Beans Talaasan(Fry)
When you're bored of preparing the same old curry with beans, this is one easy way to try something different. Talaasan(with reference to dry curries) in konkani means something that is shallow fried in oil. This curry takes a little more oil than usual if it needs to taste good.Time Taken: 20-25 minutes.
Serves about 2-3 people.
Ingredients Used:1/2 kg of French Beans
5-6 cloves of garlic
2 red chillies
1/2 tsp red chilly powder
Salt to taste
2-3 tsp oil
Method of Preparation:Wash the french beans and destring(defibre)it. If frozen slit beans are available you could use them as well. Cut each bean into one half and slit it longitudinally-it should look like what is given in the picture. Then, in a shallow bottomed pan, take oil and warm it. To this, add the red chillies cut into halves and slit garlic pieces. Stir for a minute. Then, add the red chilly powder and salt followed by french beans. Cover and cook on medium/low flame until done with very little or no water. Beans Talaasan goes very well with dal rice and as a dry sabzi with chapathi.
Labels: Beans, Chatpat, curry, Frenchbeans, fry, Jhatpat, Konkani, sabzi, talaasan
Simple Egg Curry
This is my mom’s recipe. It requires a lot of ingredients, but its very simple to prepare. Tastes best with rice.
Time taken: 35-40 minutes
Serves about 3 people
Ingredients required:
4 large white eggs
2 medium sized onions sliced
2 small tomatoes sliced
3 cloves of garlic chopped
1-inch ginger chopped
4 dry red chillies
1 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1 Tsp coriander seeds (dhaniya seeds)
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
3-4 peppercorns
5 –6 cashew nuts
1 tsp poppy seeds (khus khus)
3 cloves
1-inch cinnamon
4 Tsp grated coconut
Handful of coriander leaves chopped
2 Tsp heavy cream (milk can be used instead)
2 Tsp kasuri methi (optional)
4 Tsp of oil
salt for taste
Method of preparation:
Take about 3 liters of water in a large vessel and bring it to a boil. Add the eggs with the shells on and let it boil uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes. Once this is done, switch off the gas and cover the vessel for 5 minutes. Drain and peel the eggs, cut it into half and keep aside. To save time, the gravy can be prepared when the eggs are being boiled. Heat 3 Tsp of oil, add jeera and let it crackle. Now add cloves and cinnamon and fry for about 30 seconds. Now add coriander seeds, peppercorns, poppy seeds, cashew nuts and fry for another 30 seconds, now add onions, garlic and ginger. Fry till the onions turn translucent. Now add tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes are mashed properly. Then add red chillies and coconut and fry till the coconut starts turning brownish. This takes about 3 to 4 minutes. Now add coriander leaves and fry for about a minute. Switch off the fire and transfer this mixture to a large plate so that it cools down to the room temperature soon. As soon as the mixture cools down , grind it to a paste with a blender using very little or no water.
Now take the remaining oil in the same vessel in which the mixture for the gravy was fried and add the paste. Once it starts boiling, add cream and kasoori methi. Add a glass of water and bring the gravy to boil. More water can be added as per your required consistency. Now add the eggs and simmer for about 2 minutes on low flame. The egg curry is done.
Labels: Anda, Chatpat, curry, Easy, Egg, Gravy, Indian, Jhatpat, quick, Simple
Pasta in spinach sauce
My friend’s son loves pasta. So she keeps on doing experiments on it. And most of her experiments results in a very tasty dish. I particularly like this version of hers as it is easy to make and also nutritious. This dish is made with whole wheat pasta, but the normal pasta can be used instead.
Serves about 3-4 people
Time taken :40 minutes
Ingredients required:
500 gms of whole wheat pasta
2 medium sized onions sliced
5 green chillies slit
1 large tomato sliced
1 big bunch of spinach (palak) cleaned and chopped
2 to 3 cloves of garlic minced
1 tsp of dried parsley (fresh leaves can be used)
1 tsp of dried oregano
(NOTE: If you don’t have parsley or oregano, just use chopped coriander leaves or methi leaves)
salt to taste
5 Tsp oil
½ cup of grated parmesan cheese (any other type of cheese will do)
Method of preparation:
Pasta:
In a big vessel, take 3 litres of water and bring it to a boil. Once it starts boiling add 2 Tsp oil and salt to it. Then add the pasta and cook uncovered for about 8 to 10 minutes or till done. Don’t overcook it. Once done drain it and keep aside. To save time , when the pasta is being cooked, you can start making the spinach sauce.
Spinach sauce:
Take 3 Tsp oil in kadai. Fry the onions and minced garlic till the onions turn translucent. Now add tomatoes, spinach, and green chillies and fry till the tomatoes are mashed properly. Remove from the gas and let it cool to room temperature. Make a puree of this mixture in a mixer/blender. Now add the parsley ,oregano and salt . The spinach sauce is ready.
Now mix this puree with the cooked pasta.
In a baking dish, spread this pasta mixture . Spread a layer of cheese over the pasta till it covers it fully. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Bake the pasta for about 10 to 15 minutes or till the cheese melts. Pasta in spinach sauce is ready.
Labels: Chatpat, Jhatpat, Pasta, Sauce, Spinach, Tasty
