KURUKKU PAYASAM: GUEST POST BY PRIYA.R. SHENOY

KURUKKU PAYASAM: GUEST POST BY PRIYA.R. SHENOY

I have always loved dishes from the State of Kerala. I was delighted to get my friend, Priya R. Shenoy, to contribute a recipe for a delicious payasam called, "Kurukku Payasam" which follows.  It is rich, it is mouth watering and Priya has sent in a beautiful picture too.

This is ideally prepared using "Chamba pachari" or payasam rice, but she says you can prepare this with the normal raw rice as well if you can't get this special type of rice.

Ingredients

• Chamba pachari or payasam Rice- 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup, 
• Coconut - 1/2 of a big one 
• Water- 8 - 10 cups ,
• Cardamom powder - 1tsp, 
• Jaggery - 1/2 kg , 
• Ghee- 1- 1/2 tsp or as needed 
• Dry fruits- 25 gm

 Method

•  Soak rice in water for 3 hours and strain

  Add coconut gratings to the rice and grind to a very smooth paste

  Add 8-10 cups of water or more...the consistency should be very loose...keep aside

  Next mix grated jaggery with 1/4 cup of water, heat on a low medium flame until it begins to melt

  Stir well until jaggery fully melts. Strain it to remove any impurities and keep aside.

  Heat a thick bottomed pan and add the ground paste of rice and coconut gratings.

  Heat on low flame stirring continuously till it thickens, then add the jaggery syrup and some water

  Stir continuously till it thickens then add cardamom powder

  Turn off the gas

  Heat the ghee in a pan and add the cashew nuts and raisins

  When the nuts turn golden brown and the raisins have puffed up, add them to the payasam

  Mix well and serve

  

   

ALLAM PACHADI (GINGER CHUTNEY)

ALLAM PACHADI (GINGER CHUTNEY)

Close on the heels of Pesarattu described yesterday, I present to you today it's usual accompaniment, a ginger chutney called  "Allam Pachadi." Both these are very common in the state of Andhra Pradesh. This recipe is adapted from the one by that doyen of South Indian cooking, Chandra Padmanabhan.

The colour of the chutney could vary depending on the jaggery used. As I have used older jaggery, I have got a darker colour for the chutney.

Ingredients: (makes 1/2 cup)

• Ginger, 3 " piece, grated
• Oil, 1 tsp
• Jeera (Cumin seeds), 1/4 tsp
• Dried Red Chillies, 4
• Tamarind, a lime-sized ball 
• Garlic, 2 cloves (optional) * I used
• Jaggery, grated, 2 tbsp
• Salt, to taste

For seasoning:

• Oil, 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Urad dal (Split Black gram dal) , 1/2 tsp
• Dried red chilli, 1, halved
• Curry leaves, a sprig

Method:

Heat a little oil in a thick-bottomed kadai over low heat.
When hot, add grated ginger, cumin seeds, and red chillies.
Fry till fragrant. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.
To this add, tamarind, garlic (if used), jaggery and salt.
In a blender, grind this to a smooth paste gradually adding 2-3 tbsp of water to make the chutney.
Transfer the chutney to a bowl.
Heat oil for seasoning in the same pan. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, urad dal, dried red chilli and curry leaves to prepare the seasoning.
Now add the seasoning to the prepared chutney.
Serve with pesarattu.

PESARATTU

PESARATTU

The name for this delicacy from Andhra Pradesh comes from its basic ingredient, green gram (whole moong) being called "Pesalu" in Telugu. It is served for breakfast or as a snack, typically with allam pachadi, a ginger chutney.

I soaked the whole moong (sabut moong) for about 6 hours. The use of the whole moong is reflected in the green tinge you will find in the pesarattu. As per the recipe below, I got 9 pesarattus. In case you want the pesarattu to be more crisp, you can increase the proportion of rice.

Ingredients:

• Whole Moong (Sabut Moong) /Green Gram, 1 and 1/4 cup 
• Raw Rice, 1/2 cup
• Chopped Coriander Leaves, 2 tbsp
• Garlic, 2-3 cloves (optional)
• Ginger, 1/2 inch piece, grated
• Onions, medium-sized, finely chopped, 2-3
• Green Chillies, finely chopped, 4-5
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, for shallow frying

Method:

Wash the whole moong and raw rice and soak them in water for about 6 hours.
Drain the water
Grind the mixture of whole moong and raw rice along with salt, coriander leaves, garlic, and ginger to a coarse paste, gradually adding water, to make the batter
Heat a non-stick tawa and pour a ladle of batter as you would for making a dosa
Spread it out quickly in a circular motion with the back of the ladle.
Drizzle 1 tsp oil around the edges.
Now, sprinkle finely chopped onions and green chillies on the dosa, as per your requirement, for the topping.

Cook the dosa till the base becomes golden
Fold it in half and cook the other side till it is also done
Serve hot with allam pachadi (ginger) chutney.

BESAN KARELA

BESAN KARELA

This preparation from the North of India is made of Karela which is what bitter gourd is called in Hindi, and besan (the Hindi word for gram flour.) This is basically bitter gourd cooked in spices and coated with gram flour.

In many houses, bitter gourd is not much fancied by adults as well as kids and it is a challenge to get them to eat this! However, a lot depends on how it is cooked. Some dishes of karela can be very tasty indeed. I have earlier posted another Karela dish cooked in the Andhra style.

I also make it a point to use bitter gourd as it has many health benefits.

Here is a recipe from Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor's book, "Everyday Cooking", which I tried out the other day and liked a lot. I adapted the recipe to suit my requirements by a) not scraping the bitter gourd, and b) reducing the oil to 3 tbsp.



Ingredients:

• Besan (Gram flour), 3 tbsp
• Karela, Bitter Gourds, medium-sized, lightly scraped, 3
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 5 tbsp
• Hing (Asafoetida), 1/4 tsp
• Ajwain (Carom seeds), 1/2 tsp
• Dried Mango Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder, 3/4 tsp
• Red chilli powder, 1 tsp
• Coriander-cumin powder, 2 tsp
• Sugar, 3 tsp
• Fresh Coriander Leaves, chopped, 1 tbsp

Method:

Chop the bitter gourd into small cubes. Sprinkle a little salt and mix. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Squeeze out the excess juice
Heat the oil in a non-stick kadai. Add the bitter gourds. Saute on medium heat till lightly coloured.
Cover and cook till done.
Sprinkle the gram flour and toss well.
Add the carom seeds, dried mango powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander-cumin powder, and sugar and toss again.
Continue to cook on medium-low heat, sprinkle a little water occasionally.
Cook till the gram flour coats the bitter gourds well
Adjust salt to taste
Take the kadai off the heat and serve garnished with the chopped coriander.

VEGETABLE UPMA WITH OATS

VEGETABLE UPMA WITH OATS

Some weeks ago, I had shared the recipe of a popular breakfast item in South India called "Upma."
This one, you might remember is made of rava (semolina). I would like to present today another version of Upma, in which oats replaces rava. Many would consider this the more healthy version.

Oats, which has many benefits for our health, is fast gaining popularity in our cooking. This is because people are now more aware and health conscious. I prefer to use Quaker Oats which is tasty and healthy too.

I hope you will enjoy this dish for breakfast or as an evening snack.

 
Ingredients

• Quaker Oats, 2 cups
• Mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Urad dal ( black gram dal) 1 tsp
• Chana dal (Split Bengal gram) 1 tsp
• Hing (Asafoetida) a pinch
• Grated ginger, 1/2 tsp
• Green chillies, slit, 3-4
• Curry leaves, 1 sprig
• Onion, chopped fine, 1
• Water, 1 and 1/2 cups
• Salt, to taste
• Tomato, medium, chopped, 1
• Capsicum, small size, chopped, 1
• Frozen Corn kernels OR Cooked Corn kernels, 1/2 cup
• Lemon juice, 2 tsp
• Oil, 2 tbsp or as required

Method:

Dry roast the oats for about 2 minutes in a non-stick kadai and keep aside.
Heat oil on medium heat and add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add urad dal and chana dal
When the dals change colour, add asafoetida, grated ginger, green chillies, and curry leaves
Add the chopped onion, and fry till they are translucent
Add water and salt to taste. You can vary the ratio of water to oats depending on the consistency you like. Remember, the oats will be more grainy when you add less water and more soft when you add more water.
When the water boils, add the chopped tomato, capsicum and corn kernels
Cover the kadai with a lid and cook for 2-3 minutes
Next, add the roasted oats, little at a time, stirring continuously to ensure it does not form lumps
Cook the upma for 2-3 minutes till the water evaporates
Switch off the gas, add the lemon juice and mix well
Serve hot

CARROT & METHI SABJI

CARROT & METHI SABJI

Some of the most delicious dishes are very simple ones. Isn't that amazing? This one is from Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and is made of carrots and methi (fenugreek.) As you know, both of these have many benefits for good health.

We enjoyed this dish with hot chappatis, and hope you will like it too!

Ingredients:

• Medium carrots, chopped, 4
• Fresh methi, medium bunch, chopped, 350 gms
• Oil, 2 tbsp
• Medium onion, chopped, 1
• Green chilli-ginger paste, 1/2 tsp
• Garlic cloves, minced, 3
• Turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Coriander cumin powder, 1 tbsp
• Lemon juice, 1 tsp

Method:

Heat the oil in a non-stick kadai. Add the onion and saute till light brown.

Add the green chilli-garlic paste and garlic. Saute for half a minute

Add the carrots and methi and mix well

Add the turmeric powder and salt.

Mix well and cover and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally till the carrots are done

Add the coriander cumin powder and lemon juice and mix well

Serve hot with chappatis.

MANGALORE GHEE DOSA: GUEST POST BY SUPHALA SHENOY

MANGALORE GHEE DOSA: GUEST POST BY SUPHALA SHENOY



If you are from Mangalore, wherever you are in the world you can never forget the taste and flavour of 

a home town specialty, the Mangalore style Ghee Dosa. This guest post, in which I invite friends to 

contribute recipes of their choice about twice a month to have a wider variety of dishes, is from ,

Suphala Shenoy. She is an accomplished cook who makes many yummy dishes.


Needless to say, it's up to you to choose the amount of ghee you would use to make the dosa.

Ingredients:

• Urad dal, (black gram dal), 1 cup
• Dosa Rice, 1/2 cup
• Maida, (refined flour), 1 and 1/2 cups
• Salt, to taste
• Soda Bicarb, a pinch
• Sugar, a little, or as per taste
• Ghee, as required

Method:

Soak together 1 cup urad dal and 1/2 cup dosa rice for 3-4 hrs. 

Grind and allow it to ferment overnight. 

Next morning, add 1 and 1/2 cups of maida, salt, little sugar and a pinch of soda bi carb 

Make slightly thick dosas with ghee on a tava. 

Serve with coconut chutney.

Thanks, Suphala, for this treat!

AJWANI ALOO: POTATOES WITH CAROM SEEDS

AJWANI ALOO: POTATOES WITH CAROM SEEDS

I am sure you know that Ajwain, which is what we normally call Carom Seeds in India, has many health benefits. Ajwain is the name in Hindi, in Marathi it is called Onva, Oma in Kannada, and Omum in Tamil.

I have used ajwain in many Punjabi dishes but was delighted to come across this different dish
called "Ajwani Aloo" demonstrated by Chef Harpal S. Sokhi in this video on YouTube. You will find many interesting dishes on his Facebook page.

As promised by Chef Harpal, this dry dish, Ajwani Aloo, turned out to be a treat. I loved the fragrance of ajwain from what I would call a simple to make healthy treat. Apart from using oil instead of ghee, I followed the recipe as given by Chef Harpal.

Ingredients:

• Boiled Potatoes, 4, cut into quarters
• Ghee, 1 tbsp ( if you want you can use oil instead) 
• Dried red chillies, 4, broken
• Asafoetida (Hing) , 1/4 tsp
• Ajwain, (Carom seeds), 1 tsp
• Ginger, 1 " piece, chopped fine
• Dried mango powder (Amchur), 2 tsp
• Fresh coriander, 1 tbsp
• Salt, to taste

Method:

Cook the potatoes, cool and peel them. Cut into quarters. Keep aside.
Heat up a non-stick kadai and add 1 tbsp of ghee/oil 

While the ghee melts, add the broken dried red chillies

Saute the red chillies

Add the asafoetida and the ajwain

Add the boiled potatoes and stir well

Cook the potatoes on a low flame till they turn a light brown

Add the chopped ginger and cook till the ginger turns brown

Add salt, to taste
Sprinkle the dry mango powder and stir the contents of the tawa till they are mixed well

Add the fresh chopped coriander

Stir well and serve hot

CARROT, ONION, AND TOMATO UTHAPPAM

CARROT, ONION, AND TOMATO UTHAPPAM

In an earlier post, I had shared my recipe for Menthya (Fenugreek) Uthappam, a popular South Indian breakfast dish. You may like to note that we usually make use of the left over dosa batter, which is more sour, for making uthappams. This helps the uthappams become more soft, spongy and porous.

As mentioned, you can add different kinds of vegetables when you make the uthappam. Today I have chosen to make it with carrots, onions and tomatoes. This dish is quite filling because of the vegetables added, and we sometimes have it as a snack in lieu of lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

• Dosa batter, (preferably left over), 4 cups
• Large Onion, 1, finely chopped
• Small Tomatoes, 2, finely chopped
• Carrots, finely grated, 2
• Capsicum, finely chopped, 1 (optional) 
• Green chillies, finely chopped, 3
• Fresh Coriander leaves, finely chopped,  2 tbsp
• Oil, as required for roasting
• Salt, to taste

Method:

Wash and clean the carrot and grate it
Finely chop the onion, tomato, coriander leaves, and green chillies
Mix all this in a bowl, adding a bit of salt,
Add the chopped capsicum (if you are using), and mix well
This forms the vegetable topping for the uthappam. Keep this aside.
Heat a non-stick tawa, as you would for preparing a dosa
Pour a ladleful of batter in the centre of the tawa to make an uthappam. You need not spread it as much as you would do for a dosa, as the uthappam is much thicker.
Lower the heat, pour the required amount of oil around the uthappam and keep the tawa covered for 1-2 minutes, until the base gets cooked and the surface looks porous
Now spread the chopped vegetables evenly on the uthappam, and gently press it down with the ladle
Next, flip over and similarly roast the other side
Serve hot with chutney of your choice, and sambar.

GODU (SWEET) APPO

GODU (SWEET) APPO

Some months ago, I had given my recipe for "Appos" a common breakfast dish made of rice. Related to this, I had also shared Niya Prakash's recipe for "Cabbage Onion Sanna Appos." 

Today I share with you my recipe for another type of Appos. These are sweet and hence are called "Godu ( which means sweet in Konkani) Appos."

I find that many make Godu Appos using wheat flour, but I learnt, from my mother, to make Godu Appos using rice and have given the recipe accordingly.

They are most often used as naivedhya before Ganesh Puja so I made them for the Ganesh festival we celebrated recently.

While the ingredients are different, the method of cooking the Godu Appos is exactly the same as that for the other Appos mentioned above, except that for Godu Appos, we would use ghee as against oil used for the other Appos.

Ingredients:

• Raw Rice, 1 cup
• Grated Coconut, 1/2 cup
• Grated Jaggery, 2/3 cup, or as per taste
• Beaten Rice (Poha), (thin variety) 2 tbsp
• Cardamom Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Ghee, as required
• Water, for grinding
• Salt, a pinch

Method:

Wash the rice and soak it in water for about 2 hours and drain out the water. Keep aside.

Soak the beaten rice in 1/2 cup of water and do not discard the water.

In a mixer, grind the coconut gratings, jaggery, rice, and beaten rice, with a little water, to form a thick batter but of dropping consistency.

To this add a pinch of salt, and cardamom powder.

To Make The Appos:

Heat the special griddle/appe kayli/paniyarakkal on a medium low flame
When it is hot, pour about 1/2 tsp of ghee in each of the sockets. If you like to have a lot of ghee, you can go up to a little less than 1/4 of each of the sockets.
When the ghee gets heated, pour the prepared batter to fill each of the sockets.
Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes on low flame
Using a skewer, flip the appos carefully and fry the other side
Once the appos are cooked, take them out using a skewer
Serve hot

Hints: 

• Take care not to overfill the sockets with the batter
• If you are not sure whether the appo is cooked, you can poke it with the skewer to check
• Keeping the appo for too long on one side results in it getting burnt. Flip to fry the other side at the right time
• When the appos turn a golden brown, you know they are well cooked.

GODU (SWEET) PHOVU

GODU (SWEET) PHOVU

We are now in the festive season during which it is customary to offer naivedhya for puja. Recently I had made Panchakadai, which recipe I have shared. Today I shall share my recipe for Godu (sweet in Konkani) Phovu, which is another commonly made sweet offered as naivedhya, especially for Gowri Puja.

This is made of  jaggery, beaten rice and coconut. It is advisable that you use the thin variety of beaten rice, which we in Bangalore call 'paper avalakki.'

Ingredients:

• Thin Beaten Rice, (poha/avalakki), 3 cups
• Grated jaggery, 3/4 cup tightly packed, or as per taste
• Fresh Coconut gratings, 3/4 cup
• Cardamom powder, 1/2 tsp
• Ghee, 1-2 tsp

Method:

Mix together  the coconut gratings and beaten rice by hand until they are well combined and the beaten rice becomes soft

Add cardamom powder, and mix well. Keep aside 

Next, add some water, about 1/4 cup, to the grated jaggery and heat in a kadai till the jaggery melts

Keep stirring the jaggery until you get a syrup of one string consistency 

(When you take the syrup between your thumb and fore finger and move them apart, the syrup should form a single string) 

Remove from flame and add the mixture of beaten rice and coconut gratings to this syrup and mix well

Finally, add 1-2 tsp of fresh ghee 

PATOLI: GUEST POST BY NISHA BALIGA SHENOY

PATOLI: GUEST POST BY NISHA BALIGA SHENOY

Patoli is a delicacy for us Konkanis. This sweet is like a pancake of rice flour stuffed

with a sweet, coconut filling. The main characteristic of this dish is the rich fragrance 

given off by the turmeric leaves (haldi paan in Konkani) in which it is steamed. 


The taste and the aroma linger for long. This dish is usually prepared for our festivals 

like Gowri Puja, which is coming up shortly.

I was delighted when my friend Nisha Baliga Shenoy kindly agreed to share her recipe

for making this dessert in this guest post. Thank you, Nisha.

Nisha ( Nisha's Culinary) has a widely followed and active Facebook Page too. You 

will find many vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian dishes there.

In the meantime, let's get down to enjoying the patolis made by her. Popped rice is 

called Aralu in Kannada and Layi in Konkani.

Ingredients:

• Rice, 1 cup

• Popped Rice, 1 cup

• Whole coconut, grated, 1

• Cardamom, 2-4

• Jaggery, 2 cups, or as per taste

• Turmeric leaves, 25

• Salt, to taste

These are the approximate measurements of making Patolis. Depends upon the size of the leaves.

Method. Soak rice in water for about an hour.
Along with 2 tbsps of grated coconut grind it to a fine paste.
Half way add a cup of just washed popped rice and small piece of jaggery and salt to taste.
Grind to fine paste. The mixture must be thick and must not be watery.

With the remaining jaggery, make syrup, strain it and add coconut grating and cook it till it forms a lump.
Add cardamom powder to the jaggery mixture.

Keep aside to cool.

HOW TO PROCEED. Wash and pat dry the turmeric leaves.
Lay them on a flat surface.
Meanwhile keep the steam vessel to boil adding enough water.
First spread the rice mixture on the leaf and then the jaggery mixture.

Close it and steam it in the steamer for half an hour.
The Patoli is almost done when you get the aroma of the cooked Patolis.
Peel it from the leaf when cool, otherwise it breaks.
Relish with warm Ghee !

YELLOW PUMPKIN KOOTU

YELLOW PUMPKIN KOOTU

For years I have been trying to get my husband to like pumpkins as they are incredibly rich in vital antioxidants. It's amazing how a well made dish, thanks to a good recipe, can change one's outlook towards a vegetable!

I have adapted this from  Yellow Pumpkin Kootu in the popular blog, Padhu's Kitchen. My reward for making this dish came when I saw it polished off in no time. More importantly, my husband enjoyed it and asked me to make it again!!

Ingredients:

• Yellow Pumpkin, 3 cups, chopped
• Tur Dal, 1/3 cup
• Peppercorns, 1/3 tsp
• Red Chillies, 3
• Peanuts, 1 tbsp
• Grated Coconut, 1/4 cup
• Tomatoes, 2
• Mustard, 1 tsp
• Curry leaves,  a few
• Onions, chopped. 2 
• Ginger, finely chopped, 1" piece.
• Turmeric Powder, a pinch
• Salt, to taste
• Oil 2 tsp

Method:

Wash and peel the pumpkin. Cut them into cubes.
Place the pumpkin cubes in a pan, add a little water, salt and turmeric powder
Cook till the pumpkins are done taking care not to overcook them. Keep aside.
Pressure cook the tur dal until done and keep aside.

In a kadhai, add 1 tsp of oil and fry the peppercorns, red chillies and peanuts on medium flame till the chillies turn crisp and the peanuts change colour
Transfer to a mixer and together with the grated coconut grind it to a smooth paste using the required amount of water. Keep aside.

Make a puree of the tomatoes and keep aside

In a kadhai, heat oil and when it gets hot, add the mustard seeds. When they splutter add the curry leaves, chopped onions and the finely chopped ginger and fry till the onions become transparent
Now one by one add the cooked pumpkins, the pepper-peanut- coconut ground paste, the tomato puree and lastly the cooked tur dal
Mix well, add salt to taste and bring it to a boil
Lower the flame, allow it simmer for a few minutes
Serve hot with rice or chapati.

SHAHI MASALA GOBHI

SHAHI MASALA GOBHI

I thank my friend, Sudha Rao, for this recipe of a popular North Indian dish made of cauliflower (gobhi in Hindi). I have adapted the recipe to suit my needs. I made a few changes, like instead of deep frying I sauteed the cauliflower florets. Secondly, I didn't add the cream at the end to keep the dish lighter. 

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower, 1/2 kg , cut to medium size florets
• Onion, 1 to 1 and 1/2,  large, chopped
• Tomato , 1 medium, chopped to cube size pieces
• Green peas, (frozen), 1/4 cup 
• Garlic pods, 5
• Ginger, 1 to 1 and 1/2 " piece
• Red chillies, 5, or as per taste
• Poppy seeds, 1 tsp
• Peppercorns, 5
• Cardamom, 2 small
• Cloves, 4
• Fennel seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Cinnamon, 1 " stick
• Cashew nuts, 4-5
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, as required

Method: 

Cut the cauliflower into medium-sized florets and soak it in salt water for 15-20 minutes. Keep aside.
Grind together onion, garlic pods, ginger, red chillies, poppy seeds, peppercorns, cardamoms, ,cloves, cinnamon stick, cashew nuts and fennel seeds, to a fine paste. Keep aside.
In a kadai, deep fry the cauliflowers, if you choose to do so. Alternately, you can saute them.
In another kadai, heat a little oil and add the fine ground paste. Fry well till the raw smell goes.
Add the tomato pieces and salt to taste.
Cook for another 2-3 minutes till oil oozes out.
Add the fried/sauteed cauliflower to it and mix well to coat the florets with gravy
Add the frozen peas and a little water, if necessary.

Mix well and cook for another 2-3 minutes

For the final touch, add cream/malai, as per your taste
Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves
Serve hot, with phulkas/rotis