Baked Macaroni

In the early 80’s this dish was served to us by a German lady who had married a Kannadiga man, in Manipal. I loved it, took recipe from her and it used to be a regular item at home.

Ingredients

200 gms macaroni (in the pictures I have used pasta)

Salt to tast

1 large Brinjal or 2 to 3 small ones

1 tsp garam masala powder

2 to 3 tomatoes

2 large onions

½ tsp nutmeg powder

½ tsp pepper powder

2 tbsps milk

1 egg

1 tbsp butter

½ cup grated cheese

½ tsp oregano

Instruction

-          Keep 4 glasses of water with salt and ¼ tsp oil to boil and drop the pasta. Let it cook (takes about 12 minutes) and then drain and keep aside.

-          While it is being cooked, slice the brinjals into rounds of 1cm thickness. Sprinkle salt and garam masala powder on both sides and keep for about 15 minutes.

-          Slice onions and tomatoes into rounds.

-          Fry the brinjal slices till brown on both sides. Then lightly fry the onion slices.

-          Grease a baking dish and spread half of the cooked macaroni on the bottom.

-          Arrange fried brinjal slices on top of it. Arrange sliced tomatoes over it, and then fried onion slices.

-          Now put the remaining macaroni on top.

-          Beat the egg, add milk and nutmeg and pepper powder, beat again and pour over the macaroni.

-          Arrange butter on the top, and finally the grated cheese. Here I have used Amul cheese slice pieces.

-          Bake on a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for ½ hour till cheese is melted and a little brown.

-          You can also bake for 25 minutes and then grill for 5 minutes.

-          Can sprinkle oregano on top. And serve hot with tomato ketchup and salad. 

Ragi Dosa with fermented batter

This is a dosa loaded with nutrients of ragi flour and tastes almost like ordinary dosa.

                                       Ragi dosa, sambar, dosa podi with ghee, and fresh papaya

Ingredients

1 cup udad dal ( for 9 dosas)

½ cup rice

½ tsp fenugreek seeds

1 cup ragi flour

Salt to taste

Oil or ghee

Instruction

-          Wash and soak together the udad dal, rice and fenugreek seeds for 6-8 hours and grind to a smooth paste.

-          Mix in the ragi flour, make into a thick batter, adding water if needed. Leave it overnight to ferment and rise.

-          Add salt and make dosas, smearing oil or ghee on the thava and cook from both sides. The fire should be medium.

-          Serve hot with sambar and chutney. 

Capsicum Raita

 This is one raita with a typical flavour that I love. Only salt is added to keep the original flavour of capsicum intact.

Ingredients

2 capsicums

1 cup beaten curd

Salt to taste

Instruction

-           Hold the capsicum over gas flame and let the skin gets charred on all surfaces.

-          Let it cool and peel off the charred skin, cut it into two and remove the seeds. Cut into small pieces.

-          Beat the curds, add salt and mix in the capsicum pieces. And it is ready to be served.

Rice Flour Pancake (Sweet version)

After having succeeded in making eggless pancakes, I ventured to make rice flour pancakes, which is a boon for gluten sensitive individuals. And they turned out awesome!

Ingredients

1 ¾  cups rice flour (for 5 pancakes)

2 ripe bananas

1/3 cup grated coconut

2 tbsps grated jaggery OR liquid jaggery (adjust as per your taste)

A pinch of baking soda

A pinch of cardamom powder

½ cup water

2 tbsps Ghee or oil

Instruction

-          If you are using grated jaggery, add ¼ cup water and put on medium flame. When it liquefies, sieve and keep aside.

-          Mash the bananas nicely with a fork. Add the rice flour, jaggery, coconut, cardamom powder and baking soda.

-          Mix well and add water slowly to make a thick batter.

-          Heat an oiled thava on low flame, spread a ladleful of batter, taking care not to spread it too thin.

-          When the underside is cooked, pour some ghee on the top, turn upside down and cook the other side.

-          Serve hot with ghee, honey or jam. 

Sauteed Suran Leaves

 I have always loved suran sabzi, chips, and snacks. After venturing to make thoran with its stem, I went ahead and sauteed its leaves and was amazed how delicious it was. It is so easy and fast to prepare too.

Ingredients

2 cups finely cut suran leaves

½ cup grated coconut

1 tbsp oil

¼ tsp mustard seeds

¼ tsp fennel seeds

1 small onion sliced

Salt to taste

Instruction

-          Heat the oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add fennel seeds, and the sliced onion.

-          Stir for a minute and add the cut suran leaves. Keep stirring in between, for about five minutes till it is cooked. The color becomes dark green on cooking.

-          Add salt, grated coconut, mix well and remove from fire.

-          Serve hot with chapatti or steamed rice.

Suran Stem Thoran

Elephant foot yam (suran, jimikand, Amorphophallus paeoniifolius) is a good source of protein as well as starch and is very popular as a vegetable in various Indian cuisines. It has copper and vitamin C, is an Immune booster, eases digestion, reduces inflammation, and has cancer-fighting properties.  It contains high percentages of fibre, potassium, and manganese, improves cholesterol levels, maintains a healthy heart, and is good for skin and hair. Jimikand is full of good gut bacteria and can help rebuild the digestion process.

The interesting fact is its stem and leaves are also edible. In Kerala we make thoran out of the stem. It tastes very much like the banana stem thoran, which is my favourite. Sometimes sprouts are also added to the thoran.

Ingredients:

2 cups of finely cut suran stem, after removing the thick skin and washing thoroughly.

½ cup water

Salt to taste

1 cup cooked sprouts (optional)

Grind together:

½ cup grated coconut

3 flakes of garlic

¼ tsp turmeric powder

¼ tsp red chilli powder

¼ tsp cumin seeds

For seasoning:

1 tbsp oil

¼ tsp mustard seeds

2 red chillies broken to pieces

A few curry leaves.

Instruction:

-          Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add red chilli pieces, curry leaves and the finely cut suran stem. Saute it for two minutes, add water, cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes.

-          Meanwhile pressure cook sprouts with water and salt for 4 minutes.

-          Rough grind the grated coconut with garlic, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and cumin seeds.

-          When the suran stem is cooked, add the cooked sprouts, mix well. 

       Finally add the ground coconut, cover and cook for a minute.

-          Open, adjust the salt, mix well and remove from fire.

-          Serve hot with steamed rice and dal.

Tandoori Rota on Thava

Ingredients:

¾ cup lukewarm water

2 tsp yeast

1 tbsp sugar

2 cups wheat flour

¼ tsp salt

1 tbsp yoghurt

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp sesame seeds

Instruction:

-          Take ¾ cup lukewarm water, add the sugar and yeast, keep covered for 5 minutes.

-          Take the flour, add salt and the yeast mix. Mix them together, add the beaten yoghurt, oil,  and knead into soft dough. Smear oil on the surface and keep covered for one hour for it to rise.

-          Knead the risen dough for two minutes.

-          Smear oil on a thick iron thava. Spread the dough into a round, of 1 cm thickness and keep on the thava.

-          Apply oil on the surface and sprinkle sesame seeds on the surface and pat them. Cover and keep for 15 minutes.

-          Keep the thava on high flame, as soon as the thava is hot, reduce the flame to low and cover.

-          Cook for 8 minutes, then turn it upside down and let cook covered for another 5 minutes.

-          Serve hot with any curry.

 

Corn Gratin

Starting early 80s for many years, our Saturday dinner used to be vegetable gratin and tandoori roti or nan in the Valley View hotel in Manipal. Later I started making them at home. Once children left home, it became infrequent. Today I just felt like making corn gratin and attempted making the tandoori rota on thava, to great success!

Ingredients:

2 cups corn kernels

Salt to taste

2 Cheese slices 1 tbsp butter

 ½ tsp pepper powder

For white sauce:

2 tbsps maida

2 tbsps ghee or oil

2 cups milk

Instruction:

-          Boil water with salt in a vessel and drop the corn kernels. Partly cover, reduce the flame and let it cook, takes about 10 minutes

-          Meanwhile, make the white sauce. Heat ghee in a pan, add the maida and keep stirring on low flame till it turns brown and nice aroma comes. Pour the milk slowly, stirring continuously. When it becomes thick, remove from the fire.

-          Drain the cooked corn, add it to the white sauce. Add salt if needed and mix in some pepper powder.

-          Transfer it to a greased baking dish, arrange cheese slice pieces on the top and add some butter.

-          Grill it for five minutes, till golden crust develops.

-          Serve with tandoori roti or nan.

PS. You can make mixed vegetable gratin by adding cooked potatoes, carrots, cauli flower and green peas instead of corn kernels to the white sauce.