Pizza Oothapam

Addition of cheese makes the food "superhit" at my home. So I came up with this pizza oothapam recipe.

Pizza Oothapam
Ingredients
1 recipe Dosa Batter

Garnish
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp. Italian parsley
A generous pinch of Italian seasoning

Oil for frying

Suggested Accompaniment
Marinara Sauce
or
Basil Pesto

Method
1. Heat a pan or tawa.
2. Spread thick layer of dosa batter.
3. Place all the vegetables, seasoning, and cheese.
4. Drizzle oil as needed.
5. Cover and cook till it's crispy and cheese has melted on top.

6. Serve hot with marinara sauce.

Note -
1. Cut into wedge before serving, if you like

Masala Sanna Khotte - Spicy Idli (2)

 

During my cabbage marathon cooking, I thought of masala sanna khotte. These steamed dumpling is a variation of Masala Sanna Khotte(1).

Masala Sanna Khotte - 2
Spicy Steamed Dumpling
Ingredients
1/4 cup toor daal
1 cup rice

Grind
8-10 byadgi chilies, roasted in few drops of coconut oil
1/2 cup fresh coconut

You will also need
1/2 tsp asafetida
1 tsp tamarind paste
salt
1 cup finely shredded cabbage

Coconut oil to grease the mold

Method
1. Soak toor daal and rice overnight.
2. Next morning, grind to a smooth paste along with roasted chilies and coconut.
3. Cover and set aside for about  8 -10 hours.
4. Right before steaming the idlies, stir in asafetida and tamarind paste. Add shredded cabbage.
5. Adjust the batter consistency, adding more water as needed.
6. Grease idli mold with coconut oil. Pour the batter.

7. Steam for about 45 minutes.
8. Serve hot with coconut oil. Serve as an accompaniment with your meal.

Note -
1. For most authentic flavor, use containers made with jackfruit leaves.
2. This idli is not as fluffy as the usual idli.


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Kultha Idli - Horsegram Idlies

Idlies using kulith or horsegram is a traditional Konkani delicacy. It imparts a distinct flavor so it may be an acquired taste. For a truly authentic flavor, do use coconut oil for greasing the idli moulds and also serve these idlies hot off the steamer along with a drizzle of coconut oil.

Kultha Idli
Horsegram Idlies
Ingredients
1 cup urad daal
1/2 cup kulith sprout
2 cups rice
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
salt to taste

coconut oil as needed

Method
1. Soak urad daal, kulith/horsegram and (rice+fenugreek seeds) separately.
2. Drain and grind to a smooth paste.
3. Cover aside to ferment for 7-8 hours. Add salt and mix.
4. Grease idli moulds with coconut oil or any oil of your choice - although coconut oil is preferred.
5. Pour a ladleful of batter.
6. Steam the idlies.
7. Serve with coconut oil and chutney of your choice.

Note -
1. Traditionally, kulith are soaked, drained and used. I use kulith sprouts for this recipe.


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Punjabi Egg Curry

 

My mom makes this Punjabi style egg curry. When she first made it way back when I was in school, all of us were blown away that a non-vegetarian curry was made without an iota of coconut! Today, when I don't know what to make on Sundays, this curry comes very handy. Mom always used to add some potato chunks in her mutton curries. I took that inspiration to add potatoes in the egg curry.

 

Punjabi Egg Curry

Ingredients

4 hard  boiled eggs, peeled and halved

4 baby potatoes, halved or leave whole

 1 tsp garam masala - preferably freshly made

2 tsp coriander-cumin powder

1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder - (For color)

salt to taste

 

Grind to a smooth paste

1 1/2 cup sliced onion

3/4 cups tomatoes

1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste

1/4 cup cilantro

2-3 green chilies or per taste

 

Tempering

1 tbsp. oil

2 cloves

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

 

Suggested Accompaniment

Garden Kachumbar

or

Raita

&

Paratha/Rumali Roti

And/or Jeera Rice

 

Method

1. Boil eggs and potatoes. Peel the eggs and halve them.

2. Heat oil. Add cloves and turmeric powder.

3. Add ground onion paste. Sauté for 15 minutes or so till the raw smell of onion goes away.

4. Add garam masala, coriander cumin powder, Kashmiri chili powder and salt.

5. Add 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to boil.

6. Place eggs and potatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes.

7. Garnish with cilantro

 

Note -

1. You can peel the potatoes or leave them unpeeled. You can keep them whole or halve them.

2. If Kashmiri chili powder is not available, use paprika or any mild chili powder for color.

3. The most important step is sautéing the ground onion paste till raw smell disappears. It may very well take more than even half an hour. If you are hard pressed for time like me, I add oil in the pressure cooker. Add tempering. Sauté masala paste for 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water and pressure cook for 2 whistles - before adding eggs. This expedites the process and onion mixture no longer smells raw.

 

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Masala Sanna Khotte - Spicy Idli (1)

 

 

I haven't eaten Khotte in ages. But these days, Indian storeowners bring many uniquely exotic vegetables. So I am hoping that one day I may even get jackfruit leaves. You see, khotte are steamed in the containers made using jackfruit leaves. After they are steamed, the idli gets a very unique flavor. The leaves are meant to be discarded. When we visited "Robert is here" in Miami, I longingly looked at their jackfruit tree.  I wished they were selling jackfruit leaves along with their delicious fruits. I guess, only a Konkani can understand that feeling about jackfruit leaves.;-)

Mom mentioned that Ram Nayak's Idli House in Matunga/King Circle area serve all the Konkani idlies - Khotte and masala khotte included. They are served with chutneys, but more importantly with coconut oil as well. There are two ways (with or without cabbage) Masala Khottes are made in my family. So for keeping records, I am going to blog both the methods. However, accept my apologies since there are no jackfruit leaves to be seen in my part of the world. So I steamed them in my usual idli stand. One can make banana leaves wrapper as I had tried here. But still for qualifying it to be the authentic khotte, jackfruit leaves are essential.

Please note that these khotte are heavier than usual fluffy idlies. They are served as a side dish with your daily Konkani meal.

Masala Sanna Khotte - 1
Spicy Steamed Dumpling
Ingredients
1/4 cup toor daal
1 cup rice

Grind
8-10 byadgi chilies, roasted in few drops of coconut oil
1/2 cup fresh coconut

You will also need
1/2 tsp asafetida
1 tsp tamarind paste
salt

Coconut oil to grease the mold

Method
1. Soak toor daal and rice overnight.
2. Next morning, grind to a smooth paste along with roasted chilies and coconut.
3. Cover and set aside for about  8 -10 hours.

4. Right before steaming the idlies, stir in asafetida and tamarind paste.
5. Adjust the batter consistency, adding more water as needed.
6. Grease idli mold with coconut oil. Pour the batter. Traditionally, the batter is poured into the moulds made up of jackfruit leaves.

7. Steam for about 45 minutes.
8. Serve hot with coconut oil. Serve as an accompaniment with your meal.

Note -
1. For most authentic flavor, use containers made with jackfruit leaves.
2. This idli is not as fluffy as the usual idli.



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Tingalavrya Bendi - White Beans Curry

 

Remember my post about the South Canara curries? Each curry has a distinct name and that name itself indicates which tempering to use, and thus each curry results in a unique flavor - although basic ground masala paste is coconut + tamarind + byadgi chilies. So those who are not very familiar with South Canara cusine may find each curry is orange colored but the name clearly tells not only the tempering, but also the consistency of the gravy, consistency of ground masala paste (coarse or fine), heat level (e.g. Ghasshi and Ambat are mild while koddel & Bendi/बेंदी are hot!)

When in Mumbai, I head straight to my most favorite Mahima Mangalore Stores at Hill Rd. They stock up some good Konkani delicacies. This is the place where you will get your Tingalavre and Fajjav - though they may not be on their display. Mostly, their display consists of usual snacks and other tidbits. But do ask the owner about those Konkani delicacies, and if they are in season, you may get them. So I was lucky that "Tingalavre" was in season. We make two curries with it. Bendi (Using Garlic tempering) and Tepla Randayi (Using Teppal/Tirphal).

Tingalavrya Bendi
White Beans Curry
Ingredients
 3/4 cup dry Tingalavre, soaked for 6 hours in adequate water
salt to taste

Grind
3/4 cups freshly scraped coconut
15 byadgi chilies, roasted quickly in few drops of coconut oil
1 1/2 tsp tamarind paste

Tempering
2 tsp coconut oil
5-7 cloves of garlic, peeled & smashed but still left whole

Method
1. Soak tingalavre in water for 6 hours. Drain and pressure cook using enough water. Set aside.

2. Heat a pan. Drizzle few drops of coconut oil. Roast byadgi chilies.
3. Grind fresh coconut, roasted chilies and tamarind to paste.
4. Pour cooked beans in a saucepan. Add ground masala paste. Add enough water per desired consistency.
5. Add salt to taste. Bring to boil. Switch gas to low. Let it simmer.
6. In a separate small saucepan, heat coconut oil. Add garlic cloves. Fry till brown.
7. Drizzle hot oil with garlic over the curry. Switch off the gas and cover the curry with a lid.
8. Serve with plain rice.

Note -
1. Traditionally, bendi (बेंदी ) is on thick side. Adjust water per your preference.
2. Bendi is also very hot. Adjust chilies per your preference.

Tingal Avre From Mahima Mangalore Stores, Bandra

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Grape Tomato Salad

 

Grape tomatoes are abundant in our farmers' market this year. I make this simple grape tomato salad. I pluck some fresh mint from my kitchen garden to garnish. This simple salad goes really well with spicy curries or pulaos.

 

Grape Tomato Salad

Ingredients

1 box grape tomatoes, halved or quartered

1 lemon, freshly squeezed

2 tbsp. minced onion

1 tbsp. cilantro, chopped

1 tbsp. mint, chopped

salt and black pepper - freshly ground

 

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients and serve immediately.

 

Note -

1. Do use fresh cilantro and mint.

2. Do use freshly squeezed lemon juice.

 

 

 

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Bharli Vangi (Sode ghalun) - Stuffed Eggplant with dried shrimp

 

Sode ghalun Bharli Vangi is a CKP delicacy. I haven't followed the authentic CKP recipe here but my version was loved by those who love sode/dry shrimp. Technically speaking, sode are big dried shrimp and the ones that I get at Indian stores, is a smaller variety.

Bharli Vangi (Sode Ghalun)
भरली वांगी (सोडे घालून )
Ingredients
8 small eggplants, slit cross wise leaving each eggplant in tact
2-3 kokums
1 tsp coconut oil

Grind to paste
1/4 cup cilantro
1" ginger, peeled
4-5 garlic cloves
1 green chili
1 tsp lemon juice

For stuffing
1 cup dried prawns
1/2 cup freshly scraped coconut
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder
salt to taste

Tempering
1 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp asafetida

Garnish
1 tbsp. minced cilantro

Method
1. Soak dried shrimp in water for 1/2 hour. Squeeze water and drain completely.
2. Mix with ground green paste and set aside.
3. Remove the stems of baby eggplants. Make cross slits leaving each eggplant in tact.
4. Mix coconut, onion, turmeric powder, garam masala, chili powder and marinated shrimp. Adjust salt as needed.

5. Stuff each eggplant with above mixture. There should be plenty more remaining.
6. Heat oil in a saucepan. Add turmeric powder and asafetida. Place stuffed eggplants in a single layer. Spread all the remaining stuffing around it.
7. Add kokum and 1/3 cup water. Cover with a lid. Pour water on the lid.
8. Let it cook on low flame till it's well done. This should be on the dry side.
9. Drizzle coconut oil.
10. Garnish with cilantro.

Note -
1. Dried shrimp that I had, were already cleaned and ready to use.
2. Generally dried seafood has plenty salt content. Take it into consideration while adding salt.





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Cabbage, Cabbage and More Cabbage

I was excited to buy this huge cabbage head for $2 at the farmers market. The farmer said that she picked it just previous night. I couldn't even hold this huge cabbage in my hand. Out of sheer curiosity, I weighed it after coming home and it was a whopping 7 lb cabbage. I shredded the cabbage and placed them separately into ziplock bags in the crisper section. I realized that I had a daunting task of using all the cabbage pretty soon. In my excitement, I had overlooked it. I wanted to distribute my shredded cabbage among friends, but somehow, I was too busy to go to everybody's house that weekend. So I took a deep breath and decided to feed my family cabbage pretty much on daily basis. I froze some items and used up all the cabbage!  While going through this cabbage quest, I realized that I still haven't cooked and blogged my maushi's kobichya karanjya! [Well hopefully sometime in distant future - since I am done with this cabbage business for a while!!;-)

Here's what I made -

Kobichya Vadya
Pav bhaji (Added generous cabbage along with other veggies and mashed them together)
Kachcha Kobi
Kobi Thepla
Cabbage Idli -Masala Sanna Khotto(Recipe Coming Soon)
Kobi Bhaat
Kobi Bhutti
Kobij na pooda
Kobichi Bhuji
Kobi Appe

Note to self - Do not get too carried away when visiting Farmers markets and ahem, no more cabbage for at least next 3 months!!;-)

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Garlic Scapes Chutney

 

I spotted these beautiful garlic scapes at our farmers market. They looked distinctly different than fresh garlic that we get in Mumbai during winter. The farmer told me that they come in two variety - local and California. He gave me both of them. He suggested making pesto with it. I gave that suggestion - my very own Indian makeover. I used some for making chutney to be served with idlies and I made "Kolhapuri Thecha" with the remaining.

 

 

Garlic Scapes Chutney

Ingredients

3-4 garlic scapes, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup coconut

2 tbsp. Pandharpuri DaLe/puffed chana daal

1/3 cup plain yogurt

3-4 green chilies (Adjust per heat)

salt to taste

 

Tempering

1 tsp oil

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp asafetida

2 red chilies, broken

1 sprig curry leaves, torn

 

Method

1. Grind garlic scapes, coconut, puffed chana daal, chilies and salt to a coarse paste.

2. Add yogurt and grind again.

3. Pour into a serving bowl.

4. Heat oil in a small saucepan. Add the ingredients for tempering. Let them splutter.

5. Drizzle over chutney.

6. Serve with hot idlies.

 

Note-

1. Chop garlic scapes and discard any rough parts.

Fresh Garlic Scapes

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Stuffed Focaccia Sandwich

 

 

We went to the Farmers market and got summer fresh sweet corn. We then went to Panera and after eating sandwich, hubby decided to buy focaccia. I asked the server at the bakery section if he could cut the bread for me. He suggested that he could even cut it horizontally so it can be used for making sandwiches. I liked the idea.

Following week, while thinking about dinner menu, I thought of making stuffed focaccia sandwich. I had already boiled the corn adding salt and turmeric power. I cut them into niblets and proceeded to make this sandwich.

If you don't have focaccia, use this stuffing for making grilled sandwich using sliced bread.

Stuffed Focaccia Sandwich
Ingredients
1 Italian Focaccia bread, cut horizontally
2 slices pepper jack cheese

For stuffing
1 tbsp. oil
A pinch of sugar (to caramelize onions)
1 cup thinly sliced onion
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup boiled and drained corn niblets
2 tbsp. oven roasted tomatoes in oil
1/2 cup chopped collard greens
1 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. Heat oil in a saucepan. Add sugar and as it caramelizes, add onions and garlic. Saute till onion is nicely browned. Add corn niblets, oven roasted tomatoes and collard greens. Cook till done.
2. Add seasoning, salt, pepper. Mix well. Set aside to cool down.

3. Scatter pieces of cheese slice on one half of the focaccia bread.

4. Cover it with stuffing generously.
5.  Top it with pieces of remaining cheese slice and cover with the remaining half of the bread.
6. Preheat oven 350 F. Cover in kitchen foil and bake for 15 minutes or till the cheese melts.
7. Serve a wedge along with soup of your choice.

Note -
1. There will probably be extra stuffing. It can be used to make grilled cheese , corn stuffing using bread slices.





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Khubbya Randayi - Clams Curry

It's funny how I refer to the same ingredient by various different names based on the recipe that I am following. When I am making my maternal grandmother's South Canara style curry, I refer to clams as Khubbe. When I am making my paternal grandmother's Malvani style curry, I refer to the same clams as Tisrya. :-)

 

Today let's visit my South Canara heritage and relish Khubbya randayi or Manglore style Clams Curry. This recipe is exactly similar to Sungta Hinga udaak. But for some unknown reason, when making this curry with clams, it's always referred to as Khubbya Randayi and not Khubbya Hinga Udaak.

 

Khubbya Randayi

Ingredients

1 packet Costco little neck clams

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

 

Salt to taste (Adjust)

 

Grind to a fine paste

1 cup freshly scraped coconut

12-15 byadgi chilies, roasted in few drops of coconut oil

2 tsp tamarind pulp

 

Garnish

1 tsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp asafetida

 

Method

1. Scrub and clean the clams.

2. Place them in a heavy bottomed big container. Add 1/2 cup water and turmeric powder.

3. Cook till the shells are open. Switch off the gas. Cover

4. Let them cool down till they are easy to handle. Take out the flesh.

5. Drain the clam juice. Set aside.

6. Meanwhile, roast byadgi chilies using few drops of coconut oil. Grind to a very fine paste adding coconut and tamarind pulp. Add water as needed for grinding.

7. Place cooked clams, clam juice in the saucepan.

8. Add ground masala and enough water to get the desired consistency.

9. Adjust salt.

10. As the curry comes to a rapid boil, switch the gas to low.

11. Let it simmer.

12. Drizzle coconut oil and asafetida over the curry.

13. Let it simmer for at least 10 minutes.

14. Switch off the gas. Cover.

15. Serve with plain rice.

 

Note -

1. Clams may have salt content. Adjust salt accordingly.

2. Clams are covered with lots of sand. Scrub carefully, making sure that they are sand free before cooking.

3. Drain the clam juice to avoid any sand particles.

4. After initial cooking, discard any clams that don't open up.
5. When in season, add peeled, raw mango pieces to this curry. If using, add them along with ground masala paste. Adjust tamarind accordingly.

6. Many home cooks in Mumbai use a knife or viLi to crack the clams and then use them in the curry. In my family, we boil the clams first, and let the clams open the shells instead of using knife.

 

Salgam Song - Turnips Curry

I spotted some fresh turnips/salgams at our farmers market. I decided to make "Saung". Traditionally, saung uses potatoes. I replaced them with turnips. This curry tasted delicious.

Salgam Song
Turnip Curry
Ingredients

3-4 medium turnips, peeled, cut into chunks

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

Salt to taste

1 tbsp coconut oil or any other oil of preference

Grind to a coarse paste

5-6 byadgi chilies, roasted in a drop of coconut oil

1 tbsp tamarind pulp

Method

1. Heat oil. Saute onion till golden brown. Do not let it burn.
2. Add turnip pieces, stir. Cover with a lid. Pour water on the lid. Let it cook.

2. Add ground masala paste. Saute for 1 minute.

3. Add 1/2 cup water. add salt to taste.

4. Bring to boil.

5. Let it simmer. This is a thick curry. Adjust consistency per your own preference.
 

Note -

1. The coconut oil gives a unique and authentic flavor. However, if you are bothered by the saturated fat contents in the coconut oil, you can use canola or olive oil. and then add a few drops of coconut oil for flavor.

2. Instead of grinding the masala, sometimes, I just mix chili powder and tamarind pulp for a quick fix.

 

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Shevga Palebhaji - Drumsticks Leaves Stir Fry

 

I try to include some leafy greens or the other at least 3 times a week. During winter, I just use frozen collard greens, turnip greens or spinach. But now it's spring turning into summer. Farmers markets and Indian stores bring in some exotic leafy greens. This is the best time to eat fresh greens.

Shevgyachi Paaleybhaji


Ingredients
1 bunch tender drumsticks greens, rinsed, roughly chopped
1/4 cup yellow moong daal, soaked for 2 hours
salt to taste

Tempering
1 tsp oil
1 shallot or small onion, finely chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped or slivered
A pinch of turmeric powder
2 red chilies
2 green chilies

Garnish
1/4 cup freshly scraped coconut

Method
1. Chop drumsticks leaves and stems - if they are tender. Chop the onion.

2. Heat oil in a saucepan. Sauté garlic and pinch of turmeric till garlic changes its colors. Add chilies and shallot. Sauté till onion is soft.
3. Add drained moong daal. Sauté for 5 minutes.
4. Add chopped drumstick leaves. Sprinkle some water. Mix.
5. Cover with a lid. Pour water on the lid.
6. Let it cook till soft.
7. Add salt to taste and coconut.

Note -
1. This bhaji needs more coconut than usual.
2. Use more or less chilies per personal preference.

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KeLya Gabbya Upkari - Banana Stem Stir Fry

When I wanted to blog about Sanjimaayi's KeLya Gabbya Kochcholi, I substituted banana stems with Hearts of Palm from the can. I had thought then, that I would need to make a trip to Matunga, Mumbai to get the fresh banana stem. But never in my wildest imagination, I had thought of getting fresh banana stem right here in my city.

I was overjoyed to see it and wasn't even sure if I would know how to cut it. But the shop owner told me what needs to be done.

KeLya Gabbya Upkari
Banana Stems Stir Fry
Ingredients
1 banana stem, peeled & chopped about 2 cups
salt to taste

1/4 cup yellow moong daal, soaked for 1/2 hour

Tempering
1/2 tbsp. coconut oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafetida
3-4 byadgi chilies, halved
2 springs curry leaves, torn

Garnish
A generous handful of scraped coconut

Method
1. Take a banana stem and give a gash to peel off outer layer till you get the inside banana stem. Please see the cross section of the banana stem. You need to get rid of at least 2 layers to get inside the stem.

2. Dice the peeled, tender banana stem into small pieces. It should be cut smoothly. Otherwise if it is too rough to be cut, discard the piece.
3. Put the diced banana stem into a buttermilk to avoid discoloration.

4. Heat oil in a saucepan/kadhai/bogaLe. Add the spices and chilies. As they splutter, add soaked moong daal. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Add drained banana stem pieces. Discard the buttermilk.
5. Cover with a lid. Pour water onto the lid. Let it cook.
6. Add salt to taste.
7. Garnish with scraped coconut or coconut pieces.

Note -
1. I used coconut pieces instead of scraped coconut.
2. Instead of moong daal, chana daal can also be used.

Banana Stem/KeLya Gabbo

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Shevgyache Daangar - Drumsticks Leaves Fritters

 

 

Drumsticks leaves and flowers are devoured in Malvani/Konkani cuisine. When I got these precious leaves at our local Indian stores, I knew right away that I would make bhaaji and daangars.

 

Shevgyachya Paananche Daangar

Drumsticks leaves fritters

Ingredients

1/2 cup drumsticks leaves, roughly chopped

1/2 cup chickpea flour

2 tbsp. rice flour

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1 green chili, minced

salt to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp asafetida

1/2 tsp chili powder

 

Oil for shallow frying

 

Method

1. Mix chopped leaves, chili and shallot.

2. Add flours, salt and dry spices. Mix.

3. Add ginger-garlic paste.

4. Add water as needed to make a thick batter.

5. Heat tawa. Pat small ball of dough. Drizzle oil as needed.

6. Flip and let it brown on both sides.

 

Note -

1. This is served as a side dish with daily meal.

2. Omit green chili if you don't care for biting into chili pieces.

 

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Pumpkin Leaves Daal

 

 

This month, I will try my best to show case some unusual veggies. Let's see if my farmers market, Indian stores and my enthusiasm keep up with this pledge!

 

Today's recipe is Pumpkin Leaves daal. Pumpkin leaves and stems are very much edible and they go well with this Konkani masala. There are two ways you can make this daal. You may choose to temper it with garlic cloves or you may use tirphal/teppal. But please be mutually exclusive about it. Do not use both as the flavors will counter balance each other.

 

Pumpkin Leaves Daal

Ingredients

1 bunch Pumpkin leaves

1/2 cup toor daal

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

salt to taste

 

Soak in 1/4 cup warm water

6-7 tirphal/teppal

 

Grind to a coarse paste

1/2 cup coconut

1 tbsp. coriander seeds, roasted

5-6 black peppercorns

5 byadgi chilies

1 tsp tamarind pulp

 

Garnish

Few drops of coconut oil

 

Method

1. Shred pumpkin leaves roughly. If the stems are tender, cut it into about 2" pieces. Remove any fibers that are attached to the stem, by cutting a little opening and peeling off the fiber - the way you would do for drumsticks.

2. Pressure cook daal with turmeric powder and adequate water as well as pumpkin leaves and stems.

3. Mash daal lightly after cooking.

4. In a saucepot, add cooked daal and cooked pumpkin leaves and stems.

5. Roast coriander seeds, black pepper corns and byadgi chilies. Grind to a coarse paste with coconut and tamarind. Add water as required for grinding.

6. Pour the masala paste with water into the curry.

7. Add salt and teppal with water. Bring to boil.

8. Drizzle few drops of coconut oil as the curry is boiling.

9. Serve with plain rice.

 

Note-

1. Generally tirphal or teppals are given a little pounding before soaking. Make sure that the berries are not totally crushed or powdered.

2. Do remove the black seeds in teppals.

3. Teppals are added to enhance the flavor. They are not meant to be eaten.

4. Variation - Instead of teppals, heat coconut oil and fry garlic pieces and drizzle over the curry.

 

 

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Flax Seeds Chutney

 

Flax seeds have two names in Marathi. They are known as "Alashi" (अळशी) or "Javas"(जवस ). Today, I am featuring Flax seeds chutney which was inspired by my KarLyachi Chutney.

Javasachi Chutney
जवसाची चटणी
Flax seeds powder
Ingredients

1 cup Flax Seeds
1 cup peanuts
1/2 cup puffed chana daal/Pandharpuri Daale

12 - 15 dried red chilies
2 small pieces of dried mango slices (from India or Indian stores)

salt to taste
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1 tsp sugar


Method
1. Heat a cast iron kadhai/pan. Roast flax seeds, peanuts, puffed chana daal, asafoetida and red chilies one after the other.
2. Take them out and keep separately to cool down. Make sure to peel off peanuts.
3. Roast dry mango slices quickly for a few seconds.
4. After all the ingredients are dried, grind the chutney along with salt, sugar and asafoetida.
5. Make sure to grind to a fine powder. However, take care not to grind for a long time resulting in buttery consistency.

Note -
1. You can increase or decrease the amount of red chilies per your taste.
2. Do not let any ingredient burn while roasting.
3. Do roast them individually, one after the other as roasting time is different for each ingredient.
4. Store in an air tight container. Store in a refrigerator.
5. You can add one or two cloves of garlic for variation. In that case, roast it after chilies before grinding.





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Farasbi-Edamame Bhaji

Maharashtrian home cooks add some sprouts, soaked daals or besan/chickpea flour to boost the nutritional value of the vegetables. Green beans are often paired with fresh green peas - when they are in season. However, some crazy combos accidentally get created in my kitchen due to unavailability of the ingredient at that moment or laziness of the cook!;-) I was all set to make green beans + green peas. But a pack of frozen green peas was deep down in the freezer and a pack of frozen soy bean was handy. So rather than diving into the freezer, I opted for green soybeans. It worked deliciously well.

Farasbi Soy Beans bhaji
Green Peas with Fresh Edamame
Ingredients
2 cups chopped green beans
1 cup fresh soy beans/edamame - frozen
salt to taste
A pinch of sugar

Tempering
1/2 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafeotida
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2-3 green chilies, slit

Garnish (optional)
2 tbsp. freshly scraped coconut

Method
1. Heat oil in a saucepan.
2. Add spices and chilies for tempering. As the splutter, add green beans. Sauté for a minute. Place a lid on the top. Pour water on the lid. Let it cook on a medium flame till half done.
3. Now add edmame. Cover again with the lid. Let it cook.
4. Add salt and sugar.
5. Garnish with coconut if using.

Note
1. Do not used dry and soaked soy beans. Use green soybeans.
2. Green soybeans are easily available in the frozen vegetables sections of the supermarket.



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Shevaya Idli

This idli was the inspiration for my Alphabet Idli and yet, it took so long to blog about it!


Shevaya Idli
Ingredients
1/2 cup seviya/Shevya, crushed by hand
1/2 cup rawa

1/2 cup yogurt
Water as needed
1/4 tsp baking soda

Tempering
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1 curry leaves sprig, torn

Stir in
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 green chili, minced
1 tbsp fresh coconut

Method
1. Roast rawa and shevya separately without adding any oil.
2. Mix with yogurt and salt. Add water to adjust the consistency. It should have the consistency of the idli batter.
3. Stir in ginger, cilantro, chili and coconut.
4. Heat oil in a small saucepan. Add all the tempering ingredients. Drizzle tempered oil over the batter.
5. Mix well. Grease idli molds. Just before steaming, add baking soda and mix well.
6. Pour a ladle ful of batter in the molds. Steam the idlies.
7. Serve with chutney of your choice.

Note -
1. Add baking soda to the batter just before steaming.

Beet Greens Lentil Curry

 

 

Leafy greens with Masoor/brown lentils sprouts is a wonderful Malvani preparation. Now that Spring has finally sprung here, farmers' markets are boasting fresh, tender vegetables. I found a bunch of beets with lush green leaves.

 

Swiss chard, spinach or any other leafy greens of your choice may be substituted.

 

Beet Greens with Lentils Curry

Ingredients

1 bunch of beet leaves, shredded roughly,

1 cup Masoor sprouts

salt to taste

1 tsp tamarind paste

 

Roast one after the other

3 cloves

1" cinnamon

1 tbsp. coriander seeds

1 green cardamom

10 black peppercorn

1 onion, peeled & sliced

2-3 cloves garlic

1/3 cup scraped coconut

5 red chilies

 

Tempering

1/2 tbsp. oil

5-6 garlic cloves

 

Method

1. Clean beet greens so there is no sand/soil. Shred roughly. Chop the stems.

2. Pressure cook greens and brown masoor sprouts using adequate water.

3. Roast spices, onion and coconut one after the other using few drops of oil as needed. Make sure that coconut, onion, garlic are fried till brown, not burnt.

4. Grind roasted spices to a smooth paste, adding tamarind paste, 1 tbsp. cooked masoor and water as needed.

5. Place cooked masoor and greens in a saucepan. Add ground masala and water to adjust the consistency.

6. Bring to boil. Switch gas to low. Let it simmer.

7. In a separate small saucepan, heat oil. Add garlic cloves. Fry till they are golden brown. Drizzle tempered oil and garlic over the curry.

8. Cover immediately and switch off the gas.

9. Serve with plain rice or flatbread of your choice.

 

Note -

1. Use only tender greens and stems. They should be cut without any pressure.

 

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Kolumbiche Lipte - CKP Prawns Curry

 

A cousin of mine reminded me about this delicious curry from CKP community which goes by this quaint name - Lipte. This curry is on the thick side but feel free to add more water if you prefer more broth like consistency.

 

 

Kolumbiche Lipte

CKP styled Prawns Curry

Ingredients

1 lb. shrimp/prawns, deveined

salt

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tbsp. mild chili powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp garam masala

 

Grind to paste

2" ginger, peeled, roughly chopped

4-5 cloves garlic, peeled, roughly chopped

2-3 green chilies, (More or less depending on taste)

2 tbsp. cilantro

1 tbsp. lemon juice

 

Tempering

1 tbsp. oil

1 cup minced onion

1/2 cup minced tomatoes

 

Garnish

2 tbsp. chopped cilantro

2 tbsp. freshly scraped coconut (optional)

 

Method

1. Clean, peel and devein prawns. Marinate them with salt, turmeric powder and ground paste. Set aside for at least 1/2 hour.

2. Heat oil in a saucepan. Add onion and sauté till it's soft.

3. Add tomatoes. Sauté for 10 minutes till it's pulpy.

4. Add coriander powder, Garam masala and chili powder.

5. Fry for a minute. Add marinated prawns along with the marinade.

6. Add 1/2 cup water. Bring to boil.

7. Simmer till cooked and masala coats the prawns. Adjust for salt if needed.

8. Garnish with cilantro and coconut - if using

 

Note

1. This curry should be on thick side where masala should thickly coat the prawns. However, you can adjust the consistency per your own preference.

2. Traditionally, more oil is used.

 

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GYO - Methichi Dushmi

 

 

 

Dushmi is a Maharashtrian flatbread. My grandmother used to make several different dushmies like rajgiryachi dushmi, jwarichi dushmi, bajrichi dushmi, and of course, methichi dushmi. Each dushmi has some different ingredients which make them unique in taste from the rest, but the common factor that gives them the name "Dushmi" is that milk is used to knead the dough instead of water. Hopefully, I will cover all the rest of the dushmies as the time permits. But today, let's devour Methichi Dushmi from my homegrown Methi or fenugreek leaves.

Ok, here's what I did -

I just threw some fenugreek seeds in the soil.


Just some sunshine, water and voila!!! My own methi plant was ready to be harvested.
Here it is - Methi Plant 2008.
I am a very amateur gardener. I do not yet have a vegetable patch (in the soil) in my backyard. Somehow, I am really intimidated. I do only container gardening. Sometime, in future I wish to start digging. Let's plan it for 2009.


Methichi Dushmi - makes 9 flatbreads

मेथीची दशमी 

Fenugreek Leaves Flatbread
Ingredients
1 bunch fenugreek leaves/methi, rinsed, chopped approx 1 1/2 cups
1 1/2 cups cups wheat flour
1 tbsp besan
1 tsp mild chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
A pinch of ajwain/owa (Optional)
salt to taste
A pinch of sugar
1/2 tbsp oil

Milk to knead the dough - as needed
oil for roasting

Method
1. Mix flours, methi/fenugreek leaves, salt, chili powder , besan, turmeric powder, & owa - if using.

2. Add milk as needed to make the dough. Add 1/2 tbsp oil and knead again. Cover and keep aside for 10 minutes.
3. Make around 9 uniform balls, roll into a thin disc.
4. Shallow fry using few drops of oil till brown spots appear on both sides.

5. Serve hot with plain yogurt (dahi), achar (lonache) or subzi (bhaaji)

Dushmis are kept in an aluminum foil.

Note -
1. More the fenugreek/methi, better is the taste.
2. Use full fat or at least 2% milk for better flavor.
3. Generally, these flatbreads are larger in diameter. I have made them not too large.
4. Dushmi is a singular form. For plural, we say - मेथीच्या दशम्या/ Methichya Dushmya.:-)



This post is my entry for Grow Your Own - hosted at Jugalbandi
GYO event is started by Andrea of Andrea's Recipes.

Bajri Dosa

 

 

I followed the exact same recipe of my NachNi/Ragi Dosa and replaced Ragi flour with Bajra/Bajri flour. I was little unsure about the outcome, but bajri dosas came out really well.


Bajri Dosa
Millet Pancakes
Ingredients
1 cup urad daal
1 cup brown rice
1 tsp methi/fenugreek seeds

3 cups bajri flour
salt to taste

Oil as needed for frying

Method
1. Soak urad daal and brown rice along with fenugreek seeds with adequate water overnight.
2. Grind to a smooth paste. Cover and set aside to ferment for 8 - 10 hours.
3. Add bajri flour, salt and water as needed to get the dosa batter consistency.

4. Heat cast iron or nonstick tawa/griddle. Pour a ladleful of batter. Drizzle oil as needed.
5. Cover and let it cook.

6. Serve hot dosa with your favorite chutney.

Note -
1. Brown or white rice can be used.
2. The above proportion yields a huge quantity of batter. I freeze half of the batter for using later.
3. For variation, sometimes I add minced onion, green chilies and cilantro in the batter, just before preparing the dosas.


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