Heerekai Sippe Chutney / Ridge Gourd Peel Chutney

          Ridge gourd has many health benefits which includes purification of blood, mild laxative property, aiding weight loss and much more, yet many times the peels of the ridge gourds often end up being unused. If we peep into the traditional cooking from grandmas, we are sure to find numerous ways in which they incorporated the peels, seeds and kernels in regular diet. One such recipe comes here making use of the peel of ridge gourd,

Ingredients:

• Peels of ridge gourd - 1 1/2 cup
• Channa dal - 1 1/2 tbs
• Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
• Dry red chillies - 5 to 7, adjust to the required spiciness
• Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
• Curry leaves - 12 to 14
• Tamarind - Peanut sized
• Jaggery powder - 1/2 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida - A generous pinch
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Oil - 2 1/2 tsp
• Salt -  to taste

Method:

• Put 1/2 tsp of oil in a pan and heat. Add channa dal, urad dal, dry red chillies and fry. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool.

• In the same pan add 1 tsp oil and add 6 to 7 curry leaves, peels of ridge gourd and fry for 4 to 5 minutes or until the raw smell of the peel is gone.

• Add grated coconut and fry for around 20 to 30 seconds, just to remove the moisture. Allow to cool.

• Take the fried dal mixture and grind into fine powder. Add fried peels and coconut, tamarind, jaggery, salt, required amount of water and grind into a smooth paste.

• Prepare a tempering by heating 1 tsp oil and adding mustard seeds, asafoetida, turmeric and curry leaves.

• Pour the tempering on the ground paste. "Ridge gourd peel chutney" is now ready to be served with dosa, idli, rotti or even with steaming rice.

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Appe Huli Saaru / Raw Mango Rasam / Raw Mango Soup

          Every year as the summer starts, the season of mango also gets started. The traditional tomato rasam can be replaced by "Appe Huli Saaru / Raw Mango Rasam". The hot, tangy and mildly spiced raw mango rasam is good to go with rice or can be simply had as a healthy and energizing soup. Here comes my first mango recipe of this season,

Ingredients:

• Raw mango - 1 medium sized or 1/2 of large sized
• Split green gram dal / Hesaru bele - 2 tbs
• Rasam powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Jaggery powder -2 - 3 tsp, adjust to your taste
• Green chillie - 1, split lengthwise
• Ghee / Clarified butter - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves- 10 - 12
• Dry red chillies - 2
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Cilantro - 1/2 bunch
• Salt - to taste
• Water - As required

Method:

• Take split green gram dal, raw mango, half of the cilantro, split green chillie, turmeric powder, asafoetida in a pressure cooker and cook for 3 whistles.

• Remove the mango peel, which is much easier now and grind the pulp into smooth paste.

• Add the mango paste to the dal mixture and give a good mix.

• Place the dal mixture on stove top and add jaggery, rasam powder, salt and mix well. Allow this to boil nicely.

• Meanwhile prepare a tempering by heating ghee and adding mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and dry red chillies.
• Add the tempering to the dal mixture, mix thoroughly and remove from stove top.

• Garnish with remaining cilantro.

• Enjoy "raw mango rasam" with steaming rice.

Note:

• The raw mango rasam can also be enjoyed as a soup, in which case, you can exclude the dal and use turmeric and asafoetida in the tempering.
• The rasam powder can be substituted by using only green chillies or dry red chillies along with pepper powder for having spicyness in the soup.

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Ennegayi / Tumbida Badanekayi / Stuffed Brinjal

           Ennegayi is one of the most popular dishes of Karnataka. As soon as we take the name of "jolada rotti" i.e, jowar roti, the other dish which quickly gets flashed is "ennegayi" or "stuffed brinjal". Round or oval purple brinjals are stuffed with stuffing prepared with some aromatic spices and used in preparing the gravy.

Ingredients:

• Medium to small round or oval purple brinjals - 6 to 8
• Onion - 1, finely chopped
• Tamarind - medium marble sized, soak in hot water for few minutes and squeeze the juice out of it.
• Jaggery, powdered - 2 to 3 tsp
• Curry leaves - 10 to 12
• Cilantro or coriander leaves - for garnishing
• Oil - 2 to 3 tbs
• Water - around 1/2 cup
• Salt - to taste

For Masala Stuffing:

• Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Cinnamon stick - 1'' Piece
• Black sesame seeds - 1 tsp, in the unavailability can be substituted with white sesame seeds.
• Peanuts - 2 tbs
• Dry red chillies - 8 to 10, adjust to the spiciness required
• Channa dal / Bengal gram dal - 1 tsp
• Urad dal - 1/4 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds - 10 
• Cloves - 2
• Roasted dalia / Roasted split chickpea - 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

• Put 1 tsp oil in a pan, add cinnamon, clove, channa dal, urad dal, peanut, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black sesame seeds, fenugreek seeds, dry red chillies, turmeric powder, dalia and fry nicely. Allow it to cool.

• Make a paste out of this fried mixture by adding salt and little water. Don't make it too runny as we have to fill this paste inside the brinjal.

• Give two diagonal cuts on the brinjal preserving the stem so that it forms a "+" shape.

• Slightly separate the cut pieces being careful not to damage the stem, and stuff the masala paste inside and press from outside gently, so that the paste is held firmly inside.

• In a pan add 2 to 3 tbs of oil. When it gets hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida.
• To this add chopped onion and once it is done drop in the stuffed brinjals one by one. cover the lid and cook for 1 1/2 minutes.

• Then gently flip the side of the brinjals, cover and cook for 1 1/2 minutes.

• Now add the remaininng amount of masala, tamarind juice, jaggery powder, 1/2 cup of water and cook for 15-20 minutes with lid on. Make sure to flip the side of the brinjal intermittently. As the oil starts to accumilate at the side indicating the completion of cooking, turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes with lid on.

• Garnish with cilantro and serve with jowar roti, chapati or rice.

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Green Gram Curry / Moonga Gashi / Muga Gashi

          Moonga gashi is a healthy and tasty dish from tulu nadu region (Konkani). Soaked green gram when cooked with coconut based gravy produces the exotic flavour which will linger on your tongue and mind even hours after relishing it....

Ingredients:

• Whole green gram / hesaru kalu / Moong dal - 1 cup
• Red chillies - 2 no
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds - 20
• Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
• Black pepper corns - 6
• Onion - 1 small, finely chopped
• Tomato - 1, finely chopped
• Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
• Ginger-garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
• Water - 2 cups
• Coriander leaves - finely chopped
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Cilantro / Coriander leaves - for garnishing

For tempering:

• Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida - A generous pinch
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves - 1 strand
• Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

• Wash and soak the moong dal for 8 hours and drain the excess water.

• In a pan, heat 2 tsp oil and add mustard seeds, black pepper corns, corriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, red chillies and fry for a while
• Then add onion and fry until they become transparent. Add ginger-garlic paste, half of the chopped tomato, followed by grated coconut and fry for some more time and allow to cool.

• Grind the fried mixture into paste using little water.

• Take a pressure cooker pan and heat around 1 tsp oil in it and begin tempering using mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves and turmeric powder.
• Add soaked moong dal, grinded mixture, remaining tomato, water, salt and give a good mix. 

• Check the taste, make desired adjustments, cover the lid and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
• As the pressure subsides, open the lid and adjust the consistency by adding water, if necessary. Garnish with coriander leaves.
• "Moonga gashi" is now ready to savour with steaming rice or hot phulka / chapati.

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Crispy Noodles - Cabbage Roll

          This is an Indo - Chinese dish which can be had as an apetizer or a snack. Slightly steam cooked cabbage leaves are stuffed with noodles, dipped in batter and deep fried to get a crispy and yummy outcome. Instead of noodles we can also create a variety of fillings. We can fill mashed potatoes with added seasonings, mixture of vegetables which are finely chopped etc. This is a very good option to make use of left-over noodles, potato masala and sabjis.

Ingredients:

• Cabbage leaves - 5-6
• Noodles - Around 2 cups

For batter:

• Corn flour - 1/2 cup
• Maida / all purpose flour - 1/3 cup or 5 tbs
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Pepper powder 1/4 tsp
• Soya sauce - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste

Method:

• Remove the whole leaves carefully from the cabbage and wash thoroughly.
• Heat water and when it starts to boil add the cabbage leaves, cover partially and blanch for 7-8 minutes.

• Remove the leaves out of the boiling water and allow to cool.

• In a bowl take corn flour, maida, cumin seeds, pepper powder, salt and give a good mix.
• to this add soya sauce and water and make a thick batter so that it will get nicely coated on to the rolls.

• On the cabbage leaves, place around 1 - 1 1/2 tsp of prepared noodles. fold both the sides and roll the cabbage leaf tightly. Repeat the process with all the cabbage leaves.

• Heat oil in a pan.
• Dip the cabbage rolls in the batter and deep fry them in oil until they turn golden brown.

• Serve the hot crispy cabbage rolls with tomato ketchup.

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Maggie Noodles in Chinese Style

       

          Maggie, the two minutes noodles is an all time kids favorite. The tastemaker readily available with the pack makes the cooking much easier too... But if we want a change, we can incorporate the chinese flavours and enjoy.

Ingredients:

• Maggie noodles - 2 no
• Water - 3 cups
• Mixed vegetables ( capsicum, carrots, cabbage, beans) - finely chopped lengthwise - Around 1 1/2 cups
• Green chillies - 1-2
• Soya sauce - 1 1/2 tsp
• Chillie sauce - 1/2 tsp
• Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
• Ginger-garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
• Water - 3 cups
• Spring onions - 2-3
• Oil - 2 tbs

Method:

• Boil water, add noodles and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

• Remove immediately from heat and strain the excess water.
• Add 1-2 tsp of oil and mix well to avoid it from becoming sticky.
• Allow it to cool.
• Heat a pan and add oil. As the oil gets heated add capsicum followed by beans, carrots and cabbage.
• As the veggies become almost done, add ginger-garlic paste and fry for few seconds.

• Add noodles, soya sauce, chillie sauce, pepper powder. salt and mix well. Be cautious while adding salt as the soya sauce and the noodles already have some amount of salt in them.

• Finally add chopped spring onion greens, mix once or twice and serve hot.

 

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