ALOO CHUTNEY PULAO

ALOO CHUTNEY PULAO

This is based on a recipe for a yummy pulao from North India from the well-known Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. The spinach puree and the spicy green chutney gives the pulao an attractive colour apart from adding to its taste.

I made some adaptions to this recipe.

• To save time, I used 4 cups of cooked rice, as also boiled potatoes which I had readily available
• I also added 1/4 cup of frozen green peas which enhanced the taste of the pulao.

The pulao was excellent and I would heartily recommend this dish. 

Incidentally, I had submitted this picture to Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and he was gracious enough to publish this in his Facebook Page.

Ingredients:

• Cooked Rice, 4 cups
• Cooked Potatoes, 2, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• Frozen Peas, 1/4 cup
• Green Chutney, 6 tbsp * recipe given below
• Bay Leaf, 1
• Green Cardamoms, 3-4
• Cloves, 3
• Cinnamon, 1 " piece
• Black Peppercorns, 4
• Onions, medium-sized, sliced, 2
• Spinach Puree, 3 and 1/2 tbsp
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 2 tbsp

Method:

Heat the oil in a non-stick pan. Add the bay leaf, green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, and black peppercorns. Saute for 1 minute.
Add the onions and saute till light brown
Add the cooked potatoes, frozen peas and salt. (However, remember the green chutney that you will next mix in already has salt)
Next, add the spinach puree, green chutney, and cooked rice. Mix well making sure that the rice gets evenly coated with the puree and chutney mixture.
Cook the pulao for 4-5 minutes over medium heat.

Serve hot with curd based raita or salad.


* Green chutney: Grind 1 cup fresh coriander leaves, 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves and 3-4 green chillies to a smooth paste with a little water if required. Add the black salt and 1/4 tsp sugar. Transfer the chutney into a bowl, add 1 tsp lemon juice and mix well.

RIDGE GOURD TOMATO STIR FRY

RIDGE GOURD TOMATO STIR FRY

It is a simple dish of ridge gourd (Turai in Hindi; Heerekai in Kannada, and Gossale in Konkani) cooked with tomato and onion, which is quick to make and goes well with phulkas or rotis. We make dishes from ridge gourd quite often, even making chutney out of the ridge gourd skin. Elsewhere in this blog you will find recipes for Ridge Gourd Peel Chutney, Ridge Gourd Dosa, and Ridge Gourd Pepper Kootu.

I liked this recipe adapted from Chef Sanjay Thumma's Vah Re Vah.



Ingredients:

• Ridge Gourd , 250 gms
• Chilli powder, 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder, 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves, 1 sprig
• Ginger-garlic paste, 1 tsp
• Oil, 2 tsp
• Medium sized Onions, chopped, 2
• Tomato, 1
• Turmeric, a pinch
• Urad dal ( split black gram dal), 1 tbsp
• Salt, to taste
• Coriander leaves, chopped, to garnish 

 Method:
Peel and cut the ridge gourd into small cubes.
Heat a little oil in a thick-bottomed pan, add urad dal, when it changes colour, add chopped onion and cook till it sweats, add salt and mix well.
Add ginger-garlic paste and turmeric powder, curry leaves, and chilli powder
Add the cut ridge gourd, mix it well and cook it on low flame by keeping it covered for about 10 minutes
When done, add the tomato, and coriander powder and cook for 2 minutes
Garnish with coriander leaves
Serve hot with phulkas or rotis.

POHA DOSA

POHA DOSA

Today's dish is a dosa made of not just rice but a mixture of rice and "poha." As you might know, poha is the Marathi word for "beaten" or "flattened " rice. We call this "phovu" in Konkani while as in Kannada it is called "Avalakki."

This dosa comes out as being deliciously soft and spongy on top and crisp at the bottom. 

Ingredients

• Raw Rice, 2 cups
• Poha* (Beaten Rice), 1 cup * Thin Variety or Patla Poha
• Curds, 2 tbsp
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, as required for making dosas

Method:

Wash and soak rice and poha separately for about 5-6 hours
Drain the rice and poha and grind them separately to a fine paste, using as little water as possible
Mix them well together
Add curds and salt
Keep this overnight or for 7-8 hours for fermenting
Your batter is now ready for making dosas
Heat a non-stick tawa and pour a ladle full of batter without spreading it as you would for a regular dosa
Pour a little oil around the dosa and keep it covered on low flame till the bottom of the dosa gets crisp
When you open the lid, you will find that the dosa looks porous
There is no need to flip the dosa
Remove and serve hot with a chutney of your choice.

ALOO TIKKI

ALOO TIKKI

Tea time in the evenings is a good time to have a snack. Kids in particular look forward to grabbing a bite. I got this recipe for this tasty snack from my friend Usha Bhat, who manages a very active online cookery group in which I am a member. You may recall she had contributed the first guest post here for a delicious Bhojpuri Aloo.

I added a little cornflour for binding, and I chose to use frozen sweet corn and frozen peas to save time. As I am more used to it, I decided to shallow fry rather than deep fry the tikkis which turned out to be really yummy!

Ingredients:

Boiled Potatoes (Aloo),  300 gms

Boiled Peas, 1/2  cup * I used frozen peas

Boiled Sweet Corn, 1/2 cup * I used frozen corn

Ginger, chopped, 3 tsp

Green Chillies, chopped, 2-3

Coriander leaves, finely chopped, 2 tbsp

Salt, to taste

Red Chilli Powder, 1 tsp or as per taste

Garam Masala, 1/4 tsp

Chaat Masala, 1/2 tsp
Cornflour, 1 to 2 tbsp, as required, for binding

Oil, as required for shallow frying

Method:

Mash the boiled potatoes and mix them with all the other ingredients (except oil!) 

Divide the mixture into equal-sized balls and flatten them on your palm into tikkis

Putting a little oil around each of the tikkis, shallow fry them on the tawa and flip them over when done  to get them cooked evenly on both sides

 

Serve hot with ketchup.

PAPPAD CORN CONE

PAPPAD CORN CONE

Today's recipe features a snack made of sweet corn, onion and chillies, served in a cone made of chilli pappad.

As you know, "Pappad" is what this accompaniment to a meal is better known in North India though we in South India call it "Pappadam". What I used was really what we call "Mirsange Happolu" in Konkani. This translates to a "Appalam" made of chillies. This chilli pappad is made of urad dal and red chillies.

This recipe which I tried out as an experiment was much appreciated by those who tasted the final product. It made for an attractive and tasty snack where you get the sweet taste of the corn along with the chilli taste of the pappad. This would be a nice cocktail snack as well.

In case you don't get Mirsange Happolu, this can as easily be done with the ordinary Pappad.

Ingredients:

• Mirsange Happolu (Red Chilli Pappad), 4-5
• Frozen Sweet Corn, 1/2 cup
• Green Chilli, chopped fine, 1
• Small Onion, chopped fine, 1
• Salt, to taste
• Chaat Masala, 1/4 tsp
• Oil, 1 tsp, for sauteing 
• Fresh Coriander leaves, chopped, to garnish

Method:
Take 4-5 chilli pappads and wet them uniformly by applying water, without soaking them.
Make a diagonal cut on each of the pappads and fold them in the form of cones.

 Microwave each in a cup such that the cone assumes the shape of the cup.







For the filling:
Chop the onion and green chilli fine
With a little oil, saute the onion with chopped green chilli and add the frozen corn, salt and chaat masala.
Add this filling to each of the pappad cones
Garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves.

MOONG DAL AWADHI STYLE

MOONG DAL AWADHI STYLE

This recipe was recommended to me by some friends in a cooking group in which I am a member. They had tried it out and were praising it a lot. I tried it out yesterday and found it to be very tasty. We had this with rotis.

Moong Dal Awadhi Style recipe is adapted from the well-known blog Sailu's Kitchen.
To suit my requirement, I have skipped using malai but I do agree with Sailu when she says the dish may be too bland without the optional ingredients, which I too have used. They have added to the taste of the dal.

Ingredients:

• Moong Dal ( Split Yellow Dal), 1 small cup
• Ginger-Green Chilli Paste, 1 and 1/2 tsp
• Onion, finely chopped, 1
• Tomato, pureed, 1
• Cumin (Jeera) Powder,   1/4 tsp  (optional)
• Chilli Powder, 1/2 tsp  (optional)
• Turmeric  (Haldi) Powder, a pinch
• Garam Masala, a pinch  (optional)
• Mint leaves, a few
• Onion, finely sliced, 1
• Salt, to taste
• Ghee/Oil, 1 tbsp

Method:

In a kadhai, dry roast the moong dal on medium flame for 2-3 minutes till it changes colour
Wash the dal and cook it in a pressure cooker along with 2 cups of water, ginger-green chilli paste and the finely chopped onions till done
Once the cooker cools, lightly mash the dal and add the tomato puree
Mix well and cook for about 5 minutes
Now add cumin powder, chilli powder, haldi, garam masala powder, and salt to taste
Mix well again and cook for 3 minutes
Heat oil/ghee in the kadhai, when it gets hot add the mint leaves and saute till they become crisp
Remove the mint leaves and keep aside
In the same oil/ghee add the sliced onions and saute till they become transparent
Finally, add the mint leaves and the sliced onions to the dal and mix well
Serve hot with rotis or rice

KOKUM SOL KADHI

KOKUM SOL KADHI

This fruit which is called Kokum in Marathi and "Bhirind" in Konkani is famous in Goa, Maharashtra and parts of Karnataka where it is used in many dishes. It's botanical name is Gracinia indica and it has many health benefits.

The skin of the kokum fruit is sun dried and preserved and used in place of tamarind. It has traditionally been held that kokum has medicinal properties and aids digestion.

Kokum Sol Kadhi is a versatile drink with a distinctively pink colour (which comes from the kokum extract) which is served before a meal as an appetizer, during a meal to be eaten with rice, and after a meal as a digestive.

There are different methods of making Sol Kadhi. Often, the preparation involves extracting the milk of the coconut (or even using the ready made Tetra Pack of coconut milk these days) and later seasoning with jeera (cumin seeds).

The way I am used to making it is somewhat different. Instead of extracting the coconut milk and mixing it with the kokum extract, I grind the coconut gratings along with the other ingredients and then sieve it through a strainer to get the kadhi.

This is an awesome drink which is made all through the year, and you will find this particularly refreshing during the hot summer. A healthy way to beat the heat.

Ingredients:

• Kokum,  about 8-10 pieces
• Freshly grated Coconut, 1 and 1/2 cups
• Garlic pods, 3
• Black pepper corns, 4
• Sugar, 1 tsp
• Salt, 1 tsp or as per taste
• Green chilli, 1
• Coriander leaves, for garnishing

Method:
Soak the kokum in a cup of warm water for 1hour
In a mixer, grind the grated coconut, garlic, black peppercorns, and green chilli along with the kokum and the water in which it is soaked to get a fine paste
Squeeze this paste through the strainer
Repeat this process, adding some more water, to fully extract the juice
Add salt and sugar
Mix well and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves

PATHRODO: GUEST POST BY BHARATHI SHENOY

PATHRODO: GUEST POST BY BHARATHI SHENOY

Pathrodo is a delicacy made in every Konkani home. Today's guest post is by my friend Bharathi Shenoy who shares her recipe for making this old  but all time favourite.  This dish is made of colocasia leaves and is immensely popular.

To prepare the leaves- You will need 15-20 leaves, depending on their size. Wash the leaves and let them dry. Then trim the midrib and all the veins . Then with a wooden spoon press against the midrib and the veins to mash and soften them. The leaves are now ready for use. 

The Masala-
Ingredients:- 3/4 pav toovar dal ( approx 190 grams), 1 pav rice ( approx 250 grams)
Soak separately for 5-6 hours . 1/2 coconut, grated. 25 red chillies ( 17 Bedgi and 8 Madras) - roast with a little oil. A small piece of Hing( asafoetida) , roast in a drop of oil. A small ball of tamarind . Salt to taste   
       
Method of Preparation-
Remove all the water from the soaked rice, and dry grind it to make rava of it. Keep aside.
Now grind finely the coconut, red chillies, hing and tamarind to a smooth paste.
Add the soaked toovar dal to the ground paste and grind further with just enough water to make a smooth thick paste.
Add the rice rava to it, add salt and mix with a wooden spoon till well mixed!
This masala is now ready for application to the leaves.                                                                   

Take two leaves and place them side by side one slightly overlapping the other. Next, place two more leaves on the lower edge of the above leaves, so a square of overlapping leaves is formed.
Apply the masala on the leaves making sure it is spread all over and in between the overlapped parts too. Now place one more layer of leaves over the masala . Apply the masala again over the leaves so a square with two layers of leaves and two layers of masala is ready.
Fold the left and the right side edges of the square inwards. Starting at the bottom of the square, roll the leaves into a tight roll.
Keep applying a little masala continuously as the underside of the square of leaves becomes visible while rolling.
Tie the roll with a string in two or three places. Cut the roll into two, if it is too long .

 Steam the roll for approximately 45 mins. Cut into slices. Serve hot, dribbled with fresh coconut oil.....
 

I am sure you will enjoy this Konkani delicacy. Thanks, Bharathi for this recipe.

CHANNA UPKARI ( A SIDE DISH OF BLACK CHICKPEAS)

CHANNA UPKARI ( A SIDE DISH OF BLACK CHICKPEAS)

This dish made of black chickpeas ( kala channa in Hindi; kadle in Kannada) is a versatile one. It is traditionally prepared on Fridays in many GSB homes. I made this recently to offer as naivedya for the puja during Navratri. We Konkanis also love to have this as a side dish with rice and "channa saaru." It can also be had as a stand alone snack.

Ingredients:

• Chickpeas, (black channa) 2 cups
• Mustard seeds, 1 tsp
• Urad dal, 1/2  tsp
• Red chillies, broken into halves, 2
• Green chillies, chopped fine, 2
• Asafoetida, a large pinch
• Curry leaves, 1 sprig
• Oil, 1 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Freshly grated coconut, 1 tbsp

Method:
Wash and soak the chickpeas overnight or for 8-10 hours.
After draining the water, cook the chickpeas in a pressure cooker adding 3-4 cups of water for 20-25 minutes till done.
When cool separate the chickpeas from the liquid in which it has been cooked. This liquid can later be used for making "saaru" (a rasam-like accompaniment for rice.)
In a thick-bottomed kadai, add oil and when it is hot add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds splutter, add urad dal. When the dal changes colour, add asafoetida, chopped green chillies, broken red chillies, and curry leaves.
Saute for 2-3 minutes.
Next, add the cooked chickpeas and salt to taste.
Add 1/2 cup of the liquid in which the chickpeas were cooked.
Mix well and cook over medium flame for 5-6 minutes or till the liquid fully evaporates.
Serve garnished with grated coconut

SPROUTED MOONG USLI

SPROUTED MOONG USLI

Sprouted Moong Usli is a dish made of sprouted green gram (whole or 'sabut' moong)  which is both tasty and nutritious. We call this "Kirlayil Moogha Usli" in my mother tongue, Konkani.

It is easy to make and is served as a snack.

Ingredients:

• Sprouted Moong (Green Gram) , 3 cups
• Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp
• Black Gram Dal, 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Hing (Asafoetida), a big pinch
• Green Chillies, chopped, 3-4
• Curry Leaves, 2 sprigs
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 1 tbsp
• Freshly grated Coconut, 2-3 tbsp
• Coriander leaves, chopped, 2 tbsp
• Juice of a lemon 

 Method:

Soak the moong overnight for 8-10 hours. Drain the water fully the next day and tie the moong beans in a wet muslin cloth and allow them to sprout.

 Cook the sprouted moong in water, adding a little salt to prevent it from getting overcooked. Drain the water completely and de-skin the moong. (If you wish, you can collect the water in which the moong was cooked and use it separately for soup or curries.)
In a thick-bottomed kadai, add a little oil and when it is hot, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add black gram dal and when it changes colour, add cumin seeds, hing, chopped green chillies and curry leaves.
Next add the cooked moong. Check to see if more salt is required.
Finally add the grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves.
Add the juice of a lemon.
Mix well and serve.

AKKI ROTTI

AKKI ROTTI

Today I present my recipe for a favourite breakfast item of ours called Akki Rotti. This is a Karnataka specialty and is like a dosa/pancake made of rice flour. You can use grated vegetables while preparing the dough as this adds to the taste of the dish. For example, I have added carrots in this recipe.

Ingredients:

• Rice flour ( akki hittu) , 2 cups
• Atta, (wheat flour) 1- 2 tbsp, for binding
• Onion, finely chopped, 1
• Green chillies, chopped, 4
• Grated coconut, 1/4 cup
• Grated carrot, 1
• Coriander leaves, chopped, 2 tbsp
• Asafoetida, a pinch
• Oil, for roasting
• Salt, to taste

Method:

Grind the grated coconut and the green chillies together in a mixer with very little water till the green chillies are fully crushed.
In a bowl, mix this along with rice flour, chopped onion, a pinch of asafoetida, chopped coriander leaves, grated carrot and salt.
Knead this to a soft dough by adding some warm water and a little atta for binding the dough.
Set aside for 10-15 minutes.
Divide the dough into lemon -sized balls and pat them to make thin rottis. This is best done by applying a little oil on to a plastic sheet and patting the dough evenly using your fingers to form a round rotti, preferably as thin as possible.
Heat the tawa and when it is hot, hold the plastic sheet with the patted rotti in one hand and peel off the plastic sheet with the other and place the rotti on the tawa.
Drizzle enough oil to roast it to a golden brown.
Flip and roast the other side as well.
Serve hot with chutney of your choice.

MATHANGA PULINKARI ( PUMPKIN PULINCURRY)

MATHANGA PULINKARI ( PUMPKIN PULINCURRY)

This dish is popular in Kerala and is made of pumpkin.

The interesting thing about recipes is how they are passed on and shared. I got this from my friend, Chitra Kamath who says the original comes from another friend, Niya Prakash.

I have presented this dish in the pumpkin shell itself!

Ingredients:

• Pumpkin, 150 gms, cut into cubes
• Water, 1 cup,
• Salt, to taste
• Tamarind paste, 1 tsp or Tamarind juice, 3 tsp

For coconut paste:

• Grated coconut, 75 gms
• Dried red chillies, 7
• Urad dal, 1 tsp
• Coriander seeds, 3 tbsp
• Curry leaves, 1 sprig

For coconut paste:
In an iron kadai, dry roast grated coconut, urad dal, dried red chillies, coriander seeds and curry leaves till golden colour and fragrant on a medium heat ( approx. roasting time 20 minutes on low-medium heat and stir continuously)
Then make a smooth paste in a mixer
Add 2 tbsp of water when making the paste

Final preparation:
Cut the pumpkin into 1/2 inch cubes. Boil pumpkin pieces with water and 1/2 tsp salt and tamarind paste or juice.
When it is 3/4ths done, add coconut paste and mix well
Add extra 1/4 cup of water and salt, if you require.
Boil on low heat for 5-8 minutes or till done and pumpkin softens. Switch off the heat.

For seasoning:
Oil 2 tsp
Mustard seeds 3/4 tsp
Jeera ( cumin seeds) 1/2 tsp
Methi ( fenugreek seeds) 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves, 1 sprig
Shallots, 2-3  Optional

Method:
Heat oil in a pan
Add mustard seeds, when they begin to pop, add jeera and methi seeds. Saute for 1 minute.
Add curry leaves and stir well.
Pour the seasoning over the mathanga pulikari and serve hot with rice.

MUTTER KI MASTI

MUTTER KI MASTI

I got this recipe, for cutlets made of green peas and potatoes, from my friend Asha Radhakrishna Shenoy. Green peas are called "Mutter" in Hindi and this is a fun snack which can be made quite easily.  I am sure your kids will love this snack!

I have modified the recipe slightly. The recipe had dried green peas which had to be soaked for a couple of hours and cooked, instead I have used frozen peas to save time. I have used chilli powder instead of green chillies and chosen to shallow fry these cutlets as this is a healthier version.


Ingredients:

• Frozen peas, 1/2 cup
• Potatoes, medium-sized, 2 -3
• Ginger garlic paste, 1/2 tsp
• Chilli powder, 1 tsp
• Jeera (Cumin seeds) for seasoning, 1/2 tsp
• Pepper powder, 1/4 tsp
• Coriander leaves, chopped, 1 tbsp
• Cornflour, 1 and 1/2 to 2 tbsp or as required for binding
• Salt, to taste

Method:
Cook the potatoes, then cool and peel them.
Mash the potatoes and mix them well with the frozen peas, ginger garlic paste, chilli powder, and chopped coriander leaves.
Add salt to taste
In a pan, add a little oil. When hot, add jeera and when it sizzles, add pepper powder.
Add this seasoning to the mixture of potatoes and peas
Next, add the cornflour, mix well and roll into small balls
As per your taste, you may either deep fry them or flatten and shallow fry them on a tawa.
Serve hot with chutney or sauce.

RAW/GREEN BANANA ROAST

RAW/GREEN BANANA ROAST

The other day at the market, I was delighted to find some nice green bananas. We use raw/green banana in our cooking from time to time. Did you know that, apart from India, raw/green bananas are used in cooking in many parts of South East Asia as also in Africa and the Caribbean?

I like this vegetable because the dishes are easy to make and they are reputed to be an excellent source of potassium and vitamin B-6.

You may recall that earlier I had given the recipe for another dish, "Raw Banana Stir Fry."

Today's dish is from an old neighbor of ours who was from Palghat in Kerala. It is different from the earlier one in that here the bananas are cooked in the pressure cooker and peeled. 

This dish goes great with hot steamed rice and rasam. 



Ingredients:

• Raw/green Bananas, 2,
• Red Chillies, 6
• Tur dal,  (split piegon peas), 2 tsp
• Urad dal,  (split black gram), 2 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 1 or 2 tbsp, or as required

To season:

• Mustard seeds, 1 tsp
• Hing (Asafoetida), 1/4  tsp
• Curry leaves, a few (optional) 

Method:

Cut the bananas into half and cook in water in a pressure cooker till the raw/green bananas are done. Take care not to overcook and make the bananas too mushy. They should be fully cooked yet firm.
Next, carefully peel the bananas and cut them into thick pieces and keep aside.
In a little oil, fry the red chillies, tur dal and urad dal till the dals turn golden.
Allow this to cool and grind in a mixer to a coarse powder.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in thick-bottomed kadai, add mustard seeds and when they splutter add a pinch of hing, and curry leaves (if you wish).
To this add the banana pieces and salt. Stir and cook for a few minutes.
Finally add the ground powder of dals and chillies.
Mix well so that the banana pieces are well and evenly coated .
Serve hot, as a side dish to the main meal.

POMEGRANATE & SPROUTED MOONG SALAD

POMEGRANATE & SPROUTED MOONG SALAD

We have always liked salads because they are easy to put together, tasty and healthy as well. The best part of salads is that they are liked by most people and they add a colourful touch to your table.

I present today a simple salad with pomegranate and sprouted moong ( green gram) as the main ingredients.  The tomatoes and onions give it a crunch while the chaat masala and lime juice add zip to this tangy salad.

Ingredients:

• Pomegranate kernels, 1 cup
• Sprouted Moong (Green gram), 2 cups
• Onion, small-sized, 1/2
• Tomato, medium-sized, 1
• Green chillies, 2
• Coriander leaves, chopped, 1 tbsp
• Lime juice, from 1 big lime
• Chaat Masala, 1/2 tsp
• Salt, to taste

Method:

Chop the onion, tomato, green chillies and coriander leaves finely.
Take out the kernels from the pomegranate
Mix the pomegranate kernels with the sprouted moong, chopped onion, tomato, green chillies and coriander leaves well in a large bowl.
Add salt to taste
Sprinkle the chaat masala and lime juice
Toss and mix well again
Serve cold