Tag Archives: Instant

Chutneys, Curry house, Konkani Recipes, Salads

Vaingana Bajji | Konkani style mashed brinjal

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After my last post of Vastad rotti (pan fried version of Mangalore Buns), I was reminded of another Konkani delicacy which I used to literally beg my grandmother to make. It is this Vaingana bhajji. She used to make with green brinjals (or gulla in Konkani/Kannada) and it tasted so heavenly that I could eat it as it is without rice.

Since we hardly get green brinjals here, I use purple ones for making Bajji. Also traditionally, the brinjal is roasted over gas or wood fire and then mashed after removing skin. If you have the option, then you can do it too. But since we have an electric cooking range, I boil it in water and mash it. My grandmother did this way too and as Amma says, this is much easier (mothers always want less work for their kids and Amma told me to try this way 😁). Life became easier after that and Bajji became our regular dish when we got fresh brinjals.

We love simple meals and this is an accompaniment which is very flavorful yet very basic. Hope you all try and love it too. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 large Purple Brinjal or 2 medium sized Green Brinjal or 3 small purple brinjals (about 2 cups chopped)

1 medium sized Onion, finely chopped

2 to 3 green chillies, finely chopped

1/2 tsp Hing or Asafoetida powder

2 tsp Tamarind paste

1 Tbsp Coconut Oil

Salt to taste

3 Tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Step by step recipe:

1. Take chopped brinjals in a vessel.

2. Add little water and cook till it turns very soft. Water should be absorbed too.

3. Mash the brinjal very well using a masher.

4. Now add chopped onions, green chillies, tamarind pulp, hing, salt and coconut oil.

I have used pink salt or rock salt or kaala namak here. Hence the colour pink.

5. Mix well and garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve immediately as an accomplishment with rice meals.

Notes:

* I have made it with all varieties of brinjals and it tastes great with any variety of them.

* Traditionally bhajji is made by roasted over gas or wood fire but my grandmother made this version too and I make this because I don’t have gas stove here (nor wood fire 😅).

* Don’t add a lot of water while cooking the brinjals and make sure the water is absorbed well and brinjal is cooked well too.

* You can skip onions if following satvik diet but onions does add a wonderful bite.

* I usually make this with our Matta rice congee and it tastes heavenly with it.

* With white rice and rasam, bhajji makes an excellent accompaniment.

Chutneys

Peanut Onion Chutney

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Since we always make dosas or idlis for breakfast, chutneys are a must and even though our regular ones are either simple ginger chutney or Tomato chutney, this peanut chutney is also our favourite.

It has a unique flavour, comes out thick even without coconut and lasts well for a day without spoiling. So I give it in my husband’s lunch box at work when he takes Idlis in it.

My kids also love this chutney and my two year old dips Idlis in it himself and licks the chutney clean. It’s his all time favourite.

Here’s sharing the recipe. It’s very easy with very few ingredients. Hope you all like it too. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Peanuts

1 medium sized Onion

3 to 4 Red chillies

1 tsp Oil

Salt to taste

For seasoning:

1 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

Few curry leaves

A pinch of Hing/ Asafoetida

Step by step recipe:

1. Dry roast peanuts (without oil) in a pan on medium flame till they change colour and brown. Be careful not to burn it. Keep aside.

2. Fry onions and red chillies in 1 tsp Oil till the onions turn translucent. Allow it to cool.

3. Now grind the onions, red chillies with roasted peanuts, salt and water to a smooth paste. Pour into a bowl.

4. Now heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, add curry leaves and hing. Fry for few seconds and pour over the chutney.

Notes:

* The peanuts should be roasted in medium flame till the rawness goes away and turns brown. Else the chutney will have a raw flavour. So make sure it’s roasted well.

* Hing in the seasoning gives a very good flavour. So don’t skip it.

Desserts, Konkani Recipes

Bottlegourd Halwa / Gardudde Halwo/ Lauki Halwa

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We have a ritual of making sweets every weekend to enjoy post dinner and I love to try different healthy desserts. This bottlegourd halwa was just an experiment as I was not sure if the kids will like it or not.

But to my pleasant surprise, they loved it a lot and my daughter asks it to be made every weekend. And what better that she enjoys a vegetable without making a face at it. Feels very happy when the family enjoys it.

If you are a Konkani, you might have already tasted this gardudde halwa sometime in your life. It is a famous dessert for special functions and occasions. Hope you all can make it at home and enjoy too just like how we do. Happy and healthy cooking.

Here is a picture of bottle gourd for those who don’t know which vegetable it is.

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 medium sized Bottlegourd/Gardudde/ Lauki/ Sorekai/ Chorakka (around 2 cups when peeled and grated)

3/4 Cup Jaggery

3 Tbsp Milk ( You can skip milk to make plain halwa)

2 Tbsp Ghee

1 Tbsp chopped Cashews

1 Tbsp Raisins

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder (optional)

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash well, cut the ends, peel and cut the bottlegourd into long slices. *Save the peels for a delicious upkari. Check notes at the end.

2. Grate the bottle gourd using a grater.

* If the bottlegourd is old and the seeds are huge, the seeds need to be discarded, else if the bottle gourd is fresh like in the above picture, you can grate along with the core and use the seeds too.

3. Heat ghee in a kadhai (I use iron kadhai to make this halwa). Fry cashews till it turns slightly brown and till raisins puff up.

3. Add grated bottlegourd and fry for few minutes till the bottle gourd changes colour.

4. Add milk and cook till milk evaporates.

See how the milk has absorbed. Add jaggery only now.

6. Add jaggery (either powder or melted jaggery) and cook till the mixtures leaves the sides of the pan. Add cardamom powder. Mix well and remove from the flame.

Notes:

* For 2 Cups of grated bottle gourd, 3/4 Cup of jaggery turns out perfectly sweet for us. You can reduce or increase as per your taste.

* As mentioned above, if the bottlegourd has huge seeds, you will have to discard it while fresh bottlegourd can be grated along with the core.

* Please don’t discard the bottlegourd peels. Just chop the peels into small pieces. And make upkari with chopped potatoes. (season oil with mustard seeds, hing, green chillies and add peels and potatoes. Add salt and little water. Cook till they turn soft. Add grated coconut on top.) Turns out delicious.

* Fry well and let it cook well with milk before you add jaggery. Once you add jaggery, it won’t cook much. So do a taste test if it is cooked well before adding jaggery.

* Also allow the milk to absorb fully before adding jaggery, else the jaggery can curdle the milk.

* I sometimes skip milk to make plain bottle gourd halwa. It tastes delicious too.

Snacks

Eggless Mayonnaise

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We are special kind of vegetarians. Don’t know how many of you are like us. We don’t eat eggs as such but eggs in cakes and other store bought foods is okay for us 😅. Many of our friends tease us for it as we are not strict vegetarian nor a perfect “eggetarian”. Somewhere a mix of both and hence fall in a unique category 😂.

So since we fall in this unique category, we don’t mind mayonnaise inside our sandwiches from cafes (as eggs are not visible to the eyes, you see 🙈).

But while making at home, I make this eggless Mayonnaise with my Whole wheat bread and it makes a delicious combination. Though this mayonnaise is not very healthy due to corn flour in it (corn flour is a refined flour and does not have nutrition), I make it as it’s far better than store bought ones which have loads of preservatives in it. Anyhow when making a sandwich with wheat bread and vegetables, the nutrition level raises.

Hope you all try and like it too. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Milk (to be used as 1/2 + 1/2 Cup)

3 Tbsp Corn flour

2 Tbsp Olive oil

1 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Vinegar

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/4 tsp Pepper powder

Salt to taste

Step by step recipe:

1. Take 3 Tbsp corn flour in a bowl. Add 1/2 Cup milk and whisk well to form a lump free mix. Keep aside.

2. Now heat 1/2 Cup milk in a pan. When it turns hot, add the corn flour mix. Whisk continually.

Note: Be sure to stir the mix before adding as corn flour tends to settle at the bottom.

3. Whisk well for about 5 mins. It will get thick. When it turns thick and glossy like as shown in the picture, it is done.

4. Now remove and allow to cool. Grind in a mixer for few seconds. (to ensure that there are no lumps and the mayonnaise is smooth in texture.)

5. Now remove in a bowl and add sugar, salt, pepper powder, vinegar and olive oil.

6. Crush mustard seeds using a mortar and pestle.

7. Add it to the mayonnaise.

8. Mix well. Done!

Notes:

* Mustard seeds powder can be substituted with store bought mustard sauce.

* I add coconut oil instead of olive oil sometimes.

* Be sure to whisk the corn flour well with milk both times to avoid lumps.

* Grinding ensures smooth texture of the mayonnaise. So I would suggest you to not skip it.

* This tastes really similar to store bought mayonnaise which has egg in it or even the veg mayonnaise which has released in market. But sans any preservatives and is much healthier.

Curry house

10 min Restaurant style Veg Kurma

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I have tried many Kurma recipes in the past but once I tried this one, I did not have to try any other. It comes out too delicious for words. Although this technique was new to me, I found that cooking with almost zero additional water in the pressure cooker makes the Kurma taste amazing.

Whenever I make this Kurma, the husband comes to know through the aroma and he asks if it’s Kurma that is cooking 😂. You have to try it to know. I have made it for many get togethers and people love it a lot.

Best part of this curry is once the chopping is done, it hardly takes 10 mins. No sauteing or cooking for long time. I make this specially during weekend now when I don’t want to spend the whole day in the kitchen.

Hope you all try and love it too. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

About 3 Cups mixed Vegetables (Potato, peas, carrots, capsicum, cauliflower)

1 Cup Paneer cubes

2 Tbsp Coconut oil

1 Tbsp Ghee

2 green chillies

1/2 inch Cinnamon stick

3 Cloves

2 Cardamon pods

1 large Onion, finely chopped

1 large Tomato, finely chopped

1/2 Cup Milk

2 Tbsp Coriander leaves, finely chopped

For the masala paste:

1/4 Cup Yogurt/ Curd

1/4 Cup freshly grated or desiccated Coconut

5 to 7 Cashews

3 to 4 cloves of Garlic

1 inch Ginger piece

1 tsp Red chilli powder

1 tsp Garam masala powder

1 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Step by step recipe:

1. First add all the ingredients mentioned in the masala paste and grind to a smooth paste without adding water. Don’t forget to add salt too. Keep aside.

2. Keep the vegetables ready as well.

3. Now take a 2 liter or 3 liter pressure cooker. Don’t keep it on the flame. Add ghee and oil in the cooker. Also add cloves, cardamom and cinnamon stick along with green chillies. Bay leaf too if you have.

Note that I have not yet kept the cooker on the flame or stove top.

4. Now layer finely chopped onions evenly.

5. Layer tomatoes evenly too.

6. Layer the veggies after this.

7. Add paneer cubes layer over this.

8. Now add the masala paste as the top layer.

9. Now pressure cook the above layers on medium flame for 7 mins or till 3 whistles. There is no need to add water while cooking. The juices in the vegetables will release water and that’s what makes this Kurma tasty.

10. Allow it to cool down by itself. Now add milk and cook for about 2 mins.

11. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis or rice.

Notes:

* OPOS is a patented technique owned by Mr.Ramakrishnan. It is a copyrighted term. I have adapted this recipe from this site and since she used this technique for making this Kurma, I followed the same. I have no intention of owning this technique. The full credits to this technique goes to Mr Ramakrishnan Sir only.

* If you don’t know to use a pressure cooker, you can saute tomato and onions in the seasoning and cook the veggies with the masala while following all the steps in a kadhai.

* In the original recipe, it says to keep on high flame for 5 mins but it sometimes burnt my Kurma. So I keep the flame on medium for 7 mins. It works well for me.

* In case your veggies don’t cook when you open the cooker, cook after you add milk for 5 more mins.

* Don’t forget to add salt in the masala paste itself. It makes a huge taste difference if you add later.

* Also don’t add water at all while grinding the masala paste. The yogurt does the job well and you can see it while grinding.

* Paneer is optional. I add because we love it. You can also add any combination of veggies that you have.

Breakfast time, Snacks

Instant Rava Dhokla

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Dhokla is my husband’s favourite evening snack and that’s the first answer I get when I ask him what to make for snack time. The kids love dhokla very much too and I hardly get couple of pieces when I make it. Literally every bite is fought for. 😁

Soft and melt in the mouth, this recipe for dhokla has been a keeper for me and over the years, I have made it so many times that I can now make a good dhokla even in my dreams. 😅 That’s the effect of being a foodie’s wife over the years with kids turning out to be foodies too.

The benefit of the three of them loving what I cook is it gets over so fast that I hardly get to eat it which has lead to my weight loss. I eat only what is necessary as compared to earlier when I got a major portion of what I cooked. My Amma will surely kill me for this. Like all mothers, she does not want me to lose weight 🙈.

Anyhow, I can assure you Amma that I am eating as much as I need. Just that the kids make me run behind them so much that there is no chance of getting fat 😂.

Hope you all try and love this dhokla as much as we do. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Rava/ Semolina/ Sooji

1 Cup Water

3/4 Cup Yogurt/ thick curd

2 Tbsp Oil

1 Tbsp Besan/ chickpea flour

2 tsp Eno fruit salt

1 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder/ Haldi

Salt to taste

For the seasoning:

1 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds/ Jeera

3 Green chillies

1 Tbsp Sugar

Salt to taste

2 to 3 Tbsp lemon juice (depending on how sour you like your dhokla)

1/4 Cup water

Few sprigs of coriander leaves and freshly grated coconut for garnish (optional)

Step by step recipe:

1. Take 1 Cup of semolina in a large bowl. Add 1 Cup water and 3/4 Cup yogurt. Mix well using a whisk.

2. Now add besan, salt, sugar, turmeric powder and oil. Mix again.

3. Add Eno fruit salt and mix well once.

4. Pour into a bowl which has been greased well with oil. Steam for 20 mins or till a knife inserted in the center comes out clear.

5. For the seasoning,

* Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds. Add green chillies and fry for few seconds.

* Now take the seasoning off the pan and add 1/4 Cup water, sugar and salt. Mix well so that sugar dissolves.

* Squeeze lemon juice and mix.

6. Pour over the steamed dhokla. Let it rest for atleast 30 mins so that the seasoning is absorbed well by the dhokla sponge.

7. Cut into squares and serve.

Notes:

* I serve this with mint chutney. Just grind mint leaves with little curd, ginger, green chillies and little coconut with salt. Add coriander leaves too if available. Grind till smooth. Tastes amazing with dhokla.

* The seasoning is very important in the dhokla flavour. Adjust sugar and lemon juice as per your taste. Please be sure to rest the dhokla atleast for 30 mins after pouring the seasoning.

* Eno fruit salt gives the dhokla it’s spongy texture. Though I have not tried this recipe without Eno, the usual substitute for Eno is equal amount of baking soda and lemon juice. So 2 tsp Eno equals 1 tsp baking soda plus 1 tsp lemon juice.

* Don’t add more water than mentioned or the dhokla won’t get the right texture. For 1 Cup semolina, 1 Cup water and 3/4 Cup thick curd gives it the right batter consistency.

* Be sure to insert a knife in the center to see if the dhokla has cooked properly after steaming.

* You can also steam this as Idlis. Just remove the Idlis in a large bowl and pour the seasoning and rest the Idlis till the liquid absorbs.

* The batter rises atleast double while steaming. So make sure to steam in a bowl in which the batter reaches only half of its height.

Breakfast time, Snacks

Instant Bread Pakoda toast

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Even though I bake Whole wheat bread at home , there are times when we do order bread along with grocery if we feel like I need a break with all the cooking and baking. And when we do get bread from the stores, I make this toast as an evening snack and we all love it.

This is a healthier version of bread pakoda which is deep fried. Also, this batter has sugar in it as we love it with a hint of sweetness too.

Hope you all try and love it. I know how difficult it is to get a good healthy recipe idea for evening time. Hence sharing with all of you. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

4 Slices of bread

1/4 Cup Besan/ chickpea flour

1 Tbsp Rava/ Semolina/ Sooji

1 tsp Red chilli powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds/ Jeera

2 tsp Sugar

Salt to taste

Oil to fry the toast

Step by step recipe:

1. Take Besan, rava, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin seeds, sugar and salt in a bowl.

2. Add little water and mix till there is no lumps. DON’T add a lot of water at once as it will lead to lumps. Add little by little to make a smooth and slightly thick batter.

3. Heat little oil in a pan. Apply a spoon of this batter over bread and place it on the pan on the side where the batter is applied.

4. Now apply batter on the plain side as well.

5. Cook both sides on medium flame till they turn golden brown in colour.

6. Serve hot with ketchup.

Notes:

* Don’t make the batter very thick nor thin. It’s should be spreadable but not runny.

* Also don’t spread the batter thick over the bread. Just a single layer would suffice. Else it won’t cook well and inside will have raw batter.

* This toast like all others is best enjoyed when hot.

* If you don’t like the flavour of besan too much, you can make the batter with equal amounts of besan and rava ( 2 Tbsp each).

Curry house, Konkani Recipes

Cauliflower phannaupkari

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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.

Dosa corner

Instant Oats Poha dosa

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Click on the image to Pin the recipe on Pinterest

Motherhood means you spend hours in the kitchen cooking something special for kids only for the kids to be making a face at it and demanding something else. 😅 I am sure all mothers will agree with me that this has happened atleast once with them.

In my house, there is a constant demand for dosas. My toddler who barely knows few words can say Bobbo which means dosa in baby Konkani language. I usually keep dosa batter ready for such times but there are some days when the batter gets over.

This Instant Poha Oats dosa was invented on one such day and is a keeper for me when I need to give in to dosa demands by the kids instantly. Sharing the recipe as my kids love it. Hope you all try and love it too. Though there is no comparison to regular dosas in terms of taste, still the best you can achieve during times when you need to make something quickly.

Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { Makes about 10 dosas}

2 Cups Semolina/ Rava/ Sooji

1/2 Cup Instant Oats

1/2 Cup thin or thick Poha/flattened rice

3 Tbsp Curd/ Yogurt

Salt to taste

2 1/2 Cups water to make the batter

Ghee to cook the dosa

Step by step recipe:

1. Take semolina, oats, Poha in a blender.

2. Grind using water to a fine paste.

3. Add curd and salt. Grind to a smooth paste.

4. Batter is ready to use.

5. Heat a pan and when medium hot, spread the batter into a circle.

Note: If the pan is very hot, you won’t be able to spread this dosa. So keep the flame medium hot while spreading.

6. Cover and cook the dosa till done.

7. Now drizzle ghee. Flip and cook for few seconds till done.

Serve with chutney of your choice.

Notes:

* This dosa tastes the best when cooked with ghee.

* You can keep the batter at room temperature for couple of hours if you have time.

* This dosa turns out soft in texture but you can cook a little while longer if you like it crispy.

* Although it does not taste like regular dosa, it is the closest in taste to it and that too instant to make along with being healthy.

* My kids love this dosa with sambar.

Click on the image to Pin the recipe on Pinterest

Soups, Uncategorized

Cream of mushroom soup

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My family is a huge fan of mushrooms and it is on our shopping list every week. I love to try out variety of dishes with mushrooms and apart from the finger licking delicious Mushroom Chettinad, I always make this soup specially for the kids.

They both love it very much and my daughter tells me, Amma you become a chef when you grow up okay. You make such delicious foods for us. Her innocence melts my heart. As much as a naughty girl that she is, her compliments keeps me going.

This soup is very easy to make and hardly takes 15 mins. I make this in the evenings for them as a healthy, tummy filling snack. Hope you all try it too. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { Serves 2}

1/4 Cup thinly sliced Mushrooms

1 Cup full fat Milk

1/2 inch Ginger piece, finely chopped

2 cloves of Garlic (optional), finely chopped

1/2 a medium sized Onion, finely chopped

Pepper powder to taste

Salt to taste

1 Tbsp fresh Cream (or substitute with 1 Tbsp corn flour with 1 Tbsp milk)

1 Tbsp Butter or oil

Step by step recipe:

1. Heat butter in a pan and add ginger, garlic and onions. Fry till the onions turn translucent.

2. Now add thinly sliced mushrooms and keep sauteing till mushrooms cook ie for about 5 mins.

3. Pour in milk after keeping the flame to low and allow the soup to come to a boil on low flame. Else the milk might burn.

4. Now add cream and mix well. Allow it to cook on medium flame till it thickens which will take 5 to 10 mins.

5. Add salt and pepper. Mix well and serve hot.

Notes:

* I sometimes skip garlic if I don’t have. Ginger and onions give a wonderful flavour to it. So don’t skip it.

* Don’t add more mushrooms than mentioned for 1 cup milk. Else it will be a curry instead of soup.

* If you want to make in more quantity, just double the measurements.

* Be sure to cook the mushrooms before adding milk. Also, low flame is important after adding milk so that the soup does not burn.

* I don’t have cream in my pantry most times. So I substitute with 1 Tbsp corn flour + 1 Tbsp milk. Just mix together without lumps and add when the milk boils instead of cream. Gives the same texture and taste.

* Please use full fat milk for this recipe. Else the soup will be watery.

* Garnish with coriander leaves if available.

* I used button mushrooms for this recipe. You can also try Mushroom Chettinad.