Mande (Mandige / Chowde)- Sweet Dish

Mande or Mando is a very simple and an authentic Konkani sweet dish usually prepared during the festival of Diwali, Chaturthi and Weddings! It is a deep-fried flat poori (bigger in size) which is folded like a handkerchief and a generous dose of confectionary sugar mixed with sesame seed is sprinkled on the top. It is a melt in the mouth treat! It is sweet, rich and crunchy! Has a pure look to it as it is white in color and looks so divine!

I call it my handkerchief dessert :) because of the way it is folded and stored. Various regions in Karnataka and Maharashtra know this sweet by various name like Mande, Mandige, Chowde etc.

Try it this Diwali and enjoy it with your family!

Here is the Mande recipe or Chowde recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour (Maida)
• 2 tsp ghee (clarified butter)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp cardamom crushed
• 2 tsp pistachios crushed
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds roasted
• 1 tbsp dry grated coconut roasted (optional)
• pinch salt
• water to knead the dough
• oil to deep fry

Preparation:

• Make a dough by taking maida, add warm ghee, salt and mix everything by rubbing with your hands. Add water 1 tbsp at a time and knead a hard dough. Keep aside for 15 minutes covered.
• Make a mixture of confectionary sugar, cardamom, pistachios and coconut. 
• By taking a small portion of dough, make balls and roll out a disc of 5-6 inch diameter using a rolling pin. It should be thin and not thick disc. 
• Heat oil in a frying pan, work on a med-high flame, else the mande will soak oil while frying. Fry it just like you would fry a papad. The color should remain white. Small bubbles appear on the surface indicating they are cooked. If kept for a longer time, they become stiff and cannot be folded.
• Take it out on a paper towel and immediately sprinkle sugar mixture on the mande, by making use of spoon fold it once and sprinkle more sugar on it. Now make one another last fold and sprinkle sugar mixture again. Leave it to cool down. You can store it in an airtight container for good 1 week. 

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

Notes:* While frying the Mande poori see to it that it doesn't fluff like poori, in order to get a flat poori try making marks on the rolled disc with a fork and then slide in the oil. Fry on med-high flame. Do not fry too much that you get brown color.

Lehsuni Kasoori Methi Lachcha Paratha (Layered Flatbread with Garlic and Dry Fenugreek Leaves)

Various nutritious flatbreads come from the colorful subcontinent of India. You pick any grain and you will come across a unique style of flatbread preparation with it. Be it millets, johar, wheat, rice, chickpea, etc etc. Then there are unlimited types of stuffed flatbread...it is simply amazing!

In this post, I am going to show you how to make a simple layered paratha called as lachcha paratha and I am making it even more special by adding some ghee with garlic and dry fenugreek leaves ( kasoori methi). My fav herb, kasoori methi, it smells so great and adds amazing flavors in your dish. This lachcha paratha with a twist tastes super yummy! My kid enjoys his lachcha paratha by dipping in the melted ghee.

Having a perfectly made paratha to go with the delicious curry is like sone pe suhaga ( icing on the cake :))

Lachcha paratha is basically made using all purpose flour to make it flaky and sometimes crisp. But in my recipe, I have tried to use half maida and half whole wheat flour, it comes out just as good!

Let us take a look at the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour (maida)
• water for kneading
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp sugar (add little more if you like, or skip altogether if you don't like sweet)
• 1 tbsp ghee
• more flour for dusting
• salt to taste

For the filling:

• 2-3 tbsp ghee melted ( or butter )
• 1 tbsp minced garlic (or garlic powder)
• 3 tbsp crushed fenugreek leaves

  

                                                                    Stuffed Lachcha (Strips and spiral)

OR

                                                                       Plain Lachcha (Pleated style)

Roast

Plain Lachcha Paratha with Gobi sabji

Preparation:

• Add both the flours and salt into a mixing bowl. Add warm one tablespoon of ghee into the flours. Warm the milk and dissolve the sugar in it. Add the mixture to the flours and mix thoroughly. 
• Add enough water little by little and knead lightly to make a soft dough. Keep aside for 15 minutes covered.
• Now make the filling mixture. In 2 tbsp of warm ghee add 1 tbsp of minced garlic or garlic powder. In another dry bowl, take kasuri methi and crush with your hands nicely and keep it aside.
• Divide the dough into 4-5 equal portions of balls. Roll out each ball into a thin, six to seven-inch round roti. 
• Brush the entire surface of each roti with garlic ghee mixture and sprinkle kasoori methi generously over it, and then dust with flour. 
• There are 2 ways of making this, either pleat the rolled disc of roti or cut into strips 1 inch apart with a knife. They will look like ribbon strips. Now start spiraling each strip from left to right, one inside the other. See the pics. Make one big roll. 
• Press gently, dust  more flour on it and roll out lightly into a five to six-inch paratha. Heat a tava, cook each paratha on both sides on medium heat.
• Pour a little ghee all around and shallow-fry the paratha till both sides are golden brown. Lightly crush the parantha with your hands to separate the layers. 
• Serve hot immediately with any vegetable curry or non-veg curry! I usually make gobi or baingan sabji or egg curry along with boondi raita.

You may also like Aloo Paratha, Mooli Paratha, Ragi Poori.....

njoy!! happY cookinG!!

my 'twist' idea to lachcha paratha is adapted from cubes n juliennes site.

Notes:* I have shown both plain Lachcha and Stuffed Lachcha in the pics!

dry fenugreek /kasoori methi

Health Benefits: Fenugreek leaves is highly beneficial for treating poor liver functions and dyspepsia. It is also helpful in treating gastric problems and other intestinal issues.  These leaves are also used in the powdered form for treating GI issues, as well as allergies or congestion of the upper respiratory zone. Kasoori Methi is tremendously beneficial for breastfeeding women; its regular use enhances milk production. 

Whole wheat flour has less gluten and is said to be a healthier grain to be used for baking etc. Said to improve metabolism.

Garlic a herb used widely as a flavoring in cooking, and has also been used as a medicine throughout ancient and modern history to prevent and treat a wide range of conditions and diseases.

Garlic has been used to treat hypertension, TB, liver disorders, dysentery, flatulence, colic, intestinal worms, rheumatism, diabetes, and fevers.