CAULIFLOWER UPKARI

CAULIFLOWER UPKARI

Amongst vegetables, cauliflower is one that has always been popular at my home. I make dishes using cauliflower quite often as they have numerous health benefits.  One of the dishes in this blog that many have tried out and appreciated is Masala Cauliflower. You will also find recipes here for other Konkani dishes namely Cauliflower Ambat and Cauliflower Talasani.

Today's recipe is for the simple, easy to make Cauliflower Upkari.  In Konkani, we use the term
" upkari" for any type of stir fries. This is served as a side dish with the main meal of rice and dal.

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower, medium-sized, 1
• Onion, large -sized, 1
• Green Chillies, chopped, 2-3
• Curry Leaves, a sprig
• Mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Oil, 2-3 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Coriander Leaves, finely chopped, 1 tbsp

Method : 

Wash the cauliflower and break it into florets.
Add a little salt and some turmeric powder to a bowl of water and keep the cauliflower florets immersed in this for about 10 minutes. This keeps away all the impurities, if any,
Drain the water and keep the cauliflower florets aside
Chop the onion and green chillies
Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadhai and on medium heat add the mustard seeds. When they splutter add the chopped green chillies and curry leaves and saute for a few seconds
Add the chopped onion and saute till it becomes translucent
To this add the cauliflower florets and salt to taste
Sprinkle a little water, mix well and cook covered on medium flame till the cauliflower gets done
Make sure the cauliflower does not get overcooked. It should be done yet remain firm.
Finally garnish with the finely chopped coriander leaves
Serve hot as a side dish with the main meal

PANEER AMRITSARI

PANEER AMRITSARI


For vegetarians in India, paneer or Indian cottage cheese is a much liked ingredient in many dishes. At my home too, we make paneer dishes quite frequently. Naturally, elsewhere in this blog you will find recipes for dishes with paneer as diverse as Paneer Korma, Achari Paneer, and  Paneer Tikka Kathi Rolls. 

I made Paneer Amritsari recently and want to share my experience. It came out really well and was greatly enjoyed as a starter by my family and friends. This recipe is adapted from Paneer Amritsari by Chef Sanjay Thumma of VahChef.

Ingredients:

• Paneer, 200 gms
• Ajwain ( Carom Seeds), 1/4 tsp
• Red Chilli Flakes, 1 tsp
• Ginger, coarsely ground, 1 tsp 
• Garlic, coarsely ground, 1 tsp 
• Besan ( Gram Flour), 1/2 cup
• Chili Powder, 1/2 tsp or to taste 
• Kitchen King Masala, 1/4 tsp
• Kasuri Methi ( Dry Fenugreek Leaves) Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Coriander Leaves, finely chopped, 2 tsp
• Sugar, 1/2 tsp
• Lemon Juice, 1 tbsp
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 3 tbsp

Method:

Cut the paneer into long pieces. They should not be too thin as they may crumble. Keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a kadhai, when it gets hot on medium heat add the carom seeds, when they sizzle lower the flame and add the chilli flakes followed by the coarsely ground ginger and garlic

Saute for a minute till the raw smell goes

To this add the besan and roast on medium-low flame till the besan changes colour and gives off a nice aroma 

Switch off the flame and allow it to cool
Once it is cooled, transfer the contents to a bowl

Add salt, chilli powder, Kitchen King Masala, kasuri methi powder, finely chopped coriander leaves and 1/2 tsp of sugar
Next add the lemon juice then add a little water and mix well to make a pasty batter (to marinate the paneer ) which should not be too thick or too thin
Now, add the paneer pieces and individually coat them with the marinade ( the prepared batter)

Keep aside for  at least 30 -45 minutes for the paneer to get well marinated
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and add the marinated pieces of paneer in batches

Shallow fry the paneer one side at a time, flipping them to cook the other side till they get evenly done
Serve hot as a starter or snack with mint chutney or ketchup

AMBE UPKARI

AMBE UPKARI

In Konkani, mangoes are called, "Ambo" so today's dish is of a sweet-tangy curry made with mangoes, called, "Ambe Upkari." In our hometown of Mangalore, this dish is typically made with small ripe mangoes which are not very sweet called "Gointo Ambos" available during the mango season.

In case you don't have them, as they are usually not available in other places, you could use any other ripe mango which is not too sweet. Usually, we do not use the more sweet higher quality mangoes such as the Alpohonso etc for this dish settling for the more common varieties like Raspuri, for example.

Ambe Upkari is served as a side dish with the main meal. The amount of jaggery you add will depend on the sweetness of the mangoes used. The maida or rice flour added is essential as it helps thicken the dish.

Ingredients:

• Mangoes, 6
• Green Chillies, slit, 2
• Jaggery, powdered, 1/4 cup
• Maida ( Refined Flour) or Rice Flour, 1 tbsp
• Salt, to taste
• Water, 2 cups

For the Seasoning:

• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Urad Dal, 1 tsp
• Red Chilli, broken into halves, 1
• Curry Leaves, a few
• Coconut Oil, 2 tsp

Method: 

Wash and peel the mangoes. Take away the mango peels and keep the peeled mangoes in a vessel.
Place the mango peels in a bowl along with 1 cup of water and using your fingers extract the mango pulp from it. Add this extract to the peeled mangoes.
Once again, add 1 cup of water to the mango peels and squeeze them to extract the remaining mango pulp.
Add the mango extract to the vessel with the peeled mangoes and discard the mango peels
To the peeled mangoes and mango pulp/ extract,  add salt, powdered jaggery and the slit green chillies and bring it to a boil
To thicken the ambe upkari, mix the maida with a little water to form a paste without any lumps
Add this maida paste to the mango- jaggery mixture
Mix well and allow the ambe upkari to simmer for 2-3 minutes

For the seasoning:
Heat oil in a pan and when it gets hot add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the urad dal and saute till the dal changes colour
To this add the broken red chilli and the curry leaves and saute for a few seconds

Lastly, add this seasoning to the ambe upkari and serve it hot

CABBAGE & MOONG DAL STIR FRY

CABBAGE & MOONG DAL STIR FRY


Today's dish is an easy to make accompaniment to the main meal which uses cabbage and moong dal.  I make dishes using the versatile cabbage fairly often.

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for dishes as diverse as Cabbage Sannan from Konkani cuisine, a snack called Cabbage Stuffed Capsicum, and the very interesting Cabbage Kheer as dessert.

Besides, it is well known that cabbage has numerous health benefits.

Tips :

* This dish tastes best when the cabbage gets cooked but remains crunchy.
* The cabbage gets reduced in volume when cooked

Ingredients:-

• Cabbage, chopped, 2 cups
• Moong Dal ( Green Gram Dal), 1/4 cup
• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Urad Dal, 1 tsp
• Green Chilli, chopped, 2
• Ginger, finely chopped, 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder, 1/8 tsp
• Curry Leaves, 6-8
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 2 tbsp
• Oil, 1 tsp
• Salt, to taste

Method: 

Wash and soak the moong dal in adequate water for about 15 minutes. Then, drain away the excess water and keep aside.
Wash and chop the cabbage. 

Heat oil in a kadhai and when it gets hot add the mustard seeds

When they splutter, add the urad dal and saute till it changes colour 

Add the chopped green chilli, ginger and curry leaves and saute for about half a minute 

To this add the chopped cabbage and soaked moong dal and mix well

Now add the turmeric powder and salt to taste and mix well
Sprinkle a little water and cook covered on medium flame for about 8-10 minutes stirring from time to time 

When the cabbage and the moong dal are cooked, (please take care to see that the cabbage does not get overcooked. It should remain crunchy) switch off the gas
Lastly add the fresh coconut gratings
Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot

PEAS PULAO

PEAS PULAO


In most urban households in India, pulaos made with long grained Basmati rice are prepared from time to time for either lunch or dinner. Generally, pulaos are relatively easy to make and turn out to be aromatic and tasty.

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for Corn Methi Pulao, Mushroom Mint Pulao  and Panchranga Pulao.

Today's dish is an easy to make pulao made with Green Peas. I choose to use fresh green peas but if they are not in season you could quite easily use frozen peas that are so commonly available these days.

Today's pulao is served with Paneer Khurchan and fresh Curds Raita made with Cucumber, Onion and Tomato.

A tip: whenever we use Basmati rice, it is best to wash and soak it for a minimum of 30 minutes. Then drain out the excess water before you cook the rice.

This pulao is best cooked directly in the pressure cooker.

Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice, 1 cup
• Green Peas ( Fresh or Frozen), 3/4 
• Cloves, ( Lavang) 2-3
• Bay Leaf (Tej Patta ), 1
• Cinnamon, (Dalchini) 1 inch 
• Cardamom, (Elaichi ) 2
• Cumin Seeds, (Jeera), 1 tsp
• Onion, 1
• Green Chillies,  2
• Ginger Garlic Paste, 1 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Ghee/Oil, 1 tbsp

Method: 

Wash and soak the Basmati rice in adequate water for at least half an hour. Then drain out the excess water and keep aside. 

Thinly slice the onion and slit the green chillies lengthwise.

In a pressure cooker, add the ghee/oil and when it gets hot add the cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon and cardamom. Saute till the cloves puff up and the spices give off a good aroma.
Add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle, add the sliced onion and saute till they become translucent

Add the slit green chillies and ginger garlic paste and saute for a few seconds till the raw smell goes
Now add the green peas and saute for 1 minute
Next, add the Basmati rice and saute for about 2 minutes

Add salt, 1 and 1/2 cups of water and pressure cook for 2 whistles 

Switch off the gas, wait for the cooker to cool and then gently fluff the pulao with a fork
Serve Peas Pulao hot with salad/ raita or side dish  of your choice. 

PANEER KHURCHAN

PANEER KHURCHAN

As is evident from the many recipes in this blog, both my husband and I are fond of paneer ( Indian Cottage Cheese). Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for Paneer Korma, Paneer Tikka Kathi Rolls, and Paneer Kolhapuri.

Today's recipe is for a dish from North India called Paneer Khurchan adapted from this article in Times Food.

I have used paneer from Nilgiris which is one of Bangalore's oldest supplier of quality dairy products. The colourful bell pepper adds to the visual appeal of the dish. I did not use low fat cream mentioned in the original recipe.

We enjoyed this delicious dish with hot rotis and I would urge you to try out this recipe.

Ingredients:

• Paneer, (Cottage Cheese), cut into 1 " pieces, 250 gms
• Large sized Onion, sliced, 1
• Large sized Tomato, chopped, 1
• Yellow Bell Pepper, chopped, 50 gms 
• Green Bell Pepper,  chopped, 50 gms 
• Red Bell Pepper,  chopped, 50 gms 
• Asafoetida, 1/8 tsp
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Chilli Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Cumin Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Coriander Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Kitchen King Masala / Garam Masala Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Green Chillies, slit and de-seeded, 2
• Ginger, chopped, 1 tsp
• Low Fat Cream, 1 tbsp 
• Kasoori Methi, (Dry Fenugreek Leaves), crushed, 1/2 tsp
• Oil, 1 and 1/2 tbsp
• Salt, to taste
• Coriander Leaves, chopped, 2 tbsp....for garnish

Method:

Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadhai and on medium flame add the onions and saute them till they become translucent 

Add chopped tomato and bell peppers, mix well and saute stirring from time to time till the tomato becomes soft
Please ensure that the bell peppers remain crunchy and do not get overcooked
Add asafoetida, turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder, Kitchen King Masala and salt
Mix well so that the vegetables get well blended with the spice powders
Add the slit green chillies and the chopped ginger and saute over medium flame

Next add the paneer pieces, mix well and cook on high flame making sure the paneer pieces touch the bottom of the pan
Cook till each of the paneer pieces turn slightly golden and then flip them over to cook the other side
Add the low fat cream (if you are using this) and sprinkle the crushed kasoori methi and mix it well

Switch off the gas and garnish with chopped coriander leaves

Serve hot with tandoori roti or naan

CABBAGE KISMURI

CABBAGE KISMURI

In our Konkani cuisine we make different types of "kismuri" which is a kind of salad. Kismuri is typically served as an accompaniment to the main meal.

Elsewhere in this blog you will find recipes for Carrot Kismuri and Happola Kismuri.

Today's kismuri is made of cabbage and onions. I tried this out recently, inspired by my friend Sudha Kamath's post in a foodies group in which we are members.

For best results, use a tender cabbage and mix the kismuri just before you serve it.

I hope you will enjoy this as much as we did.

Ingredients:

• Cabbage, chopped, 2 cups
• Onion, medium sized, finely chopped, 1, 
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 2 tbsp
• Roasted Byadgi Red Chilies, 2
• Tamarind, a small piece
• Coriander Seeds, 1/2 tsp 
• Salt, to taste
• Lime Juice, juice of 1/2 a lime

Method:

Wash the cabbage and pat it dry before chopping
Chop the cabbage and onion and keep aside
Grind together the coconut gratings, roasted red chillies, coriander seeds, and tamarind in a small mixer jar to a coarse masala without adding any water

Transfer this masala to a mixing  bowl and to this add salt, the chopped cabbage and onions

Mix thoroughly
Finally stir in the lime juice, mix once again and serve immediately.