Category Archives: Konkani Recipes

Magge Surnali | Mangalore cucumber sweet dosa

June 14, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 8 Comments

I have already posted the basic version of Surnali / sweet and spongy dosa. This version is like an upgrade to it by adding Mangalore cucumber. The addition has so many benefits like:

* The dosa turns out very soft and porous as you can see from the pictures.

* The aroma that the mangalore cucumber gives out is simply heavenly.

* You are adding a vegetable in your diet even without your knowledge. (This is the main reason I make these dosas atleast once weekly. Kids love it and they don’t realise they are eating a vegetable hidden in it 😁)

There was one more reason last year why I made this dosa too often. My husband who has a talent for gardening had planted these Mangalore cucumbers from seeds that he got from the core of store bought ones and we had a yield of about 50 of them from our kitchen garden. Yes 50!!!! Here is a picture of some of them.

Since they have a very good shelf life, I kept it as such on counter top and it lasted us a good 6 months. Looking at them everyday made me so happy. Proud of my husband! He has taught me so many things post marriage and one of them is plant love. He cares for them like his own babies and it’s so nice of him. ♥️

Sharing the dosa recipe for all of you to try and enjoy too. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

2 Cups of peeled, cored, cubed Mangalore cucumber / Magge/ Velarikka

2 Cups Raw Rice (Any variety of white rice)

1/2 Cup grated coconut ( fresh/ desiccated)

1 Cup Beaten rice/ Poha

1/2 Cup Curd

3/4 Cup Jaggery

1 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Ghee to cook the dosa

Recipe:

1. Wash well and soak the raw rice for 2 to 4 hours.

2. Take the peeled, cored, cubed mangalore cucumber and grind to a fine paste.

3. Now add soaked rice along with Poha, jaggery, coconut, curd, turmeric and salt to a smooth paste. Add buttermilk instead of water while grinding for spongier surnalis. Pour into a steel vessel. Mix well with hands to start fermentation.

5. Keep aside covered for 8 to 12 hours or overnight.

6. Take a ladle full of the batter and pour a thick dosa. Add ghee on top.

7. Cover and cook on low flame till the dosa cooks. (This dosa requires low flame to cook. Else it will turn black due to jaggery in it.)

8. Remove and serve hot with butter.

Notes:

* Any variety of white rice ranging from Sona masoori to short grain white rice (used for eating) works well to make this dosa.

* You could substitute curd with buttermilk.

* Ensure the batter is a slightly thick ( not very thick) smooth paste and not watery to get perfect surnalis.

* The amount of jaggery is to taste. You could increase or decrease as per your taste. You can also skip jaggery and make plain dosas with Mangalore cucumber.

* Surnalis come out the best when the batter is freshly fermented. Once refrigerated, the dosas does not come as spongy. Still they come out like regular dosas.

* I substitute Mangalore cucumber with watermelon rind ( the white part) sometimes and it tastes delicious as well.

Curry house, Konkani Recipes

Cauliflower phannaupkari

June 8, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha Leave a comment

First dish learnt after marriage is always special and I was lucky to learn this curry from hubby’s aunt who is an expert cook. She taught me so many dishes lovingly just like teaching a daughter. I never felt I was in my in law’s house even without my husband. He was in Qatar while I was living in his village home in midst of a farm. One of the best days of my life for sure.

So this cauliflower phannaupkari is one of the curries that mhave (aunty) made and I loved it very much. Even though very simple to make, it tasted so yummy.

Even now when we get cauliflower, hubby asks for this to be made. Such is the love for this simple curry. Hope you all try and love it too. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

3 Cups Cauliflower florets

1 large sized Onion, finely sliced

1 large Tomato, roughly chopped

2 tsp Red chilli powder or to taste

Salt to taste

2 tsp Oil

Step by step recipe:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add thinly sliced onions. Fry till it turns translucent.

2. Add tomatoes and cook till it mashes up completely.

3. Now add red chilli powder, salt and mix well.

4. Add cauliflower with little water and cook till cauliflower cooks completely. Done!

5. Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Notes:

* I over cook cauliflower since my family likes that way. You can cook till just done if needed.

* Don’t add much water while cooking or else the flavour will be lost.

* This curry is a spicy one and hence the colour. You can adjust red chilli powder as per your taste.

* I usually blanch cauliflower florets in turmeric water before using since it cleans the florets well.

Chutneys, Konkani Recipes

Sambarpalli chutney | Oregano leaves chutney – Version 1

May 17, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 7 Comments

My husband loves gardening. He has grown a lot of plants in our kitchen garden which yields us different varieties of vegetables during winter and herbs like mint all year long. There are two plants among them which I adore as they are medicinal plants and helps us heal ourselves and our kids when they fall sick.

One is the most revered plant in Hindu tradition, Tulsi or holy basil. He has grown it all around the house and it feels so divine when we sit in our backyard filled with Tulsi plants. The second is these Sambarpalli leaves or Cuban oregano. They are very good to cure cold and stomach problems in both kids and adults. Sharing a picture of our plant.

Though people make so many dishes with these leaves including pakoras, my favourite is this simple chutney ad it not only tastes delicious but is easy to make as well. I try to make this chutney atleast once a week so that we consume the leaves regularly in this way.

Hope you all try this chutney too. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

5 to 7 leaves of Sambarpalli/ Panikoorka/ Doddapatre / Cuban oregano

1 Cup Coconut (freshly grated or desiccated)

1 small Onion

1/2 inch Ginger piece

3 green chillies

Salt to taste

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash well and heat the leaves in a pan till it changes colour and starts oozing water.

2. Allow it to cool down.

3. Meanwhile, add coconut, onion, green chillies and salt in a blender.

4. Add the cooled sambarpalli leaves too.

5. Using water as required, grind to a fine paste.

Notes:

* If you don’t have these leaves, skip it and you get simple raw onion chutney which I make regularly.

* Add coriander leaves instead of Sambarpalli leaves and you get coriander leaves chutney.

* You can skip onion if you are making during vrat days or are a Jain.

* Do not add more than the mentioned leaves as it does not taste good.

* This chutney makes a good combination with Instant Rava idlis.

* These leaves are very healthy and I use them in two ways apart from making chutney:::

1. I put couple of leaves in a vessel along with water. Heat it and take steam inhalation when even having the slightest of cold symptoms.

2. Heat the leaves in a pan as shown in the first picture. Then when it starts oozing water, remove it and crush it using mortar and pestle. Sieve the juice and mix honey (for kids above one year old) . Give as medicine for kids and adults when suffering from cold or stomach ache. Works very well. Take about 6 to 8 leaves for one dose.

Hope these home remedies are helpful to you too. These leaves are really magic!

Breakfast time, Konkani Recipes, Snacks

Muga Dali usli | Seasoned moong dal

May 15, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 4 Comments

Click on the image to save the recipe on Pinterest.

I love dishes that does not require much of chopping especially when the husband works extra hours and the kids are extra clingy. Chopping becomes very difficult when they are pulling my legs and pushing my hands.

But I am still hungry. What to do? Welcome muga dali usli or seasoned moong dal. Hardly takes 5 mins to dump everything into the pan, I can keep it on medium to low flame and go play with the kiddos.

After a while, healthy and delicious protein packed usli is ready for me to enjoy! How can I not love this usli! Hope you all enjoy too. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

2 Cups Moong dal

3 Green chillies

1 Tbsp Ghee or Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 inch Ginger

A pinch of Hing/ Asafoetida

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Sugar

Salt to taste

Freshly grated coconut for garnish

Step by step recipe:

1. Soak the moong dal for an hour if you have time. Else you can just wash well and use straight away.

2. Now heat a pan with ghee or oil. Splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds and add hing.

3. Now add finely chopped ginger and green chillies. Fry for few seconds.

4. Now add the soaked moong dal along with tumeric powder,sugar, salt and enough water to cook the moong dal.

5. Cover and cook on medium flame till the moong dal cooks really well and turns soft.

6. Garnish with freshly grated coconut.

7. Serve hot!

Notes:

* We like it mushy and over cooked. So I cook the moong dal till really soft and add a lot of water while cooking. If you don’t like it overcooked, remove when the dal is just cooked while adding only sufficient water when cooking.

* The seasoning is to taste. You can skip ginger if you don’t like it but I love the bite of ginger in this usli.

* I also add few peppercorns and curry leaves when I have it.

* Hing gives a very good flavour to the usli. So don’t skip it.

Drinks, Konkani Recipes

Paanak | Jaggery Lemonade

May 13, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 3 Comments

Paanak is a drink made at temples and homes on the occasion of Ram Navami celebrating the birth of Lord Rama. I remember how I used to wait for this drink when they distributed at our local temple at Katapadi and the flavour is still afresh in my memories. That flavour is difficult to recreate at home just like all temple foods as they are filled with divinity.

At my house, I make Paanak for Ram Navami and along with that, it’s a regular during the summer months here in Qatar. We don’t drink carbonated drinks and this is a healthy replacement. When my husband comes back tired after work, Paanak makes him refreshed.

Hope you all try this drink too!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 large block or 2 small blocks of Jaggery (about a cup of powdered jaggery)

1 large Lemon or to taste

1/2 inch Ginger, grated

1/4 tsp Pepper powder

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder (optional)

A few leaves of Tulsi / holy basil leaves

Step by step recipe:

1. Melt jaggery with little water in a vessel. (Just melt, don’t make it into a syrup.)

2. Strain to remove any impurities. Now let it cool down.

3. After cooling down, add lemon juice, grated ginger, pepper powder, cardamom powder. Also add little more water to dilute the juice as per your taste.

4. Now add Tulsi leaves on top and refrigerate till it cools down.

5. Strain using a sieve and serve chilled. Enjoy!

Notes:

* Refrigerate the remaining drink and sieve and use when needed.

* You can skip Tulsi leaves if not available but it adds a wonderful flavour and also good for health.

* You can add all ingredients to taste as there is no specific measurement while making this.

Dosa corner, Konkani Recipes

Matta Rice dosa | Surai Ukde polo

May 12, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 2 Comments

Has anyone noticed my Dosa Corner page? I have already updated 8 dosa varieties that I always make for my family. This Matta rice dosa or Surai Ukde polo as said in Konkani is our weekly once breakfast.

I can just eat it with butter and do not need any chutney with this dosa. The combination of Matta rice and coconut brings a unique aroma and flavour to the dosa.

Traditionally, when my grandmother or Amma made this dosa, they did not ferment it. They just ground the batter and used it instantly. I like to ferment the batter as not only it increases the health benefits but tastes more delicious as well.

So here’s sharing the recipe. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Matta rice/ Boiled rice/ Brown rice

1 Cup White rice (any variety of white rice)

3/4 Cup grated Coconut (fresh/ desiccated)

Salt to taste

Oil or ghee to cook the dosa

Step by step recipe:

1. Soak Matta rice and white rice together for about 8 hours. Matta rice takes a long time to soak. So soak atleast for 8 hours.

2. After soaking, drain the water and add to the mixer jar. Grind till half done.

3. Now add coconut and salt. Grind till it turns smooth. Pour into a vessel.

4. Ferment the batter overnight or for 8 hours. (Not required in traditional style but I love to ferment it as the taste is so much better when the batter is fermented.)

*Does not rise but you can see bubbles in the batter when it’s fermented*

5. Heat a dosa pan and spread a ladle of dosa batter slightly thick.

6. Cover and cook till the surface cooks. Then flip and cook for few more seconds till done.

Enjoy with butter or chutney!

Notes:

* This is a traditional Konkani GSB dosa which does not require fermenting but I like to ferment the batter as it increases the health benefits as well as flavour.

* I soak the rice in the morning and grind the batter at night for breakfast the next day. It needs atleast 8 hours of soaking for the batter to turn smooth.

* This is the rice that I used for the dosa. It’s called Palakkadan Matta rice. This is also the rice we eat on a daily basis for our meal.

Chaat street, Konkani Recipes, Snacks

Charmbure upkari

April 22, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 1 Comment

This post is dedicated to my father who’s favourite snack to make is Charmbure Upkari and my husband who’s only reply for “what’s for evening snack?” is Charmbure Upkari. My kids have gone after them and they love it a lot too.

It’s easy for me as well. Hardly takes time to mix everything and is so tasty that the whole family is happy with me. I am happy too since it’s a healthy snack to munch on.

Charmbure Upkari is most famous during temple festivals in South Canara regions and also available outside temples at other times. They give it in a paper cone and it’s so delightful to see them make it. Some also add raw mango to it but since we don’t get it here, I make it without it. Here’s sharing how we make our Charmbure Upkari.

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

2 Cups Puffed rice/ Charmburo/ Bhel

1/2 Cup Sev/ Bhujiya

3 Tbsp peeled and finely grated Carrot

1 small Onion, finely chopped

1 small Tomato, finely chopped

2 green chillies, finely chopped ( or to taste) *can skip if making for kids

3 Tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped

1 Tbsp Peanuts

2 tsp Sambar powder

1/2 tsp Red chilli powder (or to taste) *can skip if making for kids

2 tsp Coconut oil (plus 1 tsp to fry peanuts)

1 Tbsp Lemon juice

Salt to taste

Step by step recipe:

1. Add the finely chopped Onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves, green chillies, grated carrots in a large mixing bowl. (Add finely chopped raw mango too if available)

2. Add sambar powder, salt and red chilli powder( if adding).

3. Now fry peanuts in oil and add to the mixture along with sev/ bhujiya.

4. Now add the Bhel/ Charmburo along with coconut oil and lemon juice. Mix well.

5. To a taste test and add more sambar powder/ red chilli powder/ lemon juice if required. Serve Immediately. Else the Charmbure upkari turns soggy and not crisp.

Notes:

* If I have the time, I sometimes dry roast the Charmburo/ Bhel before adding to the upkari so that it does not turn soggy while serving.

* Do serve it immediately after mixing everything. Else it turns soggy.

* All the ingredients are to taste and you can make changes according to your family’s taste buds.

Chutneys, Konkani Recipes

Amma’s Tomato Chutney

November 25, 2019 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 13 Comments

Everyone must have their own way of making the simple but lipsmacking tomato chutney. Here is how my mother made it and it’s my favourite way to make it.

She made it as an accompaniment to chapatis and Panpolos or Neeru dosas. It tastes heavenly with panpolos and to date, whenever I make them, it has to be tomato chutney for the dip.

My husband too is a huge fan of this chutney and asks me to make it quite often.

Thank you Amma for this amazing recipe.

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

2 medium sized Onions

4 medium sized Tomatoes

2 tsp Red chilli powder or to taste

1 tsp Coriander powder

2 tsp Coconut oil

1 tsp Mustard seeds

5 to 6 curry leaves

Salt to taste

Step by step recipe:

1. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and add roughly chopped onion to it. Fry well till it changes colour to translucent.

2. Now add roughly chopped tomatoes. Fry well and cook till the tomatoes turn mushy. Allow it to cool by removing from flame.

3. Once cooled, blend in a mixer to a smooth paste. It’s also okay if little bits of onion and tomato remain. Gives a bite to the chutney.

4. Now heat the same pan and add 1 tsp oil. When it gets heated, add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let mustard seeds splutter.

5. Add the tomato onion paste along with coriander powder, red chilli powder and salt.

6. Add water if needed and bring to a boil. Let it cook for about 5 minutes.

Remove and serve with chapatis or Panpolos.

Notes:

* I also add hing (asafoetida) sometimes while adding mustard seeds as my husband loves hing flavour.

* This chutney lasts well for a day without the need to refrigerate as it does not use coconut and is heated well.

* You can also add a tsp of rasam powder for a different flavour which turns delicious as well.

If any doubts, do message me on my Facebook page Healthy cooking with mitha or on my Instagram handle and I would be happy to help. Happy cooking!

Dosa corner, Konkani Recipes

Panpolos/ Neeru dose

November 25, 2019 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 6 Comments

Panpolos in Konkani or Neeru dose in Kannada are one of the yummiest variety of dosas. Though eating it is very easy due to its soft and melt in the mouth texture, making it perfectly is not at all easy. Atleast for me, it took many years to get this dosa right.

My mom made the best panpolos ever and I cannot match her taste. When I was pregnant with my daughter, she used to stand with her walker leaning against the kitchen slab and make almost 20 panpolos for me ( even more sometimes). It was my topmost pregnancy craving and my dad was fed up eating panpolos every other day for breakfast.

Then when my daughter was an year old, Amma came here to Qatar and taught me how to make perfect panpolos. She stood beside me and showed me the batter consistency and how I should pour it. After that, I too learned the art of making panpolos and now I can say I make them perfectly.

Panpolos taste the best with Amma’s Tomato chutney and I love the combination very much.

Amma can no longer walk using her walker and uses wheel chair for movement. She is sad that she cannot cook like before. But Amma, whatever you have taught me, it will always remain with me and will be passed on to the next generation.

Here’s sharing the recipe. The main ingredient always will be Love. Make them with love and they will come out right. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 Cups Raw white rice (any variety of white rice works)

1 Cup grated Coconut (fresh/ desiccated)

Salt to taste

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash well and soak the rice for 4 hours.

2. Drain and add the soaked rice along with coconut and salt to a mixer.

3. Grind with water as required (do not add a lot of water) to a smooth paste.

4. Remove in a vessel and add more water to make a thin batter. The batter should be thinner than regular dosa batter and should be free flowing. (Be careful while adding water though. Prepare a dosa and check if it is coming out well. Excess water in the batter makes dosas sticky.)

5. The first dosa shows whether your batter texture is perfect or not. If the dosa comes out thick and less holes, you need to add more water to the batter.

6. Heat a flat bottomed dosa pan and when it becomes hot, pour the dosa batter. Just add one or two ladles of the batter on the hot pan in one single layer. This dosa does not have the round shape of regular dosas.

7. Cover and cook for couple of minutes till the surface cooks well.

8. Fold the dosa as shown into half.

9. Fold again resembling a triangle.

10. Remove and serve hot with a chutney of your choice. I have served with my Amma’s Tomato Chutney.

Notes:

* The main point while making these dosas is the batter consistency. It takes some trials to get the perfect texture. If the batter is too thick, the dosas don’t come out as soft. You will know that when you pour the dosa. Check the difference here.

**When the dosa batter is too thick. No holes and thick dosa. Needs more water to make batter thin.**

***Perfect dosas. Holes in the dosa and thin, soft dosa.***

* You can also add coconut water while grinding for a delicious flavor to the dosa.

* This dosa can be had with honey, grated coconut with powdered jaggery, tomato chutney or any chutney of your choice.

* Leftover batter can be refrigerated and used later. I sometimes grind at night and refrigerate for breakfast next day.

* Make sure to grind the batter smoothly and not coarse. Coarse batter makes hard dosas.

*The dosa batter should NOT be fermented like regular dosas. The batter is ready to use as soon as ground.

*This dosa cooks only on one side. Do NOT flip and cook the dosa.

All these tips were taught to me by my mother, Rekha Shenoy and I am ever grateful to her for that. If I know to make perfect panpolos, it’s because of her. 🙏

If any doubts, do message me on my Facebook page Healthy cooking with mitha or on my Instagram handle and I would be happy to help. Happy cooking!

Edited to add: Have got many doubts with Panpolo making after I posted this recipe . One of them is-

Q: My panpolos stick to the pan each time I make it and the dosas turn sticky. What is the reason?

My answer:

Oh that’s so sad. There can be many reasons for that. I have faced it as well.
The first reason is that the batter is more watery than it should be. To solve this, grind the batter smoothly and add less water while doing so. Make the first dosa. It will turn thick but it will not stick to the pan. Then add little by little water to the batter if required.
Second reason is never ferment panpolo batter. Even if it stays in room temperature for few hours, it tends to get sticky. Always use it as soon as you grind the batter or refrigerate till use.
Third reason is the pan is not hot enough. For panpolos, the pan should be very hot. Only then pour the batter.
Hope you get your panpolos right this time.

Chutneys, Konkani Recipes

Gooseberry chutney/ Avale Gojju

November 11, 2019 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 1 Comment

Being a rich source of Vitamin C and also really good for digestion, for the hair and eyes along with numerous other health benefits, Gooseberries are a must include food in the diet. Ever since I got this recipe of chutney, I have been making it regularly as an accompaniment to our dosas.

Do you know that Vitamin C is essential for absorption of Iron in the body? Ever since we have come to know this, we try to include it in our diet daily and have seen improvement in our health. The simplest form being lemon juice or fresh oranges.

Gooseberries are available in dried candies or pickles and I love both of them. But when I get fresh ones, this chutney is the best bet as it is easy to make and is super delicious.

Here’s sharing the recipe. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Adapted from: The Konkani Saraswat Cookbook by Asha Satish Philar

Ingredients:

6 to 8 Gooseberries/Amla / Avalo (in Konkani)

1/2 Cup Coconut (freshly grated/desiccated)

3 Green chillies

1/4 tsp Hing powder/ Asafoetida

Salt to taste

Step by Step recipe:

1. Wash the gooseberries well and boil in little water for two minutes till the colour changes.