Avarekayi Kurma
Avarekayi is the Kannada name given to Lilva beans or what commonly called 'Papdi' in North India. Avarekayi being a seasonal bean is available for relishing in its fresh form during the winter months, mainly December and January. Being a rich source of proteins, it is used in usli, upma and saaru(kurma being one of its type). Kurma could be eaten with Chapati as well as rice.Time Taken: 30-35 minutes
Serves about 3-4 people.Ingredients Used:250 gm Lilva beans
1 medium sized potato(optional)
2 clove buds and 2 cinnamon sticks
2 red chillies and 2 green chillies
1/4 tsp red chilly powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 medium sized onions
5-6 garlic cloves
1/4 inch ginger
1 1/2 medium sized tomatoes
1 handful of grated coconut
2 tsp refined oil/ghee
Coriander leaves for garnishing
Salt to taste
Method of Preparation:Take the cleaned avarekayi seeds in a cooker container, add some water and salt to it and pressure cook it to one whistle. While the cooker cools down, chop onions, garlic, ginger, potatoes and tomatoes. Heat a little oil in a kadai and add cloves and cinnamon to it. Then, add the green chillies, chopped onions, garlic and ginger and fry until its rawness goes away. Add red chilly powder as well as turmeric powder and stir for a minute. Keep it aside in a bowl. Now, fry red chillies in the same kadai and roast grated coconut till light brown. Mix this with the fried onions and wait till it cools enough so that it could be ground in a mixer into a paste.
Next, take some oil/ghee in the same kadai and toss in the chopped(medium sized cubes) potatoes so that they get cooked. Add half a cup of water and required amount of salt. Cook for about 5 minutes. To this, add the finely ground paste and check for salt. Puree the finely chopped tomatoes in the mixer and pour it into the masala Add water depending on how thick you want the curry to be. Stir well and boil the masala. Then, cook the kurma on low flame for around 10 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.
Note: The same curry could be prepared using fresh green peas also.Peas or avarekayi could be replaced with halved boiled eggs to make egg kurma(the only difference being that, egg is added towards the end of the cooking)
Labels: Avarekayi, Chatpat, Chatpat. quick, curry, Easy, egg kurma, green peas, Jhatpat, kurma, Lilva, One dish meal, Papdi, recipes, saaru, saru, Tasty
Cauliflower Fry
Cauliflower Fry/Talaasan is a dry curry item which goes well with Chapatis. The preparation is very easy and it tastes best in combination with potatoes. I love the way my mom makes it. My friends used to love this as well, when i would take it for lunch, during my school days.
Time taken:20 minutes
Serves about 3 people
Ingredients Used:
1 large cauliflower
1 medium sized potato
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin/jeera seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilly powder
3-4 curry leaves
2-3 pinches of asafoetida/hing
3-4 tsp oil
Salt to taste
Method of Preparation:
Cut cauliflower into medium sized florets and clean it by keeping it in a bowl containing a little salt and turmeric(to remove worms if any) for about 5 minutes. Cut potatoes into either lengthy finger chips sized pieces or medium sized thin cubes. Take oil in a heated kadai/pan and sputter mustard seeds in it. Then add jeera and curry leaves and wait for them to crackle. Next, add all the powders mentioned above and toss in the cleaned cauliflower and potato pieces. Add salt as required and cook coverd on a medium flame until it is done, with very little /no water.
Labels: cauliflower, Chatpat. quick, curry, dry sabzi, Easy, fry, Gobi, Jhatpat, One dish meal, phool gobi, talaasan, Tasty
Cabbage Rice(Bhath)
Cabbage Rice or cabbage bhath is a coconut based rice item. My aunt who is an awesome cook used to prepare this while we were kids. It was very much in demand then, especially when we had get-togethers. Years later, I asked her for its recipe in order to break the monotony of the usual rice items. It is now a regular item at our place. Hubby loves it! P.S: Mixer is a pre-requisite to prepare this item.Time Taken: 30 minutesServes about 4 people.Ingredients Used:1/3 of a medium sized cabbage
2 medium sized onions
1/2 a coconut(grated)
2 buds of clove
4-5 pieces of 1 inch sized cinnamon
One big handful of coriander seeds
5-6 red chillies
Tamarind(1/2 a lemon size)
Cooked rice (enough to serve about 3 people)
1 tsp mustard seeds
2-3 curry leaves
2-3 tsp cooking oil
Method of Preparation:Chop onions and cabbage finely. In a cooking pan, take oil and warm it. In this, sputter mustard seeds with curry leaves. Add the onions and fry till light brown. Add chopped cabbage and salt to it. In the meanwhile, dry roast cloves, cinnamon and coriander seeds and grind them in a mixer along with red chillies, grated coconut and tamarind. Once the cabbage in the pan is almost cooked, add the ground paste to it and cook for a 5 minutes. Once the mix is cooked well, add cooled cooked rice to it. Garnish with coriander leaves if required. Cabbage rice is ready to serve.
Labels: bath, Bhath, Cabbage, Chatpat, Chatpat. quick, coconut based, Easy, Jhatpat, One dish meal, Paththa gobi, Rice, tasty.
Spinach(Palak) Rice
When you don't know what to do with that big bunch of spinach which is lying in the fridge and are out of ideas, here's an option to explore. Sneaking in spinach this way ensures that those who don't like spinach eat it and benefit from it. Can be eaten with or without raita. As a matter of fact, it tastes better without raita. Time taken: 25-30 minutesServes about 4-5 peopleIngredients used:4-5 tsp butter/ghee(oil for diet conscious ppl)
2 medium sized pieces of cinnamon
2 clove buds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
4-5 green chillies
1 medium sized onion
5-6 garlic cloves
1/4 inch ginger
1/4 tsp turmeric powder(optional)
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chilly powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 1/2 large cups of Basmati rice
3 large cups of water.
1 large bunch of spinach.
1/2 cup of fresh/frozen green peas
Salt to taste
Method of Preparation:Take ghee in a heated cooker and add cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Stir for half a minute. Add jeera(cumin) Then, chop green chillies and add it to the whole masala. After it appears kind of crispy, add onion and garlic which are both cut lengthwise and fry till they turn golden brown. To this, add the basmati rice and roast till it loses its transparency and appears white in colour. Add all the powders/masalas mentioned above and mix for a minute. Then, pour in the water and add finely chopped spinach and salt. Now, grate the ginger from the top, add the peas and stir well. Close the cooker and cook on medium high flame with the whistle on, until it gives out one whistle. Then, reduce the temp of the stove to low medium flame for 3-4 minutes. Turn off the gas now and wait till the cooker cools.
Note: Adding turmeric here is optional and the rice gets a greenish natural white tinge in the absence of turmeric.Labels: Chatpat, Easy, Jhatpat, One dish meal, Palak, Pulao., Pulav, quick, Spinach, Tasty
Ragi Dosa with Spicy Peanut Chutney
Ragi/Millet Dosa with peanut chutney is a combination which is very tasty and very very healthy. Ragi is a staple crop of Karnataka and perhaps Andhra Pradesh as well. People who eat it in their everyday meal are supposed to have a very strong physical constitution. Yes, I know the colour of Ragi dosa is very scary(that was my reaction when i first saw it) but i'm quite sure that you would love to eat it. This has quite an exquisite taste especially with the peanut chutney alongside. Learnt to prepare the dosa from my mom and the chutney from my close friend. Time Taken: 20-25 minutesServes about 2- 3 peopleIngredients Used:For the Dosa:3-4 tablespoons of Ragi/Millet flour.
6-8 tablespoons of water(depending on how thick you want the dosa)
1 cup of finely chopped onions
4-5 green chillies
1 tsp cumin/jeera seeds
a few coriander leaves
Salt as required.
For the Spicy Chutney:5-6 green chillies
Half a tsp tamarind paste
One clove of raw garlic
1/2 a bunch of coriander leaves
One handful of roasted peanuts
Salt to taste
Method of Preparation:Take water in a bowl. Mix ragi flour to a smooth consistency along with salt in this water. Add the onions, chillies and coriander leaves(all finely chopped) and the cumin seeds to this batter. Heat a skillet and make thin pancakes/dosas using this batter,on medium flame making sure you cook both the sides well.
For the chutney, fry the green chillies in a little oil. Grind it along with the ingredients provided under the chutney category in a mixer/blender into a smooth paste adding 1/4-1/2 a cup of water. The chutney is ready.
It is customary(but not mandatory) to spread some finely chopped raw onions on the dosas while eating- that is, if you like raw onions.
Note: Those of you who get a chance to visit 'Dosa Camp' at 3rd Block Jayanagar, Bangalore in the evenings, please don't forget to savour it.
Labels: Chatpat, Chutney, Dosa, Jhatpat, Kannada, Millet, One dish meal, Peanut, Ragi, Spicy, Telugu
Veggie Cutlet
Vegetable Cutlet reminds me of summer holidays during my childhood when my mom would prepare one tasty snack everyday. This used to be one of the most favourite snacks I used to enjoy with my siblings and cousins. To this day, I relish it everytime it is prepared.Time Taken: 30-40 minutes.
Serves about 4 peopleIngredients Used:4 medium sized potatoes
2 medium sized onions
1/4 inch ginger
7-8 french beans
1/2 cup of sweet peas
1/2 of a medium sized beetroot
2/3rd of a large carrot
1/2 tsp red chilly powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
Coriander leaves
Salt to taste
Bread crumbs or rava for the coating.
Oil-as required.
Method of Preparation:Cook potatoes(cut into halves) in a pressure cooker with a little water. In the meanwhile, chop all the vegetables very finely and keep aside. Then, in a cooking pan, warm up oil and fry the onions until golden brown. Grate ginger into this and add red chilly powder. Toss in the rest of the finely chopped veggies along with peas and cook with closed lid taking just the required amount of water and salt. When it is almost done, add garam masala powder and some of the coriander leaves. Stir for a minute or two.
Deskin the cooked potatoes and mash it. Mix this with the veggie mix prepared. Do not use water anytime because the cutlet mix should be dry, else it will be difficult to make balls. Check for salt and roll this mix with your palm into evenly sized balls(each about the size of a medium sized lemon). Flatten these balls into oval/round/heart shaped cutlets-whatever you prefer . Take bread crumbs/rava(fine semolina) in a plate and coat each side of the cutlet with it by touching each side on to the surface. Shallow fry all these cutlets on a heated skillet/tava/griddle(medium heat)-the bigger the griddle the better since you don't have do too many rounds of frying. Pour a little oil around each cutlet and ensure that each side turns golden brown(the entire frying process should take around 15-20 minutes). Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with tomato ketchup/tamarind+chilly chutney.
Labels: Chatpat, Cutlet, Jhatpat, North Indian, One dish meal, Snack, Vegetable, Veggie
Beetroot Rice
Beetroot was the most hated vegetable in our house when we were kids. My mother would use all her tricks to make us eat it and we used to try our maximum best to avoid eating it. She had almost given up hope when one of our newly moved in neighbor gave her this wonderful recipe and ever since it’s been one of my favorites. It’s easy to make and a pleasure to your taste buds. Just try it out to taste the proof.
Serves about 3-4 people
Time taken – 20 to 25 minutes
Ingredients Used:
1 large onion
1 medium beetroot
½ a cup of peas (frozen or fresh, both will do)
½ tsp ginger & garlic paste
2 tsp garam masala powder (preferably MTR brand)
5 to 6 green chillies slit
½ tsp jeera
1 big cup of basmati rice
½ a cup of chopped coriander leaves
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt to taste
2 to 3 Tsp oil
2 Tsp ghee
Method of preparation:
Wash the beetroot and peel it to remove the outer skin. Then chop it into small cubes and keep aside. Soak the basmati rice for about 10 minutes, then drain. Heat ghee in a cooker and fry the basmati rice till it becomes white, then add the beetroot pieces and the peas and fry for a minute. Now add 2 big cups of hot water and salt to this and pressure cook on high flame. After 1 whistle, lower the flame to medium and cook for 3 minutes. Once the cooker cools, open the lid and let this mixture cool down to room temperature. While the rice cools, heat the oil in a wok and add jeera. Once it starts to crackle, add Ginger & Garlic paste as well as the slit green chillies and fry for a few minutes. To this add the onions and fry till they turn translucent. Now add the garam masala powder and fry for a minute. To this add the already cooked rice, beetroot and peas mixture and mix . Taste for salt and add accordingly. Now add the juice of freshly squeezed half a lemonand mix well, Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.
Note: Tastes well with onion or tomato raita.
Labels: Beetroot, Chatpat, Easy, Jhatpat, One dish meal, quick, Rice, Tasty
Mixed Vegetable Pulav
The credit of this pulao goes to a hungry afternoon which stimulated my brain cells a little more than usual and made me try out this short cut method. I would confidently vouch for this particular recipe. This method has been tried and tested by many friends of mine and complimented upon. Please follow the instructions to the dot.
Serves about 3-4 people
Time taken-25-30 minutes
Cooking Tip- Using frozen mixed vegetables reduces the time taken to cut them.
Ingredients Used:
3 cinnamon sticks
2-3 buds of clove
Cardamom -2
Bay leaf
(The above four items are referred together as whole masala)
1 large onion
Half an inch ginger
Half a tsp each of turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder and biryani pulao masala
One and half tsp coriander powder
1 big cup of rice(preferably basmati rice)
1 big cup or equal amount of mixed vegetables like beans, carrots, green peas and corn
6-7 cloves of garlic
1 tomato
2-3 tbsp oil
2 tsp ghee
Method of Preparation:
Warm the oil in a cooker and put the whole masala into it. Stir it with a ladle until you get the aroma of the masala. Add chopped onions to this and fry till golden brown. Then, add plain unwashed basmati rice to this and roast it until it turns slightly white/loses its transparency. This ensures that the rice doesn't become sticky and cooks well too. To this, add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, Garam masala and Biryani pulao masala and grated ginger. Mix it well. After about a minute, add medium cut mixed vegetables, two big cups of water, salt, grated garlic and chopped tomato. Pressure cook on medium high flame until one whistle. After the whistle, lower the flame in to medium level and cook for 3-4 minutes. The pulav is now almost ready. Once the cooker cools, open its lid and pour in the ghee for extra flavour. It also changes the consistency of the rice.
Note:Pulav tastes good as it is or with raita prepared by mixing finely chopped onions, tomatoes, cucumber and a little bit of salt in curds(plain yoghurt). You could also toss in a few mint leaves to this mix while preparing pulao to add extra flavour.
Labels: Chatpat, Cooker Pulao, Easy, Jhatpat, Mixed, One dish meal, Pulao, Pulav, quick, Vegetable, Veggie
Tamarind Poha/Rice Flakes (Huli Avalakki)
Tamarind Poha is a slightly modified version of the regular poha. I would like to refer to it as the sister of Tamarind rice-I find this tastier though. Recollect eating it for the first time when my High School friend had brought it in her lunch box. Having loved its taste, I had then remarked that it must be a really exotic thing and difficult to prepare. However, its recipe is so simple that, if you are wondering what to prepare for breakfast/snack with time constraint, this could be one option. Tried it out recently by listening to a friend's 'mooh bola' version of it and trusting my cooking instincts. Thankfully, it came out really well. Serves about 2-3 peopleTime Taken: 20 minutes
Cooking Tip: Not required here
.Ingredients Required:For soaking the Poha:1 cup Poha/rice flakes
Half a cup Tamarind water(you could use Tamarind paste also to prepare this)
One Inch size of jaggery piece (sugar could be used if jaggery is not available, but it isn't as tasty)
1 tsp Rasam powder
a pinch of turmeric powder
Half a tsp chilly powder/ Red chillies.
Salt to taste.
For Seasoning:2 tsps of oil
Half a tsp Chana dal
Half a tsp Urad dal
A pinch of asafoetida or Hing(some keep it optional)
1 tsp. mustard seeds
One handful of peanuts(groundnuts)
a few curry leaves
Method of Preparation:Grate the jaggery/ powder it so that it easily dissolves in the tamarind water. Add the rasam powder, turmeric powder, chilly powder(omit Chilly powder if you are using red chillies in the seasoning) and salt to it. Check the exactness of the taste now itself because you will not be able to change it later. Basically, the mix should have a mix of spicy, sweet and tangy taste with optimum salt.
Coarsely dry grind the poha in a mixer and soak it in this spicy cum tangy water for about 15 minutes. By this time, the entire mix would have soaked up all the water and become puffy. If you try tasting a little bit of it at this point of time, it should not be crunchy. Ensure that you do not add too much of water because that would make it too soggy.
In a kadai/frying pan, take the oil. Sputter mustard seeds along with the curry leaves in it. Add peanuts, chana dal and urad dal. Sprinkle a pinch of hing/asafoetida also. Stir for 2 minutes until the dal slightly changes its colour. Add red chillies too if you haven't used the chilly powder in the tamarind water mix. Mix this seasoning with the soaked tamarind poha. Eat it cold. No need to cook further. The best thing about this preparation is that it could be kept for 2-3 days without getting it stale.
Some people like to add grated coconut to this item. This however reduces its shelf life.
Enjoy.
Labels: beaten, Kannada, One dish meal, Poha, puliyogare, quick, Rice flakes, tamarind
Philly Veggie Sandwich
Philly Veggie Sandwich is something that I first tried out at a mall here in the USA. We liked it so much that, everytime we visit this mall, we make it a point to not come out before grabbing a biiig bite of it. It is very filling. Since the cook out there prepares it right in front of us, we get to see how it is made and this is now being made public so that, those of you who find it tempting enough could try out. Happy eating!!Serves about 2 people.Preparation Time: 15 Minutes.
Cooking Tip: While the stuffing is being prepared, one could get the buns/subs ready for the stuffing..that could save a few more minutes.
Ingredients Required:2 subs-foot long (Indians could use burger buns, but it tastes better with subs)
Two onions
Quarter bell pepper(Capsicum)
One tomato
10 mushroom slices
15 pickled slices of jalapeno(In India, if jalapenos are not available, maybe 2-3 chillies+salt could help)
15 sweet peppers(we like to replace it with small pieces of pineapple)
4 slices of cheese
Mayonnaise (you decide the fat content and the variety of cheese/mayo you want to use)
Olives(optional)
Lettuce(optional)
Method of Preparation:Chop onions, capsicum, mushrooms and tomato lengthwise(thin) into half an inch long pieces(ref the pic provided). Toss them into a flat based pan(preferably) which is heated and leave for three minutes. No oil is required. When the veggies catch some heat, add the jalapenos, sweet peppers(or pineapple pieces) and olives. Stir for a while giving a minute before every stir, until the veggies become cooked enough and yet have that crunchy feel(not golden brown ). Then, add the cheese slices on this mix and allow to melt (refer pic). In the meanwhile, spit each sub horizontally and spread a layer of mayo along the base of the sub. One the veggies are fried, fill in the sub. Decorate with two or three slices of tomatoes. You could spread in some fresh chopped lettuce too. Your Philly veggie Sandwich is ready to devour.
Labels: Chatpat, Easy, Jhatpat, One dish meal, Sandwich, Snack, Tasty, Veggie
Maavinkaai Chitranna(Raw Mango Rice)
Mango rice, the name itself is so very mouthwatering! Learnt it from my uncle who was into catering business. This typical Kannada recipe is very much similar to lemon rice, but it happens to be much more tangier and tastier than Chitranna(lemon rice). Whenever you are fed up of eating the regular dal, chaval, roti, subzi..you could try this one for a change. It would surely set right your taste buds.Serves about 4 peopleTime Required: About 25-30 minutes if rice is not ready. Otherwise, it would take about 15 minutes.
Cooking Tip: If the rice has already been prepared, nothing like it, for, we would require cold rice here. However, pls ensure that the rice is cooked in such a way that the grains don't stick to each other. If you haven't prepared the rice, cook it in a separate pot while the mango mix is being made(saves your time)
Ingredients required:For Seasoning:5 tsps Oil, 2 tsp mustard seeds, few curry leaves, 5 Red chillies,
little Hing, Chana dal & urad dal half tsp each , few Groundnut seeds,
Turmeric powder half tsp.
For the pulp:Raw Mango medium sized(Is dark green and hard to touch)
Rice(pref one with long grain) one large cup.
Method of Preparation:Cook one cup of rice separately in a vessel such that it does not become sticky. Keep it to cool .
Heat oil in a kadai/cooking pot or pan. Sputter mustard seeds along with curry leaves in it. Add the rest of the seasoning stuff to it and stir until the dals and groundnuts turn light brown in colour. Then add the turmeric powder and mix for a few seconds.
Meanwhile, deskin the raw mango with a peeler and grate this mango. Add this grated mango to the seasoned mix and cook for about 5 minutes or so until most of the water is lost from the mango pulp(This way, we could store this pulp in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks). Add a little more salt than usual to this mix('gojju' in kannada) considering the fact that the rice would also need salt. Once this gojju cools down(in less than 2 minutes), mix this well with the cooled cooked rice. Don't forget to fry some chopped onion separately and add it to the rice for extra taste. We just had this rice for dinner. After all the heavy food we have been eating for the past few days, I must say that this is a very good change. Hope you enjoy making it and eating it as well!
Technorati:
Indian recipes,
recipesLabels: Chatpat, Chitranna, Jhatpat, Kannada, Maavinakaayi, Maavinkaai, Mango, Mavinakayi, One dish meal, Raw, Rice
Fried Rice
1 big cup of rice serves about 2-3 good eaters if that is the only item being made.
Time taken:Not more than 25 min.
Tips: While the onions are being
fried, cut the veggies in order to save time.
Ingredients:
cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves,
pepper/pepper powder(green chillies if pref),
onions(1 or 2), garlic(2 pods),
1 cup rice, preferably the basmati variety for the aroma
capsicum, carrots, peas(optional), coriander leaves, cashews(opt)
Method of preparation:
Take 3-4 tsp of oil in a cooker. Don't forget to put the burner on ;) . When the .oil is warm enough, add two cloves(lavang) ,3-4 pieces of cinnamon(dalchini) and bay leaf(Tej patta). Stir with a ladle for half a min. To this, add a few pepper seeds and/or green chillies, about one or two onions which have been chopped lengthwise and grate one or two pods of garlic if you like the garlic flavour. After the onions turn golden brown, add about 1 cup of unwashed rice, preferably basmati rice and roast it a little in it until it becomes whitish. This prevents the rice from becoming soggy or sticky when cooked. Then, throw in longitudinally slit capsicums and carrots. You could add peas too(not a must). Pour about 1 and a half cups of water to this mix, some salt and pressure cook for one whistle. After one whistle, lower the flame to med or slightly lower than that and cook for 3-4 minutes. Your veggie fried rice is ready.
After opening the cooker lid, you could add one or two spoons of ghee to add flavour as per your preference. . You could add cashews too if you aren't diet conscious. Garnish finally with coriander leaves. Tastes better with raita.
P.S: To the same item, if you add boiled egg in the end instead of veggies, it becomes one form of egg fried rice.
Picture Courtesy, Vinaya Vijay Miriyala. Ain't that mouth watering??
Technorati:
chinese recipes,
recipesLabels: Chatpat, Easy, Egg, Fried, Jhatpat, One dish meal, Rice, Simple
Avarekayi is the Kannada name given to Lilva beans or what commonly called 'Papdi' in North India. Avarekayi being a seasonal bean is available for relishing in its fresh form during the winter months, mainly December and January. Being a rich source of proteins, it is used in usli, upma and saaru(kurma being one of its type). Kurma could be eaten with Chapati as well as rice.
