Tag Archives: Cucumber

Mixed Vegetable Salad | Simple salad recipe

June 7, 2021 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 2 Comments

This salad recipe is so simple that I thought twice before adding on the blog wondering if anyone would actually even look at this recipe. But then I thought, even if one person benefits by it, then the blog is worth it. So here is sharing the easiest salad recipe ever and definitely very healthy too since it has so many vegetables in it. ❤️

Click on the image to save the recipe on Pinterest

My kids are huge fan of this salad and this whole bowl that you can see above is finished mostly by them only. They enjoy it as it is and then add puffed rice or Bhel to it, calling it “Charmbure Upkari” or Bhel Puri in Konkani. Whatever they call it, I am very happy that all these vegetables go into their tummy without a fuss. ❤️

When I was a child, my grandmother used to make a simple salad with just tomatoes, onions, green chillies and coriander leaves. After a while of making it, it would leave water due to salt in it and I used to love to slurp that water. 😍 Now my son is the same. The water left by the salad is reserved only for him and he enjoys drinking it. Like mother, like son. ❤️❤️

Today, I also want to share a glimpse of my mother’s window which is her view of the outside world. Suffering from muscular dystrophy in her legs, she’s mostly sitting on her bed and this window is her best friend which offers her beautiful views of mother nature, the gleaming sky, different varieties of birds and butterflies, also of cows grazing. This picture was clicked by Amma today. Isn’t it beautiful! ❤️

Also, here is a picture of a pigeon, one among the many who come to visit Amma. How sweet is that! 😍

During my vacations, I used to lie on this bed, chatting with Amma while looking outside at nature, enjoying the beautiful scenery. Major missing since close to two years now. But really happy that Amma has this window as her friend, which makes her feel close to nature, even from within her room. That’s so blissful! ❤️

On this note, here’s sharing the recipe with all of you. Hope you all try it too. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

2 English Cucumbers (about 2 cups chopped Cucumbers)

1 medium sized Carrot (1 Cup grated Carrot)

1/2 Cup grated Cabbage

1/4 Cup finely chopped Capsicum

3 Lettuce leaves, chopped into small pieces

1 medium sized Onion

1 medium sized Tomato

3 Tbsp finely chopped Coriander leaves

2 Indian lemon or to taste

1/4 tsp Cumin powder

Salt to taste (I use rock salt/ kaala namak)

Step by step recipe:

1. Get all the veggies for the salad ready. I love to keep everything set at first so that I don’t forget any of the Vegetable and also love how colourful it looks. 😍

2. First chop the cucumbers into small pieces and add to a large mixing bowl. Then peel and grate carrots, finely chop cabbage, capsicum, onion and tomato. Make small pieces of lettuce and add to the bowl too.

3. Now add lemon juice along with salt, cumin powder and coriander leaves. Mix well and serve.

Notes:

* If using Indian cucumbers, it will need peeling and removing the core. Since I used English Cucumbers, I do not peel it.

* You can skip any Vegetable in this if you don’t have. I add as per what I have available.

* You can also add green chillies or pepper powder. I skip both as I make for my small kids.

* This salad acts a good base to make Mixed Vegetable sandwiches. Just take little of this salad and mix either hung Curd or cream cheese along with little tomato ketchup. Mix well and spread between bread slices. Toast on a pan and delicious sandwiches are ready.

* Also you can use this salad to make Mixed Vegetable Bhel Puri. Just take a little of this salad and mix in red chilli powder to taste along with little curd, puffed rice/ Bhel and Bhujiya/ Sev. Add Date Tamarind chutney too if you have.

* These are the other Salads that I make regularly:

# Carrot Kismuri

# Moong dal Kosambari

# Cabbage Kosambari

# Khamang Kakdi

# Mixed Bean Salad

Salads

Khamang Kakdi | Seasoned Maharashtrian style Cucumber salad

May 5, 2021 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 7 Comments

Mr Google says Khamang means savory, tasty, spicy in Marathi and Kakdi means cucumbers. That’s exactly what this salad is! Savory spicy tasty cucumber salad. I have been making Khamang Kakdi since many years now and it is my 2.5 year old son’s favorite salad. Whenever I make it, he has to eat it as soon as it is done, along with his meal and afterwards, with my meal too. 😅😅 In short, most of this salad goes into his tummy. 😍

My mother will not be pleased to read this, I know, 😅 as she always wants me to eat well. That’s why I keep updating her over voice messages whatever I eat all throughout the day. It makes her happy and she sends all the possible love smileys in the world to show her joy. 😍❤️

We can’t talk for hours like before or video call as her grandkids snatch the phone from me to talk to their “moga mamama” (loving grandma). So we just send voice messages to each other. I give her updates regarding what I am doing every hour and she does the same. Our day starts with good morning to each other and ends with good night kisses. That’s what is called true love, being far from each other physically, yet closest to one another, in thoughts, in feelings and in heart, not separated ever. ❤️

Writing the above line just overwhelmed me to tears and I won’t be able to write anymore.. This girl with loads of thoughts, feelings, memories is never going to change.. ❤️

Hope you all try this easy cucumber salad, Khamang Kakdi. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

3 regular sized English Cucumbers (or 1 Indian Cucumber)

1/4 Cup Peanuts

1/4 Cup freshly grated Coconut

3 Green chillies

3 Tbsp finely chopped Coriander leaves

Lemon juice from 1 Indian lemon or to taste

Salt to taste

For seasoning:

2 tsp Coconut oil

1 tsp Mustard seeds

5 to 7 Curry leaves

A pinch of Hing/ Asafoetida

Step by step recipe:

1. Dry roast the peanuts in a pan till it browns. Allow it to cool. Now using a mortar pestle, crush it to a coarse mixture. Keep aside.

2. Take chopped cucumbers, green chillies, coriander leaves and coconut in a bowl. Add salt.

3. Now add the crushed peanuts to this. Also, heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds, add curry leaves and hing. Pour this seasoning over the cucumbers.

4. Add lemon juice and mix well. Do a taste test for salt and also add more lemon juice if you like.

5. Serve with rice meals or enjoy as it is!

Notes:

* I used English Cucumbers which do not need peeling. If using Indian cucumbers, peel and remove seeds. Then chop and use.

* You can make ahead and keep at room temperature. Maybe add salt later if your cucumber leaves a lot of water after adding salt.

* I also make this Moong dal Kosambari regularly with cucumbers and carrots. You can check that.

* Another Konkani style salad that I make always is Carrot Kismuri.

* I also use Cucumbers in this Instant Cucumber dosa and Instant Cucumber Idli.

Salads, Soups

Barley Carrot Soup | Barley salad |Healthy soup recipe

January 10, 2021 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 3 Comments

Soup takes me back to the piping hot tomato soup in paper cups that used to be served during our 3 day long train journey to Bombay. My uncles lived there and we used to be so excited, waiting for the train to reach the destination yet enjoying every bit of the journey too. Me and my brother would sit close to the window seat, watching trees, fields and mountains pass by, counting the number of bogies in goods trains while waiting for food hawkers to come, to buy their snacks. 😍

Among them, tomato soup used to be sold early in the morning and I specially would wake up early for it (sacrificing my precious sleep for that delicious soup 😅). As soon as they started calling out, soup.. soup.. I would wake up my father asking him to buy one for me (spoiling his sleep too 😬). But the feel of drinking that tasty hot soup while looking outside the window of the train, enjoying nature come alive early in the morning with the background music of birds chirping, is something which can’t be replicated at all. Which is why even after so many years, it is as fresh in my memory. ❤️

After that, if there is any soup I loved, it is my mother’s tomato soup. I can never forget how lovingly she made it and we used to enjoy it together in small steel bowls with mickey mouse spoons (😍) sitting together chatting away (major missing 😭).

It is the same recipe that I am sharing today but have included barley in it too. Barley was brought home by my husband as he wanted me to taste it after eating it in his company “canteen” (as he calls it but it is no less than a restaurant which offers so many delicious options in the buffet). He said soup and salad with it tastes delicious and I looked through few recipes on how to cook it and combined it with Amma’s soup recipe.

It tasted really good and I loved the soft texture of Barley. Funniest part is when I made the soup for the first time and was serving my son, he asked me what was in the other bowl too. I said salad. He asked me to mix both in his bowl. I told him that’s not the way to eat it but he still was confident he wanted to eat it that way. 😅 So I gave in and served him exactly that way. (Tip to survive motherhood: Give in if it’s safe to do before tantrums start. 🤣)

And he could not stop saying “Amma, yummy!!” with every bite while I was very surprised at this weird combo. 🙄 Then, when we tried it, it was delicious for real. 😄 The bite of cucumber, carrots and onion gave a great texture as well as flavour to the soup. Since then, we have been eating this soup the same way. 😀 Huge credits to my two year old boy for showing us the right way to enjoy this soup. 😍

Sorry for the super long write up. Did not realise how lengthy this turned out to be but don’t feel like cutting it short too. You can always skip if it bores you. 😁 Hope you all try this healthy, filling and tasty soup. Happy and healthy cooking!! Happy winters too. The best time to enjoy soup! ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { Serves 4 }

1/2 Cup Barley (I make both soup and salad using this measure)

1/2 a large Carrot (about 1/2 Cup chopped)

1 medium sized Tomato

1 small sized Onion

Red chilli powder to taste

Salt to taste

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash barley well and soak in about three times water overnight or for 6 to 8 hours. This makes barley soft and aids in digestion too.

2. Then drain water from it and add to a pressure cooker. Add water a little above the level of barley (about 2 cm) and pressure cook till soft. It takes me 1 whistle on high flame and then reduce to medium flame and keeping for 10 mins. It gives me perfectly cooked barley.

3. At this point, I remove 1/2 Cup of this cooked barley and add to my salad (will share the recipe of that in the notes towards the end of the recipe.) It leaves me with 1 Cup of cooked barley. Just add chopped carrot, onion and tomato along with 1/2 Cup water.

4. Pressure cook for about 3 whistles on high flame or cook till the carrots turns soft. Allow it to cool.

5. After it cools down, puree it in a mixer. Leave some cooked barley without pureeing as it gives a wonderful bite to the soup. I leave about 1/2 Cup of cooked barley.

6. Now add the blended puree back into the pressure cooker and add red chilli powder and salt. Also add water to make it into your desired consistency. Bring to a boil and cook for about two mins. Soup is ready! Garnish with Coriander leaves. Serve with croutons or bread sticks.

Notes:

* You can garnish with butter, cream or pepper or anything you like. I make it very basic as my kids love it this way.

* My son enjoys this soup along with salad in one bowl. It makes for a tasty and filling snack or a meal in itself.

* For the barley salad, add finely chopped cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, carrots, coriander leaves and green chillies (optional) in a bowl. Add cooked barley with salt, pepper powder and lemon juice. Mix well.

* Barley absorbs a lot of water when pressure cooked. So add atleast about 2 cm level of water more while pressure cooking it.

* I soak Barley when I remember. Drain the water after 8 hours and refrigerate. This lasts well for couple of days. So when I need to make it, I already have the soaked barley. So can make both the soup and salad instantly.

* Adding more carrot or onions can make the soup very thick and sweet. So if you are not a fan of sweet soups, you can reduce the amount of both.

* Don’t add all the barley while pureeing. Save half of it as it gives a good bite to the soup.

* The soup thickens as you keep it. So if you are making ahead, you might need to add little water to bring it to desired consistency.

* These are the other soups that I make regularly.

# Narangi Shorba (Orange flavoured Pumpkin soup )

# Easy Cream of Mushroom soup

Curry house, Konkani Recipes, Salads

Moong dal Kosambari | Konkani style seasoned salad

November 4, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 6 Comments

I have been blogging continually for a week now and my readers must be wondering what kind of energy has got into me 😅. Actually I realized how much time I was wasting in overthinking and felt it was best if I deviate my time towards something productive. So here I am with my son sleeping in my arms completing his evening sleep while I am blogging with my favorite songs in the background on spotify instead of random browsing or feeding my moody thoughts (which are sometimes too much to handle for the sensitive me 😬).

This kosambari is my favorite accompaniment to our rice meals. It is quick to assemble, very healthy with protein rich moong dal and tastes yummy too. People from Karnataka and Konkanis know this as they have grown up eating it at home, in temples and even in weddings.

There are many variations but this is how I make kosambari. It can beat any exotic salad in terms of taste and I am sure will won’t be able to stop eating it. It’s a favorite of my family and I have to make a huge bowl of it. Even then I hardly get to eat couple of spoons of it (my son comes when I eat my dinner and finishes off my share of the kosambari too 😂).

Hope those who don’t know will try and love it. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Moong dal

3 English cucumbers ( I use them as Indian ones are rarely available here)

1 Carrot, peeled and grated

3 Green chillies or to taste

3 Tbsp freshly grated coconut

Juice of one Indian lemon

Salt to taste

For seasoning:

1 tsp Coconut oil

1 tsp Mustard seeds

Few curry leaves

A pinch of Hing powder

Step by step recipe:

1. Soak moong dal in almost double the amount of water for about 30 to 45 mins. It will swell in size and when you bite, there will be no rawness in it. Then you can use it. Meanwhile, also wash well and chop cucumbers. Add cucumbers, grated carrot, green chillies and grated coconut in a mixing bowl.

2. When the moong dal is soaked, drain water from it completely and add to this along with salt.. Also heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds and fry curry leaves slightly in it. Add Hing powder too. Then pour the seasoning over this.

3. Finally add lemon juice and mix well.

4. Serve with rice meals or enjoy as it is.

Note:

* Make sure to soak the moong dal well. When you taste and see by 30 mins, you will know whether it has rawness or can be eaten. If you feel it’s still raw, soak for more time. Anyhow, by maximum one hour, it will swell well and will be ready to be added to the salad.

* You can make this with cucumber alone or carrot alone but I love mixing both as it gives a good flavour and looks good too.

* Goes well as an accompaniment with rice and rasam.

Idli Stand, Konkani Recipes

Instant Cucumber Idlis | Thoushe idli

September 30, 2020 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 12 Comments

After the Undi with Piyava Gojju recipe which was viewed and tried by so many readers, I realised how much people love our traditional Konkani recipes. So I had to share these Cucumber Idlis or Thoushe Mudho as called in amchi households. They can be made instantly and are so tasty that you can’t stop eating them.

My grandmother and mother used to make them wrapped in banana leaves or turmeric leaves that has an aroma of its own. But since we don’t get them easily here, I make them in idli plates. Even then, while steaming these idlis, the whole house is filled with a heavenly aroma which stays for the whole day.

I love how our Indian breakfasts are so delicious yet healthy. I can never get satisfied by continental breakfasts. Those are for a day or two during vacations and then I am back to craving my Idlis, dosas, puri bhaji and upmas 😅. I am such an Indian food fan!

Hope you all try and love these Idlis as much we do. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { Makes about 22 Idlis}

2 Cups Idli Rava or Rice Rava

1/2 Cup Desiccated coconut or freshly grated coconut

2 Cups grated Cucumber {check notes for details}

1 inch Ginger piece, grated

1 Green chilly or to taste

1 1/2 Cups Water

Salt to taste

Step by step recipe:

1. Keep the steamer or idli cooker ready with water on the stovetop to boil.

2. Wash the Rice rava well twice or thrice till it leaves clear water. Drain the water completely.

3. Add grated Cucumbers, grated ginger and chopped green chilly along with coconut and salt.

4. Mix well adding little by little as need to make a batter. It should be thick yet some water should be there so that the Idlis turn soft.

Note: It took me 1 and half cups of water to get it to right consistency since my cucumbers did not ooze much water. Water depends upon the variety of cucumbers.

5. Add to greased idli plate like I have shown. Leave a little water in each plate along with the idli rava mixture. This ensures you get soft Idlis.

6. Steam for 15 to 20 mins till a knife inserted in the center of the idli comes out clear. Allow to cool slightly.

7. Remove and serve with a chutney of your choice.

Notes:

* Idli Rava or Rice rava is not regular upma rava which is made from wheat.

* I have used English Cucumbers which do not need peeling. I discard the sides and grate as it is. If using Indian cucumbers, do peel them.

* Green chilly can be increased as per taste or even skipped.

* You can also grind coconut, ginger and green chilly and add to the batter. I add as it is because I love the bite of ginger and green chilly in it.

* Do remember to leave a little water in each idli plate. It gives soft Idlis.

* If Idlis get leftover, just refrigerate in an airtight container. Microwave and it gets soft again.

* Drizzle a little coconut oil before serving these Idlis. Tastes heavenly!

* I served these Idlis with Coriander leaves- curry leaves chutney. For that, just grind coconut with ginger, green chillies, coriander leaves, curry leaves, salt and little water to a smooth paste. Season with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Mix well.

Dosa corner, Konkani Recipes

Instant Cucumber Dosa / Thoushe Bhakri

November 7, 2019 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 4 Comments

Since most of my readers love my dosa recipes, here is one more of my favourite. This dosa too is a Konkani speciality but I have changed it according to my family’s taste.

Cucumber dosa uses very few basic ingredients and takes very less time to make but is filling and tastes delicious. Both my kids enjoy it with butter and when kids love anything healthy, it is bound to be a winner.

Here’s sharing the recipe. Hope you all will love it. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients: (Makes around 6 dosas)

1 1/2 Cups grated Cucumbers (read Notes below for more details)

3 Green chillies

1 inch Ginger (grated)

2 Cups Wheat Semolina/ Rava/ Sooji

1/2 Cup Wheat flour

1/2 Cup freshly grated Coconut

1 Tbsp Jaggery powder

Salt to taste

Buttermilk or curd or water to dilute the batter

Ghee or oil to cook the dosa

Step by step recipe:

1. Grate cucumbers in a large mixing bowl. Add grated ginger and green chillies.

2. Add semolina, wheat flour, coconut, jaggery and salt.

3. Dilute the batter using buttermilk or you could add around 1/4 cup Curd with water or you could use only water to make the batter. Do not add a lot of water. The batter needs to be thick.

4. Heat a dosa pan and add a ladle full of batter into the pan. Spread it using the ladle into a thick dosa.

5. Cover and cook till top portion cooks. Add ghee or oil as desired.

6. Flip and cook for few seconds. Remove and serve hot with butter or ghee.

Notes:

* I have used English cucumbers which do not have big seeds and needs no peeling. But if you are using Indian cucumbers, they do need peeling and removal of seeds. Grate after that.

* Wheat flour and coconut are optional and won’t make much of a difference if not used.

* I dilute the batter with buttermilk or curd just because I like the tangy flavour in my dosa but you could use just water if you don’t like sour flavour.

* You could make the batter at night and refrigerate till use in the morning. I do that most of the time. It lasts well for two days if refrigerated.

* This dosa is traditionally made as a thick bhakri while spreading on a banana leaf and transferring on the dosa pan. I have been making them as dosas since many years now because they are easier and less time consuming. Also, they come out softer in texture which my family loves.

Do let me know if you have any doubts on my facebook page and I would be happy to help.