NELLIKAI GOJJU

 NELLIKAI GOJJU

I make it a point to buy whatever fruits and veggies are available in a particular season. The winter months brings out the gooseberry in plenty here in Bengaluru. Gooseberries are called Nellikai/Nellikayi in Tamil and Kannada, Amla in Hindi and Avalo in Konkani, my mother tongue. 

Gooseberries are supposed to be rich in Vitamin C. They are rightly termed a "great addition to a healthy diet."  . Please check out this article, " 8 Impressive Health Benefits of Gooseberries".

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

• Nellikai Thayir Pachadi
• Avale Kadi
• Nellikayi Chitranna

Today's recipe is for  "Nellikai Gojju"  which I have adapted from Chitra Amma's Kitchen. This is a traditional dish from Karnataka. 

You can tweak the spice levels to suit your taste. Though seasoning the dish is optional, I have chosen to add a seasoning of mustard seeds and curry leaves which adds to the flavour of the Nellikai Gojju. 

We tried it out recently and it tasted very yummy as an accompaniment with hot steamed rice!

Ingredients:-

• Nellikai (Gooseberries), 10-12 or about 300 grams
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Jaggery, size of a lemon
• Salt, to taste

For The Masala:-

• White Sesame Seeds, (Til), 2 tbsp
• Split Black Gram Dal (Urad Dal), 2 tbsp
• Cumin Seeds,(Jeera), 1 tsp
• Fenugreek Seeds, (Methi), 1/4 tsp
• Byadgi Red Chillies, 3 
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 2 tbsp
• Oil, 1/2 tsp

For the Seasoning:-

• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Curry Leaves, a few
• Oil, 1 tsp 

Method:-

Wash the gooseberries and pressure cook them in a vessel with adequate water adding salt and turmeric powder for 1 whistle. The gooseberries need not be de-seeded.

Once the cooker cools, remove the vessel with the cooked gooseberries and keep aside 

In a pan, dry roast the white sesame seeds on medium heat till they splutter, keep aside.

In the same pan, heat 1/2 tsp of oil and roast the urad dal, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and chillies till the dal changes colour and they give off a good aroma

Remove from the pan and allow this to cool

In a mixer jar, grind the roasted ingredients along with fresh coconut gratings adding the required amount of water to a smooth paste. Keep aside

Add the ground masala/paste and jaggery to the cooked gooseberries, mix well

To this add water as required to get the desired consistency and bring to a boil 

Cook on medium heat, stirring from time to time till the gravy thickens

Check for salt and add, if required

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a small pan, on medium heat add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the curry leaves and saute for a few seconds. Pour this seasoning on to the Nellikai Gojju

Transfer to serving bowl and serve as an accompaniment with hot steamed rice

SPICY FISH FRY

 SPICY FISH FRY 

If, like us, you enjoy eating fish, you can be happy to know that fish are strong in protein and Vitamin D. They also have Omega 3 fatty acids which are of significant use to the body as well as the brain. You can read about this in more detail in this article "11 Evidence-Based Benefits of Eating Fish". 

I make fish dishes from time to time so elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for dishes such as;-

• Paplet Masaledar
• Goan Fish Curry
• Maanji Pulimunchi

Today's recipe is for a spicy fish fry which I have adapted from Spicy & Tasty Fish Fry from the Telugu video in YouTube by Mana Chef.

We tried this out recently and enjoyed it with peas pulao for lunch. 

Ingredients:-

• Fish, 6 pieces, 500 gms 
• Coriander Leaves, small bunch
• Green Chillies, 4
• Curry Leaves, torn into pieces, 2
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Ginger Garlic Paste, 1 tsp
• Coriander powder , 1 tsp
• Chilli Powder, 1 tsp
• Garam Masala, 1 tsp
• Pepper Powder, 1/2 tap
• Lemon ( squeeze 1/2 a lemon)
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 4 tbsp, or as required to shallow fry the fish 

Method:-

Wash, clean, and dry the fish pieces

Grind together a small bunch of coriander leaves in a mixer jar along with green chillies to make a paste without adding any water

Transfer this paste to a bowl

Add torn pieces of 2 curry leaves, salt, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, coriander powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder, and pepper powder and mix well

Squeeze the juice of half a lemon and mix well

This forms the marinade for the fish

Immerse the fish pieces in this paste and apply evenly with your fingers 

Allow the fish to marinate for about one hour 

In a thick bottomed pan, heat 4 tbsp of oil 

Add the marinated fish pieces one by one

Use whatever masala/paste remains by applying to the fish at this stage

Fry the fish for about 3-4 minutes on medium flame. The heat should not be too high or low.

Cover and let it simmer for a couple of minutes

Then flip and fry the other side as well in the same manner

Switch off the gas

Transfer the fried fish to a serving plate

Serve the fried fish with onion slices and lemon wedges 

AVARAKKAI KUZHAMBU

AVARAKKAI KUZHAMBU

One variety of beans that are commonly available in the winter months in Bengaluru where we live is Flat Beans, also known as Broad Beans. This is known as Chapparada Avarekayi in Kannada. In Gujarati they are called Surti Papdi  and are called Val Papdi in Maharashtra and Goa.

Flat beans are a good source of Vitamins for us apart from having numerous other health benefits. 

Today's recipe is for a delicious Kuzhambu (sambar) made with flat beans. I have adapted this from Avarakkai Kootan/Avarakkai Kuzhambu from the popular cooking site, Subbu's Kitchen. 

We tried this with hot steamed rice and appalams and it tasted just great! 

Ingredients:-

• Avarakkai (Flat/Broad Beans), 250 grams
• Tamarind, size of a lemon
• Toor Dal ( Split Pigeon Peas), 1/2 cup
• Turmeric Powder, 1/8 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Asafoetida, 1/8 tsp

For the Masala Paste :-

• Chana Dal (Split Bengal Gram), 1 tbsp
• Coriander Seeds, 1 tbsp
• Red Chillies, 4
• Fenugreek Seeds, 1/4 tsp
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1/4 cup
• Oil, 2 tsp

For Seasoning:-

• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Curry Leaves, a few
• Oil, 2 tsp 

Method:-

Wash and de-string the flat beans and finely chop them

Soak the tamarind in lukewarm water for about 10 minutes and extract the tamarind juice

Wash and pressure cook the toor dal in 1 cup of water , along with turmeric powder, for 4-5 whistles or till done 

When the cooker is cool enough to handle, remove the cooked dal, mash it well and keep aside

In a thick-bottomed pan, heat oil and add the chana dal, coriander seeds, red chillies, and fenugreek seeds and roast on medium flame till the dal changes colour

Allow this to cool and transfer to a mixer jar

To this add the coconut gratings and grind to a smooth paste adding the required amount of water

Keep the masala/paste aside

In the same pan,  heat oil and on medium heat add the mustard seeds

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

Now add the chopped flat beans and turmeric powder and saute on high flame for about 2 minutes

Add 1 cup of water and cook till the flat beans get done

Add the tamarind extract, asafoetida and salt and mix well

Let it cook for about 10 minutes till the raw smell of the tamarind goes

Next add the mashed dal and the coconut-spices masala prepared earlier and mix well 

Add water as required to get a desired consistency - it should be thick  and not too watery

Bring this to a boil and allow it to simmer for a couple of minutes

Switch off the gas and transfer the Avarakkai Kuzhambu to a serving bowl

Serve with hot steamed rice and appalam

TOMATO SAARU

 TOMATO SAARU

We use tomatoes in so many dishes in our Indian cooking, be it from the South or the North of India.  Tomatoes have numerous health benefits as they are strong in lycopene as per this article in WebMD. 

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

• Tomato Thokku
• Tomato Peanut Chutney
• Red Bellpepper & Tomato Chutney
• Tomato & Carrot Soup

Today's recipe is for an aromatic and flavourful saaru which goes great with hot steamed rice. I have adapted this from the Kannada YouTube video Simple Tomato Saaru in Veg Recipes of Karnataka.

This easy to make Tomato Saaru does not call for the addition of dal so can be made quite fast. 

I am sure you will like it as much as we did. We usually have hot steamed rice, with saaru, and pappads or pappadam, as we call them in the South. 

Ingredients:-

• Tomatoes (medium-sized), 2
• Tamarind, size of a small gooseberry
• Jaggery, 2 tsp, or to taste
• Green Chilli, slit, 1
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp 
• Coriander Leaves, finely chopped, 2 tbsp
• Salt, to taste

To Be Roasted & Ground For The Masala:-

• Byadgi Red Chillies, 4
• Coriander Seeds, 2 tsp
• Cumin Seeds, 1 tsp
• Asafoetida, a pinch
• Fenugreek Seeds, 1/4 tsp
• Coconut Gratings, /4 cup
• Oil, 1 tsp - for roasting the ingredients

For Seasoning:-

• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Cumin Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida, a pinch
• Dry Red Chilli, broken into halves, 1
• Curry Leaves, a sprig
• Ghee, 2 tsp

Method:-

Wash the tomatoes and roughly chop them.

Grate the jaggery  and slit the green chilli

Soak the tamarind in luke warm water and extract the juice

Finely chop the coriander leaves

In a pan, heat 1 tsp of oil and roast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, red chillies, fenugreek seeds and asafoetida till the cumin seeds splutter and the roasted ingredients turn slightly golden. 

Transfer to a mixer jar and grind these roasted ingredients along with 1/4 cup of coconut gratings to a fine paste adding just the required amount of water. This forms the masala for the saaru. Keep aside 

In the same mixer jar, grind the chopped tomatoes to a paste with very little water

Transfer to a vessel and add slit green chilli, turmeric powder, tamarind juice and salt to taste

Bring to a boil the lower the flame and let it simmer for 5 minutes till the raw smell of the tomato goes

To this add the ground masala prepared earlier, mix well and add the required amount of water to get the saaru consistency

Once again bring to a boil, add the finely chopped coriander leaves and switch off the gas 

Heat 2 tsp of ghee in a small seasoning pan and on medium heat add the mustard seeds, when they splutter add the cumin seeds, asafoetida, broken red chilli and curry leaves and saute for a few seconds

Add this seasoning to the Tomato Saaru

Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot with steamed rice and pappadams

CHETTINAD EGG CURRY

CHETTINAD EGG CURRY 

From time to time, I make dishes using eggs as they have numerous health benefits. We can make use of eggs for breakfast where we can have Omelettes, Boiled Eggs, Scrambled Eggs, Fried Egg etc or they can be used for curries and other dishes for lunch or dinner.

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find some recipes of dishes made with eggs, such as:-

• Egg Curry, the first non-vegetarian dish I learnt to make- after my marriage!
• Herbed Baked Eggs- one of the most delicious of egg recipes that I have tasted
• Egg Curry, goes great with pulao or fried rice

Today's recipe is for an Egg Curry, done in the Chettinad style. As you might know, Chettinad is a part of the South Indian State of Tamilnadu and is famous for its hot, spicy food. The main component of the Chettinad style of cooking is the Chettinad Masala which is made using many different spices.

I have adapted this from Chettinad Egg Curry in Indian Healthy Recipes. This dish goes well with hot rotis or with hot steamed rice. 

We tried this out and it tasted great! 

Ingredients:-

• Eggs, 4
• Large sized Onion, 1
• Medium-sized Tomatoes, 2 
• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Curry Leaves, a few
• Ginger Garlic Paste, 1 tsp
• Salt, to taste 
• Oil, 2-3 tbsp
• Coriander Leaves, a few

For the Chettinad Masala:-

• Byadgi Red Chillies, 5
• Coriander Seeds, 2 tsp
• Green Cardamom, 2
• Fennel Seeds, 3/4 tsp
• Cumin Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Peppercorns, 1/4 tsp
• Cloves, 3
• Cinnamon, 1 " piece
• Poppy Seeds, 1 and 1/2 tsp 
• Coconut Gratings, 1/4 cup

Method:-

Wash and boil the eggs for about 8-10 minutes, allow it to cool and peel the eggs. Pierce the eggs with a fork and keep aside. 

Wash and roughly chop the tomatoes, blend them in a mixer jar to a fine puree, without adding any water. Keep this tomato puree aside

Peel and finely chop the onion

Finely chop the coriander leaves

In a thick-bottomed pan, dry roast red chillies and coriander seeds on low-medium flame

When you get a good aroma from the roasted coriander seeds add green cardamom, fennel seeds, cumin, peppercorns, cloves and cinnamon 

Roast these on low flame making sure the spices get roasted but do not get burnt

Transfer to mixer jar 

In the same pan, saute poppy seeds for 1 minute then add the coconut gratings and saute for 2 minutes till it gives off a good aroma

Remove from flame and allow this to cool 

Add this to the roasted spices in the mixer jar 

Grind this to a powder.

To this, add a little water and make the masala paste and keep aside.

Add oil to the pan and on medium heat add the mustard seeds, when they splutter add the curry leaves and saute for a few seconds

To this add the finely chopped onion and saute till they turn golden 

Now add the ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes

Add the tomato puree and mix well  and saute till the raw smell of the tomato goes

Next add the ground masala prepared and salt to taste

Add water as required to get a gravy like consistency

Bring this to a boil then lower the flame and add the boiled eggs 

Allow the eggs to simmer in the gravy for 5 minutes 

Switch off the gas

Finally, garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves

Transfer the Chettinad Egg Curry to a serving bowl 

Serve hot with rotis, chapatis, fried rice 

METHIWALI ARHAR KI DAL

 METHIWALI ARHAR KI DAL

It is essential that we have a fair amount of lentils in our daily diets for better health. Spilt Pigeon Peas, is one of the most popular of these lentils in our Indian cooking. It is called Toor Dal or Arhar Dal in Hindi; Togaribele in Kannada; and Thori Dali in my mother tongue, Konkani. Toor Dal is considered to be a great source for proteins, carbs and dietary fibres as detailed in this article in NetMeds. 

Often the simple, comfort foods taste great especially after the festival season when we tend to eat a lot of rich food. 

Today's recipe is for an easy to make dish from North Indian cuisine made with Fenugreek Leaves (Methi Leaves) and Arhar/Toor Dal. I have adapted this from "Methiwali Arhar Ki Dal" from the YouTube video in Sanjeev Kapoor's Khazana. 

We enjoyed this immensely with hot rotis! 

Ingredients:-

• Arhar/Toor Dal (Split Pigeon Peas), 1 cup 
• Methi (Fenugreek) Leaves, 1/2 of a medium bunch
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Jaggery, grated, 1 tsp or to taste
• Chilli Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Garlic, chopped, 1 tbsp
• Hing (Asafoetida) Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Ghee, 1 tbsp

Method:-

Remove the methi leaves from their stems, wash thoroughly in several changes of water

Finely chop the methi leaves

Chop the garlic 

Grate the jaggery

Wash and soak the arhar dal in a vessel with 3 cups of water for about 2-3 hours

Add turmeric powder to this and keep this vessel in a pressure cooker

Cook for 3-4 whistles or till the dal gets fully cooked

When the cooker cooks remove the cooked dal, mash it lightly 

Add the grated jaggery, chilli powder, salt and 1/2 cup of water

Mix well and bring to a boil

Heat ghee in a thick-bottomed pan and add the chopped garlic and saute till it turns a golden brown and gives off a nice aroma

To this add the asafoetida powder and saute

Now add the chopped fenugreek leaves and saute for 1 minute till they wilt

Add a little salt, (the methi leaves will shrink in volume), mix well and cook for 1 minute 

Next add the cooked and mashed arhar dal, mix well and add water to get the desired consistency 

Cook for 1-2 minutes 

Switch off the gas and transfer to a serving bowl

Serve the Methiwali Arhar Ki Dal hot with rotis, naan etc

UNNI APPAM

 UNNI APPAM

Toady's recipe is for a sweet/snack that is very popular in Kerala called "Unni Appam" also written as "Unniyappam". The main ingredients for making this are: rice, banana, and jaggery. It gets its name from "Unni "meaning "small" in Malayalam the local language there. "Appam" is for the round rice cake which we call Appo/Appe in Konkani and Paniyaram in Tamil. 

This can be made in different ways. One method is to soak the rice and grind it to a batter. I use the other method which is simpler in which we use use rice flour.  I particularly love the addition of small pieces of roasted coconut in the batter which adds to the taste of the Unni Appams. 

I have adapted this recipe from Unni Appam in Gita's Kitchen. In this, however, she has not roasted the coconut pieces.

Please remember that the sweetness of the Unni Appams will depend on quantity of the jaggery and the sweetness of the banana used. Some prefer to use over ripe banana while others prefer to use less sweet bananas so that they don't overpower the taste of the appams. This of course is a matter of individual taste!

 Do try this out and I am sure you will love it!

Ingredients:-

• Rice Flour, 1 cup
• Jaggery, 1 cup
• Ripe Banana, 1
• Coconut Pieces, 1/2 cup
• Cardamom Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Ghee, as required to make the Unni Appams

Method:-

Wash and peel the banana and chop this into pieces 

Grate the jaggery

Cut the coconut into small pieces and fry them in ghee till they give off a good aroma. Keep aside. 

In a thick bottomed kadhai, dry roast the rice flour for a couple of minutes

Transfer to a bowl and keep aside

Make the jaggery syrup by dissolving the grated jaggery with a little water and boiling it for about 5 minutes

Strain the jaggery syrup and add it to the rice flour and mix well

To this add the chopped banana pieces  and transfer the rice flour-banana mixture to a mixer jar 

Grind the ingredients adding water a little by little to get a thick batter 

The batter should be thick but of a flowing consistency 

Remove the batter to a vessel and add the cardamom powder and pieces of fried coconut

Mix well and allow it to ferment for 3 to 4 hours

After about 3 hours, mix the batter before use

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
When the ghee gets heated, pour the prepared batter to fill each of the sockets.
Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes on low/medium flame
Using a skewer, flip the Unni Appams carefully and fry the other side
Once the Unni Appams 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 Unni Appam is cooked, you can poke it with the skewer to check. It should come out clean when it is well cooked. 
• Keeping the Unni Appams for too long on one side results in it getting burnt. Flip to fry the other side at the right time
• When the Unni Appams turn a golden brown, you know they are well cooked.

MANGALURU SOUTHEKAYI HULI

 MANGALURU SOUTHEKAYI HULI

Today we celebrate Kannada Rajyotsava since it was on this day in 1956 that my Home State of Karnataka came into being. I have therefore chosen to post a dish which is popular in the Mangaluru- Udupi areas of Karnataka. 

 "Field Marrow" is commonly known in India as Mangalore Cucumber, Madras Cucumber, and even Malabar Cucumber. We call this "Magge" in my mother tongue, Konkani and it is called, "Mangaluru Southekayi" in Kannada. 

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

• Magge & Mashinagasaang Koddel
• Southekayi Sasmi
• Magge Polo

Today's recipe is for a side dish made with Mangaluru Southekayi. I have adapted this from the Kannada YouTube video Mangalore Cucumber Sambar from Ambika Shetty's Kitchen.

We enjoyed this with hot steamed rice. I am sure you will like this too! 

Ingredients:-

• Mangaluru Southekayi (Mangalore Cucumber), 1/2 or 350-400 gms
• Urad Dal, 1 tbsp
• Coriander Seeds, 1 and 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek (Methi) Seeds, 15
• Cumin Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Byadgi Red Chillies, 6
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1/2 cup
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Tamarind Juice, 2 tbsp
• Jaggery, grated, 2 tbsp
• Cooked Toor Dal, 1/4 cup 
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 1 tsp 

For Seasoning :-

• Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp
• Dry Red Chilli, broken into halves, 1
• Asafoetida (Hing), 1/8 tsp 
• Curry Leaves, a sprig
• Oil, 2 tsp

Method:-

Wash the Mangaluru Southekayi and chop this into bite-sized pieces. Peeling the outer skin is optional. I have retained this.

Heat 1/2 tsp of oil in a thick-bottomed pan and add urad dal, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds and roast them on medium heat till the dal changes colour 

Remove the roasted ingredients and allow it to cool

In the same pan add a few drops of oil and roast the Byadgi red chillies till they become crisp

In mixer jar, grind together the roasted ingredients (mentioned above) along with 1/2 cup of coconut gratings, turmeric powder, and grind to a fine paste using the required amount of water. Keep aside

Heat 3 cups of water in a vessel and when it boils add the Mangaluru Southekayi pieces, lower the flame and cover and cook for about 5 minutes

Add the tamarind extract, grated jaggery, and salt to taste and mix well

Cook covered for another 5 minutes on medium heat

To this add the freshly prepared ground paste and mix well

Add water as required to get a gravy like consistency 

Now add the cooked toor dal and mix well

Check for salt and add if required

Bring this to a boil, then lower the flame and let it simmer for 5 minutes

Heat 2 tsp of oil in a small pan and on medium heat add the mustard seeds, when they splutter add the broken dry red chilli, hing, and curry leaves and saute for a few seconds

Pour this seasoning on to the Mangaluru Southekayi Huli and mix well

Switch off the gas and transfer the Huli to a serving bowl

Serve Mangaluru Southekayi Huli with hot steamed rice