Sugar & Spice=A Happy Life

One of the many customs surrounding a Marathi wedding is the kelvan – a meal organized for the engaged couple. This feast can be given either by the bride or the groom’s parents or by friends of the family. Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a kelvan thrown by my mother-in-law for some dear friends whose son will be married next month. Of course, as with any gathering that involves my mother-in-law, if you leave hungry it’s your own fault!

At a traditional Marathi kelvan, the bride and groom are seated first and take their meal on silver plates called thalis, circled with flower garlands or powdered rangoli designs.  The meal features five sweet dishes, each served in a small silver bowl placed in a semi-circle on the thali. (This presumably is to wish the couple a life filled with sweetness.)

My mother-in-law also prepared a variety of vegetable bhajis and rice dishes, including one called masala bhat in which she used a green vegetable called tondli, which resembles a gherkin or small cucumber. As she prepared the dish, she explained that she uses tondli only for auspicious occasions and religious ceremonies. For an ordinary meal, cauliflower, potatoes or peas can be substituted.

Here is my mother-in-law's recipe for masala bhat, which literally translates to ‘spicy rice’. Look for tondli (pictured below) at your local Indian grocer.

Masala Bhat (serves 8-10)

2-½ cups basmati rice, washed

4 T oil

8 cloves

5 cardamom pods

2 dried red chiles
1 spoon asafoetida
2 spoons turmeric

12-15 fresh kadhi leaves

4 dried tamal leaves

12-15 tondli, sliced lengthwise

1 red bell pepper, sliced 

salt

½ cup cashews

2 heaping spoons garam masala

2 heaping spoons chhya masala

1-½ spoons red chile powder

1/4 cup grated coconut

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 T sugar

2 T yogurt

Heat oil. Stir fry leaves and spices. Add vegetables and continue to stir fry on medium heat. Add masalas, red chile and salt to taste. Cover and cook about 8 minutes. Add coconut and cilantro. Add uncooked rice.  Stir well. Add sugar and yogurt. Stir-fry 3 minutes. Turn off heat and continue to stir-fry about 2-3 minutes. Put mixture in rice cooker. Add 5½-cup water.  Cover and cook according to manufacturer’s directions.