Vani's Yum Yum Capsicum onion gojju / Bell pepper and onion thick curry

I love authentic Karnataka food and so I often browse some kannadiga's blogs for recipes. I wanted to eat something tangy and spicy and then I found this recipe from the blog Mysoorean by Vani , a blog I frequently visit . I have tried few of her recipes and I should say they tasted awesome. She is a very good cook . I have also tried to accommodate her method of cooking into my recipe ( Example I already had the recipe for Bisi Bele Bath but it was too complex , I read Vani's version of BBB and her method of cooking and I felt it was very easy . I adopted her method of cooking since then and to my suprise I did not have to comprise with the taste . My version of BBB was also good.) Thanks to Vani for her recipes and especially this gojju . I finished most of the gojju while tasting and there was nothing much left even for the photo and my poor hubby got the last bit of the gojju and could not even relish it much. I promised to prepare for him again and hopefully the next time also I don't end of tasting the entire quantity of gojju .

I served this with chappati for my husband as he is on diet . Not being a huge fan of chappatis , I ate it with white rice. I felt it tasted very good with rice.

For the recipe visit Vani's Mysoorean blog.

Thanks Vani once again.

Sanna Polo ( Spicy Yam Dosa)

This dosa is an authentic South Cannara recipe. Its a spicy dosa and hence doesn't need any chutney to enhance the taste. Its a blend of toor dal , rice and spices. This is commonly made with cabbage , bamboo shoots (my personal favorite) or just eaten plain (without vegetables). The best way to serve this is as a side dish for lunch or dinner (just like palya).

This dish at my home was usually prepared when a coconut would start to spoil and gives away a spoilt smell. A pinch of hing is added to compensate the smell from the coconut. Trust me the dosa as the end result doesn't carry the smell. My mum always served this straight from the skillet with a dollop of butter . As I would take a bite , I would wish for more spoilt coconuts ......

Ingredients

200g chopped raw yam

1 cup toor dal / yellow lentil

1/2 cup rice

3 tbsp grated coconut (fresh ones also taste the same , so don't bother to find for a spoilt coconut)

3 -4 dry red chillies / 1 tsp red chilli powder ( I used 1 tsp hot red chilli powder )

1 tbsp tamarind pulp

1 tsp salt

(For this dosa no hing/ asafoetida is required)

Method

Soak dal and rice separately for 1 hour . Grind together yam , coconut , red chillies , salt , tamarind into a smooth paste. Then add dal and rice , grind into a semi coarse paste. Add 1/2 cup of water to aid the grinding process. This mixture is the dosa batter , so more water can be added for a dosa batter consistency. Heat a non stick skillet and pour a ladle full of batter. Do not spread thin , just spread very lightly. Cook both the sides on a medium flame. Serve dosa with yogurt or with a dollop of butter.

I am posting this recipe for Padma's Dosa Corner Event , Sia's and Lakshmi's RCI Udipi and Mangalorean Cuisine and Padmajha Suresh's Let's Go Nuts event.

Spicy Mango / Mango palya

This recipe is from www.aayis.com with a slight variation. For the original recipe visit Pineapple Palya . Thank you for this awesome recipe. I am posting this recipe for the

Mango Mela competition hosted by Cooking for all seasons.

My variation includes ripe mango instead of pineapple and adding ingredients straight from cupboard instead of grinding into a powder (this was a cheat I used without compromising the taste). Believe me this dish will be a hit. This was the second time I made this within a week. Apparently I have ran out of mangoes else I wouldn't hesitate to make it tomorrow again.

Ingredients

1 ripe big mango diced with skin. (I have not used canned ones ever )

1 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

3-4 curry leaves

1 tsp urad dal/ beaten black gram

a pinch of asafoetida / hing

1 tbsp grated coconut

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 tsp black pepper powder

1/2 tsp sweetener/ sugar/ jaggery (I used sweetener for I am a health freak)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp water

Method

Heat oil , add mustard seeds . After they stop spluttering add urad dal, curry leaves , hing , red chilli powder , black pepper powder and coconut. Roast this for a minute or two till you get the aroma of the masala. Now add the diced mangoes , salt , sugar and water. Cook till the mangoes are tender , this would take about 10 mins. Serve this with steaming hot rice.

Aubergine and green beans curry

I always bring home free food magazines from superstores. They have lots of good recipes . I even browse non veg recipes as well and substitute meat with soya chunks or tofu or just exclude meat from the recipe. I even substitute all non veg stocks with veg stock. This recipe was in January 2008 ASDA magazine. I had tried this earlier and was very delicious. You can make it dry and eat as a side dish or make curry with lots of gravy.

Ingredients
2 aubergines cubed
1 onion sliced
1 tomato chpped
handful of frozen beans (if using fresh ones then topped and tailed)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
handful of fresh coriander leaves chopped
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp oil

Method
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and cook till they pop. Add onions and saute for a minute till they start turning brown. Add aubergine , salt and cook for 3 minutes. Add turmeric , corainder powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder. Mix and stir well. Add 250 ml water (you could add more water for gravy or little water for dry side dish). Add tomato and green beans. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the veggies are tender. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Vegan Broccoli Cheese

Oh this looks little messy........ but this was the best I could take.....

Ingredients
1 broccoli head cut into florets (I do not discard the stem , I use them as well)
1 cup soya milk (I used sweetened)
1 tbsp plain flour
a pinch of salt
a pinch of black pepper powder
1 tbsp soya spread
190g (1 packet )of Redwood mozzarella cheese / any non dairy cheese (you can experiment with cheddar style) grated

Method
Cook the broccoli in microwave for 10 mins / till they are tender. Meanwhile make white sauce by melting soya spread in a saucepan . Add plain flour and then slowly add milk little by little and keep stirring . Make sure to blend the little milk you add with the plain flour to make a smooth paste and then add little more milk. Repeat this till all the milk is added and the suace is ready without lumps. If any lumps, do not panic, you can blend it into smooth sauce . Add salt and pepper to the sauce. Pour the sauce over the cooked broccoli and top it with grated cheese.
Bake it in the oven for 20-25 mins or till the cheese melts and starts turning golden brown.

Vegan Baby Broad Bean Pate / Hummus

My husband just hates broad beans, but I quiet like it. Now I had to invent a dish using baby broad beans. One day I was watching a food show on TV and they were making a dish using humus, and then the thought occurred to me "Why not use baby broad beans instead of chickpeas?" and thus , this recipe came into existence. My husband quiet liked it, he did not realize he was eating baby broad beans till i told him.

Ingredients

1 cup frozen / fresh baby broad beans
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
a pinch of salt
a pinch of turmeric
a pinch of black pepper
1/2 lime /small lemon juice
1/4 tsp paprika powder (optional)

Method

Defrost frozen beans , remove the skin (if using fresh ones , then cook them in microwave for 10 mins or till they are tender and the skin can be removed easily). Put all the ingredients along with de-skined beans into a blender with 1 - 2 tbsp water and whiz. Water is to aid the mixture to blend , if the mixture can be blended without water then do not use water. Care should be taken that the blended mixture is of humus consistency and not very liquidy. Pate / Broad beans humus is ready . At this point you can taste and add more spices or salt if required and then garnish with a pinch of sesame seeds and red chilli flakes.

Savoury Lentil Bean Pie

Ingredients

For filling
1/2 cup mixed dry beans (black beans, adzuki beans and black or brow lentils)
1 onion finely chopped
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp corrainder powder
3 garlic pods finely chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp oil

For pastry
1 cup plain flour
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup water

Method

For pastry
Mix all the pastry ingredients and knead into a dough. If the dough is too dry, add little water or if the dough is watery or sticky, add little flour. Divide the dough into 2/3rd and 1/3rd part. Flatten them and place the 2/3rd part into a greased baking tin.

For filling
Soak all the beans without the lentils overnight. Next morning cook them with lentils with 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 45 mins . Heat oil, add cumin ,onion and garlic, saute it for 1 min or two or till they turn golden brown. Now add cumin and corainder powder. Saute for a minute or two . Now add all the cooked beans with the cooked water. Add salt and chilli powder. Allow it to cook for 5 -10 mins . Then cool for 30 mins atleast and pour this filling into the tin and cover the pie with flattened 1/3rd part of the dough. Prick it with a fork to allow the steam to escape. Brush this with milk . Cook them in a oven at gas mark 6 for 30 mins till the top is golden brown.

Sprouted moong beans curry for rotis/ tortillas

Bean sprouts are rich in proteins and are commonly used in Chinese and Japanese cuisines. They are also added in stir fries to boost the protein. Bean sprouts are also used in Indian cuisines. It is used to make curries and side dish for rotis. But the sprouts used in India are just 1 - 2 days sprouts unlike Chinese who use largely sprouted beans.

Ingredients

1 cup moong beans sprouted and cooked
1 large tomato finely chopped
1 large onion finely chopped
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp sambhar powder / curry powder
1 sprig curry leaves
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
4 garlic cloves finely minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oil
1/4 tsp turmeric

Method

Heat oil in a sauce pan , add mustard seeds. After they splutter , add cumin seeds, curry leaves, onions and garlic. Saute it for 5 mins or till the onions start turning brown. Add tomato and cook till they are mushy. Now add turmeric, salt, curry / sambhar powder and chilli powder. Add 1/4 cup water if required. Cover and cook for 10 - 15mins . Serve this on a bed of rice or with tortillas or naans.

Baked sweet-corn pakoras / fritters

Pakoras are the most commonly served Indian appetizer. Usually they are made of onions only but then to add variety , many people add carrots, cabbage, green peas... About 4-5 years ago my mum had prepared this sweetcorn pakoras and we liked them a lot , but that was the first and last time she made them. About a week ago , I had a desire to eat sweetcorn pakoras and when I asked my mum for the recipe, she had forgot......

Now It was time for an experiment. i had prepared cabbage pakoras quiet a few times and so i had to just replace cabbage with sweetcorn..... This was easy. But I was also worried of all those extra fat that we would consume if I deep fry it. It then occurred to me of baking . This process will definitely take longer time but its safer and easy and you don't have to stand near the hob and wait for them to cook unlike deep frying.

The entire preparation for this recipe just took about 15 mins and while it was baking in the oven , i was happily relaxing watching TV. For people who love sweetcorn, this is really a treat.....


Ingredients

1 cup sweetcorn (I used frozen sweetcorns)
1 small onion finely chopped
1 tsp corrainder seeds crushed (preferably freshly crushed, do not powder it)
1/4 tsp salt
1 green chilli finely minced (optional), I did not use it because we do not like the chilli bits while eating.
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1 - 2tbsp chickpea flour/ gram flour (the amount may vary depending on the quantity of water left after defrosting. I had about 1 tbsp water left after defrosting the corns.)

Method

Defrost the sweetcorns and do not discard the little water obtained after defrosting them. To this add chopped onions , salt, green chilli , red chilli powder and gram flour. Mix them thoroughly . The consistency should be crumbly mixture but when made a ball it should bind together. Grease a baking tray and spoon this mixture into lumps of 1 spoon each. Spray the top of these lumps with little oil and bake it for 30 - 40 mins or until golden brown and crisp at gas mark 6. this can served with coconut chutney or ketchup or just eaten without any dips. This recipe will make about 6 - 8 pakoras but varies depending on the size of your spoon.

Mushroom Tofu and Onion Vegan Quiche

I usually make quiche with white sauce but this time I tried tofu instead and it was really super healthy and tasty as well. I could just manage to get a small bite of it, the rest of it my husband gulped. Mushrooms are rich in folic acid and are very necessary part of a vegan and vegetarian diet. I made this quiche using whole-meal pastry flour which gives lots of fibres. Its another quick recipe.


Ingredients

For pastry

2 cups wholemeal flour
1/2 cup water
a pinch of salt
2 tbsp oil (optional)

Method

Mix everything in a bowl and knead it into a dough. i dont have a food processor so I dont know how exactly a dough is made in it. I use my hands to knead a dough. Then roll it about 2-3 inches more than the baking tin base. This recipe make the pastry crust quie tough and hard and crispy. Fit in the pastry into a greased tin and press the pastry floue against the the wall of the tin. Now fill it with any kind of dry beans and cook in in the oven at gas mark 6 for 5 - 10 mins depending on the size of the tin . Check after 5 mins , If the pastry is cooked then allow it to cool else cook it for another 2 - 3 mins. After cooling brush the pastry with oil to prevent it from becoming soggy.

For quiche

10 button mushrooms ( you can use any kind of mushrooms ) chopped
350g of tofu crumbled and patted dry
1 tsp salt
1 tsp powdered black pepper
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 large onion chopped
pinch of chilli flakes to garnish (optional)
1 tsp oil

Method

Heat oil in a pan and add onions and garlic. Saute it till the onions are translucent and tender. Add salt and pepper. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 mins. To this add crumbled tofu. Arrange chopped pieces of mushrooms in the tin and pour the tofu onion mixture in the tin . Arrange the rest of the mushroom pieces on the top (try to fit it or arrange layers of mushrooms on above the other, these shrink after coking) and sprinkle chilli flakes.




For quiche with white sauce , you can skip tofu. For making white sauce you need
1 1/2 cup of soy milk (I use sweetned)
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp vegan margarine
a pinch of salt and a pinch of black pepper powder
Melt the margarine and add flour. Pour all the milk little at a time and keep stirring to avoid lumps. Bring it to boil and simmer it and keep stirring till it thickens to a sauce consistency. If you get lumps , then don't panic , just continue to make the white sauce. At the end you can blend it smooth.

Stuffed Collard Greens (Pathrode / Konkani Style)

This is a typical Konkani dish. This is again prepared during festival or any special occasions It is normally prepared using colocasia leaves which is found in coastal regions of Karnataka. These leaves should be picked very carefully as some of them could be of wild variety and end up causing itching of the tongues when consumed. I have been quiet allergic to these leaves but I love eating them. My sister in law suggested that I use collard greens instead of colocasia leaves. I actually found that the taste did not alter too much and meanwhile I could happily eat them withot any worry of allergy. Thank you Mallika for your suggestion.

Ingredients
1 cup toor dal / red lentils soaked for 1 hour
1/2 cup white rice soaked for an hour separately
1/2 cup grated coconut
1 tbsp tamarind paste
6-7 dry red chillies
1 - 1 1/2 tsp salt
20 collard green leaves deveined and washed thoroughly and patted dry

Method
Grind coconut, red chillies, tamarind into a coarse paste. To this add toor dal and grind coarsely. And then add the rice and again grind near smooth but not very smooth paste.

Now place the back of one leaf towards you and apply the paste. Now place another leaf with back facing you and apply the paste. Repeat this procedure for 4 leaves. Now fold the right and left edges and roll them just like spring rolls. Repeat this for other leaves with each roll made up of 4 leaves. These rolls should be steamed in a steamer for 20-25 mins or till they are tender.

After they are cooked cut them into circles and serve.

The link below will give a detailed pictorial representation of the method. The ingredients may differ but the method remains the same for collard green leaves also. Thanks Aayi's recipe for the detailed pictures .

http://www.aayisrecipes.com/2006/06/06/pathrado-or-pathrode/comment-page-1/

Minty Tofu Kebabs with Roasted vegetables

Forgive my presentation and photography. Still an amateur. This recipe is from www.massala.com . This website is run by a Hema Alur Kundargi . She has posted some healthy and awesome recipes mostly vegetarian and vegan. All the vegans and vegetarians out there ! this website is really worth browsing . She has posted recipes for beginners also. My husband doesn't like the smell and taste of yogurt but he munches theses kebabs. She has even posted the video for this recipe in Youtube as well.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fb6RPhjb9fU&feature=PlayList&p=817FF6CADF84F8BA&playnext=1&index=22

The recipe can be found in link below.

http://www.massala.com/Tofu.html

Spicy cauliflower and potato

I always make spicy cauliflower and potato but this is slightly different. I got the recipe for this from www.paajaka.com. I am giving the link below

http://www.paajaka.com/2008/06/cauliflower-palya.html

This is not at all spicy because the only spice used here is turmeric and mustard. This was the first time I tried this , I liked it but my husband though it could have been better if it was little more spicy. If you dislike hot and spicy food , then this is really a treat. Other day when I made this, I wanted a very bland and good food and hence , I made this. Thank you Paajaka.

Spicy potato with cashewnuts (Upkari/ Palya)

This recipe can be prepared using varied vegetables available especially in India. This is mainly made of ivy gourd and/or potato . This is commonly served in Konkani weddings or festivals and is again a delicacy.

Ingredients

3 medium potatoes chopped

handful of cashew nut (ideally soaked in warm water for 1 hour)

1 tsp mustard seeds

3 green chillies slitted

1 tsp salt

1 tsp oil

1 sprig curry leaves

1 tbsp grated coconut

1/2 cup water

Method

Heat oil and add mustard seeds. After the spluttering of mustard seeds , add green chillies and curry leaves. Saute it for 1 min or two. Add potatoes , cashew-nut , salt and water. Cook till potatoes are tender. Add more water if required. Keep stirring for every 5 mins till they are cooked. Finally garnish with grated coconut and serve.

Cucumber salad (South indian style)

This is crunchy and spicy salad. Just takes few minutes to make it.

Ingredients

1 cucumber grated

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp channa dal

1 tsp oil

1 sprig curry leaves

1 tbsp grated coconut

1/4 tsp salt

2 dry red chillies

Method

In a small pan heat oil, add mustard seeds. When they stop spluttering, add channa dal, red chillies, curry leaves and saute it till the channa dal starts turning brown. Add this "tadka" to the grated cucumber. Now add salt and coconut. Mix well and serve.

Bhakri (rice chappati) and sprouted moong beans curry

The sprouted moong curry was experimental and it was a success. My husband liked it a lot. I am thinking of making it again. It uses just one spice which is readily available. Well this can't be prepared using the readymade sprouts from stores as they are too much sprouted for this curry, you have to sprout them at home for about a day or two (depending on the temperature).

The rice chappati called "bhakri" in konkani is recipe given to me by my grandmother. She makes them so easily and we all munch on them. This was the second time I was making it, it did not turn out to be as easy as I saw her make it. It was a little bit of disaster. But yet I am recording this recipe for my future refernce. If you want to make it, make at your own risk. The preparation is tough but it is very tasty.

Bhakri

Ingredients

1 cup rice flour

3/4 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

Method

Boil the water and salt . When the water starts boiling , add all the rice flour and switch off the flame. quickly mix it into a dough. You will see how quickly the flour absorbs all the water. You will then have to make small balls out of them and roll it into thick sized bhakris. I couldn't make thin ones because it was breaking. If you are unable to roll them and it breaks or the dough is little watery then u can add some more rice flour . Now cook it on a pan / tava on a medium flame with little oil rubbed on the pan. Cook both the sides till red or brown spots appear.

Moong Curry

Ingredients

1 cup sprouted moong cooked in pressure cooker

2 large tomatoes chunked

1 tsp tamarind juice (optional)

1 medium sized potato chunked and cooked

1 large onion coarsely chopped

1 tsp salt

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp oil

Method

Heat oil and saute the onions till golden brown. Add tomatoes (you can add salt at this point to aid tomatoes to cook quickly)till they are cooked and become mushy. Add chilli powder and salt (if not added earlier) , and tamarind juice. Cook for 1 min and then add moong and potatoes. Cook for 10 mins till veggies get infused with the spice. Curry is ready to be served.

Spicy Broccoli and Potatoes

Ingredients

1 medium broccoli florets

1 medium sized potato chunked and cooked

1 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp channa dal

1 tsp jeera / cumin seeds

1 tsp urad dal

2 -3 green chillies slit

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup water

Method

Heat oil and add mustard seeds. After spluttering add channa dal, cumin seeds, urad dal and green chillies. Now add broccoli , salt and water. Cook till broccoli is cooked and then add potato. Serve this with rotis or as a side dish.

Spicy Bitter Gourd (Palya / Upkari)

This is a simple recipe given to me by my mom. I like bitter gourd and mom taught me to reduce the bitterness from this veg and she successfully manages to do so unlike me . ;)

Ingredients
2 bitter gourds chopped coarsely
2 medium sized tomatoes finely chopped
1 medium sized onion finely chopped
1 tsp chilli powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oil

Method
Add 1 tsp salt to the bitter gourds and allow it to stand for half an hour and later squeeze the water out of the gourds. Now heat oil and saute the onions till it starts turning golden brown and then add tomatoes and cook them for 2 mins. Add salt ,chilli powder and gourds, cover and cook till the gourds are tender. This may take about 15 mins. Serve this with rice or chappati.

Spicy Cauliflower ( Cauliflower palya/ Upkari/ Sabzi)

Ingredients

1 cauliflower florets

1 medium sized potato chunked and cooked

1 medium sized onion chopped finely

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup water

Method

Heat oil in a pan , add onions and saute it till golden brown. Add turmeric and cauliflower. Mix this well such that all the florets imbibe the yellow colour. Add chilli powder, salt and water. Cover and cook for 10 mins with occasionally stirring. Add more water if required. Now add the cooked potatoes and further cook this for 5 mins. Serve this with naan or pitta bread or rice or this can just eaten as a side dish.