After they have spluttered ,add the chopped curry leaves & the green chilli.Add hing & haldi.Now put the powdered dhoklas into the kadhai & fry for some time so that the mustard,curryleaves & green chillies are all nicely mixed with the dhoklas.Put off the gas.

Serve the locha with raw chopped onions & sev.My friend says even chutni -green or sweet can be added.

After you taste the locha,you will pray for the dhoklas to get spolit now & again .Locha tastes better than dhoklas !After all ,as one of my ex-colleague used to remark -nothing can beat the partnership of oil & besan !

Mango peach salsa with a twist.

I came across this easy salsa @ http://anjali-cooklog.blogspot.in/2012/05/desi-chatpata-mango-salsa.html

As I had some peaches & mangoes at home,I decided to make my own version of  salsa inspired by the desi salsa of Anjali.

Ingredients : 1 small ripe mango ( I had Neelam mango -any sweet mango can be used ),1 peach,1 tomato ,2-3 spring onion bulbs ( since I had them -I used them -ordinary onions can also be used ),1/4 tsp pepper powder,1/4tsp jeera powder, 1 tbsp thin sev ( used to garnish bhel puri,sev puri etc ),salt  to taste.

Method :Peel the mango & peach.For peach ,put the peach in lukewarm water & let it remain in water for 10 minutes.This will help in peeling peach.

Cut the mango ,peach,tomato & onions into 1/2 inch pieces.Mix all the cut veggies.Sprinkle pepper & jeera powder.Add salt to taste & mix all together.Now garnish with sev & serve.

It tasted awesome ! I added lots of sev after I had taken this snap & devoured it ! I did not have any chips or papad handy to accompany the salsa.Hence, added sev generously & gobbled it up !

Tips : One can add boiled potatoes,boiled mung or chana as well.One can add cucumbers, radishes,carrots also.One can add red chilli powder or chilli flakes ,oregano etc.It was tangy enough for me -the peach being on the sour side.Mango provided the sweetness,pepper provided pungent flavours.Even lemon juice  can be added to make it more  tangy.Honey can be added for extra sweetness.The options are unlimited !

This is very healthy & full of fibre.What more can I ask for ? !