Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Corn-Carrot Stir fry/Salad
Ingredients:
1 cup grated carrot
1/3 cup boiled sweet corn (if you are using frozen corn, boil it for 3 minutes in a microwave)
1 green chilli (pepper powder could be used instead)
¼ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp urad dal
3 curry leaves chopped
1 tsp oil
½ tsp lemon juice.
1 tsp chopped cilantro/coriander leaves
Method:
- Take a broad kadai & oil to it. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds splutter, add urad dal. Fry till urad dal turns golden brown
- Add green chilli & curry leaves. Saute for a minute.
- Add carrot & mix it thoroughly. Add little water (use the water that is used to boil corn). Don’t add more water as the end result is to keep it dry. Cook it on slow flame for a minute
- Drain out the excess water from corn & add the corn, salt to the carrot mixture. Cook it for 1 minute. Keep stirring often as it might burn easily.
- Add the lemon juice & mix it well.
- Garnish with coriander leaves & serve it with rice or phulka/chapathi.
PS: You could also add grated coconut for added taste
Monday, December 29, 2008
Instant Pepper Rasam
Jeera : Helps in digestion & fights against acidity
Pepper : Soothes throat in case of itching or infection, fights against cough & cold. It is said to be soothing to stomach too (green chilli causes acidity ). Keeps the body warm.
Garlic : Fights against cold, good for heart (said to reduce the cholesterol level)
Curry leaves : Helps to reduce weight
These days, I’m preparing this rasam once a week to keep ourselves away from cold. So, here is the recipe for you to protect your family from cold, cough & throat infections!!
Ingredients:
1 tbsp black pepper/kalu menasu
½ tbsp jeera/cumin seeds
1.5 cups water
¼ tsp ghee
6 curry leaves
1 pod garlic minced
Salt according to taste
½ tsp tamarind powder/amchur powder
A pinch of jaggery(optional)
1 tsp oil
¼ tsp mustard seeds
Method:
- Roast the cumin seeds & black pepper separately by adding very little ghee
- Powder them together & preserve it in a air-tight container. This powder could be used for upto 3 months. It gives out a nice aroma as it is roasted in ghee.
- Add water, 1.5 tsp of the above mentioned powder, jaggery & bring them to boil
- Add tamarind powder, salt & boil it again.
- Prepare the tempering by adding oil to another pan. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds splutter, add curry leaves & garlic. Fry till garlic turns golden brown.
- Add this tempering to the rasam prepared.
- Serve it steaming hot with rice.
PS:
- This could be consumed as a soup too.
- Lemon juice can be substituted for tamarind or amchur powder. Lemon juice fights against cold.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Akki kadalebele payasa (Rice-channa dal kheer)
Version #1
Ingredients:
1 cup channa dal/gram dal
1 tbsp rice
1.5 cups powdered jaggery
1.5 cups thick coconut milk
1/2 cup water
½ tsp powdered cardamom powder/elaichi
1 tsp raisins
1 tsp cashew nuts
1 tsp ghee
Method:
- Soak the channa dal for around an hour
- Meantime, dry roast the rice until it gives out nice aroma, or is just turning golden brown.
- Pressure cook the rice & channa dal together for 3 whistles. Don’t add too much water while cooking. If water is more, it has to be drained else payasam becomes too watery.
- Dissolve jaggery in water & allow it to boil.
- Add cooked channa dal & rice to it. Bring it to a boil.
- Now add cardamom powder, coconut milk & boil it again.
- Roast the cashew nuts & raisins in ghee. Add this to the payasam prepared.
- Serve it hot or warm.
My mom substitutes coconut with poppy seeds to get the thickness in payasam. Moreover, my father prefers poppy seeds. Rice & channa dal are added in equal quantities here.
So, here is version #2 of the same payasam.
Ingredients:
3/4th cup channa dal
3/4th cup rice
1.75 cups powdered jaggery
3 tbsp grated coconut
1 tbsp khus-khus/poppy seeds/gasagase
1.5 to 2 cups water
½ tsp powdered cardamom powder/elaichi
1 tsp raisins
1 tsp cashew nuts
1 tsp ghee
Method:
- Soak the channa dal for an hour
- Dry roast the poppy seeds until they are warm. Soak it in water for 30mins.
- Make a fine paste of coconut, cardamom powder & poppy seeds.
- Pressure cook the channa dal & rice together for 3 whistles. . Don’t add too much water while cooking. If water is more, it has to be drained else payasam becomes too watery.
- Dissolve jaggery in water & bring it to boil
- Add cooked channa dal & rice to the jaggery water. Bring it to boil
- Add the prepared paste to the channa dal mixture & cook it on a slow flame. (Around 10 mins)
- Roast the cashew nuts & raisins in ghee. Add this to the payasam prepared.
- Serve it hot or warm.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Hongone bolu huli (Sessile Joyweed Sambar)
According to her, bolu huli is only prepared when there is a power cut at home as she cannot prepare a coconut mixture to prepare the normal sambar. At my mother’s house, it is quite contrary, only during festivals or special occasions, sambar with coconut is prepared. Instead my mom uses more dal to make the sambar thick. Now that I know both secrets, I have the advantage of preparing both ;)
Bolu huli is generally prepared by mixing green leafy vegetables with some pulses. Also, the speciality of this sambar is.., it is prepared with rasam powder!!. Isn’t it interesting ?? Read on:
Ingredients:
1 bunch hongone soppu
¾ cup alasande kalu/black eyed beans
1 big onion cut into big pieces
1 medium sized tomato
1green chilli
½ tsp amchur powder/tamarind powder
1 tsp rasam powder
Salt according to taste
1 pinch turmeric
1 tsp oil
2 pods garlic minced
½ tsp mustard seeds
4 curry leaves
Method:- Soak the black eyed bean in warm water for 3 hours
- Pressure cook the black eyed beans for 3-4 whistles (until soft)
- Meantime, mix hongone soppu, onion, tomato, green chilli, turmeric in a large vessel, add enough water & cook it until soft (it may take 5-8 mins)
- Add the cooked black eyed beans to the same vessel.
- Add rasam powder, tamarind powder, salt & bring them to boil again.
- Prepare the tempering. Add oil to a kadai, when oil is hot, add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds splutter add curry leaves & garlic. Saute well & add this mixture to the bolu huli prepared.
- Serve it hot with rice & papad.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Gulla badane palya (Brinjal curry)
This week when I went for vegetable shopping, I found gulla badane & was on cloud nine. I bought it without thinking twice & prepared the curry, the very next day. This recipe could also be prepared with other brinjal varities but, I feel, it tastes lovely with green colored brinjals :)
Ingredients:
3/4 kg gulla badane or normal small purple colored brinjals
1/2 cup green peas
2 medium sized onions
2 pods of garlic
1 tsp jeera
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 pinch fenugreek seeds
1 tsp urad dal
5 red chillies
1 tsp tamarind juice
salt according to taste
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 pinch of turmeric
4 tbsp grated coconut
6 curry leaves
1 tbsp coriander leaves (chopped)
Method:
- cut the brinjal into large pieces and soak it in water/thin butter milk for 5 minutes
- meanhile, dry roast the jeera, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, urad dal, red chillies separately
- Make a fine paste of grated coconut, dry-roasted spices, tamarind juice, 1 onion and garlic
- In a broad pan, heat oil. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds
- when mustard seeds splutter, add curry leaves, turmeric, onion and saute it till onion turns golden brown.
- Now, add green peas. Saute for a while.Add brinjal pieces and saute again.
- Now, add the paste & salt to it and mix it well
- Cook on a slow flame for 5-7 minutes.Keep stirring once a while. Look for the softness of brinjal
- Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve it hot with roti/phulka/paratha.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Capsicum Puri Husali (Capsicum Puffed rice husali)
After my sister got married, she told an interesting variation of puri husali from her mom-in-law. Her mom-in-law prepared it once for me & I was really happy eating. I immediately got the recipe from her & now that I started blogging.., here is the recipe for you.
Ingredients:
150 gms puffed rice/puri/bhel (Gives better results with bhel)
2 tbsp roasted channa dal/ಹುರಿಗಡಲೆ
1 tbsp groundnuts/ಕಡಲೆ ಬೀಜ
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 medium sized onion sliced
2 capsicum cubed
3 green chillies (I used red chilli as I was short of green chillies & hence the color is little different)
1.5 tbsp oil
1 pinch turmeric
3 tbsp grated coconut
8 curry leaves
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp lemon juice
salt according to taste
Method:
- Dry roast the peanuts, remove the outer skin & allow it to cool.
- Prepare a fine powder of roasted channa dal.
- Make a coarse powder of roasted peanuts.
- Add oil to a broad kadai, when oil is hot, add mustard seeds.
- When mustard seeds splutter, add urad dal, curry leaves & allow the urad dal to turn golden brown.
- Add green chillies, onion & saute till it turns golden brown.
- Add capsicum & fry the capsicum in oil (for about 3 minutes)
- Meantime, soak the puffed rice in water for about a minute.
- Squeeze out the water from puffed rice & add it to the kadai.
- Add salt, roasted channa dal powder, peanut powder, grated coconut, lemon juice & mix well.
- Garnish it with coriander leaves & serve it.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Halasina Appa (Jackfruit appa)
Ingredients:
2 cups jackfruit deseeded & finely chopped
2 cups raw rice
¾ cup jaggery/brown sugar
¼ cup grated coconut
1 pinch salt
1 medium pinch of baking soda
1 tbsp oil
Method:
- Soak the rice in warm water for about 3-4 hours.
- Grind the rice, jackfruit & jiggery. The batter should be of dropping consistency (like normal idli batter).
- Let the batter rest for 2 hours.
- Add baking soda, salt & mix well. Add 2-3 drops of oil to the mould, pour spoonful of batter on to the paddu/guliyappa/gundpongalu mould & cook on a slow flame on both sides until each side turns golden brown.
Variation: This batter can be used for preparing deep fried appas too. Just make the batter little thick & pour spoonful of batter in hot oil & deep fry till it turns golden brown
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Saagu (Vegetable saagu/curry)
Whenever I prepare poori-saagu, i go to flashback mode. Whenever my mom used to prepare poori, we could easily assume that the combination would be none other than saagu. The recipe of Saagu is patented for my mom :) According to her, nothing suits poori better than saagu(once in a blue moon, she used to cook mavina seekarane instead of saagu...that recipe is for some other day ). I dont know from whom my mom learnt the saagu recipe, because my granny says..., she learnt it from my mom ;)
Anyways, I am continuing the tradition of my mom. My maid prepares chole with poori, that also tastes great!!, but I feel nothing can beat "poori-saagu" & it is like match made in heaven :))
Now, note down the ingredients to prepare over a weekend brunch & enjoi...
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped vegetables (I normally use carrot, beans, peas, potato & chayote squash, you are flexible to add any veggie of your choice)
5 cloves/ಲವಂಗ
1 big pinch poppy seeds/khus-khus/ಗಸಗಸೆ
1 inch ginger/ಶುಂಠಿ
1/2 onion
1 tbsp roasted channa dal/ಹುರಿಗಡಲೆ
1-2 tbsp grated coconut
1 onion finely chopped
1 tomato finely chopped
¼ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp oil
6-8 curry leaves/karibevu
1 string of coriander leaves/cilantro for garnishing
Method:
- Make a fine paste of cinnamon, cloves, poppy seeds, ginger, cashews, roasted channa dal, green chillies, ½ onion & grated coconut.
- In a medium sized pan, heat oil. When oil is hot, add mustard & cumin seeds. After they crackle, add curry leaves, onion & sauté till onion turns golden brown.
- Add tomatoes now & cook till tomatoes become soft. Add the prepared masala paste to this & sauté it for 2 mins (it leaves a nice aroma by then)
- Add the cooked vegetables, salt & cook in slow flame for 5-7 mins. Garnish it with coriander & serve it with hot poori.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Menthya Tambli (Fenugreek seeds tambli)
Here I go with one more tambli recipe:
Ingredients:
1/2 tsp methi seeds /fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
2 cups curd/yogurt/butter milk
2-3 tbsp grated coconut
1 tsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch asafoetida
1 broken red chilli
1/4 tsp ghee
salt according to taste
Method:
- Add ghee to a kadai, fry jeera & methi seeds until it turns golden brown (it leaves a nice aroma by then)
- Make a fine paste of jeera, methi seeds & coconut using curd.
- Add the remaining curd, salt to this paste & mix well (tambli should be like a thick milkshake).
- In a kadka pan, prepare the tempering by adding oil. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds, asafoetida & red chilli.
- Pour this tadka/oggarane to the tambli prepared & serve it with rice, papad or pickle.
Time for the tip:
This tambli helps in reducing the stomach ache. So, if you are having stomach ache, go ahead & prepare this, it gives relief in as early as 30 mins
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Basale Koddel (Malabar Spinach Curry)
Here we go:
Ingredients:
1 bunch of basale soppu ( chop only the leaves if red stemmed Malabar spinach is used, stem could be finely chopped & added if normal tender green Malabar spinach is used)
1 medium sized onion sliced
½ cup toor dal
¾ cup grated coconut
1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
2.5 tsp dhania/coriander seeds
¼ tsp menthya/fenugreek seeds
4-5 red chillies (paprika)
1 tsp tamarind juice
4-6 curry leaves
1 medium grape sized jaggery(optional)
1 tsp oil
1/3 tsp saasive/mustard seeds
1 pinch hing/asafoetida
Salt according to taste
Coriander leaves for garnishing
Method:
- Pressure cook the toor dal for 3-4 whistles (until soft). Allow it to cool
- Meantime, prepare tempering by adding oil to a broad vessel. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds, asafoetida & curry leaves.
- Add onion & sauté it for 30 secs (Need not fry till turns golden brown)
- Add chopped basale & sauté again. Now add little water & allow the leaves to be cooked completely.
- By the time, basale gets cooked, prepare the hasi masale (raw masala). Dry roast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, red chilli separately. Blend these spices along with grated coconut & prepare a paste.
- When basale is cooked, add toor dal, tamarind juice, paste prepared, salt, jaggery & allow it to boil for about 3-5 mins.
- Garnish it with coriander leaves & serve hot with rice & papad.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Thundu mavina uppinakayi (Instant Mango Pickle)
Ingredients:
2 raw mangoes (medium sized)
1 inch ginger finely chopped
2 pods of garlic (finely chopped)
1/3 cup oil
1.5 tbsp red chilli
2 tbsp salt ( or according to taste)
1 tsp mustard seeds powder
1 tsp fenugreek seeds powder
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
Method:
- Wash the mango & pat it dry completely(Not even little water should be left out)
- Chop the mango into small pieces ( around 1/2 inch cubes)
- Heat oil in a kadai, when oil is hot, add mustard seeds
- Add garlic & ginger to oil & saute it for 20-30 secs
- Add salt to the oil & turn off the flame.
- Now add, chilli powder & mix them well.
- Switch on the flame, add fenugreek powder, mustard powder & mango to it. Ensure the flame is very slow.
- Saute everything for 30 secs & remove the kadai from the flame.
- Mix it well & allow it to cool
- Once, the mixture comes to room temperature, store it in a air tight container ( Use a porcelain, glass or a plastic container & ensure the container is also dry & no water drops inside it)
- The pickle can be consumed after 1 day as the mango needs to absorb the salt & chilli :)
This pickle can be preserved & consumed for upto 1 month(without refrigeration).
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Corn Capsicum Rice | Bell Pepper Rice Recipe
Again a classic recipe that our family loves to eat :)), dont ask me what is that we dont enjoy eating :-p
Basic recipe of capsicum rice comes from my co-sister, according to her this can be prepared in a jiffy. I have made some changes to this & I cannot say my version can be prepared quick. It consumes time, but the end result would be yummy!!
Ingredients:
3 cups rice (sona masoori/ponni would do)
3 medium sized capsicum cut into 1 inch sized cubes(it will become colorful, if you use red, yellow capsicum too)
1 cup boiled sweet corn
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1.5 tsp urad dal
4 tsp peanuts
10 curry leaves
1 pod garlic (optional)
3-4 red chillies
2 tbsp grated coconut
2 tbsp oil
salt according to taste
1 tsp lemon juice
Method:
- Cook the rice and allow it to cool.
- Meantime dry roast the spices (mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, peanuts, garlic, curry leaves, red chilli) seperately & allow them to cool.
- Remove the skin of the peanuts & crush them into a course powder ( can crush with a belan, no need to put in the blender/mixie)
- Make a course powder of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, garlic, curry leaves, red chilli & at the end add grated coconut and blend it for 30 secs. Dont add water!!
- Heat a broad pan & add oil to it, when oil is hot, add capsicum & fry till capsicum becomes crisp. Add boiled corn to this & saute in oil for a minute.
- Now add the course powder, crushed peanuts & saute again.
- Break the rice & remove lumps if any & add this rice to the capsicum mixture.
- Remove from flame & add salt, lemon juice, coriander leaves.
- Mix well & serve it hot.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Balehannu dose | Banana Dosa
As I have mentioned before, because of the humid weather in Singapore.., the bananas doesn't last long, hence.., this is a better way to finish the bananas faster. If you have ripened bananas , go ahead & prepare this in the coming days!!
Ingredients:
1 cup raw rice
1 tsp fengreek seeds
1 nicely ripened banana (banana should be 2 times the rice, so., around 1.5 to 2 cups of banana for 1 cup of rice)
a fistful of rice flakes/poha, avalakki
salt according to taste
Other ingredients:
About 1/4 tsp or a little more of oil for each dosa.
Method:
- Soak the rice, rice flakes & fenugreek seeds together for around 4-5 hours.
- Make a smooth batter of rice, fenugreek seeds & banana. Batter should be like a thick milkshake.
- Keep the batter aside for 8-10 hours for fermentation.
- Add salt just before preparing the dosas. Prepare thick dosas (like pancakes) & serve it hot with chutney or any spicy curry of your choice.
I have published few other recipes using banana.., you can have a look at them here.
Appa
Balehannu chapathi
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Basale Saasime (Malabar Spinach Saasime)
As mentioned before in one of my posts that, this leaves if consumed 3 times a day for couple of days can cure mouth ulcers & also has a cooling effect on the body.
Here is the recipe for this coolant:
Ingredients:
1 bunch ಬಸಳೆ ಸೊಪ್ಪು/red stemmed malabar spinach
1/2 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
a big pinch turmeric
1 pinch tamarind powder/amchur powder
1/2 cup curd
3 tbsp grated coconut(fresh/frozen)
1 green chilli
salt according to taste
1 tsp oil
Method:
- Discard the stem & chop the leaves.
- Add the oil to a broad kadai, when oil is hot, add jeera & urad dal.
- When urad dal becomes golden brown, add the finely chopped leaves, amchur powder & fry it in oil until . Remove from flame & allow it to cool.
- Make a fine paste of grated coconut, green chilli, turmeric & mustard seeds.
- Add this paste, curd & salt to the cooked leaves. Basale saasime is ready to be served. It is a great side dish for rice & also for roti.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Bele Guliyappa
Here I go...,
Ingredients:
1/2 cup moong dal (split yellow gram)
1/2 cup channa dal (ಕಡಲೆ ಬೇಳೆ)
1/2 cup urad dal (ಉದ್ದಿನ ಬೇಳೆ)
1/2 cup fenugreek seeds (ಮೆಂತ್ಯ)
4 cups raw or idli rice
1/4 cup poha/beaten rice/ಅವಲಕ್ಕಿ
salt according to taste
1 tbsp oil
Method:
- Soak all the above mentioned ingredients (except salt & oil ofcourse) for atleast 4 hours.
- Make a smooth paste of this soaked mixture (batter should be like normal idli batter).
- Allow it to ferment for 6-8 hours (I normally keep it overnight)
- Add salt to this batter .
- Heat the guliyappa pan & add 2 drops of oil to each of the holes, pour this batter & cook on both sides until it turns golden brown.
- Serve it hot with a chutney of your choice.
Here goes some dal guliyappa for you all...
Lastly, you can also find a different type of guliyappa recipe @ TOM.
Sihi Kumbala Gojju (Pumpkin Curry)
Ingredients:
3/4 kg pumpkin
1/2 cup grated coconut
1 tbsp roasted channa dal/ ಹುರಿಗಡಲೆ/kadale pappu
1 tsp white seesame seeds/ಬಿಳಿ ಎಳ್ಳು
2-3 red chillis
1/2 tsp tamarind juice
1 tsp mustard seeds/ saasive
1/2 tsp powdered jaggery
a pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds (for tempering)
1 red chilli ( for tempering)
salt according to taste
3-4 curry leaves
Method:
- Peel the skin of the pumpkin, remove the seeds & cut the pumpkin into medium sized cubes.
- Dry roast the seesame seeds & red chilli separately. Allow it to cool.
- In a broad pan, prepare the tempering by adding mustard seeds, curry leaves, hing & broken red chilli.
- Add pumpkin pieces & little water to the tempering. Cook the pumpkin until soft.
- Meanwhile, grind the roasted seesame seeds, red chilli, roasted channa dal, mustard seeds, coconut & tamarind to a smooth paste.
- Add this paste, jaggery & salt to the cooked pumpkin. Cook the whole mixture for 2-3 mins.
- The pumpkin gojju is ready to be served.
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