Drumstick leaves curry

Here is a delicious accompaniment for boiled rice, with the leaves of ‘magical tree’, the drumstick tree with all its goodness.

Ingredients

1 cup separated, washed, and drained drumstick leaves

Salt to taste

2 cups water

To grind:

1 cup grated coconut

3 flakes of garlic

1/3 tsp turmeric powder

1/3 tsp cumin seeds

1/3 tsp coriander powder

¼  tsp red chilli powder

To temper:

1 tbsp oil

½ tsp mustard seeds

2 red chillies broken to two

Instruction:

-          Grind all the ingredients with a little water to a smooth paste

-          Heat oil with mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the broken chilli pieces.

-          Add the drumstick leaves and sauté for two minutes. Now add the water. When it boils, reduce the flame, cover and cook for ten minutes.

-          Add the ground masala and mix well.

-          Simmer for two minutes and remove from fire. 

Kathal(tender jackfruit) sabzi Konkani style

This recipe I got from my neighbour, who was a great cook, in Manipal in the 1980s. I just love this preparation and make it every year during the season of tender jackfruits.

Lemon rice with tender jackfruit sabzi and curd

                        

Ingredients

1 small tender jackfruit skinned and diced, pressure cooked for 4 to 5 minutes with one glass of water. Don’t throw away the water in which it is cooked

Salt to taste

To grind:

½ coconut grated

3 Red chillies lightly fried in a little oil

Again fry 1 teaspoon each of coriander seeds, udad dal, and fenugreek seeds till aroma comes

 A small ball of tamarind

1 ½ tabsps of jaggery

To temper:

 2 tbsps oil

½ tsp mustard seeds

1 bay leaf

Instruction

-          Take out the jackfruit pieces in a big vessel.

Grind all the ingredients using part of the water in which the jackfruit is cooked.

-          Put this into the vessel with jackfruit pieces, add salt and pound them together. The pieces will get sort of mashed.

-          Heat the oil with mustard seeds, when they splutter add the bay leaf, then add the mashed jackfruit and the remaining water in which jackfruit was cooked.

-          Mix well, keep on low fire for about 5 minutes and remove from fire.

-          It is a great accompaniment for boiled rice.

Kathal (tender jackfruit) Do Pyaza

 

This is a delicious preparation that is awesome with chapatti, but is good with boiled rice too.

Ingredients

Cut the tender jackfruit  horizontally into two and vertically into four pieces. You need to smear the knife and your hand with oil to prevent the sap from sticking. Remove the skin and the central hard core and cut into large pieces. Pressure cook these pieces with water, salt and a teaspoon of oil for about 5 minutes. Cool, open, drain the water. These pieces can be stored in the refrigerator for 4, 5 days and used to make different preparations

3 cups of this boiled tender jackfruit cut into smaller pieces.

2 large onions peeled and thinly sliced

2 tbsps mustard oil

½ tsp mustard seeds

1 bay leaf

3 cardamoms

½ tsp pepper corns

3 red chillies, each broken into 2 or 3 pieces

1/3 tsp turmeric powder

1/3 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp coriander powder

¼ tsp garam masala powder

1 cup water

Instruction

-Heat the oil with mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter, add the chopped onions and reduce the flame. Keep stirring in between.

- When the onion is slightly cooked and transparent, add the bay leaf, cardamoms, pepper corns, broken red chillies, the masala powders and salt. Mix well.

-Add the cooked jackfruit pieces and water. 

Bring to boil and reduce the flame. Simmer for 10 minutes and remove from fire.

Kathal do pyaza served with kerala barotta, gooseberry pickle, peanut dil sabzi, and curd. 

Mango Ginger Chutney (Manga manjal inchi chammanthi)

 

Mango ginger (Curcuma amada) is an effective spice that helps treat many health issues. In Malayalam we call it Manga manjal inchi and I remember the taste of its chutney from childhood. Though it looks like normal ginger, it is not really ginger and has the rich, sweet flavour of raw mango. This spice actually belongs to the same family as turmeric, but unlike turmeric’s rich yellow colour, it has a pale yellow core. Many refer to it as White Turmeric.

Mango ginger is rich in antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, and it helps pacify all three doshas in the body, including vata, pitta, and kapha.

You can make dry chutney that is served with rice, or make it more liquid and temper, to serve with dosa/idli.

Ingredients

1 cup coconut grated

1 green chilli

Salt to taste

1 tbsp cut onion

2 tbsps peeled, sliced mango ginger

½ mustard seeds (for thick chutney)

2 tbsps putani (roasted Bengal gram) (for liquid chutney)

Water

Instruction

-          Grind all the ingredients, adding sufficient water according to the type of chutney you want to make- dry or wet.

-          Season the wet chutney with mustard seeds, broken red chillies and curry leaves.

Basundi

 

This is a milk based sweet that is our family favourite. Recently I wanted to have it but found that the usual shops from where we used to buy have stopped making. Checked the internet for recipe and found that it is not tough to make at home, and that is what we did!

Ingredients

½ litre milk

1 ½ cups mava (solidified milk, that is prepared by keeping milk on low fire, stirring continuously till it becomes solid)

2 tbsps sugar

A few strands of saffron soaked in 1 tsp water for 10 minutes

¼ tsp cardamom powder

10 badams (almonds) slivered to garnish

Instruction

-          Break the mava into small particles with fingers and mix it into the milk

-          Keep this milk mava mixture in a thick bottomed pan on fire. When it boils, reduce flame and keep stirring to avoid it sticking to the bottom

-          When the mixture becomes thick, add the sugar (this makes it thinner now) and keep stirring

-          Add the cardamom powder and the saffron strands along with the water, mix well

-          Wait till the desired consistency is achieved, keeping in mind that it will become thicker on refrigeration

-          Remove from fire, allow to cool and refrigerate before serving

-          Serve with the badam slivers spread on the top.

Sago (Sabudana) Idli

 

On this year Onam (15-9-2024) I welcomed Mahabali with a new breakfast item, so soft and with a nice mild aroma. There is no grinding involved here, as we do for normal idlis.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups idli rava/ rice rava for 12 idlis

¾ cup sago

2 cups curd

1 ½ cups water

Salt to taste

¼ tsp baking soda

Instruction

-          Take the idli rava and sago in a vessel and wash in water once. Beat the curd and mix in with this.

-          Slowly add the water to make a thick batter, cover and leave for fermentation overnight, or for 6- 8 hours

-          Just before steaming, add the salt and baking soda, add some more water if needed to get the correct consistency of idli batter. Mix gently.

-          Grease the idli mould and add the batter. Steam for 12 minutes.

-          Allow it to cool a little before removing for the mould.

-          Serve with sambar/chutney.

-          I had some left over batter, which I made into appe/phad on the next day for evening tea, after adding cut onions and green chilli. They tasted awesome!

Hanchina dosa/ Kappa rotti/ Vodu dosa/Odu dosa

 

My daughter had this dosa at Aloor and she was bowled over. She managed to get the recipe and shared with me. And I prepared this for breakfast. Traditionally it is served with sweetened coconut milk. I had some green tomato chutney and that was also a great combination. And what an item this hanchina dosa is!! It has an amazing texture. You should definitely include this in breakfast items.

Ingredients

2 cups dosa rice – for 8 dosas

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 cup cooked rice OR poha (beaten rice)

1 cup grated coconut

Salt to taste

Instruction

-          Wash the dosa rice, fenugreek seeds, and beaten rice. Soak for about 5 hours

-          Grind this with coconut and leave overnight for fermentation. It can be prepared immediately, without fermentation too. The batter should be thinner than that for set dosa, but thicker than neer dosa.

-          Add salt to the fermented batter and mix well.

-          Apply oil on a hot thava and pour the batter. Don’t spread it too thin. Cover and cook on low flame. It is cooked only from one side.

-          Enjoy with sweetened coconut milk or any chutney.

Pav Bhaji

 

Pav bhaji is a fast food dish from India. It consists of a thick vegetable curry, with a soft bread roll, which may be toasted, and served with butter, cut onion and lemon. The origin of this dish traces back to textile mill workers in Mumbai in the 1850s. They had lunch breaks too short for a full meal, and a light lunch was preferred to a heavy one, as the employees had to return to strenuous physical labour after lunch.

My children love this dish and I used to make for dinner quite frequently. They would insist on preparing extra, for taking to school lunch the next day.

Ingredients

100 gms French beans

100 gm potatoes

100 gm green peas

¾ cup cauli flower pieces

1 small carrot

Salt to taste

2 tbsps oil

3 big tomatoes cut fine

3 onions cut fine

1 green chilli slit

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

½ tsp red chilli powder

½ garam masala powder OR pav bhaji masala powder

2 tbsps cut coriander leaves

1 lemon

Instruction

-          Wash, clean, peel and cut all vegetables into small pieces. Pressure cook all vegetables except onion and tomatoes, with 1 ½  cups water for one whistle. Let it cool and then open.

-          While the vegetable is cooking, heat a thick bottomed pan, pour the oil, add cut onion (keep aside some for garnishing later), reduce the flame and stir in between.

-          When the onion is transparent, add the ginger garlic paste and slit green chilli. 

When nice aroma comes, add the cut tomatoes and keep stirring in between till the tomatoes become mushy.

-          Now add the cooked vegetables, red chilli powder, garam masala powder and salt. Keep mashing the vegetables on low fire. If needed add some more water. After about ten minutes, remove from fire.

-          Serve with cut lemon, and garnish with cut onion and coriander leaves, along with toasted pav (soft buns) and butter.

Modak

                                        

Lord Ganesh is called “Modakapriya”(lover of modak) because modak is considered to be his favourite sweet.  The word modak means "small part of bliss" and it symbolises spiritual knowledge. According to mythology, Goddess Parvati’smother Menavati used to feed modaks to her grandson Ganesha to fulfill his insatiable appetite.  Devi Parvati also started preparing modaks to keep his stomach full and then there is the tradition of making modaks on Ganesh Chaturthi.

Modak is rich in saturated fats, vitamins, and minerals, all of which can contribute to a robust immune system. It is a nutritious choice during pregnancy. These sweet dumplings consist of a good amount of iron, magnesium, and healthy fats.

Ingredients

For the covering:

1  cup Rice flour – for 6 modaks

Salt to taste

1 cup boiling water

For the filling:

3 tbsps jaggery

¾ cup grated coconut

½ tsp cardamom powder

Instruction

-          Boil the water and add it to the rice flour and salt. Mix with a spoon and leave it covered for ten minutes.

-          Meanwhile, keep the coconut and jaggery on low fire in a thick bottomed pan and kepp stirring. First, the jaggery will liquefy and then it becomes a soft solid, ready for the filling.

-          Add cardamom powder, mix well and remove from fire. Let it cool.

-          Now knead the rice flour water mix ad make into a smooth dough. Divide it into 6 portions.

-          Take each portion and rotate between the palms applying some pressure.

-          Flatten it between the palms. Holding it in the left hand, flatten it further with right hand fingers.

-          Gently make it cup shaped, keep some filling in the center and bring the periphery towards the center, join them and give the shape of the modk.

-          Boil water in a vessel, over which we will keep a plate with holes in it. Smear oil on the plate and arrange the modaks over it.

-          Cover it and steam for ten minutes. You can also steam the modaks in the pressure cooker without the valve, just like we steam idlis. Or you can even deep fry the modaks and enjoy a different taste.

-          Offer the modaks to Ganeshji and then enjoy!

 

  

Caramelized Sheera

 

This has a very inviting color and a nice flavor. I just love this dish!

Ingredients

1 cup sooji(semolina)

2 cups water

½ cup milk

1 cup sugar

¼ cup ghee

¼ tsp cardamom powder

Instruction

-          Soak sooji in 2 cups water and half cup milk for half hour.

-          Take sugar in a thick bottomed pan, keep on low fire and keep stirring till it is liquefied  and gets a brown color.

-          Slowly add the ghee and stir. Be careful as it may splatter.

-          Now slowly add the soaked sooji. Keep stirring on low flame till it becomes a homogenous mix with the consistency of sheera.

-          Add cardamom powder, mix well and remove from fire. Serve hot.

Bread Butter Jam Pudding

A British lady came from South Africa to learn Reiki from me and stayed with us for ten days. Apart from Reiki training, we used to have fun too, cooking meals together was part of that. This is a dish that she made for us, I just love it! We became friends, and are still in touch after so many years.

Ingredients

6 slices of bread

Butter to apply on one side of the bread slices

Jam to apply on one side of the bread slices

1 ½ cups of milk

2 eggs

2 tbsps sugar

¾ tsp vanilla essence

Instruction

-          Pre heat oven to 180degrees

-          Apply butter on one side of all bread slices

-          Now apply jam over the buttered surface.

-          Grease a baking dish and arrange the bread slices, surface with butter and jam facing up.

-          Beat the eggs till fluffy, add the milk, sugar, and vanilla essence and beat again.

-          Pour it over the arranged bread slices and bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees. 

Black gram (udad dal) Khichdi

                                Udad dal khichdi with cabbage thoran, okra sabzi, salad and curd

This is a very delicious khichdi I ate in a Punjabi friend’s house. Immediately I took the recipe from her and has been making it for lunch every now and then.

Ingridients

1/3 cup black gram- split, with skin intact

1cup rice

3 Cloves

¼ tsp pepper powder

Salt to taste

1 tbsp oil or ghee

¼ tsp cumin seeds

1 onion finely cut

5 cloves of garlic finely cut

4 cups water

Instruction

-          Clean and wash the dal and rice together and soak in water for ten minutes.

-          Heat oil in the pressure cooker, add cumin seeds, cloves and cut onion.

-          Sauté it a bit, add cut garlic and pepper powder.

-          Stir for a few seconds on medium flame, add the soaked dal and rice, mix well.

-          Add the water and salt, pressure cook for 8 minutes. Remove from fire, let it cool.

-          Serve hot with curd, papad and pickle

Pumpkin Leaves Sabzi

 This is a delicious accompaniment for steamed rice and chapatis.

Ingredients

20 Pumpkin leaves with stems

1 Large onion peeled and cut fine

1 green chilli sliced

6 cloves of garlic cut fine

1 tblsp oil

¼ tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp udad dal

Salt to taste

Instruction

-          

Pumpkin  plant

                                                                                    

Wash and clean the leaves. Take off the transparent outer skin of the stems and cut the stems and leaves very fine.

-          Put them in pressure cooker with a tablespoon of water and put on high flame. When one whistle comes, switch off the flame and remove from fire, let it cool.

-          Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add udad dal. When they brown lightly, add cut onions and green chilli.

-          Add the cut garlic and sauté for a minute. Mix in the cooked leaves and add salt. Keep on low flame for two minutes, stirring in between, till it is dry. If you want you can add masala powders, but I love the flavour of the leaves and don’t add them.

-          Remove from fire and it is ready to be served.