Drumstick (moringa) leaves clear soup

Drumstick leaves are highly nutritious and should be beneficial for people who are lacking in essential nutrients. In Bali they call it ‘miracle tree’ and almost every house maintains a drumstick tree.

This soup is very nutritious, soothing and easy to prepare. 

Ingredients:

½ cup drumstick leaves (you don’t have to separate each leaf, use with the small stems)

2 ½ cups of water

½ inch piece of galangal or ginger sliced

4 cloves of garlic sliced

Salt to taste

1 tbsp of grated coconut (optional)

Pepper powder

Instructions:

-       Boil everything except coconut and pepper powder together.

-       Reduce the flame and simmer for 5 minutes.

-       Add coconut and simmer for further five minutes.

-       Pour the soup through a sieve into cups and sprinkle pepper powder.

-       Enjoy the delicious soup!

Cashew apple sabzi

During a casual conversation with a friend from Mangalore I mentioned that we had some cashew apples and she told delicious sabzi can be prepared with them. I was thrilled to hear that and gave some cashew apples to her and she sent me the preparation. We relished it so much that I got the recipe and this week I prepared it. It goes well with chapatis as well as with steamed rice.

Ingredients:

3 ripe cashew apples cleaned and cut into cubes

½ cup grated coconut

3 red chillies broken to pieces

2 tsps coriander seeds

2tbsps oil

½ tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp fenugreek seeds

A few curry leaves

1/3 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Jaggery to taste

A small ball of tamarind

1 cup water

Instruction:

-          - Heat a small quantity of oil, fry the broken pieces of red chillies, remove and keep aside. In the same oil, fry the coriander seeds and when they cool down, grind with the grated coconut.

-          - Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a thick bottomed pan and add mustard seeds. When the splutter, add fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and the cubed cashew apples.

-          - Saute for a few seconds, add turmeric powder, tamarind and water and let it cook (takes about 6 minutes)

-          - Now add the ground coconut, jaggery, and mix well. Let it simmer for five minutes and remove from fire.

Pathrode

This tasty snack is prepared commonly in South Karnataka, with colocasia leaves.

Preparations from these leaves have a tendency to cause itching in the throat, which can be nullified by adding tamarind while cooking. So never forget to add tamarind!

Ingredients:

5 colocasia leaves

To grind

1 cup raw rice soaked for about 4 hours

Salt to taste

2 tsps cumin seeds

2 tsps coriander seeds

½ tsp red chilli powder

A small ball of tamarind

1tbsp jaggery powder

1 tsp black gram dal, lightly roasted

½ tsp fenugreek seeds, lightly roasted

For seasoning:

2 tbsps oil

½ tsp mustard seeds

1 red chilli broken to pieces

A few curry leaves

½ cup grated coconut

2 tbsps powdered jaggery

Instruction:

-         -  Take the colocasia leaves, gently remove the thick veins on the outer surface with a sharp knife.

-         -  Wash the leaves, lightly shake off the excess water and keep aside for the remaining water to evaporate.

-          - Drain the soaked rice and grind it along with all other ingredients. Add spoonfulls of water as needed, it needs to be a thick mix.

-          - Apply this ground mixture on the outer side of the colocasia leaves and roll them up.

-          - Steam the rolled leaves for 20 minutes.

-          - Take them out and slice them on cooling.

-          - Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the red chilli pieces and curry leaves.

-          - Now add the jaggery and grated coconut, stir for a minute and add the sliced leaves.

-          -  Mix well and it is ready to serve. It is a very good snack for tea time.

There is another, a little easier and faster version of pathrode, see the recipe HERE

Pudina (Mint) rice

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice

½ cup green peas (optional)

2 ½ cups of water

Salt to taste

To grind:

1 cup mint leaves

1 green chilli

½ inch piece of ginger

5,6  garlic flakes

½ cup grated coconut

To season:

2 tbsps oil

1 bay leaf

½ tsp cumin seeds

3 cloves

3 cardamoms

1 mace

1 small piece cinnamon

To garnish:

1 tbsp cashew nuts roasted in 1 tsp ghee

Instruction:

·         Soak the rice for 15 minutes. Add the water and salt and put it on medium heat.

·         Grind the coconut, mint leaves, green chilli, ginger and garlic.

·         Heat the oil in a pan, add bay leaf, cumin seeds, clove, mace, cardamom, cinnamon, and  sauté

·         Add the ground masala, roast lightly, add the green peas. Stir for a second, now put this into the rice.

·         When it boils, reduce the flame and cook for ten minutes. Remove from fire and let it sit for at least ten minutes for the flavours to be absorbed well and the rice to become fluffy. Garnish with roasted cashews before serving.

·         Serve with roasted papad, pickle and raita

Pudina rice with tender jackfruit 'Do pyaza', poached egg and garlic chutney.

Broken wheat Upma

Ingredients:

1 cup broken wheat, soaked for about ½ hour

3 ½ cups water

Salt to taste

2 tbsps oil

½ tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp udad dal

½ tsp chana dal

1 onion cut fine

2 green chillies broken

A few curry leaves

2 tomatoes cut fine

1 carrot chopped into small pieces

¼ cup shelled peas

2 tbsps grated coconut to garnish

Instruction:

-         -  Heat oil in the pressure cooker, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the udad dal, chana dal, stir, and add cut onion, green chillies and curry leaves. Sauté them on medium flame.

-          - Add the cut tomatoes, after a minute, add the cut carrots and peas and mix well.

-          - Now add the soaked drained broken wheat and salt. Mix them well and add the water.

-          - Pressure cook for 3 minutes, cool and open.

-         -  Serve with a teaspoon of ghee poured over it and garnished with grated coconut.

Brinjal masala, Karnataka style

This is an awesome Karnataka preparation that I learned from a friend. It is great with jowar rotis, but goes well with steamed rice too.

Ingredients:

6 small brinjals

2 onions cut fine

4 tomatoes cut fine

A bunch of coriander leaves cut fine

2 tbsps groundnut chutney

1 tbsp green chutney

2 tbsps oil

Salt to taste

2 ½ tsps sugar

2 ½ cups water

Instructions:

-          Wash the brinjals and slit them twice. Add half of the cut onion, tomatoes and coriander leaves, groundnut chutney (made by grinding roasted ground nuts, salt, garlic and red chilli powder), salt, sugar and mix well. Set aside for ten minutes.

-          Take the other half of the cut onion, tomatoes and coriander leaves and start frying them in oil on medium flame. When it becomes mushy, put the brinjals, mix everything well, add water and let it cook for about seven minutes, then simmer for two minutes and remove from fire. It is ready to be served.

Gluten free shakarpara

For those who are gluten sensitive, shakarpara can be prepared with rice flour. Since it doesn’t have the holding property like the refined flour, we can’t spread the dough into round, cut into squares and fry. I took small portions of the dough, pressed and rolled it nicely between the palms to make into a small round, then pressed it to flatten. When about ten of them were prepared, they were fried together and drained.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups rice flour

½ cup ghee

½ cup milk

¾ cup sugar, powdered

½ tsp cardamom powder

A pinch of salt

Oil for frying

Instruction:

- Lightly roast the rice flour for about 5 minutes on low fire and keep aside to cool after adding the salt and cardamom powder.

- Warm the milk, add the sugar powder, let is dissolve and then add the ghee. Stir for a few seconds and remove from fire.

- Add a ladleful of rice flour; mix it into the milk sugar ghee mix. Keep adding ladlefuls of rice flour and when all the rice flour is mixed in, knead into a smooth dough and keep aside covered with cling film for ten minutes.

- Heat the oil. Take small portions of the dough, roll into a ball between the palms, then flatten it and deep fry on medium heat.

- Drain when they turn golden brown in color.

- Cool and store in air tight container, enjoy with tea or coffee.