Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Godambi-Thondekai Palya


Surprised after hearing the name of this dish? But it will not be the case with Manglorieans. Its a common side dish prepared in almost all occasions like wedding, naming ceremony, House warming ceremony etc etc.

My family has special bonding with this side dish.I cannot proceed without telling about my uncle(Kaka in my language) who always wants this side dish to be prepared in all functions.
He explicitly ask the function cook to prepare more, preservers it in fridge for 3-4 days at least.
My aunt(Kaki in my language) uses yele(raw) cachew nuts in this side dish.That tastes great than
dry cachew nuts. I am not sure about the season for the raw cashew nuts availability. They are available in Manglore stores here in Banglore.(Some times)

Here's the recipe for it....

Ingredients:

1 cup Thondekai/Tindora, chopped lengthwise
1 cup Whole cashews
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
3-4 Curry leaves
2-3 tbsp Fresh grated coconut
2 tsp Oil
2 Dry red Chillies
2-3 strands Cilantro
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Lime juice
A pinch of haldi
Salt as per taste

Method:
Immerse cashews in water and pressure cook.(1 whistle)
Pressure cook tindora without water.(2 whistle).


Heat oil in frying pan . add mustard seeds curry leaves, haldi and dry red chillies after the mustard splutters. add cooked tindora and cashews.

Add grated coconut and salt, sugar mix well
Remove from flame Add lime juice serve hot with rice .

Chutney Pudi

Another must have powder in the kitchen.Chutney Pudi is complex powder with tangyness of Tamarind, sweetness of jaggery blended with dry cocnut, channadal and uradal.It simply matches with anything and everything.it can be served with Dosa, idliy, or just with plain rice(Hot rice with chutney powder and ghee Yummm!).

After heavy work back in the house and to cook is really a tedious task.( I really hate that). Having powders like huli pudi, sarin pudi,chutney pudi makes life really simpler.Just cook veggies and dall add sambar powder , samabr is read. isn't it simpler? Take chutney powder , mix it with curd and onion serve it with dosa. is it not easy?.

So lets start with south Indian famous pudi:



You Need To Have:

2 cup dry chillies/vana menasina kayi(1 1/2 cup byadagi menasina kayi , 1/2 cup guntur mensina kayi)
1 cup Bengal gram/Chana dal / Kadale bele
1 cup Black gram/Urad dal / Uddina bel
1 cup curry leaves
1/2 tbs coriander seeds
1/2 tbs methi seeds/fenugrek seeds
1/2 tbs jeera /Jerige
1 cup dessicated dry coconut/vana kobri
1/4 cup fried ground nuts
1/2 cup fried gram
1/2 cup sesame seeds/ellu
1/4 cup jaggery
6-7 tamarind flakes

Method:

dry roast all the ingredients except red chilies one by one and keep them aside as shown.
add 1 tbs of oil to fry red chilies.

Let all the ingredients to cool down and ground them to powder and mix well. do not ground them to smooth powder. shift them into a airtight container and use when required.

Aloo Dum


Who doesn't like potatoes?Answer is everyone. What ever we prepare out of Potatoes really comes out well and no doubt about it. Today I am going to post a recipe of potato which is of course very famous and will be always in top list of restaurant menus.

Dum Aloo is baby potatoes simmered in creamy & aromatic gravy .
gravy is made with almonds , cashews and flavored with traditional Indian spices!

Dum Aloo with Tanoori roti, ummmmhhh, Hevenly combination. So lets start

You need to Have:

10-15 baby potatoes(Boiled)
3 tomatoes
1 onion
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
4 tbsp yogurt
1/2 tsp sugar
3 -4 almond
3-4 cashewnut
2 tbs sesme seeds
1/4 tsp fennel powder (saunf)
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 tsp dry ginger powder

1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp dhania powder
1 tsp Jeers powder
1/2 tsp kasuri methi
2 tsp garam masala powder
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
salt
2 tbsp oil
3 tbsp fresh cream

Method:

Note:
(Boiling Potatoes)
Boil the potatoes in a microwave or a pressure-cooker, taking care not to over-cook them. Just microwave till tender, but not mashable. Take a toothpick, and poke some holes into the baby potatoes, This helps potatoes to suck the gravy inside.

Soak almonds, cashewnut and sesme seeds in water for 15mins. Then blend it to make fine paste and keep it aside.


Cut the onions , tomatoes boil them in hot water for 5 mins, then puree them to form a paste.

Take 2 tbsp yogurt fennel powder, red-chilli powder, ginger powder, cardamom powder and sugar to it, and beat it well to form a smooth blend. Keep aside.


Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan, add the bay leaf and the cloves, then add the onion-tomato paste and saute till light-brown. Add ginger-garlic paste. Saute for 3 minutes. Add all the dry spices (masalas) and roast for anther 2 mins. Finally add the almond-cashew-sesme seeds paste and roast for another 5 mins.

Add the the yogurt-tamaring blend, crushed kasuri methi, and salt. Stir and let it simmer for some time. Then cover with a lid, and let it cook on medium flame for another 10 mins, till the curry becomes think and everything blends well to form a smooth texture.

Add the baby potatoes, lower the flame, and and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Add 2 tbsp milk or whipping cream, and allow the potatoes to be cooked entirely. They will also suck up some of the flavor from the curry and spices.

Garnish with fresh cream if you like.
Serve with any bread of your choice.






Pundi(Rice dumplings)


Here is the simple recipe for a tasty breakfast "Pundi". Again its a Manglorean recipe which has got lots and lots of versions.The recipe which I am posting today, I got it from my MIL. Its a favorite food for me and H.

Pundi with Basale Samabar is great combo. So Just try this and fall in love with it and share your experience with Pundi later.

You Need to Have:

3 cups of Parboiled rice/Kuchilakki
1 cup Coconut
5-6 cups water
Salt - as per taste

Method:-

Soak the rice in water overnight.

Parboiled rice can be replace with regular rice also. Parboiled rice will not give that richness felling of regular rice and also it is good for health.

Grind the socked rice with water and coconut in a mixer/grinder to the size of small rava just like we do for idli as show below:
Now add salt and the water to mixture . transfer into a heavy bottomed pan.

Keep stirring.Let the flame be medium and Keep stirring from the bottom.

It will take about 7-8 mins to a single mass and the consistancy should be enough to roll out into small balls.Turn of the flame.

Make small balls out of cooked rice mixture .
Transfer them to cooker and cook or steam just like idli for 30-35 mins.


It can be served with any type of Smabar, chutney or with just oil(Coconut oil) and pickle...

Friday, May 14, 2010

Cabbage Sambar


Hear is another Manglore style sambar .It is spicy , has fragrance of the spices blended with it and creamy coconut in it.I love to have it with Kuchilakki.

kuchillaki is also called as Kutrimatta or Rosematta or Parboiled rice. the paddy is pre-cooked with the outer cover This is commonly called as red rice or kerala rice. Very popular in kerala and Coastal Karnataka - Kerala border areas - Mangalore.

You need to Have:

Cabage - 1 large
Green Gram-1 cup
chilly powder - 1.5tsp
turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Tamarind Pulp - 1/2 tsp
Coriander seeds -1/2 tsp
cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
hing-1 pinch
Methi seeds -1/2 tsp
Urad dal -1/2 tsp
mustard -1tsp
dry chillies - 2 large
Curry leaves - 5-6
salt - 1 tsp[as per taste]
Jaggery - 1 tsp
Oil -1 tsp


Method:
Cook green gram and chopped cabbage(Add chill powder,turmeric powder, tamarind pulp and Jaggery while cooking) separately and keep them aside.



In a frying pan, fry Urad dal ,Methi seeds,Coriander seeds,cumin Seeds,hing and red chilies until they give nice aroma. add 1/2 tbs oil if required.


Once the fried spices mixture comes to normal temperature,Add coconut and Make a smooth paste by adding required amount of water(Don't add too much water).

Transfer cooked green gram, Cabbage and ground masala into tick bottomed vessel. add required amount of water and bring it o boil. add salt to this as per taste.

Heat add 1tbs of oil(Coconut oil preferred) in a tadka pan.Add mustard seeds, curry leaves.Once it starts spluttering add it to Sambar. Serve hot with Kuchillaki.









Friday, May 7, 2010

Penne Past with Red bell papers and sweet corn (Without cheese)




You need to have:

1.5 Cup Uncooked Penne Pasta
1 cup chopped Onions
2 tbs ginger garlic paste
1 cup of Chopped Red Bell Pepper(Yellow or green will also do)
1/2 cup Chopped Olives
1 cup cooked sweet corn
3 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Italian seasoning
Black Pepper and Salt (To Taste)
1/2 cup tomato puree


Method:

Taste of pasta will surely depends upon the quality and type of pasta selected.
So better to select past which well know.

Cook pastas as per the instruction on pasta cover and keep it aside.

Note:

1.Take a big vessel and pour water to full and put it on flame. What I mean here is that pasta has to be cooked in deep and bigger vessel. Pastas has to really dance in boiling water. If its cooking in smaller vessel there are chances that they may get broken or stick to each other.

2.Do never add oil when they are boiling. That will really spoil the structure.

Take a larger frying pan, Add 2 tbs of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. add ginger garlic paste, saute for while. Then add finely chopped onions, bell paper. Once they are cooked add tomato puree. stir it for 2-3 mins. Then add cooked corn kernels, black olives, Italian seasoning, black paper powder and salt to taste.

Finally add cooked pasta and cook it for 1-2 mins.Serve Hot.


Thursday, May 6, 2010

Lychee delight


Lychee, translated from Chinese as ‘gift for a joyful life’, surely lives up to its name.Anyone who eats the lychee fruit immediately falls in love with it.Love at first sight:)


The lychee fruit contains vitamins and minerals that promote a healthy diet, it is sweet and delicious.The health benefits of thee fruit has been tried, proven and touted in countries such as China, India and Indonesia, so much so that lychee made its way into ancient Chinese legend.

Studies done conclude that the lychee fruit prevents the growth of cancer cells. Lychee contains flavonoids in its pulp which prove very effective against breast cancer in particular. lychee also contains phosphorous, calcium, magnesium and protein

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Seven Cup Dosa


My Dosa Making skills,I can rate 4-5 out of 10. My mom used to prepare dosa very rarely during my childhood/school days.Hence I didn't had much knowledge about dosa preparation.

I like thin crispy Dosa like the restaurants, So We used to visit nearest hotels for Dosa when we crave for one.Masala Dosa, set dosa, onion dosa, plain dosa are the few ,which used to be visible in the menu.

Once I got married, I came to know that My MIL is the best Dosa maker.She knows to cook more than 50 different types of dosa. Since my husband is dosa lover I had to learn dosa preparation from my MIL. I think I can never prepare dosa like her.

Recently when we visited them she introduced me to Seven Cup Dosa. It was thin, crispy and tasted great with onion chutney. Once i returned, I gave a try and turn out really well. so would like to share the recipe with you all.

You need to have:

1 cup Rice
1 cup wheat
1 cup urad dall
1 cup channa dal
1 cup puffed rice
1 cup green gram
1 cup curd
2 tbs salt
oil/ghee

Method:

Rice, wheat, urda dal, channa dall and puffed rice has to be taken in same measurement. (1 cup each).

Grind all the 6 ingredients into fine powder and transfer it to bowl. Then Add one cup of curd to this and make a paste(one cup of curd is enough). Adding more curd will spoil the recipe.


Let it rest for 10 mins, then add salt and stir well.Add water to get correct dosa batter consistency.


Heat tava, put 1 tbs of oil/ghee. I would prefer to use iron tava than non stick tava. Dosa really comes out well in iron tava. (Another tip which I got from my MIL).In fact I got iron tava from her.

Put spoonful of dosa batter on tava and spread it to think circle. close the lid and cook it for 1 min. turn to other side and cook it for 1 more min.


Serve with any kind of chutney. It tastes great with onion chutney.
Toast Palya:

Bread toast is most common snack item available in almost all bakeries in Bangalore/Karnataka.
Its very quick and tasty snack whose base is regular pond bread.
The topping of bread toast is made of simple vegetables like carrot, Capsicum, onion etc..

The cost of this bread toast is also less(may be one toast costs less than 5 rupees) and suffice your hungry stomach. When i was in college, this was the regular snack item i used to get in my hostel. (Sometimes brought from outside bakeries else prepared by my hostel cook).

Last Wednesday when I was back from office, It was around 9.30 PM and was raining heavily. Me and my hubby were felling hungry. I wanted to prepare some thing very quickly so went and searched for vegetables in fridge for Vegetable pulav, but I had only few carrots , capsicum left in the tray.So I thought of preparing Toast Palya and serve it with chapathi. Believe it or not I was able to server the dinner with in 20 mins or even less.

So here is the recipe for fast Toast palya. I would like to call it as dhidir (fast in kannada) palya.

You need to have:

1 big Carrot
1 big Capsicum
1 big onion
1 pinch haldi
2-3 green chilies
2 tbs oil

Method:

Grate the carrot with the help of food processor. chop onion, capsicum and green chilies and keep it aside.

Heat 2tbs of oil in pan, add chopped onion and green chilies. Fry till they turn translucent.

Then add chopped capsicum. fry for 2-3 mins. Add carrot, half cup water and close the lid of the pan. cook this for about 8-10 mins. finally add salt and serve with chapaties.



I will be sharing bread toast recipe in another post.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Thonde Palya(With Kabul channa)


Hello everybody! Here is the recipe of Thonde Palya With Kabul channa.
This recipe is a Mangalore - Udupi speciality. off course I learnt it from my mom in law.I was making it for the first time yesterday and I relished it. Hope you also like it too.....

You need to have:

1 cup Tindora/Thondekai, chopped
1 cup KabulChana/ Chick peas, soaked overnight
1/2 cup Grated coconut
1/2 tsp Jeera
2-3 Dry red chillies
Salt as per taste
1/2 tsp Coriander seeds
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1-2 tsp Oil
A pinch of haldi
4-5 Curry leaves
1 tsp Lemon juice
A pinch of hing


Method:

Cut the tindora length wise as shown below:

Pressure cook chana in salt water until they are cooked; (3-4 whistles)
Pressure cook tindora without water(1 whistle)

Put red chillies, jeera and coriander seeds in a mixie. After they are powdered, add grated coconut ground it without adding water and Keep it aside.

Heat oil in a kadai. Temper with mustard seeds, haldi, hing and curry leaves.

Add the masala mixture prepared in step 3 and saute for a while. Add cooked tindora and chana; Add salt and mix well.

Remove from stove and add lemon juice; Serve hot with rice.