MUSHROOM-MUTTER MASALA (A SIDE DISH FOR CHAPATHI):)))))))

Ingredient

Mushrooms – 200 gms
Fresh/frozen peas – 1 cup
Onions – 2 medium,finely chopped
Tomatoes – 2 medium,finely chopped
Ginger garlic past – 2-3 tsp
Haldi/turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Red chilly powder – 1 tsp
Coriander-cumin powder – 1 tsp each
Garam masala – ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Oil – 1 tbsp
Broken cashews – 1 tbsp
Kasoori methi – 1 tsp

Method

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed kadai. Saute the broken cashews till lightly golden.
Add the ginger-garlic paste and onions and cook on a low flame with a pinch of salt till they soften and turn light brown.
Add the tomatoes with the turmeric powder. Stir well and cook for 5-7 minutes, till mushy.
Remove the contents of the kadai and blend to a fine puree in a blender, once cooled thoroughly. You may use upto ½ cup water to aid the blending process.
In the same kadai, transfer the fine puree. Season with spice powders (red chilli powder, cumin coriander powder, garam masala) and salt. Simmer for 3-4 minutes till the gravy is infused with the spices.
Add the boiled green peas n mushrooms( cut mushrooms into 2 equal parts) to this gravy and simmer for 5 minutes or till mushrooms cuked properly. Check for salt, sprinkle crushed kasoori methi and give it a stir.
Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with chapthis, naan, rotis, kulcha etc.

HAPPY COOKING:))))))))))

Chakli or Crispy Savoury Spirals

Ingredients:

1. Maida, All purpose flour – 6 cups
2. Split blackgram dal, Udid dal – 1 cup
3. Butter - 2 tsps
4. Sesame seeds – 2-3 Teaspoons
5. Salt to taste 

Instructions:

• Dry roast black gram dal on a medium flame in a broad based bowl till you get a pleasant aroma stirring occasionally.
• Sieve maida in the siever. Tie it in a white thin cloth and steam it in the pressure cooker for exactly 20 minutes. 
• On cooling just press the lumps with your hands powder it and sieve it. Mix roasted black gram dal powder from step 1 to maida and sieve it together around 2-3 times so that it gets mixed up evenly.
• Add salt, butter, sesame seeds and mix well. Slowly add water and bring it to the consistency of chapati dough.
• Insert dough into the chakli mould such that it fits tight in the mould. Set your mould and roll out chakli of required size in circular form on a thick plastic sheet.
• Place a skillet with 4-5 cups of cooking oil in it on a medium flame. When heated fry the above chaklies to light brown on both the sides.
• Store it in airtight containers and will remain afresh for more than a month if fresh cooking oil is used.

Paneer Paratha, Cottage Cheese Stuffed Flat Bread

Ingredients:

For the outer covering, Paratha:

1/2 cup maida, all purpose flour  

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

salt and water to knead the dough

For the inner stuffing:  

100 gms Grated Paneer, cottage cheese

1 finely chopped medium onion

1 handful of Coriander leaves finely chopped 

1/2 inch, small piece of Ginger (grated) 

1 or 2 finely chopped green Chilies

1 tsp red chili powder 
1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp Ajwain, carom seed (optional) 

Butter / Oil for shallow frying as required

Step-by-step photos of paneer paratha

Instructions:   

• Make dough out of outer cover paratha ingredients as you would do for any paratha/roti.   

• In a bowl mix all the stuffing ingredients.  

• Make two medium size chapati, add the filling to the one chapati and cover it with the second one. Now roll it slightly. Cook on a pre-heated tawa (flat griddle plate).   

• Turn it and pour half tablespoon oil or butter.  

• Spread it on the paratha and shallow fry over low heat. Turn it and again pour oil or butter on the other side.  

• Cook on a low heat till golden brown.  

• Serve paneer paratha hot with yogurt (curd) and your favorite chutney or with pickle.  

Note:  Do not add salt to the filling before, as it will leave water. Add salt only at the time of preparation.

 

Mando, Mande, Mandige, Deep Fried Sweet

 Deep fired puris rolled in a sweet dry powder, Mando is a popular festival sweet prepared during Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali etc.  It is a typically Konkani festival sweet.

Ingredients:

1 cup maida or all purpose flour

2 tea spoon ghee
½ cup powdered sugar
1 table spoon sesame seeds (white til )
½ tea spoon cardamom powder
Oil for deep frying
Salt a pinch.

Instructions:

1. Make a stiff dough with flour, ghee , salt and water.
2. Take small balls of dough and roll it into medium sized chapatis (roll them into as thin as possible).
3. Wash sesame in water and drain. Roast them on a pan till sesame seeds pops up, do not burn them.
4. Mix sugar and cardamom with sesame and keep it aside.
5. Heat oil and deep fry the discs one by one. They should still remain white colored when fried. So don’t fry for long time. Just leave them in hot oil and immediately remove to enable folding later on. Small bubbles appear on the surface indicating they are cooked. If kept for a longer time, they become stiff and cannot be folded.
6. Spread the sugar mixture. It should be done when the fried discs are still hot, otherwise the sugar will not stick to them. Fold it into a triangle as shown above  spreading the sugar mixture on all the folds.
7. Store them in airtight container. They remain good for at least 15 days, if stored properly.

Nevri, Karanji, Karajikayi, Sweet Turn Overs

Nevri a popular Konkani festival sweet prepared specially during Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, and other festivals.

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour/Maida - 1 cup
Semolina/Rava/Sooji - 1/4 cup
Grated Coconut - 1 1/2 cups
Sugar - about 1/2 cup
Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 4 pods (seeds only)
Salt
Oil

Instructions:

1. In a mixing bowl, add all purpose flour, semolina and salt. Mix and make a well in the center. Add 1 tbsp oil and mix again. Now add water and knead well to form a firm dough. Add little more oil and knead again to slightly soften the dough. Keep the dough covered for an hour or so.
2.  Grind the grated coconut using little water so that the coconut turns to a coarse powder, about a minute.
3. Heat about 1 tbsp ghee/clarified butter or oil and add the ground coconut. Saute for few minutes at low flame. Now add sugar and continue cooking till the coconut stuffing turns to a dry powder. Turn off the heat and add cardamom powder. You can add powdered dry nuts (almonds, pistachios, cashews) and/or roasted sesame/til seeds as well to this stuffing. Let the stuffing cool. 
4. Divide the dough into equal sized small balls. Roll a ball into a very thin puri dusting some flour. Place 1 - 2 tsp coconut stuffing in the center. Apply little water or milk around the circular edge to ease the sealing of Karanji. Fold the puri half way to form a semicircle. Press the edges to seal it completely. I used a Shankarpali/Karanji cutter for a better shape. You can use a knife or pizza cutter as well.
5. Deep fry the stuffed Nevri/Karanji in enough oil to check. The outer dough layer must turn crisp. If not, roll it more thinner. Repeat the same for the leftover dough.
6. Crunchy and Sweet Nevri is ready.

Chayote, Seeme Badane Semolia Fry

INGREDIENTS:

Chayotes, Seeme Badane ( in kannada) - 3

Red chilly( byaadagi)-20 nos.

Raw rice  1/2 cup

Corriander seeds - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Tamarind - peanut size

Asafoetida, Hing a pinch

Salt - to taste

Fine semolina for coating 

Instructions:

1. Cut Chayotes lengthwise and apply salt n turmeric and keep aside. 
2. Grind about   20 red chillies (I have used long badgi variety, you can also use 10 badgi chillies +10 guntur chillies) + 1 tsp of coriander seeds+lil hing+salt+ tamarind + per-soaked for 10 min raw rice.
3. Grind to a smooth paste with very little water.
4. Then coat this paste to the Chayote and roll them in fine Semolina and deep fry. 
5. You can add a spoonful of chickpea flour to the chilli paste in order to bind the masala well....i have not added it.

Smoking Deep Fried Chayotes are ready to eat.

Churmundo, Wheat Flour Ladoos

This easy sweet ladoos are prepared during festivals like  Ganesh Chaturthi for Naivedya or Diwali.

Ingredients:

Atta/wheat flour – 1 cup
Chick Pea Flour - 1/2 cup
Sugar – 1 cup (adjust according to sweetness)
Cardamom – 2-3 seeds[Crushed]
Ghee or clafirfied butter  – 1/2cup
Cashew nuts, raisins – a handful

Instructions: 

Powder the sugar along with the cardamom.
In a thick bottom kadai, add ghee.
Add the atta and mix well-the mixture will start bubbling, keep stirring.
Roast the atta and chick pea flour for 20-25 minutes on low flame stirring continuously.
Switch off the flame allow it to cool a bit(you can say it should be warm, this is because when we add sugar powder it should not melt)and add the powdered sugar.
Add raisins and roasted cashew nuts add it to the mix and make laddoos while the mix is still warm.

Papaya Halwa, Pawpaw Pudding

INGREDIENTS:
Ripe papaya(medium size) – 1
Sugar - 2 cup
Ghee - 4-5 tsp

cashew - 10 nos
cardamom powder- 1/2 tsp
milk - 1 cup

Ingredients:

Cut the cashew nuts into small pieces and fry them in ghee and keep aside.

Boil the milk for 15-20 minutes in medium heat until gets thick on slow fire.

Heat one tbsp ghee in a pan, add the papaya pulp and fry till the smell vanishes.
Cook it in medium heat and stir occasionally for 5 minutes .

Add the thickened milk  to the papaya mixture and boil it until milk evaporates, then add the sugar and stir continuously in low heat.

Now add the remaining ghee and stir on low heat till the mixture collects in a soft ball or the ghee oozes out.

Now add cashews and cardamom powder.

Mix well and transfer to the greased plate. Let it rest for half an hour. Cut into desired shapes and serve.

Bibbe Upkari, Tender Cashew Side Dish

INGREDIENTS:

Tender cashew nuts- 1 cup

Tendli or Gherkin - 1/2 cup or 10 nos.
Salt - 1 tsp
sugar - 1 tsp
Coconut grated - 2 tblsp

Tempering :
Coconut oil- 6 -7 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Red chilly - 3

Instructions:

1. Soak the Bibbe (cashewnuts) in water overnight - in a little water.
2. Peel the Bibbe (if it has a skin) and gently halve it in the naturally available parting in the center
3. In  a pan , put water+ bibbo + thendli( thendli should be chopped length wise & cut it into 4 pieces) - cover with a lid and cook for about 8-10 minues or  until cooked.
4. In a seperate small pan - heat oil - put mustard into it- when mustard starts to splutter add curry leaf+ red chillies & fry for a while  - remove this from flame and add this tempering  to the cooked bibbe. Add salt and sugar and check for taste.
5. Then garnish the dish with coconut gratings.

This is a typical Konkani dish. It is also exotic as tender cashewnuts are available in season. Dried cashewnuts too can be used. This dish is used during festivals and important functions. 

Godu Appo, Aebleskiver, Pancake Puff, Paddu

 

Ingredients:

1 cup - Wheat flour

1/2 cup - Coconut grated

2 tblsp Jaggery grated or as per your taste

2 tsp cardamom powder 

Water for binding 

Ghee Clarified butter for applying 

Instructions:

Mix all the above ingredients add water to the required consistency (like a cupcake batter). Now heat the Pancake Puff maker(appe kaayli). Put 1/2 tsp ghee in each section. Pour a ladle/tbsp of batter in each section. Cover and cook for 1 or 2 minutes. Then flip appos other side and again cook for 1 or 2 minutes till done. Crispy sweet appos are ready.

Godu Appo in Konkani culture is made a nevaidya to God during festivals especially during Ganesha Chaturthi.

Patholi, Steamed Sweet Coconut Dumpling, Kadabu

 (Click to enlarge step-step procedure of Patholi recipe from start to finish. An exotic traditional Konkani recipe)

Ingredients:

Outer Covering:

White rice - 1 cup (soaked for 1 hour)

Coconut grated - 1/2 cup(fresh coconut)

Jaggery- 1 tbsp

Poha (pressed rice) - 3 tbsp  (pre-soaked)

Salt to taste

Turmeric leaves - 20  (washed trimmed at stem and patted dry)

Stuffing/Filling: 

Jaggery grated - 1/2 cup 

Coconut grated - 3/4 cup (fresh coconut)

Cardamom powder -1/2 tsp

Instructions:

For the outer covering: 

The trick of easy flow for patholi covering lies in grinding. Grind the pre-soaked rice along with coconut grating, jaggery (without adding much water). Now add washed poha and grind to get a smooth paste. Add salt.

For the stuffing/filling:

In a bowl mix coconut gratings, jaggery and cardamom powder and keep it aside.

Assembling Patholi:
Take a turmeric leaf, spread a thin layer of the outer covering/rice paste. Spread around 1 tbsp of stuffing/filling lengthwise keeping the edges free covering majority of the leaf. Fold the leaf and keep it aside. (Check the pitctorial above) Similarly prepare other 19 leaves. Place the Patholi's in a shallow bottomed vessel or idli stand and steam for around 15-20 minutes.

Unwrap the Patholis, serve the steamy hot Patholis with clarified butter. Omit this if you want to keep it vegan.

Satvik Sheera - Shingada flour sheera

People who have gluten allergy like bloated stomach or having too much flatulence should avoid glutinous flours such as wheat, all purpose flour etc. Water Chestnut Flour/Singada Atta does not contain gluten. Other gluten-free flours are buckwheat/kootu, samo/vari, amaranth seed/rajgira etc. etc. As there is no gluten in the flour it is difficult to handle the flour to knead, roll, shape etc. A better alternative to quickly cook this flour and have a fast and blast at the same time is to make a delicious sheera.

         Total time: 30 minutes

           Ingredients                                                                                                                        

• 1 cup water chestnut flour/shingada atta
• 2 tablespoon clarified butter/ghee
• 3 tablespoon sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoon mixed nuts and raisins
• three cardamom pods powdered
• 1 cup water

Cooking Directions:

Heat the ghee in a pan and add the nuts after 1/2 min frying add Shingada flour and saute it. At the same time keep the water to boil. When raw smell goes get a nutty aroma from the flour, it is time to add sugar and the boiling water. Keep sauteing, as the water dries up add in the cardamom powder and mix well. Yummy gluten-free sheera is ready in a jiffy. Take care not to burn the flour while frying, the art of creating yummy sheera lies in the sauteing the flour.