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.

Egg Curry with Coconut Milk

Hearty and mildly spiced egg curry with coconut milk goes very well with some warm rotis. Perfect recipe for the days when you don't want to spend lot of time in the kitchen.

Ingredients:

6 eggs

2 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 spring curry leaves

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1/3 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp fennel seeds powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

2 tomatoes, chopped

Salt to taste

1 cup coconut milk

Few springs cilantro

Directions:

Boil eggs, peel and cut them into half.

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Add curry leaves and thinly sliced onions and cook till golden brown. 

Add ginger garlic paste and cook till the raw smell is gone.

Reduce the flame and put turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder, fennel seeds powder and garam masala and mix well.

Add chopped tomatoes and salt. Mix well. Increase the heat to medium high and cook till the oil leaves the sides of the pan.

Add coconut milk and mix well. Bring it to a boil. Slide in the eggs and mix gently. Cover and cook for 5 to 10 minutes on medium flame. Adjust salt.

Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with chapati or roti.

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.

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.

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

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.





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.

Chettinad Egg Curry

We love eggs in any form in our home. It is one of the most versatile ingredient. I make curries, gravies, biryani, scrambled eggs and omelets with eggs very often. This egg curry is a perfect blend of aromatic Indian spices and it goes really well with rice or roti.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

6 eggs, hard boiled peeled and sliced
3 tbsp. oil
8-10 dry red chillies
2 cloves
1/2" piece of cinnamon
2 green cardamom pods
1/2 star anise
8-10 black peppercorns
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds/saunf
1 tsp poppy seeds/ khus khus
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 cup fresh/frozen grated coconut
4 large cloves of garlic
1" piece of ginger
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 spring of curry leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tomatoes, chopped
Salt to taste
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp green coriander leaves for garnishing.

 

 Directions:

Heat 1 tbsp oil. Add dry red chillies and roast them until they puff up and becomes crispy. Take out on to a plate and keep it aside.
In the same pan, put cloves, cinnamon, cardamom pods, star anise, black peppercorns, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, poppy seeds and coriander seeds and roast until nice aroma comes out and the spices turn light golden. Add grated coconut and roast until golden. Allow it to cool down. Grind everything to a slightly coarse paste by adding roasted chillies, ginger, garlic and some water.
Heat remaining oil in a pan. Add onions and sauté until golden. Add curry leaves and turmeric powder and mix well.
Add ground paste, chopped tomatoes and salt and mix well. Bring it a boil, cover and simmer until the oil starts to leave the masala.
Add water to get a medium thick gravy. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 5 more  minutes until everything comes together.
Add boiled egg slices and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Switch off the flame and add lemon juice and half of the chopped coriander. Mix well.

Serve hot, garnished with remaining chopped coriander.

 

 



Spicy Prawn/Shrimp Curry

               I am a great fan of prawns. I do find peeling and deveining prawns a bit difficult. But once it's done, making a curry is very easy. It gets ready in no time.
              This spicy prawn curry is my family's favorite. It goes really well with some rice and dal or fish curry. I got this recipe from my cousin Sangeeta Shenoy who is an amazing cook.

 

 

Ingredients:

500 grams prawns
2 tbsp oil
2 medium sized onions, chopped
4 large cloves of garlic
1" piece ginger
1 spring curry leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp red chilli powder
2-3 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
Salt to taste
3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Directions:

Peel, devein and wash prawns and keep it aside.
Grind ginger and garlic to a smooth paste by adding some water. Keep it aside.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till golden brown.
Add ginger garlic paste and saute for few seconds until the raw smell is lost.
Add the curry leaves, turmeric powder and chilli powder. Saute for some more time.
Add chopped tomatoes and salt and cook till mushy and oil leaves the sides of the pan.
Add prawns and mix well. The prawn will release its own moisture, so there is no need to add any water. Once the sauce comes to a boil, simmer and cover for about 10 minutes or until the prawns are cooked.
Add garam masala powder and half of the chopped coriander and mix well. Cook for 2 more minutes.
Serve hot garnished with remaining coriander leaves.





Chickpeas Curry (Chane Ghashi)

Chane ghashi is a classic coconut based konkani dish using garbanzo beans/chickpeas.  It is usually prepared on special occasions like festivals or weddings. You can substitute yam with green jackfruit pieces or potatoes. You can use either black chickpeas or white.

Ingredients:

1 cup chana
1 cup fresh/frozen yam/suran cubes
Salt to taste

For the masala:
1 cup fresh/frozen grated coconut
8-10 dry red chillies, roasted
1 small ball of tamarind or 1 tsp tamarind paste
1/4 tsp mustard seeds

For tadka/seasoning:
1 tbsp oil (preferably coconut oil)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 spring curry leaves

Directions:

Wash and soak chana overnight. Pressure cook chana by adding salt for 3 whistles. Add yam/suran and pressure cook for 1 more whistle.
Grind grated coconut, dry red chilles and tamarind to a smooth paste. Add 1/4 tsp mustard seeds and grind for another 30 seconds.
Pour this masala over cooked chana and combine. Add more water to adjust the consistency of the gravy. Bring it to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Heat oil in a small pan. Add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds. When they splutter, add curry leaves and mix well.
Pour this over the curry and mix well.
Serve with steamed rice.




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.


sambar / Kolmbo

Sambar is one of the most famous South Indian recipes. This recipe has lots of variations. This is my mom's recipe. I have used potatoes, drumsticks, green beans, carrots and Lima beans. You can also use cauliflower, radish, ivy gourd / tendle, eggplants, winter melon, yellow cucumber or bottle gourd. If you are making it on fasting days, you can skip adding onions.

Ingredients:

For Sambar:
3/4 cup toor dal
Salt to taste
4 cups of mixed vegetables (see the note above)
1 medium onion, diced (or 6-8 shallots)
2 med. tomatoes, diced
1 handful chopped coriander leaves and stems

For the masala:
1 tbsp. oil (preferably coconut oil)
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tbsp. Bengal gram / Chana dal
6-8 black peppercorns
1 tbsp. split black lentils / urad dal
1/4 tsp. fenugreek seeds / methi
1 1/2 tbsp. coriander seeds
8-10 dry red chillies
A large pinch of asafetida / hing
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
1 spring of curry leaves
2 tbsp. fresh/frozen coconut
Small piece of tamarind

For the tadka/seasoning
2 tbsp. coconut oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 spring curry leaves
A large pinch of asafetida / hing

Directions:

Pressure cook toor dal with 2-3 cups of water and salt for 4 whistles until soft. Whisk to a smooth paste. Add 1 more cup of water along with vegetables, onions and tomatoes. Pressure cook for 1 more whistle.
Heat oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add cumin. When they slightly change the color add chana dal, peppercorns and dry red chillies. When the dal changes the color slightly, add urad dal, methi seeds and coriander seeds one by one and roast until they turn golden.
Add hing, turmeric powder, curry leaves and coconut and roast until golden.

roasted spices

Allow the spices to cool down. Grind it to a smooth paste by adding tamarind and 1 cup of water or more as required.
Add this ground paste to the boiled dal and vegetables and combine well. Adjust the consistency of sambar and check the seasoning. Bring it to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes mixing in between.
Add chopped coriander leaves and cook for 1 more minute.
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add curry leaves and hing. Mix well. Pour this over the sambar and mix well.
Serve hot garnished with some more coriander with steamed rice.



Tomato Rice

This is one of my favorite rice dishes. You can use basmati or sona masoori rice. It can be eaten by itself, with some yogurt or any curry. The recipe is by chef Leevin Johnson.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked rice
2 tbsp. oil
1/4 tsp. fennel seeds /saunf / badesopu
1 bay leaf
8-10 cashew nuts, chopped
1 med. onion, finely chopped
1" ginger, minced
1 green chilli, slit lengthwise
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
1/2 tsp. red chilli powder
2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Directions:

Heat oil in a pan. Add fennel seeds and bay leaf. Once they start to sizzle, add cashew nuts and fry until golden.
Add onions and sauté until golden. Add ginger and green chilli until the nice aroma comes out.
Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and combine.
Add tomato and salt and mix well. Cook until tomatoes turn mushy and oil leaves on sides of the pan.
Add rice and mix well. Cook on medium heat for 2-3 min. Simmer, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes until the rice is heated through.
Add coriander leaves, mix well and cook for 1 more minute.
Serve hot or warm garnished with some more coriander leaves.

Curd Rice / Yogurt rice

Curd rice is a South Indian recipe. It makes a complete meal along with some pickle. There are different variations to this recipe. It can be served at room temperature or chilled. It's a perfect dish for hot summer days. You can use either fresh or leftover rice for making this dish.

Ingredients:

1 cup sona masoori rice
3 cups plain yogurt/curd
Salt to taste
1 tsp. ginger, grated
3 green chillies, finely chopped
2 tbsp. green coriander, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh or frozen pomegranate seeds
2 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tbsp. cashew nuts, chopped
1/2 tsp. chana dal
1 tsp. urad dal
1 spring curry leaves, finely chopped


Directions:

Wash and cook rice until soft. Mash it lightly with a spoon.  Allow it to cool down completely.
Add salt, ginger, green chillies, yogurt, coriander leaves and pomegranate seeds. Mix well.
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds,  when they splutter, add cashew nuts and chana dal. Mix until they change the color slightly.
Add urad dal and fry until golden brown.
Add curry leaves and sauté for few more seconds.
Once it cools down, pour it over rice and mix well.
Serve garnished with some more coriander leaves and pomegranate seeds along with some pickle.

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.