Cucumber Sweet Idli / Taushe Idli

Taushe idli is a sweet idli preparation using cucumber and jaggery. Its a traditional konkani recipe.I learnt this recipe from my mom. It is served for breakfast along with some butter or ghee on the side. This recipe has 2 versions. One is sweet, that I am going to share the recipe about. The second variation is a savory one using ginger and green chillies. An advantage of this recipe is that you don't have to ferment the batter and can prepare it instantly.

Ingredients:

1 medium sized cucumber, (preferably seedless cucumber)
1 cup rice, (idli rice or sona masoori)
1 handful of grated coconut
Salt to taste
1/2 cup grated jaggery (adjust according to taste)
1/2 tsp oil, to grease the idli mould.
Butter or ghee to serve on the side

Directions:

Soak rice for 2 to 3 hours. Wash and drain all the excess water. 

Wash, peel and grate cucumbers. Squeeze out all the liquid and reserve it in a cup.

Put grated coconut, jaggery and reserved cucumber water in a blender and grind to a smooth paste. (if you find it difficult to grate the jaggery, you can melt it using little water. Allow it to cool down and then proceed with the recipe)

Add rice and grind till the rice resembles idli rava. The batter should be thick.

Remove it on to a bowl and add grated cucumber and salt. Mix it well.

Grease the idli moulds with oil. Pour the batter halfway through in each mould.

Place it in a hot steamer and steam cook for 15 minutes.

Once done, remove the idli moulds from the steamer and allow it to cool a bit.

Demould using a spoon. Serve hot with some butter or ghee.

Vermicelli Upma / Semiya Upma

Vermicelli Upma also known as Semiya Upma is a south Indian breakfast dish. Its healthy and gets ready in no time. There are many variations to this recipe. Sometimes I add a few mixed vegetables and sometimes make it without using any onions. 

Ingredients:

1 cup vermicelli
2 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
10 12 cashew nuts, chopped
1 tsp chana dal (optional)
1 spring curry leaves
1/2 tsp urad dal
2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
1/2 inch piece of ginger, grated
1 small sized onion, sliced
11/2 cups water
salt to taste

Directions:

Dry roast vermicelli until golden brown. Remove on to a plate and keep aside.

Heat oil in the same pan. Put mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add chopped cashew nuts and saute till golden brown. Add urad dal, curry leaves and green chillies and saute till the urad dal turns golden brown.

Add grated ginger and sliced onions and saute till onions become translucent.

Add water and salt and mix well. (The water should be slightly over salty than required. Salt will balance out once you add vermicelli) Bring it to a boil.

Add vermicelli and mix well. Bring it to a boil. Reduce the flame to medium low and cover and continue to cook till all the moisture evaporates and vermicelli gets cooked.

Remove on to a plate and serve immediately.

Lachcha Paratha (Multi Layered Indian Bread)

Lachcha paratha is an Indian multi layered bread prepared using whole wheat flour. It’s flaky texture is the perfect accompaniment to any creamy, rich curries such as korma, tikka masala or makhani as it soaks in more gravy than the regular chapatis

Ingredients:

For the dough:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

Water as needed to make the dough

1 tsp oil

For frying the paratha:

2-3 tbsp ghee / clarified butter

Some wheat flour for dusting

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, take wheat flour. Add salt and mix well. Add water gradually and knead a smooth and soft dough. Add 1 tsp oil and knead again for 2 to 3 minutes. Cover with a tight lid and keep it aside for 30 minutes.

Make medium sized balls from the dough. (Approximately 16)

Take one dough ball on a rolling board. Lightly dust it with some flour.

Roll it into 6 to 7 inches diameter thin paratha. Sprinkle flour while rolling as needed.

Apply ghee liberally on the paratha.

Sprinkle some whole wheat flour on the top.

From one edge start pleating the paratha. Do this till you reach the other edge. Once done, stretch the pleated dough as much as possible.

Roll the pleated dough in a tight circle. When you reach the end, tuck the dough at the bottom side of the dough and press it gently so that it wont open while rolling.

Likewise roll all the remaining dough balls and keep it covered.

Now take the rolled ball and dust with some more whole wheat flour and start rolling into a thin circle.

Heat up a tawa and place the rolled paratha. After a minute, apply some ghee and flip it. Press gently with the spatula while frying the parathas. Cook on the other side till the golden brown spots starts to appear. Apply ghee on the other side as well. 

Take off from the tawa once you see the golden brown spots on both the sides. Crush it with your palms to separate the layers.

Serve hot with the curry of your choice.

Note:

Once you apply ghee on the rolled paratha, while sprinkling wheat flour, you can also sprinkle dried, crushed mint leaves and make mint layered paratha

Pictorial:

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.


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.

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.

Puffed Rice Dosa (Charmbure polo)

I got this recipe from the book "the konkani saraswat cook book" by Asha S Philar. I simply love the texture and softness of this dosa. It goes really well with some coconut chutney or sambar or any curry.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup urad dal/split black gram
2 cups rice
1/2 tsp methi/fenugreek seeds
11/2 cups puffed rice
Salt to taste
Oil for frying (you can also use a combination of oil and ghee)

Directions:

Soak urad dal, rice and methi seeds in 5 cups of water for 4-5 hrs. Soak puffed rice separately.

Wash the urad dal and rice. Squeeze out water from the soaked puffed rice. Grind everything to a smooth batter.
Allow it to ferment overnight.
Next morning, add salt and mix the batter thoroughly with a whipping movement to incorporate as much air as possible.
When the griddle/iron tawa is hot, turn down the heat to medium. Take a ladleful of the batter and pour it on the center of the tawa. Spread it slightly as it must be spongy, with holes appearing as it cooks. Spoon a little oil around the dosa.
Cover and cook on one side only until light brown.
Serve hot with coconut chutney.



Asafoetida Flavored Coconut Chutney (Hinga Chutney)

This is one of the easy, tasty and popular konkani chutney recipe. This goes really well with dosa or idli.

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh/frozen grated coconut
3 dry red chillies, roasted
1 green chilli
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
Small piece of tamarind
Salt to taste
1 tsp oil (preferably coconut oil)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
A large pinch of asafetida/heeng
1 spring curry leaves

Directions:

Put coconut, dry red chillies, green chilli, tamarind, salt and coriander seeds in to the blender and grind it to a smooth paste by adding warm water.
Transfer it to a bowl. Add some more water to adjust the consistency.
Heat oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add asafetida and curry leaves. Mix well.
Pour it over the chutney, mix well and serve with dosa or idli.



Sukki Chutney (Onion Coconut Chutney)

This is one of the tasty and easy to make chutney that goes really well with chapati, roti or paratha. I got this recipe from my mom.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh/frozen grated coconut
1 green chilli
2 dry red chillies, roasted
1 tsp coriander seeds
Small piece of tamarind
Salt to taste
1 tbsp onions, roughly chopped
2 small cloves of garlic, peeled

Directions:

Put all the ingredients in a blender and grind it to a fine, thick paste by adding warm water.
Serve.


Fenugreek Leaves Flatbread (Methi Paratha / Methi Roti )

These parathas/flatbreads are absolutely delicious and healthy. This goes really well with some pickle or yogurt or chutney or any curry. There are many variations to this recipe. My family loves it this way. You can substitute methi with chopped spinach, grated zucchini, grated bottle gourd, grated radish or a combination of grated radish and grated carrots.

Ingredients:

1 cup methi leaves / fenugreek leaves

2 cups wheat flour plus more for dusting
Salt to taste
3 tbsp yogurt
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp ajwain seeds
Water, as required to knead the dough
Oil, ghee or butter for roasting the parathas

Directions:



In a bowl, combine methi leaves, yogurt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, ajwain and salt.
Add wheat flour and mix well. Add water gradually and make a medium soft dough. Knead until smooth by adding 1/2 tsp of oil. Cover and keep it aside for 15-20 minutes.
Divide the dough into 12 balls.
Heat an iron tawa, flat griddle pan or frying pan. Take a ball of dough and roll into 6-8" diameter circle, using flour for dusting.
Pat off excess flour and place the paratha on the hot tawa and let it cook for 15 secs. Flip the paratha and let it cook for a few more secs. Once light brown spots appear, drizzle some oil, ghee or butter and roast to a golden shade on both sides. Use a spatula to press the puffed areas as the paratha gets roasted.
Serve hot.





Beaten Rice Upma (Phova usli)

Phovu also known as avalakki, poha or beaten rice can be used in various breakfast and evening snacks. This quick, healthy and easy to make recipe is very common in most of the konkani households. Adding cashew nuts is optional.

Prep time: 5 mins



Cook time: 15 min
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

2 cups thick poha
Salt to taste
2 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. oil or ghee
1/4 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. urad dal
1 tbsp. chopped cashew nuts
1 spring curry leaves
2-3 green chillies, slit lengthwise
1 tbsp. fresh or frozen grated coconut

softened poha



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 sugar and salt and mix gently.
Heat oil/ghee and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add urad dal, cashew nuts, curry leaves and green chillies and roast until the dal turns golden.
Add softened poha and mix well.
Cook on high for 1 minute. Cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the poha gets cooked.
Sprinkle grated coconut, mix well and serve.

Parboiled Rice Pancake (Ukde Tandla Bhakri / Akki Rotti)

Ukde tandla bhakri/parboiled rice Pancake / akki rotti is very tasty and nutritious breakfast recipe.  It goes well with any curry, chutney, pickle or simply, with a knob of butter. Traditionally it was made using a greased banana leaf. But I don't get banana leaves easily here, so I made it directly on the tawa. Alternatively you can use plastic bags or wax paper instead of banana leaves.

Prep time: 15 minutes (excludes soaking time)

Cook time: 5 minutes

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

1 cup parboiled rice/Ukdo rice (I used palakkadan matta rice available in the indian grocery stores)

Salt to taste
2 tbsp. fresh/frozen grated coconut
1 small onion, finely chopped
1-2 green chillies, chopped
Oil for making rotti

Directions:

Soak rice overnight. Next morning, wash the rice in several changes of water until the water runs clear.
Put it in a blender along with salt to taste and some water and grind to a coarse paste (add little water at a time as the batter needs to be very thick)
Transfer the batter in a bowl and add grated coconut, onions and green chillies. Mix well. Keep it aside for 10 minutes. (You can add coconut to the rice while grinding or you can mix it once  the batter is ready).
Heat the tawa (preferably cast iron) in moderate heat and grease it lightly. Once it's hot enough, simmer the heat to lowest.
Place a handful of batter on the tawa and gently start flattening the batter to form a disk with the help of your fingers. Dip your fingers in the water to prevent the batter from sticking and continue to form the rotti not too thick not too thin. Bring the heat back to medium.
Drizzle some oil and cook for 1-2 minutes and flip it carefully as it tends to break very easily.
Cook for another 1 minute until slightly golden.
Serve hot.

Note:



You can also make plain rotti without adding onions and chillies.

Green Peas Upma

This light and nourishing upma is often eaten for breakfast. Its a mild, warm and filling dish that can be eaten by all.

 Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. ghee or oil

1/4 tsp. mustard seeds

1/2 tsp. urad dal/split black gram

1/2 tsp. chana dal/Bengal gram (optional)

1 tbsp. chopped cashew nuts

1 med. onion, finely chopped

2-3 green chilles, slit lengthwise

1 spring curry leaves

1 handful fresh or frozen green peas (blanch the peas if using fresh)

1 cup coarse rava/semolina/cream of wheat

salt to taste

2 cups water

Directions:

Heat ghee in a pan. Add mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal and cashew nuts and cook until golden brown.

Stir in the onion, green chillies, curry leaves and peas. Cook until onions turn translucent. Cover and cook until the peas are soft.

Add rava and salt and stir fry on a medium heat.

In a separate sauce pan, heat 2 cups of water. When it starts boiling, transfer it to the rava mixture. Mix well. Cover and cook till all the moisture evaporates.

Serve immediately.