ONION CHUTNEY

ONION CHUTNEY

In South India, we often have dosa, idlis, upma etc for breakfast or as a snack. This calls for some accompaniment for which we make many different types of chutneys.

Elsewhere in this blog you will find recipes for Red Bell Pepper & Tomato Chutney, Kara Chutney, and Groundnut Chutney.

Today's recipe is for an easy to make Onion Chutney which goes well with dosa, idli etc.

Ingredients:

• Onion, medium-sized, 2 
• Garlic, 1-2 cloves
• Byadgi Red Chillies, 3, or to taste
• Chana Dal ( Bengal Gram ), 1 tsp
• Urad Dal, ( Black Gram) 1 tsp
• Tamarind, a small piece
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 2 tsp

For Seasoning:

• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida, a pinch 
• Curry Leaves, 6-8
• Oil, 2 tsp

Method:

Peel and chop the onions and garlic and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan, when it gets hot on medium heat add chana dal and urad dal. Fry till they become slightly golden in colour 

Add red chillies and saute on low flame till they change colour and become crisp

To this add the chopped onions and chopped garlic cloves

Saute on low-medium flame till the onions become a light brown. (Take care not to saute them for too long as the onions can then give a bitter burnt taste)  

Switch off the flame and allow the onion mixture to cool down

Next, transfer the mixture to a small grinder jar, add tamarind and salt and grind to a smooth paste adding 1/4 cup of water.
Remove this to a bowl and keep aside. 

Heat 2 tsp of oil in the same pan and on low flame, add mustard seeds and let them splutter

Now add the asafoetida and saute for a few seconds
Add the curry leaves and fry till they become crisp
Add this seasoning to the ground chutney
Mix well adding water if required to get the consistency/thickness you desire

Serve onion chutney with dosa, idli, etc

BROCCOLI STIR FRY

BROCCOLI STIR FRY

Broccoli, which is part of the cauliflower family, ranks as one of the healthiest vegetables as described in this article in Medical News Today. More often than not, broccoli is used in baked or cooked form in Continental cuisine. Elsewhere in this blog, you will find the recipe for an extremely healthy and delicious Broccoli and Almond Soup.

Since broccoli has an attractive green colour for greater visual effect, in this dish it has been paired with red or yellow capsicum/bellpepper.

I wanted to try out broccoli in some Indian recipe and have adapted this from Broccoli Stir Fry in Swasthi's Recipes.  We enjoyed this with hot rotis.

Ingredients:

• Broccoli broken into Florets,  300 grams
• Green or Yellow or Red Capsicum, chopped, 1 cup
• Cumin Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Ginger, finely chopped, 1 tsp
• Garlic, chopped, 1 tsp
• Onion, thinly sliced, 1
• Tomato, chopped, 1
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp 
• Chilli Powder, 1/2 tsp or to taste
• Kitchen King Masala, 1/2 tsp
• Peanuts, dry roasted and powdered coarsely, 2 tbsp
• Oil, 1 tbsp
• Salt, to taste

Method:

Wash the broccoli florets and blanch them by immersing them in hot water and a little salt for about 5 minutes, then rinsing them in cold water. Drain away the excess water and keep aside.
In a thick bottomed kadhai, heat 1 tbsp of oil and when it gets hot, on medium heat add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle add the chopped ginger and garlic and saute until they change colour and give off a good aroma

To this add the thinly sliced onion and saute till they turn slightly pink and transparent
Now add the chopped tomato, turmeric powder and salt. Saute till the tomatoes become soft
Add the chilli powder and the Kitchen King masala. Mix well and saute
Add the blanched broccoli florets and the chopped capsicum. Mix well and cook for a couple of minutes till the capsicum and broccoli get done and are well blended with the masala. Ensure that the capsicum remains firm and crunchy and is not overcooked.
Finally sprinkle the coarsely powdered roasted peanuts
Mix well and serve hot with rotis

PALAKOORA PAPPU (SPINACH DAL)

PALAKOORA PAPPU (SPINACH DAL)


From time to time, I like to try out dishes from different parts of India. Today's dish is "Palakoora Pappu" or spinach dal cooked in the Andhra style. It derives it's name from the main ingredients of spinach and dal. We had this with rotis and it tasted great!

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find other recipes from Andhra Pradesh such as Pesarattu, Allam Pachadi,  and Mamidikaya Pappu.

Today's recipe has been adapted from Dal Palak/Spinach Dal or Palakoora Pappu by Chef Sanjay Thumma of Vah Chef.

Make sure that the cooked Toor Dal is well mashed for this dish. The recipe called for the addition of fenugreek (methi) leaves if desired but I didn't use this. If you are using fenugreek leaves, the ratio should be 70 of spinach to 30 of fenugreek leaves.

Ingredients: 

• Palak ( Spinach) 2 bunches, 
• Cooked Toor Dal, boiled and mashed, 1 cup
• Onion, chopped, 1
• Large-sized Tomatoes, chopped, 2
• Green Chillies, slit, 2
• Butter, 1 tbsp
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 1 tbsp

For the Seasoning: 

• Mustard Seeds, 1/4 tsp
• Cumin Seeds (Jeera), 1/2 tsp
• Garlic Cloves, chopped, 5
• Whole Red Chillies, broken in to halves, 2
• Asafoetida, (Hing) a pinch (optional) 
• Turmeric Powder, a pinch
• Curry Leaves, a sprig

Method: 

Remove the palak leaves (spinach) from their stems and wash them in several changes of water
Transfer to a collander and allow the water to drain.
Roughly chop the spinach and keep aside.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and when it gets hot, on medium heat add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the jeera (cumin seeds) and when they sizzle add the chopped garlic, whole red chillies broken into halves, and a little salt
Saute till it gives off a good aroma and changes colour
Add asafoetida, turmeric and curry leaves and saute for a few seconds
Next add the chopped onion and green chillies and butter and saute till the onion becomes translucent. (Do not let the onion get browned)
Add the chopped tomatoes before the butter melts fully

Now cover and cook tomatoes for a few minutes till they become soft

Add spinach and cook uncovered on medium heat for 2 minutes

To this, add the cooked and mashed toor dal and enough water to get the desired consistency
Check for salt and add if required
Bring to a boil then allow it to simmer for a couple of minutes
The pakoora pappu is likely to thicken when it cools
You may have to add a little water to adjust the consistency
Serve hot with rotis or rice 

TILWALE PALAK ALOO

TILWALE  PALAK ALOO

We are fond of baby potatoes and use them quite frequently. Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes that use baby potatoes, such as Semolina Roast Potato,  Urulai Idicha Masala, and Minty Baby Potatoes.

I was very keen on trying out this dish called Tilwale Palak Aloo , which I have adapted from this video in Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor's Khana Khazana. The sprinkling of the roasted Sesame Seeds (Til in Hindi) to the dish of baby potatoes and spinach gives it a very distinctive taste.

I chose to boil the baby potatoes and peel the skin though the original recipe calls for them to be cooked with their skins. Also instead of quartering the potatoes, I used full baby potatoes.

We loved this dish and would suggest you try it out too!

Ingredients:

• Til (Sesame Seeds), 1 tbsp
• Palak (Spinach), roughly chopped, 2 cups
• Baby Potatoes, 16
• Cumin Seeds, 1 tsp
• Asafoetida, 1/4 tsp
• Green Chillies, slit, 4
• Turmeric Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Coriander Powder, 2 tsp
• Cumin Powder, 1 tsp
• Yogurt, 2 tbsp
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 2 tbsp 

Method:

Dry roast the sesame seeds till they change colour and keep aside. 

Wash and cook the baby potatoes in adequate water in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles.
Once the cooker cools, remove the baby potatoes, let them cool, peel them and keep aside.
Wash the spinach in several changes of water and roughly chop them. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadhai and when it is hot, add the cumin seeds. When they begin to change colour add asafoetida, saute for a few seconds then add the slit green chillies, boiled and peeled baby potatoes and salt.

Mix well and cook on medium flame for 2 minutes

To this add the roughly chopped spinach, followed by turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and yogurt
Toss and cook on medium flame for a couple of minutes till the spinach gets done
Take off the heat

Finally, sprinkle the roasted sesame seeds, mix and serve hot

KIRLAYIL MOOGA GHASHI

KIRLAYIL MOOGA GHASHI

I have used this blog to share, amongst others, recipes from our Konkani speaking GSB community. Elsewhere in this blog , you will find recipes therefore for our popular dishes such as Soyi Bajjile Ghashi, Peas and Potatoes Ambat, and Ghosale Alle Piyava Ghashi.  

Today's dish is a "Ghashi'" which is a mildly-spiced coconut-based curry of lentils. Generally, in making a ghashi, the lentils are paired with yam, potato, raw jackfruit or tender bamboo shoots. 

In today's recipe, we use Sprouted Green Gram which we call "Kirlayil Moog" in Konkani and Tender Bamboo Shoots ( called Kirlu) which we consider a delicacy.

To start with we need to sprout the green gram (moong).  You will know that sprouting the moong adds to it's nutritive value and also makes it more easily digestible.

Wash and soak the green gram for 8-10 hours or overnight. Drain the water fully the next day and tie the moong beans in a wet muslin cloth and allow them to sprout. The sprouted moong is shown in the picture along with the list of Ingredients. In my experience, about 1 cup of soaked moong will yield about 3 to 3 and 1/2 cups of Sprouted Moong.

Ingredients:

• Kirlayil Moog ( Sprouted Moong) (Green Gram),  1 to 1 and 1/4 cup
• Kirlu ( Tender Bamboo Shoots) brined, 1/2 cup
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1 cup
• Roasted Byadgi Red Chillies, 4 to 5 
• Tamarind, size of a small gooseberry
• Raw Rice, 1 tsp
• Salt, to taste

For the Seasoning: 

• Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves, a sprig 
• Oil, 2 tsp * traditionally, coconut oil is used

Method:

Wash the sprouted moong thoroughly till it is de-skinned yet retains the sprouts. Cook the sprouted moong in a pan with adequate water until it gets done. Take care that it does not get overcooked or mushy. Keep aside.

Wash the brined bamboo shoots in several changes of water to get rid of the excess salt.
Dice the bamboo shoots and cook it in adequate water in the pressure cooker for 1-2 whistles or till they became tender. When the cooker cools, remove the cooked bamboo shoots and keep aside.

In a mixer, grind together the coconut gratings, roasted red chillies, tamarind, and raw rice to a smooth paste adding the required amount of water. Keep aside.

To the pan in which the moong has been cooked, add the cooked bamboo shoots
To this, add the ground paste and a little salt (in adding salt, remember that the cooked bamboo shoots have been brined)
Mix well and add water, if required, to get a ghashi-like consistency. The ghashi should not be too thick or too watery.
Now bring it to a boil, then lower the flame and allow it to simmer for a few minutes stirring from time to time

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

When they splutter, add the curry leaves and saute for a few seconds

Add this seasoning to the kirlayil mooga ghashi

Serve hot

PODI CAPSICUM CURRY

PODI CAPSICUM CURRY

We are fond of capsicum (better known as bell pepper in North America) and I make this fairly often. Not surprisingly, therefore,  you will find numerous dishes made with capsicum in this blog such as Mushroom & Bellpepper Stir Fry,  Besan Wali Simla Mirch, and Capsicum & Potato Kairas.

Saffola cooking oil has been a household name in India for many years. Today's recipe gets it's name from the spice mix (freshly ground mix) or podi used with the capsicums. This has been adapted from Podi Capsicum Curry from Saffola Fit Foodie website. We use just 1 tsp of oil and this recipe is part of their series of Healthy Recipes.

You can use either Amchur or Tamarind Paste for this dish. I used the latter.

Tips:

• Take care not to dry roast the ingredients for spice mix on high heat. Use medium heat instead. 
• Use pulse mode for grinding the spice mix so that they get coarsely grounded and don't leave excess oil

Ingredients:

• Capsicums, large-sized, 3
• Cumin Seeds (Jeera) , 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida (Hing), 1/8 tsp
• Dry Mango Powder (Amchur), 1 tsp OR Tamarind Paste, 1/2 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Saffola Oil, 1 tsp

For the Spice Mix:

• Dried Red Chillies, 4
• Coriander Seeds, 2 tsp
• Ural Dal, (Split Black Gram Dal), 2 tbsp
• Chana Dal,  (Bengal Gram Dal) 2 tbsp
• Til (Sesame Seeds) , 1 tbsp
• Peanuts, 2 tbsp

Method:

Wash and de-seed the capsicum and chop them into 1" squares. Keep aside.

Dry roast all the ingredients listed under " For The Spice Mix" in a kadhai on medium heat stirring continuously until the dals change colour, the chillies become crisp and the peanuts are well roasted
Allow them to cool, transfer to a mixer and grind them, using pulse mode to a coarse powder without adding any water.  Keep aside.

Heat 1 tsp of oil in the same kadhai, and on medium heat add jeera and once they sizzle and change colour,  add asafoetida, saute for a few seconds
Next add the chopped capsicum, mix well and cook on medium heat for 6-7 minutes till they get cooked yet remain firm and crunchy

To this, add salt to taste and the freshly prepared spice mix, and amchur or tamarind paste
Mix well so that the capsicums get well blended with the spice mix

Transfer to serving bowl and serve hot with rotis

DAHI BHINDI

DAHI BHINDI

At home, we like okra/lady's fingers and make dishes using them quite often. They have numerous health benefits too. In India, you will find okra or lady's fingers as they are more commonly called, used in different cuisines.  Elsewhere. in this blog, you will find recipes for a popular Punjabi dish called Bharwan Bhindi;  for Bhenda Sagle from Konkani cuisine; and for Bhindi Shengdana from Maharashtra.

Today's recipe gets it's name from two important ingredients "Bhindi" the Hindi word for lady's fingers/okra and "Dahi" the Hindi word for curds. This has been adapted from Dahi Bhindi in Manjula's Kitchen.

Tips :

* Take care to use tender lady's fingers for best results
* Make sure the curds used are fresh
* When adding the curds, lower the flame as they will curdle if added on high flame

We thoroughly enjoyed having this with hot rotis.

Ingredients:

• Fresh Curds (Dahi), 1 cup
• Lady's Fingers/Okra (Bhindi) , 250-300 grams  
• Mustard Seeds, (Rai), 1/4 tsp
• Cumin Seeds, (Jeera), 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida, (Hing) a large pinch 
• Bengal Gram (Besan), 1 tbsp
• Coriander (Dhania) Powder, 2 tsp
• Chilli Powder, 1 tsp
• Turmeric (Haldi) Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Water, 1/2 to 3/4 cup
• Salt,  to taste
• Oil, 3 tbsp

Method:

Wash and pat dry the lady's fingers. Snip off both the ends, cut the lady's fingers into 1" pieces.

Add 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and when it gets hot add the lady's fingers pieces and stir fry them  for 7-8 minutes or till they are tender and change colour

Transfer the lady's fingers to a bowl and keep aside.

Add 1 tbsp of oil to the same pan and when it gets moderately hot add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cumin seeds and saute till they sizzle and change colour and add the asafoetida

Saute for a few seconds.
Lower the flame and add the besan. Stir fry for about 1 minute until it gives off a good aroma and becomes slightly golden brown in colour

Now add the curds, turmeric powder, chilli powder,  and coriander powder and mix well

Cook for 2-3 minutes till the oil leaves the sides of the pan.
Add 1/2 cup of water and salt and bring to a boil

Add the lady's fingers, mix well and cook for about 2 minutes
The gravy will thicken when the dish cools so add a little more water and bring to a boil again
Allow the gravy to simmer for another 2 minutes
Transfer to serving bowl and serve with jeera rice or rotis, parathas.

BEETROOT PORIYAL

BEETROOT PORIYAL

The beetroot is both colourful and has several health benefits. It is used in a variety of dishes as you will see in this blog where I have recipes for Beetroot Bharth, Beetroot Soup, and even Beetroot Halwa.

Today's recipe is from Tamilnadu and is called Beetroot Poriyal. It is an easy to make stir fry served with the main meal as a side dish.

Ingredients:

• Beetroot,  500 grams
• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Cumin Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Urad Dal, 1 tsp
• Green Chillies, chopped, 2
• Ginger, finely chopped, 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves, 8-10
• Large-sized Onion, chopped, 1
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 2 tbsp
• Oil, 1 tbsp
• Salt, to taste

Method: 

Wash, peel and cube the beetroot.
Steam cook the beetroot in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles. The beetroot should get cooked yet remain firm. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and when it gets hot, on medium heat add mustard seeds, when they splutter add cumin seeds and urad dal.
Saute till the dal changes colour. 

Add chopped green chillies, finely chopped ginger and curry leaves and saute for a few seconds

Add the chopped onion and salt and mix well

Saute until the onion becomes translucent

Now add the steam cooked beetroot, mix well and sprinkle a little water if the dish is too dry
Cook for a couple of minutes 

Lastly, add the fresh coconut gratings and mix well again 

Transfer to serving bowl and serve hot with rice