MOOLI PARANTHA

MOOLI PARANTHA

I like to make paranthas quite often especially in the winter months, more so when there are so many types of paranthas that one can make. You will therefore find multiple recipes for paranthas in this blog, such as Oats Masala Parantha,  Spring Onion Parantha, and the ever popular Aloo Parantha.

Today's recipe is for Mooli Parantha made using radish which is called Mooli in Hindi. In Kannada and Konkani we call it Mulangi. This vegetable has numerous health benefits and is fairly easily available.

Broadly, there are two methods to make paranthas. In one method, you can roll out the chappati and place the stuffing in the centre, then draw the edges to the centre, roll it out dipping it in the dusting floor and finally cook the parantha.

In the other method, you can make two chapptis of the same size, keep the stuffing in the centre of one of them leaving space along the edges, cover it with another chappati and then seal the edges and cook the parantha.

For making Mooli Paranthas, I have today used the second method.

Do remember that the radish has moisture content  and gives off water when it is grated.

The quantities mentioned in the recipe yielded 3 mooli paranthas ( made with 6 chappatis and stuffing as explained in the Method).

Ingredients:

• Mooli (Radish), 250 gms
• Atta (Wheat Flour), 1 and 1/2 cups + some for dusting
• Coriander Powder, 1 tsp
• Amchur (Dry Mango Powder), 1/4 tsp
• Red Chili Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Ginger, grated, 1/2 inch
• Green Chilli, finely chopped, 1
• Coriander Leaves, finely chopped, 2-3 tbsp
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, as required for kneading the dough + for making paranthas

Method:

Wash, peel and grate the radish.
To the grated radish, add coriander powder, amchur, red chilli powder, grated ginger, chopped green chili, chopped coriander leaves and salt. Mix well and keep aside for about 10 minutes.
Next, squeeze the grated radish and keep the juice aside.
This juice can be used while kneading the dough for the parantha.
Place the wheat flour in a large bowl, add 1 tsp of oil and a little salt. Add the mooli juice kept aside and the required water little by little to knead the dough. Make sure the dough is neither too stiff or too soft.
Cover the dough and let it rest for 20-25 minutes.
Grease your hands and knead the dough again till smooth.
Divide into equal portions.
Take one of the portions, dust it with atta, and roll it out to make a chappati.
Similarly, make another chappati with one more portion of the dough.
Lightly spread some oil on the chappati
Keep 2-3 tsp of the stuffing , made earlier, in the centre of the chappati and spread it evenly leaving 1/2 inch space along the edges
Place the other chappati on top and press it gently along the edges to seal both the chappatis
Roll the chappatis gently, without exerting too much pressure, to seal the stuffing
Spread some oil on the tawa and heat it. When it is hot place the rolled out parantha and let it cook
gently pressing the parantha with a ladle
Then flip the parantha and cook on the other side by drizzling some more oil
Once the paranthas are cooked, remove to a serving bowl
Serve hot with curds, pickle or curry of your choice.

MOCHAI KUZHAMBU

MOCHAI KUZHAMBU

This is the season in Bengaluru where I live, for what we call "avarekalu" in Kannada. This is called  Hyacinth Beans or Field Beans in English. In Tamil, avarekalu is called "mochai."

We make many dishes using avarekalu as you will see from Avarekalu Uppitu, Avarekalu Paddu,
and Avarekalu Menthya Akki Rotti elsewhere in this blog.

Today's recipe for a curry from Tamilnadu that goes great with chappatis is adapted from "Mochai Kuzhambu" from Suguna's popular blog, Kannamma Cooks.

I have used fresh mochai/avarekalu to make this dish. We loved the distinctive taste which comes from the use of fennel seeds which is called Sombu in Tamil or Saunf in Hindi.

For those who may not be familiar, this is what peeled avarekalu/mochai/hyacinth beans look like:

Ingredients:

• Mochai, (Hyacinth Beans), 1 cup
• Onion, finely chopped, 1
• Turmeric Powder, 1/ 2 tsp
• Red Chilli Powder, 1 tsp
• Coriander Powder,  1 tbsp
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 1-2 tsp

To be Ground into a Masala:

• Medium-sized Tomatoes, 4
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1/2 cup
• Tamarind, size of a small marble
• Fennel Seeds, 1 tsp
• Cloves, 3
• Black Peppercorns, 1 tsp

Method:

In a mixer, grind together tomatoes, coconut gratings, tamarind, fennel seeds, cloves and black peppercorns to a smooth paste. Remember that tomatoes give off juice when ground so use just the required amount of water.
Keep aside.
Wash the peeled mochai and pressure cook in adequate water for about 2 whistles.
When the cooker cools, remove the mochai and keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadhai and when it gets hot, add the finely chopped onion and saute till it becomes translucent.
Next add the salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and coriander powder, 

Mix well and saute for 10 seconds

Add in the ground paste prepared earlier and saute till the raw smell goes
Now add the cooked mochai along with the water in which it was cooked to get the desired curry like consistency
Bring it to a boil and simmer for 5-7 minutes till the curry thickens

Serve with chapati or rice.

BIMBULA CHUTNEY

BIMBULA CHUTNEY

In Mangaluru and other areas of Dakshina Kannada, there are many trees of Averrhoa bilimbi the fruit of which is called Bimbul in my mother tongue Konkani. Please see picture of the Bimbul fruit shown along with the recipe. We make pickle and chutney out of this fruit. It is also used in place of  tamarind to make some dishes as it has a sweet-sour tangy taste.

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find the recipe for Bimbula Nonche which is a pickle made out of this.

Today's recipe is for a chutney which goes well with rotis, dosa, idlis etc. The fiery red colour comes from the use of the Byadgi Red Chilli but I must assure you that the chutney is not as hot as you might think it is. If you wish to increase the spice level, you can add more number of roasted red chillies.

Ingredients:

• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1 cup
• Roasted Red Byadgi Chillies, 7
• Bimbuls, 6
• Garlic Cloves, de-skinned, 5-6
• Coconut Oil, 1-2 tsp
• Salt, to taste

Method:

Wash the bimbuls and snip off the two ends. Then roughly chop the bimbul into pieces

In a mixer, grind together the fresh coconut gratings, roasted red chillies, bimbul pieces, salt and the de-skinned garlic cloves  adding just the required amount of water to a smooth paste. Do keep in mind that the bimbuls also leave some water when we grind them.

Transfer to a bowl,  drizzle some coconut oil and mix well
Serve as accompaniment for dosa, idli, chappati etc.

LOBIA CURRY

LOBIA CURRY

Today's dish is a curry made with Black-eyed Beans (which are called "Lobia" in Hindi and "Alsande" in Kannada and " Karamani" in Tamil) cooked in the Punjabi style. Black-eyed beans are also known as Cow Peas and have numerous health benefits.

 Elsewhere in this blog, you will find other recipes using lobia such as Lobia Rassedar, Lobia Suva Bhaji Subzi, and Masala Chawli.

Soaking the lobia overnight is essential for it to get cooked better.

In this dish the channa masala added gives it a distinctive taste. I did not add garam masala in addition to this as suggested. This recipe is adapted from Lobia (Black-Eyed Beans) Curry in Monica's Flavouroma.

We enjoyed this dish with hot rotis.

Ingredients:

• Lobia ( Black-eyed Beans), 1 cup
• Medium-sized Onion, finely chopped, 1
• Medium-sized Tomato,  finely chopped, 1
• Green Chillies, slit, 2-3
• Garlic Cloves, 5
• Ginger, 1/2 inch piece
• Cumin Seeds, 1/2  tsp
• Turmeric Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Chilli Powder, 1 tsp
• Coriander Powder, 1 tsp
• "Catch" Channa Masala, 2 tsp
• Kasoori Methi, (Dry Fenugreek Leaves), roasted and crushed, 1 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Oil,  2 tbsp
• Coriander Leaves, finely chopped, 2 tbsp

Method:

Wash and soak the lobia overnight 

Next morning, drain the soaked lobia and pressure cook in adequate water for about 2 whistles

Once the cooker cools, remove the lobia and keep aside. Retain the stock for later use.
Crush the ginger and garlic and keep aside. 

Heat oil in a thick-bottomed kadhai and when it gets hot add the cumin seeds and when they sizzle add the chopped onion and a little salt and saute till thy onions turn a little golden

To this, add the slit green chillies, crushed garlic, and ginger. Saute till the raw smell goes away.

Add the chopped tomatoes, mix well and cook on medium flame till the tomatoes get mushy and the oil separates

Add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, and channa masala, 

Mix well and saute for a few seconds 

Next add the cooked lobia, (keeping aside 2 tbsp for later use), salt, some of the stock kept aside earlier and the kasoori methi and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
To thicken the curry, mash 2 tbsp of the cooked lobia and add this to the curry
Adjust the consistency of the curry by adding the remaining stock if required
Finally, garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves
Serve as an accompaniment with hot rotis.

JEEV THORI AMBAT

JEEV THORI AMBAT

Amongst us Konkanis, we make a popular coconut-based mildly-spiced curry called Ambat. Elsewhere in this blog you will find the recipes for Cauliflower Ambat, and Peas & Potatoes Ambat. The distinctive feature of the ambat is the seasoning with onions.

Today's recipe is for an Ambat made using Fresh Pigeon Peas which we call Jeev Thori in Konkani. It is called Thogarikaalu in Kannada and Thuar in Hindi. You can see the Fresh Pigeon Peas in the picture below.

I have used Bilimbi (which we call Bimbul in Konkani) as I had some readily available. This is seasonal and if you don't have it, you could use tamarind instead. The final product is not as spicy as you might think it is. The colour comes from the use of our famous Byadgi Red Chillies.

Adding 1 tsp of raw rice while grinding the coconut gratings etc gives it a better texture.

Ingredients:-

• Jeev Thori ( Fresh Pigeon Peas) , 1 and 1/2 cups
• Medium-sized Potatoes, 2
• Onion, roughly chopped, 1
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1 cup
• Roasted Byadgi Red Chillies, 5, or to taste
• Raw Rice, 1 tsp
• Bimbul ( Bilimbi),  cut into slices, 2  or Tamarind, small marble sized
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 1 tbsp
• Onion, finely chopped, 1 for seasoning

Method: 

Peel and cube the potatoes.

In a cooker, pressure cook the thori along with the potatoes and one onion adding adequate water for 2 whistles

When the cooker cools, remove the cooked thori, potatoes and onion and keep aside.

Drain and keep the stock aside for later use

Separately, cook the sliced bimbuls in a little water till they become soft. Take care not to overcook them as they get cooked very fast.
Add the cooked bimbuls to the thori, potato, onion mixture and mix well.

In a mixer, grind together the fresh coconut gratings, roasted red chillies and raw rice adding the required amount of water to a smooth paste. (You could use some of the stock kept aside for this purpose.)

Add this ground paste and salt to the cooked thori mixture and adjust the consistency by using the remaining stock or water.

Bring to a boil and let it simmer for  couple of minutes.

Heat oil in a small pan and when it gets hot add the finely chopped onion. Saute till it turns golden and add the onion seasoning to the ambat
Serve hot

MUSHROOM PULAO

MUSHROOM PULAO

A pulao is commonly made in different parts of India as an integral part of the main meal. It is often confused with biriyani as you can read from this interesting article in NDTV's Smart Cooky. I make pulaos from time to time so elsewhere in this blog you will find recipes for vegetarian pulaos like Spicy Vegetable Pulao, Green Peas Masala Pulao, and Paneer Pulao.

Today's pulao is quite different in that we use no vegetables at all. Instead, we use button mushrooms now easily available all through the year thanks to neighbourhood departmental stores. This recipe has been adapted from Mushroom Pulao in Padhu's Kitchen.

It can be made quite fast and turns out to be aromatic and tasty. Besides mushrooms have many health benefits as well.

Ingredients:

• Button Mushrooms, 200 gms
• Basmati Rice, 1 cup
• Cinnamon, 1 " piece 
• Bay Leaf, 1
• Cloves, 3
• Large-sized Onion, thinly sliced, 1
• Ginger Garlic paste, 1 and 1/2 tsp
• Green Chillies, slit, 3
• Mint Leaves, chopped, 1/4 cup
• Coriander Leaves, chopped, 1/4 cup
• Fresh Curds, 3 tbsp
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 1 tbsp

Method:

Wash and soak the basmati rice in adequate water for 1/2 hour, then keep aside after draining the water.

Wash and clean the mushrooms by dabbing them with a wet cloth and patting them dry

Quarter or slice the mushrooms but don't slice them too thin 

Heat oil in a kadhai/cooker and when it gets hot add the cinnamon, bay leaf and the cloves

Saute for a few seconds

Add the thinly sliced onion and saute till they become translucent

Add the ginger garlic paste, slit green chillies and saute for a few more minutes till the raw smell goes

Now add the sliced button mushrooms, chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves and saute

Add the curds and saute for a few more seconds

Add 2 cups of water, salt and the basmati rice and pressure cook for 2 whistles
Once the cooker cools, remove the pulao and fluff gently using a fork
Serve hot with a raitha of your choice

CHATPATA MOONGPHALI

CHATPATA MOONGPHALI

There are many snacks that can be made using peanuts (called "Moongphali" in Hindi, " Kadalekayi" in Kannada, and " Verkadalai" in Tamil.). Elsewhere in this blog you will find recipes for Congress Kadalekayi which is so popular in Bengaluru where I live, and for Verkadalai Sundal.

As you probably know, peanuts have many health benefits too apart from being so tasty. Most kids seem to love peanuts as indeed do many adults.

I have called today's dish "Chatpata Moongphali" as it is a spicy dish as the name suggests. The spice level of course can be adjusted as per individual taste. I specially love having coffee after biting on the chillies in this dish!

This easy to make yet tasty dish can be served with tea, coffee or with drinks! Needless to say, you will find people wolfing them down!!

Ingredients:

• Moongphali (Peanuts), 1 cup
• Green Chilli, chopped fine, 1 or 2, or to taste
• Onion, small sized, finely chopped, 1
• Chilli Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Coriander leaves, finely chopped, 1 and 1/2 tbsp
• Salt, to taste
• Lime Juice, 1/2 tsp

Method:

In a pan, dry roast the peanuts on medium flame stirring continuously till they are evenly browned

Alternatively, you can use the microwave oven to dry roast the peanuts  for about 2-3 minutes on high or till they get browned

Allow them to cool, then remove the skin and keep them aside. 

Mix together the chopped green chillies, finely chopped onion, and chilli powder and salt in a bowl

Add the de-skinned peanuts and mix till they are well blended

Add the finely chopped coriander leaves and lime juice and once again mix thoroughly