UTKA SAARU

My mother used to prepare this Saaru when we were small. I don't even remember the taste, but remembered the name of Saaru till now. Uddaka is water in Konkani and it's main ingredient is water and tamarind. So the name is Utka saaru! Yesterday I just tried Utka saaru, and it is my own recipe. Just loved the aroma of garlic and ghee. 

UTKA SAARU

WHAT YOU NEED:

Water - 2-3 cups

Tamarind - size of a small gooseberry 

Turmeric - a little

Green chilly - 3-4

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Garlic - 5-7 pods, crushed  (with skin intact)

Ghee - 4 tsp

Salt - to taste

SAARU MADE FROM PLAIN WATER!

UTKA SAARU!

HOW TO MAKE:

Soak tamarind in water and extract the juice.

Put tamarind juice in a vessel along with water.

Add turmeric powder, curry leaves and slit green chillies.

Allow to boil on medium heat.

Heat a small pan with 2 tsp ghee. Fry crushed garlic till dark brown.

Pour this seasoning in saaru and boil it again for few minute more.

Once it is done add 2 tsp ghee and stir the Utka Saaru.

Serve Utka saaru with steaming rice.

PAPAYA SMOOTHIE

PAPAYA SMOOTHI

WHAT YOU NEED:

Papaya - 1 cup, cubed

Small banana - 2, cubed

Honey - 1 tbsp

Milk - 1 cup

A few banana/ papaya pieces to garnish

PAPAYA AND BANANA SMOOTHIE..

HOW TO MAKE :

Blend Papaya pieces, banana pieces, honey and milk together.

Pour in glasses and refrigerate till chilled. 

Serve chilled Papaya Smoothie garnished with banana / papaya pieces.

KASHIMIRI PULAV

Got this recipe from a Daily, a few days ago. I was  just waiting for the right time for making this. I found it very easy and simple recipe. Actually there was no much time for cutting the vegs and I had a very little time left for the night's preparation. Today I felt I got the ideal recipe for today's dinner.

KASHMIRI PULAV

WHAT YOU NEED:

Basmathi rice - 1 cup

Cashew nuts - 10

Almonds - 15

Raisins - 15

Onion - 1

Saffron - a few strands soaked in warm milk

Milk - 1/2 cup

Pomegranate - 3/4 cup

Cherries - 1/4 cup

Salt - taste

Ghee

Oil

Sugar - 1/4 tsp

KASHMIRI PULAV , HEALTHY RECIPE 

KASMIRI PULAV .. 

TO TEMPER :

Ghee 

Cinnamon - 1/2 inch piece

Cardamom - 1 

Clove - 1

Bay leaf - 1

HOW TO MAKE :

Wash and soak rice in water for 30 minutes. Drain and keep aside.

In a pan, heat ghee and fry nuts till they are golden color. Keep aside.

Then fry raisins till they are fluffy, keep aside.

In the same pan heat oil and fry lengthy cut onion along with sugar till they are brown and crisp.  Keep aside.

Then add a tbsp of ghee or oil in same kadahi,  add cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaf.

Then add water and milk in it, allow to boil.

Now add rice, saffron and salt and stir well.  Reduce the heat. Cover and cook.

When the rice is cooked put off the flame.

Then add fried onion, nuts, cherries and pomegranate seeds. Mix well.

Serve KASHMIRI PULAV with Raita or pickle.

PANEER AND CAPSICUM MASALA

PANEER CAPSICUM MASALA

WHAT YOU NEED :

Paneer - cubed 1 cup

Capsicum - 1 big, cut in big pieces

Onions - 2 big, chopped

Tomato - 1 chopped

Garlic pods - 4-5

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Cashew nuts - 1 handful

Chilli powder - 3/4 tsp

Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

SIMPLE WAY OF MAKING PANEER MASALA..

JUST AS RESTAURANT STYLE! EASY RECIPE!  

HOW TO MAKE:

Heat little oil in a pan and fry paneer cubes well and keep aside. 

Fry capsicum pieces and keep aside.

Grind onions, chopped tomato, turmeric powder, garlic, ginger and cashew nuts to a smooth texture.

Now take a big blob of butter and heat. When it melts add ground masala and saute for few minutes or till the raw smell goes off.

Then add red chilly powder, garam masala and salt and stir well.

Now add fried paneer and capsicum to the masala and stir again. 

Add some water and cook for a while.


Serve Paneer and Capsicum Masala with Roti or Chappati.

KARATE AND KHAJOOR TALASANI / BITTERGOURD AND DATES TALASANI

A Konkani recipe, made a small change in it. I have added Dates instead of Jaggery. This curry tastes spicy, sour and of course a little sweetish.  

BITTER GOURD AND DATES TALASANI

WHAT YOU NEED:

Bitter gourd - 1 

Dates - 6-7

Bilimbi / Bimbul - 6-7

Garlic pods - 5-6

Red chilly 3-4

Salt - to taste

KARATE ANI KHAJOOR TALASANI

KKT! JUST YUMMM!

HOW TO MAKE:

Wash bitter gourd and bilimbis and cut in rounds.

Pressure cook bitter gourd, bilimbis  along with dates with little water.

Crush garlic pods along with skin.

Now heat kadahi with 2 tsp oil. 

When oil is hot add crushed garlic and stir till the color changes.

Then add broken red chillies and stir again.

Now add cooked bitter gourd and dates along with salt.

Add some water if needed gravy.

Allow to boil for few secs. 

Serve Karate n Khajoor talasani as a side dish or with Rotis.

BISCUIT ROTTI -2

I got this recipe from a Food Group in Facebook. Actually the basic recipes come from our ancestors, we just experiment with the old recipes. Sometimes they turn out to be a good stuff, sometimes it simply goes in a kitchen waste bucket. If I go back I experimented a lot recipes and some were too good, also thrown unsuccessful dishes. 

I tried this new recipe and it came out so well. Normally the outer cover of biscuit rotti is prepared of Maida and Rava. Here we used wheat flour for the outer cover (puris)

BISCUIT ROTTI

WHAT YOU NEED:

For puris :

Wheat flour : 1 1/2 cups

Ghee - 1 tbs

Turmeric powder

Salt - to taste

Water - for kneading

For the stuffing Masala:

Green chillies - 8-10

Coriander leaves - 1 cup, chopped

Coconut grating - 3/4 cup

Besan / chana powder - 3-4 tbsp

Salt - to taste

BISCUIT ROTTI IN A DIFFERENT WAY! 

SORRY FOR THE PIC... I REMEMBERED IN THE LAST MIN TO TAKE THE PIC....

HOW TO MAKE :

First prepare dough for puris. In a mixing bowl mix salt and turmeric powder in a little water.

Add wheat flour and mix adding little water at a time.

Then add warm ghee and mix it again. Knead well to a soft texture. If the dough is very soft you will not have problem while rolling stuffed puris. Otherwise the mixture may come out.

Now grind green chillies, chopped coriander leaves and salt to a coarse paste.

Take out the ground mixture in a bowl, then add coconut gratings and besan and mix well.

Now divide the dough in to small balls, roll them to a small puris then keep some mixture in the center, fold and again roll out .

Heat enough oil in kadahi, When hot slide puri in hot oil and fry crisp on both sides. Fry one at a time.

Serve Biscuit Rotti as snack with hot Tea or Coffee.

CHETT AMBODO

I have already posted two different types of Vadas. This time I am going to post "Chette ambodo", a Konkani Style recipe. Chette in Konkani means flat, flatten vada. You can prepare Chette ambodo when children come back from school, as snacks. Definitely they love it! 

CHETTE AMBODO

WHAT YOU NEED:
( makes 5-6)

Udad dal - 1/2 cup

Chanadal - 1/2 cup

Onion - 1 small

Dried Red chilly - 3-4

Asafoetida - 

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Salt - to taste

CRISP CHETTE AMBODOS..

HOW TO MAKE :

Wash Udad dal and chana dal and soak in enough water for 1 hour. Drain and keep aside.

Chop Onion and keep aside.

Grind Red chilly, asafoetida, salt.

Then add drained Dals and again grind for few secs. The paste should be coarse, if some dals are not ground properly leave them as they are. Do not add water.

Remove the paste in a bowl, then add chopped onion and chopped curry leaves. Mix well.

Now heat enough oil in kadahi.

Take a small portion of ground paste and make a ball, flatten well in between your palms.
Slide flatten ambodos in hot oil. Fry on both sides till golden and crisp on a moderate heat.
Fry in batches.

Serve Warm Chette ambodos as snack with or without any sauce or chutney.