Thursday, August 30, 2012

Uthapam/Uthappa



Ingredients:

4 cups idli rice
1 cup urad dal (black gram dal)
1 cup poha (beaten rice)
a few methi (fenugreek seeds)
1 large red onion, chopped
1"ginger, chopped fine
3-4 green chillies, chopped fine
coriander leaves, chopped
salt to taste
oil

How it's made:

Soak rice, urad dal, poha and methi for 6 hrs. Grind and keep it covered overnight (about 8 hrs) to ferment.
Mix onion, ginger, green chillies and coriander leaves in a bowl. Set aside.


Heat "polya kayli", tava or iron skillet and spread a little oil. Add salt to the batter. Pour a ladleful of batter to make a thick pancake. Add a little of the chopped onion mixture and drizzle a few drops of oil.


Cover and let it cook for a few mins. Carefully flip over and let it cook on the other side until onions are light brown. Serve hot with chutney/sambar.

Alternate toppings - Tomatoes, green peppers can be added to the onion.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Kori Roti (Chicken In Coconut Milk) - Mangalorean Bunt Style

Chicken is known as "Kori" in Tulu, a language spoken by Bunt community. "Roti" is made of rice to look like dry crisps. They are soaked in gravy before consuming. This dish is very popular in Mangalore, Udupi and surrounding areas and served at almost every restaurant in Coastal Karnataka. Back home, Amma always made it with grated fresh coconut. Coconut was ground for a few minutes to extract thick and thin coconut milk. Chicken was cooked with spices and thin milk. Thick coconut milk was added just before seasoning. Growing up we used to buy Roti from the local stores. I still go by Amma's recipe but in order to save time I use a can of coconut milk. Although, no one is a big fan of "Roti", I serve it with Shevai/jeera rice/white rice/roti/appam. These days "Kori Roti" masala is readily available at most stores in Coastal Karnataka. I do buy a few packets and save them for last minute dinner parties.




Ingredients:

3 lbs chicken, skinless (preferably with bone)
8 red chillies
6 cloves garlic
2" ginger
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
3/4 tsp methi seeds (fenugreek)
8 cloves
2"cinnamon
1/2 tsp haldi (turmeric)
1/2 tsp pepper corns
4 medium sized onions
marble sized tamarind
1 sprig curry leaves
1 can coconut milk

How it's made:

Clean, cut chicken into medium size pieces. In a little oil, roast one ingredient at a time- red chillies, coriander seeds, jeera, methi, cloves, cinnamon, pepper corns. Set aside. Chop one onion & fry it with chopped ginger & garlic. Combine roasted spices with onions/garlic, tamarind & grind to a fine paste.
In the meantime, cook chicken with 2 chopped onion & haldi. When half cooked, add ground masala paste. Cover & cook on medium high heat. Do not add water.
In a shallow pan, heat 2 tbsp oil. Add 1 finely chopped onion & curry leaves. Fry until golden brown.
To the cooked chicken, add a can of coconut milk. Adjust salt. Boil for 5 mins. Season with fried onion & curry leaves.
Curry tastes a lot better the next day.

Serves: 4-6

Friday, August 24, 2012

Bhindi/ Bhenda Upkari (Lady's finger/Okra stir fry)





Ingredients:

1/2 lb lady's finger,both ends cut and cut into 1"pieces
2 dried red chillies, cut into 2 pieces
1/2 tsp sasam, (black mustard seeds)
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp oil
salt to taste

How it's made:

Wash lady's finger before cutting them into pieces. In a "Kayli" or non stick pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds. Once it splutters, add red chillies. Then add lady's finger, lemon juice and salt. Cover and cook on medium high flame until tender. Adjust seasoning. Serve with plain white rice and dalitoy for a heart warming Konkani meal.

Serves: 2-3

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Trifle

This dessert is simple, easy and doesn't need a lot to time to put together. I have made this several times during gatherings and it has been a hit every single time. Pound cake or yellow cake can be used for this recipe which can be baked at home or purchased from the store. Most of the time, I bake cake for trifles with store bought cake mix. To save time, store bought ready to eat jello as well as vanilla pudding can be substituted for this recipe. I used cherry flavored jello since we have a cherry fanatic in the house- cherry pies, cherry pop tarts, cherry ice cream, cherry flavored candy...and the cherry list goes on!



Ingredients:

1 box of yellow cake mix
1- 1.85oz vanilla instant pudding mix
1- 1.4oz boxed jello
1 1/2 cup milk, cold
1 tsp ground cinnamon powder
1- 15oz can mandarin oranges,drained
4-5 strawberries, sliced
2-3 tbsp cool whip,thawed

How it's made:

Follow instruction on box for yellow cake & jello. Cut cake into cubes or strips. Cut jello into cubes. Mix in vanilla instant pudding with milk and cinnamon. Stir well to avoid lumps. Once smooth add in cool whip. Whisk well and set aside.
In a glass bowl, place a layer of cake slices. Cover cake with pudding. I like to spread a thin glue like layer to keep the dessert light. Layer jello cubes, mandarin oranges and strawberry slices. Continue layering to finish the top layer with pudding.






Top with jello cubes and oranges. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Serves: 8

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Paneer Curry (Cottage Cheese Curry)

My family is ever ready for Paneer on any given day. I serve this dish with plain roti/paratha or serve as "Paneer Kati Roll". In order to keep the recipe simple for Kati roll, I use Malaysian Paratha (available at most Indian grocery stores) for the outer covering.





Ingredients:

14 oz Paneer (cottage cheese), cut into 1" rectangular pieces
1 large red onion, sliced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 medium green pepper, sliced
1 medium red/yellow pepper, sliced
1 large tomato, sliced
1/4 cup tomato puree
2-3 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp haldi (turmeric powder)
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp jeera powder (cumin powder)
1/2 tsp saunf powder (fennel seed powder)
1/2 tsp chaat masala
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup corinder leaves, chopped
Oil
Salt to taste

How it's made:

In a wide pan, heat oil. Add red onion, garlic & ginger. Fry until onions are pale pink. Add peppers, tomato, tomato puree & tomato ketchup. Cover & let cook for 5 mins. Add spices & let cook for another minute or two. Add paneer, sugar & salt to taste. Stir gently taking care that paneer doesn't break. Cover & cook on medium high heat for 5 mins. Garnish with coriander leaves.

For "Kati roll"- Heat Malaysian paratha as per directions on package. Place paneer curry in the center of paratha and flip both ends to cover paneer. Cut in half and serve hot.

Serves : 6

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Patrado/Pathravade




Ingredients:

4-5 patrade paan (colocasia/arvi leaves)
1/2 cup grated coconut
5-6 dried red chillies, roasted
small piece of tamarind
1/4 cup white rice, uncooked
1/4 cup moong dal (split green gram dal)
salt to taste

How it's made:

Wash and soak rice and moong dal for 20 mins. In the meantime, wash patrade pan thoroughly. Grind coconut, red chillies & tamarind to a paste without adding much water. Add soaked rice and dal and grind to a smooth paste. Add salt to taste. Set aside.

Place one of the largest patrade paan on flat surface with stalk end towards you. Smear ground masala on the paan. Keep layering until all leaves are used.



Fold side ends, about 2" to the centre. Smear ground masala on the folds and start rolling firmly from the top to tip end to form a log.



Steam the log for 30-35 mins.


Once cooked, slice into 1/2"thick slices and serve hot with drizzle of coconut oil.


Friday, August 17, 2012

Rasam (with left over dali)

"Dalitoy" is the Kuldevu in Konkani cooking and I always have a little bit of left over in my refrigerator once every couple of days. For a change, I make this Rasam and it reminds me of "Devastana Saru". This Saru/Rasam served with plain white rice and vegetable "Upkari" (stir fry) is the best meal especially after eating out over the weekend.



Ingredients:

1/2 - 3/4 cup left over cooked dal
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 tbsp jaggery (brown sugar)
2 tsp sambhar powder
2 tbsp Coriander leaves
Salt to taste
oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 sprig curry leaves

How it's made:

To the left over dal add 1/2 cup water, tomato, jaggery, sambhar powder, corainder leaves and salt to taste. Boil on medium high heat for 10 mins. Season with mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Serves: 4

Friday, August 10, 2012

Papdi (Papri) Chaat

Papdi Chaat is an all time and any time family favorite in our household.





Ingredients:
Papdi ( I use Anand brand)
Boiled chick peas ( Garbanzo beans)
Boiled potatoes, chopped
Red onion, chopped fine
Coriander leaves, chopped
Thin sev
Chutney - green chutney ; tamarind/date chutney (recipe below)
Spiced yogurt (recipe below)

Method:

On a wide serving plate, place 6-7 papdis. Layer each papdi with chick peas , potatoes and onions. Spoon green chutney, tamarind chutney & spiced yogurt.  Top with sev & coriander leaves. Serve immediately.



How to make Green Chutney:
1 cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 green chilli
1 clove of garlic
1/2 tsp chaat masala
1 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste

Grind all the above ingredients to a fine paste with very little water & set aside.

How to make Tamarind/ Date chutney:
Golf ball sized Tamarind soaked in 1 cup water for an hour
1/4 dates, boiled for 10 mins (mainly to soften them)
1/4 cup jaggery (brown sugar)
1/2 tsp roasted jeera (cumin) powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder

Blend dates to a fine paste. Squeeze out pulp from tamarind & discard the fiber. In a sauce pan, add tamarind water, date paste, jaggery & spices. Boil on medium heat until sauce thickens. More jaggery may be required to adjust the taste.
This chutney stays well in the refrigerator for 10 days or more but I prefer to make it in bulk & freeze in small containers.

How to make spiced yogurt:
1 cup yogurt, whisked
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp roasted jeera (cumin) powder
a pinch of salt
1/4 tsp sugar

Mix all the above ingredients together. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Kooka Upkari ( Chinese Potato Stir Fry)



Ingredients:


3 cups frozen kook (available at most Indian grocery)
1 tsp oil
2 red chillies, cut into 4 pieces
2-3 tbsp grated coconut
salt to taste

How it's made:

In a "kayli"or heavy bottom pan, heat oil. Add mustard. When it splutters (cover pan with lid to make clean up easier), add red chillies. Fry for about 30 seconds on medium high flame. Add kook & salt to taste. Cover, simmer and let it cook for 10 mins. Add in grated coconut. Serve hot.

Serves : 4

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Bisi Bele Bhath

Bisi Bele Bhath is a complete meal by itself.  I sometimes make the spice paste & store it in the freezer in order to cut down on cooking time.



Ingredients:

2 cups white raw rice
1 cup toor dal
1/4 cups carrots, diced into cubes
1/4 beans, cut into 1"pieces
1/4 cup green peas
1/4 cup cauliflower
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
1 tsp haldi (turmeric) powder
6 cloves
1"cinnamon stick
1 tsp pepper corn
1/2 methi (fenugreek) seeds
6-8 dried red chillies
1/2 cup grated coconut
2 tbsp urad dal (black gram)
1 tbsp chana dal (bengal gram)
marble size tamarind
Seasoning:
2 tbsp oil/ghee
2 tsp black mustard seeds
6 green chillies, slit
cashew-nuts, handful
1 tbsp chana dal ( Bengal gram)
Curry leaves, 1 sprig

How it's made:

Wash tur dal & rice separately. Pressure cook until dal is well cooked. In a heavy bottom pot, add haldi & 6 cups of water to the rice. Let it boil, turn off heat. Add carrots, green beans, peas & cauliflower. Cover and set aside.
In the meantime, dry roast one ingredient at a time- coriander, jeera, cloves, cinnamon, pepper corns, methi, red chillies, coconut, urad dal and chana dal. Grind all ingredients to a fine paste along with tamarind.
To the rice & vegetable, add cooked dal & ground spice paste. Add salt to taste. Cook on medium high heat until all the ingredients are well blended together. ( maybe 10 mins). Keep stirring to avoid dal sticking to the bottom of pan.
In an iron griddle ( or non stick pan), add oil/ghee. When it heats, add mustard. Once it splutters, add green chillies, cashew-nuts, chana dal & curry leaves. Pour the seasoning on rice-dal mixture. Serve hot.
You can eat it just by itself or serve it with boondhi for a little crunch.

Serves: 10 people