Carrot Salad(Carrot kosmir/kosambir)

1 Comment / Side dishes, Simple and Easy / By


Carrot is supposed to be very good for eyes. Some people (like me) don’t like it when carrot is added to sambar. So kosmir or kosambir is a healthy and delicious way of eating it.

Ingredients:
2 cups grated carrot
2 tbl spns lemon juice
1/2 tea spns each mustard seeds, cumin seeds(optional) and urad dal (optional)
4-5 green chillies
2 tea spns curd /yogurt
2 tea spns grated coconut
2-3 strands coriander leaves
Oil
Salt

Method:
Add chopped chillies, lemon juice, coconut and curd/yogurt to grated carrots. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard, cumin seeds and urad dal. When they start to splutter add this to carrot. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Serves : 3
Preparation time : 15min

Onion bajji

13 Comments / Simple and Easy, Starters / By


Ingredients:
2 cups onions
1 tbl spn corn flour
3 tbl spns besan
1/2 tea spn chilli powder
A pinch asafoetida
4-5 coriander leaves
Oil For deep frying
Salt

Method:
Cut the onions length wise. Add finely chopped coriander leaves and other ingredients. Mix using just a little water. Deep fry in oil. Serve hot.

Serves : 2
Preparation time : 10min

Pav Bhaji

50 Comments / Breakfast or snacks, Chaats and Street food, Simple and Easy / By

Pav bhaji is one of the most popular snacks in India. Though I have tasted it in many other places, the pav bhajis from Belgaum were best. I still remember those days when my friend and I would go to different restaurants which served this heavenly dish. It was spicy, semi dry and perfect in taste and texture. When I went to Bangalore, I tried it in many different restaurants. But I always felt there was something missing. So finally I learnt to make perfect pav bhaji at home. It was liked by all my friends and relatives.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked and chopped potatoes
1/2 cup fresh/frozen green peas(optional)
1/2 cup cauliflower (optional)
1/2 cup bellpepper/capsicum (optional)
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 tea spn chili powder
2 tea spn pav bhaji masala
1 tea spn ginger-garlic paste
4-5 strands coriander leaves
5-6 pav
2 tbl spn butter
Salt

To serve:
Lemon juice
Chopped onions
Sev

Method:
Fry the onions in ghee or butter till onions turn slightly brownish. Add ginger garlic paste. Grind tomatoes into a paste. Add that to onions and fry till tomatoes are tender. Add potato, cooked peas, cauliflower, bellpepper mixture. Add chilli powder, salt and pav bhaji masala. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Slit the pav into half and apply butter. Fry until little reddish. Serve with bhaji, lemon juice, sev and onion pieces.

Serves : 3-4
Preparation time : 30min

PS: You chop the bellpepper(capsicum) into small pieces and fry with onion for a good taste.

Methi Paratha

40 Comments / Parathas and rotis, Simple and Easy / By

This I learnt from my pachi (mom’s sister). She usually makes the dough in the night so that she can prepare the paratha for breakfast. Because of methi, this paratha is very good for health.

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped fenugreek(methi) leaves
1/2 cup besan (gram flour)
3 cups wheat flour
1 tea spn chili powder
2 tbl spn each oil and ghee
Salt

Method:
Cut methi leaves into small pieces and add salt. Keep for 5-10mins. Squeeze water out of the leaves. Add this to remaining ingredients to make dough. Apply oil and leave for 1-2hours. Make paratha. Fry the paratha and apply ghee on both sides.

Serves : 5
Preparation time : 15min

PS: Usually the methi leaves are squeezed after applying salt to remove some of its bitterness, but by doing this, some of the nutrients are lost. So it is personal choice. You could use the leaves as it is in the dough.

Alu Paratha

48 Comments / Parathas and rotis / By


When I was doing my engineering, there was a “Mandar mess” near our hostel. They used to prepare very delicious parathas. That is the place where I became a fan of parathas. I used to keenly observe them preparing it. I tried many times, after some failures, learnt how to cook alu paratha. Now I am good at making them. This is one of my many versions of alu paratha.

Ingredients:
2 potatoes
5-6 stems coriander leaves
1 tea spn ginger-garlic paste(use fresh)
2-3 green chillies
2-3 cups wheat flour
2 tbl spn oil and Ghee each
Salt

Method:
Add water, salt to wheat flour. Make dough(similar to chapathi dough). Apply oil to the dough and keep for around 1hr.

Cook the potatoes and mash. Make paste of coriander leaves and green chillies. Add this to potatoes. Add ginger-garlic paste and salt.

Take a small ball of dough, spread it like a puri with hand, take a ball(ping pong ball sized) of potato stuffing, keep it on the puri and close the puri over stuffing.

Make paratha applying wheat flour.

Fry paratha on tava, apply ghee on both sides. Serve hot.

Serves : 3
Preparation time : 30min

Crispy Bhindi fry

17 Comments / Side dishes, Simple and Easy / By



Ingredients:
3 cups chopped bhindi(Okra)
1 tbl spn besan (grama flour)
1 tea spn rice flour
1 tea spn chilli powder
1/4  tea spn tamariand pulp
A pinch turmeric
1/2 tea spn garam masala
Oil
Salt

Method:
Cut bhindi into thin long pieces. Heat oil and add all other ingredients. Fry till bhindi is cooked. Serve hot.

Serves : 2
Preparation time : 15min

Egg curry with fennel seeds

27 Comments / Egg, NonVeg / By

Ingredients:
4 eggs (boiled)
2/3 cup fresh/frozen coconut
1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup tomato
1 tea spn fennel seeds (badishepi)
4-5 red chilies
1 tea spn coriander seeds
4-5 cloves
1 inch piece cinnamon
3-4 strands coriander leaves
Salt
Oil

Method:
Heat oil. Add cloves, cinnamon, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, red chillies, 1/4 cup onion pieces. Fry till onion turns to red. Add 1/4 cup tomato pieces and coconut. Fry for 3-4min. Grind.
Heat oil, fry remaining onion. When they turn slightly brownish, add ground masala and salt. When the masala starts boiling, add tomatoes and eggs cut into 2 pieces. Cook till tomatoes are tender. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with chapathi or rice.

Serves : 3
Preparation time : 25min

Green Peas Kurma

14 Comments / Chutneys and bhajis, Konkani Recipes / By

Green peas were/are seasonal at my native. When I was a kid, we used to bring it from Belgaum once or twice in large batches. Shelling these peas was a big job then. Aayi had few staple dishes that she would prepare every time peas were bought. Among them, my most favorite dish is this kurma. She serves this with hot puris. Now I make this often with chapathis also. I use the frozen peas here, which are always available in my freezer.

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh/frozen green peas
1/4 cup potato pieces
7-8 pieces cauliflower pieces
1/2 cup onion pieces
1 cup fresh/frozen coconut
3-4 pepper
1/4 cup tomato cut into big pieces
4-5 cloves
1″ piece cinnamon
1 tea spn coriander seeds
1 tea spn fennel seeds(Soamp/badishepi/saunf)
4-5 red chillies
Oil
Salt

Method:
Heat a little oil and fry coriander seeds, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, red chillies, fennel seeds. Grind with coconut.
Cook peas, onion pieces, potato pieces, cauliflower, tomato pieces together in a vessel with enough water. When almost cooked, add ground masala and salt. Bring it to boil. Serve with puri or chapathi.

Serves : 5
Preparation time : 20min

Dal with vegetables and coconut (Dali ambat)

14 Comments / Gravy (Curry and daals), Konkani Recipes / By

If you ask me what is my comfort food, Dali Ambat is one of the dishes that comes to my mind. Dali ambat is a simple delicious gravy with vegetable and coconut. Paired with hot rice, this makes a great comforting meal. The aroma that comes out of it while its cooking is very intoxicating.

I have prepared this dish for many of my non-Konkani friends and this has become a regular in their homes too.

Ingredients:
1 cup Toor dal
1/2 cup fresh/frozen coconut
A pinch asafoetida
1 tea spn coriander seeds
5-6 red chillies
1/4 tea spn tamarind extract or 1-2 pieces of tamarind
Salt
5-6 Curry leaves
1/2 tea spn mustard seeds
Oil
1 cup of any one of the following vegetables
– Potato
– Tendli (ivy gourd)
– Brinjal(Egg plant)
– Seeme badane( chyote squash)
– Phagla(Indian gourd/kantola)
– Lauki(Gardudde/bottle gourd)

Method:
Cook toor dal with turmeric. Cook vegetables.
Heat oil and fry coriander seeds.
Grind with coconut, red chilies, tamarind.
Add to cooked dal & vegetables. Bring it to boil. Take off the heat.
Heat oil. Add mustard. When they start popping, add curry leaves & asafoetida. Add this seasoning to the gravy and close the lid. Serve hot with rice.

Serves : 4-5
Preparation time : 20min

PS: When ivy gourd(tendli) is used, add few cashews with them while cooking. It gives a great taste.

Masala Capsicum with potato(Punjabi batata)

3 Comments / Side dishes, Simple and Easy / By

This is called Punjabi batata. I donno for what reason it is called so. I have no idea if it is a Punjabi dish or not.

Ingredients:
Onion 2
Potatoes 2
Capsicum 2
Chilli powder 1 tea spn
Turmeric powder a pinch
Coriander powder 1 tea spn
Cumin(jeera) powder 1 tea spn
Cloves (lavang) 2-3
Cinnamon(dalchini) 1 inch piece
Salt

Method:
Cut all vegetables into square pieces. Heat oil. Add cloves and cinnamon. When it starts spluttering add onion. Fry till brown. Add potatoes and capsicum. Add little water,termeric and cook covered. When almost cooked, add all other masalas and fry till dry. Serve hot with chapatis or rice.

Serves : 4
Preparation time : 20min


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