Bende Sannapolo / Okra Spicy Dosa

Sannapolo is spicy dosa usually prepared using coconut based masala. It is usually served as a side dish with rice. Cabbage, drumstick leaves and tender bamboo shoots are commonly used to prepare sannapolo. Okra/ bende is not usually used in sannapolo, but i gave it a try and it came out well. Hence decided to share this in blog. This recipe is not authentic konkani method of preparing sannapolo, but it tastes good though.

Ingredients:

Okra/ bende - 10
Onion - 1 small
Rice flour - 5 tbsp
Cornflour - 1 tbsp
Red chilly powder - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Hing/Asafoetida - A pinch
Turmeric powder - 0.25 tsp
Cumin powder -1 tsp
Lemon juice of 1 small lemon
Oil for shallow frying

Procedure:

1. Wash the okra and pat them dry using kitchen towel.

2. Chop the okra into small and thin discs.

3. Chop the onions into fine pieces.

3. Add all the ingredients except oil and mix well. Add little water to make the batter. Adjust amount of salt and spices as required.

4. Heat a pan and add little oil . Spread small dosas with the batter. Spread them as thin as possible.

5. When the dosa are cooked on one side, flip them and cook on the other side as well by brushing little oil.

6. When the dosas are cooked well on both sides, remove them from pan.

Serve these spicy dosas or pancakes as a side-dish with hot rice and daal !!

Spicy Roasted Chicken Drumsticks

Spicy roasted chicken drumsticks is another chicken recipe which i prepared on a lazy afternoon. It is simple, yet delicious and can be prepared easily without much preparation. The chicken is pan roasted with minimum oil, and hence it is low in fat. Juice of lemon and spices in tandoori masala makes this absolutely finger-licking !!

Ingredients:

Chicken drumsticks - 4 pcs
Lemon - 1
Salt to taste
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Red chilly powder - 2 tbsp
Pepper powder - 1 tbsp
Hung curd - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Kasoori Methi - 1/2 tbsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tbsp
Tandoori masala powder - 2 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - Handful

Procedure:

1. Remove the skin from chicken drumsticks. Wash and clean it thoroughly and make deep slits on it.

2. First marinade the chicken with lemon juice, salt, red chilly powder and ginger-garlic paste for 10 minutes.

3. Now add pepper powder, curd, turmeric powder,kasoori methi, cumin powder, coriander powder and 1 tbsp tandoori masala to the chicken and marinate for 20 more minutes.

4. Now put the chicken pieces in a pressure cooker, and cook them up to 3 whistles without adding any water.The stock of chicken is enough to cook it.

5. Heat oil in a pan and add 1 tbsp oil. Add mustard seeds. When mustard splutters add handful of curry leaves and roast it well.

6. Now add cooked chicken pieces along with the stock and cook it by constantly flipping it. The spices in stock coats the chicken and it slowly evaporates. Continue to roast the chicken further until it is fried well on all sides.

7. When the chicken is roasted well, add a tbsp of tandoori masala and saute well. Let the masala coat the roasted chicken. Continue to cook for few more minutes.

Serve the spicy chicken drumsticks as an appetizer with lemon wedges and onion slices !!!

Egg Masala

Egg Masala is a quick and easy side-dish. It is basically boiled eggs cooked in Indian spices . The masala is of semi-dry consistency and it goes well with steamed rice, chapati, dosa or even idli. It is very spicy and tasty too!

Ingredients:

Boiled eggs - 4

Onion - 1 large

Tomato - 1 medium

Green chilly - 1

Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Cinnamon - 1 inch

clove - 2

Bay leaf - 1

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp

Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Kitchen King Masala - 2 tbsp

Tandoori Masala - 1 tbsp

Kasoori Methi - 1 tsp

Cashewnuts - 15 

Coriander leaves - 4 tbsp

Oil -  2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Soak cashews in warm water for 30 minutes and blend them into smooth paste.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard. When mustard splutters add curry leaves, bay leaf, cinnamon, 

clove and cumin. Fry the spices for few seconds without burning. 

3. Now add finely chopped green chilly and saute well. 

4. Add onions and fry till it becomes golden brown. Now add ginger-garlic paste and saute well till the raw smell goes off. Add tomatoes and saute till it is cooked and becomes mushy.

5.  Add red chilly powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder, kasoori methi and saute well. Add Kitchen King masala and tandoori masala and fry well for few minutes. ( You can use any other    

good masala powder instead)

6. Add the cashew paste to the masala and mix well. Add little water if the gravy is very thick.

7. Add salt as required and cook the gravy for few minutes.

8. Make slits on the boiled eggs and add them to the gravy. Cook till the masala thickens. 

9. Garnish egg masala with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot as a side dish!

Egg Curry in Coconut Masala / Motte Randayi

This is a simple and aromatic egg curry prepared with boiled eggs and ground coconut paste. This goes well as a side dish with rice or chapati. The roasted spices add nice flavor to the dish.

Ingredients:

Eggs - 4 or 5
Onion - 1
Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - around 1/4 cup
Dry Red Chillies - 5
Coconut - 3/4 cup (Fresh/Frozen/Desiccated)
Tamarind - a small gooseberry sized ball
Cinnamon - A small piece around 1 inch
Clove - 2
Cardamom - 1
Cumin - 1/2 tsp
Peppercorns - 3
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp (Chopped)
Salt to taste.
Oil for seasoning

Procedure:

1. First boil the eggs. Remove the shell and cut them into half. Keep the eggs aside.

2. Finely chop the onions and keep it aside.

3. Now heat oil in a small pan and add coriander seeds. Saute for few seconds and then add dry    
    redchillies and curry leaves. Saute well. Add half portion of chopped onion and saute well till the       onion turns translucent. Then add desiccated coconut ( you can also use frozen/ fresh coconut.             Fresh coconut is the best ) and saute for few minutes till all the spices are roasted well and coconut     turns light brown in color. Make sure not to burn the spices.

4. Grind the roasted spices by adding tamarind, clove, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin and peppercorns.     Add little water while grinding and make the masala into smooth paste.

5. Heat little oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds. When mustard splutters add curry leaves and saute     for few seconds. Then add chopped onions and saute well. Then add ginger -garlic paste and saute     till the raw smell goes off and onions turn golden brown. Add little turmeric powder and then add       the ground coconut masala paste to the sauteed mixture.

6. Adjust the consistency by adding little water if the curry is very thick. Add salt as required and
    bring the curry to boil. Boil for few minutes till the raw smell goes away.

7. Add the boiled eggs and mix well. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Egg Curry in aromatic coconut masala is now ready to relish !!!

Batate Song (Spicy Potato Curry)

Batate Song is a popular Konkani dish. It is usually very spicy, and it can be prepared in many variations. I prepare it both with coconut and without coconut. This is the recipe to prepare batate song without coconut, hence this is a quick dish which can be prepared with few ingredients.

Ingredients: 

Potatoes - 2 

Onion - 1 large

Red chilly powder - as required

Salt to taste

Tamarind - Little

Oil - 1 tsp

Procedure:

1. Wash and peel the potatoes and cut them into medium pieces.

2. Remove any seeds from tamarind and soak it in warm water for sometime.

3. Chop the onions lengthwise or into large cubes.

4. Heat Oil in an pan and add onions. Fry them till they turn golden brown and the raw smell goes away.

5. Add the potatoes and saute them on medium flame for few minutes.

6. Add red chilly powder and salt to taste. Fry again for few minutes.

7. Now add soaked tamarind and mix well. Add little water and cover the vessel . 

8. Cook on medium flame till the potatoes become soft.

Batate Song is ready !!

Wheat Flour Dosa (Ghava Pita Polo)

Wheat flour Dosa is a healthy and quick-fix breakfast recipe. Only two ingredients are required to prepare the batter and the batter doesn't need to be fermented. Hence this is an instant dosa which is a Savior when pressed for time.

Ingredients:

Wheat flour - 1 cup
Semolina - 1/2 tsp (Optional)
Rice flour  - 2 tbsp (Optional)
Salt to taste

Procedure:

Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl . Add water and mix well to form dosa batter. Make sure there are no lump in the batter. Add required amount of salt to taste.  Adding semolina and rice is optional. During fast we usually skip adding rice flour.

Heat a dosa tawa and spread little oil over it. Pour a ladle full of batter moving outward to inside. Don't spread the batter using the back of the ladle like we do for other dosas. When it is cooked well on one side flip it and cook on the other side.

Serve it hot with any dip of your choice!

Chicken Curry

Chicken curry can be prepared in numerous ways. This is traditional chicken curry prepared by my Mom, and it is one of my all time favorite. We usually relish this with dosa, idli or rice.

Ingredients:

Chicken - Around 600 gms
1/2 portion of large onion  finely chopped
1/2 portion of small tomato finely chopped
Cashew nuts - 12
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil / Ghee - 1 tbsp

For Green Masala:

Coriander leaves - 12  ( along with stem)
Green chillies - 3
Garlic cloves - 2
Ginger - A small piece
Cinnamon - small piece
Clove - 2
Cardamom  - 1
Cumin seeds - 0.5 tsp
Saunf - 0.25 tsp
Poppy seeds - 0.5 tsp
White sesame seeds - 0.5 tsp

For Coconut Masala:

Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup
Red Chillies - 2
Tamarind - A small piece
Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
1/2 portion of large onion  finely chopped

Procedure:

1. Clean and wash the chicken thoroughly and marinate it with little turmeric and salt for 15 minutes.

2. Soak the cashew nuts in warm water for 1 hr. Then grind it to a smooth paste and keep aside.

3. Grind all the ingredients mentioned under green masala to a smooth paste.

4. For preparing coconut masala paste heat oil in a pan and add coriander seeds. Fry it for few seconds and then add dry red chillies. Now add chopped onion and fry till it become slightly brown. Then add grated coconut and fry it well till it turns slightly brown ( I have used desiccated coconut as i didn't have stock of grated coconut ). Make sure not to burn the spices. Switch off the flame and let the mixture cool.

Now grind all these fried ingredients and tamarind to a smooth paste by adding little water.

5. Now heat oil/ghee in a pressure cooker and fry the finely chopped onion till it turns golden brown. Now add the tomato and saute for few more minutes. Add little salt to fasten the process of cooking onions.

6. Add the green masala to fried onion-tomato mixture. Saute for few minutes till the raw smell of green masala goes off. Now add the marinated chicken and required amount of salt to this and mix well.Cook the chicken up to 2 whistles in the pressure cooker or till the chicken is completely cooked. If required add little water before pressure cooking the chicken.

7. Now add the ground coconut paste to the cooked chicken and bring the mixture to boil. Let the curry boil for few minutes till the raw smell of the coconut paste goes off.

8. Finally add the cashew paste to the curry and simmer for few minutes. Adjust the salt and consistency of the gravy as required.

Chicken curry is now ready to serve. Happy eating :)

Basic Tomato Saaru

Tomato saaru can be prepared in many ways. This is the simplest and the first version of tomato saaru which i learnt, and it is meant for beginners. This can be prepared quickly with minimum ingredients.

Ingredients:

Tomato - 2 medium sized (Cut into large pieces)
Green chillies - 1 (Cut lengthwise)
Coriander leaves - 1 tsp (Finely chopped)
Salt to taste
Sugar/ Jaggery - as required
Rasam powder - 1 tsp ( Optional if tempering will be done)

For tempering:

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - Few
Asafoetida - A pinch

Procedure:

Heat enough water in a vessel and cubed tomatoes, green chillies and salt. Bring it to boil. Let it boil for few minutes on medium flame till the tomatoes cook and become soft. Now add powdered jaggery or sugar as required. Adjust the amount of salt as required. Add rasam powder to it and let it boil for few minutes( Adding rasam powder is optional if your are planning to temper the saaru at the end. I have used rasam powder as i had skipped tempering). Finally add freshly chopped coriander leaves.

For tempering heat oil in a tempering pan. Add mustard seeds and when mustard splutters, add curry leaves and asafoetida/hing. Add this tempering to the saaru and keep the vessel covered for sometime to allow the flavors to blend well.

This simple tomato saaru goes well with hot rice.

Spicy Potato-French Beans Masala Fry

This is a simple stir fry enriched with the flavours of cumin and coriander. I have prepared this using potatoes and french beans. This can be prepared with other veggies as well.

Ingredients:

Baby potatoes - 5
French beans
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Dry red chilly - 1
Cumin powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Chilly powder - as required
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

Finely chop the potatoes and french beans. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and when the mustard splutters add curry leaves and dry red chilly. Now add chilly powder, cumin powder and coriander powder and keep stirring for a minute. Make sure the spices aren't burnt. Now add the chopped potatoes and fry for a minute. Add the beans, salt and little turmeric powder. Cook them on medium heat and sprinkle very little water to avoid the veggies from burning. Keep stirring frequently. Cook till the potatoes become soft.

Onion Raita

This is a simple raita prepared with onions and green chillies. It goes well with Pulav, Biryani or any other rice items.

 Ingredients:

   
    Yogurt / Curd - 1 cup
    Green chillies - 1
    Salt to taste
    Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp
    Onion - 1/2 cup ( Finely chopped)

Procedure:

Finely chop the onions, green chillies and coriander leaves and add them to yogurt. Add required amount of salt and mix well.

Adjust the amount of green chillies and yoghurt based on your needs.

Dal Tadka

This is a quick and easy Dal recipe. I learnt about this from one of my colleague who is from Andhra. I prepared this today and absolutely loved it. It is very spicy dal with nice tangy flavor from tomatoes and tamarind. Not to forget, it tastes delicious with hot rice.

Ingredients:

Toor dal - 3/4 cup
Onion - 1 medium (Finely chopped)
Tomato - 1 small (Finely chopped)
Green chillies - 3
Asafoetida - A pinch
Tamarind - Small gooseberry sized
Turmeric / Haldi - 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp (Finely chopped)

For Seasoning:

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Garlic cloves - 5
Red chillies - 2
Curry leaves - few
Onion - 3 tbsp ( Chopped finely)
Oil - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

• Wash the toor dal nicely. In a pressure cooker add dal, chopped onions and tomatoes, slit green chillies, asafoetida, tamarind and a pinch of turmeric. 
• Add around 2 to 2.5 cups of water and pressure cook till dal is cooked completely.

      Seasoning:

• Heat oil in a cooking pan and add mustard seeds. When mustard splutters add cumin seeds, garlic, curry leaves and broken dry red chillies. Fry all these till you get nice aroma. Make sure not to burn anything. 
• Add finely chopped onions and fry well till they become dark brown.
• Now add the cooked dal mixture to the seasoning and mix well. 
• Add required amount of salt and bring the mixture to boil. Let it boil for 5-10 min on medium heat.
• Finally garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Relish yummy dal tadka with hot rice.

Beetroot Podi (Shallow Fried Beetroot)

Beetroot is considered as powerhouse of nutrients and has various health benefits. But i personally do not like beet root due of their sweet flavor. I learnt about this dish from one of my aunts. I tried this for the first time and absolutely loved it.

Ingredients:

Beetroot - 1small
Red chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Asafoetida powder / hing - a pinch
Salt to taste
Rice flour - little
Oil- for shallow frying

Procedure:

Wash and peel the beetroots. Cook them in a pressure cooker up to 1 whistle. 

Cut the beetroot into medium thick roundels. Add red chilly powder, asafoetida and salt to the sliced pieced and mix well.

Heat a frying pan and spread some oil over it. Coat the roundels nicely with rice flour and shallow fry them on medium heat. When the slices are cooked well on one side, flip them. Fry till they get cooked evenly on both the sides and become crisp.

Ghosale Ambat (Ridge Gourd In Coconut Based Gravy)

Ridge Gourd is one of our favorite vegetables. It is one of the vegetable where every part of it is used. There are numerous dishes in Konkani cuisine which use Ridge Gourd.

This Ridge Gourd curry prepared using coconut based gravy and seasoned with fried onion is prepared commonly by most of the Konkani people.

Ingredients:

Ridge Gourd -  1 cup chopped
Toor Dal - 1/2 cup
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Dry red chillies - 4 (Roasted)
Tamarind - Small piece
Salt to taste
Onion - 3 tbsp ( Finely chopped)
Oil - 1 tsp

Procedure:

• Cook the ridge gourd in a vessel by adding enough water and little salt. 
•  Pressure cook the toor dal with turmeric in pressure cooker.
• Grind the grated coconut, roasted dry red chillies and tamarind to a smooth paste.
• Add ground paste and dal to cooked ridge gourd and mix well. Add required amount of salt. The consistency of the curry should be medium thick. Bring the mixture to boil. Let it boil for 5 - 10 minutes.
• For seasoning, heat little oil in a small pan and fry the finely chopped onions. Let the onions fry till they turn dark brown. 
• Season the curry with fried onions. Keep the lid of the vessel covered for some time so that the flavors can blend. 

Enjoy the curry with hot rice.

Dill leaves Dosa ( Sabasige Polo/ Sabasige Soppina Dose)

Dill leaves dosa is one of my childhood favorite. This is one of the recipe which i learnt from Mom.There are two versions of  this Dosa - sweet and bland. For the sweet version you add jaggery to the dosa batter and all other ingredients are same for both.

I personally think the sweet version of this dosa tastes better. Sweet dill dosa accompanied with ghee or butter is a great combo.

Ingredients:

Dosa rice - 1 cup
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Jaggery - 1/4 cup
Dill leaves - half bunch
Salt to taste

Procedure:

 Soak the dosa rice in water for 4 - 5 hrs. Grind the rice with grated coconut, jaggery and dill leaves to a smooth batter by adding little water. The consistency of the batter should be medium thick. Hence don't add lot of water while grinding.

Let the batter ferment overnight. Add required amount of salt to the batter and mix well before making dosa.

 Heat oil in a frying pan and pour a ladle full of batter. Spread the batter evenly on the pan.

 When the batter is cooked on one side, flip it and cook on another side. Serve it hot with ghee or butter.

 If you are looking for more Dill leaves recipes then do check Dill-Potato stir fry and Dill leaves Stir fry with Moong Dal

Dill - Potato Stir Fry (Sabasige - Batate Upkari)

Dill leaves are one of my favorite veggies. I love eating them in any form. The wonderful aroma of the cooking dill leaves itself is tempting. Dill helps strengthen immune system and is considered healthy due to various health benefits.

This is a very easy stir fry prepared with dill and potatoes. After trying this i realized that potatoes and dill leaves go well together.

Ingredients:

Potato - 2 small
Dill leaves - 1 small bunch
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 2
Garlic cloves - 4 ( Crushed)
Coriander powder  - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Procedure:

First cut the Potatoes into small cubes and keep aside. Finely chop the dill leaves and keep it aside.

Now heat Oil in a cooking pan. Add mustard seeds. When mustard splutters add slit green chillies and crushed garlic. Saute them well for few minutes.

Add turmeric powder and coriander powder and saute well. Then add potatoes and saute for few minutes.

Now add dill leaves and saute well. The dill leaves slowly start to shrink in size. Add required amount of salt and mix well. Add 4 tbsp water and cook by covering the lid of the vessel. Cook on medium flame till both dill leaves and potatoes cook completely. Keep stirring in intervals to make sure it doesn't burn.

Dill-Potato stir fry is now ready to serve. It goes well as a side-dish with rice and roti.

Thick 'n' Creamy Mushroom Soup

This thick 'n' creamy Mushroom soup is lip-smacking. It is an easy-peasy recipe and most of the ingredient which goes in are commonly available in every kitchen.

The weather here was bad this evening - it's cold and rainy. I felt like eating something hot which is soothing to the stomach. I was lazy to spend much time in kitchen and thought of dishing up a comforting bowl of Mushroom soup for the two of us.

Ingredients:

Butter - 1 tbsp
Bay leaf - 1 small piece
Garlic cloves - 2 (chopped finely)
Onion - 1 small
Button Mushrooms - 1 cup ( chopped finely)
Milk - 2.5 cups
Cornflour - 1 tbsp
Salt and pepper powder to taste
Grated cheese - 1 tbsp
Mixed herbs powder - 1 tsp

Procedure:

 In a small bowl add cornflour to 1/2 cup cold milk and mix well. Make sure there are no lumps. Keep this mixture aside.

Heat Butter in a cooking pan. Add the bay leaf and finely chopped garlic cloves. Saute it for a minute.

Now add finely chopped onions and saute. When onion turns translucent, add the mushrooms and saute well for few minutes.

Then add salt and pepper powder and saute for a minute. Now add 2 cups of milk and boil the soup for around 5 minutes.

Now add the mixed herbs powder to the soup.

Simmer and add the cornflour mixed with cold milk. Keep stirring to avoid the formation for any lumps.

The soup now slowly starts thickening. If the soup becomes very thick, add little milk and mix well to adjust the consistency.

Add grated cheese to hot soup and mix well before serving. [ The soup tastes great even without cheese]

Creamy mushroom soup is now ready to Slurp !!!!

Onion Capsicum Chutney

This is a simple chutney which goes well with Dosa. It is one of the outcome of my kitchen experiments. I had prepared this today with mixed flour Dosa. I was satisfied with the end result and hence decided to share the recipe. It has a nice spicy and tangy taste with the flavor of cumin and coriander powder..

Ingredients:

Onion - 1cup
Tomato - 1/4 cup
Capsicum - 1/2 cup
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves- Few
Asafoetida - A pinch
Green chilli - 2(Chopped finely)
Salt to taste
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Amchur powder - 1/2 tsp (Optional)
Cooking oil - 1 tsp

Procedure:

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When mustard splutters add asafoetida, curry leaves and green chilly. Fry them well in the oil. Add the onions and saute till they turn golden brown. Add tomatoes and saute till they become mushy. Add the capsicum and saute for few minutes. Now add coriander powder, cumin powder, salt and amchur powder ( Adding amchur powder is optional. I have added little amchur powder because the tomatoes which i used weren't tangy). Grind the mixture coarsely for just few seconds.
Onion-Capsicum chutney is now ready to serve with Dosa. :)

Note :

1. Adding amchur powder is optional. I have added little amchur powder because the tomatoes which i used weren't tangy.
2. Instead of tomatoes and amchur powder, you can also use soaked tamarind.

Egg Bhurji

Egg bhurji is a very easy and quick method of preparing scrambled eggs in Indian style. Basically egg bhurji is scrambled eggs cooked with onions,tomatoes and other spices. In our home we prefer adding lot of other veggies as well like beans, peas,carrots,mushrooms etc. as this makes the dish healthier.

Since this is an easy peasy recipe which demands less time, you can prepare this when you are pressed for time. Egg bhurji with bread or roti makes a healthy breakfast which is also filling.

Ingredients:

Large eggs - 6
Onion - 1 medium sized finely chopped
Tomato - 1 small finely chopped
Button mushroom - 5 cut into thin slices
Carrot - 3 tbsp finely chopped
Cauliflower - 3 tbsp finely chopped
Green peas - 2 tbsp 
Beans - 3 tbsp finely chopped
Spring onion greens - 3 tbsp
Pepper powder - 0.5 tsp
Green chillies - 4 finely chopped
Coriander leaves - 4 tbsp
Turmeric - A pinch
Salt to taste
Oil - 2tbsp

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add green chillies and fry them for a minute.
2. Now add chopped onions and saute till it turns golden brown. Add in tomatoes and saute till it becomes mushy.
3. Add other veggies like beans, carrot, cauliflower, spring onion greens, mushroom and green peas ( I used frozen peas so added directly) and saute them for 5-10 minute till the veggies become soft by adding  salt.
4. Add in turmeric and pepper powder and mix well. Break open the eggs and add it to the mixture. Saute it well for few minutes on medium heat till the eggs are cooked and scrambled.
5. Add the coriander leaves and cook for 2 more minute.

Spicy egg bhurji is now ready to serve. Enjoy with bread or roti. You can also have it as it is.

Spicy Cabbage Rice

Cabbage rice is quick, simple and tasty rice dish. Even people who usually hate cabbage will love this for sure. This is an ideal lunchbox option for those who are pressed for time.

Ingredients :

Rice - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 small
Capsicum - 2 tbsp cup
Cabbage -  1/4 cup 
Green chillies - 3
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Asafoetida - a pinch
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Peanutes - 1 tbsp
Spring Onion leaves - 1 (Optional)
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Amchur powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Pressure cook the rice with 1.5 cups of water and little salt up to 3 whistles in a pressure cooker . I used Sona Masoori rice which we use regularly. Basmati rice can also be used if desired.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves, peanuts and green chillies.
3. Add finely chopped onions and saute till the onions become golden brown. Now add finely chopped cabbage ,capsicum and spring onion greens. Add little salt and saute till the cabbage become soft.
4. When the cabbage is cooked, add coriander powder,garam masala powder,coriander leaves and amchur powder. Adjust the salt and fry the masala for few minutes..
5. Add cooked rice and mix well. Add lemon juice and adjust salt as required.

Spicy cabbage rice is now ready to serve !!

Custard Fruit Salad

Fruit custard is one of the easiest dessert. It is loaded with the goodness of milk and fruits and is yummy. This is a good way to include fruits in your diet. Even a beginner in cooking can prepare this dish easily. It's hard to get this wrong :)

Ingredients:

 Milk - 1/2 liter
Vanilla flavored custard Powder - 3 heaped tablespoon
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Mixed fruits chopped - 1/2 cup

Procedure:

Mix 3 tbsp custard powder with 5 tbsp of warm milk to make a smooth paste with any lumps. The custard paste is now ready. Custard powder is available in various flavors. I have used Vanilla flavored custard powder in this dish. You can used any flavor of your choice instead.

Boil the milk and add sugar to it. If you have a sweet tooth, you can increase the amount of sugar.

Now add the custard paste to milk and keep stirring continuously on low flame till the mixture thickens.
It is important to keep the flame low and stir continuously. Otherwise the mixture may burn.

Switch off the flame once the mixture thickens and let it cool to room temperature. When it cools, refrigerate it. The mixture will become more thick as it cools.

Cut the fruits of your choice. You can use any seasonal fruits for this dish. Mango, Banana, Dates, Grapes, Pomegranate, Pineapple, Strawberry, Apple, Musk Melon etc. are some of the options. You can also add dry fruits like Cashew, Raisins, Walnuts, Badam, Pistachios etc.

Arrange the fruits in a bowl and pour the refrigerated custard mixture over it.

Serve chilled. Enjoy !!!

Garlicky shallow fried potato fingers

This dish brings me back memories of childhood. My maternal aunt used to prepare this and we used to call this as 'Potato finger chips'. But i think the name 'Potato finger chips' doesn't justify this dish.  This is basically Potatoes seasoned with crushed garlic and spices and then shallow fried on medium flame with little oil till the potato sticks become crispy. This is a quick and easy dish having a strong flavor of garlic. It goes well as a side-dish with rice.

Ingredients:

Medium sized Potatoes - 4
Garlic cloves - 10 to 12
Red chilly powder - 3 tsp
Salt to taste
Semolina - 2 tbsp
Oil for shallow frying.

Procedure:

Wash the potatoes well and peel the outer skin. Cut the Potatoes lengthwise into sticks. Do not wash potatoes or soak in water after you cut them. Basically the cut potato sticks should be dry for this dish. Crush garlic cloves and mix it with potato sticks. Add red chilly powder, salt, semolina and mix well.

Heat a frying pan. Grease the pan by adding little oil. When the tawa becomes hot, add the potatoes and shallow fry them on medium flame by covering the lid of the tawa. Switch off the flame when potatoes are cooked completely and become crispy.

Crispy and garlicky shallow fried potatoes ready to serve! Enjoy them as a side-dish with rice.

Vegetable Vermicelli Upma

 Vegetable vermicelli upma is an easy to prepare dish and a healthy breakfast. There are many variations of
 preparing Vermicelli Upma and this is one of them. The addition of veggies make this upma healthier. This
 is generally made for breakfast. It can also be had as a evening snack.

 There are different types of vermicelli available. I have used rice vermicelli in this dish. You can also use
 wheat vermicelli or Ragi(Finger-millet) vermicelli instead.

  Ingredients:

 Vermicelli - 1 cup
 Boiled water - 2 cups
 Onion - 1 Medium
 Tomato - 1 small
 Green chilly - 2
 Spring onion Flowers - Few
 Spring Onion - Few
 Button Mushrooms - 7
 Coriander leaves - Little
 Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
 Mustard - 1 tsp
 Curry leaves - Few
 Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
 Salt to taste
 Sugar - 1/2 tsp
 Oil - 4 tbsp

Procedure:

Heat a Kadai . Pour 2 tbsp oil and fry the vermicelli till it becomes golden brown. Keep stirring so that it is    fried evenly.  Meanwhile in a separate vessel boil 2 cups of water (This will be used later to cook the vermicelli). Keep the vermicelli aside once it is fried.

Now heat a Kadai and add 2 tbsp oil. Add mustard to Oil. When mustard splutters, add urad dal, curry leaves, green chillies. Fry them well. Now add Onions and fry till they become transparent. Then add the remaining veggies and cook them well by adding little salt. Add little turmeric to the cooked veggies.

Once vegetables are cooked, add fried vermicelli to it.

Mix them well  and fry for a minute. Keep stirring continuously.

Now add boiled water to this and cover the lid of the kadai. Let the vermicelli cook with the vegetables on medium flame.

Wait till the vermicelli is cooked well and all the water is absorbed. Add little Sugar (This is optional) and mix well.

Vegetable vermicelli upma is ready to serve. You can also add little lemon juice to this to get lemony flavor.

Masala Omlette

Masala Omlette is one of the simple breakfast recipe, loaded with goodness of veggies and flavor of spice mix. You can have it by itself or along with toasted bread. It is healthy and equally filling.

Ingredients:

Eggs- 2
Onion - 1 small
Capsicum - 2 tbsp
Green chilly - 1
Grated carrot - 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oregano - 1/2 tsp
Mixed spice powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Finely chop all the veggies. Break 2 eggs in a bowl and beat it well for a minute or two. Add the chopped veggies, salt, pepper powder, Oregano and Mixed spice powder (you can also add Garam masala powder instead of this) to the beaten egg. Mix them well.

2. Heat the tawa and pour  2 tbsp oil to grease the tawa. Pour the beaten egg mixture on the tawa and spread it well.

3. Cover the lid and cook on medium flame. When the Omlette is cooked on one side, flip it over and cook well on the other side as well.

Masala Omlette is ready to serve. :)

Green Peas - Potato Masala

Coconut is used in most of the Konkani cuisines. Usually I use coconut based gravy for Green Peas masala. When i had called Mom yesterday, she gave me this recipe. This version of  green-peas masala doesn't use coconut-based gravy.

 I prepared this for the first time today as a side-dish with chapati , and it was absolutely finger licking. 

In addition to Green-Peas and Potatoes, I also added few Mushrooms. You can add any other veggies of your choice. This is a simple recipe which doesn't take much time and effort, yet delicious and healthy.

Ingredients :

Green-Peas - 2  cups (Frozen)
Potato - 2 Medium sized
Mushrooms - 6
Onion - 3 large
Tomatoes - 2 medium
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
Green chillies - 2 or 3
Ginger - small piece (around 1/2 inch)
Garlic - 5 or 6 cloves
Oil - 3 tbsp
Salt to taste
Garam masala powder - 1 Tsp (Optional)

Procedure :

1. Finely chop the Onions and Tomatoes. Chop the Mushrooms to 2 or 3 pieces depending on their size. Chop the Potatoes into medium thick slices.

2. Pressure cook the Green-Peas and chopped Potatoes in pressure cooker up to 1 whistle.

3. Heat a Kadai and add 3 tbsp Oil. Add chopped Onions and fry them. When the Onion turns golden brown, add chopped Tomatoes.  Fry the Tomatoes well till they turn mushy. Add a little salt to quicken the process. Preferably use ripen Tomatoes for this dish.

4. Keep aside 2 tbsp fried Onion-Tomato mixture and 2 tbsp boiled Peas, which will be used later for blending.

5. Add the Mushrooms and other boiled veggies to the fried Onion-Tomato mixture.

6. Blend together the Coriander leaves, Green Chillies, Ginger, Garlic, 2 tbsp boiled Green Peas, 2 tbsp fried Onion-Tomato mixture to a smooth paste.

7. Add the blend masala to the cooked veggies. Add the desired amount of salt . You can add 1 tsp Garam masala if required. Boil the mixture well. Don't make the gravy too watery. This dish should be of medium thick consistency.

Green Peas-Potato masala ready to serve !

Serve this hot as a side-dish with Chapati, Roti, Dosa or anything of your choice.

Happy eating :)

Time of Preparation : 10 Minutes
Time to Cook : 30 Min
Note :

1. If you are using dry Green Peas, soak them in water overnight and then pressure cook for 2-3 whistles.  As i have used frozen Peas here, I just cooked it up to 1 whistle in a pressure cooker .

Nanchane Uddaak (Ragi Juice)

Ragi or Finger Millet is called as 'Nanchane' in Konkani. Being a great source of Iron, Ragi is beneficial for individuals with low Hemoglobin level. It also has high amount of Calcium and Potassium.


Ragi has a cooling effect on the body and hence this juice is consumed normally during Summer. It is considered as one of the best drink to beat the heat.

Ingredients:

Ragi - 2 cup
Jaggery      -  As desired
Cardamom seeds - Few

Procedure:

 1. Soak the Ragi in water Overnight.
 2. Grind the Ragi by adding little water. Extract the juice by filtering the ground mixture using a strainer. (You can follow same procedure used to extract coconut milk).
3. Crush the Cardamom seeds and add it to the juice.
5. Add desired amount of Jaggery. Usually the liquid Jaggery is used for this drink, but you can use the normal Jaggery as well.

Serve chilled!

Note:

1. Ragi flour can be used instead of whole Ragi grains .

Mooga Mole Upkari (Hesaru Kalu Palya/Sprouted Moong Dal Side-Dish)

Hesaru Kalu Palya is traditionally prepared in North Karnataka as an accompaniment with Roti (Rotti). This dish reminds me of my hostel days in Bangalore. There used to be a small North Karnataka food outlet near our hostel which served varieties of traditional North Karnataka food. Sometimes we used to buy Rotti with Kalu Palya from them to avoid hostel food.

This dish is authentic, but the recipe may not be authentic North Karnataka style. Nevertheless, it tastes awesome.

 

Ingredients :

Sprouted Moong dal - 1.5 Cup
Onions - 2 Medium
Tomatoes - 1 Medium
Green chilly - 1
Mustard seeds - 1 Tsp
Turmeric powder - A pinch
Hing/ Asafoetida - A pinch
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves - Few

Procedure :

Cook the sprouted Moong Dal and keep aside. I cooked them on medium flame by adding little salt and water in a vessel. If you prefer to pressure cook, then switch off the flame just before one whistle. Otherwise the sprouts may dissolve. After cooking the sprouts, drain the water. You can use this water to prepare Saru-Upkari or add it to any curry.

Keep a Pan/Kadai to heat on medium flame. Pour a little Oil. Add Mustard seeds. When the Mustard splutters, add Green Chilly, Turmeric and Hing powder. Now add the Onions and fry them till they turn golden-brown. Add the Tomatoes and fry till they cook.

Add cooked Sprouts to the mixture and mix well. Add Salt to taste.

Cook for few more minutes and switch off the flame. Garnish with Coriander leaves.

Serve hot as a side dish with Rice or Roti. :)

Note :

1. Adding a pinch of Garam Masala powder enhances the taste of this dish.
2. If you don't like Tomatoes, you can add Lemon juice in the end for the same taste.