Kolmbe pitto Saaru ( No Dal Saaru)

Kolmbo is nothing but konkani sambhar. Refer to my older post here. Pitto in konkani means powder. So kolmbe pitto is Sambhar powder. Or in simple words Kolmbe pitto Saaru is nothing but kolmbo (sambhar) without dal and vegetables. If you are searching for a good recipe of saaru without dal then this is one such. Trust me its very tasty. The flavor of the freshly ground spices is simply good ( this saaru tastes even better the next day. So nobody is going to complain if they should have the same saaru for two days!)


Ingredients:

• Cilantro- 5-6 sprigs
• Roasted red chillies- 4-5
• Tamarind- A small ball (gooseberry sized)
• Jaggery- 1 Tbsp
• Salt- To taste
• Oil- 1 Tbsp
• Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
• Curry leaves- Few

For Masala:

• Grated coconut- 1/2 cup
• Turmeric- 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida- 2 pinches
• Coriander seeds- 2 Tbsp
• Chanadal/Split chickpeas- 2 Tbsp
• Cumin seeds/Jeera- 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds/Methi- 1/4 tsp

Procedure:


Dry roast the grated coconut, until it turns slight brown. Before it turns slight brown add turmeric powder and few curry leaves. Adding curry leaves gives a very good flavor to the masala as well makes it healthier (I know most of them just discard the curry leaf which is added in the seasoning. So this is one way to consume it:-) . Its rich in iron)

Fry the remaining spices, until they turn light brown, mentioned under masala in the order- coriander seeds, chanadal, asafoetida, cumin and fenugreek (coriander and chanadal takes longer time to turn light brown than cumin and fenugreek. Cumin and fenugreek should be added when chanadal and coriander just starts turning brown)

Now grind the fried coconut and spices along with red chillis and tamarind to get a fine paste. Add water as required. Transfer this paste to a dish and dilute it, according to required consistency (I prefer it to be medium thick). Then add jaggery and salt to taste. Mix it well and bring it to a boil. Once it starts boiling continue heating for 3-4 minutes and turn off the heat. Add chopped cilantro.

For seasoning- Heat oil and add mustard seeds to it. Once it starts spluttering, add curry leaves and turn off the heat. Add this to the prepared Saaru and mix well. Kolmbe pitto Saaru is ready!!

Serve it hot with Rice. Above measurement serves 3-4 people.

Read More »

Celebrating 50th Post with Phenori or Pheni (Sweet layered Pooris)

Phenori or sweet pooris is one of my favorite sweet (I keep on telling this for almost every sweet!!). This sweet is a layered poori (call it mini parota) which is either dipped in sugar syrup or sprinkled with powdered sugar. It has been a long time since I ate it but never tried making them. My Amma used to make this for us when we were kids. The method she followed was little lengthy (You can find this method in Divya Kudva's Easy cooking). So I was searching for an easier method and found it finally in Vahrevah.com. Sanjay is an excellent chef. Using his recipe and tips, I made these phenoris and the result was heavenly. It was so tasty and addictive that I ate three phenoris as soon as it was done!! Fresh phenoris are so tasty. Try making this wonderful sweet and impress your loved ones.

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour- 1 1/2 cups
• Ghee, melted- 4 Tbsp
• Salt- A pinch
• Sugar- 1 1/4 cup
• Oil- For deep frying

For rice paste:

• Rice flour- 1 Tbsp
• Ghee- 1 Tbsp
• Water- As required (optional)

Procedure:


Take all purpose flour and salt in a mixing bowl. To this add melted ghee and mix well. Now add water (as required) and make a medium soft dough.

Divide the dough into two parts. Take one part of the dough and start rolling it. Make it as thin as possible. 

Now make a paste of rice flour paste by mixing rice flour and ghee. Add water if required. Start spreading a portion of the paste on the rolled dough. Applying this paste helps to get well separated layers in the poori. Once this is done, start rolling the big chapathi from one end to get a tight roll.

Now once this is done, start marking on the roll with the help of a knife (roughly 1-2cm).

Now start cutting the roll with a knife according to the marks made on the roll.

Look at those small pieces with the hidden layers. How pretty!! Now take one piece and start rolling it into small pooris (you should roll it on the side, where you can see the layers).

"Don't they look like mini parotas?":-). Roll the pooris very gently. Otherwise it may damage the layers. You might be thinking "How big should i make?" Don't make it very big. You can also decrease the size and make it little smaller, than the pooris shown in the picture (roughly 2-2.5 inch in diameter)
"What happens if you make it big?" As you make it bigger the layers will vanish. This is not a good sign.
"What if by mistake, i roll it bigger?" Still you can make good sweet pooris out of it. So don't worry. This mistake will surely give you an idea as to what size it has to be rolled:-) One important step has been accomplished. The next important step is to deep fry these pooris. The pooris has to be deep fried on a medium heat or a little less than that, until it turns light brown color on both sides. If the heat is high, then you will not get crispy pooris.

Once it is done, drain the excess oil on a paper towel. Now the pooris are ready!! 75% of the work is done!!

Look at the layer!! A closer view-

Now to prepare the sugar syrup- Add sugar to a wide bottomed kadai and start heating. To this add little water (nearly 1/4 cup). This helps in dissolving the sugar. Heat it until you get one thread consistency. Turn off the heat. Now start dipping the pooris one by one to get a sugar syrup coating on both the sides. Put the pooris on a plate and leave them to set for half an hour (if you have a sweet tooth, i am sure you can't wait for half an hour:-)) Phenoris are ready!!

Are you drooling over the picture?!! Then make them today and enjoy. Above measurement can serve around 10-12 people.

Read More »

Gulla Podi ( Green Brinjal/ Thai eggplant Fry)

Gulla Podi is a very popular snack/sidedish. Goola means green brinjal in konkani. These podis can be made within 15-20 minutes and also very healthy. It tasted so good that it vanished within few seconds, as soon as it was done!! Brinjal haters need to try this!

Ingredients:

• Green Brinjal/ Thai eggplant- 2-3
• Asafoetida- 2 pinches
• Red chilli powder- To taste
• Sooji/Semolina- 2 Tbsp
• Oil- 1-2 Tbsp
• Salt- To taste

Procedure:

Wash the brinjals and remove the stalk.

Slice the brinjals carefully and put it in a bowl containing water. This helps in prevention of blackening of the brinjal.
Now discard the water. The brinjal slices should be completely dry (use a towel or paper towel to remove the remaining moisture). Now add salt, red chilli powder and asafoetida and mix well. Let it sit for 10 minutes.

Now dip each slice of brinjal (on both sides) in semolina and start placing it on a heated tawa. Repeat this for other slices. Add little oil from the top on each slice. Cook it on medium flame until it turns golden brown and repeat the same for the other side. 

Gulla podi is ready!!

Serve it as a side dish for rice or eat it as it is. Above measurement serves 1-2 people.

Read More »

Vegetable Kurma

Vegetable Kurma is a very popular dish. My amma got this recipe from our neighbor, some 15 yrs back! I was a school going girl and hardly interested in cooking! I can still recall the picture of the small book in which my brother had written this recipe. This is not commonly prepared in our house but still whenever we made, I always got that restaurant made taste in it. Hence posted it (even though its not a konkani dish). Enjoy this wonderful dish.

Ingredients:

• Mixed Chopped Vegetables- 3 cups
• Tomato, small- 1
• Onion, small-1
• Oil- 1 Tbsp
• Cloves- 2-3
• Cinnamon- A small piece
• Salt- To taste

For Masala:

• Grated coconut, fresh/frozen- 3/4 cup
• Chopped onion- handful
• Garlic cloves- 2-3
• Green Chilli- 1-3
• Roasted red chilli- 1-3
• Cloves- 2-3
• Cinnamon- a small piece
• Cilantro/Coriander leaves- 1/4 0f a bunch
• Coriander seeds- 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
• Poppy seeds- 1 tsp (i didn't add)

Vegetables I used- Cauliflower, carrot, peas, potato and beans.


Procedure:


Cook the chopped vegetables in a small pot, adding little salt.

Prepare the masala by grinding all the ingredients mentioned under masala. Add required amount of water while grinding.

Now take a kadai and heat oil. Then add cloves and cinnamon to it. Fry it for few seconds. Then add chopped onions and fry until it turns light brown.

Now add chopped tomato. Fry until it becomes little soft.

Now add the prepared masala.

Fry for few minutes (say 3-4 minutes). This helps in removing the rawness of the masala. Also add little salt.

Add the cooked vegetables.

Mix it well. Add water if required.  Cook this mixture for 8-10 minutes. Adjust the consistency (i made it medium thick). Vegetable Kurma is ready!!

Serve it hot with Rotis, pooris or dosas. Above measurement serves 2-3 people.

Read More »

Hinga Muddo (Spicy Idlis)

Hinga muddo is a kind of spicy idli which is uasually served as a side dish to rice. Traditionally it is prepared by steaming on banana leaves.
Generally in South kanara, everyone will have some stock of coconut in their home. On an average, atleast 3-4 coconuts/ week is consumed by a family of 3-4. So sometimes there are chances of coconut going bad due to small damages. Hence the bad coconuts (not very bad though) cannot be used for many dishes. Hence it is generally used to make hinga muddo. You will not realise the slight change in taste of the coconut because of the generous addition of asafoetida (what an idea!!)


Ingredients:

• Raw Rice- 1 cup
• Grated Coconut, fresh/frozen- 3/4 cup
• Roasted red chillies- 4-5
• Tamarind- A small ball (gooseberry sized)
• Asafoetida- 1/2 tsp (adjust according to your taste)
• Salt- To taste

Procedure:

Soak rice for 1-2 hours. Now grind grated coconut, red chillis and tamarind, to get a fine paste (add minimum water). Transfer this paste to a bowl. Now grind the soaked rice (add little water). This should be done very carefully (rice shouldn't get converted into a paste. So give 3-4 pulses of few seconds each, with minimum water). Transfer this into the same bowl and mix well. To this add salt and asafoetida. Check for the taste (You can add more asafoetida)

Now grease the idli moulds and transfer this mixture into the moulds (you can also use banana leaves instead of moulds)

Steam these for 15 minutes.

Hinga muddo is ready!!

Serve it hot(with little amount of coconut oil on it) as a side dish to rice or can be eaten as it is. Excellent combination would be- rice , dalitoy, hinga muddo and phanna thaak...! slurp!! yummy. Try this combination.

Read More »

Kodubale (Spicy Rings)

Kodubale is my all time favorite snack. I always like the spicy kodubales available in Bangalore. My uncle used to get me kodubales whenever he visited us. Ahh!! those were the days. 
Few years back, me and my amma thought- why not try making these kodubales. I had a recipe (from a magazine). So we made it and the kodubale didn't turn crispy:( This brought down my enthu and never tried making it again. Few months back, one of my good friends S made these kodubales for a get together, which tasted awesome. So took this recipe from him the very next day. I impressed my in- laws with these kodubales:-) Decide whom you want to impress:-) 
Making these kodubale is time consuming, but at the end you will surely get paid with love!


Ingredients:

• Rice flour- 2 1/2 cups
• All purpose flour/Maida- 1/2 cup
• Semolina/ Sooji (fine)- 1/2 cup
• Grated coconut,fresh/frozen- 1/2 cup
• Grated dry coconut- 1/2 cup
• Dry Red Chilli (soaked for few hours)- 6-8
• Sesame seed (White)- 2 Tbsp
• Asafoetida- 1 tsp
• Melted butter- 4 tbsp (1/2 a stick)
• Oil- 2 Tbsp
• Salt- To taste

Procedure:

Grind the grated coconut and soaked red chillies to a coarse mixture. Take this mixture along with all other above mentioned ingredients (except oil). Mix the mixture well. To this add two Tbsp of heated oil. Mix well. Add required amount of water and make a medium stiff dough.

Now take small amount of dough in the hand and roll it (in between hands) as shown below.

Join the two ends.

Fry them in oil on medium heat, until they turn golden brown. Put them on a paper towel, to drain the excess oil. Kodubale is ready!!

Store these Kodubales in an air tight container. Enjoy!!

Read More »

Mushti Polo (Konkani Crepes)

Mushti Polo is a common breakfast for us. Mushti in konkani means fistful and polo means dosa. In this recipe, our fist itself acts as a measuring cup:-) Hence the name Mushti Polo. My amma makes this dosa a little different, hence I wanted to try little variations and found a trusted recipe in a book written by Jaya V Shenoy. I also added the leftover rice which was lying in the fridge. The dosa turned out excellent. Try this wonderful dosa.


Ingredients:

• Raw rice- 1 cup
• Split blackgram/Urad dal- 1 fistful (nearly 1/4 cup)
• Grated Coconut, fresh/frozen- 1/4 cup (1 fistful)
• Flattened rice or Puffed rice- heaping 1/2 cup (2-3 fistful)
• Fenugreek seeds/ Methi- 1 1/2 tsp
• Cooked rice- 1 fistful (optional)
• Salt- To taste

If using Flattened rice, soak it in water for few minutes (to make it soft)

Procedure:

Soak  rice, urad dal and fenugreek seeds for two hours. Then grind all the above mentioned ingredients except salt. Get a fine paste by adding required amount of water. Don't make the batter watery. Ferment this batter for 8-10 hours.

If the batter is too thick, then add little water and salt to taste. After the tawa gets heated pour a ladel full of batter on it and start spreading in circular motion. 

At this stage, oil can be added, which is optional. This dosa is usually made very thick (we prefer very thin and crispy dosa). Close it with a lid for half a minute. Now slowly the base of the dosa starts turning brown.

Remove from the tawa. Mushti Polo is ready!! 

Serve it hot with coconut chutney or any curry of your choice. Above measurement serves 3-4 people.

Read More »

Tendle Buthi (Ivy gourd Curry)

Tendle means Ivy gourd in konkani. I got this recipe from my aunt. There are many konkani dishes which does not have seasoning!! I was bit doubtful in its taste. But it turned out tasty. I ate this dish happily, even though I am not a fan of Ivy gourd. If you are in search of a new dish, then you need to try this out!


Ingredients:

• Ivy gourd- 250g
• Onion, small- 1
• Grated Coconut, fresh/ frozen- 1/2 cup
• Roasted red chillis- 4
• Tamarind- A small ball (gooseberry sized)
• Coriander seeds- 1 1/2 tsp
• Salt- To taste
• Oil- 1 tsp

Procedure:

Wash the ivy gourd and trim its edges. Cut then into desired shape.

Chop the onion. Cook the chopped ivy gourd and onion in a cooker by adding little water and salt to taste (1 whistle).

To make masala- Grind the grated coconut, roasted red chillis, tamarind and coriander seeds to a fine paste by adding little water. 

Add this masala to the cooked vegetable mixture and bring it to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, heat it further for five minutes. The consistency of the gravy should be little dry (I made it medium thick since I wanted little gravy). Turn off the heat after the desired consistency is achieved. Now add oil on top of the gravy (no seasoning is required for this gravy). Tendle Buthi is ready!!

Serve it hot with rice , roti or dosa. Above measurement serves 2-3 people.

Read More »

Doodh Pak (Rice pudding)

Doodh pak or Rice pudding is a very popular dessert prepared all over the world (with some variations in the ingredients, rice and milk being the main ingredient). This is commonly made for wedding or other special occasion. I love this dessert very much (I can eat it any time of the day:-)). Anyone who has a sweet tooth will surely love this. This dessert is  simple and easy to prepare.


Ingredients:

• Basmathi rice, raw- 1/2 cup
• Milk- 3 cups
• Sugar- 1/2 cup+ 2 Tbsp (Adjust to your taste)
• Saffron- Few Strands
• Cardamom Powder- 1 tsp
• Water- 2- 2 1/2 cups
• Ghee- 1/2 Tbsp
• Cashew and Raisins- 2 Tbsp

Procedure:

Take a big kadai and start heating water. To this add the washed rice. Now add 1/2 cup of milk to this. Mix well and close the lid. Let the rice cook completely (keep checking in between). Once it cooks completely, add saffron. After a minute add the remaining milk and mix well. When it comes to boil, continue heating for 5-10 more minutes. Now add sugar and mix well. Check for sweetness and consistency (If you want it thick, then heat for some more time. You can also add more milk if you want) Turn off the heat. Add cardamom powder and garnish it with cashews and raisins fried in ghee. Doodh Pak is ready!!

Serve it warm or cold. Above measurement serves 5-6 people.

Read More »

Phanna Thaak (Seasoned buttermilk)

Phanna Thaak is nothing but seasoned buttermilk. In konkani, phanna means seasoning and thaak means buttermilk. Buttermilk is nothing but the liquid left over from the churning of butter from cream. For more details check here (I just diluted the yogurt). Many people even now make buttermilk at home. Buttermilk is very healthy, as much of the fat is removed from it and also a source of calcium. The addition of asafoetida and ginger to it, helps in digestion.
This is a perfect drink for summer or after lunch.


Ingredients:

• Yogurt/Curd- 3/4 cup
• Water- 2 cups 
• Green chilli- 1 (or more)
• Ginger- A small piece
• Asafoetida- A pinch or two
• Cilantro/Coriander leaves- 2-3 sprigs
• Salt- To taste
• Oil- 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves- Few

Procedure:


Take a big bowl and mix yogurt and water to get a uniform buttermilk. The consistency of the buttermilk is a personal choice. It can be thick or can be made watery. Now chop green chilli and ginger. Add this to the buttermilk. Smash the green chilli and ginger in the buttermilk using hands. This will help in infusing the wonderful flavor of ginger and the spiciness of green chilli (another alternative would be to make the paste of the green chilli, ginger and then add it to the buttermilk. This can be tried only if you want it to be more spicier). Filter the buttermilk to remove the green chilli and ginger pieces. Now add asafoetida and salt to taste. Mix it well. Add chopped coriander leaves. 
For seasoning- heat oil and add mustard seeds. After it splutters add curry leaves. Add this to the buttermilk.Mix well (You can also skip the seasoning. It tastes equally good). Phanna Thaak is ready!!

Serve it after lunch or any time of the day! Above measurement serves two people.


Note: Another version of Seasoned buttermilk would be the garlic seasoning to the plain buttermilk. Very simple. Garlic lovers may like this!

Read More »

Surnali (Konkani Pancakes)

Surnali is a very soft dosa and the texture matches with a pancake. Here I have posted the sweet version of the dosa. We call it God Surnali. In konkani god means jaggery:-) You can also skip the jaggery and make it non sweet. We call it Chappe Surnali. God Surnali is my favorite:-) Try making these delicious wonderful dosas and enjoy!!
For kids you can make tiny Surnalis. They will surely love it!!


Ingredients:

• Raw rice- 1 cup
• Grated coconut, fresh/frozen- 1/4 cup
• Yogurt- 1/4 cup (sourless)
• Puffed rice or flattened rice- 1 1/4 cup
• Fenugreek seeds/Methi seeds- 1 tsp
• Jaggery- 1/4 cup (adjust according to your taste)
• Cardamom powder- 1/2 tsp (optional, I didn't add)
• Salt- 1/4 tsp

Some people add a pinch of turmeric powder to the batter, which gives good color to the surnalis.

Procedure:

Soak rice and fenugreek seeds for two hours. Then grind all the above mentioned ingredients to a fine paste. Add water as required. The batter has to be thick. (if using flattened rice then, soak it in water for few minutes. This will make it soft). Ferment this batter for 8-9 hrs.

Before making dosa, check for its consistency. Add water, if required.It should not be too thick or thin. Then heat a tawa.  Spread little oil on the surface. Then pour a ladel full of batter on the tawa (heat should be on medium or little less than that). Don't spread the batter using ladel. Close it with a lid. Slowly as the dosa cooks, tiny holes start forming throughout. Yes this is a very good sign:-) 

After 1-2 minutes (it might vary for you), the dosa gets cooked completely and its base turns light brown. Remove the dosa from the tawa (Since we have added jaggery there are higher chances of base getting burnt. So keep the heat low and have a close eye on the dosa). Surnali is ready!!

Serve it hot with generous amount of ghee or butter:-) The non sweet Surnalis can be served with coconut chutney or any spicy dish of your choice. Above measurement serves 2-3 people.

Note: If the Surnali is missing the tiny holes then the dosa will not turn out fluffy. So add 1-2 pinches or a little more of baking soda to the surnali batter. This helps a lot to attain required texture!!

Read More »