Side dish

Mixed Vegetable Saagu

Ingredients:

Beans- 3 handful, chopped

Carrot-2 medium size chopped

Potato-2 medium size chopped

Onion-1 medium size coarsely chopped

Green chillies/ jalapenos- 6 to 8 depending on taste required

Groundnut- ¼cup

Coconut-½ cup

Ginger-½ inch piece

Cloves-3

Cinnamon- 1 inch piece

Cardamom- 2

Cilantro/ coriander-5 to 6 strands

Oil- 5 Tsp

Mustard seeds-½ Tsp

Preparation:

Excluding vegetables, groundnut and oil, grind the remaining ingredients and onion with water into a fine paste.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustards seeds, allow it to splutter. Now add the chopped vegetables, groundnut and little water and steam cook until they are half tender. Add salt while the vegetables are cooking.

Mix the ground paste to the vegetables. Cook until vegetables are just tender. Turn off the heat and serve with pooris or chapatis.

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Appetizers/Snacks

KodubaLe

Ingredients:

Rice flour-4 cups

Chiroti rave/ fine semolina-1 cup

Shredded coconut- 1½ cup

Unsalted butter-4 Tbsp

Cumin seeds- 1Tbsp

Asafoetida-½ Tsp

Red chilli powder and salt- As per your taste

Oil- for deep frying

Preparation:

Mix all the above ingredients with water excluding oil and make the dough to a firm consistency.  The dough should not stick to your palm when rolling it.

Knead the dough well and make small lemon sized balls. Heat the oil in the frying pan.

Roll the dough balls into ½-¾ inch thickness sticks with your palm without putting much pressure on the dough. Now overlap the ends forming the shape of a bangle.

Deep fry the kodubaLes until they turn golden brown on both sides. Make sure to fry them on medium heat.  Once cooled store them in air tight containers so that they stay crisp. Enjoy your snack with coffee or tea……..

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Breakfast

Akki Rotti

Ingredients:

Rice flour- 3 cups

Onion- 1 finely chopped

Green chillies/Thai chillies – 6 to 7 chopped

Coriander (cilantro) – 3 to 4 strands chopped

Cumin-¾ Tbsp

Salt- to taste

Oil

Preparation:

Mix rice flour, onions, green chillies, coriander, cumin and salt, with water. Add sufficient amount of water until all the ingredients come together and form a lump. You can always sprinkle extra water while spreading on the skillet if the mixture is too dry.

Spread 1 tsp of oil on skillet, take a handful of dough and spread it on the skillet tapping with your fingers clockwise. Spread it to 1/4th inch thickness or even less if you want it to be crispy. Add a little oil on the sides and cook on medium heat. Make sure you cover it with a lid so it gets cooked well. Flip it on the other side and cook until golden brown or crispy.

Serve it with chutney. I personally like to have it with yogurt and mango pickle.

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Breakfast

Seeme Akki (Sabudana/Tapioca) Rotti

Ingredients:

Seeme akki (sabudana/tapioca)-1cup

Yogurt or Curds-¾ cup

Rice flour- 1 cup

Green chillies/Thai Chillies – 6 to 7 chopped

Coriander (cilantro) – 3 to 4 strands chopped

Cumin-¾ Tbsp

Salt- to taste

Oil

Preparation:

Soak seeme akki in yogurt and ¼ cup of water for 5-6 hours or overnight.  Add Rice flour, green chillies, coriander, cumin and salt, mix well with a little water. Spread 1 tsp of oil on skillet, take a handful of dough and spread it on the skillet. Add a little oil on the edges and cook on medium heat. Make sure you cover it with a lid so that’s it gets cooked well. Flip it on the other side and cook until golden brown or crispy. Serve it with chutney or gojju which makes an awesome combination.

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Soup

Spring Vegetable Soup With Tarragon

Ingredients:

Small red potatoes- 10

Carrots- 2 medium sized

Celery ribs- 2

Onion- 1

Leek -1

Green beans- 2 handful

Tarragon- 1Tbsp chopped

Ground pepper and Kosher salt to taste

Preparation:

Cut all vegetables into medium sized pieces. In a large pot, combine water with potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and leek and bring to boil. Add salt and cook for about 30 minutes over low-medium heat. Add green beans and cook until tender. Stir in parsley and tarragon, puree the mixture in a blender and bring it to boil again for few minutes. Season with pepper and salt. Serve hot or warm.

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Side dish

Sweet and Tangy BaLekai Palya (Raw plantain side dish)

Ingredients:

BaLekai (raw plantain) – 1, cut into cubes

Onion- 1 medium, chopped

Curry leaves- 3 to 4

Termeric- ¼ Tsp

Coriander or cilantro- 3 to 4 strands, chopped

Red chilli powder- ½ to ¾ Tsp

Tamarind paste- 2 Tsp

Jaggery- 1 to 1½ Tsp

Mustard- ½ Tsp

Asafetida- A pinch

Oil- 3 Tbsp

Coconut- 2 Tbsp (optional)

Salt- To taste

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan.  Add onions and turmeric and sauté till it turns translucent, add the cut plantains, curry leaves and cook till it becomes tender but is still crispy. Add red chili powder, tamarind paste, jaggery, salt, coconut (optional). Cook for few more minutes until they are nicely mixed and crispy.

Heat 1 tsp oil in seasoning pan. Add mustard seeds, allow it to splutter and add asafetida. Add this seasoning to cooked palya and garnish with cilantro.

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Side dish

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes And Asparagus

Ingredients:

Fingerling potatoes- 10 to 12 halved length wise

String beans- 8 to 10 cut into half

Asparagus- 8 to 10, woody ends trimmed

Olive oil- 2 Tbsp

Kosher salt and fresh ground Pepper- To taste

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400°c. Cook the potatoes for 4 to 5 minutes in salt water, drain the water and allow it to cool.

Line a thin sheet of foil onto a baking tray; arrange the potatoes and sprinkle 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until potatoes turns golden brown and crispy.

Meanwhile toss string beans and asparagus with remaining olive oil and keep aside.

Remove the potatoes and toss string beans, asparagus along with potatoes and bake for few more minutes until they are tender but still crisp. This makes a great snack or can be eaten as a side dish with something like a sandwich.

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Main Course

Dosekal Pathrode

Ingredients:

Heerekai (Ridge gourd)- cut into ¼ inch circles

Oil- for cooking

For making batter:

Raw rice- 1 cup

Urad dal-1 Tbsp

Channa dal- 1 Tbsp

Fenugreek seeds- ¼ Tsp

Soak all the above ingredients for 4-5 hours

Coconut- ½ cup

Dry red chilies- 8 to 9

Cumin seeds-½ Tsp

Coriander seeds-½ Tsp

Tamarind paste- 2 Tsp

Jaggery- 1 tsp

Salt – to taste

Grind all the ingredients to a fine paste.

Preparation:

Dip the heerekai circles in the batter and arrange them on the griddle with the edges touching each other. Fill the gaps with batter, spread a tsp of oil around the corners and cook on a medium- low flame. Flip to the other side when it turns golden brown or roasted. Cook till it becomes crispy. This can be a side dish or an appetizer. I prefer to have it with anna saaru (rice and dal curry). Left over batter can be kept in the refrigerator up to a week and can also be used for making different varieties of dose, like vegetable dose, onion dose, fenugreek leaves dose etc.

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Main Course

MeNasina Saaru (Pepper Curry)

Ingredients:

Split urad dhal- ¾ Tbsp

Pepper corns- ½-¾ Tsp

Shredded coconut- ½ cup

Curry leaves- 3 to 4

Jaggery-¼ Tsp

Ghee- 2 Tsp

Seasoning- Mustard seeds or cumin seeds, asafetida

Salt – To taste

Preparation:

Dry roast urad dal and pepper corns till they turn golden brown.  Grind shredded coconut, urad dal and pepper corns to fine paste. Bring this paste to boil adding sufficient amount of water, add curry leaves, jaggery and salt.  Allow it to boil for a few more minutes.

Heat ghee in a seasoning pan, add mustard seeds or cumin seeds, allow it to sputter. Then add asafetida and mix this seasoning to the curry before serving with rice.

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Soup

Sweet Corn Soup

Ingredients:

Corn starch-2 Tbsp

Vegetable stock- 1½ cup

Water-1 ½ cup

Sweet corn cream style-1 can

Mushrooms- ¼ cup

Salt – to taste

Vinegar, ketchup and soy sauce

Mix 2 tablespoons of corn starch with 1-2 cups of water until it dissolves. Keep aside in a bowl. Boil 3 cups of water with vegetable stock added into it. Add the corn starch mixture. Add 1 can sweet corn cream style (I use Green Giant brand). Cook mushrooms until tender in some hot water and add at this stage.

Bring to a boil and add a little soy sauce and salt to taste.

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