Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Sabu Dana Khichdi

Ingredients:
Sabu dana - 2 cups
Peanuts - 1 cup
Coriander leaves - 1 cup finely chopped
Capsicum - 1 big
Potato - 2 medium sized
Ginger - 1 tsp finely chopped
Ghee - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste

For seasoning:
Oil - 2 tsp
Chilli - 2
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - 1 stalk

Method:

  1. Soak sabu dana for 4 hours.
  2. Dry roast peanuts, remove skin and coarse grind into chunky pieces. Place aside.
  3. Chop potato into thin tiny slices and finely chop coriander and capsicum.
  4. Drain the water from sabu dana and place aside.
  5. Place a kadai on the stove and add all ingredients for seasonings
  6. Add finely chopped ginger.
  7. Add finely chopped potato and some salt and close lid for few minutes.
  8. Add capsicum and again leave for few mins in kadai with closed lid. 
  9. Now add sabu dana and remaining salt, mix well and allow to cook on a low flame. Keep mixing periodically. 
  10. Add finely chopped coriander leaves to the mixture and serve hot.

Friday, August 19, 2016

Tomato Pachadi

Ingredients:
  • Tomato - 3 big or 4 small
  • Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Fenugreek (Methi) seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Tamarind - 1/2 tsp
  • Turmeric - a pinch
  • Salt - 1 tsp
  • Oil - 3 tbsp
For garnishing:
  • Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Channa Dhal - 1 tsp
  • Red Chilli - 1
  • Curry Leaves - 1 stalk
  • Hing - 1 pinch
Method:
  1. Wash tomatoes and cut into small pieces.
  2. Dry roast mustard seeds and methi seeds (separately) till you get a fragrant aroma.
  3. Dry grind mustard seeds and methi seeds and place aside.
  4. Add 1.5 tbsp oil into kadai and place on low flame. Add the tomato pieces, salt and turmeric and saute till the tomato pieces become soft and come together.
  5. Switch off the stove. Add tamarind, chilli powder and ground mustard/methi powder. 
  6. Add remaining oil into the kadai. 
  7. Add all items for garnishing, and mix the garnished items together with the tomatoes.

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Gongura Pachadi

Ingredients:

  • Gongura leaves - 1 bunch
  • Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Fenugreek (Methi) seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Jeera - 1 tsp
  • Red Chilli - 2 to 3 depending on taste
  • Salt - to taste
  • Oil - 3 tbsp

For garnishing:

  • Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Channa Dhal - 1 tsp
  • Red Chilli - 1
  • Curry Leaves - 1 stalk
  • Hing - 1 pinch

Method:

  1. Wash gongura leaves and spread on a cloth and dry for 3 to 4 hours. You can also leave it overnight. Let is not become too dry or crumbly.
  2. Dry roast mustard seeds and methi seeds (separately) till you get a fragrant aroma.
  3. Dry grind mustard seeds and methi seeds and place aside.
  4. Place a kadai on a stove and add 1 tsp oil.
  5. Add jeera, red chilli. Saute for a few minutes and place aside. 
  6. Add 1 tsp oil into kadai. Add gongura leaves. The leaves will lose color and turn dark. Place aside.
  7. Now, grind jeera and red chilli mixture. 
  8. Without removing the jeera-chilli powder in the mixer, now add the gongura leaves in the grinder and grind again into coarse mixture.
  9. Add salt to taste.
  10. Add remaining oil into the kadai. 
  11. Add all items for garnishing, and mix the garnished items together with the gongura leaves.
  12. If the gongura leaves are not sour enough, you can add small amount of tamarind.

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Avarekayi Kadabu


Ingredients:
  • Rice-rava (akki tari) or Idli rava - 1.5 cups
  • Avarekayi (Val Lilva) - 3 cups
  • Water - 5 cups
  • Coconut - 2 cups
  • Ghee - 5 tbsp
  • Hing - Less than 1/4 tsp
  • Jeera - 1.2 to 2 tsp
  • Salt - 1.25 tsp
Method:
  1. Pressure cook avarekayi with 5 cups water and salt for abour 5 whistles till it becomes soft.
  2. Roast rice-rava till it starts to emit a nice aroma.
  3. Place a vessel with a thick base (you can continue to use the pressure cooker, but without lid) on medium flame. 
  4. Add roasted rice-rava to the cooked avarekayi in the cooker, along with jeera, coconut, ghee and hing.
  5. Keep stirring the mixture till it becomes thick with a consistency like upma.
  6. Now place the lid on the vessel and leave for 5 minutes. Then remove from stove.
  7. After a few minutes, make medium sized balls of the cooked mixture.
  8. Serve with jaggery or pickle and ghee. 

Monday, January 4, 2016

Rava Idli

Ingredients:

  • Rava - 2 cups
  • Coconut - 1.5 cups
  • Cashewnut (broken into small pieces) - 1.5 tbsp
  • Curd - 4 cups
  • Mustard - 1/4 tsp
  • Channa Dhal - 1.25 tsp
  • Urad Dhal - 1.25 tsp
  • Coriander Leaves (finely chopped) - 1/2 cup
  • Curry Leaves (finely chopped) - 1 tbsp
  • Hing - 1 pinch
  • Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch
  • Ginger (grated) - 1/2 tsp 
  • Ghee or oil - 2 tbsp
  • Salt - to taste

Method:

  1. Put ghee in kadai, and after it is heated, splutter mustard seeds. 
  2. Add channa dhal, cashews and urad dhal and saute till it becomes golden brown.
  3. Now add turmeric, hing and curry leaves.
  4. Add rava and roast along with the other ingredients in the pan on medium flame.
  5. Transfer the contents to a larger vessel and add coconut, curd, coriander leaves and salt.
  6. Place aside for an hour.
  7. Test the consistency of the batter. If it is too thick, you can add some water. Do not make the batter too thin either.
  8. Grease the idli plate with ghee. Add the batter into the idli cups and steam for about 10 to 15 minutes.
  9. Serve hot with ghee and chutney/chutney powder.
  10. Optional: You can add grated carrot on the top of the idlis before serving.

Friday, January 1, 2016

Aloo Bonda - Stuffed Potato Snack

Ingredients:

  • Potatoes - 4 big
  • Gram flour (besan) - 3 cups
  • Rice flour - 1 cup
  • Peas - 3/4 cup
  • Coriander Leaves (chopped) - 1/2 cup
  • Ginger (grated) - 1/2 tsp
  • Oil - 4 tbsp
  • Chilli powder - 3/4 tsp 
  • Garam Masala - 1 tsp
  • Asafoetida - A pinch
  • Salt - To taste

Method:

  1. Cut potatoes into half and pressure cook with salt. 
  2. Cook peas separately with salt.
  3. Peel the skin of the potatoes and mash well. Transfer mashed potatoes into a mixing bowl.
  4. Add peas, coriander leaves, ginger and garam masala to the potatoes, and mix well. Place it aside.
  5. Take another bowl and add besan, rice flour, chilli powder, asafoetida, oil and salt. Mix well.
  6. Now add water to this mixture and mix well till it forms a flowy and sticky consistency.
  7. Make lemon-sized balls of the potato-peas mixture.
  8. Add oil into a deep frying pan and once heated, dip the potato-peas balls into the flour and deep fry.
  9. Serve hot with tomato ketchup or chutney.