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.

Carrot Halwa (Gajar Ka Halwa)

Carrot Halwa or Gajar Ka Halwa is a very popular dessert. I believe many of you would have already tasted this dish. It is rich, nutritious and equally yummy. If you haven't tasted this, do go ahead and give a try. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Ingredients :

Carrot - 4 medium sized (After grating, this measured about 4 cups)
Ghee   - 4 tbsp
Milk    - 1/4 litre
Sugar  - 2 cups
Powdered cardamon - 1tsp
Dry fruits(Cashew, Badam, Raisins etc) - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

Grate the Carrots and keep them aside.

 Heat 2 tbsp Ghee in a thick-bottom Kadai. Add dry fruits and fry them.

Now add the grated Carrot and fry them in medium flame till they shrink in size. Keep stirring and ensure that the Carrot doesn't stick to the bottom of vessel.

Add Milk to the mixture. Simmer and let the Carrot cook in milk completely. Wait till all the Milk is absorbed and Carrots become soft.

 

Add Sugar, powdered Cardamon and keep stirring. Cook for 3-4 minutes till all the moisture in the mixture dries up.  Finally Add 2 tbsp Ghee to the mixture.Put the mixture in serving bowl and garnish with dry-fruits.

Carrot Halwa is now ready to serve :) .

Wish you all a very Happy New Year 2015 !