Tingalavre Randayi (White beans Curry)

Tingalavre Randayi is a very tasty dish which goes very well with Shevai (rice noodles). As I had mentioned in my previous post- Ukde Shevai, it is an awesome combination. This combination is a family favorite. This is a signature recipe of my husband's maternal grand mother's family. In our whole family, this dish is popular as 'Bandaje Randayi' :-) (Bandaje is a small village in Karnataka). The speciality of this dish is- it has no seasoning and it is very mild.
Few months back, I tried making Shevai (rice noodles) for the first time and I was not at all happy with the results. Hence after that I never tried making it again. Since last few days, the crave to have Shevai, again increased. I thought of making it on a weekend, so that I will get some help. I told him about this.

V- Shevai sounds great. Also don't forget to soak the white beans to make Tingalavre Randayi.
me- What? I am not going to make tingalavre randayi. My amma always served shevai with pickle and coconut oil and love that combination.
V- How can I eat shevai without tingalavre randayi? Either I want both or none.
me- Ok, I will make shevai and eat it all by myself. You just stare at me while eating...:-)

Blah blah blah.....in this way the conversation continued for a long time and finally he convinced me to make Tingalavre Randayi. Guess what it tasted so good that we finished off everything, even though we were full. Now I understood why he forced me to make this dish. Trust me you will just fall in love with it.

Ingredients:

• Tingalavro/White beans- 1/2 cup
• Onion, small- 1
• Potato, medium sized- 1
• Grated coconut, fresh/frozen- 2/3 cup
• Roasted red chilli- 3-4
• Tamarind- A small ball (gooseberry sized)
• Salt- To taste

Procedure:

Soak the white beans for 8 hours.

Chop onions and potatoes into bite size. Take the white beans, chopped onion and potatoes in a cooker along with required amount of water and salt. 

Cook it for five whistles. It should look like this after cooking (don't worry if the potatoes are slightly over cooked).

Now, for Masala- Grind grated coconut, roasted red chillies and tamarind to a fine consistency with required amount of water. Add this masala to the cooked beans and bring it to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, continue heating for five more minutes (Consistency should be medium thick). Turn off the heat. Tingalavre Randayi is ready!!

Serve it hot with Ukde Shevai. It also goes well with rice, idli, dosa.

Read More »

Ukde Shevai (Boiled Rice Noodles)

Shevai is one of the delicacies of the Konkani people. Home made rice noodles is such a treat! Its very hard to find people who don't like this. These noodles are commonly made in Coastal Karnataka and Kerala. Generally this dish calls for coconut. But I have used boiled rice (red rice). This rice gives a unique taste as well as softness. Try making this dish and I am sure you will love it.
I have posted each and every step along with pictures. Hope it helps you and makes it easier to do. Happy Cooking!

 Ingredients:

• Boiled Rice/Red rice - 1 cup
• Salt- To taste

Procedure:

Soak boiled rice in water for 6-8 hours.

Grind the soaked rice to get a smooth paste, adding water as required. Transfer this paste to a greased heavy bottomed kadai (non-stick pan works best).

Now add salt as required and start heating (on medium flame) the rice paste. Keep stirring the mixture continuously. After few minutes, the mixture slowly starts thickening. See how it looks-

Keep stirring continuously in the same way, until it thickens completely and forms a solid mass. At the end, it looks like this.

Turn off the flame. Now take a bowl containing cold water. Dip both the hands and take a portion of the mixture and make them into oval shaped. (this step has to be done when the mixture is hot enough. As the mixture cools, it starts hardening)

Repeat the above step for the remaining mixture (I divided the whole mixture into five portions). Now steam these oval shaped balls for 15 minutes.

Half of the job is done:-) Now the next step would be to grease the mould in which we are going to make the noodles. I used this-

The traditional ones are more convenient but can be managed using this. The bottom part of the mould looks like this-

The holes are scattered and the noodles we get will not be dense. It is preferred to have more number of holes. Now put the oval shaped rice dumpling in this greased mould (rice dumpling has to be very hot. As it cools, it hardens and becomes difficult to make the noodles).

Now close it and start making noodles.

Ukde Shevai is ready!! (I made one Shevai from each rice dumpling. You can also make two out of each rice dumpling. Its a personal choice)

Serve it hot with Generous amount of coconut oil and Tingalavre randayi (White beans curry). It can also be eaten with pickle or just noodles and coconut oil. Its heaven! Try it once and enjoy the goodness of fresh rice noodles.

Read More »

Alambe Phanna Upkari (Mushroom Curry)

Alambe Phanna Upkari is a very popular dish among the konkani people. Alambo in konkani means mushroom. This dish is made commonly, using a special variety of mushroom available in the Coastal Karnataka, in the month of June (when the monsoon season starts). Traditionally Alambe song is a coconut based dish but I have posted the non-coconut version.I love mushroom and this is a dish which can be made in less time and with minimum ingredients. 
Mushroom is considered to be very healthy. It is low in calories. Try making this delicious dish and get the goodness of mushroom.

Ingredients:

• Mushroom*- 10-15 (I used button Mushroom)
• Onion, medium sized- 1
• Tomato, small- 1
• Oil- 2 tsp
• Red chilli powder- To taste
• Salt- To taste

*You can also use okra (lady's finger) instead of mushroom.

Procedure:

Chop the onion and tomatoes. Cut the mushroom into required shape and size (I sliced them). Now heat oil and add onions. Fry until it turns light brown.

Now add the chopped mushroom and stir well. Add salt to taste.

Now after 2-3 minutes, add the chopped tomatoes and red chilli powder. Stir well. Add water, if required (I did not add water, as mushroom sheds considerable amount of moisture).

Continue heating until the mushroom is cooked. 

Turn off the flame. Alambe Phanna Upkari is ready!!

Serve it hot with rice, dosa, idli, undi or rotis. Above measurement serves two people.

Note: This dish can also be prepared by adding coconut based masala. If you want to try that version, then check my post Benda Song here. The procedure remains the same for both.

Read More »

Idle Usli ( Seasoned Left over Idlis)

Idle Usli is a very quick breakfast. This will be ready within 10 minutes. If you have left over idlis and want to try something different, then this is one such dish. I always prefer idle usli over idlis, especially if it is seasoned using coconut oil. Freshly grated coconut gives a very good taste to this dish.

Ingredients:

• Left over Idlis- 11-12
• Oil (preferably Coconut oil)- 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves- Few
• Dry red chilli- 1
• Green chilli- 2-3 
• Split blackgram/Urad dal- 1 tsp
• Asafoetida- 2 pinches
• Grated coconut, fresh/frozen)- 3-4 Tbsp
• Salt- To taste

Procedure:

Powder/Crush the left over idlis using hand such that there are no big pieces.

Heat oil. Add mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add chopped green chillies, broken red chilli and curry leaves. Fry for few seconds. Now add urad dal and asafoetida. Fry until urad dal turns light brown.

Now add the powdered/crushed idli, along with grated coconut and salt. Mix well. Fry for 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Idle Usli is ready!!

Serve it hot. Above measurement serves two people.

Read More »

Surna Tambude (Indian Yam/Suran Curry)

Surna Tambude is a very popular konkani dish. It is a very spicy dish and sometimes served as a pickle. I got this recipe from my amma. She also adds little grated coconut to the masala, which not only makes it milder but also thickens the dish. try making this different dish and enjoy!

Ingredients:

• Indian Yam/Suran, chopped- 2 cups (I used frozen)
• Roasted red chillies- 4-5
• Tamarind- A small ball (goose berry sized)
• Jaggery- 1 Tbsp
• Coriander leaves/Cilantro- 2-3 sprigs (optional)
• Oil- 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
• Curry leaves- Few
• Salt- To taste

For Masala:

• Grated Coconut, fresh/frozen- 1/4 cup (optional)
• Coriander seeds- 3 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Split Chickpeas/ Chanadal- 1 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Fenugreek seeds/Methi- 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida- 2 pinches

Procedure:

If using fresh Suran, then remove its skin and chop them to required size and put them in a bowl containing water. Put the suran pieces in a pressure cooker with required amount of water and salt. 

Cook it for two whistles.

To prepare masala:
First dry roast the grated coconut, until it turns light brown and gives a nice aroma. Let it cool.
Now add very little oil and add chana dal and coriander sedds. fry for a while. When it starts to brown, add mustard seeds, asafoetida, fenugreek seeds and turmeric powder. When everything turns slight dark brown, turn off the heat. Allow it to cool.
Now grind together fried grated coconut, spices, roasted red chillies and tamarind with required amount of water, to get a fine paste.

Add this masala to the cooked Suran and mix well. Bring it to a boil. Add jaggery and check for salt. The consistency of the dish should be medium thick.

Once it comes to boil, continue heating for 4-5 more minutes. Add chopped cilantro and turn off the heat.
For seasoning- Heat oil and add mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add curry leaves. Fry it for few seconds and turn off the heat. Add this to the gravy prepared and mix well. Surna Tambude is ready!!

Serve it hot, as a side dish to rice, dosa or rotis. Above measurement serves three people.

Note: One more method of making this dish is- Indian yam/Suran is chopped into bite size and then kept in a bowl for nearly an hour by applying salt. Then it is deep fried/shallow fried, until it turns crispy. The fried pieces are kept separately. The masala is prepared separately, boiled and seasoned. When it is ready to serve, the pieces of fried suran are mixed in the gravy and served. In this way, suran remains crispy and tasty. Try this variation as well.

Read More »

Bondi Upkari (Seasoned Banana Blossom)

Bondi Upkari is a very simple side dish. Bondi in konkani means banana blossom. Bondi Upkari is my personal favorite and would love to have it any time of the year. Chopping of banana blossom(fresh ones) is little time consuming but its worth the effort. It had been a long time since I had this dish. Hence bought banana blossom in brine from a Chinese store (since fresh ones are unavailable here). To my surprise, it tasted good. So make this tasty side dish (if you find a fresh one, I would consider you lucky!) and enjoy.

Ingredients:

• Banana blossom, medium sized- 1 (I used one tin)
• Grated coconut, fresh/frozen- 1/4 cup
• Jaggery- 1-2 Tbsp (adjust accordingly)
• Oil- 1-2 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
• Dry red chilli- 1-2
• Curry leaves- Few
• Salt- To taste

Procedure:

If using fresh banana blossom- wash it and chop it very finely. As it is chopped, add it to a bowl containing water (to prevent blackening and bitterness).

If using canned- drain the liquid inside the tin and wash thoroughly.

Then chop it finely.

Now heat the oil. Add mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add broken red chillies and curry leaves. Fry it for few seconds and then add chopped banana blossom and mix well (add water as required if using fresh. The one which I used had enough moisture. Hence did not add any water). After five minutes, add salt, jaggery and grated coconut. Let it cook on medium flame.

The canned ones took nearly 10 minutes to cook. The fresh ones might take little longer. Once it is cooked, turn off the heat. Bondi Upkari is ready!!

Serve it hot as a side dish to rice. Above measurement serves two people.

Read More »

Katlis (Raw banana-Onion Fritter)

Katlis is a very simple snack. It consists of raw banana and onions, which is then coated with chickpea flour (besan) and deep fried to get crispy, delicious fritters. 
The story behind this fritter is- My husband's maternal grand father used to make these fritters some 20 years back. It was very popular among his grand children as well as the villagers. Few days back when I made golibaje, my husband was reminded of Katlis. So I called my mother-in-law to ask the recipe. I was very eager to try this new recipe. I made it the next day and it turned out very tasty. I could make out the happiness on his face when he was eating this( the memories started flooding in). 
Try making this and enjoy!

Ingredients:

• Raw Banana- 1
• Onion, medium sized- 1
• Chick pea flour/Besan- 1/2 cup
• Rice flour- 2 tsp (optional)
• Cumin seeds/Jeera- 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida- 2 pinches
• Red chilli powder- 1/2 tsp (adjust accordingly)
• Salt- To taste
• Oil- For deep frying

Procedure:

Remove the peel of the raw banana and onion. Chop them finely.

Take a bowl and mix all the above mentioned ingredients along with the chopped vegetables. Add very little water (say 2-3 tsp) as the vegetables will leave some moisture.

I divided the mixture into seven parts (you can vary it). Take one portion of the mixture on a greased aluminium foil/zip loc/banana leaf and start spreading it into 6-7cm wide discs.

Fry these discs in a pre heated oil on a medium flame, until it turns golden brown on both sides. Take it out and drain it on a paper towel. Katlis is ready!!

Serve it hot. Above measurement serves two people.

Read More »

Shevai Usli (Seasoned Wheat Noodles)

Shevai Usli is a very healthy, simple dish, which is generally made for breakfast or as a evening snack. Shevai in konkani means noodles. The speciality of this dish is- the noodles used here are sun dried. The noodles are either made from rice/wheat/ragi(finger-millet). Making these noodles demands lot of effort. Some 30-40 years back, people used to make these noodles, dry them in sun and store it for the monsoon season. 

I remember my amma used to make these noodles when I was a kid. She used to soak wheat for many hours and then grind it, to extract the milk of wheat and keep it over night. Next day, the thick milk settled at the bottom is heated (top water is discarded) until it forms a solid mass. Then it is made into small balls and noodles were made using a noodles maker. These noodles are then sun dried for 3-4 days and stored. Too much of work. People were hard working. Now slowly this tradition is vanishing. Nowadays people get this noodles from stores. Luckily I got it from my Mother-in-law. She makes it every Summer. Lucky me:-)
This usli can be made within 5-7 minutes (excluding the soaking period). A quick, simple, healthy and filling food. What more can you expect? Enjoy making this dish.

Ingredients:

• Sun dried wheat/rice/ragi noodles- 10-15 small pieces
• Oil- 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Green chilli- 1-2
• Curry leaves- few
• Split black gram/Urad dal- 1 tsp
• Grated coconut, fresh/frozen- 1 Tbsp
• Salt- To taste

Procedure:

Take the wheat noodles in a bowl and soak it in water till it becomes soft.

After 30 minutes, it will look like this.

Then strain the excess water completely.

Now heat oil. Add mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add curry leaves and chopped green chillies. Fry for few seconds and then add urad dal. Fry until it turns light brown.

Now add the noodles, grated coconut and salt. Mix well. Keep mixing for 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat.

 Shevai Usli is ready!!

Serve it hot. Above measurement serves 1-2 people.
This can also be served as an evening snack for children.

Read More »

Palakache Alvathi (Spinach in Coconut based Curry)

Palakache Alvathi is a coconut based spinach curry. Spinach is not commonly used in konkani dishes. Traditionally this is made using Taro leaves. This curry is commonly made in the monsoon season, as the taro leaves are easily available. My amma makes this curry with spinach, when taro leaves is unavailable. Its very hard to make out the difference in the taste made from spinach and taro leaves. This curry is my father's favorite and hence frequently made at home. I never liked it. Recently I made this curry, just to post in my blog. Guess what? I ate this curry happily. It tasted good this time:-) Its my father's birthday and I am dedicating this post to him.

Ingredients:

• Spinach/Palak, medium sized bunch- 1
• Grated Coconut, fresh/frozen- 2/3 cup
• Roasted red chillies- 4
• Tamarind- A small ball (goose berry sized)
• Green Chillies- 2
• Ginger- 1/2 inch
• Oil- 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
• Curry leaves- Few
• Salt- To taste

Procedure:

Give a rough chop to the washed spinach leaves.

Then cook the chopped spinach in little amount of water, along with chopped green chillies, chopped ginger and salt to taste.

For the masala: Grind grated coconut, roasted red chillies, tamarind along with little amount of water, to get a fine paste. Add this masala to the cooked spinach and mix well.

Add water, if required to adjust the consistency.Once the mixture comes to boil, continue heating for five more minutes. Turn off the heat. 

For Seasoning- Heat oil and add mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add curry leaves. Turn off the heat. Add to the gravy and mix well. Palakache Alvathi is ready!!

Serve it hot with rice. Above measurement serves two people.

Read More »