BANANA CREAM

BANANA CREAM

WHAT YOU NEED:

Bananas -4 (overripe)
Cream - 1/2 cup
Sugar to taste
Vanilla - a few drops
Dates, chopped ( optional)

OVER RIPE BANANAS CAN BE USED LIKE THIS...

HOW TO MAKE :
First whip cream, sugar and vanilla essence for just a minute. Do not over whip.
If you whip for long time you will get buttery cream.
Blend separately bananas along with little sugar.
Now without much pressure mix both in a mixing bowl. Mix dates bits too.
Pour in cups of glasses and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Serve as a desert.

HALF RIPE GUAVA JUICE /ARDHA PIKKALE PERA JUICE

A few days back my hubby had brought some unripe, green guavas. He had thought it would become ripe in few days. But the Guavas were still unripe and they were very hard to eat. So I thought of making guava juice and it turned out to be the best juice with minty flavor. We all loved this...

HALF RIPE GUAVA JUICE

WHAT YOU NEED :

Half ripe Guava - 4
Sugar to taste
Basil leaves / Tulsi leaves - 5-6
Dried Mint powder - 2 tsp
Water - 4-5 cups

PERU JUICE (ARDHA PIKKALE)....

HOW TO MAKE :

Peel the skin of Guavas. Cut in small pieces.
Grind the guava pieces along with basil leaves and sugar in to a fine paste.
Pass this paste through a strainer to remove its seeds.
Now add water to make a right consistency of juice.
Mix dried mint powder.
Keep in the fridge till it becomes chilled.

Serve chilled Guava juice in tall glasses.

CAPSICUM SPICY PANCAKE /CAPSI SANNA POLO

CAPSICUM SPICY PANCAKE

WHAT YOU NEED

Rice - 1/2 cup
Red chillies - 7-8
Asafoetida - size of a chic pea
Salt to taste
Capsicum - 1 big ( chopped finely)
Onion - 1 small ( chopped finely)

CAPSI SANNA POLO

HOW TO MAKE:

Soak rice for an hour. Drain.
Grind rice, red chillies, asafoetida and salt together with little water.
Transfer ground paste in a vessel.
Add chopped capsicum and onion. mix well.
Add some water to make a thick dosa batter.

Heat dosa tava and put 2 spn oil.
Pour a ladle full of batter on the heated tava, spread thick. 
Cover and fry over a moderate heat. Flip the other side, pour little oil and fry again.
Remove.

Serve Capsicum Sanna polo as a side dish.

NIPPATTU

I had a strange habit in my childhood days.  I had started collecting  whatever I saw which fascinated me... stones, attractive ads, cuttings from magazines or papers and many many more.... I had discarded 3/4th from my collections when I got married. I had brought some of them to my new house after marriage. A few days back I was just going through all the stuff, and in there, I found one recipe written by Jaya V Shenoy. This recipe for 'NIPPATTU' was published in the Kannada magazine "TARANG", dated 11th Sep. 1988.  In her recipe she had used  rice powder, but I used boiled rice for it.

NIPPATTU, JUST TAKEN FROM THE HOT OIL..

WHAT YOU NEED:

Boiled rice - 2 cups

Maida - 1/2 cup

Hurikadale - 1 tbsp

Ground nut seeds - 2 tbsp

Green chillies - 8-10

Red chilli powder - 2 tsp

Butter - size of an orange

Sesame seeds, black or white -2 tsp

Coconut, grated - 1 tbsp

Asafoetida - dissolved in little water

Curry leaves - 4 sprig (chopped)

Table salt -2 tsp

DOUGH MIXTURE

MAKING BALLS....

FLATTENED NIPPATTUS..

HOW TO MAKE :

Soak boiled rice overnight. Grind it to a very fine paste adding a little water.
Then spread a cotton towel, pour all the rice paste on it and keep covered for an hour.
When you open the towel the paste will become like a chappati dough.
In the rice dough, mix maida and butter well.

Now dry roast peanuts. Remove the skin and crush them slightly.
Do the same way with hurikadale and keep aside.

Grind roughly green chillies, coconut and salt. Keep aside.

Now mix ground chillies, roasted nuts, Asafoetida, curry leaves, red chilli powder along with rice dough.

Make gooseberry sized balls and flatten on a greased plastic paper.

FRYING IN OIL.....

Then fry them well, crisp on both sides.

Store them in a air tight container when they have completely cooled.

Serve Nippattu with evening Tea.

DHOKLA

This is a Gujarati dish which I have always wanted to prepare. A few years ago we had visited Bombay on a vacation. Mr. Moorthy, my hubby's ex-boss invited us to his place at Dadar for evening tea. He is a very jovial person and we all loved his and his wife's hospitality. Mrs. Moorthy served us spl Gujarati dish Dhokla with green chutney! I had it for the first time in my life and I really loved it, and both my dtrs finished the whole plate in no time! Since then I have been waiting for the right time to make this dish. Here is the dish I prepared .......

DHOKLA

WHAT YOU NEED:

Gram flour / besan - 2 cups

Curd - 1 cup ( I had measured curd with my normal coffee cup)

Salt to taste

Green chilli paste - 1 tsp

Ginger paste - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - a little

Soda bi carb - 3/4 tsp

Oil - 1 tsp

Lemon juice - of half lemon

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Coriander leaves, chopped - 1 tbsp

VERY POPULAR GUJARATI DISH, DHOKLA...

HOW TO MAKE:

In a mixing bowl, add gram flour, turmeric, curd and salt.

Mix well adding little water. The batter should be thick.

Keep covered for 3-4 hours.

Now add green chilli paste, ginger paste to the batter.

Mix lemon juice, soda bi carb and 1 tsp of oil in a bowl.

Add this mixture to the batter and mix well.

Take a flat vessel, grease with oil and pour the batter in to it.

Steam the vessel in a cooker for 12- 15 minutes.

When cool cut in cubes.

Heat a small pan with 2 tsp of oil.

Sputter mustard seeds and curry leaves. Pour the seasoning over the Dhokla cubes.

Sprinkle chopped coriander on the top.

Serve Dhoklas with green coriander chutney.

TOUSHE PAAN POLO

It is just like normal paan polo. I added cucumber while grinding the rice for it. Many prepare Paan polo adding coconut while grinding. But I have never use coconut because without it, the dosa becomes crisp. It tasted really good when I had it with green chutney and a blob of butter. The recipe goes like this....

CUCUMBER PAAN POLO

WHAT YOU NEED:

Rice - 2 cups
Cucumber / Toushe - 1
Salt

TOUSHE PAAN POLO..

HOW TO MAKE IT :

Wash rice and soak for 3-4 hours along with cucumber pieces. 

Grind the rice and cucumber to a very fine batter. 
Add enough water and salt to it. Mix well.
The batter should be thin like normal paan polo batter.

Now heat dosa tava.
Put a tsp of oil over it and spread a ladle full batter. Adjust the heat.
Cover the lid and fry only one side.
Fold the dosa like a napkin with two folds and remove.

Serve Cucumber Paan Polo with Green coriander chutney and a blob of butter.

BEET STIR FRY

Very easy and simple preparation!

BEET STIR FRY

WHAT YOU NEED:

Beetroot - 4-5 ( medium size)
Onions -2 , chopped
Red chillies - 3-4 (broken)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 4 tsp

BEETROOT UPKARI

HOW TO MAKE:

Remove the skin of beetroots, wash and cut in 1" pieces.

Heat kadahi with oil. 
Splutter the mustard seeds, then add red chillies. 
Add chopped onions and stir till they are translucent.
Now add beetroot and salt. Mix well.
Reduce the heat, cover and allow it to cook till it is done.

Serve Beetroot stir fry as a side dish. 

MIXED VEG STIR FRY

MIXED VEG STIR FRY

WHAT YOU NEED:

Snake gourd -1 small ( 3/4 cups)
Capsicum -1 (cut in lengthwise)
Carrot - 1 big (cut in lengthwise)
Beans - a few (cut diagonally )
Spring onions, with greens - 4-5 (Chopped)
Cabbage - 2-3 leaves ( cut in lengthwise)
Red chilli flakes - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Coriander leaves, chopped - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Olive oil -1 tbsp

KID'S FAV STIR FRY!

HOW TO MAKE:

Heat kadahi with one tsp oil.
Add spring onion and saute for a while.
Now add snake gourd and all the vegetables one by one. 
Add red chilli flakes, coriander leaves and salt. Stir well.
Allow it cook for few minutes. Don't over cook, let the veges be crunchy and half cooked.
Now add pepper powder. mix well.
Finally add olive oil.

Serve as a side dish.

SPROUTED GREEN GRAM STIR FRY

SPROUTED GREEN GRAM STIR FRY

WHAT YOU NEED :

Green gram - 4/3 cup ( soak green gram for 20 to 24 hours. Then place soaked green grams in a wet cotton cloth and cover for overnight. Next morning you will see the sprouts coming out from the green gram.)
Onions, chopped - 2 big
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Red chillies -7-8
Salt to taste

MOLKO AYILO MOOGA UPKARI!

HOW TO MAKE:

Heat kadahi with one tbsp oil. Splutter mustard seeds in a hot oil.
Add broken red chillies to it, saute.
Now add onions, stir till it is translucent.
Add sprouted green gram and salt. Stir well.
Cover and cook on a low heat. Stir several times so that it doesn't stick the kadahi.

Serve Sprouted green gram stir fry as a side dish.

TRIPLE TWELVE TREAT ( TTT)

Today morning my daughter asked me to make something spl as today ws a special day, with the date being 12-12-12. But there was nothing in my mind or any idea to make anything. When my hubby brought some coconuts from our garden I thought I will try with this. I also had some fresh carrots in the fridge. Voila! and I got an idea to prepare something new on this spl day. The outcome was a success and every one in my family loved this. My daughter Dipti named this 'TTT'.

TRIPLE TWELVE TREAT

WHAT YOU NEED:

Coconut -1 medium ( gratings from the half coconut and thick milk from the other half)
Carrot, grated -1 big
Vanilla essence - 3-4 drops
Sugar - 1 tea cup
Cashew nut bits - 1 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp

SPREAD FOR COOLING

YUMMY 'TTT'....

HOW TO MAKE:

Heat non stick kadai. When hot, put 4 tsp of sugar and stir. Sprinkle a few drops of water in to it.
When you get a burnt smell, add grated carrot. Keep stirring till it becomes dry. Remove and
keep aside. 
Now add coconut milk. When it is boiling, add coconut gratings. Keep stirring till all the milk evaporates. 
Then add carrot gratings, vanilla essence  and cashew bits and stir again.
Now add sugar to it. Keep on stirring.
Finally add ghee.
When it becomes thick and a bit hard, put off the fire.

Now take a flat plate, spread a little ghee and pour this mixture in to it. Spread evenly.
Allow it to cool. 
Now cut the burfi in your desired shape.

SHEVAI

Shevai in Konakni or Samige in Kannada is a very popular breakfast in Karnataka. It is a Sunday spl in most of the Konkani households. This is prepared in  different ways. My mother-in-law used to prepare this with raw rice and coconut. It tastes good but I found it a bit sticky. Mom used boiled rice for it and each noodle would stay separate from each other, so I follow her recipe.
  

SHEVAI AND POTATO SAUNG

WHAT YOU NEED:

Boiled rice - 2 cups

Salt to taste

VERY GOOD COMBO HERE...

HOW TO MAKE :

Wash and soak rice for 5-6 hours.

Then grind it to a very smooth paste adding enough water.

Transfer the batter in to a thick bottomed kadahi. The batter should not be very thick or watery.

Add salt and some water to it.

Keep the kadahi on the fire and stir continuously till dough becomes thick and half done.

Make small balls out of the dough and make them into cylindrical shape. (This shape will help you to put in the Shevai machine)
Steam them in a steamer for 20 to 30 minutes or till they are cooked inside.  

Now put 2-3 balls in the shevai machine and press or turn to make shevais.

Serve shevai with potato song. ( I have posted 2 types of saung recipes here)

GREEN GRAM CURRY

SPROUTED GREEN GRAM CURRY

WHAT YOU NEED:

Green gram sprouted and cooked 1 cup
Onion, chopped 1
Tomato, chopped 1
Ginger, chopped finely 2 tsp
Garlic, chopped finely 2 tsp
Green chillies, slit 4
Coriander leaves 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

GOES WELL WITH RICE, ROTIS OR CHAPPATIS....

HOW TO MAKE:

Heat kadahi with little oil.
Add chopped ginger and garlic, fry till the aroma arise.
Add green chillies and onion and stir fry till onions are translucent.
Then add tomato and stir again for 2 minutes.
Now add cooked green gram and salt, mix well.
In the end add coriander leaves.

Serve as a side dish and it goes well with roti and chappatis too.

VEG FRIED RICE - 2

Fried rice in a little different way :

VEG FRIED RICE

WHAT YOU NEED:

Basmati rice - 2 cups
Water - 4 cups
Spring onion - 1 bunch, chopped
Veges like carrot, cabbage, capsicum, french beans finely cut - 2 cups
Vinegar - 2 tbsp
Veg oil - 4 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Ajinomoto ( optional ) 
Pepper powder - 2 tsp or to taste
Olive oil - 1-2 tbsp
Salt to taste

GOOD AROMA OF PEPPER AND OLIVE OIL...YUMMY !

HOW TO MAKE :

Wash and soak rice for 15 minutes. Drain and keep aside.
Take 4 cups of water and keep on the fire. When it boils add rice into it and stir with spatula.
Add ghee, salt and 2 pinches of ajinomotto to the rice. Stir well.
Then lower the heat to simmer. Cover and cook till done.
Once the rice is done keep the lid open.

Heat oil in kadahi, add spring onion and fry for few minutes.
Add chopped vegs one by one and cook till done. Do not over cook the veges.
Add salt and 2 pinches ajinomotto and stir well.

Now mix the veges in cooked rice.
Add vinegar, pepper powder and combine well.
Finally sprinkle olive oil over the rice. Mix again.
Warm  fried rice before serving.





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CHURMUNDO / CHURMA LADDU

Today,  5th Dec, is my father in law's b'day. He is no more but he lives in our heart and mind each and every day. Today I prepared his favorite sweet, Churmundo. 

CHURMUNDO

  
WHAT YOU NEED:

Wheat flour  - 2 cups
Sugar  - 1 3/4 cups
Raisins - 1 handful
Ghee  - 8-10 tbsps
Cardamom powder - 2 tsp

CHURMA LADDU

HOW TO MAKE:

Powder the sugar and keep aside.
Dry roast wheat flour till the aroma arises.

Now mix wheat flour and powdered sugar nicely.
Add raisins, cardamom powder and ghee. 
Mix well. 
The mixture should not be very sticky.
Now make laddus with your hands.

Store in an airtight jar. The shelf life is one month.

SWEET N SOUR MIXED VEG SALAD

SWEET N SOUR MIXED VEG SALAD

WHAT YOU NEED:

Carrot
Beetroot
Cabbage
Apples (small sized)
Zucchini
Salt
Red chilli flakes
Oregano, a little
Vinegar, a little
Mint leaves a few, chopped

YUMMY COLORFUL SALAD!

HOW TO MAKE :

Wash and cut all the veges in cubes.
Mix, salt, red chilli flakes, mint leaves, vinegar and little oregano.

Serve as a side dish.

SUN DRIED GREEN CHILLY / KONDATT MOLAGU

Without Kondatt molagu, the feast in Kerala is incomplete. Molagu, in Malayalam means Chilly. Here you get plenty of Green chillies of different varieties, some are thin and long, some are stout and short, some are white in color.... For this Kondatt molagu you need a particular variety of green chilly, little thick and short in size. This is my hubby's fav and without Molagu or any pickle his meals are incomplete. I bet it enhances the taste of your meals! My hubby used to buy this from the shop. Recently I learned how to make them from my maid servant Shantha. I found it very easy but you need very strong sunshine while drying the Chillies. Today, for lunch I fried 4 sun dried chillies. Wow!!! it is yummy, spicy.....oooo

DRIED AND FRIED CHILLIES!

WHAT YOU NEED:

Green chillies - 1 kg
Sour curd - 500 gms
Salt - 1 handful ( here I used crystal salt)

KONDATT MOLAGU! 

HOW TO MAKE :

Wash green chillies with enough water, then dry pat. 
Make a small holes or slit on the chillies with a pointed knife.
In a vessel mix curd and salt.
Now add the slit green chillies in the curd mix and combine well.

Now spread the curd chillies in a colander and keep it over a broad plate, under the sun for drying.
When the excess curd gets collected in the plate, it should be poured again over the chillies. 
Continue this process for 3-4 days.
When it is crisp and completely dried, store in a airtight jar.
When needed, fry them over a low heat till it is black in color.

Serve as a side dish.

TOUSALI / CUCUMBER DOSA

TOUSALI WITHOUT JAGGERY

WHAT YOU NEED:

Rice 2 cups
Cucumber grated 1
Coconut grated, 2 handfuls , optional ( I didnot add coconut here)
Jaggery 4-5 pieces or to taste
Salt to taste

TOUSALI WITH JAGGERY

HOW TO MAKE:

Soak rice for 2-3 hours. 
Wash, drain and grind the rice along with coconut to a very smooth paste.
Transfer the batter in to a vessel. Add Grated cucumber, powdered jaggery and salt. Mix thoroughly.

Now heat the dosa tava, pour a ladle full of dosa batter and spread thickly. Put a tsp of ghee around the edges.
Cover with the lid. This dosa is fried only on one side. 

Serve Tousali hot with blob of butter.

MUSHTI POLO / SET DOSA

 I always wondered how the name Mushti polo came into exist. In Konkani Mushti means fist. In childhood days, when ever our Mom prepared Mushti polo, we children used to punch each other, holding our hand tight like fist and used to laugh loudly. Unforgettable lingering memories of our childhood days. Once I asked my grand mother why and how the name Mushti polo came. Her reply was very simple. She told me that there were no measuring cups in some houses, so they used their own mushti that is'fist' for measuring the ingredients..so the name! 
I had to believe her story and now I too have started my own fist for measuring some of the ingredients in kitchen. Recently I came to know that some people call this as Set Dosa.

MUSHTI POLO WITH BUTTER

WHAT YOU NEED:

Rice 2 cups ( here I used a measuring cup)
Udad dal  2 handfuls
Cooked rice or phova  2 handfuls
Coconut, grated 2 handfuls
Methi seeds/ Fenugreek seeds  1 tsp
Salt to taste

MUSHTI POLO /SET DOSA

HOW TO MAKE:

Wash rice and udad dal and soak along with methi seeds for 4 to 5  hours.

Grind rice, udad dal, methi seeds, grated coconut and cooked rice together till smooth.
Transfer the dosa batter in a vessel and keep overnight for fermentation. 
Add salt before going to bed.

Mix well with the ladle next morning. Add little water to get the right consistency.

Heat Dosa Tava, put a tsp of oil around and pour a ladle full of batter and spread thickly.
Cover the lid. When you open you will find soft fluffy dosa. Remove.
This dosa is fried only one side

Serve Mushti polo hot with Butter.

RICE PAYAS / TANDLA GODSHE

WHAT YOU NEED:

Rice ( basmati )  3/4 cup

Jaggery  8-10 pieces

Coconut milk  1 cup thick and 1 cup thin ( extracted from 1 coconut)

Cashew nuts, roasted in little ghee  1 hand ful

Kismis, roasted in little ghee 1 handful

Cardamom powder  1 tsp

RICE PAYAS /TANDLA GODSHE 

HOW TO MAKE:

Wash rice and cook with enough water.

When rice is done add thin coconut milk and jaggery. Bring to boil.

Now add thick coconut milk , again boil for few minutes.

Add cardamom powder and garnish with roasted cashew nuts and kismis.

Serve hot as a desert.

SWEET KICHADI

SWEET KICHDI

WHAT YOU NEED:

Battani dal / Chana dal 3/4 cup (normally kichdi is made of chana dal but I prepared it with battani dal)
Rava  1/2 cup
Sugar 3/4 cup
kismis 1 handful (Roasted in little ghee )
Cashew nuts 1 handful ( Roasted in little ghee)
Cardamom powder 1 tsp 
Ghee 1-2 tbsp

DAL KICHDI

HOW TO MAKE :

Pressure cook Chana dal or Battani dal for 10 to 15 minutes.
Pour the cooked dal in a kadahi and mash lightly. 
Add a cup of water in to it and keep on the fire.
When the water is boiling reduce the heat and add rava. Stir well.
Now Add sugar and stir continuously till the sugar dissolves.
Finally add cashew nuts, kismis, cardamom powder and ghee. Mix well.

Serve hot in a bowl as dessert. 

LADY'S FINGER FRY /BHINDI FRY

LADY'S FINGER FRY

WHAT YOU NEED:

Lady's fingers, small and tender ones 10
Onion 1 finely chopped
Tomato 1 big, finely chopped
Red chilly powder   1/2 tsp or to taste
Cumin powder   1/2 tsp
Coriander powder   1 tsp
Chole masala 1 tsp
Besan / Bengal gram powder   4 tsp
Fresh Mint leaves, chopped 2 tsp
Coriander leaves, chopped  2 tsp
Salt to taste

STUFFED BHINDI FRY

HOW TO MAKE:

Wash lady's fingers, dry pat and slit. 
Remove the seeds and keep aside.

Now heat 1 tbsp oil in kadahi.
Add cumin powder and coriander powder, fry.
Add onion, tomato, seeds of lady's finger chilli powder, chole masala, salt and fry for a while.
Now add besan, chopped coriander and mint, stir well and fry for few more minutes.

Now stuff the masala into the slit lady's fingers.

Heat a tbsp of oil in deep bottomed kadahi. Place all the stuffed lady's fingers in the kadahi and put all the remaining masala over it. Cook them over a low heat. Turn over the lady's fingers after a few minutes and again cook for few more minutes.

Serve the Bhindis as a side dish.

SIMPLE CAULI CURRY

SIMPLE CAULI CURRY

WHAT YOU NEED:

Cauliflower florets  2 cups
Capsicum, cut in 1" pieces
Cumin powder 1 tsp
Turmeric powder  1/2 tsp
Ginger 2" piece
Garlic cloves  6, chopped
Onions 3 
Tomato 1, cut in 4 pieces
Cashew nuts 1 tbs
Green chillies  3, chopped
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves, chopped 1 tbsp

YUMMY CAULI CURRY

GOES WELL WITH CHAPPATI OR PHULKAS!!!

HOW TO MAKE:

First cook cauliflower florets along with salt with just enough water. ( Do not over cook the florets).
Drain the water from the cooked florets and save the water for the gravy.
Chop 2 onions roughly and cut 1 onion lengthwise. 
Grind chopped onions, 1" piece ginger, cashew nuts and turmeric powder to a fine paste.

Heat 4-5 tsp oil in kadahi, when hot add cumin powder, fry. Add chopped 1" ginger, chopped garlic and chopped green chillies and stir.
Add sliced onion, fry for a while. Then add chopped capsicum, stir for 2 minutes
Add drained cauliflower florets, tomato and mix well.
Now add masala to the florets and mix well. Add saved water and stir well. Cook for few minutes.

Decorate the curry with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve the curry with Pulkas or Chappatis.