Vatana Usal / Maharastrian Cuisine

Vatana Usal is a delicious Maharashtrian recipe prepared using Peas and Potato. Vatana is a Maharashtrian name of green peas and in this recipe, I have used dried hara vatana ( Hara - green, Vatana - peas ) which can be substituted with the fresh ones based on the availability. Malvani masala powder is the key factor for this recipe to get a delicious and flavourful taste. Malvani masala powder is prepared by roasting and grinding lots of whole spices and I have followed Chef. Tarlaldalal recipe to prepare this flavourful masala powder. I have pressure cooked the soaked dried peas before adding it to the curry but the fresh ones are used, it is added along with the potatoes as it takes less time to cook compared to the dried ones. This curry/gravy is a great side dish to serve with Roti and also, can be served with Rice.

Prepared this recipe for an event Shhh Cooking Secretly Challenge which is hosted by a fellow bloggers. You must be familiar if you are following my page or click HERE to view more details on the challenge and so far recipes prepared for the event. For November month, I was paired with a wonderful blogger Priya Iyer who has an amazing webpage called thephotowali. Don't miss to check out her page to get loads of delicious recipes. She gave me Peas and Potato as my secret ingredients and using those lovely ingredients, tried this yummy recipe. And also, click HERE to check out the delicious street food recipe prepared by her using the secret ingredients given by me.

Recipe Source - Maharashtrian Recipes

Here comes a delicious and tasty side dish using Malvani masala powder, green peas and potato...

Ingredients :

1 Tbsp Oil 
1/2 Tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 Tsp Cumin seeds
A pinch of Hing powder 
1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Onion
1 Tomato, finely chopped 
1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder 
1 Tbsp Malvani masala 
2 Medium sized potatoes, cut into small cubes
1 Cup Dried Green peas ( Fresh peas can also be used ) 
Salt to taste 
Coriander leaves for garnishing

To grind :

1 Tsp Oil 
1/2 Cup Onion, finely chopped 
1/2 Cup Coconut, grated 

Method :

Soak dried peas overnight and pressure cook it for 5 whistles by adding little salt or until it gets cooked. Keep aside.

Heat 1 Tsp oil in a pan and add 1/2 cup onion followed by coconut.

Saute and grind into a fine paste. Keep aside.

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.

Once it starts spluttering, add cumin seeds followed by Hing powder and finely chopped onion.

Saute and add the chopped tomatoes followed by potatoes.

Add turmeric powder along with Malvani masala powder and the required quantity of salt.

Mix well and add little water to cook.

Cook until the potatoes get 3/4 the cooked and add the cooked peas.

Mix well and cook it for another couple of minutes.

Now add the ground coconut paste and cook it for 3 - 4 minutes.

Once done, garnish with coriander leaves and remove from the flame.

Serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve hot with Roti or Rice.

Ambyachi Dal

Ambyachi Dal is a Maharastrain recipe, which is prepared using soaked chana dal and raw mango. The dal in this recipe is not cooked, so the soaking time has to be more to avoid digestion problem. Being a Good Food magazine lover, I had bookmarked this recipe long back to try during summer season when mangoes are abundant. This dish is served as a snack during the haldi - kumkum ceremony in the month of chaitra. As there is no cooking involved in this recipe, refrigerate it if not consumed immediately. Grated coconut can also be added in this recipe while including the grated mango. Personally, I loved it with curd rice. The mixture of sour and sweet taste was delicious with curd rice.

Recipe Source : Good Food Magazine

Ingredients :

1 Cup Chana dal / Kadalai parupu 
2 Green chillies, chopped 
1 Tbsp Sugar 
Salt to taste
1 Raw mango, grated
Coriander leaves and Curry leaves for garnishing
1 Tbsp Oil 
1/2 Tsp Mustard seeds
A pinch of Hing powder 
A pinch of Turmeric powder

Method :

Wash and soak the chana dal for 5 - 6 hours.

Drain the soaked dal and blend it with green chillies, sugar and salt to form a coarse paste.

Add the grated mango followed by coriander leaves and curry leaves.

Mix well and keep aside.

Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds.

Once it starts spluttering, add hing and turmeric powder.

Add the seasoning to the ground dal and mix well.

Serve as an accompaniment.

Serving Options :

Serve with rice or roti.