Piyava upkari (onion stir fry)

Ingredients

1.     Onion                                                        3-4

2.     Mustard                                                   ½ tsp

3.     Red chillies                                             5-6 no’s

4.     Coconut oil or any other oil             2 tsp

5.     Salt to taste

Method

 Slice onions  add little salt and keep aside.  Heat oil in a kadai.  Add mustard seeds when splutter, add broken red chillies fry for a while. Then add sliced onions to it. Fry till its  colour changes slightly and add little water and salt. Cover and cook till done.  Serve with rice.

Benda Sasam (Lady’s finger Sasam)

This was prepared from the Bendi (lady’s finger) grown in my own small patch of Organic kitchen garden.   The first product of my garden was bendi and here I tried my own version of Sasam-a simple side dish for rice.   I feel very much refreshed every morning on entering my garden and after nurturing my plants I go to my routine works.

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

Lady’s finger                                               --  5 to 6 nos

Red chilly                                                     --  4 to 5

Mustard seeds                                           --   ½ tsp

Grated coconut                                          --    ¼ cup

Curd                                                               --    ¼ cup

Curry leaves    few

Salt to taste.

Method

Wash the lady’s fingers and dry them with kitchen towel and chop them finely into small pieces.  Heat  1 tbsp oil in kadai, add chopped lady’s fingers fry till light brown add curry leaves fry for a while.  Add little salt and Keep aside. 

For masala

Grind red chilly, grated coconut, curd and mustard into coarse paste.  Add this paste to the fried lady’s fingers and mix well.  Benda Sasam is ready to serve with hot steaming rice.

 

 

Kela Halwo (Banana halwa)

Ingredients

Banana (Nendra pazham)                 --  6 nos (more ripen with black skin)    

Sugar                                                          --  1 ½ cup

Ghee                                                           --   ½ cup

Cardamom                                               --   4 to 5

Method

Peel the bananas chop them into thin slices then grind into fine paste.  Then add this into thick bottom kadai, add 2 tbsp of ghee and sugar.  Stir continuously till it becomes thick add remaining ghee and cardamom powder to it while stirring.  Grease one plate with ghee (for checking pour some on the plate, if it does not stick to your finger the halwa is ready) then pour the mixture in the plate then pour 1 or 2 tsp of ghee above the mixture and spread evenly with a spatula and let it cool for 2 to 3 hours in room temperature. 

After cooling cut in required shapes and store in air tight containers.  Can be kept for 15 days to one month.

  

Duddi sandan or duddi sannan

Ingredients

1.       Lai (malar)                     2 ½ cup

2.       Grated  coconut            1 no

3.       Raw rice                         1 cup

4.       Jaggery                           1 cup (grated)

5.       Curd                               ¼ cup

6.       Milk                                2 tbsp

7.       Cashew nut                   1 tbsp

8.       Raisins                           1 tbsp

9.       Cardamom                    4-5 pod

10.   Salt to taste

 

METHOD

·        Soak white rice for 3-4 hours.

·        Soak lai half an hour before grinding.

·        Wash the rice and put it in strainer.

·        Then strain water from the soaked lai.

·        Grind grated coconut, jaggery, soaked and strained lai into fin paste ( don’t much water while grinding).

·        Transfer into a big vessel.

·        Then grind the rice coarsely( like rava consistency)

·        Add this grounded rice batter into the grounded paste

·         Add cardamom, cashew nut & raisins into this mixture& mix well

·        Pour curd and milk in the batter ( don’t mix them)

·        Let it ferment for at least 6 – 8 hours

·        Next day morning mix batter nicely.

·        Batter should be thick like idli batter

·        Grease the idli mould with little ghee

·        Add batter into the moulds and steam for 15-20 min

·         After it cools down, de-mould idlis from moulds.

·         Serve with chutney powder or pickle J

Spicy Gobi

Cauliflower (Gobi)                                      1

Onion                                                            1

Garlic                                                             2 to 3 flakes

Red chilly powder                                       3 tsp

Coriander powder                                      2 tsp

Jeera powder                                              ½ tsp

Turmeric powder                                        ¼ tsp

Pepper powder                                           ½ tsp

Curd                                                              2 tbsp

Pudina leaves few (optional)

Salt to taste

Method

Cut cauliflower into small pieces and soak it in salt water for 10 min.

Then wash them with clean water strain extra water.

Then transfer this into big bowl add chilli powder, turmeric powder, jeera powder, coriander powder, pepper powder, salt  and curd mix well and keep aside for 10 to 15 min.

Heat oil in kadai add sliced onion and garlic fry till light brown then add marinated cauliflower and half cup water mix well, cover and cook till it dry. Serve with roti or rice.

Avala saaru/amla rasam

Ingredients

Salted Amla/amla                                 3 to 4

Grated coconut                                     1 tbsp

Green chilly                                            3 to4

Jeera                                                        ½ tsp

Crushed   garlic                                      5 to 6 flakes

Salt to taste

Method

Cut amla remove seeds then grind this with grated coconut, green chillies, jeera and salt into fine paste. Then add 2 to 3 cups of water and boil it for 5 to 10 min.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan add crushed garlic fry till brown.  Then pour this on boiling rasam.

Tasty Amla rasam ready to serve.

Gulla podi (green brinjal fry)

Green brinjal                             3 to 4

Chilly powder                            1 ½ tbsp

Hing powder                              ¼ tsp

Rava/rice flour                          ¼ cup

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

 

Wash brinjal and dry them with kitchen towel.

Then cut into thin slices.

For marination:-  add chilly powder, hing powder, salt and little water mix it make thick paste from it.

Then apply this to brinjal slices and keep aside for 15 min.

Then roll them into rava keep aside for 5 min.

Then deep fry them.(we can prepare tawa fry also  with the same recipe)

Serve hot .

 

Salla upkari (salted jackfruit stir fry)

salla is prepared with raw jack fruit and its kept mainly for rainy season. Salla Upkari is a favorite of the konkanis.

 

 

Ingredients

Salted jack fruit                                 1 cup

Red chillies                                         5 to 6

Grated coconut                                 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds                                   ½ tsp

Oil                                                        1 tbsp

Method

·  Soak salted jack fruit for 3 to 4 hour.

·  Then wash with clean water 3 to 4 times so that extra salt gets away.

·  Then chop them into small pieces.

·  Heat oil in kadai add mustard seeds, broken red chilly fry for 2 min then add jackfruit pieces.

·  Mix well cover and cook for 5 to 10 min.

·  Then add grated coconut mix well cover and cook for another 5 min.

·  Salla upkari ready to eat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MIRCHIKA SALAN

Ingredients

·        Long green chilly                                           200gm

·        Jeera /cumin                                                 ½ tsp

·        Methi                                                              ¼ tsp

·        Coriander powder                                        1 tbsp

·        Jeera powder                                                1 tbsp

·        Curry leaves few

·        Turmeric                                                         ¼ tsp

·        Chilly powder                                                3 tsp

·        Tamarind pulp                                               1 tbsp 

·        Chopped coriander                                       2 tbsp

·        Salt to taste.

To be ground  into paste

·        Garlic                                                    6 cloves

·        Grated coconut                                  2 tbsp

·        Onion                                                    1

·        Ginger                                                   ½ “ piece

·        Tomatoes                                              2

 

For dry powder

·        peanuts                                                2 tbsp

·        Sesame seeds(TiL)                              2 tbsp

·        Jeera                                                     ½ tbsp

Dry roast peanuts, sesame seeds and jeera lightly and powder them and keep aside.

Method

Heat oil in kadai and add washed and slit green chilly fry in oil till little colour change.  Then remove and keep aside. In the same oil add jeera, methi, mustard seeds and curry leaves fry till seeds crackle.

Then add ground paste fry for a while then add coriander powder, jeera powder, and turmeric, chilly powder and dry powdered masala mix well fry till oil comes up. Then add tamarind pulp and 2 cups water boil it till becomes little thick.  Then add fried green chilly, chopped coriander  and salt cook till gravy becomes thick.

Serve hot with roti or biryani J