JEEV KADGI BHUTHI

 JEEV KADGI BHUTHI

Many of you will be familiar with the breadfruit. This is a cousin of the more common jackfruit and is available and popular in the coastal belts of Karnataka and Kerala.  In my mother tongue, Konkani, breadfruit is called Jeev Kadgi. This is called Gujjekai in Kannada and Kadda Chakka in Malayalam.  

Breadfruit has numerous health benefits so we use this in our diet whenever it is in season. 

Today's recipe is so quintessentially "Mangaluru", that I thought I should share recipes of some other dishes from our Mangaluru region in my blog, such as:- 

• Amatekai (Indian Hog Plum) Gojju
• Maanji Pulimunchi 
• Magge (Mangalore Cucumber) Dosa 

Recently, I had been to the Mangalore Stores near where we live and picked up a good sized breadfruit. This prompted me to make an old favourite dish from our Konkani GSB cuisine called - Jeev Kadgi Bhuthi.

Do try it out and let me know how you liked it! 

Ingredients:-

• Jeev Kadgi ( Breadfruit), 450 gms
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1 cup
• Roasted Byadgi Red Chillies, 6
• Tamarind, size of a marble
• Coriander Seeds, 2 tsp
• Onions, 2
• Salt, to taste
• Coconut Oil, 1 and 1/2 to 2 tbsp

Method:-

Wash the jeev kadai (breadfruit) , remove the stalk and peel

Cut the breadfruit into small pieces 

Chop the onion

Heat oil in a thick-bottomed kadhai and add the chopped onions and saute till they become translucent

To this add the breadfruit pieces, sprinkle a little water and cook on medium heat, stirring from time to time, till it gets cooked 

Make sure the breadfruit pieces are properly cooked yet remain firm 

In a mixer jar, grind together the coconut gratings, roasted Byadgi red chillies, tamarind and coriander seeds. ( We need not roast the coriander seeds for this dish before grinding) 

Grind these to a paste adding just the required amount of water

Add this ground paste and salt to taste to the cooked breadfruit and mix well 

Cook covered on low flame and stir from time to time till the excess water evaporates and the breadfruit pieces get well blended with the ground paste

Switch off the flame and transfer this to a serving bowl 

Serve the Jeev Kadgi Bhuthi as a side dish with rice and dal

 

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: THE KONKAN, BENGALURU

 OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: THE KONKAN, BENGALURU

My husband and I love seafood so when we were celebrating our wedding anniversary recently, we decided to go to a seafood specialty restaurant. After viewing various options we decided to drop in for lunch at The Konkan, established 2017. This is located at the junction of Church Street and St Marks Road in Bengaluru. We had been here before and had loved the food- hence the decision to repeat the experience.

Their website is here  and they also have a Facebook Page 

There were many fish options to choose from. For starters, we ordered the old favourite seer fish preferring to have this tawa fried. It looked really attractive but though it was tasty it does not get a rave rating as it fell a little short on the salt.. 

This was followed by the hit of the day: Prawns Butter Garlic. This was incredibly tasty! I would strongly recommend this to all of you, especially if, like us,  you love eating prawns! The prawns were expertly sautéed in butter with the right amount of garlic flavouring giving the dish a taste that you will remember for very long. 

To go with our meal we opted for Somaek. This is made up of Soju, Korea's iconic and most consumed liquor topped up with beer. We didn't have the soju in the regular Korean style by downing it as a shot. We had this as a Somaeak - soju + maekju (as beer is called in Korea). I am not sure if they had Korean beer but we had ours -with the ever popular Heineken!  

For the main course we opted for a chicken dish, considering we had already relished fish and prawns. Being from Mangaluru, our eyes lit up on seeing the Chicken Kori Rotti on the menu. This dish (which is most popular in Tulu/Bunt cuisine in Mangaluru)  has chicken curry eaten with crisp dry wafers or flakes made with boiled rice. We crush the wafers in the chicken gravy , mix and eat it with our fingers. This too was superb! 

After this delicious meal, we chose to have Caramel Custard for dessert. This came with the right amount of sweetness and was presented nicely with a garnish of assorted nuts. It tasted just great and was a perfect end to our meal. 

We went on a Friday afternoon around 1.30 and we got a place quite easily. The timings are 12 noon to 3.15 pm and from 7.00 pm to 10.15 pm. They are closed on Mondays.

They have a fairly large numbers of options to choose from -mainly centred around seafood for which the Konkan area is so highly reputed. The service was efficient . We liked the fact that they didn't hassle us with too many suggestions or bug us to speed up. The ambience is fine- nothing great but the food is indeed excellent! 

LASOONI ALOO PALAK

 LASOONI ALOO PALAK

The great-for-health spinach is called Palak in Hindi. It is probably one the most popular ingredients in North Indian cooking. Of course, spinach is widely used in South India too. 

It is well-known that spinach, like many other greens, is really good for health. This article in Good Food lists various health benefits provided by spinach. I make it a point to use spinach in our meals from time to time.

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for dishes made with spinach/palak, such as:-

• Spinach & Green Peas Rice
• Methi Palak Paneer Subzi 
• Dal Palak
• Palak Paneer 

Today's recipe is for Lasooni Aloo Palak. As the name suggests this delicious side dish is made with Spinach and Potato ( Palak and Aloo) and has the flavour of Garlic (Lasoon in Hindi) . I have adapted this from the YouTube video in Marathi by Madhura's Recipes. 

You will particularly love this if, like us, you enjoy the flavour of garlic! I tried this out recently and it tasted great! 

INGREDIENTS:-

• Spinach (Palak), 1 big bunch
• Green Chillies, 2
• Oil, 2 tbsp 
• Cumin Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Onions, medium-sized, 2, 
• Garlic, 10 cloves
• Garam Masala, 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Coriander Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Chilli Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Besan, 1 tsp
• Kasuri Methi, crushed, 1 tsp
• Boiled Potato, large-sized, 1
• Butter, 1 tsp 

For the Seasoning:- 

• Cumin Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Garlic, sliced, 2 tsp
• Dried Red Chilli, broken into halves, 1
• Oil, 1 tsp

METHOD:-

Remove the spinach leaves from their stalks, wash thoroughly in several changes of water

Roughly chop the spinach and the tender stems 

Peel the boiled potato, cube this and rub in a little salt 

Peel and finely chop the onions

Peel 10 cloves of garlic and make a paste 

In a thick-bottomed kadhai, boil the spinach in one cup of water for 3-4 minutes

Then immediately transfer the spinach to a bowl of ice cold water. This helps in retaining the colour of the spinach

After 2-3 minutes, remove the spinach from the cold water and transfer to a mixer  jar 

Add green chillies and grind to make a puree. Keep aside

In the same kadhai, heat oil and on medium heat add the cumin seeds, when they sizzle add the finely chopped onion and saute till they become translucent

To this add the garlic paste and saute for 2 minutes

Next add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder. Mix well and saute for 2 minutes

Move this to one side of the kadhai

Add besan to the kadhai and roast this for a couple of minutes then mix well with the onions

The besan helps thicken the gravy 

Now add the palak puree along with the water in which the spinach was boiled 

Add salt to taste, crushed kasuri methi and mix well

Next add the boiled potato cubes and butter and cook for 3-4 minutes

Heat oil in a seasoning pan and on medium heat add the cumin seeds

When they sizzle, add the sliced garlic and saute till it turns golden

Add the broken red chilli and saute

Pour this seasoning onto the Lasooni Aloo Palak

Transfer to a serving bowl

Serve hot with rotis and chapatis

BROCCOLI & GREEN PEAS KURMA

 BROCCOLI & GREEN PEAS KURMA 

Broccoli ( pronounced with the second "o" being silent) is a vegetable which belongs to the same family as cauliflower. It ranks as one of the healthiest vegetables as described in this article in Medical News Today. 

I first came across broccoli when visiting the US. We liked it and since it is so good for health, I started using it in our Indian dishes. 

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for dishes made with broccoli such as:-

• Broccoli and Potato Stir Fry 
• Broccoli Garlic Stir Fry 
• Broccoli and Almond Soup 

Today's recipe is for Broccoli & Green Peas Kurma - a yummy dish which goes great with chapatis and rotis. 

Ingredients:-

• Broccoli, medium sized, 1 
• Green Peas, 1/2 cup 
• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Curry Leaves, a few
• Large sized Onion, 1
• Tomatoes, 2
• Chilli Powder, 1/2  tsp 
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 1 tbsp
• Fresh Coriander Leaves, finely chopped, 1 tbsp, for garnish

For the Kurma Masala: 

• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 3/4 cup
• Green Chillies, 3
• Ginger, 1/2 " piece
• Garlic Cloves, 3-4 
• Fried Gram, 1 tbsp
• Poppy Seeds, 1 tsp
• Cinnamon, 1 small stick
• Fennel Seeds, 1/2 tsp

Method:-

Wash the broccoli and break them into florets, cut the tender parts of the stalk and discard the rest

Steam cook the broccoli florets for about 5 minutes- this helps in the broccoli retaining its nutrients and colour

Separately, cook the tender stalks of the broccoli

Wash and cook the green peas 

Finely chop the onion, tomatoes and coriander leaves

In a mixer jar, grind together the coconut gratings, green chillies, ginger, garlic cloves, fried gram, poppy seeds, cinnamon and fennel seeds to a smooth paste adding the required amount of water

Remove from the mixer jar and keep the ground paste aside

Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadhai and on medium heat add the mustard seeds, when they splutter add the curry leaves and sauté for a few seconds

Then add the chopped onion and sauté till it becomes translucent

Next add the chopped tomatoes and a little salt

Mix well and cook till the tomatoes becomes soft and mushy

Add the chilli powder and turmeric powder, mix well and cook for 1 minute

To this add the cooked green peas and the cooked stalks of the broccolli

Next add the freshly ground masala 

Add water to get a gravy-like consistency, 

Add salt to taste and and mix well

Bring this to a boil then add the steamed broccoli florets 

Lower the heat and allow it to simmer for 2-3 minutes

Switch off the gas and garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves 

Transfer to serving bowl

Serve the Broccoli & Green Peas Kurma with chapatis, rotis etc 

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: KHANDANI RAJDHANI AT ORION MALL, BENGALURU

 OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: KHANDANI RAJDHANI AT ORION MALL, BENGALURU

If, like me, you enjoy Rajasthani food, I would urge you to try the thali at Khandani Rajdhani at the Orion Mall in Bengaluru. They have several restaurants in different parts of Namma Bengaluru. At Orion Mall, you can't miss Khandani Rajdhani as this is the first restaurant you see when you go up to the Food Court in the second level. They offer lunch ( from 12 noon to 3.30 pm) and dinner ( from 7.30 to 10.30 pm). 

Last month, I went to this restaurant with my family. There is something about Rajasthani food that I love so we chose this restaurant. Here, I am told, the most popular offering is the Rajasthani Thali though they have Gujarati Thalis too. 

We also enjoyed the jal jeera and mango lassi along with the thali, though this does not come as part of the deal. 

It is recommended that you reserve a table because it can get quite crowded especially on Friday 

evenings and on Saturday and Sunday. When you reach your table, you are first offered warm water  to wash your hands in a basin. Then the colourfully attired waiters start the service with their customary efficiency. 

Instead of having too much of one particular dish, here the focus is on giving the diner small portions of many dishes. We loved the Rajasthani Thali.  Rotis or rice, you can have as much as you want enjoying the delicious dishes that are served with it. As expected,  I loved my favourite Rajdhani Special Dal Baati Churma, without which no Rajasthani meal is complete. 

In brief, the thali is made up of 2 starters ( I particularly liked the Rajwadi Samosa), 4 veg dishes: Paneer Butter Masala, Sarson ka Saag; Aloo Lasooniya and Jaisalmeri Chana. I must admit that some of the dishes are really not of Rajasthani origin! We also had  Cholar Dal, and Kadhi. These dishes were had with Indian breads such as phulka, puris, and rotlas. The rice offerings were Peas Pulao, Rajputana Khichdi and Anardana Curd Rice (curd rice with pomegranates). The accompaniments were green mint chutney, garlic chutney ( which was lip smacking!), masala chaas (buttermilk), and roasted papads.  

In the desserts, I particularly liked the Malpuas with rabdi (which is made by condensing milk on low heat for a long time). The other desserts were Fruit Shrikhand and Gajar Halwa. 

Interestingly, if yours is an all-women's group, you can choose to eat here on Wednesdays when they offer a special price for their Women's Wednesday Thali!!  If you live far away from their restaurants, don't be discouraged, you can order food from Khandani Rajdhani using the Zomato App. 

IDLI USLI

 IDLI USLI

I guess Idli and Dosa are the dishes most often associated with a South Indian breakfast anywhere you go to in the world today! Many even prefer idlis to dosas believing that idlis are more healthy as they are  steamed and not roasted. In the process, they reduce their consumption of oil. 

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for several types of Idlis, such as:-

• Idli
• Sabudana Idli
• Poha Idli
• Kanchipuram Idli

It may interest you to know that in our Konkani GSB community, an age old item we make for breakfast with the excess idlis that remain is Idli Usli. Please note we make Idli Usli using the regular idli and not with any of the variations. 

We also use the excess or idlis that remain to make Roasted Idlis - where we slice the idlis and shallow fry them on the tawa. But that's for another day! 

You will find Idli Usli very easy to make.  It can be made for breakfast or for an evening snack. While adding salt for making Idli Usli, do remember that salt has already been added while making the idli! 

Unlike Idlis which are eaten with an accompaniment of chutney or sambar, Idli Usli is eaten just as it is. 

So the next time you have extra idlis at home, do try out Idli Usli and let me know what you think of this. . 

Ingredients :-

• Idlis, 8
• Salt, to taste
• Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp
• Black Gram Dal /Urad Dal, 2 tsp
• Green Chillies,  2-3 
• Dry Red Chilli, 1
• Curry Leaves, a sprig
• Coconut Oil, 2 tbsp
• Asafoetida (Hing) Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 3 tbsp

Method: 

Preparation: 

Break the idlis into pieces and crumble them using your fingers 

Make sure they are evenly crumbled and do not have large pieces 

Sprinkle a little salt and mix well - remember the idlis already have salt in them 

Slit the green chillies

Break the dry red chilli into half

Add asafoetida powder to the fresh coconut gratings and mix well

Heat oil in a thick-bottomed kadhai and on medium heat add the mustard seeds

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

Next add the slit green chillies,  broken dry red chilli and curry leaves and saute 

To this add the crumbled idlis and mix well

Cover and cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes

Switch off the gas

Mix in the asafoetida- fresh coconut gratings mixture

Transfer to a serving bowl

Serve the Idli Usli

SOUTHEKAYI HASI GOJJU

 SOUTHEKAYI HASI GOJJU 

Today's recipe is from my Home State of Karnataka. It is for a dish made with Cucumber -which is called "Southekayi" in Kannada. Cucumber is called Kakdi in Marathi and Taushe in my mother tongue, Konkani. 

There are many health benefits attributed to adding cucumbers in our diets. 

Elsewhere in this blog, you will recipes for dishes made with cucumber, such as:-

• Khamang Kakdi
• Southekayi Tambuli 
• Southekayi Dosa
• Cucumber Pachadi

In Kannada, "Hasi Gojju" is a dish where the ground paste is added to the vegetable - cucumber in this case- without any cooking/boiling. This dish is a Satvik dish - so this is often made on days when you want to avoid using onion/garlic. 

I have adapted this from Southekayi Hasi Gojju from the YouTube video in Kannada by Veg Recipes of Karnataka.

It was delicious and I am sure you will enjoy this too! 

Ingredients:-

• Cucumber, medium-sized, 1
• Byadgi Red Chillies, 2
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1/2 cup
• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Salt, to taste

For Seasoning:-

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

Method:-

Wash the cucumber and snip off both the ends 

Peel and grate the cucumber

In a mixer jar grind together the fresh coconut gratings, red chilli and mustard seeds to a smooth paste adding water as required

Next add the grated cucumber to the ground paste and just pulse once

Transfer this to a bowl, add salt to taste and mix well

Heat oil in a small seasoning pan, add the mustard seeds, when they splutter add the red chili and curry leaves and saute for a few seconds

Switch off the gas 

Pour this seasoning on to the Southekayi Hasi Gojju 

Serve as an accompaniment to the main meal