Methi Sanna Polo (Savory Fenugreek Leaves Dosa)

        Methi sanna polo is one of the easiest and most nutritious recipes. It uses very basic ingredients and gets ready in no time.
        This is one of the very first recipes that I learnt. I got this recipe from my sister's mother in law.

Ingredients:

2 med. bunches of fenugreek leaves
1 med. onion
2 med. tomatoes
2 tbsp. besan/chickpea flour
2 tbsp. cream of wheat/sooji/upma rava
1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust according to taste)
Salt to taste
Oil for frying the dosa

Directions:

Wash Methi Leaves.
Finely chop the methi leaves, onions and tomatoes.Put it in a mixing bowl. Add besan, sooji, red chilli powder and salt to taste.
Squeeze it and mix it well using your hands. Do not add any water.
Cover it and keep it aside for 15-20 minutes.Heat a pan and drizzle some oil. Take a handful of methi leaves batter and spread it into small circles patting using your fingers. You can put 2-3 dosas at once. Drizzle some more oil and allow the dosa to cook.

Carefully flip it over and cook on the other side as well. (Dosas tend to break as it is very delicate).
Serve hot with rice and dal or any other curry.

Kanda poha / kande pohe

           Kanda poha / kande pohe is a popular dish from Maharashtra, served as breakfast or tea time snack. Kanda means onions in Marathi and poha means flattened rice. It's another variation of the poha usli recipe that I had blogged earlier.
           There are 2 kinds of poha available in the market. Thick poha and thin poha. This recipe is made using thick poha.

 

 

 

Ingredients

1 cup thick poha
Salt to taste
2 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Pinch of hing/asafetida
1 spring curry leaves
2 green chillies, slit lengthwise (adjust according to taste)
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 handful roasted peanuts
Chopped coriander springs

Directions:

Wash poha 2-3 times in cold water. Drain all the excess water. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of water and keep it aside for 5 minutes. (If you feel the poha has not softened, you can sprinkle some more water).
Add salt and mix gently. Keep it aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add cumin seeds, asafetida, curry leaves, green chillies and chopped onions. Cook until the onions become soft. Add turmeric powder and mix well.
Add softened poha and mix it gently. Cover the pan and cook on medium heat for 8-10 minutes, until the poha gets cooked. Add chopped coriander and roasted peanuts and mix well. Steaming hot poha is ready to serve.


Kaarate Kismuri (Bitter gourd dry side dish)

 

 

 

Ingredients:

2 med. sized bitter gourd
3/4 to1 tsp salt
Oil for shallow frying
1 cup fresh/frozen grated coconut
2-3 dry red chillies, roasted
1 tsp coriander seeds
Tamarind pulp, to taste
2 green chillies, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped

Directions:

Wash and slice bitter gourd. Remove the seeds and chop in to small pieces. Apply salt and keep it aside for 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan. Squeeze out all the moisture from the bitter gourd pieces and fry until crispy. Take out on to a paper towel to drain excess oil.
Grind coconut, dry red chillies, coriander seeds and tamarind pulp to a coarse paste by adding couple of spoons of water.
Take out the paste in a bowl. Add fried bitter gourd pieces, chopped green chillies and chopped onions. Mix it really well. Adjust the salt.
Serve on the side with some rice and any curry.

Egg Bhurji (masala scrambled eggs)

Egg bhurji is a flavorful, easy and quick to make dish. You can serve it along with pav or bread for breakfast or as an evening snack. It can also be served on the side with some rotis for a quick and simple weekday meal.

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1 onion, chopped
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1-2 green chillies, chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
2 tomatoes, chopped
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
Pinch kasoori methi
1 tbsp chopped coriander springs

Directions:

Beat eggs in a bowl and keep it aside.
Heat oil in a pan, add chopped onions and green chillis, saute till onions turn translucent..
Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and mix well. Add the chopped tomatoes and salt and cook till they turn mushy and most of the moisture dries out.
Add garam masala powder and kasoori methi, mix well.
Add beaten eggs and stir constantly and cook till the eggs dry up to the desired consistency. Put chopped coriander springs and mix well.
Serve hot.

Ivy gourd/tindora stir fry (tendle upkari)

This ivy gourd/tindora stir fry is a simple mangalorean style stir fry dish. It goes really well with some dal and rice or on the side with some chapatis for a healthy and comforting week day meal.
I got this recipe from a malayalam video clip on you tube. When I prepared it for the first time for my family, we absolutely loved this dish. Little bit of heat from the green chillies, tang from the lemon juice and slight sweetness from the use of pinch of sugar makes this dish different from the regular stir fry that we usually make at home.

Ingredients:

500 grams tindora/tendle/ivy gourd
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
4 cloves of garlic, slightly crushed
1 tbsp chana dal
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 green chillies, slit lengthwise
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 medium potato, cut in to strips (optional)
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup fresh/frozen grated coconut
1/4 tsp sugar (optional)
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Directions:

Wash the ivy gourd, cut the ends and slit into 4-6 pieces. Discard the ivy gourd if it is ripe and has turned red inside. Add the ivy gourd into a vessel and add some salt and water. Cover and cook until just done. Drain the excess water if any. (If you want to cook it in the pressure cooker, pressure cook by adding 1/4 cup water and salt to taste. Pressure cook for 1 whistle. Immediately release the pressure by lifting the weight slightly with the help of a spoon. Once the pressure goes off, remove the lid and keep the cooked ivy gourd aside)
Heat oil in a wok/kadai. Add mustard seeds, when they start to pop, add crushed garlic and chana dal. Cook until chana dal turns golden brown. Add chopped onions and green chillies and cook until onions turn translucent. Add turmeric powder and mix well. Add potatoes, if using and stir it for 2-3 minutes. Cover the pan cook until tender. Add tomatoes and cook until soft.
Add cooked ivy gourd and mix it well. Simmer and cover for 2-3 minutes until everything comes together.
Add grated coconut, sugar and lemon juice and give the pan a good mix. Finish it off with some chopped coriander and serve.

Masala Khichdi (spicy rice,lentils and vegetables)

          Masala khichdi is a variation of simple khichdi with the additions of spices and vegetables. Each family in India has their own version of the khichdi. It's a healthy, comforting meal in one pot.
          I used brown rice for making this recipe and served it with some lemon pickle on the side.

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup moong dal
1/2 cup rice
2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
1" piece ginger, grated
2 large cloves of garlic, grated
1 spring curry leaves
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 carrots, diced
1 cup fresh/frozen green peas
8-10 green beans
4 cloves
1" cinnamon stick
1/2-1 tsp peppercorns
1 tbsp oil and/or ghee
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp chopped coriander

 

 

Directions:

Wash and soak rice and moong dal for 30 mins.
Put green chilles, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and tomato in a small bowl and keep aside.
Using a pestle and mortar, crush cloves, cinnamon and peppercorns into a fine powder.
Heat oil, add bay leaves and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to pop, add cumin seeds and the first bowl ingredients ( green chillies, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and tomatoes) and mix well. Cook until the tomato becomes soft.
Add crushed spices and turmeric powder and mix well.
Add soaked dal and rice and mix well. Add vegetables and salt along with 3 cups water. (31/2 cups if using brown rice)
Pressure cook for 3 whistles in medium flame. (4 whistles if using brown rice)
Allow the pressure to go. Remove the lid and add in the chopped coriander leaves.
Mix well and serve.


Ambuli Chutney (Raw Mango Chutney)

Ambuli means raw mango in konkani. This tangy, spicy raw mango chutney gets ready in no time. It requires a very few ingredients. We usually serve this chutney with rice and dal or any other curry. But it goes equally well with idli or dosa. You can substitute green chillies with roasted dry red chillies.

Ingredients

1 medium sized raw mango
1 cup fresh or frozen grated coconut
3-4 green chillies (adjust according to taste)
1 tbsp oil
1/3 tsp. mustard seeds
1/4 tsp. asafetida/hing
Salt to taste

Directions

Peel and chop the mango in to medium sized pieces. Grind it to a smooth paste along with grated coconut, green chillies and salt. Transfer the ground chutney in to a bowl.
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add asafetida and mix well. Pour this tadka over the ground chutney. Mix well.
Serve.

Chicken Fry

This is one of the first chicken recipes I ever learnt to make. I got this recipe from one of my friends few years back. Once you marinate the chicken for couple of hours, it gets ready quickly. I used boneless chicken thighs, but you can also use boneless chicken breast or bone in chicken.

 

Ingredients

500 grams chicken
4 tbsp yogurt
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/3 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust according to taste)
1 tbsp coriander powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil
1/3 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 spring curry leaves
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 green chillies
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
Pinch of clove powder
Juice from half a lemon
Chopped coriander

 





 

Directions

Wash and cut chicken into bite sized pieces
Marinate chicken pieces using yoghurt, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and salt.
Marinate for atleast 3 hrs or overnight by keeping it in refrigerator. Bring back to room temperature before you start cooking the chicken.
Heat oil in a skillet and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add cumin seeds, chopped onions, curry leaves and green chillies.
Fry till the onions turn golden brown.
Add chicken pieces and sear it for 2-3 minutes and cover the skillet with a lid. Cook on medium flame until it's cooked completely.
Add garam masala powder and cloves powder and mix well. Stir continuously on a high heat till all the moisture evaporates
Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander and lemon wedges
Serve.



Gardudde Upkari (Bottle Gourd Fry)

Bottle gourd known as gardudde in konkani, sorekai in kannada and lauki in hindi is a vegetable packed with nutrients. I got this recipe from a Facebook group couple of months back.
It goes really well on the side with steamed rice or chapati and dal for a quick, easy and healthy weekday meal.

 

 

Ingredients:

1 medium sized bottle gourd
1 tbsp oil
1/3 tsp mustard seeds
1 spring curry leaves
5-6 cloves of garlic
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust according to taste)
2-3 tbsp fresh/frozen grated coconut

 

 

 

 

Directions:

Wash, peel and cut bottle gourd in to medium sized pieces.
Slightly crush the garlic cloves. ( you can either peel the skin off or keep them on)
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds.
When they start to splutter, add curry leaves and garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds.
Add bottle gourd pieces and salt and sauté until the gourd becomes tender, around 5 minutes.
Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and little less than 1/4 cup of water. Bring it to a boil.
Cover and simmer until the bottle gourd gets cooked and all the moisture evaporates.
Finally, add grated coconut and mix it well. Cook for another 2 minutes.
Serve.

 

 

 





Vyngana/Gulla Talasani (Eggplants Talasani)

Vyngana talasani / gulla talasani is one of my favorite recipes using eggplants / brinjals / aubergines. (Gulla is a special kind of eggplant that we get in India. Here We don't get gulla so I have used eggplants, known as vyngana in konkani. You can use either green or purple eggplants for making this dish. Here, I have used green eggplants).  It is very easy to make and gets ready in no time. Whenever I make this recipe, I remember the time when me and my sister used to fight to eat the seedless pieces of the eggplant :-)

Ingredients:

1 medium sized eggplant
1 drumstick, cut up into 2" pieces (optional but special)
2 tbsp oil
6-8 cloves of garlic
2-3 dry red chillies (adjust according to taste)
Salt to taste

Directions:

Wash and cut eggplants into 1"cubes. Immerse in water and keep it aside.
Break red chillies into pieces. Crush garlic cloves slightly. (You can either peel the skin off or keep them on).
Heat oil in a pan and add crushed garlic cloves and fry until golden brown.
Add broken red chillies and sauté until the seeds of the chillies change the color to light brown.
Drain all the water and add eggplant pieces, drumstick pieces and salt to taste. Add little less than 1/4 cup of water. Mix it well.
When the water comes to a boil, simmer and cover the pan and cook till the eggplant becomes soft and all the moisture evaporates. Serve hot.

talasani using purple eggplant and drumsticks

Gobi Masala

I tasted this dish for the first time at a friends place. She made this using cabbage. I made some minor changes to the recipe to suit the taste of my family. It goes really well with some roti, yogurt and pickle or with steamed rice and dal.

Ingredients:

1 small cauliflower
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 spring curry leaves
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/3 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust according to taste)
2 tsp coriander powder
1/3 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tomato, chopped
Salt to taste
Some coriander leaves, chopped

Directions:

Wash and cut cauliflower into small florets.
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add cumin seeds and curry leaves. Sauté for a few seconds.
Add onions and sauté until translucent.
Put ginger garlic paste and cook until the raw smell is gone, around 30 seconds.
Lower the heat and put all the powdered spices and mix well. Sauté for another 30 seconds.
Increase the heat to medium. Add chopped tomato and salt to taste.
Cook until the tomatoes turn mushy and oil leaves the side of the pan.
Add cauliflower and mix well. Add 1/4 cup of water and bring it to a boil.
Cover and simmer until the cauliflower gets cooked, stirring once in a while in between.
Add chopped coriander and mix well.
Serve hot with some more chopped coriander on top.

Panchmel dal / Panchratan Dal

Panchmel dal, also known as panchratan dal is a healthy and delicious Rajasthani preparation. This dal goes really well with rice or chapati but it is usually served with baati. Panchmel dal is a mix of five most commonly used lentils in Indian cuisine. You can also use split lentils with the skin on.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup toor dal
1/4 cup chana dal
1/4 cup urad dal
1/4 cup moong dal
1/4 cup masoor dal
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil/ ghee
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Pinch of asafetida
1-2 dry red chillies
1 med. onion, chopped
1" piece of ginger, grated

2 cloves of garlic, grated (optional)
 1-2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

 

 

 

Directions:

Soak lentils for 30 minutes. Wash and pressure cook by adding salt and 3-4 cups of water for 4-5 whistles or until soft.
Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds. When they start to sizzle, add asafetida and broken dry red chillies. Sauté for few seconds.
Add chopped onions and sauté until golden.
Add grated ginger and slit green chillies (and garlic, if using) and sauté for a minute.
Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder. Mix well.
Add chopped tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Cook until tomatoes turn mushy and oil separates.
Add garam masala powder and mix well.
Add cooked dal and adjust the consistency of the dal by adding water, if required.
Bring it to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves.




Beans Talasani (Green Beans stir fry)

Green beans talasani is very simple yet delicious stir fry flavored with lots of garlic. It is very easy to make and needs minimal ingredients. It goes really well with some rice/chapati and dal for a simple weekday meal.



 

 

 

Ingredients:

500 grams green beans
2 tbsp. oil
10 medium cloves of garlic
2-3 dry red chillies (adjust according to taste)
Salt to taste

Directions:

Wash and cut beans into 1" long pieces.
Slightly crush each clove of garlic (You can either peel off the skin or keep them on).
Heat oil in a pan. Add crushed garlic and roast until golden brown on both sides.
Add broken red chillies and roast until the seeds of the chillies change the color slightly.
Add green beans and salt to taste. Mix well.
Add 1/4 cup of water and mix well. Bring it to a boil.
Cover and simmer until the beans gets cooked. If there is any water left, increase the heat and stir until all the moisture evaporates.
Serve.

Pressure cooker method:

Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add crushed garlic and roast until golden brown on both sides.
Add broken red chillies and roast until the seeds of the chillies change the color slightly.
Add green beans and salt to taste. Mix well.
Add 2-3 tbsp of water and mix well. Cover and pressure cook for 1-2 whistles.
Once the pressure goes off, take out the lid. Mix the beans well. If there is any water left, increase the heat and stir until all the moisture evaporates.
Serve.





Chilli Masala Potatoes

This recipe is by chef Sanjay Thumma. I have tried this recipe couple of times and it comes out absolutely delicious every time. I served these on the side of veg biryani and raita. I have made some minor changes to the original recipe and we loved it.

 

 

Ingredients:

500 grams baby potatoes
1 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. butter
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 med. onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2-3 green chillies, slit lengthwise
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. red chilli powder
1 tbsp. coriander powder
1 tsp. cumin powder
1/2 tsp. amchur powder
Salt to taste
1/2 bunch of coriander, chopped
1 bell pepper, diced ( I have used green and red)
Juice of lemon (optional)

 

Directions:

Wash and pressure cook potatoes for 1-2 whistles. You can either peel the skin or keep them on.
Heat oil and butter in a pan. Add cumin seeds. When they start to sizzle, add chopped onions. Sauté until translucent.
Add chopped garlic and green chillies. Sauté until the raw smell of the garlic is lost, around 30 seconds.
Lower the heat and add turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, amchur powder and salt to taste. Mix it well. Add chopped coriander and diced bell pepper. Mix it well.
Increase the heat, Add potatoes and mix well. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes until the potatoes absorb all the flavors. The bell peppers should retain the crunch. If you feel the spices are sticking to the pan, sprinkle little bit of water.
Serve.



Spicy potato curry (Batate Song)

Batate song/Potato song is a very famous konkani dish. This spicy, tangy curry goes really well with some dalithoy and rice or pan polo/neer dosa. I have used Kashmiri red chilli powder for making this dish as it gives a nice color but it is less spicy compared to the regular red chilli powder.  You can also use a combination of both the red chilli powders. You can adjust the quantity of red chilli powder and tamarind concentrate according to your taste.

 Ingredients:

4 medium sized potatoes
3 tbsp. coconut oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp. red chilli powder
Little less than half a teaspoon of tamarind concentrate (I used tamicon)
Salt to taste

Directions:

Pressure cook potatoes until soft but not mushy. Allow to cool down and peel off the skin. Crumble them coarsely.
Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped onions and sauté until golden brown on medium heat.
Lower the heat completely and add red chilli powder. Mix well. Sauté for 5-6 minutes.
Add tamarind concentrate, salt and 2 cups of water. Mix it well. Increase the heat and bring it to a boil.
Add crumbled potatoes and mix well. Bring it to a boil, cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes, until the potatoes absorb the flavors and very thick sauce is left.