“Childhood is the most beautiful of all life’s seasons.” As rightly quoted, “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most space in your heart.” Being a 90s kid, we grew up seeking happiness and joy in those little moments and things that may appear trivial to the current generation.
Reminiscing on old memories I feel exhilarated and thrilled. I firmly believe that every dish or recipe that we make has an underlying story to it, something that I always share on this weblog.
My maternal family are true Mumbaikar’s. My mother tells me about my great grandfather owning a small eatery named “Bharat Hindu Hotel” or something of this sort (mom has failed to bring back the precise name of the eatery from the recollection of her memories). What she remembers is that this eatery was located at the famous landmark- Kabutar Khana in Dadar. It operated with much success until the sudden demise of “Ajoba” (Grandfather)-due to stroke. His kids were too young to run the eatery on their own and this led to his brothers selling down the place and sharing the money amongst themselves and that’s how the Mumbai was bereft of a gem of Konkani food.
These verbal renditions were part of my childhood and besides my mother, I grew up listening to these memories from my Aaji’s – (maternal granny) perspective. She would have many such countless memories. My mother being a working woman, I was in company of my Aaji most of the time during the day and hence was her only audience. She would narrate her experiences to me while stirring the pot of fish curry with great adeptness. These were not fables but the real experiences of her life that she wanted to share with me so that I could strive on the path of life for continuous improvement, happiness and success.
Deftly, she would whip up a meal every afternoon to my liking with the limited resources that she had at her disposal. I was admittedly a nasty kid, skinny and mischievous, willing to give up on my meals in favor of extra play hours. The fact that I was, like any other kid, fussy with my food habits did not help either. I would shun away from veggies like bitter-gourd, cauliflower and leafy vegetable. My mother was less forgiving of my food habits and would admonish me many times.
These tiffs drew us towards a mutual understanding, wherein I was supposed to carry a small container of these unfavorable vegetables with Chapattis and in turn I would be treated with some of her delicacies like Phodnicha Bhaat and Batatyachi Kaape (fried potato chips). Though I could agree, I have been far too liberal in my choice of words ‘delicacy’, considering the fact that Phodnicha Bhaat is a typical steamed rice tempered with Indian Spices and by no means qualifies to being one, but you must remember there are some dishes that are too close to your heart and Phodnicha Bhaat is one such dish to me.
Phodnicha Bhaat is typically prepared with leftover rice and some very basic Indian spices. The hero ingredient in this dish is Malvani masala, which imparts an aroma and flavor to this dish.
Make some Phodnicha Bhaat and eat it while it is hot, with a cup of tea. Have your share of indulgence in this chilly weather.
Find more such delicious rice preparations
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-5
- 2 Cups Cooked Rice (Leftover)
- 2 small Onions=100gms (sliced)
- 4 Green Chilies (cut lengthwise)
- ½ Cup Fresh Coriander leaves
- 10-12 Garlic Cloves (unpeeled)
- Cooking Oil
- Masala:
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 2 tsp Cumin Seeds
- ¼th tsp Asafoetida Powder
- 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 2 tbsp Malvani Masala
- 8-10 Curry Leaves
- Salt to taste
- In cooked rice, Add Turmeric Powder, 2 tbsp Malvani masala and salt. If you do not have Malvani Masala, you can replace it with 3 tsp. Kashmiri Chili + 1 tsp Garam Masala Powder. Mix well.
- Heat 3 tbsp. Oil in a Pan. Add Mustard Seeds. As seeds begin to splutter, add Cumin Seeds, Asafoetida Powder.
- Add Garlic (crushed with skin). Fry until Garlic turns light brown in color. Add sliced Chilies, Curry Leaves and sliced Onions.
- Fry until Onions turn light brown in color. Onions change its color in 4 mins on medium heat.
- Now, add fistful of Coriander Leaves and stir.
- Now, add Rice and mix. We will add some more salt to taste. We will cook rice for 3-4 mins on low-medium heat.
- Phodnicha Bhaat is ready. Add remaining Coriander Leaves and Mix well. Switch off the heat.
- Phodnicha Bhaat is Ready. Now use the leftover rice and make Phodnicha Bhaat.
Click here to watch recipe video
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