Gulla Bajji (Green Brinjal Side dish)

Gulla Bajji is a simple Konkani dish. In Konkani, goola means green brinjal. I got this recipe from my mother.
Green brinjals are abundantly available in the place I grew up. Hence my mother used to make this often. I used to help her in making it, as it is a very easy recipe. Try making this simple dish, if you get a chance to lay your hands on Green brinjal.

Ingredients:

• Green brinjal/ Thai Egg plant, small sized- 4
• Grated coconut, Fresh/ Frozen- 1-2 tsp
• Green chilli- 1
• Asafoetida- A pinch
• Tamarind pulp- 1/4 tsp
• Cilantro (coriander leaves)- 2-3 sprigs
• Coconut oil- 1/2- 1 tsp
• Salt- To taste

Procedure:

Wash the green brinjals. The brinjals I used were very small. Hence I used four of them (if its big then use only one).

Then remove the stalk and cut each into 4 pieces (If the brinjal is big, then cut them into 8-12 pieces).

Then cook the chopped brinjal in a open pot with sufficient water and salt.

As it cooks, the brinjal looses it bright green color. When the brinjals pieces look soft, turn off the heat. This might take around 10- 15 minutes.

Allow the brinjal pieces to get warm. Then transfer the brinjal pieces to a mixing bowl (leaving the water behind. Don't discard it).
Now start smashing it using your hands. Once done add chopped cilantro, chopped green chillis, tamarind pulp, grated coconut and asafoetida.

Mix well. Add little water (in which the brinjals were cooked) to get desired consistency. I made it medium thick. Add more salt, if required. Then finally add the coconut oil and give a final mix. Gulla Bajji is ready!!

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

Note: You can also add 1-2 Tbsp of chopped onion. This adds a nice crunch to the dish.

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Carrot Halwa

Carrot Halwa is a very popular Indian dessert. It is also popular as "Gajar Ka Halwa", in northern part of India. This halwa is very rich, as the carrot is cooked in full fat milk and then loads of ghee is added. Making this halwa is easy just that it is little time consuming. But I assure that the final product is yum!! 

I learnt this recipe from my mother. There are so many variations of Carrot halwa but I always liked my mother's version. This is one of the few desserts that I used to make in my college days. This halwa is very commonly made for parties, get together etc. Many people like to serve hot carrot halwa with cold Vanilla ice cream. Personally I don't like it as the ice cream will over power the halwa or the other way.

Ingredients:

• Carrot, grated- 4 cups
• Evaporated Milk (low fat)*- 1 can (354 ml, nearly 1 1/2 cups)
• Sugar- 1/2 cup (increase as per your taste)
• Ghee/ Clarified butter- 4 Tbsp+ 1 tsp (you can add more)
• Dry fruits, chopped**- of your choice
• Cloves- 4
• Cardamom Powder- 1/2 tsp

*You can substitute evaporated milk with low fat or full fat milk. 

**I used a mixture of cashew nut, almond, pistachios and raisins. You can add any of these or omit it completely.

Procedure:

Wash the carrots and trim its ends. Then remove its outer skin and then grate it ( I used a grater with large holes, as I wanted to give a nice texture to halwa).

Now take a wide pan (I used a cooker pan) and heat 1 tsp of ghee. Then add the chopped dry fruits and fry until they turn light brown. Then transfer them to a small bowl.

Now in the same pan add 3 Tbsp of ghee and add cloves. Once you get the aroma, add the grated carrots. Fry it for 2-3 minutes or until you start getting a nice aroma.

Then add the evaporated milk (or milk) and give a good mix. 

Cook the carrots until the milk is reduced completely (I gave 1 whistle in the cooker and then again cooked until the milk was reduced completely).

Then add sugar, remaining 1 Tbsp of ghee and the roasted dry fruits (save some of the roasted dry fruits for garnishing). Mix well and allow it to cook further until all the moisture goes away and a halwa consistency is got. Turn off the heat and add cardamom powder. Mix well and transfer it to a bowl and garnish it with remaining roasted dry fruits. Carrot Halwa is ready!!

Serve it hot or cold. Above measurement serves four people.

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Bellappa ("Yeast"ed Rice Batter Dosa)

Bellappa is a recently learnt recipe. I found this recipe in a FB group. The name is little different but its worth trying. This is my first try of adding yeast to dosa batter.
I was very much attracted to the soft, spongy dosa and hence gave it a try. The yeast really helped in getting a soft dosa with lot of holes. Do try it and I am sure you all we love it. This dosa really goes well with the spicy dishes:-)

Ingredients:

• Rice- 1 cup
• Cooked rice- 1 cup
• Split Black gram/ Urad dal- 1 Tbsp
• Fenugreek seeds/ Methi- 1/2 tsp
• Yeast- 1/2 tsp
• Salt- To taste

Procedure:

Soak the rice along with urad dal and methi in good amount of water, for 3-4 hours. Then strain the excess water and grind it along with cooked rice, to get a smooth batter. The batter should be thick. Transfer it to a bowl. Now dissolve yeast in 2 Tbsp of luke warm water and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then add this yeast solution in the ground batter and mix well. Allow the batter to ferment for 3-4 hours (but I left it overnight, as the original recipe said). The batter rises very well (hence make sure there is enough room for it to rise, otherwise you might end up with lot of mess). Once well fermented, add salt and mix gently.

Now heat a griddle/ pan and then add a ladel full of  batter and spread a little bit (just like pancakes).

Then close it with a lid (Slowly the batter gets cooked and you can see lot of holes appearing all over its surface). 

Once the surface looks cooked with its base golden brown, then its ready to remove from the pan.

Transfer it on a plate. Bellappa is ready!!

Serve it hot with any spicy curry or chutney. Above measurement serves 2-3 people.

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Purple Cabbage salad

Purple Cabbage Salad is a quick and healthy salad. It requires only few ingredients and the best part is its very healthy. Eating these types of salad helps you to lose weight. Purple  cabbage is much more healthier than the green cabbage. I would always admire the beauty of purple cabbage but never wanted to buy it. Finally I made up my mind and decided to buy it. 

I remember eating this salad in a get together party and my husband liked it very much. That time I hadn't developed a taste for raw veggies and hence didn't like it. But now, we both enjoy salad. Hence got the recipe from our friend and made it. This time I enjoyed it:-) Try this cabbage- grapes combination. The bland- crunchy purple cabbage is very well balanced by rest of the ingredients. 

Ingredients:

• Purple Cabbage, finely chopped- 1 cup (heaping)
• Fresh Grapes (seedless), chopped- 1/2 cup
• Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp (vary accordingly)
• Lemon juice- 1-2 tsp
• Cilantro, chopped- 1 Tbsp
• Salt- To taste

Procedure:

Wash the cabbage and cut it finely (discard the outer 2-3 leaves as they are tough).

Then cut the washed grapes into desired shape and size.

Put the chopped cabbage and grapes. Then add salt, chopped cilantro, lemon juice and pepper powder. Mix it well. Allow it to sit for 20- 25 minutes. This will help all the juices to come together. Purple Cabbage Salad is ready!!

Above measurement serves two people.

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Baby Corn Rava Fries

Baby Corn Rava Fries are tasty fritters. The baby corns are given a good coating of rice based masala and then rolled in rava (semolina) and finally deep fried. Hence it is called rava fries. The rava coating makes the fritters very crispy. I got this recipe from a FB group. Generally in Coastal Karnataka this method is followed to fry the fishes.

The baby corns are very commonly used in Asain cuisines. Baby corn is a favorite of ours. Unfortunately it is not available in the place where we stay. This recipe was with me since a long time. I was waiting to get baby corns, so that I can try making it and share the recipe as well. A good friend of ours got us these cuties and I was very happy. I tried making it for the first time and it tasted awesome. It is little time consuming as the baby corns are delicate. But I assure its worth all your efforts.

Ingredients:

• Fresh Baby Corn- 22-24
• Rice- 1/2 cup
• Dry Red Chilli (Byadgi)- 6-8
• Coriander seeds- 1 tsp
• Asafoetida- 2 pinches
• Tamarind- A small piece, gooseberry sized
• Turmeric powder- 1/8 tsp
• Salt- To taste
• Sooji/ Semolina- For rolling (as required)
• Oil- For deep frying

Procedure:

Wash the baby corn and pat it dry using a cloth or paper towel.

To prepare masala: Wash the rice and grind it along with red chillies, coriander seeds, asafetida, tamarind, turmeric powder and salt, to get a fine paste. Add very little water while grinding. The final paste should be smooth and thick. 
Now transfer this thick paste to a large mixing bowl. Start coating all the baby corns evenly.

All the baby corns should have a good coating (be careful while coating as the baby corns are very delicate and there are chances that it will break).

Spread few tablespoons of semolina on a plate and then roll the masala coated baby corns one by one, to get a even coating.

Now deep fry these rava coated masala baby corns, until they turn golden brown.

Once done, transfer them on a paper towel, to drain excess oil. Baby Corn Rava Fries are ready!!

Serve them hot. Above measurement serves 2-3 people.

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Phanna Phovu (Seasoned Rice Flakes)

Phanna Phovu is a quick and easy breakfast. In Konkani, 'phanna' means seasoning and 'phovu' means rice flakes.
Its a recipe which can be made using those ingredients which are readily available in every home. On a busy day (or lazy day), when you don't want to spend more time in your kitchen, then this dish will come to your rescue. I tried it for the first time and enjoyed it. 
I noted down this recipe from a FB group.

Ingredients:

• Rice Flakes (Poha), thin variety- 3/4 cup
• Grated Coconut, Fresh/ Frozen- 1/4 cup (or little less than that)
• Cilantro/ Coriander leaves, chopped- 1 Tbsp
• Lemon juice- To taste

For Seasoning:

• Oil- 2 tsp (I used coconut oil)
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds/ Jeera- 1/2 tsp
• Green Chilli- 1-2
• Curry leaves- Few
• Onion, small sized- 1
• Peanuts- 2 Tbsp
• Turmeric Powder- 1/8 tsp
• Salt- To taste

Procedure:

Slice or chop the onions, green chillies.

Now heat a pan and add oil. Once it is hot, add mustard seeds. After it splutters, add cumin seeds. Then add peanuts. Mix well. Fry it for half a minute. Then add green chilli, curry leaves, chopped onion. Mix it well. Fry them on a medium flame, until the onion looks cooked (you can add salt to speed up the process). You needn't brown the onions.

Once everything looks done, turn off the heat. Then add turmeric powder and mix well. Finally add the grated coconut and give a final mix. Allow this mixture to cool.

Once the mixture cools, transfer to a bowl and add rice flakes and mix well, until everything comes together (You can add little more of rice flakes, if you feel the final mixture is too soft). Then add lemon juice and chopped cilantro. Adjust the amount of salt. Give a final mix. Phanna Phovu is ready!!

Serve it immediately. Above measurement serves 1-2 people.

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Kyane Polo (Banana Dosa)

Kyane Polo is a simple, sweet dosa. I got this recipe from a FB group. I was very much impressed by the recipe and noted it immediately. I made the batter on the same day as I had two ripe bananas lying untouched. I liked the taste of the dosa. It has a mild flavor, induced by the banana. This dosa doesn't require fermentation as such. People like me (having a sweet tooth) will surely like this. This dosa can also be served as an evening snack for kids (after they come back from school).

Ingredients:

• Rice- 1 cup
• Ripe Banana, big sized- 1
• Flattened rice (Poha)- 1/2 cup
• Grated Coconut, Fresh/ Frozen- 1/4 cup
• Jaggery*- To taste
• Salt- 1/4 tsp

*I used two big pieces (nearly 1/4 cup) of jaggery. Vary it according to how sweet you want or you can totally omit it.

Procedure:

Wash and soak the rice for 2-3 hours. Few minutes before grinding, add few tablespoons of water to flattened rice (to soften it). Now strain the water in which the rice was soaked. Then grind the soaked rice along with banana, flattened rice, coconut, jaggery and salt, to get a fine paste. Add little water while grinding. The final consistency of the batter should be medium thick. Allow the batter to stand for 4 hours.

Now heat a griddle and pour a ladel full of batter. Spread the batter as much as you like. Then close it with a lid.

Once the dosa looks cooked, flip it the other side. Let it turn golden brown on both the sides.

Then transfer it to a plate. Kyane Polo is ready!!

Serve it hot along with generous amount of ghee. Above measurement serves three people.

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Oats- Rava Idli

Oats- Rava Idli is a healthy breakfast. It is very simple and requires few ingredients. I got this recipe from a FB friend. When I saw this recipe, I noted it instantly and tried the next day itself (I made slight variations to the original recipe). The idlis turned out very fluffy and I loved its texture. This is a good way to include oats:-)

Ingredients:

• Quick cooking Oats- 2/3 cup
• Rava/ Semolina- 2/3 cup
• Yogurt/ Curd- 2/3 cup
• Water- 4/3 cup
• Eno- 3/4 tsp
• Salt- To taste
• Oil- For greasing idli mould

(Note that you can use any cup for measurement. The amount of oats, rava, curd are equal while the amount of water is double (the amount of water required may depend on the thickness of the curd. So add it accordingly, as required). Vary the amount of salt and eno accordingly).

Procedure:

Dry roast the oats for 2-3 minutes or until you get a nice aroma. Then allow it to cool. Then grind it to make a coarse powder.

Now take a mixing bowl. Add the coarse powder of oats, semolina, salt and curd. Mix well. Then add water. Allow it to sit for 15-20 minutes. The final consistency of the batter should be thick, but of pouring consistency.

Meanwhile grease the idli moulds using oil. When the batter is ready, then add eno and mix it well. You will see that the batter starts to rise. Pour the batter in the idli mould.

Then steam them in a steamer or pressure cooker (without whistle) for 15 minutes. Then allow it to cool for 2-3 minutes. Oats- Rava Idli is ready!!

Serve it hot with coconut chutney, sambhar or any other side dish of your choice. I served it with Pudina Chutney. Above measurement makes 12 medium sized idlis.

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Beans Sukke (Beans Dry Curry)

Beans Sukke is a simple Konkani dish. This is a coconut based dry curry. I got this recipe from my mother.

Ingredients:

• Beans, chopped- 1 cup (heaping)
• Potato, small sized- 1
• Grated coconut, fresh/frozen- 3/4 cup
• Roasted red chillies- 4-5
• Tamarind- A small ball (gooseberry sized)
• Coriander seeds- 1 1/2 tsp
• Urad dal/Split blackgram- 2 tsp
• Jaggery- A small piece
• Oil- 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1tsp
• Curry leaves- few
• Salt- To taste

Procedure:

Wash and cut the beans into bite size pieces. Then cube (small sized) the washed and peeled potato.

To Prepare Masala: Fry coriander seeds and urad dal in 1/2 tsp of oil, until it turns light brown. Allow it to cool on a plate. 
Now grind grated coconut, jaggery, roasted red chillies, tamarind, salt, roasted coriander seeds and urad dal, to get a coarse mixture. Add little water so that all the things come together. Don't make the masala very fine. 

Now take a kadai and heat oil. Add mustard seeds. Once it starts to splutter, add curry leaves. Then add the chopped potato and fry for a minute or two. Then add chopped beans and mix well. Let it fry for 1-2 minutes on a medium flame. Then add enough water and allow them to cook.

Once the beans and potato are cooked upto 75% , add in the ground coconut masala.

Mix it well. Add little water, if it is too dry. Check for salt at this point. 
Allow the veggies to cook further in the masala (this might take 4-5 minutes on a medium heat). Adjust the final consistency of the dish. You can make it dry or retain little moisture.

When done, turn off the heat. Beans Sukke is ready!!

Serve it hot, as a side dish to rice and dal. Above measurement serves 2-3 people.

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