Another family dish called BHANAVALA (bha-nav-la)

Another classic dish from my grandma, executed to perfection by my mum. Have been relishing this from a very long time. A beautiful snack item. The dish has a marathi name and has been renamed to 'grandma's traditional vegetable pie'. This dish also can become non-vegetarian dish by adding some prawns (and gosh! it tastes mind-blowing). Want to try by adding bits of chicken pieces to the recipe next time around. As of now, it's a whole-some vegetarian snack!!!




  The dish was always prepared in round utensil with a hollow centre. This mould with open centre is used because it quickly cooks (as the steam can penetrate from the center as well as the sides).

Since, it is difficult to find such an utensil in most households, have decided to bake it in a oven. The taste did not change and also the cooking time drastically reduced from 90 - 120 minutes to about 45 to 50 minutes.

Grandma’s traditional vegetable pie

Before we start, do not get overwhelmed or anxious looking at the number of ingredients. It’s a very simple dish and does not need much preparations..

    

Sr.	Ingredients	Qty
1	Cabbage	100 gm
2	Onion	1
3	Tomato	1 (small)
4	Carrots	1 (small)
5	Green peas	½ cup
6	Ginger-garlic paste	1 tbpsn
7	Cumin powder	1 tbpsn
8	coriander powder	1 tbpsn
9	Red chili powder	1 tbpsn
10	Turmeric powder	1 tbpsn
11	Sugar	1 tbpsn
12	Salt	To taste
13	Coconut milk	½ cup
14	Besan (gram flour)	2 tbpsn
15	Chana dal	1 cup
16	Water	½ cup
17	Oil	½ cup
18	Salt	To taste

Method

1.    Soak the chana dal in water for 3 to 4 hours. Blend the dal in the mixer (consistency should be coarse; don’t blend it to give it a very smooth consistency). Keep aside

2.    Add ½ cup water to the coconut milk and keep aside

Assemble all ingredients together (you dont see coconut
milk, chana dal and besan in the picture; its somewhere
in the background)



4.    Mix all ingredients from sr. 1 to sr. 12 in a big flat vessel (till such time the spices are evenly distributed)



Grinded chanal dal added to the vegetable mixture



In goes the besan and coconut milk (with water)

5.    Add besan, the blended dal and coconut milk to the vegetable mixture and keep combing it till all the flavors are evenly distributed (do a taste check and feel free to add salt, sugar or more spices)

6.    Heat ½ cup oil and pour the hot oil in the vegetable mixture and give nice last mix

7.    Preheat the oven at 230 celsius and bake the dish at 230o for a good 45 minutes (it’s done when the top starts giving cracks and turns brown)

8. Ready to be served with some tangy ketchup

the served pie (oops!!where is the ketchup)

another pose (from a different
angle)

3.    Slice the cabbage, onion, tomato and carrots in small pieces (not very fine or thick)