Month: November 2014

CARROT (GAJAR) CHUTNEY

| sarapaka
Pleasant looking, light orange tinted, healthy, flavoury chutney! Tempting to try n taste? Don’t wait…just go ahead and make it. Gives cool company to hot steamed rice, crispy dosas, soft idlis and rotis. Spread for sandwich…why not? Carrot, an excellent source of beta-carotene, high on nutrition, low on cholesterol thanks to its fibres, fills your tummy even though you don’t eat too many.

Dish Type:  Side Dish

Preparation Time:  10 min

Cooking time:  10 min

Serves:  4 persons

Ingredients

For boiling/cooking:

Carrot                          2 nos. (medium size)

Tamarind paste           ¼ tsp

Salt to taste                 ½ tsp (approx..)

For dry frying:

Black gram                  2 tsps

Green chillies              2 nos.

For grinding:

(Dry fried) Black gram and green chillies

Raw coconut grated    ½ cup

(Boiled /cooked) grated carrot

For seasoning:

Oil                               1 tsp

Mustard seeds           ½ tsp

Black gram                  ½ tsp

Red chillies                  2 nos.

Curry leaves                ½ sprig

Asafoetida                   A pinch

Directions

Wash carrot, peel the skin and grate it.  Boil the grated carrot along with tamarind paste and salt for about 10 min. Drain out the water and let the vegetable cool. Store this drained nutritious water in a container and resuse some of it later for grinding. Rest of it can be used the same day for making soup, sambar, rasam etc.

While carrot is getting cooked, roast black gram and green chillies in a kadai till black gram turns golden brown.

Grind these coarsely with raw grated coconut and later again with boiled carrot to a coarse consistency. Transfer all of the contents to a bowl. Don’t forget to reuse the drained water at this stage.

For seasoning, heat oil in a small skillet. When oil is heated, add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add black gram, broken red chillies and curry leaves. Switch off the burner. Immediately add asafoetida and pour it over the chutney.

Carrot chutney is now ready.

Note:

Carrot is generally thought of as being orange in colour. But there are purple, red, white and yellow carrots too.

Orange carrot gets its colour from beta carotene, an organic compound. Human body converts this to vitamin A which is needed for healthy skin and mucous membranes, better immunity, healthy eyes and vision.

Tip:

Soak carrot sticks in hot water spiced with red chilly powder, coriander seeds and salt. Let it cool. Drain and serve. A striking change from the conventional salad!

RIDGE GOURD HULI THOVE

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A fabulous recipe that finds its way to a fat free feast!…This gently flavoured variant of sambar made with tender, deep green ridge gourd feels at home when served with steamed rice or rotis. Huli Thove and its twin “Majjige Huli” are proven partners in South Karnataka feasts.High in fiber, low in saturated fat, rich in minerals, poor in cholesterol, Ridge Gourd and its juice is nature’s prescription to heal jaundice, cure acne, cool any burning experience associated with urine, combat acidity, contain sugar levels…and much more!

Dish Type:  South Indian Vegetable StewRidge Gourd Huli Thove

Preparation Time:  20 min

Cooking time:  30 min

Serves:  5 persons

Ingredients

For pressure cooking:

Tur dhal                       40 gms (3 tbsps approx.)

Water                          250 ml

Turmeric powder        A pinch

Tomato                        ¼ kg (i.e. 3 nos. medium size. After cooking, use this for grinding)

Ghee                            A drop

For boiling

Ridge Gourd                ½ kg (say 6 nos. medium size)

Tamarind paste           1 tsp

Curry leaves                1 sprig

Salt to taste                 3 ½ tsps approx. (3 tsps at the start of boiling + ½ tsp when you add ground masala)

Water                          500 ml

For grinding (to make huli thove powder):

Black gram dhal                      1 tsp

Bengal gram dhal                   1 tsp

Cinnamon                                1” piece

Khus Khus                                1 tsp

Coriander seeds                      1 tbsp

Red chillies                              5 or 6 nos.

Dry coconut                             100 gms

Cooked tomatoes                    3 nos. (to add to the ground powder)

For seasoning:

Ghee                            1 tsp

Mustard seeds                        ½ tsp

Red chillies                  2 nos.

Asafoetida                   A pinch

For garnishing

Coriander leaves

Directions

Wash dhal with water, drain and keep aside.

Wash ridge gourd, tomatoes, curry leaves and coriander leaves in salt water. Drain and keep aside.

Cook dhal in a pressure cooker along with water, tomatoes, turmeric powder and a dash of ghee.

While dhal is getting cooked….

Peel the skin of ridge gourd. Chop the vegetable into cubes. Keep the peels aside. They can be used for making Ridge Gourd Peel Chutney. (This recipe will be posted shortly)

Boil the chopped vegetables in a vessel along with water, salt, curry leaves and tamarind paste for about 10 min. till the vegetables become just soft. (Do not overboil)

While vegetable is boiling….

You can do dry frying. For this, first, grate the dry coconut.

Heat a medium sized kadai. Dry fry the grated dry coconut. Transfer it to a plate. Let it cool.

Now start dry frying the rest of the ingredients listed under “For grinding” one after another separately and keep transferring each of them to a plate. Let them cool thoroughly.

While it is cooling ….

Dhal would have got cooked, pressure in the cooker would have subsided. Vegetables would have boiled.

Mix them together and let it boil for 5 to 10 min.

While it is boiling….

Grind the dry fried ingredients (except dry coconut). Now add dry coconut and grind. Now add cooked tomatoes (and just a little quantity of water if required) and continue grinding  to a smooth consistency. Add this ground mixture to the boiling dhal and vegetables. Also add ½ tsp of salt. Continue boiling for another 5 to 10 min. By now, you can feel the “Ah, wow” smell!

Now is the time for seasoning…

For this, heat ghee in a small skillet. Put mustard seeds. When they crackle put broken red chillies and switch off the flame. Add asafoetida. Immediately pour it on to the boiling huli thove.

Garnish it with thoroughly washed and chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Ridge Gourd Huli Thove is now ready.

Note:

You can adjust the quantity of tamarind paste depending on the taste of tomatoes.

Few other names for Ridge Gourd are Heerekayi, Peerkangai, Torai and Sponge Gourd

Tur dhal is also known as pigeon pea

To make and store “Huli Thove Powder” for later use, dry fry and grind all ingredients listed under “Ingredients – For grinding” except cooked tomatoes.

LADY’S FINGER SAASVE

| sarapaka
This ultra-simple dish is a signature recipe of the western ghats of Karnataka, South India. Being the gravy kind, it sits in style by the side of rotis but you can easily shift sides and team it with steaming hot white rice. Using vegetables for making saasve is optional but ground raw mustard is mandatory. In this recipe, we have used Lady’s Finger, selecting the tender ones, a humble vegetable that is low in calories, high on fibre and dense with nutrients.

Dish Type:  Side DishLady's Finger Saasve

Preparation Time:  10 min

Cooking time:  15 min

Serves:  4 persons

Ingredients

For seasoning:

Oil                   2 tsp

Black gram      1 tsp

Mustard seeds            ½ tsp

Curry leaves    3 sprigs

For sautéing:

Lady’s finger   500 gms

Salt to taste     ½ tsp (approx..)

For grinding:

Raw coconut grated    ¼ of a coconut (240 ml cup)

Green chillies              4 nos.

Mustard seeds                        ¼ tsp

Jeera                           Little less than ¼ tsp

Directions

Wash lady’s finger. Drain the water, let the vegetables dry.

Chop them into fine round slits and keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadai. When hot, start putting ingredients listed under seasoning, one after another at few seconds intervals (in that order). Now put the chopped vegetable, saute it at intervals. Cover it partly with a lid retaining the ladle for sauting in the kadai itself. Remove the lid only when you have to saute. Cook till the bhindi (lady’s finger) turns soft. When done, allow it to cool.

(If bhindi is cooked by keeping the kadai open, vegetable will be crisp, but doesn’t suit for making saasve)

While the vegetable is getting cooked:

Finish grinding using ingredients listed under “For grinding”. Transfer the ground mixture to a bowl. To this ground mixture, add ½ litre curds and 1 tsp salt.

Now add the cooked and cooled bhindi to the above and mix well.

Lady’s finger saasve is now ready.

Note: Lady’s finger is also known as Bhindi, Bhendi, Okra, Bamia, Ochro or Gumbo

RAW BANANA CHUTNEY

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Simply simple! This rare yet delicious chutney, made out of raw banana picks as its pals dosas, idlis and hot steamed rice. This green little powerhouse is a rich source of fibre, vitamins, minerals and a high amount of resistant starch.

Dish Type:  Side DishRaw Banana Chutney

Preparation Time:  10 min

Cooking time:  10 min

Serves:  4 persons

Ingredients

For cooking:

Raw banana                1 no. (medium size)

For dry frying:

Black gram                  1 tsp

Green chillies              2 nos.

For grinding:

Raw coconut grated    ½ cup

Tamarind paste           ¼ tsp

Salt to taste                 ½ tsp (approx.)

(Dry fried) black gram and green chillies

Cooked and mashed raw banana

For seasoning:

Oil                   1 tsp

Mustard seeds            ½ tsp

Black gram      ½ tsp

Red chilly        1 no.

Curry leaves    ½ sprig

Asafoetida       A pinch

Directions

Wash raw banana. Boil it along with about 250 ml. water in a pressure cooker without peeling the skin of the banana.

While banana is getting cooked:

Roast black gram and green chillies in a kadai till black gram turns golden brown. Grind these coarsely with raw grated coconut, tamarind paste and salt.

When banana is cooked:

Drain out the water and let the vegetable cool.

Store the drained water in a container and reuse just the required quantity later while grinding.  Remaining water can be used the same day for making soup, sambar, rasam etc.

When banana cools, peel its skin, mash the cooked banana and keep aside. (Chutney can be prepared using the skin alone also!)

Now continue grinding with mashed banana to a coarse consistency. Transfer the contents to a bowl. Pour a little of the drained water into the grinder and run it for very few seconds. By doing this, you can collect the chutney that is still left in the grinder. Pour this also into the bowl.

Now the seasoning….

For seasoning, heat oil in a small skillet. When oil is heated, add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add black gram, broken red chillies, curry leaves (in that order). Switch off the burner. Immediately add asafoetida and pour it over the chutney.

Raw Banana Chutney is now ready.

Also view “Beetroot Chutney”, “Chayote Chutney”, “Ridgegourd Chutney”, “Spinach (Palak) Chutney”, “Onion Chutney” in this blog.

 

GHERKINS SAMBAR

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Go Gherkin go….! Sail the Sambar way….a welcome detour from the usual salad or pickle route. This refreshingly flavoured Sambar made from this bright green, smaller version of cucumber variety can be used with steamed hot rice, idli or dosa.

Dish Type:  South Indian Vegetable StewGherkins Sambar

Preparation Time:  15 min

Cooking time:  30 min

Serves:  4 persons

Yield: 1 litre (approx.)

Ingredients

For pressure cooking:

Tur dhal                       50 gms

Gherkins                      250 gms

Tomato                        2 nos. (medium size)

Water                          1/2 litre

Turmeric powder        A pinch

Curry leaves                1 sprig

Ghee                            A drop

Tamarind paste           1 tsp (to be put after dhal and vegetables are cooked)

Salt to taste                 10 gms approx.

For grinding:

Raw grated coconut    100 gms

Coriander seeds          20 gms

Red Chillies                 4 nos.

For seasoning:

Ghee                            1/2 tsp (or coconut oil/any other cooking oil)

Mustard seeds             1/2 tsp

Curry leaves                1 sprig

Asafoetida                   A pinch

For garnishing

Coriander leaves

Directions

Wash gherkins, curry leaves and coriander leaves in water. Drain and keep aside.

Wash dhal separately in water. Drain and keep aside.

Cut each gherkin into 2 pieces lengthwise.

Boil dhal and gherkins in a pressure cooker along with water, turmeric powder and ghee.

While pressure cooking….

Grate raw coconut. Grind this along with coriander seeds and red chillies, initially without using water and then continue grinding using approx. 50 ml water.

When cooking is done and pressure in the cooker has subsided….

Add salt and tamarind paste (refer ingredients list for approx. quantities) Let it boil for a few minutes. Now mix the above ground masala to the cooked dhal and vegetables and continue boiling for another 5 to 10 minutes. At this stage, can you feel the fragrance of sambar?

Now it’s seasoning time…..

For this, heat ghee or coconut oil in a small skillet. Put mustard seeds. When they crackle, put curry leaves. Switch off the burner. Now add asafoetida and immediately pour over the cooked gherkins sambar.

Garnish it with thoroughly washed and chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Flavourful Gherkins Sambar is now ready to use!

Pointers:

Gherkin, being a condiment vegetable, needs mild and gentle cooking since it loses its intense flavour if overcooked.

Few other names associated with gherkin: 

 Ivy Gourd, Tindora, Thondekai, Kovakkai, Horned  Cucumbers

Did you know? A London skyscraper is nicknamed gherkin due to its resemblance to this fruit.

Note:   Also view  recipes for “Beetroot Sambar”, “Eggplant (Brinjal) Sambar”, “Onion Tomato Sambar”, “Ridge Gourd Huli Thovve” and “Khara Kootu”

 

INSTANT POHA MIXTURE

| sarapaka
Feeling damn hungry? Exhausted? Surprise guests to treat? Here it is…a quick fix recipe! This stunningly simple recipe makes for a perfect snack at all times. Tempting to attempt…Go ahead!

Dish Type: Quick Anytime Snack

Preparation Time: 10 min

Seasoning time: 2 min

Serves: 4 persons

Ingredients

Poha                            250 gms (paper thin variety)

Dry chutney powder   2 tbsp

Raw grated coconut    3 tbsp

Salt to taste                 2 tsp (approx.)

For seasoning

Oil                               1 tsp

Mustard seeds            1 tsp

Peanuts                       2 tsp

Bengal gram dhal       2 tsp

Black gram dhal          2 tsp

Roasted gram             2 tsp

Curry leaves                2 sprigs

Turmeric                     A pinch

Directions

Keep poha ready in a big mixing bowl.

To prepare seasoning, heat oil in a small kadai. Put mustard seeds. When they crackle, put peanuts, Bengal gram dhal, Black gram dhal, curry leaves, turmeric and lastly roasted gram in that order.

Pour this on to the poha.

Add salt, dry chutney powder and raw grated coconut.

Mix thoroughly. Let it stand for about 10 min.

Poha mixture is now ready.

Also view “Dry Chutney Powder (Type 1)” and “Dry Chutney Powder (Type 2)” in this blog.

Note:

Dry Chutney Powder is the most versatile condiment of South India. It is a spice powder prepared from a combination of roasted dhals, red chillies, dry grated coconut and salt.

Poha also known as Avalakki or flattened rice is available in different varieties. The difference is only in the size and thickness of flakes.

EGGPLANT (BRINJAL) SAMBAR

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Try this….Sambar. It’s easy, different, delicious! Made without using dhal. Just one type of vegetable and a bit of grinding that does wonders!! While the boiling sambar does most of your job, don’t miss taking note of the pointers given at the end of the recipe.

Dish Type:  South Indian Vegetable StewBrinjal Sambar

Preparation Time:  15 min

Cooking time:  30 min

Serves:  4 persons

Yield: 1 litre (approx.)

Ingredients

For cooking:

Brinjal                         250 gms (5 to 6 nos. approx. of green round variety)

Water                          1/2 litre

Turmeric powder        A pinch

Curry leaves                1 sprig

Green chillies              1 no. (optional)

Jaggery                        1/2 tsp (optional)

Ghee                            A drop

Tamarind paste           1/2 tsp (1/4 tsp at the start and 1/4 tsp towards the end of boiling)

Salt to taste                 3/4 tsp approx. (1/2 tsp at the start and 1/4 tsp towards the end of boiling)

For grinding:

Raw grated coconut    125 gms

Dhania (dry fried)       15 gms

Red Chillies                 4 nos.

For seasoning:

Ghee                            1/2 tsp (or coconut oil/any other cooking oil)

Mustard seeds                        1/2 tsp

Asafoetida                   A pinch

For garnishing

Coriander leaves

Directions

Wash brinjal, curry leaves and coriander leaves in water. Drain the water.

Cut each brinjal into 8 pieces.

Boil them for about 6 to 8 min. in a vessel along with water, turmeric powder, tamarind paste, salt, curry leaves, green chillies and jaggery.

While boiling…  

Grate raw coconut. Dry fry dhania.

Grind the above ingredients along with red chillies, initially without using water and then continue grinding using approx. 50 ml water.

Mix this ground chutney to the cooked but still boiling brinjal. Also add little more salt and tamarind paste (refer ingredients list for approx. quantities) and continue boiling for few more minutes. Can you sense that splendid smell of sambar?

Now is the time for seasoning…..

For this, heat ghee or coconut oil in a small skillet. Put mustard seeds. When they crackle switch off the burner. Now add asafoetida and immediately pour over the cooked brinjal sambar.

Garnish it with thoroughly washed and chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Wow…. Delicious Brinjal Sambar is now ready!

Also view recipes of “Beetroot Sambar“, “Gherkins Sambar“, Onion Tomato Sambar“, “Ridge Gourd Huli Thovve” and “Khara Kootu” in this blog.

Pointers:

You can adjust the quantity of salt, chillies and tamarind paste depending on your choice.

Do not miss the special instructions given on splitting the total quantity of salt and tamarind paste to be used.

To reduce the bitterness of brinjal (if required) after slicing them, sprinkle salt evenly over it and mix thoroughly. Leave it for 10 min. and rinse well before use.

Green round variety of brinjal used in this recipe is also known as “Matti Gulla”, grown in Udupi district of Karnataka State, India.

Eggplant or brinjal is also called by other names like Aubergine (in the western part of the world) Baigan (in India) etc.

 

GOJJU POWDER

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This delicious spice powder is the basic ingredient used for spicing “Gojju” a kind of sweet-sour -spicy gravied curry. Gojju powder can be prepared in advance and stored in an tight container…comes in handy when required!

 

Dish type: Spice Powder

Preparation time: 10 min

Roasting time: 30 min

Yield: 500 gms (can be used  for making gojju using ½ kg vegetable or fruit)

Ingredients

Methi seeds                25 gms

Bengal gram dhal       50 gms

Black gram                  40 gms

Red chillies                  150 gms

Til seeds                      25 gms (white coloured)

Dry grated coconut     125 gms or 6 tbsps (i.e., 1/2 of a dry coconut)

Directions

Dry fry each of the ingredients separately in a kadai on low flame till they change colour while ensuring they don’t turn black which means they are over roasted.

Transfer each of them to a plate after dry frying. Allow them to cool well.

Grind them to a fine powder. Store in a completely dry air tight container for better shelf life.

Red chillies alone can be fried using just a drop of oil.

For longer shelf life of any spice powder it is advisable not to include dry coconut while making powder. Instead it is better to grind dry fried dry grated coconut with just the required quantity of spice powder used while preparing the dish.

1 fistful of red chillies = approx. 20 nos. = approx. 50 gms

Also read recipes of “Onion Tomato Gojju” and “Raisins Gojju” in this blog to see how this powder is used.

RAISINS GOJJU

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This rare spicy, tangy, lip smacking “Gojju” is the signature side dish of South India and served specially during auspicious occasions and festivals. Don’t miss trying this uber easy recipe!

 

Dish type: Side DishRaisins Gojju

Preparation time: 5 min

Cooking time: 30 min

Serves:  4 persons

Ingredients

For dry frying

Til seeds                      25 gms (white coloured)

Dry grated coconut     50 gms (3 tbsps heapful approx..)

For cooking

Raisins                         ¼ kg

Tamarind paste           2 tsps

Jaggery                        100 gms

Salt to taste                 1 tsp approx.

Turmeric powder        A pinch

Gojju powder              50 gms

Water                          ½ litre

For seasoning

Oil                               1 tsp

Mustard seeds                        ½ tsp

Curry leaves                few leaves

Red chillies                  2 nos.

Asafoetida                   A pinch

Directions

Preparation before cooking…

Wash raisins and curry leaves thoroughly in water. Drain and keep aside.

Now the cooking….

Keep 500 ml. of water, raisins, tamarind paste, turmeric, jaggery and salt in a vessel. Let it boil in low flame for about 20 min.

While raisins are getting cooked…

Grate dry coconut and keep aside.

Dry fry til seeds and grated dry coconut separately in a kadai. Powder til seeds and keep aside.

Prepare gojju powder. (Refer “Gojju Powder” recipe that is posted separately)

Grind dry fried grated dry coconut with required quantity of gojju powder and keep aside.

Mix the above ground gojju powder with 250 ml water in a bowl and add this to the raisins cooking in the vessel.

Continue boiling. When the consistency becomes thick, add til powder. Continue boiling for another 5 min. Now take the vessel off the stove and prepare seasoning.

For seasoning, heat a small skillet. Put oil. When it is heated, add mustard seeds. When it crackles, add red chillies and curry leaves. Switch off the burner. Now add asafoetida and immediately pour on to the gojju.

Note:

If tamarind paste is not available, soak a marble size of tamarind in water for about 10 to 15 min. Squeeze and extract the juice by removing fibre and seeds if any. Use this tamarind juice.