Thursday, 23 July 2015

Baked Masala Peanuts





A perfect guilt free evening snack!!! Baked masala peanuts:) Tastes really yummy with cup of Tea or coffee :)


Ingredients :
  • Ground nuts 1 cup
  • Chilli powder 2-3 tsp
  • Asafoetida 1 tsp
  • Gram flour 3 tbsp
  • Oil 1 tbsp
  • salt for taste
Method : 

  • Wash the ground nuts & drain the water completely, add chilli powder, asafoetida, salt  and keep it aside for 30 minutes.
  • Sprinkle gram flour and oil & mix well
  • Microwave at high speed until its done.
  • Keep mixing it every two minutes or else they may not roast well.
  • Once peanuts turn hard & masala coats well remove it from microwave.
Once done store it in airtight container :)

Notes :
  • Time of baking  varies from microwave to microwave, mine took nearly 6 minutes.
  • Once its done you may feel its not crunchy, but once it cools down it will be crunchy


 

Sanna Idli ( Spicy Idli )





This dish is authentic konkani recipe which is normally served as side dish for rice and dal!!! This dish requires little preparation for soaking the ingredients but the outcome is yummy:)


Ingredients :
  • Dosa rice 1 cup
  • Toordal 1 fistful ( optional )
  • Grated coconut 2 cups
  • Tamarind - gooseberry size
  • Roasted chilies - 8-10
  • Asafoetida - generous amount .
Method :
  • Soak rice and dal for 2-3hours
  • Grind roasted chilies, tamarind and grated coconut first without adding water
  • Now add soaked item & grind it into coarse batter by just sprinkling water. 
  • Before taking out masala add hing & grind it again.
  • Steam it in idli stand for 20-25 minutes.
Notes :
  • Take care while adding water, if you add too much water while grinding the battery will be sticky & idlis will turn hard so just sprinkle water !
  • This dish requires more grated coconut so be generous in adding coconut, if you add less coconut idli will turn hard & you have to compromise with taste :)
  • You can add finally chopped onions, cabbage or methi leaves to the batter& prepare idlis
 

Cabbage Dry Sabzi




Ingredients :
  • Lengthwise chopped cabbage 2 cups
  • Chopped onions -2
  • Chopped tomatoes 1
  • Salt for tatse

For Seasoning :
  • Oil 3 tsp
  • Musturd seeds 1/2tsp
  • Red chilli powder 3 tsp or more according to your tatse
  • Asafoetida 1 tsp 
Garnishing :
  • Finley chopped coriander leaves 2 tsp
  • Lemon Juice 1 tsp
Method:

             In a kadai heat oil and season it with seasoning items, now add chopped onions and fry till it turn translucent , add chopped tomatoes and fry till it turn mushy, finally add chopped cabbage, salt  and sprinkle little water and cook it till its done.

Squeeze lime juice & garnish it with coriander leaves !!!!

Serve hot with Roti !!!



Note :

* Don't add too much water and make it mushy, let it be little crunchy :)

    
 

Thursday, 16 July 2015

Piyava Tambali ( Onions in Ground Masala )



Quick, easy & simple "konkani recipe" which is great accomplishment with hot rice :)  It comes to your rescue when you feel lazy to cook or you have no vegetables :) It requires only few ingredients.


Ingredients :

  • Grated coconut 1/2 cup
  • Roasted red chillies 2 or more 
  • Tamarind - small piece
  • Finely chopped onion-1
  • Salt for taste
  • Coconut oil - 2 tsp
Method:

  • Grind grated coconut along with chillies, tamarind & salt to fine paste.
  • Add water depending upon the consistency you prefer
  • Add chopped onion, coconut oil & mix well 
Piyava tambali is ready  to relish with hot rice :)






Ragi Juice ( Finger millet Juice )




Relishing "summer drink " to beat the heat. Ragi is rich in calcium, iron, protein & many other minerals. Its low in fat. Its consumption will help us to reduce blood sugar level  in our body & Its very helpful to recuce the weight.

This  juice is famous in coastal part of Karnatka specially Mangalore & Udupi.


Ingredients :

  • Whole ragi 1/2 cup
  • Milk 1 cup
  • Powdered jaggery 1/2 cup
  • Cardamom powder 2-3 tsp

Method :
  • Wash & clean ragi well.
  • Grind it in mixer adding sufficient water in steps & strain it in clean muslin cloth.
  • Now add powdered jaggery & stir it well so that jaggery dissolves in juice
  • Finally add cardamom powder 
  Serve it chilled !!!





Kesar Shrikhand




Yummy chilled dish made with strained yogurt. Its one of the famous Gujarati  cuisine. Its a great accomplishment with "Pooris "


Ingredients :

  • 1/2 litre hung curd   ( Used Milkymist  which comes in cartons )
  • 6 tbsp of sugar
  • Saffron- few strands soaked in milk
  • Cardamom powder -2 tsp

Method :
  •     Take the curd in clean muslin cloth, tie it for minimum 3 hours, till all the whey drains away.
  • After 3 hours  take curds, sugar, saffron & cardamom powder and blend it well to get smooth paste.!!!
  Shrikhand  is ready!!! Serve it chilled :)


Aam Ka Panna ( Raw Mango Drink )





Simple chilling drink to beat the heat   "aam ka panna" a refreshing drink from the state of "Maharashtra". Simple drink with limited ingredients 

Ingredients :

  • Raw mango -1 ( Totapuri )
  • Sugar 1/2 cup
  • Black salt  1 tsp
  • Roasted cumin powder 2 tsp
  • Cardamom powder 1 tsp
  • Water 

Method :

  • Wash the mango well and pressure cook it with enough water for 2 whistles.
  • Peel the skin collect the pulp and grind it well with sugar.
  • Now add water depending upon the consistency you prefer
  • Add remaining ingredients, stir well
  • Serve it chilled :)!!!

 

Bread Dosa





Super soft yummy bread dosa "Without Bread".  Yeah Bread is not a ingredient in this recipe but its super soft as bread, so the name   "Bread Dosa". Tried this recipe from " Kini's  Kitchen ".




Ingredients :

  • Dosa Rice 1 cup
  • Methi Seeds 1 tsp
  • Phova 1/2 cup ( Thin Variety )
  • Curd 3/4 cup
  • Salt for taste 
  • Baking soda pinch
  • Oil for making dosa.    

Method  :

      Soak rice and methi seeds in enough water for 5-6 hours in enough water.

     Grind soaked items along with phova ( soak in little water for just 2 minutes )  with the help of curds. Add salt and keep it for fermentation overnite.

Next day add pinch of soda mix well and make dosas :)

Serve hot dosas with your favorite side dish :)

Tuesday, 14 July 2015

Mixed Vegetable Kurma





Hotel style "mixed veg kurma " a good side dish for roti, puri, or even for simple rice items like ghee rice :) Tried this recipe from "sharmispassion. com "



Ingredients : ( Serves 2 to 3 people )


  • Mixed vegetables 1 cup ( Used carrot, peas, potatoes & beans )
  • Onion 1 medium size
  • Tomato 1 medium size
  • Ginger Garlic paste 2 tsp
  • Garam masala powder 1 tsp
  • Red chilli powder 2 tsp
  • Coriander powder 1 tsp
  • Lemon juice 2 tsp/ curds 1 tbsp
  • Coriander leaves 1/2 tsp
  • Salt for taste
To Grind :
  • Grated coconut 1/2 cup
  • Cashews 4
  • Poppy seeds 1/2 tsp
  • Fennel seeds 1 tsp
  • Split roasted gram 2 tsp
  • Green chilli -2
  • Clove -2
  • Cinnamon 1/2 inch
  • Cardamom 1           

To Temper
  • Oil 4 tsp
  • Bay leaf 1
  • Curry leaves - few

Method :

   Cook vegetables in little water by adding salt.

  Grind " to grind items" into fine paste.

In a wok add oil and temper it with "to temper items " now add onion and ginger garlic paste and fry till onion  turn translucent.

 Now add tomato fry till its mushy, add all the powders one by one fry it till raw smell goes.

Now add ground paste, 3/4 to 1 cup water boil it well now add cooked vegetables, minimum salt & simmer it and add curds, chopped coriander leaves , mix well & switch off. 

If your using lime juice add it  after switching off the flame. 


Relish it with your favourite main course!!!!.

   


Mavina Kai Chitranna ( Raw Mango Rice )





Spicy, tangy, Sweet & sour "mavinkai chitranna " a complete one pot meal :)!!!  Tried this recipe from " Udupi- Receipes.com.  Thank you Sumana for this simple yummy rice item :)

Ingredients : ( Serves 2 people )

  • Raw mango ( Preferably totapuri ) 1 small
  • Grated coconut 2 tbsp
  • Green chilli 2 -3
  • Salt for taste
  • Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
  • Coriander leaves - handful
  • Asafoetida  - pinch

Seasoning Items :
  • Coconut oil 4 tsp
  • Mustard seeds 1 tsp
  • Urdal/ Split black gram 1 tsp
  • Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
  • Broken red chilies 2
  • Peanuts 2-3 tsp
  • Curry leaves - few 
 Cooked Rice 1 cup


Method :

Prepare the rice in such may that all the grains are separate,once its done  spread the rice on a large plate and let it cool completely.

Wash and grate mango with the help of a grater.

Grind a coarse mixture of grated mango, grated coconut, turmeric powder, salt, green chillies & asafoetida. Mango rice mix is ready.

Now in a wok add oil and prepare seasoning with seasoning items, now add mango rice mix and saute it for few minutes.

Finally add rice to the seasoning items and mix well.Garnish it with coriander leaves.

Mango rice is ready :)




Oats Rava Undi ( Steamed oats rice rava balls )



 A twist to normal undi, yes in this recipe oats is added to make it more healthy & tasty :


Ingredients :


Rice Rava  1 cup

Oats 1/4 cup
Grated coconut  1/2 to 3/4 cup
Salt
Water 1 to 11/2 cups ( Approximately)
 
Seasoning :
Musturd seeds 1 tsp
Urdal 1/2 tsp
Methi seeds 1/4 tsp
Curry Leaves  5-10 leaves
Oil

Method :

Soak rice rava for 5 minutes in water, drain the water keep it aside. 


Now grind grated coconut with little water  very coarsely, pour this grated coconut over rice rava add salt and mix well.


In a kadai heat oil and season it with seasoning items now add rava, grated coconut mixture,oats   and  water, check for salt  and start stirring until it forms a huge mass, just touch the mixture if its not sticking to your hands that's perfect consistency.


 Allow the mixture to cool down completely, in mean time  preheat the steamer with enough water in it, now pinch out small amount of mixture make a round ball and make a dent in the middle and steam it for 15 to 20 minutes!!!

That's it undi is ready to serve :)



Paper Dosa



      Ingredients :

         * Raw rice 1 cup
         * Idli rice  1 cup
         * Urdal      1/2 cup
         * Toordal   3 tbsp
         * Phova      1/4 cup ( Thin Variety )


Method :  

     Soak all the ingredients except phova for 4 to 5 hours in enough water.

     Grind soaked item along with phova ( soak for 5 minutes)  into fine batter, add salt and keep it for fermentation overnite.

Next day  heat tawa once its hot apply oil and pour ladel full of  batter and spread it in circular motion, apply oil to the sides of dosa & roast it both sides.

Serve hot with chutney or sambhar or another side dish of your taste.


Valval ( Mixed Vegetable Cooked in Coconut Milk )





Authentic "konkani delicacy"  in which all vegetables are cooked in thick coconut milk :) It tastes great as a "main course " or as a good accomplishment with hot rice :) & Here is the recipe .


Ingredients 

  •     Thick coconut milk 2 cup
  •      3 cups of vegetables ( normally Gherkins/ Tendle, Pumpkin/ Dudde, Managalore yello cucumber/ Magge, Ridge Gourd/ Gosale, Yard Long Beans / Alsano, Potatoes , Tender Cashews/ Bibbo  are used )   
  • Green chillies 2-3                                          

Seasoning :

- Ghee 2 tsp
- Jeera/ Cumin seeds 1 tsp
- Curry leaves - few
- Broken red chillies 2


Method :

* Wash and chop the vegetables into relatively big pieces and  pressure cook the vegetables ( except ridge gourd)  with little water, salt and green chillies for one whistle. Cook ridge gourd in little water in small vessel.  

* Extract coconut milk by crushing 2 cups of  fresh grated coconut in mixy by adding little water in steps. Strain the milk in strainer or in muslin cloth.

* Repeat the same procedure with residue 2 times and extract thin coconut milk & keep this aside.

* Now transfer the cooked vegetable to big vessel and add thick coconut milk and give a gentle boil by adding limited salt ( we have added salt while cooking veggies ) and now at this stage  if you feel curry is too thick add the thin coconut milk which you have kept aside. 

* Finally Season it with seasoning items.

Valval is reday to relish !!!!


Notes :

    -  Boil the curry only in medium flame for few minutes or else the dish will curdle.

    - Half coconut shell will yield you nearly 1 1/2 cups of coconut milk.




Wednesday, 8 July 2015

Vermicelli Pulav with Onion Raita




Pulav is all time favourite of my "hubby". Give him pulav all the 3 times in a day and he is the one happiest persons who will eat without any regrets!!! That made me to try this vermicelli pulav, which initially I thought its difficult as you have to cook vermicelli separately and care should be taken to see that it shouldn't turn mushy  !!! But finally I tried one day and was happy with outcome :) So here is the recipe for this simple yummy pulav !!! 




Ingredients : ( Serves 2 people )



  • Vermicelli 1 cup
  • Tender french beans 2-3 
  • Carrot 1
  • Green peas 1 fistful
  • Salt for taste



Seasoning :
  • Onion 1 finely chopped
  • Ginger garlic paste 1/2 tsp
  • Oil 2 tsp
Masala Powders :
  • Turmeric powder - a pinch
  • Garam masala powder 1 tsp
  • Red chilli powder 2 tsp or more according to your taste
Garnishing :


       Coriander leaves 




Method :


        Chop the vegetables and cook it in small pan adding water and little salt.


        Now take 3 cups of water and add little water and salt to it, once it comes to boil add vermicelli and allow it cook. It may take around 3 to 4 minutes take care that it shouldn't overcook and turn mushy.Once its cooked strain the water and run it under normal water and strain it again and spread it on a plate.


In kadai heat oil, once its hot add onion & ginger garlic paste and fry it till onion turn translucent, add cooked vegetables , salt as per taste as we already added salt while cooking vegetables & vermicelli, now one by one add masala powders mix well and finally add cooked vegetables and give a quick mix & garnish it with coriander leaves. 

Pulav is ready!!!!


For onion Raita :


  • 1 big or 2 small finely chopped onion 
  • Thick curd 1 cup
  • Salt 
  • Green chilli's 2
  • Coriander leaves for garnishing.

Whisk the curd well and add all the remaining items and mix well.


Note :

  • You can add finely chopped tomatoes too, but I don't use as my hubby don't like tomatoes 
  • Cooking of vermicelli differs from brand to brand, read the instructions on the back of the packet before use. 
  • I normally use "Bambinoo Brand " so cooked it as per instruction given on the packet.  




Tuesday, 7 July 2015

Tingalavare Sambhar ( White Navy Beans Sambhar )






 Tingalavaro ( white navy beans) one of the variety of dried beans, which has many nutritional value.  This sambhar is "no dal sambhar " yeah you heard it rite its sambhar which has no dal in it, yet yummy to relish . Here is the recipe :


Ingredients :


  • Tingalavro 1 cup ( Soaked overnight )
  • Potato 1 ( optional )
  • Tomato 1 
  • Salt for taste
Seasoning :

  • Oil
  • Mustard seeds
  • Curry leaves
  • Red chillies 1 
Garnishing :

Coriander leaves 

And I usually  prepare sambhar with fresh  ground spices rather than store bought powders. So here is the ingredients for ground spices . ( Adopted from  one of the famous cook book " THE KONKANI SARASWAT COOK BOOK by Asha Philar )


Fry the following ingredients in 2 tsp of oil

  • 1 tsp chana dal
  • 3/4 tsp urdal
  • 1/4tsp feenugreek seeds
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/4 tsp musturd seeds ( I skipped this )
  • 4-5 pepper corns
  • 1 tbsp corriander seeds 
  • 4-5 red chillies ( I used byadgi for rich red colour )
  • Asafetida , size of feenugreek seed

Roast the following two items separately 

  • 1 tbsp grated coconut
  • 1 spring curry leaves
Now grind all the roasted item along with small marble size tamarind into smooth paste. Your sambahr masala is ready.


 Pressure cook  navy beans along with potatoes, if using for 2-3 whistles.

Now add  ground masala to cooked beans add salt, tomato and boil it for 2 to 3 minutes.

Finally season it with seasoning items and garnish it.!!!


Serve hot with rice, idli, dosa or roti.


Phova Kheeri ( Beaten Rice Payasam )





Phova kheeri/ Aval payasam is the simplest yummy sweet which require no much preparation or no much ingredients!!! It can be  prepared in jiffy and can be finished in jiffy :P. So here comes the ingredients.

Ingredients :


  • Beaten rice 1 cup ( Thin Variety )
  • Sugar 1/2 cup
  • Milk 2 cups 
  • Ghee 2 tsp
  • Cardamom powder
  • Cashews - few
  • Saffron strands soaked in milk ( optional )

Method :

In a kadai add ghee and just fry cashews once its fried keep it aside. 

Now in a same pan fry beaten rice till its crisp and slightly changes its colour. 

Now add sugar and milk and cook it for 5 to 6 minutes after that cook it covered for 2 to 3 minutes at this stage payasam will be thick.

  Add saffron strands soaked in milk, cardamom powder mix well and finally add cashews 

Phova kheeri is ready to serve !!!! Enjoy it either hot or chilled