Messy Kitchen

Sol kadhi (kokam drink)

2012-02-18T21:05:00.000-08:00

Sol kadhi is a popular healthy drink made out of aamsul/kokam, found on the western ghats of India.
Apart from its heavenly taste, it is also recommended as an antacid!
This is a very simple and quick recipe

Preparation:
Soak one cup of aamsul/kokam in 2 cups of water for 20-30 min. Squeeze the aamsul and discard. Keep aside the aamsul water.

Ingredients:
2 cups of aamsul/kokam water (see preparation)
200 ml of coconut milk. It is readily available in the Asian aisles in the grocery stores

1 green chili
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp of ginger paste
1/2 tbsp of finely chopped cilantro
salt to taste

Method:
1. Crush or grind garlic and chili into a fine paste
2. Add this paste to a mixing bowl along with aamsul water, coconut milk, ginger and 6 cups of cold water
3. Aamsul is usually sold with lots of salt covering, so add salt if only necessary
4. Whisk all the above ingredients into a nice runny juice. You may some more water is it turns out to be too thick
5. Garnish with cilantro and serve chilled or as it is

Hard boiled eggs

2012-02-15T19:27:00.000-08:00

When I crave for proteins and don't have enough time to make a full meal, hard boiled egg is my best option.
I love them with a topping of chopped onion, salt, pepper and red chili powder!
Ingredients:
2 eggs
Water
Method:
1. Place the eggs in a pot and add water just enough to cover them

2. Cook on high flame for 8 min, or until the water starts boiling thoroughly
3. Turn off the heat and leave the pot covered for 5 min
4. Drain the boiled water and keep aside the eggs for cooling or you may add cold water in order to fasten the cooling
5. Now gently tap the egg with a spoon in order to crack the shell

6. Peel off and discard the hard shell
Cut the egg into halves and serve with a topping of finely chopped onion, red chili powder, salt and a dash of pepper. Or just eat it as it is!

Uppitu (upma)

2012-02-11T22:22:00.000-08:00

Uppitu is one of the common breakfast items in some parts of India. It is packed with fibers and keeps you full.

Preparation:
Roast coarse rava with little oil on a griddle until it turns golden brown

Ingredients:
1 cup of roasted rava
1 and half cup of water
1 small onion, finely chopped
3-4 green chili, finely chopped
3-4 curry leaves
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp urad dal
5-6 tbsp of oil
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
1/4 cup of green peas
Salt to taste
2 tsp of ghee
Finley chopped cilantro for garnishing

Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan
2. Splutter mustard seeds
3. Add cumin seeds and fry for few seconds until they turn light brown
4. Add curry leaves, onion, chili and cook for 2 min
5. Add urad dal and cook until they turn light brown
6. Mix turmeric powder, salt, peas and water. Let it come to a boil

7. Slowly add rava with one hand while stirring with the other, in order to avoid lumps
8. Cover and cook on low flame until rava is tender and loses its raw taste. Stir occasionally as it tends to stick to the bottom of the pan
9. Release ghee from the sides of the pan and mix
10. Garnish with cilantro and serve with pickles and yogurt

Jolada rotti (bhakri)

2012-02-10T11:43:00.000-08:00

Jolada rotti as we call it in Kannada, is a staple menu item in North Karnataka and few parts of Maharashtra. It is known as jawarichi bhakri in Marathi.

Having grown up eating this rotti, I bring kilos of jowar flour with me from India. The flour that we get here in the USA is not sticky enough to make good rottis.

I love to eat these rottis especially with sabasgi pallya (dill curry), tumb badanikayi (stuffed brinjals), menthya pallya (fenugreek) shengad hindi (peanut chutney), agasi hindi (flax seeds chutney) more than anything.

In North Karnataka, they make very thin rottis and dry them on the kitchen countertops to get a crispier version that can be saved for days together. They are called khati rotti!

Soft or crispy, rotti is my favorite bread!

Ingredients:

1 cup jowar flour and some for dusting

Hot water

Some cold water in a shallow bowl

Paper towel or small clean cotton cloth

Method:

1. Boil some water to 100 degree Celsius. The water should be thoroughly boiling

2. Using boiling water as required, knead the flour firm dough.

3. Preheat a griddle on high flame

4. Make a tennis ball sized (or any size you are comfortable with) ball from the dough and dust it with flour on one side

5. Also dust the rolling platform with flour and place the dough ball with the non-dusted surface facing the sky

6. Gently pat the dough with your palm into a disc of 4 to 5 inch diameter. Do not flip the sides of the rotti while patting. You may gently dust the rolling surface with some flour occasionally. Also take care that the non-floured surface has very minimum flour on it if at all needed. This helps to keep the rotti from charring while baking.

7. Place the rotti on the griddle with the flour dusted surface facing the sky. Make sure that the stove is on high flame

8. Dip the paper towel or cloth in some cold water and gently wipe out the dry flour from the top surface of the rotti

9. Flip the rotti to the other surface and cook on high flames

Gently press the corners of the rotti with a cloth or flat spoon, this helps it to puff.

10. Keep the rottis wrapped in a cotton cloth in an air tight container

11. Repeat steps 4 to 10 for the rest of the dough

Note: The dough cannot be saved for later use; it has to be used immediately.

Green paratha

2012-01-26T00:51:00.000-08:00

This is my own experimental paratha, so try it at your own risk :p I have used bottle gourd which is also known as dudhi bhopla in Marathi, lauki in Hindi and sorekai in Kannada along with spinach.

Ingredients:

1 cup of finely grated bottle gourd

2 cups of boiled spinach

2 cups of whole wheat flour (atta) and some more for dusting

1 tsp of ajwain (carom seeds)

1 tbsp of crushed garlic

red chili powder to taste

salt to taste

1/2 tsp of turmeric powder

Oil for cooking

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients with 1/2 tbsp of oil in a mixing bowl

2. Using water as required, knead the above mixture into a silky dough. Smear some oil and keep aside for at least 10 min

3. Meanwhile place a griddle (tawa) on stove with low flame

4. Make a lemon sized ball from the dough and dust it with flour

5. Now gently roll the dough ball into a disc of 4 to 5 inch diameter. Do not make it too thin as it tends to harden on cooking.

Actually it is supposed to be a perfect circle :p

6. Grease the griddle with oil and place the paratha on it and cook each side on a high flame. Release oil from the sides occasionally. The cooked side turns light brown. Keep the paratha wrapped in a cotton cloth to secure its softness

7. Repeat the steps from 4 to 6 for the remaining dough

The above recipe yields 7-8 parathas. Serve them hot with your favorite pickle, curds or chutney!

Onion tomato chutney

2012-01-15T20:30:00.000-08:00

Onion tomato chutney can be relished with idli, dosa, vada or even as a spread on your favorite bread.

Ingredients:
2 medium sized tomatoes
1 medium sized onion
3 dried red chili
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1 tsp of urad dal (skinned and split black lentils)
1/2 tsp of hing or asafoetida
3-4 curry leaves
2 1/2 tbsp of oil for cooking
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Chop coarsely onion and tomatoes
2. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and add onion, cumin seeds, fry until light brown
3. Add tomato and red chili and cook until tender. Turn off the heat and keep aside for cooling

4. Add salt and grind the above into a smooth paste
5. For seasoning, heat the remaining oil in a small pan and add mustard
6. Once the mustard seeds start to splutter, add curry leaves, urad dal and hing
7. Turn off the heat when urad dal turn light brown
8. Add the above seasoning to the paste and mix

Serve with idlis, dosa, vadas or even spread it on a slice of bread!

Pav bhaji

2012-01-15T20:00:00.000-08:00

Pav bhaji is an Indian street food mostly found in the western part of the country. Street food and healthy usually don't go together, but this recipe is an exception! It has five different vegetables along with onion, garlic and ginger.
I agree, this recipe does have a little lengthier cooking time, but I usually prepare it in big quantities and refrigerate it and I am done cooking for the next few days!

Servings: 6

Ingredients:
2 big potatoes, I usually use russet potatoes, but even white potatoes are good
2 medium sized green bell peppers
2 medium sized tomatoes
1 small head of cauliflower, separated into florets (around 12-15 florets)
1 cup of green peas
1 large onion finely chopped
4-5 big cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp of crushed ginger
1 cup of cooking oil
Red chili powder or paprika to taste
2 tbsp of pav bhaji masala, you can find it in the Indian aisles or Indian stores

Cilantro for garnishing
Salt to taste
Salted butter or Amul butter for toasting pav
You can find the typical pav in the Indian stores. I usually substitute with Francisco dinner rolls found in most of the grocery stores

Preparation:
Boil potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, cauliflower and green peas until tender. I prefer to pressure cook the potatoes for one whistle, since it is faster. Also, I boil the cauliflower separately and discard the water in order to get rid of the pungent smell.

Boiled, peeled potatoes

Boiled cauliflower

Boiled peas, tomatoes, green bell peppers

Method:
1. Heat oil in a wok
2. Add onion to the wok and fry for 2 min on medium flame
3. Add garlic and ginger and fry until onion is translucent

4. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and gently mash all the boiled vegetables and keep them aside. Take care that they are not mushy
5. Once the onion is translucent, add red chili powder or paprika, salt and pav bhaji masala and mix

6. Now add the mashed vegetables and 2 cups of water and mix thoroughly. Make sure the mixture is not too runny
7. Cover and cook for around 10 min on a low flame, stirring occasionally as it tends to stick to the bottom of the wok
You can adjust the salt, paprika as per your need
8. Turn off the heat and squeeze half a lemon and garnish with chopped cilantro

Your bhaji is ready.

Pav:
For pav (dinner rolls), heat a tawa or griddle. Meanwhile, make horizontal slits in the roll without completely separating the two halves.
Add some salted butter to the griddle and toast the pav one side at a time until golden brown.

You can also eat this bhaji with roti or rice.

Tamarind paste

2012-01-07T21:12:00.000-08:00

I use tamarind paste in many of the recipes. Here is how to prepare tamarind paste.
Soak lime sized tamarind in half cup of water for around 15 minutes.

Or, if you are in a hurry, microwave the soaked tamarind for 15 seconds.
Then, squeeze the tamarind firmly and discard the leaves.

Hagalkai palya (Karlyachi bhaji)

2011-12-20T21:50:00.001-08:00

This version of karela bhaaji makes you crave for it again and again! It might take a little more time to prepare, but yes, the more the cooking time, the better the taste (well this is just my personal belief :p). So, give it a try.

Karela is also known as karla in Marathi and hagalkai in Kannada.

Ingredients:
3-4 karela
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
3-4 tbsp of tamarind paste
Red chili powder to taste
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp of mustard seeds
4-5 curry leaves
1 tbsp of jaggery or per your taste
Oil for frying karela

Method:
1. Scrape and discard the outer rough skin of karela and chop into round pieces. Do not discard the seeds, they taste great after frying

2. Heat oil in a wok, and fry the karela chops in batches until golden brown. Blot the fried karela

3. I use just few drops of left over oil for seasoning. So, for seasoning, add mustard seeds and allow them to splutter
4. Add curry leaves and garlic, fry until golden brown
5. Add karela chops, red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, tamarind paste and jaggery and mix thorougly. Jaggery and tamarind paste is used just to reduce the bitterness of the karela
6. Cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Since the karela is already fried and tender, they cook very fast

Serve with roti.

Dill curry (shepu/sabasgi)

2011-09-20T23:06:00.000-07:00

Dill is known as shepu chi bhaaji in Marathi and sabasgi palya in Kannada.

Preparation:
Soak moong dal for atleast 25 minutes.
Discard hard stems of dill and wash.
Soaked moong dal:

Dill:

Ingredients:
3 bunches of dill
1/2 cup of soaked split moong dal
4-5 cloves of garlic crushed or chopped
2-3 green chilies chopped
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder

Method:
1. Chop dill into roughly 1/4 inches long pieces and keep aside
2. Heat oil in a skillet or cooking pan
3. Splutter cumin seeds
4. Add green chilies and garlic. Fry until garlic turns light brown
5. Drain soaked moong dal and add the dal to the skillet and fry for a minute

6. Mix turmeric powder and salt and add dill

7. Mix thoroughly, cover and cook for about 7-8 minutes or until dill and dal are cooked.
Don't forget to stir occasionally since dal tends to stick to the bottom. Sprinkle some water if you think the curry looks dry.

Serve hot with roti or rice.

Avarekai palya (Ghevdyachi bhaaji)

2011-09-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1. 1/2 lb Avarekai/ghevda
2. 1/2 cup chopped onion
3. 4-5 garlic pods, crushed
4. 1 tsp kare khara (kala masala), you can skip this if you don't have the masala handy
5. Red chilli powder to taste
6. Salt to taste
7. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
8. 2 tbsp oil for seasoning
9. 1 tsp mustard seeds
10. 1 tsp cumin seeds
11. 4-5 curry leaves

Method:
1. Wash and cut avarekai into 1/2 inch long pieces

2. Heat oil in a skillet or cooking pan
3. Splutter mustard and cumin seeds
4. Add curry leaves and garlic, stir for a minute
5. Add onion and fry until translucent
6. Add avarekai and fry on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. This is the key for a tasty curry.

7. Add kare khara and mix

8. Now add chili powder, turmeric powder and salt and mix well

9. You might sprinkle few drops of water if the curry looks dry. Cover and cook on medium heat until the beans are tender. Stir occasionally to avoid charring of the curry.

Serve with roti or rice.

Spicy dal tadka

2011-09-10T17:04:00.000-07:00

This recipe is inspired from a restaurant in my home town.
Preparation: Cook toor dal. I usually cook toor dal with 2 and half times of water in a pressure cook for 3 whistles.

Ingredients:
1. 1/2 cup of cooked toor dal (split pigeon peas)
2. 1/4 cup of chopped onion
3. 3 garlic pods, crushed
4. 3-4 curry leaves
5. 1 tsp of cumin seeds
6. 3 tbsp oil (save 2 tbsp for final seasoning)
7. 2 tbsp red chilli powder or per your taste
8. 2 tsp garam masala
9. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
10. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan
2. Splutter cumin seeds and add curry leaves
3. Stir for few seconds, add onion and garlic and fry until onion is translucent
4. Add garam masala, salt and turmeric powder and cook for a minute
5. Now add the cooked dal and mix. Add some water if needed. Make sure it is not as runny as sambhar.
6. Cover and boil for 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat.
7. Meanwhile, in a separate pan heat the remaining oil, turn off the heat as soon as the oil is hot enough.
Add red chilli powder to the oil, and add this mixture to the dal.

Serve with roti or rice.

Coconut chutney

2011-06-10T10:38:00.000-07:00

This chutney is nutritious, healthy as well as delicious! Goes well with idli, dosa, paserattu, crepes.

Ingredients:
1 cup of shredded fresh coconut. I usually use the frozen coconut.
1/4 cup of plain yogurt/curds
3-4 stems of fresh cilantro
2-3 green chili, stemmed
salt to taste
1 and half tbsp of oil for seasoning
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of mustard seeds
3-4 curry leaves
1 tsp of hing/asafoetida powder

Method:
1. Grind coconut along with cilantro, chili, yogurt and salt to a smooth paste. You may add a little bit of water while grinding
2. Heat oil in a small pan
3. Splutter cumin and mustard seeds
4. Add curry leaves and asafoetida powder and turn off the flame
5. Add the above seasoning to the coconut paste and mix well

Serve with idli or dosa or any crepes.

Mashed potatoes

2011-06-10T10:28:00.000-07:00

This was the only recipe that came to mind after having my oral surgery. It came out real yummy!

Ingredients:
2 medium sized potatoes
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup of warm milk
salt to taste
2 tsp black pepper powder

Method:
1. Cut the potatoes in halves and boil in water for 20-25 minutes or until very tender
2. Peel the potatoes and mash them to soft paste with a fork
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well

Peanut powder chutney

2011-06-09T18:19:00.000-07:00

I use this chutney pretty much with anything, like idli, dosa, paserattu, etc.

Ingredients:
1 cup roasted peanut powder
1 and a half tbsp of plain yogurt
1 tbsp oil for seasoning
red chili powder per your taste
salt to taste
1 tsp of Hing (Asafoetida powder)
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of mustard seeds
3-4 curry leaves

Method:
1. In a bowl, mix together peanut powder, red chili powder, salt, yogurt and keep aside
2. Heat a small pan with oil
3. Splutter mustard and cumin seeds
4. Add curry leaves and asafoetida powder and turn off the flame
5. Add the above seasoning to the peanut mixture and mix
You may add a little bit of water for consistency

Pesarattu (green gram crepes) - brunch

2011-06-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

A nice little coincidence happened the other day. Just as I was worrying that I don't have any good ideas for a scrumptious healthy meal, my friend called me just to tell me about this new recipe she tried!
Aha! This dish has become a new hit in my family.

Preparation: Soak 1 cup of whole moog dal (green gram) with 1/4 cup of white rice for at least 5 hours. It is a good idea to soak it overnight to have it handy for brunch the next day.

Ingredients:
soaked moog dal and rice
1 small onion coarsely sliced
2-3 green chili, stemmed
1/2 inch of ginger
3-4 stems of fresh cilantro
salt to taste
oil for baking

Method:
1. Drain the soaked ingredients
2. Grind all the ingredients except oil with water to a smooth batter. I usually prefer a dosa-like consistency. But don't make it too runny

3. Heat a tawa or pancake griddle, and pour a laddleful of the batter and spread evenly into a thin crepe

4. Cover with a lid and cook. Flip over the crepe dribble little oil and cook the other side uncovered

Serve with chutney of your choice. I used some leftover coconut chutney and fresh Peanut chutney.

Dalia upma(cracked wheat)- one pot wonder

2011-05-31T22:21:00.000-07:00

I make this dish for lunch box. Just like sambhar, you can add a lots of veggies to make it more nutritious, not to mention it is naturally high in fibers.

Ingredients:

1 cup of dalia/cracked wheat

1/4 cup of diced onion

2 chili, chopped

1 cup of diced vegetables like carrot, peas, green beans, etc.

1 tbsp of peanuts

1/2 tbsp of urad dal (split and polished black gram)

1 tsp of cumin seeds

1 tsp of mustard seeds

3-4 curry leaves

1/4 tsp of turmeric powder

2-3 tbsp of oil for seasoning

salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and splutter mustard and cumin seeds. You may also use a regular pan

2. Add curry leaves, onion and chili. Saute until onion is translucent

3. Add peanuts and urad dal and saute for few seconds

4. Add dalia, turmeric powder and salt. Saute for a minute

5. Now add the veggies with 3 cups of water

6. Cover and pressure cook for 2 whistles. If using a regular pan, cook covered until soft

Serve with pickle and ghee.

Spicy anda curry (Egg curry)

2011-05-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

I can never go wrong with this recipe that I learnt from my mother-in-law.
Every time, it turns out more and more delicious.

Ingredients:
4 hard boiled eggs
1 small onion, coarsely sliced
3-4 garlic cloves, coarsely sliced
3-4 stems of fresh cilantro
1 tbsp of grated dry coconut
1 tbsp of sesame seeds
3-4 whole black pepper
3-4 cloves
2 bay leaves
red chili powder to taste
salt to taste
oil for shallow frying and seasoning

Method:
1. Heat a shallow pan and roast sesame seeds and coconut, until coconut turns light brown. Keep the roasted mixture aside
2. In the same pan, roast onion and garlic, until they turn light brown

3. While the roasted mixture is cooling off, poke the eggs with a fork and shallow fry them in a skillet

4. Grind all the roasted ingredients, first sesame seeds and coconut, then onion and garlic with cilantro and little bit of water to a smooth paste
5. Heat a skillet with oil for seasoning. You can use the same oil used for frying eggs. Splutter cloves and pepper, then add bay leaves
6. Add the paste to oil and suate for 4-5 minutes until the raw smell of onion is gone
7. Now add 2 and half cups of water, chili powder and salt and bring it to a boil or two. You might add more water if you want a thinner gravy
8. Add the eggs, cover and cook for 5 mins on a medium flame

Serve hot with roti or rice.

Hot & tangy jhunka/pitla (Quick & easy)

2011-05-27T14:49:00.000-07:00

A very simplistic and easy to make recipe. I usually make this when I am running out of groceries :p

Ingredients:
1 cup of besan (chickpeas flour)
4 tbsp oil for seasoning
soak lemon sized tamarind in 1 and 1/2 cup of water for at least 15 mins.
1 medium sized onion, sliced lengthwise
3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
3-4 curry leaves
2 tbsp red chili powder, or according to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste

Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard and cumin seeds
2. Add curry leaves, garlic and onion and fry until onion is translucent
3. Squeeze the soaked tamarind pulp and throw away the pulp.Use all the water used for soaking to make the tamarind paste/juice.
4. Add red chili powder to the oil and stir to prevent it from burning
5. Add the tamarind juice, turmeric powder and salt to the seasoning
6. When the mixture comes to a boil, turn the flame to low and add besan slowly, stirring continuously with other hand. Stir thoroughly until the besan is mixed without any dry remains
7. Cover the pan and cook on low flame, stirring occasionally for 7-8 minutes

Serve hot with rotis.

Hot & spicy baked tofu

2011-05-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

Tried this appetizer last night with few alterations. Doesn't it look yummy?

Ingredients:
1 pack(16 oz.) of extra firm tofu
1/2 cup of medium hot buffalo wings sauce
2 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp ground red chili sauce
1 tbsp of Shan's tandoori chicken masala (optional)
1 tbsp of tomato ketchup

Method:
1. Drain the tofu by pressing it wrapped in a paper towel
2. Cut tofu into medium sized cubes
3. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients except tofu
If you think any of the flavor is too much to handle, add a little water to even it out.
4. Now add the tofu cubes to the sauce and gently mix it without breaking the tofu
5. Cover and keep it aside anywhere from 10 minutes to 4 hours
6. Preheat oven at 375 F for 15 minutes
7. Lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil and arrange the marinated tofu cubes in a single layer
8. Bake it for about 15 mins and turn the cubes to bake the other side for another 15 minutes
Note: You can bake it for some more time if you want the cubes to be crispier

Serve it hot as an appetizer.

Matkichi rassa bhaaji (Moth beans sprout curry)

2011-05-23T10:08:00.000-07:00

My Legume Love Affair

Legume love interests:
http://foodandspice.blogspot.com/p/mlla.html
http://thewellseasonedcook.blogspot.com/

There are few dishes that go against the convention of healthy food isn't tasty.
This is one of them.

Preparation:
Soak matki (see image below) overnight. Drain the water in the morning, cover and keep at room temperature for 5-6 hours to get sprouts.

Ingredients:
2 cups sprouted matki/moth beans
1 cup finely diced onion
3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 and half tbsp of red chili powder or per your taste
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
4-5 curry leaves
2 tsp goda masala
3 tbsp oil for seasoning
salt to taste
chopped cilantro leaves for garnishing

Method:
1. Microwave sprouts along with little salt, turmeric powder, little red chili powder and 3 cups of water for 5 minutes or until they are half tender
2. Heat oil in a skillet
3. Splutter cumin and mustard seeds
4. Add curry leaves, garlic and onion. Fry till onion is translucent
5. Add the remaining red chili powder to the seasoning and stir. I prefer to add chili powder to the oil to get a nice red gravy
6. Immediately add the microwaved sprout mixture
7. Add goda masala
8. Add salt if necessary
9. Add a of cup water. I usually prefer a thin gravy, but not too runny. Cover and boil for 8-10 minutes.
Even though the sprouts are cooked in the microwave, allowing it to boil for a while gives you a good blend.
10. Garnish with cilantro

Serve with roti or rice. This curry goes well with brown rice too.

Soy chunk curry

2011-05-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

This is one of my fav curry, since it is easier to make and has a high amount of protein in it.

Ingredients:
1 cup of soy chunks soaked for at least 20 mins
1/2 cup of diced onions
1/2 cup of diced red tomatoes
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
4-5 curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp red chili powder, or according to your need
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
oil for seasoning
chopped cilantro leaves for garnishing

Method:
1. Drain the water from soy chunks
2. Heat oil in a pan and splutter cumin and mustard seeds
3. Add curry leaves, garlic and onion. Fry until onion is translucent
4. Add tomatoes and fry until they are tender
5. Add chili powder, salt and turmeric powder and stir
6. Now add the soy chunks and mix thoroughly
You may add little bit of water if you need a liquid gravy
7. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
8. Garnish with cilantro

Serve with rice or roti.

Green 'brown' rice- Lunch box idea

2011-05-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

This recipe contains good amount of fibers and nutritional value. Nonetheless, it is easy to make!

Ingredients:

1 cup of brown rice

1 big green pepper, diced

12-15 florets of broccoli

1/4 cup of diced onion

2-3 green Thai pepper, chopped (or according to your need)

salt to taste

olive oil for seasoning

Preparation: Cook rice with 3 cups of water

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan

2. Add onion chops and fry until they are translucent

3. Add the Thai peppers and fry for a minute

4. Add bell pepper, broccoli and cook until they are half cooked. I don't prefer my veggies to be completely cooked, just to retain some amount of fibers in them

5. Add salt and mix

6. Now add the cooked brown rice and gently mix together. Cover the pan and cook for about 2-3 minutes

Varan phal/Bele kadabu- one pot wonder

2011-05-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

Varanphal with spinach

This dish is one of my favorite one pot wonders. It is simple and easy to make but has a lot of room for adding your own veggies to make it more nutritious!

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour (atta)
1/2 cup of cooked toor dal
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
4-5 curry leaves
2 leaves of tamarind soaked in water to make a paste (optional)
2 tbsp red chilli powder or according to your need
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
salt to taste
oil for seasoning

If you have more time and to make it more nutritious, add the below
1 cup of chopped fresh spinach
7-8 florets of cauliflower
1/2 cup of frozen French cut beans
(You can add almost anything)

Method:
1. Knead the atta with water into a chapati/roti dough and keep it aside.
2. Heat 2-3 tbsp of oil in a deep pan (or kadai)
3. Splutter mustard and cumin seeds
4. Add garlic and curry leaves and fry until garlic turns brownish in color
5. If using veggies which is optional, add them now and fry for 2-3 minutes
6. Add red chilli powder and make sure it doesn't burn by adding the cooked dal immediately to the pan
7. Fry for a minute on low flame
8. Now add turmeric powder, salt and tamarind paste
9. Add around 4-5 cups of water, cover and cook until the veggies are half done
The gravy should not be thick, it should be runny but still you should feel the presence of dal
10. Meanwhile, make medium sized balls out of the dough
11. Take one ball and roll it into a circle like roti. Don't make it too thin, because we are going to cut it into diamond shapes
12. Using a knife, first make 1/2 inch wide vertical cuts from end to end. Next make 1/2 inch wide horizontal intersecting cuts from end to end. This gives you diamond shapes
13. Add the shapes to the boiling gravy
Remember, keep the gravy on a low heat until you are done with shaping and adding all the dough, so that the dough added earlier wont get overcooked
14. Now repeat steps 12 and 13 for the remaining dough
Keep stirring gently as the dough might stick to the bottom of pan
15. Cover and cook until the dough is soft enough and doesn't carry a raw taste
16. Garnish with chopped cilantro

Serve with ghee and udid papad.

Bharli vangi/Tumb badnikayi (stuffed eggplant curry)

2011-05-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

This is a fusion of North Karnataka and Maharashtra stuffed eggplant recipes.
Ingredients:
1. 8 Indian eggplants washed, but don't chop off the stems
2. 1/2 cup of roasted peanut powder

3. 1/2 cup of roasted karellu/gurellu powder (Niger seeds). If you don't have it, just use more peanut powder for now. See the image below

4. 3-4 leaves of tamarind soaked in water to get a paste
5. 1/2 tbsp of Goda masala (optional, it adds the sweet and spicy taste). You can also use kare khara
6. 2 tbsp Red chilli powder or depending upon you desired level of hotness
7. Salt to taste
8. 2 tbsp oil for seasoning
9. 1 tsp cumin seeds
10. 4-5 curry leaves
11. 3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
12. Fresh cilantro for garnishing

Method:
1. In a bowl, mix the peanut and karellu powder, salt, chili powder and just little water to make a thick paste for stuffing. Make sure the paste is not too runny to stuff.

2. Give two intersecting slits to the eggplants from the end opposite of the stem , towards the stem. Stop just above the stem. Make sure you don't cut the eggplant to slices, so that you have good pocket to stuff the paste
3. Now fill each eggplant with the paste we made in step# 1

4. Heat a pan with oil, and splutter cumin seeds
5. Add curry leaves and garlic paste, fry until garlic turns brownish
6. Now add the stuffed eggplants, fry for a minute
7. Stir them so the other side of the eggplants are cooked too
8. Now add tamarind paste and goda masala and stir
9. Add around a 1/2 cup of water. After a boil, taste the gravy and add salt and chili powder accordingly
10. Cover and cook the eggplants stirring occasionally, until the eggplants are soft enough.
Make sure you don't mash the eggplants while stirring.
11. Remove from heat and garnish with chopped cilantro

Serve with roti or rice.